provide low cost reliable access to space is important. >> that's interesting. derek pitts, great to have you with us tonight. >> thank you, ed. >> that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton begins right now. good evening, ed. thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead a major shift in american politics. for years, president obama naught to tackle income inequality. calling it the defining challenge of our time. and finally, republicans are getsing getsing the message. they're suddenly talks about ing about inequality, too. >> the top 1% under president obama, millionaires and billionaires he constantly demagogues. those are walk the corridors of power of the frbobama administration have gotten fat and happy under big government. i tell you, hardworking men and women across america are hurting.

>> well senator cruz is half right. average americans are hurting, but blaming it on president obama is off the mark. this problem is decades in the making. for the last 50 years, the bottom 90% of workers have barely seen their incomes rise. while incomes have exploded for the top 1%. increasing 271% since 1960. this problem has become impossible to ignore. that's why it's not just ted cruz talking about income equality, jeb bush has hopped on the bandwagon, too, and senator mcconnell, speaker john boehner, mr. budget cuts for the poor himself, paul ryan and the list goes on and on and on and on. all these republicans are paying lip service to inequality but they're not proposing real

solutions to fix the problem. president obama is. >> our job now is to create additional tools that number one, make sure that everybody's got a baseline of support to be able to succeed in a constantly moving economy, whether it's health care that survives job loss, whether it is making sure that we have childcare that allows two working household family to prosper while still caring for their kids. having a certain baseline in terms of wages through the minimum whaj. >> raising the minimum wage tax credits for childcare. these are real policies that could help workers, and the other thing, no republican would dare mention, taxing the rich. >> how do we make sure that the

folks at the very top are doing enough for their fair share? the fact of the matter is that relative to our post-war history, taxes now are not particularly high or particularly progressive compared to what they were say, in the late '50s or the '60s. you know there's always been this notion that for a country to thrive there are some things, as lincoln said we do better together than we can do for ourselves. >> until republicans start pushing real ideas to narrow the wealth gap, the talk about inequality will be just that. talk. joining me now is dana milbank and joan walsh. thank you for being here. >> hi reverend. >> dana is this step forward for the gop? is this a step forward or at least they're not talking about the 47%, right? >> yeah i guess that's progress, reverend i mean but there is something hilarious about ted cruz or mitch mcconnell thinking that they're

going to convince americans that they are the party that cares the most about income inequality. it's like putting an alpaca sweater on your little dog, rex and trying to convince america that he's a llama. it's just not going to fly. but, you know, more power to them for trying, because they're recognizing that the politics have changed and they're trying to at least rehetorically get in on it. you see it all the way on the left with elizabeth warren, now crazily enough you're seeing it with the likes of ted cruz. >> ted cruz is trying to blame the wealth gap on president obama. will anyone buy that? >> i don't think they will, ref reverend al. the thing he leaves out of the equation the top 1% is getting richer. however, this president has rayed the tax rates so that top 1%s they are paying closer to their fair share. it might not yet be their fair share, but he has raised the tax burden on those people and that does do something to reduce

unequalinequality inequality, not enough but you transfer some of that income to poorer people working poor people, you're narrowing the gap that way. and the president has been able to do that. he hasn't gotten there when it comes to bringing up the share of the wages. one thing i also thought was important he talked to ezra today, labor law, strengthening labor laws. >> that's very important. >> it's not going to happen without -- >> and they've been really at war with labor and the president really emphasized that. but let me stay on ted cruz a minute dana. because he's talking about inequality, but here are some of the policies he supports. repealing the affordable care act. instituting a flat tax rate. he's against a minimum wage hike and against equal pay measures. how exactly would any of this stuff narrow the wealth gap? >> no it would make for a far more regressive taxation system that would, of course make the

wealthy wealthier. now, there's a fair criticism to be said that even the things that president obama's talking about don't go far enough. that's certainly what you'll hear from the likes of bernie sanders. he's not really taking on the wealthy, he's not really taking on wall street because, you know let's face it the democratic party needs money to run campaigns almost as much as the republicans do. but, of course that's not the argument that ted cruz is making. it's just sort of turn the universe upsidedown. >> joan, let's also go to jeb bush, one of the loudest voices on the right. he's talking about inequality. listen to this from a recent speech of jeb bush's. >> today, americans across the country are frustrated. they see only a small portion of the population riding the economy's up escalator. roughly lyly two out of three american households live paycheck to paycheck. can we restore that dream, the moral promise that each generation can do better? >> now, he sounds like president

