ted nugent says he's a changed man. even his own brother doesn't believe him. he's "outfront" tonight. plus the president says the rich are getting richer. is that the government's problem? and rush limbaugh blames the "the homosexual lobby for bulling the arizona governor on a controversial bill. for real? let's go "outfront." >>> good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. ted nugent says he's a changed man. at least that's what he told me last night in an interview that got a lot of people talking. i confronted him about calling president obama a subhuman mongrel, and his response was pretty shocking. >> live on "erin burnett outfront" cnn, ted nugent remember the alamo, february 24th, 2014. i'm not going to call people names anymore. >> i think that to me, i know you're trying to make slightly light of this, but to me these things are not light at all because in a country you talk about -- >> no, i'm not making light very serious, very serious. >> create more polarization is a horrible thing to do. >> you're right. my

ted nugent says he's a changed man. even his own brother doesn't believe him. plus the president says the rich are getting richer. is it it the government's problem? and rush limbaugh blames the "the homosexual lobby for bulling the arizona governor on a controversial bill. for real? let's go "outfront." >>> good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. ted nugent says he's a changed man. at least that's what he told me last night in an interview that got a lot of people talking. i confronted him about calling president obama a sub human mon grew and his response was pretty shocking. >> live on "erin burnett outfront" cnn, ted nugent remember the alamo, february 24th, be 2014. i'm not going to call people names anymore. >> i think that to me, i know you're trying to make slightly light of this, but to me these things are not light at all because in a country you talk about. >> no, i'm not making light very serious, very serious. >> create more polarization is a horrible thing to do. >> you're right. my children, my brothers

>>> and ted nugent called president obama a subhuman mongrel. so why are some republicans coming to his defense today? >>> and it's the rap i never thought i would see, but i'm glad i did. stay with us. ♪ ♪ go by the code of the doctor of the -- i'll tell you why, you see i'm 6'1" and tons of fun ♪ alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ hi boys! i've made you campbell's chunky new england clam chowder. wow! this is incredible! i know. and now it has more clams! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. what? [ male announcer ] it fills you up right. >>> after the michael dunn verdict, more and more americans are looking at stand your ground. and self-defense law, wonde

. >> greg abbott hit the campaign trail without ted nugent. >> ted nugent. >> ted nugent. >> ted nugent. >> suddenly greg abbott, texas attorney general, republican candidate for governor, has a bit of a ted nugent problem on his hands. earlier this week, when abbott signed up to do a campaign event with ted nugent, i think he thought he was going to get away with it. why else would he invite nugent to appear with him on the first day of early voting in the texas primary? in fact, we even led our program with it tuesday night. seemed to me notable someone running as governor in a state with 26 million people would campaign with a man who recently called the president a subhuman mongrel. but usually politicians get away with it. heck, rick perry campaigned with and has been friends with the guy for years. this week, something broke. greg abbott wasn't getting away with it. suddenly texas republicans were asked to weigh in on ted nugent and that has led to very uncomfortable conversations. >> you know, i think it is a little curious that, to be questioning political folks about rock stars

why does it have to be ted nugent? >> what was the question? >> that was the question. >> so then greg abbott started answering some other questions from a small handful of reporters there. we were told it would be a media event so other reporters asked some questions. i tried to come back to the issue of ted nugent. that's when it got really tense. it ended up with the campaign communication director standing between me and greg abbott, getting in front of our camera. watch that. >> mr. abbott, you could have found a lot of people to talk about gun rights. >> thank you so much. >> mr. abbott. >> i appreciate it. >> you could have found a lot of of people to talk about gun rights. this is not a press conference. you know that's not a press conference. one question is not a press conference. [ inaudible ]. >> we said specifically what we wanted to talk about. >> you asked the question. everybody asked a question. >> that's not a press conference. you know full well. >> it was interesting, the communications director went on to accuse me of ambus

it's not about what ted nugent says. this is a story about how and why ted nugent is being deployed. >> we don't have to question greg abbott's courage because he invited me here today. i am so proud to be here today in denton, texas, to introduce the next governor that will make sure america knows what freedom looks like and it looks like greg abbott. my friend, greg abbott. >> my friend. ted nugent may be proud two sharing the stage with his friend, greg abbott. abbott's campaign isn't so sure. with local news leading with abbott's decision to campaign with nugent, abbott told reporters he was unaware of new gent's past comments and the abbott campaign said in a statement that "while nugent may sometimes say things or use language that greg abbott would not endorse or agree with, we appreciate the support of everyone who supports protecting our constitution." that's the official statement distancing abbott from nugent. the unofficial story comes from this cnn report where a senior abbott aide admits their campaign is o

