. >> you can go easily back to the time capsule and find orrin hatch and chuck grassley praising this guy. that is not the case here. you think he has the case of becoming the nominee at all? >> i think it is a did thing for him the honor of his life is nominating. it is hard to imagine how he gets on the supreme court. at least before the presidential election because republicans on capitol hill, a lot have said they won't meet with him, much less schedule a hearing. far be it from a vote. it is hard to see his path. maybe something happens if hillary clinton wins. they take it up in a lame duck session. people are not talking about that. it is a long way off. you know, it's hard to imagine. >> a lot of people saw this as an unusual pick. merrick garland is 63 years old. you don't usually see that. it would shorten the time he would serve in the supreme court if he were confirmed. the white house seems to say this is the guy who is the least possible controversial pick there is. if you reject merrick garland, this proves your playing politics. mitch mcconnell and other republicans se

iowa senator chuck grassley doubled down today on his position of not considering a supreme court nominee until the next president takes office. today, he joined senate majority leader mitch mcconnell at a meeting with presididt obama at the white house. the understanding from both the president and from our side that it wasn't a meeting where we were trying to change people's minds ... " grassley is the chair of the senate judiciary committee. he and other republicans ve said they will not hold hearings s any nominee while president obama is in office. they want the american people to have a say in the next supreme court justice. but democrats argue the people had that say when they elected barack obama, and it's the senate's constitutiona l responsibility to consider a nominee to replace the late justice antonin scalia. the iowa city council still hasn't decided whether to move forward with a controversial piece of artwork. right now, the council is discussing a plan to contribute 50-thousand dollars ... to help spur fundraising efforts for "the lens." the 30-feet tall sculpture would g

there are seven senate republicans, including the senate judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley up for re-election. he is now saying he is willing to sit down with garland, but they will reiterate they will not consider him as a nominee or any nominee for that matter right now. the white house believes there is a chance that some vulnerable republicans could be won over and public pressure will be strong. the white house is using twitter and special hash tags. the president had a special phone call with progressives. he urged them to get out and get their voices heard and work on this to show that garland should have a fair shot. it is strange. on the one hand, republicans are saying i don't know why we're talking about this. we made it clear we are not holding hearings. the white house expressing confidence the nominee will ultimately be confirmed. it will boil down to what do republicans see as their least damaging option. to consider this consensus nominee or wait and see if there is a democratic president and who they would bring forward. is it better to be seen as not obstr

does mitch mcconnell and chuck grassley -- >> then they bring garland back. >> you get a better moderate liberal judge than if you let hillary clinton make the appointment. >> the majority of the people think there should be hearings. democrats, republicans, and independents. they do think this is the job of the senate to do this. >> sure. this is political gamesmanship, right? i agree with you. it is a lose-lose situation for the president. i thought he would be put someone in more progressive and liberal. he didn't. republicans said we're not going to hear anybody. >> they put someone up who is real. how is that a lose? >> here's the thing. republicans have been rolled by this president on so many things. the gop base is saying can you stand up just this one time. sadly, america is the political pawn in all this. i just don't think -- keep this in mind. i think we all think the supreme court is a serious issue. it's not even a top ten issue for voters. they may want him to have hearings on it, but this isn't going to define the election. >> the thing is democrats do this -- have done t

perhaps more importantly, she has been strongly supported, at least historically, by senator chuck grassley, the republican senator from iowa who is now the chairman of judiciary committee. the question would be if the white house were to nominate this prominent iowan, would senator grassley feel obligated to hold hearings? he said he won't, but they haven't put a iowa nominee before him neither. >> so 30 seconds. in the vetting process here from the white house, how is she notified? >> because fbi agents start looking through all of your background material. they want to look at your finances, they want to look at, you know, every case that she's done previously. she was just confirmed almost unanimously for her seat on the eight circuit, so she's been through a vetting process in the last few years, but the supreme court is a whole another level of magnitude, and the would be nominee has to cooperate with that. has to provide all sorts of financial records, business records. by the way, just because someone is vetted doesn't mean they'll get the nomination. she's been someone that i and o

senator chuck grassley, who heads the judiciary committee in the senate, you know, he's been poking at her about these e-mails. >> right. >> remember, keeping -- >> that personal server. >> the personal server. and so some people see a little personal payback here. i think there may be an element of that. hillary is also looking at the polls that show that most americans think that -- that we at least ought to have a vote on this new nominee. >> but -- and talking about, and it's an issue that really pits, you know, the right against the left, when it comes to this nominee, do the voters really care, though? >> well, you know, the court is hugely important. maybe not the average middle voter, but those bases on both 150ids care very much about who's going to be on the court. because you know those judges are going to decide whether all this future stuff is legal. >> absolutely it's a very important seat indeed. ellis, thanks so much for your insight. >>> just ahead a super weekend for a movie panned by critics. plus your chance to own a major piece of star wars this. we have those deta

