will head to the white house to meet with president obama and discuss his plans to stem the growing sectarian violence in iraq. and while the white house appears to have ruled out conventional troops and manned air strikes, drone strikes and other military options are still possibilities. as the insurgent forces inch closer to baghdad. earlier this morning house speaker john boehner took aim at what republicans say is a white house that is late to the crisis. >> the president's been watching what we've been watching for over a year. as the situation in iraq continu continued to be undermined. and yet nothing, nothing has happened to try to reverse it. i'm hoping we'll hear something today. >> today the sunni forces led by the islamic state of iraq and al sham took control of iraq's largest oil refinery with reports that baghdad international airport may be their next target. joining me now is michelle fluornoy, co-founder of the center for new american security

and michelle served as undersecretary of defense for policy from 2009 to 2012. michelle, thanks for being here. and i want to start by asking you to follow up on what we just heard from house speaker john boehner, which is that this far into the crisis the white house should have done something. what something could the white house have done at this point? >> i actually think the administration is focused on the most important thinking, which is to engage with all the political parties in iraq, sunni, shia, and kurd, trying to get to a more inclusive government situation. remember why this is happening. this crisis on the ground is happening because prime minister maliki has taken a very sectarian approach to governance, marginalizing the sunni population, and basically creating a situation where they are turning and welcoming in sunni terrorist groups like isis. so the core driver of this is political, and that's where the

first area of focus needs to be. and i think the administration is rightly focused there. >> and to your point, this is a problem that has a solution that needs to be located in prime minister maliki's governance. the "washington post" today reports that essentially hopes for a political solution such as what you've just described are actually dimming. and the "post" reports that iraqi prime minister nouri al maliki is actually tate tightening his hold on power in response to the catastrophe in iraq. negotiations on the formation of a new government have been suspended and instead shiite factions which had sought to prevent maliki from securing a third term in office by aligning with sunni and kurdish politicians have thrown their support behind him. that sounds like a devolving situation, not an improving one. >> yeah, i don't think it's moving in the right direction. but i think it's important for the united states and frankly all of the neighboring states and the broader international community to say to maliki, either you come up with a more inclusive approach to government or you're not going to last. i mean, this is something that

has to be fundamentally changed at the political level. i think the other thing we need to be doing is engaging the countries on the periphery, particularly iran. to exercise restraint. not to pour fuel on the fire by sending in their proxies and simply sort of inflaming what could become a renewed civil war. >> you know, you have had this narrative on the right, although no one will come out and say they think we should go back in with troops, but that there's something the u.s. should be doing. thomas friedman, not someone i often agree with on much of anything when it comes to his analysis of the middle east, he actually had something interesting to say on that front. and he essentially said this is why we should stay out of this fight. he said "for now i'd say stay out of this fight. not because it's the best option but because it's the least bad. there is no denying that terrorism could be exported our way from iraq's new radicalized sunni stn, but we have a national security agency, cia, and drones to deal with that now ever-present threat." do you agree that at this point

there really isn't much that the united states could do militarily to reverse the civil war in iraq? >> i think our options are limited, but i don't think that they're non-existent. so i do think putting some special forces on the ground to advise iraqi military units to be more effective and to stop incursions all the way into iraq. we do not want to see baghdad lost, the baghdad airport lost. i mean, if you see this country being overrun by isis, i think that would be a very, very negative outcome for us. i think we want to help the iraqi forces be more effective in dealing with them. and leave other options like air support on the table if we're able to develop the intelligence necessary to make those effective and ensure we're not striking civilians inadvertently. >> i'm wondering if maybe sort of an old solution might come

back to the fore. in terms of protecting the one part of iraq that seems to be semi-stable, which is the kurdish part of iraq. interesting developments in the last 48 hours. that the ruling party in turkey, which is called the justice and peace party, i believe it's called. they have now said that they would actually be open to -- that turkey would be open to the idea of kurdish self-rule. the justice and development party. sorry. what do you make of that party in the quote being the kurds of iraq can decide for themselves the name and type of entity they're living in. that was first picked up in the u.s. by the huffington post. what do you think of that development? >> i think it's a very interesting shift on the part of turkey. the truth is kurdistan is the most prosperous, well-governed part of iraq. they have their own security forces, the peshmerga. they have moved forward to secure their positions and protect themselves. so it's very unlikely that they will be threatened by isis in

