running for president and he hasn't looked presidential yet and he's been in the race for 24 hours. it's a big problem. >> howard dean, mercedes schlapp, jim moore, thank you so much. that's "the ed show." "politicsnation" with al sharpton begins right now. thanks for tuning in. we begin tonight with breaking news. one of the oklahoma students caught on video singing a racist chant on a frat party bus making a very public plea for forgiveness. >> let me start by saying that i am sorry. deeply sorry. i am so sorry for all of the pain that i have caused. i want you to know that directly from me. although i don't deserve t. i want to ask for your forgiveness. there are no excuses for my behavior. i never considered myself a

racist or that is a possibility. but the words said in that chant were mean hateful and racist. i will be deeply sorry and deeply ashamed for what i've done for the rest of my life. >> that apology came after 20-year-old levi petit sat down today for a private meeting with african-american community leaders and clergy. earlier this month, the video sent shock waves across the country. ♪ [ bleep ] ♪ >> since the video came out, petit and another frat member were expelled from the university of oklahoma. their chapter of sae fraternity was also closed down. well today, an apology. and a promise to do better.

>> i'm also embarrassed that i failed to stand up as a leader. i now have a clear understanding to know what it means to live behind the words. from this point forward, i'll be the leader and stand up against any racist. >> it was asked where he learned the exact but he wouldn't answer that question. the chair of the oklahoma black caucus was present and said today that this is just a beginning. >> we believe that levi petit is ready and whatever activities they have developed and designed to be culturally sensitive and linguistically sensitive and this is just the beginning. he is committed and we're here

to give him freshness for that journey. >> a very public apology after a hateful moment. and now the question where do we go next. joining me now is the""the washington post"" jonathan capehart. >> it seems like a heartfelt statement, it sounds like someone who has learned an incredible lesson and has done so in a very public way. my hope is that he is young enough and that we will see action put behind those words. not necessarily later tonight or tomorrow or next week but he's a young man. he has an entire lifetime to make those words ring true. >> now i mentioned this earlier, reporters asked where he learned the chaptnt. here's what he said.

>> i'm not here today to talk about where i learned the chant or how it was taught. i'm here to apologize for what i did because the truth is what was said in that chant is disgusting and it should never have -- and after meeting with these people and everybody else i've met with i've learned that these words should never be repeated, joked about or ever used in any form ever again. >> jonathan when we're hearing that this chant has been used years ago, similar chants that other frat houses have had similar allegations that are being checked into wouldn't it have been helpful if he tells us where he learned the chant? >> well yeah. i mean as far as -- you know all the nice things i just said about him, it is rather frustrating that even now he won't shed any light on where he actually learned this chant. he's a very young man to be singing a chant that has, you

know the lines in there, particularly the lynching line. you know this goes back decades, if not at least a century. that's not just something that was just taught. that goes down through the ages in this fraternity and it would be very helpful for not just levi and for that fraternity and that school if we found out who taught the chant or how everyone learned it. and so to ensure that the chant is excised and not used again and that everyone knows -- i'm sure everyone knows now that that chant is despicable, as he said. >> all right. let me interrupt you because i want to bring in state senator anastacia pitman and jay reid pastor of the church where this was held. thank you both for being here.

>> i'm satisfied with the apology because not only was it done in private, it was also done in public and i believe it i believe he's sincere and his parents were with him as well. >> how did this come about? you've been very key in how this happened. how did today happen? >> today happened as a culmination of events and activities. we sent out a press release supporting president borne's swift actions on shutting down the sae fraternity house and expelling the students. i received a text message fromly from levi petit and i responded. he said i want to meet with you to apologize and will you give

me a moment to do that and we did. he came to my church met with my pastor from the northeast church of christ in oklahoma city. his parents drove down from dallas, texas, and we met and that's where we had a long conversation. >> reverend reid there are community leaders and pastors standing there and saying this was an important first step. do you think it also would have been helpful if he told us where he learned this from being that there are fraternities all over the country that are now being looked into for similar chance and we're told that this was done by this fraternity years ago? >> well i think that he said today that he wasn't here to