>> do we know when that meeting will happen with chuck grassley? >> we do not. we just know he spoke with him by phone and publicly said i will meet with him. but it is different than any other supreme court battle we have seen. >> ari, thanks so much. from new york. let's flip over to washington. president obama's court pick is meeting with democrats today. merrick garland just wrapped up a meeting in fact on capitol hill with senator patrick deahy, ranking member, as ari just said, ranking member of the senate judiciary committee. let's break in luke russert on that. what did we learn from pat leahy? >> if this was a normal process, he would come here and this would be the first step. you meet the member of the party of the president who is relevant on the judiciary committee. in this case, senator leahy of vermont. they had a very positive meeting. senator leahy said he with like to see a confirmation vote done by may 25th. mitch mcconnell will not allow that to happen. and take a listen to lachey's comments on the meeting. >> an unprecedented number of reces

he put out a statement saying really agreeing with senator mcconnell, and chuck grassley, saying i think highly of judge garland, but his nomination doesn't in any way change current circumstances. those circumstances being that the republicans just will not consider a nominee, no matter who he is. some is republicans in touch reelection races will feel a lot of pressure, mark crook, the illinois republicans put out a statement saying he wants to consider a nomination. he was one of the toughest in the country. i just talked to kelly ayotte, a new hampshire senator also in a tough race, she says she's willing to meet with judge garland, but does not think the process should go forward. so you're hearing a bit of division within the republican ranks, but for the most part by and large they are united behind the position to not move forward with the confirmation process. they're going to take it to voters and hope republicans reward them with a senate republican majority that could prevent a liberal justice from being confirmed, ashleigh. >> it's always interesting to see each party tossin

i think it's states like that -- i mean, chuck grassley is looking like a tower of jell-o at this point. >> woodruff: on that note, mark shields, david brooks, thank you both. >> woodruff: a movie thriller-- being released nationally today-- delves into the practical, legal and moral issues surrounding drone warfare. jeffrey brown is back with that. >> what's the plan, captain? >> we need to put a hellfire through that roof right now. >> brown: it's a new kind of warfare: advanced technology that tracks, identifies, and has the power to destroy enemies by remote control from thousands of miles away. but, as the film "eye in the sky" asks, should it be used? if so, when? especially if innocent lives may also be taken? >> harold, this is a very time- sensitive target. do i have authority to strike? >> the rules of engagement you're operating under only allow for a low collateral damage estimate. >> brown: the film follows british military commanders-- including helen mirren as colonel katherine powell, as they debate with cabinet officers and politicians over a strike against al shabob te

grassley said he'll consider it. scott, this is a political gamble. republicans want to appear strong but not obstructionist, which could ultimately backfire to the benefit of democrats. >> pelley: margaret brennan at the white house tonight. margaret, thank you. well, the presidential election overshadows this supreme court battle, and last night republican front-runner donald trump won at least three more contests. the states in orange are trump's wins to date. blue are ted cruz. two-term governor john kasich won his first and only primary last night, his home state ohio. but apparently the show-me state, missouri, didn't see enough. last night they cast 1.5 million votes, and both trump and cruz and clinton and sanders are separated by less than 2,000 votes each, too close for an official result yet. even so, cbs news estimates that trump now has more than half the nomination. here's major garrett. >> this was an amazing evening. >> the great state of ohio, i love you. >> reporter: the swing state's split decision

one of the people leading that is chuck grassley. grassley took a political swipe in a political article published a few moments ago saying, quote, with all the troubles she's getting on e-mail and the fbi will want to question her, i would think she would want to change the tone of her campaign. the "new york times" are stating that they are in the process of setting up interviews with long-time clinton aides, and the "washington post," that clinton aides warned security warnings. joel, it's good to have you with me. the "washington post," that's pretty alarming as people get down to the nitty-gritty and read that. 64% believe they have a trust issue when it comes to hillary clinton. does the fbi investigation suggest that hillary clinton was acting with political entitlement or just with bad judgment? >> secretary clinton has addressed this. the "washington post" had absolutely no new ground in there. the "new york times" story, secretary clinton has encouraged everybody who was involved in her e-mails and servers to answer questio

senator chuck grassley of iowa wants a full debate on whether to hold a hearing on a supreme court nomination. but so far this morning, no surprises, republicans are saying no hearings and democrats call the refusal shameless. >>> also right now, nasa administrator charles bolden is on capitol hill. he is answering questions about the budget and priorities of the space agency. commercial space flight industry will be watching the hearing very closely. some congressional leaders think nasa should be putting more resources into building its own rockets. >>> new numbers on all the parking tickets and moving violations that the district has handed out. aaa mid-atlantic says drivers owe the district more than $84 million in tickets from last year alone. and believe it or not, that number is low compared to other cities. in new york city, the number of unpaid tickets adds up to more than $750 million. in chicago, it's at more than $1 billion right now. aaa says the number of delinquent d.c. tickets is up 24% from the year before. it's also warning drivers that you can face a penalty on your taxes i

although judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley left open a crack. >> it's a case of an hour meeting with judge garland. you know, it's pretty hard to say no, to that. if i can meet with a dictator in uganda, i can surely meet with a decent person in america. >> the responsible course of action is to avoid the political theater. >> the american people deserve >> reporter: in a conference call with supporters, president obama said that issue was settled. the american people did have a say back in 2012 when they elected me president. >> the biggest challenge for the white house is going to be keeping the attention of the american people. >> reporter: former judiciary committee chief counsel says to prevail the white house has to keep beating that drum. >> you have outside personalities as candidates. and there are going to be issues that will be come up, and, you know, i don't think the american people are going to be paying as much attention to the nomination of judge garland. >> reporter: now, garland also doesn't bring diversity so some groups on the left aren't all that fired up. b

