we'll do it again for sure. that's the ed show. politics nation with reverend al sharpton starts right now. >> good evening and thanks to you for joining in. i'm talking tonight some big news on the eric gardiner investigation tuattorney genera eric holder is speak out. i'm going to give you the insight of my meeting with the u.s. attorney. we start with tonight's lead. and breaking news out of washington. 116 house democrats just signed a letter to house speaker john boehner and harry reid encouraging them to not let congress leave for the august recess before they finish work on a bill to reform the veteran

affairs department the letter says let's put our nation's veterans who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms first. yes, this should not be bipartisan, it should be something helping our veterans. our veterans shouldn't take a threat to congress member's vacation. it ought to be something they do. this comes after the senate addressed the bill about the va last month. if passed with bipartisan support, a whopping 93-3. this week, house republicans effectively spiked the bill. over two weeks ago, president obama requested emergency funding to deal with the humanitarian crisis at the border.

no-brainer, right? today when house republicans finally met about it, here's what happened. >> one of the big issues is, very few people trust the president. >> you have a president, he's not following the 2008 law. if he's not obeying the 2008 law, what good does it do to change that law? >> it makes it all the way to the president's desk and he signs it, it will be another law that the president will ignore, not enforce. >> instead of coming together to solve a crisis. they're attacking the president. this is what happens after years of extremist rhetoric from the right. today impeachment mania is running wild in the gop. a new poll shows 57% of republicans actually support impeaching president obama, along with 56% of conservatives,

it echos the drum beat we've been hear iing from republican leaders. >> impeachment is a message that has to be sent to our president, we're not going to put up with this lawlessness. you don't bring a lawsuit to a gunfight. there's no place for lawyers on the front lines. >> we want all tools to use in the impeachment. >> he may be starting to use i word before too long. >> yes, it's absurd and attempting to dismiss it as empty rhetoric. this hey treads for president obama has an effect. that's affecting our political system. today the do nothing republican congress is preventing simple and popular things from getting done. and the breaking news, 116 democrats say enough is enough.

do something. joining me now are e.j. and diana. thank you for being here. e.j., big news tonight, house democrat democrats urging action. nobody goes home until the va is fixed. what does it say they have to be dragged kicking and screaming on a bill that would help veterans? >> it's amazing, they cannot say it's not bipartisan enough, there aren't many bills that pass the senate 93-3. and i think what you're seeing here is a weird form of nullification, which is the idea that we can't do anything with president obama. we can't solve any problem as long as barack obama is president of the united states. and i've been around a while, i've seen democrats be very mad at republican presidents like

president bush or president reagan. that didn't stop democrats from reforming taxes under reagan. nancy pelosi was against the iraq war, that didn't stop her from voting -- letting appropriations through for our troop troops and in this case it's outrageous. this is an outrage what's happening to our veterans. it was supposed to be a big scandal, all obama's fault. and then the senate sits down and puts out a sensible bill. i would like to see what happens to them during the recess, if they do go home. i would like to see veterans out there asking the question, why couldn't you fix this problem. >> angela, i want to show you this chart. it shows bills passed by every congress since 1947. the current congress is on track

to set a record of on obstruction. the fewest bills passed in history. a lot of times we're talking about noncontroversial issues. things like funding for the va, why is this so different now. >> there are several things. they do not want to work with this president. of course, that is very, very clear, as we know, the ball continues to move, first, obama care was wrong overall, now they're suing because he wasn't implementing obama care, there's also another problem, we were part of another conversation with senator reid, where he shed some light on how much obstruction is happening on the republican party. it's not just the house. they can't agree on anything, they're begging the senate majority leader for an open rule, because they can't agree what their amendments should be on legislation. it's no wonder why they can't appoint conferees and come to a

