on top of george zimmerman only moments before he heard the fatal gunshot. but he wasn't 100% sure if punches were being thrown or who was yelling for help. another eyewitness described mr. zimmerman as, quote, calm and coherent just moments after the altercation. and a physician's assistant testified george zimmerman did not need sutures, and that he was taking mma classes several times a week. but it was the testimony of neighbor john good that began this 15th day of the trial. the jury heard the 911 call he made the night of trayvon martin's death. >> can you hear somebody yelling for help? >> um, i'm pretty sure the guy is out here. >> okay, we have several people calling in also. anything else that you heard? >> no.

the guy yelling help. oh my god. no, there is a guy with a flashlight in the backyard now. >> okay. >> i think there is flashlights and there is a guy. i don't know if that's a cop. oh my god. >> john good testified about the altercation that took place right outside his home, saying he could see who was on top in those critical moments before george zimmerman fired his gun. >> could you tell at that time in terms of describing who was on top and who was on the bottom? >> i could only see colors of growthing. >> okay. the color of clothing on the top whark could y , what could you see? >> it was dark. >> how about at the bottom? >> i believe it was a red color. it looked like there were strikes being thrown or punches being thrown. but as i clarified, due to the light, it could have also been

holding down. the person on top's legs were over the person on the bottom that was laying flat on the ground. >> okay. so now the person on top is in fact like this over the person on the bottom? >> i would say that's accurate. >> the person who you now know to be trayvon martin is on top? >> correct. >> and he was the one who was raining blows down on the person on the bottom, george zimmerman, right? >> that's what it looked like. >> that's what it looked like. but john good was also very straight forward about what he definitely could and could not see. >> your testimony in terms of whether the person on the top was holding down the person at the bottom, could you tell? >> i said that could have been possible as there was arm motion going downward not just once, but multiple times. >> you can't say one way or the other? or can you say? >> i can't 100% say, no. >> the person on top, could you tell whether that person on top was actually striking? and here's what i'm going to do, were they going like this?

>> i could not hear that. no. >> can you say unequivocally that it was the person on the bottom versus the person on the top that was saying no? >> not 100%. no. >> all this testimony is aimed at one thing, finding out what happened exactly the rainy night last year that trayvon martin died. joining me now, former prosecutor faith jenkins, msnbc legal analyst lisa bloom, and defense attorney ken padowitz. faith, john good's testimony, what does it mean for george zimmerman's claim of self-defense and therefore justifiable homicide? >> well, this was a prosecution witness, first of all, remember. they called him first. they already knew what he was going to say. he has already been deposed. so they knew he was going to come in and be the only witness to say that he saw what he believed now to be trayvon martin on top of george zimmerman and making downward motions towards him. now, for the defense, this is

huge because they are alleging self-defense. that zimmerman had to shoot trayvon. he had no other choice but to shoot him to save his life. so this supports their theory of the case. this was a very good witness for them today. >> let me go to you, ken. when you heard good's testimony, do you feel as faith said that he established that george zimmerman had no choice but to kill trayvon martin? >> this was a tremendous day for the defense. i mean, remember, they don't have to prove their client innocent. he is already presumed innocent. they have to show a reasonable doubt. and mr. goodman is the first witness that the defense hopes to make a very strong argument to the jury that there is a reasonable doubt that he should be found not guilty. you have to remember, under florida law, self-defense can be used and deadly force can be used when the person feels that there is imminent threat of

death to themselves or great bodily injury. and mr. goodman, the witness, provides a defense, that element, that potential argument that in fact mr. zimmerman was facing imminent death or great bodily injury. so it's a big day for the defense today. they have to be very happy with the testimony that was elicited during the cross-examination. but clearly the decision was made by the state to put this witness on, because the ministers of justice, the witness should come on because they're about not convictions, but justice. also, it's a tactical move to put the witness on before the defense can put them on in the defense side of the case. >> now, lisa, let me go to judge nelson's comments to the jury about the definition of self-defense. the judge says a person is justified in using deadly force if he reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent one imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or another, or two, the imminent

