>> i think it makes it possible that bernie sanders could win iowa and new hampshire. and at that point, all bets are kind of off. i do think her numbers could dip a little bit, because biden would get another month, at least, of good press, but once you're a candidate -- >> it's a different story, but, boy, what she really needs is him to make any decision. >> this hurts her more than anything. >> all right, thank you very much. we'll be back tomorrow, because if it's wednesday, it's mtp daily. craig melvin picks up our coverage right now. right now on msnbc live, funding fight. the head of planned parenthood faces off against republican critics looking to strip federal funding. then, to another fight on capitol hill, this one over who will lead the gop house. establishment or outsider? also, donald trump's on again/off again and then on again war with the media, this as one superstar athlete clarifies his endorsement of the

republican front-runner. we'll get to those stories in just a moment. good evening to you, i'm craig melvin. we start with some breaking news on this tuesday evening. in less than an hour, despite a plea from pope francis, the state of georgia plans to execute a mother of three. she was quicked of masterminding her husband's murder back in 1997. just hours ago, a parole board denied a plea from her family to call off that execution. that decision comes even those pope francis, again, made that personal plea on her behalf. a representative for the pope sent a letter to that parole board that reads in quote, while sympathizing with the victims, i nonetheless implore you to commit the sentence to one that would better express both justice and mercy. nbc's gabe gutierrez is live outside that prison in west jackson, georgia, where she is set to die by lethal injection. she would be the first woman executed in georgia in 70 years. tell us about the final plea from her family today.

>> reporter: that's right, craig. three of her adult children showed up at this parole hearing and made this plea to the parole board. and what her lawyers were arguing was that lethal injection cocktail, the concerns about it, the execution had already been delayed once before, because that cocktail appeared too cloudy, but today, it was a personal plea from those three adult children. they say that they once hated their mother, but over the last 18 years, while she's been on death row, she has rehabilitated her life. she has turned into a model inmate and turned her life around. they even produced a video that they released last week, begging for her life to be spared is. >> my brothers and i really want my mom to live. she is all that we have left. >> she took her life experience and what she's been through and what she did and she's helped people. >> reporter: but, that wasn't enough to sway the parole board.

they denied clemency again. and despite that plea from pope francis and that letter that was written by the archbishop of atlanta on behalf of the pontiff, the execution now set for 7:00 and we're told that gissendanner has requested a last meal of cheese dip, texas fajita nachos, and a diet lemonade. >> what, if anything, have we heard from family members of the victim? other family members? >> well, this has been a very emotional time for the entire family. and they have been split on this. other members of the family do believe that she deserves to die. and they released a statement that said, in part, kelly planned and executed doug's murder. she targeted him and his death was intentional. she had no mercy, gave him no rights, no choices, nor the opportunity to live his life. his life was not hers to take. again, she is scheduled at 7:00 to become the first woman executed in georgia in 70 years.

craig? >> gabe gutierrez for us tonight in georgia. we're going to continue to follow that situation there. let's get to our other big story today. the fight over funding for planned parenthood. fireworks on capitol hill, as lawmakers questioned and clashed with that organization's president. cecile richards, they questioned her for about five hours, in the long and often contentious hearing, a congressional committee pressed her on planned parenthood's use of tissues from aborted fetuses and other issues. >> -- donate do mammograms, correct? there's like one or two places that do them -- >> if you would give me one moment to explain. >> sure. >> do you really want to do this? do you really? do you want to align yourself with the radical extremists who manipulate the facts? >> the apology he offered was like what some criminals do, they're not really sorry for what they've done, they're sorry they got caught. >> where there's profit centers -- >> i disagree -- >> this is my time, so don't

