Skip to main content

tv   Ayman  MSNBC  August 25, 2024 5:00pm-6:00pm PDT

5:00 pm
on this new hour of ayman -- fears and -- and hostage release deal in gaza. you will hear from the parents of one of those hostage. plus, republicans preparing to lose instead of selling a winning message, they are resulting in -- j.d. vance tries to clean up the doublespeak on abortion, christian actavis have a plan to attack ivf, whether trump likes it or not.
5:01 pm
i am ayman mohyeldin, let's start. republicans are in a full state of panic. with each passing day, poll after poll shows vice president kamala harris ahead of trump nationally harris managing to lead in swing states like michigan and wisconsin won't narrowing his lead in georgia. we know what he leans on when faced with that polling. >> our primary focus is not to get out the vote, is to make sure that they don't cheat because we have all the votes you need. they are going to cheat like hell to win the election. >> the republicans are building a -- to a potential harris victory, and in georgia, the gop
5:02 pm
-- a new rule that could throw the state vote count into chaos this fall, providing an additional avenue for election officials to delay certification of results should they choose to. as propublica reports, the rule was secretly pushed by the board which consists of pro trump election deniers and before the board approved it last week, nationally prominent conservative activists reportedly spoke in support of the ruling, including a representative from, you guessed it, the heritage foundation. this threat to democracy is not exclusive to georgia. over and wisconsin, a texas- based group called true the vote is teaming up with sympathetic sheriffs to monitor polling locations and drop boxes. group is known for handling false claims of voter fraud in 2020. the program is mainly focus in wisconsin, but we do have a scalable program. trump is also getting help from a lead ally, ahead of the conservative -- last week, he sent a letter to officials at least three states.
5:03 pm
-- in the letter obtained by the washington post, schlapp once brad raffensperger and -- failure to do so risks that the results of the november elections will be questioned by those who did not support the winning candidate. in case it is not obvious, republicans are partying like it's 2020. trump's efforts to overturn the election thankfully failed back then, despite all his efforts, including that infamous phone call for georgia secretary of state to find the votes. let's not forget the attempted coup on our capital. since then, the denial is and has only ramped up. he has spent his time out of office trimming his supporter for a loss in november, and don't forget the key figures that saved democracy last time around like mike pence. his allies are no doubt watching and ready to act. listen to how trump praise members of the election board earlier this month.
5:04 pm
>> the georgia state election board is in a very positive way. this is a very positive thing, marjorie, they are doing a great job. three members. janice johnson, rick jeffries, and janel king. three people are all -- >> joining me now, dave ehrenberg, state attorney for palm beach county, florida. good to have both of you with us. and anna, talk to us about this right now. -- too little too late to do anything about it -- as his pit bulls. what do we know -- and how will he make our going to will for him. as we just saw and that click -- click. >> right, so the state election
5:05 pm
board is an administrative body of unelected officials, they are able to set rules for elections within the state. however, they are somewhat limited in their ability to set those rules in that they have to be consistent with george's statutes and what has been passed by the general assembly, as well -- but we recently had an interesting change within the state election board. it used to be controlled by a mix of democrat and then some more moderate republicans, people who have policy positions around elections that are more a kin to brad raffensperger, the secretary of state of georgia who was famously on the phone call in 2020. but recently in the spring, there were changes to that board so that we now have three trump backed and trump praise, as you saw at that rally. election board members who have taken steps in recent weeks to
5:06 pm
change some of these election rules in ways that are consistent with policy positions that trump and affiliates have wanted to move in terms of their so-called election integrity efforts. >> dave, walk us through the chaos that something like this could cause for the election if vice president harris does win in georgia. and then, they push to delay certifying the vote. what does that sense of chaos to to the outcome? >> ayman, that's really what they can do. chaos, gum up the works. they are trying to delay things and -- and americans that there is somehow some ballot fraud. they are hoping eventually to cause congress to jump in and to try and overturn the election. this is their plan and the way we know this is as you and anna point out, you saw that rally and trump called out the three members of the board who are on
5:07 pm
his side. one of them was there at the rally taking a bow. living it up. that doesn't sound like nonpartisan objective election officials to me. their whole intent is to help donald trump. the good news is that the final say really is up to the governor and the secretary of state. they have proven, based on the last election that they have no tolerance for republican election shenanigans but these local officials now are empowered to delay matters and that could throw a wrench in the plans to get the certification in on time. >> you know, anna, according to the -- has signaled, as i understand it, plans to adopt nearly a dozen additional rules in coming weeks. despite the warnings from state and local officials that the lateness of the calendar in which they are trying to do all this all but guarantees confusion and mistakes.
