this morning my question -- miley, what's good? plus, what may be the shortest maternity leave in the country. she's a ceo. and the chicago hunger strikers trying to save a school. but first, the pope is coming to america. >> good morning. i'm melissa harris-perry. in 17 day, pope francis will land in the united states to much fanfare. his five-day visit includes a speech before a joint session of congress, as well as visits to an east harlem school here in new york city. and a prison in philadelphia. cities along the route are preparing for increased traffic and influx of visitors.

hotels are pack and in philadelphia, an unusual option -- bunks available for $75 a night aboard the battleship new jersey. in philly about one million people are expected to attend an outdoor mass by pope francis along the benjamin franklin parkway. last night, his audience with three u.s. communities aired on national television. so an emotional preview to his visit to the states later this month. when a 17-year-old in chicago spoke of her struggles with a rare skin disorder and the solace she finds in music, a rare moment occurred. the pope chose to address the young woman in english. >> marisse i would like to have you singing. may i ask of you to sing a song for me? >> we were all unsure if she would sing.

>> rock of ages. >> okay. ♪ ♪ >> thank you very much. that was very kind of you. >> the pontiff also made news earlier this week when he released a letter permitting all priests the discretion to solve women who seek forgiven for having a abortion. the pope wrote, may priest fulfills by expressing the gravity of the sin committed and besides the path of authentic conversion to obtain the true and generous of the father.

this discretion is afforded to many priests by the bishop. in new york, priests have had this faculty for nearly three decades but vatican experts say this edict demockery tyczes the process to prevent conservative priests from blocking the absolution. this is not a doctrine change, but he's addressing the alienated constituency. pope francis has repeatedly touched on controversial issues. in june, he called for action to stop climate change. saying it's mostly man-made and he broke with his predecessor benedict xvi telling the audience at the vatican that the big bang theory and evolution do not contradict the role of the divine creator. he said, quote, god is not a devine being or magician, but the creator who brought everything to life. evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of

creation because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve. while the pope has not changed on marriage equality, he said who am i to judge when asked about gay catholics in the church. and just last month, pope francis encouraged the church to embrace catholics who have divorced and remarried. the pope of mercy has been praised for breaking the mold. he's received much acclaim for not shying away from the raw nerve issues, and those who are affected by them. he's likely trying to vet the tone of -- to reset the tone of his arrival and he announced the whole year was a way to broaden the church's reach, to become more incollusive and make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy. this outreach comes at a time when catholic numbers appear to be on the decline. nearly one-third of adults were

raised catholic, but 41% no longer identify with catholicism and when it comes to conversion, 12.9% are former catholics while 2% have converted to catholicism from another religion. in pope francis in latin america where 40% of the catholics reside, for most of the 20th century at least 90% were catholic, but now 69% identify as catholic. 84% of latin american adults report they were raised catholic, but only 69% currently identify as such. joining me father james martin editor in large and a senior minister here in new york. so nice to have you both. i want to start with you, because i think there is -- there is a sense in the two different pieces that i was trying to present there on the one hand a kind of doctrinal

theological emphasis of this pope, and on the other side, a very practical question about the viability of the catholic church in the world as it exists now. do you think that those two things are attention with each other or is this pope talking in the way that he talks in part because of that reality? >> i think the latter. i mean, doctrine really depends on practice and vice versa and he's trying to meet people where they are. he's trying to address the issues very important to people right now and he feels had been underappreciated or understressed under the last two popes. he said i want to address more topics that are where people live basically. but you're right that his overall theme is mercy and i am all for that. so i think he's doing a great job. >> so this idea of mercy, there was another thing i heard in that town hall in particular. in the moment when he shifts into english, folks don't know, he has said before he's kind of uncomfortable speaking english. that recognition, the pope to look at a young girl, to recognize her and then to do

something that was uncomfortable for him while asking her to do something that was uncomfortable, well, that is all you're going for in leadership in the church, in everything. >> he is so walking jesus' walk when he does that. looking at her, seeing who she is, recognizing her. speaking in her language, approaching -- just like jesus meeting the woman at the well and this guy is my pope. >> even though you're not catholic. >> no, i'm a protestant. though he's not changing doctrine, he's creating new theology. he is doing a theology of love and mercy and kindness as opposed to a lot of our churches' theologies, judgment and i are striction and tightness and people are leaving churches. all churches when they don't feel a book called unchristian

wrote about evangelical young people. it said the evangelical christians are leaving because they think the church is homophobic, hypocritical and judgmental. he said, god is love and let me show you what love looks like. >> and yet the pope remains catholic. for someone raised in the unitarian, and married to a catholic and raising a catholic child, not just me, but when we look at american catholics in a recent poll asking about what constitutes sip, 54% said cohabitation is not sin. 66% said contraception, another 50% saying remarriage without annulment is not a sin and even a third saying that abortion is not sin. so there's still -- so again, i love this pope, right, he's my pope. but i also see that there seem to be challenges around this doctrine. >> yeah, there's still sin, there's sin in every christian

religion. look outside there's crime and theft and those kind of things. there's sin going on in the world. what he's trying to do is remind people that as you said so well, you know, god is love and god is mercy and jesus is about forgiveness. one of the best things i heard about confession, for example, he's talking about in this abortion letter is that confession is not about how bad you are, but how good god is, right? so, you know, as you were saying it's the pope meeting people where they are. he is a pastor, he is reaching out to people. part of that reaching out is forgiveness and mercy and understanding people as imperfect, struggling people. >> just a matter of the catholicism, help to understand what the absolution is. that language matters here, right? there's a specific thing when you're saying you can be absolved of this. >> in confession, the person comes with a purpose of amendment and confessing the sin, given a penance and is forgiven. it's god who is doing the

forgiving and there were still diocese who had the abortion be absolved by bishop. he said, i know the pressures that women are under. it's an understanding and merciful outreach i think. >> so to miss the mark is what sin is and in this place where i think as a protestant missing the mark is about breaking our relationship with god and people, so the list of the things, smoking s that a sin? this place of what is sin, i think god sees us already as healed and whole and forgiven. i think the difference between protestantism and catholicism, we can go directly to god and be forgiven. >> part of what is interesting about the nature of the catholic church is the relationship of community, right?

it's a collective relationship in that way. so part of what i'm wondering, we talk about this relationship between the pope and the people. but this -- isn't it by demockery tyczing it, it's a bit between the pope and the priest. there's potentially opening up room for new and different kinds of leadership. we are looking at membership numbers here, but the priesthood is challenged in the u.s. around americans coming into the priesthood. >> yeah, the pope is trying to set an example. as we saw last night in the show he is being a pastor. meeting people where they are. he's listening to people. and he's showing in a sense priests but also other christians how to be a good christian. you know, you listen, you're merciful, you love. you take people where they are like jesus did with the woman at the well. >> let me ask you the politics question of this. given that it's a more conservative world view where we have seen the catholic church deployed in american politic, i'm wondering if this is a disruptive visit for what we

usually think of as kind of a partisan divide -- >> i hope so. i hope so. >> me too. >> that's our biggest hope and dream is that the pope's presence in the nation when he talks to congress, when he talks about climate change we kind of break a frame about what it means to be christian, what it means to be holy. what it means to be whole. and that the conversation changes to dialogue, mercy, forgiveness and love. >> thank you, two, father jim martin and reverend lewis. stay right there. because up next, the latest on the refugee crisis in europe. later joe biden's heart felt message on his political future. more "sit" per roll.

