so why don't we make that the default position? opt out? why not indeed? that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, michael, and thanks to you for turning in. tonight's lead, republicans trying to create scandals while president obama is creating jobs. a new jobs report out today shows that president obama has created 1.4 million jobs since his re-election. that's why the american people voted him back into office. that's what they are focused on. outside the beltway bubble and the gop scandal machine, americans are focused on getting people back to work. and so is the president. >> others may get distracted by chasing every fleeting issue that passes by but the middle class will always be my number one focus, period.

the housing market is coming back, the stock market has rebounded. our deficits are shrinking at the fastest pace in 50 years. people's retirement savings are growing. the american auto industry has come roaring back. so we're getting traction. the gears to the economy are turning. we're starting to make progress, but we've got to build on that progress. >> and that progress is clear, we've now seen 39 straight months of private sector job growth. the economy is growing and so is wall street. >> stocks are soaring on wall street, ending what has been a wild week for the mark debt. take a look at what is selling out on the day. dow jones industrial average recording the second best day of the year today. >> so much for the gop's socialist president. in fact, this recovery is

vindicating president obama's agenda. so what do republicans say about it? same ol, same ol. john boehner says, today's modest job growth is a positive sign, but we can do a lot better. that's right, mr. sequester, we can do better if republicans stop killing government jobs and stop trying to shred the safety net. we've still got a long way to go. too many people are hurting. too many people still don't have jobs. but the president has the country moving forward. republicans are trying to hold us back. joining me now is congresswoman donna edwards, democrat from maryland. jared bernstein, former economist for vice president biden. thank you both for joining me. >> thank you. >> thank you, reverend. >> congresswoman, shouldn't jobs and the economy be the number

one priority for our leaders in washington right now? >> well, it's a no-brainer, of course. listening to speaker boehner really sort of celebrates modest growth while he's saying that we can do more while he hasn't done anything is rather extraordinary. there are a ton of things that we could do to create jobs and opportunity for the american people and we're just not doing it and the one in charge of that is john boehner. he has not created a single job. 13 bills passed out of the congress. none of them a jobs bill in this year. it's pretty extraordinary. >> now, njared, when you look a the fact that even pollsters say that the american people don't think the republicans in congress are spending enough time on issues they care about, 75%, people care about jobs. people care about the economy and the republicans seem not to get that. >> well, you're right.

and there's been this growing split between what people in this town, particularly policy makers, unlike donna edwards think about, and what people outside the beltway think about it. the president nailed it when he talked about the middle class and jobs. for years you've had members of congress running around saying we have to do something about a budget deficit, a budget deficit. well, now it's coming down, as we all expected it would, when the economy began to improve and as the recession faded in the rearview mirror. so the idea that you can't go around screaming about that anymore, at least the numbers don't support you, you would think that maybe you can move to the jobs deficit. frankly, we should have been there a long time ago. but the movement hasn't happened because they don't really care about the jobs deficit or the budget deficit. >> you know, one of your colleagues kind of caught my eye. and i'm talking of the congressman steven fincher, who's a republican member of the

house. last month explaining his vote to cut funding for food stamps, this is what he had to say. >> the role of citizens, of christians, of humanity is to take care of each other but not for washington to steal money from those and the country and give it to others in the country. >> now, food stamps -- now he's talking about why he voted against food stamps, he is saying is to steal money from those in the country and give it to others in the country. yet, this very same congressman, congresswoman edwards, he voted to cut food stamps by $21 billion but he received -- he himself, 3.48 million in farm subsidies since 1999. so he's a man that would vote against food stamps, a large portion of which goes to

children, while he himself gets a little under $4 million in farm subsidies. this is the kind of -- and he defends this saying, that it's the right thing for citizens and christians to do. >> well, it's hard to even know how to respond, reverend al. what i will say is this. republicans in congress need to understand what it is that the american people already do and that is that they want us focused not on scandals, they want us focused on job creation. they want us building the 55,000 bridges across america that are falling apart, just like the one in washington actually did. they want us to make sure that we are investing in all of our infrastructure, research and development and all of the things to strengthen the economy and yet all they are focused on is investigations because they want to play a gotcha with americans while they go unemployed. it's amazing under president

