"politics nation." the reverend dr. martin luther king jr. was born 90 years ago this past week. and tomorrow the nation will mark the progress made both during his short life and in the half century since his tragic death. for that reason, i'm in washington here tomorrow. i'll be leading several events in washington and later in harlem to commemorate dr. king. joined by potential and confirmed 2020 presidential contenders. but before we celebrate the light of dr. king's life, a different and darker anniversary. exactly two years ago, donald trump was inaugurated as america's 45th president. and we in the civil rights community recognized the singular threat he posed to the

movement that dr. king and others gave their lives to sustain. and in his border speech saturday, a ransom coming at the end of a four month of economic terror for nearly 1 million federal workers due to the shutdown was a pitch perfect example of why we remain afraid. we are on day 30 of this shutdown, and joining me now is white house correspondent of pbs news hour, cristina greer, associate professor of political science at fordham university, and rick tyler, republican strategist and an msnbc political analyst. yamish, it is almost unthinkable that we would be at a shutdown this long, and then the president in speaking to the nation last night didn't even

really say anything to those about 1 million people, 800,000 federal employees either furloughed or not getting paid. and the contractors, subcontractors and their employees. no sensitivity, no appeal to their -- no hope for them. didn't address them at all. >> well, i've been talking to a lot of civil rights leaders, such as yourself, but also immigration activists. and they say that we have to remember that the central reason why there is a shutdown, day 30, is because of what some people say as a racist political symbol, which is the wall. the president is focused on the southern border, where my reporting confirms there are six suspected terrorists caught in the early part of 2018. 41 caught in canada and northern border. i keep telling people about that statistic, because we're talking about brown immigrants in the south, lighter immigrants in the north, most coming through the northern border. and a lot of people think it's because he's focused on the future of america and doesn't want brown immigrants to be the

future of america. >> let me reiterate that point. because you've made it to me before. six terrorists that were suspected terrorists coming in the mexican border. 41 coming in the canadian border, is that right? >> yes, that is correct in the early part of 2018. >> did we miss something? is there a wall being proposed for the canadian border? >> there is not a wall being proposed for the canadian border. and on top of that, i've been to mccaliforni mccallen, texas, and the mayor said we have issues of unaccompanied minors coming to our borders, but what we really need is humanitarian efforts and policies to help the countries where this violence and stuff is happening that people are fleeing. a wall isn't going to fix that. and the president acknowledges himself when he talks about drugs being smuggled in, a wall is not going to stop people from smuggling in drugs. but at the end of all of this, we're talking about king's

legacy, and king's legacy is about equality and justice and race as you know more than i do. and, again, it's about a wall. this president is now saying give us -- i'll let you keep some of these immigrants for three years if you give me a permanent wall. >> rick tyler, you're the republican on the panel. let me show you this. vice president pence today on fox news with chris wallace said this. >> you can open the government tomorrow. you can open the government tomorrow. >> we can do all of that. >> you can open the government tomorrow. the house has passed bills to open the government tomorrow. >> right. >> why don't you sign them and open the government and then you can negotiate about this? >> well, because, i mean -- frankly, chris, what the american people want us to do is to work on their priorities. and the american people want us to secure the border. >> now, if rick, we're talking about securing the border, yet we're seeing that there has been no terrorists allegations than threats at the canadian border, that seems a little off. and then you are dealing with

the fact that this -- any number of people -- i've been to mccallen, texas, as well, saying this wall is unnecessary. what is this wall really about, rick tyler? >> the wall is about donald trump and his ego. and right now it serves as a loyalty test to whether you're with donald trump in the congress or you are against donald trump in the congress. because the wall will have virtually no effect on illegal immigration, which is what the president says that he's concerned about. the drugs that he showed in his press conference did not come from over the border. they came from legal ports of entry. so illegal drugs are coming in through legal ports of entry, not over the border, where there would be a proposed wall. the money that was at that same press conference was seized at an airport. and look, you know, walls were great if you're in prison and you can't go to home depot. there's one not far from the