commission of aggravated battery against himself or another. >> right. >> mr. good testified. he said he did not see the ba banging of the head on the ground. he did not see what mr. zimmerman said. so the whole question of whether or not he was in physical danger of dying, he did not get from good. >> well, that's right. he doesn't prove the entirety of the defense position on self-defense. but he does give them some very helpful testimony on the core of it, and that is zimmerman is down, which was corroborated later in the day by police witness who said the back of zimmerman's jacket and pants was wet, much wetter than the front, indicating that he was lying down in the wet grass. >> that doesn't answer my question. whether he was down or up, according to the judge, where do we have that he was in fear, bodily that either physically facing death or that he perceived he was. >> you're absolutely right. >> i think we keep arguing on

the media everything but what the law is. where is there testimony that he was facing death or felt he did? >> i'll tell you. we don't have george zimmerman's mental state. that's true. this witness cannot say what was in george zimmerman's mind. only george zimmerman could do that. but the jury can draw inferences from the evidence. and they can draw an inference that he is down. trayvon martin is on top. he is making motions toward him that are mma style, which is another part of this witness's testimony, and that ties in later with another witness that we can talk about. but the jury can draw the inference that at that point he was in fear. and it was just moments for the gunshot, and he says zimmerman was calling for help. >> let me go to faith. watch this about the ground and pound testimony of mr. good. >> what you saw was the person on top in an mma position straddle. correct? >> correct. >> it was further described, was it not, as being ground and pound? >> correct. >> you knew it enough to start giving terminology like ground and pound to what you saw?

>> it was the first thing that came to my mind, yes. it's usually when the person is in top in a mounted position, i believe. in the dominant position, like i said, the person on the bottom is able to get out of that position or, you know, throw punches back, but i did not see any of that. >> faith, i hear mr. good say that what he saw felt was ground and pound, mma. but the person on the bottom could get out. that does not to me, now help me out, you're the lawyer and the one who went to law school sound like somebody who was in imminent danger of death. he could have got out according to this witness. >> right. the fear because of imminent danger of death or major physical injury has to be reasonable. and that is what the prosecution is going to argue, that george zimmerman was not reasonably in fear. we can't get inside of his head. but the jury has to believe that was he reasonable? was he acting as a reasonable

person would do in this situation, or did he just pull out his gun and say i'm going to shoot this kid, he's hitting me. so that's going to be a key question here. did he act reasonably. the state is arguing no, that's why they're showing his injuries. that's why they're putting all of the medical history and the examiners up there, because they want to say look at his injuries. they are not that significant. he did not have to shoot trayvon. >> and this witness did not even say he saw him being pounded with his head, which is which what zimmerman told police. >> no. but he is using these words that are very descriptive and have a connotation of a certain level of violence, mma, ground and pound, not just regular punching. that's why the defense attorney focused on those words today. >> but he is going to have to, ken, go to the injuries. and the other thing you have here is whether he believe head was in danger. which means the only way you can put that in as evidence is zimmerman has to get on the stand. there is no other witness that can deal with his state of mind. ken? >> the key word here is

reasonable. reasonable, did he reasonably believe that he was facing imminent death or bodily injury. >> i'm asking a different question. not did he reasonably believe it, did he believe it at all. >> right. >> how do you put that in front of the jury without him testifying? who is the witness that puts his fear in front of the jury? >> and that is something that is out there. and the defense has to determine is there enough information that they brought out on the state's case during cross-examination that they don't have to put their client on the stand. that's the key issue. do they put enough evidence in to ask for a self-defense instruction under florida law, and strategically, can they keep their client off the stand and still get the jury to find a reasonable doubt under the instructions that the jury is going to be givenup the law. that's a very, very good issue that's going to be before this jury. >> we've gone back and forth on this all week. have you heard anything that has

