today, president obama spoke at the annual convention of the national action network, a group founded by my colleague, the reverend al sharpton. for the second day in a row, the president was giving a speech on civil rights at a moment in his presidency when the discussion of race in the obama era has reached an intense crescendo. if yesterday, the president was solemn and diplomatic at the lbj memorial in lbj memorial library in texas, today he was frank and clear and pointed as he took aim at one of the more disturbing political and racial trends of his tenure. a full frontal assault on a citizen's franchise, the right to vote. >> across the country, republicans have led efforts to pass laws making it harder, not easier, for people to vote. the real voter fraud is people who try to deny our rights by making bogus arguments about voter fraud. america did not stand up and did not march and did not sacrifice to gain the right to vote for themselves and for others only to see it denied to their kids and their grandchildren. we've got to pay attention to this. this recent effort to restr

we have to harness that power, create a national network committed to action. we can call it the national action network. so i want you to go out there and redouble your efforts, register more voters. pep more folks to get their rights. get those souls to the polls. if they don't let you do it on sunday, then do it on tuesday instead. i know it's better going to the polls on sunday because you go to church, you get a meal got the bus waiting for you. i understand, but you can do that without that if we have to. >> the president also poked fun at how outlandish some of these voter id requirements are. >> in other places, folks may learn without a document like a passport or a birth certificate, they can't register. about 60% of americans don't have a passport. just because you don't have the money to travel abroad doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to vote here at home. and just to be clear, i know where my birth certificate is, but a lot of people don't. a lot of people don't. i think it's still up on a website somewhere. you remember that? that was crazy. that

that is why i am proud to bring you at the national action network, the action president, the chief executive, president barack obama. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. hello, new york. thank you. thank you. thank you so much. it is good to be at the national action network. it is good to be here with good friends. i love you back. [applause] it is wonderful to be with all of you. i want to say first of all, to reverend al sharpton. give him a big round of applause. [applause] i appreciate the idea of being an action president, although i do also have style. [applause] i just wanted to point that out. i do have it. al is not the only guy with style. thank the organizers today. thank you. congress andrs of the state and local officials from new york. we have all of you. thanks to all of you for such a wonderful welcome. everybody sit down. sit down. [applause] al does not know how to get back to his seat. somebody help of the leader here. [laughter] don't make him jump over. they're going to explain it. there you go. you're going to be all right. the last time i was here was three years ago.

an effort by the obama administration to try to mobilize black voters and this was to the national action networknce of the republican rather, of the november election and you have president obama going to the national action network this week and complain about photo i.d.s and efforts to restrict voters' access to the polls. >> across the country republicans have led efforts to pass laws making it harder, not ease we, for people to vote. >> julie, whether it is voting rights or complaining about ugly treatment do white house officials see this as smart politics or effective politics? a way to mobilize the base? >> they do, not just trying to mobilize african-americans but the past two weeks and what the president has been doing this is targeted outreach to african-americans and women and equal pay issues because when they look at the november election, they see an electorate that doesn't look like it does when president obama is on the ballot and some of the democrats who are in tough races are going to win, they need to have the electorate look more like it did in 2012 or 2008 so you will see t

we have to create a national network committed to taking action. we can call it the national action network. so i want you to go out there and redouble your efforts. register more voters. help more folks to get their rights. get them to the polls. if they don't let you do it on sunday, do it on tuesday instead. i know it's better going to the polls on sunday because you go to church, you get a little meal. got the bus waiting for you. i understand. but you can do it without that if we have to. we're marking many anniversaries. it's interesting for me. i've been on this earth for 52 years. so to see the progress we've made is to see my open life and the progression that's happened. you think about brown versus board of education and the sicil rights acts and with those anniversaries, we had new reason to remember those who made it possible if us to be here. two white, one black murdered 50 years ago as they tried to help their fellow citizens register to vote. james cheney and andrew goodman, they were willing to lay down their live foos s for it. th

general eric holder with such contempt this week that holder himself later told al sharpton's national action network, quote, what attorney general or president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? in fact here is boehner talking with reporters, as i said, yesterday. >> there's no issue of race here. the frustration is, is that the american people have not been told the truth about what happened at the irs, the american people have not been told the truth about what happened in fast and furious. the administration has not told the american people the truth about benghazi and we've been going through all of these hearings having to hold people in contempt because they made it impossible to get to the documents. they have not been forthcoming, they owe the american people the truth. and when it comes to benghazi we have four americans dead and their families deserve the truth about what happened and the administration refuses to tell them the truth. >> that's an acting award there. absolute acting award. birther isn't the only wacko insult speaker boehner has defended. here he is in 2011 s

