it may harm them. don't take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain especially with bloody or black stools the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. other side effects include gas, stomach-area pain and swelling. bottom line, ask your doctor about linzess today. zimplt i'm joy reid reid, and this is the reid rosht. it's monday, and we have a lot to tell you about. a growing list of sponsors are dropping out and calling for action against l.a. clippers owner donald sterling after racist remarks allegedly were caught on tape. i'll talk to our own reverend al sharpton on the controversy.

sflirchlts plus, a federal appeals court hears arguments today over whether to shut down the one and only abortion clinic in the state of mississippi. we'll tell you how a surge of extremism in that state and others is threatening health care access for more than 21 million women nationwide. first, day two of a deadly tornado outbreak responsible for 18 deaths in three states, 14 of those in arkansas. >> it was going to be my first day. it's destroyed, and now i'm trying to find the guy i was supposed to be working for. evidently we're going to have to do some cleanup. >> this was my porch. it's still there, but otherwise it's gone. if we hadn't been in church, we would have been here. >> just trying to find some things that, you know, we've had all of our lives. i know people -- some people today are planning funerals. >> that's right. >> we're not having to do that.

we're so thankful. >> at a news conference today, the state's governor outlined what the plan of action is over the next few days. >> reason those are the focuses and trying to get communication back up with temporary cell phone towers and to get the electricity back on. just looking at the damage, this may be one of the strongest that we've seen. sunday's outbreak included one-half mile wide tornado with winds whipping at 150 miles per hour. yes, this is tornado alley, but the area hadn't seen a tornado with winds above 136 miles an hour in more than five months. that's the fourth longest streak on record. >> i could see it forming across the lake, and i was getting my wife, and she said i see it sucking that way. i was saying it sounds just like a train, baby. come on. as soon as we got downstairs in the basement, i mean, it just started going crazy. you know, we were praying and

just thanking the lord to get us through it. >> for many who have been here before, the thought of rebuilding homes, schools, and for some entire lives that have all been just wiped out in just a few short hours is about finding the strength and the resources. arkansas governor mike bebe says he has received phone calls from both president obama and department of homeland security secretary jay johnson while traveling overseas in asia. president obama reassured storm victims back home that the federal government is already in action. >> i comment commend the heroic efforts of first responders and neighbors who rushed to help. i want everyone affected by this tragedy to know that fema and the federal government is on the ground and will help our fellow americans in need working with state and local officials. >> it's not over. folks in the north and mississippi valley, more storms

are expected later this afternoon and into this evening. jay fwra is on the ground in mayflower, arkansas. from the air a path of debris can be seen tore miles stretching across several states. a twister went through downtown oklahoma. survivors say it hit with little warning. >> he come in, and he didn't say nothing. he just went like this. i said tornado. just about that time everything was hitting. >> that's the deadly storms moved into arkansas shredding buildings and homes and killing more than a dozen there. >> there have been ten confirmed fatalities so far. that's two children and eight adults. >> there's concern. more victims could be buried in the rubble. >> we've got people and dogs going through the rubble and trying to find whoever we can and whatever we can. volunteers and rescue teams

worked overnight in many of the hard hit areas. >> we want to be here to help. >> we'll be finding this stuff for days and days and days. >> reporter: phil tawny says early alerts likely saved his family. >> luckily we had enough warning we could get down in our hidey hole and sit down there and it went right over top of us. came out, and total destruction. >> reporter: a home destroyed like so many across the strike zone, but a family grateful to be alive. >> reporter: live now back in mayflower, arkansas. believe it or not, this is the front door of what used to be an rv and auto center. can you see the debris piled up here, and imagine being inside. there were three employees at the time the storms moved in. they rushed out of this building and into this area here. we'll take you inside. this is what likely saved their lives. three employees ran down into the basement here. they took along with them a kitten. all three and the cat survived.

