them because they've been getting around the country, as we've reported, and they could pick up into the double digits, each of them. >> all right. congressional reporter at "axios," sophia cai, thank you very much. appreciate the insights. and thank you for getting up "way too early" with us on this monday morning. "morning joe" starts right now. i only need 11,000 votes. fellas, i need 11,000 votes. give me a break. so look, all i want to do is this. i just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state. there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that you've recalculated. >> we've all heard the phone call former president trump made to georgia secretary of state brad raffensperger, demanding he

find enough votes for him to win the state in 2020. turns out, trump may have tried to pressure the governor of arizona, as well. plus, florida governor and 2024 candidate ron desantis facing new pushback after his campaign released a video mocking donald trump's past support for lgbtq issues. what transportation secretary pete buttigieg had to say about that. also this morning, what we're learning about a mass shooting in baltimore yesterday that left two people dead and more than two dozen injured. good morning and welcome to "morning joe." it is monday, july 3rd. i'm jonathan lemire. alongside the bbc's katty kay. joe, mika and willie all have the morning off. we are glad you're starting your way with us. with us, we have former white house director of communications to president obama, jen palmieri. the president of the national action network and host of msnbc's "politics nation," the

reverend al sharpton. and white house editor for "politico," sam stein. good morning to you all. thanks for being here. we'll get right started and begin with that new report by "the washington post," revealing that back in late 2020, former president donald trump called and tried to pressure arizona's then republican governor, doug ducey, to overturn the state's presidential election results. saying that if enough fraudulent votes could be found, it would overcome trump's narrow loss in the state. that's according to three people familiar with the call. additionally, two of those people tell the newspaper that trump repeatedly asked then vice president mike pence to call governor ducey directly and push the governor to find the evidence to substantiate trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud. the sources say pence called ducey several times to discuss the election but did not follow

trump's demands to pressure the governor. nbc news previously reported on a call trump made to ducey after ducey certified the election results on november 30th, 2020. in this video, ducey's phone is ringing while he literally signs the certification. that same day, trump also attacked ducey on twitter, accusing him of betraying the people of arizona. ducey acknowledged talking to trump later that day, katty kay. >> yeah, it's that great video of him taking the phone out of his pocket like, i'm just not going to look at it. >> puts it down. >> right. what a way to diss somebody. ducey also described the pressure he was under to a prominent republican donor after trump lost that 2020 election, and said he was surprised special counsel jack smith's team had not asked him about his phone calls with trump and pence

as part of the justice department's investigation into trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. it's not clear if ducey has been contacted by smith's office since meeting with that donor. a spokesperson for former governor ducey issued a statement to nbc news about the report to "the washington post." it reads in part, quote, this is nothing more than a copy and paste of a compilation of articles from the past two years disguised as something new and relying on shaky and questionable sourcing. governor ducey defended the results of arizona's 2020 election. he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger of credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward. none were ever brought forward. the governor stands by his action to certify the election and considers the issue to be in the rear-view mirror. it's time to move on. over the weekend, former vice

president pence acknowledged calling ducey and other governors after the 2020 election, but said there was no pressure from trump to overturn the election results. >> i did check in with not only governor ducey but other governors in states that were going through the legal process of reviewing their election results, but there was no pressure involved, margaret. i was calling to get an update. i passed along that information to the president, and it was no more, no less than that. >> jen, we all know the arizona results super close, like the georgia results. we also know brian kemp had been under pressure, as well, over in georgia. what do you read into this "washington post" reporting? are we again in a situation where we think, we look at the 2020 election result and think, there were a few officials around the country, brad raffensperger famously being one, ducey being another, who stood up to attempts to pressure them to overturn what were legitimate results? >> i think there's something to what ducey's spokesperson said

about this -- a lot of this news having been reported before. the phone, like you said, ducey taking his cell phone out as he was certifying the election. that was a classic from 2020. what i'm wondering is, why is this story being leaked now? right? is it -- is this the ducey camp, although the spokesperson didn't seem to be happy that this story was out there -- is this the ducey camp sending up a flare to the prosecutors, "you haven't talked to us and you should because we have things to share with you"? is it someone who wishes trump ill that is leaking this information in order to try to get the attention of the prosecutors? you know, i wonder about that. then you have to wonder, who else did trump call, right? it probably wasn't just the

republican governors in arizona and georgia, probably wasn't limited to those states, and then you're thinking, where else might the prosecutors be looking? >> i'll add one more possibility there. this could be perhaps someone who sees trump's strength in the polls and is trying to take a desperate shot to try too bring him down, saying, this is someone who, once more, is the favorite to be the republican gop. let's remind everyone what he did the last time around. reverend al sharpton, this is another republican who did stand up against trump, the republican governor of arizona, just like kemp in georgia and secretary of state raffensperger in georgia. they are republicans. some in his party were willing to defy his wishes. it underscores the lengths that donald trump was willing to take to try to remain in power, and what worries so many if he were to become president again. >> it does worry many. what i think is very, very troubling to me is that we have almost gotten to the place where

we are making whether you are loyal to donald trump or loyal to the law equivalent, like they're equal choices. it should be a no-brainer that you are going to be loyal to the law and that you ought to just be about insulted that trump would ask you to go and find something that's not there or to do something fraudulent. that's how much i think the trump cult has began to normalize the perversion of american politics. it's like there is a fair choice. do you want to do what trump want, or do you follow the law? you supposed to follow the law no matter who is involved. that's why you're elected governor of georgia or arizona or wherever else you may be elected. it should be a no-brainer. >> yeah, it shouldn't be noteworthy that you're adheing to the oath you swore to. >> that's right.

>> that's where we are right now. donald trump looms large over all this. he had an impressive display this weekend as he hit the campaign trail in south carolina. in the home state of two of his republican primary opponents, nikki haley and tim scott. trump spent most of the event on saturday railing against president joe biden and the latest accusations against him. >> the espionage act has been used to go after traitors and spies. it has nothing to do with a former president legally keeping documents. i had every right to have these documents. personal belongings in boxes. i had absolute right to have them. joe biden didn't. i've been hitting it differently because i've always respected the office. when they indicted me for nothing, i said, now the gloves are off. now we have to say it like it is. he's a crook. >> reminder, just about nothing he said was true. before trump took the stage, south carolina senator lindsey

graham was mercilessly booed by the crowd of republicans from his own state. later on, trump did little to defend graham and, instead, goaded his supported into booing the senator everyone more. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome united states senator lindsey graham! [ crowd booing ] >> thank you. thank you, all, for coming. thank you very, very much. thank you. thank you. >> you know, you can make mistakes on occasion. everyone lindsey down here, senator lindsey graham. we love senator graham. we're gonna love him. we're gonna love him. [ crowd booing ] i know, it's half and half. i need some of the liberal votes, and he is always there to help me get them, okay? we got some pretty liberal people, but he's good.

he's there when you need him, there when you need him. i'm going to get him straightened out. >> sam stein, with friends like these, i mean, lindsey graham is someone who has, by many accounts, sullied his reputation over and over by his robust defense of donald trump. yes, he broke with him occasionally on foreign policy issues. yes, he briefly did the night of january 6th before coming running back. he is still one of trump's staunchest defenders, and, man, donald trump gave him little to no support or cover right there. >> yeah, that was what we call ritualistic humiliation, i believe. >> tough to watch. >> in his home state, it's brutal. to a degree, graham invites this stuff. i was recalling how a couple weeks ago, lindsey graham had gone to conventions. if you can't support a 14-week

abortion ban federally, you don't deserve to be president. trump has refused to support the ban, but graham is supporting trump for president. lindsey invites this kind of stuff occasionally. that said, this is about trump. i was, you know, not impressed, because i sort of expect this stuff at that jjuncture,weekendd it, the show of force is what to call it. they call themselves a city of 3,000. estimated 50,000 people showed up. this is in the home state of two other republican presidential nominees. tim scott and nikki haley. this comes at a time when trump, you know, in all respects, should be at a political crossroads. he is referencing this indictment he is facing, yet, he is using that to his political benefit. it's just -- it was a remarkable moment that really does underscore this weird place that we're in politically, in which this man who is under incredible

pressure and scrutiny and legal problems is well on his way to securing the party's nomination. there's very little in the foreseeable future that could trip him up. >> yeah, already facing multiple indictments. more on the way, most likely. let's add a voice to this conversation. senior columnist for "the daily beast," matt lewis joins us now. great to see you. let's start with what we saw in south carolina. the show of force from trump, yes, but also the dynamic with lindsey graham. yes, there is a uniquely to their relationship perhaps, but it goes to show how trump can almost -- almost any republican in the party, almost anyone, he says dance, and they say, "how high?" he's pulling the strings. >> yeah, and that's a reminder. i mean, this is not the first time that trump has really humiliated lindsey graham. i remember when he gave lindsey graham's cell phone publicly. that was, of course, when lindsey graham was being

critical of donald trump. then lindsey graham decides to buddy up to donald trump. i think you can make an argument that graham by -- a lot of people bowed the knee to donald trump and gotten nothing in return. i think you could argue that lindsey graham has probably actually advanced some of his foreign policy goals and world view by virtue of sucking up to donald trump. but remember, there was a time right after january 6th where lindsey graham tried to break with trump temporarily. he was then harassed at reagan national airport by trump fans, and very quickly, he scurried back to donald trump. if nothing else, i think this is a cautionary tale. once you are in the family, the cult, whatever you want to call it, you know, do not waver. any time donald trump wants to do so, he can stick his minions, his fans, his base on you, so lindsey graham, get back in line. >> yeah, i also thought that event was a reminder of why

