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good morning, i'm melissa harris-perry harris-perry. in the beginning, there were three words, we the people. those three words opening the preamble of our constitution our commitment to popular governance. this nation is our nation we the people that's our foundation, the beginning. now in 2011, the obama administration took it back to the old school. with we the people a website that that allowed americans to grieve online. if you could get enough people to sign on to your petition the white house promised a response from the administration. while the administration claims that some of the more serious petitions have provoked government action the site has been an exercise in engagement rather than a tool to provoke meaningful policy change until

now. because this week one petition with more than 120,000 signatures prompted a response that could change the lives of many more of the nation's most vulnerable people. it called for a ban on conversion therapy, a largely discredited practice that attempts to change the sexual orientation of lgbt people. the petition was inspired by the transgender teen who took her own life to attend conversion therapy therapy. on wednesday president obama's senior adviser wrote the white house's official response to the petition written in her name. as part of our dedication, this administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors. yesterday the surgeon general doubled down on the white house's message saying "being gay is not a disorder. being transgender is not a malady that requires a cure.

had i been her physician, i would have told her exactly that and that's the message i want other doctors and health professionals and leaders to help get out to parents and children who may be confronting these issues. california, new jersey and the district of clumolumbia already have laws banning professionals from providing the therapy to young people. now according to "the new york times," president obama is putting the power of the the executive office behind activists campaigning for bans in other states. professionals largely banned conversion therapy voted back in 1973 to remove homosexuality, basically the medical professions. but long after secular use of the practice was invalidated, it continued among conservatives who maintained the belief in the possibility of changing sexual orientation. all the nation's leading professional medical organizations have denounced

conversion therapy as unnecessary, ineffective and even harmful. in 2009 the psychological association released a comprehensive review of the practice in which it concluded attempts to change sexual orientation may cause or exacerbate stress and poor mental health in some individuals, including depression and suicidal thoughts. in 2013 conversion therapy lost one of its most visible ed a vo advocates when the largest and most well known proponent of the practice announced it was shutting down. the announcement came along with an apology from the president of the company for the shame and trauma caused by the organization for nearly 40 years. still despite the fact that conversion therapy has been discredited and deemed unsafe it continues in the vast majority of states where it is still legal. which means there's still room for the government to respond to the final requests before she died. my death needs to mean something. my death needs to be counted in

the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. i want someone to look at that number and say, that's f-ed up and fix it. fix society, please. joining me now is samuel brenton and adviser to the born perfect campaign. chris hernandez, an lgbt advocate who went through conversion therapy. thanks to you all for being here. so let me start with you. part of the description of you is that you are a conversion therapy survivor. talk to me about -- that's usually language we talk about trauma. talk about the kaubtraub ma caused by this therapy. >> absolutely. we go through a series of different dangerous and discredited practices, sometimes in the church basement where a pastor tells us that we can pray u the gay away. sometimes it's a parent saying if we act more like a man, we'll

be a better person. sometimes it's like my experience where you're sitting on a couch in a therapist's office and tell inging you these horrible things about how god hates you, how you need to change about all of these terrible trauma. spaces and then they also get into aversion therapies where they put your hands in ice associating those with pain and pictures. they can put electric shocks to try to change who you truly are. >> the idea that that is happening to minors and often happening to minors whose parents presumably loving parents, are submitting them to this and this belief they are fixing them. and often because of religious belief, talk to me a a little bit about that. >> i feel like when it comes to religious belief we need to think about perspective a little bit. when i come from a christian

background and think about things like sin, that's a big thing thing. christians associate homosexuality with sinful behavior. this whole idea that jesus saves you from your sins but when it come os to parents, sin is a real thing and hell is a real thing. if you're -- i went through -- sorry, some people when i went through conversion therapy and went to a christian college, someone who was a proponent for international said it's like having someone drive off a cliff. before they drive off a cliff, you say don't drive off the cliff. and when you're sitting there and listening, you're like yeah i don't want to drive off a cliff. the whole idea of hell is real. when you're a parent and think about death and where you're going, a child is growing up i feel like their ideas of sin and

hell really make them go i need to save my child. >> and the depth of that for me is, i think, part of why it is extraordinary that this is a response of the government to a petition in relation to the death of a young woman who is writing my death needs to mean something. everything you're talking about here is turned on its head and you can end up with the american people, in this case, actually holding the government accountable for addressing this. >> this is in a positive way where we can see her death can mean something. chris and sam and i were talking before the show began where we can think of this as an opportunity for both democrats and republicans to actually come together. so instead of thinking about it initially as the republicans need to get it together democrats are lead inging the charge, on a local, state and national level, this is an opportunity.

2016 is around the corner. i think as a society all of us can hold all our elected officials accountable on multiple levels of government. >> we saw it as a matter of policy in what happened around the sort of legal to discriminate discourse that we have heard over the past couple weeks. this feels like the other piece of it, the human aspect of it. i was at the university of north carolina in charlotte and within the week that i had been there, there was a young transman activist who committed suicide. the level of pain and agony in that community for the loss of blake was pretty extraordinary. >> i think the thing we have to recognize is these stories are happening every single day. i'm a survivor i talk to many other survivors. the stories are continuous. there's always seeming to be someone who because their family

rejects them feels there's no other option. people sometimes say, well, these are kids are choosing to go through these experiences. no one chooses to go through this type of trauma other than there's no other spaces for them to turn. we're watching students die at extraordinary rates and then when that happens, those of us who are left behind look at each other, well, if they couldn't make it, maybe i can't either. we have to remember there are organizations out there working to make sure they know you're not alone. we're here and we're fighting for you. >> what would be the one thing you would say to a young person right now who may be submitting to conversion therapy? >> i guess i would just say, you know for me i started conversion therapy around 2009. i'm young, i'm 25. being gay is acceptable. we're so much farther ahead today than we were there. facebook just started around

2008. so it's like i feel like a lot of things we're doing with it gets better campaigns and saying it gets better. >> to give an alternate message that you can survive, you're not alone and that it can get better. thank you to sam and chris. crist christina is going to stick around. up next, president obama follows in the history making foot steps of teddy roosevelt. 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. when it comes to good nutrition...i'm no expert. that would be my daughter -- hi dad. she's a dietitian. and back when i wasn't eating right, she got me drinking boost. it's got

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almost 100 years ago president roosevelt became the first sitting u.s. president to take a trip outside the united states. he went to panama to check in on the construction of the panama canal. that's him in the white suit with the steam shovel. today president obama is in panama making history again.

