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good morning, it is saturday, march 9th. i'm jose diaz-balart in this morning. welcome to msnbc's special coverage of decision 2024. super tuesday was four days ago and the general election is in full swing. barring any unforeseen circumstances, joe biden and donald trump will face off again in november. both are making a second bid for the term in the white house. president biden was endorsed this morning boy the three largest political action committees representing asian

americans, black and latino communities. trump is also trying to consolidate his support within his party. this week, he received endorsements from key republican holdouts including mitch mcconnell who threw his support behind the former president just moments after nikki haley dropped out on wednesday. president biden made pointed remarks about trump during his state of the union address on thursday night and he continued his criticism in a campaign stop in pennsylvania last night. >> folks, our freedoms really are on the ballot this november. the maga republicans are are trying to take away our freedoms. that's not an exaggeration. guess what? we will not let him. we will not let him. >> a quick programming note, my colleague jonathan capart will air his exclusive interview with the president today, tune in to

the saturday show, 6:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. we will also get a speak peek of the biden trump rematch. they will both have campaign events 60 miles from each other in georgia, a key battleground state that president biden won in 2020 by less than 12,000 votes, a state in which trump is accused of trying to overturn the election results. joining me now is aaron gilchrist in atlanta today for the campaign event of biden. they are already putting in motion an aggressive campaign strategy. >> reporter: they are. the event in atlanta will be focused on the endorsements that you mentioned a moment ago, the large political action committees representing asian american, pacific islander, black and latino voters will be at the event with president biden to put their support behind him and that support will take the form of a $30 million commitment to help get out the vote in favor of the

biden-harris ticket. that is only part of the activity we are watching today. the president will speak tonight but the campaign is also announcing a huge add buy that is launching today across the country in markets. we will see it on cable television and local television as well. this is a $30 million campaign ad buy that is going to be really taking home the message that we heard from the president in the state of the union address in many ways, talking about the stakes for democracy at this point in time in this election. i want you to hear a little bit of what this campaign ad is going to say just for context. and we will talk more on the other side. >> i'm not a young guy. that's no secret. but here's the deal, i understand how to get things done for the american people. i led the country through the covid crisis. today we have the strongest economy in the world. >> reporter: now you heard the president there at the top of the ad reference his age. that is something that the

campaign it seems that they will really lean into. it has been a point of concern leading up to this point in time when we see the general election underway. the campaign in this ad and further on in the ad addresses that further on. he will continue to do that as it continues to take the president's message across the country. the vice president out west this weekend planning to rally latino voters in nevada while she is travelling. and president biden will continue his travels and continue rallying supporters in michigan, wisconsin and new hampshire going into next week. >> aaron gilchrist in atlanta this morning, thank you my friend. for more on how the general election is shaping up, i'm joined by a reporter from the washington post and a senior columnist at the boston globe opinion, cohost of the sisters in law podcast and a political analyst. kimberley, as we saw on thursday, president biden was intent on showing the difference, stark difference

between his vision of america and that of trump's. how do you think he fared? >> i think he is doing very well. if he carries that message onto the campaign trail, that is a winning message. americans care about their interests, how the president is furthering them. that's why especially in a reelection year, people are asked are you better off than you were four years ago. i think that is the strongest case for president biden. not only is the economy strong with unemployment at a historically low rate and wages are outpacing inflation which is really important, but president biden can talk about what he is for, for rights, protecting things like reproductive rights which have been under attack by republicans. he is for voting rights. he is going to the various places where the right to have one's vote counted was attacked by donald trump. places like michigan,

pennsylvania, georgia. you have vice president harris who is going to nevada and arizona. that is a very important message that he can say, i want to protect you, the american people to run this government. that's what a democracy, whereas you have the opponent saddling up with authoritarians in hungary. and then the age issue gets diffused and that's the strongest argument thet the republicans have against him. >> it is a topic that the president tackled in his state of the union address and as we saw, part of the new campaign ad. how is the campaign handling it now compared to earlier? >> the president has been largely dismissive about concerns of age, telling reporters when he asked him, you are the only one who cares about this or telling people just to

watch him, trying not to make it a focal point. now the president is really hitting back at that criticism, taking it on over the last few months. we have seen him tip tow around the issue trying to use humor to diffuse the issue. now they have settled on the contrast of the age of ideas. we saw the new ad that they posted today that will be a part of the $30 million ad campaign where he tries to turn it into an advantage, talking about his experience, wisdom and ability to get things done. we will see him use humor at the end of the ad. he makes a joke after his age after he says he endorses the message of the campaign. i think we will see him settle around the idea, the age of ideas, but also try to intersperse humor as well. but it is a concern for voters. i talked to voters yesterday. i was at the president's event in pennsylvania. one voter said she did not watch

the state of the union address because she was too worried that he would stumble and look elderly. she read the news reports the next day and said she was pleased. this is a reflection that the concern of his age is widespread not just among republicans and independents but among his supporters. >> the fact that trump is three or four years younger than him, is that not something that, it hasn't really seepeded into most people's understanding of these two presumptive nominees? >> yeah, to great frustration of biden himself, aides and allies as well to continually point that out. but it doesn't resonate in the same way with voters. part of this sprint we are seeing from the president in the close state of the union days where he was in pennsylvania yesterday, georgia today, and then new hampshire, wisconsin, michigan, with more travel plan is part of the effort to hit back against the criticism of

his age. one of the other things that trump has an advantage on biden is he is not president now and he can campaign all he wants. biden's day is taken up with crises abroad or at home. we are starting to see the president get out here more. trump himself has not done a ton of campaigning but that seems to be increasing. he will be in georgia later today as well. it is something that is to the great consternation at the white house around the small age difference between the two candidates but the response from voters in polls saying they are much more concerned about biden's age than trump's. >> and in an interview with peter alexander, harris deflected on whether they would participate in debates. trump is saying he will debate anywhere, any time, despite skipping all of the gop primary debates. will we see presidential or vice presidential debates? >> donald trump has not

participated in a debate in years. he didn't debate during the primary season. i think he probably has a fear of showing that he is slower, a little less coherent and a little more unhinged than he was four years ago. i think that question is open. i think that is fine for the campaigns to decide for themselves whether they participate in that. but at this point, it is not a matter for most voters, even those that are persuadable seeing these two men side by side. i think the differences between them in substance and style are so stark that i don't think anyone is going to be persuaded by seeing the two of them. we have seen donald trump lie and attack his way through the debates he has participated in. i'm not sure as a journalist, how much value there would be but that is up to the campaigns to decide what to do. >> tyler pager and kim atkens, thank you for being here. still to come, immigration is a key issue in the 2024 election. while most of the conversation centered around policy and

