watching. that does it for this hour. i'm nicolle wallace, but i am going to be back tonight, like, forever. i think six hours, not just me, all the fun friends you like, round two of the debates here on msnbc. but first "mtp daily" with my friend chuck todd starts right now. ♪ if it's thursday, it's meet the press daily coming to you live from the arch center for the performing arts and the heart of beautiful miami, florida. a little hot, are i'll admit. once again we are here in the debate spin room. we've got hot air in here. and once again queue the election music. ♪ don't tell me you're tired of it already. i'm not. i can't wait. it feels like it's now upon us.

and i've been on that stage in just a few hours on msnbc, on nbc, and on telemundo. my colleagues and i will moderate the second night of this democratic debate extravaganza and what some are describing as the marquee of the two nights. why? let's take a look at this democratic lineup. he's got his biggest ideological foil. bernie sanders on one side, and his biggest generational foil, pete buttigieg, on the other. not to be underestimated, kamala harris, who is another big name to watch tonight. does she have the chops for the nomination? we are going to talk all about it without giving away any of my moderator secrets, we are going to break it down what it means for tonight. i will be talking to campaign officials. we've also got democratic strategists and a peek inside some of our reporter friends'

notebooks to hear what they are hearing behind the scenes. beto o'rourke was a bit anxious from one of our reporters. was it spin or not? now we know. so it's another huge night and a jam-packed hour. so let's get right to it. so without further ado, if you're excited about politics, who do you have next to you? this guy. chris matthew, host of "hardball." but, chris, come on, man, you can't wait for this stuff. you've been on all sides of this stuff. first let's quickly give me your one-liner about last night. >> god, last night. um, i think no republican who is looking for an alternative to donald trump found the candidate last night. >> did you think republicans were tuning into the democratic debate looking for an alternative? >> they have to find one because they don't like trump. >> but they've got bill weld. are you saying they don't want to pick on the republican side? >> i think that if you're looking for a middle-of-the-road

pitch, we didn't hear it last night. >> stephanie, what was your takeaway? >> i think elizabeth warren did what she needed to do. >> why? >> i think she owned the first half of that debate, and she looked like a frontrunner. i also think what people saw across the board last night, and i felt really good about this is, you saw a democratic presidential primary where folks are debating ideas. but there's clearly shared values on that stage. and i would think that is a really important piece. so if anything, we saw some of that last night. >> i want to play -- we put together a mash of the trump-bashing because of how little there was of it. >> yeah. >> let's show it to you, and i'm curious what your reaction is to that. here it is. >> the biggest threat to the security of the united states is donald trump. >> this president is literally every single day ten minutes away from going to war, one tweet away from going to war, and i don't think we should conduct foreign policy --

>> all right. your time is up. >> conduct policy in our bath robe. >> no u.s. president has ever been prosecuted for crimes after leaving office. do you think that president trump could or should be the first? >> i guess there is always a first. i don't think anyone's above the law. >> it was interesting, chris, that two people didn't get a lot of hits. trump didn't get a lot of hits. that seemed to be assumed, but neither did joe biden. >> i just want to think that i think stephanie's dead night. the winner last night was elizabeth warren. she was consistently a populist. we got to bring down the power of all the economic power and break it up for the other people. i think it was absolutely consistent. but i don't think it's an appeal to moderate republicans and democrats. it was a progressive pitch. i think that's what mattered last night. but my question about all these things is don't ask people who won the debate. look at the polls afterwards and see how they have changed. i think you are right,

stephanie. i think that some of the newbies or people that are less known, i think that booker will look a little it err in the polls. that's my hunch. tonight i just think it's going to be those two guys who will be 80 and people in the more appropriate age group who are going against them. >> kamala a real opportunity tonight. >> i was just going to say this to me feels like, look, there is no make or break for anybody. but she's been on this -- she is in the top tier. nobody denies that, but it's like where is her place there. this is an opportunity to say, hey, you know what, i'm a contender. >> i think that's exactly right, and i think that's what you're going to see tonight. first off, the visual is going to be so different. you've got strong women on that stage, strong women on both nights, which is really stroor. i think she is going to shine tonight. also on your point i want to talk about that real briefly about trump because with ethought about this a lot in

