tv News Nation MSNBC March 27, 2013 11:00am-12:00pm PDT
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same-sex marriage are entitled to benefits. justice ginsburg called marriages under the law, quote, skim milk marriages. the attorney fighting the doma case, said quote it's time for the court to recognize this as discrimination and its most basic aspect. plaintiff on hand to witness today's arguments, 83-year-old new yorker, edie windsor is suing because the law barred the irs from recognizing the marriage to her partner 44 years. when her wife died she got a $364,000 tax bill that surviving straight spouse would not have to pay. she and one of her attorneys spoke out outside the court moments ago. >> i am today an out lesbian, okay, who just sued the united states of america, which is kind of overwhelming for me. today is like a spectacular
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event for me. of a lifetime. >> we walked down 44 steps, which coincidentally is how many years edie windsor and thea spire spent together as a committed couple and we ask for equal justice under law here. >> and the lawyer defending doma is deis taking to house republicans. just like yesterday, the hearing with demonstrators from both sides. >> as a conservative, i will tell you that doma wreaks of big government. >> we will no longer be satisfied with living in the shadows of freedom. we have the right to marry who we love. we have the right to work as we are. >> those who are anti-marriage equality are not all bad people. however, they are all wrong people. >> how can it be that my
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fundamental rights are fundamentally different than my mother's? the answer is simple, it cannot be. >> nbc justice correspondent pete williams live outside the court. pete we heard from the plaintiff. people involved here. but what is the impression from the court? the justices today? >> i think there are five votes to strike doma down for probably two reasons. several of the justices believe that it is a discrimination. that the congress has no legitimate purpose in refusing to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples while recognizing the marriage of opposite sex couples in those nine states and district of columbia where same-sex marriage is recognized. frankly, the court did not spend a lot of time on this argument, although several liberal justices, and you mentioned some of them, justice kagan, saying that the congress was ablgting with moral disapproval. didn't spend a lot of time on this issue. what seemed to be the big question for the pivotal vote, justice anthony kennedy is a
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slightly different issue. that's whether congress had the power in the first place to pass this law. given that congress has traditionally deferred to the state's to dough fine what marriage is. he seemed to indicate that he did not believe congress had a reason to set its own definition for marriage. and he said that it goes far beyond questions like taxes which were at play in edie windsor's place, given the large number of benefit of laws that this touches. some 1100 benefits available to opposite sex couples but not to same-sex couples who are legally married. he seemed to think that congress was far from what it claimed, which was to set basically a level playing field so if one state allowed same-sex marriage to happen, another state wouldn't compelled, he said quite the opposite. congress seemed to be acting against the interest of the states that do want same-sex couples to goat married. based on that math, you add four
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plus one, you get to five. it seems like there are five states to strike down doma. there were those basis saying it was beyond con grosses power. there may not be a majority for a sweeping gay rights. it may be in congress's power. >> compared to the analysis yesterday regarding prop a, two different situations, but nevertheless, the same justices and this is all about same-sex marriage in this country. >> i think you can say the same thing about both cases. he can spite predictions that maybe the court was ready to have some sweeping ruling on same-sex marriage or gay rights, doesn't seem like we get that from either questioned or today. but unlike yesterday, where it seems like the court was searching for a way to get to the heart of the case and just make it apply only to california, today they there do seem to be five votes to go the whole way and strike down doma, which of course is a big victory
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for the advocates of gay rights. >> pete williams, thank you. the latest developments at the top of the hour. and let me bring in professor 6 constitutional law at nyu school. thank you so much for joining us. you heard pete there, at least the feeling there, we are looking at 5-4 striking down doma. and kennedy's remarks regarding congress's actions, 17 years ago, and whether they should have taken this action that was passed in the house and senate, sign bid bill clinton who now has said that doma is the wrong decision at the time. what do you make of what we heard from the justices today? >> so i think pete's analysis is totally excellent and i think the only thing i would ood to it is to say there is a jurisdictional question as to whether the court can even hear the case. under article 3, there is a case or controversy requirement, where it is not just the right issue but right parties have to bring the issue. >> isn't that similar to what we heard the court say yesterday about prop a that it should be there at this time?
