good evening, and welcome to "politicsnation." tonight's lead, defend or deflect. that's what's on the table for president trump as he weighs whether to allow his lawyers to testify in the impeachment inquiry. thereby legitimatizing the opening hearings or refuse to

take part in a constitutional process he calls, quote, bs. this comes as washington gears up for the next phase of the investigation. with the white house judiciary committee holding its first day of public hearings on wednesday and preparing to draft articles of impeachment. in case you missed any news while enjoying your turkey and stuffing over the holidays, we are here to help you digest the latest platter of headlines. the new reporting shreds light on rudy giuliani. trump is denying that he directed giuliani to go to ukraine and operate on his behalf. also "the new york times" is reporting that president trump knew of the whistle-blower complaint when he released aid to ukraine. and a judge has ruled that former white house counsel don mcgahn must obey a subpoena to receive before congress.

also new, mark sandy, senior official of office of management and budget told investigators that two of his colleagues in the agency quit after expressing frustration over frozen financial aid for ukraine. that's according to a newly released closed-door transcript. and democrats are now questioning why the department of justice inspector general isn't investigating trump's attorney general, william barr. joining me now to go through all that, christina greer from fordham university and political consultant, shermichael singleton. let me start with you on this, christine. the whole fact that there is still an extended deadline on president trump agreeing to

be -- participate in the proceedings before the judiciary committee, what signal does it send legally and to the public if he does or if he does not? >> so we have multiple people we're dealing with. there's trump base where it doesn't matter what donald trump says, they will stick by him and they will believe whatever it is that he says. we have many democrats who believe we have to go through due process, the reasons we have articles of impeachment for a president or any other elected official in upper levels of government is because possible crimes against this united states should be sort of gone through the proper channels, through the house. this is why donald trump is so afraid of democrats gaining control of the house in 2018. we know that unfortunately -- you've known the president for a long time, those of us in new york have known him for a

long time. he can't help himself in many ways. so his lawyers are very concerned that he will get front of the house committee and do what he always does, which is sort of talk, when he doesn't realize these a legal conversations he's having. because lying just becomes like oxygen for him, it's very damning for him. so they are trying to figure out a way where they can stick to the narrative that this is a witch hunt by the democrats. the democrats have been trying to prove to the american people public ever since this man was sworn in, after corruption, possible illegal activity after illegal activity. how we put it together in a cohesive narrative that makes sense to the american people. >> we're not even clear if he's going to send in a defense. he doesn't have to testify himself but he could certainly present witnesses that could testify contrary to what we've already heard in the

intelligence hearings, committee hearings. there are ways to put up a defense if you want to that doesn't require the president. what signal does he send from the president of the united states coming from the law and order party if they don't decide to show legitimacy at all or any kind of check or balance from the congress in an impeachment inquiry? >> well, politically, rev, he doesn't have to. as professor greer just articulated, republican voters are going to stick with the president no matter what. you've seen indications from lindsey graham that once this process heads to the senate, that they are going to politicize this, if you will. graham did say if one party's going to go after another party, then it's only fair for us to do the same in return. so it will be intriguing to see how this process sort of shapes up once it gets to the senate. but i think, rev, as i think

about this as a conservative, as a republican, republican voters want an extreme change, right? and the issue with extreme change that it leads to extreme problems which leads to chos. that's what we see under this president. so i don't expect -- knowing how he has behaved throughout his presidency thus far, that he feels the need to put up any necessary defense because for the most part republicans will coalesce around him regardless of the validity of that defense. >> but the question is not need, it's obligation. you took the oath of office. for example, one of the questions that comes to mind is that rudy giuliani, the president is saying christine, that he did not send giuliani to ukraine. yet this same president on the phone call that has been made public, even in his summation

where he sanitized the phone call to the president of ukraine, he told them talk to rudy giuliani or william barr. why would you tell the president of ukraine to talk to rudy giuliani if you didn't send him or in some shape or form you were working in joint efforts toward whatever you were telling the president of ukraine to talk to rudy giuliani? >> right. this is where i think the president is clearly -- we've seen it. he's in way over his head. as i said before, this isn't a building inspector from queens that you can just hustle and say talk to my guy and he'll figure it out for me. you are going against u.s. diplomatic relations, and rudy giuliani has been a willing participant, it seems in so many of these endeavors. now that it's coming to light and these interactions possibly illegal, we know the president will always protect himself.

