issues. i mentioned, on this new video that's taking on the trump family separation policy, we will get into that with him. and a lot more. so have a great weekend and i will be on the last word. don't go anywhere right now. "hardball" with chris matthews is up next. a new cover up. let's play "hardball." >> good evening. he's done it again. the president just told us he would take political dirt from a foreign government and woke up in full denial. also in big 2020 news, the lineups are set for the first democratic debates this month which will be held over two nights who will face who? i will predict the candidate who is will be attacking each other.

back seat denials. how trump and george stephanopoulos reminded me of the scene from on the waterfront. it is two days since president trump said he would entertain dirt on a political opponent from a foreign government and not call the fbi. >> i have seen a lot of things in my life. i don't think if my life i have called the fbi. in my life. you throw somebody out of your office. >> do you want that interference in your election? >> it's not interference. i think i'd take it. >> the fallout from that and the growing course of criticism, he headed to his favorite tv show to deny what he said. >> if i was and of course you have to look at it because if you don't look at it, you don't know if it's bad. how will you know if it's bad. you give it to the fbi or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that. of course you do that. you couldn't have that happen

with our country. how are you going to -- if you don't hear what it is, you don't know what it is. nobody is going to say bad things to me. they know i'm a straight player. >> steve is shaking his head in approval. the mueller report identified numerous links between the russian government and the trump campaign and found that the russian government perceived it would benefit from a trump presidency and worked to secure the out come and the campaign expected to benefit from information stolen through russian efforts so they were working back and forth. to the 2020 campaign, the press secretary told cbs news, they would consider offers, but also report them to the fbi. let's watch. >> the president's directive as he said, the case by case basis, he would likely do both. >> the comments with the president seemed like an invitation from interference from other governments,

including russia in 2020. that pits him against his own fbi director, chris wray. >> this threat is not going away. as i said consistently, russia continued to interfere and continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day. this is a threat we need to take extremely seriously and to tackle and respond to with fierce determination and focus. >> a dozen law enforcement veterans said the comments have undone months of work, inviting foreign spies to meddle with campaigns and demoralizing the agents trying to stop them. the president doesn't look like he's helping at all. abc news obtained the first internal reelection campaign poll conducted this march and it shows joe biden beating trump by

wide margins in key battle ground states. the poll which the president deny that george stephanopoulos even exists shows double-digit leads. natasha, me what you have been able to report. >> we're spoke with nearly a dozen law enforcement veterans and the task force set up by christopher wray in 2017 is the exact opposite in a good way of what the president's stated mind set. they are trying to fight foreign interference in the united states and a combination of cyber security, counter intelligence and officials who are working with every field office in the country. all 56 field offices in order to combat interference and combat

this threat that the president has now said well, bring it on. open door. we welcome it. in that sense, he made the fbi's job a lot harder. it's emboldened the adversaries who want to attack the 2020 election and one of the things they expressed concern over is bill barr who is responsible for the priorities that the fbi has and the budget and the resources, he has been extremely aligned with this white house. how is he going to look at this? >> you have experience of being in moscow and worked with station chiefs and intelligence works. everybody works together, i'd like to think. how does it affect a station chief and how it would affect the fbi and counter intelligence when the president of the united states said i probably wouldn't tell the fbi if i got durt from an overseas government. okay, if you asked me, but i will say the right answer.

then you call your favorite news program in the morning, fox and friends and tell them i would do that, i think. this doesn't sound like the call of a leader. >> that's right, chris. there would be two reactions from my friends in the intelligence community. one, of course it's demoralizing. the president is encouraging the exact behavior that they are trying to counter, but two, it would also be genuine belief that the president of the united states does not understand what these other governments do. he doesn't understand counter intelligence and doesn't understand that when foreigners show up to your campaign headquart headquarters, they don't introduce themselves with a business card that said hey, i'm working for intelligence from russia or iran. they have covers for that. he doesn't understand that when they hand over information, two other things. they're doing that to advance the interests of their country,

russia, not candidate or president trump. two, they may be providing disinformation for the alleged information. that's why they would be deflating for that community to hear his remarks. >> if you are fighting the war, you are in the trenches. you find out the commander in chief with the job description is part of the constitution is not really into the war. >> the situation is much worse than that. let's step back and remember what it was that happened in 2016. in this great mess of wars that we are throwing up in the air, this story originated with a crime. with the russians entering democratic servers or deceiving people to steal. it's like watergate. it began with a theft, a crime. everybody knew who had done it and they knew it as early as the summer of 2016.

