tonight, think of where it is being celebrated quietly. in the young girl or boy who now feels so much more to be okay in the eyes of all of us. of the lonely soul who now feels he or she belongs. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in. big news tonight. a majority victory for gay rights from the supreme court. just a day after the decision to gut the voting rights act. we'll talk later in the show about both rulings and the way forward for justice in this country. but we start with today's riveting testimony in george zimmerman's second degree murder trial. the young woman who was the last person to speak to trayvon martin took the stand. she was on the phone with him just moments before his death,

and described what she heard in dramatic details. including what she said were trayvon martin's words. get off. get off. those were his final words. there was other important news in the trial today. an earlier witness also testified that she'd seen the confrontation the night of the shooting and she said it was trayvon martin screaming out for help. today the jury also heard calls mr. zimmerman made to police in the months before the night of the shooting. calls that the judge ruled were admissible in the trial. but it was the testimony of trayvon martin's friend that riveted spectators in the courtroom. rachel jeantel was on the stand all afternoon. she testified for the prosecution about a half an hour. at one point nearly breaking down in tears. she also faced a tough cross

examination from the zimmerman defense team. that lasted about an hour and a half and will continue tomorrow. here's a key part of her testimony when she describes that final call with trayvon martin. >> he just told me -- he just told me to try and lose him by start walking back home. because the rain come a little bit down. >> so mr. martin told you he was going to try to lose the man? >> yeah. by start walking home. >> okay. and did you say anything to him? >> no. we were just talking. and then he just told me the man following him now. then he said he's following me now. >> after mr. martin said the n word and said he's following me, what happened then? >> he just told me and then i told him run. he said no. >> okay. you told him to run?

>> yeah. >> and what did, if anything, did mr. martin say? >> he said no. he was almost right there -- he almost right by his dad's fiance's house. >> did you say anything to him at that time? >> i told him you better run. and he had told me he almost by his daddy fiance house. he said why are you following me for. and i heard a hard breath man come saying what are you doing around here. and i heard trayvon. and i heard a bump. i think it was the bump of the headset. then i heard him saying get off, get off. >> then what did you hear? >> then suddenly the phone hung up. shut off. >> the prosecutor also asked her about a crucial piece of evidence in the case. the 911 call made by a neighbor where you can hear screaming in the background.

>> have you heard the recording -- telephone recording where there's cries for help and then a shot? have you heard that on tv and stuff? >> yes. >> okay. the cries for help, are you able to say whose voice that is or voices that is? >> trayvon. it sounded like trayvon's. >> joining me now msnbc legal analyst lisa bloom, former prosecutor john burress, and former prosecutor marsha clog. thanks for joining me. marsha, it was a long afternoon of testimony from trayvon martin's friend. a crucial witness. how did you see it? >> i saw this as a slam dunk for the prosecution. i have to say i loved everything about this witness. i know she was a rough -- a

diamond in the rough, so to speak. not the most polished witness. there were times she got testy with the defense. but what i like about her and this was something that i always appreciated in a witness is she's genuine. she's for real. there is nothing unreal and she's completely authentic. she comes across and tells you exactly what she's feeling, thinking, and what she saw and heard on that day. straight from the heart, straight from the brain. and i love that. it's the unvarnished truth. and i think to me she came across as not only very credible, but extremely relatable. we can understand why she got a little bit frustrated with the defense that repeated questions over and over again. about things that i thought were more tangenial about her lying about her age and going to the service. why go about that? go for what's important. and i think they did not hit the important points well enough. i thought she came across

extremely well. >> john, you're a defense attorney. what was your impressions? >> well, my impression was that this was going to be a very challenging witness for them to cross examine. and that you had to be a little bit careful. the important part for me from a defense point of view was if there was anything that could be corroborated about what she had to say or not. there was conflicting testimony about witnesses about the status and relationship between trayvon and mr. zimmerman. and so the question, could she add testimony to that? she really couldn't add testimony around what actually happened. she could only get testimony that i thought was important around the question of when she said get off, get off. that's consistent with what other people had to say. from a defense point of view, this is not the person you could tear up. you got to make sure there's no other evidence to corroborate what she had to say. otherwise you're messing with a witness that has a ring of truth about it. that's okay. because it really doesn't go to the immediate question of what

