suspect. fds. >> mike, thank you very much. thank you for your patience today. and that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." remember follow the show online on facebook and on twitter. "chris jansing reports" live from kansas city, missouri, right now. good afternoon, i'm chris jansing live in a beautiful but sweltering kansas city, missouri, where the polls have been open for six hours already on this huge primary day. voters casting ballots feet from where i'm sitting. crucial elections on both sides of the state line. here in missouri, it's the senate race featuring the attorney general, a disgraced former governor, and one of the most confusing endorsements you'll ever see. and in kansas, we're watching in realtime as abortion rights are on the ballot for the first time

since roe was struck down. but it's been a grueling battle just to get to today. political divisions creating a lot of contentiousness you typically don't see in a place that's known for being midwest nice. that's because the range of issues that have so clearly created dividing lines across the u.s. are playing out right here pitting neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, and we know abortion is one of those issues. but in addition to dividing people, will it also motivate them to get to the polls? will it drive turnout among women? and does it help one candidate over the other? looking forward, will today's vote be be the first bat until a culture war to change the complaining the complex of the midterms. democrats may already be gaining an advantage. here's why i say that. take a look at this. on june 23rd, that's the day before roe was overturned. the generic congressional battle showed republicans up by almost

3 points. today their advantage has slunk to less than a point. one final note. the contests in missouri are unusual because of some last-minute confusion in both states. in kansas it's because of the wording of the abortion amendment that would pave the way for a ban essentially if you're anti-abortion, you're pro amendment. if you're pro abortion right, you want to vote no. a lot of people are confused by that. in missouri the confusion comes because of donald trump who made a vague endorsement on monday. tweeting that he supports eric for u.s. senate. the problem is there are two erics. both now claiming trump's support. i want to bring in dasha burns on the other side of the state line in kansas. also joining me former senator claire mccaskill, who will be adding her insights throughout the hour. and steven mcalister, former

attorney for kansas. we have been watching hundreds of canvass, door to door in this heat, many of them coming from out of state, we know how big a deal this is. but put it into words and what you're seeing and hearing on the ground. >> it's complex and chaotic. this was going to be on the ballot before dobbs was decided. and i think, frankly, and my friend from kansas may disagree with me, i think that the republicans were trying to be strategic by putting it on the primary ballot. why do i say that? typically, republicans outnumber democrats 2 to 1 in kansas. there are more unaffiliated voters in kansas than there are democratically aligned voters. those last two democrats and unaffiliated typically don't have much to vote for in the primaries. so they are not accustomed to coming out in big numbers for primary elections in kansas. now this has made it a much different situation. all of a sudden, there's

something very big at stake. kansas is where rape victims in missouri who have been impregnated by their rapists, that's where they can go for a safe and legal termination right now. if the kansas legislature succeeds in putting the kinds of restrictions in place, which they could if this amendment passes, that just means people in the midwest, even those most vulnerable and most at risk, are going to have to travel farther, spend more money, it would be more disruptive and for many of them impossible to get the health care they need. >> let me take it out to dasha burns. there's this last-minute controversy over language in the amendment. fds but now someone is sending out texts causing more frustration and confusion for voters. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: the stakes are incredibly high for those voters

casting their ballots behind me as the first in the nation to vote on this issue since roe v. wade was overturned. the voters today say they have had to navigate a slew of complicated information and straight up misinformation. just yesterday a texas message was sent to kansasens that claimed voting yes on the amendment would protect a woman's right to choose. when in fact, voting yes for this amendment would strip the kansas state constitution of -- it would then hand that power over to the republican super majority in the state legislature, who would then be able to make decisions on the issue and enhance further restrictions or as many activists fear, a total ban. now who is behind these text messages? we don't know. the group kansasens for constitutional freedom who are is against the amendment, they slammed this text message saying that the campaign is lying. but the value coalition denied

any involvement in this. still voters have had to navigate all this and it has been challenging and confusing. i talked to voters on both sides of this issue here. take a listen to what they told me. >> i found it complicated to figure out. we spent time doing research and trying to understand what the amendment actually meant and how what it meant for our family and family values. >> it was hard. i wish they would use simple language. i understand they had to use language that can be legal. but for me, it's hard to understand. >> as you said, it's not just about how people vote here, but how many people actually turn out. in this location, typically see 300 people on a primary election. they have already exceeded that number and there's still many hours to go. >> the amount of money poured into this issue in a state the

