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The Ed Show for Thursday, February 5th, 2015

Read the transcript to the Thursday show

Show: THE ED SHOW
Date: February 5, 2015
Guest: Bernie Sanders, John Bolton, Paul Douglas, Angela Rye, Dean
Obeidallah


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R) WISCONSIN: Trade agreements set the rules for the
global economy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trade balance of minus 46.6 billion...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trade deficits widen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is definitely a bigger -- much bigger deficit that
we are looking for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s the law of the jungle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we`ve set million job over three years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say for TPP.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There will be a giant sucking sound going south.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A picture of U.S. job loss resulting from our
trades...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was precisely the statement, middle class
manufacturing and technology job that made that American dream.

RYAN: It`s the law of the jungle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: Good to have you with us tonight, folks. Thanks
for watching.

We start this evening with a very important issue that absolutely no one is
talking about, trade.

Tonight, the Progressive Caucus, the Democrats are going to get together in
Philadelphia for their retreat. Last week, it was the Democrats. This
week, it`s the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

And they`re going to be talking about this issue because these issues cuts
right to the fabric of the middle class in this country and the future
economic stability of a lot of Americans. That`s right, jobs.

Now, you make get tired of hearing about the middle class. Every
politician talks about it. We seem to focus a lot on it when it comes
election time.

The middle class is the largest voting block in this country. The middle
class moves the goods and services for us to have a better economy.

I have done this story numerous times and I`m going to sound the alarm
again. We`re getting close.

America is facing a massive trade deficit today while leaders are on the
verge of approving a historic and a mammoth trade deal, that`s going to
take us down the wrong road. The Trans-Pacific Partnership could literally
trash our economy from millions of Americans. Here are the numbers.

Our December 2014 trade deficits rose to its biggest level since 2012. The
Commerce Department said today that the trade deficit jumps 17 percent to
$46.6 billion. It`s the biggest percentages increase since July of 2009.
Yes the global economy is here but you got to get into the devil on the
details. Trade deficits are bad for jobs and they`re bad for our economy,
fair trade is different deal.

Now, according to the economic policy institute, weak Yen policies and
trade deficits with Japan have cost this country, the United States,
roughly 900,000 jobs just in the year 2013 alone.

Now, our trade deficit is already sky-high with countries negotiating
involved in the TPP, and there`s 12 of them.

In 1997, our trade deficit with Japan and other countries involved with the
TPP was $110 billion. In 2014, fast forward to, just last year, it jumped
to $261 billion. You know what that equates to? American jobs and
opportunities being shipped overseas.

The TPP would only widen this gap. This is why many people in Washington
are quiet about it. It`s no secret President Obama and most Republicans
are on board with the TPP. It`s a big Wall Street deal.

Earlier today, Congressman Paul Ryan had this to say about trade
agreements. Listen to his philosophy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R) WISCONSIN: When we complete a trade agreement we
strengthen our ties with other countries. Our economy is stronger, our
national security is stronger. It`s a lot easier to live in a neighborhood
that`s friendly, that`s prosperous and free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Strengthening ties with other counties. Have we had problems
with Japan as of late? What else do we need to strengthen?

This is about jobs. This is about wealthy Americans being able to invest
in emerging markets cheap labor and that`s where the jobs are going to
grow. They`re not going to grow here and we`re going to see a dwindling
middle class and the middle class in this country that is not going to have
the disposable income to float our boats any higher.

Now, as we told you on the Ed Show time and time again, trade agreements
kill jobs. The numbers are real. NAFTA alone cost this country roughly
700,000 jobs. Thankfully many Democrats in Congress are pushing back on
the TPP in they`re meeting in Philadelphia. They`re the only folks that
are going to be able to stop this.

Overall, Americans don`t know enough about the dangers of this trade
agreement. And no one in the media is covering this except for this show.

Now, I`m not trying to sound grandiose about it but I don`t know how I
could be an advocate for the middle class and ignore the TPP.

On Wednesday, Media Matters released a report that I wasn`t even aware of,
that the news coverage on this has been damn near non-existed. In cable
news, CNN and Fox News mentioned the TPP only two times. Here on the Ed
Show, we have done and discuss this trade agreement on 71 broadcast and I
guess today is number 72.

Now, we talked about the TPP because it directly affects middle class jobs.
That`s what we want in this country. That`s what we want to strengthen.

Jobs are going to be out sourced. You can count on it. The trade deficits
going to go up, you can count on it. It`s a bad deal.

Americans needs to be aware of this and you need to get in touch with your
representative and say, hey wait a minute. This is a sovereignty issue,
this is a currency issue, this is a job issue, why in the world would you
sign on something that I know damn well that you haven`t read?

