PoliticsNation, Friday, October 17th, 2014

Show: POLITICS NATION
Date: October 17, 2014

Guest: Joe Madison, Elizabeth Plank, Mark Hannah, Zerlina Maxwell, Stephen
Morse; E.J. Dionne; Devi Nampiaparampil

REVEREND AL SHARPTON, MSNBC ANCHOR: Thanks to you for tuning in.

Developing news tonight on Ebola in America. The president today making a
major announcement in the fight against the virus. Choosing a czar, an
Ebola response coordinator to orchestrate the government`s response.

President Obama going with Ron Klain, who`s got a lot of experience in
Washington, serving as chief of staff to two president, Joe Biden and Al
Gore. The president today is saying, his administration is on top of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Right now, the news is
dominated by Ebola and we have an all-hands on deck approach across
government to make sure that we are keeping the American people safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Here`s the latest right now, concern today about a Texas health
care worker who possibly had contact with the late Thomas Eric Duncan`s lab
specimens, and is now on a carnival cruise ship. That person is now in
self-quarantine. And officials say she hasn`t shown any symptoms.

And today also, officials are asking nearly 100 health care workers who
treated Duncan, to sign documents, advising them to avoid public spaces for
21 days.

In Maryland, the head of the NIH this morning, giving an update on the
condition of Nina Pham. She`s the first person to be diagnosed on U.S.
soil. And she arrived in Bethesda from Texas overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NIH DIRECTOR: I said she was in fair condition, which
implies that she does still have some symptoms. We fully intend to have
this patient walk out of this hospital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: And prior to leaving Dallas, the world got a window into Nina
Pham`s spirit in an extraordinary video released by Texas Presbyterian
hospital.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

SHARPTON: But the big news today, President Obama tasking Ron Klain to
coordinate the government`s response and make sure the country is safe.

Joining me now is Dr. Steven Morse, an expert in infectious diseases and
professor at Columbia University and E.J.. Dionne from "the Washington
Post."

Thank you both for being here.

DR. STEPHEN MORSE, PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Glad to be with you,
Rev.

E.J. DIONNE, COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Good to be here, Reverend.

SHARPTON: I want to hear from you on a medical perspective and a political
one. How important is the appointment of an Ebola czar? Doctor, let`s go
to you first. What`s your take?

MORSE: Well, I think that it`s important that someone be designated who is
in charge and has the authority to do something. We already have several
people who have suitable backgrounds for that and in past epidemics that
might have been done by the director of the CDC or someone in the
department of health and human services. I think a lot depends on the
authority that this person will be given and how much they`ll be able to
coordinate what is always a large governmental process.

SHARPTON: What`s the politics of this appointment in your opinion, E.J.?

DIONNE: Well, first of all, I think Ron Klain is the kind of guy you do
bring in for something like this. On the Republican side, he`d be like
josh Bolton, a really competent Republican who worked for President Bush.

Ron is tough, smart, focused, organized and you can`t get stuff by him.
And I think part of his job is to reassure Americans that everything is
organized, that one part of the government is talking to another part of
the government. And I found it really strange today when some Republicans
got out and said, this is a very political appointment. And yes, he does
have a good political background. I mean, if you wanted somebody there who
had a medical background, why in the world are they blocking the
confirmation of a surgeon general?

SHARPTON: A little contradictory.

(CROSSTALK)

DIONNE: Murthy. And they`re blocking him because the NRA doesn`t like him
because Dr. Murthy thinks that gun violence is a public health problem,
which it is.

SHARPTON: Right.

DIONNE: So I think this is -- Ron Klain is the kind of guy you bring in in
this kind of situation.

SHARPTON: Now, let me ask you this, Doctor. Concern about the person that
was on the -- that`s on the carnival cruise ship that had been exposed to
Mr. Duncan`s specimens, is that a realistic concern or is that giving away
to being too paranoid?

Well, people want to be very careful about this. Because the consequences
of making a mistake, you know, catching Ebola, obviously, are so great.
This could be a fatal disease. And at best, you have a 50/50 chance. But
lapse specimens that they --

SHARPTON: You have a 50/50 chance because they were exposed to the
specimen?

MORSE: No. Because they were exposed, if someone was actually to come
down with Ebola.

