♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. and we're here to help start yours. this morning, my question. what happens when the president talks about race? plus, what we learned this week about coming out. and the scathing report released about a classic case of bullying. but first, another young black man, another 19th birthday never reached. good morning. i'm joy reid in for melissa harris-perry. today, sunday, february 16th, would have been the day jordan

davis turned 19 years old. instead, his life was cut short at age 17, on the night of november 23rd, 2012. and today is the day after a jury delivered a verdict in the trial of michael dunn, the man who shot and killed jordan davis. that night in a gas station parking lot in jacksonville, florida, after a disagreement over loud music, dunn fired ten rounds at the vehicle carrying davis and three friends. three of those shots fatally wounded davis, according to statements from prosecutors during the trial. after more than 30 hours of deliberations that began on wednesday evening, the 12-member jury returned a verdict of guilty on four of five charges against dunn. they found him guilty of three counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of firing into the vehicle carrying jordan davis, tevin thompson, leland brunson, and tommy stornes. but on the question of whether or not michael dunn is guilty of

the murder of michael davijorda jury could not reach a consensus. the judge, russell healey, who presided over the case, declared a mistrial on that count. in a press release after the verdict, florida state attorney angela corey said she would retry the charge on the outstanding charge. judge healey set the week of march 24th to decide sentencing. now, florida statutes mandate 20 years in prison for attempted murder with the discharge of a firearm and up to 15 years for a charge involving firing a deadly missile. if the judge were to make those sentences consecutive, dunn, at 47 years old, would spend the rest of his life behind bars for the attempted murder of jordan davis' friends. but as of now, he faces no time in prison for the killing of jordan davis, barring a successful retrial by prosecutors. after the verdict was announced, jordan's parents spoke out in an emotional press conference.

>> we are so grateful for the truth. we are so grateful that the jurors were able to understand the common sense of it all. and we will continue to stand and we will continue to wait for justice for jordan. >> florida state attorney angela corey has faced some criticism for the way her office has prosecuted michael dunn. but last night, she expressed confidence in the prospect of a retrial. >> we just get ready and we come back into court and we work just as hard and we seek justice in the same way. so, retrying a case is something that we've all had to do and we will continue to have to do. and we'll give it the same full attention. we don't back off, having to retry. >> joining me now from austin, texas, is kendall coffey. he's a former u.s. attorney for the southern district of florida and an msnbc legal analyst. and in burbank, california, lisa

bloom. nbc news legal analyst, as well as a legal analyst for avoo.com, and also the author of the upcoming book, "suspicion nation." i want to thank both of you guys for being here. and i want to start with you, kendall. if you could just explain, something that's become sort of a matter of confusion over this case, and that is stand your ground. whether or not or how stand your ground was actually used in the case? >> well, i'm glad you raids sed, joy, it is confusing, and defense counsel suggested it's not a stand your ground case, but what they're saying is they did not use the right to have a separate stand your ground hearing, decided only by a judge, where a trial could be avoided entirely, criminal and civil immunity given, if in the judge-only stand your ground hearing, the judge decides that self-defense is sufficiently proven. now, stand your ground, the principle, the lack of duty to retreat, the fact that you don't have to walk away from trouble in the state of florida, you can

kill somebody if there's, quote, a reasonable fear of serious injury or death, that principle is very much in the jury instructions. so, no, there wasn't a separate stand your ground hearing, but the stand your ground explanation law of the jury was very much there here as it was in zimmerman. and believe me, what a jury is told about self-defense in a situation like this is fundamentally different from what they would have been told ten years ago before the stand your ground law was applied. >> and i want to see if we can play -- there's some sound that we actually have of michael dunn's attorney. he actually talked to the jury in his closing arguments, and this is where we sort of heard the stand your ground piece come in. if you have that sound available, i would love to play that just for a moment. >> head no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force. >> so, lisa, stand your ground,

obviously, has become a big issue in florida, really since the greorge zimmerman trial. and in your book, in "suspicion nation," you go in depth into the zimmerman trial. how in your mind did stand your ground influence the case against michael dunn? >> it was clearly part of both trials, the zimmerman trial and both trials. it was part of closing arguments, it was part of the jury instructions, because stand your ground is part of the standard self-defense jury instruction in florida. that means that the jurors are told, just before they go to deliberate, that this defendant had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, under certain circumstances. we know in the zimmerman case that a couple of the jurors, afterwards, said, he had the right to stand his ground. and i think, joy, bigger picture, probably the most important part is that stand your ground is part of the collective consciousness now in florida and in the 26 other stand your ground states. people know, they have the right to stand their ground. they don't have to run away, they don't have to retreat if there's a threat. they can pull out a gun and

shoot. and michael dunn said immediately after this shooting, i know the law of self-defense. i know that what i did is okay. it's very similar to george zimmerman, who was schooled in the law of self-defense. and i think just the knowledge that stand your ground is there, that it's part of the law, empowers some people to take a gun out and shoot, under circumstances which they feel are threatening. >> and kendall, i want to go back to you. the other sort of issue, just in analyzing the case, there have been criticisms of state attorney angela corey, that she overcharged in the case. she charged first-degree murder against michael, against mr. dunn, and she also charged first-degree attempted murder, but the jury wound up convicting on second-degree attempted murder. do you feel, in your opinion, feel that this case was overcharged? and when the retrial comes, what do you think about state attorney cory say she will retry on first-degree murder? >> i don't think it was overcharged. it was aggressively charged. but certainly, given the scenario that we've seen in this

case, and i don't need to review the facts, joy, you've talked about them before. but he fires nine or ten shots. unarmed teenager. he doesn't -- he takes off from the authorities afterwards. doesn't even mention to anybody that he's very, very close to that there was, quote, a gun there. this was properly charged as a first-degree murder case. now we know this defendant is facing a minimum of 60 years. so while there may be a sense that justice is incomplete and there may be a mixed message for some coming out of this case, simply because first-degree murder resulted in a hung trial, the punishment part of this case is not incomplete. 47-year-old guy, minimum of 60 years in prison, lying ahead. that is effectively a life sentence. >> so, going back to you, lisa bloom, on one other issue. and you talk a lot about this, we hear you speak about the issue of race and how it was used in the trial. i want to play a little bit of john guy. john guy, one of the state

attorneys who prosecuted mr. dunn, and a little bit of his closing rebuttal argument, and then i want to get you to react to an issue that was used or not used, and that is the issue of race. let's listen to assistant state attorney john guy during his closing rebuttal. >> jordan davis didn't have a weapon. he had a big mouth. and that defendant wasn't going to stand for it. and it cost jordan davis his life. this case is not about self-defense, it's about self-denial from that defendant. that's why it's not a self-defense case. that's why it's a murder case. he didn't have to shoot him. he decided to shoot him. >> now, lisa, one thing that was not used in the rebuttal in the closing arguments was explicitly the issue of race. and what -- how do you think that that impacted the outcome

in this trial? >> so, first of all, john guy had the same strategy in the zimmerman case, which is a lot of rhetorical flourishes, a very dramatic vocal style. that's on the plus side. on the negative side is, he doesn't effectively connect the evidence with the law and bring it home for the jury. i mean, let's be clear about what this verdict was. the prosecution won on all of the easiest charges. they won that this man can't take a gun and shoot at a fleeing car. those are the charges they won on. they didn't win on the top charge, taking the human life of a 17-year-old. and to do that, they had to show malice, hatred, or ill will. and to do that, they should have brought in the evidence of racial animus that michael dunn handed them on a silver platter by writing racist letters from prison, that the authorities then had. there's no explanation that i can think of, as to why they didn't use that. they could have used it in response to the many defense witnesses who testified that michael dunn was gentle and peaceful. and i think someone who says,

openly, i'm prejudiced against african-americans, he said, the more i get to know these people, the more prejudice id am against them, he called these young men thugs and gangsters, although they were just kids coming back from the mall. they should have been used to show hatred and ill will. that would have rebutted the self-defense claim. and they didn't do that because they were afraid to talk about race in this case, just as they were in the zimmerman case. they appeared to have not learned any lessons from the big loss they took in the zimmerman case. >> it's exactly that point i want to pick up on the other side of the break. so stay there. i also want to bring in the panel when we come back, and we'll take a look at some of the specific things that were said in the courtroom during this case and that's coming up next. y is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy. ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! ♪ we are one, under the sun ♪ under the sun... [ female announcer ] fiber and protein. together as one.

introducing new fiber one protein cereal. anybody have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three types of good bacteria. i should probably take this. live the regular life. phillips'. a steel cage: death match of midsize sedans. the volkswagen passat against all comers. turbocharged engines against...engines. best in class rear legroom against other-class legroom.