. >> and i think it's because he understands the context of ted nugent that ted nugent is a cra crazy, outlandish rock star who loves a camera in his face. he says crazy and outlandish things. he's not going to look at him the same as i said yesterday a pastor or pope or police director or politician. you look at democrats and they will sit on stage with rappers and they will sit there with people who make horrific movies, depicting beating women in a movie role and put their arms around them and break bread with him for $2,000 a plate dinner. >> ben -- >> let's look at it from -- >> those are really nice, but the reality -- final words. >> what we're talking about is this situation. if we want to talk about rappers and stuff like that, that's a great discussion, let's have it. at the end of the day, ted cruz and in this case, ted nugent. ve very simple why he wouldn't do it, inflame the people who wouldn't support him. republicans in this situation do not condemn what is, obviously, something that should be condemned. >> i condemned it. >> ted cruz said that he wouldn't relate to it.

abbott, will you give as a chance to clarify on ted nugent? why would you associate yourself with someone who describes a sitting president as a subhuman mongrel? has described female politicians in vile ways? will you use him again in a campaign? >> sorry. >> reporter: and that was it, anderson. so greg abbott simply saying at this point they used ted nugent as a way of pointing out what they believe is wendy davis's flip-flopping on gun issues. and clearly they want this issue to go away. they were not happy we were asking these questions today. >> ed, appreciate it. >>> let's get to the true politics. joined by chief political analyst gloria borger and anna navarro, a republican strategist. >> calling the president of the united states a subhuman mongrel and gangster just last month, should republican candidates like greg abbott hanging out with this guy? >> he said that he did not know that ted nugent had made these remarks. >> he knows now. >> i think it is not hard -- he does now. i think the right thing to do frankly is for him to conde

ted nugent has just stepped in it again. if he had any sense, he would be goose stepping his way away from the cameras and out of the limelight at this point. in the immediate sense, i think, really, the only damage here is to abbott down in texas, because he is the one who is going to be on the ballot. he is the one who is most closely identified here. the nugent problem, look, you can't dismiss nugent as one crazy person who is going to sound off about nazis using nazi terminology himself. the problem is there are several people, several characters along the fringes, not just ted nugent. it's steve king, it's michele bachmann, it's matt bevin. there are a whole bunch of these character let's certainly stipulate that's not the majority of conservatives in america or republicans. the problem is that when they're trying to step away from that image the party has, the trouble that it has with women, the trouble that it has with minorities, the collection of these characters and the slowness to disassociate themselves from thes

so, no, we shouldn't care about ted nugent. what we should care about the stunning lack of judgment and lack of leadership shown by these politicians who want ted nugent to help them win votes. joining me now is karen finney and wayne slater, senior political writer, dallas morning news. thank you for coming on the show. >> thanks. >> karen, what does it say about some gop leaders that they continually cozy up with the man who calls the president a subhuman mongrel and other things? i'm talking about these things now. >> right. you don't have to go back that far. i think what it says is that there is a comfort level with that kind of language and that kind of hatred because they recognize he has an audience, a base of supporters. one of the articles said when they announce that nugent was coming their numbers increase. clearly there is a political reason that they don't feel the need to disassociate themselves with ted nugent. i think the problem becomes how you say a man like that stands up for liberty and freedom and then mak

ted nugent continued on your show. he said if you had the chance to talk to president obama, what would you tell him now. he went off and called him a liar, and called him a idiot before, and so greg abbott was fine having a guy who called the president a liar and other things. the tone of what ted nugent said is no different than what he said before. >> this is what ted said today. he said the president of the united states of america walked out there when people died in benghazi and made up a video about a fake video and made up a story about why the protests happened to cover his rear in the election, and he says that is lying, and even hillary clinton lied, and that's when he talks about being a liar. he said i don't trust him on being stories like that, and put it in the context of that, and it's not like he is saying the governor is a liar, he is specifically talking about that incident and saying i can't trust him -- >> he called him a gangster and idiot and a lot of other things. >> sure, he is a rock star and

