going 20 clorox the oval office. >> it was nice two of the second democratic debate. all eyes on former vice president joe biden. he appeared caught off guard in the first debate but appeared prepped to fend off attacks. >> and the fed cuts the reserve for the first time. >> wealthy sex offender appears in court after reportedly being found injured in his jail cell last week. >> good morning, everyone, it is thursday, august 1. i'm ayman mohyeldin alongside

yasmin vossoughian. >> former vice president joe biden got to speak more than anyone else last night with over 21 minutes total. twice the time than six of the other candidates as he was repeatedly responding to attacks. which he anticipated in this comment just before the debate got under way. >> from california, senator kamala harris. >> go easy on me, kid. >> you go? . >> i'm good. >> just look at this stage made up of very diverse people from various backgrounds that went on to by senators, congress people

and even the former vice president. yes, this is america. we are strong because of it. mr. president, let's get something straight. we love it. we are not leaving it. we are here to stay and we are certainly not going to leave it to you. >> the first major clash came between biden and harris on the response to health care. >> the senator has had several plans so far. no talk about the plan in ten years will cost $3 trillion. you will use your employer based insurance. to be blunt and straight forward. you can't beat trump with double talk on this plan. >> unfortunately, you are inaccurate in what you are describing. the reality is that our plan will bring health care to all americans in a medicare for all

system. your plan leaves out almost 10 million americans. >> the plan no matter how you cut it costs $$3 trillion and will choir middle class taxes to go up, not down. eliminate employer-based insurance. what happens in the meantime? >> the cost of nothing is too expensive. second, we have now paying $3 trillion a year for health care in america. in 2019 in america, for a democratic to be running for president with a plan that does not cover everyone i think is without excuse. >> the person that is enjoying this debate most right now is donald trump as we pit democrats against each other as he's working now to take away health care. >> both rallying around support of obama care.

>> my plan makes a limit of co-pay to be $1,000. we further support the ability to buy into the obama plan. secondly, the idea that this is somehow a bad idea. no one has to keep their insurance. if they like it, they should be able to keep it. nothing is demanded that there be private insurance. if the 160 million people have it say they like their employer insurance, they should have a right to have it. if they don't, they can buy into the biden plan, which is obama care. >> we started with affordable care act which gives everyone the chance to pick for their family whether they want private or public insurance. it requires drug companies to negotiate with medicare. that is totally different from the plan senator warren and

sanders and harris have proposed. which will make illegal employer-based health insurance and massively raise taxes on the middle class to the tune of $30 trillion as joe biden said. >> the moderator also raised the issue of bussing pitting harris and joe biden on the issue of race. >> let's be very clear about this. when vice president biden was in the united states senate working with segregationists to oppose bussing which was the vehicle by which we would integrate public schools. had i been in the senate at that time, i would have been completely on the other side of the aisle. let's be clear, had they had their way, i would not be a member of the united states senate, cory booker would not and barack obama would not be in

the position to nominate him to the position he holds. he fails to a being knowledge that it was wrong to take the position he took at that time. >> when senator harris was attorney general, there were two of the most segregated sis directs in the country in los angeles and san francisco. i didn't see a single time she brought a case against them to deseg regate them. >> this is the fourth debate and the second time what people did 50 years ago with bussing when our schools are as segregated today than they were 50 years ago. >> and hitting the record on race and criminal justice after repeated attacks on the former vice president. >> when senator harris was attorney general for eight years in the state of california, there were two of the most

segregated school districts in the country in los angeles and san francisco. she did not -- i didn't see a single time she brought a case against them. secondly, she also is in a situation where she had a police department when she was there that in fact was abusing people's rights. she in fact was told by her own people that her own staff she should do something about and disclose to defense attorneys like me that the police officers did something and didn't give information that would exculpate her client. >> senator harris says she is proud of her record. i'm deeply concerned about this record. there are too many records to cite. she put 15,000 people behind bars on marijuana charges and

laughed about it when asked if she ever smoked marijuana. she blocked evidence that would have freed a man on death row. she kept people in prison beyond their senate to use as cheap labor system in california and kept the programs in place. >> as the elected attorney general of california, i did the work of significantly reforming the criminal justice system in a state of 40 million people that became a national model. i am proud of that work and making a decision to not just give fancy speeches but actually doing the work. being in the position to use the power i had to reform the system badly in need of reform. >> there are a lot of moments in which many of the front runners are being attack on their record.