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my here at c.k. mondavi.on, the vice president of operations to make this fine wine it takes a lot of energy. pg&e is the energy expert. we reached out to pg&e to become more efficient. my job is basically to help them achieve their goals around sustainability and really to keep their overhead low. solar and energy efficiency are all core values of pg&e. they've given us the tools that we need to become more efficient and bottom line save more money. together, we're building a better california. there are new images from overnight of thousands of people crossing the border from hungary into austria.

they are part of a migrant and refugee crisis that has made hungary a transit hub for people expeerpss -- experiencing violence, seeking safety and opportunity in northern and western europe. nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel filed this with the latest on the story. >> reporter: here at the border, traffic is backed up for miles. after coming under heavy pressure the hungarian government finally relented and gave some assistance, helping migrants and refugees pass through. they made it. they won. buses took thousands of migrants from hungary into austria this morning. a simple border crossing. but this was a hard fought victory which they had to earn one step at a time. from there, many were quickly loaded on to trains for vienna.

friday, the migrants and refugees mostly from syria finally got fed up in hungary. and decided to head for the austrian border on foot. 100 miles away. the hungarian government had been given them a hard time. corralling them into camps, sometimes beating them and forcing them off trains. ahmed wears a prosthetic and he was angry and confused as to why the government was hassling instead of helping them. we bought train tickets but they won't let us travel he said. but with reporters following every step, and babies in the sun, children two to a stroller, it all became too embarrassing for the hungarian government. which finally gave the migrants and refugees what they wanted -- passage out of the country so they could head further north and west to wealthier parts of europe.

this crisis is in no way over. the hungarian government says this was a one-time deal and they're not in the business of shuttling refugees through the country and delivering them to austria, but expectations have been raised and more refugees and more migrants are on the march hoping they too will be picked up. richard engel, nbc news, along the hungarian-austria border. still to come, what hillary clinton told andrea mitchell about being perceived to be a liar. i love the jetta. but what about a deal? terry, stop! it's quite alright... you know what? we want to make a deal with you. we're twins, so could you give us two for the price of one? come on, give us a deal. look at how old i am. do you come here often? he works here, terry! you work here, right? yes... ok let's get to the point. we're going to take the deal. the volkswagen model year end sales event ends on labor day. so hurry in to your local

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let's be honest. if you're making a serious bid to be the president of the united states, you're pretty much by definition not an average person. but it is ordinary voters whose preferences determine the contest and as a result, candidates typically have to strike a balance between showing they understand the interests and concerns of ordinary americans without seeming like a

pretender. the name of this particular political game -- perceived awe then dissy. and you know what? turns out donald trump has it. in a recent iowa poll republican caucusgoers said that by far, trump's best quality is that quote, he tells it like it is. authenticity is part of bernie sanders' appeal. >> we have become so accustomed to stage managed focus group driven candidates that a authenticity comes across as lunacy. yes, by unusual, you mean honestly representing himself and his beliefs rather than playing a cynical political game. >> on the flip side, hillary clinton's biggest weakness is that she doesn't seem authentic. voters say the first words that come to mind for clinton are liar, dishonest and untrustworthy. ouch. and andrea mitchell asked her

about the perception she doesn't connect with voters. >> that's not my experience out campaigning. i feel very, very good about where we are. we built a terrific organization in the early states. the level of support, the intensity of support that i'm experiencing as i speak with people and talking about issues that i know are on their minds. >> but that perception whether clinton shares it or not may be why sanders is closing in. according to one recent poll in iowa the vermont senator is now within just seven points of the front-runner. joining me now, joy reid, author of the forthcoming book "fracture, barack obama and the clintons and the racial divide." and rebecca traister, author of "big girls don't cry" the elections that changed everything. and robert traynham, a former senior adviser to the bush-cheney campaign. rebecca, let me start with you. part of what i'm wondering do you think the numbers even those

poll numbers about sort of liars -- do they reflect like actual vulnerability or is us wanting a story to tell? >> probably more of the second, but it does reflect a long standing vulnerability for clinton. this inauthentic charge precedes the e-mail scandal. this is something that's in hillary's past throughout her political career. it's often been attached to her contortions that she was perceived as starting from the left, moved to the center and now back to the left. it's part of the narrative that yiessed against her, but it's also rooted in reality. she's a contortionist, and it's tied up in how she's performed often awkwardly on campaign trails. you know, she wasn't born an electoral politician, right? and so it's a tag that's stuck with her. there was going to be a narrative at this point in the campaign. whether it was going to be a benghazi thing that trey gowdy

got to stick, whether it was the e-mail thing or something we couldn't dream up now, this was the moment that at which everybody is bored. she's the front-runner. she is being credibly challenged. this was going to happen. so sure, it reflects a vulnerability that has always been in place for hillary clinton. >> so here's my challenge about it happening. some of what you named there were actual event, occurrences that can be proved or evidence can be brought to bear or not, and joy, i want to listen here to another little piece of the andrea interview where andrea asks her about what it feels like to be associated with the word liar. because that feels -- i don't -- like that's different. that's who she is. let's take a listen. >> well, certainly doesn't make me feel good but i am very confident that by the time this campaign has run its course people will know that what i have been saying is accurate. more importantly, the american people will know that they can trust me when it comes to standing up for them and fighting for them.

>> so how do you assess this idea that the thing, the narrative now is about who she actually is? >> yeah. >> as opposed to what she did or didn't do? >> i mean, i think after 30 something years of experience with the clintons where it has been sort of, you know, gate after gate after gate after gate, people do have a built-in skepticism of everything they do. you see how quickly she pivoted to her talking points. i think she contributes to it in a sense that hillary clinton is an attorney. she kind of sounds like one when she speaks. she doesn't talk about emotion. she pivots right to such carefully produced talking points. she so careful. i think she's trying not to make so many mistakes and she has been parsed so much from what she wears, to whether she took her husband's last name. she's a carefully stage managed person that people are getting that perception of her because of her performance. >> we saw that in the black lives matter with young people. you have to change policy. i don't disagree that policy is

critically important but it's staying away from the emotional. i wonder though, i mean, i don't think i have been very undercover about this. i'm not a huge fan of hillary clinton for president. but that's -- but this particular argument does feel gender to me. she's a liar, untrustworthy. she's unemotional. but we know that big girls don't cry. >> i think agree with both here. hillary clinton doesn't come across as authentic. what i mean by that, i think -- look, i think at the end of the day, most americans do a gut check when it comes to the politics or people that aspire to be president. with hillary clinton, it appears to be she's inauthentic of almost everything. to joy's point about the talking points, can you talk about an emotional issue.

