with new execution drugs and wind up with a convict gasping and struggling. eighth amendment? what eighth amendment? >> to watch a man lay there for an hour and 40 minutes. at a certain point you wondered if he was ever going to die. >> he smiled and laughed at us and then went to sleep. all you who think these drugs are bad, to hell with you guys. look at the big picture. >> the faa lifted its ban on flights into israel. >> in gaza, an israeli attack on a u.n. school compound killed at least 15. >> israel is raising the possibility it may have been hamas rockets but they didn't confirm or deny. 1:00 p.m. on the east coast. 10:00 a.m. on the west. here's what you need to know right now. we've just learned delta will resume its flights to tel aviv tonight after the faa lifted its banns on flights to and from tel aviv overnight. but not because things are getting better. in gaza, at least 15 are dead

after a strike on a u.n. school housing displaced palestinians. the u.n. human rights council just voted to investigate whether this amounts to war crimes. they have a history of focusing on israel disproportionately. this time the u.n.'s top human rights official also echoed the accusation. the israeli prime minister netanyahu has fired back. >> it's a travesty of justice. it's a travesty of fairness. it's a travesty of common sense. it's a travesty of truth. and i think that it will not prevent us from continuing to act to defend our people, to protect them against rocket attacks. >> secretary of state john kerry remains in that region strugg struggling to revive a cease-fire. developing news at this hour. more victims of flight 17 are returning home. 72 more bodies arriving at an airport in the netherlands a short while ago. you see them there. they were met with somber

ceremony. crowds of people lining the roads as the first victims were driven through the streets to a military facility just yesterday. a citizens honor guard. nearly 100 victims from that mh-17 flight are still not accounted for. and there are more remains still at that crash site not even recovered. another plane in the news. a commercial airline carrying 116 people has, quote, probably crashed over mali. that's according to france's foreign minister. was flying from burkina faso to algeria's capital. it lost contact with flight controllers 50 minutes after contact. they are now scouring the mountains of mali searching for that plane. no wreckage has been found yet. the u.n. is attempting to verify claims isis ordered all women in one iraqi city to undergo genital mutilation. isis imposed sharia law within that occupied territory. if verified as true, the u.n.

estimates this fatwa would impact 4 million women and girls. back here in the u.s., a tv news helicopter captured the dramatic final moments of a manhunt in colorado. a carjacking suspect who broke into a house crashed through the garage in a stolen suv. police are after him for a string of alleged crimes. see this amazing footage. on the run. made his way toward a busy interstate. after getting stuck in a ditch, he then attempted to steal another vehicle right there. police caught up to him with the help of some bystanders and took him into custody. one hour and 57 minutes. that is how long it took a convicted murderer to be executed yesterday. they used a two-drug cocktail to put joseph wood to death leaving him, according to some media witnesses, gasping, struggling. arizona governor jan brewer says justice was carried out. but did order an investigation. a district judge has order ordered officials to preserve wood's body in order to collect

evidence. the victim's family members say that the focus should not be on wood but the people he murdered in cold blood. >> everybody here from what i heard said it was excruciating. you don't know what excruciating is. excruciating is seeing your dad lying there in a pool of blood. seeing your sister lying in a pool of blood. that's excruciating. this man deserved it. >> deserved it isn't what the constitution says. it says cruel and unusual punishments aren't permitted. is that what happened here? joining us, mauricio maron, a reporter for tucson news now and he's on the phone with us. he witnessed this execution. you counted about 660 times that mr. wood gasped? >> yeah, that's correct. so, like you said, it took about two hours, the whole process to happen. i saw about 10 minutes. and the first sort of gasp, it looked like a gulp. you could see his throat moving

in and his stomach started moving. it turned to 200, 300. the very end i counted about 660. >> and you there were with the prison officials. were they disturbed at what they were seeing? >> that's why we were inside the witness area of the execution chamber looking around. to my left i saw the family of the victim just looking straight ahead toward the glass. prison officials in there kind of standing there likehey t in the middle of it, started to look around and i noticed something showing an the faces. >> thank you, mauricio marin of tucson news now. here's an interesting fact. u.s. is on a relatively short list of countries that executes people. and america comes in fifth for the highest number of overall executions. you see that list there. we're behind china, iran, iraq and saudi arabia. quite a list to be on. if we're going to be on that list of countries that kill, what is the least cruel way of carrying it out?