they didn't specifically address the criticisms head on. >> it was very obvious all those candidates were gunning for joe biden and kamala harris. >> you know that is something that will come up some of these may be used down the road. coming up, several of the candidates will discuss their performance on last night's debate. bernie sanders also joins the conversation on his performance. >> joining us, julia, good to have you this morning. it seems as if, the candidates didn't hold back. the question is was he or wasn't he prepared? how is the debate going over so far, nice two and also joe biden's performance? >> right. i think joe biden definitely

came more prepared. he admitted after the first debate he was not prepared for kamala harris to go after him. it was clear even when harris took the stage, he said go easy on me kid. he was clearly prepared and ready for those attacks. he had some defensive one liners. one that stuck out when gillibrand attacked him on his support of women's issues. he shot back saying, you've supported me in the past, what is different? oh, you are running for president. for kamala harris talking about health care, he was able to evoke president obama's name. he had some slow moments but more prepared than last night.

>> and health care was a hot issue. did this show major divide on this issue? >> yes. no question. both nights showed a major devise as to whether stick with obama care or overhaul and go towards medicare for all. this should raise alarm flags for democrats. this was an issue they were very much united on in 2016. they won big. if they are divided on this issue and going into 2020, republicans haven't been as successful on that will hurt democrats. a lot of people scratching their heads saying which way to go? do we compromise? i don't see this battle wrapping up soon. >> it is such a good point that we've been talking about now for two years since trump got into

office that health care could very well be the winning issue for democrats but they have to get a handle. >> thank you. we'll talk to you again in a bit. still ahead, we are following the latest details of wealthy sex offender jeffery epstein. and more from the debate including what the candidates have to say about impeaching president trump. those stories and a check on the weather when we come back. for your heart...

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welcome back. a federal judge has signaled jeffery epstein won't stand tril until at least june next year. a subdued epstein appeared in court for the first time since he was found injured in his jail cell last week semiconscious with marks around his neck. no mention of the incident during the brief hearing and the 66-year-old displayed no outward

signs of injury as he sat quietly as they discussed a possible trial date. he was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and has pleaded not guilty to the charges he has been accused of. joining us on the set, nbc legal analyst. let's talk about how much time he could face. we are still almost a year out before he could potentially face trial. it will be closely watched. what are the consequences? >> his stat torry maximum is 40 years on the one charge and more. especially first or even second time offenders aren't going to get anywhere close to the stat torry maximum. we have these guidelines that will give us a forecast but something lower than the stat

tory maximum. generally speaking, that is not the likely sentence. >> is it typical for a trial like this to make a year before it even starts. federal court moves at light speed compared to state court. the law says 70 days is the time line from indictment to trial. the practical reality is most of the time the defendant needs more time to prepare. especially in this case, some of these allegations go sko far back. this case will not come up for trial until a year from now. if it were in state court, it would probably be several years from now. federal court generally moves very quickly. >> i wanted to bring up more about the debate because they ended about 30 minutes ago. front and center was justice reform. how would a plan like bidens to

stop jailing people for drug charges. what type of impact does that have? >> biden suggested he would move marijuana to a schedule two drug. the only difference is that schedule one drug has no suggested medical use. schedule two would open it up for testing. be wary for a plan that says we will keep marijuana legal, we just won't enforce it. that is not a fix. they need to be prepared to answer the question of what they'll do with existing federal law instead of saying i'll just ignore that. st. it stiffles the marijuana industry. >> that limits the whole industry. >> exactly. it is never a fix to say, we won't enforce an existing law. someone needs to come up with a

plan. decriminalization would be helpful. >> band-aid. >> the answer must be statutory. >> all of those thunderstorms caused a lot of rain ind.c. and the area. causing some wind gusts. a few sailboats got knocked over. logan airport for a time was shut down. people having to remake travel plans. worse this morning is an area of eastern kansas. we have thunderstorms that reform and move over the same area and the rainfall really started to add up. between topeka and kansas city.