Ask yourself the question, would you sign a legal document that it affected
you personally without reading it? Do you know one attorney that would
tell you to, hey, go ahead -- I know you haven`t read it but go head and
sign it. Does it even make sense?

Unfortunately it looks like the TPP will pass with very little or zero
debate.

Last month, U.S Trade Representative Michael Froman -- and I don`t know Mr.
Froman, he is probably a good guy. He said that deal could be wrapped up
in months. On Wednesday, the Australian Trade Minister said, an agreement
could be reach in weeks.

This trade deal will cover 40 -- listen to me, 40 percent of the total
global output of goods and services and manufacturing service in this
world. It will also lower tariffs on agriculture products farmers.

Let me ask you this. You`re out in Middle America, how in the world can
you not expect your representative not to read this trade agreement when
it`s going to affect your commodities? It`s going to affect cars. It`s
going to affect chemicals. It`s going to affect drugs. Your prices are
going to go up.

If this deal passes, there`s no doubt more jobs are going to be shipped
overseas, especially jobs in manufacturing and also it`s going to bleed
into the service sector. It won`t take long.

This idea that we have to have another trade agreement makes absolutely no
sense. We might export more -- yeah, we`re going to have more exports.
OK, big deal. But when cheaper and similar products comeback into this
country, it doesn`t cancel out (ph).

So here is what we have, we have the wealthiest Americans who can invest in
emerging markets, who can go find these cheap places of service and
manufacturing, and technology for that matter. Where people around the
people are going to work for a hell of a lot less than what they would work
for in America, that`s what this is about.

The other element to this is that, we stand a chance of giving up our
sovereignty. There will be international laws that will undercut and
supersede American law. Well, what do we have a Congress then? The
Congress isn`t even going to be able to do anything about this. That`s not
the way this was supposed to be. Kind of reminds me that commercial on
T.V. with the lady stands up on sailboat (ph). No, that`s not the way this
is supposed to work.

Our Congress is supposed to pass the laws that we as American citizens both
in business and in civilian life have to pay attention to.

So, you want to know why President Obama has been so quiet on this, because
he can`t sell it. And no one in the media is pressuring the White House.
No one in the media thinks that this is a exciting enough story to cover.

But I will tell you this right now. If this deal goes through with the
mammoth deal that it is, it is going to hurt our economy. The same way
that hurt our economy when we gave China favored nation trading status back
in the late 1990s. Look at our trade deficits where are the jobs gone
there.

Our economy is not as good or as strong as it could be. And you can`t tell
me that the Republicans are going to be able to create more jobs here in
America if we do the TPP.

This is on their watch. The conservatives are the ones that want this.
The conservatives are the ones who were pushing Obama to get this done. It
was Mitch McConnell, the day after the election who said, yeah we can find
some trade agreements, we can find some common ground. It`s a Wall Street
deal. It`s a sellout of American workers.

You know, we should know something. That when we invested in American
workers, the automobile industry, it turned around. Why do we have to have
a trade agreement with Vietnam? Why do we have to have a trade agreement
with other developing counties if it`s not going to be to our citizens`
advantage? Are we going to get invaded by them? It makes no sense.

Now, you should be outraged as a taxpaying American. That something this
big and this impactful to our country stands the very strong possibility of
getting through without people in Congress having access to read it, to
debate it, to weigh in on it or to get your polls on it. It`s almost been
like there`s been some media suppression on this.

I think people run from it because they don`t understand it. And its
pretty wanky (ph) and it`s detailed and I will admit on this show for the
72nd time, I`ve tried to present this in terms that the average Joe can
understand that commonsense of that all.

Look. If you want our workers in this country to have a lesser standard of
living, then you want to go with the TPP. If you want to believe in
American workers and emerging markets in the United States of America and
strengthen our buying power and to raise the standard of living in this
country so people can educate their kids, so people can have retirement and
health care which of course the Republicans want to takeaway from everybody
so hell, we going to pay for it. I mean, the purchasing power of Americans
is going to be reduced.

And what amazes me is that these right-wing agricultural guides in the
middle of the country -- they`ll never vote for Democrat, they`ll never go
to that. But you know what? It`s your guys, the Republicans who are
jamming this down in your throat and it going to kill your commodities.
And you sit there in a fog. TPP what`s that? You`re going to find out.

Gets your cellphones out, I want to know what you think about this.

Tonight`s question, "Is President Obama being honest about the effects the
TPP will have on the middle class? Text A for Yes, text B for No to 67622,
leave a comment in our blog at ed.msnbc.com.

And ask yourself the critical question, why hasn`t the President of the
United States going to sit down interview with somebody that wants to talk
exclusively about trade?

