this is a guy who can flat-out play the game. that's what makes it so interesting on all fronts. donte stallworth, i appreciate your time tonight. thank you so much for joining us. 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. i'm live tonight from washington, d.c. tonight's lead, an amazing day in the so-called loud music murder trial that has re-ignited the debate about stand your ground. seven months after george zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of trayvon martin, saying he was in fear of his life, florida's controversial stand your ground law, a law that you can use deadly force if you feel threatened, is back in the national spotlight. this case began one evening in november 2012 at a gas station in jacksonville, florida.

michael dunn got into an argument about loud music with four teenagers sitting inside a parked suv. dunn fired ten shots at the vehicle. one of the teens, 17-year-old jordan davis, died at the scene. michael dunn is charged with first-degree murder. he says the killing was in self-defense and that the teen threatened him with a gun. but so far no gun has been found. what this all comes down to is will the jury believe him. he claims there was a gun, but no one else testified to that. today in a riveting courtroom moment, he took the stand himself. for over three hours, he gave dramatic testimony, and at times he broke down, wiping away tears. here is what he says happened after he asked the teenagers in

the suv to turn down their music. >> he says yeah, i'm going to [ bleep ] kill you. i look, and i'm looking at a barrel. he is showing me a gun, and he is threatening me. he said he was going to f-ing kill me. but after he opened the door, then he looked at me and said you're dead, [ bleep ]. >> were you still sitting there in shock? >> yes, i was. >> were you in fear for your life? >> i became even more fearful at that point. >> at that point, what did you believe was about to happen to you? >> i thought i was going to be killed. >> did you even think he might even be able to get a shot off? >> yes. yes, i did. >> then he demonstrated for the jury what he says happened next. >> if you could, could you show the jury exactly what you did when you heard "it's going down now"? >> well, if we say over here is

my glove box, i'm looking out the window, and i said you're not going to kill me you son of a [ bleep ], and i shot. >> the stand your ground law means that the burden is on the prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that dunn was not in fear and that there was no gun in the suv. and that's where they focused their cross-examination of dunn. >> let's talk about what this -- what you saw was. as you sit here today, what is it now? >> it was a shotgun. >> it's a shotgun. okay. what did you tell the sheriff's office was? >> i told them it was shotgun. >> didn't you tell them it was a -- either a barrel or a stick. >> yes, i did. and this is after the police telling me there is no weapon recovered at the car of the scene, and me believing the police are competent and able to search the whole area.

so by process of elimination, you know, it's like some kind of industrial object, a pipe, something that looked very much like a barrel. no doubt in my mind that that was a weapon, that was a firearm. the doubt came in when the police started telling me that they didn't recover anything in the car or the scene. but as we have learned, they didn't check the scene. >> but you said at that time it could have been a stick? >> yeah. and again, two hours of sleep, i misspoke. i mean, a stick doesn't really do justice to it. picture anything that looks like a barrel. >> detective said at some point it is possible it was your imagination, and you said yes. >> no, i did not. i started to say that anything is possible, but not likely. and it certainly wasn't my imagination that he came out of the car. >> dunn's fiancee, rhonda rouer was with him the night of the

shooting and in the hours after. at the time of the shooting, she was inside the gas station's convenience store, and she was back in the car with him when they drove away from the scene. the prosecution wanted to know what he told her about the shooting. >> you love rhonda rouer. >> yes, sir, i do. >> you love her a lot? right? >> yes, sir, i do. >> and you loved her back then, correct? >> i love her today. >> november 23rd, 2012, you were in love with her? >> yes, sir. >> you cared about her? >> yes, sir. >> and when she got into that car, she asked you what happened, right? >> yes, sir. >> and you told this juror you explained it to her, right? >> yes, i did. >> and she, as you said, was a wreck, right? >> yes, she was. >> because she knew that you had just fired into a car with human beings inside? >> she doesn't understand

self-defense, but you are right. she was very upset over what i had done. >> right, right. and so you guys were together for thee miles, and she was hysterical? >> crying, yes. >> right. you didn't not tell her during that three miles anyone pointed any weapon at you, did you? >> i think i did. i think i was very clear that they threatened my life. i was very clear that they came out of their car, advancing upon me. and whether she comprehended what i was saying, i couldn't say. >> my question was did you tell her they had a weapon of any kind? >> yes, i did. >> you did? what did you tell her? to the tell the jury the term you used to describe the weapon. >> i don't know what i said, but i told her they had a weapon, they threatened my life, and they -- he advanced upon me. >> how did you describe the

