coming up next, "the ed show" with ed schultz. good evening americans and welcome to "the ed show" live from new york. let's get to work, not war. >> the broader conflict in syria is a threat. >> there's no doubt about who is responsible for this attack. >> i know that the american people are weary after a decade of war. >> nobody expected it until the end of september. >> this assad guy, he's a bad dude. >> you have to expect everything. >> but it's a civil war. >> what do wars give america? >> we're not talking about war. >> if the regime immediately surrendered its stockpiles to international control -- >> turn it over. all of it. without delay. >> that would be an important step. ♪

>> good to have you with us this evening, folks. thanks for watching. so let's put this in perspective here. the g-20 meeting was last week. and the first monday after the g-20 and, oh, by the way, the first monday that congress comes back to work, the russians happen to have a proposal to settle all of this. find it very, very interesting. a lot of commentary last week about the g-20, just about how effective the president was going to be. now, reporters don't hear everything. i'm sure some leader, somewhere, of a country went to this guy right here and said, you know what, he's gonna strike syria. you guys better get involved in this. and puti says, well, monday morning, we'll probably do something about it. sure enough, here we are. oh, by the way, the congress came back to work today. make no mistake, the president needs all the help he can get on syria. number one, he doesn't have the votes right now, doesn't look good.

he doesn't have the momentum at all. he needs a momentum shift big-time. he might have gotten it today with hillary clinton. and now he is in the midst of a fever-pitch pr campaign to turn the tide. after meeting with president obama today, former secretary of state hillary clinton stepped out in support of the president. and qualified the most recent diplomatic developments made by the russians. >> i'd like to say a few words about syria. a vigorous and important debate is under way in congress and around kitchen tables all over america. this is a challenge that has catalyzed the kind of debate that i think is good for our democracy. as you know, this is a fluid situation, with statements from russian, syria and others in the last several hours. i've just come from a meeting with president obama where we discussed the latest

developments. and three points in particular are at the heart of the decision, our country and our congress has to make in the days ahead. first, as the president has said, the assad regime's inhuman use of mass destruction violates a universal norm at the heart of our global order. and therefore, it demands a strong response from the international community led by the united states. second, the international community cannot ignore the ongoing threat from the assad regime's stockpiles of chemical weapons. whether they are used again against syrian civilians or transferred to hezbollah or stolen by other terrorists. this is about protecting both the syrian people and our friends in the region. the world will have to deal with

this threat as swiftly and comprehensively as possible. now, if the regime immediately surrendered its stockpiles to international control, as was suggested by secretary kerry and the russians, that would be an important step. but this cannot be another excuse for delay or obstruction. and russia has to support the international community's efforts sincerely or be held to account. it is very important to note that this discussion that has taken hold today about potential international control over syria's stockpiles, only could take place in the context of a credible military threat by the

united states to keep pressure on the syrian government, as well as those supporting syria like russia. achieving a political solution that ends the conflict is in the interests of the united states. >> well, the question is, is that going to be a game-changer for the president? i think it's certainly going to help. the white house seems to be allowing for one last ditch effort of diplomacy. the president hasn't stopped his all-out push for a strike. president obama met with congressional democrats on capitol hill earlier today. and let me point out that the president doesn't go to capitol hill very often on bended knee, saying i need your support. normally it's the other way around with this president, because he's so popular, and he just knows how to win. but this was a significant move today that the president went up to talk to the democrats. he wants and needs the democrats to support him on a military

strike. most lawmakers are still leaning against a military strike. they're hearing it in town halls and have over the last several weeks. the latest whip count by the "washington post" shows 223 house members are no or leaning no on a strike. only 26 are for action. and 126 are undecided. all right. in the senate, the numbers are this. 28 members are opposed or likely opposed to military action. 23 senators are for the strike. but this is a big number. 49 people in the senate, half the united states senate, doesn't know what to do about syria, or are they afraid to do something about it? the latest poll shows 63% of americans oppose military action on syria, up 4% from last week. you could make the case the mommy it up is with the people. lawmakers and the american people want 100% certainty that assad used chemical weapons

against his own people. and i completely agree. president obama and john kerry, secretary of state, say they have no doubt that sarin gas was used by the syrian government. there is no doubt. white house chief of staff, dennis mcdonough, good minnesota guy, middle of the country, level-headed dude. he appeared on all the sunday talk shows this weekend to keep pushing this claim. he said multiple times the white house has -- they're pretty certain that assad used chemical weapons. however, at one point, mcdonough contradicted the administration. >> now, do we have a picture or do we have irrefutable -- beyond a reasonable doubt evidence? this is not a court of law. and intelligence does not work that way. so what we do know, and what we know the common sense test says is, he is responsible for this. he should be held to account. >> so we're now to the level of it's not a court of law. we're not really sure.

