was i expected this kind of backlash? heavens no. >> tonight, indiana abdication. >> i could have handled that better this weekend. later, deadline day. >> it won't be reached today. plus the oil connection. >> iran is one of opec's largest producers. and the left's quest for a candidate. >> no. i'm not running and i'm not going to run. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. we start with breaking news. people in indiana, they're not alone. within the last hour the state of arkansas has passed their own religious freedom restoration bill. the bill now heads to the governor's desk and we'll bring you any developments from arkansas on this one. so the people in indiana, how are they reacting? they're calling for a full repeal of mike pence's religious

freedom law. >> the religious freedom restoration act was about religious liberty, not about discrimination discrimination. as i said last week, had this law been about legalized discrimination, i would have vetoed it. this law does not give anyone a license to disdiscriminate. >> the wlajlanguage in the law does provide the opportunity to discriminate. pence said he wants the state legislature to fix the law. >> i would like to see on my desk before the end of this week legislation that is added to the religious freedom restoration act in indiana that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses the right to deny services to anyone. i believe this is a

clarification, but it is also a fix. it is a fix of a bill through mischaracterization and confusion has been misunderstood. >> pence had very little details on the future fix. >> what would the legislation say? >> that's still under discussion and consideration, but that's the direction. >> he doesn't know how to fix it. pence doesn't know how to fix this because this isn't in his culture as i have stated before. let me show you what is in his culture and in his background. let's go back to 2000. pence's campaign website said this. congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexuals as a discreet and insular minority entitled to the protection of anti-discrimination laws similar to those extended to women and

ethnic minorities. how clearer can it be folks? this whole thing comes from mike pence's heart. this is what he believes. this man is a homophobe. he believes there should be discrimination and they should extend the law to businesses organizations, and corporations based on what their religious beliefs may guide them. i just find this amazing. this man is more concerned with the spin than he is the consequence. now this law right now in indiana, it needs to be rewritten so religious organizations and businesses are not classified as persons. we're back to the mitt romney campaign days aren't we? pence answered the question today that he refused to answer six times on sunday. >> i would like to ask you again under this law as it is written, is it legal for a florist to

deny services to a same sex couple citing religious belief? >> this law does not give businesses the right to deny services against gay and lesbian couples. i could have handled it better this weekend. >> it's all about the spin and the sound and the presentation but what is the law? the law clearly opens the door for discrimination. but this is the platform of the right wing in this country, discrimination. they've never ever embraced homosexuals and lesbians and the lgbt community in this country and they never will. there's no doubt pence is reeling. he doesn't know where he stands on any of this right now. he doesn't know what to do. he's politically trapped. indiana democrats, they're not buying any of it. earlier today they called for what there should be a full

repeal of the law. pence's comments have not calmed the storm at all. 17 businesses and sports organizations have come out in opposition to the law. two businesses they have taken meaningful action. the biggest hit came from angie's list. we're not going to do business here. they pulled a job project from the state of indiana. nick offerman has cancelled a comedy show in may. it's just getting worse. presidential hopefuls on the republican side, they're speaking out in favor of their buddy pence. we're talking jeb bush ted cruz rick perry, bobby jindal ben carson. they're all lining up in support of the indiana law. marco rubio said religious free freedom laws do make sense,

whatever that means. a similar situation is playing out in the state of north dakota. under current law, north dakota law, it is legal, that would be l-e-g-a-l,to discrimination on sexual orientation. they can be fired from a job or denied service at a store. the earlier today, the state house human services committee voted not to endorse the bill to keep the law the way it is. the fight is far from over. democratic lawmakers in the state are working to get more support for the final vote later this week. if it passes all the pressure is going to be put on a republican governor. similar bills in the past pass

pass -- get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think tonight's question -- are we peeling the scab off the republican party again? the question tonight -- does mike pence need to clarify the way he feels about gay and lesbian americans? text "a" for yes. text "b" for no. we'll bring you the results later on in the show. it was on his website for his 2008 campaign. for me let me bring in ed delanie, ryan anderson, and robert katz. gentlemen, i appreciate the conversation. thanks for being with us tonight. representative delanie, i'll start with you. what are the chances of a full

