this measure goes through. that's tomorrow right here on "the ed show." ohio state senator nina turner, great to have you with us tonight, thank you. >> thank you, ed. >> and that's "the ed show," i'm ed schultz. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening, rev. >> good evening, ed, and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, the gop is shooting down real progress and ginning up fake scandals. today, the senate republicans filibustered the paycheck fairness act, a bill to help women get equal pay. that's something that could actually help people. so, of course, republicans are against it. and over in the house, republicans are spinning their wheels on phoney scandals. darrell issa is planning to hold a former irs official in contempt, all because she refused to play ball with his kangaroo court. democrats are fed up and fighting back.

>> chairman issa has led the charge, relentlessly pursuing nonexistent scandals for political purposes. after a year and a half, i believe our country, unfortunately, has gotten used to these outlandish and reckless claims, but we should not. frankly, it is a tremendous embarrassment for our committees, it undermines our credibility, and nobody will take us seriously. >> it is an embarrassment. this scandal mongering can't stand up to public scrutiny. maybe that's why republicans retreated behind closed doors today to vote on referring criminal charges against that same irs official to the justice department. the republicans refuse to let democrats hold a public debate. >> the clerk will call the role. >> point of order, mr. chairman. >> the clerk will call the roll.

>> mr. chairman -- >> point of order, mr. chairman. >> those points of order will be able to be made once we go into executive session. >> mr. johnson? >> mr. chairman, i have a right for point of order. >> just chill out. what is the point of order? >> you follow procedures. >> it's just like when darrell issa cut off the democrat's mike. they are afraid of public debate. they are afraid to be exposed. the truth is, these republicans are searching for a scandal, any scandal, to try to hurt president obama. they are even still treading out false claims about benghazi. just listen to them monday. listen to them today. >> i'm now of the firm opinion that the information provided by this administration through susan rice on 16th of september was manipulated for a political purpose. >> why are republicans focused on fake scandals, when they could take real steps to help

americans? raise the minimum wage, extend jobless benefits, pass immigration reform, restart a voting rights act. instead, republicans are rolling in the mud and trying to bring the rest of the country down with them. joining me now is congresswoman jan schakowsky, democrat of illinois, and "washington post's" jonathon capehart. thank you both for being here tonight. >> thank you, reverend al. >> congresswoman, i ask benghazi, do they care more about creating scandals than creating jobs? >> i think what it really shows is that now democrats are really on offense and the republicans have nowhere really to go, because as you say, they are simply unable and unwilling to deal with the real issues that the american people care about. so they are concocting these kinds of scandals, and reverend al, i am the ranking democrat on the oversight committee of the intelligence committee, and i

can tell you, there is no there there when it comes to the so-called benghazi scandal, it's just made up, so now they've taken to turning off microphones, to silencing people who want to make a point of order, embarrassing is the word, but it's also really dangerous. when they start saying someone who invokes the fifth amendment, like lois lerner did is now in contempt of congress, these are constitutional rights they are trampling on. >> you know, jonathon, today congressman cummings compared issa's hearings to the communist of joe mccarthy. look at this, in modern history, congress has held a witness in contempt for refusing to answer questions just 11 times, nine were in the mccarthy era. it hasn't happened since 1968, yet now issa wants to do it again. aren't these gop witch hunts way out of line with how washington

is supposed to function, jonathon? >> well, yes, and washington has been way out of line in the way that washington is supposed to function for quite a while now. you know, they could be working on all sorts of things that you talked about at the beginning of this segment, extending unemployment benefits, equal pay for equal work, getting jobs bill passed to put the american people back to work, but instead, they keep focusing on so-called scandals, whether it's irs, benghazi, fast and furious, there are probably a whole lot more that i can't even remember, but they are so focused on that. one, to ding the president and to keep the president on defense, and also not to give the president a win in their mind, but also these kinds of so-called scandals and controversies and fights with democrats and putting the president on the ropes plays well with the conservative base

