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game? plus, the potential for military conflict in russia and ukraine and how inequality became a best selling topic. but first major news overnight as two posts are now saints. . good morning. i'm jonathan capehart in for melissa harris-perry. we begin with a historic moment at the vatican. just a few hours ago pope francis presided over the first joint candization of two former popes. they were elevated to saint hood during a special mass in st. peter's square. half a million people gathered to watch the ceremony, and hundreds of thousands more watched on jumbo screens across rome. the two popes, now saints, are both iconic figures in the modern day roman catholic church. pope john 23rd was named the

good pope for his sense of humor and common touch. he's celebrated for launching the second vatican council, a historic gathering of bishops in the 1960s that moved the church to the modern age. and during his 26 year reign, the car izicmatic conservative implemented vatican two and traveled the world, energizing a new generation of catholics. he's revered for his fight against communism in eastern europe, especially his native poland. the former living pope also joined in the mass at st. peter's today. for more on this morning's historic event, nbc news correspondent anne thompson joins us from vatican city. good morning, ann. what was the mood there morning the people as these two popes became saints? >> jonathan, it was very sell bra toir and solemn at the same time. joyous, yet respectful. and you spoke of pope ameritus benedict, and he came out on the

alter altar about a half hour before the mass started. and i was really struck by the warm reception of the crowd here. he was audibly embraced by them. a long sustained applause. and then when pope francis came out top begin the celebration of the mass, he went over and hugged hope ameritus benedict, and he also did that at the end of the mass, a sign of unity, and that's what this ceremony was about. as you mentioned, these two popes represent two factions, or have been embraced by two factions, quite frankly, of the catholic churn. and pope francis wanted to c ee together to say this church is a union. i have to tell you in this crowd it was predominantly polish. all the young people that you spoke of, that john paul ii got excited about their religion, a lot of them are polish and came

here. i was talking the to one polish-american woman who came from chicago, and she said when she woke up on the street this morning, because a lot of them slept overnight to get a spot here. she said i didn't know if i was in pole la in poland or italy. it was a spectacular day. at the end foep pope francis took a ride in and had a very warm reception. thank you very much. we have soernt professor at university of notre dame and michael pepper, theology professor and contributor to "commonwealth" magazine. thank you to you both for coming in. tell us what this means for catholics around the world and how might this affect the way they practice their face. >> this is always a moe mentous event u, but it's hard to

imagine one more moe mentous than this. two popes who led different lives and different afterlives and remembered very differently by catholics and linked together by this. then you have two more popes embracing. it was truly a historic day. >> what kind of message is pope francis sending by canonizing two popes? >> it's true one has been viewed as a liberal icon and one auz a conservative icon, and there's no doubt about that. this is something the church can't blame on the media. this is something that church has done for itself. liberals tend to look to john 23. there is the message of unity. there are also other things that unite these two particular popes. one example of which is their good humored nature and

popularity. john 23rd was thought of as a very funny, engaging figure. he frequently made joke ls. one i love is when asked how many people work at the vatican, his answer is about half of them. and john paul ii is this world traveler who embraces people. who meets them where they are. and in that sense becomes a p populist leader. so they share some features that don't often get talked about. >> now there's been some discussion about the pace of the canonization, and others are questioning the canonization of pope john paul ii in the wake of the church's sex abuse scandal. do you think this will affect his place in history? >> on the question of the pace of saint hood, by some measures this took very long when you think about all the people at

his funeral who were calling for sainthood now. to declare him a saint automatically. it's true the process has gone rather fast, but it's been followed fairly closely. canonization affirms a person is in heaven. it does not say they never sinned or made mistakes. in terms of the sex abuse scandal, we're a long way from understanding the magnitude of it. this is something historians will be grappling with for a long time. the extent of john paul ii's complicity is something we don't know yet but i think pope francis in his homily when he spoke about the wounds of christ, he talked about sins of the r world and wounds o f the church. i wonder if that isn't a reference to many of the things it will church has to heal from.

he sees the canonization as a way to move forward. >> so pope francis is someone who has railed against capitalism and, you know, amorous, and here's an interesting thing, today's event had corporate sponsorship, including banks and oil company l s. is the vatican sending mixed messag messages? >> that's a great question. i would say the critiques of the capitalism and a style of capitalism that does not treat the dignity of all human persons, that goes back 125 years. this is something that is a long tradition in catholic social thought. it's true pope francis' message is being heard differently than the pope before him.

they till ld the soil for people to be able to hear the seeds of criticism, i think. so as to the corporate sponsorships, i have to look into whether or not that's hypocrisy. i'm not really sure. but i think that message of criticism is one that hits everyone. there's no one who is really safe from the criticisms of francis. >> kathleen cummings and michael pepper, thank you very much for being here. >> up next, more overnight news as president obama speaks out on simmering tensions with russia. are we headed for armeded conflict? that's next. eople. they're why we innovate. they're who we protect. they're why we make life less complicated. it's about people.

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the crisis in ukraine continues to overshadow president obama's trip to asia ya.

. while in malaysia this morning, the president turned up the heat on russia, making it clear the international community is prepared to act if russia doesn't deescalate tensions with ukraine. >> collectively, us and the europeans have said that so long as russia continues down the path of provocation rather than trying to resolve this issue peacefully and deescalating, there are going to be consequences, and those consequences will continue to grow. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry expressed similar sentiments on thursday, while trying to leave the door open, if only a sliver, for a possible change on russia's part. >> the window to change course is closing. president putin and russia faces a choice. if if russia chooses the path of de-escalation, the international community, all of us, will welcome it. if russia does not, the world will make sure the costs for russia will only grow. >> this new and more aggressive stance may be a direct result of

growing u.s. concern that rusch military forces are pulsing or pesting the border and making a run toward ukraine, according to u.s. officials. while there's no strong indication the the russian military is preparing to invade. russian troops could lost a come plix envis gags and be inside ukraine in less than 12 hours. rusch airplanes entered several times in the previous 24 hours. with russia's increasing show of military might, what, if anything, could additional sanctions do? according to ben rose, the sanctions would target individual who is have significant assets in the russian economy and influence within russian leadership. those sanctions could be levied as early as tomorrow. and now the whole g7 is on board. on friday the leader eers of t

group of seven which includes the united states, great britain, and japan agreed to swiftly oppose new and targeted sanctions against russia if russia didn't heed an agreement to reduce tension in ukraine. is the continued day-to-day escalation between ukraine and russia. ukraine mobilized against pro russian militants. up to five people were killed on thursday. russia condemned the actions. proseparatist groups announced a mobilization of the forces and ukrainian officials say a group of military advisers from the organization of security and corporation in europe or osce, was taken hostage on friday by pro-russian militants. the detained observers appeared in public for the first time today and said they were not mistreated but so far they were not released. and if russia sends in troops

under the pretense of a peace keeping operation, the ukrainian military will fight them. the obama organization has been focused on sanctions with european partners. peter alexander is traveling with the president in russia and filed this report. >> reporter: jonathan, good sunday morning to you from what is a very steamy kuala. president obama, his first comments publicly since the u.s. and g7 leaders indicated further targeted sanctions against russia. president obama praising the ukrainian leadership for their efforts to disarm. but says russia has not lifted a finger to help. president obama says there's strong evidence to the contrary, that they've been impeding efforts in the region.

