With the caveat that negotiators still need to review and agree on legislative language, two key Senate lawmakers said Sunday that a deal on a comprehensive immigration reform bill is close but not complete after a breakthrough in talks between business and labor groups this weekend. 

"With the agreement between business and labor, every major policy issue has been resolved on the Gang of Eight," said Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer, one of the eight Senate leaders working on the legislation, during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. 

Noting that the group has pledged not to come to a final agreement until legislative language is finalized, Schumer said he is "very, very optimistic" that the group of lawmakers will have a deal by next week. 

Republican Jeff Flake of Arizona, also a member of the Gang, agreed that lawmakers will be focused on the exact wording of the bill. 

"We've still got a ways to go in terms of looking at the language and making sure that it's everything we thought it would be," Flake said on NBC. "But we're closer, certainly." 

Another member of the group, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said on CNN that negotiators have a 'conceptual' agreement.

"It’s got to be written up," he said. "We haven’t signed off; there’s a few details yet. But conceptually, we have an agreement between business and labor, between ourselves. It has to be drafted. It will be rolled out next week"

After the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO reached an agreement on the parameters of a guest worker program -- one of the main holdups in the negotiations -- Republican Sen. Marco Rubio warned that reports of an overarching Gang of Eight deal were "premature." 

Schumer said Sunday that Rubio's statement did not indicate any kind of disagreement within the Senate group. 

"As Senator Rubio correctly says, we have said we will not come to final agreement until we look at all the legislative language, and he's correctly pointing out that language hasn't been fully drafted," Schumer said. "There will be little kerfuffles but I don't think any of us expect there to be problems."

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants whose biography and conservative credentials make him a key GOP voice on immigration, also wrote in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and again in a press statement early Sunday that proponents should not rush the legislation to passage. 

"Arriving at a final product will require it to be properly submitted for the American people’s consideration, through the other 92 senators from 43 states that weren’t part of this initial drafting process," Rubio said. "In order to succeed, this process cannot be rushed or done in secret.”

Flake echoed that sentiment Sunday, pledging that the draft legislation will be amended in the Senate Judiciary Committee process and on the Senate floor.

"There will be input, there should be input," Flake said. "It will make it a better product." 

Schumer rejected the notion that Rubio could break from the Gang of Eight over concerns about the process.

"He is protecting some of the things that he thinks are very important in the bill, but I don't think that will stand in the way of any final agreement," Schumer said. "I think we're all on track."

Calling Rubio is "extremely important" to the bipartisan coalition, Flake said he's confident that the Gang of Eight will remain united. 

"I think that we'll stick together as a Gang," he said. "And I hope that we can pull some Republicans our way. I think a number of them are with us already." 

This story was originally published on Sun Mar 31, 2013 10:19 AM EDT

Alaska Rep. Don Young, R, issued a new statement late Friday formally apologizing for his use of a slur to describe immigrant laborers.

Young, who had endured demands by Democrats and other fellow Republicans -- including House Speaker John Boehner -- to apologize for the use of the term "wetbacks" in a radio interview on Thursday, issued a statement doing just that.

Young said in a statement:

"I apologize for the insensitive term I used during an interview in Ketchikan, Alaska.  There was no malice in my heart or intent to offend; it was a poor choice of words. That word, and the negative attitudes that come with it, should be left in the 20th century,  and I’m sorry that this has shifted our focus away from comprehensive immigration reform."

Young had appeared on KRBD radio on Thursday, where he made his initial remark.

"My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes," Young said. "It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine."

The 21-term congressman issued a statement that evening explaining that he meant no offense by using the ethnic slur, which he said he had learned during a childhood on farms in California.

But Republican leaders, who must repair the party's dismal image among the increasingly influential Latino voting bloc, were quick to distance themselves from Young, and demand a fuller apology.

"I don’t care why he said it – there’s no excuse and it warrants an immediate apology," Boehner said.

Nine Democratic senators have declined to back same-sex marriage amid a wave of announcements by their colleagues this week in support of marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

The political climates in each of these senators' home states -- where some of these Democrats must stand for re-election in 2014 -- helps explain why so many of them seem inclined to stay mum on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Mark Pryor, Arkansas

WHAT HE’S SAID: Per the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Pryorspokesman Michael Teague said that Pryor, whose seat Republicans are already circling as a pick-up opportunity next fall, has a “moral belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE STATE: Wednesday, the Arkansas House passed a resolution reaffirming its opposition to same-sex marriage; the state approved an amendment barring same-sex marriage in 2004, which passed with 75 percent percent of the vote.

A University of Arkansas poll found in October 2012 that 18 percent of the state's likely voters supported same-sex marriage and just 20 percent supported civil unions. 55 percent of Arkansans opposed any legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.

Mary Landrieu, Louisiana

WHAT SHE’S SAID: "According to the U.S. Constitution, marriage and family law are reserved for the states," Landrieu, who will likely face several gay marriage opponents in her battle for re-election, said, per the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "The people of Louisiana have made clear that marriage in our state is restricted to one man and one woman.”

The New Orleans-based Forum for Equality, which advocates for same-sex marriage rights, acknowledgedthe “political realities that exist in Louisiana” and said they were glad Landrieu supported legislation that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act).

WHAT’S GOING ON: Louisiana passed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 2004, with 78 percent of the state's voters in favor of it.

Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota

WHAT SHE’S SAID: "I think that this is a state issue," Heitkamp said during her 2012 campaign, according to local affiliate KVRR. "I think that this is a distraction…here we go again talking about things that aren't about jobs and improving the economy and getting this country moving."

WHAT’S GOING ON: North Dakotans approveda gay marriage ban in 2004, with 73 percent approving of the ban versus 27 disapproving. The state also has the lowest percentage of residents who openly identify themselves as LGBT, according to a six-month Gallup survey released in February 2013.

Joe Manchin, West Virginia

WHAT HE’S SAID: Manchin still supports the Defense of Marriage Act, while his Democratic Senate counterpart, Jay Rockefeller, announced his opposition Monday, according to the Charleston Daily Mail.

Manchin was also the only Senate Democrat to vote against a bill that included the repeal of the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 2010. That bill failed, but he missed the vote on a subsequent, standalone version of the repeal, citing a family obligation.

WHAT’S GOING ON: West Virginia passed a law defining marriage as between a man and a woman in 2000. A constitutional ban on gay marriage was thwarted by Democrats in the House of Delegates in February 2010, and another attempt in 2012 also failed.

One Democratic delegate, John Doyle, introduced a civil unions bill in February 2012. He said at the time, “I'm not going to introduce a gay marriage bill simply because it has no chance of passing the West Virginia Legislature. We just might be able to get a civil union bill through, so I'm going to give it a shot.”

Tim Johnson, South Dakota

WHAT HE’S SAID:  The office of the retiring senator toldthe Huffington Post this week that “he has not changed his position on marriage equality,” which amounted to a “no,” the office clarified. Politico reportedthat Johnson’s spokesman noted that Johnson now opposes DOMA.

WHAT’S GOING ON: South Dakota passed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 2006 by a relatively narrow margin, 52 percent of the vote. According to the LA Times, the state was divided at the time: “A poll released Friday by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader found a virtual deadlock; 47 percent of likely voters oppose the amendment, 46 percent support it.” 