50,000 people turn up to a trump event. he has that relationship with the crowd, where he's joshing with them and playing off them. he does it in a way that certainly ron desantis can't. he's like a circus master putting on a show. the rallies we've been there, there is a show entertainment value to them, which is partly why people go along. desantis is going to struggle always to match the humor element. matt, your piece for "the daily beast" that is entitled "win or lose, chris christie is running the best campaign against trump," in it, you write in part, quote, while donald trump is clearly the prohibitive front-runner for the republican nomination, there is no denying that christie is the most interesting of the growing republican field of candidates who are clamoring for the coveted spot. i don't want to go out on a brittle limb here. christie is polling at under 3%. still, i wouldn't be surprised if christie's trajectory is still on the rise. there are a couple of reasons for this. first, christie is the only contender who actually realizes the 2024 election is about one

question and one question only, trump or not trump. christie is the only republican opponent who has the correct interpretation of what the primary is about. and that's a huge advantage. this also brings you us to the second reason christie has a chance to gain traction. he's the only non-trump candidate who is not only tough but also funny and entertaining. perhaps it's a commentary on our culture, but this is a vitally important thing. in fact, i would say that trump's entertainment value is a wildly underrated political attribute. it might not be enough to sway republican primary voters, but that's on their collective conscience. christie can't control how voters will respond to his message. what he can control is how he delivers it. on that count, he is hitting it out of the park. i mean, that kind of gets, matt, to what i was talking about, the entertainment factor. here's a compilation of christie's greatest hits against trump so far in this campaign. >> one trump started hitting back at you on a number of

fronts, he took aim at your weight. what was your reaction to that? >> well, like he is some adonis? please. a lonely, self-consumed, self-serving, mirror hog is not a leader. it's not amusing anymore. it is not entertaining anymore. it is the last throes of a bitter, angry man who wants power back for himself. not for you. he is a child. completely self-consumed and doesn't give a damn about the american people. he hasn't won a damn thing since 2016. three-time loser. loser, loser, loser. the problem for donald trump in all of this is his own conduct. he is his own worst enemy. >> i think you're right. i think politics has always been a show. probably back since the roman

times, and maybe something we underestimated about trump in 2016, all those years in entertainment served him incredibly well. christie has some of the combative fight in him, and this seems to be an election about fight as much as conservatism. perhaps if you fight for people, that's what voters want. i don't think it gets christie much above -- he polled at 5% recently. he needs to be at 49% to take on trump, but what does it do to the other candidates in the field? what is the ripple effect of what christie is doing on the other candidates? >> yeah, well, that's the hope, right, is that remember "rocky 4," there is the great scene when the russian has been cut, finally cut, and it's a bad cut! nobody thinks that donald trump -- donald trump has this image that he is magical and that he can't be beaten. so if someone finally ever does land a glove on him, and i've

been waiting for seven years, we don't know what would happen. there could be a frenzy. others could be emboldened to come forward and start attacking him. that's what i was talking about with this strategy. chris christie understands that the election is about donald trump. other candidates seem like they're running for president to be trump's vice president or to inherit trump's voters when they drop out. that's not going to happen. chris christie gets donald trump is what the election is about. the primary is a referendum still on donald trump. by the way, if you want to get attention, if you want to get on tv, you can talk about donald trump. that will get you on tv. i think chris christie's electoral chances are not great, but, you know, we don't know what new hampshire might do. they do interesting, counterintuitive things sometimes. if christie manages to get into a debate against donald trump -- some people think it is never going to happen -- but that would be quite an amazing thing to see. at the end of the day, pat

buchanan used to talk about people being what he called political athletes. chris christie is a political athlete. he has this -- it's not just charisma. part of it is charisma, part is toughness, but he is prosecuting the case against donald trump in a way that no one else is either doing or, frankly, i would say capable of doing. i would add this. i don't think you could teach this. i think that what chris christie has, the bluster, the humor, the toughness, you're born with that. and so i think that christie is a unique figure in this race, more than anybody else. he is the one person who has the chance to actually, maybe not beat donald trump, but put donald trump into a position where other people decide, oh, we could actually run against him. >> furthering matt's point, so many republicans for so many cycles now have complained that trump blocks out the sun. he gets all the media attention. he gets all the oxygen. one thing chris christie figured out, as matt said, is if you

attack donald trump and do it in a good way, you get media attention, and poll numbers could go up a bit. maybe this is a formula others use, but a couple republicans i talked to in recent days watching christie, you know, have a little mini moment here, note he's also taken a lot of swipes at governor desantis. trump is number one, but he's attacked ron desantis a bunch, too. especially if desantis -- sorry -- if trump sits out the first couple of debates, which he has threatened to do, and christie is the attack dog who knows he needs points to stay in this thing and desantis is his primary focus, someone suggested to me, we know what christie did to marco rubio a couple cycles back. he could do the same to desantis, another florida man. >> well, not only can he do to desantis what he did to rubio, he will do it. that's just the way he does what he does. i agree with matt's point.

i think that sometimes, people totally underestimate, for whatever reasons, the entertainment part of people that are in public and political life. because it is like putting a sweetener in your tea or coffee, it gives people a better taste of how it goes down. usually, people very good with policy, almost like nerds, they may have a 16-point program, but if they don't have a way of delivering it, it just doesn't go down people's consciousness right. it doesn't matter. i think we far too often underestimated that entertainment value donald trump had. and the "it" factor. and that's right, you're born with it. some say, i'm not into the charisma. usually, they don't have it. it's not an option.

we should never forget that factor because that attracts people. >> reverend al sharpton, you know of what you speak right now. jen palmieri, let's get you into this conversation, your assessment of what chris christie is doing. does it have any staying power? do you anticipate it making any dent at all in either trump or even perhaps desantis? >> the thing that i thought was -- in his critique that was most effective is he said he's not -- he's trying to win for himself, not for you. i think that puncturing him as a three-time loser, as christie did, may soften him up, but unless somebody convinces voters that he's actually not for you, i mean, that is -- we talked about -- this morning, we've talked about his appeal in the rallies. it does feel like that pickens rally. wow, it felt like something changed or solidified in that

rally in terms of his, you know, in terms of his leadership in the primary. but his ability to connect with the crowds, and they do feel like he is fighting for them. you know, christie may be able to soften him up some. matt is right, somebody else needs to pick up that mantle and go right at trump. that is what the question of the primary is, whether it is trump or not. i think what you really need to do to break the republican elector from trump is convince them he is out for himself. he is not actually for you. he has shown that over the course of the last seven years. that's tougher to do. >> one trump operative made the comparison to the selma, alabama, hey, it's my party. senior columnist for the daily beast, matt lewis. thank you for the thought-provoking piece and joining us this morning. turning to the weather. it's hot.

millions of americans are under a heat alert across the south and west. many cities from texas to california are on track to break records with scorching temperatures set digits this week. in addition to heat-related illnesses and deaths, the hot and dry condition in the west raise concerns about the outbreak of wildfires. the national weather service in phoenix is forecasting -- ready for this -- is forecasting 116 degrees today. according to the associated press, that's just 2 degrees off the record high. for that date set back in 1907. let's bring in meteorologist angie lassman here. angie, this is not just, hey, it's july, it's hot. this is extreme, dangerous stuff. >> yeah. a lot of places in the southwest and southeast have been feeling with this for days and days. folks that work outdoors or do strenuous activities outdoors or are celebrating the holiday weekend outdoors have had to be careful. now, the next couple days, we

have more of the day. on top of that, severe weather. it looks great in new york, right? this is the top of the rock. plenty of sunshine, a little cloud cover. the air quality has improved a whole lot. when we peek at satellite and radar, some of the rain has worked through and continues to do so. we've got some lingering showers left over in parts of new england. we'll have a couple more rounds. by the time this is said and done through the next couple days, we could see upwards of one, two, maybe higher than three inches of rain in parts of the northeast. it'll be soggy for folks that are going to be out and about the next two days celebrating fourth of july. here's the area i really want you to pay attention to. it includes major cities like washington, d.c., richmond, charlotte, where we could see strong storms developing. it includes the potential for large hail, strong winds. that could be something we see the next couple days. again, the rain is going to be something you'll have to dodge, too. now to the heat alerts. we have 33 million people included, and i told you about the southeast and the southwest. that's where we're mainly focusing through the next couple of days. here's these temperatures. jonathan mentioned it, 118 in

places like palm springs. it'll be brutal. another day of this here as we get into tomorrow for the fourth of july in places like las vegas, 112. again, these numbers aren't just summerlike for folks. a little improvement in the southeast thanks to the rain front bringing relief to folks along the east coast today. >> thank you so much, angie lassman. i'm opting to stay inside in the air-conditioning. happy fourth of july to you. coming up on "morning joe," the very latest on the search for suspects after a mass shooting in baltimore early yesterday morning. we're going to be joined by that city's mayor straight ahead. plus, a preview of president biden's upcoming trip abroad to boost nato support for ukraine amid the ongoing war and tumult in russia. and the must-read opinion pages, including a new piece by ruth marcus titled, "a fiery, furious end to an otherwise restrained supreme court term."

you're watching "morning joe." and we'll be right back.

are you still struggling with your bra? it's time for you to try knix. makers of the world's comfiest wireless bras. for revolutionary support without underwires, and sizes up to a g-cup, find your new favorite bra today at knix.com

wake up, achievers. you're making the most of every hour of your life. and sizes up to a g-cup, except the hours that you're sleeping. so why do we leave so much untapped potential on the table? this is a next level bed, for a next level you.

