the clubhouse keeps him sharper when the red phone rings, we're all better off for it. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being was. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. >> thanks, michael, and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, a big victory for justice and civil rights. today a federal judge ruled that new york's stop and frisk program violates the constitutional rights of minorities, a ruling with huge implications for cities all over the country. the judge's scathing decision condemned the new york police saying they, quote, adopted a policy of indirect racial profiling by targeting racially defined groups for stops. and then, quote, each stop is also a demeaning and humiliating experience. the judge also said, quote, the city's highest officials have

turned a blind eye to the evidence that officers are conducting stops in a racially discriminatory manner. make no mistake, this decision is a massive rebuke to city officials like mayor michael bloomberg, who today was still defending this discriminatory policy. >> how do you think this ruling at all threatens your overall legacy? >> i don't know. almost 12 years now where people have walked the streets of new york city without having to look over their shoulder. i suspect that's probably a pretty good legacy. >> well, maybe some people can walk the streets without looking over their shoulder, but that's often not true for people of color in new york and other cities across the country. minorities are constantly being harassed by police, even when they have done nothing wrong.

>> he grabbed me off the walk and he is oh, you're doing graffiti. and that's when he put the cuffs on me. so when he turned me around and i'm seeing the wall, how am i doing graffiti if it's black and i have a pink highlighter in my pocket. >> they never say this is why i'm stopping you. when you're young and your black, no matter how you look, you fit the description. >> when you're young and black, you fit the description. all too often these stops turned disrespectful, and even escalate into violence. here is a video of a stop at a barbershop this past april. >> are you done? >> no, i'm not done. >> why you stopping first? >> let me see your idea. >> why did you stop me first? why did you stop and frisk me? i'm going to give him id. relax! don't talk to me, man.

i was going to get him my id. >> relax. >> stopping scenes like that is what the fight is all about. it's been about from the beginning. today's ruling is a step forward, but there is more work to be done. the mayor and others should cease and desist from this practice now. yes, many of us that have stood against stop and frisk from the beginning have been attacked. we've been called race hustlers and all kinds of things. but what are you going to say about a federal judge who is saying people should not be humiliated? i remember how we marched just last june, tens of thousands of

us we brought down fifth avenue, past the mayor's house, naacp, local national action network, all of us marching, and taking the attacks of all those on the right. only to say we want the crime to stop. we do not want to have our communities become victimized by crime. but do you know how humiliating it is to be stopped five, ten times, and you never did anything? we should not have communities that have to worry about the cops and the robbers. joining me now is an attorney for the center for constitutional rights, the group that filed a lawsuit, and two of the plaintiffs in the case, david hourlic and nicholas perth. thank you both for being here and congratulations on the ruling today. >> thank you. >> i congratulate david and nicholas because i know there was no guarantee if you stood

up, that you would be sitting tonight where you are in victory. and you could have been facing increased harassment for this. and i want you to know that we notice. and certainly the center for constitutional rights, i can't say enough about you. first of all, give me your reaction, how you feel about today's judge's decision. nicholas? >> well, i'm certainly grateful for this decision, you know. this has been years in the making. and what this has done for it to be acknowledged in federal court, we all know this is an issue that happens in black and brown communities. but to have it transcend beyond is groundbreaking. and i'm certainly grateful that this is being acknowledged on this level. >> absolutely. i think it's a historical day. it's a day that is -- will be in the history books. and it's great. on a personal level, it would just absolutely overwhelming to

hear the news. just emotionally to -- to -- to know that the city is acknowledging, you know, certain aspects of what is going on here is wrong. and to be at this point, it's been five years of all of this. to be at this point. >> and you were lead plaintiff. you were in the case. but give me the legal meaning of what this means in terms of law, in terms of history. he said it's historic. and i agree with that, and where we go from here. >> well, i think this is groundbreaking for a number of reasons. and one thing to say, this is not happening in a vacuum. the country is still recovering from the zimmerman verdict. >> no doubt about it. >> i hope this will give people around the country some faith in the court system again. but just in terms of this specific case, we are looking at the court saying that the nypd