can you see the 2x4 that pushed through the sheet rock there. take a look at the debris field. there's very little left of this building. when you looked out here, there used to be 60 or so huge rv's. they're either in a pile with other debris or completely wiped away here, swroi. there are other vehicles here that weren't here before the storm, and so to survive this now they've got to go through this rubble, do what they can to try and figure out if there's anything they can salvage, and you may hear the hum of a chopper behind me. it's actually just over our heads. we're going to try to give you a look here. that's continued to scan this area. that's a military chopper. there are people hanging out of the side. what they're doing is they're looking for anyone who may be pinned in this debris. any survivors or, unfortunately, any more victim. we know here in falkner county, at least ten people confirmed dead, and there is concern, joy, that number is going to go up. are you seeing that response

already being deployed? >> yeah. absolutely. >> what we're seeing a lot of are neighboring communities. people coming out to help and volunteering. that's what you see after storms of this magnitude. everyone understanding they live in this region of the country where tornadoes can do devastation like this, and so when they're not hit, they pitch in because they know they could be the ones asking for help next. it's been nice to see the communities working together. a lot of the people who live in this area still in shock trying to get their head around something they may never get it around. when we talk about beginning the process, we've already seen a backhoe in here and pulling away some of the debris. understand, that's just the very beginning here, joy. this is a process that's going to take not days or weeks or even months, but in areas like this, a year or even more. >> wow. really tragic, but thank you so much. we really appreciate the information. nbc's jay gray in mayflower,

arkansas. now an update on the crisis in ukraine. the white house today announced further sanctions against russia for not living up to an agreement 11 days ago to stabilize the region. the new sanctions targets seven russian officials, including two said to be close to russia's vladimir putin. they also target 13 companies and certain high-tech exports to russia with potential military applications. then an entire state could be left without a single abortion clinic if a court rules in favor of the anti-abortion activist. we'll tell you about the shocking movement that's sweeping the south. ortho crime files. reckless seeding. a backyard invasion. enter homeowner, and ortho weed b gon max. kills weeds without harming innocent lawns. guaranteed. ortho weed b gon max. get order. get ortho®.

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the news surrounding nba owner donald sterling and allegations of racist remarks is coming fast and furiously today. the nba has announced a news conference tomorrow on its investigation. meanwhile, businesses like virgin america and car max have announced they're ending their sponsorship of the l.a. clippers, and state farm says it's taking a pause. just a few minutes ago the l.a. chapter of the naacp, which is also embroiled in the controversy, said this. >> the los angeles naacp intention to honor mr. sterling for a lifetime body of work must be withdrawn and the donation that he has given to the los angeles naacp will be returned. >> now, all of this comes two days after a tape released by tmz, but which has not been authenticated by nbc news of a man they identify as sterling, making racist remarks about black people to his girlfriend, who it turns on the is also

black and mexican. >> people call you and tell you that i have black people on my instagram, and it bothers you? >> yeah, it bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. >> the black person in question? nba hall of famer magic johnson. he and other nba luminary from michael jordan to lebron james have condemned the remarks. another former nba player, current sacramento mayor kevin yon son had this to say to the "today" show about what should happen next. >> whatever the maximum that's allowable is what we want the commissioner to impose. if that allows him to force a sale of an owner, if it allows him to determine whether the fitness of this person is intact and something in question, if it doesn't allow the commissioner to take those acts, it is very clear that all of our players in the league want to explore the option. >> on saturday the clippers organization will release a statement about the tape and the

allegations, and it reads, in part, we do not fn it's legitimate or if it has been altered. mr. sterling is emphatic that what is reflect odd that recording is not consistent with nor does it reflect his views, beliefs, or feelings. in 2009, sterling, who made billions largely in real estate, settled a housing discrimination suit without admission of guilt with the department of justice. at issue? allegations he discriminated against hispanic and african-american renters. one year later, the former gm of the clippers, hall of famer elgin baylor filed a wrongful termination suit against the organization. a jury found in favor of sterling. baylor referred to sterling's plantation mentality in his suit. owe also quoted sterling saying i would like to have a white southern coach coaching poor black players."

the controversy surrounding the comments is so huge even the white house is weighing in. today education secretary arnie duncan, who played basketball at harvard, said if the allegations true, sterling has no place in the nba. half a world away, president obama commented on the controversy during a muse conference in malaiysimalaysia. >> 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. i have confidence that the nba commissioner, adam silver, a good man, will address this. >> the reverend al sharpton is the president of the national action network and he is also, of course, the host of politics nation right here on msnbc. rev, i appreciate you being here, first of all. it's hard to know where to start. i think i will start with the naacp out in california. they responded people shocked that they were going to honor mr. sterling in the first place. take a listen, please.