explain where i he learned the chat because we know that he's acting on acquired behavior. we know somewhere along the line that he has been taught this slant because, number one, all of the students on the bus along with himself could not relate to really the chant and could not relate to what they were saying in the chant because they are too young. so we know it's acquired behavior. we don't know -- we don't know where it started, when it started, how it started. but we do know it's acquired behavior of these young people. >> senator, i heard the young man say that he had met with the football team. what about the young students on campus i had on the show a couple of nights the group unheard, some of the other student leaders. has he talked to them? will the people in his age group, the students being chanted about, will they accept this apology and move forward or

are they part of this process? >> yes. he has met with isaac hill the black student association president at the university of oklahoma and other student leaders. however, sentiments were expressed in a private meeting prior to the press conference that students from the unheard group will accept his apology. they are expecting an opportunity to work with him, educate him and work together as we move forward. he has not had an opportunity to do that yet because he is expelled from school and he's not allowed to go on campus. so president borne has offered the opportunity for levi petit and any students from the sae

fraternity to come on the campus this friday to have a heart to heart with students only. just the student body and president borne. >> should he be allowed back in schools or continued to be expelled? >> i fully support the president's decision to expel anyone who breaks the koidcode of conduct. i think students ought to be held accountable and held accountable for their actions. the expulsion stands. he can take his transcript and enroll at another university. he does not have to attend the university of oklahoma to be an ambassador for change and this is what we're expecting of him and we want to hold him accountable for that. >> pastor reid i think one of the things tonight, certainly the young man if what he says holds up and as he moves forward in the future he builds on that but also it showed community leaders and the senator who took

the front here and, as she said to us young groups unheard really are about healing, not about trying to continue contention. i think this could be important if it continues in the course that it's going. >> that's the concern of the leadership the pastors of all of the oklahoma city is that there will be healing and we want to move in that direction to most certainly give our support to all of the students of the university of oklahoma let them know that we are supporting them in any way, every way in the direction that they are pursing now when it comes to the matter of justice on that campus. >> and i think part of the healing is dealing with the injury senator, which is why i'm glad you say unheard in some

of the young people being involved and invite mr. petit to come on the show after they talk because, again, i think we need to deal with the culture. where did they learn this from? where is this part of the institution of these fraternities? we need to get justice by digging deep and not just dealing with the surface part which you said and what pastor reid has said. >> yes, sir. we're thankful that the sae fraternity house has been shut down. i think, as a part of the investigations that are going on at the university of oklahoma they may lead the charge in finding out where the chant came from. >> this is not limited to one school or one fraternity. look at the stories from the

last two years. >> dart mouth college is looking into a party sponsored by alpha delta fraternity and the sorority. >> members are seeing performing to the justin timberlake song and then one of them appears in a black face. >> the frat held an mlk party last weekend where students dressed up like gangsters and then posed for pictures holding watermelons. >> they sent out this picture posing with a dark-skinned blow-up doll. >> jonathan this is not just an oklahoma problem, one frat problem. this is a ma'am mouth kind of challenge. how do we deal with this? >> by talking about it. i think president boren set a

fantastic example of what a university president should do when confronted with situations like that. and so if more university presidents followed his lead i think that you know a lot of these problems can be ameliorated and also it sends a message to students at other campuses if presidents follow president boren's lead. >> what is your advice to people in other areas that are facing these situations, what should they do to a, establish justice but at the same time keep the community moving towards healing? >> one of the things i'd do reverend al is i always consult with my pastor. but as a student on a college campus in the heat of the moment, i think you ought to go to those administrators of that campus, get your student policy

handbook, look and see if there's gray areas in there or black and white areas that address that misconduct of racism. it's not to be tolerated on any level in any form and what we have to do is make sure that we have policies in place and we have to hold lawmakers and policy makers accountable for not making policies that protect every individual. we are supposed to embrace diversity and we're supposed to make sure that we're inclusive of educational opportunities. and if we're not doing that then we're doing a disservice to the public. >> well we've heard his words. we'll watch and see where it goes and, again, we invite him to come on as well as the unheard group can be heard here because i think these young people with the dignity they showed, as they protested, ought not be in any way forgotten. oklahoma state senator pittman, thank you for coming on and dr.

