good evening and welcome to "politicsnation." tonight's lead, the president has been served. it's another dramatic week in washington with the official launch of the senate's impeachment trial of donald trump. for just the third time in american history, senators lifted their right hands as the chief justice of the supreme court swore them in to be

impartial jurors. with opening arguments scheduled to begin in just a few days. and within the last 48 hours, we've seen new bombshell allegations from rudy giuliani's former right-hand, lev parnas, who exposed more about the president's role in the ukraine scandal. and new evidence from the nonpartisan government accountability office, which determined the white house broke the law by withholding military aid to ukraine. so while there are plenty of facts and evidence behind this impeachment, there are still many unanswered questions about the trial. among them, what rules will be implemented? will new evidence be exposed and used in the trial? will witnesses be allowed to testify? how much of the trial will the public actually be able to see? and last, but certainly not least, how will the president

behave on and off twitter during the trial? lots to cover. so let's get started. before i bring my panel, we're watching the clock as some critical deadlines approach in the historic impeachment trial. at this hour, the house managers have to finalize a brief for the senate. that brief is expected to outline the case against the president. and then in about an hour, at 6:00 p.m. eastern, there is a deadline for trump's legal team. his lawyers have to respond to the formal summons issued by senators thursday night. let's go first to my colleague white house correspondent hans nichols, who's traveling with the president in florida. hans, where do things stand right now? >> well, the finishing touch is a good way to put it. on this letter, this response, from the president's legal team. it's an answer to that summons. now, think of this as the procedure aspects of this.

the broader constitutional arguments. the threshold arguments. that will be dealt with in the brief. the brief is due to the senate on monday. but what we're learning about what the procedural response will be is that the white house is attacking all the things the house did in terms of the witnesses they called. in terms of the substance. in terms of the processes that were afforded to the president. so this is round one from the white house. think of it this point almost a tactical fight. both sides are doing their moves. now, what white house officials are stressing is that they want to be nimble on this legally. they want to both preserve options and preserve their ability to respond to what they see might be happening in the senate from the house managers. so as that relates to witnesses, we're getting -- it's getting more and more clear, rev, that if the senate is somehow -- ends up calling people like john bolton or calling some of the witnesses that democrats have been demanding from hearing from, the white house reserves right and they're strongly hinting that they will try to do

the same thing with either the whistle-blower or either of the bidens. so that's where it stands on the tactical level. in terms of the president on how he will be weighing in on it, he's been relatively quiet today. he was at his golf course for about four hours down here. and on monday night, he is scheduled to go meet with world leaders and heads of large corporations at the davos world economic forum. there's always been a view inside the white house that it may benefit them politically to have the president not be responding to the nitty gritty and on a day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute basis. that's certainly made more possible if he's in a different time zone and occupied with foreign leaders. rev. >> but he will have his twitter i'm sure with him in davos or wherever he may be. >> they have wi-fi. i can attest to that. and that's always -- you know, we've seen that with the president being abroad, say, in osaka, for the g20.

the president always has one eye back on things happening in washington. rev. >> all right. hans nichols in florida with the president. thank you. for more on this, let's bring in professor of politics and religion at georgetown -- at george washington university, quadricus and chris lou, white house cabinet secretary under obama. before that, he was deputy chief counsel for the house oversight committee. we should disclose that mimi is currently a candidate for district attorney in new york's westchester county. let me start with you, mr. driscoll. as we look at the beginning of the trial and the preparations for the trial, how important and how sensitive is it, this question of witnesses and who they may be from both sides? you heard hans say that the

white house wants to be nimble. and that it speculated that if the democrats can call witnesses, they want the right to call some witnesses. how important is that decision going to be to the proceedings? >> it's thoroughly important for the decision and for the senators. and in many respects, i think it puts the ante on the democratic senators, in particular, to call the most viable and credible witnesses. i mean, there's already some speculation about calling parnas in because, of course, he is indicted. he's not credible, certain republican senators are saying. and so with the mounting of evidence that have come across on friday and as well as today, it is critically important and crucial that the senators get together and call viable witnesses, simply outside of john bolton as well. >> now, mimi, given the mountain of evidence, do the democrats really need the witnesses?

