because this climate thing is your problem. man 2: 40 years ago, when our own scientists at big oil predicted that burning fossil fuels could lead to catastrophic effects, we spent billions to sweep it under the rug. man 3: so we're going to be fine. but you might want to start a compost pile, turn down the ac. you got a lot of work to do because your kids are going to need it. good evening.

welcome to politicsnation. tonight's lead, uncharted territory. right now, the week ahead promises to be an unprecedented one for our nation, which of course follows last week's unprecedented fbi search of donald trump's mar-a-lago estate. and the revelations that have followed since nearly a dozen sets of classified materials were retrieved from the former presidents home, as part of a federal espionage investigation. this weekend, we learned that a trump lawyer sent a letter to the justice department in june.

claiming that all classified materials had been returned to the government. that's according to reporting from the new york times. according to four people with knowledge of that document. nbc news has not seen the document and is working to confirm the reporting. but today, top democrats in the house are calling for a damage assessment of those documents. trump's defense -- dubious claims of executive privilege and preemptive declassification. meanwhile, summon law enforcement are worried trump supporters could go on offense. the fbi and homeland security issuing a joint warning this weekend. preparing the country for more potentially violent responses. right-wing social media surging with threats against attorney general merrick garland, the

justice department, and of course, fbi agents themselves. armed trump supporters protested outside the fbi office in phoenix just yesterday just days after the january 6th insurrectionists attacked an agency officer in cincinnati, ohio. if you were waiting for republican lawmakers to condemn any of this, you'll have to keep waiting, because instead of distancing themselves from a former president now proximate to a potential espionage investigation, some republicans have just called for the espionage act to be repealed. that's their version of law and order? all the latest developments from trump world tonight on politicsnation, plus democrats taxed, climate and health care bill is no waiting for president biden's signature.

a big win that has been over shadowed by a bigger scandal. shadowed by a bigger scandal can democrats fan this breakthrough with donald trump's growing legal woes to prevail in the midterm elections? it is only 90 days away, we are going to talk about all of that. we have another big. so let's begin. turning me now is congressman, mike quigley, quickly is a democrat of illinois. a member of the house intelligence committee. congressman, thank you for joining us tonight. >> thank you, reverend. >> so much to unpack after this truly unprecedented past week. i want to start with this new reporting from the new york times, citing for sources familiar with the letter sent by a trump lawyer to the

justice department in june. claiming that all classified material had been returned to the government. it appears based on the events of this week that that didn't actually happen. what is your take on that, congressman? what could it mean? >> well, it is a big deal. it is an indication, a possible indication that the former president wasn't truthful. wasn't forthcoming with federal investigations. that is probably why it explains -- a possible violation of the statute. particularly objections train which was listed by the department in their application to get this warrant in the first place, to do the search. >> when you hear the former president now saying today on his social media page that he may have pre-classified these

documents and other things, he is confirming that these documents were there? >> absolutely. look, there's no evidence that he did the declassification. 's those limits to how to uphold the dhaka suffocation, including the fact that this is mar-a-lago where we have foreign visitors coming, people who are concerned about espionage. it's only guarded with we are understanding to be a padlock? it's the height of irresponsibility. there is a lot more questions that need to be answered. >> as you, said he had foreign visitors coming to mar-a-lago that could have been seeing things. we saw pictures early in his presidency where someone in from russia was looking at documents on his desk from the oval office. let me ask you, this how does adam schiff join house oversight chair, carolyn maloney, this weekend.

on a letter to the director of national intelligence. calling for a review and damage assessment of the materials of we -- as a member of helps intelligence, whatever word you and your colleagues trying to deduce from the damage assessment? >> sure, we want an assessment of what was actually covered. what its risk was -- i got an assessment and a briefing to congress as well. they remarked at the highest levels of secrecy. as members of the committee we were instructed from day one that this is a grave danger to national security. what comes to my mind is the sources. our national security would be at stake, live should be at stake, particularly those in the intelligence community.

