on the death of actor and comedian robin williams. he was found dead in his home monday morning. the coroner's office said in a statement that it suspects the cause of death to be suicide by asphyxia. meanwhile, we wait for the news conference to begin, let's bring in nbc news halle jackson at the hollywood walk of fame where a memorial is growing at robin williams' star. what are we seeing is out there? >> reporter: hi, joy. a lot of people have come out, as you might imagine, to pay their respects to robin williams, to lay flowers and candles near his star here on the hollywood walk of fame. take a look. about 90 minutes ago, the hollywood chamber of commerce came out and laid a wreath here. the president and ceo talking about how there will never be another robin williams. he was so singular in the minds of so many. it's tough to see now, but there are people absolutely jamming hollywood boulevard. everybody taking photos. they want to be here to see the scene. because for many, this is a once in a lifetime experience. you talked about the press conference, the news conference that we're waiting for from northern california from the

marin county sheriff's office. it's our understanding we will get a more firm cause of death during the press conference today. what we won't know for another several days it or possibly several weeks is whether williams had any substances in his system at the time of death. shortly before noon yesterday, the 911 call was made that williams had been found inside his house unconscious and not breathing. he was pronounced dead just a few minutes later, and the world learned of it just a few hours after that. the world now mourning but also celebrating the joy robin williams brought to so many people. as i'm looking here, people taking so many pictures, trying to against a sense of the scene. we heard just within the last hour from ben affleck, who said robin williams touched his life in so many important ways. nathan lane also releasing a statement saying when he met robin williams, he laughed until he cried. now today he's crying again. so from so many people, not just celebrities and actors in hollywood and in california, joy, but all around the country remembering what robin williams meant to them. joy? >> all right. thank you very much, halle jackson. chris witherspoon is the

entertainment editor at thegrio.com. i want to ask you about the intensity of the reaction that we are seeing from some of the people who worked with robin williams. you've seen celebrities, some saying they weren't even capable of putting out a statement they were so jupset. >> yeah, whoopi goldberg and billy crystal said there aren't any words for this. there really aren't. robin williams' wife said we should focus on his legacy and how he touched so many folks. i grew up watching robin williams as a child. i remember "aladdin" came out when i was 10 years old. he did "hook," "mrs. doubtfire." my mother and i went to these movies. it was a way for us to connect. he still has four films that are going to be coming out later on this year and next year. he has this great body of work to be celebrates, but there truly are no words. >> i want to have you stay with

us. i want to bring in his winstead. robin williams saw you perform the night you got your first big break. >> yeah, it was the first city i had moved to as a young, amateur comedian. i had just come back from doing a hellish road gig that was about an hour and a half north of san francisco because i was one of those comics that had to scrape by and get money doing the gigs that were out of town, right. so he was performing at a club that was called -- or i was performing at the club called the holy city zoo. i came back in and did a really late-night set. i was on stage, and this guy -- and i was just like, i'm going to talk about my horrible experience at my bad road gig and sort of doing improv. this guy in the audience was sort of laughing ab noxiously. i was like, dude, what i'm saying is not that funny. he kept laughing. and i was like, you sound like mork, which is even more obnoxio obnoxious.

after the show, i walked out to have a cigarette in front of the club. his manager walked out and said, hi, you're really funny. robin williams walked out after him and said, you're hilarious. i was like, oh, my god. i just told you that you sounded like mork and you actually are mork. now i'm embarrassed about all the f-bombs i dropped telling you to shut up. and buddy said, i produce a bunch of specials for hbo, one in particular called "women of the night." i didn't even process it because i was standing there in front of robin williams. i was like, are you telling me i should be a hooker instead of a comedian because i'm not that good? they both laughed and next year i was on "women of the night." >> yeah, and it's those personal stories everyone telling that we're seeing is people so moved today. i want to bring in jay thomas. he's the host of "the jay thomas show" on sirius xm radio. he played a deli owner on "mork

and mindy." talk about the robin williams you knew. >> well, we did a lot of drugs. we chased a lot of women. we had a great time. but i don't have an addictive personality. i'm from new orleans, louisiana, where you're taught how to drink and do drugs and chase women at about birth. and i had a great time. i was there with him for like three years. >> jay, hold on one second. we want to hear the rest of this story, but i have to interrupt you to go to the news conference in marin county right now. let's take a listen. >> please hold your questions until the end of our statement. my last name is spelled b-o-y-d. on august 11th, 2014, at approximately 11:55 a.m., marin county communications received a 911 telephone call reporting that a male adult had been located unconscious and not