and if they do and they call parnas, the fact that he's under indictment but that he has said things that he's been able to back up with documents, does that, in many ways, make the fact that he's under indictment and universally has been called shady even though he was with the president's personal attorney and -- and -- and in many occasions, the president -- does that matter if he has, in fact, documents that corresponds with what he's saying verbally? >> right. so, look, parnas is shady. there's no question. lev parnas is a shady guy. that's why donald trump and rudy giuliani and others were able to use him to do, essentially, their dirty work. you don't use legitimate, you know, people who are in foreign service to do surveillance on a united states ambassador. you don't use legitimate people

in foreign service in diplomacy to do their dirty work. you use people like lev parnas. that -- they chose him because he's kind of an underhanded guy. >> and he got him some very high places. >> exactly. but the point isey didn't know . they took him in because of that. here's the thing. yes, of course people should tverything this guy is because saying seems to add up to the bigger picture here that we had from reliable witnesses previously. about what was happening to ambassador yovanovitch and by these text messages and -- and other documents. and -- and so for them to try and just kind of discount it because he's indicted, well, that means that the president could insulate himself from people testifying against him if he just hangs out with people who are going to get indicted. we well, then okay. we'll never have any witnesses. that obviously doesn't make sense. >> chris lou, john bolton is one

that has been speculated as a potential witnesses if witnesses are allowed to be called. could that backfire on the democrats? could bolton get up and say things that will be helpful to the practiesident? or given the fact that he has this book coming out with a pretty large advance, so we would assume he's not writing a book that is -- of the president -- would he have to stay along the lines that he's already committed to saying in this book? >> yeah. look. there's always a risk with any witness who you haven't talked to in advance. but i think one thing needs to be repeated over and over again. if any of these witnesses, any of this evidence that was being withheld could exonerate donald trump, you sure as heck believe he would have put it out at this point. and let's remember, this is not just john bolton. it's pompeo. it's perry. it's mulvaney. it's now mike pence. the democrats in the house have done a remarkable job in building a case based on sort of a second tier of career foreign service officials.

and they haven't been able to speak to the people who are really orchestrating this entire effort. and so, look, if there's going to be a deal on the table for additional witnesses, whether it's hunter biden, whether it's joe biden, it's not just john bolton who has to be on the table. it's all of these other top officials, as well as all of the documents that are being withheld. let's remember, gordon sondland, ambassador to the eu, said he couldn't even access his own phone records or calendars to try to refresh his recollections. so there is a whole broad set of evidence out there that we haven't seen at all. >> let me ask you this. the fact is that if, in fact, there are witnesses and someone states, like parnas, there was, in fact, these deals that he has said and the president had full knowledge. and then they try to bring in a hunter biden who says, no, i did not have a deal. i did not promise anything. my father did nothing. wouldn't the republicans need

someone from ukraine to try and refute that, which is probably difficult to -- impossible for them to get someone? couldn't it backfire, same question, if they do bring in a hunter biden? >> i think we need to be very clear here. hunter biden, or joe biden for that matter, is not on trial. the president of the united states is. and there is considerable evidence that the house put forth, two articles they really need to consider. so joe biden, hunter biden is not the issue. i think what's the issue is that our president has established a sort of quid pro quo with a foreign power. that is, right now, currently before the united states senate. and if they were going to bring in witnesses, certainly someone from ukraine probably would be a credible witness, as well. but the republicans, at present, unfortunately, don't want to bring any witnesses. really, frankly, quite honestly any witnesses. but they don't even want to

bring forth the witnesses that are already established. john bolton, again, being one of them. it is going to be very critical for the senators, particularly senator collins and i think senator mitt romney, to really convince and rally the cry among their colleagues to have credible witnesses brought in before the senate. >> all right. well, let me -- let me ask you this, mimi. when you look at the fact that they've announced the defense team for the president, listen to attorney alan dershowitz, new member of the president's legal team, talking to my colleague ari melber last night, explaining his role in the trial. >> i will not be involved in e the -- aspect of the case. my sole responsibility is to