the president was also pushed on the topic of sectoral sanctions, why the u.s. wouldn't be able to go at it alone, president obama indicated the more united they are the more effective the sanctions would be. he said what would happen if we delivered strong sectorial sanctions and a european country came in to fill the void behind us. it would defeat the purpose. the potential does exist the u.s. could at some point go at ate i alone. ft president obama wrapping up his trip in asia, malaysia, he heads to the philippines and back to washington on tuesday. jonathan, that's the latest from here. back to you. >> that was nbc's peter alexander, who is traveling with the president in asia. joining me now, the franklin center fellow for the national review, recently back from reporting in ukraine. marcus mavery, editor at large

"the new york times." and assistant professor of history and studies at valley forge military college and iraq veteran and msnbc contributor and foreign policy analyst for "newsweek." thank you all for being here. we are seeing the ukrainian military going after militants and separatists. is this a potential powder keg about to go off? >> russia, even p if they had 80,000 troops on the the border or 100,000, ukraine is one of the largest nation states in europe, there's no way they could make an end run to kiev and occupy the capitol. the chances of them doing that are slim because of the potential for insurgency to develop. so i find it doubtful there will be a russian invasion of ukraine. i think there may be potential

for movement along the border. mainly because of the pro-russian forces and to keep the world off balance and away from crimea, which is the primary goal. you have to understand putin is inspired by the past. he's not one trying to replicate it. what he saw was the potential -- because nato is moving closer and closer on the borders, and he saw that crimea, he was going to lose his fleet port, and so he made the move, and he did it very well, strategically, how he shaped the strategic environment and continually shaping the strategic environment. >> gillian, as i said before, you were on the ground in ukraine there. i want you to listen to the prime minister of that country on "meet the press" last week. >> president putin has a dream to restore the soviet union. and every day he goes further

and further and god knows where is the final destination. >> when you were there in ukraine, was this a similar sentiment among the people you talked to there? >> it was completely widespread. i was in kiev. a lot of people were concerned putin is going to progress as far as he's allowed. the russian economy is not doing well. his popularity is not high. his strategy is to gun up domestic support by acting very aggressively internationally. i think there was a lot of concern he was going to keep progressing. and by the same token, i think ukrainians are definitely willing to fight. he may be outmatching in the military, there's definitely going to be a lot of ukrainians willing to join the military. i spoke to a girl who built molotov cocktails during the revolution. she learned hard combat skills that are very applicable in the conversation. >> i think the great danger is we don't know what putin's end

game is. further is the fact that as the german chancellor angela merkel said she thinks putin is divorced from reality. that's a huge danger here. yopg he would make an end run for kiev. however, nato told us he could invade and take over eastern ukraine in three to five days. they are not ready to take on the russian military. we have a piece about all the reasons that putin should not want to go into ukraine, including the fact that the insurgency will cost lives. that doesn't mean putin will be dissuaded from invasion of eastern ukraine for those reasons. >> this is what we learn about putin. he's not a rational, logical guy. he's not thinking about the interests of his own people. he's thinking about the elite. his government, and him staying in power. this is how he's been reasoning. and if you read any of the books

about even george w. bush, days of fire, and there's a quote by george w. bush himself who said, you know, i don't understand this guy. he seems like -- i thought that he was a liberator. you know, he's showing a side of him as if he is more and more a dictator. if he takes eastern ukraine, he's taking from the ukrainians their economic capital somehow. >> so is intervention key here. >> what do you mean by intervepgs? invasion sf. >> i think trs absolutely critical. here's why. when he was in ukraine, i was speaking to a lot of people that were really upset they gave up their nuclear weapons. they gave them up with the expectation that the united kingdom and russia would protect them. now you have russia chipping away at their fundamental territory, and the west has responded weakly. sanctions work to undermine putin's support with the

oligarchs. but we're not giving them military. >> i know everyone wants to jump in, but we have to take a break. we are going to get to the comments being attributed to sterling. but as tensions with russia seem to reach new heights, when we come back i'll bring in the former ambassador to that country. that's next. all stations come over to mission a for a final go. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. marge: you know, there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies.

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it's important for us to make sure that we are part of an international coalition sending that message, and that russia is isolated in its actions, rather than falling into the trap of interpreting this as the united states is trying to pull ukraine out of russia's orbit, circa 1950. >> that was president obama speaking this morning in malaysia, and explaining why the

u.s. is not moving ahead unilaterally with sanctions that could affect the russian economy. joining ne from stanford, california, to discuss the diplomatic decisions facing the u.s. and the rest of the g7 is ambassador michael mcfall, a former ambassador of the united states to the russian federation who is also an msnbc and nbc contributor. mr. ambassador, thank you for being here. let me ask you a question that i asked the panel in the last segment. and that is is western intervention key here? >> well, it depends on how you define intervention. if by that you mean supporting ukraine, absolutely. the ukrainian state needs to succeed. the ukrainian economy needs to grow. and without that, that creates more opportunities for russia to do, you know, very negative things inside ukraine. second, does the west need to support pressure on putin to

dissuade him from going further militarily? absolutely yes. that's necessary, and i applaud what the president said yesterday about upcoming sanctions. >> so, let's take a look at what vice president joe biden had to say on tuesday while in ukraine. take a look. >> we call on russia to stop supporting men hiding behind masks and unmarked uniforms, and we have been clear that war provocative behavior by russia will lead to more costs and greater isolation. >> ambassador, does the appearance of vice president biden and strong words like we've been hearing from the president and secretary of date help to change putin's course of direction at all? >> well, so far it hasn't. let's be clear. i mean, when secretary kerry and