common sense points us in this direction. you know, folks, i'm right here. i want to be a member of the 100% society. i want absolutes. i want -- i hate to say it -- slam dunk. they can't give that to us, because they don't know. and any bit of doubt is unacceptable to the american people at this point. and let me be clear. i personally think assad used chemical weapons, but it's not our fight, it's the civil war. and i do believe we need the 100% society to speak up, which i think they are. we need absolutes. we don't need high confidence. that's not good enough. not a reasonable doubt. what is that? what is reasonable doubt? what do you say we take a shot at him? i think we've got to be more direct than that. we need to be certain assad used chemical weapons and nobody else did it except him. if we can't be 100% sure, everybody in congress, i believe, should vote against -- vote no on a syrian strike.

we can't afford to guess. we can't afford to be wrong. the stakes are too damn high. we need to exhaust every diplomatic channel here. and there is still no certainty of what the response is going to be. and i've talked to at least a dozen lawmakers in the last week. that's their sticking point. that's the fence they can't get over. what's the response? it's the day after. but this might be a game-changer. today syria said it welcomed a russia proposal to turn over chemical weapons to international monitors. the white house said they're going to take a hard look at the russian proposal. we know where the russians stand on syria. they have sided with assad every step of the way, even saying evidence pointed to rebels using chemical weapons. what evidence do they have? this is a two-way street. they have repeatedly warned the united states against military action, calling evidence of the chemical attack absolutely unconvincing. well, in the meantime, syrian leader assad spoke with charlie

rose, and is trying to convince the american people that this is the wrong thing to do with a very chilling warning. >> will the attacks against american bases in the middle east if there is an air strike? >> you should expect everything. you should expect everything. not necessarily through the government. it's not -- the governments are not only -- not the only player in this region. you have different parties, you have different factions. you have different ideology. you have everything in the situation now. so you have to expect that. >> expect -- tell me what you mean by expect everything. >> expect every action. >> now, the question that we have to ask ourselves as americans, do we want to believe this guy? is he credible? well, if he used chemical weapons on his own people, then he says we have to expect everything, i don't know, i think we ought to kind of listen to him and exhaust every diplomatic effort we possibly can. get your cell phones out. tonight's question. has president obama convinced

you the united states needs to strike syria? text a for yes, b for no to 67622. go to our blog at msnbc.com for results later in the show. now let's turn to senator ben carden of florida. good to have you with us tonight. >> ed, always good to be on your show. >> senator, what i find so striking, i know there has been a lot of phone calls, a lot of intelligence briefings, a lot of sharing of information from the administration and the intel community to capitol hill. but i'm confused as to why aren't there more surrogates for a strike if the evidence is so overwhelming? i don't seem to see too many senators from your chamber. in fact, 49 undecided. i don't see anybody coming out full throated saying we have to do this. what do you make of that? >> well, there's no good options here. as you have pointed out. there's a lot of uncertainty. i must tell you, the evidence is overwhelming. that assad did -- was

responsible for use of chemical weapons. and over 1,400 people lost their lives. i think it's also clear that the international community needs to respond to the use of chemical weapons. but our objectives should be to deter, detract, to make much less likely the chemical weapons will be used in the future. so the offer that was made today, if -- any validity to that, if we can get control, the international community can get control of the chemical weapons, that's the best-case scenario for us. so i think the concern today is can we achieve a mission that really will degrade syria's ability to use chemical weapons in the future, is there a way to make it more certain that that is the case. >> yeah. >> so it's not just the evidence of the use of chemical weapons, it's how does the united states work with the international community, how can we achieve our objectives. >> senator, do you think that