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley was one of 19 state attorneys general to signan amicus brief in support of the states’ rights position in the Prop 8 case. But a former South Dakota senator, Larry Pressler, who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, joinedthe amicus brief signed by Republicans in support of same-sex marriage.

Joe Donnelly, Indiana

WHAT HE’S SAID: Donnelly told Fort Wayne affiliate WANE last week that he is still against same-sex marriage but supports giving them all the benefits of heterosexual couples.

WHAT’S GOING ON: Lawmakers in Indiana, which currently bans same-sex marriage by statute, are planning a vote on a proposed ban but will wait to hear what the Supreme Court has to say on the subject before putting it up as a ballot referendum.

But a ban might not make it past voters in 2014 – a December WISH-TV/Ball State Hoosier survey found that only 38 percent of respondents would support a ban, versus 54 percent who would oppose it. That doesn’t mean voters are ready to legalize gay marriage though, as they are split at 45 percent on each side of the issue.

Bill Nelson, Florida

WHAT HE’S SAID: “My personal preference is that marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said, according to CBS Miami.

WHAT’S GOING ON: Florida voters approved a gay marriage ban in 2008, with 62 percent in favor. But a Washington Post poll in October 2012 found that 54 percent of Florida voters thought same-sex marriage should be legal, with 33 percent in opposition.

Tom Carper, Delaware  

WHAT HE’S SAID: Carper’s office emphasized the positions he’s taken in support of same-sex couples. His team wroteto the Huffington Post, “Sen. Carper was proud to support Delaware’s efforts to enact Civil Union legislation and earlier this month he joined 211 of his Congressional colleagues in co-signing the Amicus brief that urges the Supreme Court to invalidate Section 3 of DOMA.”

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE STATE: Delaware, which approved civil unions in 2011, could soon see a same-sex marriage bill, Gov. Jack Markell (D) predicted Tuesday: “Our legislative session ends in June. I’d say at this point, there’s a good chance a bill will hit my desk. I can’t be certain with how the legislation goes,” he told CBS Philadelphia.

Public opinion in Delaware matches the latest national numbers (NBC/WSJ’s December 2012 poll found that 51 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage). A poll conducted by Global Strategy Group on behalf of pro-gay marriage Equality Delaware found that 54 percent of Delawareans favored legislation granting equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

Bob Casey, Pennsylvania

WHAT HE’S SAID: Casey, who was re-elected in 2012, “has supported civil unions and he is closely following the debate around DOMA,” his spokesman, John Rizzo, toldPennLive this week. “He intends to thoroughly review any legislation on this when it comes before the Senate.”

WHAT’S GOING ON: Progressive organizations say their supporters bombarded Casey’s office with 10,000 calls and emails Wednesday urging him to support same-sex marriage.

A Franklin and Marshall poll found earlier this year that 52 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania supported same-sex marriage and 41 percent opposed it, a swing of 19 percentage points since 2006. 

Susan Walsh / AP

President Barack Obama tours a tunnel project at the Port of Miami, Friday, March 29, 2013, while promoting a plan to create jobs by attracting private investment in highways and other public works.

At the end of a week dominated by issues of immigration and gun control legislation, President Barack Obama on Friday focused on the economy, appearing in Miami to press Congress to pass new tax incentive and federal spending proposals he says will help attract more investment in the nation’s infrastructure.  

He asked the audience at the Port of Miami Terminal: “What are we waiting for?” He continued, “There’s work to be done. There’s workers who are ready to do it. Let’s prove to the world there’s no better place to do business than right here in the United States of America and let’s get started rebuilding America.”

Obama said that the country is still dotted with dated bridges, rail lines, roads and ports that hamper trade and endanger the public.

“We don’t have to accept that for America,” he said. “We can do better. We can build better.”

New in the president’s remarks was a proposal for an expanded bond program and changes in the taxation rules for foreign investment, both designed to encourage private companies to invest in infrastructure projects. Obama also proposed an expansion of current infrastructure spending programs to the tune of $4 billion, and he reiterated his call for a “National Infrastructure Bank,” which he first proposed in 2011.

The administration points to the backdrop of the Miami port as evidence of the potential success of such projects. A tunnel being built to alleviate congestion – funded by a combination of public and private partnerships – has created work for 500 employees and over 6,000 contractors and subcontractors, the White House said.

Recommended: Inhofe, Rubio join effort vowing to filibuster gun legislation

A senior advisor said earlier Friday that the combined cost of the proposals is $21 billion, adding that the measures are not expected to increase the deficit.  More details on the cost of the projects will be clear when the president releases his budget on April 10.

Each of the three proposals would require legislative action from Congress, a heavy lift at a time when Republican lawmakers have little appetite for increasing spending.

On Friday, Obama dinged Republicans for disapproving of blanket “government spending” but privately lobbying for infrastructure projects that create jobs – and boost their political popularity – at home.

“I know that members of Congress are happy to weclome projects like this in their districts,” Obama said. “I know because I’ve seen them at the ribbon cuttings.”

Despite the economic focus, the president also touched on the other major legislative pushes that loom after Congress’s Easter recess.

“We’re going to fix our economy,” he said, listing his administration’s priorities at the conclusion of his remarks. “We’re going to fix our immigration system, we are going to make sure that our young people are getting a great education, we’re going to prevent them from being victims of gun violence, and we are going to make sure that everybody in this country has a fair shot and is doing their fair share.” 

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Friday demanded an immediate apology from a fellow Republican congressman, who referred to laborers with the derogatory term "wetback."

Related: Republicans and Latinos chide Rep. Young's for racial slurs 

The Capitol's top elected Republican condemned Alaska Rep. Don Young's comments during a radio interview on Thursday, in which he casually used the slur to refer to farm workers whose jobs have been rendered useless by technological advances.

"Congressman Young’s remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the office he holds," Boehner said in a statement. "I don’t care why he said it – there’s no excuse and it warrants an immediate apology."

Young said Thursday on KRBD: "My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes. It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine."

Related: Northern Exposure

Young said in a subsequent statement released by his office that he "meant no disrespect" by the remark, explaining that the term was one used commonly during his days growing up on a farm in California.

The comment, though, threatens to inflame Republicans' already-poor standing among Latino voters, an increasingly influential voting bloc who favored President Barack Obama and many Democrats during last fall's campaign.

Democrats, already, have seized upon the comments.

"As the Republican minority outreach efforts develop, I’d advise their strategists to list 'don’t say racial slurs like 'wetback'' as a bedrock for their messaging," said Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, Texas, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, on Friday.

The risk of political fallout for Republicans stemming from Young's remarks have prompted other Republicans to condemn the remarks on Friday.

"The words used by Representative Young emphatically do not represent the beliefs of the Republican Party," said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who oversaw the recent release of a report stressing the need to improve the GOP's outreach to Hispanic voters.

"As I have continued to say, everyone in this country deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," Priebus added. "Our party represents freedom and opportunity for every American and a beacon of hope to those seeking liberty throughout the world. Offensive language and ethnic slurs have no place in our public discourse."