5:08 pm
it is the point in all this, right, to create and so this confusion, part of the strategy. >> i do think that that is part of the strategy here. i will point out that some of the recent rule changes, for example, they use incredibly vague or ambiguous terms. they create confusion in that they seem to be inconsistent with george's statutes. they seem to invite litigation. i think that is likely that we could see some litigation around the recent rule changes related to certification, as well as the rule changes that relate to the tabulation of votes. one of the more concerning rule changes that we recently have seen is a rule change in which it is stated in this rule that if a local elections board finds fraud in an investigation
5:09 pm
of the precinct returns, then they must find a just a method of tabulating those votes. people and sources that i've talked to posted to the matter in the past week have indicated that opponents of this rule think that that gives local officials the ability to potentially disregard votes if they believe that there has been fraud within the precinct returns. it's very concerning because it's not just a delight -- a delay of certification the day was talking about but it's fully disregarding and changing tabulation of the votes, which is not at all consistent with what georgia courts have said is the duty of local officials when they are certifying the election results. they have a very limited discretion to just look at mathematical errors, to tabulate the votes. they don't have the ability to make qualitative decisions about whether or not there has been election fraud. that is for the courts to
5:10 pm
describe. the second of the group, true the vote. it seems like they are teaming up with sheriffs in swing states as we mentioned. elsewhere to monitor polling locations and drop boxes. from a legal point of view, where is the line when it comes to voter intimidation. it's one thing to monitor elections. we generally have a pretty robust system which candidates and their parties are allowed to do that. it's another thing to shop around for sympathetic organizations to be outside on the streets, seeing people as they cast their ballots. >> yeah, it's going to take strong leadership from local and state election officials to avoid the shenanigans but true the vote. it's a -- and in various states. they kind of do so in georgia
5:11 pm
in the last election. in fact, they filed suit against brad. they said they had affidavits and evidence that there was fraud and then a judge did so the amazing. the judge compelled true the vote to turn over the evidence and guess what? they had nothing. they were lies. they were a bunch of phonies and when it comes down to it, they are just a hollow shell themselves. they have a lot of show and no go. but they can do damage if they have a sympathetic election official on their side. that's why it's important who the secretary of states are in swing states and the governors. fortunately, it looks like, at least in the swing states, the secretary of state, election officials at the top level who actually have power are there to protect elections rather than prevent people from voting. >> the reason trump failed to overturn the election was obviously because we had proper guardrails to block him, perhaps mike pence having that moment of clarity and sanity to not overturn the election. he had at the d&c election, officials assessing the threat, and actually, their greatest worry, according to the washington post was the
5:12 pm
possibility of civil unrest, even if efforts to subvert fail, an army of angry trump supported could result of violence just as they did at the u.s. capitol on january 6, 2021. if that is true, i'm curious based on officials that you have spoken to across the atlanta metro area, perhaps even on the state level, are they at all concerned with a possibility of unrest given what had happened in 2020, excuse me, 2021 in this scenario that we now find ourselves in. if you do, if you don't? >> election officials are very much concerned about the violence. keep in mind, it's not just on january 6 that there were examples of, unrest and violence. it's also in the wake of the 2020 elections. there were precincts that had demonstrators go to the
5:13 pm
precincts, threats and violence at various election places. i recently saw a presentation at election security conference. officials in arizona and -- who talked about perimeter, a security perimeter that they had to include in the precinct because of what happened in 2020 with pro-trump demonstrators showing up at the polling place and threatening violence and certainly, this is something that election officials are concerned about. they are gearing up to protect election security. both within the polling place and then also on the outside from individuals who may be threatening violence. >> all right, anna bauer, thank you so much. dave, stick around, i will talk to you little bit later on the show right after this break, we are shifting gears. i'm going to talk to -- who has been held hostage by hamas
5:14 pm
since october 7. their plea to the white house and to tel aviv to get their son back. back. te. for us, it's eggs any style. ( ♪♪ ) as long as they're the best. eggland's best. ( ♪♪ ) oh... stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh! what is — wow! sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! we always had dogs, they're like my best buddies. yep, had them my whole life. c'mon bo! so we got him and he is a, an absolute joy. daddy's puppy. once we got on the farmer's dog he just attacks it, it's incredible.