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>> that's exactly right. i want to emphasize that that same jurisdictionalish sue before us in this case as well. the court may take that as well in this case, saying that bipartisan legal adviser group did not have standing to bring the claim nor did the federal government because it won below. >> so you have people who say, okay, two days, again, different cases but we know this is about marriage equality, same-sex marriage. how account court be, i think the word you use, chaotic in a sense yesterday but we get a different feeling o 0r more clear feeling where they may stand in the end when they make it their decision. >> yes. i think that what makes this case different is that the ask is much more modest on the part of the plaf. all they are saying is the federal government refers to the state in their definition of marriage. some states allow first can cousins to marry, other states don't. the federal government said, if the state says they are married, then they are married. >> the audio just coming into msnbc, justice scalia
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questioning, i will play a little bit of the audio. >> talk about why the district court, without getting to the merits, should not have entered judgment against the government. >> i'm not sure i have an answer it that question, justice scalia. >> what does he mean there? >> i think what he is saying there is that, you know, the federal government is declining to defend the defensive marriage act. they say, we won't defend it. so i suspect, though i'm not a hundred percent positive given that we just had the audio released, is that what scalia is talking about is if it wasn't defended, then the court would say, you didn't show up to defend against this thing, we will rule against you. >> we should have more audio in the next 15 minutes or so. let me bring in brandon pearlburg. an american living in london with his foreign-born partner. the couple had to move in order
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to stay together because of doma. thank you for joining me. >> thank you. >> first of all, what is your impression of today. with the excerpts and analysis coming out regarding justices and their comments, brandon? >> well, i don't want it make any predecks, but we know every time in our country's history that there's been an expansion of civil rights, that has been a good thing for the population as a whole, and those have been moments that we look back upon with tremendous national pride. so i guess i would say i'm cautiously opt moistic that this is going to to be another one of those moments. >> you mentioned national pride. you are an american citizen. you love this country. as i read, nearly seven years ago you decided you could no longer live here based on love, if you will. tell me a little bit about what happened and how you made this decision to leave your home and go to london. >> well, what happened for me was that in the fall of 2011, i had been with my same sex british partner for just about seven years then.
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we've been together another year now. and he was living in the states with me pursuant to an employer sponsored visa. but those visas have expiration date. the way you stay in the country is with a green card. he wasn't going to to get a green ward from his employer. doma made it so he wouldn't have a green card through me. so i had to make the decision whether or not i would live my life in the country that i love or move to england and live with the person that i love. i chose the latter. january of last year we moved to the uk. while i don't regret that decision at all, this has been the most difficult and humbling period of my entire life. >> as i understand it, you left your law firm, rented out your place, said good-bye to all of your friend and family and you end up there in london. and yours is not a situation where you're in a bubble. there are others, and in fact,
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profiled in a new york times article not very long ago that how many americans have done the same thing. forced to leave the united states as a result of doma. >> and we're the lucky ones tp there are so many people who don't have england or canada or holland or country like that to o go to. and families are split apart. and you can imagine if there are children involved, that what that means. and financially, what that means. i add career i was forced to leave. i was finally getting to the place in my adult hood where i was reaching professional success and i a i arrived here. for 11 months i couldn't find work. i went on interview after interview after interview but i lacked london experience. so i was pushed down to the bottom of the ladder unfairly. this is what doma maept for me. >> if doma is struck down, will that mean you and your partner would be married in new york, for example, and move back here? >> you know, that's a difficult
