girls. >> deadly violence in nigeria. >> the government of nigeria has been, in my view, somewhat derelict in its responsibility toward protecting boys and girls. >> this is not the time for national chauvinism, or face-saving. we need to save our girls. we need to save our girls. >> congresswoman karen beck just met with the nigerian embassy. we'll talk to her about the meeting and what the u.s. can do to help. plus -- >> this is a good quality health care system. not perfect. >> the secretary of veterans affairs vows he's not stepping down, after republicans and the american legion called for his ouster. following reports after up to 40 veterans died waiting for care at a va hospital. i'll talk to patrick murphy, former congressman and a rothmore vet about the broken

veterans health care system. making draft day history. will any team make a bid on michael sam, the first openly gay football player? the nigerian government said it's doing everything it can to find the missing girls being kidnapped by boko haram. there's still no word of any progress in the search. meanwhile, offers of international help are increasing. the u.s., britain, china, now france have stepped up to offer assistance. nigerian president goodluck jonathan who has been heavily criticized for taking action only after the international uproar began, thanked leaders at the world economic forum in nigeria's capital today. >> i believe that the kidnapping of these girls will be the end of terror in nigeria. >> here in the u.s., days of protests fueled by nigerian activists bring back our girls movement show no signs of letting up. first lady michelle obama tweeted her support saying, our

prayers are with the missing nigerian girls and their families. in washington today, the muslim community there joined in the global condemnation of boko haram, the allies of al qaeda who vilify western education in the name of islam. >> boko haram is a dangerous cult. it knows no faith. >> their actions defy all faith, reason and humanity. >> to take children and deprive them of an education. it's madness masquerading as religion. for the love of god, it must stop. >> meanwhile, parents of the missing girls are desperately trag to hold on to hope. the kidnapping took place on april 14th. a reverend who spoke to one of the victim's fathers explained why the waiting and not knowing is to unbearable. >> it is better that you know

when your child is dead. but when you know your child is in the hands of someone you know can kill or rape -- >> i'm joined live from capitol hill now by congresswoman beck. how was the meeting with the ambassador? >> the purpose of the meeting war to talk to the embassy to get the latest information about what was going on. unfortunately, we weren't able to meet with the ambassador. the ambassador was in nigeria. but we did call him and essentially he gave us his assurance that the nigerians were doing everything they possibly could, and now i am somewhat comforted that at least the international community has stepped in. and you know, joy, the boko haram has been a problem for many, many years, and if anything comes out of this, i really do hope it's as president jonathan said, that this marks the beginning of the end of boko haram.

>> you know, congresswoman, you said you're mildly optimistic. does it ring true to you that the nigerian government is doing all it can? it toes seem they were very slow off the mark and that they only responded when the international revulsion over these kidnappings really kicked in. >> well, i think what added to them being slow is that there was misinformation in the beginning. you might remember that when the girls were first kidnapped, they reported that they had rescued all the girls. in addition to them moving slow, there was the misinformation that was put out. i do think that boko haram has been a horrific problem in the country for a very long time. but shining the attention of the world raises it to the level where they had to act very aggressively. you might remember that two weeks before the girls were kidnapped, there was a bombing that took place in the capital of nigeria. the same day, or the day after, there was another bombing in the capital. so they've been dealing with

boko ratherharam for a long tim. they have to do absolutely everything in their power to eliminate them. >> nbc news has learned that the additional nine or ten military members will be part of the coordination cell, are expected to arrive next week. secretary kerry mentioned the u.s. effort today. take a listen, please. >> sure. >> our interagency team is hitting the ground in nigeria now. and they are going to be working in concert with president goodluck jonathan's government to do everything we possibly can to return these girls to their families and their communities. we are also going to do everything possible to counter the menace of the boko haram. >> congresswoman, in your mind, what is the stomach of your fellow members of congress, to do robust action on the part of the u.s., potentially even using some members of the u.s. military, to find these girls, and to actually get on the ground and help in the physical

