no one has your back like american express. so no matter where you're going... we're right there with you. the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. don't live life without it. welcome to "politicsnation." i'm in virginia this morning, where a state of emergency has been declared ahead of potential unrest. on the one year anniversary of the white nationalist rally, that led to the killing of heather heyer, in a few hours i will be speaking in charlottesville at the mount zion first african baptist church. more on that anniversary in a moment. later on in the show, how a

black police officer made a fool out of the grand wizard of the ku klux klan. a true story. and now a movie by filmmaker spike lee. spike will tell us why this film is a message to trump supporters. and the republican nominee for the u.s. senate in virginia is calling for secession and praising the confederacy for rebelling against the union. he'll be live in this show. can you tell me we have a theme for today's show? it is race and politics in the era of trump and that's where we start today. joining me now is anne gearan, white house correspondent for "the washington post" and astead herndon, national political reporter for "the new york times." astead, your goal when we saw

what happened in charlottesville, and the killing of heather heyer by a alleged -- allegedly white supremist who was there defending the statue of confederate generals and the counterprotesters saying we have no place in that in society, the president of the united states came out and said what many of us including me felt was establishing a moral equivalence between the neo-nazis, confederate sympathizers and the anti-confederate protesters. yesterday, last night, he said, i'm against all racism, i'm against all violence. still not really condemning white supremacy in its own form, which was what this is and was about a year ago. how do you assess what the

president has said now, has he made any progress in a year, and in light of all that he's done in a year, does it really mean anything that he says anything at this point? >> this is a unique situation with this president because you often have these moments of controlled statements in which he'll say the quote/unquote right thing but we know that this is a president who really thrives in those moments when he says things off the cuff, where he says his true feelings and says it in a way that we know what is the more passionate, more authentic version of himself and easy to know the times in which he's reading off the script. and we have this even last year at this time. but we all remember the equivalency you're talking about with the fine people on both sides, but there was also a moment in which he read off a script and condemned racism and violence and between those kind of more inflammatory statements. so it is easy to kind of look at

these and wonder if this is really the president's feelings, if this is what is a true reflection of this white house's thoughts on the issue, when you have moments in which he seems to come out so forcefully and do really work for these folks. so when -- if you look at the statement yesterday, it says all types of racism and violence and if you talk to any person who studies race and politics or white identity politics or white nationalists, they'll tell you that's not going to be a statement that upsets those folks. they think that -- >> and that was my point, he didn't say white supremacy, he didn't say white nationalism, his daughter did in a tweet, but he didn't. so he left it almost where it was, like there is all kind of racism, but we're not talking about all kind, we're talking about the white nationalist neo-nazi confederate kind of

support that we're seeing here in charlotteville that he made a moral equivalency a year ago and hasn't really directly in my opinion come back at it. and, you know, and complete transparency, i've been one that has been protesting the president for decades now from the central prop 5 case he called from the death penalty. just last week, he's attacked lebron james, he's attacked nfl protesters, he stood up against all of those of us that have stood about -- stood for causes of racial and social justice. and then he says i'm against all racism, all violence, and i'm going to go play golf. >> yeah, well, it's been quite a week, the president's here, had his golf club, in bedminster and

we, the press corps, have seen him every day or two. but in between the times that we see him and we really know whether he's playing golf or not, he certainly has been busy on twitter with, as you point out, a number of racially tinged tweets and attacks, certainly on lebron james and cnn anchor don lemon and nfl players in particular. i'm struck by something that astead said on -- that this -- the tweet yesterday wasn't really fully a denunciation of the white supremacist movement or of racism that -- the way we usually think of it. and i think that that is, as you say, he hasn't quite drawn a line that is really much different than what he drew last year. the tweet yesterday clearly was an attempt to do so.