SHARPTON: No. But, what I am saying, what is the likelihood of exposure
to the specimen that this person could have the symptoms leading to --

MORSE: It depends on how the specimen was treated. Many laboratories will
do something like alcohol that inactivates the virus and then it would be
pretty safe. So the risk would be very low.

SHARPTON: Because we`re hearing there`s been no symptoms detected in --
this was 21 days ago when he was -- we`re dealing with.

MORSE: Well, in that case, I wouldn`t expect to see anything happen. But
in a laboratory situation like that, where you`re testing clinical
specimens, generally, you try to inactivate the sample so there`s no live
virus and it`s usually very low-risk.

SHARPTON: The debate over travel, E.J., the travel ban is raging as a
debate. Republicans seem to want it. Many Democrats are against it.
Here`s what the president said last night. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I don`t have a philosophical objection necessarily to a travel ban
if that is the thing that is going to keep the American people safe. The
problem is that, in all the discussions I`ve had thus far with experts in
the field, experts in infectious disease, is that a travel ban is less
effective than the measures that we are currently instituting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: E.J., how do you see the politics of this playing out, this
travel ban debate?

DIONNE: Well, you know, the travel ban just seems so much like the kind of
solution you toss out there three weeks before an election, because it
sounds really aggressive. It has the sense of, keep that danger away from
our shores.

And as the president said, it`s not clear that it`s the best route. It
would also be incredibly complicated, I think, to enforce. We are a
country that`s always been very open to the world. That`s one of our
strengths. Having said all that, if I heard, not from politicians, but
from some seriously health experts, that if it was necessary, it would help
to protect us, then I`d feel, alright, this may be a place to go. But it`s
not clear that it`s health experts saying this. It`s politicians.

SHARPTON: You are an expert and a doctor, Doctor Morse. How do you feel
about the proposed travel ban?

MORSE: I agree with E.J., actually. I think that it`s unenforceable and
likely to be counterproductive. It looks like it`s a quick fix that is
going to, you know, protect the country. But people who have tickets will
find another way to get here. They`ll go to another city, outside of one
of the affected countries, and they may be discouraged from telling us, so
we may never find them in time. So I think it`s better to keep it open and
try to encourage people to give their history, so we`ll be able to identify
who needs to be tested.

SHARPTON: E.J., I want to go back to the new Ebola czar. It`s something
Republicans have been calling for, including GOP congressman Blake
Farenthold just a few days ago. Watch Farenthold.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BLAKE FARENTHOLD (R), TEXAS: There`s nobody in the government that
I`ve been able to identify where the buck stops. Under the Bush
administration, the president had a special adviser for bio-issues. That
position was eliminated under Obama. And my fear is that if this gets bad,
we are going to have one agency pointing the finger at another agency in
just a bureaucratic game of dodge ball. And that`s not what we need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: So they wanted somebody responsible, somebody they could go to
that would be the person. And he appoints them today. But when the
president announces a czar, Republicans immediately attack, including
Congressman Farenthold who tweeted, President Obama select Ron Klain,
lawyer, former Biden and Gore chief of staff, as Ebola czar. God forbid he
select a doctor.

And Ted Cruz got in the act saying, quote "we don`t need another so-called
czar. We need presidential leadership."

I mean, E.J., what is going on here?

DIONNE: Well, you know, I think that if President Obama had resurrected
Albert Einstein through some miracle and put him in there, he would have
been attacked as a political appointee.

I mean, you know, this thing has gotten so politicized in a totally
unhelpful way. If they want medical personnel up there, get the surgeon
general confirmed by the Congress. This is a government coordination job.
It`s not necessarily a scientist job. They want somebody to coordinate.
They want somebody to get the agencies to work together. So the kind of
person you want is a person like Ron Klain, who understands how government
works.

But, you know, it`s all silly this close to an election. I hope we get a
little more rational about the Ebola problem after the election`s over.

SHARPTON: Now, Dr, Morse, today, the "Associated Press" an internal
document from the World Health Organization about its response to Ebola in
West Africa. I mean reading a quote from it.

"Nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some
fairly plain writing on the wall. A perfect storm was brewing, ready to
burst open in full force." Pretty condemning.

MORSE: Yes, and this has been unprecedented in terms of size. You know,
essentially, 20 times larger than any Ebola outbreak we`ve had before, in
scope, over three countries. And it was like all of them, it took a while
before anyone knew what was happening.

SHARPTON: What can we learn from these mistakes?