>> given mr. sterling's track record as a landlord, particularly among african-americans, given the elgin baylor lawsuit, why was the naacp honoring him? >> the fist thing is that when the naacp found out about the lawsuits, the naacp called mr. sterling up and said if there is any of the allegations in that lawsuit that is true, you need to pay those people. you need to make amends. that case was settled. >> it's astound, rev. is this just a case of poor due diligence on the part of that chapter? >> i really don't know. i know that this event where they were giving him at the end of may the lifetime achievement award, they were giving me and the new mayor of l.a., mayor garcetti, the man of the year award, together. i had said that i would not come if they didn't withdraw this award, and they had. yesterday the interim national

president announced that, and the national office has nothing to do with the chapter's decision as be national action network, i don't decide what chapters do. i really don't know what happened in the past whether it was due diligence or not. i do know when you have a multimillion-dollar settlement, when you have someone with the kind of reputation and admiration that elgin baylor has, made these statements, it would give me significant reason to pause. we've been involved since saturday, as you know, joy, and i spent most of the day dealing with advertisers, because i -- this is not my first rodeo. we dealt with this with other issues, and i know that as advertising dollars are withdrawn, you have the attention have everybody involved. i salute the carmax has pulled

out now. we have state farm, which is a major advertiser who is going on pause. virgin america. steve stout, a very young, brilliant, and committed to his committee marketer has gotten a lot of his clients to understand you cannot subsidyize bigots, and we're at that stage, and then we intend to be at the game tomorrow night outside with a demonstration. right now it's in the stage of saying who will subsidyize this team with advertising dollars if he doesn't step aside? i'm glad the list is growing as we are going through the day, and we are working the phones on that as well as others are. >> i mean, rev, they are also subsidyized by the other teams. the clippers up until recently were a team that did not have a winning record. they were subsidyized through revenue sharing. is it incumbent on other teams within the nba, the more valuable teams, in terms of finance. the clippers are worth $575 million with $128 million in

revenue. ticket price average $63. there are teams that are much more highly valued. should other teams start to get involved, or should the nba itself be the target of an advertising -- >> we certainly think the nba is going to have to be targeted. we understand they're going to make a statement tomorrow, and certainly the nba must make it clear that they are not excusing or validating this kind of behavior. anything short of that would be unacceptable because at this point no one has said, no one, that this is not him on that tape. to say, as you quoted, this doesn't reflect his feelings, is it his voice? i'm not talking about how he feels. if he said it, he should be removed. the nba ought to say that we would disband and have another team there.

magic johnson said they would put up money to put up a new team or buy that team, but you cannot have the nba say it's permissible to act like this. i was involved in the fight against marge shot and other in broadcasting. i know what you have been doing if you want to do, it and i also know what to do if you don't want to do it. we started with the pocket, and we're going to continue moving forward. >> the rev will have more on this story at 6:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. now to the middle east where in syria president bashir al assad says he will run for a third seven-year term in june. hmm. i wonder how he will do. watcher, you can eat this, this and this. whip up this. munch on that. and dine out on this. that's 7 days a week. no tracking. no counting.

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coming up on "reid between the lines" more on the controversy over clippers owner donald sterling and how today's

nba players could learn from greats like bill russell and elgin baylor. first, it's time for we the tweeple and the stories you can't stop buzzing about on social media. today you're talking about the sad news that rob bass will no longer be rocking the mike with the help of easy rock. dmplt j. easy rock passed away on sunday. he and rob base rose to fame by creating upbeat songs like this one, which pretty much everyone i have ever met has suggested as my theme song. ♪ joy, come on, come on, and pain ♪ ♪ pump it up, pump it up ♪ sunshine and rain ♪ joy, yeah, yeah, and pain ♪ pump it up, pump it up ♪ sunshine, what up, and rain >> you the that makes you happy. this dynamic duo is best known for this iconic track. ♪ it takes two to make a thing go right ♪ ♪ it takes two to make it out of sight ♪ ♪ hit it

