tv Ronan Farrow Daily MSNBC May 1, 2014 10:00am-11:01am PDT
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conservative operatives require elite white house e-mail putting benghazi back in the headlines. another state about acquiring lethal injection drugs. and who will acquire the clipper and will they put it on their credit card to get so many miles. >> flooding is still an issue. >> rainfall let's roads so saturated they simply gave way. >> donald sterling has been banned from all clippers activities, the focus shifts to what happens to the ownership of that team. there is no shortage of high profile names expressing interest, oprah winfrey, oscar dela hhoya. >> we end up finding out that the white house was directing susan rice and it was a video and it was a video. >> the formal president bush
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suggested the administration put business concerns over the poor. >> what was bill clinton doing getting in bed with wall street and lowering capital gains tax. getting 6 million poor children health insurance coverage. rob ford -- >> lewd comments about female rival in the race for mayor. >> the comments are gross. >> the other allegation is summed up in these images they allege it shows ron ford smoking crack. >> ron ford is not toronto. . >> first up, developing news as a massive storm system wreaks havoc from the south all the way to new england. we start in florida where a deadly explosion may have an unexpected link to days of flooding. that explosion rocked the jail in pensacola where two inmates are confirmed dead at this point. three are unaccounted for and another 150 are hurt. it's believed a gas leak ignited in the explosion, a leak that
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may have originated in a flooded laundry room. family members demanded answers. >> how do you think family members are feeling -- and i see more than two body bags come out of there. >> florida has seen historic rain with more than 2 feet of water over 26 hours. it's not just the south struggling with the weather. up the east coast in maryland, rain washed the earth right out from under baltimore road. a lot of it collapses taking a dozen cars with it. people felt the earth move. >> the whole room shook. couple of things fell in my room and when i came out, all of the cars was down. the cars just kept falling. >> this is the same weather that brought that deadly set of tornadoes to the south just days ago and it is not done yet. nbc's kristen welker is in baltimore. kristen, there's homes across the street and we've seen them
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there in the live shots you're doing. are the people around this area safe? >> reporter: here's what we know. fire officials capped the gas lines in the area so there's no potential of a gas leak. the residents here are still evacuated and not being allowed back into their homes. we don't anticipate that the city will allow them to go back home until they feel as though there's absolutely no threats. here's what happened, last night this area got about 7 inches of rain causing that partial road collapse. it is believed. and what happened is a retaining wall, about 120 years old, ronan, it gave way, which allowed a dozen cars to fall 75 feet to the train tracks below. one of the things that is so disturbing about this, i've been talking to a number of residents today earn we also spoke to folks last night who have had a lot of concerns about this retaining wall that it didn't look sturdy and showed signs of
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cracking. >> we reported this a couple of times over the past several years and was told it was structurally sound and patched it up and let it at that. we've been expecting it. >> reporter: now, we have reached out to city officials to try to get their reaction to these complaints from residents. so far we haven't heard back. the one piece of really good news here, ronan, as stunning as this video is, there were no injuries. so far fire officials have removed three cars from those train tracks and they continue to clean up debris and no timeline for when this is going to be finished. >> kristen welker, thank you so much for that. >> this hour a closed door meeting in oklahoma on the botched execution of clayton lockette. on the agenda, an investigation and possible litigation. he was injected with a new drug combination used for the very
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first time and died 43 minutes later of a massive heart attack. a full probe has been ordered. >> i believe the death penalty is an appropriate response and punishment to those who commit heinous crimes against their fellow men and women. however, i also believe the state needs to be certain of its protocols and procedures for executions and that they work. >> this is the american civil liberties union of ohio just asked the state to suspend executions in the wake of that botched lethal injection. strong words from senator kasich's spokesperson, the governor supports the death penalty and takes his responsibility of implementing it very seriously. a convicted killer was given a lethal injection of a two-drug cocktail and he gasped for air and took 25 minutes to die.
