but he's not out to beat obama for the very purpose of beating obama the way red-hot republicans are. and newt is. you watch him tear into the moderator last night and you get it. he's ticked off the wa most republicans are ticked off. and this is an election primarily about the country's mood. newt gingrich speaks with the attitude of conservative republicans that the country's establishment is out to get them. and because he does, he has a great chance to be its leader. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politics nation" with al sharpton starts right now. welcome to "politics nation." i'm al sharpton. south carolina showdown. willard is back on his heels, and newt is surging again. he just may win tomorrow's primary. we'll cover all of it. but we begin tonight with a debate comment that really stuck with me because it cuts at the heart of this campaign and this

country. >> i am going to be able to talk to president obama in a way nobody else can that's in this race now about how the free economy works, how to put americans back to work and this divisiveness dividing americans between 99% and 1% is dangerous. >> dividing americans between 99% and 1% is dangerous? no, mr. romney, it's not talking about the huge divide in this country. that's the problem. because that divide is reality. and willard romney's unwillingness and the republican party's unwillingness to address it is what is really divisive. just take a look at these facts. in the past 30 years, the top 1% has seen their incomes skyrocket by 275%. while the poor has remained stagnant. the land of opportunity is now a land where 1 in 2 americans are

poor or low income. and yet we know that the top 400 families have more wealth than the next 150 million americans combined. we are now less economically mobile than canada. and most of western europe. and at a time when 66% of americans say there's class conflict between the rich and the poor, this is what republicans want to talk about? >> let's not have the federal government continue to extend its tentacles into everything that goes on in this country. >> i would like to see massive reduction of regulations. >> this president is putting a burden on manufacturers and business. it's the reason they're not -- we're not making things here. i'll repeal every single one of those regulations on day one. >> under ronald reagan we had the right job, the right laws, the right leadership. >> we spoke about the fact that

regulation is overwhelming us. >> regulation, that's the answer to what we're facing? with so many families hurting? americans are taking to the streets in outrage. and you're worried about regulations? millions are struggling, and that's your answer? this won't work. not for this time and a front-runner who is so out of touch with what a desperate country needs to hear, well, he won't be a front-runner for very long. much less a president. >> the country already has a leader who divides us with the bitter politics of envy. >> are there no fair questions about the distribution of wealth without it being seen as envy, though? >> you know, i think it's fine to talk about those things in quiet rooms. >> what will you do to support the 99% seeing as you are part of the 1%? >> let me tell you something. america is a great nation. you know what? america's right and you're wrong.

>> joining me now is e.j. dionne, columnist for "the washington post." and msnbc contributor. and professor melissa harris perry, also an msnbc contributor and columnist for "the nation." thank you both for being here tonight. >> thanks. >> good to be in your quiet room, reverend. >> well, we're going to make a little noise in the quiet room tonight because i couldn't get over that comment last night dividing america like america's not divided. we're trying to end the division. let me start with you. how can republicans succeed when they don't want to talk about the defining issue of our time and that is the economic disparity in this country? >> well, i think it's a really interesting tactic that they are pursuing. it's okay to divide us between the real america and the rest of the country which presumably lives in some other place. it's okay to divide us between pro-european socialists or

something like that against people who uphold traditional american ideas. but it's not okay to describe a real problem which is growing inequality over the last 30 years. i think this kind of rhetoric they are using is indication that they know that this new discussion is very problematic for them. because it's a discussion of how their tax policies ended up favoring wealthy people, and it's a discussion over how developments in the economy have led to a greater concentration of wealth and income. so i don't think they're going to get around this discussion, but i don't think it's a discussion that they are eager to have. >> now professor perry, the country is divided, the tax laws, those with capital gains and don't have to pay like it's income. the rich and the poor, the gap is wider than it's ever been. the rich, as i showed, have increased their income by 275%

