the first openly gay player drafted in a major american sport. the big question now, what happens next? will michael sam make the team? we explore that. >> i think clearly this is the issue that the democrats have been running away from. >> democrats haven't missed it. >> the strategy for 2014 on the sunday morning talkfest. an about will? it could be a landmark move. others say it's a disaster. reaction ahead. msnbc's ronan farrow talks about his irish roots and a famous family member connected to hollywood ofiesteryear.

hello, everyone, it's "hoon in the east, 9:00 out west. here's what's happening right now. 249th pick in the 2014 nfl draft, michael sam, defensive end. >> better late than never. in the seventh round with just seven picks left, michael sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted in the nfl. sam later spoke to knbc affiliate ksdk after getting the big news. >> i am overwhelmed. i'm excited. and i'm proud to be a ram. >> as the weekend went by, what were you feeling like as draft pick after draft pick went by and the picks were dwindling to a precious few? >> oh, i knew i would get picked

somewhere. every team that passed me, i was thinking how i'm going to sack their quarterback. >> joining me now, sports ed tor for the nation. good to see you, dave. >> good to see you, too, alex. >> were you as confident as he was? he said, i knew i was going to be picked, i'm thinking about sacking every qb. >> he is absolutely right to say that. that's exactly the right answer. that's what every coach wants to hear. that's what everyone wants to hear. that he is making names and making lists about who he's going to pay back for having fallen so far. but i was starting to get very concerned he wasn't going to get picked. i think that would have been very ugly for the nfl, given that michael sam before he came out was pegged to be roughly a fourth or fifth round draft pick, and to see all the teams go by, see all the names go by, see players get drafted who

actually had lower draft grades than michael sam, frankly, i was concerned. but it was a very happy ending to a very tense day. >> concern, or do you think it was wrong? do you think he should have been picked higher? i'm looking at all the pros out there, and veterans that have put out tweets saying, you should go for, get this guy. do you agree? >> yeah. honestly, it's a complicated question that has to do with the fact that michael sam performed at a very high level in college. he was the southeastern conference defensive player of the year. he also had a terrible nfl combine that was very highly publicized. that's when he's timed on his weightlifting, sprints, all the rest of it. a lot of scouts and a lot of teams were using that as validation, justification, or you could perhaps argue cover for not bringing in the, quote unquote, distraction that was michael sam. the tragedy of the narrative, it's inherently a homophobic narrative. is that michael sam's problem or the team's problem? that's why it would have been so

ugly if he hadn't been picked at all. i'm glad he was picked. frankly, i'm both glad that jeff fisher, the coach and the guy who runs the rams had the courage to draft him. i'm also saddened this is still something that takes courage to do. >> let's look at what he has ahead of him. training camp in july. what's that look like for him? >> it's going to be very inte e intense. the good news is he's going to a team that has a loaded defense, great players like robert quinn, chris long. they've already sent welcoming tweets, messages to michael sam, so they are going to be inviting him in the training camp. they have a very creative defensive scheme that can take advantage of the fact that he can play in situational spots, a little slow to be a linebacker, a little too small to be a defensive end. which is why he wasn't the first-round draft pick. but it's a good situation for michael sam. he went to missouri, so st. louis is kind of like his home

away from home. >> he'll get a lot of support that way. what are his chances of actually making the team, do you think? >> i think his chances are good to make the team. there will be a lot of scrutiny. that's going to bring with it its own burdens. when you consider the fast that michael sam has been playing in front of crowds of 70,000, 80,000 people in the toughest conference in college football, i don't think he's going to be fazed at all by the spotlight. i think it will be michael sam's abilities versus the other people trying to make this roster. i think it's a very, very good chance of making this team. >> i'm curious, how many seventh-round players do usually make the cut? >> it's interesting, because lately, the scouting has gotten so advanced in the nfl, that more than they used to, and the fact that the draft is now less than it used to, like for a long time the last pick in the draft is still mr. irrelevant. if you were the last pick in which was a very long draft, there was little chance you would make the team. now it's routine for mr.

irrelevant to make the franchise. they become pro bowlers, like colston for the new orleans saints. it happens. and it could happen for michael sam. >> you were just saying how you were sad we had to have this conversation about a gay player, playing in the nfl. and while i totally agree, at the risk of speculating, do you think there was any pressure from the nfl for a team to draft him so they could avoid any negative pr if he wasn't picked? >> i'm sure there was some concern from the nfl offices. they're incredibly an image conscious group. but that was butting up against the institutional issues that exist in the nfl. these institutional issues are averse to, frankly, players who try to control their own narrative. whether they're straight, gay, or what have you. if you're an independent minded thinker, that's something the nfl has had a lot of problems with. sam is someone who tried to control his own narrative.

as soon as he took that approach for the process, i knew that would butt against how the nfl operates on a team by team basis. >> speaking of independent thinkers, same to you, dave. good to see you, as always. >> thank you so much, alex. a white house official said president obama is adding his congratulations to michael sam, the rams and the nfl. lgbt americans prove every day show you should be judged by what you do, not who you are. we're closely monitoring the severe weather across the midwest this mother's day, just a day after a tornado ripped through a motown about 30 miles east of kansas city, knocking down trees and power lines. weather channel meteorologist dr. greg postel has more on today's weather flaring up across the heartland. good afternoon, greg. >> thanks, alex. very broad area of severe weather is possible today, all the way from the great lakes down to the southern plains. let's look at the map. we're really all modes of severe weather in play today.

hail possibilities, and even chance of tornadoes from the southern plains up through the northern plains and western great lakes. it's up in here where i think the tornado risk is highest in parts of northern kansas. hawa iowa, nebraska, even parts of missouri. we have a powerful system right out here. that is helping bring warm and unstable air northward. now it's going to fuel the thunderstorms later on today. look at some of these high temperatures that we have forecasted. mid-80s. you know that's enough to get big storms going. so let's time it out for everybody as we move through the region. i think the worst of all thunderstorms will be near this low and near that warm front, right in this zone later on this evening, beginning about 4:00, 5:00 in the afternoon and going through 7:00, 8:00 tonight. that's when the biggest tornado threat will be across this zone. and overnight it may turn into a nasty squall line with high winds rolling across iowa, and

continuing through the night with a hail threat as well. going to be a long day. and a long night. alex, back to you. >> greg postel, thank you. new information about the tragic hot air balloon accident in virginia. including one victim's chilling last comments on the instagram about the trip. luke is in virginia for us. luke, good afternoon to you. what have we learned about the victims? >> reporter: yeah, good afternoon, alex. the search is ongoing for the remains of the third victim. two have been found. as the search goes and continues, we've learned a lot about all three people who were aboard that hot air balloon that crashed on friday. the balloon was coming in for a landing when it hit a live wire that sparked a fire. >> the fire spread quickly. >> reporter: with the flames cutting the balloon off from the basket, leaving the three passengers to a horrific fate. >> we have had reports, we've also seen video that people have provided us, that does appear to have two individuals who

possibly leaped, or possibly fell from the basket. >> reporter: bradley saw the balloon ungulfed in flames. >> they were screaming for anybody to help them. sweet, jesus, help me, i'm going to die. >> reporter: one of those killed is the pilot dan kirk, the owner of the balloon, seen here in the video posted on his company's website. the other two onboard were part of the staff and women's basketball team at the university of richmond. but the university is saying it extends its prayers and thoughts to the families of jenny doyle and natally lewis. seen here together on doyle's instagram account. before the flight, in another photo posted on instagram, doyle wrote, quote, getting ready to go up in a hot air balloon today. tried it at 6:30 a.m., but it was too foggy. we'll go up this evening. #anxiety. crews are still searching for lewis, with her family saying in a statement, we remain hopeful and ask for your continued prayers. meanwhile, as for the investigation --

