justice clarence thomas. this program is about 50 minutes. >> good afternoon, i would like to welcome everybody and start the program if we could. good afternoon and welcome. this is a certainly a wonderful turnout and we are happy to have everybody this afternoon. on behalf of the college as well as holy cross public radio of boston, i want to welcome you to this monthly lunch. thank you for being here as we celebrate the publication of fraternity with author diane brady. an exceptional and accomplished journalist, diane has done all of us a great gift in telling the story of father bob brooks as well as an extraordinary group of black students and how they are tied together at holy cross in the late 1960s to help shape their lives and changed the course of history. as one reviewer commented, fraternity brings to our attention for the first time an unsung hero of the civil-rights movement. another called the book incredibly inspiring, noting that diane had captured the story not just of a group of amazing bl

i hope it's someone -- please don't let it be clarence thomas. please don't let it be clarence thomas. >> the court's sole defense justice thomas. >> larry: come on, man. now i'm in an uncomfortable position of agreeing with clarence thomas. i always said if this day came i would keep a cyanide tablet just in case. >> larry? arry: yes, it's the director. >> i think you're possibly over reacting a little. >> larry: now -- >> both. larry: okay. you're right man. you're right. i won't do it. alright. don't pick that up, man. alright. it's a joke we lost earlier. just got to throw them out there. you don't know where it will land. the other big supreme court decision.

scalia, clarence thomas and samuel alito.. scalia, clarence thomas and samuel alito.i. scalia, clarence thomas and samuel alito.c. scalia, clarence thomas and samuel alito.e. scalia, clarence thomas and samuel alito.s. scalia, clarence thomas and samuel alito. [ applause ] >> today should also give us hope that on the issues we often grapple, real change is possible. shifts in hearts and minds is possible. and those who have come so far on their journey to equality have a responsibility to reach back and help others join them. because for all our differences we are one people. stronger together than we could ever be alone. that's always been our story. we are big and vast and diverse. a nation of people with different backgrounds and beliefs. different experiences and stories. but bound by our shared ideal that no matter who you are or what you look like, how you start it off or how and who you love, america is a place where you can write your own destiny. we are a people who believe that every single child is entitled to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. t

clarence page. the first call up comes from ronald, lafayette, louisiana democrat. caller: i have written quite a few books over the years. i believe, make it smaller. you make smaller government, you have less organizations to make sure people that have mental health problems do not get guns. if you have a home, why should you not, if you are mentally stable, have a gun to protect your family. if you want to go hunt, you should be able to do that. they need to inspect who they are giving guns too. i am for gun ownership. people that are mentally stable should have guns. if they are not, we need government that is there. not like rand paul, seeming to say it is a good ring. if you take away government, they cannot do background checks. if you do not have people investigating people on the internet, threatening to do this or that, and they get a gun or they threaten to do something at a school or these republicans want to send the jobs overseas. they think it is great. you put more stress on the peop

but i'm sort of with you clarence. so, people will run from you because you made the wrong predictions in 2008 but i'm sure all the republicans will be enthusiastic when i embrace their candidacies. >> jumping for joy i'm sure. is this beginning to be a money marathon though? that is why hillary clinton and jeb bush are sew focused on raising money, they have to go farther down the take to say in the race -- >> remember why mitt romney won the nomination in 2012. he won it largely because he had a super pac that mode down all the republican opponents cereally along the way. jeb bush by all accounts will have exponentially more money in his super pac which he has been raising in the beginning than did romney. it is a reflection on how screwed up our finance system is for campaigns that jeb bush, who is clearly been running for president since last year will formally announce june 15th. why? because it allowed him to raise money for his super pac once he become as candidate he can't coordinate with the super pac but in t

