>> hopefully they will return when all of us return and get in packed broadway theaters again. nathan lane, thank you very much for being with us today. we really do appreciate it. >> sure. that does it for us this morning. thank you very much for watching. we greatly appreciate it. stephanie ruhle picks up the coverage right now. ♪♪ hi, there, i'm stephanie ruhle. it's monday, april 5th. this morning the trial of derek chauvin will resume for day six of testimony. all eyes on one single witness. in a rare move, the minneapolis police chief expected to take the stand for the prosecution, who will be the third member of the department to testify against one of his own. this comes after the longest-serving officer in the department, richard zimmerman, said on friday that chauvin's actions were, quote, totally unnecessary. another witness we are watching out for as the trial heads into

week two, hen amin county medical examiner dr. andrew baker, who performed floyd's autopsy, is expected to testify in the next few days i want to bring in this morning nbc's shaquille brewster. he's in minneapolis. he's been covering this trial day in and day out. shaq, what are you watching for as the police chief takes the stand? >> i'm really watching for, stephanie, what he says about derek chauvin's use of force. just to set it up a little bit, this is the police chief who fired the four officers involved in floyd's death within hours after that facebook video went viral. this is an officer who back in june told nbc news that he never wanted to mention derek chauvin by name and said he didn't even want to be in a room with ex-officer derek chauvin. this is also an officer who back in 2007 was one of four senior officers to sue the minneapolis police department alleged racial discrimination. so i'm very curious how passionately he will speak against derek chauvin's use of force and what he will say about

the training, what officers are trained to do and what he believes derek chauvin did wrong in that instance. i will also be watching what you will hear from the defense in their cross-examination. we have heard the defense mention with officer zimmerman last week -- lieutenant zimmerman, actually, we heard them allude to the idea that officers are trained to improvise in order to protect their lives and the lives of others. i wonder if that same line of questioning will be put to the police chief here, someone who -- jurors will be very familiar with and someone who has been very focal with what he saw from derek chauvin. stephanie? >> shaq, last week focused pretty much on witnesses who were at the scene. do we know the prosecution's focus this week? >> yes, stephanie, we really saw the development of their case last week. first starting with the bystanders, those eyewitnesses who were pleading with officers to get off george floyd's neck. we saw it shift into those first

responders, the two paramedics that arrived on the scene. then we started to hear from the law enforcement officers, that most senior member of the minneapolis police department. it seems like we will stick on that use-of-force conversation for some time, especially considering we will hear from the police chief later today. but we also know, based on those opening statements, that the prosecution will be bringing up many medical experts and many medical witnesses. the medical examiner will be one of the people we will hear from at some point. we looked at his report and his report didn't mention asphyxiation. so that is something the defense hinted at and signaled they will be very interested as well, stephanie. >> thak, thank you. that is what is going on. >> let's dig into it all means. joining us to duss joyce vance, former university and professor at the university of alabama law school. retired chief police best.

what are you watching for when the police chief takes the stand? >> stephanie, it's surprising, honestly, to have the lead official in the police department in this manner. the chief is going to spare out clearly some of the things we heard about before, policies, procedures, training. the fact officers are not trained to use excessive force and in fact they modulate their force based on the resistance they're seeing. clearly in this case there was very little resistance by mr. floyd when in fact the officer remained on his neck. so i have a great deal of respect for chief madera arradondo. i know he will come forward and spell out the facts of the case. while this is incredibly emotional 230r everyone to see how this man died needlessly in the middle of the street, the chief coming forward and being

factual about the policies and procedures, use of force policy and training, will really shed a pinpoint light on what happened and really lead the way of the leading an organization for others to physical. >> he's not just a law enforcement expert. how big of a deal is it, chief, that this is going to be the third officer to testify against chauvin. we very rarely see police speak out against their own. >> yes, stephanie, that's what makes this so very interesting, and the evidence so compelling when the chief -- i can't think of a time i have seen a chief actually have to testify for the prosecution in this way on a case. although there may be something that exists, it's very rare. he's coming forward, doing the right thing, spelling out what happened, because right now as you know, there's really crossroads in law enforcement,

pinpoint highly focused on what happens happening in police in this case has captured the attention of people all around the world. so it's incredibly important that he is the leader come forward and spell out where they are, what his feelings are and also what the facts are related to what happened. >> joyce, we already had two officers say chauvin went too far. what will the defense's strategy be when the chief takes the stand? >> that's really what we will look for when chief arradondo testifies. it will be the cross-examination and defense trying to score some points with him. but you will recall, stephanie, in opening statements the defense proffered chauvin complied exactly with the department's standards. so the chief's testimony will go a long way towards putting an end to that claim. and this is important because it removes chauvin's conduct in the safe harbor of acting within