this conflict. they're sort of taking their own territory off the table and waiting to see what happens. the real question is can this terrorist onslaught be stopped before it rolls across baghdad and would become much more difficult to deal with over time? >> and i want to give you an opportunity just to listen to defense secretary chuck hagel and his response to those who essentially blame the united states for the status of iraq right now. please take a listen. >> it wasn't that the united states had lost anything. we turned a pretty significant situation over, as you noted, for the very reasons you noted, to the iraqi people when we phased out of our military involvement in iraq. so we have done everything we could to help them. but it's up to the iraqis. >> and when he says it's up to the iraqis, does that mean the maliki government or are there any other parties in iraq that

might be able to come to the table? is it alli al sistani? is there anybody there that you think could effect positive change at this point? >> actually, i think the only way that we're going to get toward any sort of reestablishment of stability is to get other parties to the table to have sistani acting positively, to bring the sunni tribes back to the table, to bring the kurds and their leverage to the table. and again, the message to maliki has to be either you govern in a much more inclusive way that's truly representative of the full population of iraq or you need to step aside and let someone else step in who can do that because you're risking renewed civil war if you don't. >> indeed. michelle flournoy, thank you very much for your insights. >> thank you. >> msnbc's eamon moyhadin is watching developments in iraq. i don't know if you had a chance to hear michelle flournoy but she was talking about the requirement at this point that a solution come from the maliki

government, that he begin to dial back the sectarian behavior and somehow bring the other parties of other sects to the table. do you see any evidence that the maliky government is trying to do that? >> right now we can only go with what we're seeing in public and anecdotally what we're hearing behind the scenes. and officially what we're hearing in public seems to be the prime minister trying to strike a tone of national reconciliation. he's trying to say this is not about shia muslims versus sunni muslims. he is trying to say this is all about iraq. but right now that doesn't seem to be resonating with the sunni arab population in the northwest part of the country. more importantly, what is happening behind the scenes. and i think from all of the anecdotal evidence we've seen there's not enough that is going out to -- not enough reaching out to the sunni arab community to try to bring them back into the fold, to promise to address their grievances, to try to build a more pluralistic and inclusive political framework in which these individuals can have a say and participatory voice in

what is happening in iraq. >> and what can you tell us about apparently the crumbling of this attempt to form a new government that did at some point seem to have support from sun sunni, shia, and kurdish elements that were trying to come together and malikly apparently seeking to hold on to power. can you tell us anything about that? >> this country recently had elections. they're supposed to be swearing in a new parliament, new coalition government that's supposed to come into power. prime minister maliki and his party don't have a majority of the seats in the parliament. they have to reach out and form a coalition government so they can actually rule. but it doesn't seem for the time being that he's reaching across the political divide. he's going to other political parties that along sectarian lines are more loyal to him to try to build that majority to get the seats in parliament so he can stay as prime minister. the question is whether or not some of the regional allies including iran, perhaps even the united states and saudi arabia want to see the prime minister remain in office. and i think that is the challenge he is facing.

he's trying to face the domestic pressures and perhaps some of the regional tensions as well to force him out of office. >> doesn't sound like a good picture. nbc's ayman moyheldin, thank you very much. appreciate it. and coming up -- >> he needs to be interrogated extensively, and i hope that will occur. there has been a tendency in this administration, as you know, to treat this like a law enforcement matter. read them their rights and get them a lawyer. >> the alleged benghazi mastermind is in u.s. hands and being brought to justice but the president's critics are still piling on. plus, great news on the health care front. but you won't hear that from republicans. we've got a checkup with james roosevelt jr., a health care executive and the grandson of fdr. and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience

the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira today. remission is possible.

right now the suspected mastermind behind the 2012 terror attack on an american diplomatic compound and a cia outpost in benghazi, libya is in u.s. custody. not surprisingly, the libyan government is condemning the arrest, saying it violates their sovereignty. still, according to u.s. officials ahmed abu khatallah is on board the "uss new york" headed for the u.s. capital. he'll face what president obama has vowed will be the full weight of the u.s. justice system. but while hashtag benghazi has been a galvanizing issue on the right, this major arrest and the possibility that it could lead to answers to the questions republicans say they still have about benghazi, this major arrest is not being greeted as good news on the right. among those republicans talking about it, it is being met with complaints. senators john mccain and lindsay graham, the perennial foreign policy tag team for the gop, have both weighed in. mccain told reporters,

