tv Politics Nation MSNBC July 21, 2014 3:00pm-4:01pm PDT
3:00 pm
the air. >> all right. dr. reese halter, we'll come back to you. that's our time tonight. that's "the ed show." "politics nation" with reverend al sharpton starts now. good evening. >> good evening, ed. thanks to you for tuning in. we'll be talking tonight about the death of eric gardener, the 43-year-old father of six who died last week. it was caught on this tape after a scuffle with new york city police officers who took him down in a choke hold. there is no justification for this. we'll talk about police and emergency medical workers' actions. that's coming up later in the show. but first tonight's lead. dismantling the gop's blame obama first attacks. four days after the malaysia airlines plane was with blown out of the sky, finally separatists are reportedly set to turn over bodies after taking
3:01 pm
them away from the crash site. international pressure is growing on president putin. today, president obama issued a stern warning. >> if russia continues to violate ukraine's sovereignty and back the separatists russia will only further isolate itself from the international community and the costs for russia's behavior will only continue to increase. >> meanwhile, we are seeing the heart wrenching reality, the victim's family members. >> when i'm in my bed at night, i see my son lying on the ground. i see daisy. i see them in my head. they have to come home. not only them. everybody has to come home. >> i had one child. she was my everything. it's gone. >> it's a time of international crisis. a time we should be united.
3:02 pm
instead, we are seeing the same old response from many republicans. senator mccain called the president's ukraine policy cowardly. and others followed. >> the united states needs to end its tepid response to this whole operation. >> i don't know how anybody could say our response has been anything but timid and cautious. >> instead of demonstrating weakness because when putin sees weakness he demonstrates over and over again aggression and willingness to go after others. >> but the worst came from senator mccain's understudy in cheap shots, senator lindsey graham are. >> leading from behind isn't working. the world is adrift. president obama has become the king of indecision. indecision reigns. president obama is trying to deliberative. it comes off as indecisive.
3:03 pm
there is a battle of wills between the kgb colonel and the colonel is winning. >> this is the playbook for the republicans. foreign policy challenge is an excuse to go after the president. it's the blame obama first crowd. blame america fist. how about coming together and being above politics? joining me now is retired u.s. army captain wes moore and salon.com's joan walsh. thank you both for coming on the show. >> thank you. >> captain moore, before we get to the politics, today president obama are said there will be costs to russia. if the rebels don't cooperate. what kinds of action could president obama take? >> well, the president has been very clear no option is off of the table. we could look at everything from economic costs, economic sanctions. also looking at social costs. looking at, for example, with
3:04 pm
russia hosting international games. you know, international treaties that could exist within russia. also the military option. the president has been clear that no cost is coming off the table. one thing the president has been clear about is an apprehension of saying we are going to make unilateral action. u.s. foreign policy graveyards are full of ideas and people who think the united states can simply go at it alone. a response to this has to be international. whether you are talking about the social, financial or military costs that russia could take, it will not be effective unless we can come up with an international idea and response to the actions of putin and the nation. >> joan, i played in the opening senator lindsey graham. i mean, kind of really rough, aggressive language that i thought was a bit much. how did his statements strike you? >> the idea of a president being deliberate and thoughtful in a
3:05 pm
situation like this is a problem is ridiculous. we have reached some low. >> i thought we wanted presidents to be deliberative and thoughtful. >> i like my president deliberate and thoughtful. might be just me. reminds me of mad libs where you had a story and people didn't know what the story was but they filled in the blanks with random words. they have a mad libs for the president where they just throw the same words at him over and over, weak, indecisive, dlib are a -- deliberative is new. it can be international crises, the border crisis. it's the sem template. there is never an attempt to think about how we act with global partners and, you know, make the sanctions tougher. >> when you look at the fact, captain, we are talking about almost 300 people dead. their loved ones feeling as
3:06 pm
distraught as one could feel. and we are trying to identify what happened how. we know that somewhere in here could be the russian government. and we are going to attack someone for being deliberative under this kind of crisis? we don't know where the european allies who have not been as responsive before now. i mean, when you look at the landscape and you have graham saying that and the leader of the republican party, rush limbaugh coming out today saying this about ukraine and the president. look at this. >> i just don't think that president obama considers the united states to have sufficient moral superiority or leadership to be able to tell anybody else what they should and shouldn't do. i have no business telling putin what he ought to do other than what i think he should do. i have a fundraiser to attend and cheeseburgers to eat.
