this is an invitation. americans are sad. foreign intelligence sfrervices are elated and americans are sad. that tells you what you need know. >> my thanks to you, my friend and also to you robert costa, david jolly, joyce vance and matt miller. mtp daily starts right now. if it's thursday, a dilemma for democracy. it's been a day of intense fall out after the president admits he would take dirt from a foreign government now to help him win an election. the biggest question facing le d

leaders like him. 2020 candidates getting ready for first debate night and they are starting to go after each other. nc welcome to thursday. i'm chuck todd. here in new york city. it's been a wild and crazy day. i'm not playing if the role of steve martin after the president said sure, we how ohe would takn interference in an election. who wouldn't? what do you do when the president completely trifl yalizes. the you really wait until 2020? she's facing more pressure as another top house democrat joins the pro-impeachment crowd. >> if the president is invited foreign interference, why is that not grounds to move forward with impeachment? >> everybody in the country should be totally appalled by what the president said last night. should be totally appalled.

however, what we want to do is have a methodical approach to the path that we are on and this will be included in that. >> if you're a republican, what do can you do? we saw some republicans criticize what the president said. >> if a foreign agent approached me with anything, including but not limited to dirt on my opponent, i'd call the fbi. i think most people would. >> the first phone call i'd make after that occurred to me would be fbi. >> the appropriate action to take is to call the fbi. >> i would send it to authorities, yes. >> so for most of those predictable preresponresponses e senators. we saw some of the gop offer up unhealthy dose of what aboutism. >> i'm astonished a t the outrage because i didn't hear

equal outrage when hillary clinton and the dnc paid a foreign spy to gather information from russia. >> obviously, there are foreign countries that are interested in influencing our elections. we saw that in the clinton example. >> i hope my democrat colleagues will be equally offended by the fact this did happen in 2016 where a foreign agent was paid for by a political party that gather opposition research. >> yes, we are through the looking glass, folks. in other instances we saw gop leadership tell us we didn't hear the president say what he said last night or do what he did last election. >> i think the president has been very clear. the president does not want foreign governments to interfere in our elections. >> he said he would welcome that. >> he did not say. >> he said he would look at the information, listen to it and if there were a problem, he would go to fbi. >> i've watched the president.

i believe the president would always do the right action. i watched this president do what is right. i know this president would not want any foreign government interfering in our elections. he's strong about that. that's why he's been so strong against russia. he would not allow any foreign country to interfere in our elections. >> what do you do as a member of congress? shouldn't you do something? you got to do something. you have to stop the kind of foreign interference the president just okayed. you could be faced with the prospect of serious war fafare against the president if you don't accept foreign help. maybe he is a reaction to this. >> somebody comes up and says i have information on your opponent. do you call the fbi? >> if it's coming from russia, you do. >> i've seen a lot of things over my whole life. this is somebody that said we have information on your opponent. oh, let me call the fbi. give me a break.

life doesn't work that way. >> fbi director says that should happen. >> the fbi director is wrong. if somebody called from a country, norway, we have information on your opponent. oh. i think i'd want to hear it. >> you'd want that kind of interference in our election. >> it's not an interference be p they have information. if i thought somebody was wrong i'd go maybe to the fbi. when somebody comes up with op-o research, let's call the fbi. the fbi doesn't have enough agents so take care of it. you go and talk honestly to congressmen, they do it. it's called opo research. >> joining me now is the vice chair of the senate intelligence committee. the top democrat on that committee, mark warner. thanks for coming on. >> thank you, chuck. >> i know you were just on the floor. i believe the latest person to object to bringing up your bill to floor was marsha blackburn,

republican from tennessee. this isn't the first time this happened. what is the explanation you've been given by republicans for why they are opposing to bring this bill to the floor to debate. >> senator blackburn did acknowledge she doesn't want foreign intervention in our election. i take that as a step in the right direction. she thought that it was -- i think she misread the bill. she thought any contact had to be reported. it's not. it's only foreign nationals or agents of a foreign government that are offering already in law prohibited items such as disinformation, misinformation. the kind of things in terms of campaign polling data. other things. this, to my mind, i still hope that they will come around. this should be -- this is the lowest common denominator. >> why do you still have this feeling that they will come

