is from walmart. oh, my gosh. i'm shocked. [ laughs ] i know where i'm going to be shopping for strawberries now. find fresh berries and all your quality produce backed by our money back guarantee. walmart. history is made. the supreme court. in its final rulings of the term. changes the definition of marriage in america. >> we've won everything we asked for. wow. i'm honored and humbled and overjoyed. in the defense of marriage act. it's discriminatory, the law. >> today's a good day.

the day i finally get to look at the man that i love and finally say, will you please marry me? >> and the court punts on prop 8 in effect letting marriage resume in california. >> this is a great day for america. today the united states supreme court in two important decisions brings us that much closer to true equality. president obama calls the human rights campaign, chad griffin and the plaintiffs from air force one. live with thomas roberts right here on msnbc. >> we're so glad that california and their leadership, so you

guys should be grateful. >> and the power of the pink tennis shoes. filibustering against restrictive abortion legislation, she relies on comfortable footwear and later a back break to defeat texas republicans in a marathon 13 hour filibuster. she stood speaking for hours not allow to take breaks or block water to block the antiabortion law. >> at the end of the day what this is going to do is create fewer and fewer options for women to exercise their constitutional right. if we were truly talking about women's health care, if we were truly talking about making sure women were safe after an abortion, this is the kind of thing that goes right to the heart of that. >> after 13 hours, wendy davis's filibuster ended on a

technicality. the legislature rushed to vote but not in time to beat the midnight deadline. the crowd that had been there to support her all day saved their biggest cheers for last. [ cheers and applause ] good day. i am andrea mitchell in washington where the supreme court has now ruled that same sex couples cannot be denied the right to marry according to the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law. it's that simple. the court punted on california's prop 8. that, in effect, let a lower court ruling stand and opened the door to the resumption of same-sex marriages in california. the twin victories led to celebrations from the steps of the supreme court where washington's gay men's chorus sang the national anthem, to greenwich village, to towns and burrows around the nations.

let's go to nbc news justice correspondent pete williams live at the court. we're also joined by msnbc's rachel mad doe and fred sane is also at the court for us. pete, you were there for all of the drama, announcing it first and getting it right as always. the importance of today, the final day of the term, and how the court divided. >> well, it's important to know what the court said about the issue of same-sex marriage. in the prop 8 case it said nothing at all. the prop 8 case says nothing about gay rights or same-sex marriage. all it says is that the people who were defending proposition 8 didn't have no business being here, did not have the proper legal standing to bring a challenge, therefore, the lower court decision stands. the decision of the trial judge who found prop 8 unconstitutional and the decision so same-sex marriage can now resume in california after it was stopped by proposition 8. now on doma, again, the supreme

court says nothing about whether states must permit same-sex marriage. it is silent on that point. what it says is that when a state chooses to allow same-sex marriage, the federal government can't pick and choose and say, well, we're going to recognize opposite sex couples' marriages but not same-sex couples' marriages. justice kennedy says that part which was struck down today seems to be based on animus, on a desire to say that same-sex couples are not deserving of recognition by the federal government and justice kennedy and the majority that joins him says basically the federal government can't do that. that violates the constitution. so those -- that's the essence of the two holdings. states that have same-sex marriage legal recognition, the federal government must now recognize those marriages. those couples get all the benefits that an opposite sex couple would but states that don't allow same-sex marriage,

they don't have to change anything. the decisions today say nothing as a legal matter about what they have to do. now it may well be that the -- these two decisions give a big moral boost or political boost to the efforts to spread same-sex marriage to other states but as a legal matter they don't. >> speaking of legal matters, chad griffin is now on the phone because he was with you at the court but is now heading back to california for a big celebration. chad, i know you spoke with the president. that was live on msnbc. that was a moment. we're hearing from air force one that he called to congratulate e edie windsor. she will not have to pay the $300,000 irs bill. you just got off the phone with eric holder. how are the new federal regulations and benefits, how quickly can they be put in place? >> that's a great question,

andr andrea. you're right, i'm about to bored a plane with our plaintiffs as we will head to california and celebrate these two victories in the state of california today and tomorrow roll up our sleeves and get to work in all of those other states that didn't get marriage equality by these decisions today. it was incredible to receive the call from air force one and talk to the president. he congratulated the team and these plaintiffs in particular for the courage that they had, the courage to stand up and to fight for what's right. and he celebrated the marriages that will soon begin in this state. i also just got off the phone with attorney general holder to discuss in particular the implementation of doma and the fact that doma has been struck down because what we now want to do is to move as quickly as possible to ensure as many same-sex couples in this country can receive the thousand plus federal protection that is can come with these marriages.

