cola you can taste the mustard and the vinegar. just a great combination. that's how you do ribs on fourth of july. try it, you'll love it. happy fourth of july. >> and that's what we're going to be doing this weekend. that's the ed show. i'm ed schultz. have a great fourth. "politics nation" starts now. tonight on "politics nation," president obama slams the gop hunger games, blasting republican candidates on everything from health care to minimum wage. also prosecutors want to reconstruct the shooting of tamir rice. it took 1.8 seconds and it was caught on tape. what exactly is there to reconstruct? and is donald trump secretly a democrat? i'm serious. how else do you explain the huge

political mess he's created for gop? welcome to "politics nation." we begin outside washington in lacrosse wisconsin where president obama was greeted today by governor scott walker. walker plans to announce a presidential run later this month and is conservative economic policies will be at the center of his campaign. but after the handshake, an energy and surging president made the case that it is his agenda that has gotten our country on track. >> businesses created another 223,000 jobs last month. the unemployment rate is now down to 5.3%. keep in mind when i came into office, it was hovering around 10%. all told we've now seen 64

straight months of private sector job growth which is a new record. a new record. 12.8 million new jobs all told. that's good. we've got more work to do. we have to get the wages and incomes to keep going up. we have to make sure folks feel like the hard work is getting them somewhere. >> but there's still work to do. president obama talked about fighting to level the playing field. >> over the past couple years, 17 states almost 30 cities and counties, have taken action to raise wages. other cities and states have started guaranteeing workers paid sick days and family leave. and just this week we took action to protect a worker's right to overtime. it's going to give 80,000 folks

right here in wisconsin the overtime protection they deserve. it's the right thing to do. >> he is selling his new overtime plan to give 5 million americans a raise. americans want to tackle this income inequality fight. 67% say the gap between the rich and the poor is getting larger. but you don't have to look at the numbers. just look at the scene last night in wisconsin. 10,000 turned out to hear democratic presidential candidate bernie sanders speak on what he called an immoral and grotesque level of inequality. there's a hunger in this country to make our economic system more fair. president obama went right after republicans, who are late to the game. >> they talk the talk but don't walk the walk.

their menu doesn't have a lot of options for the middle class. the one thing that the bus full of people who are fighting to lead the republican ticket all share, they keep coming up with the same old trickle down you're on your own economics that helped bring about the crisis back in 2007 2008 in the first place. and i want to emphasize, i know some of them well. they're good people. it is just their ideas are bad. >> so what can he with do now? fix minimum wage? get equal pay for women? the president is confident we can do it. >> battling back from recession has been hard. fixing a broken health care system has been hard. making our economy more competitive for the future, it's hard. but the last seven years, shoot,

the last seven days should remind us, there is nothing america cannot do. there's no challenge we can't solve. there are inspiring americans who prove this every single day. nothing we can't do. >> let's bring in congressman emanuel cleaver and e.j. deion. thank you both for being here. >> good to be with you. >> congressman, it is no coincidence the president went to wisconsin to reveal his overtime rule. what can congress do right now to tackle income inequality? >> well first of all, i think it would be helpful if we were able to pass a minimum wage bill to raise to it $10.25. i think that would be helpful. the other is to pass a highway bill a transportation bill

transportation and hud put together, so it will generate new high paying jobs. those jobs would go to working class people. now i think we also are doing fairly well in helping to equal things out with the affordable care act. because health bills were one of the number one causes for bankruptcy. so if people can have health care, that's going to reduce the amount of money they would normally lose. particularly if they were just a woman. >> you know e.j. the president talked about a quote remarkable few weeks in america today. how important is the issue of fairness today? >> i think it is central to it. what truck me listening to him today is something he said when he was running for president back in 2007 2008. he really talked about taking

off from ronald reagan trying to change the country as much as reagan did. but in the other direction. and i think what he's doing is he's making the choice for the long term. not only for the next two years but for the next decade very clear. the government is going to make the country more or less equal. it will make us more or less fair. and there are steps that it can take to make things more equal and fairer for a lot of people. the overtime proposal today was one of them. minimum wage is another. getting the health care expansion into all the states. the medicaid expansion. he is that's on itting that off the other side's ideals. it has real purchase for all americans. it will affect who we are in the next decade or so. >> even as the president is setting off this very serious

