vulnerable to the enemy. and both times he was recognized for his bravery. or as don put it in a letter home, i guess they think i'm really gung ho or something. and then one morning don and his squad set out on patrol, passed that rice paddie, down that trail, shots rang out. when the lead soldier's foot tripped that wire and set off the booby trap, the grenade rolled right to don's feet. and at that moment he could have run. at that moment he could have ducked for cover. but don did something truly extraordinary. he reached down and picked up that grenade. he went to throw it but there were americans in front of him, behind him, inside the kill zone. so, don held onto that grenade

and he pulled it close to his body and he bent over it. and then as one of the men said, all of a sudden there was a boom. the blast threw the lead soldier up against a boulder. men were riddled with shrapnel. four were medevaced out, but everyone else survived. don absorbed the brunt of the explosion with his body. he saved the lives of those next to him. and today we're joined by two men who were with him on that patrol. sergeant william hacker and specialist michael mulhime. for decades don's family only knew that he was killed in action. they'd heard that he had stepped on a land mine. all those years, this gold star family honored the memory of heir son and brother, whose name is etched forever on that granite wall not far from here.

late in her life, don's mother, evelyn, finally learned the full story of her son's sacrifice. and she made it her mission to have don's actions properly recognized. sadly, nearly three years ago, evelyn passed away. but she always believed, she knew that this day would come. she even bought a special dress to wear to the ceremony. we are honored that don and his mom are represented here today by don's brother and sisters and their families. on behalf of this american family, i'd ask don's brother, dr. bill sloat, to come forward for the reading of the citation and accept the gratitude of our nation.

>> the president of the united states of america, authorized by act of congress, march 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to specialist domentd pvment p. sloat. he distinguished himself through acts of gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while sevening as a mn gunner, company b, 1st infantry re rry regiment. during combat operations in armed enemy in the republic of vietnam on january 17, 1970. on that morning specialist's squad, served as a blocking patrol. as the squad moved up a small hill in file formation, the lead soldier tripped a wire attached to a hand grenade booby trap set

up by enemy forces. as the grenade rolled down the hill, specialist sloat knelt and picked up the grenade. after initially attempting to throw the grenade, specialist sloat realized detonation was imminent. he pulled it to his body, shielding his squad members from the blast, saving their lives. his actions define the action of laying down his own life in order to save the lives of his comrades. specialist donald p. sloat's heroism beyond the call of duty is reflects great credit upon himself, company b, nd battalion, 156 light infantry brigade and the united states army.

[ applause ] [ applause ] at this point i would like

to ask bennie adkins to come join me on stage. now, let me just say, the first thing you need to know is when bennie and i met in the oval office, he asked if he could sign back up. his lovely wife was not amused. most days you can find bennie at home down in opelika, alabama. tending his garden or his pontoon boat out on the lake.

he's been married to mary for 58 years. he's a proud father of five, grandfather of six. at 80, still going strong. a couple years ago he came here to the white house with fellow veterans for breakfast we had on veteran's day. he tells folks he was the only person he knows who has spilled his dessert in the white house. and i just have to correct you. that makes two of us. i've messed up mai tai. i've messed up my pants. but in the spring of 1966, bennie was just 32 years old on his second tour in vietnam. he and his fellow green berets were at an isolated camp along the ho chi minh trail. a huge north vietnamese force

attacked, bombarding bennie and his comrades with mortars and white phosphorous, at a time was impossible to move without being wounded or killed. but bennie ran into enemy fire, again and again, to retrieve supplies and ammo, to carry the wounded to safety, to man the mortar pit, holding off wave after wave of enemy assaults. three times explosions blasted him out of that mortar pit. and three times he returned. i have to be honest, in a battle and daring escape that lasted four days, bennie performed so many acts of bravery, we actually don't have time to talk about all of them. let me just mention three. on the first day, bennie was helping load a wounded american onto a helicopter. a vietnamese helicopter jumped on the helo and aimed his weapon