is unconstitutionally stopping and frisking hundreds of thousands of people, not just because they are -- there subject indicia of a crime happening, but also because it's on the basis of race. that's very key and very central here. in terms of where do we go from here, the judge has ordered a court monitor to be put in place to oversee all of the remedies that she is ordering, the injunctive relief. and she is also saying listen, no court, no police department, and no municipal agency can take the place of people who are directly impacted by stop and frisk. so she has ordered the nypd to sit down at the table with stakeholders and come up with additional reforms. >> people need to understand the judge ruled. now this is not any of those of us that lead civil rights groups. this is not those of us talking. the judge says it violates the constitutional rights of minorities. reading from the decision, it is racially discriminatory.

it did not end the stop and frisk program, but it calls for federal monitor to oversee reforms. i would have wanted it ended, but the judge said this. this is the federal judge. now let me try to make this live for people at home. let me go to you, first. you were one of the plaintiffs, nicholas. >> yes. >> you are young. obviously you're a minority. you're a member of the african-american community. what do you do? give me your profile of what you do in life. >> well, i work with the brotherhood of -- it's a nonprofit organization in harlem. i'm an after school facilitator. and i work with young people around these issues and around other issues as well. >> so you work request young people. >> yes. >> do you have family? >> yes, have i family. i have three younger siblings. >> you have three younger siblings. >> that you take care of? >> that i take care of, yes. >> don't go out mugging people, don't carry a gun, don't carry a knife. >> nope. >> never been involved in any

kind of that hoodlum activity. >> never. >> how many times have you been pulled over by police and frisked and humiliated? >> i've been stopped between five and ten times by the nypd. >> for what reason? you were walking around with your pants stagg sagging? >>, no certainly not. >> you were walking around with a knife in your hand. >> certainly. no. >> why were you stopped? >> for doing things that other people in my community do, but they're never stopped in harlem. >> what about you, david. i know you've got some sagging pants and some knives and guns that you play with, right? >> oh, no, i don't think so. i graduated from university at albany. >> you went to school? >> yeah. >> all the way to university. >> ua. and time in the process this fall to be starting law school. >> is that before or after you left the gang that kills people? >> i can't remember, it's all such a blur. it might have been in the same time. >> so the point is that you are

educated, working people. you stopped five to ten times. you stopped? >> ten plus. you can't -- it gets to the point where you can't even quantify it. >> because what i'm trying to do. people say all right, i know al sharpton's position. but i want people to look at normal human beings trying to work, take care of three siblings. the humiliation it is for you to be pulled over ten times for no reason. try to explain to people around the country what that makes you feel like. >> the humiliation is one aspect of it. it's also the disrespect. it's also the hopelessness and people that are people -- that you are supposed to believe are trying to protect you. it's like psychologically it's so heavy. to have fear and to not trust people that you're supposed to. you're supposed to go to when you're in need to these people. and, you know, when it's not only just being stopped and

frisked illegally. it's also the manner in which they approach you, the aggressiveness that these people talk to you, the way they talk down to you. it's this whole big problem. and it's damaging. it's damaging to people like me and nicholas. >> nicholas, when he says it's damaging, you know, we've worked with police in my group we've done the buyback program with the commissioner. a lot of young men tell me they want to work with police, but their whole attitude around police changed because they keep getting stopped and frisked. do you understand that feeling, as one that has been in that situation? >> yes. and i think that's a result of these having a reactive law enforcement, you know. they are very reactive. and you grow up, you know, coming from 14 years old and being stopped numerous times for no apparent reason. you know, it's almost as if a kind of social condition stop and frisk has become in our communities. and it's very damaging. it's very damaging. >> sunita, you talked about

