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The Ed Show for Tuesday, August 5th, 2014

Read the transcript to the Tuesday show

THE ED SHOW
August 5, 2014

Guest: Jeffrey Reutter , Bernie Sander, Nicole Lamoureux, E.J. Dionne,
John Fugelsang, Nina Turner

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Good evening Americans and welcome to the Ed Show.
Live from Detroit Lakes Minnesota. I`m ready to go. Let`s get to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m pretty thirsty right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s right. Drink that water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, don`t drink the water. That`s what Toledo,
Ohio residents are being told.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least 400,000 residents have been told to turn off
their taps.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The problem is an algae bloom in Lake Erie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s now reached critical proportions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bloom is fueled by fertilizer runoff from farms
and sewage treatment plants.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are capable of producing toxins that can harm
people, harm animals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every year we face this problem and it`s been getting
worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Its like we`re actually driving through paint, and it`s
so thick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This crisis could just be the tip of the iceberg.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That toxin can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and liver
damage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m concerned about doing the dishes, doing laundry,
taking a shower.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Ohio National Guard alone provided some 50,000
gallons of water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I don`t have water my baby doesn`t eat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a challenge not only for Lake Erie. It`s a
challenge for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Good to have you with us tonight folks. Thanks for watching. We
start tonight with water in America.

You know, when this story first unfolded and I saw it, I thought, "Gosh, I
wonder if the Republicans have to drink this stuff maybe they`ll have a
change of attitude when it comes to climate change in America". This story
that has unfolded in Toledo, Ohio and a ban on simple drinking water has
caught the attention of a lot of people. Climate change, crumbling
infrastructure, and lax environmental regulations, really are putting
America`s drinking water at risk not only in Ohio.

If changes aren`t made toxic algae blooms could threaten drinking water all
across this country. I hope that has your attention now. This week we`ve
seen a massive algae bloom in Lake Erie. Tap water was banned for over
400,000 people in Toledo, Ohio for two days before being lifted.

A lot of people are wondering, why was it lifted, is the water OK now? The
consequences of drinking the contaminated water could be dire. The
bacteria that`s behind the blooms can cause skin rashes, burns, vomiting
and liver damage. To call this a natural disaster I believe would be a
flat-out lie. We know exactly what causes these blooms, a number of
manmade factors contribute to the outbreak.

The main culprit is phosphorus runoff from farms using fertilizers.
Meanwhile the effects of climate change certainly play a role rising
temperatures and increased moisture during the summer provide the perfect
breeding ground for these bacteria.

Now aging infrastructure can also be blamed. Sludge from sewage processing
plants provides food for the bacteria, leaky septic tanks, and outdated
storm water drains that flow directly to Lake Erie are also to blame. I
mean it`s a perfect storm of events that scientists have known for and
known about for a long time.

Let`s go back to 2011. Lake Erie saw its largest algae bloom in history
over 1,900 square miles of the Lake were contaminated with the toxic algae.
Scientists in Ohio say this problem is getting worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF REUTTER, OHIO SCIENTIST: The problem started coming back about 2000,
in 2002 it has accelerated. And the bloom that we saw in 2011 was two and
half times worse than any of the blooms that we saw back in the 1960`s and
the `70s.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: After the algae blooms in the `60s and `70s, phosphorus was
banned in detergents. It curbed the blooms for awhile but they have
resurfaced. This type of regulation is needed, I think on a much larger
scale. But apparently Republicans, well they love phosphorus.

After Washington State banned the use of phosphates in detergents Eric
Erickson of RedState was outraged. He wrote on his blog "Washington State
has turned its residents into a group drug runners crossing state lines to
buy dishwater detergent with phospate. At what point do the people tell
the politicians to go to hell? At what point do they get off the couch,
march down to their state legislator`s house, pull them outside, and beat
him to a bloody pulp for being an idiot?"

Well, if that`s the approach the Republicans are going to have, we`re not
going to make any change. Somebody I think named Erickson really likes
phosphates and their detergents. This is the problem politician`s face,
uneducated, anti-regulations, science denying Republicans who could care
less about the environment. America needs a wake up call, the EPA. The
Environmental Protection Agency in this country has said that toxic algae
blooms are a major environmental problem in all 50 states. This week
beaches on Lake Champlain in Vermont could be closed because of algae
blooms. Vermont officials say the warm weather is to blame.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WINSLOW: The blooms are becoming more prevalent as our summer get
warmer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the season but it`s not the one you look forward
too. Blue green algae are bloom in certain areas of Lake Champlain.

