committee discovering the truth. the gop chairman of the committee, chuck grassley, has set a deadline of 10:00 a.m. this friday for ford to provide her opening statement if she plans to testify. that does it for me. i will see you back tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. "hardball" with my dear friend chris matthews starts right now. calling all witnesses. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington with breaking news. christine ford's lawyers respond and it was reluctantly thrust. she is currently unable to go home.

her situation. she should have time to deal with this. it's needed and she's willing to cooperate with the committee, however, the committee plans to move forward with a hearing that has two witnesses is not a fair or good faith investigation. there are multiple witnesses whose names have appeared publicly and should be included in any proceeding. the rush to a hearing is unnecessary and contrary to the committee discovering the truth. ford's alleged judge kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while they were teenagers. kavanaugh denies the allegations. chuck grassley said this coming monday was the last shot for dr. ford to testify. he wrote to her lawyers, quote, you have stated repeatedly dr. ford wants to tell her story. i sincerely hope dr. ford will accept my invitation to do so

either privately or publicly on monday. republicans have begun closing ranks on this of course signaling they will move on with the kavanaugh hearing without her. >> i don't understand why the hearing shouldn't go forth. i think it's not fair to judge kavanaugh for her not to come ford and testify. both of them need to testify under oath next monday before the judiciary committee. >> she says she'll testify only if there's an investigation first. would that be something that would be acceptable to republicans? >> she's really not in a position to make conditions in my view. >> he was unequivocal. he was categorical. he's determined. he said, i'm ready to come testify. >> well, earlier today a former school mate posted a statement on social media in which she recalled hearing about the alleged assault as a student. the woman writes, i did not know

her personally but i remember her. this incident did happen. many of us heard a buzz about it indirectly with few specific details. well, nbc news confirmed that the statements were hers but they did not confirm her allegation itself. the former school mate later said that she did not have firsthand knowledge of that incident. meanwhile, at the white house president trump said it was hard to imagine dr. ford's allegation against kavanaugh. >> look, if she shows up and makes a credible showing, that'll be very interesting and we'll have to make a decision, but i can only say this, he is such an outstanding man. very hard for me to imagine that anything happened. >> mr. president, you said you feel badly for brett kavanaugh and her family. do you feel anything for christine ford? >> well, i'd have to see what she has to say. i've given her a lot of time. the senate has given her a lot

of time. we continue to give her a lot of time. >> for now i'm joined by megyn kelly. she's a trained attorney of course who covered the confirmation hearings of supreme court justices roberts, kagan, sotomayor. you're an attorney. what do you think of where this is at right now tonight with all these demands from the witness, the accuser, and the insistence of the committee that they're going to go ahead on monday take it or not? >> i think dr. ford is running out of options. i think she needs to show up on monday and offer her testimony if she wants to be heard because for better or for worse, she is not in charge of this. the senate is in charge of this. that committee is in charge of this and their obligation is to provide advice and consent to the president on his judicial nominee so they get to decide what will inform that decision. and what they've decided is they'll reopen the hearings,

which they think is an accommodation given that dianne feinstein knew about this allegation when the hearings were open originally. she could have raised it saying there's an anonymous accuser. notwithstanding that, they're reopening it and giving her the chance to speak publicly, privately. senator grassley said we'll send somebody out to california to interview you. she's rejected all of those. senator cornyn is right she's not in a position to demand protocols. it's not her right. >> what would it be like monday afternoon if there's no hearing and they proceed to a vote next week? will this possibility of this witness she could go on of 30 min -- 60 minutes, your program, what would that do to the lifetime appointment and confirmation if he is confirmed of kavanaugh with this hanging out there as part of the history book? >> you know, it's tough to say because one of the reasons why she should come forward, right,