search? >> well, i think first of all, what i have found from democrats, republicans, senators and house members, there's a universal outrage at what has happened, and calling for the u.s. to do all it can. for example, one of the ways that the u.s. can contribute significantly, and i know that this is not just beginning, but our ability to provide surveillance information. because you know that one of the biggest concerns is that the girls are being moved to different countries. you may know that when they moved military troops, nigerian troops to look for the girls, they moved them away from the village, and then boko haram went and killed 100 people in that village just yesterday. so they absolutely have an issue of not having the capacity to address this problem, and they need the support from the rest of the world. i do not think, however, that that means that we need to deploy u.s. troops. i know that the military, our military has already been engaged in an advisory way, and

i think that's appropriate, and for that to continue. >> i want to engage you on this question of capacity. first i want to allow you to listen to some statements by president barack obama and his comments about what's going on right now in nigeria. take a listen. >> sure. >> the murders and kidnappings in nigeria, the sectarian conflict, the tribal conflicts, to see that we have not yet extinguished man's darkest impuls impulses. >> congresswoman, talking about that, the sort of widespread sectarian problem, the endemic problem that preceded this abduction, you said nigeria doesn't have the capacity. what about the african union? where is the capacity on the continent to deal with these problems without the u.s. having to actually send in military aid? >> you know, you're absolutely right. one of the tragedies is that there's multiple crises occurring right now, democratic re pup -- republic, so the au is

engaged in those battles. in mali they had to call on the french for support because africa did not have the ability to deploy troops that quickly. capacity is really an issue. but you know what, ultimately we have to get at the root causes for cults like boko haram to gain traction. so i'm happy i've read recently that africa's largest -- well, most wealthiest person, a billionaire, has agreed to invest in the northern part of nigeria, because if you look at the root causes, a lot of times it's people who are unemployed, who have no hope, no future, that are seduced by psychopaths like the head of boko haram. so the investment by the uk to provide schools for northern niger nigeria, this is a problem of poverty that has to be

addressed. so while we're addressing the immediate problem, we also need to address the root causes that led to the ability for a cult to recruit people in the way that they have. >> well said. thank you so much for your insights. >> thanks for having me on. update now on ukraine. separatists plan to go full steam ahead with a referendum vote on sunday, ignoring putin's calls for delay. it would create two breakaway provinces in the east, giving pro-russian ukrainians independence from kiev. and opening the door to the provinces joining the russian federation. in addition to distancing russia from that vote, putin announced a pullback of russian troops from the ukrainian border. nato says they see no evidence of a drawdown to which the russian foreign ministry responded that the nato chief is blind. up next, the american legion, and several republicans are calling for the head of veterans affairs to step down. over a mounting scandal at the

va. we'll hear from secretary sin seccy in his own words. how republicans are making benghazi and the irs a big part of their campaign plan. could it be that the economy and health care are no longer the slam dunk issues the gop hoped for. (mother vo) when i was pregnant... i got more advice than i knew what to do with. what i needed was information i could trust on how to take care of me and my baby. luckily, unitedhealthcare has a simple program that helps moms stay on track with their doctors and get the right care and guidance-before and after the baby is born. simple is good right now. (anncr vo) innovations that work for you. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. for $175 dollars a month? so our business can be on at&t's network yup. all five of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share.

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numerous times for the documents and now time is up. >> the last few weeks have been a model of va stonewalling, which precipitated the need for this subpoena. therefore, the time for request for this matter is over. all in favor of the motion will say aye. all those opposed, no. the motion carries. this meeting is adjourned. >> several whistleblowers claim in order to show improved performance, hospital administrators ordered thousands of requests of veterans seeking care transferred to a list not to be reported. the american legion called for shinseki's resignation. several republican members of congress joined in. yesterday secretary shinseki sat down exclusively with nbc news' chief correspondent to discuss the controversy. >> are you willing, as secretary of veterans affairs, to accept full responsibility?