♪ i want to rock right now ♪ i'm rob bass and i came to get down ♪ ♪ i'm not internationally known, but i'm known to rock the microphone ♪ ♪ i get stupid, i mean outrageous ♪ ♪ for me it's contagious >> my intern is up there dancing. twitter first learned of the death by biz marquee, and are you remembering him across social media today. i too want to rock right now. meanwhile, you are also talking celebrity couples on social media, for better or for worse. music great paul simon, age 72, is trending after he and his wife, 1980s edi singer were arrested after an incident at their connecticut home on saturday. both were charged with disorderly conduct after what police called a family dispute. gorgeous george has popped the question to british human rights attorney amal am muddin. confirmation has been received in a form of a letter of

congratulations where she worked on high profile cases, including representing julian assange of wiki-leaks. you are applauding him for putting a ring on it after being a confirmed bachelor fear yoorz. another celebrity couple is jay-once or jay and bay. music's biggest power couple just announced that tickets for their power tour together, which is called on the run, are going up for sale tomorrow. this poster for the tour posted on beyonce's facebook account has been liked almost 150,000 times. definitely a hot ticket. something else that's really hot is this viral video of spinning instructor keith thompson. thompson's atlanta-based cycling classes are a local sensation, and some of his youtube videos feature his dynamic dance style have over 100,000 views. this clip has caught fire on facebook with over 1,500 comments and 30,000 shares. thompson really hypes up his already energetic crowd doing

everything from twerking to the runningman. he even had us dancing in the newsroom, but we can't show you that because that would be embarrassing. join the conversation with fellow receipteders on twitser, facebook, instagram, and msnbc.com, and keep telling us what's important to you. now this news. south africa's general election is next week, and for the first time the born free generation is gearing up to cast their first vote. ♪ ameriprise asked people a simple question: can you keep your lifestyle in retirement?

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mississippi could soon become ground zero in the fight by some on the far right to eliminate abortion within their states. not reduce it. eliminate the optional together for women. this morning federal judges at the fifth u.s. circuit court of appeals in new orleans heard arguments about a 2012 law that could soon shut down the state's one and only abortion clinic. the law requires that abortions carried out in mississippi must be performed by a board certified ob-gyn and that those doctors must have admitting privileges at local hospitals. it's a common tactic of abortion opponents to reduce the number of providers. the law went into effect in july of 2012, but jackson's women's health clinic, the only place to get an abortion in the state, was allowed to stay open while it tried to comply with the new law. one problem with that. doctors at jackson's women's health clinic applied for admitting privileges at 13 regional hospitals, but have been denied every time. that's exactly the goal of mississippi politicians.

before governor phil bryant signed the new restrictions into law, he said he would "work to make mississippi abortion-free." the problem here goes far beyond mississippi. this same circuit court upheld a similar law in texas where come september the war on women's health care will have forced all but a handful of these women's health clinics to shut down. joining me now from new orleans, msnbc.com national correspondent erin carmone. is there any hope for activists in mississippi that this appeals court will rule in favor of that one remaining clinic? >> hi, joy. yes, actually, they were surprisingly optimistic today when they left the fifth circuit court of appeals. basically there were three judges on the panel. two of whom were appointed by republicans. one of whom was appoint bid president obama. one of the republican appointed judges right from the beginning interrupted the lawyer for the state of mississippi, and he said don't you have a steep hill

to climb here because this is the last clinic in the state? the question is is it an undue burden to impose the law that will have the affect of shutting down the last clinic in the state? is it a constitutional right if you have to leave the state? it sounded like, again, this is just oral argument. we will have to see how they rule, but it sounded like they were at least persuaded that this would be a huge burden on the women of mississippi. >> you talk about having to leave the state. i mean, you -- your reporting is that lack of access to this kind of health care is leading women to actually go to mexico? >> that's right. a similar law is in effect in texas where they started out with having slilts better access, but it's an enormous state, and when they pass this law that required admitting privileges, which i would add the american medical association and the american college of ob stit rigses and gynecologists have said is medically unnecessary. after that law was passed, all but 24 of the clinics had to

