mick mulvaney stat for about two and a half hours behind closed doors yesterday. he served in the white house from late 2018 until march of 2020. he then was appointed special envoy to northern island but resigned in the aftermath of the capitol attack. here is what mulvaney said to reporters before and after meeting with the committee. >> who do you plan to tell the committee today. >> the truth, how about that for a start. >> and were you asked to come in and did you volunteer to come here. >> i was asked. >> subpoena or no? >> i was just ask the to come in. >> did you have any contact in the white house from december to january of 2020. >> january of 2021, during the time period that he focus on -- the committee has been focusing on. >> haven't talked to anybody in the white house in a long time. >> mulvaney has been outspoking about the january 6 investigation and about donald trump's role in attack after

some tries to cast doubt on the the explosive testimony of former white house aide cassidy hutchinson, he tweeted this, i know her, i don't think she's lying. and here is what he said when he announced his resignation. >> two things i think caught me as i was watching yesterday. number one, the president had always in the past had sort of thrown a hyperbolic ideas and say why don't we do x and everybody knew that was a bridge too far. you tell him no, mr. president, that is not how this works. and he thinks out loud. that is one ever his mannerisms. i think you saw a different group of advisers inside of the white house instead of saying mr. president, let's talk about that saying that is a great idea mr. president. you have folks like peter navarro and lin wood and rudy giuliani. and there was a large number of people, a large group of people yesterday who were willing to do

this, if the president of the united states went on stage and said go march down the street and invade the capitol and they did. that is what stunned me. when a president of the united states encourages people to interrupt a constitutional process and violently have an insurrection against the government of the united states, then nothing is off the table in terms of the discussion that comes after that. >> this is president trump's former acting chief of staff the day after january 6. that was from january 7th, 2021. former secretary of state mike pompeo confirmed he's also in discussions to pleat with the january 6 committee. cnn reports steve mnuchin has met with the panel and john ratcliffe is negotiating terms for a potential interview. as the justice department's criminal investigation zeros in on donald trump, nbc news confirms that the january 6 committee has formalized a path to share information with the doj. politico was the first to report the committee intends to share

20 transcripts of witness testimony but no word on which interviews will be provided. federal prosecutors have been trying to access the committee transcripts since april. but lawmakers have until now resisted. and new reporting from the new york times that attorney general merrick garland wants to make sure that trump supporters do not have any basis to claim the investigation into january 6 was driven by animosity toward the former president. people close to garland telling thetimes, he never focused on trump from the start, unlike how investigators focused on him during the investigation into the trump campaign connections to russia and hillary clinton during her email probe. joining us now one of the reporters behind that story, just department reporter for the new york time, katie benner and with us the host of "the beat," ari melber, he's hosting a special report tonight called inside trump's election plot.

katie, i want to talk about the focus and the tacts of department of justice, mark garland sitting with lester holt this week and being public in declaring what the doj is up to in the investigation without offering specific details. is he answering some of the criticism that perhaps dodge is moving too slowly here. >> i think this merrick garland is quietly answering critics say it is not a matter of speed, it is meticulous and making no mistakes and having a bulletproof case and in our reporting we found that every combination of acting attorney general, going back to january 6 was cognizant of how skillfully trump and his supporters were able to attack the department, especially in the russia investigation for minor errors sloppy mistakes and then more egregious errors around the carter page fisa. and it was important on january 6 before the investigation began to give donald trump no room to

be able to do that. keep in mind, jeff rosen, his deputy richard done agou, they were top of mind and by the time garland gets there this worry is baked into the investigation and garland believes rightfully so. everything that they are doing now as secretive as it is, as little as we know, will some day meat public between oversight and possible special counsel and looking into fbi agents and prosecutors have done. right now this is a closed door investigation to us. but it will be some day very, very public. >> and ari, the attorney general said to lester this week, yes, the january 6 committee hearings have been enlightening to us at the department of justice, brought new information that we're looking into and you look at this list, steve mnuchin,