if she wants to tell this story, and i realize she's going through a lot right now with the death threats and all the insane stuff that's happening to her, but i can say this, it's not easy for any sexual assault victim or person who claims to be a victim, we don't know in her case one way or the other, but hearing her would really help. and it's always tough for these women to actually come forward and offer their testimonial. it's not an easy thing but women stand up every day in criminal courts and civil courts across this country and they do it. i would say most find it rather empowering to tell the story. so, you know, if she wants to be heard, she has an opportunity. you know, monday is still a few days away and she could do it. if she doesn't do it then, she might ding the guy up publicly as a matter of reputation as she already has, but it's not going to be much more than this. it's do or die. >> if you're chuck grassley, you're right, they have the call on how to do this. you're looking at a guy who's publicly identified himself as a

drinking buddy of kavanaugh. he described bart o'kavanaugh. what about inviting him and the woman who put out the word today, she knew about the buzz at the time of the story and he was accused according to the accuser, dr. ford, of being the guy who pounced on the two of them when they were on that bend together. shouldn't he be called as a witness as well if you're chuck grassley, the chairman? >> so, not unless you get the accuser on the record. that's how any investigation would begin, an fbi investigation, a police investigation or a congressional investigation starts always with the accuser. so if the accuser's not going to go offer her testimonial, then that is pointless. as for her friend or the woman claiming to be her friend, she deleted that tweet right after she sent it. she admitted very quickly thereafter, all right, i have no firsthand knowledge so i don't

know how much probative value there is there. what we've seen in other me too allegations, chris, and the thing that winds up condemning themselves on the wrong end of these are a series, series of accusations. that's not to say you can't have one that is damning enough to ruin a person's career who's on the receiving of it. it tends to be one woman or person opens the flood gates and then others come forward saying me too, me too, me too. for whatever it's worth in kavanaugh's case, we haven't seen that and moreover what we have right now is repeated testimonials of 30 plus years of exemplary public service. the democrats might not like kavanaugh, i realize that, but they should consider what they're going to get if he goes away and trump rushes to replace him. >> do you think it will be good for the republican party to have two supreme court justices, both associate justices who have had this problem generally speaking? >> i don't think republicans are going to care about that at all. they want a conservative

justice. they don't believe in anita hill and they're probably not going to believe dr. ford. this is so political, right? i mean, the whole thing, i believe this woman should be heard. i hope she shows up and testifies on monday, but the truth is, most of these republicans are not inclined to believe her no matter what she says and most of the democrats are not inclined to believe judge cavanaugh no matter what he says. part of it is all for politics and show. i frankly don't blame either party for not wanting anything to do with it. my calculation is nothing is going to change and he's going to get confirmed. >> your brutal assessment of the republican thinking on this and wanting to move ahead seems to be squaring with all kinds of evidence. megyn, thank you for coming on. i know you're an exert. senator claire mccaskill of missouri announced tonight that she will vote no, nay on the brett kavanaugh nomination. i'm joined by phil rucker and

jenay nelson, associate director counsel at the naacp. jenay, you're going first. where do you see this case going next? we go through monday night, no testimony from the accusers. republicans who control the timing and schedule say, you know what? we're going to make him supreme court justice like it or not. where does that take us towards our justice system? >> we have been framing this all wrong from the start. it seems as if this is a battle between dr. ford and brett kavanaugh and really what is at stake is the integrity of the supreme court and who's responsible for ensuring it is our senate and the sin nate judiciary committee as a threshold matter. there are so many questions swirling around judge kavanaugh and his credibility and his suitability for a lifetime

appointment on the supreme court. we are deeply troubled obviously by these allegations of sexual assault, very credible allegations that deserve not just a hearing but an investigation to proceed that hearing so that it's informed by the best witnesses, by the best questions, by a thorough vetting of these circumstances. for the senate to move forward on monday without dr. ford's testimony, without having engaged in a full fbi investigation which if donald trump was very serious about this would call for immediately, this short changes the american public on one of the most significant posts in this country. >> let me go to phil on this. what do you make on the hearings right now? it looks like she still as the accuser is still calling for a thorough bipartisan investigation. but it seems like she's testifying now on who else