your national action network convention, both of you. >> that's awful. i think people are not paying attention to what's going on until it hits their front door. a lot of people are being blind sided by what's going on in exactly what the law means. so they think that this law is going to protect and benefit them when it's not, as a victim. >> now attorney crump in florida, the state where it all began, the senate just approved a so-called warning shot bill. a move to expand the controversial stand your ground law. the bill was inspired by marissa alexander who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a sthot near her estranged husband. supporters claim it would fix the mandatory and harsh 10 to 20 life sentencing, but critics say it encourages people to fire weapons. it's headed to the governor's desk but he hasn't signed it yet. what would you say to him? attorney crump? >> that we are going to expand a bad law is not the answer. when you think about this warning shot, it's a knee jerk reaction and we can't just be reactionary. w

friday, president obama is going to make some sort of introduction at al sharpton's national action network on friday? >> it's a good idea for the president of the united states to be associating with him? >> he's larger than life. he's one of life's great characters, he's one of these crazy people that has done all sorts of different things in his life. looking at those tapes those it feels like watching the americans in fx, where the spies are using old fashioned machines to track down things. i think it's hard for younger people to look at that tape and think it was a big crime. >> yes, but you brought up the national action network, they owe $1.9 million in taxes. and lois learner hasn't targeted that. but that money could go pay for obamacare, yet we go after the tea party. >> if you believe that he was being threatened by the genovese family, now, if al went to the fbi and said i'm being threatened wi these guys, first the obvious question is what were you doing there? were you trying to buy drugs? well, they had a tape of this thing, but he did in the end, because of what he did, acc

. >>> on wednesday, at al sharpton's national action network conference, attorney general eric holder accused house republicans of this. >> the last five years have been defined by significant strides and by lasting reforms even in the face, even in the face of unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly and zwies divisiveness. what attorney general has ever had had to deal with that kind of treatment? what president has ever to deal with that kind of treatment? >> today, president obama came to the event. >> we've got to be vigilant to secure the gains we've made and that's the meaning of the last 50 years since the civil rights act was passed because across the country right now there are well organized and well funded efforts to undo these gains. >> so we're going to have a robust discussion here. i want to start with bob, i'm starting to worry, if all opposition to president obama is considered to be based on race or racism, that it either chills the ability for people to feel free to speak in the country or it actually hardens people against, and it making it worse. >> i'm going to agree wi

and what if the irs targeted the national action network and not the tea party? after all he did say this stuff to al sharp ton's national action network which owes millions in taxes and is run by a hate-fueled race baiter. by the fact is, holder knows america -- in racial rhetoric. but to me it's holder's behavior that's divisive. it's projection. he sees anger in others that he himself feels. after all, america must pay for its past, an he's the bill collector. so everyone's racist, opposition to obama care is racist, the budget, immigration, soap. anything the left hates is racist. as usual, it's up to us to nail this scam because the rest of the media swallows it like an ed less ent with a booger. that's the joke. they call us divisive, yet they've seen the enemy and it's always us, the u.s. so a government agency can now inflict harm with a tacit nod from the media. and if you question that, you've got to be racist. how convenient for those being questioned. sorry about that metaphor, kg. i know that disgusted you. >> made me nauseous. >> sorry. what do you t

he was at the national action network convention yesterday. take a listen to what he had to say. >> i am pleased to note that the last five years have been defined by significant strides and by lasting reforms, even in the face -- even in the face of unprecedented and unwarranted, ugly and divisive adversity. if you don't believe that, you look at the way -- forget about me. you look at the way the attorney general of the united states was treated yesterday by a house committee. had nothing to do with me. what attorney general had to deal with that kind of treatment? what president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? >> ben, what do you think of those blunt remarks implying that racism is still alive, even in the treatment of our most senior officials? >> we should count ourselves blessed that we have an ag who will speak to us about the truth. holder has been clear on a number of civil rights issues about what the facts are. at the same time, i know perhaps better than most just the ugly sort of threats and disrespect that those