intellectual debate as e.j. talks about, he is also having fun. today he talked about having a kooky uncle at a holiday dinner. watch this. >> we're all one american family. but we all go thanksgiving and uncle harry starts saying something and you say, uncle harry, that makes no sense at all. you still love him. he is still a member of your family. right? but you have to correct him. you don't want to put him in charge of stuff. here are a few of the bad ideas. eliminating taxes that the wealthiest americans pay on their investments while making you pay taxes on every dime of your paycheck. that's a bad idea. that's a bad idea. keeping the minimum wage worth less than it was when ronald reagan took office before most of you were born, that's a bad idea.

>> he's joking but he's getting some serious stuff in there. >> well as we would say with the kansas city royals or the kansas city monarchs the president is having a big inning. make no mistake about it. with the supreme court having ruled in favor of the affordable care act, that it is constitutional that the congressional intent does matter, when you look at the way in which he has handled the crisis in charleston you look now at him dealing effectively, i might add, with the whole issue of overtime and the nation is responding. his numbers are rising. he is high stepping and he ought to be doing so and the republicans are stumbling over themselves. and look. as we're coming to the day of independence, it is income pre

henlsible that we have peel in the highest office in the land still trying to make sure people don't have health care. and they'll try to go back years from now and tell their grand children that they were on the right side of history. in fact they were standing on the way with stop signs. >> you know i mentioned governor walker meeting president obama on the tarmac today. but later on the president went right after governor walker's policies. listen to this. >> wis wisconsin is this extraordinary state filled with extraordinary people. but if you end up having policies that cut education, helps folks at the top, aren't expanding opportunity, then it's not going to work. we need better policies. because the bottom line is top down economics doesn't work. middle class economics works.

>> is he doing a little campaigning there for the 2016 candidate? >> i think that whole speech will help the 2016 democratic candidate. and i think it is really interesting to take governor walker. a lot of people have looked at the comparison between wisconsin and minnesota who took two states and took very different paths after the great recession, or during the great recession. wisconsin cut taxes, cut some spending. went after the unions. minnesota didn't do those things. they invested in things. the minnesota economy is doing much better than wisconsin. and there are a lot of other factors at stake here. if you want a test of two paths, comparing those two states is pretty good. governor walker seem to want to move to the right. he sees his future in the iowa

caucuses if he is going to keep going. so i think he will continue to tack on the right side of that republican gang over there as president obama put it. >> as e.j. talks about the right and governor walker congressman, you have on the left bernie sanders. and as i stated earlier, he drew a record crowd last night. almost 10,000 people. he was there last night in wisconsin with his huge crowd. here's what he said to the crowd. >> this grotesque level of inequality is bad economics, unsustainable and it is not what the united states of america is supposed to be about. >> isn't this going to be the defining issue of 2016 congressman? >> no question about it. and bernie sanders is going to

continue to make that speech. he is going to -- because he believes it. i served in the house with him. he believes it. he is going to say it everywhere. the crowds will get larger. i don't think that senator sanders is going to get the nomination. not because he is a bad person. he is a very good person in my books. and i believe in a lot of things he says. but the people out there, that 10,000 crowd, those people are going to go over to a democratic candidate. because they're going to go with somebody who believed that we got to have an economy that serves all of the people as opposed to the way things are going in my native state of kansas where the richest people of the state led by republican governor just got a big tax cut and they'll continue to get them. so the methods of bernie sanders is laying out for the country is one that most of the country will embrace. >> congressman emanuel cleveland, e.j. dionne thank

you for your time tonight. happy fourth of july. >> i have to tell you that you and i need to sue president obama for preaching without a license. he was masterful at that funeral. >> absolutely he was masterful. no doubt about it. still ahead, did you know you could buy a trump brand mattress? me neither! but it's the latest product to get dumped over. his continued rantings about mexico. >> i mean somebody's doing -- it's women being raped. who is doing the raping? who is doing the raping? also a strange twist in the tamir rice case. why does the prosecutor want to reconstruct the shooting? plus the final funeral for the beautiful nine and a surprise announcement from charleston. and saying goodbye to a tv icon. maria from sesame street is

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today officials in charleston announced the revv regd pinckney charleston fund which will help the families of the victims of the master. anonymous donors have already raised over $3 million for the fund. and earlier today, the last of the beautiful nine was laid to rest. reverend daniel, he was remembered as a driving force in the community, serving at eight different churches across the state. his family is in our thoughts and prayers tonight.