"khatallah ought to be held at guantanamo," which he has previously said we should close. graham tweeted, "naval vessels were never meant to be detention and interrogation sit sites #benghazi." now, indeed republicans could barely bring themselves to acknowledge, much less applaud a major development in a tragedy that sparked 13 public hearings, 25,000 pages of documents, and 50 separate hearings. as michael thomasky aptly points out in today's daily beast the republican response has been driven mostly by disappointment because just as they were all set to unveil their new select committee to keep benghazi in the news obama has to come and bring the alleged ringleader to justice. michael thomasky is a special correspondent at the daily beast and he does join me now. so michael, the sort of crux of the outrage over benghazi, the #benghazi, that version of it, has been driven by a video -- has been driven by an appearance that susan rice made on certain sunday shows after at tack. let me play that for you.

>> this is a response to a hateful and offensive video that was widely disseminated throughout the arab and muslim world. >> and this is what you said about that particular outrage. you said, did the benghazi attack in the larger scope of things happen because of a video or because there wasn't enough constant security? neither. it happened because the united states went into the arab world and spent a decade making gratuitous violence. does it surprise you then, sir, that now you have hillary clinton weighing in on that exact same topic and saying the following? >> this was the fog of war. you know, my own assessment careened from the video had something to do with it, the video had nothing to do with it. >> at this point what state are we at what the video plays into benghazi? >> it's interesting that she said that. as for my quote, i was talking about just the larger history and the last ten years in the global war on terror and all of that. excuse me.

i still stick with the exhaustive report that david kirkpatrick did in the "new york times" about six months ago where he found that the video was in fact pretty crucial to the motivations of the people who did carry out that attack. and i see that khatallah, in custody now, says that the video may have played a role. so you know, i think we'll find something out about this from him, from his trial, and we'll find something out about it i suppose from these hearings that the house republicans want to hold. but we're never going to find out anything, joy, that's going to be absolutely 100% proof positive that's going to satisfy you know who. >> and what's interesting is you characterize sort of the response to this arrest as kind of disappointment and the sort of letdown that now the guy's in custody sort of the wind is kind of out of people's sails. and i kind of feel the same way about that report about the video because this did come out in december. it was reiterated in the "new york times" yesterday. that you know, what guys? turns out susan rice didn't make

that up. that was the assessment of the cia. because that turns out to be actually a pretty accurate assessment. so do you think that now the sort of dispiriting effect of both the video information and the arrest may actually make #benghazi kind of go away? >> i think you're overestimating some people in our political discourse. i don't think it's going to go away until the obama presidency is over and the hillary clinton 2016 campaign, assuming there is one, is over. and if she's president it may never go way for the next four or eight years. it's always going to be around with tees people. but the key question is not whether they're going to keep carrying on. the key question is whether majorities of the american public are going to be persuaded by that carrying on. and i don't think they have been. i know some polls have come out since the republicans announced the formation of this committee that say people support the creation of the committee. however, those same polls also say that people think the republicans are doing this

purely for political reasons. i just don't think that unless there's some blazing new revelation that they're going to persuade a majority of american people that there's blood on anybody's hands here. >> yeah. the other interesting thing, and you linked to actually a study in your article that talks about some of the other new kind of talking point that people are seizing on, which is this idea that khatallah is going to be tried in court rather than i guess sent to gitmo or held in a military commissions trial. and you write this. you basically write that up through 2011 according to nyu law school center for law and security, the bush and obama administrations have commenced the prosecution of more than 300 cases in civilian courts for an 87% conviction rate. by contrast, we convicted via military tribunal up through 2011 a grand total of seven defendants. with that track record, why do you suppose this meme is so durable, even with john mccain, who said he wanted to close gitmo, that we should somehow go

back to the bush era strategy of throwing people in a gulag and never actually trying people in court? >> that tweet from mccain you cited was pretty incredible. they'll say anything. the track record. because what prnlg of the american people know that track record? i wish a much vaster percentage of the american public read mime tomasky's column than actually does. but they don't. they know that 5%, 3% of the american public knows those statistics. but they know that unkingdevery conservative around the country when they hear the phrase miranda rights they'll go grrr. they know that. it wasn't even a month ago. or maybe it was a month and two days ago that federal prosecutors in new york won the conviction of that london imam on every count. he's not going to be sentenced until september. so we'll see what the sentence is. but they convicted this guy in a civilian court on every count. every single count. civilian trials can work just fine.