size of kansas with a population of kansas is off the charts. i want to play a couple of those ads. take a listen. >> radical left gave us high gas prices, supply chain shortages, now they are lying about value them both. >> because of a radical decision,s kansas now allows painful dismemberment abortions. >> vote yes on value them both. >> you work for clarence thomas. you know how the supreme court works. ask you know what they said. they said this should go to the states. but is this what they intended? confusing wording for a lot of people, incredible amount of money, a lot of it not from kansas being put into ads that further adds to the confusion, text messages going out that have people trying to figure out they thought they knew what they were voting for.

now they are not sure. is this what the supreme court had in mind? >> i think anticipated some sort of reasonable debate amongst the people. that's not what happens. it's a very strong agenda driven and the rules are thrown out the window. there's no fair play here. this was calculated to achieve a particular result. so the amendment was misleadingly named, confuingly worded. someone said they had to use this language for legal reasons. they did not. this was purposely confusing. very smart people have continued to ask me what does this mean, which way do i vote, yes or no. what does that mean. and that shouldn't be the case. you should be able to read it and understand what it means. so this was all caculated and as my colleague from missouri said, the primary election was a deliberate choice to favor the fact there would be more republican voters likely voting

in that election. so it was all calculated. i don't think the supreme court is unrealistic to think if you just throw this back to the states we're going to have some sort of reasonable debate and discussion about what the people really want. it's going to be very partisan and driven by the right to life agenda. >> which brings us to the question we already knew that the right to life supporters as that organization. they have been motivated people not for months, but for years. even decades. they were building to this moment in kansas and in other states. do you think this confusion, do you think that the not just confusion but outright misinformation that's out there is motivating democrats as well? what are you going to be looking for tonight to show you that this is a motivating issue on both sides and maybe not just in kansas. >> first of all, if you had the kind of turnout they are talking

about in a primary election in kansas, something is going on. this is different. and i do think the phrase keeps being used, but it's apt. the dog caught the car. and now it's kind of flipped. the motivation, the anger, the disappointment, especially when states like missouri do such extreme laws. this is a tough subject. reasonable people can disagree about parts of the issue of legal abortions. but most missourians, most kansasens, most americans want rape victims to be able to terminate a pregnancy. they don't want dogs sniffing women at airports to see if they are traveling to have an abortion. they don't want posses out looking to find people who have enabled someone to get a safe

and legal abortion and take after them in court. this is the kind of stuff republicans are doing now. it's not that they are just taking their victory and saying let's be reasonable. they are going to such an extreme i think it is really going to help the democrats not only today, but also in november. in terms of holding on to power in washington, d.c. i could be wrong, but when the catholic church puts a million dollars, the catholic church put a million dollars in this campaign in kansas. in a state there are all kinds of needs for the poor. that causes a lot of head scratching. >> that brings us to the whole question of advantage, disadvantage. it was stunning statistics that the day of the dobbs ruling, voter registration surged 1,000%. we don't know how many people are going to come out. we'll know in a few hours what turnout was, but who does that help? >> i think probably in the end that helps the democrats.

that's probably a lot of young voters and also people who were probably going to sit on the sidelines, but now have engaged. when i went to the polling place last week on a wednesday afternoon to advance mode, it was unlike anything i had ever seen. it was just packed. people were coming out. people were coming and going and i had never seen it. usually there's two or three people in there. so i think people are really engaged. and whether the amendment passes or not, i think things have changed. >> thank you both. you're going to stick with us throughout the hour. thank you. sdplnchts we're here live in missouri also watching a critical primary race for senate. but the big and unexpected question on the republican side of the race is which eric? that's next.

plus the u.s. just took out the head of al qaeda. a man involved in planning 9/11. how they tracked him down after 20 years. and a controversial trip nancy pelosi just landing in taiwan. the harsh new warning from china. you're watching "chris jansing reports," live from kansas city. g reports," live from kansas city. riders! let your queries be known. yeah, hi. instead of letting passengers wrap their arms around us, could we put little handles on our jackets? -denied. -can you imagine? i want a new nickname. can you guys start calling me snake? no, bryan. -denied. -how about we all get quotes to see if we can save with america's number one motorcycle insurer? approved. cool! hey, if bryan's not gonna be snake, can i be snake? -all: no.