analyze and present the constitutional arguments against impeachment. i am not somebody who is strategizing with his legal team. i won't be involved in the decision whether to call witnesses. >> it sounds as though dershowitz is saying i'm going to say that abuse of power may have happened. but it is not -- it does not rise to an impeachable offense. so it's like i did it but it doesn't rise to the level of it being impeachable or against ethics or laws or whatever they're determining as impeachable. >> yeah. i mean, dershowitz seems to be making what really can only be described as a wrong and, frankly, ludicrous argument. and the idea that he's passing off himself, you know, i'm just the constitutional law expert and here is my argument. his argument is that because there's no criminal law that trump violated, which i don't even agree with. i mean, first of all, i don't know how he can conclude that. but even assuming that, he's saying no criminal law that was violated so it's not

impeachable. that -- that is not right. the constitution talks about high crimes and misdemeanors. high crimes are not what we think of, today, as criminal law. there was no criminal statute in the way that we think of it now when the constitution was written. so it doesn't contemplate that. and, you know, dershowitz, for a long time, you know this, dershowitz was on tv pretending to not be an advocate for trump. he said i'm just advocating for civil liberties and i would be doing this for anyone. well, now he's come out and at least he's admitting that he's on team trump because that was all really, you know, but now he's still claiming he's just the expert. >> now, there is also a bigger picture here, chris. and, that is -- well, listen to this from nancy pelosi on the historic view of this impeachment. >> i want him to know that he is impeached forever. and he is impeached forever because he used the office of president to try to influence a foreign country for his personal

and political benefit. in doing so, he undermined our national security. >> so it sounds to me that the house speaker is saying whether he's convicted or not, he's impeached forever. and that that's going to stand, chris lu. >> well, and i think that's an important point. i mean, look, we can sit and talk about the political implications of impeachment from here until november. but the truth of the matter is that, as mimi said, what -- what donald trump has done is exactly what the founders envisioned when they talked about impeachment. not only a high crime and misdemeanor but the founders talked about a president who might have an allegiance to another country. and who might use that allegiance to somehow sway an election. so look. whether the president is ultimately removed from office or not, it was critically important for house democrats to plant a flag and say, look, this conduct is not -- is not acceptable. and from here on out, donald trump will wear the stain of impeachment. and look, that's an important thing that will be mentioned from, you know, the time that

he's in office and the time that he is out of office. but hopefully, that then sets a guardrail for future presidents about what they can't do. >> we'll have more with my panel later in the show. coming up, as the newly named pea impeachment managers get ready for next week's senate trial, we'll talk with a member of the house judiciary committee who is very familiar with them. very familiar with them and knows just how they're preparing. but first, my colleague richard lui with today's top news stories. richard. >> hey there, rev. stories we're watching this hour. former new york congressman chris collins sentenced friday to 26 months in federal prison for his involvement in an illegal insider trading scheme. the republican lawmaker received 26 months for conspiracy to commit insider trading and an additional 26 months for lying to the fbi. both sentences will be served concurrently. the u.s. supreme court has agreed to take up a crucial election matter. the question, are the electors who cast electoral college

ballots required to follow the results of the popular vote in their states? or can they vote however they want? stay tuned. a decision in the spring right in the thick of the 2020 race. and buckingham palace has announced prince harry and meghan markle will no longer formally represent the queen and they will give up their titles of his and her royal highness. in a statement, the queen thanked the couple for their service, adding the pair and their son archie will remain much-loved members of the family. more "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton right after the break. after the break. to keep me moving the way i was made to. it nourishes and strengthens my joints for the long term. osteo bi-flex - now in triple strength plus magnesium. wean air force veteran made of doing what's right,. not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right.