WINSLOW: The places where they see -- we see them regularly, the
Missisquoi Bay, the Saint Albans Bay, then you are likely to have them for
a longer period of time but it doesn`t mean that they`re everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The algae blooms in Lake Champlain will not impact drinking water
in the area according to officials. Every year a similar problem happens
in the Gulf of Mexico. Nitrogen runoffs from farms in the Mississippi River
Valley create a dead zone this time of year in the Gulf. This year`s dead
zone is over 5,000 square miles, roughly the size of Connecticut. It`s
hard for sea life to survive in this area because of low oxygen levels.
Meanwhile climate change is having a devastating impact on the nationwide.
No question about it. California is experiencing its most severe drought
ever recorded. 58 percent of the state is considered to be in exceptional
drought. The dark red areas shown here are parts of the state suffering
the highest category of drought.

On Saturday, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency
because dozens of wildfires are threatening the state. Now no one can deny
severe weather has gotten worse because of climate change. Action must be
taken or we`re going to be left behind as a country. Other countries are
on this, we are not. Even China, on Monday, China announced Beijing plans
to ban all coal use by the year 2020. This is a major step to fight
pollution and climate change.

America needs to take similar action to protect our water, our environment
and of course action can be taken right now to stop algae blooms. Regulate
phosphates, phosphorus output, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and
rebuild our infrastructure. But you know what that`s going take? It`s
going to take a commitment. And I think that it`s important for us to
listen to every single word politicians say.

This sound bite caught my attention yesterday. In Ohio, Governor John
Kasich said if it`s good enough for his family then he`s going to have to
open it up and that`s the barometer he`s using. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: I want to make sure that I would be
comfortable with my family, my daughters, my wife drinking the water. And
when I`m comfortable with that, then I think we`re in a position where we
can say to the people here in Toledo that we feel good about it. And we
can move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Well, governor, I`m glad you feel good about it. Are you willing
to call a press conference and drink some of that green stuff in front of
everybody to show us your commitment or are you just going to tell us about
it? This is a serious situation and the bottom line is the experts are
saying that it is getting worse. There wasn`t a bottle of water available
in the city of Toledo, Ohio over the weekend. Is that what we have to look
forward to in this country because we have science-denying Republicans who
are making policy?

Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think. Tonight`s
question, "Would you drink water out of Lake Erie?" Text A for yes, text B
for no to 67622. You can always go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. We`ll
bring you the results later on in the show.

Let me bring in Dr. Jeffrey Reutter again tonight, Director of the Ohio Sea
Grant College Program at Ohio State University, doctor good to have you
with us tonight. Have these blooms been getting worse in the lake over a
long period of time or is this something that has abruptly happened?

JEFFREY REUTTER, OH SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM: Now we`ve seen a gradual
increase in the concentration of phosphorus coming into the lake, that`s
the leading cause of this since the mid 1990`s. The blooms returned in
2002. So over the last dozen years, clearly the blooms of the last six
years have been worse than the early blooms. And the trend is in the wrong
direction. Yes.

SCHULTZ: Doctor, how can water be not good to drink and then 48 hours
later it`s OK? A lot of people have responded to our story last night
wondering, how do we know it`s OK to drink?

REUTTER: Well Ed, they were doing lots and lots of testing on their water.
And the key thing, you have to recognize that the water at the intake, the
source water or the raw water coming into the plant clearly was not safe to
drink. And I think everyone understands that. In the process of removing
the toxins from the water, they got the level down to -- as far as they
could get it. And when they observed what level that was that was above
the level recommended by the World Health Organization. And that`s when
the plant issue the do not ban or do not drink ban --

SCHULTZ: Would --

REUTTER: So it was close to being safe --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

REUTTER: -- at that point, but it was above that level and so they had
to shutdown.

SCHULTZ: OK. Would regulating things like phosphorus have a positive
impact?

REUTTER: I would argue that -- not argue, I think the point is that if we
want to eliminate this problem we have to reduce the amount of phosphorus
going into the lake. So regulations would help. The question I guess for
society is, are regulations the best way to bring down the phosphorus?

SCHULTZ: Could this bloom currently in the lake still threaten drinking
water? I mean is this going to be something that their going to be dealing
with, you know, everyday, every week or, you know, and it just doesn`t
sound like this problem is going to subside. What about that?

REUTTER: No, that`s a very good point. A big worry for us right now, is
this is relatively early in the season and the bloom is likely to persist
into October and maybe even the end of October. So the -- and it`s not
likely to peak until September. So we really haven`t seen the worse of it.
It`s likely that conditions in the lake that lead up to this bloom will
repeat themselves. And they will likely repeat themselves at different
cities along the shoreline. And as you look around the country they`ll
repeat themselves in other areas also.

