the "news nation" is following president obama marking the first 100 days of his second term with a news conference, covering everything from syria to guantanamo bay. we begin with syria and the possible use of chemical weapons by president assad. the president saying the u.s. needs more support from congress and the international community before taking any sort of action. >> there are options available to me on the shelf right now that we have not deployed. and that's a spectrum of options. as early as last year, i asked the pentagon, our military, intelligence officials to prepare for me what options might be available. >> the president was also asked about the u.s. military prison at guantanamo bay where officials say 100 detainees are now on a hunger strike. the president saying he is ready to renew efforts to close that facility which he promised to shut down at the beginning of his first term in 2009.

>> i think it is critical for us to understand that guantanamo is not necessary to keep america safe. it is expensive. it is inefficient. it hurts us in terms of our international standing. it lessens, it is a recruitment tool for extremists. it needs to be closed. >> president addressing the continued partisan stalemate over the sequester and the piecemeal bill he supported to resolve the faa furloughs. >> the fact that congress responded to the short term problem of flight delays by giving us the option of shifting money that is designed to repair and improve airports over the

long term to fix the short term problem, that's not a solution. so essentially, what we've done is we've sai inrder to avoid delays this summer, we're going to ensure delays for the next two or three decades. >> joining me live, our "news nation" political panel. the former u.n. ambassador, excuse me, and colnist and nbc contributor raul reyes. thank you for joining us. governor richardson, i would like to start with you to get your reactions on the comments regarding guantanamo bay. first let me play a little more of what the president said in this news conference. >> it is not a surprise to me that we've got problems in gh a guantanamo which is why when i was campaigning in 2007 and 2008, and when i was elected in 2008, i said we need to close guantanamo. i continue to believe that we've got to close guantanamo and i'm going to reengage with congress

to try to make the case that this is not something that is in the best interests of the american people. >> governor richardson, over 100 of the 166 detainees are on the hunger strike. the red cross said the detainees have never been this desperate. the president was criticized for not mentioning git moe in the state of the union. what are the options the president says he is ready to go at it again. >> i think he is buttressing his base. he did make this commit many during the campaign, during his first term. i think he is challenging congress. a lot of issues on the table. we've got immigration, guantanamo, sequestration, it is a funng issue. not necessarily a policy issue. the president wants to close it but if the congress continues to fund it, it will be very hard

for him to do it. so he is buttressing his political base on immigration, on issues relating to n guantanamo. he needs democrats to pursue a lot of these negotiations with somehow intractable republicans. finally on immigration, it will be tough to get a good senate bill which is moving in the right direction. keep it similar in the house where they want to do it piecemeal and the tea party has enormous influence. >> and lois, let me bring you in on the president. we'll talk about immigration. that seems to be the one area where there is progress. back to the president and guantanamo bay, he brought up that it is expensive. is that perhaps a way of bringing in the deficit hawks, some of those within the republican party say their focus really is about how much this nation is spending. >> you know, i think that this hunger strike c ultimately force some action. because it is not going to look

particularly good globally if some of these prisoners start dying. but we can't ignore the fact that early in the president's administration, he made some choices and closing guantanamo was not one of them. i know he needed congress to do it. in terms of what actions to take, where to use his political capital. and there was a lot of disagreements among his staff and the administration about whether that should be a priority early on. and it wasn't. so we've all forgotten about guantanamo until now when we've got this hunger strike. so now i think he has to do something about it. >> the president made the comment, out of sight out of mind for a lot of people. that has sadly been the case for most. when you think about the issue of guantanamo bay. let me transition. since the governor did bring up immigration, the president bringing that issue up. the comprehensive reform. let me play what the president said. >> thing are pretty dysfunctional up on capitol hill. despite that, i'm actually confident that there are a range of thing that we can get done.

