welcome to friday. it is "meet the press daily," i'm which you c i'm chuck todd. we are covering a number of stories at this hour as demonstrations are underway across the country to commemorate the day of ema eemancipation of slaves in america. of course, this year, comes amid a renewed push for racial equality. of all places, tulsa, oklahoma, which is bracing for the president's first campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic began. it's the first rally since george floyd's death. it takes place the day after juneteenth, in a city whose history includes one of the deadliest incidents of racial violence in america. all, as the president is lashing out and his re-election prospects appear to be deteriorating rapidly. the tulsa rally is happening as cases in tulsa and oklahoma are rising. officials wanted the president to reschedule the event.

he wouldn't. as tens of thousands of people are about to cram indoors and as cases are hitting record highs, to show their support for a president who says he believes that some people wear mask to, quote, signal disapproval of him. nbc news has just learned top members of the coronavirus task force, including doctors fauci and birx, warned the white house about the health risks of holding this rally. that's according to two people from many of those discussions. the president criticized dr. fauci earlier today on twitter. he also attacked the media, joe biden, mail-in voting, and fox news, which put out a new poll today showing that trump's re-election support is plummeting. he trails biden in that poll by 12 points and of course this is all playing out as the president is waging a court battle and threatening criminal charges against his former national security advisor, john bolton, for publishing a highly damning tell-all book that portrays the president as unfit for high office. a federal judge heard arguments today as the justice department

tries to quash its publication on behalf of the boss. we will have more on that in a minute. got our entire team of nbc reporters covering all this. morgan chesky is in tulsa, where president trump is scheduled to rally tomorrow. cal perry is also in tulsa, site of that 1921 massacre, in the place where we are seeing a lot of the juneteenth celebrations today. pete williams in our washington bureau with the latest on trying to stop bolton's book. and we've got kristen welker at the white house. let's start in tulsa. and, cal perry, i want to start with you in the greenwood district there. give us a sense of the scene. i know you have talked to some folks who are not very excited about the president's arrival in the next 24 hours. >> i think a lot of people are here, and they are angry about the president's arrival tomorrow. you have, as you put it, this culmination of stories. these protests about keeping

black lives matter in the forefront of people's minds as we deal with police violence across the country. you have the anniversary of the massacre that took place 99 years ago. this was an economic center of activity, even through segregation, people who live here have a life expectancy that is less than their white counterparts on the other side of town. unemployment is twice as high here as it is on the other side of town, in those white neighborhoods. so it's a matter of focus. we just talked to one. she said it's a matter of keeping the focus on what matters here, that is juneteenth, that is black lives matter. and ignoring, as she put it, the distractions. the distractions, in this case, are the president of the united states coming into town tomorrow, holding a rally across town. and all the while, putting out these tweets who seem to be directed at people celebrating juneteenth. instead of using the word thugs, he used the word low lives. today, i think we are going to

see a continued celebration of juneteenth. but again, chuck, the question is what happens tomorrow night when that trump rally gets underway? >> cal perry until the greenwood district. let's go to another part of tulsa, where morgan chesky is. and, morgan, before i get to you, i want to play this sound byte from governor kevin stit of oklahoma, who did his best to defend the president's rally. take a listen. >> if you want to wear a mask, we want you to do it. if you feel safer at home, we don't want you to come to that rally. but we -- we -- if you do feel okay, we want you to come to the rally and have a good time. we're going to be very savofe. and we think it's the right time. my question back to all the folks who say you shouldn't have a rally, when is the right time? >> now, morgan, a couple of developments just in the last few hours. they've rescinded a curfew that the mayor had put in, when the president requested that rescinding. and i guess the -- the final -- the supreme court and the state

decided they weren't going to intervene. so the rally's going. what kind of crowds are you seeing? >> well, chuck, those crowds are growing by the hour here near downtown tulsa. we're about two blocks away from the bok center, where they will hold about 19,000 people. an estimated 50, 60, 70,000 others expected to surround the city blocks around that area, where the president is expected to make those outdoor remarks, either before or after he addresses the crowd inside the arena. his campaign telling me they are going to have massive screens set up throughout downtown tulsa, where people can watch what's happening on the inside of the rally. but you mentioned those changes that have really happened over the past 12 hours here and i think it's important to note that it was the secret service, who recommended it to the tulsa mayor, to put that curfew in place. and it was for 10:00 to 6:00 a.m., and that was, very much, going to happen today. until the president appears, he tweeted, and then that curfew

