i'm a fan. >> congratulations to ed on his five-year anniversary. >> this is only a start. >> "the ed show." week nights at 5:00 on msnbc. >> and i just want to say it's an honor to be here. we got a great team. we're going to keep on going. that's "the ed show" tonight. i'm ed schultz. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening, rev. good evening, ed. and happy anniversary. five years. you mean so much to so many. thank you for being ed. >> thanks, brother. i appreciate that. >> and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, destroying the gop's myth of obamacare, the job killer. it was their favorite talking point, and they trotted it out every chance they got. >> in my opinion, obamacare is the biggest job killer we have in america today. >> becomes such a job killer in our economy. >> obamacare is the biggest job killer in this country. >> the number one job killer in the united states, do you know what it is? obamacare.

>> that's right. when the health care law wasn't taking away our freedom, it was killing our jobs. the only problem is the facts don't back that up. today, we got another positive jobs report showing that 192,000 jobs were created last month. that makes 49 straight months of private sector job growth. and when did that trend start? march 2010, the same month that president obama signed the affordable care act. so much for the obamacare, the job killer. but, of course, republicans aren't going to let a little thing like the facts get in the way of this spin. check out paul ryan last night on fox. >> now that we're five years into obamanomics, the economy is even worse. fewer people are staying in the labor force. so we have a slower economy, which means bigger deficits.

so we have to cut a little bit more. >> this is classic paul ryan. blame the president for the cuts to the safety net that he wants to do anyway. and here is how he explained that new budget of his that he released this week. >> we think we need to fix some of our welfare programs so that we make sure we transition people from welfare to work. so we proposed a bloc grant some of these programs like food stamps. let's let our governors and our state legislators customize these benefits so that they can fit the needs of their local population. medicaid is a program that is not work very well. well want to give the states more flexibility to cater to their populations. >> now, when a guy like paul ryan talks about customizing benefits and adding flexibility to the safety net, you know what he really means, right? cuts, cuts, cuts, and more cuts. in fact, a new analysis of his budget shows that $3.3 trillion in cuts target programs for

low-income americans. that's 69% of all the cuts in this entire budget. it's immoral. it's not who we are as a nation. president obama is growing the economy job by job, month by month. republicans think they can rebuild the economy by tearing down the poor. joining me now are melissa harris-perry and ryan grim. thank you both for joining me. >> thank you, reverend. >> absolutely. >> melissa, i want to bring back this chart. how can republicans claim the health care law is a job killer if we had job growth every single month since it passed? >> here is the one way that they're right. it's so twisted, the logic is hard to follow. obamacare is a job killer only in this sense, that the one place where there has been a decrease in the number of jobs, in fact in a massive decrease in the number of jobs has been in public sector employment. and that public sector employment job cutting has been primarily been republican

governors, republican state legislatures who have cut these jobs. they ran on kill obamacare. running on kill obamacare has allowed them to take over these government positions and then in those government positions, they have killed jobs. that is the only way in which obamacare is a job killer. >> that's true. but the private sector jobs have been going up. >> absolutely. >> every month, 49 straight months private sector jobs have grown. >> which is why the only reason we don't feel it, the only reason you don't feel that sense of enormous robust comeback is because in the public sector where these republicans are in control in state legislatures. >> congress and the state legislature. >> exactly. they've been cutting it. >> and ryan, you know, when you look at the breakdown of cuts in paul ryan's budget, again, this bringing the public sector into play, where they have been the ones that have obstructed. the breakdown of cuts in ryan's new budget, $2.7 trillion in medicaid and health subsidies. $137 billion in food stamps or

s.n.a.p. $125 billion pell grants or low income college students. $250 billion school lunch, child nutrition, et cetera. but he adds, ryan, $483 billion in defense spending. now, all these cuts are actually worse than in prior years. the ryan budgets are actually getting worse, not better. >> there is a missing step in the ryan plan. he thinks that if you take benefits away from people, you take help away from people, that will kind of force them into the job market. but the step he is missing is that there aren't enough jobs. >> right. >> there are already millions more people looking for jobs than we have jobs. and as melissa said, you know, there are 100,000 fewer public jobs today than there were a year ago. and hundreds of thousands fewer than there were five years ago. meanwhile, the population is much bigger. you know, and the economy is still sluggish. and she really hit the nail on the head. that's problem. there just aren't enough jobs for people.

