night. looking forward to it. 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 or tfor tunin. in coming up, we'll have an update on the new developments in the chris christie investigations, including this big question. who will be the most likely one to cooperate with federal investigators. who will be most likely to spill the beans. it's a key question, and we have a very proactive answer and provocative answer. that's curve. but we begin with tonight's lead. the gop's libido problem. today republicans are frantically trying to backpedal these comments mike huckabee made at yesterday's rnc's winter meeting. >> the democrats want to insult the women of america by making them believe that they are

helpless without uncle sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it. let us take that discussion all across america, because women are far more than the democrats have played them to be. >> he says democrats treat women like they're helpless without uncle sugar giving them birth control. republicans have been desperate to get rid of their war on women image. and huckabee's comments put them back to square one. >> i wasn't offended, but my point is it's distracting. >> i would not have talked about that. i would talk about the economy. >> i don't think any man should sit around and talk about female libido on television or in his stump speech. >> i think governor huckabee would probably phrased it different. mike speaks off the cuff, as some of us are known to do and

probably would have chosen different words. >> wait a second. did you see that last guy? rick santorum thinks huckabee -- thinks he should have phrased his comments differently? i mean rick blah people santorum says he should have chose different words. rick santorum who said this about contraception in 2011. >> i think the dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea, many in the christian faith have says that's okay. contraception is okay. it's not okay. it's a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to what -- how things are supposed to be. >> if the guy who is worried about doing things in the sexual realm thinks he overstepped on women's issue, you're really in trouble. and now damage control from the rnc chairman.

>> i said many times before that the policies and principles of this party are sound. however, as we look to grow the ranks of our party, we must all be very conscious of tone and choice of words when we communicate those policies effectively. we should set the standard. >> so reince priebus says republicans need to think about their tone? maybe he should talk to the guy who said this about the war on women. >> if the democrats said we had a war on caterpillars, and every mainstream media outlet talked about the republicans' war on caterpillars, then we would have problems with caterpillars. the fact of the matter is it's a fiction. >> war on caterpillars? he treated the whole thing like a joke. the truth is republicans are still backward on women's issues. right now the house gop is pushing for a vote on an

anti-abortion bill. republicans still block equal pay measures. and as mike huckabee reminds us, they fought the contraception mandate tooth and nail. the gop would be smart to stop talking about uncle sugar and libidos. but until they get better policies, cleaning up their language won't be good enough. joining me now are melissa harris-perry and e.j. dionne. >> good to be here. >> what is worse? what huckabee said, or the fact that so many republicans agree with the substance of what he said? >> i think that is the key issue here. priebus keeps trying to say we need to change our tone. we're seeing memos about how to run against women candidates for the gop, the early sort of damage control memos that came out of the 2012 election about how to think about tone and discourse around the republican party and people of color. but this is not a tone or

discourse issue. this is about those deep-rooted beliefs that keep popping out, right. so the reason that huckabee ends up saying these words is this is what huckabee believes. so as much as you -- >> apparently so many of them. >> that's right. as much as you can script candidates, the fact is you have to have a core belief in women as fully human, equal citizens who have a right to make choices within the realm of privacy that is constitutionally protected. and then things like libido and uncle sugar don't fly out of your mouth. >> you know, e.j., the rnc shouldn't have been surprised because huckabee was one of todd akin's biggest defenders. let's listen back to that. >> i think there is great disappointment, because there was such a chorus, an orchestrated chorus that went after him, very quickly, publicly. >> do you think the party has been unfair to him? >> i do. and i've said that very boldly.

the way to do that is not to shoot our own soldier laying on the battlefield. >> the party was looking to change their image, why would they even invite him to speak, knowing that these are his kinds of feelings and his habit of speaking in ways that would support things like aikin. >> there is an irony because there have been times when mike huckabee was a compassionate conservative, said some serious things about the poor. but i think that melissa has it exactly right. mike huckabee is being denounced for saying what he actually believes. and when you hear all this talk about we need to change our tone, what it really sounds like is we can't really let on what we really think. we have to say this much more carefully. and i think it's not only the libido word. i mean, politics gets really interesting when it's about libido. but it's not just that. it's that uncle sugar thing.

