i don't think that is a bad policy to keep china guessing and if we're going to change the policy, let's do it thoughtfully and purposefully. >> what would be the impact to -- and this is not a leading question, i'm not suggesting what policy position i think you or other members of senate should take. i'm just genuinely curious what your thoughts are on what the impact on international security would be if vladimir putin were allowed to maintain a hold and gains that he made by illegally invading ukraine and then we allowed china to hold any gains they would make in a possible invasion of taiwan. >> well, so i think you're right to make the case that these two are interconnected. i think the most important thing we could do right now to prevent china from invading taiwan is to

kick russian out of ukraine. there is no question that president xi is watching. putin is watching to see if the west, if the united states and europe lose interest in ukraine and if we do, then i think it potentially gives him a green light. so, we are on the cusp of the post world war ii order where big nations didn't change their borders through force coming apart. and i think right now the most important thing that we could do to stop china from making a move on taiwan is to make clear to the ukrainians we're with them today and in the future to make sure they regain their own sovereignty. >> senator chris murphy, thank you very much for being on this morning. we will be in touch. so we are well into the fourth hour of "morning joe" right now. let's talk more about the bills to help veterans that republicans blocked. joining us now, retired sergeant ted corcoran. he's a disabled veteran and a veteran advocate who suffers

from the effects of burn pits. he's now organizing director -- he's the organizing director of the group "all on the line" and it is all the line for you guys. what do you make of what is happening in washington and sort of the back and forth that is happening with this bill that could certainly help folks like you? >> i think what it is doing is taking away attention from the people that this bill is meant to help. and that is veterans. veterans who are dying from cancer. veterans that have been impacted by toxic exposure while they were serving our country. going all the way back to vietnam. agent orange and my generations agent orange burn pit exposure and something needs to be done about this immediately. this is not something that could wait. we can't just sit around while veterans die. and that is exactly what happens as we wait for this bill to be

passed. >> so tell me about your experience working with burn pits and the after-effects of that and explain to our viewers who might not be aware of how dire this situation is. >> so, i served right next to one of the most notorious burn pits in iraq and afghanistan and that is at vlad air base. and it is a burn pit that was 10 acres large and burning up to 250 tons of garbage per day. and this produced such a thick acidic smoke that was breamed in constantly, there was no escape to from this smoke. and it instantly caused respiratory issues and that continued coming back from my deployment. >> and go ahead, joe. >> no, go amed, mika. >> so give me a sense of how

many veterans are impacted right now with these types of illnesses, dying of cancer, or have died already? >> we don't know the numbers. ant that is the shocking thing about this. is that the people that have died do this in silence. what this bill could help is 3.5 million veterans. that is one in five living veterans right now. going back to agent orange and massive amount of soldiers that we had in iraq and afghanistan. >> all right. >> retired sergeant ted corcoran, thank you very much. we'll be following this. and for more on the legislation swirling around capitol hill, let's go to co-founder of punch bowl news jake sherman. he's an msnbc political contributor. jake. >> so, jake, we're talking about a lot of thing this is morning. obviously a lot of news going on if you look at -- at manchin and

schumer's deal, will senator sinema go along with it, and obviously this burn pit legislation. a lot of breaking news and i just saw this from the "times," deshaun watson suspended six games and he will get a six-game suspension. we have the brittney griner deal going on possibly in russia and news with ukraine. so, as we talk about the burn pit legislation, i'm just curious, as this week starts, what are some of the things that you're looking at and following? >> number one, number two and number three joe, is kyrsten sinema. whether she goes for this package or not is the biggest question. she's averse to tax increases and the big question would be does she consider this carried interest, this loophole that is used by money managers, head fund managers, private equity

managers, will she accept it or toss it out. now the interesting thing to me is that everybody i talked to on capitol hill, all the democrats say it is only $14 billion. meaning it is not a lot of money and it could drop out quite easily and the bill would stay in tact. but, excuse me, if she is averse to a minimum corporate tax, that 15% tax that manchin put in the bill, then it is problems for the democrats. i would say that she is really the only person that matters right now. and joe manchin is in this interesting position of being the courter and not the courted. and i think we'll see more and more of that as this week goes on. >> what is so fascinating, is that joe manchin's camp has always believed that whatever he agreed to, kyrsten sinema would follow. >> that is right. >> and that is put to the test now. it would be quite something if