breathing inside his residence located at 95 st. thomas way in california. the caller was distraught and indicated at that time that it was an apparent suicide due to a hanging had taken place and rig more us it had set in. the sheriff's office as well as representatives of the fire department and southern marin fire protection district were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12:00 p.m. the male subject, who was pronounced deceased by firefighters at 12:02 p.m., has been identified as robin mclauren williams, a 63-year-old resident of unincorporated tiburon, california. preliminary information developed during the investigation by coroner division personnel has revealed mr. williams had been seeking treatment for depression. mr. williams was last seen alive by his wife at approximately

10:30 p.m. on august 10th, 2014, when she retired for the evening in a room in the home. it is unknown at this time when mr. williams retired for the evening in a bedroom in his home. at approximately 10:30 a.m. on august 11th, 2014, mr. williams' wife left the home believing mr. williams to still be asleep. mr. williams' personal assistant became concerned at approximately 11:45 a.m. when he failed to respond to knockins o his bedroom door. at that time, the personal assistant was able to gain access to mr. williams' bedroom and entered the bedroom to finds mr. williams clothed in a seated position unresponsive with a belt secured around his neck with the other end of the belt wedged between the clothes closet door and the door frame. his right shoulder area was touching the door with his body perpendicular to the door and

slightly suspended. mr. williams at that time was cool to the touch with rigor more us it present in his body and positioned appropriately for the position he was located in. the inside of mr. williams' left wrist had several acute superficial transverse cuts. a pocket knife with a closed blade was located in close proximity to mr. williams. the pocket knife was examined and a dry red material was located on the blade of the knife, which appeared consistent to dried blood. it is unknown at this time if the dried red material is, in fact, blood or if it is mr. williams' blood, but scientific testing will be conducted to evaluate its investigative value. mr. williams was transported from the scene to the napa county sheriff's office morgue by the coroner division pending a forensic examination, which was conducted this morning prior

to this press conference. the forensic examination conducted by dr. joseph cohen, who's the sheriff's office's chief forensic pathologist, did not reveal any injuries indicating mr. williams had been in a struggle or a physical altercation prior to him being located deceased. the preliminary, and i again say preliminary, results of the forensic examination revealed supporting physical signs that mr. williams' life ended from asphyxia due to a hanging. toxicology testing will be conducted to determine if mr. williams had any chemical substances in his system at the time of his death. toxicology results will be available -- excuse me, will not be available for approximately two to six weeks while the testing is being performed. please note that this is an active investigation into the cause, manner, and circumstances of mr. williams' death. the work of the coroner's office is not complete at this time. the final cause and manner of

death will not be certified until the conclusion of the investigation, which is several weeks away. when the investigation is concluded and our final results are ready for dissemination, a press conference will be scheduled at that time. additionally, i have received numerous requests for copies of 911 and dispatch recordings as well as investigative reports. please note each request will be handled in accordance with public record act guidelines with responses provided to those who have submitted them within ten days. media inquiries should be continued to be directed to me, lieutenant keith boyd, via my e-mail at kboyd@marinsheriff.org. i will respond to these inquiries time permitting as i receive them. please keep in mind at this time the coroner's division is also

investigate active cases from other residents of this community. that concludes my written statement at this time. and i will open up to take a few questions, understanding that this is an active investigation and there is some information that will be withheld until a final press conference in several weeks. >> [ inaudible question ]. >> rigor mortis will be determined to try to correlate a time of death. understanding that there is no perfect environment when you're talking about scientific studies in la vidty and rigor mortis. we'll use known facts to surmise when the death may have occurred. >> was there any indication he left a note? >> we're not discussing the note or a note at this point as the investigation is ongoing.