the president will meet with the cuban president during the summit of the americas. it will be the first time in almost 60 years that the leaders of the two countries just 90 miles apart will meet face to face for a discussion. the anticipation of the meeting is clear. last night at a dinner for the gathered leaders, the two presidents were swarmed by photographers as they greeted each other. but the real meeting is expected some time today. it's the first time that the heads of state of all 35 north and south american countries are there. the united states had blocked cuba from participate inging saying the meeting was only for democratically elected heads of state. but now the obama administration is determined to e rebuild u.s. relations with cuba, an effort that was publicly announced in december when president obama said he would reestablish diplomatic ties and loosen rules restricting travel and trade between the u.s. and cuba. the summit happening right now

is the first time the world is seeing this new relationship on a public stage. and joining me live from panama is senior white house correspondent chris jansing. so they shook hands, what happens next? do we still have chris? what happens next now that they have finally met and shaken hands? i think we don't have sound so i'm going to come back to the table. let me say that joining me here in the studio in new york is john gutierrez, assistant professor of latin american studies. and chris sabbatini. and still with us is christina greer. do you think the meeting between the president is largely symbolic or do you expect it to

be substantiative? >> i think it's real. another bit of coincidence. so a sense that was in the '50s. so 50 years where cuba has been isolated. . this resets not just our relationship with cuba but with the rest of the region and the world. our embargo when it comes up for a vote only two countries vote in favor of it. the united states and israel. it's an unpopular policy. even in the united states over 70% of united states citizens are against the embargo. >> the other piece is this designation of cuba on the list of state sponsors of terror. now this attempt to have them removed. how important is that? what does it mean? >> it's a big deal to remove them from the list. it's big for the cubans because it opens up avenues for trade with the the united states. i think the challenge for

president obama is that there are a number of cases where there are questions about the cuban government's support for regimes. last year there was a ship laiden with cargo, military cargo from north korea that was stopped after making a pit stop in havana. so there are some questions about the relationship with regimes that makes it a little difficult for president obama to very easily remove them from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. >> 59% of americans supporting diplomatic relationships. this idea that it's more strongly supported in cuba itself where 97% of cubans saying it's a good idea to thaw these relationships. >> so many cubans see how communism is operating in the shadow of capitalism. people have been traveling to

cuba from across the globe. a quick jaunt to jamaica. so they understand what's going on politically, but they understand the economic benefits of loosening this relationship. i think it is more than symbolic that this particular president is meeting in the gateway to the americas to actually begin this conversation. it's going to be more complex because we have the people who have left the united states for a host of reasons and have found solitude with the cuban people and cuban government. >> cuba is not giving it back. >> that may be the 21st century gonzales. >> they said jersey is going to have to wait. i want to go to our senior white house correspondent chris jansing. give us a report from the ground there. >> reporter: well, i can tell you, and i think you touched on this that the tough part is now.

the decision was made in december that the two leaders came to this understanding that they were going to move forward on normalization of relations, but they have been working on both sides since then to try to figure out exactly what that means, what that translates to. one that you mentioned is removing cuba from the list of state sponsors of terror. that opens economic opportunities for them, a lot of countries that didn't want to to do business with them as a result of that. it also paves the way for the opening of embassies. that's the visualization of diplomatic relations. the normalization, the broader picture is going to be a lot more difficult and these conversations that have been going on on the staff level include everything from the policy that allows cuban who sets foot on american soil to stay for at least a year something cuba doesn't like to a whole range of issues. this is really just sort of the big symbolic historic moment that sets the stage for moving

forward. >> senior white house correspondent chris jansing in panama thanks for rejoining us there. let me ask another question. on the one hand, it's great. to reopen the relationships. but. i worry about american tourists and how we can be a plague. i wonder if there's a downside to our economic ties opening up with cuba for cuba. >> for me let me take the opposite position here, which is that i think we have to stop fetishizing the cuba of old cars and run down architecture. cubans are entitled to a good standard of living. that may mean having a home depot in cuba. and i think we need to respect that. so before we worry so much about whether or not the arrival of american capitalism changes something in cuba i think we need to recognize that cubans

have for 50 years been denied many of the basics of modern life. >> i hear you, but there's still this cultural clash that can exist. >> first of all, the thought of u.s. college spring breakers heading to cuba gives me the hee bee gee bees. i understand john's point, but it will boil down to is the ability to regulate foreign investment. it's a why it's important this happens now. you have a former president, raul is 83 and all their people are still in power. they are not going to be there much longer. they have to start to institutionalize in ways that prevenlt prevenlt prevents it from turning into some sections of jersey and other places. >> the president did say that the times when the united states

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the xc60 crossover. from volvo. lease the well equiped volvo xc60 today. visit your local volvo showroom for details. imagine that everything about your life is about to change. you're going to get on a plane, fly to a country where you do not speak the language where you have no family, don't know anyone, have no job prospects at all. now imagine you can never come back. that is the fate that may meet adam any day now. in 1979 at the age of 3, he and his sister arrived in the united states as korean adopt dees. they were placed in a home where they were beaten viciously. adam and his sister were abandoned six years later when the adoptive parents relinquished them to the state. he was separated from his sister

and placeed with a new family in oregon. there he describes experiencing heinous sadistic abuse until 1991 when his oregon parents were charged with 34 counts of rape and criminal mistreatment of their foster children. both were convicted on several counts with the foster even found guilty of sexual abuse. but he served only 90 days in prison. when adam was 16, he was kicked out of the house and began life on his own. he was forced to sleep in homeless shelters and in his car. he contemplated suicide. one day he returned to his adoptive parent's house to retrieve his only belongings from korea. his rubber shoes and korean language bible. he was arrested and pled guilty to burglary. he served 25 months in prison for break ging into what had been his own home, 25 months. remember the father convicted o of sexual abuse only served 90 days. those 25 months would become. the first of a series of criminal convictions including

unlawful firearm possession and assault. in 2001 adam was off parole turning his life around. he's a 40-year-old married father of three with another baby on the way next month. in an interview, adam said i did thing things the best that i could and i made a lot of mistakes. having survived a disrupted adoption, horrific abuse, jail time adam is now facing what may prove the most difficult challenge of his life. being forced to leave the only country he knows. adam, who came to the united states as a toddler, could be deported because neither family nor the adoption agency that brokered his arrival filed the pap paperwork for his green. card or u.s. citizenship. when he asked his parents for adoption parents or birth certificate, he was repeatedly denied. in february adam vefreceived a visit from the immigration and customs enforcement officers. the agency was opening

deportation proceedings that could send him to south korea, a country to which he has no ties no resource and whose language and culture are unknown to him. his criminal convictions make him vulnerable to deportation under current immigration law and he recently told "the new york times" i was told to be an american. i tried to fit in. i was told to stop crying about my mom and sister in korea. i was told to be happy because i was an american. his court date is june 18th. until then his life is in limbo and he joins me, next. utritious wheat... and one of delicious sweet. to satisfy the adult.... and kid - in all of us. (supergrass' "alright") plays throughout ♪ ♪ ♪ nutritious wheat for the adult you've grown into. and delicious sweet for the kid you'll never outgrow... feed your inner kidult... with frosted mini wheats®.

