surprising was all the questions dealing with real people and their issues that were left out. not a single question about income inequality, about unemployment benefits, about food stamps, or the president's pardons this week of drug offenders surviving unconscionable long jail terms. so we begin tonight here in the real world with what matters to millions and millions of americans. today's strong number -- strong new numbers show a robust economic growth. we learned the economy grew 4.1% in the third quarter. it's the fastest pace in almost two years. and it's another sign that things are heading in the right direction. but too many of the gains are

going to too few today. he vowed to make 2014 a year of action on economic fairness. >> 2014 needs to be a year of action. we've got work to do to create more good jobs, to help more americans earn the skills and education they need to do those jobs, and to make sure those jobs offer the wages and benefits that let families build a bit of financial security. we've got to build on progress we've painstakingly made over these last five years with respect to our economy and those looking to join the middle class to get a better opportunity. that's where i will focus my efforts in the year ahead. >> a year of action to help americans. and the president laid out the first step. extending long-term unemployment benefits set to expire in just eight days from now. >> because congress didn't act,

more than 1 million of their constituents will lose a vital economic life line at christmas time. leaving a lot of job seekers without any source of income at all. i think we're a better country than that. we don't abandon each other when times are tough. their first order of business should be making this right. >> we're a better country than this. we don't abandon each other. this is what's happening in the real world. >> where would you be without the unemployment benefits you're getting? >> i would be quite lost. january 1st is looking scary at this point. >> we lose our benefits at the end of the month, so we're on the federal plan right now. it's been very tough. i haven't had any real offers lately. >> and then this comes from left field right before christmas. merry christmas, you know. you might not have a house very much longer. it's really easy to condemn people when you're not in their

shoes. >> in the richest nation in the world, millions of families shouldn't be left out in the cold. and president obama is vowing to take action in the new year. that's a resolution we should all get behind. joining me now, e.j. dionne and eric bernstein. thank you both for coming on the show. >> thank you, rev. >> good to be with you, reverended. >> jared, republicans don't want it. extending unemployment benefits. but an extension would help the economy and be good for the country, am i right? >> yeah. it's what we think of in economics as good micro and macro. from the perspective of the people you were talking to, that's the micro side. they need work and the jobs aren't out there. the argument against unemployment insurance goes there are lots of jobs out there. people don't need u.i., unemployment insurance.

but if you look at the share of people who have been uninsured for the long-term, at least half a year, it's actually twice what it's been in the past when congress has allowed such extensions to expire. that's the micro side. the macro side is of course these people go out and spend their money and that gives the economy a boost that it still needs. yes, we're growing quicker but we're not out of the woods yet. >> now, e.j., we just saw people -- these are real people. these are not caricatures that we see from the republicans. these are real people telling real stories. how do we ignore that and how do we deal with the fact that people in eight days are on the verge of losing unemployment benefits. >> well, i think one thing is no one can keep quiet about it and i think the democrats have to keep finding ways of brings this up in the new year. and it's very important. this really is targeted assistance. this goes to people in states and places where there is an

exceptionally high level of unemployment. so as jared said, there's no excuse to say well this is just letting people sit around. when there are jobs to be had. when the president talked about the year of action, it ought to start with restoring these unemployment benefits. it ought to move to increasing the minimum wage if they don't want people to avoid work, why not give real compensation pay for their families. it has to include immigration reform. i got to say on the third, i'm getting a little bit more optimistic. the president sounded hopeful today saying boehner wants to bring it up. one of the top lieutenants in congress from oklahoma gave positive signals. if you could start with those and move onto fracture investment and the president's pre-k program, you could have a real year of action. >> you know, it's hopeful when you look at the fact that the

president's economic agenda in 2014 if he can get any cooperation, it includes a major push on extending jobless benefits. stopping republicans from slashing $40 billion from food stamps. and passing an increase in the federal minimum wage. jared, any cooperation and movement on any two or all three of these would be major for the average american. >> i think that's right. and by the way, you make an important point we haven't gotten to quite yet. which is part of the action the president's talking about is not just the very positive things that e.j. tipped off, but avoiding some of the negative ones causing more fiscal head winds against the economy that will hurt growth in 2014. and the farm bill which is where this food stamp piece exists is key to that. the senate has a bill that's much more benign, but the house

bill would kick about 4 million people off the roles. i think that will turn out better. i don't know about the minimum wage. i think that's going to be a very heavy lift in congress which is one of the reasons you're seeing some national minimum wages do pretty well around the country in states and cities. >> you know, e.j., the president talked today about making sure everyone is benefitting from the growing economy. i want to show you some striking numbers. but listen to this. in 1928 on the eve of the great depression, the top 1% in america was taking home 24% of the country's income. in 1979 after years of healthy growth, the top 1% took in 10% of the country's income.