hillary clinton doesn't appear to do that. >> i'm down with you. i agree that most americans go to the gut check. i guess part of what i wonder is that any way to choose the president? >> of course it is. come on. of course. >> no, it another not. here's why. 18 million people voted for hillary clinton in 2008. here's why, back around this time in 2007 hillary clinton ironically same exact thing was 37 points ahead of a guy by the name of barack obama. it was all about policy back then. so the reality is that the reason why barack obama -- one of the reasons why barack obama won is because he appeared to be authentic and thus to the process created a huge coalition where a lot of -- do i need to go down the history? >> no, i was going to say, you had wrote a book about this. would you like to weigh in on this? >> i think it's easy for people to pivot right to this sort of almost ingrained tick that they have with the clintons. i think it's gendered. because if you go down the list that people have come up with, and we haven't talked about it on cable television, but the "b" word was spontaneously versed

when asked about hillary clinton. i think because hillary clinton has had to stage manage herself so carefully, because she was taken apart by the barack obama campaign last time, she's holding things this. but this happens. >> this is my complaint, rebecca. i think this is hard to answer. so these may be unfair, but they are the realities of what makes her the candidate she is. so when i have been not a fan, it's less an assessment of her and her skills and whether or not she's actually a strong candidate. and as unfair as it may be, it's the realities of a very long period of time in the public world view as a politician, that leads i think in part to this. >> right. i mean, one of the things to keep in mind she's still doing well in the polls. >> very well. >> bernie going to come close and maybe beat her in one of the early contests, i don't know. >> she's running against bernie sanders from vermont. who calls himself a socialist. >> i know. >> like she should be doing well. >> she is doing well against republican opponents in the polls. still strong especially for

this, the doldrums, we're so bored, it hasn't quite started yet. i mean, i think she's not as weak as she is perceived to be. >> do you know who's not boring? donald trump. and up next, the rnc got him to sign the pledge, but will the party come to regret that commitment? we thought we'd be ready. but demand for our cocktail bitters was huge. i could feel our deadlines racing towards us. we didn't need a loan. we needed short-term funding. fast. our amex helped us fill the orders. just like that. you can't predict it, but you can be ready. another step on the journey. will you be ready when growth presents itself? realize your buying power at open.com. we've gotpeptocopter! ummy town. ♪ when cold cuts give your belly thunder, pink relief is the first responder, so you can be a business boy wonder! ♪ fix stomach trouble fast with pepto.

okay, this week donald trump promised the republican party that he won't run as a third party candidate if he loses the republican nomination for president. even signed the pledge. there he is is, waving it around. of course this is all about electoral map because if trump were to run as an independent he would siphon votes away from the republican nominee, which could give the democratic nominee a big advantage. so trump is now in the republican party's eyes officially one of them. and the party leaders see that as a good thing. here is rnc chair priebus after trump signed the pledge. >> and my job is to protect the

party and today was about protecting the party. i'm not here to call balls and strikes. what i'm here to do though is to make sure that we're always putting our party's best foot forward. >> so, is this good for the party? >> absolutely. here's why. republicans by party has the battle wounds from 19 92 and that's when ross perot would run as an independent and if he was not in the race, george h. bush would have had a second term. and donald trump is very authentic. a lot of voters out there said you know what, he says it the way it is. i'm not necessarily going to vote for him. but he's speaking on behalf of me. so when donald trump says i'm dropping out of the race which he will do probably within six months if not sooner, he then says i'm going to endorse jeb bush. those quote/unquote trump voters and that enthusiasm goes to the republican party and helps us in the fall.

>> a couple of things. that's a great story. i get that. but i don't agree. >> this is not kool-aid i'm drinking. >> i get it. i don't agree -- i don't agree he's authentic. i think he has extraordinary perceived authenticity. i think that's something different. but very meaningful in the electoral world but i also think that the idea that voters will go with him to whomever the candidate is hasn't been demonstrated. that trump has that capacity. >> right not only that, but the whole reason he's resonating with a big chunk of the republican base is because time after time, they keep being promised that their tea party views will be reflected in the people that use them to get elected. they do all of this activism and they wind up with a congress that cannot beat barack obama, cannot stop health care reform, cannot repeal health care reform. we can't do what you want on immigration. we can't deport every immigrant from mexico. we can't do the extreme things that we promised you we'd do to get elected. >> but joy, it's not about the

tea party. >> people who are activists for donald trump will have spent that emotional energy only to get excited about bush doesn't sound logical. by the way, on that pledge i pictured reince priebus sitting in a little chair and donald trump sitting in a throne. now donald trump can get on the ballot in south carolina. >> exactly. which is what that was all about. because south carolina had blocked anyone who wasn't signing that pledge from being on the ballot that's a key space for him. especially given some of the kind of ethnic discourse that has emerged as part of trump's identity here. >> one of the things appealing to him is his feeling secure and being able to do whatever he wants. i saw that pledge and i was like that's a pretty pledge. i don't believe for one second that he would necessarily stand by it if it came to it. you know, i don't -- he's authentic in that he expresses anger. he expresses hate. he expresses racism. he expresses all of these kind of extra party feelings that are bringing people in who would be

turned off by the candidates. >> that what's i find so interesting. >> what i find so interesting is that there are a lot of folks in the media, lot of folks that have a particular view that dismiss trump voters, that think they're just some out there, that they're tea partiers. >> no, i don't dismiss them. >> what they are, they're frustrated with the direction of this country. they believe in something very strongly. they're not racist or xenophobic. some may be, but -- >> but they're responding to -- >> but i think -- >> but that matters. >> it does. >> i hear you. i hear you that being a trump supporter -- there's no litmus test for i am a racist, you can figure out from who you pick on the republican or the democratic side. but it is worth noting he is pushing a clear nativist, xenophobic discourse and the idea that 30% of republican voters are responding to that has racial implication regardless of whether --

>> i don't disagree with you. but the flip side to that is if we want to use that same analogy, the flip side is, look at the crowds that bernie sanders is getting on the left. a socialist, a self-described socialist. there's a hunger out there against the anti-establishment that are saying, you know what, this guy or this gal or this person doesn't speak for me. so therefore, i'm going to show up and i'm going to listen to bernie sanders. so it's this dissatisfaction that the liberal east coast elite just dismisses as much of the nuance -- >> so you know, i live on south bay. as much as there's dissatisfaction, barack obama thinks he could win a third term. >> under our constitution i cannot run again. i can't run again. i actually think i'm a pretty good president. i think if i ran i could win. but i can't. [ male announcer ] we know they're out there.

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at a synagogue in atlanta thursday night, vice president biden gave a wrenching response to the question on everyone's mind. will he run? >> the most relevant factor in my decision is whether my family and i have the emotional energy to run. if i can reach that conclusion that we can do it in a fashion that would still make it viable, it would not -- i would not hesitate to do it. but i have to be honest with you and everyone that came to me, i can't look you straight in the eye and say now, i know i can do that. this is as honest as i can be. >> if you were looking for authenticity, my friends -- >> yeah. >> he clearly is a man that's still very much in mourning. he's someone that's struggling with this decision. >> sure. >> in the reports are correct, his dying son had a wish an then the question is do you honor that wish and/or do you -- >> but this --