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back live in missouri where the primary is coming to a fiery close. in is a state that trump won by 15 points in 2020. attorney general eric schmitt made a late move. now polling ahead as recently as june. but polls aren't always right. and it's hard to quantify the impact of the ads like the controversial rhino hunting ad going after republicans in name only. he's been a heavy target, too. like in this superpac ad based on an affidavit by his wife who accused him of abuse. >> i became afraid of my safety for my children. due to eric's behavior. physical violence toward our children, cuffing our son across

the face. >> his campaign manager called the allegations politically motivated and outright lies. adding to the uncertainty, donald trump. giving his long-awaited endorsement to candidate eric. nobody seems to know which eric he's talking about, but both are claiming his support. ya meet sha is in st. louis. control of the senate is up for grabs. this is like a bad game show. will the real eric please stand up. what is going on with this endorsement? >> it is a baffling, chaotic situation here in missouri with this republican senate primary. you have as you just lid out eric who was the attorney general. a moderate republican, people tell me. i should say he was suing to stop mask mandates here in missouri from going into effect.

then you have the embattled former governor. he's someone who as you said facing allegations of sexual abuse, domestic abuse. he resigned just 18 months after being inaugurate 7d. they are fighting it out to see which eric was endorsed. president trump was looming large in this race, but he leaned in and is really not providing any sort clarification here. take a listen to what eric grooitens told me yesterday. >> i had a conversation with the president and thanked him for his endorsement. you have seen donald trump jr. came out and said we're all getting behind eric greitens. >> reporter: again, it's unclear which of the erics are here being endorsed. the other thing i want to share is voters here say while former president trump is very popular here, there are at least some

voter who is are uncomfortable with how big of an influence he has in this race. take a listen to what one voter told me, a young republican who wants her party to be more focused on middle class issues than the former president. take a listen. >> it's alarming because this man is no longer a former president to a lot of these people. he's like a god. he's something that they look up to and a lot of times maybe he isn't the bst person to look up to. that doesn't go to say he didn't do a lot of good things for the middle class community here, but once again, people are running too far with his influence. >> reporter: you hear her say president trump should not be a god in this race. i have to add one other thing. there's a third eric in this race. he's not a looeding candidate, but if you can't script this. there's a third eric that's thinking he might get endorsed. we don't which eric it is. and maybe the real eric will one

day stand up by the end of today. >> you can't make this stuff upbeat, thank you for all your reporting over the last several days. you know this state and its voters. what's your assessment of the republican race right now? >> trump did this on purpose. all trump cares about is claim canning cred. so he waited until the day before the election and then he was sure one of these two guys is going to win the primary and he can take credit. that's all this is. he purposely did this. here's what i think. i do think the thing in this race is josh hawley was the guy who really made january 6th possible for president trump. he wanted to have a debate. he wanted to have a challenge that the certification of the votes. no republicans in the senate were willing to do that except

josh hawley. he raised his fist in solidarity with president trump and early endorsed harts letter. there was an assumption that would carry weight. that what josh hawley had done for donald trump, no other senator was willing to do. not so fast. vicky was given the back of the hand. she's going to finish a distant third. and i think trump's ebb dorsment did do one thing. it put a lot of republicans that eric greitens isn't the bad guy you think he is. it may be enough to pull him up where he's competitive. but i would say smith will be the nominee. >> the superpac ad we just played is pretty brutal with the voice of reeding the after the from his ex-wife. he's denied it. but this has been a dell yuj in the state. the last number i saw was $43 million spent already how would

you describe the race itself and where do you see it going tonight? >> i think really you have seen an intensification over the last month where you have seen these tough ads. . and let's not forget what trump said about vicky two or three weeks ago the antiendorsement. really opening up the field for the two erics to battle it out here at the finish. but greitens has had all of these allegations over him since he resigned as governor. the affidavit and some of this stuff is very new, very unexpected, but this is certainly a candidate that's had a lot of scandal, a lot of controversy following him for years. >> we talked about how the abortion issue looks to have energized voters in kansas, but what's your take on voters here? what are you hearing on ground? >> i think missouri has banned abortion, so that issue is not on the ballot here, but it is