jay reid thank you. dr. jonathan capehart, thank you all for your time tonight. >> thanks, rev. ahead, breaking news. the u.s. sergeant who left his point in his post in afghanistan, bowe bergdahl charged with desertion. will he face time in prison? plus a budget that repeals obamacare. five years after president obama signed it into law. whatever happened to all their doom and gloom predictions? >> we have been promised a lot of things these past five years that didn't turn out to be the case. death panels doom a serious alternative from republicans in congress. if a denture were to be put under a microscope we can see all the bacteria that still exists. polident's unique micro clean formula

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breaking news tonight, sergeant bowe bergdahl has been charged with desertion. where does this case go next? more on that straight ahead. sunday dinners at my house... it's a full day for me, and i love it. but when i started having back pain my sister had to come help. i don't like asking for help. i took tylenol but i had to take six pills to get through the day. so my daughter brought over some aleve. it's just two pills, all day! and now, i'm back! aleve. two pills. all day strong, all day long. and for a good night's rest, try aleve pm for a better am.

breaking news tonight, the army will charge bowe bergdahl with desertion. he disappeared and was held captive by a taliban affiliate for five years. the obama administration released five taliban prisoners from guantanamo bay in exchange

for bergdahl's release last may. bergdahl's disappearance has been the subject of a lengthy military investigation and he will face serious charges of desertion, which carries a maximum penalty of five years confinement and misbehavior before the enemy charge which carries possible confinement for life. the question now, where does the case go from here? joining me now are former democratic congressman patrick murphy the first iraq war vet elected to congress and steven kerns, an attorney who represents those in the military system. thanks for being here. >> thank you, reverend. >> congressman murphy let's talk about these charges. is this how you expected this case to play out? >> it is, reverend reand, because

we need to hold sergeant bowe bergdahl accountable. he deserted his men and women in that unit and put members of the military in harm's way because he deserted them and obviously the second charge of misbehavior. but this is the first step of three phases here. the first step was this investigation. it's now going to an article 32 hearing, reverend which is a preliminary hearing or grand jury and then the third part of it will be the actual court-martial and that's where the odds are proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed these crimes that he's being charged with. >> steven give me your reaction to these charges. >> well, it's not surprising. i think the army's hands were tied. i think they would assume that they get rid of this case. they prosecute soldiers every day for desertion but i think that their hands are tied because they do prosecute soldiers every day for desertion and what do they do if they don't prosecute sergeant bergdahl. the thing is with this case with the amount of time that the

army is going to have to put in this case is probably equivalent to a you are many der case but i have a feeling that the result the length of the sentence is not going to compare to the time that they put in the case and is not going to come close to a murder-type sentence. >> there's been talk about a possible plea deal. what is your take on that? >> basically, the command has suggested that by stating that they don't want to see this process drag out, to me that means that they are asking sergeant bergdahl to submit an offer. tell us what you think is fair we'll take a look at it and, frankly, that's what happens in 99% of desertion cases. it's easy to prove desertion. it's really just a matter of the sentence. so by submitting an offer, sergeant bergdahl could potentially limit his exposure and i think that's what he's going to want to do because he's going to be found guilty if it goes to court-martial at this

point, it's damage control. and if you're looking at life you probably submit an offer, i'd say, two years to start and see if they take a bite at that. >> congressman, there's been a lot of talk about six soldiers dying while searching for sergeant bergdahl. last year his former squad leader said, quote, if he wouldn't have deserted us these soldiers very well could have been in a different place at a different time rather than the place at the time of their death. now, congressman, the details here are murky but could this factor in to the case against bergdahl? >> yes and no. yes in a sense that when you're proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed these crimes these two crimes that he's being alleged to have committed, it won't go into that factor. but in the sentencing part of the trial, the court-martial itself reverend it will. there's what is calleding a gri