the european ashton and the ukrainian foreign minister met in geneva, there was an agreement for de-escalation. the way we read that is that these armed men in eastern ukraine and southern ukraine would put down their weapons and go home. . that obviously hasn't happened. thereto hasn't been a further escalation either. and what you have now is a stalemate. and i don't think president putin has decided what he wants to do in terms of next steps inside ukraine. >> is this aggression by russia towards ukraine part of the greatness to get back to the soviet union by acquiring all this land? >> yes and no. putin had a different strategy before this crisis, let's be clear. yes, he implemented the collapse of the soviet union. he said that before. but he was trying to dominate the region through economic

institutions. and something called the eurasian economic union not just cri crimea to join them. but when the government failed, this was his plan "b", and as a result, i don't think he's thought through where he wants to see this end, in the coming years or decades. that's p why you see more improvisation as opposed to a grand strategy to change the union. z >> mr. ambassador, are we past the point of diplomatic possibilities helping? >> i think it's key what president obama just said in the clip you showed. the west and the world has the to be united to say this is illegitimate. and it that has to be unified.

if it's just the americans, it has to this be the world community together. >> thank you, ambassador michael mcfall in stanford, california. when we come back, we shift our focus to another region in the world where the tension is reaching new levels. the middle l east and peace process that now appears to be in pieces. we constantly evolve to meet your needs every day of the week. because you can't beat zero heartburn. woo hoo! [ male announcer ] prilosec otc is the number one doctor recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 8 straight years. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. [prof. burke] at farmers,we make you smarter aboutyears. [bell rings] your insurance,because what you don't know can hurt you. what if you didn't know that collisions with wildlife on the road may not be covered? and that you could be liable for any accidents on your property?

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this is the ram 1500. the 2014 motor trend truck of the year and first ever back-to-back champion. guts. glory. ram. while much of the world's attention is focused on the escalating conflict between ukraine and russia, another reasserted itself back onto the global stage in a big way this week, the middle east. on thursday israel broke off talks because of a planned reconciliation deal and planned for a government between modern faction and the more radical hamas. benjamin netanyahu pulled no punches, speaking on msnbc with

andrea mitchell on sunday. >> we have a choice. peace with israel or with terrorist hamas. and he choke the pact with hamas. that's the blow for peace. i hope he changes his mind. until he does so, i think it's very important that we have clarity, as long as i'm prime minister of israel, i will never negotiate with a terrorist backed by organization, committed to our destruction. >> the deadline was supposed to be april 29th, this tuesday but after a nine-month push for a peace deal, the latest actions by both sides may have ended any chances for that. the u.s. state department responded on friday to the israel and the palestinian people. >> his view is this is a moment of transition and part of the

process, is we're in a holding period where parties need to figure out what is next. we always thought there was a point where we needed to pause and both side need to look at what is possible. it's up to them to determine if there's a path forward. >> so is there any chance at all that they're going to get back to the table to talk. >> i'm actually not as optimistic as everybody else. the history is lock. but we know when the prime minister said i would never negotiate, he doesn't remember a year ago he negotiated and released a thousand prisoners for the -- the soldier that was imprisoned in hamas for five years in gaza. and i think the real question that president obama asked in an interview to the "new yorker" israel, what do you want to be in the 21st century?

do you want to be a jewish state or territorial? and you have no option. and what scares me more than anything else is now jerusalem is just completely taken by the israelis, and the palestinians as their half capital because of the mos lee yum shrines and other things. and if you look at the landscape and the pictures that we're showing here, it shows better than anything else. if you look at the landscape and israel will wake up one morning and see 50% of the population they they control is arabs. and their goal was to have a jewish state. and so if you are aiming and looking at the landscape and have a one-state solution, that will not be a jewish state. and if this is acceptable for them, this would be a disaster for both sides. israel will never give up the idea of a jewish state.

and the palestinian will never give up the idea to live in a freedom sovereign country. they have to think about the future and not the next election, the next generation. >> i think the demographic time bomb is so real that it seems like netanyahu is ignoring reality. the most shocking thing is he applied that that sh what would do what would have been peace talks. they were domed before. >> they were domed before starting with the settlements more and more. >> this is a key opportunity for president obama to do a paradigm shifting in the administration. . they have to be realistic in the expectations in russia and the diplomatic situation in the middle east in general. and the two situations called for two very different approaches. we need to have not when are we going to have peace in the middle east?

but let's work on the small things. engage the populations. the two israelis and palestinians themselves, this is not going to be solved by diplomats. >> thank you very much for coming in. gillian ann marcus will be back in our next hour. up next, the comments reported to be by l.a. clippers owner donald sterling are making news as far away as malaysia. >> i don't think i have to interpret those statements for you. they kind of speak for themselves. when ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything. you just let them talk. that's what happened here. 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.

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sterling is facing new scrutiny after tmz sports published audio on saturday that claimed to present sterling arguing with his girlfriend for being seen in public with african-americans after she posted a picture she took with nba hall of famer ir vin magic johnson. . we'll play some of the audio for you now, but want to disclose that nbc news has not independently verified the authenticity. here now is a portion of what was posted by tmz sports. >> people call you and tell you that i have black people on my instagram and it bothers me. >> yeah, it bothers me a lot if you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. >> the man alleged to be sterling added more during the call, including telling the woman on the line she could do a lot of things with black people, except bring them to clippers game. how about your whole life, every day, you could do whatever you want?

you can sleep with them, you can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. the little i ask you is not to promote it on, and not to bring it them to my games. >> the clippers released a statement on saturday that questioned both the authenticity of the audio and the credible of the woman heard. it also said, quote, mr. sterling is emphatic what was reflected on the recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. it's who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life. he feels terrible such sentiments are being attributed to him and apologized to anyone who may have been hurt by them. he's also upset about sentiments to irvin johnson. he has long considered him a friend and has nothing but the utmost respect for him in terms of who he is and what he has achieved. >> let me just add that all

members of the nba family should be afforded due process and a fair opportunity to present their side of any controversy. which is why i'm not yet prep e prepared to discuss any potential sanctions against donald sterling. in the meantime, mr. sterling has agreed he will not attend his playoff game. >> joining me now is the cohost of the hit show "numbers never lie" and the his and hers podcast. thanks for being here. you wrote about sterling in 2009 in a column and you didn't hold back. here's the first line. donald sterling makes rush limbaugh look like martin luther king. educate us about that man? >> yeah, it was interesting in that clippers statement you read

they pointed out this is not consistent with who donald sterling is. i'll tell you who he is. 1996, sued for sexual harassment by a former employee. 2003, testified paying a former employee for sex. sued for sexual harassment and wrongful determination. sued for discrimination by tenants. 2006, sued in u.s. district court for refusal to rent to nonkorea nonkoreans, african-americans and families with children. sued by -- oh, guess what, racial discrimination. as dave chappelle might say, i don't know if he's a racist, but he's certainly wearing a racist uniform. >> and again, the recordings that we heard, nbc news hasn't been able to inspently verify but one of the things you just pointed out in the list of things is the housing lawsuit. and here's a quote from the department of justice when the housing settlement was announced. apartment owner donald t.

