illegal. two great professors writing in "the new york times" saying it is time to call the mass surveillance program what it is, criminal. >> john: thank you, turk. good evening tonight on "viewpoint," we'll be discussing all of the pro-life conservatives who love the death penalty with sister helen prejean, the author of dead man walking. we'll talk about texans passing draconian laws and the awesome texans trying to stop them. mr. edward snowden is still looking for a place to crash and is still in the midst of what must be the worst backpacking trip through europe any young man has ever taken. plus, sarah palin is thinking of starting a third party which could be a whole new forum for her to say nonsensical crap and never be president. today is the birthday of model jerry hall, kush your enthusiasm

star larry david having a quite celebration at home bitterly complaining to his friends family and millions of dollars. this is "viewpoint." >> john: good evening i'm john fuglesang. this is "viewpoint." 2013 marks two decades since the publication of dead man walking helped to change the national dialogue about capital punishment. sister helen prejean's book talks about the eye for an eye about 2,000 years after jesus did that. she countered with the church's teachings that even those who have done terrible crimes have a dignity that should not be taken from them. the film version of her book was nominated for four oscars and of

course susan sarandon won best actress for portraying prejean. since then, she founded a victims' advocacy group called survive in new orleans. she's continued to fight against the death penalty and counsels death row inmates as well as the families of murder victims. a 20th anniversary edition of dead man walking is out with a new preface by nobel peace prize winner desmond tutu and three afterwards from tim robbins and susan sarandon. she's the co-author of a new book called "i am troy davis" about another controversial death row case from georgia that a lot of us have not forgotten. center helen prejean joins us live from new orleans. welcome to "viewpoint." >> good evening, john. great to be with you. >> john: as the child of a former nun, it is an honor to have you and to see all of the great work you do. >> wonderful. >> john: i grew up with a number of progressive nuns. it is great to honor you in

person. >> good, good, we've got a lot of good stuff to talk about. there are some shifts happening in the country. i'm glad to talk to you. >> john: the number of executions, as you know have greatly declined since your book was first published back in 1993. is america's view of capital punishment changing for good? eight states have gotten rid of it. >> absolutely it is. you can see beginning in 2001, the number of death sentences handed down decreased radically and the number of executions in most states. and we can see the shift in opinion, as well. in 1996 when the film "dead man walk wag" came out 78% of the american public and 80% of catholics, we were more than the regular population, believed in the death penalty. by 2011, it had dropped down to 63% for the american public and 59% for catholics. we really have been working with

catholics to understand that the death penalty is a pro-life issue. and when i got to have a direct dialogue with pope john paul, that was one of my questions. i said your holiness, does the catholic church only uphold the dignity of innocent life which of course, i do. i think abortion is morally wrong. but when i'm walking with a man to execution and he shackled hand and foot and surrounded by guards and they're taking him away to kill him he says sister, please pray that god holds up my legs, i said to him where's the dignity in this death? >> john: i think the irony is by being compassionate to the condemned killer, you're technically being a conservative christian. that's pretty much how jesus spelled it out in the book if i recall it correctly. >> jesus never used those terms liberal and conservative. i don't know that they're always good. i want to conserve some things that are holy and true and i'm liberal about other things.

i like to talk about sticking to human rights and the dignity of life on all sides and the common good of all. >> john: all too often the words liberal and conservative are meant to keep us fighting each other. most americans are progressive on some issues and conservative on others. i want to ask you about pushback toward your mission in the south. how often do the cases both in the south and north still have racial overtones? >> this isn't just pushback on my mission in the south. traditionally, historically, the south has been the place of the harshest penal punishment for criminals, always. it goes back when slaves were freed, you could find the black code books coming out of the southern legislatures, what the penalty would be -- punishment if a black person did a crime and if a white person did a crime. and that lasted all the way to the punishment between white

cocaine, you know, powder cocaine and crack cocaine. the south though, when you see -- the supreme court put the death penalty back in 1976. they had abolished it in '72. then they put it back. they had these guidelines that it would not now be disproportionately eeked out on the poor and on minorities. well, you look at the pattern of executions. you see that 80% of all executions happen in the ten southern states that practice slavery. and the supreme court justices go to work every day with equal justice on the law and their front porch and yet this practice is so disparate in terms of geological location. >> john: texas celebrated their 500th execution last week. >> kimberly mccarthy. i had met the women on death

