that wraps up this hour of msnbc live. andrea mitchell reports starts now. hey, andrea. >> thank you. united front nancy pelosi plans a vote tonight condemning the president's attacks on the four newly elected congresswomen of color. the speaker telling the fellow democrats "they are our sisters." >> the recent tweets and word from the president are a continuation of his racist phobic playbook. >> i want to tell children across this country is that no matter what the president says, this country belongs to you. and it belongs to everyone. >> given the size of this squad

and this great nation, we cannot, we will not be silenced. >> joining me ahead is civil rights leader congressman john lewis. it doesn't concern me because many people agree with me and all i'm saying, they want to leave, they can leave. empty cabinet. president trump is meeting with his diminished cabinet this hour as some face new questions about their own tenure and the longest vacancy at the top of the pentagon in u.s. history. >> if you're asked to do anything illegal or immoral and unethical and that is the point you have to consider resignation. >> you would be willing to do that? >> absolutely.

good day, everyone. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. president trump is continuing to attack the first-term democratic congresswomen of color after they pushed back against his incendiary rhetoric. the president tweeting today he doesn't have a racist bone in his body. this after telling the congresswomen they should leave their country if they are not happy. a racist quote embraced by white supremacist. the president took up where he left off calling them vile, hateful, disgusting and hate laced. john lewis joins me now. congressman a pleasure to see you always. if this any way for the president of the united states to be discussing elected representatives from their country? >> this is not, not any way for the president of the united states to be attacking, to be

saying what he is saying about these young women. they are duly elected officials. they are elected by their people or their congressional district to serve as members of congress. you know we all come from some other place and it doesn't matter whether we are black or white or latino or asian american, native american who were the only people here when we go to here. it's just dead wrong and we must use everything in a most nonviolent way to say that it is wrong. it's not wrong for anyone in the white house, anyone in the congress, or anyone in america, it is wrong for them to tell people to come back where they came from. we heard this during the '60s when little children were trying to desegregate schools and when we were trying to desegregate lunch counters and restaurants

and we were trying to get the right to vote. we are not going back. we are here to say. >> is what the president said racist? >> what he said and what he continue to say is racist. it is racism. you cannot hide it. you cannot sweep it under the american rug. >> he tries, and the republicans leaders have all tried to say this is more about socialism. what do you think they are trying to do here? >> well, they are trying to cover-up a great ground that cannot be covered up. people of this country will not stand for it. we have come so far and we have made so much progress. we are not going back, we are going forward to create one america, one people, one family. we all live in the same house, the american house. >> i want to play a little bit more of what they had to say yesterday for anyone who had not seen it already and then ask you about it on the other side,

congressman. let's watch. >> i encourage the american people and all of us in this room and beyond to not take the bait. >> he would love nothing more than to divide our country based on race, religion, gender, orientation, or immigration status, because this is the only way he knows he can prevent the solidarity of us working together. >> we will stay focused on our agenda and we won't get -- slip him because all of this is a distraction. it's a distraction from what is most important and from our core values as american citizens. >> despite this, and other many attempts to distract us, i remain focused. we remain focused on holding him accountable to the laws of this land and accountable to the american people. >> congressman lewis, you were in the caucus today, i presume. i know there have been both

generational and tactical differences between these four, the self-described squad and the speaker of the house. what did you hear from nancy pelosi today and how are those divisions perhaps being healed by what the president has done? >> today, we are together. we all are on one accord. and nothing, but nothing, not one thing will separate us. these are our four young smart sisters and we stand together as one congress, as one people. >> what are your concerns going forward about the election and the issue of impeachment which has been so divisive within the caucus and how this may impact democratic chances against president trump? >> well, as elected officials, as members of congress, we will continue to work hard and do our job and do it so well that no one else can do it any better.