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question for me to answer. obviously, there's a lot that goes into uprooting, both ways you go across the atlantic. that's a decision my partner and i would have to take after reflecting a lot. but you can't just snap your fingers and get your life back. this wasn't a blip. this was a major, major hardship and sacrifice that i've had to endure and that so many other people have had to endure. >> brandon, thank you so much for coming on to dois cuss your life and as you point out would be make this major life decision as a result of the defensive marriage act. thank you for your time. we will keep up-to-date with you. >> thank you. >> coming up, more than 100 days since the newtown massacre and still no new legislation has been made to curb the gun violence. senior editor mark murray will joan us next. plus -- >> it should not be call the defensive marriage act. it should be called the defense
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of a mean spirit bigot's act. >> that of course is con grossman john lewis on ought house floor more than a decade ago, delivering a passionate speech about the defensive marriage act. even before it became law. we will talk about the supreme court arguments and we will play more audio as it becomes available and join our conversation on twitter. you can find us on tamron hall after p, and of course, my team, at "news nation." ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer through 6 months. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events, including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders,
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human being. i fought too hard and too long. against discrimination based on race and color. to stand up against discrimination based on sexual orientation. >> and georgia congressman john lewis joins us now. ski sir, it is a pleasure it have you on. let's get some words from the justices. >> well, i think that justice raised the right questions. it appears to me that they are moving in the right direction. doma was wrong 17 years ago. it is wrong today. it is my hope and my prayer that they will declare this piece of legislation unconstitutional. congress was wrong. it is time for us to get it right. if we don't get it right, history won't be kind to us as a people and as a nation. >> i want to read a little bit
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of bill clinton's op ed recently. it was passed in the senate despite pleas but yours of course resonates so many years later. bill clinton wrote justices must decide whether doma is consistent with nation that offers freedom, equality and justice for all. as the president who signed the act into law, i have come to believe that doma is contrary to those principles and in fact incompatible with our constitution. that is essentially what you said in 1996. why do you believe then, your words, the same words, were not adhered to as so many are trying to today, so many lawmakers who now say it is wrong? >> sometimes, it takes time for people to get it right. sometimes politicians live in fear, rather than leading the way. it is time for all of us to be head lights and not tail lights.
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politicses should be leaders. we should get out front and lead and serve as a good teacher. teach people the way to go. and that's what i tried to o do. that's what i tried to say 17 years ago. >> it may be an obvious question but is it because of the battle with the civil rights and what you went through personally being beaten and being the civil rights icon that perhaps made you more sensitive to this in '96. more brave in '96. than others since you say it does boil down to, in your opinion, courage. >> i said all along, sometimes you have to go with your gut. go with your heart. go with your passion. and for get the politics. >> and as it relates right now to marriage equality, we heard justices here on arguments of prop 8 yesterday and at least one justice wondered whether or not this was all very new. the making the comparison between cell phones and internet.
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being newer, if you will, than same-sex marriage. do you believe that this is too new, if you will, to address and have the supreme court make a decision? >> no. i don't believe that this is too new. it reminds me of something that dr. king used to say from time to time and people ask about interracial marriage. he said, races don't fall in love and get married. individuals fall in love and get married. if two individuals, two males, two women fall in love and wasn't to get married, that's their business. and no government, state or federal, should be able to tell someone who they can fall in love with and get married to. >> congressman john lewis, thank you so much for joining us. we are greatly appreciative. we are glad we were able to get to the archives and get to your words then, and get to your words today. thank you. >> thank you. >> the latest democratic senator to endorse guy marriage and her statement on her her facebook
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page wrote, marriage equality is a complex issue with strong feelings on both sides and i have a great deal of respect for varying opinions on the issue. after much thought and prayer, i have come to my own personal conclusion that we shouldn't tell people who they can love or who they can marry. there are now only nine democrats in the senate who have not endorsed gay marriage. joining me now, washington post reporter aaron blake and democratic strategist keith boykin. thank you both for joining us. aaron, let me start with you. you heard congressman lewis say it is about courage. we heard the same argument as it relates to the discussion over gun safety and gun control as well. what do you make the comments now. and this week alone, several senators coming out incy port of same-sex marriage. >> i think the comparison between the guns issue and guy gay marriage is going in different directions. in the past decade with