row. i knew her. >> john: as you know, two weeks ago pope francis repledged the vatican support for the abolition of the death penalty, much like john paul ii. pope francis said it is a courageous reaffirmation that human anity can confront criminality. why do you think there is a disparity between rome and so many catholics in this country. why wasn't that pronouncement from the pope reported here in the states anywhere beyond the national catholic reporter? >> well, you know, i don't know all that's involved here but i just want to say watch pope francis because he's urging catholics more and more to get out there on the margins, to be there where people are poor and suffering. he was barely elected pope and he's in a prison. he's washing the feet of a muslim person, of a woman. and -- >> john: on easter. >> and on easter. you are a good catholic. i can tell who your mama was. >> john: the pope might

disagree. >> we have something new now happening in the church. for awhile, for under the last two popes, there was a lot of emphasis on orthodoxy and being tried and true catholics and all of that. that doesn't mean that's gone away. there is a new emphasis. it is like get to where the suffering people are. be what jesus was in the world. and so the pope is urging us to get on the margins. that's what happened to me with the death penalty. when i woke up, that the gospel of jesus wasn't just about being a polite christian and being a holy nun and praying and i do pray. it is the way i know what i'm supposed to be doing in my life. but i had grown up in privilege as a young, white girl in baton rouge, louisiana and i only knew african american people as our servants. i moved into the st. thomas housing projects and african-american people became my teachers of the other american how things work. if you were poor and if you were

black, how the police treated you, how everybody had somebody in prison. what happened in the public schools where you could get to be a junior and you can't read a third grade reader. i realize the privilege i had grown up in. it is not that i was more virtuous. so then i began to learn about justice and that's what led me to death row. i got an invitation one day hey, you want to write a letter to somebody on death row. if he's on death row in louisiana, he's poor. i'm here to serve the poor. i didn't know boo scat about the death penalty. that's what dead man walking is, my journey getting into this as tim robbins loves to say the nun got in over her head. she didn't know what she was doing. it's true. i didn't. that's the way i wrote the book. i wrote it in present tense so when the reader comes with me, they're going to go with me everywhere in present tense on to death row for the first time being scared, meeting a murderer thinking he's going to look like very different because he's a murderer and then meeting a human being then meeting the

victims and the tension of that. making mistakes, not reaching out to the victims at first because i didn't know what to do. and then, finally meeting them and then being taught by them. it has been quite a journey and it is still happening john. it doesn't end you know. >> john: you reach a lot of catholics without giving this issue much thought. ten years ago a bunch of ath licks didn't realize pope john paul ii was completely against the iraq war as was pope benedict. what do you say to catholics against abortion rights but who don't even know that the pope is against the death penalty? >> you know what, john? it is not just catholics. it is american people. people need to reflect and be educated on issues. the death penalty we know this. thurgood marshall said a long time ago, the first black supreme court justice that american people say this for the death penalty. educate them on it and they're going to reject it. that's true on all of the issues.

you bring people into deeper reflection. that's why the film of "dead man walking" is so good because tim robbins is brave in it. he brings you over to both sides. he leaves you there so you go to deeper reflection on an issue. oh, here's tim robbins he's one of those liberal bleeding hearts, we'll have an anti-death penalty film here. wrong! i got a letter from a high school kid who went with his class to see "dead man walking," he was a senior. he said before i went to see the film, i was for the death penalty. when i came out of the film, i was for the death penalty more because he got what he deserved. >> john: you can't reach them all, i guess. please? >> just over time, we can reach people. it is the discourse that's been happening on the death penalty that's helping the american public to reflect on it and for people, you know, the more people realize, for example that people who are not executed are going to really get life without parole sentences and you