clarence page. a pulitzer prize winner columnist. we want to show you video. we send out local content vehicles and they bring back historical and literary stories from cities around the country. in two thousand 11, they visited charleston, south carolina. they toured the historical church. >> a charleston man represented the majority of the population here. for his actions, in an effort to organize a conspiracy, spoke to the aspirations of african people. he was a member of what was known as the african church of charleston. it was an independent african-american denomination in the city, affiliated with the african methodist the piscopo church, that had been founded in philadelphia in 1816. this is a significant development and a significant point in this group because the black charles stoning ends -- black charlestonians were attempting to run their own affairs in the midst of a slaveholding society. that church, its leaders the members came in for persecution. the leaders were arrested. the chu

joining me now are dana milbank and clarence page. thank you both for being here. >> thank you, reverend. >> clarence is it smart for the president to frame health care as a moral issue? >> i think it's smart. it's also a subtle shift in tactics. or shift in argument. in the past he's put more of the emphasis on cost and cost savings and general coverage. now he's talking about the very fact that this is part of the social contract. he's almost saying it would be un-american to oppose the idea of health care for everybody. he's going back to making a hundred-year argument going back to 1912 at least when teddy roosevelt promised the need for health coverage across the country and the progressive movement at that time was pushing for it. of course harry truman lbj. you can go right up to the present day and look at various presidents trying to get what president obama has been able to achieve with the affordable care act. this is a historical argument he's making saying this gets right to the very core of our being as a people in this

defines really start with clarence thomas who was young was ideologic could be expected to be around for a long time on the bench ? >> well, i do think it started about that time. and clearly, it's become the trend . i think in the past 30 years or so justices started to search 20 years or so. president saying i think it's good thing to nominate somebody who's only he going to be on the court for a decade or so, the whole system is structured to incentivize someone who can stay on for a long time. i can't blame the president for wanting to do it. i can't blame senators who are under pressure from special interest groups and these sorts

clarence page, chicago tribune your take on what happened. guest: i think president obama expressed the sense of deja vu all over again, to use yogi bear. -- a yogi berra line. we have gone through this so may times and we get very wary about it. president obama was struck by a because he and his wife knew the pastor of the church. they have been there. that church is a go to place for politicians coming to town or anyone who wants to connect with the black community. there is a frustration on the part of folks in washington who want common sense gun control laws that nothing is going to happen, even after sandy hook and having 20 children and half a dozen adults killed by some

clarence page. guest: well, an issue he brought up initially was in regard to the atmosphere established or inflamed by the right wing. i saw the same thing happen in the 1970's inflamed by the left wing with the s.d.s. under ground and underground. everybody in politics has it wear the jacket of the atmosphere set up in certain times. i have heard people on the right and left talk about taking the country back depending on whether they were in power. this is the nature of our political rhetoric. i think we need to tone it down and be more intelligent or we provide more fuel for the rage of folks who are mentally unbalanced. host: from the "washington times " this morning, gun rights supporters call for more concealed carrying in churches. it talks about the case in colorado at the new life church and where gene assam was a volunteer security guard and killed the shooter prior to the shooter getting in the church because she had a gun with her. what do you think of concealed weapons in church? guest

what makes them so wonderful is the tact pact that even though clarence bell and jennifer cassidy theylives proving they are just like everyone else. jeanea says look as his resume. >> he's advanced in karate and delaware youment i memorial hospital he's graduating on 16th and all around loveable person. >> jennifer is just as loveable. there's no doubt this has been a special nights for everyone attending upper darby senior program and there were sem my too too many reasons the bell and caps could be family to make sure it was that sxebl for he. >> one look at these two tells you a lot. >> do you know sin courtroom special need everybody everything should be add one. my son is like that and loveable. he doesn't care if a person is fat, skinny, black white he wants to be everybody including everybody else. >> and once again clarences and jennifer's parents aproud of accomplishments especially with the fact they're congratulated at the. >> we're getting a any glimpse of british royal. adorable picture of prince george and princess charlotte. >> it's a perfect night to dime outdoors. >>