so if there aren't the jobs for people to go into, how can you justify taking help away from them? >> but you don't really need jobs available, melissa, when the problem is that we're just lazy and shiftless and don't want to work. i mean, we are talking about ryan and his logic. >> look, it is -- the only thing that makes me cringe every time, because at this point, it's become expected of paul ryan. and it's distressing in part because paul ryan is not a dumb guy. he is a smart man. so you know he knows better when he is saying these things. you know he can look at the data and the evidence and know that what he is saying is empirically false. but the most distressing thing is when he uses that language, move people from welfare to work. the reason it just sticks for me is because that was precisely the language that president clinton used in signing that horrifying welfare reform bill in the 1990s. in that moment when we most need it, to stand firmly as a democratic party, when people in the democratic party needed to stand firm and say there is no

unworthy poor, and this narrative and this language is false, instead at that time, for all the wonderful things that the clinton presidency did for the economy, it was rough on poor people. and it allowed a discourse that can now still be deployed all these decades later. >> well, some of us did stand up. >> oh, absolutely. >> but we didn't have a whole lot of company. you know, ryan, when we look at the fact that these cuts are actually worse, and then the president ripped into the gop priorities on display in the ryan budget, watch this. >> they just sincerely believe that if we give more tax breaks to a fortunate few and we invest less in the middle class and we reduce or eliminate the safety net for the poor and the sick and we cut food stamps and we cut medicaid and we let banks and polluters and credit card companies and insurers do only what is best for their bottom line without the responsibility to the rest of us, then somehow

the economy will boom. they tried to sell this -- this sandwich at zingerman's, they would have to call it the stink about burger, or the meanwich. >> i mean, ryan, let's face facts. things could be a lot better if these guys would just get out of the way. the problem is not that the times are as bad as the obstructionists are determined and immovable. and they've got to get out of the way. that's the problem, ryan. >> yes. and the irony is that the republicans are always saying get the government out of the way. and if they would have just left government spend agent the level that it was in 2009 and 2010, we'd have probably millions more jobs today, at least hundreds of thousands more jobs. the deficit is falling at such a fast pace now that it makes you wonder what is going on here. why aren't republicans giving credit here for the deficit falling, and why isn't the

unemployment rate coming down if the deficit was the reason that we had these high jobless numbers. now, clearly, that's backwards. when the economy is struggling, you need to run a higher deficit. republicans are never going to get behind that. but they won't admit that that's what is going on right now. if have gotten out of the way and left things as they are, we would be in a much better place. >> absolutely. let's get back to the private sector jobs, though, melissa. with the latest job report, we now regain all the private sector jobs lost during the bush recession. so let's compare the obama and bush presidencies when it comes to the private sector jobs. president obama has created 5.4 million jobs so far. president bush lost 646,000 jobs. so the bush trickle down tax cuts for the rich agenda didn't work so well. so why are the republicans still pushing? >> i think we know they're

pushing it because it's not really what is about what is good for the economy or even about what is good for reemploying americans. it's really just a pure partisan battle, never mind what is good for the american people. but let me just suggest one other thing. the criticism that often we hear about these private sector jobs is that they're low wage jobs. they're not the same kind of jobs. i just don't want to miss what the president did standing there in michigan, where now, if in fact that is your criticism, if the criticism is that these are low wage jobs, he is now pushing for an increase in the minimum wage. >> right. >> he is now looking for a fix for exactly that problem of the creation of low wage jobs, raising that floor, creating a stimulative economy. because we though when poor people make even marginally more, they spend that money out into the economy that money going out into the economy creates more jobs. and so the president is actively trying to address the challenges, even in his own private job growth. >> even some -- when some members of his own party is not there aggressively with him.

