and that's this thursday. and that's "hardball" for you. thanks for being with us. "politics nation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris. thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, smear factor. one of the most powerful republicans in washington, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell, is under fire for discussing dirty tricks against actress and activist ashley judd. he and his campaign staff were caught on tape talking about a smear campaign against judd in case she decided to run against him. it's a new low for the man who vowed to make president obama a one-term president. who's now leading a filibuster effort against gun reform. these tapes peel back the curtain, giving us an inside look at the ugly tactics he was considering because his poll numbers were so low.

and he was so desperate to keep his job. mother jones published the secret recordings of a strategy meeting that mcconnell's team held in february. on the tape you can hear them going after ashley judd on her values, on her religion. and even on her mental health. >> she's clearly -- this sounds extreme. but she is emotionally unbalanced. i mean, it's been documented. jesse can go in chapter and verse from her autobiography about, you know, she suffered some suicidal tendencies. >> emotional unbalanced? suicidal tendencies? this is ugly stuff being said by the campaign manager for senator mcconnell. ashley judd has courageously talked about her battle with depression. she was raped three times. she was a victim of child abuse. and considered suicide as a

sixth grader. did the mcconnell team think that would be good material for a campaign ad? today ashley judd hit back, saying, quote, reexpected nothing less from mitch mcconnell and his campaign to take a personal struggle, such as depression, which many americans cope with on a daily basis, and turn it into a laughing matter. she's right. this is no laughing matter. and there's no joke about how low senator mcconnell is apparently willing to go. joining me now is david corn, washington bureau chief of mother jones who broke this story. and krystal ball from "the cycle" here on msnbc. first, thank you both for joining me tonight. >> thanks, reverend. >> good to be with you. >> david, the fbi is now investigating these tapes. and today mcconnell's campaign released a statement saying, quote, we've always said the left will stop at nothing to attack senator mcconnell.

but nixonian tactics to bug campaign headquarters is above and beyond. i mean, what's your response to that? was this bugging? is this some nixonian scheme? >> well, to begin with, we contacted mcconnell's office and his campaign over a day ago before putting the story up to see if they'd have any response. we never heard from them. even today after all this he, mitch mcconnell, won't respond to the substance of the story. instead, he said this was a watergate style bugging operation. the source who gave me the tapes has asked for a confidentiality. has asked to remain anonymous. therefore, i can't get into too many details about the origin of the tapes for fear of giving out any hints or clues about the identity of the person who gave it to me. but i can say this. mother jones has released a statement saying it is our understanding -- let me just backtrack. we vetted the tape. we proved it was authentic.

we had our lawyers vet the story for us. it is our understanding that the tape was not a product of any watergate style bugging operation. so for mitch mcconnell and jesse benton, his campaign manager, to say that, well, it's just wrong and it's just a way to dodge the issue. in fact, chuck todd on "hardball" just a few minutes ago said that, you know, he talked to the mcconnell campaign and they swept their offices for bugs and found nothing. >> well, let me ask you this, krystal. when you watch senator mcconnell today dodging the questions on the tapes, look at this. >> do you think it's fair game for you to question someone's mental health or their religious sensibilities in a strategy session like that? >> as i indicated, last month they were attacking my wife's ethnicity. and then apparently also unbeknownst to us at the time they were bugging our headquarters. quite a nixonian move.