my circadian rhythm is kicking your circadian rhythms butt! it's not a competition. i know, but i'm still winning! so, it is a competition. the queen sleep number 360 c2 smart bed is now only $899. plus, free home delivery when you add an adjustable base. shop now only at sleep number. choosing a treatment for your chronic migraine - 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more - can be overwhelming. so, ask your doctor about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start. it's the #1 prescribed branded chronic migraine treatment. so far, more than 5 million botox® treatments have been given to over eight hundred and fifty thousand chronic migraine patients. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of

serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you. learn how abbvie could help you save on botox®. 6:30 on the east coast. reagan national airport getting ready for another hot day of summer travel. let's look at the morning papers from around the country. we're going to begin in colorado, where the "gazette" reports the state is seeing a surge of out of state abortion patients. since june of last year when the supreme court overturned roe v. wade, about two out of five women seeking an abortion from planned parenthood of the rocky mountains have not been from colorado. colorado was the first state to legalize the medical procedure in 1967. in georgia, "the atlanta journal

constitution" has a front page feature on the state taking in what might be a record number of migrants seeking asylum. according to immigration court data, there were 5,000 migrants with deportation cases in the state in may. the biggest group were mexicans an cloeb colombiaens. most entered illegally. "news sentinel" says half of americans report abuse online. 50% of teens experienced online hate this year, up from 36% last year. we have to watch out for our teenagers. and "the new haven register" has a front page feature on the retirees living in connecticut. "the census bureau" says many

are over 65 in the state, more than 3.4% gain in the last year. it's also slightly ahead of florida's 3.3% gain. everyone moving to connecticut. coming up, a new review of the u.s. exit from afghanistan repeatedly blames the administration's of both former president donald trump and president biden for their efforts both before and after the chaotic withdrawal. we're going to speak with a former cia officer about all of that. and the latest in ukraine's counteroffensive against russia. new signs the next few weeks of fighting will be grueling. "morning joe" will be right back. ght back okay everyone, our mission is complete balanced nutrition. together we provide nutrients to support immune, muscle, bone, and heart health. everyone: woo hoo! ensure with 25 vitamins

and minerals. enter the $10,000 nourishing moments giveaway.

my name is tonya, i am 42. as mother of nine kids, i think i waited this long to get botox® cosmetic because i take like no time for myself. my kids are sports kids. we're always running from one activity to another. i'm still tonya, and i got botox® cosmetic, and this is like the first thing i've done for me in a really, really long time. my life is still crazy, it's just as full as it was before. just with less lines. botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crow's feet, and forehead lines look better. the effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness may be a sign of a life-threatening condition. do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. tell your doctor about your medical history. muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins. as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.

see for yourself at botoxcosmetic.com sleepovers just aren't what they used to be. as these may increase the risk a house full of screens? basically no hiccups? you guys have no idea how good you've got it. how old are you? like, 80? back in my day, it was scary stories and flashlights. we don't get scared. oh, really? mom can see your search history. that's what i thought. introducing the next generation 10g network. only from xfinity.

welcome back. it is 6:38 a.m. eastern. we turn overseas. ukraine's counteroffensive against russia is moving at a slower pace than many expected. over the weekend, a ukrainian defense minister described the ongoing operation as, quote, quite complicated.

she added that ukrainian troops have reclaimed about 11 square miles of territory in the south. her claims have not been independently verified. this as russian forces have been advancing on the eastern front, attacking battle lines in the donetsk region. the latest developments on the battlefield suggest the next few weeks of fighting will likely be grueling. meanwhile, president biden is set to visit europe next week to bolster support for ukraine. the main focus of his five-day trip, which kicks off sunday, will be the annual nato summit in lithuania. sweden is pushing to join the alliance over fears it may someday be targeted by russia, as well. it's a move that the united states supports, but turkey and hungary have yet to endorse it. the white house will host sweden's prime minister on wednesday in a show of solidarity. the president will head to london first to pay a visit to the newly crowned king, then to lithuania for the nato summit,

and then helsinki, to finland, to welcome that nation in the alliance. they hope sweden joins the ranks soon. joining us now, former senior operations officer with the cia, marc polymeropoulos. we have a bunch of things we want to get to this morning, none which will be the red sox sweep of the bluejays, but you and i know it. we're going to start with the counteroffensive from ukraine. there was hope there would be more progress by now. the counteroffensive was going to be slower than last summer's offensive. everyone acknowledged that. especially with the aborted wagner mutiny in russia a week ago, there was real hope ukraine would show some progress. so far, that hasn't happened much. what is your read of the situation and its pace? >> well, jonathan, my sense is that it is too early. you know, first of all, timelines in war are comp complicated. the enemy always gets a vote. the wagner, if you call it a

mutiny, coup attempt, whatever it is, is important in the big picture, in that russia lost the capability of serious shock troops. so, you know, we might not see the effect on the battlefield for some time. as i noted before, vladimir putin will be worried about what is going on under his own roof. i think the counteroffensive is moving slowly. you know, one of the things -- my sense from talking to people on the ground is also that ukraine has not actually deployed some of its highly trained and capable units yet. this is part of their strategy. so i think we have to go back to what secretary of state austin said in the past, this is a marathon, not a sprint. >> i want to pick up on that. this is sam stein. we were talking with clint watts in the last hour about the expectations with the wagner mutiny, perhaps russia would be more vulnerable to the counteroffensive. can you speak in general terms about the differences between a counteroffensive and, frankly for russia, how much easier it is to hold defensive positions

rather than going into ukraine further territorially. they may not need the mercenary forces to hold those positions. >> i think, you know, in kind of classic military analysis, obviously, a well entrenched, dug in troop will be hard to dig out. they'll want to hit the rear of the russians. there's been talk of using the longer range missiles that ukraine wants, that the administration may provide. there's hints that's on the way. again, there should be no expectation that this is going to go quickly. one thing, again, what i've been told is that ukraine has not put forth its highly capable troops just yet. again, it's a marathon, not a sprint. it is going to be bloody. there is going to be ups and downs. ukrainian resolve and, again, western support is going to be key. >> there's certainly an expectation that president biden and nato allies, when they do meet next week, there will be a

rousing show of support for ukraine. marc, no conversation about the russia/ukraine war could be complete without adding the element of china. treasury secretary janet yellen will travel to beijing this week to meet with senior chinese officials. secretary yellen is also scheduled to meet with u.s. firms who are doing business in china. the trip comes as the biden administration continues to try to cool tensions with beijing. a senior administration official did tell nbc news, however, that the white house does not expect significant breakthroughs. in a speech back in april, yellen outlined three economic priorities for the u.s./china relationships. securing national security interests, fostering mutually beneficial growth, and cooperating on global challenges, like climate change and debt distress. her trip is meant to underscore those objectives, but yellen coupled that with a trouble, that the united states will still defend our vital interests. so, marc, china certainly seems

interested in talking business with the united states, but we should note, two countries' militaries still aren't speaking. that remains an area of concern. we heard from secretary of state blinken as a guest on this show last week. he did suggest that china could have a role to play in brokering some sort of cease-fire, some sort of peace talks between russia and ukraine. maybe not now, but down the road. it is a complicated relationship. what right now is your take on the u.s. elements to try to get at least somewhat on the same page with beijing on all these fronts? >> i think it is really important. you know, china is, you know, per the department of defense, it is our long-term pacing threat. it is a key competitor, and the idea of not having open lines of communication is not good. even during the darkest days of the cold war, you know, the u.s. and the soviet union still had open lines of communication. there was a military hotline. right now if you listen to our officials in the department of defense, there are no, you know, military to military channels,

at least not at a sufficiently high level. that's a concern. i think yellen's trip is a positive step. when it comes to ukraine, you know, i think a lot of us for a long time have thought china could play a productive relationship for several reasons. obviously, the russia and china relationship. you have the ukraine and china relationship. ukraine -- or china is ukraine's largest trading partner. i don't think a lot of people understand that. a final point, too, when it comes to kind of the doomsday scenarios, of what if putin decides to do something drastic, i think there is a recognition in u.s. policy circles that china can help. that china can certainly, you know, nod to moscow and say, hey, you know, nothing in terms of blowing up the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant or use of tactical nuclear weapons. china has a role, a significant one. i'm glad the trip going forward. >> yellen one of the slightly less hawkish members when it comes to china. reaction is pouring into a

report released late last week that calls for the state department failing to respond quick enough during the evacuation of american troops and allies from afghanistan nearly two years ago. the review concludes the state department failed to do enough planning before the collapse of the u.s.-backed government in afghanistan and repeatedly blames both the trump and the biden administrations for their efforts before and after the august 2021 departure of u.s. forces from kabul. the report is also critical of both administrations for failing to establish a broader task force, as the situation in afghanistan deteriorated. president biden was defiant when asked on friday if he would admit the u.s. made mistakes before enduring its withdrawal. >> there was the report saying that there was failure. there was mistakes during the

withdrawal and before. >> all the evidence coming back -- remember what i said about afghanistan? i said al qaeda would not be. i said it wouldn't be there. i said we'd get help from the taliban. what is happening now? what is going on? read your press. i was right. >> yeah, joe biden defending his position there. but, you know, you look at the situation in afghanistan, marc, and it's kind of -- it stretches plausibility to say mistakes weren't made at some point during that evacuation process. >> well, a couple things on the report and on biden's comments. you know, first of all, i think those comments, i would hope that he'd want to take that back. the idea that somehow al qaeda is gone from afghanistan and the taliban is a solid counterterrorism partner, i mean, that defies a lot of the facts on the ground. and it's almost this reflexive, defensiveness that occurs with the administration. now, to give the administration some credit, this report was much more critical of senior

levels of the state department and the biden white house, as well. if you recall back in april, the national security council put out a memo which basically blamed everything on the trump administration. that was really roundly criticized. this is a really emotional issue for a lot of us. i spent a year in afghanistan and ran a cia military base. afghan fighters saved me and my team and saved american lives. the notion of getting, our afghan allies back is something that's important. the veterans groups that helped with the evacuation, they call it a mixed bag. some levels of accountability, more to go. putting it out before a july 4th holiday didn't send the right signal, but let's be fair to the administration, there is better if there is accountability. there will be more congressional testimony and investigations, which for all the kind of, you know, performative theater in

congress these days, these are justified. we have to figure out what happened and ensure it doesn't happen again. >> to that point, there are senior members of the administration who acknowledge that mistakes were made in afghanistan in that pull out a couple summers ago. the president himself reflexive to it. to your point, afghanistan is a legitimate area of questioning. we appreciate you being here, sir. former senior operations officer with the cia, marc polymeropoulos. have a great one. ahead on "way too early," we'll turn to other headlines. florida governor ron desantis is facing criticism after his campaign shared an lgbtq focused video. we'll look at the backlash that's occurring on both sides of the aisle. "morning joe" is coming right back on this day before the fourth of july holiday. my active psoriatic arthritis

can make me feel like i'm losing my rhythm. with skyrizi to treat my skin and joints, i'm getting into my groove. ♪(uplifting music)♪ along with significantly clearer skin... skyrizi helps me move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. skyrizi attaches to and reduces a source of excess inflammation that can lead to skin and joint symptoms. with skyrizi 90% clearer skin and less joint pain are possible. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to skyrizi, there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement... and that means everything. ♪nothing is everything♪ now's the time to ask your doctor about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save.

