welcome to "kasie d.c." the tonight the president hopes a plasma treatment with boost his shot as a reelection. the postal service support that's likely going nowhere as they prepare to grill the postmaster general. i'll talk to caroline maloney and is this party big enough for all of us? on an eve of a different looking rnc, we'll talk to two former republican governors that don't recognize their party anymore. first, in a news conference earlier tonight, president trump announced that the fda has granted emergency authorization for convalescent plasma as a

coronavirus treatment. this is something that's already been administered to about 70,000 americans and as "the washington post" points out, quote, many scientists and physicians believe that convalescent plasma might provide some benefit but far from a breakthrough. it's rich in antibodies to be effective in fighting the coronavirus but the evidence is not conclusive on whether it works, when to administer and what dose is needed. the president praised co commissioner steven hann accusing the deep state in hopes they wouldn't be ready in time for the election. >> steven, thank you because the fda stepped up over the last few days in getting this done. the results have been incredible. >> what a difference a day makes. "the washington post" also reports that quote, the announcement comes as trump has put extraordinary pressure on

federal agencies to test and improve treatments and especially a vaccine against the novel coronavirus which has already killed more than 170,000 americans and here is the key line, quote, the president's political advisors believe having a vaccine by election day is key to his prospects for winning. with that i'd like to welcome in my panel white house correspondent and msnbc political contributor and with us, white house burro chief at the washington post and msnbc political analyst phillip rucker and health policy advisor and msnbc senior medical contributor dr. ezekiel emanuel. thank you-all for being on board tonight and dr. emanuel, let me start with you and give you the first word. what did we see unfold today and is this the kind of -- i don't want to say that the president sold this as a miracle treatment but he certainly sold this as a big breakthrough. is that what it actually is? >> no, about six weeks ago,

there was an article published, randomized trial of a small number of people that said no advantage in terms of mortality, no advantage in other ways. then you had this big study of 35,000 people but it wasn't a randomized study and they looked at people who had received the convalescent serum three days after the diagnosis versus four or five days later. they noticed more mortality. those people are different. people you don't treat up to after four days are different from people you treat right away and that may account for this difference. it's a large number but you can't make heads or tails out of this data and all the scientists i've talked to and when i look at the data, you know, it is suggestive but hardly a breakthrough and hardly evidence

you could not get this approved normally because it's not ram comized and patient selection. who got the early treatment versus late can account for all the difference you see in the mortality data. so this is a -- i'm a little worried that the fda buckled under this and that is making me more nervous rather than less nervous that the political pressure might make them approve a vaccine that is not quite there yet. >> well, let me pick up on that point when you say the fda buckled under this. "the new york times" reported as the fda was getting ready to issue this emergency authorization, a group of top federal officials including dr. francis collins and dr. fauci intervened arguing the data was too weak. so what you're saying essentially is that these health officials pushed back and the fda is giving in? >> well, that's what it appears, right? you have the chief scientist of the united states who are used

to evaluating clinical trials saying this isn't data that's good enough because it isn't m randomized. we should not approve it. then you have the president going after the fda because it sounded like internally the fda was agreeing with dr. foe dhauc collins and after a barrage of tweets, you have this approval of the emergency youth authorization for the convalescent plasma. it doesn't reassure you science is driving this but there is a combination of science and political pressure that makes the ultimate decision. that's very nerve wracking because you worry that we're approving drugs and interventions and therapeutics and a vaccine that aren't effective because of political pressure and because the president thinks he has to have this for any chance at reelection. >> well, let's pick up on that point phillip rucker.

it's clear to me in conversations with republicans behind the scenes over the last several weeks that they certainly think that the only open for president trump getting reelected is to get a vaccine before november and dr. emanuel raises a good point. this is going to be something if it is announced there is a vaccine, obviously millions of americans will get it but if it's not safe, if we don't take the proper precautions, the risks are enormous because of how wide spread its use is likely to be. so what's the thinking behind the scenes at the white house on this? i mean, do they feel like they need to convince americans there is going to be a vaccine around the time of election day to actually pull this off? what's your reporting say? >> yeah, kasie, my reporting is very much in line with yours. the single most important thing for president trump right now in his mind is winning reelection on november 3rd and so he is using every lever of executive power he can, every tool at his

tool box to be able to create an environment that's more politically favorable for him. he knows the polling shows that the american people do not overall approve of his handling of the coronavirus and management of the pandemic and there is a belief that the president has but it's shared by many of his political advisors and white house aids that the way to turn that around is to have a vaccine or at least create the belief among the american people that a vaccine is very near. it's why you've heard the president talk so optimistically about a vaccine to the point of quote happy talk, according to some people who are critical of this approach and i anticipate in the weeks to come we'll see more announcements like the one tonight where the president is trying to categorize these increate mental steps as historical breakthrough. >> well, we have some recent nbc news polling showing americans are potentially skeptical of a

v vaccine. 44% said yes, 22% no, 32% said they weren't sure. there is a lot of risk here and let's not forget of course, this plays into a broader conversation about vaccines. there have been an increasingly large groups of people that are skeptical of getting vaccines for other standard diseases like measles, standard vaccinations for diseases like measles, mumps and roue bella. what is the risk if this goes the wrong way, we could have remr repercussions that go well beyond this pandemic? >> first of all, we're in a health care and a fear election time. people are thinking about how scared they are of this virus, and people are also thinking about whether or not they have an administration they can trust. so yes, it's true that for years and years and years i've interviewed people that are against vaccines, that don't believe in vaccines and that is

an entire issue in and of itself in this country. you layer that with people that are worried that president trump is trying to rush something out to get reelected. the president hat first waat fi the pandemic in theer rearview mirror, he switched gears, pivoted and said now i have to deal with this in the most boycerous way possible and make sure people understand i'm trying my best. when you think about it that way, there are americans that saw the president float the idea we should use infekct tanents t treat the virus. there are more people affected more than other groups and they are worried, base on my reporting in southeast washington d.c., they are worried that this vaccine could be pushed out to those vulnerable populations and

almost tested on them and that's not something that would be a conspiracy theory because we know in this country african american haves been the subjects of medical tests against their will. there is a lot of skepticism because the president has not been in a lot of times based in reality and facts in his approach to the virus and as a result, you have people that are very scared. on top of that, it's an unprecedented virus. people are worried the first bach of the virus might not catch everything. but it's a big problem that people don't have confidence in the science that's going behind this virus and going behind this vaccine. >> let's broaden this conversation out a little bit. dr. rob emanuel, we're headed to the convention week where this president will have a bigger audience because there are outlets reporting that he could potentially speak every single night of the convention. what do you think he needs to tell the american people about coronavirus or not?