it was his first comment at all on the -- then approaching anniversary of charlottesville and i think it is also notable that neither he nor people close to him have had anything really at all to say about the protest that is supposed to take place across the street from the white house this afternoon, the second unite the right rally. >> let me put back the tweet and if you look at what he said, the riots in charlottesville a year go, first of all, it was not riots, it was people protesting, when the counterprotesters came they turned it into a riotous situation. it wasn't like an uprising from the people of charlottesville. he says, come together, we condemn all types of racism and

acts of violence. not, again, specifically dealing with what actually happened a year ago. i think it is a cheap way of trying to deal with a very serious mark during the first year of his administration. and i think it falls far short of him addressing one way or another what happened here in virginia a year ago and i think that we got to call it like we see it, he's still trying to hedge his bet with a lot of these white nationalist groups, mr. herndon. >> yeah, yeah. and if you talk to those folks which i have, they have really co-opted the term racism. they will say that racism exists and they'll surely agree, but they'll say that the white people are the aggrieved party, that it is racism that white people experience that is really the problem, the moral issue in the country.

and so when they see a tweet like that, you know, i was actually looking -- i saw that tweet and looked over to see what the reaction is, and when folks see a tweet like that, they think the president is on their side, they think the president is speaking their language. and so whether -- even in the rosiest view of president trump's intentions that you still have him as he's done for the last year and a half parroting the language of folks who traffic in hate. when you don't do those clear denunciations and they're ambiguous, it leaves room for this type of interpretation. >> you have, anne, this afternoon a scheduled white civil rights rally, what they're calling it, white nationalist, in front of the white house where the president lives. and as you stated, he has not addressed that. there will be counterprotests by some 40 odd groups that are protesting their stand for white

nationalism. i think that it is very clear that this president clearly does not want to very clearly and emphatically sever his ties or any way connected even symbolically with those that have propagated this kind of ideology and political kind of thought in this country. >> well, i don't know what the president's real intention is here, but certainly just looking on the face of it, he hasn't condemned this rally, which is taking place directly across the street from the house where he would be if he wasn't here on vacation. that much is very plain. but also i think it is worth pointing out that over the course of the last year, in which charlottesville was considered really a water shed

moment, if you remember there were staff who were considering resigning, there were republican members of congress looking green about the gills, it was -- it was a very difficult political moment for people who, if not full on supporters of the president at least wanted to be supporters of his political party and agenda. over the course of that year, we have seen the president dip a toe, a foot or more into racial politics and always on the side of, well, you know, white folks have -- have it rough too, if only by extension. remember that his political base is overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly male and overwhelmingly older. >> i wonder why, i mean -- there is no guess there. well -- >> well, right and he's -- he's talking to them to a degree. >> he's talking to them and he's

usually talking about us. but thank you very much, anne. thank you very much, astead herndon. coming up, god bless white america, that's a quote from a great movie out this week by director spike lee, who is still doing the right thing. we'll talk to him in just a few minutes. but, up next, a year since white supremacists took to the streets of charlottesville, virginia, we go back to examine has anything changed in american race relations? this is "politicsnation." be right back.

capital one and hotels.com are giving venture cardholders 10 miles on every dollar they spend at thousands of hotels. brrrr! i have the chills. because of all those miles? and because ice... is cold. what's in your wallet? ♪ it's so hard to believe

♪ but it's all coming back me. ♪ baby, baby, baby. all you can eat is back, baby. applebee's. -morning. -morning. -what do we got? -keep an eye on that branch. might get windy. have a good shift. fire pit. last use -- 0600. i'd stay close. morning. ♪ get ready to switch. protected by flo. should say, "protected by alan and jamie." -right? -should it? when you bundle home and auto... run, alan! ...you get more than just savings. you get 'round-the-clock protection.

...you get more than just savings. are you ready to take your then you need xfinity xfi.? a more powerful way to stay connected. it gives you super fast speeds for all your devices, provides the most wifi coverage for your home, and lets you control your network with the xfi app. it's the ultimate wifi experience. xfinity xfi, simple, easy, awesome.

we're live here on "politicsnation." the morning after the horror in charlottesville a year ago, i watched as the depth of the tragedy became clearer, three dead, dozens injured, a city traumatized, a nation in shock. what charlottesville illustrated to me was the american experience in its full ugliness, and its full beauty. because across from all that hate, we saw heroes, like heather heyer, the 32-year-old anti-racism protester who lost

her life when a white nationalist struck her and others with a car. her sacrifice encapsulated what truly makes america great, ordinary people willing to face down social evil, even if it doesn't directly affect them. earlier i spoke to heyer's mother, susan bro, on what her daughter would want this country to hear one year after the arrest -- unrest that silenced her voice but not her example. >> i know this is a very solemn weekend for you and i'll be there preaching at mount zion at 11:00, but the whole world remembers your daughter. how do you want a year later for your daughter to be remembered by the world? >> well, i'm actually a little reluctant to have a lot of focus

