good day. i'm peter alexander in for andrea mitchell here in washington where we are learning new details about what was uncovered in the fbi search of former president trump's mar-a-lago home last month. "the washington post" citing people familiar with the matter reporting the documents detailing a foreign government's military defenses and nuclear capabilities were found by agents during that august search. the highly sensitive documents are so closely guarded that many senior national security officials are kept in the dark about them. former trump white house strategist steve bannon awaiting sentencing after being convicted on two counts of contempt of congress is now reacting to another "washington post" report that he will turn himself in to new york investigators tomorrow facing a new state criminal indictment. bannon telling nbc news overnight that state prosecutors in new york are engaging in, coat, political weaponization of the criminal justice system. this hour, we will take a dive

into the impact the supreme court's abortion decision could have on the november midterms. congressional democrats grow more optimistic about their chances to hold the majority. next hour, former president barack obama returns to the white house joined by michelle obama, her first trip back to the white house since she left there in 2017. it's the official unveiling of their white house portraits. we begin with justice and intelligence correspondent ken dilanian, paul charlton and tracy wallner. ken, to you out of the gate. this is a significant development. walk us through what new we are learning. >> pete he ", the post" is saying there was a document referencing nuclear capabilities. they are aren't saying whether it's classified. no criticism. these are hard details.

it's hard to know from this article how significant this document actually is. there are think tank reports that discussion countries' nuclear defenses. the story goes into what we knew about the sensitivity of the documents. the other documents that were taken from mar-a-lago. we knew as of a couple weeks ago that some were top secret sci and special access program. that's as designation for a really secret program read in only -- known only to a handful of people inside the u.s. government, created by a handful of cabinet secretaries, really, really restrictive stuff. it's not clear whether this particular nuclear document came under that category. it's clear that there were some very, very sensitive documents taken from mar-a-lago. >> tracy, i want to get to the reaction from trump's allies in a moment. first, these documents are kept under lock and key, only a very limited number of people are

allowed access or even know that they exist. how concerning is a finding like this to the intelligence community? >> it's extremely concerning. when i worked at the cia, i worked on two special access programs. to give everyone an idea what those look like, you do work inside of a skiff. >> tell us what a skiff is. i know and you know. but i want folks to recognize the lengths that you go in the intelligence community to protect the documents. >> a skiff is a special compartmented information facility. at cia, most people work in one. it's basically a vault. you cannot go in there with your cell, any electronic device whatsoever. information, when it leaves, is typically checked in and out. there's a courier who takes it. when you get into a special access program, there is that sort of main skiff that you walk into. then a smaller skiff. the people who walk into that

skiff have to manually sign in and out each day and account -- i had to account for everywhere i was within that building and when i was inside and outside of the facility. even though my purse did not contain any electronic devices whatsoever, that purse had to actually be left in that outer skiff. the program still is classified today. that's how seriously we take a special access program, particularly at the cia. >> let me walk folks through what the trump spokesperson is saying. "the washington post" is the propaganda arm of the biden administration and instead of operating openly and honestly, they collude in leaks and lies at the expense of the integrity of the fbi and doj. paul, to you, if this reporting is true, legally speaking, how does this impact the case against the former president? >> in two significant ways. first, let's pay attention for a

moment to the search warrant. it means that the government really was left with absolutely no option other than to go to mar-a-lago, gather these documents and place them in a secure location. once they had issued that grand jury subpoena, once the trump team was compelled to disclose all classified information in their possession and once the department of justice learned that the trump team had not complied with that lawful order, what other alternative was left? that's especially so if this information relates to nuclear capabilities of another nation and their defenses. second, peter, what i point to is every single prosecutor who reviews evidence of a case constantly has in the front of mind how it is that evidence is going to be received by a jury. as you know, peter, juries are made up of many different people, many different backgrounds. what is the compelling piece of evidence that you can consider putting before that jury that

would make a prosecution more likely and a conviction more likely as well? here, if the evidence relates to classified information regarding the maintaining of nuclear secrets, the likelihood criminal charges will be brought and the likelihood that there will be an eventual conviction is now greatly increased. >> tracy, let me ask you, as you know, there are nine nuclear powers in the world. how does this impact the relationship with those countries? adversaries like russia, if it's information about them, or allies like israel? >> i think this tremendously impacts really our relationship with our allies. i think we know who our enemies are. we know we have strange relationships with them already. however, countries like israel, great britain, france who are our allies, i want folks to understand, we could not have is stopped a lot of terrorist attacks and some nefarious