obama we've had 39 straight months of job growth and even this last month a lot of that in the private sector, even as republicans have been cutting back on government. so the job growth is happening despite them, it's just not happening in the robust way it would if congress would get off their duff if republicans in congress would get off their duffs and do the job for the american people. >> and jared, and not only do their job but also the sequester, things that they are doing that cuts back on the public sector. the reason that some communities have higher unemployment is because the public sector is not producing jobs and cutting programs and this president has produced despite all of that. when you look at the fact that president obama has produced 2 million jobs so far and president bush, who was in eight years, we're talking five years with obama, two million. in eight years, president bush

only did one million, 8% jobs. there's no question who is doing better with jobs. and look at the obstructionism from the republicans. >> on the sequester, you really start to see that in this month's jobs numbers. if you look over the past three months, employment in the federal government is down 45,000, okay? and it was three months ago that the sequester took effect in march. now, that's the direct impact on government jobs and then you have contractors in the private sector. and so you're not even counting those in the government jobs. we're also talking about things like kids losing head start slots and seniors losing meals on wheels. that's not going to show up in gdp or jobs. i think it's critical to the role of government. so, yes, you're absolutely right. i'm not going to ask -- i think donna edwards is right about the

things we should do. here's what i would like to ask the congress. i don't expect you to do the right thing right now because of all of this political craziness, but get out of the way and stop inflicting wounds on a recovery that's trying to improve. >> and that's my point, congresswoman. even if you don't want to do something in a forward motion, even if you don't want to lean forward, don't take innocent people, don't take the most vulnerable and knock them backwards. >> well said. >> we are talking about -- >> get out of the way. >> that's right. cutting food stamps. doing to seniors and to the poor, congresswoman, some in the house, certainly not you and those you are voting with but some of your colleagues on the other side of the aisle is not about not leaning forward. they are like pushing us backwards. >> well, let's look at what is going to happen this month in addition to what you've described. loss of meals on wheels, loss in terms of head start teachers,

student loan rates about to double. i mean, this is a real strain on the economy. it's a strain on the american people. and so i would say to republicans in congress, fine, you don't want to do anything, get out of the way. >> jared, and what sequestration has done has got all the way in the way with a lot of these programs. we're not talking about lavish trips to some island for some agencies personnel. we're talking about basic things for seniors, meals on wheels, head start. i mean, real things that are necessary. >> housing support, our national parks, you know, they are not going to be opened as much as they should be this summer. look, again, it's time to stop inflicting wounds on the economy and people think that the sequester is a one-year program. it's not. it's actually a nine-year program. so while the sequester may be --

is certainly in place now and probably for the rest of 2013, there is still work that we can do. the president, democrats in the senate and in the house, they have alternatives. so let's stop inflicting wounds. >> and i must say, despite all of that and despite my outreach, i am still so hopeful because despite all of that, this president has made jobs happen and we are moving forward and we're seeing progress and that is the good thing. prog in the midst of all of this obstructionism. >> here, here. >> congresswoman, jared bernstein, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. ahead, president obama on the road in california today. it's the story republicans don't want to you hear. and three days away from george zimmerman's murder trial, a very dramatic day inside a florida court. he listens to a 911 call at the

heart of the trial. and we'll hear trayvon martin's mother reflect on her son's death. and were you five years ago today? if you were supporting barack obama, he had just won the nomination. but for every democrat, it was a day to remember. one of the great political speeches of our era. it was hillary, the trailblazer, and a banner day for all women. all they we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it. >> and i've got some great e-mails from the "politicsnation" nation family. keep them coming. friend or foe, i want to know. i'm responding tonight. ♪

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♪ ♪ in dealerships everywhere. in theaters, june 14th. we're back with more news the republicans don't want you to hear. all over this country the republican's health care law is already working. president obama drove that point home in california today. >> a lot of the opponents of the affordable care act said they had all kinds of skies falling,

doom and gloom predictions that not only would the law fail but what we would also see is costs would skyrocket for everybody. well, it turns out that we're actually seeing that in the states that have committed themselves to implementing this law correctly, we are seeing good news. >> it is good news. sick children are no longer being denied coverage. seniors are seeing drug costs drop, millions are getting access to insurance. that's what this president has always been about and it defined his 2012 campaign. >> by the way, you know what, let me tell you, i have no problem letting obama care. i do care. >> this is the backbone of the obama presidency. it's about fairness. it's about doing what is right. it's about working together. >> for we the people understand that our country cannot succeed

