ahead than the united states and united states companies in trading, and in doing things to build africa. africa is an opportunity, an opportunity that finally, it looks like, some will engage seriously thanks to this president. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. counter suit. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start with what caused a big remarkable reaction last night. i'm talking about the idea of the president turning the tables and suing what he calls this don't do nothing congress. they sue him. people think they should do what i talked about last night, sue them back. many think suing the congress back is the way the president should respond to what the republicans in the house of representatives did to him last week. think about it. time and again congress has failed to act on even the most roo are teen matters of official business like approving ambassadors for posts overseas. it's failed to do what everyone knows is the business of the country like passing an immigration system, fixing the country's broken down infrastructure. you name it. isn't this a case of congress denying the country honest and faithful service? not doing anything. not even its most minimal official requirements like passing a federal budget. is this why so many people shared, tweeted or commented on the sue congress proposal i made last night? is this why people are reacting with excitement? because they see the unfairness and the republicans in congress daring to approve a legal suit against the president, all the while preventing the government from doing its own job. there are a lot of good people who say the best way for the president to deal with the legal suit against him is to sue the heck out of them. isn't this the reaction this boehner-headed suit against the president deserved? what else did he expect to be the reaction? joan walsh is the editor at large at salon.com. jonathan capehart is an opinion writer at the washington post, both are msnbc political analysts. joan, you're smiling. i didn't believe the reaction. i came up with the idea. a friend of mine brought it up and i said, you know, that's a good idea. if you want to go tit for tat, a perfect time to do it against a do nothing congress which i believe could be held liable for not doing anything. it has a job. they are paid to do it. they are not doing the simplest things. at what point does doing nothing not earn a suit? your thoughts. >> you touched a nerve. people are frustrated on both sides, particularly democrats. john boehner will enforce a provision of the law that makes little sense. they reached a low point when they couldn't get a draconian, not good border crisis bill through. then released a statement saying we think the president could do it with executive action when they are suing him for executive action. they have abdicated their responsibilities. it is clear john boehner should sue senator ted cruz for acting as a speaker. there are a lot of people meddling in one direction but not doing their own jobs. you touched a nerve. democrats are very frustrated. looking for an answer. >> cruz coming over is like shooting the tires out of a car that's dead. it seems to me it isn't a question of the president having one plan on welcoit. there is no other plan. we are going to stop everything and we're not doing nothing. >> exactly. here is the other thing. the boehner lawsuit is a frivolous lawsuitment the idea of the president suing congress right back, i have to say -- >> maybe on the level of frivolity. fair enough. >> but the reaction that you got last night is the same reaction i have been getting writing about the boehner lawsuit. these people do absolutely nothing. >> the lawsuit is a nothing. >> right. >> it won't happen for two, three years, won't get standing. >> here's the thing and why nothing is going to continue to not happen on capitol hill. the people who are on capitol hill right now who are causing all of the gridlock and dysfunction and no, no, no come from districts that voted them in to do nothing and less than nothing. to cut, dismantle, stop washington from doing what they think is doing wrong. >> i'm not sure of that. i think if you asked people would you like to see the roads repaired, bridges, airports that look like the ones in south africa and china, can we compete. i don't think they would say do nothing. >> no, but you are being rational. >> as i said last night my let me finish commentary generated an amazing response. here are sample facebook posts. from lauren, spot on. our country needs its leaders to start doing its jobs. this congress has yet to be held accountable for their delinquency. who else better to serve them a lawsuit and begin to hold them accountable than the leader and the people who have been failed by their irresponsible behavior. from cheryl, i agree the president should countersue. the only thing the house gop has done by refusing to compromise and obstructing everything is hurt the american people. they should be penalized for it. from debbie, finally someone thinks what i'm thinking. president obama should sue congress for crimes against the constitution. that's a little strong, but it is an argument people appreciate. what else are you supposed to do? what's the middle of the roader think who wants an enforced, reasonable progressive american immigration system that works, who wants something constructive done on every front? we are not constructing anything on any front. the republicans are doing what they used to do in north carolina, play out the clock. slow it down like