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millions who have connected to america's most reliable 5g network. sure is a lot safer than becoming a stuntman for money. get a free line of unlimited intro for a year when you buy one unlimited line. visit xfinitymobile.com today to learn more. john lewis was a great friend to many here. if you want to honor all those who marched with him, it is time to do more than talk. pass the freedom to vote act, the john lewis voting rights act. and stop denying the core value of america, our diversity across

marn life. >> if president biden is to be successful this november, turning to a diverse coalition of voters will be critical for his campaign. for more on this, i'm joined by ja'net nelson, president and director of the naacp legal defense. great to see you. >> i'm well. great to see you. >> the president in the state of the union address that diversity is a core value of america. and i think that is so true and it's so critical that we say it's true. how do you, though, go from words to action? >> what a great question. well, listen, not only is diversity a core value, it is our strength. it is what makes our country great. right now diversity is under attack. you hear of people castigating d.e.i. programs and you see corporations pulling away from the strength, taking the ability

to optimize their profits, optimize their output by having diverse teams, you see people falling back because of the supreme court's decision last june. but by president biden reminding us that that is our history that, that is our strength, that is what makes us a democracy, i hope corporate leaders hear that. i hope university presidents hear that. i hope that all decision makers realize there is nothing unlawful about diversity. there is nothing harmful about diversity. in fact, it is something that will only improve this country and improve educational environments and work places. >> i think a lot about -- there are so many repercussions to all of the things that you are talking about. i oftentimes think, how is it that we have gotten to a point in our country today where this issue is so divisive when

diversity is quite the opposite of division. >> hello? it is called diversity, equity, and inclusion. it excludes no one. it suggests that we are all different, there is talent in every group of people and that we should mine that talent, that we should not be excluding people from opportunities. >> no one. exclude no one. >> no one. >> and that's -- i just keep thinking, it is becoming more divisive when we are talking about diversity. >> and inclusion. >> i want to talk to you about some of the nuts and bolts of politics. en nbc news poll from january shows biden's support among black voters is 75%. it is a dip from 2020 where he had 87%. and again polls are just snap shots of a moment in time, looking at questions for a specific group of people at that

time. but there is a substantial difference in those numbers. what do you think that is due to? >> listen, black voters are discerning voters. they are concerned about a great number of issues. we are paying attention to things that are not only happening domestically and abroad. that may account for why the numbers are lower but black americans also know what the choices are in terms of a future that embraces democracy, a future that embraces freedoms and a future that embraces equality. so i assume there will be many different shifts over the next several months. we are a nonpartisan organization. what we care most about is that black voters have the right to cast a vote that is counted, and that their interests will be advanced by who is elected. >> so important for everyone, back to diversity, that everyone

understand, not only the importance of voting, but also the incredible honor and almost abigation that especially we have to participate in this system. >> absolutely. and let me tell you, i was so thrilled to hear the president embrace voting rights. he happeneded to give the state of the union on the anniversary of the march across the edmond pettus bridge which is the bridge that brought us into the multiracial democracy. it was the sacrifice of foot soldiers and every day people, many young people who fought for an equal right to vote. so it is incumbent upon those of us who inherit the legacy to turn out, cast the ballots and have our voices expressed through the democratic process. that is the only way forward for us. it is the only alternative to violence and anarchy where some extremests would like us to go. we have an opportunity, this

beautiful multiracial democracy has an opportunity to drive the future and define it. >> not only an opportunity but a responsibility. >> yes. >> i love your pin. tell me about it. >> this pin is a replica of the new federal stamp in the black heritage stamp series of constance baker motley. >> yes. >> she was the second female attorney at the legal defense fund. she drafted the complaint in brown versus board of education which will turn 70 this year that ended legal apartheid in the country. she is my shero. >> and we were talking about that, one of mine,celia delacruz who is getting a quarter. i want to thank you folks at nbc to be able to focus s in on that pin. and delacruz is the first to be on the coin in the united

states. we will get it later this month. let's get the stamp and the coin together. >> yes, yes. >> thank you so much. it is great to see you. really appreciate your time. >> thank you. coming up, immigration is a policy, a top issue this election. but there is a huge piece of the story that is rarely told. what i want to do is tell you about it from a perspective of humanity, of men, women, and children. we will talk politics and more next. we will talk politics and more next here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. only at vanguard you're more than just an investor you're an owner. that means your priorities are ours too. our retirement tools and advice can help you leave a legacy for the ones you love. that's the value of ownership.

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many of the conversations happening around immigration boil down to policy, politics, politics, policy. but so rarely is the conversation distilled down to the most important thing, men, women, and children. many of them who make the most difficult decision and the most

horowsley journey to the united states to try to get asylum. people leave their country when they feel they have no other way. they can't live in their country anymore because of war, violence, dictatorship, corruption, persecution and extreme poverty. and then there are the pull factors, things like the american dream, people know that the united states is still the land of the american dream. of perceived immigration policy in america, the possibility of getting asylum. the drug cartels that operate in the region and united states to make money and exploit people. over thealist years, we have seen a huge uptick in the number of people coming from venezuela. according to the u.n. refugee agency, 7 million people have left venezuela since 2015. it is the world's second largest refugee crisis. this is a crisis indeed it is.

it is a humanitarian crisis. joining me now is an immigration attorney and senior washington correspondent for telemundo, christina. thank you for being with us. so much talk about politics, policy. and it seems as though many people don't distill it down to the men, women, and children who risk their lives to try and get to the united states. what are some of those reasons people are willing to lose their life instead of staying at home? >> well jose, thank you for having me. because they are risking their lives if they stay at home. coming here , they are taking a chance they can make it. they are motivated by human trafficers who tell them that the doors of the united states

are open. they see the hardship, women and children see bodies on the way crossing from colombia to panama. they see people dying. they confront death but they do not want to starve if they stay in their own countries. if you talk to the people at the border, none of them, i have not spoken to a single immigrant who will tell you that they are here to get free things. they want to work and contribute to the country. they are in limbo because many of them, hundreds of thousands have been let in. they don't have work permits. they have to be forced into shelters. they are in the streets in many cities and they are the first ones to tell you they do not want to burden the country but they do need some kind of help so that they can contribute to the society that they are coming from. that's a tragedy they are facing. and now that the political season is in full bloom, they feel they are being used. they are a political soccer

ball, kicked around and no one is offering them any solutions. >> alan, how many times have you and i spoken about just how unjust so many things are? and i'm just thinking of look what is happening in haiti this week. haiti this week. this is not past history. and if you haven't been figuring it out, please look at it. what is happening in haiti today. look what's happening in cuba after 63 years of a dictatorship. look what is going on in venezuela, nicaragua, colombia. so much tragedy. so much suffering. and yet, there is no clear refugee, asylum policy that they can look towards to understand if they can -- there is no line, alan. >> there is no line.