the human rights campaign and our colleagues across the movement are working closely with the white house and with the justice department, with the president and the attorney general, leading in these efforts because every day we delay there are real live people and families who are harmed. >> chad, i know we met in 1992 in little rock when you were a campaign worker. you know exactly how it feels to be a young man in a small town in the south without anyone to talk to about what you're going through personally. >> you are absolutely right, andrea. i have to say, you know, i had sort of two thoughts today when these decisions came out. i thought about those young kids that are living all across the state of california that were told they were second class citizens, that were less than with proposition 8, but today as proposition 8 was struck down

and these lower court victories will go into place and marriage will again start, the hope that is now given to those young kids in fresno, california, bakersfield, california, that some day soon they can grow up and have these same hopes, dreams, and aspirations as everyone else in the state. but on the secondhand, i was also thinking about that young kid in hope, arkansas, or as harvey milk often talks about, in al tuna, pennsylvania, who sees the celebrations and in the twitter feeds but didn't feel the reach of justice and it is for that young person that we have to fight like we've never fought before until full and complete equality reaches every single person in every state. we have to set another goal. the new goal that we set today is within five years we need to fight like we've never fought before and do whatever it takes to bring marriage equality and full equality to every single person in every single state in

this country. >> joining us also, chad, safe travels to you as you go back to california for that celebration. and to the recommitment of the next steps forward. >> thank you very much. >> joining me now is rachel maddoux who is experiencing all of the emotions today. rachel, i was thinking about a couple i was talking with on a google hangout, a marine who is heading to okinawa, new deployment after being at the war college here, and his husband cannot live on base. how quickly do we think the federal regs can be changed, veterans benefits and the ability especially with the end of don't ask don't tell for them to live together in okinawa? >> right now it is 1:10 eastern time. i do believe chuck hagel is due to speak to these issues at roughly 2:15 eastern time. he will be speaking on these matters.

that's exactly what will happen. chad griffin is exactly right to talk about what still remains to be done. i know chad is heading back to california right now. he's going to salt lake city right now. the battle is very different in salt lake city right now than it is in san francisco. with doma being struck down, that has very clear, very direct and i think immediate implications for so many direct benefits that are associated with marriage. that means base housing if you're in the military. that does mean burial rights in you're in the military, medical benefits. it has direct consequences for social security benefits, veterans benefits. on military bases right away these decisions will be made in a collaborative way so that they can be implemented properly. this is not a subtle thing, not a shades of gray moment. in the military, in the veterans administration, in every other aspect of federal life, this is done. this is settled. this will be a hugely practical

step forward for couples who really have had second class citizenship with their states recognizing their marriages in some cases but not the federal government. >> and with us as well is fred sayers from the human rights campaign. fred, i know chad was talking about the fact that the fight goes on, but there is some very practical steps that do have to be made. i know you're following up with all of the agencies of the federal government. >> let me go a little bit further on what rachel said. she's absolutely right. it's greatly eye ron make it a -- ironic will now become the best kudal that we have for marriage equality nationwide. legally married same-sex couples that live in marriage equality states will be afforded virtually immediately all the same benefits as their straight

counterparts. the path is left uncertain for a legally married couple or a couple that's not legally married in a state that does not afford marriage equality. we will very quickly end up with two americas, one america where they're treated the same and the other america in which there may be some but definite ri not all of the federal rights, protections and benefits associated with marriage. it will become painfully obvious to even the most ardent of the marriage equality opponents that the inequities that gay families are forced to live with are not only an indig nancy on their face but wholly inefficient in terms of how our government adjudicates its affairs and discrimination on its very face. so in the short term our advocacy as gay rights add voe kalts will definitely be to work with the administration to bring all federal rights benefits and obligations to all legally

