With Congress so polarized, do a couple of wealthy businessmen stand a better chance than legislators to push reform on gun control, gay marriage, and immigration forward? From New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s $12 million ad campaign on background checks for gun purchasers, to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz standing up for the company’s endorsement of gay marriage in front of a disgruntled shareholder, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s rumored formation of an advocacy organization to tackle immigration reform and other long-term economic issues: Is this the new way forward? We’ll talk with Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., The Grio’s Perry Bacon, and Politico’s Anna Palmer.
Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., joins us to recap the president’s trip to the Middle East.
We’re keeping an eye on the Supreme Court this week, as the highest court determines the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Prop 8.
Plus, the Senate passed its first budget in four years early Saturday morning, but faces a contentious showdown with the House in the near future, when the two legislative bodies will try to reconcile two starkly different ways of dealing with the country’s current economic issues and the long-term debt. Roll Call’s Shira Toeplitz joins us to discuss.
MS NOW staff