happened at the time of the shooting took place. >> lisa, your impressions? you watched the whole thing. >> i watched the whole thing. i was especially focused on cross examine. most people are good on direct. but cross examination is where you get the truth. she was a mixed bag. you saw clips from her direct examination. she stuck to the story of trayvon saying he was concerned about it and the phone dropped and he said get off, get off. powerful for the prosecution. but on cross examination, she had to admit to a couple of lies already and we're not done with her yet. she had to admit not only that she didn't go to the memorial service which is understandable, but that she concocted in a hospital. that was a lie. that she lied about her age to try to get her privacy protected. and one of the evolutions i will say of her testimony is that she initially said under oath in a deposition when she heard that recording of the screaming that she didn't know if that was trayvon martin. now today under oath she says it

is trayvon martin. that's a change in the testimony that's significant on a key issue in this case. >> marcia, how do you respond to that? >> lisa makes the one point that i thought they did and john makes the other one. if john had been doing this defense, cross examination i think it probably would have been a great deal more focused and effective. he's right. that is the point you go for. she didn't see what happened. she couldn't tell you where they were when it happened or whether trayvon eventually turned on zimmerman. that is the point. that's the point they completely buried by going after irrelevancies like the memorial service and lying about the age. i don't care. if i'm the juror there, they're going to say whatever. she lied for a purpose that has nothing to do with her credible as a witness in this case. but the fact that she did shift a little bit on whether or not it was trayvon's voice on that tape, that's important stuff that lisa points out. i agree with her.

you know what we're going to hear from both sides, they're going to be claiming no that's zimmerman, no that's trayvon martin. at the end of the day, the jury has to decide what they believe. >> you have zimmerman himself saying it didn't sound like him. so i don't know. you're all over the place with that, you're right. but john, let me play to you what both lisa and maria had referred. rachel jeantel was a friend of trayvon martin but didn't attend the wake or the funeral. here's what she tells the prosecutor. >> why didn't you go to the wake and to the funeral? i'm sorry what? >> i didn't want to see the body. >> you didn't want to see the body? >> no. >> you ended up speaking to

trayvon martin's mother. and to parents, right? >> yes. >> okay. and did you end up lying about not going -- why you didn't go to the wake, the funeral? >> yes. >> and why did you lie about not going to the funeral or to the wake? >> i felt guilty. >> you felt guilty about what? >> i was the last person -- i was the last person who talked

to they son. >> john, this is something you referred to as a lie they told. but do you think the emotions and the way she was talking in any way kind of appeals to some of the jury, or does it matter? she told a story and that's the end of it? >> well, i think she's very credible as to why she didn't go. and that's a believable thing. but i will tell you from a defense point of view, any lie that you can use for whatever reason to go to the credibility of a witness, you use it. and in a case like this, it's a powerful witness. so at the least you want to show the jury she has the capacity to lie. whether it's a good reason or not. the fact is she did not tell the truth and now acknowledges it is something the defense will ultimately use. i think the deceptive part of her testimony is credible. and at the end of the day, she'll get all the credit for that. and to the extent the defense

can use in any way to suggest maybe she lied once and might lie about other things, but typically on the area of questioning whether or not she actually could tell who was yelling. and you put that with the fact that she had embellished that along with the other statements that the defense will probably try to use or discredit her as much as possible. >> now, lisa, she's important in this case why? >> she is one of many witnesses who are trying to puncture george zimmerman's story. he says in self-defense he had to shoot trayvon martin to save his life. that can't be changed. so the prosecution is trying to disprove each part of the story. what she does is disprove the part of the story where supposedly trayvon was the attacker. if you believe her version of the story, zimmerman came after

