Transcripts For MSNBCW Weekends With Alex Witt 20140823 : co

todd out there. can you hear me now? >> i can hear you now. where i'm standing right now is kind of the emergency access lane. this is going to be open but just behind me on the other side of this barricade is where thousands of people are expected to gather after they march, right by the site of eric gardner's death. so they'll line all the way up and hear a series of speakers and other cause to action so to speak. i'm told that former members of the new york police department will also address the misconduct. many people gathered today perceive that the police used in this apparent choke hold of eric gardner and they're calling for change. a few thousand people right now but that number expected to increase as the time progresses. >> all right, thank you so much, we will see you later on. there are growing indication, that the u.s. mission in isis in iraq may be creeping towards syria. said yesterday that the u.s. will not be restricted by borders as it confronts the threat from isis. early this morning, weighed in on the threat to the u.s. homeland. >> you have these thousands who are become further radicalized there and will come home or try to come home. >> vice president biden is putting the onus to fight isis on iraq. in an op-ed in today's "washington post," the vice president called on iraqis to rise above their sectarian differences and create a united front against those insurgents. joining me now is nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker. is the white house testing the waters for strikes inside syria? >> good afternoon. we know the pentagon has begun to draw military options. however, the president hasn't been presented with those options yet. so no final decision has been made. but yesterday, deputy national security adviser ben rhodes said that abeing ttack was essential terrorist attack against the united states. there's a lot of pressure on president obama to expand m military engagement in syria. lawmakers, including some democrats, say the president needs to seriously consider taking measures, including pogsably air strikes or further arming the moderate rebel forces there. there's also pressure to do nothing. if you look at the polls, they say they don't want the u.s. to get engaged. the administration trying to assess how much of a threat isis po poses. here's what defense secretary hagel said. >> isil is a sophisticated and well funded as any group. they're beyond just a terrorist group. strategic and tactical military prowess. they are well funded. this is beyond anything we've seen. >> strategically it is more complicated to launch some type of military action inside syria. in part because it's hard to determine where exactly isis is. there are a lot of different factions there. it's not as clear as it is in iraq. you heard the defense secretary talk about how sophisticated isis is. they also have a sophisticated pr machine releasing videos, tweets, taunting the president, threatening the united states. all of that adding on pressure on the president to take some type of action. the hunt for james folly's killer continues. british intelligence sources tell nbc news that they have narrowed the field of suspects as they try to determine who is responsible for that horrific act. >> i know this is a bit of a side show to more serious matters, but there was criticism of president this week when he was spotted out golfing and joking with friends. just after delivering his statement on james foley's execution. has the white house responded to that criticism? >> they have. they say that the president's comments, very somber, very defiant in the wake of james fol foley's execution. that somehow he shouldn't be continuing with his vacation because there are these breaking developments on the international stage. they make the point the white house travels with the president wherever he goes. this particular vacation has been unique because there have been so many different break news developments. whether it's ferguson or developments out of iraq. we've heard from the president three separate times while he's been vacationing here on martha's vineyard. the white house also notes that he went home for two days last week to hold high level meetings. >> does capitol hill share the new robust language from the white house and the pentagon? joining me now is a democratic congressman. thank you for being here with us today. should the u.s. strike isis in syria? >> i think we better be very careful. that's a clear expansion of what's going on in iraq. we are striking isis and we should continue to do so. the problem is who and where in syria. a very, very complex situation. you have a standing government there. one that we don't like for good reasons. the challenge has been to find out who the really good guys are. so move carefully. we've got a lot to do in iraq. giving the kurds as well as the iraqi government an opportunity to reform, and then take the fight to isis. >> and about the planning table, what are your thoughts on that? >> we have men and women on the ground in iraq coordinating the air strikes. it's a different matter in syria. we do know that there was a special operation in syria trying to get mr. foley back. but we will -- we need to know. we do have ways of finding out what is going on. the intelligence surveillance operation, are the best in the world. you're dealing in an urban environment in much of syria and that's a very difficult thing to figure out exactly where, who and how to go after the bad guys. >> so we have boots on the ground. did congress know about that? >> with regard to the syrian operation, i suspect that it was made known to a couple of the intelligence committees in congress. it was a secret operation. it's best kept that way. you don't want to talk about those things because you do want to come back in the future with another operation that would hopefully be successful. with regard to boots on the ground, it's very limited. it is there for a very specific reason. i am very much opposed to putting the military back on the ground as we saw in the earlier iraq wars. this is something that has to be carried forward by the countries in that area. turkey has a lot at risk here. certainly the kurds do and the iraqi government. which is reforming itself now that maliki is gone. they need time to do that. the air strikes are helping in that regard. and the other countries, jordan and the golf states all have serious risk from isis. and so they need to join in this effort to eradicate that group of terrorists. >> i want to ask you, in an interview with the new yorker, only seven months ago at this point, president characterized isis as a jv team. now we hear hagel saying they're beyond anybody we've ever seen. does isis have some crazy learning curve or did the white house miss the signs here? >> well, certainly, the signs were seen several months ago. but six, seven, eight months ago, the signs were not missed. what was going on with isis is the degeneration of the iraqi government. maliki had moved the iraqi government to the -- to one side, leaving the sunnis out, isolating and causing the sunnis to really rebel. isis took advantage of that. i don't think anybody foresaw that isis would quickly move out of syria, using the disaffection of the sunnis as a way to really launch itself and propel itself into a very powerful position in iraq. capturing the iraqi weapons which we have given to the iraq government was a major boost to the isis organization. together with the disaaffected sunnis. now, that process needs to change. by changing the iraqi government which has happened. maliki is gone. a new prime minister's in place. and that new government needs to reach out, to try to bring them back in the government. there was an incident of an attack on a sunni mosque that is going to play badly in this whole situation. >> one more question. republican senator james inhofe said in an interview this week that isis is planning a major attack on the u.s. blowing up a major u.s. city. that's the way he put it. do you agree that that's an immediate threat? >> we're certainly well aware of the potential that this group has to bring home to america. and to europe bombers, suicide bombers and the like. that's always a possibility. the homeland security associations with doing their best to identify individuals. they have the potential of coming back. as to its imminency, it's always possible. will we be successful? i think so. it's always a possibility. we must be aware that home grown terrorists do exist in the united states, and that needs to be watched also. there is new controversy in ferguson after a night of protest. what is this new controversy about? >> a very good day to you. today, there is news about two police officers who have been suspended. the first one is dan page, a st. louis county police officer. who in a youtube video evidently -- he was on duty here on these streets of ferguson during these protests. and he made comments in a 2012 video -- i'll show it to you or i'll show you some of the video