a basketball team ten points ahead. do nothing until the country finally elects somebody else and then do nothing when they get elected. >> some solutions actually, chris, could pass the house with a coalition of democrats and moderate republicans. >> do you mean a vote? >> yeah. just put the senate bill up for a vote or something close to it. i think certain infrastructure legislation could get across if speaker boehner had the courage to stand up to the right wing flank and ted cruz and say, okay, we haven't done it but we'll do crucial things with the help of our democratic friends. there are bills they could do that with. he's not willing to buck the right wing of the caucus to go over across the aisle to work with nancy pelosi except under extreme duress like to re-open the government after that awful shutdown. >> people have to lose more wheels off cars before they fix the highways. since the day the president took office he was stymied. just a sampling of the frustration. this is objective facts, by the way. the president's effort to fix the country's crumbling infrastructure. no vote. raise the min mudge wage, blocked. student loan reform, blocked. tax reform, blocked. immigration reform, no vote in the house. republicans in congress have held 50 plus votes to get rid of the affordable care act. they want to go back past ze romt even the simple government functions the republicans in congress and the house republican leadership refused to carry out. let's listen. >> even basic things like approving career diplomats for ambassador posts aren't getting done. they are still blocking the ambassador to sierra leone where there is an ebola outbreak. the ambassador to guatemala is being blocked as they demand we do more to stop the flow of unaccompanied children from guatemala. >> i have been accused of this and i accept it. i'm a little more crazy than the president in terms of wanting to see something done quickly. joan, you know what i mean. when he was fighting it out with hillary in 2007, a thousand years ago, i said when will you contest this battle? he eventually did contest it. the calmness, the coolness. did you see his reaction? he's telling the american people through the press, i have tried to do everything that you want me to do and they won't let me do anything. >> he has this bemused reaction like they won't approve the ambassador to sierra leone where there is an ebola outbreak, to guatemala where kids are coming because of the violence. >> where is the outrage. >> he's laying out the brief against congress. it's not that they are not doing anything. here are the concrete things with real world impacts on the news now. one of the things you didn't put on the list, min mudge wage, student loans. remember the american jobs act? the first bill he introduced, september of 2011, went nowhere. bipartisan idea system he says ten, they say eight, we agree on nine. at least get something moving. >> he's made the point. he didn't like the border bill. take the pieces we agree on and vote on them. let's get them into law and work on the stuff we don't agree on. they won't do it either. they are looking for a way to jam him, for a way to humiliate him. blocking his agenda and making it hard for him. i'm not saying he's blameless. in this situation making it hard for him to address the crisis that he's been faced with or addresses them with executive action and then he should be impeached. >> everybody's been in the dmv line. the lines are long. sometimes the people behind the counter are slow. i never had one say to me when i get up there, no, i'm not giving you your license. i don't feel like it. that's what the president is doing. he gets up there, waits in line, he get there is and they say, no, we are not giving you the license. get out of here. that's the way they treat the president of the united states in congress. sue him. we are of like minds. >> thank you. >> coming up, the video with congressman steve king has gone viral. the woman who made it happen is coming here. >> i just don't understand why you want to do that. >> this is not what i do. >> for you to call us names, saying -- >> i don't call you names. no, no. that's drug smuggling. >> do i have calves like cantaloupes? the woman oh is coming here and will join us to talk about dealing with king. plus, reversal of fortune. remember when republicans chose social issues like same-sex marriage against democrats? not anymore. now the issues are cutting the other way. and the tea party's last chance. the primary in kansas is likely to be the last hope of picking off an incumbent republican senator. there will be a hot vote tonight. let me go with the danger of leaving africa to the chinese. this is "hardball," the place for politics. ♪ [ female announcer ] when the pressure's on... only secret offers clinical strength invisible solid and clear gel with 100% odor protection. secret clinical strength. every time you take advil . you're taking the medicine doctors recommend most for joint pain. more than the medicine in aleve or tylenol. the medicine in advil is the number one doctor recommendation for joint pain. relief doesn't get any better than this. advil headed to north carolina and arkansas to stumper for republicans there. he's off to the battleground states of colorado and virginia. all of this is fuelling talk of a third romney presidential run come 2016. romney would fill a big void tr for the republican establishment though as of now he said he's not running. it's what he has to say until the hole gets big enough for nobody else to fill. we'll be