can be safe as a society without killing. that affects juries even in texas. >> john: you're right. it is cheaper to keep someone alive in prison for the rest of their life than to execute them. i do have to ask you sister because our time grows short there are a lot of catholics as you know, who are opposed to abortion personally but who support abortion rights because they don't want to go back to the days of coat hanger abortions. where do you come down on an issue like that? are you opposed to abortion across the board or do you favor people having that choice? >> the thing about abortion is we're talking about a life that's on the way and a child doesn't have a voice. and i'm always going to tend to listen carefully to the vulnerable and the voiceless. in a way, make a comparison, people on death row are considered, well, we can't even listen to them. they have no points. they don't deserve to be heard. and when you are delving into a

moral issue always the dignity of life so i want to stand firmly on the dignity of life of the child seeking to be born but also the dignity of the mother who's going to make the decision and we know that people have abortions not out of whim most of the time but because women are in desperate situations, they don't have support. my pro-life stance on the abortion issue means that i say have the child but give the woman the support she needs to be able to choose life. then what about children who live in poverty after the child is born. to put all of the moral resources into being pro-birth and then not care that children don't get healthcare or that they're poor. that doesn't make sense to me either. it needs to be across the board in that sense of the seamless garment but being for the dignity of life of the child but

also for the woman. >> john: sister, in a society filled with people who are pro some life, i give you major points for being consistent across the board. i thank you very much for your time. >> great talking to you. >> john: i've been a fan of yours for so many years. hope to see you here in person in the studio sometime. the 20th anniversary edition of "dead man walking" is available. "i am troy davis" is available in august. thank you for joining us on "viewpoint." >> thank you. >> john: coming up, you'll love this, sister, the battle over women's reproductive rights continues to rage in texas. stick around.

(vo) later tonight current tv is the place for compelling true stories. >> jack, how old are you? >> nine. >> this is what 27 tons of marijuana looks like. (vo) with award winning documentaries that take you inside the headlines, way inside. (vo) from the underworld, to the world of privilege. >> everyone in michael jackson's life was out to use him. (vo) no one brings you more documentaries that are real,

gripping, current. >> i think it's brilliant. (vo) first, news and analysis with a washington perspective from an emmy winning insider. >> i know this stuff, and i love it. (vo) followed by humor and politics with a west coast edge. bill press and stephanie miller. >> what a way to start the day. >> john: could reliably red state texas be showing a faint ting of blue in democrats have rallied around state senator wendy davis since her filibuster, her 13-hour filibuster last week which

temporarily blocked passage of the legislature's latest bill assaulting women's reproductive rights. and now governor perry has called a second legislative session to pass that bill. that started monday. republicans have the votes and the bill is all but sure to pass and it will close most of texas' women's health clinics. i'm trying not to say abortion clinics. thanks in large part to wendy davis, they won't be closed without a fight. monday more than 5,000 protestors rallied in austin against the anti-abortion legislation and heard this rallying call from senator davis. >> for years too many texas politicians have tried to boost their careers by bullying women who need help with their healthcare. together, we can do what they won't. we can stand. we can stand up for each other. we can stand up for what's right and we can stand up for texas. >> john: ms. davis is being mentioned as a possible democratic candidate for

governor. but while the latest public policy polls shows a plurality views her favorably she's running behind rick perry if he plans to run for re-election next week. for more on state senator wendy davis and the democrat's prospects in the great state of texas, what a pleasure to welcome back john nichols washington correspondent for the nation. john posted online about davis this week and he's also co-author of an essential new book dollar okayocracy how the money and media election is destroying america. you wrote that senator davis isn't just a possible gubernatorial candidate. in your words she's the most interesting perspective gubernatorial candidate in the nation. aside from being a grotesque insult to friedman, why is that?

>> i'm not sure kinky is running in 2014. if he is if he runs, he will be in the upper tiers of interesting. wendy davis is interesting and exciting because she's come on the scene as somebody folks didn't know very well. even folks in texas are just getting to know her in a lot of the state. yet, she's fully formed. she's ready to go. she is a tremendously articulate person who's confident in her expressions on the issues. and this is the way politics ought to work, john. you ought to have moments where an issue drives someone forward not just long-term ambition, not that sort of boring bureaucratic crawl up the ladder. i think it's exciting when somebody sort of comes out of a fight and spins right into a battle with the governor and frankly, my sense is if wendy davis runs for governor of texas, she will really shake that state up.