>> i also wanted it ask you about a decision that was with made to block asylum seekers from our southern border. there is congressional law, there are international treaties. this is in defiance of that. is for the first time time to my knowledge, perhaps since world war ii, which preceded the passage of those laws, where people of a certain background or geography are being completely blocked. >> i think it's -- i think it's wrong. in history, would not be kind to us as nation and as a people if we continue to go down this road. it's not right, it's not fair, and it's not just. >> john lewis, congressman john lewis, you've seen so much history. you've made so much history. it's such an honor and a privilege to have you with us today. thank you very much, sir. >> thank you very much. congratulations on the great honor you will be receiving. >> thank you. thank you very much, congressman. joining me now, nbc news and

white house correspondent kristkris kristen welker and john robinson. the president is holding a cabinet meeting and we can imagine a lot of conversation coming out of that. we haven't seen the video yet to be released but what is the reaction inside the white house to what is going on? >> joo i . >> reporter: i continue to check my phone to see if anything is going on inside that cabinet meeting and so far, president trump is just getting going with the cabinet meeting so he is talking about the border and the situation there and now apparently going around the room and hearing from his cabinet, so we will bring you any updates as we get, because i assure you reporters will ask about this. president trump has been digging in on this issue overnight, throughout the morning, doubling down on those comments, essentially calling on those four freshmen congresswomen of color to leave the country, to

go back if they are not happy here. that has really put top official here at the white house on defense. kellyanne conway just answered a number of questions both on another cable news outlet and in front of reporters here on the drive, asked repeatedly about whether or not the president's tweets were, in fact, racist. now kellyanne conway disputes that they are racist but there is really a broader question here, which is, of course, this question promised to unite the country. i pressed her over and over again on whether or not these tweets fit into that promise that he made to the country. kellyanne conway dodging some of those questions and disputing them and trying to put the focus back on the record of the four freshmen congresswomen but it's clear the issue is not going away. you have dozens of democrat who have come forward to denounce the president's comments and democrats who are divided over the weekend and now very unified in condemning these comments and they will hold a vote on capitol hill later this evening.

as you mentioned, really to force house republicans to go on the record. they are going to try to get them to condemn the president's comments and to take names and see which lawmakers do and do not, in fact, do that. some republicans have come forward and said they disagree with the comments. jonie jo joni ernest sees the tweets as being racist. and hunt said he does not see the tweets as racist. all republicans with being asked to weigh in on this contentious issue for the president. it could be one that stirs his base which he wants to do head nothing a re-election campaign. >> eugene robinson, the individual republicans like senat senator ernst has spoke up. he is the only sitting member of

dock who marred with dr. king was john lewis. >> he was such a hero in the civil rights movement. go back to africa was a chant from the segregationist who tried to keep students from celebra integrating what had previously been all-white schools and try to keep public accommodations grated for whites only. that is essentially -- not just essentially. that is literally what the president said to four congresswomen, women of color, three of whom who have and claim africa ancestry, alexandria ocasio-cortez who is puerto rican and claims africa an restry and omar is from sfrik and pressley has also declared

that. it is the most astounding things i've heard come from a president. i'm not quite ready to go all the way to the political ramifications of this or that. it just has to be called out as unacceptable racism in this day and age, in this diverse country. as far as we have come, as congressman lewis said, we are not going back there. we have been there and we are not going back there. and republicans have to stand up and be counted and i'm glad there is going to be a vote. >> congresswoman omar spoke with ra rachel maddow last night. >> he has called us on to go back and fight corruption and fight these countries that have worse leaders and inept leader. we are living in one. he is that president.

he is corrupt. he is the worst president we have had. he is inept and we are going to call him out for it and we are going to hold him accountable. >> eugene, she is the only one of the four who is a u.s. -- she is a u.s. citizen and came here as a child from somalia and escaped the violence in that country. >> exactly. as she points out, look. these are members of congress. the president in his tweet said essentially how dare these black and brown women tell us how to run our government. they are elected members of congress. they are constitutional officers. that is their job. and but in his thinking, in his framework, he doesn't envision a country in which black women fill that role.