established to the jury this state of fear in the mind of george zimmerman? >> no. i was saying no. but keep in mind the prosecution has the burden of proof to show that this was not self-defense. he does not have to prove to the jury that he was in reasonable fear. the prosecution has to prove depraved mind. that's second-degree murder that he is charged with. >> right. but you would also argue, and the judge may have to charge, that the jury, faith, cannot go at evidence that was not presented. the jury cannot bring forth a fear in zimmerman's mind that was not presented to them as evidence. >> no. but they can make an inference. and if they have witnesses like john good. >> john good didn't say anything about george zimmerman's mind. >> but he talked about the physical nature of the violence that he witnessed, mma-style, ground and pound. a reasonable inference can be drawn from that that a person might be in fear if they are

being inflicted with those kinds of hits. >> but he also said that the guy could get out of it and could fight back. if i'm the prosecution, my argument would be -- let's say everything that he may have seen is true, he also said the guy could fight back, could strike back. how is it that he is in danger? losing a fight -- if that is what happened, doesn't justify you shooting somebody. >> that's exactly what the prosecution is going to argue. trayvon martin did not start this. george zimmerman started this. and even if trayvon martin was getting the best of him, he's not justified in then shooting him based on a confrontation that he started. >> faith jenkins, lisa bloom and ken padowitz, stand by. we have a lot to talk about. and a programing note. don't forget to catch the george zimmerman trial and msnbc special hosted by craig melvin with lisa bloom. that's at 10:00 p.m. tonight eastern time. ahead, the witness everybody is talking about.

rachel jeantel. what does she think about her testimony, and how she was treated in the court? we'll have an exclusive live interview with her lawyer. plus, who is winning with the jury? how is the jury responding to george zimmerman himself and trayvon martin's parents? and the supreme court ruled that obama care is the law of the land, and republicans still haven't gotten over it. how to stop the gop from blocking millions of americans from getting health care they need. and i love hearing from you. send me your e-mails. reply al is coming. stay with us. i want to make things more secure. [ whirring ] [ dog barks ] i want to treat more dogs.

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a day after she left the stand, a lot of conversations centered around rachel jeantel. coming up next, we'll hear from her lawyer, who is joining us for an exclusive interview to share how she feels about her testimony. that's why i eat belvita at breakfast. it's made with delicious ingredients, then carefully-baked to release steady energy that lasts. we're golfing now, buddy! i got it! belvita. steady energy. all morning long. [ engine revs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] just when you thought you had experienced performance, a new ride comes along and changes everything. ♪ the 2013 lexus gs, with a dynamically tuned suspension and adjustable drive modes. because the ultimate expression of power is control. this is the pursuit of perfection.

are proven to be effective pain relievers tylenol works by blocking pain signals to your brain bayer back & body's dual action formula includes aspirin, which blocks pain at the site. try the power of bayer back & body. the most talked about witness so far in the zimmerman murder trial is the young woman who was on the phone with trayvon martin moments before he died, 19-year-old rachel jeantel spent two days on the stand and endured five and a half hours of

grueling cross-examination. by the end, this high schooler was trending on twitter, analyzed on national television, and attacked in the right wing media. pundits focused on her appearance, her education, even the way she talked. but through it all, her central claim didn't change. that trayvon martin told her he was watched, followed, and told george zimmerman "get off, get off". >> what was he complaining about? >> that a man just kept watching him. >> okay. >> and did you say anything to him? >> no. we were just talking. >> okay. >> and then he told me the man following him out. he was -- quiet off, get off". >> it sounded like his voice or kind of sounded like his voice? >> it sounded like his voice. >> joining me now is rod vereen, rachel jeantel's attorney. we he joins us live from miami.