what do we always say, son? liberty mutual customizes your car insurance... so you only pay for what you need. that's my boy. ♪ stay off the freeways! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

there is a long fly ball. that one might be longer than the other. number 31 for shohei ohtani. >> i'm surprised katty didn't want to do the baseball highlights herself, but here we go. shhei ohtani adding insurance for the angels yesterday with his major league baseball leading 31st home run of the season. that eighth inning solo shot was his 15th long ball in the last 22 games. the angels beat the arizona diamondbacks, 5-2. ohtani's two-way talents will be on display next week at the all-star game. this is the third straight year the superstar has made it. he was named to the american league roster yesterday as a pitcher, after, of course, already earning a starting spot as a designated hitter. ohtani is the only two-way all-star in the history of major

league baseball. meanwhile, yesterday's addition of pitchers and reserves sent a legal leading eight atlanta braves to the midsummer classic, which marks the most of any team since 2012 and the most of any national league team since 2008. that includes the braves' entire starting infield. that's probably the best organization in the sport right now. and another notable selection, los angeles dodgers left-hander clayton kershaw will make his tenth all-star appearance, second among active players to the angels' mike trout, who was named to his 11th all-star game and will also be playing in seattle next week. sam stein, a constellation of stars, if you will, in the pacific northwest next week, but all eyes are going to be on ohtani. this guy is maybe the best baseball player we've ever seen. he's doing what babe ruth did, except at the same time. he probably deserves to be the

biggest star in sprort s except at the same time. he probably deserves to be the biggest star inports and may be on his way, especially if he lands on a different team, bigger market, glamour team next year. give us your take on how good shohei ohtani is. >> i never watch the guy because he's on the west coast and who can stay up that late? >> not me, sam. >> obviously, you have other obligations. the guy is ridiculous. if you extrapolate his stats over a full season, objectively, i don't think there's any doubt, it will be the greatest season ever by a baseball player. if you add up the wins against replacement for offense and defense, he will have scored the best baseball season in the history of the game. it's, you know, an amazing thing to witness. i do agree with you, think he'd look a little better on the east coast, perhaps as a red sox. maybe ownership could fork up a few bucks to make it happen. until then, we are truly witnessing something unique and great.

>> it is time for fenway sports group to pay attention to their baseball team. >> i agree. >> we are unanimous in that. shohei ohtani, he is the best. sam stein, thank you, as always, my friend. >> thank you, guys. coming up on "morning joe," the supreme court concluded its term with divisive decisions surrounding education. we'll have the latest in the fallout, including how it could provide a potential opportunity for democrats heading into 2024. we'll explain all that when we come right back.

somedays, i cover up because of my moderate

to severe plaque psoriasis. now i feel free to bare my skin, thanks to skyrizi. ♪(uplifting music)♪ ♪nothing is everything♪ i'm celebrating my clearer skin... my way. with skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. in another study, most people had 90% clearer skin, even at 5 years. and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to clearer skin with skyrizi - this is my moment. there's nothing on my skin and that means everything! ♪nothing is everything♪ now's the time. ask your doctor about skyrizi, the #1 dermatologist-prescribed biologic in psoriasis. learn how abbvie could help you save.

beautiful view of the white house to kick us off at 7:00 in the morning. welcome back to "morning joe." it is monday, july 3rd, almost the holiday for everybody in america. in london, a day of mourning coming up tomorrow. i'm katty kay. jonathan lemire, jen palmieri, reverend al sharpton still with us. joe, mika and willie have the morning off. let's dive in.

special counsel jack smith's team sharpened its focus in the recent weeks to lawyers and other figured aimed at legal efforts to reverse donald trump's loss in the 2020 election, people familiar with the matter tell "the wall street journal." prosecutors from smith's team have issued subpoenas and asked questions centered on several key figures in the post election efforts, including sidney powell, a pro trump lawyer who spread baseless claims of widespread fraud. the subpoenas also requested communications with emily newman, a lawyer who worked with powell, and roman, who headed election day operations for the trump campaign and dispatched lawyers to swing states before november of 2020. "the journal" continues, federal prosecutors also recently interviewed rudy giuliani, who served as trump's personal lawyer at the time for roughly eight hours on topics including powell, people familiar with the testimony said. they were interested, among other things, in a december 2020

meeting in the oval office during which powell pitched a plan to have the u.s. military seize control of the voting machines. powell and her defense lawyer didn't return the paper's request for comment. "the journal" said a spokesman for smith also did not return calls seeking comment. a spokesman for giuliani said his client's interview with federal investigators was entirely voluntary and conducted in a professional manner. i mean, lemire, you wrote the book on this, "the big lie." when you see that jack smith is now zeroing in on the lawyers who were surrounding trump, what does it -- you know, we've done so much recently on the mar-a-lago documents investigation for jack smith. what does it tell you where jack smith is on the january 6th and 2020 stuff. >> moving up the ladder toward what would presume to be the eventually target of donald trump. there may be some attorney/client issues here that have to get sorted out, but giuliani and powell were simply, you know, his top advisers at that point.

it is worth underscoring in those weeks after the election, just how hollowed out the west wing was. in part because of a massive covid outbreak stemming from an election party, but also so many left, looking for their next job or quitting out of some principle, i suppose, as trump was refusing to concede. he was surrounded by giuliani and michael flynn and sidney powell, the kraken herself, jen palmieri. that's who was in his ear, suggesting on the surface, some incredibly, you know, far-fetched schemes to stay in power. except they tried them all, you know, to do everything they could to keep trump in. let's get your read on this. giuliani and powell, they've been meeting with investigators. i mean, they're going to be in a position where they're beginning to be offered a choice if they want to cooperate or not. >> it is interesting. this reporting from "the journal" and last week's reporting about giuliani's testimony, i had two takeaways. one was seeming to be coming

from the giuliani side, explaining what he testified on. it was about -- a lot of sidney powell. the message there was trying to give us the sense they're not going after him, right? they're focused on her. also, they're deep into the legal arguments, you know, talking to the people that were ultimately making the argument to trump that he was then putting forward into the public, to say that this was, you know, that the lie was true. and it does seem like methodically laying out that case to eventually make that case against trump and the court. >> we should underscore, rev sharpton, though we've shorthanded that probe as the january 6th investigation, it's not just about what happened that day. it's not just the violence at the capitol. it is everything about the efforts to overturn the election. i'm curious, since you have known rudy giuliani for a long time and clashed with rudy

giuliani a long time, your read on what we're hearing from him here. jen's theory that maybe he is the source of some of this leaked reporting. how do you think he views the predicament he has found himself in? >> i think that he is in a very, very precarious position. he is now disbarred in at least two states. he has had strains financially. he's gone from being america's mayor to being the butt of jokes. i think rudy giuliani is in a place he's never been, which means that he could be desperate and making moves that are not really following a consistent pattern. there's no strategy. he's, like, all over the place. i've never in my most visceral moves against him could have imagined he'd end up like this. if you want to talk about

somebody that has ended up a car wreck, it is rudy giuliani. >> there's reporting he's basically run out of money, too. >> yeah. let's turn to this. some new polling shows about half of americans support the supreme court's decision to restrict affirmative action. in the latest abc news/ipsos poll, 52% of the adults compare to the landmark ruling, compared to 32% two disapprove. broken by party affiliation, 75% of republicans say they approve, along with 58% of independents. among democrats, however, that number is just 26%. "washington post" columnist ruth marcus has a new piece for the paper titled this, "a fiery, furious end to an otherwise restrained supreme court term." ruth writes in part this, what to make of this tumultuous term? this is a court as splintered as it is divided. there are six undoubtedly

conservative justices, but they represent different flavors and degrees of conservatism. rather than joining forces, as they did in 30% of cases last year, they are often split among themselves. this is not a normal court, president biden said. as a purely historical matter, he is correct. a super majority of this kind hasn't existed for nearly a century. but precisely what this configuration means is still evolving. a lesson of this term is that the conservative justices have not coalesced around a unified vision of when and how aggressively they want to deploy their newfound power. joining us now, the perfect person to talk about all of this, nbc news senior legal correspondent laura jarrett. laura, this was a seismic couple of weeks from the supreme court. we have a bunch of beats to get to, but let's start with your

analysis of what ruth marcus wrote there. are the conservatives in the court still trying to find their way? >> part of what is interesting to think about is how the court has evolved not only on certain of these issues but just five years ago, the court had a similar case to the one it took up this week when it concerns somebody who doesn't want to make a product for gay products. five years ago, there was a cake baker in colorado, and he didn't want to make a cake. the court, instead of reaching out to decide what it did this week, it decided to punt the issue. it essentially kicked the can down the road. this week, the court went all the way. you might have said they didn't have to do that. the question is why. it appears that the makeup of the court has changed, and it will really be donald trump's most enduring legacy, which is to get the three justices on the court, relatively young, who will be there for decades, deciding these issues. >> obviously, there was many, many headlines from the courts proceedings in the last week or so. affirmative action clearly the

biggest. affirmative action and different variations have been upheld by the court in previous terms. was there any surprise at all, though, that this, that the court ruled the way it did and ruled so decisively and overwhelmingly to get rid of it? >> no, they have made crystal clear their feelings about this issue for a long time. john roberts has been on the record, the chief justice has been on the record about this issue for a long time. the only difference now is that they had the votes to do it. they simply didn't before. now, of course you could say, well, he said he wasn't explicitly ruling prior precedent. maybe he could have gone further than he did. it is clear the court wanted to send a message about this, that they wanted to get out of the business of race. again, we should define our term, right? people think about affirmative action, think they know what is goin on when colleges are making decisions. i've talked to the colleges. it is very clear, it is not as if you check a box for a certain race and you automatically get in. that's not how this works.

