news that's breaking right now. attorney general eric holder taken from a justice department meeting straight to the hospital. he was supposed to appear with the president at this hour. we have the latest on his condition. >> and the controversial governor stamps a big fat no on a big that could have set back the gay equality movement. it doesn't matter why she did it. the fact is she did. >> and cycle politics. the new numbers that do not look good. i'm ari melber. drop the term fourth quarter fly -- frequent flyers. and rosy perez takes our seat for the inaugural week at

the new table. she's a class act. well-begin today with politics. look, there's even an animation and everything. a new cbs/"new york times" poll is out. the numbers just don't add up. i will tell you why. for the president, he is under water with only 41% approving. that is a reversal from aier. look at congress. when we always ask, who are those 13%? as for the parties both are polling terribly. to make sense of all of this, my parents were babies in the ' 0s, and they always told me a song was song ♪ i'm henry the 8th

♪ i got married to the widow next door ♪ ♪ sheesh -- and every one was a henry ♪ ♪ she wouldn't have a willy or sam ♪ ♪ i'm her eighth old man ♪ henry the viii i am have been trouble following this? it all shows the same general verse. so how will it play out in the november election? alex sites-wad is here. i will not make you sing, but feel free to do so. >> i wouldn't possibly top that. >> i know, it's very tough. >> who wins this race? itches it is not looking good for democrats here. clearly americans hate washington in general. i think that's clear. the past ten years people have said the wrong track, but this

year it's going to be worse for democrats, mostly a product of the map. some of it is luck, but some of it a product of thafr own success. >> states that they are going to have a very hard time to defend this year, republicans have 17 safe seats, which means they only need to win four. they have a lot of different option toss do that. democrats on the other hand need to defend their seats with only two possible options, so it is not looking particularly good for obama's party right now. >> i want to jump on that. here's the reality. the gop can lose both to georgia and kentucky and still find eight democratic-held seats to net the six they need to win the majority. so the odds is very, very real. >> absolute lie. they've had a lot of late-minute boosts in recruiting.

they've gone smarter about that. cory gardner will be very strong, just announced that he's going to run in virginia. they will make it harder for democrats to keep control and spread the resources around. that could change, of course. >> but alex, you mentioned todd akin. personally i thought he was a good candidate. but in all seriousness, that was an unforced error that forced republicans to lose that seat, which they were likely to win without todd aiken. as an example, i would give you the arizona anti-gay, gale jim grow anti-gale wedding cake bill just vetoed by jan brewer. let's take to what she had to say. >> i call them like i see them

despite the tears or boos from the crowd. i have not heard one example in arizona where business owners liberty has been violated. the bill is broadly worded and could result in unintended and negative consequences. i have vetoed senate bill 1062 moments ago. >> so jan brewer did the right thing, but there's other bills causing the gop to lose focus. are these unforced errors by the gop going to help democrats this election season? >> there's no doubt. they are hoping for a lot more of them like this, and hoping for another todd aiken kind of moment here. but the problem with that approach is, first of all, not something you account count on. >> i don't know, you can kind of count on it with these guys.

>> they never fail to surprise you, that is absolutely true, but i think republicans have gotten better to respond to these. whether brewer did this because of the reason she stated, i personally doubt that. i think this is about politics here, but either way, she's doing the right thing in terms of the national party overall and strengthening the party overall. they have realized the errors they have made. of course, as i said, they never fail to surprise us. there is a lot of crazy left lurking. so there is still potential for new kind of todd aiken moments. >> but to crystal's point, i think it depends a lot on how substantive this conversation is. what happened in arizona means it's not legal to discriminate. right now and under the

republican house, it is still legal to fire someone to being gay. this how has nod moved on the employee nondiscrimination act, though the senate did pass it, i should mention with some republican support. we were talking to secretary perez about that just today and whether this will push a from arizona to a national movement i'm confidence if that vote took place tomorrow that it would command the majority in the house of representatives, because that's where the american people are. they don't care who your -- who you love. they care whether you can do the job. >> there you have a top obama official say this goes beyond arizona, and trying to put the pressure on the house to stand up and say we don't just care about this on arizona politics, we want to have one national standard. >> and i think the house in general on immigration, on -- is an albatross.

