hudson. fireworks spectacular, a lot of people excited for this fourth of july. extended holiday that many people are looking forward to, been a great time, so a happy 4th to you, and a happy 4th to all of our viewers. >> i know that the rumor was that both the winner, mickey suto and her husband were the front runners. they're married, too, as well. >> reporter: yeah, yeah, that was certainly the hope and the expectation. there was a lot of rumors and hope that joey chestnut was going to make a surprise appearance and come back and claim the belt. obviously we will celebrate the new reigning champs for this year's hot dog eating contest. i might have another one. definitely not anywhere near the 50. >> thank you, again, george, for satisfying my hot dog eating trivia needs for this july 4th, i appreciate it. george solis, live in coney island.

that wraps things up for me, i'm richard lui. ali vitali picks up with more news right now. right now on msnbc, president biden admits, quote, i screwed up. his candid new comments as we learn that privately his feelings are shifting between defiance and acceptance. and new details about a doctor's visit he had right after the debate. plus, bracing for impact. hurricane beryl heads for the caymans after 140 miles per hour winds. the new images of the destruction and whether we could see this storm hit texas. the inferno out west. 30,000 ordered to evacuate in northern california as a wildfire spreads destroying homes, crews, battling the flames and the scorching heat there, not helping with more than 100 million on alert across the u.s. hello and happy fourth of july

i'm ali vitali reporting from our nation's capital, a defiant president biden trying to turn the page. asking voters to judge him not by the debate but by his track record. >> i had a bad night, and the fact of the matter is that, you know, it was -- i screwed up. i made a mistake. that's 90 minutes on stage. look at what i have done in 3.5 years. >> behind closed doors, nbc news learning biden's defiant posture is paired with acceptance of his predicament. people familiar with the matter telling our team, biden has acknowledged in discussions that the blowback from his debate performance might be too big to overcome. in the meantime, some members of his family, particularly the first lady and his son hunter are urging him to forge ahead and make changes to the campaign staff and strategy. to house democrats have come out publicly to say biden should step aside, and many others have

expressed their concerns as we see former president trump falsely claiming he's dropped out and that kamala harris is going to be taking his place. >> that old broken down pile of -- he just quit, you know, he's quitting. >> is that right? >> i got him out of the race, and that means we have kamala. i think she's going to be better. she's so bad. she's so pathetic. >> joining us now from the white house is nbc's allie raffa, also with us is basil smikle a democratic strategist and former republican congressman, david jolly of florida. you've got new reporting about the president seeing a doctor post debate. there's been a lot of back and forth about this, including yesterday from the podium when karine jean-pierre said he hadn't. talk to us about that, and more

of the private conversations he has been having with the campaign and allies. >> there's been a lot of confusion about this, after we know the president after the meeting he had last night with over 20 democratic governors was asked whether he saw a doctor after his poor performance on the debate stage. the biden team has been saying his poor performance was linked to that cold they say he was suffering from, and we're told by sources familiar with the conversation in this meeting last night that the president said he did see a doctor after the debate and the doctor said everything was fine. that was directly contradicting what white house press secretary karine jean-pierre said hours before the meeting began when she was asked the specific question, the press secretary saying the president had not seen a doctor since his physical in february, and she down played the cold he was suffering from. so now the white house today is

clarifying this. we had a statement from white house spokesperson andrew bates earlier today where he said the president hasn't had a physical specifically since february. the president did see a doctor after that debate performance last week. of course we know his doctor regularly travels with the president, and they also added that the president has not had any sort of cognitive or neurological exams since the debate. so all of this, ali, really drawing attention to sort of the hiccups that the biden team is experiencing as it tries to get all of its messaging on the same page in the wake of the debate performance. . >> and certainly these divergent perspectives and things they're giving out don't help, especially as i'm talking to lawmakers, all i want is to feel reassured. i want to turn to you. one of the president's closest allies, congressman jim clyburn, floated the idea of a mini primary before the dnc if biden