agrees to come. or if the other person remembers that the word was around at the time that it happened. >> that's right. the statement has shifted from demanding the fbi investigation before any hearing to saying that she wants this hearing to have more people, to have other witnesses but they're still calling for the nonpartisan investigation. it doesn't say it has to be done by the fbi but her lawyer wants that investigation. the fbi could investigate this issue if president trump were to direct them to do so but president trump said today and yesterday as well that he -- that it has to be delivered by the senate. this is going to happen. it's a terrible game. >> it's a stalemate. >> because one side is going to 3r0 proceed and have a confirmation. 51 members to just stand up and say without the testimony of this woman, this accuser, they're willing to go on board

to say, yes, this guy should be on court for life. that's putting the pressure on these guys. >> it's politically risky if she doesn't agree to come in for the vote, there could be a voter backlash in the mid term elections in november especially with a lot of suburban women who are fleeing the republican party to begin with because of disapproval of president trump. it could end up in exacerbation. and women feeling they've been disregarded. we don't really need to hear from you, lady. >> that's sort of the message. we saw this before with a knew the at that hill. when they're given the opportunity to bring forward information and evidence, the way in which she was treated is exactly and pry siesly why dr.

ford is making the requests to ensure that if there is a hearing, the right protocols are in place to ensure she has a fair forum to raise these issues. the absolute miss treatment and abuse that anita hill suffered. dr. ford came ford and raised these issues. i would be remiss if i didn't say we were only dealing with these very suspect record that judge kavanaugh has. and many other concerns about his credibility. so this is one larger story and the senate should not deal with this simply as a political matter. this is a cops city tuesdayal matter. >> a need at that het speaking to ampt b.c. with the hearing schedule for monday. let's listen to anita hill.

>> the hearing questions need to from a frame and the investigation is the best frame for that. six days is not enough for the senators who probably know very little about these claims. it's not enough for them to nf themselves. >> so what's the president afraid of? because he can ask the fbi to do all sorts of crazy things but why doesn't he say, we'll give you a month to look at this. >> it's certainly a good question. he's not doing it now. he's taking direction from white house counsel don mcbegan and he's letting the senate control the process. he's letting mitch mcconnell decide how the investigation, if they are going to do one, if they don't unfold.

>> i can give a scenario for both of you that the republicans will not like. they confirmed confirmed kavana. come sunday night or the monday night before the mid term electi election. the story is deadly, it's deadly. they're stuck with this confirmation. i don't think they're going to be very happy with that scenario. if i were a chef, wherever you go, you're going to be. a nominee confirmed who shuchblt be. thank you, fell in sons. great to have you both on. coming up, donald trump in taxes. when he was asked if he would fire sessions, the president

responded, we'll see what happens. he's bullying this guy. plus president trump said today he studies history. do you believe that? we're joined tonight what trump could learn. how will the fog from the calf knaw dplam will hurt them on that. let me start with a huge difference and it's teaching about the parties and their values. this is "hardball" where the action is.

when nighttime nasal congestion closes in, breathe right strips are designed to simply open your nose right back up. ♪ breathe better. sleep better. breathe right. you shouldn't be rushed into booking a hotel. with expedia's add-on advantage, booking a flight unlocks discounts on select hotels until the day you leave for your trip. add-on advantage. only when you book with expedia. checking in with the hardball ten. a new quinnipiac poll shows republican incumbent senator ted cruz with a 9 point lead over

beto o'rourke. a new reuters online pole of likely voters shows o'rourke with a two-point edge over cruz. a win for o'rourke would make him the first ever democrat to represent texas in the u.s. senate in a quarter century. we'll be right back. waze integration- seamlessly connecting the world inside... with the world outside... making life a little... easier. introducing the well-connected lincoln mkc. gathered here are the world's finest insurance experts. rodney -- mastermind of discounts like safe driver, paperless. the list goes on. how about a discount for long lists? gold. mara, you save our customers hundreds for switching almost effortlessly. it's a gift. and jamie.

