MSNBC is excited to premiere its new "Lean Forward" ad featuring Up w/ Chris Hayes host, Chris Hayes. The theme of the ad is addressing the issue of climate change, one that Chris calls "the biggest governing challenge I think we've ever faced."

Watch as Chris rides his bike through New York City and shares his vision. Then join us every Saturday and Sunday morning from 8-10AM ET on MSNBC for Up w/ Chris Hayes.

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

On Saturday morning Chris and his guests discussed the lack of efforts by the Federal Reserve to help the economy and the asymmetrical pressure it's receiving from Republicans and Democrats. Also, they talked about President Bill Clinton's comments last week about the fight over the Bush tax cuts and Mitt Romney's career at Bain Capital. Plus, a discussion about a new study that shows racial polarization has intensified since the inauguration of President Obama.

Joining Chris were:
- Jonathan Alter (@jonathanalter), MSNBC political analyst
- Betsey Stevenson (@BetseyStevenson), former chief economist in the Obama Labor Department
- Karl Smith (@ModeledBehavior), assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Dedrick Muhammad (@DedrickM), senior director of the Economic Department at the NAACP
- Peter Schiff, former economic adviser to Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign
- Michael Tesler, professor of political science at Brown University

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

Chris's first book Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy will be available starting Tuesday, June 12. His publishers at Crown are hosting a video chat with Chris on Wednesday June 13 at Noon ET where he'll be answering your questions!

The chat will be available on Spreecast or you can watch it here in the embedded window. We also suggest the checklist below to improve your experience:

• Sign up for a free Spreecast account at www.spreecast.com. You'll be able to watch the video portion of the chat without creating an account, but to ask a question or participate in the comment section you'll need to log in.

• Download the latest version of your browser and the latest version of Adobe Flash to participate in the text portion of the chat.

• Ask Chris a question by clicking on the “Comment or Question” button at the bottom right of the video screen once the chat begins.

So mark your calendars and join us Wednesday June 13 at Noon ET!

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

What local or national stories caught your eye this week?

Submit your ideas to "Up" and we may feature your story suggestion during Saturday's Now We Know.

To submit your story ideas:

1) Email us at upwithchris@msnbc.com with a subject line "Now We Know", or post a comment below.
2) Include link(s) to the story so we can verify authenticity.
3) Be sure to tell us how you'd like to be credited if we choose your Now We Know suggestion.
4) Please tell us how to pronounce your name.

Keep in mind, we do see a lot of stories ourselves, so please remember not to get upset if we discuss your story and don’t credit you. But if it’s something you bring to our attention first, we will of course give you credit.

We look forward to hearing from you and reading your submissions!

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

On Saturday Chris and an array of veteran voices discussed American attitudes toward the military. Also, discussions about civilian casualties caused by American drone attacks, the constitutionality of President Obama's reported "kill list", and whether there is anything the United States can do about President Bashar Al-Assad's continued crackdown on Syrian protesters.

Joining Chris were:

Joshua Treviño (@jstrevino), Former Speechwriter for Pres. George W. Bush and former First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Kayla Williams (@kwilliams101), former U.S. Army Sergeant and author of Love My Rifle More than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army.

Jeremy Scahill (@jeremyscahill), national security correspondent for The Nation and author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.

Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project.

Donald Downs, political science professor at The University of Wisconsin, Madison and author of Arms and the University: Military Presence and the Civic Education of Non-Military Student.

Karam Nachar (@knachar), cyber-activist and member of Local Coordination Committees of Syrian Uprising.

Anu Bhagwati, executive director and co-founder of Service Women's Action Network.

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

Chris' new book Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy will be available starting June 12. Below is a list of appearances and readings Chris will be doing around the country starting in New York on the day of its release.

You can also learn more about the book at facebook.com/TwilightOfTheElites and on the Random House website.

Events:

Tuesday, June 12 @ 7:00pm - New York, NY
Barnes & Noble: Upper West Side
Facebook event page & map

Thursday, June 14 @ 7:00pm - New York, NY
The New School
Conversation with Katrina Vanden Heuvel
Facebook event page & map

Monday, June 18 @ 7:00pm - Washington, D.C.
Politics & Prose Bookstore
Facebook event page & map

Tuesday, June 19 @ 6:00pm - Washington, D.C.
New America Foundation - ASU Washington Center 
Conversation with Andrés Martinez
Facebook event page & map

Thursday, June 21 @ 6:00pm - Chicago, IL
City of Chicago Central Library - Main Branch Harold Washington Library Center
Facebook event page & map

Monday, June 25 @ 7:30pm - Beverly Hills, CA
Writers Bloc - Writer's Guild Theater
With Harry Shearer
Facebook event page & map

Monday, June 25 @ 9:00pm - Santa Monica, CA
Drinking Liberally event
2101 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Wednesday, June 27 @ 6:00pm - Cambridge, MA
Harvard Bookstore - Brattle Theatre
Facebook event page & map

Thursday, June 28 @ 7:00pm - Montclair, NJ
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair
Sponsored by BlueWave New Jersey
Facebook event page & map

Monday, July 9 @ 7:30pm - Seattle, WA
Town Hall Seattle
Facebook event page & map

Wednesday, July 11 @ 6:00pm - San Francisco, CA
Commonwealth Club of California
Facebook event page & map

Wednesday, July 18 @ 12:15pm - New York, NY
The Common Good
Paul Hastings, LLP
75 East 55th St.
New York, NY 10022
Facebook event page & map

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

On Sunday morning Chris welcomes Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, authors of It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism, for their long-awaited first time discussing the controversial book on a national Sunday news program. Also, we'll talk about the upcoming recall election between Republican Governor Scott Walker and his challenger Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and discuss Florida's attempts to purge voters from registration lists.