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citizenship. now at age 40 immigration seeks to send him back to korea, a country he doesn't know. the case exposed a major loophole in immigration law. two senators are pushing to amend the child citizenship act of 2000 to grant automatic u.s. citizenship to international adoptees regardless of age. it includes citizenship for those like adam. adam is part of the 16% of korean-born adoptees without a country. they were never naturalized as u.s. citizens and no longer korean citizens. joining me from oregon is adam. we want to note we're having audio difficulty and that's why adam has put on the orange head phones for us. so can you hear me? >> i can, good morning. >> good morning. can you talk to me. what was your reaction when i.c.e. knocked on your door and said they were opening these deportation proceedings? >> i was mortified. i didn't even know what to think.

i was in shock. >> i think shock is a response that many of us are having in first encountering your story. just to help viewers understand who may not be familiar with this part of our immigration law, did you know that you were vulnerable to this possibility? >> i did not know. i thought i was protected by adoption twice. >> and you're married, so is there a reason why your marriage yourself doesn't protect you? >> my marriage -- my wife is a permanent resident that's going through the naturalization process. she's a native of vietnam. >> so here you have spent a lifetime here in this nation, adopted by two american families. you have children who are american citizens.

what should -- how should our policy take a look at someone in your circumstances? what is the right kind of policy because i know there were at least some folk who is say, well, if you're korean, you're korean, you got to go back. >> yeah i don't understand that myself because this is all i know. i try to think about that perspective, but i can't even begin to think about it because this is the only thing i know. and that's america america way of thinking, america way of life. i would just hope that people take into consideration that i was 3 years old when i came over here. i've grown up here my entire life. >> hold on for me one second. i want to come to the panel for a second. you have a son who is you adopted, who were born in korea.

as we were talking in the commercial, you were saying people may not understand you have to go through a whole process as a parent. >> he came over with a korean passport. e we brought him over and three months later, we had to file for his citizenship and had a hearing. until then, he was still a korean citizen. at that point, he became a u.s. citizen. so clearly there are a number of other things that if the parents are not adopting in good faith u can make these terribly inhumane situations that adam faces. >> when you say inhumane citizens this is part -- this is a story i think we often don't know about immigration, but i just keep thinking does i.c.e. have nothing better to do? the inhumanity of i.c.e. is so regularly exposed to us. >> this is their job, this is what congress tells them that their job is. so deporting people is good business for i.c.e. the way i.c.e. is structured,

their budget depends on deporting people from the united states. so even if it's inhuman, as it is in this case that's irrelevant to i.c.e. they have quo toes to meet which is why we need to have comprehensive immigration reform. >> exactly. >> this is another example of how absolutely broken the system is. and shame on congress, shame on the executive for not doing this. this is inhuman. >> adam let me come back to you on that. we heard shame on the executive, which is homeland security, i.c.e. coming under this notion that somehow this is someone else's homeland that needs to be protected from you. you are part of at least three dozen international adoptees from places like thailand brazil south korea, some of them are people who you know who either have already been deported or who are vulnerable. can you tell us a little bit

about those experiences? >> yes, i speak every day to a gentleman in south korea who was deported back in 2009. first and foremost, he served in the u.s. military. he's about five years older than me but he went through almost exact ly exactly the same stuff i did. i couldn't believe it when i heard his story. >> adam, pause for a minute. he served his country in the u.s. military and was deported for these same reasons? >> yes, yes, he served in the u.s. military. after the military he was driving truck and his truck driving partner set him up and put some contraband in the truck and e he got stopped in a check point. that's what he was deported for. he deals with the physical

impairment from on the job injury over there. the conditions for e depor tees in south korea are deplorable. most of the gentlemen that get deported over there end up on the street. a number of different people that work with ngo and advocacy groups in south korea have found a number of these gentlemen on the street with health issues with nothing. these are people that served in the united states military. >> and you again are a father of three, you're planning to welcome a fourth child in the course of the next month. what would it mean to your family if you were taken away from them? >> we stress out about this every day. we talk about what are we going to do if, how are we going to do if, my kids i look at them

every night and i can't imagine being separated from them. i spend every day with them. i watch them grow, i watch them learn every day and i can't imagine being away from them for a day. >> adam you have survived so much and the idea of -- that our immigration policy makes you vulnerable to this is stunningly inhumane. i home your story getting out there means we can get real policy change. thank you for joining us today. here in new york thank you to the panel. up next, the author of the new book on first lady michelle obama. the new s6 hits the stores and i'm like... whoa. open the box and... (sniffing) new phone smell. jump on a video chat with my friend. he's a real fan boy, so i can't wait to show this off.

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in washington, d.c.? toward the end of 2014 only 44% approved of how the supreme court was handling its job. congress kicked off with 16% approval. and while president obama has rebouned from his lows last year, his approval number is still at 47%. so where to find someone popular? try the east wing. because first lady michelle obama is rocking out at a robust 61% approval rating. she's a clear asset to the administration these days, which makes it easy to forget when some decried her as a political liability. mrs. grievance, they called her. "the new york times" once wrote of how she contrasted with her presidential candidate husband, quote, she is a descendant of slaves and the black south side. she burns hot where he banks cool, and that too can make her an inviting proxy for attack.

but history and some hilarious late night mom dancing has proven otherwise. first lady michelle obama has emerged as a likable and powerful figure in her own right and in many ways the obama moment is the first lady michelle obama moment. joining me is peter slevin author of "michelle obama: a life." we talked when you were writing this. it's an unauthorized biography, which means you didn't directly interview the first lady. but can a white man write it and get it right? >> we're going to find out. it's for other people to say. it was something i thought about every day. it posed challenges, of course, but i've been a reporter for a long time. i set out to do on this book what i have done before which

is to listen and challenge my assumptions. >> listening, in this case is fascinating. one of the figures who emerges most powerfulfully in the text beyond the first lady herself is her mother. tell me a little bit about how she shapes the daughter who becomes the woman that is our first lady. >> she is just one of the most fascinating characters in the book. they are very different. they grew up at a different time. michelle obama has ambitions and opportunities that her mother never had. think of her mother growing up being born on the south side of chicago in 1937. she went to segregated schools. she did not have strong professional ambitions. her parents were hoping she would be a teacher ask she didn't want anything of that. she wanted to be a secretary. think of michelle obama, her mother was a very important role model to her. in fact, michelle talks about how she wanted to be a mom.