"Migrant workers come to America looking for opportunity and a way to provide a better life for their families. They do not come to this country to hear ethnic slurs and derogatory language from elected officials," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican. "The comments used by Rep. Young do nothing to elevate our party, political discourse or the millions who come here looking for economic opportunity."

This story was originally published on Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:42 AM EDT

Quite the alliance is forming on Capitol Hill. How about this grouping? Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, James Inhofe, and Marco Rubio.

Inhofe and Rubio (R-FL) have signed onto a letter threatening to filibuster any gun restrictions, according to Inhofe's office.

The letter was originally signed by tea party favorite Sens. Paul (R-KY) and Lee (R-UT), and joined by Cruz (R-TX).

It reads:

Dear Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,

We, the undersigned intend to oppose any legislation that would infringe on the American people's constitutional right to bear arms, or on their ability to exercise this right without being subjected to government surveillance.

The Second Amendment to the Constitution protects citizens' right to self-defense. It speaks to history's lesson that government cannot be in all places at all times, and history's warning about the oppression of a government that tries.

We will oppose the motion to proceed to any legislation that will servce as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions.

The vowed opposition further complicates Democrats' efforts to pass gun legislation, post-Newtown, and makes it more likely that any effort will need Republican support to achieve the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.

Northern Exposure: Young’s “wetback” remarks don’t help a GOP struggling with Latinos… Young issues statement: “I meant no disrespect”… Obama: “Shame on us if we’ve forgotten” Newtown… Obama talks the economy and infrastructure in Miami, FL at 2:00 pm ET… Surprising shifts in attitudes on same-sex marriage… This week’s 2014 and 2016 round-ups… And Senate Madness moves to the second round.

Becky Bohrer / AP

Rep. Don Young addresses a Choose Respect rally in front of the state Capitol on Thursday, March 28, 2013, in Juneau, Alaska.

*** Northern Exposure: For a Republican Party that desperately wants to improve its image among Latinos and is looking to pin any blame on President Obama for failing to achieve immigration reform, this news is an unwelcome development. In an interview this week with a local radio station, longtime Alaska Congressman Don Young, a Republican, referred to immigrant workers as "wetbacks," NBC’s Mike O’Brien reports. "My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes," Young said, discussing the number of jobs that have been made irrelevant due to advances in automation. "It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine." Yes, this is just one congressman. And yes, the 79-old Young is known for saying what he thinks, as NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell noted on “TODAY.” But when you add this instance to all the other rhetoric we’ve heard in the immigration debate since 2005-2006, Young’s comments not only put pressure on the GOP to condemn them but also vow that they don’t happen again. Bottom line: Just like Todd Akin’s remarks on abortion and rape and just like the past dialogue on Obama’s citizenship, Young’s comments aren’t helping his party.

*** “We’ve got to stop being the stupid party”: Indeed, the episode reminds us of what Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said at the RNC Winter Meeting in January: "We've got to stop being the stupid party. It's time for a new Republican Party that talks like adults. We had a number of Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments. I'm here to say we've had enough of that."

*** “I meant no disrespect”: Young released a statement last night, saying that he “meant no disrespect” with his comments. "During a sit down interview with Ketchikan Public Radio this week, I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in Central California. I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect,” he said. "Migrant workers play an important role in America's workforce, and earlier in the said interview, I discussed the compassion and understanding I have for these workers and the hurdles they face in obtaining citizenship. America must once and for all tackle the issue of immigration reform."

*** Don’t you … forget about me: Meanwhile, words that Obama used yesterday signaled that the political momentum for achieving real reform on guns has stalled, at least when it comes to Congress. “I read an article in the news just the other day wondering is Washington -- has Washington missed its opportunity, because as time goes on after Newtown, somehow people start moving on and forgetting,” the president said at a White House event flanked by parents and victims of gun violence. “Shame on us if we've forgotten. I haven't forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we've forgotten.” There is still more than a chance that Senate Democrats are able to strike some sort of compromise with a handful of GOP senators on universal background checks. But there is a reason why Obama used the bully pulpit yesterday: The Democrats’ gun efforts have hit a wall in Congress.

*** I’m in Miami… : Today, Obama heads to Miami, FL to discuss the economy and infrastructure at 2:00 pm ET. Per the White House, the president “will tour a tunnel project before delivering remarks on ways to create jobs and strengthen the economy by investing in infrastructure.” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus issued this statement in advance on Obama’s Florida visit. “President Obama’s jaunt to Miami is nothing more than a PR stunt when we need real action to get people back to work,” Priebus said. “Another speech isn’t going to put food on the dinner table of a family trying to make ends meet in Obama’s economy.”

*** Surprising shifts in attitudes on same-sex marriage: Liberal-leaning groups have become the strongest supporters of same-sex marriage over the last decade, but there are some surprising shifts in attitudes from conservative-leaning groups as well, as one of us reported yesterday. In fact, the largest shift of any group has come from blue-collar workers. In the March 2004 NBC/WSJ poll, they were staunchly opposed (18% favor/80% oppose). In the latest NBC/WSJ poll to ask the question (December 2012), a plurality blue-collar workers said they were in favor of letting same-sex couples marry by a 47%/43% margin. That’s a 66-point net change. A majority of voters 65 and older are and people who live in the South are still opposed, but they have become far less opposed, shifting by 47 points and 43 points, respectively. President Obama’s support for same-sex marriage appears to have had a big impact on left-leaning groups, particularly African-American voters, who went from a majority opposing (32%/53%) in just October 2009 to a majority in favor (51%/37%). And perhaps most surprisingly, there’s been no distinction in increase of support by political party. Despite Democrats overwhelmingly favoring same-sex marriage and Republicans being two-thirds against, Democrats, Republicans, and independents have increased their support at the same rate over the past decade. Democrats have become more favorable by 39 points, Republicans 38 points, and independents 36 points.

*** This week’s 2016 round-up: On Monday, Sen. Marco Rubio delivered a hawkish defense/military speech in Kentucky (which happens to be Sen. Rand Paul’s home state)… Both Rubio and Paul have threatened to filibuster the Democratic-backed gun legislation moving to the Senate floor next month… Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is writing a book … And New Jersey Chris Christie has a 70% approval rating, per a Quinnipiac poll.

*** This week’s 2014 round-up: And as a bonus, here was this week’s 2014 activity: On Tuesday, Tim Johnson (D-SD) said he wouldn’t seek re-election next year… On Wednesday, Democrat Ashley Judd said she was taking a pass on challenging Mitch McConnell in Kentucky… Also, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) says he’s leaning toward a Senate bid, per the Des Moines Register… And Congressman Phil Gingrey became the latest Republican to jump into Georgia’s open Senate contest.

*** Senate Madness -- results from yesterday’s contests: In the 19^th Century bracket, Charles Sumner and James Buchanan advanced… In the 20^th Century bracket, John Stennis upset Barry Goldwater, and Mike Mansfield beat Claude Pepper… In the Modern Era, Jesse Helms and Joe Biden moved on… And in the Mixed Era, Scoop Jackson and William Borah advanced.