people having some confidence in the system now. isn't part of what you and the center for constitutional rights saying with this lawsuit is you're undermining the ability of police and community to work together if you've got this racial profiling there where you appear to be the adversaries rather than our allies together fighting these criminal elements? >> that's absolutely right. i mean, what we -- the mayor and the police commissioner talk about this, bringing safety to the community. well say it's actually doing the opposite. it's harming the nypd's ability to work with the community to fight crime. and that is really what is an essential part of community policing. and so here what we have is an opportunity, is the mayor, the police commissioner going to take the court up on this opportunity to join with people who want to bring reform, or are they going to ignore the mountains of evidence and just continue to appeal and waste the resources of the public. >> so you're not here tonight, and neither of the two plaintiffs to gloat, even though

i said congratulations. you really hope that this can lead to some healing and bring about a new day in the city and in cities around the country? >> absolutely. i mean, this is an opportunity to build back public trust and confidence in nypd. and we really hope the police department goes forward in that vein, rather than turning a blind eye and stonewalling a process that a court has ordered should go forward. >> well, i hope that all of cuss do that. i hope the city responds. david ourlicht and nicholas peart and sunita patel, i want to thank you all for being here tonight and telling your story. and i want to congratulate you for your courage. it's not about gloating. it i is not we didn't beat the city. >> we are the city. we are the city. and we got to work with them. >> i'm glad to have you on. i'm glad for the spirit in which you operate. coming up, attorney general eric holder makes big news today

with a major step forward for justice. plus, this rodeo clown wearing a president obama mask in missouri showed the problem in today's republican party. more on this offensive display ahead. and oprah winfrey headed into a career in politics? she has been speaking out more. some on the right are worried. also, what is on your mind? e-mail me. friend or foe, i want to know.

up next, a huge step forward in the fight for justice. what eric holder's major announcement means. that's next. e. we've had this farm for 30 years. we raise black and red angus cattle.

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for decades, our criminal system has been broken. but today the obama administration took a huge step toward mixing it. attorney general holder unveiled an overall federal prison policy, ending severe mandatory minimum sentencing for low level nonviolent drug offenders. >> daily, a vicious cycle of poverty, criminality, and incarceration trap taos many americans and weakens too many americans. many aspects of the criminal justice system exacerbate these

problems rather than alleviate them. >> prisons shouldn't be warehouses. but in america today, that's exactly what they have become. since 1980, the u.s. population has grown by over 40%. but our prison population has grown by 790%. 790%. those prisons aren't being filled beyond capacity with murderers and rapists, no. they're being packed with people serving sentences for nonviolent drug crimes. people like patricia spotted crow, a mother with four children whose life has been ruined by a $30 mistake. >> patricia spotted crow has serve in order than two years behind bars for selling $30 of marijuana. her original sentence was 12 years. >> my first year i cried every single night. i couldn't take it. i didn't know what i was going

to do. i just felt like it was the end of the world. i got my mom and my kids out there that are waiting on me. whatever it takes to get home, i'm going to do it. i mean i've been doing it. >> 12 years of her life for a $30 drug crime? is that fair? is that right? today americans all across the country are standing up and saying no. joining me now are zachary carter, former u.s. attorney for the eastern district of new york. and neil franklin, a 34-year law enforcement veteran of the maryland state police and baltimore police department. he is executive director of law enforcement against prohibition. thank you both for coming on the show. >> thanks for having me. >> zachary, let me start with you. >> how important is today's news? >> well, it's extremely important, because it's a first step in unwinding years of criminal justice policy that has been driven more by tough on

crime politics than sound policy. this is policy that doesn't originate from within the law enforcement community because most veterans of law enforcement understand that you can't arrest and incarcerate your way to public safety. but you have to have a balanced, smart approach. and i think that the attorney general is using the discretion that all prosecutors have to ameliorate the system of harsh laws. he doesn't have the power to change the laws, but he can work around them. >> now, you've been a federal prosecutor. you've been a judge. with you having to operate within these guidelines that now the attorney general is giving prosecutors different ways to go around, would it give a lot of prosecutors a feeling in the back of the head that i ought to be filling the jails with people that have killed people or that have done massive crimes that hurt, damage, and i'm stuck with putting a woman like i showed in jail for $30 worth of marijuana.