2018 and frankly we got to a place like you don't have to talk about trump because he's everywhere. >> right. >> he's getting talked about all the time. and even those moderate republicans, they don't want to talk about trump anymore either. they want to hear solutions, and i think that's what you saw last night and what you're going to see in this primary. >> like we all know, we meet these people in the green room. they don't know the range of the personality. she can be very tough as a prosecutor, a former d.a., attorney general, she is very tough on people like kavanaugh, very tough. yet when you meet her in the green room, there is a richness. >> you were talking about polls i wouldn't want to look at a single poll. i was into the google searches because i am curious. that at least tells you, and let me put up the google search stuff. cory booker was first on that.

tulsey gabbard. i know some are mocking that because they think it's some sort of bots or something. beto o'rourke, three. de blasio, four. warren and castro. just an interesting. >> i'm big on the booker thing. i think people did like the look of him last night. i think that he has always performed. i said this last night. all the top fives had their flavor of the week. beto was on the cover of "vanity fair." and boot judge became like everybody's favorite ice cream. >> but we are going to have a lot more of those weeks. >> that we're going to see a lot of what 2012 republicans? >> i think that's where we are. a lot of those names you just put up, like, folks have never even heard them before until last night. so i think that's part of what's going on. and they're like what is this. and chairman perez of the democratic national committee, he's like there's going to be a

lot of dating of candidates. there is going to be a lot of, you know, fall in love, fall in love five times. >> 2012 romney was sitting here while the base wanted to play with so many other candidates. and is that happening here with the democrats where there is a certain group with biden and then a whole bunch of other, boy, i'm curious about warren, i'm curious about harris, i am curious about bernie. is that what we're seeing? >> i think it's baskin-robbins time. people would say i think i will try on buttigieg this week. i tried beto last week and i am kind of tired of warren. >> he went from flavor of the month to suddenly, like, this is a huge -- you never want to say a first debate, as i said earlier, this is a huge moment for him. >> it is. he's coming out of some really, really tough situation. >> should he be there? >> well, he is running for president. you've got to balance that out, right? >> you've got to walk and chew gum? >> you've got to do both those

things. but he's going to have to address it to the public tonight. we will see how that goes. >> you know, his problem with the black community is so powerful. as time goes on, but it's real. it was the firing of the police chief. >> it was something in that community out there. we couldn't get that when we were out there with him, couldn't figure out exactly what it was, but there is some sort of rejection going on there. >> and as we know and presidential primaries on the democratic side, the african-american community is key. and senator harris, senator warren, even klobuchar and gillibrand, particularly with the work they are doing with african-american women. >> of the nonfront-runners, who is going to be tonight's julian castro? >> i think it's going to be michael bennet. he is very likeable. he is a very thoughtful person. he looks like a guy who's thinking. >> that's very interesting, and i keep thinking someone from the west. i am a montana someone, someone from the west is going to pop up. it's like come on.

sarah gillibrand has not had sort of the moment yet either. she is very smart and very talented, so we will see. >> i mean, has she just been damaged by this donor community issue with al franken? you know this donor community well, stephanie. has that been the hardest part of this for her? >> there's definitely rumbles around that. i think we have all heard that. but we're also 125 peop25 peoplg for president. so this is just tough. >> it's just starting his podcast now. >> he is slowly getting back into public life. >> humbly, which is very important. with real moral humility is the only way you can do it. >> this was a great way to start. chris, are you having fun? >> i love this midnight stuff. >> chris matthews after midnight, that's, what else

duchdo you want? >> thank you both. much more to come as we get ready for night two. the early banks of debating. up next i will talk with a senior member of the biden campaign. and later we will hear from the harris and gillibrand campaigns about their game plans for tonight. and all this hour, we will show you some of the highlights from night one starting with last night's candidates on the biggest threat facing america. >> greatest geopolitical threat to the united states right now? >> china. nuclear weapons. >> donald trump. >> iran. chimt change. >> chimt change. >> china and climate change. >> russia because they are trying to undermine our democracy. use they are trying to undermine our democracy. maria ramirez! mom! maria! maria ramirez... mcdonald's is committing 150 million dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs...