him. his last words to this witness were get off, get off. certainly sounds like george zimmerman was attacking him. >> marcia, the fact that she is talking to him on the phone and the phone records as far as we know does reflect that conversation, does that not support her saying she was talking to him and in fact you would assume if she was talking to him, he was not in pursuit of someone. >> exactly. yes. that's a very good point that you make. the fact that he's actually on the phone with her means that he's preoccupied. he's occupied with talking to this woman -- young girl, really. she's 18 at the time. that he's talking to her and he's busy with her and he wants her to tune into the all star game. it shows a focus that is completely against anything that might make him an aggressor and wanting to mix it up with something else. he's talking to this girl and asking her to make sure the game is on for him.

that is completely distinguishable from someone trying to mix it up. then you have the words. she's been consistent about this. no matter what the defense might say about lying about her age and the memorial. i found it very compelling when she said she felt guilty. it's a natural thing. you're the last one to speak to him and you wanted to do something for him and couldn't. i don't think there's anyone on the jury that doesn't understand that feeling. whatever lies they found around the edges, i don't think it's going to do anything to the credibility of the. >> reporter: you can't say it's not doing anything to her credibility -- >> he was focused on getting home and not attacking george zimmerman. >> you can't say it doesn't do anything to her credibility. while we can all feel for her, this is a murder trial. the prosecution has the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. they have to put on evidence that's credible. you know the jury is going to get an instruction at the end of

this case. that's what they're up against. every time somebody tells a lie and then they have to explain it and we have to be understanding. the defense is going to run with this and say she's lying about the core of her testimony because she wanted to make the martin family happy. she told the lie. then she's repeated it and embellished it. that's going to be the defense closing argument about her. >> of course it is. but witnesses may be untruthful in one part but you may believe them in another. to the part they were untruthful is minimal and inconsequential, but the lies are inconsequential other than the inconsistency you pointed out with the voice on the tape. >> john, i'm going to give you the last word. >> i don't think her testimony in itself is totally discredited. i'm very much impressed that she leads the testimony by saying he says get off, get off. which then means he was not the aggressor. and that goes to the heart of

the defendant's case. so i think the lasting impression i walked away from here is the statements that clearly suggest he was not the aggressor which is contrary to zimmerman's position. >> thanks for your time tonight. still ahead, a crucial moment for the prosecution. jurors hear george zimmerman's past calls to police. what do they show? plus after yesterday's devastating blow to the voting rights act, today a major victory for equal rights in the country. and paula deen defends herself against allegations of racism. >> i live my life the way i believe. and like i said, if you've never committed a sin, please pick up that rock, pick up the boulder and hit me as hard as you can. >> i'll give you my thoughts on that. and remember, i want to hear from you. send me your e-mails.

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moment from george zimmerman's trial. the jury hearing calls mr. zimmerman made to police before the night trayvon martin was killed. the judge ruled that jurors could hear those calls this morning. the calls are recordings from five times mr. zimmerman contacted the police from the summer of 2011 through early 2012. mr. zimmerman's defense had argued the calls were irrelevant. >> those are not acts which show ill will, hatred, second degree. what they show you -- what they would show you is he was acting fine. >> in one call mr. zimmerman contacted police about an open garage door. in the other four calls, mr. zimmerman reported people he said were suspicious. and when he was asked by the dispatcher to identify them, he said they were african-american. here's one of the calls jurors

heard today. we've edited the court proceedings to remove the part of the call where mr. zimmerman gives an address and his phone number. >> i was just calling because we've had a lot of break-ins in our neighborhood recently and i'm on the neighborhood watch. and there's two suspicious characters at the gate of my neighborhood. i've never seen them before. i have no idea what they're doing. they're just hanging out loitering. >> mr. zimmerman, can you describe the two individuals? >> two african-american males. they look, i know one was in a white impala. >> how old do they look to you? >> mid to late 20s, early 30s. >> joining me now are faith jenkins and ken patowitz. faith, what effect does hearing these calls have on the jury? >> it's going to be huge