directly at the wounded soldier, ready to shoot. bennie shielded his comrade, placing himself directly in the line of fire, helping to save his wounded comrade. at another point in the battle, bennie and a few other soldiers were trapped in the mortar pit, covered in shrapnel and smoking debris. their only exit was blocked by enemy machine gunfire. bennie thought fast, he dug a hole out of the pit and snuck out the other side. as another american escaped through that hole, he was shot in the leg. an enemy soldier charged him, hoping to capture a live p.o.w., he took out that enemy and pulled his fellow american to safety. bit third day of battle, bennie and a few others had managed to escape into the jungle. he had cuts and wounds all over his body but he refused to be evacuated. when a rescue helicopter arrived, bennie insisted others go inside.

on the third day, bennie wounded and bleeding, found himself with his men bleeding and exhausted with the enemy closing in. and after all they had been through, if there wasn't enough, there was something more. you can't make this up. there in the jungle they heard the growls of a tiger. it turns out that tiger might have been the best thing that happened to bennie during those days because he says the north vietnamese were more scared of that tiger than they were of us. so, the enemy fled. bennie and his squad made their escape and they were rescued finally the next morning. in his life we see the enduring service of our men and women in uniform. he went on to serve a third tour in vietnam, a total of more than two decades in uniform. . after he retired, he earned his masters degree. actually not one, but two. opened up an accounting firm, taught adult education classes,

became national commander of the legion of valor veteran's organization. so, he has earned his -- he has earned his retirement. he's living outside auburn. and, yes, he is a fan of the auburn tigers. although i did a poll of the family, and there's some crimson tide fans here. so, there's obviously some divisions. bennie will tell you he owes everything to the men he served with in vietnam, especially the five who gave their lives in that battle. every member of his unit was killed or wounded. every single one was recognized for their service. today we're joined by some of the men who served with bennie, including major tom bradford, the soldier bennie shielded in that helicopter, and major murray. i would ask them and all of our vietnam veterans who are here today to please stand or raise your hand to be recognized.

[ applause ] i might ask for the citation to be read. >> the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to sergeant first class bennie adkins, united states army.

sergeant first class adkins distinguished himself by acts of gallantry at the rick of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an intelligent service with detachment a-102, 1st special forces during combat operations against an armed enemy at republic of vietnam from march 9th to 12th, 1966. when the camp was attacked by a large north vietnamese and viet cong force, sergeant adkins rushed through intense enemy fire, continually adjusting fire for camp while they received several direct hits. upon learning several soldiers were wounded near the center of kampction he temporarily turned the mortar over to another soldier, ran through exploding mortar rounds and drug several comrades to safety. as the hostile fire subsided, sergeant first class adkins exposed himself to sporadic

sniper fire while carrying wounded comrades to camp dispensary. when he and his group of defensers came under small arms fire from civilian irregular defense group that defected to fight with north vietnamese, he evacuated a seriously wounded american and draw fire, all the while successfully covering the rescue. when a resupply air drop landed outside of the camp perimeter, sergeant first class adkins again moved outside of the camp walls to retrieve the much needed supplies. during the early morning hours of march 10, 1966, enemy forces launched their main attack and within two hours, sergeant first class adkins was the only man firing a mortar weapon. when all mortar rounds were expended, sergeant first class adkins began placing effective recoilless fire upon enemy positions. despite receiving additional wounds from enemy rounds exploding on his position, sergeant first class adkins fought off intense waves of

attacking viet cong. sergeant first class adkins eliminated insurgents with small arms fire. running extremely low on ammunition, he returned to the mortar pit, gathered vital ammunition, and ran through intense fire back to the bunker. after being ordered to evacuate the camp, sergeant first class adkins and a small group of soldiers destroyed all signal equipment and classified documents, dug their way out of the rear of the bunker and fought their way out of the camp. while carrying a wounded soldier to the extraction points, he learned that the last helicopter had already departed. sergeant first class adkins led the group while evading the enemy until they were rescued by helicopter on march 12, 1966. during the 38-hour battle and 48 hours of escape and evasion, fighting with mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles, small arms and hand grenades it was

estimated sergeant adkins killed between 135 and 175 of the enemy while sustaining 18 different wounds to his body. sergeant first class adkins' extraordinary heroism and cal above duty in keeping with the highest military and reflect great credit upon himself, detachment a-102, 5th sources group, 1st special forces and the united states army. [ applause ]