I don` think this President can sell it, because he knows this is
boondoggle. And for the life of me I have no idea why he continues to push
this. I don`t know -- it`s amazing to me.

There is no way that you can be an advocate for the middle class and
support to TPP. There is an absolute here. There is an absolute. And
there was a track record of trade agreements that we have gotten into time
and time again that have done nothing for the middle class in this country.

There are a few people who were sounding the alarm. So I want all of you
to pay attention what the Progressive Caucus is going to be talking about
in Philadelphia because these are ones -- these are the lawmakers who have
said, hold the phone. This isn`t the way we got a new business.

We need to debate this. We need to vet this.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont joins us tonight.

Senator, good to have you with us.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Great to be with you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Senator, what`s the latest on the currency manipulation in the
TPP agreement from what you hear?

SANDERS: Well, it`s hard to say but let me just say this Ed. I think
everything that you`ve said is spot-on. The idea that we would go forward
with a another law to trade agreement when all of the other trade
agreements have failed the American working class is beyond comprehension.

Since 2001, we have lost 60,000 factories in America, hug to buy products
made in the United States. Millions of decent-paying jobs had gone. Why
in God`s name would anyone vote for a trade agreement which causes American
workers to compete against the people in Vietnam who have a minimum wage of
$0.56 an hour? That is totally crazy.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: Point number two and I`m glad you made it...

SCHULTZ: Yes. Yeah.

SANDERS: I`m glad you made it Ed, because a lot of people don`t make it.

The media has been pathetic on this issue. This is an issue of huge
consequence bad trade agreements are one of the reasons why the American
middle class is disappearing and why wages like going down and why we`re
losing jobs.

You wouldn`t think there would be a national discussion in the media on
this. You were one of the very few people who actually talks about this
trade agreement.

And thirdly, this idea, you know, it`s interesting to me, Ed, the
proponents of this agreement including the President no longer even bother
to talk about how it`s going to create jobs. They know that ain`t true.

SCHULTZ: No.

SANDERS: Now, you have other ideas, it`s going to bring the world closer
together and prove our relations with Japan. That is nonsense.

So, the other point you also made one is, the first part of this thing is
fast-track, is giving the President the authority to negotiate to trade
agreement.

The truth of the matter is that I as a Senator, or any member of the
Congress, we cannot even look at the agreement in terms of copying down
provisions in terms of bringing experts in with us to look at this highly
legal and complicated document. We`re not even allowed to do that.

So as a starting point...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: ... no member of Congress should think about voting for fast-
track when you don`t even know what the hell is in the agreement.

SCHULTZ: Senator, last week Democratic leader in the house Nancy Pelosi
said this. She said, "The burden is on the White House to demonstrate that
this is good for American paychecks." That tells me that she has not been
sold by the White House that this is the right thing to do. That there
needs to be some real clarification to middle-class Americans on exactly
what this is going to do to them. Why hasn`t the White House sold this to
the American people if it encompasses 40 percent of the global economy?

SANDERS: You know why? Because I think the President is an honest guy and
he knows he can`t sell it.

I think all the President -- and you not even hearing the President talking
about, you know, in the past, they we`re talking about all of how this is
going to create all of these jobs -- people don`t even bother making those
arguments that don`t -- the President is trying to make those arguments.

I think the President`s point of view is, look, where we are right now, we
are where we are and this in a sense the best that we can do. That`s about
it. But I believed we need to thoroughly rethink our trade agreements.
What we need to do is demand the corporate America, instead of investing in
China start investing in the United States. They want us to buy their
products.

You see the ads every night on T.V. We have got to demand that they start
producing those products here in the United States of America. I don`t
think that`s radical America. I don`t think that`s what we have to do.

SCHULZT: That`s not radical at all, Senator. Good to have you with us
tonight Senator Sanders, I appreciate your time. Keep up the fight my
friend.

Stay with us folks. We`ll be right back here on the Ed Show with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Thanks for watching tonight.

NASA`s latest mission didn`t make headlines when it launched last week.
But their new satellite could have a major impact on all of our lives.
Here`s more on the SMAP mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And lift off. Delta II rocket with SMAP.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, SMAP.

PETE WAYDO, SYSTEM INTEGRATION AND TEST LEAD, SMAP: SMAP is a acronym for
Soil Moisture Active Passive. It`s a satellite that studies the earth`s
moisture content.

SCHULTZ: The SMAP mission is NASA`s latest tool to help us better
understand our planet.

GEOFFREY YODER, DEPUTY ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR PROGRAMS, NASA: These
new missions will help answers some of the critical challenges facing our
planet`s climate change, sea lever rise, extreme weather.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it has a potential to touch everyone`s life.