especially in closing arguments. because now this changes the entire landscape about what the jury will hear about george zimmerman. it's no longer about just the four corners of what happened the night he met trayvon martin. but they're not going to be able to paint a picture of a pattern and practice he had of targeting and following and looking at suspicious individuals. the judge made the right call here. the night that he saw trayvon on the call to the police, he referred to him as if he was a part of a group. these a-holes always get away. f-ing punks. he referred to him as if there was more than one person there. he had an attitude. the prosecutors are arguing this is how he built up a level of frustration which is why that night he thought they always get away, but not this time. so he followed trayvon martin. that's going to be their argument. >> now, ken, is this as important in your view as faith believes. and why did the defense fight so hard to try to keep these tapes out?

>> exactly. she's correct. it is very important evidence. there were 50 phone calls. the judge made a very sound, legal judgment to allow in five of those calls. it's intertwined evidence or known in florida as context evidence. it shows the context and the level of frustration that's built up over time by the defendant. and why he then decides to pursue trayvon martin on the night he was murdered. so this evidence not taken alone but connected to the other testimony and the other evidence in the case becomes a very powerful weapon that the prosecution can use using real life evidence, real phone calls made by the defendant that all point to the end result that the prosecution wants which is the jury to determine that he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. >> now, faith, you referred to this. listen to what mr. zimmerman said to the dispatcher about trayvon martin. >> we got him on the way.

let me know if this guy does anything else. >> okay. these [ bleep ], they always get away. >> now, that's where he referred to trayvon martin these a-holes plural. they always get away. that comment was similar to something that mr. zimmerman said in one of his earlier calls. he said this in august of 2011. >> if you'll let the officers know, they typically run away quickly. and i think they head over to the neighborhood, the next neighborhood over. so you may want to send a unit over to columbia cove. >> what's it called? >> calabria cove. >> all right. i'll let them know. they are on their way. okay? >> okay, thanks. >> thank you, bye-bye. >> now, it's "they" again. we don't know if it's "they" this time or one person.

but "always get away." is that important to prove the charge? >> absolutely. a key element in a second degree murder charge is zimmerman had some kind of ill will, depraved mind. indifference, an attitude towards trayvon. he reflected on that attitude when he followed him and killed him. and the prosecutors are going to argue because of his past experiences with people getting away, he had reached a boiling point with trayvon. and this was going to be one of those times where he was not going to let the person get away this time. >> now, ken, prosecutors said these previous will determine why mr. zimmerman thought trayvon martin was suspicious. listen to this. >> i think the states should be allowed to establish through relevant evidence whether or not the defendant's allegation is suspicious simply because he's walking in the rain is one

thing. or if he considers other things to be suspicious in and of themselves. >> what are they trying to prove here, ken? >> clearly the elements of the crime. ill will, second degree murder. they're trying to show how all these things come together with the other calls now coming in on the day in question where trayvon martin is murdered and sought after by zimmerman. i mean, i think it's crucial evidence. it's relevant evidence. and the fact that she defense has fought so hard to keep it out really underscores the fact that it is relevant. it's laughable for them to say it's not relevant. relevant evidence proves or disproves a fact and issue. clearly one of the main facts of issue here is whether or not there was this ill will or intent to do harm by zimmerman. and the phone calls help prove that. >> how do you think the trial is going as of today? at the close of today, what do you think? what is your estimate of where