>> this is going to be a continuing issue because chuck grassley, head of the judicial committee, and the senate leaders have made it clear they're not going to vote on the president's pick, whoever it is. that it should be held over until the results of the election are done. we have a new president next year. and so this is going to be, you know, the breaking point between republicans and democrats. it's going to have a significant impact on the presidential race. but also on congressional races because this fits in with the meme of the democrats that republicans are obstructionists and they're resisting. republicans say, listen, you really don't have a right -- we think based on precedent to bring this nomination at this point. so that's going to be the real tough point. >> let's look at these two individuals that we're getting word he could be nominating. the first is sri srinivasan. what do you know about him? he's on the left. >> he's a very, very bright guy. he's had a real approval in the united states senate in terms of his confirmation on the d.c. circuit court of appeals wh

this morning iowa senator chuck grassley and u-s senate majority leader mitch mcconnell discussed the supreme court justice vacancy...with president obama himself... grassley...the chairman of the judiciary committee... says he will not consider a nominee but...president obama says he would like to find a replacement before then. two newton inmates are still missing after making a run for it this weekend and correctional officers say it feels like deja vu.... michael amodeo and jessy foley were nowhere to be found saturday night during a routine check. the two are now the second and third inmates to escape the confines of newton's facility in just one month. 28-year-old edward shorter attempted the same thing when he walked away from the facility. he was captured a day later in des moines. the department of corrections says it can't say for sure whether the latest escapees pose a threat to the public.... most people, if they make this choice, they dont want to get caught, so a lot of times they try to stay hidden as much as they can so its a real difficult question to answer as far as

but it's in the hands of what the political standing of chuck grassley in the next six weeks. great panel. great discussions. that's all we have for this week. we'll be back next week after >>> it's monday march 21st. coming up on early today. history. president obama is the first u.s. president to visit cuba in almost 90 years. donald trump plans to beef up his campaign rallies. >>> the captured suspect in the paris terror attacks is squealing to authorities. we have new details ahead. >>> plus, an 11-year-old joy ride aboard a cement mixer. >>> yes, pains at the pump as prices skyrocket and fantastic finishes as march madness heads into the sweet 16. "early today" starts right now. >>> well, good monday morning, everybody. thanks for waking up with us today. i'm betty nguyen. the president of the united states is waking up in cuba today. president obama is the first sitting president in 88 years to visit the country, a trip he hopes will be lasting part of his legacy, but there are still nbc's jay gray is in havana with more. >> reporter: after visiting old havana yesterday

the judicial committee chairman chuck grassley saying okay we will met with garland, but in some cases, including grassley, they will reiterate they will not consider him as a nominee or any nominee for that matter right now. the white house believes there is a chance that some vulnerable incumbent republicans could be won over and public pressure will be strong. the white house is using twitter and hash tags. the president urged people to get involved and get voices heard and work on this to show that garland should have a fair shot. it is strange. on the one hand republicans are saying i don't know why we're talking about this. we made it clear we're not going to hold hearings. you have white house expressing confidence that this nominee will ultimately be confirmed. what it will boil down to is what do republicans see as their least damaging option to consider this consensus nominee or wait and see if there is is a democratic president and who they would bring forward. is it better to be seen now as not obstructing the process or as some republicans believe, are voters going to be m

but it's in the hands of what the political standing of chuck grassley in the next six weeks. great panel. great discussions. that's all we have for this week. we'll be back next week after more primaries, because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." >>> it's monday march 21st. coming up on early today. history. president obama is the first u.s. president to visit cuba in almost 90 years. donald trump plans to beef up security at his campaign rallies as he and other candidates prepare to address the israel/arican affairs committee later today. >>> the captured suspect in the paris terror attacks is squealing to authorities. we have new details ahead. >>> plus, an 11-year-old joy ride aboard a cement mixer. >>> yes, pains at the pump as prices skyrocket and fantastic finishes as march madness heads into the sweet 16. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. a notion almost unthinkable for nine decades. the president of the united states is waking up in cuba today.