colleges tell me, they're trying to look at the whole picture. race is a part of that picture. you can't separate it out. but it appears as though, at least this court was just done with this. they wanted to be done with it for a while. they now have the votes to do it. >> some colleges suggesting race may still play a role. they're going to be emphasizing essays and personal stories as part of the admissions process. rev, we saw the poll there, too. americans pretty divided on the topic, but at least a small majority suggests they agree with what the court did. >> and i think that a poll before the decision said most americans wanted some affirmative action. it's kind of like up and down. but i think, and i'd be very interested in laura's take on this, i just came in late last night from the essence festival in new orleans. a lot of the concerns i heard, this is like the largest gathering of blacks, social gathering in the year. a lot of the concerns was, one, that on the lgbtq case that you

talked about, there was no real complaining. the person they based the case on said, "i never asked to go on that site." they were now taking a non-victim, remedying a situation that didn't happen. in the minds of a lot of people there, are now we saying they're going to accept people creating something that didn't happen, to be able to make law on something? that's a threat to everybody. does somebody now say, "i'm troubled by blacks coming in my store," even though blacks didn't come in the store. i mean, the way this lgbtq case went, i think, is really troubling when you find out there was no victim here. what was the court weighing? i think the other part of the concerns i heard a lot in new orleans was that when you say that we cannot deal with race as

a factor, it violates the 14th amendment of the constitution, what stops now a company from saying i can't have diversity? i can't have minority contractors set aside. i can't do this for the latinos because it violates race, 14th amendment, and site the decision. >> we should be clear, there is nothing that stops it. that's where this is going next. there is a logical extension to it. the same way there is a logical extension to if there was, you know, let's call it a florist, right, who is designing things for weddings and decides, i don't like interracial marriage. >> ragt. >> right. >> they decide, i don't want to serve a black and white couple. there is nothing to stop it if they think she is an artist. for the ire i've seen sort of directed at the court this week, i'm surprised there's not more directed at the colorado attorney general's office. the colorado attorney general's office made a ton of concessions in this case that have sort of been glossed over.

what i mean by concessions, they stipulated, they agreed to the fact she is making art at all. that's a huge concession to make. you could have argued she's making an off the shelf product that is not art. colorado attorney general agreed to that and, justice gorsuch said stipulated, agreed, at least a dozen times. this court could have been more hesitant to reach the decision. the fact there was no victim, i don't think the court considered that at all. even if there was no person who said, i want her to make my website, they still would have ruled in her favor. >> that's the legal side of this. let's look at the politics, too. "the new york times" has new analysis on how the recent supreme court decisions could boost democrats going into 2024. it reads in part, quote, the supreme court has handed the democrats a way to shift from a race-based discussion of preference to one tied more to class. the court's decision could fuel

broader outreach to the working class voters who have drifted away from the party because of what they see as its elitism. indeed, the democratic response to the supreme court's actions was not to elevate economic hardship as a key preference in college admissions. instead, democrats seemed focused on striking down other areas of privilege, especially the legacy admission preference given to the children and grandchildren of alumni of elite institutions. the supreme court has offered drat democrats a way forward with many decisions based on class. the affluent will always have access to abortions by traveling to states where it remains legal and to elite institutions of higher education where they may have legacy pull and the means to pay tuition. jen, i mean, the way people vote sometimes not always in line with their own pocketbook interests. how easy is it for democrats to make that argument, that the supreme court is entrenching class differences in the united

states? i've looked back over history, and it doesn't always work, that argument, saying you need to oat vote with your own economic interests for democrats. sometimes, that argument seems to backfire. >> i think that's been less and less true since the reagan years, right? during the reagan years, you saw working class democrats, you know, michigan is the classic example, start voting for republicans. since that time, i think it has been less true and harder to make. or you can't solely make the argument that -- to working class voters. by the way, working class voters across all demographics, that's just a sole policy argument. it hasn't -- it doesn't connect. you have to make a broader case about values, economics as part of that. so i thought this article jonathan weisman wrote for "the

times" was interesting. it was how democrats could approach this. there is elielitism. wealthy people will always be able to find abortions. wealthy students will continue to get into good schools that their parents went to. talk about for the affirmative action case, at a time when america is becoming more diverse than ever, it is going to be harder to make it more equitable. it's the worst possible time for that. but i think, katty, in terms of the president making a political argument here, it's probably better to get out of the weeds and focus on the credibility he has for actually creating jobs, the infrastructure bill. the i-95 is a great example of where the bridge collapsed recently. within three days, union-backed, union workers with the department of transportation and the state of pennsylvania got that bridge that was supposed to take months to repair repaired.

actually results, real jobs. when the president is battling disinformation, to have credible results that you can argue are creating jobs, good jobs, getting work done, rebuilding infrastructure, that just -- the nuts and bolts argument is going to help him. then i think the other thing coming off the supreme court decisions may not necessarily be making arguments connected to the individual decisions but the overall argument that this court is the result of an extremist republican agenda. you know, the president said this is not a normal court when he was responding to the affirmative action decision last week. i think that that is sort of the overall takeaway for voters, that that has proven to strike a chord with them, get to their values, what they are worried about, the state of the democracy, the state of the republic, an extremist agenda and a court eroding rights.

i think that's probably the more fertile, truthful territory to make political gains for the president. >> yeah, the president made clear he opposes efforts to expand the court, but clearly, the pitch is, give me a second term so i can add some more justices. donald trump got three. laura, before you go, supreme court made deadlines for its decisions and behavior in recent weeks. public polling suggests that the public's view of the court has taken a hit, and that's in part because of some of the decisions that many people feel are out of step. also, it seems of late, because of their -- the scandal after scandal after scandal, the ethics violations, whether it's justice thomas, alito, gorsuch, others, who have taken gifts. conduct has been well documented here and elsewhere. my question to you is this, the chief justice roberts fancies himself an institutionalist, someone who cares about the reputation of the court.

yet, he has done nothing to change this, to curb the behavior of his colleagues, to put in an ethics code. do you see that changing? i think i know the answer. two, how does he justify that? how do you square him caring about the court so much with allowing this to continue? >> you call them ethics violations. i'm not sure the court seeing it that way. if you think about it, there are no rules of the road here. yes, there are things to disclose under federal law. who is going to police that, right? there is no independent branch that's supposed to come in and actually enforce those laws. for john roberts, the chief justice basically said, trust us. we know what we're doing. we can follow the rules of the road. we take the spirit of the rules from the lower courts. they would be deciding the rules of the road. congress could pass a bill. is that likely? not with this congress, of course not. it's either going to be the

court decides to do it itself or congress decides. neither seems likely. >> neither does. the court would say, trust us. the american people would say, we really don't. legal correspondent laura jarrett, thank you for joining us this morning. next on "morning joe," we'll be joined by reverend barber, issuing a letter to president biden today about the rulings on the supreme court. plus, baltimore mayor brandon scott joins us on the heels of a mass shooting that left two people dead and more than two dozen injured in his city. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back.

i brought in ensure max protein with 30g of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. uh... here i'll take that. -everyone: woo hoo! ensure max protein with 30 grams of protein, one gram of sugar. enter the nourishing moments giveaway for a chance to win $10,000. 7:25 in the morning on the east coast. united states capitol here the day before the nation's birthday. that capitol, of course, that's where republicans constantly are talking about hunter biden. an attorney for the president's son says that what's app

messages cited by the gop and the subject of intense scrutiny following statements made by an irs whistleblower, well, the messages are fake. screenshots of one purported text message from hunter biden is directed to a potential chinese business partner. it appears to suggest that hunter was sitting with his father, joe biden, who was vice president at the time, and he said this, "i will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction." in a letter obtained by nbc news, hunter biden's attorney wrote to republican congressman jason smith of missouri, who is also the chairman of the house ways and means committee, stating that the what's app messages are, quote, not real and contain a myriad of issues. the letter goes on to note that

a screenshot of the messages as tweeted by congressman smith, quote, both include a photo of mr. biden not from 2017 but from the white house easter egg roll in april 202, long after the purported message was sent. both images portray the message in a blue bubble, when what's app messages are green. that's true. the attorney then adds this, in short, the images you circulated online are complete fakes. irs supervisory special agent gary shapley told the committee under oath, as an investigator for the irs, he obtained messages hunter biden sent on the what's app platform. the president's son is set to plead guilty in july to tax crimes after a year's long federal investigation. many republicans called the agreement a slap on the wrist, citing recent testimony from irs whistleblowers who claim federal prosecutors were impeded while

investigating hunter biden's tax history. jen palmieri, the hunter biden story obviously not going away. we just mentioned the plea deal coming in july. republicans of the house have whipped themselves and many others on the right into a frenzy about hunter biden, believing there's more wrongdoing to uncover. of course, no charges levied. it is also a particularly sore subject for the president himself. give us your sense of where this stands. i guess i have to ask you this question, if hunter biden's lawyer says these are fake, why aren't they doing more to figure out who cread the fake? that is part of the mystery. >> maybe they are. it is hard to know what is going on behind the scenes with the legal team. i do love the messages were in blue instead of green. >> yeah. >> you know, i guess, you know, one thing they'll probably try to sort out is, you know, was it the irs agent that created? the irs agent that stumbled upon it as a fake somebody else put