>> we will examine the man, the machine, and the environment. the onscene investigation will consist of -- >> reporter: the ntsb sent a letter to the faa calling for an increased oversight of how hot air balloons operate within the united states. hot air balloon accidents are rare. the ntsb recently said they want the faa to have oversight specifically on how they're licensed, and regulated. >> thanks so much, luke russert. developing now to cheers of, we are russia. separatists in eastern ukraine are turning out in large numbers today to vote on whether to split from the country, and create their own so-called people's republics. just how legitimate the vote is, depends on who you ask. nbc's richard engels in donetsk, ukraine, with the latest. richard, i know you've geetd

pictures out today of barricades, even molotov cocktails at the ready. what happened with this referendum today? and has there been any violence? >> reporter: first of all, this referendum is only considered legitimate by the people who are voting it. the government of ukraine, which is recognized by europe and the united states, calls this referendum absolutely illegal. washington said it will not recognize it. but still, people are coming out, and it's hard to know exactly how many people have been voting, because it is something about ad hoc referendum, there are no international monitors here. there's no real centralized system. the ballot papers aren't -- they don't have any special markings on them, they're just regular pieces of paper that have been printed up. and pretty much everyone we spoke to -- actually, every person we spoke to who was voting in this referendum, said they were voting for independence, to break away from

ukraine. if you didn't agree with that position, you wouldn't have bothered to go out and vote in this referendum. you asked if it is creating an environment of tension and violence. it certainly is. earlier today, we were in the city of maripol just south of here. the city is ringed by ukrainian soldiers. you have to pass through ukrainian military checkpoints. the center of the city is controlled by the russian community, the so-called russian separatists who were voting in the refer eren duendum that wan break away from the army. it is a very tense situation. >> richard, the u.s. state department said if russia continues to destabilize eastern ukraine, the u.s. is going to move very quickly to impose greater costs on russia. do you see russia pushing similar referendum in other areas of ukraine and will today's vote trigger more sanctions do you think?

>> reporter: i think we're also oversimplifying this situation to a degree. it is not just russia that is inflaming the situation on the ground, and causing all of the problems. the ukrainian government, the new government that took over in a revolution in kiev, is launching these counterterrorism operations against the pro-russian xhungcommunities. the one that took place today, and a few days ago, are very bloody. they'll kill civilians, they'll go on night raids and cause a lot of damage. and whenever these counterterrorist operations are launched, always by the government in kiev, always against the pro-russian community, a lot of members of this pro-russian community become antagonized and believe the new government in kiev doesn't represent them. so there is clearly an international dynamic here, where russia is supporting these

pro-russian separatists and supporting the moves to break away. but the more violence there is, the more you have grass roots support for this. >> richard, thank you so much. all in on obamacare. fully embracing the affordable care act in north carolina. is this the first wave in a political sea change? ronan farrell unplugged, straight ahead. i saw this red, blistery, rash

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boots on the ground. >> joining me now, democratic senator ben carden, member of the finance committee, foreign relations committee. welcome, senator. nice to see you as always. >> alex, always good to be on your show. thank you. >> thank you. as you well know, the nigerian government has appeared to be either unable or unwilling to make a legitimate effort to rescue these girls. how extensive should america's role be on the ground? you heard secretary hagel say we're going to do anything we can to deploy all resources possible. >> these nigerian girls were in the right place at the right time. it's time for the united states and the national authority to give our best opportunity to get the girls returned safely. they can use our expertise, they can use our knowledge of law enforcement. we can be on the ground to help them do the rescue that's necessary, the search that's necessary, and making sure

they're doing the right thing. i am pleased the united states is working with the international community to help in the rescue. >> as you are well aware, this is not the first heinous act from boko haram. countless innocent civilians have been killed in recent years. you said boko haram needs to be brought to justice. why now? we've been following their attempts to terrorize people for years. >> we have a responsibility with the international community to bring terrorist groups to justice. we have interests in this group well before this kidnapping. this kidnapping has made the front pages of every newspaper in the world, as it should. it shocked the conscience of the civilized world. it gives us now, i think, more unity and more priority to bring this group to justice. >> back stateside, your colleague, senator kay hagan, made headlines this past week when in the confirmation hearing

she gave a support of obamacare and indicated she is going to run on that, in her reelection campaign. would you advise all democrats to run on it in the midterms? >> i think senator hagan's doing absolutely the right thing. more and more americans understand the importance of the affordable care act. mother's day, particularly women understand that they now have full coverage, being a woman is no longer a preexisting condition. families can keep their adult children on their insurance policies to age 26. seniors are now finding they have comprehensive preventive health care. more and more people understanding the advantage of the affordable care act, they want to work on it and improve it, they don't want it repealed. senator hagan is doing the right thing. >> do you think the senate is in play at all this year for republicans? >> obviously, the focus of this election is going to be on the control of the united states senate. there's a lot of highly visible campaigns. i firmly believe that the t democrats will maintain control

of the united states senate. it's going to be -- it's going to be closely watched. >> let's look at ukraine now, sir. today's votes that are out there, does that change anything at all? and despite its objections, do you anticipate russia will declare the referendum legitimate? >> i'm sure russia will do everything they can to try to disrupt the may 25th national elections. this referendum, which is totally illegal, and has no legitimacy, is an effort to disrupt the government of ukraine from having a free, fair and open elections later this month. the international community of the united states is going to do everything we can to make sure the elections go forward. russia is trying to destabilize ukraine. they want a greater russia. it's very clear. we cannot let that happen. >> you may have heard my conversation with richard engel which preceded the commercial break here. he spoke to residents there in donetsk today. some said the u.s. has a double standard. why are today's referenda less

democratic than the revolution in kiev? >> i don't think we have a double standard at all. ukraine is a sovereign nation. they have to operate under the rule of law and under their constitution. clearly what's happening in east ukraine today is russia's trying to destabilize and affect the sovereignty of a country. they're violating every one of their international commitments, their commitments that just entered into a couple weeks ago. on trying to calm down the situation in the ukraine. this is not about a community's will. this is about trying to disrupt a sovereign nation that wanted to move more towards the west, wanted to make its own decisions. russia is trying to influence their judgments. >> senator ben carden, from the great state of maryland, thank you. >> thank you. polls on what americans think of obama care are becoming more important as the midterms approach. there's a new one out today. which party does it help? ♪