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joining me now to look at all of this is tonya green of the american civil liberties union. we've been following with great interest your response to this. i want to talk about this case in oklahoma. his lawyer just appeared on air minutes ago. here's what they had to say on this subject. take a listen. >> before any execution can go forward in oklahoma, we have to have full transparency on the process. we need a truly independent investigation into what went wrong on tuesday night, not an investigation conducted by the governor's own people. >> my question is, with fallon demanding 14 days for this investigation, is that enough? >> it can't possibly be enough. the -- and first of all, the investigation should be truly independent. it shouldn't be the department of public safety and shouldn't be the department of corrections but independent pamgologists and experts who know the pharmaceuticals and know what needs to happen and what should be happening and are clear on
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how to assess that. you have to put that team together and you have to investigate what happened in this execution and you have to investigate what happened in michael wilson's execution earlier this year with a different protocol. oklahoma at this point has a number of different protocols and drugs they are using and you never know what's next. >> one of the legal issues, they won't disclose where the drugs came from. is there a basis for denial of information for families? >> the u.s. constitution eight amendment guarantees right to be free of cruel and unusual punishment. even in oklahoma you can look beyond oklahoma and in just oklahoma you had a number of botched executions. the right to be free of cruel and unusual punishment includes information that would help assess whether or not the punishment is going to be tore torturous. but so far it hasn't authorized
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torture, death by torture, which is what's happening. >> one of big questions. take a look at what they had to say on this. >> the crimes are indisputably heinous and horrific. but it's also the case that we have a fundamental standard in this country that even when the death penalty is justified it must be carried out humanely and everyone would recognize that this case fell short of that standard. >> is kasich going to take political heat for this in light of the fact this has become a controversy up to that national federal level? >> he shouldn't take political heat for this -- and other governors kasich is the governor of ohio. the governor of oklahoma should also put a halt on all executions until things are resolved and all states engaging in execution should halt their executions because right now we don't have any protocols in they states that we understand from
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the information that we have and we do have secrecy laws we're dealing with in a number of states executing citizens and executing prisoners. we don't have a clear sense of what's going on in most states. and all states should halt executions to be able to determine -- >> you mentioned there are these twin prominent controversies and we know you're not directly involved in the ohio case for your organization but they are taking a big stand in that state. do you expect this to grow beyond the two states? >> absolutely. it should. there are states poised to execute still, missouri, florida, texas, and in some of those states we know what drugs they are using, some of them we don't and some of them we know what are the compounds and some we don't. this is chaos and not what lethal injection has been authorized to be. >> thank you so much. we'll see how that commanexpand. up next, got a spare billion dollars? get in mind and buy yourself an
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nba team. oprah, puff daddy and floyd mayweather jr. in the bidding war for the clippers up ahead. (meow mix jingle) right on cue. (laughs) it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with wholesome ingredients and irresistible taste, no wonder it's the only one cats ask for by name. my guests are "nathan, which dish is better?". now i say you can have it all with our new seafood trios! red lobster's new seafood trios is three times delicious! choose one option from the wood-fire grill, one signature shrimp dish, and a pasta like new lobster mac and cheese. three choices all on one plate. just $15.99. for a limited time only! you can build it any way that you like,
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we're back, tonight on court, the l.a. clippers try to advance in the playoffs. first off the court, efforts begin to kick their owner out of the nba. they'll hold a conference call to start that process. it will take a 3/4 super majority. the outcome isn't totally clear. >> the question is, will the pressure from the other owners from the sponsors and players, will that be sufficient too essentially force him to sell the team? >> so far sterling isn't talking
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about everybody else is talking about who buys the team if he forks it over. among a-listers, basketball great magic johnson and oprah. you get a team and you get a team and you get a team. everybody gets a team. for a look at the value of the cl clippers brand, i'm joined by marvet britto, in addition to oprah and magic, there are rumors about p. diddy and floyd mayweather, it is estimated it can sell for 700 million to a billion dollars. do you think they are a damaged brand? >> absolutely not. the controversy will give them a lot of buzz and fuel the interest. at this point nba alooking for partners that can be assets and not liabilities which is what donald sterling has been the entire time he owned the clippers. they have loomed largely in the shadow of the l.a. lakers. they were show time and had pat riley and magic johnson, a long