mike pompeo, mcmill vaughny, the list of trump officials not cooperating is getting shorter by the day. >> it is getting much shorter and as you say that is an important sign that both probes, the house probe, which was debated for a long time about whether this would be significant and serious or not and then obviously a doj probe, so mess with that at your own peril. mulvaney saying he wants to tell the truth and that is acknowledging the legitimacy of the house probe and he wants engage in this. to "the new york times," i would say really interesting reporting but it raises profound questions about whether the justice department or merrick garland has learned the wrong lessons. if they think how they do the probe and the facts will somehow move the audio chamber and the main propaganda arms of maga, i don't know that they've learned any lessons. this is not a debate with william f. buckley where certain

facts will be acknowledged and opinions will be exchanged and this is much closer now to a debate with alex jones where facts have no bearing in the words used and the ideas exchanged. and so no, i don't think the justice department should overly target or overly obsess over donald trump as a person and certainly its politics and history should have nothing to do with the probe but they should follow the evidence of crimes, we know they're served houses and phones and an independent judge said there is criminal evidence. if they're going full comey, or comey 2.0 and lay triing to lay out the political sphere, they are already losing. so we'll keep an open mind because we don't have a full visibility. we're getting into that tonight at 6:00 p.m. with the evidence and not the internal probe. but from they're going down the comey lane of trying to pre-but

info wars, they're already losing. >> and the reporting is that donald trump was not the immediate focus of this probe. but we've heard that is certainly has ramped up and we heard from the attorney general this week say no man is above the law. so this is difficult to gain out, katie, because of how opaque this investigation is. but is there a sense of time line and targets, how long this could continue beyond just the usual answer of as long as it takes. realistically, how long could the doj probe go before they make a decision. >> i would say they're not try toing re-but outcomes of their own, but their own inspector general and those who tried to pre-but anything, but they're trying not to be jim comey, who

spoke about investigation news hillary clinton and most people agree that was the wrong thing to do. jim comey who spoke about investigation news donald trump because he wanted to have a special counsel convened so this is what they're trying to avoid and i think a lot of the regulation -- a lot of the caution was about the clinton investigation too. keep in mind it was a couple of low level fbi agents that opened that up with no higher level approval. it is hard to imagine that hillary clinton would have been investigated if this had to be run up the chain and properly vetted with top fbi and doj officials. in erm its of the investigation itself, as long as it takes is the answer. there are people who are worried what will happen when trump runs or becomes a candidate. it doesn't change the investigation except that merrick garland and lisa monaco would have to sign off on the steps into trump. it doesn't mean that they can't investigate trump or indict

trump himself. for them it is however long it takes to build the air tight argument that could win in court and that is something that is not done overnight. >> and there is more news this morning surrounding the investigation. it is a little perplexing. according to "the washington post," text messages from acting homeland security chief chad wolf and acting deputy secretary ken cuccinelli have been deleted. department of homeland security notified the agencies inspector general in late february that wolf's and cuccinelli texts were lost in a re-set of their government phones when they lost their jobs in january of 2021. joseph cavary did not explain why they did not preserve the records nor seek ways to recover the last data. according to the four people briefed on the watch dog's action, the ig also failed to alert congress of the potential destruction of government records.

so ari, first of all, government records are meant to be protected under the law. but second, what is it these texts that might be particularly relevant to the investigation. >> great question. i mean, number one, we always say you have to investigate this stuff so we can't just assume or conclude what is going on. what we can say, i think the premise of your question is, this is unusual. it does break practice. the wash dogs are there to control this kind of things and when they find a hole and don't do the reporting, that all raises level of suspicion. i'll remind viewers, i think people remember the secret service issues and dhv opening a criminal probe of that. now what is in there? well, gosh, only knows. we have seen in the thin slice, the minority slice of evidence that has come to light, shocking, harrowing details about that day, about from the