*** Senate Madness -- next week’s match ups: Our second round begins next week, and we have some intriguing match ups: #5 Sam Houston vs. #4 Stephen Douglas (19^th Century); #10 William Fulbright vs. #2 Everett Dirksen (20^th Century); #1 Ted Kennedy vs. #8 Robert Byrd and Joe Biden #11 vs. #3 Jesse Helms (Modern Era); and #7 Arthur Vandenberg vs. #2 Henry Cabot Lodge (Mixed Era).

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*** Friday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up with guest host Peter Alexander: White House Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri… NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski on North Korea… NBC’s Michael Isikoff with more on the Sandy Hook report… One of us (!!!) on this week’s 2014 and 2016 developments… Plus a blockbuster Gaggle counting down the biggest moments so far of the 2013 congress with Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis, The Grio’s Perry Bacon Jr. and former Bush White House Political Director Sara Fagen.

*** Friday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall, The Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie,  NBC’s Kasie Hunt, Republican strategist Chris Wilson, political strategist Angela Rye, Fr. John Bambrick and Joshua McElwee from the National Catholic Reporter.

*** Friday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews Newtown Action Alliance Co Vice-Chair Po Murray and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) on the push for gun control… Author Kevin Noble Mallard compares the fight over same-sex marriage to the famous “Loving” case… MSNBC Contributor Jimmy Williams will discuss why democrats against same-sex marriage are digging in… And Today’s Power Panel includes:  USA Today’s Jackie Gingrich, Democratic Strategist Doug Thornell and Republican Strategist Hogan Gidley.

*** Friday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, Buzzfeed’s Evan McMorris-Santoro, Demos’ Bob Herbert, and Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown.

*** Friday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Organizing for Action Chairman Jim Messina, Dr. Ben Carson, NBC’s Kristen Welker, Savannah Guthrie, Ian Williams and Keir Simmons, The Washington Post’s Nia Malika Henderson and Jonathan Capehart.

*** Friday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: Guest host Craig Melvin has live coverage of Obama’s 2:00 pm ET speech and also interviews the Chicago Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet and Bloomberg view columnist Jonathan Alter.  

“President Obama turns back to the economy Friday during a visit to a pivotal political state, Florida,” USA Today notes. “The president plans to stress road and bridge construction during remarks at the port in Miami, where he will also tour a new tunnel project.”

The trip isn’t without controversy. The Miami Herald: President Barack Obama will use the construction cranes and cargo containers at PortMiami as a backdrop Friday to speak about boosting the economy through investments in ports, roads and bridges. But as the seaport dusted off its welcome mat Thursday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott had a less inviting message for the president: Bring your checkbook. The state kicked in $77 million two years ago to fund the port’s $180-million ‘deep dredge’ project, which will allow Miami to accommodate larger cargo ships and create more than 30,000 new jobs. Now Florida wants its money back.”

Said Scott: “We’re certainly glad President Obama is coming to the port of Miami tomorrow, but he’s late to the party. … “We could not wait for the federal government to come to the table with their share of the project.”

USA Today: “Standing among a group of mothers who have lost children to gun violence, President Obama on Thursday attempted to increase pressure on Congress to pass a package of gun-control bills.”

USA Today: “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned Friday that his rocket forces were ready ‘to settle accounts with the U.S.,’ unleashing a new round of bellicose rhetoric after U.S. nuclear-capable B-2 bombers dropped dummy munitions in joint military drills with South Korea.” And: “North Korea's provocative and ‘bellicose’ actions in recent weeks must be taken seriously, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday.”

The Alaska Daily News: “Rep. Don Young's use of an ethnic slur to describe the California farm workers who picked tomatoes for his father threatens to become an embarrassment for a Republican Party trying to court Hispanic voters.” More: “By 7 p.m. in Alaska, Young's office released a statement in which Young said he ‘meant no disrespect.’ But Young stopped short of apologizing.”

Young’s statement: "During a sit down interview with Ketchikan Public Radio this week, I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in Central California. I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect."

And: “Lupe Marroquin, the president of the Hispanic Affairs Council of Alaska, said she was disappointed by Young's remark. ‘It kind of opens your eyes to the way Don Young thinks,’ she said. ‘He didn't even pause. It's like that's just what he calls migrant farm workers.’”

Flashback: Bobby Jindal, Jan. 24 at RNC Winter Meeting: "We've got to stop being the stupid party. It's time for a new Republican Party that talks like adults. We had a number of Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments. I'm here to say we've had enough of that."

Politico notes: “The lawmaker, the subject of a House Ethics Committee probe concerning contribution limits, has been in Congress for 40 years.”

Speaking of ethics, Roll Call: "A federal judge has refused to dismiss a suit in which former Sen. Larry Craig is accused of improperly using campaign funds in a quest to vacate his guilty plea in a Minnesota airport bathroom sting." (H/T: Political Wire.)

Political Wire: John Avlon notes Sarah Palin attempted to relaunch her political career this week with anew video which railed against ‘the big consultants, the big money men, and the big bad media.’ ‘But there's an irony alert ahead: the current stated purpose of SarahPAC is to raise money ahead of the 2014 election--most of which will be spent on conservative consultants.’”

Meanwhile… The George W. Bush presidential library will open next month. Tom DeFrank: “Bush partisans believe the institute will be the intellectual engine that in time rehabilitates the 43rd president’s image.” From one Dallas acquaintance: “George is happy as he can be. He’s convinced his achievement in keeping the country safe after 9/11 will get the attention it deserves as the years roll on.”   

More: “That’s probably why it’s no coincidence that the library’s signature exhibit from Bush’s eight years as president is a 17-foot, two-ton twisted piece of steel from the World Trade Center. The mangled, blistered remnant from that fateful day is known as ‘impact steel’ — experts have determined that it was actually struck by one of the jumbo jetliners on 9/11.”

And finally, listen up, dummy… Dale Peterson, yes that Dale Peterson, was arrested at a Sam’s Club for opening and eating a can of cashews. He put the empty can back on the shelf. This comes after Peterson was arrested for being accused of shoplifting beer and paper towels at Wal-Mart. He said then that he wasn’t shoplifting, just had to go to the bathroom.

Peterson’s defense this time: “I picked up some cashews when I got to Sams this afternoon. Ate a handful. Put them in my cart & kept shopping,” Peterson tweeted Thursday. “An hour later, when I went to checkout, I put the cashews back (forgetting I had eaten a few), purchased $700 of merchandise & went to jail.”

Politico: “Here’s one Republican victory that went virtually unnoticed in the slew of budget votes last week: The Senate told the Congressional Budget Office it should give more credit to the economic power of tax cuts. It won’t have the force of law, but it was a big symbolic win for conservatives — because it gave them badly needed moral support in an ongoing war to get Washington’s establishment number crunchers to take their economic ideas more seriously.”

Rand Paul on gun control on FOX: “I don’t begrudge any famous person like Mayor Bloomberg, or the president or the president’s family for having protection — I think they all should. There’s enough crazy people out there that would attack on the right or the left. But I think when you are being protected by people who have weapons by responsible people, I can’t see why you would be opposed to that for other people.”

Rush Limbaugh says conservatives have lost on gay marriage.

MICHIGAN: Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) is causing trouble in the House and now might have his sights set on the Senate.

