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the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso. (vo) only on current tv. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> with a distinctly satirical point of view. if you believe in state's rights but still believe in the drug war you must be high. >> only on current tv. >> announcer: taking your e-mails on any topic at any time, this is the "bill press show." live on your radio and current

tv. >> bill: okay. in the next hour, dylan byers media reporter for politico in studio with us. we'll also be going out to chicago to hear about a big labor movement against a major funeral director out there. on the e-mails if republicans don't want tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying they want a country based on christian values because they don't. scott says zimmerman is not guilty as sin. the prosecution failed to prove their case. he will be acquitted. we'll talk to avery friedman about that in the next hour as well here on today's "full court press."

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> bill: good morning everybody. what do you say? happy friday. it's friday, july 12 here on the "full court press" coming to you live from our nation's capital. and our studio right here on capitol hill. in washington, d.c. where we will bring you up to date on the latest news from our nation's capital, from around the country. from around the globe. and most importantly give you a chance to tell us what it means to you. little town hall here. conversation every morning. for three hours on your local progressive talk radio station and here on current tv. you can give us your thoughts by phone at 1-866-55-press. express your opinions on twitter at bpshow and on facebook at

facebook.com/billpressshow. big drama in the senate yesterday where harry reid dropped a hammer on republicans telling them he's going to call for a vote on presidential nominees early next week and if republicans use the filibuster to block the nominees, he will change the rules to end the filibuster. go harry go! house republicans showed their true priorities yesterday. they voted 216 to 208 to pass a farm bill which contains subsidies for farmers but zero dollars for food stamps. they cut out the food stamp program altogether and eliot spitzer files over 27,000 signatures to get on the ballot. he only needs about 4,000. less than that. he will be on the ballot for city controller of new york. tell you more about it on current tv.

the issues of the day. >> do you think there is any chance we'll ever hear the president even say the word "carbon tax"? >> with an opened mind... >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly satirical point of view. >> but you mentioned great leadership so i want to talk about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter) >> cutting throught the clutter of today's top stories. >> this is the savior of the republican party? i mean really? >> ... with a unique perspective. >> teddy rosevelt was a weak asmatic kid who never played sports until he was a grown up. >> (laughter) >> ... and lots of fancy buz words. >> family values, speding, liberty, economic freedom, hard-working moms, crushing debt, cute little puppies. if wayne lapierre can make up stuff that sounds logical while making no sense... hey, so can i. once again friends, this is live tv and sometimes these things happen. >> watch the show. >> 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?

>> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: the dow soars yesterday to an all new high of 15,460. but of course, you won't hear that anywhere else on radio or television today because it's good news about the dow. we only talk about the dow when it plummets, except for the "full court press." good morning everybody. great to see you this morning. here we go. "full court press" on a friday, july 12. welcome to the program. good to see you. and we are glad you choose us as your morning offering this morning to find out what's going on not only that but to sound off about the issues of the day which you enjoy doing and we

enjoy hearing from you by phone at 1-866-55-press. on twitter at bpshow and on facebook at facebook.com/billpressshow. and i know you're especially tuned in this morning because all of the dylan byers fans, they heard he was going to be on today and they're lined up. dylan, nice to see you. media critic for -- leading media critic for politico. in studio with us this morning. been a lot to talk about lately. >> there's been a lot to talk about. >> bill: why is it that the media only will talk about the dow when it crashes? seriously, yesterday all-time high. you would think man the economy! we're coming back. >> the financial news outlets obviously cover it but it is not like a leading -- it is never a leading story on the cable news or the political news fronts.

the way it is when it crashes. >> bill: it won't be on the front page of "the new york times." it's not. not on the front page of the post. will not lead the newscast but if the dow fell 200 or 300 or whatever, it would be the top story of the day. >> the market keeps hitting these relatively historic highs. since 2007, since 2008. it keeps outdoing itself and outperforming itself and somehow it hasn't become -- >> bill: it has doubled -- i have to double check but i'm pretty sure i can say safely it has doubled under president obama and nobody knows it. there you go. media. >> what's wrong with the media? >> bill: dylan joins our team this morning with peter ogborn and dan henning. >> hey, hey, hey. >> good morning. >> bill: alichia cruz has the phones covered and monty on thed for good video cam for current tv. so, i don't know whether you've heard, dylan, the mayor of

san diego, bob filner elected less than a year ago in pretty serious trouble out there. several women who work in this office have accused him of sexual harassment. yesterday, he put out a video saying i'm guilty. i need help and i'm already getting some professional advice. here's filner. >> i have begun to work with professionals to make changes in my behavior and approach. in addition, my staff and i will participate in sexual harassment training provided by the city. >> bill: one of his leading supporters, a woman member of the city council yesterday on the steps of -- i called a friend of mine in san diego just as this was happening. she had a news conference on the steps of city hall and called on the man she was backing for mayor less than a year ago to resign over this allegation. plus his fiancee on monday said she couldn't take anymore of his crap either and she broke off their engagement. >> that's a bad sign. >> bill: the first lady of

san diego. i don't want to be first lady. >> someone who has spent a lifetime fighting for equality for all people, i'm embarrassed to admit i have failed to fully respect the women who work for me and with me and that at times, i have intimidated them. >> bill: if you see the video he looks terrible. >> i feel like i should be following san diego politics more closely. [ laughter ] >> bill: i think you're going to hear more about it. from what i hear, there will be a recall effort against filner. what a dunce. just elected too. and he had that problem in congress. always rumors about that. finally caught up with him. well, we've got a lot in the media to talk about. msnbc not doing so well. bill crystal and rich lowery leading a fight to get republicans to forget about comprehensive immigration reform and republicans seem to be listening. dylan byers is here to tell us all about it. but first... >> this is the "full court press." >> other headlines make news on

this friday, justin bieber has made nice with former president bill clinton after the video of him yelling an expletive at clinton surfaced. bieber tweeted and clinton's office confirmed, he called, spoke to the president and apologized. bieber tweeted "thanks for taking the time to talk, mr. president, your words mean a lot, hashtag great guy." >> bill: come on. who cares. >> i can't believe that he just gets to call bill clinton. >> that's the real news. >> he just gets to call bill clinton up. i'm going to go do something really dumb and badmouth bill clinton then maybe i get to call him and have a conversation. >> do we know what clinton said? because i would love to know. >> i don't know what he said. >> bill: i'm sure he said i've said some dumb things myself. one time i pede in a bucket in that restaurant. >> honey boo-boo was at the

white house yesterday. the tlc toddlers in tiaras -- you're hurting me this morning dan. >> top headlines. the really important stuff. i'm a newsman, you see. >> bill: i think you just proved you're not. >> tlc toddlers in tiaras toddler star was not invited into the white house. she stopped by the fence outside the south lawn and posed for a photo of herself. >> that's what that smell was. >> bill: i saw the picture this morning standing at the fence outside the white house. >> let me guess. is the next story a kardashian? >> no, it is about scientology. >> church of scientology has lost a celebrity member, leah remini, star of the former hit show king of queens is leaving because she thinks it is corrupt, especially the strict rules that forbid questioning the church's leadership and over reported abuse within the church. no comment from -- on the "new york post" report from the

