now we largely expect it to break down along party lines, all democrats voting for it, and most republicans voting against it. the reason i say most, andrea, is because just in the last few minutes, senator lisa murkowski, republican from alaska said if it's a messaging bill, her message is that she supports women's access to contraception, so at least one republican sounds like they're going to vote for this. >> and where does it go next, you know, in terms of any kind of conclusion just in a word? >> reporter: nowhere. this bill is not going anywhere, but the point, of course, is the politics. >> it's all about the politics. ali vitali, thank you. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." remember, follow us on social media @mitchell reports and you can rewatch parts of the show anytime on youtube. chris jansing takes over right

now. ♪♪ good day, i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. the major twofold test for president biden as he travels abroad but with big political implications back home. can he showcase unity among western allies over the wars in ukraine and gaza while u.s. voters are increasingly skeptical, and how much will the push to preserve democracy really resonate come november? plus, more high drama in delaware as hunter biden's ex-wife takes the stand in his federal trial, what she just finished telling the jury, her brief testimony under subpoena including talk of drug paraphernalia, rehab, and infidelity and whether it's likely to help or hurt her former husband's defense. a pair of critical races taking place 2,000 miles apart, but providing new clues to one of the most consequential political questions of 2024. will democrats hold on to the senate, or can republicans take it back?

we'll break that down in the senate contests in montana and new jersey coming up in just a few minutes. but we start with what is for the white house the defining issue of a generation and potentially of a presidential campaign, the fight for democracy. it's the message joe biden has taken abroad today where some of the greatest threats to democracy including the war in ukraine, are posing a threat to his re-election. but while foreign policy has always been a strength of biden's serving for 12 years as chairman or ranking member of the senate foreign relations committee, he begins his visit to france with his handling of the wars in ukraine and gaza as well as foreign policy in general, increasingly unpopular. i want to bring in nbc's kelly o'donnell who's in paris. jim messina is surrogate for the biden campaign, served in the obama white house and ran president obama's re-election campaign in 2012. peter baker is "the new york times" chief white house correspondent and an msnbc political analyst. he is also traveling with the president in france.

okay, peter, you wrote that this trip is going to put biden in an unfamiliar position finding both solidarity and isolation on the world stage. typically, these kinds of trips let him find his comfort zone in addition to providing a break from washington, but how is this trip different? >> yeah, of course president biden is an internationalist. he has spent a lot of his presidency trying to rebuild the alliance that frayed under his predecessor, former president donald trump who didn't get along well with the nato allies here in europe or other allies around the worl. this is biden's first trip since the october 7th hamas attack on israel, and since the war in gaza has inflamed so much of the world. and unlike president biden, a lot of european leaders are very down on israel, very much in the pro-palestinian camp. a number of european countries including norway, ireland, and spain recently decided they would recognize an independent palestinian state. international bodies have called

for arrest warrants on prime minister netanyahu with the support of european leaders. so he's both rallying the world on ukraine while he's here, but defying the world, at least the europeans, when it comes to the gaza war. >> what's the president's message to our allies and how do we expect him to use the message to build support among voters back home? >> reporter: well, certainly for the president one of the things that we hear from him frequently now, both in his public addresses on the campaign trail from the white house, and in finance meetings, those fundraisers, is talking about how he hears frequently from world leaders, especially those in europe about the essential nature of the united states on the world stage. so he wants to tap into that as a force for good and to try to bring together these leaders, and he has done that in terms of the ukraine solidarity that we see with europe and to make the distinction that the war in israel and gaza has been about

an attack on israel and the u.s. commitment to support and defend israel, and at the same time, it is a different set of circumstances with russia invading ukraine. so this is a difficult needle to thread, and we've seen the president be more critical of israeli leadership in recent days. so trying to then do these important, difficult complex urgent problems against the backdrop of the history that brings him to europe, which is of course the 80th anniversary of the normandy invasion, and a reminder that democracy is fragile, it has to be defended, and it can, in fact, be challenged to a point of real fear among our core allies. he talks often about concerns expressed to him about a return of donald trump to office, and that is the kind of thing he will try to argue and play out going forward. >> just those images, peter, as you well know, they can often be powerful, right? d-day resonates with so many americans, obviously.

