we are developing agents... with powers far beyond mortal men 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 uk conservative party

staring down a likely wipeout today after nearly a decade and a half in power. how soon we could have the official results and what it could mean for the political tides in the u.s. americans prepare to celebrate the united states '248th birth date. we're live in the capitol ahead of one of the nation's biggest independence day celebrations and possibly nasty weather. to the white house where president biden is bunkered down with his family ahead of independence day celebrations later tonight. still working to reassure democrats seven days after the disastrous debate performance that roiled his party. new reporting reveals that in private the president remains torn between defiance and acceptance, and that in some discussions with aides, family members and allies outside the white house, biden has acknowledged that the blowback may grow too large to overcome. in others, he has been dismissed of any notion he might walk away. that defiance was on display in

a radio interview that was aired earlier this morning but recorded yesterday where the president dismissed this criticism. >> 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. >> let's bring in nbc news white house correspondent ali vitali still at her post, along with democratic strategist and cofounder of lift our voices. douglas brinkley, presidential historian, and was an aide to both jeb bush and mitt romney. nbc news has reporting that president biden says he was cleared by a doctor after last week's debate, which contradicts earlier statements from the white house about his medical care. what more can you tell us about that, and frankly, can they afford a misstep right now? >> this has been causing a lot of confusion since that private meeting the president had last night with over 20 democratic

governors in which we know that the president was asked whether he checked in with a doctor after his poor performance at last week's debate given that the biden team is linking that poor performance to a cold they say he was suffering from. sources in that meeting are telling nbc news that the president said he did check in with a doctor after that. he said that the doctor said everything was fine. as you mentioned, that contradicts what we heard from white house press secretary karine jean-pierre hours before the meeting with the governor in which she said the president had not checked in or had check-ins or appointments with his doctors since his physical in february, that the public gets a readout and summary of. the white house is trying to clean this up, clarify this. they're saying the president hasn't had a physical since february but that he has seen doctors for brief check-ins since then, including after the debate. that clarification, though,

still not explaining the press secretary flatly denying the fact that the president had seen a doctor. and ali, this is really coming in the face of the cleanup, the damage control we are seeing from the biden team trying to dispel growing concerns about his fitness to be able to continue to run for reelection. >> she was asked yesterday in the press briefing, he's 81. he's had a persistent cold, didn't he check in with the doctor. thank you for clearing up that answer for us. julie, you and i have done work around women and politics. right now a lot of conversation is centered on vice president kamala harris who has been steadfast in her support of biden, even amid chatter about her being the one to ultimately replace him on the ticket. that's not happening right now, but not everyone thinks that she would be the best choice to replace them. what would it mean for democrats to be passed over. >> and doug can make the argument better than i can. no democrat has been elected since 1964, the backbone of the

party are black women, and voters of color. before we make any decisions about a party about who should succeed joe biden were he to get out. it's important to make sure that that cohort, the backbone of the party is heard. whether they want kamala harris or they want somebody else is a different story, but i think that's a voice that's very important. i will also say this, the time for the hamlet routine from the white house is over. it's not enough for the president to be able to talk to just governors or talk to george stephanopoulos or radio hosts. he needs to get out there and show the american people he's capable of prosecuting the case against donald trump. that is what is important right now. either he can do it effectively, but that's the most important thing. we had a supreme court case that was devastating to the american project that will signal the end of our american democracy as we know it if someone like donald trump is back in office, until we have a nominee that he can

show the american people he can prosecute the case day in and day out, before crowds, selected media, i fear for our future. that's something that's important for the white house to realize eight days after the disastrous debate. >> doug, julie is teeing me up and helping me do that job here. you can make the point she was making about hao past nominees have been elected. there are plenty of historical comparisons being made, specifically between president biden and lyndon b. johnson, announced he would step aside. do those comparisons fit right now? >> i think the comparisons are worth looking at. what we're dealing with today is physician-gate. did you see a doctor, didn't you? why do we have confusion? what is the white house staff doing, how does the president say one thing and his press secretary say another, and you're seeing president biden constantly having to apologize,

