tv Andrea Mitchell Reports MSNBC September 21, 2021 9:00am-10:00am PDT
9:00 am
good day. in new york president biden's first address to the united nations he heralded the end of 20 years of war in afghanistan with a speech saying the world is at an inflection point in history to confront covid and climate. >> will we work together to save lives, defeat covid-19, everywhere, and take the necessary steps to prepare ourselves for the next pandemic? will we meet the threat of challenging climate we're all feeling already ravaging every part of our world with extreme weather? >> declaring the united states to compete with china and stand up for allies against attempts by strong countries to dominate weaker ones. >> we are not seeking, say it
9:01 am
again, we are not seeking another cold war or the world divided into rigid blocs. the united states is ready to work with any nation that proposes peaceful resolution even if we have intense disagreements in other areas. because we'll all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together. >> and he pledged that war will be a last resort, not a first. >> we've ended 20 years of conflict in afghanistan. as we close this period of relentless war, we are opening a new era of diplomacy. last month we lost 13 american heroes and almost 200 afghan civilians at the kabul airport why those that commit acts of terrorism against us will continue to find a derryled
9:02 am
enemy in the america. >> iran is closer to building a bomb, president biden urged the iranian regime to begin direct talks to the u.s. and allies on getting back into compliance with the nuclear deal, a deal that president trump canceled. >> the quite remains committed to preventing iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. we are working with the p-5-plus-1 to engage iran dim plo mat cli and return. we are prepared to return to full compliance if iran does the same. >> and joining me now to what we could discuss as the biden doctrine, laid out in this new speech, nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander. ben rhodes national deputy security adviser and correspondent peter baker and
9:03 am
richard haas, author of "the world, a brief introduction." let's start with peter alexander. >> reporter: i think the biggest picture here is just this chasm in terms of tone and messaging from the president biden versus the predecessor former president trump. this president not like the isolationist who proceeded him focusing instead on the global community and unity and talking about common humanity, the need to act together compared to former president trump and the america first policy and a eft to rebuild the alliances, to revitalize the partnerships and reposition the u.s. as a global leader. the speef was very much about the cooperation and competition related to china economically and in terms of human rights
9:04 am
violations there but specifically the president is facing a real skeptical audience. i think the speech serves the purr but given a series of recent headlines including troop withdrawal from afghanistan, more recently this submarine deal debacle in the eye of the french described as a stab in the back. making an agreement with the uk and australia to provide the aussies with nuclear powered submarines. and it was from the french foreign minister that he said the spirit is pretty much the same between this president and the predecessor but president biden made the best effort today to put america in front, to lead by example. still there is some criticism and skepticism is living by that example. andrea? >> indeed.
9:05 am
threats of covid and climate, that's what he is getting most heat from, at least from some of the allies. >> that's right. exactly. look. this is a speech that i think ben rhodes would have felt comfortable writing. reaches to the international community saying this is a different administration but it is about tone in terms of whether the talking -- walking the talk and talking the talk is different. as peter alexander mentioned remarkably deep frustrations with the allies right now given that you would have thought this would have been a reunion in some ways of like-minded leaders if the last few weeks did not happen. he'll meet with prime minister boris johnson of britain in washington later today. he is not spending much time up there at the u.n. which is different than president obama and others in the past that used that opportunity to meet with
9:06 am
counter parts. but biden broadly speaking has goodwill i think among many international leaders and hopes to smooth over the rift with france and move past the afghan withdrawal to focus on climate and covid which are the global challenges and american leadership is imperative. >> ben, he is not spending the time to do the bilateral meetings and leaving tony blinken to do that. but leaving right away. covid is an explanation. brazil's leader said he is defying the rules that the people be vaccinated and masked. he is neither saying that he has natural immunity from having covid. it is not the same as being vaccinated as we all know but the same time what is the ability of the president to try to effects some of the broken
9:07 am
china frankly? very successful nato meeting and g7 he then has taken several steps including on afghanistan that frustrated the allies. >> i think he wants to show that he can fix the broken relationships or some of those hurt feelings by doing things and two things this stand out in my mind looking to the future. one is what he prioritizes now as a domestic agenda. spending package, the rest of the show focusing on in the coming days is connected to the global stage. if he is able to get a strong result through congress that makes him look stronger on the world stage. for instance there's an important climate change summit later in the fall in glasgow. if the united states demonstrates leadership at home with clean energy spending he'll go in on the summit on a major international priority in a