[ applause ] over the decades our vietnam veterans didn't always receive the thanks and respect they deserved. that's a fact. but as we have been reminded again today, our vietnam vets were patriots and are patriots up. serve with valor.

you made us proud. and your service is with us for eternity. so, no matter how long it takes, no matter how many years go by, we will continue to express your gratitude for your extraordinary service. may god watch over don sloat and all those who have sacrificed for our country. may god keep safe those who wear our country's uniform and veterans like bennie adkins. may god continue to bless the united states of america. at this point i'd ask our chaplain to return to the stage for the benediction. >> you've been watching president obama present the nation's highest military honor to two vietnam veterans. army command sergeant major bennie adkins and specialist donald sloat. adkins is the 79th living recipient receiving the medal of

honor. donald sloat's brother received it on his behalf. colonel jack, you know, the term conspicuous gal antry is usinged in awarding of the medal of honor. i love the word because it's an old ward and indicates the condition of being fearless, courageous and unafraid. now, we can imagine a 20-year-old, which donald p. sloat was, had some fear, clearly in battle. but how important is it to you as a vietnam-era veteran to hear the stories and the stories of gallantry awarded to, as the president pointed out, the country didn't appreciate the people who served like yourself. >> it's important we recognize the people of service, not just that war but all wars in which countless men and women have fought so we can enjoy freedom and other nations can enjoy

freedom because of the service and sacrifice of our people. i never get tired of hearing that word, especially when it's applied to people like sergeant major adkins. he was in vietnam years before anybody else was. he was on his second tour. 1 2 1/2 years before i got there. i got there relatively early. he was an airborne soldier many years before that. there was something that wasn't brought out and that you didn't hear in the citation. there were about 400 people on his post in his little encampment. there were about 8,000 enemy who were attacking him. in my action, i was in battle, a very difficult battle, for three hours. he was at it for two days, three days. it's very difficult to describe how much of an effort it took to do what he did and the fact that

he managed to prevail and shield everybody from almost certain death is really something to behold. >> let's talk a little about bennie adkins, who the president joked about him being the one man to spill his dessert in the white house. i think he's earned the right to spill a little dessert in the oval office if he wants to. you interviewed -- you interviewed sergeant major adkins. and it was extraordinary that as you often do when i talk with you, colonel jack, he really turned the honor outward and talked a lot about the other men. as you said, the many, many men who were there long before the vietnam war was even on our nightly news. i want to play a sound clip of you talking with sergeant major be bennie adkins and he turning that honor to the other men he served with. take a listen. >> the other 16 americans made

this possible and i want to really dedicate it to the five that paid the ultimate price. five special forces soldiers that gave it all. >> colonel jack, the president pointing out every member of the unit he served with were either killed or wounded. have we begun to heal the wounds of vietnam. normally you're supposed to award the medal of honor within a few years, but going back, doing the research, finding these stories, how important is it? >> it's very important. until we get all the stories of all the people who were valorous and served, i don't think we can heal the wounds. over time, i think it's becoming increasingly difficult as the valor of these people fades into the recesses of our memory. it's interesting in talking to sergeant major adkins, it was almost impossible to get him to

talk about himself at all. you just saw a very short part of the interview. it went on for quite a bit of time. i literally had to extract his story from him in little bits and pieces with a hammer and a tong and he was still very reluctant to talk about it. i've spoken to a lot of people who served in combat. doesn't matter if they received an award or didn't, what award they received. all of them will talk about the people they served with. they won't be taking about themselves. >> conspicuous gallantry tends to be paired with inconspicuous ego. i want to play part of your interview with donald p. sloat's brother. as the president point out, his mom thought he would be honored with bravery. unfortunately, didn't live to be at the ceremony. you talk to his brother. let's play part of that. >> it was so important to my

