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The Syllabus: What you need to know for the June 8 'MHP'

President Obama showed some real swagger this week.
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

President Obama showed some real swagger this week. First, he nominated three judges to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, the second highest court in the land despite GOP protestation and filibuster threats; he promoted Susan Rice to National Security Advisor, a position that needs no Senate confirmation; he nominated the self-proclaimed “genocide chick,” Samantha Power, to replace Rice as UN Ambassador;  and in California today, he reaffirmed the value of the Affordable Care Act. On Saturday’s Melissa Harris-Perry, we will discuss even more changes soon to descend upon Washington in light of the upcoming mid-term elections. Melissa will discuss the traditional pattern of the mid-terms and how perhaps we have been projecting their outcomes all wrong.

Of course, we would be remiss not to discuss the gusto shown this week by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand at the hearing on sexual assault in the military, and by First Lady Michelle Obama this week when she looked a heckler in the face and threatened to walk out of a fundraiser.

On Monday, Melissa took a trip to the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh to cover a new wave of NAACP protests known as "Moral Mondays." The rallies, which tend to culminate in arrests of young, old, and even wheelchair-bound protestors, are the brainchild of North Carolina NAACP President Rev. William Barber, who is striving to bring an end to what he calls ultra-conservative extreme legislation being passed by the North Carolina legislature. The new laws span from voter ID laws to massive budget cuts that will have effects on unemployment, Medicaid and education. We will dedicate our 11:00 hour to Melissa’s trip where she interviewed Rev. Barber, protestors and law makers.

Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10:00am ET on msnbc! Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.