epstein's apparent suicide. there are a lot of questions about the monitoring he received in jail and the justice department and the fbi are both investigating. the man accused of opening fire inside a walmart in el paso, texas, reportedly con if he has -- confessed that he was target people of mexican descent. and joe biden is pushing for the reinstatement of an assault weapons ban in the wake of recent mass shootings. good morning, everybody, it is monday, august 12th, i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin. there are more questions than answers following the apparent suicide of wealthy sex offender jeffrey epstein. guards doing rounds found him dead in his jail cell around 6:30 a.m. multiple people briefed telling nbc news, checks are supposed to take place every 30 minutes or so. but there are questions if there

was a delay the night epstein died. according to nbc news, epstein was not on suicide watch at the time of his death even though he was found unconscious in his cell with marks around his neck just three weeks ago. sources telling nbc that epstein underwent a psychiatric evaluation and they cleared him from suicide watch on or around july 29th. officials telling "the new york times" that because of the incident three weeks ago, epstein was supposed to have another inmate in his cell but the jail had recently transferred his cell mate and allowed epstein to be housed alone, a decision that violates the jail's procedures. the president for the local union for staffers told "the washington post" the two kre corrections officers assigned to work where epstein was housed were working overtime. one forced to do so by management, the other for his fourth or fifth consecutive day. it had completed an autopsy but

needed more information before determining the cause of death. senior law enforcement officials telling nbc news, suicide remains the cause of death, and there is no sign of foul play. >> the criminal investigation that led to the sex trafficking charges against him will continue. they will turn their attention to people whom their accusers have alleged participated in a scheme that dates back more than a decade and involved the sexual exploitation of dozens of underage girls. that could include a circle of close associates who accusers said helped recruit them. the federal prosecutors have not named anyone as a coconspirator, in 2007, a nonprosecution agreement between epstein and federal officials in florida said prosecutors would not charge four women it identified as potential coconspirators, the chief federal prosecutor in manhattan has maintained it is now bound by the florida agreement. in fact, lawyers say many of

epstein's accusers can pursue civil claims against his vast estate which is estimated to be worth around $500 million. attorney general bill barr said he was appalled by jeffrey epstein's death and confirmed the justice department's watchdog and fbi would investigate. barr in a statement released saturday said this, i was appalled to learn that jeffrey epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody. mr. epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered. in addition to the fbi's kvg television, i consulted with the inspector general who's opening an investigation into the circumstances of mr. epstein's death. the fbi does not typically look into suicides at a federal bureau of prisons facility, but a senior law enforcement official tells nbc news it was investigating given the nature of this case and out of a quote abundance of caution. >> leaders from both sides of the aisle are demanding answers into what happened, and how jeffrey epstein was apparently allowed to kill himself while he

was in federal custody: in a furious letter to the justice department republican senator ben sasse blasted the doj for those circumstances writing in part that the department of justice failed in jeffrey epstein's coconspirators think they may have gotten one last sweetheart deal. everyone knew this man was a suicide risk and his dark secrets couldn't be allowed to die with him. given epstein's previous attempt at suicide, he should have been locked in a padded room under unbroken, 24/7 constant surveillance. obviously heads must roll. sasse's democratic colleague elizabeth warren echoed calls for answers. >> i would like to see an investigation to understand how this was permitted to happen when he was incarcerated. the system broke down here. he should have been held for trial. and his victims should have had a chance to testify against him.

there should have been a public airing of what happened, who helped him, who was involved in it, and now all of that's been cut off. >> house judiciary chairman, jerry nadler weighed in on epstein's death, tweeting he was deeply disturbed. there are many questions that need to be answered in the case. alexandria ocasio-cortez was more blunt in her assessment, tweeting out, we need answers, lot of them. >> while lawmakers demanded more information into the death of epstein, president trump was at his new jersey golf club promoting baseless conspiracy theories surrounding epstein's death. nbc news correspondent kelly o'donnell has more. >> reporter: wields the most powerful megaphone, president trump re-tweeted a baseless conspiracy theory to 63 million twitter followers, a spurious accusation that the clintons are show linked to jeffrey epstein's