weapon? did you say he had a sword? did you say they had a machete? >> gun. >> a gun. you used the word gun with rhonda rouer? >> yes, i did. >> when? when? >> multiple times. >> you're telling this jury that on the way back to the hotel you told rhonda rouer that the boys in the car had a gun? >> if i told her on the way to the hotel i told her several times at the hotel. i told her several times on the way home that this was self-defense. >> that wasn't my question. >> well, the whole -- the whole conversation revolved around gun, threat. they came out of the car at me. so it wasn't just they had a gun. because when he just had a gun, i didn't shoot him. it wasn't until he made specific threats and got out of his car and came after me. so all of that was part of the conversation. >> okay. from the time you left the gate

station to the time you got back to the sheraton, how many times did you use the word "gun" to -- let me finish -- to describe what the boys in the car had. >> i couldn't tell you. >> was it at least one? >> at least one. >> but in a surprise twist, prosecutors called his fiancee back to the stand, and then in a dramatic courtroom moment, she fought back tears as she contradicted her fiancee's testimony. >> on november 23rd, 2012, after the shooting, when you came out of the gate gas station and you got into the defendant's car. >> yes. >> did the defendant ever tell you he saw a gun in that red suv. >> no. >> did the defendant ever tell you that he saw a weapon of any kind in that suv? >> no. >> there was no mention of a stick? >> no. >> there is no mention of a shotgun? >> no. >> there was no mention of a barrel? >> no.

>> there was no mention of a lead pipe? >> no. >> back in the hotel room, ms. rouer that same night, did the defendant ever tell you he saw the boys with a firearm? >> no. >> did he ever tell you he saw the boys with a weapon? >> no. >> on the two-hour drive back to brevard the following morning, did the defendant ever tell you he saw a gun in the suv? >>. no. >> and on that two-hour drive, did he ever tell you he saw a weapon of any kind. >> no. >> in that suv? >> no. >> can i have a moment. >> the witness testimony is now complete. the jury will hear closing arguments tomorrow. if convicted, dunn faces up to life in prison. joining me now is florida criminal defense layer ken padowitz and former prosecutor faith jenkins. thank you both for being here. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> ken, a dramatic day of testimony.

what's your reaction to what we saw? >> well, i think when mr. dunn took the stand, his testimony was brilliant. he went on about his defense and how he was in fear and how he saw a weapon. it was brilliant, brilliant. the only problem, reverend, is that his fiancee got on the stand and basically said he was a liar. basically took away his credibility with the jury. so this brilliant testimony by the defendant went poof like a shooting star up in smoke, in my opinion. that jury, credibility is everything to that jury. and here in a self-defense case, mr. dunn basically had his credibility go down the drain with the testimony of his fiancee. so i think the prosecution is in a great position in this case. >> faith, your views on what happened today. >> here you have rhonda rouer, right, his fiancee, she loves him. she doesn't want to see him go to jail. she doesn't want to see him get into trouble. she obviously doesn't want to be there on the witness stand. she comes in and she is sort of

reluctantly telling the jury what the real truth is. minutes after michael dunn looks in the jury's eyes and tells them they had a gun that. >> had a weapon, they were threatening me with their life. because what better way to bolster his testimony that he was in fear for his life than to put a gun in jordan davis' hands. but the fact is that night what happened that night, the minutes after he shot and killed jordan davis, he is with his fiancee for hours, hours after that incident. he never, ever mentions that they pointed a weapon at him. and now the jury know, they know he was absolutely lying. >> now, ken, the key here is the credibili credibility, as you said, of du dunn, the defendant. and the entire defense circles around whether there was a gun or any weapon in the teens' car. the defense attorney seems to be laying blame on the police work after the shooting, asking dunn the police interview he did. listen to this.