melissa harris-perry and ryan grim, thank you both for your time tonight. and be sure to catch melissa harris-perry weekends. she is back! starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern right here on msnbc. coming up, it's been a transformative week for president obama and his health care law. and today more great news has republicans scrumabling. in gnaw documentary, donald rumsfeld says something about a torture memo that i couldn't believe. and was it self-defense or murder? a tough defense kicks off for a man accused of murdering an unarmed teenager. they're going after the judge and the victim's past. and toronto mayor rob ford's latest gaffe. it involves hockey, nelson mandela, and stretching, yes, stretching. big show ahead. stay with us. ♪

[ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ my mom works at ge. the was a truly amazing day. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most.

join today at angieslist.com

a woman's right to choose. it's the law of the land. but republicans are making it so hard to get an abortion, and now women are trying to do it themselves. how can this be happening? we have some eye-opening reporting on this, next. cucina mia for just $9.99. first, choose unlimited soup or salad. then create your own pasta with one of five homemade sauces. and finish with dessert. three courses, $9.99. at olive garden. there was a boy who traveled to a faraway place

where castles were houses and valiant knights stood watch for the kingdom was vast and monsters lurked in the deep and the good queen showed the boy it could all be real avo: all of great britain, all in one place book on expedia before april 30th and save up to thirty percent. republicans are unified in rolling back women's rights. 11 states have made abortion illegal after 20 weeks.

right now nearly 300 anti-abortion bills are pending in republican-led legislatures across the country. but perhaps nowhere is it worse than in texas. new laws and restrictions have made it nearly impossible for women to get an abortion. look at this map. those dots represent clinics where women could get abortions in texas before restrictive laws were passed last summer. now look at this map. those dots are the only clinics expected to remain open later this year. amazing. that's how hard it is to get a safe abortion. and now women are trying to do it themselves. and we're seeing a run of the so-called back alley abortion. joining me now is the author of that article, laura bassett. laura, first of all, thank you for being here tonight. >> great to be here.

>> women have a right to choose, laura. so how did we get here? >> i don't know. i thought this was settled in 1973. you know roe v. wade. the supreme court decided in roe v. wade that women should be legally able to get an abortion up until the fetus is viable, around 22 to 24 weeks. and anti-abortion advocates, particularly over the last few years have been really successful at chipping away at the rights by passing little bitty laws that add up to a big deal. we're seeing the worst in texas right now. i would call it an all-out crisis. not only are legislators slashing the family planning budgets. i mean 75 clinics have closed in texas that were only providing birth control and iuds and other health service. >> 75 women's clinics have closed in texas? >> 75 family planning clinics were closed. they weren't even providing abortions. and in addition to, that 24 abortion clinics have closed, and a bunch more are expected to

close by september. access is really, really bad down there. >> let me raise this that was really striking to me. women in texas are crossing the boarder to mexico for abortion alternatives. you write the lack of abortion access in texas is already pushing pregnant women back across the border. at mexican pharmacies, they can purchase a drug that are labeled use of preventing gastric ulcers, but which can also induce abortions. our colleague at the rachel maddow show spoke to the ceo of a group that owns abortion clinics in texas. listen to what she says about the women taking abortions into their own hands. listen to this. >> we saw an increase of self-induction in 2012, at the end of 2012. and we've seen an even greater increase right now. we know with flea markets, with crossing the border.

the sad thing is the misuse of the medication. you know, that something that is actually pretty safe, women could really do harm to themselves by not knowing what to do because they're not getting professional medical advice or care, you know. so it's heartbreaking i know for some of the physicians i work with who are highly trained to provide safe care, and then their hands are tied now. >> not only is this extreme, laura, it is dangerous. especially for women that don't have means if something goes wrong to try to help themselves medically correct something. this is extremely dangerous. >> you're right. this pill is not intended to take on one's own without the supervision of a doctor. and i've talked to doctors down there who are saying women are coming in bleeding after having taken 50 of the pills and putting them in every orifice of their body because they don't know how to take it. it's a very complicated pill to self administer. you have to take 12 and put them under the tongue at different time intervals. and for people who don't know what they're doing, that's a