the russians are honest brokers at this point? do you think that they really want to intervene, and do you think that they can get something accomplished on an international level? >> let's be clear. in recent months, the russians have been anything but helpful in regards to the united states. and in regards to the international community. >> so you look at their proposal with skepticism? >> absolutely. but i would like to pursue it. because i think if we can achieve international control of the chemical weapons, that's the best possible outcome right now of the weapons that are in -- chemical weapons in syria. >> senator, give us a sense of the president's mood on california total hill today. how eager is he to see this thing through and strike the syrians? he met with you in caucus, and the rest of the democrats. and he can't get this done without your support. >> well, the senate democrats will be meeting with him tomorrow. but i can tell you, in conversations i've had with the administration, they are all out

in trying to make sure that the members of congress understand what's at stake here. that if left unchallenged, there is a risk that will seem more use of weapons of mass destruction. however, we want to make sure we get this right and there's a lot of members of congress who say, look, where is the international community. >> senator, you just said something very interesting. you think if we don't act assad will use chemical weapons again or it will be something greater. that's the line that secretary of state kerry has been pushing in a big way. >> i think there is a real risk, that if there isn't a response to the use of chemical weapons where 1,400 people were killed, where it was clear that it was used, that there is no response, it is more likely the chemical weapons will be used in the future. >> are you a yes vote? >> i voted in committee to move the resolution to the floor so i believe we have to act. i have some of the same concerns you've expressed, but at this point, i think we've got to come

together. and engage the international community, and we cannot let this attack go unchallenged. >> assad says in an interview we have to expect everything. what's your response to that? >> well, we already know that assad is very unpredictable. look, the international community has the capacity to deal with this issue. we want to deal with it through diploma diplomacy, if we can. >> okay. but he says where he's going to strike back. that's basically, we have to expect everything. i mean, he's basically saying the united states is going to get hit. >> well, look, it's a dangerous world. we have to be prepared. we have to be prepared before this use of chemical weapons, and after this use of chemical weapons. we know that we were attacked on september 11th. that date is coming up this week. so we know that america, very open, democratic society, has its vulnerabilities. but we are much better prepared today than we were a decade ago. and we will be able to defend americans. so we will be able to defend

americans. >> so you don't think assad's comments are a game-changer in any way. >> no, not at all. >> we shouldn't be alarmed by that at all. >> i think we should always be prepared and understand the vulnerability of an open society. and we always have to be on our toes. but i think president assad has lost his legitimacy in the way he has governed in syria, and that's not just a united states senator saying that. the international community is saying it, the leaders in that region are saying it. so it's time for change in syria. right now our objective is to deal with the use of chemical weapons. >> time for a change in syria. but we're for regime change, but we certainly don't want to get boots on the ground. >> absolutely. clearly, this has to be done in a way that doesn't draw us in, has to be very, very narrowly drawn. take a look at the language that came out of the senate foreign relations committee. >> i did. >> it is very tightly controlled. >> it is tightly controlled, but assad is not. and he says we can expect

everything. that means there is going to be a response, which brings us the american people, i think -- me, you know -- what's the response to the response? >> well, i mean, obviously, we -- >> we don't know. >> we have thought this out. and we believe we have the capacity to protect american interests. it's not just the united states, it's our allies in the region. all of them are concerned. but all of them recognize this goes unchallenged -- if the international community -- >> so this would be repeated hits then. this would be -- an open-ended campaign. it's not going to stop in 30 days. i mean, we're going to -- we're going to take his ability to use chemical weapons totally out. >> no, we believe -- now, i'm not the military expert. but the military you're telling us that they'll be able to achieve a mission, which will significantly deter and degrade syria's ability to use chemical weapons. that's the objective. >> all right. senator, great to have you with us tonight. >> thank you. >> appreciate it.

senator van carden. remember to answer tonight's question, share your thoughts on twitter @edshow. 63% of the american people are not in favor of hitting syria. we want to know what you think. coming up, race and the race to become mayor in new york city. bloomberg takes a dig at the campaign. and blazing saddles. new jersey governor chris christie burning his home state support. wait until you see who he was hanging out with this weekend. ut we all share. a better life for your family, a better opportunity for your business, a better legacy to leave the world. we have always believed in this pursuit, striving to bring insight to every investment, and integrity to every plan. we are morgan stanley. and we're ready to work for you.

