if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." tac -- www.vitac.com right now in sochi, the olympic flame lights the midnight sky after a dramatic day of competition. from a violent crash on the slopes to a gold medal sweep by team usa, we are live in sochi with the highlights. good sunday afternoon. i'm melissa raburger. easy access. edward snowdone used off the shelf software to crack into the classified documents. also ahead -- tie notion that all are created equal and that all are entitled to opportunity and equal justice under law.

this work is a top priority. >> it appears to be another example of the become administration imposing its will on the states. >> it is logical, consistent, compassionate. >> equal justice. a landmark move for same-sex couples now all married americans with the same protections and some republicans are pushing back. we'll talk live with a lawyer who helped make this happen. the power of good. one woman is transforming trauma into gratitude. how her big idea is giving people a new source of strength. plus this. >> why does it excite them so much? >> we don't know really. >> if we knew we'd form another group and be managers. >> 50 years since the fab four rocked the u.s., why do the beatles resonate half a century lat later? >> but first, a full day in sochi. let's go to nbc's kira simmons

with the latest. we want to talk about the results and not spoil it for those to prefer to watch it first and taking a moment and give people who feel that way a few seconds to turn away if they want to. bring us up to date. we hear there's a big vip in the stands. >> reporter: that is right. just across the park from here in the ice skating rink, the president of russia, president putin, has been here to watch the team figure skating. actually, to see his country russia take gold in the team figure skating and extraordinary combination today between the veteran skater and the young 15-year-old who has been dazzling people even at her young years with her performance. but at the same time, team usa really pulled back well in the competition, having been way

down on the table, they took a bronze with an incredible skate by gracie gold and some opportunity for the united states to pull back after falling back and get on the medal podium. >> we also understand there was a major upset for u.s. skier bode miller. he was do well in practice runs. what happened? >> reporter: that's right. he really was and then in the final just completely didn't pull it off. there isn't any one particular thing with bode that you can say that he did wrong. he just didn't ski fast enough and that's really what he says, too. he says that the conditions in the run-up to the final were more suitable for his kind of skiing, blue skies, warmer weather. so the snow melted a little bit. today it wasn't like that up there. gray skies. colder conditions and just didn't work for him and he came in eighth. so a real disappointment there in that marquee sport the men's

downhill where there was hope that he might even get to first position. he didn't manage that. not anything close. >> that's a shame. nbc's keir simmons live in sochi, thank you so much. >> reporter: it's a pleasure. still taking sanctuary in the heart of russia is edward snowden and new disclosures getting that nsa tirl. let's bring in brain trust. angela wry political strategist and principal of impact strategies, jackie you kucinich and matt blush. "the new york times" reports that investigators found snowden used cheap and widely available software to dig deep into the depths of nsa computer systems. it says the findings are striking because the nsa mission includes protecting the nation's most sensitive military intelligence and intelligence

computer systems from cyber attacks. the insider attack was hardly sophisticated and should have been easily detected. matt, you worked in the white house. does this surprise you? >> i think it's frightening to think how vulnerable we are. vulnerable from our foes overseas, people to attack us in a cyber sense inside our border. i think this goes to all aspects of our society from corporations spying on to employees to the government maybe taking license with information on americans. i think it's a big political issue and i think in 2016 it could be one of the biggest issues that the nation's talking about. >> jackie, with all the focus on russia this week the u.s. ambassador to moscow michael mcfaul was asked if snowden could have been a spy for the russians. >> i can't mention on the evidence here or there in terms of those things. what i can say is we want him to come home, face the charges against him and have a court of

law decide what he has and has not done. >> that has been the consistent obama administration line on edward snowden. do you think we'll ever know the full extent of the leaks without offering him some kind of amnesty? >> i don't know. i don't know if politically they'll be able to do that. there's so many people within the government and beyond the government that are so upset about this. i don't know that it would be politically feasible to offer him some kind of amnesty from the obama administration or any future administration at this point. >> angela, there were also new disclosures, the nsa is monitoring a fraction of u.s. cell phone traffic. "the washington post" reported on friday in 2006 a senior u.s. official said the nsa was collecting closer to 100% of the americans' phone records from a number of u.s. companies under a then-classified program but as of last summer that share plummeted to less than 30%. do the numbers raise questions of the effectiveness of this