policy. >> joyce, what does the prosecution still need to do? >> the big issue coming up, steph, is causation. in any kind of murder case -- and here we have two murder charges and one manslaughter charge, you have to move the defendant caused the victim's death, but interestingly enough, minnesota has some well established legal precedent that says you don't have to show what the actual cause of death is. you simply have to prove that the defendant substantially contributed to the death. there will be legal maneuvering over that standard, case law that sets that forth is for manslaughter as opposed for murder. lots of lawyering going on here. but the state has put on a very compelling case so far from testimony of bystanders, bystanders. what's up ahead is the battle of the medical experts and that's

when i think we'll have a good sense of how this trial is going. >> chief best, thank you both for joining us. you make us starter every time you're here. now we must turn to washington, d.c. with a warning officials are raising new concerns about the safety at the nation's capitol. after friday's attack that left one officer dead and another wounded. over the weekend, a very difficult split screen to watch. flags at the white house lowered for officer billy evans, who lost his life on friday, while there were sighs of relief and cheers as the other officer involved in the attack, ken shaver, he went home from the hospital. but this morning the debate is on over how to protect the capitol going forward. some say concrete barriers are not the answer while the head of the capitol police is not warning out more support, officers are going to be leaving the unit all together. here now with the latest nbc

news justice correspondent pete williams and nbc reporter garrett haake. pete, is there anything we learned on the motive? >> no, i don't know if they will ever get a motive, at least no sign of it yet. it's pretty clear noah green, the man suspected of doing this, ramming his car into officers and hitting that barrier, was somebody whose life was falling apart, who was going into a rapid mental decline. there are many signs of that. his brother said he recently -- green had recently moved to botswana and while there, apparently attempted suicide by trying to jump in front of a moving car. he then came back, told his brother that he was not doing well. he had last december filed for a petition to change his name in indiana, his name to noah zihiem

mohammed. but when there was a hearing, he did not show up for that meeting. so that's another sign things were falling apart. there was no signs of domestic terrorism or political influence. he was a follow of the israel nation and louis farrakhan, but that alone i don't think answers the question. >> kasie hunt said it earlier, at this point it is safe to say the u.s. is an ongoing target. given that, isn't it logical we would see officers from the capitol police saying unless they see significant changes, they don't want to be part of that force? >> and this isn't frankly a particularly new development, stephanie. go back to the baseball practice shooting in 2017. it didn't happen at the capitol but there were members of congress who are the charges, protectees who were the targets even then. yes, the capitol hill police department have been under a constant threat going past years. they need, most importantly, more manpower to handle it.

the union put out a statement over the weekend saying they could be facing a retirement crisis over the next couple of years. they will see as many as 500 retire. they're already down more than 200 from their approved force level. so first and foremost, they want to see the manpower issue get solved, a surge of new officers to keep track of both the capitol complex on which i stand, and also the members as they're flung out across the country in some danger themselves from time to time. >> speaking of those members, are there lawmakers who are making it clear who needs to be done? until now there's been this debate over concrete barriers, but aren't we past that at this point/. >> i think that debate very much continues. lawmakers in both parties are really reticent to see anything that was here in the aftermath of january 6th be made permanent. people in d.c. don't want to see that around the capitol, which is part of the neighborhood in a

way the white house isn't. finding that goldilocks objection to keep it safe without changing the character of one of the most open elements of our democracy is the challenge lawmakers face as they try to figure out how to move forward. >> garrett, pete, thank you both so much. when we come back, we have to turn to georgia, where day in and day out we are seeing more and more businesses coming out against the state ress states restrictive voting laws by management. and it's about customers, employees, the bottom line and you've got to hear this, the campaign revealing the trump campaign made up to 3% of all fraud complaints in the united states last year. the reporter who broke this stunning story will be here to break it down. k it down.