>> indeed. i read michael tomasky's column every time it comes out. >> good for you. >> everyone should do the same. really appreciate you being here. thanks, man. >> my pleasure. cheers. all right. we're going to do a quick read alert on the congressional hearing into the recalls at general motors. the government is investigating why gm waited more than a decade to recall cars with an ignition switch problem that has been tied to more than a dozen debts. ceo mary barra told a house subcommittee this is simply not acceptable. >> this is not another business challenge. this is a tragic problem that should never have happened and must never happen again. >> relatives of the victims spoke out today and they're demanding more responsibility from the car company. >> amber died on july 29th, 2005 when her airbags failed to deploy. amber died, as so many others died, at the hands of gm. >> gm needs to accept responsibility for what they have done and make things right for all these families behind me

including my son that has to live the rest of his life the way he is. >> gm has recalled more than 20 million vehicles this year. 20 million. we'll be right back. bill have you seen my keys anywhere? i'll help you look. maybe you left them in the bathroom again. it's just the strangest thing... the warning signs of alzheimer's disease, may be right in front of you. it's alright baby. for help and information, call the alzheimer's association or visit alz.org/10signs

what's your favorite kind of cheerios? honey nut. but... chocolate is my other favorite... oh yeah, and frosted! what's your most favorite of all? hmm...the kind i have with you. me too. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ [ birds squawking ] my mom makes airplane engines that can talk. [ birds squawking ] ♪ my mom makes hospitals you can hold in your hand. ♪ my mom can print amazing things right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ]

my mom makes trains that are friends with trees. [ train whistle blows ] ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ my mom works at ge. [meow mix jingle slowly anright on cue.cks] [cat meows] ♪meow, meow, meow, meow... it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with great taste and 100% complete nutrition, it's the only one cats ask for by name.

coming up, on reading between the lines, we haven't forgotten all about those kidnapped nigerian school girls. we'll have an update. but unfortunately, the news is not what we'd like to report. but first it's time for the stories you can't stop buzzing about on social media in a little segment we like to call we the tweeple. the capture of the mastermind behind the benghazi terror attacks may have elicited a sad face and a tiny headline from matt drudge. tweeter james o'connor offered "capture of benghazi terrorist is just a shiny object to

distract low information voters from scandal overlord. sad times for usa. #tcot." or bed newman, another tcot member who tweeted "suddenly we capture a benghazi suspect. the only thing that's suspect is the timing. #tcot." there was always "skepticism of news director rick klein who offered remarkable timing for hillary. benghazi suspect captured hours before her fox news interview. london observer columnist michael cohen summed things up with this perfect comedic tame take. the obama administration capture of benghazi ringleader is clearly an effort to distract attention from benghazi. #benghazi. but the best may have come from former one-term congressman and the e-mail fund-raiser in chief alan west who launched his tweet with "squirrel. benghazi suspect vently captured to deflect aattention from all the other nightmares." yes, alan, that's exactly what happened. click to donate. and speaking of girls, there actually is one. and he's ginormous. like the easter bunny.

but unlike the easter bunny he also worked for the republican national committee. the hrc squirrel was rolled out last week complete with his own twitter handle and of course a handy donation page and he ee eeps out pithy puns about hillary clinton like retweet and donate now if you think another clinton in the white house is nuts. get it? the squirrel also shows up places hillary goes like a book signing on friday where he gave out high fives. the squirrel has invited mockery including democratic national committee communications director mo alifi who recently tweeted "my pledge as long as i work for the democrats, we will never communicate through the voice of a rodent." hrc squirrel responded "i prefer siurius politikcus and i understand why you'd want to quiet any voice that speaks the truth about hillary clinton's past." "i hope you'll make the hard choice and read my book." that's very clever, hillary. except squirrels can't read. join the conversation with fellow reid report fans on twitter, ib sta gram and

facebook and keep telling us what's important to us. now this news, california lawmakers reject a law to require warning labels on sodas and other sugary drinks. here's where the fight against soft drinks stands now. [ female announcer ] there's a gap out there. that's keeping you from the healthcare you deserve. at humana, we believe if healthcare changes, if it becomes simpler... if frustration and paperwork decrease... if grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home... the gap begins to close. so let's simplify things. let's close the gap between people and care. ♪

cut! [bell rings] this...is jane.