operations if we did not have the cooperation of some of these foreign countries. it's incredibly important that we maintain these relationships with them. right now, i think those relationships are hanging on by a thread, because i don't blame them for not trusting us to hold on to their nuclear secrets or human secrets carefully. >> especially if you consider the fact that the former president is considering a presidential run again. he may be the one who had access to this information even if the allies view it as safe right now under the current administration. we appreciate all you guys being with us. joining us now is bill cohen, the former secretary of defense, during the clinton administration. mr. secretary, just out of the gates, i want your reaction to this reporting from "the washington post" that some of the documents recovered describe nuclear capabilities of foreign nations against with only a small group could see them. >> i think we tend to forget

just how important guarding these secrets, especially pertaining to nuclear weapons, reelgly is. it's stunning that this kind of information would be in the private possession of a former president. i can't recall any other example in my experience in politics to be sure where we ever had a president take that kind of information into his personal possession and not have it strictly guarded by official agencies. it is just unprecedented. i think it's -- to follow up on the question you asked a moment ago, our allies will have less trust in us to the extent they believe that we are not conscious of the necessity of keeping this tightly secure. they will not share that information. secondly, we might be gathering information even unbeknownst to them. that would lend itself once again to less trust. trust is the corner of the realm as far as giving our allies and

as far as our allies, we pay billions of dollars in order to gather as much information as we can in the capabilities of our adversaries. >> you were formerly the defense secretary. you weren't president. but you were high up as it goes in terms of access to this sort of classified information. what would have happened to you, for example, if you were found to have had similar to top secret documents at your home unprotected? >> at the time, i would have been called to task. i don't recall ever having a classified document in my apartment in washington. every time i had access to information, there was someone there with a satchel to make sure once i read it, they took it back and took it to the pentagon. if i were to have taken information unbeknowned to the apartment and kept it as my private to preserve, i certainly could have been charged with a crime. certainly, deprived of my position of setting of defense.

i think everyone in the department takes it very seriously as those in the cia, dia and every intelligence agency that we have. >> mr. secretary, pull back the curtain, if you would. what types of conversations, discussions are happening right now at those highest levels of our national security agencies, that community right now based on this new information about what was seized from mar-a-lago, considering what the reporting is? what do they do now to sort of protect the potential fallout of this information having been in the hands of a former president unprotected? >> they have to do a damage assessment. they have to try to understand where this information was, where the documents were, who had access to them. were cleaning personnel or other service employees at mar-a-lago, did they have access? >> mr. cohen, sorry to interrupt. the truth,we have had reporting about other foreign agencies, foreign spies trying to get access to mar-a-lago. we're not speaking in a vacuum.

they recognize access to the former president would provide them information they could use to try to, i don't know, try to do something that would further compromise the united states in the future. >> absolutely. we have to be worried about foreign adversaries trying to get access to it. they could get access not through their nationals but through our own. people who have been compromised working at mar-a-lago. we don't know. that's what the damage assessment is now in terms of how much -- who had access, how many -- what did the president say to people? there's some folders that are empty, but marked in a classified form, top secret or confidential. i don't know and we don't know and will not know until the intelligence community makes an assessment of who saw it. did the president say anything to anybody else? how do we know that? tracking it down and doing an ceasement of where it went. then advising our own folks over the damage and then contacting our allies if we procompromised

their intelligence. >> another topic we were discussing at msnbc. it's what's happening in ukraine right now where the nuclear inspectors say they are considering a shutdown of the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant's power unit if, quote, appropriate conditions arise. this clearly could have a major impact on ukraine and surrounding countries. your view on the situation there as this power plant is kind of the center of this awful war now in its seventh month? >> this is not surprising to me. i think president putin will not stop at any opportunity to exert leverage over ukraine and the western world. during the kosovo campaign, we found that the serbs would place their tanks up against private homes so that we had difficulty in targeting their tanks because we would kill innocent civilians. this is the same thing on a more massive scale, to the notion they put their personnel or their equipment up against that nuclear plant daring the