and that information will be discussed at a future time at the concluding press conference. >> was there any signs within the home of drug or alcohol use? >> the investigation is ongoing. toxicology testing will be conducted to determine if any chemical substances were in mr. williams' system at the time of his death. at that time, we'll have a determination as to whether or not there were any signs he may have been under the influence or incapacitated by any other substance. >> he was seated at the time, correct? >> he was slightly suspended in a seated position. a copy of this transcript, of this statement, will be posted on the sheriff's office press page at the conclusion of this press conference so that way you have a copy of it. >> can you explain what rigor mortis is. >> lividity is the pooling of human blood due to gravity. so when you pass, your blood is no longer flowing through your remains. what happens is it stops flowing and it starts to pool due to

gravity and settle. there are signs and studies that indicate after a certain period of time when that settling is locked in. during early stages, lividity can be adjusted if remains are moved or not removed. the lividity in mr. williams was consistent to the position he was found in. >> were they sleeping in separate bedrooms? >> we're not going into that part of the investigation. what i will say is she retired to bed. mr. williams' wife retired prior to mr. williams into a room in the home. it is not known exactly at this time when mr. williams retired for the evening, but he went to a different room of the home. >> was this his first attempt at suicide? >> [ inaudible question ]. >> what i will say is he's been treated for depression. outside of that at this time, we have some concerns about hippa protections. so we're a little slightly

prohibited into getting into future aspects until the investigation progresses further. >> you said he was wearing -- >> i had a question over here first. >> was this his first attempt at suicide? >> we're not releasing information to that effect as the investigation is ongoing. we still have people we want top speak with. i heard somebody over here, a male. yes, ma'am? >> what other information did you glean from your investigation and your examination? >> with what respect do you mean? >> with his prior health before the suicide. >> any other findings from the forensic examination specific to his health will be addressed at the future autopsy. excuse me, future press conference. >> heart issues -- >> that will all come to light at the future press conference. at this time it's not relevant to our findings today. >> you said he was fully clothed. was he wearing same clothes he'd been wearing the previous evening? >> i said he was clothed. i didn't say fully clothed. that's what we're going to say. he had clothes on.

that's how we're going to address that at this point until the investigation is concluded. >> were the cuts on his wrist recent? >> they were acute superficial. acute is recent. >> do you have at least an estimate on when he died? >> when you say -- can you explain -- are you talking about the night? superficial wounds were not the preliminary cause of death. the preliminary cause of death is asphyxia due to hanging. >> and do you have an estimated time of when he may have died? >> the investigation is ongoing. unfortunately, we still have to surmise based on things that we're going to look into. lividity, rigor -- other factors to try to come up with a generalized idea of when he passed. >> he left a personal note? >> that will be released at the future press conference when the investigation is concluded. >> in an interview with the family, did they indicate any

troubling signs from robin? >> i'm sorry, i didn't hear you. >> in interviews with the family, did they indicate any troubling signs from robin? >> at this time, the investigation is ongoing. i'm not going to get into the specifics of our interviews and such because we still have more to conduct. and we want to be able to have untainted information from individuals we may speak with versus saying what we already may know from those interviews. dr. joseph cohen is the chief forensic pathologist for the marin county sheriff's office. >> how many superficial wounds were there? >> you said he was found seated. was there a chair nearby? was he on the floor? >> is he was not in a chair. he was suspended, as i indicated, from the belt, which was wedged between the door and the door frame in a seated position, slightly suspended off the ground. >> has the sheriff's department ever been at that home before? >> at this time, i don't have

that information. to my knowledge, we have not been to the home for previous contacts. over here. >> how many superficial wounds were there? >> we're not releasing the nature of how many superficial wounds there are, size, dimensions or anything of that effect other than saying at this time that they are superficial in nature only. the autopsy was conducted in napa county. primarily due to the marin county sheriff's office does not possess a government morgue facility. we have a private contract with a local mortuary. the facilities are up to par, but it is not a government facility. due to security concerns and the opportunity to ensure that we want to preclude images and other things, what may have occurred in that from going public, we used a facility we knew was secure. >> were the superficial wounds on his wrist? >> as i said, they were on the