there is more energy because of this very intense primary race. let's not forget the democratic side, which has also been this intense battle between the former marine and truth day bush valentine. that's unusual. >>. >> they both have been tough. coons has changed his position on some important issues, including abortion, from the full-timetime he ran before until now. now he's gone very far left. that is appealing to democratic primary voters. on the other hand, valentine has done a good job. if you never have to work a day in your life because your family is so rich, i have not many

women who go back and become an rn. that resinates with women. there's women that vote in the primary. so i can't tell how it's going to turn out. but i think that both of them the fact that she's wealthy has been an issue and the fact he's changed his position has been an issue. we'll see how it turns out tonight. >> thank you so much for coming in on this steamy day. make sure you check out our plan your vote tool. it has great information on registration deadlines by state and a lot more you can find plan your vote at nbcnews.com/planyourvote. a major win for the administration as president biden confirms the killing of one of the world's most wanted terrorists. what his death means. and the national security questions after nancy pelosi touched down in taiwan and threats from china. you're watching "chris jansing reports," only on msnbc. reports. can slow me down.

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i could've waited to tell my doctor my heart was racing just making spaghetti... but i didn't wait. i could've delayed telling my doctor i was short of breath just reading a book... but i didn't wait. they told their doctors. and found out they had... atrial fibrillation. a condition which makes it about five times more likely to have a stroke. if you have one or more of these symptoms irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue or lightheadedness, contact your doctor. this is no time to wait. we have more coming up on the krit ka call primaries here in kansas and missouri, but we want do talk about the developments on the national

security front. nancy pelosi arrived in taiwan in defiance of warnings from china, which claims the island as its own. and 20 years after 9/11, the leader of al qaeda is dead. president biden announcing the killing of ayman al zawahiri last night. one of the architects behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks. and no one is better to speak on these issues than former national security adviser in the obama white house. ben, i'm sure it is sered in your brain the day that president biden, who you worked for announced that they got osama bin laden. president obama. president biden says he hopes the killing of al zawahiri brings a measure of closure to the families of 9/11 victims. after 20 years, what does this mean to them and the veterans who fugt in the wars that followed? >> i think it's a really important moment because if you think about it, al zawahiri is kind of the last of the core al

qaeda who built that organization, plotted the 9/11 attacks. they have been decimated over the years. he was kind of the last one out there. and with him removed, i think we can say while there's still terrorist threats, al qaeda the organization doesn't exist anymore. given the fact that we have had such muddled results in the wars in iraq and afghanistan and so much expenditures and resources in these wars, the one thing i think we can say is we got the guys who did 9/11. that's frankly where this all began. that's what these men and women signed up to do. and so given the uncertainty in the world, people can feel like this was accomplished. >> on the "today" show this morning, white house national securitied a providers jake sullivan was asked if al zawahiri was planning attacks against u.s. interests. here's what he said.

>> we do believe he was playing an active role in directing al qaeda and in continuing to pose a severe threat against the united states and american citizens everywhere. >> so what does this killing mean for al qaeda and to u.s. national security interests? pz. >> given the fact that al qaeda has been so fractured over the years, lost bin laden, lost a lot of their strategic leadership, there's nobody really left who can pull this organization together and give it a strategic focus. so taking him off the battlefield, moving al zawahiri from the leadership of al qaeda, there's still going to be people plotting against the united states. but there's nobody left from that original generation of al qaeda lead can serve as the full-grown and the strategic direction to the organization. i think it does raise questions that he was in afghanistan.

they had a pre9/11 alliance. which supported al qaeda is now a part of the government of afghanistan. so for the administration, i think on the one hand, this raises concerns about whether or not you're going to see more efforts by taliban-associated people to bring back members of al qaeda to afghanistan. on the other end, they can say they would maintain capability. if you doubt that, just look at what happened to this terrorist inside of kabul. so it's a sign that we have the capability to continue to go after al qaeda, even though we don't have those thousands of u.s. troops inside of afghanistan. >> then you have speaker pelosi in taiwan. the white house's national security spokesperson said administration officials are concerned that china could use the visit as an excuse to take provocative retaliatory steps, including military action in taiwan. what is your take on pelosi's visit? >> i'm sure that the chinese will do something in response.