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welcome whack backe to the "the ed show." a question comes in from suzanne daniel. and she says, if republicans are talking impeachment now, won't rhetoric heat up in syria action goes wrong?

absolutely, it will. the republicans who were voting no on syria are just looking for an opportunity to discredit this president. remember, impeachment the is a political action. no doubt they will do anything to damage this president's legacy, slow him down legislatively and turn the tide on his administration. our next question comes from daniel cramer. and he says, do you think it will hurt hillary in 2016 if she supports the president on syria? well, i want to say, and i meant to say this in the opening block. today was a real test of loyalty on the part of former senator clinton, form secretary of state, hillary clinton. she is speaking exactly what the president wants her to say. but it is a statement of record, it is also a policy position. i thought she was crystal clear. and i bet there is a lot of liberals that probably weren't too happy about it. so this is really a big

political card that hillary clinton played today to step out the way she did in support of the president, and in support of striking syria and holding syria accountable. let me say that i think that this will be a player, the outcome of syria, in 2016. stay tuned. we'll have a lot more coming up on "the ed show." [ male announcer ] when it comes to doing what you love, more is better. that's why we designed the all-new nissan versa note, with more technology, to get you into, and out of, tight spots. and more space so that you always have your favorite stuff. and just for good measure, an incredibly efficient 40 mpg highway. so that when you're doing more, you're spending less. the all-new nissan versa note. your door to more. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] 1.21 gigawatts. today, that's easy.

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welcome back to "the ed show." today president obama granted separate sit-down interviews to six different major television networks. he's working the room. in order to make the case on syria. tomorrow, the pr offensive continues. the president will take his plans directly to the american people in a live, prime time speech at 9:00 p.m. you'll see it right here on msnbc. the question is, can the president get congressional approval in support for a strike based on assertions of high confidence and admissions of reasonable doubt that assad used

chemical weapons on his own people and as a threat to the world. joining me now for the discussion, our rapid response panel, jonathan alter, tommy vetor, former spokesman and co founder of fenway strategies and four-star general and former nato commander, general wesley clark. general, let's start with you tonight. this most recent development the russians are willing to intervene on an international level and try to convince the syrians to have some oversight. your thoughts on that. can the russians be trusted? are they honest brokers? >> no, but i think it's an opening you have to exploit. and it wouldn't have happened if the president hadn't had the leadership to put forward his intent to strike. the congress needs to get behind him, need resolution from both houses of congress and hold the russians' feet to the fire. this is diplomacy backed by the threat of force. exactly the right way to do. >> so, general, if the president doesn't get a yes vote, an

approval of congress to do the strike, where does that leave him? >> well, i think, first of all, he's going to get some kind of a resolution of support. and i think it's, you know -- it's about the american people, really, and understanding this president is showing leadership, a lot of leadership on this. got a lot of criticism from the phrase, leading from behind. even though that wasn't what he was doing. well, he's leading from way out front on this one. and i think he needs the support of the american people, both houses of congress. and both parties. this is about the international system. it's about keeping together a system of laws and moving toward a system where nations can work peacefully with each other. that's what america can contribute to the international community. this is our fight. >> jonathan alter, how heavy a lift is this going to be? >> it's very heavy. and the outcome is very much in doubt. i turned out to be wrong about this. i thought people would rally behind him. especially democrats.

i'm really surprised that more democrats have not understood what general clark has been talking about, and also not taking a closer look at those pictures on television of those children who were gasseded. and people really need to understand that if we don't take a stand, if we don't act, or at least have the country behind the president's threat to act, then it let's a jeannie out of the bottle that will kill a lot of people. these are terrifying weapons used against civilians. they're actually not of much use on the battlefield. >> don't you think the american people get that, jonathan? >> they do. and i think a lot of americans are just not thinking this through enough. in trying to understand that if we don't act, there are serious consequences. and by the way, at an institutional level, beyond the -- you know, moral, strategic and political

questions. at an institutional level, if congress doesn't back the president on this, why would barack obama or any future president ever go and ask congress' approval again? this will be a huge shift in power from congress to the presidency, and congress will have very, very little role in foreign and national security policy in the future. >> yeah. tommy vitor, you've been close to the president, worked with him as a senator and was in his administration. the day after, everybody in congress i talked to is so concerned about the day after. how is the president going to sell this? >> i think he has to make two cases to the american people. the first is a moral case. like jonathan said. i think if you understood these were 400 children gassedin discriminately in their bed, murdered in a way more akin to torture than getting shot, one of the most horrific things you can imagine, make that moral case. and also make a case about what this isn't. this isn't iraq, this isn't u.s.