3:07 pm
>> let me get this right, captain. the president ratchets up sanctions and issues a new public warning to putin. but the right wing says obama is unwilling to tell anybody what to do. >> it goes back to the point. i'm not sure what the president could do that you would hear a compliment from rush limbaugh about his actions. when you hear those responses you realize you are dealing with people who don't understand international relations isn't checkerers. it's ches ee's chess. it's coming up with a bigger understanding of how it work. in a situation like this after a tragedy like this, i would much rather we be smart and thoughtful about what's the long-term conclusion we are hoping this situation comes to instead of coming warm-up splurges as ho how the foreign policy should act. the president needs to respond and will. we do want him to be thoughtful about what the response should be. we have seen in recent history what happens when foreign policy
3:08 pm
is simply emotive. we have long-term consequences when foreign policy isn't thought out first. >> joan, on foreign policy, republicans are the blame obama first crowd, on everything from syria to iraq to israel. listen. >> for six years he hasn't spoken up loudly, firmly and clearly for israel. >> we look at what happened today with respect to the isis taking over eastern syria and a big part of iraq. >> frankly, the obama with administration, president obama who did not follow through with the stay behind agreement. >> now we turn to syria. when the united states is viewed by the world, particularly the middle east as weak, withdrawing then i'm not sure we can have are the effects the president outlined in his state of the union speech. >> i mean, the disrespect, when
3:09 pm
we are dealing with such delicate things. i mean, you talked about the blame obama first crowd. how destructive is it for what we need internationally for one party to use any crisis to just score political points? how destructive is it, joan? >> it is destructive. we used to make a concerted effort to have politics stop at the border and have the president be the clear representative of american power and american justice. that has clearly changed. if you also listen to all the brilliant people, john mccain wants weapons to the ukrainian government. they would have us boots on the ground iraq, afghanistan, indefinitely. syria, libya. the list goes on.
3:10 pm
all they understand is that use of military power which cannot be sis sustained and which the american people have no appetite for. >> we'll leave it there. thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> thanks, rev. what was the word sarah palin couldn't stop the saying this weekend? >> making the case for it is not difficult. difficult is having the moral courage to do what's right. the question is, okay, politicians, what are you going to do about it? >> we'll have the answer for you later in the show. and the shock ing death of a 43-year-old man named eric garner. new york city police used a choke hold to take him down. there is no excuse, no justification for this. stay with us. t
3:11 pm
the. in the nation, it's not always pretty. but add brand new belongings from nationwide insurance... ...and we'll replace destroyed or stolen items with brand-new versions. we take care of the heat, so you don't get burned. just another way we put members first, because we don't have shareholders. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪
3:12 pm
3:13 pm
sarah palin found a new way to justify attacking president obama over the weekend. she invoked god. i'll have a somewhat less celestial response coming up. but first we want to know what you think. please head over to our facebook page and join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. throughout the state. and startup ny companies will be investing hundreds of millions of dollars in jobs and infrastructure. thanks to startup ny, businesses can operate tax free for 10 years. no property tax. no business tax. and no sales tax. which means more growth for your business, and more jobs. it's not just business as usual. see how new york can help your business grow, at startup.ny.gov
3:14 pm
the summer of this.mmer. the summer that summers from here on will be compared to. where memories will be forged into the sand. and then hung on a wall for years to come. get out there, with over 50,000 hotels at $150 dollars or less. expedia. find yours. yyyup. with xfinity internet soyour family can use all their devices at once. works anywhere in the house. even in the garage. max what's going on? we're doing a tech startup. we're streamlining an algorithm. we're going public! [cheering] the fastest in-home wifi for your entire family. the x-1 entertainment operating system. only from xfinity. it's a big day for celebrity
3:15 pm
birthdays. author ernest hemingway was born on this day in 1899. funny man robin williams is celebrating his 63rd birthday today. u.s. soccer gold medalist brandy chastain is also celebrating. and get to the cake and take it out for the dodd frank law. yes, it's the big fourth birthday. four years ago today president obama signed the landmark financial legislation into law. no longer would banks run wild. right away republicans said the sky is about to fall, it would stifle wall street, it would kill jobs. >> now the dodd frank law is another example of the president's attack on economic freedom. burdensome regulations serve only to restrict freedom and imperil enterprise. >> regulations are inhibiting the formation of jobs.