death. democratic candidates said enough. >> this is another example of our president using this position of public trust to attack his political enemies with unfounded conspiracy theories. >> what he's doing is dangerous. >> reporter: president trump once socialized with jeffrey epstein but said last month their friendship ended years ago. >> well, i didn't get along with him. >> reporter: president clinton had known epstein too but they had not spoken in more than a decade. the trump conspiracy re-tweet provokes this response from a clinton aide, ridiculous, and of course not true, and donald trump knows it. trump adviser kellyanne conway. >> why did the president re-tweet that clinton suggestion? >> i think the president just wants everything to be investigated. >> reporter: donald trump has a pattern of promoting false claims. birtherism about barack obama, linking ted cruz's father to the jfk assassination, notably,

epstein death conspiracies are covered by some russian owned media, and all over the web. >> just because the accounts that initially pushed this are domestic accounts doesn't necessarily mean the russia or other foreign actors aren't involved. >> reporter: clearly aware that the conspiracy re-tweets have caused controversy in and of themselves, we have tried repeatedly to get white house officials to say what his intention was. the president has moved on to other subjects. typically the white house says the president's tweets speak for themselves. they haven't given us any real explanation about what his intentions were here. over the next week, the president and his family will remain in new jersey, and that's somewhat of a summer vacation, although the president rejects any characterization that he's not working. he does have a couple of trips planned for campaign and official business. he'll be visiting pennsylvania and new hampshire over the next

week. >> our thanks to kelly o'donnell for that report. joining us from washington, deputy news editor for the washington examiner. give us a sense of what the reaction has been to president trump's support of a conspiracy theory about jeffrey epstein's death. what are you hearing in washington? >> democratic candidates running for president are outraged. that d they're saying this is the reason president trump needs to be evicted from office. people knew what they were getting when they voted for trump in 2016, this was after the conspiracy theory was noted against primary rival ted cruz, suggesting his father was linked to the jfk assassination. for better or worse, i'm not sure this moves a lot of folks one way or another. >> where did the criminal investigation go.

>> it ends as jeffrey epstein, the government doesn't prosecute deceased people. everything they seized during searches and warrants, all of that can be used against other individuals, as long as the underlying warrant was valid, they will have no basis to challenge it. they don't have stand to go challenge a warrant executed against jeffrey epstein's home. if there was a treasure-trove of documents that epstein had, criminal investigations may be spring boarded from there into other people, and especially now that the main target is gone, the government might turn its eyes towards new people in order to get justice for the victims. >> just to be clear, are they still allowed to search his property and estate for evidence that may lead to other individuals who may have committed crimes. >> they already did. >> if they find more properties or access to information, can they still search it. >> if they get a warrant supported by probable cause.

they can search whether he's there or not. >> let me talk about the significance of the investigation, from the perspective that the justice department has been reacting, the fbi is investigating suicide which is not something they usually do in federal prisons. talk to us about the significance, the attorney general has decided to open an investigation into that specific matter as well. >> it's worth noting that the bureau of prisons which is under the justice department does not have a director. it's one of many agencies with an acting director. there's no deputy director there. it seems normally they would have some role in this. it is quite unusual for the fbi to come in and have a hand in this, but this is so high profile, the justice department and attorney general barr feel like they have all hands involved in this at the top levels. >> danny, what was most interesting to me about all of

this is his death came one day after these new court documents were unsealed. a lot of people named in those court documents, a lot of very high profile people named in those court documents. what happens to them, and also what happens to the victims? >> any of the evidence that came out yesterday during the weekend or that has been unearthed and not publicly revealed can cause real problems for anybody named just as in the documents the other day because investigations can and will continue, and civil lawsuits can be filed against those folks, as long as the statute of limitations has not been filed. they have tolling that may allow the statue to be extended. those folks have reason to be concerned. >> how much more difficult is this case now that epstein -- how much more difficult does it make it for prosecutors now that epstein is dead? >> there's speculation that prosecutors may have tried to

