tv Politics Nation MSNBC November 20, 2013 3:00pm-4:01pm PST
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another shutdown? >> i think it's unlikely this time. i think they're going to have a bipartisan punt and move on for another crisis. >> that's it for "the ed show." politics nation starts receipt now. good evening, and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, they just can't help themselves. today another republican let the cat out of the bag. it's not just they don't want president obama's health care law to succeed, they are actively rooting for failure. congresswoman michelle bachman smells opportunity. >> i think we have an opportunity of a lifetime right now, because just as jeff said, we are watching liberalism crumble in front of our eyes. what we have is the fantasy thinking of what obama care was going to be versus reality. >> now denying health care to millions who need it is the opportunity of a lifetime. how's that for a republican
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campaign ad? but the reality is the affordable care act is now starting to work across the country. yes, there are problems. but this isn't about liberalism crumbling. it's about a republican playbook of sabotage. their tactics, fear factor. >> the american people are very, very worried, you know. moms and dads are worried that they're going to lose their health care plan. >> right now, healthcare.gov screams who are trying to break into the health care system, if you like my infoe, maybe you can steel it. >> you won't be able to keep your doctor. >> it's just one more reason why this health care law needs to be scrapped now. >> the law needs to be scrapped. way to go. let's turn our back on millions of americans to score some political points. and the kings of fear, the right wing billionaire koch brothers,
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the same guys behind the crazy uncle sam ads are attacking obama care with more scare tactics. the americans for prosperity group they support is launching a $3.5 million ad campaign. take a listen. >> millions are paying more and getting less. obama care doesn't work. it just doesn't work. people don't like political ads. i don't like them either. but health care isn't about politics. it's about people. >> yes. the health care is about people. people they are trying to scare. but they're the ones who are scared. here's why. as of this week, 50,000 people have chosen health care plans from the federal exchange website. that's up from 27,000 at the end of october. the number of people signing up has almost doubled in just a few weeks. enrollment is up in many of the states running their own health
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care sites. since the law passed, health care spending has risen at the lowest rate ever. a republican who ran on expanding medicaid won a congressional seat in louisiana. and nearly half a million more people will be covered in january. right now this law is helping real americans. but republicans can't admit that. that's why they've compared the website struggles to hurricane katrina. that's why the political arm of jim dement's heritage foundation says the law was terrorizing the country. what's scary about americans getting health care? nothing. they're just scared the new law will work. joining me now are ryan grim and karen finney. thank you both for being here. karen, the health care rollout is the opportunity of a life
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team for republicans. can you believe that one? >> i can believe it coming from michelle bachman, but it is really, truly disgustingle and it is one of the areas where democrats need to be calling this stuff out, because you have the shenanigans going on in congress. you have all this stuff we've seen in the states with real efforts to block the navigators who are trying to help people seen up for health insurance. and then you have those republican governors who are cruel enough to deny poor people in their states medicaid. i mean, it's really disgusting. >> you know, ryan, it amazes me how the republicans keep talking about the people who will pay more for insurance. but let's look at the break down. let's go to the tape. 80% of the americans will be unaffected. 15% are uninsured. so the law can only help them. 2.5% will be able to get out a similar plan.