mother and for her memory, i'm so thankful it has come about for my brother, it's a tremendous honor. i'm so pleased he's finally being recognized for what occurred. >> and colonel jack, how could it be that for so many years people presumed army specialist donald sloat had died at the hands of a grenade or a grenade on the ground, not a grenade he actually shielded with his own body? >> when things are reported, don't forget there's a big bureaucracy in the way. there were lots of people who were killed in the war. more than 58,000. we had a tendency and organizations generally have a tendency to report what happened and then move on. his mother, don sloat's mother, she knew in the bones that the story she got was wrong. who knows how she knew but she knew. and she then spent decades unearthing the truth. talking to survivors and getting to the hill. and the truth finally came out.

it was too bad she didn't liv long enough to see this moment. as you pointed out, she selected a dress for this occasion and she died three years ago. large organizations don't do things like this in a very good way, in a very easy way. it took somebody to root around, talk to people and finally report what actually happened. it's a good thing she did. >> very much a good thing. colonel jack jacobs, to whom the term gallant also applies, thank you for being here. still ahead on "the reid report," secretary kerry joins with world leaders in paris to build a global group and comes as isis executes a third werner in less than a month.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ great rates for great rides. geico motorcycle, see how much you could save. welcome back to "the reid report" as we turn our focus on

u.s. efforts to rally allies to fight isis. this comes as comes as he and d from more than two dozen countries attended an international conference in paris today. their goal is to formulate a workable strategy to beat back the isis threat in iraq and syria. on sunday secretary kerry said that almost 40 nations have signaled they would help the u.s. however, few countries, particularly those in the middle east, have publicly stated what ilitary support they were prepared to provide. the meeting comes as the latest propaganda video showing david haines in the familiar sequence of bound hostage, forced recitation of a speech, threats and warnings to western governments and images of the aftermath of haines' beheading. >> they claim to do this in the name of islam.

islam is a religion of peace. they are not muslims. they are monsters. >> nbc's jim massjoins us from london. you heard david cameron calling isis monsters, saying they are non-islamic. >> that's right, joy. not only is there increasing pressure but we're seeing a palpable shift. there's no question the british government and public at large have been war-weary. they've been skeptical about entering yet another coalition to fight yet again in iraq, but i do believe public opinion, certainly the cameron government, has been galvanized. first by that video. the gruesome execution of david

haines, 44-year-old british man, faur father of two, doing humanitarian work for muslims. he was scouting refugee camps in syria when he was captured last year. now the threat of another british hajj. this time alan henning, a taxi driver from britain. his fellow friends, muslims some of them, back here in the uk, talked to him repeatedly about the nightmare that civilians are going through, syrian civilians, there in syria, of course. he decided to volunteer and join an aid convoy to distribute food in syria. he was picked up almost immediately by isis. now, henning himself is living his own nightmare. he's got no military background. he's apparently a very likeable, mister every man. that has resonated here. the threat to his life has

shaken the public and government to the core. there's even more pressure because the apparent killer of these men seems to be british. the man they call jihade jihadi john in the press. some sources cited in the british media say based on satellite surveillance and on sensors that can track the movement on the ground of these people, they've honed in on jihadi john, but releasing that information now or raiding homes of his family and friends, they say, could jeopardize any hostage rescue. back to you. >> thanks very much. let's turn now to domestic politics, specifically the democrats. 2016 and a certain iowa steak fry. joe biden heads to iowa after a trip last week to new hampshire. with a tough act to follow. on sunday hillary and bill clinton attended outgoing senator tom harkin's 37th and final steak fry democratic

fund-raisers. clintons both gave speeches. however, the secretary of state was mum on the topic of everyone's minds. will she finally just say she's running for president? >> hello, iowa! i'm back! it is true. i am thinking about it. but -- but for today, that is not why i'm here. i'm here for the steak. >> nbc political reporter perry bacon joins me live from des moines. was there any sense among the voters, the iowans, they're politically astute there in iowa, will endless dance, will she/won't she, is starting to