The key thing is I think we learned some things. Hopefully we learned some
things about dealing with those large concentrations when they come into
the plant. So that while the conditions that lead to the bloom will repeat
the actual exceedance of --

SCHULTZ: OK.

REUTTER: -- recommended levels of the toxin within the water will not
repeat, hopefully.

SCHULTZ: Well, all right, Dr. Jeffrey Reutter, I appreciate your time
tonight. Thanks for coming back on the Ed Show. We want to focus in on
this story no doubt. You`re a great resource.

Let me bring in Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont tonight. Senator, you
know, when does it catch the attention of deniers when the water is not
safe to drink? Toledo, Ohio, 400,000 people. I haven`t heard anything
like this in the past. We see the impacts of climate change damaging our
nation everyday. And yet the sense of urgency just isn`t there. I want
your take on what on what`s unfolding here --

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: No, your --

SCHULTZ: -- and also what`s going on in Vermont.

SANDERS: OK Ed, I think the point you make is well-taken. This country
faces a lot of crisis. One of the areas that we have not focused on enough
is the situation regarding water. And it`s not just Toledo and its not
just Vermont. It is lakes all over the country that are being overrun by
algae because of phosphorus runoff. And what we have is a situation in
states and in Washington where the Republican Party basically says,
"Freedom is about allowing polluters to destroy our air, our land" and in
this case our water. And I think that is pretty crazy.

Commonsense suggest that we`ve got to do everything that we can to protect
clean, drinking water in this country. And as you`ve indicated, climate
change and global warming is making a bad situation even worse. On top of
all of that, many of us recognize that we need massive investments in
infrastructure in America. And most people think, well, infrastructural
roads and bridges and rail. Yes it is. But it is also water plants and
wastewater systems.

The truth is that for a small city or a town or a state government,
building the kind of quality wastewater plants that we need to that water -
- so that runoff getting into the water is clean, is inexpensive
proposition. And in my view the government has got to be very aggressive
in Washington in making sure we rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and
that certainly includes wastewater plants and water systems.

SCHULTZ: Well, you know, water treatment plants are not cheap. And, when
you talk about infrastructure to -- if you`re going to have this and if
you`re going to allow this kind of runoff, you`re going to have to make
some compensation for them, the other side with water treatment plants
which very extensive in their construction and in their price. So, what`s
the answer here Senator? Do we need to look at more regulation on things
like phosphates?

SANDERS: Well, of course we do. I mean we have to work with agriculture,
and here in Vermont we are working very hard with farmers to significantly
reduce the amount of phosphorus getting into our lake. But I could tell
you, I was mayor of Burlington Vermont in the early `80s. And we built --
we constructed one of the major environmental projects in the history of
the State of Vermont, and that is building a new source separation project.

It was very, very expensive, but we had help from the Federal Government.
And the Federal Government cannot continue to turn its back on the needs of
cities and towns all over this country with Republicans saying, "No, we
don`t want to invest in infrastructure". The direct result will be, more
and more situations where the water we drink will be polluted, where you`ll
have huge amounts of leakage of clean water causing all kinds of problems
in cities and towns all over America. So if we invest in infrastructure we
get clean water. If we make sure that we have sufficient regulation we can
control the amount of phosphorus getting into our lakes and rivers.

SCHULTZ: All right, Senator Sanders finally, a quick reaction from you on
China saying that they want to ban the use of all coal in their country by
the year 2020. Are they serious about it?

SANDERS: Well, I certainly hope so because China is the major carbon
polluter in the world. And they are now poisoning hundreds of thousand of
people who are dying unnecessarily in China. So, this is an important step
forward. But the bottom line here Ed to my mind is we as a planet have got
to understand that climate change is real, it is already causing
devastating problems. We have to move aggressively toward energy
efficiency and start sustainable energies as wind, solar, geothermal, and
biomass.

And when we do that, we not only transform our energy system, help save the
planet. You know what else we do? We create a whole lot of jobs. So,
that has got to be something way up there on the priority list.

SCHULTZ: Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent from Vermont. Good to have
you with us tonight, sir. I appreciate your time. We will continue to
follow the story in Toledo, Ohio and around the country. Remember to
answer tonight`s question there at the bottom of the screen. Share your
thoughts with us on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter at Ed Show and on
Facebook, like us there and thanks so much for that. We want to know what
you think. Appreciate your comments.

Coming up, Rand Paul`s diamond dash, the Republican Senator heads for the
hills after being approached by two immigration activist. But first
Americans are finally getting the treatment they need. Nicole Lamera joins
me next to discuss the importance of the charitable clinics. We are right
back on the Ed Show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: What`s hot and what`s not. Time now for Trenders. Join the Ed
team, we appreciate it. Keep in touch with us on Twitter@edshow and
@wegoted, like us on Facebook. You can get my radio podcast at
wegoted.com, rawstory.com, ringoffireradio.com and on iTunes, free 24/7.
You access it when you want.