>> john: i think you're right. however, she's only known right now for this one issue. and of course, governor perry is making a lot of hay over what a great business governor he is, clearly signaling a run for president again in 2016 to the delight of america's comedians. john, what issues could senator davis run on besides the pro-choice issue that could get her a majority in a red state like texas. she told monday's rally she was going to use the special session to promote pay equity for women and fair as soon as a fundamental texas value. it may be true but is that squishy for a state like texas? >> good half of the people in texas are women. they might like fairness. there's something else going on, too. again, wendy davis just popped into the limelight. but that doesn't mean she wasn't fighting fights before. interestingly enough this filibuster that she did on reproductive rights was not her first filibuster. shet an epic filibuster in the

last session on education funding. in fact, she is, in maybe senses, in many eyes, one of the most identified advocates in texas for getting some real funding into the public schools. that's an issue that cuts across a lot of lines and goes into a lot of rural areas as well as urban areas. additionally, she's someone who has worked very, very hard on a host of issues that are of concern to the african-american and latino communities in texas. so this is not somebody who arrives as a one-issue candidate. certainly rick perry will try to present her as that. the interesting thing is that every time rick perry attacks her, there is a good deal of evidence that a lot of texans take another look at her and see somebody who frankly is a lot more impressive than rick perry. >> john: john, as you know, the last time texas elected a democratic governor was ann richards in 1990. george w. bush defeated her in

'94 and other democrats san antonio mayor julian castro and former houston mayor bill white are doing better against perry than senator davis in the latest ppt poll. why should -- why shouldn't democrats focus on those guys if they're doing better than her if they really want to win her? >> sure. look, i believe in primaries. i think political parties ought to have great big fights. i never think it is a problem in letting -- the members of the party pick a candidate in their primary. and so if other people get in that race, that's terrific. but the fact of the matter is texas democratic party has been trying since 1990 to win a gubernatorial race. they've gone with a lot of formulas, a lot of traditional models for running a statewide race. they haven't gotten very far. my sense is that they've got to take a serious look at a candidate like wendy davis. i'm not advocating for her above

someone else but just saying that to my mind, what makes politics work is dynamism. it isn't doing it by the traditional pattern, especially in a state like texas. the traditional pattern has not worked all that well for democrats. trying something different particularly trying a dynamic woman who might be able to go out and get a lot of younger people excited get a lot of people in minority communities who aren't always the biggest voters in texas, have not been into the game and engaged. i think there's something to be said for that. it doesn't rule out a julian castro or a number of other decent prospects but it does say that you know, our politics shouldn't always be predictability. it should have unexpected players jump in at the last moment. i'll remind you five or six years ago most people hadn't heard of elizabeth warren. >> john: it is true. john, bone a minute left. the million dollar question. let's say the anti-abortion bill passes and the majority of

women's health clinics are shut down in the state. i'm sure it will be tied up in lawsuits for a long time. i'm sure perry is planning on having that solidify his right wing bona fides. he's playing it truly this time. regardless of the outcome if the bill goes through and the clinics are shut down, will that diminish senator davis' chance at statewide office? >> i don't think so. i think fighting the fight against something that's wrong is often one of the best ways to get into the game. remember elizabeth warren didn't get everything she wanted in the fights over banking. she didn't even get appointed to the agency that she helped to create. so at the end of the day sometimes fighting the good fight excites people and identifies you as someone that they can believe in. >> john: indeed. john nichols washington correspondent for the nation. great to you have on "viewpoint." thank you so much. >> pleasure, john. >> john: up next, we'll be visiting the great state of california with the operation of church state and whackness has yet to be established.