these are bottom line big issues. we need to get to the bottom of them. i believe that we will respond and we will get this primary. that is only the beginning of uncovering everything that has taken place and with the risk will involve. >> now, the fbi and department of homeland security issued a joint bulletin this weekend. wanting a more potential threat to law enforcement after the mar-a-lago search, citing last week's attack on an fbi officer in cincinnati. we also have multiple reports of armed trump supporters protesting outside the phoenix fbi office just yesterday. are you worried that there is more violence to come from trump supporters as this investigation and others surrounding donald trump may escalate? >> it is a very very big concern. again, the height of the mock

-- hypocrisy. a january 6th i watch the president speak well i was in the capitol. he just stuck thousands of people on. us -- so as we know, people died, over 100 police officers were injured. and the issues that you just described, we have heard an onslaught of my republican colleagues saying things that would do nothing more than insight violence. talking about defunding the fbi? so much for the party of law enforcement. i'm hoping that collar voices prevail -- republicans talking about this and saying let's get more information and not inside the public. >> you know, congressman, it was when someone on the right tried to act as though some of us who have been in the civil

rights -- want to defund the police, which we do not advocate that. some use that slogan but they certainly are not those of us that have been involved in a lot of the struggles. all of the sudden, after a surge, they want to defund the fbi? seems a little contradictory to me. thank, you congressman. mike quigley, thank you for being with us this evening. joining me now, nbc news senior reporter, ben collins. then, thanks for bringing your expertise to the show tonight. starting, off i want to get your reaction to the joint bulletin from the fbi and homeland security citing the surge in violent threats against law enforcement following mar-a-lago search and of course the attack on the fbi office in phoenix. and -- what more can you tell us, then? >> yeah, it's dated august 12th. that means it came out on

friday. the fbi has a thin increasing threats to federal law enforcement. they say it is online and other platforms that could be -- it could be real life somewhere. and they specifically say the cincinnati attack happened a couple of days before. like you said, i have -- that rally in phoenix just yesterday morning, that was put on by the proud boys. that was checking out the proud boys arizona phoenix chapter. a few days ago, wednesday, thursday. they started hyping this up around them too. they're not letting off the gas here. they have a specific target for the first time in a very long time. it is federal agents. it is some of the targets they've had for a long time in their head with, what they call alphabet boys. short for three letter agencies, fbi, see i, a things like that. now they know that the fbi has searched mart a log out they

have viewed the fbi as the number one enemy. >> then, it appears that this new big lie come from the republican lawmakers who have in large part for clean that the fbi surgeons investigation are politically motivated. -- that's been much of the language how do you constrain -- not just undermining the justice department, but insisting that a warrant to search was part of an anti trump plot. >> we are in very dangerous territory here. donald trump sent a letter to merrick garland saying why can i do to reduce the heat? there's an easy way to review this. reduce the seat. fbi agents are not to be targeted. do not target fbi agents.

there's been nothing like that. for many of the people in the gop. with what they've done instead is -- the biden ministration has higher new irs agents with this read. as if they're going to use these irs -- to forcibly raid peoples houses, take the mining, take their guns, things like that. not just on extremist forms or -- but on fox news. you hear them constantly talking about these new irs agents. they do it to signal to a base that has conflated those two things on purpose. they are now trying to tell people that if trump can be rated, anybody else can be next. >> now, given this rhetoric online, you get the sense that a larger kind of singular event, similar in scope to january six

could occur? dozen ministration have the tools to prevent it, if you feel it's possible? >> it's a good question. i think we are going to be -- c more frequently -- i don't wanna call them a lone wolf attacks, but it's people who are individually still riled up by these forms, surrounded by the rhetoric, they take it out by themselves. the militias are being watched more than ever by federal agencies. that's good news. they previously thought they had diplomatic immunity under donald trump. they kind of did. let's be real about this. now they do not at all. so organized attacks -- donald trump was happy to give people -- to be a ringleader. he knew the rhetoric. right now they don't have that guy. they don't have that date. you could step back in and provide that to them. let's just hope he does. >> finally, ben, last week