thank you for your talk, for your talking with us tonight. >> my pleasure, reverend sharpton. >> how does rachel feel about her testimony? how does she feel it went? >> well, unfortunately she is still under subpoena. that means she is not allowed to even talk to her attorney about the testimony she gave in court. if you did not notice, on thursday before we left out of there, the defense attorney asked the court to keep her under subpoena, even though the state wanted to release her. and when a person is under subpoena, they have already taken the stand and testified, once they have taken the oath, they have to remain under oath until they have either been released by the state, released by the defense, or released by the court. so at this time she is still under subpoena, and she cannot even speak with me about her testimony. but her body language tells me that she is happy that it's over with, that she can return home and try to become the teenager that she is. >> now, the defense tried to discredit rachel because she said she didn't attend trayvon martin's funeral, and then changed her story and was

accused of lying about why she didn't go. but she explained why. listen to this. >> why didn't you go to the wake and to the funeral? >> i didn't -- >> i'm sorry, what? >> i didn't want to see the body. >> you didn't want to see the body? >> no. >> and why did you lie about not going to the funeral or to the wake? >> i felt guilty. >> you felt guilty about what? >> about them finding out i was the last person, that i was the last person who talked to his son. >> i mean, she didn't want to see the body. she felt guilty she was the last person that trayvon martin talked to before he died.

i mean, that seems pretty reasonable to me. >> reverend sharpton you have to understand that this is a 19-year-old young lady who did not ask for any of this, right? she was cast into the limelight by the media and by the state and by the defense. when she wrote the letter to sybrina, she used her nickname, diamond eugene because she did not want her real name getting out. she lied about her age because she didn't want her name being released to the media. so, yeah, the social media is making a big deal about this and saying that, well, she has lied about that and she is lying about this, so therefore she is a liar. she did not want to speak to attorney ben crump who represented the martin family. she told her mother to tell mr. crump that she did not want to speak to him because she didn't want any part of this. nevertheless, she spoke to mr. crump and she gave a statement. the statement was not under oath, and as she stated on the stand, she hurried through the statement. she then once her name became known made a statement to the state attorney's office. again, not under oath, she made

a statement which was a little more specific. this was mr. de la rionda asking her questions from the state's point of view. she then had to sit down with mr. west and go through two days of grueling depositions, him asking the same questions over and over and over and over. taking a witness that shouldn't have been on the stand no more than an hour and kept her on the stand for five and a half hours over two days. she didn't ask for this. this is one of the reasons why witnesses do not want to come out and tell what they saw, because in the court of public opinion, they're castigated, they're ridiculed. they talk about the way she appeared on the stand, her demeanor, the way she spoke. >> let me ask about that. is she aware of these attacks? to your knowledge, is she aware of all of what is going on in social media and other places that are taking a lot of shots at her? >> well, i'm sure, because she is allowed to, you know, look at the social media. she is allowed to go on facebook. but i've asked her not to tweet anything. i've asked her to stay off of social media. i asked her to try to keep her

away from what she has been seeing, what she has been hearing, what she has been reading, buzz she might be called back to testify, and i don't want any of that to influence the way or what she says if she is called back to the stand. >> so she was interviewed twice by the family's attorney, and then initially by the prosecutor before a longer under oath kind of statement. so therefore, it's not like a lot of us were led to believe, including me, that she was sitting down under oath, giving her testimony, and it just kept evolving as she just kept giving it. >> you're absolutely right. when she sat down with mr. crump, when she was speaking from her home, she was talking to him over the phone. he asked her questions concerning what she knew, because he was representing the family in the civil matter. not the criminal matter. when you sit down with the state attorney, they have a theory of their case and they're going question you with regard to the theory that they want to espouse and put before the jury. the defense is going to do the same thing. but they're going to ask

questions from a defensive side in order to try to get before the jury in affirmative to the defense, ie, that he acted in self-defense. so the questions are going to be completely different. and that is why, you know, and you got to remember this. she sat down with mr. west over a period of two days being deposed. she sat down with mr. west over a period of two days in trial being questioned. this is a young girl who has not even lived as long as mr. west has been practicing law. so when the media says, well, you know, that she was stumbling over things, that she didn't know this, she didn't know that, there are always going to be inconsistencies in statements. now i've been doing this for 23 years. and i'm pretty sure i can sit down with a witness and question them and then on another day question them again, and they're either going to add something or leave something out. it doesn't mean they were lying. it just simply means at the time they answered the questions, these are the thoughts that came through their mind. so the court is going instruct the jury that when you consider the testimony of a witness and the credibility of a witness, you have to ask yourself was there inconsistency, if they did have inconsistencies, something

