The Last Word with Lawrence O' Donnell Season 2016 Episode 116 July 28, 2016

The Last Word with Lawrence O' Donnell is a political news and opinion show on MSNBC. This episode, which aired on July 28, 2016, covered a wide range of current events and topics.

The show began with an analysis of the speeches given the night before at the Democratic National Convention. Lawrence O' Donnell discussed how the speeches from Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, and President Obama were all focused on attacking Donald Trump, but in very different ways. O' Donnell praised the effectiveness of each speech and highlighted the stark contrast between the positive vision presented by the Democrats and the fear-based rhetoric of the Republican nominee.

The first segment of the show then focused on the ongoing scandal involving the Democratic National Committee's leaked emails. O' Donnell discussed the fallout from the revelations that the DNC seemed to be actively working against Senator Bernie Sanders during the primaries. He emphasized that it was essential for the Democratic Party to unite and move forward in order to defeat Trump in the general election.

The show then shifted to a discussion of Trump's recent comments urging Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton's email server and the subsequent outcry from both Democrats and Republicans. O' Donnell criticized Trump for his lack of understanding of the seriousness of cyber attacks and praised the bipartisan response condemning his remarks.

The next segment focused on the issue of police brutality and the recent deaths of black men at the hands of law enforcement. O' Donnell interviewed several guests, including a retired African American police officer and a civil rights activist, to discuss the root causes of the problem and potential solutions. The discussion was thoughtful and insightful, with the guests offering a variety of perspectives and suggestions for how to address the issue.

The final segment of the show was a conversation with the historian Heather Cox Richardson about the current state of the Republican Party. Richardson argued that Trump's rise to the top of the Republican ticket was not a fluke, but rather the result of a long-standing trend within the GOP. She traced the history of the party and showed how its current platform is a far cry from the Republican Party of the past. The conversation was fascinating and shed light on the larger context of the current election.

Overall, this episode of The Last Word with Lawrence O' Donnell was informative and engaging, covering a wide range of topics with depth and nuance. O' Donnell's guests added valuable perspective and insight, while his own commentary was always sharp and incisive. The show provided a compelling analysis of the news of the day and helped viewers understand the larger context of the issues facing the country in the lead-up to the 2016 election.