Transcripts For MSNBCW MSNBC Live 20130303

95 of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. Visit fastreliefchallenge. Com today for a special trial offer. Thanks, everybody, around this table for the conversation. Before we go, quick programming note. Tomorrow on today, former basketball star Dennis Rodman speaks out about what . Yes, his fascinating trip to north korea, if you can believe it. Also, for this weeks press pass conversation, i sat down with popular author of the secret of happy families, bruce filer. Very good advice for those of us with kids at home. You can watch it at meetthepress msnbc. Com. That is all there is for this week. Well be back next week. If its sunday, its meet the press. A good sunday afternoon to you. You are watching msnbc, the place for politics. Today it is business as usual in washington, d. C. There are smarter ways to cut spending. Our hope is that as more republicans start to see the pain in their own districts. As the sequester kicks in can the two sides come together to form a more perfect solution . And silence in st. Peteers square as the vatican begins the process of picking the next pope. Meanwhile here Vice President joe biden joined civil rights leaders to commemorate bloody sunday as the landmark Voting Rights act faces an uncertain future. Plus this. I tried to keep from crying. And i accepted the apology. It was a very easy decision to make because it is the right thing to do. Nearly 50 years after almost being beaten to death by police a leader gets an official apology and a gift. Right now a live look at the bridge in alabama as leaders gather to commemorate the 1965 civil rights march to montgomery. Roughly 600 folks made that 54 mile trek. It is also known as bloody sunday. Vice President Joe Biden is there with civil rights leaders. John lewis among them. Also House Majority leader canter is there. And a few hundred folks have gathered. They will be doing what they do just about every year at this time, marching that bridge. Joining me from atlanta, the daughter of one of the men who led one of the marchs down the bridge, burn s king. Good to see you. Thank you. Good to see you. First of all, lets start with your thoughts as you see folks gathered today. Well, you know, i think about a quote my mother said. She said a struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation. As they gather for bloody sunday its a reminder that every generation has to be vigilant to ensure that the freedoms that we have fought for are preserved. And so this is important. We have to keep this before peoples memories because we dont want our memories wiped out and we dont want to go back to the horrible time period. All of this happening this year as one of the organizers of the jubilee as it is called and organizers pointed out that this years event has special significance because of what is happening at the Supreme Court. Hearing arguments for and against keeping a key provision of the Voting Rights act. As we watch the events unfold ont that bridge there talk to me about the striking irony of it all. Well, i think its very ironic that it occurs at this time period. I think it just reminds us of what i just said that we have to be very vigilant in this nation to ensure that we dont go back to this horrible time period. The fact that we have a justice that will talk about a racial entitlement when this is an entitlement that is given to all citizens. Because the constitution did not guarantee it we have to have the Voting Rights act to ensure that people did have full participation and not blocked from being anyone to vote. So i want to really commend both justices for their stance. My mother said women if the soul of the nation is to be saved you must become their soul. Thank them for being the soul of the Supreme Court and reminding us of the need for title 5 and the fact that you know there were 240 discrimenatory voting laws blocked by title 5. My father used to remind us that if you did something against the people for hundreds of years then you have to do something for them as well. We are not there yet. There is still a lot of racial hostility and animosity in our nation. And we need to get to a place where we can have political and social discourses not as hostile and racial. That is why we have the king center to teach people how to resolve conflicts so we dont go back to such a horrible period of time. Yesterday kevin murphy app l apologized of the abuses. And passed his badge to congressman john lewis. What do gestures like this do for wounds of the past . You know, interestingly enough at the beginning of this year i called this a year of healing and reconciliation. I am so glad and also commend the police chief in montgomery for extending that apology to john lewis because i think it is healing. I think it appeals to other people who may be out there and have been afraid. Hopefully it will bring them forward. It helps to begin to forge a new relationship. They are not people that are as contrite as he was as he extended this apology to john lewis and we must continue to remain vigilant and ensure that we protect people that need to be protective in this society as we continue to move forward towards freedom and participate in government for all people. Daughter of the reverend Martin Luther king jr. Always good to see and hear from you. Thank you. We are going to continue to keep an eye on the event over the next hour or so. As we mentioned congressman john lewis is expected to speak. When that does happen at the bridge we will bring it to you live. Meanwhile here are todays other top political headlines. Secretary of state kerry meets are mohamed morsi. After the meeting the United States released nearly 200 million of promised u. S. Aid to help egypt. The American Israel Public Affairs committee begins its conference in washington today. Senat its mitt romneys first tv interview since the election. Governor romney telling fox news that he wishes he was part of the action on the fiscal talks. Take a listen. I still care. And i still believe that there are principles that we need to stand for. I look at what is happening right now. I wish i were there. It kills me not to be there, not to be in the white house doing what needs to be done. Joining me now with more on mitt romneys resurge anance. Let me start with you. We just heard governor romney say that it kills him not to be in washington during this time of financial peril. How different with the sequestration show down would have been if at president romney were in the white house . It is a good hypothetical. Probably not very different in that there would be severe cuts either way. We see the republicans deciding something designed to change policy became the policy itself. That is why people around the country are so confused. John boehner said last week it was a bad thing and now republicans are celebrating to some degree that it happened. Mixed messaging. Karen, governor romney conceded that he does not think he is a republican leader now but does have ideas about how the party should move forward. Take a listen to what he said. I lost. And so im not going to be telling the Republican Party come listen to me. The guy who lost is going to tell you how to win. You must have some ideas. Among the ideas clearly we have to do a better job bringing minority voters in to vote. How active will mitt romney be in shaping Party Politics Going Forward . He is going to have another coming out party later this month at the annual conservative Political Action conference. But i dont think that republicans are looking to mitt romney for the future. And it was interesting because he said one of the main things that he had to do was reach out to minorities. In that same interview he seemed to not understand how damaging his own comments were about immigration where he called for self deportation. He said basically the reason that low income latinoes voted for president obama was because they like health care. I think the party sort of understands what it needs to do but what it still doesnt understand is how to get there. Romney ran on his business credentials but House Speaker john boehner now taking the lead on how the Republican Party deals with fiscal challenges. Listen to what he said about how the budget cuts will take effect. Is this going to hurt the economy . Will it hurt economic recovery . I dont know whether it will hurt the economy or not. I dont think anyone quite understands how the sequester is really going to work. Peter alexander joining me from the white house. What might be behind boehners strategy implying the sequesterer might not be as bad as promised. I feel like i am reliving the last months of my life. I think we heard from House Speaker boehner that while he and the president frankly agree that these are dumb cuts john boehner is trying to please the sort of right wing of his party and they are maybe dumb cuts and are cuts and a lot of republicans are satisfied by that feeling this is a victory for republicans against this white house insisting it was a miscalculation perhaps by the president. The question remains to be seen how this will be resolved Going Forward. The next looming text versus spending show down over thekening resolution. How they pay to fund the government through the fall. Both