of the republican party. when people do things like this over and over and over again, despite the facts saying otherwise that what they are doing is completely wrong, that what they are professing is completely wrong, there's a reason for that, and the reason for that, i think, is because it plays well at home. >> you know, congresswoman, the gop fixation, let's face it, it's coming from the top. here's what speaker boehner said this week. >> the american people have a right to know what happened with regard to the fast and furious, what happened at the irs, what happened at benghazi, and there's no one more serious about getting to the bottom of this than i am. >> why isn't boehner serious about holding a vote on minimum wage or the jobless benefits? >> you know, i actually think that the audience for the kinds of scandals that they are talking about is relatively small. if you go out on the street and you ask people, what do you think about benghazi, i think

most people would kind of shake their head and maybe vaguely have heard of it, but i think they are much more likely to talk about let's create some jobs, give america a raise, raise the minimum wage. but the other thing is, that they are just lying about things. that in issa's hands is an irs report that shows it was not just the tea party, but it was also progressives that were investigated. he knows that. those facts were in the report that he failed to mention when he did his phoney report, and so they are just twisting the truth and spreading things that they think will stick, but i actually doubt it. >> you know, jonathon, republican louis said the administration is holding back documents that would prove it's getting advice from the muslim brotherhood.

listen to this. >> they involve care, groups that are advising this administration, those are front organizations from the muslim brotherhood, and i think that once we ever get those documents, they'll show that this administration should not be getting advice from front organizations for the muslim brotherhood. >> i mean, how can the president, i mean, how can he work on serious issues with people that float things as outrageous as this? >> i don't know, and, you know, some people would say that he's not -- they are not working together to begin with. congressman gohmert says some of the most outrageous things. yesterday he got into a verbal tussle with attorney general eric holder over fast and furious, yet another so-called scandal, so, yeah, that kind of rhetoric and those kinds of accusations do make it difficult for any kind of working relationship, certainly between

congressman gohmert and the obama administration. >> congresswoman, i mean, when he went, gohmert went and made his offhand remark on the attorney general yesterday, attorney general checked him on it. i mean, is that what the democrats have to start doing, is fighting back and cutting them off from this messaging they are doing that is complete distortions to the american public? >> you know, it really is tough, because you get this absolute crazy ne craziness and how do you respond, you don't want to be totally disrespectful, but on the other hand, you have to be clear, you have to be frank when you get crazy things. one of the other republicans said he basically wouldn't even ask a question because eric holder should be in jail. you've got to hope that the american people see what we see, and that the journalism that the media will also hold some of these questioners accountable

for just the off the wall kinds of remarks that are made. >> just objective journalists, just dealing with the ludicrous statements that some of them make. congresswoman jan schakowsky and jonathon capehart, thank you both for your time tonight. coming up, a family values congressman caught on camera kissing a staffer is a problem. but it highlights a bigger problem with republican policy. and it's the underreported shame of the affordable care act, republicans turning down billions in health care money. our next guest calls it evil. today, a heartbreaking story of a life lost that may have been saved if not for political ideology. and does the mom who drove her kids into the ocean belong in jail or a mental hospital? today, prosecutors made a decision, and it might surprise you.

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coming up in the next hour, chris matthews has an exclusive interview with president jimmy carter, who made some very interesting comments about our country and iran. watch. >> i never have felt that israel had the capability militarily to go 1,200 miles or more and bomb iran effectively and in return back to israel. the only country on earth that has that capability would be the united states, and i don't believe it's appropriate for the united states to bomb iran over this issue. >> and the full interview with president carter coming up on "hardball" at 7:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. [ man #1 ] we're now in the approach phase,