yesterday, al sharpton's national action network. here's what he said in reaction. >> i am pleased to note that the last five years have been defined by significant strides and by lasting reforms. even in the face, even in the face of unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly and divisive adversity. if you don't believe that, you look at the way -- forget about me. forget about me. you look at the way the attorney general of the united states was treated yesterday by a house committee, had nothing to do with me. what attorney general has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? >> what president has had to ever deal with that kind of treatment? >> joe walsh is the editor at large with salon. joan, i have to tell you, what i'm thinking about here is when you listen to these guys, people like louie gohmert and people like farenthhold, they're a bunch of birthers who don't even believe obama was born in this country, they're now going at it with cruz, a little more intellectual version of this same message. we don't need a government, we do

joining me is the host of msnbc's politics nation and president of the national action network. the reverend al sharpton. i know you've been very involved in this case. what would you like to see done? >> i think they must do what they can do in a maximum penalty to him and prepare his exit as owner. the first thing, though, is i think that we need to stop stalling. either he is the voice on the tape or not. this was first brought to our attention and the rest of the country's attention by tmz on saturday. this is now monday. you do not need four days to verify somebody's voice. so let's stop playing games. is it him or not? if it is him, the nba has to choose whether they're saying we can excuse and find it acceptable for an owner to have this kind of behavior, and this does not violate or standards for ownership. that's what is at stake here. anything short of that is a distraction or deviation. the other thing is for advertisers to decide. we said yesterday we were going to start calling advertisers we had some of them, as you said, have already dropped out, some -- i got a c

this is the new civil rights issue, and as president obama said on friday at the national action networkere there, he talked about folks who marched so their children will have these opportunities. well, we are the children now and we're standing up and that's what we're trying to do here in ohio and take it across the country to fight for a voter bill of rights to put in the constitution. zo that we can have some permanent rights. and one of the things president obama said, it's up to everyday ordinary people. and that's what we're trying to do here in ohio, get petitions signed, it. it on the ballot, let the people soo decide and take partisanship out of this. this is the new civil rights movement of our lifetime. >> this weekend the right wing speaker repeatedly claimed the new laws were not meant to d disenfranchise voters. take a listen. >> there are no example of people being turned away like the president said. this whole argument is a complete souffle. it's collapsed on itself. >> why was african-american turnout so much greater in 2012? it has had zero effect on turnout. >> i wo

. >> holder goes to the national action network, okay? group and he gives a speech to the grievance group that's picked up by everybody in the united states. all right? no attorney general is treat this way. brit hume is going to deal with it in a minute. now, are you telling me, doctor, that the people in the national action network don't believe what holder is saying? they do. >> a lot of them do, i agree. here is what we have to concentrate on. here there are tens of millions of people who have disinvolved themselves with the political process. who haven't sort of been drinking the kool-aid you might say. and there are a lot of minorities, i talk to them all the time who really are seeing through this whole thing and know that they are being manipulated. i'm much more optimistic than a lot of people are about what's going to happen in the future. >> it's antidotal with you though because the polling and that's what i rely a lot on my analysis shows that still 85% of african-americans think president obama is doing a good job. i mean, h

and then on call for the voting national action network. and with the situation with the ukraine escalating, the president got back on the line with vladimir putin for a, quote, frank and direct communication for activities. and yesterday, he kem rated boston marathon bombings. and the president is about to announce two new executive actions on job training initiatives. joining me now is "time" editor-at-large and political editor mark halperin and huffington post, and katty kay. >> the president is running late. so we're going to tap dance for as long as we need to, mark. executive action, this is promised to be the year of action but it could just be the year of executive actions. peter baker had a fairly moderate expectation of what it was. wrote day in and day out the president with the grand asp asp priorations finds himself signing orders and memos that barely move the needle. >> do you think he does that. ? >> eye jobs, education, early childhood development, he's done a lot of big things but of the remaining big things, those are th

