until he criticized sharpton and jackson.i'm saying i can guarantee you that james meeks, charles jenkins, reverend clay, a number of those pastors in chicago would love to hear from you. don't sit here and waste time criticizing. criticizing reverend sharpton and jackson. one more second, sir. you specifically called him about the shootings in chicago and in newark, yet you are not on the record on your own website of saying or doing anything. so here's what i say, you let me know -- >> let me go on record tonight. >> finish your sentence and let him respond. >> you let me know when you go to chicago and i will see you there when you want to discuss black on black violence in chicago. just let me know when. >> let me do this. let me go on record tonight and say let's put your ideology on the table and put mine on the table. >> no problem. >> i call you out tonight. we can meet in chicago. we can meet in newark and let's see whose ideology best suits the traditional core values of a black american people. let's see whose idea

. >> whose side am i going to be on o'reilly's or sharpton's? find out later in the show. >> why does mitt romney want to destroy his $12 million house? >> 8100 square feet! >> i'll tell you what, you might not believe what he's going to put in place of that house. it's unreal. you know what else it is? it's go time. >> now we find out from abc news in the in the trayvon martin case the 17-year-old african-american that was shot by george zimmerman where there's been no arrest, the leading investigator wanted to arrest zimmerman. he thought they had enough. he didn't believe zimmerman's account of the story. it was he leading the state investigation here, what little there was at the time, who said do not arrest him. so, that is a fascinating twist in this case we'll have to see where pressure comes on then to justify those decisions, and now that we know that, it's a terrific thing that wolfinger has stepped aside and there's now a special prosecutor following this case. the fact that the lead prosecutor wanted to arrest him that night is a ver

and he had just been to james brown's funeral with al sharpton.he one who picked sharpton. it started off as a challenge. hey, if this new collection is so good, what can you find out in 48 hourses? and little did we know what was waiting for us. [laughter] so, yeah, i had to just dive in, and i started to put together the pieces. and at one point tony burrows payment involved, a well known -- became involved, a well known genealogist, also happens to have heritage in the same member of the woods. and so he mentioned that this was what he called thurmond territory. and that was sort of interest being but not particularly relevant at the time. but the journalist when i went and shared my initial findings was so intrigued, he said, okay, keep digging. what else are you going to find? so i went and did a little more sleuthing, because i wanted to find the paper trail. i wanted to find the paper trail to prove it. and one of the remarkable things that didn't get out there is, um, al sharpton's great grandfather, coleman sharpton, he was bought and sol

and back with us, the reverend al sharpton.fessor sunby, i want to go to a line that's in the police chief's report. the so-called frequently asked questions answers. where he says, by florida statute, law enforcement was prohibited from making an arrest based on the facts and circumstances they had at that time. can you deconstruct that for us? >> yes. what i think the chief was trying to say, and perhaps misunderstood in how he said it, is that any arrest, before you can make it, you have to have probable cause that the person committed the crime. and so to say that you can't arrest someone without probable cause is correct. but what his statement suggests is that if a suspect says that they stood their ground and there's any evidence that might corroborate it, that you can't take a look at all the other facts and still find that probable cause exists. if i understand chief lee's interpretation correctly, it would allow anyone who is suspected of a homicide to say, hey, listen, i stood my ground. i thought i was in danger. an

i'll al sharpton. tonight's lead. dramatic new video that could turn the trayvon martin case upside down. and bring us one step closer to justice. this new sanford police video shows trayvon's killer arriving at the police station just minutes after the shooting. this is an absolutely crucial point. the time stamp on the video reads 19:52. that it's 7:52 p.m. 7:52. that's just half an hour after the shooting took place. according to the sanford police report, police arrived on the scene at 19:17 hours. 7:17 p.m. just moments after the shot was fired. so just 35 minutes later, 35 minutes after zimmerman claims trayvon smashed his head into the sidewalk and broke his nose, the gentleman looks like this on the videotape. there are no obvious signs of injury. the police report says zimmerman was bleeding -- was, quote, bleeding from the nose. zimmerm zimmerman's father even claims his nose was broken, but you can't see any blood on his face in this video. the same report also says he was, quote, bleeding from the back of