top down of trump and his reporting clashes with his own aids about what to do with the secret service calling family members to the concern that the level of the mike pence threat got within ten feet and the secret service viewed it as a potentially lethal event. that is just the thin slice. so what else is in there. i would say stuff like that or worse or stuff that goes to the alleged corruption or other problems inside of the agency. donald trump tried through his leadership to remove permanent directors of the agency and remove the watch dogs, so-called inspector generals and that also undercut one of the nonpartisan ways that we have oversight over the government and did he that even before the attempted coup that we're exploring tonight. but i think that all adds up, if you find a benign explanation or get someone under oath from i.t., that is fine that is why you do the probe but it looks bad in more than one place. >> and to katie's point and ari

as well, this prosecution will be based on the the evidence but it would be naive to suggest it is not happening in the real world where politics do play a role and i think both sides of the aisle in washington were watching this wear illy. if a former president is indicted for a crime. if a potentially favored candidate to be president again, certainly you say he's the favorite, at least for the gop nominee right now, if he is indicted for a crime and we've be a new sort of potentially dangerous place. >> yeah. and donald trump has made that case at rallies saying all of this investigation into me is just to prevent me from being your president for another term, he said to his supporters. merrick garland saying it is just about the pursuit of justice. justice department reporter for "the new york times," katie benner, thank you for being here this morning. ari melber, thank you. we'll be watching your special report inside trump's election plot tonight at 6:00 and 9:00

p.m. eastern. right here on msnbc. coming up, former president trump hosts the controversial liv golf tour in bedminster, new jersey, today. we'll have a live report from there. plus with ten days to go before the august recess, chuck schumer is urging democrats to stick together to pass that spending bill. we'll go live to capitol hill when "morning joe" comes right back. for too long, big pharma has been squeezing americans for every penny, and inflation has only added to the pain. but congress has a historic opportunity to deliver relief, by passing a bill to let medicare negotiate lower drug prices and put money back in the pockets of seniors. 87% of americans support the plan, and applaud the senators who are standing up to big pharma. let's make history. vote yes to let medicare negotiate lower drug prices.

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18 after the hour. chuck schumer is urging democrats to stick together to pass quickly a major spending bill before congress breaks for a month long recess. the bill came back to life this week after a break through deal between schumer and senator joe manchin. correspondent kristin welker has details. >> reporter: senator democrats are in an all out blitz to come together around a newly reached

spending deal. president biden hailed the measure as a giant leap forward for the country and urged lawmakers to act quickly. >> pass it. pass it for the american people. >> reporter: the bill is sharply scaled back from democrats' initial proposal more than a year ago but it aimed to lower premiums for individuals who get their health care from the affordable care act and through changes to medicare that could lower some prescription drug prices. it also includes the largest investment into fighting climate change in u.s. history. pouring $369 billion into energy and climate programs. >> this bill is far from perfect. it is a compromise. >> reporter: but republicans are blasting the plan, arguing it could add to the nation's soaring inflation. >> it is not the time to increase taxes or spending. it is going to feed the fires of inflation. >> reporter: democrats insist it will help lower inflation and the national deficit but republicans believe the 15%

corporate minimum tax that democrats are proposed to pay for it is bad for business. >> i'm deeply concerned that we are going to be taxing american workers which is what happens when you tax companies. >> with a 50/50 senate, democrats can't afford any defections. putting the focus on arizona democratic senator kyrsten sinema. a key swing voter who is not part of the discussions about the deal brokered by majority leader chuck schumer and joe manchin of west virginia. sinema spokesperson noncommittal. >> she's going to be reviewing the text. >> reporter: as democrats expressed measured optimism. >> i would hope she would be receptive. >> hopefully we'll have 50 votes. >> let's bring in correspondent ali raffa. good morning. good to see you. so we heard from senator sinema saying she's reviewing the text and has been for last couple of days. is there really a chance that

