i wanted to say you were talking to al sharpton, reverend al sharpton within the past hour. >> yes. >d he is calling for a national prayer tomorrow morning. he is going to be conducting services in the morning, he is asking for a moment of silence, at ame churches across the nation. he is going to remember her life and what he knows about her at this service tomorrow. also tomorrow, we all know this, the biggest event in music is happening, the grammy awards at the staples center. right now, everyone is all in a flutter in los angeles over what is going to happen at this awards ceremony. they had a lineup, had rehearsals, everything was already in place. now all of that has been thrown up in the air. it's not clear how the show will go, whether songs will change, whether artists will change. we certainly expect it to open with a tribute to whitney houston, but this happens to be just one of the biggest weekends here in los angeles, and this news comes untimely, possibly coincidentally, so we'll be watching for news updates about the grammy awards tomorrow as well, page. >> the timing,

. >> kim, we're going to take a break here, and we're going to be joined by reverend al sharpton. talk more about the life and times of whitney houston and what it took to tli deliver her art and the prices she paid. coming up, we have the man who arng arranged some of whitney houston's amazing performances including the national anthem she made all her own at the super bowl. ter ray is going to be here tonight. yes, we'll try to get to some politics before this is all over. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ i will always love you extra butter tickets, swoon penguin journey junior mints moviefone evil prince bollywood 3-d shark attack ned the head 5% cashback right now, get 5% cashback on movies. it pays to discover. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i come

. >> kim, we're going to take a break here, and we're going to be joined by reverend al sharpton.alk more about the life and times of whitney houston and what it took to deliver her art and the prices she paid. coming up, we have the man who arranged some of whitney houston's amazing performances including the national anthem she made all her own at the super bowl. ter ray is going to be here tonight. yes, we'll try to get to some politics before this is all over. ♪ and i wl always lovyou ♪ i will always love you ♪ [ camera shutter clicks ] ♪ [ male announcer ] it's hard to resist the craveable nature of a nature valley sweet & salty nut bar. >>> still ahead the art of whitney houston. her former musical director directed the music tribute by jennifer hudson. he's going to join us. hey, it's me -- water. when i think about how lucky i am that i've had a pur water filter remove 99% of lead and microbial cysts... [ sniffs ] and then i think about the water that hasn't. [ whimpers ] i ju...i don't know. it doesn't seem fair. i ju...i don't know. online dating services can get kind of

the reverend al sharpton, thank you.ey houston was a talent like no other, destined for superstardom. but she did have help along the way, people who believed in her and helped her find success. like the man who co-wrote some of her biggest hits ever, like "how will i know?" we'll talk with him later in the show. syria shows new signs of weakness in the capital of damascus. security forces fired on a funeral procession. two people were killed, 15 more died across syria. damascus is considered the president's strong hold. violence there could indicate his grip on power is slipping. the president met with one of his few alies today. he hosted china's foreign minister, who endorsed syria's plan to hold a referendum on a new constitution, but urged them to negotiate with the opposition. >>> still, a peaceful end to this conflict seems unlikely. this video is from the city of homs. it's said to show the syrian military in action. cnn can't confirm the video's authenticity by the way. >>> iran says a deployment of navy ships i

reverend al sharpton him met him when he was just 19.t soul train and don core feelious means for all of us. but first, there's a lot going on today here. things we thought you should know. indiana's state senate passed right to work legislation today despite massive protests outside the capitol that would prohibit labor contracts that require workers to pay union fees. supporters say the law would attract employers and create jobs. opponents argue it would lead to lower wages and diminish job quality. republican governor mitch daniels is expected to sign that bill into law. >>> and results of this saturday's nevada republican caucuses will be revealed in realtime via google and twitter. this marks the first time social networks will play a central role in announcing the outcome of a political presidential contest. >>> and did you see it in first lady michelle obama brought her let's move campaign to the tonight show the with jay leno last night. she got jay to eat his first apple in 28 years. the first lady also critiqued mitt romney's