sides insisted that they do not want to see a government shut down but remains to be seen how this will be resolved likely not for several more months over another budget battle. Peter alexander good to see you, sir. Thank you. I want to bring the panel back in. Let me come to you. I know you campaigned with governor romney, travelled with governor romney for more than a year covering the campaign. What has he been doing since he lost . We know that he has been spending a lot of time out here in california at his beach front retreat here in lajolla. He has been working in the boston offices and the firm that his son, tag, runs. It is really unclear what his next steps are. He has refocused his attention on his charity that he founded. And that is a big focus right now and a lot of down time. In the interview this morning ann romney said she was happy to blame the media. What kind of access to do you feel like you had to the real mitt romney . I think that was a debate throughout the campaign. I think a lot of the reporters felt the Romney Campaign had a puzzling communications strategy. When he wanted to talk about the chartable work he was doing and the kind of person he was they rarely let people in. They gave very few interviews. It wasnt until the convention that we saw him open up more and tell us more personal stories. It is all well and good to blame the media but you have to look at your own actions, as well. Governor Romney Campaigned on the promise of cutting deficits. Republicans have long trumpeted balancing our national budget. Speaker boehner stopped short of saying that the automatic sequester cuts were good for the country. Take a listen. There are smarter ways to cut spending than this silly sequester that the president demanded. And so we need to address the long term spending problem. We cant cut our way to prosperity. While he is doing that you have other Republican Leaders who are high fiving and celebrating the sequester cuts. What kind of cuts would the gop rather see take effect . I think the gop would like to see domestic spending cuts and certain entitlement programs. The paul ryan wing saying you have to go after the way we deal with health care and Social Security for eldererly americans. The pickle therein is the Older Americans form the core of their voting block and people are pretty happy with Social Security. We are doing a little reruns today which isnt our fault because john boehner and mitt romney are doing reruns. These were the issues that didnt work well for republicans. The other thing i will say about romney is i think it is unfortunate that he is blaming them for the loss. It does go to Something Else which is the role that he plays now. He does not have to stay on the sidelines and only speak to cpac. He can engage on certain issues on policy, not trying to make himself look good or do politics and be a responsible elder statesman in his party if he wants to. Lets go back to boehner because Democrat Congressional Campaign committee has issued a press release this morning. In that release say they in part, quote, fact check, Speaker Boehner faultily claims democrats have no plan to replace sequester. It was the president was the one who proposed this sequester mechanism. It was the congress that approved it. I think everybody has ownership on this. I thought Something Else was interesting that Speaker Boehner said where he said you cant cut your way to prosperity. The republicans see spending cuts as only part of the equation. They are also and we see it in their governors around the country. They believe tax reform is also crucial. You see governors like sam brown in kansas and bobby jindal in louisiana are controversially trying to reshape their states tax structures. I believe that this is only part of the equation for both parties i think. Thanks to all of you. Enjoyed it so much we will do it later in the show as well. The tragic end to a nightmare scenario in florida. Also the news man getting a lot of ink. What is a press corp to make of it all. Carl rove telling the gop to take over the biggest state in the union. This is the place for politics even on a sunday afternoon. [ lisa ] my names lisa, and chantix helped me quit. I honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didnt think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. It reduces the urge to smoke. It put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] 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. 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It seemed like governor romney was very much coming to terms with his loss but that his wife might be having a harder time. On a personal level how have he and ann been coping with the loss . Losing a major race like the race for president is very difficult. He was disappointed. Him and ann were very concerned with the staff, all of the people that had helped him and helping to find them jobs and move forward. If you saw the interview today i think he is coping with it well. He is rededicating efforts towards his charity. Congress woman, governor romney was plagued by the 47 video that was released by jones where he said 47 of americans were reliant on the government. This is what he said this morning. Take a listen. I didnt express myself as i wished i would have. When you speak in private you dont spend as much time thinking about how something can be twisted and distorted and can come out wrong. I did and it was harmful. What i said is not what i believe. He then said the Health Care Plan was an insurmountable advantage for the president. How was he reconciled and Still Believes that government handouts were a major factor in his defeat . The overall interview was a great interview. I think anyone who has run a campaign and lost a campaign will do an analysis of everything that went right and everything that went wrong over and over and over. I think whether or not his comments are reconciling right now, losing an election is a grief process. That was clear in the interview. I think he is still working on a lot of it. Do you think it can be reconciled . We all know that was a tough, difficult moment in the campaign. Of course, it is still hard to analyze what went wrong, why he said it and how to fix it. Governor romney asked about how much the long republican primary process hurt his run. Take a listen to how he responded to that. The idea that somehow the primary made me become more conservative than i was isnt accurate. On the other hand a long primary where people are attacking one another and where the attacks sometimes are not on the mark but are creating unfavorable impressions those things are not helpful. What was the most damaging attack from the primary that hurt him the most in the general election . I think it was the lack of focus on preparing for the general election. This primary went far longer than our primary in 2008 when governor romney dropped out in early february. We were fighting Rick Santorum right into april and not focusing on the general election until may. We werent able to build a large infrastructure we were going to need to compete against president obama. We werent able to pull our resources, take our money and advertiseme advertisements. We came out of the process very weak and not able to compete with the president over the summer months. Carl rove in your neck of the woods was in california and trying to give a pep talk. No surprise that republicans do about as well in california as democrats in texas. How much sway does carl rove have in california . I dont know that he has a heck of a lot. I think it is good that he got the memo and the Republican Party wants to recognize that california is important. We have written california off for so many years because we cant win it for the president ial election. That hurts the message and it has hurt with women and minorities. I think if they want to win nationally they should focus on california and how to win in california. I hate to act like women are minority but we talk a lot about the latino vote but havent done well with the female vote. I am glad carl was there. I had read he said he was there as a favor of the newly elected head of the Republican Party. I was hoping he would be there to carry an Important Message and he finally got the point himself that we need to reach out to women and minorities. Ryan williams, good to see both of you. Thank you for your time on this sunday. Thank you. We are also watching developing news in britain today. Buckingham palace says Queen Elizabeth ii is in the hospital. The 86yearold monarch has cancelled her events. She is expected to stay in the hospital for the next few days. We will pass along any new information about the queens condition as we learn more. Its a primer, concealer and foundation in one for all day flawless skin. New outlast stay fabulous from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. New outlast stay fabulous living with moderate to semeans living with pain. Is it could also mean living with joint damage. Humira, adalimumab, can help treat more than just the pain. For many adults, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. 