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and just 2.5% will have to buy a better health care plan. and some of them may be able to get subsidies. so republicans care about their 2.5%. but what about the other 97%, ryan? >> the nice thing about the way that this will ultimately play out is unlike most issues in washington, this will actually be driven by the reality on the ground. in other words, like you said, are people getting access to health care? are people getting insurance who don't have it now. >> right. >> are people getting good, affordable coverage who had lousy coverage before. and if the answer to that is yes, then this is going to be a political winner for democrats. and if the answer is no, it's going to be a political loser. the koch brothers can spend as much money as they want in these swing states trying to drive these democrats out on the issue of obama care, but if it works, if people are happy with it,
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then there are millions of dollars that are going to be wasted. but if it doesn't work, they're not going to put a dime in there. >> you know, karen, we sometimes forget who really is blocking americans from getting insurance. republicans in 25 states are blocking the medicaid expansion. they're stopping 4.8 million people from getting coverage. they are blocking people from health coverage. how can they justify these priorities? >> they can't, and it's politics. and, you know, he want to take us back to, you know, our colleague, david axelrod. last week he made a really poignant point about his daughter who is a special needs child. and the experience that his family went on early on through her life. and if you think about it and you think about that 4.6 million you talked about. for many people, that is life and death. their governors are making life and death decisions that they don't deserve an opportunity to
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have a better life. and with better health comes the ability to contribute to society. yes, they're denying them health care, but they're denying them life in many ways. >> republicans went crazy, i mean crazy, because some insurance policies were canceled. but here's what they're saying now that the president proposed a fix. take a listen, again, to michelle bachman. >> it's unconstitutional. it's legislating from the oval office, and it has to stop. that's one thing i was talking to colleagues last week the potential of members of congress filing a lawsuit against president obama based upon the power of separation doctrine. >> she wants to sue the president, i mean, really? how can we take this seriously? does show that it's all politics to them, ryan? >> yes. yes. it really does show you that
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whatever the president is for they're against. >> right. >> you know, this is the president rolling back a key piece of obama care, which they hate, but they hate the president more. so they'd rather that that piece of obama care go back into effect and they'll work with trial lawyers to make it happen. that's how passionate they are about this. >> they refuse to accept that something can work. they've got to make it a failure. they complain about so many inshurns policies canceled, something none of us want. but then they turn around when the president proposes a fix and they talk about suing him. >> does anybody really believe that michelle bachman has red the constitution and the declaration and understands what as in there? given the fact that she throws around words and phrases. let's remember the plan is working for a large number of
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americans. and every day it's working for more and more people. it goes to ryan's point that the facts on the ground are going to belie the lies from the republicans in congress. and the heard it piece of though is, americans, if you look at the polls, they don't want a repeal of this plan. people want it to succeed. so the republicans can continue to play politics as much as they want, but i think the majority of americans are going to continue to say can't we fix it, can't we make it better rather than just do away with it. >> that's what they are afraid of. they don't want it to work and it's beginning to work. and they have no plan of their own. any time you ask what is your health care plan, well, listen. let me show you what they say their health care plan is. >> what is a viable alternative that really solves the problem? >> well, i would say let's get to the table in a bipartisan basis. let's make sure that we have a plan that has more choice, not less. >> you don't think that you have a responsibility as a u.s. senator to do better than that?
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terms of offering a solution for what to do next? >> well, i, appreciate you're trying to lecture me in the morning. >> all of this time, they had nothing, nothing, no plan. ayotte, cruz, they have no plan. >> and they can't have a plan, because, you know, the free market cannot take care of, you know, 300 million population where you have people that are living paycheck to paycheck. you know, the majority of americans, you know, cannot afford to cover, you know, cancer or heart disease or some other type of health care crisis. they are not paid enough. wages have been stuck since the 1970s the you can't have a system like that and not have some, some way of kind of socializing the risk kind of social insurance against these health care prices. it's just not possible with that
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free market ideology. >> i'm going to have to leave it there. thank you, ryan and karen fen finney. thank you both for your time. and watch disrupt with karen finney, weekends at 4:00. ahead, disturbing new accusations about george zimmerman behave your after the trayvon martin trial, his fascination with guns and his alleged suicide attempt. we'll talk to the reporter who broke the story. also the right wing smear campaign against oprah winfrey. they're getting ugly. they're getting personal. and they don't know what they're talking about. >> oprah, if black people in this country are so mistreated and so disrespected, how in the name of sam hill, did you happen? >> this is not the first time that liberals have played the race card, and i'm sure it won't be the last either. >> first lady michelle baum
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rever obama reveals something about her husband we did not know before. it's a big night on politics nation. stay tuned. the was a truly amazing day. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today at angieslist.com
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tonight, new proof that more americans think the gop and the monster they created, the tea party, are one and the same. a new poll shows that americans give virtually identical answers about whether republicans and tea partiers are too conservative or too liberal. voters can't tell the difference between the two. 43% say the tea party has too much influence over the gop. that influence has driven the republican party to record low approval rating. americans are fed up with the party that has no agenda of its own, that's obsessed with trying to block everything president obama does. today we learned senate republicans may try to filibuster his choice to be the next federal reserve chairman. and they've already blocked
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three straight judicial nominees. it's gotten so bad, some senate democrats say they may use the so-called nuclear option to limit these republican filibusters. americans want a positive agenda that builds the country up. they don't want tea party republicans whose only mission is to tear down the president. joining me is abbey huntsman. thank you for being here. when will republicans realize what the rest of the country already knows and that is that the tea party is bad news for them and for the country? >> i think that polls suggest that people obviously don't know the difference between the tea party republicans and the establishment republicans. i think that just tells you how much significance the tea party actually has. and it's interesting. i read a little bit about the nomination process. both sides over the years have tried to block mom nations, but if you compare it to bush, you
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had miguel estrada. and we have concerns about ideology, concerns about qualifications. in this case, it's simply the opposite of that. before names are even released, you have republican lawmakers who say they're not even willing to look at this. >> it's not about the nominations, about who's giving the nomination. >> it speaks to a much bigger problem within the party, whether that be obama care, immigration or nominees. we're just going to say no regardless of what it's about. and you become the party of no. and how do you advance society if you just stand for nothing? >> you know, what bothers me is the ugly rhetoric from the tea party rallies has actually invaded all the congress. listen. >> we want all tools available to use, including that impeachment. >> it is treasonous.