she wanted to be a really good mom like her stay at home mother and only when she got to high school did she start thinking about her professional ambition. in the white house, mrs. robinson is there and she's a rock to her. michelle says i can go. up to the third floor and cry and complain and my mother says, now, go on back out there and do what you're supposed to do. >> that notion of that vision of this intergenerational family of black women, we think of the obama moment ushering in president obama, but it also ushers in this intergenerational family of african-american women. one of the things that i think many african-american observers loved about her before she was first lady was the ways in which she talked in real talk about her husband. she talks about barack obama being just a man. >> i don't lose sleep over it

because the realities are that as a black man, barack can get shot going to the gas station. >> sorry, so that was the wrong one, but let's pause on that for a moment. i thought there was almost a prophetic aspect to that. e we just got our things mixed. she says i'm not worrying about whether he will be assassinated on the campaign trail because he's a black man and he's always vulnerable. >> that's right, it's a theme that she has talked about. she talked about it before ferguson if you look at her remarks on the anniversary of brown vs. board of education. when she was making a decision about whether to say yes to barack obama's presidential quest in 2006 she said i took myself down every dark road i could think of. michelle obama is a list maker, a thinker, she looks far ahead. and she felt that she had to think those thoughts. you know there were an awful lot of people who were waiting for

that awful moment in 2008. >> instead she gives us a certain kind of courage, but then that is borrow eded by the nation to walk forward in the 2008 obama campaign. let's hear the other one, which is of then michelle obama talking about senator obama about him being just a man. let's take a listen. >>. i'm i'm still trying to reconcile these two images of barack obama. there's barack obama the phenomenon, and then there's the guy who lives in my house. and that fwie is not so impressive. he still doesn't make any bed better than our 5-year-old. can't quite get his socks in the dirty clothes. if i say he's a wonderful man a phenomenal man, but in the end he's still a man. >> i mean that for me i have been on the side of this first lady ever since.

we have seen a softening of some of that rhetoric as she became the first lady. >> it's important to think about where that comes from. michelle obama is very very funny. it's often a raised eyebrow. it's hard to translate that in the book, to bring that sense of humor out. but she was very clear early that she wanted a politician who was going to have his feet on the ground. i write in the book if he's a helium balloon, she was kind of holding the string. trying to keep expectations down for among voters that he could somehow come and solve all of these problems. >> right, by saying he's just a man. she's saying he's just humane and constrained in these ways. >> she was validating him and you connected with her in those remarks and a lot of women did too. >> i have been in. the past week in rooms with her twice. first at black girls rock and then at the maya angelou stamp

dedication and the adoration that comes from rooms is really extraordinary. the book is "michelle obama: a life." peter is going to stick around to talk politics with us. up next california's water emergency may be a a natural one. so what is detroit's excuse? audible safety beeping audible safety beeping audible safety beeping the nissan rogue with safety shield technologies. the only thing left to fear is you imagination. nissan. innovation that excites. okay, listen up! i'm re-workin' the menu. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals antioxidants and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™.

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emergency measure are in place to reduce water usage in california. governor brown issued an executive order last week ordering water use to be cut by 25% across california. the drought is stretching into its fourth year. the golf nor declare edd a state of emergency more than a year ago. this view from space shows the snow cover all but vanishing from january 2013 to january 2014. now new measurements reveal the situation is growing more dire. millions of californians rely on

the snow reserves in the mountains, but as this video shows, those reservoirs are running on empty. according to a new survey one of the biggest reserves is at only 40% of its 2014 level, which was already one of the driest years on record. one silver lining business is boom ing booming for water truck drivers. many deliveries going to individual homeowners. farmers, on the other hand, are struggling to survive with billions of dollars at stake some are debating whether to use what reserve they have left on their crops or to sell that water at a profit. there are reports of thousands of residents without water forced to use portable showers and sinks provided by emergency services. it's a crisis of basic human dignity that we discussed on this show before but in another place, detroit. in that case it was not an issue of climate. in fact the area most affected is only an hour away from one of the largest reservoirs of fresh water lakes in the world.

in detroit it is the government opting to cut off water to thousands of its residents who were delinquent on their bills. in october the situation garnered enough media attention from representatives of united nations to visit detroit. it called it a violation of human rights and last year more than 33,000 customers had their water shut off due to an unpaid bill. and while the detroit water department suspended its shutoff campaign during the winter months, it's set to return any day now. about 800 shut off warning notices will be posted to doors in the next few weeks. those notices are a new part of what mayor's plan to improve customer service. also new for water customers in the city a rate hike. customers in the city of detroit can expect to pay 3.4% more for water and 16.7% more for sewer service. it to help community organizers put together campaigns like the

detroit water project to match donors with dlin yent accounts but it's only a band-aid for the people who are likely to have their water shut off again in the coming weeks. up next #setthe dait. the senate is coming back on monday. we think loretta lynch might have a secret weapon. there's more nerdland at the top of the hour. i take these out... ...to put in dr. scholl's active series insoles. they help reduce wear and tear on my legs, becuase they have triple zone protection.

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initial reports of the events that he shot mr. scott during a fight over the officer's taser. the video shows, instead, the unarmed scott running away from the officer and the officer shoot shooting him several times from at least 15 or 20 feet away. this morning mr. scott's family is laying him to rest. joining us now live from south carolina is msnbc spontcorrespondent adam reese. what can you tell us about today's services? >> reporter: good morning, melissa melissa. the family is arriving as we speak behind me. walter arrived about an hour ago under police escort. his casket under an american flag in honor of his service in the coast guard. there's a police presence here, the sheriff of charleston county has arrived. he said to pay his respects to the family. i spoke to a couple of the mourners here. one of them told me it's not a loss because the world got to see. this all could have been

avoided. >> thank you to adam reese in south carolina. we're going to be going much more into depth on this still developing story right here tomorrow. so we do encourage you to check us out on tomorrow. but now, let's make a shift. 154 days it's been 154 days since president obama nominated loretta lynch to become the next attorney general. but according to senate majority leader mitch mcconnell's office there are no plans for a lynch vote until democrats stop blocking a human trafficking bill over its abortion fund inging restrictions. what exactly does a human trafficking bill have to do with loretta lynch? nothing. but the republicans may think that they have backed democrats into a corner but there's another party on to the gop. delta sigma incorporate edd, a force of 200,000 women founded in 1913 on the campus of howard university. they boast ill lust reehouse

