>> cenk: so here's how this works. we do this lovely tv show for you here at current. later tonight we'll do a whole other show online at the www. www.youngturks.com. you can also see it atyoutube/ atyoutube/the young turks. john fugelsang is next with "viewpoint." stay right here. >> john: president obama gives a speech outlining sensible genaro control supported by the majority of americans prompting the extreme right wing to say impeach him. now remember when ronald reagan died and his friend was talking about what a deranged senile their hero was? and "django unchained," remember one important fact. at least it's not "rock of ages." today is the birthday of jadae dr. roar will laura there'sen slessinger.

this is "viewpoint." [ ♪ music ♪ ] >> good evening, thank you so much for spending the evening with us. this was one of the president's most powerful speeches since he took office. as promised president obama told the nation what he and congress must do to strengthen gun laws and stem the tied that killed 26 people in newtown last month and hundreds more. the first national gun legislation since 1994. mr. obama would like to see a number of changes to our gun laws and supported measures such as tightening gun checks,

insuring database. and research in gun violence causes and prevention and hire school resource officers, and insuring medicaid recipients get quality mental healthcare. senate majority harry reid said i'm committed to ensureing that address gun violence. all options should be on the table before we compromise and fold. here is the president talking about this matter earlier today. >> obama: as soon as i'm finished speaking here, i will sit at that desk and sign a directive giving schools hubble health community tools they need to help reduce gun violence. as important as these steps are they are in no way a substitute for action from members of congress. to make a reel and lasting real and

lasting difference congress, too must act, and i'm calling on congress to pass very specific proposals right away. first its time for congress to require an universal background check for anyone trying to buy a gun. second, congress should restore a ban on military style assault weapons and a ten-round limit for magazines. finally congress needs to help rather than hinder law enforcement as it does its job. we should get tougher on people who buy guns with the express purpose of turning around and selling them to criminals. and we should severely punish anybody who helps them do this. this will be difficult. there will be pundits and politicians and special interest lobbyists publicly warning of a tyrannical all-out assault on liberty. not because that's true, but

because they want to gin up fear higher ratings and revenue for themselves. the only way we're able to change is if their audience, their constituents, their membership who says this time it must be different. this time we must do something to protect our communities and our kids. that most fund fundamental set of rights, fundamental rights that were denied college students at virginia tech and high school students at columbine and elementary school students at newtown and kids on street corners in chicago on too frequent a basis to tolerate. all the families who never imagined they would lose a loved one to a bullet those rights are at stake. we're responsible.

>> john: later in the day house minority nancy pelosi responded that congress must do its part without further delay. we can work together to insure that this time it will, indeed be different. house speaker boehner quote house economies of jurisdiction will review these recommendations and if senate passes a bill, we'll also take a look at that, turning it over as if it's infectious. as for the national rifle association, it accused the president of missing the point of the newtown tragedy saying attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation. only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy. here's what happens the president offers 23 proposals and a series of gun control laws without taking anyone's guns away while pushing for memory healthcare proving the nra my friends, can't take yes for an

answer. the nra ad which attacked the president for putting his daughters above everyone else's children. >> are the president's kids more important than yours? then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools? when his kids are protected by armed guards at thinks schools. mr. obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes but he's just another eliteist hypocrite when it comes to another fair share of security. protection for his kids and gun free zones for ours. >> john: that would be the president who has received the most death threats in history agreeing to protection for his family. for more on today's historic announcement by president obama and the future of his proposals in congress, i'm delighted to be joined by congressman joe courtney. good evening, a pleasure to have you.

>> yes. >> john: president obama promised the people of newtown that he would make our kids safer. do you have any doubt that the proposals will do that? >> i have no doubt. there is no question that the number of executive orders that are well within his constitutional authority will beef up the department of justice to prosecute people who lie on background checks, for example, the statistics are quite stunning, 10,000 people got caught lying in their application for gun purchases only 44 were prosecuted in 2010. that's an example where they'll refocus their executive branch authority to make the country safer. again, also giving the brady background check system at the department of justice more information regarding people who are suffering from mental illness, using their authority to break down privacy laws under hippa to make that process work better. you know, these are smart common sense changes that are

definitely going to strengthen the system. however, as he pointed out there's bigger and more important changes that require acts of congress, and that's obviously now--the fat is in the fire. it's up to us to take the first step and carry it to a higher, better level for public safety. >> john: i agree. it's hard to imagine even the nra protesting background checks, and people who lie on them. but as a congressman from connecticut, a man whose constituents who were so affected by the newtown massacre, what was the most important thing that you heard from the president. >> i appreciated the fact that he pointed out the background check system which has been in place for 14 years has actually found 1.5 million cases of people who were trying to get guns, but were blocked because of the facts fact that my predecessor had the wisdom to create that system.

