when we come back, we'll talk about eric holder taking the lead on this issue.impact will his words have when he doesn't have the authority to change the law? only on al jazeera ♪ >>> welcome back to "inside story." i'm ray suarez. on this edition of our program, we're talking about the lack of voting rights for millions of exconvicts in america. attorney general eric holder wants to restore those rights, but doesn't have the authority to do it. and dale i'm wondering what difference does it make if you are sitting in a state that does do disenfranchisement, and the toattorney general says it is a bad idea? >> well, i think it says something really powerful when the nation's top law enforcement officer comes out and says this is something that doesn't make a lot of sense. and i think minds are changing on this across both sides of the aisle. i think i mentioned earlier senator rand paul is someone who has come out in favor of ending the outlying practice of states like kentucky that ban people from voting for life for any felony offense. so i think it's very sig

then, attorney general eric holder calls for the repeal of state laws that are convicted felons from voting. >> across this country today, an estimated 5.8 million americans are prohibited from voting because of current or previous felony convictions. that is more than the individual populations of 31 united states. >> reporters without borders has just published its press freedom index for 2014. the u.s. has dropped 13 spots to just 46 on the list. all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. passed a has narrowly new measure to let the debt ceiling until march 2015. 28 republicans joined with democrats, dropping her party's long-running tactic of tying the debt limit to cuts on social spending. this time military pensions, the measure faces an uncertain fate in the senate where it is i'm clear of democrats will have the votes to overcome a filibuster. attorney general eric holder has called on states to repeal laws that prohibit formally incarcerated people from voting. speaking at georgetown university law cen

that's no the not what eric holder said. craft holder said was, the constitution comes first. it's a very rare extraordinary situation he absolutely said it shouldn't be based on policy as you mentioned and there are plenty of laws that eric holder has upheld that the united states justice department has upheld, in which he doesn't believe personally think so let's not take this as a stampede away from the courthouse. that's not what is happening here. holder is making a principled argument saying in a very, very rarefied instance, such as marriage equality, that an attorney general can make a determination that the law as written in their state, is unconstitutional. and if they make a finding that it is unconstitutional, they can further decide not to spends their public dollars and their office defending it. the house of representatives went through this very exercise when the house republicans claimed that they were for fiscal as tear at this and yet spent $3 million defending doma long after all the public polls said peop

attorney general, eric holder.make a historic announcement tonight on same-sex marriages in the u.s. we'll tell you what he's likely to say. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that parker. well, did you know auctioneers make bad grocery store clerks? that'll be $23.50. now .75, 23.75, hold 'em. hey now do i hear 23.75? 24! hey 24 dollar, 24 and a quarter, quarter, now half, 24 and a half and .75! 25! now a quarter, hey 26 and a quarter, do you wanna pay now, you wanna do it, 25 and a quarter - sold to the man in the khaki jacket! geico. fifteen minutes could save you... well, you know. >>> new york yankee slugger alex rod dreeg eriguez gives us his withdrawing this lawsuit against major league baseball, the commissioner and the union. the 162-game suspension will cost rodriguezs 25ds milli $25 salary. we haven't heard back from his speakers. >>> and passengers on bieber's plane interfered with the crew last week. he and his father verbally abused a flight attend

feed the senses. >>> eric holder gives new same sex privileges.ke critics charge it another overreach and ignore as key stream court ruling. a live report from right here in washington. and the president says boneheaded decisions not corruption are behind the ira targeting of conservative groove groups. but some you law make respect say why is the president pre-judging an investigation not yet over. and obama care means more won't be

what about eric holder?art of president obama's second term, a lot of the other really high profile members of the president's cabinet left. not necessarily because of the scandal or disagreement with the president, or something, but because, you know, first term's up. time to move on. hillary clinton left as secretary of state. tim geithner left as treasury secretary. steven chu left as energy secretary. all the marquee names left but not attorney general eric holder. he stayed. sort of quiet assurances at the time that he did not intend to stay for the whole second term, but he did want to stay at least a little while longer so he is till there now. five years into it and counting. nobody's quite sure exactly how much longer attorney general eric holder is planning to stay in office. while he's still around, though, turns out he's making it crystal clear he's going to make the most of the time he has left. the attorney general sort of quietly without much attention has been on a real tear recently. i mean,