MORSE: I think we really need people who are ready to go a lot faster, and
we need better systems, which we continue to work on for reporting early
and responding early. But right now, there just aren`t enough people on
the ground to work on it. And you need experienced people.

SHARPTON: All right, we`re going to stay on top of this.

Dr. Stephen Morse, and E.J. Dionne, thank you for your time tonight. Have
a good weekend, both of you.

MORSE: Thank you very much, Thank you too.

DIONNE: You too, thank you.

SHARPTON: Coming up, how exactly did these nurses get Ebola? We still
don`t know, but we brought in an expert to show you how you can and cannot
get Ebola.

Also, the Willie Horton ad of the 2014 season, a new racially charged ad is
sparking outrage. Tonight, we`ll tell you who is behind it.

Plus, the GOP`s new is-Ebola conspiracy theory.

And the sentencing in the so-called loud-music murder trial. Why today
could be a defining moment for stand-your-ground laws around the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

SHARPTON: Our social media community has had a big response to the
extraordinary video released showing Ebola patient Nina Pham. She`s the
first nurse that contracted Ebola.

Diana Grazia posted, at least she`s smiling, and she looks rather healthy
here.

Rose said, wishing her a speedy recovery.

We all are, Rose. We still don`t know exactly how these nurses contracted
the virus, but coming up, we`re going to demonstrate how it can happen and
how it can`t.

But, please, keep the conversation going on facebook and on twitter,
@politicsnation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: How can you get Ebola? It`s what everyone is asking about. We
still don`t know exactly how nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson contracted
the disease. But this week, another nurse from the hospital describes how
her neck was exposed during treatment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA AGUIRRE, NURSE: I`ll just be honest. I threw a fit. I just -- I
just -- I just couldn`t believe it. You know, in the second week of an
Ebola crisis at my hospital, the only gear they`re offering us at that
time, and up until that time, is gear that is allowing our necks to be
uncovered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: On Wednesday, we had a doctor on the show who demonstrated how
an exposed neck could be a hazard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SR. NATALIE AZAR, PROFESSOR, NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER: Here, I`m
actually protecting any fluid, any blood, any diarrhea or vomit from
getting into my face area. What the concern has been, obviously, the neck
is exposed here. The current recommendations are, again, not to have
anything specific on the neck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Since that interview, we had a big response to social media. So
many of you have questions. And let`s get some answers tonight with Dr.
Devi of the NYU school of medicine.

Dr. Devi, thank you, first, for being here.

DR. DEVI NAMPIAPARAMPIL, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE:
Thanks for having me.

SHARPTON: Now, let`s start by talking about the issue of neck exposure.
Up until this week, the CDC was saying nurses` necks did not have to be
covered. But show us why this could be a problem. I have Mark here from
our "Politics Nation" staff. Show us how the neck could be a problem.

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Sure. So nurses are taking care of patients for vomiting
and who have diarrhea. So there a lot more of bodily fluids that they
could be exposed to. So let`s say, for example that a patient is vomiting
and some of the vomit just gets on the neck.

SHARPTON: So just would be some of the vomiting getting to the neck. OK.

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Exactly. So later, if the nurse leaves that area, I mean,
a lot people actually touch their neck and touch their face. I mean, some
study even 16 times a day, people with allergies might rub their eyes.
People itch their nose --

SHARPTON: All right. So if you have this on your neck and you just in the
normal course of the day, you start rubbing, some of this then becomes what
had been blocked when the initial --

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Exactly. It could get to your mucus membrane. So, it
doesn`t get in through the skin. But if they gets in through your eyes or
through your mouth, or through your nose, it could cause a problem.

SHARPTON: So it can`t go through the skin? I`m trying to make sure we
would all understand.

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: No, it can`t go through the skin.

SHARPTON: OK.

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: And you know, here we can also see just a little bit of
facial hair. So just imagine if something gets caught in the hair here, or
if someone`s not wearing a scrub hat, you know, that carries your hair, you
might have be a much an issue for you. but for people have long hair, then
you can get all kinds of things trap in your hair.

SHARPTON: Now, could it live on a surface?

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Well, we don`t know the exact answer, you know, in terms
of how long it can survive. The reason for that is, if we wanted to do a
study, we actually have to actual take it from the surface and put it on a
human being and see if they catch, right?