material or something immaterial. and i beg to differ with folks that is the statements she made were material. i think they were immaterial. her age, immaterial. >> rod vereen, attorney for rachel jeantel. thank you so much for your time tonight. and let me say i think that the attacks that i've heard on rachel jeantel have been nothing short of offensive to any american that wants to see young people, teenagers, people that are minors do the right thing and come forward, no matter what happens in this trial. if people come forward, they out not be ridiculed. they ought not in any way be given the treatment this young lady was given. she has given a statement, and the central part of the statement has not changed that really deals with what happened in this case. whether the jury believes or not, we'll seattle. but to castigate her, to

characterize her, to stereotype her and use all kinds of attacks i think is something that does an injustice to the criminal justice system, and only leads to what attorney vereen said, making people say i'm not going to come forward. i'm not going to help the system try to find justice because i will become a target rather than a help. still ahead, inside the jury, how they've been reacting to the testimony. we'll talk live to a reporter who has been watching the jury's reaction all week. and affordable health care is the law of the land, but republicans in 21 states are blocking access to care americans need. what can you do in response? we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] i've seen incredible things.

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after week one in the george zimmerman murder trial, the great unknown remains. what does the jury think of all this testimony? we'll read clues they've given from the jury box. that's next. humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement

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at the end of this trial, six jurors will decide the fate of george zimmerman. all are women. the prosecution says five out of

the six jurors are white. five are mothers. their every move and gesture is being watched, and it's fascinating. takes, for example, juror b-76. she is a white married mother who during jury selection wondered why trayvon martin was out late at night. the state tried to strike her from the jury, but she had a strong reaction to this 911 call played in court. >> i can't believe someone killed him. he was saying help. why didn't someone come up and help him. >> listen, we don't know if he has been killed. >> he just said he shot him dead. yes, the person is laying on the ground. >> after hearing that, a reporter in the court says juror b-76, quote, seemed emotional. she took off her glasses toward the end and sniffed, wiped her face. meanwhile, rachel jeantel was the key witness for the prosecution.

observers say most jurors were engaged, listening, and taking notes during her testimony, but not b-29, married mother of eight, who prosecutors described as black or hispanic. a reporter in court says she, quote, stared off in space during jeantel's testimony and was the least visually engaged. so what does it all mean? and how is this six-person panel responding to the first week of testimony? joining me now is someone who has been in that courtroom daily, carl hightower, reporter for the associated press. thanks for coming on the show tonight. >> thanks for having me, al. >> now take us inside the courtroom. what are these jurors reacting to the most? >> without a doubt, from my observations, al, the jurors reacted most to the 911 calls with the screams and the gunshot in the background. a very close second would be the crime scene photos that depict

mr. martin's body. those elicited the most strongest reactions, the most defined body language of all the jurors for sure. >> when you say the reaction and the body language, is it a body language and a reaction of shock, of concern, or could you tell? >> that jury you're talking about, b-76, she is seated in seat one, closest to the attorneys and to the gallery. >> right. >> whenever the 911 calls are played, she has a very defined reaction. as far as the crime scene photos go, today when they were shown in court, she wouldn't even look at them. her head was down. she was taking a few notes. but she wanted no part of those crime scene photos again, seeing what they depicted and seeing mr. martin's body. >> and she was one that the prosecution did not want on the panel. >> that's correct. they wanted her off the panel. she is sitting there in seat one. her reactions have been very

pronounced, very defined. >> juror e-6 has been consistently noted as the most engaged juror. she is white, married mother. her husband owns guns, and the state tried to strike her from the jury too. tell what's you can about her. >> well, definitely you mentioned ms. jeantel testimony. particularly during ms. jeantel's testimony, she was leaning forward, taking a lot of notes. particularly that one time when she asked the judge if ms. jeantel could repeat a couple of answers. we'll find out later, i'm sure. but she is definitely the most engaged, and she is seated right behind that juror -- right behind that juror, b-29, who everybody is talking about as well. >> kyle hightower, great reporting. thank you for your time this evening. >> thank you. back with me now, faith jenkins, lisa bloom, and ken padowitz. lisa, let me go to you. you just heard kyle's reporting.