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there's one story that's getting a lot of attention, it involves gop congressman vance mcallister. mcallister was caught on tape kissing a female staffer in his office. the news was surprising, because it came from a man who touted his family values during his campaign. >> it is here in this house we instill the values of faith, family, and country in our five children. if you will trust me in your vote, you can count on me to take those values to washington. >> yes, both bodies have had congress members that have cheated. these scandals are certainly bipartisan, but this incident highlights a problem with

republican policy. yesterday, the president and democrats celebrated equal payday by signing executive orders to narrow the gender pay gap. meanwhile, the staffer that mcallister was caught kissing, she was a part-time employee, who was paid less than $22,000 a year. and there are reports that she was fired when the news broke. mcallister's office now says she resigned. as of the gop and the senate, today they blocked equal pay legislation. that's right, not a single republican, not even the female senators, voted to move forward with the legislation. democrats were outraged. >> i tell you what i'm tired of hearing, that somehow or another we're too emotional when we talk. you know, when we raise an issue, we're too emotional. well, i am emotional. it brings tears to my eyes to know how women every single day

are working so hard and are getting paid less. it makes me emotional to hear that. then when i hear all of these phoney reasons, some are mean and some are meaningless, i do get emotional. i get angry. i get outraged. i get volcanic. >> that's why the gop has a problem, it's their policies. and their policies are why videos like this resinate so deeply with people. joining me now are congresswoman jackie speier, democrat from california. she just introduced a bill to combat sexual harassment in the house of representatives, and "washington post's" dana milbank. and his new column is called "republicans kiss votes from women good-bye." good title, dana. thank you both for coming on the show. >> hi, reverend. >> congresswoman, let me go to you first. you said yesterday the house of

representatives is not a frat house. why is your legislation so important, especially now? >> well, it's important because we have had a string of very embarrassing incidents, where members of both sides of the aisle in the house have engaged in conduct unbefitting a member of congress and violative of our own sexual harassment policies. the senate already has a mandatory training program. i think it's high time that the house does the same and incorporates that, so that both the members of the house and their staff know what is, indeed, sexual harassment, what's a hostile work environment, and the employees know exactly what they can do if they find that they are being harassed. >> you know, dana, in your column you point out that in just the last few days, the top female senator was called emotional and a conservative website photoshopped a picture of congresswoman pelosi twerking, but you write that

these problems are made worse by gop policies. "the war on women accusations aren't made in a vacuum, they gain traction because of proposals republicans are advancing." >> well, reverend, the whole idea is these things that are happening wouldn't resinate, they would not stick, if there weren't some sort of basis for why there is this gender gap among women, particularly among unmarried women, and it's not because democrats are forcing votes that make republicans uncomfortable in the senate. it's not because of this congressman down in louisiana, however unfortunate, it was time to part with this aide he'd been kissing on equal payday, after paying her $300 to clean his office or some such. none of this would necessarily stick if it weren't also the week we were in the house debating paul ryan's budget, which disproportionately hurts

women. that's where the policy comes in. when you cut medicaid, when you cut food stamps, s.s.i., wic, these programs disproportionately benefit women, where programs that benefit mens, say benefits for veterans, active-duty military, are untouched in the ryan budget. so the reason these things resinate is not because of what any individual said, it's because of the underlying policies. >> and congresswoman, part of that is the ryan budget that disproportionately hurts women. it cuts from medicaid, even though 70% of recipients are women, same with food stamps, 63% recipients are women, and pell grants, 62% are women. >> that's right, and i think dana did a great job of highlighting that in his column today. i would say that there's almost a systemic effort now on behalf of my republican colleagues to just cross women off their list.

i mean, there's a very small number of women serving in the house that are republicans, and i think they are maybe making a calculated decision, well, we don't need them to retain the majority in the house, and so we're just going to make them fungible. >> now, you know, dana, the outrageous comments being made, for example, a missouri state lawmaker recently compared getting an abortion to buying a car or installing carpet. take a listen. >> there's a lot of things that i do putting into a decision, whether that's a car, whether that's a house, whether that's any major decision that i put in my life. even carpeting, you know, i was just considering getting some carpeting or wood in my house, and that process probably took, you know, a month, because of just seeing all the aspects of it. >> i mean, comparing getting an abortion to deciding on getting carpeting?