and just eloquently said, not really taking the case to donald trump. i think he's trying to wear the clock out to get up to that late july or early august, it's going to be a, you know, pre-chicago, you know, video conference to see if he's the nominee. but johnson in '68, march 31st, shocked the nation and said i'm stepping down. because of the vietnam war, and also because his wife, lady bird johnson said time is up. he had heart issues, high blood pressure, high clost cholesterol. he did the right thing in stepping down. people want biden to do the right thing and step down. and of course chicago, the backdrop of year eight. >> what i think about is as much as we're making historical comparisons, we're writing an early draft of history. what would you say at this early moment where democrats are on

the one hand, ringing their hands about president biden, and on the other hand, saying this is an inflection point for american democracy. what would your first draft of history say, doug? >> i don't think there's any scenario where she's not in it. she's either going to have to be the vice president for joe biden, going out there and bringing up women's issues like she's been doing. talking about climate change. her state of california now is in huge problems. or she'll be the nominee of the party. and she'll inherit the money from joe biden, and biden could step out by saying i'm turning it over to a woman of color, something historic and come out on that high end. but kamala harris is the story, as far as i'm concerned right now. >> matt, donald trump has entered the chat as we knew he would. just watch this new video, and we'll talk about it on the other side. >> he just quit, you know. he's quitting the race. i got him out of the race.

that means we have kamala. i think she's going to be better. she's so bad. she's so pathetic. >> so none of that is right, but cut through the posturing here. do you think trump would prefer to run against biden or harris or any other democrat that's in the conversation? >> i think the polls show he would rather run against a weak biden. the campaign is no rush to announce a vp. that would reset the narrative and be one of the few things that would kind of overtake this whole story in the headlines. sit back, they have time still before milwaukee, and look, in the long-term, i think the fundamentals of the race, in terms of if we're talking about the economy, latinos, african-american men. obviously one of the biggest liabilities for biden as we know, even as before, is his age. that would be taken off the table. but the contours of the race,

prosecuting against the economy and the like, we change wholesale. >> i think that's a good point there. i want to flip gears back to considering the situation for democrats because doug brought up the fact that first ladies have been influential at moments like this, and certainly dr. jill biden has been her husband's most outspoken defender. she continued to do that yesterday in michigan where she told a room full of democrats, quote, let me repeat what my husband has said plainly and clearly, joe is the democratic nominee, and he's going to beat donald trump just like he did in 2020. she also said joe has been knocked down and counted out his whole life. when he gets knocked down, he gets back un. that's certainly something we have heard from the white house. dr. jill biden has received scrutiny for the role she's playing right now. can you take to me about what your reaction is when you see it? >> i find it kind of annoying, why are we blaming the woman. i'm not blaming melania trump

for every insane thing donald trump does on a regular basis. it's uncalled for to blame jill biden for think of this. jill biden has seen joe biden through things that are much worse than losing his office. she has seen him through the deaths and the after math of deaths of two children, and obviously lived with him through the deaths of a third, through his struggles with hunter biden's addiction. this is a family that has been through everything, and that's before we get to the political struggles. i understand why she's protective of her husband. we don't need to hear from jill biden, karine jean-pierre, the campaign. we need to hear from the president himself about whether he's capable of prosecuting this case. every day that goes by that we don't hear him out on the stump on a daily basis, this narrative, these discussions are going to continue, as opposed to us talking about literally what happened on monday with the supreme court, and the donald

trump presidency. there are issues for the american people that need to be talked about and need to be talked about every single day. last week, all we have heard is whether he will or won't get out. we need to cut the cord. if he's not capable of staying in, he needs to get out quickly so somebody else can prosecute this case. >> i think time is an important metric. matt, you mentioned this. trump continues to delay his vp announcement, that's probably good politics right now, given the news cycle on the other side. is it wise for him to allow the focus to remain on joe biden as biden is focused on turning it around, that could end up being the medication. what about the vp timing, how does this factor into the strategy? >> in theory, in context, you wouldn't want your opponent to have all the media in the world. in this case, you do. let them fight it out. members of congress, i think, will continue to come out and let them do that. there's no reason to be on the

