i think she can deal with benghazi because at its bottom line, she didn't do a thing wrong. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris, and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, finally some agreement in washington. democrats and republicans are outraged about allegations that the irs targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny. of course, it's wrong. it's against everything this country stands for. but unfortunately, republicans are, once again, playing politics with this report and exposing their own hypocrisy. today, president obama vowed to get to the bottom of this mess. >> if you've got the irs operating in anything less than a neutral and nonpartisan way, then that is outrageous, it's

contrary to our traditions, and people have to be held accountable and it's got to be fixed. so we'll wait and see what exactly all the details and the facts are. but i've got no patience with it. lee not tolerate it and we'll make sure that we find out exactly what happened on this. >> the president won't tolerate it and he shouldn't. but here's what else we shouldn't be doing. we shouldn't be using this as a weapon against the president. senator mitch mcconnell says this about the irs. this is, quote, just the beginning of the story. this is just one example of an administration-wide effort to silence critics. still, others are calling it nixsothonian and this is government using it to punish people. >> left infests government.

this government is not us. that's the big problem. this no longer is a government of by and for the people. this is government governing against the will of the people. >> using government to intimidate people? let's get our facts straight. there's no doubt that what happened was wrong, but politically motivated, the irs commissioner at the time was a bush appoint tea. and i don't recall this outrage in 2004 when naacp targeted the group one month before the 2004 election at a time when president bush and naacp were locked in a long-running feud. the group's chairman said he was shocked at this effort to silence our group just before

the election. where was the outrage back then? i get involved with groups and churches have been overly scrutinized. i'm not talking about amended statements or late, back taxes. i'm talking about scrutinized for criminal acts that we felt were politically motivated. there was no cry from the right. but i say tonight that if they in any way are being scrutinized for political reasons, it's wrong and we should all stand with them but they should not misuse it as they look at whether they have been misused. joining me now is ben labolt and dana milbank from "the washington post." thank you both for coming on the show. >> hi, reverend. >> dana, are you surprised republicans are outraged for the irs apparently targeting the tea party but looked the other way when the irs has gone after

civil rights groups and left-leaning charity groups? >> i'm not surprised in the slightest, reverend. but this is pretty much a give me for them. you could predict that this would be how they would react. that's not surprising at all and the problem here is that they are going to try to use this to broaden it to other areas. they have been basically off on a wild goose chase with the benghazi hearings and now people are saying, well, maybe this vindicates all of the conspiracy theories. that's what the obama administration needs to push back against. i'd like to see the president out there more forcefully than he was today saying what you were just saying, this is completely unacceptable regardless. you can't control what the republicans are going to natter

on about. >> the president bushed back on this and benghazi and i think we need to push back on it forcefully despite the fact that it hasn't been done on the other side. let me show you the gop's focus on benghazi and whether it was politically motivated. >> the whole issue of this -- of talking points, frankly, throughout this process has been a side show. the fact that this keeps on getting turned out, frankly, has a lot to do with political motivations. we've had folks who have challeng challenged hillary clinton's integrity, mike mullen and pickering. they've used it for fundraising. >> ben, how do you respond to the fact that we're now looking at two very serious things being launched at the president that maybe is not as serious as all of the smoke around it.

as the president said today, is there any "there" there? >> that's right. the president drew a line in the sand to what he's going to get to the bottom of and what's been a very political administration benghazi. the administration conducted an independent review with ambassador pickering with chairman mullen that looked into this issue. chairman issa would not allow the testimony over the weekend. the e-mails that you're referring to, republicans have had an opportunity to review those in march. speaker boehner had an opportunity to show up for the hill briefing that the administration offered and declined to do so. he sent his staffers. the president is taking control when it comes to the irs issue. americans have lost so much trust in government over the past couple of decades and this is an important leadership moment for him to take control

and say this is absolutely unacceptable, an abuse of power. we're going to find out who is responsible for this and hold them accountable. i think that will help americans reaffirm their trust in the american government and what it stands for. >> no doubt about it. dana, i think that none of us -- and i've being very firm on this about the irs -- certainly all of us are outraged in whatever and wherever this should go across the board on either side when people are harassed as i've said i've felt that in the past. but on the benghazi side, when the problem that many of us are having there is what ben just outlined, because they are not being transparent on the fact that they had some of these e-mails and it seems like there's a moving target. first it was susan rise, it was the president himself, there was hillary clinton, i mean, does it go about political season, who they are trying to accuse of being the one who is played the