this old right wing idea that if the government ever tries to help anybody, there is something terribly wrong with it. so i think both ends of mike huckabee's statement raise real problems. >> and let's also point out this isn't the government helping pay for birth control. they are talking about the ability of an individual to purchase with their own income a health insurance plan that covers it. >> right on that point right there, this may be a little -- well, we celebrated muhammed ali's birthday last week. this may shock and amaze you, but there is an issue of hypocrisy here, because back in 2005 when huckabee was governor of arkansas, he signed a law mandating insurance plans covering contraception, and that law did not exempt church-affiliated hospitals and university. was he being uncle sugar back then? >> look, i think this goes back to e.j.'s point that part of the

reason that they do have huckabee as they try to rebrand themselves is because he has demonstrated himself in the past, in part because he was the governor of arkansas, a poor state, to actually be reflective on issues of race, to be reflective on issues of poverty and inequality. and i'm actually a little bit surprised of this particular set of utterances from huckabee because we do have a set of policies from this individual that demonstrate that he knows better. but it's as though -- it's almost like the wheels of this party are moving so quickly towards a single -- >> came out for akin. >> yes. >> but the bigger picture here, e.j., how can they expect to win a national election if these are the faces of the party and they're sprouting this kind of rhetoric? i mean, i don't care how you cut it, talking about women's libido and uncle sugar or sugar daddy, i don't know what member of the family they want to make sugar is not a good picture for the

republicans. >> you know, the republicans can alienate women or immigrants, latinos, or young people and win elections, but they can't alienate all three at the same time. >> right. >> and i think that's their problem is they keep pushing away constituencies. and i think mike huckabee's problem here is there is a real disjunction sometimes when some republicans who can at times speak rather movingly about the poor, as huckabee has done. but suddenly when you get to these hot button issues that become litmus tests, they get all wrapped up in that social issue politics, and they forget what they have just said about poverty and what needs to be done to alleviate it. >> but melissa, he is not backing down. and clearly, if he continues in this way through the midterm elections in the 16, it begins putting pressure on a more moderate candidate and who may

be having a chance at winning the white house. because huckabee today in fact came out saying that, a, if you support me, send some money to my pac. and i think that when you look at the fact that he is not backing down and you have this kind of growth, he says get ready for more of this talk, this is huckabee. and if you agree with me and want to keep calling it like i see it, please give an immediate donation to my political action committee. that would be scary to me if i was trying to give the party a new face and win in a couple of years the white house. >> i would say the right has demonstrably taken on really since the era of stand your ground -- excuse me, not stand your ground. but where george w. bush kept saying he would not shift his policies, right. from that moment, part of their strategy has been that when they say something that is outrageous and then are called on that

outrageousness, rather than backing down, rather than apologizing, rather than even reflecting on it, the word i was looking for was staying your course. what i'm going to do is stay my course on this. and i'm going to get what is actually a shrinking group of people, but nonetheless a vocal group and potentially a group willing to donate. you go ahead and support me. in the short-term, the stay your course perspective might actually pay off in the short-term. but only in the short-term. because as e.j. points out, in the long-term these demographic shifts make it impossible to take all of those groups out of a party and have that party win. >> melissa harris-perry and e.j. dionne, thank you both for your time tonight. >> good to be here, reverend. >> and be sure to watch melissa harris-perry weekends at 10:00 a.m. eastern right here on msnbc. coming up, a week of big developments in the investigation into governor christie's administration. but where does it go from here? plus, president obama

prepares for a state of the union speech, focusing on fairness. tonight some behind-the-scene photos. and what is president obama saying about rush liaugh it's the president as you rarely ar him. stay with us. [ julie ]i've got t. to help me become an olympian, she was pretty much with me turni her hom into an ice rink. ♪ she'd just reach for the bounty select-a-size. it's the smaller, powerful sheet that acts like a big sheet. look, one select-a-size sheet of bounty is 50% more absorbent than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. use less, with the small but powerful picker-upper, bounty select-a-size. we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action.