but look at this, e.j. we're back to this historic level of inequality. in 2012 the top 1% took 22% of the income. we're back with this startling inequality, e.j. >> and you know what? it is no accident that date there is 1928 because when you concentrate so much income at the top and ordinary people, middle class people as well as working class people don't have money to spend, this hurts the economy. christine lagarde in her interview this coming sunday with david gregory talks about how inequality is bad for sustained economic growth. i think it's just very important to keep driving home the point that caring about inequality is not just a matter of justice although it is a matter of justice, and it's not just a matter of morality although it is a matter of morality.

it's also about good economics. and if we want sustained growth, which is good for everybody including rich people, we should not want these very, very high levels of inequality. >> you know, jared, this inequality is something you as an economist has got to know that it really in many ways is bad for all americans as e.j. said. including wealthy americans. >> e.j. and i are old enough to remember that 1928 number. >> tell me about it. >> look, i mean, the thing that's interesting today in particular is that we're talking about this 4.1% gdp number for the third quarter and that's a nice number. we haven't had a 4% handle on our gdp growth in awhile. but what that reminds you is that growth is necessary, but it's not sufficient. we've had gdp up now maybe 11%, 12% over this expansion.

the stock market up 70% in real terms over this expansion, median household income down 4% in real terms. so what really has to happen here is we have to build the connective tissue between economic growth and much more broad based prosperity. and that gets you right back to the policy agenda the president talked about that we've been discussing here. >> jared bernstein and e.j. dionne, this is good stuff and we'll be watching this and looking forward to a year of action on these issues. >> thank you. >> thank you both for your time. >> thank you, reverend. >> great weekend to both of you. >> you too. coming up, darrell issa's new leaks and smears against the president. the man taking him on, congressman elijah cummings joins me live on what he calls issa's reckless pattern of misleading information. and more fallout from the

"duck dynasty" star's anti-gay and racially charged remarks. why are so many on the right coming to his defense? one even compared the tv star to rosa parks. note to the republican party, you got a brand problem. plus will there be justice after all? new developments tonight in the so-called affluenza case. and george zimmerman gets back his guns. and his girlfriend was right by his side. we open the justice files tonight. stay with us. big show ahead. 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.

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too rich for jail? it was the week of the affluenza case, but now a question. could be too rich too jail become not rich at all? stay with us. ♪

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for the last three years, congressman darrell issa has made it his mission to antagonize president obama. after all, he told rush limbaugh this in 2010. >> he has been one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times. >> issa later tried to walk that statement back, but when he became chair of the house oversight committee, he still planned constant attacks on the obama administration.

famously telling politico, quote, i want seven hearings a week times 40 weeks. maybe he hasn't held hundreds of hearings, but not for the lack of trying. he's tried to link the obama administration to phony scandals on everything from benghazi to the irs. but besides this out of the ordinary aggressiveness, we've seen another disturbing pattern from congressman issa. democrats say he's repeatedly leaked materials that are supposed to be private to the president. and has happened with documents related to the tsa. the fast and furious investigation. the attacks in benghazi. the irs investigation. and now health care. new questions are the security of the health care website.

based on documents from, guess who? congressman issa. but democrats say he cherry picked misleading information to scare people away from the website. and they're fighting back. joining me now is the man who's challenging issa, congressman elijah cummings, the ranking democrat on the house oversight committee. congressman, first of all, thanks for being here tonight. >> it's good to be with you. >> you're calling his behavior, quote, reckless. tell us why? >> first of all, reverend, it's reckless because what chairman issa has done as he's done in the past is he has presented certain testimony, cherry picked testimony that makes it look as if a lady named teresa frier who is the chief information officer at the center for medicaid and medicare, he claims that she had

significant security concerns with regard prior to the website being put forth. and basically implying that those problems still exist. now, that's what issa put out. but he left out some key information. first of all, he left out the fact that she has said that there has been no successful breaches. she also said when she had those concerns, the response was that they were put in mitigation measures in case there was a problem. once those measures were put in -- keep in mind, this is information he didn't disclose. once those measures were put in, she was satisfied. she also said the mitigation measures exceeded the industry standards. in other words, they were higher. he never put that in. and he never said she was satisfied. he never said any of that. not one syllable. >> here. let me give the particulars