games, changing the story in benghazi? >> well, i think it's simpler than that. it was a very legitimate investigation when it began. did the united states do or not do something that got these guys killed in libya? could it have been prevented? basically, it came up empty on that. there were things that could have been done but nothing that was in an immediate sense and the government has moved to fix that sort of thing. instead, they are looking at what was said in the days after and were they divulging all of the information in an immediate time frame or did it take them an extra three days or something and the truth is that is a side show. you can argue about whether it was politically motivated or not. in the end, it doesn't matter because the information was coming out anyway. that's what is so maddening about the irs thing. if it was legitimate, then all

of these allegations against the administration must be legitimate. >> when you look at, ben -- the fact is, as i mentioned at the opening, in 2004, a month before the election, they go after the naacp. the chairman at the time was julian. who was outraged. no one from the right said this is outrageous, let's see if it's politically motivated. i've seen churches hit with are you doing campaign, partisan stuff and therefore we want to audit it. in 2005 the los angeles times reported a probe that many felt was politically motivated. the irs has warned one of southern california's largest and most liberal churches that is at risk of losing its tax

exempt service because of the 2004 presidential election. what is violating your status if you take a position on peace against war unless you were telling somebody who to vote for, which ended up not being the case. the right didn't scream about that. so i mean, we're seeing people that are screaming now when we don't know the whole list that had nothing to say when it was specific and clearly around an election time. >> and they are jumping to conclusions and assuming this was political when in fact it's an independent agency. there are two political appointees and the white house has made clear that the president learned about this on friday. look, we've got to maintain the independence of the irs, of the justice department. that is the sovereign contract we have between the american government and the people. and the president has made it absolutely clear that he's going to get to the bottom of this and

hold those folks accountable if they violate any laws and i guarantee you after the facts come out, as we get down the road to the end of this thing, those people are going to be held accountable and heads are going to roll. >> well, i tell you, dana, some people choose, one, conspiracy, others choose another. but if you're glenn beck, you just put them all together. glenn beck argued that the irs, benghazi, he a the boston bombings all swing together. so leave it up to beck. he'll find the whole one huge conspiracy in all separate things. but stay tuned, we're going to keep on making it live in terms of a discussion and honesty and fair on this show. dana milbank, ben labolt, thank you. another right brings the obama's daughters into this and it's sleazy and reckless and won't be tolerated.

plus, dramatic new cell phone video of the rescue in cleveland. we'll have that and news on the suspect's brothers. and good-bye to a true television trailblazer. barbara walters makes a huge announcement? >> the summer of 2014, a year from now, i plan to retire from appearing on television at all. hey america, even though she doesn't need them, cheryl burke is cha-cha-ing in depend silhouette briefs for charity, to prove that with soft fabric and waistband, the best protection looks, fits, and feels just like underwear. get a free sample and try for yourself.

have you joined the "politicsnation" conversation on facebook yet? we hope you will. today our audience was upset about comments from a fox news pundit who is trying to connect the obama daughters to the phony gop benghazi conspiracy. bill says "this shows just total lack of class."

cindy says, "kids and family are off limits" and kathy says, "i'm not surprised. it's just a shame that these sweet kids are dragged into it." we'll tell you more coming up later in the show. but first, we want to hear what you think. please head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and "like" us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends.

