(voice on phone) it's not millennial enough. there are a lot of ways to say no. thank you so much. thank you! so we're doing it. yes! "we got a yes!" start saying yes to your company's best ideas. let us help with money and know-how, so you can get business done. american express open. ♪ good morning and welcome to politics nation. some burning questions i have today -- what are the democrats doing on the ground to ensure 2018 midterm's election win? in a moment, i'll ask dnc chair tom perez just that. former h.u.d. secretary and san antonio mayor julian castro, is he running for president? he'll be here to give us an

answer. also, did you know that nearly 1.5 million citizens in florida are not allowed to vote? we may have the solution. later in the show, tomorrow i will eulogize at the funeral of 27-year-old erica gott whom i've gotten to know well since the 2014 police killing of her father eric. later the daughter of eric and sister of erica will be here to discuss what we can do to continue their legacy. we start with the latest on president trump. he's making headlines with a series of tweets and on-camera statements defending his mental fitness, even calling himself a very stable genius. joining me now is msnbc

contributor and soon to be white house correspondent for pbs news hou hour,. good morning. >> the president is tweeting, among other things, he's assuring us he's a stable genius and i'll deal with that later in the show. but he's also taking credit for the whole question of north korea and south korea talking, even after he had himself rit kuhled his own secretary of state for meeting with him, saying you're not going to get anything done with rocket man. he's meeting with republican leaders supposedly laying out a plan for the midterm election for the republican party. but through all of it, what he's really been responding to is this book, "fire and fury" by

michael wolff. what are you getting from the white house and your sources about how this has seemingly rattled the president and the white house, this book? >> essentially, pretty easy in some ways to figure out what president trump is thinking. because he's been tweeting for over the last day when he's supposed to be laying out a legislative agenda with republican leaders at camp david. he's been literally talking about this book, this idea that he's been attacking this author and calling more attention to this book. in a press conference that he had yesterday at camp david, he literally had the most -- the longest answer to any of the questions that he was asked came when he was asked about this book and it came when he started essentially trying to list off his resume saying that i wept to went to a great school, i'm a great guy. essentially, he's trying to prove to the american people that he deserves to be president even though he's been elected. there's this idea that president trump is fuming about this. michael wolff has essentially

gotten under the skin of president trump. >> you know the old adage, thou protest too much, the question becomes are we hearing a president that has been in many ways insecure? are we hearing from someone that in this book when they talk about all kinds of lack of administrative, let's say administrative -- the character that we would expect of an administration. let me use that phrase rather than where i was going. or the kind of administrative continuity from one policy to another, one strategy to another that he's actually hit something here because they're reacting to something because there's a seed of truth, if not the whole truth in what is in the book? what are we seeing here? >> what we're seeing is essentially a president reacting to parts of this book that are actually accurate and parts of

this look that are behind the scene. i spent most of the day on my could you have reading this book. michael wolff, there are actual typos in the book. it was rushed to publication, you can tell. you also find he's in different places. he's at dinner with the late roger ails when he was meeting with steve bannon. behind the scenes, people close to donald trump are talking about him and the conclusion is that everyone thinks this is someone not qualified to be president. even the people that supported him are shocked by his presidency and then they're also -- michael wolff admits that there was no one to give him a green light to be behind the scenes, but no one was able to shut him out of white house because they had such chaos that they didn't understand the consequences of michael wolff hanging out and listening to all these conversations. >> all right. i'm going to have to hold it there. thank you, yamiche. we're not hearing much of the