her long day on set starts with shoulder pain... ...and a choice take 6 tylenol in a day which is 2 aleve for... ...all day relief. hmm. [bell ring] "roll sound!" "action!" now they're part of our 2 for $25 guest favorites!r one olive garden dishes. get your all-time favorites like creamy chicken alfredo. plus unlimited salad and breadsticks and dessert. 2 for $25 guest favorites at olive garden. listen. did you hear that? that's the sound of silence. specifically silence on the american right because nearly nine months after the unquestionably rocky roll out-of-the affordable care act act lost obamacare is working. insurers are flocking to obamacare. the l.a. times reports on a study showing young adults are healthier after passage of

obamacare. and wait for it. none other than louisiana senator david vitter says he'd consider expanding medicaid as louisiana governor if he's elected next year. in fact, as this vox article reports, millions of americans are paying less for obama care than cable. and no, that was not a swipe at our parent company but merely an observation based on the numbers released by the white house today. according to the u.s. department of health and human services, average premiums paid by those receiving a government tax credit under obamacare range from $68 to $220 per month. that's an average of $82 per month. now no, one saying that the affordable care act is perfection. even president obama has called it a work in progress. what we are saying is that it's working. the question is, how long will this ponderous silence go on? james roosevelt jr. is ceo of tufts health plan and he's also the grandson of president franklin roosevelt, who i have to say is my favorite president and not just because you're here. thank you for being here, sir. so let's talk about the particulars of the affordable

care act. you have a situation where more than 8 million people have actually enrolled in the law, where medicaid enrollment is up 15%, and where 3 million people are actually paying less than $100 per month. and yet it still doesn't poll very well. why do you suppose that the affordable care act in practice and in function is being so successful but is still sort of empirically despised by not a majority but a plurality of americans? >> well, you know -- and thank you very much for having me. it's great to be with you. i enjoy the program. >> thank you. >> you've had this relentless assault from the right, from republicans, from governors like the current governor of louisiana on obamacare. actually, if you ask people do they like the affordable care act, they like that better than obamacare, even though they're exactly the same thing. and i think that if you ask people about the specific elements of it, covering their kids up to age 26, no co-pays or

deductibles for preventive care, and now the way the premiums are coming in, people like each part of it. it's just -- what you see in polling right now is it's still a reaction to this relentless assault. >> yeah. and you obviously have a very unique position because of your family heritage. and your grandfather really relentlessly pushing through a social security system, which was also initially very much opposed as unneeded welfare. and it was not exactly something that sailed through or was popular in the beginning either. and this push for over 100 years for democrats from truman on to try to add to that universal health care. from that perspective sort of how do you view this passage and i guess the reception universal health care has gotten in a country that is post new deal? >> you're absolutely right. social security squeaked through congress. and originally had health care in it. and it had to be taken out in

order to get the other features of it through congress. if you try to take it away now, you have touched the third rail of american politics as george w. bush proved when he tried to privatize it in 2005. so you know, sometimes the right and republicans never give up, but gradually people come to appreciate the benefits of these programs that really involve all americans. that's what it's really about, is giving all americans access to the basics. >> yeah. and we also -- another interesting piece of your family history in perspective. is this notion of a presidency. i think president obama's presidency has been declared d.o.a. about probably 40,000 times since he was elected. and so we now reach a point now where his poll numbers are actually really underwater. our latest nbc/"wall street journal" poll shows people asking can president obama still lead and get things done?

just 42% of people saying yes. 54% saying no. and a real sense of malaise and i guess people kind of being very negative on all aspects of the presidency even though on a policy level president obamobam policies are actually popular with the american people. talk about that a little bit from the perspective of somebody whose grandfather went through a much longer obviously period of the presidency. >> you know, it's absolutely true. even though he was elected president four times, my grandfather went through tremendous ups and downs including after his biggest victory in 1936. shortly thereafter there was tremendous pressure that caused him to make big cuts in some of the programs that he had produced and that actually brought the depression back onto the stage more strongly. and yet social security was being implemented. and we've just seen during the obama presidency a very serious economic recession muted by the