one week ago tonight we learned about a miracle in cleveland. >> we begin tonight with

breaking news here on channel 3 news at 7:00. city hall officials are confirming reports that amanda berry and gina dejesus, two cleveland woman who have been missing ten years and nine years respectively have been found and they have been found alive. >> they are alive. it is the moment that northeast ohio has been waiting for. amanda berry, gina dejesus found, held captive in a home miles from where they were a decade ago. >> a week later and we're seeing dramatic new cell phone video shot by two women driving down the street that day. you can see police officers breaking down that door that had kept amanda berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight locked inside for so many years. amanda berry, who was first to break out of the house with her 6-year-old daughter, is advice nl there on the sidewalk. one of the witnesses described

the emotional moment. >> amanda berry was crying, she had her kid in her arms. she was saying that she needed help, that they were in danger. she just kept hugging the cop and saying, keep me projected. gina was shaking. she was scared. amanda was sad but you could tell in her eyes that she was free, you know. >> suspect ariel castro brothers are clear and they are speaking out about what they think of their brother. >> a monster, hateful. i hope he roethlisberger in that jail. i don't even want them to take his life like that. i want him to suffer in that jail. to the last extent. i don't care if they even feed him, after what he's done to my life and my family's. >> i feel the same way. >> called a monster by his

brother and today we're learning more about this monster. joining me now is the associated press reporter megan. thanks for being here. >> reporter: thanks for having me. >> i understand that you have reported on other family members who would agree that he's a monster. >> reporter: yes. i interviewed several of castro's ex-wife's relatives and they described him as a monster. they described a man who had a twisted sense of humor and a terrifying rage. they said castro beat his wife relentlessly, he shoved her down a flight of stairs, he broke her nose and ribs. on one occasion, he shoved her into a box and closed the cardboard flaps over her head. his wife was kept a prisoner in her own home. castro would lock the doors from

inside so she couldn't even life. >> but at the same time we hear from neighbors that he was a likable guy, that he showed no signs of this. i mean, this kind of behavior that is con stra dikt industry, this is what is so disturbing to many of the people in that area that knew him and that watched him play gigs, it's like two different people in one body. >> yeah, two very different portrayals of him. they are dumb founded by the allegations. they can't believe this is the same guy that they have known for so long. it's confusing for those that know the nice side of him. >> his brother talks about how he was more shocked because

ariel castro knew gina dejesus and knew gina's father. let's listen to this. >> you've got his daughter and you go around like nothing. you had posters. you give his mama and hug and you've got his daughter captive? >> you know, in your reporting, did you get a sense that there were two sides to his personality by talking to people? i mean -- because as his brother is saying, he knew her father. went to the vigils and hugged the grandmother. he was showed this kind of active citizen thing, even beyond what would one say about where the investigation was and he's a vicious guy on the other side. >> yeah. he actually even played music at

fund-raisers in gina's family members. archives show that several neighbors accused castro of coming after them and threat continuing them. one neighbor says castro came after him with a shovel. so there were signs of this other ariel castro but you're right, the two sides don't make sense. >> well, the story continues to unfold but it is does not get any better at all and don't know how it can, given what has happened. thank god, though, for a miracle, a week ago that ended at least the captivity for these three young ladies. megan vaughn, thank you for your time tonight. >> thanks for having me. coming up, a fox news pundit goes after the obama daughters.

it's too much, sleazy, and the organization should be ashamed. and on a much lighter note, a big announcement in the world of comedy should have politicians and donald trump on notice. stay with us. >> donald trump appears on fox, which is ironic, because a fox often appears on donald trump's head. ♪ [ male announcer ] the distances aren't getting shorter. ♪

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tonight, justice for the philadelphia doctor who preyed on poor women. found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, the jury found him guilty in the illegal abof three babies who police say were delivered alive and then killed. he was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the drug overdose, death of a patient who had undergone an abortion. his clinic made a mockery of the laws governing legal and safe abortions in the country. the clinic had blood-stained furniture and dirty instruments. it was a house of horrors for low-income women who felt they had nowhere else to go, who didn't have access to quality health care. for 15 years before gosnell was discovered, authorities in pennsylvania failed to conduct

proper inspections of all of the clinics in the state. that allowed gosnell to prey on the poor and of women of color and immigrants. of course, some of the right are trying to use this horrific case to attack all abortion rights to, claim women shouldn't be able to make their own choices about medical procedures that are safe or legal. in fact, the house republicans have already used gosnell to call for all over the country. but if conservatives succeed in scaling back safe or legal access to abortion, we'll have more gosnells, not less. the jury reached its verdict. now it's up to us to make sure women keep the right to control their own bodies. onsider that i might be having a heart attack. it can happen to anyone at any time. the doctor recommends bayer aspirin to keep this from happening to me again. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone,