we're not excusing her. but compared to other people that you knew would not get mandatory time, how do you deal with that? >> i think the prior policies over a number of administrations have discouraged prosecutors from exercising sound, reasonable discretion. i mean under the bush administration, under the first -- the last two bush administrations, the emphasis was on the guidance that was given to prosecutors was to charge the harshest readily provable offense, whether it made sense in a particular case or not. >> wow. >> and the beginning with the clinton administration and then continuing now, based on attorney general holder's statement has been a process of encouraging prosecutors to exercise discretion that in a way that avoids harsh and unjust results. >> now, let me go to you, neil. you are in law enforcement. you've been in it for over three decades. you heard zachary carter say you can't arrest and incarcerate

your way to public safety. do you agree with that? and if so, why, and give me your experiences on that. >> you know, i agree 100%. most of this is focused around our drug policies, a drug war which we know doesn't work, and we've made thousands upon thousands of arrests as a result of these policies. and it's actually counterproductive to public safety. you know, our institutions, our correctional institutions are not colleges and universities. they're not institutions of higher learning. when many of these young men and women go into prison for these nonviolent drug offenses, they return to our communities more violent and worse off than what they were when they went in. and more times than not, the only corporation that will hire them when they return to our communities is the drug trade. >> now, you know, there is also the racial implications here. attorney general holder made it clear today that these laws

unfairly target minorities. listen to this. >> in recent years, black male offenders have received sentences nearly 20% longer than those imposed on white males convicted of similar crimes. this isn't just unacceptable. it is shameful. it is -- [ applause ] it is unworthy of our great country. it is unworthy of our great legal tradition. >> it's not only unacceptable, it's shameful, neill. when you look at the data, one in every 106 white men in this country is incarcerated. but for african-american men, the rate is just 1 in every 15. there is a real racial element to this as the attorney general pointed out. >> yeah, well, reverend, let's go to the beginning of this.

what this is about, what this speech was about was about those who are for the most part already incarcerated. but let's go to the source. that is the arrest. your prior segment was about stop and frisk and how we were treating young black men and people of color in new york city. we need to address this from the moment of first contact with the police. that's the arrest. that's the drug war. if we really want to be serious about criminal justice reform and reducing the number of people, mainly blacks in prison, let's sever the pipeline that is feeding the prisons, and that is the drug war, reverend. >> zack carter, the race element of this, you've been the head of the eastern district in new york as the top federal prosecutor. how do we deal with the data that the attorney general raised today about whites, black, same crime, same criminal background, blacks went 20% more time?

>> well, part of it is enacting the kind of policy reforms that the attorney general described today by relieving prosecutors of the obligation of charging the most readily provable offense, we now remove the mandatory minimums that have hamstrung the federal judiciary and forced them to give sentences that very often they had to hold their noses to impose, and permits them to make a judgment on case by case, hubie human being basis in terms of what is an appropriate sentence for a particular offender. >> well, i think it's important. i thank you both for being here. i might also add, zack and neill, this is a bipartisan effort. senators rand paul and mike lee are both pushing for legislation. and jeb bush and newt gingrich have also called for it in the past. i don't usually agree with any of those four, but i do this. or they agree with me, however you want to put it.

zachary carter and neill franklin, thank you both for your time this evening. >> thank you, reverend. still ahead, the offensive obama clown, and what it says about the right wing's refusal to accept him as america's legitimate president. but first, think the gop would still be outraged if fox was producing a hillary clinton movie? the answer after the break. [ male announcer ] running out of steam?

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reince priebus is ready for his close-up. the republican national committee chairman says he is outraged, outraged that nbc and cnn will make films about the life of hillary clinton. and he is threatening to ban gop debates from those networks unless they pull the plug. roll the tape. >> nbc and cnn ought to halt their promotional movies of hillary clinton. i cannot have companies in the business of making -- what i consider to be promotional movies. >> right. >> about the life of hillary clinton when at the same time we know that her people are gearing up for a presidential run. >> so the rnc won't do business with anyone, quote, making a movie about hillary clinton. well, in a true hollywood twist,

"the new york times" reported that the company in talks to produce nbc's clinton miniseries is fox television studios, the sister company of the gop's favorite network fox news. now it looks like priebus is editing his script. >> so if we follow your logic, do you think that there then is a connection to fox news, and would they be subject to the same kind of scrutiny? >> the big question for me, candy, is number one. which company is putting on it the air, who is doing the work. i'm going to boycott the company that puts the miniseries and the documentaries on the air for the american people to view. >> wow. give that man an academy award for ducking the question. they're going to be using this in the gop blooper reel one day. mr. priebus, did you think we would ignore your a-list hypocrisy?