members. tomorrow's guest soledad o'brien and loretta lynch, who started the chapter at harvard university. thnk thanks to a book "in search of sisterhood", the organization is synonymous with political movements. shortly after their founding at howard, delta's march in a women's suffrage parade but black women were required to march at the end of the line. given that context, you may understand why many were angry when the national organization was directed to refrain from wearing letters or logos when protesting for black lives matter. it was around that same time too, when delta's featured in sorority sisters were expelled for dragging letters into the train wreck known as reality tv. when it comes to loretta lynch's

nomination there's no question when the organization stands. proudly and loudly in support of our sister a.g. they had her back at her senate hearing in january. is this it the issue that reminds all of us where we as deltas stand? at the table, john gutierrez, peter slevin christina greer and a professor of history of public affairs at princeton university and fellow at the new america foundation. we go first o to tampa, florida, where i'm joined by paul let walker, national president of delta incorporated. so nice to have you, madame president. >> good morning, it is my pleasure to be here. how are you today? >> i am wonderful. >> i love your colors. >> i wore them for our organization. and actually, i have to say, from the moment of her senate hearings i have been -- it's been fascinating to watch

sisters there supporting loretta lynch. and part of what i'm interested here in is why? why in this moment a sorority for people who may not know much about delta, why a sorority would show up in this space? >> i think the fact that, as you indicated, why a sorority, and i would ask why not? and we are more than a sorority because often times when you hear the word sorority i think that we are stereotyped as to what that means, but we are ed a vo indicates for social activity. that's what we do. that's who we are. so it is natural for us to come to the aid of anyone. this person, who is highly qualified, just happens to be a member of our organization. but even if she were not, we still would be fighting the fight to make sure that everyone understands or at least gets a clear pick cur as to why has she not been confirmed in 154 days.

>> it's such an interesting point. the fact that the attorney general nominee, loretta lynch, actually started the delta chapter at harvard university. along with sharon malone who was a civil rights royalty u and the wife of the current attorney general, it's interesting to mee me that these two future power house women as young women found it important to be together in a a sisterhood organization of african-american women. what does that tell you about where likely a.g. lynch stands on many important issues? >> understanding her background and watching her not only her political career but her professional career she has always stood for what is right. she has always been there to make sure that voices of the voiceless were being heard. so to me why not have a person of her caliber, who is there to

head the highest position that we have in our justice department? why not her? >> so why what do you think is going on? why do you think it's not happening? >> i would hope that it is not because of any issue that the current congress has with our president, mr. obama. it appears, though as if they are trying to hold her confirmation hostage until they can get exactly what they want. the two issues are not related. it's mixing apples and oranges. why hold again the confirmation that would allow this country to move forward if, in fact, we are for who we are and we are for justice, why hold the justice department hostage as we are attempting to negotiate issues such as human trafficking, which

by itself is in fact important. it should be discussed, but not held in compliance with the same issues that they are holding her confirmation. >> hold on for just a second. i want to come to my table for a minute. this is history making in a different way than was initially expected for the nominee. 154 days in will the congress when they return just go ahead and schedule this vote? have they turned what should have been a simple nomination into a social point? >> the power of scheduling is a big part of congressional power. leaders have the ability to have a vote when they want. so they are holding this nomination hostage and now they have created a bigger issue because of who the nominee was. and i think the republicans look horrible because of this. and they are going to feel a lot of pressure when they return thinking of elections, thinking of campaigns to bring this to a

resolution. >> let me weigh in on this as well. >> i think i'd also like to e see a larger gender confirmation confirmation. the congress is holding this extremely qualified woman in limbo. >> this is also what's so frustrating because of the bureaucratic nonsense this is what gets people disinterested in pollitics. this is why people don't turn out in midterm elections because of the perception that congress does nothing, ever. going back though to your initial point about the significance of loretta lynch as a delta. as a child growing up in a black fraternity family, i think that many people don't understand the significance of uplift perseverance scholarship, friendship sort of a global network of black people successful black people that will not only take care of each other, but their children

grandchildren, so i think she represents a certain level of black excellence that is extremely threat tongening to a lot of members of congress. >> president walker, for those who may not know the language of fortitude and symbol of fortitude is a critical one within our organization who are deltas. when you look at loretta lynch, when you look at the experiences she had growing up in north carolina and what she's going through 154 days in, is she the actual embodiment of fortitude at this point? >> ms. lynch could, at this point, go right there on campus and stand where fortitude stands. she is not only the epitome, she truly encompasses and em blazes about tenacity about understanding that you stand up when everyone else is sitting down. and she continues to stand. >> it really is stunning.

it could have been a moment of celebration, but it turned into a social movement. you don't want all them mad. not a good place to be politically politically. thank you to paul et walklet walker. up next, shh. senator rand paul has something to say. you show up. you stay up. you listen. you laugh. you worry. you do whatever it takes to take care of your family. and when it's time to plan for your family's future we're here for you. we're legalzoom, and for over 10 years we've helped families just like yours with wills and living trusts. so when you're ready start with us. doing the right thing has never been easier. legalzoom. legal help is here. push your enterprise and you can move the world. but to get from the old way to the new, you'll need the right it infrastructure.

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rand paul officially threw his hat in the ring for the 2016 presidential race and became the second official republican candidate. tuesday he stood before a crowd of cheering supporters to outline his government vision for america and ultimately to say this. >> the washington machine that

gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives must be stopped. i want to be part of a return to prosperity. today i announce with god's help, with the help of liberty lovers everywhere that i am putting myself forward as a candidate for president of the united states of america. >> oh, man, i am loving this. okay, rand supplemented his announcement with a brand new campaign website. the stand with rand site comes e equipped with a bitcoin donation capability and a fresh new logo that has garnered comparisons to tinder. his first message to 2016 voters was swipe right. but some of his campaign appearances this week might encourage 2016 voters to swipe in the other direction. first, there was his wednesday morning "today" interview with

savannah guthrie during which he gave a lecture on journalism while addressing his foreign policy record. >> wait wait, wait. >>. before we go -- >> now you want to increase it 16%? >> why don't we let me explain instead of talking over me. before we go through a list of chings, ask me a question. >> have you changed your opinion? is iran still not a threat? >> that exchange reminded some viewers of his attempt to explain tax policy to kelli evans in february. >> the whole purpose of doing this is to bring money home. let me finish. >> the concern is down the road. i'm sorry, go ahead. >> calm down a bit here let me

answer the question. >> interviews like those have prompted critics to wonder if the candidate has a problem with women interviewers. but paul later spoke to cnn's wolf blitzer to explain everything. >> i think i've been universally short tempered and testy with both male and female reporters, i'll own up to that. >> it's been a no good, very good, first campaign week for senator rand paul and the cherry on the top of series of unfortunate events is the staunchly pro-gun senator was not invited to the nra convention. the only other big name candidate not invited was chris christie. most others spoke at gathering on friday because when the nra calls normal e knees generally come running. the association is well known for grade. ing lawmakers, tolling out a mark of a to f depending on the voting record on gun rights and general support of the nra.