joining us now, dr. larry kobilinsky from john j. college. really appreciate your being here. >> my pleasure. >> so arizona officials used a specific combination that's got a spotty track record now. mydazolin and hydromorphone. it's the second execution where that's gone wrong. does that combination cause pain? >> the issue is whether or not there's consciousness. if you are unconscious you can't perceive pain. i'm not talking about sedation. i'm talking about consciousness. so whether or not this person was gasping, that could be a physical response. obviously, the body seeking oxygen. but the issue for me is whether he was conscious or not. if you aren't conscious, you cannot feel pain. >> the medical examiner has directed their forensic experts to draw blood from this body before it's bury periied. >> he was given these two drugs.

these are both given in lethal amounts but the issue is whether or not -- what is the dosage of each amount that actually entered the blood stream. there's been a case, the lockett case in oklahoma, another botched execution, where the needle, the i.v. penetrated the vein, pierced it and the chemicals went into the tissues rather than the blood stream. i think they want to determine how much of the chemicals got into the blood stream. >> with so many problems with lethal injection right now let's look at some other methods. in tennessee they'll go back to using the electric chair. is that humane? >> a lot of people think it's totally inhumane. there's about 2300 volts that come through the body. and then a second round with 1,000 volts, a third round with again, thousands of volts. this is not only painful but there's a sizzling, a burn of the body. i would not suggest that it is a humane way to die. >> what about firing squads?

officials in utah can actually choose to use the firing squad if the inmate requests it. what happens during that process? >> depends where the bullets hit. generally speaking, the person dies to hemorrhage and shock. and it's a relatively quick way to go. >> so that may actually be prif rential. the interesting thing is we see some of these less sanitized methods we'd like to see less may be more humane. that goes for in most old school of these methods. what about the guillotine. >> it's a sure thing. it's fast. but the problem is, i don't think american culture is ready for the guillotine yet. it's not going to happen in the united states. >> right. even if the experience is more humane, less cruel and unusual. we just don't want to see it. >> absolutely agree. >> doctor, appreciate your expertise. is he an action hero, world leader or international thug? vladimir putin. he are going to journey into the brain of russia's problematic president right after the brack.

break.

oh hey there! (laughs) hmm. you're that grumpy cat. well i know! how about some honey nut cheerios? humans love them. moms, dads, kids-well, all of 'em. not even a smile? huh... maybe someone should tell your face. ohhh that is your face.

(angry cat purr) ah! part of a good breakfast... for almost everyone!

more victims of mh-flight 17 are coming home today in the netherlands. the conflict that took down that plane is still raging just 50 miles from that crash site. intense fighting is continuing in eastern ukraine. one day after rebels claimed they shot down two fighter jets. pro-russian rebels are keeping their grip on and around the crash scene. nbc's keir simmons joins me from donetsk, a separatist stronghold. how unstable is this area right now? >> it's pretty inn stable, ronan. good afternoon. while i'm standing here talking to you, while i was waiting, we heard the shelling on the

outskirts of donetsk. we took a look this afternoon. the ukrainian military are shelling the northwest of the city. thud, thud, thud. three shells coming in at a time and then smoke. then a period, thn more shelling. and that's been pretty much throughout the day. they appear to be targeting a road block there of militia. possibly to try and get a better hold on the airport. it's closer, though, than it's been. we think for some time. meanwhile, as you mentioned, near the wreckage of mh-17, that fighting continues. there those two ukrainian fighter jets were donned yesterday. they were, according to the ukrainians, ronan, flying at 17,000 feet. the pro-russian rebels say they downed those jets with shoulder mounted missiles. if they were at 17,000 feet that's very unlikely which suggests instead they were hit by ground to air missiles, missile launchers, perhaps similar to the kind of missiles that it's claimed that u.s.