right now voting rights are being threatened across this country with at least 55

restricted bills, moving in 24 states, and that is on top of five bills that already passed in states like georgia and iowa. but corporate america is fighting back in a big way, with now about 200 companies taking a stand after delta air lines and coca-cola condemned georgia's new voting law. and now that the major league baseball organization has officially moved the all-star game out of atlanta, pressure is growing on companies to put their money where their mouth is. nbc's blayne alexander is at the park where the game was supposed to happen. how is georgia reacting this morning? >> certainly, steph, on both sides of the aisle nobody is happy about this. from democrats to republicans they're saying it's unfortunate for georgians, businesses and employees, this will be moved out of atlanta. but everybody is blaming everybody. republicans are blaming democrats and democrats blaming

republicans for passing the law, and calling it an out of culture cancer for bringing on the law. >> baseball commissioner rob manfred announced the game will move this summer's 2021 all-star game, pulling out of the peach state, a direct response to georgia's voter law, which restricts access to the ballot, especially for black voters. calling it, the best way to demonstrate the values of our sport, adding it fundamentally supports voting rights for all american, especially at the blot box. and lebron james tweeted, "proud to call myself part of the nba family." but republicans who say the law makes selections more secure are defiant. >> it means cancer culture and partisan acts are becoming for

your business, your game, your event in your hometown. >> reporter: former president trump calling for a boycott of the league, the atlanta team saying the league is deeply disappointed, adding there was not our intention or representation. another calling the move completely unacceptable, adding politics have no place in sports. baseball's decision marks the biggest corporate response to georgia's newly passed law, even as critics are urging other big businesses to step up. >> my coke is flat. >> reporter: threatening coca-cola. delta air lines and home depot with a boycott starting this week, unless the companies use their resources to support voting rights in other states. both coca-cola and delta have criticized the new law. meanwhile, from georgia's governor -- >> i want to be clear, i will

not be backing down from this spot. >> reporter: steph, you heard georgia's governor right there, he's remaining defiant saying he's not backing down. and we're also hearing from other atlanta mayor leadership, congresswoman keisha lance bottom is upset as she said, the republican-led legislature is putting the government in this position. and now we are hearing from the pga tour. the tour championship is set to be held here in atlanta in september. they said they're going to keep it in atlanta but also said in a statement they support the right of all americans to vote. steph? >> blayne, thank you. let's dig deeper with columnist and editor of "the new york times" and co-anchor of "squawk box" on cnbc. they say georgians should not he weigh in on morality but that's not what this is about. what they said is risk

management, haven't they decided staying silent will hurt their bottom line a whole lot more? >> this is a business decision and what's so remarkable about what happened over this past week is republicans have always loved big business and free markets until the big businesses turn against them on issues, in this case social issues. democrats have often hated big business, of course, unless they are with them on issues like this. so here we are. yes, businesses ultimately are not political. they're political party is profits and when you look at where we are as a country, and i think what a lot of these businesses are looking at is their customer base, they're employee base, all of their different constituents, and they're saying this, meaning supporting or rather fighting some of these laws is better for our business than not. >> a lot of companies stood with

black lives matter protesters last year but this feels decidedly different. what do these moves by businesses tell you about where america is right now? >> i'm not sure whether it's different from over the summer or not. and, in fact, i would encourage people to really take note depending on how much credit you want to give big business, for the fact that they did not speak out before the vote. you go back and you look at delta and coca-cola and so many of these companies and they were virtually silent publicly. surprisingly so given the outspoken comments and commitments that had been made previously. it was only really when 72 of the most prominent black executives in america historically, i would argue, for the very first time called out their peers in the business community to say this is not okay, you need to stand with us.

it was only when that took place that they were given effectively license -- and i have heard ceos say this -- that that statement from those 72 executives gave them license to stand up. but prior to that, they did not. >> they're doing this as sort of a long-term move. it's about where the country is headed. but in the immediate, what does this mean in georgia? i'm thinking small businesses in the atlanta area who are dependent on getting that major league baseball all-star game. >> well, look, the truth is that atlanta, the state of georgia, is going to be hit by this and there are going to be small businesses that are going to be impacted by this. in fact, if you go back and look, stacey abrams many years ago asked the media industry, which, of course, filmed a lot of big pictures and tv shows in atlanta, not to try to boycott the state over some of the issues that were taking place in that state, this is just two years ago, in large part because

she was concerned about what it would do to the economy there and also the idea that if the big media companies are in the state, that it will help transform the state. there's a double-edged sword to all of this but clearly this is a statement, the governor in georgia doesn't appear to be standing down on this, but this -- there are bills that are similar in nature to some degree in 43 other states and you have to imagine that those states will now perhaps take a second look at them. >> a double-edged sword with a side of hypocrisy. i know this morning you actually spoke to republican tom cotton. >> yep. >> it's republicans for weeks, months, years, have been railing against this idea of cancel culture. yet aren't we hearing from republican after republican who are now saying we're going to boycott major league baseball? how does that add up? >> look, the truth is that there is -- i hate to say there's canceling going on on both sides