but then we realized. consumers already did that. twice. huh. maybe that's why nobody else showed up. how does one get out of a death cage? vo: right now, get 0.9% apr on all passat models plus a total of $1000 in bonuses. crest 3d white whitestrips vs. a whitening pen. i feel like my lips are going to, like, wash it off. these fit nicely. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white whitestrips keep the whitening ingredient in place, guaranteeing professional level results. crest whitestrips. the way to whiten.

did the defendant say anything about the music when he parked the car next to the red car? >> yes. >> and what did the defendant

say? >> i hate that thug music. >> and what was your response to the defendant? >> i said, yes, i know. >> that was rhonda rouer, the girlfriend of michael dunn, testifying to the opinion of the, quote, thug music playing in the car where jordan davis was sitting with his friends. and this was dunn's attorney, cory thohla making his argument. >> you know who didn't duck? jordan davis. you know why he didn't duck? because he was getting out of the car with a weapon, after telling michael dunn, you're dead [ bleep ]. this is going down now. you have four men against one. >> those are some of the moments during the trial, when racial overtones may have seemed readily apparent in a case where a white man was accused of killing an frafrican-american teen. and yet the question of race was

not expressly evoked in the case. we have lisa bloom and with me in the studio are jelani cobb with the university of connecticu connecticut, and the executive director of the metropolitan center for urban education. rincu sen, the executive president of the race forward, and publisher of colorlines.com, and michael denzel smith, a writer for the nation.com and a nobler fellow at the nation institute. so i want to go right to you guys on the panel and sort of get your reactions to what you just heard. sort of the framing, jelani, of this case by the dunn defense. >> well, i mean, a few weeks ago, we heard richard sherman say that when people were calling him a thug, they were using that as a reference for the "n" word.

they couldn't use that word, but they could use the word "thug," so that's what they were saying in coded language. that's the same thing here. it's also too perfectly neat. in the zimmerman trial, we saw the allegation that trayvon martin, that told him that he was going to kill him and this is how he knew that his life was in jeopardy. a perfect tailor-made statement that says, at this point, i know, because this person has said it, and now allegedly jordan savvis says the exact same thing as he's get out of the car. and it really just lends itself to incredulity that people can see the situation and not convict this person of a crime on that count. >> skmooiblg, there's a visceral reaction that a lot of people had to this case, and a lot of it was similar to the zimmerman case, where even though michael dunn was convicted on four counts that could send him to jail to life, people had an anxiety about the case. what was your initial reaction to the case, and what would you say to people who say, listen, this guy will spend a lot of

time in jail if his appeal isn't successful, that should satisfy people in this case. >> i'm tired. i'm tired of being -- i'm tireded of trying to come up with words to talk about young black children being dead, being killed. i'm tired of trying to look at the parents go through what they have to go through to know the names of black children for all of the wrong reasons. i'm physically, emotionally exhausted of this. but i'm not surprised that a racist system produces a racist result. we can, like, sit here and be happy that he's going to go to jail for the rest of his life, if that's how you feel, if you believe in the american justice system, in some capacity, that that then brings justice to someone. it brings justice to anyone. but the fact is that jordan davis is dead. trayvon martin is dead, renisha mcbride, marley graham, jonathan farrell. the list keeps going on and on and i'm tired.

>> i want to pun pack that just a little bit, rinku, because is this a racist result? you had a justice system prosecute michael dunn for the shooting. a jury, using the law they had, convicted him on four counts, out of five. is this a racist result or is this the way the criminal justice system is supposed to play out? i mean, he was convicted of something. >> well, the big problem here is that we're still debating whether or not race is a factor in this case and in this trial. and for as long as we're debating if, we cannot get to the how. so, from my perspective, the problem with the way the prosecution has carried out both of these trials now is that by refusing to put race on the table, they enable the bias that stand your ground codifies to continue and to remain invisible, remain unclear and hidden. so, tania weathersby had a great

piece where she said, what michael dunn respected from that interaction was not respect, but submission. stand your ground laws codify that expectation of submission from young black people to white men, and by not raising that at all during the trial itself, the prosecution enables that expectation to remain as an unwritten rule that is embedded into the stand your ground laws. so, unless we're going to deal with that in the course of justice being carried out, then we're never going to get to what the racial dimensions of the law, and the system are, and the behavior are. what are the racial dimensions of the behavior of these shooters. in truth, i think fighting stand your ground laws, it's the anti-lynchi ining movement of o time. that's the way we have to think

about what is required to actually have americans be able to really understand what is going on underneath those laws and have -- develop the will to take them down. >> can i add something really quickly? i think that it's important to recognize that when a prosecutor walks into prosecute a black defendant, they have the wind at their back. and you know, what i think is implicit here, in both the martin case and the davis case, that they do not have the same sort of capacity to utilize race when the defendant is a white person. >> well, i want to play just for a moment, and then get pedro's response to it. so this is state attorney john guy, did sort of try to make an argument that brings in some of the elements that we're talking about. he didn't explicitly say race, but let's just listen to part of the closing rebuttal and the way that john guy chose to frame the jordan davis versus michael dunn situation. >> gangsters.

that's a telling word, label, that he used to describe the people. gangsters. jordan davis, 17-year-old, wolfson high school student is a gangster now, because the music was up loud. thugs. he said in his interview and his letter. thugs, waiting for the thugs to come back. really? you've met them. you've met them now. it's your call. are any of them thugs or gangsters? >> pedro, was that somehow not explicit enough? >> well, i think race is invoked, but in the most insidious way, through the stereotypes. through the stereotypes that the defense attorney uses in characterizing michael and his companions, and even through

some of the lack that the prosecutor uses. he calls them loud-mouths, right? so, again, this is to a white jury, again, their imagination goes into, these are the kinds of young people that my i might be threatened by. so the problem is that it's never, as rinku said, brought out explicitly on the table. what's going on here. why is it this man feels threatened by these young people? does he have a history of feeling animosity towards african-americans? that's never wrought up in the case. and therefore, we're looking at the case in a vacuum, even though the context is being shaped by these powerful, heavily loaded racial stereotypes, which i think results in the kind of verdict that we found. >> so, kendall, just to bring you back in, is there something about the law, the stand your ground law itself, that encourages that kind of framing or makes it difficult to bring an issue of race, because you really don't need to do it. you just feneed to prove that yr

client had a reasonable fear. >> well, i think that the prosecution is trying to, perhaps, avoid adding to the apparent racial reality of the situation like that, because jurors can react strongly to it. there's going to be white jurors on the case. they don't want holdout jurors that get confused, perhaps. i'm speculating. but there's no doubt that when you put more emotional issues into a case, sometimes you don't know how it's going to affect the jury and sometimes you get jurors that are going to feel strongly and it could end up holding out. but in terms of what stand your ground does, which i think is a huge problem, it makes it easier, frankly, for white people, in a very lame, slim, basis of self-defense, to say, yeah, i was afraid for my life, i thought i saw a gun, i heard him say he was coming to kill me, so i had to go get my gun and defend myself. that is the kind of formula that i think is frightening, and that

kind of formula, frankly, seemed to at least create a reasonable doubt in some jurors' minds last night. >> and lisa, final thought to you. is there a risk that if prosecutors explicitly invoke race, that you will, potentially, get a backlash from white jurors who might resent that framing by the prosecutor. >> no, because it can be done properly. and i talk in my book about courts where race is talked about in a very effective manner. for example, judges who say during jury instructions, racial bias is a part of our culture. we don't like it, but most of us walk around with explicit racial biases, including me. and i ask you to put that aside during your jury instructions. do not consider that one person, because of the color of his skin, is more threatening and if you have any problem with this concept, consider switching the races of the two men involved here and see if you would come out with the same kind of verdict. this is done in doctor's office, when doctors treat black and white patients differently, they

can be educated to stop doing that. police officers can be trained to get over their racial biases and jurors can do. it can be done. it doesn't have to be done in a confrontational, finger pointing way and it needs to start happening in these florida courtrooms. >> lisa bloom in burbank, california, and kendall coffey in austin, texas, thanks very much. >> thank you. all right, coming up next, the broader conversation sparked nationwide, once again by the untimely death of a young black man. [ male announcer ] this is george. the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪ ♪ ♪ where you think you're gonna go ♪ ♪ when your time's all gone? [ male announcer ] live a full life. the new lexus ct hybrid with an epa estimated 42 mpg. the further you go, the more interesting it gets.

lease the 2014 ct 200h for $299 a month for 27 months. see your lexus dealer.

oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪ i takbecause you can't beatrning for zero heartburn. woo hoo! kinda. [ male announcer ] prilosec otc is the number one doctor recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 8 straight years. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. when jake and i first set out on we ate anything.

