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tv   Ronan Farrow Daily  MSNBC  May 27, 2014 10:00am-11:01am PDT

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dies. >> in this author's note, we see the first look at what the secretary clinton will be saying if she runs for president. she says this book is not written for people who follow washington soap operas. >> cuc santa barbara community reeling with outrage and grief. >> the killer was a 22-year-old who detailed his plans in a disturbing string of writings and videos. >> he promised a day of retribution and put it up on youtube in which he blamed women for spurning him. >> there is a breakthrough here. nigeria's defense chief says the military knows where boca hara. >> a rescue attempt is entirely out of the question, requiring a full-blown invasion, not likely to succeed.
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they call it the graveyard of empires. but will it be for america? just one hour from now, president obama is going to face off against a raging controversy over how many of our troops to leave behind in afghanistan. he is expected to announce plans to keep a conten gingency fofrr 9,800. >> america's commitment to the people of afghanistan will endure. we can plan for a limbed military presence in afghanistan beyond 2014, because after all the sacrifices we made, we want to preserve the gains that you have helped to win. >> the president is expected to make clear that those u.s. troops are going to remain after 2014 only on two very narrow missions, to train afghan forces, and to counterterrorism operations against al qaeda.
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that's only if the afghan government, of course, signs the bilateral security agreement, something that outgoing president karzai has stymied again and again. but could that change with the upcoming afghan election and how will the president's announcement set the stage for all of this? joined now by be in national correspondent peter alexander at the white house. these 9,800 service people who are supposed to now stay after 2014, other former commanders have recommended higher numbers, maybe even 12,000 to 13,000 troops. how do you think this number is going to be received by the military brass? >> reporter: that's a good question right now. we know that the military brass has been pursuing a series of options waiting to hear exactly what the white house' orders would be. they were reviewing the potential what it would look like if they were told to keep 2,000 troops behind, 5,000 and roughly 10,000. this number 9,800 may as well be 9 hadn't 9 $9.99. right? there is some question among
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military brass whether that number is actually enough to maintain the training missions that are necessary at the same time as they fulfill that separate mission that the president will outline a little bit later which is to continue the support of the counterterrorism operations in efforts to root out al qaeda in that country. but for a long time folks have known this number was going to be announced. they anticipated it would be somewhere in this range. we had heard at times there may be the zero option announced by the administration as it was pushing back against some resistance from president hamid karzai in that country. if 1 of the 2 leaders, if the leader that's elected on june 14th as a result of the run-off, does go ahead and sign the security agreement, it appears clear though these are the numbers we'll be dealing with going forward. >> peter alexander, thank you. what's at stake here? first of all, a country poised at all times to slip back into violent chaos. finally, a nation of women an girls who have just begun taking some tentative first steps towards schools, towards jobs,
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and who may lose that chance under extremist rule. i'm joined by the dean at johns hopkins school of international -- advanced international studies. and a former advisor at the state department. the u.s. has been trying to get the afghan government to sign this bilateral security agreement. for months hamid karzai has been outspoken against. do you think the upcoming election will change the fate of that agreement? >> there is hope that the new president in afghanistan will not have the political baggage that karzai has with the administration and the united states and with the elections behind them and no worry about the public backlash at the polls that they will feel free to sign this deal with the united states. >> and do you think if this agreement isn't signed that afghan forces can survive on their own at this point? are they independent enough? >> well, without this deal it is very difficult to have american troops on the ground because american troops require immunity on their law for actions that they take in combat and they