disappeared. so as of right now, there is no curfew in the place in the city. we do know that crowds are growing by the hour here. and i had a chance to speak to a lot of these folks earlier, chuck. they're from all over the country. i said are you going to wear a mask when they're handed out to you as you walk inside? they tell me, i'll wear one if i have to. but if they just give it to me, i'm not going to. chuck. >> morgan chesky outside, there, in tulsa, where we are going to see a lot more of folks coming in over the next 24 hours. let me go over to kristen welker. toi i want to follow up on morgan's report there. so the secret service wanted a curfew. the president doesn't. the president wants a confrontation? is he look -- is he hoping that there -- you hate to ask it that way. but i don't understand why he would counter that secret service recommendation. >> well, it's another act of defiance, i think, by president trump, by his campaign. i mean, you go back to the fact

that the campaign is essentially not following the guidelines that have been put in place by the trump administration. that final point that you heard morgan make there about wearing masks. they are going to hand out masks, but they're not going to require people to actually wear masks. the reasoning for that, i spoke to mark lauder, who is with the campaign, he said, look, we don't want to take away people's individual rights to make a decision about that type of issue. but the bottom line is, chuck, this comes amid a mountain of warnings that the president, that the administration, have gotten about this rally and the potential dangers. including, our new reporting, that you have leading members of the task force, dr. anthony fauci, dr. deborah birx, who just last week, warned about having as many as 19,000 people in an enclosed arena. the possibility that covid-19 could spread in that type of environment. and that goes against the

broader backdrop of tensions between the president and the task force. you have fauci, who has clearly wanted to get his message out to the public. he is not alone. i'm told that other task force members do, as well. but that's why fauci has essentially been giving these interviews that break with a lot of the messaging that we have heard from the administration. fauci, himself, saying that he would not be comfortable attending one of these big rallies, chuck. and you talk about the president's poll numbers there. look. this is a big political risk. if this goes well, if this goes smoothly, that could undoubtedly energize the president's base, accomplish what he wants to. which is to start to turn the page on the coronavirus crisis. but if you do see a spread, and some people have said it runs the risk of being a superspreader, it could backfire on the president, in a big way, politically, chuck. >> and again, and also, almost encouraging demonstrations, encouraging late-night clashes, apparently.

at this point, again, you have his own experts, the secret service, and the white house task force, saying one thing. and he is actively defying both of those recommendations. i want to pivot to the bolton book. been some interesting explanations, today, of why the president seems to have so many liars. he ends up hiring people he will, eventually, refer to as liars or low lives or whaackos. >> are all of them liars when they say that this president is not up to the job? >> it's always difficult to tell what someone else is thinking, jim, so i'm not going to say they're liars. i'm going to say they're wrong. and i think if there was one criticism that i would level against the president is that he didn't hire very well. >> he likes the model of having a team of rivals, like what we saw in president lincoln's administration. >> if you are going to hire rivals, why hire rivals who are

dumb as a rock, overrated, wacko, and incompetent? >> well, sometimes those rivals prove those labels to be true. and that's particularly true -- that's particularly true, in the case of john bolton. >> so, kristen welker, they clearly -- i think trump allies are having a hard time trying to spin this. >> boy. it's a really tough line to walk, and i think that our colleague, peter alexander there, asked the key question. does this reflect on the president? i think the broader thing, taking a step back, is that you have these former administration official officials who are, not only criticizing the president and his decision-making process but, they are all essentially saying the same thing, chuck, in terms of the way in which he governs. in terms of the way in which he makes decisions. and that's what's potentially problematic. but go back to the campaign trail in 2016 for a minute. when president trump, then-candidate trump, said he

would hire only the best people. well, clearly, by his own definition, he's not lived up to that. >> well, there is a pattern here that goes back before he was president. i mean, there is some sort of life. there's an expiration date with everybody he hires close to him. and then, when that comes, the separation is always -- is always explosive, shall we say. on that front. pete williams, i -- can we just explain what has been happening in the courts today with this book? it feels -- it feels as if this is, you know, again, i think this is our second copy i have here in my mobile newsroom here. what -- where is this headed? and will amazon be selling his book on tuesday? >> yeah. i would guess that it will be. you could consider yourself one of 200,000 lucky individuals, who will likely have the book by next tuesday. that's the number that the lawyer for john bolton says is already in circulation. and the judge, today, there was a hearing in u.s. district court