approach him with a plea deal if he was going to talk about others or. >> so to the extent there is no more cooperation opportunity with epstein, that could pose a problem but at the same time they have seized a lot of documents, and there are other folks in epstein's orbit that could be approached, people that were alleged to have assisted epstein in his trafficking activities and by alleged, i mean just intimated, suggested in news reports whatever. they could approach those folks and interest them in cooperating with the government believes they have valuable information and they're telling the truth. >> david, you know washington better than we do, in terms of scandal, and ripple effects, what's your assessment of whether or not we are going to be hearing the end of the story with jeffrey epstein, i'm not talking about the legal challenges that danny has talked about, i'm talking politically

about those whose names have been implicated. >> this is a touchy one for both parties. they are both tied to it. we saw the footage of president trump paling around with jeffrey epstein a couple of decades ago, of course former president bill clinton is linked to him having we know taken flights on epstein's jet more than a decade ago. although in both cases, both the former and current president say they have had no contact with the guy but it's politically touchy. we don't know where else this is going to go, as was noted in the court documents, a bunch of public figures are named. that could be just the beginning, and we don't know really who gets hurt, from either side, going forward, politically. >> and not fo mention, it's it not -- and not to mention, it's not just here in the u.s. royals and prominent individuals internationally. >> david mark thank you, danny cevallos, thank you as well. how the el paso gunman echoed the words of conservative media stars. and the epa is warning of

dangerous levels of lead in newark, new jersey, what city leaders are doing with that problem. those stories and a check of your weather when we come back. f your weather when we come back johnson & johnson is a baby company. but we're also a company that controls hiv, fights cancer, repairs shattered bones, relieves depression, restores heart rhythms, helps you back from strokes, and keeps you healthy your whole life. from the day you're born

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welcome back, everyone. court documents allege that the accused el paso gunman confessed to gunning down dozens inside a walmart and in fact told police he was targeting mexicans. according to the arrest warrant, upon being arrested, suspect got out of his car with his hands up and stated quote i am the shooter. el paso prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty. "the new york times" took a deep dive into the conservative media world and found that the confessed shooter echoed many of the words of its most prominent stars. the times found striking overlap when comparing his 2,300 word diatribe from transcripts of several shows on the right. the confessed shooter complained about a hispanic invasion of texas. that echoes the language of fox news hosts tucker carlson, laura ingram, rush limbaugh and ann

coulter, saying quote you can shoot invaders. according to the times, references to an immigrant invasion appeared on 300 fox news broadcast, the times reports quote the vast majority of those were spoken by fox news hosts and guests but some in fact included clips of mr. trump using that language at rallies and other public appearances. the alleged gunman's diatribe referred to a great replacement. that is a white supremacy conspiracy theory that white culture is being wiped out. rhetoric of being replaced is viewers of tucker carlson, and laura imgram shows have been to. some residents will be receiving bottled water after testing showed water filters were not removing lead, raising the safety concerns saying quote this, we are unable at this time

to assure newark residents that their health is fully protected when drinking tap water filtered through these devices and urged officials to protect bottled water, to provide, excuse me, bottled water to those with lead pipes. newark officials denied the city's widespread lead problem but abruptly changed course last october and began giving out water filters to some residents. city officials issued a statement saying they would provide the bottled water at four local centers starting as early as this afternoon, a method used during the water crisis in flint, michigan. let's get a check of weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. a lot o thunderstorms in the midwest -- of thunderstorms in the midwest. a dogs diving under the bed and kids jumping in with mom and dad. we are watching this line of storms, a possibility of damages winds, this is going to be the threat right during the day

today. we'll take these storms, push them through des moines, the quad cities, this area of orange is an enhanced risk. we think there's a greater chance for a severe weather. today it looks like chicago, you'll get rain, the severe weather will stay to the south. eventually later on, this line of storms will make it to minneapolis. the same storm system is going to plague areas of the mid atlantic. it looks like a nightmare commute and at the airports, washington, d.c., baltimore, philly, and new york city, 50 million people are at risk. here's the timing of this. storms near des moines, they weakened and reform this afternoon. this is kind of general rain around chicago. it's on this line here through central illinois that will have that wind damage threat. then we take it into tuesday morning to areas of cleveland and by 6:00 p.m. on tuesday, notice all the storms are on i-95 from philly to new york, boston, providence, scattered around d.c. that's when we'll have the most