they will have to calibrate what that is. is that military exercises, saber rattling? the reality is we have seen china increasingly in recent years try to intimidate people from engagement with taiwan or any comment on what china perceives as internal affairs. while this is a provocative visit, given how much china tried to send a message she wasn't supposed to go there, if you'd back down in that con ex-it would have sent a message to other governments around the world. that if you're threatened by china, you should back down. and that's what the government has been running for years. you're seeing pushback in recent years not just out of the outside, but some other governments saying, wait a minute, even though we may recognize a one china policy, even though we are not trying to upset the status quo and push in

the direction of independence, that doesn't mean we can't have some kind of working level contact with taiwan, which is a democracy which is a country that has a long standing relationship with the united states. it's going to stir the pot and raise tensions, but that's the new normal we're in. we have to get accustomed to the reality that they are just going to be heightened issues around taiwan, given how much china has taken a more aggressive posture and how many the taiwan has moved away from negotiation with china because they don't see any end point other than being swallowed up in the manner that hong kong was. >> ben rhodes, thank you so much. now an update on a story we have been following closely on this program. after widespread pressure to amp up the federal government's fight against monkeypox, president biden has appointed a white house monkeypox coordinate. he's robert fenton, who led the

mass vaccination expert. those appointments come just after california declared a state of emergency. it's the third state to do that after new york and illinois. right now in kansas, abortion is on the ballot for the first time since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. but what about the battles over abortion rate rights in other states? what will today's vote tell us going forward? now we expect merrick garland to make an announcement related to reproductive health care access. we'll bring that to you live. you're watching a special edition of "chris jansing reports," live from kansas city.

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city and the abortion fight is the first on the ballot since roe was overturned. one of dozens of battles over abortion raging across the country. after the supreme court ruled abortion bans were triggered in seven states. a ban in louisiana went into effect over the weekend. bans in idaho, they went in quickly. and in fact, in west virginia the legislature is fast tracking a a bill that would ban abortion in nearly all cases. in south carolina, lawmakers are working on a ban that would criminalize helping someone get an abortion. you could get a sentence up to 25 years there. in indiana, the senate passed a near total ban in a rare weekend session. that the state that became the emotional center of this debate after a 10-year-old girl had to go there for an abortion. i want to bring in kaitlyn lang, she covers the indiana state house -- let's go to attorney general merrick garland who is

now speaking about the idaho law. let's listen. >>. >> in some circumstances, the medical treatment necessary to stabilize the patient's condition is abortion. this make the case when a woman is undergoing a miscarriage that threatens septic infection or hemorrhage or is suffering from severe preclamps ya. when a hospital determines abortion is the medical treatment necessary to stabilize the patient's emergency medical condition, it is required by federal law to provide that treatment. as detailed in our complaint, idaho's law would make it a criminal offense for doctors to provide the emergency medical treatment that federal law requires. although the idaho law provides an exception to prevent the death of a pregnant woman, it

includes no exception for cases in which the abortion is necessary to prevent serious jeopardy to the woman's health. moreover, it would subject doctors to arrest and criminal prosecution, even if they performed an abortion to save a woman's life and it would then place the burden on the doctors to prove that they are not criminally liable. the united states seeks a law that it violates the claus of the constitution and is preempted by federal law to the extent it is in conflict. the united states also seeks an injunction prohibiting idaho from enforcing its law against health care providers who provide the emergency treatment required. in the days since the dobbs decision, there's been widespread reports of delays and denials of treatment to pregnant women experiencing medical emergencies.

today the justice department's message is clear. it does not matter what state a hospital subject operates in. if a patient comes into the emergency room is with a medical emergency jeopardizing the a patient's life, the hospital must provide the treatment necessary to stabilize that patient. this includes abortion and that is the necessary treatment. any state law that prevents a hospital from fulfilling its obligation violates federal law. on the day roe was overturned, we promised that the justice department would work tirelessly to advance reproductive freedom. that's what we're doing. and that is what we will continue to do. we will use every tool at our disposal to ensure pregnant