3:16 pm
>> the thing that would get our economy going is if we would repeal the obama agenda. obamacare, dodd frank, all the regulations he's shackling our economy with. that's what's keeping our economy from moving forward. >> what dodd frank is a horror movie for the american economy, a horror movie for if people are interested in taking risks and creating jobs. >> a horror movie? shackling our economy? it's time for a reality check. four years later -- or should i say four smears later -- they were flat out wrong. on wall street the dow is breaking records. the dow is up 76% since this day four years ago. we have had 52 straight months of private sector job growth. the longest streak on record. but today, they are still attacking dodd frank as a
3:17 pm
failure releasing a 100-page report. got to hand it to them. at least they are consistent. they are also consistently wrong on taxes, wrong. on the deficit, wrong. on jobs, wrong. we might be waiting a long time for that apology. joining me now is jared bernstein, former chief economist for vice president biden, and senior fellow with the center for on budget and policy priorities. jared, four years later they were wrong but they are still attacking. what is their strategy here? >> the strategy is to not let facts get in the way of the story. i appreciate what you and other folks here at the show are trying to do to bring the facts to light. as long as they can make up a story about dodd frank, the
3:18 pm
affordable care act, minimum wage, deficit taxes, they can continue to plumb their agenda which is an anti-government agenda. for example, corporate profitability over the last few years has hit the highest it e' been on record. the story that obama is somehow unfair to business doesn't fit the theme of dodd frank doing the things you played in the tape. if they can get everyone to believe the aca, dodd frank, et cetera, are having these factually incorrect effects they say, then they can push back on implementation. they have already grid locked the process. that's what it's all about. >> there is good news about states that raised the minimum wage. the fact is they are seeing job
3:19 pm
grow growth. first look at state where is the minimum wage hasn't been raised. now look at the states that raised the min mudge wage. their job growth is higher than the other states. let me ask you this. the gop says increasing the minimum wage will kill jobs. >> if you increase the minimum wage you will continue to see employment growth particularly if the increases are in the moderate range that the states have undertaken which happens to be the same as the president's proposal to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour over the next three years. exactly as you suggest. another area where the rhetoric, the ideology is wrong. i think the strategy here is if you can't win on the fakcts, mae up a story and try to win on the
3:20 pm
story. the story is designed to block the minimum wage, block the affordable care act, block dodd frank because the facts actually suggest that implementing all of the above is better for the economy and the people in it. >> the gop has said if states increase taxes it will kill jobs. >> right. >> a blog took a look at tax bra breaks and hikes in two states today. first in kansas where the governor slashed tax revenue more than 10%. since then kansas added jobs at a rate of 2%. that's slower that be the rest of the united states. kansas actually earned less. in 2013, people in kansas earned less than in 2012. but at the same time in contrast, in california where they raised taxes in 2012, million dollar plus earners were
3:21 pm
taxed 3% on each additional dollar they earned. contrary to republican claims of killing jobs with tax hikes, california actually added over 410,000 jobs last year. their job growth accounted for a 17.5% of new jobs in the whole country. >> right. yeah. look, rev, kansas really has a revenue problem that they have created for themselves. now i read their bond rating is being downgraded because they can't support are their state on the revenues they are collecting. their education system, their infrastructure. california went the other way. again, if the facts don't fit your story you can make up another story in what passes for a political debate today. that's why it's so critically important that we try to just bring the facts of the case out. if you can't bring the facts of
3:22 pm
the case to a venue like ours here, it will be hard to support the kind of reality based policy agenda whether it's dodd frank to provide oversight to financial markets, whether it's responsible fiscal policy to raise the revenues we need. whether it's responsible minimum wage policy to give a bit of a boost to folks at the bottom. the fact-paced community is pointing at progressive policy direction and vice versa. >> that's why we have to keep fighting. thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> coming up, here's how you know the gop is worried. sarah palin is throwing the i word around. stay with us.
3:23 pm
so factors like diet can negatively impact good bacteria? even if you're healthy and active. phillips digestive health support is a duo-probiotic that helps supplement good bacteria found in two parts of your digestive tract. i'm doubly impressed! phillips' digestive health. a daily probiotic. but i've managed. ♪ i got to be pretty good at managing my symptoms, except that managing my symptoms was all i was doing. ♪ when i finally told my doctor, he said my crohn's was not under control. ♪ he said humira is for adults like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. and that in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. and many achieved remission.