married gay couples. and we are hoping that the administration will see to it that all legally married gay couples, irrespective of a state border, are treated equally. we will also be advocating in congress for the introduction of a piece of legislation called the respect for marriage act that will be authored by senator dianne feinstein and congressman gerald nadler that would erase doma from our books and have a certainty provision in it so that all legally married gay couples can get all federal benefits. so today there is no doubt today is a day of rejoice with california -- with marriage being returned to california. 30% of the u.s. population will live in marriage states. it is an incredibly momentous day for marriage equality across the country because when the next case comes to the supreme court, there is no way that this court will be able to deny marriage to the rest of the country. it is also a momentous day for

legally married gay couples that live in marriage states and now the trick for us will be to bring marriage equality nationwi nationwide, as chad said, within the next five years, for all of the same rights for legally gay married couples. >> let me pick up on that. i heard you earlier saying gay couples who were married in massachusetts, same-sex marriage state, now are wondering what happens if for reasons of employment or education they have to move to indiana, a non-same-sex marriage state. can their benefits follow with sn them? how do we get clarity on that? >> the guy you just heard from that has already said the human rights campaigns and other groups will be urging the obama administration now that doma is

unconstitutional to say that marriage will follow the couple. if they get married in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, there's a leelt at this that will follow them. it's not clear that every federal agency has the same rule. some federal regulations may say we look to the law in the state you live. some may say we look to the law in the state where you were married. the whole defense of marriage act was not struck down today, only the federal definition of marriage. the part that remains in effect says one state does not have to honor the ruling of the other. that's still federal law. there may be lawsuits over it. there will certainly be efforts by these groups to get the federal government to be more uniform in its rule. >> and, rachel maddow, i was very struck also by the plaintiffs, one of the couples in the california case talking

about their kids, their sons. >> yes. >> when you think that this has a really empowering effect out there, the children of all of the gay parents, to see that the supreme court has recognized this in a profound way. >> i was struck by that too. we saw a group of house republicans do a press conference in which they responded to the ruling, condemning the ruling. you heard from house republicans who don't agree with the decision. part of the reason they don't agree with it is they don't want kids raised in families by same-sex couples. you know what, there are hundreds of thousands of kids in that situation already. what happened today is for those kids, their families just took a big step closer to first class citizenship, towards their families being equal with other families. hearing chris perry articulate that, it's moving. they have four sons.

she's saying, this is for our sons. our family is like every other family. our family stands on equal terms. and i want that to be true for kids in texas. i want that to be true for kids in arkansas. i want to be able -- for kids everywhere across the country to know that. to hear that in such personal terms, it really does make it clear, this is a very small conservative family step forward for the gay rights movement. this is not a sexual liberationist agenda here, this is about becoming one in the community of citizenship that we share as americans who value family values. it's a step forward that is a pretty nonconfrontational one in cultural terms and i think that's why it feels like the political and cultural momentum is such that even though we've got 1/3 marriage states in the country and 2/3 nonmarriage states in the country, that's

going to be over soon. >> rachel, this footnote to what you were saying earlier. we have a message from secretary hagel saying the department of defense plans to make the benefits available to all military spouses as soon as possible. s that is now the law. >> the military will not hesitate on this. they are happy with how that has gone. they will not have a problem with this. they will lead and it will pressure the states in which there are bases where people are being treated equally but outside the base lines know will not be treated equally. it will pressure those states. >> rachel maddow, the great pete carroll and here with me now is peter alexander. a lot more to discuss as i'm going to hand off for you. for the remainder of the show i am heading to an airplane. we are going to the aspen ideas festiv festival. stay with us for more on this

historic day at the supreme court right here on "andrea mitchell reports."

uh-oh! guess what day it is?? guess what day it is! huh...anybody? julie! hey...guess what day it is?? ah come on, i know you can hear me. mike mike mike mike mike... what day is it mike? ha ha ha ha ha ha! leslie, guess what today is? it's hump day. whoot whoot! ronny, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? i'd say happier than a camel on wednesday. hump day!!! yay!! get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

i want to say a personal note how important today is. i feel personally the inspiration of hardy milk. i admire the courage of edie windsor. we have work to do in terms of expanding rights and ending discrimination against those in the lgbt community to make america a more american -- >> quick rearranging of the seats. i'm peter alexander now sitting in for my friend andrea mitchell. we are hearing reaction from today's historic supreme court decisions across the country, including from proponents and opponents of same-sex marriage. here on capitol hill. joining me today for our daily

