Dorian Warren fills in for host, Melissa Harris-Perry for a busy show.
President Obama this week asked Congress to authorize his war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. But the truth is the war began months ago. The United States has already spent $1.5 billion in its campaign against ISIS and the costs are steadily climbing. Our guests will take a look at how these dollars have been spent and what President Obama is requesting to continue with Operation Inherent Resolve. Guests include:
- Katon Dawson, national Republican consultant
- Julian Zelizer, professor at Princeton University and author of “The Urgency of Now”
- Marcus Mabry, editor-at-large at the New York Times
- Molly O’Toole, politics reporter for “Defense One”
- Rep. Barbara Lee, California (D)
We’ll follow up our conversation about the economics of war with a discussion about the dollars and cents in presidential bids.
Then, race and policing. FBI Direct James Comey delivered a speech on the hard truths about the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Some have praised his remarks while others have said they are 30 years too late. We’ll discuss this candid speech as well as recent cases of alleged excessive force by police. Julian Zelizer will be joined by:
- Monifa Bandele, Communities United for Police Reform
- Cherrell Brown, national organizer for Equal Justice USA
- Seema Iyer, host of Shift MSNBC’s “The Docket”
- Marquez Claxton, director of the Black Law Enforcement Alliance
Then, debtors’ prisons and deplorable conditions. There were two new lawsuits filed in Missouri last Sunday that claim that jails in the towns of Jennings and Ferguson are essentially modern-day debtors prisons. According to the lawsuit, those unable to pay fines are held in overcrowded and inhumane conditions. We’ll bring you Samantha Jenkins, the lead plaintiff in the suit against Jennings, and Michael-John Voss, co-founder and managing attorney at ArchCity Defenders.
All that, plus, Dave Zirin joins us to discuss the complicated reasons the Jackie Robinson West baseball team lost its Little League title and Nat King Cole’s granddaughter joins us on the 50th anniversary of his death to discuss her adoption in her book “Postcards from Cookie.”
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Sunday at 10am ET on msnbc. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.
Victoria Asbury