coverage at 6:00 p.m. on msnbc. for now, reverend al sharpton and "politicsnation." good evening and welcome to "politicsnation." flags are at half staff today in virginia after friday's horrific shooting at a municipal government building in virginia beach that left 12 people dead and four wounded. the shooter, a city employee, killed by police after a standoff. 24 hours removed, the gun debate is polarizing the nation and showed up on the 2020 trail today. we'll have more on that later in the show. as for tonight's lead, a question of marketing with robert mueller's official finale this week reiterating the

findings of the mueller report, at least as we know them. democrats in congress are mulling just what to do with the ball he passed to them on the way out because we now know if president trump is to be removed from office, it will not come via robert mueller as many of us have fantasized over the last two years, nor will it come down to congress, electing one of two paths forward. proceed with the full impeachment inquiry, and risk the inevitable partisan blowout going into the 2020 election, or stick with the pelosi way, as in house speaker nancy pelosi's continued insistence that congress and federal investigators continue their own investigation into the president, which appears to be what most voters wadon't want en

as 50 house democrats and bun republican and nearly a dozen 2020 contenders are calling for the impeachment fight to finally begin. joining me now, juanita tolliver, center for american progress action fund, brendan buck, former chief communications director for house speaker paul ryan, and nick ackerman, former assistant u.s. attorney for the southern district of new york, also an msnbc contributor. let me start with you, brandon. should the house and senate go forward with an impeachment proceeding or at least inquiry. if so, why? if not, why not? >> i don't envy the position nancy pelosi is in. clearly the ball is in her court. do i think it rises to the level of impeachment? no, i don't. but at this point i think after robert mueller made his statement and laid out that

basically he's not going to go testify, i think now is the go or no-go moment. he said i'm not coming to testify. you have everything you need. it's all in black and white, there's nothing else you need to learn. so at this point she's run out of excuses. either you go down this road or not. now is the moment she needs to make the decision. >> if he testified, he would only stick with the report. but if there is an impeachment inquiry, wouldn't that be the legal grounds, and i'll ask nick this, but wouldn't that be the legal grounds that they can then say they must have the unredacted report in order to examine whether or not there are high crimes and misdemeanor, and even possibly say they need all of his financial records? wouldn't that browarden the scope? >> it definitely broadens the scope. congress is already conducting

oversight and donald trump is blocking that in the way he's reacted to other members being subpoenaed to testify. so what i think pelosi is trying to do here is, one, get all the information and the facts out, make the case to the american public, then we can move forward with impeachment. they need to make it clear this is about, one, mueller laid out so many opportunities and substantial evidence that trump obstructed justice. there are clearly efforts by the trump administration to obstruct depress from conducting any oversight. and so democrats need to move with a degree of urgency that ultimately they can make the case to the american public. you need more than that to be successful. >> nick, how broad would the scope go if they decided to proceed with an impeachment

inquiry? would they be able to broaden it to include his financial records and an unredacted mueller report? >> the most important part is they will be able to proceed with the unredacted part that's been redacted because of grand jury secrecy. there's a circuit opinion that basically says that material from a grand jury can go to the house judiciary committee if there is an inquiry into a potential impeachment. this is based on what we did in the watergate situation when we put together a road map of evidence that the presiding district court judge at the time turned over to the house judiciary committee. everyone agrees once you have an impeachment inquiry as such and called as an impeachment inquiry, it would open up all of the grand jury material that has now been addicted and being

withheld, which is important because there are redactions that not only relate to the obstruction, but, more importantly, relate to the other two buckets of crime that mueller looked at, which is the break-in at the democratic national committee and the use of social media to suppress the hillary clinton vote. there are portions of that report that are absolutely tantalizing. page 167 talks about the fact that mueller considered charging people who were in the trump campaign with trafficking and stolen property. that is the property stolen from the democratic national committee, but they couldn't do it because the federal statute involved doesn't include intangible property such as computer data. there's also somebody who they considered charging with actually entering into a computer, which the the same charge that was brought against

the russian intelligence operatives. it makes you wonder what kind of evidence did they have on somebody in the u.s. being involved with those russians and why was it that in the end they didn't charge that person. >> that's in the unredacted report, so brandon, i would think if an impeachment inquiry was announced and the fact that at minimum they would have to give the unredacted report, would cause some nervousness in the white house. >> sure but stop and think that the conversation we're having right now suggests they don't think they have enough to move forward on impeachment. >> why would you say that? >> because you're looking for more information. so far -- >> because they wouldn't give the information. >> so much of the conversation that's happened so far, i think this is one of the reasons you haven't seen a lot of public support is the entire conversation in washington has been about the process. who's going to testify, who's going to give us documents? no one is having the conversation about what nick just did, the actual facts. the democrats have failed to make the case for --