pick, nbc capitol hill kelly o'donnell, chris and managing editor of post politics.com and from way far away, nbc white house correspondent kristen welker. she is traveling with the president there just ahead of him in senegal. kristin, we'll speak to you in a minute. chris, i want to begin with you if i can to get a sense of where we go in regards to the supreme court decisions right now. there are some real question marks right now, like, for example, what happens for same-sex couples that were married in iowa and then move to a state like indiana where it is still legal. there are still some things that need to be ironed out. nonetheless, this is an historic seismic shift in society today, didn't it? >> it does, peter. i think the point pete williams made earlier, which is the entire defense of marriage act was not struck down, the states recognizing or having to

recognize marriages in states that it is illegal, that part was not challenged and therefore not struck down. we are still not sort of in a place where if you're married and you go to another state you have all the rights and benefits if that state does not have a provision approving of gay marriage. that said, it's looked at broadly as possible from a political perspective. the political fight is sort of close to over i would say, peter, in the vast majority of the country, which is that you have just seen change. majorities now supportive of gay marriage as recently as 2010. >> right. >> this i think builds that momentum, builds that momentum a little bit. it wouldn't have stopped no matter where public opinion was heading. >> i want to get a sense of where this was heading. i want to put up a statement on the screen that we got from the speaker of the house, john boehner, in a reaction to the defense of marriage act decision. he said while i'm obviously disappointed in the ruling, it

is always krit kalg that we protect our system of checks and balances. a robust natural debate over marriage will continue in the public square. it is my hope, boehner went on to say, that states will define marriage as the union between one man and one woman. because the department of justice, the attorney general and the president working to defend this. it was up to house republicans ultimately to try to defend it. >> they put a lot of money behind it to try to defend that law. you hear from republicans today the reference back to it was 1996 with an overwhelming bipartisan majority that supported doma then and it was signed into law by president clinton. i was really struck today having spent several hours over at the court where there was so little, if any, opposition present. those people that were unhappy with the way it went today didn't seem to attend. i spent several hours there. there were democratic members who went across to see it, take it in, that sort of thing. i was struck by how many sort of

republicans were slow to respond even on paper and why that stands out is very often there are members of congress who can anticipate some options about a news event that is pending and prepare some thoughts in advance and if they want to can respond very quickly. there was a slow sort of rolling out of the response today. in part, people want to look at the decision, this had some complexities. there was also a sense that while restating their belief that marriage is between one man and one woman for most republicans, that's the view, they were not as loud as they might have been under other circumstances. that was striking. and to note three senate republicans have come out in favor of gay marriage rights. >> kristin welker, we know the president is en route to senegal right now. the juxtaposition of so many stories at once. the civil rights, voting rights act being gutted just yesterday. today the historic determinations, the rulings by the court and the president en

route to africa with a very different play on his agenda right now. give us a sense of what you're hearing from white house officials right now. >> first of all, they're applauding today's supreme court ruling saying that they are a step forward as has been reported here. president obama called the plaintiffs in both cases to congratulate them. he's also said that he's instructing his attorney general to work with members of his cabinet to make sure that those who are due benefits do get them in a quick amount of time. so this is really a victory for the white house. of course, they filed a brief in the proposition 8 case. of course it's interesting because he's coming here to senegal, peter, a place where homosexuality is essentially a criminal act. >> right. >> so white house press secretary jay carney was asked about that on air force one and he said he wouldn't rule out president obama talking to the president of senegal about that

when they have a bilateral meeting. >> we appreciate it. we'll be right back. ♪

lookin' good, flo! feelin' good! feelin' real good! [ engine revs ] boat protection people love. now, that's progressive. call or click today. to appreciate our powerful, easy-to-use platform. no, thank you. we know you're always looking for the best fill price. and walk limit automatically tries to find it for you. just set your start and end price. and let it do its thing. wow, more fan mail. hey ray, my uncle wanted to say thanks for idea hub. o well tell him i said you're welcome. he loves how he can click on it and get specific actionable trade ideas with their probabilities throughout the day. yea, and these ideas are across the board -- bullish, bearish and neutral. i think you need a bigger desk, pal. another one? traders love our trading patterns, now with options patterns. what's not to love? they see what others are trading -- like the day's top 10 options trades by volume --

and get ideas! yea i have an idea: how about trading that in for a salad? [ male announcer ] so come trade at the place that's all about options and futures. optionsxpress. open an account today and get a $150 amazon.com gift card when you call 1-888-280-0159 now. optionsxpress by charles schwab. ... you thought wrong. seize the summer with up to 50% off hotels at travelocity.

you're watching "andrea mitchell reports." we are watching the latest updates in the george zimmerman trial. this morning the judge allowed nonemergency calls to be played during the trial. judge nelson also announced that one alternate juror had been excused for reasons that had nothing to do with the trial, we understand. we will continue to listen to testimony from the witnesses there this afternoon. we will bring you anymore news from the courtroom as it happens. and we'll be right back. (girl) what does that say? (guy) dive shop. (girl) diving lessons. (guy) we should totally do that. (girl ) yeah, right.