ED SHOW social media nation has decided, we are reporting.

Here are today`s top Trenders voted on by you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wilson.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number three Trender, rough ride.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An incredible rescue, 12 miles up the Hawaiian Island
of Molokai --

JEFF KOZLOVICH, OCEAN SAFETY LIFEGUARD, CITY OF HANALULU: It got scary
rough real fast.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a dramatic rescue on the open seas, all caught
on GoPro camera.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stranded boaters capture their rescue on camera.

KOZLOVICH: We saw the helicopter, the coast guard helicopter about an hour
after we made the phone call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a plane.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hovering helicopter managed to grab the passengers
from the sea.

KOZLOVICH: The best part about it was everybody was fine, everybody stayed
calm.

I think we were on in a really good mood the whole time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on in boys, the water is fine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number two Trender, word play.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five thousand new words have been added to the official
scrabble player`s dictionary --

HOMER SIMPSON, "THE SIMPSONS" CHARACTER: How could anyone make a word out
of these lousy letters?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s the first new addition in nearly a decade.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An updates scrabble dictionary means a selfie can score
you big points.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bromance, chillax and buzzkill.

MAGGIE SIMPSON, "THE SIMPSONS" CHARACTER: Those aren`t even words.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nemo (ph), ling, mixtape and beatbox.

BART SIMPSON, "THE SIMPSONS" CHARACTER: Twenty-two points plus triple word
score, plus 50 points for using all my letters. Game`s over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And today`s top Trender, critical care.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we think this fight for healthcare is over, we`re
sorrily mistaken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Republican Governor Scott Walker wants to sidestep
Obamacare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You turned down $119 million in federal money to expand
Medicaid.

SCHULTZ: It`s kind of tough to have health insurance and see a doctor if
you can`t pay for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Free clinics are still critical to closing the
healthcare gap.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Millions of hard working, uninsured people are making
the difficult choice between going to the doctor or putting food on the
table.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We go to all cities, to show that there is a problem
for the working poor.

SCHULTZ: This Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin, the National Association of
Free Clinics will again host a clinic for those in need.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are getting, you know, the medicine that they
need, I mean the treatment that they need.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are trying to build a healthy America, one patient
at a time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Joining us tonight Nicole Lamoureux, she`s the executive director
of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. Nicole, nice
to have you back with us, you do such fantastic work for a lot of
Americans. But I think some people are wondering, why is there still such
a need for clinics such as the one that you`re associated with and work
with.

Now that Obamacare has gone into effect, what`s the atmosphere right now?

NICOLE LAMOUREUX, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FREE AND CHARITABLE CLINICS:
Well, you know, Ed, here`s the one most, biggest common misconception I
think we`re fighting right now is that people think that the Affordable
Care Act is a universal solution.

You and I both know, the universal solution would have been Medicaid for
all, or Medicare for all but really what happen was the Affordable Care Act
is just the first step. It is not a complete solution.

In Wisconsin, there are 222,000 people without access to healthcare. And
one of the reasons that were here and one of the reasons the 1,200 clinics
across the United States of America still do the work that we do everyday
is because we believe that everyone deserves access to healthcare.

And you know what? We`re not we`re not going to go away quietly. We are
not going to --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

LAMOUREUX: -- bury our head in the sand. We`re not going to say, just -
-

SCHULTZ: And so --

LAMOUREUX: -- low percentage of uninsured is good enough.

SCHULTZ: So what has change for your organization since the Affordable
Care Act went into effect?

LAMOUREUX: As of right now Ed, I`ll be honest with you, out of the 1,200
clinics that we`ve had, three have closed their doors. That`s it. We`ve
had another 20, open their doors.

At this point in time, it maybe too early to say, but we have not seen a
dramatic decrease, because everyone is not covered as of yet. There is so
much work that we still need to do, that`s why we will continue doing these
clinics and that`s why we know that supporters like yours will join us in
Madison to make a statement, to say that access to healthcare is important
to everyone. It`s not just important to a few people, it`s not just a
political --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

LAMOUREUX: -- statement, it`s what we all deserve.

SCHULTZ: Your clinic this week at Madison, Wisconsin, what`s the situation
like in that State? You mentioned how many people are uninsured and I
would imagine a lot of those folks haven`t seen a doctor in a long time.
But given the governor`s refusal to go ahead with Obamacare and Medicaid
expansion, what has that done to the state?

