this morning, is an international peacekeeping force destroying a nation? and why a 60-mile round trip to the nearest grocery store isn't just an inconvenience, it's an injustice. plus, easter eggs, and putting them all in one basket. but, first, the elephant in the room appears to have, well, an elephant in the room. good morning. happy easter. i'm melissa harris-perry before we get to the top political story, we want to bring you developing news from overnight. two men have been arrested this morning in connection with the shooting spree in tulsa, oklahoma. the shaken community in tulsa is realing from th reeling from this event, which left three people dead and two others wounded. all victims were black. the shootings took place in a

single day on tulsa's predominantly black north side. both suspects arrested this morning are white. charged with three counts of murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. mr. dewey bartlett, tulsa's mayor joins us. >> good morning. >> i know this is undoubtedly a tough time in your community. can you tell us -- this is obviously a pretty quick arrest. what happened that led to such a fast arrest? >> we had several press conferences yesterday, the media was a huge help. we wanted to elicit the assistance of the community, we knew there were some people in the community that would probably have an idea of somebody that might be involved with something like this, or would have seen something. so we collectively, the political leadership, the leadership of the naacp, law enforcement leadership, the media as well. we all said, please,

communities, stand up, make some phone calls and give us some tips, some ideas on what events that might have occurred that could give us an idea, give us in the police department an idea of where we could go talk to some people and when that whole process completed, we had several tips that eventually did lead to the arrest of two individuals that are still being interviewed and interrogated as we speak. >> now, mayor bartlett, obviously the shooting of five individuals, regardless of the race of either the victims or the shooter is fundamentally problematic, but undoubtedly, part of why this is making news this morning is this question about whether or not what has just happened in your community is a hate crime. we know that the fbi is currently involved. can you talk to me about that part of the investigation? what do you know about it? >> well, so far, we have not seen any indication that it was a hate crime.

however, that being said, the obvious implication, it's easy to tie the both together, but when we do that, we want to make certain that that is the case and if we have an indication of it, we'll be pushing the pursuit of justice if the hate crime aspect does raise its ugly head. >> thank you, mayor bartlett this is undoubtedly a tough time in tulsa's community. we'll talk more about this story late later in the next hour. i greatly appreciate you being here this morning. >> our pleasure, and happy easter to you. >> happy easter. >> thank you. we'll turn to our top political story of the morning. connecting with voters vital for any candidate, but for mitt romney, his greatest challenge may extend beyond that. my colleague, david gregory, appeared on "the tonight show" with jay leno. here is what he had to say about that connection. >> look this is a significant

moment. we have the first mormon republican nominee if everything gets finalized, in the country. that's a huge moment in relinlous tolerance. i think it's an issue. a lot of ignorance about the mormon faith this is the core of who mitt romney is. a missionary in france for two years. philanthropically, made huge contributions, a big impact on the church, and yet he doesn't talk about it. it's the correspond of who he is, and yet he doesn't feel safe to talk about it. >> in the eyes of many, romney is in trouble. there is an elephant, actually maybe two elephants in the room. authenticity in question, as well as hesitation to discuss his faith. even with all of that, i would like to challenge the notion that romney is in trouble. yes, during a presidential campaign, one of the most important things that a candidate does is to craft a

narrative. we've seen the successes. take in 1992, bill clinton's campaign kickoff video showed him as the man prosecute hope, arkansas. the narrative was simple and most importantly, relatable to the american people. george w. bush was a former president's son, but he made so many people feel like he was just a regular guy. just one of us. take a look. >> for those received honors, awards and distinctions, i say well done and to the "c" students -- [ cheers ] >> i say you too can be president of the united states. >> it's a classic moment. and, of course, there is barack obama. and as an african-american, one might have thought he would have trouble seeming relatable, but and he his campaign managed to tell his story in a way that all americans from all backgrounds

could see themselves in it. then there were those who poorly told their narratives, al gore, john mccain failed to tell their stories well. "the political brain" says john kerry, a war hero, attended yale. but nobody ne of that translate. they thought kerry isn't really like me and that impression stuck. the question for romney, is he conveying the same feeling to american voters? he comes from a church that has been historic and reviled for being misunderstood. 17% of americans said they would be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate that's mormon. and 36% say it's not a christian religion. they disavowed polygamy in 1890, but the stigma still stands and it wasn't until 1998 that african-americans were allowed to enter the mormon priesthood

to be fair, every faith has its own problematic history. and it's not true that romney hasn't spoken about his faith. >> you don't define my candidacy by my relinlon. i person shouldn't be elected because of his faith, nor should he be rejected because of his faith. some for whom this commitments are not enough. they would prefer it if i would distance myself from my religion, say it's more a tradition than personal conviction, or disavow one or another of its precepts. that i will not do. i believe in my mormon faith. the faith is the faith of my fathers, i will be true to them and to my beliefs. >> so romney, like nearly every candidate before him, could have a relatable story, but now it's about how he crafts that story. during the primaries, pretty quiet about the subject, or has he? talking about religion is one thing, but talking about values another. if romney frames the conversation by making about how

he counsels people and the lessons he's learned fromry religion, that he is from a group that has a history of being rejected that he too knows what it's like to be on the fringes, or will his lack of perceived authenticity be too much for romney to overcome? join me is julian zelezar, author of "governing america" and dory warren. thank you to both of you for being here. particularly on easter morning. i greatly appreciate it. so talk to me about this role that a presidential candidate has, in introducing themselves to the american people. not just on the political front, but really telling us something -- telling all of us something personally. >> it's very important. every candidate has their policies and their ideas, but in the end and they to sell themselves they have top find a

way that's not always by being the person you want to have a beer, with but find a way to capture the hearts of the voter and say this is the person i want in the white house this is a big challenge and brought many big people down and also been an avenue for other can daylights to win when they weren't necessarily the person you would think would be in the white house. >> and it's not only just -- you said you don't have a beer with them. obviously, you canner never ha beer with mitt romney, because he abstains. but there are many aspects of his religion, background that could be fun, relatable, american politics sort of stories. >> the problem, he keeps avoiding the fact that he is even mormon. from the speech which you played a clip, he only says mormon once, the entire speech about his background and religious faith. it's helpful to think about a successful way a politician framed his narrative.