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The demolition has wrapped up for the day. It took about 2 1 2 hours this morning. This is all that is left of this building near tampa. Authorities spent most of the morning going through the rubble and retrieving some of the belongings for the two families that lived in the home. As you can see half of the building is still standing. The sink hole that is about 30 feet wide and about 50 to 60 feet deep cant be seen because it is towards the back of the home. Authorities plan to come back here tomorrow and finish the demolition. And then they are going to have to try to figure out what next to do here. There is some talk about filling the hole but they need to figure out how to do that in order to stabilize the surrounding area. The two homes adjacent to the building are evacuated and families dont know when or if they will be able to return. The two families got their keepsakes and american flag, pictures and a bible. This is a broken home full of memories and they have had a difficult few days as they remember 36yearold jeff bush who was swallowed in that sink hole. Thank you. Folks, we continue to follow the developing story. Right now in alabama as you can see there folks getting ready to cross the bridge. Also john lewis, one of the 58 people treated for injuries on bloody sunday back in 1965. We will hear from congressman lewis on the other side of this break. Come back. Youll have the knowledge to advance your career while making a difference in the lives of patients. Lets get started at capella. Edu. So i used my Citi Thankyou card to pick up some accessories. A new belt. Some nylons. And what girl wouldnt need new shoes . And with all the points ive been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. Things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your Citi Thankyou points to travel whenever you want. Visit citi. Com thankyoucards to apply. Georgia congressman and civil rights icon speaking right now about what happened 48 years on the bridge behind him. Lets listen in. And convinced the congress to pass the Voting Rights act of 1965. Selma, alabama, you have an African American mayor and many other elected officials not just in alabama but all across the south. We are not done yet. We are not going back. We are Going Forward. So now it is my desire and my obligation to do what i can to help complete what we started many, many years ago. I know what im supposed to do to present someone. This man doesnt need an introduction. Hes a leader among leaders. He was chair of the Senate Judiciary committee. He dealt with issues of civil rights, gun violence, violence against women. He is a friend and he is a brother. He is our brother. Dont forget he is our brother. He may look like he is another color but he is our brother. We are brothers. We are one family, one people, one house. And Vice President joe biden lives in the same house that we live in, the american house. So let us give the Vice President of the United States a great welcome to selma, alabama. [ applause ] youre the best. I think i should just go home now, now. You know, there are consequential and iconic moments in the history of the Civil Rights Movement none more consequential than what happened at the foot of this bridge 48 years ago this thursday. A group of absolutely determined and committed americans, not only face down but confronted an armed, angry, powerful mob, some wearing uniforms acting in the name of the law. And why . Why . Just for the simple right to be sure that all americans had the franchise, were able to exercise the simplest thing, but the most important thing a man and woman can do in democracy, just be able to show up and vote. A god given right to every american citizen. And as a senior in college in another part of the country i remember most of us thought that that right was secured. Most of us thought that the hatred, the viciousness, the bigotry that we had seen in our own states had at least subsided. But what we saw was entrenched hostility and prejudice coming face to face with undaunted courage and resolve, a resolve so powerful that it inspired the congress and the nation to support the Voting Rights act just four months later. I have one regret along with my room mate who has passed away, another one of my colleagues named bill city and the Student Center asking ourselves why were we not there . I was involved in my state in a small way which was still fighting the lingering vestiges of jim crow but i regret and although it is not part of what im supposed to say, apologize that took me 48 years to get here. I should have been here. I should have been here. Its one of the regrets that i have and many of my generation have. You know, but for the courage shown that sunday 48 years ago the Voting Rights act would not have happened were it not for that moment. So Many Americans i remember that day, replayed on our television sets. 600 decent women and men, some like jesse and others sitting here before me, 600 of you stepped through the door way of Brown Chapel Church at 3 00 in the afternoon on march 7, 1965. And although you knew it was important, you made history. You made history on that bloody sunday. You headed towards montgomery to make the case to the nation and the world that without the right to vote your voices would never really be heard, your opinions would never be counted on and this city, this county, this state and so many other places across america, not long after you breached that door at brown chapel you faced the wall of hatred as you tried to step on to the bridge behind me. You possessed a quality that at any time in history is always in short supply, simple, straightforward, undaunted courage. My mother used to say the most important virtue of all is courage because all other virtues flow from it. And my god did you show courage. As i sit here and think about it. Vice president speaking to the hundreds who have gathered at the bridge to remember what happened there some 48 years ago. It was bloody sunday as it has been dubbed. Congressman john lewis spoke just before the Vice President. We are going to take a quick break. Folks gathered there will walk across the bridge. This is the opposite of subliminal advertising. Theres no subtext. Just tacos. Yeah, its our job to make you want it. But honestly. Its not that hard. Old el paso. When you gotta have mexican. But honestly. Its not that hard. With an intuitive motion activated lid and seat,ad bold makes sure youll never have to ask him again. You know it can be hard to lbreathe, and how that feels. 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With unitedhealthcare, i get personalized information and rewards for addressing my health risks. But shes still going to give me a heart attack. Thats health in numbers. Unitedhealthcare. All your important legal matters in just minutes. Protect your family. And launch your dreams. At legalzoom. Com we put the law on your side. But im still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesnt unstuff your nose. What . [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. Thanks. Thats the cold truth this week Washington Water coolers were still abuzz. On meet the press woodwards source in the administration Gene Sperling spoke out. I cant really explain it. All i can say is i hope bob and i can put this behind us because i think it takes away the focus. Were you threatening him in any way . Of course not. Did the white house threaten woodward and did they move the goal post when it came to the sequester. Joe was an aid to former president george h. W. Bush. Great to see both of you. The heart of the controversy was that woodward has been saying the white house gave him a hard time when he reported that president obama and his ad avisors were the original master minds behind the cuts. Woodward mischaracterized the situation. Who is right here . Well, lets talk about two things. One is the question about being given a hard time and the notion of a threat. This email chain shows that woodward way exaggerated that. I think he now probably regrets having said he felt threatened since the record is so obvious that there was absolutely no threat at all. As to whether the goal post got moved. The administration has been saying for years certainly during Election Campaign that they wanted a mix of revenue increases and spending cuts. That was kind of the position of the white house all along. They feel like they kind of got pushed into having to offer the sequestration and there has been an intervening election which the president won and was clear about what he wanted. I dont think woodward has it right on the merts. One of the things that we have heard throughout course of the week from a number of different reporters, they basically said that this isnt terribly unusual, that this administration perhaps more so than others in the past bullying reporters on a regular basis. How transparent is this administration compared to past . I think they are doing a pretty good job of being transparent. Working in the white house is always difficult. When i worked in the white house we didnt have the email that exists today. I worked for the first president bush in that white house. So we didnt have email. I understand what bob woodward is saying. He is concerned about the bail threat saying he would regret. You dont know what folks in the white house might do to you. That is what he is concerned about. He is a legend. I have been interviewed by him before in the past. And when i worked at the white house i was very sensitive about what i said because i didnt want anything to be taken out of context or misconstrued. I dont think sperling meant in a mean way. You have to be careful about your words and choose them wisely so you dont lead anybody to thinking you might be threatening them. How hypersensitive have journalists in washington, d. C. Become . The fact of the matter is bob woodward has made a career out of going off the record with people and then quoting them in books and articles. It is his own credibility. In this case i think we are seeing that he fank frankly stretched it a bit by going on the cable shows and talking about how he felt threatened and then we see his follow up apology. No apology needed. Do i think journalists have glass jaws . Absolutely. They can dish it out but cant take it. Present company excluded, of course. Of course. Good to see both of you. We want to keep you up to date on what is happening in selma, alabama. That walk is about to get underway. The hundreds of folks who have gathered will be crossing the bridge. That, of course, is where 48 years ago this week some 58 people, 58 civil rightsmarchers injured. John lewis among them, suffered a Skull Fracture there. Treated at a local hospital. The day is called bloody cindy. 