i think that is one of the challenges we have. i really appreciate your show every week for showing that we need to look past the challenges of immigration and look at the opportunities it presents and the economy we need. we need workers to fill jobs that americans aren't doing anymore. the farming industry is made up of those individuals. but beyond that, america is still the beacon of the western memsphere when so many people want to be like us. that is what the american dream was when we started the nation. and that's why so many people want to be here. make the system work. put the people in place that allow the process to allow people to come to the country. they are not just individuals but it is families, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters looking to join family members who are already a part of the family dream. >> but allen, no country can have unlimited open borders. every country has the right to determine what its border is and what that border means.

i'm just wondering that how is it that one can respond to critics who say 6 million, 7 million people coming in the last few years is untenable. what is tenable and what is the policy that should be in place? >> we say we are capitalists and we should look at the market. there have been at least 10 million people undocumented since 1990 and they were absorbed and not a problem. we don't have visas right now for unskilled labor. we had an asylum case approved from 1996 yesterday. we have to have a process in the courts. that's the first step. we have states that only have 3 million people. it's a fiction. it is nothing to scare us. we need to rebuild our economy and reflengs the number of births we are having in the country. we are younger than many countries that have many more

people in a smaller space. >> you know this summer mexico will be holding elections. mexico will have for the first time a woman president because both of the candidates that are running there in that election are women who are now being told by the dictator in venezuela that there will be presidential elections. he is the only one allowed to run in the election. we are seeing what is going on in haiti. there is a state of emergency in haiti, in port-au-prince. people are having a difficult time even finding running water on gangs that have killed dozens of people. they tried to over take the airport this week. what's the reality of latin america and the caribbean today because that is what we have to be keeping an eye on? >> it is a very difficult reality. the world after covid, after the pandemic. there has been economic crisis

all over. it is there in latin america. some countries are trying to get through it. but you are going tosee a lot more people who are hungry, desperate, and who are going to be moving or making the trek north and trying to get to the united states. one of the proposals that the republican house said would not even consider that president biden had was going to increase the number of agents, increase the number of immigration judges, and was going to make the asylum process a lot quicker so you would stop having all of these people stuck at the border and you could have a quicker way of processing them, letting the ones that can come in come in and the deportation of the other ones will move at a faster pace. but this is also stuck in politics in the united states. and the politics of latin america as you have said is tragic right now. we are not headed to good times

at the border unless something is done to fix it. >> i thank you both so much for being with us. it is an important conversation that only the two of you can have. i'm eternally grateful for you. thank you. yesterday in federal court here in new york city, former honduran president juan orlando hernandez was found guilty of conspiring to import cocaine into the united states. he was convicted of accepting millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for using the nation's military and police as protection for drug trafficers. he was found guilty of weapons charges also. he faces a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison. sentencing is scheduled for the 26th of june. hernandez's legal team says he plans to appeal. coming up, the general election brings two starkly different takes on foreign

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[♪ music playing ♪] 37 past the hour. the visions for american foreign policy on display this election season and vastly different. president biden has spent a significant amount of his time and energy rebuilding global trust in the united states after four years of former president trump's american first policy. and on the other side, former president trump who has a very different view of foreign policy. joining mow now is staff writer for the new yorker susan glasser, great to see you. she is the author of the divider, trump in the white house. your latest piece is called so much for sleepy joe. on biden's shouty, rowdy, state of the union he you explored how

the state of the union reflected a campaign rally. you wrote, the inescapable context of the speech, as for biden's presidency was trump. he went unmentioned by name but the increasingly real threat of his return gave palpable urgency to biden's address. what is the message that the president was trying to send to america but also to america's allies and to america's foes? >> well, that's right. what i'm really struck by is although foreign policy is not usually an election issue for americans overall but what biden began his state of the union speech with was the contrast between himself and trump on how we see the wurl, on the idea that there is a threat to american democracy at home from trump and his supporters that is very much connected with the

threats to democracy abroad. vladimir putin and trump are irresistible targets for democrats. you will hear more of that throughout the campaign. it is the urgency that there is a connection between what is happening in the united states and what is happening internationally. >> it is unusual for a state of the union speech to start with foreign policy. and then biden is referring to trump, mentioning of nato and what he essentially said when asked by a foreign leader some years ago if the united states would come to the defense of that country, that nato country, if they hadn't paid their dues and trump essentially said no. i would tell russia to do whatever the hell it wants to. i'm paraphrasing most of it. but susan, this is an existentially important question too to europe and to much of the

world. >> well, that's right. there is no more striking contrast between the two candidates than there is between trump not only consistent down grading of allies, inviting russia to do whatever it wants to nato partners but also his praise for adversaries and for in particular the world's dictators, not only putin but trump has admired jinping and erdwan in turkey and we know about his love affair with kim jong un in north korea. that is a profound contrast. and now the general election of and the speech was all about contrast. there is no bigger contrast between a former president who admireded putin's strategic genius and the current president. that's why you are hearing more

about it. >> i only wish they added in that conversation maybe an equally, maybe not an equally important part of the world that has such a direct impact on us every single day whether we realize it or not and we are talking about latin america and the caribbean. i wonder if we will some day hear those visions and contrasting views on what the united states should and should not be doing with their biggest commercial country, mexico which is having elections this summer. venezuela, more than 7 million people have left the country since 2015. many have come tothe united states. cuba, the dictatorship 63 years in the making. nicaragua, haiti , these are so relevant countries and issues. why is it that we can't hear about them? >> you know, i think you make a

fantastic and important point. you know, one of the realities about latin america in terms of how it is reflected in our politics today is because trump has chosen tomake the border and immigration probably the most politically charged issue in our politics, he has become a leader in the united states almost because of his demagoguery around the issues. for democrats, it has made it something that they don't want to talk about in a national election contest. even the foreign policy aspects you are talking about, president biden from the beginning of his presidency, his campaign, back in 2020 was all around the notion of a conflict between democracies and autoaccuracies and he doesn't want to talk about atalkeracies in our own

borders. >> that's what it boils down to in so many things. susan, great seeing you. appreciate your time. >> thank you. the importance of down ballot races cannot be overstated. we will talk about the most crucial among them next on msnbc special coverage of decision 2024 sfchlt special coverage of decision 2024 sfchl [car door shuts] [paparazzi taking pictures] introducing, ned's plaque psoriasis. ned, ned, who are you wearing? he thinks his flaky red patches are all people see otezla is the #1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. ned? otezla can help you get clearer skin, and reduce itching and flaking. with no routine blood tests required. doctors have been prescribing otezla for nearly a decade. otezla is also approved to treat psoriatic arthritis. don't use otezla if you're allergic to it. serious allergic reactions can happen. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. some people taking otezla had depression, suicidal thoughts or weight loss.