progressive democrats and the media had been chasing joe manchin all of the time and they land him, democrats do, and there is still one short. >> i have to imagine that she's going to come along. she's not spoken to reporters in a while. her office said she's still reviewing the legislation and they even signals that she won't show her hand one way or another until the parliamentarian is done reviewing the bill to make sure it comports with the budget reconciliation standards that congress needs to stick by. but i mean, it would be a massive defeat for democrats if she somehow is not for this bill or wants it remade. i mean, they have finally, joe, after two years, found a sweet spot with joe manchin on a big reconciliation bill and to let that slip through their fingers would be quite difficult. >> so tell me, you hear time and time again that washington is dysfunctional.

obviously more divisive than ever before. you have a ring of the republican party that is still trying to overthrow a presidential election. that is how people get elected in republican primaries. i'm curious though, if this reconciliation bill does pass and is signed into the law, what are the achievements looking like for this democratic congress both bipartisan achievements and this reconciliation bill? >> yeah, it is actually quite impressive in a vacuum, joe. they passed a massive rescue package at the beginning of this congress. a infrastructure bill. they passed a gun bill. if they get it reconciliation package, that is another thing. the burn pits law is -- if it passes, which i anticipate it will, it is pretty big. and then you have the possibility that -- the distinct possibility that same sex marriage could be codified into law. we'll have to see if it happens. it is still a long way away. but it is an impressive pile of

achievements and the reality remains that president has 33% approval rating and we're in the first midterm of his term where he's expected to lose the house of representatives. but, yes, quite an impressive list of things. >> jake serman, thank you very much for being an ots show this morning. we appreciate it. there is a significant breakthrough this morning in ukraine, as a ship carrying ukrainian grain set off from the port of odesa for the first time since the war started in february. ukraine's minister of infrastructure tweeted this video of the vessel which is carrying more than 26,000 tons of corn and headed to lebanon. the ship is expected to reach istanbul on tuesday where it will be inspected before being allowed to proceed. the move is part of an internationally brokered deal between kyiv and moscow to release millions of tons of grain to foreign markets and ease a growing food crisis.

ukraine officials say 16 more ships are waiting to depart odesa's port as part of the deal. russian advances have slowed almost to a standstill as newly delivered western weapons are helping ukrainian forces reclaim much of the advantage they lost in recent months. "the washington post" reports russian troops have made no significant territorial gains since the ukrainians retreated from the east on july 2nd. according to the post, analysts suspect russian forces are close to exhausting their capacity to make further territorial gains as they're depleted army confronts newly acquired capabilities. senior u.s. official said the weapons provided by the u.s. and its allies have given the ukrainians the ability to strike almost 50 miles behind russian lines with a high degree of accuracy. and ukrainians have used them to destroy more than 100 high value

russian targets. according to the "wall street journal," ukraine has commanded control centers and air defense systems with the help of these western weapons, ukraine said it is mounting a counter offensive to take back the southern port city of kherson. that's hopeful. >> that would be extraordinarily important and an important message to actually send going into the winter, winter is coming as admiral stavridis said earlier and a win in kherson, or anywhere in the south, while holding everything basically as is in the east, will make a huge difference. but jonathan lemire, we've been hearing about the moral of russian soldiers for quite sometime. we're now into, as many experts predicted, several months ago, a grinding war of attrition. a war of attrition where over

20,000 russian troops have died, where thousands of ukrainians are dying. the country is just absolutely savaged. but here we find the difference between your country's very survival is at stake, and when you're a con script or somebody who is going in because you feel like you have no other choice. which is a position that the russians are in. this is where moral makes such a huge difference in warfare, because the russians are there, you know, either because they need to make money or because they're being pushed into it. and you've got the ukrainians who are fighting for their very existence. there is no plan b for them. >> yeah, the war has changed in the last few weeks, joe. u.s. officials tell me, where the russians made progress in

late june and early july and ukrainians pulled back and ukraine has been able to hammer russia with the weapons, with the himars a solid 50 miles away behind russian front lines destroying munitions depot, destroying supply chains, and hurting and taking away russia's advantage there in the east. that it was a battle fought close to home. and now they're being pummelled there. and this moment the russian progress has slowed so dramatically, officials tell me, it is street corner to street corner. so it is as brutal war of attrition fighting block by block. but that comes to your point. the russians have suffered immense casualties. exact numbers unclear. but it is not just deaths, it is so many wounded. people removed from the battlefield. soldiers who could no longer fight and the russians are having trouble getting more people to the front. they've have to turn to other countries, to mercenaries to fill the gaps.