make america great again, as i've said before, to donald trump means make america white again. as clear an announcement of that deeper meaning as we have seen. >> eugene, thanks so much and thank you for being here. kristen, as always, you too. we will bring you more from the cabinet meeting as it comes out. coming up the republican response. republican leaders trying to change the subject. only a handful of members, including senator ernst condemning the president. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports." stay with us on msnbc. rts. stay with us on msnbc. ♪ and with bank of america and merrill, the benefits you get can grow, too. as a preferred rewards member, you can enjoy priority service and exclusive discounts... so your growing life can be more rewarding, too. ♪ what would you like the power to do? ♪ our mission is to provide complete,

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were fthe president's tweet that said go back racist? >> no. i don't believe the house was with racist last week when those individual on the aisle claim she was racist. i believe this is about ideology and socialism versus freedom. >> trying to rebrand it as a fight against socialism. only a few republicans did stand up and criticize mr. trump. >> the president has a unique and noble calling to unite all americans, regardless of our creeds or our race or the place of our national origin and i think in that case the president fell far short with his comments yesterday. >> i think those are racist and

phobic and inaccurate. the women he is referring to are actually citizens of the united states. >> i thought it was inappropriate. there were many legitimate criticisms for those four members of congress but you shouldn't use terminology by that. >> i'm joined by a former democratic congressman steve israeli and bill crystal. congressman israel, let me ask you about your former colleagues and how this has perhaps reunified a democratic caucus. >> he broke a cease-fire with democrats. donald trump steps in with repugnant comments and tweets and manage to get everybody together and he has united the democratic caucus. what will be interesting is to

see what happens tonight when is there a vote on the floor of the house and what those republicans will do in response to the legislation that offered this evening. >> bill crystal, the silence from republicans has been deafening with a few exceptions. what do you think will happen when the vote comes up around 7:00 eastern tonight? >> nancy pelosi has put in the resolutions, as i understand it, long quotation from was ronald reagan's farewell dreaddress. >> 234 what it means to be americans. you don't tell your fellow americans to go home if they don't like the country and don't apply that their home isn't america and kevin mccarthy saying is beyond believe. it's about socialism and there is a socialist who is running for president. he hasn't told bernie sander to go home where he came from. it seems to be people who are a different color than him are

told to go home. some of the house members i think will vote for the resolution and interesting to see if it's eight or ten or 12 which is the numbers you've gone typically on the attempts to break from trump. whether you get 30, 40, 50. this is one for me -- for me -- the others they should have voted against trump honestly. this is really fundamental, i think. the idea they put party loyalty over saying the right thing this is beyond the pale i don't believe most are going with trump, i guess. >> robert costa, bob costa just interviewed persbernie sander. let me play that interview and ask you about it on the other side. >> this is disgusting. this is the most racist outbreak statements from a president that i've heard in my lifetime and it must be universally condemned.

apparently, you know, trump may be crazy, but he is not stupid. and i think what he believes it is a good political strategy to try to divide the american people up. >> bob, what more can you tell us about this and the political fallout here? >> the democrats face a choice. there is a lot of pressure from democratic activists and voters to pursue impeachment with even more urgency at this moment because of president trump's racist comments. at the same time, as senator sanders said, he believes the democrats have to proceed carefully in terms of their political strategy because they don't want to allow president trump to cast himself as a victim, someone who is being burdened by impeachment and so he wants to call out the president for these racist comments but, at the same time, he believes the democrats can't be totally distracted and also make an economic case against the president, a foreign policy case on all of the other fronts

as well. >> at the same time, this was going on, elizabeth warren coming out of a hearing for the new secretary of defense nominee saying impeachment has to be done and final question outside the hearing room, she was saying as a law professor there are absolutely crimes that have to be followed up here for impeachment. you've got this big division between bernie sander and elizabeth warren and warren has been lapping him right now in the polls. >> senator sanders is someone who does support opening an impeachment inquiry. at the same time, it's about when and how do you pressure speaker pelosi. senator warren and senator sander, many democratic presidential candidates are treading carefully when it comes to the speaker. they know she is the leader of the party in many respects. they don't want to be seen as trying to force her hand but they are talking to voters day in and day out in places like iowa and north and south carolina and feel the tremors in