older americans maybe in particular who are very dependable voters. is there something or some things that the white house would like to come back to the united states having achieved, besides those images? >> well, images are important, and in fact, the president is going to go not only to normandy tomorrow with the other world leaders, he's going to go back to normandy a second time on friday. he's going to give a speech at point hawk, he's going to give a speech basically that mirrors what ronald reagan did famously in 1984 where he praised the heroes who climbed the walls of the cliffs to take on the nazis, and he's going to in effect wrap himself in that patriotic image, the same way ronald reagan did, you know, a generation ago. but most importantly, i think he's also sending a message to americans back home about why this matters. yes, they may be tired of overseas commitments. they may not be fully supportive of sending lots of american money and weapons to ukraine, but he's going to make the case, as kelly said, that this is -- you know, there's a through line from world war ii to today.

he's going to meet with president zelenskyy of ukraine while he's here in france and try to make the argument to americans that it matters to them, matters to the united states what happens in the battlefields of ukraine. >> can you think, jim, a reagan-esque speech which is grounded in patriotism work, though, in 2024? >> i really do, and i think it's the perfect contrast. this is joe biden's sweet spot. this is where he feels comfortable, and as voteders start to focus on this election, the contrast between his steady leadership, which is what he promised and donald trump's sense of chaos and anarchy and his past comments praising dictatorial leaders talking about how great they are, controversial statements about democracy, saying he would want a third term, this might be the last democratic election, he'll be a dictator. that contrast is what the biden campaign is hoping for. i think friday's speech sets the tone as he did before the 2022

elections, people kind of criticized the democratic speech then, but i think the white house is trying to replicate that on this has hallowed stage of france on friday. >> there are beautiful words, great speeches and then there are the realities voters feel they're living through. there was a quote from ian bremmer, he told "politico" this, if this election is all about foreign policy, biden's going to lose and obviously cited in particular the wars in ukraine and gaza, which have become very wearying to a lot of voters, so how does he deal with that reality? wars that have not gone as well and have gone on longer than most american voters probably would have liked. >> well, look, typically americans reward leaders in times of war and crisis, and they understand they want a strong leader, and that's what joe biden is proving to them. now, that said, he can do both things. he needs to talk about the

economy. he's doing that every day. that's his ads in the battleground states. these are his appearances you're covering and everyone is covering. he is talking about the issues of the day. when i ran president obama's campaign, i said to him all the time, if this was a choice the incumbent usually wins. if it's a referendum, he usually loses. biden has to drive this choice, and i think that's what friday is about, and i think that's what all of his appearances in the battleground states are about. >> is maybe a contrast part of the problem? and i'm not talking about potentially foreign policy, our chief political analyst, chuck todd wrote about the voters still on the fence, this just published. and he wrote if both candidates are viewed more negatively than positively, thens undecided voter is likely to judge them in a very transactional way. that is which candidate will be either better for me or do the least damage, and his argument is a lot of that centers around

economic issues as well, for which the biden administration for all the statistics that supporters will throw at you, we know that there are a lot of swing voters out there who have said i don't know, i think i felt better under trump. his numbers are better now than they were actually -- i'm talking about donald trump, at the end of his presidency, so there's a little bit of sunnying up of that. but do you buy that? do you buy that ultimately while these other things will be important on the fringes, ultimately it's the economy stupid? >> look, what i think is true is you have the statistic that really keeps me up at night, the fact that donald trump's approval rating has gone up since he left office. people have forgotten about that chaos. i think that's what we have to remind them. that is one of the keys to this campaign, to get people to remember the chaos and why they got rid of this guy in the first

place. do i think that the biden campaign's got to lay out a very clear narrative on the future? yes, and i think you'll see that in the debates. i think you'll see that in his convention speech, it's also remindsing people of why they fired donald trump in the first place. those are the core swing voters you were talking about, chris. >> so while covering the white house is always an historic privilege, sometimes it's better than others, so to kelly o'donnell and peter baker in paris, a little bit of envy for those days when i was covering the white house, thank you, both, and of course jim messina, thank you. a gunman opened fire on the u.s. embassy in beirut today injuring one lebanese guard. authorities say the shooter was captured after a firefight with a lebanese ar my and was taken to a local hospital with injuries. the suspect's identity, possible motive aren't immediately clear. the lebanese military describe him only as a syrian national. the incident comes as israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is warning hezbollah