SCHULTZ: The satellite`s mission is to track to the water under the
ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The satellite measures moisture levels in the top five
centimeters of soil on the earth`s surface.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Employing a combination of active radar and passive
radiometer measurements, SMAP covers a swat (ph) 1,000 kilometers wide.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every three days we`ll have a soil measure map of the
entire earth.

SCHULTZ: It measures the soil that is critical to agriculture across the
globe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until SMAP, researches are only able to estimate global
soil moisture with the use of computer models. SMAP`s near real-time
measurements when able better predictions of trends in a changing climate.

SCHULTZ: The SMAP data will help weather forecasters and climate scientist
better predict trend.

ENI NJOKU, SMAP SCIENCE TEAM MEMBERS: Soil moisture (inaudible) at the
surface are important for initializing weather models that predicts future
rain and temperature.

SCHULTZ: It can better help us prepare for floods and drought conditions.

KENT KELLOGG, SMAP PROJECT MANAGER: SMAP will allow us to track how the
future water availability in different regions of the earth will change.

SCHULTZ: The SMAP satellite will help scientist better understand how
water and carbon circulate on earth.

KELLOGG: Soil moisture plays a very active and vital role in the water
cycle and we all depend on it.

YODER: SMAP is another example of how NASA`s making a difference in
peoples lives around the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: I`m joined tonight by Dr. John Bolton. He`s an Associate Program
Manager of Water Resources for NASA Applied Sciences Program, also with us
tonight Paul Douglas Senior Meteorologist at Media Logic Group in
Minneapolis. Gentlemen, great to have you with us tonight.

Dr. Bolton, you first, I mean, this is some cutting edge stuff. This is
fascinating. How does this satellite measure the water from space?

DR. JOHN BOLTON, NASA APPLIED SCIENCE PROGRAM: Well, what`s really cool
about NASA`s Soil Moisture Active Passive mission is it combines both radar
and radiometer measurements. And these are -- Ed if you think of like an
optical camera, it similar to that that. It captures the ambient light.

But here`s it measuring the microwave emission from the land surface, and
it turns out that the microwave emission from surface is very highly
correlated with the volume of water in the top one or two inches of soil.

SCHUTLZ: So is this going to give us more information about what kind of
weather pattern we may be looking at, whether it`s going to be more or less
severe?

BOLTON: Well, we hope so. In fact one of the -- the most challenging
things for weather forecasting and really understanding the vast complex
earth systems of the energy water cycle and carbon cycles is measuring an
estimating the amount of moisture in the top surface because it`s -- that
has a direct contribute to a changes in the local temperature and amount of
humidity in the atmosphere.

So for the first time, we`re going to have direct observation of regional
soil moistures. So it really is an improvement, we expect -- once these
data are added to weather forecasting models, then it can reduce their
uncertainty and really drive those forecast towards reality.

SCHULTZ: Paul Douglas, what do you think about this? Is this a game
changer, I mean, you meteorologist got a new toy to play with here.

PAUL DOUGLAS, SR. METEOROLOGIST, MEDIA LOGIC GROUP: New toys are always
fun. But I agree with Dr. Bolton wholeheartedly, Ed. More data, better
data is always a good thing.

And if you put junk into the super computers, you get junk out. So if we
can put high resolution data into our models especially with soil moisture,
it should improve the day-to-day weather forecast.

NASA has a constellation of remote sensing satellites. I think -- when
people think NASA, they think the moon mission. They think Mars. They
don`t understand that NASA is really doing some amazing things, keeping
track of our own planet and what we`ve talked about many times on your
show, Ed, the hydrological cycle is now on fast-forward as we heat things
up even a few degrees, we`re getting more rapid evaporation. That makes it
harder to keep soil moisture where you need it.

And so farmers really agonize over that. It also means the rainfall much
harder especially during the summer months, these intense rains. So
knowing where drought is forming, which soils are more prone to flash
flooding, all of these will pay real diffidence for American consumers in
the years ahead.

SCHULTZ: No doubt. Dr. Bolton, how long will it be until the satellite
sends back data that can be depended upon?

BOLTON: There`s a 90-day commissioning period for the satellite, so in
just a couple of months what we expect to -- we start receiving the first
data from the Soil Moisture Active Passive mission.

SCHULTZ: So are you going to be able to predict with more accuracy in
forecasting Dr. Bolton about where we are going to have dry areas in this
country, what maybe the next three months is going to look like for the
western portion of the United States and generically speaking things like
that.