aggravating and mitigating factors. potentially the loss of six other soldiers. that's very important to consider but i also want to say, i want to disagree with stephen real quick, reverend. this case of bringing sergeant bergdahl to justice sends a message that we do not outsource american justice to our enemy overseas. we bring them home and we try them here. so no matter what the cause, no matter how difficult this might be to put forth this case -- and it will be -- justice will be served and it sends a very clear message to those in the military and out of the military that they must abide by uniform code of military justice. >> well, on that point, that is exactly what the president said upon the release of sergeant bergdahl. let me play this. >> we also made an iran clad commitment to bring our prisoners of war home.

it's a profound obligation of our military and today, at least in this instance it's a promise we've been able to keep. >> that's what the president said stephen, last year when the announcement was made when they found out he had in fact had been released due to that deal. has not that been fulfilled, whatever the outcome? >> there's a reason to send a message. that's clear. a message does need to be sent for multiple reasons. but as a practical matter what i think they are going to be concerned about is they are going to be focusing so much on sending a message. has anyone heard his story?

i mean, maybe the government would have already have come out and stated we want to see this case move quickly. i mean, you don't say that in a case when you're looking to get a lengthy sentence. >> patrick murphy bottom line the right thing that has happened? >> absolutely. this is the right call. justice will be served. it's a time to get him brought to justice and i am confident that a panel or jury will find him guilty of the crimes alleged. >> thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you, reverend. coming up president obama slams republicans for their partner's attempt to gut the safety net. we'll go live. but first, senator ted cruz

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you're going to love obamacare. there are so many benefits like covering pre-existing conditions. you won't have to worry about staying up all night with a nasty case of shutdown-itis. >> and that's something for me that is personal and real. >> help is on the way with obamacare. you'll finally get a cure for the contagious whacko bird flu senator mccain stuck you with. >> it should embarrass all of us. >> it sure ain't, senator. obamacare will even cover a visit to dr. seuss to cure you of that pesky green eczema. >> it ain't good. >> it does but obamacare can help. maybe you can even talk to a doctor about your persistent

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for a free 30-tablet trial go to cialis.com let me talk to you about retirement. a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. sure. you seem knowledgeable professional. i'm actually a dj. [ dance music plays ] woman: [laughs] no way! that really is you? if they're not a cfp pro you just don't know. cfp -- work with the highest standard. it's time for "conversation nation." joining me tonight, msnbc's abby huntsman political analyst jason johnson and live host alana. thank you all for being here tonight. >> thank you, rev. >> we start with breaking news. just minutes ago, house republicans passed a budget plan that slashes taxes for the rich

making drastic changes to the safety net and repeal obamacare. today, president obama tore into the plan as we marked the fifth anniversary of obamacare. >> for folks who are repealing the law, you've got to explain how kicking millions of families off their insurance is somehow going to make us more free. or why forcing millions of families off of the plan will make them more secure or why we should go back to the days that a pre-existing condition locked so many of us out of insurance. >> all day today, republicans took to the house floor claiming to help american families. >> our plan for tax reform is positive and robust and making sure that all americans budget.