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- the president's making his case for re-election, and a new poll shows americans like what they are hearing. >> i deserve a second term, but we're not done. look. when you and i sat down, we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. in fact, we had found out just a few days before we sat down that we had lost that month 750,000 jobs. now we're creating 250,000. we created 3.7 million jobs over the last 23 months. >> now this chart shows what the president is talking about. this economy was bleeding jobs when bush left office. look at those red lines. down, down, down. but then it changed. we now have seen 23 straight months of private sector job growth, folks. this is a fact. employment is improving under president obama. but on the other side, willard is sticking to his script. >> this week he's been trying to take a bow for 8.3% unemployment. not so fast, mr. president. america needs a president who can fix the economy because he understands the economy, and i do, and i wil

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i'm al sharpton. "hardball" sta

and as you said, reverend sharpton, you know, fairness is winning out now.nd that's always been an american value and that's what the president is focused on. how do we create a fair economy so that people who work hard, play by the rules, the american ethos, they get a fair shot at the american dream. >> now it's no secret that the president and his administration and teachers have not agreed on everything. why did the aft decide to go behind the president fully yesterday? >> well, you know, our members -- first off, you're right. and there's always been an open door when we don't agree. and we don't agree on some of the policies about how to implement equal opportunity for all kids. but what we do agree about is that this election is about the economy. this election is a choice, not a referendum. and it's about two very different visions of economic policy. one in which you create a climate to really help people get jobs, keep their homes, invest in education and the other, which, you know, whether it's candidate romney or candidate gingrich or candidate s

you heard al sharpton talk about it and reverend jesse jackson and does the industry have problems with the drugs. is ex sex, drugs and rock and roll is obviously what they say about music industry, but does the music industry need to clean up their own house or will we continue to see deaths like michael jackson and whitney houston and amy winehouse, and people who didn't die of drug use, but have it contribute to the overall demise and something to look into the safeguard the icons to preserve them in the culture, and there is something wrong there, and we all feel it and will the industry police itself. >> chris and david, the two representatives from thegrio.com, do you see anyone on the horizon who might match whitney houston's level of ta talent? >> well, i think that whitney, and she was the voice. she defined a generation of singerer singerers. jennifer hudson came out and sang at the grammys, but it is so hard to ntop her. >> she was smart not to do the whole thing. >> and if there were a biopick, i don't know who i would cast for that. >> and it was telling that anyone who was

. >> reporter: you want to throw it back or talk to reverend sharpton here? >> we'll keep talking a as we are looking at pictures of the gold hearse. it was interesting to hear some of the pastors who came up, t.d. jaacks who knew whitney later. "sparkle" is the film that will be coming out this summer. he said you paid a tremendous price in life. you had to share her with the world. i think that's often very hard for families of someone so famous to realize that while this is their day, it's also the world's day. people who are fans of whitney houston's, too, are grieving. >> i thought they got it absolutely right today. the family got the balance between giving the fans something and also between keeping it an intimate and family affair for family and friends. i thought they got it bang on. people who criticize it have to imagine what it was like. cissy houston all week trying to wrestle with the right thing to do. you could not argue that was an incredible service to pay tribute to her daughter in the most perfect way. also allowed the immediate why from a

we have reverend al sharpton the host of "politics nation" here on msnbc.hank you for joining us as we're getting word of this sad news. you knew whitney houston. what are you thinking right now? >> i mean, i am absolutely in shock. i'm in los angeles. i come out yesterday to do "the bill maher" show and "politics nation" and the hotel i'm at many people are here at the grammys and people are just walking around in shock. i knew whitney probably the last 20 years, and many of us that seen her go through her ups and downs, but no one had her voice and no one had her range, and i know her mother, sissy very well, trying to reach her. she comes out of a gospel family, gospel singing family, and she took that to a whole nother level with her and aunt dionne. this is a shock that i really can't even describe. 48 years old, a beautiful voice, faced the trials and tribulations that many artists did, but obviously if she has passed at this age, it's something that will stun the music world and i can tell you many of them are here in los angeles gathered for the gra