So all we can do is look at the evidence that we have so far. And it seems
that it doesn`t survive very long in a surface. So that doesn`t seem to be
--

SHARPTON: How much fluid does it take to catch it?

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Well, that`s another question, too. So I don`t think it`s
so much about the amount of fluid, as it is about the amount of virus in
the fluid.

SHARPTON: Dr. Debi, thank you so much for your time this evening. This is
very helpful information. Thank you.

NAMPIAPARAMPIL: Thanks.

SHARPTON: Coming up, a new political ad is drawing comparisons to the
Willy Horton ad.

And did you know Mitt Romney is already running? Yes, he`s running in the
midterm cycle. We`ll explain that.

And a drive-through funeral home. I`ll say that again. A drive-through
funeral home. "Conversation Nation" is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: There`s been a lot of talk this week about Mitt Romney running
again. But guess what? He`s already running. Right now. Well, at least
it sounds like he is.

Georgia Republican Senate candidate Dave Purdue has come under fire for
saying he`s proud of his outsourcing record. Here`s how he responded to
his critics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID PURDUE (R), GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: You know, the criticism I`ve
gotten over the last few weeks is coming from people who really have no
business background and really don`t understand, you know, what it takes
to create jobs and create economic value.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: People don`t understand business? Where have I heard that one
before?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: We don`t need a secretary
of business to understand business, we need a president who understands
business and I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Who knows? Maybe we`ll bring up the binder full of women.

But Purdue isn`t the only one channeling Mitt. Listen to the way Iowa
Senate candidate Joni Ernst talking about people on government assistance
in recently surfaced audio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONI ERNST (R), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: They don`t have to rely on the
government to be the do-all, end-all for everything they need and desire.
And that`s what we have fostered, is really a generation of people that
rely on the government to provide absolutely everything for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: That sounds familiar, doesn`t it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are
dependent on government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the
government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe they`re
entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to, you name it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I guess. But
I`m not so sure this is the way to go, if they want to win. Do these
candidates think we`d have Romnesia?

Nice try, but we "Got You."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: We`re back with what could be the most racially charged
political ad we`ve seen in years. The national Republican campaign
committee released this ad for Nebraska congressman Lee Terry today. Take
a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Four murders in 11 days. A judge decides Nikko Jenkins
is responsible for all of them.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Nikko Jenkins was released from prison early after
serving only half his sentence. The head of the Omaha Police Union says
Jenkins is the poster child for why the good-time law is a farce. Brad
Ashford supported the good time law and still defends it, allowing
criminals like Nikko Jenkins to be released early. The National Republican
Congressional Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: The undertones of this ad are obvious, and it immediately brings
to mind the infamous Willie Horton ad from the 1988 presidential campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: His revolving door prison policy gave weekend furloughs
to first-degree murderers not eligible for parole. One was Willie Horton
who murdered a boy in a robbery stabbing him 19 times, weekend prison
passes, Dukakis on crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: We`ve seen the GOP use these misleading, fear-mongering ads for
years. It`s part of the so-called Southern Strategy of using racial fears
and division to win elections. Another famous example is this ad from
Jesse Helms 1990 Senate race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: You needed that job. And you were the best qualified.
But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota. For
racial quotas, Harvey Gantt. Against racial quotas, Jesse Helms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: These race-baiting ads had no place in our politics 25 and 30
years ago, but to use them in 2014, is inexcusable. And the GOP should be
ashamed of reviving this hateful strategy.

Joining me now is Joe Madison, the black eagle radio host of Sirius XM.
Thank you for being here, Joe.

JOE MADISON, SIRIUS XM RADIO HOST: Thank you, Reverend.

SHARPTON: Now, Joe, this republican is in danger of losing in a red
district. Is that why they`re resorting to tactics like this?

MADISON: It shows a very desperate situation because you`re playing to,
again as you say, an element that identifies with this. You`re throwing
red meat at his base. And one thing that I hope the people of Nebraska
understand is that Senator Ashford has a very strong record of being in
favor of fighting crime. He`s an advocate for law enforcement.

SHARPTON: Senator Ashford is the democrat opponent of the person that this
s--

MADISON: Yes. Absolutely. And he has a very strong record. Number two,
anyone in their right mind knows that they also know that the Department of
Correction was responsible for this early release.

SHARPTON: Right.