1965. They are getting ready to to march into the same steps. When that happens we will bring it to you. Well have to take a quick break though and come right back. No two people have the same financial goals. Pnc works with you to understand yours and help plan for your retirement. Visit a branch or call now for your personal retirement review. And i have a massive heart attack right in my driveway. The doctor put me on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. Go talk to your doctor. Youre not indestructible anymore. As many as 70,000 children would lose access to head start slots this fall and as many as 14,000 teachers who teach those children would lose their jobs. What these cuts would mean on title i is 725 million would be cut and as many as 10,000 teachers could lose their jobs. That was, of course, education secretary there arne duncan tuesday on just some of the teacher layoffs that could happen resulting from the sequester, but was he accurate . Lets take a fact check. Joining me now maeve restin who covers politics for the l. A. Times and karen tumultity reporter for the Washington Post. You took on claims by the administration over these teacher layoffs and the numbers in general and you wrote in part, quote, that means the administrations dire projection that as many as 40,000 teachers could lose their jobs is guesswork at best. Karen, was there confusion over the numbers, or was the white house deliberately trying to fudge them . There was some that is just flat out fudging hype. For instance, arne duncan said three times once to reporters last thursday, again last sunday on face the nation and then again in the White House Briefing room on tuesday that pink slips literally are going out as we speak, and by the third time he said it, you know, people were asking well, where, and he mentioned a specific School District in west virginia. Well, it took one phone call by the Washington Post to that district to find out that no search pink slips are going out. Now, yes, education is going to be squeezed, and its already been hit in almost every School District across this country already by spending cuts, but the fact is that most of these cuts are not going to be felt until next fall, and between now and then a lot of School Districts are going to have to figure out how they are going to make adjustment. I mean, the one good bit of news is that state and local tax revenues are going up a bit thanks to the economic recovery. That could give them a little bit of breathing room, but what is just not true is the kind of specificity that the administration talks about in these numbers because, again, a lot of these cuts are not going to be felt for a long time, and there are a lot of moving parts here. Maeve, why do you think its been so hard to get the real story here . Well, i mean i think because this has become a huge political football for both sides and the republicans are trying to use this to their advantage. The Obama Administration is trying to use it to their advantage, and theres a lot of ways that they can massage the numbers. I know here in l. A. We have city officials talking about potentially cuts in Police Hiring and Homeless Services and at the same time they dont really know whats coming down the pipeline so the mayoral candidates out here are making this a big issue in their race, and everyone is just trying to use it to their advantage. Thank you so much for helping us do some factchecking here of the sequester. Thank you, ladies. Appreciate it. Thanks. Right now the walk across the Edmund Pettis bridge in selma, alabama has started. As you can see there, a live look as hundreds get ready to cross that bridge. Civil rights leaders among them. Congressman john lewis is there, reverend Jesse Jackson is there, reverend al sharpton also there. We just heard from Vice President joe biden a few moments ago. He is there. All of them they are to march to remember the fight for Voting Rights as some believe that Voting Rights themselves may once again be in peril in this country and theres a powerful picture. Congressman john lewis appearing there to be praying as they get ready to walk across that bridge. Well bring it to you. Well take a quick break. This is msnbc, the place for politics. Into each of her pot p. Like tender white meat chicken and vegetables in a golden flaky crust thats made from scratch. Marie callenders pot pies. Its time to savor. In a golden flaky crust thats made from scratch. How do we take an unpolished room and make it shine . We get doing. With a store full of ways to get it done. We can all throw on our work clothes. And throw out any doubt. Because right nows the time to take those rooms from. Think i can do this . To. Let me show you what i just did. More saving. More doing. Thats the power of the home depot. Outsmart your budget with this pergo presto flooring, just 1. 88 a square foot. How did i know . Well, i didnt really. See, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive. But when i started losing energy and became moody. 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Serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. Tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. So. What do men do when a numbers too low . Turn it up [ male announcer ] in a clinical study, over 80 of treated men had their t levels restored to normal. Talk to your doctor about all your symptoms. Get the blood tests. Change your number. Turn it up. Androgel 1. 62 . Plays a key role throughout our lives. One a day mens 50 is a complete multivitamin designed for mens Health Concerns as we age. It has 7 antioxidants to support cell health. One a day mens 50 . Good sunday afternoon. Im craig melvin. This is msnbc, the place for politics. Washington, good luck seems as bad as ever as the sequester sets in for the first full week. On his first world tour as the new secretary of state john kerry sits down with the new president of egypt, plus this from selma, alabama earlier. Look, folks, here we are, 48 years after all you did, and were still fight iing in 2011, 12 and 13. And a live look right now at the Edmund Pettis bridge in selma, alabama as civil rights leaders and hundreds of others are crossing that bridge to commemorate the 1965 civil rights march from selma, 54 miles to montgomery, alabama, the capital this. Vice President Joe Biden is there with civil rights leaders, Jesse Jackson is there, congressman john lewis. Here to talk to me is judith brown, codirector of the advancement project. Shes been working to keep Voting Rights in place for a number of years now. 48 years after the march from selma to montgomery, here we are. Good to see you. Good to see you. How are you, craig. As you watch these live pictures from selma, what are your thoughts as someone who its probably fair to say to stand on the shoulders that made that march so many years ago. I sure do stand on their shoulders. I mean, it is amazing that were not only commemorating 1965, but we are still in this fight, you know. We marked 150 years of the emancipation proclamation. We just marked 100 years of the womens suffrage march in washington, d. C. , and here we are, you know, still fighting the fight about protecting the most precious right that we have in our democracy, the right that is preservative of every other right and its, you know, its amazing because, i mean, so many people died for this right to vote, got beaten for the right to vote, and here we are in 2013 still fighting to protect it, and thats a shame. And here you have a few hundred people walking across that bridge just a few days after the historic arguments being made before the Supreme Court as well over the Voting Rights act passed in 1965, specifically article v. Thats right. So, you know, we saw the Supreme Court looking at this case deciding whether or not section v, which really prevent discrimination before it happens, the court taking up whether or not its