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'MHP' Syllabus: 5.23.15

Dorian Warren fills in for Melissa Harris-Perry this Saturday on MHP, and he’s starting the show with the latest on the case over the death of Freddie Gray.
Melissa Harris Perry MHP The Syllabus
Melissa Harris Perry MHP The Syllabus

Dorian Warren fills in for Melissa Harris-Perry this Saturday on MHP, and he’s starting the show with the latest on the case over the death of Freddie Gray. On Thursday, the six officers charged in the death of 25-year-old Gray were indicted by a Baltimore grand jury. All of the officers will face second-degree assault charges, four were indicted on involuntary manslaughter and one, Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., who was driving the van transporting Gray, was indicted on second-degree depraved heart murder.

Then, the big banks and illegal market manipulation. Five major global banks pled guilty to foreign currency e manipulation. A group of traders referring to themselves as “The Cartel” or “The Mafia” used secret chat rooms to fix exchange rates for over five years. A Barclay’s trader was quoted as saying “if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying,” We’ll take a look at how Wall Street has bounced back, and whether it’s actually learned anything from the mistakes of 2008.

And, disturbing new footage from El Paso, Texas, where an active-duty soldier who lived through two tours in Iraq, died after two days in jail. Sgt. James Brown was serving at Fort Bliss when he self-reported for a weekend sentence at the El Paso County Jail following a DWI.  While in jail, Sgt. Brown appears to have had a post-traumatic stress disorder episode causing him to bleed. When security personnel enter his cell, the recording shows Brown saying he can’t breathe while a group of guards in riot gear hold him down. Brown is seen pleading for help, but no medical assistance comes to the scene. Sgt. Brown died soon after.

Joining the discussion on Saturday are:

  • Dayvon Love, Co-Founder of Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle
  • Rinku Sen, Executive Director of Race Forward
  • Bob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos
  • Jon Shane, Associate Professor at John Jay College
  • Seema Iyer, Host of “The Docket” on SHIFT/MSNBC
  • Mike Konczal, Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute
  • Scott Gamm, Reporter at The Street

Then, it’s MHP Girl Power Hour. We’ll take a look at how women are portrayed in media, starting with Sansa Stark from the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones.” The show, known for its dark content, upset many viewers with a scene depicting the sexual assault of teenage Sansa. Sen. Claire McCaskill tweeted that she is “done” with “Game of Thrones.” Feminist culture website The Mary Sue is refusing to post any promotional material for the show moving forward. While some are defending the plotline, it has sparked a debate not just over the show itself, but the role of sexual assault in entertainment.

And, the new trailer for CBS’ “Supergirl” has some viewers wondering why a show about a superhero that can fly and punch bad guys into the stratosphere looks less like “The Avengers” and more like “27 Dresses.” Going against the gritty-reboot trend in superhero movies, this one takes a softer look at the girl from Krypton, who, as it happens, has just as many boy problems as Earth gals. Despite the criticism, the trailer alone is a hit – it’s been viewed by more than 10 million people.

Then it’s on to the real-life superwomen who rule the music industry. Nicki Minaj and Beyonce released a video for “Feeling Myself” exclusively to TIDAL, the music streaming service owned by Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z. And, Taylor Swift shows just how super women can be in her new video for “Bad Blood,” featuring Swift and 16 other women in entertainment as action heroes.

Joining the Girl Power Panel are:

Plus, a photographer who turns history on its head, a shop in Pittsburg that responds to the wage gap and a Jeopardy! Star who takes on the dark underbelly of nerd culture.

Tune in to MHP this Saturday at 10am ET on msnbc. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.