that's barack obama in the 2004 dnc speech. he framed who he is, how he is quintessentially american and who his vision is for the nation? that framing for his own narrative has stuck despite the attacks of is he is socialist or muslim. >> this kind of classic i am you, are you me, are you an immigrant? me too. i'm from the west? am sow am i. did you go to an ivy league? so did i. there was a sense he was everyone. but it feels like maybe mitt romney has a -- you know did your father run for president? oh, no. mine did. it feels like there are aspects of his family life or religion, presidential candidates that are able to do that from this point in an election? >> well, george w. bush did this

and did it with his christianity, spoke about it didn't speak about it all the time. front and center, language he used in debates, certain key words to send a signal, religion matters a lot to me, but at the same time he tried to build a big coalition. jimmy carter did it in 1976, the fact that he was an evangelical define td the who he was. this was the first time they had someone in the white house. the center of the debate was about trust, rebuilding the president. if you heard him, you knew he was an evangelical. it's difficult to finesse. >> i wonder how much room there is for americans to learn about mitt romney. i was watching the 2008 primary, what then senator obama has over then-senator clinton, there is a

learning curve, space. senator clinton had been on the scene so long, people had formed very positive and negative opinions about her, but there wasn't a lot of room in the middle for people to learn. has mitt room knee been around too long? and is there room for people to learn? >> i think he's in real trouble in terms of reintroducing himself and offering a different narrative. through election campaigns in the '90s and against ted kennedy, it defined him in a particular way. throughout the republican primary, he has been defined in a particular way. i don't think he's been able to reintroduce himself to the american people, and there's a vulnerability there. because once people start examining the mormon church, they will want to know what's his role and the leadership of that church and what is the church's role in politics? once you uncover that, then i think he gets into lots of trouble. he has to stay away from that on one hand and he has to figure out a way to reintroduce

himself, and he's lived a very inso late life, so it's unclear if he can connect with voters. >> we'll come back. he's clearly not an incidental mormon. and when we come back, we're going to have more conversation about mitt romney, and what may be his secret weapon, right after the break. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. do you really think brushing is enough to keep it clean?

while brushing misses germs in 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so take your oral health to a whole new level. listerine... power to your mouth. the sleep number bed. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. wow! that feels really good. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. so whatever you feel like, the sleep number bed's going to provide it for you. now, sleep number redefines memory foam, combining coolfit gel foam with sleep number adjustability! during our white sale, receive $400 in free bedding. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. crisp, clear, untouched. that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita. reduce lead and other impurities

♪ pop goes the world ♪ it goes something like this ♪ everybody here is a friend of mine ♪ ♪ everybody, tell me, have you heard? ♪ ♪ pop goes the world ♪ pop goes the world [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. pop in. stand out.

so we've been talking about the messages that mitt romney will need to craft for the general election and his greatest asset may be his wife. take a look at this campaign video, released by the campaign on friday. >> that's the gang. those are the five boys. i hate to say it, but often i

had more than five sons, i had six sons. and he would be as mischievous and as naughty as the other boys. he would come home, everything that explode again. that's the kind of energy he would bring home, and get them all riled up again, and, you know, wrestling, throwing balls and being a kid himself. >> as we've been saying, in addition to opening up about his family, romney will have to find ways to talk about his faith, and while he's work owning that the mormon religion keeps growing. as of gem, the church of jesus christ of latter day saints boasted a total worldwide membership of 14.5 million, and in the united states, the total membership is more than 6 million. romney is not alone, to say the least. when will he feel comfortable enough to let the voters into such an important part of his life? back with me are julian zell ia,

forrian warren. and we were talking about some of the great videos, introducing them to their candidates. the man from hope is kind of the classic one. is this ann romney effective communication? >> to take a step back. in each instances, the goal was about the type of voter they were trying to appeal to. in 1992, the man from hope was all about george bush out of touch, doesn't even know how the scanners work. man from hope, you know, struggling single mom, a relatable story. last time mitt romney ran, he did a speech at the george w. bush library where he talked about his faith in a way that was really meant to connect people to the tenets of his faith without the specifics of mormonism that people might find a little whacky, right? he knew i would have to define it or it's going to be defined. the key is they are trying to

not talk about it because they know evangelicals this is a big issue. part of the voters they were trying to get to is hispanic evangelic evangelicals. > >> the classic wonder dog. >> so much of romney's strategy, i have to get through to the general. if ann romney can do that spouses give a different insight into the person, the problem that he has is when he says things like ann tells me what women think. >> that's a little problematic. but, sure, if you like the spouse, it sometimes make you like the man a little more. >> like he's a 19th century candidate. the wife would be the only person having a conversation with him about women's issues. this is sort of his insolarity that you were talking about. family unit is key for him.

i wonder, does he look to you like anything we've seen previously in american history, who either ended up very successfully or not in a presidential race? >> he reminds me previously not that long ago of al gore. al gore had a similar problem and people who knew him liked him very much and would say he could be very funny. cameras went on, but he was stiff, seemed removed. no matter how many times he kissed tipper. >> i'm certain that made it worse. >> the jokes, and there is a challenge in totally remaking yourself at this stage in the campaign and there's a danger, because you can look inauthentic, like al gore, so in some ways he has to play to who i is, how they see him and how do you make that into strength? that's the person that comes to mind. bob dole is the person. people who met bob dole and worked with him says he can be hilarious, one joke after

another. but once he was on television or in a debate, he seemed a little scary. he the disconnect between people who knew him and people who saw him. a big gap. >> in both of those instances and having met both of them and worked well gore folks, they were seen as genuine people. no underlying narrative of flip-flopper of etch-a-sketch. i mean people thought gore was stiff, but at the end of the day, well, he's a good guy, a little boring, but i can live with that. in romney, even with the speech he talked about how people don't like to see people who they think will change their beliefs for anything. well, guess what? this is a guy i'll give money to planned parenthood. i'll get rid of funding for planned parenthood. too much of that. and the other thing he's doing, very interesting to see how this played out in the general. using religion as a weapon, with that conversation about

secularism. trying to take mormonism off the table by saying don't look at me, look at that guy. >> and obviously, it was a passover moment and an easter address, but the president's religious discourse sounds a light heightened to me recently, as though certainly the language of religion is being used as a weapon against this president during the 2008 election cycle and well into the presidency. a secret muslim narrative. but it does feel like there is a little bit of a heightened christian discourse going on right now out of the white house. and i'm wondering if that's a prep for the fact that so many americans don't perceive lds as part of the christian tradition. >> i think so. and, in fact, we'll see a lot more of that religious discourse from both candidates on the campaign trail. here is the problem for romney, though. part of the problem, an element of the mormon church isn't to talk about faith as theology as

practice. it's how you love your life. he believes people should look at his life and what he's done and judge him by that not to arctticulate what are the fundamental tenets of mormonism. he's at a bit of a disadvantage because of the practice of the church itself. >> i was thinking we should probably both out ourselves with this. my mother grew up mormon. my entire maternal line of women -- >> ha! >> my mother pushed hand carts across the american west. and you have a member. >> i was a member of the marathon church in chicago as a kid. we are the 1% of the black folks that were part of the mormon church at one time. >> even us telling that story in certain ways, although i am not a mormon now, more is my mother, die feel like there might be this opportunity for romney to talk more about that. and we'll talk more about

romney's opportunity to talk more about that with our panel, when we come back. your business entrepreneur of the week. cost tan tino's colorest is struggling with the rising cost of the gas and figured out how to streamline deliveries and bought a more fuel-efficient van. for more, watch "your business" 7:30 on msnbc. [ female announcer ] introducing a match made in skin heaven. new venus & olay. olay moisture bars help lock in moisture... while five blades get venus close. revealing smooth and goddess skin begins. only from venus & olay. the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food.

that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption.

ask [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. than leading regular juice drinks. because less sugar is a better way to fly. ♪ just not literally. capri sun. respect what's in the pouch. [ male announcer ] strip away the styling. strip away the rearview monitors, tv screens, bluetooth... and even the cup holders. you know what's left? the only suv's with american-built f-alpha truck frames. the ruggedly capable pathfinder, xterra, armada. nissan. innovation for all.