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welcome back to this special eition of "meet the press daily." it's not just a clash between twof the biggest names in the democratic party, but it's also

a battle of ideology, restoration, and revolution. in a moment i'm going to talk with a top official in the biden campaign, but let's start with our msnbc news correspondent who has been tracking all of the developments with the biden campaign since, frankly, biden was obama's runningmate. before he was years not months here. the most unique thing about this debate tonight for joe biden. it's the first time he's ever been a frontrunner going into a primary democratic debate. >> i spent a lot of time watching some of those 2007 debates. he was having fun. he had the position to stand back and talk about the issues, iraq was the big one but also joke with people on the stage. >> people like me and chris matthews would say, boy, joe biden seemed to have the best night. i remember those debates. >> it was never hillary and obama, was always -- but, you know, joe biden. >> he was laughing, he was loose, and that is what made an impression.

and then also let's remember there is a lot of pressure on him tonight as the front-runner. but there is a lot of pressure on him in 2008. sarah palin, how do you debate sarah palin and against paul ryan raised significantly when president obama flopped frankly in that first debate. the team biden relished that opportunity he wanted to show that he was value to the ticket. but it's very different now. then he was vouching for president obama's record. tonight his record very much going to be a topic of conversation and under attack from his rivals. >> was team biden at all alarmed that the impression and the totality of what the democrats were presenting last night was a pretty big move to the left? now, i think after tonight where you'll see it will show you that the democratic party i think has a wider range. >> wider spectrum. >> than you saw last night. partly because the two other moderates didn't seem to be able to puncture through with warren

and julian and the others. >> at the heart of the biden campaign is the front that it's not as far left it is as twitter thinks it is. and i think last night they saw people crowding into the warren and sanders campaign. talk about how they broadly share some of the same goals including expanding access to health care, but make it clear where he stands and where they think most of the voters are. >> good to see you, brother. simone sanders is a senior adviser with the biden campaign. more importantly she worked with the sanders campaign four years ago. simone, welcome, nice to see you. >> nice to see you too. do you want to just debate sanders for us? >> i'll hold that for you guys tonight. >> fair enough. were you guys surprised at how little joe biden was mentioned in last night's debate? >> you know, i wasn't actually. and i don't think our campaign was either. chuck didn't really give folks a

lot of time, two hours is not enough. there is ten people on the stage. >> talk to the dnc on that one. but i hear you. >> but with all kidding aside, campaigns had to make a decision about how they wanted to use their time on the stage last night. similarly tonight campaigns are going to have to make another decision. you got a lot of folks last into indigent that needed a break-out moment but also needed to introduce themselves to the american people. did they use that time? they had to make a decision. will they use to time to take a hit at the proverbial frontrunner, or introduce themselves to the american people? i think we saw a lot of folks chose latter. >> after this debate is over, what do you hope the average viewer takes away from joe biden's performance? >> why he is in this race, what he plans to do as president. that is what we've been prepping for in debate prep, frankly. and that's what the vice president's strategy will be tonight on that debate stage. i think cable news particularly talks a lot about joe biden. but you don't always get to hear about his policies. and so tonight will be his

opportunity to speak directly to the voters will climate change. >> do you think we are going to learn something new that we haven't? people that feel like they know joe biden, do you think they are going to learn something new? >> i don't think we are going to break any new policy tonight. but the vice president has come out for the decriminalization of marijuana. that's not something that a lot of people know and something that i just said but you will also hear him say on the debate stage tonight. >> do you accept the premise that the debate stage last night appeared to be to the left? >> i think last night's debate was a debate of ideas. it made me proud to be a democrat last night. as soon as i tuned in, they were like we were talking about a marginal tax rate. >> you know you're in a democratic debate when? there's cheering for homework. >> look, i think the democratic party is a very big tent, and i think democrats are united in the idea in the want and the