program? >> i think folks have been questioning the effectiveness of this program since it started right after the 2001 attacks on september 11th and what you have now is a recognition that the programs are all run by human beings, human beings that are fallible and issues with keeping up with technology, whether you're talking about land lines or cell phones, there are carriers not participants in this collection program. there are all types of challenges here and even in the issue that you raised earlier about insider information, and how they have access to all of this data, talking about snowden, i think we need to also look at how we define insiders. this is a contract, a government contractors, not even an employee with all types of access to the data. folks need to start thinking about this issue of disclosure or someone with access to the information is very private to us. if it's the latter, even the carriers have access to the information. >> do you think it undermines the program in the first place? >> the issue with 30% of the

data? absolutely. because you're not getting the wide net that they talked about to actually find terrorists challenges and others they're looking for with the collection of this data. >> matt, glen green wald that first published the revelations said that leaks will not end with snowden. >> there were people before snowden dike manning and drake and before that incredibly heroic. snowden was inspired i think by them and no doubt there will be other sources inside the government that see extreme wrongdoing and inspired we snowden, as well. >> the obama administration is aggressive in cracking down on what it calls national security leaks. is their strategy working, though? >> well, i think the challenge that they face is that if you can achieve this level of information with cheap, you know, over the counter software, and tricks that can be purchased

very easily, when's the ability to secure the information? i think there's a real question of investment in protecting the information but i think second of all there's a real question about the rule of law and appropriate and not appropriate. some of these people that are considered to be heroes, there are avenues to go through to get legal protection to be able to share abuses that they think are happening and i think the laws are important. i don't think all the people that releases information will be heroes but, unfortunately, i think it is easy to do. >> well, my thanks now to angela, jackie and matt, our brain trust today and will be back with us later in the program. up next, confronting discrimination head on. the federal rights for same-sex couples start tomorrow. and attacking obamacare. when's the reality of that? we'll fact check the rhetoric. plus this --

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topping the sunday headlines, heavy rain is being welcomed in drought-stricken southern california. further northern oregon snow and ice have created dangerous conditions for drivers. state troopers have responded to some 600 weather-related crashes since thursday. a california company is recalled 9 million pounds of meat produced from diseased animals. they say the corporation in petaluma sold meat unfit for human consumption and no indication that anyone is sick from the tainted food so far. it's been a emotin emotiona

weekend of testimony in the murder trial of michael david dunn, dunn who is white is charged with firing his gun into a suv with four black teenagers inside at a gas station in jacksonvil jacksonville, florida. a victim was killed. he complained of music coming from the vehicle. >> what did the defendant say? >> i hate that thug music. >> what was your response to the defendant? >> i said, yes, i know. >> dunn claimed self defense saying the victim threatened him with a gun and police never found a second weapon. a major move for same-sex marriage coming tomorrow. last night attorney general eric holder announced a new policy that all married americans receive the same protections in the federal criminal justice system. >> in every courthouse, in every proceeding, and in every place where a member of the department

of justice stands on behalf of the united states, they will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, the same protections, and the same rights as opposite sex marriages under federal law. >> joining know now is brian molten. so, welcome. thank you for joining us today. >> thank you for having me. >> i want to start by asking you, how big a victory is this for the lbgt community? >> it is a big step forward and continued effort of the yd to make sure that that historic supreme court decision this past summer that brought federal regulation is implemented across the government all over the country. >> what are some examples of how having equal rights in the federal justice system will affect same-sex couples, particularly? >> sure. so this will mean that if someone is in a federal court, being prosecuted in a federal