>> if you have an unredacted report, then you will have all the facts. you are talking like -- we don't have all the facts. you just cited some people that could have been charged, but mueller couldn't, but the congress can use that toward impeachment. so you can't take a half a loaf and say that there are no facts because we don't know what facts we don't have. >> jerry nadler has been given the opportunity to read it with fewer redactions in it. he's turned down that opportunity to do that. he's had the chance to do that and he has said no. my point is if you want to go down this path and make the case that you need to have a national support, bipartisan support in the country, you need to start making the case on the facts that you have rather than having two more months of conversations about the process of redactions. >> i think every defendant in court would love to be able to decide which evidence you can review before their case -- >> exactly right.

>> you're talking about those of us that want to reform criminal justice, i don't know a defendant that says, we'll tell you what you can review. >> just cover that up. this has to happen concurrently. we've seen this from a couple of representatives, for example, katy porter in a trump district now recognizing with mueller's statement, with the fact that trump has instructed congress's ability to conduct oversight, i'm leaning towards impeachment. we've seen it with justin amash at home in his district. you have his constituents who are like, i thought this report exonerated trump when he went back and walked through the facts, people starred to understand that. >> nick, let me ask you, you mentioned watergate. was it not so that most of the public was against the impeachment of richard nixon

until some of the facts started coming out as they proceeded toward impeachment? >> well, i think it was a gradual process. i mean, what happened was archie cox who was the special prosecutor whom i came in with, i was appointed in may of '73. but right at that time you had a committee holding televised hearings. so the public became aware pretty early on of what the facts were. they learned that the committee to re-elect the president nixon was involved in the break-in. they learned from john dean that nixon tried to cover up that break-in and the involvement of the white house by giving hush money to the watergate burglars. so you had a buildup of information, which we haven't had now. right now what the public has is a 400-plus page report from robert mueller which most people have not read and you wouldn't expect most people to read. what we really need at this

point is all of that evidence put out there so the public can really see it. you need to have somebody like don mcgahn testify. all these people right down the line, you have probably 12 to 18 witnesses, all of whom come from the trump white house that mueller has interviewed. they are all corroborated by contemporaneous notes, by people who took down statements that donald trump made. some of these -- if you put together all these notes, it's really not that much different than the watergate taping system that nixon had in the oval office. >> and isn't that the fear, broorng brandon, when you look at the fact that michael cohen has said that the president wrote him a check to help coverup a payoff while he was president, this is quite disturbing if they starred an inquiry. >> that's what some of these hearings could do. that's what democrats are trying to do, they want to bring this report to life because people aren't going to read the report and that's what is most damaging. if you can bring those key

players and have them on camera and create this spectacle. what i question is whether you're going to learn anything new from the process and i question whether nadler is going to learn anything new. >> there still been some evidence of obstruction. even mueller outlined ten different areas that you could decide on obstruction. he just does not have the ability based on justice department policy to indict. the congress is not under that, and the congress doesn't indict. they impeach. >> exactly right. very different rules for very different bodies. so congress has the opportunity now bring this report to life if trump stops obstructing their abilities to conduct oversight. how many different people from the administration have they issued subpoenas for who are choosing to not appear, as if that's an option? congress has to keep pushing forward that's going to capture the attention of the american people and bring home mueller's

facts. >> i'll hold it there for a minute. we'll have more with juanita and brandon later in the show. they're just warming up. coming up next, as you can see in the live shot, a dozen presidential candidates are in california this weekend for the state's democratic convention that is more more important than ever. why? i'll explain next. moving is hard.

