still with us, rick perlstein, author of several books, including "nixonland."et's start with you, jessica. explain the superdelegates, which has really become such a critical issue right now. how they came into being. amy: our reporter actually went down to the national archives and that the transcripts of this entire commission that debated for months about democratic party rules reform and came up with the superdelegates as their answer. basically, what have prompted carterre the losses of and mcgovern and so the fear the democratic party wasn't nominating the electable, winnable candidates. and so party insiders said down and said, what do we do? their instinct was, we need to take control. we need to take control of the nominating process. we are worried if we let the people decide through primaries, they're going to pick the wrong person. and so they instituted the superdelegate who could act as a corrective, essentially, to the at the vote by -- convention casting votes for whomever they chose. and what really the sort of and inogy you saw there the trans

of in thesees times, and rick perlstein, reports for the washington spectator.e will have a link to all of your reports at democracynow.org . this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. when we come back, we're going to look at what has been happening with police here in chicago and the mayor rahm emanuel. stay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: "black girl soldier" by jamilah woods. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. on the road in chicago, illinois, broadcasting from wycc chicago pbs. chicago, illinois, where there has been a development in the police shooting of 22-year-old african-american woman rekia boyd. in 2012, off-duty chicago police officer dante servin fired several shots over his shoulder into a group of people boyd was standing with near his home, striking her in the back of her head. he was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but was acquitted in 2015 on a technicality. well on tuesday, servin resigned from the chicago police department. just days before heari

we speak to rick perlstein, author of "nixonland: the rise of a president and the fracturing of america."