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developing news and a twist in the investigation into the shooting death of 12-year-old tamir rice. a cleveland proffer shot and killed him more than seven months ago. the officer apparently thought the apparent gun tamir was holding was a real gun. now prosecutors are trying to decide whether he should be charged. only the we're hearing that the prosecutor is going to bring in the state highway patrol to reconstruct the entire thing. it's not clear what it will

show. we know the video exists and it shows the shooting lasted less than two seconds. we reefld out to the prosecutor's office today. they confirmed the reconstruction was happening. but had no comment. joining me now, former new york police officer and director of black law enforcement alliance. thank you for being here tonight. >> thank you. >> what do you think about this reconstruction they want to do? >> it really is a baffling move by a prosecutor's office at this stage of the game. it is incongress there's another thing that is pretty confusing several months ago. i don't know if you remember this. the ohio criminal investigations did a reconstruction using all of this high-tech 3d technology

et cetera. >> the sheriff's office gave its investigation to the prosecutor. it did its own detailed re-creation. now the prosecutor's office wants a second one? they already have one from the sheriff's office. >> the danger is you have a prosecutor's office who is creating additional evidence that really is like throwing meat to a lion that the defense will have additional items. additional evidence. additional video. additional documentation to somehow establish or create some reasonable doubt. it seems unnecessary and quite illogical as far as prosecution is concerned. >> but a tv station in cleveland is reported this about the investigation. quote, the office will also enlist outside experts including a use of force expert in the investigation. what will a use of force expert look at mark? >> what is strange about that

is, it appears as if we've seen this in other cases, too. you have a prosecution. this pertains to police involved shootings or crime. you have a prosecutor's office who assumes the position of a defense. they bring in individuals or experts that normally would be called by the defense as opposed to the prosecutors. so there is a significant question about what value both this reconstruction will bring or the use of force expert examination expert at this point. what value does it bring? it is baffling and illogical. and it is incongruous. >> the other incongruity in my mine the grand jury will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to go forward to trial. prima facie evidence. the grand jury doesn't even look if there's reasonable doubt. that's a trial jury. so i don't even understand.

is there probable cause to go to trial? is there probable cause to say that a crime could have been committed here? that's what a grand jury does. you look at the length of time here and compare it to fred gray's case in baltimore. how do you feel in seven months how do you feel how long this has taken? now we're hearing all the new things they want to submit to the grand jury. >> it is painful. in reality, a slap in the face of justice. justice delayed is justice denied. and for this seven-month period we've been waiting, the family has had to endure, the community has had to endure. unspeakable pain while it appears the prosecutor's office is dragging its feet. and keep in mine we are not even at a prosecution point at this point because there has not been an indication by the prosecutor's office. to engage the prosecution. no presentation to a grand jury and we're several months out from even that move being made.

>> thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. coming up donald trump might be making party leaders cry this week. but the late night comedians are loving it. as we celebrate and get ready to celebrate or independence we look at a country crying to live up to its cede. since 1776. in addition to the fireworks, in addition to the food there is a chance to celebrate a bed rock principle so deep that generations of americans have been willing to risk everything to declare it. the idea that all of us are created equal. 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. from a partner who knows how to make your

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donald trump has been dominating the news since he announced he was running for

president, starting with his rambling entry into the 2016 race. how stupid are our leaders? i like china. i just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from china. i'm really rich. so just to sum up i would do various things very quickly. and i promise i will never be in a bicycle race. that i can tell you. >> and for late night comedians, it's the gift that keeps on giving. >> after donald trump's derogatory comments about immigrants that's right, nbc has officially canceled celebrity apresent it is. think about it. he has already made america a better place. >> they say they will not carry trump's miss usa or miss

universe pageants because of what he said about mexicans. not because these pageants treat women lying cattle at the state fair. it was mexicans thing that upset them. >> that's right. trump is running for president and wasting no time getting down to business. just after his announcementering demanded to see jeb bush's birth certificate. >> thank you donald trump, for making my last six weeks, my best six weeks. >> but you know who is not laughing? the republican party. today new concerns he is hurting the republican brand. so what happens now? that's next. it comes in oral rinse spray or gel so there's moisturizing relief for everyone. biotene, for people who suffer from dry mouth.