>> yeah, it sounds like that's a good candidate for the sensitivity training the congresswoman is proposing. maybe she could get that over to him. you know, we can always find people, as you noted, in either party that are going to say something crazy or do something crazy, and i think you can't hold a party responsible for each individual thing, but it gets back to what is being -- what's the underlying thing being done with the policy. okay, so the republicans have lost a number of people because of an abortion policy, particularly one that is without exceptions because of recent questions about even the availability of birth control. these things do resinate, and it is possible that indeed likely the republicans are in a very strong position in the house elections this november, regardless of the gender deficit that they have, but this is a much longer term problem and they can't ignore women in the

long term without destroying the party. >> congresswoman, i have to ask you, how do you react to seeing abortion being compared to carpeting? >> maybe think, i wonder how much time he thought about having sex with someone the first time he did it. i think it was a preposterous comparison, but i will say this, we know that when women succeed, america succeeds. we do know that when women serve on boards of directors of corporations, when women-owned businesses are allowed to participate in the process, that the bottom line is enhanced, and whether it's on a school board or a corporate board or your family board of directors, women do have a say, and we should make sure that their voices are being heard in the halls of congress and in the halls at home. >> dana, you know, in the

meantime, republican or right-wing media is really twisted itself into knots to defend the gender pay gap today. listen. >> men lost jobs at two and a half times the rate as women in this last recession. i know plenty of families where the man is now out of work and the woman is now working full time, probably because she makes a little less, so she was able to keep her job. >> dana, let me get this right, now we are to believe women making less are a good thing? >> reverend, last week i went to a forum at the conservative heritage foundation and they looked at this big problem republicans have, particularly among unmarried women and they came up with the most unusual solution, they said, more women should get married. it's not the ideal the republicans need to appeal to this segment of the electorate, they need those women to change so they can be more appealing to the republicans. >> how much of this, congresswoman, is going to energize women to vote, particularly against those candidates that represent things

that are not in their economic interests? >> well, 7 million unmarried women did not vote in the last election, so i'm very confident, i think democrats are very confident if these unmarried women, be they independents or democrats or republicans, that they hear the message of all of us as democrats wanting to promote women and make sure that women and families and children in this country have a fair shot at making it. i think they are going to be persuaded by our arguments. why should food stamps be cut for children and families who are working at minimum wage, when we're not cutting the program for farm subsidies, for that matter? it is -- there is a systemic effort under way now to marginalize women and children. >> congresswoman jackie speier and dana milbanks, thank you both for your time this evening.

>> pleasure. still ahead, a human tragedy that perhaps could have been prevented. did this young woman die because elected officials made a political decision about medicaid? also big developments in that case of a mom who tried to drive her kids into the ocean. should she be in prison or a mental hospital? stay with us. honestly, i'm pouring everything i have into this place. that's why i got a new windows 2 in 1. it has exactly what i need for half of what i thought i'd pay.

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coming up, a tragic death that could have been prevented. did this young mother die because her state refused to expand medicaid? a friend is speaking out about her story. >> my best friend died because she didn't have the medical care she needed, because florida, my state, and i'm a fifth-generation floridian, decided not to take the money that would have helped her. >> the shame of republican governors putting ideology over

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it's the undercovered and underreported shame. republican governors refusing to accept billions in health care money. right now, at least 19 states are refusing to accept federal money to expand medicaid, leaving 4.8 million people uninsured. today, jonathan gruber, an m.i.t. economist who helped design the health care law, is out with a blistering attack, saying these states, "are not just interested in covering poor people, they are willing to sacrifice billions of dollars of injections into their economy in order to punish poor people. it really is just almost awesome in its evilness." powerful words, and you can see this very real impact all over the country. >> sandra says she owes at least

$8,000, even with the med center giving her some relief through its charity care program. >> it's hard to live with that over your head. >> i don't understand why if the funds are given to you, that you would refuse it. >> i'm hoping that our legislators sort of put themselves in our shoes. >> this is about real people, and it can be a matter of life or death. today "the orlando weekly" is out with a new story, "the perils of florida's refusal to expand medicaid." it profiles charlene, a young mother who passed away last month. charlene fell into the medicaid gap and struggled to pay for her medication for a heart condition. her friend recently shared charlene's story. >> she worked really hard to provide for her kids. she did babysitting, cleaned houses, collected cans for recycling and took them to recycling centers and got money

