constitutionally michigan voters could ban affirmative action. the court rejected the challenge and said michigan did not violate the constitution. >> strong words from joe biden. >> the vice president says the united states is ready to help ukraine face what he calls humiliating threats from neighboring russia. >> there is a new offensive under way against al qaeda in yemen. >> the attacks follow the recent release of a video. >> very brazen video, 100 militants out in the open and unconcerned that they could be attacked and seems this week there was retribution. >> in the case of the teenager stowed away and survived. >> very little oxygen, ridiculously cold temperatures. >> he would have had had to have been entwined in those hydraulic lines not to fall out unconscious. ♪ rolling down the street smoking and drinking gin and juice ♪ ♪ with my mind on my money and my money on my mind ♪

>> welcome to the program, we have got developing news today out of the supreme court. big decision just handed down this morning upholds michigan's ban on affirmative action and college admissions. the ruling head michigan voters did have the right to change their statute constitution when they voted to fro hibt public colleges and universities from taking race into account during the admissions process. the justices stress the ruling says nothing about the merits of affirmative action itself, only the process which you can ban it. joining me from outside the courthouse, nbc news justice correspondent pete williams. there are seven other states that have similar bans to this one. what do you think comes next for those states and fight for affirmative action in general? >> reporter: i'll tell you what the civil rights groups are saying, they note today's ruling could be interpreted opponents

of affirmative action as in essence permission from the supreme court to pursue bans in those states. we've seen texas struggle with this issue. it was the subject of a supreme court ruling here last term on the constitutionality of affirmative action itself. there is a -- texas universities are trying to keep it but there is a body of opposition to it there. other states may now try this. of course, before today's supreme court decision, other states have banned affirmative action so it's not like now they can do something they couldn't do, the question is whether some states will be em boldened by the supreme court decision and that what civil rights groups are concerned about and what opponents hope is the case. >> thank you for that overview, pete. with more i turn to james peterson, lehigh university and msnbc contributor. tell me, one of the things taking off online about this is

a very impassioned minority opinion written by justice soto mayor. we cannot wish away racial inequality. do you agree? >> i do. there's a stark reality here that race informs our history and there's this idea or prevailing perception, not just in the supreme court but also amongst too many americans that we sort of achieved more than what we have in terms of racial equality. for justice sot to may or this is a setback and i tend to agree with her. it is interesting to think about this, there are states that will be emboldened by this decision, ohio, utah and missouri and few other states. the reality is when you don't have that federal overlay for affirmative action, states rights become as always one of the sort of prevailing issues when we think about progressivism. >> there are certains inside ak deem ya. >> the academic community is

more conservative than most people think. there are those in the academic community that welcome this decision and think of it as providing cover for doing business as usual. progresseriives have seen the writing on the wall. remember the fisher case by the university of texas, the fact they kicked that back to the lower courts was a sign this supreme court was not interested in being progressive around affirmative action issues. >> it will remain to be seen whether there are other challenges to this. >> thank you so much. always a pleasure to have you on. a troubling explosion of violent crime in chicago and what it means for the rest of the country. overnight, two new shootings were added to a spike in gun violence over this past weekend, that's left nine dead and at least 40 injured, including five children. it's so bad that just yesterday the city announced a special federal unit staffed by 16 prosecutors. their mission? to reign in the city's violent crimes.

chicago mayor rahm emanuel echoed that sentiment at the rally against the violence. >> every child in the city of chicago deserves a childhood. every child deserves to hear laughter. >> right. >> any child where that laughter has been replaced by the familiarity of gun violence has had their childhood taken from them. >> so far this year, 83 people have been murdered and it's only april. last year's murder count, 415, the lowest since 1965 but still the highest of any american city last year. some chicagoans have taken to referring to the country as scherr ak, the war zone in the middle east. the emotional toll is hard to deny. >> you can't even come to the park and enjoy yourself without this happening. my kids should be able to come in the community without worrying about violence. they need to stop.