here, congressman. of exactly what you're saying. congressman issa's claims based on the testimony of a healthcare.gov security officer. >> that's right. >> but you say he didn't include this information. that officer testified the website systems exceeded standards and agreed they went beyond best practices. and there have been no successful breaches of healthcare.gov. so no security breaches and the website exceeds standards, but congressman issa didn't mention that. doesn't that show he's not interested in the facts, congressman? >> clearly. what he is trying to do -- the republicans and issa, they're frustrated, reverend. they could not win when we took the vote on this when it first came -- we passed it.

then they're hoping it would be killed in the courts. it wasn't killed there. and now by any means necessary, they're trying to discourage people from actually signing up. and this is so sad. and it's very upsetting that in trying to make people feel as if their information will not be secure. that's what this is all about. keep in mind, he's run around the country. he had four one-sided hearings and all they presented were people who may have had problems with the website or had problems with it or never liked it. he never produced one witness saying this is good for me, it's working for my family. >> and some complained they were barred from their request to be heard. >> that's right. >> and i think people need to understand how powerful this committee is. it's the investigative committee. it is very powerful. it does the investigations in and for the congress, but it has

to be used properly, congressman. >> that's right. in other words, we are the oversight and government reform committee, but i've told chairman issa many times in order to bring about reform, you must have the whole truth and nothing but the truth. don't give me a little piece of truth here and then leave out other pieces of it. the pieces that you don't like or does not, you know, go into your narrative. that's not truly bringing about reform. you cannot bring about reform unless you have accurate information. >> congressman elijah cummings, thank you so much for your time. >> good to be with you, reverended. >> and thank you for keeping your eye on congressman issa. have a great weekend. >> and happy holiday to you and yours. >> thank you. coming up, the controversy everyone is talking about. this "duck dynasty" star suspended from his tv show after making anti-gay and racially charged comments. but today more conservatives

continued rushing to his defense bringing that obama rodeo clown into the debate and comparing the tv star to rosa parks. what it says about a party trying to rebrand. ♪ [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth. [ sniffles, coughs ] shhhh! shhhh.

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with this controversy, they may have just lost "duck dynasty" massive black and gay audience. >> the right wing's cluelessness has become a punchline. gop pundits and politicians are falling all over themselves to embrace the "duck dynasty" star suspended after making anti-gay, racially charged comments in a magazine. one gop congressman says phil robertson is a conservative hero just like the offensive obama rodeo clown. quote, i stood up for tuffy the rodeo clown when the radical left took away his job. now they're out to get phil. and trust me, you are next. really? "duck dynasty" and the obama rodeo clown. those are the new heroes for the gop? is this really what republicans want americans to think of when

they think of the gop? >> it's obama. hey, let me tell these people about who we got helping. obama's going to have to just stay there. obama, watch out for those bulls. >> hey. i know i'm a clown. he's just running around acting like one. doesn't know he is one. >> stay classy, gop. here's another one for you. a republican running for congress in illinois says the "duck dynasty" star is the rosa parks of our generation. he says, quote, in december 1955 rosa parks took a stand against an unjust societal persecution of black people. and in december 2013 robertson took a stand against persecution of christians. that's so wrong and ignorant it's not even worth talking about. folks, one year ago the republican national committee

announced an autopsy to figure out how they can win over minority voters. looks like they need to go back to the drawing board. joining me now are maria teresa kumar and angela rye. thank you both for being here. >> thank you. >> so angela, the republican candidate says the guy from "duck dynasty" is just like rosa parks. how is that going to win back african-american voters? >> well, rev, unfortunately we've seen throughout this week that there are a lot of african-american voters and supporters in their party that will defend this no matter what. whether or not it's based on any type of fact whatsoever. the unfortunate part is history will not be kind to them because it's just false. this isn't about religious persecution. we've all read history books and know that there was a time when christians were persecuted. they have to draw the little

fish where they had to congregate. that's not what this guy was doing. instead of supporting his christian brothers and sisters that may have another lifestyle by loving them, he's actually persecuting and comparing said lifestyle to some very disgusti disgusting behaviors. i think furthermore when you go into black folks singing while they picked cotton, it's just so unfortunate. it demonstrates as we go into 2014, we have so much more work to do. part of it is teaching people history based upon facts, not perception. >> now, maria, he has the right. i want to be clear. he has the right to say whatever he wants to say. but people also have the right to say to people that they consume products from i'm not buying products of people that support this. no one is talking about his

