detail there is. >> yeah. >> what is in this agreement? what is in there about clean water? what is in there about the environment? what is in there about democracy? vietnam is involved. they're a communist country. are we going to have union there's? they don't have unions now. >> got to run, mr. hoffa. appreciate your time tonight, sir. thank you so much. that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening, rev. good evening, ed. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, storm in new jersey. a new investigation just as governor chris christie is sworn in for his second term. state lawmakers announced today there will be a single supercommittee to investigate the sprawling questions about governor christie and his administration. it will include members from the senate and assembly and have full subpoena power. the announcement answers a key

concern that separate investigations could have slowed down the hunt for answers. today was supposed to be a day of celebration, the start of governor christie's second term after his triumphant reelection victory. perhaps setting the stage for a presidential run. but all that has been clouded by the growing investigations. we don't know if the latest allegations involving sandy aid are true, or whether the governor had more knowledge of the lane closings than he claimed. but these questions cut to the core of his supposed strengths. right now his administration is facing multiple investigations. from the new jersey legislature, from the port authority's inspector general, and most ominously, from the u.s. attorney's office. this evening a snowstorm forced the cancellation of the governor's inauguration party.

the governor didn't mention the controversies in his speech today, but they hung thick in the air. joining me now is assemblyman gordon johnson and steve kornacki, who has done such a great job reporting on this story. thank you for being here. >> sure. >> thank you, reverend al, for having me. >> assemblyman, what is merging the legislators' investigation? what is that report? >> i believe this will allow us to have a more efficient and effective investigation. it will also -- it's more -- it saves us money too where we're going to maintain our same special counsel that we've retained in the assembly. and with assemblyman john wisniewski as chair and senator weinberg as the also co-chair in this, i believe we have the proper leadership in place and the proper resources to conduct a thorough investigation. into this. >> so they combine it so there is no longer the problem of if

the senate or the assembly are bumping into each other by having one supercommittee? >> that's secret. and initially we had the two committees i believe. that's part of our process in new jersey. and after some thorough discussions at the leadership level within the state legislature, it was determined that it should be a combined committee, and that's what came out today in a public statement. >> steve, that is part of what people were very concerned about, whether you would have a subpoena from the senate and the same person getting the subpoena from the assembly. and this clears all that up and takes that off the table. but you broke a blockbuster story with the mayor of hoboken around sandy aid. and the governor, as i said, didn't mention the investigations today. but he did talk about hurricane sandy, which is at the heart of the hoboken allegation. listen to this. >> we have survived the worst

natural disaster in our state's history, and we have worked together to restore, renew, and rebuild the state that we love. >> your reaction as to clearly not referring in any way to the investigation. but kind of raising up what they survived in sandy where now it's been questioned whether or not he was playing some kind of trying to pressure people to do certain things to get the aid in certain cities like hoboken. >> i think that's why dawn zimmer, the mayor of hoboken, that's why her allegation has attracted so much attention. because it really cuts to the heart of what chris christie was supposed to represent, sort of his signature moment as governor, his signature moment on the national stage, was days before a presidential election, putting politics supposedly, putting partisan and presidential politics aside,

doing what he said was right for his state and standing with barack obama. and reiterating that same thing over and over again in the wake of sandy. this is not a democrat thing, this is not a republican thing, this is not a political thing. this is about rebuilding new jersey. this is about helping the people that are affected by that. and the image that was created by all of that has been so powerful in terms of what people think of christie both in new jersey. it's why he won so convincingly, and nationally. it's a big reason why there is so much presidential buzz nationally. so to have the may of a major city, a city that was 80% underwater during sandy, a city that is mostly under water, who is out there saying that my city has not gotten the resources that it needs to prevent this from happening again if there was another sandy tomorrow, this would happen to my city again, to have her out there saying that's the condition of hoboken right now. and it's in that condition because the governor said -- the governor's people said you'll only get more money if you approve a development project. it really it's an accusation and an allegation that just

threatens the core of his identity and his popularity. >> i want to ask you about a new development in hoboken, since you broke this story. it occurred after you broke the story. mayor dawn zimmer told the star-ledger that u.s. attorneys met with other people in hoboken on monday. quote, members of the office whom she met with on sunday to discuss her claims interviewed numerous people in the city. they were talking to people in hoboken today, she said. now, the mayor didn't elaborate. she didn't explain who they were talking to. i mean, what do you make of this report? >> i mean, there are other people in the city who might have had, first of all, in her administration who might have -- she might have at the time of the conversation with lieutenant governor guadagno who she might have talked to and given a version of the story to so you could talk to them to see if what she told them lines up at all. this is an issue. well talk about this development project in hoboken.