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in today's number ones, the most generous americans. a new gallup poll asked people about their charitable giving, not just money, but time as well. the results, hawaii is the third most generous state, with 39% saying they gave time and money to an organization in the past month. 41% of minnesotans did so as well. the top state for giving, however, is utah with 48%. washington, d.c. tops a list of the best big cities for starting a career. a city's job market and social scene are among the factors in those rankings. denver comes in second, irving, texas, third. up until this weekend, usc sent more players to the draft pick than any other college. however, one of the longtime rivals changed that. notre dame had eight players drafted to run. the total is 484 draft picks. ohio state rounds out the top three with 411. that's a quick look at today's number ones. ♪

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welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." a new reaction to the special house committee investigating the attack in benghazi. congressman gowdy said there are still questions that need to be answered. >> i'll tell you why we were still in benghazi despite there was violence in the months leading up. nor do i know whether or not the president caught allies in the region and said can you get assets to benghazi, we've under attack. >> democrats are firing back. here's the house democratic caucus chairman just a short time ago. >> what leads us to believe it could be a kangaroo court, or a smoke screen from having to deal with the real issues americans want us to deal with like job creation and so forth, is that we've done these investigations some seven times. five of the investigations coming out of five of the house

republican committees. i have not heard any new questions raised that have not been answered. >> house speaker john boehner has selected seven republicans who serve on that committee. democrats must decide whether to fill five seats open to them. meanwhile, key republicans today insist obamacare will be a major issue in the midterm elections this year, but democrats are saying not so fast. >> i think clearly, this is the issue that the democrats have been running away from. it was the signature issue of president obama, the passage of the affordable care act. only one party passed this bill. >> the democrats -- what we've said all along is if there are problems that arise with the affordable care act, we should address those. >> let me bring in jimmy williams, and republican strategist and former special assistant to president jogeorge. bush.

welcome, gentlemen. jimmy, i want to get to you first in reaction to michele bat bachmann there. >> at the end of the day, take kay hagan in north carolina, i'm down in south carolina right now, kay hagan is running in a tight race in the state above me. in every other poll except one she's up. she's holding tight. she's leaning in on obamacare. mary landrieu is doing exactly the same thing. kay hagan took the nominee for the new secretary of hhs in washington, d.c. and asked her about the medicaid expansion not taking place in north carolina and how many kids and women and children would shall hurt by that. she's owning it. she's running with it, and she should. obamacare is a success. >> can i ask you, though, what has changed? get specific with kay hagan. she is all in, certainly, in obamacare in this race.

what's changed? >> she voted for it. she can't run away from it. the democrats have to own that. you cannot run away from that. at the same time, her opponent is absolutely against it. has done nothing to help poor children and women out in the state of north carolina. so he has his record. if i'm kay hagan, i'm going to stone his record. >> ron, i'll have you answer more about kay hagan in a second, but i want to show you about the new poll that 61% of americans want congress to either keep or make changes to the affordable care act. they don't want to repeal it. only 38% are saying repeal that. the republicans are now focusing on benghazi. what is your reaction to this, and is this focus on benghazi, is it a sign that the gop is now running from obamacare? >> not at all, alex. the thing the democrats have done with benghazi, they want to make this about politics. we want to make this about getting to the truth, not only

for the four families affected by the loss of loved ones here, but really what happened that night. number one, we still don't understand where the president of the united states was on the evening of benghazi. there was an eight-hour gap between where we knew what the president was doing, and there was nothing. number two, the republicans want to get to the truth of the matter and say, we knew that our outer perimeter was guarded by folks affiliated with al qaeda. why? the british left. a number of people left. why do we still have an outpost in benghazi. i think more importantly is the white house had been lawfully subpoenaed by the people's house, the house of representatives, to have certain documents that pertained to benghazi. we found out ben rhodes had gone to the state department, which goes counter to everything that the white house said they had nothing no talking points, knew nothing about it. the truth of the matter is as it relates to obamacare, the democrats have to embrace this, alex. not one republican voted for it. and all the promises that they

came forth were going to happen did not come true. >> jimmy, as you listen to ron chronicle the things he believes are still out there, they've certainly been investigated, do you think there are things that have yet to be answered? >> well, i think the committee will go into that. i absolutely support this special select committee on benghazi. i think it's fantastic. why? "a," because there are questions that should be asked by the congress. the congress has one job, and that is to do oversight. >> but the congress has done that. >> listen, that's right. i'm never going to stop either congress from doing that. the democrats should absolutely engage on this. they should be there every single day asking tough questions. they should hold the republican majority to the line on this. there's nothing wrong with them asking questions. the question becomes, how long does it go? do democrats have any semblance of fairness within the committee? and more importantly, i guess republicans are going to

continue to ask this question all the way until november. let them ask it. because at some point they'll overreach. they did it with dan burton, they did it with fred thompson and travelgate and vince foster, and they're going to do it here. they want to bloody up hillary clinton so she won't run for president, and two, they want to go down the impeachment path with barack obama. that's why they're doing it. it's a simple plain political fact. i support them doing it, absolutely. >> jimmy, you had me up until the last couple of things. >> i'm sure i did. >> you're absolutely right, the republicans, it would be a mistake for republicans to make political hay out of this. the republicans said we want to get to the bottom of the truth. we need to have the truth, not a show trial. number two, this is not about hillary clinton and beating her up. this is not about impeachment of the president of the united

states. >> do you think they'll impeach hillary clinton? >> i think they should. alex noted there have been seven investigations, the secretary of state who then, of course, was on the watch, has never testified under oath as to what she did, where she was, the communications she's had. sk kerry has said he would come up to capitol hill and explain to -- >> ron -- >> let me finish. these doults have been subpoenaed, why they were only recently released. not by the white house, not by the state department, but through a judicial order. jimmy, that's why i believe there are more questions that need to be answered. it's about the truth for the american people. >> okay. listen, i'm all for the truth. i think the truth should come out at all times. "a," hillary clinton did actually testify -- >> she didn't testify under oath. >> wait, wait. are you suggesting -- wait, ron, are you suggesting hillary clinton lied to the congress? >> i'm suggesting there's a difference when you are under threat of perjury and under threat of being in a position that the things that you say are not 100% true, yes.