this is what you get from the political left in america these days. >> now, i don't know if the political left bugged his office. i don't know if the same people that questioned his wife are behind this. that'll come out in an investigation. but we do know what was said on the tape. and they have not denied the authenticity of the tape. so let's talk about what we do know, krystal. >> absolutely. >> we do know that his manager was talking about the mental health and -- and others in the room about the mental health of ashley judd, who was a proposed candidate against him. how they were going to use that politically, her religion, her faith. i mean, that we know. no one has denied that. isn't this some ugly stuff? >> it's some incredibly ugly stuff. and i don't know why he doesn't just come out and say, you know, that sort of tactic would not be acceptable. i wouldn't have allowed that to go forward. i'm reminded with the mental

health thing, it really bothers me. because i think there is frequently an effort to paint female candidates in particular as unstable and unfit for office. you know, a man facing similar circumstances may be portrayed as someone who's overcome adversity to rise to these high levels. a woman is viewed as unstable. the other thing that i'm reminded of with the religion piece of this is elizabeth dole back in 2008 when she was running against kay hagan in north carolina for the senate. she tried to claim that kay hagan was an atheist. she used ads. and it backfired tremendously. people just would not stand for those sort of personal attacks because they find it disgusting. and i think the fact that he is -- we'll just dodge and deflect and try to throw this on the left and somehow make it a problem with the left rather than addressing the substance of what is said in the tape is sort of unbelievable. >> and, david, whoever the left is here, again, i don't know your source.

i don't know the circumstances. you made your statement. he's made his. but no one is denying what was said on the tape. and, in fact, on the tape, senator mcconnell said to his campaign staff, well, let me -- let me play for people what he said. >> i assume most of you have played the game. the game whac-a-mole? this is the whac-a-mole period of the campaign. >> whac-a-mole. that's where you whac-a-mole. he's endorsing these tactics. what i'm saying is let the investigation go where it might. but, i mean, you're talking about whac-a-mole when you're discussing someone's mental health, their fate? i mean, this is -- >> what's interesting to me in listening to this, is it's a classic standard oppo research presentation. his campaign went to somebody, said give me your -- go dig up all this oppo research on ashley

judd. and they presented it to mcconnell and others in the room. and they discussed it. there's not a lot of news in that. but the fact that they went into her mental health history and her religious views, what's to me interesting is what didn't happen on the tape. as they discussed that stuff -- the thing is, it's not a secret. they didn't dig it out. they just read her book. they just said what she has said about her own struggles with depression. kind of courageously talking about it so others aren't shamed maybe to take action themselves. and so they were just talk about that. at no point do you hear mitch mcconnell boom up, boom out and say, hey, you know, we're not doing that. we're not going there. we can hit ore on obama care. her support for the democratic party platform. she's a liberal hollywood act v vis. it's not as if there wasn't enough material. when it came to her religious views and going over her mental health history he just sat there and -- i don't know if he was laughing with everybody else. there was a lot titters and

laughter going on. he has yet to address what happened in that room. >> krystal, when you listen to what was said when they were talking about her faith, and then laughed about using it against her. listen to this. >> i have to expand my god concept from time to time, and you know particularly i enjoy native faith practices, and have a very nature based god concept. i'd like to think i'm like st. francis in that way, brother donkey, sister bird. >> brother donkey, sister bird. >> the people at southeast christian would take to the streets with pitch forks. >> brother -- that's my favorite one so far. my absolute favorite one so far. >> i mean, they're laughing. someone's saying they'll take to the streets with a pitch fork down here on this. at her faith. and what, i mean, i hear david

saying not only did he not -- senator mcconnell not say in that room we're not going to do it, he hasn't said that yet now that it's out. that i would never have done this and this has no place in american politics. he still hasn't denounced that behavior. krystal? >> can i interrupt chrkrystal f one second? it's important to realize, when she said brother donkey, sister bird, she was referring to stories, well known stories about st. francis of assisi. he preached to the birds. called them sister birds. >> st. francis did. this is a joke to them. >> and they're laughing at that as if it's weird because they are ignorant and don't understand the christianity that they think they probably adhere to. >> as you're both saying, i think the two things that are most telling is mcconnell's at best silence in that room, not saying, you know, that that's over the line. we're not going to go there. let's focus on the policy positions.