NEVADA: A Nevada Democrat was expelled from the state Assembly.

PENNSYLVANIA: Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D) is running for governor of Pennsylvania.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Politico: “Underdog South Carolina Republican congressional hopeful Curtis Bostic mounted a last-ditch bid on Thursday night to halt former Republican Gov. Mark Sanford’s momentum, calling him politically damaged and saying he would risk losing the seat to a Democrat in the general election. Appearing in a debate at the Porter-Gaud School here ahead of Tuesday’s special runoff election, Bostic launched his most aggressive assault on Sanford’s personal life yet, telling the Republican crowd, ‘A compromised candidate is not what we need.’ ‘Democrats,’ he said, ‘are excited at the possibility of taking this seat back.’ Bostic, a former Charleston County councilman who has long been active in the South Carolina evangelical community and the homeschooling movement, had avoided discussing Sanford’s home life until now. The exchange came up about an hour into the nearly 90-minute debate, the first of three faceoffs before Tuesday.”

A Republican congressman from Alaska on Thursday used a slur referring to immigrants, particularly Mexicans, in an interview with a public radio station in his home state.

Amid a hot-button debate in Washington over how to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, Rep. Don Young, a 21-term lawmaker, referred to immigrant workers as "wetbacks" — a term that could threaten to inflame the debate about immigration reform.

"My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes," Young said in an interview with radio station KRBD. He was discussing the number of jobs that have been made irrelevant due to advances in automation. 

"It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine," Young added.

While the veteran congressman wasn't referring directly to immigration reform, his remarks certainly cut against the broader Republican effort to repair the party's dismal image with Latino voters.

Becky Bohrer / AP

U.S. Rep. Don Young addresses a rally in front of the state Capitol on Thursday in Juneau, Alaska.

"Wetback" is a derogatory term for migrant workers, particularly Mexicans or Mexican-Americans who now reside in the United States.

In a statement, Young said he "meant no disrespect" in using the word.

“During a sit down interview with Ketchikan Public Radio this week, I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in Central California," the statement said.

"I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect.

“Migrant workers play an important role in America’s workforce, and earlier in the said interview, I discussed the compassion and understanding I have for these workers and the hurdles they face in obtaining citizenship. America must once and for all tackle the issue of immigration reform.” 

This story was originally published on Fri Mar 29, 2013 1:30 AM EDT

Republican presidential hopefuls in 2016 shouldn’t fear that supporting immigration reform will threaten their chances of winning the GOP nomination, at least according to results from new focus groups released Thursday.

As the Republican Party wrestles with how – and whether – to advance comprehensive immigration reform that allows for a pathway to citizenship, new results from the conservative research group Resurgent Republic argues that presidential candidates shouldn’t worry about significant blowback in the 2016 primaries.

Recommended: Attitudes on gay marriage shift among surprising groups

Resurgent Republic commissioned focus groups, conducted by Republican pollster John McLaughlin, of Republican primary voters in Iowa and South Carolina – the two more conservative states of the three-state gauntlet (sandwiching New Hampshire) that traditionally open the presidential nominating process. The research sought to take primary voters’ temperature toward immigration reform, and understand the circumstances under which they could support reform.

The report found that primary voters in Iowa and South Carolina realize that deporting the 12 million or so undocumented immigrants estimated to currently reside in the United States is impracticable. And while those voters strongly support legal immigration, they are receptive to arguments about immigration reform.

The focus groups found that border security is “foundational” for Republican primary voters, and that any pathway to citizenship must be linked to rigid requirements – including fines and back taxes, learning the English language and passing a criminal background check (among other details). 

The findings are backed up by additional data. A Pew Research Center poll released this week found that 64 percent of Republicans believe undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States legally; 34 percent of Republicans are opposed to such a proposition. 

The results could be significant – not just for the ongoing debate over immigration reform in Congress, but for the GOP’s overall effort to reinvent itself and broaden its appeal, namely to Latino voters.

As recently as this past presidential election, Republican candidates used immigration as a wedge issue to distinguish themselves from other candidates – and primary voters played along. 

Immigration, for instance, was one of the few issues on which Mitt Romney could run to the right of his primary opponents, and appeal to conservatives. When Texas Gov. Rick Perry said his fellow Republicans “don’t have a heart” for opposing in-state college tuition for children who were brought to the U.S. illegally, his primary opponents, including Romney, piled on. (Perry subsequently called his remark “inappropriate.”)

The new research released Thursday argues, essentially, that such an exchange – which hurt Romney with increasingly influential Latino voters in the general election – need not happen again in 2016.

That’s an especially important point considering how some of the prime contenders for the 2016 GOP nomination have gone to bat for immigration reform, and a pathway to citizenship.

Alex Wong / Getty Images file photo

Sen. Marco Rubio addresses a Free State Foundation luncheon March 21, 2013 in Washington, DC.

Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for instance, has taken the lead in selling the Senate’s bipartisan immigration framework to skeptical conservatives. And Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., another potential contender for the nomination, added his voice earlier this month to the chorus of Republicans who broadly back a pathway to citizenship.

Other Republicans with potential presidential aspirations have been complimentary of those efforts. Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP’s 2012 vice presidential nominee, has joined in the effort to help sell the Senate immigration proposal to more skeptical House Republicans. Ryan’s Badger State brethren, Gov. Scott Walker, told Politico in February that Republicans should embrace some process that gives undocumented immigrants a pathway to legalization.

It’s just as easy, though, to conceive of a candidate for the GOP nod in 2016 who disregards much of the advice in the Resurgent Republic report, and seeks to ingratiate him or herself with conservatives on the issue of immigration.

Recommended: Invoking Newtown, Obama presses Congress on guns

Already, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Cuban-American conservative who’s won plaudits in conservative circles for his hard-charging first few months in Congress, has expressed vocal skepticism of immigration reform.

"I have deep, deep concerns about a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally," Cruz told the Dallas Morning News in a Q&A posted earlier this week. "And as a practical matter, if you want to see common sense immigration reform pass, insisting on a path to citizenship is the surest way to kill the bill."

The implications of the new research could face their first test far earlier than 2016, though.

Iowa and South Carolina, coincidentally, could both play host to competitive Republican primaries that test the issue of immigration reform.

In South Carolina, incumbent GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham has worked assiduously in recent years to ward off a conservative primary challenge. But his involvement in the same bipartisan Group of Eight as Rubio could earn him the enmity of conservatives in his state who oppose immigration reform.

And in Iowa, immigration hardliner Steve King, a longtime congressman in the state, could seek the state’s open Senate seat in 2014.

It's not just Democrats and liberals who are the reason for the shift on gay marriage. 

Beneath the broad support from liberal-leaning demographic groups, is the fact that some of the biggest shifts in favor of gay marriage since 2004 have been from some more unlikely, conservative-leaning blocs -- blue-collar workers, older voters, and Southerners, according to NBC News/Wall Street Journal polls over the last decade.

And, even though Democrats are markedly more in favor of gay marriage than independents or Republicans, the vast majority of whom remain against it, all three have moved at almost exactly the same rate.