and finally, justice clarence thomas.but i do wish he would run... into an open pit. sorry, i couldn't stop myself. he chose to focus on the issue of dignity. and, of course, he used the obvious slave analogy. according to thomas, "slaves did not lose their dignity (any more than they lost their humanity) because the government allowed them to be enslaved." do you even know what slavery is? slavery is the complete stripping of humanity and dignity. that's the point of slavery. and when do you think slaves were whipped? whenever they dared to try to show any humanity or dignity. clarence, please approach the bench and then jump off of it into that same aforementioned pit. (cheers and applause) look, that's what the whole gay marriage fight has been all about. not about changing the definitions or upsetting institutions. the fight has simply been about humanity and dignity. we'll be right back. (cheers and applause) ♪ i see stories in peoples faces. in their hands. in their eyes. people tell me stories without saying one wo

thank you for taking my call and nice seeing you, clarence.guest: well, i must add to that -- i don't have much to add to that. it is sad. one of my initial reactions to this horrible tragedy in charleston was we don't need a young white fella to come in to our churches and kill innocent people. we have enough black folks doing this and it is a fact. this has been a real problem in the black community for a number of years partly a result of the economic and social displacement we have had since the 1950's. back to this trade issue that has occupied a lot of time on c-span and elsewhere in recent days. that is a factor that has led to the deindustrialization of parts of chicago baltimore, and other cities. it comes back to the problems on the streets. one thing we're importing is guns and drugs and that can't go on. host: part of our discussion you were listening on the radio on the way in. guest: i always listen to c-span. gets my heart pumping. host: part of the discussion was about whether this was an act of terrorism. whether this was a ha

we've democrat in his techies and called people gentrificationers i find offend offensive ethnic clarence those don't belong in my city of san francisco there are 13 sites to be built on 8 hundred and 50 we need more unfortunately good agree with the moratorium it is the wrong decision and also fueling a hated at division of our community which isn't right we need to work together to solve those problems and it is only together that we will solve those problems techies and gent firs whatever you want to call >> thank you, sir. thank you. next speaker, please. >> (clapping.) >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi my name is larry juicy edmond and this i have keys daily each and every needs keys daily the tech workers against the displacement and the st. anthony's you know to save our planet but we have the rainbow on market street today, the good and the bad and the ugly we deal with hilton hell letter 0 wanted to kill the gaze and the jewish and others martin luther king said the constitution keyboard should have basic black and white how the amer

clarence chamberlain was the opposite. he was short, he was shot, the war golfer's parents -- pants called plus fours. he wore a bow tie, he was as un-piloty as a pilot could be. and the fellow that owned the airplane that they would be flying in did not believe that chamberlain could fit the image of a pilot, of a world-class pilot, if he was the first to cross the atlantic. because the owner rightly believe that the first person across the atlantic would be in world celebrity, bigger than chaplin, douglas fairbanks, the biggest person in the world. he was right at the time. but at this time they were not really any professional pilots. this is what is different about them. there were barnstormers, but they were show men. there were military pilots but the idea of somebody who made a living as a test pilot and train people was unusual and these two did that so they were were rarities. there was lindbergh, this photo was taken around 1923 or 1924. this was when he was getting his wings as an army flyer in texas, or early i

there were three errors and one was the address of the video shop where clarence thomas rented a pornographic video. it is a game and this is how it is played obviously be one to our booktv accurate to bring that to our attention but the idea that somehow the findings the general argument the fact there are errors is to misunderstand the nature of investigative journalism and publishing. >> you wrote that if you could control the use as or will show and in 1984 cannot be used to express the dissenting views but it is say cover page said published last summer in "the national review" on the premise of let your right to pray and run free as i was announcing the emergence of a new wing and very quickly airboat give you the background betray nonfiction editor in my career by two years ago i began to hear from conservative authors who have written novels who had said i had written a novel will you read it or consider publishing it? and i talk to my publisher at harper collins the up shot was that they are of little to do a sectarian where they are meeting them for a broader audience i should be cl