>> do you listen to your head or your heart? >> well, let me give the head reason. if you look at the cnn poll around hillary clinton and bernie sanders and joe biden and nonwhite voters, you will see hillary clinton huge advantage among nonwhite voters but biden is double that of sanders around that and we know that hillary clinton has vulnerability there. when president obama is making that joke about being able to win a third term, i want to make a claim, joy, the only person who can run i am obama's third term person, is joe biden. he is not a perfect candidate. at all. >> no. >> but i will say this, but a few things happened during the obama years that are big wins for the democratic party, that for the most part a candidate clinton can't talk about. because for example, health care reform. because they remind us of moments of her past. i thought the white house would want him to run just for that. >> keep in mind, i have been talking a lot to the democrats who were either obama people or

who were just -- especially in florida. in miami when joe biden was down there. i can say three things really quickly. you talk to anyone who knows joe biden, he wants to be president. he feels he would be a good president. i spoke to some sources who were telling me that his thinking is that he'd like to be the backup plan, that if something goes wrong with hillary clinton, if the fbi were to probe into the e-mails and it becomes more serious he wants to be the guy waiting in the wings but they're not sure he has the emotional energy. the joe biden who spoke in miami was not the ebullant -- ebullient joe biden we're used to, he was knocked down by beau's death. some serious people with great campaign experience are part of this draft biden movement. they're now up in south carolina and iowa as well as in florida where obama's guy who won that election for him twice in florida is running -- not running, but he's part of it. so i think there is -- to your point, the only reason that hillary clinton was able to recover from 2008 and from all

the racial conflagration and get back so much black support is because she became a loyal member of the obama coalition. who is more -- >> who hearts obama? >> more. and who does obama heart more than joe biden? >> i love joe biden. i think everybody should run for president. i wish there were more nominees. okay? great. get in the game. but the reception of him as a great alternate to hillary i think is super flawed. i think we have to recognize why he's comforting us to us. every one of hillary's flaws save for being married to bill clinton, joe biden has and then some. he wrote the crime bill. and clarence thomas is on the supreme court and he voted for the bankruptcy bill while his son was working -- hunter was working for the big financial firm. okay, he voted for the hyde amendment. okay, with no exceptions for rape or insist.

he voted for the partial birth abortion ban. that hilarious thing he said about president obama about him being clean and bright and articulate, that was appalling. it was nice. so what i'm saying is the reasons that he looks appealing to us are because he looks like a president which is why he's barack obama's vice president. he is a comforting mainstream white dude. which is why he ran with obama. >> sure. i feel you on all that. i don't think you're -- clearly, you're exactly accurate about his legislative past. but part of what i was saying, then that legislative past has sitting over it eight years of being president obama's vice president. in a way that allows him to do a thing that is not clear to me that hillary clinton is prepared to do. >> you're both right. what she cease talking about which is accurate, the political land mine. if i can talk about the policies for a second, the last time a

sitting vice president tried to run a third time and win is back when george h.w. won. mathematically it doesn't make sense for biden to even say -- hold on. >> but what i would say is in part what your party is doing is changing -- so this ain't a normal politics election. >> but that obama coalition that was in 2008 and 2012 -- i don't think that exists right now for joe biden. >> well, sure. i would claim that it doesn't exist for hillary clinton and that the party has any shot around it, they have to find someone and the one person for whom it would exist is president obama and he as he pointed out can't run again but thinks he can win. who knows, we'll keep watching this. coming up, why some parents are so hungry for change they're literally starving themselves to save their community school. so,s think of the test drive? i love the jetta. but what about a deal? terry, stop! it's quite alright... you know what? we want to make a deal with you.

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for the last 20 days for 12 chicago residents who have been going hungry to bring attention to the closure of their neighborhood's only high school. in 2012, chicago public schools decided to close southside's walter dyett high school. and after phasing out the school year by year, dyett graduated the final class of 13 seniors in june. but under pressure, they solicited plans to reopen a new school in the old space in september of 2016. among those plans was a proposal from a community based coalition for an open enrollment school whose curriculum would focus on science and green technology. it was one of three plans under consideration by the district and when after a series of delays in the discussions of the school's future, cps pushed the hearings back again in mid september the protesters escalated their fight into a hunger strike. this week, the third week of the

strike, the protesters took their message directly to chicago mayor rahm emanuel at two highly contentious town hall meetings where on wednesday he was eventually forced off the stage. that same day, two of the protesters travelled to washington, d.c. to personally deliver a letter to education secretary arne duncan -- remember, he's from chicago, asking for his support. joining me now from chicago are two of the people participating in the hunger strike. brown and jeanette taylor raymond. so nice to have you both. >> thank you so much. great to be here. >> talk to me first about what is at stake here. why is dyett so important given all of the various changes and disruptions in chicago's schools? >> well, my daughter who is now an eighth grader travels 16 miles to a neighborhood high school. that's two buses and a train. that's not bad parenting, that's not her being an uninspired

student. that's a district that doesn't value us because of the color of our skin. in 2015 parents should not be on a hunger strike for a human right. >> i know where dyett is. it sits on the edge of the university of chicago's neighborhood. right there in the neighborhood where of course the first family has their home there in the kenwood area. when you went to the white house -- excuse me, to the secretary of education to talk with arne duncan, he's very familiar with this space, with this area. he is even familiar with dyett. what did he have to say about this? >> well, he was sympathetic. had said that he would take to the mayor. i think it was interesting because it's two things. one, in 2008, dyett had the largest increase in students

going to college in all of the schools and arne duncan did a big press conference at dyett and he stood next to me and asked me, how did you all do this? so he knows the history of the school improving and then the question is what happened after the school improved? and the answer to that question is systemic disinvestment in the programs that the community had put in place. in essence, cps killed a school that was on the rise. so much so that in 2011, we won the esp and rise up award. we beat out over 400 schools around the country as a small school that needed some help. we won a $4 million renovation to our athletic facilities. we won the small city school championship. then the next year they phased the school out. the students never got a chance to enjoy those amenities so as janette said we're tired of our schools being labeled as failing. they're not failing, we have

been failed. >> janette, three weeks without solid food. a hunger tristrike is an extrem intense, personal kind of protest. why was it this important to you? what is it -- do you think that this is the one thing that can make the difference? >> we have been fighting for this school since 2009. we went to every education forum that cps has had. we have been arrested three or four times. we have gotten tickets. we protested at city hall. enough is enough. when chicago public schools and the mayor won't follow its own process, then we have been pushed to be on a hunger strike. it's educational life for black children. chicago has one of the highest murder rates in the country. and it's because our children are not being educated. and so for me this -- i have had enough. i'm not a parent who does not

participate. i have been on the local school council i was 19, i'm 40. so this is just what -- what it is is racism. it's a set of folks, black and brown folks being disinvested in chicago that's not for us. >> i know you lost 30 pounds in 20 days. what is the thing that needs to happen so that you and other hunger strikers can begin to eat again? >> yes, ma'am. we had a press conference yesterday where we submitted a list of demands. because the community did not ask for an art school, we gave well over 3,000 brownsville residents and brownsville has spoken. so part of our demands are we want green technology in the school title and in the curriculum. as the fastest growing industry, one of the fastest growing industries in the world. we want an immediate elected local school council. the community needs to elect the principal. we have chosen our principal. a brother by the name of dwayne

turner. life long resident of the community. solid reputation. we want to have -- we want representation of -- a full representation on the school planning committee. and a few other things. reverend jesse jackson is negotiating on our behalf and when those demands are met, we'll come off the hunger strike. >> thank you to you in chicago. please, please take care of yourselves and we'll continue to watch this story. >> thank you so much. my panel in new york will be back in the next hour. coming up, marissa mayer, parental leave and the reality of being a working parent and nicki minaj versus miley cyrus. we know what's good. more at the top of the hour. e bd natural dry dog and cat foods. we start with real meat as the first ingredient. we leave out corn,wheat and soy. and we own where our dry food is made-100 percent!