on her. i know that's sort of a touch point for a lot of people because she's the face that they remember, but heather would want the focus to be on the issues, not on her. >> and the issues that heather gave her life for, in terms of social justice, you said that you now have continued that fight and you learned a lot of things in the last year. i was reading your -- >> yes, sir. >> -- very intriguing remarks in "cosmopolitan." tell us what you learned and what heather would want you to continue to do. >> well, sadly the truth of american history is that black lives have very rarely mattered and certainly you could almost argue the point that they never mattered. i know we made a few strides over the centuries, obviously. we still don't have slavery. but we have things very akin to

it. we went from slavery to jim crow, jim crow to basic economic terrorism and then into the prison pipeline. and we're still not treating people equally. that's what heather would want to focus on. >> a year later, what do you say to this president who made a moral equivalence between the people that were standing up against confederacy, including heather, and those neo-nazis that marched in charlottesville a year ago? >> well, i would say the same thing i've always said to him, which is the same thing i taught fourth grader and the same thing i say to myself, think before you speak, always tell the truth, and be accountable for your actions. >> as this nation looks again at charlottesville, and you said it is about the bigger issues and you have given your life and the

memory of your daughter's life to this, and many of us have been out there a long time, trying to deal with this, what gives you hope that at the end we can turn this nation around or do you have that hope? >> i have that dream. i don't know if i -- i don't think i'll see it in my lifetime, but i think if we rush to heal too fast, we don't solve the deeper issues. i think we have to solve the deeper issues. and i have hope that more people are joining in, more people are awa aware. but it is really up to the individuals in the country whether or not we're going to make it work. you know, all i can do is -- i liken what i do as to tossing a pebble into the pond and so i make a ripple. but if i hand pebbles to other people and i say join me and let's all toss our pebbles in, we can get a small wave going.

if we get enough waves going, we can get a tsunami. we need a tsunami change. >> wow, i think -- >> tsunamis can be destructive. so i'm hoping we achieve change without the tsunami, you know. >> i think that's a sermon right there for sunday morning. i thank you for joining us and i thank you for your sacrifice and i will be seeing you in charlottesville. this is a weekend that all of us should be pausing. >> yes, sir. up next, we'll ask spike lee how he uses the past to explain where we are today. his new movie "blackkklansman" is out this weekend. but, first, white nationalists love this candidate, virginia republican senate candidate corey stewart will be here to make his case for, quote, taking back our heritage.

be right back. at&t provides edge-to-edge intelligence, covering virtually every part of your business. so this won't happen. because you've made sure this sensor and this machine are integrated. atta, boy. & yes, some people assign genders to machines. & with edge-to-edge intelligence, you'll know your customers love this color, & don't love this one. never getting grape again. & you can adjust in near real time. & if someone tries to breach your firewall in london & you start to panic... don't. you've got allies on the outside, & security algorithms on the inside. & if it's jammed up here, & it's hot in here. & you know both those things, you can do this.

& your flowers won't wilt. at&t provides edge to edge intelligence. it can do so much for your business, the list goes on and on. that's the power of &. & when her patient's blood pressure drops, she can share the information with...

you wouldn't accept an incomplete job from any one else. why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase sensimist relieves all your worst symptoms, including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. and all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. flonase sensimist. you can barely feel. sfx: [cell phone dialing] no. no, no, no, no, no. cancel. cancel. please. aaagh! being in the know is a good thing. that's why discover will alert you if your social security number is found on any one of thousands of risky sites.

in just a moment, i'll be talking to u.s. senate candidate

whose contention and whose remarks have gone in support from the right. then my interview with director spike lee and why his new movie "blackkklansman" urges us to wake up and face america's troubling past. we'll be right back. alright guys let's go! let's do this directions to the greek theater (beep) ♪can i get a connection? ♪can i get can i get a connection?♪

♪can i get a connection?