♪ i'm back with princeton professor julian zelezar, forrian warren and karen finney. we have been talking about the elephant in the room with mitt romney. i want to show you this question put to governor romney about his latter day saints religious beliefs. >> in the mormon book it says there was a blackest camp upon all of the children of can on. >> i'm sorry, we won't have a discussion with religion. but if you have a question i'd be happy to answer your question. >> so that felt a little unfair to me. only because -- i mean, again, easter sunday, if i were to whip

out my bible, it's full of all kinds of things, oh, the bible says this or the book of mormon in this case says this. is there some effective way, other than, whoa, we're not talking about that, for romney to respond to that moment? >> in that moment, he says can i ask, do you believe interracial marriage is a sin? he said no, next question. i agree with you, the question itself was a bit unfair. he kind of did the only thing he really could do, i am happy to have a longer discussion with you about my faith later, but -- what's interesting, later in that same event, he actually talked about his counseling people in his church in a way, you don't see the tape, but it very much relates to people's every day problems. it seems the campaign has figured out a way to use the

experience or his faith as a way to communicate with normal, every day people. we just haven't seen it yet. >> it's amazing how far we've gone from 1960, where john f. kennedy's challenge was to acknowledge the faith dilemma and then say this has nothing to do with what i will do as president. we can't do that anymore. a huge gap between that and the importance of religion has changed so much. but i think you're right. he has to -- >> the goal is no longer to make a speech saying this won't have any effect on what i'm going to do. it has to be a speech on how will it affect what i do? it has to fold into a story about leadership. that's his story. leadership in business, leadership as governor and somehow his leadership role religion. there is part of the electorate that is disapproving of president obama. and disapproving of him as a leader. he has to fold throws throw

narratives together. best chance in the fall. >> here is where he potentially run into trouble on the leadership point. he has definitely been a leader in the church, but there are fair questions one could act what is the role of the mormon church, against the equal rights amendment in the '70s, around african-americans in the church, around today -- well, proposition 8 in california. and what's the role of the church in the political campaigns. >> that's right. chapter and versing from book of mormon, not fair. real political questions about the mormon church, fair. thank you for coming up and spending time with us. and forrian and karen, stick around for our next hour and we'll update you on trayvon martin at this time. but, first, i'm going to ask why water may be the biggest threat to people in haiti today. cuban ca jun raw seafood

pizza parlor french fondue tex-mex fro-yo tapas puck chinese takeout taco truck free range chicken pancake stack baked alaska 5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at restaurants. it pays to discover. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ but why doesn't it last? well, plaque quickly starts to grow back. [ dr. rahmy ] introducing crest pro-health clinical rinse. it actually keeps your teeth 91% clean of plaque even at 2 months after a dental visit. new crest pro-health clinical rinse.

your finances can't manage themselves. but that doesn't mean they won't try. bring all your finances together with the help of the one person who can. a certified financial planner professional. cfp. let's make a plan.

this morning, fears about an escalating crisis in haiti. more than two years have passed since a devastating earthquake hit haiti, killing 220,000. in response, a global outpouring of charity gave billions to relief efforts, and the united nations deployed additional peacekeeping forces and aid workers along with various ngo ss. in the fall of 2010, in the midst of effort to organize a moderate recovery, cholera hit. the epidemic has killed more than 7,050 haitians and affected more than 500,000. this is particularly troubling

in a country with no prerecorded cases of haiti it began outside the quake zone in central haiti, and is linked to united nations aid workers by scientists who studied the epidemic. u.n. peace keeping troops from nepal imported cholera to haiti and one theory, they contaminated the river next to their base through a faulty sanitation system, causing the virus to spread. now, wraeched out to the u.n. and they told us that a panel of independent scientific experts were appointed last year to study the outbreak and last may they determined three things. "it was not possible to be conclusive about how cholera was introduced into haiti, the cholera outbreak was caused by a confluence of factors and was not the fault of an individual group and the rainy season is coming up and if last year's season is any predictor it will

bring severe rises in the epidemic." in ten days, concern over the epidemic will be heard during a congressional briefing occurring the public health initiative to stem the tide of the team. joining us now are alice backer, jonathan katz, former associated press haiti correspondent, and jon lascher for partners in health. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> i want to start, one of the johns just came back from haiti. >> both of us actually. >> oh, really? just came back. talk to me a little bit about what you saw on the ground and what it looks like? >> it is still broadly speaking a mess. obviously, this is a -- an entire country. an entire group of people. there isn't one way to describe how people are doing. some people are doing well. but broadly speaking, think people who are looking at haiti

after the earthquake and picturing what might be possible in reconstruction would be very disappointed in what has happened since. >> sure. it's been two years and so much media attention has moved away. what should we know -- if you are an american viewer watching, haven't been thinking about haiti, what should we think about the cholera epidemic? >> we should definitely thank cholera is definitely still present in haiti and started raining already in haiti and we know from last year that there was a major spike in cases during this time. and there is a period of time of time now where cases have started going down during the dry season. had time to prepare, make changes, do the right thing in haiti to make sure people weren't at risk for getting cholera and potentially dying again. now the rains are coming and not enough has happened over the dry season, so we're really ahead skro indicating for more to be done in haiti. i think there are several things

that need to be done, and needs to be a comprehensive approach so with can make sure there aren't 7,000 more deaths this year. if this was happening in america, our families here in america, we wouldn't stand for it, and, in addition, we know that if cholera was actually introduced in america, we wouldn't have the same problems that we see in haiti, because we have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, so, you know, we deserve to do better. they deserve to have better. >> i want to ask two questions about this idea of we need to do more and the nature of how these multiple disasters are on each other. dr. paul cline, whose laboratory matched the haitian cholera strands says this exposure was like flowing a lighted match into a gasoline-filled room. the idea of multiple layers of disaster and yet even as i hear you say we ought to do more there, is a fair bit of pushback

about the u.n. being the people who would be doing more. in fact, a study released in february shows 72% of people surveyed think that the u.n. mission should leave within the year so talk to me about on the one hand, multiple overlapping disasters, and on the other hand, please get out. >> i monitored hate an glogers all year and they are essentially saying is, you know, enough. it's been eight years. the burdens of this mission outweigh the benefits. it's "peace keeping mission" and there is no war. >> so, real quick, because i want to make sure our viewers are coming along. when you say it's been eight years, not eight years since the earthquake. >> no, no, no. talk about when u.n. first shows up in haiti for folks who do not know. >> they came as a result of initially came as a result of the army being very solved and

the sense there needs to be a peace keeping mission. they have since stayed on and want to keep staying. and it's not exactly clear what kind of protective role they are playing. there are allegations of sexual assaults, there are u.n. peace keepers videotaped their own sexual assaults. that's the latest scandal. that compounded with the cholera and the 6,000 ngos in the country, what it's doing, it's drowning out haitian voices which is why, you know, decided to start haitian bloggers so people would know what haitians are saying. and it would be -- there kind of would be a benefit to kind of weeding thing out a bit. >> one thing people talk about is the kind of mission creep in

