Coming up on MHP, Martin O’Malley throws his hat in the ring. A former governor of Maryland and former mayor of Baltimore, O’Malley is expected to announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination Saturday morning. Lesser-known than Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, O’Malley is fashioning himself as the populist, liberal alternative. On paper, he has the progressive chops to back it up – as governor he abolished the death penalty and supported same-sex marriage. But critics familiar with his mayoral tenure argue otherwise.
As mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007, O’Malley implemented a zero-tolerance policy on crime. In 2005, Baltimore made more than 100,000 arrests in a city of with a population of 640,000. The arrest rate prompted lawsuits from the ACLU and the NAACP. One Baltimore-based group, Baltimore Bloc, plans to protest his announcement, claiming he is partly responsible for the unrest in the city over Freddie Gray’s death. We’ll take a look at his record, and whether it could threaten his candidacy.
And, The Supreme Court will hear a case that could change how states define their voting districts. Currently, voting districts are divvied up based on Census data, which accounts for every person in the country. But conservative group Project on Fair Representation is seeking to redefine the “one person, one vote” principle, arguing that districts should actually be based on the number of people eligible to vote – excluding minors and undocumented immigrants from consideration of the area’s total population. The court’s ruling could drastically change the electoral landscape and could particularly affect Latino communities.
Joining Melissa Harris-Perry for all things election are:
- Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!
- Marcus Mabry, editor-at-large at The New York Times
- Richard Kim, executive editor at TheNation.com
- Matt Welch, editor-in-chief at Reason Magazine
- Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project
Then, scandal rocks FIFA. Fourteen people – nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives – will face charges including racketeering, money laundering, and fraud. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced the charges Wednesday, and noted just how deep the corruption goes. "It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. And it has profoundly harmed a multitude of victims,” Lynch said in her statement. The investigation alleges that countries were encouraged to bribe officials for votes for hosting the World Cup. The Swiss Government announced that it will investigate officials who voted in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation and Mike Geddes, director of streetfootballworld USA, join the panel.
Plus, a march for justice in Cleveland, the world’s largest family reunion, a tribute to Joan of Arc, and more.
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.