but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we'll be there for each other. naturally. purina cat chow naturals. the killing of jordan davis and the trial of michael dunn renewed debate over the stand your the ground law, that first reached national prominence after george zimmerman went 44 days before being charged in the killing of trayvon martin. but it also brought attention once again to the perception of young black men in america. and one of my guests today has written eloquently about how it feels to live with the burden of those perceptions. this week for thenation.com,

mychal denzel smith wrote a column titled "how to create a thug." in it, he tells the story of being approached by a man who thought he knew where to find drugs, seemingly, just because he's black. and of the decision not to respond aggressively, mychal writes, i made my choice last night on the basis of feeling that i had something to legal cause. i haven't always felt that way. being black in america feels like having nothing. imagine having to make that decision, when every muscle in your body tells you to do otherwise. imagine having to make that decision when you don't know how to operate on anything but anger. imagine having to make that decision on an almost daily basis. imagine having to make the decision when you're sure there isn't a future for you in this world. imagine having to make that decision knowing it could be your last. are we still thugs now? so, mychal, when you wrote that, after that incident, i mean, you're a successful writer. you're somebody who would -- i mean, anyone objectively would

say has made it in this society. how is it that that made you feel like you had nothing? >> because the burden of racism is such that you don't really have anything. at least, that's the feeling. because i walk around in this young black male body, and i understand that it causes fear, it causes a reaction, it causes, you know, police to look at me more carefully. it could kill me. like, this is the burden that i live, just by virtue of having been born black and living in america, is the fact that i have been born into a racist system, a racist society that has placed on my black male body a set of ideas that invoke fear in people. and that's what jordan davis is dealing with,that's what trayvon martin was dealing, and that's what killed them.

i know that i still have that possibility. i still walk around in a black male body in the united states of america and that can get me killed >> and it's 2014. i mean -- >> we all have this frame of reference, you know, i think like getting a ticket where admittedly, i was going a little bit in excess of the speed limit, but, you know, a police officer pulled me over, and then radioed for another police officer, they boxed me in. and then, you know, proceeded to come over to the car. and i was sitting there, trying to make sure i didn't make any gesture whatsoever that could be interpreted, saying this person is going for a weapon. and i remember, i was coming from class, i had a suit and tie, and like, this is kind of completely immaterial that i'm a professor, that i'm associated with the university, that i've written books and so on, i very easily could have ended up in a circumstance where i could have been dead on the highway. that's a very common reality for us. and i think the other thing about this, invariably, someone will hear this and say, what

about black-on-black crime, and african-americans are more likely to kill each other and so on, i think this is really ridiculous. what we're really talking about is a way the system codifies and turns a blind eye to the consequences of it. if a black person because kill another black person, we know this person will likely be arrested and will not say, you had reason to be in fear of your life. but if this other person does, whether it be law enforcement or someone like michael dunn, you have the explicit sanction that this person has the right to behave this way. >> and the same racism that kills us with police or these white vigilantes is the same racism that produces the situations in which black-on-black crime or black-on-black violence thrives. >> we're not done talking about this, this issue. because young men of color in america and the challenges that they face is obviously very important. and this week, president obama weighed in. he launched a bold new

initiative on exactly that. and we're going to have that story, coming up next. blend for each of us. [ female announcer ] covergirl janelle monae. blend of punk and funk. her trublend? deep 6. it blends seamlessly for a flawless nude look. even up close. [ female announcer ] find your trublend. covergirl makes it easy, breezy, beautiful. does your mouth often feel dry? a dry mouth can be a side effect of many medications but it can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath. that's why there's biotene. available as an oral rinse, toothpaste, spray or gel, biotene can provide soothing relief, and it helps keep your mouth healthy, too. remember, while your medication is doing you good, a dry mouth isn't. biotene -- for people who suffer from dry mouth. this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent,

you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups.

you want everything.orkseve they're light. an expert ford technician knows your car's health depends on a full, complete checkup. the works. because when it comes to feeling safe behind the wheel, going the distance and saving at the pump you want it all. get our multi-point inspection with a a synthetic blend oil change, tire rotation, brake inspection and more for $29.95 or less. get a complete vehicle checkup. only at your ford dealer.

the challenges facing young men of color in this country are not lost on its leader. when president obama talks about race, it's often in a deeply personal way, about his experiences as a black man. >> and i stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my herita heritage. >> at various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either too black or not black enough. >> any had a son, he'd look like trayvon. >> another way of saying that is that trayvon martin could have been me, 35 years ago. there are very few african-american men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. that includes me. >> but when it comes to policy,

rarely has the president created or advocated for policies that explicitly target black and other minority communities. instead, the president often speaks in broad race-neutral terms about his presidency and about his policies, and has defended those policies to critics who says he doesn't do enough for african-americans. here's what he told black enterprise magazine in 2012 when asked about his support for black businesses. quote, i want all businesses to succeed. i want all americans to have opportunity. i'm not the president of black america, i'm the president of the united states of america. in that interview, the president said his banking policies had helped all kinds of people who had been locked out of traditional lending. that they were broad, but ultimately had a positive effect for african-american business owners. it's similar to how the white house has described other policies. the white house has put out statements with titles like, how the affordable care act will benefit african-americans. the affordable care act helps the african-americans, and the affordable care act gives frips greater control over their own health care.

making the point that the law disproportionately benefits african-americans, because they're disproportionately more likely to lack health insurance. now, well beyond its first term, and with his attorney general coming out swinging on voting rights and drug sentencing disparities, president obama is creating a new program that explicitly sets out to help a very specific group, young men of color. the president spoke briefly about the new program in his state of the union address last month, and made mention of the especially tough odds young men of color face. >> i'm reaching out to some of america's leading foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help more young men of color facing especially tough odds to stay on track and reach their full potential. >> the white house announced the program this week. it will be known by one of the president's favorite phrases when talking about american values, my brother's keeper. according to the white house, my brother's keeper will pull together corporations, foundations, and federal agencies to improve literacy and

early learning and job opportunities, and to reform disciplinary policies in order to keep boys in school and out of the criminal justice system. what one administration called the school to prison pipeline. we don't have that many details yet about how the program will work, and we simply can't know whether it will work, but what's notable is the announcement has not been couched in race neutrality, in terms of positive or disadvantage, without mentioning that children of color are disproportionately impacted by those very things. it's explicitly directed at improving opportunities for young men of color. it's explicitly about race. stay right there. up next, my panel talks race and the president. one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small.

american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. a steel cage: death match of midsize sedans. the volkswagen passat against all comers. turbocharged engines against...engines. best in class rear legroom against other-class legroom. but then we realized. consumers already did that. twice. huh. maybe that's why nobody else showed up. how does one get out of a death cage? vo: right now, get 0.9% apr on all passat models plus a total of $1000 in bonuses.

add vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance and get $100 off your deductible for every year of safe driving. which means you could save... a lot of benjamins. we put members first, because we don't have shareholders. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ to help me become an olympian, she was pretty much okay with me turning her home 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. ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. purina dog chow light & healthy ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy. the president's new my brother's keeper initiative to help young men of color in school and out of prison is an answer to long-held criticisms by some in the black community who say the president has not done enough to use his unique

position as the first african-american president to address the problems of long, marginalized communities. pedro, i want to ask you first, what do you think is the significance of the white house coming out and doing this program that is so explicitly about black and brown young men? >> well, i think it's significant because addressing the issue of race directly has been a challenge for this president all along. and i'm sympathetic to the difficulty he faces. i know his opponents, who will always accuse him of race baiting, of favoritism of various kinds, but he can't avoid this issue. he's avoided it for too long as it is. we have these large incarceration rates, we have very high unemployment rates the new york city, over 50% of black males are unemployed. and this is a pattern we see throughout the country. so to not address it, while he's the president, i think is a major omission. now the question is, what is this policy going to look like? is it going to focus only on the kind of feel-good efforts or is it going to address some of the structural barriers that result in higher unemployment, higher

incarceration, higher dropout rates? and i think that's what we need to look out very carefully. because, so far, i have not been impressed with what's come out of the white house in this area. >> so the pushback, if you do look at those numbers. we look at youth unemployment, black youth unemployment is 38%. it's more than double white youth unemployment. the imprisonment rates, two-thirds of inmates are people of color, high school graduation rates. black male high school graduation is only 57%, white male, 79%, so you have all these empirical data, but it's not like that data just started happening when barack obama became president. these are things that have been the case for a generation. realistically, what should the expectations be from the african-american community for this president? >> in terms of political relationships, you never benefit by letting your elected leaders off the hook. even if they're in a difficult position. i don't think it's ever in your best interests to say, oh, we understand how difficult this is. i think it's always in your best position, your best interests, as a constituent to say, try

harder, do something different, be more creative. and that's just the kind of hard-nosed transactional nature of why you go into a polling place and pull down a lever or press a button to make somebody -- give somebody an elected office. secondarily, you know, when the president ran, when he first decided to run, he said the rationale for his campaign, in a field of really talented leaders, was that if he won, it would say to young people of color, that they were capable of accomplishing anything. so i think he's really trying to test that out. because when we look at it, statistically, we're saying, okay, it's possible for one person to achieve something extraordinary, but what about the entire mass of young people who find their conditions to be stagnant and difficult and facing jeopardy in the legal system and physical jeopardy by someone who can shoot them and not necessarily face criminal charges for it. and all these other kind of dynamics. i think those things are important to keep in mind. >> but isn't the greatest power the president had the power of his example? there is an argument to say that

his position in and of itself has a power. >> well, sure. yes, but, is it the greatest power that he has? i thought the greatest power he had was the power to move policy forward. >> if congress will pass it. >> yes. well, even if congress doesn't pass it, advancing a policy idea, for example, would make a big difference in the debate. i'm cynical, for example, about the public/private partnership thing. it seems to me that there is still just too much money and too much white advantage to be gained through the continued disadvantaging of young men of color. and the notion that corporations without any kind of rule making, that corporations without that are going to somehow dramatically change their hiring practices and provide lots of new employment opportunities to young men of color, i'm really cynical about that.

