crumbling? governor ed rendell, always a pleasure. great to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. thanks so much sir. >> my pleasure. >> you bet. that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "politics nation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. thanks to you for tuning in tonight on "politics nation." big news from the obama economy. why don't republicans want to talk about it? because it's getting better! also disturbing new sexual abuse accusations about former house speaker dennis hastert and the mystery about where he is tonight. and i guess she hit a nerve. some gop governors are crying out after hillary clinton called them out on voting. happy friday to all my friends in "politics nation" and on this

friday good news. take a look at this number. 280,000. why does it matter? because that's how many jobs were added in may. the fact of the matter is that when president obama came in eight years ago we were 2 million jobs down. they have added every month jobs to the private sector. last month may 280,000. that's a big deal. the economy is getting better. that means people can provide for their families. that means that people can live without the anxiety. everywhere i go people are saying it's not where we need to be but it's getting a little better adding a little at a time, and that is why the republicans keep getting caught up in their web of denial. they are hitting obama on the economy. listen to what jeb bush said

this week. >> it's breathtaking. it's like our president is living in an alternative universe. people have just given up and he's saying that things are better. >> i take it you do not agree? >> mark me down as no. >> now, this is jeb bush the same jeb bush whose brother sunk the economy where we had unemployment in double digits. we're now a little over 5% and he's saying what is president obama talking about? what are you talking about, jeb bush? yes, we've got a long way to go. yes, people are still suffering, but we're not like we was under the last bush but we can do better and president obama has a plan to do better. why would i trust it if he brought us this far, why wouldn't i think maybe his plan can continue since he turned the ship around? let's look at his plan. first, infrastructure

investment, roads, bridges, highways tunnels, airports. everywhere i go i've not been to a city where i couldn't see where roads need to be rebuilt and where tunnels and bridges need to be rebuilt. let's go to another one. in the gop budget cuts we can seeing new jobs in the private sector, not the public sector. why not the public sector? gop -- gop's budget cuts are cutting in the public sector area. imagine if we had the public sector cuts back the jobs that would be provided and the services. what's the third one? raising the minimum wage to $10.10. everyone last night i showed you the figures. all of americans just about have said we've got to close the gap and a huge amount have said we've got to have minimum wage. let me walk over and talk to two people that can help expound

upon this. we've got to do better. we're getting good news but good is not great. glad to have with me tonight the president of the national urban league >> thank you >> and, of course we're glad to have my partner, one of my colleagues and let me -- let me say, crystal ball let me start with mark you do a report every year on black america, but you study the economic trends period. tell us what we need to do to go better. 280,000 jobs last month, a big deal. how can we improve this? >> so we have this wonderful job creation. it's a powerful engine of almost 200,000 new jobs being created almost every month with a few exceptions for nearly two years. however, what we need reverend is target eded investments targeted at young americans, teenagers, where the unemployment rate remains high

very high. targeted at inner city urban communities, and i would say even some rural communities where the unemployment rate is higher than the national average, and i think targeted policies is what we need. a broad increase in the minimum wage at the national level is better than what we have today which is a patchwork of minimum wage increases by states and cities across the nation. >> because crystal, when you look at the job growth in the private sector since 2008. >> yeah. >> i think we have a chart, that if you look at the job growth here is where we were under president bush. i wasn't just picking on jeb. >> right. >> that's the facts. >> right. >> we can have different opinions, not different facts. when president obama came in we started going, and look at how it has gone up. marc says target and minimum wage. now, this is the longest streak on record in the history of about adding jobs but we still are not where we need to be. >> that's right. 63 straight months to your point

of job growth and that is nothing to be sneezed at and i think jeb bush must be living in an alternate reality if he doesn't think things have gotten better. but as marc and you are pointing out people are still feeling the pinch because we lost a majority of middle class jobs in the recession, in that financial crash and a majority of what we have gotten back have been low-wage jobs and that's part of why we've seen wage growth so slow. this month we did see a little bit of wage growth. >> but not -- >> eight cents an hour. >> not where we need to be. >> not where we need to be and partly what we need to do is we need to give power back to workers. they need to be able to advocate for themselves in the workplace. as you know republicans have decimated unions so workers no longer have collective power. >> you've got to have collective workers. >> absolutely. >> you did a report on black america. the national unemployment rate

