and national lets me choose any car in the aisle. control. it's so, what's the word?... sexy. go national. go like a pro. what happened? new details on that failed mission to rescue an american hostage. and how al qaeda might have been tipped off. great divide, a new survey of americans on race and policing as protests grow in parts of the country against recent grand jury decisions. big decisions, the supreme court tackles arguments concerning an issue of discrimination at work. cheap gas in today's number ones, the states where filling up your cars is the highest and lowest. hey there, everyone, it's high noon here in the east, 9:00 a.m. out west. welcome to weekends with alex

witt. new details about the failed mission to rescue american photojournalist luke summers. launched the effort to save summers, but ultimately, they were not able to save him. and on the sunday talk shows, new reassurance that this attempt needed to be made. >> i do think it was the right decision to actually engage and try to go in for the rescue attempt. nobody can do it better than our special forces community. it doesn't always go perfectly. that's always the risk. and then, in this particular case, unfortunately, and it was a tragic loss of the two hostages, you know, it was an unfortunate outcome. >> nbc's kristen welker at the white house with more on what happened in that raid. good day to you, kristen. what more do we know? >> well, alex, good morning, those who knew luke summers are sharing his story today. in a statement, his stepmother describes summers as a talented photographer. meanwhile, add the obama administration begins to assess the failed rescue mission, one official tells me the entire

u.s. government is also grieving. >> friends and colleagues say luke summers was a passionate and dedicated journalist. today, they are mourning the loss of the 33-year-old. >> it was devastating to hear that. he had a great amount of promise. he was just beginning to tap it. >> vice president biden says summers was murdered by his captors, al qaeda in yemen when u.s. special forces tried to rescue him. >> this time, this time they were unable to save look. >> late last month, the u.s. tried to rescue him, but that initial mission failed. then, this video appeared, summers pleading for his life. >> i'm certain my life is in danger. so as i sit here now, i ask, if anything can be done, please let it be done. >> also in the video, summers' captors threaten to execute him as early as yesterday. u.s. officials tell nbc news the president approved the rescue mission knowing that time was short and the u.s. had credible

intelligence on summers' location. in the dark of friday night, dozens of navy s.e.a.l.s landed two miles from their target with armed drones circling in the skies above. the american commandos soon reached an isolated cluster of buildings. as they closed in on the building, the gun battle broke out. in an intense fire fight, the s.e.a.l.s killed six to nine captors. summers and pierre corky were discovered gravely wounded, apparently shot by the captors. the two were airlifted offshore, but both died of their wounds. colleagues are remembering a young man who sacrificed so much. >> luke is by far and away not the person this should've happened to. he was passionate, kind, thoughtful person. >> now, one senior administration official tells me it may have been a dog that tipped off somers' captors to the fact the navy s.e.a.l.s were

approaching. meanwhile, when asked if the white house had second thoughts, the president still feels it was the right decision to try to rescue somers because the intelligence about his location was accurate and it was reliable. in a statement yesterday, president obama said the u.s. would, quote, spare no effort to use all of its military intelligence and diplomatic capabilities to bring americans home safely wherever they are located. alex, back to you. >> thank you very much from the white house. for more on this, i'm joined by bill richardson who previously served as secretary of energy, ambassador to the united nations. and as always, i'm glad to have you here, sir. we're going to do a little monday morning quarterbacking. described the mission to nbc news as high risk. i suppose there's not much that navy s.e.a.l.s do that is high risk. do you agree with the president? or do you on your own think it was worth the risk? >> well, i do think it was worth the risk. i agree with the president. i've been involved in many of these hostage situations.

when you bring in the special forces, it's the last resort. it means diplomacy has failed, third party intervention has failed. means all kinds of other mechanisms to get hostages out has failed. and you're really dealing with terrorists. you're not dealing with an ordinary dictator that maybe you can have prid pro quos. i do support what was done. it was a last resort, you know, at the very least, americans, journalists, military people should know their government is going to go all the way to get them out. but this was a tragedy. it's unfortunate for the family. for the journalist profession. but it was the right thing to do. and this happens when you engage with terrorists in this kind of fashion. it was the right thing to do nonetheless.

>> talk about the complications of finding out that pierre corky was there, as well. was it an intelligence failure we did not know he was there? >> i really don't have that data. it obviously probably there wasn't the best of coordination between south africa and us on whether there was a rescue attempt or negotiation for the other hostage. i don't have those facts. in hindsight, i shouldn't be a monday morning quarterback. but i think in many of these cases, these terrorists don't try to tell their hostages what they're doing with other hostages. they're trying to get the maximum price, the maximum publicity, the maximum leverage. and so it's very difficult to gauge that. it's unfortunate. we don't know if in effect there were going to be release the next day. you never know. you don't know, even if they tell you they're going to do

something, they might not do it. they might do the reverse. they might kill both of them. it's very unpredictable. >> yes, certainly seems to be the case in this situation. that's what they did. governor, let's talk about what happened this past week with secretary of state john kerry who attended the largest meeting -- more than 60 countries involved also international organizations. they all met at the nato headquarters. there were more air strikes this weekend. the isis attacks keep coming. what are the next options if the air campaign does not prove to be substantial with its results any time soon? >> well, you increase the air attacks. you get other allies, the nato allies to do more than what they've done. we've done the majority of the air attacks, that's because we're the best and the most effective. but we need to get more nato air power in there. we need to find a strategy of getting those 60 countries, not just to sign up and say we're

going to help and we're going to send supplies and humanitarian assistance. they have to get engaged more in the fighting. this is a middle east problem. this is not necessarily just an american issue. that has to be the next step. get more than 60 countries. that will help. but i think it's a very good effort. i think the secretary's done a good job in mobilizing the international community. >> iran has always had a presence on the ground there in iraq. but now they have begun conducting these air strikes with fighter jets. these are interesting vintage american jets. should the u.s. welcome this development? and do you think there was any back room coordination between the u.s. and iran? >> well, i'm very leery about iran, and i think the administration is doing the best they can of balancing what our interests are and what iran's interests are. now, i don't trust iran. i don't suspect we're coordinating. we're coordinating through the

roc iraqis. the iranians do the same. but just these nuclear negotiations with iran, i'm very skeptical of them. the iranians have -- talking about hostages, they've got several american hostages, most recently trying a journalist unfairly, an american marine that's there. so i -- i just think that iran has a package of doing no good with us. and i wouldn't trust them as far as i could throw them. but, yes, they have a common enemy with us and isis. they should continue their efforts, but it's very important that we stay away from them. we not coordinate. we look the other way because they are trying to keep assad in power. and we want assad out of power. it's a very delicate, diplomatic and military balance that we have to have. >> as you know, defense secretary hagel flew to afghanistan yesterday and announced an additional 1,000

u.s. troops after this year's year end deadline. the u.s. will continue to conduct the raids and the air strikes there. is the u.s. moving the goal posts on this draw down? >> well, i hope not. now, i don't have the latest intel. i'm not participating the administration deliberations. i suspect there's some probably at the pentagon that want to see more military involved. i think the president should resist this. we should very clearly have these 1,000 there just for training, just for that kind of assistance. they should not be engaged in any kind of military activity themselves. because i think it's a. one of the achievements is getting out of iraq and afghanistan in an honorable and sustainable way. and he should stay that course. >> all right. i want to talk about the, frankly, chilling murder of the

american woman in abu dhabi. do you think americans abroad should be on higher alert overall? >> yes, they should. especially when they go to the middle east. they should immediately stay in touch with consulate. if they're going to hostile places, like in the middle east with some of these movements, these april spring movements. they should be very cautious. they should only if need be go there. it's just a very volatile situation in the world. and american hostages are prized hostages. because everybody thinks that we are ready to deal. and we are. but this is why it doesn't make sense to pay ransoms. i think our policy needs to stay the same. >> all right. governor bill richardson.