other celebrity members including tom cruise and john travolta. >> is she coming to the white house? >> i don't think so. [ laughter ] >> bill: will she be invited inside? >> it is a couple years old now but if you haven't read paul haggis, he wrote a piece for the new yorkber how they operate and how they do business. it is a fascinating read. it is a really fascinating read. i would anticipate he's going to do something -- she's going to do something similar. >> bill: it is that whole issue is developed a lot further. i'm blanking on the name of the book. the latest book -- came out about a year ago about scienology. -- scientology. there is a word for the enlightenment. >> going clear is the name of the book. >> bill: unbelievable, scary book about scientology. it is a scary operation too. but dylan byers we're not talking about scientology this

morning. >> we can. >> bill: are you a member? no we're talking about the media. so, as a former employee of msnbc, show there with pat buchanan, soft spot in my heart for msnbc, i see the headlines this week, msnbc, they were having a hard time cutting it right now. >> yeah, they are. >> bill: why? >> the reasons aren't totally clear. no story is dominating the news cycle more than the zimmerman trial which already presents an issue for msnbc because they're supposed to be the place for politics. >> bill: and that they still call themselves the place for politics. >> they have to catch up with -- cnn already has to work its ass off to catch up with hln when you have a courtroom drama like this. msnbc, we're in an off-year politically. they kind of can't find their place. the problems run deeper than

that, bill. i think that chris hayes is moving to prime time. he kind of has yet to prove whether or not that's a smart move for ratings. it might be a smart show and it might be one that kind of like his community really likes but whether or not that was a good move for ratings is still up in question. i think the larger issue here is it's hard for a hyperpolitically-minded show to appeal to the american people in 2013. >> bill: chris hayes i like chris hayes, he does have a smart show but what puzzled me about that move is ed schultz is a really good friend of mine and i think had a great show. ed certainly appeals to a different segment of the progressive community than rachel does. chris appeals to the very same people. so sort of like instead of having one show that gets the thinking progressive, if you will, and one show that gets the blue collar democrats right

and working men and women like ed schultz they have two rachel shows. >> there's also an age issue here right which is that the older demographics tend to watch more television than younger demographics. the play here is in order to succeed in the long-term, you need to appeal to that younger audience so the play here is let's become the network of smart, young brown graduate liberals progressives. so we're going to have like you know chris hayes going into ma do you and like that's going to be our brand. and maybe in the long-term, you can make that work. but in the short term, you've alienated so many blue collar democrats, certainly older -- the older audience. i have never gotten more e-mails upset about a move in prime time cable news than when ed schultz left. never. i didn't expect it. i didn't expect it at all. everybody loves chris hayes. i don't know about schultz.

that's fine. all of the e-mails. msnbc didn't the worst decision getting rid of schultz. literally dozens of e-mails. >> bill: speaking of msnbc another host is in hot water these days. that is andrea mitchell. >> yes. >> bill: who is a great reporter and has -- you know, she's sort of revered as a reporter among us reporters right? and she yesterday was talking about the republicans opposing immigration reform. and actually kind of -- some people feel went over the line. here she is on her show yesterday. >> the piecemeal approach is saying let's throw a lot of money at border security. john mccain has pointed out. he's been heroic on this issue. he's pointed out it is a total waste of money what they did in the senate but it is political cover. but just to do border security and nothing else, the fiscal

conservatives ought to be ashamed. >> bill: fiscal conservatives ought to be ashamed of themselves. >> so -- >> bill: over the line? >> here's the thing. that's so clearly her opinion. right? that's how she feels. there are two andrea mitchell has been a reporter for a long time but at this point with the rise of msnbc, there are two andrea mitchells the straightforward hard line down the middle and the progressive msnbc andrea mitchell. now, if you want, you can just own up and say -- that is my opinion. and fiscal conservatives ought to be ashamed of themselves and that's where i stand but instead, andrea sends an nbc spokesperson to me to say andrea doesn't have a stance on this issue. she's down the line. she was just -- >> bill: what they told you? >> this is what they told me. the thing is, it's so funny. what you're doing is you're like -- you can't fool the american people. they saw that. they know that andrea has a

stance. and the fact that you're still fighting to suggest that she doesn't to avoid some sort of -- i don't know. at a certain point you kind of just gotta own up to it and accept it. it just looks weird not to. >> bill: also, don't we live in an age where particularly because of television, reporters are particularly because they're pushed and almost forced to take stands. >> tell us your opinion on that, dylan. what's your stand on that? >> very conservative stance on that issue. >> not just television but twitter, too. here's the funniest thing. let me tell you the amount of reporters i've called. tell me what you think on this. hey, i can't comment. i can't really talk to you. we would have to go through p.r. anyway. then they go on twitter and within the hour, i see them write the most biased, partisan opinionated comment right like out there. that's the thing. people are being -- just like you said people are being pushed more and more to put

their opinions out there. somehow when it comes to going on the record, they don't want to own up to it. >> bill: yeah. look i've always been a commentator, right. i've always been paid to express my opinion but there was this real line between people like me and pat buchanan and bob novack and all of the reporters. you never knew. the idea was you never knew where they stood really on any issue but they would tell you what the facts were. if you asked them their opinion, they would not offer it. >> right. >> bill: today? >> forget about it. >> bill: they don't get any tv time unless they're logical to express their opinion almost. >> exactly. >> bill: good stuff. now, i want to talk more about immigration reform and the effort of a couple of leading journalists. to change what the parties are talking about. take your calls too at 1-866-55-press. his ability, is trying to look out for us.

that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. 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.

cenk off air alright in 15 minutes we're going to do the young turks! i think the number 1 thing than viewers like about the young turks is that were honest. they know that i'm not bsing them for some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know i'm going to be the first one to call them out. cenk on air>> what's

unacceptable is how washington continues to screw the middle class over. cenk off air i don't want the middle class taking the brunt of the spending cuts and all the different programs that wind up hurting the middle class. cenk on air you got to go to the local level, the state level and sure they can't buy our politics anymore. cenk off air and they can question if i'm right about that. but i think the audience gets that, i actually mean it. cenk on air 3 trillion dollars in spending cuts! narrator uniquely progressive and always topical the worlds largest online news show is on current tv. cenk off air and i think the audience gets, "this guys to best of his abilities is trying to look out for us." only on current tv!