constitutional, whether or not we still need it. You know, we know from 2011 and 2012 that we were having to fight laws that were making it harder to vote for people of color and that we still need it, but you know what . At the end of the day this isnt just about people of color. Its about all americans. Its about our democracy. Shouldnt we all be able to participate in this, and also, you know, weve got to fight for this with the same intensity that we fight for our guns, we must fight to protect our access to the ballot. You mentioned not just being about people that look like me and you. Weve seen members of congress from both party today, and weve seen a number of people from all different types of races and weve got this picture, minority leader eric cantor and steny hoyer with both of their children. How does an event like this, how does it work to ensure a bipartisan approach to the future of civil rights in this country . Well, you know, i mean, its important to understand that when section v was reauthorized in 2006 there was bipartisan support. In fact, in the senate there was no one that voted against it. In the house there were a handful of republicans that voted against it, but you know, this is about our constitution, and so we really should see that we have bipartisan support for ensuring that we are all equal understand the constitution so i think, you know, as the Supreme Court looks at this case and they really are taking up whether or not there were republicans that were scared to vote against, it look, at the end of the day no one should believe that we should have discrimination in voting, and we should all stand up for it. Judith browne, codirector of the advancement project. Always good to see and hear from you. Thanks, craig. Take care. Here are todays political headlines. North Koreas Kim Jongun wants president barack obama to call him. In his first interview since coming back from north korea on that unprecedented visit, former nba star Dennis Rodman says that he bears a message from president obama from the countrys impressive leader jim jongun. I sat with him for two days, and one thing he asked me to give obama to something to say and do one thing. He wants obama to do one thing. Call him. He wants a call from president obama. Thats right, he told me that. No time to talk about that outfit. Secretary of state john kerry has just wrapped up his trip to egypt. The secretary released about 200 million in u. S. Aid to address what he calls egypts extreme needs. Kerry is headed to saudi arabia, his seventh stop on his ninenation trip now. House Speaker John Boehner today telling David Gregory on meet the press that he does not believe president obama ever had a plan to avert the sequester. If he had a plan, why wouldnt Senate Democrats go ahead and pass it . The house has acted twice over the last ten months to replace the sequester. If were going the president got his tax hikes on january the 1st. Speaker boehner this morning on the sequester cuts now in effect. Of course, meanwhile, states are looking inward as they brace for impact. My next guest represents california which, of course, is already facing its own budget calamity, to say the least. Joining me now from washington is golden state congressman adam schiff who also sits on the House Appropriations committee. Congressman, good to see you. Great to be with you. What do you make of Speaker Boehners point there . Well, the president did put something on the table, and, in fact, the senate did vote on a compromise, a balanced approach with new revenues as new cuts. Got a majority of votes in the senate, but, of course, in the senate you need to overcome the filibuster which they couldnt do, but the president has proposed for months, for really probably years, a balanced approach that would combine spending cuts, that would combine reducing cuts in the entitlements along with new revenues and weve done some of that. 21 or 31 cuts in revenue but the cuts need to be meant with additional revenue and thats what the American People voted for but at this point the speaker has been unwilling and the majority of House Republicans have been unwilling to do anything more than cut. It was a month or two to go that the sequester was to go into effect. This morning he really feels like the cuts are okay but its not the answer. I want to talk to you about Something Else that youve been outspoken, the United States post office, trying to save a post office in your district, that the post office wants to close. What are your thoughts on how the post office has been trying to cut costs itself . Well, i dont think they have been going about it the right way. Closing it around the country, a Historic Post Office in glendale they may be trying to close. They are trying to do away with sixday delivery. The problems are much deeper than, that and they wont be fixed by these kinds of solutions. Unfortunately, because of sledge slayings in congress the Postal Service has had to prefund the Retirement Plan in a multimultibillion dollar way that no agency has had to do. Have overpaid into the system and the Congressional Budget Office has validated this, and unless you address those big financial pressures on the Postal Services, closing post offices here and there wont fix the problem. Its going to reduce the quality of service. Glad you brought up the prefunding because you know, that i know that. I dont know if the average american necessarily knows that, but my question is why Wont Congress then take their hands off the post office and let it operate itself and run itself like a 21st century business . Well, we should, but i think the reality is that theres some in congress and a majority in the house that want to do away with the Postal Service as we know it so they imposed thee re service of resource and claim that the post office cant run an efficient operation. Trying to do this deliberately. They set it up to fail and its part of starving the beast, the starve the government to resources, degrade the quality of service. I think they would like Nothing Better to cherry pick the Postal Service most profitable routes and like the private sector take those over and let the Postal Service handle the more rural routes and point to the post office as being more inefficiently run. Its, again, part of the overall attack on government, but the Postal Service in addition to providing a good service for generations also provided good middle class jobs for americans for generations, and thats something thats very much at risk. Congressman, thank you. Right now, as i just mentioned, secretary of state john kerry is heading to saudi arabia after wrapping up a very important meeting with egyptian president , mohamed morsi, urging egyptians to come together saying, quote, in all my meetings i conveyed a simple but serious message. The egyptian people must come together to address their economic challenge. Again, that was secretary of state john kerry just a short time ago in egypt. Always good to see you thank you craig. Lets talk about this lets talk about this meeting here because my understanding, and you correct me if im wrong, the secretary had some meetings yesterday in egypt, but he could not even get some of the Opposition Leader in that country to show up for the meetings. Well, its a very divided country politically since two years. I mean, plus you have a president that didnt want to dialogue with the opposition, didnt want to negotiate with them and now they all find themselves in front of this huge economic crisis where they are asking the imf to give them 4. 8 billion and the imf actually asking simple reforms. Reform the economy, raise taxes, cut the Energy Subsidies and they cant come together to actually deliver to the people that voted for them, for morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood on those issues. They need a grand bargain and they need actually to understand, they need not only to come together. Otherwise there will be a real economic calamity in egypt. They dont have tourism. They dont have resources. And the Unemployment Rate for people under the age of 30 in egypt and i read somewhere around 60 and 70 . If you look at the overall egyptian population, 60 of the egyptian people are under 30 years old. This is the real tragedy. You have a lot of youth. You dont have employment for them and you have ideology. This is what morsi needs to understand before its too late. Earlier this week it was announced that the United States will be given a 60 million aid package, 60 million in nonlethal aid assistance. Syrian president Bashar Al Assad spoke to that. Listen. He can do only one thing, go to turkey and tell him to stop smuggling terrorists into syria. Stop providing Logistical Support and he can stop financing the terrorists in syria. Where can secretary kerry go from here on the issue of syria when were dealing with that . I mean, its the same thing. We all remember gadhafi, Moammar Gadhafi speaking to television. It seems like these people. Dont even listen to who other people and other countries have done. They speak the same language, the same, gadhafi, mubarak, they all said the same words. The internet is our enemy, terrorists fighting us, tell americans to stop financing terrorists as if its a playbook and they repeating it over and over. I