are you most concerned about in terms of how he uses that platform on this issue. >> well, he's been everywhere, you know, minimizing the virus, sort of denying you should wear face masks and deny we need to take special precautions and reversing himself. it's hard to know which donald trump we'll see. we should also note the irony of course that donald trump wants a vaccine very desperately because early in his administration, he's a vaccine skeptic. floating ideas that maybe it was linked to autism, which is widely disproven but now in desperation because it's his last gasp, he's really pushing hard on this one outlet and i think you're going to see him, you know, promote various aspects of the, you know, response he's done to try to make it look good but most americans are actually onto the fact that he is not handled this

well even republican governors have admitted he's not handled it well like larry hogan of maryland. i think it's going to be a hard persuasion to make for the american public because he just hasn't responded in the consistent way and it would be a change for him to actually be consistent and stay on message four straight days. >> phil, i know you've been talking to your sources throughout this. what are you expecting from the republican convention next week? are you looking out for? what are going to be your met c metrics to see if they've done the job you want them to? >> these four days will showcase the republican party entirely in trump's image. there are a number of speakers with the name trump, just members of his family in addition to that members of his white house staff are going to be speaking. that is unusual. the sitting secretary of state

mike pompeo will be speaking also unusual. so it's very much going to be the trump show and i think there is going to be an effort according to my reporting to present a more optimistic take. they have to confront that in some meaningful way and i think there is going to be a real deliberate effort to shift the narrative while at the same time harping about a lot of the president's grievances, as well as stoking some cultural wars that have been inflamed over the last several months talking about cancel culture as the republicans put it and try to demonize skbr izize joe biden a with trump appearing to the convention. >> to phil's point, we do have a lot of family members, a lot of administration officials not very many, you know, i was looking at the list and in someways there are more main stream republicans quote unquote main stream republicans at joe

biden's convention than there perhaps will be at the republican national convention. i mean, there are a lot of people missing from this list. what does that tell you about what we're going to see this week? >> what that tells us is president trump like 2016 is still having to rely on his self-mostly in ordinary tore make the message and case he's the person that is best able and should be the person to lead us through the pandemic in 2021 and 2022 and beyond. the president has said over and over again that he was someone who didn't have a lot of people, sure jsure ra jets he can win t election alone. in someways that could work in his favor. he ran as an outsider and could drain the swap of course there were a lot of people that say he didn't do just that but he ran in this idea he was going to be completely different than the republicans that came before him. in someways, that could work in his favor to say look, the entire main stream of politics

is going for joe biden, here is why the people that really believe in me believe in me. i'll say in my reporting, the republicans are going to be going through this emotional argument. democrats made it their side when they brought people's parents deported by president trump, gun violence victims, the young boy who was working on his stuttering with the help of joe biden. republicans are going to do that and try to do it by stoking these culture wars as phil said. it will be talking about people who were victims of undocumented immigrants and crimes committed by them. it will be people talking about that couple from st. louis that pointed guns at the peaceful protesters, black lives matter protesters saying our streets are over run by an anarchists. it's a little bit of a flip to a darker side of what the democrats were doing but that's what they will try to do. of course, aids say they will

trying to be hopeful and more upbeat but we know this president isn't someone who flourishes upbeat. he's the total carnage president. he's someone who is american carnage president who likes to square people and talk about the dangers. we'll see more of that and less of the hopeful as the aids say it will be around. >> well, we're certainly starting with his inaugural address got that. thank you-all and very strong flower game tonight. thank you so much to all of you. appreciate you being here. house oversight chair caroline maloney joins me and congressman adam kinzinger alarmed by the president's one-arm embrace of qanon. one-arm embrace of qanon

copd makes it hard to breathe. so to breathe better, i started once-daily anoro. ♪ copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way, with anoro." ♪ once-daily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators that work together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. do not use anoro if you have asthma. anoro won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma... prostate, bladder or urinary problems. these may worsen with anoro. call your doctor if you have worsened breathing, chest pain... mouth or tongue swelling,

problems urinating, vision changes or eye pain, while taking anoro. the most common side effects are sore throat, diarrhea, and pain in the arms and legs. ask your doctor about once-daily anoro to start treating your copd. we're here for you during this challenging time--and always. find support at anoro.com. they're going to be paying for this for a long time. they will, but with accident forgiveness allstate won't raise your rates just because of an accident, even if it's your fault. cut! sonny. was that good? line! the desert never lies. isn't that what i said? no you were talking about allstate and insurance. i just... when i... let's try again. everybody back to one. accident forgiveness from allstate. click or call for a quote today. reinventing. it's what with comcast business, your small business can work faster, with powerful internet from the nation's largest gig-speed network. work safer, with all your connected devices

automatically protected by securityedge. and work anywhere, with comcast business at home, our new business-grade internet solution for remote workers. whatever your business needs, comcast business has the solutions to help you not just bounce back, but bounce forward. call or go online to find out more. this is an emergency immediately and it's something

that should be bipartisan and it was yesterday. the public is demanding action on this now. i can't see how the senate can avoid it unless they do so to their parol. >> in a rare saturday session, the house gave $25 billion in emergency funds to the u.s. postal service and reversing recent cost cutting operational changes. 26 republicans voted for it but both president trump and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell signalled displeasure with the legislation and appears unlikely it's going to make it through a rep republican controlled senate. joining me is carolyn maloney. madam chairwoman, great to have you on the program tonight. let's start with your hearing scheduled for tomorrow. you saw the post master general go before a friendlier audience

on friday in the senate. what is your number one question for him when he sits down before you tomorrow? >> well, my number one question is why did he make these changes in the first place? he's been on the job for 67 days and already the internal report that we got from the post office showed that it's a very terrible performan performance. delivery is down, first class mail is under 8%. i'd like to understand it and senator peterson asked questions about it. he did not talk about this performance measure the or report that we came to literally yesterday and we distributed it to every member of congress but it gives a devastating report card on his work. he's been there about the delivery mail down and his

actions is there. >> are you hearing from your constituents across the country he has actually stopped taking these actions or to your knowledge, is it still continuing across the country? >> its stopped but he's done incredible damage removing post boxes of dismantling sorting machines that run up the speed of the sorting of mail and throwing them into dumpsters, all kinds of activities, limiting the number of trucks that can leave a plant and deliver mail. why in the world would he want to slow down the mail? he says it's to save money but you don't take these types of drastic damaging actions right in the middle of a pandemic, the coronavirus pandemic and two

months from this important election that we're having in november. it's outrageous. i'm glad he stopped it. i want to know how he's going to repair it and i want to know how in the world did he make these decisions in the first place. so far, all reports have said that it is only hurt people in getting medications, ballots, their mail, their supplies, their food. it's just damaging. >> congresswoman, we have a statement from the u.s. postal service that just came out tonight around 7:00 or so. they've said quote the u.s. postal service greatly appreciates the efforts of the house of representatives to assist us and say they look forward to working with you and say we're concerned some of the requirements of the bill you passed on saturday while well meaning will constrain the ability of the postal service to make operational changes that will improve efficiency, reduce costs and improve service to the

american people. what is your reaction to this statement from the postal service? >> it's an outrageous statement. it has nothing to do with reality. all my bill did was give the money the post office deserves and needs according to the board of directors and also stop the disastrous damaging actions that he's taken to slow down the mail. and in no way do we want to hinder people getting their mail. that's absolutely not true. >> so congresswoman, how do you think the help that the post office needs actually gets to them? it's clear that mitch mcconnell isn't going to take this up as a stand alone bill. do you think there is going to be a broader coronavirus relief package that could include money for the postal service or how do you see this actually happening? >> look, kasie, republicans have

to make up their minds what they really want. first the president said he didn't want to fund the post office and then he said he would fund it if it's a stand alone bill. we immediately came into session and passed a stand alone bill that funded the post office at the 25 billion requested and also stopped the damaging actions that were slowing down the mail. that's what our bill does. on may 15th we passed a bill, a comprehensive response bill, the so-called heroes bill that was a comprehensive approach so they have two approaches before them. they can take their pick. if they have another idea we'll pass that. we're open, we need to get this handled and settled for the american people. we need to take care of the post office so they can continue to get their mail. veterans depend almost entirely on the post office for their medications and so many other people, too. it is a vital service that

people need so we have active, they have a stand alone bill which they said they want. now they said they want a comprehensive one. we passed that. we have two proposals before them. they can take their pick. >> congresswoman maloney, thank you. we'll be watching the hearing tomorrow. thank you. a long list of trump family members will be speaking at the republican national convention but some definitely won't be. when we return, i'll talk live with the washington post reporter that broke the story about secret audio recordings of president trump's sister, which nbc news now obtained. "kasie d.c." back after this. "kasie d.c." back after this i should get a quote. do it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

start your day with secret. secret stops sweat 3x more than ordinary antiperspirants. with secret, you're unstoppable. no sweat! try it and love it or get your money back.