while working poor has been about stagnant. but i missed it because i probably was at a rally or march. thafls just happened in the last 2 1/2, 3 years under president obama. he divided america. none of this was there when he got there. >> well, he divided america and then handed out food stamps. right after he divided. i think there's a strategy here. it's not a completely wrong-headed strategy if you are thinking just purly, how do i get voters on my side. the story you told is about a long history. it's about complicated policy. it's about structures that work to benefit one group but not another. if the story i tell isn't complicated, it's just, look. some people work hard. other people don't. if you work hard, don't worry. pretty soon you'll get your rewards. then i tap into that kind of easy story. and, in fact, what i can say is not only if you work hard you'll eventually get your rewards. but if you're not getting them, it's not your fault and it's not the fault of a long history or deeply embedded structures of

inequality. it's president obama's fault. and when we take those political stories and instead of trying to bring solutions to the real issues of inequality we say you can work hard and as soon as we get this bad guy out of office, then your hard work will pay off. that's the kind of thing that, for many voters it just feels better to think that the world is like that rather than think it's complicated. >> now e.j., it's funny that professor went there because charles krauthhammer today, a conservative columnist he even admits that mitt romney fits into the democratic narrative. he will be a liability if he keeps where he is now. let me read what he says. he says, but the beauty of this strategy is its adaptability. while its first target was the do nothing protect the rich congress, it is perfectly tailored to fit the liabilities of republican front-runner mitt romney, plutocrat, capitalist, 1

percenter. this is no mainstream media conspiracy. this is the gop maneuvering itself right on to obama terr n terrain. >> when my friend charles gets worried like that, it's reassuring to me. because i think he really identified the republicans' problem right now. that mitt romney has just had a terrible problem talking about wealth. talking about his taxes and when he's going to release them. that now famous statement they didn't make much from speeches and it turned out to be $370,000 a year or something on that order. and so for the last week, he has been playing right into the core democratic argument about inequality. and it was interesting. paul krugman had an article in "the new york times" pointing out, okay, let's forget about mitt romney. let's just talk about what's wrong with the tax system that allows somebody like him to pay only 15%.

so everything he's been doing in the last week has just as charles krauthammer said, been playing into the democratic narrative. >> now, professor perry, when you look at what the gop candidates for president are saying that they want to do, this is their policies for the 1%. tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. new tax cuts for corporations. support ending medicare as we know it. support cutting social security. oppose the buffett rule. i mean, this is going to unite americans? this is going to really make everyone have an even playing field? we don't expect equal results, but we expect fairness and an even playing field and equal opportunity. >> well, look. here was the fantasy world that mitt romney was living in last night when he was suggesting that these kinds of policies, deregulation, tax cuts. what he said is when companies are more prfofitable, then they will create jobs. that is the main myth that keeps being perpetrated by the

republicans. if there are fewer regulations, less tax burden, corporations will create jobs. but corporate profits are skyrocketing. corporate profits are just fine. corporate profits are at an all-time high and they are not hiring. and the fact that they can make these profits without laborers is exactly why they won't hire more. it is exactly the opposite of what is likely to happen. >> e.yj., the charge that the president is anti-capitalism and anti-business from the author of the "new york times" op ed, willard, who wrote let detroit go bankrupt, president obama did such anti-capitalist things like saving general motors and the auto industry which was the main bedrock of american capitalism. i mean, do you think they are going to get away with this? >> i mean if president obama hates rich people and is a socialist, why are there so many rich people in the country

making quite a lot of money right now. some of his supporters are a little frustrated he hasn't been more aggressive against wall street and the like. so i don't know. it will work with the people who vote republican on a regular basis. i just find it hard to believe it's going to be broadly persuasive to the rest of the country. >> e.j. dionne and melissa harris-perry, thanks for coming on the show tonight. >> thank you. ahead -- willard's sinking. he's feeling the heat big time. and he's not handling it well. >> now it's my turn. why don't i finish and then you can ask the other question. >> whoa. this is the guy they want leading? plus, as they go at it, president obama produces real results. big news on some very positive signs for the obama camp. and from james brown to michael jackson, the world's famous apollo theater's known for legendary acts. and they can add another one to the list.

