thousands of undocumented children and adults streaming into the u.s. with the president's trip to the lone star state, he's added immigration, a round table discussion to the agenda, but still no trip to the border. >> who are those local leaders? they're certainly not the local leaders from the border. >> i sent a letter to the president more than two weeks ago. >> the white house formally sent its $3.7 billion emergency request. >> yet, he's not followed any of those recommendations. >> the way to stop this is to have the first plane load of children returned to their home. >> we need to treat them right but ship them back to their countries. >> right now senator john mccain is on the senate floor, and he and other republicans are blasting the administration for their decision to go to texas but not to the border. let's listen in. >> legislation that has encouraged the people from -- to come here. he said, i quote him, kids all over the world have it tough, he said, even children in america who live in dangerous

neighborhoods. he told the group that he was addressing that he had to enforce the law even if that meant deporting hard cases with minors involved. sometimes there's inherent injustice where you are born. no president can solve that. obama said, but presidents must send the message that you can't just show up on the border, plead for asylum or refugee status and hope to get it. quote, then anyone can come in, and it means effectively we don't have any kind of system. obama said, we're a nation with borders that must be enforced. unfortunately, the proposal -- and i would ask my friend from texas that's come over -- for $3.7 billion has nothing to do with dispelling the idea and the belief in these central american countries that they can come here if they get to our border, that they can stay. they can't stay. they cannot stay. if they believe they're victims

of persecution, go to our ko consula consulate, go to our embassy. but we cannot have this unlimited flow of individuals. finally, i'll yield to my colleagues. but what about people in other parts of the world? don't they have -- don't they need this kind of relief? don't they -- aren't they persecuted? what about middle east? what about africa? this is selective morality that's being practiced here, i would say to my friend from texas. and we want people to come to this country legally. we want them to come if they are persecuted, but we want an orderly fashion. and finally, could i just say that -- remind my friends that despite what may be said, the fact is that the numbers indicate to young people and these terrible coyotes that are bringing them for thousands of

dollars, in "the los angeles times" reports in fiscal year 2013, 20,805 unaccompanied children from el salvador, guatemala, and honduras were apprehended by the border patrol, and only 1,669 were repatriated. i ask my friend from texas, what kind of message does that send? >> mr. president, i would say the distinguished senior senator from arizona that the administration's been sending mixed messages. first, they call this a humanitarian crisis. then they called it, i think, the senator said a situation. they're sort of walking this back. but i just want to remind my colleagues from arizona what the president said a few years ago in el paso when people said, we need better border security measures in place. he ridiculed people. you may remember this.

he said -- this is the president talking in el paso in may 2011. he said, you know, they said we needed to triple the border patrol or now they're going to say we need to quadruple the border patrol or they'll want a higher fence or maybe they'll need a mote, or maybe they want alligators in the moat. they'll never be satisfied. i understand that, he said. that's politics. but the truth is, the measures we put in place are getting results. the truth is, mr. president, they are not getting the kind of results that the american people expect nor that these children who are being subjected to horrific conditions as they're smuggled from central america up through mexico to the united states. and i would say, you know, one of the most puzzling things to me -- i see my colleague from texas here. i know governor perry has implored the president to come visit the border. now, he said, well, i'll invite

the governor to an immigration round table where i doubt the governor will get in a word because the president will probably just deliver another lecture. he's pretty good at that. but that's 500 miles from where the problem is. how can you have a humanitarian crisis, as the white house has called this, and not want to go see it for yourself? maybe you'll actually learn something. and i agree with the senator from arizona. again, the bill that the administration sent over, they stripped out all the reforms that would actually go to solve the very problem that we all know needs to be solved here, and instead asked for a blank check. >> could i just ask the gentleman a question? the first thing that needs to be done is to amend the legislation which basically would then make every country treated the same way, con tij use countries would. that has to be the first step. again, i think it's important to emphasize here, this is a humanitarian issue, but it's a