think where we go from here is the right place with what kerry doing. Not giving weapons which, you know, we dont know who we are dealing with. We know theres elements inside the free syrian arms theres hardcore islamists and we need to reform them somehow so they are giving them 60 million and its in food and other kind of aid and in teaching them how to govern eventually in a postassad era. Educating them and opening schools. This is what the arab world needs today to partner we need to partner with them. We can open schools all over that region sheikhs, not mullahs, but real leaders to govern their country. Always good to come back. Thank you. Always welcome here on the weekend. A health scare for the queen of england. Details on that coming up. Also a vatican without a pope, but for how long. And bluegrass politics, how a Hollywood Star may throw her hat and the rich into the political process. This is msnbc. [ female announcer ] switch to swiffer 360 dusters extender, and youll dump your old duster. But dont worry, hell find someone else. Whos that lady . Whos that lady . Sexy lady, whos that lady . [ female announcer ] swiffer 360 dusters extender cleans high and low, with thick all around fibers that attract and lock up to two times more dust than a feather duster. Swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. And now swiffer dusters refills are available with the fresh scent of gain. You dont decide when vegetables reach the peak of perfection. The vegetables do. At green giant, we pick vegetables only when theyre perfect. Then freeze them fast so theyre are as nutritious as fresh. [ green giant ] ho ho ho. Green giant ah. 4g, huh . Verizon 4g lte. 700 megahertz spectrum, endtoend, pure lte build. The most consistent speeds indoors or out. And, obviously, astonishing throughput. Obviously. You know how fast our home wifi is . Yeah. This is basically just as fast. Oh. And verizons got more fast lte coverage than all other networks combined. So its better. Yes. Oh, why didnt you just say that . Huh what is he doing . My question was a little more domestically focused because i know you may be running for political office, but im not asking you about that. Is there an elephant in the room . Thats ashley judd there dodging a question about her potential run for the u. S. Senate, challenging kentucky senator Mitch Mcconnell. She was speaking at an event at George Washington university on friday, and while judd may have skirted questions about her potential run for office, our next guest may have some insights into the truth behind her plans. Congre congressman john jar mouth is the lone democrat from kentucky. Im looking for company. Can you tell us if ashley judd is going to do it. Is she runing . Well, i think shes certainly doing everything that a serious candidate for government would do leading up to making a decision. Id be surprise federal she doesnt. Really . I think she real i think she really is excited about the race. Shes talking to people throughout the commonwealth, both Democratic Office holders and other people who would be important to if she runs, so i dont think you would do as much as she is doing right now without without being very serious about running. You think shes laying the foundation . I definitely do, and, you know, i know that shes done polling. Shes done Opposition Research on herself so she knows the kind of attacks that Mitch Mcconnell and his allies will wage against her, so, again, she she is passionate about Public Policy. Shes been in Public Policy for many, many years. Shes not a dilettante. She is a very serious person. She has a masters in Public Policy from harvard, and she knows her stuff, and i think she would be a mold candidate. Im from south carolina. Youre from kentucky. Right. Ashley judd, shes got bluegrass roots. Technically not a resident now, i understand, and in that speech in d. C. , you know, she talks about wintering in scotland. Those are generally not the types of things that play well in places like the places were from. Well, thats true, but, you know, her family has eight generations in kentucky. She went to the university of kentucky. Shes a frequent guest at uk basketball games and leads cheers there. I mean, she has roots that are firmly established here, and i dont really think that thats going to be an attack that will stick for long. Shes so closely identified with the state. I want to ask you Something Else while i have you here. Senator Mitch Mcconnell is slamming a liberal group now for attacking his wife, former labor secretary lane chow born in taiwan and that because of her esknitity she might have convinced the senator to move jobs to china. There was a quick response, whatever the intention, whatever the venue, whomever the person attacks or comments on anyones ethnicity are wrong and patently unacceptable. Talk to me a little bit about this. This is again, this is Mitch Mcconnells wife here. Does this surprise you . That has no place in political die mog. That was ashley judds response, by the way, and what this its actually just a small website and a pac. I dont know how much influence they have, but clearly what they did was was totally inappropriate and ought to be condemned by everybody, and i hope that Mitch Mcconnell in the campaign abides by that staple standard that that were all advancing and that he complained about. Was that a hope or a suggestion, which one was that, congressman . Both. Democratic congressman john yarmuth from kentucky. Thanks. Thanks. Queen elizabeth is in the hospital being treated for gast gastroenterit gastroenteritis. The 86yearold monarch has cancelled all of her events for the next week and well keep you up to date on her condition as we learn more. 1942. [ all ] fort benning, georgia, in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaas commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. Begin your legacy. Get an autoinsurance quote. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. A talking car. But ill tell you what impresses me. A talking train. This ge locomotive can tell you exactly where it is, what its carrying, while using less fuel. Delivering whatever the world needs, when it needs it. After all, whats the point of talking if you dont have something important to say . 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Were marching today to dramatize to the nation and dram toys to the world the hundreds and thoughtses of negro citizens here in the south denied the right to vote. 48 years ago some of us and many of you here gave a little blood on this bridge. We were beaten, tear gassed, trampled by horses, but we didnt give up. That was congressman john lewis first in 1965 and then just moments ago in selma, alabama. Civil rights leaders are meeting there today as the Supreme Court, of course, considering rolling back key provisions of the 1965 landmark Voting Rights act. Well have more hon that coming up. Developing now, britains most senior Catholic Cardinal keith obrien has issued his first public apology after his resignation last week. In a statement he says in part, quote, i wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have been times when my Sexual Conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal. To those i have offended i apologize and ask forgiveness. Cardinal keith obrien resigned monday after a newspaper published allegations of his muss conduct with priests. Sexual misconduct among priests, just one of the concerns hovering around the vatican as the college of cardinals prepares to assemble to pick the next pope. Nbcs keir simmons is in rome for us. How will today eevents impact events over the next few days there. Reporter i think you can read for yourself how damminging it is when you just simply assess that had he not resigned a week ago obrien would be here in rome as part of that 100plus group of cardinals who are going to choose the next pope. That said the selection process, they call it the conclave, its unlikely to be affected by this announcement last night. George weigel, nbc news, vatican analyst, is saying that it isnt likely to be affected, that they may be pleased to see a line drawn under this, but at the same time in his assessment its important that the next pope takes into account whats happened here and works to try to make sure it doesnt happen again. On the other hand, craig, clearly the timing is pretty terrible. This happening tonight, this statement being put out, i dont think there was any intention of it being this way, but the simple fact is that the impression is that this statement comes out tonight just as the cardinals are gathering tomorrow morning. They are expected to gather at 9 30 tomorrow morning and to begin to talk about how to select the next pope. At some point the next few days we expect to say when the conslave will start, perhaps in a weeks time. You have the Catholic Church trying to say, okay, lets move forward, lets select a new pope and then you have this reminding them of all the problems they have. Talk to me quealy quickly here, keir, if you can, about the timing of the college of cardinals. If they say that they are going to convene in two weeks versus them saying that its going to take a month, what can we glean from the timing . Reporter timing really depends on how long they want to really