[ theme music ] michael 40 years ago today reproductive rights won a historying victory with the courts roe v. Wade decision but the battle is only beginning. Im Michael Shure filling in for jennifer granholm. This is the war room. [ theme music ] the Supreme Court today ruled that abortion is completely a private matter to be decided by mother and doctor in the first three months of pregnancy. The 72 ruling will likely lead to drastic overhall of laws on abortion. Michael it was 40 years ago that they legalized abortion in this country. The harris poll taken at that time found 52 of americans supported the decision. A wall street journal nbc poll found that 54 of americans believe women should be able to have an abortion. Despite the widespread public support many lawmakers are doing whatever they can to take away a womans right to choose. Coming away from washington, d. C. Is kay shepherd with mother jones magazine, kate, thank you for coming inside the war room. Thanks for having me. Michael kate, we read so much about mississippi. Mississippi used to have 14 abortion clinics. Now it just has one. How in 2013 does Something Like that happen . Well, you know, its a cumulative effect. Its in the early 80s that it had 14, but now the state has put on restriction after restriction. They have rules that you cant have an abortion after 16 weeks you have to have permission if youre a minor. It forced clinics to close. Now you have just one clinic and that is under threat of being closed for the next few weeks. Michael that clinic is staffed by a doctor who flies in to work there. It just seems that its so arcane, the laws that they have there. It doesnt mean that abortion is going to go away. It means that women will leave that state and have an abortion in another state. You spoke with a woman who wanted an abortion. I want to listen to what she had to say. So what brings you today . Well, really its not a good thing. I have two 11yearolds who are nine months apart. I have a 7monthold. My oldest are having to go without. Its really unfair to them, to be honest. Michael you know her story is one, a common story and not just in mississippi, but of course all over the country. How difficult is it for a woman like that to get the care she needs, specifically in mississippi . Well, thats the thing. Women will go to other states if the last clinic closes in mississippi. But the reality is a lot of women who need this care cant just pick up and go to another state. They have children, he have jobs, they have limited access to transportation or Financial Resources to go to another state. The story of one patient is like a lot of stories i heard there. Women who are struggling to make their lives work and take care of the kids they already have or who are going through school and arent ready to have kids yet this is a huge burden to get to the one clinic from the other part of the state and if this clinic closes, to go to other states. And other states nearby are closeing their options as well. Michael so the access to transportation, the access just to get to jackson really very difficult to so many of the people who would need clinics like this. You know, we think and talk so much about the women whose lives are affected by these rules and these restrictions, but what about the women who work in these clinics . What is their life like . Its dangerous. They have to have a doctor come in from out of state. That doctor has to go in surreptitiously sometimes. What is life like for people who have to staff these places. Youre right. It can be dangerous. Some doctors are nervous to identify their identity. Some air whacks so they cant put them on the internet. Dr. Parker from washington, d. C. Travels to mississippi once a month to provide abortions there. He doesnt want to be afraid. He wants to make a public face of a doctor who cares. Thats important. The thing about the mississippi clinic, the people who work there arent afraid. Most of them live in jackson. Theyre proud of the work they do there and theyre involved in their community. The clinic is staffed by a bunch of women who really care about this issue and who care about jackson and making sure that they can provide the care there. I think its a much more positive outlook on things in a in jackson than ive seen in other places. Michael you wouldnt think that there is a positive outlook when that clinic itself could be closed. We have a video, where we have antiabortion protesters were announcing the anniversary of roe v. Wade. Nationwide, women are finding it harder to get access abortion care. Weve seen more than 100 new laws there that restrict access to care in one way or another. Sonogram laws or waiting periods or requiring doctors to give a script that discourages you to have an abortion. Mississippi, south dakota and north dakota are down to one clinic, and one doctor who provides the care. But its not just places like mississippi. Any more. Were seeing this roll out in virginia michigan. A lot of new laws are coming from states that you wouldnt expect them to come from. Michael thats absolutely right. One question that i have for you, the idea, you know, social change happens and people come to a progress over time the arc of progress long, all that, but we see the poll from 40 years ago, 52 support it. And now this week, 54 support it. What do you think it is about abortion that makes it not change with things like civil rights things like gay rights. What is it about this issue . Reporter well, one of the hard things since its legalized, most people especially younger women have come to expect this is their right, they have the right to this care. Were not out there demanding something new but were encouraging to keep the right we already have. So its not quite the same for a struggle in guy rights or something new. For this generation its maintain what we already have so youre not going to see as much enthusiasm. Now people are seeing