>> i am. i have, and that's the reason the ig is doing the investigation. >> they want you to resign or be fired. will you resign? >> i would say i deserve at the pleasure of the president. >> but as shinseki waits on the findings of that internal report, new allegations of falsified records are emerging from va hospitals in austin, san antonio and fort collins, colorado. there's no question if proven, these allegations are reprehensible. allegations of mismanagement inside the va are hardly new. today house speaker john boehner said as much during his weekly news conference. >> i'm not ready to join the chorus of people for calling him to step down. there's a systemic management issue throughout the va that needs to be addressed. and i don't believe that changing someone at the top is going to actually get to the solutions that many of us are

looking for. >> so then why are so many of mr. boehner's colleagues calling for the head of the va secretary now? patrick murphy was the first veteran of the iraq war to serve in congress. he's now a msnbc contributor. patrick, i start with that question. you just heard that john boehner is actually kind of waiting to see what happens, and is not immediately calling for shinseki's resz ig nation, but so many of his colleagues on the other side of the aisle are. what do you suppose that's happening now? >> well, because these allegations, joy, are so outrageous. to have over 1,400 veterans on this phantom secret waiting list to get care, care they've earned, is potentially criminal negligence. because allegedly there's 40 veterans that have died because of it. it's not often, joy, i agree with speaker boehner. but in this case, i do. shinseki made it clear when he found out about these allegations, he immediately ordered the ig to investigate.

and he's now called just about 30 minutes ago, called for a face-to-face audit in every va hospital across the country. that's the least we can do. we have to get over on top of this to make sure these veterans are getting taken care of and not being abused like has been alleged. >> to your point, he placed two of the va's top hospital officials on leave. shinseki has agreed to appear before the senate veterans affairs next week. on the politics of it, it seems like boehner has calibrated it right. you want this fix. this is absolutely outrageous, as you said. but if this is diverted into a political fight over whether shinseki should stay or go, does that detract from his ability to get his house in order? and is that really where the focus should be? >> shinseki served in vietnam and got shot at, i think he can focus on the mission.

i think that speaker boehner is being thoughtful. he's actually taking a step back and saying, listen, look at the body of work that general shinseki has done as secretary of the va. he has decreased the backlog on benefits almost 50%. he's cut homelessness about 24%. and he's gotten about 2 million more veterans to go into the va health care system. but let's get to the bottom of these allegations in phoenix and fort collins, colorado, and now in austin, texas. that is unacceptable. general shinseki acted to make sure the head of his vha, it's called, he put him -- suspended him, and the director of the phoenix facility. so i echo those things. i'll tell you, as far as the american legion, the american legion, i joined the military 20 years ago. i've been a life member of the american legion. there are 2.4 million members of the american legion. they called for his resignation. i respect their decision to do that. i disagree with it, but i will tell you the american legion,

they are trying to put the veterans first. they're a serious concern. i agree with speaker boehner in that i think it's premature to call for the resignation of general shinseki. >> patrick, i think the bigger picture here, and you would well know about it, is just the sort of lack of regard, i guess you could say, nationally that has been shown for the real responsibility of caring for the veterans who went and fought, particularly in iraq. a war that was controversial. but what is not controversial is that americans want to see our veterans taken care of. and this dates back, this isn't something new, right? this is a problem in the va that has gone back, i would argue maybe a decade. why do you suppose it's taken so long to get to the point where people are actually displaying outrage about it, or trying to do something about it? >> because, joy, you know. the military went to war. it wasn't america didn't go to war. america put it on the credit card. we were borrowing from china to pay for iraq and afghanistan.

we sent less than 1% of america to serve in iraq and afghanistan. afghanistan is the longest war in american history. less than 1% have borne the incredible sacrifice. they've earned certain benefits. to see them now treated in these va clinics and hospitals, it's absolutely outrageous. in a lot of these cases, if they're true, it is criminally negligent. i will tell you, when you take a step back, as you mentioned, president obama, who was raised by a world war ii veteran, his grandfather raised him, has put veterans -- and so has congress, by the way -- has put our veterans as a priority. that budget for the va budget has increased 68% these last six years that president obama has been in. $90 billion a year, to $155 billion. now, again, i know it's not sexy numbers. but if you want to look at what someone's priorities are, look at their budgets.

we need to make sure the execution of that care for veterans is not substandard, which has been alleged. and evidence looks like it may have been in these certain instances. >> patrick murphy, iraq war veteran, i think you and me and john boehner and much of the country are of one accord today. >> joy, who would have thought you and i would agree with speaker boehner. but we do in this case. >> thank you, sir. appreciate you being here. coming up, i'm going to air some dirty laundry. a 90-year-old tradition at davidson college is about to end. and probably not a minute too soon. in pursuit of all things awesome, amazing, and that's epic, bro, we've forgotten just how good good is. good is setting a personal best before going for a world record. good is swinging to get on base before swinging for a home run. [ crowd cheering ] good is choosing not to overshoot the moon, but to land right on it and do some experiments.

