>> it comes as the u.s. conducts four more air strikes in iraq today and as president obama is getting hammered for saying this about the militant extremists. >> i don't want to put the cart before the horse. we don't have a strategy yet. >> nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker is with me now. how is the white house responding to the immense fallout over one line in that press conference yesterday? >> well, joy, to some extent, the white house has been in damage control mode because the president's comments really played right into some of his republican critics' hands. senator mccain, mike rogers saying this is emblematic of the fact the president doesn't have a clear idea of how to deal with how to confront isis. so what we've seen over the past 24 hours, white house press secretary josh earnest sending out a number of tweets to clarify president obama's statements. also appearing on a number of cable news programs. then again today in the white house press briefing, which just

wrapped up, clarifying the president's comments. and the pushback that we're hearing from the white house is that, look, the president could have been clearer in his comments yesterday. what he was saying -- he was answering a specific question about whether or not he needed to go to congress if, in fact, he decides to take military action in syria. the president saying, look, he hasn't mapped out exactly what his response is going to be in syria, and if there is going to be a military response, but the administration would argue that he does have a strategy when it comes to dealing with the broader isis threat, that he's already started to move forward with that. we've seen that in terms of the air strikes in iraq that you just mentioned. the humanitarian support that's been provided. then, of course, they've been urging the iraqi government to create a more inclusive government. we're also told during the press briefing today that the president is still waiting to get those final options from the pentagon. i asked what the timeline was for making a decision. that question was deflected. white house press secretary josh earnest saying at this point there is no timeline, but there is a sense of urgency in terms

of determining how to move forward. >> all right. kristen welker, thank you very much. and joining me now is david corn from "mother jones." the question -- everybody focused on that one line about not having a strategy. kristen welker just reporting they didn't have a strategy vis-a-vis congress. is this a case of refreshing candor here? or is it a case of, i don't know, a communication strategy that's fallen short? give me your read on what is going on. >> well, i think the white house would be happy to take back that word. what the president was clearly saying is we don't yet have a plan for bombing in syria. and they don't. that's not necessarily a bad thing. the president is highly deliberative as commander for chief. and in other instances, he's time and time again said, i want options. and sometimes he's sent the options back to the military and the national security team saying, i don't like these options, i want more options, i

want more robust options sometimes. so he was clearly saying that they haven't yet mapped out a strategy for where to bomb in syria, if they can bomb in syria. there's still some question about how effective it will be and whether we have good enough intelligence to hit the right targets in syria. we've sent drones and surveillance planes in, but we haven't been operating on the ground there. we can't really trust working with opposition figures in syria, who may -- who are against assad but not part of isis. it's a very complicated battleground, the theater as they call it. >> let alone bashar al assad. this president is operating -- remember, he's the president that did come to sort of reverse what was seen as the overaggressive militaristic strategy of the neocons that preceded him. i want to play you back to back, these are both republicans responding to what the president said yesterday that i think reflect the dichotomy in the country let alone in the white house. take a listen.

>> and i think the president is being commendably cautious here about being involved in the middle of a syrian civil war. >> it was an odd press conference at the very best, but to say -- to have a press conference to say we don't have a strategy was really shocking given the severity of the threat. that's what's so concerning to me. >> and david, so the second sound bite was mike rogers of michigan. the first was tom cole of oklahoma. isn't the reality that the politics of this for republicans are to seize on any phrase they can impart weakness to the white house. but tom cole's statement is really where the country is. we're not so sure we want to get embroiled in a war in syria on the ground. >> you take a phrase and try to make it an issue rather than the issue. let's make the issue the issue. the issue is what we should do. the president talked about what when he has done already. it's quite clear from reporting on this network and every place else that he is examining other military options targeting isis within syria.