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it's ugly. it's a page ripped out of the old playbook but some on the right have taken a nastier turn, dragging the president's daughter into their political campaign. >> think of it if it was chelsea clinton pinned down with mortars coming in and a five-hour difference between when they first learned, the e-mails came out, benghazi under fire or four-hour difference between when obama met with biden, between when then and one of the precious children were injured or killed, don't you think -- don't you think we'd be asking different questions now? >> bringing up malia and sasha into a discussion of sasha, asking if the president would have reacted differently if they were hurt or killed? it's offensive. it's shameful.

even fox injury rger ral doe ha to call him out. >> eric, did you say that the president obama would have sent hem if malia or sasha was there? >> do you want to listen or throw a grenade? i said, bob, you have a son and a daughter. if it was either one of those, whether it was chelsea clinton or malia or sasha, if they were there, would we be asking different questions? >> it's think it's unbelievable that you would be saying that. to bring a daughter's in, it's a slander that helps nobody. i've got tears in my eyes because i love you. >> it is outrageous and it is slanderous. it's way over the line. but unfortunately right wing pundits have crossed that line before. joining me now are joe madison and laura ashburn.

thank you both for coming on the show tonight. >> thank you, reverend sharpton. >> joe, i want to ask you about this guy eric. can you imagine what he is doing, bringing the president's daughter into this? >> i can imagine because i know how small-minded a statement like that is. that's exactly what it is. it's small-minded. and it verges on bullying. in other words, you pick on two kids. you put them in a hypothetical that no one in their right mind would have even considered or even dreamed about. i mean, it was a slanderous, it was wrong, but it was small-minded and that's exactly what they have become.

small-mind small-minded commentators. i don't think there's any other phrase for it. >> lauren, even when geraldo rivera calls him on it, he doubles in. it's mean-spirited and so insensitive, lauren. >> it used to be that we had a journalistic tradition that said children of presidents are off limits. as we have moved forward, that journalistic tradition has gone by the wayside in many instances and it is on both sides that this does happen but in these instances, with the republican comme commentators are really doing what politicians politicianed for them. chelsea clinton was called ugly and now they have right-wing commentators saying the things that they know they can't say.

>> joe, it's not just boling. look at the fact that the first daughters have been attacked for even going on vacation. listen to this. >> we've got the obamas now, if you include the spring break vacations, let's see, the girls got to go to the bahamas and all the way out to idaho to go skiing. >> you're upset that the girls went on vacation, the daughters went on vacation? >> we have to pay for the security, which is the right thing to do. but not one -- they went on two spring break vacations. one spring break. did they have to take two? >> they sent these daughters to spring break in mexico a year ago. that was at our expense, too. now to bahamas, one of the most expensive places there. >> joe, not only are they talking about the vacations, which sun heard of, this is a sitting congressman actually giving up where they were on vacation, which is a security

risk because he said it at the time that they were there and it was not disclosed to the public. >> hey, it's also coming from a congressman that actually handwrote -- helped handwrite legislation to make sure that the faa got money so they could get out of town. so that they could go back to their -- >> congressman king, by the way. >> thank you. but here's the point. let's be straight up. you know what this is? it's about them being too uppity. that's what it's really about. and we just don't want to say it. we really are too polite. this was not said about the bushes young girls going on vacations. look, we've had president's families that have gone on vacation during wartime. this is about -- and america might as welcome to grips with it. they are too uppity, living

beyond their means and we might as well face that and speak the truth about it. that's exactly what it is. >> uppity deals with race but let's bring up age. they had the nerve to bring up birth control at their ages. listen. >> i'm just wondering, at 15 years old, is the obama daughter, malia, going to go on birth control? are they going to put her on birth control? because he's very concerned with the contraceptives and pharmaceuticals that are going in the mouths of every other 15-year-old daughter. >> this is another fox news contributor. not only are you dealing with the fact that they feel they are uppity as blacks but when do you have people standing or sitting in the public airwaves asking if 15-year-old daughter is going on birth control? >> as a mother of three, this