ukrainians to attack it and, therefore, spread disaster over the region. it's not something not in the playbook of president putin. >> former secretary, former defense secretary william cohen, we appreciate your expertise and time. thanks for being with us. >> thank you. fateful choice. in november more than half of americans will be faced with a candidate on their ballot who denies or casts doubt on the results of the 2020 presidential election. what it means for this country ahead. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. . age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. (vo) give your business an advantage right now, with nationwide 5g from t-mobile for business. boost® high protein also has key nutrients unlock new insights and efficiency, with leading ultra-capacity 5g coverage.

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we're back now. steve bannon is back in the headlines and could find himself in a courtroom. "the washington post" is reporting the former trump white house strategist is facing a new york state indictment less than two months after being convicted in federal court on contempt of congress charges.

kristin welker joins me from our perch on the north lawn. walk us through what more we know about this indictment and what you are hearing from steve bannon himself in reaction. >> reporter: you are right. we are hearing according to "the washington post," steve bannon, former president trump's top advisor, will turn himself in to new york authorities on thursday to face that indictment. we don't know what that is about. last year, he was indicted along with three other people on federal charges of fraud. essentially, that indictment accused him of defrauding people out of $25 million for a build the wall effort. that was a key campaign promise of former president trump. former president trump pardoned steve bannon. pardons do not apply to state charges. they only apply at the federal level. steve bannon lashing out overnight in the statement that was first given to nbc news.

let me read you a key part of what he said overnight. he said, this is nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system. they are coming after all of us, not only president trump and myself. i am never going to stop fighting. in fact, i have yet to begun to fight. they will have to kill me first. that defiance that we are used to hearing from the former president and from steve bannon, frankly, as well. as you pointed out, he was also found guilty back in july on two counts of contempt of congress for not complying with the january 6 committee. all of this does come, of course, against the backdrop of the midterms, now just about two months away. this is one more data point as that looms quite large. we will be watching closely to see what, if anything, he does on thursday when he is expected to surrender to new york authorities. >> to be clear, because of those contempt of congress charges, he is awaiting jail time at this point. >> reporter: that's right. this could potentially compound

that or add to that time. we will have to wait and see exactly what happens if and when he does turn himself in on thursday. >> that sentencing for the contempt of congress will take place this october. i will see you as we change places just a short time from now. thank you very much. former president trump's political stranglehold over the republican party has boosted midterm candidates who believe his false claims and conspiracy theories over the 2020 election results, this trend has led to more than half of american voters have a 2020 election denier on their november ballot. vaughan hillyard is in arizona where republican candidates for governor, attorney general, secretary of state all fall into this category. vaughan, the potential for a major impact on the 2024 presidential election is a very real concern nationwide. specifically, in that state. >> reporter: peter, here in

arizona, not only does the governor have to certify the election results, but also the secretary of state and also the attorney general. each of those three republicans, they have called for the decertification of joe biden's 2020 win here, which lends credence to concern about the role that they would intend to play were they to be in charge of certifying the 2024 presidential results. it's not just here in arizona. look at the list of election denying secretary of state candidates in several other key states, which joe biden pulled off victories in 2024. you have the likes of new mexico, minnesota, michigan. you have to look at pennsylvania, where doug mastriano, he would be tasked with appointing the secretary of state. i was able to catch up with the democrat running for secretary of state here in arizona against the election denying republican.

i asked him, what role this is all playing in his bid here in his campaign. take a listen. >> elections are that golden run that run through the fabric of society. you pull that out, all of society will disintegrate. i'm running so we can call balls and strikes and make sure that we don't have wild-eyed extremists causing chaos. >> reporter: peter, this is why we have seen more national attention as well as financial dollars coming into these key races here. when you look at election denying attorney generals, not only in charge of certifying results, but they would be in charge of litigating on behalf of the state any contentious issues were to come forward from either side as it relates to the election. you are looking at a republican election denier for ag as well as michigan and in florida. >> is this a motivator for the voters you speak to in arizona and pennsylvania? is the election denialism of