ambassador, representative, secretary, you've got a lot of names, thank you so much for your time. a lot of titles we'll say. >> thank you. other news now with protests erupting last night following a new york grand jury's decision not to indict an police officer. but after a mostly peaceful start, demonstrations in berkeley, california, turned violent. authorities say two officers were injured while several businesses were looted and damaged. then in new york, protesters staged dye-ins in grand central terminal and later marched into stores in time square. >> a lot of us people of color feel like there's a pattern and we want to voice our concern about that and let that be known. >> similar protests were held in davidson, north carolina as well as seattle, washington, where about 500 people marched from a high school there to protest the killings of eric garner and michael brown. in this news, typhoon weakened today. the storm sent almost 900,000 people into shelters knocking out power and destroying trees,

but there was no major damage, remarkably reported. six prisoners from the u.s. military prison at guantanamo bay have been transported to uruguay. this is the first time they've been sent to south america. the release of the four syrians is the largest group to leave since 2009. more transfers are expected for the end of the year. and for the first time we're hearing from paul ryan, the ex-husband of the teacher stabbed to death. she was killed in the restroom of a high-end shopping mall in abu dhabi. he has a theory about why she was singled out. >> your ex-wife was targeted no reason whatsoever other than she was an american. >> other than she was a westerner, i would say. this lady, i shouldn't even call her a lady. this monster of a person was lying in wait for her. someone like her to come along for an hour in the bathroom.

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we have a whole series of things to do to change the dynamics in our city. this is true all over the country. we have to retrain police forces and how to work with communities differently. we have to work on things like body cameras that will provide a different level of transparency and accountability. this is something systemic. and we bluntly have to talk about the historic racial dynamics. >> and that was bill de blasio today on abc's "this week." talking about the conversations that need to happen following a

grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the death of eric garner. poll numbers suggesting african-americans have lost confidence in the legal system. after the two grand jury decisions not to indict the white police officers in the deaths of african-american men. the latest nbc news poll shows 70% of african-americans now say their confidence has decreased while 35% of whites say their confidence has gone down. the poll also asked about people's confidence that police won't use excessive force. now 33% of african-americans said they were confident while 78% of whites said they were confident. joining me now, democratic congressman from new york, gregory meeks, always a pleasure to have you, sir. thank you very much. tell me how you see the police. >> well, you know, i think that the poll numbers reflect me and the community, which i live in. the police, number one, 95, 96, 97% of them are good. 3% do -- are overaggressive, et

cetera. and you don't see anyone doing anything about them. and the historical context of how the african-american community is different. and i think that's what mayor de blasio was talking about when he says we have to have new training on how to police in minority communities. it has to be a different way. >> but can you see why there is such a gap? why it comes down with a racial divide between african-american perceptions and white american perceptions? >> well, when you look at the numbers of african-american men, for example, who stopped and frisked, for example. who are driving while black. i have a young nephew who i was talking to last night, and he was telling me how many times he stopped by the police for no reason at all. >> where is he? >> he's in new york and new jersey, now he's in new york, but he was in jersey. so it's not just a new york thing. it happened to him both places, just driving. and i've got to tell you that, you know, i had a whole host of other young men i was talking to. and you listen to what their reality is, being stopped on the

street, questioned all the time. and then you have a scenario like what took place in staten island and it really shows what the difference is and how the, you know, especially african-american men, the african-american community. it is policed in a different way. there's less patience, less tolerance. and seems as though the police are afraid. in fact, i had an individual who works in the capital in washington, d.c. and he was telling me that his 14-year-old son came up to him and said, dad, i'm afraid of the police and the police is afraid of me. and that leaves us in a bad place. this is a 14-year-old talking to his father. and the father was asking me, what do i say to my kid? and this is everyday conversation in an african-american household particularly where one has an african-american son. >> yeah. look at all of the protests across the country, sir, and we had the president who spoke exclusively with b.e.t. about how this is going to take a long

time this process for it to be healed. let's listen to him right now. >> typically progress was in steps. it's in increments. you know, when you're dealing with something as deeply rooted as racism or bias in any society, you've got to have vigilance, but you have to recognize it's going to take some time and you just have to be steady. >> so the president there is talking with demonstrators. but he makes the point about actionable change that it's going to take time. how much time? and do you see these changes forthcoming? >> well, look, we've come a long way, but we've got a long way to go. and what these two cases highlight, the one in ferguson, the one in staten island is a failure in the justice system. and i think that's another reason you see the numbers they were reflected upon in the latest polls. you have two individuals, one was on camera, and there's not

even an indictment? so anyone that looks at the video says what the heck is going on here? and why wasn't this person at the very minimum indicted? and then that causes a real distrust of now not only the police department but even the criminal justice system. and that's what has to change. and does it take some time? yeah, it takes time. but there's been a long time already. and i think there's a historic relationship. you know, i tell a lot of folks i think about in the '60s and my colleague john lewis where they were beating and hitting african-americans and no one was arrested. and it took the federal government to come in. and looks like it did today. >> the president addressed that, as well. so much discussion about putting body cams on police officers. that was part of this poll. when asked about that, whether police should wear body cams, 81% of african-americans said

yes, 74% of whites said, yes. but eric garner's case was caught on camera. what does that do to the argument? >> it says two things. number one, there's no one one solution. it's got to be a comprehensive solution. it's got to be body cameras, it's got to be retraining of the police officers. it's got to be transparency even in the grand jury system. so i'm hoping that the attorney general eric holder when he d s does -- completes his investigation, he's also looking at what took place. i'm very interested. what took place in that grand jury room. i'm a former prosecutor. all you need is probable cause. i think that i know based upon the tape, based upon the fact that the police department of new york said the choke hold should not be able to be utilized. that there should have been and could have been an indictment. did this district attorney, did he ask for an indictment? how did he question the witnesses? did he allow the grand jury to ask certain questions? there are a lot of questions here, and i hope that at least

the a.g. gets to those answers. because i would love to know what took place in that grand jury room. >> yeah. okay. representative gregory meeks, thank you. safe travels. >> good being with you, alex. the places to find the cheapest gas in america. that's in today's number ones. this guy first roamed the earth over 65 million years ago. like our van. yeah. we need to sell it. hi. need an appraisal? yeah. we do. vo: when selling your car, start with a written offer, no strings attached. carmax. start here.