makes me sick. sick to my stomach, that someone would have the gall or tamerity to bring up the president's children and whether or not they use birth control. where is this woman coming from? and anyone who attacks or brings up the president's children or, for that matter, anyone else's children about such a private and personal matter should be, i don't know, there are a lot of different things that i should say that they may be, wrapped on the knuckles. i will say that. >> let me say this, joe, the bottom line is, they are so full of venom and hate for this president that his daughters -- nothing is sacred. nothing is beyond their bounds as far as they are concerned. they have driven themselves into

such a frenzy over this man, the president of the united states, that they cast all kinds traf di tradition to the wind. >> they are bullies. they pick up little girls, little children. they pick on people they know can't talk back, shouldn't talk back, and quite honestly, the president's got bigger things to worry about. how small-minded can you be in a news cycle like we're facing today with benghazi, irs, and you're so small-minded that you're worrying about a public policy issue such as birth control and then want to prescribe it to one individual, a 15-year-old girl. i mean, you're right. it's hate, it's hate, it's hate. >> i think that is the point. the president has a lot to do. but i'm going to tell you, i'm going to stay on this story. i'm going to fight these bullies every time they come to the school yard some of us are going to mix them at the public school

yard on the airwaves and expose them. >> both of us. >> joe madison, lauren ashburn, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. the one and only barbara wa walters made some news of her own today. carole simpson is joining me to talk about the tv trailblazer, next. >> so i have to ask you this very personal question. you are here -- [ laughter ] ♪

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get ready for political comedy in late night. saturday night live seth myers will replace jimmy fallon when fallon moves to the tonight show last year. myers comes to the desk with more political comedy on his resume than hosts before him. two years ago he spoke at the white house correspondents' dinner. he had everyone rolling, except one person. donald trump. >> donald trump has been saying that he will run for president as republican, which is surprising since i assumed he was running as a joke. donald trump owns the usa pageant which is great for republicans which is great because it will streamline their search for a vice president. >> ouch. i'm looking forward to some more

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she's a trailblazer and a national icon. barbara walters is saying farewell. she's the former co-host of the "today" show, "20/20" and the current host of "the view." she announced she'll be hanging up her microphone. >> it has been an absolutely joyful, rewarding, bumpy ride and i wouldn't change the thing. i'm perfectly healthy. this is my decision. i've been thinking about it for a long time and this is what i want to do. i want to leave while people still say, why is she leaving instead of, why doesn't she leave? >> her groundbreaking career started right here at nbc on the "today" show doing, quote,

women's interest stories in 1962. >> did you buy anything for yourself? >> i couldn't afford much. i bought this thing, which was the newest fad. it's a nail ring. if you're very rich you have one for each finger and you can scratch or scratch your back. >> she worked her way to the top in the 1974 she became the first female co-anchor of any network evening news and for 25 years she anchored and reported for abc news, interviewing world leader, athletes, hollywood stars, and every president since nixon. if you were making news, you talked to barbara. >> newspapers, radios, television, no descent or opposition is allowed in the public media. >> some truth about it. >> your english is good. your english is better than your

interpreting. >> he gets out of control, throwing, screaming -- >> does he hit you? >> he shakes, he pushes, he swings. >> what kind of a tree are you if you think you're a tree? >> i hope i'm not an elm. everybody would like to be an oak tree. that's really strong and pretty. >> being on the campaign trail and having an opportunity to reconnect with the american people, in some ways the election was sort of icing on the cake. >> a lot of icing. >> yeah. >> big cake. >> what will you tell your children when you have them? >> mommy made a big mistake. >> and that is the

understatement of the year. >> her interview style redefined journalism but she wasn't done yet. in 1997, she created and began co-hosting the daytime talk show, "the view," a groundbreaking tv show for women, about women, by women no. question about it, barbara broke through the glass ceiling and has left an incredible mark on the industry. joining me now is carole simpson, another trailblazer, the first african-american woman to anchor a major network newscast. great to have you here. >> great to be with you. you kept your promise. you said you'd have me on your show and here i am. >> and i'm honored to have you. let me ask you, what do you make of the news and the impact of barbara walters and what impact did she have on your career? >> well, she broke the ceiling, as you pointed out, for all of