the rockefeller group was trying to develop these three blocks of land in the north end of hoboken. this was a major issue in the city. this was a very contentious issue in the city. this is something there were a lot of forces politically and economically within the city of hoboken kind of on both sides of this thing. so i think there is -- there would be reason if you're the u.s. attorney's office and you're looking into this, there would be reason to go around and talk to some of the people about were they hearing anything from the state, were they in communication, did they hear anything from the mayor about her communications with the state. >> that really cuts at the heart of the governor's narrative. assemblyman, let me ask you. the assemblyman that is chairing the investigation was asked whether he pursued the new allegations from the hoboken mayor. and here is what he said. >> clearly, she raises serious allegations. there is a lot of facts swirling about in terms of who said what when. the first order of business for this committee is to follow the information that we had to date

where we had somebody in the governor's office abusing power. and we see that attempt to cover up that abuse of power. we'll follow that trail wherever it leaves. we're not going to switch gears and start following another investigation. >> so they're not going to switch gears. but they'll follow wherever it leads, assemblyman johnson. what does that mean? >> i would think that if john wisniewski and senator weinberg and our legal counsel that we have hired, if they feel that this latest allegation is within the scope of our charge and this supercommittee, then we'll go that way. but initially, as john wisniewski said before, we're looking into abuse of power here. we're looking into people being punished because the mayor didn't do what someone wanted him to do, and therefore the people they represent were punished. and the bridge was more than -- people at ft. lee, but people who try to cross the bridge and the folks in surrounding towns. and another common thread in

this here is the redevelopment. ft. lee has a major redevelopment project that is occurring adjacent to the george washington bridge. and of course the allegation in hoboken about their redevelopment project down there. so there is some common threads here. but if the leadership and legal counsel feel that this is the scope of the committee, then we should go in that direction also. we'll see where this takes us. >> let me come back to you, steve. you talked about the investigation committee in the legislature. but the one that is also very serious is the u.s. attorney. paul fishman is the u.s. attorney in that area. what do you know about him? what kind of prosecutor is he? and is he the kind of guy -- well, what kind of prosecutor? >> it's interesting, because chris christie's job before he became governor is he was the u.s. attorney for new jersey. >> same office?

>> same office. and paul fishman is basically 180 degree opposite of chris christie as u.s. attorney. chris christie loved the big high profile public corruption case. chris christie clearly when he got into the job was thinking about running for office. and there is no better way to use that office to position yourself to run for public office than to have the big takedowns of big names. his office was a steady stream of big name prosecutions. lots of leaks coming out of the office there was kind of an ironic moment at the end of the inauguration today. christie finishes his speech and walk downs the line of ex-governors who were there. he gets to jim mcgreevey, and jim mcgreevey gives him a hug. jim mcgreevey's administration were investigations by chris christie that were leaking out, these damning details about jim mcgreevey, about people around him. so it was ironic at this moment in time to see jim mcgreevey cross paths with chris christie. >> wow. >> but paul fishman. no paul fishman's reputation is definitely not somebody who is running for office some day, has not shown much of an appetite

for the big high profile corruption case. and the expectation is if this is something that all goes into his hands, if he ends up taking over this entire investigation and maybe the legislative stuff shuts down, nobody really expects you're going to have leaks coming out of that office. a very different office than when chris christie was there. >> all right. i'm going row to have to leave it there. steve, you've done such a great job breaking this hoboken story and really brought us to where we are now in seeing wherever this goes. assemblyman gordon johnson, thank you again for your time tonight. >> thank you, reverend sharpton, for having me. >> and be sure to watch "up with steve kornacki" weekends at 8:00 a.m. eastern time here on msnbc. coming up, breaking news tonight. former virginia governor bob mcdonnell and his wife are charged in a federal corruption case. plus, president obama makes a personal and candid comment on race. and the right wing goes unhinged. and a real-life hero joins