front page. no reason to insert yourself in the story. another woke before we see the vp announcement. >> you're probably right, although, i think the conventional wisdom isn't always the strong suit of the former president, we'll see how this ends up going, all of you. thank you for joining, and happy fourth of july. in 90 seconds, we'll continue with the fourth of july coverage as the nation turns its eyes to the sky tonight. our gary grumbach is out on the potomac. gary, my friend, what are you doing? >> reporter: we are out here on the potomac river with friends talking about safety on the water and on the land ahead of the big fourth of july special. talk to you soon. lk to you soon

tonight, skies over the u.s. will be lit with dazzling fireworks displays for the fourth of july, brings preparation to a conclusion for those coming out to watch. nbc's gary grumbach got exclusive access to the preparation for the one of the largest fireworks shows in the u.s. and in d.c. and also with us, meteorologist michelle grossman. i hope you're going to tell us that things are going to cooperate. gary, i want to start with you. you're out on a d.c. fire department boat. what are you seeing where you are? >> hundreds of thousands of people are heading down to the national mall to see the fireworks spectacular in a few hours. folks are here along the potomac

river. as they take a look and keep everyone safe on the river. we were just with them, attending to a medical emergency. if it's all part of a multiagency effort. the mpd, making sure people are having a good time here on the potomac river. one of the things we were talking to the d.c. fire chief about earlier today, the driving applies to boats too. it can be out here on the river, having fun, that's totally fine. making sure you're having a designated driver to make you get back to your slip, okay as well. when it comes to the fireworks, fireworks safety is huge, and fireworks legality is huge too. state by state, it's a patch work of laws around the country, what is legal to shoot off yourself as a consumer, what is not, and where it is or is not legal. in massachusetts, if you're there, you can't shoot off any fireworkings. virginia and maryland have different rules than d.c. itself

does. >> gary, thank you. michelle, can folks expect clear skies in washington. is gary going to be okay out on that boat. where in the country might weather be more troublesome tonight? >> my advice to gary is he might want to watch the skies. we're looking at a chance of thunderstorms. i wish i could give better news. always on a holiday, especially. let's start with new york, and we're going to pull out with d.c. and the rest of the country. we have spotty showers and storms in the forecast. it's not going to be this long duration event, but still could see a storm around 8:00. there's that chance, as those fireworks are going, cross the fingers there, and where gary is as well. he looks pretty cute in the boat there. notice all the reds, green, yellow, that's where we could see the spotty showers and thunderstorms. it's hot and humid outside. that's giving power to the storms. stronger storms into portions of

the midwest, upper mississippi valley, notice minneapolis, temperatures around 66 degrees with showers falling. we're good in the southern plains. it's hot. we're looking at hot conditions by the time you have the fireworks. 95 in dallas. you're going to wear the shorts, tanks as you head out. houston 87. new orleans, 85. as we head to the west, we're looking at dry conditions. 70 degrees, but notice dry conditions in los angeles. dry in salt lake city, dry in san francisco, dry all the way to seattle. that's good news. we're looking at 130 million people impacted by the heat. and that includes the fireworks forecast. this is dangerous. prolonged. we're not getting releech at night. we're looking at days and days of heat, into the weekend and early next week. you need to prepare for that.

a lot of people don't have air-conditioning as well. you need to hydrate and keep things as cool as you can. as we head to the south, heat indices, 112, 113 in spots. a hot forecast for the fourth of july. >> and the power of michelle grossman. gary says it's just started to rain. >> i would like the power of sunshine. >> well, now that you have said that, we'll test that story, gary, let us know. thank you so much. stay dry on land and by sea, apparently. controversy involving a time honored fourth of july tradition as the most decorated hot dog competer of all time, it was a wild open field this year after joey chestnut, the 16 time champion was banned because of a business beef. he's sponsored by impossible

foods, a brand that sells meat substitutes. he's vowing to eat in half the time. george solis is reporting from coney island. i think like transparency is important in this segment. you're going to tell me how many hot dogs the people you're with have eaten. i have never eaten any hot dog ever. and how far out of line am i with the folks on coeny island. >> reporter: tons. and i'm going to raise you gary on a boat, with a nathan's hot dog hat. let's break down the numbers with the hot dog eating competition. it's phenomenal. i was there. front row seat fwfr before this. miki suto, 51 hot dogs.