fact we had social security, that we had federal bank insuran insurance. and now the necessity of health care is something that people are going to be able to count on. we are seeing the, by the way, free market approach to health care because you see insurers as a matter of competition in the free market choosing to come in, bringing in competitive plans with competitive benefits at competitive prices. why? not because it's a matter of ideology. because it's what people want to buy. >> indeed. just to wrap up, as an administrator, somebody who deals with the health care system directly, what do you think -- how do you think the affordable care act will obviously change? it's going to to be as social security did, as medicare did. what changes do you see on the horizon or do you think would help to make the law better? >> first of all, the mechanical problems will gradually be worked out. all the things about the website, which are still a work

in progress, those will gradually be worked out, as they are on every program. secondly, we will see more choices for people. not just more insurers offering more plans but possibly more categories. possibly a -- right now we look at four different levels of health plan. we may see five after a while. those are the sorts of things that will work themselves out as the american people express their views and become comfortable with the substance rather than focusing on the ridiculous rhetoric. >> indeed. james roosevelt jr., thank you so much for being here. >> very glad to be here, thanks. >> and up next, now even the federal government is saying that the name of washington's pro football team is disparaging. we will explain. but first, an update on the violent tornadoes that have been slamming nebraska. this one hovered over the plains of the northeastern town of cole ridge yesterday. and luckily, no one was hurt.

but this comes just a day after a rare pair of fatal tornadoes hit 45 miles north of the town of pilger, reaching a level of i think 4 out of a maximum of 5 and destroying most of the town and killing two people. we'll be right back. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. mmmhmmm...everybody knows that.

well, did you know that old macdonald was a really bad speller? your word is...cow. cow. cow. c...o...w... ...e...i...e...i...o. [buzzer] dangnabbit. geico. fifteen minutes could save you...well, you know.

so i can reach ally bank 24/7 but there are24/7branches? i'm sorry- i'm just really reluctant to try new things. really? what's wrong with trying new things?

you feel that in your muscles? yeah...i do... drink water. it's a long story. well, not having branches lets us give you great rates and service. i'd like that. experience a new way to bank where no branches = great rates. ally bank. your money needs an ally. football, what the rest of the world calls football and we call soccer, might be big news these days with the world cup. but today american football is making major headlines. the u.s. pat sxent trademark office announced today it's canceling the trademark registration of washington, d.c.'s professional football team. team owner daniel snyder maintains that the name of the team, a racial slur i won't say here, is meant to be respectful of native american heritage and tradition. but after an eight-year review

the patent office has ruled in favor of the five native american plaintiffs who brought the suit and maintain the name is a racial slur. pressure to change the name has also come from a chorus of critics including 50 u.s. senators who sent a letter to the nfl in may pushing for a change. senator harry reid had this to say to snyder today after the announcement. >> daniel snyder says it's about tradition. i ask what tradition? the tradition of racism? that's all that that name leaves in its wake. the writing is on the wall. it's on the wall in giant blinking neon lights. >> one plaintiff, amanda blackhorse, released a statement echoing the senator's sentiment. "it is a great victory for native americans and for all americans. i hope this ruling brings us a step closer to that inevitable day when the name of the washington football team will be changed." the decision can't force the nfl or snyder to chait name, and it can be appealed, as happened in 2009, after a group of native americans got the same trademark

win. the trademark attorney for the washington team released a statement saying we are confident we will prevail once again and the trademark trial and appeal board's divided ruling will be overturned on appeal. but what might the washington team stand to lose even if they do win? mike florio is editor of nbcsports.com's pro football talk, and mike, let's start with some of the reactions that we're seeing from fans today. i'm going to play you a woman and a man, a pro and a con reacting to the trademark decision. take a listen. >> if the name is that offensive to someone, i mean, i would hate the team to be associated with that negativity. >> i think the court is right. i think the patent office is correct. >> is there an actual risk to the team if they change the name that they would somehow lose revenue, lose fans? i don't understand dan snyder's argument. what would the team lose if they change the name? nfl teams move, they move cities, they jump teams, they change names all the time. >> yeah, the houston oilers