i feel confident that the bipartisan work that has been done on immigration reform will result in a bill that passes the senate, passes the house and gets on my desk. that will be an historic achievement. >> it is interesting. al hundred wrote an article. obama republicans squandered first 100 days and he noted it is a measure for first term presidents, not reelected ones. yet the end of precipitous moment for an early evaluation of how they are meeting the aspirations set out in january. the answer, both are falling short. when it comes to immigration, that is not the case. that may be the glimmer of hope at things can certa get done. obviously, the republicans have a stake in wanting this to get done. seeing the election results will. >> we have to bear in mind that the 100-day mark, it is somewhat arbitrary. there are certain things that have happened over the last few months. newtn, more recently the boston bombing that's no one

could have foreseen. we're not talking about the traditional trajectory. i think with regard to immigration, the president is right on with his approach. ordinarily i would say that the, leading from behind is not really the best way to go. you have to be onront of something and pushing. with this congress, with this house, with these republicans and on this issue, it is absolutely the way to go. and i thought it was very remarkable that he mentioned he is supportive of the senate approach. but from the house, he wants a path to citizenship bearing in mind that's what the public wants. it is certainly what latino wants. he did get that in there and he referenced comprehensive reform. not the piecemeal reform that some seem to be leading toward. >> let me bring you back in regarding leadership. international. the president making, i believe, his second on camera comments regarding syria and the options on the table, if in fact bashar al assad used those chemical weapons against his own people. let me play what the president said. we've heard all along rushing to

judgment. >> if we end up rushing to judgment without hard effective evidence, then we can find ourselves in the position where we can't mobilize the international community to support what we do. there may be jectns, even among some people in the reasoning. >> so obviously, governor, not rushing to judgment on the evidence and getting a clear picture of what happened there. nevertheless, you have people who wonder, when the president said those words, it would be red line if chemical weapons were used. did the president have a plan after? and we have to assume that that to be the case. what can you tell me? >> well, i'm not privy to administration discussions. but i think the president sent two signals. the first one is that he is very close to making a decision of using some kind of military assistance. not troops but perhaps air

strikes, ge, traininghe rebels way. the problem is that some of those rebels have very nefarious ties. so i think he was sending a signal that he is about to move. the other signal was to russia. it was basically this. look, things are not good for assad, your client. let's work together to get m out. let's find a political solution. maybe through the u.n. envoy which doesn't look good, but some kind of way, russia, that will prevent us from getting more military involved. i think that was the second signal that he was sending. and i think it was a good signal. because the american people don't want to get into another conflagration after iraq and afghanistan. but he did put that red line out wants more evidence. the u.n. i think is about to give them that from the secretary general. they've got an investigation going. so i think the president is very close but he is also pushing for

a diplomatic solution. the only ones that can make that happen are russia. >> let me follow up by saying you have secretary kerry who is now, just announced he will be traveling to russia. i believe his words were, it is a long overdue trip to syria and iran. to your point, the pieces if you will of the puzzle in deciding what these options are seem to be in full play. moving that direction. >> yes. and russia, we have to have a strong positive relationship with russia. and it hasn't been happening. issues like iran, issues like north korea. we need him in the council. syria and iran can't move positively without russia's help. and russia has been helping on iran sanctions but not enough. on syria, they have helped very little. but if they see that assad is going to go and they want to have some kind of influence in an outcome with the rebels or

with whoever takes over, russia has to play. and i think that is the mention that russia will receive. >> and let me bring you back in. i want your opinion as well. we heard the governor say russia has to play. when you bring it back to gles politics, the president basically said, republicans have to play as well. he applied to someone's question by saying, you implied to me that it is up to me to get them to behave. that is their job. referring to republicans. let me play what he said regarding republicans, not cooperating on the grand bargain. let's play it. >> they're worried about their politics. it is tough. their base thinks that compromise with me is somehow a betrayal. >> we've heard the president say that before. that anything his name is associated with, it is an automatic no. but as you know, people are getting exhausted with this, seeing the exemption made for the faa. seeing the continued battles and no grand bargain anywhere in sight as we saw at the end of