close, and two of the clinics in the rio goned valley, which is right on the border with mexico and is already a very under served area when it comes to health access had to close as well. what's happening to women who are on the border who are already in a really precarious situation is that there's a black market in pill form to reduce abortion. when the governor says he wants to make mississippi "abortion-free" that only means legal abortion. you know, as we saw before roe v. wade, women who are desperate to end their pregnancies, will often take matters into their own hands, and that's why attorneys for the clinic have argued that this regulation in mississippi would actually make women less safe, not more safe like the state claims. >> when you look at just the range of states that are passing these laws and the dramatic affects that this year having. alabama, which went from five available clinics to two. louisiana, five to two. mississippi, which will go from one to zero if this case is not won. oklahoma, down to one from three in texas. all the way down from 24 to six. we're talking in a sense about

an entire sort of region where the only form of pregnancy termination is illegal or is drug-induced or is highly dangerous forms of pregnancy termination. >> right. joy, just to clarify, those numbers and what would happen if the laws fully go into effect. in louisiana it has yet to be passed. in oklahoma as well, although they're both expected to be passed, it's already in effect in texas, and in alabama it's been temporarily enjoined by a court. the cumulative impact is as exactly as you say. they can say -- mississippi can say that they want women to -- that women can always go out of state, but they're running out of options. we all know which women this will have an impact on. the women who are least able to travel. in mississippi it's disproportionately women of color that would be affected. this is always a service that's been available to wealthy and privileged women, and for the women who don't have the resources, you know, they are denying this constitutional right. >> thanks for that clarification. what is really striking to me, aaron, and i wonder if it

strikes you the same way, is that a lot of the states that are pushing to reduce or even eliminate the number of clinics in their state for bem women to do safe pregnancy termination, and as you said, it affects poor women, are also denying the medicaid expansion, are also very resistant to health care for poor women. who -- have you spoken to people about the specific question about who they think is going to pay for these additional births? who is going to pay the doctors' bills? who is going to actually pay for just the process of making someone give birth if these women don't have health insurance? >> you know, joy, it's enormously cruel. i just came back from texas where in addition to shutting down one-third of the state's clinics they have also drastically cut access to contraception. if texas expanded medicaid, about a million mere people would have access to health insurance, and many more people would have access to insurance coverage that would cover birth control and help reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus, the number of botherings. if you think about it, women in

these states are being deprived from basically every direction, whether it's access to basic health care or the basic constitutional right to end their pregnancies if they choose to. >> i mean, this -- it feels like engineering poverty, right? these states already have disproportionate numbers of poor people. they're cutting off access both to the means of preventing pregnancy and the means of terminating an unwanted pregnancy, particularly in cases of rape and incest. i wondered really if these lawmakers are grappling with the potential, you know, just from the conservative point of view, the budgetary implications of manufacturing more poverty in their states. >> well, i think, you know, it ends up generating a permanent underclass. particularly in texas where a big proportion of the women who were affected by this are undocumented. some of them may be covered by medicaid. their children may be covered by medicaid. they may be covered while they're pregnant, but after that they're living in conditions of severe poverty and deprivation, and that's obviously harming the overall society. not just in cost, but in terms of distribution of resources and

justice. access to opportunity. i mean, we're creating a whole class of people here who have a different set of constitutional rights for mothers. >> not to mention this idea of women having to leave their own country, and there are -- we're not all talking just about people who are making these choices. we're also talking about in cases of life of the mother, right? in theory if this one clinic were to close and you had cases of somebody who actually is in jeopardy of their life or somebody who was a rape or incest victim, is that written at all into the public policy? how do the public hospitals deal with those situations? >> well, in most of the states there are policies in place that say that public hospitals cannot provide abortions. for example, in oklahoma even in case of fetal abnormality or the health of the mother, they cannot perform abortions in state hospitals. generally what would happen is either that pregnancy would have to be carried to term at great risk, both emotional and physical, or they would have to go out of state, likely to new mexico or colorado, which is certainly not an option that's available to all women. >> and are activists planning