were to step aside. what does it suggest to you? this is a man who understands how the democratic politics work and is in large part responsible for getting biden where he is. >> yes, he is, and so when he makes a comment like that, it's a little, you know, i have been infuriated a bit by what i call and characterize this opening casting call for who could be potentially biden's replacement. he's the sitting president of the united states. kamala harris is sitting vice president of the united states, and while i think it's okay to acknowledge that he didn't have a good debate performance, my concern is that a lot of the clyburn comments and other comments that members of congress have been making over the last few days, all that does is stir an uncertainty, not just among the democratic voters, but among all of those independent

voters that democrats really need in this election. you know, we were elected, democrats were elected in 2020, a party of not chaos and some normalcy, you've seen some pretty steady governance from joe biden in the last four years. this is not the time for everything to unravel, and that is my concern, that there is the sort of open speculation that only leads to uncertainty, and that's not what's needed right now. >> it is, i think, a stunning scenario for all of us covering it and those of us involved in tracking it. david, on the other side of the equation is the trump campaign. what scenarios do you think they're preparing for right now? >> look, they hope joe biden stays in because they see him as weak, and then they want to run against kamala harris. i think that that they should be very careful here. i do think there's an opportunity for joe biden and the democrats to have a very unifying week. first of all, it's inevitable, something has to break. the fever has to break.

either joe biden coalesces the democrats this week, and says we're going forward as a unified democratic party, and you are sticking with me or he makes another decision but also creates a unifying moment for national democrats and the nation as well about a chapter of democratic leadership. hollywood for the next week. who do they want to run against it. joe biden, one tool he hasn't used, the greatest tool he has is an address to the nation. this is not just a political question. we talk about it as a political question for november. this is a question for right now. and if joe biden can reassure the nation, it begins to answer the questions about november. they could decide whether or not to do that. republicans, they want joe biden, then they want kamala harris, i'll tell you who they don't want, who they're terrified of, donald trump is scared to death of gavin newsom. gavin newsom is the one person they don't want to run against. they're terrified.

>> we have someone on the campaign trail with gavin newsom, coming up later on the show. he has been steadfast behind the president. what we're watching more than anything is the white house trying to turn the page. biden meeting with democratic governors, calling to allies on the hill, and realistically, and i ask this in my conversations with lawmakers over the course of the last few days, how much time does biden have to right this ship and is there anything he can do? i mean, one interview feels like a trivial metric to shore this up and tie it up with a bow and put it away back on the shelf. >> the presidential can turn the page. so something david said a minute ago. being president of the united states means you have the best home field advantage ever in politics. you use that platform to talk to the nation, to address even individuals who are supportive of you or skeptical.

this is the moment where he has the opportunity to turn the page. this sort of unifying, it might be more than weak. but there's an opportunity to get everybody on board, and say, look, all of these questions are swirling around me but the biggest question of all is do you want donald trump to be president of the united states, and if you don't, you need to get on this train, and let's get this thing moving. we spent the last week or so talking about joe biden, but my god, all of the lies that donald trump spewed on that debate stage have still not gone checked, and that's, i think, the biggest challenge for the biden campaign is to kind of turn this messaging and the narrative and the spotlight back on to the distinction and it's a broad distinction between him and donald trump. >> i hear that word contrast a lot. i want to bring in julie tsirkin, my colleague on capitol hill. two democrats have come out

publicly at this point to say that biden should step aside. there's others whoave been critical about how he's handled this. you and i are talking to people who don't want to put their names on it. is there any effort from the white house or democratic leadership to try to stem these defections, and i have to say, jewele, i have been thinking about this, i have to imagine there's luck in the scenario that lawmakers are in recess and not on the hill. >> absolutely, and that luck will soon change once they're back in town next week. you and i will be chasing them in the halls, peppering them with questions. certainly the white house and democratic leadership is trying. you had the white house send out a memo to chiefs of staff on the house side. you had positive memos coming from the white house. look at the support the president has, but at the end of the day, when your front liner, a vulnerable democrat who is basically freaking out right now in full fledged panic about their own reelection prospects in november, it's very difficult for any of the party leaders to tell them they don't have a right to freak out and panic

