john: don't forget, there's one big wildcard. the democrats are set to debate. ♪ mark: welcome to las vegas, site of tomorrow night's democratic presidential debate. on the show, trey gowdy's trauma . but first, obama. in an interview with 60 minutes that aired sunday, the president was asked about hillary clinton's unusual e-mail practices. he offered a few words of defense for his former secretary of state. he said the issue is being politicized.

that there is no sign of a national security breach into her system. but overall, the president's defense of his former secretary of state was notably lacking. president obama: she made a mistake, she has acknowledged it. i do think that the way it has been portrayed is in part because of politics, and i think she would be the first to acknowledge that maybe she could have handled the original decision better, and the disclosures more quickly. it is important for her to answer these questions. john: did the president leave the woman who wants to succeed him out to dry? and if so, why? john: in the political parlance, we call that minimal coverage. the worst thing she could of done, jeopardize national security, the president says she didn't do that. in every other way, hung out to dry. why? he is upset. the president, according to

every source, is. furiouse thing what -- over what she did over her e-mail. mark: there are so many ways he could have answered that question that would have been better for her, that would have had no political cost. interesting he said "no national security brief," as if he has been briefed on the fbi investigation. that could be great news for her. i think her greatest vulnerability is, if the fbi comes back and says -- if the president was to play his hand, although he knows the investigation may show that although the interview was bad , news for her, it would be good news longer-term. john: i find it hard to believe that president obama would say that on "60 minutes," in that form, if he did not know it was going to come back to haunt him later. again, we never know, but i feel like you are right. in the long run, he covered her on the biggest vulnerability. but on really nothing else. in the race,n gets i would be worried if i will are

-- if i were hillary. i would be worried this shows the president is not going to play favorites in her direction. he may well favor joe biden. john: the recently hired investigator with the house benghazi committee is accused of -- at the republican-led panel on focusing more on hillary clinton than what went wrong in libya. took athe new york times close look at whether politics played a role in the committee's work. ever since kevin mccarthy's now infamous comment about the committee, the committee has been on its heels, and under attack. how much worse, politically, does this make things for the chairman and his committee? making accusations with no backup, no documentation that is come forward. i think hillary clinton has gotten a huge ride in the press because of that. the more dangerous thing for the committee, basically they failed to do what they should have done. once the e-mails came out, they should have given that to a different committee. the benghazi investigation now intertwined with the e-mail

mccarthy said,at unless hillary clinton completely messes up when she testifies this week, she is over this. the new york times story is interesting. the notion that trey gowdy wanted to get rid of the element of the committee. about the number of witnesses they wanted to call, the way in which the probe seemed to shift. you could argue that was ok, but some of the behavior described in that story, talking about ocks and gun control. it's the kind of stuff that makes these people not sing serious. mark: hillary clinton has more e-mail problems coming, but if the committee is fouled beyond redemption, if the president tipped his hand and said the fbi will not find security problems she is over. , there is more coming in terms of the e-mail, but she is over a

lot. on the other side of the aisle, the democratic national committee is dealing with the defensive posture after a new own times report of its about the dnc. the newspaper reported that an aid to the committee chairwoman, debbie wasserman schultz, supposedly disinvited the dnc vice chair to the debate tomorrow night, after the congressman spoke out publicly about -- against the party's decision to limit the number of democratic debates to just six. the dnc says it's all just a big misunderstanding. john, is this fueling those who say the dnc is stacking the deck in favor of hillary clinton? is the dnc doing that, and is any of this going to matter? john: yes, and i don't know. there is no doubt people think the dnc is trying to -- let's be clear. it's not the dnc. congressman wasserman schultz , the chairwoman, made the decision unilaterally. she did not consult gabbert or

other vice chairs. she did this on her own. the criticism of wasserman schultz will be intense. she might be able to get away with it and might not. it's not like there is a big clamor among democratic voters for more debates, but it looks, smells, feels, seems stinky. anothercannot think of abuse of power by a national chair in either party. although martin o'malley and bernie sanders are raising it, it does look like they will get away with it. it is a disgrace, and debbie wasserman schultz is facing some public heat, and she's just going to sit and take it. dnc's explanation is, we didn't disinvited her. what they called her, to be clear, the chief of staff, not someone at the dnc, someone working for wasserman schultz, called her and basically said, if you are going to keep saying that stuff, maybe you should

stay away from vegas. it would be better if you stayed away. that may not be a dis-invitation. but it is bad, bad, bad. on holiday break. paul ryan is working overtime. deciding whether he will cave in to all that pressure he is facing from those who want him to become the speaker of the house. mark, you wrote a brilliant, unmatched, extraordinary story that is up online right now. it pulls back the curtain on the deliberations. we are here in las vegas. what are the odds paul ryan ends up in the speaker's chair? mark: other names are being floated, but everyone else says, if ryan does it, i will not. it will be hard for anyone else to get momentum. if ryan does not want the job, he is asking the job be structured in a way that is difficult to do. but until he says no, no one else will emerge.

