guess there was a suspension there and they're still back at it, but not with the same viewership. maybe the dugars will go through the same thing. appreciate your time. that's "the ed show." "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. >> good evening, ed, and thanks to you for tuning in. we start tonight with breaking news. republicans sue president obama over health care, and he takes action on immigration. a dramatic series of events today as president obama moved made with his executive action on immigration. signing two memos on board air force one as he flew to las vegas to sell his plan to start fixing america's broken immigration system. >> for years, we haven't done much about it. well, today we're doing something about it.

[ applause ] if you have children who are american citizens or legal residents, if you register, you pass a background check, you are willing to pay your fair share of taxes, then you're going to be able to apply to stay in this country temporarily without fear of deportation. [ applause ] >> you can come out of the shadows, get right with the laulaw. >> the president also slammed house republicans for refusing to vote on an immigration bill. >> the party leadership in the house of representatives would not let it come forward. and i cajoled and i called and i met. i told john boehner, i'll wash your car, i'll walk your dog. whatever you need to do, just call the bill. some of them are already saying that my actions sabotaged their ability to pass a bill and make

immigration work better. why? why? i didn't dissolve parliament. that's not how our system works. they can still pass a bill. i don't have a vote in congress. pass a bill! you don't need me to call a vote to pass a bill. >> but moments before he took the stage, house republicans announced next month they'll hold the first hearing on, quote, president obama's power grab on immigration. and just hours earlier, republicans filed this lawsuit over the affordable care act, accusing him of, quote, unconstitutional and unlawful actions. and claiming his administration had, quote, abused its powers. they've been threatening to do it for months, and today they did it. this is their strategy. it's all they got. they failed to do their jobs. now they're attacking the president for doing his.

>> the president has chosen to deliberately sabotage any chance of enacting bipartisan reforms that he claims to seek. damaging the presidency itself. we will not stand idle as the president undermines the rule of law in our country. thank you. happy thanksgiving. >> well, gobble gobble to you too, mr. speaker boehner. folks here, here's the truth. this thanksgiving, millions of people will sit down with their families knowing they won't be torn apart and deported. millions of people will have health insurance who didn't have it before. and that's what republicans want to take away. but the president won't let it happen. joining me now are maria theresa kumar and jonathan capehart. thanks for being here. >> thanks, reverend. >> so, maria, the president is

changing lives. republicans are filing a lawsuit. is that where we're at? >> i think the president basically is heeding what the american people are saying. we need change. we need to stop the gridlock in washington. and the president is saying, if you're not going to do it, i'm going to take the pen and sign executive orders until you get your act together. the president is addressing the real needs of the american people, whether it's immigration or climate change, he's setting precedent, saying we have to move forward, otherwise we're holding back the future and we can't stand for that. >> jonathan, a new poll shows americans actually support key details of president obama's executive action. 66% say we should let undocumented parents of legal residents stay. 63% say we should expand the dreamer program for people who came here illegally as kids. and 76% support temporary work

permits for qualified immigrants. so they support elements of this executive action by large margins, jonathan. >> right. which should tell members of congress that these are things that they could actually make permanent. one thing that we don't talk about often in the celebration of what the president did yesterday and today, is to talk about the fact that these actions are temporary. that they left only three years. now, at the end of three years, all of these folks will have to reapply again, have to go through background checks, will have to jump through all of the hoops that they have to jump through now, they'll have to do it again. what's really needed, in order for this to be made permanent, and also, let's say in 2016, you know, we're going to be electing a new president. if that new president is a republican who is dead set against what the president is

doing now, then everything that we're talking about could be undone. and all those folks who have this temporary reprieve from deportation could find themselves facing the possibility of leaving this country altogether. >> but that's the reason why you must have a bill, because it is temporary, and a new president could end it or not continue it. and maria, yesterday you and i were part of the leaders that met with the president on this, but today he addressed the gop claim that his action would poison the well in washington. listen to this. >> i hear some people say, well, we're in favor of immigration reform, but we don't think that it should be done without congress. well, congress, go ahead and do it. and meanwhile, washington should not let disagreements over one issue be a deal-breaker on every