humanitarian issue about these children who are taking this how many days, 15, 20 days on top of a train, being taken and exploited by these terrible kyot kyotkai yoe -- coyotes. so shouldn't we have a system that if somebody deserved asylum in this country we could beef up our consulate, beef up our embassy and have them come there. >> i would say to the senator, he's exactly right. what we need is a legal system of immigration, not an illegal system, because the people who control illegal immigration are the cartels. and they're the coyotes you mentioned earlier and the criminal gangs. and by the way, they've discovered a new business model. they treat these children as commodities, and they hold them for ransom. they sexually assault the young women, as you pointed out. and we don't know how many of these children start this perilous journey from central

america some 1200 miles away and never make it to the united states because they similar my die along the way. so this is a horrific situation. i know both the senators from arizona, you might want to speak to this, the president has acknowledged that even under the senate immigration bill that passed the senate, none of these children would qualify. i would ask that maybe the junior senator from arizona, if he'd care to comment on that. i mean, how did this situation get created where even under the law that the president has advocated for, the senate immigration bill, none of these children would be able to stay. >> that's correct. the gentleman from texas is correct. neither the president's deferred action program nor legislation passed here by the senate would allow people coming now to have some type of legal status. in the case of the president's deferred action program, you would have had to have been here by 2007. under the senate legislation, you would have had to have been

here by 2011 at a minimum. so it wouldn't apply. the problem here is -- the root of it or the main part of it is that people coming from noncontiguous countries to the u.s., meaning central american countries like honduras, el salvador, and guatemala, are treated differently than kids who come from mexico or canada. in the case of kids coming from unaccompanied minors from mexico or canada, i believe the average is three days that we take care of them then repatriate them or send them back. in this case, partly because of the law we have under the trafficking victims act, kids who come here need to be placed with a guardian or a family. the president's proposal is asking nearly $2 billion for the department of health and human services, which has no role in border enforcement at all, none. it has no role in deportation or

to repatriate these children back. >> we are listening to two senators from arizona, senator john mccain and senator jeff flake, as well as senator john cornyn of texas talking about the immigration crisis, unaccompanied minors and adults coming into the border. the senators are blasting president obama saying there's not been enough border enforcement and also attacking comments he made before about apparently republicans wanting more and more and more border security but not being willing to solve the immigration crisis. we are continuing to watch as the senators continue to talk. i want to also go to nbc's mark potter, who's in mission, texas. mark, we heard the senators going after the president over the issue of border security. you're there near the border. when you talk to officials there, what is it that they think would have stemmed this crisis? this is not normal immigration,

not even normal undocumented immigration. we're talking about a sudden onrush of particularly children coming in due to crises in their countries. what do officials that you talk to there say would have helped? >> reporter: well w it's been a sudden onrush that's taken three years to develop, actually. and that's one of the things that they do say, that there were warning signs for this a long time ago. this has been building. we did a report on it two years ago. others here on the border have been screaming that this is building, this is building. 20-some thousand kids last year, 50-some thousand now. this didn't just happen overnight. but to answer your question more directly, why this current bump-up, there are people who think that the problems in central america, of course, are real. they're absolutely real, but they have been there a long time. what's happening now is the smugglers have found a way to convince families and kids this is the time to come to the united states. we have a way to get you there, pay us the money, and we'll do it for you. and they have been successful. 52,000 kids apprehended at the

border since october. this is the area where it's happening. out here, that's the rio grande. those buildings over there, that's mexico. that's how close everything is. there's not a wall here in south texas. you can't build a wall. all you have to do is float a raft across it and you're here. they're coming by the thousands. we're seeing a little bit of a slowdown this week. the agents are wondering why that's happening. is it just because the beast, that train in mexico derailed a few days ago? are they shifting their operations? is the messaging from washington getting through a little bit? they don't know. they're not calling this a trend. but they're watching that to see why that develops. one other thing i heard in the conference, the reference to the speech the president gave in el paso where he kidded about the moats and alligators. i got to tell you, that infuriated people here in the southwest. when they heard that, they realized in their minds that this president did not understand what they were feeling about border security. i talked to sheriffs, ranchers,