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coming up, new developments in the chris christie investigations. who is most likely to make a deal with federal prosecutors and tell what really happened? that's next. they lived. ♪ they lived. ♪ they lived. ♪ (dad) we lived... thanks to our subaru.

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it's been a big week of developments in the investigations into governor christie's administration. on sunday, the u.s. attorney's office spoke to hoboken mayor dawn zimmer about her claims that christie officials made threats over sandy aid. it's an allegation christie officials categorically deny. but on monday, fbi agents spoke with aides to the mayor who she says can confirm some of her story. on tuesday, the day of christie's inauguration, new jersey lawmakers announced plans for a special joint committee to investigate the george washington bridge lane closings. on thursday, the u.s. attorney's office issued subpoenas to the christie campaign for documents related to the lane closings, and the pace isn't slowing. this coming monday, new jersey

lawmakers will vote to formally establish that special committee. so how might this legal story play out? what happens next? joining me now is criminal defense attorney brian weiss, who has experience with political corruption case. thanks for being here, counse r counselor. >> my pleasure, al. >> is this the sign the u.s. attorney will be the dominant investigator here, not the state lawmakers? >> make no mistake. faull paul fishman, the u.s. attorney for the district attorney is the alpha male. see the heisman trophy winner. while all investigations may be equal, make no mistake. all investigators aren't. and i think that the parallel is the legislative committee, it may be flo the insurance lady may have a say in this, at the end of the day it's all about

paul fishman and whether he believes any federal laws were violated. >> now, we know the new jersey committee is still waiting on documents from many people close to the governor. you know from staffers, port authority workers, campaign officials, is there anyone that you can see, you can see flipping? >> you know, right now, we're in the first few scenes of this morality tale. and most investigations of this type are marathons. they're not sprints. but if you want to engage in speculation, if you were to put me in paul fishman's shoes for a couple of minutes, i think basically you have to start looking at whether or not bridget kelly, divorced mom, four children, whether or not paul fishman believes that perhaps she may be the weakest link. after all, she was on front street when this investigation first broke. whether or not david wildstein, who today was denied indemni

indemnification. >> when you say he was denied indemnification, that means that the port authority will not pay for his attorneys, is that correct? >> that's exactly what that means. that's a fancy legal term for you're on your own there, buddy. what i found is in 30-plus years of the criminal justice system, you're not just innocent until proven guilty, you are innocent until proven indigent. one of the ways prosecutors can run you around, and we saw that in the tom delay case where i've been involved for past couple of years, is they not only try to indict you, they try to bankrupt you. the lawyers we've seen bandied about, people like randy mastro and chertoff, these guys are the cream of the crop. these guys make more money than a rod, and they can hit in october. >> i want to have it real clear so that people understand that these guys are very, very high-priced lawyers. what they told wildstein today

by denying him his legal expenses, the port authority, he will have to pay for his own legal defenses, his own legal bill throughout this investigation, which is huge when wildstein has no income now that we know of, or at least not with the port authority, and he is on his own. when you say indigent, i want people to understand this means he will have to pay his own legal bills. randy mastro and other names you're talk about are not there for him. >> no, absolutely not, al. and that to me is one of the most compelling developments in the last week. when defendants or suspects are on their own and they're not going to be able to look to third parties to pay their legal bills, it tends to give you a different outlook on life. one of the things that i think paul fishman has to make clear, again, he is the toughest kid on the block. when you have parallel