right back. they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. weit's not justt we'd be fabuilding jobs here,. it's helping our community. siemens location here has just received a major order of wind turbines. it puts a huge smile on my face. cause i'm like, 'this is what we do.' the fact that iowa is leading the way in wind energy, i'm so proud, like, it's just amazing. that's why i always choose the fastest intern.r slow. the fastest printer. the fastest lunch. turkey club. the fastest pencil sharpener. the fastest elevator. the fastest speed dial. the fastest office plant. so why wouldn't i choose the fastest wifi? i would. switch to comcast business internet and get the fastest wifi included. comcast business. built for business. welcome back. when it comes to the republican party's problems with minorities, congressman steve king of iowa has taken control of the gop clown car and is driving it into a ditch. the latest crash test was caught on tape. it happened just yesterday at an event with kentucky senator rand paul in iowa. it's gone viral, of course. it begins with king when king and paul are confronted by two hispanic activists, erica andioli and caesar vargas, college-educated organizers able to move freely in this country thanks to president obama's dream order. that allows some undocumented immigrants to stay here if they have been educated here. king said they have calves the size of cantaloupes and are hauling marijuana across the border. rand paul left abruptly when erica gives congressman king the identification card and dares him to show opposition by ripping it up. >> go ahead and rip it up. i don't understand why you have been wanting to do that. >> this is not what i do. >> for you to call us names. saying we have calves like cantaloupes. i don't understand. >> that's drug smuggling -- please. you're very good at english. >> i was raised in the united states. >> right. so you can understand the english language. don't act like you don't. >> i'm not acting like i don't understand. >> no, you are. you're saying something that's not true. >> what is it? >> i spoke of drug smugglers. you're not one of them, are you? it troubles me that you have disrespect for the laws of the united states of america. >> i love this country. >> you're telling me you don't have to awibide by the laws of e country. >> go home! >> you need to go home! >> do not import lawlessness into america. i'm sorry you come from a lawless country. i hope you can have a happy life. but please -- >> thank you, sir. if you want to rip it, let me know and i will bring it back. >> that will be a nice video for you but it won't happen. >> it's shg you have been advocating for. i was giving you the opportunity. >> you saw erica there. she's the national director for the dream coalition. i have a few minutes for you. give me a sense of what you expected to happen when you confronted congressman king, what you thought of him before and what happened. >> we have been fighting hard to get daca, the card i showed him, asked him to rip it up. he's been fighting against it over and over again. he took a vote in the house. pretty symbolic vote. won't happen. but they passed something to get rid of daca. if you want to fight against dreamers, show me you mean it and rip up the card. >> good missouri. >> he didn't do it. >> did he know what you meant. i have never met you but you made a dramatic statement. you brought him the card that came out of daca that gave relief to young people in the country because their parents brought them a at a young age. learned english, you have done everything right. you wanted him to rip it up in front of you. did he know what you were doing? did he know what the card was? >> i explained it to him. apparently he's been fighting against it for so long. i'm guessing he knows what it is. to me it was really we are fighting now to expand this to our parents. for the president to expand his executive authority on immigration. you know, steve king is one of the people that's fighting against it. we are going to show steve king who we are as dreamers, show our courage. with this we are hoping the president shows his courage against his people, against steve king and other republicans and uses his executive authority. >> let me ask you about the personal confrontation. people can disagree about immigration policy. as the free country. we'll find something workable down the road. this guy wouldn't say to you what he said to the public. he said hispanic people, mexican-americans came from across the border are all people running drugs and they have legs the size of cantaloupes because they are carrying so much marijuana on their backs. how did he squirm away from making that accusation against you personally when you said he was making it against you personally. >> that's one of the most powerful things about having dreamers speak out for ourselves. we have been speaking out a couple of years now. it's amazing to share our stories. it's hard for people without having us in front of them to make the same sometimes racist statements against us. he kept saying if i spoke english. i was obviously speaking english the entire time. >> he was impressed. >> yeah. >> he deals in cartoons. he is a cartoon. thank you very much. good luck with the work. you know what you're doing. >> thank you. >> i don't have to tell you how to do your job. you are doing it. >> thank you. >> we have mature fellows here to talk about this now. michael steele was chair of the republican national committee. eugene robins from the washington post, both are