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if the american people supports the right to choose, i

promise you, i will restore roe v. wade as the law of the land again. >> 47 past the hour. president biden laid down his agenda for a second potential term in the state of the union. after two years in the white house with a republican led house, he knows he needs a cooperative congress to get things done. all of the 435 house seats are up for grabs. 34 seats in the senate are up for reelection including a special election in nebraska that is what the s indicates in the middle of the map. 23 seats are hold by democrats or independents. 11 states will host elections for governors. the majority of those are held by republicans. 43 states holding local elections for state house seats and local races oftentimes impacting communities more directly sometimes than national elections do. with a rematch set for the top of the presidential ticket and congressional control on a razor wire, down ballots is where either party can really win this

election or lose it. joining me now to discuss key races is david pepper, former chairman of the ohio democratic party, author of the book saving democracy, a user manual for every american. and mayio rupert, a policy advisor and previous campaign manager for julio castro's 2020 presidential campaign and the podcast of when we win. maya, on thursday, biden promised national abortion protections but it is more common at the state level. dobbs had a significant impact on that. how important is abortion going to be in the down ballot races? >> i think abortion is going to be incredibly important down ballot. i think we are already seeing that voters are turning out to vote on abortion but it is more than that. in alabama, the ivf supreme court ruling that we saw is i

think alabama sees it now and the rest of the nation will see it. there is no way to disconnect abortion from ivf, from birth control, and so many other areas of reproductive rights where they will be hugely important. voters see that and they will vote accordingly. when you have donald trump taking credit for getting rid of roe v. wade, what is important is that voters see there is a straight line between the fall of roe and the attacks that we are going to keep seeing on assistive reproductive technologies and on birth control. >> and just the issue of enthusiasm and of voter participation because of an issue like abortion, i think that there is no doubt that that was one of the big significant variables in 2022. >> absolutely. voters are turning out for this issue.

and we are not seeing -- there is an idea that this is such a partisan issue. but that isn't born out in the data. voters across party lines are turning out to vote on abortion. i think what we heard in the president's address was an inspiring message around reproductive freedom. that down ballot candidates will take and run with and hammer home. what we will see is that that drives turnout in a really big way. >> david, this was prior to the state of the union and you wrote an opinion piece for the atlanta constitution saying that biden must connect dots to state level threats to democracies . you said that the prospect of another january 6th might feel far fetched to some but restrictions on voting and books

are under attack and president biden can engage americans in all 50 states and make them feel they are seen and let them know they have a role to play in saving their democracy. we are all on the front lines, you wrote. this is before the state of the union. do you think the president hit that note at the state of the union? >> i think he did to some degree but we all have to go further. looking at the words there, we call it down ballot, the bench, we think of the bench as the jv. to the far right, this is their front line. most of the attack on democracy is going through state houses. that's where they gerrymander. that's where they ban abortion. that's where the fight is. congress largely doesn't do anything. that is where the onslaught is happening. we have to energize voters across the country to see that the contrast that we saw on thursday, biden, mike johnson sitting behind him not clapping for anything. the senator's response which

didn't go over very well. we have to run the contrast all the way down the ballots into states. it is often the state rep that we don't know their name that is doing more damage because it is state houses. they right the rules of our democracy and they control almost every issue from guns to abortion to banning books that the right wing wants done. we have to focus there not because it is down ballot. it is actually the front line in oklahoma, alabama, and ohio. we have to go there like they have been there far too long without us responding. >> the running of the elections is a state by state responsibility according to our constitution. so i'm just wondering, david, when this focus has been primarily at the federal level, and two the peril of ignoring what you were talking about, is there time to actually refocus towards the things that are as

you say, all kinds of things that directly impact us on a daily basis are really the responsibility of the state and the houses and the state senate. is there time? >> there is time but let's be clear. this is a long game problem. 50% of the republicans who voted were uncontested in 2022. the numbers are worse in other states. this is a long game but there is still time in many states to make sure that we are filling the ballots with candidates that can draw the contrast. there is time this year to do it. one of the reasons we have the winning streak of the last couple of elections is because of democracy. do it this year. it is more than just biden trump. it is about democracy at all levels and keep going in december, january, state house and school board races and next year beyond. we have to see this as an overall strategic shift. the other side decided to do it

this way 30 years ago. even in moments we thought we won. they have won their state house battle. we didn't pick up a single state house in 2020. when we won the white house, the state houses they won kept on attacking democracy. so there is time. we have to make this shift though now and then keep making it all the time. once you see it this way, it is not a zero sum game. how much better would it be for joe biden to have a candidate in every district of arizona? how much better would it have been for stacey abrams to have a candt in every state district in georgia versus 40% uncontested? so it helps the big races. we have more communicators on the ground, more people knocking on doors at all states. so it helps at all levels. there is time this year and then keep right on going into the future with this broader vision. >> maya, what are you looking

for from here to november? >> i think the point david made is incredibly important and i want to underscore it. i think what we are going to see, what we need to see is a nationwide response. i think we have a unique opportunity this year because you have a candidate like donald trump who is already started to say he plans on using the rnc to help fund his own legal battles and problems. that means there is going to be less money in that pool for a lot of these races . so if i'm hearing something like that and i'm someone like ted cruz who has historically a strong opponent in collin allred, i'm thinking these are places where there is not as much money flowing and the democrats really have an opportunity here to make this a banner year for all of these down ballot races. >> i'm sorry there was a little bit of a snag there on the tech with you but we got it which is

really important. i appreciate it both of you being with us today. thank you. again, don't forget, my colleague jonathan capehart will have an exclusive interview with president biden, the first since the state of the union address and of course discussing the election, upcoming agenda for a potential second term in office. watch the saturday show tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern, only on msnbc. coming up, the unofficial shift to the general election is already here with two very different visions for the future of america. we will break it all down in another hour of the coverage of election 2024 after a quick break on msnbc. 4 after a quic break on msnbc get help reaching your goals with j.p. morgan wealth plan, a digital money coach in the chase mobile® app. use it to set and track your goals, big and small... and see how changes you make today... could help put them within reach.