so that's -- if you look at the public, my guess is that they don't want, you know, a strong u.s. involvement in the middle east in a military fashion, but they want the president to take care of this problem. so he is going to find it very hard to do both at the same time. not to get too far involved but to do enough to make a difference. of course, you got to bring in the rest of the region and european allies and so on. that all takes time. it took time to do that in libya. took weeks to put that together in libya. so it's not surprising to me. as he noted yesterday, he was right. the isis threat is not going to be dealt with in one foul swoop, in one string of attacks. it's going to take months. >> very quickly, david, there was the news that came out that isis waterboarded at least one, perhaps more than one, american that it had held captive. another way in which the ghost in a sense of the iraq war are

revisiting us. they apparently tied that tactic directly to waterboarding. >> how many times did we hear a critic of waterboarding? i think even john mccain might have made this point at the time. people criticized gitmo and all that stuff saying, if we do this and have the highest moral values in the world, our enemies will come back and do this to us, to our own americans the first chance they get. does seem to be coming true. >> yeah. david corn, thank you very much, man. appreciate it. >> my pleasure. all right. president obama's other major international crisis, russia's support for separatists in ukraine. michael mcfall is the former u.s. ambassador to russia. another conundrum for the white house. russia obviously involved in our decision making as to what to do with syria as they are syria's sponsor, but directly the sponsor of the separatists in ukraine. how much of a box is the u.s. in, regarding the ukraine/russia situation? >> well, president obama, the administration, and the nato alliance don't have great options in terms of responding

to what is obviously an escalation by president putin in eastern ukraine. i fully suspect when the president is in europe next week that they will debate further sanctions. i expect that to happen. but that's a long process to try to influence putin through sanctions. and there aren't a lot of other instruments in trying to change his behavior on the ground in eastern ukraine. >> and, you know, samantha power yesterday, on thursday, came out and blatantly said -- >> didn't mince her words. >> yeah, she didn't mince her words at all. every step russia has come before to say everything except the truth. she said they outright lied. at what point does the u.s. become that blunt in calling what's happening in ukraine an invasion? >> well, i think what ambassador power said yesterday just illustrates the frustration in i trying to have a rational, fact-based conversation with the russian government. when the russian ambassador in the united nations says, oh,

these soldiers, they're just on holiday, that's a joke. you know, knowing ambassador and many other russian officials, it's embarrassing for me to watch what they're having to say. the question is not about what's happening. call it invasion, call it intervention, call it, you know, assistance to military, mercenaries, russia is involved in violating the territorial integrity of ukraine. the hard question is, what can the west do to push back? we talked about sanctions. i also think there's going to be a serious debate next week about providing military assistance to the ukrainians. that, i think, is the next escalatory step by the administration and the nato alliance. >> and how likely is that to come to fruition? we have a congress that doesn't exactly work well with this administration. your read on it, how likely do you think it would be that there would be direct military aid given? >> i think it's likely. i think there is such a level of frustration. putin continues to double down. he's escalating, not

december-escalating. so i think there's going to be a lot of pressure to say, well, we need to do more to help the ukrainian side. >> all right. michael mcfaul, thank you very much. >> thank you. and after the break, what was supposed to be a moment of healing at a forum in ferguson turns into a contentious standoff, exposing lingering problems between the community and police that go beyond ferguson. plus, a conversation about racial disparity and what it's like to live in two very different americas.

losing your chex mix too easily? deploy the boring potato chip decoy bag. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix has twenty bags of interesting. pick your mix. ven fly. [ male announcer ] it's one of the most amazing things we build it and it doesn't even fly. ] we build it in classrooms and exhibit halls, mentoring tomorrow's innovators. we build it raising roofs, preserving habitats and serving america's veterans. every day, thousands of boeing volunteers help make their communities the best they can be. building something better for all of us. ♪ ♪ [music] jackie's heart attack didn't come with a warning. 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.

hey pal? you ready? can you pick me up at 6:30? ah... (boy) i'm here! i'm here! (cop) too late. i was gone for five minutes! ugh! move it. you're killing me. you know what, dad? i'm good. (dad) it may be quite a while before he's ready, but our subaru legacy will be waiting for him. (vo) the longest-lasting midsize sedan in its class. introducing the all-new subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan. it's a subaru.

in the wake of michael brown's shooting, the hash tag #beyondferguson, has simultaneously become a rallying cry, a statement, and a question about what's next for the troubled city. last night, beyond ferguson was also the theme at the wellspring church in ferguson, where a

standing-room-only crowd shared their frustration with the community's leaders, including ferguson mayor james knowles. pastor willis, i'll start with you. what was the overall message that the community had for the mayor last night at the forum, and what was the mayor's response? >> well, accountability. they wanted the mayor and all of us in leadership and as a community as a whole to take notice and acknowledge and affirm that something has happened that needs to be addressed and that all of us have a responsibility, but particularly as the principal leader of our community, the mayor needs to stand. >> did he seem receptive to that