and some of these initiatives on young men of color are driven with contradictions. right here in new york city, mayor bloomberg put together $127 million initiative to provide tutoring and support services and new employment opportunities to young men of color, even as he rabidly defended stop and frisk as a policy and practice of new york city. so it seems to me that one of the things the president could do is really help people understand that relationship between the individual and the system. and make sure that this particular initiative addresses the system, not just in government, but also in private practice. >> and i think, just a final thought there. are we putting so much of a burden on one person that we're letting a lot of the people downstream, in terms of local off the hook? >> well, i think that's an important point. that it's not simply the president, but the president is the leader of the country. so he has to set a tone. and hopefully it's a tone that

will then filter into congress, the mayors of our big cities, because, you're right. they all have a responsibility the to play in addressing these issues. but i would, again, focus on the issue of opportunity, and the lack of opportunity for young men of color today in america. >> all right. well, thank you very much. and up next, the president isn't the only one in the administration speaking more openly about race. we'll talk about how attorney general eric holder's voice keeps getting louder and clearer. ght damage your hair? don't be. ♪ [ female announcer ] new pantene brings new repair & protect. first ever pro-v antioxidant systems. clinically proven to make hair healthier. healthier with every wash. healthier looking hair every day? i want that. ♪ [ female announcer ] new hair, new you. new repair & protect from new pantene. hair so healthy you shine.

from new pantene. i asked my husband to pay our bill, and he forgot. you have the it card and it's your first time missing a payment, so there's no late fee. really? yep! so is your husband off the hook? no. he went out for milk last week and came back with a puppy. hold it. hold it. hold it. at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card with late payment forgiveness. starts with freshly-made pasta, and 100% real cheddar cheese. but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family.

if there's one member of the president's cabinet that has spoken openly and plainly about race since the beginning of the administration, it's attorney general eric holder. >> though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial, we have always been, and we, i believe, continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. >> mr. holder, who has been vigilant in taking on voter

disenfranchiseme disenfranchisement, with lawsuits in texas and north carolina, where voting laws disproportionately impact people of color, is now pushing the issue even further. this past week, the attorney general urged states to law former felons to vote after they've served their time, and made clear that felony disenfranchisement has its roots and perpetrates racial discrimination. >> and although well over a century has passed since post-reconstruction states use these measures to strip african-americans of their most fundamental rights, the impact of felony disenfranchisement on modern communities of color remains both disproportionate and unacceptable. >> so, michael, that felony disenfranchisement piece is really key, right? because there are 11 states, including florida, that ban voting even after someone has served their time, even after they've been off of parole. and that leaves 5.85 million americans unable to vote. that's been something that eric holder has been very proactive on. how key and important is that? >> that's very important. i mean, we've seen, since 2000,

especially, the discrepancies that happen in elections when you disenfranchise voters. and this is a key demographic that has been systemically disenfranchised. so kudos to eric holder. that was one of the moments during the state of union when barack obama said, you know, we have to protect the rights of everyone to vote. and it's like, well, i hope you were doing something on felony disenfranchisement. but as we talk about this and give people kudos on this movement, i want to -- and we've been talking a lot about young men of color or black men of color. like, black men, that we not allow the racial narrative to just be a masculine narrative, that we don't leave women out of this conversation. >> absolutely. and i think, in terms of -- that's a great point. but just on the broader narrative of explicit racial policy, like you were talking before, we have to have policy, that is actually policy. and you know what, eric holder does work for someone, and it's the president, right? >> it's a really, really

positive movement we've had coming out of the department of justice over the last year, for sure. and a little bit longer than that. a related motion in that department is new guidelines around school discipline policies. we know, from years and years of data, and just from the life stories of our kids, who are going to school, that the path to prison often starts at school. >> and this is for girls as well as boys. michael makes a good on the, this can't be just limited to young men of color. >> and in some ways, the gender dynamics are effective on girls of zero tolerance policies at schools, for example, are even more dramatic, because there's an expectation of mellowness or good behavior from girls, and if that expectation is busted, then the punishment can be really, really disproportionate. >> and i'm wondering, pedro, if we tend to give eric holder more credit, because he does have

more latitudes in a lot of ways. he's not president of the united states. he's able to zero in on policy in terms of his position. so he does get a disproportionate share of the credit versus the president for being able to talk about race. >> i think he deserves a lot of credit for his willingness to be so forthright in directly addressing these issues of injustice. i think focusing on the disenfranchisement of felons will be a huge change, if that could occur. the president, i think, walks a fine line. and as we know, he's attacked for everything he does. so the fact that he's willing to support his attorney general and empower him to take these kinds of positions, i think, says a lot for the administration and for the president. >> all right. pedro, i want to thank you so much for being here. the rest of the panel is coming back in the next hour. coming up next, the latest on college football star michael sam and why coming out is so complicated in 2014. and also, a big announcement, a whole new way for you to interact with this show and melissa harris-perry. more nerdland at the top of the hour. so ally bank has a raise your rate cd

that won't trap me in a rate. that's correct. cause i'm really nervous about getting trapped. why's that? uh, mark? go get help! i have my reasons. look, you don't have to feel trapped with our raise your rate cd. if our rate on this cd goes up, yours can too. oh that sounds nice. don't feel trapped with the ally raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally. we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. and we're here to help start yours.

crest 3d white whitestrips vs. a whitening pen. i feel like my lips are going to, like, wash it off. these fit nicely. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white whitestrips keep the whitening ingredient in place, guaranteeing professional level results. crest whitestrips. the way to whiten. g♪aranteeing professional level results. ♪ ♪ 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.

this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups. ♪ ♪ be powerful... ...connect. verizon. the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪

welcome back. i'm joy reid, in for melissa harris-perry. when it come s to coming out, i many ways, these are the best of times. we're in an incredible era of lbgt acceptance and legal rights. take a look at what happened in virginia late last thursday. a federal judge struck down that state's ban on same-sex marriage. the judge issued a stay on a ruling pending an appeal, but virginia's new democratic attorney general has said he won't defend the ban in a federal court. if marriage equality in a southern state like virginia once seemed unthinkable, how about lbgt acceptance in sports? in the last year, we've seen jason collins, wnba number one pick, brittney griner, diver tom daly, and soccer star robby

rogers all reveal publicly they are gay, lesbian, or bisexual. only one of those, greiner, the world women's basketball star, did what michael sam just did, come out at the very start of their pro careers. sam, an all-american defensive end at the university of missouri, announced he is gay. early last week, in an interviews with espn and "the new york times." since sam is eligible for may's nfl draft, pro football may have its first active player who is openly gay. almost immediately, sam was met with a flood of support from his teammates at missouri and even from the twitter accounts of president obama and first lady michelle obama. "sports illustrated" published a bold cover, america is ready for michael sam, while also asking, is the nfl ready for michael sam? many nfl players and alumni said, yes, and the league itself issued a statement that said, quote, readmire michael sam's honesty and courage. michael is a football player. any player with ability and

determination can succeed in the nfl. we look forward to welcoming and supporting michael sam in 2014. but when asking who is part of this "we," that's where it gets a little tricky. terrell thomas of the new york giants offered this to the "new york post" about sam being gay. quote, i don't believe in it, i don't respect it, but if that's what you want to do, so bit." and the "we" may not even include michael sam's own father. michael sam sr. who got the news about his own son a week before the world did was quoted by "the new york times" as saying he's old school, a man and a woman type of guy, and deacon jones is, quote, turning over in his grave. sam's father later alleged he was terribly misquoted by t"the time times", which stood by its report. the response to michael sam's revelation suggests that even in 2014, even as more lbgt americans step into the spotlight, coming out is still complicated. joining me now, jelani cobb,

dory clark, author of "reinventing you," rinku sen, president and executive director of race forward, and wade davis, executive director of the you can play project. and from las vegas, dave zirin, the sports editor for "the nation" magazine. there's been a lot of positive reaction to michael sam coming out, but then you have the other side of it. you have that espn story, where a lot of people off the record, who work in the nfl in the front office were saying, you know what, we might have really ruined his draft prospects. do you think that michael sam will have a harder time making a team because he's come out? >> well, that's an open question. the nfl is on the clock. and we will find out on draft day how much of this is just rhetoric, because they don't want to look like a retrograde, homophobic league, and how much of it is actually real. it's interesting how much relates to your last hour. if the word of the last hour is