2004, you have the outster of jon bertrand aristede. and a mission brought in by the united states and then replaced by the blue helmets, the u.n. and a presidential election, supposed to happen in 2005, happened in 2006. that's obviously a long time ago, and what happened since then is a combination of them looking for an exit strategy and other people looking for an exit strategy for them. what the cholera epidemic has done, when we talk about the impact on the reconstruction, what we're looking at here is a situation where they are simply by the evidence, all appearnesseappearness s wouldn't be a cholera epidemic if they weren't here, and if they would have been hygienic in

their bases in general. >> this question of this interconnection between u.n. and cholera in haiti, coming up, more on this issue. join us. this one's for all us lawnsmiths. grass gurus. doers. here's to more saturdays in the sun. and budgets better spent. here's to turning rookies - into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots. and a lot more - spring per dollar. more saving. more doing.

that's the power of the home depot. wipe out weeds for less, with bayer advanced durazone weed and grass killer, now just $19.88.

the abrasives in the toothpaste actually create those micro fine scratches in the denture, and that's where bacteria can grow and thrive. these are the very bacteria that can cause bad breath. dentists do recommend that you soak your denture in polident. polident doesn't scratch the denture surface, and it kills 99.9% of bacteria that are responsible for causing bad breath.

by using polident and soaking your denture every day you can feel confident your dentures fresh and clean. welcome back. we're discussing the ongoing cholera crisis in haiti, which began months after the january 2010 earthquake. the international public may be less aware of this particular crisis, for haitians, the epidemic is a clear and present danger. with me to discuss the concerns are alice backer and jonathan katz, forrer ap correspondent and jon lascher, you were saying before the break. >> two things going on with cholera epidemic in terms of the largest picture in haiti. peace keepers are widely scene, and this is backed up by scientific evidence, including the u.n.'s own report, the peace keepers introduced the disease to haiti. what's happening is people are extremely angry, because this is a terrifying disease.

a disease that had never been seen before, and by some measures in haiti, and certainly in people's lifetimes, now it's a horrifying disease, you grow quick very quickly, die very quickly a quickly. >> it can be within the day. >> within the day. and have it brought by foreign military that you have mixed feelings about. the outbreak begins in october 2010. very soon thereafter, october 27th when me and my colleagues and others went up to the base and the sanitation was not what they described and it was possible this contamination had occurred, immediately the agencies and the united nations shut down, said we don't want to know about this, we don't want to ask about this, it's not a priority, it's not important, we don't care and people on the ground saw this, and i think they really felt slighted and insulted as if their lives just didn't matter to the people who

were supposed to be protecting them. >> and the fact that the u.n. has not gotten rid of that specific base, sent those specific soldiers home is kind of telling. you know "the new york times" quoted the mayor saying we would have kicked them out ourselves. >> the scientific evidence seems to point that it was a group of peace keepers from nepal and because of the strains of cholera match exactly. >> and there was an open sewer. you know. >> and while important to certainly shed light on this situation, the real injustice is that a u.n. force that introduced something like cholera, it was able to spread across the entire country so quickly and kill 7,000 people, had cholera been introduced in the united states, it never would have killed 7,000 people. one, we never would have allow that to happen. >> why? >> it spread so quickly because people don't have access to basic rights like water, sanitation, hygiene, and health care.

the people that were dying from cholera are people who were living up in the mountains and community where partners in health were working. and why they were walking to facilities, they would die, because it kills so quickly. we need to focus on the real injustice, people don't have access to clean water. so many of the ngos have left haiti or aren't working the right way. we need to reinforce the way they are working in the country. >> allow more agencies for the doctors. for example, couldn't have access to the general hospital right after the earthquake, because the american and the french and the cuban doctors were all fighting turf wars. that kind of thing is counterproductive. >> is this the notion that somehow rushing into help, is that -- the introduction of cholera here, not like the story of kind of nacent america,

giving smallpox blankets to indigenous people. this is not a purposeful policy, but a set of negligent accidents. is this we want to help, but can't, or something else that should make us more anxious? >> so often in development, the approach is not wide enough, not developed enough, not strategic. we need to make sure we have learned lessons. partners in health has learned it's a community-based intervention we should work to reinforce the public sector and the higher staff. the whole organization is run by haitians, haitian-led organization. that's the way toward. we need to look past to really complex issues and it takes resources to do that, and we need to allow the haitian government to take charge of the issues and they need resources to have the ability to enact change. >> i absolutely agree it's extremely complex. one of the interesting things

about the cholera situation in particular is how simple it is. because when you look at the beginning of this epidemic, it comes down to the principle of first do no harm it would have been easy if there would have been screening of the soldiers, if the waste wouldn't have been dumped in open pits next to people's homes. paper came out a couple of years ago about how the withholding of aid during a previous presidential administration, early part of the last decade helped result in the degraded sanitation, and projects that were withheld because of political reasons. those things are extremely complex. to start out, don't swrintroduc cholera. >> this is a complex combination. i promise nerdland will stay in

this conversation and the effects of cholera in haiti. thank you for being here this morning. incoming breaking news to tell you about. cbs news says legendary newsman and "60 minutes" newsman mike wallace has died. more in the next hour. [ male announcer ] considering all your mouth goes through, do you really think brushing is enough to keep it clean? while brushing misses germs in 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so take your oral health to a whole new level. listerine... power to your mouth.

i'm making my money do more. i'm consolidating my assets. i'm not paying hidden fees or high commissions. i'm making the most of my money. and seven-dollar trades are just the start. i'm with scottrade. i'm with scottrade. i'm with scottrade. and i'm loving every minute of it. [ rodger riney ] at scottrade, we give you commission-free etfs, no-fee iras and more. come see why more investors are saying... i'm with scottrade.

whether you'll be sitting down for easter dinner today, finishing up lent by a feast to end a fast or have passover treats, food is on the minds and stomachs of millions of americans today. and since a bulging belly is the most immediate indication it's time to push back from the table when most of us think of food by the numbers, we think about countrying ca i counting calories, we already know 36% of all americans are already obese and 12.5 million children are obese.

those numbers have tripled since 1980. some numbers changed overnight back in 1998. that's when the government, not our diets, decided who is overweight by adopting the body mass index, bmi. in june 1998, 25 million americans went to sleep perfectly healthy and with the stroke of a pen, instantly became fat overnight. so while we're all paying attention as we should to the figures on the scale there, are some other numbers we should also be watching. because of the ten states with the highest obesity rates, six of them are also topping the list of states with the most poverty. which makes all the difference when it comes to food choice, because $380 is the maximum additional cost an average consumer would spend annually in order to meet federal guidelines for healthy eating. that's if they can even get access to the healthy options.

$6,529 the number of districts in the united states described as food deserts. any census track with at least 33% of residents living more than a mile from the closest supermarket and 20% living below the poverty line. currently, 13.6 million americans live in one of those food deserts. 75% is how many of those are in urban areas, like the next to a food oasis, a fast food oasis. 5 fast food restaurants for every 1 supermarket in the united states. and those fast food restaurants spend $4.2 billion every year, telling us what's on that brightly lit menu and we're listening, because only 26% of american adults are now eating three servings of vegetables a day. if you find that hard to believe, consider this. two weeks is the length of time

rats fed a consistent junk food diet starved themselves rather than eat nutritious food. this is from a scripps research institute study why would the rats do that? because according to researchers, they were addicted. their brain chemistry adapted and turned the rats into junk food junkies. bad food literally changed their minds. and it might be doing the same to us. coming up, it's too late for those rats, but there is still time for food justice for the rest of us. ohhh my head, ohhh. [ speaking in japanese ] yeah, do you have anything for a headache... like excedrin, ohhh, bayer aspirin... ohh, no no no. i'm not having a heart attack, it's my head. no, bayer advanced aspirin, this is made for pain. [ male announcer ] bayer advanced aspirin has microparticles, enters the bloodstream fast, and safely rushes extra strength relief to the sight of your tough pain.

feel better? yeah...thanks for the tip! [ male announcer ] for fast powerful pain relief, use bayer advanced aspirin.

