culture critic and pop culture writer tyree and another family friend of whitney houston is reverend al sharptonre's a bunch of questions i could ask, but i think there's enough on the table to react to. go ahead. >> let me say this. i grew up a boy preaching the church of god in christ. >> you got your voice in the church. >> cissy houston was a hero to us. when i was 9 i toured so i would preach in the intermission. >> what does a 9-year-old have to tell the world to preach wisdom? >> i'm sure kelly and kim could probably tell you. >> from a 9-year-old? >> let not your heart be troubled. >> come on now, reverend. >> the difference with whitney, i met her in the '80s. when i learned she was cissy's daughter, it meant something to me. over the years we would see each other. i wasn't nearly as close as kelly and kim. i got to know her. she came and sang at the national network dinner. she was involved in movements at the foundation. she was anointed. there's a difference between those that are appointed by record companies and those that are anointed with a gift. nothing she went through interfer

meantime, i want to bring back in reverend al sharpton, host of "politics nation." reverend sharpton, you spent most of your life in the spotlight, very publicly. you know what that's like. why is it some people can handle it very well and other people like whitney houston maybe didn't have a filter or didn't know when to leave the cameras. what do you think was her problem in terms of her pr? >> i think the problem was that many of those in the entertainment media were more looking for negative and sensationalism than looking for the beauty of the art and allowing her the privacy of her life that had challenges of anyone. i think i always say to reporters, if we could turn the cameras and go through their ups and downs, we would probably be stunned at what we see. i think of the fact she was under that magnifying glass, and because she was so huge an artist that they could never turn it off. she started in the late '80s, and went all the way into an era of youtube, cable television, and tmz, so where everything became public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there was

you heard al sharpton talk about it and reverend jesse jackson and does the industry have problems with the drugs. is ex sex, drugs and rock and roll is obviously what they say about music industry, but does the music industry need to clean up their own house or will we continue to see deaths like michael jackson and whitney houston and amy winehouse, and people who didn't die of drug use, but have it contribute to the overall demise and something to look into the safeguard the icons to preserve them in the culture, and there is something wrong there, and we all feel it and will the industry police itself. >> chris and david, the two representatives from thegrio.com, do you see anyone on the horizon who might match whitney houston's level of ta talent? >> well, i think that whitney, and she was the voice. she defined a generation of singerer singerers. jennifer hudson came out and sang at the grammys, but it is so hard to ntop her. >> she was smart not to do the whole thing. >> and if there were a biopick, i don't know who i would cast for that. >> and it was telling that anyone who was

thank you reverend al sharpton. we appreciate it.n on the death of whitney houston at the age of 48. while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects

reverend al sharpton him met him when he was just 19.t soul train and don core feelious means for all of us. but first, there's a lot going on today here. things we thought you should know. indiana's state senate passed right to work legislation today despite massive protests outside the capitol that would prohibit labor contracts that require workers to pay union fees. supporters say the law would attract employers and create jobs. opponents argue it would lead to lower wages and diminish job quality. republican governor mitch daniels is expected to sign that bill into law. >>> and results of this saturday's nevada republican caucuses will be revealed in realtime via google and twitter. this marks the first time social networks will play a central role in announcing the outcome of a political presidential contest. >>> and did you see it in first lady michelle obama brought her let's move campaign to the tonight show the with jay leno last night. she got jay to eat his first apple in 28 years. the first lady also critiqued mitt romney's

. >>> in office politics, reverend al sharpton tells us about the whitney houston he knew. some personal reflections along with political talk. >>> the fight for michigan, the latest polls in what could be a make or break moment for some of the republican candidates for president. >>> good morning, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we're happy to be back with you here at 7:00 a.m. here on the east coast. we get to what's happening right now out there. this developing news, new information this morning on the arrest of a man who allegedly wanted to carry out a terror attack on the u.s. capitol building. police arrested the 29-year-old moroccan national on friday. he was wearing a vest he apparently thought was full of al qaeda-supplied explosives. undercover agents supplied the man with fake explosives. the agents had been in contact with the man since december in what was a sting operation. police stopped him in a parking garage just a few blocks from the capitol. nbc's pete williams will join me live from washington in just a few minutes with more of the deta

