>> you've got to let them do what they're going to do. >> i will do that one more time.

all those delegates in favor say aye. >> aye! >> all those opposed say no. >> no!. >> two-thirds of the vote is approved. the platform has been amended. >> the recognition of jerusalem as israel's undivided capital stands in contrast to longstanding u.s. government policy which calls for the city's status to be resolved through negotiations between israel and the palestinians. israel has occupied east jerusalem since 1967. for a discussion of what happened at the dnc on wednesday, you can go to democracynow.org. president obama is set to close the dnc tonight with his acceptance speech. convention organizers have cancelled plans to hold a speech at the outdoor bank of america stadium to forecasts of rain.

on wednesday, former president bill clinton gave a rousing speech in support of obama's campaign. >> he inherited a deeply damaged economy. he put a floor under the cracks. he laid the foundation for a modern, more well-balanced economy that will produce millions of good new jobs, vibrant businesses, and lots of new wealth for innovators. now, are we where we want to be today? no. is the president satisfied? of course not. but are we better off since he took office? >> also speaking during the prime-time convention hour on wednesday was consumer advocate and massachusetts senate hopeful elizabeth warren. she is seeking to unseat republican incumbent scott brown in a tight race. she is known for launching the

consumer financial protection bureau under president obama. in her remarks, warren said the u.s. economic system is rigged in favor of bailed out corporations. >> people feel like the system is rigged against them. and here is the painful part. they're right. the system is rigged to. look around. well companies guzzle down billions in profits. billionaires pay lower tax rates than their secretaries. wall street ceos -- the same ones who wrecked our economy and destroyed millions of jobs -- still strut around congress, no shame, demanding favors, and acting like we should thank them. does anyone here have a problem with that? well, i do, too. >> a federal judge has ruled arizona police can enforce a key

component of the state's controversial anti-immigrant law following a supreme court ruling earlier this year. the show me your papers measure requires police to check the immigration status of people they stop before releasing them. the supreme court upheld the provision in june. a federal appeals court has blocked a minnesota law that requires corporations to disclose the money they spend on political campaigns. the measure forces companies to set up and keep track of a political fund if they spend more than $100 a year on political activities. but on wednesday, the eighth u.s. circuit court of appeals in st. louis ruled in a 6 to 5 decision that all law likely violates the supreme court's citizens united ruling allowing unlimited spending to influence elections. and those are some of the headlines. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" we are breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency. "democracy now!" special daily

to our coverage from the democratic national convention inside and out. speakers on the second night of the democratic national convention wednesday included massachusetts senate candidate elizabeth warren and former president bill clinton, who gave the keynote. but the speaker who took center stage at the top of the 10:00 primetime hour is not a politician, but a recent law school graduate who became famous when she was insulted by rush limbaugh after she attempted to testify at a congressional hearing in favor of insurance coverage for contraception. sandra fluke was a student at the georgetown university law center back in february when republicans barred her from speaking on a house panel about the obama administration's birth control mandate. instead, the panel featured only men. three democrats walked out in protest. the next day, sandra fluke appeared on "democracy now!" and

later had a chance to testify before lawmakers. but she was unexpectedly rocketed to fame six months ago when conservative talk radio host rush limbaugh blasted her on his program, calling her a slut insentient required to post sex videos on her -- of herself online. the episode prompted president obama to personally call sandra fluke to offer words of encouragement. republican presidential candidate mitt romney, meanwhile, issued only mild criticism of the insult, saying it was "not the language i would have used." sandra fluke has gone on to become a leading activist for women's rights. we will be joined by sandra fluke and a few minutes. first, let's go to excerpts from her speech wednesday night at the democratic national convention. >> during this campaign, we have heard about two profoundly

different futures that could await women in this country. and how one of those features looks like an obsolete relic of our past. warnings of the future are not distractions. they are not imagined it. the future could become real. in that america, your new president could be a man who stands by when a public figure tries to silence a private citizen with hateful slurs. [applause] a man who will not stand up to those slurs or to any of the extreme bigoted voices in his own party. it would be an america in which you have a new vice presidents who co-sponsored a bill that