zpaerts that he se it doesn't matter that giuliani went willingly on behalf of the president. the president doesn't understand the role of the presidency. he doesn't understand the role of the united states president. >> is it that he doesn't understand or he doesn't care? >> both and. he doesn't understand the institution of the presidency. he is angry people aren't pledging loyalty to him, the man that is donald trump. >> not the nation. >> if you red the constitution, if you think about the oath that he took, the oath is never about the man. it is about the vessel that is to represent the nation, all 320 million of us. we've seen from day one this president say if you're not with me, i don't care that you don't feel represented. >> shermichael, when we look at the behavior of lindsey graham, who's 180 degrees different than he was during the clinton impeachment, when you look at what the republicans are saying,

it seems like united in the senate, the problem that you have is are we at risk? the long-standing takeaway, if there's not a conviction, is that we now are saying that it is all right for a sitting u.s. president to use a foreign government to interfere at some level with the american election. are we willing as americans to have that as a precedent, because that's what will be established if this happens? >> i would certainly hope not, but i think that's going to be the case. there's no indication at this point that republicans or at least enough of them will vote in a manner to convict this president. rev, what concerns me particularly about republicans, you just mentioned the whole law and order notions that

republicans campaigned on for years now, is that we sort of reached a point where we don't truly realize just how at jeopardy we're putting our institutions. we don't really realize just how fragile it really is. i think about thomas jefferson when asked by some regular citizens over 100 plus years ago what type of government was established, he said a republic if you can keep it. i think so much about that. if you can keep it, that we're reaching the point now where we are setting a precedent where i'm not certain that we will be able to keep it. if we can't keep it, rev, the question for all of us has to be, what comes next? and i think we just have -- at least republicans on my side, we have to have introspection here and realize -- i get they want to stick with the president and the politics. but at some point, rev, it has to be bigger than the politics. >> are you serving for the country and the future for the country. christine, you've had members of

the administration quit because the aid, the military aid voted by congress was not given to ukraine, and it certainly was held up by this president, and we have had witnesses say he held it up saying that they first had to announce an investigation. never even saying that there was evidence, never even saying that this is a direct crime that we're looking at. just announcing an investigation and smear my opponent, and people quit. i'm talking about republicans in his administration quit. how do we not litigate that in the congress? >> i mean, this goes back to shermichael's point. more republicans need to step up. i mean, i am so tired of reading these stories about the whispering republicans and the anonymous republicans who are wringing their hands over this presidency and they're so disappointed and so worried. if you are worried, then you need to say something on behalf of your party and on behalf of your country. >> and your constituents who voted for you to go and defend. >> exactly. but so many are worried about

being primaried by pro-trump supporters, they're choosing to remain silent. when we have members of the military, you were-level members who are resigning or speaking out against some of the behaviors of this president, this lets us know we're on the precipice of something real and dangerous and far too many people don't understand the danger this president is putting us in. >> the thing they should consider is that history will record what you do and what you do not do. and long after this president and the next president is gone, your children's children will be reading about where you stood. that also should be something they think about. we'll have more with christina and shermichael later in the show. coming up, so far only six presidential candidates have qualified for the next democratic presidential debate. my next guest is hoping he will become the seventh. coming up, i'll talk with former hud secretary julian castro about how he plans to hit the