>> announcer: like politics? then like the "bill press show." on facebook. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. 25 minutes after the hour. a big flak out in chicago over the funeral industry. big labor protest. we're going to find out more about that in the next half hour here of the "full court press." dylan biers is here from politico, media critic. we're talking all things related to the media. >> we're on twitter at bpshow at bpshow. lisa says on msnbc and their ratings, chris hayes is boring and morning joke is a loud mouth. revamp the whole damn line-up. m zotti says i did not know that dylan byers was such a hunk! smart and nice on the eyes!

hey, now! it happens. it happens when he comes in. >> that was you. >> that might have been me. >> you wrote that. [ laughter ] >> bill: all right. nice to have you here. so here's the deal. all of these top republicans john mccain and george w. bush telling -- karl rove, telling the republican party this immigration reform is something you better take seriously because you got whomped in 2012. mitt romney and the latino vote. you have to do this to reach out. never have a chance of winning the white house back. bill crystal from fox news, rich lowery, editor of the "national review," two prominent republican journalists conservatives, took the opposite stand and said no. don't do this. don't be conned into doing this. this would be bad for the party. and it looks like the republican

party will follow their lead. who's in charge here? >> it is hard to overstate just how much influence crystal and lowery have, even when they write independently. crystal is really kind of takes -- you know, he goes on to fox news sunday. he's the editor of the weekly standard. he has this kind of great editorial influence but it is bigger than that. he's really an operator in terms of shifting the policy of the party. lowery is a very smart very well-respected guy. when they come together and write this piece, it sends a very clear message to house republicans on how they should be thinking and acting. obviously they have to weigh that against what mccain is saying and what bush is saying and what the "wall street journal" editorial pages are saying. but they do seem to be following crystal and lowery's lead. it gives. >> sign of just how much influence those two guys have. >> bill: david brooks in "the new york times" yesterday said if the republican party does not

not -- it would be a tragedy for the country and political suicide for republicans. >> there are fewer brooks republicans than there are lowery crystal republicans. lowery and crystal don't always see eye to eye but now they do and that's big. >> bill: this is a rare, public case of journalists really driving the train when it comes to politics. >> you see this much more on the republican side. >> bill: lots of great stuff to talk about. dylan, thanks so much. politico.com, follow him there. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." (kaj) jack, how old are you? >> nine. (adam) this is what 27 tons of marijuana looks like. (vo) with award winning documentaries that take you inside the headlines. way inside. (christoff) we're patrolling the area looking for guns, drugs bodies ... (adam) we're going to places

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>> announcer: on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill

press show." >> bill: 33 minutes after the hour. happy friday. friday, july 12. rainy day here in our nation's capital. we're inside. we're in good shape. we're covering the news of the day on this friday morning. coming to you live from our studio on capitol hill in washington, d.c. brought to you today by the international brotherhood of teamsters, good men and women of the teamsters union. under president jim hoffa. we all live better because of their good work. you can find out more about their good work at their web site teamster.org. where you can also find out more about a big labor dispute out in chicago. you know, we're proud to be the morning offering, head the morning line-up at wcpt and its of affiliates out in chicago. and we heard about this labor dispute in chicago revolving around the dignity memorial

funeral homes. we want to find out more about that. joining us on our news line, angela anello is representative of local 727 of the teamsters in chicago. hi angela. good to have you with us this morning. >> good morning, bill. how are you? >> bill: we're good. so tell us, what's your beaver with dignity memorial? >> well, bill, first of all i wanted to point out that sci which stands for service corporation international operates under the brand name of the memorial. >> bill: parent company. >> yes, it is the parent company. that's correct. your listeners might not be familiar with sci but they may be familiar with a dignity memorial provider in their community. when they purchase a funeral home, they maintain the original name with the addition of the dignity memorial brand name. our beef with dignity memorial

is that they really left us no choice based on their proposed last best and final contract offer that was clearly draconian in nature. >> bill: now you represent the workers or the directors of these dignitaries. >> i'm one of the funeral directors that works with dignity memorial providers. and we are members of the local 727 in chicago. >> bill: okay. so what -- so you have your own -- you run a funeral home yourself, in other words? >> no. i work for dignity memorial provider so the corporation that owns the dignity memorial locations employees funeral -- employs funeral directors which are members of the local 727. >> bill: you have been in contract negotiations with them? >> yes we have. they came to a halt on june 30th after nearly 50 hours of

negotiations. their offer was nearly identical to their initial demand sheet which included the else of pensions and over 40 changes. you know, bill, all we really ask for is salary benefits and working conditions commensurate with other funeral directors and livery drivers in chicago. and some of the other changes they proposed is to eliminate the authority of an arbitrator and arbitration decisions and eliminate holiday pay. so to us, it seems like their intent was obvious. they wanted us to strike. they forced us there. especially since there are also 30 fume directors in toronto canada, that are -- that work for dignity memorial and have been locked out since june 24th. >> bill: not limited to the chicago area. i do have to ask you is dignity -- are they located outside of the chicago area in this country as well? >> yes they are. they are -- service corporation

international, the parent company is based out of houston texas. >> bill: they have funeral homes around the country. >> all around the country and in canada. >> bill: so you were saying in addition to no salary increases and cuts in some of the benefits that they actually wanted to do away with the pension plans? >> yes. that's the main concern that we have is doing away with the pension. they haven't actually tried to do away with salaries. we've had issues with salaries in the past. they're offering -- quote-unquote generous pay increase but with that generous pay increase, they're not mentioning the generous -- it affects our workplace conditions. >> bill: sure. >> we just asked for a 3% increase in pay each year and to keep our benefits. that's all we're asking for.

>> bill: what are you asking people of chicago to do? first of all what action are you taking? are you on strike against the dignity memorial homes? >> yes. we are on strike. we are in front of the locations and the funeral homes letting the community know we're on strike. >> bill: angela, how many are there in the chicago area? >> we have about 59 members. in our union for funeral directors and livery drivers there's over 400. but there are 59 of us with 16 funeral homes. they actually own more funeral homes than 16 but there are other funeral directors and livery drivers on a separate contract from us. >> bill: i got it. what are you asking from the chicago public? >> well, you know, we weren't really sure how the public would even perceive our strike. in more than 60 years at the local 727 has represented

funeral directors there's never been a strike. but i can tell you that the community support and including the religious community has been overwhelmingly positive. the vehicles have no idea the information they provide us when they honk. some are counting the hofntion, over 500 a day. i can't imagine trying to keep track of all of the honks we've gotten at our location. what we're really asking is for families to not cross the picket line. that's the only way that the company is going to realize that it's going to affect them. it's only going to affect their pocketbook. >> bill: take their business elsewhere in other words. >> and you know what? we do have a web site that offers community friendly alternatives. >> bill: that was going to be my next question. >> well, there are community friendly alternatives and they'll accept prearrangements from dignity memorial location

also. the web site is www.integrityillinois.com. and the phone number -- >> bill: hold on. integrityillinois.com. >> actually, integrityinillinois.com. >> bill: and the phone number? >> 312-206-4123. >> bill: okay. we'll put that up also. 312-206-4123. okay. busy day. you've got a lot on your plate today, angela, i know. >> yes, we do. >> bill: gotta keep up the good fight there. thank you for telling us all about it. we're glad to join you in solidarity. my union sister. thank you. >> thank you so much bill. we sure appreciate your help. have a great day. >> bill: angela anello from local 727 of the teamsters out in chicago.