would allow pregnant women to die preventable deaths in our emergency rooms. in america in which states humiliate women by forcing us to endure invasive ultrasound that we don't want, and our doctors say that we don't need. in america in which access to birth control is controlled by people who will never use it. [applause] we've also seen another america we could choose, and that america, we would have the right to choose. it is in america in which no one can charge us more than men for the exact same health insurance. in which no one can deny as affordable access to the cancer screenings that could save our lives. in which we decide when to start

our families. and in america in which our president, when he hears that a young woman has been verbally attacked thinks of his daughters -- not his delegates or his donors. [applause] and in which our president stands with all women and strangers come together and reach out and lift her up. and then instead of trying to silence her, you invite me here. [applause] and you give me this microphone to amplify our voice.

[applause] that is the difference. >> that is georgetown university law center graduate sandra fluke, speaking at the democratic national convention last nine in prime time reid we are joined now in charlotte, north carolina by sandra. she is now a prominent women's health activist. welcome to "democracy now!" >> good to be back. >> it is something, what you did last night. your the first speaker in prime time on the national networks last night -- in fact, you were going to be earlier in the evening? wickes originally, but the schedule has always been flexible. >> i think it was a clear, deliver a message on the part of the democratic party to move you back, because it was very significant and clearly, carefully chosen and

orchestrated over the last few days who got to speak at that 10:00 eastern hour. you were the first to address the nation last night, speaking to millions of people. you graduated from moscow, what, a month of go? >> in may. >> and you took your bar a few weeks ago? >> the california bar in july. >> this is quite a catapulting of you and your issues into the national and global spotlight. talk about how it all began. >> it really began with my friends on campus and the other women i was organizing with. and i think that is what has gotten lost in all of this, is that i was a "regular" person, whatever that means, who looked around at the lives of the women i knew and cared a change and td to stand up for the affordable

care act and talk about what it would mean for women to have affordable access to health care that they need, not just contraception, but breast cancer screenings and cervical cancer screenings, assistance with breast feeding, and immunizations for their children. that is where it got started. >> how was it you were approached to speak before a house panel pushing insurance coverage of contraception? >> we had come together at several campuses as students because we wanted to know -- one of the world to know how this would impact students. i guess i did ok at the press conference, so i got a call to the national group that they were interested in something -- us coming for insuring our expenses. >> so you go to speak before the committee.

what happens? >> an for shalit, chairman issa thought it was more of 40 from the five men then hear from a woman and hear from someone who wanted to share the stories of the women that would be impacted. not only such a sexist move to not hear from a woman about women's health, but of failing of democracy to not hear from someone who wants to talk about the impact of the citizens of this country. >> so the women legislators walked out? >> a few of them did. it was a pretty stunning morning. i was nervous to be getting ready to testify, but i was really heartened to see there was press i could talk to so i would be able to share what i hoped to share with the members of congress. then of course leader pelosi and arranged for me to give that testimony before a caucus.

that was a tremendous move to make sure the country heard about this and that members of congress heard how important this bill was to young women. >> i want to play the famous clip now i've rush limbaugh insulting sandra on his radio program in late february. >> what does it say about the college coed susan fluke who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex. what does that make her? it makes her a slut, right? it makes her a prostitute. she wants to be paid to have sex. she is having some of sex she cannot afford contraception. she wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex. >> the next day, rush limbaugh ratcheted up his rhetoric against sandra fluke.