what does the jury reaction tell you, if anything. >> you know, i think jurors should be innocent until proven. i think we should give them a chance, all right. this woman said what was he doing out so late. maybe she shute thought he was younger. maybe she thought the hour was later. i'm going to give these jurors the chance to hear all the facts. this is obviously a woman, the one who doesn't want to look at the crime scene photos and they're horrible. they're awful to look at. she's got a heart. i also wouldn't read too much into people look away. some people really like to look eye to eye. other people are uncomfortable with that. they might be looking away, but listening really intently. >> it was 7:15 at night. it wasn't late at night. >> right. >> but faith, the reaction you're hearing to the 911 tapes, what -- does that say anything at all to you? >> well, i've always said the emotion in this case is all on one side. because you can't get away from it. we talked about the defense scoring points today with john good and other points made with other witnesses. but you can not get away from the facts of how this all

started. the defense can't get away from that, that this young man, a 17-year-old high school student, was walking back to where he was staying and was not committing any crime, was not doing anything wrong, had no weapon and just some snacks and ends up dead because this guy thought he looked suspicious. the defense cannot get away from those facts. and that is where the emotional part of this case comes in, when those jurors are looking at those pictures, and they're hearing those phone calls. george zimmerman put into motion. that's what the prosecution will argue. the put into motion this entire circumstance of events that led to trayvon martin's death. >> you know, ken, that's a good point. another point that drives that home is the jury seems very conscious of the martin family. one court reporter says juror b-29 looked at martin's parents after hearing a 911 call say "black man down, he is dead." also when shown photos of martin's body, jurors b-29 and

b-76 looked at tracy martin. so you get a sense that the emotion is there. and with the parent there's, people remember, we are talking about a minor and an adult how. is this coming out to you in terms of jury reaction? >> well, after having done 35 first-degree murder trials as a prosecutor here in florida, i can tell you, this is not a movie. this is real life. they're sitting there in this courtroom. they're feet away from the parents who have lost their teenager. he is dead. he is never coming home. and that -- that feeling, that emotion in that courtroom has to be something that they can reach out and touch. it is there. and it's going to be charged throughout the course of this trial, because a murder trial, unlike any other trial, carries with it the spirit of the individual who is no longer on this planet, who is deceased. and that is a very, very powerful thing when you're talking about a trial. and, you know, this is a jury that is now sitting there,

listening to this evidence. and they're hearing from rachel, and they're being swung in another direction and hearing from john good. and they're being pulled back and forth. >> yeah. >> and we're just in the first week of this trial. they got a lot more evidence coming. >> now, lisa, how important is it that the parents is there? and this affect of the some of the jury seeming to look at them? and is this why the defense do you think didn't want the parents in the courtroom? >> i think it brings a real solemnity to the proceedings to have the parent there's as much as possible. if i were the prosecutor i would ask them, please, i know this is difficult, except for perhaps the most excruciating days, i want you to be here, because the jury has to take this seriously every moment. they understand that that's what it's about. it's about justice for the victim's family. >> now, faith, there is a lot of key witnesses still left to testify. we have the lead sanford police investigator, christopher serino. we have the medical examiner who autopsied trayvon martin.