grassley said he'll consider it. scott, this is a political gamble. republicans want to appear strong but not obstructionist, which could ultimately backfire to the benefit of democrats. >> pelley: margaret brennan at the white house tonight. margaret, thank you. well, the presidential election overshadows this supreme cou battle, and last night republican front-runner donald trump won at least three more contests. the states in orange are trump's wins to date. blue are ted cruz. two-term governor john kasich won his first and only primary last night, his home state ohio. but apparently the show-me state, missouri, didn't see enough. last night they cast 1.5 million votes, and both trump and cruz and clinton and sanders are separated by less than 2,000 votes each, too close for an official result yet. even so, cbs news estimates that trump now has more than half the delegates he needs for the nomination. here's major garrett. >> this was an amazing evening. >> the great state of ohio, i love you. >> reporter: the swi

grassley. the focus is the standoff over a supreme court nominee. the president plans to nominate someone to replace the late justice scalia. republicans -- including senator grassley -- who chairs the committee that considers court appointments -- want that decision to be up to the next president. the senate majority and minority leaders will also be at talk about the drug problem in this country. senator grassley's office says more than 47- thousand americans died from overdoses in 2014 -- an all-time high. his office says that's more deaths than from car crashes or gun violence. new this morning... new records say a university of iowa public safety director did not cooperate with other officers. they say david visin refused to pull over -- driving with his stepson in june. officers were looking for his stepson after his truck was involved in a hit and run crash. instead of stopping, he allegely station. he says he didn't know anything about the crash at the time... and didn't stop because he

afterward, kcci's steve karlin sat down exclusively with one of those senators, iowa's chuck grassley. grassley and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell have vowed to block any nominee justice antonin scalia. senator grassley tells kcci the meeting tuesday was cordial and productive. >> we spent about half the time on the supreme court. it wasnt a meeting where we were trying to change people's minds. eric: senator grassley says president obama made it very clear that he will put up a nominee. the speculation is that he will nominate someone for the supreme court who will make it politically difficult for the republicans to not at least consider. elizabeth: more big stories now, soon a judge will decide whether or not to convict troy mure junior of vehicular homicide, in the death of his girlfriend scalicity perez. she was killed in a high-speed single-car crash on 35th street in des moines in november. mure took the stand tuesday, saying he was driving more than 80 miles per hour because he was being chased by someone with a gun in another car, in decorah, the defense will continue

grassley, to move forward with a hearing. we'll see. they're pretty adamant they're not going to do that. every single one of these photo ops is a push, a push, and the more and more republicans who meet judge garland and say he's qualified, had a good conversation with him. at least give him a hearing, maybe that changes things. right now, mcconnell is pretty steadfast, no hearing, no vote. we'll see. >> luke russert, good to see you. thank you. >>> coming up, why marco rubio wants to hold on to his delegates until the convention. i'll have that for you next. why are you all here? to learn, right? so you can get a good job and you're not working for peanuts. well what if i told you that peanuts can work for you? while you guys are busy napping, peanuts are delivering 7 grams of protein and 6 essential nutrients right to your mouth. you ever see a peanut take a day off? no. peanuts don't even get casual khaki fridays. because peanuts take their job seriously. so unless you want a life of skimmingifi off the neighbors, you'll

although judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley left open a crack. >> it's a case of an hour meeting with judge garla charlie roses say no, to that. if i can meet with a dictator in uganda, i can surely meet with a decent person in america. >> reporter: the white house is hoping with enough pressure republicans will cave. for now they're holding the line for the next president. >> the responsible course of action is to avoid the political theater. >> republicans think that the people deserve a voice. >> the american people deserve to be heard in their voice heated. >> reporter: in a conference call with supporters, president obama said that issue was settled. the american people did have a say back in 2012 when they elected me president. >> the biggest challenge for the white house is going to be keeping the attention of the american people. >> reporter: former judiciary committee chief counsel says to prevail the white house will have to keep beating that drum. >> you have outside personalities as candidates. and there are going to be issues that will be coming up, and, you know, i

and, senate judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley will kid it. scott, this is a political gamble. republicans want to appear strong but not obstructionist, which could backfire to the benefit of democrats. >> margaret brennan at the white house. thank you. >>> today the nation's second busiest system was shut down so problems could be inspected in its electrical system. the d.c. metro serves about 700,000 riders a day. and jeff pegues is following this. >> reporter: emergency inspections have been under way since early this morning. in all, 91 stations have been closed as two dozen teams fanned out among 100 miles of track. looking for damage to third rail cables that could lead to smoke and fire. manager paul wedifield. >> since we began. metro teams identified 26 areas where damaged jumper cables and booths exists. >> on monday a cable fire led to major delays during the morning commute. >> now open the doors. >> reporter: similar to a serious incident last year that killed a woman and injured dozens. the safety concerns are not new for the 40-

chuck grassley discussed the vacancy with the president and other top senators... it was an attempt to bridge a standoff over whether president obama should send a nomination to the senate. but grassley says he won't consider a nominee until after the presidential election. i spoke for the position of 52 of the 54 republicans that the people should have a voice in this through the next election. grassley chairs the judiciary committee. majority leader mitch mcconnell and democratic leader harry reid also took part in the meeting. we're nearing the end of one of the biggest days on the election calender... today is an enormously important day. super tuesday i believe is the twelve states choose candidates today - ten where both parties compete, plus the democrats in colorado and the republicans in alaska. the latest polls show donald trump and hillary clinton hold commanding leads. and it appears clinton is eager to take trump on... at some point you can't just say whatever pops into your head if you want to be the president of the united states of america. polls in