for the contingency that they actually lose this case, and if they lose, what do activists plan to do? what is their plan of action? it seems certain that since wisconsin's appeals court, the seventh circuit, ruled it's unconstitutional and eventually, you know, the fifth circuit may rehear it, it looks like basically the supreme court is going to have to weigh in on this. in the meantime, you know, activists all across the south are preparing for this by raising money, trying to help women access the services that they're entitled to. texas has several abortion funds that are helping women make the trip, and i have just met some of the folks from louisiana that are preparing for a similar outcome. if they're admitting privileges law passes right here in new orleans where i'm sitting will not have the safe and legal abortion clinic. >> this is incredible. msnbc.com national reporter. thanks so much erin carmone for bringing thus story. >> thank you, joy. all right.

next where should president obama build his presidential library? with just two years left in his second term, the lobbying effort is kicking into high gear. i'll introduce you to two chicago legends who are making their case from breaking ground in the windy city. that's next.

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>> the question of where to build barack obama's presidential library is already heating up. with two years left in his term. the barack obama foundation, a nonprofit that will create the library in museum has set up a june 16th deadline for interested parties to pitch their proposals. hawaii has a claim on the president. it's where he was born. new york city, where the future president earned an underfwrad wat degree from columbia university has a pitch. some of the people who know the president best in chicago where he made his political name and fortune say that is where his presidential library belongs. illinois politicians are already

battling over funding for the library. for now the question is if chicago is to be the place, then where in chicago? the university of illinois at chicago is exploring several sites on its web side campus, and so is the university of chicago where obama taught and where the hyde park community that fueled his political rise is centered. or should t be on the far south side at chicago state university where i visited on friday? it's close to where a young barack obama started as a community organizer in the shadow of the steel mills that began closing in the 198 0z and where the president -- where the residents of nearby alt guild gardens got to know the funny kid from out of town. >> he made the case for why you

think that a presidential library for boem boem should be here at chicago state? >> this will represent his legacy. this is where his public career started. out in this community when he came to chicago to become a community organizer. it used to be chicago teachers college. now in building in back of us called the robinson center, george coburn who built the famous railroad cars, this was part of the location where all of that was. the legacy, the history, there's a good reason why it should be located here. >> because he really was made himself in chicago. he was born in hawaii, but it's where he is from and where he

made his name and also where initial is from. >> we need anything that will bring more positive things to chicago, and i think that would really be great. >> a lot of people would say that even though barack obama was born in hawaii, he was sort of born politically in chicago. >> he was born politically right here in chicago. senator jones, you were his mentor. no. he was a very smart young man when we were first met.

>> i don't have anything against university of chicago or university of illinois. you talk about his legacy, and you think about the far south of chicago where he started his career. i first met him about 1985, i believe it was. he wanted to help the displaced workers that hes why he pass the health care legislation because it all started right here in this community. >> for one thing, the south side of chicago needs all the kinds of positive industries and anything that will bring revenues to the south side. we are beset with a lot of issues, and something that powerful, that worldwide attraction could definitely be strong for us. >> now, you know, chris, what do you say to people who say, listen, the south side of chicago has a lot of violence problems, crime problems. it's not the right place to put a presidential library. what do you say to those people? >> that's everywhere. that's everywhere.

that should not be used as a negative. this will help curtail the violence. >> is chicago now coming into its own? it's sort of recognized for african-americans as really a hub. what harlem is to the arts, sort of chicago is to politics. you have the legendary figures in black politics. >> it's no question about it. chicago will take their politics very, very seriously. feel free to give me any tough asciencements, and i'll do my best to carry it out. that's what he did with me in the illinois senate. >> illinois democrats plan to discuss funding for the library later this week. president obama will make the final decision on where to build it. next, reading between the lines. how athletes could learn from those who came before them to

take a stand against clippers owner donald sterling. when i started weight watchers i wasn't sure what to expect at the meetings. but i really love going. i do! it reminds me we don't have to do this alone. it's so much better to have some backup and to do it together because we all face similar challenges. the meetings keep me focused and motivated. and i have a newfound determination that i'm really proud of. [ female announcer ] jump-start your summer and start losing weight right away. join for free. hurry. and if you join by may 3rd, get a month free. try meetings, do it online, or both. weight watchers. because it works.