she will be the holdout to prevent this piece of legislation to go through. >> that is what chuck schumer is hoping doesn't happen. this is becoming a game of numbers and the million dollar question here on capitol hill is whether they will have these 50 democratic votes, if not only present but also voting in favor of this bill. remember there is no proxy voting in the senate like there is in the house. so all of the senators have to physically be here when that vote takes place. and that is why all eyes are now turning to kyrsten sinema who had issued with past versions of this bill, specifically that closed interest loophole. notably chuck schumer was asked yesterday whether that part of the bill could survive if kyrsten sinema said i will support this if that is taken out and -- he donnelled that question. and you saw kristin welker's

package show the press corp chasing sinema trying to get her to comment on this yesterday. her spokesperson saying she's still reviewing the 700-page bill. so that is another thing we're trying to follow up on today. how she feels about that. but another complicated factor possibly impacting this looming vote that could come next week are the rising covid cases among lawmakers. you have even joe manchin is back home in west virginia recovering as this deal is dropped. you have senator dick durbin announcing that he's tested positive for covid. senator leahy is recovering from a hip injury and saying if the vote does happen, he will be there in person to -- to vote on this. but still, this is a big question here on capitol hill, whether this could pass something that democrats and

president biden definitely is hoping will happen. >> and they need every last one of those votes and every last one of the senators to be in washington. nbc's ali raffa, athe capitol, thank you so much. joining us now, sam stein and presidential historian and roger's chair in the american presidency at the vanderbilt juvenile, john meacham, he is an unofficial adviser to joe biden. sam, let me get into the nut an bolts with it quickly with you. is there really -- is kyrsten sinema, the senator from arizona, going to be the hold out. is she going to stand in the way of president biden getting this sweeping package through the senate? >> i would be surprised, honestly. there is so much in this package. so much emotional commitment from everyone else in the party to this package even in the paired down state that she would be risking her career as a democrat if she were to vote against it. it doesn't mean that she doesn't

ask for and get the carried interest loophole taken out. it is a $14 billion revenue raise which is a lot obviously. but compared to the corporate minimum tax, it is relatively small. she could get that taken out. i think the bigger hurdle, i mean putting aside whether or not lawmaker comes down with covid, that is a hurdle. but i do think in the house you might have a little bit of a hurdle with some lawmakers who are more favorably disposed to the pharmaceutical industry who do not like the real crux of this provision which is allowing medicare to purchase prescription drug prices. everybody is optimistic cautiously among democrats be this is also acknowledge there is 10 or 12 dramatic turns left here before anything gets to president biden's desk. if it does at all. >> john meacham, one of the thing that is interesting about this is the extent to which almost no one, including members of the democratic caucus, senators didn't know this was going on, that this was negotiated in the quiet between the white house and between

chuck schumer and joe manchin. something we don't see a lot in washington. where every twist and turn is broadcast on twitter and cable news. what do you make of the bill and the way it has come to pass? >> well, i think that what twitter and cable news and the observable world can follow is obviously part of the story. and one of the things that people like me think about is the disconnect between headlines and history. what it is that we remember administrations for, what we remember congress is for, what we remember generations is for and what it felt like when they were dealing with this day-to-day, hour to hour. and i think if anything this july news, i think should remind us that for all of our servitude, for all of our hyperbole, and i'm guilty as

anybody so this is a sermon from a sinner, not a saint, which is good, given my basic orientation. just everybody needs to remember, it seems to me, that in a democracy, politics is inharptly complicated. if it were easy, if democracy were easy, everybody would do it. right. and so this is really complicated. this is a big, complex disputacious country and the founders set this up so our factions would contend with each other. not necessarily arriving at a grand solution every 20 minutes or so. but i really think, to me, the takeaway from all of this is, you know what, obitu aries that are written about political careers and congress and this vote and that vote, sometimes they're true, mark twain once said, rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated but then