>> here is the deal. if we are going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. i will tell you what it is. we want you to post the videos online so we can all watch. >> that is rush limbaugh calling for sandra fluke to post sex videos online. >> yes. >> what happened after this? >> i did not pose any sex videos in response. i think it's that moment, i had a to estimate whether i wanted to step back from the spotlight or if i wanted to continue to speak out. i thought was important to continue to speak out that only because i cared about this policy and wanted more and more people to understand what it would do for american women, but also i really wanted to make sure that young girls in our

country did not see this as a cautionary tale. that if he came forward and spoke publicly about something you cared about, specifically about reproductive health, in any way connected your sexual health, that this would happen to you. i wanted to show these type of sex is a tax you can stand up to and call it out for what it is. and when you do, people support you and will back you up. i hope that is the message that has come out of this. >> when the president obama call you? >> i think just a few days after rush limbaugh began speaking. >> what did he say? where were you? >> i was about to go on the air at i had to rip off my microphone and go running. >> and they told to the president was on the fun question marks yes. accidently took over chris matthews office because i just

went into the first one i could find. the president was very caring. i tried to thank him for the policy and talk to him about signing the bill had done for american women. >> and the bill? what's the affordable care act that requires all private insurance, that women pay the deductibles for, would cover our needs, including contraception. and if it is a religiously affiliated organization, their money does not need to go toward the contraception, but the women on the plan that access to it. churches and houses of worship are exempt from that requirement. i tried to talk about how important that was. it is the president, i want to bend his ear, right? he said, "no, no, i want to make sure you are ok and i want to tell you that your parents should be proud of you." which was very nice to hear.

>> mitt romney had a different response. i want to play the clip of mitt romney back in march responding to a reporter's question about rush limbaugh who called you a slut and a prostitute. >> it is not a language i would have used. i have spoken on the issues that i think are significant in the country today, and that is why i'm talking about jobs in ohio. >> that was mitt romney speaking during a visit -- i think he was in cleveland -- in march, saying it was an unfortunate -- is not the words he would have used. >> i want to be clear that it is not that my feelings are hurt by mr. romney not standing up for me, i don't really need that from him, but what i do need as a citizen in this country is to know that someone who wants to

be president, who wants to be a leader, is at least able to stand up to voices in his own party. and i found that telling and very disappointing about it, was that he was the holden to those extremists. that is what really concerns me in terms of his policy decisions. we have seen him fall in line and take much more conservative position in order to keep those donors and those voices in his party happy. i think those are the decisions he would make an office as well, and that is not a good sign for women's access to a fair pay and women's health, and so many other issues important citizens in this country. >> did anyone from the republican party reached out to you? >> no, i did not hear from anyone directly. and that was fine.

there were some republican officials who said those comments were inappropriate and did take a stand. >> a boycott was organized against rush limbaugh. a lot of pressure brought on advertisers, bringing him to the point -- i mean, scores of corporations pulled out of his support of his radio program. can you explain what happened? >> i was glad to see americans taking a stand and using their pocketbooks and wallets to talk about their values in that way, because that is clearly, so important to advancing progressive causes. i really felt it was not just on behalf of me, but a lot of other people who have been attacked by rush limbaugh and a statement against the type of hateful rhetoric he engages in regularly. so it was interesting to see some condemned it against his

right to have free speech -- of course he has a right to have free speech and say what it wants to say on the radio, but all of those americans also have a right to speech and a right to express their disagreement and concerned with his rhetoric. >> after i don't know how many companies said they were pulling out of supporting his program, clearly stunned by the response, he apologized? >> he did. >> did he call you? >> no, and i'm not interested in hearing from him personally. i think he and i have had enough of a personal relationship at this point, and i'm not looking to elevate it at all. >> what was the apology? >> what i found problematic about the apology, he apologized for a few select words, but not the idea behind it. not for conveying the idea that a woman who uses birth control or a woman who needs it for medical reasons or even a woman who is sexually active is

somehow a prostitute or a slut. he did not apologize for the miss characterization's of my testimony, which were rampant. i was testifying about women's medical needs aside from preventing pregnancy. he included false information in the statement in the apology, furthering the idea that i was part of an entitlement generation that just wanted free birth control. it was not particularly satisfying, but that's all right. >> so we come to the republican convention, and right before it where women's issues and reproductive rights again were elevated because of the comments of the senatorial candidate in missouri who is challenging, pasco, todd akin, talking about legitimate rape -- claire mccaskill, todd akin, talking about legitimate rape. your response to his comments? >> i found that his comments