the ground among democratic voters that something has to be done and another threshold has been passed. >> steve, you led the campaign committee for the house democrats at one point. is she at risk losing her majority if this goes too far? >> she is the best at managing the control. i think this is more about donald trump's presidential strategy than nancy pelosi's speaker strategy. what puzzles me is that the president seems to think he can get re-elected by doubling down on a 35% base. what he may not be realizing recently polls coming out showing him under water in virtually every single battleground district he won in the electoral college. it will not work with the swing voters and i think it is a failed and flailing strategy and i hope it is a failed and flailing strategy. >> in our poll, it seems the

base is a 45% base and if he excites that base enough and if the democrats don't come up with a good alternative, it could be enough. >> and i think this is what his strategy such as it is, if swing voters think the democratic party is defined by omar and the others who are left of the most democrats with the race issue, he is doing something despicable, i think, but you can see why he thinks this might work if he gets them all to unite behind ilhan omar, are you comfortable with that? >> it's a branding effort. >> it's a terrible one. >> despicable is a good word that you just used. thank you all. great interview with bernie sanders, bob. we will see you friday night. everyone should be watching pbs for washington week. >> thank you. coming up, stood up.

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white house counsel kellyanne conway could be the next trump official to face a contempt charge after defying a subpoena from house democrats. the house oversight committee will hold a meeting next week on her refusal to appear in violations of the hatch act and conway responded this morning on fox news. >> this is the latest example of harassment and embarrassment, trying to embarrass and harass people close to the president. i would be happy to testify just so we are clear. i have nothing to hide. i've done nothing wrong! >> joining me is democratic congressman a member of the house judiciary and foreign affairs committee. congressman, thank you for being with us. >> a pleasure. >> kellyanne conway, should she be held in contempt by the house for not agreeing to testify about the hatch act issue? >> of course. look. the statement that kellyanne conway just made about harassment, i guess if requiring

people to follow the law constitutes harassment, then this is harassment. the reality is the committee is interested in hearing from her about her persistent violations of law, the hatch act. the office of special counsel, which is a nonpartisan office, recommended her termination, her firing because of her ongoing violations of law. the committee of jurisdiction has the responsibility to bring her before the committee and understand what is going on to hold this administration accountable. you can't just not show up when you've been served a subpoena. anyone else who got a subpoena served to them would be in custody and kellyanne conway is no different and not above the lay and she ought to be hold in contempt for defying a subpoena. >> she is assert iing first amendment rights. this is not covered by executive privilege which is her advice to the brepresident, right? >> this has nothing to do with any advice she has given to the

president and it's not covered by executive privilege. this is the ongoing effort of this white house to stonewall oversight and refuse to be held accountable for absolutely immunity. you can't ask anyone in the administration anything and that is made up. if she has a lawful privilege to assert she can invoke it before the committee. you don't get to just defy the subpoena. i hoped they will hold her in contempt and compel her before the committee. >> you just came from the caucus and heard the speaker and there is this vote tonight about the president's comments and about four of your colleagues. where do you stand on this and tell us where the caucus stand after this meeting. >> i think the caucus is unified that we have to in very strong language condemn the president's racist comments and his tweets. this is an ongoing effort by this president to not only divide this country but to distract from the work that is being done in washington on behalf of the american people. we have passed over 230 pieces of legislation, 50 major pieces

of legislation that deal with prescription drugs, equal pay for equal work, raising family incomes, a whole number of bills. the most important anti-corruption bill in decade. they are all in the senate and the president ought to spend his time trying to convince mitchell mcconnell to bring the bills to the floor to get a vote to the work of the american people can be completed. instead he is using it as an effort to attack some of our colleagues have na very racist way in an attempt to distract from the good work that being done and to his failure to fight to get the prescription bill to the senate floor. his failure to fight to get our bill to raise family income to the floor and take up hr-1 and talk to mitchell mcconnell and make a difference and bring those bills to the floor for a vote instead of trying to distract by engaging in a fight with four of our colleagues. his behavior was despicable. what he said is un-american and it should be condemned by everyone. >> does it make an impeachment vote or process more likely? >> look. i have said quite sometime ago