they get that no two people are alike and customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need.

what do you think? i don't see it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

no, this is not a succession spin off, this is the president of the united states. the president's sister, marianne trump berry is heard saying among other things he has quote no principles and quote, you just can't trust him. the audio was first obtained by "the washington post" and obtained by nbc news. joining me is invest bigatiove reporter michael that broke this story. great to have you on the program tonight. this is shakespearen in the drama and family ties and back and forth. can you walk us through kind of

how this all came to be? we know president trump's niece was writing a book, but can you take us behind the scenes at all in terms of why she would record this without her aunt knowing and how it all kind of wound up to the point we're talk evabout the weekend before the national republican convention? >> sure, great question. to understand this, you have to remember that mary trump came with a book that exploded on the scene and strong statements about president trump, her sunk ev -- uncle. fred trump junior died in 1981 of an alcohol-related illness. president trump about this was asked last year and he has a lot of regrets how he treated his brother and it's rare for the president to express regrets about anything, but in the case of his brother, he expressed those regrets. his daughter mary for a long time has been bitter about what happened with her father and for

a long time accepted the family's story that, you know, that it was her father's fault. she came to understand later on that the father was not treated very well by his siblings including donald trump and also by fred trump junior's father and donald trump's father fred trump senior. that background, understanding there is that father who died of whole list m alcoholism related does is there when fred trump senior died in '99, there was a fight that children of fred trump junior, this is her brother didn't receive the inheritance they thought would have gone to their father and came to them. there wasn't much given by comparison. there was a fight over that estate settled in 2001. that happened years later mary trump says she determined that when she was told the estate was worth 30 million when in fact it was worth a billion she felt duped and wanted information from the family that would support her belief that she had

basically been duped so she started tape recording her aunt marianne trump berry involved in a the court action against her back in 2001 she settled. that is a back story that there had been the father's death. there has been the suit. that really helps understand some of mary's motivations. she's not in line politically with donald trump. that adds on to it. she didn't think he would be elected and so there now you have all those coming to froth. she's tape recording her aunt in 2018 and 2019 to try to gain information and then she says in response, she didn't know her aunt would talk about donald trump saying quote he has no principles and you quote can't trust him. >> yeah, so let's play a little l snippet of that we have some highlights if you will of these conversations. let's watch.

>> donald's out for donald period. when he said he started to say something to me, look at what i've done for you, and i said you've done nothing. deliberately, i've never asked him for a favor since 1981 when i was being highly considered to go into the federal court on my own merit. i never used the word trump. it was never part of my makeup. >> she said i'm speaking too freely but here you go, quite a moment. >> yeah, it really is extraordinary. mary trump said she made 15 hours of recordings of these tapes. i received a number of audio excerpts. there are some online and others that aren't. there is a lot that she might also add to this. so 15 hours is a lot of tape.

i think these excerpts gives a sense how donald trump's sister feels about her. the older sister is 83. donald trump is 74. so she's known him longer than perhaps anyone living on earth today so she knows him very well. they had disagreements but they also have been very close over the years. they joined together in the action against mary trump years ago. and also, her name was on this effort to stop publication of mary trump's book a few weeks ago that failed. so, you know, they worked together certainly but mary trump -- excuse me, marianne trump berry that retired a year ago is a distinguished person in her own right. she says in these tapes she asked donald trump to try to help her get on the bench. trump, his personal attorney rory cone according to judge berry and the tapes called regan, a friend of his and urged him to appoint judge berry and according to judge berry and the

tapes, the next day she got that nomination. according to the tapes donald trump said you got this job because of you and i made you. she says no, i was very well established and she was elevated by other people to higher points on the bench. >> and she says she never thereafter that asked for another favor. thank you so much. always love your reporting and this is a great story like so many others you've done. thank you for the time. republican congressman adam ki on his party. ki on his party at the golden opportunity sales event, lease the 2020 es 350 for $359 a month for 36 months. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. i am totally blind. and non-24 can make me show up too early... or too late. or make me feel like i'm not really "there."

talk to your doctor, and call 844-234-2424. we see you. ♪ looking out...for all of us. and though you may have lost sight of your own well-being, aetna never did. we're always here to help you focus on your health.

because it's always, time for care.

tempur-pedic's mission truly transformative sleep. so, no more tossing and turning. because only tempur-pedic's proprietary material adapts and responds to your body- -so you get deep, uninterrupted sleep. take advantage of our best offer of the year, with savings up to $500. as the republican party fractures, there is a constp coy theory gaining ranks. qanon says president trump is join north dakota a secret war with satinists and more than 70

qanon supporting republicans have won for office with some winning primaries for house seats and the president's posture is may recollecting things more awkward for his members of his administration. >> you can end the controversy now, does the president condemn qanon? >> listen, we don't know what it is. you've spend more time talking on it chris than we have in the white house. >> i don't even know anything about that conspiracy theory. i don't know anything about qanon, and i have dismissed it out of hand. >> i don't know much about the movement other than i understand they like me very much, which i appreciate, but i don't know much about the movement, and i've heard these are people that love our country. >> joining me is republican congressman adam kinzinger of

illinois. thanks for joining me. >> sure. >> let's start with qanon. you saw the president with mark meadows earlier today saying i had to google it basically. that seems disingenuous to a lot of people that seen this president retweeting followers of qanon over the course of the past several months and essentially saying yeah, they like me, i kind of appreciate that. how dangerous is what the president is doing? >> well, i think it's good that he's saying that, you know, he's not paying attention to them, that's a start. he needs to disinvoi them. we know twitter isn't real life but it's spreading and this idea that the government isn't controlled by we the people, it's controlled by this under ground conspiracy all these terrible predictions they've made that have been false, i think it needs exposed and i actually ignored this for awhile because it wasn't main stream. the second it goes main stream

and it's talked about, i think it's imperative on us to include the president and say no, it's ludicrous. there is still people that will believe it. that's how conspiracy theories work, but we need to make it clear that that's just simply not the case. >> what do you make of the fact there are now candidates that are winning elections or i guess republican primaries more accurately including one who is likely to be a member of the house of representatives next year and kevin mccarthy has essentially said welcome into the conference. is that the right approach? >> you know, not really. because in my mind, you know, look, if you get elected no matter what you believe your district puts you forward, you have a right to serve. we don't have to embrace that as a party and so i think the best thing is and this is why it's important to speak out, a lot of voters that voted for ms. greene for instance had no idea what qanon was, either. i guess she's later disappoivow

it. we can have a wide range of opinions. we do. the dem kraocrats have a wide r, too. when it comes to dark seeded conspiracie conspiracies. there is no room for compromise and each party has to call this out in its own party because they will not listen to the other party saying it. >> do you think that the republican party as, you know, you once joined it, the party you ran on when first elected to the house, i can already tell from having conversations behind the scenes with folks like you, other februarys of the house, other republicans that things are starting to splinter as people start to look at president trump potentially losing in november and people are staking out different corners of the camps. you have some betting it seems you would be among them based on that tweet that people are going to want a ration -- rational