-present. -together we are unstoppable. so, what are we gonna do? ♪ insurance. that's kind of what we do here.

welcome back to "hardball." we continue to follow the increasingly partisan battle over judge brett kavanaugh but while the president shows support for his nominee to supreme court, he's slamming the person he chose to lead the justice department, jeff sessions. he expressed his frustration with the hill newspaper saying, i don't have an attorney general. it's very sad. he said that. unable to hide his contempt, he wanted to be attorney general, and i didn't see it, and then he went through the nominating process and he did very poorly. i mean, he was mixed up and

confused. this is trump talking about his attorney general. that's the latest evidence that trump used the attorney general as his own personal fixer. and later when pressed by reporters trump wouldn't rule out firing the attorney general. here he is. >> i'm disappointed in the attorney general for numerous reasons, but we have an attorney general. i'm disappointed in the attorney general for many reasons, and you understand that. >> are you going to fire him? are you going to fire jeff sessions? >> we are looking at lots of different things. >> lots of different things. the washington post is tonight reporting the president's associates say he increasingly believes he is unprotected. yet his attacks on sessions have raised alarm. as one former white house official said, it's a complete disgrace. what an absolute baby. he's disgracing himself. anyway, joining me is bill well, the former republican in the justice department who ran for

vice president this pastime on the libertarian ticket. ashley parker, one of the great reporters of our time. she co-authored this report. i'm going to start with ashley. what is trump up to? is he trying to bully this guy out of office? >> well, yes and no. it is more that he is just again expressing his sort of sense of anger and betrayal and frustration. >> why out loud? >> to be fair, he's done it out loud for quite some time. i think early on there was a thought that he could pressure attorney general sessions into leaving. that's simply not going to happen. he's frustrated and he's angry and he wants to be protected and he simply can't contain it. this is a president who says out loud the stage directions of what he's feeling and this is what he's feeling right now. >> governor, thank you for joining us. what would happen if he fired him, say, the day after this election which is a lot of suspicion he's going to do. would that open the flood gates to find an attorney general that would quash the investigation? >> when he says he doesn't have

an attorney general, he means i expect the attorney general to be loyal to me. as you said, that means protect me. that's just a massive misunderstanding of the idea that in this country we have a government of laws and not of men. and it's pretty close to the undermining of the rule of law that forced president nixon to resign. >> in his interview the president also claimed incorrectly, quote, now it turned out sessions didn't have to recuse himself from overseeing the russia probe. it's been clear that sessions is a former surrogate during the election would not be able to oversee any investigation of the president's campaign. sorry. the code of federal regulations on recusal says no employee shall participate in a criminal investigation, excuse me, or prosecution if he has a personal or political organization substantially involved in the conduct. that sounds like the law.

>> attorney sessions was well within his right. i never heard negatives about him. he was well liked in the senate. i thought he made the right call on that. i will say that, you know, i think undermining the rule of law, failure to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, that was a corner stone of the nixon impeachment, article 2 of the articles against president nixon got the most votes and it's about exactly this thing. the fact that you do it in the open is not good enough as an excuse. >> do you think the fact that he put it altogether, the offer -- the request for loyalty from the fbi director comey, the asking comey to go easy on michael flynn, his security adviser, the firing of comey. you put it altogether with the statements he's making now, it's the job of the a.g. to be his protector, is obstruction?

>> it's pretty close. the demand for loyalty give me the crepes in a law enforcement context. i've often said that i think in washington in this town all too often loyalty is an excuse for doing the wrong thing and demanding or even requesting loyalty from someone in a law enforcement context is damn close to obstruction of justice. >> putting into perspective what's going on with the president out there. going out there and saying i'm going to release all the text messages, all the e-mail, classified information. everything these zbries in their drawers or have on their phones, i'm releasing it all. no matter whatever happens. >> but i think on some level we have become desensitized to this because the president has been at war with his own justice department and his own fbi just about since the day he took office, but you sort of cannot overstate how remarkable and how striking this is, that you have a president who, for instance, chose attorney general sessions just to go out and trash him just about every single day, who is at war with his justice department, who is at war with

his fbi. the governor is saying at the very least it is horrible for morale in law enforcement and is also an erosion of trust in democratic institutions. >> how do you think he's going to get out of it? a whole series of pardons and agreeing not to run for re-election? >> i don't know. i remember sitting around the dinner table. if president nixon fires archie cox, he's gone. he did fire him and less than a year he was gone. i sense that temper here and i'm not saying this as a pundant. in a way i'm giving the president a piece of advice, almost a warning. this stuff is really important. >> how about the republican party? is the republican party still vulnerable to truth? do they still respond to fact or are they now so regimental they'll back him up to the end? >> i don't know. i think if the dems win the house, an impeachment proceeding, a trial would run.

