NBC News MSN

Society/Civil Liberties

The CBO report may be a boon to the chances of the Gang of 8's immigration reform bill.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

CBO report: Immigration bill cuts deficit by $197 billion over 10 years

A newly released CBO report bolsters the arguments in favor of the Senate's immigration reform bill. Read More

More From Civil Liberties

Outside the Ninth Circuit Court of appeals gay rights supporters waited for the ruling that ultimately affirmed Vaughn Walkers ruling of Proposition 8 being unconstitutional. (Photo by Jason Doiy)

Why the civil rights struggle is like the LGBT struggle

In the latest installment of Reply Al, Rev. Sharpton responded to a viewer, explaining how discrimination must be fought no matter what form it comes in. Read More

Outside the Ninth Circuit Court of appeals gay rights supporters waited for the ruling that ultimately affirmed Vaughn Walkers ruling of Proposition 8 being unconstitutional. (Photo by Jason Doiy)

Steve Kornacki hosts Google+ Hangout On Air: DOMA/Prop 8

Tune in here Wednesday at 12:15pm ET, where Kornacki--joined by two of the plaintiffs challenging Prop 8, among others--will lead a discussion examining the political implications of these cases from both sides of the aisle. Read More

A vacant Housing and Urban Development (HUD) home is pictured in North Las Vegas, Nevada April 2, 2013. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Reuters)

Same-sex couples face housing discrimination, new study shows

A report released Tuesday found that same-sex couples experience less favorable treatment than heterosexual couples in the online rental housing market. Read More

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) listens during Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke's appearance before a committee hearing on "The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress." in Washington February 26, 2013. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES  - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS HEADSHOT)

Menendez: Immigration bill will pass by July 4th

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat, called for the United States to take swift action in Syria and shared concerns surrounding NSA leaks. Read More

President Barack Obama.  (Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Does Obama really ‘welcome debate’ on his national security policies?

It's unclear why Obama's public remarks on transparency are so frequently at odds with his actions. Transparency advocates still hope the administration's promises will be followed up by real disclosure. Read More

Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 summit on June 17, 2013.   AFP PHOTO / JEWEL SAMAD        (Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)

The Company Memo: Tuesday, June 18, 2013

President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin are still far apart on how to end the more than two year old civil war in Syria, but conversations continue Tuesday at the G8 summit. Seven of the eight member nations agree Assad must go. Read More

Vice President Biden speaks about gun legislation at the White House in Washington on April 9, 2013. (File photo by Charles Dharapak/AP)

Biden warns opponents of gun legislation ‘will pay a political price’

Looking to revive the stalled gun control movement, Vice President Biden hosted an event at the White House on Tuesday with gun safety groups in attendance. Read More

President Obama at the G-8 Summit in Belfast, Northern Ireland on June 17, 2013. (Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)

Obama continues defense of NSA programs

The president in a PBS interview defended the surveillance program, rejected comparisons to former Vice President Cheney, and said the government must "go to a judge, show probably cause." Read More

Marcos German Domingues of Massachusetts stands with his dogs Sophia, left, and Georg, right, in front of the Supreme Court in Washington,  (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Chris Hayes answers your questions on DOMA/Prop 8

Tune in right here Tuesday at 12:15pm ET, where Chris--joined by NBC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pete Williams, activist Zach Wahls, and members of the LGBT community--will discuss how the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality will affect YOU. Read More

Television host Giuliana Rancic looks on as Miss Utah Marissa Powell answers a question from a judge during the interview portion of the 2013 Miss USA pageant on June 16, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Miss USA contestants on current events

With six finalists remaining in Las Vegas's Miss USA competition, it was time for the much-anticipated Q&A portion. Read More

This photo provided by The Guardian Newspaper in London shows Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency, on Sunday, June 9, 2013, in Hong Kong. The Guardian identified Snowden as a source for its reports on intelligence programs after he asked the newspaper to do so on Sunday. (Photo by The Guardian/AP Photo)

Snowden: It’s an ‘honor’ to be called a traitor by Dick Cheney

"Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American," Snowden told Guardian readers Monday. Read More

An interview of Edward Snowden by the South China Morning Post newspaper and a website supporting Snowden in Hong Kong are displayed on a computer screen in Hong Kong on June 12, 2013. (Photo by  Bobby Yip/Reuters)

Snowden speaks: Cheney calling him a traitor is ‘highest honor’

"Ask yourself: if I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn't I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now," Snowden said in The Guardian Q&A Monday. Read More

AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach, File

Are cell phones the new Black Box?

Cell phones could become the latest piece of forensic evidence in traffic accidents if one New Jersey lawmaker gets his way. Read More

President Barack Obama on May 28, 2013.  (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Poll: Obama’s approval ratings dive amid surveillance controversy

After two months of controversies, the president's approval rating is taking a hit, particularly with two of his stalwart support groups. Read More

n_mhp_footnote_130616

Why your DNA is a civil rights issue

In his Footnote, "MHP" guest host Ari Melber slammed the recent Supreme Court decision that will give law enforcement the power to search, seize DNA, and use it to track citizens in a database--even if they have never committed a crime. Read More

Army Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency (NSA) is surrounded by photographers after arriving at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing June 12, 2013. The committee heard testimony on Cyber-security from Gen. Keith Alexander and other government officials.  (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Lawmakers have NSA on the membrane

Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Democratic Senator Mark Udall of Colorado sparred over the role of the NSA in preventing terrorism on Meet the Press Sunday. Read More

Abigail Fisher, the Texan involved in the University of Texas affirmative action case, and Edward Blum, who runs a group working to end affirmative action, walk outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012.

The Syllabus: What you need to know for the June 16 ‘MHP’

We're still waiting on Supreme Court decisions that may change the modern landscape of civil rights in America. Guest host Ari Melber will be back to discuss this and several other topics Sunday at 10am ET on MSNBC! Read More

File Photo: House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution Chairman Trent Franks (R-AZ) holds a hearing about H.R.3, the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill February 8, 2011 in Washington, DC. This was Franks' first hearing as chairman and said that abortion is the killing of "innocent, unborn children" and that America is the home of a massive genocide. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, File)

House abortion ban now includes rape exception

After reopening wounds that party leaders in the Republican Party had hoped were sewn up, GOP Rep. Trent Franks is now slowly retreating on his bill to ban abortions nationwide after 20 weeks. Read More

amy hagstrom

Abortion access on the chopping block in Texas

Texas is likely to join Wisconsin and Ohio as the latest states to place new restrictions on women's access to reproductive care. Read More