from that right now. he says this. i've killed a lot and if i need to, i will kill a whole bunch more. that's just part of what he said. evidently, his department found that offensive. his police chief then suspended him. and also apologized in his comment. the second officer is officer matthew palpert from nearby glendale. quote, i'm sick of these protesters. you are a burden on society and a blight on the community. going on to say, great, thugs and white trash all in one location, end quote. and that was then followed by that chief of police from nearby glendale also apologizing, also rejecting those comments and then suspending that officer. so the new news today, melissa, two officers suspended. >> meanwhile, i understand there's a very important football game going on today. >> yes, normandy high school, which is having its season opener right now. they had the kickoff about an hour ago. the word is that normandy, the home favorite right now, is up by two touchdowns. now, there is another layer to this. michael brown, who went to normandy high school, the 18-year-old teen who was killed here in ferguson, the number 14 is being retired for him. and that is because he graduated in 2014. with a season opener in normandy today and as well as another season opener, the first game of this area yesterday, they hoped that these games would bring new energy and new hope certainly. those games, again, going on at the moment. >> well, richard, we understand the protests are continuing. they've taken a bit of a different turn. last night's was relatively calm. the people that you're talking about, officials there, what are they saying about it? >> zero. captain page saying this morning there were zero arrests. he also said zero guns found, zero molotov cocktails. so he is liking that number. this mean because of the calls that have come, no more protests, please, let's concentrate on what's happening. there are two barbecues setting up. we were talking to them earlier. people from all over the area serving meals to the people of ferguson today. >> all right, that's good news. richard liu, thank you. the legal fight in the shooting death of michael brown. people say the makeup of the grand jury should affect the outcome of that case. i'm m-a-r-y and i have copd. i'm j-e-f-f and i have copd. i'm l-i-s-a and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way of hosting my book club. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. breo is not for asthma. breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking breo. ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com we are learning new details about the grand jury hearing evidence in the michael brown case. the grand jury is made up of 12 members. inchewluding two african-americ women, one african-american man. let me bring in analyst faith jenkins and university of michigan professor of law sam bankensta. how might the demographics come into play here? >> it's going to play an important role. race matters in this case. it matters when any juror serves. because it factors into a person's life experience. as a prosecutor, when you're picking a jury, you look at the racial makeup of the jury. gender, education, age. all factor in. when you have an officer involved shooting. in most cases, are given the benefit of the doubt. they face life and death experiences. in this case i think a person's view of a police officer is going to be based on their perspective. >> if you were the prosecutor, would you be concerned about the makeup of this jury? >> well, i think that the most important question is the prosecutor gets to decide what evidence, what to ask for. i think if i were the prosecutor, i'd be focused on that right now. >> you were the deputy attend under holder in 2011. some are calling for the removal of bob mcculloch. "usa today" says, and i'm quoting here, mcculloch, who is white, is viewed with distrust by many african-americans in st. louis county who say he is overzealous in prosecuting black suspects and lenient toward police officers. mcculloch issued this statement. i want to quote again. there is no basis in the law to do so. i have carried out those responsibilities for more than two decades and will continue to do so for at least the next four years. sam, would you be among those who are calling for the st. louis prosecutor to recuse himself? >> i think the important thing to note is there is this state investigation that's being run by the county prosecutor. the county prosecutor can decide to step aside. the governor has the power under missouri law to direct him to step aside in this case and have the attorney general of the state take it over. there's also a parallel federal investigation that the department of justice is taking on. i think one of the important facts about police misconduct, prosecutions in this country is often it's the department of justice that has to take these investigations on for themselves to really give the community a sense that this is a fair and objective investigation. these are very professional people who are doing an investigation. >> generally speaking, the bar for getting indictments is rather low. i've been on a grand jury myself. you're obviously not convicting anybody. you're deciding whether or not the case should go forward. do you think prosecutors really loathe having to try to make a case against somebody who is in the criminal justice system? >> it's a challenge. as i mentioned before, because police officers are given the benefit of the doubt, if you look back at our history of police officer involved shootings, for the most part, they are found to be justified. in this case, the prosecutor has decided to invite this officer in to testify to the grand jury. so not only will these jurors here the eyewitnesses, some of whom we have heard from, but they will also hear this officer's side of the story. although the grand jury bar in terms of probable cause is low, i think the officer testifying here is going to make it more difficult. >> sam, i know no one really has all the facts laid out before them fully in this situation. from the information that we do have, do you think that it would be difficult to indict or to not indict? >> well, i think that, you know, there are two separate questions. is it possible to get an indictment is one question. and is this a case that a prosecutor can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. is the second question. most responsible prosecutors would say that we shouldn't try to indict a case that we don't think we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. it's common wisdom that it's relatively easy for prosecutors to get indictments. but the real question here is going to be, does the prosecutor, whether the state prosecutor or the department of justice, think that the facts are strong enough that they're going to be able to overcome that reasonable doubt bar. that really depends on witness testimony. that depends on the physical evidence which of course we haven't seen yet because grand jury proceedings are secret. >> do you think you could possibly see this reaching the federal level? >> well, the federal government is conducting an investigation. obviously, they will look very carefully at it. this is something in the department of justice and this administration they've prosecuted well over 300 law enforcement officers for violating people's constitutional rights. it's something they do either day. but it's not an easy process. so it's something people can expect will take some time. >> all right, my thanks. why a leading terror analyst believes the fight against isis must be waged beyond the borders. i make a lot of purchases for my business. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase. like 50,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards, even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning a business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can. hello! three grams daily of beta-glucan... a soluable fiber from whole grain oat foods like cheerios can help lower cholesterol. thank you! 