npr has fired juan williams who worked there for more than 10 years. in february of 2009, npr warned juan not to advertise his association with them on this program. and now, npr has terminated juan's contract because he said this on the factor. >> i mean, look, bill, i'm not a bigot. you know the kind of books i have written about the civil rights movement in this country. but, when i get on a plane, i have got to tell you if i see people who are in muslim garb and i think, you know, they're identifying themselves first and foremost as muslims, i get worried. i get nervous. >> bill: npr president vivian schiller former "new york times" employee is too cowardly to come on this broadcast tonight to explain. but we did catch up with her today in atlanta. >> this action was not anti--fox. this action was pro journalistic standards and a news analyst cannot continue credibly to analyze the news if they are expressing opinions about divisive issues. it's that simple. and the same would go with anybody. we're not picking on juan. >> bill: ms. schiller is a pi

npr has fired juan williams who worked there for more than 10 years. in february of 2009, npr warned juan not to advertise his association with them on this program. and now, npr has terminated juan's contract because he said this on the factor. >> i mean, look, bill, i'm not a bigot. you know the kind of books i have written about the civil rights movement in this country. but, when i get on a plane, i have got to tell you if i see people who are in muslim garb and i think, you know, they're identifying themselves first and foremost as muslims, i get worried. i get nervous. >> bill: npr president vivian schiller former "new york times" employee is too cowardly to come on this broadcast tonight to explain. but we did catch up with her today in atlanta. >> this action was not anti--fox. this action was pro journalistic standards and a news analyst cannot continue credibly to analyze the news if they are expressing opinions about divisive issues. it's that simple. and the same would go with anybody. we're not picking on juan. >> bill: ms. schiller is a pi

npr fired juan williams. february of 2009 npr warned juan not to advertise his association with them on this program. and now, npr has terminated his contract because he said this on theto factor? >> i mean look, bill, i'm not a bigot. you know the kind of books i have written about the civil rights movement in this country. when i get on a plane if i see people in muslim garb and they are identifying themselves first and foremost as muslims i getnt worried and nervous. >> viviany shiller is too cowardly to come on the broadcast to explain. we did catch up with her in atlanta. >> this was not antifox. this was projournalistic standards and a a news analyst cannot continue credibly to analyze the news if they are expressing opinions about divisive issues it is that simple. and the same would go with anybody. we are not picking on juan. opinion about muslims on airplanes. he was simply stating what he felt. if he had said that his uneasiness should be embraced by others, that would have been a personal opinion,

they did not think that juan williams should have been fired and if they had to talk to juan williams, that he was breaking policy, they could have done it in a much less explosive way. phone calls were shielded from hundreds and hundreds of listeners so upset how npr handled this because they would not contribute because nrp relies on contributions from listeners and underwriting from corporations but millions of dollars comes from taxpayers and, so, listeners are upset, staffers are upset, and everyone is upset. by the way, the president of nrp admitted she mishandled it. >> absolutely. and juan williams hosting bill o'reilly last night had this to say. >> that crossed the line? let me tell you what you can say on national public radio without losing your job. totenberg wished that senator helms and his grandchild would get aids, i said, would get aids, she is still working there. and a so-called humorous on npr said the world would be better place if four million christians evaporated and calling millions of americans of the tea party movement, a sexual something, will in the get y

npr says juan williams die vooi lated his standards for an objective analyst. isn't that code for saying he said something we didn't agree with? >> no, i don't think so. i think the statement that juan made was reprehensible. it was precisely the sort of stereotyping and profiling that juan would complain about if it was said about african-americans. >> let me just in. he one saying all muslims are terrorists. he wasn't saying we should profile muslims or discriminate against them. he said these were his feelings. don't you think probably a lot of people have those feelings on airplanes? >> of course they do. i realize that. you don't say it. it's as simple as that. it is an abusive thing to say. on the other hand, i think npr handled it about as badly as they could with a, you know, late-night firing over the telephone after a ten-year relationship. i think that was -- that was unfortunate to say the least. >> fumbling doesn't begin to describe it. let me play a brief clip of juan williams talking about the firing on o'reilly. >> they were looking for a reason