homeowners, business people, agents who were really angry that the president took that stand. to my knowledge, hasn't been back to the border since then. he did that in el paso, the safest city in america, the most fortified city, not actually out here on the border. >> mark, hold on just a second. i want to play that sound for our viewers. let's take a listen. >> all the stuff they asked for, we've done. you know, they said we needed to triple the border patrol. now they're going to say we need to quad rruple the border patro or they'll want a higher fence. maybe they'll need a moat. maybe they'll want alligators in the moat. they'll never be satisfied. >> and mark, you just made the point that there really isn't any way to fence in what you're looki inin ining at behind you. the border officials you say were angry about that comment. again, is there something they they could have done? you said the warning signs were there for a couple years.

is there something officials in texas would have wanted from the federal government? >> reporter: same thing that's happening now. what's happening now. the expedited hearings, the extra agents, the national attention. all of that they thought should have happened a long time ago. it's all happening now on an emergency basis. when we did a report on this july 3rd, 2012, we were talking about an uptick from 4,000 to 8,000 kids year to date. then it went up to i think 10,000 by the end of the year. 20,000-some the next year. this has been building. and they just believe the people we're talking to here, that this was something they were screaming about, trying to get attention, couldn't get attention, and now it's an emergency. but they believe that this could have been nipped in the bud. also, to be fair to the other side, there are people who think that immigration agreement could have helped in that regard as well. >> yeah, indeed. we're very short on time. very quickly, with the people you're talking to there, would they have wanted to see the

president today? >> reporter: absolutely. and they would want to have the president see this, to talk to the agents, see -- not a photo op. none of that. but to come down here, talk to the agents, see the river, see how they use jet skis over there to bring people across almost every day. to see the thousands who come. they get 1,000 people a day here. that's a downturn number. it was 1500 a couple weeks ago. just to see that, to have an appreciation for it and to go to other areas where the smugglers -- the drug traffickers are getting a pass right now. they're loving this because when the immigrant smugglers are bringing people at point "a" over here. the drug smugglers are coming in over here at point "c" after all the agents go over there. there are people who believe the drug traffickers are really taking advantage of this and in some ways are choreographing this so this can happen. that's the kind of talk you hear down here a lot. and you hear it from agents who work for the federal government. >> okay. all right. thank you very much. really appreciate it, mark

potter. appreciate it. coming to us from texas. all right. brent wilks, you heard all that was being said on the senate floor. you just heard what mark potter had to say. you know, i'm struck by some of the solutions that we were hearing from the united states senators who are from the region. you had john mccain saying people should go to consulates. i didn't see any consulates out there where mark potter was standing. i'm not sure who logistically that would work. you had senator jeff flake saying that of the $3.7 billion the president asked for, $2 billion was going to hhs, which actually has to deal with the intake of the children, not to border security. we just looked at that scene. you could see behind mark there's no way to fence that in. it's not an issue of security. you do have to actually deal with the children that are here. are you hearing from anybody -- and there's a lot of noise around this issue. have you heard any solutions that sound like they would actually help? >> well, i think absolutely. the first solution is we've got to provide assistance immediately to help these children and their families that are coming to our borders and

right now living in horrific conditions. they're coming to us because they're refugees escaping a very violent situation in central america. we should not be responding to this as if it was about immigration. unfortunately, what i heard on the senate floor just now, they're all pointing the fingers as if it's an immigration matter. it's a crisis of humanitarian proportions. we have to deal with that first. it's absolutely right for the president to ask for assistance to hhs to enable them to provide the assistance they're required to do by law. we have to do that first and foremost. what i didn't hear from the senators, what i think they should be talking about is we should be helping those central american countries get back on the right track. that's where it all starts from. this is just three countries we're talking about. we're the nation's largest democracy, the largest economy. we can't help out three of our neighbors when they're in this crisis situation? we have to just turn people back and send them back to probably certain death when we are over