repeal of this bill and starting over? what about that? >> the chances are nil. this governor will not allow his prize bill to be repealed. that won't happen. instead on thursday we'll have an instantaneous vote on a fig leaf. we may have the lyrics of koumbaya added to it. >> they're not going to repeal it. that's your gut check right now? >> yes, sir. >> if the state won't repeal what kind of words are going to be used for this clarification that we keep hearing about? what about words like forbid or mandate instead of clarify? how strong do you think this

will be? >> on sunday my governor went on television and refused to answer questions that it is not on his agenda to protect lgbt people's rights. >> how does this law open the way for discrimination? i would imagine you take the position that the governor is doing the right thing. >> of course he is. this law doesn't open the door for discrimination. it's been on the books governing federal courts for 20 years. >> hold it. that's not true. >> it is true. >> it does not have the definition of person connected to a corporation, would you agree? >> it does. >> the supreme court held just last term that the definition of person in the federal rfra includes corporate persons.

most charities are corporations. the the federal dictionary act, which governors what federal terms mean under the term person it includes corporate persons and there's no reason why you would think if you're a corporate forum, you can't exercise religion. >> mr. ryan you're not a corporation. you're a human being. now you may work for a corporation, but the rights of you far exceed that of a corporation and this right now, if you connect the two, opens the door for blatant discrimination. >> that's not true. that's not true. hold up. >> no it is true. >> organizations do have rights. "the new york times" has free press rights. in the same way msnbc has rights as a journalistic organization.

people who form organizations also have their religious liberty rights protected. this is the law for the whole federal government and 30 states. >> we're down to the fundamentals. if a gay couple walks into a restaurant and i own it you're telling me in indiana if i own that restaurant i can tell them to get out of here and you don't think that's discrimination. that's not the position of the right wing? >> please point to names who say restaurant owners should be kicking gay and lesbian people out of restaurants. >> that was the very question that was put to your governor and he denied answering it. >> wait wait. you just kept slandering the governor. the question george stephanopoulos put to the governor was much more precise than you'rers. >> you're not going to let me

filibuster. you just slandered the governor. >> cut his mic off. we'll bring him back if he wants to be courteous. >> mr. katz, i want your take on this. where is the flaw if there is one in this law? >> i don't think the text of this law is what's most interesting here. it's the context and the timing. most of the other rfras was enacted before same-sex marriage was realized. this was law was enacted some months after same-sex marriage was legalized in indiana. i think the law is unnecessary because i think indiana law was already very protective of religious rights. i think what's going on here is the state government is using this statute to communicate to

people with profound religious objections to same-sex marriage that they are okay that they're not bigots. they're not going to infuse the entire space. >> i would like to get your response to that represent delay delaney. >> the notion that a corporation has a faith is stunning to me. the governor didn't read the press releases from the people who supported the bill. go look under advance america. they were the ones who lobbied for it. they're the ones in the photograph with him. they want to discriminate against people. they showed up at the signing in which the public wasn't allowed. he gives no explanation for this bill. there is an explanation. the public and the world has caught on. >> i want to bring back mr.

anderson again. if the governor is so correct on this and if you're so correct, why are so many businesses responding the way they are and leaving indiana, threatening to not do any business in your state? the list is rather lengthy. are they wrong? >> yes, they are. they want to run their businesses in accordance with their values. they're boycotting a state that has tried to protect the freedom of religious schools and charities and businesses to run them in accordance with their views. >> tim cook at apple is wrong? >> yes. i wrote an article about this yesterday. tim cook is boycotting the state of indiana. he has also said certain christian apps can't be on the iphone. >> we have angie's list.