after that performance we saw from president biden. that is also compounded when you have somebody like nancy pelosi who is the standard bearer, the leader in many ways still of the democratic party on capitol hill telling our colleague, andrea mitchell on air, look, it's a legitimate question to wonder whether this was a oneoff from biden or whether this is a more legitimate, serious concern that we should have. in terms of his mental fitness for office. james clyburn, a big ally of president biden's saying if it's not biden, we have to prop up vice president kamala harris. so it is very -- it's a very precarious position that even democratic leadership find themselves in, ali, and even though, i learned last hour that one of the allies the president talked to this week, told him, if you can't go out and prove to the american people, you should think about stepping aside for someone else. >> that is one of the messages we're hearing a lot from these

lawmakers. if biden stays in the race, do we get that second debate in september between him and trump, what do you think? basil first. >> i think any opportunity to call out donald trump is a good opportunity. >> what about you, david? >> i initially thought biden says no way, but now biden has to, and i actually think trump cancels. >> just for fun, julie. do you think lawmakers are relishing that possibility? >> i mean, look, i think there are some lawmakers that are still staying positive on biden, but certainly they are concerned. >> yeah, i think concerned is the word of the day, and reassurance is the one the white house wants to put out there. guys, thank you so much for joining us, and in 90 seconds, can the big name floated to replace joe biden help the president get his campaign back on track? we're live on the campaign trail coming up. rail coming up. we just need to advance the cure. it's a bold initiative to try and bump

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iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast. amid the tumult, one of the names mentioned to replace joe biden on the ticket is in battleground, michigan, campaigning for the president. gavin newsom is speaking there later this hour after defending biden from calls that he should step aside. jillian frankel is there and live for us. you have been talking to voters, and i'm so thankful. i think there might be a divide between what they're telling you and the panic happening here in washington.

take us through that. >> reporter: ali, that's right. california governor gavin newsome is set to be here in michigan in a few moments, a battleground state he won in 2020, but president trump carried in 2016. this is coming as democratic governors rally behind president biden's reelection campaign. i spoke with a handful of voters earlier at a fourth of july parade here in michigan, and the biden supporters that i spoke with say that his debate performance didn't necessarily sway their vote, and they don't believe he should be judged based on his worst days. here's more on that. >> are you worried at all about what you have seen from biden sort of mental acuity-wise, at all? >> no, i am not. we all have good days and we all have bad days. >> i think he just had a cold, and you know, it can affect your ability to speak.

i don't think -- i think he's doing a perfectly good job to me. as long as i can keep my social security. >> reporter: overall, if you could describe the election and how you're feeling about it, what would you say? >> america needs a whole lot of help. >> reporter: and as for california governor gavin newsom, he is expected to continue publicly supporting president biden at this event in just a few moments. he tweeted yesterday joe biden has always had our backs, now it's time to have his. we're expecting to hear the same sentiment expressed today. ali. >> i know you'll tell us if there's anything different. thanks for joining. let's keep it in michigan. joining me now is debbie dingell of the state. happy fourth of july. those voters sound a lot different than colleagues on the hill. two house members have come out and told biden to step aside. there are reports, and i've heard this too of democrats

hearing various letters asking the president to withdraw. what's your sense of how real those efforts are, and is it counter productive for democrats to be doing this? >> first of all, happy fourth of july, ali, and it's a good day to be having some of these discussions. i have just finished my fourth parade, and you know, i'm going to talk about that. look, the congress is a representative body, right? so members of congress represent the people that are out there. and i heard many people just like the people that you just showed that were interviewed in michigan, i know there are people that have other feelings, and they yell that out from the parade. i have colleagues who are concerned, and i have colleagues that are concerned the other way about change and the nominating process, and untested candidate. i still think this just comes down to one thing. president biden, who i love, who has done a great job, for the

last three and a half years is respected by every one of my democratic colleagues has to get out there and show people. he met with the governor, governor newsom came out of that meeting along mine and others, publicly supporting him. clearly had a discussion with him that he needed them, and that he could do this job and proved it, because these are not shy and retiring people. and he's got to do that to the american people. >> you mentioned here something that i have heard, a sentiment from your colleagues, the idea that you love the president, you have the benefit of knowing him. nbc news is reporting that the president is sort of torn right now behind the scenes, between a defiant posture and one of acceptance. what does that tell you? >> look, you know, it is not easy. any human being who was not upset or hurt by what they have watched everybody do since last thursday. first of all, look, you're