and bertoletti, 58. joey chestnut was not there for the business reasons. either way, 51 to 58. for a minute, it looked like 51 was the number to beat. we could have had a reigning champion and a new report with 51 for the women. dethrowning the men, something to do if krour in coney island to watch the contest in realtime. let's talk about the fourth of july. the vibes have been immaculate. we have seen the mixing pot and the culture on coney island. the weather not a factor in d.c. and other parts of the country. lots of people under their umbrellas, enjoying the weather and the sun. again, no complaints here. everyone excited about the fireworks on the hudson as well. people who have gotten their spots are not moving. others getting to their barbecue

and celebrations for this fourth of july, this independence day. people really excited for what's to come this evening. and we're hoping the weather does hold out here. all that's left to say is happy fourth to you and all of our viewers and this hat which is fantastic. >> thank you for reaffirming my decision to never have eaten a hot dog. still ahead, the former director of the cia is voicing his arm over the the supreme court's ruling in the immunity case. why john brennan says their act would make king george proud. blood

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. as america faces a tumultuous moment in our presidential race there's also high political drama happening overseas in the uk. later today we could find out if prime minister rishi sunak is about to lose his job in a snap election that could see his conservative party suffer a major defeat. nbc's raf sanchez is live outside 10 downing street. raf, what are the stakes there? >> reporter: so, ali, every indication is that tomorrow morning a new prime minister is going to walk through that famous black door of 10 downing street, and the polls are very very strongly suggesting it is going to be keir starmer, the leader of the progressive labor opposition party. those polls predicting that he

may get a historic landslide victory later on tonight and the ruling conservatives are heading for a major, major defeat, and that, if it plays out, will be the end of a long and chaotic chapter in british political history, as you said, the conservatives have been in charge since 2010. they led this country into the 2016 brexit referendum, when the uk lost the world, leading the european union. since then, ali, tour conservative prime ministers have been forced to resign office, including boris johnson, who you might remember went down after a series of scandals, breaking his own covid lockdown rules, attending parties here at towning street. we have been speaking to voters earlier today, and what you pick up is not so much overwhelming enthusiasm, but a deep sense of exhaustion with the conservatives. take a listen. >> veering towards labor, why

labor? >> i'm just tired of torys. >> reporter: you're done with the conservatives. >> yeah. it's just, i wouldn't say full confidence but a time for change. >> reporter: you voted for reform? >> first time. i think it's time for a change. >> reporter: you heard the second voter saying he's voting for reform. this is a new populist right wing party. it's very anti-immigration, and it's drawing a lot of traditional conservative voters over to it, and we should say, it is run by a british ally of donald trump named nigel. >> a name we hear a lot in trump world. raf sanchez, thank you. today, former members of the trump justice department are sounding the alarm that the recent supreme court immunity ruling will make it easier for donald trump to use the doj, it

sets him up to do the things he said, investigate people and send them to jail. as part of the 6-3 decision, the supreme court granted trump absolute immunity for official acts as president. any conversations he had with the department of justice investigating unfounded claims of voter fraud. as my next guest writes, by rewriting the rule that's governed presidential authority for the past 235 years, that no one, not even a president is above the law, the court has given a green light to any future president inclined to wield his or her executive authority ire respective of the laws that apply to all other citizens and residents of the united states. king george iii would be pleased. this is not the america i thought we would live in as we celebrate the 248th anniversary of our independence. joining me now is former cia director, john brennan. happy fourth of july, king

george would be pleased about anything in our current events. having served six presidents as you have, what do you think the long-term consequences of the supreme court decision are and what worries you most about it? >> well, i think the ruling of the supreme court really just does not understand just how potentially dangerous this ruling will be in the hands of any individual who happens to make his or her way to the oval office, and the office of the presidency who can wield all of the broad and deep authorities of the presidency to carry out whatever agenda he or she may want. the fact that the supreme court ruling has put the president above the law. for the first time in our country's history, so tragically ironic as you pointed out, we're celebrating the independence of our country from a king. but now we're basically giving a future president, especially one that wants to skirt the law, and