this shows the flash flood wash in portions of western missouri. these red areas are counties under flash flood warnings. not just today but this will reemerge tonight and saturday. we have two to three days of this. our computer is hinting at a high amount of rainfall. we'll show you images of flash flooding from that region. hot day in texas to oklahoma. first day of august, that is how it usually is. we'll clear it out for a decent afternoon. as we head towards the weekend out look, more of the same. i mention all the problems. still summer storms in the southeast. we get a decent day on saturday. some of those storms will creep

up. sunday looks present for many areas. we'll keep an eye on the area. so far, the wettest area. >> still ahead, trump imposes new sanctions on iran's foreign minister. the latest on the escalating tensions coming up next. than just the joint pain of active psoriatic arthritis. it even helps stop further joint damage. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. get real relief, with cosentyx.

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administration put a sanction on iran's foreign minister. instrumental in the landmark nuclear deal from which president trump withdrew the u.s. last year despite iran remaining client. in the past months, iran has been violating terms of that agree. the u.s. reasonable tore designated me is that i'm iran's primary spokesperson around the world. it has no effect on me or my family. thank you for considering me in your agenda. most likely blocks any chance for president trump's desired talks. interestingly enough, the foreign minister was in new york city meeting with many journalists just two weeks ago

ahead of all of this. >> it will be interesting to see whether or not he'll be allowed to enter the country. >> as i mentioned here, he was asked repeatedly if iran has an interest in speaking with the trump administration. there is maybe word zarif and pompeo would talk while he was here. that doesn't look like that will happen now. >> the united states has an ambassador to the united nations. longly along party lines. kelly craft has been voted to the post and comes five months after president trump announced he was nominating craft who was the ambassador to canada at the time. well-known republican fundraisers who donated more than $2 million to the trump

campaign and inago operation. >> more from last night's debate. >> the federal reserve cuts interest rates by a quarter of a point. what it means for the economy, mortgages, credit cards and more. we are back in a moment. u can. but sometimes life gets in the way, and that stubborn fat just won't go away. coolsculpting takes you further. a non-surgical treatment that targets, freezes, and eliminates treated fat cells, for good. discuss coolsculpting with your doctor. some common side-effects include temporary numbness, discomfort, and swelling. don't imagine results, see them. coolsculpting, take yourself further. [fa♪mers bell] (burke) a "rock and wreck." seen it. covered it. at farmers insurance, we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪

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welcome back, i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin. during last night's debate when the topic of immigration came up.

former hud secretary castro and biden squared off. >> the fact of the matter is, you should be able to, if you cross the border illegally, you should be able to be sent back. it's a crime. it is not one -- >> thank you, mr. vice president. >> first of all, it looks like one of us have learned the less on of the past. >> my plan would fix the broken legal system. the only way we are going to guarantee these kinds of separations don't happen in the future is we need to repeal this law. what we need is politicians that have guts on this issue. >> thank you mr. second. >> i have guts enough to say his plan doesn't make sense. >> first of all, i want to say, again, tonight, we are playing into republican hands who have a

very different view and they are trying to divide us against each other. no, mr. vice president, we are not going to just let people cross the border. an unlawful crossing is an unlawful crossing. >> other candidates challenged over the obama deportation record. >> vice president biden, i didn't hear your response when the issue came up of all those deportations. you were president of the united states. using your power and influence. did you think it was a good idea or something that needed to be stopped? >> the president came along and he had the idea of dealing with the dreamers. he put that into law. he talked about a plan, which he put on and lay before the congress saying we should find a path way to citizenship and up the number of people we are able to bring into this country. lastly, he pointed out we should