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that the seven members, distinguished members, have accepted this serious responsibility. again, to protect and defend, for the people, defending our democracy. >> on thursday, house speaker nancy pelosi named the seven democrats who will lead the prosecution of donald trump in his senate impeachment trial. it is a diverse team led by house intelligence committee chair adam schiff of california, who has emerged as the chief adversary to president trump. at least according to twitter. joining me now, lawmaker who knows this bunch well and has worked closely with them. democratic representative sheila jackson lee of texas. she is a member of the judiciary and homeland security committees. welcome back to

"politicsnation," congresswoman. >> glad to be with you this afternoon. >> what are you hearing among your colleagues in congress and what, if anything, can you say about the preparation and readiness of the seven democrats who will lead the team to prosecute the president? >> i think they will be tremendously prepared. i think the strategy of the speaker has proven to be enormously valuable as it related to waiting before we transferred the articles of impeachment. there is a mountain of evidence growing. the issue, reverend sharpton, is about the behavior of the president of the united states. as members of the intelligence committee and judiciary committee, because i know for myself, we are immersed in the facts. we know them going forward and backwards. we understand what lev parnas is talking about. rather than cleaning up the swamp, he added to the fact that there was an expanded swamp. as mr. bolton said, it's like a drug deal. the facts of lev parnas, a new

witness that keeps pouring more data in, is that it's not just his words. yes, he is indicted. but he has paper. he has documentation that can be utilized by these fact presenters to tell the story of the president's bad behavior. the articles of impeachment were about the behavior of this president. no one made him do it. and, in essence, he sought a foreign nation to interfere in the 2020 election and to find dirt on his opponent. one of the things that the framers were passionately fearful of is that a foreign entity would try to overtake them. and then, finally, he was conspicuous in his obstruction of congress. every single witness that could've added to maybe his defense, secretary pompeo, mulvaney, john bolton, mr. mcgahn, he blocked. he did it himself. and so i think the managers will

have not only their full knowledge of the facts. but they will have the constitutional premise and i -- i certainly disagree with professor dershowitz. he is a renowned professor. but there is a constitutional premise. the constitution is a legal document. and, therefore, you can violate the constitution and perpetrate constitutional crimes. that's what the president did. he abused his power. so i think there'll be well -- in making their presentation. >> let me go to another subject with you. during 2016 during the election, president trump repeatedly said, quote, what do black voters have to lose by voting for him? apparently, a lot because a new poll by "the washington post" asked black voters whether they believe president trump is a racist. is a racist now. 83% said yes. what do you make of that? >> well, you know, it's by your work, shall you be judged.

as a home of the homeland committee, we have seen a surge of domestic terrorism, white nationalism, and racism. the fbi, in good stead, just arrested three white nationalists who were preparing to go to virginia. and their mission is to start a race war. >> on martin luther king holiday, in fact. >> on martin luther king holiday. and between african-americans and caucasian and jews. and let me say the defense would be he didn't start that. the president didn't start it. you're you're absolutely right. but it is the tone of the administration and the words that come from the commander in comfort, the commander in moral compass, the commander in respect, that tells the american people that this behavior's unacceptable. he's chosen to cut, snap, and to change the formula for desperate families from getting food. he's blocked refugees from coming in. many coming in from desperate countries, like the continent of

africa or possibly places where there are disasters, haiti and other places. and he's cut the budget. he's attacked medicare. he's attacked medicaid. and even social security. and so i believe, unfortunately, these policies, as we would hope any president, republican or democrat, would look to ensure that you represented all of the people. even though some important bills have been signed that been worked on by the congress. criminal justice reform. we certainly recognize that. but the point is, overall, we see that the president is not a -- a strong advocate for the needs of african-americans and empowering them. >> all right. let me -- i'm out of time. but i must go to this issue. next week, you're hosting a town hall meeting to increase awareness about a cancer cluster found in your houston district. what can you tell us about that? >> it's a national issue. it's very painful. we heard citizen after citizen

stand in our meeting and talk about the deaths in their families. the cancer that they have, as well. they've been struggling for years. impact organization is because of a meeting i had in the spring that i asked for the texas environmental quality commission to seek a cancer cluster study. they did it. there is a high incidence of cancer in this area. people are dying. people are fighting for their lives. so on this coming wednesday, at the historic high school where barbara jordan went to school the day after the freedom fighter, the dreamer told us to fight for justice, we will be at wheatley high school in houston, texas, at 7:00 p.m., january the 21st. and we are going to fight. every federal representative that can come, county, state, and local, as well as erin brockovich and myself along with those from the office of congresswoman garcia will be there to not only listen to the pain of those coming. it's free, obviously.