competitive. i'm competitive. it may not be the right word. we want to do a good job when we do our job every day. thursday night, he blew it. it was not a good debate. you can't sugar coat it. and then everybody, not just talking about the bad job donald trump d nobody's talking about all the lies he told, all the things he doubled down, they have been after joe biden all week, so he's got one thing to do, to prove to people he can do the job, will do the job and has the stamina. took too long to make the phone calls he should have. in bubble wrap. and i think he's to do what he has to do. one interview tomorrow is not going to fix this, but it's just a really complicated time right now, but wouldn't any human being be feeling that way right now if they had as many people attacking them as he did? >> certainly that's the point the white house has been trying to make, too, as they try to turn the page here. if we were in the hauls of

congress as we usually are, the first thing i would have asked you, there was a call with democratic house leadership last night, and we have had minimal report of what the conversation was like there. i wonder if you could fill us in. >> you know, sometimes conversations are meant to be conversations among colleagues and not shared with the media. and i have to say that i'm pleasantly stunned that nothing has come out. >> the topic had to be the president, right? >> we're talking about our colleagues and what's happening out there. people love them. every single person talked about how much they loved him, and shared what they were hearing and shared a whole lot of perspectives, and that's where it needed to stay inside the leadership meeting. as much as i love you, not in any of the media. >> you know what, though, we always have to try, and certainly we'll pick up again next week. >> and i love you and i respect you. >> if it's not joe biden, and one of your colleagues, jim

clyburn floated the idea of a mini primary in the interview, saying it would involve winning the remaining uncommitted delegates. when i hear something like jim clyburn saying that, this is a man we look to as a barometer in biden world, does he know something about what's coming that he's suggesting a process for how it could go forward? >> he knows something i don't know, i want to be clear on that. i think sometimes we over read into everything. you talked a minute ago about how you were hearing about letters. i think that's a legend. i actually think it's a legend at this point. i have been hearing about the letters for four days. nobody has seen them. i talk to a lot of members of congress. no one has seen it. people i've talked to haven't been asked to sign it, yet everybody's talking about it like this is the lead thing. jim's been asked a ton of questions, just as you said, he's one of the barometers, very close to the bidens, and everybody's over reading. i mean, everybody's talking about a whole lot of things or a

whole lot of things. i think we have to take it day by day. we've got to see the president get out there, show that he's got the stamina, and talk directly to the american people, not to members of congress. not to donors, the american people, and this week, these next few days are very very important. >> yeah, and i think you point out something important, too, about these letters, like there's a lot that i think we're trying to track on capitol hill, that never makes it public, and in large part, because it might be that the members aren't there to be in that police station. i think that's notable, too. i think as we look ahead, though, you have said the outreach from biden to fellow democrats should have come sooner, as well as the fact that one interview isn't going to make this go away. when you talk to your colleagues, are there specific, tangible things that biden can do to shake the feeling. vibes are kind of hard to change. >> i think we have to see him out there. look, the joe biden that i know and love that's with people, that is allowed to be

spontaneous, you know, i heard a couple of people tell me, he had signed a bill for parkinson's disease that we all passed and people in the room said they started to cry. it was the joe biden i know. watching jennifer wexton who was diagnosed a year ago and is facing very very real and visible changes, and everybody who described it to me, he was the joe biden i know. the last time i saw him two weeks ago, we were talking cars, and everybody knows how much joe biden talks cars. he's got to show it. he's got to get out there, show the sustained strength and take it head on and directly, not hide, and it's got to be more than one interview. >> and he and the white house have certainly been trying to do that. i think one thing before we go is the separate conversation that seems to be happening is if there is any moment where he

decides to step aside, should kamala harris be the nominee? >> you know, again, don't think it's great to get into that kind of speculation, though i think that she is the president, it's a biden/harris ticket. that's what people have voted on. i'm going to be very careful. my governor, my friend, who i talk to every single day has made very clear, despite people coming out for her, she's 100% biden/harris. >> you don't want to push the idea that it's whitmer. >> everybody is whitmer, whitmer, she's 100%, it's not mine to say what she's going to do. she has told me, i can tell everybody she is 100%