us. she was -- she started as a secretary at n about. nbc. her sheer determination, her perseverance, her -- she just wanted to be the best she could be and be at the top. and boy did she ever make it. i have never seen anyone in -- at abc or nbc -- and i worked with her at both places -- work harder than she did and she's probably thinking now what she can do over the next year that she's going to have to make her retirement come real. >> now, sherri shepherd said on "the view" today about how she was a groundbreaker. >> barbara, we have to say thank you because you're innovative, you start things. you would have never seen two african-american women on a

major network doing a talk show. >> you broke the ceiling in african-american women co-anchoring evening news. how much of a breaking the ceiling to have african-american women, women of color, on a popular daytime show, how did it change the industry, carol? >> well, i think it has -- since "the view" is still very popular, to have two african-american women, i think what barbara has succeeded in doing is letting the world know that they are african-american women. they are women. they are talking about women stuff and i think it shows them that we are not all that different. we have the same concerns and all of those things. so i think she's gone a long way in kind of breaking down the barriers that we need to say, there are two african-american women on the show. i don't think people even think about it when they watch. >> the other thing is, she wasn't afraid to be tough. she would always ask the tough questions, no matter who she was

interviewing. watch this. >> you are all often described as famous for being famous. you don't really act, you don't sing, you don't dance, you don't have any -- forgive me, any talent -- so i have to ask this very personal question. you are here. >> you are a little over weight? >> more than a little. yeah. >> why? >> well, if i could figure that out, i'd fix it. >> you often get very emotional. are you sensitive? >> are you going to ask the tree question? because i've got an answer. weeping willow. >> she would ask things that no one else would ask. >> well, i have been on the other side as an interviewee by barbara and she is just amazed. she sucks you right in and she's so sweet and so gracious and so

charming when she asks a question that when she sends a zinger in there, it lands, it hits, and people answer it. because you don't want to upset the diva. she is the news diva and everyone wants to be interviewed by barbara walters. >> i had connie chung on this show and she talked to me about competing with barbara. watch this. >> it was so -- >> they can't find that tape. let me go to this one, though, that i really wanted to ask you about, carole. she had a knack for making people cry. let me show you a little of that. >> it was so destructive. it was so destructive. >> i don't know that person. >> why is it making you cry? >> shoot.

i wasn't going to cry here. um, it's making me cry because i'm thinking about how much i probably have never told her that. >> you know, there are certain questions i ask you, mike, about your father and the tears come to your eyes. >> i didn't know it showed. >> i made it my passion, that i was going to make that man proud of me until i tied. >> tissue, please? >> i mean, you say she -- everyone wanted to be interviewed by her. she asked the questions no one asked. she made people cry. why did everybody want to be interviewed by this diva, as you call her? >> well, she had good ratings. i mean, people watched barbara walter specials and so on.

these people wanted publicity and a barbara walters' interview was special. she may have been talking to them for two hours before, you know, she finished the interview. so she's been talking to them a long, long time and getting them to open up and open up and open up. there comes that point when she touches something that is very sensitive and you see the compassion, you see the emotion of people that you would never expect would be that emotional. she was great. >> what would be her legacy in the industry? >> her legacy would be the greatest female journalist ever. she should be the greatest television journalist, male or female ever. because she has done so much and was wonderful to listen to all

of the cuts of tape that you had of her through the years. i mean, she -- and al, she succeeded because she changed with the times. when people no longer wanted to hear interviews with world leaders, she started going to the celebrity route. >> right. >> it wasn't her choice. she didn't want to. but to be relevant, to be successful, she changed with the times and that's why she lasted 50 years. >> well, the one and only carole simpson, anchor and teacher, take care of the students. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. furz my mother made the best toffee in the world.

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yesterday, hundreds of people were enjoying the mother's day parade in new orleans but at 1:47 p.m., gunsho gunsho gunsho gunshots rang out. three people are in critical condition. new video shows the chaotic scene as a possible suspect

appears to be firing randomly. police think multiple gunmen worked together. but this is not new to new orleans or to many of our other communities. at a martin luther king parade, five teens were left with bullet wounds and right before mardi gras celebration, chaos erupted or bourbon street. four people shot. we must do something about gun violence. we cannot just get used to hearing the next story. it is bad to hear horrific news. it's worse when we get used to it. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. outrageous. let's play "hardball." good evening.