Blue-collar workers’ views on gay marriage have actually shifted more than any other group since 2004. Eight months before George W. Bush was re-elected, just 18 percent said they were in favor of same-sex marriage, and 80 percent were opposed.

Eight years later, a plurality was in favor. In the December 2012 NBC/WSJ poll, 47 percent said so versus 43 percent who remained opposed.

While that 47/43 split shows blue-collar workers are far less supportive of gay marriage than Democrats (69/22), highly educated (66/28), young (65/29), or urban voters (63/31), it does represent a net change of 66 points – more than any other demographic subgroup since 2004.

Older voters, those 65 and older, remain among the most opposed to same-sex marriage (32/54), but that is actually a 43-point shift more in favor than in 2004, when four-in-five older voters were opposed (16/80).

A majority of voters in the culturally conservative South remain opposed to gay marriage (42/50). But that is far less opposition than in 2004 when, similar to older voters, just 20 percent of Southerners said they favored same-sex marriage, and 71 percent said they were against. That represents a net change of 43 points more in favor.

Among the political parties, Democrats have increased their support by 39 points, Republicans by 37 points, and independents 36 points. In 2004, almost a majority of Democrats were already in favor of same-sex marriage (49/41) and now stand out for their whopping support (69/22).

Independents narrowly favor gay marriage (46/43), moving from two-thirds opposed (30/63). And while nearly two-thirds of Republicans are still opposed (27/63), they were even more solidly opposed (11/84) in 2004.

Young voters, between ages 18-34, represented the second-largest shift since 2004 – 60 points, going from a solid majority opposing -- 56 percent -- to nearly two-thirds in favor. Northeasterners were the third-largest shift – 48 points, going from a majority opposed to three-in-five in favor. Westerners and white-collar workers moved by 47 points, also going from majorities opposed to majorities in favor.

Women also moved more rapidly than men, going from nearly two-thirds opposed to 57 percent in favor. Men went from two-thirds opposed to a 44 favor-46 opposed split.

The only groups who have decreased their support over the past decade have been rural voters, those age 50-64, and Hispanics – despite their overwhelming and historic support for President Barack Obama in 2012. Hispanics, who are largely Catholic, tend to be economically liberal, but socially conservative. (Unfortunately, the NBC/WSJ sample on that question in 2004 was a “split sample,” so the groupings of African Americans and Hispanics were too small to be statistically significant. Therefore, this decrease among Hispanics is from 2009.)

There has also been a big difference in support from the parties since Obama took office. Since 2009, Democratic support has gone up 27 points, independents 16, and Republicans just 12.

A major reason for the continued significant shift among Democrats is because of black voters. African Americans increased their support since Obama’s been president by 35 points.

The biggest shifts since 2009 have come from people who live in cities (+40), blue-collar workers (+36), African Americans (+35), age groups 35-49 (+35) and 18-34 (+32), Democrats (+27), people who live in the suburbs (+27), those who live in the Northeast (+25), and women (+25).

In addition to the graphic at the top right, here are some more numbers:

Since 2009:
Urban +40
Blue collar +36
Black +35
35-49 +35
18-34 +32
Democrats +27
Suburban  +27
Northeast +25
Women +25
Overall +20
South +20
White +19
West  +18
Independents +16
Midwest +15
White collar +14
Men +14
Republicans +12
65 and older +10
Hispanic -4
50-64 -5
Rural -9 

Other 2012 groups of note (which subgroups weren’t broken out in 2009 and 2004):
White working class 48/43    
Suburban women 55/36    
HS or less 40/50    
Some coll 50/42    
Coll grad  54/35    
Post grad 66/28    

Other interesting breakdowns from 2004:
17 Bush advertising states 30/64
12 swing states 31/62
Those who said definitely re-elect Bush 8/87
Those who said definitely defeat Bush 55/37

President Barack Obama on Thursday sternly rebuked opponents of pending gun control measures, accusing them of “running out the clock” and hoping that the nation forgets last year’s Newtown school shooting in order to keep popular reforms from passing into law.

“The entire country was shocked, and the entire country pledged we would do something about it and that that this time would be different," the president said of the gun massacre that killed 20 children and six adults. “Shame on us if we’ve forgotten.”

Flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and a group of mothers who have lost their children to gun violence, Obama accused gun rights groups of rooting for amnesia.

Recommended: Attitudes on gay marriage shift among surprising groups

“The reason we’re talking about it here today is because it’s not done until it’s done,” he said. “And there are some powerful voices on the other side that are interested in running out the clock or changing the subject or drowning out the majority of the American people to prevent any of these reforms from happening at all. They’re doing everything they can to make all our progress collapse under the weight of fear and frustration or their assumption is that people will just forget about it.”

Obama's remarks came on the same day that authorities released new information about Newtown shooter Adam Lanza, including the list of guns and ammunition that he stockpiled for the attack. Lanza fired 154 bullets from a Bushmaster .223 caliber model XM15 rifle, the documents said. 

Citing poll numbers that show broad support – as high as 90 percent in some polls -- for universal background checks, the president urged voters to “make yourself unmistakenly heard” to members of Congress in the days before the Senate takes up gun legislation next month.

“I ask every American to find out where your member of Congress stands on these ideas,” he said. “If they’re not part of that 90% who agree that we should make it harder for a criminal or somebody with a severe mental illness to buy a gun, then you should ask them why not.”

The legislation working its way through the Senate has hit numerous snags, with the threat of a filibuster now looming from lawmakers who say the president’s framework would restrict Second Amendment rights.

“The proposals the president is calling for Congress to pass would primarily serve to reduce the constitutionally protected rights of law-abiding citizens while having little or no effect on violent crime,” said Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, one of the Republicans who has pledged to block the legislation. “It is deeply unfortunate that he continues to use the tragedy at Newtown as a backdrop for pushing legislation that would have done nothing to prevent that horrible crime.”

Recommended: Democrats hit McConnell in radio ad

Slideshow: Newtown school massacre

/

A nation mourns after the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history left 20 children and six staff members dead at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Launch slideshow

A federal assault weapons ban has already been dropped from the overall gun package that Senate lawmakers plan to introduce after the Easter recess, although advocates are pushing for a separate vote on the measure. (Obama did not specifically mention the ban in his remarks Thursday, focusing instead on the more politically palatable planks of the effort.) 

And negotiators are still tussling over compromise language to require all gun buyers to complete a background check – a measure that need take significant Republican support to overcome the threat of a filibuster.

In recent weeks, Vice President Joe Biden has been the administration’s public point man on the gun issue, appearing with victims of violence and alongside gun control advocate new York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to appeal for “courage” from Congress.

On a conference call with gun control supporters yesterday, Biden said the coming efforts are “just the beginning” of a public outcry to reduce gun violence.

“I think we’re on the verge of getting a serious, thorough universal background check system in place and it will — emphasize, it will — it will save lives,” Biden said.

Bloomberg has led the money charge, pledging to spend millions of his considerable fortune to pressure wavering lawmakers into supporting gun control proposals.

“If 90 percent of the public want something, and their representatives vote against that, common sense says, they are going to have a price to pay for that,” the New York City mayor said during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press last weekend

After their losses in last year’s elections, Republicans from across the country admitted they have a problem with African-American, Latino and minority voters.
 