BOLTON: Well in fact, before the launch of SMAP, a lot of the soil
moisture estimates that are key part of this weather forecasting, climate
forecasting systems and also the assessment of natural hazard like floods
and droughts. They were based on a secondary or an estimate of soil and
moisture that was model. And these models are driven by other observation
of precipitation and things like that, so for the first time we have a
direct observation. And we not only have a direct observation, we have
direct observation every two to three days globally. So, being able to...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

BOLTON: ... have a global picture. We really -- we hope that it will
really improved the regional forecasting of these weather models, because
this really one of the most challenging variables monitor accurately. So
this is, Ed, an unprecedented accuracy and temporal scale and spatial
scale.

SCHULTZ: Paul, this is really going to affect the agricultural community
and the commodities market isn`t? I mean information is paramount.

I mean you`re going to able to tell an audience -- meteorologist are going
to be able to tell an audience exactly how much soil moisture there is to
the exact. And this is what the anticipation is. I mean, the expectation
is -- I mean this is -- it`s mind-boggling.

DOUGLAS: It is. It`s a huge step forward in my humble estimation. And
there were be less hand waving on the part of the meteorologist when we
have actual data. It`s not derived, it`s the real deal. And of course,
farmers depend of soil moisture, nitrogen levels and a number of other
factors when estimating yield. And it`s going to become increasingly
difficult to maintain soil moisture as we get into this turbo-charged
hydrological cycle.

But one thing I can say with near total accuracy which is rare for a
weather guy, Ed. It`s not oil, it`s not gas -- water is definitely going
to be the most precious natural resource of the 21st century. Any tools
that give us a better handle on water whether it`s in the air or on the
ground and in the soil is a huge advance.

SCHULTZ: Well, let hear it for NASA. What a great country.

DOUGLAS: Yeah.

SCHULTZ: Dr. John Bolton and Paul Douglas, great to have you with us
tonight gentlemen. Thanks so much.

BOLTON: Thanks Ed.

SCHULTZ: Coming up, the CEO of Twitter talks about the big changes ahead
for the social media platform. What has happened to Twitter?

Plus, a message of tolerance in peace, we`ll talk to a friend of the Ed
Show who attended the National Prayer Breakfast. Stay tuned, we`ll be
right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. I appreciate all your questions
from our viewers in our Ask Ed Live segment.

Our first question tonight is from Sharon, "Who`s your favorite
politician?"

Well, that`s easy Bernie Sanders, the man that led this broadcast tonight
talking about the trade agreement that we should not be getting involved
in.

I think the world of Bernie because he is unspoiled. He has a very
unvarnished opinion and he gives you the truth. And I wish we had more
like him in Washington. There`s a lot that I -- a lot of leaders that I
have respect for but he comes to mind first.

Our next question is from Beth, "Why have you never run for office?"

You want to know the truth? Because then I have to represent people I
don`t like. And I think if you`re going to be a public servant you have to
represent all of the people. You can`t just pick and choose. I mean, you
--and then there are some views out there that I would have a hard time
representing. But, you know, you can`t fight for everybody can you?
Beside that I got red hair. That would give me all kinds of trouble.

Stick around, Rapid Response Panel is next.

KATE ROGERS, CNBC MARKET WRAP: I`m Kate Rogers with you CNBC Market Wrap.

Stocks rally today as oil price is stabilized. The Dow climbs 211 points,
the S&P adds 21 and the NASDAQ is up 48.

The numbers of American filling for first time jobless claims rose a
smaller than expected -- 11,000 last weeks to 278,000.

Meanwhile, a report from Outplacement Firms, Challenger, Gray & Christmas
showed planned layoff near a two-year high in January. Both reports come
one day before the government`s closely watched employment report.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Welcome back to the Ed Show. Thanks for watching tonight.

Twitter had a tough first year as public company. However, it`s not the
money that the Twitter CEO is admitting, we suck. OK.

Earlier today, Twitter released its fourth quarter earnings report, pretty
good. Twitter reported $479 million in revenue for the last three months
of 2014 up 97 percent over year-over-year. Wow, solid number.

But investors are more concerned about Twitter`s user growth.

Last quarter, Twitter saw a user growth of just 20 percent year-over-year
with a total of 288 million monthly active users. Those numbers won`t come
as a big surprise to anyone who spent time on the social media platform.

Twitter has evolved into something mean spirited and nasty. Believe me
I`ve seen my share of it. You can`t be out in front of the public and not
get it.

Harassment has become an accepted part of the Twitter experience. Every
single day, users face threats of physical violence, sexual abuse and
stalking. Spreading lies and trashing people`s reputation is just another
day at the office and an everyday occurrence.