around? haven't you gotten the message yet? >> chuck, because the alternative is so darn bad that it's hard to imagine. i got to believe that most of the men and women i work with here still want to maintain the integrity of our democracy. i know some of them said trump being trump. i don't care what you call it. when the president of the yiet s united states sit in the oval office and invites adversaries and say come on in. intervene in the election and bring dirt on my opponents. it's morally wrong and it ought tloo to be legally reported. i have to believe we can get to some agreement. we don't need to relitigate 2016. let's protect 2020. >> let me ask you this, if the sitting president of the united states is doing what you're just describing, sitting in the oval and inviting foreign

interference. is that impeachable? >> i'm leaving that to speaker pelosi and how she moves forward. i can tell you -- >> how do you hold the president accountable for the rhetoric and the action without impeachment? >> that will be started in the house. what i'm focused on, chuck, is how we protect 2020. we pass the legislation. we pass election security legislation so there's a paper trail and we put guardrails on social media so you don't have the kind of manipulation of fake accounts and what will come soon with the deep fakes that i know we're going to have. this is the thing that's so stunning to me. you have trump's own fbi director and his own director of national intelligence who said the russians will be back because their tactics in 2016 were cheap and effective. shame on all of us if we can't put better protections in place. >> are you aware that some of your colleagues essentially believe the foreign interference

happened the other way? >> that's if we spend all of our time on 2016. people are pretty embedded. we ought to agree on 2020. i've yet to hear and i hope i won't hear some of this excuse that trump is being trump that any of my republican colleagues thinks what he said is right. it's okay for foreign government, particularly governments that have been adversarial to interfere in our l elections. >> they've let it go for three years. the president has been very consistent here. he started in july of 2016 when he said russia, if you're listening, he's gone down. he said anybody would have taken that meeting, referring to his son and the offer of opposition research on hillary clinton, as he called it. anybody would have taken that meeting. he's said this multiple times. you keep saying you hope that your republican colleagues will

come around. these are the same republican colleagues that didn't give merrit garland a hearing. >> what will i also hope is democrats take control in 2020 so we can set the agenda. >> why can't you -- what is -- why do you think mitch mcconnell won't bring this bill to the floor? >> same reason he wouldn't bring election security legislation to the floor because i think they pass overwhelmingly. >> he just doesn't want the president put -- put the president in a position to veto? >> the fear people seem to have of this president amongst my republican friends is pretty wild. when the fact that the president's secretary of homeland security wanted to hold a cabinet meeting on election security which is part of her job and she was told not to do this because it might offend the sensibilities of donald trump,

if that isn't one more point in your argument but the truth is, in the meantime unless we go to even further gridlock than we've got, i have to keep trying to find way to work with my colleagues to put some point on the board about election security for 2020. >> at what point should you be shutting down the senate and not letting them do anything until they take up this bill? i mean at some point, do you have to -- you keep hoping everybody will play by a set of rules that i don't believe there's a rule book that anybody on the other soiide is followin anymore? >> i think this last incident, and again, time will probably prove me wrong again, but there was beginning of folks stepping up. at the end of the day it's also up to the american public. if the american public, no matter they watch fox or msnbc or anybody in between isn't outraged by the comments that he

made yesterday then shame on americans as well. shame on all of us. >> do you think he's conditioned -- do you think the problem is he so trivialized it, he's mocked it. the republicans say he's just crazy trump, do you think that's actually conditioned us to just shrug our shoulders. everybody say they all cheat so let the best cheater win? >> i worry about that. i worry if you make this the new normal and we elect a democrat and a democrat then say okay, well it worked for trump. i'm going to try these tactics. obviously it concerns me. what i'm trying to do is let's stick to the facts. let's try to make the case and let's hope, again, that the american public who i think, if you're a traditional republican.

if you're a supporter of ronald reagan whose career was about fighting russia and communism, ronald reagan who must be spinning in his grave after the comments from yesterday. i'd ask my ronald reagan republicans speak up, step out. >> at what point do you think your party to stop hoping for the norms to kick in? that's the part where you're sitting there, i think there was this magic hope by some you have that the filibuster would be held for the supreme court. there's this magic hope that you guys have. at what point do you realize that lucy always pulls the football away? >> chuck, you can make a pretty good case on the set of facts that you're outlining. on the other hand, i think people hired me to come up here and try to get things done even when it's hard to get things done. again, i keep putting out some

of these ideas. i think they are valid. i think there's bipartisan support for a lot of them around how we protect our system in 2020. your point is if they don't step up, time will tell. >> senator mark warner, democrat from virginia, keeping the faith and bringing the guardrails back to our political system. >> thank you. >> a lot ofs like our guardrails. >> thank you, sir. up ahead, i ask senator warner this question and i'll ask it again. what do you do when the president totally trivializes interference in our election. democrats are sharpening their attack lines. is this what we can expect on the first night of the debates? the fit rsnight of the debates hmm. exactly.

liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. nice. but, uh... what's up with your... partner? not again. limu that's your reflection. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ you should be mad at tech that makes things worse. but you're not, because you have e*trade whose tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. don't get mad, get e*trade.

mpblt my view is if any public official or member of any campaign is contacted by any

nation state or anybody acting on behalf of a nation state about influencing or interveering with our election then that's something that fbi would want to know about. >> this is somebody that said we have information on your opponent. oh, let me call the fbi. give me a break. life doesn't work that way. >> fbi director says that is what should happen. >> the fbi director is wrong. >> welcome back. that was president trump contradicti ining what his fbi director said just last month. why do you think that the outrage in the republican party is with the same four or five predictable senator who is are uncomfortable in the trumper era. you saw it, susan collins and john kennedy he vacillates but there are some senators uncomfortable with this.

then you have a group of senators who would have been in a different place a year ago. what kind of hold does the president have? >> donald trump's hold on the republican party is stronger than ever. you look at justin amash and his fortunes in michigan where he has a strong constituency. he served his constituents well. he has a great reputation but he's likely to get primaried. you see the wrath coming down on him. you look at what happened to mark samford. that was the cautionary tale. now every one has given in and they will be out if they're not the party of trump. it's not the gop. it's the party of trump. >> as you saw us going back and forth with mark warner because at some point, he is a traditionalist. you can hear it in his voice. he wants this to work. he's in the one committee there seems to be some decent

bipartisan. at what point do the democrats need to stop hoping they will play by some magical set of rules. how often does lucy have to remove the football but do you realize you'll continue to fall on your tuccus? >> we know that charlie brown kept doing it but they need to realize it now. it seems to me that we're in place where the very foundations of our democracy are at jeopardy. >> i'll admit a year ago when i'd hear you and others say things like this, you're being all nervous. we're now a year later into this. i just say this, this doesn't sound as alarming anymore. it sounds like oh, my god, this could happen. >> at every turn we're seeing

the basic structure of our democratic system attacked. ch checks and balances are being undone now. >> it's little cuts. that's what makes it worse and why we're all numb to it. it's a tiny poke at a time. >> this is why it's important for statesmen and women to step forward and for people to stop thinking about their political livelihoods and begin to think about the system. if the system collapses, it doesn't matter. >> i feel like we're talking about the united states in about 1953, '54. jonathan, i will say this. i thought the president indicated a bit of nervousness this could push things to impeachment. i thought his tweet trying to walk this back. i meet and talk with foreign governments every day. i met with the queen of england, the prime minister of ireland. the president of poland. we talked about everything. should i immediately call about these calls. how ridiculous.

i would never be trusted again. my full answer is rarely paid by the fake news media. i'll get into that. the president claims we leave stuff out but the fact he felt the need to clarify, tells me he's a little nervous. >> the prince of wales typo was great. >> i'm fan of -- we all make typos on twitter. >> the good thing about impeachment is as much as there's a political strategy from the white house, people around the president who think an impeachment would be good for him and make paint the democrats as the party of political over reach. they are being fairly partisan as we get closer to 20 as they argue let the voters decide, the president himself he's a little antsy about this. >> he seems more antsy. >> people around him know not to say the word because it sets him

off. even though he has said to others that he understands it could be politically advantageous, knowing the senate would not remove him but he's leery that will be the first line of his political o ditbi y obituary. he doesn't want to be painted add a loser. >> he's so fearful of not getting credit. >> it's the donald trump sense of victimhood that's infected the entire republican party. a party that used to be -- >> pull up your boot straps. now it's show me your grievance. >> this culture war that's been ignited about who has been the most aggrieved is stronger than anything else in american

politics. >> one of you asked about mitt romn romney. let's play it. >> in circumstances where a foreign government attempts to be involved in an american election that would be simply unthinkable for a candidate for president to accept that involvement, to encourage it, participate with it. >> simply allowing foreign governments to try to involve themselves in our elections is something we cannot allow and would be very much contrary to the spirit of democracy. >> he's just one. i hear other people say mitt romney should do more. he's pretty -- it's straight up. there was no waffling in there. he wasn't being ambiguous. >> that's important. we want to give senator romney credit right there. i think it's important that we not kind of make the move that, yes, he's critiquing but when it comes to the votes he's still voting with it. there are these moments -- >> he hasn't had chance to vote. no republican has.