2018 republican strategy, but ahead, what about the democrats? with the new year comes new purpose in politics. after wins in virginia and alabama, pundits expect a blue wave of democratic victories in november's midterms. but is that so? earlier i spoke with democratic national committee chairman tom perez. >> thank you, chairman perez for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> with all that we're seeing, the russian investigation, the book on -- quoting extensively, bannon. the republicans look in disarray. but we hear everywhere we go, where is the democratic strategy? are they going to blow it? you know the old adage, if anyone can blow it, the democrats will. what is the democratic party

strategy this year as we go into the midterm elections with all of what looks like an easy plate handed to the democratic party? are they going to eat or break the plate? >> i feel optimistic about 2018, reverend. here's why. what we learned in 2017 is that we win when we organize. we organize early, we organize everywhere. our motto at. dnc is every zip code counts. we invested roughly a million dollars down in alabama to help doug jones win. we worked with so many others. our money was almost all spent on african-american outreach there. we've taken the african-american community for granted all too frequently. that's not happening anymore. we invested in virginia. what we saw in virginia, the victory there was, when you organize early, when you organize everywhere, when you field good candidates everywhere, you can win. when we lead with our values, when we talk about what we stand for, the democratic party

believes that health care is a right for all and not a privilege for a few. the democratic party believes that everybody should have access to a good job. we believe that everybody who is eligible to vote ought to be able to vote. the voter suppression that we've seen from the republican party is not new. it's unconscionable. these are the basic principles of voter empowerment, good jobs, health care for all and organizing everywhere. taking no one for granted, leading with our values. >> that's the other part. the message. is that the message that we're running for health care, for voter registration -- i mean for voter rights and for voter participation, not to be suppressed or impaired? is that the message? because clearly, you put a lot in alabama and virginia. the african-american vote came out in alabama even higher than it did for president obama. but it was clear that they were voting against someone that was

ant thetical to what they believe. every one of the races this year, you will not have a guy like that on the other side, like moore. you got to have more than a message of the other guy is bad. why are your candidates good? what's the message? what is the message? >> sure. when we field good candidates and we have a clear message, we win. doug jones was a good candidate. ralph northam and justin fairfax were great candidates in virginia. what they did, reverend sharp ton, they talked about the issues that people cared most about. they made sure we have a bright future for everyone. that every zip code counts, every person matters, that everybody can realize their highest and best dreams. we're talking about brighter futures for everyone. we understand that education is the great equalizer. when we invest in education, we invest in our future. we understand that when we invest in health care for all, we're investing in our future

and we're investing in every community. that's what the democrats are for. i think what we saw in 2017, whether it was alabama, whether it was virginia, whether it was new jersey, whether it was the three seats we won in oklahoma, we led with our values, we had good candidates and we spoke to the issues that people care most about. people want a brighter future for their family and safe communities. they want to make sure we're building more schools, not prisons. they want to make sure that every person has a real chance to succeed. that's what we're talking about as democrats. we're fielding great candidates across the country. when we field great candidates, when our candidates reflect the diversity of our communities as they did in virginia, as they will throughout the country this year, that's why i'm optimistic. this isn't just about saying what donald trump is doing wrong. this is about articulating what we are doing for the american people. >> donald trump is going to

argue that this week the labor statistics came out and those statistics say you were labor secretary under president obama. black unemployment, you mentioned taking blacks for granted. black unemployment is down to 6.8%, the lowest that it's been in decades. how will the democratic party respond to that? >> sure. again, i will respond with the facts. you look at what happened over -- when barack obama took office. we inherited the worst recession of our lifetime and now we've had, under barack obama, the longest uninterrupted streak of job growth in our history. what happened over the last year under donald trump. when you look at the statistics, reverend sharpton, the pace of job growth across this country has slowed. when i was the labor secretary and donald trump was running for president, he claimed that there was a 40% unemployment rate. that's bunk. what isn't bunk, reverend

sharpton, is that the average number of jobs created per month has actually slowed under this president. i'm happy that the stock market is moving up, but for so many people, that's irrelevant. what we're focused on, as democrats, are making sure that everybody succeeds. this tax cut is a boon for large corporations and for the 1%. and it does next to nothing for everybody else. it mortgages our nation's future. you watch. this year the republicans are going to try to cut medicare, try to cut medicaid and talk about critical programs that they can't invest in, whether meals on wheels or education. why? because they just gave a totally unnecessary tax cut to the mega wealthy people across this country. that's not fair. >> will there be a strong voter registration? because as i travel a lot, i'm not seeing registration on the ground in many of these communities.