and his silence now. he's still unwilling to say that would be over the line. >> denounce it now. >> yeah. i mean, this is america. we don't have a religious test. faith is such a deeply personal issue. i just think it's unbelievable that anyone would think that that was an appropriate place to go in a campaign. >> david, what is so revealing to me, here's a guy who plays such hardball in washington. inflexible. stern. clear cut. and you're going to sit in a room here and entertain this, people are laughing, you say nothing and even now you're not going to stand up? you're going to stand up and filibuster gun legislation. but you're not going to stand up and denounce a meeting that you were in regardless of how they have the tape, either you were in the room and it was authentic or it wasn't. and if it was, how do you deal with your behavior, senator mcconnell? >> that just remains the big

question here. i mean, i hope that, you know, people continue to ask him, do you believe when it comes to opposition research you should go into someone's past struggles, which are public, with depression? i mean, this was not a major opposition research feat which they uncovered something about ashley judd. and said, excuse me, senator, we have to tell you something other people don't know. it's in her book. she's talked about this repeatedly. how she overcame this. when they say she's suicidal she talks about having been suicidal when she was a sixth grader. >> sixth grader. >> literally, it's quite -- it's almost unbelievable that he would think of this as legitimate material for a campaign. >> it's outrageous. and i must say, krystal, david did it again. david corn is a man that brought us the 47% tape. now you come back here with the real mr. mcconnell as he prepares to filibuster gun control in this country. david corn, krystal ball, thank you for your time. >> thanks, rev.

>> thank you. >> catch krystal on "the cycle" weekdays at 3:00 p.m. right here on msnbc. ahead, we are a step closer to justice for our children today. there might be a plan for those political cowards who want to stop a vote on gun safety. and look out! falling poll numbers ahead. i know it's shocking. but if you do unpopular things, you'll become unpopular. and why marco rubio and the right wingers are ginning up a fake scandal about beyonce and jay-z's trip to cuba. it's not about cuba. it's not about the cuban people. it's about smearing the president. stay with us.

have you joined the "politics nation" conversation on facebook yet? we hope you will. our facebook family had tough words for mitch mcconnell and his gop colleagues threatening to filibuster the gun control bill. hagatha says blind obstructionism has done nothing but harm debate and discussion. they're at the heart of our government. nan says all this filibustering is a waste of time and money. vote yes or no. stand by your convictions. carolyn says, these bills deserve a vote. let them stand on their merits. you said it, carolyn. and there is good news today. it looks like we will see a vote this week. more of that coming up next. first, we want you to go and sound off on this topic. please head over to facebook and search politics nation. and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. ♪

[ male announcer ] purpose elevates what we do. raises it to a more meaningful place. makes us live what we do, love what we do and fills our work with rewarding possibility. aarp connects you to a community of experienced workers and has tools to help you find what you're good at. an ally for real possibilities. aarp. go to aarp.org/possibilities.

president obama said gun victims deserve a vote. and now we know they'll get it. today senate majority leader harry reid announced there will be a vote on the democrats' gun bill this thursday. that vote will come 114 days after the shooting at sandy hook elementary. 72 days after the death of hadia pendleton in chicago. justice delayed, but not denied. the nra and its allies have

fought this tooth and nail. but this vote is real. this vote will happen. democrats are now confident they can break the filibuster, 14 political cowards in the gop who are trying to block the bill, who are trying to deny these gun victims from even getting a vote. today vice president biden called them out. >> but it appears that not only are some of the senators not willing to stand and be counted, they're prepared to stop anybody from being able to be counted. i mean, it's almost mind boggling. >> what are you going to say to those parents? look them in the eye. and tell them you concluded that there's nothing you can do? >> this morning some parents of newtown victims were on capitol hill meeting with lawmakers face to face. how can any elected representative look these parents in the eye and say that it's better to do nothing?