- anncr: as you grow older, -your brain naturally begins to change which may cause trouble with recall. - learning from him is great... when i can keep up! - anncr: thankfully, prevagen helps your brain

and improves memory. - dad's got all the answers. - anncr: prevagen is now the number-one-selling brain health supplement in drug stores nationwide. - she outsmarts me every single time. - checkmate! you wanna play again? - anncr: prevagen. healthier brain. better life. as we reported, a record number of white nationalists are

currently running for state and national office. and exclusively as republicans. putting party officials on the defensive, going no this year's midterm elections. nowhere is this more true than here in virginia where senate candidate corey stewart, a supporter of president trump, has made preservation of confederate monuments on public lands a centerpiece of his campaign. that and ideological solidarity with the alt-right that has made him a darling of white supremacists, including the very architects of the rally that made charlottesville a short-hand for racial violence one year ago today. joining me now is republican candidate for virginia senate, corey stewart. thank you for being here, mr.

stewart. let me ask you, do you consider yourself a candidate -- the candidate for white nationalists in the state of virginia? >> no, of course not, reverend. here's the thing is that i know you brought me on your show because you want to talk about the one year anniversary of the horrible events in charlottesville last year. but, you know, i meet with voters every single day, the residents of virginia, and there is one thing that is very, very clear and that is people are sick and tired of talking about race all the time, they're tired of it, they want to move on, the people of charlottesville want to move on, the people of virginia want to move on, they have a lot more important issues to talk about than race on a constant basis, which is what we get out of you and the rest of the media on a daily basis. >> well, but, it is very difficult if you live in a society where your job, your education, your safety is determined by your race, not to

talk about your reality. let me say, for example, and there are many blacks that live in the state of virginia and they have to deal with the reality of race, they don't have the option that you're talking about. let me give you an example, you've taken some heat this week for remarks you made last year at an event, hosted by secessionists, known to have white supremist ties. i want to play part of those remarks and explain to me how you can say what you're saying now when you said this a year ago in april when you were running for governor. >> george washington, thomas jefferson, james madison, james monroe, it is a state that the founders -- it is a state of the declaration of independence and the constitution, but it is also the state of robert e. lee and sall jackson and jdb stewart. because at the base of it,

virginians, we think for ourselves. and if the established order is wrong, we rebel. >> amen. >> we did that in the revolution. we did in the civil war. and we're doing it today. >> we did it during the civil war. this is history of a state of robert e. lee and stone wawall jackson. that's what you said a year ago, that's you talking, running for governor. now you say today we want to get past race after you talked about how we should praise and erect people whose only role in history was to uphold slavery and commit treason against the united states. >> you know, why is it that you on the left are so obsessed with what happened 150 years ago? >> no, no, i'm talking about you last year, i'm not talking about -- i'm talking about corey

stewart running for governor last year, that's what you said, you went back 150 years ago. i'm talking about what you said, explain to me your statement in light of what you're saying now. >> reverend, let me explain this. people don't care what happened 150 years ago. historians love this stuff. i love history. but the end of the day, we need to look at what the problems are are today, and you mentioned that it was only people of a certain race who were facing these challenges, with their education, their health care, their jobs, everything else. that's just simply not true. there are americans of every single race, of every single religion, of every single ethnicity that are struggling with the same things. and as long as we continue to divide americans by race, and you've made a career out of dividing people by race, you've been a race hustler your entire career, you've made a lot of money at it, you haven't even bothered to pay your taxes, and all you do is divide americans by race. >> mr. stewart, i'm not going

for the bait. this is not about me. everybody knows -- >> neither am i. >> i'll defend myself standing up for racial justice. i'll give you an opportunity again to defend your statement, defending and praising robert e. lee and stonewall jackson, not 150 years ago, a year ago, you're running for senate now. i'm asking you about what you said a year ago. you can call me whatever name you want, that's fine. you're saying that you're running for senate, you're saying that we shouldn't go back 150 years, you went back 150 years, a year ago. explain to me your statement, your feelings about me, believe me, is not something that i'm going to worry about the rest of the day. i'm i want you to explain to me -- >> i'm glad you feel that way. >> -- and i want you to explain to the citizens of virginia how you can praise stonewall jackson and robert e. lee and offer