as a lawyer, i can tell you there's a difference -- there's a distinction for the people to understand there's a distinction between testifying under oath or not. >> you're either accusing hillary clinton of lying to congress or not. >> i'm suggesting the secretary of state will have the opportunity to answer very pointed, very direct questions that she was not asked in this particular round of opportunity. >> i think she should. >> good. then we're in agreement. >> they should bring her in. and she should testify under oath as to exactly what happened on her watch on benghazi, and guess what, if it leads to the fact she did something wrong, so be it. if it doesn't, then do you disband the committee because there's nothing else to investigate? you're accusing barack obama, the president of the united states, for being awol for eight hours while benghazi happened? >> yes. it is a disgrace when you have americans who represent your

country -- let me finish. >> like when dick cheney -- >> no, we're not talking about dick cheney -- >> guys? >> he left eight hours later. these americans were still fighting and dying. >> guys, can i ask you both regarding the midterm election? what do you think, to both of you, the greater -- have the greater bearing on the outcome? will it be obamacare or benghazi? jimmy, you first. >> i think it will be both. i don't think the republicans are going to stop dragging either of those things through the tar. by the way, that's politics. i got it. however, they're using four people's deaths in a way to politicize something which is disgusting and immoral. >> ron? >> it's actually going to be about jobs and the economy. democrats would rather protect the president and democrats. >> this democrat wants the truth. >> i tell you what, alex, this is going to be about promises

made, promises kept in a sluggish economy. >> you know what, you said, my friend. i'm going to end it on that. guys, thank you so much. ron, jimmy, as always. >> thanks, alex. in today's office politics, my colleague ronan farrow host of "ronan farrow daily," we share a behind-the-scenes brush with fame at last weekend's white house correspondence dinner. i asked ronan if he thinks the administration has anything to hide on benghazi? >> look, alex, having worked in these settings when you're prepping for sunday shows, it's not a cover-up. it's not deceptive. you outline everything going on and try to convey, okay, these are the ways in which we're trying to address them positively and not contributing to the problem. that's exactly what happened with the susan rice talking points. look, the phrases in the e-mail from ben rhodes that everyone is seizing on, this innocence of the muslims video are at the heart of the protests around the region, that's accurate.

there were protests linked in part or in whole to that video. we have footage of people on the ground referencing that video. of course, those were protests other than the benghazi attack, which turned out was more calculated. >> how much of this renewed criticism is aimed at your old boss, hillary clinton, with the timing as it is right now? >> oh, of course, there's no analysis required there. everyone who is spearheading this supposed investigation is explicitly linking it to her. >> her time as secretary of state, she got very good reviews during her tenure. >> when people use the phrase, soft power, sometimes that seems demeaning. she did change the culture of 9 things that american diplomacy champions. you don't have to look farther than the office i ran for on global youth issues, which is still there right now, in 50 embassies throughout the world, outsourcing how we build policy and putting our money where our mouth is, because we're building programs in this way, to local young people. we're having them get us

pitches. we're having them design programs. we're giving them seed money. these are people who normally wouldn't be talking to the u.s. government. in response to a lot of international crises, where america came out on the short end of the stick, news flash, in a lot of cases, welcome to real politics, we tried to change the game on that. i think that not only am i proud of the small tiny piece of the puzzle that i played in that, i think she can be proud of the broad swath of underrepresented men and women that she brought to the forefront of american diplomacy. young people, women, minority groups. >> this next question, i hate it, but it's an item in the news this week, that's monica lewinsky's -- >> she has the right to take ownership of that part of her life. the timing is never going to be great for that. i think she really had it rough in the wake of that scandal. one of the things she says in this piece is, the worst part was not the scandal itself, it

was the attacks on president clinton afterwards. the entire crucifixion of the clinton family. she was collateral damage. i think if she can champion people going through similar things, so much the better. >> you have that intellectual new york -- >> thank you. although i did descend from california stock, you know this, right? >> oh, my gosh. >> my grandmother was pulled from rural ireland for being super hot, as like a kid. and then shipped off to hollywood and was part of that first wave of movie stars. one of the first big irish movie stars, jane in the tarzan movies. >> have you spent much time in california? >> i thought you were going to say ireland. i actually travel on an ireland passport. they tried to get me to surrender it when i became a diplomat. and they said you have to cut it

up and put it in a plastic bag. i said, how about i not do that. they actually rolled with that and i signed a do not exercise agreement. i didn't use it while i was in government. i have it still. >> we took a fabulous picture at the correspondents' dinner. you're looking smoldering. >> i'm such a ham. it's awful. i had so much fun. that's crazy partying. we got to see lupita. >> i had to go after the most beautiful woman on the planet, i'm like, oh, yeah, that was the worst. >> lapita, cutting you. i have your back. >> you can catch ronan hosting his show "ronan farrow daily" every weekend -- or week days at 1:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. he's in line to become hip-hop's first billionaire. why the big pay day is not

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largest purchase in apple's history. the company is in talks to acquire beach electronics, the popular gadgets-maker, best known for these. they are the beats by drae headphones and they cost anywhere from $200 to $500. joining me now, reporter for the associated press, who spent time with us here at msnbc. we're glad to see you doing well. >> thank you. >> how big is this deal? what would it mean for consumers? >> you know, it's a big deal, because apple wants to make sure that they're still in touch with the younger generation. and beats just influences so many of the young kids. it makes a fashion statement. it's more than headphones, it's a fashion statement. people are so engulfed in its product. and apple wants to make sure they can tap into that. i think that beats has a streaming service where as apple has not launched that yet. and beats will offer you all the

music in the world for $10 a month. apple still wants you to buy an album for $10. they're realizing they have to compete with companies like beats, which will also offer that same amount for $10. so they realize, hey, we need to make sure we tap into this industry. >> but $3.2 billion? i mean, come on. is it worth that? >> it's a lot of money. i believe beats makes about $1 million a year. so they will recover from the amount that they're spending. also, you know, they're getting dr. dre who is popular in the music industry. a lot of people respect them, working with tom petty and youtube. they have been able to, you know, engulf the kids in something, and have them so obsessed with this headphone line. >> music producer founded a company in 2006.

this deal could potentially make dr. dre's hip-hop a billionaire. dre's big pay day is merely an example of an artist getting much richer by abandoning art. do you think it's a fair criticism there? >> i mean, i think it's somewhat there, because he's not getting this money because he's not making it off of releasing music or producing music. at the same time it speaks to where the music industry is. a lot of people aren't making money from their songs. they're making it from the businesses that they're part of. >> like diddy's clothing line, right? >> exactly, and jay-z with the rocking nation management. dr. dre is still a respected artist. he helped eminem establish his career, and 50 cent establish his career, and snoop dogg establish his career. >> come see us again. thanks. >> thank you so much. with the los angeles

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hey there, everyone. welcome to weekend with alex witt. now, here's what's happening out there. new today, both sides are digging in over the special house committee tasked with investigating the 2012 benghazi attack. republicans are staunchly defending the panel while critics call it nothing more than a political witch hunt. john boehner has chosen seven republicans to serve on the committee, but will democrats participate. >> we've participated in all of the other seven investigations. if it's a fair, open and balanced process, absolutely. but we don't want to see reckless irresponsible handling of the affair that took the lives of four brave americans. >> at the end of it, you are welcome to draw different conclusions from the facts. but i want everyone to say, it was fair, it was exhaustive, and we know more than we did when it started. >> let's go to the white house

and crikristen welker standing . where is all this headed? >> reporter: it's hard to know, alex, before leaving for the weekend, nancy pelosi said democrats are divided over whether or not they will actually participate in this panel. they're concerned it is going to turn into a political stunt on the part of republicans. so they are making certain demands behind the scenes. they want it to be fair. you heard javier make that exact point. but he also said they're not demanding democrats have the authority to sign off on the issuing of subpoenas. take a listen to another exchange between them. >> imagine you and i starting an investigation and the first thing you ask for is the ability to deny or veto subpoenas going to witnesses. how can it be a pursuit of the truth? >> we've never asked for that, trey. what we're simply saying is, make it a process that we can't be excluded from witnesses. we don't want the american public to be shut out.