about this, first of all, a double standard when it comes to preachers u' got reverend wright, al sharpton, jesse jackson, who would never be questioned about their theology or anybody else's, one thing. the other thing, franklin graham a good man doing great work. should take a lesson from his father. every time his father got involved in politics, richard nixon or whatever, it tainted his primary call. when you come down from the mountain top and you go to the valley of politics, then you've got to expect this kind of stuff. >> and chris mathews says he ain't his father. >> and i think, i think that's, that captures it, i ain't his father's son and he does use twist religion to suit his politics and i think that that has hurt him. >> unlike jesse jackson and al sharpton. >> we're not talking about them. they weren't on tv at that moment. >> at that moment. >> what about the issue that graham went on air to talk about, a christian minister in iran who has been sentenced to death, and then-- >> he should have said, i didn't come here to talk about it, changed the dynamic. >> on talk radio,

the reverend al sharpton, thank you.ey houston was a talent like no other, destined for superstardom. but she did have help along the way, people who believed in her and helped her find success. like the man who co-wrote some of her biggest hits ever, like "how will i know?" we'll talk with him later in the show. syria shows new signs of weakness in the capital of damascus. security forces fired on a funeral procession. two people were killed, 15 more died across syria. damascus is considered the president's strong hold. violence there could indicate his grip on power is slipping. the president met with one of his few alies today. he hosted china's foreign minister, who endorsed syria's plan to hold a referendum on a new constitution, but urged them to negotiate with the opposition. >>> still, a peaceful end to this conflict seems unlikely. this video is from the city of homs. it's said to show the syrian military in action. cnn can't confirm the video's authenticity by the way. >>> iran says a deployment of navy ships i

hosted by chris matthew,s ed al sharpton, do not miss a minute of the special coverage. >>> at a tea party event, rick santorum calling president obama a snob for wanting every american to go to college. illinois congressman told al sharpton that santorum is wrong in several ways. >> i don't know what rick santorum is thinking about because clearly he is out of the mainstream, he's hypocritical and also just plain wrong when it comes to his facts when he talks about college, for example. but you know, if you want to talk about religion, let's talk about the values in every major religion in the world. things like love thigh neighbor and feed the hungry. because he's also taken off after food stamps. aren't these the kinds of things that ought to embody a religious person's view of the role of our society some so i'm just completely confused. and besides that, we just heard from president obama, but let me quote senator rick santorum in 2006 saying, quote, i was xh committed to ensuring every pennsylvanian has access to higher education. that was just a few years ago. >> don't mess po

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, he might have won michigan and arizona last night, but willard mitt romney is a very sore winner. here he was the big winner last night. >> we didn't win by a lot, but we won by enough and that's all that counts. >> well, there's a resounding winner's speech. take a look at the breakdown. he won michigan's wealthiest counties, highlighted there in the green. but rick santorum took the rest of the state winning big with blue collar workers. you can see it all in the purple. and that's the group willard just can't connect with. fresh off his win, he was in ohio today speaking with workers at a fence making factory. but check out the crowd waiting to cheer him on. a half empty room of supporters. not what you'd expect from a man who won two states last night. here's what it comes down to. this dragged out primary race is hurting his favorability. let's look at president obama in 2008. at this point in the race, in 2008, president obama's favorability numbers were above 50

it's i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- the president strikes a balance and republicans strike a pose. today, president obama announced a plan for birth control coverage that should end the controversy that's dominated thç news these last few days. >> religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventive care will not discriminate against women. and we live in a pluralistic society where we're not going to agree on every single issue or share every belief. that doesn't mean that we have to choose between individual liberty and basic fairness for all americans. >> basic fairness. religion and rights. not either/or. that's what this plan insures. under it, women are guaranteed birth control at no out-of-pocket cost. yet religious groups will not be forced to offer contraceptives. instead, insurance companies will step in to offer the coverage. groups like planned parenthood are applauding the decision. and so are key catholic groups who were opposed to the old policy. carol key han, he