in the middle east and europe and providing billions of dollars in assistance there, and we haven't even seen the results from that. why can't we help out our own hemisphere and ensure those countries get what they need to address this situation. >> it is very striking that, you know, when you do listen to the senators who are from the region, these are their states directly impacted, you're hearing a lot about wanting to change the laws, about discontiguous countries, meaning you can immediately deport people, even if they're not coming from a contiguous country like canada or mexico. you hear more calls for border security, complaints that the immigration reform that was proposed, passed in the senate wouldn't have done anything because these kids aren't eligible for the dream act. it's all still being framd around sort of the traditional arguments around immigration. but at the same time, you have john mccain saying, well, what about africa? what want a people who want to come as refugees because there are crises on the continent? africa is nowhere near here. there's no way to physically get people here in the same way. does it concern you it's not being talked about the way you are, which is that this is a

humanitarian crisis that stems from these countries themselves? >> absolutely. and it's really disappointing because our senate should right now be saying, okay, let's get the aid immediately to where it's needed, then let's talk about how to handle this long-term. they're using politics to basically block that needed aid. what are we going to do? how are we going to help these folks? we can't just turn them away and let them die in the streets. we're not that kind of country. the american people aren't going to stand for it. they have to first and foremost deliver that aid that's needed. this crisis situation has to be addressed. then we can talk about what's the best way going forward. i'll say one thing. if you're in africa or any other part of the rest of the world and you apply for asylum, your chances of getting it are much greater than if you are from anywhere in latin america. if they want to offer us the same deal as the rest of the world, we'll take it. >> the thing about the consulate is puzzling. you're talking about a sort of immediate crisis, even though if it was two or three years in the making because of the crises in

those countries. but i don't hear anyone other than you just saying it a moment ago talking about the united states directly starting to deal with those other countries, dealing with this as a foreign aid crisis, a crisis of intercountry relationships. and at the same time, trying to care for these kids who are already here. it's all being framed around people going over border, all about immigration. maybe i just don't understand the arguments. >> no, you understand it perfectly. it's congress that's not getting it. they've got to respond to this crisis. we can have this longer term debate about who's responsible, what to do. we've had a long history in central america. >> and not a positive one all the way around. >> we can't just walk away right now. because the conditions they're in right now have been really part of our involvement in those nations has led up to this. i remember john mccain talking about freedom fighters. now all the sudden they're just immigrants, we should be shutting the door and kicking them back to their country. that's not what we said even 20 years ago. >> absolutely. let's listen to yet another senator talking about the

politics of this, senator ted cruz of texas has weighed in on the border crisis. let's listen to what he has to say. >> and there's one thing president obama has said about what's happening that is absolutely correct. this is a humanitarian disaster. but it is a disaster of the president's own making. it is a disaster that is the direct consequence of president obama's lawlessness. >> does it disappoint you to see this is still getting reframed right back to an argument about republicans versus president obama? >> absolutely. because we should all be coming together and saying, humanitarian assistance is required right now. you know, if they want to try to blame the president, which i'm sure they're going to do that, that's the way it is, fine. but get the assistance where it's needed. secondly, i just think they're plain wrong. the president's been pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. if that had passed, we might have been able to relieve some of the pressure we're receiving now from central america. we did not. this idea you can go to the consulate and apply for asylum is just ridiculous.

that doesn't happen. they don't get it. they're more likely to get killed on the way back from applying for asylum then getting the chance to come here. what we need to do is respond to this crisis. we need to make sure we're doing the right thing. yes, we are a nation that can solve this. but we need to come together and get that aid where it's needed. >> indeed. brent, thank you so much for being here. hope you'll come back. >> thank you. delighted to be here. we're here all week for our national convention, here in new york city. >> all right. well, we'll have you back. thank you very much, sir. >> thank you. >> coming up, the hobby lobby decision isn't just making life tough for women. now the ripple effects could be felt by the lgbt community as well. we'll have that next. and crowd cheering sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering so, i'm walking down the street, sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering just you know walking, sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering and i found myself in the middle of this parade honoring america's troops. which is actually quite fitting because geico has been serving the military for over 75 years. aawh no, look,