>> reporter: congressman gowdy also made the point that he stands by this committee, he believes it's going to be fair, but that there is a potential political risk for republicans. if they overplay their hands. if you look at the polls, alex, it shows that the top issue for voters right now is jobs. and the economy. so republicans focusing on this issue of benghazi, while it does appeal to their base, does carry some political risk. nonetheless, i think you could expect it to take up a fair amount of time in the coming months, certainly as we get closer to the 2014 elections. and if hillary clinton decides to throw her hat into the ring in 2016. after all, this did occur under her watch at the state department. >> kristen welker, thank you very much from the white house. secretary of veterans

affairs eric shinseki will testify on thursday in the va hospital scandal. in a new interview this morning, defense secretary chuck hagel weighed in on the fact that the va manipulated records. >> i do support general shinseki. there's no margin here. if this thing in fact, or any variation of this occurred, all along the chain, accountability is going to have to be upheld here. this is something that should have been looked at years and years ago. so yes, we missed it. >> joining me now from phoenix, with the story first blowing open, jennifer. what's expected in thursday's hearing? >> reporter: what's expected from thursday's hearing is hopefully some answers, alex. what we can tell you about tomorrow here in this va in phoenix where it all started, they will have a new interim director, steve young, from the

salt lake city va. which by the way, we checked, is not one of the vas that have reported any problems. in fact, if we look into his history, steve young has put together some small clinics outside of salt lake city, so patients needing to get into the va, that might not be as ambulatory, can actually have video chats with doctors. he's been progressive within the va system, starting at this va tomorrow morning. secretary of veterans affairs eric shinseki will testify before the house committee in search of answers for the root of the problem cutting across many va facilities. what he's expected to say is the face-to-face audits are under way. many va hospitals reporting they've already met with inspectors. but here in phoenix, the mantra that we're hearing from veterans has been delayed, deny, wait until we die. we've heard that over and over.

and they want to change that, you know, that feeling that they have about their va hospital. which is their only stop for health care, alex. >> what a terrible mantra for them to have to utter. thank you very much, jennifer. developing now overseas, with gunmen standing by, residents of separatists held eastern ukraine are turning out in large numbers today to vote on whether to split from the country and create their so-called own people's republic. the acting ukrainian said it's a step into the abyss. for the voters who turned out the message was different. richard engel is in donetsk, ukraine, for us. they call this a violation of international law. even president putin didn't want it to happen. at least he said so. are they voting there today of their own volition? >> reporter: yes. as far as we can tell. we didn't see any people being forced to vote. there were no people being marched in, or even bused in.

what we saw in several voting locations are people who came in fairly large numbers, thousands at one polling center we visited, who feel that the government in kiev doesn't represent them. this is the government that took over in a revolution that was backed by the united states, backed by europe. and this group that is voting today is the russian community. the people who are close to moscow. they want to be aligned with moscow. they don't want to be aligned with washington and the united states. and they feel kiev is openly hostile to them. and over the last several weeks, there have been operations, military operations launched by the government in kiev against these russian communities. they've been labeled as separatists. and that is only making the situation much worse, and these divisions even more bitter. >> richard, you spoke in the last hour about the high level of violence there in kiev. and the government's so-called

terrorist crackdowns before the raids. were the average citizens in the east, were they as supportive of the separatists? >> reporter: no, they weren't. the violence isn't in kiev. kiev now feels like it's a separate country, in fact. when you're in kiev, there's the new government in place, and people are very pro-europe. in the center of kiev is a big eu flag hanging from one of the main statues there. here in the east, again, it's a different group. it's a pro-russian community. these are people who trade with russia. they speak russian. they feel that they are ethnic russians, russian nationalists. now they feel they're attacked by kiev because the government in kiev is launching these operations against militias that operate here, that are backed undoubtedly by moscow. these militias have been taking

over builds and setting up check points. when the government from kiev launches what they call the counterterrorist operations, sometimes they're very brutal, and will shoot civilians, will set buildings on fire. and that just further antagonizes people. and encourages them to vote like many did today to separate from kiev. this is not a situation that is going to end quickly. >> okay. nbc's richard engel. we'll see you then again from donetsk, ukraine. michael sam becomes the first openly gay player in the league. the st. louis rams picked sam in the seventh and final round of the draft. miguel al maguimaguer joins us. >> reporter: elite college players making the jumps to the pros, and for one player he did something that no one's ever done before. >> he waited three days in nearly seven rounds. the nfl draft almost over, when

history was made. >> for the 249th pick in the 2014 nfl draft, the st. louis rams select michael sam, defensive end, missouri. >> sam received the news over the phone. the emotion, the weight of the moment nearly too much to handle. surrounded by loved ones, sam, who came out publicly in february, is the nfl's first openly gay player to be drafted. late saturday, sam spoke to nbc affiliate ksdk in st. louis. >> i'm proud to give everything i've got for st. louis. so many people are proud of the st. louis organization, for being the one to make history. >> reporter: at missouri, sam was a southeastern conference defensive player of the year. an all-american standout. but he performed poorly at the nfl combine, where teams view prospective players. sam's stock appeared to drop,

while many questioned whether a pro team would select an openly gay player. others wondered how he would match up in the nfl system. >> with michael sam the issue, it's more where does he fit in the nfl. there are questions that there isn't a clear position for him at the nfl level. i think that hurt him more than anything else. >> reporter: but sam has persevered before. today welcomed by new teammates and celebrated by those who call him a pioneer. >> we're going to rock it, the next season and all the seasons to come. we're going to be rocking in st. louis. >> reporter: he's made history, and now he's ready to play ball. >> while sam has been welcomed by so many of his teammates, however, not all have been accepting. one said omg, and horrible. he is being disciplined by the team. alex? >> do you think, miguel, despite this historic moment for the sports, do you think the media attention will be a distraction for michael sam and the st.

louis rams? >> he said he's focused on playing, making the team and becoming the best player he can be in st. louis. there will certainly be a lot of media attention around him. not just in the opening training days, but during preseason games. it can certainly be a distraction. we'll have to see what happens, alex. >> miguel almaguer, thank you so much. have republicans found their midterm strategy? if they have, what is it? every day, thousands of boeing volunteers help make their communities the best they can be. building something better for all of us. ♪ [baby cries]