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, president obama's decision to save detroit will be central to this election because it worked. some of the president's critics have a hard time admitting they were wrong and some, like willard mitt romney, find it impossible to say they blew it. in 2008, willard famously wrote an op ed entitled "let detroit go bankrupt," arguing against the government bailing out the auto industry. great call, willard. today, romney's out with a new op ed saying that the rescue of the auto industry is quite indisputable good news. but also claiming that without the president's intervention, things would be better. that's right. willard agrees it worked, but claims that somehow, things would be better if we took his advice. he is just distorting what he said at the time. here's an interview from 28. >> you said, "if general motors, ford and chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the american automotive industry good-bye." >> if you write a

al sharpton this weekend, this is what you started hearing mitt romney talking about.n since they have been going down and people attacking me. i think that's great news and people getting back to work. we still have a long way to go. the president is walking ail tight rope. look what i've done. things are getting better and still so many americans are hurting. >> we agree on that. many americans are devastated. the argument the president is making is that you cannot deny going from 750,000 jobs a month to adding 250,000 jobs a month is not a turn around. has it turned around enough? no, but you have seen the unemployment dipping in many communities that needed it. this is the biggest dip and we are headed in the right direction. the question is whether we will continue in romney's argument because i think he will be the nominee, he could be better. he will have to lay out how he could have done that. >> one of the two things will happen. he can be where unemployment is going down and be like george hw bush where they go down and then back up. we keep hearing economist

i'm al sharpton. "hardball" sta

. >>> al sharpton is host of politics nation here on msnbc.end. >> good morning. david gregory said he would be shocked -- he said this this morning on "morning joe" that he would be shocked if the administration didn't come to a compromise with hhs. should they? should they compromise? >> it's according to what we call compromise. i think the fact that the religious exemptions are there and this has nothing to do with people's right to religion and everyone's right to do with the services that a religious institution gives and whether those employ yaes have the right to the same coverage as other people, even if those employees are not a member of that faith. in many ways what is perplexing to me is how you say that the church, and i'm clearly a baptist minister, should not have their rights infringed on to practice their religion but an employee of a hospital or something connected to a church should have their rights infringed on. suppose i'm not a member of that church, suppose i'm not a believer. i should be covered? >> that's a case in a

. >> there was evidence of last thursday of the erratic behavior, al sharpton urged critics to be kind>> when you forget the problems, you will listen to that voice. >> a voice silenced too soon. wbal tv 11 news. >> as the world remembers whitney houston, so do fans in baltimore. they have been playing whitney tributes all day. we have more on themmories. >> -- the memories. >> she will remember the singer as the humble, beautiful girl who was always looking like she was having fun. ♪ and i will always ♪ ,> before the world knew her she was known at mt. st. dominic as the beautiful girl they adored. >> she was modeling for 17 magazine. it was our dream to be like her. she was beautiful, with poise. >> she went to high school with houston, saying they had homeroom and french together, but it took a while for her to realize she was a relative of deon warwick. >> i did not find this out until freshman year. she was not pretentious and was very kind, an ordinary high school girl. >> she would sometimes roll up her skirt and wear different socks, but they weren't surprised by her success. >

reverend al sharpton, i'm stunned at the passing of whitney houston.ld should pause and pray for a gifted songbird. cause of death is still unknown. coroner's office will perform an autopsy. >> new back and forth over president obama's latest plan to expand contraception. white house reversing a proposal to have religious i was institutions to pay regardless of their beliefs and health insurance companies will be responsible for providing coverage. the white house chief of staff saying it's a good compromise. >> it does not force an institution that has religious principles to offer or pay for benefits they find objectionable. but it guarantees a woman's right to access. >> gregg: some say the new rule poses serious moral concerns. here is sarah palin on her concerns with the policy. >> the basic premise of this, government again mandating to private employers and to insurance companies what they must provide. what gives government the right to tell us what we must consume, what we must purchase, what we must provide? >> gregg: to hear more what she ha