MADISON: The Department of Corrections. Because this Jenkins had gotten
into trouble. They never reported it. He should not have been released.
And then let me make one final point that people may not remember, but you
remember. Lee Atwater was the architect of the Willie Horton ad.

SHARPTON: Right.

MADISON: And he apologized to Ron Brown, then head of the Democratic
National Committee.

SHARPTON: Yes, he did.

MADISON: -- on his death bed, because he said it was a racist thing to do.
And on his death bed, he asked Ron to forgive him.

SHARPTON: He did that. That`s a fact. You know, it`s amazing to me that
the NRCC is defending this ad. They told the Washington Examiner, quote,
"Brad Ashford`s dangerous record on crime is fair game. Nebraska voters
deserve to know that Brad Ashford supports policies that have made them
less safe." This ad is fair game? I mean, are they delusional, Joe?

MADISON: No, they`re not only delusional, but they`re not telling the
honest truth. And here`s the other truth they should know in Nebraska.
The reason that the congressman is in trouble is because, I think, what is
it? Sixteen years, if he served in Congress, if I`m not mistaken. And he
doesn`t really have a great track record, and the people of Nebraska know
it.

SHARPTON: Which is why he`s in trouble.

MADISON: Which is exactly why he`s in trouble. If you`ve served 16 years
and you`ve done the work that you`ve done, remember, this was a congressman
who said he was not going to give up his paycheck, even though he was
willing to take money during the sequestering, the shutting down of
government, from military contractors, from people who work for government
in Nebraska, and said he had a mortgage to pay, he had kids to put through
college, as if people in Nebraska, who were his constituents, didn`t.

SHARPTON: Yes, this ad is explicit, Joe. But there are some implicit
racial undertones at work in the voter I.D. laws in this election. Now,
they were exposed by two federal judges` rulings over the last week. One
judge said voter I.D. laws are "Highly correlated with the state having a
republican governor and republican control of the legislature and appear to
be aimed at limiting voting by minorities, particularly blacks." Another
judge called the voter I.D. laws in Texas, quote, "unconstitutional poll
tax." Don`t these laws have a clear impact on some very specific groups of
voters, Joe?

MADISON: Yes. And they`re targeted at states where they anticipate that
there will be a very large turn-out of Hispanic and African-American
voters. If you notice, all of these states, that`s exactly what they`re
hoping, whether it`s Wisconsin, Milwaukee -- they know that there was a
large turn-out during the 2012. In Georgia, we are the balance of victory
in that state. North Carolina. But here`s something else -- that`s right.
Now here`s something else people should understand. Is the poll tax point.
People say, what do you mean, poll tax? There was a study done, that
showed that to just simply get a new I.D. could cost individuals anywhere
from $17, I think as high as $50. And people say, how is that? Well, you
have to pay for a birth certificate, you have to pay for transportation,
and it costs poor people who have to decide from month to month whether
they`re going to eat or not or go buy a birth certificate.

SHARPTON: And seniors, people with fixed incomes, students, I mean, it is
a poll tax. We`re going to watch this race though Joe. Joe Madison, thank
you for your time tonight.

MADISON: Anytime and have a great weekend, reverend.

SHARPTON: Same to you.

Still ahead, the right`s bizarre new conspiracy theory about ISIS
terrorists and Ebola. Now, you`ll want to hear this one.

Also, should a woman`s job be in jeopardy for taking a selfie with Kevin
Hart? Now the comedian is speaking out.

And paying your final respects from behind the wheel. All that is in
tonight`s "Conversation Nation."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: We`re back now with "Conversation Nation." Joining us tonight,
Elizabeth Plank, Mark Hannah, and Zerlina Maxwell. Thank you all for being
here.

MARK HANNAH, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you, Rev.

ZERLINA MAXWELL, POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks, Rev.

SHARPTON: Now, first up, the GOP`s ISIS-Ebola paranoia. Right-wingers are
now seriously talking about whether ISIS jihadists might deliberately
infect themselves with Ebola to become bioweapons, and that includes a U.S.
senator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The ISIS militants may infect themselves with Ebola and
fly to this country, thus using the disease as a biological weapon. How
real is that threat to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN Well, it`s certainly something I`ve been thinking about
ever since this Ebola outbreak started, because I think that`s a real and
present danger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Now, for the record, the FBI says they do not think this is a
real and present danger. Why? Well, we`ll take a look. Let`s say you`re
an ISIS terrorist in Syria. You hop to down to your local travel agent,
book a flight to West Africa and infect yourself with Ebola. Then, before
you start showing symptoms, you fly to the U.S. and somehow enter the
country, even though you`re a terrorist, who`s probably on the no-fly list.
Then you quickly infect the rest of America before the virus kills you.
Genius. Mark, what could probably go wrong with this brilliant scheme?