crime, the spouse will equally be able to decline to testify just like we have -- the protections we have for opposite sex spouses. means folks in bankruptcy proceedings are treated as a married couple. prisoners treated equally and the marriage is recognized and fallen law enforcement officers, the spouses will have access to benefits under federal programs. >> not everybody feels the same way about this. new hampshire's republican senator expressed concern this morning over holder's plan. let's listen to that. >> it appears to be another example of the obama administration imposing its will on the states. for a state like new hampshire, tt not going to be an issue. the legislature decided to recognize same-sex marriage. it could be an issue for other state that is are having this debate or made different policy decisions. >> do you understand why some may see this as a violation of states' rights? >> i certainly have heard the

argument but i really couldn't disagree more with the senator on that point. this is the federal government deciding who married for federal purposes. we're not talking about the federal government telling any state what they have to do in terms of marriage. but it would be really unworkable for our federal government to say that a couple that married lawfully in massachusetts and had access to the federal rights and benefits as a result, as soon as they crossed a few states' borders and ended up in the middle of the country they wouldn't be recognized anymore. that's unworkable and nothing to do with telling state what is they can and cannot do. >> "the daily beast" questions how significant the plan is. the policy announced by holder only applies the department of justice and does not expand to include cherished goals of the lgbt community like an executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual operatation by all federal contractors. was the white house hedging a little bit here when perhaps

more could be done? >> well, certainly, this imple meation of the supreme court decision is a huge and important goal for our community but there's a lot more that needs to be done. diskrim nas fasts lgbt people in all parts of their lives and that would be a huge step to protecting them all over the country so there's a lot more that can be done and continuing to push the administration to take those steps. >> brian, thank you very much. >> thank you. it was date night at the white house last night. with president obama and the first lady planning to spend most of valentine's day apart, the first couple headed out for a dinner at a d.c. restaurant last night. the president will be in california to meet with the king of jordan on friday which is valentine's day. like new parmesan crusted chicken, 3 courses, 2 people, just $25 at olive garden! also enjoy weekday signature favorites, four classic pastas, now just $10!

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affordable care act and the impact on the economy. a finding is an obamacare may lead some people to reduce the hours they work. equivalent of 2 million jobs in the next few years. here's democratic new york senator chuck schumer painting a silver lining on "meet the press." >> what cbo said is many american workers would have freedom. that's a good word. freedom do to things they couldn't do. the single mom raising three kids has to keep a job because of health care can now spend some time raising the kids. that's a family value. >> ohio's republican senator rob port lan shot back with his reality check. >> i mean, it is unbelievable, david. we have got in our country right now a 35-year low in terms of labor participation. we don't have as many people in the work force as the middle of the recession and democrats almost giddy about the fact of fewer people in the workforce. >> so, is obamacare good or bad

for our long-term economy? "the washington post" health policy reporter sarah cliff joins me now. thank you for being here, sarah. >> thank you for having me fly's a back and forth over the idea of whether people purchasing health care through obamacare and having the flexibility to leave the jobs is a good or bad thing. what does the cbo report really say about that? >> it does say as you mentioned that we will have the equivalent of 2 million fewer jobs, whether through people not being in the workforce or reducing their hours. in about a decade from now because of the health care law and you can actually, you know, as the senators were just doing, you can debate whether this is a good thing or not. democrats and the white house who support obamacare say this is giving people more freedom to leave their jobs and that's a good thing and republicans are firing back that it's bad for economic growth and fewer people in the workforce and overall bad for the economy and these are two argument that is you can have on both sides of whether this is a good policy.

>> you know, former white house senior adviser david plouffe said this this morning. it might be much ado over nothing about this report. let's listen to that. >> first of all, i highly doubt the first week of november 2014 voter who is are undecided in a senate or house race citing the cbo report. we blow these things up in washington. >> the report is making the way into political ads. this is one against north carolina democratic senator kay hagen. how long do you see this resonating? >> i think it will stick around with us. i think it sticks for the 2014 election potentially. we're not going to see the big effect. we are not seeing, you know, everyone you know in your neighborhood leaving the workforce. we are talking about a relatively small percentage of people work deciding they would rather not have a job and have access to health insurance. it is more of a political story than economic story of people exiting the workforce.