when don trump got the invi invitation to meet with russians. they said we found dusty arch e archives that maybe you are interested in. he knew there was the possibility of stolen property. that's what he went to the meeting to get. he was disappointed they did not deliver, but that's what he was trying to get. this was the fruits of the break in they are being tantalized with. ultimately when the stolen property is produced, it's distributed through wikileaks and more devastatingly in the fall. fox and friends and hannity and all the trump talkers are trying to make it seem like you can never have tea with a german ambassador? of course you can. this is about a russian theft that everyone understood at the time it was happening and the trump people most of all understood and they wanted to receive the benefit of. >> back in your expertise, it seems that there is two realities. the president's reality that he

is a beginner learning the ropes, taking whatever shot he had in an up hill campaign losing to hillary and not about the presidency. he is having all these meetings with the trump tower and kids and hanging around with the russian ambassadors and through the republican convention like it's an arcade they own. at the same time, are the fbi people in their role as counter intelligence people, are they watching or did they miss what trump saw? he could have been the look out if he had chosen to be. >> that's exactly right. he should have. that would have been the obvious right thing to do. what's show shocking is after two years, and the mueller investigation and years and years of talking about it, it should just have been a no brainer politically to say i would never do that. that's the other part of this

that is so shocking. he says what he thought. i used to work at the white house at the national security council as well. we used to provide talking points for the president of the united states to shape the message we wanted for national security. that also doesn't seem to be working here. it was shocking to me what he said. >> senate majority leader mitch mcconnell broke his silence last night in an interview with fox to attack democrats while ignoring what the president said about not caring about telling the fbi. >> do you have a problem with that answer? the democrats seem to be taking that and saying aha, we told you so. now it's on to impeachment. >> they just can't let it go. i said weeks ago, case closed. he gets picked at over every aspect of it. >> it sounds like he's sitting on the corner of a cracker barrel and acting like he's not

the senate leader. he talks with that hokey pokey way of talking like i'm not involved in running the government. i have noresponsibilities for the law. that's the game he's playing. >> one of the reasons what the president said was so important and so disturbing, why did mueller not charge president trump or not suggest the charges were appropriate? we can see the russians committed criminal acts and see the trump campaign welcoming it. we can never find the evidence to connect the dots. at the trump tower meeting, we ke never be sure that don trump, jr. was sophisticated enough to call him guilty. that mueller's point. we did not know what was in his mind. the same about the meeting. >> what about an alternative

assumption that's a situation like that? >> donald trump just answered the question about state of mind. he said one of the ways to know if you have guilty intentions. i had no idea, officer. i had no idea that was a school zone. would you do it if you know it was a school zone? i intend to drive 55 again. thank you. handcuffs on. >> one of the reasons his lawyers were smart enough not to let him testify. >> because he would say something like this. or walk back. i think now he realizes that he made a mistake. his advisers are telling him you need to clean this up. we see him still trying to play defense here. >> i love the way steve does the approving dad thing when he's saying that. i would call the fbi and he is

saying good, good. >> the new talking point about relitigating 2016. this has to do with 2020. he said he would accept foreign help in 2020. it's not relitigating. >> do you think vladimir putin heard that what he said that he would take dirt and he has no problem with it? how quickly do you think the associates got the news to him the other night? >> of course. remember when they are going to offer information they are trying to gather information and running counter intelligence seeking agents, but they are not the only ones. that's the other thing when i listen to the comments, why does the president assume that all foreign agents around the world will be on his side in 2020? he's opened up the invitation for all kinds of people to be involved. that is not in america's national security interest. i'm glad he's walking it back and we should give him credit

for that, but we saw what he believes. he was being honest when he was speaking the other day. >> just as a thank you note to the speaker of the house and others who have been pushing the case, he called her a fascist. thank you, mr. ambassador, michael mcfaul and natasha and david for your thinking. fact check friday. he said he never suggested firing robert mueller. never did it no matter what his lawyers say. when asked questions, he said i didn't do nothing. check your brackets like march madness. the lineups are set. which night, which people are going to shoot spit balls. they are going for the double-digit people. we will look at the key matchups and who might be a break out candidate. somebody is going to win this thing y. did ohio flip from ohio to trump and now is it firmly