>> we have to take a stand. we have to take our city back. >> question is how do chicagoans take their city back? here to look at this struggle, diane lat kerr founder of kids off the block on the south side. give us an understanding of why the city in chicago sees so much violence, what makes chicago different? >> i don't think chicago is different. i think this is happening across the country. i think we have maybe more murders at this point but i think that this is happening across the city and neighborhoods that look just alike. and meaning impofrished and not economically invested into. it's terrible. it really is. it affects all communities, everywhere. >> of course your work is directly targeted at giving more opportunity to head this off. >> yes. >> how much of this in your experience is gang violence specifically? >> i would say half, maybe not

even that much because now it's more of a -- it's more of a -- i'll shoot you if you look at me mentality. it's more of a hopelessness. to me it all revolves around the same thing. and that's a community that's not invested into that -- a hopelessness that there's nothing better in life. so whatever issue is the reason to hold a gun, which is crazy. this is crazy. >> it's crazy and jarring and certainly sending shock waves around the country, not just in chicago. what you just described is quite contrary to what we heard from the police chief in chicago who described up to 90% of the violence coming from gangs specifically, that was police superintendent gary mccarthy. >> we need help with the gun laws because the national averages for gun violence were way above it as far as murder by gunshot goes. so until such time as we stem the flow of guns and people start going to jail for it, we

can make progress which we've made but we're not going to fix this problem without help from springfield. >> how much of a problem do you think lax gun control is? >> it's a huge problem. definitely in a community that's -- that lives in poverty, they definitely don't need guns because that's the only solution to everything that goes on in that community. when the community doesn't have jobs or investment of anything -- especially for its young people, then a gun is exciting powerful and then you make it easy for them to get it. really? i mean, that's -- i'm just saying, it's all crazy to me. and the gangs are there but they are not the main source of the violence. they are a family but a negative family. young people flock to them. yet there isn't anything else around resources and i don't give the young people a pass because a lot of people are poor

and live impoverished, nobody is investing into them so they can choose something above a gun. >> diane, one year ago this very month michelle obama spoke at an event on youth violence in chicago, speaking to many of the same themes you're talking about, just a few months after she attended the 15-year-old's funeral, a big symbol of violence in the city. listen to what she said. >> what i realized was her family was just like my family. pendleton was me and i was her. but i got to grow up. >> diane, has anything changed in the year since? >> yes, there are hundreds of people in these communities who are doing great work and they never get exposed, our communities are good up to a point because the police is not the only people that are helping solve the violence. there are actually normal people

in these communities who are doing good things to hold down the violence and help the young people. and i think mayor rahm emanuel and superintendent are doing everything they can but they can't do it alone. we need help. >> all right, thank you so much. >> i hope that message is heard. appreciate your joining. just ahead, stick around, we're going to be looking at vice president joe biden, in ukraine today telling russia to stop talking and start acting to deescalate tensions in that country. what happens if they don't listen? we'll take a look. [ man #1 ] we're now in the approach phase,

everything looking good. ♪ velocity 1,200 feet per second. [ man #2 ] you're looking great to us, eagle. ♪ 2,000 feet. ♪ still looking very good. 1,400 feet. [ male announcer ] a funny thing happens when you shoot for the moon. ahh, that's affirmative. [ male announcer ] you get there. you're a go for landing, over. [ male announcer ] the all new cadillac cts, the 2014 motor trend car of the year.

beautiful day in baltimore where most people probably know that geico could save them money on car insurance, right? you see the thing is geico, well, could help them save on boat insurance too. hey! okay...i'm ready to come in now. hello? i'm trying my best. seriously, i'm...i'm serious. request to come ashore. geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance.