is 5%. let's look at minorities. latinos is 6.7% unemployment. 10.2% blacks almost double the unemployment number. now, we're a lot better than when george bush left office but we're still almost double that to white and we're still double digits. we've got to target these areas that have digs proportionate unemployment. >> let me say this that 10.2 reflects a national phenomenon. if you look at cities baltimore, cleveland, new orleans, you look at inner city america, you probably find the black unemployment rate, in fact, we found it's much higher. >> right. >> upwards of 15%. >> and young people 30% or 40%. >> wow. >> one way we could also create jobs is if congress would get off of its and pass a transportation infrastructure bill. >> exactly. >> you can't fix roads from overseas. those jobs are good-paying job that have to be carried out right here in the usa.

>> infrastructure is what i was saying was one of the points the president was making because the key here that a lot of people i think you and i were in a meeting once with the president, civil rights leaders the key that people don't understand is these are private sector jobs that he's been able to create not public sector because the congress will not pass things like infrastructure. >> that's exactly right. >> and most minorities work in the public sector. >> and that's where this -- this excessive focus on austerity. if you look at cities they have seen cuts in the community, to the block grant investment program, cuts in community-orienting policing so cuts to state and local governments have exacerbated and slowed down the recovery in many of the communities. >> and we're not talking about charity or handouts here. >> no. >> we need to rebuild bridges and roadways and highways. >> and parks and schools and sewers. >> that's absolutely right. this would be an investment not only in the people that are

doing the work, it would be an investment in the future of our country. our infrastructure right now is rated a "d." that's hardly where we need to be in terms of a nation in terms of businesses able to get their goods where they need to go and being able to compete in an information economy. we're certainly not where we at. >> you noticed where you're mayor of new orleans inequality is a big issue. you talk about low wages. inequality is a huge issue. 57% say government should do more to reduce gap between the rich and the poor. 66% sadist abuse of wealth should be more even. 68%, this is more than two-thirds support raising taxes on millionaires. 71%, marc say support raising the federal minimum wage. >> what these number show is a broad consensus across the board to address income inequality, to address the wealth gap, to create more opportunities for working people and poor people in america, and i think that's got to be on the agenda for the

next presidential election the next round. >> that's got to be central. >> you're president of the urban league but you were mayor. this has got to be in my opinion, krystal when we determine who we're going to vote for. republican, democrat whoever can best address these issues and that are towards the american public that's where we need to go. >> what makes america great is the people with the ability to move up the economic ladder and what we've seen is it's been difficult. people are working again but their ability to move up the economic ladder. you know the debt that students have to take on the stagnant wages that we see, the uneven recovery that we see. there's unfinished business out there. we have to give this president credit because this economy has in fact turned. >> no doubt about it. >> but the next round of unhas to be the unfinished business. >> we're not at shore yet.

we can see the shore but there's a lot of waves in between. thank you for your time tonight. >> thanks rev. >> and be sure to-krystal on "the cycle" weekdays at 3:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. >> coming up new allegations in the sexual abuse scandal against former house speaker dennis hastert, the sister of another alleged abused victim is speaking out. >> today republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of american citizens from voting. what part of democracy are they afraid of? >> let's just say those republican governors aren't taking that too well today, and why are social conservatives so worried about caitlyn jenner? big show tonight. please stay with us.