♪ spread a little love my way [ female announcer ] philadelphia cooking creme. a simple way to make dinner fresh and new again. creamy philadelphia along with savory herbs and spices. just stir it in. ♪ now it only takes a moment to make the moment. ♪ spread a little joy and see ♪ need a little happiness to be ♪ ♪ living the life with me ♪ more now on the breaking news we told you about earlier. cbs news announced that legendary newsman and "60 minutes" correspondent mike wallace has died.

we take a look back at his life. >> reporter: no one conducted an interview quite like mike walla wallace. >> to get anything done, money. >> reporter: he was aggressive. hard hitting. >> i have no intention of leaving until you tell me what's on your mind. >> reporter: no holds barred. >> must be ashamed of something. >> reporter: even with famous friends. >> you are in japan, and i'm told it was $2 million for two weeks. >> getting two of us, working us like crazy. >> and it will be a well recompensed two weeks. >> it is for everyone who goes there. you didn't need that question there. >> reporter: wallace's work covered more than half a century of american history. interviews with a lekngthy list of notables. just about every newsmaker s of

his time. >> are you the representative of the zionist regime, or a journalist. >> if his is the teflon presidency, nothing sticks. >> reporter: he said the public figure he most admired was martin luther king. >> for the negro to turn to violence would be both impractical and immoral. >> reporter: wallace said the interview he wanted most and never got was with pope john paul ii. myron wall ace born may 9, 1918 in brookline, massachusetts. he became a broadcaster at the university of michigan. he was a news writer in the arrest '4 0z, a navy communications officer in world war ii. he joined cbs, handling a variety of broadcasting duties, everything from entertainment. ♪ hello, everybody >> reporter: to hard news on tv

and radio. he even briefly starred on stage, on broadway. turning point, 1956, an interview program called "neigh beat." this was new for tv. >> what kind of people are your friends? >> reporter: he covered most of the great stories of the '60s, including the vietnam war. >> and then "60 minutes," a program that would create much of the legacy wallace leaves behind. the lowest point of his career, wall ace often said the libel suit by retired general westmoreland. a documentary claimed that the general had misled the public about progress in the war. >> why would it have been a political bombshell? >> because the people in washington were not sophisticated enough to understand and evaluate this thing, and neither was the media. >> reporter: after a lengthy trial, the suit was dropped

before the case went to the jury. cbs offered an apology. later wallace revealed that's when he began a battle with depression. >> what happened with me is that a marriage broke up, i had to move out of my house where i lived for 22 years, and i was on trial for libel, simultaneously. that kind of stress put together simply, i don't know, triggered -- and i didn't know it was happening. >> reporter: in 2006, wallace step ahead way from "60 minutes" and full-time reporting. he was 87 years old. is he survived by his wife, his son and daughter. and he leaves behind a body of work that raised the bar and set a standard in a way few if any, of his peers will ever match. ron allen, nbc news, new york. >> there are some people who make an enormous impact in their lives. ure thoughts and prayers tonight are with mike's family and our

colleagues at cbs. stay with us here on msnbc and we'll have more news on that story later. for now, here on mhp, we'll turn back to the topic of food justice. and here are some food for thought. remember that time you caught that really bad case of scurvy? how about when you battled a mean bout of rickets? that's because these diseases that were deadly in the 193 0z are largely nonexistent. they were caused by mall nutrition by simply caused by not having enough food. you say thank goodness those days are over. not so fast. today, 2012, americans are still mall nourished. more than 75% of adults are still not getting sufficient nutrients. now it's not always because some of us aren't getting enough food, it's because we are sometimes getting too much of

all of the wrong kind of food. for many, getting too much of the wrong kind of food means too few opportunities for equal rights. the choice between how much and how well they eat is as political as it is personal and can be a lot to swallow. joining me at the table to chew on 100% polyunsaturated fat, henry whalen of, and syrena johnson, a chef moves scholar and jacquie berger of just food. thank you for being here. i appreciate it. hopefully you will note that nerdland always has fruit on the table. we do the best we can talk to me about what food justice is? just generally as an idea. what does it mean to say you are working toward food justice? >> sure. when are you talking about justice, are you talking about equality and fairness, and if you apply those principles to food it means we all have the

right to good food. we have a right -- we should have the right to food. not a right in this country. but we should have the right to good food and not just having access, but make sure it's available, it's accessible. affordable and adequate. and we should all have a role to play both in choosing and securing for our family food that we want to eat, food that will fourish us, keep us healthy and productive and play a role in the food comes to us. opportunities to control and have a say in how food is produced, how it's grown, gets to our tables and make sure justice is available all along the line. how it is grown, people in the field growing that food, all along the lines, until it gets to your table. >> so interesting. the eighth floor, where nerdland and "up" with chris hayes has been talking about food justice this year. talking about the pink sludge

slime thing that becomes the chicken nuggets, and so we wanted to kind of in part extend that conversation in talking about a different way of thinking about food justice, the ability of food for families, for consumers, but also your work at the foundation, farther along this track so there is the way we treat our food, and it needed to be just, access to food, and also kind of later on that track you who is preparing the food? who has the option for the food? talk about how your work combines. >> we knelittle to no diversitye kitchens management in new orleans. for the most part, minorities were found in lower paid menial labor jobs and most of the cooks looked just like him. >> and we should mention chef vetch is a tall, good looking

guy, but a white american. >> we set out to identify potential recipients with the drive, the passion and the aptitude to succeed in the kitchen and give them the experience and culinary pedigree they need to compete at that level and ascend to the upper etch loans of the kitchen and they they have great potential to make change both in that kitchen and the community at large. >> again, it feels like there are so many different layers here. so you and i share new orleans as a home base. you are the first scholarship recipient from the vesh foundation chef move. talk to me about what food means to you as a new orleanian, and also an emerging chef. >> food in new orleans is a big thing. a big culture in new orleans. when you turn the pages of any magazi magazine. anybody who comes to me from new york. you from new orleans?