nothing really works, nothing really would have mattered in terms of newtown but the fact of the matter the system is there and it has been effective. what we feed to do is make it stronger, and that's what he's doing partly through executive order. but obviously we need to make all purchases subject to background checks. that requires an act of congress so that private sales, gun shows, which now are almost the majority of gun purchases in this country are built in or included in the system. and i think it will make it a more effective system and prevent people were getting guns who shouldn't have them. >> john: let me ask you about the politics of this, if the measures are passed in the senate but fail in the house will that give democrats an issue they can use to potentially win the house back in 2014? do you think that by opposing these measures, the republicans will be so going against the will of the american people could democrats win by losing the gun control vote in the house if it comes to that? >> well, again i think really

that is going to be the challenge now because if you look at certainly what the opponents of the president's plan are trying to do is scare people, and you know, in my opinion raise false arguments about whether or not this violates the constitution and takes away people's rights, it will take away people's guns, that sort of is the message that you see coming from the other side. what i think obviously our challenge is to keep the focus on what the people talked about today, which is that we're strengthening a system that 80% of the american people support about having strong background checks, about creating a system where people can't go out and buy large capacity ammunition and again, vast majorities, independent voters suburban voters support these kinds of measures. again, he is clearly showed a personal commitment to this. he had the bully pulpit. we've seen what the fiscal

cliff, student loans when he goes out to the public and raises awareness about issues, the fact of the matter congress moves and congress will react. i do think by the way there are still some republicans some of who i have talked to after newtown who have expressed a willingness to consider some of these measures. i'm not totally ready to throw in the towel on the house actually moving on some of these measures. >> john: i know there are a lot of republicans amenable to this, but we know many of your g.o.p. counterparts won't be. what is the most controversial part of the package you heard today, and do you think it's best to package this all together, or should it be done piecemeal, the assault weapons here and high capacity magazines here? >> i think time is the enemy. lyndon johnson if you read about his efforts of mail order purchasing of guns, he moved that measure in a matter of months, and he was the master of

this process. and he understood that time really was the enemy in terms of getting these measures through. to be the extent we can get a strong comprehensive package moving in the senate, get it out of the senate, and then basically surround the house with the executive branch senate action and public opinion that then i actually think this could get a life of its own and really have a strong chance. >> john: connecticut democratic congressman joe courtney, thank you for coming on the program. >> thanks, john. >> john: for more now on the president's proposals i'm happy to be joined by john rosenthal. stop handgun violence and common sense about kids an guns, and by pam simon a staffer for gabby giffords who was shot at the tucson shop shooting where the congressman was badly wounded and six others were killed. she's now a gun control advocate

advocate. thank you both for joining us, john, i want to begin with you. >> thank you. >> john: i want to know what you did think of the president's speech today? did hear of the talking points? did he go far enough. >> i don't think he went far enough but i was very proud to hear the president talk about guns in a very comprehensive and common sense way. if you're a march than martian, and you're up at 30,000 feet and you hear, gee, we need gun check of gun sales that have no purpose in a civilized society other than to kill people quickly including mental health records making it difficult for the mentally ill to get guns, that seems like a no-brainer. but for 30 years we've made law enforcement the enemy of gun rights. and made 50% of guns sold to be

sold by private dealers and gun shows and out of backpacks, including to criminals and alqaida, and we've had an prevalence of assault weapons all over the place. al-qaeda come here to buy assault weapons. i'm proud of our governor of massachusetts has led the way along with our mayor, but i'm proud of the president. the sad part is since newtown 900 people have died. we loss a classroom a day because of gun violence. congress is already saying dead on arrival and some how these initiatives are taking guns away from law abiding citizens. i'm a law abiding citizen. i can bass a background check and i don't need a high capacity magazine clip.