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but aleve can last 12 hours... and aleve is proven to work better on pain than tylenol arthritis. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? aleve, proven better on pain. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." the mission to rescue luke somers was carried out by navy s.e.a.l.s. unfortunately, that mission failed to save the american. somers and pierre corky were shot and killed by al qaeda militants. let's bring in john maguire. welcome back to the broadcast. and i want to ask you about the perception of this time line of the mission we've gotten from nbc pentagon correspondent. let's listen to that. >> in the dark of night, dozens of navy s.e.a.l.s landed two miles from their target in central yemen. with u.s. fighter bombers and armed drones circling in the skies above, the american

commandos reached an isolated cluster of buildings. as they closed in on the building where somers was held, the gun battle broke out. in an intense fire fight, the s.e.a.l.s killed six to nine al qaeda captors. somers and a south african hostage were discovered gravery wounded, apparently shot by their captors. the two were airlifted out of the area to a u.s. navy ship offshore. but both died of their wounds. >> so as you listen to the accounting, where do you think things went wrong? >> first of all, alex, it's good to see you again. and my heart goes out to luke somers and pierre corky. it's just, i'm sure their families are really feeling it right now. >> right. >> where do things go wrong? i think in an interview with you before, we talked about operational security and that the american people don't need to know the details of how we do things and what we do because we lose the element of surprise. and i heard in one account that

the -- they were on edge the terrorists were on edge that we might come in and do a rescue attempt. and i think because they know that we're doing these sorts of things, they would be on edge and be more prepared. >> well, yeah, and you make a good point. how unusual is it that we have one attempt, which was failed, and that was about a week or so prior to this one, and then you have one so quickly on the heels of that. granted, mr. somers' life was in danger. they had very good reason to suspect he was going to be executed. they really didn't have a choice, right? >> right. right. i agree with that. and i don't always agree with this administration, i'll have toif gem this credit, i think they made the right call. they saw evidence his life was in danger, they made the decision to try to rescue him. >> yeah. >> go ahead. >> i wanted to ask you. we heard the choppers that carried the navy s.e.a.l.s landed a couple of miles away. in a place where they were being held, they would have heard the

choppers coming in potentially. you have to land some ways away. but i'm thinking in the dead of night crossing rugged terrain, that in itself poses problems, doesn't it? >> well, you know, our guys, our men and women who serve and protect our freedoms, they take this job very, very seriously, and we prepare for all environments, all over the earth. and that's what we do. so certainly a challenge. but that's what we do. >> what about the training and the mentality that gives you the ability to undertake missions like this. you're sending 24 men and/or women, a team on a high-risk mission to rescue a sole u.s. civilian in the dark, not knowing what you're going to get when you go around any corner or any wall in the middle of the night. >> you know, we -- if we're not learning, we're not living, we're constantly training or doing the job. i think one thing that hasn't been said is, you know, it's a tragedy that we lost these two individuals. but there's, i think your report

said 6 to 9 terrorists no longer walking the earth and providing terror. so in that way, it's a success. and i think if i were had a choice of having my head chopped off or die during a rescue attempt, i think i'd rather die during a rescue attempt. >> hey, john, the likelihood of success, are you ever given a percentage? do you think in those terms going in? >> you know, it's, you have to go in there with the intent to win. you know, for our men and women who protect our freedoms whether we win or lose often means whether or not we live or die. and, you know, this one didn't go our way, but i think it sends a strong message to the american people, and that is, you know, it may take us some time, but we're going to give our best effort to bring you home. >> is there a minimum standard of intelligence that you're given before getting a green light to undertake a mission like this? >> you know, those are things we can't talk about because, again, it's almost like giving the enemy your playbook. but i'll tell you the men and women who do these missions, some of them never, you know,

leave the united states. it's a big team work thing to get these missions done. and i know these guys and gals, they take these things very seriously. >> how about in this case the mission does not end well. how much does that affect the mentality of the navy s.e.a.l.s and everyone who planned so fast and furiously to get this together? >> well, the navy s.e.a.l.s, we love our country, and we love the american people. and some -- we realize that some things are more important than fear. and so we go in harm's way to do the things we can do to protect the american way of life. certainly it affects them. but, you know, move on to the next mission. >> okay. retired navy s.e.a.l. john maguire, i want to thank you very much. you're one of the best guys i know who is able to give an interview. we'll see you again. >> hey. one thing. today's pearl harbor -- >> sure is. >> we should never forget.

and it's another great opportunity to remember the men and women who ensure we have the freedom of speech and everything else we have in this great country. >> right. okay. john, thank you so much. a good reminder and our thoughts are with those who are gathering in honolulu, later, as well. thanks, john. >> thank you. well, as protests continue, we're giving you a live look at chicago right now. this is a group of people gathering, demonstrators as has been the case all across the country. they're gathering now and asking the justice department to investigate the death of eric garner, which is certainly on the agenda. president obama's established a task force on the 21st century policing. the task force co-chair discuss their mission. >> it's very troubling that people do not believe there's fairness in a way in which we police, and the way in which cases are reviewed by prosecutors on and on and on. and we've got to change that dynamic. and we've got to take a look at our training. and more importantly, the education that we provide to

officers so they better understand a role of police in a democratic society. >> joining me now, attorney general peter harvey who has served as a federal prosecutor. peter, with a welcome to you. glad to have you back to the broadcast. >> thank you. >> during your tenure as new jersey attorney general, you supervised the state's policies, reforms to stop racial profiling. talk about the difficulties of that and how that worked out. >> well, there are a number of components. one of which starts with recruiting. you have to be sure that you're recruiting people to the police force who actually care about policing, particularly community policing. you have to try as best as you can. and there are ways to do it. to weed out people who don't have a respect for the public that they intend to police. because the public really needs the service. and the question is, how do you get good people who focus on customer service. the next layer, of course, is training. the next layer is education. and it has to be consistent, it has to be institutionalized.

>> the government has opened the investigation into civil rights charges. do you think something will come of that, something concrete in eric garner's case? >> well, i think they will study it very carefully. the civil rights, the federal civil rights statute is a criminal statute. and it allows you to prosecute someone for deprivation of civil rights under color of law, meaning under state law using state authority. but there's a race component to it that you have to be able to prove. now, remember, there are two phases to a criminal process. one is the grand jury phase. the second is the trial. grand jury phase, you're trying to demonstrate two things and two things only. probable cause that a crime was committed and probable cause that a particular person committed the crime. you leave for trial whatever defense that defendant wants to put into the case. but what you don't do in the grand jury, at least in federal practice, you don't try the case in the grand jury. >> so what do you have to put in there to get a guilty verdict?

what has to be proven. >> you generally put in for grand jury purposes as little information as you can to meet the probable cause standard. a very low standard. so you want to show the grand jurors, number one, there is a probability that a crime was committed. bank robbery, narcotics, whatever it is. in this case, death, acting under the collar of the state law. what you generally do not put in a federal grand jury are the defendant's defenses. you just don't do it. >> how hard is it for prosecutors to remain independently minded, unbiased when dealing with a police officer as a defendant? >> our office runs much like the department of justice. we supervised the county prosecutor's unlike other a.g. offices in some states.