♪ ♪ ♪ it took serena williams years to master the two handed backhand. but only one shot to master the chase mobile app. technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank. ♪ ♪ fresher dentures, for the best first impression. love loud, live loud, polident. ♪ ♪ are you still getting heartburn flare-ups? time for a new routine. try nexium® 24hr. the latest choice for frequent heartburn. get complete protection. nexium level protection.

developing news tonight from the dennis hastert case. new accusations of sexual abuse victim but not the person cited for extorting money in that federal indictment. the mystery is growing. we'll talk about it next.

developing news in the scandal surrounding former speaker of the house dennis hastert. tonight a new allegation of misconduct. the sister of a man who died in

1995 tells abc news and the associated press that her brother told her he had a sexual relationship with hastert. when hastert was the coach of the young man's wrestling team the sister says she never asked hastert for money and that she does not know who individual "a" is. she tells abc news her brother steven reinboldt opened up to her about the alleged abuse when he told her he was gay. >> i asked him, stevie when was your first same-sex experience? i mean he just looked at me and said it was with dennis hastert, and i -- i just -- you know i was stunned. i said why didn't you ever tell anybody, stevie? i mean he was your teacher. why didn't you ever tell anybody, and he just looked at me and said who is ever going to believe me?

in this town who is ever going to believe me. >> and was it your sense that this happened more than once? >> mm-hmm. i said was it all through high school? >> and he said yes, all through high school. >> nbc has not independently confirmed the story and we've made multiple attempts to contact hastert, but they have been unsuccessful. but a friend ofryan bolt who did not want to be named said he had sexual contact with hastert. he said i was hanging out at steve's house in december of 1974. i seem to recall we went for a drive, and he told me that he was gay. he also said that his first sexual encounter was with denny hastert. reinboldt's sister tells abc news she confronted hastert when

he unexpectedly showed up at her brother's funeral. >> i just looked at him and i said i want to know why you did what you did to my brother. he just stood there and stared at me and then i just continued to say i want you to know that your secret didn't die in there with my brother, and i want you to remember that i'm out here and that i know. >> nbc's gabe gutierrez is in yorkville, illinois with the latest on the investigation. >> reporter: reverend al there is a lot of shock and disappointment here in yorkville at the high school where dennis hastert coached for so many years, from 1965 to 1981 and two people have come out within the past 24 hours and described this alleged sexual abuse that happened while he was a coach here. as you mentioned, al there was the sister of steven reinboldt who came out in that abc

interview who said that in 1979 she was told by her brother that this sexual relationship occurred and then an nbc news interview this afternoon, a friend and classmate also said that he was told about a sexual relationship in 1974. however, there's still one main question that remains unanswered and that is who is individual "a," the person referred to in the federal indictment? federal prosecutors say hastert agreed to pay individual "a" $3.5 million to conceal past misconduct and federal law enforcement officials say, tell nbc news that this misconduct was sexual in nature and involved a male student. however, hastert still has not commented since that indictment was announced. his attorney that's listed in court records has not commented either and the firm won't even confirm whether they are representing hastert. he is due in court, however, next week. here in yorkville, again, there's a sense of just

disbelief that this could have happened with such a prominent member of the community. reverend? >> thank you, gabe. joining me now is "huffington post" ryan grim. ryan, what's the reaction to this investigation in washington? >> the sense that you get from a lot of republican insiders is that this -- this kind of just, you know heightens the -- their sense that they are glad that this particular battle in the culture war is kind of coming to an end and that they are losing it. urban -- contemporary urban republicans never waged this battle with their heart in it particularly the ones who were closeted and which we're learning with more and more of the people who kind of directed or guided this strategy you know, ken melman from the 2004 campaign, you know which was heavily driven by homophobia you know has since come out and then you have the speaker of the

house at the time, dennis hastert, you know. he's now been -- he's now been forced out and it just kind of puts an exclamation point on how quickly the culture has turned around here and, you know for republican insiders who kind of you know they would like to just see this -- i think this entire chapter turned around. you know marriage equality is not the law of the land yet which is ironic but, you know that does appear to be coming soon. >> yeah. but, you know there are some who are accusing hastert of hypocrisy, you know. i know a lot of the republicans, as you say, would like to just move on but some are saying that this shows real hypocrisy. for example, look at what congressman -- former congressman barney frank said to andrea mitchell this afternoon. >> dennis hastert became speaker to preside over the impeachment of bill clinton who was being attacked because he had sex with an intern of age with a much