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breaking news. tonight former virginia governor bob mcdonnell and his wife maureen have been criminally charged for repeatedly asking a local businessman to help them with personal debts. for two years it's alleged they illegally took gifts, vacations, and loans from johnny williams sr., the former ceo of star scientific, a company that makes dietary supplements. in return, he would allegedly get help marketing his product from mcdonnell. just four years ago mcdonnell burst on to the national political radar as the governor of virginia. that very same year, 2010, he was given the honor of delivering the republican response to the state of the union.

he was someone republicans touted as their -- as a big part of their future. reportedly very close to becoming mitt romney's running mate in 2012. but it all came crashing down in a spectacular fashion. here is the indictment in the eastern district of virginia. the defendants robert mcdonnell and maureen mcdonnell. among the allegations, maureen mcdonnell asked williams to take her on a shopping trip to new york. he spent nearly $20,000 buying her dresses. she asked for a $50,000 loan and for $15,000 to help pay for remaining catering costs at their daughter's wedding. williams also paid for golf outings for mcdonnell and his family. they enjoyed a private vacation at his multimillion-dollar vacation home, and bought a rolex watch for the governor. mcdonnell says he deeply regrets

accepting gifts and loans but says he did nothing illegal. it's a total of 14 felony counts. the couple could face decades in prison if convicted on these charges. joining me now is david mccutcheon, and the leader of the senate's democratic caucus, and "washington post" dana milbank. state senator mccutcheon, thanks very much for being here. you've been fighting for answers from the start. what is your reaction to the charges? >> well, it's a sad day for the commonwealth, reverend. i think it underscores the need for us to get serious about ethics reform in virginia. but it's going to be difficult, because what we have to do is restore the faith of the people in their government. and frankly, from what i've read in the indictment, if true, and let me say i'm a lawyer. so the former governor is entitled to the assumption of innocence. but if what is in the indictment

is true it's already a violation of virginia law to do those things without reporting them. it's tough to write a law that fixes the problems that the former governor may have caused us. >> now the governor released a statement saying, quote, i deeply regret accepting legal gifts and loans from mr. williams, all of which have been repaid with interest. and have i apologized for my poor judgment for which i take full responsibility. however, i repeat emphatically that i did nothing illegal for mr. williams in exchange for what i believe is his personal generosity and friendship. i never promised and mr. williams and his company never received any government benefit of any kind from me or my administration. dana, this guy was in the elite of the republican party. give me a -- give me your kind

of graph on the fall from where he was to where he are today. >> well, supposedly, the former governor is going to come out at 7:00 and tell us a little more in his own words. i think he seemed to, as is often in these cases, seemed to be impressed with his own invincibility. he believed his own press. and that's often what happens in these cases. you feel you can get away with anything. you know, a little $15,000 for the daughter's wedding here, a rolex watch here. none of it amounted to anything huge in his mind, one presumes. and it is true that in the commonwealth, you can receive any sort of a gift you want as long as you disclose it. that's what the senator is talking about in terms of the changes that need to be made in virginia law. but the real problem is here is what is being alleged is he did do things for this company. the wife did do a testimonial for this company.

they raised the stature of this company using the governor's office. and ethics law aside, that is illegal. >> senator mceachin, i'm trying to understand. in virginia, you're allowed to get certain gifts, but you're not allowed to do favors for them that would be using the state's funds or the power of the state? >> absolutely, reverend. you cannot pay to play in virginia or any state in the nation. but what is important here is the governor, if he did these things that he is alleged to have done, did not report these things. and that's the haul mark of virginia transparency. that's the hallmark of virginia government is we report the things that happen to us. we report our financial condition. we report gifts and things like that. so we're going to get serious ethics reform done. there are bills out there. they still have holes in them that have to be fixed. but i firmly leave that i'm