Twitter has been long criticized for its failure to come up with an
effective policy to address the issue. The people spreading negativity
have been emboldened by the lack of meaningful protection against this kind
of abuse. The latest numbers make it clear. Those trolls on Twitter are
driving users away.

Now Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is responding, in an internal memo obtained by
the Verge. Costolo wrote, "We such at dealing with abuse and trolls on the
platform and we`ve sucked at it for years. We lose core user after core
user by not addressing simple trolling issues that they face everyday. I
take full responsibility for not being more aggressive on this front. It`s
nobody else`s fault but mine, and it`s embarrassing. So now we`re going to
fix it", he says. "And I`m going to take full responsibility for making
sure that people working night and day on this have the resources. They
need to address the issue". I can`t wait to see this one.

Joining me know on a Rapid Response Panel Angela Rye Political Strategist,
also with us tonight Dr. James Peterson, MSNBC Contributor and Director of
Africana Studies at Lehigh University. Twitter -- great to have both of
you with us.

Twitter has...

JAMES PETERSON, LEHIGH UNIVERSITY: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: ... really evolved into character assassination, destroying
people`s reputations, saying things that simply aren`t true and yet it`s
got so many positive aspects to it. I mean, as I news junky. I mean I
follow Twitter, I follow other news organization, you get a more solid
information and you can track it down and...

PETERSON: Yeah.

SCHULTZ: ... go research exactly what`s happening.

How do they fix this, Angela? First of all, how damaging do you think it
is? I mean the numbers don`t lie and how are they going to fix it?

ANGELA RYE, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Well, you`re right, Ed, the numbers
don`t lie. And the first step I think towards fixing this problem at
Twitter is by first addressing the diversity numbers that they have.

They`re not unique in Silicon Valley by any stretch with the numbers that
they have. But when you talk about the fact that women are being abused,
you have to look the fact that Twitter`s workforce is more than 70 percent
male, Ed.

When you look at the challenges that people face on the race side on
Twitter, there are also folks that are always -- is being hit racist
attacks. There only 3 percent of their staff there that are African
American.

At some point, Twitter and the rest of Silicon Valley is going to have to
address the fact that these numbers are abysmal and they don`t work in a
society where people have diverse religion, there are different genders,
there are people of different ethnic background and experiences and age.

And at some point, you have to say, we have to have people in this
environment that know how to speak to the whole America because ordinary
just won`t do.

SCHULTZ: It`s become a vehicle of the nasty. Dr. Peterson, is that
America?

PETERSON: Yes.

SCHULTZ: Is that really who we are?

PETERSON: Well, one I think that`s a global phenomenon, Ed. I think that
somehow Twitter has become the hideout they can them trolls. But somewhat
Twitter`s become the hideout for some of the most misogynistic and some of
the most racist language or rhetoric that we see. Mostly from coward who
never really reveal themselves.

But I think Angela is got a great point here which is, the company has gut
to make show of force around issues of diversity, around issues of cultural
confidence in-house and internally before they even can begin the sort of
chastised the world about the ways in which people use Twitter.

Twitter is my favorite social media platform...

RYE: Yeah.

PETERSON: ... by the way. One, just because of what you said, Ed, because
you can get information quickly, there`s a lot of new sources. There`s a
lot of scholars on there. But Angela is also right, there a lot of people
of color and a lot of women on their more than other social media outlets.
So Twitter has a responsibility to those core users who are diverse, in
terms of gender and race to sort of providing environment...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

PETERSON: ... that is respectable. But I have one fear though here, Ed.
Because I think the trolls are already diminished the capacity of what
Twitter can be. I think the trolls are already turned it into to platform
where there`s too much hate and not enough information being exchange.

SCHULTZ: Yes, I think I blocked more people that anybody in America. I
mean, I seem negative...

PETERSON: You`ve got a lot of trolls Ed. I thought (inaudible)...

SCHULTZ: I mean I got to be the number one blocker on America. I mean, I
see a negative comment. I don`t want to deal with it, I just get, OK see
you I don`t want you to hear from me again.

RYE: Yeah.

SCHULTZ: But, you know, you can follow the news organizations and it is
instant. Family members...

PETERSON: Yeah.

SCHULTZ: ... can instantly follow, you know, where you`re going what
you`re doing, what`s happening. I mean it has so much upside. But here is
a negative.

PETERSON: Exactly.

SCHULTZ: Angela, according to the latest PEER (ph) research, young women
experienced certain severe types of harassment at disproportionately high
levels including stalking and sexual harassment. How should Twitter
address that?

I mean, I know you mention that the company has got to do something when it
comes to diversity but -- that I guess it`s the thought police, what do you
do? How do you stop people from doing that? What`s the technology here?