>> did he tell you if we found any gun, that would be different? >> yes, he did. >> did he even tell you if we found a water gun that was paint black, that would be different. >> yes, he did. >> were you under the assumption that they actually searched the plaza for a gun? >> i was. >> were you under assumption that they actually searched the bushes for a gun? >> i was. >> were you under the assumption that they checked dumpsters that night for a gun. >> i was. >> did they ever convey to you in your interrogation that nothing was ever checked in the area when they told you we never found a gun? >> they did not. >> ken, will the jury buy this? >> well, it's a good tactic that the defense has to use in this case. he has to try to poke holes in the investigation by the police, or lack thereof, to try to show that there was an opportunity for their to have actually have been a weapon, there to have

been a gun, and that it was disposed of by the other individuals in the car. the problem here is, again, it rests on credibility of the defendant, even after we focus on the police investigation. the defendant not saying anything to his fiancee, the day driving away, not calling the police, driving away to the hotel, not saying anything to his fiancee about a gun at the hotel. and the next day driving home and not saying anything about a gun, that's going to undermine the good points that the defense attorney made in front of that jury. so i think it was the right thing for the defense to do. but i think it's going to go, again, down the tube because of the testimony by the fiancee that mr. dunn never said anything about a weapon. >> and here is another problem with that. here is another problem with that. if he had called the police or stayed at the scene or called 911 and made a report in that moment of the alleged gun, they could have looked for a gun at the scene. but he didn't. they didn't know there was this

alleged gun in the hands of jordan davis and his friends until the next day when the police called him and made him come in and surrender himself. so the fact that there was time for these teens to hide a gun in part because he fled, he is able to benefit from his fleeing and say well, the police didn't do their job when in fact they didn't know to look because he didn't stay to tell them. >> i'm going to ask you to hold it right there, faith, ken. please stay with us. more on the michael dunn trial coming up, including a police tape played in court today that surprised everyone. plus, chris christie leaves new jersey, but he can't leave behind questions about the bridge scandal. >> does the gw bridge situation impact your ability to execute on those priorities for the state? >> i'm shocked you brought that up.

>> questions tonight about whether governor christie's office will actually cooperate with investigators. also, a big win for president obama. he stood up to the tea party and they blinked. we'll tell you what happened. stay with us. ♪ [ screaming ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the bold, all-new nissan rogue with intuitive all-wheel drive. because winter needs a hero. ♪

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seven months after the george zimmerman verdict, stand your ground is back in a major murder trial in florida. that's next. 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,

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one of the reasons the so-called loud music murder trial is so important is it puts the debate over shoot first law back in the spotlight. florida was the first state to add the stand your ground law to its books in 2005, and it quickly spread to 24 other states. the debate exploded when we found out an unarmed teenager was killed in florida. and now once again it's sparking controversy in florida in michael dunn's trial. i found it interesting to hear him use a lot of the language of the stand your ground law today. >> i saw two young men with menacing expressions. he is showing me a gun, and he is threatening me. i was in fear for my life, and i

was probably stunned. i became even more fearful. i thought i was going to be killed. what went through my mind is that this was a clear and present danger, and i said you're not going to kill me, you son of a [ bleep ]. it was self-defense. i had no choice but to defend myself. it was life or death. i had already been afraid for my life, but now the fear was imminent. i'm not going to forfeit my life to somebody. >> faith jenkins, what do you make of the language michael dunn used on the stand? >> i think he said all the right buzzwords. he was pretty much a walking, talking stand your ground statute at one point when he testified today. it came across as so inauthentic because real people don't talk like that. he came across as very arrogant and pompous and no remorse for

taking jordan davis' life. and that was reflected throughout his testimony. but repeatedly using those buzzwords, you know now what his attorneys want to get up and argue in closing arguments. the jury can't consider the fact that he could have left, he could have retreated. if he didn't like the loud music, he could have walked away. but in florida, they can't consider that because he has the right to stand his ground. >> but that's stand your ground, faith. >> right. >> because he used not only, yes, buzzwords, but actual words in the law, in the elements of the law of stand your ground, menacing, things that are in that law. and that is really what is the point of national interests in this side is there is a life loss, here is somebody saying with no one but him saying there was a gun. in fact, his own fiancee saying he never mentioned a gun to her who was in the store, got in the car with him right after the shooting and was with him the next two days.