message? >> i think he understands better now. >> ryan, you were there as well. you were tweeting last night as well as many other people. one of the things that you tweeted was from a man who said his name was franky who said he was hit during ferguson protests. he confronted the mayor, according to you. what happened in that interaction? >> essentially, he walked up to him and took his shirt halfway off and was showing where he got hit. obviously, it's sort of an interesting situation because the mayor wasn't in charge of a lot of the response to the protests. st. louis county was in charge with a lot of the over-the-top, as some people would describe, methods used during the peaceful protests taking place. also, it was interesting that the mayor expressed the idea that he didn't have that much control necessarily over the police department, specifically the leadership of the police department. at one point, there was a discussion about name tags. he said, yes, officers should be wearing name tags. i ran into the police chief today, and they're still not

wearing name tags on the street. and he said -- the police chief told me they were hoping they would be able to get back to normal after this protest on saturday, but for now, they're keeping their name tags off because they said that some of the names were being used as taunts against the officers. >> and that's pretty extraordinary, the mayor saying he didn't have control over what was happening in his own city. is that something you've ever heard before, ryan? >> well, essentially i think that the way it's structured is that the city manager has more power over the police department than the mayor necessarily does. but it's certainly an odd situation. it's tough to find someone necessarily to hold accountable. especially because there were all these varying agencyies tha the mayor honestly didn't have control over that were taking part in a lot of these methods. it was a tough situation for them to deal with. >> pastor, at one point, at least in following it on social media, someone in the audience asked or demanded the mayor to resign. he said he would not.

is there a strong undercurrent within the community of wanting the mayor to go, or what is the attitude toward the mayor in general? >> well, there is a grave concern by many across the community that this situation has not been handled well and that leadership has not been as vigilant and as answerable as they should be. and, yes, there are some folks that are asking very loudly and directly for him to step down. as well as just to put some other community leaders on notice or at least in respect to being -- answering the questions and concerns that the people have. he's not going to do that. and i know that's a bold proposition to make, and it's even a bolder one to acquiesce

to. but there is, i think, again, a notice, a declaration that's been presented by the community that says, we expect more from our leadership. we expect more from our mayor. if i may, sister joy, i've worked for a mayor who's now a sitting congressman, and i've worked for a governor. and yes, i understand the city structure of that system, but he has a strong bully pulpit. he has the opportunity, as he said in his own comments, that the city manager reports to him and to the council. and that they have the ability to encourage and influence and ask for them to have their interests and the community's interests represented through that office. so again, last night he -- there was a couple times where there were some things he said he could do that he can't do or vice versa. all we want him to do, and particularly what came out last night, was we wish someone would

acknowledge the fact that something happened, whether that's the militarized excess of force that went on throughout much of the community for the last two weeks, the fact that somebody needs to apologize and not pass fault, but just stand up and identify that, yes, i'm a leader, and to do that will help us begin the healing process. and we need our mayor. we need our city leaders. we need our community leaders to be not only accountable but remain answerable. and that's why we were fortunate enough to create a space and be part of creating a space, an opportunity for people to dialogue. not that we have every answer. but at least we're willing to sit down and wrestle with the tough questions because we have a lot of work to do. our future is still bright here ma in ferguson. >> all right. well, thank you both for being here. >> thanks. >> thank you. and now three things to know on this friday. the los angeles police department says veteran officers were involved in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man.

police say ford tackled and tried to grab the one of one of the officers. ford's family says he suffered from mental health issues. the body of an american student has been found after missing for a week and going for a hike in the woods. the circumstances of his death are still unknown, although police do not suspect foul play. and comedian joan rivers remains in stable but critical condition in a new york city hospital. according to e! news, rivers was rushed in yesterday after she developed complications and stopped breathing during what was described as a minor throat surgery. her daughter melissa just released a statement exclusively to e! news saying, my mother would be so touched by the tributes and prayers that we have received from around the world. her condition remains serious, but she's receiving the best treatment and care possible. we ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts as we pray for her recovery. (birds chirping softly in background.) (loud engine sounds!)

what! how's it going? heard you need a ride to school. i know just the thing to help you get going. power up with new cheerios protein. to fill your viagra prescription online? go to viagra.com to find out about viagra home delivery. millions of men have some degree of erectile dysfunction. talk to your doctor, if viagra is right for you, you can fill your prescription at your pharmacy, or check out viagra home delivery and get started at viagra.com

ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain, it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. viagra home delivery. a convenient way to have prescription viagra shipped straight to you. go to viagra.com to get started. when folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america.

ever since we launched snapshot, my life has been positively cray-cray. what's snapshot, you ask? only a revolutionary tool that can save you big-time. just plug it in, and the better you drive, the more cash you'll stash. switching to progressive can already save ye $500. snapshot could save ye even more. meat maiden! bringeth to me thine spiciest wings of buffalo.

it's time for we the tweeple. today you're buzzing about taupegate. president obama kicked off labor day a little early with one last summer suit and almost broke the internet. he wore the suit during a briefing on u.s. plans to take down isis. then twitter took down his outfit. this look compares the look to the humongous suit worn in the '80s. >> the president stands squarely behind the decision that he made yesterday to wear his summer suit at yesterday's news conference. thursday before labor day. he feels pretty good about it. >> this after tweeters turned fierce fashion critics snarked at the audacity of taupe. but democratic representative john dingell said, i see no problem with the suit.

one tweeter noted, world's most powerful man learns what it's like to be a woman and to have your message distracted by your outfit. good point. more on sexism in politics in a minute. first, international politics continue to play out on twitter between russia's and canada's nato delegations. first, you went crazy over this snarky canadian tweet reminding russia of its boundaries amid accusations it's invading ukraine. russia's fired back with their own map, highlighting the country's newly annexed region of crimea. you're siding with canada, asking the russian delegation, who runs this account, a 10-year-old? and now, to the allegedly juvenile behavior in the senate. senate kirsten gillibrand's accusations in her new book. the senator from new york says male colleagues called her porky, among other petty comments, about her appearance. but she doesn't say who did it. now some on social media, including male journalists, are demanding she name names. our pal from "the times"

tweeted, quote, shouldn't gillibrand name these guys who fat shamed her? doesn't she have a responsibility to name them? while benjy gave the other side tweeting, quote, pols say things about anonymous colleagues constantly. join the conversation with fellow reiders on twitter, facebook, instagram and msnbc.com. keep telling us what's important to you.

♪ ♪ ♪ trouble makers. ♪ dreamer of dreamers. ♪ ♪ we are the y-a-o! ♪ (chinese singing) ♪ oh... oh... oh... oh...

♪ ♪ [music]

defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. easily absorbed calcium plus d. beauty is bone deep. now to a reid alert out of jackson, mississippi, where the family of a woman brutally murdered last month is getting ready to take legal action. at 3:30 in the morning on july 16th, ruth helen harrison called 911 and told the dispatcher this. >> hello, i have a prowler around the house. 2715 king road avenue. >> what's your name, please? >> ruth harrison. >> we're sending police. >> thank you.

>> two police officers were sent to her home after that call, but according to a local paper, when the officers arrived eight minutes later, no one answered and they left. her brother found her in the backyard strangled, beaten, and shot in the face. 29-year-old alonso stewart is being held without bond, and police say he admitted to the crime. last month, former police chief lindsay horton, who has since retired, admitted the officers mishandled the case. >> general practice is to reach out and make sure that the welfare of an individual that calls like that is covered and taken care of. and that did not happen that night. i am not pleased with it. >> horton also said the officers involved would receive a, quote, behavior modification so they never made that mistake again. we reached out to the jackson police department for comment. they referred us to the da, who we were unable to contact. joining me now on the phone from

jackson is helen ruth's daughter. angela, what sort of contact have you had, has the family had with the city or with the police department, and what is their explanation as to why police didn't attempt -- make a stronger attempt to make contact with your mom? >> actually, we've had no answers. >> and so you -- what is the purpose of taking legal action? are you seeking recompense from the city? are you seeks answers to what happened and broke down? >> justice for my family and my mother. >> and for you, what would that mean? what does justice mean to you? >> well, she depended on law enforcement. that's why she made the call. and the response time and their protocol just was not taken. >> and in the community where your mom lived, was there a sense that police were generally responsive when neighbors called, when people called the police? >> unfortunately, no.