sterling has agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle allegations that he discriminated against african-americans, hispanics and families with children at apartment buildings he controls in los angeles. not exactly from this lawsuit, from the things that you just listed there. not exactly someone who, shall shall we say, is -- >> representing the nba in a manner that that they -- the manner in which they would want. and that's why on some level, although this is clearly a water shed moment for adam silver, new commissioner, this is not a new problem. just like when major league baseball got mark shaub out of the game, it was a career pattern of racist behavior. >> let me ask you, is there any consideration here of pushing him out of the league?

what exactly can the league do to him? he's an owner? >> and that's where the difficulties come from. if they took the blueprint, she wasn't allowed to be on her own team. and they eventually made things so uncomfortable that owning the team, they forced her to sell it. that's probably the only thing the nbak do. i would manage, once he's able to authenticate the recording, then a fine will come. he won't attend the playoff game and i have a feeling he'll face a suspension. they'll force him to perhaps sell the clippers. >> and we've heard from basketball players. we've heard from lebron james. have we heard from other players, perhaps the clippers or not, reacting to the news? >> i thought it was interesting yesterday the posted an instagram that was completely blank.

chris paul is president of the nba players association. he also put out a statement saying they were taking the matter very seriously. doc rivers, a very proud man. he was clearly very upset and rattled by the comments we heard from mark jackson, the coach of the clippers. just a number of people. is and a think a more important part of this is other owners have already made it known they're standing with commissioner silver top investigate this thoroughly. the commissioner essentially works if r the other owners. they have to be on board with getting him out of the game. >> thank you for coming in. coming up, congressman paul ryan is set to meet with the and we are joining for free view [ female announcer ] crest presents:

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i'm looking at you phone company dsl. go to comcastbusiness.com/ checkyourspeed. if we can't offer faster speeds or save you money we'll give you $150. comcast business built for business. . that a congressman has a meeting scheduled with his colleagues is usually not that notable. . when that congressman is prm paul ryan and those colleagues are in the congressional black

caucus, well, it's news. the meeting, a cbc aide told nbc news is to talk about poverty, a topic that ryan was discussing with radio host bill bennett in march when he said this. >> we have got this tail spin of culture in our inner cities in particular, of men not working, generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and culture of work. so there's a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with. >> congresswoman barbara lee, democrat of california and member of the cbc condemned that as a quote, thinly veiled racial attack that cannot be tolerated. though ryan admitted he had been inarticulate during the interview, he later told a wisconsin town hall his comments had nothing to do with race. joining me now from los angeles is congresswoman karen bass, a democrat representing california's 37th district and a member of the the congressional

black caucus. congresswoman, thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me on. >> now we have been talking about the comments. and these are attributed to l.a. clippers owner and nbc news has not independently verify that had they are sterling. but i wanted to give you a chance to weigh in here. . if this reporting turns out to be authentic, what is your reaction? >> well, i just have to say that here in los angeles, donald sterling has a long history, and people are very much aware of this. so i think with whatever the nba can do, they should do to the maximum. i can only imagine how the players must feel. we know they make a lot of money. can you imagine how it feels to know that the person who owns the team views you in this this manner? especially magic johnson, who is an absolute icon around the country. it was sad to see this happen.

>> so let's switch gears to the upcoming meeting the cbc has with ryan this week. now you served on the budget committee with congressman ryan when you first served. do you expect an explanation from him? >> i hope he comes in and apologizes and expresses ignorance. if he attempts to say this has nothing to do with race, it was all about porty, he's going to make the situation worse. the black caucus typically has speakers come in every wednesday. and sometimes they are coming in because the caucus has differences with them. but the chairwoman always handles things in a very professional manner. f in addition to his comments, people are going to want to talk with him about his overall philosophy, especially in regards to the budget and his view of poverty. so i think he has a lot of explaining to do. >> let me play this for you very quickly. >> the problem, though, is that

he was quoting charles murray, who has been pouring racist sewage into open ears for a couple generations now. he has been pushing his theorys, white supremecy. . and ryan kwoeted him as one of the authorities. >> do you agree? does congressman ryan's citation of murray make his comments racial in nature? >> i think this is the problem. paul is really viewed at the intellectual hero of his caucus when it comes to all matters related to poverty and the budget. you can't be on one hand an intellectual and quote somebody like murray and say you didn't really know what their viewpoints were. murray is the i kwif lent of the fake scientist that existed long ago that tried to come up with scientific justifications for the enslavement of people and

the inferiority of african-americans. that's what murray's quote/unquote research attempts the to document. you continue km in and say on one hand you're brilliant. on the other hand you're quoting something you didn't know what he believes. >> @ criticism many of your fellow democrats of ryan has as much to do with his budget as his rhetoric. >> right. >> if i could ask him anything at all, it would be i don't understand how you think it makes life better when you want to dismantle the affordable care act. when you want to cut pell grants. when you want to cut food stamps and then say you want to address poverty. when the very report that you wrote. a lot of researchers you quote say you misquoted them, you didn't use their research properly. if you want to reduce people's

reliance on food stamps, why don't you raise the minimum wage? why don't you have a comprehensive job program? i really want to understand what's behind his thinking. how does he think that makes life better? >> congresswoman karen bass in los angeles. thanks so much. >> thank you for having me. >> coming up next, the state that could be on the verge of losing its only abortion clinic and the one doctor stand in the way. he'll join us live. more nerd land at the top of the hour. cult thing to do. but, manufacturing in the united states means advanced technology. we learned that technology allows us to be craft oriented. no one's losing their job. there's no beer robot that has suddenly chased them out. the technology is actually creating new jobs. siemens designed and built the right tools and resources to get the job done.

welcome back. i'm jonathan capehart in for melissa harris-perry. there's only one abortion clinic in the entire state of mississippi. the jackson women's health organization performs more than 2,000 abortions a year. anti-abortion protesters are outside every day. whether it can continue that work they be determined in a federal courtroom tomorrow. now let me back up.