eric holder announcing that federal privileges will extend. it will apply to states that don'ted recognise gay unions. >> on monday i'll issue a new policy memorandum that will formally instruct justice kept employees to give law same sex merges equal under the law. >> eric holder received applause. eric holder was called is cruisater. >> in every courthouse, in every proceeding and place where the departments stopped the same rites will be afforded. >> the new rules include: >> the couples must be legally married. the justice department will apply the your rules, even when cases are herd by federal courts. >> the department of justice solidifies policy to end discrimination against sim sex couple. >> the shift in policy don come as a surprise. it was declared onconstitutional. it builds on a promise bam ape made in the state of the union address. to advance policies administratively if cann greg won't act. >> this makes same-sex couples eligible for death benefits federal rights should only be granted in states where gay marriage has been leg

. ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> this week you chose eric holder.at the time human rights campaign dinner. attorney general eric holder announced major changes in how the justice department will be handling that, instruct lt all employees to give lawful same-sex marriages to give full and equal recognition to the greatest extent possible under the law. >> in defense of eric holder, a phrase i'm not sure i ever used here before, i think he did it in a way that's quite plausible under the supreme court ruling. it struck down the defense of marriage act on the basis of, a., states and rights. and b., equal protection. and the court was ambiguous as to which rationale is dominant. it's quite plausible and reasonable to accept the equal protection rationale and thus, to rule that federal benefits ought to be available in every state including states where the states have not sanctioned gay marriage. >> well, i think that's exactly right. it's a matter of equal rights and how you interpret it and at this point without the defense of marriage, outlawing th

of course, all good wishes to eric holder. thanks, pete. >>> secretary kerry has called his russian counterpart lavrov, russia scrambled jets along the border and gunman seized buildings in crimea, the site of the russian naval base. for the latest i'm joined by chief foreign correspondent richard engel. this is alarming to say the least. we don't know what russia's intentions are, is this diplomacy or something real? >> reporter: i'm still shocked secretary kerry used the rocky reference in his interview with you. once i've gotten past that there have been incredible developments here over the past few -- last 24 hours or so. right now they seem to be calming down slightly, better than they were this morning. what happened overnight and early today, several gunmen, maybe 30 to 50 heavily armed, some with anti-tank weapons and sniper rifles took over the parliament in crimea. they hoisted the flag and have been barricading themselves in there all day. the speaker of the crimean parliament wants to hold a referendum that would

eric holder is at the hospital after experiencing some shortness of breath.ter the break. mine was earned in korea in 1953. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. and a hotel is the perfect place to talk to you about hotels. all-you-can-eat is a hotel policy that allows you to eat all that you can. the hotel gym is short for gymnasium. the hotel pool is usually filled with water. and the best dot com for booking hotels, is hotels.com. it's on the internet, but you probably knew that. or maybe not, i don't really know you. bellman: welcome back, captain obvious. captain obvious: yes i am. all those words are spelled correctly. millions have raised their hand for the proven relief of the purple pill.

. >> in the modern day civil rights movement, eric holder is something of a rock star. >> i will issue a new policy memorandum. all justice department employees to give lawful same-sex marriages full and equal recognition. >> that rock star attorney general eric holder. brother, drop the mike. >>> your forecast this week, we begin with a man who's making a play to lead his party in 2016. in an interview that aired this morning on c-span, yet again republican senator rand paul went on attack against former president bill clinton. >> the democrats can't say, oh, we're the great defenders of women's rights in the workplace and we'll defend you against some kind of abusive boss that uses their position of authority to take advantage of a young woman when the leader of their party, the leading fundraiser in the country is bill clinton, who was a perpetrator of that kind of sexual harassment. you know, so they can't have it both ways. so i really think that anybody who wants to take money from bill clinton or have a fundraiser has a lot of explaining to do. in fact, i think they should give

