Watch All In with Chris Hayes tonight for the latest developments in the struggle for comprehensive immigration reform. Former President George W. Bush came out looking like the voice of reason on the subject Wednesday as he spoke in favor of a “positive resolution” at a naturalization ceremony held at his new presidential library. House Republicans, meanwhile, remain divided on the specifics of a bill they could support as a GOP conference met Wednesday afternoon to discuss the path forward. On the other side of the aisle, DREAMers gathered in the capitol to hold a citizenship ceremony and rally in support of comprehensive reform, while President Obama met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Chris Hayes will talk with Robert Costa, CNBC contributor and Washington Editor for the National Review, and Steve Case, co-founder of AOL and chairman and CEO of Revolution, an investment firm that has backed companies like LivingSocial and Zipcar, about the day’s events and whether they see any productive movement.
Plus: the trial of George Zimmerman headed towards a close Wednesday, with witness testimony coming to an end and the defense expected to rest its case. Jelani Cobb, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut, will join Chris Hayes to discuss the latest from the trial and the responses it’s provoked on the subject of race in America.
Later, Chris Hayes will dive into the significance of Wal-Mart’s plan to abandon its new Washington, D.C., stores if forced to raise their workers’ pay to what the city council calls a “living wage.” D.C. lawmakers passed the wage bill on Wednesday, and it's headed to the mayor's desk. If finalized, the measure will raise the minimum wage of employees of Wal-Mart (or any other store with sales over $1 billion and retail spaces over 75,000 square feet) from $8.25 to $12.50 an hour. Dorian Warren, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Columbia Program on Labor Law and Policy, will join the table to talk about the proposal and Wal-Mart’s actions.
Chris Hayes will discuss energy policy and oil production in light of the recent disaster with Tyson Slocum, Director of the Public Citizen Energy Program and former Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, where a 21st century gold rush is taking place at the oil-rich Bakken reserves. Meanwhile, energy policy has also taken center stage in Georgia, where an odd group of political bedfellows has united in favor of expanding the use of solar energy. National Coordinator for Tea Party Patriots and Co-Founder of the Atlanta Tea Party Debbie Dooley will join the table to talk about how the Koch brothers, usually big supporters of her group, are launching an initiative against the Tea Party for joining up with renewable energy activists on this issue.