here on the government's emergency motion to have bolton and his publisher stop publication. they say that's impossible. they say, for that reason, the government has no right to ask for it. and the judge, himself, seemed to be pretty skeptical. he said what am i supposed to do? it seems to me, the horse is already out of the barn. that's the term he used. so it did seem that he's very skeptical that he has the ability to stop the publication, which is due next tuesday. now, there's a separate question, about whether bolton has classified information in that book. and if so, what should be done about that? the judge, i think, probably now, is having a hearing in his chambers with just him and the government, to go over what the government says is the classified stuff in the book. and then, the judge will have to make some decision about whether the government's lawsuit can go forward. you noerknow, they've asked to all the money, all the profits bolton has from the book. there are other things they could do about that.

and the key question is here, did he abide by the clearance he had? the white house says he had to agree to have his book reviewed. his lawyer says he did that, and he got a signoff. but then, as you know, there was this second level of review. and today, we learn $that it's possible that what the government now says is sort of supersecret information, what's called secret compartmented information, may have reached that classification after the original signoff on his book by the reviewer. so that's another thing the judge is going to have to look at. >> yeah. i think we came up with that in the hillary clinton e-mail situation, where stuff got classified, after the fact. and it became a back and forth. let me ask you this. i -- i -- are they going to -- whatever happens here, if -- if they don't -- if they aren't able to stop publication here, pete, do you really think the government's going to go through with garnering the finances from this? >> yes. absolutely. i think the government will stick with this.

and you mentioned, early on, the government has, also, not denied that it -- that it retains the ability to prosecute bolton, criminally, for -- if -- if his book actually contains classified information. to basically charge him with a crime. to charge him with unauthorized disclosure of classified information. so they're really trying to keep the heat on. >> fascinating, i think. it's quite -- it's quite extraordinary. that a president is fighting a publication of a critical book. something, in america, you don't always see. morgan chesky, cal perry, pete williams, kristen welker, thank you all for getting us started. up ahead, what juneteenth means to a nation in crisis. the growing push to mark this date in america, every year. and why many say it could help bring about greater understanding. chicago! "ok, so, magnificent mile for me!" i thought i was managing... ...my moderate to severe crohn's disease. yes! until i realized something was missing...

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welcome back. as juneteenth celebrations and demonstrations continue today, so do calls for police reform. earlier, louisville's mayor announced one of three police officers involved in the deadly shooting of breonna taylor is being fired. taylor was shot back in march after three plain-clothes officers used a no-knock warrant. and both the house and senate each take up their own police reform bills. the democrat-led house bill would ban the warrants in federal drug cases. the republican-led plan would simply require agencies to report when they are used. with me now is congressman cedric richmond. member of the black caucus, also co-chair of president biden's campaign. congressman, good to see you, sir. >> good to see you. how are you today? >> i'm all right. so, let's start with where we are in police reform. i'll be honest. when the week began, i was optimistic that we were going to

see a bipartisan bill. i'm a bit -- i'm a bit skeptical, by the end of this week. am i right? or wrong? >> well, i was optimistic, too. and then, i saw tim scott's bill in the senate, which is weak, at best. it is in -- it's not moving the ball forward. it's just keeping things the same with a bunch of studies and a bunch of data recording. and then, we had our house hearing, which the truth is, it was very disappointing. the republicans talked about everything except policing in america. and excessive use of force. and the way that african-americans have been treated by police and law enforcement, for decades. and so, we heard them talk about michael flynn. we heard them, in a hearing that is designed to talk about the effects of police brutality on

african-american men and women, make trump the victim. then, they became the victim. the truth is, if we're going to get serious about this issue, then, we need to do it and we need to do it now. >> are you better off negotiating with senate republicans than house republicans? >> well, the answer to that is yes, because senate republicans control the senate. however, i have not seen a good-faith effort, by senate republicans, yet. i really haven't. and if i was a democratic senator, i'm not sure that i would vote down for this watered-down bill that mcconnell will present in the senate. i think that it does more harm than good, and it doesn't get at the real facts. so, i'm just not sure. the republicans are unable to put a serious effort forward.