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quote, the only advanced country on earth that doesn't guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. that month he expanded it for federal workers. other employers followed suit, rolling out improved paid parental leave benefits in hopes of attracting retaining talent. at a adobe systems, birth mothers will receive up to 26 weeks of paid time. microsoft also in november will boost the paid parental leave to 20 weeks for mothers and 12 weeks for fathers. the best policy goes to netflix. up to a year for some of the workers. enter yahoo!'s marissa mayer. they upgraded the family leave from eight weeks up for mom. it came after she was criticized for issuing a company-wide

mandate banning those from working remotely. a burden as seen weighing more heavily on parents. she had a nursery installed in her office after her son was born. and mayier has been criticized for more than her policy choices. she's come under fire for personal decisions. when named ceo of yahoo! in 2012, she was tasked with revitalizing the struggling media giant. she was 28 weeks pregnant. after working late into her pregnancy she chose to take only two weeks of maternity leave even though the company offered more. on tuesday she announced on tumblr she is pregnant with twin girls and expected to deliver in december. she wrote, i plan to approach thegnancy and delivery as i did with my son three years ago. taking limited time away and working throughout. if the choice some see as setting up an unrealistic expectation for working parents at yahoo! and beyond. joining me now in studio are joy

reid and "new york" magazine writer rebecca traister and robert traynham. also joining me is executive director of family values at work, ellen bravo. >> very great to be here. thanks. >> i offered a few examples there of kind of improvement in family leave policies. but overall, how would you characterize the current state of family leave in america? >> any way you slice it, it's a disgrace. if you look at that chart that shows the number of weeks paid leave nations offer, we're at zero. only one other country in the world like that category. if you look at private sector employees who get paid leave from their employer, 13%. and here's the real shocker. we did a press conference recently with cheryl lerner and a new report shows one in four women go back to work before two weeks. with disastrous results for them, for their babies and it's because most of them don't get a

penny of pay while they're out. if that story had gotten 5% of the coverage that marissa mayers' story has gotten, we would have had the national call to action for a paid leave program that we so desperately need. >> so stick with me on this. i think this is -- you make kind of two points. one, rebecca, is about the current state of our family leave, which as a federal matter, only provides for unpaid leave, doesn't require any paid leave at all. >> right. >> but also that we sat next to it, mayers' decisions. i have this icky feeling well, okay, she's making her life choices which are her life choices and the -- >> and one of the things about the tech companies offering the great programs, by the way, only to certain of their employees. i noticed you said with netflix some of their employees. the hourly employees are not getting that paid leave. now, that's true more broadly

across the nation. right? so that as ellen says we have zero paid leave. it is a disgrace, an embarrassment. however, we're beginning to see paid leave. i applaud it. i just benefited from this when i was working at the "the new republic," i got four weeks paid leave. that's terrific. i benefit from that because i'm in an extremely elite professional and that's true for those working in the tech companies, meanwhile, those people going to work after two weeks are not going back to work because they have a nursery in their office. they're going back to work because they can't afford another day or hour without getting paid. they can't afford to feed the baby they just had. >> similarly, my daughter is 18-month-ol 18-month-olds now. when i went back, i handed her to a child care provider who can come to my home every morning and without affordable, accessible, high quality child

care doesn't matter if we're talking about two weeks or six months, at none of the points can you send your kid off to public school. >> that's right. and imagine handing someone off at two weeks. >> i can't. >> especially if you're on the bus. you have to drop them somewhere, it's a scandal. it's something we have to change. here's the good news. there are campaigns in several states right now we already won in three. there's many more coming up, new york, connecticut, massachusetts, d.c. and there's a national program. we need to move on this. we should see this moment when we hear one in four women are going back in two weeks, we should say this is a national emergency. like the polio epidemic, everyone needs to come together and make a solution happen. that's the call we're putting out. >> so on that, joy, let me come to you on this. particularly for americans, if we say for example, that it is national emergency in that way, americans are still very much divided when we have a national emergency about who is the --

what is the right body for change. right? so part of what i'm wondering, even if we could get to now we decided this is a national emergency, we must do something about it, is it government policy or corporate culture that is the thing that we think must change? >> yeah. i totally agree with you. i had children in the '90s, but it occupies so much of your mind space, you drop off your child and cry to work, which i used to do. it occupies so much of your life that it does make life harder. but then you have -- >> that's when you have education and a spouse -- >> yes. that's working and bringing in income and you're trying to figure this out. "a," you have people who believe that the governments shouldn't create on-site day care. that it increases the cost of doing business. you have the libertarian ethic that you can't make the government do it. so we're sort of in a no win

situation who should do it. i think the way that people sort of -- they come to the accommodation there's a tax incentive system where the government rewards businesses that do the right thing and we're stuck with that. >> ellen, is that enough? >> no. the good news is we have a solution. that doesn't require either of those things. it's an insurance fund. everyone puts in a small amount. the federal bill would have small contributions from all employees and employers. and it creates a pool so people can draw a significant portion of their pay while they're out. it works for everybody. we know what it looks like. set up already in several states that's what we need. we just need the will politically to make it happen and hopefully in these elections that will be an important issue and we'll choose somebody who will stand with us on this. >> let me come to you on this. can you imagine this becoming an issue in the general election campaign where part of what happened is a robust debate around whether or not we need to fundamentally alter the way that

government makes possible child care? and family leave. >> i'll give you a long and short answer, the short answer is no. here's why. when you look at the national opinion polls, i'm not a mom or a parent, so i can't -- i completely understand, but i can't relate, right, but when look at the polls this doesn't resonate. when it comes to what americans want their government to focus on. here's what we know. we know that oftentimes the private sector kind of leads first and then the federal government kind of follows way behind second. but we know -- this is very unfortunate to say to your point earlier the reason why the tech companies are doing this is because of talent acquisition. they're not doing it out of the goodness of their heart. they don't want, you know, mom "a" to go to company "c." they want mom "a" to stay at company "a" that's the real truth behind this. >> here's where i disagree with you. in terms of what the polls reflect right now, we are about five minutes from this having been a third rail issue for past 30 years. there were debates that

subsidized child care went nowhere. but this was something you could not -- this was feminazi stuff ten minutes ago. i do thank the tech companies because i think that's part of the cultural conversation. where if you're beginning to see people have it, and even obama is mentioning it in the state of the union. >> actually yahoo! is talking about it. thank you to ellen bravo in madison, wisconsin. we are going to explain child care and family leave to robert during the commercial break. and still to come, nicki minaj versus miley cyrus and the presidential announcement saw no one coming. outside of the kentucky jail, kim davis remains in custody. that's next. [ school bell rings ]