>> and why do you suppose that is? what do you put that down to? >> the african-american community. >> now, in this case, the police chief was african-american. i mean, is it a sense -- you know, obviously there isn't a racial disparity between the police department -- at least the head of the police department and the community. so why was there a feeling that the police didn't respond? >> there's too much that went on. i know you mentioned the 911 call and if the response time protocol had been taken, she could have been saved. >> what do you want people to know about your mom? >> how beautiful she was as a person. she raised six kids alone. she provided for us. actually, for the community as well. >> yeah. well, we're certainly sorry for your loss. we will definitely be following and keeping up with this case. angela harrion from jackson, mississippi, thank you so much for calling. >> yes, thank you.

>> all right. now, when you hear a story like helen ruth harrion's or the story of michael brown, does how you receive and react to that story have anything at all to do with race? jamila, i'm going to start with you. cases like this where communities don't feel that the police are responsive, african-american communities, even when in this case the police chief was african-american, is it uncommon for communities of color to feel that way about police, even when some of the police are themselves black? >> absolutely not. it's not uncommon. you know, the general sentiment among most african-americans is that the police are not here to serve or protect us. they are here to police us.

and in the case of michael brown, they overpolice us. we're treated like criminals until proven otherwise. and so when we're in need of the police, which is something that we are constantly. we call the police for everything. we call the police to settle disputes with neighbors. we call the police to, you know, settle issues with noise violations or to even help us with our own children. we find we're not treated with a level of priority we deserve. when they do respond, you know, it's so often the force that is used is totally inappropriate. so just the lack of concern for this woman, that those responding officers did not make sure that somebody laid eyes on her and said, are you okay? do you feel safe? do you need to leave here? that someone was content leaving her there is something that whether the officers were black or white, i don't think that's something that would happen in most communities to a white woman. it's incredibly maddening. >> joan, it's been, i guess, interesting, confounding.

there are many words you could describe looking at a case like this, but a case more like ferguson that's been so discussed in the news. just the fact so many african-americans feel that white americans don't get the story or don't believe african-americans when they say, listen, we call the police, we don't really know what the outcome will be. we don't have trust. why do you suppose there is such a gap just in the believability when an african-american says, this is happening to us in our communities? >> i know in the poll data around this case, it breaks my heart because there really is such a divide in what people believe happened to michael brown, what people believe should have happened to michael brown, and what people think of the police conduct in this case. and i think it really is our lived experiences around police officers are just so different, speaking for white people, not that i want to be the spokeswoman. but my general experience with police officers is that they are there to protect you, that they are almost always respectful. i've had my own run-ins. but in general, you look at them as wanting to help. you look at them as on fro

frontlines. so there's a failure to understand. there's a failure to do the basic research, reading, talking to people to understand how different the experiences are. it can't just be explained by the difference in lived experience, because some white people do take the time to read, understand, talk, and learn about this and come to see this situation similarly to african-americans. >> yeah, and james, it's been interesting to watch white reporters in ferguson experience for the first time police in the way that so many african-americans experience them all the time and be really surprised and alarmed by it. >> it is. our very own chris hayes was down there doing great work, and i think when you think about the militarization of the police and the presentation of that in ferguson, that should be shocking and stunning to anyone. but obviously like my experiences with law enforcement are quite different from joan's. i've never been convicted of

anything, but i've been harassed by police, pulled over by police, disrespected by police. when you have those experiences, situations like michael brown, as tragic as they are, they're not surprising and they're not shocking. so no, i wasn't shocked at all by some of the language that some of the militarized police used against protesters in ferguson, but i think people need to understand that this is one of the dividing lines. when you look at the data that joan is referring to, part of the reason why it divides along racial lines is because we're having a different set of experiences with law enforcement. by the way, that goes from everything from stop and frisk and unjustified force in these unjustifiable homicides all the way through to the criminal justice system in sentencing and in disparities with how folks are arrested around particular kinds of crimes. so there's a broad range of issues that inform this divide that we're talking about. >> and joan, so you have a lot of experience. this is something i think a lot of african-americans who have been following the story, even if you follow it on social media, but a lot of white americans will look at the

ferguson story and immediately gravitate toward what mike brown must have done, what he did, what happened in the convenience store. that will be sort of their point of location. whereas, for african-americans, it's like, no, no, no, we need to talk about what the police officer did. just different points of reference. >> right. immediately when the white cops brought out that convenience store video, that shifted the focus and that muted, in my experience, a lot of the outcry from some of the good white people on my timeline or even in my personal life who were very concerned. suddenly it was, oh, well, he was no angel, in the words of "new york times." the fact is, you know, in my youth, in my friends' youth, i know lots of white kids who may have shoplifted or did worse than that and always got a second, third, and fourth chance. there's no death penalty for shoplifting, thank god. so whatever mike brown may or may not have done did not justify the way he was treated . >> and jamila, you have another