out there? i feel like things are kind of settled on this issue. hunter biden is a motivating issue to republicans that are from the maga base, that have already made their decisions about who they're going to support for president. so it is, you know -- i know that it's a painful issue for the president. i know that it's not something the white house relishes having to deal with, but does it actually impact voters that have not already decided what they're going to do? i don't think it does. >> yeah, there isn't any polling yet to suggest these investigations of hunter biden are a primary issue for voters. here's another thing that the president is going to have to deal with, as well. something that is something of a call to arms. an open letter released today challenges not only our political leaders but everyday americans to use their anger over the supreme court's affirmative action ruling to

power a push for change. the letter reads in part, quote, tomorrow as the nation turns 247 years old, we find ourselves amid an orchestrated moral crisis, and it is up to people of moral conscience to hold this nation accountable to itself. finger pointing of extremists is a wasteful exercise that wrongfully whittles this moment in our history down to a difference of opinion rather than a crisis of civilization. yes, last week, the extremists on the supreme court dealt significant blows to our civil and human rights protections but how many were complicit as we watched our democracy being slowly chipped away, and more recently bulldozed, over the last ten years? the author of the letter, reverend william barber, joins us now. you've written this open letter,

mr. barber, and addressed it to the president. what action do you think will follow from this? >> saint augusta said kings without justice are mere robbers. small empirs piracy writ large. when the supreme court uses the power in that way, they weaken protections of gay people, refuse to vote for incarcerated people, they -- the students in an economy where people are hurting and one-third of all people are poor and in poverty, the fourth leading cause of death in this nation above homicide and respiratory disease. when that happens, the supreme court and political leaders conspire to lie about history and embrace actions on the contrary to love, justice and

our deepest constitutional values, this is piracy and perjury at the same time. we can't just point the finger at extremists. we have to remember and raise hard questions, biblical questions. what is our responsibility across the board? justice thomas was nominated under the democratic majority in 1991. he was also supported by many black organizations, civil rights organizations, when thurgood marshall said that color should not be the only reason we should look at a supreme court justice. we also know from 2009 to 2011, 2020 to 2022, democrats held a majority in both houses of congress and did not fix the voting rights act, did not protect women's right to choose, did not pass a living wage to ensure we could move people out of poverty. rather than gesturing, it's true, but we also need to look across the board and everybody needs to ask, what is our role in this? what have we done, and what must

we continue to do? we're here in large part because of the gutting of the voting rights act which allowed voter suppression. we got trumpism and trump. with 85,000 votes and less than three states. we have to say to the american public, democracy is hard. you cannot sit out an election. you cannot sit out because if you do, extremism has a way of creeping in. we sent a letter. we've sent it to the president. you need to be a bully pulpit like franklin roosevelt and teddy roosevelt and tell it over and over again. there comes a time you have to raise bigger than party, left versus right, that's too puny now. congress, you need to pass it. democrats in the senate should pass everything they would pass if they had both sides of congress. fixate, this is what we're going to do. if you give us both houses, we

will finish the job. people need to see now the deals you'd pass when we get the power, and you will not change. civil rights and human rights organizations need to recognize, we can't do this. it's not a black agenda and white agenda, gay agenda. we're being attacked from all sides. there must be a coming together, a coming together to address these issues. preachers need to go to the pulpits now. the pew foundation said the issues of poverty and justice don't even register around the country, on what americans are hearing. economists, we need them to get to the public sphere as moral economists and show how a focus on culture wars and trigger down economics and liberalism is immoral and hurting people. poverty is the fourth leading cause of death, and we need to do what you are doing this morning, over and over again, tell the truth. tell the truth about what's happening in reality.

we are in a crisis of civilization. >> reverend barber, al sharpton. one of the things that i saw down at the essence festival this week is that people are outraged about the latest of the supreme court decisions. as you probably know, some of the major civil rights groups we've called for is a huge march on washington around the 16th anniversary in august. mobilizing people there, mobilizing across racial lines, antidefamation league and other groups are part of it. the practical part of it is mobilizing marches is good if we send people back with a real political agenda to vote not based on party but based on who would deal with offsetting some of the battle against affirmative action, women's right to choose, student debt

loans. >> that's right. >> the question i raise, and i think a lot of us are concerned about, is where is the white church? you -- >> the new york -- >> you asked -- >> let me ask the question. >> let me pause. the church is not just the white church. the pew foundation did a study of 50,000 pulpits in this country, the issue of pardon and justice. poor and lower wealth people who make less than $50,000 voted 50% for biden and harris. that's not the question. we just had 1,000 delegates represents every race, creed and color from across the country. we're calling for 30 state capitals in 2024 to the polls. we touch 15 million voters, 8 million in 15 states the last time. we had over 100,000 people in

the street in august. june of last year, we pushed them -- >> i got that. i'm trying to ask you something else. >> and we -- >> i'm trying to ask you something else. >> we have an agenda. >> what i'm -- >> we have to -- it's not just about -- >> is the silence of the white church. >> it's not just the silence. that is a -- >> my question is -- >> that is a false -- you look at the ucc church, disciples church, methodist, presbyterian. you can talk about the silence of the black church. everybody has to come together. you know, even in the civil rights movement, it was not the whole church. martin king was put out of his own denomination. what we're talking about here is a crisis of civilization where everybody has to do an assessment of what we have not done. in the book of samuel, samuel said, when you face this enemy, everybody must go, everybody. not some people but the entire

country. >> but in this climate, in this climate, reverend, there is no doubt that there's those of us that have taken certain stands. >> that's right. >> everybody must be responsible. but in this climate, you have major white church denominations now saying women can't be pastors. you have silence in terms of affirmative action law. shouldn't we also be challenging, particularly those that are clergymen, those that have done what we admonished in the bible, those that have posed as moral leaders but that have used their pulpits to sanction immoral social policies. >> i agree. i agree with you, rev. the point is, we are doing that, but you have to also recognize all of the -- i said ucc, disciples of christ, methodist, those who are not white evangelicals. white evangelicalism is going down. there is a rise of moral leaders, not just churches, quakers, unitarian, jewish

community, they're all rising and coming. this letter calls us as moral leaders to engage in this moral moment. isaiah 58 says it like this, rev, there comes a time, and you know this, isaiah 58, we must engage in -- we just raise our voices loud across the board. whether it is white, black, jewish, christian, muslim, whatever it is, it is a moment in which all of us have to come together. it is a moment when, across the board, we have to come together. it's a moment when we need to look at the agenda. one of the things at the center of theology and public policy is actually produce a higher ground moral agenda. we have to pass a living wage. 41% of african-americans would come out of poverty instantly. if we were to stop voter suppression, not just black people, but 50 million

americans, 50 million black, white and others being suppressed would not be suppressed. we have to have a deep look in the moment of moral crisis. 330,000 people died during covid from the lack of health care. they didn't die from covid. they died from the lack of health care. we have to wrestle with that. we have to repent of when we had power and didn't use it, and come to this moment with a fresh commitment, with a bully pulpit and say, this it is republicans and democrats, right and left, this is a crisis of civilization. all of us have to come together. i shake hands with you, my brother, as we stand together to fight for what's right. >> reverend william barber, thank you for your appearance and your passion this morning. we appreciate it. police are searching for whomever is responsible for killing two people and injuring 28 others in a mass shooting in baltimore, maryland. it happened just after midnight

yesterday during a block party. police say the victims ages range between 13 and 32 years old. more than a dozen under the age of 18. police say more than one person was involved in the shooting, but it is unclear if the victims were targeted. now, joining us, the mayor of baltimore, maryland, brandon scott. mayor scott, thank you so much for being with us this morning. let's just start right there. could you give us any updates in terms of this investigation, whether a motive has been established, or if any suspects have been detained? >> no update on that, other than what we already know and what you just reiterated. listen, we're talking about a cowardly act of violence, carried out by a few who did that in an event where folks were celebrating and took that away from them. took two lives and injured 28 others and harmed so many others through trauma in that community. that's what happened there.

that's why we're not going to stop until we find the people and hold them accountable. we're not just going to stop there. we're going to find out who trafficked the gun, who sold that gun, and even if it's the manufacturer, everybody in the chain has to be held accountable. starting with those who decided to pull the trigger cowardly and going back from there. >> mr. mayor, obviously, more than two dozen people injured, a number of them critically. can you give us any updates there as to how they're doing? is there hope there that they'll be able to recover? >> well, listen, we know that at last check, last night, all but seven folks had been released from the hospital. we still had those four in critical condition. there have been no changes or updates from that as yesterday. we will continue to update as we go throughout the day and throughout the recovery of the incident. >> mr. mayor, this obviously comes, this is a high-profile shooting attracting national attention, but certainly, there

has been crime as a challenge for your city to this point this year. 140 homicides in baltimore so far in 2023. i know you have denounced this as being entirely too high. shootings around the same range this year as last, down a little bit. tell us about some of the efforts you and the police department there are doing to try to get this crime in check. >> what i would say, that number you talk about, even with this incident, right, we're talking about a city with a 20% reduction in homicides year-over-year. that work is still ongoing. one is one too man. -- too many. violence is an issue in baltimore and across the country. what plays into that is the historic racism, all the things we could talk about. we also can understand that to reducing that, it's not just on the footing of police any longer. our police officers, as i said

yesterday, have seized over 1,300 illegal firearms, which we know most of them came from states not in maryland and definitely not baltimore, maryland, where there aren't any gun stores. we know these things are coming from virginia, from west virginia, from georgia, from texas, from ohio, from everywhere but baltimore. we're going to be dealing with that flow of illegal guns into our city. we are focused in baltimore on the people who are most likely to be the victim or perpetrator. we are expanding our programs throughout babaltimore. it doesn't stop with the police. the mayor neighborhoods, intervention work, safeties who go out there, hospital-based response, through our community organizations, we are pouring tons of money into community organizations like the men who are going to their own community to fight against violence. we're investing record numbers of funding into our public