after taxes that is $666,000 a year making juan williams, the anti-christ. diana, what do you make of this? the woman at mpr said what juan said should be between him and his shrink. >> that was mean and inappropriate. i agree with everything everyone was saying. he did have a target on his back when he started common tateing at fox news. the thing that bothers me is she didn't want to hear an explanation. and things were taken out of context. i think it is good and welcome to the team here. >> bill, you are one of the few who wants a target on his back, but it has nothing to do with employment and political beliefs. it is more of an arrow pointing down. >>> huckabee says we should fund mpr because they play a game pretending to be objective when they president are. what say you strange man? >> am i the only one here who thinks it could be a brilliant move during mpr during fundraising week to a -- to appeal to the like-minded liberal viewers because the economy is bad. mpr winds and so does juan williams. >> it was not fundraising, it was juan-raising. >> an

. >> called a blunder of major pro pourings, npr fires news only list juan williams speaking his mind about muslims. >> in a personal attack they're trying to demean me, introducing i'm an erattic, unstable person. >> and is it time to cut funding for the liberal media outlet. >> how ridiculous are you? you embarrassed this. >> jon: just offer a week until the mid term elections and with only a short time left will the attack ads, mudz slinging and media cheerleading get louder? the minnesota vikings quarterback gets tackled by accusation of a sex scandal. but is this a slanderous attack by a tawdry median. bristol palin, dancing with the stars, making fans, not only the liberal media. maureen dowd takes on the girls of the g.o.p. and greg weighs in. on our panel this week, writer and fox news contributor, judy miller. syndicated columnist, cal thomas. jim pinkerton, fellow new american foundation and new york post columnist kirsten powers. i'm jon scott, fox news watch is on right now. >> i mean, look, bill, i'm not a bigot. the kind of books i've written about the civil rights in th

after taxes that is $666,000 a year making juan williams, the anti-christ. diana, what do you make of this? the woman at mpr said what juan said should be between him and his shrink. >> that was mean and inappropriate. i agree with everything everyone was saying. he did have a target on his back when he started common tateing at fox news. the thing that bothers me is she didn't want to hear an explanation. and things were taken out of context. i think it is good and welcome to the team here. >> bill, you are one of the few who wants a target on his back, but it has nothing to do with employment and political beliefs. it is more of an arrow pointing down. >>> huckabee says we should fund mpr because they play a game pretending to be objective when they president are. what say you strange man? >> am i the only one here who thinks it could be a brilliant move during mpr during fundraising week to a -- to appeal to the like-minded liberal viewers because the economy is bad. mpr winds and so does juan williams. >> it was not fundraising, it was juan-raising. >> an

the firing of juan williams, the analyst by national public radio. the meaning of it and what is the fallout going to be. >> williams is a former colleague of mean mine at the "washington post" and a friend for 30 years. and i think npr made a serious mistake. he is an analyst. and he isn't a correspondent. i think they did it in a terrible way, by telephone call without a personal chance to explain himself. and you know, i think he has given the right wing a tremendous opening to a tack npr which i hate to see happen because i think it is a valuable public constitution. >> i work at np, r. i'm friended with them i think they did in a bad way. i think what he said was perfectly within the bounds of debate and the damaging thing to me is npr really worked hard over the past 10, 20 years to become straight down the middle network. i'm not sure they always were decades ago and now they really are. because of this unfortunate episode they begin to get ideaological baggage again and that is damaging. >> woodruff: we are going to leave it there. david broo

npr needs to hire juan williams back. i think most rational americans agree. >> juan williams being very honest. the problem is i do see a muslim in garb and i get nervous it is not rational. he's bringing the problem to the surface, being honest talking about human behavior. loses his job. >> i think they were very wrong. >> i don't think he should have been fired. as you pointed out lots of people have this idea. the point he was trying to make is i get nervous that's okay to say. firing him for saying that is kind of ridiculous. >> if he had said when i get around a group of tea partiers i get nervous, would npr had tired him probably not. if he said every time i see a catholic priest i get nervous, would they had fired him? no. >> you never know. >> because it is about muslims, boom he's gone. >> later that day the head of npr was questioned about the bankrupt firing. >> this is not a -- the abrupt firing. >> this is not a reflection on his comments this is not a debate. juan feels the way he feels that is not for kno