those candidates, what's drawing them to them, or is it something else? >> reporter: it's absolute at the forefront of this. voters know who mark finchum is. they know who abe hamade is. they have been propped up by donald trump himself. these folks are running campaign advertisements with them appearing on stage alongside donald trump over the course of the last year. the multiple rallies he has held here. carrie lake has welcomed these candidates at her campaign events along with blake masters. these are a republican slate of candidates running in tandem with one another and have elevated each other knowing that they will rely on each other, especially when it comes to the challenges, if they were to try to overturn illegitimately future elections, that they would need one another. >> detailing the high stakes for

the midterm elections. vaughan hillyard on the ground in arizona. thanks for your reporting. next here, flash point. what top pollsters are seeing about the abortion issue, how it's mobilizing voters for those midterms. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports." this is msnbc. was holding me back. but asthma has taken enough. so i go triple... with trelegy. with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler,... it's the only once-daily treatment for adults that takes triple action against asthma symptoms. trelegy helps make breathing easier,... improves lung function,... and lasts for 24 hours. go triple... go trelegy. because asthma has taken enough. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler... for sudden breathing problems. trelegy contains a medicine that increases risk of hospitalizations and death from asthma problems when used alone. when this medicine is used with an inhaled corticosteroid,... like in trelegy,... there is not a significant increased

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only from verizon. abortion rights have become a deciding issue in the run-up to the midterm elections. the kansas primaries where women accounted for a 70% spike in new voter registration, an attempt to outlaw abortions was rejected after the supreme court reversal on roe. one democratic strategist says the shift in election dynamics is unlike anything he has seen in nearly three decades, noting the biggest surge in new voter registration among women are in red states, kansas, idaho, ohio as well as critical battleground states, pennsylvania, michigan and wisconsin. joining me now, that strategist, ceo of target smart and yamiche

alcindor. tom, to you first. there was the new york upstate race where abortion appeared to have helped the democrat pat ryan win that upset upstate. talk to us about what you are seeing specifically in this data right now, how abortion is changing everything. >> it's really remarkable. as you mentioned, the kansas results were a surprise. i think even to people like me who have studied these numbers for decades. we set out to figure out why. as you said, what we saw was a huge surge in women registering to vote after dobbs when you compared to before. kansas, as you said, 70% of the new registrants were women. in the new york 19 special election, women accounted for 58% of the early votes cast there. that's remarkable. >> what other states -- where is the real impact? presumably in 2020, obviously,

suburban women in particular that came out in droves and supported joe biden. republicans felt like they were winning back some of the suburbs with the inflation and economic challenges. all of a sudden, it seems like those folks in particular are really coming out in droves again based on this issue, the feeling that a right was removed, was taken away. >> absolutely. when you look at who these women are and where they are who are registering to vote since the dobbs decision, they are younger women, they are more in the suburbs and urban areas. when you look at partisan registration or partisanship, they are overwhelmingly democratic. >> yamiche, let me ask you about this. you have been all over the place. you are speaking to people about this issue. you are getting an understanding about how this is backfiring for the republicans. blake masters in arizona, the senate candidate, republican, trying to rewrite his views on abortion. oz, has run into challenges as well. that's where we start. what is the challenge that republicans are facing? what are you hearing as you

speak to voters? >> one of the challenges that i'm seeing when i talk to republican candidates running is that they don't want to talk about abortion. they want to talk about inflation. they want to claim that president biden is wasting money and doing all these social programs they don't believe in. republicans in some ways, they won this big generational win, this culmination of the conservative movement to overturn roe v. wade. now that they have got that what they wanted, they don't want to talk about it. that's a sign they feel like possibly they have overreached. when i go to florida, michigan, ohio, all states i have hit because i've been on the road talking to people, i feel this enthusiasm. you see it in the polls but i see it on the ground when i talk to women. they feel like this right is something they have to fight for. i'm hearing from republican women, young republican women who are saying, they don't want to be in a generation where they are being told by the government what to do with their party, republican women who say i don't want big government, didn't want it in my school, anywhere else.

