This Saturday in #nerdland: Defining terror, guns & money, accountability, toll of guns on the American psyche, troop plans for fighting ISIS, plus a chat with a former police superintendent.
We’ll start the morning by bringing you the latest on the San Bernardino shooting which the FBI is investigating as an instance of terrorism. Melissa will be joined by Malcolm Nance for a one-on-one discussion on what is defined as terrorism.
Black Friday shopping may be at an all-time low but firearm sales are on an uptick. This year, The New York Times, reports that the FBI ran a record of 185,345 background checks on Friday which is a 5% increase from last year.
This week, in response to protests about the delayed release of a video depicting the death of Laquan McDonald, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced his call for the resignation of Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy. Pressure on Mayor Emanuel has opened the discussion of accountability within his administration.
President Obama once stated that mass shootings in America have become a routine occurrence. How do we as Americans cope with this repeated form of frustration and presence of anxiety? How do we combat the vitriolic language targeted towards Muslims?
Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced this week that the Pentagon will expand its Special Operations force in Iraq to combat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. We’ll discuss how the expansion of our military involvement within the region effects our engagement against ISIS.
A new study by George Washington University examines the statistics of domestic terrorism. How has the use of female recruiters by ISIS played a factor in the threat level here in the U.S.? Melissa will discuss the transition from digital terrorism to physical attacks with her panel.
Joining our Saturday morning conversation will be:
- Malcolm Nance, Executive Director, Terror Asymmetrics Project
- Reverend Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, President Auburn Theological Seminary
- Yolanda Pierce, Associate Professor of African American Religion & Literature, Princeton Theological Seminary
- Dorian Warren, Fellow, the Roosevelt Institute, MSNBC Contributor , Host, "Nerding Out" MSNBC Shift
- Russell Brandom , Reporter, The Verge
- Eugene O'Donnell ,Professor of Law and Police Studies, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Former NYPD Officer
- Ronal Serpas, Former Superintendent of the New Orleans Police
- Linda Sarsour, Executive Director, Arab American Association of New York
- Dr. Jonathan Metzl, Director, Center for medicine, Health, and society at Vanderbilt University, Research Director, The Safe Tennessee Project
- Col. Jack Jacobs, Medal of Honor Recipient, MSNBC Military Analyst
To prep for our discussions, feel free to check out:
- Black Friday Gun Sales Soared, F.B.I. Data Shows
- Continued Bipartisan Support for Expanded Background Checks on Gun Sales
- The New York Daily News’s very provocative front page on the San Bernardino shooting
- GOP presidential candidates offer prayers — not solutions on gun control
- Mayor Rahm Emanuel Fires Chicago Police Superintendent
- Mom: Dashcam Shows Chicago Cop Killed My Unarmed Son
- How Often Do Mass Shootings Occur? On Average, Every Day, Records Show
- Special Ops Force to Fight ISIS in Iraq: Defense Secretary Carter
- ISIS in America: From Retweets to Raqqa
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10am ET on MSNBC. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.