aspect to this, partly when president obama addressed it, but even in the conversation among african-americans. that is this question of respectability. even within the african-american community around what happened with some people looting, et cetera, you do have this respectability politics that comes into the fore. how does that impact the way this case plays out within black america? >> i think that for many years the african-american community has taken on this responsibility of presenting ourselves in the best possible light so that even when we're victimized, we're worthy of being victims. so we're good, we're respectable. he was coming home from church. she was such a nice girl. you know, he was going to college. and instead of saying, it does not matter if michael brown was a blood and a cryp, he was killed by a police officer who served as judge, jury, and executioner for a crime that has not been defined. i think that it's really unfortunate that for black people in particular to get lost

to this idea of having to be a good or respectable victim. we see this happen every time that there's a young black person who's had their life chopped down whether it was a police officer or george zimmerman type. we don't have to defend them. the victim should not be on trial. who killed them? was it appropriate? more often than not, we're finding that, no, deadly force was not appropriate. you know, just the fact that this young man has been on trial for his own murder, for his own killing for almost three weeks is reprehensible. i think that every african-american person who has participated in putting michael brown on trial, you know, even to defend him, should really take a look at how they receive this set of events and try again. >> and james, there's a root to that, right, in the history of the civil rights movement of always trying to calibrate america's response to protesters by having people in their sunday best and picking, you know, potential, as you said, perfect victim or in their church clothes who look respectable.

there's a root to this. >> absolutely. >> and i'm sensitive to it in the sense that the politics of respectability is about trying to humanize black folk. it's a shame that in the 21st century that project is still not complete. for some reason, law enforcement did not see michael brown as a human being, either before he was murdered or after he was out in the streets for hours after he was murdered. it feeds too much into the narratives of oppression. at the end of the day when we look across the swath of all these cases of unjustifiable homicides in our community by law enforcement, there are people who went to college, dressed certain ways, good people, bad people, it doesn't matter. we've got to stay focused on what the issue is. the issue is we're paying people to protect us and to serve us. for some reason, for some strange set of reasons, they are murdering young people dead in the street. >> joan, when you look at a story like this, does it make you hopeful, or is it discouraging? just the divide between white

and black on something that seems like it would be so self-evident. >> the divide is discouraging. the reaction makes me a little hopeful because there was such a quick response. there is a world of activism now that i don't think even existed two or three years ago. and there is a capacity to have the conversation and for people to stand up and say, we're not going to put this young man on trial. he did -- yes, he was going to go to college a few days later, but that's not the point. the point is humanity. there are more people ready to step up and say that. that's small comfort, but a little bit of comfort. >> on a micro level, we've had these conversations for years. there are people having these dialogues. so valuable to have all of you here. thank you so much for being here. all right. nfl commissioner roger goodell announces stricter penalties for players involved in domestic violence incidents. but critics say it doesn't go far enough. we'll discuss right after the break. this is bill. his doubleheader day at the park starts with back pain... and a choice. take 4 advil in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief.

peanuts! peanuts! crowd cheers! who gets the allstate safemma, driving bonus check. rock beats scissors! wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 877-218-2500 now. zach really loves his new camera. problem is...this isn't zach. it's a friend of a friend who was at zach's party

and stole his camera. but zach's got it covered... with allstate renter's insurance. protect your valuables for as low as $4 a month when you add renter's insurance to your allstate auto policy. call 877-218-2500 now. what are you doing? we're switching car insurance. why? because these guys are the cheapest. why? good question. because a cut-rate price could mean cut-rate protection. you should listen to this guy. with allstate you get great protection, a great price, plus an agent! and safe drivers can save up to 45%. call now and see how much you can save. just a few more ways, allstate is changing car insurance for good. call an allstate agent and get a quote now. say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design

cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ] nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. wherever morning takes you, take along nature valley soft-baked oatmeal squares. oatmeal. cinnamon. softly-baked. nature valley soft-baked oatmeal squares. 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. unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you purchase, every day. don't settle for anything less. i'll keep asking. what's in your wallet?