the chairman of that committee, the judiciary exciteey, chuck grassley. very good to have you. >> thank you very much, neil. i'm glad to be with you. >> same here. your thoughts on the whole thing, the president sounds leak he's going to submit a name, had a big pow-wow. interesting you were not in the pow-wow to talk about his plans. if he submits a name you stand by waiting until after the election. caucusñl have the same view thai have. all the members of the judiciary have the view, and a kind of follows on something that we believe but also several democratic senators of the past the cor rosesive -- crosssive environment of the president al eelection, unfair to the court and the country and the nominee to carry on that sort of debate in the middle of a presidential election,. so put it off for the new president to make a decision. then of course there's a second reason as well. it's what you call checks and balances of the government. unlike when the president says that he has a pen and a phone and if congress won't, he will, he can act some on his

grassley... along with senate minority leader harry reid and senator patrick leahy of the judiciary committee. president obama has vowed to send a nomination to the senate within the next few weeks. and after spending nearly a year in space... astronaut scott kelly is returning home tonight. kelly... along with russian cosmonaut mikhail kornienko... have spent 340 days in space and station tonight...about 10 minutes ago....they will land in kazakhstan later tonight. kelly's closest u.s. contender for the longest time spent in space trails him by 125 days. his visit to the space station was to study the effects of a long-term stay in orbit on the human body. and mike alger will have a look at your forecast, coming up next. still to come on channel 2 news... talking to older loved ones about their medications is often overlooked, but the accidental misuse of prescriptions is one of the highest health risks for seniors. details on a program welcome back... in health watch... studies show that the ma

but it's in the hands of what the political standing of chuck grassley in the next six weeks. great panel. great discussions. that's all we have for this week. we'll be back next week after sunday, it's "meet the press." every year, the amount of data your enterprise uses goes up. smart devices are up. cloud is up. analytics is up. seems like everything is up except your budget. introducing comcast business enterprise solutions. with a different kind of network that delivers the bandwidth you need without the high cost. because you can't build the business of tomorrow

but chuck grassley, if a poll comes back and he's under 50 in his election, i think that's the one way we could see it. >> you're saying we could see them? >> there's more chance of hearings than we realize. but it's in the hands of what grassley in the next six weeks. great discussions. week. we'll be back next week after more primaries, because if it's >> today on "matter of fact." the president pick of the supreme court will go door-to-door. it will he get a welcome in the senate? and smacked down. free speech butts up against the right to protest. plus, cartoon karma. did bart simpson predict the rise of donald trump? [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.

although judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley left open a crack. >> it's a case of an hour meeting with judge garland. you know, it's pretty hard to say no, to that. if i can meet with a dictator in uganda, i can surely meet with a decent person in america. action is to avoid the political theater. >> the american people deserve to be heard in their voice heated. >> reporter: in a conference call with supporters, president obama said that issue was settled. the american people did have a say back in 2012 when they elected me president. >> the biggest challenge for the white house is going to be keeping the attention of the american people. >> reporter: former judiciary committee chief counsel says to prevail the white house has to keep beating that drum. >> you have outside personalities as candidates. and there are going to be issues that will be come up, and, you know, i don't think the american people are going to be paying as much attention to the nomination of judge garland. >> reporter: now, garland also doesn't bring diversity so some groups on the left aren't all that fired

if she is nominated that would put republican senator chuck grassley in a bind. he's in charge of confirmation hearings and supported kelly in the past. republicans in the senate said they would not vote on a nominee this year. ((sen. mitch mcconnell / r-kentucky)) this vacancy will not be filled this year. the president's short list are sri srinivasan, a u-s circuit court judge in d-c, and patricia millett, a u-s appeals court judge, also in d-c. there's even talk of attorney general lorettea lynch as a potential nominee. all new this morning on fox43, a woman her pets are attacked by bees. "there were about 50,000 on the second story." from them." ahead, more on how the woman is doing, and who else did not survive the attack. plus, decision 20-16 news. we will show you the latest delegate count after super saturday. and, a dog is rescued from the ice. why first responders say it took them days to finally get this dog to safety. caress presents the world's first body wash with fragrance release pearls. touch your skin to release fragrance up to 12 hours. ("jerem

although judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley left open a crack. >> it's a case of an hour meeting with judge garland. you know, it's pretty hard to say no, to that. if i can meet with a dictator in uganda, i can surely meet with a decent person in america. >> the responsible course of action is to avoid the political theater. >> the american people deserve to be heard in their voice heated. >> reporter: in a conference call with supporters, president obama said that issue was settled. the american people did have a say back in 2012 when they elected me president. >> the biggest challenge for the white house is going to be keeping the attention of the american people. >> reporter: former judiciary committee chief counsel says to prevail the white house has to keep beating that drum. >> you have outside personalities as candidates. and there are going to be issues that will be come up, and, you know, i don't think the american people are going to be paying as much attention to the nomination of judge garland. >> reporter: now, garland also doesn't bring diversity so some groups on t