no kidding. but moving your internet and tv? that's easy. easy?! easy? easy. because now xfinity lets you transfer your service online in just about a minute

with a few simple steps. really? really. that was easy. yup. plus, with two-hour appointment windows, it's all on your schedule. awesome. now all you have to do is move...that thing. [ sigh ] introducing an easier way to move with xfinity. it's just another way we're working to make your life simple, easy, awesome. go to xfinity.com/moving to get started. you never know what life is going to throw at you. [ whimpering ] and from this point on. nothing is going to be the same. [ "all these things that i've done" by the killers ] no, no, no. this way buddy. no! liam's heads for comforts is in the 80th percetile. oh that's cool. it's a lot of head. it's like you're the dad and i'm the mom and we're in a relationship and this is our baby. [ laughing ] well... it's exactly like that! exactly! 2020 hopefuls are flocking

to california this weekend for the state's annual democratic party convention. the event isn't always a priority for candidates as the date for the california primary has typically been much later in the cycle. but legislators have decided to move up the date from june to early march, joining the famous super tuesday and giving the delegate-rich state much more significance. joining me now is democratic congresswoman brar began who represents california's 44th district. representative, let me ask you, the significance of moving this primary up really puts your state convention center stage at a very early part of the race and really flushes out a lot of the policies and people issues

that are of concern to california voters and the many voters around the country. what is it that you hope they are pinned down to in terms of the candidates? and the states convention, since over a dozen of them have showed up that we might not have known had you not moved up the date of the primary and, of course, the significance of your state convention? >> well, it's great to see california get some love from the presidential candidates, something we're not used to doing. but it's an opportunity for people to ask the candidates the questions about the issues they care about. one of those, for example, in california are the high rents and the high cost of living. something that senator kamala harris has addressed and put out a policy for. we're hearing a lot about income inequality, things that matter to californians, and this gives an opportunities for the candidates to tell all their

policies. >> with the calendar as it stands, iowa caucus, then new hampshire, south carolina, nevada, and then we go into super tuesday that includes texas and california. now we're looking at the fact that if a candidate can hypothetically do well in two of three of the proceeding caucuses, california can really help clench a front-runner to where it would be hard, if not impossible, to catch up. >> absolutely. california yields a lot of power by moving its election up, and we're seeing that result by the candidates coming out to california. so california's going to be a critical state for candidates to come to and pick up votes in. >> now -- >> we also remember that california is not a winner take all. so there's a lot of opportunity in california. >> because you cannot be number one but still pick up delegates. >> correct. >> congresswoman, you certainly

have been a champion on the issue of immigration. will that be a big factor in who gets the lion's share of the california vote in the primary next year in your opinion? >> i think it's going to be huge. california's greatly impacted by this president's anti-immigration agenda. it's also been impacted by his attack on california in raising taxes there. so california's going to be huge. remember that it's a majority/minority, a lot of congressional districts there. so yes, immigration will be new jersey california. >> now, when we see the president this week announce tariffs on mexico if they don't do something more, in his words, about the migrants coming into the country and saying that he's going to increase tariffs with mexico, 5% a month up to 25%,

saying it will cost mexico, and i guess it's the same way he factored that mexico was going to pay for the wall that they never paid for and we never saw. but it's really going to hurt auto companies, it's going to hurt a lot of people that are in business in america, that's only going to be transferred to the consumer. this immigration issue, he keeps playing this, i assume, toward his base, but it's an issue that not only is not going anywhere, he seems to escalate it. >> that's right. this is more of his bad immigration policy which has been failing and more of his anti-immigration agenda. as you mentioned, this is going to be terrible for the american consumers. they will be paying more. companies will lay off jobs. they're going to have consumer pricing go up. it's going to be pretty devastating and it's a terrible policy. we're hoping to hear more folks from the on the other side of the aisle speak up on why this

is terrible and why we can't allow it to happen. >> now, the candidates in california, senator kamala harris has hometown advantage. but will she have to fight to get the support in california? will she not be able to just take this as a cake walk. >> yeah. the senator is not taking california for granted. she's certainly doing work there. i'm working on her behalf as well. so she's going to work the state. we're going to help work it for her, not taking anything for granted. and i just that's the way to do it. >> do you feel that as california goes, it will have influence over a lot of the primary voters because we keep hearing that you could be popular on the west coast and the east coast, but it is the voters in the middle, the center, and the southern part of the country that you're going to have to win to be successful against president trump. and a lot of voters are saying even out west and back east that