>> it's important to give credit where credit is due. understanding the head winds could be very strong in terms of whether, although you taught us different. it's a different sort -- >> i think he's insulated and he knows this. i want to go back the you since you one time worked for rand paul. is this a penalty for mitch mcconnell if he passes this election security bill? what's the downside? is there really a penalty to pay unless he thinks trump will veto it? is that the concern? he's up in 2020. mitch mcconnell is up in 2020. i cannot imagine this is a political liability for him unless he thinks the president will veto it. >> i have no idea what mitch mcconnell believes in his heart of hearts when it comes to being a public servant other than continuing his own grasp on power. you look at how he started as a moderate republican and landed

where he is today. who knows where that is when election security doesn't even matter. i can't believe that we have hundreds of thousands of americans stations around the world for our own security and we have a president who is saying that he would violate a law. the law in way that if an american serviceman or woman or a state department official or a department of defense official or a spy did they would get their clearance struck. >> quickly on nancy pelosi. she seems to be more and more untenable position as leader of her party. she's having a harder time explaining why she won't start impeachment. >> there's no question that job got a lot harder since that interview last night. this adds fuel to the fire in parties of the democratic party who do want to proceed down the path of impeachment. ahead, the presidential campaign that may be grinding to an early halt. before the first debate begin, some democrats have taken the

gloves off. we'll tell you who is throwing some of the tougher punches. watch a special edition of headliners sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern only on msnbc. 9:00 p.m. eastern only on msnbc. hi, i'm joan lunden with a place for mom,

the nation's largest senior-living referral service. for the past five years, i've spoken with hundreds of families and visited senior-care communities around the country. and i've got to tell you, today's senior-living communities are better than ever. these days, there are amazing amenities, like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars, and bistros, even pet-care services. and nobody understands your options like the advisers at a place for mom. these are local, expert advisers that will partner with you to find the perfect place and determine the right level of care, whether that's just a helping hand or full-time memory care. best of all, it's a free service. there is never any cost to you.

senior living has never been better, and there's never been an easier way to get great advice. call today. a place for mom -- you know your family, we know senior living. together we'll make the right choice. you know your family, we know senior living. [ laughter throughout ]

it's funny what happens when people get together. we're there. so you can be too. holiday inn. holiday inn express. ncht in tonight's 2020 vision, a

bad back may save democrats in a major election. howard schultz is taking the rest of the summer off to recover from back stuurgeries. he announced in january he's considering a run for the presidency as an independent. that could have been bad news for the party trying to oust the incumbent president. third party candidates jill stein received 4.3% of the vote. easily to help donald trump win. in other words, the more votes the third party or candidate receive, perhaps the fewer donald trump needs to get elected. we'll be right back. to get elected. we'll be right back. (woman) when you take align,

you have the support of a probiotic and the gastroenterologists who developed it. (vo) align naturally helps to soothe your occasional digestive upsets 24/7. (woman) so where you go, the pro goes. (vo) go with align. the pros in digestive health. i felt i couldn't be at my best wifor my family. c, in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured and left those doubts behind. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. even hanging with friends i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret,

i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all common types of hep c. before starting mavyret your doctor will test if you've had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant, other liver problems, hiv-1, or other medical conditions, and all medicines you take including herbal supplements. don't take mavyret with atazanavir or rifampin, or if you've had certain liver problems. common side effects include headache and tiredness. with hep c behind me, i feel free... ...fearless... ...and there's no looking back, because i am cured. talk to your doctor about mavyret.