obama, joan but democrats says he's got a lot more in common with mitt romney. they flan toplan to talk about he opposed the auto bailout, wokrked in business backed wall street bailout and supports tax cuts for wealthy big business. how can he talk about inequality if he's seen as a romney 2.1? >> he needs to talk about it. i agree with dana, that's progress, this is a problem for the american people. that speech was shocking in how empty it was, reverend al. this is jeb bush, not, say, scott walker who has also empty policies. jeb bush we know him -- >> you expect more. >> you expect more. he's not introducing himself to the american people. we know him. he should have been introducing, this is how i will handle income inequality. how goes to detroit, all that he does by doing that is reminding the media that he did not support the auto restructureing. he doesn't take the opportunity

to say,thy this is what i would do for the city of detroit that has more than its share of problems. there was nothing about anything. just this notion that we need to grow yes, we need growth but we've seen growth both under president clinton and understood president obama. we've seen wonderful growth that does not do enough to close the wage gap. that's what we haven't gotten to. growth is not enough. >> but dana let's go the other side of the political partisan divide. i was reading in "the new york times" over the weekend, an article that says if hillary clinton runs in 2016 there are few policies that will definitely be part of her economic agenda. she'll push to raise the minimum wage invest in infrastructure and close the corporate tax loopholes. it is also possible she suggests incentives for companies that share profits with employees and push to strengthen collective bargaining. now, she faces some criticism for ties with wall street.

would these platforms help to counter that for miss clinton? >> you know, reverend i think they would counter it to a small extent. she is seeing much more than president obama as being very tight with wall street. and, of course, she's going to need him out tlrkshere, the campaign that's going to rely on these big dollar contributions. certainly those kinds of policies like obama's policies are a step in the right direction. a lot of progressives are disillusioned with the president but more so with hillary clinton and that's why they're the ground swell for elizabeth warren who doesn't show any indication she's running. >> that's the challenge, joan. the big fight in 2016 is going to be around economic inequality. and mrs. clinton has got to deal with the pressure from some of the progressives who frankly some have real questions and some of us have other questions. and, but she's got to have a clear voice to battle the

republican -- because this is going to be one of the most deciding issues in 2016. >> it is. one thing that that "new york times" article reminded us, she came out though she was a senator from wall street she came out in favor of closing the carried investor loophole. >> she did do that. >> i forgot about that. moratorium on foreclosures, several progressive things in the 2008 platform that i hope she brings back. i hope we see that hillary clinton in 2016. >> dana milbank, joan walsh. thank you both for your time tonight. >> thanks reverend. six months after the michael brown shooting a new push for justice in ferguson. but now the fight's about putting people in prison for being poor. also the investigation into that deadly accident involving reality star bruce jenner. and a new smear attack on the president by mike huckabee.

all of that. plus social justice at the grammys. from black lives matter to domestic abuse. how the biggest stars in the world took their fight to the grammy stage. >> albums still matter. like books and black lives. albums still matter. tonight -- "conversation nation" is ahead. i make a lot of purchases for my business. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase. like 60,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet,

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now to the record-breaking snowfall slamming boston and much of the northeast. this is what it was like driving

around in cambridge, massachusetts, earlier today. in the last 30 days, boston has been hit with more than 60 inches of snow breaking records. in two weeks, enough snow in massachusetts has been removed to fill the patriots stadium 90 times. with the storm still passing through the northeast region what can residents expect to see next? joining me now from boston is msnbc's adam reese. adam you had a snow squall. can you explain to viewers at home what that is? >> reporter: sure, reverend. good evening. four storms as you mentioned in less than two weeks. now we're up to 73 inches. so a big problem for officials here is what to do with all the white stuff. well, they bring it here to a snow farm one of a few snow farms in boston. we're in south boston. take a look behind me. these mounds of snow some of

them are 40 feet and higher. trucks have been coming in all day long with piles and piles of snow. they bring it here. they bring it to the middle. these front loaders then take it over to the melter. they're bringing in melters from out of state because they have so much snow they need to melt down. some of the other snow is being brought to beaches south of here. along the coast. as you mentioned, 73 inches of snow. the governor says that they don't know what they're doing to do if it keeps piling up. he says like you said 90 times they could fill gillette stadium. he says they should have bid for winter olympics instead of the summer olympics as they did. reverend? >> how is transportation in the boston area being impacted adam? >> reporter: the airport, logan airport, was basically operating on a limited basis today. they canceled 500 flights, and in terms of ground transportation it was basically completely blocked out today.