in 2012 the mississippi legislature passed a law that required doctors at the one abortion clinic to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. that allows the physician to treat a patient in the hospital. the jacksonwomen's health organization has tried to get such privileges, but every single hospital they asked refused. some told the clinic they could not handle the political fallout of helping the clinic stay open. and so the only abortion clinic in mississippi is facing a shutdown by the state. women would have to tral out of state for abortion services. so, a woman in h jackson would have to travel 170 miles south to the closest city with an abortion clinic, baton rouge, louisiana. she would have to drive 185 miles to new orleans, to the north, 210 miles to memphis. # or 240 miles east to birmingham. but the jackson clinic is fighting the law in court. the clinic claims that the law is an underhanded ploy to

eliminate the constitutionally protected right to an aborks. . for now, the state has been blocked from enforcing the law by a district court judge, but the state is fighting back. mississippi went to the federal court of appeals and asked it to overturn the injunction. tomorrow the court will hear oral arguments on that question. and is what it decides in the ek weeks or months ahead will determine whether the women of mississippi still have access to full reproductive care. joining me now, dr. willie parker, one of the doctors who travels the to mississippi to provide services at the jackson clinic. man dal amanda allen, state center for reproductive rights and marcus mavery, editor at large of "the new york times." dr. parker, you're one of two doctors that provides care at the jack on clinic. what happens if the clinic is

forced to close? >> well, i hope we don't find out. but women will be left with desperate measures for those women who can't travel. the distances that you cited. we know that when women, pregnant and they don't want to be, i can tell you right now, that there are do it yourself instructions on the internet. there are already companies marketing drugs, whether they're fda approved or not, to try to make that happen. is women will be left with desperate measures. it will increase the suffering and potential death of women, that we know occurs when abortion is not legally available. >> and the fifth sir cult claimed it was not an undue burden for a woman to travel 150 miles each way in texas to get to a clinic. fifth circuit judge edith jones questioned whether a drive of that length truly places an undue burden on women seeking abortion. quote, do you know how long that

takes in texas at 75 miles an hour? this is peculiarly flat and not con justed highway. so is a trip of hundreds of miles an undue burden? >> well, any rule that stands in between a woman and her constitutionally guaranteed right to make the decision about whether or not to continue a pregnancy is an undue burden. whether you're talking about state or federal. these laws do nothing to enhance the safety, and so if a clinic -- already women are having to drive hours, and they're having whajs around for those women who don't have a car or can't arrange transportation, those women are condemned to continue pregnancies that they don't want or to incur the -- >> expense. >> or more importantly, the complications associated with pregnancy.

>> i have the to ask you, dr. parker, why do this work? why fly from chicago to mississippi to provide these services? >> well. >> because it's the right thing to do. you can ask the question about is it important, is it popular? but like dr. said, there's a point at which you have to ignore all those things and decide what is the right thing to do? i think the effort to make sure that women have access to services is the right thing to do. >> so amanda, why is what happens at the fifth circuit so important? >> well, the question the court is asking is can the state constitutionally do incorrectly and underhandedly what it very clearly may not do directly. which is to outright ban abortion. and so that is at its core the question that the court is asking tomorrow. as dr. parker just said, you know, the real story here is about mississippi women and what will it mean for the women in mississippi for the first time

since roe versus wade was decided, women do no have access to a safe and legal abortion clinic. and so the real story is what is at stake is the life and health and dignity of the women in mississippi. >> so what happens if the court ends the temporary stay? does the clinic just shut down immediately? >> well, we are absolutely pursuing every legal, every legal opportunity that we have to make sure that clinic remains open. and so there's a possibility to appeal to the full fifth circuit panel. of course, there's a potential to appeal to the supreme court. but if that court puts into effect the law that passes in 2012, that does mean an immediate closure of that clinic. >> i have to have you listen to bill brian describe the law in his state and the state of state address this year. take a listen. >> by strengthening the child protection act and by requiring that abortion is obtained,

admitting privileges to local hospitals, we are protecting women's health. and let me be clear, on this unfortunate date of roe v. wade, my goal is to end abortion in mississippi. >> so, chloe, given what the governor just said, what does that tell you about the state's intention in passing this law? >> well, he hasn't made any bones about it. right? the stated goal of this particular policy is to protect women's health. and if that is actually the goal of this policy, this is a terrible policy. women are far more likely to die in childbirth than a safe and legal abortion. and they are for more likely to die from an unsafe illegal abortion than they are from a safe, legal one. if the goal is to protect women's health, this is a terrible policy. anyone who can look at the data and see the impact on women's lives and women's health has no business making policy. >> this is a map that we have to show the visiting privileges thing is not an isolated situation. this map shows all the states

where admitting privileges laws are being considered are on the books. yellow states enacted and passed the laws. the red states have passed the laws, but they've been temporarily blocked, depending court action. and in the orange states, legislatures are considering adding these states to the books. dr. pacer, what do you make of this wide ranging assault? is. >> i think it's an attempt to gut the provisions of federal policy. the role that enshrines the right of the woman to make a decision about abortion. and since there's been no success in overturning roe, the goal is to make the pursuit of abortion care practically impossible. so even if it remains legal, all the barriers with the laws, notification policies and the sort, they all sort of stand in the way of blocking women from having abortion. >> stay right there. this extreme crackdown on reproductive rights extends far

beyond mississippi. when we come back, a look at what happens when states use legal means to restrict the rights of women. but first, a look back to what first lady betty ford had to say about asborgs and the law one year after roe v. wade. >> as far as the question on abortion, that is a matter of the supreme court, the supreme the court made the ruling and the supreme court is the law of our land. and as long as that is the law of our land, i abide by the law of the land. ♪ ♪ ♪ abe! get in! punch it! let quicken loans help you save your money. with a mortgage that's engineered to amaze! thanks, g.

