Lawrence O’Donnell chokes up while defending Planned Parenthood: After playing a clip of Senator Jon Kyl slamming Planned Parenthood, MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell defended the clinical service provider by reading an e-mail from a friend who had used their services in the past.

As he read the final words in the email from his BlackBerry, O’Donnell became visibly emotional. After reading the last portion of the email, O’Donnell placed his smartphone on the table and turned away from the camera as the show faded to black.

The show was taped before a budget deal had been reached between the White House and Republicans which preserves federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The framework of the federal spending budget goes to a vote next week and is expected to pass. [MSNBC]