Or your 10th draft. You get to create the room where it happens. Just dont think you have to do it alone. The powerful backing of american express. Dont live life without it. Welcome to politics nation. This morning were following two developing stories, both with no clear sign of where or how they will end. First a bombshell report by the New York Times claims that the number two official at the Justice Department suggested wearing a wire to take the president of the United States. And the president is now
political reporter at axios. Let me start with you, darren. The whole question of the New York Times report that rosenstein had said in a meeting at the Justice Department that maybe he should wear a wire and meet with the president of the United States or maybe others should, and even brought up about imposing the 25th Amendment which says the president is incapable of his duties. And one person said he was being sarcastic, others are saying he was very serious. We dont know, we were not in the room, we were not in his head, but what is the implications of this politically . Were heading into the midterms. Because ive heard over the weekend there are two theories on this. Some on the right are saying this was planted to affect the midterms and others are saying that this is a true story. Trusted to get rid of him. Which could bring down the mueller investigation, which is what hes really worried about. However, the discussion about the wire and the 25th Amendment actually sort of reconciles himself with the anonymous oped that the times printed just two weeks ago with other senior officials who also are apparently worried about trumps State Of Mind and want to watch him closely. This also this report comes from the spring of 2017 which was directly after james comey was fired. So its possible that this was floated as an idea to see if any more Obstruction Of Justice was happening in the white house to sort of keep an eye on a very rapidly changing situation at a time when people were extremely nervous. The timing of it very important. Darren, let me go to our second big story of the morning. We hear of a tentative agreement between dr. Ford, the woman
the possibility for one of the momentous occasions. Obviously you remember the anita hill testimony that was a very important time, one of the most significant moments in american history. So i think the same could be, i think, very much true this week. Christine, when we look at this unfold, dan mentioned anita hill. I look at this and i remember anita hill. I have, in my own journey, in my younger career i fought a case that became very controversial believing in a young woman. And i fought the other side believing a young man from a young woman. Im sure the movement is saying this could be great, or if
something goes wrong, it could be harmful. You as one watching this, i brought up something on this network on friday, that there is also an unspoken race factor here, because one of the differences between anita hill and today, and there are many other differences, but one is race. She was a black woman talking about a black man, and were seeing this dealt with differently. Is it a different time . Is it also different because were dealing with a different racial background here . Thats a really interesting question. I think it is different because we are dealing with this in a different time. And you can tell that by the number of references to the anita hill hearing and how badly that went. And women especially, i think, were enraged by that. Thats why you saw 1992 as the year of the woman, women entering office, women entering the senate and House Representatives in record
numbers. But this case, i think, hinges interestingly on class, actually. One of the things weve been discussing a lot is Brett Kavanaughs background as sort of a wealthy Prep School Character and all of the, perhaps, privilege and ability to maybe make bad decisions that comes with that. And then what that means Going Forward in the future. But i do think that we are in a very different climate, or we can hope were in a very different climate. Women, i think at this point, after the election of donald trump, after the many, many allegations of Sexual Assault there, after the roy moore case, are fed up. And this may be the last straw. Lexie, at the end of the day, there are really going to be no winners here, because even if we advance and hope we do in terms of protecting women and dealing with what is needed to be dealt with, its still very painful. And even if the republicans win in terms of optics, its still very painful that were dealing with these kinds of situations and have not really gotten to a point in this country where we can accept that these things are unacceptable. I think that is exactly right, and thats the most disheartening thing in watching all this, is that i think were seeing the issues of Sexual Harassment and assault becoming more and more partisan ev. Even though were having a National Discussion on this, its feeling more polarized. If someone on the right is accused, people automatically dont believe those allegations. If someone on the left is accused, we deal with it on both sides of the aisle. It has become more polarized. Republicans are stuck in a place where they dont want to alienate women or upset them,