last year.dion. what is the next move for the president regarding these talks with cuts and spending? >> you know, i think that he has all along just hoped that the frustrations of the american people would put pressure on the republicans. that's just not happening. you can see his exasperation today on multiple levels. you can set he does not, he is not keen on this faa bill. and i'm not so sure where he goes from here. because several of his paths have not worked. taking it to the american people has not worked. and i think that he, guns might be coming in his favor a little bit. because five of the senators who voted against him are now getting a lot of blowback in their states. and i think he is hoping that that comes around. >> we've seen some new polling out showing several folks who voted against the background checks, seeing some kind of dip. there is still more time to cover and they may redeem

themselves. to the point about the people, the president has gone to the people. you sue at the polling o migration. the background checks, over and over. even seeing the increase in tax for people who make over $250,000. it seem the will of the people, at least according to the president and his allies, has not been heard. >> it seems like it is being completely disregarded. i think it is smart of him here and there tse it in the broadest terms possible saying i can't make them behave. for the many, the thousands of people who are following these issues very casually, throwing it out there is something that can be summed up so succinctly brings it closer to me as a p.s., to me one oe most fascinating aspects of this conference, at the very end when he came back for the question about jason collins. that's when he seem the most enthusiastic. very engaged, genuine. that was just interesting to me that he is very connected with the national conversation. that's what people are talking about and he is right in the middle of it.

>> and we're going to play the president's remarks on jason collins a little later when dave talks about the day after if you will, this big announcement. governor richardson, thank yofo. lois romano, thank you. coming up, some officials now furious after the director of the national intelligence orders a review into the government's handling of the boston terror case. why are they upset? we'll get latest from nbc's pete williams. plus, george zimmerman back in court and making a big decision regarding the stand your ground defense. we'll talk with the former prosecutor about what this could mean for the case moving forward. and join our conversation on twitter. you can find us @tamron hall. we've all had those moments.

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now to the latest of the boston bombing investigation. thtop adviser ordered a review to see if officials missed warning signs before the attacks. the president called it standard procedure. sources say some officials are, quote, furious that the move will be perceived as evidence that mistakes were in fact made. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams joins us live. soaneople would think it would be obvious that some kind of investigation to not necessarily point a finger but to ensure that all was done to protect the public. why is there some pushback? >> i'm not sure why there is some pushback. i guess it is pretty much as you said. there are some officials who will think that any investigation is somehow an implied criticism. but the president made it pretty clear today that he acknowledged there had been congressional concern about this.

a lot of member of congress raised questions after the three time members went to brief congress. it is partly to answer that question. partly to see if there are lesson ts here but the president said he thought the fbi and the department of homeland security had done the right thing. many people have asked questions about not so much whether the existing rules weren't followed here. but whether perhaps there should be other ways to treat cases like this. now, this is a tricky area. because you get several thousand of these requests all the time a year from foreign governments to look into what people in the u.s. are doing. remember, this request was one from the russians that said, we think tamerlan is coming to russia. we've got some concerns about him. what can you tell us? after the fbi had done its initial let the assessment and closed the case, i guess one of the questions is should there be a way to revisit these cases? should they be closed or a way

to keep them active? it is a hard thing. because you cannot keep all of them active. they would start to pile up and people would do nothing more but keep tabs on these things. it would never en. is there some way to triage this, to look at some and set others aside? those are some of the questions they're at. >> let me get an update. regarding katherine russell, she is the wife of tamerlan tsarnaev. what do we know regarding the investigation and at least any focus on her? >> pretty much what we knew yesterday which is an fbi team went to her house, talked to her, took a sample of her dna which they will now check against dna fnd on one of the pieces of the bomb components. that will take a while. if they want to try to figure out where that came from. they're not saying it came from her. they just want to know if they can eliminate her from a potential scene, it could have been a victim, it could have been an employee that sold one

of the parts. they want to narrow it down. >> thank you very much. candidates for south carolina's open congressional seat back on the trail one day after democrat elizabeth bush came out swinging at last night's debate against her opponent, mark sanford. >> when we talk about fiscal spending and we talk about protecting the taxpayers, it doesn't mean you take that money we saved and leavehe country for a personal purpose. c-max two. that's a super fuel- efficient hybrid for me. and a long range plug-in hybrid for you. now, let's review. introducing the ford c-max hybrid and the ford c-max energi plug-in hybrid. say hi to the c-max hybrids.