it could soon launch an offensive in lebanon after months of tit for tat attacks. today he visited an israeli border city hezbollah. rockets warning of a potential for strong action. tens of thousands of israeli and lebanese civilians have been displaced by those cross border clashes since the war began in october. coming up in 90 seconds, day three of the hunter biden trial, his ex-wife testifying under subpoena about the drug use that separated them after 24 years of marriage. the latest from inside the courtroom. we're back after this. troom. we're back after this. slowing my cancer from growing and living longer are two things i want from my metastatic breast cancer treatment. and with kisqali, i can have both. kisqali is a pill that when taken with an aromatase inhibitor helps delay cancer from growing and has been proven to help people live significantly longer across three separate clinical trials. so, i have the confidence to live my life.

kisqali can cause lung problems or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. avoid grapefruit during treatment. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills, or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. long live life and long live you. ask your doctor about kisqali today. skin craving next level hydration? neutrogena hydro boost water cream. a vital boost of 9x more hydration that's clinically proven to boost your skin's barrier for quenched, dewy skin that's full of life. neutrogena hydro boost. wanna know a secret? more than just my armpits stink. that's why i use secret whole body deodorant... everywhere. 4 out of 5 gynecologists

would recommend whole body deodorant, which gives you 72 hour odor protection from your pits to your- (sfx: deoderant being sprayed) secret whole body deodorant. three witnesses have already taken the stand today in hunter biden's federal gun charges trial. it can be hard to separate what is legally important from the salacious, tales of drug use, searching cars, stints in rehab, a broken marriage, all of it with hunter biden's mother, first lady jill biden, watching. his ex-wife kathleen buhle, the mother of three of president biden's grandchildren was there under subpoena, and she took the stand for less than 15 minutes, but in that time she painted an intimate picture of addiction, how it entered their marriage and their home, but in the cross examination by the defense, she said she never actually saw hunter biden use drugs. nbc's mike memoli reports from outsides courthouse in

wilmington. also with us former federal prosecutor and msnbc legal analyst, paul butler. mike, court adjourned for lunch just a short time ago. what can you tell us about what is clearly already been a pretty dramatic day? >> yeah, that's right, chris, and to use your word, we've moved from the sensitive to the salacious. the court had been hearing testimony from zoe kestin who worked with hunter biden first met her as an exotic dancer at a gentleman's club in new york. they developed a romantic relationship for about a period of over a year. the prosecution is walking through the time line of that relationship right before they broke up for lunch, they were in march of 2018. ultimately trying to get to the time when hunter biden purchased the gun, which again is the center of this trial, was he still abusing drugs when he purchased that gun in october of 2018. prior to that, we had heard from kathleen buhle. i was struck by that detail that you mentioned, chris, how quickly she was on and off the stand, just about 15 minutes. they were very efficient, both the prosecution and the defense

attorney in asking very simple questions about whether she first discovered that hunter was abusing crack cocaine. it was july of 2015, notable, of course, that was just barely over a month after the death of beau biden, his brother. and then she would, after they divorced occasionally inspect a car that they shared because anytime their daughters were using the car, kathleen wanted to be able to make sure there was not drug paraphernalia in there. she said she did discover drug paraphernalia from time to time, but to your point, the cross examination by abbe lowell didn't ever see him use drugs. why is this important? both of these witnesses so far have testified that hunter, when he was potentially abusing drugs was also still high functioning and the question is was there a change in behavior that would have been apparent when he, as abbe lowell tries to argue may have only been abusing alcohol at the time he purchased that gun, versus abusing drugs. all of the efforts to try to establish reasonable doubt and put themselves into hunter biden's mind-set that he was on a path to recovery from drug

addiction at the time he purchased that gun. >> i want you to do a deeper dive on that, zoe kes tin described hunter biden as, and i'm quoting, cognizant and coherent while smoking, echoing something that his ex-wife said on the stand about observing hunter biden high functioning while using drugs. who do you think that helps, though? is it the prosecution or the defense, and why ultimately, do you think in the minds of jurors it could be important? >> you know, it's actually not that relevant to the defense. remember, hunter is charged with lying on this atf form. it's this 4473 form that everybody who buys a gun has to fill out affirming that you're legally allowed to purchase the weapon, so the central question is are you an unlawful user or addicted to illegal drugs? hunter checked the box no. so what the prosecution witnesses so far have