will there be a real effort to register and bring out new voters? you got to overcome a lot of things like gerrymandering and voter i.d. laws. you need new voters and you need big turnout. where is the resources around voter registration. >> the short answer to your question is absolutely. i think historically -- by that i mean over recent years the democratic party frankly, hasn't done enough to register voters. we have to work and redouble our efforts with our partners out there who are doing god's work. but we need to do more of this. we need to make sure. what was it 70 million people who didn't vote in the presidential in 2016. what we saw in 2017 is that when we mobilize, when we organize early, we can win elections in every corner of this country. what we're going to be doing in 2018 as the democratic party, is working with our partners out there in the progressive movement. working with faith leaders to

make sure that every eligible voter gets out there and registers and then we get them to the polls. >> let me -- >> our issues are their issues. >> let me ask you one last question before i let gu this morning. one of your predecessors, howard dean, who was chairman. said the old guys ought to step out of the way and allow new leadership to come in. former vice president joe biden took a little issue with that. where do you stand on that, with the old guys? i don't know what age he was talking. where do you stand on it? >> we have leadership of all ages that continues to do great things. joe biden is one of my heroes. i think he's a remarkable leader. i see people, mayors across this country, the next generation leading. i see people in congress doing the same thing. what we have to make sure we do as democrats, regardless of whether we're 70 years old or 30 years old or 25 years old or somewhere in between, like

myself, is to make sure we're articulating our values, telling people what democrats stand for because that's how we win. i believe that we were able to win in 2017 because we were speaking to the issues that people cared most about. they want a good job for their family. they want health care for their kids and their families. they want good schools and safe streets. they want affordable housing. they want to make sure that zip code never determines destiny. they want to make sure that people can get a second chance. that's what we'll continue to fight for. we need leaders of all ages to stand up. i have great respect for nancy pelosi. great respect for the mayors and governors and members of congress and the senate that are emerging out there. i think as democrats, when we mobilize and when we lead with those values and we talk about the environment, when we talk about good schools, when we talk about raising wages and not just giving benefits to the mega wealthy, but giving benefits

across main street, that's when we're at our best. >> i have to stop you there. we have to let it go there this morning. thank you for joining us, dnc chairman tom perez. thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up, will democrats running in local and state elections take to heart what the chairman just said? i'll ask former mayor and h.u.d. secretary julianne astro. this is politics nation on msnbc. i see it in their eyes. it happens when people connect with nature, with culture, with each other. day after day i'm the first to see change. to see people go out, and come back new. princess cruises. sail with the best premium cruise line. 7-day cruises from $599.

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right now. president trump is hosting republican leaders to map out their political agenda in 2018. that agenda has the inside track of getting voted on with republicans in power on capitol hill. as for democrats, chairman tom perez just laid out his party's plan here on politics nation. the question is, can democrats make that happen? after gaining momentum from victories in alabama and virginia. this week we learned one prominent democrat has launched a political path to, well, possibly run for president. let's ask him. joining me now is former h.u.d. secretary, julian castro. thank you for being on, mr. castro. >> good to be with you, ref.

you staying warm there in new york? >> i am a little warmer inside. but it's a little cold outside. are you going to help take the nation out of the cold? are you running for president in 2020? >> you know, i've said -- been straightforward and said that after the 2018 cycle that i'm going to think about that. but right now, what i'm focused on and what you've mentioned is my effort called opportunity first. i believe that we need a new generation of leadership up and down the ballot in 2018. young folks that are progressive, that are willing to step up and run for school board, city council, state assembly and congress. and i'm going to spend this 2018 cycle supporting folks who believe in opportunity for everybody. i got involved in public service when i was 26 years old. i ran for city council in my hometown of san antonio because i felt very, very blessed with great opportunity in my life.

