jelani, we can talk fireworks or everything else.r pick. >> does it really matter at this point, ari? >> does anything matter? i hope so. >> given where we are, i mean, it's the 4th of july. the president of the united states wants fireworks at a place that may well go up in flames as a result of it. it is the perfect encapsulation the perfect metaphorical encapsulation of everything we've seen during his presidency. >> i think what we're seeing is a president who is determined to fly in the face of the experts and his own health officials, environmental experts as well as people that are saying there is a myth of america that this idea that america treated people well, that they treated men and women equally, that we founded this country just by our own wits, that that is a lie and we're seeing a celebration of america's independence on land stolen from native americans and being seen and overlooked by two presidents, their figures rather that owned slaves. and a third president, roosevelt who oversaw the desecration of native land.

thank you, jelani cobb, bishop william barber. that was like coffee at an algonquin roundtable.g up, police brutality has never been more evident, but there is a part of that story that deserves more attention. in true "a.m. joy" fashion, that's going to happen right here. stay tuned. that's going to happt here stay tuned who has time for wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair®. we've got the retinol that gives you results in one week. not just any retinol. accelerated retinol sa. for not only smoother skin in one day, but younger-looking skin in just one week. and that's clinically proven. results that fast or your money back. unless you're attached to your wrinkles. one week is all it takes. neutrogena®. hold on one second... sure. okay... okay! safe drivers save 40%!!! guys! guys! check it out. safe drivers save 40%!!! safe drivers save 40%! safe drivers save 40%!!! that's safe drivers save 40%. it is, that's safe drivers save 40%. - he's right there. - it's him! he's here. he's right here. - hi! - hi. hey! - that's totally him. - it's him! that's totally the guy. safe dr

. >> joining me now, jelani cobs. no one gets points for subtlety in politics. the ad struck me because there is 150,000 who died from the virus. tens and millions of people out of work. and increasingly the republican strategy from trump on down is to not talk about it and show pictures of young black men jumping on police cars. >> yeah. i mean, it's difficult, honestly, to look at this and suppress the urge to roll your eyes or, you know, worse because, for one, we see this again and again and again. they're not running against the electorate. they're running against these actual candidates. and having failed to come up with anything that really makes a case for themselves. they decided to try to tap into the contempt that people have, people that view politics differently from them or have different policy priorities than they have and, you know, that's about all they have to go with. the other thing i think that's so striking about this is the selectivity of it. you know, we did not see any of this outrage. where was this outrage when charlottesville happene

and jelani cobs is with us. he's a staff writer for "the new yorker"te and professor of journalism at columbia university. they are both msnbc political analysts.ia i give you this day to reflect on as you will the tale of two presidencies, the chaos of the trump presidency and then a glimpse back on that pulpit today of that presidency that preceded it. >> look, i think so many americans today when they heard the sound of president obama's voice immediately began to feel more relaxed and more stable. i know i'm not just speaking for myself because it's been so long since we had a president that represented the best of america. i think what we're living through right now is a testament to how donald trump represents really the worst of our character, the cruelty, the meanness, the mean spiritedness, the selfishness at the expense of others. and i think that what president obama spoke to in terms of the legacy of john lewis and why i think it resonated so much today across generations is this idea that the fight

we actually have a threat to american sovereignty, you hear nothing >> that's such a great point, jelani that is something we have to devote some time to one night. it's really an astonishing evolution. thank you again for starting us off tonight. really appreciate it >>> and when we come back, the school year is just about upon us it is upon us in some places are your kids going back to school well, not if they live in los angeles, the biggest school district in california or san diego and not really in new york city where things are much better what does the experience in summer camp this summer tell us about the possibilities of going back to school that's next. don't just think about where you're headed this summer. think about how you'll get there. and now that you can lease or buy a new lincoln remotely or in person... discovering that feeling has never been more effortless. the lincoln summer invitation sales event is here. over time, you go noseblind to the odors in your home. (background music) but others smell this... (upbeat music) that's why febreze plug has two alternating s

we actually have a threat to american sovereignty, you hear nothing >> that's such a great point, jelani that is something we have to devote some time to one night. it's really an astonishing evolution. thank you again for starting us off tonight. really appreciate it >>> and when we come back, the school year is just about upon us it is upon us in some places are your kids going back to school well, not if they live in los angeles, the biggest school district in california or san diego and not really in new york city where things are much better what does the experience in summer camp this summer tell us about the possibilities of going back to school that's next. th a higher risk ofe due to afib... ...not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i want that too. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. what's next? reeling in a nice one. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your

>> jelani cobb talked about this event being staged on purloined land.ually had to look that up. it's an amazing word. it means stolen. it's not just the land that had been stolen. it's the theft of history, the theft of the narrative, and places like mount rushmore or spots in communities all across this country where confederate monuments have been erected. it was to steal the history and steal the truth, to always reflect back on those ideas of white supremacy and power and domination. and we see that again. so as folks are gathering at risk of their great health, we see the pandemic continuing to spread, we think about this moment of reconciliation, of who we are and who we've been and who we could possibly be. and to stage this moment, independence day, and you think about frederick douglass said what to the slave is the fourth of july, right? it's a terrible day, but also a day of deep reckoning and trying to understand the great insults of america at odds with its greatness. on its best day we know what america can be. on its worst days we've seen