we are? >> i think the case is going very well for the prosecution. earlier you had a guest that said it was a mixed bag on the main witness, the girlfriend who was on the phone. well, of course it's a mixed bag. every witness is a mixed bag. the crucial testimony from this girl that she was talking to him, that he was trying to get away from someone that was pursuing him. that's the important and very important relevant evidence that's going to strike this jury in the heart. the fact about whether or not she goes in the funeral or at a hospital, these are from a teenager. we all know how teenagers are. and using our common sense and life experience, her testimony in conjunction with the other testimony that was presented by the prosecution today comes across in a very powerful fashion to this jury. >> jane surdyka is a resident and eyewitness. she also testified today as one of the witnesses ken was

referring to. and she -- the state played her really harrowing 911 call that night. listen. >> i don't know what's happening. someone's on the ground. >> you see someone laying on the ground? >> someone's been shot. i don't know what's going on. >> calm down. stay on the line with me. like i said, we have officer on scene and we have other officers on the way. >> oh, my god. you better hurry up. i don't know if someone is dead on the ground or something. oh, my god. i think somebody was killed. >> listen, we don't know if they've been killed. okay? we know they've been probably -- >> yes, the person is dead laying on the ground. >> in my opinion, i believe the second yell for help, that was like a -- you know, like a yelp. it was excruciating. i felt it was the boy's voice. >> i really felt it was the boy's voice. here's another witness saying it

was trayvon. faith, how important is that? >> her credibility is unassailable. on this 911 call she is describing what she is witnessing on this call. it's a contemporaneous experience for her. she says on the call he was screaming for help. and she's crying throughout this 911 call, very emotional in the courtroom. she's saying on the call he was yelling for help. i wanted to help him. i should have helped him. i don't have a gun. and now why would someone kill him? why would they shoot him? he was yelling for help. she's referring to the person she sees lying on the ground dead. that is very powerful. >> ken and faith, thank you for your time tonight. testimony continues tomorrow. we'll be covering all of it. still ahead, paula deen tearfully defends herself against accusations of racism. i'll weigh in. hey linda!

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admitted to using racial slurs including the "n" word some 30 years ago. the backlash was immediate. this morning defending herself on the "today" show. >> you swore under oath. >> yes, i did. >> that you have used a word that is the most offensive word you can use to describe an african-american. and you've talked about this wedding, this wedding you wanted to plan, that plantation style wedding. whether you used the "n" word or not. how does someone use the "n" word whether in anger or a joke, or in private, the most offensive word to african-americans and not be considered a racist? >> yes. the day i used that word, it was a world ago. it was 30 years ago. i had had a gun put to my head. a shaking gun. because the man that had the gun to my head, unbeknowing to me

was my customer at the main office. >> didn't you also say you used it on other occasions? >> no. no. >> other than that one time in the bank robbery attempt, you're telling me you have never used the "n" word? >> i never. they asked me in all of my 66 years on earth had i ever used it. >> but deen did testify she has used the "n" word more than one time. in that sworn testimony, an attorney asked her quote, have you used it since then? deen's response, quote, i'm sure i have, but it's been a very long time. here's more from matt lauer's interview today. >> do you have any doubt in your mind that african-americans are offended by the "n" word? >> i don't know, matt. i have asked myself that so many times. because it's very distressing for me to go into my kitchens and i hear what these young

people are calling each other. it's very, very distressing. >> you never joined in on that language? >> no. absolutely not. it's very distressing. it's very distressing for me because i think that for this problem to be worked on that these young people are going to have to take control and start showing respect for each other. and not throwing that word at each other. it makes my skin crawl. i know how i treat people. i know my love for people. and i'm not going to sit here and tell everything that i have done for people of color. i'm not going to do it. somebody else can tell that. >> joining me now is commentator nancy giles. thank you for being here

tonight. what do you make of deen's answer this morning? is this going to help her? >> i don't know. listening to it again, there are parts that are odd. she did admit in testimony is that she used the "n" word before. now she says she didn't. and what was interesting in just now hearing how she described her anguish over hearing young people using it and what it means for them. i only wish she had talked about that in terms of herself. those words could really describe i think how she could look at the word. and rev, i hate that word. my parents never used it. i don't like that other black folks use it as a term of endearment. there's more than the "n" word here with paula deen. it's not just that. if everybody that ever used that word lost their tv show, there'd be no tv shows. >> but the problem also is that she seemed to when matt lauer was trying to get her to address this herself, she used it to lecture the young people in her kitchen.