less coercive relationship. he then went on as speaker to put before the house twice constitutional amendments that would have banned same-sex marriage and so it is a reaffirmation of the hypocrisy that's existed, particularly in the republican side because they are the ones who have tended to try to make political capital out of particular personal behavior patterns even when they themselves are engaging in them. >> so what is washington saying about things like what barney frank is raising? he was the speaker when president clinton was brought up for impeachment about an intern. he supported and introduced legislation against same-sex marriage, yet we're hearing these accusations about his own personal life. >> the hypocrisy is so breath taking that there's almost nothing that you can say about it. almost every single member of the leadership team that led the impeachment of president clinton was engaged at that moment in

some type of you know morally questionable behavior or they were doing something in the closet. tom delay has since been indicted. >> right. >> livingston lasted, what a day as house speaker. newt gingrich, you know had his own affair and now we learned what dennis hastert had been covering up all of this time and these were the people that decided that -- that they were the men to lead this moral crusade against president clinton and once you stack those facts against each other there's almost nothing that needs to be said about it. >> ryan grim thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> still ahead, why are social conservatives terrified about this photo? it says a lot about the country and the gop. also hillary clinton on the attack tonight. republicans are shocked, shocked, that she called them out on voting. and we'll look at donnell

trump's top secret 100% success guaranteed plan to take down isis. . >>i know i have a 786 fico score, thanks to all the tools and help on experian.com. so how are we going to sweeten this deal? floor mats... clear coats... >>you're getting warmer... leather seats... >>and this... my wife bought me that. get your credit swagger on. become a member of experian credit tracker and find out your fico score powered by experian. fico scores are used in 90% of credit decisions. what do you think of when you think of the united states postal service? exactly. that's what pushes us to deliver smarter simpler faster sleeker earlier fresher harder farther quicker and yeah even on sundays. what's next?

we'll show you. you know the importance of heart health. you watch your diet, excercise... and may take an omega-3 supplement, such as fish oil. but when it comes to omega-3s, it's the epa and dha that really matter for heart health. not all omega-3 supplements are the same. introducing bayer pro ultra omega-3 from the heart health experts at bayer. with two times the concentration of epa and dha as the leading omega-3 supplement. plus, it's the only brand with progel technology proven to reduce fish burps. new bayer pro ultra omega-3.

can you feel the anticipation in the air? we're all waiting for a big announcement from donald trump. he's scheduled to reveal his 2016 plans on june 16. i for one can hardly wait. the donald and i go way back. i saw him just a few months ago at the "snl" red carpet. we don't agree on much of anything, but we're always friendly, and now he's starting to talk about foreign policy and his plan to defeat isis. >> there is a way of beating isis so easily so quickly, so effectively, and it would be so

nice. i know a way that would absolutely give us guaranteed victory. >> wow. this is obviously a very complicated issue. we would love to hear the plan. >> but i hate to say it cause as soon as you say it they're going to be just -- you know it's an idea that in my opinion is foolproof. >> wait? he's not going to tell us what it is. how come? >> you would think somebody from the administration would at least call me and say, hey, could you tell us what it is. i keep thinking of general patton and jen macarthur they spin in their grave when they watch these people that just don't know what they are doing. we have leadership. they're all a bunch of clowns. >> a bunch of clowns? president obama might have a comeback for that one. we all remember this one. >> donald trump, also here tonight. all kidding aside, obviously we

all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. for example, you know seriously, just recently in an episode of "celebrity apprentice" and there was a lot of blame to go around, but you, mr. trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership and so ultimately you didn't blame little john or meatloaf, you fired gary busey. and these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. >> so continue making those kinds of decisions. until then did he think we wouldn't notice his foreign policy sales pitch is falling flat? nice try, but we gotcha. like a guppy in a shark tank. it just feels like car salesmen want to sell whatever car is best for them, not best for me.

there's gotta be a better way. ♪ ♪ as long as people drive cars carmax will be the best way to buy them. this allergy season, will you be a sound sleeper, or a mouth breather. well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38% more than allergy medicines alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right.