>> a few could have imagined when the law was signed amid much jubilation at the white house in 2010 that nearly four years later obama would be fighting to convince the nation it was not mistake. is the popularity of the law only going to keep dropping? could there be a positive change? >> that's an interesting question. you know, the best polling we have seen has shown the country pretty split and trending negative since open enrollment began in the health care law in october so i think what democrats are hoping is more -- as more people get insurance, popularity will rise. so far, because of the politics around it, we haven't seen that happen. democrats especially in the 2014 election are hoping that more people will gain insurance and as a result the law's popularity will inch up a little bit. >> switching to gears, reuters

reports that hundreds of people with hiv aids in louisiana are trying to obtain coverage under obamacare are in danger of being thrown out of the insurance plan they selected because of a dispute over federal rules trying to prevent fraud. how serious is this problem in la l and more widespread than we might realize? >> it's a serious problem for people trying to get insurance. if you're someone with hiv, you generally have very expensive medications and it is not okay to have a one week or even a one-day lapse in coverage because that could add up to thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical costs. we don't quite know how widespread of a problem this is. the report of new orleans is the first we have heard of it. it could be a limited problem but the people affected by it, it's very, very big and important that it gets fixed very soon. >> "washington post," sarah kliff, thank you for being here today. >> thank you. up next, new numbers dig

deep into the state of african-americans in the u.s. we'll look at when's behind the numbers as we celebrate back history and the reason why goldy taylor hates black history month and why advocates want you to turn away girl scouts and their cookies. this is for you. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. sure. you seem knowledgeable, professional. would you trust me as your financial advisor? i would. i would indeed. well, let's be clear here. i'm actually a dj. [ dance music plays ]

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doctors recommend it. [ ding ] i sense you've overpacked, your stomach. try pepto to-go. it's pepto-bismol that fits in your pocket. relief can be yours, but your peanuts... are mine. [ squirrel ] it's pepto to-go. five people are dead after a suv went the wrong way on a highway in florida. this is video from a highway traffic camera. it shows i-275 in tampa this morning. the suv hit a car head on and it burst into flames. the driver of that suv was killed. four people in the second vehicle also died. i'm melissa rayburger. here's the other top stories today. the boxing mooch between george zimmerman and dmx is canceled. the fight sparked outrage from many people who didn't want to see zimmerman make money off of his fame after being acquitted

in the killing of florida teenager tray jon martin. the fight's promoter tweeted, i made the right decision. i could have made big money but i would rather be happy. if you're flying, you can relax. the u.s. government says the bermuda triangle is just a big myth. a lot of ships and planes have disappeared in the area but authorities say there are logical explanations such as bad weather and poor navigation. an oklahoma state basketball star marcus smart could be facing discipline after shoving a fan. smart had just stumbled into the front row of the crowd trying to block another player's shot. he gets up, exchanges words with a man in the crowd and shoved him. smart said that the man called him a racial slur. as we celebrate black history, a new book is out compiling the facts and figures of loif fife for african-americn

the united states. "black stats." the author is monique morris, let's also bring in james peterson and msnbc contributor and also goldie taylor, a columnist and a msnbc contributor, as well. monique, let's start with you. this is a book of numbers but you're very careful to state, although quantitative data are powerful tools for analysis, i would caution against interpreting the condition of african-americans solely through a quantitative lens. why are the numbers so important, though? >> numbers help to ground the discussion, and that's the intention of this book. is to start conversations about the conditions of black america and to engage in further narratives and discussions about where we go from there. >> what are the most important statistics in your book? >> i think there are many. i would start with education. i think it's very important to look at the conditions of children, particularly starting