interrupt it. the disrespect, the misogyny rampant here today tells us what is really going on here. this isn't about some bogus video. >> the raehearing stems from th controversial planned parenthood video that shows the organization's employees talking about the sale of tissue from aborted fetuses. critics say the videos were misleadingly edited. planned parenthood gets roughly $450 million from the federal government. that money cannot be used for abortions in the vast majority of cases. republicans are threatening to shut down the government as a way to stop the government from giving any money to planned parenthood. but a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows six in one americas are opposed to limiting planned parenthood's federal funding. frank thorpe on capitol hill for us this morning. what did we learn from that hearing today? >> reporter: this was the first of what we expect to be many

hearings ton this issue. and right out of the gate, planned parenthood president cecil richards tried to defend what these accusations in regards to these videos that have come out alleging that their organization is actually selling fetal tissue. listen to this. >> planned parenthood has been in the news recently because of deceptively edited videos released by a group that is dedicated to making abortion illegal. the outrageous accusations leveled against planned parenthood based on heavily doctored videos are offensive and categorically untrue. >> what we've actually learned here is that this hearing was actually supposed to focus on the finances of planned parenthood, and where the federal funds coming from the government were actually going when they go to planned parenthood. most of that money comes from medicare reimbursement, and as you noted in your intro, you know, none of this money is

actually going towards abortions, because for decades, it's been against the law for federal funds to be going to reinforce abortions, unless it's in the case of rape or incest or the mother is in -- could be injured by the delivery of the baby. so, what we're seeing here is kind of a sthift in focus from the fact that, you know, republicans have realized that they can't defund planned parenthood through the government funding process. and what they're doing now is focusing more on oversight and investigation. they're doing this hearing and they'll do more hearings in the future, and the republican leadership has also said they'll create a select committee that's going to focus specifically on this issue in the next coming weeks. >> frank thorpe for us in washington, d.c., thank you. i want to bring in congresswoman jackie spire. congresswoman, what was accomplished today? >> i think what was accomplished today was an expose on what the republican agenda is all about.

this was high theater, this was totally orchestrated. this is a carbon academy of the efforts that they have undertaken on benghazi. and when benghazi wasn't interesting enough and wasn't polling well enough, they shifted to other issues. and this is the newest issue that they are shifting to. it is very offensive to women throughout this country who have accessed planned parenthood services to have them denigrated in the manner that they have. they provide services to other 2.7 million people in this country over year. 300,000 of them are men. and there's 865,000 tests for cancer that are performed each year, and of those, some 87,000 individuals are told they do have cancer, and it's because of that early intervention that they're probably still alive today. >> congresswoman, there was one particular exchange or a series of exchanges that really got my attention. i want to play them for you and

talk about them on the other side. these are exchanges between congresswoman jason chaffetz from utah and cecile richards. take a listen. >> we provide breast exams to -- i can get you the numbers -- how many of thousands of women received breast exams at planned parenthood last year has nothing to do with -- i don't, again, you created this lie, i have no idea what it is. >> here's the problem -- well, it's the reduction over the course of years in pink, that's the reduction in the breast exam and the red is the increase in the abortion. >> i -- >> that's what's going on in your organization. >> this is a slide that has never been shown to me before. i'm happy to look at it and i -- but it absolutely does not reflect what's happening at planned parenthood. >> you're going to deny -- >> i'm going to deny the slide you have just shown me, that no one has ever provided us before. we've provided you all the information about everything, all the services that planned parenthood has provided. and you just showed me this and

i'm happy to look at it. >> i pulled those numbers directly out of my corporate reports. the source is is an anti-abortion group, so i would check your source. >> and in addition to that, congresswoman spire -- excuse me. there seemed to be this -- between what they think that planned parenthood does and what the organization actually does. why does that chasm exist? >> well, because if you looked at that committee, all of the members on the republican side were virtually all men. if you looked on the democratic side, it was the diversity of this country in terms of women, men, ethnic diversity that exists in this country, and they reflect that in the questioning that they offer. these men have never had a breast exam. i've had many of them. and one of the best breast exams that can be done is one that's