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donald sterling's wife is making it clear that despite the ban on her husband, she intends to retain her 50% ownership in the team no matter what. >> no major sports league has ever gone forward with their procedures to forcibly exclude and seize the team. and i surely hope that doesn't happen here. but if it does, mrs. sterling will fight to the death. to protect her property rights. >> nba commissioner adam silver

said his actions were mainly aimed at donald. steve joins me now to discuss the latest twist in the sterling saga. thank you, steve, for being here. >> thank you for having me. happy mother's day. >> are we looking oot at a nasty battle between shelly and the nba. >> absolutely. you have one, a team wrapped up into a family trust, and you also have a league trying to force an owner to liquidate, to get rid of, to terminate. >> now, california's a community property state. if they're trying to get rid of donald sterling, doesn't shelly goes along as part of the collateral that way? because it's a community property? they can't divide it up. >> well, her interest is separate from his interest. and when it's in a trust, he gets 50% allegedly, she gets 50% allegedly. so when you try to force his interest, doesn't necessarily equate into forcing her interest

as well. so it's very difficult. it's a legal nightmare. it's going to be a litigious battle. sad to say, but it's not going to be wrapped up in two weeks. >> listen to what magic johnson said friday. he said none of the current clippers players will not play for shelly sterling if she retains ownership. what would a boycott or walkout look like? >> because the players are contractually obligated, i don't see any players actually boycotting, because they would have to forgo their actual contract. these players have guaranteed contracts in which for them to boycott and lose that earning potential, i don't really think it's going to happen, alex. >> she is trying to welcome what she herself calls a new dynamic management team, and investors to come in. is she trying to leave open the door for some sort of a compromise to keep herself involved? >> i think she's smart. in the event that they do have to sell the team, they go through the courts, i think you're going to look to see if they can increase the value of

the team, and get an unbelievable price that she's satisfied, and that she can just walk away with a big sum of money. >> we have donald parsons, telling espn he intends to reach out to shelly sterling. she's a big fan of a team, she has an ownership interest. she has not been banned from anything. do you know think they will be able to find some sort of a solution that would keep the team out of trouble? >> it's tough to say. i think right now, probably no one's saying much of anything. outside of, she has an interest in the team, and she wants to keep that interest. i think when all the lawyers go through everything, and they actually read everything, and everything's actually disclosed, then you'll kind of determine whether she actually does and will have to be forced to sell the team. >> you say this isn't going to wrap up in two weeks nice and neat. how do you see this playing out realistically? >> when you get lawyers involved, it becomes a bit of a fishing expedition until you see all the doults. so i think from a legal

perspective, this could drag on for years. >> years? >> yeah, unfortunately. >> okay. steve, appreciate it. >> thank you very much. if you had to pay your mother a salary, how much does she deserve? a new survey has the dollar signs for that. it's an honor for tiger woods' ex-wife and a chance to address the past. that's next. with my friends, we'll do almost anything. out for drinks, eats. i have very well fitting dentures. i like to eat a lot of fruits. love them all. the seal i get with the super poligrip free keeps the seeds from getting up underneath. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. a lot of things going on in my life and the last thing i want to be thinking about is my dentures. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. that would be my daughter -- hi dad. she's a dietitian. and back when i wasn't eating right,

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book, we'll just call it shoddy mom. we always have so much fun with this. welcome back. >> thank you. >> thank you for having us. >> $118,000, what do you think? >> you know what, i think it's pretty respectable. obviously we're never paid enough. >> absolutely. >> our work is never done. and, you know, when we're exhausted is when we're asked to do even more. so i think $118,000, and that's only including all the overtime, i don't think that base salary is anywhere near what it should be. but once you include the overtime, it could be a little bit respectable. if i got that paycheck, i'd be happy. >> okay. all right. >> we don't take care of our moms enough. and if someone gave me this check as a sign of, here's what your salary is, what your yearly salary is, i would be okay with that. >> i thought it was per day, actually. >> oh! can we talk about pregnancy fog?

it's a legitimate thing. is it legit? by the way we have one girl in makeup who's pregnant, and she was forgetting things all morning, so i was like, oh, that's true. >> god bless. it's totally legit. even years after we're not pregnant, we can still say, oh, the darn mommy brain. but it's to prepare the hormones in your body, preparing yourself to multitask and take care of this little infant. it's a blessing. we can all use that excuse. >> physiologically, it's legitimate? >> absolutely. not only does it prepare you for that, but it helps you multitask and problem solve and helps give you elements of being able to deal with empathy a little more than usual. >> speaking of empathy, kevin durant, we have to play that. this is just incredibly heart warming. listen to this. >> you made us believe. you kept us off the street, put clothes on our backs, food on the table. when you didn't eat, you made

sure we ate. you went to sleep hungry. you sacrificed for us. you're the real mvp. >> here's what his mom told your show, the "today" show. she wasn't expecting such a touching tribute. she shared a bit of advice for all the single moms out there like herself. >> my advice is to never give up. to always put your children first. to always commit yourself to their dreams, their aspirations and their goals, even when it gets hard. when you have those lonely nights, when you're crying to yourself, just remember that it's for them. and they will get that. they will receive that. >> what's the best advice your moms gave you? >> you know, one of the things my mom -- and i constantly try

to remember it as well, every day -- is she has this uncanny ability to just forgive and forget. and move on and let bigobs be bygones. sometimes we don't do enough of that with ourselves, let alone anyone else in our world. it's also kind of the shoddy mom practice of, let things go, and everything will be okay. >> keep it in perspective. how about your mom? >> i have a humongous family. i'm one of nine children. one thing that my mom always taught us, and we're so close to this day, love your siblings. always love your siblings. i think that's always so important to remember. she said, i might not always be here, but your siblings will always be there for you. she is our mvp. we love our mom. >> we love them all. interesting news for parents out there, after years of hearing moms and dads are many times more miserable than their

childless peers, not true. >> look how happy we are! it turns out, here's the deal. from the '70s and '80s, parents had this happy quotient. we're still as happy as always. it's the nonparents who are not as happy as we are. we're forced out there to be social, and to deal with pta parents, and to get out there, and most people are doing this, who are nonparents. >> i've got to talk about one mom, this is tiger woods' ex. she just graduated from rollins college from bachelor of arts degree, top of her class. she was the one making these speeches you can see there. she took a little swing at her divorce during that commencement speech. let's take a little listen to that. >> in the fall of 2005, i was 25 years old. i just recently moved to america. i was married without children.

today, nine years later, i'm a proud american, and i have two beautiful children. but i'm no longer married. [ cheers and applause ] >> you've got to love that. the focus on the children, though, a proud mom. despite not having the husband anymore to parent with. >> no, absolutely. part of the thing, with the whole happiness thing, too, is, you know, you're forced to go and you're forced to be with other people. she's been forced to, as a single mom, and a single parent, which 90% of us will be at one point in our lives, either through divorce or death of our spouse or for other reasons. so really, to embrace that, and god bless her for seizing that, and getting her degree. that's an applaud to single moms out there. you can't do it? >> you guys are so much fun. >> thank you.