we have possibly tracy martin, the father, and sybrina fulton, the mother. so we still have a lot of peaks to go in the prosecution's case. >> that's right. in every trial, it is a marathon. it is not a sprint. you're going to have your good moments. you're going to have your bad moments. but you stick to your theory of the case. you continue to present your witnesses, and then you use your closing arguments to sum up and argue your case and everything in totality and paint a clear picture for the jury. >> now, ken, you're a prosecutor. what does the prosecutor need to do next week with these witnesses, especially the mr. serino, the police investigator. what does the prosecutor need to bring out of these witnesses? >> they're going to methodically lay their case out for the jury so they meet the elements of the crime and prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. it's not an accident that john good was called today as a witness. it was strategically decided by the prosecution when to place

this witness in the lineup of witnesses. and now next week they have their plan is to how and what order they're going to present this evidence to the jury to slowly build their case, pieces of a puzzle, to paint that picture and prove those elements beyond a reasonable doubt to this jury. >> lisa, we all are watching you nodding. what does that mean? >> one of the problems that is coming up i think for the prosecution is the law enforcement witnesses. some of them are certainly going to be very helpful to the prosecution. but we know that initially, the police made the determination that this was self-defense. >> correct. >> and so either the defense is going to put those law enforcement people on the stand. why did you make that determination. didn't it seem that his injuries were consistent with self-defense? didn't he seem to be telling you a plausible story? or the prosecution is going to have to put them on too and suffer more of these cross-examinations from the defense scoring some points. so i'm going to be watching for that. >> but faith, there was one in the sanford police that said he felt that zimmerman should have been arrested and they overruled it.

>> exactly. and that testimony is going to come forward too, that this officer thought that he should have been charged with murder. he interviewed him, did not believe him. was there at the crime scene, looked at the evidence. and based on his experience and training, thought that george zimmerman should have been charged with murder from the very beginning. >> if a law enforcement officer, ken, in sanford says that i did not believe him on the stand, that i think he should have been charged, and they wouldn't do it, how important would that be for the prosecution in this case? >> well, that would be extremely important, reverend. you're hitting the nail on the head. if that comes out in the testimony and the jury hears that, that is going to put a lot of things in perspective and make the witnesses that do testify for the other officers that did not make the arrest or said they should not be charged, it's going to make their testimony suspect, and it's going to put it in the blame it that the prosecution wants. this is going to be a case not

by individual pieces of evidence, but everything together. not one thing in a vacuum. so it's going to be very important. >> faith jenkins, lisa bloom, and ken padowitz, thank you all three of you for your time this evening. and needless to say, we will be covering this trial closely next week. see you then. >> see you. one year ago today, the supreme court upheld president obama's health care law. but republicans are still trying to roll back the clock. we'll talk about how to fight that, next. [ male announcer ] running out of steam? ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. there was this and this.

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this is an nbc news special report. >> the u.s. supreme court has just handed down one of the most anticipated decisions in decades. >> the bottom line here is the supreme court has upheld the health care case. >> today marks the one-year anniversary of a historic victory for president obama. the supreme court's decision to uphold the affordable health care act. a year later, we're very close to another milestone, the date

obama care takes effect in less than 100 days. millions will gain access to the newly created affordable health care. this new law is becoming a reality. it's already saving money. we've learned recently that obama care saved consumers nearly $4 billion in premiums last year. and yet some on the right are still standing in the way. republicans in 21 states are blocking the expansion of medicaid. that includes mississippi, where this week democrats called on republicans to do the right thing and not turn their backs on the state's neediest. >> i remember when i was young, all single parents at some point struggle. i watched my mom struggle with two children.

and i remember her always saying that no matter what, she was not going to let her health insurance go. you are representative. the word speaks for itself. represent your constituents. >> instead, republicans are digging in their heels. they're rejecting the obama care expansion of medicaid that would cost 300,000 more people, even though it wouldn't cost the state a dime. this is not acceptable. we've got to take action. and that's why we're proud to sponsor a free health care clinic in new orleans on july 3rd with the national association of free clinics. joining me now is nicole lamoureux, the executive director of the national association of free clinics. thanks for coming on the show. >> thanks, rev. >> nicole, how can republicans