established is that hunter thought of himself as an addict, but the defense is during the time that he filled out that form, at that point he wasn't thinking of himself as an addict. the question is are you an unlawful user or addicted, and the defense's answer is at that moment, the answer was no. the judge, chris, has ruled that if hunter was generally using drugs during this period, then his answer was inaccurate. he didn't have to be using drugs on the specific day that he filled out the form. >> the defense attempted, paul, to poke holes in fbi agent erica jensen's testimony, that's how the day started. there was a lot of conversation about texts that were about hunter biden's addiction before and after he bought the gun, and of course that's at the center of the charges, right? that he filled out that form untruthfully. these were from october of 2018. i want to talk about two texts

in particular. one detail the day after he bought the gun, hunter biden texted he was waiting for a dealer named mookie in another text hunter biden wrote that he was, quote, sleeping on a car smoking crack. the defense got her to say -- this is the fbi agent -- that she had no firsthand knowledge of any of that stuff, either of those things. what was the point of pressing that over and over and again on those two and on other places where they said, but you have no firsthand knowledge of that, right? you have no firsthand knowledge of that. she could authenticate the texts, but she wasn't able to say anything about where they came from or that they were legit, i guess, was their point, right? >> that's right, chris. so what the defense is trying to do is to plant reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror that the fbi agent isn't

certain that hunter was using drugs at the time that they claim that he was. the fbi agent actually testified on the stand that there were periods of time during the five years that she investigated where hunter did not appear to be abusing cocaine, and so, again, they're hoping that that creates doubt in the minds of some jurors that, again, during the time when he filled out this form, he wasn't actually a drug user. the defense wanted to present an expert witness who would have testified about the psychology of addiction and said that the way that hunter processed his experience, he probably didn't think of himself as an addict, but the judge wouldn't allow that testimony. >> mike memoli, thank you so much for your reporting on this. paul, you're going to stay with me. but we have some breaking news, brand new nbc news reporting on the race to be donald trump's vice president. the concrete steps the campaign

is now taking and the four prospects a source says the race is heavily concentrated on. (restaurant noise) [announcer] introducing allison's plaque psoriasis. she thinks her flaky gray patches are all people see. otezla is the #1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. allison! over here! otezla can help you get clearer skin and reduce itching and flaking. with no routine blood tests required. doctors have been prescribing otezla for over 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. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. ♪♪ [announcer] with clearer skin girls' day out is a good day out.

live in the moment. ask your doctor about otezla. nothing dims my light like a migraine. with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. it's time we all shine. talk to a healthcare provider about nurtec odt from pfizer. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid for twice as long as pepcid. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium.

- i got the cabin for three days. it's gonna be sweet! choose acid prevention. what? i'm 12 hours short. - have a fun weekend. - ♪ unnecessary action hero! unnecessary. ♪ - was that necessary? - no. neither is a blown weekend. with paycom, employees do their own payroll so you can fix problems before they become problems. - hmm! get paycom and make the unnecessary, unnecessary. - see you down the line.

we now have the outlines of the critically important fight for control of the senate in 2024. two of the key races that will decide it are now set after primaries in montana and new jersey. jon tester, the incumbent democrat in heavily republican montana where trump beat biden

by 16 points in 2020 will face tim she, a businessman and former navy s.e.a.l. >> we served hard, we fought hard. that gives you a weight of what the responsibility is as americans. millions of young men and women have died to protect your right to vote and your right to choose your leadership, and this fall we are at a crossroads as a nation. so the presidential ticket on down, we have to save this country. >> and in new jersey, the democracy nominee will be congressman andy kim favored to beat republican curtis baa shaw, a hotel developer. bob menendez has filed to run as an independent. that leaves two more highly competitive races that will decide control, nevada and ohio, both seats now held by democrats and after michigan's debbie stabenow decided to retire, that race has gotten interesting. the primary there isn't until august, even as fund-raising is moving at a torrid pace.