to examine the progress that's taken place since 1970. right now, black children are 16% of the population of children in public schools but they represent 42% of the children educated in high poverty schools. we're continuing to see segregated or children educated in what's considered segregated environments so as we continue to look at how we're educating our youth and happening with respect to the quality of education that they're receiving, grounding our conversation in these statistics is important. >> james, monique's book is broken down into categories with education, she was just talking about environmental justice, life style and politics and education, for example, the dropout rate for african-american students has dropped from 10% in 2005 to 8% in 2010. how important is it to see this lower rate for african-american children? >> it is important to see it but i'll echo monique's assessment of her book for cannot tative

context for the data. looking at the education number that monique's done a great job of compiling here, i'm interested in the 7% of black public schoolteachers, right? if you think about the other numbers like dropout rates and the other challenges seeing with young people of color in the public school system and we have to think about how do we find solutions for them? some of the data like the 7%, that's kind of low. not representative of the black folk in the population. we to need address those numbers to see the outcomes in education we need to see and the neighborhood data in the book is also quite important when you think about the fact that about half of black folk live in what are essentially segregated communities. what does that mean from a quantitative perspective? so again, this is a starting point. the data is a starting point to try to find solutions to the

challenges. >> goldie, when you look at the legal system, there's many startling statistics. black motorists are stopped at the same rate as white motorists but three times more likely to be searched in a traffic stop. how can a relationship between the african-american community and law enforcement be changed? >> you know, i think that there are important steps to be taken, really, on both sides. both the community itself and police officers or police and communities and about building one on one relationships with the people with whom you are serving. and police officers really looking at their job as serving first and protecting. and so i do think it's about relationships and you have to build that over time and sort of building up that trust. i have much more trust for the police officer i know, the police officer who comes by to see, you know, how my children are doing, how they're doing in school than the officer that i don't know that i see sort of peering at me at a traffic stop. >> monique, 4% of the doctors in

the u.s. are black. 4%. what affect could that have on health care for african-americans? >> black doctors are more likely to practice in black communities and services to black people. there's long been a conversation about cultural competency within the health professions. >> that's right. >> diversifying the professions is critical part of cultural competent and responsive care. highlighting the low raits and engagement of black people in the medical field both as doctors and registered nurses and other capacities is important to that discussion. >> james, it sounded like you wanted to weigh in on that. >> i do because cultural competence is important for a lot of this data and hope people understand the dire consequences of an absence of cultural competence in health care and education which is essentially doctors misdiagnosing or misrepresenting the opportunities to help folk heal and be healthy based upon cultural gaps and lack of

information of interpreting health care and the ways people engage and the figures within the health care system and that kind of cultural competency is important one and stretches beyond the helm of health care with education and the policies in the criminal justice system, you know, the kind of biases and racial profiling, stand your ground, all those laws sort of needs to be better informed by much more education around culture and the differences that people have in their experiences in this country. >> goldie, your latest breaking black column focused on black history month. why do you heat it? in your words. >> i say i hate history black month three times. it isn't that i hate the very existence of black history month but that i hate that it has to exist. you know? despise the notion that we don't have those cultural lenses trained in on the history

classes and elementary school and high school. the week as it started was initiated, it was about how we educated public school children around the history of this collective nation. and that included african-americans and included white people, asian people, hispanics, included everyone. and so, it is not that i do not embrace the notion that we ought to be more fully educating our children, more fully educating ourselves about our collective history and african-american history, as well, but the month itself almost feels like a set aside month to come in and celebrate the same five american africans and then move on to the other 11 months and forget that it all ever happened and so, you know, i'm a little like rhymes from "scandal" saying it almost pisses me off that we have to have it when it's not a way of life as it should be. >> i have a feeling both james and monique want to weigh in on that. >> i would say that's partly the intention of writing the book to engage people in a conversation about black history and about