they want a candidate that can beat trump. >> i think a candidate can do very well in california and beat trump, no doubt about it. the issues that californians care about are the issues americans care about. it's making sure they have a living wage, making sure they can pay for their groceries and their rent, having access to health care, access to lower prescription drug pricing, things that democrats are talking about and working right now in congress. make no mistake, california has set the standard in the nation before. i think california and the number of delegates it's going to have is going to be huge for this presidential race. >> all right. thank you, congresswoman. coming up, an alleged plot to help elect white republicans. sounds too crazy? well, it's not. we'll dig into that after the break. it's amazing what you can uncover with your

dna results from ancestry. i was able to discover one cousin, reached out to him, visited ireland, met another 20 cousins. they took me to the cliffs of moher, the ancestral home, the family bar. it really gives you a sense of connection to something that's bigger than yourself. new features. greater details. richer stories. get your dna kit today at ancestry.com. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ applebee's new loaded fajitas. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood. priceline will partner with even more vegas hotels to turn their available rooms into amazing deals. delegates, how do you vote? (wild cheering) (music plays) sample: yes... y-y-y-yes... yes...

woman: that is freaky. etsy is the place to the things we hold on to. sold by real people and made for all of life's moments. our belongings don't just show what we care about. they show who we are. shop etsy.com it's been a long time since andrew dusted off his dancing shoes. luckily denture breath will be the least of his worries. because he uses polident 4 in 1 cleaning system

to kill 99.99% of odor causing bacteria. polident. clean. fresh. and confident. of odor causing bacteria. can't see what it is yet.re? what is that? that's a blazer? that's a chevy blazer? aww, this is dope. this thing is beautiful. i love the lights. oh man, it's got a mean face on it. it looks like a piece of candy. look at the interior. this is nice. this is my sexy mom car. i would feel like a cool dad. it's just really chic. i love this thing. it's gorgeous. i would pull up in this in a heartbeat. i want one of these. that is sharp. the all-new chevy blazer. speaks for itself. i don't know who they got to design this but give them a cookie and a star.

and now for my memo to president trump. your plans keep getting undermined by the people you do business with. this week as the u.s. supreme court moves closer to a ruling

on whether your commerce department can add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, it was reported by "the new york times" that the question itself originated with the deceased republican operative who designed it to harm democrats and minorities at the ballot box. the revelation came from the files retrieved by the late gop strategist thomas hot feller who developed the question to help white republicans draw and redraw voting districts, later pushing the idea with the trump administration who pounced on it. but kept his role murky to avoid transparency, if you can imagine that. that's the contention of aclu lawyers fighting the question's addition, who wrote to a federal judge that his intent was,

quote, to create a structural electoral advantage for, if "n own words, republicans and nonhispanic whites. i'm not here to speak ill of the dead but i'm also not here to excuse bad behavior. he made a poor choice of his life's work, racialized democracy. but there is redemption, even if it's unintended, because, mr. president, what this new information proves is not just that your census scheme is an obvious attempt to disenfranchise minorities to misrepresentations for republicans, that's called a week-day work. no, what this also proves is that despite the singular threat you represent, you were and are still just a rubber stamp for the more powerful conservatives that were there before you and

will go back to excluding you once they can get a groanup in your place. you're not special, mr. trump. try not to cry about it. we'll be right back. be right ba. it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft for the win win. ♪ ♪ how far you travel is up to you.

how comfortable you travel is up to us. fly emirates. fly better. how comfortable you travel is up to us. ♪ girls are not in school because of economic issues and they have to work. at the malala fund, we help girls stay in school. the malala fund invests in education champions

who work in the community and pave the way so that girls can actually go to school. to have our financial partner guiding us is very important. the fact that citi is in countries where girls are vulnerable ensures that we're able to get funds to the people that we're working with. when girls go to school, we're going to maximize their talents. we could have a solution for climate change in that girl. that girl could be the next nobel peace prize winner. ♪

last night we saw some disturbing new images coming out of a detention center in texas. the department of homeland security released these photos showing hundreds of migrants

piled on top of one another at a dangerously overcrowded facility in el paso, a dire situation that poses severe health and state of the risks. this comes as the president says he'll implement a new 5% tariff on mexican goods if mexico doesn't completely stop illegal immigrants from crossing the border. the burden of these tariffs will inevitab inevitably fall on american businesses that produce goods and will lult trickle down to consumers. all of that just to keep brown folks out of our country. the majority of whom are coming here for asylum. back with me, juanita tolliver from the center for american congress action fund, and brandon buck, former chief communications adviser to former house speaker paul ryan. let me go to you, juanita. how do you react to this tariff. one, i don't understand what the tariff has to do with