HANNAH: Oh, nothing, Rev. I think it`s air-tight. No, look, the
republicans are ludicrous on this. They have no alternative vision for
America right now. So, all they have got is this Ebola that they`re trying
to turn into some sort of October surprise and scare the Jesus out of
Americans. They`re tweeting this about this majority and composure of a
fourth grader trying to scare everybody about kooties. This is how
ludicrous this is and it`s a mature and it`s a --

SHARPTON: As a leader, isn`t it very cynical, you know, because of the
deep concerns about Ebola and the deep concerns about ISIS, try to combine
the two?

MAXWELL: It`s a very cynical fear-mongering turnout strategy, is their
strategy to try to get their base to turn out in the elections based on
fear. But I think what we should be focusing on is health care. Because
one of the things that`s very evident in this situation, is that we`re not
adequately prepared particularly in terms of nurses and hospitals. And so,
maybe we need to expand Medicaid, maybe we need to fight for universal
health care, so that when things like Ebola or even the flu which is much
more common and danger as happen, we`re able to solve this problem.

SHARPTON: But the way they`re not have to deal the why you cut budgets and
why you resisting the Affordable Care Act in Texas, you start coming with
these crazy theories.

ELIZABETH PLANK, MIC SENIOR EDITOR: Exactly. I mean, the lies have been
spreading faster than the actual virus. It`s not only sort of
irresponsible, I think it`s dangerous. I mean, some of the things that`s
been brought forward by even right wing pundits all over FOX News, saying
that we should block flights from Western Africa, actually that is more
dangerous and will make the disease worse.

HANNAH: Yes. Because as -- pointed out, those people, those patients that
are determined to get to the United States are just going to go through
Brussels or going to go France.

SHARPTON: I traveled through Africa, there`s not a lot of direct flights
from some of the countries they`re talking about anyway. They all go
through Europe just about.

MAXWELL: Right. And quarantine is a much better strategy scientifically
anyway. So I think that, you know, the idea that they`re saying we`re
going to ban travel from Africa, that`s particularly ugly and it`s not
actually effective.

HANNAH: But don`t try to get Republicans to follow signs.

MAXWELL: Right.

(SPEAKING OVER EACH OTHER)

SHARPTON: But isn`t there some kind of subtlety, Elizabeth, even in that,
make the Africans stay in Africa? I mean, isn`t there some kind of
undercurrent there that they get away with --

PLANK: Of course. And they`re trying to politicize it. And then, all of
the news coverage, we`ve had so much news coverage about it, it`s mostly
centered on what`s been happening here when the crisis and the epidemic is
much more serious in Western Africa.

SHARPTON: And much more broader in just, first of all, it was certain
countries in West Africa, not all of Africa.

Next up, in Atlanta Georgia, they refused to postpone a hearing for an
attorney who was on a six weeks maternity leave. So the lawyer showed up
in court with her four-week-old daughter strapped to her chest. The judge
then scolded her in front of the entire courtroom. When the baby began to
cry, the judge did eventually agreed to delay the hearing. But the
attorney has filed a complaint. Elizabeth, how will this judge`s behavior
do in the court of public opinion?

PLANK: Well, the judge actually said that it was very unprofessional for
the attorney to bring her four-week-old baby to court.

SHARPTON: But they wouldn`t delay the hearing.

PLANK: Exactly. But what I think, I mean, we tell women who have to leave
to go care for a sick child, or have to go to leave early to bring a kids
to practice, we call that unprofessional. What I think what`s really is
unprofessional is the reaction, the very reaction that we have for these
women having babies. Women have babies.

SHARPTON: You`re the man on the panel.

HANNAH: America is only one of the very few countries in the civilized
world that doesn`t offer paid maternity leave which is outrageous. Now, I
know how much, you know, men and women both are attached to their infants.
My brother is coming into town this weekend to celebrate my bachelor party
and bringing his nine week old daughter with him. Because he can`t let
her, you know, he can`t let out of his sight.