the governor at a press conference this afternoon said he was very angry and displeased with the fact the "t" was not operating. he hoped in this weather, it would operate in the morning hours but it did not. >> msnbc's adam reese in boston. thank you for your time tonight. adam, stay warm. >> reporter: i will. coming up, will olympic legend and reality tv star bruce jenner be charged in a deadly car accident? and president obama's top political adviser has advice for hillary. please stay with us. superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil. because hydraulic fracturing technology is safely recovering lots more oil and natural gas. supporting millions of new jobs. billions in tax revenue... and a new century of american energy security. the new energy superpower? it's red, white and blue.

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six months ago today the fatal shooting of michael brown in ferguson missouri put a new spotlight on criminal justice in this country. and today, a lawsuit is posing new challenges to police practices in that city and in the nearby town of jennings. created modern day debtors prisons. jailing poor people when they were, quote, unable to pay a debt owed to the city from traffic tickets or other minor offenses. in each case the city imprisoned a human being solely because the person could not afford to make a monetary payment. the suit argues the motivation is financial. ferguson has a population of 21,000 people. but in 2013 it issued 33,000 arrest warrants raising $2.6

million in fines and court fees. its second largest revenue source. one of the plaintiffs in the new lawsuit is tanya debarry, a 52-year-old grandmother. she says she was pulled over for a traffic violation in 2014 and jailed in st. louis county released after paying a $300 fine but instead of being freed, she was transferred to jail in ferguson where she spent two nights before shelling out another $300. only to be put in jail in jennings because of more unpaid tickets. >> just traffic tickets. no criminal act. nothing. just traffic tickets. if you had the money, you would never go through that type of situation. if you don't have the money, it's jail jail. >> late today, the mayor of ferguson issued a statement reading in part "we believe

this lawsuit is disturbing because it contains allegations that are not based on objective facts. joining me now is thomas harvey executive director and co-founder of art city defenders. one of the groups that filed this lawsuit. thomas, first of all, thank you for coming on the sew. >> thank you so much for having me reverend sharpton. >> the suit alleges modern debtors prison in ferguson and jennings. explain what's going on here. >> well, it's very much what you just described. people are jailed by the cities of jennings and ferguson because of unpaid debt. they are held there. they're not appointing an attorney. they're told that if they come up with a certain amount of money, they can leave that day. if they don't have that money, they're threatened with indefinite detention in the jail. these folks are not brought before a judge in the time required under law. they are told on a daily basis that if they only had $1,000

this day, $500 the next day, in sort of an arbitrary way, what they call a bobdnd is rediceuced from day-to-day. they have the money, they cabn get out and if they don't -- the conditions in the jail are deplorable. >> i want to ask you about that. that's one of the things that caught my attention. in the law, you describe the conditions. people were denied toothbrushes. forced to share a single unclean toilet. enduring untreated infections in open wounds. given insufficient food and water leading to weight loss and dehydration. surrounded by walls smeared with mucus and blood. i mean all for allegations related to a traffic ticket thomas? >> that's right. and to be more -- to be more poignant about it it's because they're poor people. if hay had the money, if you or i had a traffic ticket we'd never spend a day in that jail. if you're poor and can't afford

the bond can't afford the money, the fines, the unpaid debt, then you stay in jail. and the conditions are awful. our clients describe things that are horrific in nature. and they're taunted by -- they allege they're being taunted by the jailers and that they're told they could leave if they have the money. >> wow. >> but instead -- >> let me let one of the missouri residents that talked about the cycle of tickets and fines, and he's not included in the lawsuit, but he discussed it. listen to this. >> sure. >> i do get locked up and i go to court, they want you to pay a certain fine that i cannot afford to pay. i got a family. and because i can't pay that fine, i'm forced to be locked back up. and when i don't, go back to court, there's another $100 added so there's no way i can get out of it. they want their money. they want their money, and it's simple as that. >> doesn't that eat away at the trust in the criminal justice system? when people feel they're caught