intelligence say they believe downed mh-17. what that tells you is there is no let-up. after a pause of some nature when mh-17 went down, the war here is back on and it's right on the russian border. >> no end in sight for this confluct. keir simmons. the man pulling the strings behind those pro-russian separatists, it is increasingly clear, is vladimir putin. >> who put their finger on the trigger? we still need to find that out. the russian separatists, we believe, fired this in general, could not be doing what they are doing without the russians and responsibility lays at the feet of president putin. not just for this but for every incident we've seen throughout this conflict, period. >> vladimir putin, a world leader acting more and more erratically, mystifying the international community. how do you solve a problem like putin? joining me is ambassador michael mcfaul, former u.s. ambassador

to russia. what is putin's main goal right now? >> to be honest, i don't think he knows what his goal is right now. he's clearly has not succeeded in having the mass uprising in support of independence that he had hoped for. at the same time, it's difficult for him to just withdraw and retreat even after the incredibly awful tragedy of last week. so until he has a different strategy, i think he'll just dig in and allow this low intensity conflict to continue, and he'll continue to support the insurgents on the ukrainian side to destabilize the ukrainian government. >> it does seem his behavior has been increasingly erratic and extreme. what do you think was behind that land grab in crimea? >> that i think was clear. that was a disappointment in his view of, in his view, of the west allowing for the government

in kiev to collapse and for yankovic to flee. i was still in the government at the time. that is not the administration's view and that was not my view at the time watching it. i still think it's mysterious why yankovic fled. this is the americans using their force again, covert force, to overthrow regime they don't like and, therefore, i'm going to strike back. and that's why he decided to go into crimea when he did. >> it felt like a turning point even through sochi. it seemed there was an attempt to westernize, to engage with the international community. that seems less and less the case. tell me what you think about putin's psychology about the western world? >> well, i do think that's important to remember sochi and to remember before his grab of crimea, his most important foreign policy objective was to create and strengthen the economic union. that's his response to the eu.

>> something a lot of people may not have even heard about at this point. >> nobody was talking about it. and, you know, this was his way to increase russian influence in the territory of the former soviet union. and to achieve that objective, he wanted all of ukraine, not just crimea, to be a part of that union. and i think that's important to remember because that was a strategy before the fall of the government in kiev. once that happened, then he pivoted to this new strategy. realizing that it was impossible now to have ukraine to be a part of that. and that's when he developed a much more confrontational approach to the west as a whole and to the united states in particular. >> given that seeming lack of concern about western acceptance, what can be persuasive with him? >> to tell you the truth, i'm not optimistic. i think it's right to increase sanctions because of his response to this awful tragedy. i think over time, sanctions can

be effective. but over time, it's the feedback loop that causes the people to be unhappy about their economic situation that then puts pressure on the leader. that's a feedback loop that will happen over years, not days and months. and, therefore, i think we've got to stop just focusing on trying to get putin to do the right thing and give greater attention to strengthening the ukrainians in what they are trying to do. both economically, in terms of winning the hearts and minds in eastern, ukraine and engaging in the information war that putin is involved in. they tell lies every day to their people in russia and the people of eastern ukraine. we have to do a more effective job in providing the truth as to what is happening in eastern, crane and what ukraine and russia as a whole. >> jud >> should president obama engage

putin more? >> i actually applaud the president. i think he's done the right thing. my own view is he has a very accurate assessment of who plt p president putin is. we went to russia in july 2009, he did a television view and accidentally slipped out that putin has one foot in the past and one foot in the present. that accurately reflected his understanding of putin. the president believes that engagement can achieve outcomes and he would never because of some principle disengage. but i think he realistically understands the probabilities of success of greater engagement with putin are very low. >> ambassador mcfaul, thanks. always good to talk to you. what happens when a medal of honor recipient and a bunch of wall street traders and a bunch of traders walk into a bar. not a bar, the new york stock

exchange. we have some surprising video for you after the break. moderate to severe is tough, 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. 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. ten hut! you up for the challenge suds-maker? i'm gonna need more than that to get through the rest of these dishes! i want more suds! dawn? you won't last. [ female announcer ] a drop of dawn has active suds that stay stronger longer, so you can clean 2x more greasy dishes. to get the job done. you're full of suds after all. now drop and give me twenty spaghetti bowls! [ female announcer ] dawn does more. [ sponge ] so it's not a chore.