at least in congressional races, 80% of candidates endorsed by the nra have won their races. man, this crowd is just pleasing me. so are there potential elements of this -- i mean paul seems off to a rocky start. i'm wondering if there's something about the control of the circumstances that actually might make primary voters excited to vote for him. >> what control of the circumstances? >> just making the ladies shut up. making them shush. >> he does have a woman problem. he clearly is intimidated by women asking legitimate questions about his past. >> we don't know what's happening in his mind. >> in his voice he might want to r articulate that he can understand and answer difficult questions. i do agree with you, though. for certain far right primary voters, he is refreshing. that's the rub.

the republican party right now is so diverse, their primary voters are not their general election voters. . the people who turn out in a general election aren't doing it enough to get them a win. they were going up against barack obama who is fantastic campaigners and elected officials, but paul has an issue starting with also the cast of characters that the gop is pulling out for 2016. so they are going to have a very long road ahead of him. he's not going well. >> i think there's a long history of republican candidates blaming the media for all kinds of things. >> and to great effect. >> i don't think we can sit here and say that's a bad strategy. what's intriguing about rand paul is he's doing something difficult. he's trying to put together an unusual coalition to win the republican primary and being disinvited from the nra meeting could cut both ways for him. >> this point is a fascinating one because we know that rand paul has a kind of alliance with

senator cory booker around decriminalization of drugs, ending the massive federal incarceration system those are things that could potentially attract some voters of color and it's possible that even the gun thing will. so there's increasing evidence that african-american voters are now somewhat more likely to see guns as protective of the individual household rather than necessarily socially problematic. >> i would say part of the nra struggle is he's very far right on gun control. other organizations to compete with the nra, so as that story emerges, it could benefit him in the primaries. he's not chris christie. but i do think this whole idea of the broad coalition will run into some trouble with these parts of the record clash with the criminal justice reform. i don't know how he resolves that. that's part of building a coalition, but i think these

stories have connections, both his assets in terms of fighting the liberal media and maybe not being an orthodox republican, but underlying this is also the challenge that he still is right on many issues. >> for me the most fun of this is that the republicans k are having an actual primary. so whether or not ted cruz wins and rand paul wins just by being themselves out there in the world with all of these candidates, we get to have a conversation about what the republican party believes who would like -- it seems valuable. >> i think one of the greatest things about the quote that you had from senator paul was the admission that he's short tempered. when did that become a characteristic that you wanted in a president of the united states? >> when chris christie was like, i run the place. >> i don't get that. i'm glad that they are doing this. it shows who they are. it lets the american people see

who they are. and they are going to beat. each other up. the democratic party seems to be coalescing. >> i think they will make themselves stronger. beating each other up is one way to see it. >> i'm not so sure about that. >> obama needed that primary to toughen up. >> we have more on this. we're going to take a quick break and come back and ask about whether or not having the big primary u may be some people need to get beaten up to get stronger. wait to start telling people how switching to geico could save them hundreds of dollars on car insurance. but first, my luggage. ahh, there it is. uh, excuse me sir? i think you've got the wrong bag. >>sorry, they all look alike, you know? no worries. well, car's here, i can't save people money chatting at the baggage claim all day. geico®. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

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♪ you're only young once. unless you have a subaru. (announcer) the subaru xv crosstrek. symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 34 mpg. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. possible 2016 presidential contenders like scott walker rick perry and jeb bush spoke before thousands of people at the national rifle association convention yesterday. >> the right to stand up and protect themselves and their family and their loved ones and their property, it's fundamentally about freedom and we need more of that in america.

>> when washington asked texans to give up their freedoms in exchange for federal money, we got the same message. come and take it. >> florida was one of the first states to make the castle doctrine the law of the land and we built on that concept with the principle that you can stand your ground. in florida you can defend yourself anywhere you have a legal right to be if you reasonable bli believe you are in danger of death or rape or kidnap kidnapping. >> the potential gop candidates continued their campaign speech speeches by focusing on the president's obligation to protect the second amendment. but they were not just talking to the audience gathered in tennessee. they were talking to voters in states like iowa and south carolina states with early caucuses and primaries and nra endorsed governors. and it is worth noting and maybe listening to hear that the nra

spent time talking about hillary clinton. >> what were her triumphs as secretary of state? there are none. benghazi gate. e e-mail gate wiped server gate hillary clinton has more gates than a south texas cattle ranch. >> there's a thing when they land their line. they are like freedom. hillary clinton sucks. it's great. so that said, this guns thing came up in 2008 when senator obama kind of had the slip in california where he said people in pennsylvania were clinging to their guns and their god. at that time senator clinton turned herself into annie oak lee and said she disagreed with senator obama, that people cling

to their guns and instead talked about the fond memory where he dad would take her behind the cottage outside of scranton and they taught her to shoot as a little girl. and how important it was for people to teach their children and grandchildren and how it's part of the culture and part of the way of life. is there any way we can imagine someone running for president without clinging to their guns? >> i think some of the comments she made there are common in these campaigns and guns do have a big role in parts of american culture, but so does gun control now. that's where there's a different attitude in southern states, in red states and blue states there's much more national support for some kind of restrictive measures and there's a clash between what republicans and many democrats support because of the pressure from the nra and where public opinion has moved. just because many americans love their guns it doesn't mean they think guns should be rampant and in the hands of everyone. i think there is a new approach

that could be taken, but it's not right now. >> look at the electoral college map. these blue cities in red states are place where is people want substantiative gun control. i think these hopefully city mayors will step up and put pressure on sort of other mayors that have been a little less vocal. >> it's so interesting your point about the blue cities in the red states. this is part of what makes texas interesting. if texas goes to this open carry law, their cities are going to be covered by it in a way we haven't seen in other major metropolitans. >> i think one of the important things in looking at hillary clinton and guns is that everybody is going to be watching to see exactly what kind of campaign she is going to run. is she going to be the very focused, disciplined clinton of the second half of the 2008 campaign? and what exactly will she stand for and guns is an issue where