(cenk) it's go time! it's go time! it's go time! go time. you know what time it is. go time! it's go time. it's go time. what time is it rob? here comes the young turks go time! it's go time. oh is it? oh, then it's go time. anybody? anybody? what time is it? oh, right. it's go time! >> john: tonight on wtf california, we really want to move beyond that cliche about california being filled with flaky, new age weirdos. we would like to move beyond that cliche but i'm afraid tonight's story will make that impossible. parents from a san diego county school district where yoga is taught have filed a complaint arguing that yoga is inherently religious and ergo violates the separation of church and state. a superior court judge rejected

this plea citing the holy crap will you people get a freakin' life clause of the constitution. it is true yoga is based on some hindu beliefs but it is mainly taught as a form of exercise and a way to better health. it promotes a sense of well-being and a spiritual outlook on life. in other words it couldn't possibly be less like modern religion. wtf california i've lived in your state. i pay taxes in your state. i just got back. i like it there but the tendency of some of your citizens to pursue frivolous lawsuits like this is really stressing me out. i need to do some breathing in my yoga class. namaste. coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar.

>>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking?

>> john: amy winehouse had a voice that awed the biggest names in music and the biggest fans of good music. her death from addiction still haunts her family two years later. the late singer's father has made it his life's mission to help other parents avoid a similar fate with the amy

winehouse foundation. mitch winehouse's book is now out in paperback. it is an account of his daughter's spiral. he has a cd which he released prior to amy's passing. portion of the proceeds from the cd and book go to the amy winehouse foundation. we're pleased to welcome mitch winehouse to "viewpoint." thanks for joining us, sir. >> thanks, john. >> john: pleasure to see you again. what does the foundation do, sir? >> well, the amy winehouse foundation was set up after amy passed away to help people suffering from a whole host of economic disadvantage or health, homelessness specifically in the u.s., we have two or three probablies that we're working -- projects that we're working with in the moment. one is down in new orleans the new orleans jazz orchestra that have two specific projects, one

is a weekend project and the other is an after school project. the book is another one of our -- that we donate to similarly. it is a weekend music school. for underprivileged kids. so we have 19 scholarships, brooklyn conservatory of music because amy's mom was born in brooklyn so it was important to amy and important to us. >> john: i notice on the web site, you use the term drug and alcohol misuse rather than the conventional abuse. what's the difference? >> good question. i don't know. >> john: maybe it is a british thing. >> maybe it is a british thing. that's a good question. i don't know. >> john: what inspired me to ask is because i find the book and amy's life is such an account of how we don't take drug abuse that is addiction seriously in our cultures. and i would like to ask what

changes would you like to see to how the west treats people with addiction. >> well, i guess the u.s. is pretty much the same as in the u.k. that is if somebody's suffering from an addiction, they're not taken seriously. addiction is viewed as a lifestyle choice. in other words nobody forced them to take drugs. nobody forced them to drink. the fact is in the u.k., i guess it is pretty much -- pretty much the same in the u.s., female addicts are coerced into addiction by their male partners. if you're fortunate enough in the u.k. and the u.s. to be able to get yourself to rehab, you're okay. you have a fighting chance but if you haven't got that money basically, you're left to die. >> john: one thing that both of our countries have in common is this cultural addiction to watching celebrity addicts. and in many cases a very mean-spirited societal addiction to watching addicts screw up.

over here, it is a regular spectator sport with charlie sheen, lindsay lohan the late anna nicole smith. as you watch the celebrities and how they're covered in the news and how it's portrayed this disease is portrayed for entertainment and amusement for people, how do you feel? what does that do to you as someone who had a child who was a celebrity who struggled with this and now it is an industry? >> that's a good question. how do i feel? it makes me feel sick because while amy was struggling with her addiction there wasn't any news about how she never took drugs for three years. there wasn't any reporting on the fact in the last six weeks of her life, five weeks and five days, she never had a drink. she was moving toward abstinence. unfortunately, the last two days she drank an inordinate amount. anybody suffering from alcoholism will tell you that's somebody who is moving toward

sobriety. so there isn't anything like oh, today, this is the fifth day. this is the 105th day that charlie sheen hasn't taken drugs or that amy hasn't had a drink. unfortunately, they're therer therer when things go wrong. >> it is great tv. it is car crash tv. what could be better? >> john: i can only imagine how difficult it was for her in her recovery to have this incessant ridicule from the press and entertainers. >> that's right. people used to make jokes about it. they used to make jokes about amy. now, people understand she was struggling from an addiction. that it was out of her control. and she was doing her best to beat the addiction. and now, of course, now people -- amy is regarded with respect and love and adoration. the british press particularly are very supportive of amy and of the work that we do. of course, it wasn't like that at the time.