the way that things like "thug" become stand-ins for slurs because of the color of their skin, the word on this issue is distraction, that's the code word. will it be a distraction to have an lbgt person in the locker room. it reminds me of that thing wlik how does it feel to be a problem. how does it feel to be a distraction, if who you are is seen as a negative. the story has moved so quickly. one day you have michael sam and people are celebrating. the next day, anonymous comments with things that are just outrageous, they sound like outtakes from the movie "anchorman," like he'll alter the chemical balance in the locker room. and my personal favorite, one nfl executive said, how are we going to handle the "today" show and "good housekeeping" knocking at the locker room door? if you're scared of "good housekeeping," the media friendsis they "good housekeeping," you've got bigger problems than michael sam. and then after, you have the response from nfl owners, very image conscience saying, no, no, no, michael sam, there's a place for him in the national football

league of the 21st century, but the answer will really happen on draft day. >> i've got to bring this out to the panel. i'll throw this out to whoever wants to take it. is it homophobic to call michael sam a distraction? >> i don't think so. i think what nfl people say is like, they're worried about the media. that's the honest truth. like, i've said in nfl meetings and with nfl execs, and they're not worried about the fact that they have a gay player in their league. they're worried about media people putting a mic in front of a player's face, and that player saying something, and the world saying the nfl is homophobic. yes, there is homophobia in the nfl, but the nfl as a space is not homophobic. it's like, it would be if someone said that congress was homophobic, because there are certain laws that aren't being passed to help lbgt people. i think we have to look at it from a different perspective and say, wow, there are players who offered amazing support for michael sam, and they are the majority of what the nfl is. >> and you played in the league. so you're saying in the locker

room, young michael sam will not have a problem, given the culture you experienced in the league, you don't think he'll have a problem given his teammates. >> he played in the minor leagues of the nfl. his teammates loved him. he played better once he came out. the nfl is not that much different. the same players that play in college play in the nfl and they're a little older, they're more mature. it all comes down to leadership. >> dory, i want to get into it a little bit. because dave zirin did raise that challenge, that the nfl image wise is worried this will be a distraction, because the media on the first day that michael sam plays for whatever team he gets on, will all be there talk to him. not to whoever the first round draft pick is. they'll get in that locker room and have 50 reporters there to talk to michael sam. how did your teammates treat you on your first day in the nfl? >> i think it's a legitimate worry. but what you want to see happen, and what i suspect will happen, on day one, focus will be on

michael sam, how are we adjust welcome day two, the focus will be back on football. if this can be a one-day story, that is the ideal for the nfl. because it shows we have moved beyond it. we are now post-weirdness about gay issues. we can focus on what matters, which is the game. >> i think when we look at -- we talk about jackie robinson a lot, you know, these days, and the question could have been asked, was jackie robinson a distraction. absolutely! his presence was a distraction. the question was, was there a bigger principle at play. and i think that is really the issue. like, and of course, having to confront the distraction of the issue of race meant that professional baseball had to actually deal with the broader society in which it operated. and i think that's what people should keep in mind about that. >> so, in a sense, rinku, is it a good thing if he's a distraction, because it forces the nfl to confront whatever home nobodyio there is existing in the league, in the locker room, and in the culture. >> it's clear there is some cultural change that needs to take place within the nfl. there's been a long report

released about an investigation of bullying at the miami dolphins, that came out last week. there was a long "new york times"tory about it. and that report really drills down into a number of harassment and other kind of incidents. and i think the question that arises is how do you change the culture of a team, of an institution? and as my colleague here has suggested, it has to start at the top, but it has to include intention, behavior, and rules. none of those things, by themselves, without the other two, is going to guarantee, for example, that someone like michael sam can make his career without homophobia. >> well, dave, can you speak to that for a second? there is an issue of the culture, right, within the nfl? the broader culture that trickles down to the peewee leagues in terms of football. is michael sam forcing a conversation that has to be had in order to backtrack on some of

the bullying culture, et cetera, in the nfl? >> to me, there's no question about that. and i think that there's a real revelatory moment here, where we're also seeing what the nfl does and does not consider a distraction. and that needs to be confronted as well. because, hey, 5,000 players sue the league for head injuries, not a distraction. a team's billion-dollar brand that is a racist name, i'm talking to you, washington, not a washington. a commissioner who makes over $40 million a year, not a distraction. the coddling of players who have real issues with spousal abuse and violence against women, not a distraction. yet, somehow, who you choose to love on your own time, that is seen as a distraction. and i think that's part of what needs to be confronted. like with jackie robinson. you know, mark twain said history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. and there is a lot of rhyming with the period of jackie robins robinson. it's not the same, but there are a lot of echoes in terms of like, is it a distraction? maybe it is objectively, but guess what, get over yourself, nfl. >> stay right there, david.

stay right there, everybody. up next, we'll have a question that everybody is asking. which is this. why is it necessary to come out at all? we will show you michael sam's answer. [ female announcer ] starting with the cocoa bean, and five simple whole grains, new multigrain cheerios dark chocolate crunch is breakfast... with benefits. start your day with a delicious new crunch. healthy never tasted so good. i think we both are clean freaks. i used to scrub the floor on my knees. [ daughter ] i've mastered the art of foot cleaning. oh, boy. oh, boy. oh, boy. [ carmel ] that drives me nuts. it gives me anxiety just thinking about how crazy they get. [ doorbell rings ] [ daughter ] oh, wow. [ carmel ] swiffer wetjet. you guys should try this. it's so easy. oh, my. [ gasps ] i just washed this floor. if i didn't see it i wouldn't believe it. [ carmel ] it did my heart good to see you cleaning. [ regina ] yeah, your generation has all the good stuff. [ daughter ] oh, yeah. [ regina ] yeah, your generation has all the good stuff. a steel cage: death match of midsize sedans. the volkswagen passat against all comers.

turbocharged engines against...engines. best in class rear legroom against other-class legroom. but then we realized. consumers already did that. twice. huh. maybe that's why nobody else showed up. how does one get out of a death cage? vo: right now, get 0.9% apr on all passat models plus a total of $1000 in bonuses. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® when jake and i first set out on campbwe ate anything.quest. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors.

we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we'll be there for each other. naturally. purina cat chow naturals. bulldog: what what? bulldog: mattress discounters presidents day sale ends presidents day? but mattress discounters has the largest selection of memory foam mattresses under one roof! comforpedic, icomfort, optimum... even a queen-size sealy gel memory foam mattress for just $497. and wow! four years interest-free financing on the entire tempur-pedic cloud collection. better hurry, mattress discounters presidents day sale ends presidents day. ♪ mattress discounters

the nfl scouting combine starts next weekend in indianapolis. it's an annual spectacle for the most hard-core football fans, where every nfl prospect is poked and prodded and interviewed for a coveted spot in the national football league. the university of missouri's michael sam will be among them, and one question he may be asked by a team is why do this? why was it necessary for you to reveal that you were gay before you even get drafted and before you suit up in an nfl uniform. sam addressed that issue in his interview with espn's chris c n

connly last week. >> we suspected that all the scouts knew, because i did make it public to my team, and once scouts came and asked about me, you know, they told about, like, michael sam is gay. but i didn't know how many media actually knew. and i was afraid that it would leak out, without me actually owning my truth. i wanted to let the world know and tell them that, hey, i'm gay, let me tell my own story. >> so, wade, i want to ask you, because you've had this experience. you came out publicly after your playing career was finished. but is that really the dynamic that you expect to go on with him and his team? when you came out, what was the reaction of your teammates and people you played football? >> i had so many players who were upset with me, but they were upset i didn't trust and believe in them enough that they would accept me. i had guys saying, man, wade, you could have told me earlier, like, i would have loved you, like, you're a part of my family, which is the nfl family. and i think, like, michael sam isn't out to the public, but his teammates loved him and embraced him, the team played better, he played better. we really have to reimagine what

we think a sports culture is like. because a lot of us really just don't know. that's the real problem. we think because guys aren't out to the public, that they're not accepted. but, like, no, if your family knows, isn't that the most important thing to you? and shouldn't that be enough? >> and isn't the most important thing, this is the most macho sort of sport, right? so there is this perception, if you are publicly gay, people will start to question your machismo, whether or not you can be a brute on the field. >> one of the most striking things, having this conversation in the context of this report about jonathan martin, and you know, people kind of saying, well, look, they don't come much bigger than him. it's like, well, why can't this guy stand up for himself, and why can't he, you know, and so on, and almost kind of combining his masculinity. >> and it's the fans, not the players. >> i would say really quickly about that, jonathan martin is actually the logical outcome of