mexican border. and you can get the tools you need to get through any kind of wall that they'll build. it just doesn't serve any purpose. so it's a symbol. and you're right about the canadian border is -- would be a much bigger threat. none of the hijackers came on september 11th through the southern border. and so it just virtually makes no sense. as a republican, i have always -- i want a rational, legal immigration system. nobody is for illegal immigration. i don't know any democrats that are for illegal immigration. i don't know any republicans for illegal immigration, so it's how you solve it. but the good news, rev, in all of this, i am hardened by the fact that the founders put together a government that no one person could wield power to operate it. and it is not designed to work when one side will not compromise with the other. and donald trump's offer yesterday offered nothing new. he was the one who took daca away and now saying he wants to

give it back. he was the one who took temporary protected status for refugees away and now he wants to give it back. so he's offered the democrats virtually nothing new and still wants 100% of his wall. >> cristina, offering them nothing new. let me show you what congressman benny thompson, chair of the homeland security committee, on abc, what he had to say this morning. >> so you wouldn't rule out a wall. >> i would not rule out a wall in certain instances. now, the notion that we can't have barriers is just something that's not true. clearly, democrats are for border security. but we are not for this constantly moving the ball just for a talking point. >> so, cristina, the democrats are willing to talk. they're willing to even talk about some barriers. so to rick's point, they seem to be willing to compromise.

but the president says, my wall or nothing. >> right. >> how do we break that deadlock? where is mitch mcconnell? because the senate and the house did pass a bill that included money for border patrol and border security over $1 billion. why isn't mitch mcconnell stepping up, saying we passed a bill. let's go with that bill, mr. president, my fellow republican? >> right. we know that we can't count on mitch mcconnell to behave in any manner other than a sycophantic senator. the president's painted himself into a corner, and so he has to sort of go back to his -- swiftly dwindling base to say, i won. so the only way we can say this is to say i built something. right? even though he's trying to give democrats concessions, as rick rightly said that, he's already taken away. and so, you know, as he came into office and he said, you know, i know how to bargain, and i know how to run a business, we're seeing that the president is running the country the way he ran his business. he doesn't know how to bargain. he paints himself into corners he's usually just going to

bankrupt things and walk away. he can't do it in this particular instance. the democrats, especially nancy pelosi, are holding firm, because, yes, democrats definitely believe there are going to be certain points along the border that need extra attention. we are not going to use eminent domain. we're not going to build towers to nowhere in the middle of rivers to try and, you know, sort of create this sense of, you know, the trump wall, which -- mind you, now, let's go back to the point where the president said he would be paying this, and $5 billion should be taken off the table and told nancy pelosi and chuck schumer if there was a government shutdown, he would own it. and so he refuses to own any of his responsibilities, and any of his behaviors. and so the democrats are holding his feet to the fire. the unfortunate thing is, we have well over 800,000 americans who are being used as pawns in the president's game, because he can't save face for his bad behavior. >> and that's the real point, yamish. in the middle of all of this, who is being held hostage as the 800,000 federal workers,

contractors and all. about 1 million people. while he's going back and forward. and not only did he say he would own the wall, when they had another meeting, he walked out of the meeting on the democrats. so when they say they're willing to deal, he got up and walked out of the meeting. literally had a tantrum. >> well, we also need to remember, as i'm sure you noted yesterday, that the presidents in speech at 4:00 yesterday, didn't mention federal workers. didn't mention furloughed workers. >> at all. >> at all in the speech. i should say, afterwards, i was in a meeting with the vice president and secretary nielsen, jared kushner, other white house officials, including myself, and they talked about workers. and mick mulvaney said if democrats don't vote for this on tuesday and vote for the president's proposal, they're going to be the reason people miss a second paycheck. so the white house is talking, even if it's outside of that speech. they are talking about workers. but let's also remember, i posed a question to the vice president, and i asked him straight up, vice president pence, why should immigrants

think you won't deport them after three years if it's only going to be a three-year extension if the president has said that some of these people are from s-hole countries? so the president has said wrongly that haitians brought aids to this country. why should they trust you're not going to just deport them once you have your wall? and vice president pence's answer was, one, you're miscategorizing what the president has said about immigrants and two, because he's putting this on the table they should trust him because he wants to give tps ask daca holders an extension. so that's the white house talking point and stance right now. >> rick, where are republicans that would stand up and have some kind of balance to this? where are the republicans that would question this predicament that the president has put federal workers in? tuesday would be the second paycheck they would miss. we're talking about over 30 days now. i mean, where are the republicans that would say to the president, enough is enough now? at least give us the bill where we can go 30 days and try to work out some kind of border

