This Sunday in #nerdland: Melissa Harris-Perry is live from D.C.!
Being that we’re in the nation’s capital, it’s only fitting that we start the show off with a look at the political news of the day. First: Vice President Joe Biden is enjoying the positive publicity of someone who hasn’t declared – but we’ll look at some of the things that will certainly come up if he does decide to enter the race. Will Biden’s role in the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings and in the passing of the 1994 crime bill come back to haunt him?
We’ll also take a look at how the Class of 2016 candidates are responding to the recent financial unrest in the U.S. and China, Jeb Bush’s comments about “Anchor Babies” and the Asian-American community, Hillary Clinton’s comments comparing the GOP to terrorists when it comes to women’s health.
Our guests for these conversations include:
- April Ryan, White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief at American Urban Radio Networks and author of "The Presidency in Black and White"
- Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto
- E.J. Dionne, Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at Brookings Institution
- Robert Traynham, former Bush-Cheney senior advisor & vice president of communications at Bipartisan Policy Center
- Christine Chen, executive director at Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)
Then: Black Conservatism. We’ll examine Dr. Ben Carson’s emergence as a frontrunner in the GOP presidential polls and how it is complicated because of his role as a longtime hero in the African American community. We’ll also discuss how politics of respectability and individual responsibility have long been a strain of conservative belief among African-Americans. We’ll then turn to the Black Lives Matter movement’s rejection of respectability politics in their strategy, and the successes and failures of their approach. Tef Poe, co-founder of, Hands Up United, will join us.
All that, plus, a one-one with HUD Secretary Julian Casto and more.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Sunday at 10am ET on msnbc. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.