she never heard gun. he is the only one saying that, but he almost meticulously uses the language of stand your ground in this testimony. >> right. and that is what would make an acquit until this case, why it would set such a horrible precedent. you can have somebody come forward when there is no corroborating evidence that there was actual lay gun. but just based on his words, saying i was in fear for my life because i thought there was a gun, and you're able to walk away from a murder charge because of, that is a very dangerous precedent that could possibly be set with this case with an acquittal. but i don't think it's going to happen. i think he is going to be convicted. >> but wait a minute. you're a former prosecutor and lawyer. you're saying, because i want people around the country to understand this, with no corroboration, with no real evidence, just based on someone saying they thought their life was threatened, they can use the stand your ground law to get away with killing someone this young man had no record, there is no evidence he was doing anything. you're saying that according to

florida law, that would be enough if the jury wanted to go that way. >> well, and his fear has to be reasonable. that's the other argument. he is argue, of course, that it is reasonable, and he is using all of the language that jordan davis said when he spoke to him and the fact that he got out of the car, and he believes that he saw this gun. those are the things, the facts that he is using to support his argument that he was in actual and reasonable fear for his life. >> now, ken padowitz, dunn also referred to the people in the car as gangsters. listen to this. >> why were you behaving that way? >> i was trying to get her to relax and stop hyperventilating and calm down, explaining to her that it was self-defense, that we were not in trouble with the police. we might be in trouble with the local gangsters, but not, you know -- i didn't do anything wrong.

>> you thought everybody in the car was a thug or a gangster, right? >> after the way they behaved, yes, i did. >> thugs and gangsters, ken. what does that say to the jury about his mentality at that time? >> the prosecutor can actually turn this around and use it against the defendant, but he is saying they're gangsters and thugs. he drives back to the hotel, but the testimony is that he left his gun, his self-defense gun in the car. he doesn't bring it into the hotel room. now, he is afraid of these thugs and these gangsters are going to be coming after him, yet he doesn't keep the firearm on his person in order to defend himself. the prosecution is going to use that in his closing argument against the defendant, and it's going to come around and it's going to hurt the defense. >> well, let's follow that up, faith. let me play for you what he said happened after he got back to

the hotel. this is dunn on the stand describing what he did when he did get back to the hotel. >> you knew nobody was behind you? >> well, i didn't know anything. and like i said, the fear while we were up in the club room, i agree was irrational, but this is what we were experiencing. >> and when you were at the hotel room, you didn't call 911? >> i didn't call the police until the following morning. >> you called the pizza man? right? >> yeah. i think i mentioned that. i wanted to get something for rhonda to eat to calm her upset stomach. >> so he never called the police, even though he was afraid of gangsters and thugs. but he called for pizza. and he never called the police until the next day, faith. how will this play to the jury? >> oh, it plays terribly to the

jury, because nothing about what he did says he was the victim of a crime. here he said he was afraid and looking out of his hotel window because he think morse members of the gang are going to come after him. isn't that more of a reason for you to call 911 because a gang of kids just tried to attack you and pointed a gun at you and tried to kill you and now they're running loose on the street? he doesn't call 911 because he was never in fear for his life. he was infuriated. he thought jordan davis disrespected him and he killed him. >> we're going to follow the closing arguments tomorrow. we'll have full coverage tomorrow night. we'll be following this. thank you very much, ken padowitz and faith jenkins. thank you again for your time. >> thank you. >> thank you. ahead, why was governor christie laughing after being asked about bridgegate today? ♪

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the right wing spin machine characters have always been welcome, unless of course they're cartoons. the newest villains over at fox are legos. >> hollywood pushing its anti-business message to our kids. first it was the muppets movie. remember, they used an oil baron as the enemy. a year later it was the lorax casting environmentalists against villains. now lego with president business. take a listen to him. >> would you cancel my 2:00? this next meeting could run a little bit deadly. >> looks a little bit like mitt romney. >> so let me get this straight. hollywood is brainwashing your kids with a lego villain who looks like mitt romney? really. come on. i remember when the number one target on the block was "sesame street." >> i thought "sesame street" was supposed to be sharing and being nice to people. but over the years they have gotten more liberal.