marked the fifth anniversary of the white supremacist unite the right rally in charlottesville, virginia, that resulted in the death of one woman and the injuries of a dozen people. briefly, where does that tragic event fit into what we are seeing now with the surge of the rhetoric from the far-right? >> it was the kickoff for what we see now as the base of the gop. we talk a lot about replacement theory. about how whites in america are being replaced now. that is something that they chanted the night before the rally, remember that. some people were yelling, you will not replace us. some were yelling, jews will not replace us. there is a large cabal trying to make america less white. now you see, those groups that marched that day, sometimes marching for sometimes near the

first time the proud boys, and it was their big coming out party. they are larger than ever. and those militias and groups have more power than ever five years later. >> ben collins, thank you for being with us. just ahead, congress house passed the inflation reduction act. now it's our turn to rise up and make sure it makes an impact in time for midterms. i will explain after the break. later, a blast from the past where the trump ira twist. this week we will learn more about sarah palin's political future. we will talk about it with my political panel ahead. but first, my colleague richard louis with today's other top news stories. richard? >> rev, good afternoon. some stories are following. one person is dead and 17 or dead after a man drove a car into a crowd at a fund-raiser last night in pennsylvania. the police say the suspect went on to kill a second victim in a neighbor in town before being

apprehended. the 24-year-old male suspect is being held without bail -- they'll. now with salmon richie's agent saying is the author is off a ventilator. now talking about being stabbed ten times while he was on stage in new york speaking. the man accused of attacking him pled not guilty to attempted murder and assault charges. he's being held in jail without bond. investigators say the suspect expressed support for the iranian revolutionary guard on the social media accounts. for -- church in egypt lift 41 worshippers dead and another 14 injured. egypt's internal ministry said an electrical problem within our conditioning unit started that fire. more politics nation with reverend al sharpton right after this break. reverend al sharpton right after this break

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inflation reduction act. a massive climate health care and corporate tax bill. it now heads to president

biden's desk to be signed into law. this is a huge win for biden and for democrats in congress. let's take a moment to talk about what is in the legislation. the bill will cap perception drug costs to $2,000 per year for millions of americans on medicare. bringing down the out of pocket costs for seniors beginning in 2025. and soon people will qualify and they will not pay any more than $25 for insulin. the legislation reduces the effects of climate change by investing nearly 400 billion dollars in energy and environmental programs over the next decade, including cash incentives to switch to electric vehicles and tax breaks for consumers who transition to renewable energy sources. the goal is to reduce carbon emissions by about 40% before

2030. meanwhile, tens of billions of dollars will be given to cities hardest hit by climate change. that will directly impact black and latina neighborhoods who face outsize environmental threats, both now and in the future. such as floods and extreme heat according to a team of u.s. and uk researchers. these are only a few examples of what is included in the inflation reduction act. it's not everything. many of our -- it is a start. democrats delivered on this bill. not a single republican in the house or senate voted to support it. think about that. not a single republican. senate majority leader, chuck, schumer says he is confident that if democrats can pick up a few more seats this november

they can to another reconciliation bill that improves many items on the current legislation. whether that happened is ultimately up to you. if you like that democrats are finally making some progress in addressing the country's needs, rise up and tell your friends and neighbors about it. they may happen to be -- pay attention or distract you by the mini headlines that come out of washington. of course, make a plan to vote. don't wait until the last minute. we can't fix our democracy unless we remain engaged with it. we will be right back. we >> -- -- -- binqo — fda approved. 100% steroid free. not an injection, cibinqo is a once-daily pill