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need that protection. if they don't have that, it is very difficult to have american troops on the ground participating in any kind of security operations. but even with the u.s. troops on the ground, it remains to be seen whether the afghan forces can actually take on the taliban in the lion's share in the battle that's likely to come forward. >> if these troops get left behind after 2014, what kind of a tactical landscape do they face? there's been a ramp-up of al qaeda attacks in recent months. could they be resurging in informing? >> these troop numbers will have no effect on the fighting in afghanistan. they're just too small. some of these troops will be actually there to protect themselves, to protect the other troops. they will be busy with training the afghan troops. then they will have some counterterrorism operations, some of which is actually across the border in pakistan. when you think of large battles village to village against the tal taliban, the 9,800 troops will not be there to do that. they are just too small to do
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that kind of operation. >> the whole gambit with this administration and the team at the state department you were on and i was on for a time, it was to build capacity on ground, to make sure these troops could defend themselves. do you think that at all has been achieved? >> it remains to be seen whether the afghan troops that we are actually training can hold the line against the taliban. they've never been in a major fighting seasons holding their own against the taliban so this spring, summer will be very telling. but up to now, it's been the american troops that have been doing most of the fighting and now it is very clear that the president is saying that they will not be doing so going forward. they will help the afghan troops to do that and that's really something that we don't know, whether they have the capacity or can we help them in the next two years develop that capacity. >> with less than 10,000 american troops on the ground, is america leaving behind the women and girls of afghanistan? >> by and large, yes, because we're really leaving the door open for the taliban to assert their control over large parts
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of the afghan territory. first of all, in the south and potentially in the north as well. and that means that it will be up to the taliban whether they want to impose the draconian rules that they had on women, as well as on the rest of the population. there's not going to be u.s. troops in villages in southern afghanistan to prevent the taliban from establishing that domination. >> you think that could happen, we could go back to that kind of draconian rule? >> it's possible. the taliban have learned a lot of things along the way. they've learned to use videos, western media, they've become a lot savvier. they may not go to the drastic draconian rule right away in order to be able to keep their political options open with the people of afghanistan. and also the people of afghanistan are now not much more technologically savvy and developed than they were and they may not be as willing to accept the taliban rule as they once did. but the taliban have not moved too far away from where they were in the past and there is
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reason for us to worry about what they have in mind for the future of afghanistan. >> it is a troubling future indeed for both america and for afghans. thank you so much. former advisor to the state department and to representative richard holbrooke and the dean at johns hopkins school of international studies. an important subject for all of us. on the program next, it may have been the act of violent alienated individual. but it's united a gender. after santa barbara, why are so many women saying yes, all women. find out up next. [ female announcer ] who are we? we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses,
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social media is on fire about yet another campus shooting. but it is what they're saying this time that makes this
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particular tragedy unusual. a searingly candid conversation about women. too afternoon face agriculture of hostility and violence. so how did a school shooting trigger a debate about feminism? well, the shooting and stabbing spree at uc santa barbara that killed six students and injured 13 more on friday was allegedly the work of one man, one delusional man exacting what he claimed was revenge against women who rejected him. in a chilling series of video logs, student elliot rodger said he felt "invisible" and complained about "just so many beautiful blonde haired girls walking around everywhere in your revealing shorts, your cascading blonde hair, your pretty faces, and i want one for a girlfriend." his final video just hours before the killing spree, he added, "i don't know why you girls aren't attracted to me but i will punish you all for it. it is an injustice. i don't know what you all see in me. i'm the perfect guy." that focus on women is what's
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triggering such an outcry on a mourning campus and across the internet and around the world. jennifer bjord bjordlund. women loomed large in the killer's motivations. what more are you learning? >> reporter: the fact that he was frustrated not being accepted by his peers, never being one of the crowd, not having any friends, and specifically not being attractive to women. that's what he says motivated what he called the his day of retribution. psychologists here in santa barbara told me to try to understand and try to make sense, especially, out of what exactly motivated him is few tile. you would have to share his mindset which he himself has called twisted from that manifesto which he called my twisted life. you were reading some from that.