meeting of the minds. this is a problem that extends far beyond just the president, but we absolutely know where the problem initially began. and it is absolutely when the president was swrorn in to become the first black president of the united states. >> you know, e.j., these veterans are crying out for help. these are our veterans, veterans that protected us, the citizens of this country. and they're trying out for help here. >> one by one, sort of habits we have that were good habits, people will say, we'll disagree on a lot of stuff. we're not going to do things that are going to hurt our veterans, we used to have some kind of moral limits and those are just falling away. and the day they voted the money to go to this war was the time i wish they had appropriated the money to take care of the bets when they got home, it's astonishing to hear people who did not care at all about offsetting the costs of the wars in iraq and afghanistan suddenly

say that when it comes time to take care of the veterans you have to give us offsetting spending, make cuts somewhere else. why didn't they ask that question when we went to war in the first place. >> earlier this summer you predicted another do nothing summit for the gop. but angela, i never thought that we would see republicans, conservatives actually pun the when it comes to veterans. i mean, one of the things that was always in my mind sacred even in the politics of how we play politics in washington was veterans. >> well, there's no question about that, but we have seen partisanship at insurmountable heights here. we have seen toxic rhetoric from their talking heads, and the constant bickering that doesn't even just exist along party

lines as i stated before, it is inside the party, we've seen it impact now, their majority leader on the house side, no one predicted eric cantor would lose his election, it's about the extreme right fighting with the moderate right, and so much of this has to do with the fact that they don't want any win under this president. they've forgotten the fact that there were times when democrats were in charge under george w. bush's leadership, and before that with bill clinton, where people come together to do what was best for the country, even if it meant biting the bullet for some policies you don't support, so there can be a win for the american people, and these folks don't know how to do that, everyone has sacrificed, whether they're children, veterans, the elder, the disenfranchised in this country, nobody is off the radar, everyone is susceptible to this particular congress with these partisans. >> e.j., the only way out of this do nothing congress is maybe the president issuing

executive orders. i mean faced with this, executive action where he can with gun safety, gay rights, minimum wage veterans. and the president says more executive actions are on the way, he's not slowing down, is he? and i don't think they're giving him much of a reason to. >> no, and -- but you can't appropriate money through executive action. and so you need the congress to do that, you need the house to pick up and pass this bill. and i think that you've got this real catch 22 on the republican side, which is, they are saying the president is abusing his power, and out of the same people you're hearing them say, well, he doesn't need action from congress on the border, he can act on his own. >> john said that. >> pick one, you can't say both things at the same time, the silver lining here is this --

the lawsuit and the impeachment are not just unpopular with democrats. a cnn poll you showed, moderates were against impeachment. 72% of them were against impeachment. similar numbers, a little lower among independents, but they're against it. if they keep talking like this, middle of the road swing voters are going to say, we don't want these kind of guys in the congress. i think they're running a big electoral risk if they stay at this just to satisfy their base. >> i'm going to have to leave it there, thank you for your time tonight. both of you have a great weekend. >> good to be with you. coming up, attorney general eric holder breaks his silence on the eric gardiner choke hold investigation. plus, in outrage, the league suspends ray rice for just two games after a violent fight that knocked his now wife

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it's a hot story with our facebook fans today. the nfl suspended ray rice for two games. after he knocked his fiancee unconscious in a fight.

it's not long enough, you called it disgraceful. why should the nfl care if she doesn't. she didn't even give him a two-day suspension. we'll have much more on this story coming up. 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.

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where democrats slammed disturbing new republican tax bill. >> this bill does deserve a name. the best one will be pushing the poverty act. >> 6 million children will fall deeper or play into poverty. >> you can call it the reverse robin hood child tax credit deal. >> the republicans are offering a bill that claims to help families. but actually does great harm to low income families with children. >> they were debating a bill that changes tax credits for families with children. the republican bill ignored a tax credit for low income families that's set to expire in three years for creating a tax break for families making six figures. here's how the gop bill leaves things. a married couple with two kids