trump country. we are heading to dayton, ohio for the deciders program where we will talk to the voters, republicans and democrats, a preview is coming up in a moment. stay with us. a ing up in moment stay with us once-daily toujeo helps you control your blood sugar. toujeo provides significant a1c reduction,

and stable blood sugar control, around the clock. find your groove with toujeo. ♪ let's groove tonight. toujeo is used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. it contains 3 times as much insulin in 1 milliliter as standard insulin. don't use toujeo to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if you're allergic to insulin. get medical help right away if you have a serious allergic reaction such as body rash, or trouble breathing. don't reuse needles, or share insulin pens. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which can be life-threatening. it may cause shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. check your blood sugar levels daily. injection site reactions may occur. don't change your dose without talking to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medicines and medical conditions. check insulin label each time you inject. taking tzds with insulins may cause heart failure that can lead to death. ♪ let's groove tonight. ask your doctor about toujeo.

♪ let's groove tonight. be go[ laughing ] gone. woo hoo. ♪ welcome to my house mmm, mmm, mmmmm. ball. ball. ball. awww, who's a good boy? it's me. me, me, me. yuck, that's gross. you got to get that under control.

[ dogs howling ] seriously? embrace the mischief. say "get pets tickets" into your x1 voice remote to see it in theaters. back to "hardball." the president continued to wage a disinformation campaign all week in an effort to mischaracterize or outright deny the special counsel's findings. in the second part of his interview he said he never direct directed robert mueller to be fired. a claim that contradicts his white house counsel and his lawyer at the white house, don mcgahn who said he did under oath. >> i was never going to fire mueller. i never suggested it. >> that's not what he said. >> for doesn't matter. i don't care who he said. that was to show what a good counsel he was. >> 'would he lie under oath?

>> he wanted to make himself look like a good lawyer or believed it because i would tell anyone that would listen, including you and the media that robert mueller was conflicted. robert mueller had a total conflict of interest. i didn't say that. >> in denying he tried to fire mueller, he was asking the american people to take his word in over the report. the president called mcgahn and directed him to have the special counsel removed. that's clear. he is asking us to believe a seasoned lawyer who testified under penalty of perjury. he spoke under penalty of perjury and the president saying i may have said there was a conflict there. trying to find a little piece of truth. a person close to began dismissed the president's comments saying it's just fantasyland. in contrast, the president

refused to testify under oath because his lawyers believe he would perjure himself. he was what he said when pressed about that decision. >> if you answer these questions to me, why not answer them to robert mueller under oath? >> because -- they were looking to get us for lies, for slight misstatements. >> you didn't answer questions on obstruction. >> wait a minute. i did. i answered them in writing. >> not on obstruction. >> i answereda lot of questions. they may have me questions and i answered them. >> not on obstruction. >> you are being a wise guy which is typical for you. just so you understand, it's very simple. there was no crime. >> little wise guy. he never stops. the president is misrepresenting what happens. he did not answer written ez questions on obstruction of justice. fact. all this comes from a question who made over 10,000 false or

misleading claims since taking office. that's a lot. former federal prosecutor and a columnist. you write about everyone. he gives him this wide open interview for whatever reason. he shows off he is president. he calls him little and said he is a wise guy. that's an ethnic slur in all kinds of ways. all george is quoting is the president's own lawyer who the president said -- hard to believe he is periresident -- h said the truth because he wants to look like a good lawyer. he is violating confidence with his client. he is just telling the truth. >> right because he's under oath. he can go to jail. >> good point. trump doesn't understand. >> trump did not put himself in that position. he call george a little wise guy

and points out the fact that the president did not answer questions about obstruction of justice. he just didn't. trump argues against -- just the facts. he simply did not. >> i have to ask you because you have been through a lot of this with me. i think the 40 something percent, still there about 40 to 45, people do not care how often he lies. >> what are might change that is if the public can see don mcgahn testify and say listen, america. >> hopesprings eternal. >> the glass is half full. he told me to fire the special counsel and when he said no because that might be obstruction of justice, i told him to lie about it and create a false document. when the president said mcgahn lied to special counsel, ease he's not just calling him a liar, he is calling him a felon.

