to win on obamacare, i think that they're ready to serve up the house. i think it's a poor strategy. we'll see. congressman -- >> well, as you know, they're blocking a vote on the minimum wage in the house. they're blocking a vote on the extension of ui. blocking a vote on immigration reform. >> got to run. thank you, congressman. got to run. "politics nation" starts right now. good evening, rev. >> good evening, ed. and thanks to unifor tuning in. tonight's lead, i've got a news flash for the republicans that are still obsessing about so-called welfare queens on food stamps. the so-called takers, the lazy ones, trying to get a free lunch, that's how some republicans talk about the poor, but do you know who they really are? they're children. today, a dramatic new government report shows 45% of food stamp recipients are children. that's a total of 20.5 million

kids. another 9% are elderly. 10% are disabled adults. so when republicans are attacking people on food stamps, this is who they're attacking. but nationwide, there's a new push against this vilification of the poor. in fact, several governors, including a republican, are doing their best to soften the terrible impact of food stamp cuts. but the gop leaders, like speaker boehner, that's just another example of fraud. >> it's the passage of a farm bill states those to cheat once again on signing up people for food stamps. and so i would look at that to try to stop this cheating and this fraud from continuing. >> cheating and fraud? those governors are taking

action to help real people, including the children we're learning about in today's report. people all across america want a hand up, not a handout. they're working, they're working people, trying to feed their families and make ends meet. >> i am currently on food stamps right now, making only $8 an hour with no increase. i am living in hardship. it is hard, with the bills, taking care of my family, my 1-year-old daughter. >> i would say, by mid- to end of month, i'm almost eempty and i worry about where i'm going to get my next meal at. >> food stamps are supposed to be helping us. >> the paycheck i bring in is every two weeks. it's about $340. but how is that going to feed a family of four? a gallon of milk is almost $5. >> these people don't want to be on food stamps.

they don't want to be poor. exactly one year ago, the rnc released this report, promising that republicans would change the way they talk about the poor. but one year later, we're still waiting. joining me now are congressman emanuel cleaver and salon.com's joan walsh. thank you both for being here. >> good to be here. reverend. >> congressman cleaver, almost half of food stamp recipients are children. how are republicans vilifying these kids? >> well, what they're doing is hoping that the american public will not be privy to factual information about the program. and if you add all the people you talked about, the disabled, the veterans, and so forth, it's a clear sign that the program is geared toward the needy. and what we find is that many of

the republicans are focusing on the negative as opposed to the needy. and it is -- it's actually making me sick, because as of today, reverend, we have not had one single banker prosecuted for almost taking this country into the worst economic situation in history, as of today, we had a lot of fraud there, but you don't hear people talking about that. >> right. >> now, you know, joan, today's report shows 45% of food stamp recipients are children. 9% elderly, 10% the disabled. and yet, many on the right continue to demonize the poor. listen. >> self-reliance means if anyone will not work, neither should he eat. >> we don't want to turn this safety net into a hammock that lulls able-bodied people into dependency and complacency. >> why don't we just pay for

your clothes, pay for your shoes, pay for your housing? >> as they talk like this, joe, do the american people understand they're talking about almost half of them kids and another 9% elderly, and then the disabled? >> no, i'm not sure that they do, reverend al. because i think that these people, republicans have really dominated the rhetoric, they've dominated the debate, and democrats haven't fought back as hard as they need to. we've heard years and years about welfare cheats and people buying t-bone steaks with their food stamps. fox has been running wild with their stories now about alleged fad stamp cheats. and so, you know, on the other hand, you've got a rising number of people in the republican party suggesting that even children, maybe children should work. newt gingrich said, they should be janitors in order to get their school lunches. the governor of maine is trying to reduce the legal working age to something like 12. this is -- they rae are trying -- i've said this on your

show before, they're trying to repeal the 20th century. they're trying to repeal the protections we've put in, up to and including child labor laws, so some of them don't even care that almost the majority of food stamp recipients are children. >> and you know, in that light, congressman cleaver, the congressman, the chair of the house budget committee, congressman paul ryan, talking about tax on the poor, the offensive comments by him has gotten a lot of attention as we've listened to this. >> we have got this tailspin of culture in our inner cities, in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work. and so there's a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with. >> and you know, earlier this morning, congressman, i was reading paul krugman's column in the day's "new york times" about ryan's statement, and let me read to you some of what krugman