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good morning, saturday, march 9th. i am jose d is in for my friend and colleague. we are

considering our special coverage of decision 2024. now that nearly half the states have voted in primaries, this year's presidential race is already set for present biden former president trump. they have dominated their primaries, barring some unforeseen circumstance, we will see them face off against each other in november. both campaigning for second term in the white house. they are hitting the ground running. president biden seeking to build from the momentum from his state of the union on thursday night. yesterday, thankful to pennsylvania for a campaign event. he continues to draw the contrast between himself and trump, especially on key issues like fall of roe v. wade. >> folks, you know why it happened? i will tell you why. one reason, donald trump. he came to often do overturn

roe v. wade and he has bragged about it repeatedly. he got his wish. and stay surpassing bans, criminalizing doctors. forcing victims to leave their state to get care. now, maga republicans and donald trump want to pass a national ban on the right to choose, period. >> a quick programming note, my colleague jonathan capehart will air his exclusive interview with the president today. tune into the saturday show at 6:00 eastern tonight on msnbc. meanwhile, former president trump will be on the road campaigning today. both candidates will host competing events, just 60 miles from each other. although the events will be held in georgia, which biden merrily won in 2020 by less than 12,000 vote. trump is accused of trying to overturn the results of that election. it will certainly be an

important swing state again this year for joining us now is jacob trailer. he is in rome, georgia, for the trump rally tonight. jake, what can we expect? >> reporter: the last time a former president donald trump was publicly in georgia, he was being booked at the fulton county jail house for attempting to illegally overturn the 2020 election results. things look a bit different today. today he is the presumptive republican nominee after we saw nikki haley to about earlier this week. he is also hosting a dueling campaign event with president biden, who is in the state after giving his thursday state of the union remarks. i want to briefly highlight trump's attempt to fact check in real time the thursday remarks. the attempt was through his truth social platform. he was going to, in real-time, fact check biden's speech. what happened was a lot less focus on policy but a lot more personal attacks against biden.

on his hair, on his slow walk to the stage but on him coughing mid speech. the truth social app also crash for some users midway through the speech. not exactly rebuttal they were hoping for. he did post a video response of the union of falling but speech but i want to let our viewers get a listen to that. >> biden is on the run from his record. and my like crazy to try and escape accountability for the horrific devastation he and his party have created all the while they continue the very policies that are causing this horror show to go. we cannot take it any longer as a country. >> reporter: not necessarily new words from former president donald trump but today is the first time we will see him take the campaign stations thursday state of the union address. i spoke with a trump campaign senior adviser who told me today

is direct and aggressive response from trump to president biden's thursday address. it is no coincidence that trump and biden are in georgia. this consequential swing state that biden carried in 2020. it is a key factor piece of the puzzle for both electoral victories in 2024. all eyes are going to be on trump and biden, the way they contrast themselves. and ultimately their pitch to voters as we kick off this full swing into a general election. >> thank you very much, jake. i am joined now by white house reporter for the wall street journal. also with us is former congressman from florida, david jolly. as we saw with multiple state primaries, nikki haley was able to pull 25 to 40 percent of the vote from trump those moderate and independent voters could be a factor in november. do you think there is any question as to where those voters were going to be going

in november? >> the question is, by what percentage? many are faithful republicans who would not consider stepping outside of the republican party. many of them are informed simply by a true and authentic opposition to donald trump. they do not want to return to donald trump's leadership. they face a very significant consequential choice for the national election. do they actually vote for joe biden? do they stay home or vote for an independent? many of the polls suggest that some of the voters, a statistically significant member will vote for joe biden. if you are the biden camp, what you know is that as much as there are almost existential questions on the ballot that you are putting out there about democracy, this is not a movement election but this is actually a coalition election for joe biden. you have to keep your main my democrats, keep your progresses . move those persuadable's, one of a conservator, progressive

or moderates, they are the independent voters of about 6 to 8%. they need to be part of the biden coalition. the president knows that which is why you see him going for the haley voters. >> one of the issues that the primary showed may be a problem for the president is how he is, for example, losing some support because of the war in gaza. is it a number of people voted on matt. do you think the coalition that david speaks about is a key part of the present has to bring back into the fold? >> reporter: i think it is something that the biden campaign is not taking for granted and the conversations i have had it with biting campaign officials. they recognize that there is a faction of voters who are very angry with the president's handling of the israel/hamas

war and specifically the humanitarian crisis in gaza. they do need to make inroads with those voters. it is muslim and/or arab american voters. it is a faction of black voters. it is young voters and progressives. there is a question as to whether or not between given the choice between biden and donald trump, those voters would not just come back into biden's fold. there is still a concern and risk that what if some of the voters who are so incensed by the catastrophe that we have seen in gaza, what if they stay home? what if they vote their party? that is what the biting campaign has to think about. it is part of why, i think, you have seen the shift from the white house with president biden in terms of trying to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into gaza and taking somewhat of a sharper tone towards israel in public. after the uncommitted vote in michigan where a sizable portion of arab muslim

americans, a reasonable percentage of uncommitted voters, some of these public moves on the president's part are probably to try and to address the criticisms of his policy in the region. >> david, how do you see that? we talk about the haley voters and how they may or may not cross and say i am just not into this. i cannot do trump. is that something that could happen with this group of voters that sees that united states policy towards israel is something that they simply cannot accept? >> it certainly could. this is a bit of the danger. we have to embrace the fact that all voters get to exercise their voice, including elected democrats. they get to exercise their boys. where a gets dangerous is if you really dampen enthusiasm among traditionally performing democratic voters, then you

will help elect donald trump it is donald trump a better alternative for the issues of great concern to you if it is the war between israel and hamas right now, do you believe that donald trump would perform better than joe biden? it is okay to be disappointed and exercise your voice and joe biden's leadership? are you going to dampen enthusiasm for the former president? that is what elected democrats are playing with right now using their leadership currency to motivate or suppress a vote for the president. >> sabrina, there is such a difference between the view, the vision of president biden and trump on foreign policy issues. we are talking about how trump talked about and almost bragged about the fact that a foreign leader when he was president came to see him and asked him what would happen if russia invaded my country, even though i am part of nato. i have not paid the dues of the country in nato. trump said, i would essentially