so it would be 12 months of negative publicity. i don't think he would be removed from the impeachment power. it could lead to tough slogging at the ballot box. >> thank you, former massachusetts governor william weld. he likes to compare himself flavor by to lincoln. how the two american presidents stacked up against each other. this is "hardball" where the action is. it could cost you you. it's time to get out of line with upmc. at upmc, living-donor transplants put you first. so you don't die waiting. upmc does more living-donor liver transplants than any other center in the nation.

find out more and get out of line today. so why not bundle them with esurance and save up to 10%? which you can spend on things you really want to buy, like... well, i don't know what you'd wanna buy because i'm just a guy on your tv. esurance. it's surprisingly painless. comdeeper than the oceanrld as unfathomable as the universe a world that doesn't exist outside you, but within you where breakthrough science is replacing chemotherapy with immunotherapy where we can now attack the causes of disease not just the symptoms. where medicines once produced for all, are now designed to fit you. today, 140,000 biopharmaceutical researchers go boldly to discover treatments and cures unimaginable ten years ago

and they're on the verge of more tomorrow.

did you hear, the most popular person in the history of the republican party is trump. can you believe this? does that include honest abe lincoln? yeah, he was pretty good, right? >> welcome back to "hardball." the president uses history to compare himself to honest af lincoln. he floated the idea of firing attorney general jeff sessions and i study history and i say i want to leave things alone but it was very unfair what he did. in her beautifully new witness. i am on an area.

she asked is history or leadership possible without a purpose larger than personal ambition. it's a great u way to do it. >> i learned to serve a cause greater than self interest and you will know a happiness large more than the subline. quote, it is my hope that these stories of leadership and times of fracture and fear will prove reinstructing. lars, thank you. >> i'm glad to be with you.

personally big vision besides just television celebrity. >> they came into office all of them with personal ambition. the real test is when does that personal ambition become something larger. lincoln had it early on. he said his pea kuhl i don't remember ambition was to be held in esteem and he, of course, had this huge problem to face and he had exactly the right temperament. he goes into greatness. when teddy enters office at 25, 23, he says, i'm going in for an adventure. i think i should do this. as he went around to the ten amounts, as his career changed he wanted to do something to change the inhe can wilt tis. he gets the square deal for the fd&. >> referee:. he becomes so warm hearted.

he gets the depression in world war ii. lbj is sort of in it for power. he becomes the most extraordinary leader. has a massive heart attack. what if i die now, what would i being remembered for? he goes for civil rights. that's what he wanted to be remembered for. you need the larger purpose. >> none of the people you mentioned wanted to divided country. the president we have now is. trump is very clear about it. saying they're not too bright. he uses division. >> campaigning is supposed to be about it. when he goes around the country he's stoking his base.

he's not trying to go to the states he lost but what that shows is an utter lack of empathy which is the most important quality of a leader. you can't say something about people who are disabled or another race. teddy roosevelt said if you have a rock of democracy it will founder if people see themselves as the other. that's what happened. it happened before trump but it's being made worse by him. >> your book covers abraham lincoln a lot from the very beginning of his career to the civil war. here's what trump had to say recently on lincoln's gettysburg address. >> when abraham lincoln made the gettysburg speech, a great speech, he was ridiculed. he was excoriated. he said it was a terrible, terrible speech and he died.