inside of his left wrist. >> there were reports he was thin. do you have what his body weight was? >> we're not getting into specific questions like that. those statements can be asked at the future press conference. yes, ma'am? >> was there anybody else at home? in the house? >> well, his personal assistant found him. i'm not sure the -- his wife went to sleep at 10:30 p.m. the prior evening. >> the only people you believe were in the home when mr. williams died was his wife and himself. >> correct. >> the personal assistant arrived that morning. >> correct. >> were the children of the wife home at the time? >> as this gentleman just asked, the only people we believe at this time to be in the home was mr. williams and mr. williams' wife. >> was there a note left at the scene? >> i've already answered. we're not discussed that at this time. >> the wife left. when did she return? in the morning. >> mr. williams' wife returned

shortly after sheriff's office personnel arrived on scene and fire department personnel arrived on scene. she was aware of his passing at a very early time in this incident. >> and was it just coincidental she returned at that time? >> i'm not going to get into those specifics at this time. i'm going to take about five more questions. and we're going to move on. number one here. >> is it believed he died sometime between 10:30 and when he was found in the morning? >> it's a reasonable summation that he passed between 10:30 p.m. when he was last seen alive and 12:00 when the fire department arrived on scene. what we'll be working with on is trying to narrow that down, if it's possible. >> 12:00 noon. >> correct. >> can you give more detail on room where he was found? >> no, sir. not at this time. it was inside the home at 91 st. thomas. >> what was he doing when his wife wept to bed? >> you said the investigation continues. what exactly are you alli lookig

for? who are you hoping to speak with as we move forward? >> we want to -- in an investigation that's ongoing, although the primary -- preliminary indication right now in this case is a suicide, we want to be thorough. we want to make sure that we cover all our bases, dot all our is, cross all our ts to make sure we're not forgetting anything else, that we're not being presumptive and overlooking something that's critical to the case. we're going to continue to review individuals who may have information that's pertinent to our case, medical information, medical history. it's a comprehensive standard kroern investigation. mr. williams' case is consistent with any investigation that we conduct for any citizen who passes within the boundaries of marin county. unfortunately, due to the notoriety of mr. williams, that's why all of you are here today. >> but you're ruling out foul play? >> we will at the final conclusion -- excuse me, yes. at the final press conference, we'll make that final determination. but at this time, our indication is it is a suicide due to asphyxia due to hanging. >> so it's a preliminary --

>> as i've said, it's preliminary. >> what happens next with the body? >> what was he doing at 10:30 at night? >> i'm not going to release that information as to whether mr. williams may have been doing at 10:30 last night when she went to bed. >> i just want to get this clear. she went to bed, then she left the home again and then returned to the home. >> yes. she went to bed at approximately 10:30 p.m. she then left the home in the morning, as i indicated, then she returned to the home once mr. williams was determined to be deceased. >> do you know when she left the home? >> i've already stated that. it will be in the written statement. >> can i ask about funeral arrangements? >> funeral arrangements are a decision of the family. we are not going to comment on what the family's decisions are as to who they're using, how that's going to proceed. what i can tell you is the remains are no longer at the napa county sheriff's office.

that's a family issue. we're not at liberty to release that information. >> have you confiscated any of his computers or phones? >> last question. actually, one question after this. he was in a room in the home. he was in a room in the home. that's all we're going to say. last question. >> is it possible this was not an intention suicide but was an accidental suicide? >> suicide by definition is an intentional act, which cannot be an accidental act. last question over here. >> just explain to us why he was seated and hanging -- >> the best way to describe his position when we found him, when we examined him s to say he was in a seated position suspended slightly above the ground. what that means is his body is

in a position that looks like he's sitting in a chair. slightly off the ground, suspended from the belt that was wedged between the door and the door frame that was placed around his neck. okay. that's all we have for today. any further updates in the interim will be issued to marinsheriff.org on the press page. when we have final summary discovery to release, that will be through a press conference. we will provide 24 hours notice for that press conference. i will respond to e-mails. i ask for your patience in responding to those e-mails. understand i am looking at them and i will respond to them in time. >> lieutenant keith boyd of the marin county sheriff's office giving a press conference and telling the world what we now know about the death of robin williams. and saying his wife left their home at 10:30 on the night before he was found. he was then found by -- went to sleep, sorry.