issue. that's not how our democracy works. congress certainly should not shut down the government again over there. because americans are tired of gridlock. we are ready to move forward. >> we are ready to move forward, he's saying, maria. how do you respond to the fact that the republicans have threatened everything from shutdown, to other means, but won't talk about passing a bill when the senate has passed a bill. >> right, and you have a very short limited time period to pass the gang of eight bill. it expires after this calendar and congress will have to start all over. the clock gets reset in january. that's one of the pieces of the urgency in making sure congress will consider the bill, which they're not going to do. i also think the president is trying to tell the american people, we have to move past the gridlock to do something, but more importantly, something that he addressed yesterday, not only do we have to fix the immigration system, but we also

have to make sure people are clear. this is not going to be something that's going to be cheap. people will have to pay fines, back taxes and at the end of the day, reverend, as he clearly stated, this is a piece of legislation, the executive action, that will frustrate the republicans because it pays for itself. so it's not a line item that all of a sudden, they can decide to cross out with a continuing resolution. they're not going to be able to. they're where they're really upset. he found that loophole where it's going to pay for itself, and what are we going to do? shut down the government and defund the programs that we care about? impossible. >> let's talk about the shutdown a minute, jonathan, because a new poll on the possibility of the gop shutting down the government to try to stop the president's executive action, 72% oppose a shutdown. just 24% support it. almost 3/4 of those polled are against the shutdown. >> right.

>> if you listen to republican leaders, incoming senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, speaker boehner, what they're saying publicly and privately is, there will be no government shutdown. there will be no debt ceiling fight. there will be no impeachment. that's what they can say as leaders under normal circumstances, you can take that to the bank, those things will not happen. but we're talking about the 113th congress here, and we're talking about the raucous tea party caucus that has made speaker boehner's life a living hell. one thing that has been a constant is that if the tea party caucus does not like what's on the table, the speaker will cave. the big hope, reverend, with the 114th congress, the incoming congress, where speaker boehner will have a larger majority and that large majority will have what they hope are cooler heads, things will get done. >> you know, one of the things

that has struck me, maria, is the emotional reactions that we've seen to the president's executive action. let me give you an example. look at this. >> i think five million families will go to bed tonight feeling a little bit safer, knowing they have a president who is committed to ensuring their families stay together. >> it means my family stays together. that was always a message, keep families together, and the president just did that. >> we've been fighting so hard for change for so many years, and we're finally starting to she some action. >> to have the opportunity to come out of the shadow. >> i mean, what do republicans say to these people, maria? these real-life people, whose lives have been changed and touched by this? >> they don't have anything, reverend. what they want to say, on one hand, we don't want to deport you, but at the same time, they don't want to solve the problem.

these are five million people that have american families that live in our communities, that are our neighbors, that beautify our country. they don't have a solution. instead they're saying, no, no, no. instead they want to sue the president on obamacare once again. instead of being solution oriented, they're being ob struckedzist. and as a result, the american people are losing their patience with them. they won a majority in the house, but it's because people are fed up with the gridlock. let's give you a majority in the senate and you can negotiate with the white house, but they're not offering any solutions. >> jonathan and maria theresa, thank you both and have a great weekend. >> you too, reverend, thank you. >> thank you. coming up, no more mr. nice guy. we go inside president obama's smash-mouth politics. plus, developing news out of ferguson, missouri tonight where the grand jury watch is on high

alert. and michael brown's father is calling for peace. >> i want it to lead to incredible change. positive change. change that makes the st. louis region better for everyone. and we know he loves it. but why is president obama's blackberry making news tonight? "conversation nation" is ahead. ♪ ♪