really scary undertaking. and if you take it with an ectopic pregnancy or significant goes wrong, side effects include death. so this is very much of a modern back alley abortion. and it's really dangerous. >> i mean, that expression you just said, "back alley abortion", this is 2014. i thought that was a thing of the past. >> right. we all did. and stories have been flooding in not only from pre-roe days. i've had the most heartbreaking stories roll into my in box this week. people telling me they sprayed lysol into themselves. their partner punched them in the stomach. they fell down the stairs. and women going over the border and taking the pill and not realizing they hadn't entirely passed the placenta and ended up hemorrhaging in the emergency room. a lot of same things that were happening before abortion was legal are happening again now. and i think it's really scary. >> that's why we have to pay close attention to what is going

on in these state legislatures. it's very, very serious. laura bassett from "the huffington post," great reporting and thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you so much for having me. still ahead, donald rumsfeld's stunning admission about torture during the bush administration. you'll want to hear this one. plus, a big announcement about president obama's health care law. tonight there are three million more reasons why this law is here to stay. also, self-defense or murder? a key hearing. a michigan case that is drawing comparisons to the death of trayvon martin. stay with us.

here's a word you should keep in mind "unbiased". some brokerage firms are but way too many aren't. why? because selling their funds makes them more money. which makes you wonder. isn't that a conflict? search "proprietary mutual funds". yikes!! then go to e*trade. we've got over 8,000 mutual funds and not one of them has our name on it. we're in the business of finding the right investments for you. e*trade. less for us, more for you. the fund's prospectus contains its investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other important information and should be read and considered carefully before investing. for a current prospectus visit www.etrade.com/mutualfunds.

don't worry! the united states postal service will get it there on time with priority mail flat rate shipping. ♪ whoo-hoo! ♪ [ male announcer ] our priority has always been saving the day. because our priority... amazing! [ male announcer ] ...is you! the amazing spider-man 2 delivered by the united states postal service.

a new documentary out today by oscar-winning filmmaker errol morris is an eye-opening look at former defense secretary donald

rumsfeld's warped sense of history and the facts. >> what about all these so-called torture memos? >> well, there were what, one or two or three. i don't know the number. but there were not all of these so-called memos. they were mischaracterized as torture memos, and they came not out of the bush administration per se, they came out of the u.s. department of justice. blessed by the attorney general, the senior legal official of the united states of america, having been nominated by a president and confirmed by the united states senate overwhelmingly. little different cast i just put on it than the one you did. i'll chalk that one up. >> was the reaction unfair?

>> i've never read them. >> really? >> no. i'm not a lawyer. what would i know? >> he never read the torture memos that justified so-called enhanced interrogation of suspected terrorists? he was secretary of defense, and he never even bothered to read them? remarkable. the bush era torture programs is a huge stain on this country's history. we learned just this week that the tortures used likely had little to do with the killing of bin laden. donald rumsfeld is still making headlines criticizing the current administration's foreign policy. and that's not even a nice try, but we gotcha. [ chuckles ] wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-906-8500 now. [ dennis ] zach really loves his new camera.

problem is...this isn't zach. it's a friend of a friend who was at zach's party and stole his camera. but zach's got it covered... with allstate renters insurance. [ female announcer ] protect your valuables for as low as $4 a month when you add renters insurance to your allstate auto policy. call 866-906-8500 now. what are you doing? we're switching car insurance. why? because these guys are the cheapest. why? good question. because a cut-rate price could mean cut-rate protection. you should listen to this guy. [ female announcer ] with allstate you get great protection and a great price, plus an agent! drivers who switched saved an average of $498 a year. call now and see how much you can save. just a few more ways allstate is changing car insurance for good. [ female announcer ] call an allstate agent and get a quote now.