. >> the reverend al sharpton is the president of the national action network and he is also, of courset of politics nation right here on msnbc. rev, i appreciate you being here, first of all. it's hard to know where to start. i think i will start with the naacp out in california. they responded people shocked that they were going to honor mr. sterling in the first place. take a listen, please. >> given mr. sterling's track record as a landlord, particularly among african-americans, given the elgin baylor lawsuit, why was the naacp honoring him? >> the fist thing is that when the naacp found out about the lawsuits, the naacp called mr. sterling up and said if there is any of the allegations in that lawsuit that is true, you need to pay those people. you need to make amends. that case was settled. >> it's astound, rev. is this just a case of poor due diligence on the part of that chapter? >> i really don't know. i know that this event where they were giving him at the end of may the lifetime achievement award, they were giving me and the new mayor of l.a., mayor garcetti, the man of the

many of us on national action network will be moving in the morning to go after advertising now and saynute, you going to advertise with a team that tells his girlfriend not to be photographed with plajic johnson? i think nba has to look at the fact major advertisers cannot continue to support this. >> something magic johnson said earlier today, i think he framed quite beautifully. >> he shouldn't own a team anymore and he should stand up and say, i don't want to own a team anymore. especially when you have african-americans renting his apartments, coming to the games, and playing for him. and coaching for him. this is bad for everybody. it is bad for america. and so i'm really upset about it. >> i just want to underscore that point, reverend sharpton. i know you've talked about this. this really is bad for the country but it is also potentially a moment where we can teach and talk and learn, isn't it? >> i think it is exactly that moment. if we learn. i mean i think if we just wait for it to pass or he makes an apology and gives somebody a donation, like paula deen did, then i think we

in, and by the way, the president is headed to new york where he is going to speak at the national action network at their big event, and of course, reverend al sharpton is the president of the national action network, and he is going to be speaking at 4:00 on voting rights, and we will be covering that for you as well. >> meanwhile, ten high school students, and three chaperones are dead after a fiery bus crash this in california. how did that happen after the students were on the way to visit a nearby college. the l the latest on the investigation. >> and more tear thes and new warning as the prosecution continues to grill oscar pistorius and why the judge said this to the former olympian. >> mr. pistorius, it is important that you should be all here when you are in that witness box. you understand that? >> i do, my lady. >>> and the video that is hard to the believe. hillary clinton narrowly miss bade wommissed by a woman who threw a shoe at her at a speech. she was quick to make light of the situation, but law enfor enforcement is not. >> my goodness, i did nopt know that solid waste manageme

you know, you're speaking next week at our national action network convention. line will be a big hit with my delegates from around the country. >> well, i don't know what their love relationship was, but we know their financial relationship. she was a slave, which is a starter for any relationship in some weird world of that century they lived in. i think charles cook, you notice in that op-ed that was supposedly for the national interest, he makes a case against supporting the -- what is that stuff called? now i'm getting confused here. using vegetables basically for fuel. >> right. >> and i thought, well, that was something of interest for a gaye that basically believed in oil and gas. of course he wants oil and gas to beat with out any of that stuff. so i think it's interesting that he would even throw in a commercial in his own ed. my thought is you could have a million coca-cola commercials over and over. things go better with coke. it's the real thing. that's not free speech. that's advertising. you run most of the tv ads for your politicians. left or rig

. >> late today, speaking to al sharpton's national action network, president obama spoke on the issue of voting rights. boy is this an issue. he started off attacking with the republican party's tactics to suppress the voting rights, especially of minorities by making them show their papers, as he puts it, something the president is all too familiar with since he had to show his. >> folks may learn that without a document like a passport or a birth certificate, they can't regist register. about 60% of americans don't have. >> v a posz port. just because you don't have the money to travel abroad doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to vote here at home. and just to be clear, i know where my birther is did i have at that time is, but a lot of people don't. a lot of people don't. [ applause ] i think it's still up on a website somewhere. you remember that? that was crazy. that was some crazy stuff. >> that's a good crowd for him. then he delivered a call to action. >> america did not stand up and did not march and did not sacrifice to gain the right to vote for themselves and for other onl

it included an address to the national action networks annual convention where the president took aim at a republican campaign to deny voter rights and sited voter id laws and joked about his own case. >> i know where my birth certificate is, but a lot of people don't. a lot of people don't. i think it's still up on a website somewhere. do you remember that? that was crazy. [ laughter ] that was some crazy stuff. >> as the president addressed that civil rights group, a lifetime worth of items belonging to civil rights pioneer rosa parks sat in a warehouse just blocks away. as ron mott reports, it's the results of a decade-long legal battle over her will. >> reporter: tucked away in a warehouse in east harlem sit dozens of boxes each carefully labeled and numbered. inside, thousands of items belonging to the late rosa parks, icon of the civil rights movement. >> books from her library, hundreds if not thousands of unpublished photographs. enough to fill one or two floors of any museum. >> reporter: here we see the whole collection for the first time ever. parks wanted to give people ac