the society in which jordan davis and trayvon martin exist. and i know that as a man who's 6'3" and about 260 pounds. it is drilled into your head that, be careful, don't intimidate people. you never want to use violence. you might hurt someone accidentally and so on. and i can completely understand how somebody comes out on the other end of that saying, that you really are so conflict averse that a situation like that arises. >> and so, what does it mean for the nfl's image, that you now are attacking, both in the case about jonathan martin and in the michael sam case, these stripes that the fans have about the nfl. >> well, i think that it's really an important step forward, in a sense that what strikes me as most interesting, in terms of a branding perspective, because i work for a lot of major corporate clients. ultimately, if michael sam becomes the nfl superstar, if he becomes an equivalent of tom brady, it's possible he may have handicapped himself a little bit in terms of his ability to secure a wide group of sponsors. >> okay. >> however, if he is

statistically speaking, if he's a good player, if he's an average player, he's actually turbo charged his brand, because even if he were to access some endorsement deals, there are going to be brands that want to affiliate with him, specifically because he came out. he's viewed as a hero, he's viewed as courageous, as someone who speaks his mind. so i think it's really helped his career. and i think that the nfl ultimately, over the long-term, is going to benefit from the fact that he did it. because you want to wipe away any associations of homophobia or being old school. we're moving into the next century. the fact that michael sam is there, and if they're supporting him, it makes the nfl, as you were alluding to earlier, it makes it look like a much better and more modern institution. >> so, dave, tougher question for you. what if he doesn't make a team? what are the implications, what if he doesn't make a team and the teams are saying, look, he didn't fit in our squad. they have other reasons for not signing him.

he doesn't make a team, but now we have this hanging out there, he came out as gay and then doesn't make a team. does it now go all to his sexual orientation rather than the league making a decision not to sign him? >> well, yes. they'll have to sell the idea that the s.e.c. defensive player of the year, and keep in mind, eight of the last nine s.e.c. defensive players of the year were drafted in the first round. a lot of people argue that going from the s.e.c. to a team like the jacksonville jaguars is a demotion, in numerous ways. and here is michael sam and he can't even make an nfl club. and they'll try to sell that on the basis of football ability? no, no, no. that crow won't fly. they'll have to figure out a way to actually understand that this is the 21st century, and that will be much more of a challenge for the nfl, because it's one of those things where everybody says, in theory, oh, no, no, we have no problem with this whatsoever, but general managers are so risk averse and the league is so conservative, it's

going to take someone having a degree of courage to make this choice and say, i actually do care about the content of his character, not just on martin luther king's birthday, not just because there's a microphone in my face, but in actuality. >> you have the people at the top, sort of the suits are a lot more risk averse and conservative than even people on the field. even though, let's be clear, it hasn't been universal. there have been some players that have thrown some shade at michael sam as well. but we do see, the league itself is a lot more afraid than the players seem to be. >> well, that reflects what often happens in our communities, which is that a kind of subculture emerges around the lived realities of the people who live in that community or are a part of that community, the players on a team, the tenants in a building, the kids who go to a skoo. and when people have to, in fact, work it out, they do work it out. it's that the system, so behavior starts to change, but the rules don't, necessarily

change. so we're in a situation at the nfl, it seems like now, where a good deal of behavior has actually changed in football teams. and michael sam has been experiencing that change. it's a change that comes out of the reality of the people that you're with. and the question is going to be, will those kinds of intentions and behaviors get institutionalized now throughout the league. >> and i think athletes are used to this. like, athletes exist in spaces where guys from different races, different classes, andi inthey e it work because it's a family and a team. >> coming up, i want to dig deeper into the new report out on the miami dolphin's bullying story. y at rest... y at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion.

because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat,

or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. when i go in there, i want to be awesome too. so i've gone totally pro with crest pro-health. [ male announcer ] go pro with crest pro-health. [ tisola ] the first time i tried crest pro-health, it felt different, i mean it felt clean. [ male announcer ] crest pro-health protects all these areas dentists check most. she's going to do backflips when she sees this. [ male announcer ] 4 out of 5 dentists didn't spot the difference between a professional clean and a pro-health clean. i am extremely impressed. i guess that's what happens when you go pro. [ male announcer ] go pro with crest pro-health. excuse me, did you say you want to see my teeth? oh, i'm sorry. i have a cold with this annoying runny nose.

[ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that. it doesn't? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting antihistamine. oh, what a relief it is! purina pro plan can help him drachieve it.ne. ♪ driving rock/metal music stops ♪music resumes music stops ♪music resumes [announcer] purina pro plan's bioavailable formulas deliver optimal nutrient absorption. [whistle] purina pro plan. nutrition that performs. nfl prospect michael sam's revelation that he's gay has been greeted largely with support and congratulations. but he has his share of skeptics, some of whom work for

nfl teams. experts predict that sam could be chosen in the second or third round or at least by the fifth round in may. but one expert told peter king that sam would not be selected at all. others told kim anonymously that sam's draft stock will suffer. keep in mind, we're not talking about some third string scrub, we're talking about michael sam, who racked up 11 1/2 sacks last season, an average, and was voted team mvp of a missouri squad that went 12-2 last season, and he was co-defensive player of the year in the toughest conference in the ncaa. so, dave, you said that everyone in that position previous to michael sam has really gone first round. the previous picks before he came out where he goes second through fifth, you're in vegas, mr. vegas. what is your prediction now. how high does michael sam go in the draft? >> i think he will be drafted, because he becomes an instant value pick once you get past the second round. so a smart team will pick him in the third, fourth, or fifth

round. unfortunately in the nfl, there are a lot of teams that no one would call smart. so it will take a small minority of organizations that actually do have an established locker room culture. i'm looking at you, chicago bears, that's been on the front lines against bullies, on the front lines against these artificial prehistoric anti-dlooufian versions of manhood, that says being a man is the ability to make someone else feel less human. there are teams that take that issue seriously, and i guarantee you that one of the teams that's been outfront criticizing richie incognito will be one of the teams that drafts sam. >> obviously, there is some element of hazing on the rookies that come in. if michael sam gets drafted, obviously, clearly probably not in miami, wherever he goes, does he face more rookie hazing, because he's now given him something to haze him about, or does he face less because his teammates are worried that it will get out that they hazed him

and being attached to him being gay will make him even worse. >> to be totally honest, veterans hate rookies, regardless whether you're gay or not, and he will be treated like every other rookie, and they're going to tease him because he's gay, but you'll find out that michael sam has been through this before. he got teased at missouri. michael sam is also going to protect his teammates. he's not going to run to the principal's office and say, hey, someone called me this, someone called me that. because it's his family. an outsider may go, oh, that's brutal, but it's a part of a culture he's existed in for a long time, and at the end of the day, will protect him. >> but everybody's got an ego. you may have guys that may go higher than him on the draft. what about the potential of resentment because he's getting so much attention. how much attention does just that, forget the lbgt issue, but the fact he's getting all this attention. >> any first round guy or second round guys that gets extra attention gets it a little

worse. but players know not to cross the line. and there are certain teams that don't allow that at all. in tennessee, it wasn't allowed. in seattle, it wasn't allowed. it all depends on the leadership. and there'll be some coaches that say, you know what, this won't happen. and it doesn't matter if he's first round, fourth round, gay or straight. >> what about the hazing of the team? wlabt the image to have that team. how do you think he enhances or not the image of whatever team signs him. do day get the focus, oh, you're the team that has the gay guy on it. and what is the branding implication of that? >> there are definitely branding implications. back a decade ago when gay marriage was first being legalized, i was doing consulting work for mass equality, the organization behind it, and we did a series of focus groups. and one of the things we realized that was most striking we talked to a bunch of blue-collar guys, folks you might think, they might be uncomfortable with homosexuality, might have some problems with it and what we realized was that of the ones,

and it was a large number that were comfortable with gay marriage, the view that they had was, you know what, i'm man enough that i don't care one way or another. it's not my business. and it would be a little weird if it were my business. that's the tack that a lot of these teams, the team that ultimately drafts michael sam will take and should take. >> i'm also curious, jelani on the implications -- just in terms of kids who follow football and look up to these guys, we've crossed a real rube con culturally where we are starting to de-escalate the surprise or the negative stereotype or the stigma to being gay. and isn't that helpful if you have someone like a michael sam that's a successful pro-football player. what's that do for the kid out there in the community playing football? >> i think that kid gets a broader definition of what masculinity is first, to start with. and at some point, the conversation that kid have will be around stats and statistics and who's going to the playoffs. andic it may take a while to get