right. we're talking about everybody's rights here. >> the fact a&e said we're not going to tolerate intel intolerance or hate in a time we're seeking unity. they did the right thing. i was more surprised the fact that bobby jindal, the governor of louisiana, got into the fray. this is an individual who has his eyes set on being a possible president rnl candidate in 2016. it wasn't a violation of freedom of speech. sometimes that speech has consequences. i applaud a&e for what they did. >> it had nothing to do with freedom of speech. i want to go back to elaborate on what angela said. here's what "duck dynasty" star said about growing up in louisiana in the jim crow era. quote, i never with my eyes saw the mistreatment of any black person. i hoed cotton with them.

i'm with blacks because we're white trash. we're going across the field. they're singing and happy. pre-entitlement, pre-welfare. you say were they happy? they were godly. they were happy. what is christian, what is religious freedom about saying blacks were happy under jim crow? this has not to do with one's biblical analysis of anything to say that blacks were happy under jim crow is a christian position. is that what some of his defenders are saying? >> i think that they're trying to argue the other point about the references he made to homosexuality. what we know here is -- >> but that's not all he said. >> no, that's absolutely right. and that's part of the problem. i'm glad that your show and others are bringing this up because that's not the only offensive thing he said. for him to say blacks were happy

during jim crow is false. the fact they were happy around him was probably a defense mechanism. why would they act sad or seem like they were going to rebel in an era where they were operating under terror and fear? so this was in spite of the situation, in spite of their oppressive laws that were ruling the land at that time. they were going to be joyful. again, this is about how he's remembering history, these rose colored duck glasses he's wearing, he needs to take them off. because he really doesn't know the truth. >> you know, maria, it was mentioned about the louisiana governor bobby jindal claiming it's all about religious freedom and free speech. let me play with the governor said. >> i think you see a growing political correctness amongst the left where they say they're for tolerance and diversity but only if you agree with them. the bigger issue is not what he said or how he said it, the bigger issue here is about

religious liberty. it's about the first amendment and the right to speak up and say what you believe. >> so again i think the issue is being clouded here. no one is saying he doesn't have the right to say it. no one's saying he doesn't have the right to speak up. but you and i have the right to speak up and disagree and companies have the right to say we're not subsidizing it because we don't agree with it. they're really trying to say we've got to support and pay for whatever it is that they decide they want to say. >> and you're absolutely right. let's be clear. again, there are consequences when you say something that it's not that it goes against grains of society, but it's hateful. you can't take what he said any other way and say he's basically perpetuating division and terrible stereotypes. when bobby jindal jumps into the fray and tries to twist exactly what happened, again, it's not about the first amendment. it's what you say does have

oftentimes have consequences. and this employer, a&e, said we are not going to tolerate intolerance. so go ahead and feel that way, but if you're going to do it, we're going to penalize you. let's have a broader conversation. this is not about christianity. if you look at a lot of the rebranding that you mentioned earlier that the gop did, there was a whole movement in the evangelical community that they wanted to embrace this discussion saying that is not christianity when you're intolerant and hateful about who someone chooses to love. >> angela, that rebrand was just a year ago. the rnc autopsy report on what they should do after the 2012 election loss. quote, we need to campaign among hispanic, black, asian, and gay americans. and demonstrate we care about them too. and it says republicans should stress the importance of a,ing

inclusive message in particular when discussing issues that relate directly to a minority group. well, how's the rebrand doing this week as many of the leading republicans including governor jindal are out there defending this kind of rhetoric? >> well, rev, first and foremost it was called the autopsy report. and that's a good thing because they're still dead. they are not relevant and they will not ever be relevant if they can't figure out how to meet people where they are. if they can't figure out how to tell the truth and go from there. so if you build it, they'll come. that's a concept we know in the church. wu the first step is to have people believe. right now we do not believe you. >> angela rye and maria teresa kumar, thank you for your time. still ahead, the "politicsnation" justice files. why did george zimmerman get his guns back?

and what effect will civil lawsuits have on the family of the teenager some say was too rich to jail? stay with us. ♪

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we're back. joining me now are faith jenkins and paul henderson. thank you both for coming on the show tonight. >> thank you. >> pleasure.