5:15 pm
they're so tuned into you and they have such, such personality. being without a dog, i don't know, can't imagine it. [laughter] missing out on the things you love because of asthma? get back to better breathing with fasenra, an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken once every 8 weeks. fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems or other eosinophilic conditions. allergic reactions may occur. don't stop your asthma treatments without talking with your doctor. tell your doctor if your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. step back out there with fasenra. ask your doctor if it's right for you. (♪♪) this summer, there's no better time
5:16 pm
as to experience the latestht mercedes-benz has to offer. make your dreams come true. but the choice won't be easy with exceptional offers on the e-class sedan, c-class sedan, cle cabriolet and cle coupe. hurry, these dream offers won't last forever. come in now through september 3rd.
5:17 pm
5:18 pm
anyone who is a parent or have had a parent can try to imagine the anguish and misery that john and i and all the hostage families are enduring. >> every person is an entire universe. we must save all these universes. >> it has been more than 300 days since -- have seen their 23-year-old son hirsch after he was taken on october 7th. -- an urgent return of all the hostages and for stopping the despair and devastation in gaza.
5:19 pm
today i spoke with john and rachel about the ongoing cease- fire negotiations, which u.s. officials they will continue, despite the strikes overnight between israel and hezbollah. john and rachel, thank you both very much for joining us before i asked you about the d&c, i just wanted to get your thoughts, if i could about the recent developments in the israel and lebanon with this recent preemptive strike on southern lebanon. just this weekend as negotiations continue to try and secure a hostage deal any cease-fire. do you fear that these new developments will not only impact progress in any cease- fire agreement, but also delay progress in getting your son, hersh, safely back home ? >> that is definitely a fear . but we have been optimistic, somehow, for 324 days. we continue to be optimistic, and even in this terrible incident from the middle east,
5:20 pm
we are taking some optimism, which is, unfortunately in this region, sometimes the way things work is it is just when things are really heated up that they then calm down and we have talked about it, we've heard other people talk about it. in this inflamed region right now, there is one thing that can singularly most calm down the entire region and that one thing is to do a deal to release the hostages and bring some -- to gaza, which, in turn, will bring calm to the rest of the region. so, we are teetering right now we are on the precipice. we are so hopeful that the leaders of this region really we are all in the hands of two men and those two men need to decide that for the good of their people, the good of the region and i would argue for the good of the world right now, they need to do a brave thing and do this deal that the united states and other mediators have been pushing so
5:21 pm
hard for so long and that seems like it could be in our grasp right now. we know we are there. >> i want to ask you, jon, about the two men that you want to believe -- i'm assuming you are talking about the leader of hamas and the -- is that safe to say those of the men you are talking about? >> that's correct. >> let's say that you had a chance to speak with these really prime minister, what message would you delivered to him in this moment. i'm sure that you are familiar with some of the reporting that's coming out of israel. attributed to the families of hostages who have been speaking to the prime minister office. some of the accounts that have been coming out in the israeli press seem to be very troubling, that he is not pushing for a deal or, at times, walking away from deals. >> i -- through two lenses, one is the lens of all of us, the people of israel, which is to say, we were all traumatized on
5:22 pm
the seventh of october. we have all, like everyone in the region, been living in a tense period for 324 days and as you mentioned and i said in the past, i think that for all of us to be able to move on and get to the national rehabilitation that we all need to move forward, it is clear and the people of israel are speaking loudly and clearly and polls that what we need is to bring home our loved ones. we need it for our national resilience, we need it for our unity and it's what the people of the country are calling for. through the personal lens of what i would say to the prime minister, and i talked about this in the past, prime minister netanyahu is the son of a historian, he himself is a history buff and i think that he very well understands that right now, there is a moment. he is at a fork in the road. he can be the prime minister whose last significant work is
5:23 pm
unfortunately having been the prime minister of a tragic day of october 7th or he can be the prime minister took that tragedy, turn it around, brought people home, and rebuild the resilience of the israeli people and strengthen them moving forward. i know he gets that and i believe that is very much the legacy that he wants to build for himself and i hope that we are all ready in saying that. >> rachel, i know you have met with president biden and the vice president, kamala harris. since the beginning of the war, you both emphasize in your dnc speech last week that the administration is working tirelessly to reach a cease- fire deal. do you believe that the united states should be -- over all the parties and the region to bring their sides back to a deal since it seems up until now, both hamas and the israeli