that their children died in vain? they te serdeserve better. they deserve a vote, and they're going to get it. joining me now is congressman chaka fahta. democrat from pennsylvania and member of the task force on illegal gun. thank you, congressman, for joining me tonight. >> thank you. and thank you for keeping the light and the heat on this subject. that's why we're going to get a vote. because -- not because of what politics have said, because the public, those parents from newtown, the public from all over the country, want to see the congress act. you know, i mean, to say that we can't ban any guns, you know, little children have to face down guns but politicians can't stand up and cast a vote one way or the other and be accountable, this filibuster notion is the worst of the worst. >> yeah. >> out of this cast of characters. and i think by thursday, what harry reid knows is what i know. is that it's going to crumble. there's going to be a vote. we're going to pass this out of the senate. and then speaker boehner says --

we'll get a vote in the house. i think we're going to see the american public actually move the american government on this issue. >> now, congressman, isn't this really a big step forward for the president and a huge setback for the nra which hoped this bill would never even get a vote? >> well, look, you've seen this show for a long time. and what has been bottled up for decades on the hill is any type of gun safety efforts. but because of the outrage in the public that, you know, a convicted criminal, people convicted of domestic violence, young people who may commit suicide and have mental challenges and should be disallowed from buying guns can walk in and easily buy any manner of gun with any amount of ammunition in a clip, we saw the results. and we've seen it in movie theaters. we saw it at an elementary school. we see it in communities all across our country every day. thousands of people literally

have been shot dead since newtown. >> no doubt about it. >> we talk about the 24 -- 26 that were shot there. but 2,000 others have lost their lives. you know, what we need to do as a congress is we need to stand up and be accountable. if you want to vote that anybody should be able to have any kind of gun that they want, then vote that way. but we should not have people standing up filibustering us being able to get to the issue at hand. >> well, you know, one of the things i took note of today is the daughter of the newtown principal that was killed in the shooting has been tweeting today. let me quote one of her tweets. going through the list of senators threatening to filibuster. calling them one by one. and then she puts out, "i will be heard." then she -- another tweet. she lists the name of the senators and says, call me back. i'm not going away. i mean, you've got to admire her. how can these gop senators refuse to even talk to someone who lost so much?

lost her mother who put herself in harm's way and was harmed to protect her students. i mean, what are they afraid of? >> look, you know, the filibuster is not the right tool. what we need to have here is let's have a vote on universal background checks. let's have a vote on ammunition and the limits on ammunition. let's have a vote on assault weapons. all of these the senators have six-year terms. they have multimillion dollar campaign funds. they can take a tough vote one way or the other. if they actually believe people should have these guns, you know, i heard this marine on one of the ads that the mayor's group is putting forward. saying, look, these guns have a place and it's in the battlefield. it's not in our neighborhoods. and we need to deal with this. i think we know the vast majority, over 80% of gun owners actually agree that there should be reasonable regulation. the supreme court said there should be reasonable regulation. and what the question that the congress has to answer now is how can we reasonably step aside of this nonsense about

filibuster and deal with this issue. >> well, and the congress needs to deal with it, congressman. the fact is this is not even a partisan issue. 91% of all voters support universal background checks. 88% republicans, 88% gun hold rs. this is the american people saying, vote. don't duck. congressman fattah, thank you for joining me. >> thank you. ahead, i'm going to give my republican friends some advice tonight. and it has to do with chris christie. and the latest phony right wing standal has nothing to do with beyonce or jay-z's trip to cuba. and everything to do with president obama. stay with us. asional have constipation,

diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national.

because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro.

republicans ripping jay-z and beyonce for their trip to cuba, it's another fake right wing scandal. of course, it's all about trying to hurt president obama. this is "politics nation." stay with us. everyone's retirement dream is different; how we get there is not. we're americans. we work. we plan. ameriprise advisors can help you like they've helped millions of others.

to help you retire your way, with confidence. ♪ that's what ameriprise financial does. that's what they can do with you. let's get to work. ameriprise financial. more within reach. are proven to be effective pain relievers. tylenol works by blocking pain signals to your brain. bayer advanced aspirin blocks pain at the site. try the power of bayer advanced aspirin. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can help make this a great block party. ♪ [ male announcer ] advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers

for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. [ male announcer ] advair diskus fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder. get your first prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com.

otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. ♪ 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. let's be honest now, after losing two presidential elections in a row, it is

certainly time for some candid and honest discussion within our party. we've got to stop being the stupid party. >> that was good advise from governor jindal. too bad he didn't take it. this year jindal proposed in the state of louisiana a plan that would have given a huge task break to the top 1%. all while raising taxes on the bottom 80%. and would you believe it? the poor and middle class in louisiana didn't like it. jindal's approval rating dropped from 51% just last november to 38% this month. a 13-point drop. that plummet has him scrapping his tax plan. >> i listen to what you had to say. i listened to what the great people of this state had to say. let me tell you what they told me. we're worried you're moving too quickly. we're not sure your plan is the best way to do it.

i want to let you know, first of all, that's certainly not what i wanted to hear. >> he might not want to hear it, but he and other gop governors are facing outrage over their radical agendas. and their poll numbers are sinking like a stone. like governor corbett. he's sitting on a 39% approval rating. gee, i guess the people of pennsylvania don't like being disenfranchised by voter id laws. and how about governor rick snyder and his 36% approval? turns out the people of michigan didn't like getting an emergency manager law shoved down their throat. and governor 36% approval scott. floridians don't like when you gut their safety net. guys, just take some advice from another unpopular guy. >> we've got to stop being the stupid party. stop being the stupid party. the stupid party. >> stop being the stupid party. stop working against the people of your states. and maybe they will stop the

free fall ride you're on. joining me now is richard wolffe and cynthia tucker. thank you both for coming on the show tonight. >> thanks, reverend. >> good to be here, reverend. >> richard, i want to put the jindal graph back up. look at this free fall. it's not a hard concept. do unpopular things and you become unpopular. why can't these governors get that by now? >> i think you got a couple of things going on. governor jindal for a start suffered from being the anointed one too early. maybe he believed some of the good press he was getting and tried to play for the "wall street journal" editorial board or maybe the country club republicans. it's a really striking admission when you have an elected official, a governor of a state, go out and say, when i talk to people about it, they didn't like it. well, you should have been talking to people before you roll out a plan like that. and the bigger problem for these other governors, i think, is that when you're elected in the 2010 era, when you've got a wave of angry voters coming in, you've never had to go

statewide. you've never had to branch out and reach across party lines. that's what most governors have to do. that's not what this crop has had to do. >> cynthia, when you look at the fact that "the new york times" reports out of the ten most unpopular governors, eight of them are republican, and when you look at the fact that they've made it clear they're working against the president's agenda, and you see the same being done in washington with the senate republicans and people in the house, i mean, it's like they are almost just throwing their own futures on the line because they're so committed to blocking the president and his agenda. it's incredible. >> and it's testimony to the fact that it's not just republican personalities that are unpopular. it's republican policies that are unpopular. >> right. >> and i'm not sure how much it's going to take before they understand that. you know, jindal not only was

proposing this god awful task plan, but back in december, he had proposed ending hospice care for medicaid patients. >> right. >> in other words, he was going to cut off all aid, medical aid, to people who were dying. that's not just the stupid party. that's the cruel party. down in florida, rick scott insisted on testing people who got aid such as welfare for drugs. >> right. >> even though it cost more money to administer the test than it saved the state. but he was -- again, not just the stupid party, but the cruel party. >> see, i think that's the point, richard. when you look at on a state level, the gop's working against the president, doing some as cynthia said cruel things, whether it be by not implementing part of the affordable care act or proposing voter id bills or enacting