investigations as we saw during iran/contra back in the '80s, oliver north was given immunity by congress, and it ultimately came back to reverse his conviction when the court of appeals said wait a second, he had immunity and you still went after him anyway and tried to convict him anyway. right now paul fishman, he is the one from where everyone else is going to take their lead. >> now give me -- how do they make these guys talk? >> well, you know, al, anybody who has ever seen "law & order" in the first couple of seasons knows that the first folks to the courthouse get the best deals. and i think what you need to understand is this. the people who have been subpoenaed, the people who are going to be in the crosshairs of these investigations, they are not hardened criminals. they are not made guys. marty scorsese is not going to make a gangster movie about any of these people. and i'm telling you, when they got their subpoenas, it concentrated their line of thinking greatly. so what do the feds do? they lead you to believe that

unless you come in and give people up in the food chain above you, that you could very well see that orange is the new black, and you may be spending some time in danbury federal prison. any time the feds are involved, you and i both know that the sentences are draconian. a legal word meaning stiff. >> brian wice, thanks for your time tonight. and have a good weekend. still ahead, big news tonight about obama care. want to see another gop myth go poof? that's coming up. but first, rush limbaugh's got a new theory about why so many republicans are facing legal problems, and it's got him bouncing his way into tonight's gotcha. stay with us. it's hip-hop.

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look out. there is a brand-new right wing

conspiracy theory in town. apparently any republican who might face legal trouble is a target of the obama administration. federal subpoenas served to groups close to christie, conspiracy. former governor bob mcdonnell and his wife indicted on federal charges? conspiracy. and remember dines deserious is a? >> barack obama's joining to america can be traced back to the independence of kenya, the land of his fathers. >> obama has a dream, a deem from his father that the sins of colonialism be set right and america be downsized. >> well, desousa has been indicted on federal campaign finance charges. so, of course, that's a

conspiracy too. these guys are facing serious legal questions. but to the right, just another power grab from the obama administration. >> they are -- the justice system as run by democrats is out trying to criminalize as many republicans and conservatives as they can. >> this is like nazi germany. this is how it happens. this is how freedom fails. which are criminalizing political dissent in the united states of america. welcome to the brave new world of retribution justice. >> criminalizing political dissent. pretty sure the justice department is criminalizing potential crimes. what about when democrats get indicted? is it a conspiracy when rod blagojevich and others get into trouble? did a conspiracy theorist think we wouldn't notice their paranoia activities? nice try, but we got you.

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four days from now, president obama will deliver his fifth state of the union address to the nation. the white house released these behind-the-scenes photos, showing the president working on the speech, which will kick off a year of action. the focus is on equality and the growing success of obama care. today the obama administration announced three million people have signed up for private plans under the affordable care act. that's a huge milestone for the law. and yet another gop governor, this one in utah, has announced his state will expand the medicaid under the affordable care act. this is real progress towards reducing poverty and inequality for millions of americans. but republicans are trying to take a step backwards.

here is what rnc chairman said about the president's fight for fairness today. >> when the federal government tries to equalize outcomes, we're all going to end up equally worse off. republicans are going to stand for fairness, freedom, and equal opportunity for all americans. >> the republicans stand for fairness? really. tell that to the 1.6 million americans who lost jobless benefits because of the gop. tell that to the five million americans who should have had health care but don't because of the gop. the american people know who is standing on their side and who is standing in their way. joining me now are ryan grimm and karen finney. thank you both for being here tonight. >> thanks for having me. >> thanks, rev. >> karen, the republicans have an answer to the president's message on inequality?

>> you know, they probably already have written the speech, and it's probably going to be all the things that are wrong with it, and it will probably be -- accuse him of class warfare, and -- all of the rhetoric that we have heard before. do they have a real answer with policy ideas? no. do they have a rhetorical answer that we've probably heard before rewrapped in a fresh coat of paint? sure. >> you know, ryan, while the president is pushing his progressive agenda, it seems as though the gop is holding to the same old tricks. congressman paul ryan told reporters the gop may use the threat of a default to sabotage obama care. i mean, holding the debt ceiling hostage again? when will they learn, ryan? >> the problem is that paul ryan is talking to a few different camps at once. and he is trying to play indicate the kind of radical right in the house with a comment like that. but nobody believes him,