it was ted nugent that called abbott his blood brother. i believe i said it the other way around. >> ted nugent called me that, too, because i'm a fellow hunter. so i wouldn't overreact about that. to me, why do you associate with a guy like that? >> paul, i've got to say -- >> ben, how many guns do you have? >> five or six. >> you're telling me that a democrat is 16 and a republican is five or six. >> paul begala has been known to have some fuzzy math out there. >> when he said that number, i had to ask you. >> come to my house, brother. i'll show you all 20. >> thank you very much, both of you. >>> still to come, a white man fired a gun into an suv full of black teenagers. some think he may have gotten away with murder. tonight, we hear from a juror about what happened in that room. and is kate upton so hot she can defy gravity? jeanne moos has that story. change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy.

on the other hand, ted nugent can be loud and shocking. but with the proper audience, he can be enormously popular and that carries a political punch. ♪ the motor city madman is making plenty of people furious with voters who allow -- >> a communist chicago raised subhuman mongrel like barack hussein obama to weasel his way into the top seat. >> reporter: describing jews in that same interview, nugent invoked a racial slur using the word chimpanzee, an apparent reference to the president. >> i think america will be america again when barack obama, eric holder, hillary clinton, dick durbin, michael bloomberg, and all of the liberal democrats are in jail. >> my friend, greg abbott. >> reporter: yet, none of that stopped gubernatorial candidate greg abbott from welcoming nugent to the campaign trail. a move that wendy davis quickly called an insult to every texan and repulsive. >> it's offensive. deeply offensive to voters. but his support of the second amendment, for at least some republican base voters is so strong it trumps all of that.

ted nugent. he's now "outfront." ted, great to have you with us. i want to get to tissue of whether you apologized or not. you were on ben ferguson's radio show and you said, i do apologize, not necessarily to@. people got upset on twitter to say that was not a real apology. ben asked you again, specifically are you apologizing to the president of the united states, you said yes. a lot of people still say you didn't apologize. did you mean it? >> erin, can you see me? >> i can see you, ted. >> all right. i can't see you, so i'm at a great disadvantage because i glow and i know you do, too. erin, come on, you have this english language down really well. i bet you understand that the question is, do you apologize and i answer yes. you don't really have to ask that question again, do you? >> well, i just wanted to know because a lot of people felt that the first opportunity when you said, well, not necessarily to the president, but you know a lot of people picked up on that. so i wanted to give you

>>> response to our interview with ted nugent. will the texas gubernatorial candidate ever campaign with nugent, again? he answered. let's go "outfront." >>> good evening, everyone. i'm a i'm erin burnett. the president launching an initiative, one very personal to him, about young men as color. the president actually talked about growing up without a father figure. >> i didn't have a dad in the house. and i was angry about it, even though i didn't necessarily realize it at the time. i made bad choices. i got high without always thinking about the harm it could do. i didn't always take school as seriously as i should have. i made excuses. after i was finished the guy sitting next to me said, are you talking about you? i said, yeah. and the point was i could see myself in these young men. and the only difference is that i grew up in an environment that was a little bit more forgiving. >> the new initiative that the president is launching is called my brother's keeper. founations and businesses that now pledge to donate $200 million

>>> ted nugent is finally here. last week he was booked on the show and we wanted to ask him about his now infamous comment calling president obama a subhuman mongrel. as you know, nugent canceled on us, but we still wanted to do this interview. here's why ted nugent's words have gotten attention. he's politically vocal. and his support is seen as a big win for gop candidates, even those running for president. here's what mitt romney's son tweeted during the election, ted nugent endorsed my dad today. ted nugent? how cool is that? he joins kid rock as great detroit musicians on team mitt. steve stockman appeared with many big named republicans and performed for texas governor rick perry's inauguration in 2007. he was on the board of the nra, a position voted on by some of the organization's members, which are more than 4 million americans. he's delivered speeches at the nra annual conventions and, of course, all of you know him as the rocker ted nugent. he's now "outfront." ted, great to have you with us. i want to

ted nugent calls the president a subhuman mongrel. let's go "out front." >>> good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. breaking news. military forces and ukraine on the move ready to defend bases and weapons depots. there is word of a truce after bloody and violent clashes in kiev. how fragile is this? take a listen. that was the scene less than 24 hours ago in kiev. as you can see, this violence and bloodshed has been incredibly difficult could control. 26 people have been killed since the government's decision to align with russia instead of the west. president obama made it clear where the united states stands. >> we hold the government primarily responsible for making sure that it is dealing with peaceful protestors in an appropriate way, that the ukrainian people are able to assemble and speak freely about their interests without fear of repression. we'll be monitoring very carefully the situation recognizing that along with our our r european partners that there rb consequences. >> the secretary of state john kerry said the unit