significant airport delays. looks like tuesday afternoon and ooe evenings, if you have airport problems, get out earlier if you can or wait until wednesday. the praforecast for today, the other story, heat, 102 in dallas. texas had a brutally hot weekend. stays that way. one more gorgeous day with low humidity in the northeast, and then the humidity and storms will come back for our tuesday afternoon. so yeah, more of the same. kind of a rinse and repeat, cut and paste forecast. not a lot is changing out there. for the areas that have it bad, it's staying that way. >> thanks, bill. still ahead, history on the mat at the u.s. championships as gymnast simone biles seeks to add two new skills to her name sake. we'll show you the incredible footage of that and much more next. incredible footage of that and much more next portfolios to your goals and needs. some only call when they have something to sell. fisher calls regularly so you stay informed. and while some advisors are happy to earn commissions

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face protests. makes you wonder, would we be talking about this story had he not taken the knee. simone biles capturing her record tieing 6th all around title at the u.s. championships this weekend and doing so as she only knows how. on friday, she became the first woman to land a double double dismount. i can't even say it fast enough before the video is over. that's a double twist and double flip, and watch that, her doing it again. unbelievable that she can pull that off. and last night she wrapped up her all around victory while completing another unseen move in her floor exercise. that is three times around with a double back flip. watch that. it's like she's super human when she does it. and look how high does she even

get when he does that. >> she may be one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. where she has taken this sport in terms of what she can do i think most commentators are saying has never been done before. >> there were commentators saying that she has completely revolutionized the sport. a lot of them are former gymnasts and couldn't imagine doing some of the moves she pulled off. >> and the skills will now be named after her. >> think about also the practicing to get to that point, and how many falls she took in that moment. >> congratulations to her. >> awesome. still ahead, we are continuing to follow the latest on jeffrey epstein's apparent suicide. and joe biden is pushing for an assault weapons ban in the wake of the recent mass shootings. we're going to read from his op-ed coming up. we're going to s op-ed coming up. but we're also a company that controls hiv, fights cancer, repairs shattered bones, relieves depression,

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welcome back, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin. it is the bottom of the hour. let's start with the morning's top stories. leaders from across the political spectrum are demanding answers in the wake of the apparent suicide of accused sex trafficker jeffrey epstein. the justice department and the fbi are now investigating possible failures during his detention. nbc news's kathy park has more. >> reporter: more questions than answers about the apparent suicide of jeffrey epstein, one of the most high profile inmates being held in a federal jail. nbc news has learned as part of the investigation into the incident they want to know if

guards doing routine checks on inmates. >> one question is whether the rules were followed in the housing units and whether guards were check on him every 30 minutes. >> sources close to the investigation say epstein underwent a psychiatric evaluation and they cleared him from suicide watch on or about july 29th, allowing him to return to his cell. >> while on suicide watch, enstee epstein would have been monitored every second, the bed would have been bolted down. once he was taken off suicide watch, he had clothing, a bed sheet, and there was ample opportunity, our sources say for him to take his own life in that cell. >> reporter: senior law enforcement officials tell nbc news there's no sign of foul play. the u.s. attorney in manhattan will keep digging into epstein's alleged sex trafficking operation. >> we know that that original indictment did include a conspiracy count, and it talked about people who worked for him and associates of his. so any of those folks who

prosecutors have evidence against could become defendants in an ongoing case here. i think it's important for all of us to avoid rushing to judgment, to let the legal proceedings move forward. >> and thank you to kathy park for that report. while democratic and republican lawmakers were demanding answers over the death of jeffrey epstein, president trump spent part of his weekend promoting a conspiracy theory on the death of his former associate and accused sex trafficker. on saturday, trump re-tweeted a message from a conservative commentator, alleging without evidence that former president bill clinton was connected to the death of epstein. the tweet referred to a hash tag clinton body talking. a number of people associated with bill and hillary clinton have turned up dead. president trump previously pushing the false claim the

former president wasn't born in the u.s.. >> the president's trip to el paso continues to draw criticism. the atlantic calls this inflames photo obscene. it shows the president smiling with a thumbs up while the first lady holds an infants whose pare parents were killed in the incident. comparing it to a tweet with a taco bowl, the president tweeting in part this, i love hispanics. in the case of taco bowl, the thumbs up it was to signal approval. but questions what it means in the photo with the baby. i do not imagine trump is applauding the slaughter but few gestures are appropriate for both a taco bowl and the death of a baby's parents. here's beto o'rourke. >> for him then to focus on