women get the emergency medical treatment to which they are entitled under federal law. and we will closely scrutinize abortion laws to ensure they comply with federal law. >> that's merrick garland saying the u.s. is going to file a lawsuit challenging the idaho abortion law. claire mccaskill is still with me. this is what joe biden said he was going to do. to the extent that we as a federal government can look at some of the laws we're going to do it, what do you make of what we just heard? >> i think what merrick garland is getting at is something that i have learned in talking to doctors since dobbs was overturned. sometimes these laws, no one is going to be prosecuted or put in jail, but what has happened is doctors are now being told by their lawyers don't go there. don't perform that procedure. be careful. you could go to jail. and that is going to have an impact dramatic impact on

women's health in this country. because doctors are going to be afraid. they are caught. they used to worry about the patient. now they have to worry about prison. this is putting them in the worst situation possible. what makes it worse is that you have these laws that will be so different and so extreme in so many states across the nation. >> we're going to talk about a lot of different laws now because we have focused earlier on what's happening in kansas, but i want to bring into the conversation kaitlyn lang, who covers the indiana state house for the indianapolis star. melissa murray is a law professor and nbc legal analyst. we were mentioning the fact that indiana, obviously, became part of the center of this when the ohio 10-year-old went to indiana to have an abortion. and i understand the legislature is working on a bill. tell about what's going on there.

>> it's a very messy system here. on saturday the senate passed a bill that would ban abortions. so now we're seeing what the house wants to do with it. just this morning they announced the potential for the health of the mother as well. it's really interesting to see how the 10-year-old discussion might add into the conversations here. >> kaitlyn, thank you for that. melissa a lot of language in these bills is similar, but in some cases it's also vague like indiana and south carolina, there are provisions to protect the life and health of the mother. but claire was pointing out for lawyers advising doctors, that's difficult to define. are the bills written that way on purpose?

>> i think it's fair to say that a landscape of chaos and confusion can be as effective in limiting access to abortion as an outright ban. and claire is right. you have these doctors in the untenable position either performing professional malpractice by not providing this care or exposing themselves to criminal liability if they do. so again, in those circumstances, many physicians won't take the risk or they will weigh the risk and find that criminal liability far outweighs the prospect of a malpractice suit and won't perform these procedures, which makes it difficult for those who actually need this kind of care, whether it's because of miscarriage management or simple lu because she wants an abortion at some period in pregnancy. so these are difficult conversations. the attorney general has come out of the gate swinging with the federal preemption suit. this is an interesting dwoomt.

many cast the administration for a slow start in dealing with this. but this is a very forceful step to make clear that to the extent that these state laws are in conflict with existing federal laws, that the federal laws carry the field in these circumstances. >> i also want to ask about some language in the south carolina bill that apparently would make it illegal to provide information to people seeking an abortion. can you reconcile that with first amendment protections of free speech? what do you make of that? >> i think there's very likely to be a plausible challenge on first amendment grounds. certainly, to limit speech conferring information a about abortion might be viewed as a kind of viewpoint discrimination, which is prohibited under the first amendment. so there's a very plausible challenge here. again, all of this is going to proceed through litigations. much of it through the federal courts. these are the same federal courts that over the course of

four years donald trump managed to stop with conservatives. many of whom were vetted exs pressly for the purpose of having an tip think towards abortion rights. this will have to go through those gauntlets first, but go e gauntlets first, but ultimately, these are very pitched court battles likely to make their way to federal court, but the supreme court. >> and i think speaking to the chaos that melissa mentioned, claire, i want to ask you about enforcement. even in cases of texas and alabama, there are d.a.s, prosecutors, saying i will not prosecute this restrictive abortion ban that the state legislature put in. how do you see that playing out? >> well that will be another chaotic battle. because what you're going to see, those prosecutors challenging elections by republicans that are more extreme than they are. i'm sure for some of the d.a.s,

they may be areas like kansas city which is bluer nan most of my state and we're saying we're not taking the cases to the court. the bottom line is, as long as there are so many people in the republican party pushing the envelope to go after people with information to stop women from crossing state lines to, you know, do civil liability for people who give somebody a ride in their car, an uber driver. they are going to turn off the majority of this country. and they are also going to make it very difficult for women in the short run, to find a safe place to take care of their health. >> claire, you're going to stick around, mel slays murray, thanks so much for your legal expertise, we appreciate it. all eyes are on arizona high-stakes primaries today as the power of the trump endorsements gets put to yet another major contest up and down the republican ballot. we'll go inside with the president and the false claims to fuel the election. we've got the latest from phoenix coming up, next.