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>> you know, melissa, that's consistent when you talk to folks that are walking by here. it's a different tempo. it's a different arc, if you will, of this experience of crisis that this community has gone through since the death of michael brown. hope helps to heal stress. and that's what st. louis university professor and researcher who specializes in ptsd, her name is terry brown, told me earlier today, and she said, you know, as she was training some 2,000 county and city employees, as they look towards monday, they want to make sure that they look out for those symptoms of stress. the girls themselves were very hopeful. the ceo said, you know, when i'm talking to the girls over the last three days as they've come in to their center to discuss what crisis has meant to them, this is what she said to me. >> you did see those chances. could this happen to my brother, could this happen to my brother or my uncle. >> let's say you're the mayor of ferguson? >> i would have everybody in the community come together to one place and talk about how they feel. >> instead fighting fire with fire, just kill people with kindness and treat each other equal. >> so hopeful when you spoke with those four students there of girls. they focus on empowering young women, young girls, to be part of their community and come up with solutions. and that's what they were telling me. also part of this, i want to bring amanda from msnbc.com. she has been watching that game at normandy high school. it's the season opener. and amanda, you've been speaking with some of the parents there. you're relating to me a little bit earlier how they're thinking about michael brown. >> exactly. we just approached halftime here. many of the families and supporters here are bracing for the shade in this hot summer heat. but the parents of the players here are saying that the michael brown tragedy is doing a lot to bring the players closer together. it's been given an opportunity for the coaches and educators to channel any type of unrest or any type of frustration that these students are feeling into a way where they can speak out and feel they have a safe environment to really talk about their feelings and talk about what they're doing. and so one parent said that his son who is a defensive here, he said that his son is playing his heart out for mike brown tonight. so really it's this feeling of community coming together in this summer heat and really coming together after everything that has been in this community. >> 94 degrees in ferguson today. you're saying how folks are running into the shade. yet we still have a lot of volunteer groups here on florissant avenue here, the heart of the epicenter of many of the protests. have you seen a sense from those parents that they also believe there's a shift, that you and i have been talking about? >> yes, there's definitely a sense of a tone change that is just rippling down throughout all of the community here. and the sense that school is back in session and this game is an opportunity for these kids to really just be kids and now that ferguson school district will be resuming this week, they're hoping that this will really just bring the community together and give a sense of normalcy for these students. >> amanda, thank you so much. from msnbc.com. being, i' of course i'll see you a little bit later right here at our main compound. enjoy the game. it's a great reason to get out and be part of the town today, no doubt, watching a good football game. >> nice to see something positive happening there in ferguson. thank you. the brutal execution this week of american james foley brought the distance threat of isis much closer to home. but could it strike in the u.s.? chairman of the joint chiefs of staff martin dempsey gave a stark assessment of the terrorists on thursday. let's listen to that. >> this is an organization that has an apocalyptic end of days strategic vision, which will eventually have to be defeated. to your question, can they be defeated without addressing that part of the organization which resides in syria, the answer's no. that will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially at this point a nonexistent border. >> joining me now is evan coleman, nbc news terrorism analyst and ceo at flash point partners. is that when they turned their anger towards the u.s. specifically? >> certainly not, i mean, if you look -- again, i think for a lot of americans that weren't familiar with isis, a lot of this seems to be in the last few days but that's not it at all. baghdadi, the leader of isis, as much as two years ago, openly declared his intention to launch terrorist attacks inside the united states. not in a secret recording but in a public recording officially issued through the islamic state media's channel. this group has issued video after video in which they talked about killing americans, killing american soldiers, larging targets on the domestic united states. now, look, we don't know when and if they would try to do this. the problem here, of all the different groups out there trying to strike at the united states, this is a group that has a very large and flush group of western recruits. in the last few days, france interrupted a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old girl who were trying to travel together to try to join isis. that's the problem. that's what we don't see from a lot of the other terrorist groups. >> i think it's still relatively confusing as to who these people really are. for instance what is their motivation? is it because they're particularly religious or are they motivated by hatred? >> look, it's important to understand this was al qaeda in iraq. then it mushroomed into another organization. it got taken over by fanatics that had very little training, that had very little scholarship. in fact, these individuals, they seem more interested in taking power. they're megalomaniacs. they essentially will fight anyone in their way. al qaeda, the syrian government, the iraqi government. they don't care. they enact rules that don't make any sense according to any religious interpretation. they're getting right now i think 70 lashes for anyone that refers to isis by their old name, the islamic state of iraq in levant instead of the islamic state. there's no religious basis for that rule. they're really far out there. >> it's almost as if all the unrest in that part of the world has given birth to a generation of people who are spending their lives fighting. is what they're doing. what was the jihadist chatter i'm curious about the james foley video following his assassination this week? >> that's the saddest part. we're not just seeing people in iraq and syria who are part of isis you know echoing their support for this, but we're seeing people in the west who are potential isis recruits issuing messages on twitter and facebook and elsewhere, cheering this on, celebrating this. that's what's worrying. there are other people here in the united states and the uk, elsewhere, who really admire this for bizarre reasons. and think that this is some kind of adventure, some kind of grand safari, and they want to go out and join this. we've seen people leaving here from the united states who don't even speak a word of arabic who are so stupid they actually tell the fbi what their intentions are. and if we're only capturing those people, what about the folks who are being very secretive, who are engaging in logistical subterfuge. do we even know that they're there? to that point, there was a guy who blew himself up in syria the other day for al qaeda. a young kid from south florida. that was his second trip to syria. he'd already come back once before home and then he left again. so the issue is we know these folks now are able to come back to the u.s. let's hope that we don't have folks coming back here with nefarious intentions. >> in the past intelligence agencies have been able to get a lot of information by studying terrorist videos of things like the terrain. people's clothing. their accents in the james foley situation this week, much has been said about how they believe that person in the video in the black right there is british. how much do they glean from this particular picture and the video? >> look, if you look at it immediately it doesn't exactly scream an identity. there are clues that you can see the person's skin tone. you can hear his voice. in fact, just on those couple of factors alone based on height, there are already names as potentials for who this person is. various different nationals who are known to have gone to syria, who were known jihadists and, you know, who tend to fit what this profile apparently is. we don't know for sure yet. it does seem that british authorities are narrowing down that search pretty quickly and you know they'll be more to say about that and possibly even raids in the uk as well as elsewhere in the world. >> all right, thank you, evan. texas governor rick perry popped up in new hampshire today. what that could mean for his political aspirations. that's ahead. ction is here. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] during the cadillac summer's best event, lease this 2014 ats for around $299 a month. hurry in -- this exceptional offer ends soon. ♪ a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. snever miss a chance to dance... visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. ... just because you happen to sprinkle a little tinkle. introducing a revolution in bladder leak protection, from the experts in feminine protection. new always discreet, for sensitive bladders. up to 40% thinner, for superior comfort. absorbs 2x more than you may need. for dance-all-you-want protection. new always discreet. now bladder leaks can feel like no big deal. because hey, pee happens. visit alwaysdicreet.com for coupons and your free sample. to politics now. texas governor rick perry is in new hampshire for the first time since his failed 2012 presidential campaign. perry told voters young people are leaving their state because they're overtaxed. he criticized obama, saying his policies showed a lack of leadership on the economy, syria and iraq. in our next hour, we'll talk about rand paul's trip to guatemala and whether it could be connected to his 2016 aspirations. what has changed for the city of ferguson and for the nation in the two weeks since michael brown's shooting? some answers and perspective. that is up next. there's a gap out there. that's keeping you from the healthcare you deserve. at humana, we believe the gap will close when healthcare gets simpler. when frustration and paperwork decrease. when grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home. so let's do it. let's simplify healthcare. let's close the gap between people and care. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." i'm richard liu in ferguson, missouri. protests here have quieted down after a violent week. last night, police made zero arrests. the sense of calm came after attorney general eric holder spent wednesday in ferguson, reassuring residents that the justice department is serious about a federal investigation into the shooting. he told residents, quote, i understand that mistrust. i am the attorney general of the united states. but i am also a black man. i can remember being stopped on the new jersey turnpike on two occasions and accused of speeding. pulled over, let me search your car. end quote. joining me now, bradley, a student at st. louis community college who met with the attorney general and karen finney, msnbc political analyst and columnist for "the hill." bradley, what did it mean to meet the attorney general? i remember you were very well addressed. you had your suit on. you said, hello, mr. attorney general. >> i can't explain the words. it was epic. epic is the word i can use i guess. very exciting. >> what were you thinking before he was to arrive? >> i was thinking about what the purpose of the meeting was, what things i can ask him about, things he was going to ask me about, things that i could say to him that would make an impact. >> what are the things you wanted to say? >> i wanted to tell him about the way people are criminalized for traffic tickets in our area. there are a lot of people that get traffic tickets and end up having a criminal record because they can't afford to pay them. >> what about the group of students that you represent? what did they want to hear? >> the group, there were nine or ten of us, one lady talked about her brother being tased and arrested. two young ladies talked about thousa how they never had any interaction with the police department at all. a melting pot of different stories. what we wanted to know is what was the justice department doing for justice for this particular case. >> what did he say that stood out the most to you? i read some of what he had said in his comments. what's really stood out? >> to me, when he said that we are -- nothing's going to happen unless we step up to the plate and make change happen. you can see the civil rights movement, you can see all those people who did the major moves were young people, our age. he said if we're tired of things happening, we have to step up to the place and change. >> was there anything that concerns you about what he said? >> nothing stood out that concerns me. but what -- like i say, what shocks me the most, we have the opportunity right now with this current situation to step up and make change happen. >> how are you going to step up and make change happen? >> i was able to be out there several nights every night and i saw people who were just misguided. they did things because they didn't know know better. so i think this allowed me the opportunity to see myself as being a leader and reach out to those people that needs to be talked to or needs to be reached out to. >> i saw he had a camera with him. you are a resident of this ferguson area. >> i am. >> have things changed? have they evolved from what we've seen over the last week? >> it's the calm and the experience -- so much more protests oriented than terrible oriented. it's more so the community stepping in, picking up trash, passing out food. it's a much better atmosphere as far as protesting. >> all right, thank you so much, bradley, i appreciate your time and congratulations on being the attorney general. >> thank you so much. >> let's go over to karen finney. you heard what bradley was saying here. a clear shift that he is seeing as a resident of this area. but we can't help but remember something that you know very well. that's the rodney king riots. you were down to south central california. that was one of the first stories that i actually covered, were the rodney king riots in 1992. i had a chance to speak with a professor, a researcher, that specialized in ptsd. when she was looking at these two events -- this is what she told me. let's take a listen to that. >> certainly there are some sim lar similarities around the race-based themes. also that the disturbances have resulted in property damage. they resulted in very tense community situations. and the fact that people have been exposed, you know, to a lot of violence. what i would predict is the closer you were to the proximity of the events, the more you were exposed to disturbances, the more your life was disrupted by them, the more likely you are to have ptsd symptoms. >> so, karen, you worked with teenagers in south central los angeles in the early '90s. you experienced the l.a. riots in '92. give us a sense of that. >> that's absolutely right, richard. if you go back to the commissioner reports after the riots -- from '64 to '67, what's so shocking, you hear the same things in feeling there's a lack of opportunity. a lot of what i heard the residents talking about is feeling unheard. feeling that they don't matter. that's a lot of what we heard. i'm sure you heard it from a lot of the residents in south central l.a. where the riots were really the worst. to some degree, in the way that michael brown incident and the way that the rodney king incident kind of sparked that frustration and anger. they served as a catalyst. in both instances, i think in many instances, we can see it even in new york. there's frustration and anger that is internalized by the young people in that community and that gets cattalized by these kinds of events. >> karen, quickly here, why do you think we're seeing the same problems from always'92? >> the civil rights movement did a great job in terms of regulating access but i don't think we went all of the way. i hope we take this opportunity in the aftermath of ferguson to really look at move thing beyond and really look at how do we change attitudes and our values and our biases so that we're not viewing young black men as dangerous but we're giving them the benefit of the doubt. >> thank you so much. with that, back to you. >> we'll see you soon, thank you. take a look at this. a hundreds mile-long patch of garbage. researchers say is the size of texas, if you can believe that. where is it? what's being done to stop it from getting even bigger? that's ahead. where the reward wt new car smell and the freedom of the open road? a card that gave you that "i'm 16 and just got my first car" feeling. presenting the buypower card from capital one. redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac - with no limits. so every time you use it, you're not just shopping for goods. you're shopping for something great. learn more at buypowercard.com [ squeaking ] [ water dripping ] visit tripadvisor hawaii. 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>> good day to you. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." now, here's what's happening. the ferguson community is honoring memory of michael brown today with a football game at his former high school. they had a moment of silence before the first home game of the season today. msnbc's richard liu is live in ferguson. the community will also honor michael brown with a major rally. can you tell us about that? >> yes, good day to you, melissa. there are so many events that are happening that are honoring michael brown tomorrow. there is the peace fest that will have both the parent s of michael brown as well as trayvon martin's parents there at the same place. the idea behind the peace fest, which is at a park close by here in ferguson, is to go back to the basics. they'll talk about family, faith and values. that will happen tomorrow. today, we have another rally, a march. this from the naacp, the local chapter. this march is what they're calling wear your sunglasses. this is going to start right about now, 1:00 p.m. local time. at least here in ferguson. their demands, they're going to require the officers use body worn cameras. that's one thing they want. they're also asking a federal review of racially disproportionate policing. also this evening, we understand there will be a distribution of food. it's been very difficult over the last few weeks for many residents here. they've had to miss work shifts. for them, that will push them over the edge. they become food insecure. we have food banks throughout the area that will be going out. not