13% for congress, which is much terribler. it can you see both ways. on the one hand they can use -- candies across the country, other than the because of -- they might want to not focus and make it more focused on the local issue. >> i know it's totally cliche to say, but it does come to turn out in millennium term elections. about this new political profile about joe biden, they say laugh if you want, but biden is seriously considering a run for president. to hell with the naysayers who insist he's too old and too undisciplined. it sounds like joe biden may actually run for president in 2016. >> i think he is itching to.

you know, he's the vice president. he's run before. i think he would be a very strong candidate. the question is what -- i think you can't count him out. the gaffs are the thing that people talk about. that's a known quality. everybody knows his gaffs. they haven't thrown him out of office yet for that. i don't think that's as much of a weakness as people thing. >> i agree with that. >> absolutely. one very endearing gap he made today, talking about 2014, he said he's offered democrats to campaign for them or against them, whenever helps more. >> i think there's -- definitely make things entertaining. but thank you you for joining us. >> thank you. up next, the enrollment numbers are up, but is the

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president obama has announced that 4 million people have signed up for obamacare. he says he wants to hit 7 million users, at which point he will sell it to facebook for $10 billion. excellent plan. that's been the plan all along. well, maybe that wasn't exactly the plan, but obamacare does seem to be selling better. the said this week, it's up to 4

million. about 3 million short of the original target for the end of open enrollment. that's next month. as ari would say, life ain't a track meet -- it's a marathon. >> marathon. and with republicans dying to use obamacare for the primary season, the question is will the website fixes be enough to overcome not being such a -- this week's time magazine, code red takes readers deep into the web side chaos, and shows us how they dropped everybody to fly in and save the day. with us, along with his prescription lenses. >> hello. >> "time" magazine's washington bureau chief michael gerald. >> thanks for having me again. >> so if they could bring in these brilliant tech guys to have this tech surge, why

couldn't they have just done that from the start? >> well, the answer is i.t. procurement is a disaster in the federal government. these guys came in, they were sort of authorized by the white house to come at the last minute. they found engineers working for the contractors who wanted to make this thing work, who were willing to do what it needed to be done, but they were working at contracting firms that didn't want to take any responsibility for the job they had before them. one of the engineers that steve brill talked to said he still doesn't know. this is a guy who came in, helped fix the website, still doesn't know who was in charge. this has been an issue for more than a deck indicate. the best in the brightest -- those that do work on trying to get contracts. you just don't have the talent. >> something that ari tells me often is you never get a chance for first impressions --

>> actually i created that saying. >> he creates a lot of sayings around here, but it's very true, perception is leaity. to think that for something was supposed to be the hallmark, obama never even met with the engineers of the rescue team. he obviously undertoo that -- he obvious talked about that. why did he not engage more? >> that's one of the newsmaking disclosures in this article. he did meet with the team who ended up saving it. but also the white house really had no idea that the technology didn't work up until the launch. even after -- i don't know if you remember back in okay, and then after the gov shutdown ends, obama comes out, gives a tough speech, i'm upset that it's not working. at that point they didn't know

they could salvage the website. they were still gathering engineers to do basically a review of what they had and they were trying to figure whether the code could be salvaged or say we'll cub back in six months. >> like the day before they laurchled, what was said? >> it was a quote, it will definitely work, it's not going to work. >> the issue was that nobody in the room at the white house, or even with the contractors actually knew whether it was going to work. a lot of the promises being made about how many people the website could handle, even in october after it was clear this website was a disaster we are wildly inaccurate. at some points it was handing four, five,000, and the chief

technology officer was saying 50,000. i don't know if you remember the hearing that sebelius had gone up to the hill and the whole website this crashed. >> i think it's a combination of things. the fact is when you run something as big as the federal government, i think the technical aspects, you'll be held political accountable, but i'm not convinced to the premise that you have to go in and do the technical aspects yourselves hands on. now now they're trying to replace some of those programs. secretary hagel and others who know a lot are trying to work on that. i don't know whether hi kicked the metal to see if they were cutting the right thing. i do want to read -- >> obviously something went