schools, into our recreation centers. all of that is how we have seen that reduction. we want to build on that reduction because we've seen it across the country, where cities are having the opposite. they're up 10, 15, 20%. we are not happy where that 20% reduction. we want to see that go even further. we want to see the shooting reduction go even further. we're going to do everything to make sure that happens, from policing, through education, through social service, through making sure people have opportunities and jobs, through programs like hirer up and train up. we cannot dance around this conversation any longer, about how this country has always looked to police, always looked to local elected officials, always looked to local states attorneys around dealing with gun violence. we cannot get around the fact that this is another mass shooting, over 300 of them this year in the united states of america, and we are not talking about this issue nationally. congress should be acting on these things nationally. ghost guns should be banned

nationally. there should be rules and regulations put in place that make it harder for people who do not and should not have a gun. not law-abiding gun holders. those who should not have a gun, making it harder for them to get it, for those trafficking them, people who are making guns and weapons and kits and things. they should be doing that now as they promised this country that they would way back in 1999 when columbine happened. we're still having the same conversation today. mayor after mayor after mayor after mayor, we as the local level can't do it alone. we'll do everything in our power, but this issue is a nationwide epidemic, and we have to handle it that way, as well. >> mayor scott, al sharpton. yesterday, five of the -- >> good to see you, reverend. >> good to see you. five of the mayors from leading cities, l.a., new york, others were with us at a forum at the essence festival. the frustration that they had

there, and now i'm hearing from now, is that as they try to build and revive the economy of their city, deal with things like education, a lot of attention is on the shootings and no one is dealing with the fact that there has been no move by congress to really deal with issues, even as i would consider dealing with a background check, which should be easy. talk about how what you were trying to do in baltimore, and my radio show is this every day, so i know the work you're doing, trying to help young people, trying to bring business back to baltimore, is overshadowed by this kind of mass shooting, which you immediately call the mass shooting. it interferes with your vision for baltimore, and you are handicapped because you're not congress. you can't do the laws you need to do to be able to manage this kind of situation.

>> yeah, and thank you. i saw my brother and sister mayors, and i've heard from mayor adams and other folks out there saying, we all have this conversation all the time, about how we need that assistance. for example, one of the biggest things that we talk about are these ghost guns, which we banned in maryland, right? we now are seeing fewer of them recovered because of that ban. but we should be talking about congress, saying no one, reverend, no one, especially some 13, 14-year-old kid, should be able to go online, order three little parts, put it together, and go out and be able to make it a gun. that is not something that should happen in our country. that's something they have in their power right now to do, but they are too afraid to do it. they have wonderful folks in congress who are trying to do that, but that should be something that every single american should be putting on their heart. there are things they can do. it does overshadow. it overshadows the fact that we in baltimore have invested record levels into our education

system. we opened 28 new school buildings the last few years. we've opened more recreation centers. we've invested into small businesses and small black and women-owned businesses, to allow them to come back from the pandemic. cities are still coming back from that and bringing people back to work. we saw historic issues now making investments into areas that have been disinvested in. baltimore's neighborhoods. it's been overshadowed because everyone hears about the death, those things that happen, these mass shootings that happen, right? we have to talk about that. but let's talk about that in the complexity and completeness of the issue. yes, we have to hold whoever pulled that trigger responsible, but you and i know it's much deeper than that. >> yes, sir. >> we know there's mental health involved. we know there is poverty involved. we know there is structural racism involved. all of it matters. we need this issue. ever may every mayor will tell you the same thing.

we need national action to make it tougher for people to get these things who should not have them. i can't -- right now, reverend, if i let you hold my cell phone, you couldn't open it unless you had my face and my finger. i can take your gun off you right now and shoot you with it. that makes no sense in this country. it is time for us to get real about how we're going to protect people's right to own a weapon. also, have the sanctity of the lives of americans outweigh the sanctity of american guns. right now, it is imbalanced. >> baltimore, a wonderful city and terrific leader running things there. mayor brandon scott, thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. coming up here on "morning joe," ron desantis is dishing out criticism when it comes to new york city pizza. new york city pizza. how a local debate is playing into presidential politics when we come right back. rev, it's an issue near and dear to my heart, pizza. za

[ applause ] the day you get your clearchoice dental implants changes your struggle with missing teeth forever. it changes how you eat, how you feel, and how you enjoy life. it changes your smile and how others smile at you. clearchoice network doctors have changed over 100,000 lives with dental implants, and they can change yours, too. because a clearchoice day changes every day. schedule a free consultation. - the will states that mr. marbles will receive everything he needs in perpetuity. thanks to autoship from chewy. - i always love that old man. - and he gets the summer house. - what? - [narrator] save more on what they love and never run out with autoship from chewy.

i'm sholeh, and i lost 75 pounds with golo. - [narrator] save more on what they love i went from a size 20 to a size 6. before golo, nothing seemed to work. i was exercising for over an hour every day. it was really discouraging. but golo's so easy, the weight just falls off. how can you sleep on such a firm setting? gab, mine is almost the same as yours. almost is just another word for not as good as mine.

the queen sleep number 360 c2 smart bed is now only $899. plus, free home delivery when you add an adjustable base. shop now only at sleep number. psoriasis really messes with you. try. hope. fail. no one should suffer like that. i started cosentyx®. five years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infection, some serious and a lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reaction may occur. best move i've ever made. ask your dermatologist about cosentyx®.

so, you've got the power of xfinity at home. now take it outside with xfinity mobile. ask your dermatologist like speed? it's the fastest mobile service around. with the best price for two lines of unlimited. only $30 bucks a line per month. that's hundreds in savings a year when you wave bye to the other guys. save hundreds a year on your wireless bill over t-mobile, at&t and verizon. and right now, get up to $1000 off select samsung phones. switch today.

so this is the coal fired oven pizza. according to the government, this is killing the environment. let's have a slice. >> let it rip. >> oh, man. >> that's good. >> really good. the idea they would be going after this, i mean, honestly, i see a lot of the people leaving new york who complain about what goes on up here, but even i wouldn't have believed they would have dreamt of going after this. this is a staple of this city. >> of all the things going on here, you have crime, homelessness, drugs. they're going after ovens. why does the government do that? >> they just want to control. you have an itch on the left. they want to control behavior.

>> fact checking, although i will say that looked delicious. that was 2024 republican presidential candidate ron desantis alluding to the very false claim that new york city wants to ban coal and wood-fired pizza ovens. desantis was referencing new rules introduced by the new york city council that will require older models of these ovens to have certain emissions controls. in response to the accusation, the bill's author, don richards, responded to the florida governor, writing in a tweet this. glad you have taken such an interest in my bill to insure workers and their customers can breathe clean air. no one knows about controlling behavior more than you, though. don't you have books to ban? and donovan joins us now. thanks for being here. let's set the record straight. let's start with what does this bill actually do, and is it going to jeopardize my ability to get delicious new york pizza?

>> less than 1% of pizzerias in new york city are using coal and wood burning ovens and this was not simply about pizza. this is a 200-page bill that actually addresses indoor air quality, and we have to do everything we can just as we see these wildfires coming in from canada, in new york city and how it's impacting us, thesis wildfires are happening in pizzarias across new york city every day. >> do you think that this was -- and i'm asking you now, donovan, to put on your political hat. do you think this was just desantis trying to play an us against them thing, exaggerating what's going on in new york? because he certainly pinpointed this like it's new york, it's them. and that's been a kind of game the right always plays. it's us against them. because there's really something to what they're saying. >> this is not about simply taking away somebody's slice. this is about saving lives.

and the pizzaria workers, the communities that surround these particular businesses, also are impacted. this is not a partisan issue. this is really about insuring that we can have great indoor air quality for everyone, and everybody has that right. >> the governor was at a classic brooklyn pizzeria to make his political point. to what rev said, far from the first time the right has seized on something to try to do this. tell us more what's in that bill. i think air quality has been top of mind for so many in recent weeks because of the canadian wildfires. it was very hazy in new york the last couple days. bad in d.c. we remember that orange sky a few weeks ago. what else can we done to try to improve the air we're breathing each and every day? >> this bill goes further than just simply about pizza. it also phases out number 4 oil. you think about children who get on these small school buses every day that have to breathe

in smog. it also insures that the school buses have to put devices on as well. this is really about insuring that we reduce asthma in new york city, that everybody no matter what their socioeconomic status is, no matter what their zip code is, has access to clean air. that should be a human right. >> clean air and preserving the ability to get a pepperoni and mushroom slice. thank you for joining us. we appreciate it. still ahead here, is chris christie running the best campaign against donald trump? the daily beast's matt lewis is arguing that yes, christie is. we'll read from matt's new piece. plus, new reporting about trump's efforts to pressure the governor of arizona to overturn the state's 2020 election results. it's motjust georgia anymore. we'll be right back. right now get a free footlong at subway. like the subway series menu.

buy one footlong in the app, get one free. for freeee. that's what i'm talking about. order in the subway app today.