>> maybe they should. they should have the hungry muppets, the food stamp muppets and have the evil person being the obama administration. >> that's right, kids. efforts for food stamps, and dr. suess hasn't been spared either. >> the lorax an adaptation of the dr. suess book. the movie set to be released next month is about a woodland creature who speaks for the trees and fights rampant industrialism. >> these guys are right. what we're doing is creating occu-toddlers? >> i think they're occu-crazy. they have even gone after a certain cartoon sponge who lives in a pine am under the sea. >> because spongebob is talking a lot about global warming, and he is only looking at it from one point of view. >> clearly, nickelodeon is pushing a global warming agenda. >> poor spongebob. but it turns outfox was singing

a different tune about him not too long ago. >> you're fired! >> okay, so here is the story. the harsh economic climate has hit the underwater community. after 14 years of flipping ipin crabby patties, he is fired from his job. he sets out to return to the workforce. >> yikes. it's a spongebob flip-flop. the right wingers were against spongebob before they were for him. the truth is there is only one cartoon network, fox news. so to everyone over there, nice try, but that's all, folks. we got you. my grandson's got this blankie that gets filthy.

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raise money for the republican governors association. but even in front of a friendly audience, he had to address the controversy. >> does the gw bridge situation impact your ability to execute on those priorities for the state? >> i'm shocked you brought that up. some people who work for me made some significant mistakes in judgment. and when you're the leader of that organization, and you're confronted with that, the first things that happened to you, it happened to me, was extraordinary disappointment. extraordinary disappointment that people that i had trusted had made such bad judgments and had not told the truth. >> once again, christie laid the blame squarely on rogue employees. it's a response that to date has not put the questions to rest. lawmakers a still searching for

answers, issuing new subpoenas last night. but today a potential red flag. the christie administration announced that under its policy, no members of the governor's office are allowed to appear before legislative committees. this could have a dramatic impact on the investigation. and it appears to strike a different note than the governor's pledge to cooperate with the feds last month. >> listen, i have absolutely nothing to hide. and i have not given any instruction to anyone yet, but my instruction to everybody will be to cooperate and answer questions. >> already ten subpoenas for documents have gone out to current members of the governor's office. if those christie aides are called to testify, will the governor's office cooperate? joining me now is assemblywoman bonnie watson coleman, a member of the committee investigating

the scandal, and former pennsylvania governor ed rendell. thank you both for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> my pleasure. >> let me go to you first, assemblywoman. does it concern you that the governor's office now says its members aren't allowed to appear before legislative committees? >> yeah. i think it's kind of unprecedented. and it certainly is unacceptable. and it's contradictory to what the governor said he was going to do. he said he was going to be forthright and open and get to the bottom of this and he is going to share and be responsive so that we can get to the bottom of this. and now he is trying to shut his staff down and make it difficult to communicate with him or find out what they need, what they know or find out what we need to know. so it is sort of contradictory. and i'm shocked that he would be shocked that he would be asked that question in a friendly audience. >> how concern ready you about this? are you concerned about this

development? >> well, let me just share this with you, reverend. i don't think that the governor and whether or not these are delaying tactics or distractions is going to wear us down, wear us out or distract us. we're going to stay on the course and do what we have to do as the legislators, because that's our responsibility. and he can make it as difficult as he feels he needs to make it. i don't understand it. this governor is supposed to be so transparent. he always talked about being transparent. it's the most opaque transparency i've ever seen. i mean, it's bordering on on whook- whack-a-doodleville. i don't know what to say. >> in the state of the governor's address, governor christie said he would operate with all appropriate inquiries. listen to this. >> i'm the governor. and i'm ultimately responsible for all that happens on my watch

both good and bad. now, without a doubt, we will cooperate with all appropriate inquiries. >> do you think, governor, that he doesn't think that the state committees are appropriate inquiries? >> how can he think that, rev? is it appropriate for the legislature to want to know why the major bridge in their state, even the major bridge in the country was tied up for four days, endangering public safety? of course it's appropriate. and there is no law he can rely on. when members of my staff were called by the legislature to testify often, and we did it voluntarily. but there is no law he can rely on to say that there is an executive privilege that members of his staff can't talk to the legislature. that's ridiculous. >> now, he said he was disappointed after learning what his staffers did, but that he took decisive action in response. listen.