we have breaking news out of ukraine, nbc news is confirming that an american journalist is

being held hostage by unidentified local authorities in the city of slof yans, simon is a reporter for vice and been in ukraine and crimea for the last several months. vice issued the statement. vice is aware of the situation and in contact with the united states state department and other appropriate government authorities to secure the safety and security of our friend and colleague simon ostrofsky. >> this as vice president biden is in the country and issuing a tough new warning to moscow. on day two of his visit to kiev, vice president biden had his harshest words yet for vladimir putin. >> we call on russia to stop supporting men hiding behind masks and unmarked uniforms sewing unrest in eastern ukraine. >> now it's time for russia to stop talking and start acting, act on the commitments that me made. >> meeting with ukraine's acting

president today biden also announced millions in new aid including $50 million for economic and political reform and another 8 million for nonlethal military aid including radios and vehicles. that's something that prominent u.s. military leaders have long been arguing for. following today's development in donetsk is jim maceda. thank you for joining us. what's the reaction on the ground to the new aid package? >> reporter: hi, there, ronan. certainly the kiev government appreciates the financial and political support expressed today by vice president biden, even if advertihis trip was ext short and you have to say symbolic. there were substantive things in that package. we have a development here in the east and situation on the ground could be changing. after several days of an easter truce we've reported on now, that seems to be over at least in theory. here's why. the acting president of ukrai ,

ukraine,al has called for the relaunch of that military operation against what the kiev government calls terrorists after news that a body found earlier in the pro-russian stronghold, about an hour and a half drive from here, donetsk, and it shows marks of torture, that body turns out to be vladimir rubok, a member of the president's own political party. he had been abducted recently. you recall, however, that that military operation ended in disaster after one ukrainian power troop unit switched sides and handed over armored vehicles and tanks to the pro-russian militia. otherwise the general situation here remains unchanged, pro-russians still are not moving from their positions in those ten or so towns they occupy. back to you. >> troubling developments there. thank you, jim. appreciate it. just yesterday on the home

front, a bombshell judicial decision blew the lid off the secrecy regime with drone killings following scorching political follow-up for the president. the obama administration has been playing a self-serving and duplicitous game over the power to kill people away from me battlefield and without judicial oversight or accountability. the panel and federal judges ordered the release of a classified justice department memo providing legal rationale for the 2011 drone killing of an american citizen. his 16-year-old american son was also killed in another drone attack weeks later. this comes on the heels of a massive and unprecedented wave of u.s. drone strikes on an al qaeda base and payback perhaps for this al qaeda video released threatening attacks on the united states. at least 60 militants are now

believed dead. look, these are very, very bad guys and there's a security argument for taking them out. if we're going to make that argument, let's do it openly. too often in post 9/11 national security policy, secrecy has been used as a sledge hammer when it could be use the as a scalpel, which is what this court argues for, revealing targeting portions including the rationale behind the killings while still safeguarding operational details. joining me now is attorney par d dis krxcariba. tell us what th significance of this particular ruling is. what's the broader impact? >> i think it's significant and important step forward for the right of the press and public to know about a government killing program, not a targeting killing program that has over the past decade resulted in the deaths of as many as 4,000 people. we know those people include

innocent bystanders and we know they include foreign citizens but also u.s. citizens, this is a program the government fought for years to try not to talk about. i think this decision was important in enforcing the government to at least explain its legal rationale for these killings. >> it's important to note the decision doesn't weigh in on the substantive merits about the drone strikes. i remember being a state department official in pakistan when drone strikes were being reported on heavily in the mainstream suppress and everybody knew about it and talking about it. but senior officials were muzzled and couldn't say a thing. it seems that has changed. we saw a white page memo revealing a lot of steps they took in instigating these attacks and the reason for the national security standpoint to do so. do you think those are positive steps towards transparency or do you think that's a pr campaign? >> i think the information we've seen come out from the administration has been in response to a study effort by

journalists, by advocates on the ground and human rights organizations to continue to press the administration to say more about what it is doing about these killings. i think the important thing to do with this opinion, which was in response to requests by "new york times" an aclu to use information we have. there is a significant amount we do know now, not from the administration but from ngos and people impacted about this policeman and impact. we have information coming out now to raise questions at least about who are these people that are being killed and what are the criteria being ugsed and what's the impact in terms of human cost and security for the united states. when there are wrongful deaths how are they remedied. these are questions we have to ask to use this information to have an impact. >> let's talk about the security impact. in your opinion is there ever a national security rationale for not revealing the reasons and methodology behind the killings? >> i think there can be. the problem with the administration it's used as