were clearly very disturbing, and i do want to acknowledge that they were hard to hear for many women in this country and for some men as well have been victims of sexual assault. but i appreciate it allowed us to have a conversation about his record in congress, a record he shares with mr. ryan, or mr. ryan and mr. akin co-sponsored bills. >> this is the vice presidential candidate. >> yes but they drafted bills that would draw distinctions between rape victims and whether they deserve access to the abortion care they need. it allowed us to talk about that dr. willke, who is but fourth these ideas about women's bodies some have been able to prevent impaired nation because it was a sexual assault is someone who mitt romney colorado "an important surrogates" for his

pro-life agenda. that is imported for folks to know before they go into the voting booth. it is unfortunate that we do not have a way of seeing more close to what is happening in congress. i'm glad it brought it to light. >> i want to share with you a comment about candidate todd akin. when i asked one of the minnesota -- rather, missouri delegates at the republican convention, about his colleague, this is a man named george engelbach who isn't a blank look alike. he got a lot of attention because he truly looks like abraham lincoln. as we spoke, i asked him about todd akin, he had served with in the missouri legislature, and i asked him about akin's comments and what he thought.

>> he said what he said, i feel, in a wrong connotation. it is documented there is a relatively low conception rate with highly traumatic rapes, rapes that are just brutal. >> is there another kind of rape? >> certainly. >> what is the other kind? >> for example, if you rape some girl or lady that was sort of inebriated, maybe a little bit high on drugs or something like that, that is going on all the time we called it slipping summit amity when i was growing up. -- someone a mickey when i was

growing up. it is not consensual. that is the rate that is hard to prove many times. >> that is former missouri legislator george engelbach, who is a republican delegate at the convention in tampa. sandra fluke, your response? >> one thing that is interesting, his use of pronouns. if you listen to the "we" in what he said, it is an interesting look at the rape culture in this country that a man speaks about it in those terms. and the distinctions between of violent physical assault and what is still a violent assault by using drugs or when a woman is inebriated, is in such a problematic message to young men in this country about what is permissible, what is acceptable. and also to young women about what they're not they are a legitimate victim and how they should feel about what may have happened to them.

i want to be clear there are young men who are victims of sexual assault as well. >> sandra fluke, what was your response last night after you took center stage at the democratic convention the night before president obama gives his acceptance speech tonight? >> i was just focused on making sure i got my message out to the american people about why it is so critical that we elect president obama in november, that we re-elect him read because not only do we face a very dangerous feature under mr. romney and mr. ryan with their policies on women's health, but we have the unfinished business. we have not yet reauthorized the violence against women act, we have not passed the paycheck fairness act. we need president obama's leadership for another four years to finish that agenda to keep moving as forward. i was heartened to be allowed to speak to such a supportive and

amazing audience and to be able to talk about the president i believe in. >> you just graduated from law school for it what are your plans? how old are you? >> i am 31. >> you are one of the youngest speakers at this convention. >> i thought it was great to see how many young people were at the podium, people we have not heard about before talking about all lives, and young delegates as well. >> your plans? >> i will be doing a lot of this through november, doing everything i can to make sure that we have the president and congress we need for the next term. and after that, i am looking for good bar results, i hope critics you mean, the law bar. >> yes, thank you, the bar exam. >> just if rush limbaugh plans

to export any of this interview. best of luck on the bar exam. sandra fluke is a once help activists, recent graduate of the georgetown law center, famously attacked by rush limbaugh and others after voicing support for women's health. after she spoke, it was elizabeth warren running for the massachusetts senate, then l.a. mayor introduced bill clinton. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. when we come back, another woman who is breaking all sorts of ceilings and breaking through to a global audience, we will be joined by the namesake of the lilly ledbetter fair pay act. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" we are breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency. reporting from the democratic national convention inside and