thought that we would like to remove donald trump from office at the ballot box in november. >> there is going to be this funt message conversation. and it seems to be there's this fundamental debate that both campaigns have a theory of this voter. one says the democratic voter looks at what happened in 2016 and says the change wasn't big enough, you got to show that. others are going to say, whoa, whoa, whoa, you can't go too far. you've got to bring everybody along, i don't want to say incrementally, but you've got to bring everybody along together if you're going to win. how can joe biden say he's going to be transformational and sort of bring everybody along at the same time? >> i think, frankly, i think what joe biden is doing is making a very transformational argument. bipartisanship seems like a radical concept in this day and age, and i don't know how folks think we are going to get anything done if folks can't work across the aisle, if you don't have a plan on how to pay for things. those are things you're going to hear joe biden articulate on the

stage tonight. trump was, yes, the tipping point, if you will, for him getting in, in 2020 when he saw neo-nazis marching. so you're going to hear him talk about that and articulate his vision for america. >> did you play bernie sanders in debate? >> i'm going to get into our debate prep strategy, but i can say that i do have a pretty good bernie sanders impersonation, but i'm not going to be doing that on air. >> maybe it'll become a contest. thanks for coming on. up ahead, for democrats looking to win in the general election, how far left is too far left to go in the primary? but first, a push-back last night that earned one candidate some big applause. >> i am the only candidate here who has passed a law protecting a women's right of reproductive health and health insurance. >> i just want to say there are three women up here who have fought pretty hard for a woman's

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we are back here in the spin room here. my favorite place to be, miami, florida, where we are counting down to tonight's big debate which is shaping up to be a clash of subideologies within the democratic party umbrella featuring the democratic moderate in this case joe biden and the democratic socialist, bernie sanders. the big question on the minds of

some democrats last night, how left might be too far left for this democratic party? so let's bring in a couple of democratic strategists to discuss this issue. adrian elrod. and koreen jon pi year. perhaps no issue sort of showed the split than the issue of private insurance. let me play that excerpt from last night. >> who here would abolish their prifrt health insurance in favor of a government-run plan? just a show of hands to start off with. [ applause ] >> so, yes. i'm with bernie on medicare for all. and let me tell you why. >> when somebody comes across the border, not to criminalize sbration. [ applause ] desperation. >> to treat that as a civil violation. >> i want to challenge every single candidate on this stage to support the repeal of section

1325. >> now i'm not trying to put the two of you in two different democratic boxes, but i'm going to put the two of you into democratic boxes. the issue of private insurance politically, how tough is that to defend in the general election? >> well, i think it is going to be tough. and i think this is always tough, as you know, very well because you have been covering elections for a long time. you've got, you are trying to cater to the left, you are trying to cater to the very progressive wing of the party. and then you hear from the nominee. then you've got to pivot to more of a general election strategy. i think when some of the candidates last night were contrasting medicare for all sounds great until you then find out that, oh, wait a minute, you might lose your private insurance. that's going to be an ongoing issue in this debate. >> it's inevery tbl that if warren is the nominee, you know what would happen, the republicans would use all the criticism from fellow democrats. you're pushing for a more

progressive -- >> yep. >> democratic party. what's the line there? >> see, i see -- >> or do you not accept the premise? >> i don't accept the theory of the case. >> no, that's good, i want that. >> look, the problem that i have really is the labelling. i think this is where democrats put ourselves in trouble once we start talking about socialism, once we start talking about how far left. >> you are going to hear socialism tonight probably from a democrat. >> and the problem i have with that is it's giving to your points republicans' talking points. and the thing that's got to happen is regardless of who the nominee, what trump is going to do is he is going to say that person is a social -- it can be biden. he is going to say that person is a socialist. the democratic party has gone too far left. so it almost doesn't really matter because they are going to use it no matter what. >> well, it's funny you bring this up.