security, but we don't have to keep punishing federal workers who many are now even going to pawn shops to get money to buy groceries. >> well, rev, it's not just nancy pelosi who should not back down to the president for this behavior on shutdowns. it is also the republicans. because if he doesn't get his way on something else, they need to reign in control and that's with or without mitch mcconnell, which means you would have to get a bill to the floor to pass veto-proof. if you're flying today or flying on an airplane tomorrow, when that tsa agent looks you in the eye, he or she is not getting paid today. he or she is trying to keep everyone on that plane safe. the people who put -- who examine the bags that go in the belly of the airplane, those people are not getting paid today. the air traffic control that guide your plane from the time it takes off to the time it lands, they are not getting paid today. and neither is the border security. this is why this whole thing is

not serious. if you're serious about border security, then the first thing you would do is make sure that the agents who are securing the border are paid. and they're not. so it's not serious. none of this proposal is serious. because donald trump would have made a deal with the democrats behind closed doors and together announced a deal. and he didn't do that. he didn't consult with the democrats, he didn't consult with republicans as far as i know. he just went out and reiterated the deal that had already been rejected by the democrats. and to make it look like he's trying to negotiate and compromise. but he's not. >> yeah. i'm going to have to take a break. let me -- my panel will stick around. but first, coming up, in office for a few weeks and already making history in congress. he joins me next. next to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing it's best to make you everybody else... ♪ ♪ means to fight the hardest battle, which any human being can fight and never stop. does this sound dismal?

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the new freshmen class in congress is cutting its legislative teeth on the shutdown. among them, the youngest democratic leader in the house whose colorado district has been hit hard by the closures. joining me now, democratic congressman, joe naguse, colorado's first african-american representative in the u.s. house. congressman, how are your constituents who have been hit hard by this shutdown? how are they communicating with you how they are getting by?

i mean, just literally with groceries and necessities when they're going now this long with no paycheck and no paycheck in sight? >> well, thank you for having me, reverend. my constituents are hurting. i've had a chance to visit with many folks here in colorado's second district in boulevarder and ft. collins, estes park, people who work for the national park service, rocky mountain national park. and there are a lot of folks furloughed right now or working without pay in boulder. you have many folks who work at our federal labs who are trying to figure out how to make their next mortgage payment. folks who are trying to figure out child care arrangements, all because this president has thrown a temper tantrum and is holding the government hostage. so a lot of people are hurting right now. and it is deeply frustrating to us in congress that the senate leader and the majority leader in the senate and the republican caucus won't come to their senses and reopen the

government. >> do you see any way that this deadlock can be broken as one -- the youngest member of the democratic leadership in the house? i mean, it must be frustrating for you to have been sent there and you come in at a time like this and it seems like there's no kind of flexibility at all with this president. how does the congress and the senate break this deadlock on behalf of your constituents, real people, republican and democrats? >> well, reverend, i think there's a simple way to end this shutdown. the house has approved, as you know, nine different appropriations bills to reopen the government. these are republican-approved bills. they were passed by the senate on a nearly unanimous basis just a month ago. all we are waiting for is the senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, to put these bills to a vote. and we believe that if he were to do so, they would pass the

senate. so look, the freshman class is not standing idly by. as you mentioned, we were sent here to washington to shake things up and ultimately reform government. so we are taking proactive measures to put pressure where it belongs, which is on the senate republican caucus to put these bills to a vote, reopen the government so we can get back to the work of the american people. >> as you know, we are celebrating martin luther king holiday tomorrow. he would have been 90 earlier this week. and many of us that come in his school of thought know that he had preached about ending racism and bigotry of any kind. and you have in the house of representatives congressman steve king, another king, that has been widely denounced now for racist statements, many of which he's made in the past. let me show you what republican congresswoman liz cheney said today about congressman steve king.