attorney general eric holder sworn to uphold the law.s advising state attorney general how to get around the law when it comes to state bans on same-sex marriage. >>> a handful of landowners in the u.s. could lose a treasured property along mississippi river to a bike trail under eminent domain. we're going to speak to two sisters who have had this property in the family for more than 100 years and could be stripped from them. ♪ ♪ ♪ it's eb. want to give your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition? it's eb. eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. >>> time for a quick check of headlines, former governor jeb bush admits his last name would be an issue and could hurt him if he runs in 2016. he says it's also an issue hillary clinton will face. >>> ousted president still on the run in ukraine a day after a warrant issued for his arrest. the new government said he's wanted for mass murder of protesters. he fled the capital over the weekend. >>> more cold weather over the week, much of the country will exp

eric holder may step down later this year.o dresdner just a moments to talk about the odds on favorite is to replace the doj top dog. and this man, as we showed you earlier, is the one in hot water over aol's benefit policies and some of the comments made about mothers with babies. the cost to the company a lot of money. good to say you are not an aol owned operation. we have the founders of one of those very companies that tim armstrong acquired. it is a fox business exclusive. (announcer) scottrade knows our clients trade and invest their own way. with scottrade's smart text, i can quickly understand my charts, and spend more time trading. their quick trade bar lets my account follow me online so i can react in real-time. plus, my local scottrade office is there to help. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'with scottrade. (announcer) ranked highest in investor satisfaction with self-directed services by j.d. power and associates. peace of mind is important when so we provide it services you buc

attorney general eric holder is undergoing tests after being taken to the hospital. is following the latest developments. pete, what is the latest on holder's condition? >> the latest is that the attorney general is home. a justice department official says he was released from the hospital about 1:15 this afternoon. that means he was hospitalized or in the hospital for some checks. just over three hours. this all started this morning when at his regular staff meeting, he told his staff he wasn't feeling well, got up, left the room and his security detail persuaded him to go to the hospital. he was taken by ambulance, though members of his staff saying he was joking with the paramedics, here imin an ambulance, but i walk five flights every day and was going

you can just trump what eric holder said. >> it is not the rule of barack obama, or eric holder, thisthe rule of law. issues come and go, megyn, we'll have another attorney general some day. we'll have another president. there will be another controversial issue. and if the attorney general feels like he can just make a declaration by whim that he is determined without a court resolution that something is unconstitutional, we're setting off on a very dangerous path. >> here is what i want to ask you, this is him trying to defend his statement to "the new york times." he cited the brown versus education, if i were attorney general in kansas in 1953 i would not have listened to a law that said separate but equal. and it turned out that they said yeah, you're right, that is not unconstitutional. >> well, we don't have time machines or crystal ballings. the beauty of the law is we have each side that has the duty to represent their sides, if somebody objects to the law he can go to court and contest it. did we get a final resolution? and one thing that is so ironic, if the california atto

craig boswell has the latest from washington. >> reporter: attorney general eric holder wants congress to act in the wake of data breaches against millions of holiday shoppers at target and neiman marcus. holder pushed for the legislation in the video posted on the justice department's website. the issue of customer notification became a priority when some victims complained they didn't know credit card numbers and other personal information was stolen until the media reported it. 46 states and the district of columbia already have laws requiring public companies to float identify customers of breaches. attorney general holder says it would be better for consumers if congress held all companies to a national standard. >> it would enable law enforcement to better investigate these crimes and hold compromised entities accountable. >> reporter: holder says there should be exemptions for harmless breaches to avoid placing unnecessary burdens on businesses that act responsibly. craig boswell for cbs news, washington. >>> there are new tough penalties against homosexuality in uganda. the pre

. >> when we get back, eric holder pushing to get ex-cons their voting rights back. that debate is next. >> before we go, rick is standing by in the fox news weather center with an up ddaten the massive wnter storm bearing down on the south and it's headed our way. rick, what should we do? >> exactly, every you said, it's coming, but it's across the south. severe weather across parts of florida. could be expected strong winds causing damage, but the bigger problem is snow across northern alabama now and heavy snow falling across i-81 area throughout the central appalachians, and then this area of friesen rain from around atlanta to augusta and columbia, south carolina, major problem here. we're going to talk about some of these places getting up to an inch of ice accumulating. going to cause incredible power outages and tree damage to these areas south of atlanta and that south carolina/georgia border, but take a look at the broader picture. a major storm on our hands that extends from parts of mississippi all the way throughout new england. overnight tonight, we'll