but they also dont want to dish kavanaugh. Women are calling for what feels like basic equality in the sense of just believing people, but i think youre right. I dont think anyone really wins and were considering how this issue is being handled, and that comes from the president s tweets all the way down. Well, well see where it goes. Hopefully well be able to see the hearing, but either way, well be watching. Thank you, darren, thank you, christine and lexie. When we come back, former First Lady Michelle Obama on why you should all register to vote. Friends, colleagues,
catering and delivery now available. Panera. Food as it should be. Im begging you. Take gasx. Ed beneath the duvet your tossing and turning isnt restlessness, its gas gasx relieves pressure, bloating and discomfort. Fast so we can all sleep easier tonight. So shark invented duo clean. While deep cleaning carpets, the added soft brush roll picks up large particles, gives floors a polished look, and fearlessly devours piles. Duo clean technology, corded and cordfree. The truth is, when we stay home, things stay the same or they get worse. But when we all vote, we get new ideas and new energy. We get leaders who share our values and listen to our voices. Thats how we change america. Early voting is underway in five states, and with that, Voter Turnout Efforts are ramping up. Later today in las vegas, former First Lady Michelle Obama will headline a starstunning rally teasing up a nonpartisan Voter Registration push. Weve now seen both obamas back out on the National Political stage leading up to novembers midterm elections. The message is clear, that with
just seven weeks to go, all hands are on deck. Joining me now is tina chen, cochair of when we all vote, and former Chief Of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama. Thank you for being with us this morning, tina. I and you worked together on many things during eight years of the obama white house, and one thing i know is that mrs. Obama only gets involved in things that shes very passionate about. Shes not the kind of person you can just get her to do things that she does not really want to do. Nobody knows that better than you. Thats true. She seems really all in on this. Why is this so important to the first lady . As she tells the story, voting is something she grew up with. She watched her dad, even with his ms, get himself to the polls every voting day. Its something weve lost in
this country. Last midterms only a third of the people who could vote actually turned out to vote. We need everybody to register. We need everybody to vote. Our democracy depends on it, so she is passionate about this and shes excited about getting out there, encouraging people to register and vote. This is our week of action r reverance, so thanks for covering this. We kicked off last weekend with chris paul and now Michelle Obama will be in vegas with over 2,000 people this afternoon. Now, shes in las vegas even though her drive is nonpartisan, and she has passionately spoken about people who were denied the vote, were able to get the vote and now were seeing impediments put in front of people, and shes saying dont let that stop you, dont let anything be an
obstacle to your voting. I think shes a unique person in history to deliver that message because shes actually someone that comes from a community that is only two generations in having to right the vote, and now shes saying, dont complain. Yes, there are things that are unfair. Youve got to vote, anyway, because its not as hard as it was. Absolutely. There are ways you can get out there and register to vote. When you go to when we all vote, you can find out how to vote. Were trying to make this as easy as possible to get people out there to vote. We have volunteers in all 50 states to help people sign up and vote. Its the only way we can make our voices heard. Five states have early voting where you can actually start voting now in five states. Thats absolutely right, reverend. And make sure because in case you get busy on the day of election day, in case youre sick, there is no reason you cant get out and early vote now as soon as possible. If you are living someplace else, get yourself an Absentee Ballot and make sure youre voting. As i said, i know the former first lady, but i also know you, tina chen. Let me ask you to put another hat on for a second. You were a founder of times up. How do you review the Kavanaugh Proceedings this week . What will you be hoping for and what will you be looking for . Not only working with times up, but as a lawyer im responding to companies of how to respond to allegations of sexual harrassment. Were asking companies and holding executives accountable that when something happens in your company, you have a fair process that is fair to the women coming forward, to people who are accused, that you investigate these allegations,