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.

[ male announcer ] legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. when i started at the shelter, no one wanted benny. so i adopted him. he's older so he needs my help all day. when my back pain flared up i was afraid i would have to give him away. i took tylenol at first but i had to take 6 pills to get through the day. then my friend said, "try aleve." just 2 pills, all day. and now, i'm back for my best bud! aleve. all day strong. and try aleve pm now with an easy open cap. today republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of

american citizens from voting. what part of democracy are they afraid of? >> hillary clinton directly confronting republicans who want to make it harder to vote. and she named names. clinton called out jeb bush scott walker rick perry and chris christie giving specific examples of times they have suppressed voters. and today all but jeb bush tried to hit her back. scott walker slammed the speech saying, quote, hillary clinton's extreme views are far outside the mainstream. far outside the mainstream to be worried about discriminatory laws? and rick perry tried to deflect. >> it makes sense to have a photo i.d. to be able to vote. when i got on the airline to come up here yesterday i had to show my photo i.d. hillary clinton may not have had to show an i.d. to get in an

airplane in a long time. >> show's in a private jet. >> if she will fly commercial you show that. >> that's governor perry's attempt at a joke. we get it. hillary clinton's flown on private planes but let's get to the substance. you do have to show an i.d. to fly but nobody has a constitutional right to get on an airplane. we do have a constitutional right to vote and you shouldn't need a special i.d. to exercise it. but i've got one more republican response to hillary clinton's speech and this one's my favorite. >> secretary clinton doesn't know the first thing about voting rights in new jersey or in the other states that she attacked and my sense is she just wants an opportunity to you know commit greater acts of voter fraud around the country. >> his sense is hillary clinton wants to commit voter fraud?

my sense is governor christie wants to change the subject but that's not the way to do it governor. joining me now is pamela means, president of the national bar association, the country's oldest and largest group of african-american attorneys and judges and awry melber msnbc's chief legal correspondent and co-host of "the cycle" on msnbc. thank you both for being here. >> good evening. >> thank you, reverend sharpton. >> ari, chris christie accusing hillary clinton of wanting to commit voter fraud. doesn't that seem a bit desperate? >> i think it's out there. i think it suggests politically she has struck a nerve, and, rev, starting with the politics here. she's been doing these small event and meet and greets in iowa first big campaign rally speech that i've counted. gotten a lot of attention. first address that has gotten a response from republicans and it's clear she's picked an issue that she thinks is substantively

important. she has a long record on it. >> she has a record yeah. >> politically this is something that's putting republicans on defense. legally, of course these issues are open for debate. the supreme court has upheld certain forms of voter i.d. but the texas law which rick perry has been defending was struck down in part by certain judges saying it's discriminatory and that hasn't been fully resolved. this is one where the politics clearly makes sense for her but the policy and the law which we're continuing to debate is one that is very important to anyone who cares about having maximum turnout which in the old days is something that people thought shouldn't be partisan. >> pamela, many of us have been involved the last several years questioning these laws and we know what hillary clinton has been raising because we've been in the trenches dealing with it no less group than yours, the national bar association and hillary clinton trying to

highlight voter suppression tactics. how much have those tactics hurt the voteers? >> those tactics have done an excellent job of hurting voters and i applaud hillary clinton for bringing this topic up in an off-election season. she has it hot out there because the right to vote should be as fundamental as the right to receive an education, and we shouldn't be limiting people opportunity to that right. we should be expanding it but what we find is that individuals who may not be able to afford an i.d. are cut off from their fundamental right to vote. this is not just a political issue. reverend sharpton you hit it on the head. when you said it's a constitutional right to vote rick perry and others are deflecting the issue because what he didn't talk about is he approved the right to use a rifle i.d. to vote but he wouldn't approve the right to use a student i.d. to vote. let's see. which i.d. is better than the other? >> see i think that's