biden/harris. i have not talked to her because i have four parades. she was one of the governors who was very strong when she came out. >> congresswoman debbie dingell, thank you for taking a break from pounding the parade pavement to talk to us. i'll see you on the hill next week. the monster hurricane churning through the caribbean on a path towards mexico and possibly even texas. a look at the jaw dropping destruction it's already left behind next. it's already left behind next. tten us through it. st. jude is hope for every child diagnosed with cancer because the research is being shared all over the world. hi, i'm greg. i live in bloomington, illinois. i'm not an actor. i'm just a regular person. some people say, "why should i take prevagen? i don't have a problem with my memory." memory loss is, is not something that occurs overnight.

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we're back with our first look at the destruction in jamaica, left by hurricane beryl. the storm is racing toward mexico leaving a trail of destruction across the caribbean. at least nine people have died so far, including two in jamaica overnight. hundreds more have been displaced by the storm which weakened to a category 2 hurricane. joining us now, nbc's kathy park and meteorologist michelle grossman. kathy, how bad are things in the caribbean right now? >> well, the damage is quite extensive across the caribbean. within the past hour, we have learned that in jamaica, montego bay, they are planning on reopening at 6:00 tonight. it's a sign that things are starting to come back online in jamaica. staying on that island nation, as you know, we have been

following the developments over the past 24 hours in jamaica very closely. you're looking at images from yesterday at the height of the storm, torrential downpours, extreme winds and we are getting reports that there's debris scattered everywhere, uprooted trees. one man who lives in a rural part of jamaica said he lost just about everything. our sam brock has been on the ground in jamaica for several days now, and earlier today he had a chance to speak with residents about the conditions there. here's what they told him. take a listen. >> no one's got electricity. >> no service. >> you can see the trees already falling. no electricity. >> and you mentioned the death toll across the caribbean has now climbed to nine. two of those victims being in jamaica. a 26-year-old woman was in her yard when a tree fell on top of

her, and a 26-year-old man, he was playing football at the time of the storm. his ball went away from him, he tried to retrieve it, and then unfortunately he got swept away by the flood waters. it's not just jamaica, but across the caribbean islands, especially the southeastern portion of the caribbean islands, st. vincent, grenada, the devastation has been jaw dropping. one official there saying entire communities have been flattened. >> it's horrible to see, kathy, thank you. michelle, as we continue to track the storm, what are the chances it hits the u.s.? >> there is a chance. great to see you on this fourth of july. we're looking at the models, turning it, late sunday, monday morning. you mentioned a category 2 storm. that was downgraded as of the 2:00 advisory. notice the winds, 110 miles per hour. that is right on the cusp of the category 3. it's pulling away from the

cayman islands. moving fast its whole life span. we're going to see it move throughout the caribbean as a category 2 storm. lots of tropical alerts posted there. we're going to see land fall around 6:00 in the morning on friday or a little bit earlier. early friday morning, into the parts, into the yucatan peninsula as a category 1 storm, and then it's going to cross the yucatan peninsula. good news, as it enters the gulf, we're going to see it as a tropical storm. so as we get towards saturday and sunday, a tropical storm, and then we're going to see where it's going to turn because models are having it turn a little bit more with each and every update. as we're looking now. monday, 6:00 a.m. it restrengths to a category 1.