the conditions of black america, 365 days a year. you know? i i think goldie is right. people just talk about and live the conditions one month out of the year and stagnate the conversations about justice and equity just in the martin luther king holiday. these are important reminders of an entry point to engage in conversations but these conditions are lived experiences that happen all the time. >> james? >> yeah. exactly. i mean, this is about sustainability. how do we sustain our efforts to continue to make change for this entire nation, particularly in this case for black folks? sometimes things like black history month and certain sort of sbepgs of exceptional experiences obscure the access to those things and while i do appreciate and love black history month, i really understand exactly where goldie is coming from and why do need it in this way and

exceptional the experiences of black folk to challenge the nation to rise to the nation with the contributions of african-americans made to the nation? so we want to sustain efforts and sustain celebrations and really have a sustained commitment to the kind of challenges represented in monique's book with the great stats. >> monique harris, goldie stai lor, james peterson, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> thank you. turning a random act of violence into inspiration for strength, that is today's big idea. after being attacked by strangers, ann decided the leave 500 black postcards in random places asking people to write what they were thankful for. the responses blew her away. she joins me now. i have to say, i just have read over this and i think it's incredible. you took a terrible experience and it must have been a heal process for you and how did you decide to leave blank postcards or connecticut and massachusetts

and tell us what happened after that. >> okay. well, basically, kind of on a whim -- i didn't realize it was a call for help but on a whim i made these blank invitations, left them in postoffices, parks, library books, bicycle baskets, just wanting to sort of share a little gratitude and i did not expect anybody to write back. and what was so amazing is that they did. and within the first week i was getting responses from not only connecticut and massachusetts but also texas and oregon and washington state and alaska. and within five weeks, they were coming in from all over the country and then started to come in internationally. so, they're now at least 6,000 postcards and here's a map actually of where they're from. >> we have a whole bunch to show you. these are some of the postcards. you can show that. tell me what people wrote.

>> well, they range quite dramatically. so this one is from bali. this says, my dog pees from joy when i come home. >> it's fr ee's from a man. this one from a woman in florida from tanzania and writes about the sheer resilience of the human spirit after a miscarriage and just amazing the depth that comes in. >> did you write any -- did you write anything on the postcards? did you say -- did you write anything saying please send this back? say whatever you want to on it? >> yeah. basically, it was bank on one side and on the other -- i actually have an example of that in this book. this is what makes you grateful, voices from around the world, and on the opposite side of the blank postcard, it said you're basically invited to share a

glimmer of gladness. write, paint, glue, stamp, do anything you want. i found out that coco nuts and flip flops go through the mail and people have been creative. they come on glass. wood. card board. clay. sonograms. the whole gamut. >> clearly it's healing process for other people, as well. what is your -- i guess what i'm asking you is, what is your overall goal? >> this is a gratitude awareness campaign using public art and gratitude to build resilience in the community at large. and i didn't realize that's what i started when i began this. but about a year into the project identity cured to me that gratitude opens doors and zarted working dr. emonds and

others and the research says that it builds stronger bonds, makes you happier, healthier. it decreases teen violence by a significant amount. and it's essential to building resilience. >> well, actually the best of luck to you. ann, in your project. and everything in life. i think it's wonderful. i look forward to learning more about it. thank you very much for being here today. >> thank you. if anybody would like to learn more, go to look for the good.org. >> we have got it. right there. if anyone at home are feeling inspired for glimmer of gladness, here it is. do you have a big idea also? i love this big idea. if you have a big idea about to make a difference, tell us about it tweeting us with #whatsthebigidea or e-mailing us. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go.

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america by storm. the record setting 73 million people gathered around their tv sets to watch the beatles make their american television debut on "the ed sullivan show." the theater that houses "the late show with david letterman" has a special marquoise superdilasuperd duplicating the one when the fab four performed. the author of "yeah, yeah, yeah" are here. thanks for being here. >> thanks. >> you wrote an op-ed of those that recall the beatles being cute. you wrote, it's ridiculous. if there's one canard i'd like to see these anniversary festivities flip on its head it's one that one. to the america that existed the beatles were plenty frightening. >> they were so unlike anything that people had seen or heard