and now i want to go support other young people who are making that same commitment to public service if they have a vision to also expand opportunity for everybody. >> so if you help the other young folks, the new generati generation -- and i agree, we need a new generation of leadership that can really lead, not just gifted in one area, but can fundraise, can go door to door can handle media. if you help to build this generation and bring it to the forefront, why not be their candidate in 2020? i mean, why equivocate? just put it out there. i'm going for it. >> because i haven't made that decision. i haven't made a decision about 2020. so it would be disingenuous of me to say that i have. >> all right. >> but i have made a decision to make sure that people who have stepped up in 2018 who are young and who are progressive have the resources that they need, whether they're running for city

council or running for congress, to succeed. the advantage that i have this year of staying off the ballot in 2018, because some folks had talked about whether i or my brother would run for senator or for governor here in texas. but the advantage that i have is that i can spend my time and energy helping other people who are running here in texas and in other parts of the country. >> now, one thing that i'm missing and i'm going to be honest about it. you and i have always been straight. where is the fire in the democrats? i mean, one of the things that i hope we'll see is some fire and passion. i hear some of the rhetoric, but where is the fire that would make me want to get out there and knock on doors, make me want to do what is necessary? you're going to need the lines as long as we saw for obama. this is not going to be easy with gerrymandering. you're going to need the message, the slogan.

one of the things i know in civil rights, slogans help gather people, no justice, no peace. black lives matter. the democrats have no slogan, no fire. you have the kind of personality that has brought about passion. where is the message? where is the fire, mr. castro? >> well, the fire has been there for democrats for a long time. but the fire during this administration started the day after the inauguration when the women's march -- when hundreds of thousands of people for -- >> but the democrats didn't do that march. that was indigenous people, organic people all over the world. >> i agree with you there. but it doesn't need to be a quote-unquote democratic event. what's going to happen is, i think a lot of those folks come november are going to go out there, still fired up, still motivated and they're going to vote democratic. you see the fire in town halls all across the country where

they're trying to hold these republican congressmen and congresswomen for the terrible legislation that they're passing. number one, as democrats, we stand for opportunity for everyone, for all americans in this 21st septemberry. whether that's health care or education or jobs. across the 3w50rd, we stand for opportunity for everyone. secondly, the only true way you get accountability in washington, d.c. is to put democrats back in charge of congress. if you want accountability for your government, that's the only way you're going to do it. so i think that come november, here in texas and other places across the united states, you're going to see an unprecedented wave that's going to go the democrats' way. i think it's going to be the flip of 2010 and for democrats, like 1974.

>> all right. we will be watching. you know i will. thank you so much, julian castro, for coming on this morning. >> thank you. coming up, i'll ask virginia governor terry mcauliffe why restoring voter rights and voting rights to tens of thousands of ex-felons in this state is good for the rest of this country. be right back. for singing definitely dry mouth has been a problem for me. i'm also on a lot of medications that dry my mouth. i just drank tons of water all the time. it was never enough. i wasn't sure i was going to be able to continue singing. i saw my dentist. he suggested biotene. it feels refreshing. my mouth felt more lubricated. i use biotene rinse twice a day

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as i've mentioned all morning, parties are sharpening their knives for the november midterm elections. in the swing state of florida, nearly 1.5 million citizens are permanently disenfranchised due to past felony convictions. an an ak row nichl in the state's constitution while not unique to the deep south has its roots in jim crow and the push to keep black people in their place. those roots flowered during the 2000 presidential election when george w. bush defeated al gore

by just over 500 votes. a slim margin enabled in part by the disenfranchisement of mostly black and brown former fell lonlon lons. they're pushing for an amendment dubbed the voting rights restoration initiative. if successful, it could restore the franchise to felons that completed their sentences. turnout for the state's gubernatorial race was the highest it had been in 20ees. when we come back, i'll ask to outgoing virginia governor whose en franchisement of the previously incarcerated helped