(guy) i wannna catch a falcon! (girl) we should do that. (guy) i caught a falcon. (guy) you could eat a bug. let's do that. (guy) you know you're eating a bug. (girl) because of the legs. (guy vo) we got a subaru to take us new places. (girl) yeah, it's a hot spring. (guy) we should do that. (guy vo) it did. (man) how's that feel? (guy) fine. (girl) we shouldn't have done that. (guy) no. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

for a store near you go to benjaminmoore.com/bayarea.

hey. whassup. guten tag. greetings earthlings. what's crackalackin? it's great we express ourselves differently. if we were all the same, life would be boring. so get to know people who aren't like you. you'll appreciate what makes us different. the more you know. there was this and this. she got a parking ticket... ♪ and she forgot to pay her credit card bill on time. good thing she's got the citi simplicity card. it doesn't charge late fees or a penalty rate. ever. as in never ever. now about that parking ticket. [ grunting ] [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card is the only card that never has late fees, a penalty rate, or an annual fee, ever. go to citi.com/simplicity to apply.

paula deen, the south described queen of southern cuisine tried to temper the firestorm around her. she had an exclusive interview on the "today" show. deen has been fired from the food network and dropped by smithfield foods. deen told matt lauer she used the "n" word 30 years ago at an armed robbery. she wanted people to accept her for who she is. >> there's not another side of this personality that we see on tv, this warm, sugary, sweet, even sassy girl of the south? there isn't a side of you that -- >> no. >> -- is intolerant and perhaps views others as not equal? >> no. no. no. you know, i -- no. what you see is what you get. i'm not an actress. i'm heart broken. i'm thankful for my partner. >> heart broken, why?

heart broken for yourself or your family? >> heart broken, i've had to hold friends in my arms while they've sobbed because they know what's being said about me. it's not true. and i'm having to comfort them and tell them, it's going to be all right. if god got us to t he'll get us through it. i've had wonderful support from reverend jackson. i've had wonderful support, and i'll tell you what, if there's anyone out there that has never said something that they wish they could take back, if you are out there, please pick up that stone and throw it so hard at my

head that it kills me, please. i want to meet you. i want to meet you. i is what i is and i'm not changing. and i'm -- there's someone evil out there that saw what i had worked for and they wanted it. >> joining me now is eugene robertson, the pulitzer prize winning author at the post. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> the way you've witnessed this story play out of paula deen over an extended period of time finally ending with her comments today. >> drama, drama, drama. i grew up in the south. i grew up not that far from savannah, actually. not all that far from there. i grew up from south carolina. she's 66 years old.

she's not 96 years old. most people i know in the south who are 66 years old get it, have gotten past that, are no longer as nostalgic for the good old days, bad old days as she seems to be. so -- but i don't think it's the role of society to -- you know, she can get there by herself. so get there. >> let me ask you this perhaps on the topic of redenmption rigt now. without getting into the weeds of whether her apology was sufficient or whether her sponsors should continue that way. for a public figure like paula deen, as big as she is, you know, what one needs to do to be redeemed, not just within the african-american community but really within the country at large. is redemption an option for someone who even decades ago used the "n" word. >> you know, fitzgerald was wrong. there are always second acts in

american lives. sure, people come back from a lot of things. as far as i'm concerned, it's up to her and what she does from here on. one of the things she's going to want to do is make peace with her sponsors. that's who her problem is with really. they dropped her and so she has to do whatever she needs to do to get back in her graces. you know, frankly, i think she's probably going to have to go a ways before some people are going to go to her res sfwlaunt she, obviously among other things, we talked about the voting rights, issue of affirmative action. there's clearly great passions on the topic of race. one of the things she brought up was she said it was distressing to walk into some of her kitchens and hear the way african-americans talk to each other. does this reignite that conversation, the use of language and whether it's okay in a public forum of any sort? >> you're talking about use of the "n" word. it's not a word that was ever