bill de blasio decided to do an event today. mark caputo who is a reporter for "politico." we are still trying to get our own footage of this. but mayor de blasio does not speak for -- this is from the florida democratic party. bill de blasio basically quoted che guevara. donald trump hopes to use the s-word against democrats. so democrats are hoping nobody would be quoting che guevara. and here is the mayor of new york city coming down and doing that. helpful or not helpful? >> sure, of course. it's certainly not helpful. but, i mean, look, we've got 25 candidates now running in the democratic primary. you are going to have candidates who are going to go out there and say things constantly that are not helpful. we've got to keep in mind that last night bill de blasio is pulling around 1%. >> he is the mayor of the largest city in america.

but he can get a little attention. >> sure, no, absolutely. so i think certainly the media and certainly donald trump is going to focus on any sort of -- >> america's hometown did this for him. >> that anybody says they will focus on that to try to make it a big issue. >> and just to your point, the florida democratic party had to denounce one of its own. >> it is the push-pull that's going on, and we are going to see that probably tonight when you have some middle of the grount centrist folks. that is just the kind of the way that we are. it is a primary. this is what happens. we are going to debate kind of ideas i wish we would not debate labels and just focus on the ideas. i mean, look what's happening this week with immigration. we have the picture and we talked about any yesterday of this father and his young girl facing the water dead. like, those are the things we should be talking about. that's why i think castro did a great job yesterday. he brought up a real issue that

needed to be discussed. >> here the house democratic leadership is faced with this pragmatism in the moment versus something principled when it comes to how this is doing. nancy pelosi has basically made the decision to put this bill to the floor without the fixes that alexandria ocasio-cortez and some other progressives wanted. what do activists think of that? >> it's a tough one because we've had a new cycle this week where i just mentioned the pictures where we heard about homestead and how these kids are really not being taken care of, no toothbrush, no soap. it's really horrific, kids walking around without diapers. and so there is something we tell the folks who are legislating to legislate and to do something. so they are stuck in a weird corner where they have to react and actually get stuff done. but they can't give away everything as well. they got to make sure that the money is used for a specific purpose, and that's the hard

part. >> adrienne, if they feel like we are working so hard for you and then you're comprising on this? to some people you are comprising on morality, it's a tough thing to say you are comprising. >> that's why leader pelosi, i am so glad that she is there because she is able to strike a balance between the progressive caucus and maters. >> do you think it's a good move politically? >> i think it's really, really complicated because of the new story that we have seen this week, and it's heartbreaking. >> i was going to say i think the photo accelerated the necessary movement to get this legislation passed. >> i didn't mean to divide you two. >> we will never be divided. we are far more united. >> friendly fire. adrienne elrod, thank you for seeing you both. i will talk with two more campaigns about what they hope their candidates' impact on night two.

but first, last night, elizabeth warren putting it bluntly. >> it's very plausible you be elected president with a republican senate. do you have a plan to deal with mitch mcconnell? >> i do. [ cheers and applause ]

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welcome back to miami where to want two of the four women senators running for president will be on the stage and standing right next to each other. kamala harris of california will be trying to use a strong performance tonight to re-establish herself as one of the front-runners in this race while new york's kirsten gillibrand. in a moment i will be joined by the gillibrand campaign communications director. but with me now is lily adams. she is the communications director for kamala harris' campaign. nice to see you. >> good to be here. >> let me start with just this basic question. what do you want your average viewer tonight to take away from

kamala harris' performance? >> i think there are two things, chuck. the first is that she is just positioned to answer what is on many democrats' mind which is who is best positioned to beat donald trump in november. we are going to multitask here tonight, chuck. but first is on electability. and the second is that she really has plans to answer the problems that are keeping americans up at night. talking about her 3:00 a.m. agenda, talking about health care costs, talking about getting the middle class the largest tax cut that they have seen in a generation, talking about equal pay and teacher pay. >> this is not the first time joe biden's been up there standing next to a million people. this is not the first time bernie sanders -- i'm curious, what is the debate history for senator harris did she have to do one of these six, eight, ten debate -- because you do have the weird ballot in california so she might've been on there.