important, pamela because i was saying to ari they give the people the impression we're talking about let people vote with no i.d. we're not saying that. people have always had to have i.d. to vote. we're saying why do you have to have special i.d. and in some states different types of special i.d. to vote? these restrictive laws are not the first established i.d. there's always been i.d. it's now special i.d. when there's no fraud proven. >> you're exactly correct, and there is no fraud proven and nobody wants to have this conversation. they are not just talking i.d. let's do away with early voting and make it restrictive on other levels so we're talking about a fundamental right and where does it hit most? it hits most in diverse communities. you know when the u.s. supreme court, because it's not just those that are sitting on the right that's gutting the voting rights laws let's look at the cases coming out of the supreme court. it's done an excellent job to

say you have antiquated data so you can't prove discrimination is going on, get enough data and show it. but reverend sharpton you know we've been in the trenches and we understand the number and the numerous individuals turned away from the poll whose vote don't count. >> that's right. >> because they don't match up and fit that restrictive box. why -- why are people afraid? >> ari, let me go to you. republicans always talk about voter fraud, but it's practically nonexistent. i saw you shaking your head when pamela was talking. one study of all u.s. elections since 2000 finds 31 31 possible cases of voter fraud involving 200 individuals. that's out of more than 1 billion votes cast 31 out of 1 billion votes so a possible fraud rate of 0.00002%. i mean do conservatives really think this is a national problem? >> i think that this is one of the areas where the so-called

conservative establishment or experts have created the perception there's a problem and folks who don't research it and don't hear it and may genuinely believe it. some people may be confused. the experts know. the brennan center has independently studied it and the courts have looked at it and said it's not a high incidence. that makes sense because anecdotally if you think about it by stealing an election by coordinating, what rev, thousands of people to go out in the street to do this and everyone has to be perfect and no one can be caught and they all keep it secret. no way to logically do it and for the conservatives to talk about our founders and our history, we went through a vast majority of history through voting without this kind of concern. >> we're going through it now. we're going through it now. i just gave you the numbers. >> yeah. >> pamela, the things that mrs. clinton was calling for had in her speech yesterday, they don't seem controversial to me. restore the voting rights act, start automatic universal voter

registration and have 20 days of early voting. are those the kind of reforms that many americans want to see that you talk to pamela? >> absolutely, and they don't seem controversial to me either reverend sharpton. the real fraud here is a skewing of the numbers that you've been presenting and the fact that we see more minorities going to the poll. got to stop them somehow, reverend sharpton. those are not controversial what she's calling for and i applaud her for putting the issue square front and calling out individuals who would limit the right to vote on a base its of this misnomer that there's fraud. >> well this is definitely going to be a major issue, and we're going to be going all the way through it continuing to rays the issue as we did in 2012 and 2014. pamela menez and ari melber thank you both for your time tonight. have a great weekend. >> you too, reverend.

>> be sure to watch ari on "the cycle" weekdays at 3:00 p.m. eastern right here hon msnbc. coming up next is the change in america's culture finally catching up to the grand ole party? why conservatives are so worried about caitlyn jenner. plus, is miss biggie the new face of feminism? how a muppet is becoming a role model. you owned your car for four years. you named it brad. you loved brad. and then you totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends. three jobs. you're like "nothing can replace brad!" then liberty mutual calls. and you break into your happy dance. if you sign up for better car replacement, we'll pay for a car that's a model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

when a moment spontaneously turns romantic why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? with cialis for daily use, you don't have to plan around either. it's the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess.

side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision or any symptoms of an allergic reaction stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. why pause the moment? ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. for a free 30-tablet trial go to cialis.com let's take a look at your credit. >>i know i have a 786 fico score, thanks to all the tools and help on experian.com. so how are we going to sweeten this deal? floor mats... clear coats... >>you're getting warmer... leather seats... >>and this... my wife bought me that. get your credit swagger on. become a member of experian credit tracker and find out your fico score powered by experian. fico scores are used in 90% of credit decisions.