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>> are you a birther then? >> i'm not going to comment on it. >> this administration has so many muslim brotherhood members that have influence that they just are making wrong decisions for america. >> let's repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens. >> i mean, abbey, don't americans want more from republicans than, than repeal and impeach? don't they want more than that? >> i think they deserve more than that. we're not even seeing a debate today because they are the party of no, the anti-party, that there really is no conversation being had. and that poll also showed there is an unhappiness among americans on both extremes. i think especially speaking on behalf of millennials we want things to be solved in the middle. we talked about this all the time, that you need two strong
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parties. the republican party used to be a big tent party. you had reagan who spoke very optimistically about the country, he was inclusive. and we've seen them grab the poles and it will cause a collapse. >> it's caused some sadness in the republican party. a republican strategist sold huffington post, the tea party needs to decide on a long-term strategy. quote, are they interested in toppling republicans? or winning elections? if they some elections, they're probably going to die on the vine. this is something you've talked about, your father's talked about. don't republicans need to divorce themselves from the fringe if they want to say relevant to the party?
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>> or divorce themselves from things they can actually have an agreement on. the republican party is going to have to make this decision moving forward, what direction do we want to go in? are we going to want to support someone that can appeal to a broader group of voters? or are we going to stick with this tea party message that clearly isn't appealing. i'd like to see a poll among the younger people, i guarantee it would be in the single digits. >> does the tea party want to win? do they want to win? or do they want to stay wedded to their philosophy. >> i think what we've seep, that's not their goal, unfortunately for the republican party. >> well, if that's not their goal, they're doing a great job. catch abbey on the cycle. coming up, why is the right weng media complex attacking
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today republican congressman trey radel appeared in court to plead guilty to cocaine possession. he was arrested in an undercover drug sting last month after buying 3.5 grams of cocaine. and today he was sentenced to one year probation. congressman radel released a statement apologizing and saying, quote, i struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice.
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he also said he plans to seek treatment. addiction is a serious medical disease. and this story offers a reminder of that. but it also reminds us that congressman radel was one of the many house republicans who voted to allow drug testing for recipients of food stamps. in fact, 217 republicans voted for it, and for slashing $40 billion from the food stamp program. house democratic leader nancy pelosi talked about it last night. >> and this particular case, i feel very sad for his family and that, but it's really interesting right soon on the heels that day on the heels of the republicans voting to make sure that everybody who had access to food stamps was drug tested. it just, it's like, what? you get food stamps, you have to be drug tested? so i hope that it will humanize
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the thinking about that subject. >> she has it exactly right. what's lacking in today's gop is empathy. maybe his drug arrest will prompt his gop colleagues to rethink some of the assumptions they have about people in need. today is isn't a nice try. and we don't want to get anybody. we just want republicans to try to get what life is like. for people who are a little less fortunate and who make some mistakes. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the game changing app from ink. we didn't get into business to spend time managing receipts, that's why we have ink. we like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. so you have time to focus on the things you love. ink from chase. so you can.