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show before it aired. the about christian brothers were slated for a house renovating show on the home improvement network. but their views put a stop to the series. hgtv sent this in response to the revelation. and now many of you are debating the meaning of free speech. the #boycott hdtv said the brothers are being denied self-expression as krichristian. it doesn't mean you get to be completely free from all consequences of your actions. that is actually correct. the brothers have sind denied they're homophobic. now from tv to the newsstand. johnson publishing announced jet magazine will end its print version. no, the black salon experience will never be the same. but we'll always remember jet as the ever-present scrapbook

featuring major mild stones of african-american life. always at your fingertip from community rooms to churches. this is the latest development from rogers formerly of the obama administration. you'll be in good company online, my people. jet will continue to publish in digital form. a long standing custom is ending at davidson college. in the 1800s, early academics there also worked the fields. but today, the school announced that this service will end next year. some of you are not too happy about it. kids, take heart in the fact that by losing this freebie, you'll help save your school $400,000 a year. money better spent on your education. don't worry about the costs being passed on to you. the free laundry room will still be available. you just have to buy your own

detergent. we can't wait to see what you get into next. keep telling us what's important to you. and now, this news. draft day for the nfl. michael sam is poised to become the first openly gay player to be selected. first, here's what you need to know about today's draft by the numbers. passenger: road trip buddy. let's put some music on. woman: welcome to learning spanish in the car. passenger: you've got to be kidding me. driver: this is good. woman: vamanos. driver & passenger: vamanos. woman: gracias. driver & passenger: gracias. passenger: trece horas en el carro sin parar y no traes musica.

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controversy over benghazi. while house democrats tried to figure out whether to participate in the committee or boycott it, the most fitting re sponsz might be this tweet today from president obama's 2008 campaign manager. aca working? benghazi? running a surplus? benghazi. unemployment down to 6.2%? benghazi. nfl draft? benghazi. of course, it's not just benghazi that republicans want the electorate to focus on. as the house gop reminded us, with contempt against former irs official lois lerner, they're on the full gamut of the session. boehner brought up the fast and furious yesterday. now, if the point of going to the well time and time again on this greatest hits list of conspiracy theories is to rally the base ahead of the midterms, the republicans might want to look at a new poll, that not

only is the support for the tea party at the lowest level, below 50%, the pollsters go on to say the tea party will have less potential to affect elections this year than was the case in the last midterm election in 2010. the "washington post," luke from capitol hill hill for nbc news. luke, i want to start with you. one of the issues coming up regarding the benghazi situation is the fund-raising. house republicans are said they'll make sure no one will get away from the select committee. this is going to be a national effort for a national investigation. will you automatically add your name today to join us and become a benghazi watchdog? help fight liberals by donating today. you asked speaker boehner about this today, whether the fund-raising is unseemly. take a listen. >> four americans died in b

bengha benghazi. should the nrcc fund raise it? >> these families lost their loved ones. >> the fund-raising outfit right now, is that a -- >> our focus is getting the truth for these four families and for the american people. >> luke, when you talk to republicans, specifically on capitol hill, do you get the sense that there's discomfort with the fund raising as expected of it, and the sense that they're seeing that it's detracting from what they believe is the seriousness of their inquiry? >> if you talk to aides privately, they say they are uncomfortable with it, because tre gowdy, he said on msnbc yesterday, it gives the opposition ammunition, and in fact doing this for political reasons to rally the base, to try to move people to the polls come november. all that being said, it was surprising today, allowing the press corps that it asks the

question a few times after i asked it, and the idea behind it is that this is so valuable to them, ahead of the midterms, they're willing to take the, shall we say outrage, happening in a lot of editorial pages, a lot of media attention about moving forward on this. this goes back, joy, to something we talked about before, there is no real legislative agenda for the house gop between now and november. immigration reform has proved too difficult. unemployment insurance, extension of that has proved too difficult. there's not real bipartisan jobs bills. because of those reasons, where can they go to fire up the base, benghazi and lois lerner. >> to that point, you know, if you sort of roll back the tape about six months ago, the thinking was that health care was going to be that thing, that galvanizing, energizing issue that will take republicans all the way through november. is this a sign that this has essentially been washed away from republicans are now going