3:24 pm
[ female announcer ] humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. if you're still just managing your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. having a perfectly nice day, ask your gastroenterologist about humira. when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second... boom! you've had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and... boom! you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace
3:25 pm
your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? liberty mutual's new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. switch to liberty mutual insurance and you could save up to $423 dollars. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. eric garner, a 43-year-old father of six, died in staten island last week after police officers were caught on this tape putting him in an illegal
3:26 pm
choke hold. >> every time you see me, you mess with me. i'm tired of this. >> hold on. >> don't touch me. do not touch me. [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> i can't breathe. >> earlier this month in los angeles, this was the scene, a california highway patrol officer repeatedly punching a woman in the face. both attacks caught on tape. both raising serious questions about how this kind of unacceptable police behavior can still be happening. but we must put an end to the it. my thoughts on that ahead. well another great thing about all this walking i've been doing is that it's given me time to reflect on some of life's biggest questions. like, if you could save hundreds on car insurance by making one simple call, why wouldn't you make that call? see, the only thing i can think of is that you can't get any... bars. ah, that's better.
3:27 pm
it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. hey there, i just got my bill, and i see that it includes my fico® credit score. yup, you get it free each month to help you avoid surprises with your credit. good. i hate surprises. surprise! at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card and see your fico® credit score. [ cat meows ] ♪ ♪ da-da-da-da-da, bum-da, bum-da ♪ ♪ bum-da, bum-da ♪ the animals went in two by two ♪ ♪ the sheep and the frog and the kangaroo ♪ ♪ and they all went marching, marching in two by two ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] the nissan pathfinder, with intuitive four-wheel drive. an adventure worth sharing. nissan. innovation that excites.
3:28 pm
an adventure worth sharing. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angieslist.com no more calling around. no more hassles.
3:29 pm
start shopping from a list of top-rated providers today. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today. live in the same communities that we serve. people here know that our operations have an impact locally. we're using more natural gas vehicles than ever before. the trucks are reliable, that's good for business. but they also reduce emissions, and that's good for everyone. it makes me feel very good about the future of our company. ♪ the clock is ticking before congress takes its summer break and house republicans have been laser focused on big issues like suing the president. for some conservatives, want
3:30 pm
them to think bigger. governor palin, take it away. >> these days you hear all of the politicians denouncing barack obama saying, oh, he's a lawless, imperial president. he ignores court orders and changes laws by fiat and refuses to enforce laws he just doesn't like. that's true, but the question is, okay, politicians, what are you going to do about it? [ cheers and applause ] >> there is only one remedy for a president who commits high crimes and misdemeanors and it's impeachment. it's the i-word. >> yep, alaska's most famous former governor is leading the charge for impeachment. working the fire of the base. then she invoked god to attack the president. >> god doesn't drive parked cars. i think he expects us to get up and take action in order to
3:31 pm
defend these freedoms that are god-given. i think it is an affront to god to let this go on because he gave us these freedoms. we are not going to let someone, a person a party take them from us. [ applause ] >> we are not going to dethrone god and substitute him with someone who wants to play god. >> the president is doing his job, not playing god. but i guess she wanted to up the ante from those who called the president a king. these attacks are spinning out of control. because the gop is getting desperate. the new york times has a new piece out today. good-bye to the republican wave. arguing the gop may not see the big gains they were expecting this fall. the health care law is working. the economy is improving. and the republican party isn't winning any popularity contests. so what does that leave them
3:32 pm
with -- >> it's impeachment. it's the i-word. [ cheers and applause ] >> yep. all i-word, all the time. but will this ugly plan to smear the president backfire on the gop? you betcha. joining me now are joe madison and crystal ball. this is a growing trend on the right. how might it work for the democrats and the president? >> it's another example of republican overreach like they have done with benghazi and the committees where they go so far and continue attacking so far past where the public wants them to be. it exposes that they have nothing to offer in terms of policy plans. their best hope in terms of campaign has been to attack the president who is not on the ball p lot, he's not running this year. so that rings hollow.