thresholds for the event and how he plans to raise his profile in early voting states. first, my colleague richard lui with today's top news story. richard? >> hey, rev . a couple stories we're watching this hour. u.k. police are searching for clues into a stabbing attack that left two people dead and three more injured near london bridge yesterday. 28-year-old usman khan was shot dead by officers on the bridge after being identified as the attacker. investigators say the suspect was in prison for six years after being convicted this 2012 for his part in an al qaeda uninspired plot to blow up the london stock exchange. ilhan omar has been banned from twitter. the reason, she accused a minnesota congresswoman of treason and wrote that omar should be handing. a twitter spokesperson confirmed

republican danielle stella has been banned but didn't specify why. stella defended herself claiming she did not threaten omar. more "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton after the break. an average of 67 cents stays local. today is small business saturday by american express. shop small and watch it add up. ♪the beat goes onp for heart failure look like? it looks like emily cooking dinner for ten. ♪the beat goes on it looks like jonathan on a date with his wife. ♪la-di-la-di-di entresto is a heart failure medicine that helps your heart, so you can keep on doing what you love. entresto helped people stay alive and out of the hospital. heart failure can change the structure of your heart, so it may not work as well. entresto helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby.

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[ dramatic music ]ing ] ahhhh! -ahhhh! elliott. you came back! . welcome back. along with spending time with family, thanksgiving is also a time to give back to those less fortunate. the national action network local leaders and i spent part

of the day serving hot meals to our community uptown in harlem, new york. another person who took the time to give back this week was democratic presidential candidate julian castro. he volunteered this week to ensure that more than 25,000 people in his hometown of san antonio, texas, had hot thanksgiving dinner on thursday. this comes as the former housing and urban development secretary is calling to make the issue of hungry a national priority, and he's rolling out a thorough policy plan to help end the crisis. julian castro joins me now from san antonio. mr. secretary, first, welcome back to "politicsnation." >> great to be with you, rev. thank you for having me. >> before i get to your policy on dealing with the question of hunger, which is a big problem

that is being ignored big time, i am among many that have raised the question about the calendar of the democratic caucuses in primaries. when it is clearly established by data that a democratic nominee cannot win the nomination and the presidency without a significant vote from blacks and browns. yet the first caucus and the first primary in the democratic contest are in states that are over 90% white. you have addressed that. what is missing in the minds of those that set the calendar in the dnc? why are we still in many ways starting the primary season in a way that doesn't demonstrate the demographics of the votes that's needed by the ultimate democratic nominee? >> you know, thank you for reminding folks that during this thanksgiving season, as we give

thanks for everything we have, we should think about those who are less fortunate. throughout this campaign i've been fighting not only for the middle class but also for people who are poor, people who are living in poverty. as democrats, somewhere along the way in the last 40 years we forgot to fight as strong for people who are poor as people who are middle class and we have to do both. when it comes to the presidential nominating process, i pointed out just very straightforwardly, very bluntly that we need a nominee that can appeal to people of all different backgrounds. the last time the democrats won was 2008 and 2012, and we did that with a candidate, barack obama, who electrified this coalition of diverse people, working class folks. but we start the nominating process in these two states that have very few people of color. we tell black women that, hey, thank you, thank you, y'all are the reason we won in alabama, you're the reason that govern

edwards just won re-election in louisiana near the heart of our party. but we start in iowa and new hampshire that have very few black people. that's not a knock on any of the people in iowa or new hampshire. >> not at all. >> i've gotten a great reception. i think they take their role seriously, but we can do it better. we can go first with states that reflect the diversity of our country and our party. iowa has had its caucus first since 1972. our country's changed a lot since 1972, and i think that our presidential nominating process should change too. that's just the blunt truth. >> and i agree with you. it's not a knock on the people in iowa and new hampshire. many of them have said that they understand that position. implicitly you are saying to candidates you have to prove you can get the white vote and then we'll see if you can gets the other votes. that's, frankly, insulting. let me ask you about your policy

-- >> sorry, i can't hear. >> do you hear me now? i think we have a little -- you hear me now, secretary? i think he has a problem with his audio. i want to raise a question about your policy on hunger. are you hearing me now, secretary castro? all right. julian castro, we'll come back to you once we get that fixed. we'll come right back to you. coming up, as american shoppers head out to stores to buy gifts for the holidays, let me tell you, they may feel some sticker shock due to president trump's war on christmas. i'll explain that, next. thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer,