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when tired, achy feet make your whole body want to stop, it's dr. scholl's time. our insoles are designed with unique massaging gel waves, for all-day comfort and energy. find your relief in store or online. welcome back to politicsnation. we go now to my political panel. let's bring in maya wylie, president of the leadership congress on civil and human

rights. and former democratic candidate for mayor of new york city. also, ryan weekends, chief of staff for the lincoln project. maya, let me go to you first. the former president is in hot water after the fbi searched mar-a-lago and found 11 boxes of classified documents including top secret materials meant to be viewed in secured government facilities. we now know the justice department has probable cause to investigate three possible federal crimes, violation of the espionage act, obstruction of justice and criminal handing of government records. as of now no one has been charged for a crime. how serious is the situation for trump and what other possible consequences? >> this looks very serious for donald trump. we don't know the evidence and

what was uncovered, but the reason it's serious is because of the porting -- reporting is accurate, number one, he had not only classified documents, he had top secret documents. documents that, frankly, if by that designation means if they had become public in some way, could be seriously dangerous to the national security, a country, and only very few people even allowed to see those documents. so just because you have a security clearance does not mean you can see them. here's the thing about the espionage act, which was one of the provisions. it actually -- donald trump's running around saying, hey i declassified everything. the espionage act is not whether it was classified are not classified, it's about whether or not it was harmful in it's release and there was a provision in the warrant that is really important.

that said, not only are you allowed to look for classified documents. you're allowed to look for any information that shouldn't have been retained, may have been concealed or transmitted. that says that it's not just whether or not he had classified top secret documents, it's what he did with them. that is what is raising a lot of eyebrows. >> very, very interesting. what's your take? republicans are almost all round lead around trump during this uproar over the fbi search of mar-a-lago. what do you think that is? >> i think where there's smoke there's usually fire. i don't understand why you see the state level republicans wrapping themselves in a burning blanket. it's ridiculous for them to be defending this right now, especially when we don't even have all the information, but as more and more information

comes out he gets worse and worse for trump. i don't understand why they would put this platform at risk. why they would put the midterms that risk. most of the country is moderate. they are completely alienating that part of their base by defending the indefensible. >> ryan, trump scandals haven't diminished his strong influence over the gop voters. in two days, alaskans will hold their primary, putting the divisions in the party on display in two separate races. former alaskan governor and former candidate for vice president, sarah palin, is running for the house. she is being backed by trump, and senator lisa murkowski, who has a record of working with democrats, is fighting off a trump supporter challenger to hold on to her seat. what are you expecting to see play out in alaska? >> i'll tell you. i think sarah palin has a real problem. i think that the fact that she

has all of this fame, and it's new since the last time she was on the ballot. she's got fame that has kind of put her out of touch with a lot of alaskans. i think that that's going to cause her some heartache. she's the mother of monica. as a mom, i can tell you at some point, your kids don't think you're cool anymore. i think she's getting a point where, -- ten years ago or not landing like they did before. >> maya, let's turn to two republican candidates at the top of the pennsylvania ticket. state senator doug mastriano who is an election denier, who was present outside of the capitol on january 6th along with doctor oz. doctor oz who's trying to show up please standing with the right-wing base.

the pair has nil in common, but what connects them is their support for donald trump. with risk to these candidates pose their elected in november? >> there's huge risk for voters for lawfully register to vote in the state of pennsylvania. look, you and i both know that pennsylvania has been ground zero for voters suppression for years now. and it has a universal mail-in ballot. that is the law of the state that makes it easier for folks to vote, particularly if you're black. particularly if you're elderly, a person with disabilities. one of the things that republicans are trying to do right now, and it does build off the big lie, which is an old lie that somehow this protects elections, is to make it harder for people to vote over people of color from urban

areas are elderly. and if these candidates win, they will be advancing for instance efforts to take that lot away from voters. that's something that should concern people, in a matter who they want to vote for. issue is not with party urine. the issue is whether you are allowed to get to the ballot box, in a lawful way if you're lawfully allowed to vote. this is the gaslighting of pennsylvanians. they have to be careful. >> ryan congresswoman liz cheney is facing a tough challenge going into tuesday's wyoming primary election. if cheney loses, she is vowed to stay in the spotlight and continue her fight to rid the republican party of trump. how do you see cheney's political future? >> you know, i think it says a lot about how far the republican party has gone into extremism. you're talking about liz cheney,