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of aleve. when members of congress question my authority to make our immigration system work better, i have a simple answer. pass a bill. [ cheers and applause ] pass a bill. [ cheers and applause ] pass a bill. president obama today challenging republicans. if they don't like his action on immigration, they can do something of their own. he's daring them to do better. but one thing's clear, they

won't be able to stop him. because on issue after issue, when this president's made progress, republicans got left in the dust. he's overseeing the biggest overhaul in immigration that our immigration system has ever seen in a generation. he's achieved the kind of health care reform we've needed for decades. he's made a historic decision to stop defending biased laws against gay americans. and he's pushed a stimulus that saved us from economic collapse. every single time republicans complained, but they couldn't stop him. the president kept moving forward. this time is no different. the president has taken the fight to republicans, confronting them for their own failures and moving ahead on his own for the good of the country. joining me now ej dionne, thanks for being here. >> good to be with you.

>> ej, republicans weren't interested when the president wanted to negotiate. is this kind of confrontation his best strategy now? >> well, it's the only strategy, given that he waited and he waited and he waited. the senate bill -- from the time the senate bill passed, to his speech last night was one year, four months and 24 days. that's plenty of time to take up a bill. if they didn't like the senate bill in the house, they could have passed another one. and i think there's something you're hearing from them now that suggests he was right to assume they weren't interested in doing anything. because they're saying now that the president has done this, we can't pass a bill. well, if you're a republican who claims to be for immigration reform, why don't you prove the president wrong, not by saying we can't do anything, but by actually passing a bill. i think it really puts the establishment -- so-called

establishment republicans in a box. what are they going to do? are they going to now try to pass a law that says no, we want to go back to a time when the government was breaking up families? let's be clear about this. this decision is about family values. our government was busting up the families of undocumented immigrants. and most of the people helped here are going to be parents in those families. do we really want to go back to that? what are they going to do? are they really going to push back against this? >> you know, ej, you wrote in your column this week, the president is trying to show voters he can get things done in washington. i want to read part of that to you. quote, republicans did a brilliant job in the campaign playing on the idea that obama is weak, passive, and without a game plan. that was the not so hidden meaning of all their television ads about the islamic state, ebola, and immigration. so obama has made clear that he

won't be weak and passive and that he has a game plan. very interesting, ej. >> right. well, in fact, i think that the democrats were hurt for a whole lot of reasons in that election. but one of the reasons is, democrats were really dispiri d dispirited. they really didn't vote. it was the lowest turn-out since 1942. and i think there was a sense that for all the hopes people had, nothing was happening in washington. and i think that was part of the republican strategy. grind things to a halt so obama's promise of a new day, a new kind of america, wouldn't be kept. and so i think he's decided after the election, i tried to negotiate, i tried to say, all right, i'll do it on your time, i'll do it in your terms, and now he's decided that just doesn't work. so if we're going to have political gridlock, if we're going to have political fighting, at least let's have

fighting while we're getting things done. and i hope he uses what he did on immigration as a template to move in other areas where he can legally move. he could do something about overtime pay. there are some regulations that are -- you know, that he could put in that would guarantee more people overtime pay. there are a lot of areas where he could force their hand or at least bring the fight to them. and it looks like that is what he is determined to do. and i think that's why -- it's why they're so upset. >> some of the insults thrown at the president are pretty conf e confusi confusing. think about this. speaker boehner used to say the president was leading from behind and apologizing for america being strong. but now he claims the president is acting like a king and an emperor. so is he weak and refuses to lead, or is he a tyrant who is shredding the constitution? i mean, which one do they pick, ej? >> i think they pick whichever

one they find convenient. but that's exactly right. they're going to go after him no matter what he does. that's pretty clear. and so, if they're going to go after him, he might as well have them attacking him for trying to do things, for trying to give people some heart, for trying to say, we can actually make government work and put it on the side of people. you know, i think they made very clear from the beginning, mitch mcconnell said to a senate retreat, we're going to hand them some defeats. this was the first year in office. we'll hand him some defeats so he gets weaker and then we'll go after him. so they're been very clear they're not ready to work with him. he's much better to pursue an aggressive strategy to try to create circumstances in which they'll feel forced to do something. because the alternative just doesn't work. >> ej dionne, thanks for your time tonight. have a great weekend. >> and you too, reverend.