what can happen if you take for grants the right to have access to an abortion care and people are starting to push back. Im optimistic about how we feel about this Going Forward. Michael thats a great answer to the question. Thats exactly right. Its keeping it right rather than trying to get a new right. That makes a difference. Its also a big difference to keep News Coverage of this alive all the time. Thank you Kate Sheppard from mother jones magazine for coming on the war room. We have a progressive from a red state. Hell guide us how president obamas agenda can actually become law. Plus dick cheney opens up just in time for the sundance film festival. Youll want to hear him answer with what he thinks his biggest flaw is. Wow, i want to. This is the war room. Well be right back. I think its brilliant. vo first, news and analysis with a washington perspective from an emmy winning insider. I know this stuff, and i love it. vo followed by humor and politics with a west coast edge. Bill press and stephanie miller. What a way to start the day. [ music ] michael when it comes to explaining what jerrymandering is, a picture is worth a thousand words. Or put it another way a carefully drawn map is worth congressional seats. Essentially ensuring the g. O. P. Retained control of the house. Take a look, even in states like ohio and pennsylvania which went for president obama the republicans overwhelmingly retained their house seats. Sick and tired of the congressional gridlock steve cohen of memphis introduced a bill this week which would require states to use independent redistricting commissions in drawing those maps. Here we in to talk about his bill and what he expects during president obamas second term, is congressman steve cohen. Welcome to the war room. Thank you good to be with you. Michael do you think they would or could pass this bill. Whether they would is doubtful but its an important bill because we have gridlock and the reason for that is too many districts are concerned about the primary and the far right and far left and they dont have to work with the whole community or the center, because of the partisan redistricting which we have in most states are drawn up just to suit their people or make them overwhelmingly ohio. Ohio went for the president. Ohio went to Sherrod Brown but yet 12 of the 16 districts drawn up by the Ohio Legislature were republican. Thats not right. It does not reflect the will of the people. It reflects the lines theyve drawn. It makes it that those the republicans dont have to work with the center or with president obama at all. The agenda he set out which is an encouraging agenda concerning Climate Change and women having fair bay and gays having civil rights and other issues that he brought up the other day are not issues that have any home in the republican party. So people in those districts dont even have to think about it. California has a law drawn on independent commission. Over all the districts are more independent, and california will get better representation. I put the bill forward thinking there is gridlock in washington, one of the reasons is because of the redistricting and how its so tilted. And the other is lack of Public Financing and too many concerned with pac contributions or independent expenditures by the wealthy. Thats another issue we need to deal with. Michael they seeming to hand in hand to a degree, but isnt this kind of like the issue in the filibustering reform. It will always work in their best interest to keep the districting the way it is. Listen, you were a state center. You know allyou were a senator, and this all happens at the state level an its so important for them to control the legislatures like that. Thats so obvious dont you see a parallel . Well, there is a parallel. 2010 was a perfect storm, and the republicans came in and they took a lot of legislatures andrew the lines lines that will be there for the next ten years. When you introduce ideas and you have to keep a focus on what will make the system better and show up their weak points with such a bill. They wont consider it because they do control it. What theyre doing in some states that voted blue for president but are redcontrolled legislatures theyre looking at how they district their electric toreelectoral vote. So instead of democrats getting all of ohio, which they did this time or all of pennsylvania, they would get 60 of the electoral votes. Theyre looking to find ways to get the presidency by changing the game. The game should not be changed by politicians. It should be fair. Michael if you dont like the results change the rules. Thats what theyre basically saying. Lets shift gears a little bit to the some of the issues of the day. Today, the 40th anniversary of the death of president johnson lbj fought for the passage of the Voting Rights act in 1965. This is what he had to say the day he signed the act into law. Today is a sound of freedom as huge as any victory thats ever been won on any battlefield. Michael and even as he spoke then, you know, that long ago the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a constitutional challenge to the act this year. President obamas inaugural address yesterday, though, he recognizes the battle for Voting Rights isnt over. Heres the president. Obama our journey is not complete a citizen is not forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Michael now that he has been inaugurated, do you think voters going to the ballot is at risk. I think it is. The republicans are a minority party. They got the minority in the president ial and senate and over all house races theyre not working with the demographic roots that are growing in this country, which are largely latinos. And it will make it impossible for them to break into that voting block. The only way they can win is by changing the rules. I know i can cite some great philosophers, but gary trudeau has been citing the politics that well just