unfair tax plans or pushing anti-women bills. anything to oppose the president at the expense of people. i mean, look at governor jindal. listen to what he just said last month. >> we certainly need folks in washington who will devote themselves to the task of stopping this president from taking america so far off the ledge that we can't come back. >> i mean, president obama's made it clear we need to move forward. we need to act even if the results aren't always perfect. listen to the president. >> being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life. it does not mean we all define liberty exactly the same way. or follow the same precise path to happiness. progress does not compel us to settle centuries long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us

to act in our time. >> some of these governors, richard, are just standing in the way of progress even if it's not perfect. >> you know, there's one way to look at it is about progress. one way is to look at it how you help people. those are important measures for any elected official. but this is also bad politics. these governors, bobby jindal in those rare moments of candor, knows that they have lost two elections and the president himself won a big re-elect on the issue of taxes. he has broken generation, a decades long argument where republicans beat democrats every single time on taxes. this president just won an entire election constructed around the proposal that he could raise taxes on the 1%, on the super wealthy, and people would find that popular. so if you're a politician and you are in trouble as these governors are, you should take a look at what the electorate is actually doing and saying, and they have real life examples

from this last election. so it doesn't make sense from a progress point of view or politics. because in the end, their own fate is up. and voters have said, we don't mind the rich paying more. in fact, we quite like it. >> and cynthia, it is also where people want to see leadership work together, reach across the aisle, and show that they're mature enough to do what's good for the people. look at chris christie. not a democrat. 70% approval rating. in fact, he had four straight months of over 70% approval rating as a republican governor while his colleagues i just read to you, their numbers are about half of that or a little more than half of that because they're not showing leadership. and they're not making the people the priority. >> as richard just said, you would think that as a political matter, these long time politicians would understand that. chris christie is enormously

popular in his state. and recent polls have shown that he was the only republican figure, well known republican figure, who could even get within striking distance of hillary clinton or joe biden were he to run in 2016. but how has -- how have activist republicans responded to chris christie? by not inviting him to come to their big conservative gathering in washington, cpac, last month. >> that's right. >> so the republican activists, the hard core republicans, want nothing to do with chris christie even though he's the guy who is much more popular than most of the figures they're putting forward. >> right. that tells you a lot. richard wolffe, cynthia tucker, thanks for your time this evening. i'm going to have to leave it right there. >> thanks, reverend. ahead, marco rubio slides further to the cuckoo. now he's attacking beyonce and

jay-z's trip to cuba. we'll show you. and something just happened to president clinton for the first time ever. and stephen colbert is involved. that's next. aw this is tragic man, investors just like you could lose tens of thousands of dollars on their 401(k) to hidden fees. thankfully e-trade has low cost investments and no hidden fees. but, you know, if you're still bent on blowing this fat stack of cash, there's a couple of ways you could do it. ♪ ♪ or just go to e-trade and save it. boom. ♪ trust your instinctse anto make the call. to treat my low testosterone, my doctor and i went with axiron, the only underarm low t treatment. axiron can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18

or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about the only underarm low t treatment, axiron. we learned something new about president bill clinton last night. courtesy of stephen colbert. >> do you tweet? >> no. i think i'm so sort of insecure.

like, if, you know, what if you tweet and nobody tweets back? what if you tweet and you have -- if you're -- there's nothing worse than a friendless tweeter, right? you're just wandering around in cyber space. >> just wandering around in cyber space. well, not anymore, thanks to mr. colbert. >> i took the liberty of opening you a twitter account. now, president clinton was taken. william jefferson clinton was taken. but pres billy jeff was available. >> pres billy jeff. i like the way that sounds. but then it was time for the first official tweet. >> 140 characters or less. >> just spent. >> just spent. >> amazing time with colbert.