5:24 pm
prime minister are unable to reach a deal on their own. do you think the u.s. should even more leverage that it has over israel and over allies in the region that actually communicate directly with hamas for a deal? >> i certainly think now is the time, if someone has the power to influence these two parties. now is the time -- just, unfortunately a few days ago, six more hostages were, their bodies were retrieved. it was autopsies were performed and it is known that these were six men who were taken alive, who are alive for several months, who died in captivity in horrible circumstances. there is no time to spare. there is no leverage despair and i do believe that a president biden is desperately, tirelessly and tenaciously working on this. i know vice president harris is also committed to this and i know that the entire team who
5:25 pm
has been in the middle east, they have been truly astonishing with their steadfastness. director burns, secretary blinken. just to name a few. and i really wish them continued strength and success because i know that they have been doing such hard work since october and now, here we are already at the end of august and i just think the time has come to pull out all the stops, whatever those stops are. now is the time. >> speaking of hope for just a moment, jon and rachel. are you adequately being given information and updates from official sources about these situations or are you left in the dark. walk us through the type of information that you are receiving about where israeli intelligence or is really government officials and american government officials believe where your son to be and do they believe he is still alive? >> so we get very little information tragically. it's
5:26 pm
not like people who are wrongfully detained who were thankfully able to receive letters and care packages and books and sort of information and get information out. we and all the hostage families have almost no information at all. there's been absolutely no communication whatsoever with any of the hostages since they were kidnapped 324 days ago. there have also been absolutely no humanitarian aid organizations on the planet that have gone to see any of the hostages. we were, i will say blessed on date 201 to have a proof of life video that was kind of a propaganda video released of hersh. so we knew from then that he was alive then and the way that it works is israeli and
5:27 pm
american intelligence communicate to us and tell us if they have a suspicion that your loved one may be, god forbid dead or they know for sure that they have died, they do notify the family immediately . so our point of contact every day when she contacts us says another day of no news, which is good news. we kind of live in this parallel universe that many people can't begin to imagine. we ourselves can't begin to imagine and we are in that universe where we are only, our only son has been missing for these 324 days and we've had one time that we have seen him and it was for a two-minute video where he was reading a script. so it's really very -- torturous and anxiety riddling
5:28 pm
existence. >> i can't even imagine. my heart goes out to you and all the other families of the hostages there. we pray for their safe and immediate release, as quickly as possible. jon polin, rachel goldberg- polin. thank you so much for joining us. please stay strong. >> thank you. >> thank you for raising the awareness . next, florida governor ron desantis waged a war on woke and the people of florida are waking up to take a stand against their governor. we explained . xplained . rk andd to keep up. thank you, verizon business. (kevin) now our businesses get fast and reliable internet from the same network that powers our phones. (woman) all with the security features we need. (aaron) because my businesses are my life. (kevin) man, the fish tacos are blowing up! (aaron) so whatever's next we're cooking with fire. let's make it happen! (vo) switch to the partner businesses rely on.
5:29 pm
getting older is part of the journey, even with worsening heart failure. so when i had carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back pain, and shortness of breath, i thought that's what getting older felt like. thank goodness... ...i called my cardiologist. i have attr-cm, a rare but serious disease... ...and getting diagnosed early... ...made a difference. if you have any of these warning signs, don't wait, ask your cardiologist about attr-cm today. (♪♪) ok limu! you set it, and as i spike it, i'll tell them how liberty mutual customizes car insurance, so they only pay for what they need. got it? [squawks] did you get that? only pay for what you need. ♪liberty, liberty,♪ ♪liberty, liberty.♪
5:30 pm
gum problems could be the start of a domino effect parodontax active gum repair breath freshener clinically proven to help reverse the 4 signs of early gum disease a toothpaste from parodontax, the gum experts.
5:31 pm
hi! need new glasses? a toothpaste from parodontax, buy one pair, get one free at visionworks! how can you see me squinting?