we set up a shoot team. namely a specialized group of detectives whose task was to go in and investigate a shooting. in the situation of engaging in a shoot or state troopers engaging in a shoot, there were separate detectives. part of a shoot team that went in independently investigated that shooting. and then we had a separate group of lawyers put that case, study it, evaluate it, put it in the grand jury if grand jury action was needed. >> okay. well, i'm glad to draw on your expertise. thank you very much. good to see you. >> good to see you. when do facebook rants qualify as threats? we' and hugh hefner speaks out about the sexual assault allegations against bill cosby. are all the green lights you? no. it's called grid iq. the 4:51 is leaving at 4:51. ♪

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in his victory speech last night, cassidy called it a win for conservative principles while landrieu said she was proud of her accomplishments in congress. >> now, you in this room our state is the exclamation mark on that message. we echo that. that we want our country to go in a conservative direction. >> we honor and accept the decision tonight, but i cannot tell you all, and my family, how proud we are to have made a big difference every day for many decades, and we will continue to do so. >> joining me now, washington post white house reporter and national correspondent lauren fox. good to see you both. >> hey, alex. >> lauren, i'll start with you here. with this win, the republicans now have a 54-seat majority in the senate. how does this change the dynamic on capitol hill? >> well, certainly republicans will be able to control the senate, move forward with legislation that matters to them. they'll still need democrats to move forward with major pieces

of legislation, of course. you're going to need 60 votes in the senate. i think that, you know, republicans are very comfortable here. they have the majority in the house of representatives, as well. and they're going to be able to, you know, make the senate look very different than what it's looked like for the last several years. >> well, yeah, after landrieu's loss, there's no democratic senator from the deep south, and that's a remarkable difference from a half century ago in 1964. what does this say about the democratic party and their appeal to southern voters? how do they reverse this? >> it's going to be a difficult road, i think. obviously the way this is being cast is another repudiation about president obama, his difficult approval ratings. when you look forward to 2016, i think the map looks better for democrats and maybe a different kind of electorate comes to the polls. maybe a chance to make inroads there. going forward over the next two years, it'll be difficult for president obama to get any kind

of traction on his agenda, except in those areas where conservatives probably have a leading say, you know, areas of trade, tax reform, areas where they're going to have a lot to say on this and maybe be able to drive the conversation because they will be able to pass maybe some bills out of both chambers and make him react to what the republican agenda might be. >> yeah. okay, guys. we're going to switch now to the potential government shutdown that is looming at the end of this week. the president addressed it yesterday in his weekly address. let's take a listen to that. >> first, we need the outgoing congress to pass a budget and keep our government open. a christmas shutdown is not a good idea. then, when the new congress convenes in january, we need to work together to invest in things that support faster growth and higher paying jobs. >> i think that a shutdown is a pretty rare situation. i don't think that's necessarily what we're going to see at the end of the week here. but what we are going to see is house speaker john boehner is going to have to decide whether he's going to get more

conservatives in his conference on board with his plan to fund the government or whether he's going to cut them loose because they'd like to do more to stop this funding bill. and whether he's going to rely on more democratic votes. move this through the senate, get it on the president's desk and sign it in time. i think that's the more likely option than him going to conservatives and ultimately maybe seeing a funding showdown at the end of this week. >> yeah. and david, of course. part of this whole shutdown talk centers on the president's immigration action. and here's what rush limbaugh told chris wallace on fox news on sunday. >> the republicans want what obama wants on immigration. and they are using the government shutdown as an excuse to not stop him. because the truth of the matter is, they agree with it. romney agrees with it. >> so what is this strategy behind this? >> well, i'm not sure what he's saying is accurate. but on tuesday, you're going to see president obama talk about what he did on immigration.

i think it's going to get more blowback from republicans. there's a large part of the republican party that is not comfortable with what the president has done. the question is, though, whether the republicans can muster enough unity in the next congress to find a way to pass a bill of their own and put it on the president's desk and say, hey, this is something you've got to reckon with. that seems unlikely because the party itself, the republican party does not seem to be very unified on exactly which way to go. and the biggest question, of course, is what to do with the undocumented immigrants the president is going to move forward with, allowing those who qualify to get the three-year protection from deportations and they're going to start accepting those applications as soon as early spring. and i think the question is, you know, again, how republicans are going to be able to sort of respond. >> and lauren, no matter what happens relative to a shutdown, how does this overall affect the relationship into the new congress? >> well, i think if we see republicans and the house of representatives move forward on

a bill with democratic support and then move into the senate, i think, you know, the relationship is very fractured, but at least it's not more damaged in this funding fight. although, i think that if we see boehner go back and forth with some more conservative conference members, i certainly think that makes it more difficult for the president and republicans to, you know, mend fences moving forward. i think it's going to be really difficult. and the president's executive action on immigration has made it difficult enough already. >> okay. good to see you both, thanks, guys. >> thanks, alex. how one of the best players in the nba let the world know his thoughts on the eric garner case. also, what went wrong and what it means for rape on college campuses. ♪ fifty omaha set hut ♪ losing feeling in my toes ♪ ♪ nothing beats that new car smell ♪ ♪ chicken parm you taste so good ♪

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i'm very proud to do the work that i do and say that i am a lineman for pg&e because it's my hometown. it's a rewarding feeling. we're for an opens you internet for all.sing. we're for creating more innovation and competition. we're for net neutrality protection. now, here's some news you may find even more surprising. we're comcast. the only isp legally bound by full net neutrality rules. the supreme court is now considering two cases that could have major implications for free speech and women's rights. anthony alanis was convicted of threatening his now ex-wife in a series of facebook posts. he claims he was venting,

writing rap lyrics. peggy young was required to take an unpaid leave of absence after a doctor said she could not lift heavy packages. she says that violates the pregnancy discrimination act. joining me now, an attorney who argued before the supreme court. welcome back, amy, it's nice to see you. and the first question here. it's always hard to make predictions this case was particularly hard. why is that? >> usually we think of the roberts court particularly free speech. people whose speech we don't find particularly popular that a lot of people find offensive, violent video games, dog fighting videos, but they were hard to read. there was certainly not a sense that you had an overwhelming amount of support on the supreme court for anthony alanis. you had justice scalia in a

majority of the lot of the decisions grumbling, you know, even if he goes to jail, there's not a whole lot of value to some of this speech. >> yeah. didn't he say at one point, you really have me confused, talking about scalia. >> exactly. and so there, the court was trying to figure out, and justice kagan suggested a middle ground because the government would look at really what if the average person looked at anthony's speech, would they see a serious expression of an intent to do harm. and alonis wants the rule to be as long as he didn't intend to threaten anyone, that's okay and is protected by the first amendment. and so there was some discussion of whether or not there might be a middle ground that would take care of the real threats but not cover too much speech. we had the chief justice actually reciting eminem lyrics and whether or not those could

be subject to prosecution. >> what happened on wednesday were the arguments for young versus u.p.s. let's take a listen to this. >> i wanted to do my regular job, i could have done my regular job. i actually drove a minivan and carried my packages, small letters in the seat next to me in my van. they sent me to the doctor asking me for a note with my restrictions, u.p.s. did. i went to the doctor and turned the note in and basically they said, you know, we don't provide light duty for pregnancy, go home till you're no longer pregnant. >> so why isn't this a clear cut case protected by the pregnancy discrimination act? >> this is -- it's one of these things where it just boils down to how you read the statute. and the lower court said u.p.s.'s policy is pregnancy blind. u.p.s. allows light duty, which is what she was looking for if you meet what it says was three fairly narrow classes of people. but otherwise, we're not

discriminating against pregnant women, we're just not giving them special treatment. it was actually a pretty dry debate at the supreme court about how exactly you read the statute. >> okay. good to talk with you. thank you so much. >> thanks for inviting me. new research that showed happy hour started so much earlier than anyone might have thought. enthusiast. mmm, a perfect 177-degrees. and that's why this road warrior rents from national. i can bypass the counter and go straight to my car. and i don't have to talk to any humans, unless i want to. and i don't. and national lets me choose any car in the aisle. control. it's so, what's the word?... sexy. go national. go like a pro. emma, it's simple, when you are in a place like this, the best way to capture the moment is to feel it, even if you can't see it.