she went to sleep at 10:30 at night, the night before he was found. his assistant then finding his body at noon, around noon, the following day. the coroner saying that the preliminary finding is death due to hanging and that a toxicology report will not be available for two to six weeks. i want go to back to jay thomas, host of "the jay thomas show" on sirius xm radio. you were telling us a story about your early days with robin williams. what is your reaction upon hearing more detail about his death? >> as i see this and think back -- and we were not close buddies, but for those early days, that's what it was like. i will say that there's such an insulation around stars that i'm sure it's difficult for their families. i don't remember anybody saying, gee, robin's two hours late for work, somebody better get him into rehab or whatever. so for a long time, he battled

by himself. and the difference between addiction and the ability to go out and to have a wild evening out and get up the next day and go back to work without the demons following you is so difficult to understand. i am shocked at the violence of his death. that to me is not a guy that any of us knew. and i would say that robin's a tough guy to know and a detached guy, but a very nice guy and a very sweet guy. the violence of it and leaving the children and the wife was just there, man, it is difficult to imagine the pain. and i want to say that over these 30 or so years that he started on "mork and mindy," whatever it was, i would imagine he was never, ever able to assuage the pain and the horror of what we just heard shows me that this was a tortured soul from perhaps the time that i

first met him until his sad demise now. >> yeah, indeed. i want to bring in morgan fairchild, actress who was a recurring character on the tv show "mork and mindy." i want to get your reaction to what jay thomas is calling the shocking, violent end of robin williams. >> well, it's just so sad to hear this. you know, it's one thing to understand someone has passed, and it's another thing to hear that coroner's report. it's very sad and very different from the young guy that i first met on the set of "happy days," actually. when he was doing his guest star as "mork" on "happy day." and the young man i sort of overroove overrode my agents and managers that i wanted to do "mork and mindy" which nobody knew anything about at the time. it was under wraps. i had seen him do that "happy

days." i told my agents, you know, tell garry i'll work for free to work with robin williams. he's a genius. nobody knew who he was at that point except gary, i think. he was just an up-and-coming comic. i flash back to the memories of him sitting on our living room floor. my sister had gone to joule yard the class ahead of him. you know, saying when this show gets on the air, robin -- because when i started on it, it was not on the air yet. when this show gets on the air, everything's going to change for you. there's all these different things that are going to come at you. you've got to watch out for this. he kind of would say, oh, nobody's going to watch this. nobody's going to care about this. a dear, sweet, lovable young guy that if you got him alone was just so down to earth. if you had him alone, just to talk to, just the dearest, sweetest, and even if he was

performing, the kindest, most generous hearted guy in the world. always keeping everybody laughing. you saw the other side of him, the quieter side if you were alone, like sitting on our living room floor back then. >> yeah, and morgan fairchild, is there something about the isolating experience of celebrity that makes it difficult for people in robin williams' position to really reach out to seek help, to really tell people what they need emotionally? >> i think it's isolating for everyone, whether it's soldiers returning from battle or anybody fighting these demons, whether it's a phillip seymour hoffman, whether it's a john belushi. everyone is fighting their battle themselves alone in their minds. and everyone seems to have trouble admitting they've got a problem and reaching out for help. robin had done that in the past and had done it apparently

recently. what drove him at this particular time, i don't know if we'll ever find out. maybe his family, immediate family knows a bit. maybe a therapist. but certainly i don't know that we ever will. but it was such a far cry from the loving, happy, hopping around, crazy guy that i worked with back then and knew and the joy he brought everybody. it's very -- it's just terrible to hear this, the coroner's report. >> yeah, indeed. i want to bring liz winstead back in. the shock they feel in something like this happening, you think of a comedian as someone bringing joy to so many other people and many people presume that comes from an inner joy. that's not always the case. >> no, i don't think it is always the case. i don't think it's a blanket statement to say, oh, you can, you know -- comedians are all funny on the outside and all depressed on the inside. but i think for a lot of people, the stage can be an escape and a place where you can find peace and bring joy to somebody else

when you don't know how to gain it for yourself. i think that is something that we all need to look at and stop stigmatizing depression so we can all talk about it. >> all right. i want to thank all of you. morgan fairchild, jay thomas, liz winsteade chris witherspoon. thank you all for being a part of this report on robin williams' death. we'll be right back. >> you are here. life exists and identity. that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. unlimited cash back. let that phrase sit with you for a second. unlimited. as in, no limits on your hard-earned cash back. as in no more dealing with those rotating categories. the quicksilver card from capital one.