done digitally by your doctor, even before you go to a mammogram. it is oftentimes the self-exam that helps the women identify that they have breast cancer, not necessarily the mammogram. >> there's a new poll that shows americans support planned parenthood, 47% say they have positive feelings towards the organization. this is according to our own polling with "the wall street journal." 31% say they have negative feelings. do we think that planned parenthood is going to be able to weather this storm and that the funding levels will stay the same? >> i think that planned parenthood has proven itself over and over again, that it's providing comprehensive health care services to women in this country. and to men as well. they are saving lives every single year. 86,000 lives a year is not inconsequential. toot 865,000 breast exams and pap smears is not inconsequential. this is a service that has been

here for women for over half a century and it is time for us to stop taking out the knifes and stop sharpening them and coming after planned parenthood, and work on some of the issues that are truly plaguing our country. >> really quickly here, and this is perhaps unrelated to today's hearing, why do you guys -- why do you guys down if d.c. even bothering having some of these hearings, these side shows? we don't really learn anything new, and it's just, people read their statements and point their fingers and talk over each other, and it's all sound bites. it really is, seems to be an unnecessary spectacle, and not just with regards to this one. >> well, there's been committee hearings on those oversight committees, i've served on it for a number of years, where i just refused to go. because i really did believe that they were side shows. >> well, why don't you stop chose? >> well, we're not in the majority right now. and so the republicans -- >> that's always -- >> -- conduct themselves in the manner -- >> it's not always the

republicans, either, we should note. i've seen a few side shows sponsored by your party as well at those hearings. >> well, no, but i'm saying that the agenda is normally chosen by the republicans. >> congresswoman jackie speier, congresswoman speier, i always mess up your name. don't take it personal. thank you so much. folks, be sure to tune in tonight for the "rachel maddow show." rachel maddow will be speaking with planned parenthood ceo cecile richards about this showdown on capitol hill, that's right here tonight at 9:00 p.m. on msnbc, "the rachel maddow show" still ahead, republicans try to find a way forward four days after john boehner says he has had enough of herding wet cats. that second meeti ining between president obama and fidel castro. and first lady michelle obama staying up late with stephen colbert. and trevor noah also stayed up late last night, debuted on "the daily show".

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the new face in late-night television. last night, south african comedian trevor noah debuted in the "daily show" anchor chair and explained precisely how he got the job. >> why didn't they get an american to host? again, comedy central tried and those people also resigned. so once again, a job that americans rejected is being done by an immigrant. >> he also paid tribute to the man who passed the torch, then made a promise. >> many people are part of the reason that i'm sitting here today, but above all, i would be remiss if i didn't acknowledge one man, and that's jon stewart. thank you, jon.

and i promise not to make you look like the crazy old dude who left his inheritance to some kid in africa. and to you, "the daily show" viewer, for joining us to continue the war on bull [ bleep ]. noah's first guest, comedian kevin hart. later, he'll welcome new jersey governor chris christie. meanwhile, first lady michelle obama stopped by the "late show" with stephen colbert last night. the two of them speculated on how mrs. obama might advise the next person to take over her role in the white house. >> i understand that mr. bush left y'all a letter. >> yes. >> for the first lady. >> mm-hmm. >> without naming any names, if we have a female president next. >> mm-hmm. >> would you leave a letter for her husband?

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that was house majority leader kevin mccarthy, right there, joking about how he would be different than speaker john boehner if and when he replaces boehner when he retires at the

end of next month. mccarthy is the favorite right now to win the speakership. the real race seems to be the race to replace him as majority leader, the number two spot. right now the main contenders are majority whip, steve scalise, and georgia congressman, tom price. earlier this week, some suggested that trey gowdy, the congressman from south carolina, suggested that he should are up. but just a few moments ago, goudy with us asked about it. this is what he said. >> if you couldn't make out what he said, he said, i'm not running. i don't want to do this. how does this shake up the race? let's go to msnbc political correspondent, kasie hunt. casey, a few moments ago, gowdy saying he's not going to run. what's that mean? >> that's not unexpected. conservatives have been trying really hard to draft gowdy. they've been saying they're trying to get him to serve the conference, but you heard him say he's definitely out. i think it's more important, the fact that there was this push to put him into that slot. it tells you that conservatives