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enforcement. coming to meamerica, the du and duchess head to the states. and drinks to our past, new research on why humans like alcoholic beverages. hello, everyone, welcome to "weekends with alex witt." here's what's happening out there. protests over the ferguson and new jersey grand jury decision show no signs of letting up. protests in chicago this afternoon with demonstrators gathering in the middle of an intersection there. last night, police in berkeley, california, fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse crowds that were blocking traffic. but as you can see, windows of some businesses got broken and two police officers were injured there. demonstrators staged a dye-in, later marched at time square. they also took to the streets and other cities. more demonstrations are expected later on today. president obama in an interview today with b.e.t. urged those seeking equal

justice to continue to make their voices heard. >> we have to be persistent. because typically progress is in steps. it's in increments. you know, when you're dealing with something as deeply rooted as racism or bias in any society. you've got to have vigilance, but you have to recognize it's going to take some time and you just have to be steady. >> and nbc's kristen welker at the white house for us. so, kristen, we are seeing these new poll results today about americans' confidence in the legal system in the wake of the recent grand jury decisions. this nbc news marist poll found african-americans' confidence has dropped 70%, 30% of americans have also lost confidence in the legal system. how much concern is there in the white house about this loss of confidence? >> alex, there is deep concern here. i've been speaking with senior officials, and i said to them, does president obama need to do

more. help restore americans' faith in police departments across the country. the answer is, look, he did take steps this week. you will recall he is calling for $75 million which would go to body cameras for 50,000 police officials all across the country. he's also creating a task force. hep wants the results of that task force within 90 days, it's been headed by philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey. and the members of that task force are coming together. so officials here telling me the president really wants to wait for the results of that task force, he wants to get this effort to get more body cameras for police in motion before taking any further steps. but still, alex, they are quite concerned by what they're seeing. as you know, they have been calling for peaceful protests across the country. they say they are heartened by the fact that the protests so far have been peaceful. and they say that leaders like mayor bill de blasio have done a fantastic job of reaching out to their community and calming

everyone in this moment of really heightened frustration all across the country. senior administration officials say they have been in contact with civil rights leaders as well as state and local officials throughout the weekend. that is going to continue. everyone wondering if president obama's going to visit one of these communities. they certainly do not rule that out. but i can tell you, the week ahead so far, no immediate plans for president obama to head to one of those communities. >> thank you for that from the white house. >> this is interesting. members of the congressional black caucus are floating the idea of inviting the families of eric garner to president obama's state of the union. john lewis told the hill is an invitation to those families would help educate and humanize the issues. hoping the family's attendance could highlight the questions raised as a result of their deaths. let's go now to a story still developing out of dubai. the american teacher who was murdered in a mall bathroom.

today in an exclusive interview with keir simmons, her husband is talking about the situation, and he believes she was targeted because of her nationality. keir simmons with more on his interview. keir? >> reporter: alex, that's right. and paul ryan has been describing how his boys were with their mom at the mall. he was divorced from her, so she was here with them on her own. and it was at that mall she was attacked. thankfully, her boys weren't anywhere near her when it happened. but they were there, as well. you can imagine. >> paul ryan is keeping them close. their 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old twin boys as details emerge of the horrific assaults their mother suffered. police believe a female

assailant lured her into a mall bathroom and repeatedly stabbed her simply because she was an american. her family want her remembered as a kind teacher who worked with special needs kids. on her facebook tribute page, the family say simply, she made the world a better place. >> she would never hurt anybody ever. she had a bubbly personality, always positive, optimistic. about life. your ex-wife was targeted for no reason whatsoever other than she was an american? >> other than she was a westerner, i would say. this lady, i shouldn't even call her a lady, this monster of a person was lying in wait for her. someone like her to come along for an hour in the bathroom. unfortunately, it was my kids' mother. >> the twin boys were with her

at the mall. they waited for an hour not knowing what had happened. >> they're coping. they're very strong and stoic family. it's going to take them a very, very long time to process this. >> police acted swiftly, a woman was arrested last week. and the royal family here has promised to pay for the children's education. a country shocked by an apparently random attack on an innocent american mom. >> and what we're hearing from the police here, though limited, while the woman was under arrest was motivated by extremism, perhaps even things she was looking at on the internet while paul ryan is saying he is trying to prevent his children from looking at the internet so they don't learn more detail about what happened to their mother. >> what a horrible tragedy. thank you very much for the story from abu dhabi. we are learning new details today about the failed rescue

attempt and the death of american hostage luke somers in yemen. u.s. officials tell nbc news that the president approved of the rescue mission knowing the time was short. friday night, dozens of navy s.e.a.l.s landed two miles from the target as fighter bombers and drones circled overhead. the commandos reached an isolated cluster of buildings and military officials say as the s.e.a.l.s closed in on the building, a gun battle broke out. killed 6 to 9 al qaeda captors. but somers and a south african hostage were discovered gravely wounded, apparently shot by their captors. the two were airlifted offshore, but both died of their wounds. for more on how the u.s. handles kidnappings. let's bring in retired army colonel jack jacobs. and with a welcome to you, colonel. in the attempted rescue of luke somers, anything the troops on the ground could've done differently?

>> no, i don't think so. they would have had a better outcome. these are inherit inherently difficult operations. lots of rehearsal, refinement, more rehearsals. and all of that takes time. time is not one of the things they had as a luxury. they had to act very, very quickly. there was a threat to somers' life, and they figured they only had a short period of time to launch and conduct the operation. and we have to remember that this kind of operation is inherently much more difficult than, for example, going after osama bin laden. in this case, you have to separate the good guys from the bad guys and kill only the bad guys, the element of surprise is vitally important to protect the lives of the hostages. and that's why operations like this don't often work. >> yeah. there are reports, colonel, that south african hostage -- they were negotiating for the release. the u.s. does not negotiate for hostage release.

here's what was said today about the policy. >> this should reengage the debate about paying ransoms. when you pay ransom, you get more kidnappings. that's certainly what we saw across africa, certainly seeing it in yemen, as well. >> so if you don't pay your ransom, are rescue missions the only other option? >> no, as a matter of fact, we have in the past traded for hostages. you remember the case of bowe bergda bergdahl, they traded five operatives to get bowe bergdahl back. and that was an exercise which came under great criticism because it looked like an asymmetrical trade. so we do do other things besides just conducting hostage rescue operations. but i and most other people would agree that paying ransoms merely encourages more kidnappings and therefore more ransoms and kidnappings. it's a pretty bad policy.

