After House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s historic primary defeat, ebullient Tea Partiers and somber political pundits alike have been quick to declare immigration reform finished. But is there, in fact, still a prayer?
On Saturday, host Melissa Harris-Perry will talk with activists and faith leaders about the future prospects for reform, the role of the re-emerging sanctuary movement, and the ongoing developments out of Nogales, Arizona where hundreds of children are still being held in a makeshift detention center. We'll also welcome "Scandal" star Guillermo Diaz to #nerdland to discuss his short film for Welcome.us. Watch it here.
Tuesday’s primary election elicited many theories about just why House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his place on the ballot, and our questions is – how much of a part did the very process of our political choices play. Melissa and her guests will discuss how the decision to hold a primary instead of a convention may have affected the outcome of the race. Is direct democracy the best kind of democracy there is?
Plus, there is more political news out of Commonwealth to report. This week a Democratic state senator in Virginia allegedly attempted to cut a backroom deal with state Republicans, ceding Democratic control of the state’s upper chamber in exchange for a judgeship for his daughter and a sinecure for himself. Harris-Perry will talk with her guests about what this means for the fate of the state’s Medicaid expansion.
Also this week, the United Nations is convening a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, where representatives from different countries and NGO’s are advancing guidelines for a system of reparations for the survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Our host will sit down with documentary filmmakers Jessica Vale and Nika Offenbac to talk about their new film Small Small Thing which tells the story of a young Liberian girl who survives a violent sexual assault at the age of 7 years old, and who, along with her mother, is ostracized by the local community in her search for treatment.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10am ET on msnbc! Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.