>> sound good? >> question. is he sane? >> there it is. even with the hashtag for the clinton global initiative. and check this out. we've been tracking his popularity on twitter all day. by 5:00 p.m. he was up to 81,000 followers. not bad, mr. president. not bad at all. are baked with brown rice and sweet potato! triscuit has a new snack? no way. way. and the worst part is they're delicious. mmm, you're right. maybe we should give other new things a chance. no way. way. [ male announcer ] we've taken 100% whole grain brown rice and wheat, delicious sweet potato, and savory red bean... and woven them into something unexpected. the new brown rice triscuit line; with sweet potato and red bean varieties. a new take on an old favorite.

with sweet potato and red bean varieties. tired of fees piling up introducing chase liquid. the reloadable card with no fee reloads and withdrawals at chase atms. all for one flat monthly fee so there's zero confusion. get rid of prepaid problems. get chase liquid.

♪ i want to tell you a story about a young couple madly in love. you could even say crazy in love. they've been married for five years and decided to celebrate their anniversary with a little four-day trip to a warm caribbean island. so they chose to enjoy some time in a country where more and more

americans are going each year. it's going to be the trip of a lifetime. but instead they got a massive smear campaign from the right. of course, i'm talking about jay-z and beyonce's recent trip to cuba. which has been attacked by marco rubio and the gop propaganda wing. even though their visit had been signed off on by the treasury department. and despite the fact that their visit reportedly involved no meetings with cuban officials or typical tourist activity like trips to the beach. but if you're marco rubio, a politician with more eyes on 2016 than principles, you smell another phony, ginned up scandal in the making. so he's joining two other republican representatives and the right wing talkers to go after president obama. let's be very clear. these bogus attacks have nothing to do with cuba.

nothing to do with the cuban people. and everything to do with attacking and smearing president obama. joining me now, jonathan capehart and angela rye. thanks to both of you for being here tonight. >> thanks, rev. >> thank you, rev. >> angela, the outrage. what do you think this is really all about? >> more time to buy for distraction. they really don't want to focus on the real issues impacting us right now, rev. we have a situation where here rubio is in the gang of eight needing to roll out this immigration bill this week. instead of focusing on big picture immigration, the challenges that our country has that our age old, he's focusing on a beyonce and jay-z trip. perhaps because jay-z didn't give him enough attention when he was on the senate floor during the filibuster quoting lyrics. so he went after jay-z on twitter, talking about he didn't know about this hunger strike that this young rapper in cuba is undergoing and he should be ashamed of himself for going to cuba.

nevertheless, we still need to address gun control. we still need to address jobs and the economy. and he wants to focus on jay-z and beyonce on an approved trip. >> jonathan, they're not the only celebrities who's gone to cuba. bill murray went in july 2009. james kahn july 2009. sean penn october 2009. jim baa lucci last march. danny glover, 2011 and '13. the reason they're doing this to jay-z and beyonce is because they've had a close relationship and identity with the president. >> right. >> not because they get upset when celebrities go into cuba. particularly when they've been precleared by the treasury department. this is because they're close to president obama so they can try to use this to smear the president despite this was a cleared trip. >> right. this is selective outrage. it's good that you brought up all those other celebrities who have gone to cuba unremarked.

the thing -- and, yes, this is a proxy fight with president obama. it's not that they're just close personal friends of the president and the first lady's. it's that they were big fundraisers for president obama. and, you know, republicans and the right wing and senator marco rubio and the two members from congress, congresswoman ross lateman and diaz ballard, they're trying to make it seem like because they are big bund lers, money people for president obama, they then got special treatment to go over to cuba. you know, beyond what the travel restrictions are. and, you know, a source says that the treasury department cleared that. and a source inside treasury tells me that they will be responding to a letter from those two members of congress that was sent over to the treasury looking for answers. and, you know, my hunch is if treasury is responding this quickly to -- to these two

members of congress, it means that there's no there there. >> well, you know, angela, fox news has been linking the president to the trip. listen to this. >> both beyonce and jay-z have been big fundraisers for president obama. beyonce sang at his inauguration back in january. >> these hollywood heavyweights who are aligned with these -- got a clearance from the department of treasury. >> they got a cultural view. >> they're given a license. >> so they can get a ton of money, get people to go to their websites and download their new songs. i also want to know whose idea was this initially? did they -- did anyone in the administration think this would be a good idea? >> you think they thought it up themselves? >> when you sing for the president, you got to be -- >> i didn't know the administration decided where jay-z and beyonce want to go on their anniversary. the fact is, angela, that