coming up, my weekly report card. we're grading on a curve, and this republican senator still found a way to flunk. and developing news out of ferguson tonight, where a decision from the grand jury is expected soon, and we're hearing from eric holder and michael brown's father. we're live in ferguson ahead. l. what they do actually is rocket science. but at ge capital we also bring expertise from across ge, like lean process engineers we asked who does what, when, where, and why that step first? ideas for improvement started pouring out. with a little help from us, they actually doubled their output speed. if you just need a loan, just call a bank. at ge capital, we're builders. and what we know... can help you grow. he found it cleans everything... whefrom stove tops...d writing a book about his magic eraser ...to scuffed shoes, and more. and when ran out of pages, he made a website instead. share your tips at mycleanbook.com

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it's time now for reverend al's weekly report card. >> it's friday and that means it's time to hand out my grades. first up the gop, with their reaction to president obama's action on immigration. republicans get a p for totally predictable. but one republican really stood out this week with his response. >> you're going to see -- hopefully not, but you could see instances of anarchy -- >> what do you mean? >> well, you could see violence.

>> instances of anarchy? senator coburn doesn't even come close to passing this class. he gets an f. next on my attendance sheet, that news anchor in australia who went viral this week. he wore the same blue suit every day for a year and no one noticed. he was making a point about the different way men and women are judged. tonight he gets an s for stinky. i hope he gave that suit a wash. i'm only kidding. he gets an a from me. way to go. >> now to my final grade. newly elected members of congress gathered this week to draw numbers to pick office space. and the husband of a staffer proved to be quite the good luck charm.

[ applause ] >> we got to see that back flip again. look at how he sticks the landing. tonight he gets an a-plus. now if only congress could accomplish something that impressive. pass, fail, or somewhere in between, thanks to all our students tonight. class dismissed. >> that's tonight's edition of reverend al's weekly report card. tertainment begins with the cloud. this is "titanfall," the first multi-player game built and run on microsoft azure. empowering gamers around the world to interact in ways they never thought possible. this cloud turns data into excitement. this is the microsoft cloud.

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now to breaking news out of ferguson, where tonight the grand jury watch is high alert. late this afternoon schools in a nearby district cancelled classes for next week, anticipating a decision. and the fbi sent agents to ferguson. officials say they'll have a limited role. also today, the prosecutor's office e-mailed reporters, outlining plans for a press conference once the decision is

handed up. this morning attorney general eric holder called for calm in the community. >> i know from first-hand experience that demonstrations like these have the potential to spark a sustained and positive national dialogue, to provide momentum to a necessary conversation, and to bring about critical reform. but history has also shown us that the most successful and enduring movements for change are those that adhere to non-aggression and non-violence. >> tonight the eyes of the nation are watching ferguson, missouri, and whether a grand jury will bring charges against officer darren wilson for the shooting of michael brown. joining me now from ferguson is patricia bynes, committeewoman of ferguson township. and wesley lowry of "the washington post." thank you both for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> thank you, reverend.

>> committeewoman, what is the feeling on the ground in ferguson tonight? >> well, you definitely know we're getting closer to a grand jury decision and announcement. so there's some relief in that, but just not enough relief. but more preparation in knowing that it's coming, so that way the community can know which way to move forward. >> let me ask you, wesley, what are you hearing about the preparations about how the decision will be presented and what's being planned as the build-up for it, how it will roll out? >> of course. we still have very few details from the reporters. we have been bugging the prosecutor's office about this almost every hour on the hour. we know there will be a press conference once the decision will be reached. the decision is likely to come sometime this weekend, although we have no official word on that yet. we know the grand jury was still meeting as of earlier today in what many people expect may be

their last meeting. but once that takes place, once a decision is reached, we're expecting a family to receive a call, the schools to get a certain heads-up, and then expecting a press conference to be called where if there's no indictment, we expect to receive documents, a large portion of the investigative materials and some of the information as to what the grand jury was told. >> let me ask you, committeewoman, michael brown's father, michael brown sr, is making an appeal tonight for calm in the streets and i might add, he's done this throughout, since day one when i've been there. he said that he's calling for it again in this video in the name of bringing about change. listen. >> i thank you for lifting your voices to end racial profiling and end police intimidation. but hurting others and destroying property is not the answer. no matter what the grand jury decides, i do not want my son's death to be in vain. i want it to lead to incredible change, positive change.