only today into the community along with some police officers we understand for the first time we'll see law enforcement participating in a community event. tomorrow, they also have the united way, which they will be giving out hot meals. they will be giving financial advice. some 12, 14 different community-based organizations reaching out to this area of ferguson, as you well know, 22% of the residents in ferguson, missouri, live at or below the poverty level. the national average is about 50% below that. so that's what we're seeing today. a shift in activities as well as a shift in mood. >> also the football game, tell us more about that. it's not just a football game involving the high school, it really is bringing the community together somewhat, isn't it? >> yeah, you know, it is a turning point. it is a landmark. it is a post to what they hope will happen in the next two or three days. normandy high school with their season opener today in the ferguson area. we understand they're winning. as we were talking about throughout this morning. what's great is the parents are thinking of michael brown as an example, a reason to come together and shift and now make a difference in their very own community. they retired the number 14, which is symbolic of the year that michael brown graduated. he did play for the football team one year but then he decided not to play any longer. so that game having a lot of meaning here in the ferguson area. melissa. >> richard liu, thank you very much. in the wake of the michael brown shooting, two area police officers are now in trouble. suspended for comments that he made two years ago. the officer appeared in a youtube video in which he talked about how much he killed while in the military. and how if he needed to, he would kill some more. he has been suspended. a police officer in another st. louis suburb has also been suspended. he's accused of making derogatory remarks about the police officers. those comments were discovered on facebook. the city canceled last night's ice cream social fear aing a backlash. coming up, we will speak with an attorney for the family. there are growing concerns that the u.s. mission against isis in iraq may be creeping towards syria following the brutal execution this week of american journalist james foley. the white house has taken a much more aggressive posture towards isis. the deputy said the u.s. will not be bound by borders in its fight against the terrorists. >> we will be relentless and we will do what's necessary to protect americans and see justice is done for what we saw with the barbaric killing of jim foley. we're actively considering what's going to be necessary to deal with that threat and we're not going to be restricted by borders. we've shown time and again if there's a counterterrorism threat, we'll take direct action against that threat if necessary. >> joining me now is nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker. is this new bold language just outrage over the foley execution or does it appear from the inside that strikes in syria might be coming? >> well, it is -- we know the administration is considering possible next steps which could include military engagement in syria among the options. i am told the pentagon could be considering air strikes in syria. also possibly arming those moderate rebel factions and also just better intelligence sharing with its partners in the region and also its european allies. we heard the adviser also make the point that the execution of james folly was essentially a terrorist attack against the united states. so this has really changed the game for the administration. add to that isis, the administration believes, poses a threat in that region, may pose a threat to u.s. interest not only here on american soil but really all around the world. the pressure on president obama to do something is mounting. you have a number of lawmakers who say that the administration needs to have a more robust response. actually include trying to weaken or detablize isis. on the other hand, you have a majority of americans who say they don't want to be engaged. also trying to determine how severe the threat is they might pose here on american soil. he heads home tomorrow. certainly this topic will be front and center when he returns to the white house. >> exactly how great of a threat does isis pose to the west? thank you very much for being here with us. for a lot of people here in the u.s., not exactly in your business, it may feel like the execution of james foley came out of nowhere. how much of a threat does isis pose to the u.s. and to europe? >> he said now isis is going to target america. i think for the time being they will target americans who are in that region in syria and iraq and they will target american institutions in that region. over the medium and long term of course the ideology is hostile to the west. i would expect there to be some plots some point down the road. >> it is believed that he, the militant, is british. that's been corroborated by another hostage who was released. why have so many syrian citizens gone to syria to fight this fight? >> this is a phenomenal that is not exclusive to britain. there have been between 400 and 500 brits that have gone to syria. there have been 500 belgiums. 300 dutch. this has been a really big movement towards that conflict. in terms of britain, it's clear there's a long history of islamic extremism in this socie society. they don't feel they belong to britain in the same way that american muslims, for example, think they belong to america, embrace the american dream. >> there's now talk about going after isis on its home turf which is syria. the pentagon has been drawing up plans for air strikes, even special ops forces on the ground there. do you, in your opinion, believe that isis can be effectively destroyed? >> the important thing with the air strikes is to contain isis, to get them on the defensive, to stop them from making further advances. isis can only be destroyed with a political solution. it is very important that isis no longer enjoys the support of the sunni tribes that have enabled isis in iraq to make these advances. you only get that if you get a new political deal in iraq. that's the political solution. >> in an interview with "the new yorker," just sev months ago, president obama characterized isis as a jv team. that stands for junior varsity here in america which means not very good or not very experienced, i should say. now we hear hagel saying isis is beyond just a terrorist group. >> i think this is true not only for the american leadership, this is true for all the experts that have been talking about isis for the past few months. and continues to be how much of an advance they have made over the past few months. this has turned out to be a big surprise for everyone, including the american leadership. but all the experts that have been commenting about this. >> all right, peter, thank you. >> thank you, melissa. >> we now know the racial makeup of the grand jury that will determine whether officer wilson involved in the michael brown shooting will face charges. we'll get reaction from an attorney. ♪ in the nation, the safest feature in your car is you. add vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance and get $100 off for every year of safe driving. which for you, shouldn't be a problem. just another way we put members first, because we don't have shareholders. join the nation. nationwide is on your side. ♪ ♪ start a team. join a team. walk to end alzheimer's. visit alz.org/walk today. don't wait for awesome... totino's pizza rolls... ...gets you there in just 60 seconds. 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[announcer] healthful. flavorful. beneful. from purina. a protest is under way in new york city for eric garner. the 43-year-old african-american man who died last month after being placed in a police choke hold. it is being called the we will not go back rally and it's taking place right now in staten island. the grio.com's todd johnson is out there. how many people are expected today? >> there are thousands that are expected to gather today. we're at the portion of the rally where people are going to gather just a few feet behind me. and listen to a series of speakers and community leaders talk about what are the next steps surrounding the death of eric garner that apparent choke hold from new york police. more so a standing up against some police that may it's perceived abuse that power. so that's what a lot of the protesters want to get across. that this is not a condemnation of the entire new york police department but really just them standing up and saying those who abused that power should be brought to justice and that's why the national action network and the family of eric garner are pushing for federal authorities to get involved. in addition to what the staten island district attorney says will be a special convening of the grand jury to investigate this death. so there's a lot going on right now. things are about to get under way. there will be music. there will be