i don't want big government in my doctor's office. >> this is the driver. is this the motivator above all else, economic issues? it seems for a lot of the voertz, it is a single in addition many ways. >> for a lot of voters, abortion is the top issue. along with i will say when i talk to democrats, the issue of the state of our democracy and election deniers. >> that was the top issue. >> certainly. that's what i'm hearing when i hear from people. if you are a republican who really cares about this issue and is worried, then abortion is your top issue. especially if you change your vote and possibly voting for a democrat, which i have talked to a number of republican women voting for the first time in their lives for republicans. if you are sticking with the party, inflation and the economy is your number one issue. >> tom, let me ask about the unknowns. the economy has the potential to shift the dynamics. democrats, ron klain the chief of staff, posted every day gas prices are ticking down for the 70 plus, 80 plus day in a row. what are the roadblocks that you

are keeping an eye on over these next two months before those midterms that could, if anything can, potentially shake up the dynamics? >> i think the biggest question here is, are these women who are registering to vote for first time going to come out in november? indicators in past would suggest yes. there's a lot of time left in this campaign. we have to keep in mind that just a month ago, this was a red wave election in the making. history benefits the republicans here as the party out of power. they have all of the advantages. they want to make this election about inflation. these women are fired up. that will be the big question, do they come out in november? >> as evidenced by kansas and new york. they are coming out and fired up right now. president obama, who will be at white house today, remembers the 2010 shellacking in the midterms. joe biden thinks he will see a different midterm.

house party, speaking of the white house, barack and michelle obama returned for their official portrait unveiling. how they will be received. that's next. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. mitche rlleports" only on msnbc. d new ways to compete in order to thrive in an ever-changing market. the right relationship with a bank who understands your industry, as well as the local markets where you do business, can help lay a solid foundation for the future. pnc provides the resources of one of the nation's largest banks and local leaders with a focus on customized insights to help your business achieve its goals. that's how we make a difference. ♪♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ manhood looks different from guy to guy. but when yours bends in a different direction,

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former president barack obama and former first lady michelle obama will return to the white house in the next hour for the unveiling of their official white house portraits. the tradition was shunned by donald trump. this is michelle obama's first time back since 2017 when the obamas, as you see there, they welcomed the trumps to the white house. there were awkward exchanges. joining me now, carol lee as well as michael beschloss. this is always a special day at the white house. we have seen the portraits of the obamas for the smithsonian.

there's the portrait of the former president. they were not conventional. there was some debate about them. what do we know about the white house portraits and the celebration we expect to see? >> about the portraits, not much. it's a secretive process. they start going -- working about choosing an artist and getting things underway. that is kept secret. there are times where a president or a first lady will look at a portrait and not like it. they have to redo it. it can go on for several years. that's what happened here. this one went on a little longer than is typically the case. it's been about five years. typically, this is something that would have happened during former president obama's immediate successor's final year in office. that didn't happen. neither the obamas nor trumps were interested in having an

event like that. as you said, it's a celebratory moment. it brings together staff that worked in the white house for the president and first lady who haven't seen each other in a long time. i have seen some milling around this morning. it's a time where it's typically bipartisan. it's something where politics are set aside. these are portraits, once we see them, we will learn who the artist who painted or artists who painted the portraits. we will get to see them for the first time. these are portraits that hang in the white house, those iconic portraits that are painted. former president obama and former first lady michelle obama will hang alongside the other presidents and first ladies. it's a moment for the president and all of those who worked for him. >> we should note, you deserve credit. she was first to report this story several months before anybody else knew it was going to be happening. as we speak about this, i want to put up a photo that's become iconic. this is the portrait that's at

the portrait gallery right now. that young girl, that's 2-year-old parker curry. you can see the way she was mesmerized by -- moved by that portrait of the former first lady. to see someone who looks like her being celebrated in this way. one of the leaders of this country. this event is part of a tradition. no matter the party, the sitting president hosting the former. how stunning was it that former president donald trump broke from tradition and not hosting the obama snz the obamas wanted no part of it either. >> right. i don't think you or i or carol were exactly surprised when donald trump did not want to unveil the obama portraits and when the obamas did not want to have any part of the ceremony. i assume that the obamas were probably waiting and praying that joe biden would be elected in 2020 so that this ceremony could take place today. it's a nice occasion. began as you both know 1978.