msnbc political analysts. immigration policies, a fair debate. every country finds a way to enforce the laws and say how much they can take. who gets in. but this thing by him seems to be on a different level. >> how do you mean? >> cantaloupe-sized calves. what's that about if not a bizarre ethnic slur. >> it's an exaggeration of, you know of an idea, a fact or whatever. it's pejoratively casting people in a way to make a political point. >> what was the point he was trying to make? >> stereotyping. playing to the concerns and fears, the stereotype people have. >> it's not a stereotype people have. i'm tough on -- >> chris -- >> i want to find a solution. >> there are people who do believe every person coming across the border is a mule for drug runners. >> there are? >> they write to me. >> they believe in the stereotype. >> yeah, but what difference does it make? some people leave it. >> how come the guys who work in agriculture. >> they are woven into the fabric of society taking care of our children, doing all the jobs that need to be done. >> you don't think this is extraordinary behavior, these comments? >> no. i think some of the comments were extraordinary. >> they are going to drive hispanic people out of your party. >> absolutely. there was nothing inviting about that conversation. >> i will turn the pillow to the cool side. this is just antiblack racism. not just steve king feeding off racial issues. after yesterday's circus stunt the tea party congressman mo brooks blamed the president the for declaring war on whites. he went further. in an interview with the huntsville times he said, quote, what the democrats are doing is dividing america by race. they are waging a war on whites. i find that repugnant. the democrats are openly soliciting votes of people based on skin color. that's wrong. nobody should be attacked based on skin color. i don't know of a single republican who made p an appeal for votes based on skin color. gene, you grew up with this. i don't know. >> what i grew up with was more sophisticated and subtle than that. >> white power is a phrase i have heard. this guy is a u.s. congressman today. >> today. >> he's in office now. >> a war on whites. it's breathtaking really. he got a second bite at the apple, too. he said the stuff in a radio interview and then the birmingham newspaper said -- >> is that what you really mean? >> oh, yeah, absolutely. >> you're not going to defend -- let me be clear i don't have to defend crazy. >> he was dignified on the show last week. >> again, this is speaking to a stereotyped fear that more whites are having in various parts of the country as the demographics in this country change. >> i agree. >> they are now having to figure out how to grasp at the new reality that in 5r, 10, 15 year the white majority will be the minority. >> in this district -- >> the right wing media outlet. >> okay. let me -- >> this thing of white -- >> you came from south carolina. there's always been a large population percentage-wise of african-americans in the deep south, the cotton south. 17% african-americans. that's not a huge number in the deep south. it's like alabama, south carolina, mississippi. that's where people grew up. >> yeah. >> what's your point? >> so? >> why is he so scared now? he's a mature man. >> because a black guy is president, chris. do you think it has anything to do with it? do you? >> number one. and number two -- >> you bit into into that peach really well. i saw you delightfully eating that peach with that argument. >> the growth in hispanics in the south. >> how many black senators do we have from the south? >> one. >> republican. >> tim scott. >> not like they're taking over. >> again, it's about the demographic shifts and the landscape is smaller for folks who feared -- >> the only hispanics we have in the u.s. senate from the south are marco rubio and cruz. >> yeah. >> count them. >> all republicans. >> strange attacking going on here. very strange. when it comes to racial politics, mo brooks is anything but a saint especially with his view of hispanics entering this country illegally. this is how brooks pitched himself to voters during his first term in office. >> as your congressman on the house floor i will do anything short of shooting them. anything that's lawful needs to be done. illegal aliens need to quit taking jobs from american citizens. >> okay, he's going to shoot them. what's short of shooting. i didn't know if the jobs were posted. some were tough jobs. he wants to shoot them if nothing else works. this is your crowd. you chose to be a republican. >> this is an outlier. this is not a representative of where republicans are. >> as they say on the news there is no news until there is an accident. maybe these are accidents but they are more typical. gene has heard it before, too. >> well -- >> you don't get the right mail yet. >> this victimization is more intense as they become -- feel more beleaguered. >> how about making him work for free for 350 years. >> what an idea. >> 350 years working without a single payday. isn't that a white idea? remember that deal? the thank you, michael steele. with inflation. thank you. coming up, steven colbert fires up the way-back machine next in the sideshow. this is "hardball," the place for politics. being the new kid on the block can be intimidating. take your kids on a walk through the online neighborhood. show them sites you feel are acceptable. teach them how to deal with cyber bullies and encourage them to navigate safely. the more you know. if energy could come from anything?. or if power could go anywhere? or if light could seek out the dark? what would happen if that happens? anything. eachwon't have a claim.wners that's why allstate claim free rewards gives you money back for every year you don't have one. and why if you're part of the other 5%, allstate offers claim rateguard. so your rates won't go up just because of a claim. no matter what comes your way, your home protects you. ...protect it back allstate home insurance from an allstate agent. life with crohn's disease ois a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps come back? 