mark twain did die. that is true. eventually he did. but in this particular moment, i think that we need to remember that we have a president of the united states, he's my friend, so take this for what it is worth, who is really trying hard to govern a country that hasn't been this divided since the 1850s. and so, it may not fit into a tweet, it may not fit into a segment, but we have to judge our leaders and ourselves it seems to me on what we manage to do over a couple of years, over a generation. >> john meacham, with a stunning fact of the morning there. mark twain did die. >> yes. >> thank you for that, john. sam, i took at the end of what you were saying, your little note of caution about if this ever does get to the president's desk, let's play optimism

because if you don't play that, you'll shoot yourself tomorrow, so let's play optimist and say this does get to the president's desk. play this out in terms of the midterm elections. is november too far away, is inflation just too much of a big problem. how much of an impact could this make for the democrats come the midterms? >> first of all, don't book me against meacham. he's too philosophical and global. >> and he has great facts about mark twain. >> i will say this. if you can't govern in a tweet, just thread your tweets. so he's wrong about that. but in terms of your question, does it play out and how does it play out in november. it is impossible to know, right. i mean, yes, they could pass something and there could be a swell of optimism. but at the same time, we could get inflation numbers that are horrific. people who normally vote may feel like this doesn't impact them enough to get them to the

polls. i spent the week actually talking to people about their current economic lot because i wanted to now how they observe the big numbers coming in, whether it is gdp or inflation. and the truth of the matter is that a lot of people just aren't paying as close attention as we do. and what they pay attention to, and i know this is a cliche, but what they do pay attention is to the price of a gallon of milk and whether they need to buy two because it is on sale and it is cheaper. and so, yes, i think this does give biden, if it were to pass, a lot of momentum. he would have a credible case to make that she's had one of the most consequential first terms in office in recent memory, if all goes according to plan. but i don't know if that is enough to change historical ties or the sense of doom that has come over the country and despair about the state of the economy itself. >> so, john leashham, you're an

unofficial adviser to president biden. what is the sense in the white house and what is your sense of why president biden sits where he does in the polls and in the 30s and so you industry about every poll in terms of an approval, inflation is off the charts, we understand that and it feels like an uncertain time but unemployment is low and there are other things that would be theoretically working in his favor. what is it about this moment that has his numbers so low? >> well let me just speak for myself. because i a lot of thoughts on it. so this is just me. i think that structurally it is going to be really hard in the current polarized climate for a president to be above 50%. for a long time, absent an overwhelming national crisis and even with that caveat, it is hard to necessarily see that. one of my favorite historical details is to tell you how much the country has changed in the last 60, 70 years. something like 40% of democrats voted for dwight eisenhower.

something like 40% of democrats voted for richard nixon in 1972. didn't just say i think doing a good job, they voted for him. and that sort of crossover just doesn't exist in moy for all sorts of reasons. look, this is inflation. and i don't think there is much -- it is not very complicated, right. and there are western leaders across the world who are suffering this. and sometimes you get to control events and sometimes events control you. that is the nature of reality. right. that is what you do when you go into the arena. and so do i -- my other point about this is presidential politics doesn't exist in a vacuum, right. so sam could check me on this. it is not as though anybody went to the country in 2016 and said do you want donald trump to be president? that wasn't the question. the question was, do you want secretary clinton or do you want

donald trump. and for all those complicated factors, including james comey that you just mentioned a moment ago, trump prevailed. the question in 2020 wasn't do you want joe biden to be president, it was do you want joe biden or four more years of donald trump. and then in this curious american way, we tend to immediately consign the other person to oblivion. psychologically, and so we don't -- we tend not to remember that. and so i would just urge people, i try to do it, is when you're judging the performance of your senator, your congress person, your president, it is not just a referendum, it is also a choice. because it is not as though there is an avengers marvel superhero who is out there and if only we'd give them the power all would be well. these are human beings, they're