wroun. it doesn't necessarily mean he's going to be technical. i want to read from the policy piece, which to me was the more surprising failure that they could have changed. the article says they had made the most basic mistake you could ever make, not shipping product to consumers, you never open a service like this to everyone at once, you open it in a small consent rick circle and expand. when you think about that, that sent a technical thing, right? that's at the policy level. this was a lot of decision in policy circles how you involve the states. do you have any sense of why they didn't do what would have been the tech roll-out version? >> because they didn't understand it would be a problem. the policy people had no clarity about this thing launched that any of this would be an issue, and the technical people either didn't know themselves, or they didn't communicate it up the chain of command. i mean in terms of the

president's responsibility, i think you're absolutely right, he doesn't code web sides, but as more and more of the federal government gets out -- and designing contracts, you need an actual federal employee who understands what's happening. we've seen in this case and a lot of other case, military contracting has been a -- where you assign contractors to assign contractors and they enyou have building boats that don't float. that is a policy issue, that's something that does go to the president. >> that's something i say to crystal, my buck stops with my contractors, contractors, contractor. >> it's just common knowledge around here. but i think it's been abundantly made clear that the federal procurement process is a disaster, particularly in i.t. there any movement towards improving it? >> well, the president has had

initiatives in the past, but i'm sure something will be coming over the next year or two, because they were pretty badly burned. another interesting part from this article is there were a lot of tech minds from the 2012 campaign involved in the roll-out, but they were working with the white house on the marketing side, on the enroll america side. they didn't have, even from the same agency in chicago, these old campaign people, the tech people weren't involved in the process. it was sort of the marketing and annual listics people. it was only after the website stopped working that the white house in thatted in their own tech people who were integral. i think what you'll see in the future is that white house, cabinet agencies, groups like that will want actual experts on their payroll that they trust who are tech people, who are engineers who can code, who know what's going on, so they don't just have to trust the contractor. >> you would hope so. >> really interests, michael. thank you so much. >> thank you. up next the latest on the

scare today with attorney general eric holder rushed to the hospital with shortness of breath. we'll tell you how he's doing now and roll through the other stop stories of the day in "the cycle." that's next. it's time for the your business sbrr preneuroof the week. christina wilson had a network of friends, opera singers, actor musicians who needed part-time work. she had a sense that parents were in the market for creative -- so she started center studio. now those artists are taking care of kids across the city. for more watch on sunday mornings 7:30 on msnbc. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be 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.

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back now with a check of the other stories, attorney general eric holder is said to be resting comfortably. he was taken to the hospital complaining of short necessary of breath. doctors performed test and later released him. we're told that holder has been feeling under the west all week, so today's episode may have been related to that. also breaking, new documents in the bridge-gate scandal. they show bridget telly and david wildsteen make running jokes about tying up traffic. christie has maintained he was not involved in a closure or cover-up and had no knowledge of

the scheme before it happened. and breaking weather. bundle up, some of the coldest air of the season is moving into the midwest and the northeast, as we approach the start of march in what appears to be a major storm and could dump severity inches of snow toward the enof the weekend. and more breaking news, tourre is stuck in buffalo. some big changes are coming to the frequent flyer program. first of all, don't call it that anymore. delta is vastly changing the results. not necessarily the ones who fly the most miles. to put it simply, miles are out, money is in, guys. let's spin about this. another day, although bat story about the airlines. i can't stand flying to begin with. thanks for trying, but you've got to pony up. and basically what has gone on

is airlines have been getting complaints from the top spending customers saying that everyone's getting these perks, everyone is being able to upgrade, everyone is considered elite status now, so i basically am nothing. so let me give you -- >> exactly too many elite, too much riffraff in the elites. >> this is what would happen -- >> break it down, abby, a round 47 trip would give you 5,172 miles. next year that same flight would give you 2,000 miles. if you pay double, 800, you would get double the miles. so essentially all that matters is how much of pay. this is great for these airlines. >> look at crystal ball coming tlup. >> i know you appreciate it. big -- i think abby, first of all, just to get this out of the way, are you a chatter? do you chat with your neighbor on the flights? >> i don't like to.

>> crystal, no, i did end of marrying the man i sat next to, but he was more chatting to me. i was trying desperately not to talk at all, but he would not leave me alone. >> did he bring up the frequent flyer -- >> status? i noticed his elite status. >> was he like, i'm sorry, oh, this is just my delta gold card. >> i've always want to do do that. >> i used to -- and i am talk atiff. i like hearing from other people, and i remember when i basically gave up on that. >> as i found the airline experience just fell apart.