wrote. "american conservatism is still, after all these years, largely driven by claims that liberals are taking away your hard-earned money and giving it to those people. since conservatives can't bring themselves to acknowledge the reality of what's happening to opportunity in america, they're left with nothing but the old dog whistle." and he talks about the dog whistle of playing this to those people, race and class involved, congressman. >> yes. unfortunately, there are those who are still trying to spread this stinking thinking, where they're trying to get people to believe something that's not a fact. and they keep saying it, even though it's true. and congress needs to be, if they're willing to try to deal with the issue of poverty, pass the minimum wage to $10.10. give unemployment insurance, because 200,000 of those people

who don't have insurance today were fighting in a wreck in afghanistan just a few months ago. so i think we are in a situation now where the republicans are saying, we want to give our hands stretched out to the poor, the problem is the that their palm is closed. and you know, there's still a chance, bring it up on the floor. i think people will vote for all of this. the problem we also have is that, you know, some of them are stingy. as you know, god lives a giver, but he'll also take from a whiner. >> well, that's true. you know, joan, talking about clearing up the prospective of the american people, though, in today's "new york times," they did an article on who gets the minimum wage. who's paid by the minimum wage. and let me quote from that article to you. it says, "more than half of those who make $9 or less an hour are 25 or older, while the proportion who are teenagers has

declined to just 17%. today's low-wage workers are also more educated, with 41% having at least some college." that blows up this whole thing of young kids are the ones that want the minimum wage and that these are uneducated -- >> slackers. >> right. this is really important stuff here. >> they've done everything right. i would really urge all of our viewers to go read that story in "the times" by steven greenhouse, a great reporter. i also have to say something on st. patrick's day, and i love your tie, rev. paul ryan, as an irish catholic, to hear him say those things about the inner city culture, everything said about african-americans, virtually, was once said about irish catholics. we were lazy, we were drunks, we were bums, we had a culture of poverty. you know, he says, as people came over during the famine, if you look back at the history of the famine, the british would not give aid, because they were afraid of a culture of

dependency, dependency on government. it's like history is repeating itself, but some of the people who were hurt last time are the ones during the hurting this time around. and it's shocking to me that somebody like paul ryan either doesn't know that history or doesn't care about it. >> that is shocking. congressman emanuel cleaver, thank you. joan, if you liked my tie, you'll love my glasses. happy st. patrick's day. and thank you both for being on tonight. coming up, john boehner's swing and miss on obamacare, with exactly two weeks left to sign up, the gop's attacks on the law have gone from wrong to ridiculous. plus, new questions tonight about the pilots of the missing malaysian plane. were they involved? where is the plane? and a new day in court for the mom who tried to drive her kids into the ocean. does she belong in prison or in a mental hospital? stay with us.

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developing news from the white house. announcing a major milestone for obamacare. but republicans are getting more desperate and spreading more misinformation. that's next. iness. century link provides reliable it services like multi-layered security solution to keep your information safe & secure. century link. your link with what's next. maestro of project management. baron of the build-out. you need a permit...

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nba superstar lebron james filmed this psa about the law. that will hair during the ncaa tournament. and the white house is out are a bracket of its own today, of 16 sweetest reasons to get covered. but while democrats are racing to get more people insured, republicans are playing dirty, using the same old misinformation about the law. >> you're saying that obamacare has resulted in a net loss of insurance? >> i believe that to be the case. when you look at the 6 million americans who have lost their policies, and some, they claim, 4.2 million people, who have signed up, i don't know how many have actually paid for it, that would indicate to me a net loss of people with health insurance. and i actually do believe that to be the case. >> speaker boehner might believe it, but that doesn't make it true. most people whose plans were canceled got better ones, or

were allowed to stay on their old plans for at least another year. in fact, "the washington post" fact checker says speaker boehner's whopper claim that he made deserves four pinocchios. just moments ago, the white house announced 5 million people have enrolled in health care plans, through their exchanges. 5 million people more are covered, and republicans just keep trying to take cheap shots at the law. there may not be referees in politics, but if republicans keep pushing this nonsense, we'll keep calling their fouls. joining me now are michelle cottel and ryan grim. thank you both for being here tonight. ryan, 5 million people covered, with two weeks left for people to sign up, how critical are the next 14 days, ryan?