>> you only have a few minutes to wallow in that disappointment. and then if you're a leader, you have to try to get a handle on the story and then take decisive action which we did by letting people go and talking to the public about it. we're in the midst of an internal review now. and whatever that internal review discloses, we're going to release to the public. >> now, governor, he says they're in an internal review. should the public trust the christie administration investigating itself? >> well, of course not. no one -- that's not rae flection on governor christie. no one in similar circumstances with the public trust to conduct an investigation into their own conduct. it's silly. the whole thing is silly. i think the assembly man said whack-a-dooville. and she is right. none of this make nice sense. if the governor knew nothing about it, then what does he have to fear about having members of

his administration and staff testify before the legislative committees. what does he have to fear if he knew nothing about it? >> now, assemblywoman bridget kelly and stepien have both taken the fifth. and they've said they're not going to cooperate with the committee you're on investigating this. how far are you willing to take this? what are the next steps, and how far do you and the committee intend to go to try to find out what they know? >> i'm going tell you, reverend, without telling you specifically where we're going to go, because i think there are several options. but i'm going to tell you that i think this committee is committed to understanding what happened. and to getting to the bottom of the issue, to getting the questions answered. and we'll do, i believe, whatever is appropriate and whatever is responsive and whatever is allowed under the law. i think that this has gone on much too far, much too long.

it's become overly complicated. if the governor knew nothing about this, the governor has nothing to hide. then why doesn't he just avail us of the information and the people that have the information so that people of the state of new jersey can move forward, and there can be some governing taking place in the state of new jersey. >> now, governor rendell, not long ago, governor christie was leading in the polls for the republican nomination in 2016, and he at first was very cooperative in what he was saying and the tone of what he was saying. now it seems that they're kind of digging in. do you think he has written off his national ambitions, at least for now, and is now gearing up for a legal and local political fight? >> no, i don't think he has written it off. and i think the whole tactics if you're taking, asking for his lawyer asking to interview the mayor of hoboken, things like that, i think they're trying to

intimidate. there is no legal right for them to do that there is no criminal charges yet. they're not entitled to discovery. they're trying to intimidate people. that's been the style since the beginning. that's what got them into this in the first place. the governor should face reality. if everything he said is true and you know you've heard me say before that it defies credibility, but if everything he said is true, the governor of the state, an activist governor for four days, his number one bridge was tied up endangering public safety, causing massive traffic jams, inconvenience for his citizens, and he knew nothing about it? that's a governor who is on top of things? that's a strong leader? no way, no way. >> assemblywoman bonnie watson coleman, and governor ed rendell, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you for having me, reverend. >> thanks. still ahead, republicans crumble on one of the biggest votes of the year so far. what this major victory for the

president could mean for the rest of his agenda. also, the attorney general is calling for big change that could affect millions of americans and their right to vote. stay with us. vin. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. but there are some places even mr. clean doesn't want to lug a whole bunch of cleaning supplies. that's why he created the magic eraser extra power. just one eraser's versatile enough to clean all kinds of different surfaces and three times more grime per swipe. so instead of fussing with rags and buckets,

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eat up. keep heart-healthy. live long. for a healthy heart, eat the 100% natural whole grain goodness of post shredded wheat. doctors recommend it. tonight a major win for president obama. this evening, the house voted to raise the debt limit with no

more cuts and no strings attached. it passed with mainly democratic votes after years of gop hostage taking, speaker john boehner scheduled this vote in a clear rebuke to the tea party. they were shocked. it's been a rough day for the gop and for speaker boehner. walking into the press room to make the announcement, he tried to grin and bear it. >> good morning, everybody. >> good morning. >> happy, happy, happy. >> happy, happy, happy. and boehner didn't seem any more chipper on the way out. >> thanks. >> thank you. >> zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-day. >> cheer up, speaker boehner. after all, why is your party stunned by today's deal?

don't you remember hearing this? >> let me repeat. i will not negotiate over congress's responsibility to pay bills it's already wracked up. there will be no negotiations over this. the american people are not pawns in some political game. we're not going to pay a ransom for america paying its bills. that is something that should be nonnegligentable, and everybody should agree on that. no, we're not going to negotiat congress to pay bills. >> the president called the bluff on some of those bullies on the right. and let's face it. if republicans wise up and start doing their jobs, then maybe everyone will be happy, happy, happy. joining me now is dana milbank. dana, a lot of republicans didn't believe the president when he said he wouldn't negotiate on the debt limit. think they believe him now?