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welcome back to "politicsnation." we're back with 2020 presidential candidate julian castro. secretary castro, thank you for staying with me. we had that glitch straightened out. let me ask you, your policies you've come out with to deal with hunger, you stated there's a lot of focus on the middle class and certainly that is needed. but there are people that are

hung hungry, homeless, and considered in the lower tear of the economic dealings with this country. what do you say and propose about dealing with poverty and hunger in america? >> number one, that it's time we did it. we need to invest in an america where everyone counts. and so i've proposed several investments and policies to make sure that everyone can prosper in our country, including expanding the earned income tax credit, child tax credit, making sure we invest in affordable child care so families can afford child care, housing that is affordable to both the medical center, the working poor, and the poor. just a few days ago we announced a plan to eliminate hunger in our country. we've all heard these stories about school children being shamed because they owe debt at their school for lunch money. i believe it's time that we make lunch free for all students

because we have so many students that still go hungry. that one meal they get or two meals, breakfast and lunch, we can do that. we can expand wick and make sure snap lasts a family a whole month. we can ensure the people who are shut-ins have easier access to fresh food and food delivery. those are the of any kind things i believe our country needs to do to ensure that every person, every family can prosper in the years to come. it's such a different viewpoint from this president who wants to be a president only for some people and whose tax cut overwhelmingly helped very wealthy corporations and wealthy individuals. i want to move us back to an american where we're focused on everybody, not just some people. >> now, you're not qualified for the next debate. what is your strategy? you have to qualify by december

11th in terms of polling and money raised by individual donors. what are you going to do to make it possible for you to be on that stage in the next debate? >> i'll work my butt off between now and the next couple of weeks. the cutoff, i think it's december 12th, for the next date. we're getting to these early states, doing what we can to put out impactful policy and to draw attention to the difference between my campaign and just about every other campaign out there. i haven't been afraid to speak up for those who often don't have a voice, to fight for those who need fighting for, and to tackle subjects, whether it's immigration or police reform, or a number of other issues that other candidates shy away from. because that's the kind of america that we need to build where everyone counts. we have about nine weeks left until the iowa caucus.

but these days, that's like nine lifetimes in politics. what i see out there is a race right now that is very much in flux with new people getting in -- >> what do you think about the new people getting in? michael bloomberg is already spending $30 million. some of your colleagues in this race have attacked him coming in with billions. how do you respond to billionaires coming in with deep pockets that are going to choose to come in a little later than the process that you and some of the other candidates have already gone through? >> well, look, as they say, it's a free country, right? everybody is entitled to run. at the same time, i don't get the sense after having traveled the country for 11 months now, i don't get the sense that what folks are looking for is a billionaire savior. i believe they want someone who is in touch with the everyday needs of americans out there in every walk of life. i also think they want somebody who's going to hold himself or herself up for scrutiny.

and so the fact that mayor bloomberg said basically he's not going to participate in these democratic debates, it looks like he's running away from the scrutiny of the stage, running away from a comparison and contrast of his record with other records. and i don't think that's what people are looking for. we're going to see what happens over the next nine weeks until iowa caucuses. i'm going to be working hard to make sure that folks understand my strong, positive vision for the future of this country. >> well, i agree with you people not looking for a savior. i'm just looking for a good president. secretary julian castro, thank you. staying on the typical of the 2020 campaign, the most recent national poll for the democratic presidential names still shows a hotly contested race, particularly among the current top four candidates with former vice president joe biden in the lead with 23% followed by elizabeth warren at 17%.