joining me now nbc's mark murray, matt gorman, republican strategist and former senior communications adviser for tim scott for america is here as well. i think we can say without question this is going to be one of the most expensive, nastiest and arguably consequential battles for control of the senate we've ever seen. what's this campaign season going to look like? >> oh, well, chris, i think you summed it up really well in montana, ohio, and across the country with this presidential election as well, but let's be clear about this is the battle for senate control for republicans, and the magic number for republicans is netting two pickups. that would be guaranteed regardless of what ends up happening in the presidential race for a senate majority with democrats currently at a 51-49 majority. as we already know, republicans are the overwhelming front runners in west virginia. that's joe manchin's seat where he's not running for re-election. to get that magic number of two, republicans would need to win in

montana, the race you just described that is now fully set, or in ohio where incumbent democratic senator sherrod brown is receiving a really tough challenge as well. and so those are the races that would end up deciding the senate majority. democrats have candidates who have been able to win these races time and time again. republicans are counting on the national environment in a presidential election that could end up toppling these democrats in these red states. >> all right, matt, let's talk about a couple of these specific races. andy kim says menendez has no chance of winning back his seat as an independent. jersey city's mayor says he thinks it could throw the race into chaos. menendez does have name recognition. is it too early to conclude that him running as an independent isn't really a factor? >> i mean, look, if i was a republican working on the senate race, i'd keep on eye on it. if you remember back in 2021, running for governor, he came within a couple of points of

defeating phil murphy. it's not out of the question if you're splitting the democratic vote like menendez could, then anything is possible. i think if we're talking about new jersey, honestly, it's probably, you know, republicans looking at maybe 54 seats, right? i don't see a way that the clinching seat is new jersey, but that's something to keep an eye on. >> as politics coe phrased it so far jon tester has defied political gravity. he is a democrat in a deep red state. he's also very popular. last time around and i was there at the heart of his campaign, he was running against a guy who was widely derided for calling himself a rancher when he didn't have any animals on his property. it was pretty clear from talking to voters what they thought about that. this time, though, jon tester is up against a photogenic former navy s.e.a.l. what do you think this race is going to look like? >> chris, you know, i think it's important to note that, yes, jon

tester has defied political gravity along with sherrod brown starting in the 2006 cycle, 2012, 2018, and now 2024, but this will probably be the most challenging political environment of all. this is one where the wins certainly aren't at the democratic party's back just right now, and what's going to be central to tester and also sherrod brown in ohio is winning over these voters who are going to vote for donald trump in the presidential election that say, you know what? i'm going to vote democratic for senate in either montana or in ohio, and as we've seen him pass cycles, the share of the ticket splitting voters is much, much less. you know, the people who are willing to say i'm going to vote republican for president, but i'm going to vote democratic for the united states senate. we're seeing fewer and fewer of those kind of ticket splitters. however, that is crucial, and what we've seen from both sherrod brown and from jon tester is their ability to do

that in the 2012 cycle. >> i want you to put on your hat, if you will, matt, back when you were communications director at the national republican congressional committee because you know a little something about ground game, money, messaging, what would it take for republicans to beat jon tester? >> i think, honestly, an even atmosphere, right? as you put at the start of your segment, trump won this by 16. so tester needs to win a lot of trump voters. so he only won by about 18,000 votes. you're right, it was against a relatively lackluster gop candidate in an era where trump was not on the ballot and he was very unpopular, 2018 democrats won back the house as well. the nrsc senate committee projects about 50,000 new right of center voters in the state of montana, a lot of those during covid. those in and of itself could be enough to push him over. he has to do a lot of work.

>> mark murray, matt gorman, guys, thank you so much. we'll be talking about this much more in the weeks and months to come. and we'll be right back. o me and we'll be right back. heartbue taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. nice to meet ya. my name is david. i've been a pharmacist for 44 years. when i have customers come in and ask for something for memory, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's effective. does not require a prescription. and i've been taking it quite a while myself and i know it works. and i love it when the customers come back in and tell me, "david, that really works so good for me." makes my day. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. (aaron) i own a lot of businesses... makes my day. so i wear a lot of hats. my restaurants, my tattoo shop...

and i also have a non-profit. but no matter what business i'm in... my network and my tech need to keep up. thank you verizon business. (kevin) now our businesses get fast and reliable internet from the same network that powers our phones. (waitress) all with the security features we need. (aaron) because my businesses are my life. man, the fish tacos are blowing up! so whatever's next... we're cooking with fire. let's make it happen! (vo) switch to the partner businesses rely on. i'm jonathan lawson, here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85 and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications.