how often has she done this kind of? >> the last time she debated was in the senate debate against loretta sanchez. whether it was with jeff sessions, whether it was with brett kavanaugh, she has always risen to the occasion. she has always hit her mark. >> did she watch last night's debate? >> she did. she watched it at her hotel. they had a big, you know, bag of popcorn. but i think she just -- a lot of these folks are her colleagues she wanted to see sort of what the forma the was like. but i think just wanted to get a sense of how the flow is going to go, but she feels good. >> how much does she want to contrast herself with joe biden on the electability? is this something that you hope the contrast is obvious or do you think you're going to have to prosecute the case? >> well, i think she has been making the case that, look, this is somebody who for two and a half years when there was john kelly who was trying to, you know, break the promise to

dreamers, when there was kristen nielsen who was separating kids at the border. the one who was always there who said i'm going to hold you accountable has been kamala harris. i think it's good that there are also 25 democrats now who are prosecuting the case, but she has been there, and i think she's going to do that tonight. but i don't think it's going to be in cop forecast with one particular candidate. >> what are the sort of four or five issues that democrats are feeling passionate about. we at least showcase the top four or five issues throughout the night. what is one of those top four issues that you think viewers will connect more with her than others? >> yeah. well, i think that starting with, you know, almost half of american families can't afford a $400 expense. people can't make it to the end of the month. and so she has a plan to solve that. she proposed a lift tax which is a $6,000 tax cut for folks who are making under $100,000 a year that they can get it up to $500

a month. she is going to reverse the trump tax cuts to do it. i think that's the kind of tangible results that, you know, really do speak to the. >> it's interesting that you see the economy as number one, not health care, not climate, why? >> she's just been traveling the country listening to folks who, again, yes, they are concerned about health care, but we're going to have to do different things at different times. but i think she does think that if you are looking at those staggering statistics about the number of families about who are one unexpected bill away from catastrophe, she wants to answer that question for folks tonight. >> thanks for coming on. >> good to see you. >> appreciate it. see you soon. with me now is meredith kelly. she is the communications director for kirsten gillibrand's campaign. what do you hope viewers take away tonight? the average viewer takes away tonight about senator joe biden? >> well, we are facing the most consequential presidential campaign in modern history. i think when you recognize the threat and the failure of the

leadership that donald trump presents, kirsten will display two key characteristics. one, throughout her entire career, she has been willing to take on fights that no one else will. she's taken on the pentagon to repeal don't ask don't tell on behalf of our lgbtq service members. she took on the banks and voted against the wall street bailout. she's taken on the issue of sexual violence in the military in congress and in our colleges. and so these are not always popular fights, but she's along to take them on including voting against trump's agenda more than any other u.s. senator. >> what do you believe that she will -- is there a specific fight that she thinks biden and bernie aren't executing? let's put it on those two tonight since they are the center stage that she would be prosecuting that, you know what, not a nominee biden, not a kamala harris, not a bernie sanders. what is that? >> well, the other key piece that i was going to mention is she will be the fiercest fighter

for women and their reproductive rights. and it barely came up last night. this has been something she's been working on for a very long time. she's the only senator who went down to georgia to the front lines to stand with patients and providers who were facing donald trump's abortion bans. she stood there and rolled out the most comprehensive reproductive agenda that every single candidate in the field has followed. the roe verse wade judicial litmus test, guaranteed access to abortion in all 50 states, overturning hyde and codifying rowe. >> the good news is she realized ooh, i don't want to get outflanked on this issue, but then all of a sudden you don't get to distinguish yourself on the issue. i want to make the climate a priority. i agree, yes, i'm with you, is