i love the food there. it's different. coming to school, gives me the tools to grasp and make it to where i want to do it and make it my own, but i really -- i really like the -- the culture that we have in new orleans, and our food it's like no other. >> so on the one hand, food is like no other, but like many community in the country, a community that has problems with food deserts. lower nine doesn't have a grocery store since katrina. how do we begin to think about what the local solutions are to food justice issues on all these different levels? >> it's amazing. communities, individuals in community, when you talk about justice and government, we feel so disconnected from that. so many feel like it happens far away and you don't know how to affect change. we do. we eat food, think about food, enjoy food. we have tremendous control about

what food comes to our community. just food worked specifically in new york city, but there are areas where even if they have a grocery store, the food is not good, and what's abundant and cheap is not healthy and nutritious and the food is rotting on the shelves. and so the complaints that we hear from the community are i don't want this. i know that -- i know what's good for me and i want to make chan changes. >> who wants their food to be a vegetable if it's rotting on the supermarket shelves. >> especially if you have a limited food budget. you see that food rot on the counter before you can eat it, that's a terrible thing. people are taking control of their food system. it's happening across the country, where people are starting their own farmer's markets, in their own community. growing or reaching out and they are running markets. growing their own food in

backyard forwagardens, urban fa and rural farms. growing more fruits and vegetables. starting community supported agriculture products, it's a n win/win/win. there are different ways to reach out to people who are growing food and make an immediate connection to make food available in their neighborhoods. >> we have more to talk about. i particularly need -- i have a need to talk about prib cencess tiana. we have an easter egg later on in the hour, but first, a whole lot more on food. the chevy cruze eco also offers 42 mpg on the highway. actually, it's cruze e-co, not ec-o. just like e-ither. or ei-ther. or e-conomical. [ chuckling ] or ec-onomical. pa-tato, po-tato, huh? actually, it's to-mato, ta-mato. oh, that's right. [ laughs ]

[ car door shuts ] [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. now very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 chevy cruze ls for around $159 per month. e.p.a. estimated 36 miles per gallon highway. with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual-action listerine® whitening rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth. the sleep number bed. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. wow! that feels really good. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. so whatever you feel like, the sleep number bed's going to provide it for you. now, sleep number redefines memory foam, combining coolfit gel foam with sleep number adjustability! during our white sale, receive $400 in free bedding. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699.

but not for your eyes. they're still so tired looking. with olay challenge that, with regenerist anti-aging eye roller. its hydrating formula with caffeine conditioning complex, perks up the look of eyes. it works in the blink of an eye. i'm giving you the silent treatment. so you're calling to tell me you're giving me the silent treatment? ummm, yeah. jen, this is like the eighth time you've called... no, it's fine, my family has free unlimited mobile-to-any-mobile minutes. i can call all i want. i don't think you understand how the silent treatment works. hello? [ male announcer ] buy unlimited messaging and get free unlimited calling to any mobile phone on any network. at&t.

we're back talking about food justice. next time are you scanning the menu for the free-range grass fed steak or locally sourced arugula salad. take a look at who is taking your order and who is busing table. notice anything? you will notice the same difference. it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. joining us at the able karen finney, columnist for the hill. and i want to step back and ask again, syrena. i should -- as full disclosure, i'm on the john vesh board. we were part of the choosing you as the first scholarship recipient. your story is a compelling one. you are a young woman who survived hurricane katrina, but you survived working in fast-food kitchens, talking

about your experience in fast-food kitchens versus your specious now? >> my experience in fast-food kitchens pretty much the name. it was fast. we dropped the food and it was there's. really not too much care, like the restaurant. restaurant we break it down, chickens from farmers, we getton all of the parts, and it's not just something coming from in tyson, vacuum sealed in a pack that we dropped in a fryer. it's totally different aspect as to being in the school and really knowing where my produce is coming from, and knowing the parts of the food and what's healthy for me instead of just some numbers that they give me and tell me that's what i'm consuming. >> does it change how you feel about the food? knowing these other things? >> of course. all of the things i have seen, i want to discuss it to be honest with you. it is scary working in a fast

food places and to come into a restaurant where people really care, and it's really -- get this plate out and make it look good for this customer who is paying this much money for it, as opposed to getting it out because they want it right now because they have to be at work in five minutes. >> i think that distinctions around the economics is part of it, and the fact i was saying before the break, i want to talk about princess tiana, the first african-american princess. tiana is based on a real woman. leah chase who owned dukie chase in new orleans. there she is. and what's fast naturing about her, she brought this kind of dining to the hood. to community, to the neighborhood. she's right there on the end of nero, across the street from a housing project, and talk to me about how she also represents an aspect or element of food justice.

>> ms. leah is one of my heroes. she stands up for good food and bringing people together over a meal. if you gointo dookie chase, you see community members bonding. to hear the stories she has, everything happened in that restaurant. >> and it makes some kind of difference. >> karen, you joined us at the table. is this a political issue in the sense it could turn -- can this turn into an issue that has some resonance as we talk about justice in the political world? >> sure, so much more than people realize. it was about the '70s that the conversation at the federal level went from talking about food to talking about nutrients, because if you talk about nutrients and isolate the nutrients, well, then red meat is not so bad for you, partially

hydrogenated whatevers are not so bad for you. because in the sugary cereals we can add vitamins and nutrients and splenda now, you can have vitamin c in your splenda. and by isolating that and why did that happen? the lobbyists for the large cattle industry, the large agricultural industries would rather have it broken down by nutrients. cheaper production, lower cost foods. most of the crap foods in the bodegas and low-income neighborhoods, higher profit margin. a lot more political than people even realize. >> on this question, we found this -- what i thought was a stunning statement on food insecurity in the salad bowl of california's central valley, saying those who are actually producing the vegetables, have -- the fruits and vegetables grown in the united states, far easier to get a hamburger than a peach, and low-income residents have little

access to fresh food. so literally, the people who are picking the food, the salinas valley farmworker, 66% are food insecure, the pim producing food for us, 66% food insecure, 48% going hungry in the winter. this feels like an enormous injustice. >> it's horrendous, and the ultimate irony, that farmworkers across the country. farmers don't have access to food and turn to food stamps or supplemental nutrition benefits in order to access food. but they are farming, but so many of what the farmers are doing in this country is they are growing huge crops of corn or soy. but that's not really food for human consumption, at least not directly. that's going into high fructose corn syrup in a bottle of soda. and the government disconnect

between what good food is and an agriculture policy, not a food policy. because fruits and vegetables are classified by the government as specialty crops. these are the foods we should be -- this is not a specialty. this is your day-to-day food. >> farmers on food stamps a pretty powerful statement. >> you try to change that. just that classifications, the lobbyists, again, for the big industries would go crazy, they would shut you down, and it might even be watered down even more to how we would talk about fruits and vegetables. >> we got a little short today, because we had breaking news. this is a conversation that is one i'm very happy to have syrena jackson, thank you. emery whalen, karen, you will chang out and play a little longer. jacquie, thank you. and al sharpton will join us with the latest on the tray van martin case and we'll play

easter eggs later. and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard." then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. go for olympic gold and go to college too. [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education of our u.s. olympic team. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy.

but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. ♪ [ acou[ sighs ]ar: slow ] [ announcer ] all work and no play... will make brady miss his favorite part of the day. ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barking ] [ whines ] that's why there's beneful playful life, made with energy-packed wholesome grains... and real beef and egg. to help you put more play in your day. beneful. play. it's good for you.

things may really change in the trayvon martin case this week. even though for almost all of us this evolution will not be televised. a grand jury will convene tuesday in sanford, florida, along with investigators and a special prosecutor recently appointed by governor rick scott. the evidence this they present may determine whether or not george zimmerman is arrested and charged with the death of trayvon martin. here to discuss this is al sharpton, president of the national action network. thank you, so lovely to be with you on easter sunday. >> on my way to preach, but i had to come and & spend time with you. >> and i'm glad you did. the grand jury is going to convene on tuesday. what should we be looking for? what if they determine an arrest is not in order?