trying and think you have to find a way to see this as a comparison and not as a referendum. >> which is why in all of the polls we've been talking about the last coufks where even democrats, 70% of them say i want somebody else to run in my own party and if you what about a head-to-head between biden and trump, 90%, 95% say i would vote for joe biden in that case. john beech ham and sam stein, a mismatch but you held your on and did what you could here. and you gave it a try. nice job, buddy. thanks. have a good weekend. it was a big week for economic news with another fed rate increase and a gdp report that could indicate that the economy is in recession. we'll go live to the new york stock exchange next. plus at least 15 people now are dead in kentucky as flash flooding leaves hundreds of homes under water. the danger continues after a fresh batch of rain overnight. we'll get a live report from kentucky ahead.

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and a big loophole says, costs to promote betting reduce money for the tribes, so they get less. hidden agendas. fine print. loopholes. prop 27. they didn't write it for the tribes or the homeless. they wrote it for themselves. the markets are open now at 9:37. 6:37 on the west coast. the end to a week that saw the federal reserve raise interest rates again in an effort to tamp down inflation.

weekly jobless claims also still near the highest we've seen all year. and the latest gdp report shows the economy shrank for the second quarter in a row. joining us now cnbc finance and investing reporter leslie picker. and it is good to see you. so, you know, the three quarters of a point raise by the federal reserve this week, put together with that gdp report that by some definition suggests we're heading toward a recession at the very least. but it doesn't look like the market is taking that to heart. >> yeah. will, you think all of those would add together to a negative week. but given aup of that seemingly negative economic news you might be surprised to hear that s&p 500 is on track for its best month in july in nearly two years. now part of it has to do with a few key earning reports. you have amazon and apple that were out yesterday. but also there is this investor narrative taking hold that the economy weakening may be a good thing, yes, i said a good thing.

because it could cause the fed to pivot its policy either pump the brakes on their historic rate hikes or shift rate cuts to sometime next year. worth noting that fed chairman jay powell pushed back on the notion that rate cuts in early 2023 were at the top of their mind. still it is this idea that maybe the market has already priced in a recession. we saw a rough first half of the year or at least there could be two consecutive quarters of declining gdp. so investors are moving a few moves down the chess board and such a jam packed calendar and earning were mixed in the second quarter but investors seem to be paying more attention to the good news. yesterday's results from apple and amazon among the key bright spots both posting better results than analysts estimated. but others, intel, coming to the macro winds that we're seeing in the broad macro numbers.

>> leslie picker at the new york stock exchange, thank you so much. we appreciate it. coming up next, protesters expected outside of former trump's golf course in bedminster as it hosted the saudi funded live golf tour. we'll have a report if from the club and showing you the comments that the president made about 9/11 as he tried to deef fend the tournament. and as we go to break, on sunday, my guest is a hollywood icon, kevin bacon, a conversation in new york city about his prolific career, "foot loose", diner and a few good men and his take on the game 6 degrees of separation. does he like it and does it anow him or does he play it at home with his wife kira. this weekend on nbc sunday today. and we'll be right back here on "morning joe." day-in, day-out

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the governor of kentucky has declared a state of emergency amid one of the worst flooding disasters in the state's history. hundreds of homes still under water as officials fear the death toll will rise. maggie vespa is in garrett, kentucky, with the very latest. what does it look like there? >> reporter: hey, willie, good morning. so you could see the water is receding which is good news in the short-term but we do have a chance of showers moving in one against today which has everybody on eighth. and you could see how bad this was 24 hours less than that ago. and this is debris piled up here in garrett. a couple of updates, president biden just approved the disaster declaration freeing up federal resources for people who need it and the death toll here has gone from eight up to 15 and he notes

that will include children, it could include entire families. again, everybody here just waiting on aid and waiting in a lot of cases to come back to homes and see the devastation and the damage and waiting on the aid for the president for those who have lost so much. >> this is terrible. this is something i never thought i would dream of seeing. >> reporter: across kentucky, the depth of destruction from historic flash flooding is coming into sharper focus. as it a climbing death count. >> we've already lost at least eight. but i know there are many more than that. >> reporter: kentucky is under a state of emergency. from above, the town of behindman, a look at the widespread damage with homes and businesses under water. >> we still have to water. sewer system is down. we're totally shut down. >> reporter: the mayor telling us the flood has displaced and devastated many residents of this small community. water rescues still underway to help people stranded.