when a shrinking few do very well and many hardly make it. every sense deserves security. >> the election four years ago wasn't about me. it was about you. >> it's about you. and it always has been. joining me now is jonathan altar, the author of a new book about the obama white house and the president re-election, called dwt the "the center holds, obama and his enemies." also joining me is jonathan capehart. it struck me at its core as the titanic ideological struggle

over the way americans see themselves and their obligation to one another. he won. his vision won. the progressive policies are high. why can't republicans realize this, john? >> they don't want to abide by the re-election terms. the country sent a message that we are not going to become a right-wing nation. that is what this was about. that was why, just to give you one example, that stunned african-americans that turned out in greater numbers in 2012 than in 2008. remember all of those stories how they were going to stay home and stuff like that? folks realized it was all on the line this time. >> and they did that despite voter suppression? >> yes. i have a chapter called the voter suppression project. this was a concerted effort by republicans to disenchfranchise

voters. it was done in 19 states. if it wasn't defeated and there hadn't been a backlash against it, this president wouldn't have been re-elected and if that had happened, if mitt romney were in charge now, the sequester would look like patty cake. there were people in that party who were willing to make cuts that were three or four times as great of what we were seeing right now in the sequester. not cutting programs but eliminating them entirely, shredding the contract. so my book is about -- i've covered nine presidential elections. pull back that curtain and explain what was going on behind the scenes, even scenes with you and the president and other black leaders of what he was saying in those meetings and in meetings in a situation room where normally reporters don't find out what is going on. i wanted to tell readers the real story of voter suppression,

of the 47% and how that whole thing went down, how obama recovered from a bad first debate and -- >> jonathan capehart, i've read the book already. he does get into voter suppression, what people have to deal with. i think this was an epic race and we've still seen the republicans fight with sequester and other things to undo what the voters did. >> right. what you have here, rev, is a republican party that's enthralled to a shrinking and reactionary base but it's a base that holds. "the washington post" had a terrific story this week about just sort of the fresh hell that speaker john boehner, house majority leader eric cantor and

majority whip kevin mccarthy are going through with these far right republicans in the party who have no respect for leadership, no respect for sort of the way things are done in the house and that's sort of tied up the republican leadership to the point where they can't do anything. so that's what's happening here in washington. you fan that out across the country and what you have is a party that is willing to, you know, go up against the president no matter what he is trying to do, even on programs and policies that think actually support or at least they did in years past. >> so here's the good news, though. before they get too depressed, look at the glass half full for a minute. if romney and ryan had been elected, things would be so much worst. >> right. >> the president has the veto pen. i actually think he's going to get immigration reform and other priorities in the next few months. even if he doesn't, he's going to stop anything bad from

happening. so a lot of the things that you talked about before, voter suppression, the ryan plan, repealing obama care, they aren't happening. that's not going to happen because the president is still in office and will be until 2017. >> and he's talking tough. look at this. >> i will not negotiate around the debt ceiling but they will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the american economy. ordinary folks, they do their jobs. the notion that our elected leadership cannot do the same thing is mind boggling to them and it needs to stop. it's not fair. it's not right. this is not a complicated concept. >> jonathan alter, you have written two books on the president. how has he evolved in the presidency? >> well, i think that he is a very effective leader as president. and the issue for him has always

been the political part. in some ways, his disdain for politics makes him appealing for most of the country but causes problems inside of washington. he's missing that shamooz gene. i think now he's beginning to change on that and he's beginning to spend more time with members of congress. he's playing golf now with some republicans and he's beginning to use outside pressure. remember, this was an historic campaign. for anybody who worked ohhen that campaign, i tell them, your story, what it was like for you getting this guy re-elected, they are still a big instrument. i was talking today to a delivery man, keith sams on 26th street today. he said, you go on reverend al show and tell him, they've got to lose again. we've got to stay strong so they lose again in 2014. he's talking about the

republicans. the coalition that the president built has to stay in tact to finish the job. so that's the unfinished business. >> no doubt about it. >> jonathan, i'm going to have to leave it there. thanks for your time. don't forget, the book, once again, is the center holds. very important book. >> thank you. three days away from george zimmerman's murder trial, we have new key pieces of evidence. a 911 call made the night trayvon martin was killed. we hear from trayvon martin's mother on how she's doing days before the trial starts. stay with us. if rz [ male announcer ] susan writes children's books.