>> we should be looking for two things, what evidence they are presented, we will not know. they are closed proceedings. even the makeup of the grand jury, we won't know. on the outside of that, the special prosecutor has said she may or may not operate independent of the grand jury. so we should be watching whether or not there is any movement this week or in the coming weeks that would step outside of what is going on in front of the grand jury, because she can prosecute anyway. when we hear the different defenses of mr. zimmerman every day, it has to frustrate any prosecutor, because clearly there is not even a single line of defense. now they are saying it's a shaken baby defense. before they were saying he never got out of the car. and then they were saying this, that, or the other. it will be very interesting where this goes. >> i wanted you to here to talk about this because you have been so far out in front on this issue and here at "mhp" we have

been working hard to keep attention on this. but i'm also wondering how we have now become characters in this story, and we're actually seeing this pushback, where folks are, if -- if they don't agree with you generally politically or don't agree with me generally politically, they are now also disagreeing on the position with zimmerman and trayvon. i'm heartbroken this is falling along these predictable partisan and racial lines. how do we continue to play the role we they'd to play without invoking or inviting -- it's fine to not like me, but how does that impact how you are seeing facts in the trayvon case? >> i think it shows the weakness of those that take the opposing side. this has nothing to do with those of us involved. i got involved in the case because the family and the family's attorney called me. as head of a civil rights group, as well as what i do on tv. no different than a glenn beck has led marches and kept his tv

show. the kind of crazy reaction that people are having is an overjustification of taking an irrational position. all you said and i said on the air, and i said even at the league of self-rights group. there was probable cause to make an arrest. why are we trying this outside the of courtroom? national action network will have their meeting this week and how the media deals with race. i think sometimes there is an immaturity in the media. remember, melissa, when i got involved, national review came out and said this is the one time they think i was right. how does it all of a sudden become you and me? you have joe scarborough, republican from florida, says the guy should be arrested. nothing to do with our personalities, it has to do with right and wrong.

>> there is more news now on the national review. they fired -- made a decision to fire one of their long-time columnists after he wrote this kind of nakedly racist advice column. i appreciate you being here. the case must be racialized, that people have to fall along these racial lines i think is wrong. you and i and so many other americans in this country are worried about justice in this case. >> i think we should. just like the situation in tulsa. we are waiting to see if it's a hate crime. clearly, troubling. five blacks shot. three dead, the people arrested white. but nobody running out to tulsa, making claims. we have not been called. don't have details. because it seems as though the system is dealing with that. had this man been arrested that night, i'm sure none of us would intent marching in sanford. we can disagree without

distorting and becoming disagreeable. coming up, nerdland puts all of our eggs into one easter basket. a whole new way to package the news, you want to see that. al sharpton, and emery whalen is coming back. this is $100,000.

we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime.

how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. here is the deal. every week the nerdland crew gets together to decide what to put in the show. and every week there is more than we can possibly fit. however, since today is easter, we saw an opportunity to put all of our eggs in one basket. so for all of those stories that we've been wanting to get to, that we haven't been able to get to, we have put those stories into eggs, and, in fact, i'm going to ask each of my guests to quickly open an egg, find the news story that is in the egg, we will do a little reading of

the news story and a quick discussion. mine gets to go first, because i have the easter bonnet, and the news story, coke and pepsi part ways with alec. >> fantastic campaign of progressive organizations putting pressure on companies that have given money to alec, the american legislative exchange council, the promoter of right-wing policies in states across the country. color of change, other groups, are getting corporate response ares to stop sponsoring this group. >> i know that we are talking to some groups, color change taking the lead, people are in serious discussions. alec involved in stand your ground law and voter i.d. law. and a lot of companies didn't sign up with them to be involved in these kinds of things. next story, somebody pick an egg. and what is your story today? >> let's see.

we've got augusta national golf club still banning women. and they say there is no war on women and it's all in our heads, we're crazy. >> very low standing war on women in the augusta golf club. >> exactly. that story if nothing else this week, your caterpillars aside, i think absolutely says it all. right? here have you a woman head of a major sponsor, and they can't decide whether or not to let her be a member, so they'll take her money, right? but maybe not let her in because she's a woman. it's outrageous. >> and golf still has this interesting space of where business happens, where politics happens, so the idea of women being shut out. let's have ab egg, dorian. >> all right. two arrested in tulsa oklahoma shooting spree. >> this one i almost feel like i should take my hat off for. that's right, a shooting spree, and you had talked a bit about it before, reverend sharpton.

>> five blacks shot friday night, saturday morning, in tulsa black area, three have died and they have arrested two white males. not calling it a hate crime yet, but it has all of the appearances and i think it will be a hate crime in this case, it seems like there has been immediate police action which is what you want. clearly, an ugly, despicable act, but at least it appears the system is responding on this one. >> yeah. pick an egg, reverend charptsha. >> all right. ann romney to woo women for mitt. >> what do you think? the secret weapon that is ann romney. >> you can tell i didn't write it, it's only willard for me. >> only willard for you. i like ann romney. if she were running it might be an entirely different sort of

campai campaign. >> isn't that interesting, how they say that about the spouse. they said that about elizabeth edward, a number of debates. >> let's have a spousal debate. ann against michelle. >> michelle -- >> every single political race, willard "mitt" romney has run, lost women by double digits. if won't married. >> do you think women have some sort of sympathy, because people feel sorry because they are with whoever? and they get the sympathy vote. >> i love that. >> we like ann. so sorry you have to be married to mitt. minnesota proposed voter i.d. amendment to the state substitution. >> this is the end runaround a governor who vetoed the voter i.d. law, and now an amendment to the constitution. >> this is a big, big story. i think this governor should be given credit. voter i.d. laws have been proven

to be something that is absolutely regressive. and they are trying to do an end run. not gotten the kind of attention it should get. other states will do it if they get away with it. >> more easter eggs in our basket, coming up. don't go away. [ degeneres ] what's more beautiful than a covergirl? two covergirls. get two miracles in one product. new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation. covers spots, lines... and wrinkles. and helps improve skin tone over time. new tone rehab from easy...

breezy... beautiful... covergirl! covergirl! ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] choose the same brand your mom trusted for you. children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians living with the pain of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra, humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common.

tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist how you can defend against and help stop further joint damage with humira. ♪ something to me ♪ that nobody else could do constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. good morning, students. today we're gonna continue... that is better than today. since 1894, ameriprise financial has been working hard for their clients' futures. never taking a bailout. helping generations achieve dreams.

buy homes. put their kids through college. retire how they want to. ameriprise. the strength of america's largest financial planning company. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you, one-to-one. together, for your future. ♪ we're back with more eggs and more stories to get to. i'm joined once again by the reverend al sharpton, emery whalen, karen finney, dorian warren and jacquie berger. >> florida will ban water guns but allow actual handguns into presidential debates. >> it sounds like a fake headline. >> we're not going to mess up

their hair. >> this is -- florida is actually passing a set of laws to, you know, as are you going into the convention, right? all kinds of things you can't take, including water guns, but they are going to protect in this post trayvon martin world, going to protect these concealed weapons you will be able to carry. >> you can kill at will, just can't water shoot at will. >> maybe that's why they don't want to have a floor fight, people are armed. a totally different event. >> put holy water in the guns. >> oh! >> oh! >> dorian. >> you'll pay for that one on twitter. >> it feels like -- i mean, we were just talking about the break about alec and how alec operates and it does feel like there is this irrationality about gun laws in the sense that any restriction, even reasonable ones, become something you can lo number longer do.