in a web and they just continue to be dealing with fines and fees increasing every step they take, thomas? >> absolutely. i think that you know we make a claim that people were on the streets after the killing of mike brown because of traffic tickets. frankly, this is one of the factors that led to the erosion of trust between the community and its government. and this is a type of thing where people have been suffering this low-level harassment they're entire lives. some of our plaintiffs in this lawsuit have been jailed 19 and 20 times in their lifetime. >> wow. >> they're so accustom to being jailed as a result of their poverty, some find it difficult to remember which jail they were in on one day. for most folks in you're ever in jail, you know exactly that day. but it's such a -- it's such a portion of the culture in st. louis county to jail poor and black people because of their poverty. many of our clients don't even remember which days. we have the court documents to back up what they said. >> and not to be misunderstood,

if people do something wrong, they should pay for it but this is so out of proportion. this is way over the top, and i think six months after michael brown, to be looking at this shows the culture that all of us around the country are concerned about. not only there, but wherever this happens. thomas harvey out i'm of time but thank you for your tame tonight. >> thank you, reverend sharpton. coming up, will olympic athlete and reality tv star bruce jenner be charge in a deadly car accident? plus kanye almost did it again at the grammys. did you love it or hate it? former fox news host mike huckabee's comments on religion. why i'm calling for an apology, next. ♪ at kraft we start with

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at the national prayer breakfast, president obama offered a historical perspective on religious extremism by referencinge inging the christian crusade crusades. >> men have been grappling with these questions throughout history. unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the crusades and inquisition, people committed critical deeds in the name of christ. >> these remarks have stirred debate on all sides of the political spectrum but here's exactly what we don't need from former governor mike huckabee. >> everything he does is against what christians stand for and he's against the jews in israel. the one group of people that can know they have his undying, unfailing support, would be the muslim community. >> the president is against

people of the christian and jewish faiths? against them governor? are you really saying this? governor huckabee you're thinking about running for ft.. it's time to elevate the debate not lower it. is this what you think you need to say to be elected in a party where ugly sells? we've known each other for years, governor, and i know you're better than this. that's why i think you should apologize. we can disagree without being disagreeable. this isn't a nice try, but we still got you. returns so you can enjoy that second home sooner. know the right financial planning can help you save for college and retirement. know where you stand with pnc total insight. a new investing and banking experience with personalized guidance and online tools. visit a branch, call or go online today.

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right now, california deputies are trying to get the cell phone records of the drivers. they say a woman in a white lexus rear ended the car in front of her. jenner jenner's escalade hit that lexus sending it into oncoming traffic where the driver was hit and killed. that driver did not have a valid license according to dmv records. jenner released a statement saying, "it is a devastating tragedy and i cannot pretend to imagine what this family is going through. at this time i am praying for them." jenner is cooperating and passed a sobriety test. no one has been charged. investigators will look through cell phone records to see whether anyone was texting. jenner's publicist says he was not. faith, let me ask you.

if records show jenner was texting, does it prove he caused the crash? >> well it doesn't necessarily prove that but it could prove that he was distracted and if he was distracted you could be looking at some type of vehicular manslaughter charge. however, i don't think that's going to be the case. there were photographers at the scene, and they took photos right before this car crash and bruce jenner had a cigarette in his hand not a cell phone. now, this crash, rev -- >> they took pictures right before -- >> right before the accident. that's what they the reporting is now and that he had a cigarette in his hand not a cell phone. he has consented to allow them to look through his records. this was three-car pileup at least. there was a prius, a first car that tried to push and stop short. the lexus, the car that the woman was driving, the woman was who killed, then stopped short and bruce jenner hit her car. >> right. >> now, california like most states they have a law that says you have to follow be a certain distance behind cars and presumably if someone stops short, you should be able to stop to prevent an accident. so while i don't think bruce

jenner's facing criminal charges, i think there could be some civil charges. >> he's definitely civilly liabel. >> what was wrryour take on the whole question of texting? >> if he was texting, he would be liable more than likely criminally as well as civilly because in california they have laws that discuss distracted driving which all these laws are being passed across the united states. because if a person is paying attention to their cell phone, looking at their phone, not paying attention to what's going on in front of them and he hit this lady from behind he would be liable for her death. >> now, pat, we're following jenner, as you talk about photographers. police say they were not responsible for the crash. if jenner is charged, how will that play into his defense, faith? >> well, of course they're going to look for all the mitigating factors. number one, the woman that he hit actually hit another car before he hit her.