to help people clean better, and that he travels the world inventing amazing new cleaners, like his newest invention, liquid muscle, that lifts and cleans tough grease with less scrubbing. it's a liquid gel, so it's less watery and cleans more. and its cap stops by itself so almost nothing's wasted. ♪ no matter where he went or who he helped, people couldn't thank him enough. new mr. clean liquid muscle. when it comes to clean, there's only one mr. new mr. clean liquid muscle. ♪

you've played a part in building our global recycling program. ♪ hey kevin...still eating chalk for hearburn? yea. try alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heart burn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. alka-seltzer fruit chews. enjoy the relief! it's the comeback story of the year. president obama's health care law after four years of republicans predicting failure,

the law is getting a chance to work, and it's getting millions more americans insured. today the white house announced three million more people have enrolled in medicaid since october. three million more people coming. this just days after we learned 7.1 million have enrolled in health care exchanges. it's been a transformative week for health care in this country. and republicans are realizing they've got to do more than just trash it. just listen to louisiana governor bobby jindal. >> there are a lot of republicans in washington who think we can just run against obamacare between now and november. i think that's a mistake. i think we have to tell the american people what we're for. >> exactly. they can't just keep going on and on about how much they hate the affordable care act. they have to tell the american people what they're for. so, governor, jindal, what exactly are you for?

>> we need to repeal obamacare there are too many conservatives in d.c. you think now i've got to live with it. we have to accept the taxes, accept the spending. we have to modify it. that's exactly wrong. repeal? repeal a law that has gotten millions more people coverage? how is that going to go? >> to give them credit, they do have one original idea. which is to repeal obamacare. because they haven't tried that 50 times. >> they couldn't repeal the law before it took effect. they really think they've got a chance now? as president obama said this week, the affordable care act is here to stay. joining me now are angela rye and mark hannah. thank you both for being here. >> thank you, rev. >> thank you, rev. >> angela, how many people will have to enroll before republicans stop talking about repeal? >> infinity?

i don't know that they would ever stop talking about it, rev. you know, with messaging, whether you're a democrat or republican, there is this concept they have called the boogie man. they have absolutely not only made the president the boogie man, but the affordable care act or obamacare is the boogie man. the president laughed about this early on saying as soon as the law really starts to begin accomplishing a great deal and a as soon as they see the victories from obamacare, they're going to change it back to the affordable care act. i think in very short order we will see that. bobby jindal, as we know is a presidential hopeful. i'm sure he is saying that because it's less partisan, less controversial to say that with chuck todd on this network than it would be to say something totally different on the other network. >> now, you know, mark, congressman paul ryan was asked in an interview -- an interview that aired this weekend about what would happen if republicans somehow managed to repeal the law. he was asked if republicans would let young adults stay on

their parents' plans, and if they would protect those with preexisting conditions. ryan said no, that those provisions are too costly. now, how will people react to that? >> i think they'll react to it by not voting for paul ryan when he runs for president in 2016. i think republicans are alienateling major, major swaths of the american people. you mentioned the 7 million people enrolled in the private exchanges and the 3 million through medicaid expansion. that doesn't take into consideration over 100 million people who now have free coverage for preventative medicine, for mammograms. everybody is going to know somebody that has benefitted in some way from obamacare. and when the job description of congressional republicans for the past four years has been to try to repeal the law, defund the law, undermine different individual provisions of the law, and that's all you've been doing in congress, well, when people start to realize somebody

they know has been benefitting personally from the law, republicans are going to have to find something else to do with their time, and they're going to have to find a way to walk back, and backpedal from this position. >> i don't know, angela, if they're going to backpedal. because the head of the republican party actually mocked the idea that health care costs could cause bankruptcy. listen to this. >> who is losing their house when they get sick? i would venture to say nobody is losing their house when they get sick. but this is what i guess we got to deal with a bunch of lies, essentially propaganda that people have been inculcated with, they believe it now. now getting sick equals bankruptcy. therefore we need obamacare. >> in reality, a study by harvard researchers in 2007 found illness or medical bills contributed to 62% of

bankruptcies. i mean, how out of touch are they, angela? >> well, rev, i don't know if we can spend any more time on talking how out of touch they are. i love you made rush the de facto chair of the republican party. it's highly accurate. >> he is the de facto chair. >> smatter he is the chair. the mere fact that they get their talking points from someone who is rich off of spewing propaganda on his show, he is the last person in the world that should be talking about lies and propaganda. it is a very known fact that people go into foreclosure and bankruptcy and work two and three and four jobs just to pay for health care costs. this law is finally addressing some of that. i don't know how they're going to go home to their constituents, those that are even secretly signing up for obamacare and have coverage. i don't know how they're going to face these people. and i certainly hope that people recognize who is really fighting for them even when they're not aligned with some of these folks because they think it conflicts with some of their other