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they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists. >> you have people coming in i'm not just saying mexicans. i'm talking about people from all over that are killers and rapists. they're coming into this country. >> there is no apology. what i said is right. what i said is 100% right. >> totally accurate. the border is a disaster bill. people are pouring in and i mean illegal people. illegal people are pouring in. >> it is insulting and factually wrong. and companies are feeling the heat from people's response. they're fleeing from him. today, a new one. the largest u.s. mattress manufacturer, krerta is ending its relationship. who even knew he had a mattress deal? but go ahead. add it to the list. right now some of the right, they seem unsure whether to take all this seriously.

we see headlines like this one. the gop fears trump hurting brand. and on the other hand republican strategists say trump numbers will drop. my opinion is they're right to worry. he will not back down. and last night, he did it again. >> if you look at the statistics on rape on crime, on everything, coming in illegally into this country, they're mind-boggling. i mean somebody's doing -- it's women being raped. who is doing the raping? who is doing the raping? >> joining me now, dana milbank and angela thank you both for being here. >> thank you. >> how can they not be worried when he says things like that that he said last night? >> well i don't see how they can't be worried. he is basically exploiting the system they created. you know he knows what hot buttons to hit to fire up that

republican electorate. he has no background so he can say whatever it is he wants. he knows what to say. he is making a mockery of the whole republican primary system. and the other thing is he has a ton of money so escapable of putting the ads out there. a ton of name recognition which is why you're seeing him in second place. only the jeb bush in the polls. so there is many reasons to be concerned. donald trump won't be the president but he can make they will miserable for a very long time. >> on a scale of 1-10 how badly was the gop damaged this week by trump? >> 11. is 11 an option? reverend, when i think about it again. we talk about this so many times. the fact that the gop actually spent real money in figuring out how they could stop the bleed with minority voters with women, with young people. the fact that donald trump has almost single handedly this week

undone all of that work. of course we know they haven't made substantial investments. what we have seen is the republican party's true colors. the fact that very few of the candidates and really none of the candidates have said much worth its salt in terms of holding him accountable on. this businesses have stepped up in a larger way to hold him accountable than his counter parts. i don't understand why it is just hillary clinton calling him to the carpet on this and talking about how horrible these comments are. we're talking about a community in this country. the hispanic buying power is that 1.3 trill just last year. imagine the impact of their votes and the fact their votes are a large part of what helped carry obama in 2012. >> part of what they were reaching out to. one candidate did hold him in check. i'll come right back to that. another candidate who did disagree was jeb bush data and yet, we see that trump has been constantly attacking trump as

well. last night he did it again. watch this. >> i'm not a bush fan and i say the last thing we need is another bush. the bush family should rest and relax and go back to, you know, sitting on boards and picking up check. because this guy will never be able to make our country great. he doesn't have the energy. he doesn't have what it takes. >> how big a problem is this for the republicans for him to constantly keep attacking jeb bush, the front runner. >> once again, he knows the pulse of the primary electorate. he knows what he has to do to draw blood. because he has so much name recognition, it really works. and you see jeb bush particularly and the other candidates trying to ignore him like he's not there. but it is pretty hard to ignore this enormous mega phone that is donald trump. so this is going to continue.

he is presumably if he continues, to be there on the debate stage and he will make a mockery of this primary season for the republicans. >> angela as i said i would give back -- one candidate did come out today, chris christie and he rejected trump's comments about mexican immigrants and more. listen to this. >> the comments were inappropriate and they have no place in the race. i think it has been well documented over time that there have been certain elements of our party that have been unfriendly to elements of our population, including the latino community and we need to change that. we need to broaden our party to create a coalition that will win national elections. >> now, go back to the debate stage dana just talked about. jeb bush that he disagrees with donald trump. now chris christie has come in. christie is known as the guy that will get in your face. could he be the guy on the debate stage to take donald trump on?