change that makes the st. louis region better for everyone. >> how much weight, committeewoman, does michael brown's father and his mother liz have in the community? how much weight will they carry? >> reverend, i think even you have been able to see they have a tremendous amount of weight in the community. at times they've asked for a day of no protesting and the community has honored that. there have been other calls the family has made more that the protest community has honored. so i'm grateful for michael brown sr for coming out and asking for this calm, asking for this peace, and i believe that the community will honor that. because we're supposed to be out here for mike brown, protesting for justice. we know we do not want his son's memory marred. >> i want to go to this first. wesley, the day "the washington post" reports that attorney general eric holder was

displeased with the action of missouri's governor this week. quote, a top aide to holder called the office of missouri governor jay nixon earlier this week, to express holder's displeasure and, quote, frustration, that the governor had declared a state of emergency and activated the national guard. instead of deescalating the situation, the governor escalated it, said the official. are missouri officials handling this right in the opinion of those you're talking to, wesley? >> well, what we've seen from the very beginning is quite a disconnect between the justice department and local officials here, the state and county officials, this dates back far before jay nixon's state of emergency. this goes back to the release of the video of the alleged store robbery video, that we now know justice officials requested ferguson pd requested not being released on the day the name was released, darren wilson's name. we know the support darren

wilson's wrist bands, which earned them a reprimand from doj. you had the name tags some officers weren't wearing despite reprimands. so we've seen here, a real disconnect between local and federal officials and a frustration on the part of attorney general eric holder and others around him. >> committeewoman, what are you hearing in terms of people's views on how the state has handled this? >> it's made people angry. and it was a real wake-up call to remind people what they were out here for. when we talk about excessive force, the overreaching arm of law enforcement. unfortunately the governor did exactly that, called a state of emergency, when there's no immediate threat here going on, on the ground. so would have hoped that we all would have learned something since the early days of august, but it seems like maybe some people did not. so unfortunately, we're at this point in time, and it's just

another reminder of why people are out here to deal with policing issues. >> isn't that the break, wesley, that we've seen from the beginning in this case? and for that matter, i've seen in other parts of the country, that people don't trust the local authorities. it seems like it's too personal, too much involvement, which is why they want outside judicial forces to investigate and judge these cases. >> i think that's a huge part of it. on the ground here from day one, when i first arrived, through the last two, almost three months. we've seen a deep distrust of local law enforcement. whether it's a history of traffic stops and the way warrants are issued, where it's a distrust in this shooting specifically. whether it's a distrust of prosecutor bob mcculloch, the people here, at least the black community here in ferguson and the surrounding areas in greater st. louis, do not trust local law enforcement. but again, it's important to

note that much of the white community does. this is a disconnect. we saw from polling that came out in august and september there's a real disconnect here between minority communities and white communities in terms of trust in law enforcement and trust in the judicial system. i think that's one of the endearing lessons and realities of what's happened out here in ferguson. >> well, i just say, this disconnect i've seen for years all over the country. i saw it when i went into ferguson, in staten island. there's already a connection between local police and local investigators that only becomes worse when you have breakdowns that have been described tonight. we'll be watching in ferguson. i intend to be there, as i said to the parents when i was there a couple weeks ago, but we want to see peace as michael brown sr and the mother liz have said throughout this. but peace always means justice must be part of it. people must know whatever's fair must be the goal.

thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you, reverend. coming up, president obama's tough politics. how will it impact the next two years? speaker boehner drops his lawsuit on president obama. but will it backfire? and president obama's blackberry makes news today. you make the call in "conversation nation." next. (receptionist) gunderman group. gunderman group is growing. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label