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the department of commerce is gearing up for the 2020 census. along with the allocation of nearly $700 billion in federal funds to the states, it will also determine how voting

districts are represented well into the next decade and to keep those districts as red as possible, the trump administration has tapped conservative professor thomas brunell to head the census bureau as deputy director. a historically nonpartisan position, it seems an odd fit for one of the republican party's go-to minds for dpeendidpeen defending suppression and voter suppression schemes in heavily black southern states like alabama, north carolina and virginia. the goal, of course, being to continue to the gerrymandering, the drawing of districts based on political a fiffiliation and thus, race. it gives them the ability to dominate statehouses as demographics shift.

court rulings and even results of a statewide elections have pushed back against this manipulation. joining me now is democratic governor of virginia, terry mcauliffe. this is his last week in office, who along with restoring voting rights for tens of thousands of former prisoners while in office, he has recently joined forces with former attorney general eric holder to combat gop rigging the electoral map. thank you, governor mcauliffe. i need to ask you at the outset, are you thinking about running for president in 2020? i'm hearing it all over the country, terry. are you going to run? >> reverend, if you're on the ticket with me. >> that is called a duck and a bait and a switch. but i'll get back to that. let me go to something near and dear to your heart. you've been on the road with eric holder to deal with the

question of gerrymandering. the census, though, the census is the determining factor in how we redraw lines and how they were able to maneuver out of the 2010 census to deal with state legislatures that really did the gerrymandering and cut these district lines. now, we see them put someone in that will, in many ways help, in my opinion, raise real questions on whether we're going to get an effective real census push, particularly in areas that we need to be counting. >> could not agree with you more. this is probably the most important thing facing us right now. we do have gerrymandered districts all over the country. they're going to try to undercount democratic voters, citizens in this country. so it doesn't matter what the map looks like, they're not

including the people who should be in it. the people who should head up the census should be nonparti n nonpartisan, someone who understands statistics. you want fair maps. this goes to what money you get from the federal government for charity. even though we had a good census done in 2010, we undercounted children by 10%. we undercounted the african-american community. we undercounted the native american community by a percentage. this is a very serious issue. we have fought hard in virginia to make sure everybody gets the right to vote. i have restored more felon rights in -- >> just to go on facebook and see grown men and women crying saying this is the first time i've voted in 50 years. it is heartwarming. it's the right thing to do. we need to continue doing this. that's why i'm working with eric

holder and president obama and a leader pelosi and i have traveled the country. putting a program in place for the democrats finally to deal with the gerrymandered districts. we're raising money to make sure we have fair maps and do ballot initiatives. we're filing lawsuits in states where we have unconstitutional districts today. we sued in virginia two years ago. we have a new democratic member of congress. >> the seriousness of the census, one of the things we pushed and got a lot of help in the obama administration was to really push on -- in terms of radio, social media and other things that would hit communities that were underserved and undercounted. the importance of it. the secensus will determine the districts. if you don't have the right count, you get districts that are counted certain ways or

districts that are not even really laid properly in terms of their population. it is those state legislators that decide the congressional districts that decide all the way up to the top. people don't understand that. but if you have somebody that has an agenda over the census, they will not be advertising on black radio, they will not be advertising on latino media. they will not go to social media because they don't want us counted so they can maintain these safe districts for right wingers. that's the threat here, governor. >> that is the plan. and that's why we got to step up and why all of us are very vocal on this topic. i thank you, reverend, for talking about it. people need to wake up. this is going on right now. we have to stop this brunell from being deputy -- that's why winning the congress this year is so important to make sure that adequate funding is put in place. it's absolutely critical. but here is the issue for democrats. so many rollback of individual rights are going on, whether it