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and they don't know our god. >> reporter: but the reverend al sharpton tells people on you tube, yes, he does. >> as a baptist minister, i don't have the right to impose my beliefs on anyone else. so if committed gay and lesbian couples want to marry, that's their business. >> the baptist rally disagrees. >> it is not only bad for religious institutions. it's bad for every institution in the state of maryland. >> reporter: governor o'malley promoted same-sex marriage on sharpton's msnbc show last night. >> this is not a threat to anyone's belief system. >> reporter: a letter urging the arch archbishop, and his faith is being called into question as well. >> traditionally, because he's a roman catholic. he is not upholding the church's teaching. >> that depends on whose church is teaching. >> all of us will fight for what is fair. >> reporter: and there are like- minded others as well. >> the governor specifies this in in order to calm the water. but to make the opposition go away, he'd have to walk on it. i'm pat warren reporting. back to you. >>> a senate committee heard testimony on

as recently as last thursday of the erratic behavior that tarnished houston's career, reverend al sharptonrged kr critics to be kind. >> they will still be listening to that voice. ♪ i look to you >> reporter: a voice silenced too soon. mark barger, nbc news. >> her career spanned two decades and her music was the sound track for so many lives. this loss is significant for those who knew her and those who just knew of her. derrick ward talked to both. >> reporter: a mixture of pop and r&b music through the '80s and beyond. whitney houston was one of those artists larger than life. >> her voice, the music, that's what got me. this voice is gone. >> reporter: tv and radio personality donnie simpson called his first encounter with her was an honor. >> her first interview was with me. we debuted her first song before it came out. >> reporter: here on this stretch, there's a cluster of music stores. more than one person who has been here already looking for some whitney houston music. >> early this morning after the news, i was very upset. i was like i have to come and get a cd to see if they h

reverend al sharpton, you have run for president, you are an orator.r entire life you spent talking to people. either of these men impress you tonight? >> i think santorum is by far the better speaker. i think th he was like reading somebody else's speech that he was trying to get to the end. and i think both of them, though, did not mention the other, which means we're in for a long haul here. not only did romney not mention santorum, santorum didn't mention romney. >> he implicitly talked about the man, right? >> they both went after obama. i think santorum gave more of a vision of where he wanted to go. >> rick santorum has to be wondering where he would be tonight if he hasn't attacked john f. kennedy. last gallup poll, john f. kennedy, 85% job approval. ronald reagan, 74% job approval. the next one down is bill clinton, into the 60s. couldn't have taken on a more impossible opponent than president kennedy and i think he paid for it in michigan. >> this is a man who went around the state in a car talking about how much he loved michigan and tonight

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- outrage. there's growing anger from women and men at the right wing's attack on women's rights. all ignited by one sided hearing that featured no one speaking on behalf of women, and a careless joke by rick santorum's billionaire supporter. throughout the day today, women senators took to the floor of the senate to demand their voices be heard. >> 99% of all of america's women have used contraception at some time in their lifetime. when will they get this simple nondebatable fact? >> a republican house of representative that is so hostile to women's health that they didn't even think about having a person on there who was a female. >> one of the chief financial backers for rick santorum suggested that contraception was once as simple as a woman putting aspirin between her knees. really? shocking. appalling. an insult. >> senator murray is right. foster friess is the rick santorum supporter whose comment has now been seen by millions. and it's appalling each time you hear it. >> and this contra

i'm al sharpton. fresh off his win in florida, mitt romney had this to say. >> i'm in this race because i care about americans. i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. if it needs repair, i'll fix it. i'm not concerned about the very rich. they are doing just fine. >> not concerned about the very poor. folks, this bruising primary battle has done one thing. it's exposed the gop candidates and the brutal way romney and gingrich are attacking each other is just making it worse, whoever wins the republican nomination. 2008, hillary clinton and barack obama also had a long and grueling battle. but it was about policy. mostly it was not personal. this republican face-off is personal. and as the result, willard's losing even as he moves toward the nomination. last night, 38% of republican voters still wanted someone else to run. and, get this, 38% of those who voted for romney also wanted someone else to get in. meanwhile, romney's negativity rating among independents has shot up