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we're back now with "conversation nation." joining me tonight mike dotcom's liz plank, huffpost live josh zepps and the grill's zerlina maxwell. thanks for being here tonight. >> thanks, ref. let's start with president obama using the bully pulpit. he came into office as the president wanting to compromise and getting along. but now he's showing force, almost daring republicans to fight him. is the confrontational politics a good call, or should he have waited? liz, what do you think? >> i don't really view this as confrontation. i don't think it's a power grab. we've seen over the course of the last 60 years 11 presidents do this 39 times, take executive action over immigration. so i think most americans are just happy he's getting stuff

done. >> there's nothing illegal and outrageous about it, and there's nothing he should be impeached for certainly. but if you ever wanted there to be an opportunity to perhaps reach across the aisle and get anything bipartisan done in the final two years of his presidency, that is now completely defunct. there's no chance -- well, we don't know. [ all speak at once ] now we'll never know. >> maybe that's why it appears confrontational because they're so inflexible on the other side? >> right. part of the problem here, we don't realize, he did wait. he waited a very long time. he said to boehner, pass the bill. he refused to do so. that's why in this moment, not because president obama is overreaching, or is imperialistic. he's prioritizing families -- >> do you think maybe they didn't think he would at some point stand up to them? since he did try so hard to work this bipartisan, we're all one america, let's come together? do you think they underestimated

that at some point he was going to say, well, wait a minute, i've got to move forward on behalf of the things that americans need? >> completely. the republican party has played on the edge that this is bad for the economy too. a lot of people have realized, when you look at the numbers, it will bring more jobs and more taxpayers, the numbers are $3 billion in the first year. and 23 billion over five years. so i think voters will be convinced this was the right thing to do. >> so there's a political question and there's a policy question. the political question is, if you want obama to be perceived as the most successful possible president he could be, i would have left open a door to the possibility to having a deal with the republicans either on trade negotiation authority or potentially on immigration, potentially on tax reform. that's all now defunct. but on the policy question, you have to look at the fact, we're allowing the parents now of

people who came here illegally -- >> a really difficult process to become legal. >> there are a lot of people in burma, in africa, all over the world, who want to come to the united states. and i understand the dreamer argument, these are kids who came here, through no fault of their own, but the parents argument? you know how many loops i have to jump through as an australian to work here legally? it's tough. >> i understand, but this is family values -- >> it's not like they can just walk down and sign -- >> no. >> let's move on to the republican lawsuit. as we mentioned, speaker boehner filed the lawsuit against president obama over the affordable care act today, accusing him, of quote, unconstitutional and unlawful actions and claiming his administration has abused its power. over the summer when the lawsuit was first announced, a majority of americans didn't want it filed. will this backfire on the gop?

>> i don't know that it will backfire. clearly talking about the lawsuit before the mid terms didn't impact that result, but i do think that the republicans are really on shaky ground here. they could, tomorrow, pass an immigration bill, because the senate has already passed one. so i think they need to get serious. now that they're in charge, they have to do things to advance an agenda, you know, that helps the american people. at this point, they have not doon that. now they have the responsibility to govern and they have to do it. >> i think boehner is terrified. i think he's terrified of his right flank. i think he's terrified the republican party is going to impeach obama. >> the tea party caucus? >> exactly. ted cruz. he wants to do this, he wants to be seen by his tea party caucus as getting tough on obama because he's terrified of the possibility of his party driving itself off the cliff and becoming unelectable in 2016. talking tough, but he ain't

going anywhere. >> it's almost like they want to stay relevant in the worst way possible, so this lawsuit is -- >> usually in the last two years of a two-term president, he's irrelevant. you said they want to try to be relevant. that's very interesting. >> but they're doing it by being opposed to something. we don't know what they're standing for. and again, that's not what americans want to hear. >> we know there are no grounds for this lawsuit. no grounds whatever. the executive clearly has the constitutional authority to allocate resources where it wants to. we don't send cops to every college dorm investigating whether or not there's weed being smoked because that would be useless, and we don't deport every human being in america. >> i'm going to have to hold it there are iffor a moment. when we come back, it's

president obama and his back bl berry, next.