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we want the federal government to step in not only and partner but become the ones that deal with this case.

>> in fact, there was a struggle over the officer's gun. >> he did not reach for a weapon at all. >> these black kids here in st. louis and i'm sure all around the world, they might as well walk around with a target on their back. >> he turns his body towards this way, hands in the air being compliant. he gets shot in his face and chest and goes down and dies. >> there's no crime in walking down the street. >> their baby was executed in broad daylight. that's why people are so outraged. >> as family and friends mourn the death of 18-year-old michael brown, who would have started college yesterday, by the way, there are new calls for justice in the investigation into his fatal shooting by police, and there are also new demonstrations. this afternoon in nearby clayton, missouri, protesters gathered outside the st. louis county prosecutors officer. today authorities delayed identifying the officer who shot and killed the unarmed teenager on saturday due to threats on social media. all this less than 24 hours after s.w.a.t. teams fired tear gas and rubber bullets into a

second night of violent demonstrations. and just moments ago, national action network president and msnbc host reverend al sharpton held a news conference with michael brown's parents, during which michael brown sr. condemned this week's violence. >> translator: i need justice for my son. i need everybody to be on one accord. but i need all of us to come together and do this right, the right way. the right way so we can get something done about this. no violence, man. >> and moments ago, reverend al sharpton did hold that press conference with michael brown's parents. rev, what is the temperature now in the area, in st. louis where these protests have been taking place? have you started to see calm settle in? >> well, i think that a lot of outrage is here. you have a young man who was supposed to start school

yesterday that is dead. and there are no answers. it seems as though the parents have in many ways come together and shown a stability and a firmness that we're saying to the city, yes, the anger and the outrage is understandable, but you can't be more angry than them. and they want the city to come on one accord to per sue what is the facts, what is not the facts, and have justice for their son. that's why we came. there needs to be solutions, and we need a fair prosecution and investigation of this case. and we stand with them on that. we'll be here over the next several hours with them and tonight's session as they drive toward that. i am really moved by how solid and balanced they are in saying that our heart is broken, but we

don't want our son remembered for chaos. we want our son remembered for something that led to what would end this, whether it is in new york or l.a. or staten island. >> and rev, obviously you talked with the family of michael brown. what, in your view, are their thoughts on how much they trust really the investigation? we've heard a lot of discrepancies between what police are saying happened and the limited information that they've given out where they're talking about a struggle between the officer and this young man and numerous witnesses, some of whom have appeared on msnbc who told a very different story and described a young man with his hands raised when the shooting took place. is the family confident that an investigation at the local level will get them answers, or are they really looking for the federal government, for the fbi to really lead the investigation? >> they have said very publicly they want the federal government to step in. they have also said some of the witnesses that have information do not trust talking to local

authority. the witnesses have said that they fear retribution if they talk to the local authorities. one said to me -- and i've only talked to one. reverend al, what's going to happen when you go home? i got to live here, but i want to talk to someone outside of here. that's where the family said the federal government. so i think it's in everyone's interest, including the local authorities to get to truth. the local authorities shouldn't want police that would go over the line. if they didn't, the facts will bear that out. the good cops should not have to bear the burden of bad cops. so let's get to the facts. no one fears the facts but those that are wrong. >> indeed. reverends al sharpton, thanks very much. >> thank you. >> and be sure to watch rev tonight on "politics nation" here on msnbc at 6:00 p.m. lisa bloom is an attorney and legal analyst and a "today" show contributor. she's also the author of

"suspicion nation." and john gaskin is with the st. louis county naacp. he's also one of the board of directors for the national chapter. mr. gaskin, i'll start with you. this question of trust and whether or not witnesses feel confident in an investigation that springs up from the local level, have you heard this sort of word of intimidation or witnesses feeling uncomfortable with the investigation and with talking to local authorities? >> there have been many claims that many people are fearful of communicating with local authorities, especially under the circumstances. as reverend al sharpton just mentioned when he spoke with one of the witnesses and he begged the question, what happens when you go home, that is really point that we've been trying to drive home with everyone and with the public. what happened when all of this national immediate leaves here? that applies to everything that has happened here over weekend.