interests when it comes time to vote in the elections this year. >> mark, let me try with you. i tried with angela. this week we learned 7.1 million people enrolled in health care exchanges. >> that's right. >> and the congressional budget office projects 24 million will enroll by 2017. i mean, by that point will republicans finally knock off this repeal talk? >> they're going to need to change the subject somehow, rev. the law is doing exactly what democrats promised it would do. and people -- and democrats voted for it. and so right now they need to change the subject. it's unclear what they stand for. it's extremely clear what they stand against. but here is hoping they're going to come up with some issue that they can talk about other than just making obamacare their pinata, as angela alluded to earlier. >> angela, the obamacare has not been the job killer? they've been able to make the numbers. they went not to the six million

that was changed as the target number. they went over the seven million, which was the original number. everything the republicans predicted has not happened, despite the rocky liftoff. i mean, at some point, forget the fact that this is good. forget the morality. politically, isn't this unwise to continue down this road for the republicans? >> it is unwise, rev. whether you're talking about the website, there was a disaster initially, it's been fixed. whether you're talking about the deadlines, they've been changed to ensure people can continue to enroll. every single thing they pointed out as an issue has been addressed. so at what point are you going to say okay, what are we going to do to replace or enhance this law? that is really the only other option. >> and to piggyback on that, there are some thoughtful conservatives who have come out and admitted and acknowledged that the actuarial science here is stacking up. when you have young people maybe not exactly enrolling at the

rate you want, but millions of young people are enrolling. and when you have the obama administration hitting its targets, the case that republicans have been making that obamacare is going to somehow implode on itself, it just doesn't align with reality at this point. >> and it doesn't help, angela, when one of the faces of your party who may be your new chair of the house ways and means committee, if they can keep the majority is talking about it's too costly to continue to take care of people with preexisting conditions and young people, that does not help your cause in a midterm election. >> it doesn't. and as you said earlier, it's out of touch. so they have to find another boogie man, rev. >> all right. angela and mark hannah and the boogie man, thanks for your time. ahead, it's a case being compared to the trayvon martin tragedy a man accused of

murdering an unarmed teenager, and the defense is reaching back into the victim's past. who is on trial here? that's next. and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred.

before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira today. remission is possible. gunderman group is growing. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. growth? growth. i just talked to ups. they've got a lot of great ideas. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money. time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics. add vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance and get $100 off for every year of safe driving.

we put members first. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up- relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. 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'. pretrial hearings continue in the murder trial of the man accused of killing 19-year-old renisha mcbride last november. and today at a pretrial hearing, ted wafer's lawyers showed their mounting and aggressive defense.

in november, mcbride was intoxicated and crashed her car into a parked vehicle around 1:00 a.m. she walked to theodore wafer's house. her family says to seek help. but the 55-year-old shot mcbride in the face after she went on his porch. he claims self-defense, saying mcbride was trying to break into his house. after the hearing today, the defense attorney went after the judge, asking her to recuse herself for ties to prosecutors. and they're reportedly ready to attack the victim's character with photos from her past. so who is on trial here, and how will this play out? joining me now are former prosecutor and msnbc legal analyst faith jenkins and carmen st. george. faith, what is the defense trying to do today going after the judge? >> well, they argued that this judge has several associations

with prosecutors. she is actually from the prosecutor's office. she spent eight years there before she was appointed as a judge this past fall. so they're saying because of her close ties to the prosecutor's office, that's one reason that she may have some bias and may for whatever reason make rulings in their favor. they also talked about her being facebook friends with some of the prosecutors. but if that were the standard, she couldn't hear any cases from that county prosecutor's office because every defense attorney could get up and argue well she has some kind of bias because she is a former prosecutor. judges come from all different backgrounds. and they swear, they take an oath they're going to decide the case based on the evidence, not because of their professional associations. >> but one thing, carmen, it shows, they're going to be aggressive. they're going after everything. but the judge refused to step aside. and she said she was unbiased. watch this. >> there is nothing inappropriate about this activity, and it does not create an appearance of impropriety.