to that point. but incrementally, we'll see, kind of see ourselves moving in that direction. there's one other thing, though, that going back to the jackie robinsoni analogy, and in the middle of that first season with the dodgers, he fell into a slump. and what people attribute it to was the fact that he had all of these dynamics that were going on. so it's not even so much a matter of, you know, was he a distraction to the team. it was the fact that there was one player on the field who had to deal with questions that nobody else on the field had to deal with. and he eventually broke out of that and went on to the hall of fame career that he had. so i think in some ways, we have to look at what it will be like for him, for mr. sam, in that position and having to actually deal with all those expectations on that stage. >> and rick, we are, obviously, talking about football. we're talking about this issue of masculinity. but this is actually an issue for women as well. and women of color, in particular. this is still a challenge, right? so this week, we had ellen page. just to take a quick turn for a moment. hollywood actress, another field

where your image is everything and projecting that image and blooes believability on the screen, is important. so this young woman, ellen paige came out of the closet this week. she faces the flip side of that. now you have the architects of femininity at issue. in a broader context, are we now in a world where it's not only easier to come out, but it's also help tfl to others because it gives you a redefinition of masculinity and femininity. >> i think we have to remember, in spite of all the progress we have made as a society, it is still really hard to be out as an lbgt person. you cannot be guaranteed that you can be as out in one context as you are in another. out to your family, as you are out at work, for example. so i think the coming out of someone like ellen paige or of michael sam is it sends a really enormously important me think, still, not just to kids, but also to adults. and i think that they will --

when people come out, they do often pay a tax for it. so dave referred to the kind of tax that michael sam might pay. ellen paige will pay some taxes in the kinds of roles she gets offered, i bet. and now not everybody pays a tax, or some can pay a smaller tax, because they have some kind of privilege, they're top-ranked college football players or they're already hollywood stars, but all the rest of us who have to manage life without that kind of prominence and without the platform that allows us to kind of be who we are and be that in public, all the rest of us are still struggling. so the more -- that's why i think every time someone comes out in a really public way, it does matter, it is important. and it's not something that we should just dismiss as unimportant, because now we're

all so post-homophobic. >> i want to thank you so much, rinku sen, as well as dory clark. and up next, a classic case of bullying in the nfl. we're going to give you details of a fascinating report. and as we go, let's hear ellen paige's coming out story. >> and i am hear today, because i am gay. and because -- [ cheers and applause ] and because, maybe i can make a difference, to help others have an easier and more hopeful time, regardless, for me, i feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility. need a spoon, dear? not anymore. ladies... kitchen counselor.

it's likely your detergent. cascade platinum's triple cleaning formula delivers brilliant shine finish gel can't beat. it even helps keep your dishwasher sparkling. cascade platinum is cascade's best. ♪ ♪ where you think you're gonna go ♪ ♪ when your time's all gone? [ male announcer ] live a full life. the new lexus ct hybrid with an epa estimated 42 mpg. the further you go, the more interesting it gets. lease the 2014 ct 200h for $299 a month for 27 months. see your lexus dealer.

i can't believe your mom has a mom cave! today i have new campbell's chunky spicy chicken quesadilla soup. she gives me chunky before every game. i'm very souperstitious. haha, that's a good one! haha! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ if you didn't think the a s allegations that jonathan martin was repeatedly harassed by his

teammates were that wig of a deal, then the independent report commissioned by the nfl and released on friday night might change your mind. the 140-page report chronicles the persistent and graphic harassment that martin, a fellow player, and an assistant trainer endured in the 2013 season. the level of language used by richie incognito, john jerry, and mike pouncey in statements, texts, and voice mails to jonathan martin is so vulgar, that we will not show it on air. what i can show you is the page included in the report from richie incognito's so-called fine book, which was used to keep track of the fines that the offensive linemen imposed on each other. according to the report, hours after jonathan martin left the team, incognito assessed himself a $200 penalty for, quote, breaking j-mart, and ordered another team who had verbally

taunted $250 for not acting first, and fined for acting like a word we won't say on television. one week after jonathan martin left the team, incognito texted teammates to destroy the book, because according to the report, incognito wrote, they're going to suspend me. please destroy the fine book first thing this morning. incog f inkcognito was unsuccessful in his attempts to destroy evidence, evidence that clearly shows that jonathan martin and others were harassed. joining me now, kate dawson, and back with us is mychal denzel smith, a writer for thenation.com. first i want to go to dave, just to quickly summarize this report. a lot of people have said, oh, it was just hazing, it was just guys being guys. what does this report actually say about the treatment that jonathan martin endured? >> it says a lot. it says that, first of all, it extended way beyond richard incognito in terms of the perpetrators and extended beyond jonathan martin in terms of the victims. it's a view of an nfl locker

room as an absolute caldron of racism, homophobia, and violence. and i would actually encourage people who have ever experienced those kind of issues to not even read this report. it can be that upsetting. it has trigger warnings all over it. it's that upsetting to read. there are threats of actual physical violence. there are descriptions of what should not be called bullying, but what should be called assault. it's a pr nightmare for the nfl, but even worse than that, it's a nightmare for anybody who believes that an nfl locker room is a place that they would some day want to send their children. >> and wade, i mean, you've described a very different nfl. you've described thing that's like a family, that people are feeling like brothers, but this report is really not that nfl at all that you've described. >> i think, it was even jonathan martin who said himself, he reached out to other players on other teams and said, is this what the nfl is like, and they all said no. if you looked into a family, right, and you were like, wow, your family is dysfunctional. but i think that there's

function in all of our families. and the nfl is a family, but it doesn't mean it's dysfunctional. i'm not excusing anything that happened there. but we have to keep in mind that this is the exception, it's not the rule. i mean, there are so many guys that -- and i'm a gay man, so if i had issues in the locker room, i would tell you. like, i would be the first one to say, wow, is this horrible. but most guys will tell you, we protect each other, we take care of each other. but most guys will be like, hey, you went too far. >> and thank you for joining us. i'm going to have you speak for joe. do people really care about this stuff? do they see martin as a victim or do they say, he should have been stronger. >> this is a multi-billion dollar industry of 31 entities in a nonprofit setting, which is the nfl, and it collides into the locker room. it is a very violent sport. it's a physical sport. it's a male sport that is driven by the price of tickets. fans want to see you play. they know who you are.

all the way back to when i was in college, when anabolic steroids started, okay? they wanted players to get bigger, faster, better, because it's really the entertainment business. so the nfl has got a couple of problems here. they've got a helmet problem. wade, you wore them, you know how violent it is. they've got headache problems. my friends who played in the nfl now are sick. so when you start looking at it, it's a business. it sells tickets. people demand the action, and with that comes these irresponsible behaviors. and is it acceptable? absolutely not to regular people, but to the players and to wade's credit, the players see it differently. they see the locker room differently, they say the harassment differently. i think the general public is outraged with this report. so i think the nfl has one more time an issue to go deal with as an constitution where the multi-billion dollar aspect collides dead in the middle of a male locker room. >> you know what else is colliding? it's interesting. now the michael sam story is colliding with the jonathan martin story. there was one piece in this report i want to read. and it says essentially this.

it says, with the recent announcement of michael sam, a defensive lineman from the university of missouri, who is expected to be selected in the 2014 draft that he is gay, it is even more urgent that a tolerant atmosphere exist throughout the league. the frequent use of homophobic insults undermines this goal. so you have this scathing report on at least nfl culture in this one locker room, negative, homophob homophobic, overly just aggressive. and on the other hand, you have this potential for michael sam to completely change the narrative. >> and this is what makes people fearful for michael sam, is that these type of things can happen, and this is the type of environment that he will be entering. and i think, to what you're saying, a lot of people do view this as just guys being guys. and that's exactly the problem. that we have such a definition of manhood and masculinity, i think it's really telling that a lot of this report, the way that they denigrated jonathan martin was to use slurs, homophobic,

but also graphic language that it's damaging to women and women's bodies, and there's this sense of trying to prove one's masculinity, in a certain way that is damaging to the livelihood of other people, that are deepmed weaker. that's why people are fearful for michael sam to enter into that variety. >> damaging and confusing, for a young black man, what are you supposed to do? it's confusing, literally. >> it is. i've spoken about this, and i really empathized a great deal with the situation that jonathan martin found himself in, but it is precisely the message that was drilled into me as a young person, which is always kind of err on the side of being not violent or not being aggressive, because, you know, i stopped growing when i was 15 years old. and people pulled me aside and said, you can't get into a fight like the other kids, you might kill somebody. you know, that kind of thing, and it internalizes an idea that you always have to de-escalate concerns. and i understand exactly how a

situation in its logical conclusion comes to where jonathan martin is. one thing i disagreed, when he was condemning himself, he thought it was because of his school or his upwringing, his upbringing wasn't stufft tough enough. i went to new york city public schools in the '80s, and this is not a dynamic that has to go with class. >> absolutely. hold that thought. up next, the mooiami dolphins locker room of the future. the team owner will spell out his vision, next. aflac.