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♪ ♪ we believe there's an innovator in all of us. ♪ ♪ that's why we build technology that makes it possible for every business... and every person... to come to the table and do more incredible things. ♪ ♪ if you want to summarize the high-takes republican primary for governor of arizona it's no less than a referendum what it means to be a republican right now. with all the races across the country with more and more power going back to the state, they are the final arbiter, deciding whether or not to sign bills on issues like abortion, to voting rights, to gun access. voters in arizona are deciding whether it will be kari lake,

whose campaign is built on the big lie and donald trump's endorsement. >> anybody who was involved in that corrupt, shady, shoddy election of 2020 lock them up. >> or will it be karrin taylor robson who had the endorsement of doug ducey. >> more and more voices lending their names and time and energy to me. >> those results are going to give us a pretty amazing view from 30,000 feet. and so will the race for secretary of state. a test of power of election lies. claire mccaskill, we're going to there now, what is the republican party, tonight's election here in arizona is going to give us big clues. >> it will, and if in fact the

big lie candidates, anyone who's watched, really watched the january 6th committee hearing know what a fraud this was to try to convince americans our elections aren't safe and secure. and there are so many candidates running on that premise. arizona is exhibit "a." this kari lake, she used to be, according to her friends kind of normal. now, she's gone to crazy-town. and it's all overturning elections and doing away with voting machines and all of the stuff that's practical and silly. the same as the secretary of state there, he has basically said we'll never lose another election if i don't win secretary of state. and for the candidates out there, that's good news for candidate mark kelly who don't necessarily need a lot of moderate republicans, traditionally voting for a lot of republicans, i think it's going to move them to his side

of the agenda. >> there's an interesting study in pew, saying the decisive question for democrats is whether or not the economics can push people away from election lies, january 6. republicans, you might argue could be at a disadvantage to middle of the road voters. the study concludes that the gop holds the edge on the economy but democrats have wide advantages on most other key issues including health care, race, abortion, climate change, policies affecting lgbtq people. it's a long sentence, is it a complicated message if you're a democrat running against one of these folks who embraces the big lie? >> well, i think it's the economy versus extremism. whether it's extreme voices saying our elections are no good in the country or extreme voices saying they're not allowed to terminate a pregnancy or extreme voices saying what we need to do

is give our children ar-15s in classrooms to protect themselves. that stuff is out there and i will put this in the conversation because i think it's important. a lot of coverage about gas prices going up. gas prices have gone down for 49 days in a row. if that continues, if the stock market stabilizes, if the jobs numbers continue strong, that will continue to weaken their economic case, and, frankly, i think put even more emphasis on some of their extreme views that have turned off a lot of suburban voters. >> so much happening tonight. it's going to be an interesting one. look, when we went on the air, the real feel temperature was 100 degrees. claire mccaskill, you are a true friend and amazing to stay out here in this heat. >> listen, i'm used to hot weather in august in missouri. this is not a big deal. i campaigned in this kind of weather for way more years than i want to admit.

>> claire mccaskill, thank you so much. join us with another "jansing & company" live tomorrow at 1:00. we'll have that tomorrow on msnbc. stay tuned, yasmin vossoughian picks up our coverage, next. it disrupts my skin with rash. but now, i can disrupt eczema with rinvoq. rinvoq is not a steroid, topical, or injection. it's one pill, once a day, that's effective without topical steroids. many taking rinvoq saw clear or almost-clear skin while some saw up to 100% clear skin. plus, they felt fast itch relief some as early as 2 days. that's rinvoq relief. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal, cancers including lymphoma and skin cancer, death, heart attack, stroke, and tears in the stomach or intestines occurred. people 50 and older with at least one heart disease risk factor have higher risks.

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♪♪ hey, everybody, good to be with you, i'm yasmin vossoughian in for katy tur. we have so much news on this primary news both at home and overseas. house speaker nancy pelosi ignoring threats from china and landing a couple hours ago in taiwan. we'll have more on that coming up. also today, we're learning new details about the u.s. drone strike that killed the mastermind hind the september 11 attack. al qaeda's top leader ayman al zawa