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exception of periods after tragedies there's less support for gun control as we have gone along under the same period of time there is much more support for gay marriage and it is very clear where the trend line are going on both of those issues, in fact. so i think while on the guns issue, members of congress may not be so concerned about being on the wrong side of history. i think that's more and more after concern when it comes to gay marriage. >> keith, our team points out this puts bill clinton back in the spotlight and back to the op ed, although that was 17 years ago rb referring to doma then, it was a very different time and no state in the union was same-sex marriage recognized much less available as a legal right. washington as la result was swirling with all of the possible swonss. he goes on to talk about that. you hear the supreme court though, and people say, that it is a conservative court in many ways. and regarding their decisions. but you go back to, is this the
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right time? and that's being a part of the conversation as well today. in house in the 1990s and i know that this was a difficult issue for president clinton. the whole lbgt issue in general. and doma was about fear. it was about president clinton who wanted to get re-elected and republicans were about to do something and he felt he had to do what was necessary to sign this legislation. there are a lot of people, including myself, opposed to doma from the very beginning and i think that there was a lack of political courage on all parties at that point in the early 1990s. but times have changed. times have changed since 2004 when john kerry didn't even support marriage equality. we as presidential nominee for democratic party. we are now in 2013. we have a president of the united states who supports marriage equality. majority of americans support marriage equality. more members of congress are coming out to say this. in supreme court there is an
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inclination times have changed and they are coming to grips with that reality. >> let me read what our first teams say about speaker bainer. speaker boehner and house republicans spent millions to dough fend the act in court after the obama administration said it would no longer do so. despite this defense, boehner's office was silent as court heard oral arguments and prop 8 case. but today michael steele says a law's constitutionality is determined by courts, not by the department of justice as long as the obama administration refuses to exercise responsibility, we will. that is the latest response from speaker boehner there, aaron. >> yeah, i think it is remarkable that angle that house leadership is taking on this saying that it is a matter of process. it is because the white house should be enforcing the laws that are on the books as opposed to saying that gay marriage is wrong. i think that speaks to the divide in the republican party that we are seeing today. we've got many more of these kind of tea parties libertarian type republicans who are very much about state's rights and so
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you know, i think even if we see doma get struck down we may see some republicans say, you know what, i agree with this decision because this is a state's issue. this is not something that federal government should be doing. >> and -- excuse me, keith, to that point, nbc's frank forte, says in financing a lawsuit, making sure the proper forum is used. not that is t is wrong or that doma should be struck down, but that it needs to be before the proper court. >> the obama administration is enforcing a law, they are just not defending it. that's the situation. it is very odd that justice scalia and others in the supreme court today were critical of. but the forum is the choice of the obama administration as well. they are the ones who chose to appeal the case even though they won in the second circuit. they appeal because they wanted the supreme court to make a decision about this. and provide some finality to what is going on with marriage equality. you don't want to have a patch work system where different people have different
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recognition of their marriages from one state to another and the administration is indicating they want the supreme court to settle this issue once and for all. >> thank you, gentlemen. aaron, thank you. thank you, keith, as well. well talk with you more. we greatly appreciate your time. congress is in recess. less than an hour, four of bipartisan senators working on immigration reform the tour the border to assess the security situation there. president obama also, though, getting ready to sit down for interviewes with spanish language media. in fact, that's happening right now. we will will get the first read on it. plus, audio from today's supreme court hearing on doma still coming in. we will play the latest for you. first, in today's money minute. look how wall treat is performing. dow is down 33 point. we will update you on anything new. come on, nowadays lots of people go by themselves. no they don't. hey son. have fun tonight.