wear thin even among those who support hillary clinton? >> reporter: i talked to a couple of people who said that to me. they were tired of playing coy. they want to know, is she in or is she out? if she's out, they can start looking for new candidates. that's a small minority. most feel it's early in the process still, not even 2015 yet. they're finally letting her play this dance, in part because they all assume no one comes to iowa and says, i'm thinking about running and then in february says, i'm not running. it's pretty much clear she is running and this is almost like her first event as a candidate in iowa. >> okay. i would have said let's talk about the other elephants in the room. let's talk about the affordable care act. hillary tried to do a similar idea with hillary care. didn't work out. now you have the affordable care act, which these theoretically would grow. tom harkin says, he wants everyone to know hillary's fingerprints are all over that

legislati legislation. is hillary trying to already own obama care, making it obama/hillary care? >> reporter: you'll never own obamacare if you're not barack obama. she made a point of saying in her speech how great of a president -- how great obama has been. i think what you're seeing from her, we covered it a lot last month when she criticized obama's foreign policy but she apologized for that. here in iowa it was clear she knows obama was very popular. did very well here. and she's going to try to be as close to him as possible among democratic voters. the one way she could draw a real challenge, i would argue, seems too conservative, like she doesn't like obama's policies and i think she's doing the opposite and emphasizing she does agree with him. >> iowa democrats are as liberal as iowa republicans are very, very conservative. let's talk about the other donkey in the room, immigration. the decision not to do an executive order. i want to play a little clip of hillary clinton being confronted by dream act supporters. take a look.

>> i'm an iowa dreamer. i was wonder what you feel about obama's delay on immigration? >> well, i think we want to keep working. can't ever stop working. >> do you support obama delaying -- >> the president has broken his promise. we want to know whether you stand by the president's delay on immigration? >> i think we have to elect more democrats. >> perry, you talked about hillary clinton trying to stick as close to the president as possible. could she afford to theoretically get ahead of president obama on the issue of immigration? >> reporter: if she's running for the democratic nomination, i'm sure if she said, i -- you know, she could probably say, if i were president, well, you probably couldn't say that. she can be more to the left of obama on immigration, but she can't criticize him in this context right now for not doing enough. because the core of her answer is correct. and obama will tell you this, too, is the block of immigration

reform is not an executive order because republicans in congress don't support immigration reform. i think the core of her answer is right. could she be more further out on this issue? i would say yes. i know martin o'malley, for instance, has been more to the left on immigration. so, there's room to do that. i suspect whatever obama announces in december when the real policy comes out after the election, hillary clinton will be a full-fledged supporter of that. >> nbc's perry bacon. i expect a souvenir from des moines when you come back. thanks a lot, man. >> reporter: all right. coming up, nfl commissioner roernlg goodell rolls out a new policy on how the league will deal with domestic abuse. but is it too little, too late? the vikings make a decision on adrian peterson's fate. check out all these airline seats. lots of them, right? but when you try to get one by using your travel rewards card miles... those seats mysteriously vanish. why? all the flights you want are blacked out. or they hit you up for some outrageous number of miles. switch to the venture card from capital one.

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commissioner roger goodell, anna isaacson, will take on the newly expanded role of vp of social responsibility. goodell has also drafted a trio of experts to oversee the league, training and support programs. the news comes after several days of fast moving developments including news that former ravens running back ray rice, who over the weekend made his first public appearance since the release of the now infamous elevator video is expected to appeal his indefinite suspension from the nfl today. it's unclear whether panthers defensive end greg hardy will play next week after being benched last sunday. he appealed his conviction and now awaiting a jury trial. on the west coast, california lieutenant governor garch newsom is calling for the san francisco 49ers to forego due process and bench mcdonald while investigation into domestic

abuse allegations continues. roger goodell missed out on the banner over the newly constructed levi stadium. they plan to fly the banner again tonight for the colts/eagles match-up in indianapolis. due process is also the reason adrian peterson, indicted and released on felony abuse charges will be on the field practicing this week. the team says peterson is expected to play this sunday in new orleans. we expect more details coming up in a vikings news conference at 3 p.m. eastern. on game day, this ongoing controversy got scathing commentary from the sports world. >> you can't beat a kid to make them do what they want to do. >> that's correct. thank you. >> thousands of things we have learned pins then. now we're to the point, the only thing i'm proud about is the team that i played for.