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religious exemptions is also have been reverberations within america's lgbt community. today senators patty murray and mark udall introduced their fix to negate the supreme court's exceptionally broad reading of the religious restoration freedom act. >> last week we saw the supreme court give ceos and corporations across america the green light to deny legally mandated health care coverage for their employees. >> now, while much of the focus has been rightly on women and their freedom to not have their employers weigh in on what they do with their health insurance, some conservatives also see this decision as a way to water down preks for lgbt americans. right now president obama is facing pressure to include a religious exemption in an executive order that would ban federal contractors from using discriminatory hiring practices against lgbt people. in fact, religious exemption clauses have become such a hot-button top iblg, at this point most of the key lgbt

groups backing a bill designed to prevent workplace discrimination have pulled their support because of its potentially broad religious exemption. evan, did you see this coming? when the hobby lobby thing happened, and i was told over and over again by a lot of male legal analysts that, you know, it's not a big deal, it's really not that broad. my thinking was, it's got to be broad because if you're saying a corporation is a person who is religious and can say, i have a problem with contraception, therefore, you could also have a problem with gay people a will the of different things. did you read it that way, or are you surprised you're seeing the creep into the lgbt community? >> i completely agree that the hobby lobby decision was a disaster. it was a disaster in upsending religious freedoms. it was wrong on all these

fronts. but this decision with regard to the employment nondiscrimination act didn't begin with hobby lobby. this has been a conversation that's been bubbling up in the movement for a while because the current version of enda has a very broad and novel double standard religious exemption that many of the movement leaders thought was wrong and hobby lobby only underscored the danger of playing with that fire. >> why do you call it a double standard religious exemption? let's be fair you have christian organizations and groups that feel that as a matter of their own religious faith, there are certain things they shouldn't do or participate in. if there's an exemption in enda for them, why would you call that a double standard? >> because our country has heard these battles and worked this through 50 years ago. that got the balance right. what the civil rights act says is truly religious entities may discriminate on the basis of religion, but not on the basis of other things. they can't fire the janitor because the janitor's black. they can't fire a teacher simply

because she's a woman, et cetera. so what this current version of enda did was jettison that balance and come up with a new religious exemption that would have given permission to a broad range of organizations that invoked religious identity to simply discriminate against gay people across the board. in other words, it denied the protection the law itself was intended to enforce. that was a new standard, a wrong standard. time to put that one aside and get back to the civil rights act of 1964. >> the reason that enda exists or is trying to exist is because gay and lesbian people are excluded basically from the laws that say you can't fire people because dot, dot, dot. >> that's exactly right. there's no federal civil rights protection at the federal level in federal legislation for lesbians, gay men, or bisexuals or transgender people. >> so let me read to you from this group that these faith groups have written. rick warren, who was a part of president obama's initial inauguration and has been

sometimes supportive, sometimes critical. he wrote, we're asking that an exemption of protection for one group not come at the expense of faith communities whose religious identity and beliefs serve those in need. he said essentially because hobby lobby has opened the door if, this they'd like to see that door opened for them as well. do you have a problem with that? >> yes. number one, the hobby lobby door shouldn't have been opened. it should be closed. it certainly should not be flung open. that's not what hobby lobby said. even the court in hobby lobby will see how this place out, said that's not what the decision is about. let's also be very clear. the context in which the rick warren letter was written was about an executive order with regard to government contracts. in other words, this is not about the government coming in and saying to somebody, you need to do something. this is about organizations that want to come in, bid for government taxpayer money, and then discriminate against taxpayers. we don't go there anywhere. >> and as an article in the daily beast said, the end game

is the total e vis ration of laws, the religious movement didn't like in the first place. >> you know, there was a great essay yesterday which said, we fought these battles out 50 years ago, and we got it right with the civil rights act. this is no time to be opposing new double standards or new licenses to discriminate when we know how to do this in our country. let's do it right. >> all right. evan wilson, thanks for being here. >> appreciate it. coming up, lone star state politics and national politics collide. state senator leticia van de putte will join me to discuss that, immigration, and her bid for lieutenant governor.