♪ i so in love with you >> not bad, mr. president. i'll have more to say about this one. you're watching "politics nation" only on msnbc. jenna shared her recipe with sharon, who emailed it to emily, who sent it to cindy, who wondered why her soup wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson. the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson. my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller.

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you want to see the look of a man sinking? here it is. willard's refusal to release his tax returns has him wilting in the south carolina sunshine. and newt is surging. that's next. [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine.

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what does it look like when things are slipping? well, it looks like this. here's willard looking angry for having to answer a question on fairness. and it looks like this today. >> you were booed and jeered -- >> well, we have some people of other campaigns, of course, that are in the audience and so different campaigns -- >> but your concerned that -- >> cheer and boo people based upon the interests of their campaign. >> if i can finish my question. >> yes, certainly -- >> now it's my turn. why don't i finish and then you can ask the other question. >> i can't possibly tell you that everything i do in the campaign is perfect. >> that's for sure, willard. this growing call to release his taxes is really getting to him. and he's not helping himself on

the big stage. >> when they are completed this year in april, i'll release my returns in april and probably for other years as well. i pay a lot of taxes. i've been very successful. and when i have our taxes ready for this year, i'll release them. you know, i don't know how many years i'll release. i'll take a look at what the -- what our documents are -- and i'll release multiple years. i don't know how many years, but i'll be happy to do that. >> wow. and how can he be that woefully unprepared for the question on taxes everyone knows is coming. and while mitt sinks, newt is surging. four new polls out in south carolina have newt leading by as much as six points. and nationally, willard dropped seven points this week while newt rose six. willard's not connecting. but newt is hard wired to the

heart of the gop. >> i am tired of the elite media protecting barack obama by attacking republicans. >> one day to go. this is going to get to be fun. joining me now from columbia, south carolina, is dick harpootlian, chairman of the south carolina democratic party. and chris hayes, host of "up with chris hayes" here on msnbc. thanks for you both being here tonight. dick, is newt's surge real and as strong as it is appearing? >> -- around the state today because i had the same question. is this something we in the sort of political commentary class see or is it real? less than two hours ago, he had a rally in orangeburg, not 50

miles from where i'm sitting. 1200 people showed up. romney's lucky to get 20 to show up. there is something going on out there. and it's a visceral reaction to newt that he is, as you know, in the south, these politicians bombastic that excite you, that point fingers and make strong points. they excite people. he's a throwback to that. and he has caught fire here whereas willard or mitt, whatever you want to call him is a guy with a glass jaw. he won't answer the questions. this is a guy who continues to tell us he got where he was because of his hard work and good luck. wasn't his hard work and good luck. it was his good luck to be born to a daddy who worked hard. and it's becoming clear he's richie rich. that won't -- he's got money in the caymans. what does that mean? the only people i ever hear about with money in the caymans are doing something illegal. they are smuggling drugs are sheltering money they ought to be paying taxes on. so the image out there with the average south carolinian, now

the average south carolinian makes $30,000 a year. mitt romney said he made an inconsequential amount giving speeches. $400,000. that's not resonating with those folks. he's a richie rich guy. >> he acted like that was not a large sum of money. and it was more than ten times what the average south carolinian makes annually. >> absolutely. >> he acted like it was nothing. let me ask you, chris, when you look at this whole issue with the tax returns and full disclosure, romney said today his financial report is much more telling than his tax returns. last night gingrich at last night's debate said romney shouldn't be holding back handing over his returns. and then willard comes back today telling mr. gingrich to release his ethics report. i mean, these guys are just going at it like -- >> someone said today the brand fight the republican party does not want to have is you release

your tax returns. no you release your ethics report. what i think it's about -- >> i think it's wonderful. >> well, sure, from the perspective of the democrats. they couldn't hope for anything more. what's interesting about romney, aside from the awkwardness and his manifest malpractice last night in not having a better answer prepared for the obvious question about his tax returns and how much he's going to release and how many years he's going to release is the fact he seems to have embraced this identity as mr. 1%. because i think he thinks in the republican field, his way of connecting with republican voters is to hold himself up as the heroic capitalist. as the job creator who the democrats want to bring down with their politics of envy. that's the way he thinks he can viscerally connect with republican voters. i think newt has a better way are connecting with republican primary voters which is bashing the elite media, showing himself as a victim of the elite media. and he has an instinctual connection to the rhetoric of right wing reaction in a way that romney just doesn't.