the daughter of the former vice president of the united states being the enemy of the republican party. in what world is that a thing? in the past, republicans have used the purity test that democrats with themselves through to their advantage when it comes to elections. now you're seeing the republicans have a purity test of their own if they're parting -- they're eating their own. i think it's only good for the country that they do these kinds of things, because as we know, most of the country exists somewhere in the middle. when you are making republicans pass these foreign purity test against democracy and everything else, you are alienating those people, those people who were once part of your gop base or not -- they don't recognize that. that's not who they are anymore. and you're alienating that part of the base. you know, liz may have some trouble ahead, but she may not, because again, which he's doing i think, is standing by her values, and good for her.

>> maya, democrats have come to embrace congresswoman cheney during the january 6th investigation. though they don't agree -- if she does lose her seat, is this also a defeat for their democrats and their efforts to prop up our democracy? >> look, i think anytime someone is standing up for democracy of either party and being punished for it politically, that's a problem from our democracy. i think the fact that liz cheney has shown that she is willing to stand up, take the heat from her own party, heat that she should not have to take, and that actually is an indicator that more people should. i think what we've been seeing playing out in the january six committee, where more and more trump allies, trump appointees have been coming forth and telling the truth. we're going to continue to see that trend. i think it's very important for the country that that level of transparency with the facts

being brought to light, but also with people who are republicans standing up and saying, this is something we all share. this is the common denominator for our democracy in our politics. that is that no person should be able to sit in the oval office and take away democratic rights and use it for personal gain. i think liz cheney has demonstrated that our democracy will continue to survive, as long as we continue to have leaders who will stand up and have some boundaries. >> maya wiley and ryan weekends, thank you both for being with us this evening. coming up, with democracy under threat, this year's race for secretary of state is more critical than ever. my next guest joins me to discuss how she plans to ensure election fatness right after the break.

welcome back to politicsnation. the midterms are heating up, and while we are usually hearing about races from the house senate and governor, secretaries of state are also vitally important. in many states, these are the officials charged with protecting voting rights and big elections. my next guest is running in connecticut. first black secretary of state. joining me now doug is stephanie thomas, state

representative. thank you for joining us, first of them, and congratulations on your primary winner -- first of all, talk to me a little bit about what it means to you to be running for secretary of state in connecticut as a black woman in a country that is still coming to grips with former president trump's big lie about the 2020 elections? >> thank you for having me. it is personally so significant. my father could barely read. my mom has a ged, so when people ask me if i ever thought i'd be secretary of state, a candidate on the democratic ticket, the answer is no. i was just hopeful i would be able to go to college, get a job or earn a living. this is so gratifying. it also feels really good to me, because i got on this ticket to talk about something that no

one ever talks about, which is civic education and engagement. we could have all the voter access we want, but when people are opting out or they don't understand how the system works, and i think that often a tech effects people of color, people in lower socioeconomic levels. so to be on the stick it with that as my message is also very personally significant. >> you recently wrote an op-ed for the connecticut post titled, this democracy belongs to all of us and i am ready to fight to protect it in and of quote. in a, right and i'm quoting, this our democracy and our right to vote are under attack here in connecticut and across the country. end quote. tell me what you mean by that. if elected, how you would protect and ensure the right to vote in a fair and free election. >> as a country who just finished watching all the

january 6th hearings, and we've been seeing firsthand with the republican party has been putting out as the big lie, i really think they're doing a disservice to our democracy, because when we talk about disenfranchising voters, people are starting to lose faith in the system that works most of the time. when they start talking about fraud, when it is actually human error, not people trying to keep the system when they talk about all the cheating that went on, that was never proven, and in fact, has been disproven. i think they're chipping away at all of our faith, and when we lose faith, i don't know what we have next in our democracy. i plan to make sure that, again, as i just mentioned, civic