the national guard stepping in to help buy air and on the ground along with other first responders. just days before the first day of classes were set to begin, this school heavily damaged by the storm now filled with debris. in neighborhood after neighborhood, scenes of widespread ruin. creeks and rivers overflowing into roads now filled with murky waters. some floodwaters even high enough to cover this bridge passing through the town of garrett. a similar storm slamming st. louis earlier this week. >> it was rising so quickly. we just weren't prepared for it. >> it is part of a wave of severe weather across the country this week. >> reporter: and overnight storms fuelling flash floods in las vegas. strong wind gusts and heavy rains barreling down even sending water pouring inside of some casinos on the strip. back in kentucky, officials say recovery efforts could take weeks or even years in the hardest hit places across the

state. and while the clean-up is just beginning for so many, residents are staying positive despite losing so much. >> we'll make it. we always do with god's help. >> reporter: and again just to drive home how volatile things have been and quickly they are changing. that is the bridge that you saw in the piece that less than 24 hours ago was submerged under water here in garrett. also want to point out stats from the governor, the rescues have been nonstop. 50 by air at this count and hundreds by boat. at the same time county officials tell us they haven't been able to keep track of the missing because they have been so inundated with rescue efforts. willie. >> and you could see why when you look at those breathtaking pictures. maggie vespa in garrett, kentucky, thank you so much. coming up next, 9/11 families getting ready to protest outside of former trump's golf course in new jersey as it hosted a saudi-funded golf tournament. gabe guiterrez has that reporting next.

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by saudi arabia which has caused outrage, especially among victims' families from 9/11. nbc news national correspondent gabe gutierrez is near the trump golf club in bed minister, new jersey, with more. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: hi, willie, good morning. families of 9/11 victims are gathering here this morning to protest, and they are furious at a saudi-backed golf tournament would be held just 50 miles from ground zero. outrage boiling over around the liv golf tournament backed and heavily funded by saudi arabia and teeing off today at former president trump's new jersey club. 9/11 families slamming the saudi arabian government and the tournament. trump now defending it. >> nobody has gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have. >> reporter: 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were saudi nationals, and in a 2016 fox news interview trump blamed the attacks on saudi arabia. terry strata lost her husband on 9/11. he was on the 104th floor of the

north tower. she's now furious at the former president trump's comments. when you heard that, what went through your head? >> well, he sounds like a fool. >> reporter: the former president trump playing in yesterday's pro-am with his son eric and seen next to golf legend an liv ceo greg norman as well as a top banker to saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman. they say it was the prince who ordered the killing of "the washington post" journalist jaggy in 2017. the saudi government long denied it was either involved in 9/11 or khashoggi's murder despite that intelligence report on bin salman and khashoggi and links being shown between the 9/11 hijackers and saudi associates. earlier this month, president biden drew international criticism by traveling to saudi arabia and fist bumping the crown prince. attracted by much bigger cash purses, a growing list of some of golf's biggest names, have

chosen to play in the liv series instead of the pga tour. this is an opportunity that gives me a chance to have the most balance in my life going forward. >> liv golf tells nbc news the 9/11 families have our deepist sympathies. while some may not agree we believe that golf is a sorts of good around the world. >> the kingdom is throwing billions of dollars into a pr stunt. >> reporter: the trump golf course here in new jersey had previously been scheduled to host a pga championship this year, but the pga of america pulled out after the january 6th attack on the capitol. willie? >> those guys are making an awful lot of money from that tour, and that's the bottom line. nbc's gabe gutierrez in new jersey for us this morning. gabe, thanks so much. as we close this morning, we pay tribute to an nbc news legend and a legend of journalism. pete williams is retiring today after nearly 30 years at nbc.