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hour. president obama conducts interviewes with spanish language networks telemundo and univision kpekted to focus on immigration reform. meantime, senator john mccain cancelled second town hall meeting in arizona yesterday. no reason given. cancellation came a day after senator faced some tough questions at town hall in phoenix about granting the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. >> how would you -- how would you advise, we the people, to fight against amnesty. >> i disagree with your characterization as far as amnesty is concerned. 77% of the american people support is path to citizenship on passage of the legislation and would have a legal status in this country. that doesn't mean they can vote. doesn't mean they are eligible for my of the entitlements programs or anything else. >> in the next hour, senator mccain and three colleagues members of that bipartisan group
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of eight, senators wokking on immigration reform, are set tore a meeting. they will speak at a tour of the u.s. border with mexico and arizona today. now joining me now live, nbc news senior political editor, mark murray. so much going on with the supreme court as well as updates with legislation or fight for something to pass with gun control. you have immigration now, the focus for the president, with these big interviews today. >> that's right. and in one respect, he is probably trying to put pressure on congress and senate and come up with legislation. the senate right now, they have bipartisan support which is something you don't see with the gun control legislation that is supposed to hit the senate floor next month. but unlike the senate gun issue, there isn't legislation as it relates it immigration reform. so there is going to be a lot of pressure for these bipartisan senators to come up with legislation that they don't have yet. they have bipartisan support, just not the legislation. >> you feel though there are
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moving parts here. john mccain at that town hall, i mean, there he is reciting stats and polls about americans supporting a path to citizenship. really trying to make the case to perhaps a group of very conservative people in thinks state. >> he has been making the case. you've also seen florida senator marco rubio make the case. in fact, and just about a week ago, that rand paul, senator from kentucky, also supported some type of path to citizenship for illegal immigrant. all of the will is there, you just don't have legislation yet. this shouldn't be all that surprising. >> sure. >> this is complicated, big issue. there are still some details to iron out between senators. but the expectation is that this legislation will be ready to go around early april. >> and it is interesting because we have talked about or you have talked about the motivation for especially republicans to back some type of legislation perhaps even a path to citizenship for these 11 million or so people in the country illegally. the new nbc post abc news poll
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showing, favorable for hispanics up since 22011. do we believe that this movement is simply because of the serious conversation regarding immigration reform? >> i think so. i want it see some more polling that shows that people are actually approve in congress. that was a very interesting finding it'll be interesting to see if that is backed up in surveys. republicans saw the results from the presidential contests, losing latinos by a huge margin. there is also incentive for democrats. president obama campaigned on this. so have other democrats. they want something delivered in this community and that is a recipe for getting something done. we just have to see the legislation. >> you and i both know after newtown, the conversation was that everything changed. as a result of the slaughter of those children and their
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teachers. but you've got a political article out right now. bob epstein poses, has washington waited too long. he wrote that obama may still get a bill but not like the one he and his allies envisioned in december. what is going on there, mark? >> i disagree a little bit. getting legislation on the senate floor in april is pretty fast by senate standards. particularly given there is a priority that has just come up in this particular congress. the question is, will the gun measure pass senate to get 60 votes or more. that's a big, big question. it remains to be seen if chuck schumer and other democrats can bring on o republicans that compromise when it comes to having universal background checks. that's the key it look for. and if the deal does get done you can see how it can get 60 votes to pass. but again, it has to get through the house. so a lot of big hurdles but you do have legislation and that's notable. >> mark murray, greatly appreciate your time. see you tomorrow. >> thank. coming up, fight over reward
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to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. . will come back. breaking news. we are getting even more audio in from today's supreme court hearing on same-sex marriage and the constitutionality of california's prop 8 -- actually, on doma. i apologize. here is justice roberts for us. >> i would have thought your answer would be that the executive's obligation to execute the law includes the obligation to execute the law consistent with the constitution. and if he has made a determination that executing the law by enforcing the terms, is unconstitutional, i don't see why he doesn't have the courage
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of his convictions and execute not only the statute but do it consistent with his view of the constitution. rather than saying, oh, we'll wait until the supreme court tells us we have no choice. >> again, let me bring back with us, kenji, professor of constitution yalg law at nyu law school. thank you for joining us professor. i want it play another excerpt since we are getting them in pretty rapidly. the fear toward homosexuals, lit me play it. >> so they can create a class they don't like here, homosexuals were or a class they consider is suspect in the marriage category, and they can create that clash of side benefits on that basis. when they themselves have no interest in the actual institution of marriage as marriage, the state's control that.