ncht welcome back. as a box in the corner of the screen tells you we're 13 days away from first democratic debate which you can watch on msnbc and telemundo and nowhere

else. the candidates aren't waiting until they take the stage. beto o'rourke offers the sharpest criticism to date. >> if you stood next to him, why would you tell democrat voters you're a better candidate than joe biden to become president. >> because you cannot go to the end of the obama administration and think that's good enough. >> he wasn't the only candidate to go after one of the democratic front runners. john hickenlooper took a shot at bernie sanders for being a socialist. >> he's proposing this as a cure for this rise of populism. we're seeing the populism in those countries that already have that form of government. clearly that's not the solution. >> eddie, it is primary campaigns. you have to at some point, especially when there's 23

people in the race, you have to distinguish yourself and it's hard to without creating a comparati comparative. you can't do a comparative without saying you're better than that guy or that gal. is it about time they start making these differences? >> hell yes. absolutely. too much is at stake. i understand the argument. >> biden and warren are the two that make this argument the loudest. we can't attack each other. why know why biden wants that. he's the front-runner. >> we need to understand the predicate. ish distinguishing our views isn't the same as attacking each other. what beto said if you think we're going to involve this by going back ward, isn't going to solve it. it's a political system, a political ethos, the soil that's generated our problems. what he did is necessary and the other candidates need to do it as well. >> what's interesting is he's

not the first one rgs he ma, he direct attack but it's the same one buttigieg made a couple weeks ago. you can wa't go back to the # 's much as the republicans want to go back to the '50s. on one hand he wants people to have obama biden memories but he's got to provide a blueprint forward. >> it has to be about the future and not about the past. >> it's easier to say. >> that will be a dilemma from joe biden. i think it's the beginning of a wave that's coming. the debate will be marked with them as well. you have to draw some contrast. i think they will try to sheathe their sharpest arrows. they won't try to bloody him too much. it's early. you have the draw the distinctions. there's going to be some

interparty war faifarwarfare. >> the trickiest thing will be when warren and sanders realize they are in each others way before they have a shot at the big guy. >> i'm bearish on sanders and i see elizabeth warren really peeling away. you look at where beto o'rourke and other candidates had the ability to peel away voters, it's from ojoe biden. the debate will be critical. if i had to bet today, i would not be betting on joe biden. >> even those getting attacked. hickenlooper, there's guys like him that have to make a splash but sanders is trying to get ahead of this socialism argument. what did you make of the speech yesterday and do you think he made any progress or do you think the s word will be too much for people in. >> i think he made some

progress. we know that the s word meansa o certain thing for baby boomers but for young millennials, they are open to hear this. socialism doesn't call for the cold war. >> a lot of people over the age of 50 don't. that's the biggest problem he's facing. >> his numbers show he's having a little trouble with those young folks. >> and with older folks. >> i think it's important if we begin to think that the problems we face as country are systemic. that the people, the top 1% or the top 10% or the folks busting their behinds every day are -- not getting their fair share, we need to have conversations about whether it's working. >> does a beto or a klobuchar look at buttigieg and say that guy is in my way?

right now he's the darling of the donors there. there's a lot of people that feel protective of him. >> he's the golden child. that could change. his numbers are steady but he's a solid third and fourth. >> financially he will be. the fact they put out publicly we had a 15 million dollar goal for the quarter and we're hoping to raise it, you're like give me a break. >> it's already in the rear view mirror. nc ncht i have breaking news. it's about that little thing in the corner. after months of campaigning and polling. the stage is set, literally, for the democrats first round of debates. moments ago the democratic national committee announced that these 20 candidates have qualified for the debate stage in alphabetical order. they are michael bennett, joe biden, cory booker, bill de

blas blasio, john delaney, kirsten gillibra gillibrand. camera harris, jay inslee, amy klobuchar, eric sawallwell, and andrew yang. there are the 20. those debates will tyake place n june 26th. we will tell you which ten will be on which night. let's bring in the panel. okay. there are names not on that list. seth molton and steve bullock. >> that is devastating blows to their campaigns. long shots to begin with. t still early.

missing the stage there is a devastating blow. there are a few surprises that made the list. bill de blasio. i try to give it that murray state like field. we can see them cheering or something. >> governor bullock will be on in a minute. he's not happy. he doesn't feel he's had a fair shot. the cnn debate is using the same criteria. all he needs is one more poll and he gets it. in same criteria can get you

into the next debate. if you didn't make this one, you'll have a shot. do you think this has been a fair of a process as the dnc could put together or do you think this could have been better? >> i would have liked to have seen governor bullocko on stag. >> at the expense of who? >> he would have added an interesting element and maybe would have bumped de blasio out and say i would like some things to be happening in new york city. personal opinion aside, i'm so curious about how the combinations are going to work on the debate stage. going back to 2016, you had donald trump square in the middle and he commanded all the attention, all the oxygen. by debate three donald trump was what to be watched.

it was all about him. it was all about his quips, hi sound bites, his insults. it was so hard for any policy to breakthrough. that's not going to be the case when it comes to these democratic debates. you have democratic voters who are actually interested in policy. >> as sort of an observer of this, the dnc tried to make grass roots fund raising and polling. i would argue they got a pretty long runway here. they had about four months. what do you make of the decision to have grass roots donations and this? is that fair? >> absolutely. they had to be as open and transparent as possible about this process. in so many ways to gookind ov g the weight the grass roots folks is really important.