LAMOUREUX: Well, we have 50 free clinics in this State and they are
continuously seeing people every single day. They`re turning people away.
We have people that are calling us and looking for an appointment. They
don`t understand what BadgerCare means, what does mean for them. They have
insurance but they can`t afford their medication, or many people just don`t
go to the doctor because they can`t afford it. And that`s why we`re here.
And that`s why we`re making this statement. We`re giving care but we`re
also saying that there is so much for us to do and we are not going to turn
our backs on the people who need help.

SCHULTZ: OK. How could people get more information about this weekend`s
clinic in Madison?

LAMOUREUX: You know, I really hope that everyone decides to come in,
volunteer with us, but more importantly if you`re a patient or you`re a
person who needs some help, you go to our website and we`ll be happy to
connect you with a doctor or sign you up for a volunteer shift with us.

SCHULTZ: All right, National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics
.Org. It is great to have you with us again. Good to see you Nicole,
you`re doing fabulous work. I`ve seen, first hand, you change the lives of
a lot of people and your folks who volunteers just -- and fabulous work.
And volunteerism is what it`s all about. I hope the people in Madison,
Wisconsin who have healthcare, take a little bit of time out of their day
to come help out Nicole Lamoureux and her team, which does a fabulous work.
Great to have you with us tonight.

Coming up --

LAMOUREUX: Thanks Ed.

SCHULTZ: -- Senator Rand Paul -- you bet. Senator Rand Paul left his
buddy Steve King high and dry when approached about immigration activist.
What happen? Rapid Response Panel weighs in.

Plus, voting rights are being challenge by Republicans of Wisconsin in
Ohio. Senator Nina Turner joins me to discuss that.

I`m taking your questions next. Ask Ed Live, coming up in the Ed Show,
stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show, appreciate all the questions, love
hearing from our viewers. Tonight in our Ask Ed Live segment, our first
question comes from Blair (ph). He wants to know, "Are any of your good
friends Republican?"

Yeah, there`s a few. We don`t talk politics, it`s kind of an unspoken
role. They don`t want to talk politics with me. And I don`t want to talk
politics with them. I do have a few friends that are just not going to
change, but that`s how they are and I still like them but, yeah, we just
don`t talk politics. I have a few Republican friends.

Our next question is from Marilyn, "What do you think the real reason is
for such hatred towards our president by the Republicans?" Gosh, that
would be a good question for Glenn Beck, the he he`s talking as of late.
Republicans are about one thing and that`s not only power but absolute
power. And they will run over and they will trash anybody, anyway, anyhow
to get that power to run the country the way they want to. It`s
unfortunate that right now when they have this position in the House, your
voices really don`t matter, but they will on November, that`s what we`re
banking on.

Stick around, Rapid Response Panel is next.

MARY THOMPSON, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Mary Thompson with your CNBC Market
Wraps. Stocks end up below to the session. Still the Dow slides 139
points. The S&P falls 18 and the Nasdaq finishes with a loss, 31.

Shares of Targets sag more than 4 percent after the company cut its
earnings outlook for the second quarter.

Disney reported revenue and profit that easily beat estimate, the stock is
fluctuating after hours. And shares of Time Warner are plunging down as
mush as 11 percent after 21st Century Fox withdraw its offer with the
company.

That`s it from CNBC, first in business, worldwide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. New video reveals what Republican
law makers do with their vacation. On Monday, Senator Rand Paul of
Kentucky and Congressman Steve King of Iowa appeared at a fundraiser
together. King Wasted no time recycling some irrelevant conservative
talking points.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. STEVE KING, (R) IOWA: And then they will say, what is the economic
system in the United States? Free enterprise capitalism. That`s no secret
to us, but it seems to be a mystery to the White House. And so --so, I`m
not sure if Barack Obama can pass the citizenship test but -- because
there`s some tricky questions like, what`s the economy of the America for
enterprise capitalism, that`s a stopper.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: After the speech, Representative King and Senator Paul had some
lunch together. Things got dicey when two immigration activists approach
them. The activists introduce themselves as members of the Dream Action
Coalition and beneficiaries of the Deferred Action program, commonly called
DACA.

Well, Rand Paul, the senator from Kentucky took a bite of his sandwich,
grabbed his beer and was quickly waist away from the table by an aid.
Congressman Steve King stayed and had a confrontational interaction with
the activist. King has push to end the DACA program through legislation in
the House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. STEVE KING, (R) IOWA: You came from a lawless country. Do not import
lawlessness into America.

ERIKA ANDIOLA: I`m not.

KING: You heard me --

ANDIOLA: I`m not.

KING: -- talk about the rule of law.