that -- how does she sort of pivot from that? >> well, i think that's value in its own right and it's something that senator gillibrand is very proud of. she started talking about paid leave in 2013 when no one else thought it would be important to discuss. and so she's going to become president and she's going to carry that issue all the way to completion. and it's something she does over and over. and regardless of who wins this nomination, moving the needle on issues that help women and families and children is something she's going to be very proud of. >> talk to me about debate prep. how did you guys do it? did she watch the debate last night? >> we watched it together last night. >> it was interesting to see how the moderators performed as well as -- >> it's good to hear that. >> as well as the other candidates. and it's very exciting to see the vast array of talent. i do think we are going to look for opportunities for her to

distinguish herself though and why she is the best candidate to take on donald trump, ready to take on the biggest fight we face as americans right now. >> i threw the same question throughout the harris campaign. has she done one of these sort of eight, ten-person, like, ordeals before? >> no. there is nothing quite like this. and i think anyone that pretends that this is a normal experience is -- >> i feel like you have biden and bernie who have done this before in different ways, who have at least experienced -- to me i noticed that last night, people that had not done this before, you're like uh-oh. >> here's what i will say that makes her uniquely prepared is she's been a senator for more than ten years and was in the house for a cycle before that. and during her long-elected career, she had to fight off republicans. she originally won a 2-1 republican district in upstate new york, had to beat off several democratic primary opponents in her senate races over and over, and ultimately she is the highest vote-getter in new york state history. >> the new york city tabloids,

we are easy compared to that. thank you, kelly. up ahead, i will talk with two top political reporters and what to look for on this second debate night. but first cory booker who went viral without saying a word. [ speaking spanish ] ♪ when y right down to it... freedom is the ability to go where you wanna go... and do what you wanna do. so... what do you wanna do? ♪ the 2019 jeep compass.

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where's gate 87? don't get mad. get e*trade and start trading today. welcome back. live from the spin room here in miami. this is the place to be right now if you're a political reporter of any stripe. and the place to pick up a little bit of scoop about what the campaign from the candidates are thinking and feeling ahead of tonight's big debate. and joining me now, we have abi livingston, and juana summers, national political reporter for "the associated press." ap always gets the first question. no offense. >> i can go with that. >> i hear you. juana, give me some scuttlebutt. >> this is the big night everybody has been waiting for. but also one that can carry through the weekend after. big things i'm watching is what

does bernie sanders do. his campaign for the last week has been telegraphing to me -- on former vice president joe biden. he's been one of the most he's been one of the most outspoken candidates talking about his record. i'm curious what the tone of that conversation will be particularly as he's likely to take some heat from another member of his own party and former colorado governor john hickenlooper leaning into the anti-socialism narrative. >> it's interesting, there's an idea biden will be in the crosshairs here. you just set up the idea it could end up being bernie in the crosshairs. what are you picking up? >> one thing to think about looking back to last night, i want to.could back to texas. >> i will give you your texas moment. >> julian castro was punchy in a way that wasn't gimmicky. one of the questions a source who has a candidate on the stage, he wonders if candidates will start amping it up and come harder because they see the

example that julian set. >> trust me, those of us that are going to be delivering questions tonight are wondering that ourselves on that front. i'm going to limit that there a little bit. kamala harris, what do we think is going to happen there? >> this is a moment that her campaign has been hyping up for a long time. some of they are best moments of her campaign so far have come in the halls of the senate when she's sitting on the committees and questioning these candidates. and i think if you look at that speech at the south carolina democratic primary convention, you see how he's going to weave that experience in with her ability to the ask questions. the question i have as a person spending a lot of time with her, she's shown she's a great questioner and she says she can prosecute the case. if you as moderators or if the other candidates press her on questions about her record in the heat of the moment, how does she respond to those inquiries.