including the radical right. you know, look at all the trouble they got in for shutting the government down. >> right. >> if they defaulted on the debt and sparked a global catastrophe, they now know that they would be blamed. they could plead some ignorance going into the government shutdown and say, well, they're going to blame the president, they're going to blame congress, it won't all fall on us. noly, it did all fall on them. so they know they would be blamed for it. therefore, they're not going to do it it. >> you talked about policy, karen. president obama's stated agenda is clear on policy, raising the minimum wage, addressing income inequality, universal prekindergarten, extending jobless benefits, and of course, health care. >> right. >> and polls show that americans are on board with the president's solutions. 73% say we should raise the minimum wage.

63% want to extend jobless benefits for the unemployed. 54% want to extend taxes on the corporations. most of americans, if not in some case, overwhelmingly most of the americans agree with the president. >> they absolutely do. and that was why he was reelected in 2012. the ideas that he is talking about are the things he has been very consistent in talking about for quite some time. i think that's part of why you're also going to hear the president talk about how he may have to do some of these things on his own, because congress has been so unwilling to work with him, despite those poll numbers that you just cited. >> you know, ryan, louis gohmert tried to clarify his comments blaming single moms for poverty. and the more he wiggled, the deeper he got because he ended up doing it by equating it, the

safety net, to slavery. why this. >> we need to encourage and incentive advise young women not declare war on them by leading them into ruts like the democrats did. you want to see who cares, it's the people who try to help them reach their potential, not lure them into servitude away from it. >> right. >> and so the problem is the government, not those single moms. >> servitude? >> i mean, it's just so weird and out of touch. it's hard to know even where to start with something like that. but, you know, it comes from paul ryan, to go back to what we were talking about earlier. he is the one who has been popularizing the government as a hammock idea. it's monstrously out of touch. it's insane. a couple hundred dollars a week is not a hammock. you know, that leaves you in poverty.

so, you know, the idea that paul ryan and gohmert there that they're trying to get out is that people are happy in poverty. it just doesn't make any sense. nobody strives to live in poverty. >> but it also shows how little. i mean, this is a group of millionaires for the most part, don't forget. most of these individuals, some of the democratic women actually know what's it like to have to rely on these programs. so it's very easy for them to pontificate about and make assumptions based on lots of unfair biases about who the kinds of people ra are, who uses these programs, what these programs are meant to do in helping people get out of poverty when they're having a hard time. i think that's why so oftentimes the rhetoric is so off the charts. they don't really understand how people in america are really living their lives. he might as well have used the sugar uncle reference like huckabee did right there. >> but, you know, ryan, i think

along with the fact that in many cases they may not know how important some of these things are, or they may not be sensitive to that kind of life in terms of having to face those options, i think what really hurts them is people seem to feel they don't even care, because they're not offering an alternative way to deal with poverty. we can disagree with how to deal with poverty. but when i disagree with a program and put nothing in its place and denigrate the people that are poor, that's a little deeper than policy disagreements. >> right. they want to put everything on the person, as if it's all the person's fault that they're out of a job. but if you think about it this way, if you have one job, and you have five people, when you're going to have four unemployed people. and it's not because those people lack skills or they lack

education or they lack character, it's because there aren't enough jobs. >> and of course they're lazy and won't work. >> right. >> one republican member said one of the reasons that we should be opposed to abortion is so we have more babies, and that's going to create more jobs. that's their theory. >> karen finney and ryan grim, thanks for your time tonight. for the record, i want you to know 82% of americans think the government should act to reduce poverty in america. 69% think the government should try to reduce the wealth gap between the rich and the poor. that the government should do both. be sure to catch karen on "disrupt with karen finney "right here on msnbc. coming up, president obama's outspoken comment on rush limbaugh and the right wing media complex. plus, what did speaker boehner tell jay leno about running for president? and speaking of late night

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talkers on the right, saying, quote, i'm not the caricature that you see on fox news or rush limbaugh. so what does the leader of the republican party have to say about that? >> the subtext of this is that you, if it weren't for me or fox news, you'd love obama. but you are nothing but sponges. you are incapable of other words, of seeing the truth. you believe the lies about obama that you hear from me and on fox news. now who is delusional? who is absent reality? you or obama? >> delusional? huh? so the president hasn't been distorted or attacked from day one? really? >> barack obama does not have his hand on the bible.