RYE: So, I know Twitter mentioned they were going to start getting rid of
these folks left and right I think is almost the verbatim quote. But I
think there also needs to be a process for this. I understand recently,
they were a part of some initiative, so did the initiative come up with
best practices, recommendations for, you know, ensuring that these types of
folks are immediately shutdown. I know, Ed, every time I`m on with you or
on another show here, I get people respond...

SCHULTZ: They come after us.

RYE: ... to new thing -- yeah, they come after you hard whether if you say
something they...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

RYE: don`t like then you`re a race baiter. Or, of they think you look
cute television, they might ask you for your phone number.

I don`t even want to deal with that Ed, I blocked them too to your point,
maybe...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

RYE: ... I`m number two.

SCHULTZ: Well, you know what? I look at my iPhone -- go ahead.

PETERSON: You know, it`s interesting because anyone who`s in the public
has had to deal with, you know, these people who come at you from Twitter.
But I think Twitter as organization can also be more proactive. So I don`t
want...

RYE: Yeah.

PETERSON: ... from censor folks, certainly if it`s hate speech, get rid
with them, don`t want to censoring anybody but in Twitter, you just mention
their quarterly earning, use some of those resources to support the
organization in this country that are working on behalf of women`s rights,
that are working to diminish...

RYE: Right.

PETERSON: ... the capacity for people to sexually assault...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

PATERSON: ... that are working to raise awareness around these issues
around race and gender and sexuality. So they can put their money with
their mouth is literally to be more proactive in terms of creating a better
world, period.

RYE: James, that`s a great a great point...

SCHULTZ: Well, I mean, I look at -- yeah, go ahead.

RYE: You know, Ed? Quickly, I was just going to say top to that point, by
the way I`ve talked about this, other organization they were a part of.
They can also issue the best practices report and then promote it on
Twitter. There`s that mechanism for promoting a tweet, they can do that.

SCHULTZ: Sure. You know, I was just saying, you know, I look at my iPhone
and I just say, well there`s a lawsuit, there`s another lawsuit, there`s
another lawsuit. I mean, there just so much...

PETERSON: That`s right.

SCHULTZ: ... so much miss information and damaging stuff that`s going on.
It`s unfortunate that Twitter is being really beaten up and taken over by
folks like that.

Angela Rye, James Peterson, great to have both of you with us. Thank you
so much.

RYE: Thank you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Next up.

PETERSON: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Pete Carroll, Richard Sherman and Snoop Dogg make the two-minute
drill. Stay tune, we`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: Here we go. Two-minute drill -- tonight`s lead story at a two-
minute drill, Carroll`s confessions.

Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll sat down for an exclusive
interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show. Here is how the coach
described the call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT LAUER, HOST, TODAY SHOW: You`ve heard the experts not just average
Joe say, it was the worst call ever.

PETE CARROLL, HEAD COACH, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: It was the worst result of a
call ever. The call would have been a great one if we catch it. That
would have been just fine, you know, we wouldn`t even thought twice about
it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: And next, the Legion of Doom welcomes a bouncing baby boy. How
about this?

Seattle Seahawks defensive back Richard Sherman became a daddy today.

Number 25 sees his son`s birth date significant. He twitted out, "My son
sure does know how to make an entrance, 2/5/15. Is it a coincidence or is
he just that clever? Either way I`m ecstatic."

And finally, Drop it like it`s hot, rapper Snoop Dogg is dropping his long-
time allegiance to USC football. His son Cordell Broadus has committed to
play for the rival UCLA next season.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER: I`m going to back him up 1,000 percent so I`m going to
throw my USC drawers away. I`m going UCLA 100,000 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: You can change team, say you still like the Viking, tell them all
about the Packers.

Right-wingers are upset of who`s hanging out at the White House. We`ll
have that story next. Stay with us. We`ll be right back on the Ed Show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Here at home and around the
world and we`ll constantly reaffirm that fundamental freedom, freedom of
religion, the right to practice our faith, how we choose to change our
faith if we choose, to practice no faith at all if we choose, and to do so
free of persecution and fear and discrimination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: President Obama`s message at this morning`s Prayer Breakfast --
Tolerance.

ISIS released a new video showing a captured Jordanian pilot being burned
alive on Tuesday. The President will not connect the terrorist group with
the Islam faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: As people of faith, we are summoned to pushback against those who
try to distort our religion, any religion for their own nihilistic ends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The President met with 15 American Muslim leaders at the White
House on Wednesday. They discussed anti-Muslim discrimination, policing
and ways to counter violent extremism.

The meeting was closed to the press. The names and the attendees were not
released for privacy reasons, queue the right-wing outrage.