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mississippi's law is part of a nationwide strategy. in texas about one-third of the state's abortion clinics were forced to close when they could not gain privileges or comply with other restrictions passed

in 2013. msnbc's erin carmen recently traveled to the rio grande valley to see the two health clinics. in san juan planned parenthood set up a once a week clinic to set up contraceptive care. she writes of two women at the clinic, quote, it took both of them months of calling to get an appointment at the clinic. ful that wednesday morning a four-hour wait passed the schedule time to see the nurse practitioner wasn't a surprise. the women patiently juggle each other's babies on their laps. they said of their need for birth control, i want to take care of myself. much as they have tried, they haven't always been able to do that. one woman at the the clinic has nine children. both claudia and marlena want to get their tubes tied but neither can afford it. i've been on the the waiting list for two years, she said. she also visited a flee market in harks l harks mo, texas, that allegedly once had a thriving

drug trade before it was raided by drug raids last year. women health experts said women would go to the flea market for birth control as well as medicaid abortion pills after the clinics closed. she also took a trip across the border to a mexican town. there pharmacies lined the streets selling drugs like vi viagra and the abortion pill over tp counter. it's a destination for texas residents looking for cheaper, easier way to get farm sui pharmaceuticals than they can get in the u.s. market. >> these are obviously deeply disturbing reports. to hear that american women have to cross international border to get what they can't get here is obviously deeply disturbing. there are two national questions, politically that are raised. the first may be more of a legal question. at what point will the supreme court say the state impediments to a woman's ability to get an

abortion actually represent illegal actions. at what point will they say these are st stripping away a woman's constitutionally given right to an abortion? that's one big question many of us are asking. that's of national import. the second question is politically we're creating a divided united states. not unlike what we are doing with gay marriage rights. there rights you have in some states and not with others. and it's not just some states. these laws go all the way up to the canadian border in essence. >> what's happening in texas and mississippi is a crystal clear and really painful demonstration of the american reality, which is that racism and sexism often go hand nn hand. whenever you see racism, if you take a second look, you will find sexism there. f and that is exactly what is happening here. ful these laws don't just target women. they target women of color.

they can't go to a hospital when they have complications from an illegal abortion. they can't go to the hospital to get live safing treatment because they're afraid of being deported and the law ps in mississippi don't have the need to get up and go. and those women are disproportionately likely to be african-american. so these laws don't target women. they target women of color. and the republicans in the legislature in mississippi and texas ought to be ashamed of themselves. >> but in these states, these legislatures are allowed to do this because they're not being thrown out of office because of these measures. >> that's true. but they are making policy that represents the worst of american policy. >> the same court have a rule on the mississippi law up held the law as unconstitutional. and the judge said in part, if the admitting privileges regulation burdens the the

action by performing abortions and requiring women to travel further, the burden does not fall on the vast majority of texas women seeking abortions. is that true? and if it is, should that be the standard? >> well, we disagree with the court's reasoning in that decision. i think what the reports really surgt and show is it's time to call the bluffs of the politicians that pushed hb2, this measure that is really leaving in large, large parts of texas without access to a safe and legal abortion provider. it's time to call their bluff. this measure is doing the the exact opposite. it's really putting the measure at risk. >> can i chime in on the evidence base regular laxs that should improve the quality of services. admitting privileges don't affect the quality of care for women, and that the majority of abortions, well, abortion in general is extremely safe.

. less than 1% have a complication requiring hospitalization. and even if it does. the al ggorithm is when an ambulance picks up a patient, they will go to the closest hospital. that's irrelevant to whether or not the doctor has privileges there. if we're going to change the regulations under the guides of safety, let's have it linked to evidence. there's no evidence these laws affect the quality of care for women. >> doctor, before we go, will we see a return to the pre-roe days are or we already there? >> i don't know. i know we're there in terms of women have always been willing to do what they need to do to make an abortion happen. and so right now we're not there in the way deaths went away when abortion was legal, when abortion becomes illegal, women

will continue to take desperate measures. >> you said that we're already there. you agree? >> i hope not. >> dr. willie parker. . thank you. marcus is sticking around. coming up, the subject so hot it's already spawned three best sellers. we'll be right back. dad, why are you getting that? is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪

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 do you love imdb.com the way i love imdb.com? it's a great website you can get lost in, learning movie trivia, finding out which goofy sitcom big stars used to be on or even what upcoming movie your favorite director has coming next. f every time i see the matrix on basic cable, i find myself going to imdb.com find out what happened to keanu reeves and does he make movies anymore?

because i like keanu reeves and his movies. i really do. especially "my own private idaho." it's cinema brilliance with amazing performances from both reeves and the late river phoenix. and do you know who imdb lists as one of the writers? william shakespeare because aspects of the movie were based on a modern dayed adaptation? it's not like that was his only one. just have a look at the writing credits imdb lists for william shakespeare. . there are 997 of them. and take a look at the column on the right. those are the years for the production of plays and tv films. the guy has 20 projects in the works this year alone. apparently he has two projects lined up for 2015. who is william shakespeare's

agent? i mean, seriously. and this week he would have celebrated a big one. the big 450. yes, shakespeare turn another 450 this past wednesday. we think. apparently there's some discrepancy, but that's not the point. the point is even today william shakespeare is huge. and as much as imdb.com helps us realize how huge shakespeare still is 450 years after his birth, this week for me, it was businessinsider.com that really said it all. . in fact, it was this woman, christina sterbenz, a reporter and graduate of syracuse university who said it. s and it was so good i had to share part of it. 13 every day phrases that actually come from william shakespeare. phrases like green-eyed monster. and the world is your oyster, which the the world first heard

a variation of in the merry wives of windsor, and it's all greek to me, which he writes in julius cesar? he responds, but from my own heart it was greek to me. and of course there was more. if you want to read the rest of the list, google insider shakespeare. you should find the link easily, though. thank you for putting together this great bit of nerdy fun. and to william shakespeare, happy birthday. yeah, happy birthday. when we come back, the other author, and the one who is still alive, who is all the hotness right now. didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

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right now i'm holding the hottest new item people can't stop talking about. it's selling out so fast getting your hands on it may be a problem. the brand new 685 thriller capital in the 21st century. an analysis of data from 20

countries that uncovers key economic patterns about inequality. it's the number one best seller on amazon.com and so popular it's currently sold out. the book has already sold about 85,000 copies, including e-books and the harvard university press has orders on hand for another 90,000. and everyone is talking about it. "the new york times," "washington post," "time" magazine and dozens of other news outlets. msnbc's chris hayes sat down for an extended interview. this right here is seriously the talk of the town. and again, it's 685 pages, heavy pages of economic history, which is not quite the usual profile of a chart topping best seller. but maybe it shouldn't seem so unusual. right now sharing the top of the best seller list on amazon.com are elizabeth warren's biography