used in my house when i was growing up so it's not a word that i use, but i think that society has to get past this one point, and this is just the way it is. black people can say it to each other and white people cannot say it and that's just the way it is and that's the way it's gonna be because of all of american history. i don't think that's going to change. that may not be fair, but that's the way it is. >> let me ask you if i can. you wrote this week about the supreme court's decision on affirmative action. you said, it could have been a lot worgs. i want to get i don't remember take on the voting rights act yesterday. it was historic at its time and almost gutted. your take on it. >> look, it was gutted because the enforcement mechanism was taken out of the voting rights act. it was a shameful decision and a shameful day. such a contrast with today which i think was a day in which the court recognized civil rights yesterday the court kind of pretended, i think, that race

and racism have ceased to be issues in this country in a part of this country where, frankly, most of the voting rights act violations still occur. 80% still occur in the states of the old confederacy. so it wasn't just arbitrary that, in fact, this preclearance area was zblapg we're out of time. in a word. does congress act? does congress take this up? does it happen? >> i don't think so. what happens in this congress? can this congress take on an issue this tough? i doubt it. >> eugene robinson, a couple of tough issues to discuss with you. >> great to be here. >> nbc's tom brokaw is joining us from johannesburg, south africa, as soon as we come back. i wish this test drive was over, so we could head back to the dealership. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. test drive! [ male announcer ] but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back.

and it's never been easier to get a jetta. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today. otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away.

♪

after departing the white house president obama is on his way to senegal where he will begin his first major tour of africa. then he will go to south africa

where nelson mandela has been in critical con since sun. tom brokaw conducted one of the first interviews with mandela after he was released from prison after 27 years. >> is there anything about prison that you will miss? >> not really. not really. prison is a cruel place and to live alone is one of the hardest experiences no matter what the conditions are around you. >> joining me now from pretoria, south africa, is nbc news special correspondent, tom brokaw. tom, nice to visit with you. i want be to ask you about your visit to robin island this week, but first given the historic nature of what's happening back home, the supreme court's decision on same-sex marriage, i

want to get your thoughts in terms of what this represents in terms of a seismic shift in terms of this country. >> i think, peter, for some time now there's been a growing consensus this is over, that there is a widespread both popular and legal acceptance of the whole idea of gay marriage. more and more gays are now coming out and acknowledging their sexual orientations. more families are also acknowledging that they have gay members of their family and they wish them well and hope that they'll have a happy married life. that includes some political conservatives as well. and with this ruling today it opens up california to the idea of legalized gay marriage. it's the largest state in the country. with every passing year there seems to be more states that are accepting this. there will always be those obviously who resist the idea of gay marriage because there are still those who resist the idea of interracial marriage. >> tom, if i can, i know this week you traveled to robin

island. i was there a couple of years ago. i'm still struck by the smallness of not just the island but the cell where nelson mandela was for so long. you spoke to his friend as well as his prison warden. what memories are they sharing with you? >> well, actually, peter, i could not get to the island because the weather closed in around us and my producer, michelle newbird and her cameraman were out there the day before. i had been there before. ak med muhammad khutara and chris brand, a young prison guard who befriended mandela talk about now that he's at this stage in their life, what they remember was the dignity and the determination that he had that he should not overplay his hand. he wanted to learn, for example, african's language, the language of the white minority.

he was a man, he was born into royalty and he always carried that with him. >> tom, you described as a career highlight having been there for nelson mandela's release in 1990. i want to play some sound from your conversation with nelson mandela then and get some of your personal thoughts. >> given the conditions of the time right now, do you think that the arms struggle, however, will have to intensify or will you be able to pull back? >> no, as far as we're concerned, the arms struggle goes on as long as the government has not responded to our satisfaction. we are still dealing with the removal of the obstacles to negotiations and when all those obstacles have been removed, it doesn't mean to say that we'll have reached an agreement on the fundamental issues of the country. the basic issue is the demand of