9:08 am
stronger position because of what he's done at home and the contrast with china he had that democracy has to deliver and doing on infrastructure at home is the proof tonight that he wants to use to say that the united states is a better bet than china in the long run. there's a direct connection of the priorization of the agenda in the united states and the world stage. we have three interesting test cases with that climate change summit, with the question of whether the jcpoa can be resuscitated and meeting with xi jinping at the g20 summit to begin to see this post-afghanistan chapter and whether or not the united states can begin to get some things done, move the ball down the field on that and connected to not just the u.n. but congress. >> absolutely. of course, there are real challenges in congress. we won't get into all that here but there's the debt ceiling and could be going to the climate summit and the g20 having lost
9:09 am
some of these battles, critical battle with the government facing default. i don't personally think that will happen but a big challenge for democrats because the republicans are being -- mitch mcconnell is defying all precedent on that and being obstructionist and demanding democrats do it on their hone. richard, i was struck by how much he is trying to reassure the allies that the pivot to the indo-pacific is not a threat of the europeans. this is what savannah guthrie talked about with boris johnson today on the subject of afghanistan. >> are you frustrated that the u.s. withdrawal was so botched? >> it was a massive logistical success. >> you are being quite easy come, easy go about it. you heard about it in parliament.
9:10 am
tony blair called it tragic and unnecessary. theresa may went after you. should the u.s. have been surprised by how quickly this collapse of afghanistan happened? what did the intelligence tell you? >> there was a spectrum of advice, of predictions from the intelligence people. amongst which was the possibility that kabul would collapse very fast and that the taliban would take over very fast. of course, you're going to look back on it with micked feelings. >> right now the president is speaking, meeting with the australian prime minister. let's join. >> we are going to be left behind, all of us. i want to thank again, scott, great to see you. look forward to work with you with your team and the floor is yours. >> thank you, mr. president. thank you for your warm welcome and the entire delegation. i think it's very important to meet here in new york. this month we mark the 70th
9:11 am
anniversary of the alliance. there have been 14 australian prime ministers since sir robert and 14 u.s. presidents that have stewarded this great partnership. the one time the alliance was invoked was when the -- came down here in york and were attacked and that enacted the alliance for the first time and to remember those lost on that day we reflect on frankly more than 100 years of our partnership where we have stood together for the most difficult of times and the most prosperous of times and the united states and australia have always shared a partnership about a world order that favors freedom and that's why we have always stood together and in pursuing that freedom goes to the security interests. but more than that it goes to global prosperity. it goes to global freedom, the freedom of our seaings, of our
9:12 am
region. it goes to addressing the great challenges of climate change and new energy economy and the very challenging future but one our partnership i have no doubt to address. but it is not just about partnership because our partnership reaches out to so many others, our friends in the asean nations or europe or elsewhere where we share so many likeminded interests so the issues we discuss in our partnership today really do reach out to so many others in addressing the global challenges. mr. president, i want to thank you for your leadership and the focus on the region. there's no doubt you get it. >> i think the last point you made is important. it goes well beyond just our partnership. our partnership is in line with all the other democracies in the world. we got a lot of work to do so thank you all very much.
9:13 am
>> thank you! >> and of course the travel pool, the reporters with him trying to get him to answer questions but none answered. richard, pick it up where that leaves off. meeting with morrison from australia with whom they did the deal. $60 billion or something. the french are furious and the brits and french and others not happy with the withdrawal timetable. we know that. tony blinken called to say to the president we have to stretch this out. we think it. the president was not willing to do that. boris johnson trying to smooth that over with savannah but it was clear that he was kind of covering the tracks and being a good ally. >> look. it is hard to imagine a worse
9:14 am
backdrop for this president to give a speech talking about quote/unquote relentless diplomacy and the diplomacy we saw with afghanistan many of us would argue was flawed in substance and this administration flawed it in execution and even those who agree like i do with the thrust of what the united states did the australia and the uk the way france was handled makes no sense. it reinforces the message we care less about europe. they have a large role in the indo-pacific region and didn't make a great deal of sense and we have to acknowledge that there is a large gap between what the united states is saying and doing vis-a-vis china and what european countries beginning with germany are saying and doing about china. they see china in commercial transactional terms.