>> do you want -- do you want senator schumer to recommend that democrats don't let republicans bring that bill to the floor next week? >> if i were a democrat, in the senate, i would not vote for that watered-down bill, that does nothing to stop the carnage on the streets of america, in terms of black and brown people losing their lives to the hands of police. and -- and, look. you brought it up first. the no-knock warrants. that is a legitimate concern. we have cases where 80-something-year-old people were killed because the police entered, and they was frightened for their lives. and so, the real question is do we need no-knock warrants? and the answer is no. there's a st. john's article and plenty of data on it. but the fact that they won't deal with it, and have an honest conversation about people busting down your door, in the middle of the night, without announcing themselves, is a

problem. the fact that they won't ban chokeholds, altogether, is a problem. so i just question the sincerity of their effort in terms of getting this to root problem. and if they're not sincere, then, you don't have a starting point. >> is there no incremental improvement you could accept now? i mean, there's sort of two ways to look at this, just legislatively, you know, strategically. you' you're co-chair of joe biden's campaign. things look good for you right now. come back in six, nine months if you have a different party in control of the senate, different party in control of the white house? but take what you can get now? or do you say, you know what, no, that incrementalism isn't going to work. >> chuck, that is a legitimate question. and it's a question i wrestle with every day because any improvement is better than what we have. but what i won't do is settle for something that amounts to --

from brown versus board of education. the bill in the senate is so watered down, that it would have very little impact on policing in black and brown communities in america. so which is let me pacify you. let me pretend we've addressed this issue. but we will let law enforcement officers, local law enforcement officers, do as they please. and whenever they get ready to get serious about reform, deal with it. so, it is a hard question to answer. but i believe that we listen to the people in the streets. and -- and i'm not being flippant about this. this is not going to be led by politicians in suits and ties, in the nation's capitol. this will be led by the people that are on the streets, the people that are making their voices heard. and we will follow their lead. my instincts tell me that they don't want piecemeal change.

that they don't want a watered-down version of progress. they want real progress. and, right now, the senate bill is not real progress. >> i think you might be right there, on where this protest movement is. i don't know how much they would accept. what they would perceive as incrementalism. hey. i want to have you put on your joe biden co-chair hat a minute. i want to play amy klobuchar's statement last night about pulling herself out of the vp stakes. let me play a quote for you. get you to react to it. >> after what i've seen, in my state, what i've seen across the country, this is a historic moment. and america must seize on this moment. and i truly believe, as i actually told the vice president last night when i called him, that i think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket. and there are so many incredibly

qualified women. >> congressman, did she make the right call? >> look. i will say this about amy klobuchar. she is a public servant. she's a quintessential public servant. she took herself out of the vetting process, because she knew that there was healing needed at home. and she wants to unite people, as opposed to divide people. and that's what leadership is about. it's about other people, not about yourself, unlike this president. and so, what senator klobuchar did was a selfless act. one of a true public servant, that is trying to make this a more perfect union, than to worry about the future of amy klobuchar. so i give her a lot of respect for doing what she did, and the manner that she did it. she was a real viable candidate for vp. and she pulled herself out because she is worried about the people she represents. and that is a -- a monumental

moment, and i think that was very big of her. >> should we expect joe biden to take her advice? >> well, her advice was to pick a woman of color. and, look, i have my preferences, chuck. and i will not lie about that. but what i do know is that there's probably no person, more qualified on earth, than joe biden, to know what he wants in a vice president. he served as a vice president for eight years to braqarack ob. and he knows what he's looking for in terms of being on the same page. a person who pushes him. a person who supports him. a person who he has a true connection with. and so, i will defer to the vice president, in terms of making that judgment call for what he needs. and so, i would not be supporting him if i didn't believe in his judgment and support his decision-making process. and -- and i do. and so, we will go through it as

a campaign. i have my preferences. if asked, i will -- by the vice president, not by you -- i will express them. but i trust in his decision-making ability. >> congressman said rcedric ric democrat from louisiana, always a pleasure to have you on. sir, thank you for coming on. appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. have a happy father's day. >> thank you, sir. appreciate that. zblfrm up next, the president's poll problems are growing. plus, we are settling troubling, new pandemic records. we got all the numbers you need to know, on both stories, after this.