340 moved to tennessee and became the ten titans because oilers made no sense in tennessee. that didn't affect anything. we've seen team names change all the time. this is more about a billionaire owner being told what to do or how to do it by anyone including the public, which is divided on this question, and the division seems to be about as sharp as it can be. and i think that's what it basically comes down to. he doesn't want to change the name because it's his team, he's going to do what he wants, and there are plenty of people who support that. but there are plenty more people today than ever before who think that the name needs to change. >> we didn't play it but there was a guy who essentially he was saying he thinks he'll eventually have to cave. so it does seem that those who are saying keep the name, their argument is he's going to lose anyway. the redskins right now are bringing in about $10 billion in revenue for merchandise and licensing. the nfl hopes to achieve $25 billion in said revenue by 2027, which is a 7% increase per year. is there a possibility that if

dan snyder holds out and continues to fight this and just refuses to change the name despite this or fights it in court that actually their revenue could decline as a result of holding on to it? >> i think the key thing to watch will be whether or not any sponsors begin to mobilize against the team, against the league. that's one of the reasons why i believe we saw the nba move so quickly with nba clippers owner donald sterling. it was obvious that right away sponsors would begin to abandon that team. once that happens, if it ever happens, there's no indication it ever will. because any of those sponsors who would be fleeing the team would also risk incurring the wrath of the many supporters of the name. but that's the kind of tangible dollars and cents consequence that could be the precursor to the name changing. assuming the name won't be changed simply because the nfl and the team come to the conclusion it's the right thing to do. that doesn't seem to be a conclusion that's going to happen anytime soon. >> speaking of revenue, senator

harry reid made an interesting case on the floor of the senate. and i warn people he does use the name of the team. i'm going to waurn guys about that in advance. let's listen to senator harry reid. an interesting argument. >> as i understand the law, the presiding officer once used the name redskins to sell some shirts you can do that. there's no trademark anymore for the redskins. >> is that true? could it be that anyone who wants to print up t-shirts, either pro or con, the team logo and the name on it could do so at will? >> well, if this ruling today from the u.s. pat sxent trademark office is upheld via the many layers of appeal, and it will take years, the difference, though, between now and the last time that the u.s. patent and trademark office reached this same conclusion ultimately overturned on appeal, the court of public opinion far more mobilized. so i think that whether and to what extent we ever see a bunch of average fans selling teams with the name on it -- or selling merchandise with the name on it because it's no longer protected or eventually

won't be protected, that i think is a smaller issue than what this ruling means to the many out there who oppose the name. how much fuel will it add to that fire? how much momentum will it gain and will it push it to a tipping point? even if this thing is overturned four or five years from now the debate is going to rage in the interim and the opposition will be stronger four or five years from now than it is today. >> and so far the nfl has stood behind dan snyder, stood behind the team, they issued a statement responding to those senators, reen force daniel snyder's take that the name has always been an intent to promote a positive respectful image. so they so far are standing by him. it's not like a donald sterling situation. but in your reporting is there any fracture within the nfl system of people saying maybe they shouldn't be standing behind this guy and this team? >> i personally believe there are some owners out there who have concerns, but they recognize that the way to deal with those concerns is not to

air them publicly, not to make them known to anyone in any way, shape, or form. and the thinking is at some point when this debate dies down if it ever dies down then that's when commissioner roger goodell would get a handful of very influential owners and approach daniel snyder and have a conversation aimed at persuading him to change the name. and if daniel snyder is smart about it, if he realizes at some point he's going to lose that name involuntarily the isn't that right move is to turn to into something where you can bargain with it, turn a benefit, you can finagle a super bowl for washington, d.c., you can get money for a stadium you're going to need in the next so to 15 years. that's the smart way to play it if we're accepting that at some point between now and 50 years from now the name is going to change. >> it's confounding strategy on the part of mr. snyder. really appreciate you being here, nbc sports' mike florio. thank you, man. >> thank you. >> and up next, keeping hope alive to find those missing girls. ♪

♪ yeah ♪ don't stop now, come on mony ♪ come on, yeah ♪ i say yeah ♪ yeah ♪ yeah ♪ yeah ♪ yeah ♪ yeah ♪ yeah ♪ 'cause you make me feel ♪ like a pony ♪ so good ♪ like a pony ♪ so good ♪ like a pony [ male announcer ] the sentra with bose audio and nissanconnect technology. spread your joy. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪ mony mony innovation that excites. when folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. wethey were a littlehorizons to mbit skeptical.ss,

what they do actually is rocket science. but at ge capital we also bring expertise from across ge, like lean process engineers we asked who does what, when, where, and why that step first? ideas for improvement started pouring out. with a little help from us, they actually doubled their output speed. if you just need a loan, just call a bank. at ge capital, we're builders. and what we know... can help you grow.