change the election by changes the votes and you can see it in dunes bury. There was no photo i. D. That was the way to diminish the vote of young people and africanamericans and other minorities. What it did was so enrage the Africanamerican Community they got out and voted. They said were not going to take this and they came out and the vote was good. Its the only way they can win. They are not the Majority Party in this country. Michael theyre going to keep doing it. The problem will be if that rage continues. They have to keep the rage against this going. I want to turn your attention to another issue of the house that theyll be facing. As a minority member of the house youre probably pessimistic. But another day another shooting. This time a Community College in houston, three people were wounded. Do you think congress with a meaningful Gun Legislation has a chance of passing in the house that you sit in right now . I really dont. I hate to say that, but ive said it before. The nra is in the dna of the g. O. P. Theyre not going to let it out. They might have a hearing. I dont think theyll let a bill come out. The senate will come out and i dont know if theyll be able to deal with it. They like the nra and the nra likes to sell guns and they like to sell high capacity magazines. Im not against the nra per se. Im not against the second amendment. But i am against the high capacity magazines and the assault rifles, and i think the reasonable restrictions we can have in this country to protect the public and background checks loopholes at gun shows needs to be stopped but i dont think the government will let it happen. Michael its december pressing when you see the news, all this gunfire and the republicans will not move because theyre in the hands of the nra. Its really pathetic. They are a bunch of clowns sometimes. We are a better country because of people like you. Thank you. Thank you. Reporter its been 39 days since the tragedy at sandy hook. At least 1131 has died from gun violence. Thats about 43 towns like newtowns. Lydia was shot and her mother were shot while they were preparing for a Birthday Party for lydias little brother. Sheher mother survived but she didnt. She leaves behind three children. Another senseless life taken away in america. Question whether im right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us. Obama and each day brings further evidence that the way we harness the sun, the wind and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. Michael that was the only shout out the environment got during president obamas 2009 inaugural address. Now with hurricane sandy, a recordbreaking drought it sound like the president may be moved from reaction to action. Obama we will respond to the threat of Climate Change knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging firesser and crippling drought and more powerful storms. Michael but will policy follow words this time . Will mitigating the effects of Climate Change be a hallmark of president obamas second term . He did say Climate Change. Joining me now to discuss the progressives reaction to president obamas speech is donny fowler, uea graduate. He runs his own Political Firm here. Donny as always great to have you back inside the war room. Before we get into the nittygritty, what did you think of the president s speech. It was great. President obama has learned a lot of lessons about being in washington, d. C. You have to stand up, say what you want and fight hard for it. You cant sit back and wait for them to come to you. Michael i hear and i agree. I thought it was fantastic speech. It wasnt a liberal speech. Well tax any estates over 1 million. Were going to put a carbon tax on any carbon. Were going to legalized drugs marijuana for recreational use. Were going to cut the defense in half and send all those dollars to fund schools. Thats a liberal speech. We didnt hear that. Michael well, hes not going to say all those things. Hes not going to decriminalize heroin. Good point. It would make things funner there. Michael it might. Some seem to be on it, actually. The idea though, that he was going to say those. This is where he said we and cited great victories in the civil rights movement, not just civil rights but stone wall, womens rights and gay rights. The right to vote. Michael it was a very clever speech. He we have in Martin Luther king jr. s speech. From the left and the right. From folks news to the nation claim this was a liberals coming out speech. It just wasnt. If this was a liberal speech yesterday then the conservatives really have won the debate. They have taken mainstream ideas ideas, and titled them liberal. Their view of liberal is anything that is not right wing tea party. Michael lets go to what they think is a crazy liberal theme. They are awful. Michael yes, they are awful but they thing think the Climate Change does not exist. It was a recognition that science matters. 98 of scientists, every environmental Climate Change all over the world including china and russia say Climate Change is real and man is the significant contributor to Climate Change. No ones lives are saved if we make hards harder to get but this is 99 of scientists. Michael 9the benchmark piece of recommendation will have something to do with the keystone xl pipeline. Is this just a spoon full of sugar to let that medicine go town. I said this, but were going to vote for it. There is a lot of answers to that, but the Keystone Pipeline is just one little mouse in a jungle of climate and Clean Energy Policies that the president can enact and congress can enact. The president can do a lot of things. The Environmental Protection can do a lot of things. The department of energy and agriculture can do a lot of things that dont need congress. Congress itself, we dont know what is going to happen. We tried three years ago to pass the Climate Clean Energy bill. That was defeated. Anything that ambitious to pass is un