npr's decision to fire juan williams not only undermines that, it shows an ignorance of the fact that radical islam and the terrorists who murder in its name scare people of all faiths, religious and beliefs. in height light of their rash decision, we will include termination of federal funding for npr as an option in the youcut program so that americans can let it be known whether they want their dollars going to that organization. >> i think what npr did was overreaching, it was an overreaction to his comments. he was expressing a personal perfect expectativ i the more appropriate thing would have been, as we've seen in other cases, when outlandish comments were made about, you know, strom thurman or others getting aids, you take them aside and say, wam, that's a line you don't need to cross. immediately firing juan over this was an overreaction. you've seen the reaction not just by republicans but a whole lot of folks out there around the country as they -- really? this is not the appropriate way to really handle this. and i think that, you know, npr is paying a little bit of a pri

they feel that juan williams is a conservative. and a lot of -- >> because he appears on fox. >> because he appears on fox and because some of the statements he has -- some of the political inclinations that he has is a little bit different than your typical civil rights organizations. that being said -- >> coming up, the three big races that could go a long way to determine who wins control of the united states. we have three hot races, pennsylvania for the senate, nevada for the senate, california for the senate. they are going to decide to a large extent who controls the senate come january. let's take a look at the state, which way is the mow going? you are watching "hardball" on msnbc. crucial to your business, but now, to get it really cooking, you need a little website development. some transparent reporting, so you know it's working. online ads and 1-on-1 marketing consultation. yellowbook's got all that. yellowbook360 has a whole spectrum of tools. the perfect recipe for success. visit yellowbook360.com and go beyond yello

they feel that juan williams is a conservative. and a lot of -- >> because he appears on fox. >> because he appears on fox and because some of the statements he has -- some of the political inclinations that he has is a little bit different than your typical civil rights organizations. that being said -- >> coming up, the three big races that could go a long way to determine who wins control of the united states? we have three hot races, pennsylvania for the senate, nevada for the senate, california for the senate. they are going to decide to a large extent who controls the senate come january. let's take a look at the state, which way is the mow going? you are watching "hardball" on msnbc. of the season to get you in the mood to motor... including classics like, 'thirty one days of ways to save.' 'skidmarks and smokescreens?' 'kiss my resale value.' and the timeless 'make it mine for $199.' celebrate this motor-tober with a new 2011 mini cooper hardtop for 199$ a month. no calorie sweetener granulated with fiber. sweet! [ female a

i'm juan williams.n tonight for bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us. we have a lot going on this evening, including a special talking points memo on the npr situation that i have for you in the next segment. but we begin tonight with what is what is one of the most contentious political seasons we can remember. president obama has a lot riding on the outcome of the upcoming midterm election and he is hitting the road hard on behalf of his party the president is trying to woo back female voters, a continues he once had solidly in his pocket but with whom he hastedtly lost ground. joining us from washington is chris wallace, the anchor of "fox news sunday." chris, thank you so much for coming in. when you look back on all the election data coming from the 2008 election race, it's pretty clear president obama was winning the female vote. today, if you look at the same data, the same data that had him 12 percentage points ahead with american women, now it says 47-44. only a 3 point advantage for democrats

>> we are going to be talking to joe manchin and pat toomey and talking to juan williams.est news maker this week and we'll talk to him and get her thoughts after a few days of reflection after npr and curious what the panelists have to say about the whole mess. >> everybody is talking about that controversy still. it will be interesting. chris wallace, thanks for joining us. >> thank you, guys. >> coming up, did you know that individuals on america's terror watch list are still able to buy guns 90% of the time? the disurick it details straight ahead. >> and as we've been reporting, npr fierce juan williams for comments he made about feelings about muslims on airplanes. frank luntz asked average americans what they think about it. >> a few people as juan williams when he's on tvv. it looks like npr is eating their young now. >> more from the fact finding focus group coming up. lastear mom needed addional nutrition so i recommended boost nutritional drink. and she still drinks it every day. [ male announcer ] boost has 26 vitamins & minerals and calcium to help keepones str