what's mcgahn going to do? he might be waiting for it and we look through the lens of racial human behavior. he is waiting for a judge to say all the privileges that they are asserting are nonsense. you are free to testify. that may be what he is waiting for. >> somewhere we are waiting for truth. >> yes, but he acts like he spoke for five minutes. he testified and talked to them for 30 hours. presumably they asked that question repeatedly. robert mueller and his investigators would have talked to other people who would have gotten other information. it's not just his word against his. there is a bit more there. remember how upset president trump was when the mueller report came out. he was the one person he was very upset with. >> he never thought he would tell the truth. >> he sat down for 30 hours. >> here doesn't understand people who tell the truth. the last time he suggested he

lied to the special counsel in may, he then refused to say whether he thought his white house counsel should be charged with perjury. >> is there a situation that you can see where don mcgahn is charged with perjury? >> i don't want to talk about that now. we are other things we are talking about that. i will respond in a later date. >> what are do we make of fantasyland. he upons to protect himself, but he lets out the word and the president's denial. it is fantasyland. >> i can't believe that anybody would believe that don mcgahn went in for 30 hours and lied to falsely incriminate the president of the united states. >> it's like a young lawyer whose bar status is at stake. >> it makes no sense because trump said george stephanopoulos is a little wise guy.

let me use another phrase. mcgahn gave up trump hard in those 30 hours. as soon as the american people get to see that firsthand, i think it could be a turning point. >> i don't know if they are going to get to see that. >> i think they will once a judge clears him to testify. mcgahn can't take it upon himself to say i know the administration said these privileges apply and i'm going to decide they don't and walk into congress. he's waiting for a judge. >> point of law here. i thought the executive privilege said they talked about chi china. it meant something. it's national security stuff. it wasn't criminal behavior. what's to stop another person who works in the white house for exercising their first amendment. they didn't do the agreements. >> some of these people don't have to listen to what the administration wants. some of these things he is claiming and the other people he is not. he is saying don't testify and don't go to congress and talk. they are saying okay.

>> they are dogs. >> they are not doing it. >> they can go if they want. >> the president was asked about senator kamala harris a statement that if elected she would want the justice department to charge trump with obstructing justice as a criminal. >> she doing horribly. way down in the polls. pocahontas is cleaning her clock and she made that statement and who wouldn't? if i were running in her position, i would make the same slam. . >> how many slurs did he get in that statement? >> a lot and i don't even care. she shouldn't have said that. i don't want my president to make the decisions. >> think nixon said that about manson. didn't help. >> with the justice department making those decisions, however

the president's response as usual was -- and he has to top it off by saying i probably would have said that. i would have done the same thing. >> in other words we are all sleazy politicians. >> everything is doing the partisan political thing. >> once talking about defining deviancy and everything goes down. it does seem like a developing democracy. if i win i will put my opponents in jail. she knows a thing or two. >> what are does that tell you. she should adjusticate this case. >> it's not like she is coming out of nowhere. >> don't dumb yourself can down to his level. we have the mueller report which sets out the evidence fulfilling every element of obstruction of justice, i think a prosecution

should be in play when he leaves office. >> do you think it will be? >> i think it will, but we have to wait. >> what if he gets reelected? >> then he has four more years of being king. >> what about the statute of limitations? >> we will have to say listen, the statute stops and paws because of the policy that said you can't indict. that may not be a winning argument. >> i'm not sure. you may not have to pay a student loan if you are in the army. >> if you are the one person who cannot be prosecuted, it makes sense. approximate would be paused. i agree with you. >> old cases get tough. thank you, anita. gene, you know so much. the lineup is set for the first debate. how is it going to play out. i wouldn't know what sparks are going to fly. the 1 percenters are made this

cut are going after the double-digit people. i'm curious, by the way, who will go after who. will go after who. with fordpass, rewards are just 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. (woman) 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.

metastatic breast cancer is relentless, but i was relentless first. relentless about learning the first song we ever danced to. about teaching him to put others first. about helping her raise her first child. and when i was first diagnosed, my choice was everyday verzenio. it's the only one of its kind that can be taken every day. it gives us more time without cancer progressing. verzenio is the only cdk4 & 6 inhibitor approved with hormonal therapy that can be taken every day for postmenopausal women with hr+, her2- mbc. diarrhea is common, may be severe, or cause dehydration or infection. before taking verzenio, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection. verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection that can lead to death. serious liver problems can occur. symptoms include tiredness, appetite loss, stomach pain,

and bleeding or bruising. blood clots that can lead to death have occurred. tell your doctor if you have pain or swelling in your arms or legs, shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid breathing or heart rate, or if you are pregnant, nursing, or plan to be pregnant. common side effects include nausea, infections, low blood cells and platelets, decreased appetite, headache, abdominal pain, tiredness, vomiting, and hair thinning or loss. my relentless reason: it's them. my choice with my doctor: it's verzenio. ask your doctor if everyday verzenio is right for your first treatment. hi. maria ramirez! mom! maria! maria ramirez... mcdonald's is committing 150 million dollars

in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs... prof: maria ramirez mom and dad: maria ramirez!!! to help more employees achieve their dreams. welcome back to "hardball." with 12 days to go for the first 2020 democratic debate, the stages are officially set.