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george zimmerman has waived his right to the stand your line. he told a judge during a key martin in self-defense and has pled not guilty. his attorneys say they may seek immunity at a later date. joining me from florida, kerry sanders.

was this decision a surprise? >> reporter: we knew it was likely to come. the judge wanted it on the record in court. so george zimmerman had to go up, take an oath and go through the pieces with the judge that he, with consulting his attorneys, that he would not invoke immunity using the stand your ground law prior to the trial. now, his attorney, mark o'marra thinks he could bring it up during the trial. this is a question not for the jury but rather for the judge. and so in florida, it can be brought up prior to the trial. the judge could rule on it. if the judge were to say yes, stand your ground does indeed grant your mup, there never would be the impanelling of a jury or a trial. remember in florida, judges are elected. second of all, he can do it during trial. now, if he were to use it during trial, imagine, there would be a jury impaneled and the judge

would have to make that decision. just the argument, even if it is out of jurors' ears, could in some way influence. then there is the mere possibility that once the trial is said and done, the attorney on can say now i want to invoke stand your ground, the controversial law. it is a long lawful it says a person is justified in the use of deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harmful that is what george zimmerman alleges. that 17-year-old trayvon martin was that imminent threat and that's why he shot and killed him. >> all right. thank you. joining me now, the former florida u.s. attorney and legal analyst, kendall coffee. a reminder, george zimmerman has sued nbc universal for defamation and the company has strongly depp his allegations. going back to the criminal process. today, kerry saying it wasn't a

huge surprise. we've talked so much about the stand your ground. is being such an intricate part of this case. >> and the judge's concerns to make sure zimmerman knew what he was doing. under the florida stand your ground law, zimmerman had two different chances to raise that kind of self-defense. >> why risk it this way? >> why give up one of the chances and simply roe the dice with the jury. the judge wanted to make sure that he knowingly and voluntarily gave up the right. why do it? it is a strategy that o'maria isn't talking about it. but he thought he would not have an easy time winning with the judge before trial, didn't want to show his cards before trial. and didn't want to have the risk of a judge rejecting stand your ground defense in a way that might be known to a lot of the people who could end up on a jury when this case is tried. >> we could have potentially hear more details than before regarding this case today, if they pursued the stab your ground. >> that's right. there would have been in effect,

george zimmerman on the stand, trying to give the whole story to explain it. to try to reconcile the inconsistencies. that will be the key part of the defense rather than preview it in a stand your ground hearing before trial, the defense wants to see the prosecution see it for the first time when the jury sees it. >> let me play a little of what the attorneys from both sides had to say regarding what that and zimmerman giving up that pretrial stand your ground defense. let's play both. >> he gave up that right. he will proceed to trial. that means that everyone who thought that he should have been arrested and proceeds to trial is vindicated today. >> we're going to present our self-defense case. i think it is quite strong. i think it is going to convince the jury that wholistically, looking at the whole picture, what happened that night was george zimmerman did nothing wrong and was attacked by trayvon martin. >> kendall, i don't want to put you in a position where you're

criticizing another attorney but would you have pursued the case that way, that the decision made by zimmerman and his attorneys today in. >> it is too close a call to second-guess at this point. most attorneys, the usual strategy is hey, if the law gives you two different chances, try it with the judge first. if not, take it to the jury. but this case isn't like any other. meanwhile, o'marra is trying to say i'm giving up stand your ground before trial. maybe i can use in it some way, be just with the jury but with the judge to get the judge to decide stand your ground during or after trial. that's new unchartered waters. no one is sure he can do that. >> thank you very much. i know we'll be talking with you. more. in the past hour, philadelphia jury started deliberating the case of kermit gosnell. he is accused of killing four late term babies. police say they were born alive. in closing statements, the defense attorney jack mcmahan railed against the media a

called prosecutors elitists for pursuing him. he is african-american and his clinics serve. they said it was run with no regard for the health of its patients. we'll continue to follow that story until the jury makes its decision. still ahead -- >> 12 hours later, how does it feel? >> it is incredible. just try to live an honest, genuine life. the next thing you know, you have the president calling you. >> nba free agent jason collins calls the support he's received after coming out, incredible. we'll talk to sports writer who said the significance cannot be under judge stated. we'll have more on what the president said. the humble back seat.

