It's almost time to hit the road, grill the dogs, dress like Uncle Sam and walk around on stilts, or whatever it is you do to commemorate our nation's birthday. ALMOST. Your long weekend begins at 1pm EDT, immediately after Joy Reid and her panel of patriots bring you all the latest. Joining Joy today:
Josh Barro, Politics Editor at Business Insider (@jbarro)
Fmr. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), NBC News Political Analyst (@govedrendell)
Jonathan Alter, msnbc Political Analyst and Author of The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemiies and The Promise/Bloomberg 'View" Columnist (@jonathanalter)
Anna Palmer, Senior Washington Correspondent, POLITICO (@apalmerdc)
First up, the latest as the Zimmerman trial enters its eighth day of testimony. Yesterday saw the prosecution's attempt to chip away at Zimmerman's claim that he feared for his life and was, in fact, standing his ground. According to Medical Examiner Valerie Eao, his injuries "were not life-threatening. They were very insignificant." As the testimony winds down, which side do you think is winning?
Everyday it seems impossible for the Snowden story to get weirder, yet everyday it finds a way. On Tuesday, the plane of Bolivian president Evo Morales was rerouted to Austria after being denied airspace by France and Portugal on suspicion that Snowden was aboard. The Bolivian defense minister called the rerouting "an attitude of sabotage and a plot by the government of the United States." How badly is this fiasco damaging U.S. relations around the world?
Ohio State Senator Nina Turner will be in the studio discussing the implications of last weeks Supreme Court decision essentially gutting the Voting rights Act. On Monday, Turner announced her candidacy for Secretary of State against GOP candidate Jon Husted, whom she has called "secretary of suppression." She will be discussing the future of voting rights in the key state of Ohio, and the state's recently adopted abortion restrictions, which are among the strictest in the nation.
Plus, another delay for the Affordable Care Act, the the latest on the rapidly changing situation in Egypt. It all happens at noon EDT.
Other items of interest:
Just in time for 4th of July (3 years ago), this timeless Mark Bittman piece: 101 recipes for grilling
The White House responds to a petition to recognize Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group
Nate Silver on public opinion in the abortion debate:
Video surfaces of LGBT hate crime on NYC subway after Pride:
A Breaking Bad spinoff looks likely!
Have a great 4th of July! Don't do anything stupid, we want to see you back here on Friday!