Breitbart News is portraying the meeting as sneaky.

No one can blame the administration for seeking privacy. Here`s what a
member of our own Congress said not so long ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELE BACHMANN, (R) MINNESOTA: What we need to do is defeat Islamic
jihad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

BACHMANN: Sadly, our President has a wrong prescription. He even fails to
acknowledge their motivations for bringing about jihad.

Yes, Mr. President, it is about Islam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: President Obama hosted the American Muslim leaders on Wednesday.
One of those leaders joins us here tonight.

Here to talk with us who met with President Obama is Dean Obeidallah, our
frequent guest here on the Ed Show. He is a columnist for the Daily Beast.

Dean, good to have you with us tonight.

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, DAILY BEAST COLUMNIST: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: How did this meeting come about in your thought and significance
of it?

OBEIDALLAH: It came about after pushing by Muslim-American organizations
frankly for six years to meet with the President. He`s met with numerous
minority communities just not with us. And the Muslim advocates really the
organization, it`s like a Muslim-American Civil Rights organization really
spearheaded this push for this. This was such an important meeting for us.

You know, we feel truly alienated on some of respects marginalized by
certain people in politics in the right. And the President bring us in to
have this conversation which is really a listening conversation. He wanted
to hear from various members of the community, from business leaders to me
and the media, to people who are involved in Muslim-American organizations.
What`s out there? What do we concerned about? And it was -- we were
overjoyed and proud to be there.

SCHULTZ: You know, in your column, you talked about the need for Democrats
to speak out against hateful remarks directed at the Muslim community, what
-- was this discussed and what was the President`s reaction?

OBEIDALLAH: It was discussed and, you know, I asked President Obama as the
leader of the Democratic Party, if possible to urge Democrats who can, you
know, and save seats perhaps push back against some of the Republican anti-
Muslim bigotry we see.

If an elected Republican official made an anti-Semitic remark, a homophobic
or racist remark, there`s no doubt Democrats would stand up and be vocal
and stand united.

When they make anti-Muslim comments we hear basically silence frankly and
it`s troubling...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

OBEIDALLAH: ... I meet Governor Bobby Jindal not -- I`m do not see him
like local councilman, Governor Louisiana Bobby Jindal, we can go and
continuing to say there`s Muslim no go zones of Europe which don`t exist.
Fox News reported four times saying it`s not true.

He said they`re going to -- Muslim-Americans, me my family are going to
bringing to America impost sharia law, that`s irresponsible. It`s
marginalizing, demonizing, and it could lead to violence. And I don`t see
that giving a lot of thought. It`s something I`m very concerned about.

SCHULTZ: Well, do you think the Muslim community would resort to violence?

OBEIDALLAH: I don`t mean (inaudible).

SCHULTZ: (Inaudible) and ask you what you mean by that.

OBEIDALLAH: I mean that we could -- the hate crimes against Muslim-
American of spiked. There`s been an Islamic Center -- Mississippi burned
down. There were shots fired on Mosque in California a few months ago,
acids thrown, a bottle of acid thrown in the Muslim school in middle
Illinois area. Even in New York, we are here a little bashing. There was
(inaudible), graffiti, anti-Muslim rhetoric written on the walls.

We are getting to the point where I fear that some crazy person not a
responsible, one of crazy person here is this rhetoric, it legitimizes hate
and the next step is violence against our community...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

OBEIDALLAH: ... and I don`t want to see that.

SCHULTZ: You heard that sound bite from Michelle Bachmann and some people
think that that is permeate throughout the Republican Party. In fact, the
spokesman -- spokesperson for the Republican Congressman Aaron Schock just
resigned over comments about Islam.

Benjamin Cole said a mosque should be built on the White House grounds. He
also linked African-Americans to zoo animals. What`s your reaction to
this?

OBEIDALLAH: I think when you see anti-Muslim bigotry, it`s not far from
racism and it`s not far from homophobia. It`s the same sick perverted
mindset. If you`re going to hate someone for their religion, you`re going
to hate them for their race. You`re going to hate them for their sexual
orientation.

I see the same bigotry online, on Twitter, it comes after me that`s life.
You know, today, we`re trying to stand shoulder to shoulder with interfaith
leaders, the good people and hopefully President Obama will inspire some of
the Democrats to stand up with us.

SCHULTZ: OK. Dean Obeidallah, I appreciate your time.

OBEIDALLAH: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: ... tonight. Thank you so much.

OBEIDALLAH: Thanks.

SCHULTZ: That`s the Ed Show, I`m Ed Schultz.

PoliticsNation with Reverend Al Sharpton starts right now. Good evening,
Rev.


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