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today mark sanford and his opponent are on the trail oneda last flight. >> when we talk about fiscal spending and we talk about protecting the taxpayers, it doesn't mean you take that money we saved and leave the country for a personal purpose. >> she went there, governor sanford. >> i couldn't hear what she said. >> i want to be very clear, mark, nobody tells me what to do except the people of south carolina's first district. and secondly, if you've been at the commercials and paying attention, i am a fiscally conservative independent tough business woman. okay? >> colbert busch is trying to launch a political career. she is the sister of cia stephen colbert.

joining me live, talking about this hot race, senior political editor mark murray. we heard the moderator say that she went there. and i'm so intrigued by your analysis in that elizabeth colbert busch did not say you cheated on your wife. she brought it up in the context of budget and taxpayer money, considering that mark sanford certainly was a person who was a conservative and talked as a budget was his top priority for his state at the time. >> as long as i've been covering politics and mark sanford has been a fixture in american politics, first as a congressman, then governor of south carolina, he has built a reputation of being a fiscal conservative. and what is so damaging about his indiscretion and the affair that he had is not the affair. it was the allegation of a misuse of taxpayer money. ethics fines that he ended up having to pay, all of that. and that tears down one of his biggest strengths, is that

fiscal conservatism. that's exactly the route that she went and the route that a lot of democratic ads bombarding that district are going. >> she had that nothing to lose attitude going down. even her tone. she said no one tell me what to do. it seems as if she know, this is her big opportunity. he is vulnerable. even down to supporting his decision to support gun control bill. not the expansion of the gun control bill. despite the fact it shows the number in his district where people overwhelmingly support that. >> she wouldn't be accused of not being tough. there are some polls out there that show her to be ahead. maybe the slight favorite in this contest. she was not debating like somebody who was the front-runner. she was left it all out there. it was very, very revealing to those of us who watch it and certainly followed a lot of the news coverage about that. and of course, we have a week to go. but right now, i probably want to be elizabeth colbert busch

than mark sanford of. >> i wanted to play his reaction to the question about his infidelity and even president clinton. let me play this exchange. >> governor sanford, when you were in congress, you voted for the defense of marriage act and to impeach president clinton for an extra-marital affair. would you vote those ways again? >> well, i would reverse the question to you. and i would say this. do you think that president clinton should be condemned for the rest of his life based on a mistake he made in his life? >> so mark, is the strategy running on redemption this last week ahead? >> as we've seen with bill clinton, sometime people do forget. people do move on. the biggest difference between bill clinton and mark sanford, hillary clinton was beside her husband throughout. they still remain married. and what this race got turned

upside down when jenny sanford, allegations came out of the tres passing charges, mark sanford in his ex-wife's home. that open up this whole can of worms. that's the biggest difference. when you have, you are a divorce politician running for office, you want to make sure the exspouse is fully on board. >> by the way today, senator rand paul endorsed mark sanford. he is hoping that will give him a boost. testimony getting underway in the michael jackson wrongful death lawsuit against the company promoting what was supposed to be michael jackson's final concert. we'll have the latest, the trial that some say could be worth billions of dollars for the jackson family if they win. but first, there is a lot going on today and here are some thing we thought you should know. voters in massachusetts are picking democratic and republican candidates. ed markey and steve lynch are

battling it out. a republican side features three candidates, navy s.e.a.l. turned businessman, gabriel gomez, the former u.s. attorney and former atf director mike sullivan and state representative dan winslow. they will face off. mark your calendar, june 25th. the obama administration now says applying for benefits under the president's health care law won't be as complicated. it has release ad new short three-page form for individuals, down from 21 pages. a second 11-page form has been released for families. but that's still better than the average application form for private insurance which runs around 17 pages. a lot of numbers. throws the thing we thought you should know. [ male announcer ] this is bob,