that's what our budget does. we don't pick winners and losers. >> it's been estimated that if the obamacare recovery had mirrored the reagan recovery millions of more americans would be working today. >> let america begin to grow allow it to begin to prosper and that is what the republican budget. >> begin to grow? this plan is not about jobs. it's about priority. it includes $257 million in tax breaks. to pay for it they'd have to cut pell grants for college students by 75% for a decade and shut down school nutrition programs for 31 million children, also for a decade. this budget fight will reach the

senate tomorrow where it's already heating up. senator boxer will pull out a "politicsnation" trick to make her point. >> they hide defense spending in an off-budget account called oco? oh no. oco. they hide it but we've got their number as i think al sharpton says on his show we gotcha. we know what you are doing. >> we gotcha is right and this fight is not over. jason, this vote on the gop was close. what do you think of the plan? >> look this is another example of wasted government. they could have voted on one and then the other. it's going to have difficulty in the senate and the president is not going to sign anything that repeals obamacare. so it's frustrating to me as an american taxpayer that i have an

entity, the house of representatives, that will keep passing laws that will not go into effect. it's another example of the republicans wasting their time. >> but why do they keep wasting their time abby? are they trying to send a message to their base? why go through something that they know that is not going to be signed? >> it's a mix of all of that but, yes, the biggest reason sending a message to their base that this is what we're going to continue to fight on we're not going to let this go. ted cruz will not back down on obamacare. that's the real thing that sticks out in this. i think it's fine for both parties to disagree in terms of how we move forward on the economy. you have to find ways to move forward and as long as obamacare is in there, this plan is not going anywhere. republicans are now talking about speaking to the middle class. yes, rev, the economy is doing much better but the middle class is where many are still

struggling. how do they find that right message? is this a plan that's going to speak to the middle class? >> well yes, the middle class is still struggling and the poor is struggling even more. but is the republican plan something that will give any comfort or any light at the end of the tunnel to the middle class? >> no. i think that's the biggest problem with the republican plan here that it's not reality. we know that the rich don't need any more money at this point. they are getting by. in order for the greater economy to grow you need to have an ability to spend. >> you know, jason, with the whole nation talking about income inequality are they tone deaf to pass this kind of

legislation, even though it won't be signed they are giving tax braeaks to the rich and cutting pell grants that are important for middle class people? >> this is the conflict that we've been seeing with the republican party even during midterm last year. you had red states electing senators that will say i will never raise the minimum wage and then voters will passing minimum wage for the state. this is the problem. they candidate come up with an ideological consistency. american people want to go back to work, they want affordable health care and want their incomes to allow them to live a certain lifestyle. >> well that's the problem, they keep kicking the can further and further down the road and the question i have to speaker boehner, why time and time again we know the outcome of this why do you continue to let the budget pass when

obamacare is still in there? >> it's not letting the republican party look good. you're talking about repealing to certain factions of the base. they are divided which is why they had two different votes that they had to vote on. defense spending is what the party is battling over. >> let's turn the subject to dr. ben carson who announced a few weeks ago that he was forming a 2016 exploratory committee. gq says that while watching president obama's state of the union, an aid vicer to carson spoke about how elegant president obama looked. his response was "like most psychopaths, that's why they are successful. that's the way they look. they all look great."

abby since when is it okay to compare the president of the united states to a psychopath? is there any excusing this kind of talk? >> i guess when ben carson decided he wanted to run for president, either what he believes everything that he is saying or he really really wants to make headlines and be all the talk in the media. >> he's a smart guy. >> he is a smart guy and that's the thing about this i'm not sure what he's trying to get out of this thing. bottom lean bottom line he's a credible person. people don't know enough about him. they see him as a washington outsider. and maybe a smart guy but when he makes comments like that, i'm not sure how many people would want that. >> jason, there ought to be boundaries on where we talk. >> right. >> like carson is one that we've

heard a lot of outrageous stuff and he's smart and should be heard. but when we start doing these kinds of over-the-top name calling, don't you really take away from your message and potential to be viable politically? >> it doesn't make you a viable candidate. he should know the difference between a psychopath and socio path. i think he meant sociopath. the point is he shouldn't be making any of these comparisons. his entire foreign policy include as trip to israel recently, for a guy would has never been elected to office president obama will not be on the ballot next year that's an indication that you're not a serious candidate. maybe he's trying to get a speaking tour or something else like that in 2016 but this is a waste of time for anybody who actually thinks they can run the country. >> to the point of we're always complaining about washington insiders but there's a point here. he doesn't have political experience or foreign policy