earning $160,000 a year will get a $2200 tax cut. but a single mother earning the minimum wage will lose her tax credit of $1725. republicans say democrats are getting ahead of themselves. they can always extend the low income tax credit in the next few years, but if it was a priority, they'd do it now. the truth is, all republicans focus on are tax cuts for the wealthy. even though we saw under president clinton that job creation goes up when you raise taxes on the rich. this week, paul ryan put out a big new plan to fight poverty. mr. ryan and his party have a long way to go. joining me now, joe and jared,

thank you both for being here. if republicans were already tweaking the job tax credit, why wouldn't they protect the tax break for working poor people. >> it's not the priority, plain and simple. this is a credit that actually means a lot to low income people, it pushes directly in the position you would want, it incentivizes work, helps raise the after tax pay for low income people. often single parents who are trying to play by the rules. doing many of the things that republicans tell them they're supposed to do if they want to work their way out of poverty. and yet here they are talking about lowering the post tax income of a single mom at the minimum wage by 1700 bucks while they give a break of 2200 to someone making six digits. >> today's debate came a day after paul ryan said the gop

would focus on poverty, now, chris van holland took a look at that disconnect. >> it's ironic that just yesterday, the chairman of the budget committee gave a big talk in washington about how he wanted to start a conversation about poverty and help families get ahead. that was yesterday. those were words. here we are on the floor of the house today with an actual deed, an actual act, a vote that will put 12 million more americans into poverty or deeper into poverty. >> joe is the gop's talk bigger than their action? >> well, what they really are saying for the average person to understand is clearly this. let's break it down, the rich pay too much tax and poor people don't pay enough taxes. the other factor is, that with

this summer being over, what do you think this dollar for dollar tax credit means? it means that the poor families will buy new shoes, they'll buy all the equipment, school equipment they need. that money goes right back into our economy and improves the situation, but then as i was talking to jared earlier today, you know, the -- you want to mess with the poverty program, which is helping people survive, then you don't want to deal with corporations that should be creating jobs in which people can make a livable income. you've talked about that, where the tax policies allow corporations to go to places like switzerland and the caribbean, just change address. and then end up getting tremendous tax benefits while the rest of us have to sit up here and pay more taxes.

>> we have a great example about what's going on jared, right now, in california. i mean, we're seeing great news come out of there. paul wrote today in the new york times about it, calling it the left coast rising. california raised taxes on millionaires. and employment went up 3.6% in the last year and a half. higher than the national average. the state created 17.5% of all new jobs in the united states last year. it's a real success story. how can republicans pretend that doesn't exist? >> we've talked about this before. if the facts don't fit your story, you change the facts so that they will. >> they're no longer facts? >> exactly. so good for paul for shining some light on that, and it really does strike right at the heart of this trickle down supply side fairy dust that

continues to obsess a lot of republicans on tax writing committees. and there's just page after page of evidence much like the evidence you just cited that shows in fact there are many cases where if you raise more revenue, not only do you support your state in a fiscal sense, it doesn't hurt your job creation functional all. let me add one thing to what joe just said. there's a saying i like very much. don't tell me what you believe. show me what you believe. yesterday he told us what he believed in a think tank here on the floor of the house today, republicans showed us what they believe. >> joe, we have to go, i have to ask. it seems to be a new republican orthodoxcy about impeachment, impeachment, we're hearing it more and more. what do you say to this? >> first of all, let me say, i thank you for giving all of us an opportunity to discuss this

when most people absolutely ignored that this was going to be a possibility. and now i think people realize how important this senate race is going to be. it's very clear that if the republicans get control of the senate, then they will impeach the president of the united states and tie him up for two years, where he won't be able to do anything. executive orders won't even count. that's exactly what this is all about, the solution is very simple. it must be a major voter registration and get out the vote campaign, and i think quite honestly we can control the senate. and i believe you might even be able to change the arithmetic in the house. >> whatever your beliefs are, voting is extremely important. we're going to be dealing with protecting that vote. thank you both for your time tonight.