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spouses. the hiring our heroes initiative has helped more than 290,000 veterans and spouses find employment in the past year and a half but many more certainly still need help. as today's generation of vets face unemployment rates higher than civilians. according to the bureo of labor statistics, the unemployment rate last month for vets, 9.2%. the national unemployment rate is 7.6 in march. today at the white house, the first lady urged businesses to hire more of our heroes. >> while we're proud of how far we've come, we know that today is not the finish line. today is simply just a mile marker. we're not going to stop until every single veteran or military spouse that is searching for a job has found one. these men and women have stood up for us again and again and again. so now the question is, will we do the same for them? >> joining me now, the executive

director of hiring our heroes. also a retired alone colonel for the marine corps. what do you think is behind the success? 290,000 vets and their spouses have found employment in the past year and a half. that's a heck of a number to celebrate. >> i think it is largely because the public and private sector have work together like never before. i think though, white house leadership, the first lady and dr. biden have done incredible thing to raise awareness across america. and then look at the u.s. chamber of commerce foundation's program. hiring ourheroes. the program that i've been privileged to lead over the last two years. we're out there every day in communities, connecting the public and the private sector in ways that have never been done before. >> another thing i think people don't realize, this program helps spouses. and we know in any marriage, it is tough. certainly you need two incomes these days, let alone when your significant other is in afghanistan or fighting prior, in iraq, for example, these

spouses also carry a great burden when they're back at home. >> absolutely. if you look at spouse unemployment, it is hovering near 26%. this is a national security issue for our country. when we complete the drawdown, when 1 million or more families leave the military over the next five years, we have to look at the fact that we may have a retention issue if military spouses don't find meaningful employment in the private sector. so we have a program solely focused on spouses led by an army spouse, and we're getting company to do more there as well. >> you've got jobs fares in walnut creek, california, wyoming, a shout out to texas, chk, and rocky mountain, north carolina. you are seeing across the board coast to coast an effort. where are you seeing most of the, what industry, i guess i should say, does it appear is most attracted to hiring some of the vets especially skilled given what they've gone through?

>> as you know, we've been in, we've done 400 hiring fares over the last year as part of our commitment to joining forces. we've been in all 50 states. the district of columbia and puerto rico. what we really see now are pockets of employment in industries that are growing in america. energy, health care, transportation and infrastructure. the way, the analogy that i would like to use for this is after world war ii, we saw an infusion of talent into our economy. we saw the manufacturing sector grow. the way i view the next five years, the way we view the next few years at hiring our heroes, we have an opportunity to make those sector that are growing in america great. even our manufacturing sector needs 600,000 workers over the next ten years. we need to focus on that. and infuse talented veterans and military spouses, their talent right into the economy like we did during world war ii. >> congratulations on the success that you've been able to obtain. and i know that there is more to

come. thank you so much for your time. really appreciate it, sir. >> thank you. a new search for the remains of 9/11 victims top our look at news around the nation. city workers are sifting the soil near the world trade center where a piece of airplane debris was found last week. workers are carefully looking for any possible remains of the nearly 1,000 victims that have never been recovered. authorities believe it came from the planes used on 9/11 but they are not sure which aircraft. a candlelight vigil is planned tonight following the murder of an 8-year-old california girl in her family's home. her brother saw a stranger running from the home before finding her stabbed to death on sunday. police are processing fingerprints and dna found at the scene but admit, they do not have any solid leads at this time. and testimony now underway in the michael jackson wrongful death trial. the paramedic who tried to revive jackson before his death is the first witness. jackson's family is suing aeg, the promoter of jackson's final

concert. they claim the company negligently hired dr. conrad murray to treat jackson who failed to oversee him and resulted in jackson's death. he served a four-year prison sentence of the. coming up, nba free agent jason collins speaking out on camera about his decision to come out as a gay player and what the president said just a short time ago. plus, our "news nation" gut check is on the president's comments today. he will again try to shut down guantanamo bay. and be sure to like the "news nation" on facebook. hungry for the best? it's eb. want to give your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition? it's eb. want to give them more vitamins, omega 3s, and less saturated fat? it's eb. eggland's best eggs. eb's. the only eggs that make better taste and better nutrition... easy. eggland's best eggs.