a look back at his career now from hallie jackson. >> reporter: pete williams might hate this report. it doesn't really have any scoops. it's probably overwritten, so let's do the pete thing and just get to it. everything he's done over nearly three decades, five administrations and approximately 465 trillion live shots, that's hyperbole, by the way, pete hates, that too. >> pete williams, pete williams, nbc news at the supreme court. >> reporter: he's covered the court and the department of justice for years, a super stressful beat, but if the guy sweats, you wouldn't know it. watch how steady he is in 2000 reading through the court's decision on florida's voting machine that decided that year's presidential election live on air. >> reporter: if there is no room for a recount, this election is over for vice president al gore. that's effectively what you're saying. >> yes, sir. i see nothing in any way that's incompatible with that, tom. >> reporter: it did take pete a couple of decade to get to the "nightly news" after starting off in the '70s in casper,

wyoming doing local tv and radio. >> pete williams, k 2 news. >> reporter: he joined the office of dick cheney and when cheney became press secretary under george w. bush pete headed to the pentagon as spokesperson there. good afternoon, i do have a few announcements for you. >> reporter: he shifted back to news joining nbc in 1993 and by 2012 he hit ledge end status with this moment, getting the court's decision on the affordable care act right. >> the bottom line here is the supreme court has upheld the health care case. >> reporter: that's after other outlets had incorrectly reported the opposite. the next year pete taught another master class in accuracy during the hunt for one of the boston marathon bombers. >> several lawmakers officials have confirmed for us now that he is alive. he is in custody, unbelievable as one said who has been following this. >> reporter: even former peabody mah noticed how good pete was. >> and that's what great journalist is, and that's what great journalists do and that's why, for example, pete williams'

new nickname around the nbc newsroom is big papi. >> reporter: not like pete needed a big finale but he delivered anyway breaking one last huge story when justice stephen breyer retired a couple months ago. >> made the decision within the past two weeks to step down. >> reporter: pete boils his competitors alive with envy but the funny thing is they like him, everyone does. because even more than what pete does he's kind, helpful and smart, intimidatingly smart but never makes a big thing about it. he's a gracious colleague and host. legitimately hilarious. to be roasted by pete is a badge of honor and, sure, retirement means more time for his drum lessons and his trips to jackson hole, but there's a reason why our bosses always say wait for pete, because as saying goes around here, in pete we trust. i bet you do, too, and that pretty much says it all. >> hallie jackson there. pete williams has been a north

star for this news organization and a role model to all of us. we wish him well in retime. pete, you will be missed. that does it for us this morning. this morning our special hour marking 100 days to the mid terms airs at both 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. for now, lindsey reiser picks up coverage right now. >> good afternoon, everybody. it's 10:00 a.m. even and 7 am pacific. right now confusing news in the spotlight. seconds ago we got more data on how much consumers are spending and what they are feeling about the state of the economy and with the "r" word being used president biden pushing back on claims we're in' recession. in a moment i'll speak with brian deese of the white house economic council and officials calling it the worst flooding disaster in their lifetimes. what else kentucky's governor is saying about the catastrophic flooding in the state and an

europe date from an emergency management official on the ground there. also new reporting from "the washington post" surrounding january 6th. more texts are missing, this time from high-ranking homeland security officials in the trump administration. plus, eyebrow raising remarks from justice alito overseas about the supreme court's abortion ruling, and he's on tape. we are going to begin with an economic picture that seems to be getting even more complicated. the government report that had consumer spending rose 1.1% in june, but consumers are paying more for almost everything here. the personal consumer expenditure index which reflects changes in the prices of goods and services shows that prices jumped 1% in june, and they are up nearly 7% from last year. the government also reported today that wages and salaries rose 5.3% from june 2021 to june 2022. this comes one day after the