>> thank you. coming up, the nfl under fire for its suspension against ray rice. tmz sports obtained a video of rice dragging his then fiancee out of an elevate after a violent fight. he'll serve a two-day suspension, is that fair? and that yankee fan caught on camera snoozing. why is he suing for $10 million. that's next. ♪

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it's a time honored republican tradition, being totally against disaster. the ones at home. john mccain voted against relief after super storm sandy, but demanded aide for wildfires in

arizona. yes to federal money in wisconsin but no to sandy aide. tonight there's a new member of the hypocrisy club. tom kite, the tea party congressman from arkansas, currently challenging senator mark prior. for the last two years, he had voted against the farm bill. and here's how he explained that vote. >> some of you think i was wrong, because i didn't support the farm bill. that bill was a bad bill for arkansas. >> terrible for farmers, well, that was then. now he's singing a different tune. at the devastating flooding last month in arkansas, this week disaster aide was announced to

affected farmers and ranchers. he said i look forward to working with our friends in arkansas to make sure farmers are able to assess the emergency funds they need. here's the problem. those emergency funds are only possible because of the farm bill. the same farm bill that mr. cotton said would be terrible for arkansas farmers. i think that earns him a coveted spot in this not so exclusive republican club. did he think we would ignore this flood of hypocrisy? nice try. but here's some relief, because we got you.

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charles. thank you for being here tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> we start with questions about the nfl, ray rice received just a two-day suspension for a violent fight with his wife who was his fiancee at the time. the incident was caught on camera in february. tmz sports posted this video on their website showing rice dragging his fiancee out of an elevator in atlantic city. she appears unconscious as he drags her out. he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. he plead not guilty and avoided trial by entering a program for first time offenders that could clear him of any jail time or prosecution. they will hold a press conference in may to discuss how they are moving forward. >> i am working every day to be

a better father, a better husband. you know, just a better role model. >> i love ray, and i know he will continue to prove himself. >> rice said in a statement that is disappointing that he will miss the first two games, but many fans and critics say the punishment doesn't go far enough. midwin, does the punishment fit the crime? >> it doesn't. if the nfl wants to send a message where they are serious about domestic violence or domestic abuse, what they will do is punish him accordingly. in the nfl right now, if you tested positive for steroids you get an automatic four-game suspension, essentially what the nfl is saying here is that they don't think that what happened to this woman is as serious as if a player had tested positive for steroids. >> you know, eric, she mentions nfl rules. right now for the first substance abuse violation

players get a four-week suspension. for their second substance abuse violation, they get an eight week suspension. the minnesota vikings coach made a homophobic remark in 2012 he got a three-week suspension handed down to him yesterday. a lot of people say in light of this, he gets two games? >> two games is simply not enough. this wasn't a simple argument between two people. he knocked this lady completely out. that is beyond a simple assault. that is something much more sinister than an assault. this should have been much higher than what he received. he received a misdemeanor and got off with a program. this should have been a felony. when a man hits a woman at all, ever -- but knocks her out with that type of power, he should be reprimanded beyond. >> and let's be clear, the nfl conduct policy says persons who

engage in criminal activity will be subject to discipline. and they specifically point to criminal offenses including but not limited to those involving the use or threat of violence, domestic violence and other forms of partner abuse. a lot of people are defending him saying, she didn't press charges. the victim didn't press charges. >> sometimes if a victim doesn't press charges. that doesn't mean the offender didn't commit a crime. a lot of times women don't press charges for a variety of reasons. they're afraid of the aggressive or they have been beaten into submission. they are scared for their lives. the fact that she didn't press charges to me is insignificant. the video was lying lifeless on the floor and we're lucky, she's lucky she didn't suffer any severe injuries from whatever

beating she took in his hand. >> does the fact that now we have this kind of precedent that many consider a low bar also disturb a lot of the critics that this is more than just this particular victim. now you have a precedent that two games is the bar now for knocking out a woman. >> this shows the nfl does not care about women. now, it cares if you smoke weed. it cares if you use steroids, but it doesn't care about you knocking a woman completely out. that shows the good ole boy network within the nfl, you can hit your woman, slap her around, but don't use weed or steroids which may devalue the integrity of the game. the nfl needs to take a sticky stabbed on this. this sends a message to young men and boys, it's okay to do this. >> we just have a minute. we move uptown to the bronx and