>> first up, the latest on george zimmerman. zimmerman and his formerly estranged girlfriend left a florida sheriff's office yesterday. they were there to retrieve guns confiscated during a domestic dispute in november. the sheriff confirmed to the orlando sentinel that two handgu handguns, a shotgun, and an assault rifle were returned to george zimmerman. his girlfriend picked up her gun as well. the couple's weapons were removed after that same girlfriend called 911 to say that zimmerman was threatening her. >> what's going on? >> he's in my housebreaking all my [ bleep ] because i asked him to leave. he has his freaking gun breaking all of my stuff right now. no this is not -- >> okay. >> i'm doing this again? you just broke my glass table. you just broke my sunglasses and you put your gun in my freaking

face and told me to get the [ bleep ] out because this is not your house. get out of here. >> as we know she later dropped the charges. no charges so he gets his guns back. what do you make of this news? >> he gets his guns back. obviously a lot of prosecutors and the rest of the people watching this story are disappointed. it was so frustrating after listening to the tape and hearing her exciting utte ining that what was happening was actually happening. then she came back and recanted and said she felt safe and didn't want there to be a prosecution i think was disappointing to a lot of people. but this is something that we've seen in the past. you know, i've handled a number of check in violence case where is this has taken place. one thing we a all need to keep in mind is if circumstances change, those charges can be revived. if she changes her mind or comes

back and is willing to testify, that could change. >> faith, not only have we seen this a lot in the past. we've seen it with george zimmerman. this is the second or third time we've seen a recanting after accusations were made. >> right. and i always say where there's smoke, there's fire. there's something going on with george zimmerman. it started before trayvon martin but look at the pattern of behavior we witnessed under the eyes of the law, is it illegal to have the guns? no. is it problematic? yes. there have been too many instances where george zimmerman has been accused of pulling his gun on people when he gets upset. we all know what happened with the trayvon martin case. so i see this as very problematic. i don't think it's the last time we'll be hearing about george zimmerman. >> all right. go ahead. >> i was just going to say, you know, if you ever want to try and guess and figure out what people are going to do in the future, you can just look at their past behavior. and the fact that this is how zimmerman resolves his conflicts

is with a loaded weapon, even amongst the people he supposedly cares about, this is a real problem and we have a past history we can look at that confirms just how dangerous it is. it's a real shame that under these circumstances with the victim recanting that he gets his guns back, but he's got them back and i for one am concerned. i'm presuming that many other members of the public are concerned. >> let me get a little more cases in justice files tonight. let's go to the case of ethan couch, the teen who some say was too rich to jail. the teen may have escaped jail time by claiming affluenza, but the civil lawsuits are piling up. there are currently five civil cases being filed including one for $20 million from the family of sergio molina. molina was severely injured by the accident and can no longer move or talk. in the criminal case, couch claimed he suffered from av lens

is a and that his parents did not place limits on his behavior. now in the civil laws, couch's parents are also named. in addition, so is the company family. ethan had been driving the company-owned f-350 pickup truck at the time of the crash. faith, what do you expect from the civil suits. >> i think the cure of affluenza is to deprive him of his wealth. i think his parents should be prepared to write out a check and the question is how many zeros to add to the end of it. there is a good case here to get to these parents and the money and that company because ethan was driving the company's truck. the parents knew he had a propensity to drink. he'd been stopped for drinking and driving before. they knew he was having parties unsupervised. and they still gave him the keys to that truck and let him drive

it every day. i think the plaintiffs have a good case here. >> and again, he had a background because he'd been warned before one time. we're told that he was found -- he had passed out or was asleep next to a naked 14-year-old. so it's not like he didn't have reason to know this behavior wasn't something that was at least questionable by the law. here we end up with four people dead and one paralyzed. >> and the parents knew about that past behavior. so if you combine that with the very defense they used was they don't punish him, that they don't hold him accountable, this is just opening the door to that civil liability. that is going to come back and bite them in the civil suits that are following now. the other thing i want to point out right quick is just there could be even more civil suits. i have seen in the past cases where counties and cities themselves as a municipality sued defendants for damages they

caused. so i don't think we're hearing the end of this civil suit. it's only going to expand from here especially because people feel so outraged about what happened with this case in terms of the sentencing and lack of accountability that take place in this case. >> i mean, this is big. not the criminal case, but it's big and it has a potential far lot of implications, faith. >> right. because when you have someone who's asserted a defense like this and you have four people who are dead and two people seriously injured as a result of this young man and him not being properly supervised, you can count on a lot of lawsuits stemming from his behavior. >> and this was his defense of not being supervised. >> it will come back to bite them in this civil case. this is not going to trial. it will settle and it will be the amount of money they have to pay. >> faith jenkins and paul