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another point. summer, he says, is even worse than spring especially in santa barbara. flocks of hot, young girls go out in their shorts and bikinis and then continues on saying, knowing they gleefully show off their desirable forms yet they would never give me a chance to be their boyfriend only increased my already-boiling hatred against women. those are some of the motivating factors. doesn't explain why he did what he did. an australian website talking about the asperger's syndrome. notes that to bring it in the conversation as if that could independently plant murderous or misogynistic thoughts into his head can be seen as little more than an insult to everyone else with asperger's. it is hard to explain motivations when the view is so twisted. >> jennifer, thank you. it is a truly troubling story. people are just grappling with what could possibly motivate something like this. it is important to note that both men an women were victims here but the relentless blaming
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of women in rodger's videos, and the reaction some of those blames have received online. some chiming in here's what happened when you reject us. have spurred a global movement, #yesallwomen, a response to a prior viral hashtag, notallmen. not all men objectify women senlsl senselessly. 1.7 million stories tweet sod far. #yesallwomen because recognition of human dignity egg vats alevaf us. >> and this -- i shouldn't have to hold my car keys in hand like a weapon and check over my shoulder every few seconds when i walk at night.
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#yesallwomen. gloria all rred, a survive of a sexual assault. this raises all sorts of cultural challenges, campus safety, gun safety, mental health safety. is this broader conversation about the treatment of women really the most urgent response? >> i think it is a very, very important part of the conversation, ronan. my law firm does more women's rights cases as a private law firm than any other law firm in the nation and we deal with many cases of rape victims and sexual assault victims on college campuses. what i want to say is, the part of mental illness is male chauvinism. male chauvinism has been demonstrated, has been set by the american seek trick association to be a certifiable mental illness. it is dangerous to women's health. i've said that for years. because male chauvinism is all about an artificial stereotype
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about women and men. it is about power over women. it is about control over women. it's about treating women as sexual objects. all of that appeared to be present in the perpetrator of these horrific crimes. >> describing it as a mental health condition really does seem apt here. it was so engrained in his testimony as he returned to it again and again. it was a fundamental part of his world view. >> yes, exactly. his idea is he doesn't understand why women aren't attracted to him. well, you know, women want for the most part someone who's going to be an equal partner. they don't want to be talked to. they want to be talked with and they want to be listened to, most of all. not talked at. so these are the kinds of tips that could have been given to him in his therapy if in fact his therapist gave them to him. i don't know because nom not all therapists are feminists. not all therapists understand this is part of treating mental
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illness, understanding women are not objects, you don't move them along like action figures around the board. what do you is treat them as human beings and you understand that they have needs, too, and there is a way to have a relationship with them. but it is not about dominance, it is not about control. and the men who are victims here, too, are also possibly victims of this male chauvinistic outlook around the world. he says they could get the women, he couldn't. he was going to take retribution against them. well, maybe they had the skills that he hadn't yet developed and unfortunately, now they are victims and they are dead. >> so it is interesting to note that this might not be a question of either feminism or a mental health conversation. they may be one and the same. >> exactly. >> as is so often the case, this goes to more attenuating questions of where does this come from in our culture. a "washington post" film critic wrote that "neighbors," the frat boy comedy, could in part be blamed for rodger, this alleged perpetrator, feeling left out of
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the sex and pleasure of college life. she got into a fight with seth rogan, "i find your article horribly insulting and misinformed. how dare you say that caused a lunatic to go on a rampage." but is it appropriate to point the finger at culture? >> well, i think quite a bit of culture is still massage nisogy. not woman to just have sex with but real people who have hopes and dreams and goals. sex is a part of intimacy but it is not the only part of intimacy. other things are also important to women. like commitment. and loving and nurturing and caring. these are tips that boys need to
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learn. men need to learn. when they don't learn them, and when they think that it is okay to copy some of the movies that they see about how to treat women as objects of ridicule to be humiliated, to be sexually assaulted, they're learning the wrong lessons. that translates into life. that's dangerous to our daughters. that's dangerous to our sisters. that's dangerous to women everywhere. >> obviously the last few days illustrate that really vividly. so we've got this burgeoning social media movement. a lots of positive thoughts in that movement. how do you translate that into real change? >> well, i think one of the things i'm so proud of is these young women on the college campuses standing up, becoming empowered, saying, you know what? we are feminists. we want to be treated equally. we want to be treated equally in our personal relationship, in our social relationship. economically, politically. in each and every aspect of life, including employment and in education. they are a force to be reckoned with and that's very exciting.