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just a click away with the geico mobile app. want to know what is wrong with the republican party today? here it is. it's a rodeo clown with the president obama at the missouri state fair over the weekend. >> and let me tell these people who we have helping. obama is going to have to just stay there. obama, watch out for those bulls. the bulls are going to get you, obama, he's going to get you! >> fair goers say the crowd went wild at the vile attacks. >> hey, i know i'm a clown. he just running around acting like one, doesn't know he is one. >> the fair goer who shot this video said other clowns played with the lips on the obama mask. >> like an effigy at a klan rally there had been no reason

to mess with his lips if he had been a white president. >> give credit to the state's republican lieutenant governor, who denounced what happened. so did the missouri state fair. but this isn't the far right's first rodeo, and it's not just a few tea partiers. and that's why the republican party is at the big crossroads. last week speaker john boehner played golf with the birther king himself, donald trump, who is still unsure whether the president was born here. >> i have no idea. >> even at this point? >> well, i don't know. was there a birth certificate? you tell me. some people say that was not his birth certificate. i'm saying i don't know. >> and republicans aren't just playing golf with trump, they're imitating his strokes. this weekend, gop congressman blake said this. >> if we were to impeach the president tomorrow, you could probably -- [ inaudible ]

but it would go to the senate, and he wouldn't be convicted. what message do we send to america if we impeach obama and he gets away with what he is impeached for and is found innocent? what do we say? >> impeach the president for not being born here? this is the big problem in the gop right now. do they go far right and off the cliff, or do they go back to being the party of lincoln? joining me now is msnbc contributor james peterson and joan walsh, editor at large for salon.com. her article today is titled "gop's rodeo of racism blows up." thank you both for being here. >> thanks, rev. >> thanks, rev. >> you know, i want to hear what both you have to say on this, starting with joan. this rodeo clown is not an isolated incident, and it gets

to the heart of the problem for the gop. what do you make of it, joan? >> well, it's appalling, reverend al. but you're right. it's not an isolated incident when you have the speaker of the house, the republican leader john boehner golfing with the birther in chief, donald trump, he is giving his blessing to that whole point of view. this is the third horrible incident we've had in a week regarding the president. we had the people in arizona singing bye-bye black sheep and saying impeach the half-white muslim. we had somebody in florida holding a kenyan go home sign when he was at a disabled veterans event. this we thought -- if we were optimistic, we thought maybe this was something that was an outpouring in 2009, and it was over by now. but you know, reince priebus is going to have to order an autopsy of his autopsy, because all that talk about inclusion and tolerance and a new direction for the party, forget about it. this is 2012 all over again. the clown car is here. >> james, an autopsy of the

autopsy? >> i mean, i don't even know if that would work, rev. this particular clown piece is pretty disgusting, although we've seen this president be besmirched by different effigies at different sort of rallies and different events. i think when we set aside the political differences here between the republican party and the president of the united states, we would be ignorant to ignore the very real fact and the substance of which is in this segment, but also has been born out over years as we look back even to the 2012 presidential election at the core of some of this is just flat-out racist. there are just some people in this country who still hold on to old school racist ideologies. and it's what is really sad is that you have public figures like a donald trump and some political figures who are willing to stoke the fires of racism in order to score political points.

and so that's where these things come together, and that's where they're most combustible. and that's where they're most unfortunate and sad as well. >> you know, joan, they're still after obama care. i mean, when you deal with coming from the rodeo, you are dealing with people that are just no matter what want to stop the president's health care plan. congressman louis gohmert insisted this weekend republicans should do all they can to block obama care. watch this. >> we don't have to wait for the supreme court. well can force that and we can say you're going to abide by the constitution, whether the supreme court gets it wrong or right. we have the ability to force respect for the law. and some of us think that we ought to force them to do that. >> i mean, this is unimaginable to people that do adult leadership in politics. you want to throw out the whole government, put everyone in this kind of turmoil. >> right.