but there is canceling going on on both sides. you do have lots of folks who are being quite hypocritical. we did have the senator on the program this morning. he, by the way, has donors, taken corporate money from the likes of walmart and bank of america and paul weiss, all of which, by the way, are on the other side of this issue. so i think we're going to see lots of folks on different sides of this issue and it's a fight i think we're going to be dealing with and contending with for a long time. but i'm not sure it's ultimately about canceling so much as if these are real moral issues and the question is what is the role of business supposed to be in them? >> maybe that's exactly it. it's not about cancer culture. it's just not about blind faith behind one party or one organization forevermore. you can agree, disagree on issues and hopefully get better and smarter together in the long run. andrew, always good to see you.

thank you for joining us this morning. >> great to see you. thanks. let's go from baseball to little hoops because it's been more than 29 years since stanford took home the ncaa title. that changed last night. >> mcdonald, mcdonald traps. mcdonald, can't hit. that's it! stanford survives again! >> the top-seeded cardinals 54-53 victory came down to the final seconds. i thought, because i watched susan rice dancing on twitter, as arizona missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer. it's been a long season for the cardinals, with the team forced to spend ten weeks on the road due to covid restrictions. and tonight it is the men's turn. the men's title welcome decided between pair of top seeds. gonzaga will look to complete

their perfect season over baylor after surviving the final four in a buzzer-beater in overtime against 11th seeded ucla. baylor blew out houston 78-59, to clinch their seat saturday. this will be their first title game appearance in 73 years. that's must-see tv. coming up next, another holiday weekend of travel has some experts warning of another coronavirus surge after the record vaccination numbers are up and may be enough to prevent a fourth wave. we'll see. i will tell you, people are definitely traveling. [sfx: psst psst] allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! all good

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now to the latest on the coronavirus pandemic. starting today, almost a dozen states are expanding vaccine eligibility, good news to all adults, and in some cases for people as young as 16. but it's a race against the virous and some experts warn the united states is headed for a fourth wave. confusing, isn't it? nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: after a weekend of easter gatherings and a record number of spring break travelers, the fear this morning, another dangerous surge is looming. michigan now seeing the country's largest spike in

cases, reporting its highest daily count since early december. >> we may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but we're still in the tunnel. >> reporter: while infections are rising in over 20 states, health experts aren't in agreement that a fourth wave is imminent. >> we will see in the next two weeks the highest number of cases reported globally since the beginning of the pandemic. >> i think there's enough immunity in the population you will not see a true fourth wave of infection. what we are seeing is pockets of infection around the country. >> reporter: this as the vaccine rollout is picking up pace. the cdc says more than 3 million doses are now being distributed every day and over 18% of americans are fully vaccinated. today eligibility is expanding in seven more states to those over the age of 16. >> i feel like i'm finally taking part in bringing the pandemic to an end. >> reporter: as more adults are greenlit for a shot, some states

are rolling back covid restrictions. wisconsin and arkansas the latest to drop mask mandates. pennsylvania and new jersey are loosening restrictions on gatherings. but a full return to normal may be slowed by variants, a strain first discovered in india, which has two mutations that may make the virus more infectious, has now been detected in california. the evolving strains now threatening to drag out the deadly pandemic. >> miguel almaguer, thank you. joining me to discuss dr. ma delia, medical director of the special pathogens unit at boston medical center. i need your help. we saw dr. osterholm on "meet the press" yesterday saying we're in a category 5 hurricane right now and at the same time former fda commissioner scott gottlieb says there's not going to be a fourth wave and every day more and more people are being vaccinated. how do you see it? >> stephanie, good morning, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, as most things are. when you look at what's

happening in places like brazil and india in the settings of these new variants, despite large numbers of people with an infection before, you are still seeing spikes in cases of deaths and the concern here in the u.s. we're entering a period of time where 30% has one dose, partial immunity, and you have areas where the amount of vaccine is not the same, some are behind, some have higher proportions of b 119 that is more transmissible and lethal by at least 70% so you're entering a period of time where in this background people are letting their guard down, pandemic fatigue, weather is changing, you've got the holidays and there's vaccine optimism. we want that, right? these vaccines are incredible, stephanie. the real-life numbers from the cdc and the fact they decrease transmission and decrease any kind of infection, means that the more people we get vaccinated, the quicker we get out of it. but we're not all vaccinated and we have to thread the needle