blanket national security justification to refuse to disclose anything about this program. you know, basic information about the numbers being killed. basic information like the legal analysis that now the court has compelled it to talk about. these are basic things that don't necessarily have to endanger u.s. national security. there's a certain amount of information that's certainly the administration can have and continue to come out and the problem is the breadth of how it is used as national security. >> do you expect the administration to challenge this? >> i don't know. it's not our case. it's a significant ruling. >> do you hope they do? >> do i hope they challenge --? i hope not. i hope they listen to the court. this is a circuit court of appeals. this is a memo that's already a summary of it is already on the public domain. i think part of the court's point was the 5d mrgs waved its privilege to claim secrecy at

this point given how much it has already set about its legal rationale. >> thank you so much, thank you for joining. next on the show, a teenager stows away in the wheel well of a commercial flight. is it a heart warming story of survivor or horrible breach of security or not so credible hoax? [male announcer] ortho crime files. disturbing the pantry.

a house, under siege. say helto home defense max. kills bugs inside and prevents new ones for up to a year. ortho home defense max. get order. get ortho®. those little cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.

sfuel reward card is really what makes it like two deals in one. salesperson #2: actually, getting a great car with 42 highway miles per gallon makes it like two deals in one. salesperson #1: point is there's never been a better time to buy a jetta tdi clean diesel. avo: during the first ever volkswagen tdi clean diesel event, get a great deal on a jetta tdi. it gets 42 highway miles per gallon. and get a $1,000 fuel reward card. it's like two deals in one. volkswagen has the most tdi clean diesel models of any brand. hurry in and get a $1,000 fuel reward card and 0.9% apr for 60 months on tdi models. the unbelievable story of the california teenager who survived a trip in the while well of a commercial jet is raising new questions about airport security. authorities tell nbc news that surveillance videos show the 15-year-old boy simply hopping afence at san jose airport without being spotted or stopped. about 12 minutes later the video shows him climbing into the

wheel well of aahawaiian airlines, he was hoping to get to relatives in africa and passed out shortly after takeoff and survived not only frigid temperatures but also a lack of oxygen. there were 100 cases of stowaways since 1947, only one in four survived. that's one of the top stories today but remember, we also want to hear from you about stories that aren't getting enough coverage. we're asking you to pitch your ideas for the most under reported story this week. pitch us on facebook or e-mail or use hash tag rfd under and the pitch with the most viewer votes will be crowned the under reported story of the week and we'll cover it on this broadcast. think of it like the miss america pageant except more news. does understanding the future of the environment rely on understanding the history of

slavery? msn msnbc's chris hayes joins us with a call to action of his own. cars are driven by people. they're why we innovate. they're who we protect. they're why we make life less complicated. it's about people. we are volvo of sweden.

we're back and following breaking news out of the pentagon this hour in response to russia's recent actions in ukraine, the u.s. military will send about 600 soldiers to sever baltic nations for training and exercises over the coming week. pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski reports the first wave of soldiers will arrive in poland then lithuania and he is tone ya. new numbers are making headlines about earth day. one set of numbers, four in ten, that is the fraction of americans who do not believe or aren't confident that earth is warming as a result of man emitted greenhouse gases. this falls on a frightening new

report from the united nations finding we urgently need to end our reliance on fossil fuels that emit those gases or suffer devastated consequences like in the view of many scientists human civil lags being unable to survive in its current form. the problem, the cost. how much would it cost to end production of fossil fuels? according to one estimate, $20 trillion. that is what gets left on the table if we leave 80% of fossil fuel reserves in the ground to avert disaster. that estimate is included in a provocative new article in qult the nation" magazine out this our by msnbc's own chris hayes. joining us now, chris hayes, thank you, sir. >> nice to be here. >> you make this provocative comparison to abolition of slavery, not making a moral