for it, and sold vacuum cleaners, whatever it took, but charlene had health problems. she could not afford her medications, she could not afford to see a doctor. she didn't make enough to qualify for a subsidy to get obamacare. my best friend died because she didn't have the medical care she needed, because florida, my state, and i'm a fifth-generation floridian, decided not to take the money that would have helped her. >> making sure people get health care should not be a political issue. this isn't a political game or argument. it's real life and real people. it's time for these governors to do the right thing. joining me now, are m.i.t. economist jonathan gruber, who helped design the affordable care act, and florida democratic state representative joe saunders. thank you both for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> good to be here, al. >> jonathan, you call it a life-costing tragedy, not to expand medicaid. we talked about one woman's

story, what other kinds of stories are out there? >> al, we know that every year, thousands of americans are dying for a lack of health insurance, but maybe even more important is the millions of americans who are feeling financially insecure, are feeling the stress every day, of worried that thy r are one bad traffic accident away -- only republican governors would end their political malpractice and accept the federal government's help in covering the poor citizens. >> you know, representative saunders, you know, this isn't the story about one woman. more than 763,000 florida residents earn too little to apply for health care subsidies, but too much for medicaid. how can florida republicans leave more than 700,000 people without care? >> you know, i don't know the

answer to that question. it's an answer that we tried to get since last year when we began a debate in tallahassee about this. we know that there are nearly 1 million people who are like charlene, and charlene is just one example of the implications for the decisions that have been made not to draw down these types of federal dollars. i can't tell you how many constituents have been in touch with my office complaining they went on to the federal exchange's website, went through all of the hoops, and were told at the very end they did not qualify for subsidies and would not get access to health care because florida had made a decision not to expand. i think people need to hold republicans in tallahassee accountable. >> i see you shaking your head, jonathan. >> you know, it's really true. they need to be held accountable, i think you're absolutely right, al, this is undercovered. this is really a tragedy of epic proportions. because remember, whether or not you like obamacare, let's take the politics out of this, the

federal government said to the state of florida, florida, you have 1 million uninsured people below the poverty line. we, the federal government, will pay 100% of the cost to cover them. florida only had to say yes. they are not only turning down health care for millions, they are turning down injections of billions of dollars into the florida economy. really, al, nobody is made worse off if florida does this. it is an absolute crisis. >> you know, if you look at the crisis, without medicaid expansion, senator saunders, childless adults are not eligible for medicaid in florida, and parents in a family of three have to earn less than $6,809 a year to be eligible. i mean, what does this do to families? will republicans recognize that this is the right thing to do? >> what i hope is that, reverend sharpton, republicans hear charlene's story, because it's a

tragic one and one that could have been averted. charlene is one who toddled in and out of poverty, mother of three children. i didn't meet her, but i heard her story through "the orlando weekly" and billy may's article. we could have helped her, and i think that moral question needs to be called in this building. i had one chance this year in this legislative session to make a point about medicaid. i was able to vote for or against a budget that did not include the billions of dollars that would have been drawn down and somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 people in florida to work and had to make the point that we cannot be okay with people like charlene dying in the ways that we did. we can hope them, we should, and we have a moral obligation to do so. >> you know, jonathan, president obama says that he hopes the tide will start to turn. listen to this. >> for people who currently do not have health insurance to get

health insurance, the idea that states for political reasons would turn that down makes absolutely no sense, and i'm hoping that after the politics this is done, people recognize this is the right thing to do for these families. >> after the politics, jonathan, you were involved in republican governor romney with romney care, as i would call it. will republicans, because originally in massachusetts under republican governor we started doing some of the things that obamacare uses as a framework, will they get beyond the politics at some point and understand that both sides have agreed on the aspects of this? >> al, you make a great point, that obamacare was first romney care, a republican idea that was praised by conservatives right to the point president obama put his name on it and suddenly it became the devil's work. there's nothing besides ugly politics here. and remember, we've seen in massachusetts, we ran the experiment in massachusetts, we did obamacare first, and what did we find?