go to the source and fix it where people were leaving in the first place. >> mr. vice president, you need to be able to answer the tough questions. i guarantee you if you are debating donald trump, he's not going to let you off the hook. did you say that was not a good idea. >> i was the vice president and keep my recommendation in private. unlike you, would go ahead and say whatever was said privately. that's not what i'd do. >> mr. vice president, you can't have it both ways. you evoke president obama more than anybody. you can't use this when veebt. this irks me. if you've got a phd, you can come right into this country. >> that's playing some are from [ bleep ] countries and some are from worthy countries.

begin to be the country that says everyone has worth and digni dignity. don't let the republicans divide this party. >> that's what i said. we are a country of immigrants of all of us. some game against their will. others came because they thought they could fundamentally change their lives and they did. the fact of the matter is, i think the president of the united states barack obama went out of his way to try to change his system. he got bushed pack significantly. >> so joe biden mixed it up with senator booker over criminal justice reform. the match came after booker called the former vice president's plan inadequate. >> why is senator booker wrong? >> i think we should work together. i think he has a similar plan. >> he's said since the 1970s

every major crime bill has had his name on it. those are your words, not mine. this is one of those instances where the house was set on fire and you claimed responsibility for those laws. you can't come out with a plan to put out that fire. >> since 2007, i for example, tried to get the crackpot or cane totally eliminated. in 2017, you became mayor. you had a police department that engaged in stop and frisk. you had 75% of those stops reviewed as illegal. three times of african-american kids were caught up in that chain. the justice department came after you saying you were engaging in behavior that was inappropriate. nothing happened the entire time you were mayor. >> we have a system that is

broken. if you want to compare mayors. i'm shocked that you do. i'm happy to do that. >> there was nothing done during the time he was mayor. nothing to deal with the police department that was corrupt. why did you announce a zero tolerance policy of stop and frisk. >> there is a saying, you are dipping into the kool-aid and you don't even know the flavor. you need to come to the city of n newark and see the reform. >> wow. protesters interrupted senator cory booker's opening with a reference to the officer that put a suspect into' choke hold. >> firing to the

administration's response. >> i know the garner family has gone through extraordinary pain. there is finally gloing to be justice, i have confidence in that in the next 30 days in new york. for the first time, we are not waiting on the federal justice department, which told the city of new york that we could not proceed because the justice department was pursuing their prosecution. the vice president for two and a half of those years, what did you do to try and spur on the justice department to act in the garner case? >> thank you mayor. >> we made sure to reduce the plizon population. we insisted that we change the rules police engage in and provide for body cameras. here is the deal, the fact is we are talking about things that occurred a long, long time ago.

now all of a sudden, we find it fascinating, everyone talks about how terrible i am on these issues. barack obama knew exactly who i was. he had ten lawyers to do a background check on me and he chose me. >> president trump did come up on the stage, they amplified their support of impeaching the president. watch this. >> i believe we in the united states congress should start impeachment proceedings immediately. >> there are ten clear incidents of obstruction of justice by this president. i believe the american people are right to say there is consequences and no one is above the law including the president. >> i think too many people have been spoofed by 1998. folks are making a mistake by not pursuing impeachment.