thank you reverend al sharpton. we appreciate it.n on the death of whitney houston at the age of 48. while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- outrage. there's growing anger from women and men at the right wing's attack on women's rights. all ignited by one sided hearing that featured no one speaking on behalf of women, and a careless joke by rick santorum's billionaire supporter. throughout the day today, women senators took to the floor of the senate to demand their voices be heard. >> 99% of all of america's women have used contraception at some time in their lifetime. when will they get this simple nondebatable fact? >> a republican house of representative that is so hostile to women's health that they didn't even think about having a person on there who was a female. >> one of the chief financial backers for rick santorum suggested that contraception was once as simple as a woman putting aspirin between her knees. really? shocking. appalling. an insult. >> senator murray is right. foster friess is the rick santorum supporter whose comment has now been seen by millions. and it's appalling each time you hear it. >> and this contra

i'm al sharpton. today in the republican presidential news, a billionaire endorsed a multimillionaire for president. we'll talk shortly about the donald and willard who have a lot in common. they have a lot of money, and they like to fire people. but we begin with the old saying, to whom much is given, much is required. that's the message of fairness that president obama has governed by. and it's what he talked about today at the national prayer breakfast. >> treating others as you want to be treated, requiring much from those who have been given so much. living by the principle that we are our brother's keeper. caring for the poor and those in need. >> caring for those in need. that's the vision that will shape this presidency. a vision from the other side couldn't be more different. >> i'm in this race because i care about americans. i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. if it needs repair, we'll fix it. i'm not concerned about the very rich. they're doing just fine. >>

i'm al sharpton live tonight from atlanta. our lead story, there's two conversations going on in this country. for months now, the president has been talking from coast to coast about the thing americans care most about -- jobs. but funny enough, that word doesn't seem to be in the gop vocabulary. the four candidates in last night's debate only said the word ten times between them. willard only said it twice. rick santorum didn't utter the word at all, but let's face it. the republican candidates and their crowds seem to get more riled up by other things. they booed a question on birth control. that's right. in months past, gop debate crowds had booed a gay soldier, applauded the death penalty apparently and now made it clear they don't really like birth control. good thing for their candidates, it fits right in. >> not once did anybody in the elite media ask why barack obama voted in favor of legalizing it. >> children being raised by children. children being raised out of wedlock. >> most recently requiring the catholic chur

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- new polls show president obama is surging and willard romney is stuck with the same old talking points. >> if we have a president and leaders who will tell the truth and who will live with integrity and who understand the economy having lived in the economy, that america will overcome the challenges we have. >> he is saying if we had a good leader america would overcome challenges. he's right. and we're starting to overcome one of the biggest ones. the economy. isn't that right, mr. president? >> we're still recovering from one of the worst economic crises in three generations. and i'm not going to lie to you guys. you know it. we've still got a long way to go before everyone who wants a job can find it. that doesn't mean there's nothing we can do to create new jobs and restore middle class security here in america. there is always something we can do. >> we learned today that the number of people piling for unemployment is at the lowest point in four years. this cha

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- the republicans are on the losing end of the fight for fairness, and they know it. today, house republicans backed down from their ultimatums and said they extend the payroll tax cut to millions of working class americans. it's a sharp reversal from just last week when they argued that any breaks for the middle class had to be paired with deep budget cuts. >> we want to extend this program, but we're going to continue that -- this spending ought to be offset with reductions in spending elsewhere. >> wow. looks like speaker boehner has seen the polls. he should be fighting for the middle class just as president obama has been doing for months now. >> do we want to keep these tax cuts for wealthiest americans or keep investing in everything else? education, clean energy, a strong military. >> some people go around and say, well, the president is engaging in class warfare. that's not class warfare. that's common sense. that's common sense. >> today the president release