those witnesses have to live here. those witnesses have to deal with the local authorities and the local municipal police departments that know where they live and know who they are. so i think certainly having national and federal intervention on this matter is what is best. >> and lisa, this is all taking place in the context of a community where african-americans make up 65% of the population in this town called ferguson, which is a suburb of st. louis. but they accounted for 93% of the arrests after traffic stops, 92% of searches, 80% of traffic stops in the city last year. that's according to a racial profiling report by the missouri attorney general. you do have an atmosphere where you have a primarily african-american population being policed by a police force that is primarily not african-american. so talk about how that weighs into just even the trust factor in terms of this investigation. >> right. and only three of the 53 police officers many ferguson are

african-american. you know, listen, the federal government is in a better position to investigate this lane the locals, for sure. but i have less optimism about the fbi than everybody else does. they never did anything in the trayvon martin, case, for example. george zimmerman is walking free today. supposedly they were doing an investigation. we never saw the result of that investigation. if we've learned anything from that case, it's that the feds should be stepping in early. do not let the state go first and botch the job as happened in the trayvon martin case. get in early. interview the witnesses and move forward. we still don't know, for example, the name of the police officer, how many shots were fired, whether this poor young man was shot in the front, in the back, or both. that's basic ballistics information that the locals, for whatever reason, are not disclosing. why? are they protecting their own? it certainly appears that way. >> and the other question, you know, to add to what lisa is saying, is you also don't know whether there's dash cam video, whether there's anything that

can corroborate the story we heard from the police chief in st. louis. he was on our air and described what officers are saying is happened. but is it disturbing to you there doesn't seem to be any independent corroboration for what the officers are saying? it simply seems it's going to be it the officer's word against numerous witnesses, yet people don't feel confident that the witnesses' stories would be decisive. >> i think a good point that has been made is that -- is the lack of diversity amongst the municipal police departments here. a lot of people don't understand how st. louis county works. well, you have the city and the county. i describe it very similar to out in los angeles how you have many municipalities within the metro area. it's the same thing here. out in the county you have 91 municipalities in these independent police departments. it's almost like the wild west.

especially when you have that independent governance of those municipalities. you just mentioned the report that came from the state attorney general. you go to caucasian communities, and you drive past on wednesday night when they have traffic court and everybody in line is black. and the community is primarily white. that makes no sense. the same thing within the city of ferguson. the fact that the majority -- the fact that the police departments do not reflect the demographic of the community is a problem. that's all over the country. you never see that in white communities. you never see all caucasian communities in all african-american officers. if you have, please let me know. >> indeed. it's a discussion i wish we could have for much, much longer. at this stage, i'll have to thank both of you very much for being here. >> thank you. >> thank you.

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voicing support for iraq's prime minister designate and his predecessor nuri al maliki appearing to back away at hints to remain in power by force, there are signs today iraq may yet avoid the constitutional crisis that began rearing its head on sunday. that could help put the focus back on the effectiveness of the air strikes targeting a powerful islamist insurgency in the northern part of the country where up to 20,000 members of a threatened religious minority are still trapped on the side of a mountain and where today a helicopter crashed, injuring two journalists working fornit "thew york times." the question now is what else can be done to not only contain the insurgency known alternately as isis or ie sill, but to defeat a group born out of the civil war in syria.

i'd like to bring in evan coleman. i think the salient question is whether or not what we are doing now in northern iraq, these air strikes, are enough to significantly degrade isis, not just hold them back temporarily. >> the air strikes, no. we can already see that right now. there are actually towns where isis continues to make gains despite the air strikes. the kurds continue to lose ground. unfortunately, the answer is military action, at least in this form, is not enough. what we need is assuming al maliki is willing to go, we need to make sure the new generation of iraqi leadership is willing to reach out to the sunni community s willing to reach out to those who may not love isis but didn't like al maliki and form a coalition government that brings in kurds, sunnis, and shiites and can share leadership. so far we haven't seen that from the iraqis. we haven't seen somebody that can be a definitive leader but still bring together the different section and different ethnic groups that comprise iraq.