boots on the ground. we're talking about a time-limited, smaller in scope, narrow mission to hit cw sites, command and control sites, military sites. and this would not be an open-ended commitment. >> general, is this an act of war, one missile, 200 missiles, we would be striking syria. >> no, it's not an act of war. it comes under the war powers resolution, it's not an act of war. it's actually an attempt to have diplomacy backed by the threat of force. but if you don't authorize the president to raise the hammer, then you can't get the diplomacy. the russian offer would never have come forward if it had not been for the threat of force. >> i think it's very interesting it comes right after the g-20, the monday after the g-20, somebody must have said something to putin, he's serious, he's going to hit him. and they have interests to get involved here. and no question about it. but general, what do you say to the people, the members of congress, members of ones i've

spoken to, they're worried about the response. they're worried about the chain reaction here. >> saddam hussein said it was the -- the mother of all battles. >> yeah. >> i mean, this is the middle east. what would you expect ba shirt assad to say? gee, we're really weak, please don't hit me. no, he's going to say we're tough, we're going to clean your clock. it's trash talk. yes, he's got some capabilities. i'm sure there are efforts at terrorism, and we're pretty darn good. and -- we -- >> speaking of iranians. >> we have to move forward. >> there is an iranian component here, general. what about that? >> sure, there is an iranian connection. but the iranians are using bashir al assad, their objective is not limited to syria. they've got hezbollah and lebanon. so yes, it's a power play. and there's lots of geo strategy involved in this. let's not take our eye off the

ball. the immediate issue here is chemical weapons. >> okay. >> we put up the system in the world. we said no chemical weapons. it's our system. >> well. >> we're the leaders. >> we didn't respond to it when saddam used it. in the iran/iraq war. >> that's true. but one more important about iran right now. this will embolden them if we don't act, if congress doesn't act. and it will give them almost some kind of a green light almost to move forward with impunity on the assumption that the west will not react. and that is a very dangerous proposition. >> tommy vietor, would president obama hit syria without congressional approval? >> i mean, i don't know, and i think we should give the congress a chance to vote. i would say that i don't think there's anyone in the country that wants a war in syria less than this president. this is not something he's doing because he has broader designs in the region, because of ideology. this is because they gassed

little children with chemical weapons. >> how much does hillary clinton help? >> i think that hillary clinton is a critical messenger to talk about this issue in any foreign policy matter. >> and jonathan, this becomes a 2016 play, the way the former secretary of state came out today. what do you think? >> well, we don't know where things will stand in 2016. it's way too early. but i do think that it's significant that people like general clark and hillary clinton and general petraeus and people who we really have a lot of respect for when it comes to the national security of our country are unified on this. and it's the others who are dissenting right now. >> general clark, speak to the american people. how -- what if we don't get this right? >> well, let me speak to the american people and say, let's get this right. the president has it right. he's -- asking the congress to support his use of force. why? he has the authority to use the force by himself. it's a more powerful diplomatic message if he's got both houses

of congress behind him. he is taking the lead. this is what we expect and ask of a president. take the lead. he wants the american people behind him. then he gets the international community behind him. and then we put chemical weapons behind us. forever. >> all right. >> that's the message here. >> all right. and we hope they don't respond. if we do hit him. general wesley clark, thank you so much. >> we'll deal with the response. we'll deal with it. >> that's what america is afraid. great to have you with us. appreciate the discussion. thank you. you're watching "the ed show" on msnbc. we're right back. i'm jackie deangelis with your cnbc market wrap. the dow surging 140 points today, the s&p up 16. the nasdaq rising 46. consumer borrowing rose at an annual rate of 4.4% this july, down from a 5% rate a month earlier. and gas prices are on the rise. now at an average of $3.58 a gallon, up nearly 3 cents in the last two weeks. and manufacturing profits

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time now for the trenders. the "ed show" social media nation has decided and we are reporting. here are today's top trenders, voted on by you. ♪ mama don't let them babies grow up to be cowboys ♪ >> our number three trender, out of bounds. >> they practice in new jersey. they play in new jersey. nothing left about -- from new york about the giants or the jets. my favorite football team are the dallas cowboys. >> new jersey's governor saddles up with the cowboys' owner. >> it's not the smartest thing for the governor of new jersey to want to be, is a fan of the dallas cowboys. the number two trender for