3:33 pm
to continue to denounce obamacare which is the law of the land and which they have offered no alternative to which is providing millions of americans with health care. this is the best they have come up with. i think it rings hollow to voters. >> joe, i want to play more sarah palin. she challenged republicans on impeachment. >> considering articles of impeachment is the check making the case for it is not difficult. difficult is having the moral courage to do what's right. congress, it takes guts to hold him accountable. it takes little bitle call will. >> guts. i mean, will republicans get hammered by the right if they are against impeachment, joe? >> i don't know are if they will get hammered. the reality is it is difficult to make an argument with impeachment. we learned that with president clinton, former president
3:34 pm
clinton. you can write up articles of impeachment. but then you have to convince the senate to convict. but, you know, krystal said something interesting and she's 100% right. up until now, president obama wasn't on the ballot. he is now. what happens when he's on the ballot? he wins big. the democrats had a major problem going in. that was how do you activate the base? how do you get moderates, people to turn out in the last term of a sitting president and that was one of their major problems. the other problem was that there were issues that the republicans are going to run on. and krystal is right. you can't run on benghazi. you can't run are on obamacare. now what are you going to run on? should we or should we not impeach the president? and that's going to backfire and
3:35 pm
motivate now our side to come out and vote because they don't want this to happen. this is going to backfire big. that's why you've got this camp inside the republican party. they wish -- quite honestly, many wish sarah palin would just go away. >> you know, it really has gotten out of control though, krystal. when you look at the fact in wisconsin, all four republican candidates for congressional seats said they lean toward impeachment. in georgia, both candidates for the gop senate nomination said they would consider impeachment. listen to this. >> i'm not up there. i don't have the facts. but right now one thing i know is if he's violating his oath of office to a degree that's egregious enough to do it, i will be by that. >> not a day goes by when people don't talk to us about impeachment.
3:36 pm
i don't know what rises to that level yet. but i know that there is a mounting frustration that a lot of people are getting to. i think congress is going to start looking at it very seriously. >> congress is looking at this seriously? all of these candidates are still in primary ares. will any of this change -- this rhetoric about impeachment change once we are past the primary season and one of them are opposing a democrat in the general with general voters? >> i doubt it. they have fed the base this rhetoric for so long that this is what their base expects. since they are saying it in the primary like we saw with mitt romney in the presidential primary. once you tell the base one thing in the primary it's hard to turn around and sell something else in the general election. this is a problem of their own making. in this way sarah palin is right. you can't go out and tell people the president is lawless, an imperial president, disregarding the ruls and laws of the land
3:37 pm
and then not say that impeachment is the remedy. it's the fact they have been selling a false bill of goods to their base in the first place that created this monster for the republican party. >> joe, they have been itching to get to this impeachment talk for years. this is not a new desire. they have been wanting to come here for a long time. >> you know are, i talked about it on your show. how many years ago, two years ago. i said, look. impeachment is the next thing. because the muslim thing failed. the birther thing failed. everything they have attacked the president on has failed and failed miserably. i anticipated that, okay, the last straw is now impeachment and the reality is, look, you're talking about a president that has, what, a little over two years. what do you gain by impeaching him? one, you can destroy his legacy.
3:38 pm
i think that's the under current. >> there is one problem. giving health care to millions of americans doesn't exactly qualify as a high crime or misdemeanor. i have to leave it there. joe and krystal ball, thank you for your time. >> thanks, reverend. >> watch krystal weekdays at 3:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc on "the cycle." coming up, more fallout from are the florida police department being investigated for links to the ku klux klan. what cases are now being dropped? and this man died after being choked by new york city police. it's raising serious questions about how this can still be happening. you make a great team.
3:39 pm
it's been that way since the day you met. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours.
3:40 pm
if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. you owned your car for four you named it brad. you loved brad. and then you totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends. three jobs. you're like "nothing can replace brad!" then liberty mutual calls. and you break into your happy dance. if you sign up for better car replacement, we'll pay for a car that's a model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. see car insurance in a whole new light.
3:42 pm
now to that florida police department dealing with a ku klux klan controversy. florida state officials are now investigating the fruitland park police after two officers were linked to the ku klux klan by the fbi. one was fired and one resigned. deputy chief david borst and george honeywell denied they secretly belonged to the ku klux klan and james elkins resigned four years ago over similar
3:43 pm
allegations. today, we are learning the state is dropping three cases involving those two officers. the state's attorney's office saying they haven't found any evidence the officers were motivated by racism. but worries a jury might question their credibility. and now one man arrested by the two officers is speaking out saying he was targeted. >> they are supposed to look at things differently, being the law. you have an issue with anybody's color or nationality, you shouldn't be serving and protecting because you are not doing the job the way it is supposed to be done. >> the town is stunned by police officers with kkk ties. and the investigation is just beginning. joining me now is don terry from the southern poverty law center and darryl owens, columnist for the orlando sentinel.