he goes, i was talking to the duck. >> clarence is an older gentleman, old man you can call him. a giddy old man. happy. happy to be here. >> diagnosed with hyperverbal. >> we can't all be winners now, can we? you have to be people like me to make you real winners in life look really good. >> butterfield kind of jumps from one subject to another subject really quickly. he was really hard to follow in conversation. >> you know me, i'm kind of ignored. kind of being married for 26 years i'm really used to being ignored anyway. >> we start asking him direct questions. and he would answer about something completely off the wall that we weren't even talking about. >> i love germans. they're great. but you don't want to be locked in a cell with one for like five months. which i was. >> butterfield was an anomaly, because just approaching him and just speaking with him, he's very jovial. he's very happy. but on the other hand, you start hearing details about his case and you have to wonder, what is this man's mind-set? because it's so dark. it's so disturbing. >> if i don't see 20 bucks

join joining me are victoria desoto franco and clarence page. how important it is for clinton to energize the obama coalition? >> well you just touched the on it there, reverend. she does have the support of a majority of blacks hispanics, the obama coalition, if you will, but she doesn't have intensity in that support. she's got to bring those voters out and vote or else their votes don't count. that means she's got to get them excited about her candidacy. that's why i think you're going to see her talking tomorrow about why you ought to vote for me hillary clinton. that's something she has not talked about before. >> you know, victoria "the new york times" wrote about hillary clinton's strategy saying quote, if she won, it would suggest that the so-called obama coalition of young non-white and female voters is transferable to another democrat. what do you think of that? >> i do. i think that we're in a very different era right now than we were with the era of bill clinton. we're in a much more polarized country, both culturally we're more pola

sabrina sediqi thank you, and clarence paige so much.>> let's start with the twin political battles being engaged. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. the life behind it. ♪ those who have served our nation have earned the very best service in return. ♪ usaa. we know what it means to serve. get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. ♪ i built my business with passion. but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. i earn unlimited 2% cash back on everything i buy for my studio. ♪ and that unlimited 2% cash back from spark means thousands of dollars each year going back into my business... that's huge for my bottom line. what's in your wallet? if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla apremilast. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months.

. >> clarence culverson is one of those inmates. who has been through cuyahoga's county revolving door. over the past 14 years, culverson, who identifies as a transgender name ceecee, has done time for convictions, including forgery and theft and felonious assault. >> this right here is a safety zone for me because out there i'm self-destructive. i think i'm above the law. i like to steal cars and i like to rob old men, i like to sell drugs. and i'm at the point where i would do anything to maintain gucci. you know. i like the best. >> currently awaiting trial on drug trafficking and burglary charges to which he has pled not guilty. culverson said he's been planning for a sex change operation. >> i'm a woman. i always play the female part. you know, a got a 34-b. all right. and i'm still taking hormone pills. it's going to help me make the process exchange a little bit easier, because it's painful. and i got to make sure that it's something that i want to do. so they give me extra time to make sure that's what i want to do. once you

what i kick myself for is clarence chamberlain's family is around here somewhere, new jersey or something and there's a fellow -- i got an e-mail from a fellow by the name of billy stott or stough, one or the other who made a documentary about clarence chamberlain that showed at the imax theater. i am sure i am pointing in the wrong direction. a cradle of civilization. that way. his family is still alive. i would love to have known they were still alive. his children are still alive. i would have loved to have talked to these people. chamberlain was a fascinating character. at a time when there is a lot -- in this book there's a lot of -- i don't harp on it but can't get away from it but there's a lot of prejudice and discrimination in here. levine -- there's a lot of anti-semitism. at the time, in 1927, there were african-american flyers who wanted to fly but a few places that would let them fly. chamberlain was one of the few flyers in new york who regularly went up with a black flyer. i think he was jamaican. his name was -- what was his name? hubert fauntleroy julian or something like

