contractors and everybody else. and the winding down phase in afghanistan is due to the last year and a half. it is still a hell of a dangerous place. still a hell o dangerous place. first look is up next. >> good wednesday morning. right now on "first look," a blockbuster decision from the sfrooem supreme court being felt all across the country. a texas showdown over abortion rights include ag11-hour filibuster and the vote. plus key testimony in the george zimmerman murder trial. the latest on nsa leaker edward snowden and michael jackson's son prince prepares to take the stand. i'm mara schiavocampo. late word out of texas on an attempt to pass one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws. texas state representative wendy davis spoke for 11 hours before being ruled out of order. republicans eventually forced a

vote on the bill after the session ended. governor rick perry will now have to call the legislature into a special session and the supporters will have to reintroduce it. the measure would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy without exceptions for rape and incest. turning now to the supreme court and wham civil rights activists are calling a devastating ruling. in a 5-4 decision tuesday, the court struck down a key part of the voting rights act widely considered the most important piece of civil rights legislation in history. "usa today" saying ruling resets voting rights fight. "the new york times" claims it hits at the heart of the voting rights act. some states are already moving forward with controversial changes to voting loss and civil rights activists are vowing to fight for ballot protections. pete williams has more. understooden. >> the ruling deals a crippling and potentially fatal blow to

the law signed by president johns in 1965, a response to widespread efforts in the south to prevent blacks from voting. >> we're marching today. >> civil rights veteran john lewis watched as the law was signed. >> without the voting rights acof 1965, there would be no barack obama as president of the united states of america. we've come too far, made too much progress to go back. >> this decision represents a serious setback for voting rights and has the potential to negatively affect millions of americans across the country. >> in a 5-4 ruling the court's conservatives said the areas covered by the act had changed but the law has not kept up. the act requires state with a history of discrimination to get permission from the federal government before changing how they conduct elections. the court left that part intact but struck down the coverage formula of where that will requirement allies. that's all of nine mostly

southern states and parts of six others. chief justice john roberts said the map is based on decades old data and eradicated practices in five of the covered southern states, he said, african-americans have a higher voter turnout percentage than whites. opponents of the law who helped shelby i county, alabama challenge it, hailed the ruling >> we've just elected a black president of the shelby county board of education over a white incumbent in a county wide election. >> african-americans are an integral part of southern political life. that's a good thing and that's never going to change. >> but writing for the court's four dissenters rude baiter ginsburg said gutting the law is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet. civil rights groups vowed to rally the same kind i have action from congress they got 48 years ago. >> the only way congress will act is if we call, if we march, if we pressure, if we make clear that we do not intend to go

backwards on voting. >> one state, texas, responded immediately saying it would start enforcing one of the nation's strictest voter i.d. laws, something the federal government tried to stop. it may also redraw its congressional and legislative districts now that it's no longer covered by the key part of the voting rights act. >> that was nbc's pete williams reporting. joining me now to discuss more on this position is danita judge, a staff attorney for the advancement project and in chicago, the reverend jesse jackson of the rainbow/push coaliti coalition. reverend jackson, i want to start with you. if you could broadly tell us what's at stake here what, does this ruling really mean for the future of voting in this country? >> you go from federal protection and oversight to states rights abuse. when justice roberts says that you made tremendous progress, it's because of oversight. there have been 800 cases of proposed changes racial discriminatory struck down by the department of justice.

you'll now see again gerrymandering and i would suspect the black and brown caucus may be had within a matter of the foreseeable future danita, how do you think this will specifically play out? what ways are we going to see this manifest itself? >> we're beginning to see it already. in the state of texas, the photo i.d. law has now been implemented. this was a case that we actually took to the district court of d.c. in 201. and really proved our case that this law was going to have a disproportionate impact on african-americans and latinos and it was going to be very, very difficult for many of those individuals to actually access the type of photo i.d. that would be needed to participate in an election. >> what it means in ohio, for example, where they put dennis kucinich and miss cat tore in the same district and eliminated one of the two of the

progressives, it means a redrawing of lines. in louisiana it meant that congressman cleo fields, they drew him out with lines. 1896, we made progress. they've set us back. our president barack obama immediately convened -- should convene the congress and speak to the nation and the congress as president johnson did. we need that kind of leadership with this challenge. >> you mentioned congress. it's now up to congress to redraw the map. one analyst called that the death knell of that provision. why? >> the confederates who never wanted to have the right to vote resented federal intervention they called it. dr. king called it notification. there was always some scheme to try to undermine it. blacks could not vote in the