i just want people to come. but we're going to be seeking action to be able to clean that area up once and for all. this was property previously owned by southern pacific. now, owned by union pacific. we want accountability. i just want to save lives. these people are fighting for their lives and we're going to work with them to make sure that they have a victory. >> all right. keep us informed on that. texas congresswoman sheila jackson lee. >> thank you, reverend. >> coming up, republicans have pulled out all the stops to keep millions of people of color from voting in 2020. what we can do to fight back next. this is the all-new chevy silverado hd. it's beautiful. you want to take it for a test-drive? definitely.

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for this week's got ya, i want to talk about the bedrock of american democracy. i'm talking, of course, about the right to vote. something that seems like it's under constant attack in this day and age. and with primary voting about to start, it's time to shine a much-needed light on voter disenfranchisement. who's behind it? and who benefits? surprise, it's republicans.

the gop has long understood that when turnout goes up, republican victory are less likely. so they do their best to keep people from voting by fighting automatic voter registration, early voting, and other commonsense ways to help poor, young, and, yes, minority voters, otherwise known as the democratic base, to exercise their constitutional rights. and since the 2013 supreme court decision gutting the voting rights act, republicans from wisconsin to georgia and beyond have purged hundreds of thousands of voters from the rolls, disproportionately targeting voters of color. and in florida, after voters overwhelmingly voted to reinstate voting rights to residents with felony convictions, the republican-appointed extre republican-appointed supreme court just upheld a republican measure that institutes

modern-day poll taxes on these new voters. a move that could disenfranchise up to 80% of those that floridians voted to reinstate. and it gets worse. the probability of cyberattacks in our elections is all but certain. and republicans across multiple states refuse to act, despite proven vulnerabilities in voting machines and registration infrastructure. even amid cyberthreats in his own state, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell has refused to move forward on meaningful election security measures. and if the states weren't high enough for the election in november, this year's census will have redistricting implications for the next decade. and true to republican roots, the trump administration isn't extending any extra effort to ensure a fair count. leading to a lawsuit from the naacp.

with all the low-down, dirty tricks republicans are willing to pull to disenfranchise voters and maintain power, what can we do to fight back? first of all, make sure you're registered to vote and check your registration regularly to make sure you're not purged. second, help others in your community do the same. third, get to know your state and local officials. they're the ones with the power over election safety and infrastructure. and lastly, to ensure fair representation for the next decade, respond to the census and encourage your neighbors to follow suit. if we take all these simple actions and show up to vote come november, we'll be the ones saying gotcha to every republican who tried to silence our voices and our votes. we'll be right back. i don't keep track of regrets.

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first test in the 2020 race, the iowa caucuses. and on the heels of this week's democratic debate in the state, there is a major gap in polling between former vice president joe biden and the rest of the field when it comes to support from black voters. joining me now, surrogate for joe biden, mayor keisha lance

bottoms of atlanta. madam mayor, i sat next to you in the atlanta debate. what did you think of this week's iowa debate? >> first of all, thank you for having me again, reverend al. it is good to spend my birthday with you. >> oh, happy birthday. >> well, that was a shameless ask for you to wish me a happy birthday. but i thought this week's debate was just as much about winning as it was about not losing. and by that, i mean at this point in the process, we've heard so much from the candidates, i would even venture to say that we could probably repeat some of their lines. but i think it's about holding steady right now. continuing to make the case, especially for vice president biden, as to why he is the one to take on donald trump. and i don't think anybody's made that case any better than donald trump himself. there is a reason that joe biden is the center of this impeachment process. because donald trump has very good pollsters and he knows that