bill: have you spoken to mitch mcconnell and chuck grassley? >> yes, and we are sticking to our plan, the plan we outlined a few weeks ago. bill: do you know what was discussed two weeks ago when mcconnell and grassley weren't to meet with the president? >> i'm not certain what was discussed. i had a brief conversation with senator mcconnell afterwar i believe senator mcconnell communicated again the message we communicated in recent weeks. bill: does your position of no, and if the committee continues along that line, what is the impact on the chances of half a dozen republican senators up for reelection in november, what does it do to their campaigns? >> what i heard from most of them so far, perhaps all of them, they understand the need to do this. they understand it's not an easy thing to do, but sometimes this job isn't about being easy. it's about standing behind what we believe is the right thing to do. bill: the white house referred to justice kennedy in the 1980s when president ray began was in his second term. the bruising battle with

. >> reporter: that's chuck grassley from iowa. democrats say that the nominee should get a vetting process, even if they are not confirmed, they should at least have hearings, and we heard diane feinstein point out that there have been 14 justices confirmed in presidential election years. >> so i am appealing to the better angels of your nature. when there is a nominee, do as we have done in the past. give the nominee careful consideration. meet with the nominee. ask the nominee questions. hold a hearing, and then hold a vote, both here and on the floor. vote no if you want. but let's have the fair process that is our tradition. that's our job, and we should do it. >> reporter: senator feinstein says that in 100 years, no nominee has been denied at least a looking into. democrats and republicans totally divided on this issue, richelle. >> the president actually spoke about this, this morning. what did he have to say? >> reporter: yeah, he is siding with democrats, no surprise there. the president urging republicans to take a look

we also expect her to name-check both senator chuck grassley and republican presidential front-runner, donald trump. she is going to be calling on grassley. he's the chairman of the senate judiciary committee, she will call on him to do his job, at least has she defines that job, arguing that the court job should be at the top of voters' minds and that voters should be concerned about the kind of nominee trump might put forward. it's an issue where she appears to have the electorate on her side. our new nbc news/survey monkey online national poll as well as other polls have consistently shown the majority would like to see senators take up the nomination, rather than punting to the next administration. you see the numbers on your screen right there. and to that end, merrick garland, the nominee, was on capitol hill today. he was meeting with two democratic senators, joe donnelly from indiana, and ben cardin from maryland. and in this clinton speech, the one we're waiting for any minute now -- in fact, it looks like it's about the to start now. so let's listen into hillary clinton on t

that was chuck grassley back then. we are going to get in a couple more phone calls if we can, but i need to squeeze in some campaign 2016 news. the front page of the washington times, the rnc moves to scrap the convention rulebook. try to forceill more transparency at the convention in july, aiming to scrap their rulebook in favor of .impler procedures the changes would not guarantee mr. trump the nod but would make it easier for all sides to see what sorts of changes anti-trump factions are attempting. some members of the rnc want to ditch that massive roll book which is based on the parliamentary handbook of the u.s. house, and instead use robert's rules of order to govern for action at the convention. call for these to presidential primaries in missouri. you can see there that hillary andton has 310,602 votes bernie sanders has 300-9000 and 71 votes. votes, about three percentage points apart. says thengton post race is in limbo pending a recount decision by bernie sanders. the paper saying that democratic front ru

senator chuck grassley to the white house today to discuss the supreme court justice vacancy. grassley -- who heads the judiciary committee -- has said he will not consider a nominee until after the presidential election. president obama would like to make the replacement before then. senate majority leader mitch mcconnel will also be there for the meeting. people in the grimes area will no longer have a new ymca facility to look forward to. this land along highway 141 is where a new y-m-c-a facility was supposed to go up. knapp properties donated the land a decade ago, but the "y" still rents out space at the grimes community center. now the "y" says it's selling the land, and ditching the project completely. in a statement released yesterday, the company said it will put the money toward other projects already underway -- which could include the still unfinished pool in downtown des moines. the iowa events center is busy that's where a top chef style event is putting them head-to-head at the stovetop. channel 13's josh nugyen is live from the convention center this morning t

i'm also told that chuck grassley of iowa also on the ballot is facing heat from democrats and he's starting to complain at a minimum that he's not getting enough cover from his republicans. >> this is the genius of the garland pick. not only is he imminently qualified as a judicial mind, i think that's fact. that's there. viewers can dispute that, but whatever. he's a brilliant legal mind. if you were at the white house and you're thinking, we need to find a guy who ticks off or causes trouble for mark kirk, kelly ayotte, rob portman and what the heck, chuck grassley, you found it because he's the chairman of the judiciary committee. he's up for re-election. iowans will not tolerate this. already there's been an editorial page -- essays about this saying just hold a hearing. you know who else probably wants a hearing? ted cruz. he's a member of the judiciary committee. what better than to go back to washington and quiz the guy that he'd like to block and earn some free air time in the process? so i suspect there will at least be a hearing. whether he gets a vote before the election, though,