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i think men need to take note and men like mr. rodger, especially, in therapy need to learn these skills. >> amen to that. gloria allred, thank you so much. >> thank you. later on our show, a story that also matters to a lot of women around this country. a shocking government backlog that may be stalling justice in hundreds of thousands of rape cases. find out what it is and why it may be subject to a coverup. stay with us. [ dennis ] it's always the same dilemma -- who gets the allstate safe driving bonus check. rock beats scissors! [ chuckles ] wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-906-8500 now. [ dennis ] zach really loves his new camera. problem is...this isn't zach. it's a friend of a friend who was at zach's party
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combat jets and helicopter gunships were used to turn the separatists back after the country elected a new president over the weekend, president poroshenko has compared the separatists to somali pirates and says he plans to meet with vladimir putin in june. lots of pressure on world powers at this point to act, including the u.s. though beyond the existing sanctions that seem to be doing little to hold russia at bay. we'll bring you more news on this and keeping an eye on how this develops. lot of troubling news there. now it is time for this week's "underreported" when you tell us what story you want us media types to cover more. use the #rfdunder. we'll collect that info throughout the next few days and report the winner for you. first, ahead on today's "rf daily," her life is an open book. we've got a sneak peek. it was the best of times, it was
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not a failure of the state department. hillary clinton in her own words -- right up next. [announcer] if your dog can dream it, purina pro plan can help him achieve it. ♪ driving rock/metal music stops ♪music resumes music stops ♪music resumes [announcer] purina pro plan's bioavailable formulas deliver optimal nutrient absorption. [whistle] purina pro plan. nutrition that performs. what if it were more than something to share? what if a photo could build that shelf you've always wanted? or fix a leaky faucet? or even give you your saturday back? the new snapfix app revolutionizes local service. just snap a photo and angie's list coordinates a top-rated provider to do the work on your schedule.
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something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. or just something old and stale, according to karl rove. >> we are 20 years past the point at which bill clinton was elected president. in american politics, there's a sense that you want to be new, that you don't want to be too familiar, you want to be something fresh. you don't want to be something that's old and stale. >> no, he's not talking about himself. he's talking about hillary clinton. first she's brain damaged, now she's old and stale. they really know how to make a gal feel good about herself, don't you, cakarl? one of a new are flurry of attacks. "hard choices." today we get a first look at
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those hard choices. this morning the book's publisher released the text and audio of the four-page author's note. in it she talks about why she decided to write the book and some of the challenges she's met throughout her career. >> when i chose to leave a career as a young lawyer in washington to move to arkansas to marry bill, and start a family, my friends asked -- are you out of your mind? i heard similar questions when i took on health care reform as first lady, ran for office myself, and accepted president barack obama's offer to represent our country as secretary of state. >> literature isn't dead. joining me now, corey dade of the root and robert costa of the "washington post." corey, in this author's note she says this boom is not for anyone looking for a washington soap opera. she justifies why she wrote the book. how critical was it for her to explain why this book is coming out, why now? >> ronan, that group is going to
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be the main group defining -- at least trying to define this book on both sides of the political aisle. but hillary's been out of the game politically since 1 22008. she does have to kind of reintroduce herself to the american public. but really karl rove was right on one point, that americans do like freshness. they like something that's new and obviously hillary was a victim of that with barack obama in 2008. now this book lays out basically kind of a new vision for america that hillary wants to start to articulate. she's not going to do that completely in the book but it lays the groundwork. from here on out this book becomes the means by which she gets vetted both inside and outside the party for her run for presidency probably in 2008. >> that was a much more diplomatic rendering of the old and stale argument. there's another part of the book where secretary clinton talks