>> john: of course, i'm one of the many who believe amy will be an icon and that her music is going to be listened to decades and decades from now. and as you know, she has joined the club of 27. i don't want to bring it up. i say it in terms of the great artists. we're talking hendrix janis joplin -- >> they were 27? >> john: yes. jim morrison, robert johnson and kurt cobain. the fact that she's part of that club cements her iconic stature for many decades to come. i guess my question is what are you going to do as keeper of the flame to help keep her music alive? we always hear about yoko ono has done so much. what are your plans to keep her music part of the popular culture? >> we don't have to do an awful lot. her music can look after itself. whenever we get any new stuff we release it. we want to share it with people. that is very important.

and her music legacy will account for itself. what we feel is equally as important is her legacy of love, of children, particularly. certainly homeless people. she was passionate about. she took a homeless person into her home against my best judgment, she was right and i was wrong. and she said don't worry about it dad, this young laid did i harmless. i'm looking after her. she was doing all of this kind of stuff. the foundation both here and in the u.k. will add to amy's legacy because she was really a wonderful young lady who was struggling with addictions. she was an enormously strong young lady but strong people, superman -- superman would fall on the floor. unfortunately, that's a true analogy. she was a strong, loving young lady who had strong weaknesses as well. and you know, our job is to keep

amy's name to the front. it is not difficult musically. in fact, it is quite easy. we need to move forward with a foundation and then to help as many people who are struggling as we can. one instance is in the u.k. there is no drug or alcohol education whatsoever in schools none. we've created the amy winehouse resilience project which started as a drug and alcohol program in schools. it has now grown into -- 40% of kids demonstrate a problem with drugs or alcohol either with themselves or with the parents. the other 60% have other problems. self-image self-harm bulimia eating disorders bullying, peer pressure. so our resilience program covers all of that. the people who lead the core message are people who are in recovery. so that's very important to us. this year, we start our program in 50 schools. the schools have an average of

1,000 kids in each school. that means this year, 50,000 young people will be getting amy's message. next year, it is going to expand and grow even more. that's how amy's legacy will grow on top of her music legacy. >> john: it is great to see you turning something positive from this tragedy of her loss. when she had passed, a lot of shortsighted people used phrases of what a waste of talent. i was offended by it. i think not using your tal sent a waste of talent. she was a loss of talent. i thank you sir for teaching her to love music. we're indebted to you. >> thank you. >> john: amy, my daughter is out on paperback. his portion of the proceed on that book and his cd go directly to the amy winehouse foundation. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> john: don't go away. my sensational panel is coming up next. just be grateful current tv does

not come in smellivision. the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso. (vo) only on current tv.

this show is about analyzing criticizing, and holding policy to the fire. are you encouraged by what you heard the president say the other night? is this personal, or is it political? a lot of my work happens by doing the things that i'm given to doing anyway, by staying in touch with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. in reality it's not like they actually care. this is purely about political grandstanding. i've worn lots of hats, but i've always kept this going. i've been doing politics now for a dozen years. (vo) he's been called the epic politics man. he's michael shure and his arena is the war room. >> these republicans in congress that think the world ends at the atlantic ocean border and pacific ocean border.

the bloggers and the people that are sort of compiling the best of the day. i do a lot of looking at those people as well. not only does senator rubio just care about rich people, but somehow he thinks raising the minimum wage is a bad idea for the middle class. but we do care about them right? >> john: my favorite part of the interview is when hannity gave him -- offered to make him breakfast. welcome back to "viewpoint" located in new york city but the real question is where in the world is edward snowden? requests for asylum have been filed on snowden's behalf with 21 states. maybe that's 20 considering he just withdrew his request to go to mother russia. i'm going to assume that's a reflection of the airport food and not vladimir putin's comments that mr. snowden would be welcome only if he stopped his work bringing harm to the