immigration. >> i mean, there's no precedent. >> how do you respond to this? >> there's no precedent that raising prices on consumer goods or goods imported from mexico is going to have any type of impact on the crisis and humanitarian issues we're experiencing at the border. i feel like trump leveraged this as an opportunity to merge to issues to distract from his failure as a leader. we have the mueller statement and he's looking to draw attention elsewhere. this is not going to help and ultimately is going to harm our economy and consumers and harm american workers. i think ultimately with any type of tariff on goods from mexico, we know that they produce cars and we know they produce a lot of things we use every single day. >> auto parts. >> the workers will be negatively impacted because supply chains will be disrupted. >> won't this hurt, brandon, some of the supporters of president trump, ultimately,

that they will see sayoflayoffs consumer prices rising? tariffs are not paid by mexico or china. they're going to paid by american businesses and consumers. >> i appreciate you as a progressive saying that. as a conservative, i hate tariffs. i want free trade. i think what he did is one of the most self-destructive things he's done in this presidency and that's saying something. i think the biggest opportunity he has to get re-elected is running on a strong economy and this could threaten it. >> so why is he doing it? >> he's frustrated -- both of you have noted, it's a legitimate crisis at the border and he's frustrated that he's not been able to get resources for the border. a question just came in and democrats turned it down and he's frustrated by that. i'm not excuse thing that. he has threatened to take strong actions like this previously.

in april he said he was going to close all the ports of entry at the back door and he backed down and said i'll give you a year to figure it out. he set a june 10th deadline. let's see if he goes forward with it. >> breaking news, a republican says he may be bluffing. is that what i'm hearing? >> i think you're not alone, right? senators have already said we are down for securing the border, not tariffs, though. don't do it this way. and so i think republicans on the hill are sending a strong message to the president that this is not the way to proceed. >> brandon, he has said several things around this issue, and yet he's not solved the problem. and there's also the moral question that i've raised about taking children from their parents and now piling people up like we saw in el paso. i mean, at what point does the president sit down and try to work out an immigration policy that is bipartisan? of course, he can't do it walking out approximate in three

minutes saying stop all the investigations on me, but at what point did he act like he thinks we have to solve a serious situation? >> i don't know there's a bipartisan solution to the immigration problem at this point. we tried to figure it out. it's a humanitarian crisis that needs resources. >> but resources include a wall? >> no. i'm talking about resources to process the asylum claims. >> provide the care needed. >> provide the care needed. >> expedite the hearings. >> yeah. but that's what he's requested funding for and democrats have said no. >> he wanted his wall. >> he keeps attaching the wall and funds for the wall to any kind of proposal. >> that's the number one thing he wanted. he shut down the government for it. i don't see a path forward until he decides that that is

something that he can move forward without. because these people's lives matter. this crisis is growing every day and numbers show it's still going to hit historic rates every month. it's a question of if a bipartisan solution can be reached, i think so, but with this president, i don't think so. >> well, the fact is, let's look at this problem. mexico has arrested thousands of people. you're dealing with mostly people coming in through mexico that are really not just mexicans, seeking asylum from very, very desperate situations in their country. putting aside that you agree with progressives, and i'm sure you'll get torched. >> you agree with conservatives. >> have it your way. >> i will. >> the fact that you have agreed that this policy is not good, the fact is, what does he expect mexico to do with they already

arrested tens of thousands of people? >> well, i sermcertainly don't k you can say mexico has done everything they can do. their new president ran against our president on this issue in a lot of ways. so there can be more that can be done. i don't think this is a real solution for this in the long term at all. what you need to be doing is sending ngos and other resources down to those countries that are facing drug wars and violence and trying to help them develop a civil society so that we can cut down on the violence down there that is sending people up here. >> but in the meantime, levying a tariff that's a tax on american families and businesses is not the way. >> is that good for the republicans in 2020 that have not only the presidential race but senate races that are going to have consumers that are going to notice their cars and other consumer goods have gone up because of this president?