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that's keeping you from the healthcare you deserve.. at humana, we believe if healthcare changes, if frustration and paperwork decrease... the gap begins to close. so let's simplify things. let's close the gap between people and care. immigration, contraception, gun laws, the blueing of the red states, the failure of republicans to recognize history as it passes them by. if we were to use one word to describe all of these disparate

topics, the one word might be texas. it's not just that president obama is headed there for two separate fundraisers today or that governor rick perry is trying to ride the immigration protest to renewed national relevancy, or that everything is bigger in texas, except the budget for planned parenthood. it's also that our next guest, a la tee that and sixth-generation texan is trying to pull off something pretty historic in the lone star state. joining me now is leticia van de putte. thank you for being here. appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> and a lot of people first got to know you as part of a two-woman, i guess you could say, ultimate protest inside of the state legislature over your state attempting to make it much more difficult for women to get health care, to get abortions. you were part of that protest. and that is a lot of the way you came to national prominence. tell us in the state of texas right now, what is the state of a woman's access to abortion at

this moment? >> well, what we know is that because of the laws that were passed, we're seeing clinics close that offer women's health care. most of these clinics never even offered any abortion counseling or services, but what they did do was offer women the ability to get your yearly pap examine or mammogram or a well-woman check. yes, there have been access cut to women who are seeking abortions, particularly in areas of south texas and in west texas. we know that the laws will go into effect this september that will require those that provide abortions to have the same sort of lie censures and facilities as surgical centers. and we don't know as of yet how many will meet those requirements. >> senator van de putte, give us your reaction to the hobby lobby decision. a lot of women across the country were alarmed to find out

contraception is even on the table, let alone their boss can say, you know, i don't want to cover that in the insurance plan you're getting as part of your compensation package. what was your response to hobby lobby? >> well, it was a very sad day for a woman and for me as a pharmacist of 34 years. it was a bad public health decision. you know, my mom's in her 80s. what she always told me and my sisters was we would be the first generation of women that could be defined by not who our daddy is or not who we're married to but that we would be defined by our own educational status, our own careers. and now to think that my daughters and my granddaughters could not just -- they've worked so hard and they're not defined by who they're married to or who their daddy s but they're going to be defined by who their boss is? you see, when you can plan your families, you can plan your career. then someone is not able to define you or what you can do

for your community, for your employer. and basically, for your family. so this is a very, very difficult decision for women. i think it sets us back. probably a generation. >> indeed. i would be remiss if i didn't ask you about the border crisis that is hitting your state particularly heart, some 57,000 unaccompanied minors and men, women, and children coming across the southern border. what do you think would actually help this situation and help improve it? do you think we need to deport more people? what do you think the solution is? >> first of all, politicians out of d.c. or even out of austin, texas, should second guess local elected leaders, law enforcement, and faith-based communities. they've lived for generations along the border, and the situation now with unaccompanied minors coming from other countries besides mexico has been happening. what's different here is the numbers. so let's listen to the local

officials. what they tell us is the faith-based communities have reacted in a very humane way to clothe these children, to give them a warm meal. yes, the federal government has not kept up. a lot of that is the inability of congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. but let's look at the root causes. they are fleeing for their lives in these countries, from the drug cartels, and from horrendous violence. the journey is awful. but it's a place right now we shouldn't be pointing guns at kids. we should be trying to help these children. they're scared, they're hungry. we need those resources to make sure that we're going after the cooks, but we're not going after the kids. it's going to require more than what we've ever had in some cooperation and instead of some blame laying and finger pointing. >> you know, ted cruz weighed in today and said that this is -- the border crisis is being caused by the president of the united states' lawlessness. what do you think of that?