going to get this done on a bipartisan basis. governor mcauliffe has asked us to do this. in a very nice way he has demand that of us. and i think the legislature is prepared to respond accordingly. >> now dana, there are those that say but the governor, former governor now did not do anything for this guy. and that he does have a strong defense because he did not deliver anything for the guy. >> well, i think what he is saying is he didn't do it in one of his official acts, such as actually giving that company a grant or hiring somebody. but, of course, there are other ways in which you can help this guy out by appearing with him, by basically lending the imprimatur of this governor's office which is where he is vulnerable. there are other charges here of obstructing the investigation and lying after it was under way. if you add all of this up together, he and his wife could be put away for many, many years. but the far likelier outcome is

it will be some narrower subset of these charges. >> now senator mceachin, you gave a powerful response today. i'm quoting you. i thought the apology was heartfelt and it was appropriate. as someone who believes in redemption, i hope the people of virginia will join me and others in forgiving him. elaborate on that. >> well, actually, that was a few days ago when the governor gave his final state of the commonwealth address, he apologized to the people of virginia and to the legislature for the pain that he has caused. i like you, reverend, have my masters of divinity, although i am a lawyer, not a minister. i certainly believe in the power of redemption. i believe he should be forgiven. unfortunately, that doesn't relieve him of the responsibility of having to answer to these charges. but as far as i'm concerned, i forgive him for his very human failings. >> all right. virginia state senator donald mceachin and dana milbank, thank

you both for your time. >> thanks, reverend. >> thank you, reverend. still ahead, right wingers trot out one of their favorite attacks on president obama, that he is playing the race card. i'll trump their arguments tonight. and the gop's new push to take down progressive hero wendy davis. they won't get away with it. and it's tonight's got you. emily's just starting out... and on a budget.

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and she -- as she said in the past and her ex-husband helped her pay those harvard bills. that's it. some minor details in a still powerful life story. but the right wing media is hyping it all up with attacks, trying to paint her as some liar. >> there is fraud and deceit woven through her life story, which it has been discovered now has some issues. it seems when you boil it all down that wendy davis would have ended up being really poor and destitute were it not for a man. but that's no problem. >> the drudge report tweeted texas abortion heroine lied about being a single teen mom.

and a right wing columnist tweeted the real question, if you wear pink shoe, how fast can you run away from your parental responsibilities? those pink shoes were wendy davis's trademark during her 11th hour filibuster of a harsh texas abortion law last summer. and ever since she stood up in those shoes, the right wing has been fiercely trying to tear her down. davis said there were details in her life story she should have been clearer about, but she also says, quote, the truth is that at age 19 i was a teenaged mother, living alone with my daughter in a trailer, struggling to keep us afloat. i am proud of where i came from and i am proud of what i have been able to achieve. anyone who tries to say otherwise hasn't walked a day in my shoes.

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most of america's energy comes from right here at home. take the energy quiz. energy lives here. the right wing spin machine is running on overdrive tonight. because president obama had the nerve to talk about race. in a published interview the president said, quote, there is no doubt there is some folk who just really dislike me because they don't like the idea of a black president. now the flip side of it is there are some black folks and maybe some white folks who really like me and give me the benefit of a doubt precisely because i'm a black president. now, it seems like a fairly obvious noncontroversial statement. but for the right-wingers, it was a chance to go back to one

of their favorite talking points. president obama is playing the race card. >> why at this point would the president use that and seemingly play in the race excuse? >> it just demeans this president when he offers his race as an excuse for not doing better in the same position. >> it is a strange like double standard racism that i think keeps him elected. >> obama is living in this fantasy land where he is the greatest president ever. and it's just those bitter clingers. bitter clinger pro-life racist pigs. >> ugly stuff. but we've seen it before. when in doubt, right-wingers trot out their race card headlines. "the wall street journal" thinks the president has a race card. "the new york post" says there is one for obama care. was the obama administration playing a race card in alabama?