jimmy carter was president. he unveiled the portrait of gerald ford, his competitor who almost won the election of 1976 against carter. it was seen as a great celebration of orderorderly tra of power and oddly enough, ford and carter later on said they thought they had the closest friendship of any two ex-presidents in american history. normally, that would be just sort of nice. we love the fact it was happening. as we all know right now, we are in a moment when orderly transfer of power is a centerpiece of democracy could not be more controversial. this is a symbol of that. >> that's an important point you made. by the way, the lincoln portrait in the state dining room perhaps the most well-known of them all. this one today of former president obama, the first black

president of these united states, is going to be unlike any other. this is another first he would will witness at the white house. >> it is. i'm a trustee of the white house historical association. i should mention. nothing i say should reflect on any of my colleagues. i have seen images of the obama pointings. they are spectacular. we will see them soon. >> my gosh, i think we are looking forward to that. i have seen old faces that you will remember. josh earnest, david axelrod. carol, do we know if president biden will host the trumps for their portrait unveiling? they haven't made a formal announcement it's not going to happen. i'm assuming it's not going to happen. is there any better reporting where that stands? >> the white house is deflecting that question. i wouldn't hold your breath. it seems very unlikely to happen. if for no other reason,

obviously, the president biden, former president trump, are not inclined to have this event together and be seen together in this way. i'm told from the president of the white house historical association that the trumps are in the very initial stages of their portrait process. typically, they would be a little further along if this was something that was going to happen any time soon in the next year or so. they are in the initial phases. this is not something that is an event that is really conducive to a former president who accuses the sitting president of not being the legitimate president. it's not the kind of tone here that these events take. >> no doubt. michael, you had a funny tweet about lbj rejecting his portrait because it was -- i think you said the ugliest thing he had ever seen. >> ugliest thing i ever saw he said. >> take us behind that story. >> johnson was going to have his portrait painted. lady bird johnson said, let's do

it before you leave the presidency so that we don't look too old and tired from the burden. peter herd was a member of the wyatt family painted the portrait. johnson hated it because it showed a lot about johnson, but things he didn't want seen. look at the eyes. looks very intense. tired. driven. just the kind of qualities he did not want on display. he had another portrait painted. the best thing about that -- this tells you about the way these things are done. johnson was told that if you have a portrait of smaller size, there's a bigger chance it's going to be hung in a prominent place in the white house. johnson had this portrait done by elizabeth shumatof who painted fdr. sure enough, because it's easy to hang in a small place, it has gotten a lot of air time that otherwise it might not have. >> my gosh, that's a great story. thanks for sharing it with us. a pleasure to have you with us.

carol, see you at white house. thank you very much. coming up, news on the fight against the coronavirus today. new york's governor plans to end the years long mask mandate for mass transit, signaling a shift in the pandemic. this comes as a new round of booster shots is about to be rolled out. my colleague chris jansing spoke to dr. walensky about what the agency has planned for the coming months. >> the latest numbers i saw was 67.5% of the population have two shots. even fewer, less than 50%, have one booster. why do you think the response has not been better? does your agency need a new game plan to get more people to get shots in the arms? >> our data have been crystal clear about the importance of getting vaccinations. we will continue to send that message. we will continue to put vaccine in places that people can access it. right now vaccines are rolling out across this country. we will have 10 million vaccines

in over 15,000 pharmacies across the country by the end of the week. 90% of the population will live within five miles of access to a vaccine. we are continuing that message. as you say, this is going to be not just us at cdc, not just our public health partners, physicians, community-based organizations continuing to send that message with us. >> you can see more of the interview with dr. walensky in the next hour on "chris jansing reports" right here on msnbc. taking it to the streets. the mayors from a critical swing state convene with the president to talk about how to use their federal money to rebuild their communities. we're going to speak to the mayor of cleveland. he is live there at the white house. that's next. this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc.