out bridge we turn to the woman whose name appears in the first bill president barack obama signed into law ledbetter addressed the democratic convention wednesday night. she described how the lilly ledbetter fair pay act was passed in response to a 2007 supreme court ruling that rejected her claim of pay discrimination at a goodyear tire plant in alabama where she worked as an overnight supervisor for almost 20 years. this is an excerpt from her address tuesday night. >> after nearly two decades of hard, proud work, i found out that i was making significantly less money than the men who were doing the same work as me. i went home, talk to my husband, and we decided to fight. we decided to fight for our family, and for your family, too. we sought justice because equal pay for equal work is an american value.

that fight took me 10 years. it took me all the way to the supreme court. and in a five to four decision, they stood on the side of those who tortured and -- shortchanged my pay, over time, and my retirement just because i am a woman. the supreme court told me that i should have filed a complaint within six months of the company's first decision to pay me less, even though i did not know about it for nearly two decades. and if we had not elected president barack obama, the supreme court's wrongheaded interpretation would have been the law of the land. and that would have been the end of my story. but with president obama on our side, even though i lost before the supreme court, we won. the >> ledbetter, namesake of

the lilly ledbetter fair pay act signed into law by president obama, addressing the democratic national convention on tuesday night. we're pleased to welcome lilly ledbetter to our show in person today, joining us in charlotte, north carolina. welcome. >> it is a pleasure. >> did you ever think in 1980, 1990 whenever you're working at the goodyear plant in alabama, they would be addressing millions of people? >> never. my ambition and life was to work hard, have a good job, raise my family, build a nest egg, play by the rules, and some day i could retire and enjoy the fruits of my savings and retirement. it did not work out like that because my employer did not play by the rules. they did not adhere to federal laws and guidelines. and i never dreamed i would be where i am today and have walked

the millions of miles i have talking about pay equity. >> talk about when you first realized he were getting different pay the people performing the same job, the man in your plant. >> i learned when i went to work one evening, someone had left an anonymous tip that had my name and three men -- there were four of us that have the same exact job, just different shifts. my pay was 40% less than any one of those three. but the first devastating thought in my mind when i turned sick, when i saw that, i knew it was true because mine was right to the dollar. when i realized, the first thought was, how much overtime that had cost me. i was so embarrassed, so humiliated. i did not understand how i could get through a 12-hour shift facing people, not knowing who gave me the note, not knowing

how many people in the factory knew the situation. well, i finally made it through my shift, but halfway through the night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. my retirement is based on what i am learning. a contributory retirement was based on my salary. my 401k at the time was 10%, matched by 6% stock. today, my social security, i am treated in my pay like a second- class citizen now for the rest of my life, and i have hit the ceiling where i cannot do anything else about it. the supreme court even took away the two years' back pay, and they should not have done that, but they did that. >> an of five to four decision. >> correct. >> how did you decide to sue? for many women who are listening or watching now, how did you come to make this decision? >> it was not right.

the company and have worked for had government contracts in the day i heard it until the day i laughed. and having those contracts and not following the federal law, it was a federal law. 1963, john f. kennedy signed into law pay equity. equal pay for equal work for women and minorities. and we had title seven in 1964. this was not the law. i was two years away from retirement at the time, and i thought about it. i really thought about letting it go. that is why this decision was made and jointly by me and my husband, because i knew if i started it, these cases, they are not solved overnight. they are not solved in a year. they drag on for years because corporations and large employers have deep pockets and they can wait you out and will wear you out. i knew when i started to fight, i would be in it for a long time. but that is not who i am.