. >>> ahead of the speech urging republican lawmakers to hold hearings on the nominee, chuck grassley told politico quote, with all of the troubles she's getting on e-mail and the fbi's going to question her, i would imagine she'd want to change the tone of her campaign. as expected, clinton returned fire in wisconsin saying this about the republican senator from iowa. >> senator chuck grassley, the head of the judiciary committee, could hold a hearing tomorrow if he wanted. but he says we should wait for a new president because and i quote, the american people shouldn't be denied a voice. well, as one of the more than 65 million americans who voted to re-elect barack obama, i'd say my voice is being ignored right now because of their obstructionism. >>> last night, president obama chose the dias of one of the most prestigious places of journalism. while speaking at the toner awards dinner, he called on the fourth estate to hold themselves to the higher standard and while taking some responsibility for the divisive culture in american politics, he called on american companies to inves

grassley, who has been here a long, long time, has joined in this. the committee system here used to be powerful. they would not take orders from some republican leader or donald trump, and now senator grassley just capitulate on it, and whatever o'connell wants, that is what i will do. fernando: this is your final year here. what is a pending, major item in your agenda you would like to see past? sen. reid: i would, first of all, like to see some degree of order. i would hope we could do funding of the government without a lot of fanfare. i hope something on comprehensive immigration reform. i've spent more time on copper has immigration reform that anything else. fernando: thank you for inviting us here today. i appreciate it. senator reid has long been a proponent for immigration reform. next month, the supreme court will hear arguments in a case challenging the president's executive actions on the issue. the ruling could come down in june, just weeks before the presidential conventions. announcer: coming up, could clinton's candidacy be hacked by

just as chuck grassley is. i think this is going to be a good head to head contest. >> tell me, governor, what your sense is beyond this issue or the other areas in which senator grassley is vulnerable? he obviously has been in that office for a pretty long time now and seems to be one, not just won a number of election gs, but won them commandingly. what are the other issues on which you think he would take the fight if you're the nominee? >> well, you know, we never know in an election how things will turn from now until next fall, but i definitely believe that he is vulnerable on issues like protecting social security, affordable health care, affordable college, raising the minimum wage. these are all issues that should be happening. he and the republican leadership are stone walling on them, and there are things we need to make happen. and soon, after this next election. >> just a political analysis for your state, it has become a battle ground at the presidential level has gone blue the last couple cycles,

chuck grassley has won a lot. how can you make the claim he's out of touch with what iowans think about this issue given his track record? >> well, we've been watching him over the last few months and definitely believe that public opinion is not with him. i think he is very vulnerable on this issue. and we intend to keep it in front of the public. i think it is having a real effect on him. his answers are just not -- don't hold much water. and iowans see through that. you know, we pride ourselves in our politics and people can see a lot of double speak when they hear it. >> do you predict he'll lose the general election regardless of whether you're the nominee or not if he doesn't hold a hearing? >> you know, i think i'm the best candidate or i wouldn't have gotten into the race. we know that it takes someone with some name identification and someone that can seriously challenge him. as you said, i've won a lot. i've lost a few. i am a known person here in the state as chuck grassley is and i think this is going

yesterday as the nation went out to vote, president obama held a meeting with iowa senator chuck grassley and other lawmakers at the white house. grassley has been vocal about who he thinks should pick a nominee -- the next president. pushing for the process to happen now, under the current president. grassley says the talk lasted only about 20 minutes and was more cordial than he expected. we spoke with him yesterday following the meeting, here is what he had to say. this is not about a person. it doesn't matter who it is. it's also a matter of the very important role that the supreme court takes in our process. both sides say they have the constitution on their side. the debate will continue as president obama gets closer to selecting a nominee. today the statehouse turns its attention to a plan to help ease the transition to privatized medicaid. yesterday state lawmakers got a sneak peak at a bill that would provide more oversight to the changes. democratic supporters say it's designed to safeguard the more than half-a-million iowans who use medicaid, plus encourage others to use it. b

new tonight...he what iowa senator chuck grassley had to s s after discussing a supreme court vacancy with president obama. obama."and after a very cold night tonight, more snow enters the forecast tomorrow night. we'll tell you how much you can expect." expect."this is fox 28 news at nine. fox 28 news startwith the biggest super tuesday in american history.right now, seven candidites are hoping to see their delegate counts rise. rise.democrats are fighting over 865 delegates tonight. republicans areoping to snag some of the 595 awarded in the super tuesday contests. contests.tonight's vote 2016 coverage begins with the republican race. right now,dald trump has solidified his status as thehe clear front runner in the republican race. race.so far tonight, trump is projected to win contests in alabama, georgia, massachusetts , tennessee and virginitrump is locked in a tight three-way battle in arkansas right now. in vermont from ohio governor john kasich.and there are still l sults yet t tcome later tonight from minnesota and alaska. texas senator ted cruz admitted that his hopes of ove