>> i was listening and i'm thinking if i were the chairman of the dnc and heard her, and go she's right. then you're telling some of these non-traditional candidates. there's no room for you here. boy, the risk of creating that fire storm too. there's a fire storm no matter what and i guess you just have to pick your poison. >> we know what happened with people perceive 2016 that the dnc was too involved there. a non-traditional candidate is president of the yiunited state. let's remember that. they can't risk. you can't risk the perception you're in there meddling. the governor's voice would have been a good one on the stage. hopefully he will make one down the road. you have to be careful.

>> give advice on how to handle this moment. i remember on the republican side there was some moments am i going to be at the other debate table or the main stage. i have to be on with trump. there is one more shot at this. it's like how do you handle yourself in this moment. >> frankly, i would tell congressman moulton to drop out. i do not see his path for the second debate. i think that governor bullock is so close that he probably will make the finish line for the second debate. >> and he becomes the new face. it's a new member of the cast. >> he could parlay that but for seth moulton, i don't see how this is anything but game over. >> it did feel like the sitting house members which all felt like a stretch because we have to go back to james garfield. it's not -- dick ephart showed

it's a leader. >> a lot of folk have not made their decision. a lot of people are still sending money to 20 people in such a way they could meet this number. there's some things that are happening in between or before like you have the poor people's campaign, presidential forum in june 17th where there's going to be some folks talking to black folk about particular black issues. there's going to opportunity for folk to jump in and begin to expand their appeal. this is rial interesting about what's happening among democrats right now. >> the fact is, it is a giant field of, frankly, i would say two-thirds of them. half presidential resumes. have presidential resumes. how many of these people should have run fur yeaour years ago. i look at this and they were fully formed political figures four years ago who sought the

hillary clinton thing. now they look around and go there's 20 people here. i'm not getting fair shot, which to some of them they are right. it's hard to breakthrough. >> some of them the arguments have been made, you should be running for senate, not the president. some of these would have made strong bids in 2016. even would have had that experience, that resume. >> made her a better candidate. >> and made themselves a better candidate this time around. >> i'm going to talk to governor bullock after this break. thank you. stick around. let's see if he was listening to our conversation. we'll be back with steve bullock who did not make the stage. as i said, the debate criteria is exactly the same for july. that's right after the break. e y th'sat right after the break a tap away. whether it's using rewards points toward things like complimentary maintenance. or for vehicle accessories.

and with fordpass, a tap can also get you 24/7 roadside assistance. and lock your vehicle. only fordpass puts all this in the palm of your hand. fordpass. built to keep you moving.

they're america's biopharmaceutical researchers. pursuing life-changing cures in a country that fosters innovation here, they find breakthroughs... like a way to fight cancer by arming a patient's own t-cells... because it's not just about the next breakthrough... it's all the ones after that.

hey! i live on my own now! i've got xfinity, because i like to live life in the fast lane. unlike my parents. you rambling about xfinity again? you're so cute when you get excited... anyways... i've got their app right here, i can troubleshoot. i can schedule a time for them to call me back, it's great! you have our number programmed in? ya i don't even know your phone anymore... excuse me?! what? i don't know your phone number. aw well. he doesn't know our phone number! you have our fax number, obviously... today's xfinity service. simple. easy. awesome. i'll pass.

welcome back. the they just announced 20 candidates have qualified for the first round of democratic presidential debates. one candidate in the field, in a state carried by president trump, won't be on the stage. joining me, steve bullock. i know this was news that you were expecting and hoping that it wouldn't be the case. what is your reaction? >> yeah, of course, chuck, i'm disappointed with the dnc.