. >> this latest era that gabe defines really start with clarence thomas who was young was ideologic could be expected to be around for a long time on the bench ? >> well, i do think it started about that time. and clearly, it's become the trend . i think in the past 30 years or so justices started to search 20 years or so. president saying i think it's good thing to nominate somebody who's only he going to be on the court for a decade or so, the whole system is structured to incentivize someone who can stay on for a long time. i can't blame the president for wanting to do it. i can't blame senators who are under pressure from special interest groups and these sorts of things to want to nominate somebody who is going to comport with their long term vision for america and fort for the courts. whether that is good structurally is another somewhere question. what i'm hearing gabe say about the age raises a good point about the constitution which provides no mechanism for a supreme court justice who is incapacitated in some way say in a vegetative state is in a coma or some sort of situa

i bet a lot of people would support rachel dolezal than clarence thomas. >> he just admitted ideology is a skin color of. to him a white communist is blacker than a black businessman. he's whiter than vanilla ice. we could all play along with identity cross dressing. even kareem abdul-jabbar said let rachel be black. never mind she once sued a black college for discrimination because she was white or that she was always the victim of alleged hate crimes. if she lies about race is she lying about that? i thank rachel. identity politics she reveals the absurdity of those who cling to it. i think therefore i am does not apply to pigment. one cannot claims experiences one never had. rachel didn't grow up as a black child. rachel pulled a racial rosy ruiz. that's the woman who hopped in at the last mile to win the boston marathon. rachel simply cut to the finish line of the identity marathon. she hoped to elicitly gain from a lifetime as a black woman which is the ultimate left wing sin. cultural appropriation. wear an indian head dress at a concert. have burritos at a college exchange. ac

tackle shop in the small town of perry, georgia, one of 4,000 licensed gun dealers in the state, clarence little is the owner. the source of the gun that was used to kill a new york city police officer in may. this cctv video caught the guys who robbed the store. >> you never knew who robbed your store? >> they were in hoodies and masks and gloves. >> the guns make their way up what's known as the iron pipeline, an illegal firearm trade route that runs up i-95 from southern states to new york. in spite of attempts by lawmakers and police to shut it down, the pipeline remains open. and georgia is ground zero. >> freeze present halt. >> two new york city officers ambushed in their car in december were also killed by a georgia gun. purchasing a gun in georgia is simple. you need a georgia driver's license or you can obtain a gun online with no background check at all. georgia leads the country as a source of firearms used in other states. 20,000 guns purchased in georgia were confiscated outside the state by police, according to data from the bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms. we reache

space as usual and maybe twice as often as you otherwise would and call me immediately if you see clarence thomas smiling because that might be important news. pew tan getting missals to the 80s arm skpras we're getting to know the people bethiend collapse -- and the nba as a champion and the first look is now. >> good wednesday morning and it's an attack on the super bowl. this morning could it have happened this year. according to fbi testimony the man accused of o orkdoing the shootings. it had an attendance of more than 70,000 people and not the mention the fans there to take part. in court yesterday prosecute ers called him off the charts dangerous for the alleged roles in the shoot outs. he is charged with conspiracy and making false statement tosss to the fbi. his attorney say that is the claims are a typical jailhouse snitch. >>> russian president putan and this is announcement came on the plan to station heavy weapons in the bordering russia. in response they accused him of rattling. >> this nuclear rattling of yaush is unjustified. it's destabilizing and it's dangerous. >> accusa

good evening. >> clarence thomas doesn't smile and secondly -- no, he does once in a while.perate for a signal. they are like in the morning there's dew on the grass, what does that mean. she knows she is read like tea leaves but i think she can't stop it at this point. >> we'll see what happens. thanks rachel. >>> hell froze over and now we're stuck in the ice with donald trump. >> the american dream is dead. >> it's happened. >> i'm officially running for president of the united states. >> donald trump puts his money where his mouth is. >> i'm really rich. >> the latest entry to the republican race arrived by escalator. >> trump was his usual trump self. >> i will be the greatest jobs president that god ever created. >> kind of crazy, entertaining brew of a narcissism, nativism and pure nonsense. >> i p