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about the president. >> these years were also a personal journey for me. both literally, i ended up visiting 112 countries and traveling nearly 1 million miles -- and figuratively from the painful end of the 2008 campaign, to an unexpected partnership and friendship with my former rival, barack obama. >> she also goes back to the bin laden raid, she talks about how that was a courageous display of leadership, is the quote she has about the president if that context. going forward, robert, is the relationship with president obama a benefit or liability for her? >> i think she sees it partially as a benefit. we can detect from this introduction a certain confidence from secretary clinton. she's reflecting on her experience at the state department. she's not on the defensive. and it is interesting that she's citing president obama in a positive way. i don't think she's looking to run necessarily for his third term but she's trying to use his record, his popularity among progressive grassroots and using that to bounce into the balance 2016 race as someone who can be
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their champion as well. >> we heard karl rove talk about clinton being stale, part after series of not-so-nice comments about her. is he assuming the role at this point of testing out potential gop lines of attack? >> oh, absolutely. the gop has already started to pick apart this book and really, benghazi is an example of it. they are looking to do anything to start finding ways to hit at not only hillary but tie her inextricably to obama. what you're also seeing inside the democratic party, there are certain people who aren't necessarily getting on the hillary train just yet. i think that's probably healthy for the party. what they're trying to tell the hillary camp is they are going to have to come to them and court them and use their sort of agenda to bake into her platform so that she's not the sort of candidate of inevitability this year again. >> talk about this a little bit. an article in politico today talks about some of those
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democrats who are a little more wary of a clinton run. specifically on that point, they said, "they're not outwardly opposed to a clinton candidacy but they are anxious about the spectacle of a clinton juggernaut after seeing what happened last time when she ran a campaign of inevitability. robert, do you think there is any way she can avoid of inevitable label this time? >> i think what we're seeing right now in the democratic party is an acceptance that she is a juggernaut but there are still many ambitious democrats on the national scene. they're looking at 2016 and wondering, if president obama was able to beat her in a primary in 2008, couldn't she be challenged again? i think you'll see people like governor brown in california, maybe governor patrick in massachusetts. maybe they don't jump into the race but they'll be on the sidelines wondering if the ko i
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corenation. our political panel explains why today's lone star state race matters to you. up next. this is the first power plant in the country to combine solar and natural gas at the same location. during the day, we generate as much electricity as we can using solar. at night and when it's cloudy, we use more natural gas. this ensures we can produce clean electricity whenever our customers need it. ♪ those little cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain,
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to prove that it's still fresh on day 30. [ byron ] what do you guys think of the smell? fresh. i forgot we were in a taxi. this is a febreze vent clip. it's 30 days old. wow! no way. [ male announcer ] febreze keeps your car fresh for up to 30 days without fading. how strong do you like your tea? that's one question facing texas voters today. it is election day in the lone star state with a runoff for races where no primary candidate got more than 50% in march. the main attraction, the republican lieutenant governor's race. long-time incumbent david dewhurs tchldewhu dewhurst earned just 28% of the
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vote. his opponent had a focus on immigration. >> dewhurst leadership, the senate passed an expansion of free health care to illegal immigrants. more taxpayer funded benefits for illegal immigrants. >> it is that republican tone on immigration that democrats hope is going to make this a close race come november. why might that be? well, i recently spoke to the democratic candidate in the lieutenant governor's race who thinks one of the keys to success could be the latino vote. >> i'm the senator from antonio. >> she is her party's best bet for 2014. a latina candidate in the state where hispanic voters could transform the political map and turn the lone star state blue. >> what makes democrats feel right now that texas is winnable
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after decades of republican rule? >> texas is winnable. exactly because of decades of republican rule. >> reporter: the state senator from san antonio could help democrats pull off something they haven't been able to do in 20 years. win state wide office. it was 1994 when george w. bush defeated the last democratic governor here, feisty political firebrand ann richards. >> ginger rogers did everything that fred astaire did. she just did it backwards and in high heels. >> this year, wendy davis wants to take back that seat. a ticket that has texas democrats more hopeful than they have been in years. texas has been a republican stronghold for decades but democrats in this upcoming election cycle are hoping that the steady stream of traffic over border crossings like this one could be a game changer.