we found many, many stories like that of charlene's, of people who said, wow, i only got health insurance because of romney care, i went to the doctor and they caught a cancer, i'm alive today. this is a story that's saved lives in massachusetts and can be saved in states like florida if they'll go beyond the politics. >> you know, several republican governors bucked their party to accept the medicaid expansion, that includes jan brewer, john kasich, and rick snyder. not exactly liberals. do you think some will buck the party in the state legislature in florida and act as these governors have and just say i'm going to do what's right? >> here's what's important to know, reverend sharpton, some already have. last year, our republican-controlled senate moved forward with a package that would have drawn down federal dollars to expand health care. they decided not to do it through medicaid and took a different path, but it would have accomplished the purpose. extremism and extremists in the

republican party is what's keeping us from moving forward. and here's the one point i want to make about elections. in florida, you win elections or you lose elections based on where the hispanic community is in this state. we are an incredibly diverse state and we know of the millions who are not covered that could get coverage, they are disproportionately hispanic so i hope there's a wake-up call within republican leadership and those held hostage by extremism in the republican party will look at senators who have shown leadership on this issue and do the right thing so we never have to tell another story on tv about people like charlene. >> jonathan gruber and state representative john saunders, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thanks for having me. >> thank you, al, for bringing attention to this important story: coming up, she's the mother accused of trying to kill her three children. and what could give young men of color more opportunity? for president obama, it's

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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. and i'm going to pen this presidential memorandum, directing the federal government not to spend more money, but to do things smarter to determine

what we can do, determine what we can improve the odds for boys and young men of color. >> that was the president earlier this year announcing his new initiative to empower minority men. it's called "my brother's keeper," and it partners businesses and nonprofits in order to create greater opportunities for young men of color. a new study is driving home just how critical programs like these are. the report finds that black children face the most barriers to success in america, especially early in their education. the report says the situation should be considered a national crisis. the disadvantages start out small, but grow over time, and they can have a major impact on success later in life. that's why the president has launched his national effort to close the gap and create more opportunities for young minority men. joining me now is glenn hutchens, cofounder and co-ceo

of civil aid partners and one of the businesses joining the president in the "my brother's keeper" initiative. thank you for being here, glen. you have a lot of success in the business world. what prompted you to get involved to help young men of color? >> well, we want to get something done, and i think any meeting that gets you and bill o'reilly at the same place is off to a great start. look, we're four years into the recovery of the economic crisis. people like me in the markets involved in technology have done very well, but other people have fallen behind, and the president is really focused on the rising income inequality that's come from that, allowed many programs in the state of the union to go after that issue, minimum wage being one that's gotten a lot of publicity, but one is this "my brother's keeper" program, which creates ladders of opportunity for men and young boys of color who have had very, very significant problems getting

ahead in this economy. >> now, you're a very successful businessman, yet you've shown a commitment, you've worked and put a lot of money with henry louis gates and the hutchens institute at harvard university, where you and the president went, you're involved in "my brother's keeper," speaking tomorrow at a convention and co-hosting the president with me friday at the convention. why you, and what message does it send to americans when people go across economic and racial lines to say this is good for the country? >> well, i think it is because it's good for the country. the reason why i have been able to have whatever success i've enjoyed is because of the opportunity that i received, and the social, the strong social foundation that i've been able to build my business on, and i think as a result of that, we have an obligation to create the same set of opportunities for other people. as an investor, i like to invest a little bit of money and make a lot of money, so i look for

places where there's a real opportunity to address a very specific issue and get a lot of loench from that, and this is a very serious problem that i think for which there are solutions. people haven't focused on them, where we've got together, the president has more than $350 million. by the way, this is not another big government program. one reason why o'reilly was in that room is it's not a big government program, it's a public-private partnership and we're just getting started from a series of foundations to go after that problem. that's big and important and can really have an impact. >> you know, it also brings together nonprofits and the corporate world. and it is of national importance, because only 52% of black males graduate from high school on time, because 49% of black males have been arrested by the time they are 23, and because there's a 38% unemployment rate among black teens. but can programs like "my brother's keeper" make a