we have the nfl and the ncaa. we have a whole bunch of people not understanding what is going on in the state of indiana. >> we have big business that is throwing small family businesses under the bus. we want rights for ourselves that we're not going to run with other people. they get to run their businesses in accordance with their beliefs. why can't a mom and pop shop run a business in accordance with their beliefs? if there is anyone who is intolerant it's the left. you called a governor a homophobe. >> in my opinion, he is. >> that's name calling. >> i don't care what it is. the bottom line is you can go to his website in 2000 and you can see exactly what he wrote on his website when he ran for office in 2000 and if you don't think that's discrimination --

>> it's not discrimination. to think marriage should be between a man and a woman is not discrimination. >> i appreciate your time tonight. remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of your screen and share your thoughts with us on twitter. you can get my video podcast on this subject. we're less than an hour from the nuclear deal deadline. ann curry joins us live from switzerland. the buzz on elizabeth warren. hillary clinton and a liberal push for a candidate. stay with us. we're right back on "the ed show." le i want. i could choose you... or i could choose her if i like her more. and i do. oh, the silent treatment. real mature.

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welcome back to "the ed show." there are new developments in the iran nuclear talks. the state department said there was enough progress in the last few days to merit an extension for a deal. it's official. diplomats in switzerland will be back for another round of iran nuclear negotiations tomorrow. at this point, it is unclear if secretary of state john kerry will successfully walk away with a deal. steve handelsman has the latest. >> reporter: as midnight approached in switzerland, the iranians and the americans and the others agreed to keep talking with still no nuclear agreement in writing. >> if we are making progress toward the finish line we should keep going. >> reporter: it may look like failure for secretary of state kerry, but many many washington are pleased. >> we're doing well. this is tough stuff. >> reporter: even though the iranians have not agreed to give

up their uranium or agreed to a ten-year deal, they have agreed verbally to take most of their bomb making gear offline. >> we're going to slash the iran program and freeze it and lock a camera on it. >> reporter: so this is a win for the u.s.? >> this is a major win for u.s. national security. >> reporter: with the deadline now june 30th president obama will push to get sanctions in place. >> iran is only at the table because of the sanctions. >> reporter: some in congress want sanctions toughened. >> they have to come up with something from switzerland or will be a move for more sanctions. >> reporter: president obama will veto any move by congress that could jeopardize the talks. >> how confident are negotiators

that this is heading in the right direction and there is substance to all this? >> good evening. it's interesting you ask me that question at this very moment because just a short time ago we heard from not just the united states and british negotiators and iran negotiators that significant progress has been made in recent hours. the words people are using are upbeat and hopeful. i think it's fair to say they believe not only do they see the finish line but that they will cross it. >> what are the main onbstacles at this point standing in the way of finalizing a deal? what is the biggest hurdle as you see? >> we have heard some of them as outlined by steve handelsman but essentially what they seem to be -- and this is based on

information from multiple sources collecting all that information and a lot of that information is off the record because they're not really allowed to talk publicly in most cases, but what seems to be the hurdles is the research and development capability from iran from years '11 to '15. from years 0' to '10, that's resolved. another big issue for the iranians, especially is what to do about u.n. sanctions. now there has already been a deal. we feel pretty strongly that we have this -- we can say this categorically because this comes from so many sources but there seems to be nailed down a deal on sanctions, u.s. sanctions and

other international sanctions. it would be a quid pro quo kind of deal. in other words, iran would have to do "x" and then this particular sanction would be a reversed or be rolled back and that would happen over the course of many years to get through all those sanctions. what is still not resolved in terms of the sanctions for iran is what to do about the u.n. sanctions. that's a very big deal for iran because they want those sanctioned rolled back because it would say to the world they would no longer be an outlier in the international community. >> thank you so much for joining us. admiral, good to have you with us tonight. what do you make of the latest news? your first take on it? >> i hope we are going to be successful. another day or two to try to get

to this agreement is well worth our security. we already had iran one year ago within one month of having a nuclear device. they have already been set back from one year because we degraded their uranium and destroyed the centrifuges that they needed to get back up there. if we can solidify that and this research and development issue if we can do these types of things our security is so much better because the only other option is war and this conflict would be a tough one. we can do it but it would be very challenging. >> admiral with us tonight who is running for the senate in the pennsylvania who spent 30 years in the military in navy intelligence. what do you make of the piecemeal effort here? if iran does "x," the world