>> well, look. i think i was pretty clear and our entire house leadership was clear last week. his comments were abhorrent, they were racist. we under the guidance of leader mccarthy stripped him of his committee assignments. and i think there is simply no place for that language in any of our -- >> censure next? >> look, as i said last week, i think he ought to go find another line of work. >> liz cheney says he should find another line of work. do you think he should be voted out of the congress? >> i think he should. i appreciate, you know, many of my republican colleagues in the house who have stood up and have denounced representative king's racist remarks. but i think one question for all of us to consider is, why it's taken this long. as you know, reverend, this isn't the first time that representative king has made these types of racist remarks. he has long been engaged in this type of rhetoric in the congress, and it's disappointing that it took until now for

finally folks to be able to stand up and say enough is enough. but, yeah, i think that he should no longer be serving in the people's house. >> dr. king famously said that his dream included that one day people would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. you have been elected by people of all races. you don't just represent a district that is just black or just brown. but of all races. you personify part of what doctor king dreamed for, to continue that dream, though, will take real commitment and fighting in a time we've seen bigotry and racism displayed openly. and i think that's the challenge today. do you think you and the freshman class that you represent are ready for -- to meet that challenge in an aggressive and disciplined way? >> well, i -- you know, i along with the other folks in the

freshman class who were history-makers, we stand on the shoulders of giants of folks who fought the hard fights over the course of many, many years. we have a long way to go. obviously, my election i think is a testament to the people in the second district, in colorado, in boulder and ft. collins. i think it's reflective of a forward and inclusive state that ultimately has chosen to put their confidence in me. and i'm very grateful to be able to represent them in the congress. but we have a long way to go. and my hope is that i am not -- although i'm not first that i won't be the last. and that we will have more people of color in public office. there's a quote from dr. king that i've certainly relied upon in my life, which is that the life's most pressing and urgent question is what are we doing for others. and so i think that's something that each of us should reflect on this holiday. i had a chance yesterday in boulder to spend some time with young folks doing a service project in honor of dr. king. it's with that ethos and spirit that i think we should celebrate this weekend. we have a lot of work to do, as

you know, reverend. glad to be part of the fight. >> thank you, congressman neguse, for being with us. still ahead, the ongoing struggle for human and voting rights. my conversation with martin luther king iii on the eve of this country's observing his father's life and legacy. with my hepatitis c, i felt i couldn't be at my best for my family. in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured and left those doubts behind. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. even hanging with friends i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure

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tonight, join my colleague, joy reid, here on msnbc, for "headliners," the rights and impact of civil rights icon. tonight at 9:00 eastern time on msnbc. >> john said in his very quiet way, we have to do something dramatic. and then he paused and said, we have to do a sit-in. and when john lewis recommends that you do a sit-in, the only answer is yes. >> that's the life and impact of john lewis, civil rights icon. then stay tuned at 10:00 eastern for msnbc special airing of "hope & fury," mlk, the movement and the media.

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as far as i know, president trump did not have discussions with him. certainly had no discussions with him in which he told him or counsels him to lie. if he had any discussions with him, they would be about the version of the events that michael cohen gave then, which they all believe was true. i believed it was true. >> but you just acknowledged that it's possible that president trump talked to

michael cohen about his testimony. >> which would be perfectly normal. which the president believed was true. >> so it's possible that that happened. that president trump talked to michael cohen -- >> i don't know if it happened or didn't happen. and it might be attorney client privilege if it happened, where i can't acknowledge it. >> that was rudy guiliani, president trump's personal lawyer on cnn this morning. admitting that he has no way of knowing for sure whether the buzzfeed report that the president directed michael cohen to lie to congress about a trump tower project in moscow was true or false. but in a later interview on nbc's "meet the press," guiliani gave it another try and changed his answer to being, quote, 100% certain that trump never told cohen to lie in his congressional testimony. can guiliani get his story straight, or is he taking directives from the president too? my panel is back with me.

pbs "news hour's" yamish allicinda-cristina greer and republican strategist, rick tyler. cristina, it may have been lawyer/client privilege, i don't know. but even with lawyer/client privilege, you can't tell your lawyer to lie before congress. i mean, that steps outside of the bounds of a lawyer -- a client kind of conversation, wouldn't you think? >> right. indeed, rev. but i think, you know, you've been in new york quite some time. and we know that this president is used to lying, right? i mean, you can't meet one single person in new york city who has ever done business with donald trump who hasn't been scammed, who hasn't been lied to, who hasn't been cheated out of some sort of money. and i don't think that the president -- and i honestly don't think that rudy guiliani fully realized the extent to which their lies and their sort of misstatements have a real effect.