one person, one vote. we are still very far from achieving this. >> tom, i want to get a sense from you, it'sreleased. what struck you from the conversations you had with nelson mandela? >> well, i became a very close student of nelson mandela. i do believe the second half of the american 20th century had some remarkable leaders. ronald reagan in the united states. others, dr. martin luther king in our country. john f. kennedy. this man had extraordinary political skills. in that statement, he was reaching out to the anc, the african national congress, about the movement will continue. at the same time, behind the scenes, he was reaching out to the white minority government, especially to the president of south africa, who had arranged for his released because he was

determined this country should become whole again and not divided. that was his whole quest as a politician, and no one did it more brilliantly under more difficult circumstances than nelson mandela did. can i also just show you one quick thing, if i can? >> please do. >> peter, i'm going to pick up a microphone here. this is a microphone. it's got a cover over it. when i interviewed nelson mandela in his backyard, he had just gotten out of prison. we had that hanging over his head. i said, mr. mandela, that's a microphone, not a weapon. he said, oh, thank you for telling me that. for a while, i thought it was a new kind of a shotgun. and we burst out laughing, and it was a wonderful picture taken of just that moment. >> just a shock unlike. no weapon whatsoever. tom, thanks for sharing those stories with us. we appreciate it and look forward to some of your reporting during the president's trip to south africa coming up. >> all right. thank you very much, east peter. >> thank you. we're going to be right back. la's known definitely for its traffic, congestion, for it's smog.

but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the busses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution to the earth. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment. (announcer) scottrade knows our and invest their own way. with scottrade's smart text, i can quickly

understand my charts, and spend more time trading. their quick trade bar lets my account follow me online so i can react in real-time. plus, my local scottrade office is there to help. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade. (announcer) scottrade. voted "best investment services company."

which political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? chris is back with us. safe to say the supreme court decision will keep us going for the next several hours. i want to talk looking ahead to the africa trip and what headlines we expect to see come from there. >> look, we've seen the reporters already on the ground, but president obama headed there now. arrives later today. you know, peter, the pictures and images coming out of here, out of both tanzania and south africa, are going to be compelling. i think people will be drawn to it. at the same time, remember you have immigration moving through the senate. you have the nsa surveillance. there's a lot going on state side that the president's got to sort of keep an eye on as he tours africa. >> yeah, i think the story in africa, absent nelson mandela's health, could be swamped by those stories. chris, good to see you. thank you. that's going to do it for this

edition of "andrea mitchell repor repor report." andrea will be live tomorrow from the colorado aspen ideas conference. tamron hall has a look at what's next on "news nation." >> hey, peter. thanks so much. in our next hour, we continue to follow the breaking reaction to the news from the supreme court today. civil rights icon congressman john lewis will join us live with his impassioned speech back in 1996 for equal rights that stirred so many. here's a reminder. >> you cannot tell people they cannot fall in love. >> we'll also get his reaction to speaker john boehner's comments on the fallout from yesterday's voting rights act. also, the star witness will soon take the stand in the george zimmerman trial. rachel gentle was on the phone

with trayvon martin the moment he was shot. lisa bloom will join us to discuss this key testimony. and another company dumped paula deen just as she tearfully apologizes on the "today" show this morning. it was her first live interview, but the question today, did she do more harm than good? [ panting ] we're headed the same way, right? yeah. ♪ [ panting ] uh... after you. ♪ [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] it's all in how you get there. the srx, from cadillac. awarded best interior design of any luxury brand. lease this 2013 cadillac srx for around $399 per month, with premium care maintenance included. "that starts with one of the world's most advancedy," distribution systems," "and one of the most efficient trucking networks," "with safe, experienced drivers." "we work directly with manufacturers,"

"eliminating costly markups," "and buy directly from local farmers in every region of the country." "when you see our low prices, remember the wheels turning behind the scenes, delivering for millions of americans, everyday. "dedication: that's the real walmart" i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients.

plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now. o0 c1 every day we're working to and to keep our commitments. and we've made a big commitment to america. bp supports nearly 250,000 jobs here. through all of our energy operations, we invest more in the u.s. than any other place in the world. in fact, we've invested over $55 billion here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger.

everyone, i'm tamron hall. the news nation is following breaking news. a pointed moment if the fight for equality in the united states. right now preparations are underway for a rally at what is considered the birthplace of the gay rights movement in this country, the stone wall inn in new york city. it was the site of violent riots 44 years ago this very week and even referenced by the president during his inauguration speech. we'll talk about this in a moment. also, coast to coast there have been celebrations after the supreme court struck down the federal defense o