♪ aflac, aflac, aflac! ♪ [ both sigh ] ♪ ugh! ♪ you told me he was good, dude. yeah he stinks at golf. but he was great at getting my claim paid fast. how fast? mine got paid in 4 days. wow. that's awesome. is that legal? big fat no. [ male announcer ] find out how fast aflac can pay you at aflac.com. [ male announcer ] find out how fast aflac can pay you 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 ] [laughs] no way! i have no financial experience at all. that really is you? if they're not a cfp pro, you just don't know. find a certified financial planner professional who's thoroughly vetted at letsmakeaplan.org. cfp -- work with the highest standard. i'm bethand i'm michelle. and we own the paper cottage. it's a stationery and gifts store.

anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the game changing app from ink. we didn't get into business to spend time managing receipts, that's why we have ink. we like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. so you have time to focus on the things you love. ink from chase. so you can. it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep aid from the makers of nyquil®. zzzquil. a steel cage: death match of midsize sedans. the volkswagen passat against all comers. turbocharged engines against...engines. best in class rear legroom against other-class legroom. but then we realized. consumers already did that. twice.

huh. maybe that's why nobody else showed up. how does one get out of a death cage? vo: right now, get 0.9% apr on all passat models plus a total of $1000 in bonuses. purina dog chow light & healthy is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy. basically, i don't want to make any excuses. i want to know that our workplace going forward will be the best workplace that you could find in the nfl. i plan on being very proactive and in doing so, i have asked and formed a committee, i have five people that are members of that committee. i look to expand it to seven to nine, to protect me and them, the players, from my

overreacting and having a code of conduct that suits the 21st century. >> that was miami dolphinses owner, steven ross, back in november of last year. ross was publicly drae lly addr jonathan martin's departure from the team for the first time while trying to assure everyone the dolphins workplace would change. that was a business owner, trying to protect his brand. >> well, not only trying to protect his brand. right now, the nfl needs michael sam's, too. at the same time, it has an image problem, all the way down to what we said. but it's a multibillion-dollar business. this is a business. and the collateral damage sitting there are the players and the folks making a living off of it. and the fans, it's why it's full every sunday and monday. >> wade, at this point, would you let your son play football? would you want your son going into the nfl? >> i would, because i had a very different experience. i think the larger situation around incognito and martin, this is a mental health discussion as well. like, the fact that people look

at martin as not a hero, but as a villain, like, it takes a lot of courage for someone to say, like, hey, i'm dealing with a lot of depression, so we can have a talk around this stigma that's associated with mental health. so men feel safe to speak up and say, hey, i'm going through some things the. >> he almost got caught up in like snitching culture. you have some people who have really commented that jonathan martin is in the wrong. >> i think it's kind of absurd, but those people don't have to deal with what he's dealing with on a daily basis. and even outside of that kind of cultural ideas, this is a plain, straightforward legal issue about workplace, improper behavior in the workplace. so if we dismiss all the kind of people who are in the stands, or on the internet or on twitter, none of their opinions really matter. >> dave, did you want to expand on this? >> it's not only a workplace, but a union workplace. when people talk about the code and the locker woroom, there's

feel of me feel like it's an excuse so people in their 30s can live in an extended period of high school. and maybe there's a culture where 35-year-olds act like 16-year-olds which is why so many nfl players have such a tough time after retirement. and as we talk about this as a business, let's keep in mind, it's a nonprofit. it get billions of dollars in public money every year. we are stakeholders in this. if we don't like the culture of the nfl as fans, as public, i see us as having every single right of saying so. >> and michael, i wondered, what is the implication of changing. when i was a kid, it has had a certain culture we expect. this sort of hyper masculine culture has been taken for granted. what are the implications of changing that, potentially? >> it probably becomes a deferent game, and we have to, you know, accept that, is that what we want -- but, the price of that is -- on the other side of that is the human cost, right? so we're looking at all of these issues of toxic masculinity, of mental health issues, of

workplace issues, like the nfl is not the only one dealing with that. that's a societal -- like, that's a systemic thing that suggested throughout our culture. but but because it's such a popular manifestation of all of that, we get to look at it and it be a test kitchen for changing all of these things and then saying do we live with this. i hope we're able to. >> richie incognito is tweeting stop the hate, happy valentine's day. >> he won't be playing again. there's too many players that would never want to play with richie, and there are more players -- there was a poll and more players sided with richard martin than richie incognito. they're not as barbaric and ignorant as we think they are. >> do you think more likely that richie incognito makes the team and plays again or jonathan martin? >> i'm in vegas, so i'm making predictions. jonathan martin, indianapolis colts, leader of that locker

room, his former quarterback andrew luck and a coach in chuck pagano will not put up with this. and a shame on miami for not firing their head coach. >> i cannot go without asking why you are in vegas. what are you doing there? >> i wouldn't tell you if it wasn't cool. ang lee is trying to do a movie based on the mohamed awe lli-jo frazier fights. pretty darn cool. i know you're into ali. >> very much so. and they couldn't have asked for a better consultant, a better guy to do it. >> they made a huge mistake. >> well, it's too late now, dave, because you're already there. >> i know, right. i'm here. >> thank you so much. appreciate you taking the time to come here from las vegas. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> we also want to thank kate dawson, and wade davis.

up next, a special announcement from nerd land. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief! yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ the start of sneeze season and the wind-blown watery eyes. that's why puffs is soft. puffs plus are dermatologist tested to be gentle and they lock in moisture better. so you can always put your best face forward. a face in need deserves puffs indeed.

if you watched the show yesterday, or if you follow melissa harris-perry on twitter, and you should, you may already know the exciting news that on valentine's day, melissa and her husband james welcomed a new member of their family. hey, baby girl perry. she will be on maternity leave for the next few weeks while she and their family welcome their new daughter into their world, but even though she won't be here hosting nerd land, she's going to stay involved with you and the show. as part of the first ever nerd land scholar challenge. one thing, the thing that we are calling the mother of all politics. melissa will be leading this four-week online challenge, which will investigate how motherhood is tied to our nation's politics. she'll take you to women's enfranchisement, to wendy davis, to deep dives of citizenship, parenthood, and politics.

sign up now and you'll get to discuss the issues with mhp on our challenge group on msnbc.com and yes, there will be homework. you can reserve your spot in the challenge right now by going to the show's website, mhpshow.com. thank you so much for joining us. melissa, well wishes to your family as you guys start your new chapter. melissa knows that sometimes folks may want to be generous and send gifts, but she asks instead of sending anything to her family, please consider donating to a local organization instead, like the diaper bank of north carolina. you might remember that organization from our previous foot soldier segments. that's our show for today. thanks for watching. i'll see you here next saturday at 10:00 a.m. eastern. right now it's time for a preview of "weekends with alex witt." >> you know what's cool about melissa, she's already setting the best example for her daughter right out of the gate. congratulations to melissa. thanks so much, joy. the florida murder trial of

a loud music ends in a split verdict. reaction to what it means from the community and legal analysts. at the olympics, the team that turned in an instant classic against russia is taking to the ice again. can the u.s. keep its win streak going? how important is it for people in the public eye to come out? reaction from a panel of guests to actress ellen page's big announcement. i'll be right back. 90% confident i'd say the right things. but with 100% odor protection, i had nothing to worry about. [ female announcer ] only secret offers clinical strength antiperspirant in your 2 favorite forms, with 100% odor protection. introducing new clinical strength invisible solid and new clinical strength clear gel. [ woman ] i never settle for less than 100%. [ female announcer ] secret clinical strength. fearlessness. apply daily. how did edward jones get so big? let me just put this away. ♪ could you teach our kids that trick? [ male announcer ] by not acting that way. it's how edward jones

makes sense of investing. all white meat chicken was made to be blanketed in golden breadcrumbs. with whipped mashed potatoes, topped with a thick homemade gravy. so she makes her country fried chicken to be eaten together. so they savor every last bite. marie callender's. sochoose two melt-in-yourfried chmouth entrees,ten together. olive garden's best 2 for $25 yet is ending soon! 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!

i can download anything i want. [ girl ] seriously? that's a lot of music. seriously. that's insane. and it's 15 bucks a month for the family. seriously? that's a lot of gold rope. seriously, that's a signature look. you don't have a signature look, honey. ♪ that's a signature look. [ male announcer ] only at&t brings you beats music. unlimited downloads for up to 5 accounts and 10 devices all for $14.99 a month. ♪ good and close. help keep teeth clean and breath fresh. with beneful healthy smile food and snacks. he'll love the crunch of the healthy smile kibbles.

you'll love how they help clean. with soft, meaty centers, and teeth cleaning texture, healthy smile snacks help keep a shine on his smile. it's dental that tastes so good. beneful healthy smile food and snacks. reaction on the split verdict. why couldn't the trial come to a decision. is this the last blast? the latest sweep of weather strikes the northeast, but is there more on the way? in sochi, americans collect a few more medals in some high-profile events at the olympics. we're going to get you a live report on that. and mitt romney making headlines again. this time he's weighing in on the 2016 presidential race as well as the prospect of another clinton