>> is he really president? >> i still don't know what the man is going to do. >> he is not going to succeed. socialism has failed. >> deep seated hatred for white people. >> in obama's america, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, yay, right on, right on, right on, right on. >> to these muslim terrorists some would say instead of taking them on. >> you are going to be the president of the united states, you have to be born in this country. >> people are allowed to ask why president obama won't produce his birth certificate. >> he is a street thug. as a community organizer, that's what you are. you're a street thug. i went to bed last night thinking we had lost the country. i don't know how else you look at this. obama may not give up the crown, just like queen elizabeth. >> i think we know who is delusional, mr. limbaugh, and it's not the president. joining me now are joe madison and bill press. thank you both for coming on the show tonight. >> reverend al.

>> thank you, reverend. >> joe, let me start with you. why won't rush limbaugh admit to the power he has in riling up the right wing base? >> i don't know the answer to that because, one, he is well paid. i mean, that's -- let's start right there. he is well paid to do this. and the sad thing is when you're a general manager or a program director or you're a owner, you know what he is saying is not true. matter of fact, listen to two things he said here. one they said you won't believe the lies we're telling. he actually said that just a few seconds ago. he said we're lying. and then sherman used this term "thug." and it just dawned on me what he was really calling president obama, and we just had a

football player who said that's a whole -- that's a euphemism for another word. but let's be honest. >> he said it's an acceptable way of using another term. >> and remember, america, remember this. the first thing out of rush limbaugh's mouth after the first election of president obama was "i hope he fails." i have never, never heard a personality, a broadcaster ever say after an election that i hope a dually elected president of the united states fails because -- >> and bill -- >> never, never. >> and the whole thing of playing all kinds of racially charged scenarios on the air from limbaugh across the board. yet last night conservative columnist charles krauthammer accused the president of being whiney in hitting back against the right wing media.

listen to this. >> look, it's rather unseemly if you are the commander in chief, the leader of the free world, and the most powerful man on earth who could reduce pieces of the planet to a cinder on his command to get so whiney. >> you know, if the president was really whiney, why would he give a presuper bowl interview to this man? take a listen. >> on a personal note, the president told me man-to-man in december that he would do the interview, and he has kept his word. i saw him at the kennedy center celebration. he doesn't have to do the interview. he knows it's going to be a tough one. and he is coming in anyway. so we're happy about that. >> why would he if he is whiney, why would he give that man the presuper bowl interview, bill? >> first, i want to point out this will be the third interview that bill oh really has had with president obama. bill press has not had one. so if there is any favoritism

here, i get accused of playing favorites with fox news. >> don't be whiney, bill. just tell us why with bill o'reilly. >> look, he is doing o'reilly because first of all, they're carrying the super bowl. so there you go. but joe is absolutely right. i wrote a whole book about called "the obama hate machine." this president has been the subject of more ugly personal attacks, mean attacks aimed at him personally, not at his policies than any president since abraham lincoln, fuelled by the koch brothers and carried, of course, mainly on fox news and by rush limbaugh. joe, we just saw some of those clips. they called him a socialist. they have called him a racist. they've called him a communist. i mean, the street thug, all the name-calling. and it continues. but i have to say this, reverend al. i don't blame the media entirely, you know. it's john boehner and mitch mcconnell who picked it up. rush limbaugh said i hope he fails. mitch mcconnell says our whole agenda is to prevent him from

getting anything done. >> now, joe, you know we also learned that talking about members of congress in the media, louis gohmert is bringing sean.