justices sam alito and clarence thomas worried that the majority did not explain what was needed to prove intent to carry out a threat. as justice thomas wrote: we spoke with former assistant attorney general by skype about the case. >> you have a lot of people who can use this to say all kinds of wild and crazy stuff. first amendment will be tested. >> reporter: and the national network to end domestic violence was disappointed that the decision will make it difficult to protect victims from abuse from threats. slarke joins us. -- lisa stark joins us. any issue why justice thomas and others punted on the issue of free speech. >> good question. don't you wish you could have sat in on those deliberations. many saw it as a free speech ace. alonize claimed free speech, and there's a line between protected speech, and speech that was not protected. if you make a true threat, it's not protected speech. you can be charged. was this a true threat. many thought the court would deal with the issue, draw the line to distinguish one from the other. they did not. one watcher speculated that the justi

justices samuel alito and clarence thomas worried that the majority did not explain what was needed to prove intent to carry out a threat. justice thomas wrote in his dissent: we spoke with former assistant attorney-general stan potenger by skype, about the case. >> we have a lot of people using this saying wild and crazy stuff. the first amendment will be tested >>> the national network to end domestic violence said it was did not that the system would make it difficult to protect people from abuse from threats >>> a second major case involved businesses and religion a court ruling the court found in favour of samantha elop turned down from a job. she alleged that her civil rights were violated - she wore a hijab to the interview. abercrombie said they did not know her religion so did not discriminated. justice anton and scalia wrote tore the majority and said: . >> the supreme court dealt in very broad brush. under title 7 this goes as far on the religious freedom as any case i have seen. >> in a statement abercrombie and fitch pointed out that the court did not determine that the co

good evening. >> clarence thomas doesn't smile and secondly -- no he does once in a while. signal. >> people are so desperate for a signal. they are like in the morning there's dew on the grass, what does that mean. she knows she is read like tea leaves but i think she can't stop it at this point. >> we'll see what happens. thanks rachel. >>> hell froze over and now we're stuck in the ice with donald trump. >> the american dream is dead. >> it's happen

good evening. >> clarence thomas doesn't smile and secondly -- no he does once in a while. ruth bader ginsburg being happy. she is happy a lot. can that be a signal. >> people are so desperate for a signal. they are like in the morning there's dew on the grass, what does that mean. she knows she is read like tea leaves but i think she can't stop it at this point. >> we'll see what happens. thanks rachel. >>> hell froze over and now we're stuck in the ice with donald trump. >> the american dream is dead. >> it's happened. >> i'm officially running for president of the united states. >> donald trump puts his money where his mouth is. >> i'm really rich. >> the latest entry to the republican race arrived by escalator. >> trump was his usual trump self. >> i will be the greatest jobs president that god ever created. >> kind of crazy, entertaining brew of a narcissism nativism and pure nonsense. >> i promise i will never be in a bicycle race. >> the notion obamacare is a big lie. >> you have to get hit by a tractor, literally a tractor to use it. >> i got the sense the man likes

. >> reporter: in open court, judge clarence murray asked if there wasn't somebody, somewhere, who withld give potchen a job. >> i never heard a judge say that before. >> reporter: when the owner of a local trucking company heard about it, he was moved. >> it's a way of reaching out to someone who was hopeless. we have a great welder that will be loyal to us and with we'll be loyal to him. >> reporter: now with his sentence modified, potchen isn't serving time, he's punching in. >> until they kick me out of here or shut the door on me, i ain't leaving. >> reporter: with steady work, support, even a retirement account, david potchen said he's never looking or going back. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago heights, illinois. >>> that is "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. lester holt will be here tomorrow. i'm carl quintanilla reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. >>> good evening to you. thank you for joining us. >> let's start with a look at the weather. much needed way coming our way. there's a live picture of the golden gate bridge. dark and overcast. it's