[guy] i know what you're you're thinking beneful. [announcer]beneful has wholesome grains,real beef,even accents of spinach,carrots and peas. [guy] you love it so much. yes you do. but it's good for you, too.

[announcer] healthful. flavorful. beneful. from purina. medal of honor winner smash. and that's former army staff sergeant ryan white, winner of the congressional medal of honor and national hero ringing the closing bell at the new york stock exchange. and not knowing his own strength as the head of the gavel flew into the crowd. he won his award when he held off a group of insurgents even while grievously injured. and an update on our call to action. we're focusing on kids being left in hot cars. increasingly an epidemuc. we've contributed about 900 signatures to the white house petition to prevent child heat strokes in cars.

one of the cases that captured the nation's attention was that of shaneisha taylor. she reached a plea deal after leaving her two children in a hot car during a job interview. her mug shot there captivated the nation. she talked to craig melvin this morning. >> i feel like i was in a desperate situation, and i dealt with the cards that were given to me. i had the choice between providing for my children and caring for my children. >> she is not alone in facing that choice. not everybody is sympathetic. karen tweeted, never leave parents or children in a hot car. if you see either unattended, get them out. and viv told us, don't leave human or animals in a car alone, period. head to our website to add your signature. coming up -- the body count is rising in gaza. we've got the latest an the devastation on the ground, as well as the latest on the political furor about american

leadership or lack thereof in this crisis. you don't want to miss it, up next. i think she tried to kill us. no, it's only 15 calories. with reddi wip, fruit never sounded more delicious, with 15 calories per serving and real cream, the sound of reddi wip is the sound of joy. with diabetes, it's tough to keep life balanced. i don't always have time to eat like i should. and the more i focus on everything else, the less time i have to take care of me. that's why i like glucerna shakes. they have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes. glucerna products help me keep everythibalanced. (crash) ugh! i'm good. well, almost everything. [male announcer] glucerna. delicious shakes and bars...

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.

you fifteen percent or more on huh, fiftcar insurance.uld save everybody knows that. well, did you know words really can hurt you? what...? jesse don't go! jesse...no! i'm sorry daisy, but i'm a loner.

and a loner gotta be alone. heee yawww! geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. jesse? now for a view of the middle east that you may not have seen before. take a look at this photo. taken from space. this is israel and gaza seen from the international space station. it's been getting a lot of traction online. an astronaut calls it the saddest photo he's taken yet of the world because he can see the explosions, the rockets flying. those rockets continued to fly today on both sides of the conflict. and the u.n.'s top human rights official is crying foul. >> i unequivocally -- civilians must not be targeted. it is impertough that hamas,

israel and all palestinian armed groups strictly abide by norms of humanitarian law and international human rights law. >> so how do things look from the ground? let's check in with martin fletcher in tel aviv and ayman mohyeldin in gaza. israelis used shells to attack a u.n. school compound in gaza. ban ki-moon has condemned that. what do you know? >> we do know from the united nations that the u.n. schools here in gaza, their gps coordinates were given to the israeli military. they have not come back and said specifically they believe that it was an israeli shell. they say the school that housed hundreds of palestinian displaced people came under attack today at about 4:00 p.m. local and that led to the killing of 15 people, including u.n. staff, women and children. they are saying very strongly, though, they do condemn some of the attacks that have happened at u.n. schools.