the weekly standard wants to know. did obama ask oprah to play the race card? that's a good question too. apparently they think michelle obama plays the race card. and of course eric holder has one too. right-wingers see a race card every time the president or his allies talk. but the truth is they're the ones who are dealing from the bottom of the deck. joining me now, goldie taylor and richard wolffe. thank you both for being here. >> thank you, reverend. >> goldie, why does the right go in such a panic when the president talks about race? >> you know, it's an itchy conversation. it's an uncomfortable conversation. i think for people on the right and people on the left. but to raise the spectrum of race at all for some on the right, really means to play the race card. and it's unfortunate, because this president has really fought and tried very hard to strike a meaningful balance when he talks about those kinds of very

sensitive issues. but the fact is some on the right are very comfortable in this position. i think sarah palin is literally playing a game of 52-card pickup here. any time some issue comes up, a national holiday like mlk day comes up, she is fast to trot out and try to whip the president over the head with the very notion that he is african american and has really fought very, very hard to be very sensitive about these issues, to come to them with a balance for -- >> but richard, it's not just palin. i mean, palin is palin. i'm talking established republican leadership and journalists. this is the most noncontroversial. >> right. >> balanced statement. >> right. and they made this the race card. i mean, i've been in many meetings with the president, with other civil rights leaders, and he has never encouraged anybody. in fact, in many ways, we would say things. and when i said on "morning

joe", he said things he didn't encourage and in fact wouldn't even go along with because he happens to really believe everybody, maybe not judging things on race always as much as we did. they destroyed what i said. race any kind of way they want it. he's either got tensions with black leaders, or he is playing the race card or both at the same time. >> too black, too white. remember that whole discussion? >> never just right. >> i have been covering this from the start, from the get-go when he first started running for president. and there are people who enjoy the politics of race. they find that speaking to the kind of sense of victimization really helps their ratings in this case, or maybe it helps them in their particular district. that to me is much more interesting than what these people are actually arguing. there is nothing more preposterous or predictable than having this cast of characters say it's about racism. their whole game is to shout "racist" louder than anyone else. but the interesting thing is their audience actually feeds on this stuff.

and this is something quite real. not what the president is actually saying. but this idea that the country has slipped away from them, the culture has slipped away from them, and the president kind of encapsulates that. it's certainly nothing in what the president says. but that sense of victimization is very real. and that's what they're speaking to. >> now, you know, goldie, last night in prime time, fox news gave a platform to a right wing pastor who claims, i want you to hear this, who claims that president obama is laying the groundwork for the anti-christ. this is prime time. watch this. >> people will have been conditioned long before the anti-christ comes to accept governmental overreach. and that's what you're seeing with president obama. i'm not saying president obama is the anti-christ. in fact, i'm sure he is not. because the anti-christ is going to have higher poll numbers, according to the bible, at least at the beginning. but i believe he is conditioning people to accept governmental

overreach which they will finally give into when this final dictator comes. >> he is conditioning people to take government overreach so when the final dictator, the anti-christ comes, who by the way will have higher numbers. and he took the time to assure us president obama wasn't the anti-christ himself. this is on prime time tv last night. >> i guess he is assuring anyone who hasn't read the books john wrote, assuring people who haven't actually read revelations that it's balderdash and poppy dock. to give this kind of venue to someone who spews that kind of hatred to hide the bigotry behind the leather of their bible i think is unconscionable. the truth, as richard said, this really is about the politics of fear. and you see it, really no matter the color. i was in a barbershop in south central los angeles a couple of years ago shooting a documentary where the barber there's were darned sure that barack obama wasn't going to be black enough. so it really doesn't matter what

this president does. no matter what he says, no matter how fair the balance that he strikes, there are going to be people out there acting from a position of fear that their values, that their moret is being challenged by this man because the color of his skin and because he happens to inhabit this white house. so yes, mr. president, i will say it for you. there are people out there who are judging you based on the color of your skin and on that and that alone. >> well, richard, one of the reasons i think it has to be discussed is so many people are hearing the slogans and the headlines, and not really hearing what is being said. and i think that it's really -- it's really crazy to say when you have the president say yes there is some, and obviously there is some, that i have a problem with him as a black president. but there is some that have no problem because he is a black

president. saying on both sides and even with balance, race card. >> we're having this discussion the day after martin luther king day. >> right. >> and i read all of those quotes from republican officials saying what a wonderful man martin luther king was. at the time, martin luther king was much more radical in what he was saying in terms of challenging this country. and their language was not oh, he is playing the race card. it was much worse than that. >> they called him a communist. they called him everything -- >> unamerican, everything else. i didn't quite hear the anti-christ slogan, but i'm sure people were saying it at the time too. now martin luther king is a saint and a hero, and everything else. they want to exclude all of the challenges that he made to this country. when you have this president come up with the blandest possible statement about race. >> sure. >> he is apparently being racist. i don't think they're connecting what they are thinking about in terms of martin luther king and his legacy with the history they are living today. >> well, all i can say is that when someone says to even