comparison but an economic comparison. >> there is no moral analog here, nothing alike about enslaving people and burning carbon. if we want to not overshoot the two degree increase, which is what we basically think we have to do to not have an uninhabitable planet, we have to leave $20 trillion worth of fuel in the ground. it's coal, natural gas and oil, it's got to stay in the ground. what we are saying, people who are concerned about climate, we're saying to some set of interests, you can't have that wealth you have claim to. if you look through american history, where's an example where successfully some movement made a claim that said you have to walk away from trillions of dollars. >> oh, yes, that one. >> and there is one. that's the abolition of slavery. if you look at the percentage of gdp and household wealth, slaves were about $10 trillion for the 4,000 slave owners in the south of the the abolition claim was

you cannot have that wealth. >> what can the environmental movement learn from the abolition movement then? >> in some ways there's not a lot to learn or things to learn how terrible the last time this went down was. i mean, we had the bloodiest war in the history, $600,000 people die and it did achieve this ultimate aim. the key difference and saving grace is that slaves as wellth were easy to deploy, you didn't have to spend a lot of money to harness that wealth as horrific as it was morally. fossil fuels is different, the most capital intensive industry in the world. you have to spend a lot of money to get the stuff out of the ground. achilles' heel for fossil fuel is the capital expenditure it takes to turn that stuff in the ground into carbon in the air. >> there's a cost argument actually for cutting out the exploration and extraction? >> yes, in fact if you were

investing in fossil fuels and a lot of mutual funds hold them, they are spending more on searching for new reserves than they were posting in profits. that means they are taking investment dollars from you the investor and saying even though we have to leave 80% of what we have in the ground, we're going to spend a billion and a half dollars a day looking for new stuff. that's crazy. investors shouldn't put up with that. >> we'll see if that argument prevails. no arguments work in this case, one piece of evidence, a troubling political trend of the death of skepticism and the embrace on right of ra ra pro-extraction statements. where does that come from? >> you've seen this interesting thing happen, over time fossil fuel has gone from a kind of necessary evil or something we'll eventually leave behind in the rhetoric of conservatism to a positive good. we remember, drill, baby, drill and mitt romney saying i'm going to build the keystone pipeline by myself.

that is due to the fact we have an extraction boom and fossil fuel interests are playing heavy -- >> when you talk about politicians like john mccain, the old guard making extremely reasonable statements on this subject, you think they are just seeing the boom and coming around to their constituents embracing this -- >> i think the boom empowered the fossil fuel companies and they have used a lot of that money and force to create a kind of resistance in the base to anything that smacks of chris hayes talking about climate or al gore talking about climate or liberals talking about climate. that meant a rollback. we've seen a real marching backwards. >> let's talk about solutions briefly. what do you think of this u.n. report we talked about proposing using natural gas as a bridge until we can phase out the harder stuff? >> there's part of that that's already happening. natural gas is kicking the butt of coal on coast right now. no one has to do anything from a policy perspective at this point to make that happen. the more exciting thing is though, you have to remember

natural gas is part of the fossil fuel tally. even when you include natural gas with coal and oil, 80% has to stay in the ground. the real exciting thing is the unbelievable drop in solar cost. we're seeing it get to the point it is receiving cost party with power generation and a solar system becoming reality across the country. >> and nuclear? >> i think the problem with nuclear, a lot of problem with nuclear. >> the cost? >> the cost is the biggest one. the amount of subsidy you need to make people talk about we hate subsidies for slolyndra an solar. it is cost prohibitive. >> it will be interesting to see the reaction you get in the coming days. chris hayes, you can watch that at 8:00 p.m. nightly. his new article is now posted online at the nation. our call to action focuses on dirty crimes and the environment and those crimes impacting our

wildlife, specifically after oil spills which we'll be covering tomorrow with doug brinkley. there are regulations on what animals are counted after oil spills which is highlighted in this white house.gov petition that asks them to count all oiled why life and we're asking you to sign that petition and use the hash tag wildlife counts. make sure to let us know on twitter or facebook or via e-mail. up next, one of the issues facing the supreme court, do political candidate have a right to lie about their opponents. is it seems a lot of it happens whether they have the right or panel. all we do is go out to dinner.