the ukrainians fighting for their very existence, having no shortage. men from across the country streaming to the front lines. it is a question of whether -- at this point, it is to make sure they have enough weapons to arm them. so they don't have a man power issue as this goes block by block for the foreseeable future. and certainly the ukrainians and the fighting comes to a stop, at least temporarily. >> and now to a battle here at home. a big one. for the first time in nearly 20 years, the house has passed a bill that would ban assault style weapons. it passed in largely party line vote on friday with two republicans voting for the measure and five democrats opposing it. the legislation now heads over to the senate where it is not expected to advance. it would require the support of at least ten republicans and all 50 democrats to overcome a filibuster. president biden praised house democrats for passing the bill

and is urging the senate to follow suit. and president biden is back in isolation at the white house after again testing positive for covid-19 over the weekend. the president's case is considered a rebound and is possible in a small number of patients treated with the anti-viral medicine paxlovid. both biden and his physicians say he's not experiencing any symptoms and is feeling well. the president tweeted saturday that he still is working but will be on the road again soon. biden attended a few events between testing negative last week and his new positive test this weekend. six people were determined to be close contacts and in that time. but none have yet tested positive for the virus. >> you could give us commentary on what is going on at the white house with covid? >> well covid is still here. and president biden did test positive but his doctors say he feels fine. he's not showing any symptoms.

his first wave of covid. >> mild symptoms, sore throat and a couple of negative tests which allowed him to exit isolation. raised some eyebrows that did he not follow cdc guidelines because he was not wearing a mask like he should have. but they don't believe there is any reel issues with exposure there. no one else has tested positive because of it. but as what would happen with paxlovid, there are rebound cases. symptoms even milder the second time around and that is what happened here to the president. so he's going to be in isolation again for a few more days. obviously as just discussed during a crucial week for his agenda. even though he won't be able to do any lobbying in person, wouse aides say he is ready and willing and stand by the phone if needs. but for now he continues his active of being deferential and

if needed he will play closer down the road. >> straight ahead on "morning joe." kentucky governor andy bashear is giving the latest details right now as his state tries to dry out from historic floods. we'll bring you new details as they come along. plus the only january 6 insurrectionist charged with domestic terrorism hears his fate today. we'll go live to the courtroom with what to expect. and as we continue to follow the deleted text messages by the secret service, politico is reporting that the doj is looking into the communications of the rnc's national director for election integrity. we're back in just a moment. ♪ it wasn't me by shaggy ♪ you're never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your discover card. we hit the bike trails every weekend

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[ crowd chanting ] >> usa, usa.

>> storm the barriers. >> that video is government evidence from the january 6 insurrection where a texas man guy roughit, was pepper sprayed while trying to breach the capitol. he was convicted this year on domestic terrorism charges and due to be sentenced in d.c. district court today. and that is where we find nbc news justice and intelligence and correspondent ken dilanian who joins us now. so what could he face for what he did? and what are some of the further consequences of these -- for all of these people who participated in this day? >> reporter: good morning, mika. well prosecutors are asking the judge to sentence him to 15 years in prison. which would be three times as long as the longest sentence handed out so far in these

january 6 cases. and those five-year sentences were against people who were convicted of assaulted police officers. he was not convicted of assaulting an officer, nor did he enter the capitol but there were other aspects of his conduct that were so serious that prosecutors have decided to bring the first ever terrorism enhancement. they're asking the judge to use this terrorism enhancement on his sentence which would add about a year to his sentence. and what that means is that they are saying that his conduct was designed to influence government through coercion or intimidation. you might think weren't there hundreds people that day that fit that bill. this is the fir time the justice department is making that argument in court and it is because his case was particularly serious. he came to the capitol with a holstered handgun, he's accused of urging the rioters on and being a key figure in breaching the west side of the capitol and later convicted of trying to essentially threatening his children who were talking about