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welcome back. president trump is lashing out today against what he is calling phony polls, after another poll, this one from fox news, shows him trailing joe biden by a significant margin. this one was double digits. the latest in a string of national polls that show the president's numbers are slipping and there is clearly a pattern here. another sign his team is concerned about his re-election pros pe pro prospects, they're reportedly asking for more debates. that's what incumbents do when you are behind. joining me for a look with how the numbers have slipped in the past few months is steve kornacki. steve, the question i get all the time is, oh, yeah, all this bad news but nothing ever seems to impact the president. and yet, you've got evidence that's not true. >> there's been some movement here. let's take a look at the numbers

here. basically, go back four months. take a monthly check in the same day. today is june 19th. let's go back four months to february 19th. at that point, this is the real clear politics poll average, average of all the polls out there. by 4.8 points and of course this was just as covid was starting to come into this country. really, a few week before the lockdowns began. middle of february, joe biden looked like he might not win the democratic nomination. he was struggling in iowa, new hampshire, nevada. at that point, biden, in the head to heads. march 19th. there it was. now, remember, biden was transformed between february and march. suddenly, he started winning primaries. became the likely nominee. he built the lead of about 1.6 there of growth. then, you go a month later. now, covid has really taken hold at this point. and actually, there wasn't much movement here. 6.5 to 5.8. and in may, sitting at five

points. so some movement but not a ton as the whole world changes with covid. but in the last month, when you say movement, here it is. may to june, look at the change. from 4.9, now all the way up, on average, to nearly nine points. that's the biden advantage over trump. and you know what's driving that? from the beginning here, trump, 45.6. trump's lost the support. biden's about flat. >> that's amazing. biden's number doesn't move. it used to be the other way around, and that's when you -- if you're trump, you got to be concerned because that was a rock-solid number, in that 43 to 45 range. getting closer to 40. trouble spots there. steve kornacki, fascinating trendline watching. it's a curve i think the president doesn't want to see continue. we have some numbers of a different kind to show you now. coronavirus data. head of the world health organization said today the pandemic is accelerating. believe it or not, there were a record number of cases reported yesterday, around the globe.

half of them were in one hemisphere. this one. on thursday, there were more than 30,000 new cases reported in the united states. we haven't seen a number like that, ready for this, in 47 days. back on may 3rd, was the last time we had this many new cases? one day. and look at this. this is america's seven-day moving average. it is rising. the european union, by the way, is in a sharp decline. look at this. look at the beginning of that graph, folks. we basically went up at the same time. they have' gone down. we have not. and right now, the focus is on two regions of the country combined. the south and west accounted for nearly 80% of new cases nationwide. new cases yesterday, more than 4,700. and just today, arizona hit more than 3,200 coronavirus cases. florida, too, has spiked. 3,800 cases today. those were new records. two days in a row, they've hit them. in fact, new york governor

andrew cuomo's considering travelers from florida to go into quarantine, just like when florida governor ron desantis did in march, when he required new yorkers traveling to florida to self-isolate for two weeks. there is a bit of good news to report. according to this data, the average of daily deaths is going down. that is now at the lowest level since april 2nd. but, as we know, deaths are the lagging indicator. so it's possible that is the lowering from the progress we had made, about three to five weeks ago. and we'll be right back. so here's the thing. i'm actually closer to my retirement days than i am my college days. i just want to know, am i gonna be okay? i know people who specialize in "am i going to be okay." you may need glasses though. guidance to help you stay on track. ♪

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welcome back. you are looking at some live pictures here. the celebration of juneteenth, african-american emancipation from slavery. is this year, also a national day of action. demonstrations across the country protesting systemic racism and inequality, and demanding change. both of my next two guests have been writing and speaking about racial inequality in america for a long time now. and what this moment in america says about who we are, as a

country. joining me now, msnbc contributor and chair of african-american studies, eddie glaude. and senior writer rolling stone, jamal smith. welcome both of you. eddie, i want to start with you. put today in perspective in this -- in this way. i mean, for the first time, many white americans are embracing juneteenth in the way african-americans have embraced it for some time. and there's many, many white americans are discovering why isn't this a federal holiday? what's taken us so long? >> well, in some ways, chuck, it reflects that we're mysteries to one another. that our experiences are actually divided by those railroad tracks that you and i know about, being southerners that we are. juneteenth represents -- in ways the irony of american history. it is a holiday with black america, that is part of our alternative calendar.