>> look, we had the three american hostages brutally murdered by isis there in syria. do we know how many american hostages are being held by isis, al qaeda or any other groups? >> well, we don't know for sure. there are several dozen western hostages. and no government is going to talk about how many hostages or who they are. there are probably several dozen in captivity. some of them may be americans. but we're not going to trade them for money. >> okay. thanks as always, sir. >> you bet. the voice of the people beyond the streets. how can police regain the confidence of the people? and it's a letter between legends of yesteryear.

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a new nbc news marist poll suggests americans are widely divided on race with respect to

attitudes on law enforcement. this poll comes in the wake of grand jury decisions in ferguson, missouri, and new york. found confidence in the legal system plummeted 70% among african-americans. among white americans, 35% or less confident. joining me now jason johnson, professor of political science, republican strategist joe watkins and karen desoto. welcome to you all. i'm going to go ladies first with you, karen. why are americans losing confidence in the legal system? >> well, i think during the economic meltdown, i think a lot of americans lost confidence in all government across the board. however, when you look at urban areas, when you look at where the largest concentration of police officers are, they're in urban areas, okay. and urban areas are predominantly minority areas. so a lot of the concentration, the exposure to police officers is going to be in urban areas

where you have the most proliferation of them out in the suburbs. not going to have contact with police officers. and when you do have contact with police officers, alex, it's usually not for something that makes you happy. it's not because you're getting your christmas turkey. so a lot of the contact with them is through minorities and urban areas and you're not going to have a good taste in your mouth, especially no uh with the passionate response and the distrust. >> yeah. jason, this poll also asked about whether police apply different standards to african-americans and whites. 82% of african-americans believe that police applied different standards there. why are those numbers so far apart? >> well, i thought one of the most interesting numbers is, when they polled all americans, the majority by a small percentage, that is a sea change in this country from just say 14 years ago during 9/11 when everyone thought the cops were fantastic. i think that change has happened not just because what we've seen in ferguson. not just because of what we've seen in eric garner, but this

goes all the way back to occupy wall street. you've had a now generation of americans who have been watching police, engaging in behaviors that seem aggressive. and even though it was majority of white young americans, they're seeing now, the police aren't necessarily doing their job well. and i think that's where this poll is coming from. >> interestingly, joe. here's what he had to say about the recent incidents between police and the african-american community. let's roll that. >> as painful as these incidents are, we can't equate what is happening now to what was happening 50 years ago. and if you talk to your parents, grandparents, uncles, they'll tell you that, you know, things were -- are better. not good in some cases, but better. >> so do you think the president is striking the appropriate tone here? >> i think he is. i mean, i think the president is uniquely gifted to talk to all of us at a time like this. the president knows what every

african-american man knows in america, which is what happened to eric garner could've happened to any of us. and we have to deal with it every single day. i remember when i worked at the white house, a bunch of my colleagues would play football after work. and i look like a white house staffer when i was there, as long as i had a jacket and tie on. but i know that to police i look very different if i'm wearing a t-shirt and jeans. and this is what every african-american man knows in this country. and body cameras are a good step in the right direction. still the jury, the grand jury did not produce an indictment. and that's just criminal these days, in this day in time. >> wait, joe, that's extraordinary. you literally had that concern, going out with a bunch of white house staffers to play football? >> absolutely. absolutely. it still happens to me now. it still happens to me now. i called the police because i saw a suspicious car in front of my house. my neighbors happen to be all white. the police came to my house, and

i came outside to meet them to tell them that, yeah, i'm the guy that called. and the first thing they said to me, let me see your identification. they wanted to make sure i was the guy that lived in the house and actually called them. i don't think they would have done that to any of my white male neighbors, or female neighbors. i got followed around in a store the other day. you know, by the owner of a small store. this happens to black men all the time. >> every single day. >> that's why we empathize with what happened to eric garner and ferguson, missouri, and that little 12-year-old boy in cleveland, ohio. >> and jason, you're chiming in, nodding your head and -- >> yeah. >> you have similar situations to talk about? >> yeah. it's the same story. i got followed behind my house on campus by campus police. had to prove i was actually faculty even though i'd been at the same college for years. these things are not new to african-americans. and i think what's critical

about what we're seeing here, alex, and it's sort of what the president was talking about. yes, things used to be worse, but what we're seeing now is it's not like violence against the poor and violence against african-americans is new. but what's new the americans saying this is a problem m an economic problem, a political problem, and the president, hillary clinton, the republicans in congress, they need to take much more proactive steps in dealing with this unrest. >> so karen, as you listen to these stories and the poll numbers, what are the steps you think need to be taken before trust in police can be restored? >> well, alex, a lot of your guests are talking about is unconscious discrimination. which takes time, mediation and understanding and having a restorative justice program or strategy in place, all which are things that need to be identified. there has to be resources allocated and which is problematic given the state of the economy. it's not an easy process.

it's a slow process, making people aware that they even have unconscious discrimination or reacting to minorities is tough. but you do that through mediation, through restorative justice. and you keep on plugging away until you can make those changes. >> i just want to ask you all about quickly the body cameras. there are poll numbers on how people feel about them. in the case of eric garner, you had a video camera. granted, it wasn't from the perspective of the police officers on his chest, but how much will body cameras go to solve the solution? anyone want to have a crack at that? >> yeah. look. it's not going to solve anything. unless you make, body cameras have to be as important to police officers as doing a scrub up is for a surgeon. if you go into surgery and you don't scrub up, you can get sued. if a police officer engages in duty and doesn't have a body camera, they should be committing a felony. there has to be a connection between what's on the camera and the reports that people make. i have to say this about unconscious racism.

this is about the government defending people who have done a bad job. you have leon ford jr., young man in pittsburgh who got shot five times by police. and they sued him. >> the attitudes that people have. the instances that you're talking about, being followed and being asked for identification. those are people who are identifying with you unconsciously. >> but the government agencies that back up those bad attitudes have to be reformed and changed. it's not just about attitude. it's also about consequences and having -- >> and liability and money and getting sued. >> of the concerns of the people involved. and that's what's key here. >> okay. joe, last word to you. >> when you see wrong being d e done, you need to have an indictment, period. >> okay. well, that was right to the point. good to see you all. thanks. one of the best players in the nba expressed his opinions about the eric garner case. wore an "i can't breathe" shirt