the one to beat him in november is joe biden. and so i thought that the vice president had a very strong debate and he was able to make the case as to why he is the one to go in and deal with all of the foreign policy challenges that we have before us. he's been in the situation room before when tough decisions have been made -- had to have been made. and he also used to chair the foreign relations committee as a senator. i don't think that there's anybody better suited in this field to be the president of the united states. and he showed us that during the last debate. >> now, let me go back to the poll about black voters and joe biden being so far ahead. i challenged last week on this show, nina turner, who represents bernie sanders, about the crime bill and whether he should apologize. joe biden helped to write and author the crime bill. should he come and apologize and say it was wrong? it disproportionately

incarcerated a lot of people. should he just come flat out and say i was wrong, i apologize? >> and, reverend al, i've said this before. that you were one of the only few people across america who saw the faults in the crime bill very early on. i was even talking with someone who served on our city council during that time in atlanta. and what she shared with me is that there were hundreds of thousands of dollars pouring into cities to help with public safety concerns. so there were a lot of good things attached to the crime bill. but back to your question as to whether or not he should apologize, i've heard the vice president say that if he could do things differently related to that crime bill, knowing what he knows today, that he absolutely would. and that's why as a part of the obama-biden administration, you saw a record number of pardons for people who were sentenced, especially under nonviolent drug

offenses. and the vice president is committed to doing the same as president. and i think, again, i go back to something i -- i say to you quite a bit. when you know better, you do better. and the vice president has committed to that. and i know that he sees that there were many faults in the 1994 crime bill. but i think that he has spent decades, at least eight, with president obama, if not more, trying to right those wrongs. >> well, i would like to hear him directly apologize. but let me go to another issue with blacks and biden who he has all this support. during the democratic debate in early september, joe biden was asked about segregation. and his answer included, quote, play the radio. make sure the television -- excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night. make sure the kids hear words. a kid coming from a very poor school, a very poor background will hear 4 million words fewer

spoken by the time we get there. biden was asked about that quote during an interview with "the new york times" for a profile about him. he -- and this is just yesterday it was published -- he responded by saying, in part, my point was to make it clear that there are numbers of things we can do now to help parents who have had disadvantages as a consequence of lack of opportunity to be able to provide more guidance and better guidance for themselves and their families. but can't you see how some would be offended by almost blaming the victim because a lot of that is lack of funding in schools. a lot of that is the lack of the same kind of quality education. it is not just on the parents. it is also on the educational system and municipalities, is it not? >> i think, probably, what the vice president was trying to articulate, reverend al, is that there's so many underlying issues that go into crime in america. i sat as a magistrate judge for

many years. i was also a defense attorney for many years. and what i know is that when people commit crimes, nine times out of ten, they don't have a high school education when they're standing before a judge. and there are so many layers to people not being able to graduate from high school. and where they're able to read at certain points in their life, et cetera. so i think the bigger point that the vice president was attempting to make was that we've got to make sure that we put the resources in place because we're either paying for crime on the front end or we're going to pay on the back end. put the resources in place so that people can have a support that they need. so that they can graduate from high school to the extent that they have learning challenges, which often affect african-american boys. things like adhd, dyslexia, et cetera. make sure that we have the resources in place to give them the tools they need to fill in

the gaps so that they can graduate. and so that they will have choices in life other than to turn to a life of crime. >> all right. well, i'm going to have to leave it there. by the way, i don't know about people having record players anymore. but mayor keisha lance bottoms. i wasn't invited to the birthday party but i'll be in atlanta for jamal brian tomorrow so maybe you can hold me some nonstarch cake. happy birthday. >> well, thank you and i'll make sure you get that party invitation. >> all right. up next, thousands of americans took to the streets today for the fourth annual women's march. more on the importance of these events in the era of trump. be right back. free shipping. you get everything you need for your home at a great price, the way it works best for you, i'll take that. wait honey, no. when you want it. you get a delivery experience you can always count on. you get your perfect find at a price to match,