5:32 pm
i can't! i'm just telling everyone!...hey! buy one pair, get one free for back to school. visionworks. see the difference. why do couples choose a sleep number smart bed? i need it a little cool and i need it a lot of cool. we're both cool like that. sleep number does that. actively cools and warms on each side. during our biggest sale of the year, save 50% on the sleep number® limited edition smart bed and free delivery when you add any base. ron desantis what is good editorial election re-election campaign in 2022, he celebrated with this ominous message. >> we fight the woke in the schools, we fight the woke in the corporations, we will never ever surrender to the woke mob. florida is where woke goes to die.
5:33 pm
>> yeah, desantis then used his momentum to get high on his own supply, declaring war on the state educational system from pushing to ban diversity programs and lgbtq studies in schools, to updating the state curriculum to argue black people benefited from slavery. desantis tried to remake the education system in his own image to fuel his own presidential ambitions. we now have that story ended and this week, voters dealt a huge load to desantis's war on education. on tuesday, the governor pushed to elect conservative leaning school board members, well, across florida, that fell flat of the 23 candidates he endorsed, at least 11 lost their races for comparison sake, that's a huge drop from the 2022 school board where 83% of his preferred candidates one those races. the question before us is this pushback isolated to florida or could this actually be a rebuke of the gop's war on woke across the country. dave, as a floridian, you know about it better than i do.
5:34 pm
what does this mean? are you hopeful seeing this loss for desantis? do you see it as a sign that voters are sick of his antics, especially the way he declared war on the education system in that state? >> yeah, it turns out, that book bans are unpopular. who could've thought that? i mean that's, you are seeing that across the country now and the group moms for liberty, which is a desantis back to group of real right-wingers who want to take books out of libraries, they had some initial successes but now people aren't buying what they are selling and i think that's one of the reasons why desantis had such a bad day tuesday. it's also because desantis has lost his in florida after he did so poorly in his run for -- -- donald trump and now, republican legislators are turning against him. he also has a plan to build, develop and state parks, he wants a pickle ball court and golf courses on state parks and
5:35 pm
for the first time, legislators on his side of the aisle are actually pushing back. you don't usually see this. usually they just roll over but now they found their spine. i think part of it is that desantis has lost his mojo after presidential run. >> such an important point. he didn't have the discipline to just kind of wait out trump for another two years and perhaps in the next cycle, he did, he lost his credibility and obviously, with his integrity the way trump went after him. it's kind of interesting because, as we have reported wall this war on woke was initially good for desantis politically speaking, and hasn't translated for him in court. i mean, when it comes to his stop woke act now, reading the individual freedom act, you had a federal judge say by restricting people's speech, it
5:36 pm
was positively dystopian. last year, it could not apply to colleges and universities. that same court eventually ruled that it could be enforced against businesses either. i mean, you've got some lawyers in florida saying they hope these court rejections will finally convince desantis to forgo an appeal. do you think he's going to do that since he does not have any political capital to spend it on? >> yeah, i think he will forgo it at this point because when it comes to the 11th court of appeals, they keep rolling against him. you know, those liberal activist judges. we are talking about trump appointed judges who continue to throw out his legislation. the stop woke act, for example. he's had other failures where, for example, the don't say gay bill. he had to walk that back. the one thing i have to say that's a good about him , the j.d. vance, the presidential nominee, he makes ron desantis look like mick jagger. i mean to any person with less charisma than ron desantis, it's j.d. vance. >> it's funny because we saw the j.d. vance video where he goes to get a dona and it reminds me of
5:37 pm
ron desantis when he was talking to the kid about slurpees. and you're just kind of looking at both those videos and how are you two people in politics? you can even have a normal conversation with folks. and that's part of your job. let me ask you what this means naturally?. florida is widely perceived certainly from the results that it's been consistently a red state for the last few years, but if these desantis backed candidates can lose in an embarrassing fashion like this, do you think we will see a similar rebuke nationwide in texas? what does this mean for other races in florida, come november? >> i do think who is running for the -- democratic against rick scott has a chance. it's tough, though, amen. florida has become a petri dish
5:38 pm
for maga, as of late. we seen thousands of hard-core reporters coming to the state of florida in part because ron desantis has rated it the free state of war, nevermind you don't have freedom when it comes to reproductive rights or what you read, you know, and then what corporations are allowed to say and all this other stuff but desantis is a successful at branding florida that way, and supporters become here is the silver lining. it's made other states, swing states bluer, as we are siphoning off a lot of the republican voters from swing states like michigan and so i think that helps other states but if you are asking me whether florida is going to swing blue in the selection, i think it's very unlikely. i will say, however, to leave you with this, i think we are going to pass a constitutional amendment, reproductive rights here in florida with over 60%. that will be a major statement. >> major statement, major victory. we seen it play out and other red states since the overturning of roe versus wade. thank you so much, dave aronberg , great to see you as always. thank you for making time this
5:39 pm
evening. >> thank you, ayman. trying to convince voters they will protect abortion rights after paving the road to reversal of roe v. wade. wade. he's just there always. mash it up doofus. ever since we introduced him to the farmer's dog, his quality of life has been forever changed. he prefers real, human-grade food. it's... ...like real food! it is! he's a happy dog now. he's a happy, happy dog. he's a happy, happy, happy dog!