as we see that the republican candidate right now, for the office of the presidency, donald trump, is somebody who has continually denigrated the importance of the rule of law in this country and has tried to do everything possible to skirt that law, if, in fact, he is elected and with this ruling in his hands, i think a president trump would, in fact, wield it in a way that would be devastating to our democratic republic. >> i'm glad because you write broadly about a future president who could have dictator like ambitions and looks to quash by using the broad and unrivalled powers of the presidency up to and including the use of lethal force. you write broadly but you make the point here that you're talking about former president trump. i mean, can you put this in a broader perspective as you talk to colleagues of yours who have been in similar positions, the fears that they might have if come november, come january after the inauguration, you have

another president trump? >> i think my former colleagues are aghast and appalled at this supreme court ruling. the president of the united states, in addition to being the commander in chief, is also the chief executive of the executive branch. so under the president falls all of the law enforcement intelligence, homeland security officials with the authorities that are vested in them, as a result of their departmental or agency responsibilities. therefore, a person like president trump, former president trump, who could use this ruling as a way to carry out these types of actions that are basically illegal for everyone else, except for a lawless president. and as i point out in my essay that he, in fact, in using this type of ruling could issue preemptive pardons to individuals within an executive branch to carry out these actions that would be, in fact, deemed illegal.

so, again, it's devastating in its consequential breath, and, again, if good and honest people, and law-abiding individuals are elected to the office of the presidency, i'm confident, like the presidents i served, six presidents, as well as president biden, they will not try to do anything to avoid the law, but if there are individuals who are determined to be lawless, this is giving them a green light to do basically whatever they can and whatever they want to do while they're in the office. >> do you worry, director brennan, that these dire warnings coming from you and your counter parts are being drowned out by the larger political conversation that's happening right now in d.c.? >> unfortunately i think partisan politics has been playing havoc in the corridors of washington for quite some time, and it's because of these partisan waters that we're not able to address some of the very serious and significant challenges that our country faces. and when i look at a number of the supreme court rulings over the past term, which really have

had such breadth in terms of their impact, on all of our lives, not only in the national security arena but also in the regulatory arena on individual rights and liberties on women in terms of what they can do with their bodies. these are things we have to be mindful of in the upcoming election, and congressional election really does hold in its balance what our future is going to look like. therefore, i thinkit's important for us to focus on the issues that are important and significant, as opposed to to just getting involved in these partisan bickering fights that i can distract us. >> the op-ed is sober and serious, and i thank you for taking time out of this july 4th holiday to talk to us about it. director brennan, thank you. a bittersweet holiday in highland park, illinois, how

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highland park, illinois celebrating the return of the fourth of july parade after it was marred by tragedy two years ago. officials in the chicago suburb say they are reclaiming their right to celebrate the holiday without fear beginning with a remembrance ceremony for those they've lost. on july 4th, 2022, seven people were killed and more than 40 others were wounded when gunfire broke out at this parade. a lone gunman has been charged

in the case and is awaiting trial. this morning the city's mayor stressed the importance of resuming the parade. >> we have an obligation to this community's children, in particular. in the aftermath of july 4th, 2022, one of the third graders who came through city hall asked me do we ever get to celebrate the fourth of july again, and i said absolutely. so today is that first step. >> nbc's maggie vespa covered the shooting there two years ago, and joins us now from highland park. maggie, give us a sense of the mood on the ground there today. it must be a real moment of infection and reflection for those folks. >> reporter: yeah, it really does, ali, and the mood has kind of been sort of ebbing and flowing throughout the day. the parade wrapped about a half hour ago, and everybody cleared out pretty quickly, you can see. but frankly, people were a little apprehensive beforehand, but they were determined to show up for this parade, and then when the parade actually started, it started about an hour and a half ago, everybody immediately started clapping.