>> announcer: go mobile with bill press. download podcasts at billpressshow.com and listen any time anywhere. this is the "bill press show." but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. >> do you think there is any chance we'll ever hear the president even say the word "carbon tax"? >> with an opened mind... >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly satirical point of view. >> but you mentioned great leadership so i want to talk about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter) >> cutting throught the clutter of today's top stories. >> this is the savior of the republican party? i mean really? >> ... with a unique perspective. >> teddy rosevelt was a weak asmatic kid who never played sports until he was a grown up. >> (laughter) >> ... and lots of fancy buz words. >> family values, speding, liberty, economic freedom, hard-working moms, crushing

debt, cute little puppies. if wayne lapierre can make up stuff that sounds logical while making no sense... hey, so can i. once again friends, this is live tv and sometimes these things happen. >> watch the show. >> only on current tv.

this show is about being up to date, 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. (vo) this afternoon, 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. >> announcer: heard around the country and seen on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: 15 minutes before the top of the hour. the "full court press" on a friday morning. july 12. in the next hour, walmart. they're leaving town. they're packing up and leaving

washington, d.c. because the city council of washington, d.c. said they have to pay their employees a living wage. mike debonus will be here to tell us about that. we'll check in on the latest wrapping up with george zimmerman trial with avery friedman our legal analyst also in the next hour. big day on capitol hill yesterday. late start in the senate. some of you were here yesterday morning when senator jeff merkley from oregon was in studio. he's been leading the charge among "the young turks" in the senate to bring about some change to the filibuster rules. he originally attempted to do that last january. but harry reid instead made a deal with republicans. republicans have reneged on the deal. they lied when they said they were not going to abuse the

filibuster and use it to block each and every appointee just for the hell of it. harry reid has finally had enough and yesterday he gave a little talk on the floor of the senate where he announced what's going to happen is that early next week, he's going to call for a vote on presidential nominees -- nominees by president obama to positions in the executive branch, about a half-dozen of them. they're going to call for a vote. if the republicans use a filibuster to block them, he will change the rules to end the use of the filibuster and the possibility of using a filibuster for executive nominations. senator reid pointing out how republicans have abused this rule. >> not a single cabinet nominee filibuster inned president carter's administration. not a single cabinet secretary nominee was filibustered in

president george h.w. bush's administration. one cabinet secretary was filibuster inned the reagan administration and only one in president george w. bush's administration but already in the obama administration, four cabinet secretaries have been filibustered and more filibusters are likely. >> bill: and harry reid needs only 51 votes to make the change. he said yesterday yes he has those 51 votes. mitch mcconnell came out with his quivering voice and said i can't believe harry is doing this but if harry does this, his tombstone will read that he was the worst majority leader of the senate in history. that he ruined the senate. that's what his tombstone will say. no. mitch mcconnell's wrong. i hope harry does this right? harry's tombstone will say he's got a big set of balls. >> here's hoping! >> bill: or it will say he's the man who saved the senate.

mitch mcconnell lied. he said if you don't do this -- this is what he said in january. if you don't do this, we'll change. we'll behave. we won't use the filibuster for every single thing in the senate. he lied. >> that's a very good point. this is not some radical left wing idea. this is something that the republicans were 100% okay with. they were totally fine with. >> bill: i hope harry doesn't back down. and on that issue i think harry wins today. let.'s hope we see some change. senator merkley said yesterday that -- he's been working with senator reid, he said he wouldn't make the speech if he didn't mean it and if he didn't have the votes. meanwhile, in the house of representatives, unbelievable vote yesterday. the final vote was 216-208.

house republicans passed -- finally passed a farm bill. remember, they tried before july 4th recess, they could not pass a farm bill even though the senate which is usually a harder place to get things done, the senate had passed a farm bill and the reason they couldn't pass it before in the house is because it contained money for -- pardon me, for food stamps, not just subsidies for farmers but money for food stamps. that has been the case in every farm bill since 1973. the farm bill has two aspects of helping farmers and helping poor people in this country. get a lift out of poverty by giving them some extra money for food. we call it the food stamp program. is official name is the snap programs supplemental nutritional assistance program. so because food stamps were included in it, the house would not approve it before the

recess. what they did yesterday is they took the food stamps completely out of the bill and passed it by 216-208. you heard me right. so there's billions of dollars in subsidies for the farmers still in the farm bill. but the farm bill contains not just less money for food stamps, they got rid of if altogether. not one dime, zero for food stamps. over 47 million americans depend on food stamps. it's like $185 a month max. and these are mainly children and the elderly. democrats were outraged, taking the floor against this. here is -- the most outspoken god love her corinne brown from florida, she said you know what? mitt romney was right. these republicans don't give a damn about the 47% of americans.

here she is. >> this is a sad day in the house of representatives. i want you to know that. this is the people's house. and to separate the farm bill from the elderly from the children, this is a shame! mitt romney was right! you all do not care about the 47%. shame on you! >> shame on you! >> bill: i love it! >> shame on you! >> bill: one republican said that's over the line. i demand she apologize and her remarks be stricken from the record and corinne brown said no, i'm not going to apologize. she did not. good for her. democratic leader nancy pelosi also took the floor. nancy pelosi said -- here's a quick clip from nancy pelosi about taking food right out of the mouths of children. >> overwhelmingly, there are people in your district, rural

america, there are people in rural america who really need us to pass this legislation. you are taking food out of the mouths of your own poor constituents. >> bill: in your own districts. nancy pelosi said to pass this bill without food stamps, is to dishonor the god who made us and she asked the question, good question what are republicans thinking by doing this and then she said the real question is are they even thinking? here's what occurs to me is these are the same people who claim that we're a christian nation, right? well, if we're a christian nation then how do they -- how are they so eager to do the unchristian thing by taking all of this money away from people who are poor? i mean aren't they supposed to be, as christians, helping the poor, not trying to balance the

budget on the backs of the poor? this is an absolute outrage in terms of public policy. and i don't understand what the republican party thinks it did. the image they're projecting, the republican party is we don't care about 47 million americans who can only survive with the help of food stamps. they don't give a rat's ass. 1-800-steph-12 our toll free number. 1-866-55-press our toll free number. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show" live on your radio and on current tv.

>> she gets the comedians laughing... >> that's hilarious! >> ...and the thinkers thinking. >> okay, so there's wiggle-room in the ten commandments is what you're telling me. >> she's joy behar. >> and current will let me say anything. >> only on current tv.

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>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. we'll tell you about the president's schedule in a flash. he's got the daily briefing today. that's it. if this were campaign season, we would say he's on his way to ohio or baghdad. don't know. don't know. >> he may just be trying to get the hell out of d.c. >> bill: meeting -- meetings with senior advisers is what they'll fill the time with. they'll get the daily briefing at 10:30. that's the only event on his calendar today. and jay carney will be having his press briefing at 12:45. standard time for him at the white house. i will tell you about it on monday. >> i want to get comments in from twitter. we're tweeting at bpshow. so many people writing in. to talk about the food stamps issue and republicans getting rid of the program.

butch on twitter says good morning. scoundrels hide behind the flag and the bible. republicans do this all the time and claim that the family -- claim they have a family values platform. sam says jimmy carter said don't claim christian values when you cannot take care of the poor and elderly. >> bill: amen. well said. by the way our good friend, eliot spitzer turning in yesterday over 27,000 signatures proving he will be on the ballot for city controller in new york.