. >> james, ted nugent is one thing. but aren't there plenty of right wing politicians whose views are nearly as extreme? >> absolutely, rev. we've seen the e-mails from certain congress people circulated about this president. we've seen joe wilson in a state of the union address refer to this president as a liar or say that he lies. we've seen this kind of rhetoric coming from multiple people there. but the reality is, rev, is that the policies match the rhetoric. and so, you know, you can't talk about a mongrel and say that's it not about race. by definition, calling someone a mongrel is about a racial epithet. but when you look at the sort of terms of reference a host to a woman who is pregnant, that sort of speaks to the policies that republicans favor in terms of women. when you look at the congress person who called or referred to latino immigrants as wetbacks, that reflects the kind of policies that they want to have represent to immigration. and when you look at terms like mongrel, that reflects the ways in which

if he is good enough for ted nugent, he's good enough for me. that's from sarah palin. how is that going to play in texas? >> it's going to play great. the truth of the matter is -- and there is, as i mentioned before, something a big dark about this -- there is a portion of the electorate, very conservative, second amendment, anti-abortion rights people on the republican right and the republican primary who think sarah palin is wonderful, who think ted nugent is wonderful, and who frankly think this whole thing is nothing. so -- the republican right. >> ted nugent is also firing back at cnn's coverage of all of this as well. he's sent out a couple tweets here in the last day or so saying, "cnn, joseph geshls, the propaganda minister for nazi germany and hitler, propaganda ministry mongrels. wolf blitzer is a journalist and i'm a gay pirate from cuba. there's your halloween costume. >> thank you very much. good reporting from all of you. >>> up next, an american base hit by an american bomb. we have a gripping piece of video of a major military mistake. the day we rescu

ted nugent lives here much. he talks here. he's a fixture of some republican local republican events. so he knows. and the politics of this is crazy, it seems to me. if you analyze the race. abbott is likely to win the republican nomination, the front runner to win the election in november. and so you wonder, wendy davis needs to attract a great number of democrat-based voters, plus a lot of women, ann richards in 1990 got 60% of the vote. wendy davis has to do the same thing. this is the kind of language the davis camp understands could absolutely cause a problem with the moderate, suburban women voters and others who won't find it funny or find it terribly offensive. and frankly, i don't understand the politics of having him on stage with greg abbott. >> yeah, i suspect they're going to be running away from him fairly soon. but we'll see. we'll see what happens and you'll monitor it for us as you do all things political in the great state of texas. wayne, thanks very much for joining us. >>> and later this hour, a defector f

he didn't denounce anything that ted nugent had said. i think this really goes at the issue of abbot's character and his judgment that he would appear with someone who is so divisi divisive. actually, there was a dallas morning news article that said that this is actually -- abbott's given texas voters reasons to doubt him. >> i think that's absolutely right. there was a cover of his 2007 album "love grenade" featuring a naked tied up woman on a food platter with a grenade in her mouth. it's so offensive we can't even show it. so robert, my question to you is, it strikes me that the voters who would be attracted to that -- you can say it's about second amendment gun rights, but that sounds like a dog whistle to me. but the people who would be attracted to come to an event with greg abbott with ted nugent, if greg abbott doesn't already have those voters in the pocket, he has much bigger problems. so why do this? >> that's why this has been such a subject of perplexity among the texas political world, karen. because you're right. he's got

what do you think of all the commotion with ted nugent in your state? stand by and we'll discuss that in a moment. >> most telephonely. [ male announcer ] there is no substitute for experience. for what reality teaches you firsthand. in the face of danger, and under the most demanding circumstances. experience builds character. experience builds confidence. and experience... has built this. introducing the 2014 glk. the engineering and the experience of mercedes-benz. see your authorized dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. cozy or cool "meow" or "woof"? exactly the way you want it ... until boom! your mattress a battleground of thwarted desire. enter the sleep number bed. an innovative design that lets couples sleep together in individualized comfort. he's the softy: his sleep number setting is 35. you're the rock, at 60. as your needs change, you can adjust your sleep number bed, so you can sleep better together. visit one of our 425 stores for the the largest closeout event of the year with 50% savings on innovation