>> come on. which seemed weird. she was deflecting it off herself and putting it on their shoulders as if they were the issue. i'm not her. i wasn't there. i think the most honest part of her testimony was when she was asked if she ever used the word, she said of course she did. there are lots of areas in the country where people use that word casually. before young people started using it. and it was a casual, demeaning, violent, dehumanizing word that was used. i just can't quite wrap my head around the fact that she used it once when a black guy had a gun pointed to her head and the other time she used it was quoting young people who really should stop using it. you know? >> my own view on this and i said it is that if we're talking about something she said 20 or 30 years ago, then i don't think that's -- all of us have done and said things we have regretted. but you're talking about allegations now. there's a lawsuit now.

and the more she talks, the more you start saying wait a minute. >> yeah. >> so it's more than giving her the benefit of a doubt 20, 30 years ago. and you've got to look at present allegations. >> that's right. >> so i think that if we're talking about using it 30 years ago, that's one thing. if we're talking about the fact she's being sued now -- >> well, her brother's being sued. yeah. >> her brother's being sued. and this continuing redoing the story. now you're starting to say, wait a minute here. what's going on? >> it's getting a little shady. can we talk about like having all the black people dressed as waiters thing? the plantation, happy plantation wedding. isn't that something you'd love to be part of? that to me says more than the word itself. in a lot of ways. >> well, nancy giles, thank you for your time tonight. and if i were to give miss deen some advice, i would say, look. we've all made mistakes. if they happened long ago, say

that. i would also say if you have a guy with a gun to your head, i wouldn't call him the "n" word. i really wouldn't. weal be right back. ♪ [ agent smith ] i've found software that intrigues me. it appears it's an agent of good. ♪ [ agent smith ] ge software connects patients to nurses to the right machines while dramatically reducing waiting time.

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today the biggest gay right

victories in our nation's history. first this morning then supreme court struck down the defense of marriage act ruling the federal government can't discriminate against same-sex marriages. a sweeping ruling affecting americans all across the country. and just minutes later, more cheers as the court's ruling on california's prop 8 effectively legalized same-sex marriage in the country's largest state. the two same-sex couples in the prop 8 case walked out of court as heroes making history. and just moments later, the couples while appearing right here on msnbc received a call from president obama. >> we're proud of you guys and we're so glad that california and in a growing number of states around the country people

are getting their equal rights. so you guys should be very proud of today. >> today's news sparked celebrations across the country from coast to coast. it's a dramatic new chapter in the quest to expand civil rights. a quest the president spoke of in his second inaugural. >> we the people declare today that the most evident of truths, that all of us are created equal. is the star that guides us still. just as it guided our forebearers through seneca falls and stonewall. >> joining me now is evan wolfson who has played a central part in the fight for same-sex marriage. evan wolfson is the founder of freedom to marry. "time" magazine has named him one of the most fliinfluential

people in the world. thank you both for coming on the show tonight. evan, what does this say about the year 2013? >> it says even when the supreme court can get something as wrong as they did yesterday, they can sometimes get it right. and what it says is the constitution is a document that guarantees all of us protections. and if we work hard and keep working and do the work, we can all be part of the american dream. the supreme court today by striking down the central part of the so-called defense of marriage act turned the federal government from the number one discriminator against gay couples to now being on the side of those families as we push forward to win the freedom nationwide. and restored the freedom to marry in california bringing california forward as an engine state to help move the country forward. and now establishing that 100 million or more americans, 1/3

of the country now live in a state where gay people can share in the right to marry. >> jeffrey, evan mentioned as wrong as they got it yesterday, they got it right today. and it definitely was wrong in my opinion yesterday. how do we deal with the difference in rulings? >> well, i think first of all i want to kindergarten evan wolfson on this victory. you were right to say how influential he was in this. and he wrote a thesis saying the right to marry should be a constitutional right. it's a huge personal victory for him today. how can we reconcile these two rulings? in some ways they are strikingly consistent. in both cases justice kennedy writing for a divided court took a sweepingly expansive view of individual liberty. in this case it favor ad-led a liberal result.