>> i think you're going to see a real surge in signups over the next two weeks, because, you know, people being people, wait until the last minute to do basically anything. you know, it wasn't -- it's not kicking in until that anyway, so there's no real incentive to do it early. also, people might think, i heard the website was kind of screwed up, so i'll wait until it works. in fact, my father-in-law was a die-hard republican, just told me yesterday, he's going to sign up for obamacare, one of the last two days. he's in his early 60s, owns his own business, and this will kind of be a bridge into medicare. >> wait a minute, ryan. your father-in-law is a die-hard republican and he's signing up for obamacare? >> yeah. i mean, he did not want to, for months, he resisted the idea. you know, he thought it was socialism, et cetera, et cetera. >> what made him change his mind? >> he explored all the different options. and, you know, he said his plan will be about $140 a month. and, you know, you just can't turn that down. it's going to be good coverage,

it's going to be better than he has now. right now, he says he doesn't have hospitalization and the new plan will have hospitalization. he's going to put all his ideology aside and he's going to sign up for it. >> so, michelle, here you have ryan's father-in-law, a republican, who thought it was socialism, but now he's signing up for obamacare. and you know ryan couldn't lie about his father-in-law, he has to live with his wife. >> that's right. i suspect ryan's in-laws are not the only people who have procrastinated. and if you'll notice the white house is going after, in particular, with its, you know, ncaa stuff, it's going after young invincibles, because this is really who they need to sign up. it's the same people they were targeting with the presidents, between fern's web interview they got so much attention. they really want in these last two weeks to get as many people signed and as many young people signed up as they can and hit all those targets. >> you know, while speaker

boehner is spreading misinformation, michelle, the head of the republican national committee is using very ugly language to go after the law. take a listen to this. >> well, i mean, obamacare is complete poison out there in the field. and so the lesson is going to be, number one, you have to hit your main target, which is obamacare. >> you know, poison, and target, but don't more people want to keep the law of fix it than scrap it entirely, michelle? >> people are interested in certain provisions of it. they like the pre-existing condition provision, they like being able to have their older kids sign up for this stuff. but this is not the way to win an election for republicans by talking about, you know, tinkering with the law. they're feeling very optimistic, having won that special in florida and they think that bashing obamacare and still pledging to repeal it is the way that they're going to not just

increase their numbers in the house, but take back the senate. so you will, you know, continue to hear them talking in terms of poison and hitting these targets. >> let me go back to you, ryan. the group, american for prosperity, backed by the billionaire koch brothers, is out with this new add about a woman in arkansas who says her plan was canceled. listen to this. >> we received a letter from our insurance company, as of december of 2014, that we would no longer be covered by blue cross/blue shield. you think that you're going to be just one of those unlucky people, but then to find out that it's happening to so many. >> now, the ad isn't telling the full story, because "the wall street journal" reports that because more insurance plans were grandfathered in, quote, no arkansas residents have, as of yet, had their plans canceled due to the health care law.

so they're trying to scare people away from the law, over something that hasn't even happened, ryan. >> yeah, i don't think afp, you know, the koch brothers' operation, cares whether or not it's true. they have -- they're putting in more money than any other single group into the midterms. and they're just going to blanket the air waves with these ads. and you know, who was it? lennin who said, if you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. it's adequate that the koch brothers would be following along there. >> go ahead. >> you know, they have so much money, that it simply doesn't matter. because democrats are going to say, look at this "wall street journal" debunking of this, and that's not going to reach as many households in arkansas as that ad can, in a relatively cheap market. >> but, you know, aside from cheap markets, you know, the fact is, michelle, that the american for prosperity are pouring money in all over the