would do "y"? is this really the carrot and stick going to work? >> this is exactly how it should be. iran wanted all the sanctions to be off the table immediately. no way. negotiations should hurt. those sanctions will be lifted only when they adhere to an agreement. we want tv eyes right there day in and day out with surprise inspections to make sure just like president reagan did with the soviet union when he did the talks on nuclear arms trust but verify. i think if we are successful at this, that we will have an israel and united states of america with our troops in that persian gulf so much more secure. as i said before our militaries can stop a problem. we can't fix it. we can strike them.

but in a study i was involved with we can only stop it for four years if we stroikike their nuclear facilities. >> looking at this the opposition to these negotiations obviously is more sanctions will really strangle the iranians to the point where they're going to have to capitulate in negotiation. that's the big conversation that's going on in washington right now. as you see it is there a time when the united states would walk away from the table or are we just never going to walk away from the table and iran is going to be able to play this to the very end as long as they can? your thoughts? >> we must walk away from the table. if we're not able to make sure that their uranium and their plutonium is so degraded or shipped out of the country with verifiable means that it is locked in and second they're not able to have the fabrication

of centrifuges -- once again, the ones we destroyed -- to enrich that uranium once more and third to make sure in the final years of an agreement they can't speed up research to get into a new type of development, no. we must walk away if that is not locked in. >> great to have you with us tonight. >> thank you. next we're going to dig into the nuclear deal what it is really all about. the global economy, what iran needs, and that's oil production. they're a big player. plus elizabeth warren on hillary clinton in the 2016 race. we're right back on "the ed show." stay with us. why combine performance with a conscience? why innovate for a future without accidents? why do any of it? why do all of it? because if it matters to you it's everything to us. the xc60 crossover. from volvo.

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♪ 19 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. and now angie's list... is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule... ...services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our angies list app. visit angieslist.com today. welcome back to "the ed show." one issue which is largely overlooked in the media coverage of the iran nuclear talks is oil. oil is a huge part of the stability in iran.

the world oil markets are paying close attention. we have more. >> reporter: it's all about iran at the moment when it comes to oil. with the deadline for a nuclear deal looming large, oil traders think at least a framework will be reached to clear a path forward. that's because iran is one of opec's largest producer with break evens for the country reported at over $100 a barrel u.s. imposed sanctions are hitting the country where it hurts. >> the iransians subsidized a lot of things in that country. they're not able to do that if they're not selling the oil. they can barely fund things that they need to do infrastructure projects things like that. definitely the last two years of sanctions have hurt them greatly. >> reporter: but a nuclear deal could lead to sanctions willing lifted. that could lead to the decline

we have already seen in oil prices. more iranian oil would already add to an already oversupplied market. >> the saudis have to deal iranian oil coming back immediately because that's what the iranians want. if there is no nuclear deal than the saudis have to worry about the iranians getting a bomb and that really ups mistrust, the distrust and the geopolitical problems in the middle east. i'm sure the saudis don't want another 100 million barrels on an already oversaturated market. last week the eia said the level of crude in storage remained at an 80-year high for the 11th consecutive week.

it appears the crude conundrun nrksn continues. >> we turn to a senior policy adviser. bart, good to have you back with us tonight. the nuclear deal let's say that there is a deal. sanctions are lifted. more iranian oil thrown on the market. i mean where does the oil market go? how low do you think prices could actually go if there's a deal? >> ed the experts that i listen to tell me it could do down into the 20s, which for most of your viewers, you think, that will help me out on gas prices and it would. currently the average price of gas is 2.42 a gallon. oil, which as you know is up