in mississippi reject something that could help so many people? >> it makes no sense. it's absolutely making sure that mississippi will be absolute dead last when it comes to health outcomes. we've had this decision before, rev. health care for people who are healthy, it's just something we take for granted. for those of us who are sick and need that help, it's something that is our lifeline. in fact, in mississippi, if they don't expand that medicaid program, it's going to impact people on an absolute daily basis. it's going to impact my family, rev. it's going to affect my mother-in-law, who needs that help, who works every single day in a bank, whose husband was a veteran, who thought this care would be there for her. that's ridiculous. hardworking americans should not be ignored just because it's time to play politics. >> now, let me get to the free clinics that we're going to be doing, and that you do all the time. we're going to do it in joins july 3rd with you. you're already in new orleans. and i recently talked with a colleague of yours at the national association of free

clinics, dr. rani whitfield. known as the hip-hop doctor. and he talked about a major misconception that people who are uninsured are just lazy and are not working. listen to this. >> that is not the case at all, reverend al. many of the patients that i see are employed, but either they're not able to afford insurances, or the small businesses that they work for cannot afford to provide insurance to them. so the individuals are still working. but do you pay for food and pay your bills or try to pay health insurance? that's the choice many americans have to make today. >> i think that's a very important point, nicole, that these are not lazy or irresponsible people. >> exactly. 83% of the people who come to these clinics come from a working household. i'm here on the ground. i'm personally handing out flyers to people across this city who are saying thank you for being here. thank you for helping me. i'm going to take off work so i can get the health care i need at your clinic. you know, rev, these clinics don't give a hand out. they give a hand up.

hard-working people, 58% of the people coming to this clinic are going to be women. they are mothers who are making that choice between putting food on their table or helping their children. 60% of the people are going to come to this clinic are african-americans. these are people who want the help, who work every single day. they're not living on the dole. they're not sticking their hand out for something for nothing. they just want a chance at a healthy life so they can help us build america where it needs to be. >> nicole, thank you for your time. we look forward to seeing you on july 3rd in new orleans. i want to take a moment to talk directly to the "politicsnation" family. it really does take all of us working together to provide these free clinics. and we need your help. i'm asking everyone to find it in your heart to please donate. if everyone hearing any voice right now donated one dollar,

just one dollar, it would make a huge difference in the lives of so many people. please contribute. to donate, just go to urgentcare.msnbc.com, or the national association of free clinics site, nafcclinics.org. if your help, you can make a difference and get health care to so many americans in need. we'll be right back with reply al. remember, friend or foe, i want to know.

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if you don't have (girl) w(guy) dive shop.y?? (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. it's time for reply al. friend or foe, i want to know. mike writes about the supreme court's ruling on the voting rights act. quote, what can we do to fight this assault on voter rights? we've got to get the congress to move on a new formula on how to protect voting rights.

the supreme court i think ruled wrongly, but they sent it back to congress. we've got to go to congress, and we've got to go en masse. the march in washington is one way on august 24th. we've got to write. we've got put the pressure on congress. carl lita writes what will you be looking forward to do or seeing this year at the essence festival? if you're going, that is. >> oh, yes, i'll be going. i speak on saturday there. i've spoken at every essence festival that they've had for the last 15 years, since it started. i love the workshops. i love the activity in terms of the seminars. i love the entertainment. i love the booths, just the whole culture. i get swept up. and don't forget, i'll be doing "politicsnation" live from the essence festival. so i really will be there, and you can watch me from there. i've also been getting a lot of e-mail questions about the zimmerman trial. but i have a question on this

one. will he testify? will george zimmerman take the stand in his own defense? so far i've not heard any physical evidence of his life under threat. so therefore it leaves whether he felt that? well, the only one that put that evidence in is him. will he take the stand? that's what i want to know. and that's what i'll be watching for. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. have a good weekend. "hardball" starts right now. a good day for the defense or a wash? let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm joy reid in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, the final seconds. what happened in the last moments before the shooting death of trayvon martin? in court today, one of george