(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)

MAXWELL: I think that we -- I mean, we were just talking about Africa and
the fear mongering with Africa. Well, we can`t be on a list of countries
in Africa when it comes to not having paid leave. And we also need
universal childcare so that this attorney is then able to put her child
into safe hands while she`s practicing law.

SHARPTON: Stay focus Zerlina, you always go right back to the point.

Everybody stay with us. We`ll going to take a break. After the break,
this selfie with Kevin Hart has everyone talking. Should this bus driver
be fired for it? Kevin says, no. That`s next.

I want to talk to Mark about why I`m not invited to the bachelor party.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: We`re back with our "Conversation Nation" panel, Elizabeth, Mark
and Zerlina. Our next topic, suspended for a selfie. A bus driver at Los
Angeles Airport has been suspended from her job for getting out of the bus
to take a selfie with actor and comedian Kevin Hart. Last night, Kevin put
out a video, pleading for her job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HART, ACTOR: Hey, this message is for National Rental Cars. It`s
been brought to my attention that Ganesha Douglas has been suspended for
taking a selfie with me. I`m asking National to please give this woman a
pass. I love National. If I had seen me, I would have taken a selfie with
me too. Come on, give her a pass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: We reached out to the rental company for comment, but have yet
to receive a response. Zerlina, would you risk your job for a selfie with
Kevin Hart?

MAXWELL: No. But maybe for Beyonce or somebody that I`m more of a fan of.
I love Kevin Hart, but I`m not trying to get fired over a selfie with him.
However, I do think it`s very refreshing that he put out a video and she
did get her job back.

HANNAH: He didn`t even get her name right in the video. She`s like
Ganesha Douglas but it turns out --

MAXWELL: She thought that counts.

HANNAH: My theory is that Kevin Hart doesn`t care about this fan. He was
probably annoyed to see her, I`m defending National Rental Care here.

(SPEAKING OVER EACH OTHER)

SHARPTON: How do we know the woman was going to run off the bus?

HANNAH: Well, he just knows he can bring attention to the fact that he has
so many fans by putting out this video.

MAXWELL: He can bring attention to the fact that --

HANNAH: What if somebody misses --

MAXWELL: Nobody did. Nobody did.

SHARPTON: I`ve had people stop me for things and they usually don`t know
how to work the camera.

PLANK: Right. That`s true. But look, the one person that`s important in
this, is this woman, who you know, I`m happy she got her job back, but it
just shows how little right our workers have that taking a selfie --

(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)

HANNAH: There you go, OK, OK, OK. I just lived in L.A. for two years and
this celebrity culture, let people live their daily lives.

SHARPTON: Who would you take a selfie with, Mark?

HANNAH: I would take a selfie with you, Rev.

SHARPTON: All right.

PLANK: Oh, yes. Maybe after, after the show.

HANNAH: On commercial break if we can.

SHARPTON: Only if I get invited to the bachelor party. Who would you take
one with, Elizabeth?

PLANK: With this panel. I took a selfie with Zerlina in the first time I
met her, she`s star power.

SHARPTON: Oh, you`ve got a lot of selfie`s takeout.

Finally, you`ve heard through a drive-through restaurant, even drive-
through wedding chapels, but how about a drive-through funeral home? A
chapel in Michigan has opened the first drive-through funeral parlor in the
Midwest. It`s designed for those with physical limitations. And also for
folks in a hurry who just don`t want to get out of the car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: When you go to see a memorial box, where you can drop a
memorial card, or monetary contribution. Once you push the button, the
register box will open up. When you proceed forward, the curtain will draw
back and you may pay your respect to the loved one, three minutes from the
privacy of your vehicle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Mark, would you ever be that busy?

HANNAH: Well, I guess it depends on who died, right? I mean, if it was
just a casual acquaintance -- no, this is ridiculous.

MAXWELL: What does it take? Five minutes to get out and walk in and say
your respects and then walk back out?

HANNAH: Yes, only in America. I think the branding idea is the grieve and
leave, they should call it the grieve and leave.

SHARPTON: Yes. I mean, that Zerlina what bothers me, you know, I mean,
this is your last tribute.

(SPEAKING OVER EACH OTHER)

But you want those last few minutes to be, you know, bedlam.