>> i would imagine there's a long list of republicans who have already called the president and said you need to back off this and you need to stop this. this is self-destructive and you are only going to hurt the economy. and you're only going to hurt ourselves. >> one thing i find interesting is he went against every adviser, including his son-in-law. i don't think he's going to listen to any of them or any of the long-term logic. >> is he playing, juanita, to a base with rhetoric even if he changes before june 10th? is he really just try to play the tough guy and try to appeal to those that just want somebody tough on these brown people that are coming across the border? >> sure, tough guy english, back to my original statement that i think this is a part of him spinning out and trying to deflect the fact that he was directly called out by mueller. he was looking to draw the public's attention elsewhere. >> so a distraction. you don't agree? >> one thing if the president

has been consistent on his entire life, it's his belief that tariffs work. this goes back to the 1980s. he's always talked about challenging, china, japan, and mexico. he has a belief that tariffs are a way that you can punish people. >> but he's not selling real estate. we're talking about real lives now. he's walls been a good bluffer in new york. we know him. but he's not selling condos. >> he did back down when he threaded to close the border. it is a classic trump move to light something on fire and put it out and claim victory. i can see him doing that easily. >> especially light a fire over here while you're over here. still ahead, we've all heard of the godfather, but an upcoming documentary from netflix is shining light on the black godfather. entertainment pioneer clarence avon redefined the industry and had a helping hand in the

careers of lionel richie to snoop doggy dog. we'll talk to the film's director next. -and we welcome back gary, who's already won three cars, two motorcycles, a boat, and an r.v. i would not want to pay that insurance bill. [ ding ] -oh, i have progressive, so i just bundled everything with my home insurance. saved me a ton of money. -love you, gary! -you don't have to buzz in. it's not a question, gary. on march 1, 1810 -- [ ding ] -frédéric chopin. -collapsing in 226 -- [ ding ] -the colossus of rhodes. -[ sighs ] louise dustmann -- [ ding ] -brahms' "lullaby," or "wiegenlied."

-when will it end? [ ding ] -not today, ron.

-when will it end? [ ding ] this ijust 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. ninety eight percent are still on the road after 10 years. come on mom, let's go!

fearless. >> you need to know him because he was the gatekeeper. >> he knew everyone. >> he was too fly. >> he became a powerhouse. >> there's the power that needs the spotlight, but there's also the power behind the scenes. >> the guy is a rock in every way. >> here in the social media era, we toss the word influencer around, but, as you just heard from performers and presidents, the original o.g. is clarence avant, nicknamed the godfather of black moving for his indelible mark on the careers of countless artists for more than half a century. now his storied career has been given the hollywood treatment by netflix and filmmaker reggie hudlin, where "the black godfather" looks at those who have kissed his ring over the

years. joining me is the director of "the black godfather," filmmaker and executive reggie hudlin. thank you for coming on. >> thank you for having me. >> the significance of clarence avant cannot be overstated. every cultural icon, not only in black music but in music, has really had the behind-the-scenes help, counsel, or push by clarence avant and many americans don't know who he is until this film, but everyone in american culture and politics know exactly who he is and have gone there more than once, including me. >> absolutely. i think one of the things that stuns people when they see the film is how has he been shaping pop culture for 50 years being involved in so many things i love in music n movies and sports and politics. but we don't know who he is.

and it's a mystery. and the answer is he didn't want you to know who he is because there's a power to fame, but sometimes there's a power to being behind the scenes not looking for fame but don't looking to make a difference. >> now, i knew people in entertainment all of my life, even though my work was in civil rights and politics. i mean, i was very close with james brown, as you know, and michael jackson. and james brown told me go talk to clarence avant. he was bold. i saw in a sneak peek of your documentary which was extremely well done that he would bust into people's offices without an appointment and stand up for artists. he had the kind of boldness that you never saw particularly when we're talk about in the '60s and '70s and '80s for a black man to go into a ceo's office when the

music and movie industry was all white. some of it was alleged to have been mob connected and he was as fearless as quincy said. >> absolutely. i mean, he was a man of conviction. of conviction. he was also a man who was able to evolve over time. he starts off coming from climb as, north carolina with a 9th grade education, ends up sleeping in the lincoln bedroom of the white house. how does he do that? he does it by being tough, by being fair, by standing up for what's right, fighting for artist' rights, not doing it for credit, not even doing it for money. he did it because it was the right thing to do. he was a person that was a master negotiator, whether it was in the political world or the entertainment world, he could figure out, here's the common ground we meet. here is my rent line where i