some of those in the past few days they do believe come from the israeli side of this fight. in addition to that, they are saying that last night they were told by the israelis to evacuate that school specifically because of the attacks that were coming from the vicinity of the school towards israel with palestinian rocketfire but that this morning they were unable to do that because there was no cessation of hostility. they were unable to remove or withdraw those at the school because it was too dangerous. at 4:00 p.m. that incident happened that killed more than a dozen. >> -- intercepted by iron dome. the faa lifted its flight ban. from what you're seeing is it safe there? >> well, you know, to be an israeli at the moment, it's pretty safe because of the iron dome anti-rocket system which has been so successful.

about three civilians have been killed by rockets fired from gaza. of course that's a tiny number compared to what's going on in gaza. i can add some information to what ayman has told you. the army spokesmen here say this is quickly becoming, this tragedy in the schools is quickly becoming a he said/she said situation. the israelis say that there was in fact, cessation in the shooting for a couple of hours. and people who were watching the fighting from the area which overlooks that area said there was indeed a big gun, a big fire battle going on. the israelis say there was a big battle going on in the area between israelis and hamas. they say they don't know who is shelling what. there are so many shells being fired. they raised the possibility it was not them buha moss. >> ayman, any reaction in gaza

to the alleges of war crimes? >> there are allegations of war crimes being made and being reflected toward israel. the palestinians feel that israel is committing war crimes and they certainly have been citing some of the comments that have been coming out of the united nations officials, including the top human rights chief who said that israel may be committing war crimes but also condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets. when you speak to palestinian human rights officials they've been citing all types of examples they believe are evidence of war crimes, including, you know, attacks on civilians, collective punishment, the way they've displaced people from their homes and wholesale destruction of neighborhoods just to name a few. also in addition to that, some of the weapons they believe are being used against international convention. >> martin to clarify, the top u.n. official did say on both sides in her quote but the u.n. human rights council has been very clear in saying they are

investigating israel. of course worth noting the u.n. human rights council has a complex history including disproportionate focus on israel. what's the reaction on the israeli side to this. >> from a government outrage, you do touch upon a sore point when you use the word complex. that's an understatement. i mean, that particular u.n. institution, that committee, has to be, by all -- just looking at the statistics, the most anti-israeli organization maybe on the planet. it's extraordinary the disproportion. of all the countries in the world, more than half of all the resolutions on that committee are against israel. the only country under permanent review, which means they review the record every single time they meet is israel. so the israeli government looks at whatever comes out of that particular committee and says, what do you expect?

we'll never get anywhere with that. however, the fact the head of the u.n. commission of human rights said what she said, i believe the israeli government has taken that seriously. >> and this is definitely not going to end today. thank you, martin and ayman. appreciate it. so with turmoil raging in the middle east not to mention planes being shot out of the sky in ukraine, president obama is in california fund-raising right now. he's taking a lot of heat for not hunkering down in the white house about these issues. today's editorials say it all. "the new york post" questions the u.s. anti-leadership. "the washington post" asks, has president obama hit his low point and "the wall street journal" has the harshest of the day. obama to world: drop dead. the most provincial u.s. president in the last century. joining me 24 msnbc political analysts. mark halperin and jonathan alter. mark, is this line of criticism

fair? >> the president is going to fund-raise as past presidents have, but i do think you hear even from democrats concern about him picking his spots, maybe wrongly. not timing his statements perfectly, particularly with regards to russia. you hear that from a lot of democrats. and the fund-raising is kind of a distraction. is he getting the job done? >> on the middle east, he has john kerry in the region. it seems like there have been conversations behind closed doors about this. is it not worth the public giving him the space to see if that strategy pans out? >> i think quiet diplomacy is often a great strategy. what you hear not from republican critics but even democrats, even those close to the white house, these things require presidential level leadership. some things only the president can do. some would like him to do more. the world is complex. a lot at once, not of his own making but the distractions of his daily job aren't the issue. it's is he getting the heart of his job done, protecting american security. >> i think there's a lot of