. >>> in office politics, reverend al sharpton tells us about the whitney houston he knew. some personal reflections along with political talk. >>> the fight for michigan, the latest polls in what could be a make or break moment for some of the republican candidates for president. >>> good morning, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we're happy to be back with you here at 7:00 a.m. here on the east coast. we get to what's happening right now out there. this developing news, new information this morning on the arrest of a man who allegedly wanted to carry out a terror attack on the u.s. capitol building. police arrested the 29-year-old moroccan national on friday. he was wearing a vest he apparently thought was full of al qaeda-supplied explosives. undercover agents supplied the man with fake explosives. the agents had been in contact with the man since december in what was a sting operation. police stopped him in a parking garage just a few blocks from the capitol. nbc's pete williams will join me live from washington in just a few minutes with more of the deta

religion to suit his politics and i think that that has hurt him. >> unlike jesse jackson and al sharpton. >> we're not talking about them. they weren't on tv at that moment. >> at that moment. >> what about the issue that graham went on air to talk about, a christian minister in iran who has been sentenced to death, and then-- >> he should have said, i didn't come here to talk about it, changed the dynamic. >> on talk radio, said-- >> if he had tied the stick to the message, and religious perce persecution, and it would have been a brief segment and i guarantee even fox news watch wouldn't be talking about it. >> jon: interesting. liberal media outrage against a pbs program. really? oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, to liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen >> this week, pbs, the public broadcasting system ran an american experience documentary on former president bill clinton. the four hour program cove

al sharpton this weekend, this is what you started hearing mitt romney talking about.n since they have been going down and people attacking me. i think that's great news and people getting back to work. we still have a long way to go. the president is walking ail tight rope. look what i've done. things are getting better and still so many americans are hurting. >> we agree on that. many americans are devastated. the argument the president is making is that you cannot deny going from 750,000 jobs a month to adding 250,000 jobs a month is not a turn around. has it turned around enough? no, but you have seen the unemployment dipping in many communities that needed it. this is the biggest dip and we are headed in the right direction. the question is whether we will continue in romney's argument because i think he will be the nominee, he could be better. he will have to lay out how he could have done that. >> one of the two things will happen. he can be where unemployment is going down and be like george hw bush where they go down and then back up. we keep hearing economist

religion to suit his politics and i think that that has hurt him. >> unlike jesse jackson and al sharpton. >> we're not talking about them. they weren't on tv at that moment. >> at that moment. >> what about the issue that graham went on air to talk about, a christian minister in iran who has been sentenced to death, and then-- >> he should have said, i didn't come here to talk about it, changed the dynamic. >> on talk radio, said-- >> if he had tied the stick to the message, and religious perce persecution, and it would have been a brief segment and i guarantee even fox news watch wouldn't be talking about it. >> jon: interesting. liberal media outrage against a pbs program. really? bored with your one trick lipstick? then lead a double life! with new blast flipstick from covergirl. it's the lipstick with a flip side. you call this a flip side? creamy color on one end, shimmery color on the other. expertly matched so you can flip your look. from demure, to daring. you be demure! day to night, naughty to nice. get gorgeous lips not once, but twice! now your lips can lead a double life. ne

hosted by chris matthew,s ed al sharpton, do not miss a minute of the special coverage. >>> at a tea party event, rick santorum calling president obama a snob for wanting every american to go to college. illinois congressman told al sharpton that santorum is wrong in several ways. >> i don't know what rick santorum is thinking about because clearly he is out of the mainstream, he's hypocritical and also just plain wrong when it comes to his facts when he talks about college, for example. but you know, if you want to talk about religion, let's talk about the values in every major religion in the world. things like love thigh neighbor and feed the hungry. because he's also taken off after food stamps. aren't these the kinds of things that ought to embody a religious person's view of the role of our society some so i'm just completely confused. and besides that, we just heard from president obama, but let me quote senator rick santorum in 2006 saying, quote, i was xh committed to ensuring every pennsylvanian has access to higher education. that was just a few years ago. >> don't mess po