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>> president obama today getting some laughs as he presented oprah winfrey and others with the medal of freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. he soluted her as someone whose greatest strength has been her ability to help us discover the best in ourself. for man owe americans, that's exactly what oprah represents. but to the right, that's just not the case. as we speak, they're in a fury over these comments she made about racism. >> as long as people can be judged by the color of their skin, the problem's not solved. there are still generations of people, older people who were born and bred and marinated in it in that prejudice and racism. and they just have to die. >> oprah's making the point that racism still exists, but it's getting smaller and smaller with
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each generation of course. rush limbaugh is outraged. >> oprah, if black people in this country are so mistreated and so disrespected, how in the name of sam hill did you happen? would somebody explain that to me? >> i will. how did oprah happen? through decades of hard work. that's how she happened. but right wing radio host mark levine took it one step further. >> let me tell you something, folks, oprah winfrey has no idea. oh, i know she's black. but she has no idea, no idea. most of us have no idea what it's like to live in a country that really is brutally racist. >> right wing radio host levin
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thinks oprah has no idea about racism? a black woman born in rural mississippi during the '50s has no idea about race, but apparently he does? that's laughable, even by the right's standards. joining me now are joy reed and eric bollart. why is the right so outraged about oprah's comments about race? >> it's a rorschach test. and i think what bothers the right about what oprah said is the same thing that bothered them when barack obama talked about trayvon martin. the right expects african-americans who have been successful to essentially be christmas ornaments. to shine brightly and affirm the awesomeness of america and that's it and to never talk
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about it because it will make people on the right feel badly. you know this very well, the state where oprah went fwprah w from, mississippi, is the place where these people were killed. and when the people were finally convicted in 1966, the judge in the case who convicted them said these guys just killed one n word, one white man and one ju. he gave them three to ten years for murder. and at the same time, those same years when it was happening, you had a senator from massachusetts. you had nba players that were playing, you had wealthy african-americans. you had bill russell, wealthy african-americans around the country. not every african-american was poor. >> no. there's always been some -- >> these things happened at the same time. >> and there was, but one did not excuse the fact that others were experiencing racism.
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but this has become a real campaign with the right wing against oprah, eric. and they are like just jumping all over her. the fox strategy that you talk about? >> what did she do wrong? she talked about race. that's the starting point for all these people. you don't talk about t even when she couched it saying things have gotten better. the fact that she brings up any criticism whatsoever. she was saying barack obama has been disrespected the way no other president has. and that, that's the fox strategy right there. >> let me show you what she said. oprah was asked if it's crossed her mind if this president had been treated differently because he's african-american. listen to what she said. >> just the level of disrespect when the senator yelled out you're a liar. remember that? yeah. i think there's a level of
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disrespect for the office that occurs. and that occurs in some cases and maybe even many cases because he 's african-american. >> the right wing does not agree with oprah's assessment to put it lightly. listen to this. >> unfortunately, this is not the first time liberals have played the race card, and i'm sure it won't be the last either. >> if hillary clinton gets elected are we all anti-women. >> if disrespect is the problem, how about bush? >> she is saying this is a country that rejects president obama because of his skin color. flat out false, not true. >> i don't think if any one starts asking hillary for her birth certificate, yes, they
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would be sexist. >> they talked about him being heckled during his speech. a daily caller person heckled him during a rose garden speech. we've had other instances of of of the wagging the finger at president obama on the tarmac. you have to respect the office. >> and people mostly do. >> they treat him like a criminal, like a hoodlum. >> the point that oprah was making is the larger point is that many older americans are less toll rant. and she's right. look at this gallup poll from this year. 96% approval of marriage between
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plaqu blacks and whites. older people are more intoll rant of race. >> she said not everybody does. greenburg has done this research. for some the election of president obama was the losing and a resentment. if you look at the attitude on the right, it isn't just disappointment that he won the election. it's anger, deep seeded anger and rage. people like the shawn hannitys and people at fox news want to trade in the anger and rage of the people. but they don't want to be called
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on the consequences of ginning up people's deep seeded rage. >> i agree, but i think that what bothers them is that when someone is popular and accepted as oprah by whites says yes, there's a problem, then it's harder for them to marginalize those of us who say the same thing, because the average american then says well even oprah says there's still a problem. so why are you acting like activists are crazy? i think that's also part of their problem. >> they get very upset when there's a harmer pop culture discussion on this. they like it sort of on the margins as you say, and oprah, if you look at the poll, one of the most recognized and admired people in america and the world. and when you talk about the age, the older white americans, you look at the demographics for
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rush limbaugh's oaudience and shawn hannity's audience, they are over 70 and white. >> thank you both for your time this evening. still ahead. new accusations from george zimmerman girlfriend, talking about his violent behavior and fascination with guns. we'll talk with the reporter who broke the story. also michelle obama reveals which member of the couple is a better dancer and singer. stay with us.