that's it? i mean, he picks up the tab every time, which is great... he's using you. he probably has a citi thankyou card and gets 2x the points at restaurants. huh the citi thankyou preferred card. now earn 2x the points on dining out, with no annual fee. go to citi.com/thankyoucards

intercourse that's painfulit... due to menopausal changes. the problem isn't likely to go away... ...on its own. so it's time we do something about it. and there's help. premarin vaginal cream. a prescription that does what no over-the-counter product was designed to do. it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use premarin vaginal cream if you've had unusual bleeding, breast or uterine cancer, blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic to any of its ingredients or think you're pregnant. side effects may include headache, pelvic pain, breast pain, vaginal bleeding and vaginitis.

estrogen may increase your chances of getting cancer of the uterus, strokes, blood clots or dementia, so use it for the shortest time based on goals and risks. estrogen should not be used to prevent heart disease, heart attack, stroke or dementia. ask your doctor about premarin vaginal cream. and go to premarinvaginalcream.com this is worth talking about.

we're bringing you all of the biggest news out of the supreme court today, including today's arguments in a case that could forever alter how you see and hear political ads. the court has been dogmatic about our rights to free speech, so much so it recently ruled meg adonors have the right to give limitless to candidates giving that a form of free expression. but what about lying in political ads? does that count as free speech too? one former congressman says no and taking it all the way to the top court in the land and congressman steve dree house was running for re-election in 2010, he struck back with an anti-abortion group planned to put up bill boards attacking him and ran radio ads against him. >> steve drie haas voted for taxpayer funding for abortion when he cast his vote for the health care reform bill. >> the supreme court heard oral

arguments and will decide if candidates have a right to lie in the political ads and if they do, who gets to sue. joining me is michael steele, former rnc charity, and soto, msn. how do you expect this to shake out in the court? >> i'm going to cite with the precedent of giving more liberty to the campaigns and the thing is we have a history of mudslinging/lying. >> it's a grand old american tradition. >> my favorite example is the 1800 election, thomas jefferson and john adams, if jefferson is elected, your daughters and wives will be subject to legal prostitution. he would have been sued under that. >> very similar in tone to what we saw in those ads. michael, ats least 16 states prohibit false political statements in campaign ads, do you think that's something that should be changed at the state

level through voters? >> i think ultimately it's something that belongs in the purview of the court. as the supreme court -- in the states, as the supreme court once said pornography, i know when it i see it, they know bad campaigns because they see it. this will get regulated by the states and putting limitations on where the speech lines are drawn bupt the supreme court has to first draw that line. to your point, i think they are going to draw it a little more broadly to give states the power to do that. >> let's go to that actual legal standard for what libel is and when it becomes a false statement even. the libel standard that is something he accused people of running the ads of would be malice or reckless disregard for the truth. where do you draw the line? >> there's so much wiggle room. there's the intent and claim i didn't know at the time or a surrogate put that out and i didn't know they were going to put that out. i just think there's so much

wiggle room that to put down a law saying lying in campaigns is illegal is going to muck things up even more. >> what's significant about the dr driehaus act, my interpretation and my reading of the law says that that's exactly what happened. in that sense all of a sudden you're arguing against my interpretation. >> there's a technicality, that little asterisk. >> if a plan does not offer abortion coverage or three exceptions there is no conflict and federal subsidies may be applied to the plan in full. if the plan does include abortion coverage, subsidies may go toward the rest of the plan except those services if a woman elects to have an abortion, the cost of that procedure is separate from the rest of her premium and she is fully responsible. so saying that taxpayers fund

abortions through obamacare, that seems to me to be cat gorically false based on the letter of obamacare -- >> it's your interpretation though. >> that's the devil is in the details. >> how you implement it and execute it. how you fashioned the law is not how it's regulated and implemented and how it's governed in the various states that apply it -- >> let me push back. we're not seeing instances of it being implemented in a way where abortions are being covered. that's not something we're seeing documented. >> true. >> maybe it should be on the candidate to call out the opposition to be a liar and you would think the boomerang would hurt you more. >> in other p.r. news, a more cheerful subject, we have an old grandfather of the republican party, bob dole, stumping and no one can figure out why he's in the middle of a three-day ten