on the hill are still not happy about their leadership. they're not satisfied with the choice that they have between steve scalise and tom price, the other two leading candidates. tom price is somebody who has a lot of conservative credentials. he's from a deep red state, but he's run for leadership before and lost. and in many ways, he's considered a kind of conventional, longtime member of the house. he's got backing from paul ryan and jeb hensarling and other well-known conservatives. steve scalise has struggled with connections to david duke, fairly or unfairly, that's hurt his ability to fundraise and has some republicans wary of supporting him. but it's looking that even though conservatives in the house have their scalp and john boehner is out, they're not necessarily going to get one of their own people at the top of the leadership here, craig. >> what's gowdy said in the past about not wanting to be part of the leadership team? why does he not want to be part of the group that runs the conference? >> first of all, he's not shy about letting reporters, his colleagues know that he doesn't want to be in the house for the

long-term. if anything, he's pretty frustrated by it. he, privately, will say -- people will say that he wants to be a federal judge and this is a good launching pad for him to potentially do that and the other thing is that he's, of course, the head of the benghazi committee. and that is going to be a very high-profile post for him to have. he's investigating hillary clinton's e-mails. she's set to testify before that committee on october 22nd, which is going to shine that spotlight right on trey gowdy. >> kasie hunt for us in d.c., thanks, as always. matt welsh, editor in chief of at reason magazine. let's go back to mccarthy here. mccarthy onon "morning joe" a f hours ago. this is what he said. >> a lot of people care about power and institution, more so than they do about changing the lives of everyday americans. but i see a conference. if it has a new culture, and that's what a speaker does, sets the culture. lets every voice be heard and bring it from the bottom up. i think we can make some great

accomplishments and make some real change. >> at this point, he appears to be a shoo-in for the speaker's role. how would leadership be different from john boehner's? >> he has some ideological differences. he, for instance, like a lot of the grassroots and the freedom caucus people, he's in favor of shuddering the export/inport ban. you always had the impression that john boehner was being dragged, kicking and screaming by the tea party caucus. kevin mccarthy is much more of that tea party caucus. he's friends with those people. he was the recruiter in charge of the 2010 class, bringing those people in. they were bunking in his office, so he has good relationships with all those people. so he'll be more willing to make those kind of ideological fights than john boehner was. >> in terms of culture, is it reasonable to expect that we're going to see much of a change in

the culture of washington, because kevin mccarthy is the speaker of the house? >> hell no. the problem is with the republican caucus is that it's divided. there's a reason why john boehner is -- the freedom caucus, which is leading at of this kind of charge, they've got the passion, but they don't got the numbers. there's 40 members of the freedom caucus. they're spoiling for a fight somewhere. they're not going to have a fight over mccarthy, that's why the majority whip fight is going to be very interesting to see. they want to have some kind of blood on their hands besides john boehner being cashiered out. but the structural things underneath john boehner still exist and are going to going forward. the republican party is split about tactics and about ideology on a number of issues. >> how does that split get reconciled? >> it doesn't, as far as i can tell. a lot of the pressure should, and it's starting to be whispered, should fall actually on to the senate, on to mitch mcconnell. you hear a lot of grassroots conservatives really upset that mcconnell and the gop led senate has much more power now than the

house of representatives did before the 2014 election. that mcconnell isn't actually bringing spending bills to the floor and doing the usual processes that they do up there. they're basically using the excuse that the democrats can use to filibuster. so we're not going to try to get anything done. so the only way to break through the logjam of republican splits goes through the senate as much as it goes through the house and it's not going to resolve itself, because there are fundamental differences in the republican caucus. there are people who are more george w. bush who will pay lip service to cutting the size of government and then do nothing about it once they're in office, and other people who do not want to go down that root. >> matt welsh, reason magazine, we always learn something when you're on television. and pass me your little business card. some folks come on the show, and they've got papers and notes -- you show up, this is all he has. he writes all of his notes on one card. it's all up there. developing right now, tropical storm joaquin now

brewing just east of the bahamas. how much of an impact is it going to have ton united states? we'll look at that. also that historic meeting between president obama and cuban president, raul castro. are the world leaders getting close to lifting the trade embargo on cuba?