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george zimmerman girlfriend is breaking her silence. we're learning some stunning information about what she says was going on inside the house where george zimmerman allegedly pointed a shotgun at her, including explosive new details about their relationship in the days leading up to his arrest this week and his state of mind after the trayvon martin verdict. she's telling a stunning story of witnessing suicide attempts, violent threats and deep depression, all since his acquittal for killing trayvon martin. for three weeks, samantha
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scheiby and her mother have been telling all to a local tv station. joining me now is the reporter who's been speaking with her. thanks for coming on the show, eric. >> yeah. thank you, reverend. >> now let's start with that last point i mentioned. witnessing suicide attempts, what did she say? >> well, she said that zimmerman had spiralled into a very, very deep depression after he was acquitted by that jury here in seminole county. and as a part of that he was prescribed medication that he refused to take over the course of time. she says that there were several occasions where he was so depressed that he would take sleeping pills. and one morning she walked in and the entire bottle was gone. and he was very, deeply asleep. and she just made sure he was breathing and just let him sleep
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it off -- >> wait a minute, the whole bottle of sleeping pills was gone? >> that is what she claims. >> wow. >> and she doesn't know how many were left in there at the time. there could have been just one more left in the bottle. but he did sleep for an extended period of time. she went into the crime, he was distraught, crying. it was at that point he took a gun, put it in his mouth and threatened to end it all. >> he put a gun in hisout, according to her, stuck it in his mouth and threatened to end it all? >> yes, that is what samantha tells me. >> what about the, she says she's changed a lot since the verdict. this is all after the trayvon martin verdict. >> yes. and i think it's important to point out that this isn't a woman who, you know, went after george zimmerman after this verdict was rendered. this is a woman who says she's known george zimmerman for 12 years, since before trayvon
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martin was shot that day in sanford, florida. so she knows, she says george zimmerman was before the shooting. and she says after this verdict was rendered he became, as i mentioned before, very distraught, very depressed. at times he felt invinceable. and that carries over to the instances where he was pulled over by police, where he was seen photographed at that gun manufacturing plant in florida. and, you know, she says the gorge zimmerman after the verdict, the distraught, the very angry at times george zimmerman is not the man she met 12 years ago, who she described as a lot of people did during this trial, as a man who would do anything for you, had a warm heart, the person they called gorgy. and she is trying to find georgy. >> chris, what can you tell us
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that you are hearing? does any of this inform you of an opinion on george zimmerman? >> well, there's a number of things, reverend al. we're talking about post offense behavior. we're talking about someone who was in the limelight who may have enjoyed the limelight he had and then when the trial was over, when the acquittal took place, he wasn't getting that level of attention, and that may have been very challenging. what i think is equally important is what eric found out in his interview where this young woman says that on the night of the shooting that zimmerman and his wife had argued, that she had left the house, that it had been a heated argument. what that tells me is -- >> the night of the shooting of trayvon martin? >> the night that trayvon martin was shot, that zimmerman was angry. he could have been upset. he may have felt powerless
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because his wife left him, and he may have sought to regain some of that power and importance as a neighborhood watchman. that's when he confronted trayvon martin. that's the mind set he may have carried into that terrible evening when the shooting took place. >> so eric, she told you, the girlfriend, told you that she was told by george zimmerman he'd had a big argument with his wife the night of trayvon's killing and that she'd left. >> exactly. and it's also important to point out, reverend, that at this point, shelley zimmerman, his estranged wife now, and george, for all intents and purposes, samantha says they were not a couple. they may have shared this address, this condominium in florida, but shelley was not sleeping there every night. they were not a traditional couple that we would know today. yes, she said they did get into a very heated argument about their separation that night.