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list of legacy historic players and the clippers haven't had that. i think they'll emerge from this setback in a really swift way by having a owner that can step up and emerge and bring a sense of sizzle and players and fans. i do think the nba will move swiftly and bring in an owner that can really set this team back on course and make them a contender. >> i love to give props to sterling for anything right now but it is true when he acquired this team to right now, the team has gotten a lot stronger. maybe this is an idea moment to turn a new page. let's talk about the -- oprah winfrey estimated $2.9 billion, would this be a smart acquisition for her with so much of her focus on harpo and own brand right now? >> i think it would be smart for the nba. what she does also is speak to women. she speaks specifically to a
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group of consumers that advertisers love. i think it would be very smart. we cannot deny oprah's business savory in build being brands. >> she is the best at that. >> absolutely. >> what about magic johnson? he tweeted, to nba fans, i want to put a stop to the rumor, i am not trying to buy the clippers. they already have an owner, they may not soon. >> i don't see magic johnson buying the clippers for one reason. he has such an attachment to the lakers. he played with that team and very close to the owner and the bus family. i doubt seriously with him owning the dodgers that he's going to jump into the pool of contenders. >> what should the first order of bids be strategically? >> strategically they have to come in and reinstill confidence of inclusion, making sure that league and the team specifically speaks to everyone and is very,
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you know, united i think in that sense. the narrative moving forward has to be one of exclusion, and has to be one where the nba restores the sense of family and not the devicive spirit that has been able to exist around sterling's ownership of the clippers. >> with everyone watching this team closely, it seems like an incredible platform for somebody. stunning new details from the first report from the malaysian government about flight 370. we break it down for you next. r] this is jim. a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto.
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and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto is not for patients with artificial heart valves. jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto. once-a-day xarelto means no regular blood monitoring -- no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. so i figured hey, i get it, kids get stains. but we have these three beautiful little girls, and they make us look like amateurs. so i'm living in a world of tiny sweaters and dolphins and weird greasy mystery stains. i'm gonna get you. but this new tide ultra stain release has a crazy amount of cleaning power and a pre-treat zap! cap that helps me get out pretty much any stain. can i help? aww. just kidding.
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head home. the airline is closing family assistance centers by may 7th saying we have to face the hard reality that there's still no trace of the aircraft and the fate of the missing passengers and crew remains unknown until this day. tom costello is live abowith th latest. >> it gives us a timeline about the events. we knew the time line but it makes a couple of things crystal clear. let's show you the timeline. to begin with at 12:41 a.m., flight 370 departed cue allkualr and 1:19 handed over to controllers. 1:37 a.m. controllers specifically starting with vietnamese began asking where is the missing plane, we're looking for it never checkeded in with us. not until 5:30 in the morning,
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four hours after they realize there's a problem did they activate the search and rescue center and call and begin a search effort here. i want you to know listen to the conversation between air traffic control and malaysian flight 370. it is very routine and that in and of itself is kind of interesting. here's that clip. >> malaysian 370 maintaining level 350. >> malaysian 370. >> malaysian 370 maintaining level 350. >> malaysian 370. >> malaysian 370 contact ho chi minh, good night. >> good night, malaysia. >> the pilot said i'm at 35,000 feet checking in and cue all ll lum pur, got you, thank. then handed you over to ho chi minh, air traffic control,
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contact them on the radio frequency, okay good night. very standard conversation. we've also now got the cargo manifest and this is also interesting it gives us a sense of what the plane was carrying and it's nothing that's unusual. kourier material, mail, that type of thing, fruit on board and then this consolidated cargo which included lid lithium ion tris. in this case on the manifest, cargo manifest, they make a very important point that it was all pack aaged according to standar and they note the flight risk but say they have taken the appropriate steps to ensure they are safe. where does that leave us? it leaves us right back here at square one where we're yet again looking for this plane. we know this flight went like this and came all the way down here at least that is what we led to believe. we still don't have any piece of
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debris, actually would have been more like this, still no debris whatsoever off the coast of australia and flight crews who have been searching the skies and also on pt sea have not found a single thing and the submersible submarine, that's redundant, hasn't found nothing. this is a mystery with nobody having an idea where the wreckage will be. >> do you think this will do anything to aswaj the families so critical for the malaysian government for the handling of the information? >> i doubt it. the malaysian airlines today suggested that those families go home. it's been nearly two months. there still isn't anything and australians are saying the search could take six to eight months as they continue to try to find the wreckage. families being told to go home to kuala lumpur or beijing. there is one more factor.