ANDIOLA: I`m here. I`m (inaudible).

KING: You heard me talk about the supreme law, the Constitution.

ANDIOLA: I`m a psychologist. I`ve been able to help this country so much
in my community. I`ve been able to do so much for my own community with my
degree.

KING: But there`s no substance on what you said.

ANDIOLA: And I`m just trying to do more.

KING: If you want to live in a country that respects the rule of the law
or don`t you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Congressman King doesn`t have the best record when it comes to
immigration. You may remember his now infamous comment that some
undocumented immigrants have "cabs the size of cantaloupes."

Joining me tonight for our Rapid Response Panel, E.J. Dionne, Washington
Post Columnist and MSNBC contributor along with John Fugelsang, political
commentator and television host.

Gentlemen, great to have you with us. E.J., you first, this is, or would
have been a perfect opportunity for Rand Paul to meet someone who`s an
activist in organizing. This is the exact demographic that the Republicans
have a hard time with or have to win over. Why did the senator walk away?
Is this an admission he doesn`t have an answer? What do you think?

E.J. DIONNE, WASHINGTON POST: Well, I looked at that and I said I guess
he`s not a guy you want with you in a fight. It was like slip out the back
jack as quickly as he possibly could. And I think he is walking this line,
Rand Paul is, where he wants to be the inclusive guy, he want to say
Republicans should bring in African-American and Latinos and give him
credit on the sentencing issue on fixing our crazy sentencing laws, he`s
actually doing some good work.

On immigration, he`s kind of really on the fence and all over the lot. And
I think he A, didn`t want to get stuck with Steve Kings -- with Congressman
King (inaudible), but B, he doesn`t really want to alienate his right-wing.
I think it`s going to take some time for him to figure out exactly what he
does want to say about immigration for his coming presidential campaign
which after all is why he was --

SCHULTZ: You know --

DIONNE: -- in Iowa.

SCHULTZ: You know, a critical look at this video tape, look at the guy on
the far right, nod he`s head, saying to the senator, let`s get out of here,
right there on the right. Right there, he said, "Let`s go".

I mean, to me that is, "We don`t want to mess with this". John Fugelsang,
what do you think?

JOHN FUGELSANG, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, he hasn`t announced candidacy
yet but it clear Rand Paul is running. I haven`t seen a libertarian run
that fast since Ayn Rand left church. And it`s ironic, he`s wearing that
united colors of Benetton multicultural shirt at the process.

But Ed, this conversation speaks to the essential dilemma the GOP faces
with our Latino brothers and sisters right now, because they can`t win
elections nationally without GOP voters, but in many cases they can`t win
elections regionally without GOP -- Oh, I`m sorry without Latino haters.
And so, this is fine line they`ve going to walk, you need 60 person of the
Latino vote to get the White House, but too many congressman and senators
helping them, doesn`t help them win their regional races at all.

This is why they forget --

SCHULTZ: Well --

FUGELSANG: -- very easily that Ronald Reagan is the one who actually
gave amnesty to undocumented workers. And Barack Obama is considerably to
the right of President Reagan on this issue.

SCHULTZ: E.J. is Steve King the congressman from Iowa showing the strategy
to attack just who they considered to be the problem. And that`s the
advocates I mean, he drew the line right there and wants no part of it. In
fact, he wanted to rid of that program. I mean, this really is the
Republican -- this is the other video tape. This is really the Republican
Party which you`re looking at there right here, isn`t it?

DIONNE: Well, I was also struck that Steve King said -- could Barack Obama
pass the citizenship test. They cannot let go of this citizenship birth or
kind of issue. But I think that Steve King is way out to the right. And
the Republican Party is following him on the dreamers. And the fact is if
you want what Americans think, overwhelmingly Americans are on the side of
the dreamers. Overwhelming, the American say, "Look, these kids were
brought into this country by their parents, if they`ve gone to school,
they`re going to be good Americans, they`re going to be productive
citizens. Why should we kick for them out?"

And so, if the Republicans make Steve King their role modeling guide in the
dreamers issue, I think they`re going to suffer not only among Latino but
among all kinds of other Americans.

SCHULTZ: You know, John what`s interesting about this even that unfolded
in public is that Rand Paul has been pushing the GOP to reach out to
minority voters. Is it good to be a tough sell, I mean, is he not really
committed to doing this? It sounds good in audio and in interviews, but
when it comes a time where the rubber meets the road, he`s not a player.

FUGELSANG: Well, you saw what happened to Marco Rubio here, I mean a year
ago Marco Rubio was part of the Senate Gang of Eight promoting a pathway to
citizenship that was anything but amnesty, it was actually some rather
Draconian fines and rather lengthy process to attain citizenship for people
who have been here for decades.