>> is it smart to go after this judge? of course another judge now will have to rule on this. or is just them trying to take a position and show that they're going to be aggressive in this defense? >> reverend, this is a valid position. on behalf of the defense, a judge has to recuse himself if he cannot be fair and impartial. we are all members of the bar, we might be friends. but having a relationship with a judge on facebook or linkedin gives you the ability to have the insight on how the judge may think on certain issues. and the whole decision here is whether or not there is an appearance of impropriety. that's going to take the lead, if the defense can show that there is an appearance of impropriety based upon this relationship, there has been funds that have been paid to this particular judge from prosecutors that are handling the case. there is no reason -- >> you mean campaign funds? >> of course.

>> i want to be clear when you say funds. >> right there. has been -- this judge just was on the bench eight months now. so she fund raised and she became a member of the bench there is no shortage of judges. this is a serious case and the defendant has his life at stake. >> let me move on to another issue here, though, faith. defense attorneys want to make renisha mcbride's character an issue. >> right. >> they want to, quote, let jurors see photos of mcbride's phone that show her with wads of money, alcohol, and marijuana. one is a blur photo of mcbride holding what appears to be a gun. in court documents, the defense claims ms. mcbride could have thought she was breaking into her marijuana supplier's house. it seems like they're going after the background of the deceased. >> of course they are. of course they are. the best defense for them is a good offense. you remember long before george zimmerman went on trial, we

heard a lot about who trayvon martin was. and the defense called into question his character and his identity long before the jurors ever stepped foot in a courtroom. you're seeing the same thing here. the legal question is what is going to be relevant, because these are strangers. the defendant did not know renisha mcbride or that she had these themself on her phone. the issue is about shaping perception about who these individuals are before people ever set foot in that courtroom. and they want to get in early and shape the perception about who this young woman is. >> that's what makes it a win-win, carmen, that they disparage the victim, even if they don't get the evidence in because it's already in the public domain to potential jurors? >> they don't need to, reverend. they don't need to. they have a case where in detroit a woman whose drugged and drunk crashes her car and runs up on somebody's house at 1:00 a.m. this is a city where crime is rampant. in the past couple of weeks, they've had two incidents just like this where homeowners

basically shot intruders that are coming on to their property. your home is your castle. and if this defendant can lay out that he was in fear for his family and his life, that's the case. >> well, the issue is self-defense, right. so the key is going to be what happened in that moment in time. if the key is not who renisha mcbride is as a person. >> well, he didn't know who she was. >> this is what they want to do. they want to argue, they want jurors to think well, because she was perhaps involved in some kind of nefarious behavior in her past and her background, it makes it more likely for you to believe, jurors, that she was breaking into someone's home. that's what the underlying message is. >> but the point is that he shot through the door. does he not, carmen, have to prove he felt he was in an imminent danger to use deadly force. we're not talking about a warning shot. we're talking a shot through the door in this woman's face and he killed her. >> he does have to prove that he

was in fear of his life or the people in the home. he is not coming to the door with a coffee cup. he came to that door with a gun. he may argue that it went off accidentally. but his argument is that he was in fear of his life. >> renisha mcbride's own family weighed in. watch this, faith. >> they're going to try and make her as the suspect. she was not the suspect. she shouldn't have been killed. and if she was a drug dealer, it's the police job to arrest her, not for ted wafer to kill her. >> your reaction, faith? >> i agree with what she is saying here, because, again, if you look at the circumstances in a vacuum, that's one thing, because he has to argue i was in fear for my life, and that's why i shot and killed this young woman. i thought she was breaking into my home. and the reason why all of these things about her background, it's propensity evidence. they want jurors to believe because she has done certain things in her past, this young lady has a picture with a gun

perhaps on her money, with money, with drugs. yes, you can believe and infer from that that she is probably doing something illegal the night she was killed. but that's not the standard. >> but she didn't have a gun that night. and he didn't know what was on her phone. so how do you by law justify killing someone and then later find out things you did not know to say that's why you shot them? >> in my opinion, a good defense is not going to go forward on that foot, to basically blame her and what she came from. it's not propensity. they're trying to, if they use this evidence, they're trying to attack her character. the basic defense in this case is to say that he was in fear of his life based on the circumstances. this community is in fear. this is how the neighborhood feels, that criminals are coming up on their house where your home is supposed to be where you are safe and you are protected. and he is going to have to prove that he was in imminent danger. >> well, i think we're going to