what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. options start at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate-lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information, and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling, so call now for free information. cordless outdoor power, brings you the ego power+

string trimmer with powerload technology. feed the line, push the button and get back to work. ego, exclusively at lowe's, ace and ego authorized dealers.

if you think the fight over reproductive rights is only about abortion, it's not. democrats know it, and today they'll be forcing republicans into a kind of put up or shut up moment over contraception.

a vote in the senate this afternoon will kick off, in fact, a month-long effort by democrats pushing action on a range of reproductive health matters. joining us now democratic senator jacky rosen of nevada. thanks for being with us, senator. talk to us about this vote today and why you think it's important in the fight for reproductive rights. >> well, thank you for having me, and you're exactly right. it's a put up or shut up moment because we know that women's fundamental freedoms are under attack, just about two years ago, roe v. wade, that was overturned, and we've seen in state after state, city after county, all across this country more and more measures meant to control women and restrict their freedoms. and we don't want anybody in a woman's doctor's office making these decisions for her, and we know also when roe v. wade was overturned, justice thomas said he would like to revisit griswold. griswold was the ruling by the supreme court that allowed women

to have access to contraception. so this bill today is merely codifying that. we are doing our job as legislators to put this in statute, that women have the fundamental right to access to contraception, nothing more and nothing less, and so republican colleagues, if they believe and this woman's right women's freedoms, and it's not just a woman's issue by the way. it's a couple's issue, a family's issue to decide when, where you want to have a family. it could be a medical issue, if god forbid you have cancer, a chronic disease. it's a fundamental right for doctors and women to make these decisions in the privacy of their office. >> your colleagues who say you're looking for an answer to a problem that doesn't exist, and i want to play for you what a couple of your republican colleagues had to say. >> who wants to ban contraception, like what -- where would ta pass?

not mine. my state's a very pro-life state, butky tell you like no way. no way. >> democrats think they can win this case, this election based on reproductive rights, and somehow they're suggesting that contraception is in jeopardy, which is just blatantly false. >> they say blatantly false. what do you say to them? >> well, i say you have to look no further than alabama who wanted to restrict a woman's right to ivf. i can say you look no further than justice thomas who has already telegraphed he wants to revisit griswold and you can look no further than two years ago when they overturned roe v. wade. if they really believe this, time to put up and shut up, they can vote on it. if they really believe it, let them vote to move this bill forward and allow women, all women across this country, couples across this country, the ability to have access to contraception so that they can decide when it's right for them to have a family.

that's what's on the ballot today. that's what's on the vote today, the floor today. and that is what's important. >> "the washington post" is reporting that there are republicans in 17 different states that have blocked largely democratic-led attempts to laws that would assure the right to abortion since 2022, and a gallop poll shows 92% of u.s. adults thought birth control was morally acceptable back then in 2022. the next year it was 88%, so obviously a strong majority, but how do you turn that into election results, whether it's on a statewide level or a national level? >> well, i can tell you in nevada, we have an abortion measure on our ballot this time, and what that means is we've codified a woman's right to have an abortion in the state of nevada. we want to move it into our constitution. it's really important to women that they have the ability to go to the doctor's office, to get the reproductive care that they

need, and even as important is that when women go to the emergency roo that we don't leave any women dying in parking lots because a doctor has to call a lawyer or some politician to figure out what kind of health care they need. how close should a woman be to death, and at what cost to a woman's health. you are going to leave women, women dying in parking lots for what? and so we saw roe v. wade overturned. we know griswold could be next, if republicans are serious, they will vote yes on this right to contraception bill today. if they don't, well, then it lets you know where they stand. >> senator jacky rosen, thank you so much. we appreciate you taking the time to come on the program. >> thank you for having me. still to come, an unlawful pardon, a texas district attorney battling the governor there over the pardon of a man convicted of murder. what that fight looks like. and in our next hour, a first of its kind bill in new

york that could actually transform what kids see on social media, but how exactly would it work and would other states follow their lead? you're watching "chris jansing reports" only on msnbc. msnbc and keeping it off? same. discover the power of wegovy®. ♪ ♪ with wegovy®, i lost 35 pounds. and some lost over 46 pounds. ♪ ♪ and i'm keeping the weight off. wegovy® helps you lose weight and keep it off. i'm reducing my risk. wegovy® is the only fda-approved weight-management medicine that's proven to reduce risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight. wegovy® shouldn't be used with semaglutide or glp-1 medicines. don't take wegovy® if you or your family had medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop wegovy® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction.

serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis and gallbladder problems. wegovy® may cause low blood sugar in people with diabetes, especially if you take medicines to treat diabetes. tell your provider about vision problems or changes, or if you feel your heart racing while at rest. depression or thoughts of suicide may occur. call your provider right away if you have any mental changes. common side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. with wegovy®, i'm losing weight, i'm keeping it off. and i'm lowering my cv risk. that's the power of we. ♪ ♪ check your cost and coverage before talking to your health care professional about wegovy®. - so this is pickleball? - pickle! ah, these guys are intense. with e*trade from morgan stanley, we're ready for whatever gets served up. dude, you gotta work on your trash talk. i'd rather work on saving for retirement. or college, since you like to get schooled. that's a pretty good burn, right?

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.

we all need fiber for our digestive health, but less than 10% of us get enough each day.

good thing metamucil gummies are an easy way to get prebiotic, plant-based fiber. with the same amount of fiber as 2 cups of broccoli. metamucil gummies. the easy way to get your daily fiber. [introspective music] recipes. recipes that are more than their ingredients. ♪ [smoke alarm] recipes written by hand and lost to time... can now be analyzed and restored using the power of dell ai. preserving memories and helping to write new ones. ♪ now to a major fight in texas over whether a man who shot and killed a black lives matter protester and was pardoned should have that pardon overturned by the state court of criminal appeals.

governor greg abbott pardoned daniel perry last year on the same day that he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting that protester back in 2020. perry stopped at an intersection during a black lives matter protest in austin and opened fire from inside his car killing 28-year-old garrett foster who was legally carrying a semiautomatic rifle. foster's mother spoke about the governor's pardon yesterday. >> my own child was killed on american soil for doing nothing but practicing his first and second amendment rights, and our governor just said that's okay. we had justice for garrett for 18 hours after waiting three years for a trial. >> paul butler is back with me. i mean, paul, how could the governor's pardon be overturned? in fact, i think we were talking about this in our morning meeting. we didn't even know that there

was a tool to overturn a pardon. we thought president, governor, pardons, that's it. >> it's going to be a really difficult struggle to get this pardon overturned. under texas law, the state board of pardons and patrols has to make a recommendation before the governor grants a pardon, and as you say, in this case, the day after the jury convicted mr. perry of murder, governor abbott said he intended to pardon perry for the murder. he said he would approve the board's pardon recommendation as soon as it hit his desk. the board made the recommendation. chris, we should note that its members are all appointed by the governor, so now the district attorney has moved to overturn this pardon, but the attempt to have the conviction reinstated goes to the texas court of criminal appeals. it has nine members all republicans.

>> so the prosecutor is arguing that governor abbott circumvented the process for pardons and exceeded his authority and violated the separation of powers doctrine. is that the best argument? >> it's an argument to make, but i don't think it's going to persuade the texas court of criminal appeals. again, the question isn't really so much about whether the governor is following the law. i think there's reason to question his judgment. this defendant seems an extremely unlikely candidate for mercy. the jury deliberated for hours. they found that when he shot this protester five times that that was murder, and in the days before he killed the victim, mr. perry made it clear that he wanted to go after protesters. after george floyd was killed he sent a text saying he wanted to shoot looters. in another text he said he was hoping to catch a negro, and

another text he said that if he shot a protester, he wanted to be able to cut their ear off. so why is this person being pardoned? it's about stand your ground laws among other things. there are lots of politics that are being brought into this really tragic murder. >> yeah. paul butler, thank you for that. well, donald trump's search for a vice presidential running mate has reached a new level of intensity with nbc news learning that the search has narrowed and is now heavily concentrated on four men, north dakota governor doug burgum, florida senator marco rubio, south carolina senator tim scott, and ohio senator jd vance. that's according to one source. matt gorman is back with vance, according to one source. matt gorman is back with me, and dasha burns, who contributes to the brand new reporting and joins me here in studio. dasha, where exactly is this search standing right now, and what do we know about why these four men are the front runners?