wisdom right now with respect to the, cra ukraine issue, seeing u can get more leadership from them. >> that is the question now because the europeans have not stepped up in the way the president had hoped. the subtext of this is the president is not doing the job. that he's not attending to the details. that's rubbish. whatever the optics are, the idea that this president is somehow like suddenly not doing his homework, not being on the secure line to the key players in the region is just wrong. as anybody knows anything about the way he operates understands. we have to distinguish between the optics, which are not good, and which he could adjust in the interests of better public relations. distinguish between that and is this president somehow on miller time now which i think would be an exaggeration. >> miller time. that's good in this conversation. there's also a question of press

relations. there was a complaint lodged overnight from the white house correspondents association for their lack of access that they perceive. a string of complaints about the lack of photo access in the white house. this latest fund-raiser, no photos. do you think this president allows more or less? >> about the same in some ways. maybe a little more in others and a little less in others. he's not revolutionized access. the fact he should meet with wealthy donors who are giving a lot of money to political causes because the president wants them to, that that should be -- those meetings should be private with nothing released about who attends or what's discussed, he's welcome to do it. other presidents have. if he wants to be the most transparent, try to eliminate people's suspicions about the nexus between big money tlns and access and results, i think it would be wise to change the access they get. >> we know from mitt romney the best laid out plans to keep these fund-raisers private often go awry. stick around. the nra has got a new ad campaign. you may be surprised what they are pitching.

we'll show you and we've got to talk about it just ahead. (vo) get ready! fancy feast broths. they're irresistabowl... completely unbelievabowl... totally delectabowl. real silky smooth or creamy broths. everything she's been waiting for. carefully crafted with real seafood, real veggies, and never any by-products or fillers. wow! being a cat just got more enjoyabowl. fancy feast broths. wow served daily.

you drop 40 grand on a new set of wheels, then... wham! a minivan t-bones you. guess what: your insurance company will only give you 37-thousand to replace it. "depreciation" they claim. "how can my car depreciate before it's first oil change?" you ask. maybe the better question is, why do you have that insurance company? with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. 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. ♪ and cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like 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 free 30-tablet trial.

the nr sa kicking off a new ad campaign. this time it's taking aim at the vote. and they want you to know, this is fun for the whole family. >> remember this isn't a toy. >> i know, dad. >> this is serious business. >> why do you have it? >> it's important that i protect our family. and our rights. >> does everyone have one? >> no, but they should. >> i'm really proud of you, dad. >> yes, two great tastes that go great together. guns and democracy. the ad is part of the nra's

trigger the vote campaign encouraging gun rights advocates to register. how effective is this going to be? mark halperin, jonathan altar. chuck norsris is serving as the honorary chairman. if chuck norris can't do it, who can? >> they are a high propensity voting group historically. this is to reach out to a broader audience. in the past people who supported second amendment rights have more absolutist view of that have done a better job of people that would like to see some gun control, particularly in off year elections. i don't know if this is a sign of strength or weakness but sends a message to those who want more gone control. the nra is going to go out there and try to get people to the polls. >> jonathan, they are sending people out across the usa. is this a smart refocusing for the nra? >> no, their pr over theangry as

terrific. this is another example. i don't understand why the son is proud of his father just for being a voter. it seems to work pretty well as an ad to try to drive voter registration. the democrats were the ones who got really good at this in 2012. they used microtargeting and all sorts of other, you know, high-tech ways of increasing voter registration, particularly among their core constituencies. and we're now seeing the republicans starting to close the gap, although as mark indicated, gun owners have always voted in large numbers. but the problem for democrats is they don't vote in midterms. people like these nra voters do. and that means trouble for the democrats. >> there are some surprises like an ohenry story. >> it's not a gun. it's a voter registration end.

lovely looking family. they are reaching out to others, not just families. there's this one promoting making firearms education compulsory in schools like reading and writing. how popular is that sentiment? >> again, they have a very intense core constituency. the one that makes me mad right now is the nra campaign with a hipster where they are trying to make it cool for children to pack heat. literally. it's basically marketing guns to children. 10,000 american children died in gun accidents over the last year. this is a really -- this is playing with fire, and i think that the other side does have to come at this a little more directly. >> what's the smart democratic response going into midterms? >> public opinion has changed somewhat but public opinion still, particularly in the red states that will decide control of the senate, public opinion is still a very strong.