conservative moment and i don't think anyone thinks trump-ism is going to evaporate wait because president trump loses the white house. which piece of this -- which side is going to win the battle for the soul of the party or does it -- i mean, it is possible that it splinters completely? do you see as the future of the republican party in a potential post trump world? >> well, i think we're going to have two parties. it's how the system is set up. it will be republicans and democrats and they will always end up being whatever to represent 50%. that's why we've had even elections throughout history but i think if there is a point, i mean, even whether trump loses or whether it's in five years, a party always goes through redefining itself after a president even the democrats after president obama and that's where the fight for ideas happens. fighting for what i believe is rational conservatism to use an old phrase, will that win the day? i don't know. that's my job to fight to resell the ideas that we believe in

because right now, honestly, both sides are just politicking on anger and eventually that's going to wear thin on people and i think they are looking for ideas because they are concerned about their families, as well. >> who are you going to vote for in november? biden or trump? >> i'll vote for president trump. you know, look, we have a choice. >> really? >> it's two presidential candidates. yeah. i see what is going on, the discussions happening on the left, things i don't agree with. i see what is happening in cities i'm concerned about. you have a bchoice. it doesn't mean i have to embrace everything he says or go along with everything he says. we're in this moment where people aren't allowed to have different opinions. my consistency is i'm consistent in everything i believe and i'm going to continue to do that. >> you will vote for president trump even after his handling of the coronavirus pandemic? are you confident he can take us out the other side of that after what you've seen?

>> i just look at what the two different versions are being offered, and there is a lot i disagree with how the president talks and i'm very always outspoken about that but like all of us, we have a binary choice, my view aligns more to that. i'll continue to be outspoken when i need to be but when you have a binary choice, that's a decision you have to make. >> all right. congressman adam kinzinger, thank you. >> you bet. seeking consensus in a divided nation, debbie din gle and fred upton join me next. gle and fred upton join me next. ♪ perfect. -you're welcome. i love it. how'd you do all this? told ya! wayfair. let's talk dining tables.

yes! blow it up. ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need ♪ (mom vo) we got a subaru to give him some ato reconnect and be together. and once we did that, we realized his greatest adventure is just beginning. (avo male) welcome to the most adventurous outback ever. the all-new 2020 subaru outback. go where love takes you. (avo female) get 0% apr financing for 63 months on select models during the subaru a lot to love event. shingles doesn't care. i logged 10,000 steps today. shingles doesn't care. i get as much fresh air as possible. good for you, but shingles doesn't care. because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. but no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age,

increasing your risk for getting shingles. so what can protect you? shingrix protects. for the first time ever, you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about protecting yourself with shingrix. shingles doesn't care. shingrix protects. hold on one second... sure. okay... okay! safe drivers save 40%!!! guys! guys! check it out. safe drivers save 40%!!! safe drivers save 40%! safe drivers save 40%!!! that's safe drivers save 40%. it is, that's safe drivers save 40%. - he's right there. - it's him! he's here. he's right here.

- hi! - hi. hey! - that's totally him. - it's him! that's totally the guy. safe drivers do save 40%. click or call for a quote today. safe reinventing. it's what with comcast business, your small business can work faster, with powerful internet from the nation's largest gig-speed network. work safer, with all your connected devices automatically protected by securityedge. and work anywhere, with comcast business at home, our new business-grade internet solution for remote workers. whatever your business needs, comcast business has the solutions to help you not just bounce back, but bounce forward. call or go online to find out more.

bipartisanship is in pretty short supply in washington. but in a time of discord, we wanted to spend a little bit of time talking about where lawmakers can find common cause. joining me now are two michigan members of congress that are no stranger to working across the aisle, democrat debbie dingell and republican upton. thank you both for being here tonight. congresswoman, let me start with you. we have gotten to a point where

the country is so incredibly divided, i'm sure there will be critics on twitter who will say that even having a conversation with between different people from two different parties is not something productive or useful in solving problems. i'm wondering how you see that argument. do you think that is a flawed way of looking at things? do you think we still can work across the aisle or are the policies of people on the other side of the aisle from you so toxic and terrible that that's not productive at all? >> i absolutely think it is productive and i think fred and i are an example of how you reach across the aisle every single day. during this pandemic, there are times i've talked to fred 10 or 15 times a day. as soon as a problem would develop at a hospital or something would happen, i would say, fred, wave got a problem. we brainstorm together. we're not democrats or

republicans, we're americans. my primary opponent didn't aagree with working across the aisle, it wasn't real. i disagree with him and i'll disagree with anybody who says it now. by the way, besides being americans, besides being elected you are with everybody, lifbling to people with common ground is a good thing to do. >> congressman upton, do you agree with that in is it your experience when you go home and talk to your constituents, is that what they want from you, for you to work across the aisle or do they want you to work in partisan corners? >> they really want us to work together. people don't care if you have an r or d next to your name, they want you to work together. debbie and i are two vice chairs of problem solvers, a group of 50 members, 25 republicans and 25 democrats. we've changed the rules of the house to make it work better.

we've got some other changes that are coming, by the way, but we've taken the lead on a number of issues from agriculture, immigration, we're working on a covid package right now, race relation, a whole number of things. we leave party cre evenings dids at the door, work every week. actually during this covid time, we actually are doing two or three zoom calls a week with all of our colleagues. it's a great relationship and we've had outreaches from the white house from speaker pelosi, kevin mccarthy, we're in a good dialogue with all of them as we really try to get things done. that's what people want us to do. >> congressman, with all due respect, the coronavirus relief package is currently stalled, there are millions of americans who are waiting for unemployment checks. why should they believe this working together that you're talking about is actually happening when they are not seeing anything from it right now and they are trying to make

rent? congressman upton. >> hopefully we'll see a change. we have a conference call later tonight where we've been working on a package for a number of weeks. i think there is a sweet-spot that we can take up. we're working with the leadership on both sides. the white house knows what we're up to. at the end of the day, we need to have something that's going to help our states, our cities, our educators, our kids in schools for the additional resources they need. obviously unemployment is a big issue. there's a sweet-spot and i think we can find it. we're going to follow ahead even tonight to see where we are. >> congresswoman dingell, what's your read on where things stand with coronavirus relief legislation. i know there's been some pressure among democrats to do something, to pass something. there was some pressure to do that this weekend. the house speaker nancy pelosi said you know what, from a strategic perspective that doesn't make sense, pushing

ahead with heroes legislation, drawing a line with negotiations. do you see any sort of breakthrough the way the congressman is talking about? >> i want to make it really clear speaker pelosi has not said she will not compromise or negotiate. fred knows. by the way, our state of michigan is one state that needs it the most, aid to state and local government. well, the senate has been unwilling to give any aid to state and local government. fred and i are like how are we going to make that happen? who are we going to talk to? when we're out there, we're hearing from people scared to death, worried about how they are going to live, their rent, mortgage. we have a real food insecurity problem here, but we talk. you don't get anything done if you don't talk and try to figure out, okay, what can we do, who can we push? i won't give in and state and local. fred knows our local cities need that aid. so how do we get it done?

you can't solve a problem if you don't talk to each other. >> congressman upton, what would you say to there are some republicans who say, hey, we want help out those blue state governors. is that something that is productive as you try to work across the aisle? >> well, you know, i'll tell you, bill cassidy from louisiana, joe manchin, hernandez, they have a bill in the senate, a companion pill bill in the house, i'm a co-sponsor of it called the smart act, a formula for state, cities, based on population. michigan will get more than delaware. it's based on covid cases. michigan sadly we've had nearly 100,000 now. it's based on loss of revenue. it's a fair formula, a lot like revenue sharing in the '80s when president reagan was office. it will trickle down to impact the cities as well as the counties as well as the states.