tell hooten to do what ever he wants to. these are not small issues, small differences. it is very distinctly different. trump is meeting with congress prime minister, orban over the weekend. why are these issues that are viewed so different not more clear? >> i think there are couple things going on. one is that what we have seen across many public opinion polls is that foreign policy still ranks fairly low when it comes to voter priorities and the economy jobs, healthcare. an immigration too this time around but those are some of the issues you are seeing emerge as top priorities for voters. one thing that is being conflated is foreign policy and this question of democracy. part of why i think you have seen president biden really framed this more around the

threat that he says a former president trump poses to democracy at home and abroad is because that breaks through more than just talking about where each candidate stands on general foreign-policy issues. i don't think it is by accident that it was at the beginning of president biden's state of the union address, where he went right into this issue that he mention of russia's war in ukraine but he will not bound that might bow down to vladimir putin. he made that connection to the insurrection at the u.s. capitol on january 6th. the efforts to overturn the election. what president biden is doing is reminding voters, especially the independent voters that you and the former congressman were talking about, reminding those voters that they dislike president trump the most. it really trying to make that choice very clear so that these issues of democracy do not get lost in the general conversation around foreign-

policy, which is not get voters to the poll. >> i thank you both so much for being with us. still ahead, why is the present not reaping the benefits of a strong economy? a closer look at the brand-new leadership of the republican national committee hand-picked by donald trump himself. then penned -- including a new plan of action. that is next. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. ♪3, 4♪ ♪ so, here's to now. ♪hey♪ ♪ ♪are you ready for me♪ ♪are you ready♪

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another element that will be central to this year's election is biden's handling of the war between israel and hamas in his state of union on thursday. he asked the u.s. military to build a pen -- temporary peer on gaza coast to provide more humanitarian aid to palestinians. the president undermined that

the u.s. can do this with out putting any american boots on the ground in gaza. according to the pentagon, it would take about 60 days to become operational, the humanitarian situation remains dire. the hamas run gaza health ministry reports nearly 31,000 people have been killed since the war began in october. the war began after the october 7th massacre of hamas and israel. the press gets of achieving a cease-fire seemly. biden said striking a deal was quote, looking robert jenny now from london is molly hunter. molly, it is always a pleasure to see you. i know that there are so many pieces and parts of this negotiation that has to be carried on to see if there is a possible cease-fire. what details do we know about the international reaction to and the process that is

undergoing to try and reach a cease-fire? >> reporter: that is a very complicated and as you just mentioned in your intro, it is looking tough. we have heard that ramadan deadline before the last couple of weeks. no hope an agreement will be agreed to or met today or even tomorrow. i do want to bring you up to speed on a much more imminent humanitarian aid effort than the temporary pier that president biden announced on thursday. starting today , at least expected today or tomorrow, there will be a maritime c corridor opening up from cyprus to an undisclosed location in gaza. this is a joint u.s., eu, uae mission with an expense organization called open arms. the plan will be a large ship that leads from cyprus today towing a barge with 200 tons of rice and flour and then once it gets to the coast of gaza,

pontoon boats will finish in the final journey. and then they will also unload onto a pier and world central kitchen and the red cross will be involved in the distribution of the much needed aid, specifically in northern gaza. as you mentioned, this comes after the pentagon and president biden talked about a plan for a temporary pier. not imminent. about 60 days, 1000 troops. take a quick listen to what was set on friday . >> in terms of timing, we are working to set this up as quickly as possible but we expect it will take several weeks to plan and execute. once operational the amount of aid delivered will depend on many variables and the likely scale over time. however we expect that deliveries could provide more than 2 million meals to the citizens of gaza per day.

>> reporter: that is certainly a welcome news but not fast enough, according to the u.n. international organizations. very strong words from you and special bracket are for the right to food, who called this absurd. he talked about the air drops and the c corridor. it is kind of last resort. they will do very little to alleviate hunger, malnutrition and do nothing to slow down famine. they talk about how these are efforts that you do to get aid into enemy territory. the accusation against united states and especially after this announcement is that the u.s., as the closest ally, is just not doing enough to put pressure and put leverage -- use their leverage on israel to get aid in the safest and most efficient way, by man. the great molly hunter from london, i thank you. thanks. a changing of the guard. donald trump's new hand-picked choices are now leading the republican national committee. what that means for trumps campaign and other republicans running for office.

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donald trump is officially completing his takeover of the gop during its spring meeting yesterday, the republican national committee installed two new officials hand-picked by donald trump and michael watley, who was previously chair of the north carolina state republican party will serve as rnc chairman. bartram, the former presence daughter and i will be co-chair of the party. they were both elected unanimously. while this replaces ron mcdaniel, who was selected by trump after he won the 2016 election. with the backers firmly in place to leave the party, the rnc will turn its focus towards raising money for trump's campaign which has significantly less cash on hand than the biting campaign does. for more i am joined by tom nichols, staff writer for the atlantic and author of the book our own worst enemy: the

assault within unmonitored democracy. and olivia try served as a senior adviser to former vice president mike pence and is now executive director of 97% of bipartisan dem reform organization bring it is not unusual for presidential nominee to take over the party's apparatus. it is normal for someone from the family to take over an official party role? >> reporter: no, and not in the way that the they are turning this into extension of the trump personality cult. it is not unusual for candidates to say that they want an rnc that is friendly to them and they can work with and reflects what their delegates want and so on. that happens with political committees all the time with both republicans and democrats. there is a huge difference between that and trump refashioning the entire rnc simply to be an extension of

his personal needs and his financial problems. this is no longer -- and for a long time, has not been functioning like a normal political party. it is just an extension of trump's schemes and narcissistic personal needs and financial problems. this is not a political party anymore and it has not been for a while. >> olivia, you work for the rnc. how do you view this installation of watley and trump? >> reporter: i think it is horrific. they are supposed to be supporting republicans across the board, republican candidates. i feel like this is officially, overtly, become the treatment legal defense fund. i would say stop donating to the party because the cantons are not going to see that money. think about where your funds are going. if you care about electing rational same republicans,

focus on them directly or turn away from what this is. this is just an enabler for trumps and it is embarrassing. >> there are nbc news reports another has been fighting and discussion about how the rnc spends the money . a growing number of supporters wanted to spend it on his legal bills. what you think of the conflict? >> reporter: it means are people in the republican party who think the gop ought to function like , you know, a political party. that actually finds candidates, recruits them, supports them, get them on pallets and helps to fund their campaigns. they are up against this, you know, trump family machine, best trump family organization that says, you are here to funnel money to donald trump and to take care of donald trump's needs. that is not a political party.