going in the 19th century, you have january 1 as a day of celebration, that had everything to do with the end of the trans-atlantic slave trade. you had august 24th, west indian emancipation day, which was really important as a gathering. as a day for black folk in the united states, as well. and then, you had juneteenth. it's this alternative calendar, that echoes what frederick douglas was talking about in terms of what might july 4th mean to the slave, right? so, i think this particular day carries, with it, the irony of freedom and unfreedom. right? the distinction. the contradiction that's at the heart of the country. and this is why this moment of, oh, my god, juneteenth. oh, yeah, we've been having barbecues and celebrating juneteenth for a while. it just reveals the deep divisions in the country. >> no, it does. and it's -- and -- and i -- i've been really thinking about when some are trying to argue that you get rid of confederate monuments, you're erasing history.

like, wait a minute. we've erased a lot of black history for so long. and this, today, is one of those proofs of how that happened. jamal smith, there's been a lot of symbolic change that's taken place over the last couple weeks. you wrote about aunt jemima. even this idea you now have republicans and democrats on capitol hill calling for juneteenth to be a federal holiday. and it's likely going to happen. you can see that. but i sensed, from your writing, you're worried that -- that there's almost too much effort in the symbolism. and -- and it's going to lead too many people to believe that, somehow, okay, we've made some change. >> yes. i think there is a lot of effort being made for symbolic change, which i think is a lot easier than making structural change. i think, certainly, you know, it's a lot easier to, you know, retire aunt jemima and uncle ben than it is to, you know, say detud defund the police. i think it's a lot easier to,

you know, shoot folks to the top of the best-seller list. or ask your black friends, you know, how can i contribute to different funds and what have you? than it is to, you know, say, make structural changes or raise anti-racist children. these are structural changes that are going to take a lot of years, and a lot of hard choices to make. i think, quite frankly, we really need tho think about how we have constructed this society, not just now, but over generations. and i think one of the tragedies of juneteenth is that it really -- emancipation but not freedom. it doesn't represent, necessarily, you know, the promise of america being granted to those people who were enslaved in texas, you know, who learned of the emancipation proclamation, finally at the very end. but they learned that they were not free but they were just liberated. the freedom actually really didn't come until the 13th

amendment later on that year. and really, the freedom still hasn't arrived. the real promise of american citizenship hasn't been delivered, even today. so what these people are marching in the streets for is for that promise of american citizenship to be, finally, delivered too african-americans and, frankly, to all americans. >> you know, eddie, one of the things that -- and i forget who wrote this. but i thought it was very well done. about how, you know, of all the sort of blank spaces in how we're taught history in our public schools. one of them that i think is very -- i can just tell you from my own education, where we don't spend a lot of time is on reconstruction. and there was a moment where we were headed to better equality, then. and then, of course, it disappeared within 20 years. how do we -- how do we get that moment back, in some ways? and i think our lack of being

taught the history of the reconstruction i think has probably limited our ability to understand what we could be doing today. >> that's a great question, chuck. i mean, we have to tell the story. we have to tell the truth. and what we need to do is tell the truth about the historiography around reconstruction with the dunning school and how the lost cause didn't lose, they actually won. and the way in which the lost cause reengaged in the writing of the reconstruction. the corruption and incompetence of black politicians, right? it's a period in which the south, amidst its particular way of life, was under assault. and it's a period in which some people think in terms of the story that was told. that the united states lost its way. it's, also, during this period, chuck, that we have between the 1890s and 1920s. the erection of these confederate monuments as the confederate soldiers were beginning to die. and so this is -- these

monuments are often monuments to an ideology of white supremacy. so there has been a particular story told, about reconstruction, that set the stage for the sedimentation of jim crow in the south, of the ideology of anglo-saxonism. we have to tell ourselves the truth. we have to confront the lie. if we do that, maybe we will open ourselves up to the possibility of being otherwise, as jamal just laid out. >> let's put politics in here a little bit. let's set president trump aside. if there is a president biden, what does his mandate have to be, to meet this moment? >> i think joe biden has to be accountable to the people who are marching in the street right now. president biden has to be accountable to the people in the position that he's in right now.