speakers. certainly, a lot of chants. just behind me, starting chants of "i can't breathe, i can't breathe." certainly, a reference to what eric garner said in that video, which showed his death at the hands of police. >> all right, we'll be checking back with you, thank you very much. in missouri, began hearing evidence this week. nbc's richard liu joins me from ferguson with an attorney for the brown family. >> hi, melissa, thank you so much. here with us is attorney anthony gray, representing michael brown's family. the grand jury has now started their activities. they're listening to information. what do you expect from them? what do you want from them? >> well, i want them to follow the information and evidence that is being presented by the prosecutor. we're confident if the prosecutor presents the information and not withhold any evidence from the grand jury they would normally follow the way that evidence is presented to them. we're confident in whatever results they have, whatever results that they give, being a direct reflection of the way that evidence is presented to them by the prosecutor. >> mr. gray, along the way, what are you looking for in terms of indications it is following the process the brown family would like to see? >> well, my indication would be at the end of the day, based on what we know so far, and the witnesses that have come forward, with no evidence to contradict them in any material way, i fully anticipate there will be an indictment. >> this is difficult. anything is going to be difficult for the brown family right now. they're thinking of monday, the memorial service. it's been two weeks. are they thinking of what's happening with the grand jury? have they discussed with you what they'd like to see? >> i think the mother expressed it better. she stated that justice for her would result in an indictment of this officer that killed her child. that focus is probably not in the forefront of their mind. they're trying to prepare for the burial of her child. but i'm sure it's looming somewhere in the innermost recesses of their thoughts. >> have they changed their thoughts as they think of monday in terms of the amount of frustration and the anger they might have? is it moving past that point for them at all? >> i think we're getting to the point where we're wrapping our minds around all of the demonstration, the support, the grand jury, the federal authority. all of that has been factored at this point. i think that is giving a sense of comfort to this family. >> you talk about the authorities. i want to look at the grand jury. has 12 members. in that, it constitutes two african-american women. one african-american man. three white women. and six white men. what do you think of that composition? >> that composition doesn't mean anything. i think the grand jury from my perspective is color blind in terms of the way it evaluates information. it is led by how the prosecutor presents the evidence. if he presents evidence that will indict, they will indict. if he doesn't present the evidence or he withholds information, they won't indict, plain and simple. they generally follow the way the prosecutor presents the evidence. >> the prosecutor. >> yes, sir. >> you talk about the prosecutor. mr. mcculloch. as he moves forward. whatever comes of this grand jury, if he is still the person in charge, will you more or less accept what that outcome is? >> i think that's going to be the problem at the end of the day. if this grand jury, whatever they do, is going to directly reflect on how he presented that information. i think from the very beginning people have questioned whether or not he would present it in a fair and an impartial way. and only when the grand jury rendered its decision will we know if, in fact, that has occurred. >> the news today is that two police officers in this area were relieved of duty because of statements that were made that their respective departments were not happy about. did you hear about that? do you have any response? >> well, i've heard about it. i think that's a problem. it's sad. it's very sad. these are sworn law enforcement officers. you don't expect them to carry that kind of animus with them in their private life because you know they carry that to the street. if they feel that way in social media and in the classroom, they carry that to the street. that's sad for those people they're sworn to protect and serve. >> really quickly here, michael brown, normandy high school, they're playing that game right now. normandy up by at least two touchdowns after the half. and some of the parents there saying this is a shift. the parents of those players are saying, let's think about michael brown and how we can come together and make a difference. >> it's always been about michael brown setting and being a trigger for a national and regional discussion about something larger than that incident itself. and so that's where the focus should remain. and we should stay away from a lot of these districting issues that get away from what this whole event has brought about and unified. we have what i consider to be a rainbow coalition of support for justice in this case for transparency. i want to stay away from these other issues that tend to district away from that. >> thank you so much, appreciate your time. back to you, melissa. >> all right, thanks so much. it is a massive floating garbage patch that's doubled the size of texas and it's only getting bigger. what's being done to clean it up. the researcher who first discovered it nearly 20 years ago will join us next. ybody kno. well, did you know words really can hurt you? what...? jesse don't go! jesse...no! i'm sorry daisy, but i'm a loner. and a loner gotta be alone. heee yawww! geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. jesse? losing your chex mix too easily? deploy the boring potato chip decoy bag. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix has twenty bags of interesting. pick your mix. at legalzoom you virtually all your important legal matters in just minutes. now it's quicker and easier for you to start your business, protect your family, and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. it is called the great pacific garbage patch. a landfill that's twice the size of texas and it's continuing to grow. after a mission to investigation the mass ive trash, the missions leader has new information about it. he also discovered that patch in 1997. captain charles moore from the research institute joins us now. tell us, what is in it and how did this form to begin with in. >> you know, melissa, the world is awash in plastics. we have -- the weight of the entire human population consumed in plastics every year, about 300 million tons. this stuff has no takeback infrastructure for the most part. it's fast-track trash. the ocean's downhill from everywhere so it blows, makes its way into the sea. not every developing economy has landfills. they wash out to sea and this garbage patch is where they accumulate. it just so happens this is really a large part of the world ocean, these girse that suck plastic in about 40% of the surface area of the ocean so that's a quarter of the earth's surface is this sea fill of toilet for our trash that doesn't flush and they're remote so people don't see it that they're out of sight, out of mind, but i'm here to report to you they've increased alarmingly in the amount of debris inside these gires. >> tell us what you found out on your two month expedition. you found out how large it is. is it heading towards land anywhere? >> because of the way the current circulates, it tends to scour the coast of asia and north america and bring the stuff into a central area north of hawaii. that expands all the way to japan. so it's this band of debris. and it's enormous. and it's highly concentrated. and it's made up of just about everything you can think of. for instance this body glove fin. we found this floating out there amongst a lot of other debris. what we noticed about it is it's being chewed away. the heel of it has been consumed. the stuff that gets bitten off, practically everything we pull up has got bite marks into it. when we bring up our net, this is just a mile out in the middle of our clean pacific ocean, it's actually a plastic soup. there's millions of plastic fragments in every square kilometer out there bobbing around in the ocean creating a new habitat that's unheard of in the history of the planet. >> so what can be done about this particular patch of garbage? the problem overall is a different story. but what can be done about this trash? >> well, here in the eastern garbage patch, i've made nine trips. this was my tenth trip to that area. and i've come to know it. i've seen it increase. i've seen the amount of debris skyrocket. and i used to believe, you know, that we shouldn't even bother trying to clean it up, it's just too dispersed. but frankly, it was so bad this time, it was like you threw your trash into your swimming pool, you could lift it up with a net. we could go for hundreds of miles and constantly be dipping stuff up with a net. so it would