$117 a barrel last summer. it is $47.47 just a little bit ago. it could have a big impact all this added increase if the sanctions are lifted with iranian oil. >> so oil prices could really drop further if there's a deal and if that happens, where does that leave the saudis. they're in the oil business as big as anybody. >> oil is really a global commodity now. the russians and the u.s. we produce about 9.6 million barrels a day. and venezuela by the way. the international energy agency says that 93 million barrels are produced -- are needed a day. we produce 94 million a day. iran alone produces 1.2, but in

the past ed they have produced 4 million. that's a lot of numbers, but the point is with the sanctions willing lifted, iran actually could even further flood the oil markets. there's a lot of surplus out there today. >> they could. and that's what they want to do because they need money to run their country, their society, and of course their infrastructure. it was well documented in that story. their society, their people, need this nuclear deal to have a better country and to be better funded, but that of course is going to effect the world market and the supply and demand. it's really an amazeing dichotomy that's playing out here. >> yeah. >> appreciate your time tonight. thank you. coming up elizabeth warren says she will not run. rapid response panel is next. stay with us. we're right back on "the ed show." stocks sell off at the

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and we are back. senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts isn't budging on a presidential run. >> i'm not running and i'm not going to run. i'm in washington. i've got this really great job and a chance to try to make a difference on things that really

matter. >> warren doubled down on her pledge to stay out of the race. despite the progressive push senator warren will leave the field wide open for hillary clinton. one contender is taking aim. >> we need a president who is on our side. a president who's willing to take on powerful wealthy special interests. >> and hillary clinton is not the candidate to take on those powerful special interests? >> i don't know. i don't know where she stands. let's be honest here. the president of the united states is not some crown to be passed between two families. >> martin o'malley wants to challenge clinton, but he needs voters to learn his name first. he's struggling for reckognition in a sea of voters ready to support hillary. what does she have? the resources, the resume.

maybe we should ask this. what doesn't she have? the longer hillary clinton waits, the stronger she gets. i want to talk more about this with our rapid response panel. lanny davis. mr. davis is a long-time friend of hillary clinton but is not officially speaking for her. also with us tonight mercedes schlapp. lanny, what's the strategy here? patience seems to be the policy. when's this going to happen? >> i don't have any inside knowledge. i wish i did, but i suspect it will be sooner rather than later. i think we're all ready for hillary and now it is time for hillary to be ready for hillary. it's sooner rather than later,

but that's just my guess. >> governor o'malley said i don't know where she stands. when i think about that we haven't heard what hillary's economic platform is in eight years. the issues are different. where does she stand on the trade and the tpp and fast track? how aggressive is she going to be on the environment? is there a possibility that the democrats won't have a fully vetted candidate, and i know we have known her for 30-something years, but the issues are different now. >> governor o'malley is my governor. i supported him twice. she voted over and over again in the united states senate for a term and a half before she became secretary of state taking positions in favor of raising the minimum wage and supports

dodd-frank. he knows she is a progressive. that's why he has supported her. >> what does that mean that elizabeth warren isn't going to run? what does that do to the democratic competition as you see it from a republican standpoint? >> there is no democratic competition. she's going to have all the resources she needs. she raise $9 million and that's pennies for her in 2014. 62% of democrats support hillary clinton. her problem, her challenge, is going to be herself. the quieter that she is the less news she makes, which actually helps build this aura around her about being the first woman president, once she starts stepping more in the limelight, that's going to be the key if she's going to be able to bring

that liberal base to support her, those people that are really antsy and really wanting elizabeth warren to run. >> what about that? will the liberal base be there for hillary? >> she comes from that base but she also has worked with republicans and in the senate was very effective as a senator that could work with the other side of the aisle. i'm very amused about my compatriot here on the republican side being so concerned about hillary clinton. why are the republicans so preoccupied with hillary clinton with attacking and attacking when they still don't have a single idea how to get universal health care in this country? their ideas are lacking, so all they know how to do is attack attack. i hope they stay on that course.