this time at the national action network's annual convention.e house has given us a preview of the speech saying the president will build on the themes of fairness and progress he laid out in yesterday's comments on the anniversary of the 1964 civil rights act. sfroo because of the laws president johnson signed, new doors of opportunity and education swung open for everybody. not all at once, but they swung out. not just blacks and whites, but women and latinos and gay americans and americans with a disability. >> today the president is expected to go on offense on voting rights taking aim at the new restrictions being passed by republican legislatures and signed by republican governors that are making it harder for certain people to vote. that includes north carolina where there's a new photo id requirement. same-day voter registration is eliminated and early voting days, including the souls to the polls sunday have been cut. in ohio the story is pretty much the same. early voting has been severely cut back. voters can no longer register and vo

. >> i want you to take a listen to what he said at the national action network last week because itoesn't sound to me like he thinks it's a working relationship. take a listen. >> you look at the way -- and forget about me. forget about me. you look at the way the attorney general of the united states was treated yesterday by a house committee, it had nothing to do with me, forget that -- what attorney general has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? what president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? >> and vickie, you add to that the contempt citation, you now have a text republican kong gressman introducing the contempt add that would cut the federal pay of officials who have been held in contempt of congress, et cetera. is this, in your mind, an unprecedentedly nasty, i guess you'd say, relationship between an attorney general and members of congress he's supposed to work with? >> i do. for example, louie gohmert, i have the dubious honor of being from his home state. i think what'sing go to happen, you have these people who are very aggressive and pushing

that was president obama yesterday giving the keynote address at reverend al sharpton's national action network'severend sharpton also hosts the program "politics nation" right here on msnbc. bh i saw the president, i thought he's got ludikris back on his play list. have you ever seen him not mincing words about voting rights in this way. >> it was so important what he said. 147 million votes cast, 40 people were indicted for fraud. we're talking about a nonexistent issue. but what is extreme problem because there is an extreme problem is that people are losing their right to vote. what people got their heads bashed in for 50 years ago, right now they're cutting -- what is the justification for saying we'll give less time for people to vote, especially for working people. when you go in the morning to vote, if you don't get there at 6:00 and you work all day and you have to go back where you live, you're not going to be able to live. what can justify, i don't care, democrat or republican, cutting back on people's ability to get to the polls. >> as you point out, that in no way would address voter

holder's comments to the national action network yesterday follow a particularly testy exchange thisk with texas republican louie gohmert. >> i am pleased to note that the last five years have been defined by significant strides and by lasting reforms. even in the face -- even in the face of unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly, and divisive adversity. if you don't believe that, you look at the way -- and forget about me. forget about me. you look at the way the attorney general of the united states was treated yesterday by a house committee. had nothing to do with me. what attorney general has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? what president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? >> i think what we promise to do is to provide you and your staff with -- >> sir, i've read you what your department promised and it is inadequate. and i realize that contempt is not a big deal to our attorney general, but it is important that we have proper oversight. >> you don't want to go there, okay? >> i don't want to go there? >> no. >> about the contempt? >> you should not assume

join today at angieslist.com >>> today at the convention for my civil rights group, national action civil networknited states, eric holder:he talked about how far we've come and how far we have to go. >> dr. king dedicated his career to the service of others, and he gave his life in the work of building a beloved community and more just society that remained our common pursuit. to keep building the more just society for which so many millions have fought and organized and marched and died over the years. it's time for new generations of public servants and patriotic citizens to step forward. >> it's appropriate to think about those words today, as we remember huge step forward for civil rights and a voice like an angel. marian anderson was a famous opera singer, who performed all over the world, but here in the u.s., she still faced ugly discrimination. in 1939, she was blocked from singing at a hall in washington, d.c. because of her skin color. first lady eleanor roosevelt was outraged when she found out about it and arranged for anderson to perform at another venue. right there on the steps of

his speech today before the national action network in contrast of the a conjuring to preserve the electorald republicans in certain states were trying to limit some citizens' rights to vote. how? by creating the extraordinary requirement of voter edification. it is clear he believes our constitution does not protect states' rights nor does he seem to believe there is any role for state power in the federal system of government despite almost 250 years of experience. then again he looks with the state -- a state on the coequal branches of government from the house and the senate. it extends as well to the supreme court and was struck down from the voting rights act of 1965 as chief justice roberts wrote our country has staged in the decade since for the better. contrary to the president's words chief justice roberts concluded in a majority opinion many of the rules of the voting rights act are no longer relevant to our time because we are better. but chief justice ruth roberts wrote the country has changed that any discrimination is too much that congress must insure the legislation and it p