turning him into the fbi. he said that they were traitors and traitors got shot. his teenager son testified against him at trial. and interestingly, that teenager said that he called the fbi with a tip before january 6 about his dad's troubling conduct. but the fbi never reached out to him until after january 6. but this is an important case in many respects. guy roughit, did not plead guilty and he went to trial and the government is arguing he never accepted responsibility and not remorseful after convicted. he did send a letter to the judge saying he was ashamed of conduct. he's an oil rig worker who lost his job and got sucked into the big lie his family said and became obsessed and was a member of a far right group called the texas 3%ers and he came to the capitol. he also had an assault rifle. he came to washington with a rifle and prosecutors are seeking to make an example of him today, mika.

>> so, ken, what do numbers look like as far as the number of convictions, the number of trials that are still out there, it does seem, day in and day out, that the justice department is rolling out a good number of these people and making them face justice for trying to breach the capitol and cause harm. >> yeah, absolutely, joe. this is the biggest or widest ranging investigation, that is how the doj put it, in the justice department history. and there has been more than 850 arrests but, joe, the thing is that they now believe that as many as 2,500 people entered the capitol. and so they're trying to charge all of those people. and they haven't identified many of them. and so we have some reporting at nbc news that this investigation has become so sprawling that it is difficult for the justice department to handle.

and the fbi. they're straining at the seems to keep track of all of the evidence and the defendants. at the same time, as you know, they're also branching out into an investigation that looks at the conduct of people around the former president and maybe former president trump himself and that going to require the attention of the top people at the justice department. so this is a huge investigation. they are -- they have gotten serious prison time against a couple of dozen defendants and there will be more more like that. but they also have a big hurdle in front of them to identify some of the people who -- and they have the help by the way of citizens sleuths who are using facial recognition to find people that the fbi have not been able to find on their own. guys. >> nbc's ken dilanian, thank you very much. and we're learning more about a former trump white house official's interview with the january 6 committee. former acting chief of staff mick mulvaney met with lawmakers

for two hours last week. he said they asked him about a text he sent in the days after the 2020 election. when he was serving as special envoy to northern ireland to ronna mcdaniels and others in the trump campaign. mulvaney's text reading i'm getting the sinking feeling that everyone other than me thinks we have lot this election. i'm out there telling everyone we haven't. if people know something i do not, i would appreciate it if you would let me know. it is better for me not to do tv and keep my mouth shut than to do tv and say we have a chance when people in the know, know that we do not. mulvaney said someone else gave the committee that text message, he also said he never got a response from mcdaniel or then chief of staff mark meadows. meanwhile, the department of homeland security top watch dog reportedly abandoned plans earlier this year to try to

recover deleted secret service text messages. sources tell "the washington post" that after learning of the missing messages in february, inspector general joseph cuff ari plans to contact data specialists to help retreat the messages but late that month his office reportedly decided it would not collect or review any secret service cell phones. it will wake for july for him to inform members of congress that the messages were erased. >> this is just the definition of a cover-up. >> and every day that goes by, which is why it is important to point out that he took a long time to inform them, every day that goes by makes retrieval even more difficult. if it is at all possible. those texts from january 5th and 6th of 2021 were deleted in what the secret service said was a device replacement program.

this was reportedly done despite multiple notifications to agents that they had a legal responsibility to preserve communications. >> jonathan lemire, again, you line up the facts of this case, you put it in a timeline, it looks very bad for the inspector general as carol leonnig of "the washington post" who was on earlier this morning detailing her new reporting, said they had -- the inspector general actually proactively telling agents and others that they didn't want their information. and then keeping that from congress from february through july. i mean, i know the doj is getting involved and in this investigation. but it is certainly sounds like somebody destroyed evidence inside of the secret service. i would say on the two most important day in secret service

history, january 5th and january 6th. >> it is not often than an inspector general or a law enforcement agency turns down evidence. and that is what happened here. is that the secret service -- it was not only evidence that was destroyed by the secret service, when they went through with this phone wipe, but that the inspector general actively declined to say, nah, we don't need it. that is not important. keep it to yourself. so that is hard to square and that is why lawmakers have been whether on the january 6 committee or not have been so outraged and flummoxed by the ongoing developments surrounding the text messages. an again we can't say this enough, federal records should be preserved recordless of which wl it is a routine day or extraordinary one. january 5th and 6th, those with the vice president or the president at the ellipse or the white house, that is information that investigators, whether the committee ort department of justice, of course would want to