get together, have cozy chats and think about what they want to do because right now in all honesty it really isnt clear who is standing out to be the next pope. In previous conclaves it began to be pretty clear pretty early. Thats not the case this time, and they know what a serious decision it is. They know all the qualities they need in a new leader, someone who can really stand up and have charisma and lead the church in a profound way, the way that john paul ii did, so they know they need to try to achieve that. Right now they dont quite know if they know who that person, is and they are going to take the time that they need to do that. One marker in the diary, of course, easter is coming. If they havent made a choice by then, and they dont have to, people will look and say hold on a second, theres something wrong here. Keir simmons for us tonight from rome, ahead of the college of cardinals as they preem prepare tomorrow to start to pick a new pope. Keir, good to see you. Good to see you, sir. Its a pleasure. Back in washing tocchet the spat between the white house and veteran watergate reporter bob woodward became a big story last week. In fact, depending on who you talked to, it eclipsed coverage of the sequester debate. At issue is whether white house economic director Gene Sperling threatened woodward and that really depends o lets go behind that store we ari melber, msnbc political contributor at the nation. Take us to it. There were two big stories in washington this week, of course the sequester and the idea that bob woodward was bullied while covering it. The famous post reporter said the white house tried to scare him. The administrations argument was that woodward, of course, was going to regret making a factual error, when all the emails came out the evidence showed woodward was exaggerating. It was a threat so veiled i cant see it. Still, the whole thing consumed washington for days, and that reaction, i think, suggests two larger problems. First, theres the problem that washington and the media share. We focus too much on ourselves, so in a week when spending cuts were going to impact millions of lives, washington feasted on a petty drama about two local celebrities. Reporters obsessed over woodwards depiction of reporting. Now, this is comfortable ground for us, of course, we can contrast his sources and methods to our own, but i think even as we criticize him we risk flattering ourselves, examining a narrative of power politics where we play this central role. And second theres the related problem of what political reporters believe is actually essential about that journalistic role. Woodward called foul on the play and appeared to break a confidentiality agreement on the premise that this spat had to do with the governments expectation of a free press. Th they say this spat started because president obama didnt let the press present when he played golf with tiger woods. Golf or stern emails are even on the list and its not a good sign when the incidents that upset washington the most are the least important things you can think of. Craig . Is that the first time that youve quoted Michelle Malkin in this studio . Probably. Thank you, sir, do appreciate it. Stand by. Want to bring in the rest of this sundays brain trust, bob franken, syndicated columnist, alison stuart, a republican strategist and former press secretary for candidates Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann and i hear youre a marathoner as well. It was actually a half marathon. This is sound from Gene Sperling this morning on meet the press. Take a listen. Those emails are very substantive. They are cordial. They are friendly, and his reply why do you think hes gone public with it and made an issue of it . David, i would think you would look at his reply. He said dont apologize. I hope bob and i can put this behind the focus. Were you threatening him in any way . No. For bob woodward to suddenly get the vapors offer that kind of wasnt even really a threat but to be perfectly honest on any given day when f i wasnt threatened or cussed out by somebody i was covering, i wasnt doing my job. Come on, thats what we do. If youre doing it right. If youre doing it right. Youve been on the other side of this working on president ial campaigns, dealing with reporters. Whats your take on this from that Vantage Point . Ive also been as a journalist covering campaigns and candidates, and i can say that no matter how you slice it the fact that economic adviser for the president would go to any reporter and say that they may regret having reported that, i do think it does it is a reason for concern. Are you taking it out of context though . Also, if you look at the email it also says, i apologize for raising my voice. As you know they had a 30minute conversation about it, but ive looked at all sides of this, and i think woodward was right to say what he said in terms of the sequestration. It was obamas decision in the first place. I do feel as though the Obama Administration has moved the goal post on this, and i believe he was correct to point it out, and, unfortunately, the Obama Administration is not used to someone pointing out the accuracies of Something Like this and thats where we are. Alice, i respect your opinion. The people who dont disagree with you are the editors of the Washington Post because when they were faced with the question of moving the goal posts and what to do with that claim, they felt it was opinion, and they took bob woodward who we all know is a longtime reporter and they took that opinion and put it in the opinion section where it belongs. It is an opinion, and we can debate the opinion. The problem here, and i think why woodward got so upset, he got confused about whether he wanted to make factual claims or opinions and he got into it deep with the white house. I do agree we should get back to the focus here which is looking at the effect of these spending cuts and how to deal with them and not just the local celebrity fight. His factual claim the factual claim about the fact that obama was the originator of the sequestration and also the fact the thing that made David Axelrod so mad is revenues were not originally part of the sequestration conversation and now it is. No one raised quite as much a stink about woodward when he was pointing the finger at nixon and now hes doing it at obama and here we are. Bob, jump in with that. I happen to disagree that the tiger woods matter wasnt important. I think that i believe that what it reflected was this arrogance on the part of the white house that believes that the press is either going to be complaint or shut up. Thats really dangerous. Is this arrogance that permeates this white house different from arrogance that existed in other administrations . Theres an old bumper sticker. Cheer up, things could be worse and sure enough i did and they were worse. Each administration gets more outrageous. Ive been yelled at for president s going all the way back, and im going to tell you how far back, but there are always people in the administration who are enforcers and we make a mistake. If we take it personally and we make a bigger mistake if were pliant. My problem is where the White House Correspondents Association chose to go to the mat, not over the drones or the aclu or the record on freedom of information request, serious issues less sexy. You and i would agree we have to push any government, no matter who is in charge of my concern is the White House Correspondent association and this woodward thing show washington obsessed over the titillation and the personalities, not the underlying transparency. And i agree with a sgli have to take a quick break. Have to pay some bills. The brain trust all fired up. Youve got a problem with titillation. When we come back, well get their take on the Supreme Courts potential challenge to the Voting Rights act. We will not be talking about titillation. This is msnbc, the place for politics. But they havent experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. In fact, in a recent survey, 95 of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. Visit fastreliefchallenge. 