>> i think part of the instinct, and i want you to elaborate a minute and i'm going back to dick. but elaborate a minute on that whole how no matter what he does, willard seems to personify the 1% and he can't break out of that. and i think instinktsively, not only does newt not know how to relate to it. newt looks and acts angry and whether it's on the tea party on the right or the occupy or civil rights on the left, everybody is angry. at least newt is acting like he's mad. willard is like almost saying, what is everybody upset about. >> i think that's a great way of putting it. and the tenor of the times, the mood of the country is one of untense, unease and anger. we have incredibly high unemployment, high amounts of bankruptcy and people feel the country is on the wrong track. the question is how do you speak to that? newt has a much more intuitive sense. i think it's very funny. the most telling thing about

romney's reaction is the smile he keeps giving. and it's almost like the romneybot software is saying smile but the romneybot gives a ga grimace. it's so filled with content. >> i think both are getting jammed. they are like countering each other. dick, "the new york times" calculated the odds of each candidate winning south carolina where you are. and their money is on newt. they are saying that the chances of winning 64% for gingrich, 36% for romney. we are less than, what, 12 hours, 14 hours before the polls open down there. i mean, no one would have thought a week ago this was possible. >> you know, none of us, again, thought it was going to turn out this way. but beginning on monday, there's been a constant shift. i've got to tell you. i don't know whether it's because of mitt or really because of newt or the comparison between the two. but the shift is huge.

and i think it's going to be -- i think as we say down here that newt is going to open a can of whoop ass tomorrow afternoon. >> well, i thought he was working on his second can last night, but let me ask you, what does this mean going forward, chris? >> you know, it's funny. we were having an editorial meeting with my staff a few days ago. i said ithink this is wrapped up. i think if gingrich -- here's the thing. gingrich is the first candidate, the first romney alternative to survive one of these peaks and valleys. everyone else had their turn from bachmann to cain to donald trump, all these people. the only one that's survived the bubble bursting and come back to be competitive and actually win something, if, in fact, gingrich wins is gingrich. that makes him a genuine credible competitor to romney going forward. then it really genuinely is a race. the question after that is, can he raise the money and put in place the kind of long game persistence he's going to need.

>> i've got an idea on that at the end of this. dick, let me ask you before i wrap this up. you are there in south carolina. you know politics well. if, in fact, gingrich upsets romney and wins tomorrow night or even comes close, going into florida, he's a harder guy to deal with, and going forward, it can go up and down. do you think then the establishment of the republican party will try to go for brokered convention and bring in somebody else like a daniels from indiana who just by some logic we don't know yet is giving the answer to the president's state of the union address on tuesday night? >> i think that would be a tough thing to do. i do think that as we -- what's going on here is some of the most brutal campaigning i've ever seen. very negative ads. under the radar stuff. but remember this now. the republicans here claim and tout the fact that everyone that's won this primary since

1980 has gone on to win the nomination. so this is, if newt wins tomorrow, he's preordained to be the nominee based on that logic. >> dick harpootlian and chris hayes, thanks for being here tonight. let me say this. many people said when rick perry came out of the race yesterday he was only at 4%, 5%, maybe 6% among voters in south carolina. he didn't have a lot of votes to give to newt gingrich who he endorsed. and that may or may not be true, depending on how close the race is, if he can deliver a lot of that 4% or 5% in a close race, it would be substantial. but what i want to offer tonight is there's something else we better watch with rick perry. he raised a lot of money. and if he can deliver his money guys over to newt gingrich, he answers what chris hayes brought up. newt can then get the noun go all the way and match romney.

let's not forget mr. perry made $17.2 million in the first quarter of his candidacy. $17.2 million. he left the race with 6% in carroll, carolina, 5% nationally. if he can get the big money guys and girls that supported him to now support newt, then we will be able to see newt say, financially, he can go for the long run. and that might make willard keep screaming at reporters. one year from today, someone will be inaugurated president. the president with more results to sell. big news tonight. and it was a story made for hollywood. the legendary tuskegee air men fought for country and fought for equality. now it's on the big screen. we'll talk to a true american hero. stay with us. [ male announcer ] is zero worth nothing?