be rights of women, rollback rights as it relates to the environment, pro-gun, anti-voting. that is happening in the states. that's why we, as democrats, got to understand, we focus on the president every four years. we've got to focus on state and local. today in america, 2/3 of the chambers are controlled by republicans. if we don't win a bunch of the governors coming up, we have 36 governors' races. a governor can have a bad legislative map. in 2021, they're going to draw lines to protect and hurt democrats and we need to wake up as democrats. this is the battle. for ten years, we will be out of the game. so we got to get going. got all these republican chambers. we got to win these governor race, florida, ohio, michigan. we've got to win these. wisconsin. >> we got to go. in 2004 when i ran for president, you were the chairman

of the party. i'm not going to ask you again if you're running. are you ruling out that you won't run? >> no, i don't rule anything out. >> i thought i would get you there. >> tom brady's backup quarterback. a lot of things i'd like to do in life. >> i'll leave it there. >> thank you, sir. the sister of fallen leader erica garner joins me. she tells me why erica's will to change this world will not stop. dad, one second i was driving and then the next... they just didn't stop and then... i'm really sorry. i wrecked the subaru. i wrecked it. you're ok. that's all that matters. (vo) a lifetime commitment to getting them home safely. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

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tomorrow i will be giving the eulogy at the funeral of erica garner, who passed away last week after falling into a heart attack induced coma at the age of 27 years old. while my heart is heavy, i'm honored that the garner family, who i've gotten to know well since the 2014 police killing of erica's father, eric, who trusted me to help send this young warrior home. and a warrior is precisely what erica garner was. fighting the systemic cultural racism that took her father from her. her anguish transforming her

into a policing reform activist who refused to let her daddy's death be in vain. but as anyone in this fight can tell you, there are wounds that you can't see, wounds of heart and mind that, when added to the stress of the movement, can be devastating, even to a young lifelike erica garner. i'm honored to have known her, just i have those of us that remain are honored to continue her work here on earth. joining me now is her sister of erica who honor us with her presence in this time of grief. and also with us is a woman who wrote an op-ed in "the new york times" titled "erica garner" and how america destroys black families.

you and your mother haven't done interviews. i'm really honored you came to talk this morning. i know your mother is under the weather and gathering her streng strength. she will be at the funeral tomorrow. share with the nation erica. because i met you all a day or two after the choking death by police of your father. and i got close to y'all. people don't know y'all like i've got to know you. really became activists. you actually worked with us. >> yeah. i worked in national action. i worked for about a year and then i went back to school for human service and social work. i'm just still in a state of shock because me and my sister, same mother, same father, grew up in the same house. my first best friend. tell each other secrets. sisters fight, sisters argue. but there was also y'all take care of each other, y'all take care of each other. it's just hard.

>> but erica became this fighter. you know i know she -- >> yes. >> she called me -- you know i ain't with you, and she'll go, i go bernie sanders. >> yeah, she says, you going with bernie or not? >> but she never really could deal with not being active. and i think that people don't understand that this is real. this is your father that you watched on video. >> this was like a burning passion of erica's, because she would be out there like, i'm going out there, i don't care. and ai'm like, erica, you know, it's cold out and i've got asthma and i can't be outside with no coat on yelling and screaming. and she's like, i'll go out there, you go sit down, you go sit in the car. i'll do this, you go sit down. the march we had on staten island, she's like, i don't care, i'm going to jail. i said, erica, i got a job and i

can't go to jail. she called me and said, rev, they won't arrest me! >> i said, you give the signal when you're ready to get arrested. >> the main thing was keep the -- >> yeah, she wanted to make a point. and she said the only way i can make a point is if i go to jail. if i go to jail and they arrest me, that's going to be the headline and that's my platform to say, this is why i got arrested and this is for my father. so that was her way of making a point. >> kashana, i picked up "the new york times" and i work out before dawn, and read your op-ed about how america destroys black families with these kinds of things. and it really spoke to my heart, because in the decades i've been out here, i've got. close to the families i fight for. a lot of people see families as just some pawns as to whatever issue or image they want to built. but i'm still close with the family from howard beach. and you really captured that.