we'll have the latest from los angeles. >>> but we begin with the npr juan williams controversy. the journalist and commentator was fired by public radio after a comment he made about muslims at his other employer fox news. it became an internet sensation with most weighing in on juan's side and some are now calling for congress to punish npr by holding back federal funding. juan is standing by live but first claire shipman has the back story. she's in front of npr this morning. >> reporter: good morning, george. well, juan williams may only have one job left now that he won't be working here anymore, but it is a lucrative one. fox news has given him a new $2 million deal as npr faces a storm of controversy over his ouster. >> analyst with national public radio has been fired. >> juan williams fired by npr. >> this is disgraceful. npr needs to hire juan williams back. >> reporter: a media bonfire triggered by a startling admission from a veteran liberal journalist. >> when i get on a plane, i got to tell you if i see people who are in muslim garb and i think, you know, they're ide

themselves first and foremost and muslims, i get worried, i gets nervous. >> reporter: no saying that juan williams got one more thing, fired. even though williams was quick to point out that not all muslims are extremists. >> there are good muslims. >> reporter: in firing him two days later, npr said it repeatedly warned williams he too often crosses the line between analysis and opinion. >> if you want to be a political activist, you may not, also, be a reporter or news analyst for npr. >> reporter: many muslims call williams' comments religious profiling. >> when you stereotype an entire religious minority and seem to legitimize singling them out as a security threat, that becomes a problem. >> reporter: americans continue to struggle with separating radical islam that led to 9/11 from the mainstream religion. in 2005, 41% of americans had a favorable opinion of islam. now, it's just 30%. 38% view it unfavorably. >> -- killed us on 9/11. >> no. oh, my god! >> reporter: the bitter divide on display last week on "the view" when bill o'reilly said muslims attacked america on 9/11, two of the hosts

in other news, the firing of liberal commentator juan williams by national public radio has fired up conservatives. some are calling for congress to pull the plug on taxpayer funding of the network. it all began with controversial comments williams made on the fox news channel about muslims, and it's become the talk of cable, radio and congress. ben tracy is following the debate. >> the disgraceful decision by the national public radio... >> reporter: with a new contract, juan williams is now fox's $2 million man. >> everybody likes you now. okay? everybody who counts. >> reporter: williams is still defending comments he made monday on fox about seeing people in muslim dress on airplanes. >> i get worried. i get nervous. >> reporter: many muslims were offended. but today williams explained he was simply stating an honest feeling many americans may have. >> and i don't say "i'm not getting on the plane." i don't say "you must go through additional security." i don't say "i want to discriminate against these people." >> reporter: meanwhile, npr's p.r. nightmare for so quickly firing wil

what they should have said, sat juan williams down.s done a lot of good work for them and said you have a choice here. look at the context you were on. you could barely get your points out in the middle of propaganda. you want to work for fox, that's okay, you want to work for us, that's okay, but you've got to decide if i may use fox's slogan. they should have handled it that way but this should not be used to run a smear campaign against npr. >> rick, does this belong in the campaign? >> i think a company can make any choice from a management/employee standpoint that they wish. i think the one issue i see in here is the funding from the federal government p. it's not an issue to me. i think the funding could be an issue, but it's not going to alter the election results in any way. i think what mr. brooks is talking about is the issue of austerity. we need leadership. you don't sell belt tightening, in fancy commercials. you don't knock your opponent. what you need to do is you need to tell america get behind us. we'll do the right th

new first lady tooa founder of the (inaudible) >> ma ny people don't agree with3 the firing of juan williams ooline poll by poll position shows that 46% say it was wrong for npr to fire williams. 19% say it was the right move. and 5% have no opiiion.3 it was also our question of the day on thursday. and people are still leaving comments n our facebook page. most of you said that you do no3 agree with the firing of juan williams. 91 to 9%. on facebook, antonio writes. he was just saying what everyone else is thinking. why do people get fired for that? i will never know. 94ra writes, you have freedom of speech, but not freedom from the repercussions of the speech. >> billionaire soros is stepping up with his wallet. donating $2 million to npr to hirinn 100 reporters at 50 stations. reporters are part of a project to report on state government. soros donated $1 million to the media matters ebsite. criticizing fox news. >> early voting in maryland's general election is off to a big start. more than 10,0000additional voters turned out at the pplls. then during the first day of early voting in the