>> he could but he won't. let's talk about why. let's dissect what he just. . he doesn't agree with him and it doesn't have a place in their party. why? because they're trying to grow the base. how disingenuous is that. he doesn't say this is racist this is prejudice rhetoric that doesn't have any place here. he doesn't say the people at trump's rally the other day in new hampshire saying we like this guy because he is talking about taking our country back. that very racially charged rhetoric. he is not really serious about a diverse republican party. he is serious about trying to win. and i hope that people will see just what he said. >> i have to say this. when you mentioned the debate. there are now 14 candidates. and president obama had a little fun with that today. watch this. >> we've got some healthy competition in the democratic party. i've lost count of how many republicans are running.

they've have enough for an actual hunger games. >> dana it is going to be a lot of confusion. it will be interesting to watch. >> yeah. to get them all on stage, they'll have to be on piggy back or something. maybe they can solve it by having chicken fights. >> thank you for your time tonight. have a great fourth of july weekend. >> thank you. you too. >> from 1776 to 2015 the long march toward justice and equality in america. how the last week has pushed america forward. also the year in social justice is shaping this weekend's big he is enls festival in new orleans. and saying goodbye to maria from sesame street. >> of course i know the difference.

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the 2015 essence contest kicks off in new orleans. it has always been a party with a purpose and this is the first festival since the charleston tragedy and a year filled with high profile police shootings. i recently sat down with the president of essence communications, michelle ebanks and asked her about how essence will tackle the big issues facing our community.

>> that was the design from the very beginning. to have a great party. but the larger idea is community building empowerment, to have discussions around the issues of the day, to have our leaders, our community leaders such as yourself, the national urban league mayors from around the country, we'll have our inspirational leaders, deepak chopra. >> that's big. that is the first year he's done it. >> the first year. we have 150 speakers throughout four days who will be talking about the issues of the day. we will have sabrina fulton will be with us. >> mother of trayvon martin. >> mothers who have experienced this violence in their own lives. so this will be an incredible gathering of the community around these issues. >> and people need to know people come out. you have the super dome packed

at night for the entertainment. mary j blige. thousands come out to these sessions to hear the panels to hear those of us who are speakers. it will be my 21 year. >> the daytime is the largest part of the festival. over 100,000 people a day come through a half million square feet in the center. it is the most important part of the festival. >> another thing that is interesting, this is also the tenth anniversary this summer of katrina. >> yes. >> and the only time the festival had to move out of new orleans was for katrina. and i know in our speeches and the other panels will talk about ten years since katrina. and what's happening. it's amazing. >> it's amazing. when you think back to the devastation that katrina caused where an entire community practically was underwater. so many lives were lost.

and you know if you remember what happened in the super dome. in the convention center. we're back ten years later in those venues. we must commemorate the lives that were lost celebrate the heroes who came and put that community back together. and as a national community, we will commemorate the resilience of new orleans. >> now, one of the things is that we are entering the political season. 2016. and i remember in 2011 and 2007 essence sort of sets the pace for getting ready next year. it is the largest gathering of blacks before the end of the year. by the next gathering it is almost too late. what kind of impact do you think black voters will have in 2016?

particularly black women? >> well black women have been the largest single group going to the polls for the last presidential election. the last two presidential elections. this community, this cohort has always been active in the polls to make sure that the issues impacting the black community are on the minds and the agendas of our politicians. this year will be no different. so all of those issues will be covered by our 150 speakers. and that will inform people and inspire them to continue to be active at the polls. >> let's shift gears a minute. you always have the a-list in entertainment. it is a party with a purpose. but it is also a party. and you get the top names that come and perform at night. tell us as an example of who will do the essence festival this year. >> absolutely. we are so proud that artists, for artists, the essence festival is coming home.

so we will start off thursday night with kevin hart with his what's now tour. he is the hottest artist going now. so we're, that will kick off the weekend on thursday night. and then we'll have everyone from usher, missy elliott, charles wilson mary j. blige, kendrick lamarr will clothes out the festival sunday evening. those are a few of the 60 artists we will have. >> and it is also multi, what i should say cross generational from a charles wilson to kendrick lamar. you have something for everybody. usually on the same show. you see the young folks getting it all with charlie wilson and older people relating. >> this is where we all come together. our national our global community.