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the volkswagen passat. recipient of the j.d. power appeal award, two years in a row. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." benghazi and irs events came to a point this week. a contempt vote for lois lerner. have the republicans found their midterm strategy? speaker boehner weighed in this morning. >> the serious investigation, i don't want theater, i don't want a side show. the contempt charge has gone to the attorney general. and it's up to the attorney general, eric holder, to prosecute this. and to assign someone to prosecute the case. now, will they do it? we don't know. but the ball is in his court. >> joining me now is democratic senator robert casey, member of the finance committee and

chairman of the taxation and irs oversight subcommittee. welcome, senator casey. nice to see you again. >> it's good to be with you. happy mother's day. >> thank you. i appreciate that. same to your wife. speaker boehner wants the benghazi incident to be serious and not a stunt. are they painting it as a partisan witchhunt? >> i think the republicans now have a test in front of them. we'll see how they conduct themselves. i think on so many of these questions that relate to benghazi, they have not conducted themselves in a manner that would lead someone to conclude that they're really interested in the truth. it's become kind of a talking point more than a serious policy discussion. so they have an important test in front of them. we'll see how they do. but i think the american people have heard an awful lot about benghazi now, report after report. and as you know, alex, the initial report was a bipartisan

report. and several after that have concluded that lots of mistakes were made. and changes have to take place. many of those reforms and changes have already been implemented or instituted. we'll see. this is a test for the republican party. >> certainly after seven investigations, i think it's fair to say the benghazi issue is very complicated and what happened that night in libya. but the irs scandal is a lot easier to distill into a campaign ad. there's nothing more sensitive than people's taxes. so will that hurt the democrats in the midterms? >> we'll see. but look, on this issue, from the beginning, there was a focus on the process of how these entities were reviewed, in terms of their tax status. and there's no question that the irs did a very poor job in dealing with these new entities that arose out of court decisions and other changes,

where sometimes you have entities that are formed purely for political purposes. so there's no question the irs has to -- there has to be some accountability how the irs is dealt with. again, this has to be done in a manner that gets to the truth, and is not just kind of a game that people play in washington. there are some people serious at getting to the truth and others just playing a game. >> yeah. when you look at november, how concerned are you about the senate changing hands? >> well, we'll see. i think that anyone who looked at the -- at least in terms of the political dynamic a year ago, or even four or five months ago, would have thought that our party would have been in much more difficult circumstances than we are now. a lot of the races in very tough states, or incumbents that looked dismal a few months ago, are markedly better.

having said that, it will be a tough race. i do think when people vote, they're going to be focused mostly on the economy and their own economic circumstances. and i think our candidates will do well in that discussion. but i think it's very close, and it's still -- even though it's early. >> what do you make of mitt romney saying he's for the minimum wage the other day? >> i think it's positive that a number of republicans are speaking in an affirmative way about raising the minimum wage. now, i hope it's not just camouflage for raising the minimum wage just a little bit. we should raise it to $10.10 over three years. if mr. romney and other republicans are for that, that's a substantial break-through. but if they're just using rhetoric and not really for a substantial increase, what i would argue would be a justifiable increase, then it's probably not worth much

discussion. but we'll see. i'm hoping that what some republicans have said lately, is an creation that maybe they're open to a bipartisan agreement which would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 over three years. because this, in the end, alex, is as much an issue about women in the work force and children as anything else. literally, by one estimate, 14 million to 15 million women could be impacted, and a similar number of children. that's one of the reasons to be in favor of this. the other reason is just basic economic justice. >> okay. i agree with that. let's switch gears now. i want to talk about a subject that is very close to your heart, and that's the so-called kids for cash scandal. judges received kickbacks from private detention centers for sending more children to juvenile detention. this is a new documentary that features the children and the judges. here's part of that trailer.

>> you've got f. lee bailey there, and they would have gotten away. >> it keeps kids in the system. >> no one listened because we were kids. >> there was no guilt or innocence, they were locking them up. >> high number of kids appearing without counsel. >> they have no rights. he's in their custody now. >> it is unbelievable. we're talking about children. >> i wanted them to be scared out of their minds. >> i don't understand how that was a bad thing. >> i'd like for you to explain what this is about, just how bad the situation is. >> well, this was a film that focused on one county in one state. it happened to be lucerne county near where i live in northeastern pennsylvania. but i think when you look at it, when you pull the camera back, so to speak, and look at the whole country, here's what we're talking abo ining about. you've got about 2 million children a year in the justice

system, 95% for nonviolent offenses. 60% never go back to school. so speaking of justice, as i mentioned before, you know, a long time ago it was said, without justice, what are kingdoms? but great bands of robbers. the point that i made when i was commenting on this great film, a couple of weeks ago, was that these young people were robbed by their government. in this case a county court system, and really a juvenile justice system across the country, robbed of their basic rights, they were robbed of their future. we've got to do something about it. the federal government can't by edict or some magic wand rectify this. most of the reform will have to take place at the local level. but the federal government can act to do what the federal statute four decades ago focused on, which is to say, instead of sending a juvenile who has committed a nonviolent offense,

instead of sending them into a criminal justice system, we want to divert them down a different path, where they get reform and accountability, but it doesn't turn their life into such a nightmare, a hell for them and their families. the federal government plays a role, and representative cardenas and i are trying to change this at the federal level. >> i know you're showing it to your colleagues on capitol hill. thank you for that. "kids for cash," senator robert casey, thank you for your time. >> thank you, alex. new mexico's largest police force came under fire from the department of justice. for what they call a pattern of excessive violence. scenes like this have sparked outrage over the tactics of the albuquerque police, and another fatal shooting this past weekend. exposing the community's distrust in those who are

supposed to protect them. dan mckay has been covering this story. dan joins me right now. dan, welcome. >> hi, alex. >> let's talk about the citizens there who are outraged, protesters on monday disrupting a meeting of the city council. accusing them for not doing enough for this problem. what are the demonstrators asking for? >> well, i think they want real reform in the albuquerque police department. it's hard to say precisely what that is. but a number of them have called for the removal of the current police chief. some have launched a recall effort targeting the mayor, who is the one who hires the police chief and oversees the administration of city government. there's also been talk about trying to reform and toughen up the civilian oversight process, the civilian panel that oversees

complaints against the police. >> yeah. i'm looking at the stats here, dan. we've got 25 people have been shot and killed by albuquerque police officers since 2010. four just since a couple of months ago, mid-march. i know the albuquerque police has been reprimanded by the department of justice for their tactics. what did the doj find? >> well, the department of justice issued a 46-page letter last month. they found that they have a pattern and practice of violating people's civil rights through the use of force. they also had a number of recommendations. the recommendations were fairly broad that they're intended to bring about reform. and the city and doj are now in talks about exactly what those reforms ought to look like, basically how to improve the police department and regain the trust of the community. >> and dan, i saw the stats from

2010. was this a problem in existence before that, or just been a real problem the last four years? >> well, there's probably an element of truth to both of those things. there are many activists who believe that the police department has had a problem for decades. however, i don't think it caught broader community attention until this spike in officer shootings in 2010. and there was one in particular in mid-march, police shot and fatally wounded a homeless camper who was clearly mentally ill on the outskirts. he was camping in the foothills east of albuquerque. and that one, in particular, really seemed to change the dialogue, and get a broader group of people interested in policing here. >> all right. well, from the albuquerque journal, dan mckay, thanks for your chat. i appreciate it. >> thank you. next in the big three, a war on religion. who says? i'm sinora and this is my son, chris.