50 years after his death they said it may have been the greatest speech ever made in america. >> it's like he said, yeah, he died up there. >> that was the end of him. >> what do you make of this claim? the worst speech in history? >> well, the fact is that he spoke for only two minutes so there was some sense among the audience. could he possibly done it's two hours the speeches. very soon thereafter. everett everett, the guy in front of him, he said, you said more in two minutes than i was able to say in two hours. people recognize. the only thing he's truthful about. i hate to say it, it wasn't fake news. if you took a republican, democratic paper, they're just coming along. you might read about represelin a republican paper. he was so embarrassing and he fell on the floor and we had to drag him out of the room. that's the way we were and that's what led up to the civil war. then we lost it.

the national papers came along, radio, pretty objective, television came along and then the cable networks and social media. >> one last question, barack obama said why not? do you buy the fact that the american people are ever going to get excited about somebody who's not great or have charisma. >> you have to have passion for your cause and not just yourself. every change has come from the antislavery movement, women's movement, progressive movement, civil rights movement. it's up to the citizens right now. we can't sit around for making leaders, we have to do it. >> you're talking about "leadership in turbulent times." up next, how are her partners anything what impact will his

potential come me mice have. if he's in, are the republicans out? you're watching "hardball." make, crow's feet and forehead lines look better. it's a quick 10 minute treatment given by a doctor to reduce those lines. ask your doctor about botox® cosmetic by name. the effects of botox® cosmetic, may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be a sign of a life-threatening condition. do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyelid and eyebrow drooping and eyelid swelling. tell your doctor about your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. the details make a difference. the man makes them matter. see real results at botoxcosmetic.com/men.

but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

last night trump tweeted this warning. the supreme court is one of the main reasons i got elected president. i hope republican voters and others are watching and studying the democrats' playbook. but "the new york times" reports the path forward surrounding kavanaugh's nomination could impact this fall's mid term calculus for both parties noting republicans acknowledge that in pushing judge kavanaugh forward they've only imperilled their house majority which depends on a series of suburban districts filled with voters already enraged by mr. trump's treatment of women. all three of you in order, quickly, what would be the

impact if this guy is confirmed amid all of this question of his behavior in high school? >> well, i mean, you're right. we've already seen women, emi emily's list, one of the groups and other groups talking about how women are getting motivated, enthusiast enthusiastic, going to the polls. >> how about this thing of the accuser, dr. ford and what she said about what she said he did? >> well, i think you hit it just right earlier when you said, what if they go ahead with this quickly and they don't give her a say and something else happens in a couple of weeks? other information comes through. >> lighting a fire under the me too movement, college educated professional women are motivated in big numbers. this is only going to likely propel them even further. that will have the biggest impact in the house like barbara comstock. >> hurt her? hurt comstock in virginia? >> i think it will. i think it will motivate more democrats to show up at the poles. the senate is a more complicated

picture. in tennessee and missouri they could hold a balance of power. >> a lot of single women in northern virginia. a lot of people moving in and out. >> right. >> but they vote democrat and they vote on choice. >> tennessee, missouri, arizona, this becomes a debate question. this is some inside d.c. stuff, but when you have women republicans running for the senate and they're going to be asked this question by local debates when they have to argue on behalf of this in their own states, it's going to have an impact. >> on tuesday when they didn't hear from the witness and they're about to vote on thursday, and how about friday after they vote to confirm and they haven't heard from her and she's planning to go on "60 minutes" or somewhere on nbc with her full story. who wants her full story when they can't do anything to protect themselves? meanwhile, president trump expressed confidence in his party's chances next fall in an interview with the hill new

hampshire -- newspaper. i think we're gonna do much better than anyone thinks. red wave? >> one, the economy is doing well but nobody's talking about that. not nobody. a lot of people -- >> why not? >> because he's tweeting something a minute. >> why is he getting no respect like rodney dangerfield because i agree with you. people don't really attach him to that. >> let's be clear that people close to the white house and to the political staff are -- trump can say what he wants but they are bracing to lose the house. >> no political observer in their right mind believes there's going to be a red waive. the only question is how many do they lose? it's lulling them. >> i say 30 to 40, what do you say? >> on the house? >> that's probably right. my colleague obtained a poll from the rnc that was done internally. they found out well over half of their voters describing something strong, trump supporter, don't believe the democrats have a chance.