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jason on that collins is speaking out about his decision. he said he is incredibly grateful for all the support he's received including a phone

call from the president. he said he is the happiest he's been in his life. >> when you finally get to that point of acceptance, there is nothing more beautiful and allowing yourself to really be happy and be comfortable in your own skin. i know that in my personal life, i'm ready and i think the country is ready for supporting an openly gay basketball player. >> writing in the nation today, dave says, thanks to the courage of jason collins, we're able to say we were there when our most influential cultural citadel was breached. i would have preferred him to have read those himself because those are his words and i couldn't put it in the tone you would have liked. take it away. >> it is great to be on the show to talk about this. i want to paraphrase the group and say i feel like i'll watching the sports world wake

up from history. you mentioned president obama. i'm glad he is evolved to the point where he can congratulate jason collins on this. i'm more impressed with people like kobe bryant and the rock coming out in support of jason collins. these are people who had actual instances of homophobia in years past. the fact they've come forward to support him. >> let me play what the president said earlier today. let's listen in. >> i had a chance to talk to him yesterday. he seems like a terrific young man. and i told him i could not be prouder of him. one of the extraordinary measures of progress that we've seen in this country has been the recognition that lgbt community deserves full equality. >> you know, dave, in your piece when you refer to it as the most

influential citadel of homophobia, meaning the locker room, when you look at players a lot younger than you and i, do peel like yourself put on a more critical viewpoint, that these young people, we see the number change as far as those who support same sex marriage or those who are indifferent to someone's sexuality, may 38 be an african-american community, maybe just general national polling has shown 10%, 15% change. so maybe some of these athletes were, i don't know, maybe wrongly criticized. we did not know how they would react. it seems yesterday overwhelmingly, he got great support from players. there was one of two knuckle heads out there but overall the support was overwhelmingly in his favor. >> it was overwhelming, it was beautiful, and it was everybody from my boyhood hero bernard king in his 50s who came out with support to my favorite young player, bradley beale who is 19, 20 years old for the wizards who came out with support as well. it is a wonderful thing to see.

because i think athletes are often type cast as being homophobics. but there is a generational shift. the most significant part for me in the last couple weeks was when brittney griner came out. she did it so casually, it made us wonder if she was in the closet in the first place. >> i'm asking, is it generational or is it sport? maybe because these sports, it is a young woman's game, a young man's game. these young people have traveled and grown up watching images on television that are more positive of minorities and those who are gay and lesbian. and so maybe they were actually being criticized in the way that was unfair. >> i think that's a very astute statement. it is a bold new world. and athletes don't live on planet jock only to come down here for our amusement. they are part of this world, too. and this world has changed dramatically. there is an old expression that sometimes it takes years of progress are made in days and sometimes days of progress are

made in years when it come to lgbt issues, it is the former and not the latter. >> it is always great to have your insight. i'm happy you're not on planet jock. that you are down here with the rest us mere mortals. sflx time for the "news nation" gut check. we will you in this news conference, president obama said he would renew his efforts to close the prison in guantanamo bay, cuba where the 166 detainees are on a hunger strike. the president said gitmo is not necessary to keep the world safe. the president sought to close the prison when he first took office in 2009 but was blocked by congress. so do you think the president will come up with a solution to close the military prison at gitmo before the end of his presidency? what does your gut tell you? go to facebook.com to cast the big vote. that does it for this edition of "news nation." thank you for joining us. i'm tamron hall. "the cycle" is up next. over any amount of time, there's iams.

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what did we know? america wants to know if we missed crucial clues. >> we've seen it in politics. pro sports jumps into the fight for gay rights. is it a whole new ball game? >> i'm krystal ball. the president marks a whole new milestone. >> there is a push to change this. and there is some bipartisan support. >> the boston marathon bombing investigation has taken yet another new turn. director of national intelligence claims clapper is ordering a review of how intelligence was handled leading up to the attack. some