but congress would rather take the blood money contributions from the unregulated gun industry, and turn their back on the american people. this is not okay. the american people have to flood the switch board in congress and either get congress to change or we need to change congress in two years. >> john: i want to talk to you about the politics john, but i want to go to you, pam, i want to know what you thought of the president's speech and how it relates to your personal story of survival. >> i was very, very pleased with what i heard from the president and the work that the commission that joe biden heads. there are many steps in the right direction. starting with the executive orders. but the real the crux of the matter is the universal background checks. this is so common sense. it doesn't make any sense that anybody would be opposed to it. as you mentioned in the intro i just got back yesterday from spending time with newtown

families. we were very privileged to be invited, roxanne who lost her daughter the same time i was shot and gabriel giffords was shot, to see her speak to families who are just starting this horrible road of grief that no parent should have to go through. it puts a human face on these statisticses that we keep throwing out. >> john: indeed. and i think that that's what is guiding the president through this proposed legislation. but i want to get back to john with the politics. if the senate pass this is package, and then the house kills it, what do you think happens next? and can the democrats benefit long-term if the house republicans demolish this potential legislation? >> it depends on how much courage the democrats find for the first time in decades. i mean, when the democrats were in control of the house and the senate just a few years ago, i

met with them. and they considered a simple universal background check a hard vote that they would not ask their members to take. >> john: but they're going for it now. they're going for it now. do you see the democrats following behind the president? we've waited for it. >> i hope so. we're hearing from some members of the democratic caucus in the senate that they're not going to do it. we need all the senators, all the democratic senators in the senate. but assuming that it goes through the senate, the house will be very tough. if they don't support these common sense initiatives i think it's entirely possible that the democrats will gain seats in two years. >> john: pam, jump in, please. >> yes, i think this is a tipping point. i think there is a lot of political rhetoric going on, but as the president said, we need to--we as the american people need to demand, and i would encourage people to go online to demand a plan. we have over 1 million people

have signed on and more and more each day that are saying to our leaders, we're fed up. this is not a war on guns. this is an epidemic of violence, and we need to find a cure. and the american people are part of that cure. which means they need to call and write their representatives their senators, and not sit by and wonder what's going to happen. we're outraged. the killing of children. we are absolutely outraged. and its time for the people who sit and look at the paper and wring their hands to pick up the phones and start letting our representatives know we truly need to demand. >> john: i couldn't agree more, pam. we all know that the nra is calling our congressmen even as we speak. it is time for humans to do it as well. john rosenthal, could you founder of the group stop handgun violence and common sense about kids an guns, i love the way you keep punching on this issue. thank you for your service. and activist pam simon i could

talk about this all night. thank you both for coming on the program. gun control even played a part in obama's re-election. but as you know, so did a lot of things. that's up next. hershey's simple pleasures chocolate. 30% less fat, 100% delicious. [ ryon ] eating shrimp at red lobster is a fantastic experience. 30 shrimp for $11.99. i can't imagine anything better. you're getting a ton of shrimp and it tastes really good! [ male announcer ] hurry in to red lobster's 30 shrimp for just $11.99! choose any two of five savory shrimp selections like mango jalapeño shrimp and parmesan crunch shrimp. two delicious shrimp selections on one plate! all with salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits. 30 shrimp, just $11.99 for a limited time.

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>> john: president obama's boldest actions for gun control in history. the president's mind and heart always seem to be in the same place, as is clear when gun control was brought up during the first october 16th presidential debate. >> obama: there have been too many instances during the course of my presidency where i've had to comfort families who have lost somebody, most recently out in aurora. my belief is, a, we have to enforce the laws we've already got. make sure that we're keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, those who are mentally ill. we've done a much better job in terms of background checks but we've got more to do when it comes to enforcements. but i also share your belief

that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don't belong on our streets. >> john: that was actually the second debate from hofstra, you can tell because the president was awake for it. with me is michael hastings whose book "panic 2012: the inside story of boom's campaign is so good that it would make theodore white green with envy." >> john: i'm guessing stanley mcchrystal has not read your new one yet i know your book is about the campaign but it ties directly into what happened today. do you get the sense that gun control was on the president's mine during the entire campaign? >> oh sure, the president suspended his campaign because of the aurora shooting. michelle obama suspended her big initiative. this was a huge moment, and then

she visited aurora in a secret, private trip because of the impact that they felt gun violence--remember, the president is surrounded by violence. this is the biggest--the man is one of the biggest targets in the world. his family lives in a fear of this sort of violence, you see that again and again after gabby giffords was shot after this incredible scene. and in another book, where literally you see the family, you see the president hear the news, and you can tell from the great reporting that this hit home because they, too are under threats. they're from chicago, one of the most violent cities in the country. >> john: the critique of the president for a long time of course was that the democratic party has dropped gun control as an issue since the late 90s and we didn't see anything happen after the gabby giffords shooting, nor after aurora.

it took 20 children being killed. >> after the speech in aurora a lot of people are really? that's your response? even in the response in the debate you've been president for four years. if you're so moved why don't you do something. it is a shame. the democrats made a decision in the 2000-2002 to move away from guns as an issue. they felt it cost them a lot of seats in elections. so it was a clearly calculated decision, and now the pendulum is swinging back, and we're taking a detour back in the 90s, and thankfully it's not monica that we're discussing but gun violence. >> john: one point you write about how president obama's staff were trying to brief him for a q & a session on reddit and how he adopted rather quickly to that.