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and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. the east coast of the united states is preparing for potentially heavy flash flooding as tropical storm joaquin strengthens in the atlantic. joaquin formed last night. right now it's hovering just northeast of the bahamas. it's expected to gain strength as it moves west towards the u.s. it could mix with heavy rains already predicted for the east coast starting later today. computer models are already predicting some areas up and down the eastern seaboard could get hit with as much as 5 to 10 inches of rain over the weekend. weather channel meteorologist alex wallace is following all of this for us. let's start with this.

the likelihood that joaquin is going to turn into a hurricane, what is that? >> it's looking pretty good we'll continue to see this thing strengthen and at least get to that category 1 status here. that's a pretty good bet we'll be dealing with that. will it impact the east coast of the u.s. and make a direct landfall, that's different story up and for grabs right now. but here's the groundwork being laid in the northeast. heavy rain already right now, and then we've got to deal with joaquin and potentially some of its moisture working into some of these areas already seeing rain. here's the latest stats. it's actually strengthened a bit. 65-mile-per-hour winds, strengthened since the last advisory. moving towards the south-southwest towards the bahamas at about 5 miles an hour. that general motion should continue. very slow movement. and you can see between now and friday afternoon into the evening, it's only making its way to the southwest, just by a few miles. so we could see some impacts in the bahamas, and then it takes a

sharp turn on off towards the north, potentially the north and the east. don't want to take too much credence where this thing is, in terms of the center of circulation, because impacts will be felt outside of that as we progress towards the weekend. that will be coming in the form of some pretty heavy and decent rains. this deep trough that's in place across the southeast, going to help to steer some of its moisture into parts of the mid-atlantic, so, again, we're already seeing rain now, and then more tropical moisture coming in, and that's going to mean some very, very heavy rain. look at some of these totals. 5 inches plus up and down the east coast. and that could certainly lead to some flood problems. we'll be watching this very closely over the next few days. >> going to be a nasty weekend for a lot of people. the weather channel's alex wallace, thank you. president obama and cuban president raul castro pete again. we will look at the next step in a more normal relationship between the two countries. and also, does donald trump really have tom brady's endorsement? or maybe not so much.

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when does a handshake make history? well, when it comes between the presidents of two nations that have been at odds for decades. today, president obama and cuban president raul castro shared a rare meeting at the united nations. the meeting comes as the two men try to improve relations after 54 years of no diplomatic contact. castro asked obama to return the land the guantanamo bay detention camp sits on and lift economic sanctions on cuba. meanwhile, president obama again stressed the need for expanded human rights. >> we continue to have differences with the cuban government. we will continue to stand up for human rights, but we address

these issues through diplomatic relations and increased commerce, and people-to-people ties. as three contacts yield progress, i'm confident that our congress will inevitably lift an embargo that should not be in place anymore. >> lewis miranda is the former media director for the obama administration. maria teresa kumar is here, and so is republican strategist, and this is the second meeting of these two leaders since they formally restored diplomatic ties. how significant was that meeting today? >> it's very significant, because what it does is, it signals a new era. one where we continue to have concerns about human rights. i saw jose diaz balart about an hourg on this channel, making an impassioned case against the need to continue to press the cubans on human rights. and it does that, but in a way