5:40 pm
5:41 pm
5:42 pm
can you commit, senator, sitting right here with me today that if you and donald trump are elected, that you will not impose a federal ban on abortion. >> i can absolutely commit that , kristin. donald trump has been as clear
5:43 pm
is that as possible. if you're not supporting as the president united states. >> so you would veto a federal abortion ban. >> i think he would. he said that explicitly that he would. >> that was j.d. vance today on nbc's meet the press, trying to help donald trump to distance himself from his own extreme stance on abortion. his doublespeak on the issue has angered many republicans who make up a key part of his base and now, a contingent of conservative christians and antiabortion activists are preparing for a battle against ivf, with or without trump. it enter the national conversation in a big way back in february, when the alabama supreme court ruled that frozen embryos in test tubes should be considered children. now that prompted some fertility clinics in the state to pause services out of fear of legal risk for providers and patients republicans were among those criticizing the ruling,
5:44 pm
including trump himself, who said he strongly support the availability of ivf. but months later, the southern baptist convention, the largest denomination of protestants with millions of members across the country voted to oppose the use of ivf for the first time at its annual meeting. that vote sent a clear message two years after the fall of roe v. wade, so-called fetal personhood may be the next front for the antiabortion movement. right now, around the same time, senate republicans blocked a bill that would have protected the right to ivf and other fertility treatments nationwide. here's what democratic senator tammy duckworth, who championed the legislation and used ivf to have her chilled children -- two children said the day of the vote. >> so for so many women, that lifelong hope of having children is now stuck in a hellish limbo. as they remain uncertain about whether states will follow of alabama's lead. many times in my military service back and i didn't know
5:45 pm
it at the time, back then, but infertility would become one of the most heartbreaking struggles of my life. my miscarriage, more painful than any wound i ever earned on the battlefield. so excuse me if i find it a bit offensive what a bunch of politicians who have never spent a day in med school hints that those of us who need the help of ivf to become mom should be sitting behind bars rather than lowing our babies to sleep in rocking chairs. >> >> indicating a stance against common procedures. republican party now says it opposes the destruction of human embryos. the north carolina gop already has a similar line in this platform. meanwhile, a prominent antiabortion -- students for life in america is pushing for increased regulation. it's currently working to create a rationale for fetal personhood in some forthcoming abortion -related bills, both in congress and in state legislatures. now, like abortion, it's widely supported and sought out by tens of thousands of people around the u.s. each year. according to a research center survey from last year, about 42% of u.s. adults say they have used fertility treatments
5:46 pm
or know someone who has. that's from 33% in 2018. some of those women and their spouses share their stories on the dnc stage over the past week, including former first lady michelle obama, senator tammy duckworth and vice provincial nominee tim walz. the faction of conservatives targeting ivf do not represent the majority of americans. or the majority of republicans, but they are following a successful blueprint by the anti-abortion activists who came before them and now they are coming for ivf next. an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken once every 8 weeks. fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems or other eosinophilic conditions. allergic reactions may occur. don't stop your asthma treatments without talking with your doctor. tell your doctor if your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. step back out there with fasenra. ask your doctor if it's right for you. (♪♪)
5:47 pm
5:48 pm
5:49 pm
5:50 pm
before the brink -- the break, we looked at growing divisions and while there is a christian conservative led movement against it, donald trump says that he strongly supports it, even declaring his party the leader on ivf.