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the government of malaysia is saying this may be the time -- excuse me, to reconsider whether there should be realtime tracking of all aircraft in terms of satellite tracking, real time tracking at all times so that we don't have a situation again where a plane goes missing and nobody has any idea where it is. >> i know from our conversations with survivors, family members, there's a lot of hope that things will change for next time this occurs. thank you for that report. >> up ahead, a newly revealed e-mail is putting benghazi back in the headlines and being called a smoking gun that links the obama administration to a cover-up. how will this impact the political scene into the next cycle? our political panel takes a look. stay with us. okay, listen up! i'm re-workin' the menu.
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what i will say, diversion sub ter fuj, why aren't we talking about somebody else? >> why aren't we talking about something else? you heard house minority leader nancy pelosi addressing new attacks on the white house over the 2012 attack in ben gazly that left four americans dead. to u.n. ambassador susan rice, titled prep call with susan. before she went on five sunday talk shows and blamed an anti-islam video for the attack. one of the listed to underscore that these protests are rooted in an internet video and not in a broader failure of policy. in a house oversight committee republicans said the e-mail which was only released after a freedom of information act lawsuit is a smoking gun and
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should have been released with the rest of the benghazi material earlier. >> documents from judicial watches which were pursuant to our request more than a year and a half ago show a direct white house role outside of talking points prepared by the intelligence community. the white house produced a talking points that ambassador rice used not the intelligence. >> moments ago jay carney refuted that account yet again. >> you've seen the deputy director repeatedly testify including last week that he produced those -- the cia produced those talking points and made the decisions about what ultimately would go in those talking points. and that he felt no political influence from the white house or anywhere else about what should go in, the talking points that were such a focus of
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conversation, the talking points that were provided to members of congress of both parties and by this administration to our representative who was going out on the sunday shows to talk about benghazi and everything else that was happening in the muslim world at the time. >> and everything else that was happening in the muslim world at the time may be at the heart of this matter. the white house maintains the e-mail in question was about how to address the multitude of other middle east protests that were happening. joining me now, is democratic strategy bob shrum and former cheney adviser, robert traynum. thank you for coming back on the show, our favorite bobs. robert traynum, how significant are these e-mails and do you think the right will be able to sustain the claim that there is political massaging about benghazi and the language is
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specifically talking about a range of protests happening? >> i think it is significant. if it wasn't, why didn't the white house release this e-mail back in may with 100 other e-mails they released. when you look at the e-mails on the request back in may, heavily redacted and it was also clear about the e-mails is that they are really trying to then focus ambassador rice on the internet video and not necessarily the policy. remember the context. this was seven weeks before the election. this was during the time where mitt romney was just about even in the polls just after the republican convention and the white house i assume was very concerned that the american people if in fact they knew the whole entire picture here, not necessarily the truth because we don't know what the truth is, the whole picture here they could cast disparaging thoughts. i do think these are important to answer your second question, ronan. i don't know how far this is going to go but the american people, not just republicans and
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democrats but the american people deserve the right to have all of the information at the same exact time and it's questionable as to why the white house did not do that back in may. >> to your first point they are surrendering information about benghazi and they were saying this was specifically about the other protests which were sparked by the innocence of the muslims video. does it seem it was inappropriate for the administration not to release this with the prior batch of e-mails? >> i'm sure in hindsight they wish they would have but this is no smoking gun. this is a very standard kind of set of talking points that people prepare on the sunday shows. there's one other point missed here all the time, not only is this about the whole wave of protests breaking out about the internet video across the arab world. even if you were trying or believe mistakingly as it turned
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out that's what what sparked what happened in benghazi, that's not inconsistent with saying it was an act of terror, which is what the president said in the rose garden as we famously found out in his second debate with mitt romney. >> do you think this is something talking point as conservative candidates go into this election cycle? how large will this loom on the campaign trail? >> it will be talked about all the time in republican primaries, it's an obsession with a republican base and people have to cater to it. i don't think it has any impact on hillary clinton and the general election. she will run and be the nominee. there's no evidence whatsoever either that she was involved in a cover-up or alternatively that she made any of the relevant decisions about security in benghazi. that's not what the secretary of state does. >> i will say when you get down to the substance underlying the particular furor, she went time and time again requesting
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security. congressmen on both sides of the aisle made serious cuts and there was the question of what money you have can be put where. with this being a secret facility, a facility that wasn't listed as a formal embassy, a lot of resources that could have been in place weren't there. >> can i address something quickly? i do agree with bob 1,000% but not just benghazi. they are going to have the american voter connect the dots and larger issue that the white house has a credibility issue not just on benghazi but also in reference to o many balance ma care. they say one thing in the white house but reality says something different. it's going to be a larger messaging issue about credibility or the lack there of. >> the strenuous links to oba obamacare in this conversation -- take your point but it was a pivot. >> it's a stretch. >> there are other issues that will loom large.