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a love letter to the legendary marilyn monroe. it was written by baseball great joe dimaggio in 1954 after she announced on tv she was divorcing him after nine months of marriage. in it he said, i love you and want to be with you as he begged monroe not to leave him. yesterday it sold for just over $78,000. that letter was part of a collection of memorabilia called "marilyn monroe's lost archives." and a handwritten letter to her third and final husband sold for almost $44,000. why people drink alcohol. and it turns out you can blame it on evolution. a recent study found our ability

to digest alcohol may have been key to our survival 10,000 years ago. joining us now, an evolutionary biologist. this is interesting, for sure. let's talk about your research, which focused on the enzymes in our gut. there's one enzyme in particu r particular, why is this one enzyme so important? >> well, this enzyme, as you mentioned, is expressed in the mouth and gut of not just us, but all of our primate relatives. it's the first enzyme that's exposed to ethanol or other alcohols we might consume. ethanol is one of many alcohols found in nature and plants and fermenting fruit. >> do you know how this developed and why it's key to our survival? >> well, yes, there's this paradox, right? most of us know that consuming ethanol too much is really bad for us, yet, it's universal amongst most human cultures. understanding this paradox was what motivated our study. and so we started looking at the dna sequence for this enzyme in

our primate relatives and monkeys, apes and lemurs. and we use these modern sequences to predict what the ancient sequences were in our ancestors, 10, 20, 70 million years ago. once we were able to predict what the ancient sequences were, we recreated, we synthesized in a lab these ancient proteins bringing back to life something that hasn't existed on this planet for millions of years. >> but wait, without this enzyme, would we have never developed a taste for alcohol? >> right. so that's a really great question. so if you go back to what this enzyme was like in our ancestor 70 million years ago, it was unable to process the ethanol that you find in beer and wine and in naturally fermenting fruit. it was able to process other alcohols. the alcohols you find in plants and leaves. and so our deep ancestor, were they to consume fermented fruit

they would stumble across in nature, they would have likely become intoxicated. now, imagine, would you want to be intoxicated in the wild if you're surrounded by predators or moving around branch to branch high up in the trees trying to defend your territory or offspring from other organisms. it would not have been an advantage. but our ancestors 10 million years ago, the ancestors we shared with chimps and gorillas possessed a mutation that dramatically changed the properties of this enzyme. it allowed these ancestors to metabolize or process ethanol in fermenting fruit so that when our ancestors were to consume this fruit, they would not get intoxicated. >> you mentioned the primates, but notably orangutans did not -- >> it cannot process ethanol effectively. >> can i ask you about people who suffer currently from

alcoholism? do they have a higher development or a lesser development of this enzyme? is there anything to prove that? by the way? >> so that's a good question. and as it turns out, almost all, maybe 95% to 99% of humans all have an identical form of this enzyme. and so we all have a fairly good ability to process ethanol in our stomachs. but there are some small differences in a minority of humans. and it may be these small differences alter their previous position to alcoholism or other alcohol-related diseases because of the different rates at which their enzymes metabolize ethanol. >> interesting. thanks so much. >> you're welcome. the justice department says cleveland police have too often used excessive force. how will the feds make police change their ways? a long time city councilman joins us in just a moment on that. ♪

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welcome back. a two-year justice investigation

into the cleveland police department has found a systemic pattern of abuses and deficiencies. this comes two weeks after a police shooting sparked outrage and protest in that city. tamir rice was found in a park with a pellet gun. police approached him and within seconds he was shot dead. eric holder spoke on the city. >> we have determined there's reasonable cause to believe that they engage in a pattern and practice of using excessive force. and as a result of systemic deficiencies including accountability, inadequate training, and equipment, ineffective policies and inadequate engagement in the community. >> joining me now is cleveland city councilman jeffrey johnson and nicole bell, whose fiancee sean bell was killed in november 2006, eight long years ago, she has since founded the nonprofit, when it's real, it's forever. with a welcome to you both, i'm going to reach out to you first, councilman. when you hear the attorney general, the united states

saying things like excessive force and systemic deficiencies about your city. >> first of all, thank you for having me. it was more confirmation. there's been many of us throughout the years that have been arguing against what we consider to be excessive force. we were happy that finally t the -- some entities, some individuals with clout came to cleveland and told this city and region. there was something going on in the cleveland police department. and this report confirms it. but it actually opened my eyes on how many incidents occurred. so many of us are like really ready to just move on ahead and change this. >> well, and in terms of change, councilman, i know you called for the resignation of the city safety director as well as the special assistant to frank jackson. does responsibility go up to the mayor himself? and does it go beyond heads rolling? what kind of specific changes would you like to see? >> first of all, i believe in order for us to really work it so we can get a consent decree and bring in the federal

government, we have to have a city government that actually wants to make all of the changes. you know, the mayor still is saying there's not a systemic change. we have to continue to fight his premise that, you know, we don't have that much of a problem. but i do believe the safety director and i believe the special assistant in charge during those years need to move out away. bring on reform-minded individuals and the people have to continue to push the government to make these changes. if we don't do that, it'll just be another report up on the shelf. >> nicole, we've seen proposals for police to use body cameras to have better outreach into the communities. would that have made a difference for sean? >> you know, i'd like to think so. but we have the eric garner family and eric garner lost his life and everyone caught it on camera and no indictment. so i think the only change we deserve is criminal accountability for these police officers who kill innocent people. i mean, our families are the only ones who -- actually our

only request when we lose a loved one is that someone be held accountable. to not be pushed under the rug until everyone is finished protesting and marching. so that someone be held accountable. my daughters are growing up without their father. and as we watch the news and watch tv and we see together that no one's being held accountable, it's hard to explain to a child that, yes, all police officers are bad. but a police officer killed your father and, no, he wasn't held accountable. it's difficult, and we're raising our children up this way. we need change. we need accountability and not for anyone to come forward just for the moment to give a statement. but really, the federal government should come in and start making these connections from state to state. and make the reform that's necessary. >> you know, we did have the video in the eric garner case. and i want to ask you about the video you saw of tamir rice. what was your reaction when you saw that? >> we were all very upset with the fact of what we saw was not

the same thing that the police had told us happened. they talked about they'd given us three orders and gave the implication there was much more of a deliberative action, much more of a patience. what we saw upset us because we don't believe just a couple of feet from tamir and how the officer started shooting even before he got both feet on the ground. we find that was unacceptable. and that thank goodness we have that tape so we can go about knowing that this system is still misusing the public. and so that helped us to really be determined. and we've been in the streets every day since. >> at the heart of the issue, nicole, is this a race issue? or is it a police issue? or can you not separate the two? >> well, if you think about 2006. the officer who followed sean and his friends back to the car, he was a minority. so, you know, we have instances where there's a white officer and a black civilian who was

killed. but in the case with sean, that was not the case. so we have police officers of all color who come into communities, urban communities treating everyone as if they're a thug and a criminal. and that's not the case. >> okay. councilman, if you look at things right now, thousands taking to the streets in cities across this country. do you think we are seeing the early days of a major movement? and is there change that you hope or believe actually can be ushered in by it? >> i actually believe there's something different this time. i'm reminded of what happened in the middle east when the public went out on the streets. fortunately for the most part with exception, of course, in berkeley, there has been nonviolence. in cleveland, we have stopped traffic in the streets. a lot of young people involved. there's something different this time. i've told them to keep the heat up on city council. and i really believe. we have hope this report will lead to change. but we're going to act on our hope. we know that we have to make people change their minds who don't still believe there's a problem.

and only the public in the streets, only the public in the board rooms will allow us to continue to make the changes necessary. >> cleveland city councilman, jeffrey johnson, sir, thank you for your time, and nicole bell, thank you for your time, as well. i wish you the best of luck with the organization. thanks. the duke and duchess of cambridge will get a royal reception when they come to the u.s. today. but what about when they see america's king james? oh, yeah, that's next.