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[ male announcer ] don't wait. call today to request your free decision guide and find the aarp medicare supplement plan to go the distance with you. go long. here's what's happening. the two-star general killed today in afghanistan has been identified as major general harold green. he was shot by a gunman wearing an afghan military uniform. others were wounded including americans. a second american aid worker suffering from ebola is at emery hospital. nancy whitebol is weak but showing signs of improvement after being evacuated from liberia and a cease-fire remains in place. israeli and palestinian negotiators are having talks on a long-term truce. back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." democrats used to play defense on issues like gay rights and the hot button social issues were wedges used by the right to divide the democrats. as john harvard writes today the script is upside down. now the values we think cuts for democrats. demographic change keeps shrinking nixon's silent majority. president bill clinton and a republican congress overhauled welfare. fear of crime has receded enough members of both parties propose lenient sentencing. college students from the summer of love are pushing 70. hmm. the elders who disapproved of their behavior are largely gone and young adults wonder what the turmoil was about. democrats profit politically among young voter rs college graduates, single women, blacks and latinos from the sense that they welcome cultural shifts while republicans resist them. these cultural issues, but among republican primary voters there is no appetite to change course. that means republican politicians are trapped now democratic strategist and john breakbender. john, is it true some of the states like colorado, as i have noticed, if you talk social cultural issues like birth control there are winners from the democrats because it brings out the women voters. >> let's be honest. when democrats talk about it they are hitting the republican opponent. it's not like they are switching sides. >> it used to be republicans -- your party took ohio back in 2004 and blew kerry out by going up to don king and karl rove and scared the ministers on the issue of same sex marriage. look at the numbers. >> it's -- >> it's a particular charge that your party used fear of same-sex marriage to get out the vote. >> let me go back to the original question since we are having this little dialogue. what you are seeing is democrats are not running with your president. they are not running with obama. >> right. >> all right. now they have to go to wenl issues and they are doing what republicans did years ago. they are going to wedge issues to make the campaign about anything but this president, the economy and many of the other factors. that's why they are talking about social issues. in colorado, the democrat is up against cory gardner with an ad on social media. >> they have said they are going to take their gun away no matter what the economy. >> let's be clear. this is because of obama. >> there are wedge issues normal in politics. there are good wedges and bad. their way of separating people from constituencies. democrats don't seem afraid of gay rights anymore. certainly not birth control. they like it. >> the numbers have shiftded. as you go younger in the electorate where the turnout is a challenge those issues become more popular. it's a turn out strategy but also who sounds reasonable. the personhood amendments would make abortion, if you actually passed it would make it illegal in the first ten weeks of pregnancy. just -- >> how would personhood work if four of five times the egg doesn't attach to the uterine wall. ares they persons if it doesn't begin development? >> that's a question for ed gilespie. republicans have campaigned and defended it. that's a medical question. the fact is at whatever point the person is formed, and the attachment occurs they are protected under the constitution under this amendment. just as most americans don't think abortions should be legal in the last ten weeks most americans don't think it should be illegal in the first ten. >> i think single women are pet ary identified generally by moves by male office holders and lawmakers to do things like personhood when they know. when you learn this stuff such a preponderance of cases, there is not a child born of every sexual act. you don't have a child every time you have sex. in cases where you have the egg fertilized by the male and the female 80% don't become a child. >> i'll like i'm talking to bill nye the science guy. >> it's called learning something you didn't moe. >> every time i come i learn something. >> i'm trying to learn. >> here is what i don't understand. i see democrats running ads saying they want to ban contraception. give me one republican presidential candidate ever that wanted to ban contraception. >> rick santorum brought it up. >> never wanted to ban it. >> he brought up the issue. >> i was his media