that i think the time is long passed for the judiciary committee to open an impeachment and to begin the formal process of considering articles of impeachment should be filed. i think for many people it's just one more example of why this president doesn't understand what has made our country strong and great and the envy of the world, is our respect for human dignity, our value of diversity and one of our great strength and i think one more example why he is not qualified to sit in the oval office. >> congressman david sisslini thank you for joipg me. >> thank you. >> to make the pentagon's third active chief a permanent leader after the longest vacancy in the pentagon in history. stay with us on msnbc. in histo. stay with us on msnbc. ♪ goin' down the only road i've ever known ♪ ♪ like a-- ♪ drifter i was ♪born to walk alone!

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can't imagine doing it any other way. this is caitlin dickerson from the new york times. this isn't the only case. very little documentation. lo que yo quiero estar con mi hijo. i know that's not true. and the shelters really don't know what to do with them. i just got another person at d.h.s. to confirm this. i have this number. we're going to publish the story.

i have this number. we carry flowers that signifyn why we want to end the disease. and we walk so that one day, there will be a white flower for alzheimer's first survivor. join the fight at alz.org/walk. today the pentagon is on its way to finally getting a defense secretary after a historically long leadership gap since jim mattis resigned in december. today former secretary to the army -- twaebhe current army to secretary again and mike esper is answering questions whether he is tough enough to stand to the president. >> would you be willing to resign if it ran counter to your values and principles?

>> my time in the army, i grew up with this view that if anything, if you're asked to do anything that is illegal or immoral or unethical, that is the point you have to consider resignation. >> you would be willing to do that? >> absolutely. >> william collins joins me now. a former senator and house member. secretary, thank you so much for being with us. secretary, the nominee esper is on his way to confirmation, barring anything untoward. this has been a long leadership gap. the president is in a cabinet meeting and so many acting secretary which leaves these cabinet officials without chiefs of staff, without designated officials in the rank and file who can carry out policies. >> well, i think a that suits his purpose. i think by having so many acting secretaries, they are more incidenceable than a confirmed secretary and acting secretary doesn't have the authority to

say, yes, we give advice and confirmation here. it's almost like you're hiring a temporary for the job and that person in that job doesn't really have the same respect given him or her by others because they appear to be just temporary. so that is really one of the important things to consider in the branch department. the military is very -- has a very heavy bench, as you say. they have terrific people coming up so you can be confident you have a chairman of the joint chiefs and things go on. when it comes to the secretary of defense, if you're only acting you're not occupying the same level table as the other sitting there, for example, secretary of state, for example, secretary of treasury and others who become involved or attorney general, et cetera. so you don't have the same authority and you don't conconvey to your friend and adversaries that you're there on a permanent basis.

so are you really speaking for the president. ? does he have confidence in you? if not, why you are a nominee and not acting secretary? i think for those reasons it's really important that dr. esper be confirmed as quickly as possible, assuming he qualifies on the other issues. i would ask one additional question of the nominee. i am concerned that the president is trying to politicize virtually every institution in this city, starting with the intelligence community, the federal reserve, and the independent judiciary, et cetera. i'm really concerned about him politicizing the military and i saw the evidence of that, for example, when secretary mattis was falling out of favor with the president. the president said i think he is a sort of democrat. that is a very bad signal to be sending. what the president says, well, my generals will commit to

waterboarding, he is sending a signal if you're in the military, we respect you to be loyal to a particular party. you can't -- notwithstanding jim mattis hookers on the battlefield and one of the most decorated soldiers in our history and most revered to say he is sort of a democrat really is demeaning, certainly secretary mattis and trying to debase an institution that it's a political instrument and not an interest force for the american people. >> as well, when he goes in south korea to a military base and krcriticizes democratic candidates and standing there as props, that is also inappropriate? >> totally inappropriate. what he is doing is saying that the democrats are against you, they don't support you, they are unpatriotic. only i, who has brought you so