we have to do more for our educator. there's nothing more precious than our kid. no parent will send their son or daughter on to school if they don't think -- so they need additional resources for the teachers as well as for the students and the homes where they come back. we've got additional resources that we're going to need, too, called broadband. jim clyburn and i have introduced a bill that is going to bring broadband to underserved areas in a major way. you know, some of my schools, believe it or not, 70% of the kids that are being told to do e-learning don't have broadband at home. that's not acceptable. jim clyburn believes that and so do i. >> all right. debbie dingell, fred upton, congresswoman, congressman, thank you so much for this conversation tonight. i really appreciate it. coming up in our next hour, we are counting down to the republican convention, which is going to look very different from the democrats. all of the rncs that came

become. "kasie dc" back after this. cam become "kasie dc" back after this how about no no uh uh, no way come on, no no n-n-n-no-no only discover has no annual fee on any card. i appreciate what makes each person unique. n-n-n-no-no that's why i like liberty mutual. they get that no two people are alike and customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. almost done. what do you think? i don't see it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread

to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can lead to death. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough, or chest pain. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. be in your moment.

ask your doctor about ibrance.

welcome to a special hour of "kasie dc" as we count down to the start of the republican national convention. it will no doubt look and feel a lot different from what we saw last week from the democrats.

we're going live to charlotte for a look at who and what we expect to see. at the same time rnc set to get under way not one but two storms intensifying in the gulf coast. it's been a disastrous week for the president leading up to what was going to be a grace note, accepting the party nomination. we learned how his sister, a former federal judge, really feels in recordings first obtained by "the washington post." >> his g -- tweet and lie, oh, my god, i'm talking too freely but you know. the change of stories, the lack of preparing, the lying. the holy -- [ bleep ] but that's all about his base. all he wants to do is appeal to his base. he has no principles. none. none. >> the pleasanton also dealing with his third campaign manager to be arrested, this one on fraud charges although steve bannon pleaded not guilty while

russia is back in the headlines as a republican led senate panel released a lengthy pablo that boiled down to this. russia government disrupted an american election to help mr. trump become president. russia intelligence services viewed members of the trump campaign as easily manipulated. in another throw-back to 2016, a june ruled this week that the president must pay the legal fees of stormy daniels. all this as voters favor biden by 10 points with just 72 days to go. so earlier tonight, the president, who is acutely aware of his polling, touted an emergency use for coronavirus, something already in use for thousands. the president trying to maintain an upbeat attitude ahead of the convention after he labeled dark and gloomy. not the man we're used to. this is a man in his first

public address to the american people as president introduced himself with a speech on american carnage. just days ago in the hometown of joe biden he said this -- >> at stake in this election -- and you know this. you know it. i mean it, i've never meant it more. at stake in this election is the survival of our nation. if you want a vision of your life under biden presidency, think of the smoldering ruins in minneapolis, the violent anarchy of portland, the blood stained sidewalks of chicago, and imagine the mayhem coming to your town and every single town in america. >> joining me now from charlotte, north carolina, is nbc news political reporter monica alba. hi, monica. what have you learned about what we're going to see this week. >> kasie, consider the irony. this is the original site of the

republican national conversation years in the making and sermoniously uprooted by the president because the democratic governor couldn't guarantee an event without social distancing or without face coverings and that's exactly what you're going to see here tomorrow as a smaller footprint of delegates does gather to renominate president and vice president and the president himself who will be in this state already may very likely come in and see all this. while it's not the convention he envisioned, all the fanfare he certainly wanted, it's something he wanted and the pandemic hangs over the entirety of the week. really you had this president all week watching very closely what the democrats are doing and essentially taking notes in realtime calling aides and advisers saying i like this, didn't like this, let's modify this. it's big ettaaway, it seems, he wants to inject himself into each night of programming far more than what we saw from former vice president joe biden. the other major departure from democrats and what we saw in delaware and virtual last week was that there will be audiences

for much of the speeches. vice president mike pence is going to be speaking, first lady as well but the locations, the fact that the political backdrop of this will southbound at the white house is so unusual and so many ethical questions have been raised about that as well. the president's speech on thursday will be to as many as 1,000 people on the south lawn, many of them republican lawmakers we're told. while there won't be a balloon drop we may see a similar scene we saw on biden harris in terms of fireworks. at least that's what republicans want. there are ethical questions. they have applied for a permit from the national parks service to be launched from the mall. that hasn't been approved yet. it's unclear whether the president will get that final spectacle for the end of his convention, kasie. >> trying to use all the trappings of his office, sometimes over ethical objections from others. nbc's monica alba, thank you very much for that update. i want to welcome now my panel former rnc chairman and

msnbc political analyst mike steel. senior political correspondent for washington examiner david drucker and white house correspondent from "new york times" and msnbc contributor annie carney. michael steele, let me start with you. just in one word how would you describe what we're going to see from the president this week at this convention? >> trump. that's what it's all about. trump. that's the one word. there is no other word in the vocabulary. there is no other way to describe it as the reporting has indicated and as the sort of revamping of the convention on the heels of what the republicans saw the democrats do last week, the president really wants to drive home the point that only he can pull this off. in other words, everyone will be a backdrop for him.

and typically these conventions, it's a progression. it's a way you start off with biographical stories and people talk about what you've done over the last four years and you build the narrative so on that wednesday or thursday night sometimes you get a sneak preview on wednesday and the candidate shows up on thursday. you've set the narrative. the president wants to do that himself. what i find problematic and most offensive is he wants to use the white house as a backdrop. that's the people's home will that's not your private playground where you can go out and pitch up a tent and invite 1,000 people over and hold a convention or give a speech like this, which is obviously a political speech. again, trump's attitude is, who is going to stop me. that's what this week is really going to be about, who is going to stop me. >> annie carney, it doesn't seem

like anyone is going to stop him from doing this. he's going to go forward wit. it's clear they don't see a downside to it. they see it as playing into his political brand. >> they see these back drops as beautiful and helpful and channel all of the powers of the office to help him. they think -- it's a relatively toothless punishment. it's not clear what happens if you violate the hatch act, you apologize. they have been claiming in response to ethical questions about the use of the white house, fort mchenry, even the melon auditorium, which is where the main stage will be built, is a federal property. they have said the rose garden and south lawn are technically part of the residence and the residence is exempt from the hatch act. these are -- that doesn't mean that all the white house staffers who will be involved with helping to set this up,

every wrangler helping to lead guests onto the south lawn, government officials doing political work will not be exempt from the hatch act. they see the backdrop no one but the president can mimic as outweighing a relatively toothless ethics law. >> normally incumbency is a powerful thing. the trappings of government could help. again, those ethical questions. david drucker, let's talk about the people who will not be at the convention. if you look at who is going to be speaking, half trump's and half speakers. i'm categorizing. they fall into those two categories. there was a back and forth last week where mitch mcconnell was or wasn't going to speak at the convention. turns out he'll have taped remarks that will air on thursday according to the rnc. if you watched the democratic convention last week, they were

very clearly trying to embrace a lot of republicans, sometimes over the objections of the left. that's a real contrast to here we're going to have matt gaetz on the lest of monday's speakers. what does this tell you about the state of the republican party but also how they are looking at re-election chances and their strategy? >> well, look, the republican party under trump is a party in transition, so naturally we've seen a lot of rock river republicans from years past not interested in speaking at this convention. forget whether or not they were invited. at the end of the day, this is not the kind of thing voters are going to be concerned about. i think a lot of people built into the price of admission trump is a different type of politician and different kind of republican. the key for trump here is can he communicate to voters that he has a plan for the coronavirus, that he has a plan for recovery. can he speak -- kasie, if you