>> their effort to squeeze -- is just change -- i don't have any data to back this up. >> i think more people are stressed out, more crabby, less happy. i don't think there's anything special, with the exception of maybe jetblue, most of these experiences have nothing peppy or that excitement. by the time you get through there, or you go through these lines, you get down and sit down. >> it's just sat. >> to the mile things, if you're a procontrast namer, this might be a good thing for you. if you end up spending $ -- now you get more miles, right?

here's the problem, the entire system is built on an analogy. >> so they're taking that away. >> this is one of the fun things to accrues. >> i just got to the silver status. i'm really upset. >> congratulations. >> it means nothing now. >> you know, i'm there with my baby and my 5-year-old and my husband. we've booked our tickets long in advance, and they oversold the flight. so we don't get seats. they were ready to kick us off the flight all together. when we finally do get seats -- >> who kicks off a mob mom with a baby. >> all of our seats are in different parts. my 5-year-old is supposed to sit by herself? it's insane, how they treat you like you're lucky to be on their

plane. >> we should mention if delta wants to send a representative to be in the spin cycle in the future, we'll think about it. >> and sit here at the head of the table. my guess is american and united will follow delta's lead. >> i feel like we're done. >> i could rant about airlines all day long. ari thinks we should now call it dollar-age, not mileage. a closer look at the tragedy that spurred the president to act. and legal analyst lisa bloomdowns us at the table to talk trayvon martin. that is next. [ male announcer ] whether it takes 200,000 parts,

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supposed to be there. he was taken to the hospital earlier. he is in good condition. now, the campaign is of course a result of a task the president gave his senior staff in the wake of the trayvon martin shooting, to come up with a holistic approach to help young minority boys to succeed and also avoid violence. trayvon martin was shot and killed by george zimmerman two years ago this week. he claimed self-defense and he was acquitted. questions about the verdict and the way that case was handled, however, linger to this day. a legal note -- zimmerman as sued nbc universal for defamation and the company strongly die nighs that allegation. lisa bloom covered the trial for msnbc, and she's out with a new book "suspicion fashion" the inside sorry of the trayvon

martin injustice, and why we continue to repeat it. strong words in the title and the book. >> thank you, ari. >> to start with how america observed this trial. like so many trials, while it excavated some very important issues that we continued to discuss, whenever the media covers a trial, the more you watched the trial on tv, the more what you understand about what's happening departs from what the jury understands, and what the jury is exposed to under our rules and limits. how did that dynamic play out in this trial, a trial which many people, of course, watched. >> i think that's a very insightful observation. i begin my book with a lot of new information about exactly what happened there. the jury was sequestered for three weeks. i tell the story of maddie, the only non-white juror in this case and show he felt ostracized demean and felt that her voice was taken away, to when she went

into, she didn't have the strength to advocate for, and others agreed that conviction was protect the right outcome, but they didn't have the facts and law. i don't blame the jury, i blame the professionals, and if you've looked at the book, you know i come down very hard on them. inside the jury room is key to the case. that's why i start there. >> on that point about juror b-29, the only minority of the group of six women. she did mention that as a mother she was very conflicted in her heart and her head. i want to take a listen to what she had to say. >> i feel thatfuls forcibly included in trayvon martin's death. i carry him on my back. by the law and the way it was followed is the way i went, but if i would have used my heart, i probably would have went a hung jury. >> so she thought zimmerman was guilty, but under the law she could not vote guilty. how did the prosecution lose

when you say this was theirs to lose? >> right. this was a very winnable case. you know, i felt in my gut as i was watching this case day to day that something was very wrong. in fact the original title of my book was what went wrong? i wanted to show america how very off the rails this case went. i was concerned, though, i didn't want to overstate, i didn't know everything as i was watching it in real time. after this trial i couldn't put it behind me, to do new interviews. maddie has become my friend. i've told her story, we're texting all the time even today, because she bears the weight of trayvon's death on hers shoulder. i have the top six errors that they made in this case. they did just a terrible job. i don't know any other way of saying it. i was trying to be charitable, but they bunkled the case. they asked questions in closing arguments instead of connecting the dots.