3:44 pm
writing about criminal justice and race relations. thank you for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> three cases dropped but they are going forward with nine other cases against people arrested by them. what's your reaction? >> my reaction is if i was a defense attorney in florida i would be licking my chops. this gives them ammunition going forward. any time you have a hint of a taint of a police officer, that gives the defense attorney more operating room. >> two men who were arrested by the officers want their cases re-examined. watch this. >> almost pulled his gun and said, oh, i could have shot you if you would have hit me with your car. >> probably racial profiling he was doing. i don't know why he stopped me. >> do you think you were treated differently because of your ethnicity? >> yeah.
3:45 pm
if you're called names and everything else while you are being arrested, you're being treated differently. >> so darryl, they are going to have to go back and look at every case. these men were just two that the local news stations found. are they going to have to review every case? >> i'm not sure they will have to review are every case but certainly the two cases you just described warrant being re-examined. but if more people come forward and the investigation shows that there may have been some impropriety in the investigation that might open up the floodgates. >> honeywell was a police officer until 2010 and the ex-wife of one of the officers said she claims she and the officer joined as part of an undercover investigation, that they were ordered to infiltrate the kkk.
3:46 pm
listen to this. >> this report shows the ku klux klan had a deeper hook in fruitland park police department than first thought saying former police secretary ann honeywell was also a member of the klan since 2008, the same year her ex-husband recently outed kkk member george honeywell joined the force. he was fired last week. ann claimed the couple was working undercover when they joined the klan but admitted she had no paperwork to back that up. former deputy chief david borst had ties to the klan going back years to when he was a sergeant. >> but the police chief isaacs has a record ared interview with the police chief at the time who flat out denied it saying, "at no time did i ever instruct or have anybody working undercover or infiltrating a klan organization while i was the
3:47 pm
chief of police." don, your reaction. >> my reaction is i think they are saying she's spinning, trying to make a bad situation look a little bit better. there is no documentation for her being under cover or for her husband being under cover. as you said, both police chiefs say it didn't happen. >> now, darryl, ann hunnewell described the kkk initiation right at the elkins home to the florida department of law enforcement. quote, once in the room a pillow case was placeded over their heads. as the ceremony began they were led into the living room and told to kneel. after a reading their pillow cases were removed from their heads and the ceremony was complete. it's really chilling to hear the ceremony described like this. are most people surprised,
3:48 pm
thinking things like this could happen in the 21st century. and these are police officers. >> you're exactly right. that's been one of the more amazing things during this investigation is the number of people who say they are surprised that the ku klux klan and other hate groups like this still exist in 2014 when as the southern poverty law center itself will point out, there are a number of hate groups ak a tif in the country. it makes you wonder where these people have been hiding all this time. >> the thing that's most disturbing to a lot of people and something that keeps me going back to this story is that we we know there is a long history from years ago of the klan and law enforcement particularly in the south. during the civil rights era of the '60s and going backward.
3:49 pm
today, people thought that was over. i think these kinds of accusations and the elkins situation a couple of years ago are is like waking up, realizing maybe we thought this was buried before it was actually buried in terms of klan in law enforcement in the south. >> right. well, the police behavior across the country you didn't have to necessarily be in the klan. bull connor looked the other way when the freedom riders came through birmingham in 1961. he gave them 15 minutes to beat the heck out of the freedom riders -- black and white freedom riders. he maybe wasn't a klansman but his behavior was atrocious. he said beat them until it looks like a bulldog got ahold of them. >> that was 50 years ago this summer. all of them weren't klansmen. some looked the other way and let them do what they wanted to
3:50 pm
do. >> exactly. >> thank you both for your time tonight. >> my pleasure. >> thank you. >> coming up, president obama gets personal talking about his my brother's keeper initiative to help black and latino boys. and this unarmed father of six was subjected to a choke hold. now he's no longer with us. there is no justification for this. my commentary ahead. ♪ in the nation, the safest feature in your car is you. add vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance and get $100 off for every year of safe driving. which for you, shouldn't be a problem. just another way we put members first, because we don't have shareholders.