people knew realize it's nato see much republican versus democrat, it's now -- it's the fact that we're all in this beat together. and the president has addressed issues that everybody is concerned about. and i think people are learning that if they keep following the rush limbaughs who are the aristocracy of the far right, these are folk who are trying to divide us. >> before you shut them out, though, bill, flash, news flash, news flash. glenn beck. >> no. >> his eminence glenn beck of the aristocracy of the right wing. he apologized for being divisive while he was on fox. listen to this. >> i remember it as an awful lot of fun and that i made an awful lot of mistakes. and i wish i could go back. and be more uniting in my

language, because -- i think i played a role unfortunately in helping tear the country apart. and it's not who we are. >> bill? >> let me just say don't believe him for one second. he is -- yeah, he did do more to tear this country apart when he was on fox news day in and day out, telling people the government was going to come at you, going to take your guns. you had to hoard food, you had to hoard medicine. you had to build a bomb shelter because this government was going to get you. he left fox news and he took that same message to the blaze, which he puts out there every day. just last week, he accused president obama of being a traitor because he wasn't bombing syria on and because he was sitting down and talking with iran. i mean, glenn beck is still one of the most hate provocative people on the planet. but i want to just add one other thing. in this same interview.

>> that's the new yorker. >> the new yorker interview, there is one other statement, sentence that the president told david remnick. there is no doubt that there are some folks who really dislike me because they don't like the idea of a black president. you have to put that in the mix of this conversation. >> and he also said there were some blacks and whites that maybe give him the benefit of the doubt because he was black. and i think it was a very balanced statement. of course, the right wing said he was playing the race card. joe madison, bill press, i'm going have to leave there it. thanks for your time this evening. have a great weekend. >> good to be with you, reverend. >> still ahead, remember all those republican myths about health care? well, today they came face-to-face with the facts. but first, why we might be seeing a lot more of the first lady's epic mom dance. stay with us.

speaker john boehner was in los angeles last night. he made his first appearance on "the tonight show" with jay leno. and i have to give him credit. he made some news, and he was pretty funny. >> did your parents live to see your success? >> i know what you're trying to do. >> no, no. no. >> oh, yeah. i brought my handkerchief. >> okay. >> i like to play golf. i like to cut my own grass, you know. i do drink red wine. i smoke cigarettes. and i'm not giving that up to be president of the united states. >> that's right.

that's not worth it. that's right. >> he likes his wine and cigarettes, but nice job, mr. speaker. and today jimmy fallon, the man who will take over "the tonight show" next month, he is making news. first lady michelle obama was just announced as one of his first guests on his first week. already a lot of talk that we'll see a lot more dancing. ♪ over 1 million businesses. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. here's another. try charmin ultra strong. it cleans so well and you can use up to four times less

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if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. finally tonight, a report from planet reality on the new health care law. republicans have always tried fearmongering to block the law. they talked about death panels, called it a job killer, socialized medicine. they warned against a government takeover.

they even compared it to slavery. republicans shut down the government over obamacare. they tried to repeal it, delay it, defund it and demean it. but none of that has worked. enrollment started slow thanks to that faulty website, but it gradually picked up steam. and now administration officials think they've turned the corner. three million people have signed for private plans under obama care. three million. and millions more have gained health care through medicaid. throughout it all, the president stood firm in his conviction that this law would work, that it would help people all across the country finally gain affordable care. and it has. he stayed focused and he held on. and now he has made a difference. reminds me of that old civil rights song, hold on, hold on. keep your eyes on the prize, and

hold on. and he did. and because of that, there is a brighter day for millions of americans. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. paper trail. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in san francisco. let me start tonight with this. anything you say can be used against you. we've all heard that. it's our american right not to testify against our self. what about the e-mails you left for a coworker? what about stray off the cuff line you texted about what has been happening at the office or a pal asked what was really up with this george washington bridge mess. all this is now being vacuumed by federal investigators in new jersey. anything you ever said on a voice mail or in a eai