the same as juan williams, differentiating between muslims and extremists. >> i think one was personal. >> one wasn't objective. >> juan is talking about how he feels every day. again, he is making a passing comment i think many americans -- >> that makes it more defensible. he is honest enough to say this is how he as a commentator feels, the emotional agony and dealing with what he understands -- >> let's move on. >> honesty doesn't protect you. how honest you are doesn't -- >> most people said how can you fire him for telling you what he believes and i think that's why they're in the vice grip right now. >> yeah, but look. you can say things you believe and reprehensible and get you fired. >> do you check out your fellow passengers getting on an airplane? >> of course. >> what are you looking for? >> when i see someone in muslim garb, i'm thinking they can't be a terrorist. >> they would change their clothes, clearly. >> no way that any one in like full muslim garb is a terrorist. >> wearing j. crew sweaters, we know that. >> they're wearing something and look like every other passe

but then juan williams lost his job. williams said this. >> i'm not a bigot. the kind of books i've written about the civil rights movement in this country. but when i get on a plane, if i see people who are in muslim garb, and i think they're identifying themselves first and foremost as muslims, i get worried. i get nervous. >> maybe to you it's an irrational fear or something you can actually relate to. i can tell you this, i work with a really intelligent group of people, really unique, there's even a guy named ed, our producer, but when we started talking about it, we really were arguing. i thought it was going to end up with a horse's head in my bed. it got really heated. we scrapped the smartphones idea and decided to take this topic out to you. why would you be afraid of someone in muslim garb? you're a brown-skinned guy, all right? i'm more of a green. i'm so pale. i look like a goblin. anyway, do you think people look at you when you go to the airport? >> i'll be honest with you, people probably look at me. i look at people, too. >> people are comfort

. >>> juan williams burning up the airways this weekend. tonight a high-profile muslim american who initially thought williams must be fired has now changed her mind. >>> and you've probably been hearing a lot more about elections other than the one in your town. well, how much do you know about who and what's on the ballot where you live? we're going to help you out a lot this hour. >>> good evening, everyone. i'm don lemon. we start tonight with the pentagon and military documents about the iraq wark. wick i leaks dumped thousands of pages of pentagon secrets right into the realm. this is a scene. today's total was nearly six times leader of the afghanistan war documents in july. they revealed iraqi deaths from 2004 to 2009, most at the hands of other iraqis. both the norm times and the british newspaper "the guardian" have earlier access to the documents. both newspapers say documents show numerous reports of abuse, rape, torture, and murder by iraqi police and soldier routinely ignored by the u.s. military. our chris lawrence has been c

williams, considered to be a back on "the o'reilly factor" wednesday night. >> juan was sympathetic to muslims in that interview. you didn't hammer them at all. >> this is the irony of the thing. they take something totally out of context, like one word or one line. and they forget the fact that ng ing yohere i am, engaging you, o'reilly, right? >> right. >> and we're having an honest discussion. >> reporter: williams is drawing a diverse mix of defenders. from whoopi goldberg. >> i think it's ridiculous. >> reporter: to sarah palin, who is suggesting a cutoff of taxpayer funding to npr. the npr executive apologized for her psychiatrist roarke. as for williams, he signed a deal with fox news, said to be around $2 million with expanded dultties. alex stone, abc news, los angeles. >>> and juan williams will explain his side of the controversy when he joins us later today on "good morning america." >>> a severe outbreak of what is believed to be cholera is spreading across central haiti this morning. at least 135 people have died. cholera is a bacterial infection spread through contaminat

that prompted criticism today. >> juan williams worked with npr for ten years. you think you would deserve to be fired face to face. >> reporter: there was an outpouring of e-mails, 8,000, crashing the network's comment site. the overwhelming majority angry and demanding he be rehired. the firing even brought together whoopi goldberg -- >> in all of our opinions it seems the firing of juan was a total mistake and sends the wrong message. >> reporter: and sarah palin who tweeted you're shocked at public outrage over your censorship of juan? this is what happens when our constitution starts shaking her fist. and today, growing threats to cut off federal funds. not only for npr, 2% of its budget, but for public radio stations and public television, roughly 15% of their funding. >> why is it we're funding in a very small way public broadcasting rather than having public broadcasting be completely independent? >> reporter: with the republicans favored to win the house, that is a powerful threat. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> tonight, troubling new figure