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hillary clinton's candidacy, one of the news beats on that bill clinton had fun defending his economic policies. take a listen. >> i don't know how many times i have read from the left bitter criticism about what a slug i was to sign the balanced budget act of '96. what was bill clinton doing getting in bed with wall street and lowering the capital gains tax? he was getting 6 million poor children health insurance coverage. >> clinton's defense of that track record comes on the heels of players like elizabeth warren being populist and criticizing some of the clinton's track record. what do you think, bob shrum? can bill clinton turn around the perception he was too in bed with big business and wall street? >> sure. look, he maeld maeld a very vigorous case. if go back and look at quest on the '92 presidential campaign, there are memos published in the back of the book talking about
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the top 1% and the need to create fairness in society. clinton in '96 tempered his rhetoric but the results are indeniable. rose 20% than it did for the bottom 20%, passed children's health insurance. 7 million people were taken out of poverty with the earned income tax credit increase compared to 77,000 with ron add reagan. elizabeth warren is for hillary clinton, there is across the democratic party a consensus that she's going to be the nominee and i don't think you're going to see a ralph nader effect. if he tried he has no credibility at all, that would strip votes away from her. >> robert trayhnam, do you think the fact bill clinton is playing defense and live down the perception he was so pro big business signals a shift in what americans want from economic policy?
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>> no question about it he's playing to the current political winds. let's not revisit history but we need to and that is the 1990s were very good to all americans out there for two reasons. number one because bill clinton was in the white house from an economic standpoint and republicans were in the house and senate in 1994 and enforced this president more to the center on economic policy. a lot of people forget this, the 1992 tax increases that george h.w. bush signed into law also helped as well. it was a combination of all three things that actually worked. the 1990s from an economic standpoint were very, very good and bill clinton should be proud of that. >> trying to harken back to happy memories. here. we'll see how that plays out in the coming days and months. thank you for that analysis. the underreported story you wanted to know more about, gerrymandering and how it's impacting what your lawmakers are not getting done for you. that's right next. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, like me,
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we're back and it's time for this week's underreported story. today congress is the least productive we've ever seen in american history. why is that? well, one reason may be something you don't quite expect, gerrymandering. many elected officials feel no need to compromise whatsoever because they live in districts rigged to be filled with constituents interested in reelecting them. new census numbers come out every ten years and that is when the redistricting map drawing process can be intentionally used to benefit a particular political party. here's a example of a jagged and misshapen district, look at maryland's crazy shaped third district and north carolina stretched out 12th district. that folks is gerrymandering. former california congressman taucher was in office when an
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interesting solution was introduced to combat this problem and she's pushing for it to go national. she joins me right now in california. thank you so much -- i'm sorry in washington. your state is california. there and few other states there's this interesting solution of an independent commission to draw the district lines rather than governors doing it and having the chance of it being politically motivated. why do you think that's so important? >> thank you for bringing this up. wherever i go, citizens walk up to me and say, why isn't congress effective? i say nonpartisan redistricting and look at me like i have lost my mind. so it's very important to have the story out there. as you said in the zero year the census is done and then commissions or state legislators do redistricting. in california of 2008 we passed prop 11 which said our state legislature would be done by nonpartisan commission of 14 citizens that volunteered and couldn't use incumbency or party