>> i think if senator ted cruz even bothered to come to south texas to visit with the people who have lived for generations along the border, he might get a different story. this is -- we've always been good neighbors. we all want border security, absolutely. but where we differ is he thinks it's all about border security. well, you can have border security but still be a compassionate neighbor. yes, i think he's trying to use it for political games, but that's usually the playbook we see from the republican party. what we need is someone to come to the table to be a pragmatic problem solver, to listen to the local elected officials, listen to those local business leaders. let's try to help them and figure out a framework so that we can look at the root cause and then make sure that these children are treated by the book, by the laws that we have, and if that's reunification, then definitely. i was there at some of the shelters. what they're telling me is upwards of 65% of these

children, these unaccompanied minors have family members in the united states. they just want to be with their families. so let's look at this from a comprehensive point of view. now is not the time for politics. now is the time to take care of these children. >> all right. we'll have to leave it there. state senator leticia van de putte, thanks for being here. and coming up, a conversation about social activism then and now. generation to generation. between washington, d.c.'s congressional delegate and community activists. this is kat. setting up the perfect wedding day begins with arthritis pain and two pills. afternoon arrives and feeling good, but her knee pain returns... that's two more pills. the evening's event brings laughter, joy, and more pain... when jamie says... what's that like six pills today? yeah... i can take 2 aleve for all day relief. really, and...

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inspire them. for frank conversations about politics, policy, and the state of our culture. recently, community organizer and activist tamika mallory and congressional woman eleanor holmes norton met in new york's harlem neighborhood to talk about the history and future of social activism. take a look. >> i'm congresswoman eleanor holmes norton. i represent the people who live in the nation's capital, the district of columbia. >> i'm tamika mallory, a community organizer and activist. my activism really was sparked when my son, who is now 15 years old, his father was killed, shot and killed when my son was 2. i believe that at that moment, my activism was really sort of sparked. i've led many campaigns against guns, trying to get reduced gun violence and get guns off the street. i think i'm more concerned with the fact that there are a lot of issues that young people are dealing with that makes them turn to gun violence.

>> well, that just goes to show you how the issues differ. now, there was street violence and street crime, but the civil rights movement overwhelmed every issue. it was the most important issue of the day. it does seem to be for your generation income inequality. >> absolutely. >> much tougher issue. you can't legislate that. >> absolutely. when the feminist movement started, there was a woman here in new york that was very important because she knew she was a woman and she was black and she saw no contradiction. her name was shirley chisolm. it was very important to have women like that to stand and acknowledge that women, white and black, had much in common. >> women, we build movements. >> as you see women becoming

leaders in corporate america, in journalism, in politics, and we may even have a woman president soon. >> you talk about, you know, sort of the difference between the movement at that time and now, it is very difficult to get younger people to understand that they have to be engaged in order for us to make a change. >> yeah, because when i was a kid, a young woman, you know, injustice stared you in the face and almost knocked you over. income inequality, you have to walk the streets of harlem. you've got to pay attention to public affairs. >> i think more people my age need to understand the importance of being organized, and we try to get them to understand it. if we make noise and we make noise collectively, we'll be able to find some remedies. >> i need you to continue marching! >> making some noise, as you said. if the movement hadn't started making some noise, you know,

young people, for example, in the sit-in movement, which was a very exciting part of the movement, or one solitary woman sitting down on a bus who somehow inspired a whole city and ultimately the nation, rosa parks. >> right. >> but i don't know of any change that has occurred in a democracy without people making those in power make it happen. so, you know, we've got, what, 43 members of the congressional black caucus now. our constituents, we can't stand up in congress and say, this is what people who live in harlem want, so give it to them. >> and people in harlem need to be there. >> exactly. >> for that to happen, absolutely. >> when i was chair of the equal

employment opportunity commission, i was the first woman to chair the commission. the notion of sexual harassment was somehow embedded, we thought, in the statute. but it hadn't been -- >> exposed. >> no, it hadn't been exposed, and certainly women weren't going to come forward. i had already gone to congress when perhaps the most famous sexual harassment allegation came forward. that was anita hill. this is a woman who, as a lawyer, i found her the most credible witness i have ever seen. >> did you figure -- did you consider that harassment? >> yes, i did. >> thank you. >> and that nomination proceeded. so several of us in the house of representatives said we want to go to the house floorks and we're going to talk about this. we never were able to enter, but i can tell you one thing. it stopped the clock.

and anita hill had to be called. yes, clarence thomas went on to the court, but there was a revolution among women in this country, and we had the greatest influx of women elected to the house and to the senate ever up until that time. >> so you made noise. you made some noise. >> eleanor holmes norton and tamika mallory will be answering your questions online. you can submit your questions by visiting thereidreport.msnbc.com to post a question or tweet your question with #gentogen. the answers will be posted to our website on friday. feature in your car is you. add vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance and get $100 off for every year of safe driving.