he's campaigning with ted nugent. ted has been a factor politically for a long time. most candidates have kept him at arm's length. >> another issue, certainly hot button. why is abbott campaigning the second amendment? is there effort to repeal it in texas that we don't know about making it a hot button had you? >>my god, i would be shocked in at all places texas there were a repeal movement. when you talk about what motivates a primary voter, there's nothing better than guns, maybe abortion. he's probably talking abortion as well. those are the issues that strive people who are the hard core registered in the primary process to come out and vote. i suspect and we can revisit in six months it will be a completely different set of issues and focus come general election time. >> grabbing a lot of headlines. thanks very much on the second amendment about the president's comments. speaking to us by satellite. >> thank you. >>> ahead this hour u he accuses fellow republicans of trickery. senator cruz says he is not the problem, they are. dana bash goes one on one with cru

they had about 100 rsvps before they invited ted nugent. it is 300 after they invited ted nugent. they know it is controversial, the things he is saying, not just that but many other things. they say he is a draw and that's why they are doing it. >> pretty candid. as cynical as it is, at least it is candid. >> they aren't backing off at all. i have been watching the tweets coming from his campaign. they are very, very proud of this. they are promoting it. the democrats in texas are jumping all over this. the democratic party chairman responded, texans deserve better than a state-wise candidate running for governor who welcomes ted nugent and his repugnant comments. abbott is defending it saying is a forceful advocate for constitutional rights, specially the second amendment. let me ask about the democrats here. this is a very charged election right now. it looks like it will be wendy davis up against greg abbott, the attorney general. gender issues very much at the center of this campaign. >> right. there are two things you have to do to win high public office in texas. that's kno

>>> and later, a dallas newspaper denouncing ted nugent as a racist. that doesn't stop him from stumping for a republican candidate and running for governor in texas. to quote from whitman, "you are here." "that life exists and identity." "that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse." "that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse." what will your verse be? being carried in your arms... but after a morning spent in the caribbean, playing pirates with you in secret coves, an afternoon swimming with dolphins, finished with a movie watched against the setting sun... she won't exactly be short on memories. princess cruises, come back new. ♪ [ car alarm chirps ] ♪ [ male announcer ] we don't just certify our pre-owned vehicles. we inspect, analyze, and recondition each one, until it's nothing short of a genuine certified pre-owned mercedes-benz for the next new owner. [ car alarm chirps ] hurry in to the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. visit today for exceptional offers. ♪ >>> right now, a showdown in

nugent is saying to her advantage, and she has a fund-raising e e-mail out there, and ted nugent call abbott his blood brother, but i call their alliance disgusting, and i find it disgusting that greg abbott is sharing a stage with him. >> well, she is not being a help to republicans at all at least at this point, and so the idea that it is going on to backfire, no, he is not being helpful, and he should apologize. >> i want to go back to what was just said, because tim scott is african-american and i dealt with j.c. watts, and this is not just racial, but it is a degradation to the political discourse that both are taking sides to. and some republicans are doing it, and clearly some democrats are doing it, but we have to figure out a way to go to the level of discourse, and going to your point, crowds should not with going to listen to ted nugent, but going to listen to the candidate and the ideas, and that is what political elections are about. >> and also, sarah palin came to endorse greg abbott, and what do you feel about that? >> the less time i can talk about sarah palin, the be

abbott deeply regrets bringing ted nugent on. i take it at his word that he may not have known the previous comments made. >> when did he begin to be -- did he begin to regret it at 11:00 last night? when did the regret set in? >> as soon as somebody said it. i heard that he is a thoroughly decent guy. had someone said everybody loves ted nugent and so they brought him on. >> what do they mean this guy has courage because he brought me in here. he was chuckling about the fact he made offensive comments. >> i think it was a terrible mistake. >> you say it is a mistake. >> i think republicans have a problem in associating themselves with people like nugent. he is one of a kind surely. there are people who do certain things, say certain things and represent certain things that they still invite to the table and they need to separate themselves. >> you have to figure out where to draw the line. texas is packed with these people. this guy elected congressman, they will not say the president was legitimately elected. rafael cruz, texas