much more money, and responsible for the rebuilding of this force. so i think that is really important and if i remember the senate, i would want to press secretary -- soon to be secretary esper on the issue saying will you make sure you send the signal out to the service men and women that we are here to represent the american people and we are not political? we are not democrats and we are not republicans, we are americans. >> you have sort of a unique position in that you were a republican ain a democratic administration and republican cabinet as defense secretary. you were republican house member, actually, and provided a key vote as a freshman on the impeachment of richard nixon, so you've seen a big sweep of history. in this current debate over race, republican senator from montana has written on twitter today the following.

what is happening to our country? >> it's a country being dividing along racial or ethnic or religious lines. there is no question in my mind that the president has issued racist statements and the thing speaks for itself. when he utters racist comments type but i'm not a racist is something that doesn't fit. but in addition to that, the now conflating racism and antisemitism. this particular congressman you cited was talking about them being antiis semitic. if you're critical of israeli does make you antisemitic? tom freeman gifted writer on the middle east and other policies is critical does but that make

him antisem miitic? they are throwing it with the racist comments and what the president is doing is dividing up the country along racial ethnic lines and i think that is a dangerous trend for our country and to the extent the republicans remain silent, silence is complicit. you are either acting out of fear of the president or you're agreeing with him. whether it's fear or complicit, they are a part of it. and for failing to step you and speak out on this puts them in a position saying i agree with the president or i'm afraid to express my disagreement with the president. fear is a factor that dominates or political system and if you say something i don't like, get out of the country? the president says things i don't like. i don't say go back to prewar germany. you know? these kind of comments are

un-american, unpatriotic, and they simply ought to be rejected loudlily the american people in the next election. this is an un-american thing that is taking place. >> are you a republican? >> i'm a republican from the old school and there aren't many left. >> bill cohen, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> new campaign fund-raising numbers showing a big divide among the contender. we will have the breakdown. stay with us. the breakdown stay with us covered by insurance. the problem is big insurance companies want a one-size-fits-all approach that lets them decide what they'll pay doctors for yocare. letting insurance companies decide means it could be harder for you to see the best doctors when you need them the most. tell congress, "end surprise billing, and don't let insurance companies put profits over patients. paid for by physicians for fair coverage. yeah...yeah, this is nice. hmm. how did you make the dip so rich and creamy?

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we have led the world by the power of example. what presidents say, they are i. they're the face of america. and the idea that donald trump says and does the things he does is just absolutely despicable. the only way he can stay in power is to divide america, pit black against white, immigrants against citizen. it just goes down the line. and it is dangerous. >> joe biden condemning the president's attacks on the four congresswomen in an exclusive interview today with mika brzezinski in iowa. joining me now is jeremy peters "new york times" politics reporter and msnbc contributor, mark murray msnbc senior news political editor and margaret carlson colomist for "the daily beast." we have new polling numbers and with the caveat as always it's early, but it's new hampshire. which is in itself early. >> it is a cnn/university of new

hampshire poll and actually the new hampshire numbers look a lot like our national poll did that we released last week where you have joe biden ahead but it is kind of within the margin of error, not a substantial lead. then you have both elizabeth warren and bernie sanders at his heels. then you have kamala harris and pete buttigieg. this is different than a new hampshire poll that came out yesterday but i would say this is substantial because this is one of the dnc qualifying debate polls. >> because it is too late to have to worry about qualifying for the 30th and 31st but for the next ones. >> for september, correct. >> so that is important. and you just were doing a big profile on the sunday "new york times" front page about pete buttigieg, with this big money haul, $24.5 million, and a fairly slow burn rate maybe because he was off the campaign for a week and a half or so dealing with the racial problems back in south bend, but pete buttigieg really talking very openly to you about his own struggles. >> yeah. his biography is a huge part of