Again, as suppose to what Ronald Reagan did which was give them blank and
amnesty. And Marco Rubio was pilloried by the Tea Party, and that`s what
he`s running around talking about abortion and gay marriage now. And it
seems to have Republican airborne amnesia about the great program he was
banking of, presidential campaign on just the year ago. So, Rand Paul
going to tough spot --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

FUGELSANG: -- and if he`s afraid to debate a couple of kids from -- who
were dreamers, what`s he going to do on a stage up against Mike (ph), how
could be on Chris Christie?

DIONNE: Actually, you know, I find (inaudible). It`s harder to evade
kid`s questions, kids has better questions than people are usually asked in
debate, at least to my experience.

FUGELSANG: Absolutely.

SCHULTZ: I don`t think there`s doubt about that I mean. It`s -- they want
real answer, this is -- she was asking a question about here life, about
here situation, and where does this elected officials stand on. And I
think this really underscores where the Republican are, and how they are at
the real dilemma, a real crossroads on how to deal with this.

FUGELSANG: Well, and Ed, when you played the clip --

SCHULTZ: And this border crisis -- yes --

FUGELSANG: I`m sorry, please.

SCHULTZ: Go ahead John.

FUGELSANG: Oh, when you played the clip just earlier, Steve King making a
racist remark about the president`s citizenship. I mean, they`re --

SCHULTZ: Sure.

FUGELSANG: -- still birth (ph) stuff at this point and then telling a
lie about Obama and capitalism. And if you look at Obama`s record net to
Bush, look at the Dow (ph), look at job creation. He seems to understand
capitalism pretty darn well.

You know, I`m pretty tired of these lazy unproductive people coming over
here and taking jobs away from hardworking Americans. And of course, I`m
talking about Congressman Steve King.

SCHULTZ: Arkansas Republican Congress Tom Cotton put out a TV ad attacking
Senator Mark Pryor, we don`t have time to play it right now. But -- this
border crisis issue is now front and center when these Republicans go home.
Passing the House law and then blaming the president. E. J, is that going
to work?

DIONNE: I don`t think it`s going to work in there base. And that -- but I
think what you`re seeing there, is Tom Cotton hasn`t caught on. He was
supposed to be, just knocking Senator Pryor out of there, and Pryor has
done very well. And so I think, this is an effort to use the immigration
issue in a, sort of populous way to try to get back in the race.

And I think, you`re going to see the Republicans to do that at a lot. But
I`m not sure it`s going to be persuasive to swing voters who are going to
look at what the Republican did last week and say that short (ph) and look
very productive or decisive to me.

SCHULTZ: Gentleman, great to have you with us. E.J Dionne, John
Fugelsang, I appreciate your time tonight.

Coming up, Republican say, Americans face a new problem not Ebola or
Climate change, but the war on white people. Pretender is next. Stay with
us, we`re coming right back here on the Ed Show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And the Pretenders tonight, Party Foul. Mo Brooks, dock and
cover dude. The Alabama Congressman says white people are under attack.
Brooks took issue with the diagnoses of the GOP on Fox News Sunday.

(VIDEO CLIP BEGIN)

REP.MO BROOK, (R) ALABAMA: The fastest growing voting bloc in this country
thinks the Republican Party hates them. This party, your party, cannot be
the party of the future beyond November if you`re seen as the Party of
white people

(VIDEO CLIP END)

SCHULTZ: Mo Brooks says the comments are evidence of President Obama
leading a race ware.

(VIDEO CLIP BEGIN)

BROOKS: This is a part of the war on whites that`s being launched by the
Democratic Party. And the way in which they`re launching this war is by
claiming that whites hate everybody else. It`s a part of the strategy that
Barrack Obama implemented in 2008, implemented in 2012 where he divides us
all on race, on sex, greed, envy, class warfare. All those kinds of
things.

(VIDEO CLIP END)

SCHULTZ: The Republican Party doesn`t needs to fight a war on whites. The
Republican Party needs to fight to stay alive. Mo Brooks is living
example, the living example of why the GOP is doomed to fail, advocating
inclusion isn`t a war on any race. It`s allegedly the Republican`s action
plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINCE PRIEBUS, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: The RNC cannot and
will not write off any demographic, community, or region of this country.
For too long our demographic inclusion efforts have been separate from our
on the ground political activities. Well that`s coming to an end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: If Mo Brooks, believes he can pass of ignorance as a battle
crime, he can keep on pretending.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show, and finally tonight, Republican
governors have been doing everything in their power to restrict access to
the polls. Now, with just three months until Election Day, the Obama
Administration isn`t pulling any punches. Last Wednesday, the Justice
Department sided with challengers of the Republican-backed voting laws in
both Wisconsin and Ohio.