mention race is pulling the race card, you have to ask the accuser, what is your problem with race that we can't have an intelligent, balanced conversation without you overreacting. it says more about the accuser than it does the accused. goldie taylor, richard wolffe, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you, reverend. >> thank you, reverend. still ahead, the hero who stopped a school shooting and saved lives without firing a shot. my special guest antoinette tuff is ahead. e sublime. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. and only national is ranked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. power. (natalie) ooooh, i like your style. (vo) so do we, business pro. so do we. go national. go like a pro.

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it was a day that could have ended in tragedy. one tuesday last august, a man carrying an ak-47 walked into a georgia elementary school with more than 800 children in the building. but in the front office he ran into antoinette tuff, a bookkeeper at the school. antoinette convinced him to surrender to the police. here is part of her 911 call that inspired the whole country. >> i can let them know that you have not tried to harm me or do anything with me or anything, if you want to. but that doesn't make any difference. you didn't hit anybody. >> you don't know that. >> let me ask you this, ma'am. he didn't hit anybody. he just shot outside the door. if i walk out there with him? if i walk out there with him so they won't shoot him or anything like that, he wants to give himself up.

that's okay and they won't should shoot him? >> yes, ma'am. >> and he just want to go to the hospital. >> okay. hold on one moment. >> she say hold on and she is going to talk to the police officer, and i'll go out there with you. well, don't feel bad, baby, my husband just left me after 33 years. yes, you do. i'm sitting here with you and talking to you about it. i got a son that is multiple disabled. we're not going to hate you, baby. it's a good thing that you're giving up. so we're not going to hate you. he say the gun may come back and say it's stolen, but it's not. he knows the whole story about the gun and he'll let you all know that. >> okay. >> he is on the ground now with his hands behind the back. tell the officers don't come in shooting anything, so they can come on in, and i'll buzz them in. >> okay. >> so hold on. just sit right there and i'm going to buzz them in, okay? so you'll know when they're

coming, okay? so just stay there calm. i'm going to sit right here so they see you tried not to harm me, okay? okay. >> okay. >> it's going to be all right, sweetie. i just want you to know that i love you, though, okay? and i'm proud of you. that's a good thing that you've just given up, and don't worry about it. we all go through something in life. >> in her new book, antoinette describes what was going through her mind. she writes i was going through a time in my life when my words did not seem to matter. now suddenly, without the slightest warning, i was in a situation where every word out of my mouth might be the difference between living and dying. the smallest mix-up or mistranslation might spell doom, not just for me, but for hundreds of souls. joining me now is antoinette tuff, the woman on that 911 call. her new book is "prepared for a

purpose: the inspiring true story of how one woman saved an atlanta school under siege." antoinette, thank you for being here. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. a pleasure to be here with you. >> we all heard that amazing 911 tape. what was going through your mind? >> oh my god. it was just, you know, what do you do next? you have somebody who is in front of you, and you have no idea which direction to go in, because he has already informed you he is unstable in all of his ways. so what do you do next? >> and he is standing there with this gun, and he has told you he is unstable. i mean, what gave you the mind to even try to talk to him? >> well, first of all, i was terrified on inside the. and so i am actually sitting there, having a conversation with god. what do i do? how do i prepare -- how do i

prepare myself for this moment. and so i am actually sitting there, actually talking to god and asking him what to do. >> now, i want to play you another part of your call. just as the police were coming in, let's listen. >> okay, thanks. >> okay. he's just got his phone. that's all he's got is his phone. >> do not move! >> it's just him. okay. it's just him. hello? >> yes? >> let me tell you something, baby, i've never been so scared in all the days of my life. >> but you did great. >> oh, jesus. >> you did great. >> now, that's actually when the police were coming in the room, right? >> yes, yes. >> and you said you had never been so scared. but you didn't sound it. i mean, how did you stay calm? >> well, i'm going to be honest with you. on the inside i was terrified. so i thought i was screaming. and everybody kept saying to me how calm i was.