before, and, you know, it is undoubtedly true that within a few months time, certainly a year's time, other people came along who were, you know, shaggier and nastier. the stones, the who were louder. the kinks maybe louder, also. so, this conventional wisdom has taken hold over time that the beatles were cute and unthreatening and the other people were threatening but the beatles started it and their sound started it and their sound awakened millions and millions of people to this new thing and these other groups couldn't have come along without them. >> i wish my mom on was on the program right now and weigh in on this. i remember her saying she had a crush on at least one of them. you said the beatles made the rock n roll sound. if not for them, twhuld exist today? >> probably would. somebody would have come along and made it but they're the ones that really made it. when you look at and think about the classic rock n roll sound

it's basically two guitars and bass and drums and groups before them but they were the first really huge transcendent super group that really, you know, made that sound, brought that sound home to millions and millions of people. and million people. it was after them of course that, a, these other groups came, and, b, thousands an thousands of young men and women went out and bought guitars and tried to emulate what they did. >> one of the two big things you say the beatles invented was breaking down the wall between teen music and adult music. tell me why sthothat's so significant. >> that got rock and roll music taken seriously. it wasn't taken seriously until they came along. even they, of course, weren't taken seriously by the adult world at first. you can go back and read "the los angeles times" today accompanying my op-ed ran a collection of quotes from "newsweek" magazine, "the new york times" in february of 1964

dismissing the beatles saying is, what is this noise, i give them six months top, they look awful, this is terrible, nonsense. so it just wasn't taken seriously. then as their music progressed and as other people came along -- dylan was a big factor here, of course, and the stones and others. by 1965, grown-ups were list listening to "rubber soul" and "highway 61 revisited" and others. so they expanded the audience for this music and made it into an art form that got taken seriously. >> michael, thank you so much. >> thanks for having me. >> the new book is "yeah, yeah, yeah: the beatles in america then and now." back with the brain trust next. ♪ turn around

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a group of anti-abortion rights activists have launched a boycott of girl scout cookies because of a girl scout tweet that featured texas democrat wendy davis. the movement has gotten national support with what it calls cookie-cott, campaigns being launched in a few cities as a report puts it, how exactly did the girl scouts, a group that actively states it does not take a position on birth control or abortion, manage to enrage pro-lifers? angela, what do you think? >> i think it's simple. the fact they've acknowledged folks like wendy davis or kathleen sebelius for their ability succeed in an area, in a space that's been dominated by men for so long. the girl scouts were championing that. instead, the pro-life folks or anti-abortion folks have chosen to jump on the fact that they've highlighted these folks rather than just highlighting pro-lifers, i suppose. the fact of the matter remains that girl scouts are designed to train young girls on issues of survival in leadership. so these are people that

represent the very thing that they hope these young women become one day. so it's absolutely outrageous. >> i hate to interrupt you, but we're low on time. i want to hear what matt has to say and jackie. very quickly. under a minute here. >> well, let me just say, i don't think this is absurd. i think highlighting wendy davis was wrong, especially when you consider that the main opponent to this 20-week ban in texas or support of the 20-week ban in texas was a female state senator in texas. there are plenty of women on the pro-life side, including my mother, my wife, my sisters. i think it's wrong for the girl scouts to step into this area. >> quickly, jackie. >> my understanding was it was an article that listed several women, including wendy davis. but, you know, the birth control topic has been a big one this year. you know, clearly they're taking advantage of that. >> angela, jackie, and matt, thank you very much for being here today and being part of our

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we know this. because you're one of us. at citi, we believe in everyone's potential, which is why citi and evan are giving back to community sports programs to help future athletes every step of the way. hello, disrupters. i'm karen finney. as rand paul goes after bill clinton again, john paboehner punts in the face of a tea party blitz again. and chris christie packs his ba bags for chicago, a place with the most movable bridges in the world. >> he doesn't see it happening. >> there's widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws. >> he went to the congressional retreat and there was a lot of push back. >> speaker boehner could not say no to his tea party caucus in the house. >> you want to be part of america, we'll find a place for you.