be possible perhaps through some fund created by the producers of this stuff to actually take a vessel out there and begin doing some sort of retrieval. but it would just be a drop in the bucket. it wouldn't be measurable in terms of the total out there. this throwaway economy that is now proliferating worldwide is going to trash the ocean and we can't stop it. >> we know that this is created by humans but as you were just touching on, how does it affect humans in the long run? >> it's deleterious in every sense of the word. it takes away our food supply by strangling and killing animals before we can harvest them for food. and it pollutes those animals we do harvest for food. we found an alba core tuna with plastic inside of it on this trip. and other trips, we've studied the fish that are the bait fish for the ocean and found them about 35% of them averaging two pieces of plastic each. just about every species you can examine in the ocean now is showing evidence of eating plastic. these plastics transmit pollu polluta pollutants. they get into the food chain. and they make our seafood less fit and less fit for human consumpti consumption. >> okay, thank you very much for that. the lessons of ferguson. how other communities can learn. there's a gap out there. that's keeping you from the healthcare you deserve. at humana, we believe the gap will close when healthcare gets simpler. when frustration and paperwork decrease. when grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home. so let's do it. let's simplify healthcare. let's close the gap between people and care. [ male announcer ] when you see everyone in america almost every day, you notice a few things. like the fact that you're pretty attached to these. ok, really attached. and that's alright. because we'll text you when your package is on the way. we're even expanding sunday package delivery. yes, sunday. at the u.s. postal service, our priority is...was... and always will be...you. that, my friends, is everything. and with the quicksilver card from capital one, you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you purchase. not just "everything at the hardware store." not "everything, until you hit your cash back limit." quicksilver can earn you unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you could possibly imagine. say it with me -- everything. one more time, everything! and with that in mind... what's in your wallet? welcome back to weekends with alex witt. we're taking you back to staten island, new york, where a rally is taking place over the death of eric garner, the man who died during a confrontation with police where he was put in a choke hold by officers. the crowd is growing, as you can see, in the 43-year-old's former neighborhood. protesters are calling for action around his death, that they feel is the result of excessive force. we will continue to monitor the rally and bring you a live report at the top of this hour. it is a day to remember in ferguson, missouri. today, the football team shopping michael brown, two weeks after he was shot to death by a police officer. brown attended normandy and played on the football team ther there. amanda, tell us what it means for the community. >> there's a moment of silence and also the flags here are lowered to half-mast. the community here is really just coming together and wanting to heal. the parents of some of the players said that their sons have expressed this sense of coming together with their team and with their schoolmates here. and it's really just giving them an opportunity to finally let out a breath of air. and students say that in the halls here of normandy, school started on monday, they say that michael brown is being mentioned throughout the hallways and class rue rooms everywhere. kids are standing in solidarity with the protests here. by walking up to the security guards in the school and saying hans up, don't shoot, using some of the most iconic phrases out of the protests we've been seeing. >> all right, thank you so much. the protests and rallies in ferguson may be calming down but the push for long-term solutions is beginning. joining me is the president and ceo of the national urban league mark moriel. thank you for joining us. we've all seen statistics. ferguson missouri is nearly two-thirds african-american but the police force is more than 90% white. this lack of diversity is also reflected in city government which is also mostly white. why is that? how does this contribute to tensions we're seeing? >> it's one of the main reasons for the tensions. when people are not participating in self-governance. not participating in their own law enforcement agencies. their own government. then you're going to have a divide in a community. this is what american cities look like in the 1960s, in the 1970s. it also led to a strong political push within city governments. ferguson has a large problem. i was struck by the mayor of ferguson saying we don't have, quote, a race problem. he sounded like a 1950s or 1960s southern leader. first, you've got to acknowledge that there's an issue. the government should try to look like the people it represents. for other cities across the nation, you've got to pay close attention to this relationship between the police and the community and the makeup of your police department. >> well, and here we have the grand jury in this situation in which the officer who shot michael brown is facing a grand jury and possible indictment, and you have 12 jurors, 9 of whom are white. what's your reaction to that? >> well, it's good that there are three nonwhite jurors. but this is an indication as to why so many of us have raised questions about whether the system in st. louis county, the criminal justice in st. louis county, can, in effect, bring justice for michael brown. it's important for people to recognize that no matter what, this grand jury does, the federal government, the united states attorney and the department of justice, have the option of bringing civil rights charges, which is why i strongly support and believe the attorney general by conducting a parallel investigation has done the right thing. we've seen too many instances where local grand juries, local prosecutors, local trial juries, have, in effect, exonerated officers who shot unarmed black men. this is a powerful wake-up call for cities. it's a powerful wake-up call for law enforcement. it's a powerful wake-up call for communities across the nation. we're going to have to have more of a discussion about how to go forward. we're going to have to have concrete steps. >> critics of the president's response to the events in ferguson say he should have taken a page from eric holder's playbook. let's listen to that. >> let me call once again for us to seek some understanding rather than simply holler at each other. let's seek to heal rather than to wound each other. >> i wanted the people of ferguson to know that i personally understood that mistrust. i wanted them to know while so much else may be uncertain, this attorney general and this department of justice stands with the people of ferguson. >> so just to be more specific, some of the criticism is perhaps the president should have gone to ferguson as attorney general eric holder did. so why did you think race issues are such a fine line for the president to walk? >> they've been a fine line for every president since the founding of the republican. certainly added to it is his historic role as the nation's first african-american president. the president in sending eric holder to ferguson, in giving him the wide berth to do his job, has taken a step that i've not seen by any prior president in recent history. at the end of the day, there's a long-term discussion about joblessness about poverty, about the relationship between law enforcement and communities. but in the short run, we've got to ensure that there's justice for eric brown. that the criminal justice system that was designed to punish those to break the law, designed to acquit the life of those who lost their lives i think is under the microscope here to determine whether it's going to work. i think the attorney general being in ferguson was the right step. i do believe that the president's role on a go forward basis, we're going to need the president's voice. we're going to need his leadership. we're going to need the leadership. i'm stunned at how silent many members of congress have been. i'd like to see more, if you will, engagement and involvement. because ferguson today could be your hometown tomorrow. it's important to recognize that this is not an isolated instance in this city at this time with high levels of joblessness, with police community tensions in many, many communities across the nation at an all-time high. >> all right, thank you so much. >> thank you. rand paul's helping hands in guatemala. is there something more political to this mission? 