yourself to the citizens of the state. >> virginians -- i wasn't born in virginia, i always loved virginia, virginians have the heart of a warrior, they have the heart of a rebel. this is a great state. it is the state of the revolution. and yes, it was a state of the civil war and so forth. but what i love about the state is the fact that people are willing to stand up and when they know something is wrong, they're willing to go forward and willing to change it. that's the great thing about virginia. and we got a lot of problems. and, you know, when people start talking about slavery from 150 years ago, we have to understand, we have modern day slavery going on in the united states today in terms of sex trafficking, and that's all fed because we have an open border. and nobody on the left is willing to do anything about it, they're willing to turn a blind eye -- >> will you address the statements? no one would argue with you, you're absolutely right, we should be against sex trafficking. you're absolutely right about issues of today. you were the one that praised

people whose only historic significance was they supported slavery and secession. how do you fight what you claim are slavery issues of today and praise and defend statues for people whose only place in history is they fought and killed american union soldiers to defend slaveries of yesterday. so, what makes it relevant today is you, because you praised it, you, you support erecting statues that we have to pay for the ground protection and the servicing of those statues today, you make it relevant, mr. stewart. >> you know, i love history, but at the end of the day, that's not what people want us here for. i love our history. i love the history of virginia. it is the history of america. you can't change it. that's the way it is. and these monuments were erected because people wanted to remember those, in many cases,

15 or 16-year-old sons who died in the war and they wanted to remember those. i thought it was wrong to be removing historical monuments that were placed there by prior generations. we need to be focused instead on the problems that we're facing today and the challenges that we are facing today, regardless of race. because people are so tired, reverend, i'm telling you this, because i speak to people every day, of all races, all ethnic y ethnicities, and i've been governing for ten years, one of the largest, most successful, one of the most diverse localities in the entire country, and i've been elected and re-elected four times because people know i know how to fix problems, i know how to focus in on problems and not focus in on things like race that simply divide people, something that you've been doing your entire career. >> you know, you made a very serious appeal saying that there is differences in school and education and other things in the state, which is clear. but there are those that those differences is because of their

ra race, the only reason they have not been able to move in certain ways economically, educationally, is because of race. so you can't eliminate race when that is the basis of it, just like you can't, if it is based on gender or if it is based on sexual orientation. and you can call people hustlers and all the names that you want, you can't get around that if you are offering yourself to the senate, you got to deal with the issues. just name calling is a cheap way around saying i am not either able or willing to address the issues. there is still a racial inequality and agenda inequality in this country. can you deal with it? and if you can, how do you then hold up those and say that virginia taxpayers should take to upkeep the grounds of people that fought to keep people in slavery, even if it was your grandfather, great grandfather

they were fighting to keep enslaved. how do you rationalize it. i know your temptation to attack al sharpton, get up your base, i got that, but i'm giving you the opportunity to be bigger than that, discuss the issue, how do you justify that, how do you rationalize that? >> well, i think fundamentally, reverend, the problems that we have in this country are not due to race, the problems that we have in this country are, you know, people, with regard to education, or health care, and the problems that we have with illegal immigration, people coming across the border without any screening whatsoever and a lot of them have criminal backgrounds, committing crimes against american citizens and committing crimes against american citizens of all races, of all ethnicities, of all religions, and the fact of the matter is that most of our problems in this country are not due to race and can't be solved by focusing on race. you have to address --

>> do you believe there is racism left in the country? do you believe there is any racism at all in the country? >> of course there is. of course there is some. and -- >> so what do you think we ought to do about it? do you think by erecting confederate statues and keeping them solves the pro bblem? what do you think we ought to do about the racism that you said exists in the kun interecountry? >> nobody is erecting confederate monday uuments toda. >> maintaining them. >> taking down a confederate monument has never educated a single child. it never provided health care insurance for a single person in this country. it never built a road. it never solved or created a single job. and that's why the left keeps doing these things like deliberately trying to divide americans by race, and as long as you all keep doing that, we're never going to be able to address the problems that we have. >> explains to young children,

black and white, why we ought not to have racism, why we ought not have slavery, because when they see those statu why, it is because those people represented treason from the united states that you're trying to go to the senate to represent. and you say there is racism, but you keep, when i ask you how do we deal with it, you talk about people coming over the border. i'm talking about people that were brought here to the border against their will and built the country, and you are saying let's maintain those that enslaved them. and i wanted to give you an opportunity, even though i knew you would go where you went, to clarify because, yeah, i talked to some people in virginia and they said, you don't understand, corey stewart is more than that. i wanted to see. but i let the nation also see while i watched how you reacted and i thank you for coming on. i really do. >> thank you, reverend. i appreciate that. >> we'll talk to