ted nugent is not the only one. but, yes, the position on benghazi, many people feel the way he does to be sure, but you can't debate it this way. you can't brick ugliness -- bring ugliness into it and this should be the bottom. your take. >> i agree with you. i think ted nugent, i said, look are you going to stop using it because it seems to be marge liezing the opinion. >> he said, yes, i'm going to stick more to the issues and not to the name calling. the big take away is, can you debate politics without getting personal and nasty and the answer is we should be. i think both sides can learn from this and realize you can have a grand debate, but as soon as you start using name calling, that you're stupid or an idiot, that is when we lose, i think, trying to move forward on these issues. i bet you money, moving forward, ted nugent will probably never say things like this again. i think he's learned from that. he also told me i'll never use the terminology sub human mongrel ever again. he, like many others, didn't r

>>> ted nugent said some of the most vile things you can imagine about president obama. and then he was embraced by some powerful leaders in the gop. but some republicans are speaking out. that's next. [ male announcer ] legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. >>> tonight some republicans are finally coming forward to denounce ted nugent, even as he himself issues the worst kind of phony apology. the controversy exploded this week when the republican candidate for governor in texas invited nugent to campaign with him. despite these recent comments about the president. >> a chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel like the a.c.o.r.n. community organizer gangster barack hussein obama. >> that kind of talk has no place in our political debate, and no elected official should associate himself with those vi

there's a reason ted nugent, people listen to him. he has been fighting passionately for second amendment rights. >> would you campaign with ted nugent. >> i haven't yet and i'm going to avoid engaging in hypotheticals. >> so he's not going there. clearly he doesn't appear to know ted nugent well, unlike other politicians here in texas because he is such a staple on the political scene here. kate and chris, one of the reasons i wanted to bring this up with him is because the controversy it sparked kind of is -- frankly, it's disturbing the kind of things he said and the reason why the gubernatorial candidate asked him to campaign is because he understands that he's a popular person, not despite the kinds of comments, controversial comments that nugent made. but even because of those comments here in the lone star state with many in the republican base. and so it really does go to the heart of why politics is broken because these kinds of comments in some parts of the elect rora are applauded and it helps some candidates. >> the defini

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. >>> and ted nugent shooting from the lip, taking aim at the president. many republicans now shying away from him. cnn political director mark preston has more on that. good morning. >> good morning. nugent himself is under fire from conservatives and republicans for these very strong comments he made about the president. more coming up after the break. transferred money from his before larry instantly bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business for "not offering a 401k." larry knew the importance of preparing for retirement. that's why when the time came he counted on merrill edge to streamline his investing and help him plan for the road ahead. that's the power of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america. it says here that increases at the age of 80. helps reduce the risk of heart disease. keep heart-healthy. live long. eat the 100% goodness of post shredded wheat.

ted nugent said he's sorry. did he really? he called the president subhuman and more presicily a subhuman mongrel. his words caught fire and given conservative leanings, they brought pressure on certain republicans to condemn him. here's ted nugent with the radio show. >> subhuman mongrel is a derogatory term. most people agree with that. did you cross the line by calling the president of the united states of america that and if you saw barack obama, would you apologize to him for saying that about him? >> yes, i would. i did cross the line. i do apologize. not necessarily to the president, but on behalf of much better men than myself like the best governor in america, rick perry. the best -- >> rick perry by the way is one of the republicans who actually denounced slurs against the president. ben ferguson joins me now. that was a powerful interview. listen, was that an apology? it doesn't sound like an apology. here's an apology. an apology is ben, i'm sorry. that's an apology. >> it's also ted nugent. i doubt he will stay i'

speak out against this language of ted nugent? do you think more should. >> i have seen columnist and editorial writers take fierce stands. there's no doubt when you call somebody a subhuman mongrel, that's a dog whistle with braces and in a -- in a republican party that needs especially in texas to reach out to the minority community and growing minority community, ands in a governor's race where the suburban woman will be an important vote this was a huge misstep and that's one of the reasons that got so much attention. this was a fail. >> in one of your stories you quote greg abbott saying i don't think there's anyone in the state disliked more than barack obama. shifting attention away from news than barack obama. do you see any signs that the campaign regrets the appearance with -- the appearances with nugent? backtracking at all from this? >> quietly they feel like that it was a mistake. at the same time, we're texas. we like to say that and things happen big here and the truth of the matter is, politics in texas has always

. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> right now, ted nugent apologizes. he says he crossed the line when he called the president of the united states a sub human mongrel. >>> also right now, a peace deal reached in the ukraine. the president and the opposition agreeing to the terms. now the world watches and waits to see if the deal will really hold. >>> and right now, new information coming in about al qaeda in syria. the group may be recruiting americans to carry out attacks right here on u.s. soil. >>> hello, i'm wolf blitzer, reporting from washington. a surprising apology today from ted nugent for calling president obama a sub human mongrel. was he sincere? you can judge for yourself. here's what he told conservative radio talk show host, ben ferguson, just a short time ago. >> sub human mongrel -- is a derogatory term. most people agree with that. did you cross the line by calling the president of the united states of america that, and if you saw barack obama, would you apologize to him for saying that about him? >> yes, i would. i did cross the lin

and the meaning, if any, of ted nugent's not-quite-apology. our panel takes it on. >> what i feel about slavery, integration. >> scandals. black oscar nominations for filmmakers but he yearns for the colorblind casting call. this is "state of the union." >>> good morning, i'm candy crowley in washington. we will get to our governors in a moment but first to a historic change sweeping ukraine right now. a president ousted, a prominent opposition leader free, and a political landscape altered, all after a deadly week of clashes. ukraine media says this surveillance video shows the country's president, viktor yanukovych, fleeing the capital of kiev. his political archrival, ukraine's former prime minister, has been freed from prison. there are so many questions now, maybe some of them unanswerable. cnn's phil black is on the ground in kiev for us. phil, let me take advantage of your background covering moscow and russia for us. we haven't heard from putin. i cannot imagine that the ouster of the president is something that he is going to stay qui

they have to deal with a lot of figures like ted nugent this year. but at least for republicans this was not a candidate making these kind of statements. this was a surrogate. >> when you have silence, that is also an endorsement of what you are saying. and for greg abbott not to have stood up and not to have recognized that this was as despicable language as it was really speaks volume and people will look to his character. ted nugent not only speaks for texas, he speaks to those whoed a here to the second amendment issue. they'll use this as a foil nationally so it does have some implications. >> it also brings up the question, what are you responsible for as a candidate? >> right. you were saying they happened to be campaigning together. that was abbott's choice. right? he tied himself to knew gept and he didn't i think strongly and forcefully enough repudiate his comments and i think he could have done that and still had a strong position. i think he's had had a very good couple of months here, largely because davis is not a particularly strong c

and ted nugent is a mark on that. and ted cruz's refusal to distance himself from that is cowardice in my view. i felt rand paul standing up to the contrast is quite refreshing. i don't like the generalizations, all republicans are terrible. they like ted nugent, they're crazy. good on rand paul for distinguishing himself. and we need, frankly, a lot more republicans who stand up to the ted nug enents who have vitriol rhetoric. >> let's talk about arizona and the new bill passed by the legislature. and full disclosure. you're an official of super pac fund candidate who support same-sex marriage. governor brewer will sign or veto the bill that allows businesses to refuse businesses to someone or a group based on religious beliefs. the governor herself, a former business owner has said she doesn't believe, i'm quoting her believe that it needs to be statutory in my life or my business. if i don't want to do business or don't want to deal with a particular person or company, i'm not interested. that's america. that's fre

. >>> also, think the gop's ted nugent problem was over? think again. he's got some new comments about nazi germany that should have republican leaders very worried. stay with us. this is interesting.

nugent representing the republican party on television doesn't represent the republican party but to dream represent some conservative perspectives and we're not going to call all the people that said bush equals hitler and all. the swastikas that were placed because they opposed his position on iraq we're not going to have that discussion and when i'm going to condemn those people i don't want to add this to them in america if you don't like the president you can call it whatever name you want that's all right i'm not a republican so i can frankly care what ted nugent said but i do have to say this month's bill maher tells amy bar this i mean all these people they called sarah palin talk about her so special needs son and now all of a sudden we're going to lift up this moral standard because ted nugent's it's about the president come on now i mean you talk about say you are your argument as both sides do it so both sides do right martha and small number rubble after the break. we welcome there nathan abby martin two of the two if we close on the our team network. it's going to give