i had to fight and stand up. i could not let a major corporation in this country not adhere to federal laws and treat me and my family -- i thought about all those years how much my children did without and how hard they had to take jobs to get through college, working two jobs sometimes, but my son and daughter, to help themselves get through college. this was not right and this was not because i did not work. i had a 35-year working career and had a good job. i just did not get paid what i was entitled to legally under the law. >> so you lost a supreme court case, but the first bill president obama signed into law is named after you. >> that is right. he put me in the history books along with the people in the house and senate. i have thanked the committee that started working on it and president obama was one of the

initial senators. he and senator clinton and senator leahy from vermont, there are so many senators and some in the house of representatives -- so many in the house of representatives that have put lilly ledbetter in the history books. i have such an awesome responsibility. i see it now as my responsibility to make sure that young men and women, that this does not happen to their families. >> and the lilly ledbetter fair pay act now says -- >> basically the same as the old law. when congress changed it back and the president signed it, and put the lot back to where it was before. it is a little bit clearer, but basically the same. we fought to keep the commitment off of it. it was so important to send that message that it was the same.

if you're still getting a check that starts -- each paycheck start a new accounting period and that 180 days in any state in this country to file your charge once you find out. >> president obama said last year women earn only 77 cents for every dollar. women of color are even at a greater disadvantage. >> that is right. it makes an awesome difference. when women start out behind, you can do the math. there is no way to catch up. what the supreme court ruling said, in some cases when a young woman gets a job forces the male, she started out at that particular time being discriminated against because she is a woman. they pay her less. the raises are based on what you

are earning. so you can never catch up. what the supreme court said in that ruling, that would mean that in a lot of cases, the person has got the first six months to file a charge. i don't think people with a brand new job -- you are trying to learn how to impress the boss and learn what you should do and follow through and make a good impression, and you do not want to upset anybody and make waves and become known as a troublemaker. you are not thinking about filing a charge in the first six months of employment. >> you are being cited all over this country. what do you say to women, young and old come on the factory floor or in a managerial position? how did they find out this information to even be able to start to challenge their pay? >> it is very difficult. i am trying to get people across the country to understand how critical paycheck fairness is.

had that been the lot in my day, i could have -- and i aggressively tried to find out where i stood with good year. in fact, they said they wished i had come to them first. i did. when i asked my immediate boss how i stood with my peers and now i raided and how it was my in, and how could i give it up before retirement, he said, "you're listening to too much b.s. from the men" and would not respond. i tell young women and men to make sure that they understand where they are. a lot of the employers today will let you know that, but they are still some that do not want to let people know what each employee is making. >> do you know who left to that tip? >> i have no idea. it could be a janitor, a former boss, or a co-worker. i have no idea.

someone came across that information and left me that it. >> i want to turn to a clip of one of last night's keynote speakers, the senatorial candidate from massachusetts, elizabeth warren. >> people feel like the system is rigged against them. and here is the painful part. they are right. the system is rigged. look around. oil companies guzzle down billions in profit. billionaires pay lower tax rates than their secretaries. and wall street ceos, the same ones who wrecked our economy and destroyed millions of jobs, still strut around congress, no shame, demanding favors, and acting like we should thank them. does anyone here have a problem with that? [applause]

well, i do, too. >> that was elizabeth warren. you are being cited by congress members, by senators -- republican and democrat. in fact, when you speak with women of different parties, and man, what do they say to you? are you finding support among republican women? >> i do. in fact, i started out not in publicly and democrats. i went to the convention in 2008 in denver not endorsing obama because the people i was working with, the nonpartisan groups, felt that in washington i could get more republican support if i did not come out publicly. but when i walked out on the stage that evening and gave my speech and the motion in the audience, i walked out and endorsed him.