that's something we haven't seen from her. i think she's looking for this to be a big moment pete buttigieg the guy that was going to outraise the entire field. the front-runner space. he's got his own rough moment leadership crisis, if you will in south bend. what are you watching for with him tonight? >> i talked to several democratic sources tonight. there's no name that came up more unsolicited today than his. >> why? >> this is a very, very big moment for his campaign given account police shooting in southbound. the spotlight i'm assuming the moderators whomever those people are will put the spotlight on that. what we've noticed in past cycles is sometimes it's more fun to beat up on maybe not the front-runner but the next to front runner. >> bait tote o'rourke felt that a little bit last night. you're the texas reporter here. this was quite the little

exchange between the two star t texans beto o'rourke and julian castro. >> some of us on this stage have caused to end that section, to terminate it. some like congressman oh rourke have not. i want to challenge all of the candidates to do that. i just think it's a mistake, beto. i think it's a mistake. if you truly want to change the system, then we've got to repeal that section. >> i helped to introduce legislation that would insure that we don't criminalize those seeking asylum and refuge in this country. >> i'm not talking about the ones that are seeking asylum. >> i want to make sure they're treated with respect. >> i'm talking about everybody else. you said recently that the reason you didn't want to repeal section 1325 was because you were concerned about human tracking and drug trafficking. but let me tell you what, section 18, title 18 of the u.s. code, title 21 and 22 already cover human trafficking. >> a known smuggler or drug

trafficker they are. >> you would know we should repeal this section. >> abby, you know these folks. you covered beto closely and julian closely. is this -- was this inevitable? is this just -- is there something else going on here. >> i was shocked. i've snefr seen julian castro like that before. his reputation is cautious, timid. it gets annoying for him when people use that language. secretary castro said to me in april the debate is my big moment. he prepared for this. it's have an parent. he did the things you're supposed to do. but i think there's some underlying tension that castro camp said over and over this was not personal. secretary castro was the it the guy in texas politics till o'rourke came along. >> what i found interesting is bigger picture. they were debating this idea, do you decriminalize essentially the immigration process.

not everybody wanted to jump on that. you could see. was beto in his head when you're watching him, is he thinking about the general election and a talking point that republicans want to use which is democrats are for open borders. >> that's part of the calculus. for castro, this is an issue while we may not have gone the as much attention, his campaign feels like they've consistently led on. >> first immigration plan was julian. >> many other candidates have not done that. they have not goth the recognition frankly they think they should have. they prepared for this and saw it is and i a moment for this to be a differentiator. >> will this have an impact on democratic donors who like them bothing? >> the big guys, bundlers. >> are all with candidates not in texas. >> pretty much. there was some commentary castro impressed them but yeah. >> are they all with biden and harris. >> is that the big issue?

>> gillibrand has spent a long time building relationships in the state. the people who know how to get account rolodex going like kirsten gillibrand. >> you guys brought it. sources, sources, i heard it seven times. that's what we were talking about. thank you both. we'll be right back live from the spin room. night two, let's play two. democratic debate here in miami. . democratic debate here in miami. , why fingerstick when you can scan? with the freestyle libre 14 day system just scan the sensor with your reader, iphone or android and manage your diabetes. with the freestyle libre 14 day system, a continuous glucose monitor, you can check your glucose levels any time, without fingersticks. ask your doctor to write a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. you can do it without fingersticks. learn more at freestylelibre.us you can do it without fingersticks. if his denture can cope with... a steak. luckily for him, he uses super poligrip. it helps give him 65% more chewing power.

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that is all for "meet the press" daily" right now. i will see you in a little bit for night two of this two-night democratic debate extravaganza, nbc, msnbc, telemundo. the special coverage begins at 7:00, but there's great coverage right now. ari melber including a interview with one of the breakout performers from last night's debate, julian castro. ari, take it away. >> thank you. good luck back up there tonight. this is "the beat." i am ari melber reporting live from debate central in miami. three hours away from round two of this first democratic debate of 2020. first, americans really watched last night. they took in these new candidates. over 24 million people watching this first debate. that's more than watched any of the democratic primary debates in all of 2008. it underscores can the high stakes for the candidates meeting millions of voters for the very first time. the second thi