nigeria faced iran in a match that ended in an uninspiring scoreless tie. the following night a suicide bomber drove a three-wheel taxi into an outdoor venue in the northern nigerian town of dimatoru where fans had gathered to watch mexico face brazil, killing 14 people and wounding 26. no group claimed responsibility for the attack, but nigerians suspect boko haram, the same terrorist group that kidnapped more than 300 schoolgirls if the town of shebak in april. the hashtag bring back our girls is still active though no longer trending with celebrity input. the girls have still not been found. similar attacks have been staged in recent weeks across northern nigeria, where boko haram operates, often targeting places like sports bars, video halls, and open air screening spots where they can kill and maim

football fans. part of their continuing war against modernity. in their drive to set up a is m islamic state in africa's most populous country and one that's half christian. according to a report in the "los angeles times," boko haram's attacks have increasingly targeted civilians in an attack on a boarding school in yobi state in february, dozens of schoolboys were shot in their beds, burned alive or this herr throats cuts. hundreds of school teachers have been killed in northern nigeria since last year. markets and bus stations have been hit as well for the associated press. nigeria's military has promised increased security but appears incapable of halting a stream of attacks by extremists holding more than 250 schoolgirls hostage. incapable to say the least. the government of president goodluck jonathan, itself accused of rampant corruption in africa's largest oil producer, which loses some $35 million a day to oil theft, has proven incapable when it comes to stopping boko haram. nigeria's military has done more to go after newspapers for

covering the abductions than they have to find the girls. and last monday boko haram kidnapped 30 more girls not far from the site of the original abduction, with no niernlgial military insight. a u.s. congressional delegation traveled to nigeria last week and are now demanding that the u.s. government do more. >> today we call upon the government of nigeria to establish a national victims fund for all of the victims who have suffered at the hands of boko haram. >> everyone around us has a responsibility to find these young girls. and we cannot, i refuse, i refuse to give up. >> the delegation said they were briefed that 480 paem have been blown up, shot, or hacked to death by boko haram since the april 14th kidnapping. not a hopeful update but an update nonetheless. that wraps things up for the

reid report. i will sigh back here tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern and be sure to visit us online at msnbc.com. the psychsale up next. hey, cyclists. what you got going on today? >> obviously not a very cheery report but so important on africa's most populous country. thank you for doing that. coming up on "the cycle" we'll talk a little about the new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll which is not good news for president obama. we'll also talk about hillary clinton, the wife of the late michael hastings will join us, that will be a fun interview. and of course because it's a wednesday in june we're going to talk whitey bulger, the famous boston mobster. you can't get any better than that. >> you can't get any better than that. "the cycle comes up next." s sexe s sexe increases at the age of 80. helps reduce the risk of heart disease. it seems that 80 is the new 18. grannies, bless your heart, you are bringing sexy back! eat up.

keep heart-healthy. live long. for a healthy heart, eat the 100% natural whole grain goodness of post shredded wheat. doctors recommend it. whatever happened to good?

good is choosing not to overshoot the moon, but to land right on it. good is maxwell house. ♪ good to the last drop

i'll help you look. maybe you left them in the bathroom again. it's just the strangest thing... the warning signs of alzheimer's disease, may be right in front of you. it's alright baby. for help and information, call the alzheimer's association or visit alz.org/10signs cycling right now at 3:00 in washington, is it time for action in iraq? a contingent from congress has just made its way to the white house with very different answers to that specific question. >> the backdrop for this hour's meeting is a new area of iraq

under siege. isis militants have moved in on a major oil refinery, and president obama is now said to be considering a controversial tactic to potentially stop these terrorists in their tracks. >> even before iraq began unraveling, president obama was taking hits on foreign policy. what will this latest crisis do to his approval numbers? one of our guys put it this way. that new nbc news poll, it's not a good one for any politician, and it's a bad one for the president. we're going to dig into that. >> sometimes i wonder why anyone would want the president's job. are you listening, hillary? okay, so let's say she does want it, she wants it. does america want her? >> good afternoon. i'm luke russert. in the center of the political world this wednesday, just a stone's throw away from the white house, where president obama is now