my gut says, he will not take a job he doesn't want. i said paul ryan will be speaker of the house. friday, i said the same. today, i am still saying it. we see people take jobs all the time they don't want. he is under all this pressure. .ark: name somebody you made an assertion. job, my uncle elmo took a a different kind of job. mark: this job would ruin his personal life and maybe his professional life. john: if you doesn't take it, he being told byis everyone in the party that he will consign the party to disarray. we will get a de facto caretaker, they say. not somebody will only serve to been years. basically someone who just keeps things going. mccarthy is going to basically be running the place. it will be a fair amount, like what happened with dennis hastert. me 50/50 before.

in the end, he is a believer in the party and its ideas. he does not want to see the party fall apart. i think he will end up there. he will get talked into structural changes that will never work out. coming up, my interview with one of the founders, the cofounders of black lives matter. the one question she would ask if she were a moderator at tomorrow night's debate here in vegas. then we go where no man has gone before, the first ever political politi-con. ♪

john: this past weekend, i went back to my hometown, los angeles. iti-con. iaugural pol had a chance to sit down with a california-based activist who helped found the movement black lives matter. i asked what she hoped to achieve between now and the end

of the 2016 election. >> i think we need presidential candidates that will speak specifically to issues of violence, and policing. we need a candidate who can mass specifically to incarceration inside this country. that looks like repealing the war on drugs, that looks like repealing the war on gangs, that looks like reinvestment and support communities, black communities in particular. , not justnt challenging presidential candidates but also local officials. john: the incarceration piece, then there's the economic piece, which is larger and more systemic, a more sweeping kind of agenda. do you want to focus at least, again, in the short-term, on the incarceration and police issues? is that a higher priority or are

, they equally high priorities? patrisse: they are equally high priorities. but the contradiction that faces black people the most at this moment in history is policing and imprisonment. that actually has everything to do with why many black folks are unemployed. when you are a convicted felon and you come home and try to interview for a job, the first thing they asked on the application is, have you ever been convicted of a felony? that automatically disqualifies you from your ability to feed your family. we have to look at the system that is allowing for a cycle of joblessness and homelessness in our communities. john: so black lives matter have had two interactions with hillary clinton. one was in new hampshire, some of that that captured on video. and one where you guys had a meeting, not you personally, but the movement, the group met with her a couple days ago on friday. in that first interaction, she is captured on film saying how

she doesn't believe you change hearts, you change laws come you change allocations of resources and the way systems operate. it seems to me that that kind of systemic structural approach is something you would find positive. that you would be amenable to. she got criticized by some for the way she handled that interaction. but focusing on that big structural thing, actual change. it seems like that would be the kind of thing you guys would want to hear from her. as opposed to a commitment to every notions of racial justice. patrisse: the interaction between hillary clinton and our members was an interaction that i think she said the things she believed. we also wanted to hear her be accountable for the role she has played in producing a system that has locked a million black people inside cages. john: there is obviously a history with president clinton

and the policies that his administration pursued and enacted. but when you mention her and her accountability, her personal accountability, what do you mean when she has to take accountability for past actions i'm a specifically? patrisse: there is a moment in bill clinton's administration where hillary lobbied around punitive laws that impacted black communities pretty detrimentally. she lobbied around more policing and she lobbied to really push for the war on drugs. we see this a lot with first ladies. of course, they lobby in support of their husband, and so, she has played that role. and she is not admitting to that. we think the clinton , administration was sort of seen as an administration that helped black people, but it was the clinton administration that paved the way for the end of the

social welfare state and the end to any black folks ability to not be completely criminalized. john: in your view, she has not taken responsibility for that and not gone far enough for that accountability. patrisse: it is less about if she has gone far enough and more about if she gets into office, will she commit concretely to those changes? i think, she can say everything she wants right now. she is a candidate. but that moment she gets into office, we want to see concrete change. john: in the meeting that took place on friday, do you feel as though, the one in washington was reported widely. from what you know, i know you weren't there, you were in california. did you feel that meeting was a step in the right direction? patrisse: any meeting with the candidate that is pressuring them around a certain agenda is an important next step.