president biden has to be accountable to the black voters, who rescued his candidacy, quite frankly. i think, frankly, joe biden needs to pick up his game a little bit. i think, right now, we're seeing joe biden put forth proposals with regards to policing. i mean, chokehold bans have been tried before. we've seen these bans put forth before eric garner was -- on a staten island sidewalk. these still work. they don't stop police from abusing and killing black people. we need to find something else, that is going to work. and we need to see those kinds of ideas from the democratic candidate for president. >> you think he is being too cautious? >> i don't know if he's being too cautious. i don't know if he's being too cautious or too uninventive. i can't really determine which

but we need to see those kind of ideas and we need to see them now. >> eddie glaude, jamal smith, got to leave it there but appreciate you coming on having this discussion with us. good news, i think we're going to have more discussions like this, more and more. and -- and it's one step but hopefully, it's -- it's a step in the right direction. thank you, both. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> up ahead. mississippi is facing growing pressure from inside and outside the state, to rid the flag of the confederate symbol. i just assumed all bladder leak pads felt the same. but nothing makes me feel like new always discreet boutique. outside, it's soft like underwear. inside, it turns liquid to gel. for incredible protection, that feels like nothing but my underwear. new always discreet boutique. rolling stone calls the hilarious and heartfelt.d, are you a weirdo? ugh, the weirdest. judd apatow's best movie yet. i don't even know why you clean the truck... what are you trying to show up all sexy to a fire? i like him.

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. welcome back. mississippi is facing new pressure from the world of college athletics to remove the emblem of the confederate battle flag from its own state flag. last night the s.e.c. announced the state would no longer host any s.e.c. championships until its flag is changed. and then the next morning, the ncaa followed suit announcing that mississippi could not host any of its championship events, either, as long as the emblem remains on the flag. it comes as a bipartisan group of lawmakers are making a push to change the flag. a poll this week shows support for removing the emblem provided pretty evenly. 46% of mississippians calling for a change. 45% saying they want to see it stay the same. it was sent to the voters and the voters voted it down.

64% opposed at that time. with me now, the mississippi state representative who is part of the latest effort to change the state's flag. and state representative bell, i was intrigued by watching this movement by the s.e.c. the ncaa as, you know, you've been in politics a while. you know sometimes politicians will come up to you and say i want to work with you. i need cover. is this the cover, college athletics, the cover that might get some reluctant folks on your side on this? >> well, unfortunately, chuck, it's not. we still have members who are afraid to step up and make a tough decision and have the legislature vote down the flag that we currently have. the cover that they're asking for is not there. we need to make a strong pitch to have these individuals step up and do what we're elected to do. come here and make tough

decisions. and it's time for the flag to go. >> it seems as if this is getting sort of stopped up, if it ever gets to the floor, you're going to vote to get rid of it. is this getting stuck in committee? is this getting killed by legislative ease? >> i would say this, chuck. it will get stuck in committee. there is a concern that if it comes out of the committee, that it will end up being amended to have the people vote on the flag, and we are of the opinion that the legislature should make the change with respect to changing the flag. we should have those votes to change the flag. the speaker of the house to his credit is behind us in his effort to have this flag removed. he was one of the first individuals who came out against the flag.

and it just so happens, he happens to be a republican. so there is a small group of us who are working together to try to coerce or convince our guys to come in and work with us and change this flag. >> the governor has said he wouldn't mind a referendum. it would be up to the legislature to decide with a referendum in 2021, or maybe a petition for 2022, would you prefer the legislature, will you take a referendum as sort of a compromise out of this? >> not at all, chuck. the governor wants to have a possibility just pilate approach to this state flag. we were here. we were elected to vote and make tough decisions, and if he does not have the courage to support a change, after everything that

has gone on in this country, especially with african-americans, then the legislature needs to take over and make this vote. we celebrated juneteenth today. we just had george floyd. i mean, there are instances where we have in the state of mississippi, we still have individuals holding on to the old flag as their religion. and that is not right. he said that he wants to be a governor for all of mississippi. if you want to be a governor for all of mississippi, let the legislature vote to remove that flag. >> mississippi state representative chris bell, i appreciate you coming. on sharing your perspective on this and we'll be watching. it sounds like now so is the s.e.c. and the ncaa as well. >> thank you.

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that's all we have for tonight. we'll be back with more "meet the press daily." we'll be looking at the dangerous covid-19 cases. among my guests will be chad wolfe. i'll talk with congressman adam schiff. "the beat" starts right now. good evening. >> good evening. thank you. welcome to "the beat." i am ari melber. as we begin our broadcast this hour, we are seeing gatherings, meetings and rallies across the country marking this juneteenth holiday commemorating the end of slavery. and amidst the national protests that continue to be a larger movement to confront systemic racism. this event steamed in history does have quite clearly a special resonance for many right now. some are drawing on the holiday to try to fortify the ongoing protests against racism and police brutality and other issues. we are seeing demonstrators invoke some of the initial progress they believe was won in the streets through pressure,