they did the right thing. take them off the field. >> are we supposed to simply separate a violent game on the field from violent acts off the field? what exactly does the nfl stand for? >> so, the question is, with mounting accusations and calls for resignation, is goodell's hail mary today enough to change the game? joining me now to discuss are the sports brothers, ed sullivan and jeff fox on wmaq radio, old friends of mine. thanks for being here. can the nfl fix its pr problem by creating a position that is in charge of social responsibility and putting a woman in that position? >> i think it's a first step, joy. you know, i thought about this and i read this report earlier today, you know, the nfl, they're just a bunch of people that want to play football. they just want to worry about football and that's it. social issues, domestic issues, i know they wish they had nothing to do with it, but it's

a first step, just like years ago when they got a committee to look into concussions, health of players after they left the league, this is the right step. putting a woman in charge, another good pr move from the nfl. >> feels like a lot of pr is being done. they're trying to put forward what few women we have saying, we're going to be socially responsible. you can't reraise grownups, reraise grown men who have been acultureated his entire lives. adrian peterson says i'm sorry about the hurt i have brought to my child, but this issue of spanking goes way back. many people are on both sides of the issue. obviously, according to the law, he went too far. but can something like a social responsibility czar change that, the culture of people's individual ways of running their families? >> it's difficult. a lot of us have expressed that growing up as children. you spare the rod, you spoil the child. a lot of people still believe in

that. i still believe in it. i just believe adrian peterson may have went too far with it. that child was four years old. no reason to go that far and leave marks, open wounds or welts on a childlike that. but certainly, i think, that it is each parent's right to control the way they raise their child or they discipline their children. and i think that should stay that way. >> it does feel right now for roger goodell, he's trying to plug holes in a dike. every time he turns around, there's another case of another person with allegations of domestic abuse and they're trying to sort of run around and handle these all at once. is this situation spiraling out of control? >>. >> when i look at the nfl, we're looking at a couple thousand players that are set to have a job to do every sunday. they are the only people in the world that do that job. i don't like the notion or the fact we kind of look at those players and kind of make it above society. you know what i mean? kind of make it like the rule -- the nfl player, the guy that got

into trouble, that did this or that. and then make it as if the whole league has a problem. there are some issues. the nfl is working towards fixing those issues. and i think they should. we should also remember that the nfl is basically a microcosm of our society. there are people in the league that get in trouble that have had bad pass. also good people in the league as well. >> you know, jeff, there's also -- there's an obvious issue we're talking about at this point for african-american men in the spotlight. there does seem to be damage control mode of trying to make sure any allegation, any instance of domestic abuse is taken care of. at what point does the nfl have more on its hands than it can handle, if it's trying to conduct social services. is this just a systematic problem the nfl can't play its star players if they have a hint of this kind of abuse in their backgrounds? >> you're absolutely right. this is something that should have happened a long time ago. this recent rash of arrests and mug shots and even owners behaving badly is bad for the

nfl. this is big business here. it's all about making money and big business. the reason roger goodell of the nfl don't want to suspend their players, it's a money issue. the nfl wants that box office appeal. as a matter of fact, football is king in america. we all love it. the fact is, this has been an ongoing problem for years and years and years. this is bigger than ray rice. this is bigger than ray mcdonald. this is bigger than adrian peterson. as ed said, taking that -- establishing that social position, you know, with the lady in charge is a terrific first step, but the nfl has bigger issues. you've got players that are passing away, players committing suici suicide. it is such a huge problem right now, but the least -- at least the best these players can do right now is try to avoid being arrested. try to avoid these situations. and i commend roger goodell. he has a handful of issues on him right now. >> i mean, do you commend him, ed, or do you wonder if a guy who is making more than any of these players, $40 million a