we'll have hillary clinton as our next president if they do. >> mercedes, what about that? >> republicans need to have their own solutions when it comes to a variety of issues which as we're going to see in this 2016 race there's going to be a lot of these candidates that are going to be coming up with these very different policies than what we're currently seeing under president obama. the interesting point will be again who is going to be able to build this broader coalition of independents, women, and hispanic voters on the republican side. hillary's advantage is she's the sole person running. there's not going to be that debate within the democratic party. plus one big issue for hillary will be can the american people trust hillary. those are going to be questions that she's going to need to answer. >> well the foundation money has done a lot of good things

for a lot of people. that would be a tough area for republicans to criticize her in. but i have a confession. you mentioned universal health care. if hillary clinton is for universal health care, i'm buying a ticket to get on that band bandwagon, because that's where we've got to go. coming up, iraqi forces have taken back the city of tikrit. story ahead. stay with us.

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isis is handed a huge defeat. we'll tell you about it, next.

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finally tonight, official say iraqi forces have taken back the city of tikrit. tikrit has been under control of isis since last june. operations to retake the hometown of former president saddam hussein started on march 2nd. earlier today the iraqi prime minister said on state tv joint forces recaptured the city. the push into tikrit comes days after a series of u.s.-led air strikes targeted isis-controlled spots around the city. joining mess steve clemmons editor atlarge with "the atlantic" and steve bouchie, and

at the heritage foundation. let me ask you first, is this a turn of events? how would you characterize this? how big is this in the fight against isis? >> it's an important step. i wouldn't say it's turned any great corners. if you're going to liberate mosul, you have to go through tikrit first. it's a great first step. hopefully it would prove to work itself out, but there's still a lot of iffyness about this. steve clemmons is this a sign the strategy is working, that coalition forces can defeat isis? >> well no it's not. this is basically showing that the underlying tensions between the abbadi government which depended on iranian support and shyite militias were unable to bring any sunni forces and sunni young men en masse into

that fight. they remain skeptical. mosul is untakable without the sunni participation. if this was a staging ground for mosul, while it may look good today, it ultimately is a failure, because the broader equation has not yet been put together to bring that country back together. mr. bucci, your thoughts on what the united states needs to do at this point. >> well the united states needs to do more than just provide air support. they need to help the iraqi government do exactly what my colleague just said. they've got to get the sunnis involved. they can't do this with just the shia militias who are all advised by qods force commandos. we should have our special operators in with some of these iraqi units to try to help because we're just not there yet. >> well, is that what the american people want?

is that -- whether it's popular or not, just something that absolutely has to be done? >> i think we're seeing a shift in the public opinion, and frankly putting our special operators in there, it's not exactly like deploying marine battalions and regiments. those guys are not really boots on the ground. that's their job to go work with our militaries. i think there would be support for that. >> what about that steve? is public opinion turning on this? >> i don't know if public opinion is turning, but there's a step before i think the injection of troops. i understand where steven is coming from but right now the abbadi government in baghdad is blocking the arming of the sunni tribes. they have had asked for support and european support. they said they would fight with us against isis. our administration, the obama administration has said we won't allow an arming of them without baghdad approving, right now

baghdad is still overwhelmingly dominated by shiites who don't trust the sunnis. there's a step before that steve talks about, removing that blockage and telling back dad they must allow arming of sunni allies or mosul won't work. >> mr. bucci, how is this our fight? i'd like your thoughts on how is this our fight? i think that's where a lot of americans are right now. >> well it's not our fight in that isis is about to come over the beaches into america, but we have interests in the region. we have allies in the region. isis has said we're going to come after you no matter where you are in the world. we need to deal with this hopefully in conjunction with allies and friends, not just ourselves, but if we're going to continue to be a global power, this is where the problem is right now. >> all right. steve clemons, steve bucci, i

previous it. "politics nation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening, rev. \s. good evening, and thanks to you for tuning in. we start tonight with breaking news. indiana republican governor backing down in the fight over his state's discriminatory religious freedom law. >> i've come to the conclusion it would be helpful to move legislation this week that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses a right to deny services to anyone. i'd like to see on my desk before the end of this week legislation that is added to the religious freedom restoration act in indiana that makes it clear this law does not allow refusing services to anyone. he refused to say it would