and they don't know our god. >> reporter: but the reverend al sharpton tells people on you tube, yes, he does. >> as a baptist minister, i don't have the right to impose my beliefs on anyone else. so if committed gay and lesbian couples want to marry, that's their business. >> the baptist rally disagrees. >> it is not only bad for religious institutions. it's bad for every institution in the state of maryland. >> reporter: governor o'malley promoted same-sex marriage on sharpton's msnbc show last night. >> this is not a threat to anyone's belief system. >> reporter: a letter urging the arch archbishop, and his faith is being called into question as well. >> traditionally, because he's a roman catholic. he is not upholding the church's teaching. >> that depends on whose church is teaching. >> all of us will fight for what is fair. >> reporter: and there are like- minded others as well. >> the governor specifies this in in order to calm the water. but to make the opposition go away, he'd have to walk on it. i'm pat warren reporting. back to you. >>> a senate committee heard testimony on

vocal opponent of samesex marriage is speaking outabout the involvemenn of the reverend al sharptonn sharptono role in tte maryland debate. (burns) "he's not a pastorr he doesn't know our churches, he doesn't know oor state our sucks up to alllof the cclebrities and preaches at funerals when they die. dellgate burns testified against the same sex marriage bill today.he says he knew that ay relationships were inappropriatewhen he wass solicited for see bytwo men when he was 12-years old. 3 a victory for exxon as a new ttial is ordered in the case where the oil giant áhadá expected to pay more then 70- million dollars to fammlies in jacksonville. as kathleen pairns reeorts tonight... the families that expected to coolect... say the ruling is unnair and unjust. 3 (garage door opens) there are no cars in ddnnis berlin's garage:(man)"this is just for two people in a three week assured of is that by buying the filtered water that there is no threat of contamination at least that what we are aware of. dennis lives less controversial exxon station in jacksonville. in 2006 26- thhusand gallons of gaso

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, he might have won michigan and arizona last night, but willard mitt romney is a very sore winner. here he was the big winner last night. >> we didn't win by a lot, but we won by enough and that's all that counts. >> well, there's a resounding winner's speech. take a look at the breakdown. he won michigan's wealthiest counties, highlighted there in the green. but rick santorum took the rest of the state winning big with blue collar workers. you can see it all in the purple. and that's the group willard just can't connect with. fresh off his win, he was in ohio today speaking with workers at a fence making factory. but check out the crowd waiting to cheer him on. a half empty room of supporters. not what you'd expect from a man who won two states last night. here's what it comes down to. this dragged out primary race is hurting his favorability. let's look at president obama in 2008. at this point in the race, in 2008, president obama's favorability numbers were above 50

it's i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead -- the president strikes a balance and republicans strike a pose. today, president obama announced a plan for birth control coverage that should end the controversy that's dominated thç news these last few days. >> religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventive care will not discriminate against women. and we live in a pluralistic society where we're not going to agree on every single issue or share every belief. that doesn't mean that we have to choose between individual liberty and basic fairness for all americans. >> basic fairness. religion and rights. not either/or. that's what this plan insures. under it, women are guaranteed birth control at no out-of-pocket cost. yet religious groups will not be forced to offer contraceptives. instead, insurance companies will step in to offer the coverage. groups like planned parenthood are applauding the decision. and so are key catholic groups who were opposed to the old policy. carol key han, he

houston was remembered during sunday's services in l.a., led by reverend al sharpton.ople will have forgotten houston's problems but they will long remember that remarkable, remarkable voice. indeed. and you think back, you know, just in terms of what she accomplished in her career, how many people we have lost to drugs and alcohol. i made a list. just listen to this list for a second. marilyn monroe, john belushi, jimi hendrix, river phoenix, corey haim, heath ledger, chris farley, amy winehouse, michael jackson, anna nicole smith, judy garland, elvis, dorothy dandridge, gerald levert, billy holiday, jim morrison, janis joplin. every generation has a figure like this who just can't beat their demons. it doesn't seem to get any better. it's that life they lead. >> a lot of super bowl champs have that problem, too. you reach the pinnacle, the top of your career, and you're always trying to figure out what's next. you really can't get any higher. and a lot of times you think that they would have everything, fame, fortune, success, and -- >> they're still human. >> they'r