so i had to go back and listen to the 911 tape myself and see who it was. >> you didn't realize how calm you were talking until you heard the tape played back? >> i went back and listen and okay, that got to be god, because i didn't even recognize my own self. >> you look up. there is a man there with an ak-47. he is telling you he is unstable. what made you just go into this other zone of trying to talk him out of it? what made you do it? can you explain what happened to you? >> it was really compassion and love at that time. you know, you see a young man here, and when he comes in, he is telling you that i'm not playing, this is for real. and so even in the beginning when he came in, first i thought it was joke. and then i realize once he spoke that this is not a joke. so at that time, you know, i'm like okay, god, what do i do? what do i say? this gentleman is not playing. >> now, you said at one time that you thought about running. and then you didn't.

what happened? >> well, i wanted to run, but i remembered that there is an open hallway. there are hundreds of children, adults, and parents in that building. not only that, but there is also me and the gunman. i knew if i ran at this moment, that he was going to come in and start shooting. remember, he was just shooting at the police. i knew he was going to start spraying bullets. >> you talk about a lot of this in the book about you were going through a hard time at that point. and you said your words you felt didn't mean anything. and then all of the sudden this moment comes. tell us what you were going through and what this moment meant, and you rose to the occasion. >> you see, i think god was preparing me for that purpose when i was young. i had gone through a lot of trials and tribulations, just like we all do. and, you know, sometimes you don't realize what your purpose is in life. and so then god thrusts you into something that you have no way of getting out of. and now you have to face it.

so i think that with all that, god prepared me for that moment. i had just had a husband who had left me after 33 years. i had been with since i was 13. and now i'm sitting here now with a multiple disabled child, a daughter who is in college, and now a husband. so what do you do? and he is gone. >> and then in the middle of all of these, as you say, trials and tribulation, you're standing there with this man who could end it all. and somehow you found the strength to talk him back, not only for you, but for those hundreds of kids that was in that school. and you don't call yourself a hero. why? >> well, i think that i was just god's vessel. i think i was right there at the right time for god to use me. i was just like anybody else, scared. i think god gives us all a purpose in our life. we have to make sure we're prepared for it. that's why i wrote my book, just to be prepared for a purpose. >> i certainly relate to that. the vessel and a purpose in

life. and i think it is something that a lot of people can relate to. the new book is called "prepared for a purpose." antoinette tuff, thank you so much for your time. >> you so welcome, so welcome. still ahead, the first lady gets some special help for a video aimed at our kids. and fighting to correct an injustice 70 years after the fact. stay with us. he thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. and we're here to help start yours.

the nba champion miami heat recently went to the white house, and some of the all stars joined first lady michelle obama to promote her let's move campaign. >> hi, everyone. i'm erik spoelstra of the miami heat and a member of the nba fit team. i'm here today at the white house to find out why eating healthy can help you perform like a champion. >> i eat fruits and vegetables every day because it gives me the energy i need to perform at the top of my game. >> thanks, dwayne. what about you, ray? >> drinking water is an important part of my pregame routine so i can stay focused and refreshed. >> eating can help make you a better athlete. >> oh! >> let's see this again? what a dunk from the first lady. and what about this fact. for the first time in decades,

obesity rates are falling in many states. fact is the first lady's let's move campaign is a slam-dunk too. 35th street the old dining table at 25th and hoffman. ...and the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪

70 years ago, this nation executed a 14-year-old boy. today there is a valiant effort to clear his name. george steny was convicted of murdering two white girls back in 1944. no physical evidence ever connected him to the crime. there were no eyewitnesses. police claimed he confessed, but george denied that at the trial, and police made no written record of his confession. the trial itself lasted just a couple of hours. after deliberating only ten minutes, the all-white jury found george steny guilty of first-degree murder at the age of 14. he was the youngest person executed in america in the last

100 years. in south carolina today, court held a hearing on the case of george steny as part of a new path to clear george's name. and to get a pardon 70 years after his death. throughout the jim crow era, untold thousands of black americans faced similar injustices, but it's never too late to right a wrong. and for george steny, and all of us, this wrong must be made right. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. when does political hardball cross the line? let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews out in san francisco. let me ignite things tonight with this statement by the former new jersey attorney