Attorney General Eric Holder said on the two states` voting laws represent
the latest misguided attempt to fix the system that simply isn`t broken.
Holder claims the measure on those states violates section two of the
Voting Rights Act by unfairly affecting the ability of minority voters to
cast a ballot.

In Wisconsin, the Justice Department filed an amicus brief siding with the
federal judge who struck down Wisconsin law that requires voters to show
photo ID at the polls. In the State of Ohio, justice official filed a
statement of interest and a challenge to an Ohio Law which eliminates the
opportunity for same-day registration, and issues directives that otherwise
limit early voting hours during evenings and weekends.

Last year`s Supreme Court decision to strike down a key section of the
Voting Rights Act basically, folks it opened up, open season on your right
to vote. And this isn`t a partisan issue this is about the state of our
democracy which we have talked about a lot here on the Ed Show. This is an
America issue and is one we all need to pay attention too.

The focus tonight on Ohio, joining me is Ohio`s State Senator Nina Turner
who is currently running for Ohio Secretary of State, and it was one year
ago today that she announced that she was going to get into this race.
Senator, good to have you with us tonight.

STATE SEN. NINA TURNER, (D) OHIO: Thanks Ed.

SCHULTZ: These moves that have been made by the justice department. Now,
to clarify they`re not going to have any impact on Ohio this November. But
the timing of it certainly puts it on the radar screen with a lot of
voters. Will it be affective in our opinion?

TURNER: I think so Ed. We must continue to vigilant and Attorney General
Eric Holder is dead on the money, you know, the letter, the very strong
letter that he sends to Governor Scott Walker, there was one portion of
that letter that I think they (ph) is repeating when he said, we will not
hesitate to use all tools and legal authorities at our disposal to flight
against disenfranchisement and to safeguard the rights of every illegible
American to cast a ballot.

Ed, in your opening, you talked about, this is an American crisis. So,
whether this happen in Ohio, or Wisconsin, or Mississippi, or Pennsylvania,
it is happening to all of America. And so, the Attorney General is dead
on.

SCHULTZ: Well, this is a campaign issue in your race. This is going to
force the hand of current Secretary State and your opponent Jon Husted.
What`s the reaction? Is this going to be a real divided opinion on this
between you and your opponent?

TURNER: Oh absolutely, I mean he has followed along with the current
Attorney General Mike Dewine that, you know, defending the legislators
bill. This bill was passed to take away Golden Week, the point of time in
Ohio where one can register and voted the same time, taken away days which
is why this lawsuit has been filed.

He is already in court to fight, to uphold a law that is very flawed, very
unconstitutional that will have an impact not only on people of color but
elder folks, people with disabilities, people who work two and three, and
four jobs. Our democracy is not good if people don`t have access to the
ballot box. And Ohioans deserve better than what they`re getting right
now. They deserved a Chief of Elections also, that wants to expand and
protect access to the ballot box and not limit it.

SCHULTZ: Do the citizens of Ohio, the residence of Ohio, do they know
what`s going on here? I mean, do you hear a lot of this? Is this an
issue, is the media covering it locally?

TUNER: They are Ed, and yes they have, I mean, I`ve traveled every
quadrant of the state and people bringing it up. I was talking -- just
talking to old and the gentlemen in Jackson County for example just this
pass weekend. And he was talking about the governor`s race and other
state-wide races. But he said the most important race is the Secretary or
State race because of access to the ballot box.

And this was the elderly white gentlemen from Jackson County. So yes,
voters black, white, Spanish, Asian, you named it, young and old, gay,
straight, people are paying attention to this issue. They know that there
is --

SCHULTZ: OK.

TUNER: -- is a firm correlation between the ballot box and the
(inaudible) box, Ed.

SCHULTZ: How do the republican is make the case that this is not
discrimination, what did you heard?

TUNER: Well, you know, they claim that they`re trying to protect the
integrity of elections, they continue to fall back when the non-existent,
voter fraud which is non-existent. The Brannon Center has said time and
time again that a person has greater chance of being struck by lightning
then they do to impersonate somebody at the polling place.

They need to focus more on this access expanding the right to vote. And
compete completely for the vote instead of what they`re doing right now, is
trying to cheat the system to beat.

SCHULTZ: State Senator Nina Turner from Ohio, good to have you with us
tonight here on the Ed Show, I appreciate your time. All the best, will
follow the story.

That`s THE ED SHOW. And next, your "POLITICS NATION" will Reverend Al
Sharpton, starts right now.



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