>> bill: good morning, everybody. it is friday, friday july 12. good morning and welcome to the "full court press" here on current tv. coming to you live all the way across this great country of ours from washington, d.c. our nation's capital and our studio here on capitol hill where we've got our eye on what's happening in the senate. what's happening in the house. what's happening down at the other end of pennsylvania avenue. we bring it all to you and take your calls at 1-866-55-press. look forward and welcome your comments on twitter at bpshow and on facebook at facebook.com/billpressshow. in the senate yesterday majority leader harry reid dropped a hammer on republicans telling them, okay, i'm going to schedule a vote. on those presidential nominees to the executive branch early next week. and if you republicans filibuster those nominations i'm going to change the rules

finally. i've had it. going to change the rules and end the use of the filibuster for executive branch nominations. go harry go. in the house house republicans showed their true priorities yesterday. they finally passed a farm bill. they left in all of the big subsidies for farmers. they took out any money for food stamps, not even a dime for food stamps for over 47 million americans, especially the elderly and children. all of that and more right here on current tv. cenk off air alright in 15 minutes we're going to do the young turks! i think the number 1 thing than viewers like about the young turks is that were honest. they know that i'm not bsing them for some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know i'm going to be the first one to call them out. cenk on air>> what's

unacceptable is how washington continues to screw the middle class over. cenk off air i don't want the middle class taking the brunt of the spending cuts and all the different programs that wind up hurting the middle class. cenk on air you got to go to the local level, the state level and we have to fight hard to make sure they can't buy our politics anymore. cenk off air and they can question if i'm right about that. but i think the audience gets that, i actually mean it. cenk on air 3 trillion dollars in spending cuts! narrator uniquely progressive and always topical the worlds largest online news show is on current tv. cenk off air and i think the audience gets, "this guys to best of his abilities is trying to look out for us." only on current tv!

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"bill press show." >> bill: the dow soars to an all-time high of 15,460. yeah, you didn't hear about that anywhere else. nobody gives you the good news about the dow. they only talk about it when it crashes. we celebrate the good news as well here on the "full court press." good morning, welcome to the program this friday morning. july 12. coming to you live from our nation's capital. and our studio right here on capitol hill in washington, d.c. bringing you the news of the day and giving. >> chance to sound off about it. 1-866-55-press. that's our toll free number. you can find us on twitter. join us on twitter at bpshow and on facebook. all of our friends line up at facebook.com/billpressshow. we've got entire team here this morning. peter ogborn and dan henning. >> good morning. >> bill: with alichia cruz on the phones. and started to say cyprian

bowlding -- still on vacation. monty doing a great job filling out the week for cyprian and keeping us looking good on the video cam on current tv. washington, d.c. shaking things up this week and making some national headlines. there have been a lot of complaints about walmart particularly from some of the labor unions. they're not paying their people a fair wage or paying women as much as they're paying men. they did something that may have reverberations around the country. mike debonus has been covering the story for "the washington post" and joins us in studio this morning. good to see you. >> bill, thanks for having me. >> bill: thanks for coming in on a rainy day. >> rainy. less rainy than it was at 2:00 a.m. >> bill: it was a ferocious storm that went through here. we were talking about this earlier this morning for the first time, my cell phone went off with a flood warning alert at 2:00 a.m.

i mean i wake up and i hear this beep beep, beep. i thought what's going on? i knew it was my alarm. what happened? and this is -- this is a new deal now. >> right. your phone doesn't want you to die, bill. >> bill: what if i want to die? i thought flash flood? i'm on the third floor of my house in the district of columbia. >> that's what i told my girlfriend, if i live in high ground, can i opt out? what if you're camping or something? whatever. >> i tried to opt at 2:00 this morning. it went off every time the weather service issued a new warning. >> bill: i got at least two of these, maybe three. >> here's the deal. here's why i didn't get mine. airplane mode. put your phone on airplane mode when you go to bed. it doesn't come through. >> but what if you had been

expecting an emergency call from a family member, you're not going to get it. >> you know what? tough. >> bill: you won't get these all that often. >> right. i usually turn off because sometimes it bugs me. i did last night. i didn't get a single one. slept like a baby. >> it is important thing to have for the tornado warns -- warnings in the midwest. >> bill: i think it is a good thing. >> it is a good thing. if you want to be a daredevil put it in airplane mode. >> bill: speaking of daredevils, we'll get to the news of the day. this is so funny. peter and i happen to be watching fox and friends yesterday morning. toward the end of the show, when they had this little kid on, two years old they call him the trick shot toddler. made a great big splash on youtube because they put up one of these kiddie baskets -- basketball hoops and they stand him in front of them and he

can't miss. he'll do like 50 shots in a row. baskets in a row. brian kilmeade was out there. they were outside the fox studio and brian kilmeade of course, cohost of fox and friends thinks that the kid can actually -- not just dunk -- throw a ball but catch a ball. uh-huh. obviously he can't catch a ball. >> 2 years old. >> bill: he throws him the ball. says here, catch. the kid can't catch. it hits him right in the face. of course -- >> he nails him. >> bill: he nails him. here's what it sounded like. >> you're a machine! you're a machine. how do you stop this? oops i'm sorry. [crying] >> i don't believe it. we'll be right back. we'll see how titus is. sorry. sorry, dad. >> bill: his dad picks him up and he's holding him on his

shoulder and comforting him and the kid is crying right into his father's microphone. so it was pretty embarrassing. >> i go with the w. c. fields mentality, never work with children or animals because that can happen. >> bill: to their credit, fox and friends has been showing over and over again, they're not trying to hide the fact that brian kilmeade smashed this kid in the face. >> as a father and you as a father, i've drilled my kid in the face with a ball. >> won't be the first time or the last time. >> bill: i've also done it to my grandkids. >> bill, you're not supposed to do that! you should have learned by now! >> bill: that presumes you can teach an old dog new tricks. >> you earned yourself some new baby-sitting time. >> bill: before we get to walmart, i have to ask you about the other story which is a big story today in our nation's capital. that is mayor for life. >> the mayor for life.

marion barry. this is a shock -- i know you'll find this shocking news. the ethics committee found that he actually did something wrong right? >> actually, that sort of is -- because you know, i went back. i was thinking when was -- when was he ever fined for -- what's the worst consequences he's ever suffered for one of his missteps? obviously, you know, everyone knows about 1990, the crack bust. you know, he went to trial on that. he got off on the most serious charges, the felony charges in that case. he was convicted one misdemeanor, did a few months in prison. obviously very serious. since then, he's been in trouble every now and again. >> bill: find him with drugs in the car. >> that was all dropped. he didn't pay his taxes for years and years and years. he got probation for that. >> bill: he's really always been able to skate for the most part. >> there was an incident with the council. he had some contracting issues,

gave a contract to his girlfriend. he was censured but no real consequences. so for him i think this may be the first time he's had to pay hard cash, you know, as a result of something that he's done. >> bill: right. so the ethics -- this new board of ethics and government accountability found him guilty of accepting illegal gifts from city contractors and they fined him $13,600 which by the way in terms of fines is not that big, right? >> it is twice what these gifts were. >> bill: is it really? >> the gifts were -- >> bill: here's the question. does he have that kind of money even? >> we don't know. actually one of the staff members said at the hearing one of the reasons we didn't give him the maximum fine which would have been three times was that there were concerns about his ability to pay. so you know, he didn't pay his taxes for all of those years and some of the finances became public record.