i'm al sharpton. today in the republican presidential news, a billionaire endorsed a multimillionaire for president. we'll talk shortly about the donald and willard who have a lot in common. they have a lot of money, and they like to fire people. but we begin with the old saying, to whom much is given, much is required. that's the message of fairness that president obama has governed by. and it's what he talked about today at the national prayer breakfast. >> treating others as you want to be treated, requiring much from those who have been given so much. living by the principle that we are our brother's keeper. caring for the poor and those in need. >> caring for those in need. that's the vision that will shape this presidency. a vision from the other side couldn't be more different. >> i'm in this race because i care about americans. i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. if it needs repair, we'll fix it. i'm not concerned about the very rich. they're doing just fine. >>

i'm al sharpton live tonight from atlanta. our lead story, there's two conversations going on in this country. for months now, the president has been talking from coast to coast about the thing americans care most about -- jobs. but funny enough, that word doesn't seem to be in the gop vocabulary. the four candidates in last night's debate only said the word ten times between them. willard only said it twice. rick santorum didn't utter the word at all, but let's face it. the republican candidates and their crowds seem to get more riled up by other things. they booed a question on birth control. that's right. in months past, gop debate crowds had booed a gay soldier, applauded the death penalty apparently and now made it clear they don't really like birth control. good thing for their candidates, it fits right in. >> not once did anybody in the elite media ask why barack obama voted in favor of legalizing it. >> children being raised by children. children being raised out of wedlock. >> most recently requiring the catholic chur

"politics nation" with al sharpton starts right now. >>> welcome to "politics nation." i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- the republicans have no idea who they are as a party. but they do agree on one thing, they'll say anything and do anything to bring down the president. this was on full display today at the conservative political action conference. >> i can guarantee you that coach tom coughlin last week did not tell his giants to go out on the field and to work with those other guys. compromise works well in this world when you have shared goals. but we don't have shared goals with the democrats, folks. >> no shared goals, senator demint? senator demint has no shared goals with the president who said this about helping troubled homeowners today? >> we are americans, and we look out for one another. we get each other's backs. >> looking out for americans. that's not a goal that's shared by the republican party because they have a different goal. their goal is denying the president credit for anything. >> he'll be pointing to bin laden. he'll be pointing to the overth

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- they picked a fight with the wrong people. virginia governor bob mcdonnell is feeling the heat. the state of virginia was poised to pass one of the most extreme pieces of anti-abortion legislation this country has ever seen. a bill some called state-sponsored rape. a bill that could force women seeking abortions to undergo physically invasive ultrasounds, even if they didn't want it. even if their doctor didn't request it. as recently as last week, governor bob mcdonnell signaled he'd sign it. last month, he praised him. >> i actually was the original sponsor of that bill about ten years ago to give a woman the right to know all the information before she makes the choice. i think it gives full information. an ultrasound is used -- it's modern technology, the costs have been driven down. to be able to have that information before making what most people would say is a very important, serious life-changing decision, i think is appropriate. >> so last month, he thought it was appropriate. and just this week, republican delegate

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- watch what they do, not what they say. republicans claim this election would be all about the economy, but instead they are trying to refight the culture wars. rick santorum has spent the last few days attacking a core american idea, the separation of church and state. >> i don't believe in an america with a separation of church and state is absolute. to say that people of faith have no role in the public square. you bet that makes you throw up. >> the separation of church and state makes him want to throw up? how extreme can you get? today santorum tried to clarify those remarks. >> i'm for separation of church and state. the state has no business telling what the church to do. >> but this just isn't about keeping the state out of the church. it's also about keeping the church out of the state. president john f. kennedy understood this. >> the constitution is very clear in the separation of church and state. and i have been very clear and precise in my commitments to that constitution. >> president ronald reagan understoo