know. and the warnings were there. there was a time line laid out in explicit detail and given ten days after january 6, and ten days prior to the phone transfer, saying preserve your messages. >> it is nuts. >> and they did not anyway. >> we're also following new reporting by politico that a official is being scrutinized by the doj for communication he had with at least three different people who have been identified as possible alternate electors. joining us now with this reporting is politico senior legal affairs reporter kyle cheney. kyle, what more could you tell us? >> reporter: sure, so this is an example, this is a man named joshua findlay that has appeared in some of the grand jury proceedings to dozen of the false electors. he's a lawyer part of the trump campaign in 2020. we haven't heard his name a lot and it just is another example

of how extensive and deep this entire episode goes. the effort by donald trump to get these alternate electors to congress, part of his plan to overturn the election touches really, again dozens of the electors themselves but this universe of lawyers trying to make it happen or in some cases trying to stop it from happening and we don't know which side of the line that joshua findlay was on. we don't know where he fits into the puzzle. but he is now a senior person at the rnc currently and was deep in trump world before that. >> and these communications are not missing? >> reporter: right. these exist somewhere. and people subpoenaed are providing them to the justice department. it is possible the january 6 did have them. they did reference him as someone communicating to people against this alternate elector plan, saying leave it to the john eastmans of the world to deal with that.

so, they're out there somewhere, we think. >> okay. politico senior legal affairs reporter kyle cheney. thank you very much. and some breaking news this morning out of a sports world. espn is reporting that cleveland browns quarterback deshaun watson has been suspended for six games in the 2022-2023 nfl season. that coming after watson was accused sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during message sessions in civil lawsuits filed by 25 different women. of those 25 lawsuits, one was dropped and 23 of the remaining 24 have been settled out of court. espn is also reporting that watson will not be fined. wat sign signed a contract in march that will pay him $230 million guaranteed over the next five years. the largest guarantee contract in nfl history.

>> jonathan, i still, i just think a lot of cleveland browns fans would agree with me, it is just knot nothing short of extraordinary that this franchise, with i would say an up and coming franchise, they've got some great players on this team, but they would bet their future on this guy with all of the legal problems that he's facing. >> yeah. they went into this eyes wide open. watson didn't play last year as a member of the texans while this legal matter loomed over his head and the browns traded for him and gave him a record breaking contract and with a signing bonus of over $45 million. that is not impacted at all by the suspension. he gets to keep all of that. >> that doesn't seem right. >> and the six games seems reparkablely. the chatter in the last few months was that he would be suspended potentially for an entire season. now it is only six games despite

having been accused by 25 different women. there is a lot of browns fans out there really unhappy with this suspension and it also just looks another moment at the nfl's justice system being looking out of whack here. remember tom brady get suspended four games for allegedly deflating footballs and another player did some sports betting like the nfl, more and more embracing online sports betting, really suspended for an entire year over a matters of a few thousand dollars. and yet watson gets six games for this. it is -- i think a lot of cleveland browns fans not very happy with this entire situation. >> not good for the credibility of the nfl. coming up, airline seats are on average 17 inches wide. and now the faa might be looking to change that. and they want to hear from you about just how big those seats

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public to weigh in on the new minimum size requirement for airplane seats. joining us from miami, nbc news constituent sam brock. sam, what could you tell us? >> reporter: and mika joe, good morning. for most passenger the gripe is comfort but this is about safety. and specifically whether you could evacuate all of the passengers on a plane off in 90 seconds or less in the event of an emergency. but it is also starting conversations about seat size. look at this. this is 17 inches. that is the average width of a seat. now in some cases 16 inches and then you talk about the pitch, where ch is the area between your seat and the seat in front of you has already shrufrpg. 50% of passengers could not fit cleanly in an economy size seat. this morning one of passenger's biggest complains, the small size of airline seats is landing in the nation's capitol. the fa starting a fact finding