don't compromise. that's a welcome quality in any venue. >> now, he also had great political impact. he called the documentary show, how he helped bill clinton become president, how he was helpful to barack obama, how he was helpful in andrew young running for congress, the first black congressman in the south, how he helped all the way up to people like me who when we even were in something controversial, he would have us to his house and invite people over, so his social and political impact was equal to his cultural impact, and saw how they were connected. >> yeah. i mean, that ability to make people feel good, and even in disagreement, he would have a fierce, fierce negotiation battle, then the next day it's over for him, now he's back to being your friend, and that ability, he didn't hold grudges. he was a guy who saw the matrix

of it all, he saw it and said i know how to make this work. he was able to truly be friends with people and at the same time, he knew what he wanted to do, which was to help people, to help artists, fight against injustice. when you talk about black people, that's a constant battle, but it wasn't limited to black people. he just wanted things fair for everybody. >> comes out friday on netflix. what is it you hope young and old people walk away after seeing this, this is not just a godfather film, there's a real message and story here. what are you hoping people watch this that they walk away with other than the overdue exposure to who clarence avon is in our culture. >> well, i'm excited for people to see it. so many people feel frustrated they can't make a difference. it is who you know, i don't have

the connections, i don't have the education, i don't have this or that. this is a man that had nothing and made a way out of no way. i know for myself, i'm inspired by him. i was fortunate enough to spend three years of my life talking to barack obama, bill clinton, hank aaron, jimmy jam, terry lewis, david geffen. thee these are the most accomplished people in our nation and they all were helped or inspired by clarence avon. >> and was willing to talk about it. >> absolutely. people see the film, they say if he can do it, i can do it. if i have the will power, the determination, i can have the same kind of drive and make the same difference that clarence did, so that's why i don't care who you are, i think this is a movie people need to see and i think it can inspire you to be a

better person after you see it. >> i think he showed the magic of the power of someone behind the scenes. i don't think a lot of people understand that fame and influence and power don't always have to be connected. here's a guy who worked at not being known but got the job done over and over and over again, and you're right. he doesn't hold grudges. he will call you up, cuss you out, call you the next day and say reverend like he never cursed me out. thank you. "black godfather" friday june 7th on netflix. >> thank you. next, my final thoughts. . next, my final thoughts. ver, month after month, the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. ongoing pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion. humira can help stop the clock. prescribed for 15 years, humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage.

humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. help stop the clock on further irreversible joint damage. talk to your rheumatologist. right here. right now. humira.

our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure. with nine grams of protein and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. ensure, for strength and energy. and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. has four levels of defenseremium gasoagainst gunk, wear, corrosion and friction. that helps keep your engine running like new.

it's fuel for thought. the latest inisn't just a store.ty it's a save more with a new kind of wireless network store. it's a look what your wifi can do now store. a get your questions answered by awesome experts store. it's a now there's one store that connects your life like never before store.

the xfinity store is here. and it's simple, easy, awesome. this week, the pulitzer prize was given pto aretha franklin for the music and cultural work that shaped and redefined where we were in the nation and in the world. jennifer hudson made a surprise appearance, rocked the house with her tribute to the queen of soul. one of the most impactful things in my life is to have gotten to know her and work with her down through the years. i was at her birthday parties. here is former attorney general eric holder then in office and i

at one of those parties. you never, ever forgot, though, the greatness of this regal, talented, gifted woman. i was so honored when she came and did this show two or three times politics nation. she was an activist. she knew the issues. she would call my radio show, call me, reverend al, did you hear about so and so happened, she was committed to the betterment of her fans as she was of music and cultural impact. we miss her greatly, but her music will live on forever. the pulitzer prize committee made sure we don't forget that. and we will never forget the queen of soul. that does it for me today. thanks for watching. see you back here tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. eastern. for a new live edition of politics nation. up next, david gruer is live on the ground in virginia beach with extensive coverage of

yesterday's shooting. good evening. i am david gura live in virginia beach, the latest in a long list of american cities that have been scarred by a mass shooting. vigils are taking place at this hour after a lone gunman shot and killed 12 men and women in the municipal building behind me in what is the deadliest shooting in the city's history and in the united states this year. police say the suspect and engineer and 15 year employee of the city of virginia beach walked into the municipal center, the campus from which i am broadcasting, began to fire indiscriminately with .45 caliber pistols. the local police department is not even 150 yards from the scene of that shooting, officers arrived within minutes, after engaging what they call a long gunbattle, the suspected gunman was struck by police fire and later died. in addition to 12 people killed, four others were injured and a