in texas takes heat for campaigning with ted nugent, the musician who called president obama a subhuman mongrel. more on that ahead. [ female announcer ] most of the time it's easy to know which option is better. other times, not so much. so it's good to know that mazola corn oil has 4 times more cholesterol blocking plant sterols than olive oil. and a recent study found that it can help lower cholesterol 2 times more. take care of those you love and cook deliciously. mazola makes it better. instead of paying too much for an ipad, i got the surface 2. first of all, it comes with office and outlook. then, with free skype calls to phones in over 60 countries, i can talk to my cousins any time. and then, i got 200 gigs of cloud storage -- free -- so i can get my photos and stuff almost anywhere. others charge for that. surface is such a great deal. i feel like i should tell somebody. hey! ♪ honestly ♪ i want to see you be brave

>>> and it looks like ted nugent just can't get enough of comparing president obama to guess what? the nazis. he is at it again, just days after making that arm-twisted apology of his. this is "hardball," the place for politics. i'm looking forward to...

then ted nugent campaigned for one of the republican candidates for governor in texas. rand paul tweeted ted nugent's derogatory description of president obama is of offensive and has no place in politics. he should apologize. what's he trying to do? >> he's trying to demonstrate that his outreach efforts to the african-american community are legit and that when somebody who's popular with many conservatives says something that's offensive, he will actually speak out. >> we have he's heard this now for the last couple of leaks. each side trying to get the "authentic" card. usually when you say that, it is because you're not. in rand paul's case this is where he is. he's going to be on all of these different issues not easily put into a box, whether it is on restoring felons' rights to vote, whether it's on drug minimum sentencing. and he's just going to call it like he sees it. >> keep in mind that rick perry that same day also denounced mr. nugent's comments. i think rand was seeing a potential rival out there so he hopped on board, too. >> we're giving people credit f

he would not disavow ted nugent. a couple of weeks ago he called president obama, quote, a subhuman mongrel. sarah palin has endorsed abbott. she says, if he's good enough for ted nugent, he's good enough for me. there are some people who fling around the word racism way too often but when you call a mixed race blackman a subhuman mongrel, that's racism. governor palin, i want you to know something. my kids are mixed race. they're not subhuman, they're not mongrels, and no republican leader should do any name-calling. you're a mom. we expect more than that. you can go to facebook or twitter. do you agree with secretary of state's assertion -- kerry's assertion that the climate change is perhaps the most fierce some weapon of mass destruction 567892% say yes, 48% say no. i think that's where the country is on this type of stuff. >> what do you think? >> on kerry's assertion? >> and the country's reaction to it? >> that's one of the reasons the secretary of state has to speak out about these things. they have to let th

my blood brother. >> well, thank you, ted nugent, a fighter for freedom in this country. >> joining me now, a texan and author and contributing writer for "the new york times" magazine, robert draper. well, robert, first, let me start -- before we get into wendy davis. >> sure. zoo you're a texans, and you wrote it in this way, you said texan are very proud, and expect texas-based campaigns. are either davis or abbott running a texas-based campaign yet? >> not a very competent one, that's for sure. for one thing, i guess greg abbott can be excused for basically, you know, playing very much the front-runner. this is an unforced error, this business of wedding himself to -- >> and prompted -- now two biggest endorsers are ted nugent and sarah palin. is that really -- >> no, this is a guy -- he's not facing primary opposition, you know, to speak of, so he could be playing towards the center. this is who greg abbott is, a very, very conservative guy, much more so than rick perry, but he's been largely staying quiet, as expected of a front-runner. it's davis who's had to run, you know, a ve

i'll note there's a reason people listen to ted nugent. he has been fighting passionately for second amendment rights. >> would you campaign with ted nugent? >> i haven't yet. i'm going to avoid engaging in hypotheticals. >> the man dana mentioned running for governor. he invited ted nugent to campaign with him in texas this week. >>> we're keeping an eye on severe weather moving. we've been saying this over and over. the fact is tornados are possible today from the great lakes south to the gulf coast. the areas of greatest concern there on your map. talking alabama, kentucky, mississippi and tennessee. sadly once that front moves through, more freezing winter weather is coming right behind it. >> back to our top story. gunfire shatters a fragile truce in ukraine leaving bodies in the square. there are reports of 100 dead. this is a tug of war of east and west. protestors want ukraine to ally more with the european union and not russia. >> there are developments minute by minute. leaders are discussing possible sanctions against ukraine. t