you want to notice the white lines. we're going to continue to watch. 130 million people under heat alerts. this is another big story. temperatures, 5 to 25 degrees above average for this time of year. >> thanks for the updates on this july 4th. speaking of the heat wave you're talking about, the scorching heat wave out west is making it harder to fight a wildfire. in northern california, 28,000 people were forced to evacuate as crews struggle to get control of the blaze. nbc's dana griffin is reporting on this from los angeles. what's the latest there, dana? >> reporter: the thompson fire still remains at 7% contained. the good news, part of it, is fire officials say there was no forward progression overnight. which means they have it partially contained to where it's not threatening additional communities. they have downgraded some of the evacuation alerts to now warnings. with the fire activity, some

allowed to go home. they are also warned to evacuate again if things change. the winds have stopped. one of the cal fire spokesperson told our colleague steve patterson moments ago. that is helpful for firefighters but the thing that's very tricky is the triple digit temperatures that are impacting people across the state. it's expected to get up to 110 degrees in beauty county where the fire is burning. that could raise the risk for additional fires. you could see the images, you have several homes burned there. several people evacuated and there is a concern of what could happen overnight, and that's why oroville has banned or stopped their fourth of july fireworks celebration that's supposed to happen tonight. that's no longer happening, and they also banned the legal fireworks because this is such a dire situation right now, and the best thing they can tell people is to drink water and stay indoors. >> a dire situation and a fluid one. thank you. still ahead, the

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rapper and music mogul sean diddy comes is the subject of a criminal investigation. months after we saw dramatic raids on his homes in los

angeles and miami. nbc's chloe melas has the latest. >> two sources familiar with sean diddy combs legal issues tells nbc news last week his legal team was notified that combs is the subject of an ongoing federal investigation and a new york grand jury is hearing evidence right now. i do want to be clear about the difference between a subject and a target. now, a subject is someone who is within the scope of a criminal investigation. now, that is what sean diddy combs is right now. now, at any point it could be upgraded, downgraded. at this point he has not been upgraded to a target. a person who is a target, that is when prosecutors are likely intending to seek an indictment. nbc news, we have reached out to the u.s. attorneys office who have declined to comment. we have reached out to attorneys for combs who have not commented, and the southern district of new york who hasn't said anything. there's no indication that charges are imminent.

this is coming a few months after combs' homes were raided in miami and los angeles. he's facing mounting civil suits, and you know, actually just yesterday there was another civil suit that was filed by a former adult film star who is accusing combs of sex trafficking and in a statement yesterday, combs' legal team said that obviously they vehemently deny all of this. also, this is all coming amid cnn obtaining that explosive surveillance video of sean combs in 2016 brutality assaulting his then girlfriend, cassandra ventura in a hotel in los angeles in the hallway. in it, you see him kicking her, dragging her, it looks like, by the hair, and at the time when cassie filed a civil suit, the legal team came out and denied any allegations of domestic violence. after the video was released by cnn, that's when combs went on social media, and apologized and said that it was like a lapse of judgment and that he, you know,

takes full responsibility, and he has been working on himself, and obviously he has been denying all of the other allegations that have come out. again, it's not clear if charges are imminent, if an indictment is imminent, but in the meantime, you know, a grand jury is hearing evidence and he is the subject of a federal investigation. back to you. >> chloe melas, thank you. closing arguments are expected monday in the bribery trial of new jersey senator bob menendez. menendez declined to testify before the team rested on wednesday. menendez telling reporters, he saw no reason to testify because the government hasn't proven its case. arguing he traded political favors for hundreds of dollars in cash and gold bars. police found those stashed all over his home. joining me now is criminal defense attorney and msnbc legal analyst, danny cevallos, we'll get to the gold bars in cash, but first, i want to get your take on was it the right move

for menendez not to testify here. the prosecution spent seven weeks preparing their case, but two days for menendez's defense. >> yes, it was the right move. it would have been too risky for menendez to testify, and really, what did you need from his mouth that you couldn't try to get in through other evidence. that's the general rule, unless you absolutely need something from your client, you might not want to have him testify, especially in the white collar cases, he may have an explanation for how he got those goodies. he may have what he thinks is a great explanation. the reality is it may not sound that great to a jury. >> during the trial, the prosecution brought in one of the gold bars that was recovered from menendez's home for the jury to hold in their hands. they showed pictures of cash stuffed in coat pockets, and boots. menendez's side of the story is it's a cuban thing to have that

much cash in the house because he was raised not to trust the banks. did it seem like they bought it? >> that is an explanation and it's a clever one if it ends up working with the jury. the reason federal prosecutors are so good at their job, they know how to put on a good show at the trial. the gold bars are all anyone has been talking about when it comes to this trial. no surprise that the government would not only introduce those gold bars, of course they had to, but actually have the jurors hold them. who in the world deals in gold bars these days. so if menendez is going for the folksy, i just held on to cash because that's what people in my home country did, he's also talking to jurors who probably, most of them, i would assume, have never held a gold bar in their hand. actually, include me in that group too. >> i actually would include myself in that group, if anyone wants to let me hold a gold bar, i'm certainly open to that, as i think you are, too, danny.