john: toni morrison said bill clinton was the first black president, in a particular context. on the talent of the impeachment drama. -- the tail end of the impeachment drama. that was 1998. a lot of years later, in the light of history and perspective, when you read that -- toni morrison obviously an esteemed author. a person of great respect. do you think that statement looks now, kind of ridiculous? patrisse: i respect toni morrison so much, but i do think that was a mistake. when we say that anyone who is not black is a new black something, it is a mistake. especially the role that administration played in just traumatizing black lives. john: you guys have had interaction with senator sanders, right? there was famously that disruption that took place in seattle that prompted you to write your op-ed. how have things gone with

senator sanders since that disruption? he has met with the group and talk to you. patrisse: i think it has been fine. these candidates are goingo have to get used to disruption and meeting with the movement. they will have to get used to meeting with different lack -- different black folks across the country. for us, ultimately, we are trying to use this moment to have a national conversation about black lives, and it's a perfect opportunity. john: for interest groups who are trying to achieve tangible change in the course of an election, they do it through a mix of carrots and sticks. the caret is, if we have a constructive conversation, you might be able to win more of our votes. the stick is if you don't, we will punish you in some way, electorally. i understand what the carrot is, offering them access to the movement and a broader conflagration of average -- of african-american votes.

what is the stick? what happens if the candidates don't engage with you and take you seriously? what penalty will they pay, and how you will impose that? patrisse: whoever gets into office will have to deal with us for the duration of time they are in office. part of the stick is a development -- a developing, growing movement. as we saw with the obama campaign, he received the vote of young folks in particular. we have that to our advantage. we also have to our advantage the obama admits -- administration, that didn't really protect or uplift the black community. you have a lot of black folks who voted for obama who are disappointed. they are not interested in this person who says they are going to change everything and they don't change anything for black people. people are time to figure out -- trying to figure out who do i vote for, and do i even vote? john: on tuesday the first

democratic debate is in las vegas. what are you looking for? when you are watching the debate, what are you going to pay attention to? what do you want to hear from these candidates, not just hillary clinton and bernie sanders? patrisse: i want to hear them talk about black lives matter and specifically, i want to hear them talk about an economic platform that is about talking about how in carson ration has impacted the black community. i want to hear them act unapologetically and say this country needs to do a better job at serving black people. i want to hear them talk about black folks who have been dying at the hands of vigilantes, essentially. i want to hear all the candidates say they have a commitment to being engaged with the current movement. john: one last question, if i gave you a spot as moderator in

that debate for one question and , you could ask the candidates one question, what would that be? patrisse: if they would have a moment to make a commitment to the car's a rating -- d carson rating -- decarcerating, would they make a commitment to that? john: up next, a donald trump mask. ♪

mark: the past weekend, john and company went to politicon. there were debates, big stars, and fireworks. we sent our resident cameramen to check it out and they ended up going native. >> good to see you. welcome to politicon. i'm john adams.

>> i'm james madison. >> dirty old men. that's what they call me. >> it is a comic-con style event of politics and pop culture. anyone who dresses up in political cosplay gets in free. >> i can get in for free if i dress-up? i will be right back. ♪ >> newt gingrich is here today, so i think i will probably meet him. >> you want to practice? i have a mask. >> it looks like the botox you have had recently has taken such a toll. >> personal attacks are very important to the party. i don't see the need for that. >> that's the way politics works

nowadays. >> i have been carrying this around everywhere. do you have your own copy? >> speaker gingrich. i have your contract for america. will you sign this for me? sign the book. i've got to do it myself. ♪ >> well, congresswoman bachmann, do you recognize me? >> of course i do. >> i look at today's republican party and i don't know if i fit in. win me back. michele bachmann: you have had an extraordinary post-presidency. everyone loves you. they are naming things after you. >> it was you the whole time. >> hanging out at politicon, loving every minute of it. who is under the donald trump mask? >> it would be me. >> wow! >> hi, donald.

it is good to see you again. >> would you be my running mate? >> of course i would, absolutely. >> i have your original 1994 contract with america. would you mind signing it? thank you so much. right there would be perfect. i got it, i got it! we will make a pact. >> i want to be lincoln next time. >> favorite president? >> i will be fdr if you will be lincoln. >> it's a deal. ♪ >> i did it, i did the cosplay. >> and you get in free. well done. >> donald, awesome. as usual. mark: we will be right back. ♪

mark: we love vegas. we are back here tomorrow for a special one hour "with all due respect."

the democratic debate with a huge, smoking hot bevy of special guests. we will

emily: the largest tech takeover ever. the question is, whether other tech giants will follow. i'm emily chang, and this is "bloomberg west." coming up, my exclusive interview with steve wozniak, to separate fact from fiction in the latest steve jobs movie. also, was the act talks about woz talks about his last interview with steve