nfl commissioner roger goodell is receiving praise today for the strong language included in the league's new policy to combat domestic abuse. in particular, the six-game ban for a first-time offense and an indefinite ban with with the option of appeal for second events. however, because it's not retroactive, the new rule will not affect the case of baltimore's ray rice, whose original two-game ban after the abuse of his then-fiance sparked outrage. while goodell admitted that, quote, i didn't get it right, his new policy leaves the door open for, quote, mitigating factors to reduce the length of any suspension. meaning, we may not know just how serious the nfl is until we see the policy in action. sean graegory is a senior write covering sports for "time" magazine. there's some pressure for the nfl to respond to this very high-profile incident of

domestic violence. what is the read among players and among coaches as to whether this policy is the right way to go? >> it seems to be getting a pretty good reaction right now. the union was a little wary because the union's job is to protect the livelihood of players. they don't love usually harsher penalties. but this is an issue that are obviously has gotten everyone's attention. and roger goodell knew and saw that two games is ridiculous for a crime like this, for an incident like this when we have josh gordon, for example, getting suspended for a year for marijuana use, something that's legal right now in two states. >> i think that is a lot of what people are looking at. they're saying that, you know, the scale doesn't seem -- even six games for somebody who's done domestic abuse seems pretty lenient. let me read a portion of the players union statement. they said, if you believe -- if we believe players' due process rights are infringed upon during the course of discipline, we'll assert and defend our members' rights. that's the same union that negotiated the situation whereby a player can be suspended in

this fashion for drug use. >> yeah, there's a difference. roger goodell has the right under the personal conduct policy to set suspensions. the drug policy is collectively bargained. although, why was management pushing for a year suspension? i think the union's reaction speaks to the weariness they have towards roger goodell. roger goodell has acted as judge and jury. they don't like that, for good reason. there's been inconsistent punishment, that kind of thing. but again, this is an issue where for the first time, really, that i can remember, he really admitted that he got it wrong. and does he deserve praise and applause? i contend that we shouldn't be extending or standing ovation here. it doesn't take a lot of courage to correct something that was pretty indefensible in the first place. >> absolutely. the nfl has had so many image problems of late. whether it's this, whether it's the incidence of individual racial incidences, the head

injuries. does the nfl go into this coming season at a deficit because other sports are trying -- they have their own issues, but nfl does seem to be particularly plagued with problems. >> what's amazing about the nfl is you named all these problems, but i would contend that even if this didn't happen yesterday, the roger goodell reversal, people would still be watching. it's a juggernaut. people love football. and so i think people watch with a little more guilt than they maybe did five years ago, but most people still watch. if you see the numbers and the revenues, it's continually going up. all these problems have not affected the nfl's bottom line. >> what do you think will happen as we see marijuana legalization is proliferating around the country, will the nfl be able to hold up a policy like that? >> this is the next level of change in the nfl with

marijuana. it just doesn't -- it's a real disconnect between the crime and the punishment that we're seeing all over society. the nfl tends to fall along societal lines. they're going to have to follow the lead we're seeing now. >> it's a brutal sport, a violent sport. you expect these to be macho men. does the nfl need, i don't know, sensitivity training? what is going on when you have so many things being layered, and these players are under tremendous pressure, in pain. what's the disconnect here? >> i spoke to one of the domestic violence advocates and a scholar in this field. they say there has to be a culture change. all this stuff yesterday, it's a policy, it's pr. he can be congratulated. that's great. as somebody said to me, we'll be watching. you hope these incidents -- you mentioned, we'll see what the policy is going to be. you hope it doesn't have to be enacted. if something happens again, we're going to have to see what his response is, and also just changing the culture. it's a macho sport. it's just a tough thing to police and prevent, but part of

this policy change are also program attic changes. >> we'll see. we'll be watching. i guess watching the players and the game. sean gregory, thank you very much. coming up, an update on my one-voter challenge. (knochello? hey, i notice your car is not in the driveway. yeah. it's in the shop. it's going to cost me an arm and a leg. that's hilarious. sorry. you shoulda taken it to midas. get some of that midas touch. they tell you what stuff needs fixing, and what stuff can wait. next time i'm going to midas. high-five! arg! i did not see that coming. trust the midas touch. for brakes, tires, oil, everything. (whistling) been all fun and games, here at the harrison household.