look at the guest list, the t m thematics, this is has been about energizing his base. a strategy presidents choose to embark on. not necessarily completely neural. i think the question here is the president is not going to get this done unless he can bring over some voters that don't like the way he behaves, the way he acts, don't like the way he handles coronavirus. at the end of the day when i look at him and vice president biden, i think the president's policies are better, a better handle on leadership. he needs those voters. he has been losing those voters. so as much as this is going to be geared toward the base, at the end of the day if the president doesn't bring along some of the voters that voted for them with their nose held in 2016, i'm thinking particularly of suburban voters who the president won four years ago, then he's going to be in real trouble. what he already has going for him is his base and the

republican party broadly when you look at voters as enthusiastic as they have ever been, we saw that in the latest cbs poll where they think he's handled coronavirus well, they think the country is doing pretty okay. obviously independents and democrats looked at it differently. i think for the president he'll get the base and he uses convention to bring along a few more that can put him over the top in thetates -- the states that matter. >> for democrats, this is all about turnout as well. it's important to remember that donald trump won michigan with fewer votes that romney lost it with when he lost that state in 2012. i think you've seen democrats become increasingly urgent in their focus on this. we put together a little mash up, if you will, of president obama over the years since -- of his political year and into this trump era, and it's pretty

remarkable how it looks. i want to watch it and mike steel we'll talk about it on the other side. >> let's face it, my presence on this side is pretty unlikely. that is the true genius of america. at faith -- a faith in simple dreams. i believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming, because i've seen it, because i've lived it. you know, i recognize that times have changed since i first spoke to this convention. times have changed and so have i. but as i stand here tonight, i have never been more hopeful about america. then there's donald trump. does anyone really believe that a guy who spent his 70 years on this earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion, your voice?

do not let them take away your power. do not let them take away your democracy. any chance of success depends entirely on the outcome of this election. this administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that's what it takes for them to win. stay safe. god bless. >> so that's some optimism and some very dark hair and a lot of -- i mean, there was some pleading there with people and a lot of gray after all those years in the public eye. when you think about that arc the country has gone on with obama and now the trump administration, michael steele, do you think his plea is actually going to resonate with voters and stick out more than what david drucker was saying to

those voters that perhaps maybe are still on the fence? >> actually i think it does. that's the interesting dynamic that these two weeks in combination really represent. i think david nailed it in his analysis of what trump has to do. despite how everybody feels, trump is not out of the woods on this but he has some flashlights that he can use. the polling shows him on the economy 10 points ahead of biden. so there i guess this space for trump which you see with this appeal to suburban women, particularly white women, starting that conversation, tying it back into the economy, your home, and your ability to go shopping and all these things. what you saw with obama, you saw that transition from 12 years ago now, hope and change is now something very different.

there's a reflection of how much the country has changed. so hope and change is now becoming more about are you ready to hold onto this democracy in the face of what we have seen over the last four years? those two narratives for those voters, admittedly a slither, not as big as we've seen in other elections but still significant given the margins we're talking about in places like wisconsin, pennsylvania, and the like, is that enough to move them? as trump says, it is the economy, and i'm the one who can not only fix it but have done so already. and then there's what obama is talking about do we really want to be that america, where we put kids in cages, where we question our government and the institutions that kept us safe a la covid-19. that is going to be the interesting comparison for

voters come labor day as they sit back and digest what the 2020 election is for them. >> annie carney, quick last word to you. we read from the "washington post" story that basically underscored what i've been hearing from republicans on the hill, which they think if there's a vaccine in time for the election, president trump has a shot at the re-election. how does that play in, do they focus on the coronavirus or try to ignore it and depend it's not happening? >> i think they definitely want to focus on it. one thing i was told by people involved in the planning is that watching the convention all week, democrats last week, the president wants to stage a fierce rebuttal in terms of how they frame his dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, which was the ultimate failed leadership. he wants to address that and rebut that. there will be focus on the coronavirus. they also want to paint a completely different picture of -- make their convention more

policy focused than the democrats, which was about values and empathy. you know, what i'm hearing from republicans involved is we don't need empathy, we need policies that help working americans. one thing i find really interesting in terms of the coronavirus, they are trying to frame -- joe biden said if necessary he would lock down the country to stop the spread. they are trying to frame that as an elitist, lock downs for hollywood elite and upper class that can afford to work from home. for working americans, they they'd to have life go on in some fashion of the republicans are going to frame themselves as the party that sees life can go on. so i think it's an interesting framing to say safety precautions are for hollywood limousine liberals not regular americans. that's the way they are going to confront the coronavirus this week. >> joe biden was actually remarkably direct in saying, yes, i would shut the country

down if that's what health officials told me to do. it's great to have you on the show tonight. still to come, two former republican governors definitely not on the invite list for the rnc. but first, the convention that take place from the white house prompting ethics concerns. "kasie dc" back after this. "kasie dc" back after this e lexv at the golden opportunity sales event. lease the 2020 rx 350 for $419 a month for 36 months. experience amazing. at your lexus dealer. whthey fell head over heels ing galoveltra flings... experience amazing. with its irresistible scent.

looks like their dog michelangelo did too. unfortunately for him, it's more of a forbidden love. gain ultra flings with two times oxi-boost and febreze... seriously good scent. and if you love gain flings, you've gotta try the dish soap. webut you can't lose sight of your own well-being especially if you have a serious chronic medical condition. at aetna, we're always here to help you focus on your health. because it's always time for care. cranky-pated: a bad mood related to a sluggish gut. miralax is different. it works naturally with the water in your body to unblock your gut. free your gut, and your mood will follow.

reinventing. it's what with comcast business, your small business can work faster, with powerful internet from the nation's largest gig-speed network. work safer, with all your connected devices automatically protected by securityedge. and work anywhere, with comcast business at home, our new business-grade internet solution for remote workers. whatever your business needs, comcast business has the solutions to help you not just bounce back, but bounce forward. call or go online to find out more.

ahead of the prp national convention this week, a new poll from cbs news reveals 57% of republicans think the number of american deaths from coronavirus has been, quote, acceptable. just 10% of democrats agree. according to our latest count here at nbc news, more than 177,000 americans have died so far. joining me now is the national press secretary for the trump campaign, hogan gidley. hogan, thank you for taking the time to come on tonight. i'd like to start by asking if

you agree with those republicans who say that 177,000 american deaths from coronavirus is acceptable? >> well, a couple of things, kasie. let's be clear, a single death from this is an absolute trag y tragedy. the world has been rocked by this virus straight out of china unforeseen, unprecedented, it's devastated so many lives in this country in many different ways. that being said, you know early on some of the estimates were that we would see over 2.5 million people dead in this country. the fact that the president took swift, early, decisive bold action to make sure this virus didn't spread like the health experts said it would i think tells a pretty interesting story in that -- in the face of something we didn't even know how to combat it at all. there were no tests, no screening for it --