that is one guy, basically, raiding the bank. as olivia said, if you are donated to this, you have to ask what you think your money is doing. are you supporting candidates? are you creating a bigger party structure or are you just helping out a guy who claims to be fabulously rich with his legal bills? the down ballot and regional effects on republicans could be significant. when the central party, when the party committee, you know, goes haywire, that is going to affect people all over the country who want to run for office. olivia's point about staying rational with republicans but this rnc is designed to prevent the emergence of rational republicans because they would be a problem for trump and this republican national committee. it is real problem for republicans who are thinking about entering politics or the

ones that are in season right now. >> olivia, michael steele, kos of the weekend, former chair of the rnc, he penned an article for a website titled trumps takeover of the rnc will destroy it from within. what you think of that? >> reporter: i agree with that. i saw the transition early on from when the rnc went from the bush administration and slowly the tea party seeped in and we site become more extreme but i think we can call this a full on takeover at this point. i don't think we will see a rational platform. we have yet to see a platform from the rnc. we did not see it in the last election. the principles of the republican party or conservatism have been turned upside down and twisted into insane amounts of disinformation. it is trump is m101. the rnc should rebrand itself and say, it is trump is m that is what we stand for.

anyone who out is not falling into this lane does not fit in and and find a different home. >> just wondering, tom, it may be a two sided issue. if you talk to trump folks, they believe that having trump at the top of the ticket will actually be a positive for the down party voter. the other side would say that it is actually, he is actually will have a detrimental impact on down ballot elections. how do you see that? >> reporter: we have actual historical experience about this. trump has caused republican seats. he cost them seats in 2020 when he cost them seats in 2022. his record for -- what is the word i'm looking for? endorsements is terrible.

most of the people that he has really pushed flamed out. having trump -- that is basically just a defense mechanism. if we put them at the top, all this money and the disorder. i think olivia's point is there is no platform, no one actually knows what the party is anymore. the trump folks want to say, that is all solved by having trump at the top of the ticket. historically, that is not true. you have to be in denial if you believe that. >> tom nichols and olivia troy, thanks so much. coming up, did you see the job numbers yesterday? really strong job numbers. easing inflation, soaring stock market. it should all spell good news for the incumbent president running for re-election. some say they are not feeling the effects of this good economy. what will this disconnect mean for president biden in november? that is next on msnbc.

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prevailing wisdom says that americans vote with their wallets in mind. with inflation easing, wages up, unemployment low and a very solid stock market, should be good news for president biden. some americans say they do not feel like the economy is doing well for them. dasha burns spoke with voters in pennsylvania about how the economy will factor into their vote coming november. >> reporter: darrell grace has lived in erie county, pennsylvania, all his life but the maintenance worker is a steelers fan and musclecar aficionado. in 2020 he voted for biden but three years later, he says the economic growth the president talks about is not helping him. how does the economy feel to you >> it does not feel well.

they say everything is doing better but it does not feel that way. >> reporter: his kids, both in their 20s and employed, still live at home. >> when i retired i did not expect my kids to be here with me. my golden years, me and the wife. >> reporter: you thought you'd be empty-nesters. >> having fun. >> reporter: come november -- >> if it is biden and trump, it is bad. >> reporter: are you considering going third-party? >> yeah. >> reporter: president biden narrowly took this county in 2020 thanks to strong democratic, and won the state bird with his approval rating i just 36%, polls show pennsylvania is a very much in play. >> i think he has done a good job. >> reporter: republican turned independent, marianne fontenot is planning to support biden. >> we did not go into a recession. it is surprising that people are not more in support of him. he has a real pr problem, a big

pr problem. >> reporter: that problem for the present is playing out at eduardo's tavern, where we met a group of conservative customers. you have low unemployment rates, inflation is easing, stock market is doing well. are you feeling any of that? how do you feel about the economy day today? >> i'm not sure i agree with what you just said. >> i never planned on using some of the money that i say to retire that i had to use because of the economy. >> groceries, gas, everything you have to buy every day is way more expensive than previous years. >> reporter: do you feel like there is a disconnect between what the biden administration is saying about how the economy is versus what you see ? >> absolutely. >> reporter: a disconnect that

democrats will have to address this election year. dasha burns, nbc news , erie, pennsylvania. coming up, we will show the economy is not the only thing on voters minds. immigration and border security will play a major role. we want to talk about that next on msnbc. my migra attacks all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec. allergic reactions can occur even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion and stomach pain. talk to your doctor about nurtec today. watch your step! talk to your doctor that's why visionworks makes it simple to schedule an eye exam that works for you. even if you have a big trip to plan around. thanks! i mean, i can see you right now if that's...convenient. visionworks. see the difference.

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american electric is concerned about the situation at the border, making it a key issue in the general election. the most dramatic moments in the state of the union were on immigration. nowhere is that more intense than in texas, where the governor has locked in a legal battle with the biden administration. greg abbott spoke to gabe gutierrez. we met at the center of the border battle is texas governor greg abbott, repeatedly taking on the biden administration, which he says, cause the crisis. >> this is the number one issue in america and that is securing the border. an issue on which he has failed. >> reporter: we spoke with him late today in austin. on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the state of the union? >> i will give it a capital f. >> reporter: the governor opposes the security bill that president biden is calling out republicans for killing. you met you can fight about fixing the board or we can fix it. >> reporter: winded compromise become a dirty word? >> compromise should be

effective. the house has passed an effective border security plan. if joe biden really believes in compromise, he would work with the house chamber. >> reporter: why not pass the bill now? >> the senate bill codifies illegal immigration and actually promotes even more illegal immigration. >> reporter: governor abbott has got headlines for moves including busing migrant other cities to relieve the border towns brady is forging ahead with core bows over razor wire at eagle pass and a new law which would allow local police to arrest migrants for entering texas illegally. >> the judge wrote surges in immigration do not constitute an invasion but is that word invasion dangerous? >> the word invasion is the word that is used in the united states constitution. these are people who are coming across the border and violation of federal law.

in the state of texas. >> our thanks to gabe gutierrez for that report. we will take a short break. we will talk immigration and we will talk to the military crisis that not only does at the border but throughout our country. cannot wait to talk about is a whole lot more. stay with us. 's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. it's time to feed the dogs real food, not highly processed pellets. the farmer's dog is fresh food made with whole meat and veggies. it's not dry food.