another journalist bit the dust today juan williams a long time news analyst for n.p.r. and commentator on fox news how does contract terminated with n.p.r. for the following comments on the o'reilly factor. this is where you don't address reality i mean look bill i'm not a bigot you know the kind of books i've written about the civil rights movement in this country but when i get on a plane i've got to tell you if i see people who are in muslim garb and i think you know they're identifying themselves first and foremost as muslims i get worried i get nervous. now n.p.r.'s vice president ellen weiss told williams that his statement was bigoted and crossed the line so williams now joins the ranks of helen thomas octavia nasser and rick sanchez what's his statement really bigoted or is this an attempt by media outlets to pretend that double standard and who you're allowed to criticize and who you aren't doesn't exist and joining me to discuss it is christopher chambers georgetown university professor and author of the blog not turner's revenge chris thanks so much for being

your thoughts, katty kay. >> i'm going to duck the questions on the juan williams particular case, but i do think we have to be careful about saying things in muslims in america that would not be permissible of any other minority. chris: are media companies quick to respond to pressure from groups than they are to give a fair hearing to the person that made the comment? >> i think probably in the quest for ratings, the quest for ratings has gotten so pernicious that driving of companies there's a tendency to respond too quickly. >> it is tricky but i take n.p.r. at that word that they didn't end juan's contract over this episode. they claim that they have warned him before that he was in violation of their standards and their standards are very different from fox standards. chris: andrew? >> you can't talk about all media companies. there are all media companies and then fox news. on fox news if you say something bigoted, you get rewarded, you get promoted and you get celebrated and that is a direct strategy. that's a media strategy. chris: what about n.p.r.'s handling of this? >> i th

the npr newsman juan williams who was fired from npr after saying he gets nervous when he sees fellow airline passengers in muslim garb, but is he the only one that feels that way? >> it scares me to think that i walk into an airplane or anyplace, an airport, and strike fear into people's hearts. >> this comment here, it was a very interesting debate. a lot of people are starting to have now. is he the only one that feels that way. is this a matter of bigotry or is it a teaching moment? >> well, from the cnn center, this is "cnn saturday morning." nice to be here. >> it's sunday. but that's okay. >> it's sunday. i skippeded a day. >> you were hoping it was still saturday, i know. just kidding. >> i'll be back here monday, i'm sure. >> this is suzanne malveaux. i'm t.j. holmes. wherefore you are, we're glad you're with us. over the next 90 minutes the stage is set for the world series. >> a dream come true. i can't imagine a better outcome. >> go giants. yes, san francisco, the little team that could. they beat the phillies. so the giants will face the rangers in the world series. it's

political analyst and nina easton of fortune magazine and bill kristol of the weekly standard and juan williamsrly of national public radio and mara liasson had long planned to take this sunday off so don't read anything in to that. juan, a couple of days to reflect on this. what do you make of the dismissal and this extraordinary reaction to it? >> it was a rough week to get fired is no pleasure but to be called a bigot and the in endo that i'm somehow unstable is i thought despickable. the sport importance of havingt and free flowing, i don't think i started, i think there was action take than set this afloat in the country. americans pee feel there is nog wrong with telling how you feel. to be punished for that and then they would engage in character assassination against me giv given the work i have di think is regrettable. i think it is important that i irritate bri brit hume and bill kristol every sunday. >> and you succeed at that. >> they are honest with me and i don't question their integrity and why my integrity has to be questioned. i'm still in the storm of it but i thought it was u

. >> bret: the ombudsman for npr tells the "wall street journal" the firing of juan williams was necessary look to another day of fall-out from the dismissal. >> take responsibility. >> after firing juan williams, npr came under siege. 7,000 comments caused a partial collapse of the website. overwhelming majority noticed the ombudsman are angry, furious, outraged and they want npr to hire him back immediately. it was daunting to answer the phone and hear the anger. shepherd supported the dismissal and like when he likened the first lady to power movement. >> carmichael in a designer dress thing going. >> shepherd faltered her poor handling of williams saying n pr could have waited until the contract ran out or suspending him pending review. but a more deliberative approach might have allowed npr to avoid what turned into a public relations nightmare. at the same time, mara liasson, n pr correspondent and fox news contributor came under attack from media matters, the liberal media watchdog group that critiques fox news full-time and like npr itself receives funding from george soros. citing