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in 1959 two years after president eisenhower dispatched several troops toless rock, arkansas, to enforce school integration, los angeles lakers star elgin baylor refused to suit up for a game in charleston, west virginia. he declined to register baylor and two black players to stay at that hotel. according to the interview, baylor didn't make a fuss and didn't go to the newspapers. he just refused to play.

a teammate from college went back to implore baylor. we need you for the team. please. this won't accomplish anything anyway. baylor listened. only at the end did he speak. rod, he said, i'm a human being. i'm not an animal put in a cage and let out for the show. for the first time hunley, the white kid from charleston, the great pride that lives in elgin baylor. baby, he said, don't play, and he didn't. the lakers lost the game 95-91. two years later bill russell, one of the other major nba superstars who had repeatedly sufrtd the same abuse along with other black players, took the same stand. he and other black members of the boston celtics refused to play in an exhibition game in lexington, kentucky, because they were denied restaurant service. we're no longer accustomed to athletes taking strong political and social stands. there are fewer mohammed ali's willing to go to prison rather than vietnam or tommy smiths and

john carloss willing to risk their metals to protest segregation. ure athletes today are better paid and good for them. they're more tied to corporate interests and they're just less political. those calling on the players to refuse to play until donald sterling is gone are not just calling on the players to take a financial risk or throw away a playoff berth that's been years, really decades of hard work in the making. they're being asked to take a stand for themselves too. make no mistake, the clippers players are in a terrible position, but they're also in a powerful position. the most powerful position of all. without them there is no game. without them donald sterling has nothing. that's the lesson elgin baylor and bill russell taught the nba and the fans who valued them on the court, but not as human beings. it's a pretty good lesson.

that wraps things up for the reid report. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern when we'll bring you live coverage of nba commissioner adam silver's press conference on the donald sterling investigation. be sure to visit us on-line at the reid report.msnbc.com, but coming up next, it is my pals at the cycle. hey, what's going on? >> hey, joy. how are you? we're going to talk a lot about donald sterling today. perhaps probably all this week. what would a boycott have done for the amount of power they have in the situation? i'm going to explore that as. as a group we're going to explore what the owners could or perhaps will do coming up. we're going to branch out to other things. we're going to talk about the racial wealth gap in america and talk about the construction of southern whiteness and the southern infrrt complex that attends that whiteness. i know you have bumped up against that living in florida. >> i can't wait to hear that.

i can't wait to hear it. the cycle comes up next. why relocating manufacturingpany to upstate new york? i tell people it's for the climate. the conditions in new york state are great for business. new york is ranked #2 in the nation for new private sector job creation. and now it's even better because they've introduced startup new york - dozens of tax-free zones where businesses pay no taxes for ten years. you'll get a warm welcome in the new new york. see if your business qualifies at startupny.com

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>> there's no easing. the cycle breaking right now. tornado season arrives late, but it's got a punch. new storms are firing up this hour. we're talking high winds, hail, and more twisters in a system that has already killed at least 16 people. president obama is getting ready to wrap up his asia trip, and he is going out with a bang. tough new sanction on russia wra. what's putin got to say about that? you don't have to be a sports fan like krystal ball to have a feeling about this story? the owner of the l.a. clippers could get bounced because of racist comments. when big news breaks, there's only one place to be, people. the cycle.

>> to go after mr. putin personally. our goal is to change his calculus with respect to how the current aekzs that he is engaging in in ukraine could have an adverse xwashgt on the russian economy over the long haul and to encourage him to actually walk the walk and not just talk the talk when it comes to diplomatically resolving the crisis in ukraine. >> cycling now. time to walk the walk when it comes to the crisis in ukraine. good afternoon. we a lot to get to today. president obama also addressed those terrible storms over the weekend that claimed several lives. we continue to focus on that tragic trail as we start a new week. more on that ahead. we want tough new sections against -- to get russia to sta stand down when it comes to ukraine, and the president insists this may not be all. >> we are keeping in research