spike lee who sheds light on the complicated racial history of this country via his latest movie "blackkklansman." spike lee next. this is the ocean. just listen. (vo) there's so much we want to show her. we needed a car that would last long enough to see it all. (avo) subaru outback. 98% are still on the road after 10 years. come on mom, let's go! (avo) right now, get 0% apr financing on the 2018 subaru outback. the first survivor of alzis out there.ase and the alzheimer's association is going to make it happen. but we won't get there without you. join the fight with the alzheimer's association. you wouldn't accept an incomplete job

from any one else. why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase sensimist relieves all your worst symptoms, including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. and all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. flonase sensimist. it was always our singular focus, a distinct determination. to do whatever it takes, use every possible resource. to fight cancer. and never lose sight of the patients we're fighting for. our cancer treatment specialists share the same vision. experts from all over the world, working closely together to deliver truly personalized cancer care. specialists focused on treating cancer. using advanced technologies. and more precise treatments than before. working as hard as we can- doing all that we can- for everyone who walks through our doors. this is cancer treatment centers of america. and these are the specialists we're proud to call our own. treating cancer isn't one thing we do.

it's the only thing we do. expert medicine works here. learn more at cancercenter.com cancer treatment centers of america. appointments available now. that's confident. but it's not kayak confident. kayak searches hundreds of travel and airline sites to find the best flight for me. so i'm more than confident. how's your family? kayak. search one and done.

how do you propose to make this investigation? >> i've established contact, and created some familiarity with the klansmen over the phone. i'll continue in that role.

we need another officer, surprise, surprise, a white officer to play me when they meet face to face. >> that's my point exactly. >> chief, black ron stallworth over the phone, white ron stallworth face to face, a combined ron stallworth. >> can you do that? >> i believe we can with the right white man we can do anything. >> spike lee has been america's most daring cinematic voice on race for nearly 30 years. and his latest film "blackkklansman" is like history written with lightning. based on the true story of a black colorado cop who infiltrated the ku klux klan in the early 1970s. the film is being hailed as the movie of this moment. driven by lee, examining race in america as only he can. i caught up with him earlier to ask about the significance of this film premiering under this

president, known in spike speak as agent orange. spike, thanks for, first of all, doing this. >> thank you, my brooklyn brother. >> yes, sir. we come up, same generation in brooklyn. >> yes, sir. >> which is why i know there it was important to you for this blockbuster film to come out around the first anniversary of charlottesville. >> yes, i wanted the film to be released, "blackkklansman," on the one year anniversary. i knew people would be talking about it, i wanted to shed light on what happened, and also, reverend, what that guy did, he had a chance, i don't say his name, i call him agent orange, shout out to -- >> he's referring to the president. >> yes, shout out to busta rhymes, he came up with that, he had a chance to condemn hate, racism, the alt-right, the klan,

neo-nazis, and he didn't do it. >> and in fact he made a moral equivalence -- >> he tried to balance it. >> right. >> he's not saying anything about heather heyer who lost her life, so i mean it is another example of who this guy is. and it is not even for debate anymore. we know who this guy is. >> this year alone, we have seen stephon clark, police in sacramento, we have seen last weekend clearwater, florida, we have seen on and on and on, he will not deal with it. so this movie coming out brings front and center the question of race and hate, where you have a black cop, who by the way -- >> ron stallworth. >> stallworth was on my show, his book came out, telling me about his conversation with david duke. you have now blasted it, you cover "time" magazine, you

mainstreamed this discussion again of hate, using -- like you've done all your career, but i don't think you've done it better than you've done on this one. >> well, i'm 61. 61. >> young man, young man. i'm still a couple years older. >> a lot has to do with timing. this subject matter, now it's -- the stars align. dwr you do a film and timing is not right. this film, the stars aligned. >> what do you hope this film will do? obviously, it's getting rave reviews. obviously, it will do box office. what do you hope it will do to the discussion in this country that seems more polarized and divided than we have seen as kids in brooklyn? >> well, there's been two words i have said in my film, wake up.