the wean. >> it's carlos danger. ♪ danger [ cheers and applause ] >> do you still feel you can pull this out? what are your chances of winning? >> they're g. my intention is to win tomorrow. >> mayoral candidate doesn't think voters will leave him hanging. >> i was the underdog from the moment i got in. ♪ underdog >> i know you have this fascination about making this a soap opera. >> this! >> but for citizens of the city of new york, a lot of them wanted this to be about the issues of the city, and i'm confident we're going to do well. >> and today's top trender, mayor's race. >> i want to tell you about bill de blasio. >> has he told the tale of two cities? bloomberg was slamming it. >> he described the campaign as using class warfare and racist. >> mayor bloomberg is a long-time sufferer of foot in mouth disease. >> takes a shot at bill de

blas blasio's campaign. >> his decision to give an interracial family a starring role is, quote, class warfare and racist. >> one thing if i thought he was some boring white guy. >> de blasio is using his family to gain support. >> the mayor should never have made those comments. >> i hope he'll realize that it was inappropriate. ♪ don't need no hate >> joining me now is new york city councilman williams. good to have you with us tonight. >> thanks for having me. >> what do you make of this? i won't have any commentary here. i want to hear what you have to say about what mayor bloomberg said about bill de blasio and his family. >> his greatest strength is his ability to try new things and his greatest weakness he didn't listen to dissent. i think what is happening here, the tail end of his administration, he realizes he lost complete control.

the people who would say yes all of the time and people who wouldn't fight back is gone. i think he's losing his grasp on reality. and it was probably one of the most divisive things he said. it really didn't make any sense. i said he's suffering from third term billionaire's disease before and this is another of that. >> third term billionaire's disease. he wants a third term and can't buy it. >> he's suffering for it. >> he is saying that he's doing class warfare. bill de blasio is doing class warfare. all right. how could that be? he's talking about his family, it's an interracial marriage. >> i always found it interesting that people -- a lot of people call -- people say they do class warfare and things are talking about people describing the situation. and generally the people talking -- saying -- throwing these things out are the ones who perpetuated the situation. some of his policies and things he has done perpetuated class

warfare and bill de blasio has described the problem that exists. so it's funny to me and almost just a bit hypocritical that he would say that to him just for putting his family out, just for describing the situation in new york city right now. >> is bloomberg saying the only reason black people would vote for bill de blasio because he's married to a black woman? >> i hope not. oh, he's not putting his family out, is he afraid. i don't know. i think bloomberg is terrified that things that were not correct in his administration are going to be exposed, and corrected. and so would it have to do to do with the community safety act, the candidate he doesn't want, that seems to be -- going to be at least ahead, if hopefully no runoff. i think he loses control of what to say. and it helps us by keep talking. >> there's two things that de blasio has distinguished himself from the other candidates. number one, stop and frisk. he's very clear about what he's

going to do on there. number two, he's going to raise taxes on the wealthiest residents in new york. is that going to play? >> i think that's playing very well. and what has to do with profiling stop and frisk. and very clear, pro filing has to stop. the mayor has refused to accept there was a problem. and two, many mayor's policy has helped people in new york city. and those who benefit the most help those of us who haven't. >> de blasio wins? >> i believe de blasio wins, yes. >> and so he will be the next mayor. won't lose in the general. he'll be the next mayor of new york city. >> i believe on december 31st we'll be celebrating the end of the bloomberg administration on january 2nd we'll be celebrating the end of the mayor de blasio administration. >> you think bloomberg is a racist. >> no. >> i've got to ask that question. >> no. and it's funny, when you speak to him one-on-one, i think he has the right mind-set to do the things -- to help people. but his policies just do the

opposite of many things i've spoken to him in person. i think some of his policies were classes, some of his policies were racist, but he himself really believes he's doing the right thing. >> some of his policies were racist? >> oh, yeah. well, the pro filing and frisk was discriminatory and a racist policy. >> he says the city is not going to be as safe if they don't have that policy. what do you say as a city councilman? >> we have to have the ability to stop people, but we don't have the authority, nor should we, to profile. and the numbers, as they lay out. this is the only time the mayor doesn't like to see data. the nypd's own data says the increase in stops had nothing to do with shootings, murders or guns being retrieved. >> germany williams, thanks for joining us. up next, bush brain drain. our pretenders tonight. picasso painted one of his master works at 56. doris taerbaum finished her first marathon at 50.