place. they have a $970,000 ad buy in colorado, $70,000 in louisiana. i mean, they're trying to flood markets. but the fact is, 5 million, let's look at the positive, 5 million new americans are now insured. why are we not happy about that, regardless of party? >> well, i think you have a certain segment of the republican party that is basically decided that the way forward is to trash this. they know obamacare has been very unpopular with the base. and they also know this is a very kind of big, sprawling, complicated issue. and it's very easy in these circumstances to play on people's fears, to, you know, cite certain statistics and bury others, to make your case. and they're getting away with it. you know, it is absolutely true that accuracy is not the most important thing in these

situations. they going to be loud, they're going to flood the air waves. and they are going to make their message the one that people remember, because they're playing to people's gut level fear about their health care insurance. >> well, with i think it's a big deal to me and i'm going to keep talking about it. 5 million people that needed health care, that have now an t opportunity to get it or get a plan that is better. that's a big deal. they can't scream louder than me. 5 many, 5 million. michelle cottle and ryan grim, thank you both for your time tonight. coming up, remember when bob y jindal rushed to the "duck dynasty's" defense? tonight, he's rushing into our gotcha zone. plus, the mother who drove her three kids into the ocean was back in court today. will she be moved out of prison? and officials say the malaysia airlines plane was deliberately diverted. now there's a new focus on the two pilots.

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responsibility. what's your policy? right-wingers sure do love free speech. just as long as it's speech they agree with. remember how republicans flocked to "duck dynasty" star, phil robertson, after he made anti-gay and racially charged comments this an interview? politicians like louisiana governor bobby jindal wanted to make sure everyone knew they were birds of a feather. >> the bigger issue is not what he said or even how he said it. the bigger issue here is about religious liberty, it's about the first amendment and the right to speak up and say what you believe. >> it's the first amendment, speak up and say what you believe! unless, of course, you disagree with governor jindal. this billboard recently went up

in louisiana. it was paid for by a progressive group, calling out governor jindal for not expanding medicaid. mr. jindal and his allies tried to have the ad removed, but the group doubled down with a tv ad. >> why are louisiana republicans trying to take down this billboard? maybe they don't want you to know that when governor jindal refused to expand medicaid, he said no to more than $1.65 billion in federal funds and denied health care to 242,000 people. >> 242,000 people. that's how many will be denied health care because of governor jindal. so what are jindal's allies doing about it? suing the group that's calling them out. the state is taking moveon.org to federal court, because its ad parodies a louisiana tourism slogan. so when a reality star makes an anti-gay comment, that's free

speech. but when a political group attacks jindal's viewers on obamacare, that's grounds for a lawsuit? did governor jindal think we wouldn't notice how he's staid silent about this real attack on free speech? nice try, but we got you. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share. what about expansion potential? add a line, anytime, for $15 a month. low dues, great terms. let's close! new at&t mobile share value plans our best value plans ever for business. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain.

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who are they? when malaysian airlines flight 370 now missing for more than ten days, there's a new focus on the two pilots on board. could one or both of them be behind the plane's disappearance? this footage appears to show the pilot and co-pilot of the missing malaysian airlines plane passing through airport security. nbc news has not verified the time, date, or source of the video. today, we also learned that the final words out of the cockpit

came from the plane's 27-year-old copilot. he showed no signs of trouble, simply saying, "all right, good night." but just two minutes later, the transponder which identifies the plane to civilian radar stopped working. just officials believe it was deliberately shut down with manual intervention. the last satellite signal received from the plane nearly seven hours later was somewhere along one of these two massive arcs. and while the search for the plane has broadened, the investigation into the people on board has narrowed. this weekend, officials searched the home of both pilots. even confiscating the captain's personal flight simulator. they're also looking into the pilot's close ties to a malaysia opposition leader. so could there be a political motive or could a passenger be the mastermind behind the

plane's disappearance? at this point, there's still more questions than answers. joining me are captain john cox, a retired airline pilot, and jim cavanau cavanaugh, an nbc law enforcement analyst, who's been deeply involved in many high-profile investigations, including the unabomber case. thank you both for being on the show tonight. >> thanks, reverend al. >> my pleasure. >> captain, malaysia airlines officials believe the co-pilot was the last one to talk to air traffic controllers. what would be the significance of that? >> there's really no significance in it. the flight crew members swap duties, depending on different legs, and that just means that the routine radio transmissions is were being handled by the first officer, fully qualified, and he's an experienced pilot. so this would be a very routine, normal event. >> now, jim, if you were leading this investigation, how intently