consultant. i know more. >> why did he bring it up? >> he didn't want taxpayer funding of contraception. that's different. >> he said we can discuss birth control. he said it in an interview system. >> he said clearly as his wife did on cnn he would never make that decision for somebody else. he would not ban contraception. no one said it. but it shows up in ads. >> it shows up that they would make contraception unavailable for women through health care plans. >> let's go to where we were all schooled on. votes. the nbc wall street journal poll out tonight shows the biggest ever gender gap on what party americans want to control the congress. men say it should be republicans. by a 14-point margin women say democrats should be in charge. the way they count it is to add them up. a 31-point gender gap which is a dramatic statement. john, how do you explain it? >> i'm surprised by the extreme of the number. certainly we have seen this gender gap for 20 -- >> why sit growing? >> one of the reasons is the democrats did -- and i will argue effectively run on what they called the war on women. i think that had resonance. >> just got the information. i love the producers. apparently santorum in the last election, you're smiling because you're remembering this. he talked about the dangers of contraception. >> everybody agrees that if not controlled improperly and health care involvement there can be -- this is why you do need a prescription to get it. here's my question. you want to go down these. >> politicians should vote on the dangers of birth control. you say you don't know where the gender gap came from. >> nobody, including him, ever said anything about banning contraception yet that's what planned parenthood put out. >> i'm sorry. i was a voter and i heard a guy say it's dangerous, i would say he's against it. >> it's a dog whistle in the iowa caucus. >> he won. i know. guess what. republicans use language and want to run away from the clear meaning of the language. >> john has been straight for us. the gender gap is growing. you say it's the democrats' effective use of the issue. what do you say? >> i don't know why the men are opposed to the democrats. >> more socially conservative probably. >> or jobs or economics. >> it's not complicated. steve mcmahon, you like obama. john brabender, you don't. i made my point. up next, president obama's big commitment to bring hope to a group of people who don't have much of it. this is "hardball," the place for politics. kid: hey dad, who was that man? dad: he's our broker. he helps looks after all our money. kid: do you pay him? dad: of course. kid: how much? dad: i don't know exactly. kid: what if you're not happy? does he have to pay you back? dad: nope. kid: why not? dad: it doesn't work that way. kid: why not? vo: are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab it's a big week for primaries and a dangerous week to be an incumbent, especially a republican. today michigan, missouri, kansas and washington state hold primaries in a big fight in kansas where incumbent republican senator pat roberts is facing a tough primary challenge are from tea party republican milton wolf. it could be the tea party's last best chance for a big win this year. polls show roberts ahead. on thursday it's tennessee's turn. incumbent republican senator lamar alexander has eight challenges. that's a good deal. again he's favored to win. on saturday, hawaii holds primaries for senator and governor in the senate race appointed brian schatz. while democrat neil abercrombie over his challenger. max what's going on? 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[cheering] the fastest in-home wifi for your entire family. the x-1 entertainment operating system. only from xfinity. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. we're back. president obama is playing host of course this week to nearly 50 african-american heads of state and government this week in washington. the largest number of leaders of the world to come since kennedy's funeral. the african leaders' summit afre first time an american president in one single conference. the primary goal of the gathering in town is to boost economic partnerships between the nearly 200 american and african businesses also in attendance. today, president obama announced $14 billion in commitments from u.s. companies to get over there and invest in africa. chevron, coca cola, mastercard, marriott, and walmart, making huge investments in expanding their presence into the continent. as a result of the summit, the united states hopes to leave a lasting footprint on the african continent, vastly improve the conditions for its people over there. joining me right now, the united states ambassador to the country of south africa. thank you, patrick, mr. ambassador for having me on tonight. >> why are you thrilled by the chance to represent this country in south africa, the biggest potential in africa economically? >> well, chris, as you know, i was very actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement as a young person coming up. not that long ago i was helping to organize arrests in front of the south african embassy here and always had a profound affinity for the country as you do as well. this moment of inflection for africa, we're seeing more direct investment instead of foreign aid, i thought it was a great opportunity to come and make a marker for our country in south africa. >> let me ask you about african-americans, a lot of whom watch this show. i meet them everywhere. do they have -- is there a growing -- i've always thought there