where we're actually sitting face to face with them. president obama is doing that, but it's happening with our diplomats in an embassy that's now happen in havana, that couldn't happen for the last 54 years. and that makes a tremendous difference. if we saw anything from the policies of the past, it's that they didn't work. if they had, quite frankly, we wouldn't with having this conversation right now. and one of the reasons it's also important, it lays out a tremendous contrast with what we're seeing from a republican field that would have us go back not just on cuba policy to the 1960s, but really across the board on a whole host of issues. we have marco rubio saying, he thought going into iraq wasn't a mistake. so it sets up that contrast between what's being accomplished and the things that are being laid out to make progress on human rights, and a republican field that want to keep the type of policies that are so disastrous for us in the past. >> a latest pew research poll shows that 72% of americans support ending the cuba trade kbargo. what is it going to take? what is it going to take in cuba

before opponents will agree to that? >> well, it's going to take, in cuba, what our law requires. and that is free elections, in cuba, the release of political prisoners, and the right of them to express theirselves politically. but i have a completely different view. since the announcements in december, political repression has only increased in cuba. this is amnesty international's view. people have been impressed as a consequence of just disagreeing or trying to speak with the pope. but more importantly, our viewers need to understand this. it is absolute nonsense, luis, that we don't have contact with the cubans prior to september 17th. we have the largest mission based in havana as an intersection. we have constant contact with the cubans through the intersection here in washington and havana for decades. the fact of the matter is, this administration has unilaterally

surrendered the moral high ground, has abandoned the growing dissident movement in cuba, and cuba has done nothing as a consequence of these policies to change its course and its direction. this is a shameful episode in american history, a profile in appeasement, not a profile in courage. that is a fact. >> i'm so glad you brought up several things. we agree on the same things. we want to see freedom of the press, freedom of the speech. where we disagree is, where we know, from fact, that over the last 54 years, a policy of isolation simply didn't work to change that. and now we're seeing something different, which is that we're going to be able to sit down and confront them when they do things that we don't like. >> gentleman, i would like to hear from maria. maria, go ahead. >> i think something we should also keep in mind is, what is the cuban relations with the united states actually signalling to latin america? right now when you have venezuela basically on pillars,

on stilts, they can barely function. they are actually in agreement with the vast majority of venezuelans are actually in agreement with the fact that we are finding negotiations with cuba? why, for a long time, cuba was their only ally. they are trying to figure out what is their next life force. the fact that we're sitting down and talking to an unfriendly government actually signals to latin america that we want to continue engagement. it's much better than cuba. >> absolutely, it signals -- >> maria -- >> it signals very clearly that we are abandoning the moral high ground. we are ignoring our law. we are not supporting -- >> if you have -- >> ronald reagan negotiated with the cubans for seven years. >> guys, we can't hear each other if we're all talking at the same time. let me -- luis, i'll come back to you and maria, i'll come back to you, and than adolfo, but

what were you trying to say, luis? >> i was saying that you had several republican candidates on stage at the reagan library the other day, trying to take the mantel of reagan. reagan was somebody who understood that you have to make peace with your enemies. that's why he spoke to the soviets about arms reduction -- >> but luis, what would you- what would you say -- >> -- negotiate with the cubans for seven years. >> and this does not appear to be in great dispute, there are dozens of people who were a arrested in cuba over the weekend for merely speaking out against the government -- >> and it's not acceptable. >> you have human rights watch who have said that it's a better way of advancing the cause of human rights. and there have been reductions earlier this year as compared to the year before, but that's not good enough. the difference is that now, the president and our diplomats in havana can actually go toe to toe and head to head with the cubans and we expect you guys to address this. >> raul castro spoke to the

united nations, as you know, last night about the new diplomatic relationship with the united states of america. i want to play for our viewer wls and our listeners and talk about it on the other side. here it is. >> now a long and complex process begin towards normalization of relations. but this will only be achieved with the end of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against cuba. >> does the embargo have to be lifted before cuba agrees to those other changes in this relationship, maria? >> i think what you actually see is a lot of investment. the fact that with the original agreement that they lifted telecommunications, that they allowed telecommunications investment, it's a first step. but i do think that we can't give away all of our lnch baying that we can't monitor some kind of level of human rights and completely lift the embargo. that said, i think what we're