But the GOP’s problem also extends to female voters, especially after President Barack Obama beat challenger Mitt Romney by 11 percentage points among women. 
 
“When you have senators who don’t even know the anatomy of a woman, you have a problem,” said former Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md.). “They need to keep quiet.”
 
The Republican National Committee responded last week by releasing its Growth and Opportunity Project, which included recommendations to provide training programs for potential female candidates, to employ more female surrogates and to implement sessions educating members on the best ways to communicate with women.
 
“Communicating, organizing, and winning the women’s vote should be part of all activities that the RNC undertakes,” the report stated. “Women are not a ‘coalition.’ They represent more than half the voting population in the country, and our inability to win their votes is losing us election.”
 
Current and former female GOP officeholders believe the RNC’s actions are a good start, but they disagree over whether the party needs to change its communications strategy, its policies or both.
 
“[The RNC report] has the right message, but we’re still not meeting women in the right places,” said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who recommended using media outlets like women’s magazines and programming to better communicate with them.
 
Morella adds that improving the GOP’s performance with female voters involves following through on the RNC’s plans to recruit and then support female leaders to increase the party’s desirability. When she entered national politics in 1987, there were equal numbers of Republican and Democratic women in Congress. Democratic women now outnumber Republicans by a 3-to-1 margin.
 
“Pictures of the Republican Party seem to be all men,” Morella said. “Let some women into the picture!”
 
“I think our party thinks in terms of the man who will run instead of the women who have more experience,” Blackburn adds. “Women generally don’t raise their hands to run, but wait to be called on.”
 
Adding more female candidates and surrogates, however, will do little to help the party if it’s not accompanied by more a substantive change to policy, says former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman.
 
“It’s not about the messaging; it’s the message,” she said. “We are perceived as being unsympathetic to the needs of the most vulnerable.”
 
Whitman, for example, cited the 138 House Republicans -- including a dozen women -- who voted against the Violence Against Women Act’s reauthorization for a variety of reasons, such as opposition to new protections for gays.
 
Another example is last year’s political debate over contraception. “The most conservative position you can take is to get the party out of the bedroom,” Whitman said. “But instead, you’re getting into that issue and it really turns people off.”
 
Morella agreed that the last election highlighted the need for Republicans to update some of their policies to attract -- not alienate -- new groups.
 
“The issues have gone so far to the right, there’s not much appeal, especially for younger women,” Morella said.
 
The process of attracting women voters is likely to be a slow one, no matter how the party approaches it, notes Karen O’Connor, Director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University.
 
Republicans, O’Connor says, will need to convince women that they are acting in their best interests in order to retain the House and pick up Senate seats in 2012, O’Connor said.
 
Morella, the former Republican congresswoman, is optimistic if only because the party cannot do much worse.
 
“As Abigail Adams said to John, ‘I desire you would remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors,’” Morella said.
 
“Who would have thought it took this long! History keeps repeating itself.”

With Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's beloved Louisville Cardinals playing in the Sweet 16 this week, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is up with a radio ad hitting the Kentucky Republican for being a Washington insider.

"And we're back... It's tournament time, but Sen. Mitch McConnell is playing for the Washington Special Interests against Kentucky," says the announcer in the ad, imitating a play-by-play sportscaster.

The ad comes one day after Ashley Judd announced that she would not mount a challenge against McConnell.

Democrats have since turned their attention to getting Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes to run.

Obama jumps back into gun debate with 11:40 am ET White House event… Obama, bipartisan group still optimistic on immigration reform… Could social conservatives bolt the GOP over gay marriage?... Big news out of Boston -- Menino won’t seek re-election as mayor… Judd takes a pass on KY SEN run… And more Senate Madness!

Larry Downing / Reuters

Vice President Joe Biden listens as President Barack Obama talks in the Oval Office of the White House, March 27, 2013.

*** Obama jumps back into the gun debate: With some GOP senators vowing to filibuster the legislation coming to the floor next month and with some analysts saying that reformers have already lost, President Obama today steps back into the gun debate with an event at the White House at 11:40 am ET. Per the White House, Obama will stand with mothers, law-enforcement officials, and Vice President Biden in urging Congress to take action on the upcoming Senate legislation, which includes universal background checks. As we have written before, those checks -- supported overwhelmingly in public opinion polls -- will ultimately define success or failure for gun-control advocates. Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, are trying to get Republicans to back some type of compromise on background checks, given that the filibuster threat means 60 votes will be needed to even begin considering the legislation. That’s why Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns is airing TV ads in key states to also apply pressure. Meanwhile, Politico reports that Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top GOP lawmaker on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is drafting his own Republican gun bill (without background checks), which “could further complicate what will already be a difficult lift for Democrats and the White House.”

*** Obama, bipartisan group still optimistic on immigration reform: While Obama uses the bully pulpit today on guns, yesterday he used it on immigration by granting interviews to the top Spanish-language TV news outlets. “If we have a bill introduced at the beginning of next month -- as these senators indicate it will be -- then I'm confident that we can get it done certainly before the end of the summer,” Obama told Telemundo regarding the Senate bipartisan activity on immigration, per NBC’s Carrie Dann. “I'm optimistic,” he added. “I've always said that if I see a breakdown in the process, that I've got my own legislation. I'm prepared to step in. But I don't think that's going to be necessary. I think there's a commitment among this group of Democratic and Republican senators to get this done.” Speaking of that bipartisan group senators, four of them (Schumer, John McCain, Jeff Flake, and Michael Bennet) held a press conference yesterday in Arizona, where they also expressed optimism. “I’d say we are 90 percent there,” Schumer said, according to Roll Call. “We have a few little problems to work on; we’ve been on the phone all day talking to our other four colleagues who aren’t here. McCain chimed in: “Nobody is going to be totally happy with this legislation -- no one will be because we are having to make compromises, and that’s what makes for good legislation. It’s compromise that brings everybody together.”

*** Could social conservatives bolt the GOP over gay marriage? Over the past week, we’ve noted the relative silence from GOP lawmakers when it comes to the gay-marriage cases that the Supreme Court considered on Tuesday and Wednesday. The reason for the silence is easy to understand: Public opinion no longer appears to be on their side. The question is whether that silence could alienate social conservatives, a key part of the Republican Party’s base. Some aren’t too happy. “The silence was absolutely deafening and very disappointing to the millions of value voters that are in the party,” Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., told National Journal. And former Arkansas Gov. (and presidential candidate) Mike Huckabee warned that evangelicals could bolt the GOP if it eventually supports gay marriage. "They might. And if they do, they're going to lose a large part of their base because evangelicals will take a walk," he said in an interview. But writing for the New York Times, Tom Edsall doubts that social conservatives would bolt. “[T]he Republican Party can afford to marginalize Tony Perkins and other Christian right leaders because evangelical social conservatives, who make up more than a third of the Republican electorate, are not going to vote Democratic. Nor are they going to join an exodus to a third party. Rush Limbaugh to the contrary, they won’t stay home either.”