difference? >> for sure. i'll give you one example. in some neighborhoods, there are some schools in which a very high proportion of the young black men in school end up being arrested because of school discipline. in the same neighborhood, exactly the same demographics, are diverted into programs where they are taught how to behave in the classroom and thrive in school. same programs, same population, same people. being able to adopt -- to understand why it works in one school and not in another and stamp that out across, disseminate that across many schools. the program when you were there in the white house with me and the president had those kids from the be a man program in chicago and you saw what they were able to do with that group of kids, to learn, to take those programs and spread them out across the country, i think, is a very important thing. >> well, we're going to really be excited about it. thank you for coming tonight. thank you for being with us at the convention. glen hutchens, thank you for

your time. and as i mentioned, i'm happy to have glen participating in the convention for our civil rights group, the national action network, which starts today. we'll be talking about criminal justice, social justice, economic inequality and many other issues. president obama will be the main speaker on friday. that's today to saturday right here in new york city. still ahead, prosecutors make a key decision about the mom who tried to drive her kids into the ocean. plus, the attorney general's big speech on justice at the convention for my civil rights group. also, a moment of history that still resinates today. stay with us. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪

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news today on the mother accused of trying to kill her three children. ebony wilkinson, the pregnant mother who drove her three children into the atlantic ocean last month, will be charged with second-degree murder. she was originally arrested on attempted first-degree murder charges. the lesser charge from prosecutors mean they don't believe wilkinson's actions were premeditated. last month, wilkinson drove her mini van carrying her three children into the ocean in daytona beach, florida, telling police she was trying to escape

an abusive husband. thankfully, some hero bystanders rushed in to save the children. wilkinson is now receiving mental health treatment and prenatal care at a medical center. but the question now is, should she be charged with anything? should she be in jail or in a mental institution getting help? it's a tough debate, especially as we learn today there are more mentally ill americans in prison than in state hospitals. wilkinson will be back in court tomorrow on the attempted murder charges. we'll continue to follow this story. nd i got the tools ♪ ♪ to do it my way ♪ i got a lock on equities ♪ that's why i'm type e ♪ ♪ that's why i'm tyyyyype eeeee, ♪ ♪ i can do it all from my mobile phone ♪ ♪ that's why i'm tyyyyype eeeee, ♪ ♪ if i need some help i'm not alone ♪ ♪ we're all tyyyyype eeeee, ♪ ♪ we've got a place that we call home ♪

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today at the convention for my civil rights group, national action civil network, i had the privilege of introducing the attorney general of the united states, eric holder:he talked about how far we've come and how far we have to go. >> dr. king dedicated his career to the service of others, and he gave his life in the work of

building a beloved community and more just society that remained our common pursuit. to keep building the more just society for which so many millions have fought and organized and marched and died over the years. it's time for new generations of public servants and patriotic citizens to step forward. >> it's appropriate to think about those words today, as we remember huge step forward for civil rights and a voice like an angel. marian anderson was a famous opera singer, who performed all over the world, but here in the u.s., she still faced ugly discrimination. in 1939, she was blocked from singing at a hall in washington, d.c. because of her skin color. first lady eleanor roosevelt was outraged when she found out about it and arranged for anderson to perform at another venue. right there on the steps of the lincoln memorial, on this day 75

years ago, april 9th, 1939, 75,000 people turned out for a public concert that forever changed the landscape of african-americans in music. ♪ >> a quarter of a century later, anderson returned to lincoln memorial, this time singing at dr. martin luther king's march on washington. we see as she sings there, dr. king talked about a dream that day. no one thought the years before that she was barred that we'd ever see dr. king talking about a dream. many things today we'd not

achieved, but gives us the faith to know if we have the same commitment and persistence they did, we can make that dream a full reality. and that's why some of us continue to sing and continue to work. freedom song. thanks for watching, i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. jimmy carter says never bomb iran. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in new york. let me start tonight with major headlines from my interview this afternoon with president carter. he made some big news, that the united states should not attack iran, even if it builds a nuclear weapon. it says israel has 300 nuclear bombs and iran would not use