several ways people could travel legally to cuba. if they're visiting close relatives. on official government travel. going for journalistic travel. going for professional research or to attend a conference. traveling for educational activities. traveling for religious activities. telecommunication. agricultural sales. or people to people tours. which is how jay-z and beyonce got there. there's no mystery to this. >> no, rev, there's no mystery to this. there's also cultural exchanges. that's clearly what this is. the fact that another news network chooses to say that the president is behind some overall big push and conspiracy to get jay-z and beyonce to cuba is ridiculous. i'm sorry. i think the president is busy addressing real issues. the last time i checked, he was pushing gun control heavily in communities that matter and have been so severely impacted by this crisis. nobody cares where these folks go to travel. we wish them the best but we definitely think this is a waste

of news time. >> and i think, jonathan, that angela's right when she talks about the distraction. because they don't want to deal with why they're going against 90% of the american public on background checks. they don't want to explain a lot of things that they are elected to the senate and congress to deal with. they want to worry about some pop hip-hop stars going to cuba legally, if all that is reported is true. and act like the president has nothing to do but sit around and decide where somebody's going to go on their anniversary. i mean, it's absolutely ridiculous, or it is a cynical way of distracting people from what needs to be discussed and trying to smear the president at the same time, a two for one. >> yeah. i was going to say, or it's both. it's a distraction and it's a cynical way of attacking the president. you know, look, none of this -- none of this makes sense if you

don't think that it's good in a twisted sort of way for the two members of congress, loss lateman and diaz ballard and senator marco rubio to have their names in the papers, having us talk about them in relation to two of the most famous entertainers in the -- in the united states, if not in the world. so as angela says, there are real things that these folks could be talking about. senator rubio is part of the gang of eight working on immigration. how this helps that effort is beyond me. >> well, i'm going to have to hold it there, jonathan. >> sure. >> i'm running out of -- i've run out of time. jonathan capehart, angela rooi, thank you both for your time tonight. 74 years ago tonight, an african-american opera singer named ma e e ed marian anderson america forever with one concert. that's next. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro.

governor of getting it done. you know how to dance... with a deadline. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. this is awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is, business pro. yes, it is. go national. go like a pro.

yes, it is. welcnew york state, where cutting taxes for families and businesses is our business. we've reduced taxes and lowered costs to save

businesses more than two billion dollars to grow jobs, cut middle class income taxes to the lowest rate in sixty years, and we're creating tax free zones for business startups. the new new york is working creating tens of thousands of new businesses, and we're just getting started. to grow or start your business visit thenewny.com when it comes to justice in

america, you never know what or who will spark a movement. on this day back in 1939, world famous african-american opera singer marian anderson lit the fire. she wanted to sing in front of an integrated audience at washington, d.c.'s biggest concert venue, constitution hall. but the group that owned the hall, the daughters of the american revolution, denied her request because they had a white performers only policy. that decision became a national shame. first lady eleanor roosevelt resigned from the daughters of the revolution in protest. and led the cause for a new concert. that concert was moved outside to the lincoln memorial. it was april 9th, 1939. easter sunday. 75,000 people, black and white, came to watch.

♪ my country 'tis of thee sweet land of liberty of thee i sing ♪ >> ma -- millions of other americans listened on the radio. and with that historic performance, anderson became a civil rights icon. 24 years later, she sang at the lincoln memorial again. when dr. martin luther king jr. delivered his famous "i have a dream" speech. and her spirit was there in 2009 when barack obama went to lincoln memorial to celebrate his election as the nation's first black president. ma marian anderson gave vote to a call for justice and the awakening of a civil rights movement. e