explain to people what you mean. because they forget the human side. this was a 27-year-old woman that had a heart attack, that had no history of these kind of problems. this is a young woman, i mean, it really -- these are human beings who never become the same, because they become victims. i plan to be an activist and all. they didn't plan to be victims. they didn't plan to be sitting up on television. >> no one should ever have to die at 27. erica should be here today, she should be spending time with her kids and doing whatever it is she wanted to do. i mean, i haven't been 27 for a while, just to be quite honest, and it is not a great age to die. there is so much more that she could have kplisaccomplished in. so many more moments she could have with her family and her children. i don't think people see the family side of this issue. i think people go, oh, well, i don't know what they think about black family or black people or

that we're fully people or that we have families or are leaving people behind or that we deserve to be treated fairly and like everyone else. so she should have been allowed to be 27. her dad, eric, should never have been killed and she should still be with us here today doing whatever she wanted. >> the trauma, emerald of you and your sister and your whole family of having to watch that video of police choking your father and him saying 11 times, i can't breathe, and they wouldn't let go, and it was the first of the series, because from eric garner to michael brown and on and on. but it really started that whole wave. we had started in traysvon and lot of people don't understand -- with all marching and all the rallies that we did. but it was your daddy you were watching choked. >> and we were close to our father. my father called me baby girl.

erica was his twin, because she looked just like him. so to us, i'm watching somebody i grew up with -- i had 20-plus years with his father. my sister, i only had 26 years with her. so like, this is hard. and then my niece and my nephew, my nephew is only 4 months. he don't have that bond -- >> she had two children. >> every day i look at them, i see erica in both of them. and when i look at them, you sad? not sad? talk to me. what you want to talk about. so i'm trying to walk her through the process and still be strong at the same time. because, like, you know, we were always a close family. like, twice a year, family reunions, six flags every year. like, we always did everything together. so that's the major thing i'm going to miss. so it hurt to see my father on tv and see all of that. that's the reason why i didn't do interviews. i didn't want to see erica on

the tv every five minutes like my father. i was like, when rev come back, that's when we'll do an interview. but i don't want it to be, erica's on the tv every five minutes like hi father was. because it's hard. it's less than there's year. it's like, she didn't really get to mourn and to have her time to mourn. it was straight from, i'm grieving, the next day i'm activist. so it was, she never had that transition. it was a lot of depression that came with it. so like after my father, it was a lot of depression and this was like a jenga of just taking out pieces, taking out pieces, and it was ripping her apart. she just finished a book and stuff, so it was a lot. >> well, we're going to be with you not only tomorrow, but for the long haul. when the headlines are gone, we'll be there. >> as you have. >> thank you for being here this morning. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. up next, i many final thoughts. stay with us. your blind spot... your loose satellite dish... the literal deer in the headlights. but it's a new year and i'm making a resolution. no more mayhem.

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if you're 71-year-old grandfather comes in the living room this morning and tells you, "i'm stable," you might be a little concerned. and if he comes back and says, "i'm a stable genius," you may want to call the rest of the family in and have a meeting. there's something a little disturbing when a 71-year-old man that claims to be a billionaire and goes all the way to become president has to tell us he's stable and a genius. but i'm concerned about those of

us that have to live by his decisions. that does it for me. thanks for watching. i'll see you back here next sunday. now to my colleague, alex witt. >> good morning to all of you. i'm alex witt. it's 9:00 in the east, 6:00 out west. here's what's happening right now. was it the right move. the president on camera trying to set the record straight about a wide range of topics, including his mental health, steve bannon, and hillary clinton. >> very excellent student. came out and made billions and billions of dollars. i consider it a work of fiction. i don't know this man. i guess sloppy steve brought him into the white house quite a bit. i think we're going to have some really great bipartisan bills. we want the wall. the wall is going to happen or we're not going to have daca. there's been no collusion, there's been no crime. >> but are these comments keeping e