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[ female announcer ] stay strong, stay active with boost. a lot going on for two potential 2016 gop hopefuls. rick perry is in new hampshire with a busy schedule. just days after being booked following a grand jury indictment. kentucky senator rand paul took a trip to guatemala where he offered up free eye care to the poor. joining me now is our msnbc managing editor. in an exclusive interview, paul took time out of his volunteer work to weigh in on the situation in ferguson. let's listen first to what he said. >> one of the best things they've done in ferguson was send an african-american police officer down there to talk to people in the community. that hadn't worked completely, i'll admit that, but it's a better way than shooting tear gas at people in their front yard. >> ways your reaction to what appears to be the senator condemning the ferguson police department's initial response to the protests? >> first, i think that's very much in line with rand paul. that has always been his view. he's talked a lot about stopping harsh sentencing. but the militarization of police. it's something that he cares a lot about. i think it's very different than, let's say, the comments we've heard from paul ryan about how disturbed he is that politics became involved in some way in ferguson. i think rand paul is obviously campaigning. he's made no secret of the fact that clearly he seems interested in going for a presidential bid for his party's nomination. so i'm not surprised to hear him talk like this. >> with his comments on the tear gas in ferguson, what type of image do you think he appears to be crafting here should he run for president in 2016? >> he's doing an interesting dance. very different from other candidates. i think he's tried a couple times in different ways. some more successful than others in reaching out to an african-american community. but one of the things i think he said very clearly is he wants to fight for african-american votes. he's not interested in just deciding that african-americans won't vote for the republican party. and republicans shouldn't try to seek their support at the polls. he seems really interested in doing that. so for him this is just one more effort towards that goal. i think even where he is on harsh sentencing and stopping mandatory mip m mandatory minimums is part of that. >> rick perry has made no secret he's thinking about a 2016 bid. do you think the recent indictments against him will hurt his chances? >> i don't think it's going to help him nationally. i think there it's pomight be s calculus there that he can turn this into some kind of political scheme, and that's why he's facing these charges. but i'm not sure that is going to work on a national stage. >> all right, thank you very much. you can see -- hear more of the interview with the senator tomorrow on "meet the press." you can check the local listings for that. the genius behind "mad men" finally directs. do you wannaa baby?like... like a bear? how about like you're on vacation... in this place! (dolphin) sleep like you haven't seen your bed in days... no, in weeks! sleep like the kids went to nana's house... for the whole weekend! sleep like you just took zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep aid from the makers of nyquil that helps you sleep easily, sleep soundly, and wake refreshed. because sleep is a beautiful thing. what happens when two comedians join forces on a project that's a bit outside of their comfort zone? you get a surprisingly touching and heartfelt movie about friendsh friendship, family, and loss. the guy behind "mad men" wrote and directed that film and he talked with alex about his latest project earlier this week. >> thanks so much for joining us. it's good to see you. >> it's great to be here, alex. >> all right, let's talk about this film, because it was really a surprise for me, matt. given the stars of the film, i expected some raucous comedy. sure, there were funny moments, but it was really a thoughtful film. it looks at family, it looks at the arc of friendship. so what inspired do you write this? >> i wanted to deal with male friendship, and i think on some level, a lot of what i do is based on people's experience in the movies, and i kind of used these two characters and their persona, zack and owen's personas, to say okay, they think they're living in one of those raucous comedies, but the fact is they actually have serious problems. owen's character actually has a drug problem and zack's character is mentally ill. it's a heavy movie. and to me, it's an emotional movie, and the idea of putting that cast together, it may be like a marketing challenge to tell people that this is not that kind of movie. but for me, they're both such good actors and amy poehler as well that i wanted to have that, like, the aura of one of those movies and show that these guys are real people and undermine their screen image on some level. >> you tackled it very deftly, the concept of mental illness. these guys are know for their hijinks. >> i always try to work with comedians. almost everybody on "mad men" has comic abilities. comedians and comic actors, you cannot teach people to be funny. but they often have a great take on sentiment. and it becomes very earned, because they're sort of avoiding feelings and skipping past them and skipping over them. and then when you get to the emotions, it always feels earned to me. part of attracting zack and owen to this movie is you're going to play a very different role. you're going to be doing heavy drama by the end of the movie and you're going to play a character that changes. >> can i just say, was it hard to get zack to shave off his beard? of course it was part of the character. but i spent the rest of the film staring at him buzz he looked so come pletly different than the actor we all know so well. >> they made this fake beard for him that i think is one of the best fake beards we've ever seen. we couldn't shoot it in order. he was really up for it. first of all, he looks really handsome without his beard. he reminds me of gene wilder. he's handsome anyway, he's a very charismatic guy. but we shot in north carolina and i think he enjoyed -- so he had no beard the entire movie. we would put it on every day for the scenes where he had it. and i think he enjoyed his anonymity a little bit. and also everybody commenting on how handsome he looked. >> with "mad men" ending, do you foresee more tv or more film in your future? >> right now, i don't know what i'm going to do. i will never -- i mean, tv has been an amazing experience for me. i'm a huge fan of tv. but i'm a story teller and i don't know what form it will take. and for the time being, we are airing our last seven episodes next year. that will be the end of the show, and i'm using this time, besides doing post production and obviously launching the movie, i'm going to use this time to sleep, reacquaint myself with my family, like someone who got out of jail, and see what's on my mind. >> hey, speaking of family, your sister allison says hi. she's going to be like i cannot believe alex just went there, but i had to. >> you guys went to high school together. that's worth saying. >> i know. small world. >> there's so few of us from los angeles. it's kind of like a secret club, right? >> it is a secret club. we're a very exclusive group here. i will look forward to seeing you out there or here again in new york. matt winer, congratulations. >> the film "are you here" is now playing in theaters. that wraps up "weekends with alex witt." t.j. holmes is up next. i'm melissa rayburger and i will see you tomorrow here. ad. and t totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends. three jobs. you're like "nothing can replace brad!" then liberty mutual calls. and you break into your happy dance. if you sign up for better car replacement, we'll pay for a car that's a model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. deterghow about... both? n skin or tough on stains. new tide pods free and gentle free of dyes and perfumes with a deeper clean than the leading free detergent. that's still gentle on skin. new tide pods free and gentle. pop in the best of both worlds. i'm d-a-v-e and i have copd. i'm k-a-t-e and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way my volunteering. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. breo is not for asthma. breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking breo. ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com everybody knew he wasn't a bad guy. he wasn't an aggressive guy. he wasn't evil. he wasn't disrespectful. you know, all the way up to the day he died. he gave them officers respect all the way until he couldn't breathe no more. >> right now, a large crowd gathered in the streets in staten island, new york, demanding justice for eric gardner. he's the man who died after nypd officers put him in a choke hold last month. we'll take you live to that rally again, which is going on right now. more fallout in ferguson, missouri after the death of michael brown. this time, the fallout is over two police officers. they are in the hot seat. also, we're hearing from supporters, supporters of officer darren wilson making

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