are you focused on the two captains on onboard the flight? >> i would be very intently focused on them, reverend al, because they have the knowledge, they have the skills, they have the opportunity, they have all the ability to do what was done with the plane, which we now know from the malaysian authorities and all the reporting on it that the flight plan was manually entered and the plane went west. so, you really have to look at them very, very deeply. you know, hijack is not out of the question, but it's easier for is pilot to divert this plane in the manner it was diverted, and they're sitting right there. hijacking complicates the facts more, and i'm not saying it couldn't happen. we could discuss that scenario, but the most likely scenario is pilot complicity, at least one, to make this play go in this direction. >> now, captain cox, that brings to mind that a second airplane

communications system was also cut. now, how hard would that have been to do this? >> well, there's two communications systems that are involved here. one is a transponder, and that feeds data down to civilian radar. it ceased to function. that may be because of a loss of electricity. the component itself may have failed or it may have been switched off. but of greater interest is a data system known as acars. and this links certain parameters for engine monitoring and other functions, but it was disabled, but only partially. in other words, the data stream was stopped, but the unit stayed in touch with the network, with the satellite network, and to do that requires very special knowledge and it's even above and beyond what a lot of pilots would have. so this level of knowledge is probably one of the leading clues that we have as far as being substantiative. >> jim, you know, this plane was

in the air for another seven hours after its last contact. isn't it odd that no one on board tried to send a message of any kind? >> well, that's a good point, reverend al. i think they could be out of reach of a cell tower or anything out in the open sea. there was one report, i think it's pretty squishy, that the plane might have went up to 45,000 feet after it made the western turn. now, that's a little squishy, the facts, but if true, let's just, for the discussion, it could be that the evil pilot in control of the aircraft was trying to, you know, disable the other pilot, the good pilot, who might have been locked out of the cabin or the flight crew trying to get back in and regain control of the aircraft and he would take him up in and deprive him of oxygen, a known maneuver that's been used by bad guys before. but we know one pilot had to have done this.

they would have had to killed or disabled or locked out the other guy. if it's a suicide plot, you usually don't do that with your copilot. generally speaking, it's an individual i'd event. so one pilot could do it, they have all the skills. and the plan, this airplane's a mystery. everybody says it's a mystery, it's a mystery. this was planned to be a mystery, whether it's suicide or hijacking, it was planned that way. and that's why it is so. >> captain cox, i saw you moving your head. you wanted to weigh in on this point? >> yeah, we probably need to get back to a little bit of physics. the boeing 777, at weight that it was, i don't believe, is going to be capable of making 45,000 feet, much less staying there. >> so you don't think this plane could have made 45,000 -- up to 45,000 feet? >> i think what we may have is an anomalous radar indication, the triangulation, the tr trigonometry off just a little

bit. i'm very, very hesitant to draw anyingses can based on the altitudes. i don't think we've got anywhere close to sufficient underpinning of that data. i am not, in any way, convinced that that airplane went above the 35,000 foot cruise that it was whenever this catastrophic event unfolded. >> let me ask you this. there's a map going around today that shows 634 runways in the range that have a runway long enough to land a 777. is it possible that the plane could have landed? >> i think it is remotely possible, but recognize that we have satellites, we have the ability to look at those 600 and whatever airports, and none of them have an extra 777 sitting on the ground. this is a large airplane. this airplane is the size of two-thirds of a football field long and wider than a football field wide. it is not something you can easily hide. consequently, and i also believe

that they would have noticed if the air traffic control radar may not have noticed this airplane, but military radar would. for it to fly into someone else's air space unnoticed would be very, very, very difficult. to me, the evidence points, unfortunately, to the fact that the airplane is probably in the water. >> john cox and jim cavanaugh, i'll have to leave it there. thank you both for your time this evening. >> up next, a big day in court for the mom who tried to drive her kids into the ocean. disturbing new evidence about what happened to her in jail after she was arrested. also, we'll introduce you to the republican lawmaker who says a member of the kkk should be able to discriminate on the basis of race. stay with us. i'm beth... and 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.