"this isn't the chuck grassley we thought we knew." i again repeat two iowans, former lieutenant governors, joy corning, a republican, and sally pederson, a democrat. last week, they co-authored an op-ed in the des moines register talking about the senior senator from iowa not doing his duties by blocking the supreme court nominee by president obama. the op-ed reads, among other things, iowans are known for being hard workers and we appreciate that quality in our elected officials. we wake up every day ready to do our part and get the job done. we also understand the constitution and know when an elected official is more eager to find excuses than create solutions. unfortunately, senator chuck grassley is refusing to do his job as described in article 2 of the constitution which states giving advice and consents on the president's upcoming nomination to the supreme court. i continue the quote -- "grassley is threatening to use his powerful post as chairman of the judiciary committee while hearing any nominee regardless of how qualified

the reason i have been disappointed for a lot of different reasons -- the judiciary committee -- chuck grassley, who has been here a long, long time, has joined in the committee system here used to be powerful. they would not take orders from some republican leader or donald trump, and now senator grassley just capitulate on it, and connell wants, that is what i will do. fernando: this is your final year here. what is a pending, major item in see past? sen. reid: i would, first of all, like to see some degree of order. of the government without a lot of fanfare. i hope something on comprehensive immigration reform. i' ve spent more time on copper has immigration reform that anything else. fernando: thank you for inviting us here today. i appreciate it. senator reid has long been a proponent for immigration reform. next month, the supreme court challenging the president' s executive actions on the issue. the ruling could come down in june, just weeks before the presidential conventions. announcer: coming up, could clinton' her e-mail controversy? >> hillary clinton is not going fight. a

grassley said today he hasn't changed his mind about whether to consider a supreme court nominee from president barack obama. that's after grassley and other republican senators met with obama earlier today. grassley says he thinks the next president should select the nominee after being sworn in. but obama and other democrats want to fill the seat sooner than that. let's go back to joe now for a final look at tononht's forecast. after winter roared back into portions of the state to start the month of march, the weather quiets down tonight. clearing continues and the winds die down leaving to lows in the teens for most of eastern iowa. anotherer system, very similar to the previous one quickly zips through the region late tomorrow and early >>> breaking news tonight. the first major clues coming in right now. the super tuesday showdown. as we come on the air, the first exit polls are in. what the voters are saying. what's driving them at the polls. can donald trump be stopped? dozen states. >>> trump and his 11th hour pitch. >> i can do practically anything. >> marco rubio and ted cr

grassley, who has been here a the committee system here used to be powerful. they would not take orders from some republican leader or donald trump, and now senator grassley just capitulate on it, and whatever o' connell wants, that is what i will do. fernando: this is your final year here. what is a pending, major item in your agenda you would like to see past? sen. reid: i would, first of all, like to see some degree of order. i would hope we could do funding of the government without a lot of fanfare. i hope something on reform. i' ve spent more time on copper has immigration reform that anything else. fernando: thank you for inviting us here today. i appreciate it. senator reid has long been a proponent for immigration reform. next month, the supreme court will hear arguments in a case challenging the president' s executive actions on the issue. the ruling could come down in june, just weeks before the presidential conventions. announcer: coming up, could >> hillary clinton is not going fight. announcer and, stealing union s most powerful player deliver th

iowa's senator - judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley were among the big players in the meeting. senator grassley released this statement after the meeting. in the six years since obama has appointed two justices, the american people's disapproval of the supreme court jumped from 28 percent disapproval in 2009 to 50 percent disapproval in 2015 dog owners in one community are on egde after numerous large dogs have gone missing. the owners believe they've been kidnapped. kwwl's shirley descorbeth is live from the t-h media newsroom shirley....this is happening just over the border in grant, county wisconsin. you went there today... that's right. dog owners who live in cuba city aren't taking this lightly. i spoke to one couple who are taking extra precautions after hearing of the dog nappings. take a look at this sign... it reads -- attention dog napper, my other dog, is a glock! the sign is posted right in front of the married couple's home. their dog is this large yellow labrador -- a beloved member of their family. his owners say they recently saw a suspicious car driving back

. >>> iowa senator chuck grassley met wiwi president obama to talk about the vacant seat on the supreme court. they were joined by senate majority leader mitchell mcconnell. both senators vowed to block any nomination hearings until after the election. this was the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders since the death of justice scalia. >>> tomorrow, high court will hear argumumts on ononof the most significant hot-button issues in years. the case challenges a texas law that drat dramatically reduces the number of abortion clinics in the state. ththlaw quired doctors to have privileges at nearby hospitals and require their practices to meet standards of outpatieie surgical centers. that law forced many abortionon the case will be argued before a changed court after the death of justice scalia. he was one of the most zealous s abortiti opponents among the nine judges. >>> here in iowa, a law is moving forward that would give women of any age access to birth control pills without a doctor's prescription and does not include age little mitts or requirements for parental involvemen