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looking for one of these? yoplait. smooth, creamy, and craved by the whole family. well, america's getting the royal treatment. prince william and his wife kate are visiting the u.s. on a three-day trip beginning today. their flight is actually expected to land in new york any minute now. tomorrow, they're going to head to brooklyn to take in a basketball game between the brooklyn nets and the cleveland cavaliers led by i guess our american version of royalty. the king lebron james. during the trip, prince william will also be meeting with president obama. and joining me now is camilla. with a welcome to you. glad to have you here. >> thank you. >> why do you think is so

important to americans this trip? >> well, i guess you almost think these are your royalty, too. and such a close affinity between our two countries, the special relationship, and in fact, the ambassador was talking about that today. this is significant, we're forging these bonds we've always had across the pond, be it presidents or the royal families and the obamas. that's cementing the relationship they established in 2011 when michelle and barack obama came over to the palace. it's built on what this is this unique relationship between our two countries. >> is it as big of a story back in great britain? >> we're a bit more, perhaps, humble about it. or perhaps people don't pay as much notice. there's a lot more excitement when people talk about it on the networks. whereas the brits, it's all, stiff upper lip, pretend not to care. that said, you've observed the crowds turn out and the royals

attract them like no one else. >> yeah. we do know they are heading to the game tomorrow night. >> yes. >> they're going to go see king james as we call him here. >> yep. got that. >> this is a very quintessential american thing. do we know if wills, as he's called by some, does he like sports? >> they both love sport and fiercely competitive against each other. >> i love that. >> apparently very competitive over scrabble. she's a former hockey player. they've both got good height. i don't know whether or not they're going to take to the court and shoot hoops. they're both nudging 6 foot. basically they want to embrace the whole nature of supporting youth initiatives, setting something up with the nba, the foundation, to help younger people into coaching. and kind of buying into the american dream and showing they're down with the kids. >> right. and i know the prince is going to have a rather serious thing. something very close to his heart. hep wants to talk about the wildlife trade. she will be visiting a child health care facility in harlem here in manhattan.

do the attention to the causes get drowned out by just their personas? or do people come away thinking, okay, i get what they were saying and i want to pay attention to that. >> obviously, there's always around them. what's she wearing? what's her hair like? they're constantly pushing this message. william -- and the military and prince harry brings up the rear in pushing these causes very strongly. they want to be synonymous with helping people like diana was. and the project in harlem, diana was in harlem in 1989. she's following in royal footsteps in that. and also, a little bit of a gender divide. kate going off with children and doing maternal things and william in the suit in oval office. that key photograph. but that's the way it works with these royal trips. and you have to follow one or the other. >> i read that neither of them had been to the united states before? >> they've been to the united

states. they haven't ever been to the big apple or d.c. >> okay. >> william's done the disney world thing as a child, went to a ranch as a child. and they were in california in 2011. that's another reason for this trip. it was so successful, they wanted to repeat it. >> thanks so much. and enjoy following that throughout the states here. what went wrong in the "rolling stone" article about the university of virginia. and what it means for the scourge of rape on college campuses. the 4:51 is leaving at 4:51. ♪ they cut the power. it'll fix itself. power's back on. quick thinking traffic lights and self correcting power grids make the world predictable. thrillingly predictable. i have $40,ney do you have in your pocket right now? $21. could something that small make

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article is telling the truth we should focus on the problem it brought up. >> joining me on set here, zoey star, cofounder of the carrieded out wait campaign. welcome to you. zoe, i want to read you part of a column written in today's boston globe by colleen abraham. this is what she says is a disaster. the rolling stone story which helped make it all but impossible ig thor the scourge of campus assault will do the opposite. now emboldened by this story, the course of women who believe women routinely make it up will grow louder. i know you were a victim of sexual assault. when you heard about the walk-back in the story, what was your reaction? >>my first thought was how deeply devastated the sur vooir must be to have put her trust in a media outlet and have them throw her under the bus in such a public, inappropriate way.

how painful it must be for her. consider canning how many survivors have come forward to make the courageous step to share their storieses, it's troubling, the actions thatle rolling stone has taken. >> what do you think it could do to folks who want to come and report? are people going to say, well, hang on. are you like this jackie who -- >> right. >> we don't know what the truth is at this point. the story hasn't been told. >> right. >> do you worry about backlash that way? >>absolutely. i'm hopeful it can be a learning opportunity for the media and administrators and police and people who receive these reports. i am anxious that it may deter people from reporting, seeing the backlash that this vulnerable young woman faced. >> at issue, rolling stone says, we honored the victim victims' to not speak with the men she alleges raped her because of think number of reasons.

they didn't get the other side of the story. as a journalist, talk about that and the faux pas and the problems it presents. >> one of the things this teacheses us is although in the survivor community there is an understandable ethos of not questioning victim storieses, of being a safe place that victims can come, tell their story to. as journalists we must have a different approach. when we put someone forward their story will be attacked whether it's true or false or perhaps partly true. it's our job as journalists to make sure we get all sides of the story, to check with the accusers. i don't think this is the deal that serves either the victims or journalists well. >> there are a number of oh details that just haven't held up under scrutiny. you have side stairs not existing on the fraternity, the fact someone she accused of rape doesn't work at a pool. even the date of the event, the fraternity wasn't holding a party that weekend. >> here is where it is important

to look at the social science and what we though about rape. we know trauma can impact memory. it's not surprising that the specific details of the incident have been called into question. it's why the journalist who is a professional and not a trauma victim needses to be careful. >> how do you think the president of the university is handling things thousand saying, look, it is what it is. we don't though the facts of the case. we'll continue to go forward and address the issue. do you think that's a beacon for other schools to follow? >> it's a positive sign. the longer we focus on the details of the story, which it makes sense, the survivor experience and trauma might make mistakes about. the longer we focus on those particulars, the longer we are distracted from the reality that stories like jackie's happen every day and do happen at the university of virginia. i i'm glad to see that the president is focused on that, taking action to help prevent it in the future. >> in your case, i know you suffered trauma, certainly.

did you suffer the trauma you could equate with jackie's? that everything turns into a bit of a fog? >> it's taken me years and a lot of therapy to piece together myself most of the details of what happened that night. when i'm under stress like speaking with a reporter it absolutely becomes more difficult to recount them consistently. my brain just doesn't work the same way anymore. it's a well documented symptom and i have struggled with it in my life. >> how much of a lesson do you thinks it is for journalists going forward and do you think it will be heeded? >> i hope journalists will uphold the basic standard of the profession to talk to all sides of the story when possible. we need to acknowledge that the best research shows only 2% to 10% of rape allegations are false. they are incredibly rare and often originate in real crimes perhaps of a different nature than the allegation itself. >> ladieses, thank youer for

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this sunday -- >> no justice. >> no peace. >> anger and disbelief across the country after a grand jury decides not to indict a police officer in a chokehold death. >> each of us has to grapple with some hard truths about race and justice in america. >> is the criminal justice system failing african-americans? america in black and white. our new poll on how differently african-americans and whites view the police. plus, the fight within the republican party over immigration. >> we have limited options in terms of how we can deal with this. >> how far will republicans go to block president obama's executive action? >> what