so he's going to say it was unavoidable unavoidable, unavoidable, she hit a car. then he's going to argue, of course, paparazzi were around and somehow contributed. i don't see that happening in this case with a three-car pileup. >> his problem is going to be he has to have a fair distance between him and the car were tobefore to allow him to stop and he didn't obviously stop. >> i want to move to this domestic abuse charge charges, really dropped against nfl star greg hardy. this is a call that no one saw coming for the california parent. last year hardy's ex-girlfriend described a terrifying fight. she said he choked her with both hands. dragged her by her hair. screaming he would kill her. and he picked her up over his head to throw her onto a couch covered with assault weapons assault rifles to be exact. today as hardy showed up in court in north carolina, she was nowhere to be found. the local district attorney says

they have not been able to find nicole holder since november. he says he has reliable information that she reached an independent settlement many hardy. what's your take? is something like this common? >> it's very common reverend al. i've had cases where a lady has been assaulted and by the time he's at the jail they're hiring a lawyer to get him out. because most women just want the abuse to stop. it's not -- they don't want him to be punished. however, this case is a little bit different. she went to trial one time. she went to a bench trial. he was found guilty. in most jurisdictions you have the right to appeal to a jury trial which is what he did. >> which is what today was about. >> yes. >> let me ask this, faith. i want to lead to question i want to ask you. everyone wants know where nicole holder is because she had said she didn't want to go through another trial. the "charlotte observer" reports tonight snowmobiling in

colorado. then off to new york city. i mean is there a way to force her to testify? >> well, apparently the d.a. is saying that they tried to serve her with subpoenas to get her to come to or the. i'm shocked by this. this was a man who went to trial before a judge. she testified before. he was convicted. very serious allegations of domestic abuse. >> he was convicted. >> convicted. how do you today completely dismiss a case against him? i want to know they should be asking, has he been in touch with her? what about this civil settlement? how much money was she paid? when did they agree to that? it's very -- >> if she wants to take the settlement eric isn't that her right? >> it is her right. however, it's the state's case to prosecute and the state cannot prosecute without a victim in this type of case. there are domestic violence cases. >> the state could have questioned him, right? as faith is raising. >> no. >> because? >> no, sir, they could not. if a trial is not commencing -- even if a trial started, he has

a right not to testify and take the stand. >> because he's the defendant. >> yes, sir. we how old not have to answer any questions. he cannot ask him -- >> i think you can find her. >> they can find her. >> you can't tell me she cannot be found. >> they can always be found. >> i have to leave it there. eric faith, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. still ahead, the alabama chief justice is trying to stand? the in the way of progress. some political advice for hillary from president obama's top political adviser. wait until you hear what he says she needs to do. social justice comes to the grammy awards. "conversation nation" is next. ♪ [epic music] ♪ introducing aleve pm...

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time now for "conversation nation." joining me tonight, msnbc's joy reid. the "huffington post's" noah michaelson. and msnbc's abby huntsman. thank you all for being here. >> thanks. >> thank you. >> did alabama's chief justice try to break the law in the name of states rights? last night, alabama chief justice roy moore ordered judges

not to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. just hours before federal ruling went into effect allowing same-sex marriages. this morning the supreme court refused to issue a stay to overturn the ruling and at least eight counties began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. but the confusion has led judges in some counties to continue denying same-sex marriage licenses. like in shelby county where a sign on the courthouse door reads, "due to the conflicting orders, this office will not issue any marriage licenses for the immediate future." joy, is this states rights in alabama all over again? >> yeah it is. it's almost like judge roy moore is sort of the back to the future supreme court justice. the supremacy clause it's in the constitution article 6.