let sleeping yankee fans that broke their silence today. you remember andrew rector was caught on camera taking a snooze in the middle of the yankee game. the announcers had some fun ribbing him in the 7th inning siesta he was at. >> not the place you come to sleep. i tell you what, how comfortable is that? probably won't have any neck problems tomorrow. >> does that guy chew, was he left alone? >> maybe that's his buddy, and he likes him a lot better when he's asleep. >> when he woke up, he decided to sue espn, the announcer, major league baseball and the yankees for $10 million for an avalanche of disparaging words against him. this morning, he sat down with matt lauer and explained why he thinks his suit holds water.

>> are there other things to focus on at the game? is that what these guys are getting paid for? i'm a fan, i paid to go to that game. i brought friends over there, i have a reputation as well. for them to sit there and make fun of somebody, i don't see how that's acceptable. >> you know, eric, does he have a leg to stand on with this lawsuit? >> none. you're aware you're in the public view and nothing disparaging was actually said about him. in order for a case to survive, it has to be disparaging marks that aren't true. even in the lawsuit, it's listed that they called him fatty and that's not the case. they said the man fell asleep and joked about his friend. >> let's face it, the man fell asleep. i mean, we've seen cookie lawsuits before.

is there anything he can get anything out of this? >> no, the only thing he's going to get out of this, is a laugh. >> eric is right. all the points he made about this is not going to fly. he's just got to get over himself. i'm surprised any attorney would sign on the dotted line. he's not getting anything with this. >> well, he got me nervous, i don't tease people that go to sleep during my spichs any more. an update to a story we told you about earlier this year. back in march, 18-year-old rachel canning, a high school cheerleader and honor student sued her parents john and elizabeth for money to go to college. rachel claimed physical and verbal abuse, but the parents say it was just discipline. they didn't approve of her

boyfriend who refused to break up with at times. she would break up with him. the suit was dropped. maybe rachel should have listened to her parents. this week she got a restraining order from that boyfriend accusing him of choking her. midwin here's the question. should teenagers be able to sue their parents? >> no. at least not for the claims that she has. which is, she wants her parents to pay all her bills. she's 18, she needs to, again, get over herself. >> absolutely not. unless the parents were abusive or something, no, they should not be able to sue. that's what parenting is. you shouldn't be dating this boy, get over it. obviously they were right. >> thank you both for your time tonight. have a good weekend. >> thank you. coming up, she's a six-time tony award winner and she's here, the one and only audra

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♪ >> the incomparable audra mcdonald plays holiday in the last months of her life, performing some of the jazz legends most popular and moving songs like "what a little moonlight can do" and "god bless the child." her performance has garnered her a record breaking six tony awards. she captures billie holiday's style. she lends her voice to the fight for equal rights. she's a passionate supporter of

marriage equate. she's a shining star. recently she visited politics nation. >> joining me now, six-time tony award winner audra mcdonald. it's an honor to have you on the show. >> thank you so much. thank you. >> congratulations on your tony for lady day. and you're the only one that has ever won six tonys, what did winning that award mean to you? >> being on brad way is one of the only things i've ever wanted to do. so the honor was overwhelming. but i have to say, there's a part of me that sort of felt like given the shoulders of a lot of the incredible women i'm standing on in history, like the people i named that night, i sort of hope there's some little girl looking out there that says

i want to do that too. and they can take that achievement even further and do more with it, and go bigger. >> in the show, you sang many of billie holiday's iconic songs. i want to play a clip of you performing "god bless the child." listen to this. ♪ mama may have papa may have ♪ but god the child that's got his own ♪ >> well, you know, billie holiday was also -- she was one of the first black women to sing with a white orchestra, was told she couldn't perform on the same stage -- on the same band stand. she was forced to take a service elevator and through the kitchen to get to her shows. is that something you think about when you play her on broadway? >> we speak about that in the

show. we look at it into the only as a history of her life, but african-american culture, during the first half of last century, and the racism and the massagenny that existed. >> you sing her devastating song about lynching in the south, strange fruit. >> yeah. >> here's a clip. ♪ here is a fruit for the crows to pluck ♪ ♪ for the rain to gather for the wind to sock for the sun to rock for the tree to drop ♪ >> so powerful and emotional.