>> the book is two different stories. it's me with the high jinx with the white house press and then a lot of these behind-the-scenes moments including reddit, i'm sure everyone watching knows. it's awesome. it was a historyic thing. it was an historic moment where they won the internet that day. and in campaign winning the internet is what modern campaigning is going to be about to a large degree. he did something that was risky and the environment where you can ask anything, that's why it's called imam. and successful to get tens of thousands of people to register, and then on the election day ten thousands more. this went totally below the radar, and it was a huge success. >> john: and 9,000 of those on reddit asked him about

legalizing weed. what was frustrating for you covering this campaign. >> thank god for denver because it would have been the most boring campaign in history. the most frustrating part is hundreds of journalists covering the same thing and writing the same thing and trying desperately coming up with something new while dealing with the obama re-election campaign. these guys know how to play pretty rough. they'll lie to your faces as good as anybody. how do you navigate that and get around it and not get sucked in so all you're doing pro whatever candidate propaganda you're covering. >> john: we could talk about this all night looking forward to the end of the last week of his first term, what do you see as the future of the second term? >> well look this is one the boldest moves we've seen him make. generally his governing strategy has to put out big ideas.

the big ideas seem to fail but then he gets them done in the end. healthcare the immigration evolution, and gun control all in the same year. i think that is a testament to the fact that this will be condescending, but he's getting used with the job and using power. >> john: michael hastings, correspondent and author of "panic 2012" not on mcchrystal's christmas list. thank you. >> thank you. >> john: the most sickening fake christian advice. you'll never believe what it's about. presidential inauguration. the circumstance & the inside analysis. the presidential inauguration this monday morning at 10 eastern only on current tv.

[ ♪ music ♪ ] >> john: it's time again for the quickest award show in the world, and tonight's quickie is for the most sickening fake christian relationship advice. and the nominees are. eddie long, a megachurch pastor who is accused of coercing young men for sex who said women should use a quiet and submissive spirit with men who are born to rule. if you're a young guy that eddie long wants to have rule over him, even though i hear that costs more. pastor scott lively for associating same-sex marriage with noah's flood which would explain all the fun-time shows on the ark. and finally the reverend pat robertson for just plain mean advice to a 17-year-old teenager whose parents were drifting apart and dad was ignoring mom. the award goes to, reverend pat robertson. you're the winner. and here are reverend pat's

exact words. >> maybe your mom isn't as sweet as you think she is. you know a woman came to a preacher that i know, it's so funny. and she was always lookin'. she said, oh reverend, what can i do? my husband has started to drink. and the preacher looked at her and said, madam if i was married to you i'd start to drink, too. >> so pat report son's advice for a doubled kid? i wouldn't do your mom either. the reverend could not be here tonight because he had to get his own hair and makeup done by lucas film. and when the president legal "is" weed, that will be the only way i can sit through the 700 club. we'll find out which one of these camera guys is a secret baby daddy. >> only on current tv.

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>> john: true compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. that's a quote from the dr. martin luther king jr. whose birthday was yesterday and we'll celebrate monday the same day as obama's inauguration. it signifies how dr. king's activism was not just geared towards racial injustice but every bit as much towards social justice as well. while our country has made significant strides in racial equality it very. soften seemsoften it seems we're going the opposite way against poverty with nearly 50 million people now living at or beneath poverty. carrying the torch and renewing the battle against poverty is television and radio host author, activist tavis smily. now tavis's goal is to reduce

poverty in half in ten years and completely eradicate it in 25. while that may seem like an impossible goal, let's remember another quote from dr. king. we must accept finite disappointment but never loss infinite hope. now joining me now is host of tavis smily on pbs and the tavis smily show on public radio international. >> thank you. >> why are we going the wrong way against poverty in this country? >> the elite number one. they also don't contribute to the campaigns of the level of the elite. and thirdly they don't have a street fortunately of lobbyists to represent their point of view. result poor people in this