>> so often on the left, we're anti gun they say we want to take your guns away, and i think most of us would say you can do both, right? a false choice to say you can't protect your second amendment rights and say, i don't know, maybe criminals shouldn't have assault weapons, right? >> another egg. >> all right. and i picked gingrich health care thinktank files for bankruptcy. is that on ideas or money? >> hopefully both. >> yeah it was a bad week for the former speaker, indeed. i mean, basically his campaign is over and now his health care thinktank filing bankruptcy. >> and the rumors are, part of the problem, they funneled some of the money through some of these organizations to pay for some of the leaner times on the campaign trail. certainly, more to come on that one. >> what's next for newt? he doesn't have his thinktank,

not running. i asked him to come in and sit in on an episode, co-host. he's the college professor on the trail. what is next for newt? >> i think's going to try to stay in there until he gets a platform at the convention. they came out this week, that he and rom snow hney, had a privat discussion. i know they didn't run into each other at the gym. so you would assume they are talking about something, and i think that's what he's holding out for. >> maybe gingrich is the last republican willing to be vice president. >> he can always write another book and do a lecture tour. black character disappoints "hunger games" fans. >> can i say, as a fan of "the

hunger games," having read all three, that you didn't read the books close enough, by the way. >> two different layers of anxiety. are people reading the book, which indicates these are characters of color, but also some of the tweets were so horrifying. do you know these tweets, dorian . >> they weren't directed at me. >> like why was she some black girl or it ruined the story for me. the young woman -- spoiler alert, dies that she's a person of color. so it feels like -- particularly in the context of trayvon martin it feels like the sense of ability to empathize with a black character. >> we have a huge empathy and sympathy gap in this country and the trayvon mart in story shows that. >> every scene she was in, she

was amazing. oh, dear. con y kanye and kim. >> i sort of wanted the reverend to comment on that. >> i don't comment on sunday. on saturday, i have got that. >> two people, scandal aside, having a little fun. i won't begruj them that. >> i have a conflict. i know kanye. i don't know kim. >> i'm waiting for the next album to come out. >> i think it's legitimate to talk about kanye west on a political show, he gave the president of the united states apparently his lost moment of the us presidency. saying being called racist by kanye west, not 9/11, not katrina, but that moment by kanye. taylor swift and president george w. bush. national review fires john

derbishire. we touched on it briefly, that national review actually made a decision to release their long-time columnist after this column written about giving the talk to nonblack young people, and the talk included saying things like don't be in places where large groups of african-americans are, and don't attend events that draw a lot of black folks. what do you think about this decision by "the national review." >> i must say this. and you know they have never been a fan of mine. but when trayvon happened, a clock can be right twice the day, and i want to return the favor. they were right on this. >> we will go now to alex witt. i wish i had an egg for you to open. >> i do too. we have eastery colors, and i love your hat.

here we go. this is really sad news we share as you mentioned, the passing of news legend mike wallace. we'll talk with harry smith who worked with wallace for years and look at aspects of his career that you might not have known about. and the arrest of the suspects in the tulsa, oklahoma, shootings, what was their motive. we'll hear from city officials and live to texas, where tim tebow is getting an easter sermon. we'll tell you how many folks are turning out for that. and finding the right campaign message and strategy talk. how slogans in the past have worked and what might president obama be settling on this year? and me lisa the reverend al with you. >> thank you, alex. happy easter. up next, we'll talk about "to kill a morninging bird." why? because our president is getting artsy. who is the your business entrepreneur of the week? like many small business owners.

carmen constantino of new york is struggling with the rising cost of gas, he's figured out a way to streamline deliveries while trying to minimize pricing increases for his customers. for more watch thursday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. last season was the gulf's best tourism season in years. in florida we had more suntans... in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water.

last season we broke all kinds of records on the gulf. this year we are out to do even better... and now is a great time to start. our beatches are even more relaxing... the fishing's great. so pick your favorite spot on the gulf... and come on down. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home.

inspired by my conversation yesterday with the fabulous

kerry washington, my footnote this week is on the connection between the arts and politics. last night, president obama introduced the 50th anniversary broadcast of "to kill a mockingbird." harper lee's 1960 novel and its film adaptation starring gregory peck are critical markers in the cultural landscape. it's the artistic treatise on american racial injustice and hopeful that the humanity of ordinary citizens can triumph over our ugly past. president obama's introduction of the film last night, was his reaffirmation of the importance of arts in american life. a sentiment that echoes president john f. kennedy's assertion that the life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of a nation, is very close to the center of a nation's purpose. which is why this other little story caught my eye this week. one of the hottest new trends in pop culture is the art of utah

painter, john mcnaughton. his works are selling for six figures and their subjects are deeply embedded in american politics. some might even say propaganda. there is this image of president obama as the frightening, almost satanic figure burning the american constitution. or this one, which i found particularly striking on easter sunday. it depicts jesus against the backdrop of washington, d.c. holding the american constitution, and surrounded by figures who symbolize america's past and present. now, look again at the painting. how do you know which is the figure of jesus? have you ever seen a photo of jesus? well, of course not. but it is probably not hard for you to pick out the figure who represents jesus. why? because it conforms to every well-worn stereotype of what he looks like. and that whole, you know, glowing thing. now, john mcnaughton's website says each figure, including christ, represents a symbol and

everything about the painting is symbolic. i don't want to pretend to know what christ looks like, i just wanted to create an image that would be instantly recognizable as jesus. okay. that's fair. but it's not very interesting. i'm so much more interested in art that pushes us beyond our easy expectations. and our entrenched politics. "to kill a mockingbird" asks us to imagine what if the black man is not a brute, what if the white southern lawyer is not a racist. what if the thing we think we recognize in fact defies all of our expectations? what does god look like? what does an american soldier look like? what does a desert look like? what does an american president look like? on this easter sunday, i leave you with an appeal to art, to imagination, to the ways that art can expand our democratic imaginations and i quote today, from elizabeth alexander's 2008

inaugural poem, written for president obama. "praise song for the day." alexander writes, someone is trying to make music somewhere, with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum. with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice. a woman and her son wait for the bus. a farmer considers the sky. a teacher says "take out your pencils." begin. indeed, let's begin. and that is our show for today. thank you to al sharpton, karen finney, emory whalen and dorothy warren for sticking around. thank you for watching, i'll see you next saturday and now it's time for "weekends" with alex witt.

the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years.

♪ i can do anything ♪ i can do anything today ♪ i can go anywhere ♪ i can go anywhere today ♪ la la la la la la la [ male announcer ] dow solutions help millions of people by helping to ke glut free bread that doesn't taste gluten free. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything. solutionism. the new optimism.