minimum standard for seat size, a subject unregulated since the 70s. >> we have people getting bigger, and the seats getting smaller and people are being squeezed and squeezed. >> it is a topic congress said the faa should have confronted back in 2019. the group fliers rights has urged the feds to intervene. though seat size varies by airline, they crunched the numbers and found on arth only about one out of two passengers could currently fit in an economy seat. for men, their shoulder width is too wide 84% and for women, it is before one in four. over time the seat width going from 18 inches decade ago to 17 or 16 inches today. and the pitch or distance from a point on your seat to the same point on the seat in front of you, going from 34 inches down to 31, sometimes dipping into the 20s. >> if we have a minimum seat standard, you will have a floor

on what could be done. right now there is no floor. >> safety is the driving force behind this effort. with airlines needing to meet a 90 second standard to evacuate a plane. in march, an faa report found the overall level of safety and evacuations is very high. none the else, some areas for improvement remain. this week the faa hopes to start receiving comments from passengers about passenger seats necessary for safety. >> i want to see larger seats. >> reporter: jeff travelers up to three weeks a month and knows the feeling of flying economy has a plus size passenger. >> there is a sense of anxiety getting on the plane. i'm uncomfortable knowing that i'm going to make somebody else feel uncomfortable. >> reporter: and the group representing the major airlines tells nbc news their investigating in technology that maximize both space and comfort but that safety is the number one priority. and they're supportive of whatever the faa decides in terms of the appropriate size of seat for safety.

mika and joe, back to you. >> all right. sam brock, thank you very much. and this morning's papers are up next. including the passing of two legends. also ahead, tomorrow in kansas, voters will decide on the first ballot measure on abortion since the supreme court's overturning of roe v. wade. we'll speak with a reporter who is just back from the state where she said that the issue is pitting neighbor against neighbor. g neighbor against neighbor

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the destruction of the mckinney fire. the blaze has grown more than 25u thousand acres in just two days becoming state's largest wildfire so far this year. governor gavin newsom on saturday declared a state of emergency nearly 3,000 people have since been ordered to evacuate. in colorado, the durango herald reports that wait time at abortion clinics across the state have nearly doubled since the supreme court's decision to over turn roe v. wade. the average wait for an appointment is now around two weeks due to the influx of women from nearby states that have banned or restricted the procedure. two weeks. according to the times union in new york, an attempt to update a data base tracking school shootings nationwide is no longer receiving federal funding. the k through 12 school shooting data base has been widely cited

by news organizations and featured in dozens of academic reports and school safety analysis by federal government agencies. the data base co-founder said he believes political pressure played a role in the decision which came one month after the school shooting in uvalde, texas. to massachusetts now, where the "boston globe" leads with a beautiful tribute to the late bill russell. and his legacy goes on and off the court. the reverend al sharpton spoke about his legacy earlier. he was an 11 time nba champion with the boston celtics and first black head coach in the league and a leading civil rights activist. he was 88 years old. and finally to california where the san diego union tribune remembers nichelle nichols, a trail blazing actress known for his role in the original "star

trek" series and for a kiss that broke barriers. molly hunter has more. sfwlfrmgts relatives say nichelle nichols, the former star trek iekson has passed away. causes. her son said her light like the ancient galaxies being seen for the first time will remain for us in future generations to enjoy, learn from and draw inspiration. >> these are the voyages of the starship enterprise. >> reporter: nichols busted through barriers in the original "star trek" series. >> we will be able to retrieve the captain at that time, won't we? >> reporter: the first black woman cast in a major role on triem prooim time television. premiering on nbc in 1966, the show's multicultural, multiracial cast made a powerful statement.

>> i am not afraid. >> one of the many ground breaking moments the first interracial kiss on tv with co-star william shatner. she almost didn't return for a second season. then met martin luther king jr. as "star trek" fan himself at a civil rights gathering. >> he said don't you understand that for the first time we are seeing as we should be seen. you don't have a black role. you have an equal role. >> calling that moment a lightning bolt in her life, but off screen pushing other frontiers. she served as a nasa recruiter inspiring generations of women and minorities encouraging them to join the corp. nichols was 89 years old. i grew up an athlete, i rode horses... i really do take care of myself. i try to stay in shape. that's really important, especially as you age. i noticed after kids that my body totally changed.