you can be in favor of lots of people having guns as long as there are some sensible regulations. what will she say about that? >> what you bring us back to when you talk about her in the second half of the '08 campaign as disciplined, having a clear message, goes to what we were talking about before the commercial. she gets there because there is a robust primary. so i look at it and think why should she need to be disciplined. at this point, there isn't a meaningful challenge being mounted from the right, left top, bottom any side of the democratic party. >> but she is beatable. she has been beaten. she's had a rough six years. >> she's real beatable come general election time. >> or any practice. so i u think what we're talking about before break, what made obama better was a long primary where he had to clarify stances and then was able to get through the general. e we saw him the first debate

with mitt romney when he was rusty. it was a disaster. so she needs a primary. someone needs to step up over the age of 35. >> i'd u even go further in saying the clarification for the candidate. democrats win when there is a huge registration drive. what happens with registration is primaries. thank you to the panel. still to come this morning, the 9-year-old who is schooling local officials about standardized tests. first proposals on one issue already on the books in 2015. it can only be the issue you know that it is. that story is next. bring us your audacious. we want your sticky notes, sketchbooks, and scribbles. let's pin 'em to the wall. kick 'em around. kick 'em around, see what happens. because we're in the how-do-i-get-this-startup- off-the-ground business. the taking-your-business- global-business. we're in the problem-solving business. 400,000 people - ready to help you solve problems while they're still called opportunities.

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audible safety beeping audible safety beeping audible safety beeping the nissan rogue with safety shield technologies. the only thing left to fear is you imagination. nissan. innovation that excites. we're not even one-third of the way through 2015 and there are more than 330 provisions to restrict access to reproductive services have been proposed

around the country this year. that's right in three months elected officials in. nearly every state in the country have introduced laws chipping away at the rights of women. the states shown here in yellow have passed bills through at least one chamber and the states shown in blue have enacted the laws. it's difficult to decide which piece of legislation is most egregious. is it the law that arkansas governor signed monday requiring that women be told that their medically induced abortions could be reversed mid-proceed jury despite the thakt there's no medical evidence to support the claim. could it be tuesday, in which kansas became the first state to ban the safest method of ending a second trimester pregnancy. that law signed by governor brownback makes no exceptions for rape or incest. or in north carolina that would prevent medical schools from teaching any abortion procedures. house bill 465 reads, quote, no

department at the medical school at east carolina university or the university of north carolina at chapel hill shall permit an employee to perform or supervise the performance of an abortion as part of the employee's official duties. if that bill is enacted, the implications for our medical system could be unprecedented. joining me now is dr. ann davis, consulting medical director at physicians for e reproductive health. so now you can't learn the medical stuff at the medical school. >> it's an unfortunate turn of events. completely surprising from one of our lead institutions in this country. so unc is really a national lead er leader in women's reproductive health and gynecology. abortion is a core fundamental skill that we teach our residents. my professors taught me, i teach my residents, it's really a core part of the curriculum. so to say we can't teach core skills to residents and students is really disturbing. >> help people understand why it's a core skill, why it's

important for physicians to know it. >> some people are unaware that 1 in 3 women has an abortion during her reproductive years so abortion is very common. it's a procedure that 30% of women are going to have it's something doctors need to know a lot about. they should know the basics and many of the skills that you learn through providing abortion are skills that are generalized to other things we do in the profession, some of the technical skills. it's something you need to know the fundamentals about to really understand it. >> so the idea of not get. ing to even learn these base. ic core skills and then add that to the telling things that run true to your patients as a matter of law in terms of saying you can reverse these medical liezed abortions. >> that idea i was thinking about this and thought i would kind of call it a half baked idea. but i'm going to give it a quarter baked. so maybe not even a quarter baked. so this is a doctor who put together a series of anecdotes

about something he did in his practice. he did publish it in a journal but it doesn't meet the basic criteria of research pst it's a treatment that's untested and for people to understand why this is so ridiculous, is that if you give -- a medical abortion has two parts. you take one pill and take some other pills the next day. if you don't take the second pills, it only works about half the time. so this doctor, people took the first pill then he gave them a treatment and half of them stayed pregnant, no surprise. as a colleague of mine said it would be the same if you gave them purple skittles. it doesn't prove anything about his treatment. and yet, surprisingly, it became a legislative duty of the state of arizona to tell doctors now that we have to tell people about this. i think the part of it that's

hard as physicians is it creates an idea that women can't decide about why they are at the doctor. i'm an abortion provider and people when they come for an abortion, they are pretty clear. >> they know what they are coming for. >>. they don't change their mind half an hour later and said i didn't want prenatal care i came for something else. so to be told by the legislature that i have to say, guess what, if in the next 20 minutes you decide that this isn't really what you want here's an alternative therapy for you that is untested unproven, i don't. know. the side effects. again. really disturbing to have to be legislation saying i have to offer something that i don't know even know if it works. how would you feel if your doctor did that for you? >> for me it's the relationship between physician and patient. thank you to the panel.

up next the mother who went on a hunger strike who faced retaliation. she's just been released and she joins me next. hey, girl. is it crazy that your soccer trophy is talking to you right now? it kinda is. it's as crazy as you not rolling over your old 401k. cue the horns... just harness the confidence it took you to win me and call td ameritrade's rollover consultants. they'll help with the hassle by guiding you through the whole process step by step. and they'll even call your old provider. it's easy. even she could do it. whatever, janet. for all the confidence you need td ameritrade. you got this. the new s6 hits the stores and i'm like... whoa. open the box and... (sniffing) new phone smell. jump on a video chat with my friend. he's a real fan boy, so i can't wait to show this off. picture is perfect. i got mine at verizon. i... didn't. it's buffering right out of the box he was impressed. i couldn't be happier. couldn't see him but i could hear him making fun of me. vo: you waited this long for the s6