Joining Chris will be:

Michael Steele (@Steele_Michael), MSNBC analyst and former Republican National Committee chairman.

Michelle Bernard (@MichelleBernard), MSNBC political analyst and president of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy.

Ari Berman (@ariberman), political correspondent for The Nation.

Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten), president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Bob Herbert (@BobHerbert), distinguished senior fellow at Demos.org.

John Nichols (@nicholsuprising), Washington D.C. correspondent for The Nation.

Judith Browne-Dianis (@jbrownedianis), co-director of The Advancement Project.

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

On Saturday morning at 8AM ET on MSNBC Chris and his guests will talk about the military/civilian divide. Plus, we'll discuss President Obama's "Kill List", a story which the New York Times published earlier this week that describes the process by which the President chooses which terrorists to kill or capture. Also, we'll look at the continuing uprising in Syria and how some Republicans are calling for the U.S. to take more action.

Joining Chris will be:

Col. Jack Jacobs (@coljackjacobs), MSNBC military analyst, U.S. Army (Ret.), Vietnam veteran, recipient of three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars and the Medal of Honor.

Joshua Treviño (@jstrevino), Former Speechwriter for Pres. George W. Bush and former First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Kayla Williams (@kwilliams101), former U.S. Army Sergeant and author of Love My Rifle More than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army.

Jeremy Scahill (@jeremyscahill), national security correspondent for The Nation and author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.

Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project.

Donald Downs, political science professor at The University of Wisconsin, Madison and author of Arms and the University: Military Presence and the Civic Education of Non-Military Student.

Karam Nachar (@knachar), cyber-activist and member of Local Coordination Committees of Syrian Uprising.

Anu Bhagwati, executive director and co-founder of Service Women's Action Network.

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

This morning Chris and his guests looked at the significance of Memorial Day. Among today's guests were US Marine Lt. Col. Steve Beck, who recounted his experience as a casualty assistance officer, and Mary Kirkland, whose son Army Specialist Derrick Kirkland was diagnosed with PTSD and took his own life at age 23. Also, a discussion about new polling on gay marriage and abortion, and an examination on the flaws in our justice system that produce false convictions.

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

On Sunday Chris and his guests will discuss the significance of Memorial Day, its history, and how we grieve for dead soldiers and people in other countries. Also, a look at new polling which shows a shift in issues of morality, such as gay marriage and abortion. And a discussion on new data which shows a large number of wrongful convictions and death penalty sentences.

Joining Chris will be:

Michelle Goldberg (@michelleinbklyn), author of The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World.

Liliana Segura (@lilianasegura), associate editor at The Nation.

John McWhorter, professor of linguistics and American studies at Columbia University.

Michael Brendan Dougherty (@michaelbd), politics editor at Business Insider.

Mary Kirkland, mother of Private Derrick Kirkland (1987-2010).

Barry Scheck (@barryscheck), co-founder of The Innocence Project and co-author of Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution and Other Dispatches from the Wrongfully Convicted.

Lt. Col. Steve Beck, active duty Marine, casualty assistance officer, and associate professor of naval science at Carnegie Mellon University.

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::



This week Mitt Romney caught supporters of public education off guard by unveiling his pro-voucher, free-market plan for America’s schools. On Saturday’s show we’ll discuss the plan and how it compares to President Obama’s “Race to the Top”.  We'll also continue our discussion about the merits of private equity, as President Obama ramps up his attacks against Mitt Romney’s time at Bain Capital. Plus, we'll look at what went wrong with Facebook's IPO.

Joining Chris at 8AM ET on MSNBC will be:

Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of (@democracynow).

Karen Hunter (@karenhunter), MSNBC contributor and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

Dan Dicker (@dan_dicker), CNBC contributor and licensed commodities trade advisor.

Joe Weisenthal (@thestalwart), deputy editor at Business Insider.

Marcellus Andrews, Columbia University professor of economics. 

Dana Goldstein (@danagoldstein), contributor to The Nation and fellow at the New America Foundation.

Pedro Noguera (@pedroanoguera), NYU professor of education and author of City Schools and the American Dream: Reclaiming the Promise of Public Education.

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::

On Sunday's show Chris and his guests discussed Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital and the Obama campaign's new attack ads against him. Also, conversations about economic issues, such as U.S. government debt, spending cuts, and this weekend's G8 conference at Camp David, which focused on the Eurozone crisis.

Joining Chris were:

Ezra Klein (@ezraklein), MSNBC policy analyst and columnist at the Washington Post.

Betsey Stevenson (@betseystevenson), former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor (2010-2011).

William Black (@williamkblack), author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One.

Karl Smith (@ModeledBehavior), assistant professor of economics and government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

:: Blogged by Brett Brownell (@brettbrownell), Up w/ Chris Hayes web & video producer ::