3:51 pm
join the nation. nationwide is on your side. could help your business didavoid hours of delaynd test caused by slow internet from the phone company? that's enough time to record a memo. idea for sales giveaway. return a call. sign a contract. pick a tie. take a break with mr. duck. practice up for the business trip. fly to florida. win an award. close a deal. hire an intern. and still have time to spare. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90.
3:52 pm
comcast business. built for business. president obama's initiative. in february he introduced the new program designed to help lift up boys of color through mentorships and education. today he announced new partners and sent an additional $100 million has been donated. president obama took questions from some of the young men in the audience and gave very personal answers. >> you said when you were younger your father always wasn't around. how did you learn how to become a good father? >> that's a good question. you know, it wasn't just that my father wasn't always around. i only met him for a month my entire life. he wasn't there otherwise.
3:53 pm
so i didn't know him at all until i was 10. he came for a month and i never saw him again. but i had this mom who just loved me a lot and i had grandparents who loved me a lot. to the heroic single moms out there, we appreciate you for what you accomplish and what you do. [ applause ] >> yes. we appreciate all those heroic single moms out there, and all that they do. we appreciate the my brother's keeper initiative. y "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line,
3:54 pm
even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ] nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. virtually all your important legal matters in just minutes. now it's quicker and easier for you to start your business, protect your family, and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.
3:55 pm
the summer that summers from here on will be compared to. so get out there, and get the best price guaranteed. find it for less and we'll match it and give you $50 toward your next trip. expedia. find yours. finally tonight, a call to action for justice. a disturbing video went viral over the weekend. it shows eric garner, a 43-year-old married father of six, struggling with police officers after they accused him of illegally selling loose
3:56 pm
cigarettes. here's what happened next. >> every time you see me, you mess with me. i'm tired of it. don't touch me, please. do not touch me. [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> i can't breathe. >> garner asked the cops to leave him alone saying he's doing nothing wrong. he pulled his arms away as police officers tried to handcuff him. several more officers come to surround garner and one puts garner in a choke hold, dropping him to the ground. he can then be heard saying, "i can't breathe, i can't breathe." then late this weekend, a new seven-minute video showing his motionless body on the sidewalk. four emergency workers, two medics and two emts arrived to
3:57 pm
find garner unconscious, but did nothing to aid him. reports now say garner should have been immediately placed on a stretcher and his airway breathing and circulation checked. none of this happened. sources at the scene claim one medic had no equipment with her. why was there seemingly no urgency. garner died of cardiac arrest en route to the hospital. there is no justification for the actions on the part of police nor the delinquency of the emergency workers. the four emergency workers have been placed on operational restriction and the cop who put garner in the choke hold has had his badge and gun taken. across the country there is another video that's gone viral. sparking similar outrage in the community. in this video, 51-year-old marlene pinuck is punched repeatedly by a patrol officer on the side of the freeway for
3:58 pm
disobeying orders not to walk near the freeway. >> [ bleep ]. >> oh, [ bleep ]. he's beating her up. >> oh, my gosh. why? >> is that a cop? >> choke hold, two horrific tapes and two terrible unjustified actions. black people attacked by law enforcement, both caught on tape. in the 21st century, there is no doubt we made tremendous strides but we have a long way to go. i spoke about this yesterday as i preached at riverside church in new york city. i know that god is here. because i look at the wave of history and even with the difficulties i see how god's
3:59 pm
hand is moving us forward. i know god is here because when dr. king came in this pulpit in '67, to come out against a war with no one in that time would have ever thought that we would be sitting here today with a black president and a black attorney general. [ applause ] >> and why did we make that progress? we made it because people like dr. king and people that came behind dr. king and people that kept it going in my generation and a general asian behind me did not accept wrong are. they kept fighting, kept marching, kept doing what was right. and that's what we must do today. we must not sink into cynicism and say, why do we keep seeing the same things? we've got to keep fighting
4:00 pm
because progress can happen. the good note on both cases is both cases in l.a. and new york were with videotaped by two men, neither were black. it shows that people will stand up for what's right, even if police officers don't. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. chaos, confusion and charges of cover-up on the ground. let's play "hardball.." good evening. i'm steve kornacki in for chris matthews. a scene of horror at the malaysia flight 17 crash turns into chaos.
106 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC WestUploaded by TV Archive on
![](http://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=69308365)