comparing political rallies or on himself, on how much people love him, just shows you how sick this guy is. and how unfit for this office. he should be consoling people, bringing people together, focussing on their pair and improving their lives. instead he's focused on himself. >> joe biden out with a new op-ed, calling for the assault weapons ban to be reinstated. 70% of americans support the ban. biden wrote in the "new york times," when you have that kind of broad public support for legislation that will make everyone safer, and it stale can't get through the senate, the problem is with the weak willed leaders who care more about their campaign coffers. we will see more and deadly --

>> joining us from washington, deputy news editor for the washington examiner, david mark. what do you make of biden's calls to ban assault weapons, do you think this is going to resonate with voters as we're seeing in some of the polls? >> this is one of the key legislative victories that former vice president, former senator biden can point to. he was in the senate 36 years before serving as barack obama's vice president. he chaired the then senate judiciary committee, and under his watch, they actually got this assault weapons ban through even though it only lasted for ten years. so this is something tangible he can point to as an accomplishment. public opinion clearly is on his side, but the mechanics of getting it through the senate is awfully difficult, particularly with the filibuster and other problems. . >> david, by some accounts, the president had a rough week in terms of the optics of the trips to el paso.

the reports he is bothered by the label of being a racist. how might the backlash from trump's visit to el paso actually hurt him as 2020 nears? i mean, is there a political fallout as to how he conducted himself. how are some of the 2020 democrats seizing on this moment? >> it's always possible that these trump indiscretions is a bridge too far, that it finally pushes people who are tonight fence about him or maybe don't like the democratic candidates to say okay, we're willing to give minimum a chance. we'll have to see the what polls say, because the president has done so many things that has democrats, independents outraged and yet his base sticks with him. so it's not clear at all, this is really going to hurt him. of course it juices up the democratic candidates. beto o'rourke, the former congressman, representing el paso, would appear to be the most direct recipient, of course you hate to put in the crass political terms, somebody benefitting politically off the

horrible tragedy. >> david mark live in washington, d.c. thanks, david. still ahead, the acting homeland security expresses regret over the timing of the raid on food processing plants in mississippi. and president trump's crack down on migrants crossing into the u.s. how the mexican military is helping with that issue. those stories and bill karins is back with another check on your forecast. back with another check on your forecast the first survivor of alzheimer's disease

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we have excessive heat warnings, alexandria, shreveport, eastern, oklahoma. dallas you're under a heat watch. tomorrow we're going to crank the heat up hotter than it's been. in total, 76 million people have areas of concern for heat. as far as the temperatures today, it's the feels like temperature that gets to you. it's in the shade, remember, and when you add the temperature to the humidity, memphis, could be one of the hottest spots in the country, feeling like 114 degrees, st. louis, 110, same for houston, corpus christi, 111. areas of north florida, very hot, jacksonville tied yesterday, tampa will feel like 105. the heat isn't quite sneaking up the east coast. that will happen tomorrow. the heat indices will sneak to areas like raleigh, d.c., a little break this weekend, and the humidity increase you'll

feel it later today. for today, severe storms in iowa. chicago could get rain out of this. tuesday in the northeast, we get storms, and they sneak to the southeast. by the end of the week, it quiets down a little bit. hot in areas like texas but we don't have a lot o sevef severe weather to talk about. tomorrow, the northeast, the evening commutes and airports could have significant delays. acting secretary of homeland security kevin mcaleenan expressed regret on sunday for the timing of immigration raids that swept up 680 workers at food processing plants in mississippi an operation that took place after a mass shooting that targeted hispanics in el paso, texas. acting customs and border patrol mark morgan defended the move saying it was the criminal investigation. >> given the emotions of the country right now, in hindsight, do you wish this raid didn't happen this week? >> the timing was unfortunate.