al sharpton didn't stir up the nation on that. the national media didn't fall in love with that story why not? the only thing i could think of, bill, is why they made one story into a national story and the other they ignored is because in one case the shooter had light skin and in the other case the shooter had dark skin. >> bill: last week we did a story on the south side of chicago where there were 49 shootings over the saint patrick's day weekend. 49. resulting in 14 or 15 dead. including a 6-year-old girl whose face we did put up on the screen it was black-on-black crime. generated by gang activity the civil rice people will tell you, al sharptons will tell you. i have had them enough times on the factor to know. this minority community, 13% of the population, black community has to be protected. has to be protected from people of different color and, remember zimmerman is 50% hispanic. has to be protected from them. from the majority who may be racially prejudiced against black people because of the black skin. that's why th

is there anything to that concern about reverend sharpton?e signed the change.org petition. so reverend bryant is taking issue with two folks. were they the only people who were there? there were thousands of people there. reverend bryant of baltimore was there. there were catholic priests there. there were baptist preachers there. if he has a personal problem with reverend sharpton and jackson that's his problem. when you have vigils and rallies in 50 cities they are out there because of the issue at hand. if you have a problem with them that is your problem. we are focused on this case. >> let's have the same type of energy towards the young lady, the little girl who was killed on her door steps in chicago who was six years old. let's gather two million people and talk about the black on black crime that is going on, the most dangerous person in the life of a young black man is another young black man. and the type of ideas that are spawned when we gather together over a white on black murder. in fact, there is not an epidemic of white men

i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead-in, just two hours it the republican polls will close in misand alabama. polls showed those races way too close to call. the latest polls have mitt romney, rick santorum and newt gingrich running neck in neck. both states, the stakes are high. romney is trying to convince republicans he can seal the deal while santorum and gingrich are both fighting to become the conservative alternative. willard's already moved on to the next round of voting. he is about to take the stage in liberty, missouri, for his only public speech of the night. he is gearing up for his sourry's caucuses, which start tomorrow. santorum has moved on to louisiana, where republicans won't be voting for another two weeks. gingrich is the only one spending eelection night with the folks who voted today. it is change that romney and santorum took off so fast. they couldn't get enough time with these folks over the past few days. >> morning i can't. >> i got kin here in mississippi. >> i heard they got t

we have to go on so we can go to reverend al sharpton.s in florida in a studio waiting to get in here. >> thank you, lawrence, for what you're doing. >> coming up, the leader of tonight's rally, reverend al sharpton will join us. and later in rewrite, he was spared the death penalty because the sister of the black man that he murdered actually asked the court to save his life. you have to hear what she tells the court. that's coming up. [ captain ] sorry folks, our landing time got moved back another hour. [ crowd chatters and groans ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] hunger getting to you? grab a ritz crackerfuls. made with real cheese and whole grain, it'll help keep you satisfied until your next meal. get hunger before it gets you. 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 b

we have to go on so we can go to reverend al sharpton.s in florida in a studio waiting to get in here. >> thank you, lawrence, for what you're doing. >> coming up, the leader of tonight's rally, reverend al sharpton will join us. and later in rewrite, he was spared the death penalty because the sister of the black man that he murdered actually asked the court to save his life. you have to hear what she tells the court. that's coming up. continually ms blind spots, scans the road to reveal potential threats, even helps awaken its driver if he begins to doze. so in the blink of an eye it will have performed more active safety measures than most cars will in a lifetime. introducing the all-new 2012 m-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. nature valley trail mix bars are made with real ingredients you can see. like whole roasted nuts, chewy granola, and real fruit. nature valley trail mix bars. 100% natural. 100% delicious. monarch of marketing analysis. with the abili

>> well, yes, reverend sharpton. i think it's absolutely clear the judge demonstrated not just poor judgment but in the constitution what's called bad behavior. judges are appointed for life, but the constitution actually says they serve during good behavior. the best judgment he could exercise now is to resign, acknowledging that his conduct does not meet that standard in the constitution. >> now, joe madison, so one does not think that we're playing politics here, representative wilmer. one of the largest if not the largest newspaper in the montana -- the billings gazette said in an editorial yesterday, quote, from now on, his image will be stained with the ugly truth about the message he distributed. we call on judge cebull to put this awful incident to rest honorably by stepping down. >> you should also point out -- >> joe. >> yes, reverend sharpton, you should also point out that in his apology, he admitted that it was racist. that's also something that he did. and he went ahead and did it anyway. i think today