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>> now, chris, what about this fascination with guns? what is, what does that tell you about george zimmerman? she's saying he had this fascination with guns and this flirtation with suicide. >> well, you know, so much of the time during the trial many people dismissed that he carried a gun. well, he had a right to carry a gun. we have that right under the constitution. but when you take that further, al, when you take this fascination with guns, when this gun becomes an extension of your personality, something that you use to level the playing field, that's where it becomes an issue. and that's where all of these things, to me, that state of mind was so important in the trial that i'm not sure that was necessarily considered by the jury at the time they reached that verdict. >> now, eric, you say she says that he got more doudepressed al
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out of the headlines, that the attention was going away from him and he got more and more depressed, is that right? >> yeah, and she said it ebbed and flowed. he would feel invincible one moment and be caught speeding, the photo that we all saw at the gun manufacturing plant. the media paid attention to him. but when that died off, samantha says that's when he would spiral into that deep depression. it was almost like he was feeding off the attention at times. >> what does that tell you. >> i think eric has hit it on the head. he was feeding on that attention. it's like somebody who is an overeater. and all of a sudden you take food away from them. they literally feel like they're starving. in zimmerman case, you take that media away, and he may have been emotionally starving. and the young woman that eric interviewed, this is a young woman who thought she could help
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him or she thought she could fix him. there may be a 15 minutes of fame in this for her, too. but i think the main consideration is the behavior of zimmerman at the time and now this post incident behavior. >> we thank you both for your time this evening. >> thank you. >> thank you. coming up, first lady michelle obama reveals something about her husband that we didn't know. it was surprising. and it has to do with this video. that's next. and just give them the basics, you know. i got this. [thinking] is it that time? the son picks up the check? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough.
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first lady michelle obama is spilling the beans on what happens in that private residence at the white house. she appeared on bet show 106 and was asked about president obama's singing. that's when we learned something new about president obama. >> i always think, my husband's got sway, you know? >> oh? >> yes, michelle. >> he's got sway. >> he definitely does. but he sings all the time. >> oh? >> oh, yeah. he's in the bathroom all the time singing. he's always willing to sing. you want me to sing something
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for you? but he's got a good voice. >> singing in the bathroom. who knew? but we all know he has a great voice. ♪ i [ applause ] ♪ so in love with you so he's the better singer. but what about dancing? >> one more. one more. who's a better dancer, you or the president? that's easy. me. >> without a doubt. >> hey. >> without a doubt. >> he can sing, i can dance. i think that divides the talent evenly across the fally tree. >> well, that's a tough call. let's see the president in action.
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okay, okay, okay, it's no contest. show takes this one. you be the judge of this one. we'll be right back. [ woman 1 ] why do i cook? to share with family. [ woman 2 ] to carry on traditions. [ woman 3 ] to come together even when we're apart. [ male announcer ] in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and more, swanson makes holiday dishes delicious.
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yep. got all the cozies. [ grandma ] with new fedex one rate, i could fill a box and ship it for one flat rate. so i knit until it was full. you'd be crazy not to. is that nana? [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. but with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive,y first. i saw my doctor. a blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. we talked about axiron. the only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions
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and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and increase in psa. ask your doctor about axiron. ♪ [ male announcer ] laura's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. finally, tonight the medal of freedom, president obama awarded the country's highest civilian honor to 16 recipients at the white house today.
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for me, the high point was the posthumous award given to a civil rights hero. he was a close friend and adviser to martin luther king, junior, standing by his side at critical moments. russton helped and almost single-handedly organized the march on washington. he was also openly ga. he had to wait on history to catch up. >> for decades, this great leader often at dr. king's side was denied his place in history because he was openly ga. no medal can change that, but today we honor byron russton's
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memory. >> tod >> i knew him as a youngster. he gave me the money to start my national youth movement. so i heard some of the unkind things. i am grad byard was given his due today. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. political armageddon. let's play ha"hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews up in new york. let me start with this. the dirty little secret of american politics today is this battle between president obama and his enemies is not a contest of achievement. no, it'sbo
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