to the well on irs and benghazi, and to luke's point, hammering on that regardless of how bad it looks, getting the lists together, and fund-raising and this is what they run on? >> i don't think it will be a single issue campaign. i think they'll have sort of a smorgasbord of issues resonating with the base. you mentioned irs, the contempt citation against benghazi, as well as obamacare. state to state, if you're running in these states and you're a republican, you will likely see clips from these hearings. trey gowdy with the wonderful southern accent, leading that committee hearing. i think they'll have a number of things to pick on there. but i also think there has to be concern among republicans about whether or not this does have that political taint to it, and will that turn off independent voters. obviously, everyone says it's going to be about getting the base out. if it does matter around the

edges with those independent voters, there's some concern that they're beating a dead horse, at least in the eyes of independents, and that could turn independents off. >> luke, one of the ways that could happen, that it could just look fairly political, is if there are no democrats on that dias. chuck todd interviewed jim clyburn today in the leadership of the democratic party in the house. here's what he had to say about participating. >> speaker boehner can set this fund-raising effort down right now. and he should. >> there seems to be a split in the leadership whether democrats should participate in this or not. >> we should not. >> you want a full boycott? >> i do. >> that was, of course, a one-two punch, saying shut down the fund-raising followed by jim clyburn saying he doesn't want to participate. what do you think? >> it's a real tough call for democrats. i've spoken to a lot of members.

from my internal polling, it comes out to 50/50. the reason why is the guy you saw there originally, elijah cummings, what he's done, and he's regarded very highly in the house democratic caucus, is he's been able to check darrell issa over the last few years. a lot of democrats worry if they're not on the select committee, that they will not be able to check the gop arguments moving forward. if anyone were called to testify with a subpoena, someone as high as hillary clinton, or john kerry, they will not be able to try to help them out during that type of hearing. the other side as we mentioned, you give too much credibility to this if you join it. but they have a really interesting decision to make. the decision has not been made. they have to vote on this tonight, which will definitely go along the party line. they have a caucus meeting tomorrow to figure it out in the meantime. it's a huge, huge decision. and it's one of these things where you look at it from a political standpoint, do you give the ability to go unchecked against hillary clinton,

especially with her 2016 aspirations possibly? interesting thing to look at. >> the final word, if all of the sound bytes are just republicans, and there's not even a single democratic sound byte to play back, when you talk to the democratic campaign committees, are they telling you that they think it would help or it would hurt their reelection races to say this is totally partisan or to be able to say we try to stand in the gap and fight back? >> i think it's a delicate balance. luke has, i think, really articulated what they're weighing. i think another thing, they're also thinking about this idea if they don't participate. they have a risk of possibly looking dismissive of this whole idea, investigating benghazi. people on the hill do say they do need to get to the bottom of it and fix this going forward to make sure it doesn't happen again. i think there is a risk there, too. you have former obama officials say, for instance, you know,

this happened two years ago. they certainly don't want that sort of flip attitude to take hold and sort of -- in the independents' minds and voters' minds to capture how people think democrats feel about bengha benghazi. >> that's a good point. the whole reason the select committee, joy, is happening, because a lot of republicans felt the democrats were overly dismissive, especially at the white house. the whole release of the newer e-mails, while they weren't earth shattering, the fact that they were held back really angered the house gop leadership and led them to reverse themselves and actually calling for the select committee. something they tried to avoid to do as early as april. >> four investigations later, we are still not out of the benghazi woods. thank you very much to both of you. >> thank you. >> thanks, joy, be well. all right. now, alert on the oklahoma execution story. the state's attorneys general agreed to a six-month stay for charles warner, scheduled to die next week. warner's execution was reportedly put on a two-week

hold by the governor, after the botched execution of clayton lockette. the state is delaying warner's execution as it investigates what happened to lockette. lockette died of a heart attack, some 45 minutes after his vein collapsed during his lethal injection. we'll be right back. i am totally blind. i've been blind since birth. i lost my sight to eye disease. i lost my sight in afghanistan. and it doesn't hold me back. but my blindness can affect my sleep patterns. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. but i learned that my struggle was with non-24. non-24 is a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70% of people who are totally blind and can't perceive light. talk to your doctor about your symptoms, and learn about non-24 by calling 844-844-2424. that's 844-844-2424.