>> i want to make sure whatever we do doesn't end up with an acquittal and then president trump will be running saying he's been acquitted. >> the best impeachment is beating him in 2020. >> coming up, several candidates will discuss their performance including senators harris, book you a er and bennett. >> joining us now from washington, d.c. what do you think of the candidate calls. do you think it resonated with voters to even sway nancy pelosi a little bit? >> this is the first time we've heard those calls throughout the campaign trickle down.

it kind of follows the pattern signing on with impeachment. i don't know if that moves the neelds with voters though. most are focusing on issues like health care. i ni candidates aren't going to be focusing on impeachment. it may be talking points from time to time. i don't think it is necessarily gloing to move a needle. in terms of nancy pelosi, it is something she can put in the back of her mind but is still very aware of how voters feel on this issue. >> compare both nights. what do you think stood out most between the separate debates? and moaning the lower tier candidates. do you think anybody had a break out moment. this may well be the last time

we see some of these candidates on the debate stage. >> right. to answer the first question, the thing that stood out was the divide on health care. democrats need to be aware of this and understand that they need to be united on health care, an issue they've repeatedly won on in 2020. they can't be weak on the issue republicans have been weak on. that struck me a lot. i think there needs to be more strategy on this if democrats want to be successful on this issue. in terms of the break out candidates. they had good nights in terms of getting more attention and raising their profiles. i don't see a break out moment. >> always a pleasure. thank you. still ahead, as mitch mcdonnell faces accusations of

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vo: common side effects include headache and tiredness. vo: ask your doctor today, if epclusa is your kind of cure. >> welcome back, a new lobbying disclosure revealed that two former staffers to mcconnell lobbied over a new aluminum mill in kentucky backed by russian-backed project to review the project. facing questions for allegedly helping block an effort to stop that investment. the contribution was only made possible after it won sanctions relief from treasuries imposed and other businesses owned by russian oligarch accused of some

of moscow's most corrupt activities. saying they would lift the sanctions only if he agreed to drastically reduce his stake in the businesses. the deal was reportedly too beneficial and he still remains under u.s. sanctions. >> let's check the weather now with wi bill karins. >> when i say august, you think? >> it is cool in the studio and hot outside. >> probably going towards the hurricane season. >> give us a nudge. >> august. last month before school starts. >> month before football season. >> the atlantic hurricane season. it is a six-month season.

this is where we are. this is what we are headed towards. the peek of the season, september 10. the three months we have most of our memorable storms. we have a couple threats. one of them is well, well out here. the hurricane center now says, 70% this is going to develop. why am i bringing this up. this will take the general direction towards the islands. this is the development zone. our computer models are taking it this point towards puerto rico. so far away. hasn't even formed yet but that time of year we have to start watching these things almost on a daily by basis. here is our august out look. most of the coasts looking for cooler than average

temperatures. a litt a little cooler in some areas. seven days before even puerto rico would be threatened. no rush. >> hope it breaks up. >> still ahead for the first time since the financial crisis, the federal reserve has cut the interest rates and what pushed the central bank to make that move and what it means for your money. we'll be right back. we know their rates are good, we know that they're always going to take care of us. it was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. it was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say "oh we can't beat usaa" we're the webber family. we're the tenney's we're the hayles, and we're usaa members for life. ♪ get your usaa auto insurance quote today.

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welcome back. despite a strong economy and making the first cut in more than a precautionary effort to protect the u.s. economy against muted inflation, mounting concerns over global growth and the uncertainty over the president's trade war with china. >> walk us through, what more can you tell us about this decision and how the markets here reacted to it. they weren't very favorable. >> yeah. essentially this was no surprise. inve investors, traders have been expecting a rate cut. the reason they didn't like what they got was they expected more rate cuts than the.25%. we saw them throw a temper tantrum, the s&p and the dow

jones closed sharply lower. what's interesting, in terms of why they came to this decision, and it wasn't amid all that fierce criticism from president trump, the political pressure, there was valid economic reasons they called it a mid cycle adjustment, the mid cycle we've been in for ten years since the great recession, trying to maintain the u.s. economy because of what's happening elsewhere in the world. but also looking at what they need to do to get the key inflation target up to 2%. we've seen the strong employment numbers, rising wages and inflation has not reacted to that. president trump he did react. he said that powell hazles let down, quote, in a tweet yesterday. it's interesting, in terms of looking down the road at the possibility of rate cuts we had two descenders on the board and that makes it harder press

briefings -- for powell to cut rates in the future. >> despite electing him for the job he has not been impressed with him. coming up on "morning joe," the gloves come off for night two of the democratic debates. more on the heated back and forth as former vice president joe biden and senator kamala harris face a flurry of the attacks. >> "morning joe" is just moments away. is just moments away to geico; saved money on our boat insurance. how could it get any better than this? dad, i just caught a goldfish! there's no goldfish in this lake. whoa! it's pure gold. we're gonna be rich...