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tweets about how you are spending this special day. we've been getting a huge response. thanks for that, everyone. melissa townsend said a nice picnic in the part to start. 1,000 miles for my children, but both called me by 9:00 to wish me happy mother's day. very blessed. miss them. we got this tweet from kong congressman charlie rangal. you go. 50 years, that is awesome. congratulation also. happy mother's day to my mom whom i adore more than anything. there you have it. time for the big three in today's topics. historic pick. one religion, and this week's must reads. let's bring in my big three panel, robert trainam, and political editor for the rio.

let's go to the historic pick. st. louis rams, picking of michael sam. it makes him the first openly guy player drafted in the history of the nfl. put it in perspective for us. do you think this is akin to a jackie robinson moment? >> absolutely. this is an historic watershed moment. not just for gay americans like myself, but for all americans. it breaks down the stereotype that gay people can't play sports or perhaps they're wearing their sexuality on their sleeves, whatever is the case. this is a historic moment, because i believe he was chosen because he is a phenomenal athlete first, who just so happens to be african-american and happens to be gay. that's the way it should be. >> interestingly, to you, perry, for this, the miami dolphins' don jones tweeted, omg, and horrible. those tweets have since been deleted. the dolphins general manager

said he was disappointed in the comment. the team plans to, quote, sit down with don jones and address the comments and handle it appropriately. so perry, is this just one person here? do you think jones' comments might represent the feelings of more players in the nfl, players who michael sam would have to come up against if he makes the final cut? >> we ultimately don't know. you only have one person making these kind of comments. you saw a lot of other nfl players, basketball players like lebron james, speak pos tifrl of michael sam. very few negative comments. dolphins player has already been criticized by the general manager of the dolphins. we saw in the nba jason collins, first openly gay player in the nba, he's done very well. he's in the play-offs right now, and the story of the sexuality has been reduced and now about him fitting into the locker room just fine. in the nfl and nba, things are moving forward.

>> the college sports environment, is it vastly different from the professional environment? and what are the pros and cons of that? >> it is. i think the most amazing part of michael sam's journey is the fact that his fellow players at mazzu didn't care. i think college students can be a lot more open-minded, a lot more reasonable than the nfl. he was defensive player of the year, in the toughest division. he should have been drafted a lot sooner. i think he was drafted in the seventh round because of the prejudices that still exist in the nfl. >> let's move on to religion. bobby jindal weighing in on hdtv's show to scrap a show after comments that the brothers made comments against homosexuals. calling it a war on religious liberty. robert, do you see it that way? >> no. i think we should put this in context. this is governor jindal speaking

to a conservative audience who happens to be running for president. i think we should put it in perspective that hdtv is probably made up of a lot of individuals out there that are open and tolerant tolerant to homosexuality, gays and lez b.c. liosbians and so f. i support the decision not to have two people on the network who could offend the audience and the core values. i understand why the governor said that, how the context of why he said it. i strongly disagree. >> the brothers both attended liberty university and say they do not hate gay people. they are just living their faith. they say they hold no animosity toward hgtv's business decision. if it's a good show, shouldn't they let the market and the audience decide? >> in a lot of ways it should. i'm bemused by the networks saying, oh, my gosh, i had no

idea. >> like "duck dynasty." >> exactly. you can't tell me they didn't go on youtube, wikipedia the guys to know their belief systems. this concerns me. i think it demonstrates a fact that the networks have people with these beliefs that are hostile, homophobic, racist and have issues. they only change when they get caught. you can't tell me they didn't know before they hired the guys. >> interesting, perry. getting on what robert governor jindal is working to build his conservative credentials. do you think this is throwing red meat for the base? >> i don't think he's throwing red meat. robert are mentioned it. he was a big defender of the "duck dynasty" guys controversy as well. he's trying to be the social conservative candidate. the most religious conservative person in the republican box for a potential run. this is smart for him. i wasn't surprised at all. >> coming up next in the must reads, mother's day advice and a

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now let's get back to the big three for their must reads. robert, what's yours? >> sure. the new york times has a wonderful profile on robin roberts. most people wake up with her in the morning. she's the co-host of "good morning, america." it walks you through the struggles with illness and her sexuality. she's a wonderful person, a wonderful role model and i believe ifs a must read not only on mother's day. again she's an inspiration for a lot of people. >> i agree. i have met her once. i would love to meet her again. she's a wonderful person. warm and terrific. great on air as well. >> i agree. >> jason? >> do you ever wonder why vladimir putin is always wrestling bears, taking pictures with his shirt off -- >> i don't want to wonder about that. what? >> there is a great profile for him in "psychology today" that says he's the shortest world leader in the history of russia and if he has napoleon complex. it might explain some of his

foreign policy decisions. >> brilliant. i will definitely read that. when he does it i'm like, why are you doing this? >> exactly. >> thank you very much for that. perry? >> at the grio there is a story where craig melvin and others talk about lessons from mom, the best advice. this is a great mother's day tribute today. happy mother's day, mom. >> that's so nice. we all want to say happy mother's day. i will say it again. my mom is a rock star. i adore her. she's such a good mom. thank you, mom. did you hear that, craig? you got called out. >> i didn't. >> craig isn't miced up. thank you. would you get revved up already? that's a wrap. up next, you know who. i'm alex wit. have a great day. happy mother's day. when you only have one hand, you're not doing anything as fast as you used to, which is funny, because i still do it better than her. [ afi ] i do not like sweeping. it's a little frustrating.

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with the 249th pick in the 2014 nfl draft, the st. louis rams select michael sam, defensive end, missouri. >> with that, history made at the nfl draft as the first openly gay player gets drafted. what it means for sports and what it means for all of us. also on this mother's day i will talk to the woman recently crowned the real mvp. >> when you department eat you made sure we ate. you went to bed hungry. you sacrificed for us. you're the real mvp. >> kevinen durant's mother will join me live. also drug money. >> unfortunately it still amounts to a red light. financial institutions may be prosecuted for servicing the marijuana industry. >> with millions on the line the of half baked plan to get banks on board with colorado's pot rush. i will talk to the man who will try to make it