i certainly knew that getting fewer opportunities to be on shows with you and others. but i had a job to do. if it came down to getting 100,000 montanans health care, versus getting in earlier to bump up on another poll, i would make that same choice time and time again. there's almost logistically ten a night that you can pull off. what do you do if you're them? you have to set some sort of guardrail, do you not? >> yeah. they said here are the established polling groups that they count. and then at the last minute, they kicked off one of the "washington post" abc poells. >> it was a different kind of poll. it was open ended and people

even gave answers like donald trump and michelle obama. i take your point that it met the technical definition of abc "washington post," but it was not a poll like the rest of them. and i don't think anybody anticipated this loophole. >> yeah. >> in fairness, we don't to have quibble about the polls. an open ended poll might be harder to get on than others. and some are saying they'll vote for donald trump. maybe we ought to be talking about why is it the democrats haven't been able to break through urban and rural areas, give people a reason to vote for us and not just against him if we still have those supporters. i think that you have to turn around and say we're like 235 days away from the first voter expressing a preference. you're the man of statistics. i think if you looked back four years ago, ben carson was

probably polling number one at the time. >> i'll give you one more for you. i'll give you one more. mitt romney was not in the first republican debate in 2021 and he was the republican nominee. so you have an opportunity to get into the next round of debates with the same criteria. do you feel pretty confident going forward? >> i'll give you one more. i don't think bill clinton even announced until october of 1991. i get the desire to get moving quickly. but this is really about both having the opportunity for voters to hear from us, along the way, recognizing that we're still a long way before the first voter ever expresses their preference. >> you spent a lot of time and you were limited in what you would do. is it fair to say that iowa, for you, it is extra important? >> i think that iowa has traditionally played the role of

taking a large field. narrowing it down. i've really enjoyed my time. the attorney general endorsed me right when i came in so i'll be spending a lot of time in iowa and the early states. going to new hampshire next week. what i'll be doing more than anything else, the way i've won in montana. sort of putting people ahead of sort of the politics or the food fights. i think that's what folks want out of the next candidate for president on the democratic side. >> are you going to seen this decision by the dnc or still challenge it? >> chuck, you just showed the board of everyone on there. so disappointed. the greater point is that yeah, i am the only one in the field that has actually won in a trump

state. and we need on win back some of the places we've lost. my legislature is 60% republican. the back-up spent $26 million trying to defeat medicaid reauthorization. we got that done. i had that job to do and that's where i needed to be. >> it's interesting. you have gotten some republicans to support you. there's been a bipartisan concern about dark money in montana that is unique to the other 49 states of you're watching this election interference. it seems to be that they cannot get bipartisan concensus on this. what would you do? you cannot get mitch mcconnell to do anything and you're hoping the republicans follow rules. what would you be doing? >> well, if i was in the senate

right now? >> yes. senate or president. how would you get this security bill passed? if you were president, how would you do it? it seems to me the republican leader doesn't want to do it. >> we've got two things. in my time in iowa, and other places, i've never heard one person out there saying, there's just not enough money in the system. or there's certainly not enough dark money. i think we have to elevate. we talk about election security. you have the election with putin saying, i'll take him at his word. we know what happened this last cycle. and republicans got to step up and invest to make sure that people can have faith and trust that how they vote, where they vote and who they vote for will be recorded. >> the red state challenge for

democrats like you usually comes up with two issues. abortion and guns. you've seen, can you win in montana and not be for any restrictions on abortion as a democrat? >> you know the whole time i've serve as governor of montana, as far as a woman's right to make her own health care decisions, that should be between a woman and her doctor and if she so chooses, her family and her faithful that's not the role that government should play. so my whole time in office has been consistently stopping efforts to undermine roe v. wade. and i think that we can do that. that doesn't mean i don't have respect for people who believe and think differently than i do. but it is whether the government should be making that decision. >> guess what, the fact that you hear the chimes means i'm up against my hour. we have music or a clock that is

cueing us up. governor bullock -- >> the church bells in the community. >> the church bells are a-ringing. i know you're disappointed but i suspect we will see you soon. thanks for coming on and sharing your views. >> i sure hope so, chuck. thanks for having me. >> that's all we have. "the beat" with ari melber. >> we have a packed show with so much news. democrats and republicans unloading on donald trump for saying he's open to colluding with govern governments. democrats not reaching for the i-word in response. and later i'll speak to someone who went down this road and by all accounts went did the right thing. and later, a may know departure from the white house. sarah huckabee sanders is out. why are we learning that today? we'll explore donald trump's lies and another