and i got one more thing to tell you, reverend sharpton.sses have been coming forward left and right, questioning the way the police investigated them. a mother of the 14-year-old, everybody has been talking to, has said attorney crump, i have things to tell you. so hopefully we can share that with you real soon. because it's evident what she says, how the investigation occurred on her side. >> i'm going to meet new washington. i'm certainly wanting to hear her and probably bring her on. i think america needs to hear what is going on, just so we can protect americans. obviously, this case is a very important case. and i thank you for taking time, running over on short notice, once this broke, and you had hearings in washington, d.c. >> yes, sir. >> once again, nbc is working to confirm this developing report. martin family attorney, benjamin crump, one of the best out there, i might say. >> thank you. thank you, rev. >> when we come back, a tribute to my hero. my mom. your finances can't manage themselves. but that doesn't mean they won't t

i'm al sharpton. live from washington, d.c. tonight's lead, startling new details and new questions about what happened between the police and the prosecutors on the night trayvon martin was shot and killed, just over a month ago. breaking news today. the grio reports on february 26th, just hours after trayvon was killed, former police chief bill lee and the man who replaced him, sanford police investigation supervisor captain robert o'connor, met in person with state attorney norman wolfinger. quote, on a typical case, police contact the state attorney's office and speak with an on duty assistant state attorney. rarely the state attorney, himself, or herself. so why would the state attorney meet face to face with police hours after trayvon's murder? what was so important or different about this case? the stunning news of the nighttime meeting comes a day after we learned that the lead homicide investigator wanted to arrest george zimmerman for manslaughter. the "miami herald" reports that sanford police department requested an

"politicsnation" with al sharpton begins now. >>> welcome to "politicsnation," i'm al sharpton, tonight, the shooting death of trayvon martin. three weeks ago he was shot and killed walking back to his father's girlfriend's house in a gated community near orlando. but still, there has been no arrest even though the police know who shot him. george szimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain, says he shot in self-defense. but the young man was unarmed. he was going home after buying an iced tea and skittles candy. we'll talk to trayvon's father and get a live report from the scene. first, the police have finally released the 911 tapes in the case, and it creating a shocking heart-breaking picture of what happened that rainy night and they cry out for justice in the case. here is the call that george zimmerman, the shooter, made in the case. >> we had some break ins in my neighborhood, and there is a real suspicious guy that looks like he is up to no good or on drugs or something. >> is he black, white, or hispanic? >> his hand is in his waistband. and he is a black male. >> a black hoody,

it's not just about reverend sharpton. the whole world has look at this and said, something about this reflects upon america and the way that americans -- the president's had to speak to it. the congress has had to speak to it. the competitors for the office of republican has had to speak to it. this is unignorable. if you ignore it, it would be a sin, and accuse those that the family would support is just unfortunate. >> and reverend, how big is this story in comparison to some of the other injustices that you have been associated with or advocated for in your lifetime, where people have needed assistance? i mean, is this the civil rights story, the injustice of the 24-hour news cycle? there have been a lot of injustices, but we go back to the rodney king beating, which was some 20 years ago. what about this? >> it's one of these transformative moments, potentially. you know, emmett till killed and in three weeks, those who killed him were tried and a six or seven-minute deliberation. it would have been longer, but they s

politics with al sharpton starts right now. >>> welcome to "politicsnation," i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, dramatic new developments in the death of an unarmed teenager, trevon martin, gunned down bay neighborhood watch volunteer. the killing has shocked the nation. and sparked growing calls for justice. today, the civil rights division of the department of justice launched a federal investigation in florida. and in florida, the state's attorney announced a grand jury will now investigate trevon's killing. in today's most stunning development, we learn that trevon martin's girlfriend was on the phone with him moments before his deadly encounter with his killer, george zimmerman. in a riveting news conference, family attorney benjamin crump, describes what she says happened that night. >> he was talking to this young lady when he went to the 711 and when he came back from the 7-eleven. he tries to get out of the rain. and undenounced to him at all he is being watched or anything. he is just a kid trying to get home from the store and get out of the rain. that's it. nothing e