let me start by asking what you make of the statements from attorney general eric holder that he woulde open to a conversation with him. how do you read that? back to the initial case that was filed and basically, this is the suggested a kindhe suggestion of of negotiation that anyone who is involved in a criminal charge can pursue. can you make an arrangement? are their discussions he can have with holder to let him think differently about what he ought to be charged with. that he will be charged, that there will be a criminal, federal indictment. there is no doubt it will be a full indictment. the question is, what will the charge be? tavis: it would be perhaps in edward snowden's best interest to engage in a conversation. >> i would assume so. from a whole different perspective, i think if we are going to treat edward snowden as someone acting in the public , what he is pursuing is a form of civil disobedience. one of the things that dr. king told us, yes, if you break the law, you have to assume that you will pay the price. if he is serious about being a whistleblower, he ought not

eric holder has been sent to a washington, d.c. eath. mr. holder is 63 years old. he's in good health by all accounts. we're waiting further word on tests that are taken right now. he was taken to washington hospital center by his security detail, not by ambulance. but we'll continue to follow this breaking news and pete williams will certainly update us with any news information as it comes in. >>> an update on a case that sparked a gut-wrenches controversy regarding parents and a family's rights. we're in the seven weeks since to a -- her family had fought the brain-dead diagnosis, claiming her body was still functions and she was still moving. now her mother says she's improving. in fact, in a facebook post last week, malia winfield wrote, quote -- she is much better physically, and i see changes that give me hope. joining mess brianna edwards, who has written about this story. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me, tamron. >> when i saw she posted this, it took my breath away. obviously she fought to have

let me shorthand what eric holder talked about last night and will illinomplement tomorro.s he's going to extend federal recognition and federal benefits to same-sex married couples when a federal court is involved, when a federal prison is involved, in bankruptcy courts, which are federal. here is part of what he said. >> as now nothing less than our country's founding commitment to the notion of equal protection under the law was at stake, and so the justice department's role in confronting discrimination must be as aggressive today as it was in robert kennedy's time. as attorney general, i will never let this department be simply a bistaystander during t important moment in history. we will act. >> so what he's done here is compare the civil rights movement to the gay rights movement. >> which is a big deal. >> it's a huge deal, and one of the reasons i wanted to bring it up because this has not been popular in the african-american community. >> well, you know what? when the president started coming out on it, you saw some movement in the african-american community movin

and as you mentioned a few moments ago, wolf, this is going to really pertain, as eric holder said, to areas where the federal government has jurisdiction, bankruptcy court cases, other federal court proceedings, survivor benefits, issues and so on. and so this is really leading social conservative groups to attack the white house, the family research council came out with a statement over the weekend saying this was another example of the administration's, quote, lawlessness. but eric holder in that speech to the human rights campaign, wolf, said this is really about equal protection under the law. and he also framed this as a civil rights issue, saying that this really belongs in the same category as the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, wolf. >> so are some civil rights leaders recalling the civil rights movement back in the '60s? are they happy with this comparison, because there are some african-americans, for example, who disagree with that comparison. >> that's right. and this white house has heard about this, as you know. the president has been evolving on this issue for many

attorney general eric holder planning to issue the official memorandum tomorrow that ensured married same-sex couples gets the same legal benefits nationwide even in states where same-sex marriage is not recognized. that's for couples that are affiliated with the justice department. hi, everybody. i'm jamie colby and welcome to america's news headquarters. >> the policy for same-sex marriage includes not giving incriminating testimony against each other and inmates will be covered. the attorney general pushing back against critics at a human rights gala and said it addresses the civil rights issue of our time. >> these initial changes will positively impact the lives of so many across the nation. all of these are worth celebrating. i want to make one thing clear. for my colleagues or me, i know for all of you, they are only the beginning. >> what else does it call for? live in washington with the latest details. hello, molly. >> attorney general eric holder said he wants to give same-sex marriages full and equal recognition to the greatest extent possible under the law. for example,