south in 1865. there was no woman on the supreme court. 18-year-olds could not vote. students could not on campuses till 1974. you could not vote bilingual till 1975. the very schemes that took us from '65 to 1990 to get reasonable reputation. this will allow states to redraw lines and districts and set us back if they prevail. we must challenge this nation to not allow us to go backwards. >> one of the things we hear about are voter i.d. laws, one of the ways that people believe voters are being disenfranchised. proponents say they are the to prevent voter fraud. >> there's really no evidence of widespread voter fraud. we all want free, fair and accessible elections but in that voter suppression rules, that's going to prevent many, many

people, hundreds of thousands of people from participating in the elections in the future really is just plain wronging >>ing to say that will there is fraud is fraud. it is a preemptive strike to undermine all the cases have shown to the country what the real deal is. this is so unfair. as we seek to spread democracy, it weakens our moral authority. the headlines around the world today, voting rights in america takes a step backward. this hurts us globally. >> reverend, the other argument writing for the majority, chief justice roberts said "our country has changed and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, congress must enhur that the legislation it passes to remedy the problem speaks to current conditions." they're argue they're being punished for the sins of the past. do you think that's a fair point? >> it's changed because of oversight. the oversight is keel to this. this is the trigger to this

legislation. 800 changes were sopped because of discrimination by the department of justice. now south carolina had to face the courts because they tried to begin the voter i.d. scheme. or louisiana or alabama. but to the extent that it is more than just the south, apply it there, but don't limit it where it's still very much needed. look at racial disparities not just in voting but home foreclosures and jobs, education, health care. er with a long way from a sense of parity. freedom without equality is the order of this day. >> reverend jesse jakds, you have to get the last word. donita judge, thank you for your time. switching gears now to sanford, florida, an emotional day in the george zimmerman second degree murder trial. never before seen ims and details of the chaotic scene when trayvon martin was killed. craig, what can you tell us? >> marra, dale two of testimony

was marked by two things, evidence and images. it was the first time at that time jury got the opportunity to see the gray hooded sweatshirt that trayvon martin was wearing that sunday night and the first time we actually saw the package of skittles, the arizona fruit drink can that he had on, those ear buds. we also saw the .9 millimeter handgun that george zimmerman used that night, as well. there were a number of images that were especially moving. one image in particular caused trayvon martin's father tracie martin to get up and leave the courtroom. that was the large picture of his dead 17-year-old son that was shown to the jury when he saw that picture, he got up and he left the state's last witness, her name celine bahadoor. on cross-examination we found out miss bahadoor who lived feet

away from the crime scene admitted in the days and weeks after, she actually liked a facebook page, the page that was the justice for trayvon martin page and also admitted to signing a change.org petition. that's the latest from here in florida. back to you. >> george zimmerman has pleaded not guilty claiming self-defense and now it's time for your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. former disgraced tweeting congressman anthony weiner is leading in the race for mayor of new york city. a new poll has him ahead of city speakers christine quinn by five points. abcnous reports that the house spent $2 million in taxpayer funds on coffee and pastries in 2012. that's a lot of breakfast, this data courtesy of the sun light foundation. former president clinton's affair with monica lewinsky was the big story of his second term and almost forced him out of office.

how much would you pay for lewinsky's sink can i black negligee. it includes letters, photos and m&ms. and that's your morning's dish of scrambled politics. now nor a look at the weather, i'm joined by dylan dreyer. good morning. >> we've got our eye on some potential for stronger storms through the day. already this morning, we're seeing strong storms back across parts of iowa into southern indiana and across the pittsburgh area into ohio, too. we will very severe thunderstorm warnings in effect across parts of even up near fargo. these hollow boxes here severe thunderstorm watches through the morning. we will see a bigger threat of larger storms as we go throughout the afternoon. once we get rid of this activity, another round of showers and storms lrs develop and all in yellow from new england right back into the great lakes and up into minnesota and stretching back into northeastern arkansas, wind

damage, isolated large hail and also some tornadoes possible although this will be more of a wind event. >> coming up, we'll go live to south africa for the latest on the health of any son mandela. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. is h are

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welcome back to "first look." nelson mandela remains in critical condition in a south african hospital. for the latest on his condition, keer simmons joins us live in pretoria, south africa. good morning. >> we're hearing that tribal elders from kunu, his ancestral home have been on their way here to the hospital. he is still described as in a critical condition. we have had reports that he has been responding to family members, but we have also seen many members of family here, many leading politicians and people from the apartheid struggle, including the

archbishop of cape town who came here yesterday we're told with the family, said a prayer around his bedside. >> thanks so much for that report. >> turning now to other headlines this morning, russian president vladimir putin says he has no plans to extradite edward snowden, the nsa whistleblower is believed to be holed up inside moscow's airport. ed markey will fill the senate seat vacated by john kerry defeating gabriel gomez last night by ten points. michael jackson's oldest son, prince michael, will testify at his father's wrongful death trial today. the family is suing aeg live for negligence. for your first look at business, we turn to bertha coombs. good morning. >> good morning. we've got the futures pointing to a lower start after stocks rebounded yesterday on the back of better than expected data on durable goods, new home sales and prices.