it was clear he did not. for somebody as powerful as he was, he was never really known for cashing in. >> bill: mayor for life. former guest on this show. several times. >> when you're sort of the unofficial mayor of washington, d.c. you don't really have to pay for much except for your scandals. >> bill: we have invited the mayor for life in studio to join us in studio. if he accepts we'll gladly -- he can tell us his side of the story. >> i'm sure he would be happy to come. >> bill: he's one of the council members who voted to require walmart to pay a living wage of $12.50. walmart says we're going to build six stores in washington d.c. what are they saying today? >> they're saying maybe three. three of them are -- they say if this bill passes into law, if it doesn't get vetoed, then three of the six are off the table. the other three they said they are reviewing their legal and financial options.

>> bill: are any -- >> three of the six are under construction. they have said the three that have not been broken ground on yet -- we're pulling out of our -- whatever, agreements we had. the other three, you know, they sign lease on those and then the developers use those leases to get financing so it is a little harder for them to say we're just going to pull out. eating a pretty big chunk of change. >> bill: the city -- we're sort of like a colony. those of us who live in the city there are certain limits on what the city can do without approval of the congress. can the city do this without having -- >> yes. unless -- now, congress will have an opportunity if the mayor signs the bill, the bill gets sent up to the hill. the congress has i believe 90 days to review it and possibly

take action. it is very, very rare that congress takes action in that way. typically, what they do is they put on a budget writer says you can't do this or that. but i have not -- there really has been no sort of uproar from the hill. i haven't heard of a congressman or anybody saying -- yet -- that they're going to intervene in this. >> if the mayor signs this bill, i mean sort of -- >> bill: has he indicated? >> every indication i've gotten, every indication for every comment he's made publicly is that he is predisposed against signing the bill. he said that, you know, most likely, he's going to veto it. and really, what it comes down to is he put a lot -- he spent a lot of political capital. he put a lot of emphasis on bringing development -- >> bill: into the city. and in particular, you know, east of the anacostia river poorest part of the city.

there is not a lot of retail, period. there's some corner stores and you know, little groceries bodegas, things like that. but he said listen, we need walmart and we need any sort of retail in these communities walmart isn't my first choice either but here they are. they're willing to come. i won't say no. >> bill: there are two beefs that i've heard on this legislation and i certainly support paying people a living wage. one beef is those people who say it's too high. that the federal living wage is $7.25. the one in washington, d.c. is $8.25, already a dollar hire. this would require $12.50. that's too high, one argument against it. the other argument from the other side is that if big stores big box stores have to pay a living wage, why shouldn't every business -- why shouldn't people who work in the corner

grocery store get a living wage as well? >> sure. >> bill: where's vincent gray coming from? >> on the second one on that second question, there's two answers. one is you know, the sort of explicit answer which is well, you know, companies like walmart, companies making a billion dollars or more in annual revenues are best equipped to pay their workers more money. >> bill: the little guy can't afford it. >> the little guy -- may not be in the same position. the other answer is a little more cynical. little more political which is -- this is the bill they can pass. somebody targeted at walmart. they don't want to have every business owner in the city knocking on their door saying, you know you can't pass this bill. this is a travesty. you know, it is a combination of those two things. >> bill: so no love loss for walmart.

do you think this has ramifications beyond the beltway? >> certainly i think that's true. we've seen this happen before. where walmart makes a proposal, we want to build stores here. they have proposed living wage bills, community benefits requirements, special review processes for big box stores. and walmart you know, one thing walmart does not like is being singled out. they don't like being -- you know, the target of a special bill. and when that happens in almost every case, they've said if you do this, we'll take our business elsewhere.

and you know, that's happened here in d.c. one of their big complaints about the bill is several of their competitors in the grocery market are going to be exempt. namely giant and safeway which are both union shops. there is a provision in the bill that exempts organized work forces. and you know, that is a big -- that's one thing you hear almost every time a walmart representative opens their mouth is why are they exempt? >> bill: so this is moved by the district of columbia. the city of washington against walmart. is that likely to be picked up by other communities around the country? or is it unfair to walmart? 1-866-55-press. mike debonis in studio with us. join the conversation with us when we come back on the "full court press." >> announcer: get social with bill press. like us at facebook.com/billpressshow. this is the "bill press show."

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but still support the drug war you must be high. >> i think the number one thing that viewers like about "the young turks" is that we're honest. i think the audience gets that i actually mean it. >> you're putting out there something that you're proud of. journalists want the the story and they want the right story and the want the true story. >> you can say anything here. >> i spent a couple of hours with a hooker. >> your mistake was writing a check. >> she never cashed it! >> the war room. >> compared to other countries with tighter gun safety laws our death toll is just >> the young turks. >> the top bankers who funneled all the money to the drug lords, no sentence. there's just no justice in that. >> viewpoint. >> carl rove said today that mitt romney is a lock to win next pope. he's garunteeing it. >> joy behar: say anything. >> is the bottom line then that no white person should ever, ever, ever use the "n" word? >> yes! >> only on current tv.

>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: here we go. 25 minutes after the hour. our legal analyst avery friedman joins us in the next segment to wrap up the george zimmerman trial. right now, we're talking about walmart underfire here in our nation's capital. mike debonis from "the washington post" in studio with us. peter, you have another story. >> congressman steve republican from ohio, has a new amendment. he wants to defund the

appalachian regional commission. it is a program designed to promote economic development in the appalachias so he wants to defund it, get rid of it. >> bill: you can't defund that because mark sanford needs a place to hike or hide, which is it, i'm not sure. >> the congressman needs help to get it done. he got it on wednesday night. from mark sanford. >> bill: no! >> mark sanford has joined forces with steve who wants to defund the appalachian region. >> bill: i thought he was their best friend. >> he's turning his back on his friend the appear laesch shas. >> bill: this is payback time. >> that was supposed to be his alibi. >> bill: oh, man. all right. mike debonis, back to walmart. i would imagine that you think walmart will live up to its threat in terms of the three

stores. >> no evidence that this is a bluff. and you know, nothing -- nothing in their history indicates that, you know, that this isn't real. you know, basically, the way they look at it is, you know, okay, so we spent a few million dollars here. ground work for this. but now if we have to deal with this in d.c., we have to deal with it in philadelphia and new york and x and y and z, it is going to cost us billions over the years. >> bill: you're reporting did you find like -- so this would require them to -- what are they paying today? >> so they will not tell you what their minimum wage is. walmart will cite to you an average wage. they'll say our average -- >> bill: includes their management and everything? >> you know, i don't think it goes all the way up to the chain. but it is in a store.