wasn't a great affinity for africa the way there is some people toward their backgrounds, me and the irish, jewish people in israel, europe. is there a gap there? >> i've seen a pronouncedd gap. obviously folks are not entirely sure where they actually came from. we've seen through the genetic projects over the last few years that people have real identity with certain countries in west africa in particular. so we've seen growth in cultural interests and increasingly in business interests as well. there are african-american entrepreneurs making their mark in africa every single day. i talk to all of them who only in through south africa. >> what do you do every day as ambassador or south africa? it's a hell of a job. do you meet with american business guys, african-americans, white americans if you will, i want to drop money over here, do business over here? >> as your mentor tip o'neill always said, take your job seriously, don't take yourself seriously. i have the best job. i work with companies in south america to grow their base, create real community b beneficiation. we have regional interests in peace and security issues and south africa plays a leading role in that. we work to partner with them and encourage the relationship. >> i don't like the way chinese go into africa, we'll build you an airport, we want mineral rights for the next 100 years. they'll take the money, airport, or highway. next thing you know, their entire zinc ore is gone for the next 100 years or gold or oil or gas or whatever, tin. isn't that frightening? that's going on. >> you know, those relationships are extractive. i've heard vice president joe biden say it best. we offer partnership, true partnership, and real training. we've got companies there that are doing actual skills transference on the ground. you should look -- >> the chinese bring their own people in. >> who stay. >> oh, they do stay. >> who stay for years. there's not a transference of those skills and industries to africans. obviously we have to protect and look out for american interests everywhere in the world. but there we're growing jobs -- >> i'm with you on this. i've got to ask you about -- president george w. bush did a great job on pepfar. major cause for everybody in this country which is fighting aids over there. how about ebola? >> we've saved billions of lives. look, with ebola, it's concentrated in about four countries right now. it is contained. centers with disease control with the great leadership are working closely with africans to make sure we bring some much-needed relief and make sure this does not explode. >> what good is going to come out of this summit this week? >> the $14 million commitment that's growing every single day and most importantly we're going to change the narrative and entire conversation on aftrica. everyone is wanting to invest on the ground, grow businesses there. last year, alone, $6 billion was jen raced by ge. you can bet that has an impact in peoria. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> it's great. never heard a better pitch for africa. thank you, ambassador patrick gaspard. very food friegood friend of th president, by the way. you can actually say you know the guy. >> thank you, chris. find more real possibilities at aarp.org/possibilities every time you take advil you're taking the medicine doctors recommend most for joint pain. more than the medicine in aleve or tylenol. the medicine in advil is the number one doctor recommendation for joint pain. relief doesn't get any better than this. advil then boom... what happened? 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[ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ my mom works at ge. where the reward was that what if tnew car smelledit card and the freedom of the open road? a card that gave you that "i'm 16 and just got my first car" feeling. presenting the buypower card from capital one. redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac - with no limits. so every time you use it, you're not just shopping for goods. you're shopping for something great. learn more at buypowercard.com let me finish tonight with africa. when i was there in the 1960s working in small business development in swazilandswazila the strong influence of china and cross roads of tanzania in the '60s. i remember the battle of the posters, propaganda between china and the old u.s.s.r., communists fighting for continent. today china doesn't use propaganda. it makes deals, builds airports and other infrastructure in exchange for future rights to oil, gas, and minerals. it gets a permanent enduring draw on africa's resources in exchange for short-term expenditu expenditure. it buy s africa one deal at a time. african leaders desperate for help are there to make the deal, paying for what they need now with what china will take in the future. take from the very heart of africa. they even bring in their own workers to do the construction jobs. what can the united states offer africa? as an alternativalternative? that's the challenge, isn't it? to me, there's something really important we want in africa. we want the continent to make it. won't it to grow in economic strength and education and health. we want it to be self-reliant and successful. all for the very clear reason that a failed africa will be a frightening place, fall victim to terrorists and killers of wildlife and plague. a failed africa, by the way, will not suffer alone. besides, all of us have been interest. many of us in america have historic roots in africa. if you go far enough back, science informs us, all of