presenting in this conversation is very much a generational shift, even between american latinos on what is happening right now in cuba. you see an older generation that definitely wants to keep it close, wants to continue business as usual, and you have a younger generation, even among a younger generation of cubans who say, that isn't working, let's try to move forward and engage so we can approve policies. >> 91% of americans and 97% of cubans on the island who believe it's time for a new approach. >> thank you both. thank you all three, appreciate your time. >> impressed with your moderating today. >> still ahead, donald trump, apparently just can't quit fox. why is the gop front-runner backing away from his boycott after less than a week? speaking of the donald, he thought that he found a supporter in tom brady. apparently the new england quarterback may have fumbled with that endorsement of a president trump. we'll take a look at that. but did the danish foreign

minister that have a premonition about joe biden. >> mr. president, vice president -- sorry. i'm -- well, could have been -- can be, who knows. if you have something news to tell us here, please let us know. it pushes us to go further. special olympics has almost five million athletes in 170 countries. the microsoft cloud allows us to immediately be able to access information, wherever we are. information for an athlete's medical care, or information to track their personal best. with microsoft cloud, we save millions of man hours, and that's time that we can invest in our athletes and changing the world.

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takes? >> i hope so. that would be great. there would be a putting green on the white house lawn. i'm sure of that. that was new england patriots quarterback tom brady just two weeks ago, saying it would be great if donald trump is elected president. the two have known each other for some time. but this week, brady seems to be singing a bit of different tune, claiming his words were twisted, blown out of proportion, even. when a boston sports radio show monday, brady clarified those remarks. >> it's just a different world, you know, than when i started in professional football. so even an offhanded comment like that, like i said, people may run, and i understand why people do run with it, because you get, you know, the clicks and that type of stuff. so, i mean, it's just people doing their job. a comment like that, i mean, it's -- i try to have fun with certain things. >> tom terrific went on to say

who he chooses to vote for is his personal choice. meanwhile, donald trump vowed to stay away from fox news, but guess where he's heading tonight? was that fox boycott just a huge stunt? look at that. and check out this video. had us all smiling and laughing earlier today. a 4-year-old girl nabs a huge catch. thanks to some help from barbie. we'll explain. i am totally blind. and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24. learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com.

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you've heard of shrimp on the barbie. well, how about bass on the barbie? in this case, the barbie fishing rod? check out this video. 4-year-old avery meda, her dad, headed to a local fishing spot in minnesota last wednesday afternoon to see if they could catch some bass, right? dad, not getting any bites, but avery on with that barbie fishing wheel and ladybug boots. >> keep going! >> starts to feel just a little tug on the line. and she struggles for a few minutes, between laughs. between guffaws. she tries to bring in the big guy. dad lets her bring it in by herself. she manages to pull up that 20-inch largemouth bass with that little pink fishing rod. an impressive catch. even for a seasoned fisherman. >> this thing -- it's 20 inches. avery, put your hand on there.

>> okay! oh, my gosh! >> what do you think? avery, what do you think? >> yes, i got one! finally! >> high five! >> celebrate just like that. she let that fish go. the fish tale, though, lives on. in less than a week, that video has been viewed more than 5 million times online. keep on reeling 'em in, avery. >> keep reeling.

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[ lee ] now that i'm getting older some things are harder to do. this is not a safe thing to do. be careful babe. there should be some way to make it easier [ doorbell rings ] let's open it up and see what's cookin'. oh i like that. look at this it's got a handle on it. i don't have to climb up. this yellow part up here really catches a lot of the dust. did you notice how clean it looks? morty are you listening? morty? [ morty ] i'm listening! i want you to know well, donald trump's latest media war seems like it's over. we'll get to that, uh be first, that is the u.s. capitol, as you probably recognize. that is not an image that's being altered in any way, shape, or form from instagram, it's because of the scaffolding there, the lights and the fog, the way that they are hitting the that at 6:54 on the east coast -- >> looks really cool. >> we thought it was worthy of a mention.