country continue to be rendered invisible. >> john: what would you like to see this president and this congress dare take up? >> i layout tin things that i think should be done. men and women need to be put first in no particular order. we need to have a fair and progressive tax code. we have to do something about the industrial complex. ronald reggae reagan would say age. bush wouldn't say global warming, and this president wouldn't say industrial complex. i'm privileged to have john graham from the environmental affairs with the new book" america's poor and the great recession." he'll detail specific policy programs and proposals that he believes both the left and the right can agree upon for tomorrow night with jeff sacks

on one side, and newt gringrich on the other side, i hope they have a good conversation on what we can agree on with regard to poverty in america. >> john: overall how would you say that president obama is on the issue. i'm with you on the industrial complex issue but considering he has changed the tax code recently, is interest a way to make this an issue he can win on? >> yes. we won't know how really good the fiscal cliff and negotiations are really good until we get to march when spending cuts are really on the table and we start talking about the debt ceiling. but teetering on cliffs and bumping up against ceiling is no way to run a country. to your president what could president obama do if he wants to have a legacy of which he can be proud. give a speech, a major public policy address to the eradication of poverty in our country. he's going to be inaugurated for

a second term on the king's holiday. how dare any president on the king holiday stand with king's monument just a few blocks down the street and not talk about the issue that he gave his life for, the poor. you quoted him beautifully and he talked about that being the passion of his life. one, he has to give a major public policy address on what he'll do as our leader to eradicate poverty and then bring the experts together and craft this plan that you referenced earlier to cut policy in 10 years and eradicate it in 25. >> john: i'm depressed how many people forget that dr. king stood against anti-militarism before he died. do you think if the leaders lead people will follow, and it will be finding a way to get people vote and more importantly, voting in their own

interest. >> i think vote something a key component. i preach motor registration and motor active active aggravation more than anybodyation more thananybody else. documents are moral documents. when you put your budget on the table, we get a chance to know who you are. the truth of the matter is the president has not been as progressive as he should be, and certainly he has been up against functionism on the other side. but there seems to be a bipartisan consensus in washington that the poor just don't matter. if the president uses the bully pulpit that he has unlike any other in this country, to lead us in a conversation about eradicating and reducing poverty in this country i think the country will come along certainly we'll be forced to talk about it if he gives a major public policy address

about it. >> john: rich people pay fox people to make middle class people believe that against poor people. how can people find out horror about the event. >> go to a future without poverty.com. a future without poverty.com. they'll find details and a letter they can sign to encourage the speech. thank you for the work you're doing and i appreciate you 'em empowering all of us. >> john: i hope you'll come back and join me on the show and thank you so much for doing the lord's work. >> thank you man. >> john: right on. coming up, love it or hate it, see it or don't we're going to talk about "django unchained." but first here is what is coming up next on "say anything" with joy behar. >> joy: thank you, john. on tonight's "say anything" i'll talk to mob wives about translateing mob languages into other languages. >> i went to israel and i stayed there a couple of years. i'm not jewish and i learned to

speak hebrew. >> joy: how are you going to say you're going to swim with the vicious in hebrew. >> i would say good night good luck. >> joy: speaking of mobs, i'll speak to my panel about the golden globe celebrities but first more "viewpoint" with john fugelsang. circumstance & the inside analysis. the presidential inauguration this monday morning at 10 eastern only on current tv.

>> john: it is most likely the most anti-slavery american studio release in film history. and yet many prominent african-americans refuse to see it. "django unchained," fume nated for best picture, the "d" is silent but the criticism is not. what makes people upset is the wrighter-director quentin tarantino's use of the "n" word,

among those who refuse to see the film is spike lee. here is mr. lee speaking about the film or not speaking about it in december. >> i can't speak on it because i'm not gonna see it. all i'm saying gonna say is the disrespectful to my ancestors. >> fair enough. if based on the film's trailer mr. lee doesn't have an interest in seeing the film. that's certainly his right. but then the following day spake lee was ready to tweet about it. american slavery was not a sergio leone spaghetti western. it was a hole cows my ancestors are slaves stolen from africa. i will honor them. >> mr. lee is not alone. the outrage over tarantino's film is shared by many others, including my previous guest tavis smiley. >> if someone is out there saying when it comes to the