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it's time for the justice files, the big criminal justice stories making headlines today. joining me now, msnbc's legal analyst, faith jenkins, and former u.s. attorney for southern florida, kendall coffey. we start tonight in daytona beach, florida, where ebony wilkerson, the pregnant mom who drove her three kids into the ocean, was back in court today. she's trying to get her $1.2 million bond reduced and her

attorneys are asking for her to be moved to a mental health unit. prosecutors say she is a danger to the community. nearly two weeks ago, wilkerson drove her van into the ocean in daytona beach, florida, with her three children inside. she told police she was trying to get away from her abusive husband. but bystanders ran to help with water rushing into the car and waves tossing it around. all three children were puddle safely from the car. one of the children later, allegedly, told police, mom tried to kill us. wilkerson faces charges of attempted murder and child abuse. today, the judge said she will not make a ruling until another hearing on march 25th. the defense is expected to give more precedent for asking to move wilkerson. kendall, she's in solitary confinement. should she be moved? >> well, i think, of course, she

should be moved. she's pregnant, that's significant. you've got the health of another life to consider. and it's clear that there are mental issues here. whether she qualifies under florida's very, very difficult standard for legal defense of insanity is one thing. but i think we all know that inevitably, there are mental issues, mental conditions, and they should be addressed in the right environment. you can have a locked down institution, where there's medical care, where there's psychiatric care. that's what she needs. and by the way, normally, the prisons and jails of state floridas, of state of florida, aren't really all that great with respect to mental health issues and mental health treatments. a lot of difficult issues in the history of florida in this area. >> well, what's the precedent here, faith? do judges consider pregnancy in decisions like this? >> obviously, they have to. it's not only her health, the health of the defendant, but also of the unborn child. in our system, we really struggle with cases like this, because we recognize that people who are truly mentally ill and don't know the difference

between right and wrong, when they commit crimes, we don't treat them the same as we do other people. we're not supposed to treat them the same as we do other people who intentionally commit crimes. but we struggle with cases like this, because it's a balancing act. we have to protect society. this woman, obviously, tried to kill her kids. she has to be protected from even her own children. but when you have a mother in a situation like that, who commits an act like that, it's obvious she's not in her right state of mind, and she should be in the best place, where she can get the treatment that she needs. >> the state says wilkerson was beating her own pregnant stomach with a fist, and as she seemed to be a danger to herself. but the defense says she reacted that way because her clothes were taken away, and that she was locked in solitary confinement. is she even in a state of mind for trial, kendall? >> well, that's going to be sorted out. there's going to be, obviously, expert examination to decide all that. but in the meantime, for all the

reasons you've just described, if she was beating herself, apparently, attempting to do damage to her unborn child, all the more reasons why she needs to be in an appropriate facility. it can be a lockdown facility. it's not going to be some kind, happy place. believe me. but it needs to be a place where she can be safe, where the unworn life can be safe, and where she's getting some kind of treatment for what are obviously some very serious mental issues. >> now, let's move to the case of marissa alexander, who's now seeking a new stand your ground hearing. the florida mother was sentenced to 20 years for firing what she says was a warning shot at her abusive husband in 2010. no one was hurt. on friday, her attorney submitted documents to reconsider a stand your ground defense, saying critical new information wasn't presented at the original hearing. and that new evidence profoundly undermines the testimony of

alexander's estranged husband and his two children. and the judge didn't have the chance to consider alexander's ex-husband's pattern of similar violent acts against his female partners and his intimidation of witnesses. this all comes down to unequal application of the law. marissa alexander fires a warning shot, no one was hurt, and she faces 60 years in prison. while others have shot and killed and are walking free today. kendall, should alexander be able to claim she was simply standing her ground? >> well, it appears that she should be. and it's good she's getting another hearing. there are going to be some serious credibility issues raised this time with the three accusing witnesses from last time. and it appears that there may have been a fundamental misapplication of the stand your ground law. because the judge in the last hearing denied stand your ground immunity, concluded that because she went from the garage back into the house, that somehow she