9:15 am
the united states sees it as a broader competitor and threat and much less of a partner. moving away from the middle east, away from europe. and we don't see eye to eye with most europeans about how to deal with china and the indo pacific so this is a difficult moment for the united states and the world. >> ben rhodes, is the president on the right track? he is going to see president xi we know on the margins of the g20. is he on the right track trying to reassure china that we are not looking for a war? >> i think so. look. there's a tremendous amount of momentum in american foreign policy and american poll it cans for a long-term confrontation with china. you saw that through a trade war
9:16 am
approach in the trump administration and seen president biden try to multilateralize a much tougher approach on china with some points on the board and achievements like the aukus deal and with real gaps at richard points out between the united states and the closest allies not just with the terms of the french but issues like trade and human rights but given the momentum that's building for confrontation between the united states and china and frankly given the imperative of the united states and china coop rating on issues of climate chang, there is no way that the planet can deal with climate change if the two biggest economies, u.s. and china, can't work together on that issue even if we disagree on other stuff. we'll be firm and draw firm lines but have a relationship to cooperate on some things. i'm sure he has climate on the
9:17 am
mind in those issues. >> another notable difference with a trump speech to the same body, remember importantly how they were laughing at president trump and he didn't realize that he was the subject of their humor saying that he had accomplished more in the first two years than any president in american history but to peter baker, notable was just one paragraph about four sentences on the nuclear threats of north korea and iran as we are told that the inspectors that iran is within weeks, a month, maybe a little more in terms of building a bomb if they were to want to because of them breaking out of the nuclear deal after donald trump canceled it and not involved in direct talks with the u.s. and they haven't returned to the indirect talks with the u.s. and there's a set back in terms of any progress,
9:18 am
months have been wasted and iran is continuing the nuclear program. >> i was sitting in the chamber when president trump talked about little rocket man and very bellicose in confronting north korea basically threatening to wipe them out off the face of the earth i think was the phrase he used. president biden taking a different approach. you are right. offering to make deals and to find diplomacy with iran and in particular north korea to a lesser extent didn't work so far and hard to see where it will go from here because, in fact, doesn't seem to be a willingness to come back to the table and go back to the deal that president obama had negotiated much less to expand it the way a number of american policymakers would like to do it now. >> with thanks to the two peters, ben and richard, thank you to all.
9:19 am
see how it plays going forward and notably absent is french president skipping the u.n.. i'll talk to the former frempl ambassador to the u.s. and the u.n. in a moment. we'll be right back on msnbc. d. i needed just one simple way to pay it all off. it was an easy decision to apply with sofi loans, just based on the interest rate and how much i would be saving. there was only one that stood out and one that actually made sense and that was sofi personal loans. it felt so freeing. i felt like i was finally out of this neverending trap of interest and payments and debt. ♪♪
9:20 am
new customers get our best deals on all smartphones. that's right. interest and payments and debt. but what if i'm already a customer? oh, no problem. hey, cam...? ah, same deal! yeah, it's kind of our thing. huh, that's a great deal... what if i'm new to at&t? cam, can you...? hey...but what about for existing customers? same deal. it's the same deal. is he ok? it's not complicated. with at&t, everyone gets our best deals on every smartphone.
9:22 am
9:23 am
made a nuclear submarine deal with australia canceling a 5-year-old contract to buy subs from france. america's oldest ally calling the deal a knife in the back and taking the unprecedented step of recalling the ambassador to the u.s. back to paris who appeared from paris on "morning joe" today. >> president biden has indeed to posed to have a conversation, a call, with president macron. hopefully will happen in the next days. we'll prepare it and we'll try to rebuild the trust. we have had this reaction because we thought it was a really serious breach of trust. >> joining me is the ambassador that served as the french ambassador to the united states from 2014 to 2019. before that, france's ambassador to the united nations. thank you. we should point out, ambassador,
9:24 am
that our friend ambassador tiene in front of the arch which is wrapped by christo so that recently opened to new visitors. anyway, thank you very much. thank you for being with us today. so the u.s. is trying to down play the significance of this crack in the relationship with france. how big a deal is it? >> it's -- you know, every detail of the story is totally astonishing and i'm not going to go back to the fact that our closest applies are encroaching on our back for a contract we had but to kick us out of a strategy partnership. and it was done in a most unelegant, brutal way so the reaction, french reaction, i think it's legitimate. and recalling our ambassador is
9:25 am
a way of first responding to the anger of the french public opinion. don't forget that we are entering into a presidential electoral campaign but also a way of telling the americans who didn't seem to understand it that what they did was very serious indeed. so now of course we are close allies and remain close allies. we have a lot of common interest. as my successor said, we have to rebuild the trust and i hope that the phone call between our two presidents will do it. >> at the same time you heard some very nice words about the importance of alliances today from president biden. does it ring hollow and does it take a while to restore the trust? >> i think as we say in french but also i guess in english there is no love but only proof
9:26 am
of love so after what happened i think we need something maybe more substantial to rebuild or to rebuild to the trust. >> what do you think the conversation between president macron and president biden when and if it does occur is going to be like? >> i really don't know. it depends on how the two leaders and i'm not in their brain but in any case beyond this storm on australia, i think i heard before people were referring rightly so to afghanistan that we can be sure to the fact that a lot of people are wondering whether there are substance behund the words of the new administration of afghanistan and cooperation. we need a real american policy towards europe and we are still waiting for it.