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latinos comprise 38% of all texas, a voting bloc that at least one republican candidate for lieutenant governor isn't focused on romancing. >> i have a tough stance on securing the border. stop the invasion. >> reporter: for this candidate, this is personal. >> my grandmothers happened to have been born in mexico. and when they say ugly things like that, they're disrespecting my family. and the families of the people who are here. >> reporter: it is a message texas democrats have heard loud and clear. >> we've been losing elections in texas for too long. >> reporter: this is the first latino to chair texas' democratic party. he sees the hispanic vote as an untapped opportunity. >> the biggest part of our base that doesn't turn out are hispanics. >> reporter: she hopes to mob e mobilize that vote. you saw a lot of latinas, more than 3 million stay at home this last time around.
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>> nobody has come and asked them for their vote. >> and you're doing that now. >> exactly. >> reporter: she has her work cut out for her. new voter i.d. laws are making it harder to vote and a majority of texas latinos who could vote aren't even registered. but this six-generation texan has a lot riding on changing that. >> as our friends at nbc's political unit put it today, don't be surprised if lieutenant governor race has va deputte in a closer general election contest than the one for governor, greg abbott versus wendy davis. there is a lot at stake here. can the state senator fire up latino voters in this election? wayne slater, senior political writers from texas. with the tea party on the rise in texas and texas republicans seemingly steering further and further right actually, do you think the latino vote can help
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democrats win in november? >> well, absolutely it can help. for the reasons you just set out. i mean the democrats are hoping that dan patrick, the challenger of the incumbent, the establishment republican wins, he likely will win today, be the nominee. he becomes a fat target for democrats who are able to say, listen to the tone. exactly what you just showed. where the nominee of the republican party, if dan patrick is the nominee, is talking about immigrants as invaders, that this is an invasion. so it is likely to help. but don't make any mistake, nobody should mistake the size of this mountain. it is a big one. no republican has been elected to any state -- no democrat has been elected to any statewide office since 1994. so it is a big, big hill to climb. >> one of the most interesting potential outcomes is could this be a split ticket? that's what happened in 1994 when they elected george w. bush governor but kept democrats on
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the rest of the ticket. you think that's realistic this year? >> it's possible. very, very possible. again, leticia van deputte, likely to bring out hispanic support in some numbers in the fall, is a candidate who could, as a democrat, be the first one to win. very likely. i think your political unit is exactly right. i think whatever the outcome is in november, the democratic lieutenant governor's race, leticia van deputte is likely to have a bigger vote total than wendy davis. question democrats have to ask is, there will be enough organizing effort, there will be enough excitement, there will be enough in the message for both democrats to get out a record number of hispanic voters in the fall. if they do, it could be a big surprise. if democrats win, that would be a big surprise. >> wayne, another big issue in addition to getting out the hispanic vote is women and
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women's issues in this election. one of the big moments that put van deputte on the map was her leaving her father's funeral to join wendy davis' phfilibuster. how big a role will gender play in this election? >> an enormous role. greg abbott, the republican front-runner in the govern he's race stumbled a series of times and sort of offered himself as a target in the war against women allegation that democrats are going to offer. so it could be enormous. the key here, i think, is not just the growth of hispanics and women, but the fear that tea party successes might drain the treasury of education money, highway money and other things. the question is, not whether texas will turn blue, but it's when will it happen. >> well, it is a lot that could change here. wayne slater, we will appreciate your insights and will watch this in the coming days and months.
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there are over 400,000 of these gathering dust around the country. what are they and why is it such an imperative that we do something about them? for all of our safety. up next.