my second film, "school days" saying wake up. do the right thing. it begins with jackson saying wake up. it's been a constant refrain that would have to become conscious, become aware in the world we live in, not walk around like zombies. and, also, we have to recognize truth. i think we are born knowing what is right and what is wrong. when people kneel down at the alter of the almighty dollar, all that goes out the window. >> right. >> all this stuff, they have been able to manufacture or combine money with hate. so, they are making money while doing this. it's become, like, i can't describe it. remember, quickly, just to see

these guys get on television and lie and lie and lie. these guys they will put their mother on the corner for a dollar. their mother. >> it's probably brooklyn. talk about brooklyn. you and i kind of started a trajectory in the '80s, two and three years apart. you said your early movies address it and put our slogans in your movies. even ronald reagan's era was not as, as, in terms of the president, expressing and condoning what we are seeing today. >> look, probably all the same ilk, but reagan was slick about it. >> he was not as abrasive. this is like, in your face. >> this guy, agent orange, he's

not trying to fake the funk. he's bringing it and let's all recognize who this guy is. let's register to vote. rev, if people don't want to vote after these last 18 months, then they need to stop smoking k-2. midterms, he cannot be re-elected. >> no, you are right. you are right. they have to vote, though. they have to vote. >> vote, they have to register. >> you have to register and know it's the state houses and the congressional. it's not parties who is right and only right in gender. i have to ask you a personal question. >> yes, sir. >> we have gone through this journey together for a few decades now. you worked with denzel. >> right. >> you had a cab deal with denzel. >> yes. >> i was too young to know.

>> now, you working with denzel's son. how does it feel to go through the second generation now of washington? i'm amazed. this guy can act. people have to see this. he can act. >> i always kid john david, i knew you before you were born and his first role was in "malcolm x." he said, my name is malcolm x at the end of the film. i knew to do it. i didn't make an audition or have a meeting. i sent him the script. i sent him the book. i said, let's go. a lot of times people think of cliches. you know what? a lot of times they come with cliche because it is true. the fruit don't fall far from the tree. john david washington is legit.

>> no, he's the real deal. >> real deal. >> he comes from good stock. >> good stock. >> not only denzel. don't go short on me or pauletta. she is the real deal. >> yes, yes. and denzel always makes a point of talking about how important pauletta is in not just raising john david, but the other four children. tonja, for me, too. >> the best part of you is tonja. that's the only reason we tolerated you. >> she's in there. thank you very much. >> what do you hope people walk away from this movie seeing? because people really need to see it. what do you want them walking out saying? >> i will say, rev, there's a lot of humor in this film, a lot of humor. it's okay to laugh. but, when that final scene

comes, takes place in charlottesville, when you step out of the theater, be conscious, you know, like, there's no joke. this is serious, serious business. serious business, for our children, for our grandchildren, for the world. this is no joke. >> and the fact that he could infiltrate the klan, at a time you have the president of the united states equating klan-like groups bringing down statues of hate shows the reality. it's like walking out of the air-conditioning theater and the heat hitting you. real. >> like mississippi, alabama. nothing like that. >> wake up is real. you put it on the screen. >> thank you. >> as only spike could do it. we call it a spike joint? >> spike lee joint. >> thank you. >> always.

stay with us. we'll be right back. how was your day? it was good. it was long. let's fix it. play "connection" by onerepublic. (beep) ♪these days, my waves get lost in the ocean♪ ♪seven billion swimmers man ♪i'm going through the motions ♪sent up a flare need love and devotion♪ ♪trade it for some faces that i'll never know notion♪ ♪can i get a connection? ♪can i get can i get a connection?♪ ♪can i get a connection? ♪can i get can i get a connection?♪ (honking) when your craving strikes, you need your wing nut. ( ♪ ) no one can totally satisfy a craving, quite like your wing nut.

crisp leaves of lettuce. freshly made dressing. clean food that looks this good. delivered to your desk. now delivering to home or office. panera. food as it should be.

you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast-acting, long-lasting relief, try doctor recommended gaviscon. it quickly neutralizes stomach acid and helps keep acid down for hours. relieve heartburn with fast- acting, long-lasting gaviscon.

that does it for me. thanks for watching. i'll see you back here next sunday. now, to my colleague, aaron gill crest. >> thank you, i appreciate it. i'm at msnbc world headquarters in new york in for alex witt. here is what's happening. escalating war of words.