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chicago. less than a week after the deadliest four-day stretch so far this year. 82 people shot in 84 hours,

nearly one shooting for every hour of the july 4th holiday weekend, including 16 people who died. the chicago tribune reports that the mayhem started late thursday afternoon when someone shot and wounded a couple, then two people fired at the shooter, then there was a chase and shots exchanged and a man sitting on a porch was hit. responding officers kept cutting each other off as they were reporting other gunfire. all of that just in ten minutes. five of the 82 people were shot by police, including two who died. ages raged from 14-year-old to a 66-year-old woman who was grazed in the head by a bullet as she walked on to her porch. the dead included 44-year-old tania gunn, killed in a drive-by shooting, just as a fourth of july party was wrapping up. her 11-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting as she sat in their car.

>> we came in our yards. we came in our homes. we can't go to the park. what can be done about this? >> when i chase people in new york, they used to throw their guns away. we chase people here in chicago, they keep the guns, and they turn on our officers. >> that sense of futility isn't broad in chicago. it's concentrated. this map shows where the shootings took place. now, note they're concentrated on chicago's south and west sides. if you live in the more affluent north side of chicago, it's possible you don't even think about gun crime because it hardly ever happens where you live. although, this weekend four shootings did, including one not far from the mayor's residence. chicago leaders blame their homicide problem on gangs and illegal guns. police confiscate thousands of illegal guns every year. and in may, the city council voted unanimously to toughen the city's gun laws even more, including strengthening an assault weapons ban. according to the city, from 2009 to 2013, 60% of the guns used to

commit crimes in chicago were originally bought out of state, mainly in indiana, mississippi, and wisconsin. three of the top four sources for guns recovered in chicago were gun dealers in illinois cities near chicago. this comes as chicago's murder rate is actually down from a record 500-plus homicides in 2012 and 440 last year. and chicago isn't even the nation's most violent city. on a per capita basis, that dubious honor goes to detroit and new orleans. this is what 82 people looks like. and that is in just three days in chicago, including the 16 people who died. this is what the epidemic, if it begins to go up, this is what the epidemic looks like. and what are we doing about this epidem epidemic? anything at all? right now in congress, senate republicans are floating an amendment to a federal land's hunting bill that among other things would make it easier to transport guns across state

lines. we're actually not doing anything to reduce gun violence in america. nothing. so this death toll is only going to get worse. and that wraps things up for "the reid report." i'll see you back here tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern. be sure to visit us online at thereidreport.msnbc.com. "the cycle" comes up next. i figured we'd have to talk about it, even though it happened earlier in the weekend. what do you have coming up today? >> good to see you, joy. appreciate your reporting on chicago. very important. today we're going to talk about the border, the highway, the facebook, the pot, and of course, as i like to do from time to time, the nsa and why the president needs to get his spies in check. >> oh, checking those spice. all right. "the cycle" comes up next. i do a lot oresearch on angie's list before i do any projects on my home. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

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right now today with the mid-atlantic and northeast at greatest risk. meanwhile, disgraced former new orleans mayor is headed to federal prison. he was sentenced today to ten years for corruption from the term in office during those years following hurricane katrina. and house speaker john boehner, he may want to sue the president, but he doesn't want to impeach him. boehner responded just this morning to that call from sarah palin. she also added washington is broken. thanks. we just wonder why. if the vision of a 7-year-old child in a three-by-eight cubicle knocking on a glass door pleading for your help doesn't hit you, i don't know that anything else can. but, you know, it's one thing to talk about it, read about t and write about it. but it's another thing to see for yourself. >> how can you have