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every two minutes somebody in america is sexually assaulted. that's a startling statistic. but what if it doesn't stop there? what if the evidence collected from those sexual assaults sits on a shelf, untested, ignored, for years? that's this week's call to action. ending a national backlog of rape kits. so what's a rape kit? well, it is a collection of evidence, possibly including dna, that little bit can test to identify and prosecute a rapist. but 400,000 of them are sitting untested nationwide. the national institute of justice estimates that number and it could be even higher according to some sources. each represents a potential
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rapist walking free. and a victim without justice. and one of the problems is that too few cities are being transparent about these backlogs. transparent about these backlogs. these are the cities that released their numbers according to the joyful heart foundation. cities like memphis who have the highest amount, and detroit, the second highest, at 11,341 untested kits. we're going to focus on these cities and clearing out the bag log this week. we're going to meet survivors of rain. survivors like megan, whose kit sat untested for nine years. >> when you went through that very invasive process, you did it with an expectation? >> i did, of course. i don't think that anyone would consent to a procedure down by law enforcement if you didn't have that expectation. you know, why would i give you
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this evidence if i didn't think you were going to use it? >> something that might help megan's cause? $36 million in grants to help end the bag lock as part of the 2015 commerce justice and science bill. that is up for a vote later in the week. joining me now is sarah who -- and natasha, whose rape kit sat on a self-for nearly a decade. >> i heard this was a problem that just grew and grew and they didn't want to talk about for a long time. why the backlog? why for so long? >> it exists for two main reasons. one is resources. it takes a lot of money, time, and energy to test kits. but the primary reason is a matter of priorities. the backlog is a very tangible
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symbol of the gaps and intellects. they are rape cases that didn't get very far in the system. they didn't lead to an arrest or a prosecution. >> what do you think culturally leads to that? we heard from victims that were regarded with skepticism about their accusation of rape. >> absolutely, it's not just a law enforcement problem, but a community problem. many times we judge the victims and we may more tension to the victims than the perpetrator. >> that was that your experience? >> yes, and it's a public safety
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issue, and when you're looking at these rain kits, that kit contains someone whose body was essentially a crime scene. certainly the case with myself when i was sexually assaulted. it's a very arguous process. so it's just a travesty. it's a public safety issue and it leads to a victim being revictimized as you mentioned. >> and sarah, you have an announcement about what the joyful heart foundation is. >> so many cities don't give is information about how big the problem is. we enlisted two law firms that are helping us with public records requests in 15 major
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cities across the country so we can understand ho u big this problem is. and we can put a spotlight on these cities. >> we heard on the ground and in a lot of law enforcement that that support helps a lot. we also have a political push on this. members this week are voting an $36 million to help end this back john log. natasha, what would you say to members of congress facing this vote? >> sexual assault faces everyone. it could be a mother, sister, a friend. and i think it's really important to shed a light on this issue. when you have these criminals walking around on the street, and you know you have a tremendous instrument that's able to put the perpetrator behind bars, ignoring them is ignoring the needs of the citizens of this country and they're well-being. >> that's at lot of help for
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women and men. we're going to keep an eye on this story all week long and what on the joyful heart foundation is doing. we're asking you to add jr. signature to our letter to the shares of the house and senate appropriation committee. we're asking them to ensure the inclusion of $36 million in funding for the 2015 fiscal year. that's part of the commerce justice and science appropriations bill. it's already been line items in there to end the baglog of rainkrai rape kits across the country. we will be spending the letter to capitol hill at the end of the week. also tweet and use the hashtag end the backlog. thank you both for joining me. that wraps things up for todays edition of "rf daily."
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check out my show weekdays at 1:00 p.m. now we have joy reid. >> coming up next on "the reid report." we'll have a president's major announcement about afghanistan coming up live. and a question about guns and why can't we seem to stop them. the reid report starts now. i don't want to think about the alternative. i don't even know how to answer that. i mean, no one knows how long their money is going to last. i try not to worry, but you worry. what happens when your paychecks stop? because everyone has retirement questions. ameriprise created the exclusive confident retirement approach. to get the real answers you need. start building your confident retirement today.
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when will enough people say stop this madness, we don't have to live like this? too many have died. we should say to ourselves not one more. >> just days after the masker at the uc santa barbara cam pus, where does the gun debate go now. what can be done to prevent's massacre. websites that preach men's rights. >> is senator richard burr playing politics with our veterans. we'll tell you what he said that's causing outrage from major national organizations. we start with breaking news from the white house where president obama will make a major announce want about the future of u.s. forces in afghanistan. nbc's