eric holder says . . . the u.s. had a $5 million bounty on guzman's head. united states wants to extradite him for crimes he allegedly committed in the united states. he faces charges in new york, chicago, miami and texas. mexico's attorney general has not commented on the possibility of extradition, meanwhile though the head is behind bars tonight, the organization is not out of business, and it is not the only cartel in mexico to supply america's enormous appetite for drugs. for more now on the arrest of joaquin el chapo guzman, we're joined by adam rainy in mexico city. today he was if i recally charged, what are the counts? >> well, really it's one charge, and it's for breaking mexico's drug f trafficking laws. and that's significant. it is showing the u.s. it has registered a charge, but they haven't decided to file many charges against them. we don't know if he is going to lay on a lot of other charges pending against him. if they were do so, that would be a signal that this man is probably not going to be leaving mexico any time soon. >> what has the

attorney general, eric holder, said that the same federal benefits given to straight couples will be listen to same-sex couples. >>> the besieged syrian city of homs, the u.s. will not be discouraged from bringing in food and medicine even after four workers were hurt yesterday. >>> protesters in the ukraine will continue marching against the government today where thousands flocked to kiev in opposition to president victor yanokovych. >>> we have major weather events all over the world. >> we start in australia, where a ridge of high pressure is in control. and look at this footage. you see the smoldering inferno taking over. folks have had to abandon their homes. and a strong ridge of high pressure is powering in with the sunshine, and we have low humidity and temperatures in the 90s and close to 100. this is what we're looking at. it's very very similar to what we see in southern california in the summertime. and then in bolivia, they're dealing with devastating flooding. 38 people have lost their lives, and we showed you the footage yesterday. and now this new footage. it's horri

>> yes, sir. >> in 2013 on may 14th, i sent eric holder a letter. are you aware of the letter that i sent him asking for a special prosecutor and asking a bunch of questions about the irs? >> yes, sir, i am. >> i have not received a response from eric holder on it. have you received a response? >> no, sir. >> were you asked by the fbi or the irs, rather, to produce all of the tweets that you ever tweeted? >> yes, sir. >> facebook posts? >> yes, sir. >> did you comply with that? >> i don't do facebook or twitter. >> the irs, they wanted to know all the places that you spoke publicly. >> yes, sir. >> did they want copies of your speeches? >> yes, sir. >> get this correct. the federal government wanted a copy of a citizen's speech in a public forum. >> yes, sir. >> did they want to know where you were going to speak in the future? >> yes, sir. >> did they want to know the names of the groups you spoke to? >> yes, sir. >> did they want the mailing list or the attendee list of the people that were in attendance at the places that you spoke? >> yes, sir.

that is why there is so much objection to what eric holder is saying.you have discriminatory bias but the law is written that way. >> that happens in the courts that will overturn some of these laws. i don't disagree that we move forward but it is not the attorney general space to make that decision. lou: we have seen six states all democrats refusing to defend a ban on it same-sex marriage. >> it is the equal protection and argument. people look at a separate part of the argument because all citizens are created equal under the constitution. you cannot target a group to say because you have sexual orientation in you don't have the same rights. >> understood. i completely agree with your sentiment but it is a process for the courts to decide. it is bias in the legal the buffon and change the law. lou: then what is the responsibility of the attorneys general? >> to put force of law. >> then where does the old bantam? -- momentum come? >> momentum has to be started. they don't have the right to object but they can start the ball bentham for the dialogue.

. >> eric holders stepping in the debate of same- sex marriage. he said about the enforcement of state laws. >> and a scary wrong way driver leading police on a chase. we'll show you what happens next. 800,000 hours of supercomputing time, 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights. whether it's building the world's most advanced satellite, the space station, or the next leap in unmanned systems. at boeing, one thing never changes. our passion to make it real. ♪ >> time to check in with gretchen carlsson. >> hi, guys, vice-president biden messing up the obama care loss number and admitting he has no power as vp. >> and analyzing bill clinton's trip to kentucky. and imagine owning prerty for a mississippi river and only to lose it to the government for a new bike trail. two sisters from minnesota join us on the real story top of the hour. >> see you then, gretchen. >> and attorney general eric holder stepping in the highly publicized debate of same- sex marriage. >> telling state attorney general don't have to defen