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>> give us a little more detail there, with justice sotomayor. >> the court said that cannot stand. the quote unquote, bear desire isn't enough. so congress may be particularly vulnerable in a way that the states would not, thereby distinguishing as she did repeatedly in this oral argument between what happened today and yesterday in the prop 8 can case. >> so why congress got involved 17 years ago in the first place. >> exactly. >> so this one from justice prior discussing why discriminate against guy marriage. and also justice i leeto on the
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taxes. let's play both excerpts. >> what is special onity own distinguishes and thus makes rational or whatever basis you will have here within treating the gay marriage differently? >> suppose we look just at the state tax provision at issue in this case, which provides special favorable treatment to a married couple as opposed to any other individual or economic unit. what was the purpose of that? was the purpose of that really to foster traditional marriage or was congress just looking for a convenient category to capture households that function as a unified economic unit. >> with justice eilito there. interesting comment from justice ilito. we talked to the man who moved from the united states because
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his significant other could not apply for a visa or green card, as would be the case for an opposite married couple. opposite sex married couple. so there is a different here. and it is not just about a tax provision. >> yeah. i think what he is trying to get at is it a favorable tax treatment. edie windsor gets hit with $364,000 federal tax she would not have been hit with had she been married to a man. so can we look that in an isolation and say the reason for the favorable tax statement is not about even protection of traditional marriage. just that we have to draw the line somewhere. so he is trying to get away from the marriage issue. i agree it is unpersuasive. we have bundled so many rights of entitlements and attached them to the status of the -- >> i believe the justices pointed out 111 provisions if you will for couples. 1100, excuse me, for couples who are married, benefit from having a recognized marriage in this
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country. >> exactly. if you go through the united states code there are 1,138 provisions that rely on the term marriage and dispensing benefits or burden. >> that is interesting. we will see what else we can bring to our audience. the audio is coming in and we will play it for our audience as soon as possible. ken ji, thank you for sticking around and helping connect the dots. >> my pleasure. >> a new report, that a gay nfl player, set to come out. an active player on an nfl team. well talk with minnesota vikings player and gay rights advocate chris cluey on when a thinks of this report. will it have an impact on the nfl and if the timing has anything to do with what is happening with the supreme court. ♪ you know my heart burns for you... ♪ i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast.
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cbs sports is reporting an unnamed nfl player is considering coming out o of the closet. a friend of the court briefing was filed saying proposition 8 is unconstitutional. kluwe made headlines, you might recall, when he wrote a scathing letter to a em et burns junior. the democrat criticize the athlete saying they should not speak out in support of guy marriage. both men in the brief say quote we hope the support of marriage equality will matter both with the court and people looking for confirmation that it is okay to treat other good people as equals. we know for certain this court's decision truly will matter and in a tremendous way for many peoples' lives. thank you so much for your time, chris. >> no problem. thank you for having me. >> absolutely. first, let me get your reaction to the cbs sports report that an unnamed active player in the nfl
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is preparing or at least considering coming out o of the closet. do you know anything about this? >> i've heard rumors about it, but nothing concrete and you know, it doesn't surprise me that there are active gay players in the nfl. because simple statistics say there will be more than a few. and hopefully whoever it is just feels comfortable enough in themselves that they can finally say to people, look, this is who i am. it doesn't affect how i play on sunday. >> o o do you believe, again, if this report is true -- and there are players in all sports, i believe, that have come out but it is after their career was over. once they were retired. in this case, if this is an active player, do you feel confident right now from the players, to the owners, to the teammates, that that individual would be for the most part, you're always going to vo, you know, people around who don't approve, but for the most part, will that individual be supported in the nfl, you think? >> yeah. i think that person would be supportive because the thing that most people don't understand, most fans don't realize, is that during the