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expansion in adding two countries that many believe will have a remarkable impact on containing vladimir putin, containing russian aggression. what can you tell us? >> missouri's senator avoiding another conflict. but he just announced just a few moments ago that he would oppose sweden and finland joining nato. nato themselves have agreed the member states to let them in. it fwoez back to a vote to all the member states. it's a formality. it will pass every nation out there, but every senator does get a vote. there was an expectation that rand paul might just vote present, but everyone else is going to vote yes. josh hawley saying he's going to oppose it. and he thinks that our nato partners should be paying more and the u.s. is undually

burdened even though everyone else seems to think this is a good idea. >> what is it with these trumpers? here's a guy who actually some might suggest should actually be looked at to see whether he committed sedition against the united states of america. he tries to overthrow an american election just like donald trump. and now he's taking vladimir putin's position on nato. donald trump, most observers believe donald trump would have got the united states out of nato as a favor to vladimir putin, if he had been reelected. and again, this is a parody. these people are parodies of themselves on how anti-american they are when it comes to

elections and how pro-putin they are when it comes to the defense of democracy. >> an opportunist beyond belif. >> to give speeches in russia? >> yeah. finally this hour, a closer look at kansas vote that will decide the fate of abortion after overturning of roe v. wade. joining us is founder and ceo lo rinse leader, and senior reporter for vice news carter sherman. she traveled to kansas to hear from vo indicates on both sides of the issue ahead of tomorrow's vote. we should start there. how did that go? >> it really struck me that everybody i talked to in kansas knew about the vote and they knew how they were going to vote on it. but many folks were really worried about speaking openly about their opinions. there's been a long history of anti-abortion extremism in kansas. and people are afraid they are going to be attackinged if they are open about the fact they support abortion rights. i talked to one woman whoen

wouldn't put up a yard sign because it could make her 4-year-old daughter a target. >> and lauren leader, among the many things you do is sort of take the pulse of how women are feeling about this. and what they plan to do. what are you hearing? >> there's only been one major poll out of kansas. very close, but there's some really interesting indicators because a lot of the country is looking at it as a bell weather for how voters are going to react. in the two weeks avenue the dobbs decision, voter registration in the state of kansas surged by 1,000%. so nobody expects this to be a close vote, but we are seeing record early turnout at the polls in kansas. and i think it is a real question. you have the state where you have a democratic governor, but a republican supermajority in the state legislature. and i think there's a lot of independent voters in kansas who swung for the democratic governor in the last election.

we'll see where they turn out. it's a big deal to change your state constitution. they have made this amendment as confusing as possible for voters. a yes vote is a vote to change the constitution and no vote is to leave it as is, which protects abortion rights. but i think we can see some interesting electoral dynamics. >> you said in your reporting people would be afraid to speak publicly about their positions, but certainly in their maybe not to a reporter, but it seems like people would know where each other stand. is this a passionate debate? is this neighbor against neighbor? >> absolutely. that's part of it. they wouldn't touk ta their neighbors about how they vote. some people were putting up yard signs. i talked to one man who does support amending the constitution. he does want to not have further abortion restrictions -- had he wants to amend the constitution and does support abortion restrictions. he said he's had three of his

yard signs yanked out of his lawn buzz he thinks his neighbors are taking them. >> your final thoughts on this and also what you think democrats will be able to get through that will actually be helpful to women, especially leading up to the midterms to really perhaps excite democratic women toward the midterms when i think women are feeling pretty dejected, almost close to giving up at this point. >> for women who support abortion rights, that's not an option. it's sent this sort of electoral chaos back to every state in the country. our future depends on our turning out at the polls. and i think women, what we're seeing is women understand this. we'll see if it passes in the state kansas. it's a bell weather in some ways, but let's see what happens in november. i think we're going to see a fired up electorate. the dobbs decision rewrites american politics for years to come. >> let's see what happens.

thank you thank you both very much for being on this morning. and that does it for us this it morning. jose picks up our live coverage right now. good morning. it's 10:00 a.m. eastern, i'm jose diaz-balart. we're 99 day was from the critical 2022 midterm elections. tomorrow voters in five key states will head to the ballot box to shape the november races. two climate emergencies are unfolding. in kentucky the death toll now stands at 30. the governor says that number could still go up. and in california we'll get an update on the largest wildfire in the state so far this year. already scorching 50,000 acres.