>> already opening their schools, the death tolls as a percentage of population is much lower, they have got it under control. here we are, still locked down, kids are not going back to school. we're going to celebrate the renomination or you're going to celebrate renomination of the president this week as millions of families try to figure out what are we going to do, we can't work and teach our kids at the same time. that's because we haven't had a public health response, no? >> absolutely not. the president moved early on in this virus, this pandemic. what we see as joe biden says we want more lockdowns, if health experts want to lock it down, he'll lock it down. that's not sustainable. health experts will tell you to lock down a country to prevent an airborne pandemic from spreading across. anybody in the economy will tell you to leave everything open so the economy can thrive and the american people can move on with their lives. but it takes a president with leadership to work with both sides and work with governors at

the local level, how to work with experts, his economic team, to make sure this country can continue to move forward with some level of success. obviously lives have been altered by this virus. we hate that, and we want to prevent any more death. that was one of the things the president came up with today in the press conference talking about the potential use of this therapeutic with 70,000 americans using it now that could potentially stop the spread as well. so project warp speed is one of the successes of this situation in which we see a potential for a pandemic vaccine in record setting time. that should be something that the american people should appreciate. now, lives have been changed, as i said, it's been devastating for many. this president, quite frankly, even though joe biden pointed out he wouldn't have done the things the president did, the health expert said what the president did shutting down flights from china and europe actually saved lives. >> the health experts this week,

we listened to the press conference the president did earlier, health experts, including dr. fauci, said the emergency authorization for plasma which the president touted as a big breakthrough today was not something they should have gone forward with, the evidence wasn't there. there was a treatment already widely in use but the studies weren't there to say, okay, this is effective. the president has gone out there and sold this as something that will help americans. why should they believe, if he comes out and says we have a vaccine, why should they believe the president? >> they also had the fda there as well. dr. hahn was standing by his side talking about it, azar was there, too, health and leukemia services. health experts -- >> he said fda was part of the deep state and cut the press conference off after the fda commissioner was pressed about this decision. >> right. are you going to sit here and tell me there are no members inside the federal government against this president and worked against this president from day one?

the fact is there are plenty of people in the federal government that worked to undermine this president from the word go. we now know that. had president trump not been elected, we wouldn't know all the situations that occurred in all these situations. >> deep state or are you glad they showed up at the press conference today? i'm confused. is the fda the deep state or not? >> no, i'm saying to pretend as though there aren't people in the federal government working against this president is ludicrous, of course there are. i haven't talked to the president about the communication he had with the fda or dr. hahn but he's worked very well with the fda to make sure project warp speed is up and running and we have a therapeutic and vaccine on the way hopefully sooner than many of the experts said would ever happen. >> so speaking of the deep state, let's spend a second talking about qanon because the president and other officials this week -- i'm going to play it, what the president said and mark meadows said this morning.

let's watch. >> i don't know much about the movement other than i understand they like me very much, which i appreciate. i don't know much about the movement. i've heard these are people that love our country. >> you can end the controversy right now, does the president disavow, does he condemn qanon. >> we don't know what it is. you've spent more time talking about it than the white house. it's not what the president is talking about. >> hogan, does the president's campaign disavow qanon? >> absolutely. we are not focused on that at all. we're focused on making the lives of all americans better. that's what the campaign has been about from day one. i've not had a conversation in any form or fashion about qanon with the campaign or white house.

mark meadows was right -- >> why was the president saying he appreciates their support? why will the president not say what you just said? >> look, i haven't spoken with the president directly about qan qanon. i don't know how much he knows about it. i know we don't know much about it at the campaign. that's not something we're talking about the in the campaign or focused on interimly at all? >> is there in your view a deep state, satanic cannibals who run a satanic ring, to all those on the internet who say that exists in the government. >> not to my knowledge. i was there in the white house and i never saw anything that resembled anything close to that. >> okay. hogan, thank you very much. we will be watching the convention this week. so thank you for your time tonight. when we come back, we're going to revisit the president's first rnc and promises made versus promises kept. and promises mades promises kept.

looks like they picked the wrong getaway driver. they're going to be paying for this for a long time. they will, but with accident forgiveness allstate won't raise your rates just because of an accident, even if it's your fault. cut! sonny. was that good? line! the desert never lies. isn't that what i said? no you were talking about allstate and insurance. i just... when i... let's try again. everybody back to one. accident forgiveness from allstate. click or call for a quote today.

♪ where everybody knows ♪ someyour name ♪ant to go ♪ and they're always glad you came ♪ applebee's. now that's eating good in the neighborhood.

a little more than four years ago, donald trump stood on the stage with the rnc in cleveland and officially accepted his party's nomination. some of the statements he made draw, let's say, interesting parallel to where we are today as a country led by that same

man who we now call president trump. >> the most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its own citizens. any government that fails to do so is a government unworthy to lead. >> more than 177,000 americans have died from the coronavirus during this pandemic and more than 5 million americans have been infected all while trump has been president. >> i will present the facts plainly and honestly. we cannot afford to be so politically correct anymore. >> "the washington post" has fact checked 20,000 false or misleading claims since he assumed office and he's made headlines for falsely claiming 99% of coronavirus cases are harmless. he's repeatedly said it would

just disappear. he said it was like a flu and he even suggested the virus could be treated with bleach injections. then, of course, there's the wall. >> we are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence, and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities. >> this week president trump's former adviser steve bannon was charged with defrauding donors who gave money intended to build the wall along the mexican border. and, of course, mexico is not paying for the section the federal government is working on. since trump took office only five miles of new border wall have been constructed according to san antonio news. the rest of the work has been replacing outdated fencing. though opponents say it's made a big impact on parts of the border.

then there's this. >> anyone who endorses violence, hatred or oppression is not welcome in our country and never, ever will be. >> the administration used force to clear peaceful protesters from the park for photo oppose, sent military against wishes, criticized called police officers thugs, used the charge, when the looting starts, the shooting starts in that same tweet. here perhaps the most notable line from the president's 2016 speech. >> history is watching us now. we don't have much time but history is watching. it's waiting to see if we will rise to the occasion and if we will show the whole world that america is still free and

independent and strong. >> in just a few months it's going to be up to voters to decide if trump's america has risen to the occasion. when we return on the eve of the convention start i'm going to talk to two former republican governors who have been horrified at how their party changed. as we go to break, a young bob dole at the 1972 convention. >> we at the republican party and we in the united states of america are all at a turning point. we must decide whether we shall heal the change or master it. e heal the change or master it ou . i wish i could shake your hand. granted. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ wow. jim could you ipop the hood for us?? there she is. -turbocharged, right? yes it is. jim, could you uh kick the tires? oh yes. can you change the color inside the car? oh sure. how about blue? that's more cyan but. jump in the back seat, jim. act like my kids.

how much longer? -exactly how they sound. it's got massaging seats too, right? oh yeahhhhh. -oh yeahhhhh. visit the mercedes-benz summer event or shop online at participating dealers. get 0% apr financing up to 36 months on select new and certified pre-owned models. and the clock could be ticking towards bad breath, receding gums and possibly tooth loss. help turn back the clock on gingivitis with parodontax. leave bleeding gums behind. parodontax. we see you. leave bleedi♪g gums behind. looking out...for all of us. and though you may have lost sight of your own well-being, aetna never did. we're always here to help you focus on your health. because it's always, time for care. for skin as alive as you are... don't settle for silver ♪ gold bond champion your skin

aso the national eye instituteon did 20 years of clinical studies on a formula only found in preservision. if it were my vision, i'd ask my doctor about preservision. it's the most studied eye vitamin brand. if it were my vision, i'd look into preservision. only preservision areds2 contains the exact nutrient formula recommended by the nei to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. i have amd. it is my vision so my plan includes preservision.

i got it with cash back from jeff, nirakuten.. what? i get cash back with almost everything i buy when i use rakuten. i used rakuten to get lisa's birthday present. it's free money. oh i could use it to get takeout on the ride home. i'm making food. i'm a vegan. since when? since now... rakuten sounds cool. rack it up with rakuten, sign up today to get cash back on everything you buy.