>> well, zippity doo da. i think they do believe him now. when this president exerts forceful leadership, that he gets something done. now this happened with the government shutdown. he said i'm not going to budge, he stuck to it and they knuckled under. i think there is reason to celebrate. i know you like blueberry pie. i brought this to celebrate. i don't want you to get too excited because i think the fever has broken on the tea party here, but the virus is still in the body. we're not out of the woods yet. >> a blueberry pie with tea will help them with the virus. outside tea party groups have already slammed this move. the senior conservative fund says, quote, john boehner must be replaced, and tea party patriots call it, quote, a complete capitulation. club for growth says, quote, we thought it was a joke, but it's not. the right wing media has also come out hard against the plan. take a listen. >> speaker of the house will

submit that clean bill. it gives the president a blank check, nothing in return. >> well, this is a rejection of whatever values remain in the republican party. >> he is such a poor politician that he cannot explain to the american public that if the government shuts down, it's not because the republicans won't vote to raise the debt ceiling. it's because the president refuses to talk to them. >> i mean, they're going after it already. >> you know, they are. and this is the latest in the series. boehner effectively did the same thing in defying the hard right tea party outside organizations on the farm bill, on the budget, on the spending bill. and he said they overplay their hand. they're irrelevant. now, they can push back and fight, but it's clear they don't have the numbers they used to have. it does not appear that john boehner's speakership is in jeopardy at all. >> it does not appear he is in trouble. >> not at this moment. he can't keep doing this every time. in fairness to him, what he did say is look, you want us to tie

it to x? and they said they could not get a majority for that. you want us to tie to it y, the debt limit vote, they defeated each thing he came up with within their caucus. so he said fine. i'm going to let the democrats pass. this. >> now, will we see more movement now on the president's agenda like minimum wage? i mean could, this mean other things could move forward? >> that's why i say i think the virus is still in the body here, and it's not automatic. this is something we had to pass, otherwise the nation goes into default. so the minimum wage is not something that john boehner feels he has to pass if more pressure is brought to bear. the president realizes when i stick to a passion and keep hammering away, it get something done. but it doesn't suddenly mean that the entire obama agenda is going to sail through the house. >> so we can't expect this is a trend. we know that this is a victory, and you feel it's because the president called their bluff. but that does not mean minimum wage and unemployment coverage for long-term unemployed. that does not automatically mean

that will follow. >> because boehner can't do this each time. he can only play this card so many times, breaking what is called the hastert rule, going against the majority of republicans in his caucus. you do it too many times, he does lose his job. so he is going to have to pick his battle. >> so they're still going to fight, which is why i will use this blueberry pie you brought me. dana milbank, thanks for coming on the show tonight. >> thanks, rev. ahead, attorney general holder makes a strong case for voter rights today. but something is happening in ohio that shows the fight is only beginning. ♪ ♪ ♪ told ya you could do it. (dad vo) i want her to be safe. so, i taught her what i could and got her a subaru. (girl) piece of cake. ♪ (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

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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 bipartisan call to action on voting rights. in america today, 5.8 million americans have been stripped of their right to vote due to current or past felony convictions. more than a third of those are african american. many of the laws targeting felons were originally passed just after the civil war as a way to keep blacks from voting. today attorney general eric holder called on states to repeal those laws. >> although well over a century has passed since post-reconstruction states used these measures to strip african americans of their most fundamental rights, it is

unjust, and it is not in keeping with our democratic values. >> this should not be a partisan issue, and in fact it's not. today republican senators rand paul and mike lee embraced holder's remarks and said it's time to restore these voting rights. >> i'm also in favor of giving people back the right to vote in my state. so i'll be testifying next week in frankfurt before the legislature and in favor of restoring voting rights for nonviolent felons. >> senator paul and attorney general holder may not agree on much, but they agree on this. voting isn't a democratic right or a republican right. it's an american right. but unfortunately, in states like ohio, some in the gop are trying to roll back the clock and push ahead with laws that restrict voting rights. the very fundamental basis of this country is the right to

vote, is a participatory democracy. we ought not try and make it limited to any american citizens. we must open this nation up for all. and all of us will continue to fight for that. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. christie claims executive privilege. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let's start tonight with this report out of new jersey that says the christie administration will keep the governor's staff from testifying before legislative committees. does this mean governor christie is claiming some sort of executive privilege that he is asserting the right to have his staff refuse to testify