it says federal law supersedes state law and if the supreme court said you have to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, i hate to break it to you, justice, but you do. this is a stand in the schoolhouse door moment. it should be a no brainer for anyone calling themselves a judge. >> noah he -- the courts in alabama ruled -- >> uh-huh. >> they refused to stay it. >> yeah. >> so what's confusing about that to these counties that claim to talk about conflicting? there's no conflict here there's no stay on the order by the higher court. >> it's almost like no one's in charge in alabama. we're still trying to figure it out. even the governor, governor bentry won't say one way or the other what is supposed to go on. he said they'll support the probait judges. people are afraid to make a move. they're afraid if they go the wrong way, they'll get into trouble. instead of this being a historic day for same-sex couples, beautiful, hundreds of couples who want to get married, we're talking about swrus this moore

instead. >> people are confused. some people are still confused over this. i like to say just like we tell people, there used to be a time when blacks couldn't vote i will tell my kids and grandkids there was a time when gays couldn't get married and you see there are still places especially in the south. i'm from utah where it's 50/50 still. people are struggling with how fast we've been evolving on this. >> this clearly, abby, is going to change, and -- >> yeah. >> -- this is like the last breaths of existence. >> they're holding on as much as they can. >> the reason i brought it to states rights part of civil rights history, is joy confused wanting to be con fusefuseconfused. if the supreme courts say we're not staying it we're not staying it. what's confusing about that? the order stays. >> i can understand ordinary citizens being confused. anyone who has gone to law school which presumably this chief justice has understands the supremacy clause understands that once the supreme court rules there is no confusion.

civics class in seventh grade is where we learned about it. >> a lot goes back to religion. for many of the folks they can't separate their politics from going to church on sunday. >> i understand that. i understand that. >> that is what is bollpolling. >> i understand religion has been used wrong before. >> moore is on the record as saying homosexuality is evil. we know what he's talking about. >> it's a different kind of bias but they said interracial -- >> exactly. >> you cannot not deal with the law. if your religion you feel violated, break the law and suffer the consequences like many did with civil disobedience disobedience. let's move on to politics and advice for the front-runner hillary clinton. david axelrod who orchestrated president obama's political rise from the senate to the white house was promoting his new book today when he offered this advice if hillary does decide to run again.

>> she needs a very well-conceived message about where she wants to lead the country. i think she has to approach this campaign like a challenger not like a front-runner. like an insurgent and go out there and really make a strong case. >> run like an insurgent. abby, what do you make of that advice? >> interesting advice there. everyone is wanting to throw some advice to hillary clinton. they want to feel like they have a say in whether she wins or not. you know, i think the biggest thing for hillary clinton is being human. and being herself. and every time she talks about being a mother and being a grandmother, we already know she's smart, already know what she's capable of doing. we've seen her in so many positions at this point. the biggest thing for her is being who she is and real. the moment back when she ran last time when she had emotion, when she was cried. she was hit for that but i think a lot of people also were like, you are a real person, you are human and i like you more for that. >> but noah don't you get from axelrod's advice she's got to

also show some hunger and some drive and some i want this? >> definitely. she can't rest on the name clinton. i think that some people think she really has been so far, she's resting on her laurels and that's going to get her, you know, into the white house. i think that she has to come out hungry, has to only out strong and has a lot of people to convince still. >> joy, she can't use a rose garden strategy if she runs as a -- >> inevitability is her best friend and worst enemy because it can breed a sense of complacency and appearance of entitlement to the office and has to give people an affirmative reason to vote for her and not presume she's going to assume the office because she's next in line. >> everyone, please stay with me. when we come back we have to talk kanye. he almost did it again last night. and it drew a big reaction from jay-z. the panel reacts, next. ♪ nineteen years ago, we thought "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review.

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we're back with our panel, joy, noah, and abby. now to some big statements at the grammys. ferrell performing his hit song "happy" while he and his backup dancers dressed in hoodies posed with their hands up and in a rare appearance prince chose to make a statement as well. >> albums. remember those? albums.