>> let's get back to some donald trump -- i love it when you come on. on wednesday, donald trump tweeted, quote, fox news has been treating me very unfairly and i have therefore decided that i won't be doing anymore to become news for the foreseeable future. tonight, donald trump will be appearing on fox news. the boycott lasted less than a week. we've seen this, of course, a few times before. "the huffington post" actually put together a list of 43 times donald trump has attacked the media as a presidential candidate, including when he feuded with fox and its host after the first debate back in august. >> i thought their questions to me were much tougher than other people. >> you know, you can see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her, wherever. even the other candidates say, a number of the other candidates came up to me and said, you were really questioned unfairly. she should really be apologizing to me, if you want to know the truth. >> that time, he only managed to stay away from fox for four days

and then all was forgiven. >> he's back. donald trump joins us on the line. donald, good morning to you. glad you're back with us and glad we're friends again. >> well, we are friends, steve, we've always been friends, and it's great to be back with you. are the feuds for real? could they really actually be helping donald trump? msnbc political analyst jonathan alter is here. perry bacon also here. is it like professional wrestling, jonathan alter? >> yeah, or reality tv. you know, this is the king of all reality shows and if you don't have the venom, if you don't have the different, you know, role players on the show, going at it, then there's no show. i mean, think about a bravo reality show. if there's not this kind of fisticuffs, it gets canceled. and trump understands this in his bones. he's been playing these games

with the media for 35 years. he has tremendous amount of experience in how to maneuvipul the media, and the media is either at his throat or at his feet, and where it really should be is somewhere in between. >> and some days both. >> perry, we don't have time for me to read all 43, but i would encourage people to go to the interwebs and click through -- some of my friends and colleagues are mentioned. i won't read some of those. but, everything from, you know, ratings-starved network and saying network does not cover me accurately. why can't day get it right? anyone who wants -- he just goes on and on, attacking people. is it good for business, is it good for donald trump, is it good for republican candidates to attack the media? and if so, why? >> i think it's smart, because all the polls show that republicans are deeply skeptical of the media, think it's biased, i mean, ronald reagan, there's a

long history of republicans saying the media is biased. trump is doing something really smart. he's bashing the media while continuing to constantly be on the media. because, fox news, where the republican primary is really happening, if you bash fox news and come back on, trump is doing something really, really smart. and i think it's why he's maintained, he's staid up in the polls, in part because he's constantly on tv. >> some of trump's other targets, jonathan alter, "the wall street journal", which he's said, quote, which he referred to as ever dwindling. the conservative of the "national review" called the editor incompetent. he has attacked reporters by name. jonathan capehart, he wrote a note to jonathan calling him a liar. at what point does any of this backfire? >> well, if the act gets old and boring, then it can backfire. and we don't know whether that's going to happen or not, but

perry just mentioned this goes back to reagan, it actually goes back to goldwater, 51 years ago, at the republican convention of 1964. the delegates started booing the press gallery. and so this is deeply in the marrow of the republican party, this idea of blaming -- there was a button in 1998, vote bush, blame the media. and he can tap into it, i think, for quite a long time. "celebrity apprentice" was on the air for years and this show could go right into next summer in that republican convention. that doesn't mean he wins the nomination, but he will be a big player, no matter what happens. >> we'll have to leave it there. jonathan alter, perry bacon, i wish we had more time. always good to see you, my friend. that is going to do it for us here on "msnbc live" here on this tuesday evening. see you back here tomorrow. i'm craig melvin. thanks for watching. "hardball" starts right now.

finally, the truth. planned parenthood had nothing to do with it. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. carly fiorina has been telling the world about watching pictures of a fully formed baby kicking and breathing after a planned parenthood abortion. everyone has heard her. and not a word of what she said was true. and why? because what she saw was not true. facts matter. at 2:30 today on msnbc, the mother of a child stillborn at 19 weeks came forward. she described holding him, along with her other children, after the delivery. it was not at a planned parenthood facility, nor did it have anything to do with planned parenthood. none of it did. >> >> they were able to see him, to hold him, to realize that he was real, a