u.s. because we know that -- what a big fan vlad is of team u.s.a. i call him vlad the enabler. the latest report that the plane carrying morales home from russia was rerouted to austria because of suspicions that nsa leaker edward snowden was on board. bolivia's foreign minister denied snowden was on the plane which finally landed in vienna. so where is the guy and where is he going and why does the media care so much about him and not about clapper lying under oath to congress? joining me today to discuss the where's waldo of our time and other world events are my esteemed panel host of the rick ungar show heard monday through friday on sirius x.m. it is the great rick ungar. host of the podcast employee of the month talented writer performer, please welcome back catie lazarus and creator of the dean's report.com, dean obeidallah. i'm proud to have such a glamorous and brilliant panel of folks. do we think mr. snowden is still

waiting by the luggage carousel in moscow or is he enjoying a viennese coffee with morales? >> i think he's got a problem. i think he would like to be tom hanks stuck in the terminal but i have a feeling he's on that plane. let me tell you something after a week of bolivian fried bananas, he will be begging the nsa to take this stuff back. katie, what do you make of the mr. snowden story? >> location, location, location, he should choose a country where no one wants to be. he should go to sudan and there aren't be any fuss. >> that's true. >> extradition treaty. >> john: dean, venezuela is a strong possibility since the president stated snowden deserved protection under international law. the president said he did not kill anyone and he did not plan to bomb. he only said a big truth to prevent wars. i know he succeeded the late leader but doesn't he get a point? >> he does have a point recently. a great point about clapper who

lied to congress in front of us and is not being prosecuted at all. i did a little research on trip adviser. venezuela looks smashingly great. they have a place called la casa infinity b & b in caracas and a great restaurant, great steak. go to venezuela. go to trip adviser. go to price line, get a great deal on both. >> john: you make a cheap joke. how dare you sir. here's my question. tangible problems facing us in america today. student loan rates are doubling. the economy is a mess. unemployment is still way too high. why do you think we or our media are so caught up in this guy's story? >> because he's having a great vacation and it is summer. >> john: you think it is a great vacation? next to julian assange he's having the worst overseas vacation. >> it is so the question, it is starting to become annoying. >> john: it is historic.

>> is it? we don't know yet. with glen greenwald here i go again, glen teasing the next part of the story he won't tell us the next part of the story today. i guess it was yesterday on fox. he says there's some really big stuff to come. well, tell us, no, i can't. >> john: you love glen greenwald. >> this guy i wish he would go to bolivia. >> the new revelations about spying on the eu and spying on our allies. germany and france, french president, outraged by this. it is like on page -- "new york times," even deep in "the new york times," not even on the front page. front page is where snowden is. that's a real issue. joan we know they're spying on us. i think the president handled that artfully. mr. snowden will continue to embarrass the administration. i do want to shift quickly because from russia with love to i can see russia from my house we turn to today's social media question where we asked our

viewers could sarah palin deliver a blow if she quits to run the party. she's all talk, she's never achieved anything except for drawing attention to herself. well nicholas, she definitely knows how to get us all talking. apparently the republican party is not meeting sarah palin's needs. call glen rice. has christmas come early for us all? i'll ask you this as the comedian on the panel. the fact that sarah palin continues to make herself newsworthy. is it sad or hilarious? >> i think it keeps snl running so that's a good thing for the performers. i don't know how many more sarah palin impersonations we can handle but at least it is better her than bristol at this point. i like the idea she's doing the first third party. i love her facts on things like that. i'm going to start a third party. there aren't already three. >> john: first third party president was a republican.

that was lincoln. >> freedom from what? freedom from rationality? freedom from reason? intelligence? i would love it if she broke away from the republican party. she's dragging on that party. attacking marco rubio immigration reform. unbelievable. it is the idea she's helping make the republican party a regional party. i hope she stays with them. >> i refuse to answer. i swore off writing a word about sarah palin i'm going to carry that. >> john: i'll talk to the hip young people. sarah palin, i think is a bit of a kingmaker. the only g.o.p. who has ever criticized her is dick cheney. no one else will criticize this woman because they depend on her endorsement. she was a huge hit at c pac. is she still to be taken seriously? >> i mean, i think she's to be taken more seriously than michele bachmann. can we do it rell -- relatively speaking. >> she has a vote. >> john: you're breaking --