>> because you want to stop a policy that wouldn't even be stopped if you shut the government down. >> right. and people like to point to louis gohmert as somebody who is maybe not that smart and always says outrageous things. but now you have marco rubio and ted cruz, two people mentioned as 2016 contenders saying the same exact thing. the one good thing is eric cantor is starting to see this is political suicide for the gop, handy is saying not that he doesn't want to do, but he know they can't do it, and trying to speak some realism. it may be too late. >> eric cantor is the first time we have heard from a republican leader at least saying this can't happen. let me show you what eric cantor said over the weekend. but now, let me -- eric cantor says that it can't happen. but ted cruz says that he is leading the shutdown charge. he didn't get the memo. he is still talking shutdown.

the right wing base gave him a standing ovation this weekend. when he said this, listen. >> there is no more important regulatory reform that we can do than to repeal every single word of obama care. >> so james, even in the face of cantor saying it can't happen because of the senate won't do it, cruz, others, as joan is pointing out, these are figures even being spoken of in terms of running for president, they're adamant and getting standing ovations about it. >> yeah, it's absurd that that kind of rhetoric gets that kind of applause. and whether you agree with the affordable health care or not, we should all be talking about how do we get more people on health care. affordable health care act does that so to be against that is to

be against the humanity and access for people for health care in this country. eric cantor who is not going to be running for president to a president who has to control the tea party caucus within the republican caucus in the house from those senators like senator cruz and other political figures who are already trying to get out in front of the campaign. remember, reverend al, they need as much time as possible for the presidential runs because they've got to go all the way to the right. and they're going to try to come back towards the middle. unfortunately, they haven't learned anything from their autopsy. they're going to make the exact same zigzag that mr. romney tried to make and failed that in 2012. >> joan walsh, james peterson, thank you for your time tonight. >> thanks, rev. >> thanks, rev. ahead, oprah winfrey gets political, and the right wing talkers go on the attack. and first dog bo makes a big appearance in our summer break, next. [ male announcer ] progress isn't about where you've been.

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this man is about to be the millionth customer. would you mind if i go ahead of you? instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. nobody likes to miss out. that's why ally treats all their customers the same. whether you're the first or the millionth. if your bank doesn't think you're special anymore, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. we're back with our pause from the political battles of the day, a time to rest, relax, and recharge. that's right, it's time for "politicsnation" summer break. and at number three, baby elephant swimming. this 3-week-old is enjoying some fun in the kiddie pool at the ft. worth zoo. he is falling down and rolling

around, trying to cool off. yes, an elephant that puts a smile on your face for a change. at number two is truly one of the weirdest things i've ever seen. after a long day at work, who doesn't look forward to little bath in a carbonated beverage? yes, this man's got his own idea of happy hour. bathing in 300 cans of pepsi max. we have no idea why he is scrubbing in zero calorie soda. but look at him fizz up that tub. he is relaxing and soaking it all in, dumping it on his head, cleaning his face, and even dunking his head in that zero calorie bath. who knew the elephant had the better hygiene. and at number one, bo knows selfies, yes, first lady michelle obama took these self portraits of her and first dog bo at the white house over the

weekend. the dog days of summer just got a little better. and that's today's summer break. [ ship horn blows ] no, no, no! stop! humans. one day we're coming up with the theory of relativity, the next... not so much. but that's okay -- you're covered with great ideas like optional better car replacement from liberty mutual insurance. total your car and we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. learn about it at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

she's the queen of all media, but is oprah winfrey turning to a career in politics? for decades, oprah winfrey has been one of the most powerful people in entertainment. but today her sights aren't just set on hollywood. she is looking at washington too. she is starring in the new movie "the butler", based on the life of a man who worked as a white house butler for eight presidents. she recently made a rare political endorsement for newark mayor cory booker's new jersey senate campaign, and helped him fund raise. earlier this summer, she got very political, passionately taking a stand for gun control and immigration reform.