people were clapping. they were cheering, even if just like one car, you know how parades kind of ebb and flow and stop and start throughout, one car came down the street, everybody started cheering and applauding. everybody was defiant. they were brave. they wanted to be out here. they told me that everyone we talked to said it wasn't even really a decision. they were going to come out here, they were going to sit. they weren't going to let this holiday be taken away from them, and that includes one couple who we met, who they were at the parade two years ago, they were across the street, they say from the gunman. they barely missed being hit by the bullets as they flew. and i just asked them, why come back. take a listen. why did you want to come back out here? >> i felt we should. i feel it's an obligation, and we wanted to be here. >> i'm a little apprehensive. i'm looking up at this building behind you, and it's a little apprehensive, but i think it will be fine.

>> reporter: yeah, so that are sort of duality of emotions there was permeating throughout the crowd definitely. again, once the parade started everybody got so excited and they were, from what we could tell, really glad they were out here. it's worth noting, obviously security was top of mind. we were told full security, throughout the parade route. the city didn't want to go into specifics about what that meant ahead of time, where police were. we saw police on roof tops. what the man talked about was something that the city had on their mind as well. we were told highland park police were leading the security effort, but that they had worked with state and federal authorities and planned this entire thing with the help from the department of justice to make it both trauma informed, and also topnotch security throughout the entire event. it is over now, the parade is finished. everybody has gone home and we can say highland park has reclaimed the fourth of july two years later. ali. >> it's a really beautiful testament to that community, and

maggie vespa, thank you for staying on this, and continuing to tell those stories. we have an update on the boeing astronauts whose days trip to space has become a week long odyssey, and how much longer they could be up there. when we come back. e come back. with dynamic charting and a futures ladder that lets you place, flatten, or reverse orders so you won't miss an opportunity. e*trade from morgan stanley i used to leak urine when i coughed, laughed or exercised. i couldn't even enjoy playing with my kids. i leaked too. i just assumed it was normal. then we learned about bulkamid. an fda approved non-drug solution for our condition. it really works, and it lasts for years. it's been the best thing we've done for our families. call 800-983-0000 to arrange an appointment with an expert physician to determine if bulkamid is right for you. results and experiences may vary. stains happen to the best of us.

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sara federico: at st. jude, we don't care who cures cancer. we just need to advance the cure. it's a bold initiative to try and bump cure rates all around the world, but we should. it is our commitment. we need to do this. what was supposed to be a day's long mission in space has turned into a week's long stay for two nasa astronauts who traveled at the start of june to the international space station.

they were supposed to return home two weeks ago after completing a test flight of boeing's star liner spacecraft. nasa says their return could be weeks away as engineers continue to troubleshoot a problem with the ship's thrusters. joining us now is mike massamino, columbia university engineering professor. nasa says they aren't stuck but also can't say when they're coming home. i'm no astronaut, but isn't that a problem? >> believe it or not, ali, not really. >> oh. >> i think you could look at the mission, the minimum few days that you mentioned, like the nine-day mission, that was really a minimum, and the most right now that when they first launched it they were thinking the mission would go for was 45 days. that's how long they figured they could keep the vehicle on board for. there's no rush. what happened is they had a couple of problems, a helium leak, which they solved, a couple of problems with the thrusters, they solved those. they have 27 of 28 thrusters working, which is plenty.

the extra time is more time to gather data on the spacecraft and give the crew more time on orbit, and more time to help out the crew that's already there. so it really is, i don't think it's a burden on the crew to stay there longer. i think they're probably enjoying their extra time, and you know, it allows the ground to check out the spacecraft longer. >> that was my next question. i'm glad that technically speaking this is not a big deal. you're a veteran of two space flights, what's it like to be up there, and what do you think the astronauts are going through mentally that is kind of hard, you're away longer than you thought you would be? >> you're not really in a bad place, ali, you're in a place that people dream about going to. it's not like they're stuck in some bad place, right. they're stuck in -- >> i'm >> kind of a nightmare. >> i'm afraid of height taos, what you're really afraid of is gravity. you can fall. but you don't worry than in space. they're in maybe the most amazing place that anybody can be on fourth of july. it really is a wonderful place