because the people who are now vulnerable that are not vaccinated, 50s, 40s, 30s, potentially frontline, because people want to get back to social activities as frontline workers who may not have yet gotten the vaccine and being put at risk because the masks are coming down. i would say the task is up to us. i think the future does look brighter. i think morality may be lower than the next surge but there could be a surge, particularly in states where you have b.1.1.7 that has taken a foothold and people are letting their guard down. >> how concerned are you about that surge? if you compare this to past holidays, right, we always saw a surge after. this holiday, this is the first time we're seeing millions of people actually get vaccinated every single day. >> yeah, i do think you're going to see an increase in cases. my hope is that the mortality is not going to be as high as what we saw in prior surges because

you have almost 70% of those over 65 have been vaccinated and they are contributing to the latest -- largest modern mortality but you're still, on the other side, you have this variant that do cause increased lethality. you're likely to see people who are younger who weren't going to die that may get this variant and may die. there may be some areas where it will be in the middle, cases may go up, but because hopefully we have gotten so many more vaccinated, you won't see as many deaths. part of that is up to us. i've got to say, to me it was a matter of a month and a half. let's just get majority of us vaccinated who want to get this vaccine and then we can say we're definitely in the clear. >> let's get more people vaccinated. that is the answer. doctor, always good to have you here. thank you very much. >> thank you, stephanie. over this holiday weekend, we've seen some of the highest number of air travelers since the pandemic began. no surprise, with the tsa

announcing it's screened 6 million people since thursday, over 1.5 million people yesterday alone. and with more people vaccinated and itching for vacations, which they are, carols are now changing their businesses. they're adding hundreds of new direct roots to domestic summer destinations. watch this. for millions of americans like the powcheck family -- >> tomorrow marks six weeks before -- >> vacation! >> that's right. >> reporter: -- a vacation can't come soon enough. >> we could not wait. >> reporter: they're booked on a flight from baltimore to florida, a route that never existed before on southwest. as demand surges, u.s. airlines are adding more than 250 brand-new routes about memorial day, offering direct links to vacation destinations across the country. like milwaukee to myrtle beach, pittsburgh to pensacola and columbus to charleston. >> we're providing customers to

action to things they have never done before. >> reporter: andre gupta is the vice president of scheduling for united airlines. he said united is seeing its highest ticket sales since the start of the pandemic. is this in response to people being excited about summer leisure travel domestically? >> that is absolutely rate. the combination of the pent-up demand plus these leisure destinations opening up that is creating increased demand. >> reporter: in new york and l.a., it's actually up above pre-pandemic levels in places like ski country in colorado, key west and myrtle beach. what has tourism been like for myrtle beach? >> we had an incredible march and actually saw numbers that equals june and july. so the forecast here is for a very busy summer. >> reporter: the cdc is still advising against leisure travel but as demand surges, experts warn prices may spike as much as

45% by memorial day. >> covid isn't gone. what should we know before booking travel? >> travelers should do their research, understand if there are covid restrictions where they're headed and what's expected to them as a visitor. we have a responsibility to keep the covid case rates going down, travelers included. >> reporter: for the powchecks, this year that new flight gets them to their destination cheaper and faster. >> it was just a no-brainer. and part of the excitement we ended up adding two more things to our vacation this year. >> people are ready for summer travel. in fact, we may actually see a labor shortage in some of these vacation destinations. we're going to be watching that story next. coming up here next, we're following a state of emergency, one you haven't even heard about yet, in florida, water that could soon be rushing down. wn who dares to be fearless even when her bladder leaks.