>> so look, the sources that we're talking to at least five of them are telling us that vetting materials have been set out to top contenders. we don't know the exact last of who these have been sent to, but they have been sent out. that was a big part of the process moving on. as the trial came to a close, the search heeded back up again, and if you remember, the trial has also been kind of an audition of sorts for these contenders. you've had people who were interested in this position, or even in cabinet positions showing up in front of the court supporting the former president on social media, doing the media circuit as surrogates for the former president, and these four men have been prominent on that circuit. doug burgum, especially has been spending a whole lot more time with the former president and the sources that we're speaking to say, yeah, it's really been honed in on these four men, with always the caveat that it's mr. trump, the former president, a

fluid list, ballooned to a dozen or so more people. >> you know more than most about vetting. i think you were involved with the mitt romney campaign with the vetting of paul ryan. what does this process look like, and what are they looking for even presumably in an unconventional campaign like donald trump's? >> it usually starts very broad. usually the candidate will, you know, could be upwards of 20, 25 names, and they're usually very baseline level of research. right? it's votes, quotes, political positions on pretty much every major topic we're talking about today. and there's a book assembled and the candidate narrows it down, and when you get to the point like this, this is where you're having conversations with, say, their accountants or lawyers. you're talking family, talking obviously the candidates themselves, and you're asking very honest and probably tough questions. anything in the background that we need to know about that if it came out, could embarrass the

top of the ticket, and these are where you start having those really tough conversations and you start winnowing it down. >> one of the long standing arguments is do they matter, do they bring votes. there are very few examples that are clear in history that a vice presidential candidate made a difference. nevertheless, they're often looking for some balance, right? a woman, obviously, none of the four are a woman. a person of color. what do you think is going to go on here? do any of those usual conversations take place or is it donald trump, my gut, who i think will be loyal. we know he feels his vice president was not loyal to him, mike pence. >> yeah, so i think it's a very honest conversation. when mitt was choosing paul ryan, there was a comfort level. this person is your political

partner, the only person in your administration if you're elected, you can't fire because they're elected along with you. you need to be comfortable with this person in every aspect. if it's marco rubio, tim scott, jd vance, you're kind of doubling down a little bit more ideologically. in a lot of respects comfort and loyalty, all of those attributes are first on the list for anybody. >> dasha, where does the process go from here? >> the count down son to the republican convention, and that's sort of when trump has been saying that he wants to have a running mate by, and we are expecting to see more of the audition. i mean, remember, this is a man who is loves a competition reality show, so we're going to keep seeing that. we know from our past reporting that there are some other factors that have been important to the former president, like their position on abortion. he doesn't want someone that's too far to the right that could turn off some of those more moderate and independent voters. we also know that money a really

big deal. can these candidates fund raise or burgum has an advantage because his own fund that he could pull from and help the former president out with. we'll be watching. >> dasha burns, matt gorman, thank you both. coming up, gagged but not forgotten. trump's lawyers asking the judge to lift the restriction on what he can and cannot say, and what the d.a. has to say about that. stay close, more "chris jansing reports" right after this. nsing reports" right after this. nothing dims my light like a migraine. with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. it's time we all shine.

talk to a healthcare provider about nurtec odt from pfizer. (restaurant noise) [announcer] introducing allison's plaque psoriasis. she thinks her flaky gray patches are all people see. otezla is the #1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. allison! over here! otezla can help you get clearer skin and reduce itching and flaking. with no routine blood tests required. doctors have been prescribing otezla for over 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. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. ♪♪ [announcer] with clearer skin girls' day out is a good day out.

live in the moment. ask your doctor about otezla. i love that my daughter still needs me. but sometimes i can't help due to burning and stabbing pain in my hands, so i use nervive. nervive's clinical dose of ala reduces nerve discomfort

in as little as 14 days. now i can help again. feel the difference with nervive.

it is good to be back with you on this second hour of "chris jansing reports." at this hour, donald trump's legal team wants the judge to lift the gag order now that he's been convicted in the new york hush money case. the d.a.'s team is asking to keep it in place, but for how long? and what's changed in the days since president biden took executive action on the border? we're live in california to show you. plus, caught on camera, the new fbi surveillance image of senator bob menendez and his wife with egyptian officials at a steak dinner. the revealing new details from the menendez trial, including how two of those fbi agents posed as a married couple to get