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well, i have been researching retirement strategies. well that's what type e*s do. welcome home. taking control of your retirement? e*trade gives you the tools and resources to get it right. are you type e*? a defining moment has arrived for american football. it centers around this question. is the nfl ready to welcome its first openly gay player. all eyes are on new york city where just under six hours from now, the clock will begin on the 2014 nfl draft. of the 102 hopefuls in this year's quest, south carolina defends clowney is projected to be the number one overall pick. texas a&m johnny manziel is also a top prospect. the most interesting question is whether michael sam will make history by becoming the first openly gay player drafted by an

nfl team. on the eve of the draft, espn says the recipient of the arthur ashe award. sam said, i look forward to when we can live life in a war in a world when gays don't have to come out in public. will his courageous choice to come out hurt sam's draft stock. here's what joe gruden told morning joe. >> i think he's going to go late. it has nothing to do with the story line. i think it has to do with his performance at the combine. he didn't run real well. he plays the outside linebacker position. and speed is the number one criteria people are looking for. >> john richie is a former nfl player. joining me by phone is wade davis, a former nfl player and executive director of you can play, an organization dedicated to ending homophobia in sports. john, i want to go to you first on the last point about this prospect of him going low, and it being based on his performance. of course, the nfl is under

pressure because some people will say if he goes low, they won't buy that explanation, they'll say this guy was not drafted, or not drafted high up simply because of his sexual orientation. how do you react to that? >> i think that's -- the nfl is absolutely about results, and about quantifiable results at the combine, in this process where collegiate athletes are working out for nfl teams. michael sam at the combine ran a 4:9:1 in the 40. clowney is taller and heavier than sam, ran a high 4:4 at the combine. they play the same position. michael sam performed poorly in the drills that many see as being extremely important. the vertical jump which shows explosiveness. he jumped under 30 inches. i think 26 inches or something at the combine. that is not good either.

teams care about production, and michael sam, all though he improved somewhat at his pro day at the university of missouri, did not produce at the nfl combine. that has hurt his stock. >> i want to really quickly ask you, wade, before i get into the advice you've given him, will the lgbt community take a nonpartisan, if that's a word for it, a look at sam at the draft? if he's not drafted, will there be an automatic sort of reaction from much of the lgbt community that it had something to do with his sexual orientation, or looked at this is the fairness result? that it doesn't matter that he was gay. >> i think the nfl is in a no-win situation almost, because if he doesn't get drafted, or even if he goes low, there are a lot of people in the lgbt community that don't understand sports from an ownership, a gm,

coaching perspective and don't understand scouting. so the perception already exists that the nfl is homophobic. clearly michael sam gets player of the year, doesn't go high, that idea of that the nfl is homophobic is only going to ring truer and louder. but i would just hope that people would realize that, you know, that there is a history there of heisman trophy winners who didn't get trathd. like charley ward who won a national championship who didn't get drafted. i would hope that people step back and do their homework and understand that it wouldn't benefit any coach or owner to not draft a player who could help their team win. there will be a coach, there will be an owner who will see michael sam and take him accordingly, not based on the fact that he's a gay man. >> can i say something? >> yeah, please do. >> i think the general public could have a right to be

outraged if michael sam is not drafted, and then not picked up as a rookie free agent. if those two combined -- if no team decides to take a chance on him, if he is not drafted, that, to me, shows that there is a sincere bias against him because he is gay. i think if he doesn't get drafted, there are going to be plenty of teams who want to give this guy a chance. because he has shown he's a good football player, regardless of the times, the quantifiables, he's shown that he has the desire and the work ethic to go out there and get after it. teams like that. >> real quick, wade. after the announcement, sam's announcement that he was gay, "sports illustrated" did actually talk to eight anonymous executives and coaches. this was their prediction. project a significant drop in sam's draft stock. despite all that you've said, before the announcement, you were working with the nfl to