>> the tone that holder took in front of the national action network was playing for victim sympathy from the audience and i would now cuss on as the editor, why is al sharpton the go-to person for racial discussions including on msnbc? this is a man who shows recently, he was an informant to the file. >> he said he was helping to catch bad guys. >> the allegation he was an f.b.i. informant and busted in a cocaine rap goes back to 1998 it was reported in news day and rereported in 2002 and now, again, why wasn't he knocked out of the box as a credible authority on anything decades ago is beyond me. >> this is more than reverend al. are the liberal commentators injecting race by denouncing the conservative pundits for race baiting? everyone is talking race. >> everyone is talking race. no to director first question. the initial question, does the media make it worse? the answer is yes, resounding yes. there are a lot of stories having to deal with race that are covered that should be not. we argue over that and wait time. we have all of the horrible statistics regarding race and in ho

>> and attorney general eric holder goes off script while speaking at the national action network convention saying it's unprecedented how he and the president have been treated despite strides made in civil rights. jonathan capehart will join us to discuss his comments. plus -- >> now i have a question. who's going to open the wine? >> the walking dead meets "news nation." coming up, the actress joins us live to talk about what's ahead for the survivors of the zombie apocalypse and plus a mission very close to her life and her family. join the conversation on twitter and join me @tamronhall and news nation. cut! [bell rings] this...is jane. her long day on set starts with shoulder pain... ...and a choice take 6 tylenol in a day which is 2 aleve for... ...all day relief. hmm. [bell ring] "roll sound!" "action!" on brand name mattress sets. get three years interest-free financing plus, get free delivery, and sleep train's 100-day low price guarantee. sleep train's interest free for 3 event is on now. ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ i can't wait to get to mattress discounters good an

. >> that was president obama speaking at the national action network conference on friday.that if your strategy depends on fewer people voting, but that is in fact some sort of the empirical reality for republicans for a long time. >> i first start by saying that i like the mixed tape obama. >> i know. with the red, black and green behind him. they wrote a really ground breaking book, balance of power saying the way forward is republicans and democrats will have to compete for black votes. that holds true until the 1960s and then collapses under the weight of the southern strategy. but the question that you have to confront is how long can this work? this is not a sustainable long-term strategy. you don't build a majority on this. >> this idea that the parties have to compete. african-americans shouldn't all be in the democratic party. they should split up the vote so they have to be challenged. okay, i get that. but it shouldn't have to be the voters have to go against their interest. . it should be the parties trying to get the groups. >> policies matter. if you want to a

in event hosted by the national action network wednesday, attorney general holder discussed his own issue. he slammed what he suggested was racist treatment in an appearance before congress earlier this week. >> i am pleased to note the last five years have been defined by significant strides and lasting reforms, even in the face of unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly, and divisive adversity. [applause] forget about me. forget about me. you look at the way the attorney general of the united states was treated yesterday by a house committee. what attorney general has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? [applause] what president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? >> he was referring to is heated dispute with republican congress member louie gohmert who .hreatened a new >> sir, i have read you what your department promised and it is inadequate. i realize that content is not a big deal to our attorney general, but it is important that we a proper oversight. >> you don't want to go there, buddy. but i don't want to go there about the content? that ishould not assume not a

. >>> attorney general eric holler sparked a debate about race at the national action network convention just last week when he suggested he and president obama have faced tougher opposition from the republican right on account of their race. holder's comments may have given voice to what many democrats until now have only dared to think. but this past weekend, stephen israel weighed in on the gop's burgeoning race debate with candy crawlie on cnn. >> do you think you're racist? >> no, of course not. but to a significant extent, the republican base does have elements that are animated by race. >> congressman israel's candor in saying elements of the gop's base is animated by race, and following holder's comments, the national committee accused democrats are playing the old race card. anyway, to distract from obamacare and benghazi, same story there. "the daily beast" in its david column accuses the gop of willingly turning a blind eye from unsavory elements in their own party. you have to be living a life of willed ignorance and denial to take issue with what israel said. we should not t