they're not motivated to show up. >> why not? don't they read the paper? >> they've been told polls are wrong. >> good for them. what else is he going to say? >> one, we know trump doesn't pay attention. he doesn't pay attention to the facts or polls or statistics. whether it's polling numbers or the people who say. he's the coach. your team is down 0-2. he's supposed to say we're still going to make the super bowl. of all the crazy things he does, we still have the chance to make the house and senate, that makes sense. >> you're supposed to say it's close. >> no president's going to say losing 40 seats. >> he's got to say we have a chance to turn this around. >> you know what, they need a slogan. mine would be to democrats, at least try to keep this guy under control a little because in the end that's what you've got to get. most of the country believes this guy goes too far. finally, i mean most. a strong majority. a minority think he's awful. president trump toured the carolinas visiting places

impacted by hurricane florence. he handed out food. there he is. trump's visit comes less than a week after he stirred criticism with his tweet claiming the death toll, however, from hurricane maria was being inflated by the democrats to make him look bad. ron desantis said he, desantis, doesn't believe any loss of life has been inflated but politico reports that that has made president trump intur i don't remember rated. he's found him disloyal. one person close to the president described this. he has no intention to travel to florida. he didn't think the numbers were bogus. trump says they are bogus. >> most every republican i saw said the same thing. for desantis to say that was a big deal for president trump.

he was down by double digits. he went on to win. >> he feels like he's -- >> a lot of what in florida? puerto rican voters. >> that's the level that he demands. he doesn't want you to contradict or con spir ri to recall. it's a very high bar. >> he's not going after rick scott. this is because he thought desantis would be a ploy or a good buddy. here's the issue. he can't win this either way. if he had agreed with the president, that sinks him lower. if he sends a president along, president trump needs to campaign for him. >> prediction, they'll be on each other's dance cards well before election. we all know that. roundtable, stay with us. these two will tell us something we don't know. you're watching "hardball."

(avo) another tru story with keytruda. (roger) my doctor said i could start on keytruda so i did. with each scan things just got better. (avo) in a clinical study, keytruda offered patients a longer life than chemotherapy. and it could be your first treatment. keytruda is for adults with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread... ...who test positive for pd-l1 and whose tumors do not have an abnormal "egfr" or "alk" gene. it's the immunotherapy with the most fda-approved uses for advanced lung cancer. keytruda can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in your body and affect how they work. this can happen anytime during or after treatment and may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you experience new or worsening cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, severe stomach pain or tenderness, nausea or vomiting, rapid heartbeat, constipation, changes in urine, changes in eyesight, muscle pain or weakness, joint pain, confusion or memory problems, fever, rash, itching or flushing, as this may keep these problems from becoming more serious. these are not all the possible side effects of keytruda.

tell your doctor about all your medical conditions including immune system problems, or if you've had an organ transplant or lung, breathing, or liver problems. (roger ) before i'd think of the stuff i might miss. but now with keytruda, we have hope. (avo) living longer is possible. it's tru. keytruda, from merck. ask your doctor about keytruda. tremendous progress in newest efforts to get north korea to denuclearize. listen to him. >> prior to my coming into office, a lot of people thought we were going, it was inevitable, we were going to war in north korea. and now we're -- the relationships, i have to tell you, at least on a personal basis, they're very good. it's very much calmed down. >> trump made these comments after the south korean president said the north had agreed to

dismantle a weapons complex under the supervision of international inspectors. we'll be right back. e, i was there, just not always where i needed to be. is she alright? i hope so. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible.

at first slice pizza lovers everywhere meet o, that's good! frozen pizza one third of our classic crust is made with cauliflower but that's not stopping anyone o, that's good! in them therr hills on your guarantevacation.find gold but we can guarantee the best price on this rental cabin. or any accomodation from hotels to yurts. booking.com, booking.yeah the new capital one savor card. earn 4% cash back on dining and 4% on entertainment. now when you go out, you cash in. what's in your wallet?