his campaign, when he learned from david axelrod and obama that telling your story is how you can really draw people in. this is a very interesting part of his biography because we've never really had a presidential candidate rise this high who is openly gai. and to talk to the mayor about this and how he struggled, this is really interesting, because this was a time, this kind of micro generation in which he grew up, people my age who are like between 35 and 40 where things were changing so rapidly with gay rights and he's really, i think, an avatar for that generation and how acceptance has become much more broad. >> first started talking about this with rachel maddow, which was fascinating and again now with you in a much broader way in "the sunday times." then we have kamala harris, joe biden, with mika, margaret, being asked by mika about those moments on the debate stage where he really just was almost struck silent, giving up some of his time when kamala harris started going after him. >> i cede my time back.

>> let's play a little bit of this. >> your performance was panned. would you do something differently? >> you know, i didn't expect the particular attack and the question starting off, i know you're not a racist. i mean, it did catch me off guard. quite frankly, i have respect for the candidate who said that about me and then went on to talk about, turns out i'm not sure her position is any different on busing than mine. >> margaret, is he going to be better prepared for the next one? >> i think he might. a question that does begin or a comment, i know you're not a racist, really means, i think you are and i'm going to expose you. i can see why he was back on his heels and didn't quite expect that. especially since on the merits it turned out not to be the home run it initially seemed to be. did you notice he wouldn't even mention her name as he answered the question? he kept calling her the candidate and then mika said the name. so he may not be up to, you

know, the kind of brawls that some candidates need to have in order to get noticed. i mean, he is the front-runner. he doesn't need to do it. but others need to do it to him and he has to be prepared for that. >> the money, when you look at the two tiers of the money, this campaign is certainly beginning to take shape. >> yeah. the haves and the have notes. we end up having five at the very top who, you know, have raised in excess of $10 million, who have cash on hand, excess of $10 million, and those are the people that i just talked about in the new hampshire poll. it's really almost where the polls and the money race have converged where it is joe biden, elizabeth warren, bernie sanders, kamala harris, pete buttigieg, and then everybody else in the race. to the point though going back to kamala harris and joe biden you and i covered the 2008 presidential race the last time joe biden ran for the presidency. back then it was a kind of different age but the debates, the first few where everyone was

on polite behavior, there were really no attacks at all. in fact, the rolicking obama versus hillary debates we saw at the conclusion didn't happen until february or march of 2008. joe biden might end up seeing a time of old where you weren't expecting the big punches at the first or second debates because it's all about the introduction. >> we have to leave it there for now. it's going to be a long campaign. margaret, come back soon and mark and jeremy, thank you all. we'll be right back. coming up, five years later the justice department concludes its federal inquiry into the chokehold death of eric garner.

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and finally, an update on the years' long investigation into the death of eric garner. the new york city man killed after a police officer put him in a chokehold sparking nationwide protests about police brutality. the justice department announcing today it is not going to bring federal charges against the police officer, ending hopes from garner's family and their supporters that the police officer would face prosecution. some nearly five years to the day after garner's death a justice department official saying, quote, everyone agrees the incident should not have ended with garner's death, but adding they could not prove the officer acted willfully. garner's gasps of i can't breathe became the centerpoint of national protests and a rallying cry for advocates fighting to change policing in

minority communities. the police officer has been put on desk duty as an internal investigation has continued all these years. the city of new york reached a civil settlement with garner's family in 2015 for nearly $6 million in damages. here is ali velshi and stephanie ruhle. thanks for being with us. >> have yourself a great afternoon. hello everyone. it is tuesday, july 16th. coming up this hour on "velshi and ruhle" for a third day in a row president trump attacks four democratic congresswomen of color while insisting he doesn't have a racist bone in his body. we'll have the latest reaction from the republicans. plus another woman comes forward with claims against accused sex trafficker jeffrey epstein. we have her message to anyone thinking of coming forward and new fundraising numbers are out for the 2020 contenders. we'll tell you who is leading the pack and why it is not looking good for beto o'rourke. president trump is dismissing concerns over his use of racist quotes in recent tweets telling