experience. >> that's a problem. >> there's something that -- >> but alyona another point here is if you really believe in something, when you get to center stage, you leave the theatrics. i mean i ran for president. a lot of the things that you do to get to that stage, to get the attention, when you get to the stage, if you really believe in something, you leave the accesses and try to get the point across and when you don't, people say, maybe you don't believe in something. >> the tea party loves the theatrics and ben carson is not the first time that we've seen someone use extreme language like this to try to get the attention. you're right he definitely overstepped and shouldn't have this time around but i think there's some danger. as long as people are saying he's not a viable candidate, it doesn't mean that going down the line he won't maybe push other candidates to avoid some of the same kind of rhetoric. >> go for substance. you're better than that. everyone, stay with me. up next, we'll talk about the smash hit "empire" and the

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we're back with our panel. abby jason and aly ohona.

the success of new diverse shows like "empire," "blackish" and "how to get away with murder" means shows reflecting more on the audience. now an article on the "dateline" website is sparking a heated debate asking if the increase in ethnic casting and television is quote, about time or quote, much of a good thing. and claiming there would be fewer parts for white actors alyona, what's your response? >> i think this is ridiculous. i hear the world's tiniest violins for all of these white actors that don't feel that there's enough roles for them anymore. the reason these shows see more viewers on every single episodes that air is because they are good and they better reflect the audiences out there wanting to reflect them. >> jason? >> simple numbers.

50% -- over 50% of the u.s. population under 15 is black and brown. you have to have television to actually look like real people and the idea that -- the article would have been -- if it wasn't for the fact that any time there's a television show that isn't 99% white has to be a fluke. this is the future of television. no network will not survive if they don't have shows that the audience wants to watch. >> abby? >> this is the future of television. i'm a huge fan of all of the shows where we want to watch shows that reflect our lives, we want to be able to relate to these shows. people are upset about it. this is the direction that we're going in. >> abby jason and alyona thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you, rev. be sure to catch abby on "the cycle" right here on msnbc.

we'll be right back. the am. new aleve pm the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve.

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finally tonight, remember the successes and the sacrifices of the civil rights movement. 50 years ago today the historic charge from montgomery to selma came to an end at the steps of the state capitol. dr. martin luther king jr. delivered a powerful speech in front of 25,000 people a speech instantly recognized as a classic. >> i know you're asking today how long will it take? somebody's asking how long will presidents blind the vision of man? how long? not long.

because no lie can live forever. how long? not long. because you shall reap what you sew. how long? not long. >> how long? >> today, 50 years later, his daughter bernice king stood on those same steps and read her father's speech. moments later, she prayed with the current alabama governor and the daughter of former alabama governor george wallace, a testament to just how far we have come. today, we also must remember the sacrifices that paved the way, the passing by a civil rights icon. she was a mother of five who became disgusted with the violence she saw on tv against black protesters. she joined the march from selma to montgomery and near the end

of that march, she was shot and killed by the kkk. dr. king attended her funeral five days later. louise was the only white woman to lose her life working for that civil rights movement. her life and death showed that all americans had a stake in moving america forward. next month, her daughter will be a guest at my national action network convention receiving an award on behalf of her mother because as we struggle with continued inequality as we struggle with continued challenges of civil rights yes, it's hard yes, we're going to be castigated and criticized yes, there will be disagreements, but it's nowhere near as hard as it was for jimmy lee jackson and viola louise who paid a price so we are where we are and we have a much less painful price but a hard price to pay to keep it going.

thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. cruise missile. let's play "hardball." ♪ good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. isn't this what the republicans were afraid of? isn't this why they were keeping from being ideological street theater, no more talk about evolution and legitimate rape and stuff that scares people? well what will happen by having that sword swallowing ted cruz in the mix sometime? does anyone think he'll be there debating the nuance of trade policy or corporate tax rates? this is a hard right roller derby with cruise working the division.