9:27 am
the european union has really sent a text i think in a very, very beginning of the administration setting really several fields of cooperation between the europe and the u.s. and so far we have -- we didn't get any substantial answer. the european union is the first world economy and i think that we can be very useful actually to facing together the challenge the chinese challenge. >> and at the same time on afghanistan, from all of my reporting the french were very unhappy and the brits and others with the timetable of withdrawal and the way it was done and the president was not persuaded by allies or his own secretary of state. >> exactly. there is several whole issues
9:28 am
now which raises questions within the europeans whether this administration cares about europe so i think that is -- phone call between president macron and president biden could be a good opportunity for president biden define what he expects from the europeans and also how the u.s. and the europeans can work together. >> it's something to be said for also being more sensitive to the political climate when president macron is facing what could be a tough election with the challenge from the far right in the year ahead. thank you very much. always good to see you, ambassador. we really appreciate having you on today. >> bye-bye. another covid vaccine maker said the shot works be thor with a follow-up. the details next.de tails next
9:29 am
♪ ♪ i give families a home, not just a place to stay. i am a vrbo host. ♪ ♪ do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company. nervive contains alpha lipoic acid to relieve occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. try nervivenerve relief.
9:30 am
♪♪ i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease. then i realized something was missing... ...me. my symptoms were keeping me from being there for her. so, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for people with crohn's disease. the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief in as little as 4 weeks. and many achieved remission that can last. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them.
9:32 am
9:33 am
j&j officials say it's 94% protection against moderate to severe covid within two months of the first shot. joining us now ellison barber and dr. shah. doctor, i'm confused by this. what if you don't get the booster within two months or in about two months after that first j&j? i suspect most people that got the j&j got it more than two months ago. >> thank you for having me back, absolutely. the data shows first of all good protection six, seven months out. that's probably the big piece of good news. the second is you did see a big boost in immunity if you got the second shot at two moths but actually you see a bigger boost in immunity if you wait to six months out so i think what will
9:34 am
happen and see what the fda does on this, most people will be asked to get a second shot of the j&j after six moths after the first dose. probably the longer you wait is better, six months or so after the first shot is ideal but let's see what the fda recommends. >> some people said let me just get a moderna or pfizer because they don't have the data yet on j&j? they should hold off and not go and mix and match? they should wait and what the fda does? j&j is presenting the data but i don't think officially asked for the emergency use authorization for a booster shot. >> this is confusing and frustrating for people that got the j&j. i know some people got a shot look moderna or pfizer. my hope is people basically wait for the fda but that is a responsibility on the fda to act
9:35 am
urgently. be careful but do it as quickly as possible why we have to give guidance to get a second j&j shot or moderna or pfizer. >> it would be great to have a clarification on all of the above. an iowan tested positive for covid about once every 50 seconds. what are you seeing out there? >> yeah. the jump in infection rates that we are seeing in this state right now we haven't seen here since about january. while deaths among people vaccinated issen credibly rare it is happening and met a family in iowa who experienced it. they said they contracted covid-19 after attending an indoor gathering where there
9:36 am
with respect any covid protocols. they were fully vaccinated. they had preexisting conditions. she survived covid-19 but gary didn't. her family they say that this death it was entirely avoidable and they are angry. they wrote this. he was one of several victims recently infected from an unmasked unvaccinated person. she said that at least a dozen people were infected after attending that indoor gathering. she hopes that people's choice to get vaccinated or follow protocol it impacts the people around them. >> i have family members that don't agree with me. and i guess that's their right. but gary and i had rights, too.