yesterday justice kennedy and his colleagues along with chief justice roberts believed the individual right not be discriminated against. so it just goes to show that you may disagree with justice kennedy but he does have a very expansive view of individual liberty. sometimes it favors liberal results. >> i do disagree because the victims are not the states in that case as those who could not vote in those states. but let me get to you. what are the next steps now to make the rulings now have a just those in everyday life that has been different before this. >> for couples who are legally married, this decision means that the federal government may no longer discriminate against them. they must treat them like any other married couple. we're going to work with president obama and the administration and we're calling on congress to do its part to implement that decision and the

constitution's command. of course even though we now have 13 states including california and a third of the country, that leaves 37 states where gay people are still denied their freedom to marry. >> that's important because 37 states that does not have same-sex marriage as the law, this ruling does not require that they do that. is that right? >> that is right. but evan is absolutely right that this ruling contains powerful language that will allow him and other advocates for marriage equality to have success in court. justice kennedy said a state and the government may not demean an individual because of moral thoughts against residents. there's a passage today where kennedy reports from the congressional report that says grgs intended to express moral disapproval. i think advocates will now be able to take that language and say all the states that deny

marriage equality are also based on moral disapproval. >> evan, you've been called as i said by the daily beast the godfather of gay rights. one of the things that concerns me as you know i've stood up to some chagrin of some of my colleagues for gay rights. when i saw the ruling today and i saw the ruling yesterday that the right wing tried to form some kind of wedge between those of us that fight for civil and voiting rights and those that agree with gay rights. how do you propose we address the difference in the rulings and someone potentially trying to cause some kind of division in the unity between those that have been progressive on these issues? >> you're right. we have to stand together and make sure there is no division. in fact, none of us is fully free or equal until all are free and equal. yesterday you may have seen that

freedom to marry joined the entire leadership of the lbgt movement in issuing a strong statement condemning the supreme court's gutting of the voting rights act. and pledged to stand with our civil rights counterparts. and our communities overlap. african-americans are gay. gay people are latino. we have to stand as one. the supreme court did the right thing today. and the supreme court did the wrong thing yesterday. and that can't be the last word. >> evan wolfson and jeffrey rosen, thank you. that was said like a true godfather. i don't know if that's right. thank you very much. we'll be right back. lindsey! i just discovered these new triscuit

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mary says i want to understand why the country seems to be going back instead of forward. well, mary, it is a backward move in my opinion what was decided yesterday. but in all of our frustration, in all of the feeling of disappointment i had yesterday, i thought about what they went through in 1965 and the years leading up to it to get us the voting rights act in the first place. people literally lost their lives. people lost their livelihood. families were divided. so a disappointing vote is not what they went through. if they could get together, they could organize it, they could press congress. if they can turn back those forces, 50 years ago, we have no excuse given our relative comfort to do it today. that's why we must press congress for a new formula. that's why we must rally martin

luther king iii and i have a march in washington on the 50th anniversary of the march on washington called realize action to realize the dream. on saturday, august 24th. we'll march on washington. 50 years after his father's historic i have a dream speech. we must continue for the dream to become a reality for all of us. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. equality. let's play "hardball." ♪ good evening. i'm chris matthews up in new york again. the zimmerman trial is continuing and we will update you on the latest developments there in a moment. but first let me start tonight with this huge supreme court decision striking down the defense of marriage act. it means that the united states government oes