senator bernie sanders in third place with 15%, and mayor pete buttigieg with 12%. all of the candidates in the polls are in low single digits. meanwhile, the same four top in the race in early voting state of new hampshire, but in a different order. sanders is at 26%. buttigieg is at 22%. and biden is warren at 15%. and still no other candidate breaking that 10% threshold. that difference in preference between democrats nationwide and those in new hampshire likely comes down to black voters. new hampshire is 94% white and just 2% black. it should be a warning bell to democrats that the road to victory will be a steep one if they can't earn the enthusiasm of black voters. joining me now, dr. michael eric

dyson, professor of sociology at georgetown university. you cannot twin nomination without the black vote. you cannot win without the brown vote. yet we're seeing almost a difference when we poll black and brown voters and we do other voters. can we see a candidate that can raise the enthusiasm of the whole diversified field for democratic voters, and can we deal with the fact that some of those running seem to have some lack of ability to relate to some in the black and brown communities? >> yes, sir. reverend sharpton, you got your finger on the pulse there. it is going to be extremely difficult to navigate the perilous terrain of this democratic nomination process without understanding that you've got to appeal more broadly to african-american people, to black and brown

voters, and to other constituencies that have been rendered marginal on the american political landscape. what's interesting, usually it is said, well, you know, you deal with black people, they're safe in the pocket. let's get disaffected white voters. but the truth is that black voters are sick and tired of being taken for granted. they're sick and tired of being rendered last on the totem pole, so to speak. going to iowa, to white states first to determine the outcome of this election, you've already shown how difficult that is and how dismissive it is of the democratic process that has demographic rich votes among african-american people in places like south carolina and on super tuesday later. so i think it's going to be extremely difficult for anybody to make an argument that they are worthy of being president of the united states of america if

they cannot indeed find a way to embrace those constituencies and find a way to create some enthusiasm among that voter. >> now, in part they have to also deal with that by addressing the issues that are of concern to a broader basements we're not saying don't address the issues you're addressing now, but also address the issues of inequality and also address the issues criminal justice, specifically, and bring your record with you, your background that we have a reason to believe you're not just saying that now. we've seen some of the candidates, mayor pete got into some controversy this week around that. we have got to see people that say what they mean, and have a background to make that believable. >> that's exactly right. and having that background to make it believable means you can't vent it out of whole cloth

at the last minute. you can't go to a black church and shake a couple hands, or go to black tv and say my bad to voters. you have to have a ground plan, game plan that already understands that these are constituencies that demand and deserve a serious attention paid to their particular issues which are american all yours. these are issues, criminal justice reform, inequality, that don't happen to simply appeal to african-american people, though, disproportionately so, but the rest of the country is grappling with these issues as well. there's been bipartisan movement around issues of criminal justice reform in this country. even president trump signed the first step act. so we know that there is some window of opportunity that will be raised. the question is, are the democrats ready to go in and make certain that the issues that are of concern to african-american people and a broader constituency have to be dealt with. it's not either or. if you are a thumb on a hand and the thumb is hurting, no sense

in saying, well, the other four fingers seem to be doing pretty fine, let's worry about the thumb later. the thumb is critical to the prehensel ability to grasp the voters, if i can extend that metaphor. once democrat candidates for the presidency begin to think that way, then we have a better chance of having both the interests of those constituencies addressed and the broader american society seeing some of the most critical issues that it is concerned with, health care, concern about guns, concern about safety and the like be addressed as well. >> now, put on your professor hat. we are three years since the first black president was elected and re-elected. yet it's almost like that never happened if you look at some of what is going on in the body

politic. and the whole cultural significance of a large part of america where you just released a book on jay-z, which has taken off in a big way, showing the cultural as well as the political climate that we're in right now. it's something that is much different than what donald trump refers to, which is almost back to pre1950 america. where are we in american history political and cultural and how do they overlap? because as i read your book, "jay-z" the overlap is significant, and i think you mastered it in a powerful way in your book. >> thank you, sir. i appreciate that, reverend. look, another philosopher named christopher wallace said it was all a dream, i used to read "word up" magazine. >> he's from brooklyn for those that don't know.