as we look ahead to closing arguments next week, do you foresee any surprises coming here? >>. >> almost by definition, you don't get surprises in closing argument because they are a summary of the evidence, and really the one opportunity for the lawyers to give their opinion about what the evidence shows. everyone knows what the deal is now, the jurors, all of us watching the lawyers, there will be very few evidentiary surprises. we know that menendez is going to try to foist the blame on his wife and also he's going to add a combination of i didn't know anything about some of this evidence. this was not anything i was involved in. and then also as in any bribery case, and i have defended these, you have to have that separation. sure i got a lot of free stuff, and sure, these other guys got some benefits, but those were not connected. i mean, that's the essence of bribery. there's a corrupt purpose and these are a quid pro quo. they are connected in crime. >> certainly the case that you

mentioned there saying he's trying to say he was in the dark from what he was doing financially is certainly going to be central to this. danny cevallos, thank you for joining us and happy fourth. still ahead, here comes the boop, why they are ditching the drone shows for good old fashioned fireworks this fourth of july. that's next. works this fourth of july. that's next. old spice gentleman's super hydration body wash. (whispered) vanilla and shea. 24/7 moisturization with vitamin b3. (knock on the door) are you using all the old spice? oops. ♪ (old spice mnemonic) ♪

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the last few years have brought a high-tech twist to fourth of july celebrations, drone shows replacing fireworks, but this year in many places, towns are reversing course, saying you can't beat the big banks. nbc's valerie castro explanation. >> two years ago, nbc news visited gypsum, colorado, to see the big move to drones for its fourth of july celebration. but this year, they're bringing back good old fashioned fireworks. >> drones didn't cut it for the fourth of july. >> yeah, they left us wanting, i would say. and it didn't feel like america. >> and they're not the only ones ditching drones. along with gypsum, parker, colorado, redondo, beach, california, and galveston, texas. across the country, more towns are switching back. >> fireworks can capture attention and inspire awe like little else can. they're fun.

>> drones had been gaining in popularity, they're safer, easier to operate and can do things fireworks just can't. >> it really is a unique story telling medium. >> rick boss's company, sky elements is behind some of the biggest more innovative drone displays in the country. >> are drones better than fireworks? >> i would say they're different. >> but fireworks fans say there's no competition. >> fireworks that, i touch on all the senses. >> phil rouchi is ceo of america's first family of fireworks. in business since 1850, they have provided pyrotechnics for presidential inaugurations and the olympics. >> there's the sense of sight, the sense of smell, the sense of feel, and you hear it, and drones, they cover one emotion, one sense, the eye, it's vision. >> every show starts on the screen. >> how long does it take you to design something like that. >> it's about an hour a minute. >> then comes the setup.

>> is this the bigger version of a roman candle. >> it's a commercial version of what you can go buy at a local fireworks show. >> but much more powerful. >> and when the sun sets? >> 3, 2, 1, the show begins. but drones aren't going away, and now they are getting better with fireworks on drones. >> they both can do some things that the other cannot do. that's why we love them to come together. >> his company is testing pyro drones that bring the best of both together. a new patriotic battle in the sky. for the oohs and awws of americans. valerie castro, nbc news, new york. >> you can put me on the fireworks with drones side of that debate. still ahead, they came, they saw, they gobbled, but only one could claim the mustard yellow belt. the new winner at nathan's hot

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we are developing agents... join t with powers fareople taki beyond mortal menacy or you might just explode. [ laughing ] right now, president biden torn between defiance and acceptance after his abysmal debate performance last week. in a radio interview, the president conceding, yes, he had a bad night. it was just one night. how the first lady and vice president are rushing to his defense. the