>> these aren't raids, these are targeted law enforcement operations and in this case, this was a joint criminal investigation with i.c.e. and the department of justice targeting work site enforcement, meaning companies that knowingly and willfully hire illegal aliens so in most cases they can pay them reduced wages, exploit them further for their bottom line. that's what this investigation was about, a criminal investigation. >> and presidential candidate kamala harris weighed in on the raids calling it part of trump's quote, campaign of terror. >> this administration has directed dhs to conduct these raids as part of what i believe is this administration's campaign of terror. which is to make whole populations of people afraid to go to work. we say every person matters, we count. we make decisions based on who's here and what they need, and you and i will both suffer if that

census count is flawed. and i'm telling you that given the policies of this administration, that is going to be a flawed census. >> as president trump pushes to limit the influx of immigrants entering the u.s., 11,000 members of the mexican national guard stand watch over the country's southern border of guatemala to deter groups moving from central america. >> it's the military surge president trump has been asking for, but instead of the u.s. border, 11,000 members of the mexican national guard now stand watch over their southern border at the river that divides mexico from guatemala. it's all part of a new mexican government crack down. the commander here insisted we conceal his identity over security concerns and tells us their mission is limited in scope. the military can't physically touch migrants who come through here, instead providing a deterrent.

many from central and south america trying to get to the u.s. begin their journey across mexico at this point. >> that show of force along the border with guatemala is half the story. the mexican government is setting up centers like this one in an attempt to get migrants to register. it's their way of trying to bring some semblance of order in a clearly chaotic situation. some here have lived in the u.s. and have been deported and are attempting to get back. because of recently immigration policies from the trump administration, others have given up. >> did you think about going to the u.s.? >> no. >> reporter: why not? >> because i got deported already. >> reporter: as nightfalls, we meet ishmael, his parents took him to california when he was 3. he too was recently deported living almost his entire life in america. are you trying to get back? >> i am trying to get back. >> reporter: how are you? >> either legally or if possible, illegal. >> reporter: you would cross back illegally if you had to. >> yes, did he feel, just to be

back with -- yes, definitely, just to be back with my family. president trump sounds off on north korea's recent wave of missile launches. plus global markets kick the trading week off over concerns of the u.s., china trade war. we're going live to london after this. we're going live to london after this o 99.9% of germs. o 99.9% of germs. try listerine® and for on-the-go, try listerine® ready! tabs™

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welcome back, president trump claims that north korean dictator, kuhn has apologized to

him -- kuim jong un has apologized to him for recent missile tests. the kim regime has said the tests are a show against the u.s., south korea exercises currently underway saying they are escalating tensions. network decembspises the drill. saying the exercises are quote war games, and he never liked them. kim personally oversaw the latest launch. less than a day before the test, trump said kim is quote not happy with the testing, adding he recently received a letter from kim. kim issued a quote small apology for the recent provocations but the president again saying that the joint drills are ridiculous and expensive. >> i'm curious to see what a small apology looks like from kim jong un. >> if it's a long beautiful love letter issued in small apology form. the markets could be

volatile as investors express their concern with the trade war with china. let's cross over to london. good to have you with us on this monday morning, could more dramatic drops be in stock for the market or what do you expect to see this week? >> it was a roller coaster week deeply in the red. more than 2.5 percentage points and we did get 3 percentage points in the lows. we saw an escalation between the two sides last week but over the weekend what we have seen is a further weakening of the chinese currency, the yuan, and president trump is saying that there's no dealings under any circumstances for huawei. also they'd apply licenses on case by case basis for u.s.

companies. farmers have started to complain after the chinese have cancelled all agriculture coming from the u.s. the agricultural exports were up and now the administration has rolled out a $16 billion package they promised another $14 billion package. again, more numbers for you, but that $30 billion combined pretty much offsets entirely the tariffs so that's one thing to watch. in terms of markets though, all three majors are pointed negative for this week. lots of data to watch out for including industrial production. >> brace yourselves. >> exactly. >> we're always one tweet away from volatility. all right. joumanna bercetche live in london, good to see you. coming up, axios' john vandehei has a look at "1 big thing" and the latest on the investigation into how the

alleged sex trafficker was apparently able to kill himself while in federal custody and what his death may mean for his victims. plus t very latest on the el paso mass shootings as the suspect tells police she was specifically targeting mexicans. 2020 presidential candidate andrew yang will discuss his emotional exchange about the gun violence problem. "morning joe" is just moments away. roblem "morning joe" is just moments away johnson & johnson is a baby company. but we're also a cancer fighting, hiv controlling, joint replacing, and depression relieving company. from the day you're born we never stop taking care of you.