9:37 am
and he doesn't have them anymore. he had so much more to give, so much more to teach the world. a baby grandson that was born after he died. that's what he's missing. >> reporter: gary and ardith finished the vaccine series at the end of february. he passed away august 11th. >> that is so sad. that poor woman and family. doctor, that brings home what dr. fauci, what you have been saying. the unvaccinated are choosing something for themselves which defies science and of helping others being part of society. >> yeah. it's such a heartbreaking story and the reality is we all live in one community, one society and the feature of an infectious
9:38 am
disease is your choices are not yours alone. your choices impacts everybody around you and just one more really tragic example of that. we have to do better. >> by the end of this week we may have a full emergency use authorization from the fda and then the cdc for children 5 to 11. what is your message to parents who might still be hesitant about their children? >> yeah. so i'm waiting to see the full set of data but i expect the data to show that the vaccines are safe and effective in kids 5 to 11. i have a 9-year-old and the truth is what will i do? i'll get my 9-year-old vaccinated because we have to protect the kids and all of the data i see so far suggests that the vaccines are really good to protect children and quite safe. >> the u.n. is trying at the gathering, smaller, a lot of
9:39 am
delegations did not come for political and covid reasons and limiting delegations to five to seven people. not large groups. any case it could be a superspreader because people like brazil's leader defying the mandate to be vaccinated and wear masks indoors. >> yeah. this is part of the problem here is that we can gather together safely. i think it's possible to have a u.n. general assembly safely but follow the safety requirements and everybody should be vaccinated and wearing masks at large indoor gatherings. our own political leaders don't follow the things and sets a bad example. harmful to them, as well. >> doctor, as always, so good to see you and ellison, thank you for your reporting on that terribly sad story from iowa. and in addition to the challenges covid, climate, the
9:40 am
u.n. politics the biden administration is interviewing images. it shows agents swinging the reins near migrants crossing the river from mexico into the u.s. did department of homeland security is monitoring another group of 20,000 potential haitian migrants gathering in colombia while secretary mayorkas is warning that the border is closed. >> we have reiterated that our borders are not open and people should not make the dangerous journey. if you come to the united states illegally you will be returned. >> joining me now is arizona democrat congressman reuben gayaco. reaction to the video appearing to be -- not sure what they were doing with the horses and reins
9:41 am
and why -- >> it is very disturbing. >> you could have used jeeps but other ways and got to be frightening for people in the water and under the bridge. >> very disturbing and we can do policing, we can do immigration control and do it humanly and with the process that exists right now. there's no need for this type of violence and no need for this type of overt i would say just use of force. it's not a good reflection on the united states. we can process these people. those that have proper games can go before a judge. those that don't go through the process of going back to the countries and need to be treating everybody humanely and a professional manner and this is not that manner. >> i should stress that we have not found images of anyone struck but there's questions why that was the approach that the
9:42 am
border patrol was using because if you're not used to horses and on the ground thank you're very large animals and can be threatening and the people in the sun and without proper food, water, sanitation for weeks now. >> again, there's ways to do this in a professional manner, a way to fulfill the values and the asylum laws. we go through the process and if they have it, they have a right to see a judge and will do it. but this is not the way to do that. i'm sure that secretary mayorkas will do an investigation and find out why they used the method and hopefully never use that again. >> what about immigration and the issue of the dreamers now that the senate ruled that immigration and the dreamers cannot be wrapped up in the reconciliation bill? is there a way to get this done as a standalone measure or attaching it to a must pass bill? >> we are still looking at other
9:43 am
ways and language and not done with attaching to reconciliation. the first step and the process is rejected and should try again. there are standalone bills and passed here in the house. the senate is next to act. something bipartisan so many years is going to be filibustered and until we reform the filibuster or until we have republicans that region us instead of listening to the trump base we have to find other ways to get this through, either different language with reconciliation or other must pass legislation and may not be able to legalize and recreate our immigration system here in this country but at a minimum we need to take care of the dreamers. they need stability to fulfill the american dream.