help prepare them for having an openly guy player in uniform. what were the league's concerns? let's say he gets picked up after the draft. what were the league's concerns about him as a player in the locker room? >> to be honest, the league wasn't concerned at all. just because, you know, there are players now openly gay to their teammates. there are ex-players who have been openly gay who are no longer there. i would say, though, the league's biggest concern was the media put in microphones in front of players who were teammates of michael sam's who may not have the cultural competency to answer a question eloquently, right? and if the player is trying to say something supportive of playing with a gay player and that type of a comment is twisted and framed that the nfl isn't accepting of a gay player, but i think one of the things that we have to understand is i believe that athletes are uniquely positioned to be able to play with a gay player, just because you're in intimate

spaces with people who are different from you, whether it's race, class or religion. and these guys make it work, just because of the fact that they are in intimate spaces for long periods of time. but with ehave to be honest, there may be a player or two who is uncomfortable with playing with a michael sam, or a gay player. but they're in tight spaces for long periods of time over and over. but i think they can bridge those gaps. >> we'll definitely be watching. john and wade, thank you both. much appreciate it. we'll be right back. (music) defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. calcium citrate plus d. highly soluble, easily absorbed. how much money do you think you'll need when you retire?

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on november 24, 1947, the u.s. house voted 346-17 to hold hollywood writers, producers and trek tors in contempt.

they will become known as the hollywood ten. during congressional hearings, they were confrontational with members of the house unamerican activities committee. yelling back and forth with members and in some cases being removed from the hearings by federal marshals. the hearings were a public show trial, designed to convince the american public that the country, and even the truman administration, were infected with a red menace. these congressmen were fighting back. the hollywood ten and their lawyers argued that the first amendment protected their right not to tell congress what their political affiliations were. including whether they had ever been members of the american communist party. they appealed their contempt citations and lost. the courts ruled the first amendment did not protect them. the mccarthy era lasted from the late 1940s to late '50s, led by joe mccarthy, and his permanent investigating subcommittee of the government operations committee. along with senator pat mckaren, senate internal subcommittees,

under new jersey republican jay parnell thomas, a former investment banker, who believed the new deal had sabotaged the capitalist system. he's the guy who actually traveled to hollywood to try to ferret out communist influences in the motion picture business. it was taking the fifth in front of thomas' committee that landed the hollywood ten in jail for contempt. after that, future unfriendly witnesses to the various anti-communist committees began invoking the fifth amendment right against self-incrimination instead of the first amendment. a tactic that proved more successful. those who invoked it were denounced by mccarthy and others as fifth amendment communists. they lost friends, jobs, and were often black listed. in 1954, diane from buffalo, new york, appeared before joe mccarthy's senate committee, and invoked her fifth amendment privilege. she, too, was held in contempt. when mccarthy argued by speaking

up for herself at all she waived her fifth amendment rights, a federal court sided with diana hogue. her contempt citation was thrown out. eventually the mccarthy era collapsed, not because of opposition from members of congress, but because of the bravery and publicly televised righteous indignation of uncooperative witnesses. remember, in the end, sir, have you no decency? just an interesting history refresher, as one lois lerner ponders her future. that wraps things up for "the reid report." tomorrow we'll talk with a nigerian lawyer, who is credited with being the first to use the bring back our girls hash tag for the girls in nigeria. be sure to visit us online at msnbc. the cycle quoik comes up next. ♪

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straight ahead in the psychle, what is the end game?

establishing a select committee on benghazi. >> cycling now, putin's next moves. military drills doubling down to critics and throwing a bone to the opposition. >> #spin cycle, the crisis in nigeria. the world re spobds, critics call it too little, too late. others say you can't tweet your way to a solution. >> more of a problem than her husband. what mrs. sterling is saying about the clippers and what he's saying about his racist rant. from l.a. to clear across the country, more on why i'm here in atlanta. lots going on in "the cycle." it starts now. in just a few short hours, the republican led house is expected to create a select committee to investigate the 2012 benghazi terror attacks. four americans were killed, including u.s. ambassador chris stevens.