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we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. >> welcome back. that was inauguration day three years ago today. and exactly one year from today, it will be inauguration day again. between now and then, the republican game plan will be simple. blame everything on the president. never mind the facts. >> this president is the biggest impediment to job growth in this country. >> why is president obama for young people being allowed to stay on their parents' insurance until 26? because he can't get any jobs for them to go out and buy their own insurance. >> because you have the democratic party and barack obama and all he wants to do is make them more dependent. give them more food stamps. give them more medicaid. >> frankly, any one of them would be a better president than the one we've got. >> really? you mean the president who got

us out of iraq. took down bin laden, saved the auto industry and helped avoid a depression? you mean that president? but despite all the real results and accomplishments, this is shaping up to be a tough year head. the president's job approval has averaged 44% this month. among the all-important independent voter, mitt romney is actually ahead of president obama, polling 50% to 38%. how will it play out? and what does he need to do to sell his many accomplishments? joining me now is jeff johnson, a contributor to msnbc and maria teresa kumar, executive director of voter latino and an msnbc contributor. jeff, do you think the obama record of success is getting lost out there? >> i think that it is -- it has gotten lost from the standpoint the campaign, the administration and the democratic party, for that matter, has not done a good job of talking about it.

at the end of the day the republicans have controlled the conversation. they've controlled what the issues are. but i don't -- i really want to see the administration and really the campaign talk about the auto industry, the bills that got passed from '08 to '10. talk about the fact that people are now able with pre-existing condition to be able to get health insurance. talk about young people that are able to get pell grants and go to school. these are all wins that the obama administration made happen. i just don't hear them shouting it from the rooftops so those independent voters have something else to make a decision based upon. >> aside from being one of the more known commentators in the country. i know you to be a great youth organizer. let me show you this. in 2008, president obama in -- among voters 18 to 29 beat john mccain, 66% of that vote to 32%. will he be able to do those same precedent-setting numbers with the youth vote this time? and if not, how can he try to

correct that? >> i think it's going to be challenging for those record-setting numbers to happen again just because people were so interested in making history. but i think that the system that this campaign has in place under mesina is poised to be able to engage them in a way above and beyond what happened in 2008. so i think the apparatus is in place. if they are able to get that message to those young people ithink they can energize them. but that is yet to happen. >> maria, you are pretty good at organizing young people yourself. what do you say about those youth numbers? how do they get close to that again? >> the obama campaign has already started organizing since january. we've never seen such historic -- any presidential campaign organizing now for november. he understands the gap he needs to do. not only is he going to the key states he cares about but he's moving into florida no letter than april. he's already identified field organizers in arizona where he believes is at play and in texas. all areas that you just need to tilt the youth vote a little bit

and get them excited. he really has to carry that message to young people as jeff was saying about -- not only about health care but pell grants, also continuing education. small business loans. there's definitely different things he's done but he has to close the gap. my concern with him, though is they've been very timid about sharing their message. and while with independents they might like mitt romney, they don't like flip-floppers. the more mitt romney keeps talking out two of sides of his mouth, the more difficult to convince independent voters he's the one for them. >> when you look at the latino vote, five potential swing states where the latino vote could make the difference. virginia, arizona, colorado, nevada and florida. where is the latino vote now, and what does the president need to do, if anything, to intensify his support because if those swing states are close, the latino vote could be the deciding factor.