city tour, doing meet and greets at age 90 in kansas. what do you think, michael steele? look at the map, these are the places he's hitting, 90 years old and limitless energy. >> i'm glad to see him back in the game a little bit this way. he's taken a few hits over the last few months by some on the far right within my party and that's been unfortunate and i think rather bone headed. >> he's a national treasure. >> regardless of how you view his quote, politics, the fact of the matter is he's been in some trenches that none of us dare go to, i'm not just talking militarily but pushing the party beyond the limits we've put on ourselves sometimes. i'm glad to see the fighting warrior out there. >> he's making strong statements. >> he is. >> decrying foreign policy. still until it. >> i think that's important. >> how important are these elder statesmen to both parties? we see a tremendous budget every time bill clinton hits the campaign trail. we need these guys.

>> and they deserve our utmost respect. it does bother me when you see the far right attacking them. when he comes out and makes foreign policy claims, we need to understand where he's coming from. he was brought up during the cold war crisis. i think his point of comparison is kerchief, i'm cautious when he gives advice on ukraine, per se. >> you can take issue with the substance of the statement but not the legacy. >> absolutely not. >> our panel is hanging out for today's heroes and zeros. the first lady of the united states is asked to speak and the first dude of 30 rock rapz. stick around. hey. i'm ted and this is rudy. say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go.

have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ] nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. at your ford dealer think? they think about tires. and what they've been through lately. polar vortexes, road construction, and gaping potholes. so with all that behind you, you might want to make sure you're safe and in control. ford technicians are ready to find the right tires for your vehicle. get up to $120 in mail-in rebates on four select tires when you use the ford service credit card at the big tire event. see what the ford experts think about your tires. at your ford dealer. who would have thought masterthree cheese lasagna would go with chocolate cake and ceviche? the same guy who thought that small caps and bond funds would go with a merging markets. it's a masterpiece. thanks.

clearly you are type e. you made it phil. welcome home. now what's our strategy with the fondue? diversifying your portfolio? e*trade gives you the tools and resources to get it right. are you type e*?

we're back with michael steel and victoria defrancesco-soto. we're going to talk about our heroes and zeros today. today we start with our zero.

topeka, toe peek wra. what's up with you guys? you think having the first lady speak at your high school graduation would be incredibly school. call me crazy. the city is planning a beg old ceremony for five local high schools, but some students and their parents are crying foul. they don't want first lady michelle obama to attend. why? well, they're worried it could mean fewer seats for friends and family and a massive 8,000 seat arena. others claim the speech on the 60th anniversary of brown versus the board of education could overshadow students on their big day. or, you know, they could see that very meaningful anniversary of desegregation as a positive and roll with having a superstar at their graduation to commemorate that. what do i know? i'm old and out of touch. we reached out to topeka public schools for a statement, but have not heard back. what do you think? >> so the supreme court case was about topeka, kansas, and -- >> and they don't want to hear about the memory of it. >> i think it's crazy. i mean, come on. the first lady or even the president coming to your school

to speak at graduation, particularly on an anniversary like that, i think is important. >> it's an honor. i think it's unpatriotic. regardless -- >> unpatriotic? >> regardless if you are a republican or democrat, you love obama, you hate obama, he is your president, she is the first lady. you should be honored that they are coming to your commencement. >> i would just be lining up for a selfie with her. >> and for today's hero it's an in house one, we felt we had to tip our hat to brian williams. maybe more so to the slick editing team at jimmy fallon's show for this. take a look. ♪ ♪ with so much drama in the lbc it's hard being snoop double g ♪ ♪ i keep coming up with funky [ bleep ] every day ♪ ♪ may i kick a little something and make a few n's as i breeze through 2:00 in the morning and the party is still jumping because my mama ain't home ♪ ♪ they got [ bleep ] in the living room getting it on, and

they ain't leaving until 6:00 in the morning ♪ ♪ 6:00 in the morning ♪ what do you want to do ♪ i got a pocket of the and my home boys do too ♪ ♪ turn off the let's and close the doors ♪ ♪ we don't love them [ bleep ] ♪ rolling down the street smoking endo sipping on gin and juice ♪ ♪ laid back ♪ with my mind on my money and my money on my mind ♪ >> one of the coolest things i have seen in a long time. >> not bad. a little snoop dogg reference. >> i want to see a cameo. i think snoop dogg needs to go on the show. >> i'm into it. can you book him for us? >> well, the west coast connections. >> that's what i want to see. >> do we think that brian williams actually reenact snoop dogg's songs privately? my hope is yes. >> he seems to know his rappers pretty well. >> but is he west coast or east coast? that's the question.