MAXWELL: Right. I want my going home service to be a celebration. I
don`t want people driving up, rolling down the window, and then peacing
out. I feel like that`s so disrespectful, Rev.

PLANK: Yes. And I think this is, to me, the death of like intimacy. And
no pun intended. But I just find this absolute ridiculous, if you`re not
willing to put on a suit and get your hair, you know, looking normal and
just go to a funeral, then don`t go at the funeral at all. Like this
person might not mean that much to you.

MAXWELL: I understand for people that don`t have the ability to walk
inside, I understand that. But the other reason is not a valid one.

HANNAH: It`s outrageous.

MAXWELL: Because you have a lack of time?

SHARPTON: But I mean, the idea of paying your last respects, you would
think respects would conotate that you`ll going to do it in a respectful
way. Just something about the drive-through --

MAXWELL: Right.

HANNAH: Take your seat belt off.

MAXWELL: It makes it like an after-thought.

HANNAH: And it plays music for three minutes apparently so that adds a
little bit to the somberness, I guess.

PLANK: Who chooses the music?

HANNAH: I don`t know. I don`t know.

SHARPTON: Well, But I guess if somebody that only took you out on a date
through a drive-through restaurant --

MAXWELL: Oh, God! Then you would never go on another date with that
person again. But if the person`s dead, they won`t be able to, you know,
complain to you for driving up to their funeral.

SHARPTON: All right, I`m going to go. I think we`ll have to deal with
this. Let`s go to our selfies. Elizabeth, Mark and Zerlina, thank you for
your time tonight. Have a great weekend.

MAXWELL: Thanks, Rev.

PLANK: Thank you.

SHARPTON: We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Today justice in the so-called loud-music murder case. Michael
Dunn shot and killed 17-year-old Jordan Davis during an argument over loud
music. Today a judge sentenced him to life in prison. Dunn publicly
apologized for killing Jordan for the first time today, but in court,
Jordan`s father talked about what he lost that night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON DAVIS, FATHER OF JORDAN DAVIS: The life I had known was shattered on
November 23, 2012. The old Ron Davis for all intents and purposes, died
that very night with Jordan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Earlier, Jordan`s mom talked about the future that`s now gone
forever, and made an extraordinary statement to her son`s killer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUCIA MCBATH, JORDNA DAVIS MOM: For me, there will be no college
graduation. There will be no daughter-in-law. I too must be willing to
forgive. And so I choose to forgive you, Mr. Dunn, for taking my son`s
life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Reporters in the courtroom said the jurors, the bailiffs, even
the judge were in tears today. I think this case could prove to be a
tipping point in the debate over self-defense and stand your ground laws in
this country. A jury said, enough is enough. I jury said this teenager`s
life has value. I began looking at stand your ground cases, and I got to
know the parents of Jordan Davis. I felt for them as I felt for others.
Because at the end of the day, these are not just some policies somewhere.
This is about people`s lives, people`s children. And today, I hope
America, and particularly those states with these laws, will understand at
the end of the day, it`s not about those of us that stand up in the public
square and choose to be advocates, it`s people like the parents of Jordan
Davis that have to live life with a wound that will never fully heal. And
with a child gone for no reason.

I hope that people will understand that at the end of the day, you can`t
use laws to mask what is wrong, unjust, and that you exercise some pent-up,
or in some cases, not so pent-up biases, and have a law that gives you the
justification for it. I hope today brought us there. And I hope it gives
us a sense of justice. In a related point today, the U.S. civil rights
commission held a hearing in Florida, on the racial disparities in the
stand your ground law. The hearing came just a few miles away from where
Trayvon Martin was shot and killed back in 2012. Some experts testified,
these laws benefit whites more than blacks. And cause minority men to live
in fear. The lawyers for Trayvon Martin and Ben Crump testified that stand
your ground was a solution, looking for a problem.

I think that Ben Crump is right. I remember touring that state with Bishop
Victor Curry and others, saying this law is wrong. I saw young activists,
like the dream keepers and others, stand up and raise this issue. And we
must keep fighting this issue. Because this is not about partisan. This
is not about posturing. This is about the Jordan Davises, and the Trayvon
Martins of the world should not be open to people feeling they can do
whatever they want and not have to be held accountable.

Thanks for watching. I`m Al Sharpton, have a great weekend. "HARDBALL"
starts right now.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY
BE UPDATED.
END

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