no prosecutor ever does that. they didn't put on expert witnesses who are begging to testify on the scientific evidence. they didn't prepare important witnesses. there's no excuse for that. in this case, this was a high-profile case of the they should have been more resources, not fewer. >> was it a pure case of incompetent, or was there some reason why they performed so poorly? >> that's the ultimate question. and i think i really want to leave that to the reader of my book to come to their own conclusion. in my opinion it was not intentional, but i think they never believed in this case. i think they also had the same attitudes that trayvon martin had that many others, that he probably was the aggressor. i think assumptions were made based on skin color by everyone. >> and let's talk a bit about the stand -- and one of the things that's hard for me to understand is essentially was

stand your ground. there is no duty to retreat. you just have to prove that you were afraid, right? it's sort of a subjective, mental state. so how do you apply that as a law? how do you handle that as a juror? >> it should be hard for you to understand, because you're a woman with a conscience and heart, and of course anyone should have to retreat rather than commit an act of violence if that's possible. that's what our hearts tell us. that's what the michael dunn jurors wanted in the but they couldn't find it in the law. they were looking through the jury instructions trying to find something that comports with that basic sentence of human decency and stand your ground says you don't have the duty to retreat, but it also still has important requirements before you take a human life. there are three key elements to self-defense. i talk about how prosecutors should have handled it, how they didn't. probably the most important part was you have to be in reasonable fear of great bodily injury or death, not a panicked fear, as zimmerman says.

he admit he was panicked. panic is not reasonable fear. >> and lisa, i should mention, as we told our viewers earlier in the hour, we will go to the president soon, he will be speaking out live on this my brother's keeper, we may have to interrupt you when he comes out. >> a very important initiative, and somewhat related to this discussion. on that point, though, you talk about, you use that word "injustice. how much of this from your reporting is what went wrong -- you say your original title, the way this particular case came down, and to crystal's point, i think, and the larger way our justice system works, how much is baked into a system where the juries that we select are disproportionately not reflective of these communities? >> well, some of these laws not only stand your ground, but several of these laws are applied in ways we know are racially disproportionate. are you talking about one case that went wrong?

>> this case was a microcosm for so much that's wrong in our system, and ultimately while it's easy to democratenize george zimmerman, i challenge all of us to look at our own racial biases. there's no question that the criminal justice system is probably the most racially biased place in america. how sad and ironic that is, the place where everyone should get an equal shake, but there's mountains of studies, and i have many in the book, there's no question if you show up with white skin, you're going to do better in terms of what neighborhood is pleased. my neighborhood is very lightly pleased, compared to african-american urban neighborhoods. that's true in every city in america. if i'm arrested for, let's say marijuana possession, it's unlikely that anything serious would happen to me, and on and so, and every corner of our criminal justice system. if you shine a light, you will find racial bias. how sad that's, where the institutions have the scales of justice, and lady liberty

blindfolded. this is just one case, but an important case. i wanted to expos what happened. >> i appreciate that. the book is "suspicion nation" we are now turning live to the east room of the white house, where president obama was just introduced. he's speaking on the my brother's keeper initiative, designed to help young african-american and latino men, young men in communities of color. his 'gettings a. you can see, a pretty long and loud applause there in the room. let's listen in. >> well, good afternoon, everybody. welcome to the white house and thank you christian for that outstanding introduction. >> you're welcome. >> and thank you for cheering for the white sox, which is the right thing to do. [ laughter ] >> like your parents and your teachers, i could not be prouder of you. i could not be prouder of the other young american who are here today, but just so you're

clear, you're only excused for one day of school. i'm assuming that you've got your assignments with you so that you can catch up. perhaps even on the flight back. as christian mentioned, i first met christian about a year ago. i visited the hyde park academy in chicago, which is only about a mile from my house, and crist wand was part of this program called becoming a man. it was a program that mayor rahm emanuel introduced to me. it helps young men who show a lot of potential, but may have gotten into some trouble to stay on the right path. they get help with schoolwork, but they also learn life skills, like how to be a response citizen, and how to deal with life's chalenings, how to manage frustrations in a constructive way, and how to set goals for themselves. and it works. one study found that among young