i mean, i think part of the frustration i'm feeling right now, rev, is that, you know, instead of talking about martin luther king and instead of talking about, you know, the byproduct of the march on washington for jobs and freedom and linking that to well over 1 million people who are not working right now, just because of people who were in service industries who aren't able to go to work because government workers aren't there, we're talking about the scams that this president has been running on american citizens for well over four decades. and the problem is now the american public is held hostage, and we have someone like rudy guiliani who was once america's mayor and once, you know -- a u.s. attorney for the united states government behaving as someone who is just shilling for the president in ways that are just embarrassing to our american democracy, both at home and abroad. >> yamish, rudy guiliani said something else very interesting. let me show you more of what he said today.

this time to my colleague, chuck todd, on "meet the press." >> can't be sure of the exact dates. but the president should remember having conversations with him about it. >> throughout 2016. >> yeah. probably up to -- could be up to as far as october, november. our answers cover until the election. >> our answers cover to the election. which means that rudy guiliani, the president's lawyer, is now saying that he and cohen were talking about the deal in moscow, even after the fbi had come and warned mr. trump and his campaign about russian interference or what russian had planned to do. i mean, this is rudy guiliani saying, up to the election. they were warned way before the election. >> well, the other thing is, the president has said over and over again, at least in the past, that he had no big business before russia. that he had no incentive to do anything with russia that would

be legal or that would be anything that would be something that would be misleading, because i have nothing in front of them. we know that in and of itself was a misstatement, because he had this big trump tower plan in front of him. >> in moscow. >> in moscow. trump tower moscow. this is more evidence of the president having behavior that at least some people feel is uncomfortable with russia. and i was in helsinki when we had, of course, that memorable press conference with vladimir putin, where he even said, you know, i believe russia and i think they could probably maybe help us figure out what russia did when they hacked our election and meddled in our election. so i think this is just more evidence that people -- that make people shake their heads. >> rick, when i was graduating high school, it was during the watergate time. and some republicans went over and told mr. nixon, this is enough. you've had enough. it's time to go. what will republicans in your opinion need to hear before they start saying, mr. trump, this is

way beyond the zone of where we can say this is honest, and that maybe you need to think about leaving or at least start admitting some things here. because it seems like the road ahead looks very rocky. >> well, rev, it's in the constitution. we have an outline for impeaching a president who does things wrong, whether it's treason or high crimes and misdemeanors, which has not really been determined. and that is determined -- that's a political process. so that's going to be determined by the constituents and those individual members' districts when they hear from enough people. and that is what happened to nixon. republicans stuck with nixon for a very, very long time. we forget that, right up until they couldn't sustain it any more. and so, look, donald trump lies -- even when the news is good, he lies. i mean, he just can't help

himself. he has no reason to not just say the truth about many things, but he just decides i'm going to pile on and make it better than it sounds. and then he's got rudy guiliani, who i don't understand, you know, he did -- you're absolutely right. he did go from america's mayor to rainman rudy. and i don't know how this rainman act is going to help the president in the long run. and look, the buzzfeed article or any other article, we shouldn't go off and despite -- as great reporters we have deciding we're going to impeach the president based on an article. remember, reporters don't have -- they don't -- they don't have subpoena power, and they can't threaten you with jail. but robert mueller and investigative committees can. so we have to wait for those investigative committees to conclude their work and see what they have. because they can get at the truth, because not telling the truth will land you in jail time, as now michael cohen well knows. >> cristina, we are in martin luther king holiday weekend. one of the things that he fought

for and was able to get done concretely is fight to protect voting rights. voting rights act of '65, which we are now seeing many, in my opinion, trying to erode, section 5 taken out by the supreme court. there's nothing more fundamental than voting. we're talking about russia's interfering and influencing voter. i mean, as we talk king holiday, you can't talk about the king holiday without talking about the protection of voting and not having people's votes suppressed and being influenced. and we are acting like this may be just some business deal. but we're also talking about them interfering with voters in the united states. >> i mean, rev, if voting wasn't such a fundamental right and wasn't so important to the maintenance and success of our democracy, we wouldn't see people working so hard to keep it away from so many millions of americans from the inception of