have to leave there it, faith jenkins and carmen st. george. this is why we need to really look very carefully at laws like the castle laws, like stand your ground. because at one level you have people that have fear for their homes and their safety. at another level, you have now a pattern of unarmed people killed, just killed, dead, can't bring them back. somewhere we've got to find a way that everyone is protected, not just those that can use state laws to duck accountability. coming up, rob ford being rob ford. he made two very controversial votes, and it involved stretching. yes, rob ford and stretching. that's next. ♪

[ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪

toronto mayor rob ford was the only councilmember to vote against emotion to congratulate canada's winter liolympians. how can you vote no on that? after all, he was literally jumping for joy when the women's team won a gold medal. and he also voted against naming a city street in honor of nelson mandela. but he tried to get the vote

reopen 30 minutes later. >> mm 21 and 27, i voted the wrong way. yeah, i admit it. i pulled a pitfield. can i have the reopen to vote in the affirmative rather than the negative? >> but the council wouldn't have it. >> every single council meeting, they reopen it. rob ford makes a mistake, they reopen it. i asked immediately after the vote to reopen it. >> half an hour, sir. >> it wasn't a half hour. okay. that's tend of that conversation. thank you. >> you did ask half an hour. >> yeah, okay. >> so what was his excuse? he said he was stretching a sore back and voted quickly, pushing the wrong button. seems far-fetched. but after all, it is rob ford we're talking about. >> yellow 80, hut!

>> do you smoke crack cocaine? >> yes, i have smoked crack cocaine. ♪ >> excuse me, guys. [ bleep ] holy christ. >> maybe he was stretching after all. ok, here's the way the system works. let's say you pay your guy around 2 percent to manage your money. that's not much, you think except it's 2 percent every year. does that make a difference? search "cost of financial advisors" ouch! over time it really adds up. then go to e*trade and find out how much our advice costs. spoiler alert. it's low. really? yes, really. e*trade offers investment advice and guidance from dedicated professional financial consultants. it's guidance on your terms not ours that's how our system works. e*trade.

less for us, more for you. this is mike. his long race day starts with back pain... ...and a choice. take 4 advil in a day which is 2 aleve... ...for all day relief. "start your engines" s lii go to angie's list's list for all kinds of reasons. to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

finally tonight, day this country will never forget. on this day 46 years ago, april 4th, 1968, dr. martin luther king jr. was assassinated. while standing on the balcony of the lorraine motel in memphis, tennessee. the night before he delivered his famous mountaintop speech, a prophetic, powerful address that brought the audience to tears. >> i just want to do god's will. and he has allowed me to go up to the mountain.

and i've looked over. and i've seen the promised land. i may not get there with you, but i want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. so i'm happy tonight. i'm not worried about anything. i'm not fearing any man. mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord. >> as we remember dr. king's death, we must also remember why he was in memphis. he was there in support of sanitation workers on strike. dr. king had turned his focus to social and economic issues as the next stage in the fight for civil rights. he was planning a poor people's

campaign to call attention to the crisis of poverty in america. and in that famous speech about the promised land, he also issued a call to action for improving our lives here on earth. >> it's all right to talk about streets flowing with milk and honey, but god has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. it's all right to talk about the new jerusalem, but one day god's preacher must talk about the new new york, the new atlanta, the new philadelphia, the new los angeles, the new memphis, tennessee. >> yes, those new days and those

new cities and this new nation won't happen by itself. it will only happen if we pick up that mantle and keep fighting. dr. king gave his life 46 years ago tonight so that we would have better lives. we need to pick up and change this nation and keep it moving toward where he had it headed. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. have a great weekend. "hardball" starts right now. supreme injustice. let's play "hardball." >> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start with this week in america, this week that saw the republican-dominated supreme court decide for big money over the people, that