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registration to draw the lines. then in 2012 -- i'm sorry, 2010, we passed it for the congressional districts and that's why california has a real revolution of drawing lines in ways by these 14 nonpartisan commissioners that cause people to have to run for their seats and be held accountable. that's the bottom line. >> are democrats and republicans equal opportunity offenders here? >> absolutely. but in our case in california, where we have a big democratic majority, we realize one of the reasons we have voter apathy and people coming out is because they thought these were rigged by insiders. having 14 citizens that volunteered. there was a pool of 20,000 people and they have very strict rules on how they are meant to do lines and they are not supposed to use incumbency or party registration to do it but they are meant to keep communities together and make it a sensible way to be represented bid one person. >> why don't you think more candidates speak out about this? >> i think it's difficult while
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in office. i'm relieved of the responsibility. i'm out of congress now and left to become undersecretary of state and worked with you. now i look around and say part of the reason that congress isn't effective is because if you win the primary in many districts then you're set. you don't have to run for general election because the other people didn't have enough people to defeat you. you cannot be held accountable and seat is not -- >> this is such a valuable testimonial for you. we want to keep coming back to this issue, something that affects basic democratic rights we have. thank you very much. gerrymandering was the last underreported story you wanted to know more about. topics you brought up most this week, resegregation in girls and age theism on the rise. on today's "rfd", the debate
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over black women's hair, part of the focus for this week's call to action up ahead. >> i know it's getting late but it's not often we have so many people who have written about us and broadcast about us, all together in one room like this and i thought you might like to say a few nice words to them. >> how about just a word or two, something friendly, even one kind word? >> i'm thinking, i'm thinking. >> brought to you by bmw, we only make one thing, the ultimate driving machine. ups is a global company, but most of our employees
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live in the same communities that we serve. people here know that our operations have an impact locally. we're using more natural gas vehicles than ever before. the trucks are reliable, that's good for business. but they also reduce emissions, and that's good for everyone. it makes me feel very good about the future of our company. ♪
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. ♪ ♪ it's time to redefine who we be ♪ ♪ you can rock a straight like -- >> singing about her hair, as they respond to a firestorm of criticism about new army grooming standards. can we keep this song going the whole time? they describe unauthorized female hair styles, corn rows and dread locks as unkempt or matted.
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in this letter to defense secretary chuck hagel their collective voice seems to have been heard. they are directed to review the. for most people with black hair naturally grows up and out, think of the shape of an afro, not down. then for a doets of perspective that all hair grows the same way. the current policy is the equivalent of a black majority military telling its thousands of white soldiers that they are required to have dreadlocks or afros. i'm down. next week all week me, dreadlocks, please. joining us for more perspective an internet sensation after uploading videos documenting her own hair journey. thank you so much taran for being here. >> i'm excited to be here. i guess my hair's up, huh? >> first of all, let's talk about these army regulations. do you thing that comes from a place of prejudice or just
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ignorance? >> i would definitely say ignorance. our hair is just very misunderstood. and i guess because it's not the normal standard of beauty, it's just -- i guess they feel it's okay to just say, oh, not that way, this way. because this is better. and i guess they feel like the women may not have an issue with it, but clearly it is an issue. >> look, they have stringent guidelines for practical reasons. you have to be in the field. low maintenance situations. these hairstyles allow weaves, wigs while banning cornrows and dreadlocks. what about in general? you talk about that place of ignorance. explain for white people at home who aren't acquainted with this issue, why is black hair such a central part of our cultural debate on this? why is it even a divisive issue? >> it goes way back. so many layers, the standard of
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beauty. we've been taught that it's all about straight hair, long hair, the european way. when you're trying to evolve from that after it's been embedded in you for years, it's hard to move forward with that, especially if it still exists. now we're forming communities. a huge natural hair community with our presence in just showing that it's okay to be this way. and if you feel uncomfortable or if you make other people feel uncomfortable with it, that's okay, too, because they'll get over it. >> it seems like we've progressed. lupita nyong'o was named "people's" most beautiful person. she said beauty was what i saw on television, you know, light skin and long flowing straight hair. but she's defied that. she has natural hair, a glamour icon. have things changed for the better in the last few years? >> definitely changed for the