our nation until this last election. and what makes 2016 so important is, it's not that russia interfered this one time and then walk away and not want to interfere again. we have another presidential election coming up in 2020. and if the -- if the votes don't go donald trump's way, he can say it's fake news and he doesn't want to leave. i mean, there's so many problematic entities, and as yamish said, he's got this russia trump tower moscow deal going on. while the election is going on. obviously incentives for putin to want trump in office for all the reasons that hillary clinton stated. you know, we also need to make sure we remember, when lbj, with the assistance of congress -- right? two powers working in conjunction with one another, it's the civil rights act, the voting rights act and the immigration act that are the tri trium verify at of acts. we have to remember that immigration ties into our civil rights and also into our voting rights. and what we're seeing is donald

trump and mitch mcconnell and the republican party systematically trying to erode not just the voting rights act, but all three of those acts in congruence at the same time. and that's what makes this so dangerous. >> i'm sure they will, yamish, have some prior statements about dr. king tomorrow, but not the substance of what he stood for. i'm going to have to leave it there. thank you, yamish, cristina and rick. coming up, dr. martin luther king's eldest child, civil rights activist in his own right, martin luther king iii is here. stay with me. we'll be right back. here stay with me we'll be right back. ever hold you back? about 50% of people with severe asthma have too many cells called eosinophils in their lungs. eosinophils are a key cause of severe asthma. fasenra is designed to target and remove these cells. fasenra is an add-on injection for people 12 and up with asthma driven by eosinophils. fasenra is not a rescue medicine

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. tomorrow, we commemorate the life and legacy of reverend martin luther king jr., whose 90th birthday was tuesday. and i'm pleased to report that visitors to the king national memorial park in atlanta will find it open tomorrow, thanks to charity. after it was shuttered by the shutdown for 29 days, including, sadly, dr. king's birthday. how every king day, others try

to speak for the man's politics and i won't be one of them tonight or tomorrow. but i will say where this shutdown is concerned, i do not believe for a second a man who lived and died trying to build bridges between people would be at all supportive of a wall. joining me is dr. king's eldest child who has carried that mantle on in civil rights, martin luther king iii. thank you for being with us tonight, martin. what is your thoughts as we look at the tone of this country? it will be 51 years this april that your father was assassinated. and he would have been 90 years old earlier this week. what are your thoughts as his eldest child? >> you know, as you say, rev, and thank you for the opportunity to be here on this 90th observance. i always say observe, because we're not in a celebratory mode,

particularly as it relates to everyday working people who are not able to work doing their jobs protecting us. wherever it is. i mean, the coast guard is not getting paid. because of this perception of building a wall. and -- or this perception of a need to build a wall. as you said, i don't know for sure, but i feel very strongly that dad certainly built bridges and would not be interested in building a wall. we've got to build bridges of mutual respect. >> let me show you something that is a piece of a video of your father's reaction to the berlin wall in 1964. >> this is your first glimpse of the wall, is it, dr. king? >> yes, this is. this is my first glimpse of the wall. >> and do you find it depressing? >> yes, i certainly do. it symbolizes the divisions of mankind. >> have you ever seen anything so disastrous as this? >> not really. certainly there are the

divisions that continue to exist, but when it's symbolized with an actual wall, it becomes very depressing. >> and when you look at that and then i want to show you vice president pence this morning connecting president trump to your father. >> the hearts and minds of the american people today are thinking a lot about it being the weekend where we remember the life and work of the reverend dr. martin luther king jr. one of my favorite quotes from dr. king was, now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. you think of how he changed america. he inspired us to change through the legislative process. to become a more perfect union. that's exactly what president trump is calling on the congress to do. >> a more perfect union, but i think we have to end that pursuit. have the sensitivity to really deal with human values, and

human worth. and when your father, one of his last missions was the poor people's campaign, dealing with workers' rights. and marching marching with cesar chavez who was leading a movement that would be considered by some today oh, those are the people we're trying to keep out of the country. and i wonder do people even purposely distort your father's message or they don't understand it? and i'm being kind. >> yes, rev, perhaps you are. i don't know how to answer that. honestly, i'm not sure how you make a comparison to what dad and his team had to do and what the president of the united states hopefully will do at some point. certainly, it is people across america who have to continue to exert pressure on all policymakers i don't see