wasn't entitled to protection. she should have taken it. well, that's not the law of florida at all, reverend. like it or not, the heart of stand your ground is that uh dwroent hadon't have to walk aw from trouble. >> if you're going to have it, have it equal. the hope in the dunn case was there's no obligation to retreat. why is marissa alexander obligated to retreat? >> i'll tell you why, stand your ground seems to work best when you don't leave the other person able to stand their ground or even be around. here, marissa's husband was able to -- he gave testimony in the deposition. there's no dispute he was an abusive husband. he gave testimony in the deposition that he put his hands on all of his babies' mamas and he would have on marissa, had she not had a gun. but he's alive and able to testify as a witness, he testified at the trial to something different. that he was a victim, that he was in fear, and that he -- that

she was not standing her ground, because she wasn't in fear, that he was. so that was the main issue. when you have a witness who's able to testify against you, this law seems to not work. it works best when you actually shoot and kill the other person and they aren't able to speak out. >> why is angela corey doubling down on this, if, in fact, stand your the ground is a law, and she's a state attorney, she's had to argue in other cases, but clearly, this is a law there that she and other law enforcement prosecutors in the state have not fought against, kendall? >> and she's pushing for 60 years, minimum mandatory, if, in fact, marissa alexander is convicted of a shooting of a single bullet that didn't hurt anybody. that's about as aggressive as you can get. why is she doing it? because she thinks she's going to force marissa alexander to a plea deal. it's all about leverage and

holding this massive hammer over somebody who believes they're innocent and who may be innocent and el thing them, you better be 100% sure you're going to win, because if you don't, your life is gone. >> this case is not about justice. >> i'm going to have to leave it there. faith jenkins and kendall coffey, thank you both for your time. coming up, a developing story in the george washington wrinlg scandal. tonight, newly released e-mails show a key christie aide may have had more involvement than we thought. and remember when rand paul told rachel maddow he wanted to modify anti-discrimination laws? well, someone else in the party is talking like that today. how's that for rebranding? next. ♪

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a late-breaking development in the chris christie bridge scandal. newly released e-mails show a key christie aide, former campaign manager, bill steppian, may have had more involvement than previously known. one potentially important e-mail came on september 12th, when the lanes were still closed. showing that steppian was kept in the loop about the closings,

specifically he was informed that the mayor of ft. lee was complaining about the traffic. steppian responded, thanks. step en's lawyer issued a statement dismissing the relevance of the documents as saying, quote, a desperate attempt to paint mr. stepien as a central figure in the lane closure controversys. also released, an e-mail linking christie's chief political strategist, mike duhane, to discussions about the lane closings in december. the attorney for state lawmakers released the e-mails as part of a court filing. we'll talk to one of the lawmakers leading the investigation tomorrow night. in the nation, we reward safe driving.

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phil jensen. he believes businesses should have the right to turn away customers based on their race or religion. jensen tells the rapid city journal, quote, if someone was a member of the ku klux klan and they were running a little bakery, for instance, the majority of us would find it detestable that they refused to serve blacks. and guess what? in a matter of weeks or so, that business would shut down because no one is going to patronize them. so how is that for rebranding? how is that rebranding going again? this is only one local state lawmaker saying this. but what about one of the gop's top candidates? remember what rand paul told my colleague rachel maddow in 2010 about modifying anti-discrimination laws. >> there's ten different titles to the civil rights act, and nine out of ten deal with public institutions and i'm absolutely

in favor of. one deals with private institutions, and had i been around, i would have tried to modify that. >> so the wolworth lunch counter should have allowed to stay segregated? sir, just yes or no. >> what i think would happen -- what i'm saying is, i don't believe in any discrimination. >> so, we are one year since the gop autopsy, i'm all for a party trying to be more inclusive, but candidates with these views don't exactly move the party forward. you can't equivocate on discrimination. people have rights, but people have to be protected. that their rights are not violated by what others believe and deem to be their right to discriminate. the state must protect the citizens of the country. that's what makes the country great. i have the right to believe what i want. i do not have the right to practice it to deny you your rights. and deny you your ability as an

american citizen like anyone else. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. ten days later and still more questions than answers. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm joy reid in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, why, where, and how? it's been ten days since malaysia flight 370 vanished, apparently into thin air. it's now a criminal investigation, with 26 countries involved in the search effort. countless teams of investigators are poring over information, investigators are raiding homes. the most sophisticated tlnl in the modern era is loo