that you understand whats going on, that you treat everyone with respect and dignity in this process, and we should hold the senate to the same standards. Im sadly not seeing it happening. I think that dr. Ford has not been handled well and with respect. And i hope that that changes this coming week and we really have the opportunity for this highest position to the highest court in the land to understand what happened here. Well, i think also i have to say that you and others have tried to conduct that that way in your respective roles throughout government and i can be a witness to that, even though no one has asked me to come forward and testify. Thank you very much, tina chen. Thank you, rev. Its great to be with you. Coming up, if an 11yearold girl in ohio is tased by police, it must be her fault, right . Ill explain when we come back. With an ingredient originally discovered in jellyfish, prevagen has been shown in Clinical Trials to improve shortterm memory. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Segment of dot, dot, dot black and i have other mentality. An 11yearold girl was tased by a Police Officer on the allegation of shoplifting. Critics rightly took to social media to express their disgust, especially after body Camera Footage was released showing the child actually removing taser barbs from her arm. The issue was so egregious that the mayor issued a public apology. The prosecutor refused to issue charges against the girl. And the Police Department opened an internal review. But ohio state republican senator john becker was having none of it. He sent a newsletter to his constituents in which he explained that had the young
girl been his daughter, he would, quote, be ashamed and embarrassed that she did something stupid enough to get herself tased. Ill deal with the kid after we get home. He didnt stop there, adding, every time i hear shouts of justice, we want justice, i want to shout back, parenting, we want parenting. Based on what i see on television, it oftentimes appears to me that justice was delivered to the dead punk. Now, hold on. Justice was delivered to the dead punk . We obviously have drastically different definitions of justice, state senator becker. But then this is the mentality that has been allowed to flourish under the trump presidency, and it makes it difficult to proceed in Police Misconduct investigations. But just so you know, mr. Senator, where im from in brooklyn, a punk is someone who talks big but always finds something to hide behind, like a racist newsletter in a safe district that wont hold you accountable at the ballot box. I dare you trying to say half of what you said in your letter on a Street Corner in brooklyn. Then tell me again, who is the punk . But either way, i gotcha. That girl could be the next Nobel Peace Prize winner. So why not bundle them with esurance and save up to 10 . Which you can spend on things you really want to buy, like. Well, i dont know what youd wanna buy because im just a guy on your tv. Esurance. Its surprisingly painless. And im still going for my best even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. So if theres a better treatment than warfarin, im up for that. Eliquis. Eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. Plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. Eliquis is fdaapproved and has both. So whats next . Seeing these guys. Dont Stop Taking Eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an Artificial Heart Valve or abnormal bleeding. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Eliquis, the number one cardiologistprescribed blood thinner. Ask your doctor if eliquis is whats next for you. Internal investigation which, as of yet, has no conclusion in sight. The paralysis is reminiscent of the ongoing controversy in dallas where, on tuesday, the citys police chief told the press she couldn not fire the officer who shot and killed another unarmed black man, botham jean, in his own home earlier this month. Joining me now is race and ethnicity reporter for Associated Press and freelance journalist and author of my brother moochie. Aaron, the police chief said she cannot fire the officer who came and killed mr. Jean in his own home, saying she thought it was her house. Aside from the fact i dont know what kind of training you have where you dont know your house
from another, even in the dark, is it, according to your findings, is it accurate that a police chief cannot fire her . Because i find that unfathomable. Good morning, reverend sharpton. Apparently that contradicts the departments own policy that says she would be able to take action to preserve the integrity of her Police Department. Obviously the Texas Rangers are investigating, and she was saying she did not want to interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation, but according to the department policy, it is showing she could weigh in on this if it were to preserve the integrity of the department. And to fire her in terms of the Police Officer, in terms of what she did on duty not on duty but did as an officer, would not in any way impune the
investigation by the sheriffs department. Its saying the job she can no longer really do, because who could trust somebody who doesnt know their house from somebody elses house and kills somebody . True. Yes, and also it is like one of the big things its like, i guess my biggest thing is that good cops im sorry, bad cops we saw prosecuted simply had had had had the good cops being they were actually there to
create trust. Yeah. Thats what were seeing and thats what your book thats why i wanted you on, because youve had to deal with people who had to deal with how they express and show this, and thats in your book. But, erin, if you look at and again, i was in sacramento this week. Six months later it seems to be a long time for a police investigation. Now were seeing the Police Chiefs in dallas, any number of cases down through the last several years, and i think the point that is being made by isaac is that it breaks down the trust in policing. Its not that people are antipolice, its that you keep doing things that just doesnt make sense to the people that you are entrusted to protect. Right, reverend sharpton. What were seeing, really, you