and we are getting late-breaking word that the attorney general of the united states, eric holder, is right now in the hospital. this because apparently earlier today he was experiencing symptoms of shortness of breath and faintness. so he was rushed off to the washington med dlpsz star hospital where he is right now presumably undergoing tests. there's very little we know about the circumstances right now of the attorney general. serious enough that he's been hospitalized. our justice correspondent, evan perez, has been watching to find out if there are anymore of these late-breaking developments. we know he's a 63-year-old man who is extraordinarily hard working. but are we finding anything else about the conditions he was dealing with today, evan? >> well, you know, he was having a normal day. meeting with some of the his top aides at about 9:30 when he experienced some faintness and some shortness of breath. and that's when the decision was made quickly to take him to the hospital. we don't know much more about the circumstances than that, ashleigh. right now we're told that he is

to eric holder's predecesor.me and it's good to have you back. >> it is good to be back with you. >> what you make of this because eric holder didn't want to be cornered in the moment. especially when it comes to changes in the health care law. but there are constitutional. but are they the constitutional up and up? >> every time that an executive order is signed by the president it would be the department of justice and a legality and has given us an and it is constitutional. >> absolutely. i am sympathetic to the attorney general not commenting or answered with respect to specifics of the legal rationale or the legal basis. and especially with respect to the executive orders. neil: he did more than that. they were the realm of just initiating and bypassing congress. but the wholesale changes keeps revamping and changing the law itself. and especially with congress changing it with you. >> no question about it. they cannot supplant this statute passed by congress. effectively deciding not to implement and enforc

>> attorney general eric holder wants states that block people from voting after they leave prison to their right to vote. he says these laws are racist and discriminatory. i think his real motive here is most these prisoners are more likely to vote democratic. i wish the attorney general was as sympathetic about law-abiding minorities who want to use school voucher programs he is trying to shut down. >> in louisiana, for example. >> this week in the california desert one of the world's largest solar farms opened. the problem is that the process generates heat waves approaching 1,000 degrees. birds are flying and being eviscerated. the green lobby is complaining. a hit to the solar plant. not only is it exposing environmentalist contradictions but an important lesson how we organize our lives we can't do it to protect the birds. >> before "saturday night live" there was median sid caesar who died this week and was the godfather of the golden age of american comedy. he was so funny. his comedy was good, clean fun. a few years ago he reflected on the fact to be funny today comedians tho

the attorney general, eric holder, expected to make those remarks in a speech tonight to the human rights campaign. molly henneberg live in washington with more on this. molly? >> reporter: attorney general eric holder says he will not let the department of justice, quote, be simply a bystander in the battle over gay marriage. so he's announcing tonight new changes at the department which will take effect on monday recognizing in certain ways same sex couples, including giving them the right not to have to testify against each other in federal court. moreover, he's expected to say at a gay rights gala in new york city tonight, quote, under this policy, even in states where same sex marriages are not recognized, the federal government will not use state views as a basis to object to someone in a same sex marriage invoking this right. 33 states have passed measures defining marriage as between one man and woman. even in those states, he says the department of justice will recognize same sex couples in civil and criminal cases. which infuriates supporters of traditional marriage who says he'

we are told the vehicles belong to the security detail of attorney general eric holder. by noon, a spokesperson for the department of justice said it was eric holder, that the 63-year-old was in a staff meeting when he began feeling faint with shortness of breath. news ericll abc holder retreated to a private office where his security detail insisted he go to the hospital. 82nd attorney general was making jokes on his way to the hospital. did starr refused comment, but in a goodholder was disposition and good condition, so much so that by 1:30 he had been released. his security detail raced back to their unit. he has an active schedule this month, a trip to sweden to discuss gay marriage. we call on congress to create a strong national standard. >> and testifying before a senate committee on the massive cyber breaches at target and neiman marcus. holder has been in office since 2009 and consistently maintained he has no plans on stepping down. he told a senate committee just this past june that the only thing that would lead him to step down would be fatigue. live outsid

what is eric holder saying here? >> he is saying we can place our views and opinions above state law. and we can't do that. when we put ourselves above the law that is dangerous. the highest law in the land is the constitution and when we say elected officials can use their law as the higher law of the land this sets up us for a slippery slope. >> whether or not you agree with the law, it is your job to enforce it. >> absolutely. i am trying to educate voters in wisconsin for years that just because i defend a law in the constitution doesn't mean i support it. but it is the underlying rule of the society. if that bows to one elected official, it can erode the system we rely on >> what are you going to do? >> i will defend the state constitution. if there is any reason defend the law or rule or regulation of the state, certainly the state constitution, i am going to do that. >> listen carefully to eric holder: >> i believe that we must be suspicious of legal classifications based solely on sexual orientation and we mu