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immigration has become an

election issue this year. have you noticed? many of the conversations currently are focused on policy, politics, politics and policy. rarely does the conversation boiled down to the most important thing, men, women and children. people who make this extraordinary journey in a decision to the leave the country and come to united states and tried to seek asylum. people leave their countries. have you heard of push and pull? people leave their countries when they feel like they cannot live there anymore. violence, dictatorship, corruption, persecution and poverty becomes untenable. and then there are the pull factors. things like, just the american dream. it is so important that people know how deeply held the concept of american dream is for people around the world. also, issues like the perceived immigration policy in the

united states. the possibility of reaching asylum. and then there is the issue of the cartels, the drug cartels that operate throughout the region even in the united states, by the way. they make money by exploiting people. our last years we have seen a huge impact of uptick of the number of people coming from venezuela. 7 million people have left that country since 2015 but it is the second largest refugee crisis. it is happening in venezuela but it is a humanitarian crisis, indeed. drowning out is ramos, a former deputy national director for hillary clinton and julian castro, served as secretary of housing and urban development during the obama administration and former mayor of san antonio, texas . currently a msnbc political analyst. when people talk about the humanitarian crisis in our

country, everyone seems to have a different perception and understanding of what that really is. it really boils down to men, women and children. they are doing the most extraordinary valorous thing you can think of, which is leave it all and do whatever it takes to get to the united states. how is that crisis not reflecting the reality? >> reporter: what is happening now is that we are living in a moment in american politics were american voters have internalized this idea of a crisis. they think that they are the ones that are in danger. they are the ones that are exposed to some sort of migrant crime wave. when, in fact, the reality is that the folks that are in danger are, as you said, asylum speakers -- asylum seekers but they are shown in the u.s./mexico border. i was just at the border three days ago. i met with countless asylum- seekers that let their countries

for the simple reason that they had no other option. the reason that, i think, an american republican voter or democratic voter can understand. why? for their children. why? for the safety of their children. they are being held hostage and being sexually abused. they have cross jungles, highways, by footprint may have crossed rivers. only out of desperation. the one thing that never changes in these stories is this idea that you can put up a wall. you can deter people, tried to deter people with policies but that desperation is constant. nothing can beat that desperation. >> how does this country, our nation? deal with this reality? >> reporter: this is such an important conversation. the administration ought to be focusing and i know it is doing work led by the vice president

on the root causes of migration. the way i said it is we live in the neighborhood in the united states but often times we think we are the center of the universe. why not? the united states is the superpower of the world. over the years, the generations, we also have, i think given short, the fact that we live in a neighborhood of countries. in the neighborhood there is a lot of desperation. there is a but of political persecutions. there is many other factors that drive people, as you say, delete everything and take the chance of getting into the united states. there has to be, i think, in the articulation of policy, also a compassion inhumanity and a contextualization of the challenges that we face in this hemisphere. and why it is so important that we put more effort and resources into ensuring that people can find safety and opportunity in their home country instead of having to come to united states to seek it in the 2020 campaign.

i talked about a marshall plan for central america. i think you could extend that into other relationships with countries. so that we change this desperation and this all-out effort of people to come to the southern border. i think that might be something in the long run that democrats and republicans could agree more on then some of the every day issues and the issues that get demonized here once people get to the southern border. >> so many things you just mentioned that are so important. i keep thinking, yes, the importance of supporting and helping -- right? other countries in our region and that i am thinking, just yesterday the former president of honduras was convicted here in new york city for dealing with drug dealers and giving them public support.

corruption in latin america, unfortunately, is a reality. let us talk mexico. they're having elections coming up this summer. you just got back from there. when we saw those images of people -- put that back, the images of people crossing the river. just that crossing the river, which is the final way for people journeying into the united states. people are dying. they are drowning. as we speak. in many ways, this part right here is the least dangerous part of their journey. >> reporter: completely. i wish that when a president biden went down to the border, i wish that we would have seen him observing those images that you are showing right now we saw a president biden that was standing in front of law enforcement. i really do wish and that is something i heard on the ground that he would had crossed the border and would have talked

immigration activists. it is people on the ground that can remind him that you have to be tough on this issue but remind him how he won in the 2020 election. the way that he won, his closing argument was a message that distanced himself from doll trump it was a message that revolved around bringing humanity , compassion and morality to the border. as you're showing this, that is what i wish we would have seen last week. >> i was fortunate enough to be one of the moderators in that first emma craddick presidential debate in miami, in which you were at. i am just wondering, you know, it seems as though -- things that you spoke about back then and you have been speaking about for your entire career are still the same issues that are confronting our nation today, now more intense. why can't things evolve?

>> reporter: about is a great question. i think that because you have one party in the republicans that sees political gold once a score their political touchdowns by dehumanizing and demonizing the immigrants, migrants from the other political party, these days, democrats, obviously, my political party. too often does not want to say anything about this. they are scared of touching the issue. they let window move more to cruelty and dehumanization. and then there is a scramble to try to deal with it when the public perception get so bad where people are just thinking of everyone coming to the southern border seeking refuge as criminals. it gets about that then democrats have to put some policy forward that is a compromise that i think went too far to the right. that is where we are at. i think if there is help, it is that these things come in waves.

we go through periods where people in our country are more willing, i think, to do the hard work and to put down their bias and to accept -- be more accepting of people. that takes leadership. i hope that, i believe joe biden will win this election but i hope that in a second term, the administration will be much more forthright in vocalizing part of what biden said the other day in his speech. we are a nation of immigrants. these are not criminals. these are people seeking a better life. we need to have an asylum system and an immigration system that respects them. that is orderly and ultimately that has the confidence of the american people. right now, we seem a long way off from that. >> we are running out of time. i wish i had more time for this conversation. of the many things i admire about you it is just how you always, always, always focus on

the human aspect, the cost of what you are covering. just think about the folks you met -- we do not have a lot of time. what is you think -- what if those folks could speak to the president of the united states? what do you think they would ask? >> reporter: that is likely what i asked but i just said, what would you tell president biden? he said, they said, think about our situation. we also deserve a chance. when things they did say, and this is when the first times i heard it. perhaps the american dream is dead. is this worth it? is the suffering worth it. is the violence worth it and the pain worth it. that was one of the first times i've heard that from asylum seekers.