"a fighting chance" and michael lewis' "flash boys kwtsz. two books that focus on questions of inequality. and economic inequality has been a buzz term for leaders, is economic inequality the new hot topic in our country? and is that shift coming at a time when we desperately need it to be at the top of the agenda? michael pepper, theology professor and contributor to common wield magazine. . tamron draugt at the think tank. and editor at large. . i know i messed up your last name. >> no, you got it. >> great. is the shift widespread? is it? >> yeah, i mean, this is great,

right? we have three top books. you know what i think this tells us is there is a real hunger to explain something that we felt deep in our bones for a while. and this gives us a framework for understanding what is happening. i think inequality started being hot with occupy. we like to dismiss them, but we have to give them credit for introducing and poplarizing the idea of the 1% and the 99%. and then we had citizens united. we recently had mchutchin, and it's becoming palpable that they are clearly benefitting the wealthy, while the rest of us are struggle to stay afloat. >> do you agree, is there a shift towards more widespread consciousness? i don't know. maybe is the best answer we have. or maybe this is a phenomenon among those we're seeing on

amazon. that's a lot of people, but that is not the whole country. the democrats and barack obama really hope this will be the main topic of discussion, the question on which these midterms will be decided. if it's about inequality. if it's about americans being fatigued, then the democrats have a much better chance. if it's not about that, the republicans have a much better chance of recapturing this. i think really we'll see somehow widespread is this movement and this with income equality in america in just a few months. >> so "the new york times" recently published a stunning graphic. and it shows american incomes are only leading the world when you look at the top half of earners, and here you see the change in median income over the period of ten years broken up by income per sign tile with the poorest fifth on the left and the richest on the rigts and the

very top are seeing dramatic increases over time. but when you look at the bottom half, we're not only fall manager behind other countries but also seeing slowing growth of income. . should we look at a graphic like that and we the direction our country is headed? >> well that's a brand new website that we just launched this week, and it really digs down deep into the numbers to let you know as you were saying the feeling you have in your gut and the impression feel are not doing as well as they used to, it's not working as well as irt once did, it really makes the realities come alive in the numbers. and most embarrassing for the numbers is if you're from any other western country and you're really seriously middle l class, not upper or middle class or working class or working poor, you are actually declining and losing the race as people in those same classes and other kern other western country ls

continue to develop greater access. you're falling behind. so we're talking about the books. is it positive that questions about economic inequality are in the public spotlight right now? >> i think it's positive because it's undisputable there's an economic issue going on. i think seizing on the issue of economic inequality is winning a political issue because everybody wants to be told they deserve to make more money. the flip side is, though, what policies it's going to result in. i'm concerned some of the policies that have been furthered are going to end up hurting those at sort of the base of society that are really struggling to get a leg up. >> michael, the pope has made income inequality part of his message. does the message that the pope have make a difference in terms of our nation and the world's awareness of and attention to inequality. does it make a difference? >> i think it does.

we've seen the difference with president obama quoting pope francis and using pope francis' popularity as a way for president obama to get back to his own message that he lost sight of for a couple of years there. . when we look at the catholic social teaching about capitol and wealth and inequality, it certainly encourages people to move beyond the line of prof sits. pope francis, wrooer going to get a third one. he's writing about ecology, and sustainability movement they talk about the triple bottom line. and you can see there's an overarching theory of how wealth ought to be drinted in a way towards human dignity and also towards a sustainable attitude towards the environment. >> so we know that the topic is hot. but what can we do about it?

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welcome back. we've been talking about how economic inequality has become from a scholarly and political view to becoming mainstream. in part because of the rhetorical push the issue has been getting from none other than than the president. president obama has been pushing for an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 and he's been framing it like this. >> it is time to give america a race. say yes. give america a raise. >> it's time for $10.10. it's time to give america a raise. >> and the president has commended companies that already pay more than the federal minimum wage, like visiting costco and said you can tell workers feel good about their jobs and company. and he's applauding companies that bumped up their minimum wage like gap that raised it to $9 an hour this year. he shouted out minnesota pizza

company owner during his state of the union address. praising his company for raising the employee minimum wage to $10 an hour. even though there hasn't been traction in congress on raising the minimum wage, the president's rhetoric seems to be making a difference. in his weekly address yesterday, he told this story about one response to the state of the union address. >> a couple of weeks ago i got a letter from a small business owner who watched that night. here's what she wrote, i was moved by john's story. it got me thinking about my full-time employees and their ability to survive on $8 an hour in new york city. so a few weeks ago, jasmine put in place a plan to lift wanls for her employees at both restaurants to at least $10 an hour by the end of this year. >> so, can an elevated national dialogue about economic inequality be a catalyst for change? i throw that out to the table. t can it? >> i think we're already seeing

it happen. we're looking at minimum wage fights really bubbling up in cities across the country. the president has made it a signature issue. and so i think we're seeing a real sea change and real momentum that $7.25 an hour, most americans think that is insane. and agree that we need to significantly increase the federal minimum wage in the country. and the other thing i'll say is the reason this is starting to get momentum is you have a great mix of people. you have the the private sector. you have the ceo of companies saying it's time we do this. gap, costco, whole foods. and then we have the religious community shining a spotlight on this. coupling that with what we have seen with the fast food sector and retail. we come together and that's when we see real change happen. >> with issues like minimum wage, you have to look at cost benefit.

if we're talking inequality, raising the minimum wage to $10.10 is going to cost half a million jobs by 2016. with it, it's inevitably going to cost jobs. and why not raise it beyond $10.10? why not $20? why not $30. there's a 1% to 3% affect on jobs for teenagers. black teenagers have the highest rate of unemployment in the country. that's really unfortunate. so when we look hat this, we do want higher pay for a lot of people. but we have to understand there's a cost associated with that. >> but isn't that an argument that happens every time there's an increase in the minimum wage or talk of an increase, someone always comes and say it's going to cost jobs. >> washington state since 1998

has had the highest state minimum wage. in the last 15 years the economy has grown faster than the other 49 states. they've also seen job growth in the very sectors we always hear are going to lose jobs. in retail, in bars, in restaurants. so we have real world examples. san francisco is thriving. >> to that point, how high is too high go before it started costing jobs. we agree a $50 minimum wage is going to cost jobs at some point. where do you find the limit where it's not going to cost jobs but benefit people? >> can i jump in on this? one of the thing the this book brought to light is focusing on ratios more than absolute numbers. ratios within companies and societies and you look at what the top rage earners are earning versus median or lower incomes are earning, and those ratios are out of control.