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. it's been nearly a year and a half since the death of trayvon martin. the death has caused sybrina fulton to become an activist, attending rallies and speaking out against gun violence and the policy of stand your ground. recently at a moving prayer rally, she says it is her faith that has helped her get through it all. >> i stand her as a mother and my heart is hurting and i know that i know that i know that god will work this out. i no longer have any regrets and

say why me. >> yeah. >> because god decided it was me. and i don't know why but i'm not going to question it. i'm just going to be obedient to his will. >> his will. powerful words. up next, all the news from a critical hearing today in florida about the trayvon martin case. stay with us. let's say you pay your guy around 2% to manage your money. that's not much you think. except it's 2% every year. does that make a difference? search "cost of financial advisors" ouch. over time it really adds up. then go to e-trade and find out how much our advice costs. spoiler alert: it's low. really? yes, really. e-trade offers investment advice and guidance from dedicated, professional financial consultants. it's guidance on your terms, not ours. that's how our system works. e-trade. less for us. more for you. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again.

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to lose your supporting teeth. new poligrip and polident for partials 'seal and protect' helps minimize stress, which may damage supporting teeth, by stabilizing your partial. and 'clean and protect' kills odor-causing bacteria. care for your partial. help protect your natural teeth. george zimmerman was back in court few day for a hearing with some critical testimony ahead of his second-degree murder trial due to start on monday. he's accused of killing trayvon martin. he has pled not guilty and claims he shot trayvon martin in self-defense. the hearing today focused on the 911 call made the night trayvon martin was killed. the judge heard arguments on whether the jury will hear this testimony from prosecution experts about who they believed was screaming on the 911 call

that night. >> the screams don't match at all so that's -- that's what tells me that, okay, it's not george zimmerman. >> in a very high-pitched, very loud screams, that's how we describe screaming, the words that were at a scream level were almost entirely those of trayvon martin. >> the hearing on this issue will resume tomorrow morning. we also saw this dramatic moment in the hearing when the 911 call itself was played with mr. zimmerman sitting right there in the courtroom. >> does he look hurt to you? >> i can't see him. i don't want to go out there. >> they are sending him. >> does he keep yelling help?

>> yes. >> silence in the courtroom for that 911 call with the screaming. and the fatal gunshot. so who is screaming on that call? that's the critical question. only days after the shooting, zimmerman himself listened to that phone call in an interview with police. here's a clip from that interview. we've redacted the part of the call where the witness gives her address. >> 911, do you need police, fire, or medical? >> hear that voice in the background? >> i'm not sure. there's just someone screaming. >> 911, do you need police, fire, and medical? >> maybe both. i'm not sure. there's someone screaming outside. >> what's the address?

>> in sanford? >> yes. >> and is it a male or female? >> are you hearing yourself? >> it doesn't even sound like me. >> tonight, there are important questions about crucial questions unanswered, just three days before the trial starts. joining me now is legal analyst and former criminal prosecutor, faith generjenkins, and nbc ana lisa bloom. thank you both for coming on the show. >> thank you. >> faith, how important is this evidence about the 911 call to the prosecution and to the defense? >> it's crucial. george zimmerman has asserted self-defense claim. obviously if the jury finds trayvon screaming help on this tape, that is going to completely undercut his self-defense claim. that's why the defense wanted

this frye hearing. they don't want the witnesses to come before the jury and say, we've listened to this 911 call, we've come to a conclusion and in our expert opinion, it's not george zimmerman screaming for help. >> but lisa, they are fighting to keep this out. and if it was george zimmerman, why would they not want it in the trial, a, and, b, i just played the interview that he did with the police and he said it doesn't sound like him. isn't it interesting he never said, oh, yeah, but i was screaming? >> absolutely, reverend al. you put your finger right on it. the defense does not want this in. they do not want the emotion that we all feel, i just felt hearing these screams which sure sound like they are from trayvon martin in the final moments of his life. they don't want the jury to hear that on an emotional level and on a logical level, they don't want the jury to come to the conclusion that trayvon was the