education, i think people weren't susceptible to the big lie narrative and susceptible to misinformation, because most people don't actually understand how our elections work. i'm hoping to educate, not just children, but adults as well, and hopefully stand up a program that will be replicated across the country to make sure that people are not so set up to believe anything the here, because most of it has not been sure. >> let's talk a little more about the national pitch for the secretaries of state. doug kim crockett, the latest gop candidate who's perpetrating former president donald trump's big lie, the false narrative that the 2020 elections were fraudulent. crockett is one of the many right-wing candidates we've seen this midterm election season using the big lie to

boost their campaign chances among the republican base. what are your thoughts about that, and do you think people are now beginning to see the importance around the country of the secretary of state in their state? >> i certainly hope so, but i'm not sure. yes, we had that election last week. they had the arizona candidate. also, election deniers here in connecticut. we have someone who has filed many claims of fraud, which were debunked. it's really troubling, but if anything, i feel like more people don't know what to think versus debunking these lies and these narratives. the only counter to that is to have more people show up at the polls and express their displeasure, but more and more, we are seeing what used to be considered moderate republicans losing to these election

deniers, and i think that is a very troubling trend. i hope the democratic party independents, et cetera start to reach out and vote and try to reject this narrative that is so harmful, i think, to our country. >> a lot of us are thinking about secretaries of states right now, because the issue of voting rights that is so critical. but of course, this is not the only -- in the office. tell us a little bit about your other priorities, including your state small businesses. especially entrepreneurial -- >> absolutely. i'm a small business owner myself. i know how it takes such a leap of faith, and so many hours spent to make your business grow, thrive, and the secretary of the states office here in connecticut, we are the repository, the first place where all of these businesses interact with the state.

so, i would like to be a lot more proactive in getting resources, grant opportunities. funding, into the hands of these business owners, and as you said, we know who is classified as a minority-owned business. a woman owned business. a veteran owned business. and we can be a real partner to them, and also a partner with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations to make sure that they thrive. our businesses, especially small businesses, are the backbones of many communities, and i look forward to helping them succeed. >> stephanie thomas, democratic candidate for secretary of state in the state of connecticut, thank you for being with us. up next, my final thoughts. stay with us.

moments ago, you saw people of all races head to charlottesville virginia to protest the statue of a confederate general robert e. lee. the one who is guilty of treason who led an army to overthrow the u.s. government and the maintenance of slavery. the night before the rally, hundreds marched to the streets of charlottesville saying, he will not replace us, many saying jews will not replace us. then hate. that venom that grows to such an occasion that -- susan roe, her mother appeared on the show. she talked to me about the loss,

and this hate filled kind of atmosphere. in the middle of that, the president of the united states, donald trump, said there were good people on both sides. from five years ago in charlottesville through january 6th, through what we are seeing today, through continuing to watch those that would go in front of fbi headquarters, because the fbi followed the law and coming with a search warrant and would go there with an intent, as we see proud boys fighting and others standing up. the challenge is as we face the challenge five years ago that blacks and jews, and men and women, and lgbtq, and others, must stand together against going backwards. this is not about replacing

anybody. this is about those that want to displace the united states as a democratic state and nation for all. don't forget charlottesville. that does it for me. next for watching. i'll see you back here next weekend at 5 pm eastern. american voices with alicia menendez starts after the break. here on msnbc.

hello everyone. emily salmon in the. as we begin the sunday with the ongoing fallout from the search of mar-a-lago and the growing list of potential consequences it could hold for the ex president. for the mishandling of america's secrets -- the justice department is investigating possible violations of multiple laws, including the espionage act. top democrats also demanding the director of national intelligence assessments that security risk from this seized document. adam schiff shared the intelligence committee, saying his committee is awaiting a response from the office of dna. trump's action cult deeply alarming. >> first of all, a former president has no declassification authority. the idea that 18 months after the fact, donald trump could