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i'm a gas service rep for pg&e in san jose.. as a gas service rep we are basically the ambassador of the company. we make the most contact with the customers on a daily basis. i work hand-in-hand with crews to make sure our gas pipes are safe. my wife and i are both from san jose. my kids and their friends live in this community. every time i go to a customer's house, their children could be friends with my children so it's important to me. one of the most rewarding parts of this job is after you help a customer, seeing a smile on their face. together, we're building a better california. there is new video from this morning of a protest rally in support of kim davis, the

kentucky county clerk who was taken into federal custody after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because she said it violated her religion believes. the rally is stemming from davis' jailing that have polarized the county between supporters. this comes a day after the deputy clerks began to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. joining me from gracen, kentucky, is sarah dallas. what is next for her? >> good morning. people being held in contempt of court are said to hold the keys to their own freedom. once she complies with the judge's order she will be released from jail. right now she has no intention of doing that or for resigning from her position as county clerk. a rally are gathered on the opposite side of the parking

lot. there's about a hundred people here. now davis is reportedly in good spirits and unaware of much of the frenzy surrounding her story. her supporters herald her as this christian soldier in the fight against gay marriage. gop presidential nominee hopeful mike huckabee will be visiting next week to see her in jail. also will host a rally. we spoke to davis' husband about this a few moments ago. >> they're trying to take her religious freedom from us. and we're -- we want to make a stand and show them they can't take our religious freedom from us. it's not about me, it's not about kim. it's not about these people but about god. that's what we want everybody to understand. >> now, yesterday, deputy clerks began issuing marriage licenses to happy same-sex couples who emerged from the offices -- emerged to cheers from their supporters. very exciting moments for them. they maintain this is an issue of equal rights and consequences for government officials who do

not comply with the law. now, davis' attorneys are questioning whether those marriage licenses are valid since they don't contain her signature. the county clerk here as well as the attorneys for the couples maintain that those are valid marriage certificates. melissa, back to you. >> thank you, sarah dahllof. this one is for me, it's a bit of a brilliant -- strategically. whatever her individual perspective is, this puts the question of democracy, because she's an elected official, right, so it's not about firing her from her job. she's an elected official. she's been chosen by the people. she is exercising her freedom of religion as she sees it. these are critical things that americans believe in and agree with. and yet, it's going right against a supreme court decision that is about an extension of equal rights more broadly. like this is -- oh, this is the

heady stuff of messy democracy. >> and the participation of matthew staiber is significant. it has been for years testing the religious freedom question. when you see not only the advocacy they have done, can you display the ten commandments in public and just pushing and pushing and then you saw recently all of the attempts to pass state laws shielding and protecting cake bakers and photographers from the marriage -- from marriage equality, i think there has been a push on the religious right to find just such a case as ms. davis' case. she is sort of now that -- going to be that i guess martyr for the cause because as kate snow said, she can free herself tomorrow. this is a carefully crafted strategy. >> if you look at that edge of the internet world, rosa parks is the language that is coming up. and dr. king. because these are people standing on their christian morals said these laws are

unjust laws. >> right. yeah. that's what they're arguing. the comparisons are opposite comparisons, to expanding liberty, but i think it will be effective for galvanizing the religious right. can the state compel you to violate your religious beliefs, can the state make you do it? make you participate in something you believe is morally wrong? >> it feels like the answer is clearly yes if you're a bureaucrat who has a job. >> agent of the state. >> but not if you're -- different when you've been elected. >> but you've been sworn to uphold the constitution. look, this is a spectacle, okay? this is a spectacle where someone to joy's point is trying to make a martyr of themselves and to use the twisted thinking, religious thinking that god is speaking to me because i'm against gay marriage is ridiculous. obviously, everyone knows that i'm an out gay republican. what you're trying -- what these people are trying to do and to have bagpipes and to have --

>> it's a lot. >> it's a lot. >> it's a lot. >> it's a theater. >> it's inappropriate and offensive and disgusting is what it is and yet we're talking about it. >> it's right at the core of this question about federal overreach which has been a central question out of the party. that has been mobilizing. okay, thank you. here in new york, rebecca traister and robert traynham. coming up next, the real message to miley cyrus at the vmas. for an unsanctioned selfie. that's that new gear feeling. all laptops on sale, save $230 on this dell 2-in-1. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great.

leading up to sunday night's video music awards, there was much speculation about what the night could bring. what antics would we expect from miley cyrus, would taylor swift and nicki minaj officially bury the hatchet in person? as you might remember, the two pop stars were involved in a media spat when minage was not

nominated for video of the year. while her remarks did not target any particular artist in particular, swift who later won the video of the year for "bad blood" jumped in to police the way that she made her report. nicki minaj, i have done nothing but support you. maybe one of the men took your spot. and she later apologized and minaj accepted the apology. but they squashed it when taylor joined her for the performance of "the night is still young" and "bad blood." just when we thought all was well again in the land of pop, another pop princess had missed the point about black women in the industry and decided to police the rapper's tone instead. miley cyrus in an interview with "the new york times" last week -- she was asked about the

nicki minaj controversy around the vmas and she said i know there was some beef, i don't know. but there's a way to talk to people. when pressed further, the wrecking ball singer continued. it's not anger like guys i'm frustrated about some things that are a bigger issue. you made it about you. what i read sounded very much -- very nicki minaj which if you know nicki minaj is not too kind. it's not very polite. well, minaj defended her statement about black artists being shortchanged, she held cyrus accountable for her words. >> and now back to this [ bleep ] that had a lot to say about me the other day in the press. miley, what's good? >> hey, we're all in this industry. we all do interviews and we all

know how they manipulate [ bleep ]. nikki, congratulations. >> even though miley tried to chalk it up to press manipulation, the fans held her to it as well. fans responded with comment after comment all saying one thing. miley, what's good? joining me now to help answer that question are brittney cooper, assistant professor of women's and gender studies at rutgers. jamie killstein. and a coproducer of the documentary "bad rap." so you stand there in the blonde locks, in the full appropriation of black womanhood -- >> absolutely. >> what is good? >> let me tell you something, nicki minaj is my she-ro. she told miley bow down in the words of beyonce and miley

deserves its. what i wish is that i could get miley, taylor and iggy in my women's and gender studies intro class and get them together. nikki was right to talk about the ways that the white girls get award after award and culture -- sort of cultural celebration for the appropriation of black womanhood at the same time, black women are maligned, they're seen as a threat to women and innocent babies for expressing it, but miley can twerk all over the stage, or try to twerk because she doesn't have the accoutrements to twerk. the other thing that bothers me so much about what miley said, what i like to call a hot mess. it's the mix of meritocracy, the color blindness. this not about race. you made this about you. >> but also a weird kind of thing, in part because again, i have been a little distressed by the ways that people come for miley around her sexuality.