to be. i know both sunny and butch very well. they're very happy to do their jobs and stay up there longer. we've had other astronauts that have had their missions extended, thinking they're going up for six months and they end up staying for longer than a year. that's a little different. a lot can happen on the ground with your family and so on over that time. but i think both of them are actually pretty thrilled that they're given extra time. i can't speak for them. i imagine they're probably in pretty good spirits and happy to stay on board and do a little more work. it's been a while since both have flown. sunny over a decade and butch nine years. they've been delayed, delayed, delayed. so once you get there, what's the rush? i think everyone is probably feeling pretty good about it. the way it was framed and reasons and some of the problems they had earlier, that makes people worry. >> i'm happy we can dispel the worry now. i got to tell you, i went into this segment a little concerned. mike massimino, thank you for helping me. >> pleasure.

pleasure. next, a look back at 80 years of democratic and republican conventions during a very unconventional year. i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. thanks to skyrizi i'm playing with clearer skin. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. with skyrizi, nothing on my skin means everything! ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. ♪ i am, i cried ♪ ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. [ laughing ] ♪ i am, said i ♪ ♪ and i am lost and i can't ♪ punch buggy red. ♪ even say why ♪ ♪ i am, i said ♪

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we're just over a week out from the start of the rnc with the democrats' turn coming up next month. as chuck todd explains, the convention process used to look

different than it does today. here is a look at party animals, politics biggest show. >> reporter: for most of the american history, the primary process didn't play a big role in how we picked presidents. the convention picked the candidate. >> the delegates chose john w. davis of west virginia. >> for the first 150 years of political conventions, that's all there was conflict at the go to ballots, healthy conflict, sometimes not. >> reporter: in 1952, republicans nominated dwight eisenhower for president. two weeks later democrats met in chicago without a clear nominee. earlier in the year, president harry truman tried to lobby then illinois governor adlai stevenson to accept the nomination. >> truman asked him to be a successor. he said why don't you run for the democratic nomination. stevenson turned it down. he said no, i'd rather run as

reelection of governor of illinois. >> reporter: stephenson gave them a welcome speech that changed everything, whether he wanted it to or not. >> self criticism is the secret weapon of democracy. adlai spoke in 1952 and gave a great speech. what this did is it created a groundswell for stevenson to be nominated in a year he did not want to run, thought he would lose, turned out to be right. >> he gave a glorious speech at which time the democratic party said let's nominate him. and that was the end of the game. >> we will never apologize for our leadership of the great events of this critical century all the way from woodrow wilson to harry truman. >> this announcement came from senator kennedy not very long ago. >> reporter: the most famous example took place in 1960 when jfk shocked everyone and picked his primary rival, lyndon baines johnson as his running mate. >> that's a great story. >> i reached the conclusion it

would be the best judgment of the convention to nominate senator lyndon b. johnson of texas for the office of vice president. >> there was no primary system to guarantee anybody the nomination. it was up for grabs. the one time where the delegates in that room decided jack could be cold, calculating, and think in terms of what works for him. and so the morning of -- after he had won the nomination for president, jack kennedy gets on the phone, calls up lyndon johnson, says i'll be up there at 10:30, let's talk. he walked into the gramm at the biltmore hotel in los angeles and he offered him the vice presidency, offered it to him. >> the motion is that the rules be suspended and that the honorable lyndon b. johnson be declared the nominee for vice president by acclimation as many favor vote aye. >> aye.

>> and kennedy had promised the nomination to stew symington the night before. he had actually promised him. >> wow. >> so he got up and said you know what? i'm looking at the electoral map. he is like steve kornacki. here we go. we got to look at the map. and the map says if you don't carry the south, you're losing. >> reporter: and that was the real purpose of the conventions in those days. the party might show up with different factions, but they would leave unified behind their ticket. >> the that was nbc's chuck todd. i know what i'm watching tonight. you can watch the 30-minute special "party animals" on nbc news now at 10:30 p.m. eastern. and that does it for us this hour on this july 4th. i'm ali vitali. thank you for joining us. happy fourth of july. next up, "why is this happening? with chris hayes and rachel maddow. ♪♪