>> i didn't say the name. >> she might leave the g.o.p. because they're not following the principles of lincoln. i wonder where she would come down on slavery. immigration reform now, would she be in favor of freeing african-american slaves? >> john: i want to know where she stands on secession from the union. isn't this the right thing to do to inspire the left and the right? i mean do we need -- we would wind up with a president with 33% of the vote. i will believe in a third party when we have a second. isn't it fair to say that we need this discussion? >> first of all, i would love her to see not just the south but -- >> let's see if we can switch over snowden. >> john: they would take her. what do you think dean? >> i think a third party would be great. they lean a little bit more libertarian. they don't identify with a big liberal government or a conservative small government. they don't want it to be huge. i think if there is ever a time

for a third party to emerge this is it. >> john: you don't have to like that we talk about her but she's not going away. >> i'm all for the third party. why would it be her? >> john: because she would split up the republican party. rick ungar, catie lazarus and dean obeidallah and sarah palin. don't go anywhere. breakfast is the most important meal of the day but it turns out breakfast is the gayest meal of the day. tv's frank and i explain coming up next. party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know that i'm going to be the first one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us.

you know who is coming on to me now? you know the kind of guys that do reverse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking? >> john: just in time for the 4th of july, there's an all new controversy, the perfect storm of three favorite american pastimes marketing eating lot of sugar and hatessenning guys. >> it is the greatest threat to children gays and breakfast cereals. >> john: general mills that once introduced our children to wholesome gmo processed cereals and lovable characters, the bee

and leprechaun, it will feature rainbow colored marshmallows to celebrate gay pride month. >> general mills more like general bath house. >> stephanie: exactly right, tv's frank. this little green deviant is trying to teach your children to be accepting of people who are different. >> they're forcing homosexuality down our throats and america's gag reflex is fighting back. >> john: i respect your imagery. where does a company that sells food get off pushing their political agenda? >> that's why we like chick-fil-a. >> john: your children's breakfast cereal is now gay. newsbusters popular with people who are confused by shiny things says that general mills doesn't want to suffer the fate of chick-fil-a and gets splattered with liberal media vitriol for supporting traditional marriage. if you've read the bible my friends, you know how important traditional marriage really is. >> yeah, polygamy, concubines and women as property. >> john: the good ole days. we're here to say that frank and i stand united.

american home homophobes against gay cereal. our new nonprofit 501(c)(4) group is cereal lovers opposinged so might equality today. >> or closet. >> john: we here in the closet community share your conservative outrage that a capitalist business would be so inclusive just to increase profits. >> the gay capitalists are marxists. >> john: lucky charms was a wholesome way to deliver processed sugar marshmallows stuffed with food coloring into your children's bodies. >> why would a 50-year-old cereal want to be gay? >> john: now, it is important that smart americans realize lucky charms celebrating the inclusion and equality of lgbt people into the human family makes your kids gay and anyone who describes themselveses as magically delicious, you have to worry about. >> if you want to be a good american, you have to resist the magic no matter how delicious it is. >> john: it is not just a

leprechaun. count chocula. >> a black romanian who likes to bite other guys. thanks beam. >> john: honeycomb. you know what's going on. honeycomb big yeah, yeah, yeah. >> they're teaching our children to be size queens. >> john: kix, how do you get yours? >> how do you get yours? >> fruity pebbles. >> no comment. >> pop-tarts? >> that's immoral. >> john: quaker oatmeal. that old man wears a wig. >> he sowed his wild oats in chelsea. >> cap'n crunch. >> more like cap'n don't ask don't tell. he can put some sugar in my bowl any time. >> john: remember, it is okay to be a homophobe. >> unless you're alec baldwin. >> john: then you're a liberal big ot. >> general mills needs to stop shoving homosexuality down our throats. if you think being inclusive is the same as having homosexuality shoved down your throat, you're having the wrong kind of gay

sex. i would like to thank dr. helen prejean, catie lazarus dean obeidallah and rick ungar and tv's frank. this is current. we're still here. good night. mom.