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season, we see each other in the locker room more than we see our own families. those are the guys you're spending 10, 12 hours a day with. it is a close-knit fraternity. when you have your friends, your family, and they're going through something like that, then you know, you want to support them. >> as i mentioned, you made headlines last fall when you wrote a scathing letter to emmette burns junior. he was not flattering speaking out against those who were not inconclusive. you said, i find it inconceivable that you are a an elected official of the united states government. injury vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy
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at any level. how do you feel about making that stand? >> from a personal standpointing with have be a united states politician that does not know what the first amendment means, should be very worrisome to someone who has any idea of having a fair and just government. there is a reason that the first amendment says the government shall not abridge your right to free speech and it is for that reason, to prevent emmette burns from stifling anyone from speaking up for a group. >> i don't know if this is a fair question. can you care about an issue and it not be related to your life in any way. but people will wonder, why are you so passionate at this point? why do you feel it is your responsibility to speak up and even go so far as to write this briefing, saying that proposition 8 is unconstitutional? >> well, for me, it is inherently unfair. we have american citizens that pay taxes that serve in our military that are not treated
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the same as other american citizens. that is not what this country is founded on. this country, while it may not have always achieved equality, that is the goal we have always tried to strive for. and right now, the fact that same-sex couples are denied the bakes rights that 90% of the country gets, is just not right. >> chris kluwe, thank you so much for your time. i greatly appreciate your joining us. i hope to talk to you soon. >> thank you. >> no problem. thank you for having me. >> gut check. who should get the money tied to the chris dorner case. well lay it out for you and you tell us what your gut is telling you today. [ male announcer ] how do you measure happiness? by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. campbell's. but that doesn't mean i don't want to make money.stor. i love making money.
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went on a killing spree before he was killed by the police. now financial backers are pulling ou as two parties try to claim the cash. >>. >> reporter: during the six day manhunt for fugitive christopher dorner police announced the reward. >> we raised over $1 million. >> the trail for dorner had been gold until karen and jim reynolds surprised the ex lapd cop who was hold up inside one of their rental cabins. >> he said put your hand on your head and face the wall. >> he left them before steeling their car. when they were final able to dial 911, police quickly closed in on the fugitive. >> we made the call to the police, the 911 call that told them where he was, what vehicle he was driving, what ch direction he was heading. >> but the reynolds aren't the only ones looking for a payout. >> he pointed a gun at me. a long assault type rifle.
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>> he was car jacked shortly after reynolds called 191. he called the sheriff's deputy to report the diincident and no he too filed a claim for the reward. calls to him and his attorney were not returned. the lapd says some 25 agencies should agree on who, if anyone, should get the reward and that process could take weeks. >> chief beck has been very clear and vocal that he believes that a reward should be paid in this case. >> but the city of riverside has already withdrawn its $100 thousand contribution. saying the conditions of the reward, the quote capture and conviction of dorner, were never met. and new it may be the first of several agencies pulling out their cash. though not in charge of distributing the cash, the lapd has gone on record saying they do believe the reward should be given out. they are concerned that if a reward isn't doled out at some point there will be less folks
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interested in offering tips when reward are on the table. tamron? >> so what does your gut tell you? who should get that reward money in the couple who owned the cabin or the person who was the car jack victim? go to facebook.com/newsnation and cast that vote. that does it for this edition of news nation. see you back here tomorrow. "the cycle" is up next. like lobster lover's dream or new grilled lobster and lobster tacos. come in now and sea food differently. now, buy one lobsterfest entree and get one 1/2 off with a coupon at redlobster.com. my patients don't know which one to use. i tell them to use the brand i use. oral-b -- the brush originally created by a dentist. trust the brand more dentists and hygienists use. oral-b.
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