Happy Monday, NOW nation. Hoping you had a relaxing weekend because it's going to be a busy week, as the country reacts to the Zimmerman verdict, and we inch ever closer to the "nuclear option". Joining Alex today:
Matthew Yglesias, Business and Economics Correspondent, Slate (@mattyglesias)
Karen Finney, Former DNC Communications Director/msnbc Host (@finneyk)
Ryan Grim, Washington Bureau Chief, The Huffington Post/msnbc contributor (@ryangrim)
Michael Eric Dyson, Political Analyst, Georgetown University (@MichaelEDyson)
Maya Wiley, Founder and President, Center for Social Inclusion
And Aaron Sorkin will be joining Alex in the studio to discuss the new season of The Newsroom. But First:
The country reacts to George Zimmerman's not guilty verdict, as thousands of demonstrators around the nation make their voices heard in what have been, for the most part, peaceful protests. The Department of Justice is pondering criminal civil rights charges against Zimmerman, stating "Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction." Would the DOJ be able to prove the shooting was racially motivated?
Tthe misadventures of Edward Snowden continue to overshadow the larger issues his crusade raised in the first place, and to strain U.S. diplomatic relations around the world. Curiously, in his most recent appearance at a meeting with human rights organizations at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, this champion of transparency and human rights praised Russia "for being the first to stand against human rights violations carried out by the powerful rather than the powerless." This guy! White House press secretary Jay Carney blasted Russia for providing Snowden with what he called a "propaganda platform", stating:
I would simply say that providing a propaganda platform for Mr Snowden runs counter to the Russian government's previous declarations of Russia's neutrality, and that they have no control over his presence in the airport...It is also incompatible with Russian assurances that they do not want Mr Snowden to further damage US interests.
Will Harry Reid go nuclear this week? That's the question as the showdown between Reid and minority leader Mitch McConnell intensifies over the GOP's unprecedented obstruction of President Obama's nominees for the executive branch. The proposed rule change would give the senate the ability to confirm appointments with a simple majority vote, but to hear McConnell tell it, one could be forgiven for thinking such a move would mark the end of democracy as we know it. All one hundred senators will meet today in a last ditch attempt to achieve a compromise, could this be the beginning of the end for the filibuster? What other options does Reid have to deal with a party that has "a hatred for lawmaking?"
It all happens at noon EDT.