men who participate nb.a.m. programs, arrests for violent crimes dropped 44%. and they were more likely to graduate from high school. so as christian mentioned, during my visit there in a circle, and i sat down in the circle and we went around, led by their counselor, and guys talked about their lives, talked about their stories. they talked about what they were struggling with, how they were trying to do the right things, and how sometimes they didn't always do the right thing. when it was my turn, i explained to them that when i was their age, i was a lot like them. i didn't have a dad in the house, and i was angry about it, though i didn't necessarily realize it at the time. i made bad choices. i got high without always thinking about the harm that it

could do. i didn't always take school as seriously as i should have. i made excuses. sometimes i sold myself short -- and i remember when i was saying this, christian, you may remember this, after i was finished, the guy sitting next to me, said are you talking about you? [ laughter ] i said, yeah. the point was i could see myself in these young men. the only difference is i grew up in an environment that was a little more forgiving. so when i made a mistake, the consequences were not as severe p. i had people who encouraged me, not just my mom and grandparents, but wonderful teachers and dmunt leaders. they pushed me to work hard,

study hard, make the most of myself. if i didn't listen, they said it again. if i didn't listen, they said it a third time. they would give me second chances and third chances. they never gave up on me, so i didn't give up on myself. i told these young men my story then, and i repeat it now, because i firmly believe that every child deserves the same chances that i had. that's why we are here today. to do what we can in this year of action to give more young americans the support they need to make good choices. and to be resilient, and to overcome obstacles. and achieve their dreams. this is an issue of national important. it is as important as any issue that i work on. it's an issue that goes to the very heart of why i ran for president.

because if america stands for anything, it stands for the idea of opportunity for everybody. the notion that no matter who you are or where you came from, or the circumstances into which you are born, if you work hard, if you take responsibility, then you can make it in this country. that's the core idea. that's the idea behind everything that i will do this year, and for the rest of my presidency. because at a time when the economy is growing, we've got to make sure that every american shares in that growth. not just a few. and that means guaranteeing every child in america has access to a world-class education. it means creating more jobs. empowerering more workers with the skills they need to do those jobs. it means making sure that hard work pays off with wages you can

live on and savings you can retire on, and health care that you can count on. it means building more ladders of opportunity into the middle class for anybody who's willing to work hard to climb them. those are national issues. they have an impact on everybody. the problem of stagnant wages, economic insecurity, and stalled mobility, are issues that affect all demographic groups all across the country. my administration's policies from early childhood education to job training, to minimum wages, are designed to give a hand up to everybody, every child, every american willing to work hard and take responsibility for their own success. that's the larger agenda. but the plain fact is there are some americans who in the aggregate are consistently doing worse in our society.

groups that have had the odds stacked against them in unine ways that require unique solutions. groups who have seen fewer opportunities that and by almost every measure the group that is facing some of the most severe challenges in the 21st century, in this country, are boys and young men of color. now, to say this is not to deny the enormous strides we've made in closing the opportunity gaps that marred our history for so long. my presence is a testimony to that progress. across this country, in government, in business, in our military, in communities in every state, we see extraordinary examples of african-american and latino men who are standing tall and leading and building businesses, making our country stronger.

some of those role models would defy the odds are with us here today. the magic johnsons or the colin powells. we're doing extraordinary things. the anthony foxes. anthony, he and i yesterday were talking yesterday about how both of us never knew our dads and shared that sense of both how hard had been but also how that had driven us to succeed in many was. so they're examples of extraordinary achievement. we all know that. we don't need to stereotype and pretend that there's only dysfunction out there. but 50 years after dr. king talked about his dream for america's children, the stubborn fact is that the life chances, the average black or brown child in this country lags behind by almost every measure and is worse for boys and young men.

if you're african-american, there's about 1-2 chance you grow up without a father in your house, 1 in 2. if you're latino, you have about 1 in 4 chance. we know of boys who grow up without a father are more likely to be poor, more likely to underperform in school. as a black student you are far less likely than a white student to be able to read proficiently by the time you are in fourth grade. by the time you reach high school, you're far more likely to have been suspended or expelled. there's a higher chance you end up in the criminal justice system. and a far higher chance that you are the victim of a violent crime. fewer young black and latino men participate in the labor force compared to young white men. and all of this translates into higher unemployment rates and poverty rates as adults.