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better. non-black people be more intrigued more so than kind of looking down. but i also notice that i live in new york city, so you can walk around with a tutu and a green sock and no one would care. but if you're like in mississippi, it's different. it's different but it's changing. >> even with that change there's still a lot of prominent female celebrities who are black who wear wigs, who straighten their hair. do you think those individuals are shirking an obligation to be a role model on this? >> i personally and based on my observations of being in the community, we would definitely like to see a lot more celebrities kind of represent the versatility at least, not necessarily change their style but show that i can do this, too, and it's beautiful and i'm still doing what i'm doing and i'm successful. >> this is an issue that we see cropping up in schools a lot with school codes and kids getting kicked out of school. how does that affect the psyche of black americans growing up? >> it totally sets them back.
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once it starts from childhood, it's forever in you. so i've even had my own experiences with that. it definitely starts in the home. and the parents telling them that it's okay to be different. because it's all about being different. that's the issue. so when you stick out like a sore thumb in your classroom and people are making fun of you, you have to have a strong foundation and support system at home as well as the online community. >> i think online has changed everything. i grew up with black siblings including a black sister, and we were just talking about before we bumped in on the break. you cannot grow up with a black woman in your family and not deal with black hair issues all the time and the different phases of i don't want those big braids, now i want to relax it. all the hair's falling out and relaxer didn't work. a big part of existence because like everyone else you're growing up and you want to look cool and a lot of maintenance. you don't have that support system around the world. your initiative in online communities have helped a lot. >> there's a lot of old school way of thinking when it comes to
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the black family, i'm going to put that blue magic grease in your hair. so we're still getting over that and we're creating our own way and actually showing the older generation that this is fine. so it's actually breaking away from old ways of thinking with the black community as well as the nonblack community. it's a lot to deal with. >> oh, my poor white lady mom trying to make sense of all of it and doing those braids. >> i had a white swedish grandmother trying to deal with my hair, too. >> whatever went into your upbringing, it turned out great. our call to action this week focuses on the definition of beauty. we're asking you to answer a simple question, what makes you beautiful? record it and send it to us. get the message to us using the #beauty. we'll share more of your responses on tomorrow's show. that wraps i thinks up for
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today's "ronan farrow daily." you can catch my show 1:00 p.m. here on msnbc. time for someone who has flawless hair. >> woke up like this. no, i didn't. it's really the ladies that do my hair and makeup. >> have a good show. >> appreciate it. great discussion. the hair thing is so important. next on the reid report. what a day. mayhem in florida, massive flooding, an explosion in prison and missing inmates. no call to end the death penalty after that botched execution in oklahoma and how social media is being used to help to find hundreds of abducted nigerian school girls. the reid report starts minutes from now. [male announcer] ortho crime files. disturbing the pantry. a house, under siege. say helto home defense max.
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for what we have planned for you today. our top story, an explosion and missing prison inmates after recording flooding in florida and the atlantic coastal areas. we'll have the latest on the record rainfall in the northeast and the south as well as whether it's to blame for last night's explosion at a florida county jail. after that, more fallout from tuesday's botched execution in oklahoma. we'll examine the drug cocktail and the red state politics behind what many feel is the cruel and unusual end for one death row inmate. later money, politics and florida. whether it's 2014 or 2016 jeb versus hillary or scott versus chris, the big bad expensive fight, the kind that can only happen in the sunshine state. we start in the mid-atlantic and southern regions of the country which are expecting more of the heavy rains and flooding that have set daily records or near to it in several u.s. cities including d.c. and philadelphia. one of the worst hit, the region around pensacola, florida,
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