it has changed. people are not -- their fight is engaged which for decades it was not. i think the democrats probably would prefer to fight the midterms out not on second amendment issues, gun control issues but on economics and other issues. >> they got destroyed in 1994 when the big issue was guns and that really hurt the democrats. that's when they first lost control of the house to newt gingrich. >> and although this is such an undesirable political issue that human consequences of it are playing out over and over. this crazy car chase yesterday in colorado where a carjacker was armed with an ak-47 and a handgun when they arrested him. are we anywhere near any sort of push towards a federal assault weapons ban? >> no. i mean, the loss last year was demoralizing for those who want more gun safety legislation. so i think we're going to have to get passed this next election and maybe in 2015 or 2016, if those who support common sense

gun safety can rally and get a little smaller about the politics. >> do you want a guy like that out there with this heavy grade weaponry. >> we've seen countless other examples that shocked the conscience of the country and yet there remains this deep divide. there's still people who don't live in the northeast and on the west coast who view these situations and don't say the solution is more gun control. the debate is engaged more than it ever has been in our lives but it is still not a fair fight. it just seems like there's no body count too high. >> it shouldn't be called gun control. that's playing on their side. it should be called gun safety and those who favor common sense gun safety should call it common sense gun safety and not gun control. >> how do they breakthrough the gridlock? >> i think it's going to require a republican -- series of republican leaders will be to

work with democrats to get it done. i think the democratic party, the last two democratic presidents. their hearts on gun safety issues was to do a lot more than they thought was politically safe to do and they were told it was politically safe. like on immigration. it's going to take strong democratic leadership and some republicans who say enough is enough. we shouldn't be the only country on the planet in the industrial world that has laws like this and tragedies like this. >> it's really -- it seems like it's time for a change but there's no hope of it. >> before we part ways because there's so much news about immigration, i want to turn to the equally gridlocked situation on that. we've just learned the house gop will meet friday to discuss the border crisis. an endless series of discussions that don't seem to be producing results. speaker boehner saying any legislative effort is being hampered by the white house. do you think the white house is going to lose in that blame game? >> well, the blame game, i think, will be delayed until the presidential. i don't think there will be any activity before the midterms. jeb bush wrote a moderate,

sensible op ed and it's being savaged by the right saying this rules him out as a presidential candidate. it's going to be up to republicans. labor wants it. business wants it. the president wants it. democrats in congress want it. it's up to the republicans in congress to see what they want. >> meeting with all those central american presidents tomorrow. is there any space left for moderate leadership on this issue? >> there is, if john boehner would show some leadership so people are clear on what's happening right now. boehner is saying he will not support the president's request for $3 billion to confront this crisis unless a 2008 law that was passed under george w. bush is amended and changed. and made more harsh toward children coming up from central america. he won't act to confront the crisis unless they act more harshly toward children. that's the position of john boehner and the republican party right now. >> some democrats support that

too. >> the official position of the party. that's really -- it's not humane. it's not practical and doesn't do anything to confront the crisis. >> this has been fun but not particularly optimistic. thank you both. mark halperin and jonathan alter. come back for optimism next time. appreciate it. up next -- what do you do with a lonely, sad, depressed bear? if you are argentina, leave him right here where he is. the hubush over what to do next with arturo the polar bear. you want to stay for that, mark? >> wish i could. >> great to see you guys. [ male announcer ] we're the names you know in the places you want to be.

where you can explore super destinations and do everything under the sun. 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. save up to 25% and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com. yeah?om. save up to 25% and earn bonus points we got allstate, right? uh-huh. yes! well, i found this new thing... called allstate quickfoto claim. it's an app. you understand that? just take photos of the damage with your phone and upload them to allstate. really? so you get a quicker estimate, quicker payment, quicker back to normal. i just did it. but maybe you can find an app that will help you explain this to your father. introducing quickfoto claim. just another way allstate is changing car insurance for good.