9:44 am
>> and afghanistan. you are a member of the armed services committee. how do we get asis tabs to the people in aghanistan without sending money through the taliban? is it time to unfreeze some assets? the country is going to cave in under this crisis and the starvation is profound. there's been a drought. is there a way to use the ngos, all the aid groups, international and american groups there, to get money and supplies to the people? >> look. i'm sympathetic to the people of afghanistan but we can't trust the taliban government yet coming to these types of funds and this type of money and it could only really have a big blowback. there are ngos on the ground that will i think be directly -- afghan families or in general and who we should work through and we need to hold some leverage in afghanistan and aid is one of them. and we still have to make sure
9:45 am
that there's probably close 10,000 to 20,000 civ applicants and recipients. the interpreters to get out of the country and they need to let them go so that we can start seeing if there's a measure of goodwill to work together but right now it is too early and should help but through ngos we trust and the food and aid won't go into the hands of the taliban or the black market in general which usually happens in these situations. >> i want to point out that the vice president weighed in on the horseback issue saying she wants an investigation and this is not the way to treat human beings. so that's a pretty high level. thank you very much, congressman. appreciate it. >> thank you. history lessons. how will today's speech at the united nations impact joe biden's challenges at home and abroad? when you have an irregular heartbeat, it's more.
9:46 am
it's dignity. the freedom to go where you want, knowing your doctor can watch over your heart. ♪♪ we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. ♪♪ we believe everyone deserves to live better. and just being sustainable isn't enough. our future depends on regeneration. that's why we're working to not only protect our planet, but restore, renew, and replenish it. so we can all live better tomorrow. ♪♪ ♪♪ in 2016, i was working at the amazon warehouse when my brother passed away.
9:47 am
and a couple of years later, my mother passed away. after taking care of them, i knew that i really wanted to become a nurse. amazon helped me with training and tuition. today, i'm a medical assistant and i'm studying to become a registered nurse. in filipino: you'll always be in my heart. alright. y'all know when they say your home is a reflection of you? well helene found herself in a lamp. no joke. i got a fancy grown up lamp to make me feel like a fancy grown up. mhm. adulting ain't easy. ooh! check this one out. waffles loves her dog bed. we can hardly get her out of it. she's kind of a diva. yes, waffles! living your best life. [woof] i'm telling y'all there's no place like wayfair to make your home totally you. ooh! i want that. fine, no one leaves the table until your finished. fine, we'll sleep here.
9:48 am
♪♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win. this is the planning effect. as carla thinks about retirement, she'll wonder, "what if i could retire sooner?" and so she'll get some advice from fidelity, and fidelity will help her explore some different scenarios, like saving more every month. ♪♪ and that has carla feeling so confident that she can enjoy her dream... right now. that's the planning effect, from fidelity.
9:49 am
9:50 am
president biden laid out a new in essence biden dock trend in that speech at the u.n. today. war is a last resort, not a first resort. working with an i lies. basically saying i'm not donald trump although trying to quiet that we've been talking b america's oldest ally over that defense contract, amid criticism from many capitals over what they saw as a precipitous withdrawal from afghanistan. how will history judge today's speech? joining me now is jonathan alter an award winning author and his latest book "his very best jimmy carter a life" is out in paperback today. it's great to see you guys. jonathan, first to you. president carter had his moments, his own problems at home and abroad, not unlike president biden today. what actions did he try to take to mend fences? >> well, i think the problem for
9:51 am
carter, who had a much more successful foreign policy than a lot of people understand or credit, but he had a problem with execution amidst calamitous global events, and i think that is similar to what president biden is facing now. the old english proverb, many a slip twixt the cup and the lip. that one's ambitions sometimes run aground in execution. and so the challenge for biden whose foreign policy goals are very similar to carter's, peace, military force as a last resort, aggressive diplomacy and alliance building, is to execute better. >> and, robert, you know joe biden so well after working with him as vice president in the obama administration. some people say he is stubborn,
9:52 am
that he was the lone man arguing for america's withdrawal from afghanistan among the allies in that timetable, and didn't look to second thoughts from his secretary of state after going to the g7 ministerial and hearing such an outcry. as we look ahead to the midterms how politically damaging is foreign policy or is it all really over with whether he gets the infrastructure bill through? >> well, i think two of the topics that he talked about today at the u.n. are both important internationally as well as domestically. his fight to lead climate change -- to sbat climate change international he will and at home is going to be an enormous part of his agenda and i think a big part of what he will want to talk about in 2022 and of course how do we get a handle on the covid crisis both domestically and abroad? we are just beginning to vaccinate some countries, some countries haven't had any access to shots and i think you will