have a cumulative effect with as these cases continue to happen, as the outcome its rare for a Police Officer to be held accountable in these shootings. And so whether it takes six months, nine months, a year for the outcome to always be the same, that can be disappoint Forg Folkdisappointing for folks. Stefan clark, that investigation has gone on for six months. It has not been wrapped up so not sure how much longer its going to take. The family in the botham jean case are shocked at the delay in her being arrested, even. And that she was only charged with manslaughter when many of us feel it was murder. Right. And youre seeing now in chicago, for example, Laquan Mcdonald, officer van dykes trial is happening now almost four years after Laquan Mcdonald was killed. I think what were seeing in all
of these cases is that the legal Accountability Process can be a long journey for families, and that must be very frustrating. Now, speaking of texas, there is a tight race there in the senate. Listen to democratic candidate beto orourke during a debate with senator ted cruz. Africanamericans represent 13 of the population in this country and yet they represent onethird of those who are shot by Law Enforcement. We have something wrong. If we have the largest Prison Population on the face of the planet and it is disproportionately comprised of people of color, we have something wrong in this country. Now, when we look at that, were seeing a very highprofile senate race, ted cruz race, real tight. No one ever thought he would have a tight race in texas. Is race and Racial Justice and high incarceration going to be
central in the midterm elections, in your opinion . Yes. And because especially since 2016, as you saw, President Trump actually rolled back the oversight of police and other forms of justice for me that is definitely a critical issue. And its going to be an issue that has to do with driving out the vote. Absolutely. What youre seeing, especially a young girl electorate that has
gotten much more engaged with the black lives matter standard. Not just with congress, but their local lawmakers, district attorneys, secretaries of state. Theyre realizing across the board that theyre people who are affecting their everyday lives when it comes to policing and theyre understanding those people are on the ballot as well. And you do have a 100 shift of the narrative formally who call for Police Reform and that may be something that needs to be addressed now having an administration that believes local Law Enforcement needs more praise, not more scrutiny, and that if anybody is in need of fixing, its the Justice Department and the fbi. I think thats part of isaacs point here, is that when youve gone from the obama administration, and a lot of these cases from trayvon to
ferguson, and i was in the forefront of raising all of those, to now, even when you had some people saying obama should have been doing more, now youre seeing the reverse. With obama you might say, well, hes doing 100 miles an hour, we want him to do 150 miles an hour. Now youre going 100 and 150 the other direction. Right. The question is, what will be the political fallout of this, if any, in the midterms . I sort of just think of people that are actually tired of waiting on justice. But will they vote . There is a difference because weve got to see the connection with the voters. I think were already seeing it. Look for the primary election. The Laquan Mcdonald shooting, people responded and said Criminal Justice is an issue
they cared about and he was willing to speak up on it. I think what youre seeing in texas is beto orourke and the response to the Botham Jean Shooting is going to make people Pay Attention in ways they otherwise wouldnt have been engaged. Im out of time, but im very happy to have you, erinn. And isaac cook, this show is about people who arent often heard that have challenges heard. I appreciate that. They need time to talk to say that this is their show. Up next, is the u. S. Congress as diversified as you think it is . Ill tell you next. Hes got legs of lumber and arms of steel
he eats a bowl of hammers at every meal he holds your house in the palm of his hand hes your home and auto man big jim, hes got you covered great big jim, there aint no other so, this is covered, right . Yes, maam. Take care of it for you right now. Giddyup hi this is jamie. We need some help. Breathe right strips are designed to simply when nighttime Nasal Congestion closes in, open your nose right back up. Breathe better. Sleep better. Breathe right. C crawl inside, wait by the light of the moon. Applebees to go. Add a Fountain Drink to your next order for just 99 cents. Now thats eatin good in the neighborhood. A hotel can make or break a trip. And at expedia, we dont think you should be rushed into booking one. Thats why we created expedias addon advantage. Now after booking your flight, you unlock discounts on select hotels right until the day you leave. Addon advantage. Discounted hotel rates when you add on to your trip. Only when you book with expedia. Ok here we go guys, you ready . Hi cinturones por favor. Gracias. Opportunity is everywhere. Its gonna be fine. Its a door. Its doing a lot of kicking down there. Waiting to be opened. Whatever your ambition. Whatever your drive. Whatever youre chasing. Driver, are we almost there . Were gonna have a baby daddy daddy opportunity is everywhere. All you have to do to find it is get out. Here. Welcome back. So you know that this white house is uniquely homogenuous even for the republican administration. But as the New York Times pointed out this week, they are