that's what's going to defeat isis. >> it seems to be there is sort of a quid pro quo here that's on the table from the united states saying we'll continue to help you militarily, but what you just said, that's what has to be done. the person who's in line to replace al maliki, a respected member of the parliament. if all goes well, maliki goes away and we have a government that's more palatable, would the combination of a political solution, arming the kurds, and these air strikes, could that actually contain isis without the united states having to escalate our military intervention? >> we would hope so, but let's not forget the fact that isis right now is extremely heavily armed. what kind of weapons are they carrying? they're carry can go our weapons. they have armored humvees. the kurds are armed with light weapons. their bullets can't penetrate these humvees. we designed these humvees not to be able to be penetrated by these kinds of weapons. if we arm the kurds too heavily, we threaten the idea of a unity government in baghdad. one country instead of separate countries. it's a complex solution, but i

think at a certain point we're going to have to become more militarily involved if we want a real victory against isis. but we won't do that until there's some kind of progress in the iraqi government because we don't want to be backing a sectarian regime in baghdad. >> yeah, and to that point, i want to bring in perry bacon, nbc news political correspondent. perry, that brings us to the politics of this for the obama administration. as evan said, we would need to do more including troops, in order to soundly defeat isis. but there's absolutely no stomach for that among the american people. but there is a fight about that on capitol hill with some particularly republicans wanting the president to step it up done a more. talk a little bit about the politics and how they're playing out on capitol hill. >> yeah, there's a feud between two sides of it. there's a wing that says what evan says. it includes the president. the president's view is basically we have to have the politics in iraq, the three groups working together to unify

politically. then the u.s. will be willing to put more military force into fighting isis. that's his view of it. the john mccain and the republican wing says we need to fight isis now. the topolitics of iraq matter b not really. and the key is to involve the u.s. more militarily with more air strikes sooner rather than later. that's sort of the core dispute. you're hearing president obama is trying to use the politic of what's happening in iraq to change his policy first. but he's definitely getting criticized by republicans for not doing enough soon enough. >> and perry, at the same time, you're starting to even see some criticism from one hillary clinton who essentially was criticizing the fact we did not intervene sooner in syria and of course these two problems are connected. the situation in syria and what's happening in iraq. so you are also starting to see criticism. the president has been pushing back really strongly against that kinds of criticism. talk about that. >> yes, you heard this dispute over the weekend where hillary

clinton essentially suggest the the president has not done enough to intervene in syria. she hinted that caused the problems we're having in iraq. the president is sort of really pushed back pretty hard and said, no, the situation is much more about what's happening in iraq politically. we have to fix that before anything else can be fixed. >> all right. wish we had more time. perry bacon and evan coleman, that's the theme of the day. we'll be right back. in today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [meow mix jingle slowly andright on cue.ks.] [cat meows] [laughs] ♪meow, meow, meow, meow... ♪meow, meow, meow, meow... it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with 100% complete and balanced nutrition, and the taste, textures and variety cats love,

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"the reid report "the reid report." i'll see you back here tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern. "the cycle" is is up next. now, my hour felt like it went by in 20 minutes. hopefully you have more time. what you got coming up? >> so we've got a big tribute to the great robin williams, who as we know, we lost yesterday. of course, we'll be turning our attention to iraq and isis and american foreign policy in the middle east region. we'll go to missouri and get the latest on the police shooting of michael brown there over weekend. then we're going to wrap it all

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more hotels than anyone else in the world. for a chance to win one million dollars, visit wyndhamrewards.com we begin on today's program with robin williams. by now you know the circumstances of his death on monday. for us, it's about the memories he gave and left us. robin williams burst on to scene as a shooting star in the late '70s as the alien on the abc super hit show "mork and mindy." [ laughter ] >> your suit's on backwards. >> it is? boy, do i feel like a clone. >> you're not a priest. who are you? >> i am mork from ork. >> from tv super stardom to movie star, a move not many can

make, robin williams did it and did it big. >> hello! >> his movies grossed more than $5 billion. that's billion with a "b." roles like "moscow and the hudson." >> when it becomes necessary to, what is it? >> we hold these truths to be self-evident. >> that all men are created equal. >> that they're endowed by their creators. >> with certain inalienable rights. >> these are -- >> life. >> liberty. >> happiness. >> then came a turn for the serious in "the world according to garp." >> it's a lovely place, lovely. just the ticket for young marrie marrieds. my firm will even finance the mortgage. >> my mother's paying for it. she's become a firm these days. well, what do you