ftc is telling google anya high school to better identify the difference between ads. and bp takes up full page ads in major u.s. papers as it mounts an aggressive campaign to challenge what could be billions of dollars for businesses hurt by the 2010 gulf oil spill. that's it. back to you. >> straight ahead, a war of words breaks out between a-rod and his yankees boss. that's coming up next. every parent wants the safest and healthiest products

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it's time for sports. my colleague betty nguyen is here with all the headlines. you havenous about my beloved bruins. >> a historic first for ucla in the college world series. the bruins shut out mississippi state, 8-0 for the first ncaa title. >> that's a fair ball. and the bruins have done it. they win their first ever national championship in baseball. >> and the fireworks go off. mara, has had a smile all morning long. the bruins win in games one and two. that gave the bruins its first college world series to add to all those basketball and football titles. >> all those titles. >> she's been bragging all day.

the yankees got a walkoff home run from issue row suzuki to beat the rangers 4-3. last night, ailing yankees third baseman alex rodriguez tweeted he has been cleared by doctors to start playing in rehab games after surgery on his left hip. hold up. a day earlier brian cashman said team doctors had not cleared a-rod yesterday and last night he gave an interview saying "you know what? when the yankees want to announce something we will. adding alex should shut expletive up. that's it, i'm going to call alex now. i would like to be on that phone call to hear what went down. speaking of fireworks, that must not have been very pretty. day two of the wimbledon tennis tournament. serene nap williams easily advanced over mandy manila. taup seed jokevich also advanced by winning in three straight sets to the florrian mayor.

get this over 8 million viewers tuned in to watch the chicago blackhawks win the stanley cup monday night right here on nbc. were you one of them? >> no. >> me neither. that is almost two-thirds more viewers than last year's final game and the 2013 finals series was actually seen by the most viewers since records started being kept back in 1994. so quite a win. >> you know, dylan was not happy we brought up that game because her boston bruins, right, lost. >> so mara is happy. dylan is not. >> we can't always win. >> coming up, we'll all be here together. betty will be back and dylan joins us for first buzz. all the stories we're talking about today. [ female announcer ] the best thing about this bar

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stories we're talking about today in first buzz. i'm joined by betty nguyen and dylan dreyer. it's like ladies night. this one is from dallas. the question is, just how much can a gorilla take before he snaps. these school kids are at the zoo pounding their chest mimicking him, telling him he's ugly. then he gives them a little bit of their own medicine. they're saying on the tape, you're ugly and gives them a little bit of a scare. >> good for the gorilla. >> i actually think it's really sad. i think they're smart enough animals to understand that they're being ridiculed, that they're in an enclosure. it doesn't seem like a comfortable atmosphere. >> how bad would you want to do that sometimes? >> absolutely. i'm doing that every day if i were a gorilla. >> control yourself, mara.

>> and betty, maybe you shouldn't drink too much soda. >> there's a lady in monaco. get this i would have never thought. but she has only drank soda since she was 15 years old, no water, just soda. she drinksing about two liters a day and now has discovered that she has some heart problems because of it and has fainting problems. and you know, doctors took her off the soda, got her back on water. right after that, she was -- she abstained for one week and all her problems went away and her levels got back to normal. it kind of makes sense. although i had a college roommate, that's all she dranks too. >> you would think if you're having medical trouble and all you drink is soda. >> you would think a light bulb would go off somewhere. >> dylan, you have a special art exhibit to tell us about. >> in east london. it's all working through these mirrors on the ceiling at a 45-degree angle. so kids can crawl on the floor

and it looks like they're actually -- >> like spider-man. >> i know. they're dressed up in these costumes. i'm surprised there aren't more adults. >> we're going to have to wrap it up. that's a great image to leave everybody with. way too early starts right now. >> at the end of the day, what this is going to do is is create fewer and fewer options for women to exercise their constitutional right. >> while you were sleeping with pink sneakers and no bathroom breaks, state senator wendy davis tries to talk for 13 hours to filibuster an abortion bill in texas. even at this hour, there's still intense debate be whether it worked. and a controversial decision by the supreme court on voting rights as the nation's highest court prepares for even more big decisions later today. and alex rodriguez, even frustrating his own boss these

days. what made the yankees general manager get a little profane in response to an a-rod tweet. we're not going to shut the blank up. this is "way too early." >> we'll get tote that a-rod story in just a few minutes. good morning. i'm brian smacked the man. it is wednesday, june 25th. we want to start with a special election in massachusetts where last night voters elected congressman ed markey to fill the vacate can't seat left by secretary of state john kerry. >> thanks to the opportunities this country gave me this son of a milkman is going to serve the state of massachusetts in the united states senate. i pledge that i will be a senator who fight for you every hour on every vote on every