>> break that brooklyn talk down. aha. so the reality is that it does seem to be a phenomenon that passed so quickly that obama didn't make a mark an american society. the greatest offense he made to the american public was that he wore a tan suit. but he was a man, even if you disagreed with his policies, and i had open disagreements with president obama around several issues. but what you couldn't disagree with is the fact that he was a man full of integrity, willing to work hard for the american people, he was not out playing golf as this president is, but really trying to take a swing at, teeing off on the issues of inequality that prevailed in american society and finding the best route to redemption in this culture. as i say in my book, jay-z represents an american society that is scrapped from the bottom. i quote an american historian who says that hustling is the central motif of american

society. if hustling is the central motif of american society, both the bad kind, the scoff laws, those who were on the take, and the good kind, those who are the go-getters, those who understand they have to make their way by their hard work, that's where we are. that's where the american people are, and i think any politician love to understand what jay-z , that man from brooklyn, has mastered. that you got to gird up your lion loins, connect with other people, and then do the right thing in american society. if politicians were more like jay-z in that regard, i think we'd have a better chance to see something good happening in this american political season. >> dr. michael eric dyson, thank you very much. the book is "jay-z: made in america." coming up, as american shoppers head out to stores to buy gifts for the holidays, they may feel some sticker shock due to president trump's war on christmas. i'll explain next.

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. with thanksgiving behind us, it's time for the most ridiculous and predictable christmas tradition i could think of. when republicans go crazy over the so-called war on christmas, that's theme for this week's memo to trump. because if anyone is waging war on christmas this year, it's you, mr. president, with your ill-advised trade war. you're setting the financial burden for your ridiculous conflict with china at the feet of american businesses and consumers just in time for christmas. with trade uncertainty weighing on the minds of businesses in late summer, as they made their holiday bulk orders, there will be fewer new items on store shelves this holiday season as americans do their shopping. worse still, you knew your china policy would hurt everyday americans.

that's that's why you relented on a delay. >> we're doing this for the christmas season, just in case some of the tariffs would have an impact on u.s. customers. >> that was back in august and you still don't understand delaying the tariff hike didn't protect u.s. consumers or businesses. from price increases, from duets that were already in place, or that your policy of blindly slapping tariffs on everything china makes from cell phones to clothing to toys is like a pick ax to the strong economy you love to take credit for. but since you already december nated likelihood of so many american farmers, i guess you would figure you would try to mess with the american consumers just in time for christmas. and the grinch act doesn't stop with gifts. americans are paying more for christmas lights, nativity

scenes, and santas this year. it's no coincidence most of those decorations made in china. if you impose tariffs on them too and there's no relief in sight, as experts warn, we could see a repeat of last year's december stock market free fall because you keep escalating this ridiculous trade war. so the next time you want to tell some made-up story about how big, scary progressives tried to stop you from saying merry christmas or whine about some imaginary war on christmas, you should reconsider, because, mr. president, you're the one who fired the first and most devastating shot. be right back. for every dollar you spend at a small business, an average of 67 cents stays local. today is small business saturday by american express. shop small and watch it add up.

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(people talking) for every dollar you spend at a small business, an average of 67 cents stays local. today is small business saturday by american express. shop small and watch it add up. nation." with just about two months until the iowa caucus, there are signs of trouble for the campaign of senator kamala harris. "the new york times" reports harris, who was once seen as a top-tier candidate, now has an organization that is quote unraveled. it describes a campaign that is in dire financial situation, has very questionable leadership, and is plagued by constant in-fighting among competing groups of employees. also, a former top-level staffer for harris who recently joined the michael bloomberg campaign wrote in a resignation letter. this is my third presidential

campaign and i've not seen an organization treat its staff so poorly. my panel is back with me. christina greer, co-host of faq nyc podcast. and author of the book "black ethics." and michael singleton, a republican political consultant. is this a real problem, christine? or is this just some move by a -- a -- a -- a disappointed staffer that's grumbling on the way somewhere else. you're getting conflicting reports in the media. and yet, the campaign is saying all is well. >> right. i think iowa will tell us whether or not this is a tempest and teapot. but i think we have to step back just a little bit and really look at the way that the media has talked about kamala harris. senator kamala harris. and senator elizabeth warren. we know that female candidates