still matter. like books and black lives. albums still matter. tonight -- >> beyonce sung a beautiful rendition of "take my hand precious lord." a favorite of dr. martin luther king. and common and john legend closed the show with a moving version of "glory" from the movie "selma." joy, i saw james brown make statements through his music. what's your reaction to last night? >> i think it was important, and, you know, there has been a fair amount of criticism of black artists, particularly hip hop artists for not getting out ahead further on things like the black lives matter movement. i think it does show that these artists are willing to use their celebrity. i especially thought prince's words were poignant to put that in. to show that they are part of this movement. and the hoodies obviously coming out of trayvon martin. it is important to people that artists make a stand on these issues that are so important to substantial shares of their fans. >> domestic violence was a big issue last night as well. you hear people that you are

fans of speaking out about it or talking about their own personal experiences and relates to people. to your point, joy, it can be so controversial they think about the timing. sometimes they're nervous about getting too out in front of it but i think sometimes it's smart to get out in front to show you have -- >> doesn't it also give a connection even if your fans may not agree that you feel and that you have -- you're more than something that is not involved and doesn't have a heartbeat as to what's going on? >> definitely. i think especially with music becoming so depoliticalized these days, to have people speaking up and talking out that resonates with viewers and like it one way or another. >> we can't talk about the grammys without talking about kanye's moment. beat out beyonce for album of the year and then it almost happened. [ applause ]

>> i need some help. come back. oh my god. >> kanye almost taking over the mike again in protest. years ago kanye had this infamous moment protesting taylor swift's mtv win over beyonce. here -- here might be the best part, though. the reaction from jay-z and beyonce is absolutely priceless. the horror quickly turned into delight. kanye played it off as a joke but after he said this -- >> the grammys if they want real artists to keep coming back they need to stop playing with us. beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to beyonce. >> abby what's your take? funny or disrespectful? >> i don't even know what to make of this guy at this point. i think this whole thing was planned out. i mean we were talking in the

commercial break, rev, about how he's married to the biggest self-promoter there is as well. you wonder what the two talk about at night. it's clear he planned to go up there. when you hear what he said after, something that struck me he said you know the awards are not going to artists that excite people are get people into music. i disagree. it depends on the artist. i love taylor swift. blame me for that. i like beck. >> it's tacky for him to attack another artist and say beyonce should have won over beck. as with ee were saying, he's launching his new adidas collection this week has a new album coming out soon new rihanna album coming out soon. this is a tactical movement to get in front of people. >> by the way, the most tweeted about person or moment from the grammys last night was kanye west. >> he didn't win anything. >> and he even got noah to announce his adidas line and his -- >> we're talking about him. here we go. >> tonight on "politicsnation." >> we're talking about him who.

>> who would have thought? joy, noah abby thanks for joining me tonight and "conversation nation." make sure you watch the "reid report" weekdays at 2:00 p.m. eastern. and abby on "the cycle" weekdays at 3:00 p.m. eastern. both right here on msnbc. when we come back, remembering legendary basketball coach dean smith and his winning ways off the court. to be this expert negotiator to get a fair deal. i hate to haggle. when you go to a restaurant you don't haggle over the chicken parmesan. why can't car-buying be like that? ♪ ♪ as long as people drive cars carmax will be the best way to buy them.

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chest pain, swelling of your mouth or tongue, problems urinating or eye problems including vision changes or eye pain while taking anoro. nothing can reverse copd. the world is filled with air and anoro is helping people with copd breath air better. get your first prescription free at anoro.com. finally tonight, remembering legendary basketball coach dean smith. after 36 years at north carolina smith retired as the winningest head coach in division 1 history. coaching the likes of michael jordan and james worthy. he won two national championships and an olympic gold medal. a remarkable 96% of his players graduated. but he also was a legend off the court. president obama talked about that when awarding smith the

medal of freedom in 2013. >> we also honor his courage in helping to change our country. he recruited the first black scholarship athlete to north carolina and helped to integrate a restaurant and neighborhood in chapel hill. that's the kind of character that he represented on and off the court. >> that character had a lasting influence on generations of basketball fans and players. >> coach smith made me feel like i was like every other athlete on their team. and i say, again, for a black person in the south to feel like he was the equal of a white person means more than anything else. >> coach smith supported civil rights and gay rights. he opposed the death penalty and the iraq war. he stood by his beliefs which he said were rooted in his religious faith.

coach smith died on sunday at the age of 83. he not only made champions on the court, he was a champion off the court. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. joining the war. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. tonight, news from the war front. jordan has carried out 56 air strikes against isis since one of its pilots was shown being burned alive. by the group itself. in the north, kurdish forces are takes it to them on the ground and there's talk of the iraqi army actually launching a major counteroffensive against isis in the coming weeks. are these signs the first good ones that the long sought