*** Big news out of Boston -- Menino won’t seek re-election as mayor: “Mayor Thomas M. Menino will announce at a Faneuil Hall event Thursday afternoon that he will not seek a sixth term in office, say officials familiar with his decision,” the Boston Globe writes. “Menino arrived at his decision late last week and reconsidered it for the last several days to be sure he felt comfortable following through, the ­officials said.” The Globe on a possible reason for his decision not to run: In recent months, Menino has endured a string of maladies that left him hospitalized for eight weeks at the end of last year. He was initially diagnosed with blood clots and a ­severe respiratory infection, and doctors later determined he fractured a vertebra and has Type 2 diabetes.” By the way, this means three of the country’s biggest cities -- New York, LA, Boston -- will all have new mayors this year. Menino’s announcement, per NBC affiliate WHDH, will take place at 4:00 pm ET. 

*** Judd takes a pass on KY Senate race: And in another announcement of not running, we learned yesterday that Ashley Judd is taking a pass on challenging Mitch McConnell in Kentucky. The biggest result from that announcement is that it denies the news media from making it the most-watched Senate contest in the country (due to Judd’s celebrity and McConnell’s position as GOP Senate leader). Democrats are now turning their hopes to Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, but we’re not so sure that she -- or another other Democrat -- will have a better chance of defeating McConnell in 2014, despite his underwhelming poll numbers. After all, Mitt Romney got more than 60% of the presidential vote in Kentucky in 2012, and that was a Democratic year. Democrats winning gubernatorial contests in Kentucky is one thing; winning Senate contests in the state is another.

*** Senate Madness -- results from yesterday’s contests: In the 19^th Century region, Stephen Douglas and Sam Houston advanced… So did John Sherman Cooper and Richard Russell in the 20^th Century region… In the Modern Era region, Ed Brooke upset Strom Thurmond and Hubert Humphrey also advanced… And in the Mixed Era region, Robert La Follette and George Norris moved on. See here and here for the results.

*** Senate Madness -- today’s first-round match ups: These are our final first-round contests. In our #3 and #14 seed match-ups, it’s Charles Sumner vs. Franklin Pierce (19^th Century), Barry Goldwater vs. John Stennis (20^th), Jesse Helms vs. Ted Stevens (Modern Era), and Hiram Johnson vs. Scoop Jackson (Mixed). And in the #6 and #11 seeds, it’s Jefferson Davis vs. James Buchanan (19^th), Claude Pepper vs. Mike Mansfield (20^th), Howard Baker vs. Joe Biden (Modern), and William Borah vs. Reed Smoot (Mixed).

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*** Thursday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up with guest host Peter Alexander: Former Virginia Reps. Tom Davis (R) and Tom Perriello (D) on the debates over immigration and guns along with the latest numbers on the Old Dominion’s race for governor… NBC’s Pete Williams on what we learned in two days of SCOTUS hearings on same-sex marriage… Telemundo’s Lori Montenegro on her interview with President Obama… One of us (!!!) on Judd’s decision and the next round of Senate Madness… NBC’s Michael Isikoff on the new information released this morning on the Sandy Hook shooting… Plus the Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson, National Review’s Robert Costa and American Bridge’s Rodell Mollineau join the Gaggle.

*** Thursday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Jose Diaz Balart - Noticiero Telemundo anchor and host of Enfoque, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Fmr. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Republican strategist Sara Taylor Fagen, Politico’s Manj Raju, The Washington Post’s David Nakamura and The Huffington Post’s Mike Sacks.

*** Thursday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: Guest Host Craig Melvin talks with Chairman of Organizing for Action, Jim Messina on OFA’s Day of Action calling on Congress to act on gun violence.  Constitutional Law Professor Jamal Greene will analyze Wednesday’s Supreme Court arguments over DOMA. Telemundo’s Lori Montenegro   Chicago Board of Education Vice-President Jesse Ruiz joins to discuss massive protests over school closings.  Today’s Power Panel includes: The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, MSNBC Contributor Karen Hunter and Republican Strategist Chip Saltsman.

*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), CA Attorney General Kamala Harris, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza.

Roll Call: “President Barack Obama will dine with a dozen Republican senators on April 10 at a dinner organized by Sen. Johnny Isakson, the Georgia lawmaker’s office and a senior administration official confirmed.”

“New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s (I) pro-gun control group on Thursday unveiled a new ad featuring parents of children killed in the Newtown, Conn. mass shooting calling for tougher gun laws,” The Hill writes. “The ad from ‘Mayors Against Illegal Guns’ will run on Connecticut stations, and urges state legislators to pass universal background checks on all gun sales, as well as bans on the sale of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, according to reports.”

Here’s the ad. A full-screen image pops up with the list of priorities: comprehensive background checks, limit high capacity magazines, assault weapons ban. A parent says, “Don’t let the memory of Newtown fade without doing something real.”

“President Obama stumbled toward his endorsement of gay marriage. But gay rights groups say he was still a trendsetter,” The Hill writes, adding, “Gay rights groups credit Obama’s decision as opening the floodgates to other Democratic lawmakers, creating a sense this week that history is being made in days, not weeks.”

“As a bipartisan group of senators chips away at the remaining obstacles to an immigration deal, President Barack Obama says he is optimistic that – if lawmakers release a draft bill early next month – he will be able to sign comprehensive immigration reform into law before autumn,” NBC’s Carrie Dann writes. Said Obama in an interview with Telemundo: “If we have a bill introduced at the beginning of next month -- as these senators indicate it will be -- then I'm confident that we can get it done certainly before the end of the summer.”

“President Obama will be traveling to Mexico in early May to meet with newly elected President Enrique Peña Nieto, the White House announced Wednesday,” The Hill notes, adding, “Obama will also stop in Costa Rica during the May 2-4 trip for meetings with Central American leaders.”

Congressional Republicans move on from health care? No way. Chris Frates writes that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and congressional Republicans have a secret plan to repeal ObamaCare through reconciliation – a simple majority vote – since the ruling noted that the mandate was upheld because it is a “tax.”

Stu Rothenberg: “The Fat Lady Sings on Gun Control, 2013 Edition.”

(Yet that is true if you believed that an assault-weapons ban – and not universal background checks – are the heart of the reform effort.)

Roll Call: “Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, who is up for re-election in 2014, became the latest Democrat to announce her support for gay marriage Wednesday morning in an interview with the Raleigh News & Observer.”

Politico wraps the Democratic holdouts on gay marriage. Jonathan Allen: “Only nine of the 55 Democratic senators don’t currently back gay marriage — and some of them are starting to feel the heat from frustrated base voters at home and from the example of their peers in Washington.”

The nine are Tom Carper (DE), Bob Casey (PA), Joe Donnelly (IN), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Tim Johnson (SD), Mary Landrieu (LA), Joe Manchin (WV), Bill Nelson (FL), and Mark Pryor (AR).

Only one Republican senator – Rob Portman – supports gay marriage.

Rich Lowry: “Supporters of gay marriage again and again cite the shifting polls, as if they are relevant to a deliberation over whether gay marriage is mandated by the Constitution.”

National Journal: “The One Word You Can't Say in Washington: Democrats agree on the need for stimulus. Just don't call it that.”

The Hill: “Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tweeted on Wednesday that a woman tried to illegally cross the U.S. border from Mexico in front of him and a group of senators in Arizona.”