word--bleep--the fact that i was using it more in the movie more than it was used in the antebellum south in mississippi in 1858, then feel free to make that case. but no one is actually making that case. in other words what they're actually saying that i should soften it. they're saying i should lie. they're saying i shut whitewash they're saying i should massage. i never do that when it comes to my characters. >> john: oh joining me now to discuss "django unchained"," is tricia rose and anthea butler author of the article, does "django unchained" get the history of slavery right? >> is it fair to criticize a film that one hasn't yet seen? >> there are many ways to

criticize a film. first of all i think spike lee should be credited enough with the fact that he knows enough about cinema and quentin tarantino to figure it out. he probably read the screen play which is what tavis smiley did your previous guest and a friend of mine whose position i completely respect and admire. we have to hold sometimes very principled positions based on a variety of factors. i don't think it's the only way to challenge the situation. i, in fact did see the movie and i think others should see it so that we can develop some media literacy and critical language about what these preparations mean, what is historyically accurate and what isn't. that's a position to be taken without a doubt. >> john: anthea butler is the "n" word overused in this film or is it historyically accurate? >> can you put a name count on the n-word being used in the movie? compared to the way it was used

in history. i put it this way. it was used in history a lot. do we know how it was used? we have slave narratives where people were referred and called that way. the problem is perhaps not about how many times he uses the n-word, but the ways in which he uses the n-word. that's what is problematic for a lot of people. >> john: two years of course we had this big controversy over the removal of the n word of copies of "huckleberry finn"." but no one called him any bad words. is it somewhat akin to that? is it really about that word in context, and is that where the criticism should be directed when it's used? >> i also think--i didn't great with what they did with mark twain. i want to tell my students, you need to understand the time period you're reading something in. don't read into history back

from where you are. in other words don't use presentism. i think the way they did that with twain is ridiculous. that's it for me. the problem that rises with the quentin tarantino use of the word is the problem that everybody has with quentin tarantino being the one that is putting the n-word in everybody's mouth. that's a different way that belies this issue. i don't think the problem is the word necessarily but that quentin tarantino who is writing the screen play uses it so much. >> john: except in the "kill bill" films it has been used liberally. tricia? >> this historical accuracy in this film is hogwash and irrelevant. there is no accurate use of history around african-american women in this film, but it never comes out. we're so busy obsessively

worried about the n word. keri washington's character makes no sense. you had people fighting, shooting killing and a beloved of the novel of a woman who slit the throat of her own baby rather than return her to slavery. this is what black women were doing. yet, what do we get? we get keri washington with a quivererring lip serious sexual violence but never talked directly about in this film. if we're going to talk about authenticity then gender is where we need to pay more attention. >> john: i agree with you "beloved" is one of the underrated films in years. but when you see the movie i had never seen a film more anti-slavery. we saw points of view on the

constitution in cinemainstitution where we have never seen it before. and the only heroic caucasian isn't american. it is disrespectful to the out outrageous institution of slavery. >> i have to say i kept thinking, you don't seem to understand if. you lived back this, this is what the tale would have been about you right? i think there is a part which we can see there is this sort of a horrific thing slavery is wrong. what i see problematic as a historian we don't have enough people who don't know about the story to begin with, this is the story they're going to leave with. >> john: last word? >> i think many non-hollywood films by black people that deal

with slavery, oppression they just don't get air time and money. >> john: you're exactly right. i could talk about this with you all night. tricia rose, and anthea butler, thank you both for your time and insight, and for being really important voices in this debate. >> thank you. >> john: everyone in taking sides in the gun debate, including the late ronald reagan. weirder, his supporters are trying to convince us that he was senile when he didn't agree with them.

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>> john: this week the gun control debate welcomed a somewhat unlikely new player the late ronald reagan. he'll be here any second. first the counter of head nra's head wayne lapierre is a photo that shows president reagan two minutes before being shot with guns. six guys flanked him with guns

still could not prevent the shooting. president obama reminded the nation that reagan himself supported the '94 assault weapons ban. the taking point, he only supported the ban because he was inflicted with alzheimer's and had no idea what he was doing. because why would a guy who was shot by a deranged gunman ever support gun control. when reagan signed his name, it was just senile dementia. eric pratt of the gun owners of america made this very point to. >> what is the problem for registering a gun. if you have a bush master, first of all why would you have a bush master. >> were reagan owned ar 15. >> and he supported gun control and advocated for it. >> in his later years and we have to keep that in account.

>> he was almost killed by john hinckley. >> all through his presidency he opposed gun control. >> let reagan being reagan unless reagan is being reagan in a way that reagan