victim and george zimmerman was the perpetrator and that's what this tends to show. >> faith, you also have the state's audio experts said this in his report. quote, the other male speaker was identified tentatively as trayvon martin from the audio track of a digital video file present on mr. martin's cell phone. his voices younger and he generates much of what some observers have called screams. now, he's identified the screams as trayvon martin. how vital is this for the prosecution's case? >> again, it's critical. they want to be able to convince the jury that trayvon was the victim here. this is a case where the state does not have a lot of direct evidence. it's circumstantial. every witness, they are going to built their case piece by piece, layer by layer. this is one of the pieces that they want to put in the puzzle to convince the jury that trayvon martin was the true

victim here and george zimmerman was the aggressor from the very beginning. >> and lisa, if this is a self-defense case, then how could they say that he was defending himself if trayvon martin was the one screaming? >> well, exactly. this is going to be a case about who made the first move? who escalated the move bit by bit? it sure sounds like if one person is screaming and one person is not and trayvon martin, the unarmed 17-year-old boy who winds up dead at the end of this incident, it sure sounds like trayvon is the victim. >> well, here's a portion of the 911 call from zimmerman that the audio expert is referring to. listen to this, faith and lisa. >> he's coming to check me out. he's got something in his hand. i don't know what his deal is. please get an officer over here. >> we've got them on the way. just let me know if this guy

does anything else. >> okay. >> these [ bleep ] holes, they always get away. yup. >> now, this is a raw, uncleaned up recording. how could this testimony affect the jury, faith? >> well, the jury is going to hear this and if george zimmerman takes the witness stand, he's going to have to answer the question of why he made this presumption at the very beginning that trayvon martin was somehow a suspect to him. that's going to be a key piece of evidence for the prosecution because he's going to have to answer that question. there is no good answer to that question once he takes the witness stand. how did you come to the conclusion in your mind at that moment, you don't know trayvon, you don't know his history, you don't know anything about him, that he was somehow a suspect to you. >> and he says, they always get away. >> right. and to clean it up, he's saying these people. these people always get away. what is these people?

he's obviously referring to african-americans and, as faith said, he's jumping to a conclusion. the one thing that might help him, he seems to believe that trayvon had something in his hand. i would assume he's going to argue at trial that he thought he was armed, perhaps he thought there was a weapon and so he felt the deself-defense was necessary. >> but the fact that he didn't have anything in his hand except iced tea and skittles undercuts that. he was wrong. >> the final cry before the gunshot wound is trayvon martin's voice and, quote, the word appears to be "stop." i conclude tentatively that the word was produced by the younger of the two male speakers, trayvon martin. faith, could this testimony hurt mr. zimmerman's self-defense claim? >> absolutely. and if the jury believes this -- because this is what it's going to come down to for these experts, once they take the witness stand, the defendanif t

believes this expert and what he is saying is true, trayvon martin, this 17-year-old unarmed kid was shot while begging for his life. this is not a self-defense case. it's not a stand your ground case. it's murder. >> give me the bottom line, lisa, on what we've heard so far in these hearings. where does it come down to you as one that has certainly done a lot of legal analysis. >> if i may put aside my legal hat for a moment, just hearing these screams, this boy saying stop, i'm begging you, and knowing that these are the final moments of his life is so powerful. it's powerful to me just hearing it through the television screen. i think this is going to be tremendously compelling in court for the jury. >> well, tomorrow morning they will resume the hearing to see if this stuff is admissible. this is very, very important,

how this decision and what this decision will end up being from the judge. faith jenkins and lisa bloom, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> for full disclosure, in civil court george zimmerman has sued nbc universal for defamation and the company has strongly denied his allegations. coming up, five years ago today a speech that may have changed history. the day hillary shook the glass ceiling. stay with us. i want to make things more secure. [ whirring ] [ dog barks ] i want to treat more dogs. ♪ our business needs more cases. [ male announcer ] where do you want to take your business? i need help selling art. [ male announcer ] from broadband to web hosting to mobile apps, small business solutions from at&t have the security you need to get you there.