. >>> some backlash today over attorney general eric holder's announce tment d.o.j. will begi recognizing same-sex marriages. the attorney general saying that the change impacts how same-sex couple s interact with the u.s. court system, but some are a calling this yet another example p overreach by the federal government. molly has the story from washington. >> reporter: attorney general eric holder wants to recognize gay marriages, quote, to the greatest september possibnt pose law. so starting monday, same sex married couples are not be compelled to testify against each over in federal court. >> the federal government will not use state views as a basis to object to someone in a same-sex marriage invoking this right. >> reporter: the supreme court ruled last year that federal benefits could not be denied to legally married same-sex couples. but the court left the door open for states to determine who is allowed to be married. 33 states have laws defining marriage as between one man and one woman. the family research council which advocates for traditional marriage

>> yes, sir. >> in 2013 on may 14th, i sent eric holder a letter. are you aware of the letter that i sent him asking for a special prosecutor and asking a bunch of questions about the irs? >> yes, sir, i am. >> i have not received a response from eric holder on it. have you received a response? >> no, sir. >> were you asked by the fbi or the irs, rather, to produce all of the tweets that you ever tweeted? >> yes, sir. >> facebook posts? >> yes, sir. >> did you comply with that? >> i don't do facebook or twitter. >> the irs, they wanted to know all the places that you spoke publicly. >> yes, sir. >> did they want copies of your speeches? >> yes, sir. >> get this correct. the federal government wanted a copy of a citizen's speech in a public forum. >> yes, sir. >> did they want to know where you were going to speak in the future? >> yes, sir. >> did they want to know the names of the groups you spoke to? >> yes, sir. >> did they want the mailing list or the attendee list of the people that were in attendance at the places that you spoke? >> yes, sir.

the democrats to make racial appeals to try to divide the electorate on racial grounds as i think eric holdermple, on 54th i.d. >> absolutely. and i think it is true romney did leave a lot of white working class votes on the table last time. i would say that had a lot to do with mitt romney. it shouldn't be an either/or. you go after the white class or you go after immigrants and minorities. it should be both. and i think the message if they focus on job creation on, values, those are issues unlike immigration that can bring that coalition together. a lot of these immigrant groups, small business, they should be natural republican voters. >> let's say we get another data point to look at, dan. for example, in 2004 republicans got more than 40% of the hispanic vote and the asian vote. by 2012, it had fallen into the upper 20s. those are killer numbers. >> yeah. they sure are. and probably the hispanic vote is the result of the immigration issue and the republicans. the idea being they cannot do immigration reform. i have to tell you, i think at this point, this immigration issue has become a b

. >>> up next, the attorney general eric holder takes on same-sex marriage bans across the country and enkourcourages counterparts in the states to do the same thing. >>> you may have seen the paintings by the former president turned artist george w. bush. he's about to take the wraps off over paintings. we have details. when jake and i first set out on our own, we ate anything. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we'll be there for each other. naturally. purina cat chow naturals. in fact, they depend on a unique set of nutrients. [ male announcer ] that's why there's ocuvite to help protect your eye health. as you age, your eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is a vitamin made just for your eyes from the eye care experts at bausch + lomb. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just n

as a precaution his security detail wanted attorney general eric holder transported by ambulance. holder reportedly joked with paramedics during the ride to med star washington hospital center. he was taken into the emergency room to be checked out. earlier this morning holder had complained about faintness and shortness of breath at his senior staff meeting at the department of justice. holder is 63 and stated as in good shape, playing basketball regularly. in the hospital he was reportedly resting comfortably, alert and conversing with doctors who evaluated him. at the white house briefing reporters asked if the president had anything to say about the attorney general being taken to the hospital? >> the president was notified and wishes him a speedy recovery. >> reporter: just after 1:00 this the afternoon four vehicles in his security detail today left the hospital and we were told mr. holder was sent home. the attorney general walked out of the hospital without any assistance. now he's well-known and well-liked locally before he became the u.s. attorney general. he served as a