>> you thought we had tensions with obama. >> exactly. i think he has it down, and i think the two of them should have sort of a dog-off, you know? >> it's fun. the news is very serious, and he covers very serious stuff, but it is nice to lighten the mood every now and again. >> you have to go serious with that answer. >> and actually, apparently, joy reid is standing waiting for her show to begin and has been dancing. have you been dancing? >> no, you know what, i'm tell you what, ronan, now that i have me some seagram gin, ain't has their cups and they ain't chipped in, and these kind of things happen all the time. >> the control room is cracking up. joy reid, i got my mind on my money and my money on joy reid. >> that's the way it should be. >> that wraps things up for this edition of "ronan farrow daily. joy, take it away. coming up next on "the reid report" no more dancing, and an american has been kidnapped in

ukraine. then it's election day in florida, but it's not just any special election. the big names are coming out as rand paul's guy squares off against sarah palin's mama grizzly. "the reid report" starts minutes from now. myso i asked her how i isaved fifteen percent on car insurance in just fifteen minutes. (laughter) "idk?" what does that mean? "i don't know."

and i'm the one who's out of touch. lol. fifteen minutes for a quote is out of touch. with esurance, seven and a half minutes could save you on car insurance. welcome to the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain. this is humira helping me lay the groundwork. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira is proven to help relieve pain

and stop further joint damage in many adults. 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. take the next step. talk to your doctor. this is humira at work. and that's epic, bro, we've forgotten just how good good is. good is setting a personal best before going for a world record. good is swinging to get on base before swinging for a home run. [ crowd cheering ]

good is choosing not to overshoot the moon, but to land right on it and do some experiments. ♪ so start your day off good with a coffee that's good cup after cup. maxwell house. ♪ good to the last drop happy tuesday. i'm joy reid, and this is "the reid report." we have lots of important news coming up in this hour, including what a tortuous, teddy roosevelt, and neil young have to do with cowboys pitching tents outside the white house. did i mention it's earth day? later, if it's tuesday, it's election day here at the reid report. we will kick off our special 2014 election series in florida where voters are deciding who will vie for disgraced congressman trey radle's house seat. another supreme court

decision that helps the 1% and ignores the plight of minorities. in a 6-2 split just hours ago the high court ruled that michigan did not violate the constitution when its voters banned affirmative action back in 2006. the state justified the vote as an effort to put an end to racial preferences. affirmative action supporters call it an act of discrimination. supporters say, for example, that laws like michigan's leave in place special college access for the privileged. a would-be student with a long pedigree at a school could go directly to the school's board of regents or the office of the college president, for instance, to seek a special admissions policy for legacies. you know, policies like the one that lets students into, say, yale even if they don't have good grades because their last name is bush. if you want to seek a racial preference, you would have to get the voters of your state to amend the state constitution. good luck affording the legal fees and filing fees to do that. it's not just michigan. seven other states have voter approved bans on affirmative

action. today justice anthony kennedy wrote this. it is demeaning to the democratic process to presume that voters are not capable of deciding an issue of this sensitivity on decent and rational grounds." the disenting opinion was written by justice sonja sodameyer in the role affirmative action played if her cakes. she writes that the stark reality is race still matters. the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race and to apply the constitution with eyes open to the unfortunate affects of centuries of racial discrimination. we ought not sit back and wish away rather than confront racial inequality that exists in our society. reverend al sharpton of our own msnbc wrote this response. "the ramifications of this will be far reaching and could tie us up in endless battles. we must mobilize immediately." nbc's justice correspondent pete wi