273 to 1 are median ceos to low wage earners. some companies get over 1,000 to 1. >> and there's a report about ceos in the fast food industry. it's 1200 times the earnings of the average fast food earner, and it remained above 1,000 to this 1 in 2013. when i read the report, i wonder what on earth can be done to close the gap? is there anything that kp be done to change that? >> well, the minimum wage is one. that would be a great start. but i also think the report has a lot of traction and will be doing a lot of briefings with big constitutional investors. when we release the comptroller of new york city, scott stringer helped us release a report. this is starting to impact shareholders. this is bad for business. it has reached the point where it's affected, when you look at performance in the fast food

sector, wait times are up. turnover is increasing. all of that is really bad for business. and mcdonald's itself highlighted the fact that inequality is a growing risk to their company. >> and the hope is there's a convergence between what people want, the private sector and government wants. this increase in inequality is a problem for us. it's not sustainable for a capitalist society. what he says though is with the the aberration of world war ii and the great middle class for moern society and therefore the world with that only exception, capital, and capitalism has created inequalities forever. that's a theory we'll see very soon, i think, if it's born out. if change doesn't happen, if there's not a minimum wage that happens nationally, then i think we're going to see greater and greater disruption. >> and that is going to have to be our last word. thank you, marcus, julian,

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about 1 in 150 u.s. children. today, 1 in 68 kids has an autism spectrum disorder. the recent government survey indicates the national rate of autism could be closer to 1 in 50. these are rates described by advocates on autism speaks, as nothing short of an epidemic. a documentary highlights the challenges families face with children with autism, especially as those children get older. it shows their struggle with the insurmountable financial and

emotional burdens of providing care for their loved ones. >> we're going to give him the best chance at a normal life. we want our child to say, i love you, we don't want him to become a rhodes scholar at harvard. these things help. these necessary therapeutic services will help. it's $2,400 a month for three hours where he goes right now, which is on a grant. that grant just got cut. we would be looking at paying that $2,400, which is well over my husband's income right now. it's just not feasible. it's not possible to do. >> the film screen during the tribeca film festival was here yesterday. welcome, michael. >> great to be here. >> the film shows incredibly personal and private moments from people's lives, parents at their most vulnerable. i'm curious about people making the decision to share those moments. i'm wondering, is that what it takes to get the attention that's needed on this issue?

>> completely. this is an issue that we hear about every single day. so bob and suzanne wright, who are the co-founders of autism speaks felt there was no better way to tell this than through this film. bob wright, of course, was the head of nbc for 24 years. so he knows media. we need to raise awareness. people need to understand the profound impact of this issue. >> i want to show another clip from the movie featuring a medically retired marine, hardy mills, who has a child with autism. >> half of the working population has insurance coverage. through all the large corporations, like apple, walmart, ge, exxon. plus the u.s. government, which is the largest sing ebl employer in the country. and yet congress has failed to act on the large corporations, and on its own u.s. government employees, to bring autism insurance to those families.

>> okay. that was the wrong sound byte. we'll get to the sound byte that i wanted to ask you about. but talk about that, about action in congress on this issue. >> this is incredible. we don't want to discriminate against people who have autism. it's something that occurred, that parents have no insurance coverage for. only 36 states which we helped get insurance coverage for have autism insurance coverage. the other 14 states are working hard to get insurance coverage. our families, it costs an average of $60,000 a year in expenses for the therapies that they need for their families. that's not just the cost to our families, to the country, this is $137 billion a year. so both from a personal and financial cost to the country, this is imperative we act now. >> now, let's play that clip of the retired marine, hardy mills, who has a child with autism. >> i think if i was still on active duty, it would still be

covered like any other active duty military. >> we're going to practice sitting and playing, okay? >> i've spent over $120,000 out of my pocket in the last two years for shane's ptherapy. we've had to sell our home, had to sell stuff around our house, had to move. >> what help is out there for people who have given up everything? >> that clip is so poignant. hardy goes on to say, what should i do, sell my medals next? >> right. >> he had 17 operations in three different countries, and he's a hero for this nation in fallujah. and he comes home and he can't get insurance coverage for his autistic child because it's not covered for men and women in the military. we're working hard with members of congress and we're getting support. we hope legislation will pass soon to get our military retirees covered. >> about aging out of the

system, let's play this clip. >> okay, okay, okay. >> you're her mom. >> i know the state of new york has put a moratorium on adult homes for children like her. so we're just managing from day to day. >> every year kids are turning 21, and they're aging out of the school setting, and the parents are expecting that their children are going to have an opportunity to live in a group home or live independently. but they might have to wait for a very, very long time before all the stars can line up and the planets can line up and the opportunities present for them. >> what are some of the obstacles parents are facing to find homes for their adult children with autism? >> there's not enough home. there's 500,000 people who are aging out of the school support system in the next ten years. they turn 22, they lose school support. there's a waiting list of 300,000 for a group home. we need a national plan from the government to help make autism a national priority.

>> one of the things when you watch the documentary and people, i think as you said, when they think of autism, they think of little children. what this documentary does is show that it is life-long. michael rosen with autism speaks, thank you for being here. thanks to you at home for watching. melissa harris-perry will be back here next saturday at 10:00 a.m. eastern. alex? >> jonathan, thank you for that. i'm live in california where today the clippers will soon be taking the court in their nba play-off game. but will the team's owner, donald sterling, be there in attendance, investigating racist comments reportedly said by sterling. nbc news has not verified it. the story has certainly set off a firestorm. all in, msnbc's chris hayes joins me for an all-new office politics. his take on the rancher cliven bupdy, and what the government should do. why hasn't chris broke open the

bottle of scotch by the window right there? >> the list is so long. i regret calling on you. because now i'm going to be telling everybody my business. no, i'm just joking about that. >> well, you are going to hear his touching and candid answer straight ahead. don't go anywhere, i'll be right back. chool get extra stuff. they're the only cereals with box tops for education. you can raise money for your kids' school. look for this logo. only on big g cereals. you can make a difference. every cereal box counts. (mom) when our little girl was you canwe got a subaru.ce. it's where she said her first word. (little girl) no! saw her first day of school. (little girl) bye bye! made a best friend forever. the back seat of my subaru is where she grew up. what? (announcer) the 2015 subaru forester (girl) what? (announcer) built to be there for your family.

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and now, the fallout. racist comments allegedly made by the owner of an nba tame causing huge controversy, in the game and outside the game. >> i'm surprised anyone is surprised. >> we cannot have an nba owner discriminating against a league that -- we're a black league, ernie. >> big questions remain. is it the los angeles clippers' owner on that recording, and will the team boycott its play-off game today? a live report ahead. stormy skies, another string of potentially dangerous weather slicing through this nation's midsection.