my thing is, i hate respectability politics. i only like disreputable bold people of all times so when she's saying i'm not doing respectability politics you can't hide behind that to critique minaj. >> even before this happened she was accused of racial appropriation. when she sees a conversation in the mainstream about race, all she has to do is say nothing. that's all she has to. >> justin timberlake approach. >> yes. yes. >> i don't know. i have no words. >> i forget about iggy. she was at home in australia. do that, forget about who i am. then with taylor it's just like -- one of those things, if you like taylor swift, it's like that uncle who like is really funny and i want to like so bad and then every christmas, oh, still racist. and i think that -- i mean -- >> not that you're saying that taylor swift is racist in that moment. but kind of that push me pull me around how race gets appropriated. >> i think a lot of the people need to be educated. because i have heard a lot of

white feminists say great things about feminism and when it comes to the why can't we be one? you're privileged because you're a white lady. >> and so they don't have -- >> right. not as though white womanhood makes it impossible to have a clear approach to how you think of politics. we focus on this moment because what's good, it makes for a great meme all and that. but if you look at the vmas more broadly. this felt like a theme of the night. even for me the most stunning part of the visual is that rebel wilson is standing behind, fake dressed as a cop. so we see this -- literally an officer, you know, of the law standing behind minaj as she's

kind of -- in this particular black lives matter context, whoa. i'm wondering if this is a problem of the vmas more broadly. >> well, at the end of the day, this is entertainment. i mean, well, the vmas has always -- the focus of the vmas has always been about what could be controversial, so people could talk about it. and initially, when she did make that statement i was a little speculative like okay, was this actually staged or really genuine, right? but later it was pretty clear that -- although miley handled the situation very well, it was a genuine thing. >> and stage is part of what nikki does. her genius, she re-appropriates back white womanhood. she does the barbie thing and then a black man. >> or a white pope. >> right. she'll gender herself. she will -- she's like i'm so bad i'll take your woman. >> yeah. i think a lot of people kind of

mistake nicki minaj as being this crazy artist who doesn't know what her direction is. if anything, she's very intelligent. she knows exactly what she is doing. just like you said, if this stage going to be a circus okay, let me take advantage of that. >> yeah. >> let me see how i could take advantage of that and be the best at it. i think she does that very well. and she also did at her work in the anaconda video. okay, if this is what you like, let me give it to you to the maximum. >> right. >> but she was upset. like okay, i was playing your game. you won't appreciate me? >> right. she clear did -- whenever she's playing the game, she's clear. here i am playing it. up next why the 2020 election could be stranger than this one. mple plan. just pick a size. small, medium, large and extra large. if you need less data, pick small. if you need more, go with extra large-- a whopping 12 gigs for $80 a month

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♪ [ female announcer ] everything kids touch at school sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. you handle life; clorox handles the germs. you handle life; i work on the cheerios team. and when i found out that my daughter-in-law, joyce, can't eat gluten, we found a way to remove the grains that contain gluten, from the naturally gluten free oats that cheerios are made of. so now we can have cheerios together, anytime. this week a celebrity business man with a large fan base entered the political realm with a pivotal speech.

even though he has declared that he is not a politician, perhaps that is his power because after all he's gained supporters. he began the speech to implore the nation to listen to the youth and to believe in themselves and their craft. he concluded by announcing his intention to run for president of the united states of america. his supporters have even launched a pac for his presidential run. >> listen to the kids. and yes, as you probably could have guessed by this moment, i have decided in 2020 to run for president. [ cheers and applause ] >> so speaking of a flair for

the dramatic, mr. west brought all the drama to the bid announcement. >> right. right. i think, you know, where do i sign up? >> ready. >> where do i sign up? >> which begs the question, why wait until 2020, is it because of the fear of the back-to-back black -- >> no, it's because trump has all the ammo and just to talk about that, i think, you know, it's kind of interesting because in miley and kanye, they're both artists that are doing things that's not really expected of what a celebrity is supposed to do, right? miley coming from the disney background, doing what she's doing. although she's not doing a good job at it. >> at all. >> but she's still doing something unexpected. kanye being a musician and becoming a successful business man especially in the realm of fashion and now he's a mainstream celebrity, i think the fact that him actually challenging once again himself

as an artist to claim that i want to be the president, it's -- it's something that should be celebrated. >> here we are ten years post katrina. so we have been listening to kanye, you know, in this week, let's take a listen to who kanye west was around presidential politics a decade ago. >> the destruction of the spirit of people of southern louisiana and mississippi is the tragic loss of all all. >> george bush doesn't care about black people. >> like in that moment you have the initiation of the presidential bid. >> yeah. i mean, that was one of the most important moments of the george bush presidency. >> it was his lowest -- he and taylor swift have the same lowest point in their lives and it involves -- >> it wasn't in killing 100,000 iraqis, it was kanye made him

feel like a racist because he's a racist. >> hey. >> he was perceived as being a racist. i don't know what i'm supposed to say. the thing is we go after kanye as being crazy and being eccentric. look at every president we have had. i think invading the middle east is a more eccentric than kanye wanting to run for president. that was a great moment. kanye talks about this, like he went into hiding after that moment. that was a very bad move that he -- that move was braver than what a lot of politicians do. >> so let me come to you on this. you know, i don't know if he's really running for president or if what what's talking about here is doing the thing that so many candidates do which is talking about running in order to get a set of concerns, issues. whether it's kanye or somebody else, there's going to be a hip-hop -- >> president. >> or at least presidential contender. i don't know if we'll get the hip-hop president. but at some point, even marco rubio claims to be listening --

i'm just saying, like it is not -- >> you don't know real that is. >> like it's a new thing. so i'm wondering how does hip-hop more broadly speak back to the american political -- >> sure. one of the things that disappointed me about the moment though it's the tenth anniversary of hurricane katrina and he doesn't say anything about katrina. he doesn't say anything. so that -- that's the thing that makes me take him less seriously. but you're right. we have to think of how the hip-hop generation is going to figure in the 2016 elections. is that -- is it on the same terms as those who are part of the black lives matter movement or is this something separate? >> i think he gave the black lives matter one of the more important strategies, i'll let you finish, right. when they jump off bernie sanders they're doing their kanye thing. >> that's right. look, what he's ushered in is disruptive black politics is the order of the day. it's not going away. it gets a lot of traction. i think that's very important. and so if he's going to continue to sort of use this platform, i need him to be saying forthrightly what he demanded a

decade ago which is that candidates care about black lives. >> there you go. i would enjoy covering kim kardashian as first lady. >> do you -- >> man, it would be enjoyable. it would make for tv ratings. thank you for sticking around. i'm supposed to a say something clever to make me miss the next segment. do not go anywhere, because this guy, jamie killstein is about to make his television debut. yes, he'll play his guitar and give us a preview of the first studio album. he has never done this before on television and quite frankly we have no idea how it will go. it may be a smash hit or a slow moving train wreck, so find out next. lling 18 homes? easy. lling 18 homes? easy. building them all in four and a half months? now that was a leap. i was calling in every favor i could, to track down enough lumber to get the job done. and i knew i could rely on american express to help me buy those building materials.

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guests at mhp. when we heard he was about to fill fill a dream we needed a preview. he is taking his comedy songs and rants and making a full studio album. a dream of his since he was 16 years old. here with just a taste of what is in store, jamie kilstein singing sad white boy blues. and joining him is tessa. so take it away. >> this is about the struggle. ♪ i don't know what sis is so don't call me that ♪ ♪ he don't know what it means my civil rights were violated ♪ ♪ oh when lady ghostbusters got cast ♪ ♪ so scared of ghost, so scared of ghosts ♪ ♪ i'm a grown man who honestly

thought men could bust ghosts ♪ ♪ this is my blues scared white blue boys ♪ ♪ when a woman on internet no no no ♪ says something i don't like ♪ ♪ he don't like, he don't ♪ or when a woman on the internet ♪ ♪ no no no says something i don't like ♪ ♪ always fighting on the internet ♪ ♪ i tell her to make me a sandwich, but to be honest it's 'cause ♪ ♪ it's because i don't know how to make a sandwich ♪ ♪ he honestly doesn't know how to make a sandwich ♪ ♪ i don't know what's scandalous olivia pope ♪ ♪ wins white history month