i wish someone had told me when i was in high school that i could have felt like a woman when it came time to take showers in p.e. i'm pretty sure i would have found my feminine side and said coach, i think i'd rather shower with the girls today. >> the gop is panicking when they see this cover because it really brought home how they are so out of touch and they are losing the culture war in 2015 going into 2016. today the "washington post" did a story of how caitlyn jenner comes out and social conservatives take an apocalyptic view. they are losing the culture war. it is like the apocalypse has come because they have been able to use social views all the way up till now, but now people have

turned the other way. americans have moved forward. should undocumented immigrants in the u.s. be allowed to stay? it's another one of these issues. overall 72% say yes. yes, that they ought to be able to stay. this is something that they used to be able to win the argument and scare people on immigration, but look let's go down into the numbers. democrats, 80% say yes. maybe you said that's not surprise, but look at this. should undocumented immigrants be allowed to stay? independents 76%, and you're going to have to get independent votes to win the white house, but here's the big one. republicans, 56% say yes. 56% of republicans, so not only

have they lost the culture wars in terms of trying to use the whole question of people's bedroom or people's personal decisions in terms of their lives, immigration has turned around on them even with republicans. let me walk over and talk to victoria defrancesco so theo and also e.j. dionne from the "washington post." thanks for being here. >> good to be with you, reverend. >> victoria, you've been active in immigration rights for a while. you've got to be happy seeing where the country is going when i show those numbers. >> reverend, i'm happy. i see those numbers and i'm not going to tell you that i fully buy it that the republican party going into 2016 is going to hear the voice of the people. the republican party right now is having its own civil war. you see some factions marco rubio, jeb bush who say we need to be practical about immigration. we've got so many folks here we

just can't send them back but you have folks digging in their heels and saying they don't deserve to be here. we're going to send them back and instead of reforming immigration reform we're just going to build more fences. >> does that number 56% of republicans polled does it surprise you? >> it doesn't surprise me but the folks in power, the folks who are leading the tea party movement are so vehemently against immigration i'm worried they will push against the republican majority. >> e.j. in the face of the culture war change in face of the fact that these numbers show that the american mainstream have shifted and you have this strong hard core that victoria is referring to far right wing that does -- that's in denial how do they negotiate between the primaries that they have got to deal with this hard core and reality that america has moved on? >> well, you put your finger on it when you used the word primary. i mean these are issues that

once were wedge issues against democrats that are now wedge issues against the republicans. the republican primary electorate is much older and much more homogenous almost entirely white, and it is very very conservative and when the turnout isn't big, it's even more conservative so you have the conservative republicans who vote in the primaries and then you have vast majorities of everybody else on the other side. it's also about a big generation gap. republicans again are much older than country as a whole and they are really risking in the next election not only getting clobbered among latinos again but also getting clobbered among younger voters again and when karl rove uses his column in "the wall street journal" as he did this week to say, hey, wait a minute we can't win an election just by turning out the base, you know that there are

some people in the leadership of that party who are really worried about the split between the people who are going to select their nominee and everybody else in the country. >> tell me e.j. about the jenner effect. your paper did this big story today about how the republicans are worried about caitlyn jenner and what this means. >> well you know i think the republicans are shocked at the positive response to caitlyn jenner, and i don't think they should be. i mean what you've seen already is a stunning reversal in a very short time in the public's attitude towards gays and lesbians. we're now so much more open to country. why? because so many americans, whether conservative or liberal or not political have friends and people they respect who are gay and lesbian. now that -- >> family members, i'm sorry, and family members, you bet, and now that's starting to happen with transgender people and with caitlyn jenner out there, an

admirable figure somebody people admire, it becomes much more difficult to just have transgender as some abstract category. it's about actual human beings. >> what happens, victoria if social conservatives don't come out to vote if they are riling up an audience that is aged and in some cases no longer there, may have in many ways moved on and become more tolerant in their views? >> yeah, and we're seeing that. in the gop we know that between 18 and 29 self-identified republicans are in favor of gay marriage over 60%, so that internal battle that we've been talking about with the gop is going to have to face up to the issue of gay and bisexual issues. however, again, the tea party is alive and well. i think sometimes we forget about that. i live down in texas. i see it on a daily basis. they have a lot of power and a lot of motivation and going into the 2016 they are not going to give up that easily.

