more on that in tonight's daily take but first after the break we'll speak with former congressman bob ney and ask you about the state of politics in america today. let me let me let me ask you a question from. here on this network is where we're headed in the debate we have. to do this right what a surprise thing there are to get here in this race we're being free to talk about surveillance. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so. you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realize everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm sorry welcome to the big picture. isn't talking about the same story doesn't make it news no softball interviews no particular topic question. well a little worse if you're going through. the white house or the. radio guy for a minute. what. if you've never seen anything like this i'm told. to the best of the rest of the news early in the program we told you how the supreme court heard oral arguments today in the case of the united states v windsor which challenges the one thousand nine h

more on that in tonight's daily take but first after the break we'll speak with former congressman bob ney and ask you about the state of politics in america today. wealthy british style. market. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike stronger for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines two kinds of reports. a little worse for those. white house superman. because you've never seen anything like good. to live. in the best of the rest of the news early in the program we told you how the supreme court heard oral arguments today in the case of the united states v windsor which challenges the one thousand nine hundred six defense of marriage act wheels told you how the justice department a federal agency empowered to enforce the laws of the united states openly disagrees with the act as decided not to defend its constitutionality instead the bipartisan legal action group house of representatives legal body is defending that was constitutionally there's a strong possibility this case would never have made it to the supreme court if it weren't for republ

worse today than in the living memory of most americans earlier this week i had former congressman bob ney on the big picture in my interview with him we talked about the state of politics today and the corrosive effect that money has on our democracy has been named went to jail for his involvement with disgraced washington lobbyist jack abrams but he told me his interactions with abrams off paled in comparison to what happens in washington today take a look. in fact the things that jack and i did eating sushi is restaurant drinking with i'm going to scotland that's peanuts today i officially as a lobbyist can take you if you were carson to alaska we can go honey i can have a three thousand dollar dinner and raise you one hundred thousand i can then take you some family and staffers to las vegas i can have a four thousand dollars dinner i can raise your hundred fifty thousand dollars all of what i just said has happened in all of it's legal wow and that's life and that's even far worse than what you a jacket with yes and and we did bad things and i don't deny that but this now has been cau

the question is, can john smith who calls say, i want to talk to bob ney. well, who are you?an event you're going to? bob will be there. if you have a scam pain, he'll really be there. but access is a very important part. members of congress open their doors up and some members don't. access is the key because we don't know what we're doing half the time on issues. >> that's not even to say bad things about members of congress. when you're dealing with something as complicated and complex and technical as the rule-making process for dodd/frank or rule-making process on clean air rules or rule-making process on affordable care act -- a friend of mine works in the federal government going through that rule-making process. you know, it takes a tremendous amount of expertise to be marshalled. if you're going to be briefed, who is briefing you wields tremendous power. the thing you know about this obscure issue is going to be what you know because that one person told you about. >> the staff wields power because, look, if you are a lobbyist today in washington and if someone disag

but my next guest bob ney has harsh anecdotes. he chronicles those and lots more in his new book. ney was involved in a lobbying scandal back in 2012 and went to prison. he joins me in the studio now. we remember your name from that scandal and also did about four years in prison for bribing politicians like yourself with expensive gifts. for folks who have not followed that story, take us back. what was your actual involvement with abramoff? >> i drank free at his restaurant, wrote some letters for him, did a statement in the congressional record for a stream of value for free meals, for booze and all the influence of jack abramoff to raise campaign dollars. >> after you pled guilty in 2006, you said in a statement "i allowed myself to get too comfortable with the way things have been done in washington, d.c. for too long. with hindsight and prison behind you now, has washington changed at all in your eyes when it comes to money and politics? >> i have a chapter in the book and it is called "is the barrel still corrupt?" they have made bribery part of the law. >> how so? >> i can

and we will find out tomorrow, how rules are written with congressman bob ney fresh out of prison.ris-perry, and talk about the book that everybody is talking about. lean in, lean forward and that is melissa harris-perry coming up next. we will see you right here tomorrow at 8:00. thank you for getting up. first kid you ready? [ female announcer ] second kid by their second kid, every mom is an expert and more likely to choose luvs. after thousands of diaper changes, they know what works. luvs lock away wetness better than huggies for a fraction of the cost live, learn, & get luvs. you know you could just use bengay zero degrees. medicated pain relief you store in the freezer. brrr...see ya boys. [ male announcer ] bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on.