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right now a potential disaster looms in manatee county, florida, just outside tampa. officials there worry a breach of a wastewater reservoir can cause catastrophic damage to homes and businesses in the area. ellison barber joins us with the latest. what is going on? >> hey, stephanie, yes, the evacuation zone is just over my shoulder and just 316, give or take, homes are inside this evacuation zone as well as a jail. anyone in those homes have been told to evacuate the areas as soon as possible. the big concern, as you mentioned, there could be a collapse. worst-case scenario warnings are 20-feet-tall walls of water. there are three ponds here. the south pond is the one leaking now. officials at this point are

trying to drain as much water as possible to avoid a collapse. they're draining about 22,000 gallons of water of wastewater a minute, 32,000 gallons a day. they started with 480 million gallons of wastewater. they've gotten it down to about 300 million so far. the immediate concern is if there's a collapse, it could cause massive flooding, catastrophic damage to the homes in this area. the bigger long-term concern here is the environmental impacts it will have that could potential happen because this water is being drained into the port of manatee and also tampa bay and it is very high in nunt nutrients known to cause harmful algae. stephanie? >> let's talk about what else is in there. there were initial reports saying it was tainted with radioactive elements but now they're saying what is true.

it is waste water. what is in this? >> it is wastewater, but the stacks it sits in are. i will read exactly who they say is in this water and what they say makes this water okay for marine life and what they say are exceptions or levels they are not necessarily considered to be ideal. so this water, it is a mix of saltwater, processed water and storm runoff and rainfall. the florida department of environmental said they meet levels that are slightly acidic but not at a level that is expected to be a concern. the ponds again have a solid radioactive by-product from lieser plants. the phosphate in it is from that

old fertilizer plant process. they say but it's been inactive the ponds have filled with a lot of rain water so ultimately that's why the majority of the component or water in this wastewater mixture is saltwater but those jip stacks that surround it and look like white walls, they are radiated but the water being released is not but it is very high in nutrient but can be harmful to marine life and cause harmful red tides we've seen in the past. stephanie? >> we want animal life, plant life and people of manatee county safe in florida. ellison, we will stay on this story. thank you for covering it. up next -- you've got to see this -- thousands of dollars unknowingly taken from trump supporters during recurring campaign donations. the incredible investigation from "the new york times" journalist shane goldmacher and how they feel about president trump now. ent trump now. only always ultra thins have rapiddry technology

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this morning we're learning more about how former president trump kept his campaign afloat and keeps raising money. the trump campaign made it so online donations were automatic every week in the final months leading up to the election which

many donors didn't realize. as a result hundreds of thousands of people had money withdrawn without their knowledge leading to a record amount of fraud claims leading to $64 million in refunds in the last months of 2020. automatic payments checked as the default forcing people to opt out. last month in march the g.o.p. donor -- that box turned into these two giant ones. and you probably notice the print got a lot smaller, too. a national political reporter, this is incredible. at the peak of this the trump campaign made up to 3% of all credit card fraud claims in the united states. i realize it's normal for any campaign to refund donations,

this is different put this into context for us. >> yes, you outlined it pretty well. the boxes that were prechecked got donors to donate over and over again. if you didn't uncheck both of them within 30 days of a donation you would have had 60 days taken out. the first box shows these are weekly withdrawals. what happened is people missed the boxes. the online donors tended to be holder people and they missed the boxes. so after 30 days they got their credit card bid and it saying i don't recognize the trump campaign national committee, and they called their credit cards and they say these are

fraudulent charges. when they continue it speaks to the volume that people felt deceived. i spoke with multiple people that were on the front lines of getting these calls and they describe being bombarded. that it was an overwhelming volume of things that came out of nowhere around the election that folks were saying hey, i intended to give money, but not this much, or this many times. by the way if you did this weekly recurring in september, if you gave one donation, if you gave four times, imagine, look at your bill it could have dozens of credit card charges by the time november rolled. around. >> these are thousands of loyal trump supporters, all who went and filed fraud claims against the trump campaign whether or not they got their money back. how do they feel about the former president now? are they still standing with him

politically? >> i talked to quite a few donors. many did not believe it is his ultimately his fault. they say it is this website where they made the donation through, and i talked to one woman who is not in the story but she really stuck out in my mind, she said look this is thiefery, but i don't believe he is a thief, i think he was tricked. look, trump said it very famously. he could shoot someone on 5th avenue, and his supporters believe him. >> so they're saying it's winred, not trumps fault, but he still has that yellow box

checked. >> there is no question that his campaign was ultimately responsible for how they raised money. but you can't necessarily -- >> not was, is. >> it is still there. yeah, i didn't check this morning, but as of yesterday, as of february when he sent out his first big mass text message, if you clicked on that message that day you would have come up with two boxes that were prechecked. one for a bonus donation and one for a recurring donation going forward. the harder it is for voters and doe noes to know what you're opting into. >> maybe immoral, but it appears to be legal. shane, thank you for joining us. thank you for watching this very butty out. i'm stephanie ruhl and hallie jackson picks up coverage, next. .

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