. >>> president obama in the big apple speaking at the national action network conference but it wasat raised a lot of eyebrows this week. we'll play that and explain as hannity continues straight ahead. co: sometimes you don't know you need a hotel room until you're sure you do. bartender: thanks, captain obvious. co: which is why i put the hotels.com mobile app on my mobile phone. anyone need a coupon? i don't. >>> welcome back to "hannity." president obama spoke today at al sharpton's conference but the man that made waves with his speech was the attorney general, eric holder when talkingbili ab the state of civil rights, he played the race card and objections to his administrations go beyond political differences. watch this. >> forget about me. you look at the way the attorney general of the united states was treated yesterday but a house committee, had nothing to do with me. what attorney general had to deal with that kind of treatment? president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? >> let's see, john ashcroft, janet reno to name a few. what exactly was holder talk

>> well, and the president did speak today at the national action network as well.bout voting rights. he said that awful these measures passed. he kept pointing out othe republicans, the g.o.p. voter i.d. measures, stricter voter controls in place. he said they are all chipping away and voting rights are more in danger now than they have been since the voting rights act was past. kirsten, what do you make of this. >> i find that the whining a little unseemly honestly having lived through the clinton years when republicans accused the republicans of killing their best friend vince foster. the idea no president has ever been criticized or treated badly before is a historic. i understand that they feel that they have been mistreated. look, do i think that issa has gone a little overboard with holder and gotten very contentious. but, at the same time, he certainly is not the first attorney general barack obama is not the first president to ever deal with this kind of situation. >> well, and charlie rangel, charlie's favorite for the day, he also talked about this and sa

. >> reporter: the first couple visiting for al sharpton's national action network convention, wherebama talked about the americans' right to vote. and at one point, seemingly straying from his speech, reminiscing about the times he was questioned about his own birth certificate. >> and just to be clear, i know where my birth certificate is. but a lot of people don't. you remember that? that was crazy. >> reporter: after the conference, obama knew he couldn't come to new york without having some extra fun. and voila. friday night became date night. what was on the menu for the night? the obamas started at maialino, a trendy new york city italian restaurant, where their menu included, spaghetti alla vongola. and pollo alla diavola. here they met up with friends, including former nfl wide receiver, ahmad rashad. up next, broadway. >> i got to change my life. >> reporter: the couple enjoyed an all-access performance of "a raisin in the sun." during intermission, they got to meet and greet the cast. and after the show, denzel washington sent a special message, by tipping his hat to the p

. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman -- >>> yesterday at the national action network convention led by al sharpton president obama made a forceful case for voting rights and didn't mix words about attempts to block the vote. >> so let's be clear. the real voter fraud is people who try to deny our rights by claiming bogus rights. some of the officials passing these laws have been more blunt. they said this is going to be good for the republican party. some of them have not been shy about saying that they are doing this for partisan reasons. >> some in the gop may say it's about voter fraud and some may admit it's about party politics. when voting laws pushed by republicans disproportionately and tactically prevent people of color from being able to cast their vote, it's impossible not to question the motive behind the moves. some on the right like to accuse president obama of playing the race card suggesting that race is no longer an issue either politically or practically in america. but most of us recognize that his presidency has been a catalyst to raise many of these issues and i

thanks for the important work that you do, as i mentioned, the convention of the national action networksident obama is one of the speakers this week will go from april 9 to 12 including rob moriel and sherilynn eiffel will be with us right here in new york. coming up, paul ryan is touting his vision for america. but here comes elizabeth warren. she unloads on ryan. you have to see. and the senators voted to extend unemployment benefits for 2 million americans. will speaker boehner do the right thing? good job! still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. >> paul ryan is out pushing his ruthless budget. it distrois the safety net and attacks the poor. 69% of his budget cuts come from low income programs. but senator elizabeth warren is ready for a fight. sne speaking at a recent dinner in minnesota, she blasted ryan's budget, took on his inner city culture belief and his view of the unemployed. >> paul ryan looks around, sees three unemployed