what nbr did was not just a disservice to juan williams. to the conversation we need to be having about racial, religious and other forms of bias. >> that's one of the things we talk about out there on the segment i went out on the street. we talk about knit our homes. when and where can we talk about these issues? if you're going to be afraid that if you say something on television or radio where it's being recorded you're going to lose your job, we'll never have the conversation although we do have the conversation in the privacy of our own homes and sometimes even at work. where and when is it appropriate or is it always appropriate and should we not necessarily be afraid of the repercussions of her honesty even if it does seem ignorant? >> i think we need to be honest whenever possible. there are moments when you don't want to be sitting across from someone you just moment who happens to be different from you and say, i'm scared of people like now. that's not the best time to do it. but i think it's important for us to admit -- the way

big league disappear and joe manchin of west virginia, playing up his anti-obama credential and juan williams speaks out. >> when i get on a plane if i see people in muslim garb, i get worried and nervous. >> chris: fired by national public radio. when does political correctness become censorship? juan and our suggest regulars discuss the controversy and our power player of the week. a different kind of sports owner. all, right now, on fox news sunday. >> chris: and hello, again from fox news in washington. in the fight for control of the senate, 37 seats are in play. and, republicans need a net gain of 10 seats to take control and it will come down to a handful of tight contests like west virginia where popular democratic governor joe manchin is in a close race against republican john raese. we'll have more on that battle shortly and pennsylvania, joe sestak is trying to hold on to a seat for his party against pat toomey, who joins us from philadelphia and we invited congressman sestak but he declined, the news in your race is that your big lead basically has disappeared. you have been ahead

juan williams formerly of national public radio and always of fox news. we should point out that mara liasson also from n.p.r. long planned to take this sunday off, so don't read anything into that. juan, you have had a couple days to reflect on this. what do you make of the dismissal and the extraordinary reaction to it? >> it was a rough week, chris. to get fired is no pleasure but to be called a bigot and innuendo i'm somewhat unstable, which i thought despicable, what i make of this is it's open to debate about the importance of having free-flowing honest discussion in this country. i don't think i started it. i think there was action taken that then set this afloat in the country. i think americans feel, you know what? there is nothing wrong in telling someone how you feel and then to be punished for that is unfair. and s s to censorship and then that they amount to character assassination about me and given the work i've done is regrettable. it's important people be able to cross to each other across political lines. it's important that i irritate br

juan williams wasn't even on an npr show.text it was the polar opposite of what has been portrayed. he was not trying to say people should have those feelings towards muslims. he was saying he had that visceral reaction and it was unfortunate because it was not fair to categorize all muslims in that way. >> greta: there are so many elements to this. number one, they didn't listen to everything he said the treatment he has received, the fact that the way he got this as a 10 year employee he got a phone call with no effort to sit down and talk to him and figure out what was going on. all of this is what is so i think disturbing about it. i guess no one has said or accused the media of being free from hypocrisy. i think it is the process that is so disturbing. >> it is the process. look, i don't hate npr, i know a lot of conservatives do. i've been on many npr programs i've always been treated, i think fairly. this really upset me because i know juan wills yams. i don't agree -- i know juan williams, i don't agree with him on a

this week npr fires juan williams for comments he made on the bill reilly's fox show. >> when i get on a plane and i see people in muslim garb and they are identifying themselves first and foremost as muslims, i get worried, i get nervous. >> that was fox commentator juan williams talking on bill o'reilly's fox show this week it got him fired from his other job at national public radio. this is a bit awkward. but what do you make of this? it got front-page play in "the new york times." nina totenberg. >> i work for npr, as you said, so i have certain opinions and will not share. but i do think that this is a very -- npr did not let people go to inaugural balls, even if they were married to somebody that was active. we put out a bulletin that you cannot go to the jon stewart march. and they have had issues with juan before. i am in the most awkward position in talking about a management decision did not agree with. >> colby king. >> he also said during the show that he questioned bill o'reilly, the most of the show -- the house of the show, not to sweep to broadly on muslims and that he