>> well it's going to be an interesting next few months and certainly after reading the story today in "the washington post" on their fear you know i drink a lot of tea. tea doesn't taste the same when you put the bag in cold water. >> this is true. >> e.j. dionne and victoria, thank you for your time tonight. >> good to be with you. >> we'll be right back with a special look at a feminist icon and oh we'll talk about gloria steinem, too. in the nation, we know how you feel about your car. so when coverage really counts you can count on nationwide. ♪ love ♪ because what's precious to you is precious to us. ♪ love is strange ♪ just another way we put members first. join the nation. ♪ baby... ♪ ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪

now to honor ground breaking women who helped blaze a new trail, susan b. anthony, sojourner truth, retired supreme court justice sandra day o'connor and, of course gloria steinem, and now someone new joins that list. that's right, miss piggy. the beloved muppet just received the first award honoring women who are first in their fields. >> it is for your spirit for your determination, for your grit, for your humor, for your confidence. >> go on. >> i will. >> to avoid accusations she was

hogging the spotlight, miss piggy even sat down with gloria steinem to talk about what it means to be a feminist in the 21st century. >> gloria, what kind of advice have you given miss piggy on being a feminist icon? >> well i don't believe that we're icons. i don't think i'm an icon either, so i -- i wouldn't dream of giving her advice. >> only an icon would say that. >> but what's great about miss piggy, and i think each one of us, is that we are unique absolutely, and we're part of the whole family. >> congratulations to miss piggy and all the wonderful and inspiring women we all should go hog wild for. er's island escape, three new tropical dishes take me straight to the islands. so i'm diving fork-first into the lobster and shrimp in paradise, with panko-crusted lobster tail and jumbo shrimp in captain morgan barbecue glaze. or the ultimate island seafood feast, with tender crab wood-grilled lobster

and two island-inspired flavors of jumbo shrimp. because a summer without tropical flavors might as well be winter. this escape is too good to miss so...don't. what do you think of when you think of the united states postal service? exactly. that's what pushes us to deliver smarter simpler faster sleeker earlier fresher harder farther quicker and yeah even on sundays. what's next? we'll show you. [husband] gaby's natural beauty products.one moment... [husband] gaby,amor,es para ti. [gaby] customer service...one second

please. [gaby]hija¿podemos enviar 10 cajas más a miami? [daughter 1] ¡claro! sofi... [teen daughter]yo me encargo... this is sofia...sure,no problem. [announcer]you work hard to grow your business. at wells fargo we work with you to help your business thrive. wells fargo.together we'll go far. 73% of americans try... ...to cook healthy meals. yet up to 90% fall short in getting key nutrients from food alone. let's do more... ...add one a day men's 50+. complete with key nutrients we may need. plus it helps support healthy blood pressure with vitamin d and magnesium. we're back with news about the tragic death of vice president biden's son beau. the news today that former president clinton and mrs. clinton will both be in

attendance at the funeral tomorrow where president obama will deliver the eulogy. another viewing was held today in wilmington delaware where members of the public paid their respects to the biden family. after his death, the family helped launch a foundation in beau biden's name to help the youngest victims of domestic violence. it's already raised nearly $200,000 in just a few days but it's this photo that many people are tonight talking about. you see, the heartbreak and grief of the biden family in ways that no words can express, but when we lose a loved one, whether we be public figures or not, we can take instruction from what the bidens did. form something that will have a legacy, that will connect their names for eternity. with beau they are supporting a foundation on domestic violence so even though they weep for

losing beau physically they can rally around a cause that beau stood for and fought for as attorney general in the state of delaware. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. a new charge against speaker hastert. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. a montana woman has come forward today with new allegations of sexual misconduct against former house speaker dennis hastert. last week hastert was indicted on charges he evaded federal banking laws to pay $3.5 million to an unidentified man. federal officials told nbc news that those payments were made to conceal an illicit sexual relationship the