year, he's got a huge contract, he seems to be weathering the storm at this point. ought what point is this a leadership issue? you said it's a mike he row kochl of the country but it's overrepresented right now for people with charges of domestic abuse, unless i'm reading society wrong. at what point does this have to go up to goodell? the second question is, can a person whose job is a social responsibility czar hope to rein in a problem when the guy at the top isn't really facing consequences him himself? >> for example, the ray rice situation, if he knew or saw the individual yoeshgs as he claims he didn't see the video, we knew when that two-game punishment came down, that was crazy. you get guys suspended in the league more games for drugs or smoking weed. when you see that, when that video comes out, he had to know about the video. obviously, we saw the after-effect. if he is being that complacent -- i don't even know what the word is to describe how he backs off that and decides

two games is enough and you'll get -- you'll miss some money, yes, he needs to be removed from his position. the social czar as you spoke about that, how does a social czar change something they have going through their whole life. adrian peterson said he was only disciplining his child as he was disciplined. how can you change that? if you had to sit with each and every football player at that rookie symposium, if you want to beat your child, don't use a child? i have people on social media asking what a switch was. >> yeah. >> it's a difficult position. >> you are on the radio, listen, the fans don't seem to be responding to this with the same kind of urgency we in the media and those of us around domestic violence and those who are passionate about this, but are the fans responding the same way? you're on the radio every day. what are fans saying? >> well, they're saying a whole lot. we had a show on when the whole

ray rice situation happened. it exploded on radio. we had police officers calling, people on both sides of the fence calling some, condemning ray rice. even some, believe it or not, condemning his fiancee who they thought may have escalated the situation. domestic violence is bad on both sides, whether it's the male or the female. that's the bottom line. as ed said, that's something that is society's problem and now appears to be the nfl's problem. something i want to point out, joy, is football is such a violent sport. these guys have to get emotionally charged and engaged and raged. almost like a gladiator sport. the problem a lot of these guys are having, they have to key dee compress had they get out of the arena. i think roger goodell would do well, as well as maurice smith, head of the players association, to get together and try to come up with some sort of concept or some sort of solution to this very serious problem.

>> you can't reraise the players up. also can't reraise the fans. you saw some female fans wearing the ray rice jersey. it's a disconnect, where fans think, they just want to watch him play football. they don't care what he's doing at home. >> i watched that when the ravens took on the steelers. it was kind of uncomfortable, i would say, to see female fans out there supporting it. then again, they're like a lot of people who have called into the show. ray, he made a mistake. hopefully that was a one-time occurrence. it shouldn't have happened in the first place. if it was a one-time occurrence, get the help you need. his wife, get the help you need. if you want to stay, stay. if not, get out of the relationship. it was very interesting to see how fans have reacted to it in baltimore. >> thank you both for being here. >> thank you. next, we read between the lines on one of the least discussed realities of domestic abuse.

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the ray rice case has turned the often hidden issue of domestic violence into an ongoing national discussion. scandal star, kerry washington, a long time gladiator in the fight against domestic abuse is also speaking out. i sat down with her earlier today. >> i worked on issues for a long time against violence against women. it's an issue close to my heart. i never thought explicitly about the role of financial abuse in domestic violence. to learn financial abuse is privilege lent in over 98% of cases of domestic violence was shocking to me but it makes so much sense to realize that, you know, economics, finances are used as a weapon to keep women trapped in these situations. >> and tomorrow don't miss my full interview with kerry washington right here at 2 p.m. on "the reid report."

that wraps things up. "the cycle" is up next. i just mangled her husband's name. hopefully you have great stuff coming up next hour that will make everyone forget about that. >> we'll definitely make everyone forget about that. no big deal there, although i'm super jealous you got her on your show. cea she's an awesome person. we'll have a lot about isis. we'll dig into what's going on with adrian peterson and why in the world he's let out onto the field. i'm going to talk about the value of censoring war images and what that does to our relationship to war. >> yeah, very, very important issues. "the cycle" is up next. eenie. meenie. miney. go.

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