i mean, what is it like to sing that song night after night? >> you know, what i find interesting about that, that's one of the first protest songs ever written. and billie holiday gained a lot of fame singing that song, but would encounter a lot of issues with authorities for singing it. it was the very first song of its kind. but the audience grows hopefully as hushed, it seems to me. and they're very almost rev rant and religious about that song night after night in the audience. there's a definite hush that comes over the crowd and people absolutely respect that song and respect the history that it has. >> you've also raised your voice and been public in support of marriage equality and issues of lgbt rights. why do you think a public voice is important and a response. i know when i first started

speaking out on it, i got a lot of flack, it seems to have changed a little now. not as much as we would like. >> not as much as we would like, but i think there have been incredible strides made even in the last four years. i think what's happening, when you make a statement -- if you're a celebrity or someone who has a platform where you can make a statement like that and be heard, it raises more awareness. >> in your speech accepting the tony, you talked about rubdy dee, lena horn, m maya angelo. how important are those women to you? >> they're everything. all the things they went through to pave the path. that can't be forgotten or taken for granted. it's why those women mean so much to me, without them, i would not be where i am today. >> i can assure you, you bring more than a tiny little path.

audra mcdonald, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> you request catch her tony award winning performance as billie holiday in lady day at emerson's bar and grill at new york city's circle in the square theater. coming up air irk garner's family meets with the u.s. attorney today, stay with us. yeah, i can fix that. (dad) i wanted a car that could handle anything. i fixed it! (dad) that's why i got a subaru legacy. (vo) symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 36 mpg. i gotta break more toys. (vo) introducing the all-new subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan.

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finally tonight justice for eric garner, he was the 43-year-old father of six who died after being placed in a choke hold by an nypd officer last week. late this afternoon, attorney general eric holder said the federal government is now closely monitoring the case. earlier in my role as president of the national action network, i accompanied eric garner's widow to meet with the u.s. attorney to discuss the next possible steps in the case. once again, we stand at a crossroads for community police relations in new york city. we've been down this road too many times before. eleanor bumpers, a 66-year-old grandmother on october 29th, 1984, police came to evict her

from a bronx apartment for being late with her rent. she was emotionally disturbed and holding a kitchen knife. police officers shot and killed her with a 12 gauge shotgun. anthony baez, he and his brothers were tossing around a football. it accidentally hit a police car and baez was arrested for disorderly conduct, he died after being placed in a choke hold by police. and on august 9th, 1997, the haitian immigrant was arrested in brooklyn, a police officer said later he mistakenly thought luema had punched him. he was taken into a restroom at the police officer, where an officer violated him with a broom handle. he spent two months in the hospital recovering. an immigrant from ginuinea was

the doorway of his bronx apartment building, he was unarmed. police say they thought they fired two shots. the morning of his wedding, he was leaving a club in queens with two friends. police say they believed his friend had a gun. and here's -- as the group tried to drive away, police fired 50 bullets at the three men killing sean bell. and now air irk garner on tape, he can be heard 11 times saying he couldn't breathe. let's be clear, most of these officers are doing their job. hardworking men and women, keeping communities safe. the history in disputable, indisputable. and it's a history we cannot

keep repeating. too often we've seen a political culture of some officers who believe they are above the law, they can do whatever they want to do, that's wrong. whether someone wearing a blue uniform or blue jeans, everyone must be under the law, and all must respect that. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton, hardball starts right now. a kinder, gentler gop? let's play hardball. good evening, i'm steve kor kornacki in for chris matthews.