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Iconic members of the Civil Rights Community joining Vice President joe biden on the Edmund Pettis bridge in selma, alabama just moments ago. They are there to commemorate the 1965 civil rights march from selma to montgomery. I want to bring back the brain trust now. Ari, bob, alice. Listen to who Vice President joe biden said earlier today there in sell map. Take a listen. Section v of the Voting Rights act in 1965, okay. I even got i got credit or blamed for getting Strom Thurmond to vote for its reauthorization in the 70s. Strom thurmond voted for reauthorization, and yet its being challenged in the Supreme Court of the United States of america as we stand here today. Bob, how significant is the fact that on the day were commemorating the sell are atomontgomery march the Supreme Court is deciding part of the Voting Rights act, arguably the most important part. Obviously its highly ironic. I mean, the debate in the Supreme Court is still reverberating, and, of course, im speaking about Justice Scalia and that outrageous comment about section 5 being a perpetuation of racial entitlement which sounds like its straight out of the jim crowe talking points. You know, president obama misspoke about the jedi mind meld and you have to wonder at some point if mr. Scalia had undergone a lud at the mind melt. Hes an originalist but we didnt realize how originalist he was. Lets talk about scalia who is starting to sound like an activist judge. Here you have a matter settled by the legislative branch and settled in an overwhelming way and now the high court has stepped in to say, you know what, maybe all of you senators and all of you congressman maybe got it wrong. Thats always the question the court faces when it seeks to undo the democratic will of the legislature, and there is supposed to be in legal jargon a very high bar for doing that, and when you have, as Vice President biden pointed out, a law that has been reauthorized by a man who ran for president on a segregationist dixieocrat platform, along with many other republicans who i say deserve credit on this issue. The Republican Party moved a tremendous amount to support and reauthorize the Voting Rights act. Whatever reasons they did it. It was the right thing and we see at least theres a potentially a bloc of the Supreme Court if you believe the premises who dont buy into that, havent moved along with what i would call mainstream conservative thought and are now saying something very concerning which is that the very section of the Voting Rights act that goes to the places where weve had the most innovation of discrimination, thats what Justice Sotomayor said, the fact that you need to clear it in advance, because when you dont the people down there keep finding all these different ways to use race, to discriminate, to keep people from moving from moving polling places to voter i. D. , thats why its preclearance, youre discriminating based on race, something weve always said is terrible and the fact that the court wants to get in there and overrule that i think potentially is very concerned. Selma or not, anniversary or not. Alice, i want to bring this in. Interested to hear your take on the arguments made before the high court. I agree with bob 100 . I do believe scalia was way out of his line in his references to the perpetuation of racial issues in this, but i do agree with Justice Kennedy and times change and weve come a long way but it is important to look at whether or not we need to hold these states that have been singled out in section v, whether or not they need to seek special privilege from the courts when were talking about changes in elections. Times change and i think its a veiled issue for the justices to raise. But i also want to point out in your interview earlier with the reverend Martin Luther Kings Daughter earlier, the ceremony today is so important to not only remember how far weve come but, as she said so eloquently, make sure we dont go back to where we came from. I would add to what alice said. Hear a lot about the rhetoric and heard a lot about singling states. All states, all 50, are singled out in another section of the Voting Rights act, section ii. Section v does singling and section ii does singling. States are not so special that they dont sometimes have obligations to human rights, and we are all singled out and im happy to live in a state, new york, singled out under section ii. My main priority is human rights and people getting to vote, not worried by b which state kiries a bit of an extra burden. Well, to visit and revisit alices point about times had changed. We had an election where there were all kinds of efforts, mainly by gop efforts, to try to suppress unfriendly voes. That is the kind of thing, not only antidemocrat, antidemocracy. Were going to take a quick break. We should note here for our viewers as well you are an attorney. We want people to know youre speaking. I want to give you props when they are deserved. Is that a prop . Coming up, well talk about what we learned about our government erelationship to deadlines and well come up with some of our own headlines as well. Dont go away. Do we have a mower . No. A trimmer . No. We got nothing. We just bought our first house, were on a budget. Were not ready for spring. Well lets get you ready. Very nice. You see these various colors. We got workshops every saturday. Yes, maybe a little bit over here. This spring, take on more lawn for less. Not bad for our first spring. More saving. More doing. Thats the power of the home depot. Get ready for spring with this ryobi 18volt trimmer, just ninety nine bucks. Watch this alakazam [ male announcer ] staples has always made Getting Office supplies easy. Another laptop . Dont ask. Disappear abracadabra alakazam [ male announcer ] and now were making it easier to get everything for your business. And for my greatest trick enough [ male announcer ] because whatever you need, well have it or find it, and get it to you fast. Staples. That was easy. And i have a massive heart attack right in my driveway. The doctor put me on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. Go talk to your doctor. Youre not indestructible anymore. That make kids happy. And even fewer that make moms happy too. With wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbells. This is going to hurt the economy. Will it hurt economy recovery . I dont know whether its going to hurt the economy or not. I dont think anyone quite understands how the sequester is really going to work. Thats House Speaker john boehner to David Gregory on meet the press this morning. Im smiling because ari melber sits a few feet away from me and makes faces. I want to throw this this onion headline up here. Its one of my favorite websites. Obama, Congress Much reach deal on budget by march 1 and then april 1 and then april 20th and then april 28th and then may 1st and then twice a week for the next four years. Its its funny because it kind of feels like what weve been experiencing in this country over the past two years. I want to look ahead to march 28th. Thats when we could have potentially another budget battle. Look into your crystal ball, alice and tell me what your headline will be. Well, i have heard that there may be a spending bill on the table that would carry us through the end of the year but kick the can down the road i still think were going to see bad news on the 28th, and my vision for the headlines for march 28th would be that time runs out. The shutdown kicks in but life goes on. You know, theres a lot of talk in d. C. About what a big impact this has on people, but the reality is life goes on. You dont think a government shut down would be significant . I think it would be significant in washington, d. C. , but i think life will go on. Weve been through it before. Went through it when gingrich was speaker of the house. What about what about the folks who work for the government . Who about the people who would be furloughed and the state of virginia that depends largely on defense contracts. Clearly the president should explain why were in this situation right now but in reality weve been through shutdowns before. Should not be in situations. Should have had an agreement on this. Weve made it through before and will sadly do it again. Im sort of sharing the thinking of alice here. First of all, any time you have the both sides saying, look, we think we can avoid a government shotdown, watch out. Famous last words. So my headline would be Government Shutdown begins and stills no sequestration effect. Ari, this is a pessimistic bunch. I guess im generally pessimistic but as the onion satirized had so many breakdowns were not likely to see a shutdown only for the narrow and sad reason that its actually not in the political interest of both parties at this moment in time. My headline is avoiding Shutdown Congress still ducks longterm plan and that charming picture you always use. We use that picture because we know it annoys you. Heres the thing. All three of you are expressing a similar sentiment here. There continues to be a tremendous lack of faith in in both parties in washington, d. C. , is that safe to say . Oh, yeah. I think what weve ended up with is the American People sort of have this view which can be characterized with one word, whatever. Bob, you have to put the w up to the camera if youre going for a full millennial whatever. Thats probably a good spot to leave it. Alice stewart, great to see you. You too, craig, thank you. Bob franken, always a pleasure and thank you sir for being here and ari melber, do appreciate your time and spirit as well. Thats our show for this sunday. We do appreciate you spending such a large people, such a big time. We had a big time here. Saturday at 2 00 eastern, ill talk to newark mayor cory booker. Weve got lots of questions for the mayor and to spend some time with him and other folks as well because were on for three hours and until then, keep it here throughout the evening and have yourselves a fantastic sunday night. My mother made the best toffee in the world. Its delicious. So now weve turned her toffee into a business. My goal was to take an idea and make it happen. Im janet long and i formed my Toffee Company through legalzoom. I never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. Go to legalzoom. Com today and make your business dream a reality. At legalzoom. 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