back with the hardball round table. anita, tell me something i don't know. >> we've all seen the picture of flooding streets and homes. i'm going to give you two sad statistics. 3% of households in north carolina have flood insurance, and only 9% in south carolina. >> they're paying for all the loss. >> texas directs i've talked to believe they have a real race on their hands for the senate. but they're sweating one aspect of the poll numbers, which is hispanics. he's only at 54%. >> what's the appeal to his panics? >> his name a bit. they think differently than hispanics in the nation. the view is that he needs to get that well over the 60s, given he's going to get crushed by white voters. in georgia it is a tied race

between stacy abrams, the democrat and the republican. two weeks ago, the nationalist liberty union protested and threatened the abrams campaign while she was campaigning with women veterans. >> because she's black. >> here's the catch, they were flashing brian kemp signs while they were doing so. the kemp campaign has remained silent. as this grows, it could glow up in their faces. >> does she have the best chance of a minority to win the governorship? >> i think abrams is second. when we return, finish with trump watch. you're watching "hardball." ♪

a hotel can make or break a trip. and at expedia, we don't think you should be rushed into booking one. that's why we created expedia's add-on advantage. now after booking your flight, you unlock discounts on select hotels right until the day you leave. ♪ add-on advantage. discounted hotel rates when you add on to your trip. only when you book with expedia. so why not bundle them with esurance and save up to 10%? which you can spend on things you really want to buy, like... well, i don't know what you'd wanna buy because i'm just a guy on your tv. esurance. it's surprisingly painless. i'm 85 years old in a job where. i have to wear a giant hot dog suit.

what? where's that coming from? i don't know. i started my 401k early, i diversified... i'm not a big spender. sounds like you're doing a lot. but i still feel like i'm not gonna have enough for retirement. like there's something else i should be doing. with the right conversation, you might find you're doing okay. so, no hot dog suit? not unless you want to. no. schedule a complimentary goal planning session today with td ameritrade®. i needthat's whenvice foi remembered that my ex-ex- ex-boyfriend actually went to law school, so i called him. he didn't call me back! if your ex-ex- ex-boyfriend isn't a lawyer, call legalzoom and we'll connect you with an attorney. legalzoom. where life meets legal.

what if you had fewer headaches and migraines a month? botox® prevents headaches and migraines before they even start. botox® is for adults with chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more. botox® injections take about 15 mins. in your doctor's office and are covered by most insurance. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. with the botox® savings program,

most people with commercial insurance pay nothing out of pocket. talk to your doctor and visit botoxchronicmigraine.com to enroll. let me finish tonight with the huge difference in how the two parties are approaching the kavanaugh nomination. the republicans are focused on procedure. they don't like this accusation about their supreme court nominee that's surfaced just days ago. they say the accuser should have been brought forward months ago. the republicans are sticking to their focus on the time. they say the time has come for the judiciary committee to vote on this nomination. in the accuser wants to tell her story, she needs to get moving. they say, it's monday or nothing. the democrats are focused on letting dr. ford have a say. the goal to them is to hear her story no matter what day that happens. it's not about timetables or

procedure, but the democratic right of a citizen to make her case. it's about the respect due to the individual person here who believes she has been wronged by someone who's about to be made a national big shot. that stood up there as a member of this country's highest court. this difference in the two parties follows a pattern we lived through during the florida presidential recount back in the year 2000. back then the republicans were the sheriffs of procedure. what mattered to them was the deadline. democrats set a different rule back then. they wanted everyone who voted to have their vote counted no matter how long it took, how they might have errored in casting their vote. every voter should count, they said, every vote should be counted, think said, every effort should be taken to determine what that voter intended. this treatment of dr. christine ford follows the same stark pattern, one party in the democrats care what this person went through as fundamental as the other party.

the other party, the republicans, want to keep to the schedule, even it if it means leaving her along the roadside. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in" starts right now. tonight on "all in". >> the hearing should be as a result of the investigation. it shouldn't be a substitute. >> kavanaugh's accuser demands an investigation, and republicans set their own deadline. >> very hard for me to imagine that anything happened. >> tonight, the stone walling continues. >> well, it would seem that the fbi really doesn't do that. >> at the calls to slow down grow. >> my advice is to push the pause button on this hearing. >> plus, my interview with the high school friend defending dr. blasey ford. >> when you have someone's hand over your mouth and you think that you might die by accident, you know who you're dealing with. >> as the attacks on kavanaugh's accuser continue. >> whoever she is is mixed up. >> just how credible is the supreme