>> the latino vote is absolutely going to be the deciding factor. there's a reason he's going into arizona early. he sees that he can flip it from a republican stronghold. that's why he's going into colorado. he sees that opportunity. it's not surprising that why you have mitt romney and you have gingrich right now fighting for florida because it's going to be crucial and critical. it's not the traditional latino voters in florida. you see a lot of puerto ricans who are already u.s. citizens who have a history of voting from the island that have to come out. what he needs to do is close that enthusiasm gap. behind them of what the step that he's done on not just most recently on immigration. on reunification programs but also talk about education, increasing the job market and talking about people trying to -- the policies he's done to ensure that foreclosures that people are facing it, that they stay in their homes. latinos have lost their homes. he has to carry that message. i encourage him to identify strong surrogates so they can

carry that message. last time he focused on individuals that really weren't as seasoned. he needs to go back into the community and have those folks come out and carry the message for him. >> those surrogates have a real added help from another speaker. let me show you what willard said about the dream act. >> i've indicatid would veto the dream act if provisions included, say that people who are here illegally if they go to school here long enough, get a degree here that they can become permanent residents. i think that's a mistake. >> does that not energize a lot of voters in the latino community, maria? >> i don't know who is advising mitt romney. it's as if he's working with the same consultants that advised meg whitman. he's taking a playbook from her. she was very supportive of latinos but not with the dream act. all of a sudden he's bringing in chris kobach, the author of

anti-immigration language but speaking to latinos in spanish. and we speak both languages. he's speaking from both sides of his mouth. latinos most of all believe not only is the dream act important for the american economy but why are you going to stifle kids for everything from actually contributing to america when they feel american. and i think that's where he doesn't quite understand the pulse of one of the few issues that unifies latinos regardless of background and of political party. >> jeff, food stamps has become almost synonymous with black people by name overtly. this is not even inferred. and will this energize a turnout that may not have been as energized and angry if they keep hearing it in the african-american community and other communities of color, this almost making us synonymous with food stamps and people that need assistance. >> a handout. i think at the end of the day the food stamp piece is just one

of them. i'm hoping if the campaign doesn't hit back hard as it ramps back up that there are some superpacs and messaging c-4s that message back on what is from one end insensitive to racist undertones we've heard through an entire gop primary season. and if that doesn't happen, i think there's a missed opportunity because there are a lot of americans, not just those that are black or disenfranchised that don't want to hear somebody running for president using that kind of racist language to represent any citizen of the united states. >> absolutely. and the fact that most people on food stamps are white. and many of them work every day. jeff johnson and maria teresa kumar. thank you both for being with me tonight. >> thank you reverend. ahead, the inspiring story of the legendary tuskegee air men hits the big screen tonight. we'll hear from one of those heroes tonight. and my take on president

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one of the african-american pilots who served during world war ii at a time when the country's military was segregated. so it's only fitting that a movie celebrating the achievements of the tuskegee air men opens today. it's called "red tails." and i had an opportunity to sit with some of the people involved in the movie. joining me now to talk about that is anthony hemingway, director of "red tails," nate parker, the lead actor, and in the film, it's an honor for me to bring on our show, we are joined by dr. roscoe brown, one of the tuskegee air men who served as the squadron commander during world war ii, and a man i've had the pleasure of knowing since i was 16. helped raise me in the civil rights movement. thank you gentlemen for joining me tonight. >> pleasure. >> mr. brown, you grew up in the

1930s, and you loved airplanes. but segregation kept preventing you from flying for the military. and then that all changed. tell us about it. >> it changed largely because of the efforts of the naacp and the black press because in 1925, the military had issued a study that said that blacks didn't have the coordination, the intelligence or the leadership ability to be pilots. when world war ii came about, they wanted blacks to support it. so the black press and naacp said, look. we want people in the best branches of the service, the most glamorous flying. so as a result, they created this program at tuskegee which started in 1941 and eventually trained 1,000 pilots. >> now it's almost incomprehensible, anthony, to even my age and you all are younger than me, that blacks couldn't serve and defend the country. they actually had to fight the