5:51 pm
i am joined now by amanda tyler, executive director of the baptist joint committee for religious liberty. amanda, thank you so much for joining us. as i mentioned at the southern baptist convention back in june, you had thousands of delegates ultimately voting to oppose ivf but what is the movement against ivf look like beyond that contingent? >> i think that the votes signify the right movement of the southern baptist convention, which is becoming increasingly anti-woman and, frankly, anti-baptist. they have taken really newly found theological fascination with this idea that life begins at conception and taken it to adopt this really widely unpopular opposition to ivf treatments. there were a number of delegates at the convention themselves who gave very personal and capable testimonies about how -- so important to their families. but nevertheless, the convention did pass that resolution and i do think it's very telling that just today,
5:52 pm
in my hometown, on the dallas morning news, there was an opinion piece by a pastor, a very conservative mother is mega church who wrote about his own experience with ivf, disagreeing with this policy. it's important to note that this is a really extreme minority point of view, that is out of step with most americans and, indeed, most christians. it is also an example of not just a curtailing of reproductive freedom, but also religious freedom. it seeks to take one g a lot -- theological view on when life begins and impose it on everyone else. this idea that life begins at conception is not something that is representative of either medical or scientific fact and it is not a view shared by the people of all religions or even all christians so it is a really concerning sign of this growing christian nationalist movement towards authoritarian theocracy.
5:53 pm
>> why, for those of us who may not be following this as closely from a theological point of view, why are we seeing this now? why are we seeing christian conservatives attacked this procedure specifically that has historically enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support across religious divides? why suddenly has it now merged once again at the forefront of religious discourse? >> well, i think in a post roe v. wade world, after the dobbs decision, we saw antiabortion activists moved to a total ban on abortions and embracing this ideology of fetal personhood that is reflected not just in these concerns about ivf treatment, but also criminalizing abortions and restricting access to birth control. it's about seizing political power.
5:54 pm
it's a lesson about a given theological point of view. again, which is not shared by people of all religions or even all christians. for example, jewish scholars often hold the belief that life begins when breath is first drawn and many christians do not hold the view that life begins at conception. even those who do don't hold the view that that view should be imposed on everyone else. we have separation of church and state in this country, we have this idea that we should not have religious coercion, including religious laws. i think a huge wake up call for me and for so many other people was that decision from the alabama supreme court in february. with the chief justice of the alabama supreme court, in his concurring opinion, use the bible and theologians as legal support, clearly trying to impose christianity and christians doctrines as the law
5:55 pm
of the land the people of alabama. the chief justice of the supreme court is not the cheaply a lotion of the people of alabama and we saw swift outcry about that decision and pushback from people of all faiths, including christians. >> you bring up such an important point with a reference to the alabama supreme court ruling because it leads me to me to ask about whether or not those types of decisions, this broader effort to basically perhaps to ban ivf, willie reached new level of the abortion debate in this country? will it become a factor in the way people vote and the ability to organize and mobilize around this issue? >> i think these ivf rulings and also the statements from places like the southern baptist convention show that there are a lot of unexpected and unintended consequences in a post roe world. we see really majorities of americans who deeply concerned
5:56 pm
about women's health, about abortion bands without exceptions, about the status of reproductive freedom in this country. i think we are correct to be alert to the u.s. other incursions that people who are really driving this antiabortion movement would make on women's health, on reproductive freedom, and also on religious freedom. this fetal personhood movement has only just begun and i think we can see from the reporting and the tactics that they are using that they know that this is deeply unpopular. they know that this is undemocratic. that majorities of americans would reject these ideas. so they are using other tactics, including through the courts to try to impose their theological view on everyone else to the detriment of everyone's health and safety. >> amanda tyler, i certainly appreciate you joining us this evening and sharing your insights with us.
5:57 pm
very important conversation, one that we should all be concerned about as we head towards the election. another reminder of what's coming in november. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> and thanks to you at home for spending a part of your weekend with us. be sure to catch ayman every saturday and sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern. follow us on x, instagram. until we meet again, i am a minimal yelled and. good night. -- ayman . good night. ou elp people take care of them. ♪
5:58 pm
5:59 pm
6:00 pm

52 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on