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welcome back. joining us from washington with a looks at axios a.m., cofounder of axios, john vandehei. >> good morning. >> tell us about the "1 big thing." >> we're looking at the problems in rural america which explains a lot of the discontent that trump is able to tap in to. if you look at kids in terms of the education, the economic opportunities, even their health, the trends are much worse in rural america than you

see in big cities and even smaller cities. then as an adult this is where you see the big problems really surge. whether it's opioid addiction, rising suicide rates, even mortality is slipping. people not living as long as they used to. largely because of health care and a rise in mental illness and depression. and the problem here is if you go step back and you look at one of the big trends that are going to shape the next five to ten years this rural city divide is at the heart of it. so many of the advancements and technologies want to go where the education systems are, where the workers are. want to go where the services are so they increasingly flock to city at the expense of rural america which creates this discontent. if that's the group of people that often feels like they don't like the changes that are taking place in america. >> so jim, i don't know if you saw our last segment or not, but we talked about the personal letters that president trump and

kim jong-un often fair and even there's a small apology to quote the president from kim jong-un. but we know this president loves letters, i know you have new insight into letters that are being exchanged with another foreign leader that trump apparently has a pen pal relationship with. tell us a little bit more about that one. >> yeah, jonathan swan had a great scoop last night in his sneak peek newsletter where he looked at the weird relationship between trump and justin trudeau, who trump calls a wise guy and doesn't like him, but twice he ripped out the cover of a business week magazine and grabbed as a report from the -- and he took a sharpie and he took the cover of trudeau and he was the anti-trump, and he wrote on it, look good, i hope this isn't true. hold your laughter. the canadian embassy got it, they thought it was a prank. they had to call the white house and say, did trump really send

this? it turns out he did. the guy loves sharpie. we did our hpo interview and he was going on about sharpies and the beautiful way they write. it's a pen pal thing, the letters -- love letters with kim jong-un. it's just one of the quirks of the presidency. that you can't help but make you chuckle a little bit. >> just one of the quirks. >> maybe sharpies are better than crayolas. it wasn't letters cut out of a magazine. >> justin trudeau responded with an emoji to one of the letters when he sent him with something to do with a trade surplus between canada and china. >> yeah. trudeau sent it back and put a little smiley face. he did the same technique that trump did. he does this by the way with members of congress. they have the printouts of sort what you need to know about this member of congress. in some of -- some are critical but i don't think trump had read all of them. sometimes when he gets bored he'll autograph them with a

sharpie and give them to the member of congress. do with it whatever you want. >> let's talk about another relationship that soured over the weekend, trump and scaramucci. >> scaramucci is in a twitter feud with trump. so he only worked for trump for 11 days so he's been in a war with trump on twitter about whether or not trump handled the aftermath of the el paso shootings appropriately. he said he definitely did not. he's now saying that trump is essentially going -- becoming unhinged and may need to be replaced on the ticket. he claims lots of other republicans share this view. but i assume maybe a lot of his friends share the view. we don't see a ton of that in polling data. but it just shows one of the other things he says that trump always turns on you and that does seem to be true for a lot of people who have worked for trump that aren't named jared or

ivanka or stephen miller. >> john vandehei, always a pleasure. we'll be reading axios newsletter and you can get it at signup.axios.com. >> that does it for now. i'm yasmin vossoughian with ayman mohyeldin. "morning joe" starts now. the 66-year-old was found semiconscious with marks on his neck in his cell at the metropolitan correctional center in manhattan. some time in the last two days according to two sources he's now on suicide watch. >> why wouldn't he be on suicide watch before that? >> yeah. >> that was our reaction nearly three weeks ago. the last time jeffrey epstein was found with marks on his neck while behind bars. yet, over the weekend, he still wasn't being properly monitored and apparently he took his own life. will his victims ever get the justice they deserve? good morning. welcome to "morning joe." monday, august 12. mika has the morning