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welcome back to "the ed show." this is the story for the folks who take a shower after work. a lot of talk about priorities about what we have money for. i thought tonight i'd show you where we don't have enough money. millions of kids in america are headed back to school. but in philadelphia one of the nation's largest school districts, today's not a happy first day. public schools are in a funding crisis in that city. two dozen schools were closed over the summer. the district laid off nearly 4,000 workers to close a $304 million deficit, 108 members of

the pennsylvania house republican caucus passed a budget keeping in place nearly $1 billion in cuts to public education. the situation is a disaster for students, teachers, and parents. governor tom corbett and his republican allies in the house are ignoring several options to get the state out of this mess. until then, well, public education just doesn't seem to be a priority. and in philadelphia they're just going to have to take the cuts. the new america. pennsylvania state representative brian simms joins me tonight. good to have you with us. what's the solution here? most public schools receive funding from three separate sources. you got some federal money possibly coming in, you got state government allocation, you got local school district, you know, personal property tax and such stuff as that. pennsylvania is far below the average in terms of percentage of state funding. contributing only 35.8%.

why such a low percentage? and what's the remedy for philadelphia? >> ed, you started off this segment talking about it. it's about priorities. there are only nine other states in the country that have a percentage from the state provide less than pennsylvania a providing to school districts. what's important here is you talked about the $305 million budget shortfall we have. we have a package in place to try to rescue the philadelphia school district. and only about 16 or $0 million of that is coming from the state. when you talked about the governor's budget, when he got in the office and cut education funding a billion dollars, this is exactly what was going to happen. >> so in the state of michigan we saw a republican governing body starve detroit. is that happening in philadelphia?

>> i think that's exactly what's happening. harris burg took over the school district. so we're in the position of having the governor and harrisburg say because of poor management they're concerned about giving more money to the school district. but it's their management and performance over the philadelphia school district that's the problem here. i don't know if this is an intentional race to the bottom or not, but i do know when you implement a budget that has this drastic of cuts that these are exactly the problems that were going to arise. >> what we're seeing is low income and minority communities getting hit the most. this is where the closures are taking place. just like chicago, detroit, and now philadelphia. >> that's the big problem. 80% of the students that are impacted in philadelphia fall below the poverty line. you know, pennsylvania's one of only three states in the country that doesn't use a funding formula to determine how much money to give. yes the state is certainly underfunding the district, but it's not taking into account

poverty levels across the state when determining the funding level. >> so what's the solution here? i mean, you got to win the house back. you got to get the political clout to turn this thing around. >> sure. there's a reason this governor is largely considered to be the most entrenched in the country right now. i hope he's going to lose his position to some good democratic candidates. there are solutions right now. pennsylvania sitting on top of one of the largest reserves of natural gases and we are literally giving that away. we need to have a tax to charge these companies. >> you mean to -- wait a minute. this is a big point. >> big point. >> for instance in north dakota there is an extraction tax which of course they whine about all the time. but of course the state of north dakota where the energy belt is, they have unbelievable surpluses in their budget right now. billions of dollars in surplus unlike any other state. but pennsylvania has the natural gas. you mean to tell me that your

state does not have an extraction tax in the energy sector? >> as far as i can tell by best estimate since 2009 about $8 billion has been extracted in natural gas has been extracted in pennsylvania. and if we were taxing at the rate that other states that have this type of drilling were taxing, we're looking at over half a billion dollars in tax revenue given away. in this fiscal year alone, pennsylvania will give away over $3.16 billion in corporate tax breaks. this is indeed a priorities issue. >> and of course the teachers, you know, they're overpaid, their pensions too great, and shouldn't have time off in the summertime. that's what you're hearing, isn't it? >> it's always the drum beat. it's always that teachers aren't giving enough. that the teachers union isn't giving enough. and somehow we decided it was okay to quote, unquote fix our budget on the backs of people who are providing education to our children.

>> they are starving public education in this country one big city at a time. and blaming it on the workers. that's what's happening. that's another reason why we shouldn't hit syria. we got a spending priority problem. state representative brian sims, great to have you with us tonight. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. >> thank you, ed. >> you bet. >> and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, breaking news. george zimmerman will not be charged after alleged domestic incident today according to orlando sentinel the. zimmerman's wife is declining to press charges. george zimmerman questioned by police. his wife shelly who just filed for divorce accuses george of threatening her and her father with a gun. at this hour, police are still on the scene at the home of shelly's father in lake mary, florida. here's what we know. earlier today there was