9:53 am
hear the biden administration outline a new set of strategy commitments around that. i think in some ways what is focused -- his focus domestically and politically overlaps quite a bit on what he wants to do in foreign policy as well. >> and, jonathan, president carter's leadership is called into question a number of times in terms of dealing with congress. what are you seeing now with joe biden trying to do this really difficult deal with a 50/50 congress and how hard this is to sequence and deal with the moderates and the progressives now in both houses with getting resistance from a significant group more than 90 in that caucus in the house side? >> well, to use the washington expression, it's a heavy lift, but biden has big advantages over not just jimmy carter, but other american presidents in that he knows these people and he knows them well and they trust each other. i'm talking now about his fellow
9:54 am
democrats. he can do this very, very ambitious reconciliation bill, build back better program, without any republicans, but he has to hold the democrats. fortunately for him he does have good relations with them on the hill. they don't want to screw him. they're not interested in bringing down the biden presidency, which is what will happen if this bill doesn't go through. so even though they're going to grouse about a lot of things and the price tag will be cut some, it's still an enormous public investment and i think the odds still favor passage. >> and, robert, what about how hard this is going to be? people don't count biden out because he has been just such a come from behind guy throughout the primaries certainly, but this is a really tough, tough challenge now. >> well, undoubtedly it is going
9:55 am
to take all of his mastery with capitol hill, it's going to take all of the speaker and the majority leader's mastery on capitol hill. i think the one thing that unites democrats on capitol hill and president biden is really this idea that failure is not an option. it's really hard to imagine how you go into 2022 arguing to keep democrats in control of the house and the senate, in addition to the white house, and not have anything really important and tangible around infrastructure and reconciliation and all that entails to go to the voters with. so i think what will happen is, look, there's going to be a lot of twists and turns and a lot of bumps, but in the end they don't want to fail. they don't want to fail at this. >> finally, jonathan, october 1st is a very big day in carter world. i know you are in touch with folks down there. >> yeah. >> and how is the president
9:56 am
doing? >> well, he turns 97 on october 1st and his mind is clear, he's all there. he did suffer a couple of serious falls in recent -- in the last couple of years and so his mobility is much reduced, he is no longer, you know, traveling the world or having meetings or emailing. i emailed with him until quite recently, but nobody -- nobody else can, either, because his eyesight is affected, but he's still kicking and, you know, could be around for a while longer. >> we certainly hope so. we wish him and rose land carter well, they have had quite an extraordinary life together. what a blessing. she already had her birthday in august, i think. >> yeah, turned 94 on august 19th. >> an early happy birthday to president carter for us. thank you so much, jonathan, the book is out in paperback today.
9:57 am
thanks to robert gibbs. that does it on a busy day on "andrea mitchell reports." follow us @mitchell reports. chuck todd is up next with "mtp daily" only on msnbc. t with "mt daily" only on msnbc economy. observing investors choose assets to balance risk and reward. with one element securing portfolios, time after time. gold. agile and liquid. a proven protector. an ever-evolving enabler of bold decisions. an asset more relevant than ever before. gold. your strategic advantage.
9:58 am
(vo) at t-mobile for business, unconventional thinking means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. whether it's ensuring food arrives as fresh as when it departs. being first on the scene, when every second counts. or teaching biology without a lab. we are the leader in 5g. #1 in customer satisfaction. and a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. without trade-offs. unconventional thinking. it's better for business. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game!
9:59 am
ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone?
10:00 am
ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. if it's tuesday could president biden's agenda actually collapse? democrats are racing to jam through some gar began tomb spending package while trying to avoid a government shut dout an default on the death all at the same time. is this an agenda too big to fail or are democrats too divided to succeed? plus, president biden delivers a message to the world at u.n. headquarters, defending the u.s.'s standing on the world stage, defending the power of democracy and defending the chaotic withdrawal from afghanistan. later new developments in the race to vaccinate the nation and the world as johnson & johnson says a booster shot can significantly raise its vaccine's effectiveness to
109 Views
1 Favorite
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on