and the worst part is we become numb to these statistics. we're not surprised by them. we take them by the norm. we assume this is an inevident part of american life instead of the outrage that it is. [ applause ] that's how we think about it. it's like a cultural backdrop for us in movies, in television. we just assume of course it's going to be like that. but these statistics should break our hearts and they should compel us to act. you know, michelle and i are blessed with two beautiful daughters.

we don't have a son. but i know if i had a son on the day he was born i would have felt everything i felt with malia and sasha, the awe, the gratitude, the overwhelming sense of responsibility to do everything in my power to protect that amazing new life from this big world out there. and just as our daughters are growing up into wonderful, beautiful young women, i'd want my son to feel a sense of boundless possibility. i'd want him to have confidence and empathy and compassion, a sense of diligence and commitment and a respect for others and himself. the tools that he'd need to succeed. i don't have a son, but as parents that's what we should want not just for our children but for all children. [ applause ]

and i believe the continuing struggles of so many boys and young men, the fact that too many of them are falling by the wayside, dropping out, unemployed, involved in negative behavior, going to jail, being profiled, this is a moral issue for our country. it's also an economic issue for our country. after all, these boys are a growing segment of our population. they are our future workforce. when generation after generation they lag behind, our economy suffers. our family structure suffers. our civic life suffers. cycles of hopelessness breed violence and mistrust. and our country's a little less than what we know it can be.

so we need to change the statistics, not just for the sake of the young men and boys but for the sake of america's future. and that's why in the aftermath of the trayvon martin verdict weather all the emotions and controversy that it sparked, i spoke about the need to bolster and reinforce our young men and give them the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them. and i'm grateful that trayvon's parents, sabrina and tracy are here with us today, along with jordan davis' parents, lucy and ron. [ applause ] in my state of the union address last month, i said i'd pick up the phone and reach out to americans willing to help young men of color, facing especially

tough odds to stay on track and reach their full potential so america can reach its full potential. and that's what today is all about. after months of conversation with a wide range of people, we've pulled together private philanthropies and businesses, mayors, state and local leaders, faith leaders, nonprofits, all who are committed to creating more pathways to success. and we're committed to building on what works. and we call it my brother's keeper. now just to be clear, my brother's keeper is not some big new government program. in my state of the union address, i outlined the work that needs to be done for broad-based economic growth and opportunity for all americans. manufacturing hubs, infrastructure spending. i've been traveling around the country for the last several weeks talking about what we need to do to grow the economy and

expand opportunity for everybody. and in the absence of some of those macroeconomic policies that create more good jobs and restore middle-class security, it's going to be harder for everyone to make progress. and for the last four years we've been working through initiatives like [ inaudible ] to help break down the cultural barriers that inflict some of this country's most impoverished counties. and we'll continue to promote these efforts in rule rural and urban counties alike. those are government programs we think are good for all americans and we're going to keep on pushing for them. but what we're talking about here today with my broth ears keeper is a more focused effort on boys and young men of color who are having a particularly tough time. and in this effort, government cannot play the only or even the the primary role.

we can help give every child access to preschool, but we can't replace the power of a parent reading to that child. we can reform our criminal justice system to make sure it's not infected with bias, but nothing keeps a young man out of trouble like a father who takes an active role in his son's life. [ applause ] in other words, broadening the horizons for our young men and giving them the tools they need to succeed will require a sustained effort from all of us. parents will have to parent and turn off the television and help with homework. teachers will need to do their part to make sure our kids don't fall behind and we're setting high expectations for our children and not giving up on then. business leaders will need to

rhee create more apprenticeships to show young people what careers are out there. tech leaders need to open young eyes to fields like computer science and engineering. faith leaders will need to help our young men develop the values and ethical framework that is the foundation for a good and productive life. so we all have a job to do. and we can do it together. mack and quite, urban and rural, democrat and republican. so often the issues facing boys and young men of color get caught up in long-running ideological arguments about race and class and crime and poverty, the role of government, partisan plux. we've all heard those arguments before. but the urgency of the situation requires us to move past some of those d