>> bill: their average? >> average wage they say is in the range of $12 to $13. there's some people making more than $12 or $13 and a lot of people making less than $12 or $13. not a lot of transparency in what exactly -- >> bill: i don't believe that for a minute. if they were already paying that, why do they object to the bill? anyhow, with that, we're out of time. we haven't heard the end of this story for sure. mike debonis, you've been all over it. thanks for coming in. >> any time. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. >> do you think there is any chance we'll ever hear the president even say the word "carbon tax"? >> with an opened mind... >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly satirical point of view. >> but you mentioned great

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>> bill: this friday morning, july 12. we're coming to you live from our studio on capitol hill. and brought to you today by ullico incorporated. a good men and women of ullico proudly serving the union workplace for more than 85 years, providing specialty insurance, risk solutions and investment products and services all under president ed smith to find out more about their good work and the services they provide to the great unions of this country. go to their web site at ullico.com. that's ullico.com. down in sanford florida. they should wrap up today with closing arguments from the defense at which time, the six women members of the jury will begin their deliberations. he's been with us at the beginning of this trial in

studio, to talk about the progress of the trial. joins us today to talk about the close of it. we're talking about our legal analyst, we share with cnn avery friedman, hello avery. good morning. >> hi, bill, great to be with you. >> bill: were you surprised that george zimmerman did not take the stand himself? >> well, i've said from the beginning that it would be fool hearty for george zimmerman to ever take the stand. he has been out there when he didn't have the best of legal representation making all kind of public statements going on hannity, making all kind of statements that frankly, i don't think were in his best interest because the more he talked, bill the more inconsistencies the prosecution tried to focus on. so, at the end of the day i never saw any need for him to take the stand because all that would happen is that he risks the chance of saying another inconsistent statement. >> bill: prosecution could have ripped him up, right?

>> absolutely. >> sure. that's right. so there were people saying look, this is self-defense. he's got to take the stand. never understood that. never made any sense. >> bill: you called that one right. i thought that the judge made a very significant ruling yesterday when she said -- let's put it this way. you and i have talked from the beginning that to meet the test of second-degree murder was a really, really uphill climb for the prosecution because they have to show that malicious intent or evil intent or whatever it is, prove that, beyond a shadow of a doubt. yesterday, the judge said well, if you don't go for that, you could go for manslaughter. that's a big opening for the prosecution, isn't it? >> well, it is an enormous opening and i've seen commentators just railing about that. but you know what? it tells me they didn't do their homework. under florida law that is an option available to both the defense and the prosecution.

unique to florida law and both sides knew it was coming. so what we've heard all of this commentary, what a terrible thing, what a surprise, this is exactly what florida law provides for. both teams these are really excellent lawyers bill. these are excellent lawyers. both knew it was coming. no surprise. >> bill: no surprise. but it does -- if they can't prove one, they ought to be able to prove the other. >> that's the argument. you nailed it. in order to get the second-degree murder, remember, this never went to the grand jury. governor rick scott plucked it out of the system after, you know, the rallies and this type of thing and then gave it to the state attorney who gave him -- you know a murder two charge which was really a distortion of the system in my judgment. but it doesn't matter. that's what it is. you're right. you've got to show ill will, a

depraved mind as they say in florida. >> bill: that's the test for manslaughter? >> well, manslaughter is something less than that. when you look at the statute it is just basically a voluntary action resulting in the loss of life. it is essentially culpable negligence. in other words, i really didn't mean to kill a guy. i was just -- >> bill: we were wrestling. shot him. >> that's a pretty big opening. and while i -- >> bill: what's the maximum penalty for manslaughter? >> 30 years. the jury doesn't know that. that's what judge deborah nelson -- if there's a conviction, i think there's that possibility. i still think the better thinking and again we've got to hear mark o'hara today. the prosecution comes back, bill john guy after that and then judge nelson starts to do the instructions. >> bill: prosecution gets the last word.

>> yeah. that's a big deal. >> bill: that is a big deal. >> they'll send in john guy to do it. he's excellent. >> bill: in their closing arguments, the prosecution of course challenged everything that the defense had tried to present. >> sure. >> bill: then this is one way i think this is john guy summing up george zimmerman. >> why does this defendant get out of the car if he thinks that trayvon martin is a threat to him? why? why? because he's got a gun! he's got the equalizer. he's going to take care of it! he's a wanna be cop. >> bill: gets out of the car when he was told not to with a gun. >> yeah. that was actually -- it was bernie and it leads up, crescendos to john guy who is going to handle this in the end. i have to tell you something when you've got a case like this, murder two bill, all you've got is what you've got. i'm not sure yelling and screaming at the jury is the way to go which is kind of what i

saw yesterday. you need to appeal to their intelligence. you need to line it up. >> bill: maybe that's what john guy does. >> john guy will be very methodical. i think prosecution ends it with a bang. but i think that burden is so high that you will not see -- you will not see a murder two conviction. >> bill: is the wanna be cop a a -- does that help or hurt their case, do you think? >> you're trying to persuade a jury -- they wanted to introduce that just as the defense wanted to introduce this animated video that's going to be coming up during closing arguments. it is not evidence. it is trying to persuade the jury in your version of the facts. so all that is, you know, if this is a halfway intelligent jury seems like it is, they'll be able to figure this stuff out. >> bill: so that's the theatrics, basically of the closing arguments.

>> that's exactly right. you know they dug up gumby. did you see that? they dug up gumby. >> i saw that. >> bill: oh, really? >> holy smokes. everybody is beating gumby over the head. the jury is standing up watching this whole thing. >> bill: i did see that. right. i saw -- i didn't know what that was. >> 25 years ago is the last time we saw gumby. i think we saw eddie murphy do it. >> bill: we're going to hear from the defense today. what's their take going to be? >> well, if i had the choice, i would certainly prefer the defense because it's easier. i mean the greatest tragedy here was -- had nothing to do with the trial. that was waiting 44 days for an arrest. imagine a black guy shooting a white guy you really think it would take 44 days? but i do think that you're not going to -- they're going to -- the fact that the prosecution has to prove that george zimmerman was not in fear of his

life. they have to prove that this -- there was anything other than self-defense. tough self-defense law. the burden is actually easier on the defense lawyers and you're going to see a great argument. mark o'mara, bill, is a fine lawyer and he's going to do a terrific job. >> bill: all he has to do really right because you need, beyond a reasonable doubt all he has to do is plant any little doubt in the minds of one juror correct? >> the red hot witness in this case, i don't know what they were saying about it, you've heard the phrase like a good neighbor. there was a neighbor named john good. this fight took place right behind his porch. he said, martin was on top. zimmerman was on the bottom. and you know, that doesn't -- that's planted in the minds of the jurors. so i think it is an important part of it. look, there is a young man who