enemy abroad and fight segregation in the ranks of the military. that's almost inconceivable today. >> they were ready when they had to go do it so i had to be ready when i got the opportunity to go direct this film. >> let me show you a clip from the movie "addreaddressing raci the military. >> we've done it. every lowdown dirty job you've handed us. you have not assigned us a single forward mission. >> you're just going to have to suffer a failure. >> we have a right to fight for our country the same as every other american. so you shut us down or you let us fly. >> eight german fighters, it still doesn't change what i think of your boys. >> we don't care. >> that's terrance howard playing that role. how did you deal with the fact that you had to act in a part of history that you knew nothing about, but at the same time, you were respecting the fact that this was part of the history of

your country and your community. >> well, a lot of it came from the research we did. the literature that was provided. a lot of it came with being able to sit with dr. roscoe brown and really ask them how their experiences were shaped by these times and how did they fly. how did they take off, land, deal with the fact that there were certain places they couldn't go. and how they felt about it. >> nate, let me show you a clip that you are in. >> like a brother, joe. >> disobey my orders again i'll have to write you up. >> why, for being right? i told you those guns were there. >> no ifollowed protocol. you went for glory. >> amazing how you did that. the scenes flying. the whole question of warfare in the air. i fly a lot and i complain about turbulence. these guys were doing stuff that was unbelievable. and you caught it. >> it's a challenge. you know, i think the biggest challenges for the actor is when they have to sit in this fake

airplane against a green screen or blue screen or however you are comping it and to be able to connect what they are flying against or what they are relating to and also listening to me give them direction in the plane and knowing what they need to connect with. that's part of the challenge. >> dr. brown, how does it feel for you, having gone in there just because you had a foogs pa to fly, wanting to serve your country, never thinking you'd live to see the day hollywood would do a movie on you. you see the commander of the u.s. military, an african-american. it must give you a lot of hope, those of white house don't understand how far the country has come, it must give you a lot of hope to see we can make this country all we want it to be because you've seen tremendous change. >> i certainly have but the fact is when i grew up, everyone in the black community wanted to do better. we felt if we were excellent, segregation would leave. my father was in roosevelt's black cabinet.

i went to a college where i was one of the first blacks. all of us in the tuskegee air men, young, handsome, smart men knew that we were going to break some barriers. so, therefore, i'm glad that it happened. but i'm really not surprised. >> so you prepared -- you all felt that the way to be able to break barriers, the way to be able to make a difference was to be excellent? >> that's right. and one of the things i like to say about this movie, excellence overcomes prejudice. excellence overcomes obstacles. i'd like to say to the youth, it's cool to be smart. tuskegee air men were cool and we sure were smart. >> dr. brown, you are a walking history that should not be taken for granted. anthony hemingway, nate parker and dr. roscoe brown, tuskegee are a men. thank you for joining us. i hope everyone goes and sees this movie. the movie is not a documentary. it's really an action movie, but it tells a story. a story that gives many of us hope that things can change if

we're committed. we cannot just complain. we've got to know things can change. ahead -- america has a new star. president obama goes show time at the apollo. you need to hear this one, next. emily's just starting out... and on a budget. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach.

until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate.

the legendary apollo theater in harlem has produced many legendary performances for more than 70 years. the apollo has been the place to go for young, mostly black entertainers, trying to make it in show business. from michael jackson to ella fitzgerald, tina turner to quincy jones and richard pryor. my mentor and father figure james brown. brought the house down many a night. and he packed the house one last time right after he died.

i've been known to bust a move at the apollo stage myself. but now there's a new name to add to the legendary list. >> reverend al green was here. ♪ i so in love with you >> the president has skills. that was pretty good. al green, president did it good. it inspired me. you know what, newt gingrich, i'm rehearsing on election night, i am going to sing, if you are the nominee for the republican party, i'm going to sing a song for you. it's an old gladys knight hit called "midnight train to georgia." so you win the primaries and i promise, i'll do gladys knight for you.