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does he look like me? yeah. yeah? yeah. turn questions you've always had into stories you can't wait to share; with ancestry. welcome back to "politics nation." today women across the country took to the streets for the fourth annual women's march. if you recall, the first took place one day after president trump was inaugurated in january of 2017. for more on the importance of these demonstrations and this movement, i want to bring back my panel, mimi, qadrisis and

chris. theishes of gender equality and other issues important to women have not gotten better under this administration so the demonstrations today around the country help to bring it back to the forefront. >> absolutely. if nothing else, a sense of empowerment that we are able to speak out and have our voice heard. you know, because under this administration i think women like many minorities and immigrant population have felt really just stepped on and put down and it's both in the rhetoric that the president uses, it is in the policies and it is back to the nomination of kavanaugh which is still kind of stings. >> let me ask you, the president has not tried in the three years he's been in to in any way prove he is more understanding of women issues as well as compassionate. and black women in particular

have voted overwhelmingly against he and republicans. how does he deal with that politically and how does he feel with that for a president for all americans? >> i don't think president trump is quite honestly concerned with women and minority voters. i think the president is concerned with his base and if e value gel call white women which are a part of the base, those are the women and the demographics to which he's concerned about and could care less about women of color and to the women's march, i'm not sure at the risk of sounding like a sexist and misogynist the strategic political purpose and strategy of the women's march. i know the numbers were down compared to a year ago or, excuse me, two, three years ago so i'm not sure outside of a sense of self empowerment what the strategic political purpose is going forward.

>> well, if they come out in big numbers and vote and they had number last year and the year before. but let me go to another issue with you, chris. when we look at the poll, "the washington post" poll about the president's standing with blacks, that's an astounding poll so you have women, you have blacks. how do you as the president of the united states look at a poll like this, 83% saying you're racist. women voting and women marching all over the country. how do you put partisan base aside and say i've got to be a president that does better in terms of how people feel that i'm governing on behalf of all americans? >> well, rev, i go back to barack obama who was thrust on to the spotlight giving a remarkable speech in 2004 where he said there's no liberal or conservative america. there's no white america. there's no black america. there's just the united states

of america. and in contrast what you have is a president who is consistently used gender and race and religion and national origin to divide people. that's his strategy for having gained the white house and instead of trying to grow his support as most other presidents has done he's doubled down on the strategy and you see that playing out in the poll numbers that you flashed up there and i would certainly add latinas to, asian americans, young people. he's -- people are growing increasingly dissatisfied with him and i think that's a huge problem for him going into re-election and there's no sense that he is going to change his strategy over the next year. >> all right. all right. i will have to leave it there. many thanks to my panel. up next, my final thoughts. stay with us. green things and brown things don't mix.

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this past week i joined thousands of teachers and public school workers in a huge march and rally in tallahassee, florida, around funds for public education in that state. i was proud to join andrew ingram and others as they brought to light how these state of florida is 47th in teachers' pay. but those that work in the schools or food services and

custodians, some making $12 an hour, we must make a priority in this country, public education and invest in quality teachers with quality pay and that for all that work in the public education system. and who could show it better than the state of florida? where the president called the official home. it is the sunshine state. so why are you putting these workers of public education in the shade? bring them out of the shade and let the sun shine on those young people that need a quality education in florida and be an example to people all over this country. we cannot go into selective education with selective lists where we test people to death but we don't try and make it work for everybody. that does it for me. thank you for watching. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. eastern.

up next, my colleague richard lui picks up our coverage with more of today's news. thank you, rev al sharpton there for that. hello, everyone. i'm richard lui in new york city. we have two big pieces of breaking news this hour. the white house now revealing how it plans to defend the president when his formal impeachment trial begins in three days. that's the first part. the second part of our breaking news, the democrats releasing their plan tonight, as well. new this evening, president's lawyers filed an official response to the impeachment summons. sources close to the president's legal team say they'll claim the president did not commit any crime and that the article of impeachment are an attack or rather articles are an attack on the right of the american people to freely choose the president. also new this hour, the democrats releasing a new document detailing their case, the house