and we do get republican support. we had olympia snowe from maine, senator collins from maine. there were co-workers on the bill. this is so clear-cut. it is a no-brainer. this is american families. this is not a democrat, not republican. this is a civil rights, human, american right. and that is a neo -- no-brainer. if we do not get women and minorities paid, this country will never come up where we were at one time. this is critical. the women who are struggling -- and i find now traveling the country, some in the women, senior women, are in the poverty level and their children are having to move them in their homes when their husbands die, not because they did not have a long working career and did not work hard, but because their employer chose not to give them a decent retirement or pay them

a decent wage so they draw so security. >> how in port was the support of your family, of your children and your late husband who just died? >> critical. very, critical. i say when you start a fight like this, you first need to be a strong individual because you will really find out who your true friends are, and you'll find a lot of people are very critical when you stand up, but it is like one of the speaker said last night, doing the right thing alsun-times is not easy, but it is critical. you've got to have family support. the third thing an individual needs, you need a strong faith. you need the man upstairs. i relied on my christian faith because that determines and opens so many doors. i have been places that i did not see how i would make it to

where i was supposed to be, but god opened that door. this is meant to be, this was something i think was destined to happen, and it has really given me a ministry to do. >> lilly ledbetter, thank you for being with us, the namesake of the lilly ledbetter fair pay act it was the first bill signed into law by president obama. she addressed the nation and the convention this week in charlotte, north carolina. when we come back, voter rights, a voter suppression. ben jealous ahead of the naacp will join us. ♪ [music break]

>> from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" we are breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency. democraticing the convention inside an ounce.

in this last segment, we're joined by ben jealous head of the naacp. i saw folks from the naacp at the republican convention and now here the democratic convention. voter rights has been a clear message. what do you mean? >> this country thinks it should be one person, one vote. we should be allowed to vote free and fair. we see more states pass more laws, push more voters at the ballot box than in the last hundred years. it is not simply a republican thing, because we saw republican governor of michigan veto strict photo ids, we saw bob macdonald of virginia actually expand the ran for -- enfranchisement of the formerly incarcerated people. it is a far right thing.

it is having a real a fact on this race and will have an effect in november. >> talk about what is happening around the country. >> ground zero is probably pennsylvania. strict voter id law says anyone can vote and thus to shop with the government issued a deal with a photo on it. it has not been shot down. it was struck down in texas and other states, but still in effect there. with 800,000 voters in the state, they do not have an up- to-date current photo id. there's just no way we will get all those 800,000 a photo id and two months. >> explain what people do not have a photo id, weren't there is a disproportionate -- why there is a disproportionate effect on those of color. >> if you're a poor person on once aten move at least

year. people do not tend to go to the dmv more than once a year. car,u're too poor to own a you can not have a driver's license for it if you are a student -- think about when you went to college but did you run to the dmv to get a driver's license from that state? no, most of us carried one from home. it could also be, they say your id has have an expiration date. think of the veterans' benefit card. there is no expiration date because your status as a veteran never expires. there are sorts of technical things. the funny part, in court, they admitted there's never been a case of voter impersonation in pennsylvania. the law is not intended to solve the problem, but to be a problem. that is what we're dealing with.

>> explain the history of voting rights. here we are in north carolina, charlotte, one of the first lunch counter sit-ins at the woolworth's. explain what the history of literacy, the poll tax. >> the first thing to understand, they've heard of the 1950's and 1960's civil rights movements. medgar evers and others were killed trying to invalidate laws that were put into place 50 or 60 years before that, at the end of reconstruction, to reassure white supremacy in politics in the south. they put in many laws for the grandfather clause. basically, your grandfather and if you're registered to vote before the civil war. tests on whether or not you could read. a poll tax based on a man who could not -- this at a man who could pay the tax could be bought. they put in formerly incarcerated people bands but

these were hugely disproportionate racial impact and disenfranchised black voters, and got rid of black representation in the south. what we see is every time we go to black people, there is a massive wave of voter suppression. it does happen many times in history. here it comes again, after we break the color barrier at the white house for the first time, with the largest most diverse presidential electret ever, and now the reforms that past do not solve problems but create problems and create problems for young people all color, those of all ages. >> thank you, ben jealous, ceo and president of the naacp. [captioning made possible by democracy now!] democracy now!]