the republican party's transition to the party of donald trump has been quick and basically total. it was not so long ago that a newcomer with a glint in his eye said this at the republican national convention. >> the democrats taxing and spending habits remind me of that old definition of a baby. a huge appetite on one end and no sense of responsibility on the other. i happen to think that individual freedom should extend to a woman's right to choose. but this disagreement is not unhealthy. unlike the democrats, george bush and the republican party aren't afraid of a little

disagreement. >> joining me now former governor of massachusetts, bill weld and former governor of south carolina marc savak sanfo. they both primaried. governor weld, let me start with you. you obviously primaried the president unsuccessfully. did you feel welcome and would you have felt welcome at the democratic convention last week? they certainly made quite a show of trying to embrace republicans disaffected from trump's version of the party? >> sure. i've said 100 times on television and elsewhere when people said what are we supposed to do now, i said vote for biden. i've known joe biden for 30 years. he's a regular guy, a lunch pail democrat, one of my favorite kinds of democrats. i've got to say watching trump's remark as candidate trump in

2016, my heart sank. rise to the occasion, how about sinking to the gutter. how about dog whistles and no facts whatsoever as opposed to telling people the truth. it's really saddening. >> governor sanford, governor, congressman, you were a congressman more recently when we were in the halls of the capital. do you agree with governor weld? is your view here vote for biden? was that the convention for you last week? >> no, not for me. i'm a conserve republican from the deep south. i'm not where bill is. i respect where he and others are. i'm not there yet. what i would say, there's obviously a lot of soul searching with traditional conservatives where the party has gone. the party, to bill's point, has gone a long way from the party where a lot of us worked in the vineyard for years and years in

trying to improve and make people's lives better based on that fundamental notion of liberty and freedom. under the trump era, if you want to call it that, you've seen a radical turn of the reagan revolution, from the class of '94 i was a part of when i first came into congress, to where we are right now and we've gone from traditional conservatism to populism centered around president trump. >> so governor sanford, you said you wouldn't go as far as governor weld. are you going to vote for trump in the fall? >> i'm not. that i have decided. that's where i am. whether it's a protest vote with a third party or whether i go where bill is going, i haven't decided. we'll see. >> let me ask you to just stick with your home state for a

second, and then governor weld, i've got some clips of trump i want to ask you about. governor sanford, the district you used to hold held by a democratic, joe cunningham, in another close race for re-election. is it president trump that handed places like charleston over to the democratic party? >> positively. that district has transitioned as have many other affluent suburban districts across this country wherein young millennials, working mom, soccer moms, go down the list have said enough is enough. what's going on is not consistent with what i've been trying to teach my kids or what mom and dad have been trying to teach me, i'm out. yes, i think the transition you've seen in the first congressional district and a variety of others is absolutely due to the trump factor. >> so governor weld, i want to show you a little of what

president trump had to say on thursday as he was trying to counter program the democratic convention. he painted a pretty dark picture of the country, clearly going to be a theme for his re-election. let's watch and we'll talk about it on the other side. >> if you want a vision of your life under biden presidency, think of the smoldering ruins in minneapolis, the violent anarchy of portland, the blood stained sidewalks of chicago and imagine the may them coming to your town. >> so there's a lot of subtexts there, obviously, and certainly there have been politicians who have made those kinds of arguments and won their elections based on it. do you think it's going to work for president trump against joe biden? >> no, i don't think so, kasie. it's too extreme and too obvious as my longtime friend stewart siemens wrote a book about takeover of the republican party called "it's all a lie." it's all a lie.

coincidentally i got a robocall at home from pro trump organization in washington this evening. they said would you support us, we've got a fight against the number one threat to the united states of america and that's possible mail-in voter fraud. you know, mr. trump has no interest in expanding his base so he wants to deny the suffrage and vote to as many people as possible. i think people are going to not appreciate it because it's aimed right at them. so i don't think it's going to work? >> so speaking of that point about mail-in voting, if we, in fact, see, and we know it's going to take longer than normal to count the votes on election night, if the president does question the results, what's the responsibility of elected republicans in handling or pushing back on that? what do we need to hear from them if that's how this unfolds? >> well, i think we need to hear

exactly what everyone said a republican elected leaders when he said let's delay the election. mitch mcconnell said, ain't going to happen. chris sununu said, ain't going to happen. everyone said ain't going to happen because that was a bridge too far. in my view many, many things the president does are a bridge too far. the last campaign, his campaign would put out images of george lincoln rockwell. no one knew who george lincoln rockwell was accept neo-nazis because he was the founder of the american nazi party. then the campaign said we didn't know anything about that. the whole campaign was one gigantic dog whistle. i think whether mr. trump wins or loses in november, there's going to have to be a reconstitution of a new second party, and it won't be called the republican party. it's going to start with moderate republicans, moderate democrats, practical libertarians, some environmentalist and get a

repeat of what happened when the wig party broke in half in the 1950s. the nice people faction went on to elect president lincoln six years later. that's my view. can you call it a pipe pipe dret i'm familiar with the history of the laborers and the torey party in britain. one party can come past the number two party in a very few years. >> well, you i think are the first person on this program not named john meacham to mention the whig party. up next, sparks fly between a kennedy and a long-time sitting senator who says it's time to start asking what your country can do for you. king what your cy can do for you ta-da!

did you know liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? i should get a quote. do it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ try new nature's bounty stress comfort. three unique gummies for your unique needs. find peace. boost mood. sleep well. stress comfort comes naturally, only from nature's bounty

. at least incumbents have lost their primaries this year. when joe kennedy announced, it looked like 44 years in congress might be the end of the road for markey. but the senator has found an unlikely groundswell of support, especially among gen. z. >> i'm sure your father's watching right now. tell your father right now that you don't want money to go into a super pac that runs negative ads and tell your twin brother and tell your father you don't

want any money to be spent in negative ads in the era of donald trump. >> i've said that multiple ti s times. >> publicly. >> tell your father you don't want the money to be spent on negative ads. >> and you may have seen there, this election is in massachusetts and on the issues there's not a terribly wide gulf between the two candidates, but slick ads, including a three-minute video with three million views have scanned more as vintage than outdated. >> was thrown out in the hall. his bill is now the law. >> i'm ed markey. i'm running for congress because i want to fight for the principles i believe in. the boss may tell me where to sit. nobody tells me where to stand. >> we've got to make sure president biden signs a new deal. we can't wait.

>> we've got to have folks in the united states senate who are willing to stand up for leg people. we need ed markey in the senate. >> we asked what we can do for our country. we went out and we did it. >> with all due respect, it's time to start asking what your country can do for you. >> that last nine of course invoking the 35th president's words. it did not sit well at all with some including speaker nancy pelosi who stunned many. we will watch what happens live september 1st election. that does it for us tonight. joshua johnson is going to pick up coverage after a quick break. for now, from me, good night from washington. r now, from me,t from washington. they're going to be paying for this for a long time. they will, but with accident forgiveness

allstate won't raise your rates just because of an accident, even if it's your fault. cut! sonny. was that good? line! the desert never lies. isn't that what i said? no you were talking about allstate and insurance. i just... when i... let's try again. everybody back to one. accident forgiveness from allstate. click or call for a quote today. [ aevery box has a mission: accident forgiveness from allstate. to protect everything inside from everything outside. when what's inside matters, count on boxes. [ doorbell rings ] paper and packaging. how life unfolds. mornings were made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. when considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz a pill for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis when methotrexate has not helped enough. xeljanz can reduce pain, swelling, and further joint damage, even without methotrexate.

xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections like tb and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor about the pill first prescribed for ra more than seven years ago. xeljanz.

hey there. i'm joshua johnson. good to be with you from msnbc in new york. a break through in the fight against covid-19. the president announced a step forward for con velez ent plasma. p 0,000 americans have received the treatment. what do we know and not know about its prospects. meanil