we're back with our panel, liz, john, and zerlina. do you ever leave home and realize, wait, i forgot something? well, presidents, they're just like us. this morning president obama left the white house, walking to

marine one, leaded to las vegas, but just seconds after getting on, he gets off, and he starts running back to the white house. so, mr. president, what happened? [ inaudible ] >> so what did he forget behind that was so important he ran back? and there he is, holding that blackberry that he forgot. josh, the president can't leave home without it. are you addicted to your smart phone? >> absolutely. i'm glad to see the commander in chief is as vulnerable to this as i am. and has to go back for his smart phone. i like the fact that something as innocuous as this becomes a media story in some way. because i can imagine the right-wing media like picking this up -- >> brain damage. >> can we trust the president?

he can't even remember his blackberry. can he remember the nuclear launch codes. is the president a vegetable? [ laughter ] >> we're not sure. >> but it shows the addiction that all of us have. i'm glad now you can get wi-fi on airplanes, because i used to go crazy waiting until i landed to find out -- >> i mean, even out there in the hall, my service isn't great, just fyi. but maybe he needs an iphone 6 because it's so giant he couldn't forget it. i feel naked when i forget my smart phone. it's all my reminders, my to-do list, everything. >> are you addicted? >> of course i'm addicted. i love that the president is addicted too. could he be more relatable than in those images? >> and it makes you understand that he's the president right

now. can you imagine lyndon johnson? >> yeah, i forgot my quil. but don't you find that it's also nice when you can't get connected. i like it when i'm on a plane and i realize there's no wi-fi, and maybe i have to read a book. >> it's nicer if you do what i do, know what to disconnect. thank you all for your time. have a great weekend. >> thanks, rev. when we come back, the greatness of this democracy on full display this week. that's next. bers, carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angieslist.com no more calling around. no more hassles. start shopping from a list of top-rated providers today. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today.

and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night,nd.

and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24, a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70 percent of people who are totally blind. talk to your doctor about your symptoms and learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com. don't let non-24 get in the way of your pursuit of happiness. finally tonight, a powerful week of wake-up calls for america. the president's executive action on immigration is changing the lives of millions for the better. today the president made it clear, we welcome immigrants as fellow human beings, and children of god. >> we welcome them in as fellow human beings, fellow children of god. and we harness their talents to make the future brighter for

everybody. we didn't raise the statue of liberty with her back to the world. we did it with her light shining, as a beacon to the world. >> throughout american history, we've seen resistance to change, forces trying to pull the country backwards, not forwards. in 1936, president roosevelt's challenger attacked the new social security act that fdr signed into law the year before. >> it's the largest tax bill in history. and to call it social security is a fraud on the working man. >> and in 1961, ronald reagan spoke out against medicare, calling it an invasion of freedom. >> this program, i promise you, will past just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow, and behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country. >> but you can't stop progress.

right now, all over the country, we're seeing changes that were previously unimaginable. yesterday in south carolina, the supreme court rejected a request to put gay marriage on hold. just hours later, the first same-sex marriage took place outside the charleston county courthouse. nationwide, the affordable care act is giving insurance to millions of americans for the first time. and last weekend health care.gov opened for business once again. 100,000 people applied. huge numbers. no doubt about it, america is changing. there's been a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, and some scars too. but the greatness of democracy is, we can work through tough issues and keep on working to advance this great country. let's keep moving forward and don't be afraid to grow.

growing is hard, but keep growing. grow with america, don't be stuck in the past, even your past or mine. learn from our scars. turn them into stars. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton, have a great weekend. "hardball" starts right now. obama bets the ranch. let's play "hardball." ♪ ♪ good evening, i'm chris matthews out in los angeles. you could see it in his face today, the president has his gung ho back. smiling the radiant smile. a fellow who is watching his horse, racing for are tthe fini line. he's doing what bill clinton told him to do, have