nbc news announced the lineup which will go head to head. the first night, wednesday june 26th, about two weeks from now, you will see cory booker, julian castro, bill deblasio. john delaney, tulsi gabbard, jay inslee, elizabeth warren, beto o'rourke. >> the second night, we will feature michael bennet, joe biden, pete buttigieg, kirstin jill brandt, kamala harris, bill hicken hooper. bernie sanders, eric swalwell, marianne williamson and yang. they were determined by a random drawing at 30 rock. they were divided into two groups. those above or below 2% and a random draw to recreate the

groups of 10. you can watch both nights on june 26 th and 27th live from miami. we may be in for dramatic confrontations between candidates who are already taking shots at each other. we will take you through the confrontations and the intermurals and everybody wants to move up except the people at the top who want to keep them from doing it. that's coming up next. them from doing it. that's coming up next. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur.

tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ready to treat differently with a pill? otezla. show more of you.

doctor bob, what should i take for back pain? before you take anything, i recommend applying topical relievers first. salonpas lidocaine patch blocks pain receptors for effective, non-addictive relief. salonpas lidocaine. patch, roll-on or cream. hisamitsu. when it comes to reducing the evsugar in your family's diet,m. coke, dr pepper and pepsi hear you. we're working together to do just that. bringing you more great tasting beverages with less sugar or no sugar at all. smaller portion sizes, clear calorie labels and reminders to think balance. because we know mom wants what's best. more beverage choices, smaller portions, less sugar. balanceus.org

back to "hardball." we now know who will face off on both nights of the debates june 26th and 27th in miami this month. a couple weeks from now. each of those we will predict candidates square up with more swipes we take out on the trail. on the first night, let's ask our panelists here. elizabeth warren said she is done with one set of rules and fellow senator, amy klobuchar

said there has to be compromise. on the second night, john hickenlooper is going head to head with bernie sanders and going after him for his socialism. that same night will feature pete buttigieg who said democrats can't turn back the clock to the 90s, going after joe biden who is near him. we are joined by ginger gibson from reuters and former senior adviser to hillary clinton. i will go with ginger on this. who will take a first shot at somebody else? >> i think it will happen on the second night. the first night will probably be light on swings. the second night with biden on the stage with bernie sanders and hickenlooper on the stage, these are folk who is have already started to receive incoming. we can think back to bernie's debate. he did not take any swings at hillary clinton. he held off until subsequent

debates. i would be surprised if he gets through the debate without taking a swipe at joe biden. >> person attacks another. gains. you shoot at other guy, you pay for being nasty and the person hit gets hurt and somebody else benefits. i love the ricochets. >> that's what is fascinating and we waited with baited breath to know who will ob each night. the first night is not necessarily going to be tame. elizabeth warren will try to create a stately type of persona. i don't think she will throw a lot of swings. she will look presidential and policy focused. i think the second night is going to be pretty wild. to put it mildly. >> pete buttigieg will appear on stage and here's what mayor pete said about franken in our "hardball" town hall last week.

it seems like a year ago. >> al franken, should he have been pushed to resign from the u.s. senate by the democratic caucus? >> i think it was his decision to make. i think the way we basically held him to a higher standard than the gop does has been used against us. >> do you think he should have been pushed to leave. >> it was his decision. >> i'm not asking about his decision. should the other members at the caucus from chuck schumer down and the other people who pushed him to get out, were they right or wrong? >> it's not a bad thing that we hold ourselves to a higher standard. >> were they right? >> i would not have applied that pressure at that time before we knew more. >> isn't interesting how people get to an answer. there are so many senators. to be fair, kamala harris and