vastly unappointed in what is very diversified. Less than 14 i of top house staffers, Chief Of Staff and departmental directors are people of color. And before you assume that the problem is particularly to the gop, understand that less than 25 of top democratic staffers are of color. And thats largely because of the congressional black caucus. Joining me now is spencer overton, president of the joint center for political and economic studies. Spencer, when i looked at your report, it is almost unthinkable that in 2018 we have such Little People of color in powerful staff positions in the congress,
including among top Democratic Congress people. Thats right, reverend sharpton. Even though our nation is increasingly people of color, the top staff is overwhelmingly we found that americans are more likely to elect a person of color to the u. S. House of representatives than the actual members of the house are to hire top staff of color. Wow. You know, its just amazing. And as you mention the problem is not a republican or democratic one. We found when you look at white democrats, even though they represent districts that are on average 37 people of cull, less than 8 of their top staff is people of color. And we also found that republicans, there are more white republicans that have chiefs of staff of color than white democrats. Now, when you look to at this
so people, our viewers understand, senior staff members, the ones that decide what the congressional member, the priorities, how we handle things, whats important, how we handle staff complaints, constituent services, so its not just a question over head counting how many black, how many latinos, how many asians, how many whites, its also what they bring in terms of their world view and experience to an office. And when you have an office that is not diversified, it affects the work that the office see and does and gives priority to. Thats absolutely right. So everybody has to remember that each member of congress has about three top staff, a Chief Of Staff, a communications director, and a legislative director. We found that the overwhelming
majority of members of congress did not have one person of color in any of these top three positions. When you say overwhelming majority, you mean democrat and republican . Democrat and republican, we found that three quarters of members, 313 had no person of color in any of these top three positions. And of those about a quarter of the house of representatives, over 100 of them have very diverse districts. So they have districts that range from 33 people of color all the way up to 93 people of color. And these folks do not have people of color in any of the top positions. And as you mentioned these are important positions, right . They oversee a 4 trillion federal budget, and they oversee the president and Executive Branch and 3 million federal employees. So these people have enormous power in terms of shaping the
future of our country. So when we are dealing with those that get the overwhelming vote of black supporters, even those 37 black, latino or asian, yet they will not make sure their offices are diversified, that is the ultimate example of taking us for granted. It is a real problem. Because if you look at white democrats, for example, less than 2 of their staff staff are black even though africanamericans vote overwhelmingly, about 21 across the country, about 25 of all democrats voters are black. So there is a mismatch here in terms of representation and reflecting the views of the people. Well, i think this is Important Information that we should share with the public. People ought to know that everything you see is not what youre getting. You see the member, we need to see those that are the team behind the members. Do they reflect the constituency represented . Great service to us by you presenting this report. Thank you, spencer overton. Coming up in case you missed it last week, i just won an emmy. I kind of won an emmy. My final thoughts next. Need a change of scenery . Kayak compares Hundreds Of Travel and Airline Sites so you can be confident youre getting the right flight at the best price. Cheers kayak. Search one and done. A lady stopped me in the airport about a month and a half ago and said im keenan thompsons mother and hes finally nominated for an emmy. And you know keenan imitates you a lot and he has you down pat. Well, guess what . Keenan won the emmy and i congratulate him. And since he imitates me so much, i think i should at least give a picture of keenan. He would imitate me so much and take shots of me so much on april 16 they let me come on Saturday Night Live and let me play me. Mr. Charles richards. Good morning, reverend. Please dont take this the wrong way, but i expected you to be a little skinnier. So keenan, congratulations. You deserve it. You have entertained and you have entertained far more than just imitating me like many others and your own comedic talents. And im glad for your mother that you brought an emmy home. And im glad for me that im still smaller than you. Good morning and God Bless You today. That does it for me. Thank you for watching. Ill see you back here next sunday. Now to my colleague, alex witt. I have to ask, youve hung out with world leaders, civil rights leaders, president s, but isnt that kind of the coolest being Parodied On Snl . Its cool when its over