this is where we come and we enjoy each other. we enjoy the cuisine in new orleans, the art, the music across our generations. we are all together. there are no divisions. >> well it is the essence music festival. i'm excited that we are upon that time again. and i'll be there with bells on. and maybe some nice outfits, too. thank you for your time tonight. i'll see you in new orleans. >> see you there. thank you. straight ahead, big news from sesame street. a tv icon is saying farewell. and later as we get ready to celebrate independence day, we look at how far we've come since 1776. thingy. you see it? that's a sensor. using ge software, the light can react to its environment- getting brighter only when it's needed. in a night it saves a little energy. but, in a year it saves a lot. and the other street? it's been burning energy all night.

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come on. do it. come on! yes! awww, yes! that is what i'm talking about. baby. call and upgrade to get x1 today. ♪ let's take a walk around the neighborhood and see who we meet today. ♪ who are the people in your neighborhood ♪ ♪ in your neighborhood ♪ >> after 45 years in the neighborhood on sesame street maria is saying goodbye. sonja, the 65-year-old actress who played maria on the show announced her plans to retire this week. back in the early '70s, manzano was one of the first hispanics to appear on national tv. she grew up in the south bronx.

and she was incredibly important to hispanic kids who saw her as someone who looked like them and who taught the value of embracing other cultures. ♪ sometimes i say hola ♪ ♪ sometimes i say hello ♪ ♪ sometimes i say vamos mean? and sometime i say let's go ♪ >> we saw manzano and her character maria grow over those four decades. she got married on sesame street just like in real life. and she also had a baby on the show. just like at home. she's always been an incredible performer featuring in some of the show's most iconic segments including the famous charlie chapman skit in front of a fake mirror. ♪

>> but most importantly, she taught kids the importance of friendship and love. >> we can still love each other. >> we can? how? >> as friends. friends love each other. >> manzano has been around so long that kids watched her, grew up to be adults and then had their own kids who watched her on sesame street. she said that she hopes that her story will inspire others. i think that's already happened for generations of the young and the young in heart. it really opens the passages. waiter. water.

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this weekend america celebrates its 213th birthday and the start of a long fight to live up to its creed. we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. the man who wrote those words, thomas jefferson, was a slave owner. back then women couldn't vote and gay people were brutally punished, just for being who they were. but since then america has changed for the better. the slaves won their freedom in the civil war and then women won the right to vote. >> a growing revolt of women and for the right to vote in particular. >> the civil rights movement pushds america forward even more until we saw progress that once seemed impossible. as dr. king said the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. we saw that just last week when

marriage equality became a reality and people burst into a song on the steps of the supreme court. ♪ o say does that star spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ >> yes, we've come a long way. but there is a long way to go. president obama talked about that in his historic speech in selma, alabama. >> america is not some fragile thing. we are large in the words, containing multitudes. we are boisterous and did i havers and full of energy

perpetually young in spirit. 239 years after this nation's founldsing our union is not yet perfect but we are getting closer. we know the march is not yet over. we know the race is not yet won. >> the march is not yet over and the wounds from 1776 are still not healed. the confederate flag still flies over the south carolina capitol and there's work to do on inequality voting guns, and the criminal justice system. and it is hard work and there will be disappointments. most of my life i've been engaged in those fights. sometimes there have been some discouraging results. when i think about where we started, 239 years ago, and the only reason we've made progress is because people didn't give up. people didn't succumb to their worst fears. they didn't cop out. we've come too far to turn

around now as we celebrate. let us not forget we have to move forward. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. have a great holiday weekend. "hardball" starts right now. no guts no glory. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. there is something happening in american politics it is and not exactly clear. bernie sanders is drawing crowds like nobody else. and donald trump is spiking to the top of the polls. what are the forces driving voters to give these two very different guys a look and perhaps even a vote? election season has begun, certainly and that's for sure. people are looking for someone left or right to show some guts. robert costas the front page political reporte