he wants to know, he wants to know ♪ ♪ i don't when empire is another tv show with black people ♪ ♪ black history every month including february ♪ ♪ why can't i have been stopped and frisked because white folk ain't good enough ♪ ♪ oh, scary white blue boy why can't we be humanist ♪ ♪ 'cause feminist got me down they got him down, they got him down ♪ ♪ oh, and by humanist oh, humanist ♪ ♪ i mean i talk and keep it down ♪ ♪ what, me yeah, because if trump don't win that presidency ♪ ♪ i'm gonna burn this place to

the ground ♪ ♪ oh, trump they don't feel safe ♪ ♪ when they come into the workplace so i say, not all men, not all men ♪ ♪ not all men, not all men, i'm not listening, i'm not listening ♪ ♪ this is my scared white boy totally privileged playing on my guitar that my daddy bought me blues ♪ ♪ oh, yeah >> yeah. i love you guys. so i have to start, tessa, you seem like you have actual talent so i'm wondering why you're hanging out with a hack like jamie. >> that's hilarious. no, the truth is that jamie just started singing less than a year ago. he was scared to sing in front of people.

>> that's true. >> wow. >> he had the album inside of him. >> amazing. so speaking of this album inside of you, you being you didn't make it in kind of a typical way. talk about the process and how people can get i. >> so pledge music approached me. they doesn't tell me what to do. i have been kicked off enough tv shows, you were one of the only people who has me back. talking about the war or feminism or being vegan. everything that can make people mad, i talked about. so i's really hard. i didn't want people in my way. i didn't want them to say i can't do this. so i make the album with the people i want. i can talk about the issues i want. you get a rock album, talking about feminism and stuff like that. like that's pretty cool. >> so part of what i love here, it's a use of both art and humor in the context of social movement. both of which seems so important. but we rarely see them married

in the context of social movement. why is that important? >> i mean, i think -- i think both of us, i think it's important because it reaches an audience that may be jaded or apathetic with cause. when i say apathetic with cause, i mean they turn on a lot of new shows and don't see themselves represented and they don't see people talking about the issues they care about or who they are as a person. so they go screw up, i'll be apathetic, but they like to listen to music, laugh and on tumblr. they get educated through that. >> yeah, it comes observing through comedy and it's more digestible i think than a lecture of information. >> one of the best first lines ever. i don't know what sis is, so don't call me that. that pleased me. >> it's the struggle. >> and it continues. thank you to jamie kilstein and to tessa claire hirsch. up next, joy reid has some big news and she'll be back live here on set to talk about it.

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roy reid has a new book that comes out on tuesday called "fracture: barack obama, the clintons and the racial device." joy is my friend so i'm thrilled to say the following -- joining me now, joy reid, msnbc correspondent and author of the forthcoming book "fracture." i have read the book and you can know this because i put a blurb along the back along with chris matthew, charles ogletree, and i said "if you plan to vote in 2016, read this book." you walk us through a history that's so easy for us to forget. >> i this i the natural default that people have is african-americans have democrats and have been democrats forever but they forget it was a complicated walk for black folk and got real complicated in '08 and threw into sharp and stark sort of relief, it made people look at the fact that these conflicts and fissures between african-americans and their party of choice have existed for a long time. >> so part of what you remind us of is that there have long been african-american candidates in the presidential primaries who even if they weren't likely to

actually win the nomination and the presidency were there to put a variety of issues on the table. and like as i was thinking about that in the context of 2016, honestly isn't it disappointing that there isn't -- i mean, i understand why there may not be another barack obama running, that was a once in a generation sort of candidate, but there isn't anybody running with -- who's latino or african-american to say i may not win but i'm here to put these issues on the table. >> isn't it remarkable that a party that was essentially built in the 1960s, the modern democratic party was built in two big waves, one in the 1960s when masses of african-americans in the south decided the only game in town, the democratic party, which had been racist for 100 years, was their only route to power so they joined it. then you had white conservatives say "you can have it, we're out of here." and over the course of 40, 50 years they left it. so then they met jesse jackson who's underrated as a builder of the modern democratic party. he went in and put explicitly

liberal on the tables front and center saying not only am i looking for racial justice but liberal economic justice. then a party that has been built into this multiethnic coalition is only running mcgovernite white old school liberal, essentially, over 60. it's amazing. >> and, in fact, as you trace in the book, part of it is about the issues but it's also if we trace shirley chisholm then jesse jackson '84, jesse jackson '88, they change the rules of how we choose a democratic nominee. the rules that the obama '08 campaign played so brilliantly. but then i thought well, wait a minute, maybe the play is for african-americans en masse to join our friend the republican party and actually -- if that party is about to split, do you join that party, push in the a different way and 50 years from now hope for something different? >> ironically enough you as a professor of african-american history know that. there were letters to both parties saying we want to look at your platform. this was in the early 1960s.

so the idea of playing in both parties was nothing new, even to the most out in front non-accommodationalist actors back in the 1960s. but african-american, i think, have felt so pushed away by the republican party that unless their rhetoric fundamentally changes, the rhetoric of their most public voice, people like rush limbaugh, it's off putting to african-americans and rejectionist, i don't see african-americans doing that but i can see a big movement toward independence, toward not being affiliated with a party which has huge implications because the primary process where african-americans have a lot of influence because of these moves since the 1960s? you don't talk about it a lot here but it's the way that african-american voices are now entering the election, the black lives matter movement. are they doing work candidates used to do in terms of puting issues on the table? >> it's amazing. i see them as the modern day stokely carmichaels. >> except not nearly as sexist. >> well, there's that.

yes. then again, you have black women who founded these movements who are sometimes being marginalized even in our discussion of black lives, it's often black male lives. there's a whole other conversation we can have there. but the black lives matter movement is forcing the democratic party to reconfront issues they thought they earned their way out of. they said listen, we are the party that did the civil rights movement, we are the party that gave you barack obama so there's this surprise among a part of the democratic left that you still have young black people saying no, we don't want to do respectability politics, we're not going to dress up in our sunday best and demand our rights, we're going to confront you directly and demand our party of choice come to us and tell us how to continue to fix these issues. it's interesting to me that barack obama gets elected with this notion across both democrats and some republicans that he'd come to put aside race, that he'd come to wipe it away. >> the book is "fracture."

it's a great book, it will be out soon. go get it, it's available for next week. that's our show today. thanks at home for watching. see you tomorrow morning at 10:00a.m. eastern. tomorrow, the political backlash against the black lives matter movement. coming up right now, "weekends with alex witt." yoplait greek 100. the protein-packed need something filling, taste bud loving, deliciously fruity, grab-and-go, take on the world with 100 calories, snack. yoplait greek 100. there are hundreds of reasons to snack on it.

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talk about turbocharging my engine. you're gorgeous. what kind of car do you like? new, or many miles on it? the volkswagen model year end sales event ends on labor day. so hurry in to your local volkswagen dealer today. campaign drama at this hour for the democrats. hillary clinton picking up a big endorsement right now just today after she tried to clear the air on her e-mail controversy. for the gop, donald trump just a short time ago lashing out again at a conservative radio host. we will show you his newest message. in kentucky, a rally in support of the county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. her husband spoke out a short time ago. and a box office bonanza. we'll tell you what's behind one of the biggest summers ever at the movies.