was 17 years old, who is no longer with us. that's a tragedy. but in terms of meeting the duty the burden of beyond a reasonable doubt, bill that is very, very difficult. i just don't understand how the prosecution is going to make it. >> bill: i certainly agree with you that they're not going to get him on murder two right. so then the options are he either walks or they get him on manslaughter. >> or actually, no one is saying -- the possibility is a hung jury and the prosecution would have to re-try the case. >> bill: if you had to guess today, based on what you've seen so far what's the outcome? >> not guilty. >> bill: really? >> yeah. even on the manslaughter. i may be wrong on that one. because it is a sort catchall, if you will. until we saw the switch yesterday after all this time, there didn't seem to be any chance of a murder two conviction. you know we're going to talk

about it next week. i'm going to go for manslaughter. >> oh, okay. we're disagreeing on that one bill. >> bill: just a difference of opinion. we'll see who's right and who's wrong. >> if that happens i'm getting you appointed to the faculty at one of the law schools. >> bill: oh, no, no, no. i want to start making some money as a lawyer. >> that's entirely different. [ laughter ] >> bill: avery, have a good weekend. avery friedman, averyfriedman.com. he does a lot of good stuff on many different cases. follow him at averyfriedman.com. >> announcer: like politics, then like the "bill press show" on facebook. this is the "bill press show."

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>> announcer: this is the "full court press." the "bill press show." live on your radio and on current tv. >> bill: all right. 13 minutes now before the top of the hour. wrapping up here on a friday. friday, july 12. the "full court press." good to have you with us this morning. peter. >> yes bill. let's say hello to sister mary ann rap. she's a nun in upstate new york and she has just been sentenced to 90 days in jail. five years of probation and 100 hours of community service because... she stole $128,000 from two small parishes in orleans county new york. >> bill: no. >> what's worse -- >> bill: what did she do with

the money? >> she had a gambling addiction. she had racked up some gambling debt and she needed help. the nun had all that money in gambling addiction and stole $128,000. >> aren't nuns supposed to take a vow of poverty and gambling is a sin? >> bill: yes. not only broke the law but she broke the commandment. >> she would oversee some of the church funds and she would skim off of that and what's worse is the classic move, she would just skim money off of the weekly collection plate. >> bill: oh, no. she's like bobby gunnel from virginia. i'll tell you what struck me about this story is she used to do her gambling at the big

casino in niagara falls where we have been! yes! i played some blackjack and had a great steak din they're night. >> lost some money. >> bill: at least she went out in style. good for you. >> not good for you for stealing but at least she's gambling. >> bill: the gambling nun. it's a friday! on friday, you know, we like to wrap up the week by going back and look at -- listening to again our favorite sound bytes of the week. our clips of the week, we call it. we start at the bottom and work our way up to the top. chris hayes who took ed schultz's place big mistake on the part of msnbc. he has a favorite word, one conservative web site made a little montage of chris hayes using his favorite word. >> number five. >> that's amazing. we could see something amazing happen. this week, something amazing happened. i mean really amazing. an amazing story.

amazing, dramatic moment. there was this amazing moment yesterday. amazing. amazing. pretty encredible results. >> amazing amazing amazing this guy is amazing. >> bill: it is amazing how often he uses the word amazing. pat robertson. what do you do on facebook if you see a same-sex couple kissing on facebook, can you say you like it? >> number four. >> well, i'm not one who switches on likes in facebook. it is hard to say but what you're saying is yes, i like this kind of thing. you've got a couple of same sex guys kissing. you like that. well, that makes me want to throw up but if you think -- to me, i would punch vomit not like. >> not sure that option is there. >> they don't give you that option on facebook. >> bill: he wants a vomit button on facebook. >> i repeat. i'm all in favor of a vomit button. i wouldn't push it for seeing a

homosexual couple. >> bill: depends on what you use it for. eliot spitzer we know is running for city controller in new york. jay leno had a little fun with who one of his opponents might be be. >> number three. >> one of his opponents is the madam who supplied him with hookers. she's running against him. there is a tough choice for the voters, huh? one is involved in the most degrading profession of all-time and the other ran a whore house. horrible. >> bill: eliot spitzer did get enough signatures. he will be on the ballot. she, by the way is not running. the prosecution wrapped up its case yesterday in the george zimmerman trial. here's one of their attorneys describing who george zimmerman really is. >> number two. >> why does mr. zimmerman get out of the car if he thinks that trayvon martin is a threat to him? why? why? because he's got a gun! he's got the equalizer. he's going to take care of him.

he's a wanna wanna be cop. >> bill: yesterday in the house of representatives republicans took the farm bill and cut it in half. they kept in all of the subsidies for farmers. they took out any money for food stamps gutted the program entirely. congresswoman corinne brown of florida had some strong words about that. >> announcer: number one. >> this is a sad day in the house of representatives! i want you to know that. this is the people's house. and to separate the farm bill from the elderly from the children this is a shame! mitt romney was right. you all do not care about the 47%. shame on you! ♪ >> bill: i love it! shame on you! over 47 million americans depend on food stamps, especially children and the elderly. but republicans say we don't

care. we're just going to end the program entirely. first time since 1973 republicans and democrats haven't agreed to keep the food stamp program going. >> shame. >> bill: shame. i say the same thing shame on you! i'll be back with today's parting shot. >> announcer: connect with the "bill press show" on twitter. follow us at bpshow and tweet using the hashtag watching bp. this is the "bill press show." 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. >> occupy! >> we will have class warfare. (vo) true stories, current perspective. documentaries. on current tv.

we have a big big hour and the iq will go way up. (vo) current tv gets the converstion started weekdays at 9am eastern. >> i'm a slutty bob hope. >> you are. >> the troops love me. (vo) tv and radio talk show host stephanie miller rounds out current's morning news block. >> you're welcome current tv audience for the visual candy. 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.

current tv is the place for true stories. with award winning documentaries that take you inside the headlines. real, gripping, current. documentaries... on current tv. >> announcer: the parting shot with bill press. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: on this friday, july 12, my parting shot for today well, we end the week with a big cheer for harry reid.

that's right. a big cheer for harry reid. sometimes he's disappointed us. he hasn't always been the most forceful of leaders but he sure showed a lot of backbone yesterday. in a blistering speech on the senate floor the majority leader told republicans to stop using the filibuster to block presidential nominees or democrats would change the rules and require 51 votes only for nominees to the executive branch. of course, mitch mcconnell cried foul claiming that harry's tombstone would say he ruined the senate. no mitch. harry's tombstone would say if republicans really do that, if they stop republicans from abusing the filibuster, harry's tombstone will say he had a big set of balls and he saved the senate! the big test comes early next week in votes for president obama's picks for the national labor relations board the consumer finance protection bureau of the e.p.a. and the

department of labor. ending the filibuster for executive branch nominations of course is only the first step, the next step would be ending the filibuster for judicial nominations and for legislation to get rid of it altogether. go, harry, go! former senator byron dorgan will give us his thoughts on that and a whole lot more when he joins us on the program on monday. have a great weekend!

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>> stephanie: okay. we have no jacki schechner. all right. you know what, chris, some days you just feel like the foam dummy in the zimmerman trial. had a wtf story for jacki in florida, but we'll wait. marcia clark who has been so great all over the tv on this