henderson, thank you both for your time this evening. have a great weekend. >> thank you. >> pleasure. thanks for having us. we'll be right back with a republican ritual that will get you in the holiday spirit. people don't have to think about where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪

it's a holiday tradition. not the eggnog and not the christmas tree, this. >> you have a problem with

obama's extravagant 17-day vacation? people are suffering, people are struggling, no jobs, record debt, deficit. >> he deserves it. he works very hard. you know? many sleepless nights. >> he plays a lot of golf. >> and now that everything is resolved with obama care and a lot of other foreign affairs, he deserves a vacation. >> you've got to love the sarcasm, but that's right, folks. it's that time of year when right wingers blast the president for taking his christmas vacation. and it's not just hannity. the conservative "washington times" says beach bum, obama to holiday in hawaii. fox news.com wonders, obama's 2013 hawaiian vacation. what's wrong with dollywood? dolly wood? why would the president want to spend christmas at dolly parton's amusement park? but as always, it's donald trump

who takes the cake. on twitt eter he said, presiden obama is about to embark on a 17-day vacation in his native hawaii putting secret service away from families on christmas. aloha. see that? he even put native in quotes just to cast some doubt on whether the president was actually born there. it's a birther vacation derangement combo. but while the right wing is beside itself about the president's vacation, i wonder what house republicans are doing. let's take a look at the house floor. ♪ >> oh. that's right. they're out of session. and besides a few ceremonial sessions, they're on vacations

through the holiday. i guess you can't blame them. they're tired. they worked a total of 28 whole hours a week. that's exhausting. in the right's attempt to smear the president, it looks like they took a vacation too. a vacation from the facts. ya know, with new fedex one rate

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the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪ finally tonight, fighting the epidemic of gun violence in cities across america. last night i was in chicago leading a town hall meeting to call for a unified commitment to end gun violence. we met with hundreds of activists and community members to stress the importance of working together on the problem facing the city. >> we want answers. we do not just need to hear griping. there's griping everywhere. we want solutions.

we know some folk don't like each other. we know some folk don't get along. we got that. this is not a night for that. we understand that. we want to hear where everybody can say this is what i've done and this is what i want to put on the table. >> i also had a chance to sit down with members of the community who are making a difference. >> you lived a life, you walked the walk. you've been inside. >> in prison for the last 27 years i was in prison. and also i was a former gang leader of a gang on the west side of chicago. and i come home and saw the condition of my community and knew that it was something i needed to do. >> you've been in the trenches. you've been doing a lot of things. are you hopeful? >> i'm very hopeful. most of my hopefulness comes from the people in the street.

my street family, when i was doing decent, they wasn't. i know a lot of brothers fought hard to keep me in school and keep me safe. >> the people of chicago are coming back and there has been progress. last year there was more than 2300 shootings in chicago. so far this year, there have been just over 1700 shootings. a 26% drop in the right direction. but as i said last night, if one person is shot, it's one too many. and when i met with students in chicago last month, they made it clear that gun violence was a top concern. >> when you leave school, how afraid are y'all about gun violence? >> it's always on my mind. >> gun violence is always on your mind? >> yeah. like what if this or that happens. >> what would you say any of you that you would like to see done to make the city safer? >> i would put more law enforcement in high schools. maybe getting on the bus it'd be

a big crowd of them. >> and that's why i'll keep going back to chicago. and that's why i will keep showing you what we're doing out there. what amazed me last night was the hundreds that came out not around a crisis, not around a new incident. but out of concern. wanting to be heard. wanting to be part of the solution. willing to work together and be in one room to stand for what was right. no big names. local community grassroots organizers. i was talking to one, dwight mckeon and they said people will respond that their call. people want to stop it because they're the ones that live through it. we must stop talking at people and start talking to people. so that we can come up together in solving the problems. the reason that things are progressing in chicago is not

only the police, but people on the streets. some who have made mistakes themselves that are out there every day in the trenches turning this around, talking to these kids, giving them a new way out. if we would just stop chasing headlines and chase solutions, we can make a difference. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. have a great weekend. "hardball" starts right now. going on offense. let's play "hardball." ♪ good evening. i'm chris meatthews in washington. let me start tonight with this. the vast difference between what the ceo at the top is getting and what the p