during a speech at harvard university. and just last week, she weighed in on the trayvon martin case. >> it's so easy during this time, trayvon martin, trayvon martin parallel to emmett till, let me just tell you. in my mind, same thing. but you can get stuck in that and not allow yourself to move forward and to see how far we have come. look at how far we have come. >> powerful words. so is there a political future ahead for oprah winfrey? who knows. be you can already see the fear coming from those right wing talkers. joining me now is joe madison. thanks for being here, joe. >> thank you, reverend sharpton. >> joe, you know everything oprah touches turns to gold, books, products, whatever she endorses. so it could mean something. i can see why the right-wing

talkers are concerned. what could it mean if she gets even more political? >> well, she has a large footprint, as they say. oprah is a brand unto herself. there is no if, and, buts about it. and the reason is because she is one, a very intelligent woman. she did not get where she is by accident. she has earned it all. and most important of all, oprah has transcended just about everything. she has transcended race. she has, you know, she has transcended gender. and i think the reason the limbaughs of the world are jumping her is because they're attempting to marginalize her in the eyes of most of us. but you can't marginalize a brand. >> there was one report of a political power that credited her with giving president obama one million vote boost in the

2008 primaries. and when you look at that and you start seeing how the right slammed oprah for comparing trayvon martin to an earlier generation's reaction to emmett till. and she was comparing reactions, not the incident. but here is some of what they had to say about it. >> tell me, then, how in any way you can compare these two cases. she seems to be on a spiritual journey. this was just over the top, as you pointed out. the emmett till case, it just didn't help. >> help me out, oprah. how are these stories like each other at all? at all? it's offensive. and i would go as far as calling it evil to compare these two events. >> joe, is evil to compare the reaction? i mean of these two? why are they so eager to attack her? she said parallel meaning the reaction is the same. >> yeah, and parallels, if they

study geometry, you know don't cross, they run parallel. well, i could draw a parallels. one, you'd have two southern states. two, you had a predominantly white, all-white jury. three, the person who did the killing was acquitted. so, i mean, there are some parallels. >> and that was a national uprising, a national movement that came out of both cases. that's what you and i remember. >> absolutely. there are a lot of parallels. but what you have are individuals like those you showed who by the way hadn't said, written, or done a thing about trayvon martin. and i doubt very seriously if they were impacted like oprah, you, i, and others were with emmett till's death. >> well, let me say this. and i was -- i think i was just born when emmett till happened. i've been read:00 it ever since. let me say this. she also made news talking about

when she personally tried to shop for a bag and was denied in switzerland, and they said it was too expensive, obviously being racially profiled. but rush limbaugh responded to her saying this about her own personal experience. let me show you what he had to say about oprah talking about being profiled in switzerland. >> we do not know the salesperson based her judgment on the oprah's skin color. the salesperson obviously thought that the oprah couldn't afford the $38,100 bag. maybe it's because the oprah is fat. >> so fat people don't have money. i'm sure that's what it was, joe. >> is that like the kettle calling the pot black, like my grandmother used to say there? are you kidding me? and you know i had a call from zurich, switzerland this morning where there is a limbaugh type on television who said -- who said oprah did this in order to get publicity because she is on

a downward spiral. are you kidding me? she's got a hit movie getting ready to come out, and there is nothing downward about what her network is doing. >> well, tell oprah the next time she is going on a downward spiral, take me with her. joe madison, thank you for your time tonight. >> always, reverend, always. thank you. friend or foe, i want to know. "reply al" is next. my mantra?

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it's time for "reply al." remember, friend or foe, i want to know. charles writes north carolina's attacking our voting rights. everyone should have the right to vote. it is our constitutional right. charles, you're right. and today the most radical voter suppression bill in the country is now law in your state. governor pat mccrory quietly signed it today. no cameras, no formal ceremony, just a statement. like he was trying to hide something. but that's the job of activists,