michael bennet in the middle of the race and worried about doug jones. >> it's going to be near impossible for buttigieg to go after jill brandt or draw a distinction there. he is already having to answer accusations that he is getting more attention because he's a white mail compared to the more experienced female candidates. >> why do you think it's his fault. beto got a lot of attention and it hurt him. >> for did. we will see what the light does to buttigieg. how do you answer that question when you say are they paying attention to me more because i'm a man and the mayor. >> barney frank who is a brilliant frank and openly gay, he said because he's gay. that makes him interesting. >> there is a lot of reasons why he's breaking out and got so much press attention. he's a great messenger and

represents change in our party. kirst kirstin gillibrand is desperaty in in need of a break out. >> the in accident is in july. >> kirstin gillibrand will qualify, but she has a tough time qualifying for the third. on the third debate, you have to get at least 2% in national polls and raise grass roots donations. >> let me ask you both. is this a time to pick a candidate that can beat the other guy, trump, or is it still the baskin and robbins era. you go into an ice cream store and go i think i'm going to try pistachio today. i get the feeling it's still like -- i liked buttigieg last night or kirstin jill brangillii

liked tulsi gabbard. >> i was on the trail with elizabeth warren talking to voters in michigan and indiana. there is a little bit of that. there is also this real desire for stability and calm. they see a chaos that they want ended. that's kind of vanilla. that's no risks. what is going to be there. war know seems great and buttigieg seems radio great, but biden is vanilla. >> how much he likes it. on his interview with fox, president trump weighed in on several democrats. here is the slur machine. hold your ears. >> everybody knows that joe biden does not have what it takes. he doesn't have what it takes. everybody knows that. >> what are does that mean? >> it means that -- mental capacity and a lot of different things. i see pocahontas is doing better. i would love to run against her,

frankly. i see that bernie sanders is not doing well at all. i would like to have run -- it's probably those three. i don't see the other ones. i don't see it. they talk about kamala. i don't see kamala. i think it's between the three of them. mayor pete i don't see at all. that's a joke. >> is he smart? >> he got her name wrong. elizabeth warren is on the rise and biden and bernie are still the top two candidates. >> is she going to pass bernie? >> i think so. >> the support she is building on the ground, she is very good in a town hall. people are taking notice. >> the one thing we have to keep in mind is she is not bundling. she is unable to raise the funds in larger amounts to stay in the race. hopefully the grass roots donations will come in. >> i hate conversations about fund-raisin fund-raising. i know it's necessary, but it

appalls me. >> she has twice the staff of anybody else running. >> the socialist tag is not helping. the only poled group are those under 30 who do not like that title. up next, we are giving you a sneak peek at "hardball's" coming special event, the deciders. we will hear from voters in the state of ohio. while republicans need to win, we will find out how it looks right now next week. this is great stuff. we want to see this. coming up. we want to see this. coming up. this is the couple who wanted to get away

who used expedia to book the vacation rental which led to the discovery that sometimes a little down time can lift you right up. expedia. everything you need to go. expedia. moving? that's harder now because of psoriatic arthritis. but you're still moved by moments like this. don't let psoriatic arthritis take them away. taltz reduces joint pain and stiffness and helps stop the progression of joint damage. for people with moderate to severe psoriasis, 90% saw significant improvement. taltz even gives you a chance at completely clear skin. don't use if you're allergic to taltz. before starting, you should be checked for tuberculosis. taltz may increase risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection, symptoms, or received a vaccine or plan to. inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz, including worsening of symptoms. serious allergic reactions can occur.

for all the things that move you. ask your doctor about taltz.

on a john deere x300 series mower. because seasons change but true character doesn't. wow, you've outdone yourself this time. hey, what're neighbors for? it's beautiful. run with us. search "john deere x300" for more. this is a commercial and i know you're thinking. i don't want to hear about insurance. 'cause let's be honest... nobody likes dealing with insurance. right? see, esurance knows it's expensive. i feel like i'm giving my money away. so they're making it affordable. thank you, dennis quaid. you're welcome, guy in kitchen. i named my character walter. that's great. i'd tell you more but i only have thirty seconds so

here's a dramatic shot of their tagline so you'll remember it. when insurance is affordable, it's surprisingly painless. >> welcome back to "hardball." on monday night coming up, i won't be in washington or new york or with politicians or the big shots. i will be in dayton, ohio at 10:00 talking to people that matter. the voters. we call them the deciders. dayton is in montgomery county that voted for obama twice and voted for trump in 2016. the state did the same. talking to voters and how they are feeling 2.5 years into trump's presidency. for some, the strong economy makes the president's behavior not matter. >> people don't like exactly how