>> absolutely reverend sharpton. we have to have more confidence and the state supported by the governor. sanford police department from day one, for whatever reason, has tried to do everything in their power to exonerate george zimmerman for killing an unarmed teenager. you hit it right on the nail, reverend sharpton. trayvon is dead on the ground, zimmerman was the aggressor. he disobeyed the police. so why are we not looking at zimmerman's system, and now we'll ner know because the sanford police department decided not to do a drug or alcohol analysis on zimmerman the night he shot trayvon martin. >> let me ask you this. do you think the prosecutor appointed by the government should go and arrest zimmerman now, or wait on the grand jury? >> we would like for her and her staff to move right now. immediately and arrest him. >> we are calling for an immediate arrest. >> and she has the grounds to do it, attorney? >> yes, absolutely. we pray that seconding this to the grand jury would be the absolute wrong result. it

al sharpton didn't stir up the nation on that.ional media didn't fall in love with that story why not? the only thing i could think of, bill, is why they made one story into a national story and the other they ignored is because in one case the shooter had light skin and in the other case the shooter had dark skin. >> bill: last week we did a story on the south side of chicago where there were 49 shootings over the saint patrick's day weekend. 49. resulting in 14 or 15 dead. including a 6-year-old girl whose face we did put up on the screen it was black-on-black crime. generated by gang activity the civil rice people will tell you, al sharptons will tell you. i have had them enough times on the factor to know. this minority community, 13% of the population, black community has to be protected. has to be protected from people of different color and, remember zimmerman is 50% hispanic. has to be protected from them. from the majority who may be racially prejudiced against black people because of the black skin. that's why they do it

reverend sharpton, it is inconsequential. when he had the opportunity to do the right thing, he did not do his job. so what does that do for tracey martin, sybrina fulton and justice for their son? it does nothing. >> let me ask you when you sit here across the street from where this happened, a makeshift memorial, your son gone, and zimmerman is still at large, there are thousands of people already at the park, we had to move from the location, and there are already thousands of people an hour ago. people last night had hoodies, thousands, but for you, this is your son. tell us how you feel with zimmerman at large and all of the support you're getting, how you feel personally as a mother and father? >> i feel outraged they have not arrested him. at least arrested him. i don't understand why they have not. my heart hurts for my son, but that's what gives me the fuel to keep pushing further to know that justice will be served. >> as a father, as a african-american male, i personally take it has a slap in the face that george z

al sharpton doesn't know what happened. he doesn't know what happened, all right. he has no right to do this and nbc news because sharpton works for nbc, not ms nbc. he works for nbc news. he answers to nbc. to let this guy go crazy and what is going to happen is if it doesn't come out the way that he wants it to, sharpton he will accuse racism and everything else and some people are going to do damage. >> i think the point you made in the rodney king aftermath, 58 people were killed. it is bad enough that a 17-year-old unarmed young man was killed. that is horrible. the focus ought to be on the tragedy of his death not the exploitation of his death by people who have a commercial interest, let me underline a commercial interest in exploiting his case for their own profit and benefit or their own profile. this ought to be to seek justice. this iin this country we stille innocent until we are proven guilty and that happens in a courtroom not on ms nbc. >> bill: i went to great lengths to talk to trayvon martin's family lawyers. everybody is frustrated because of the

there's been some criticism of those, such as al sharpton and both reverend sharpton and jesse jackson and the naacp was mentioned and the congressional black caucus, even the president of the united states and the word hate was thrown around. what's your reaction to that and the family's? >> my reaction is it seems to be zimmerman's camp bringing up the racial issues. we had 2 million people sign this petition of all nationalities races and political affiliation. every time someone from zimmerman's camp gets on camera, such as joe oliver who says he is not racist and his father brings up the hate and racism. we have said zimmerman noticed trayvon because he was young, black and male. that is racial profiling. we have said we don't know george zimmerman. we don't know if he's a racist. we can hear from his own words he profiled trayvon. raism is being brought up by their camp. if anyone is trying stir up racist thoughts or division, it is their camp. we are a camp of unity, hope and justice. >> what have you and your lawyer team learned from the police surveillance video? >> well, i me

al sharpton doesn't know what happened. he doesn't know what happened, all right. he has no right to do this and nbc news because sharpton works for nbc, not ms nbc. he works for nbc news. he answers to nbc. to let this guy go crazy and what is going to happen is if it doesn't come out the way that he wants it to, sharpton he will accuse racism and everything else and some people are going to do damage. >> i think the point you made in the rodney king aftermath, 58 people were killed. it is bad enough that a 17-year-old unarmed young man was killed. that is horrible. the focus ought to be on the tragedy of his death not the exploitation of his death by people who have a commercial interest, let me underline a commercial interest in exploiting his case for their own profit and benefit or their own profile. this ought to be to seek justice. this iin this country we stille innocent until we are proven guilty and that happens in a courtroom not on ms nbc. >> bill: i went to great lengths to talk to trayvon martin's family lawyers. everybody is frustrated because of the