anything that i can say that the president has done that reflects the spirit of martin luther king jr. i'm not even sure he's doing anything tomorrow. i don't know. maybe he is. i hope so. but i don't know. so i'm not sure how that comparison -- i understand how you invoke martin luther king from the vice president, i think he has respect but there's no understands of the values of martin luther king. >> you have tried to act in the kingian way of giving him the benefit of the doubt. you talk to him, made appeals to him. i know that elder bernice your sister is saying let's bring everyone together. because there's the way those of us that followed your father after his assassination and your mother who you were responsible -- me and your mother getting closer. al, you have to be disciplined, you have to watch what you say. that was the kingian way to try.

but at the same time, don't bend in the values in which you stand for. >> no question about that. i think dad would never compromise -- would never compromise his values and when you talk about values, when you talk about poverty in america, which is at epidemic levels. when you talk about racism at epidemic levels. yesterday a native american man was confronted by young people with make america great hats on. they were here protesting for the right to live. but yet they were denigrating the life of another person whose family members had been here for ages before anyone. >> now, dr. king was a family man. he had four children. and you told us many family stories. but the one that i had become a follower of -- come over here, is your daughter, yolanda. this is dr. king's only grandchild. and she stirred america in her speech here and i know you did

not know you'd be on my show tonight, but i wanted you to know uncle al would never see you without bringing you up. this is have king's only grandchild and he talked in the famous speech in 1963 about his four little children living in a nation where they wouldn't be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. now his granddaughter is growing, facing the same challenges. >> well, absolutely. and she has her own dream and if you ask her if she's following in her grandfather's footsteps, she'll say maybe to some degree but i'm making my own footsteps. >> are you following in your grandfather's footsteps? >> in some ways i am, but in some ways i'm making my own footsteps. >> in the king tradition. >> yeah. >> i think it's wonderful that you came by and you saw us.

we'll have a great conversation away from mom and dad. i know it was your mother's birthday this week. thank you, martin luther king iii. my final thoughts are coming up. iii. my final thoughts are coming up. moving? that's harder now because of psoriatic arthritis. but you're still moved by moments like this. don't let psoriatic arthritis take them away. taltz reduces joint pain and stiffness and helps stop the progression of joint damage. for people with moderate to severe psoriasis, 90% saw significant improvement. taltz even gives you a chance at completely clear skin. don't use if you're allergic to taltz. before starting, you should be checked for tuberculosis.

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develop and serve the nation and your community. martin luther king was a family man. a man that had four children and he never lived to his 40th birthday to see his children become adults. he laid down and died on a cold balcony in memphis, fighting for rights that are now at risk. i got to know his wife because of my fighting alongside his son martin iii who always told us to remember what gandhi said, become the change that you talked about and he and his siblings have tried to do. so tomorrow, start right at home with your family. talk about the struggle that continues. yes, there are other kings like steve king. yes, there are people that would yell and mock native americans. yes, there are people that would deal wrongly with lgbtq rights

and gender rights. the struggle is not over, but it's because of people like martin luther king that we know we can win if we stand up but we cannot become like those we fight and we must learn that if we can be that example and firm in our movements, that we can make a difference. that's why a nation that denied him going to certain schools when he was a kid in a nation when martin luther king jr. was a child he couldn't go in certain hotels or certain restaurants that nation will be officially closed down in federal and state offices to celebrate a man who came in a segregated world and helped to tear the walls of segregation down. that does it for me. thanks for watching. see you back here next saturday at 5:00 p.m. eastern and to keep the conversation going, like us @facebook.com/politics nation

and follow us on twitter @politics nation. up next, "meet the press" with uck todd. this sunday, shutdown stalemate. president trump offers temporary protection for some undocumented immigrants but sticks to his principle demand. >> the plan includes $5.7 billion for a strategic deployment of physical barriers or a wall. >> the president says the senate will vote on his plan this week, but house speaker nancy pelosi rejects the offer, calling it a nonstarter. plus, moving the goalposts on collusion with russia. >> i never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign. >> how significant is rudy giuliani's new position on possible collusion? my guests this morning are the president's lawyer, rudy giuliani, democratic senator mark warner of virginia, and republican congresswoman liz cheney of wyoming.