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are now available on apple pay. the next evolution of membership is here. the border crisis that e erupt erupted last summer as thousands of refugees crossed the u.s. border has fallen out of the spotlight recently. for families still in detention centers waiting to learn their fate the crisis is far from over. 300 women and children are being held at the residential center in south texas. most of them are seeking asylum after fleeing extreme violence in guatemala and honduras. some have been inprisoned for as long as ten months. to protest 40 moms all the the center launched a hunger strike and dozens more signed a letter to officials that read in part we have come to this country with our children seeking refugee status and we are being

treated like delinquents. we do not pose a threat to this country. the hunger strike lasts about five days and some of those who participated allege that they were targeted for retaliation by officials at the center including being singled out and isolated in the center's inferm ri with their children. officials with the immigration and customs enforcement agency say there was no hunger strike and that the detention center centerings do not have solitary confinement areas. a spokesman says the agency fully respects the rights of all people and all detainees are permitted to do so. but those inside. the facility tell a different story. joining me now is kenya, who is just released on thursday from the facility where she says she was briefly isolated in a darkroom with her 2-year-old son. jonathan ryan, the executive director of the immigrant center for education and legal

services, thank you both for being here. >> thank you for having us. >> can you tell me a little bit about what the experience was for kenya in the center? >> kenya has been or was detained in. the center since november of 2014. and after experiencing prolonged detention not just of her but of her child whom you see here and really see no light at the end of the tunnel, she along with dozens of other women wrote a letter expressing their protest of this prolonged detention and their intent to mount a hunger fast during easter week. >> why is there a distinction between i.c.e. saying there was no hunger strike and women like kenya here telling us that there was one? >> it's very bizarre and it's a dual message that we hear because at the same time that they are taking these retaliatory measures not just against the women inside but women outside of the facility too, including legal assistants who have been banished because they have been alleged to have been participant r or supportive

of these acts. banished because they brought attention to it via the media. so the government appears to be taking two stances. one that it's not happening, but they have been taking measures against women for participating in it. >> we're seeing some of the images of the center there. what is the experience of children there? >> the experience of children, there is no way to create a prison that's appropriate for a a child. we're talking about children many of whom are from lands where they don't even speak spanish who have no access to proper education, no real access to toys free time to play. we have children who have missed major developmental milestones because, for example, mothers are not allowed to let their children touch the floors. so they are forced to hold their children throughout the stages where they should be crawling. we have children inside who have spent more of their lives in prison than they have ever spent

free. >> kenya, you are now released. can you tell me what your experience was? >> really we suffered a lot there. but really we were so worried about our kids because they couldn't act like children inside. >> what about other women who were there are you worry edied about them? >> yes, i'm very worried because thank god i could get out with my child. but there's many kids who are still inside and some of them as many as ten months that they have spent inside. the food, the way that the children sleep, it's just not correct for a child.

>> what has your son experienced? what has been your experience in your son? >> my child doesn't act the same as he did before we were in this place. he didn't eat the food inside. he didn't sleep well. he didn't play like a child of 2 years old. >> kenya, i am so sorry for what happened to you and to your child. thank you for coming to tell your story. >> thank you, thank you very much. >> jonathan ryan in austin texas, thank you for being with us. >> thank you. up next a 9-year-old who says she is not a statistic and she is our awesome foot soldier of the week. ucy from lifelock. good news. we just learned your case is closed

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our foot soldier this week is making the case that she is not a statistic. >> i consider myself a well-educated young lady. however, with fsa tests, my five years of school all on their own do not matter. this testing looks at me as a number. >> that was 9-year-old sidney smoot speaking last month at the hernando county school board meeting. sidney had this to say in her rousing speech. >> so ladies and gentlemen of the school board, i urge you to put a stop to high-stakes testing today. it is not good for the schools, teachers and students. parents and students contact your government to put a stop to all the standardized testing. thank you so much for your time. >> okay, that was awesome. and to explain to us her fight

against the florida standards assessment is sidney smoot and her mother, jennifer, in tampa, florida. so nice to have you both here. >> thanks for having us. >> sidney what does education mean to you? >> education means you're getting enough time to learn what you need to learn in school. that's what it means to me. >> and how does that come into conflict with these new standardized tests? >> it comes in conflict because with all the preparing -- prepping for this one test most of our learning time is taken away from it. and teachers don't have enough time to actually educate us for real. >> so i love how passionate you are about this. jennifer can you tell me what it was like for you to discover that your daughter has such a strong stance on this issue? >> i was just so proud of her.

i know how she is. i'm her mom, so i'm exposed to how outspoken she is. and i just think it's great that she has that desire to speak up for what she believes in, especially now. it's her education. and why not stand up for what you believe in? and she's the one that has to deal with the pressure and the stress of the test and everyday life. so i'm just very proud of her. >> sidney, have you talked to other friends who go to school with you? do any of them also feel this same way about the tests? >> i've talked to a couple of kids in my grade, not just in my class but also in my grade. and some of them agree with me. and we've gotten a bit of backlash about it. >> what do you mean my backlash? what happened? >> well sometimes people go oh her mom wrote the speech obviously and e o, theyoh, they rehearsed it a bunch of times.

>> as though it's not really your idea? >> no. >> but it is your idea, is that what you're telling us? >> yes. some people think that it wasn't actually my idea that my mom all wrote the speech and that it wasn't any of my idea. but we worked on the speech together. >> so i understand sydney, that you love reading. i wonder if you could tell us what your favorite book is or at least one book you really like and you think other kids should read? >> one of them is "attack of the fluffy bunnies." it's by andrea beady and it's a really funny book. >> "attack of the fluffy bunnies" sounds like about the best thing that could possibly be happening right now. jennifer thank you so much for supporting your daughter. sydney smoot, thank you so much for taking the time to speak out about this. thank you both for joining us from tampa, florida. >> anytime.

>> you come on back, then. that is our show for today. thanks to you at home for watching. i'm going to see you tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. eastern. we're going to take an in-depth look at the fatal police shooting of walter scott, the south carolina man fired upon eight times as he was running away. and we are awaiting word on a breaking news story, 22 years in the making. so be sure to join us to find out if it actually finally happens. right now, it's time for a preview of "weekends with alex witt." hi alex. >> i'm trying to figure out if that sydney if it's politicians, teachers or you and i that need to be worried about our jobs. unbelievable young lady. a police chase and violent arrest. ten sheriff's deputies are under investigation and the fbi is getting involved. you'll hear from a new councilman from ferguson, missouri, about the change he wants to see. and what you didn't know about "saturday night live" but were afraid to ask. i'll talk with the filmmaker

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breaking news at this hour. president obama preparing for a planned meeting with the president of cuba. history in the making. we may hear from the two leaders at some point. strange and deadly officials release a video that shows a family brawling with police. how it ended in gunfire. coping with new rules. how are californians dealing with water restrictions and how bad is it really? details ahead. the reviews are in. the big question is the new apple watch worth waiting for because you will wait? hey, there, everyone. high noon in the east. 9:00 a.m. out west. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we begin with breaking news out of panama. president obama and cuban