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helps him deposit his checks. jay also like it when mother nature helps him wash his car. mother nature's cool like that. citibank mobile check deposit. easier banking. standard at citibank. five years ago today, hillary clinton made history as she threw her support behind barack obama who just clenched the democratic nomination for president. she went on to deliver one of the great speeches of our era. a rallying cry for women and women progress as she famously cracked that glass ceiling 18 million times. >> when we first started, people

everywhere asked the same questions, could a woman really serve as commander in chief? well, i think we answered that one. you can be so proud that from now on it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories. unremarkable to have women be a close race nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the united states and that is truly remarkable, my friends. as we gather here today in this historic, magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this earth is orbiting overhead. if we can blast 50 women into space, we will some day launch a

woman into the white house. and although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it. and the light is shining through like never before filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time. when that day arrives and a woman takes the oath of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in america. and all of you will know that because of your passion and hard work, you helped pavement way for that day. so i want to say to my supporters, when you hear people

saying or think to yourself, if only or what if if, i say, please don't go there. every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward. >> joining me now is terry o'neil, president of the national organization of women. terry, thanks for being here tonight. >> it's great to see you again, rev. >> good to see you. that speech said a lot about hillary and a lot about how far our country has come and women struggle for equality. you were there that day. what do you remember? >> it was just an amazingly, powerful experience, actually. there were many women weeping. but i think that what was so remarkable about it was the power of hillary's speech. she, i think, got stronger and stronger and stronger over the course of that primary election.

and her dedication to the ideals that she lives by to the values that she has worked to promote as a public servant, you can see that throughout that speech. i think that a large number of her supporters were right then and there inspired to go forward and support and work for the election of barack obama in a large measure because of that speech. >> well, you know, i supported president obama, then senator obama over senator clinton at that -- during that time, even though i knew senator clinton from my home state. but i have to say, i've given a few speeches and i can tell when you're caught up and she was caught up very inspiring and inspired when she gave that speech that day. >> she really was. i think she showed what a remarkable leader she really is. and, you know, her performance

as secretary of state, one of the most important aspects as secretary of state has been her promotion of the organized women's movement in every country that she has visited: i think women's leadership is going to be key to solving many of the world's problems. >> now, she talked about why it was important for women to run for president that day. listen to this. >> i benefited as a daughter, i worried about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows. to build that future i see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers

and their mothers. >> looking forward, terry, americans now show that they are more ready than ever for a female president. i'll give you an example. in december 2006, 55% say the country is ready for a woman president. by july 2008, it was 70%. last month a whopping 86% said they believe america is ready to elect a woman president. that's a huge growth. >> it really is. and i think it's very much because of hillary clinton. not only her run in the primaries but her leadership after the primaries. and i don't have any illusions. i know that hillary clinton will be attacked. you know, it's still ongoing. women who step into the public sphere, even if it's not politics but very much political

women stepping into the public sphere are repeatedly attacked in masogonistic ways but i think it will be less power and people will be able to name it and say that's just wrong. >> what a day. five years ago today and thank you for your time tonight. your e-mails are rolling in. my response is next. frsz everybody has different investment objectives,

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wouldn't this concern you? well, it does concern me and i have said that i'm opposed to the irs targeting conservatives or anyone based on politics. i am concerned about freedom of the press. but i don't see where any of these have led to directly or indirectly bringing the president in a scandal or some of the members of his cabinet, like the attorney general. so i'm concerned about what has happened but i am also saying that i don't see where it is a presidential scandal, the connection is not there. and let me also say while i'm at it, that we're hearing a lot about people that are overreaching in terms of the government listening or being able to listen in to people's phone calls, read texts, nsa in this whole thing of looking and hearing and reading what americans have to say.

i oppose the patriot act which started all of this, they empowered this possibility. i opposed it when bush was president, i opposed it with president obama being in. i trust president obama but it's a bad president because he won't be president forever. i am opposed to government overreach and government infringement upon the privacy of citizens. steve writes "no question today, just proud to watch you continue to lead the struggle. keep on keeping on, sincerely from a child who was born in the '50s and raised in the south. steve, your e-mail comes on an important date in our history. on this date in 1892, a man was arrested for riding in a white's only train. he was one-eighth african and by state law only allowed to ride in the colored car. he argued his case all the way

to the supreme court but pressy lost and their decision made segregation the law of the land. plessey versus ferguson is something we had to fight all the way until the civil rights movement looked at it. we fight not against custom, we fight against laws that are unjust as well. thanks for all of the great questions. keep them coming. e-mail me. remember, friend or foe, i want to know. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. have a great weekend. "hardball" starts right now. i spy. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm michael smerconish in new york for chris matthews.