. >> i don't think that is what eric holder was saying and neither do you.t we both know to be true is that this has been decided by the supreme court. and what is happening in our own country right now, the defense of marriage act. so we are talking about -- >> it matters way beyond that. >> that is a federal act. >> my point is that the law has been decided. and what he is acknowledging and what the supreme court has said is that this is not constitutional. so any state law that doesn't jive with the constitution, once again, that is the head law. not religious law and not just state law. the state laws have to be consistent with the constitution. the defense of marriage act has been proven not to be consistent with the constitution. any state version of the defense of marriage act is null and void. >> the marriage amendments are quite different from doma. the supreme court explicitly didn't decide it at the same time. can we talk about attorney holder's role? for the first year and a half in his tenure he defended doma. that tells me as a lawyer he believ

attorney general eric holder was transported by ambulance to med star as a precaution. after complaining at a morning meeting that he was experiencing symptoms of faintness and shortness of breath. while in the emergency room holder was alert and felt well enough to approve a department of justice news release about his condition. that was then kwuquoted a short time later at a white house briefing. >> he's resting comfortably and in good condition. he's alert. >> reporter: just about two hours after they arrived at med star his security detail pulled out of the parking lot and we were told the attorney general was sent home and was resting comfortably. now here's the latest on his condition. he came here to the emergency room with an elevated heart rate. they gave him medication and brought his heart rate back to normal. now the top law enforcement official is resting at home. he is well-known locally because he served as a judge at d.c. superior court and also as the u.s. attorney for the district of columbia. tonight he's sending out his thanks to all of his friends

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in particular, the question is, on gay marriage, whether this is a bridge too far for eric holder. your thoughts. >> i find it troubling, not because he's speaking to his state counterparts. the attorney general would reach out to his state counterparts and they'll try to coordinate their position on policy. the problem is not giving advice, but the specific advice that he's giving. you know, many of us were troubled by the role of attorney general holder and the administration in the last challenge. essentially the administration left that litigation in midstream and refused to defend the federal law. and it created a pileup in the courts. it's not clear who could defend the law. and the same thing happened with the sister case from california, hollingsworth, where ultimately the court found there wasn't standing to be heard in front of the supreme court. that's the price of this tactic, if you withdraw your defense from these -- of these laws. there may not be someone there who can advance the case. >> it's like these laws are almost like criminal defendants who get a state appoi

it is also eric holder's time to look at his legacy. to stake his claim in history. i think he made it very clear that this is where he wants to do it, and i think, thirdly, it's an election year, and certainly the gay community has been incredibly supportive of the president and of democrats, their big money contributors, as well as voters, and this is the time obviously that folks want their base to come out. now, eric holder, the justice department, you know, independent of all of that, and he is following what the administration started, which was to extend federal benefits in any way they could to legal gay married couples. so i think a lot of things come to play, but in the end i think this is about eric holder, where he wants to take the justice department, how he wants his justice department seen, and it certainly will help if you look at the politics of 2014. >> interesting. candy, thank you so much. looking forward to your conversations this morning. keep it here for "state of the union" with candy crowley starts next hour rig

that's eric holder's message today as he called for an end to state laws that bars felons from voting time. not only are these laws unnecessary and unjust. they are also counterproductive. >> by perpetuating the stigma and isolation imposed on formerly incarcerated individuals, this increases the probability they'll commit more crimes. >> an estimated 5.8 million people in this country are prohibited from casting a ballot. more than a third of them are african-americans. for the men and women who lived through the era of jim crow and their children, these policies echo a deeply troubled time. >> they have their roots in centuries old conceptions of justice that were based on exclusion and fear. the impact of felon disenfranchisement on modern communities of color remains disproportionate and unacceptable. >> it is unclear what impact holder's argument will have on state officials. it has made him some unlikely allies, rand paul. stay tuned. that's all for now. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. eastern. "the ed show" is up next. >>> good evening, americans, and welcome to "t