have gotten a very disproportionate level of treatment by the media. we also know that candidates of color. that goes for senator cory booker. we had secretary julian castro on. and andrew yang and tulsi gabbard to an extent. so they have a disproportionate level of coverage. either they're ignored or it seems to be a little critical and negative. and so when you add senator harris with the gender and racial aspects, we see this sort of constant barrage of critiques on her. now, no campaign is run perfectly. barack obama struggled in 2008. we saw bernie sanders in 2016. we saw hilary clinton struggle in 2016. this is the nature of the campaign. you're trying to get your footing in a caucus state. keep in mind, this is not the australian ballot. people do not go vote privately. so we don't know the effect of her campaign until february in

iowa. but unfortunately, these stories have a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. >> and it's all over the place, michael. i mean, you have one of bernie sanders' main spokespeople from 2016 now working for joe biden. see these kind of headlines. what are we looking at here, michael? >> i mean, look, rev. quickly, i want to say something i stated a quote earlier by benjamin franklin and i said it was thomas jefferson so i wanted to correct that since we were coming back. but to answer your question, look, i think for senator harris, she sort of has struggled in trying to figure out what's her beat. when i think of some of the other candidates, i -- for the most part, almost all of them, i can point to at least one or two things that have sort of defined them. i -- i can't necessarily do that with senator harris. number two, i would sort of ask what's her base of support? is it african-american women? is it african-american women and african-american men? is it women in general? i think that's something that her campaign has to try and

figure out. and number three, i thought it was just completely inappropriate for that former staffer, if she did leak her resignation letter, to do that. i have also worked on three presidential campaigns and i can tell you i would never hire or approve the hiring of someone who did something like that. because to me, that is a sign of a breech of trust. so the fact that the bloomberg campaign hired that person, they should be somewhat skeptical and weary of her. but look, it's still early. iowa voters have stated they have not made their minds up yet. i'm not going to write senator harris out at this point. >> no, i'm not either and you quoted ben franklin and thomas jefferson mistakenly. i'll quote mark twain. rumors of my death are premature. christina greer and michael singleton. thank you. up next, my final thoughts. stay with us. for every dollar you spend at a small business, an average of 67 cents stays local. today is small business saturday by american express.

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this is the first time i have been able to hug my son in about 20 some years. this is wonderful. >> what's it like being out right now? >> it's -- it's surreal. >> that was andrew stewart holding his mother once again as a free man. stewart and two other men, alfred chestnut and ransom watkins were exonerated this week after spending 36 years in a maryland prison. the men were teenagers when they were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in a 1984

killing of a 14-year-old boy. as i looked at that case, 36 years for a crime they didn't commit and there was evidence. dna evidence and other evidence that was never revealed to them. and was known to those that were part of the prosecution. that allowed them to sit 36 years in jail. it reminded me of the central park five and any number of cases. we cannot have a country that represents what is right and decent when we have people knowingly withhold evidence to put innocent people in jail for crimes they did not commit. and those that do do that in prosecutors' offices should be held accountable. we must not devalue the lives of anyone. imagine if you or i had to do 36 years for something we knew we didn't do. and the people that had the

evidence are still working and going on with their lives. that is not the america we want to have. that does it for me. thanks for watching. up next, my colleague richard lui picks up the -- the coverage with more of today's news. hi. i'm richard lui at msnbc headquarters in new york city. it's day 68 of the impeachment inquiry and today the president faces two new deadlines. the person setting them, judiciary committee chairman nadler. and nadler set the first deadline for tomorrow. the second deadline is friday. the campaign trail is not on holiday today. joe biden rolls out his campaign bus which begins an 18-county tour of iowa today. and the president's upcoming trip to the nato summit. how his surprise announcement about afghanistan adds questions to international security policy. first up though for you this hour. impeachment phase