but one dark, stormy evening... she needed a good meal and a good family. so we gave her purina cat chow complete. it's great because it has the four cornerstones of nutrition. everything a cat needs for the first step to a healthy, happy life. purina cat chow complete. share your rescue story and join us in building better lives. one rescue at a time.

back to the als challenge already in progress. ahh! >> that doesn't get any more less uncomfortable watching it. as many of you know, i did take the als ice bucket challenge recently and issued my own challenge to you. it's called one voter. the challenge is for you to encourage or help one person to get registered to vote before the november 4th election. i want to thank all of you who have responded, including those of you who participated in our twitter chat yesterday, as well as national radio hosts like tom cybil and jay anthony brown, joe

madison, matt mcgill, dominique diprima in l.a., and ktsu in houston for helping to get the word out. okay. we are less than ten weeks away from the midterm elections. despite all of the predictions and prognostications about who will control the u.s. senate and key governships around the country, those predictions are just based on polling. and that polling is only as good as the samples. and it changes depending on the news cycle and the time of year and whether people have cell phones or land lines and maybe even the weather. polls are just data. what really matters is the actual number of people, the number of humans who show up at the polls or who mail in absentee ballots on or before election day. the real power of a democracy is in its people. there's no compulsory voting. you have to proactively decide to participate or not to. so let's do this. let's find one person, help them register, and tell us what you did by tweeting me with

#onevoter. you can also hit us up on our facebook page at "the reid report." after labor day, we'll update everyone on your progress. and i'll also be posting and tweeting information throughout the day and the weekend to help you figure out the easiest way to register in your state. so stay tuned for that. and that wraps things up for "the reid report." have a wonderful labor day weekend. i'll see you back here next week at 2:00 p.m. eastern. be sure to visit us online at thereidreport.msnbc.com. your labor day weekend cannot start yet. "the cycle" is up next. what you got going on? >> one more hour. >> let's do it. >> so we'll be taking a look at the latest on the threat from isis. also, we've got you covered on all angles surrounding that important story of how people felt about the president's suit yesterday. >> we are doing that? >> there are multiple angles on that? >> we're not really doing that. but we do have josh barro here and his biggest piece ever at

"the new york times." it's his latest piece on this seat defender airline so you can't recline your seat thing. he's going to have more of his blockbuster reporting on that. >> okay. but the only thing that would make that better, i think josh needs to come out in a tan suit. i want to the see it. summer suit, baby. "the cycle" is up next.

for the evert time.. she let him plan the vacation. off the beaten path: he said trust me: he implored alas, she is beginning to seriously wonder why she ever doubted the booking genius planet earth's number one accomodation site booking.com booking.yeah! nobody ever stomped their foot and asked for less. there's a reason it's called an "all you can eat" buffet... and not a "have just a little" buffet. because what we all really want is more. that's why verizon is giving you even more. now, for a limited time, get more data! 1 gb of bonus data every month with every new smartphone or upgrade. our best ever pricing with the more everything plan and 50% off all new smartphones. like the htc one m8 for windows or android. built to inspire envy. come get your more with verizon.

♪ [music] defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. easily absorbed calcium plus d. beauty is bone deep. nearly 35 million americans are about to head out for labor day. we at the cycle have a small request. would you wait 60 more minutes? there's a little more work to be done. oh, i don't know. like finding a strategy to deal with isis. >> i don't want to put the cart before the horse. folks are getting a little further ahead of where we're at than we currently are. >> did he really just volunteer that information? meet lady al qaeda and get to know her because she could be the future of the war on terror. labor of love. pack your patience this weekend.

but it's okay. america's grilling up a post-recession record. that one's for you, josh. game on. college football is back, and so is our buddy jordan. and take a seat because josh has the barr-o-meter on america's latest airline crisis. we begin with politics because it is taking no vacation during these waning weeks of summer. good afternoon. i'm krystal ball. as we come on the air today, british prime minister david cameron is issuing a dire warning about the global reach of isis. he raised the u.k.'s terror level threat to severe, just about as bad as it gets. >> what we're facing in iraq now with isil is a greater and deeper threat to our security than we have known before. we will always take whatever action is necessary to keep the british people safe here at home. >> it's a sharp contrast from the tone that we heard from president obama in the briefing room about this time yesterday. >> what i've seen in some