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joe biden and democrats in congress just passed the inflation reduction act to lower our energy bills. investing in american-made clean energy means our families will save $1,800 a year on energy bills. that's more savings for us. (dad) we have to tell everyone that we just switched to verizon's new welcome unlimited plan, for just $30. (daughter) i've already told everyone! (cool guy) $30...that's awesome. (mom) it's their best unlimited price ever. (woman) for $30 a line, i'm switching now. (vo) the network you want. the price you love. only from verizon. we're back and the white house is hosting a group of mayors from ohio to kick off an initiative to highlight how the president's policies are benefitting communities around the country. the biden administration believes ohio's economy will get a large boost from the president's signature programs, the american rescue plan,

bipartisan infrastructure. joining me is cleveland's mayor, justin bibb taking part in the meeting. nice to be with you. thanks for being here. sorry i'm not seeing you at the white house in my usual spot you're standing now. i want to ask important questions about the successes in cleveland, the first six months of this year, fewer 911 calls, fewer arrests, fewer guns seized. this demonstrates and paints the picture of a cleveland, community in cleveland that is much more peaceful than the narrative of covid era criminals running a muck. what is working for you there that other cities can learn from? >> well, i think it's clear we've been working very closely with the biden, harris administration to make sure we leverage the american rescue plan investments to have safer communities and truly build an inclusive economic come back coming out of covid-19 and today we talked about the progress we're making and work to do to make sure the promise of this country is real for working

class americans all across the nation. >> so let me ask specifically, the money you're getting from congress, where are you directing that money? housing is a big issue. the economy is a big challenge. what are you specifically doing others can listen and learn from? >> cleveland received the eighth largest allocation from the american rescue plan and $512 million. we're using that money to truly eradicate the lead paint crisis and making sure we have housing for all to truly close the racial wealth gap in our city. we also want to make sure we make big bold investments to support the next generation of small businesses of color in cleveland. that is the cleveland way. that is the ohio way. it should be the american way as we head to the polls this november. >> your circumstances are unique. the governor of your state is a republican. earlier this year he distributed $100 million to the american rescue program through a grant

to be used for public safety. what is working how you have this bipartisan relationship and how it's impacted your city and the successes there. there are a lot of places you may have a governor of one party and a mayor of a different party where they haven't had the same run. >> governor dewine and i share the same commitment and passion to cutting down violent crime. the governor supported investments in cleveland's realtime crime center so we can track down crime before it starts. we're also working with the governor's office to fully fund violence interrupters in cleveland to address the root causes of the crime. it's important we do more in our legislature in ohio to crack down on illegal guns and the progress we made with the biden harris administration to get comprehensive gun reform is a step in the right direction, absolutely. >> mr. mayor, in particular as you deal with these issues right now, you know well that republicans have sort of cast

themselves as the party of law and order. that's been their branding for many years, decades even. some americans associate the republicans as tougher on crime here. what can democrats do in these waning weeks before the midterms to try to rewrite that narrative, to better impress upon americans they have a plan and know how to combat the issues. they point to a lot of dell cat tick run cities from seattle to san francisco where crime is a serious issue to say nothing of the lack of housing and homelessness. >> i would say this, peter. democratic party has the right message on crime and cleveland, we're showing america how to get it done. we're leading the most progressive police reform agenda in the country but we're also supporting law enforcement by paying our cops more but also, we're doing the hard work of reimagining public safety like better investments and mental health support to truly address the root causes of violent crime. so as democrats, we can be

pro police but also pro police accountability. that's the best message to show voters that democrats care about solving the issues of violent crime plaguing our cities across the country. >> justin bibb, the democratic mayor of the great city of ohio. pleasure to be with you. thanks for having a little time to spend with us. >> appreciate it. that will do it for us. this is good edition of "andrea mitchell reports." follow @mitchell reports or follow me, if you like @peter alexander. chris jansing reports after this. r alexander. chris jansing reports after this (cool guy) $30...that's awesome. (mom) it's their best unlimited price ever. (woman) for $30 a line, i'm switching now. (vo) the network you want. the price you love. only from verizon.

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good day. i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city and we have a huge hour coming up. just minutes from now, barack and michelle obama will return to the white house for the unveiling of their official portraits. that didn't happen when it typically would during the trump administration. they will reunite with president biden and jill biden for the event but also, for a photo op potentially giving democrats a shot in the arm. valerie jared, former senior advisor to president obama is at the white house for the ceremony but first, she'll join me live to talk about the obama biden legacy and the path ahead for her party. plus, for the first time ever on msnbc reports, the director of the cdcal