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that'smr. arson here only knows how to blow things up. no offense, she hulk here only knows how to smash. [ screaming ] woo! you think i'm stupid? of course i think you're stupid. welcome back. joining us now from washington d.c., mr. nicholas johnson. great to have you with us. >> good morning. >> what is the one big thing? >> the democrats collision course. the take on last night's debate

is that joe biden survived but didn't dominate. a question after his rocky performance in the first round of the debates would he be able to regain his footing after the attacks from senator kamala harris. the take away is he did. one person close to the campaign told us before the debate this was an opportunity not for biden to win but he could lose if he didn't do it well. he certainly didn't lose. he was able to take the punches, a lot of folks ganging up on him. a staffer told us after the debate he wouldn't let himself be a punching bag. joe righted the ships, kept things going stable. >> so who do you think were the big winners from last night? >> i think kamala harris retained herself as a front runner on the debate stage. she elevated herself in the first round of debates. cory booker had a pretty good night from a lot of the things i saw and watched. my real take away is nothing in the last two nights changed the

status of this debate. if you look back, that woke up the next morning, these are different. joe biden looked vulnerable. the status of the top tier of candidates changed with kamala harris' top tier performance. i'm looking at it and i think the group of the top five still remains stable, bernie sanders, pete buttigieg, elizabeth warren, they still remain the top five candidates. we'll see if a second tier candidate had a chance to break through like cory booker. but it looks to me the race is solidifying around the top five candidates. >> i look forward to the post debate polls to see where people live and i have a feeling there's not much movement. >> no. speaking of the movement and looking ahead. i know they're looking to boost participation of democrats. what does that plan involve?

>> iowa and nevada, home of the first two caucuses are looking at using telephone caucusing to make it easier for people to participate. i don't know if you've been to one, once you get through the line of a vote you're in and out. but once you get through a caucus, it took take hours. so the democrats are looking at can we use telephones to do that, to allow these people to participate? that is setting off alarm bells for cyber security experts you know how easy it is to spoof a phone call, last week i got a call from my electric company, but it wasn't. and the democrats are making sure there are any protections. russia is working on interference election and messing with a caucus would be a great way to start. >> can you imagine the security concerns if you had to deal with phone concerns and security and

caucuses. >> we know jay inslee is leading with climate change. >> the important thing is looking at how people talk about climate change, the boards they use. whether it's a crisis, issue, a challenge to look at. we've seen on the left, they are ramping up the words using crisis, things that are almost alarmist language. why that matters if you look at the real challenge in addressing climate change is the split between the two parties. it's tough to get republicans on board using such alarmist language. >> to all of on our viewers out there, you can sign up for the news letter. there it is on your screen. >> that does it for us on this thursday morning. "morning joe" starts right now. in 2019 in america, for a democrat to be running for president with a plan that does

not cover everyone, i think is without excuse. >> vice president biden, i didn't hear your response when the issue came up of all those deportations. you were vice president of the united states. >> mr. vice president it looks like one of us learned the lessons of the past and one hasn't. >> you can't invoke president obama in the campaign, do it when it's convenient and dodge it when it's not. >> so apparently barack obama is running for a third term in 2020. >> got to be a surprise for him. >> barack obama is on the list. >> and he's like what? >> several contenders attacked the president's record last night vis-a-vis joe biden while donald trump watches from the white house. eric holder tweeted this, quote, to my fellow democrats be wary of attacking the obama recd,