he's being called the world's saddest creature. no, no, not -- not that one. yet still -- no. yes, that one. arturo the bear, alone in a sweltering argentina zoo since his companion died two years ago. now, showing signs of

depression, repetitive actions, director of his zoo in argentina announced that arturo is not going to be moved despite more than 500,000 signatures on a change.org petition demanding his release. joining us now, tom stalf, president and ceo of the columbus zoo. thank you for being here. tom, you're in the polar bear habitat now. huge reaction from a change.org petition, fund-raising on reddit, the chair tweeted about it. is this publish pressure helpful? >> it's important we voice opinions when we come to a zoo, we're inspired, we want to learn about amazing animals and want to hear their stories. when we hear this story, we encourage argentina to do a better job with their enrichment program. the great thing about this the animal has lived 28 years, and that's amazing. that is a very old bear. and there's been millions of people that have had an opportunity to enjoy watching

the bear. it's our goal here at the columbus zoo and aquarium to make sure that the people can understand why the bear's here. it's about telling that story. it's about talking about the bears and the arctic, how we can help them in the wild. specifically, we want to talk about animal welfare. and it's extremely important that we don't have a bear that's bored. we want to make sure they have enrichment, things do, make sure their environment is clean and diet is perfect for them. it's important that all of the zoos around the globe work together and make sure that each species that they have they give proper care to. >> just looking at images of arturo looking depressed,ing repetitive in behaviors. one important basic, animals can and do get depressed, correct? >> absolutely. they can be depressed, they can be bored. this is the role of a zookeeper, a zoo manager, to make sure that every species that we have, they have opportunities to explore,

to have exercise, they have proper diet. so it's important that argentina, that we work with the zoos and we make sure that the species have their proper care. there's no question about it. a 28-year-old bear is a very old bear. when the veterinarians are saying that it's a risk, a high risk to move that bear, i don't disagree there. what i say is, it's important that we make sure there's an enrichment program, make sure their habitat is appropriate for the animal, give the animal something to do throughout the day and make sure that -- >> part of the issue is that the environment's wrong for the animal. his environment can hit 104 degrees farn height. i see captive bears. is it appropriate to house arctic animals in settings that are warmer. >> it's important that you provide the right facility. for here at columbus zoo and aquarium, we're geothermal here. the water temperature in their

deep pool is 50 to 55 degrees. air-conditioned facilities. i don't disagree with you, you have to make sure that what you're providing for that animal in their habitat is appropriate. if it isn't, you shouldn't be in that business. >> you feel there's no fundamental problem with having quarters in zoos in general? >> believe me, i just returned from manitoba in church hill and had the opportunity to spend a week out in the arctic. this is so important that we have an opportunity to enlighten our guests, to learn about the plight of the polar bear, because it's more than just the polar bear. it's about habitats. it's about making sure we have only one planet and we have to give to conservation and make sure people realize there's still a chance for the polar bear. the only way it's going to be improved is with help from you. >> thank you, tom, and the columbus zoo. that wraps things up for ted's edition of "rf daily." "the reid report" is next. woooo.

i know what you're thinking. you're thinking beneful. [announcer]and why wouldn't he be? beneful has wholesome grains,real beef,even accents of spinach,carrots and peas. it has carbohydrates for energy and protein for those serious muscles. [guy] aarrrrr! [announcer]even accents of vitamin-rich veggies. [guy] so happy! you love it so much. yes you do! but it's good for you,too. [announcer] healthful. flavorful. beneful. from purina.

hello, everybody, i'm joy reid. this is "the reid report." 1:57, how long it took to kill a man in arizona yesterday. >> he was, you know, clearly struggling for breath. >> to me, it looked like he was sleeping. >> i liken to if you catch a fish and throw it on the shore. >> everybody's more worried about did he suffer. who really suffered was my dad and my sister when they were killed. >> after another botched execution, the question of the lethal drug cocktail is back in the spotlight. then, israel's war with hamas gets more gruesome as a school shelter in gaza residents is struck and 15 people are killed. and in our next installment of generation to generation, john lewis and phillip agnew discuss the continued