he goes about doing it, but he -- that's trump. whether you like it or not. the bottom line, he's getting things done. >> economically for me it seems to be like 100% better. >> if i would want a preacher up in the white house, i would have voted a preacher guy in. >> we talked to a left leaning voter who had a warning for democrats come 2020. let's watch. >> the democrats, i'm fed up with them because they have sold out to the corporations just like the gop. maybe not as bad, but bad enough to make me vote for -- i voted for jill stein in the last presidential election. i don't feel like i wasted my vote at all. i exercised 3450i vote with what the parties were serving up.m ve

parties were serving uy vote wi the parties were serving up. the democrats had that election to lose. i'm afraid they will lose the next one, too. >> for helena, montana he interviewed there today. working with me come monday night. what's the mood in the country in ohio and montgomery county, dayton, ohio. are they ready for trump again? >> a lot of people are. i love the deciders that you did first because a lot of those issues are the same in ohio. the bottom line is for many people the economic bottom line. you talked to people and we sfoek one spoke to one 21-year-old who doesn't like how the president is acting. the other big issue is the same in pennsylvania and ohio, health care and who will the democratic

party run? who do democrats run that can compete in the states. you might want a more liberal candidate, but in a place like ohio and pennsylvania and moderates and how people speak to people matters. this is what we heard. he will position himself as a man who can talk to people who are outside of that beltway. you and i have talked about this. the russia investigation does not rate in ohio. it doesn't matter as much as paying for your kid's tuition or putting food on the table. >> another question that keeps leaping into my mind is will the democrats who participated go to the debates and are they going to represent the larger democratic vote? a lot of moderate democrats don't participate, but they vote in november. those people, the ones that don't show up for the primaries and the debates think it's

patriotic to vote in november. they vote. >> and how do you balance getting through the democratic primary with the general election? 23 candidates going at each other on two stages in two nights. that's going to be nasty. we saw the way that the republicans did this to their party two years ago during the presidential election. when you look at the debates and you look at how people are jockeying around, who is going to position themselves in a general election to compete with donald trump in the places like pennsylvania and ohio where we will be on monday night. you are talking to voters about jobs and health care and less about how donald trump is behaving in public and how he behaves on the foreign trips. getting through the primary and positioning yourself as someone who wins in a general and winning in the primary is going to be tricky and you know better than anybody, the way the candidates position themselves is going to matter a great deal. >>

>> help me with this disconnect. people recognize a stronger economy and don't credit trump for it and some people connect the two. >> they connect with the salesman job. he comes to your town and said look at the new jobs. employers can't find enough employees. he is leaving out that they are not paying a living wage. $10 an hour is not enough to support your family. need a second or third job. he comes to the towns and spends time in them. that is key. every democrat said hillary should have done a better job about banging on doors and she didn't do a good jump job and donald trump comes 20 your hometown and said i understand the issues and the democratic party does not. >> so important. we will talk about that and we will get the people to talk about that. the sense of being discarded in the smaller cities. unfortunately the hillary campaign did not make the visits

the way trump did. it's as simple as who cares who shows up. we will see you monday in dayton. don't miss the deciders monday at 10:00 p.m. we will not be on at 7:00, but 10:00. i'm overwomoverwhelmed. we will get to that in a minute. we will get to that in a minute.

>> being an avid movie guy, politics remind me of what i once saw on film. when i watched that interview with president trump and what he did with george stephanopoulos and trying to deny his polls show him losing key states and george insisting on the cruel reality, i couldn't stop thinking of that famous back seat scene and on the waterfront, trying to deny to his brother played by marlon brando that sold him out. >> i could have had class. i could have been a contender. i could have been somebody. instead of a bum. let's face it.

>> okay. okay. >> in both cases, two guys argue in the back seat and one truth is between them. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. all in with chris hayes starts now. >> tonight on all in. >> the president of the united states of america is prepared to commit a felony to get reelected. >> the president tries and fails to launder his call for collusion through trump tv. >> of course you have to look at it. if you don't look at it, how will you know if it's bad. >> the head of the federal elections commission on her stinging rebuke of the president. plus, donald trump finally faces the questions he avoided from robert mueller. >> why would don mcgahn lie under oath? >> because he wanted himself to look like a good lawyer. >> on the debate stage