. >> i only need 11,000 votes. fellas, i need 11,000 votes. give me a break. so look, all i want to do is this. i just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state. there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that you've recalculated. >> we have all heard the phone call former president trump made to georgia secretary of state brad raffensperger demanding he find enough votes for him to win the state in 2020. turns out, trump may have tried to pressure the governor of arizona as well.

plus, florida governor and 2024 candidate ron desantis facing new pushback after his campaign released a video mocking donald trump's past support for lgbtq issues. what transportation secretary pete buttigieg had to say about that. also this morning, what we're learning about a mass shooting in baltimore yesterday that left two people dead and more than two dozen injured. good morning. and welcome to "morning joe." it is monday, july 3rd. i'm jonathan lemire alongside the bbc's katty kay. joe, mika, and willie all have the morning off. we're glad you're starting your day with us. with us, we have former white house director of communications to president obama, jen palmieri, the president of the national action network and host of "politics nation," the reverend al sharpton, and white house editor for politico, sam stein. good morning to you all. thanks for being here. we'll get started and begin with

that new report by "the washington post" revealing that back in late 2020, former president donald trump called and tried to pressure arizona's then-republican governor doug ducey to overturn the state's presidential election results. saying that if enough fraudulent votes could be found, it would overcome trump's narrow loss in that state. that's according to three people familiar with the call. additionally, two of those people tell the newspaper that trump repeatedly asked then vice president mike pence to call governor ducy directly and push the governor to find the evidence to substantiate trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud. the sources say pence called him several times to discuss the election, but did not follow trump's demands to pressure the governor. nbc news previously reported on a call trump made to ducy after

he certified the election results on november 30th, 2020. in this video, ducy's phone is ringing while he literally signed the certification. that same day, trump also attacked ducy on twitter, accusing him of ptraying the people of arizona, and he acknowledged talking to trump later that day. katty kay. >> yeah, it's that great video of him taking the phone out of his pocket like i'm just not go to look at it. >> puts it down. >> what a way to dis something. they also say he described the pressure he was under to a prominent republican after trump lost that 2020 election. and said he was surprised that special counsel jack smith's team had not asked him about his phone calls with trump and pence as part of the justice department's investigation into trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. it's not clear if he has been

contacted by smith's office since meeting with that donor. a spokesperson for former governor issued news about a report in "the washington post." it reads in part, quote, this is nothing more than a copy and paste of a compilation of articles from the past two years disguised as something new. governor ducey defended the results of the 2020 election, he certificated the election, and made it clear the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward. none were ever brought forward. the governor stands by his action to certify the election and considers the issue to be in the rear-view mirror. it's time to move on. >> over the weekend, former vice president pence acknowledged calling ducey and others after the 2020 election, but said there was no pressure from trump to overturn the election

results. >> i did check in with not only governor ducey but other governors in states going through the legal process of reviewing their election results. there was no pressure involved. margaret, i was calling to get an update. i passed along that information to the president, and it was no more or less than that. >> so we all know the arizona results, super close, like the georgia results. we also know brian kemp had been under pressure as well in georgia. what do you read into this "washington post" reporting? we again in a situation where we look at the 2020 election results, we think there were a few officials around the country, brad raffensperger famously being one, ducey being another, who stood up to attempts to overturn legitimate results. >> i think there's something to what ducey's spokesperson said about this, a lot of this news having been reported before. like you said, ducey taking his

cell phone out as he's certifying the election, that was a classic from 2020. what i am wondering is why is this story being leaked now? is it -- is this the ducey camp, although the spokesperson didn't seem to be happy this story was out there, is that his camp trying to send up a flare to the prosecutors, you haven't talked to us and you should because we have things to share with you? is it someone who wishes trump ill who's leaking this information in order to try to get the attention of the prosecutors? but i wonder about that. and then you have to wonder, who else did trump call? right? because probably wasn't the republican governors in arizona and georgia, but it probably wasn't limited to those states. and then you're thinking, where else might the prosecutors be looking. >> i'll add one more possibility

there. this could be perhaps someone who sees trump's strength in the polls and is trying to take a desperate shot to bring him down, saying this is someone who wants more, is the favorite to be the gop nominee. let's remind everyone what he did last time around. reverend sharpton, we should note this is another republican who did stand up against trump here, republican governor of arizona, much like governor kemp in georgia. they are republicans. there were some in his party willing to defy his wishes but it just underscores just the lengths that donald trump was willing to take to try to remain in power. and what worries so many if he were to become president again. >> it does worry many, and what i think is very, very troubling to me is that we have almost gotten to the place where we are making whether you are loyal to donald trump or loyal to the law equivalent.

like they're equal choices. it should be a no-brainer that you're going to be loyal to the law and that you ought to just be about insulted that trump would ask you to go and find something that's not there, to do something fraudulent. and that's how much i think the trump cult has began to normalize the perversion of american politics, it's like there's a fair choice. do you want to do what trump wants or do you follow the law? you're supposed to follow the law no matter who's involved. that's why you elected governor of georgia or arizona or wherever else. it should be a no-brainer. >> shouldn't be noteworthy you're adhering to the oath you swore to and the duties of your office, but that's where we are right now. the specter of the donald trump campaign looms large all over this. he had an impressive display of strength as he hit the campaign trail in south carolina.

and the home state of two of his republican primary opponents, nikki haley and tim scott, trump spent most of the event on saturday railing against president joe biden and the latest accusations against him. >> the espionage act has been used to go after traitors and spies. it has nothing to do with a former president legally keeping documents. i had every right to have these documents, personal belongings in boxes. joe biden didn't. you know, i have been hitting him much differently than i have because i always respected the office. when they indicted me for nothing, i said now the gloves are off. he's a crook. >> your reminder that just about nothing he said was true. before trump took the stage, south carolina senator lindsey graham was mercilessly booed by the crowd of republicans from his own state. later on, trump did little to defend graham and instead goaded

his supporters into booing the senator even more. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome united states senator lindsey graham. >> thank you. thank you. thank you all for coming. thank you very, very much. thank you, thank you. >> you know, you can make mistakes on occasion. even lindsey down here, senator lindsey graham. we love senator graham. we're going to love him. we're going to love him. i know. it's half and half. but when i need some of those liberal votes, he's always there to help me get them. we have some pretty liberal people, but he's good. he's there. he's there when you need him. i'm going to get him

straightened out. >> sam stein, with friends like these, i mean, lindsey graham is someone who has by many accounts sullied his reputation over and over and over by his robust defense of donald trump. yes, he broke with him occasionally on some foreign policy issues. yes, he briefly did the night of january 6th before coming running back. he's still one of trump's staunchest defenders. man, donald trump gave him little to no support or cover right there. >> yeah, that is what we call ritualistic humiliation, in his home state, nonetheless. brutal, but to a degree, graham kind of invites this stuff. i was recalling with someone how a couple weeks ago, lindsey graham had gone to some conventions. if you can't support a 14-week abortion ban federally, then you don't deserve to be president. and trump has refused to support the ban, but graham is supporting trump for president.

so he does invite this type of stuff occasionally. that said, this is really about trump. i was, not impressed because i sort of expect this stuff at this juncture, but that rally over the weekend. a show of force is probably the right way to put it. a small town, they call themselves a city of 3,000. an estimated 50,000 people showed up. this is in the home state of two other republican presidential nominees. tim scott and nikki haley. and this comes at a time when trump, you know, in all respects, should be at a political cross roads. he's referencing this indictment he's facing, and yet he's using that to his political benefit. it's just, it was a remarkable moment that really does underscore this weird place that we're in politically in which this man who is under incredible pressure and scrutiny and legal problems is well on his way to securing the party's nomination, and there's very little in the

foreseeable future that could trip him up. >> already facing multiple indictments. more on the way, most likely. let's add a voice to this conversation. senior columnist for the daily beast, matt lewis, joins us now. let's start with what we just saw in south carolina. the show of force from trump, yes, but also that dynamic with lindsey graham where it is, and yes, there's a uniqueness to their relationship perhaps, but it just goes to show how trump can almost any republican in the party, almost anyone, he says dance and they say how high. he's pulling the strings. >> yeah, and that's a reminder. i mean, this is not the first time that trump has really humiliated lindsey graham. i remember when he gave lindsey graham cell phone publicly, and that was of course when lindsey graham was being critical of donald trump. then lindsey graham decides to buddy up to donald trump. you can make an argument that graham, a lot of people have

kind of bowed the knee to donald trump and gotten nothing in return. i think you could argue lindsey graham has advanced some of his foreign policy goals and world view by virtue of sucking up to donald trump. but remember there was a time right after january 6th where lindsey graham tried to break with trump temporarily. he was then harassed at reagan national airport by trump fans and scurried back to donald trump. if nothing else, this is a cautionary tale that once you are in the family, the cult, whatever you want to call it, do not waiver. and you know, any time donald trump wants to do so, he can kind of sic his minions, his fans, his base on you. so lindsey graham, get back in line. >> stay with us. we want to talk about chris christie, who you say is running the best campaign against donald trump. that conversation just ahead on "morning joe."

we moved out of the city so our little sophie could appreciate nature. but then he got us t-mobile home internet. i was just trying to improve our signal, so some of the trees had to go. i might've taken it a step too far. (chainsaw revs) (tree crashes)

(chainsaw continues) (daughter screams) let's pretend for a second that you didn't let down your entire family. what would that reality look like? well i guess i would've gotten us xfinity... and we'd have a better view. do you need mulch? what, we have a ton of mulch.

welcome back. we have been talking with the daily beast's matt lewis and his latest column is entitled win or lose, chris christie is running the best campaign against trump. it reads in part, quote, while donald trump is clearly the prohibitive front runner for the republican nomination, there's no denying christie is the most interesting of the growing republican field of candidates who are clamoring for that coveted spot. i don't want to gee too far out on a brittle limb here, christie is still polling under 3%. still, i wouldn't be surprised if christie's trajectory is

still on the rise. there are a couple reasons for this. first, christie is the only contender who actually realizes the 2024 election is about one question and one question only. trump or not trump? christie is the only republican opponent who has the correct interpretation of what the primary is about. and that's a huge advantage. this also brings us to the second reason christie has a chance to gain traction. he's the only non-trump candidate who is not only tough but also funny and entertaining. perhaps it's a commentary on our culture, but this is a vitally important. in fact, i would say trump's entertainment value is a wildly underrated political attribute. it might not be enough to sway republican primary voters but that's on their collective conscience. christie can't control how voters will respond to his message. what he can control is how he delivers it. and on that count, he's hitting it out of the park. that kind of gets, matt, to what i was talking about, that entertainment factor.

here's a compilation of christie's greatest hits against trump so far in this campaign. >> once trump started hitting back at you on a number of fronts, he took aim at your weight. what was your reaction to that's? >> like he's some udonis, please. >> a lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog is not a leader. it's not amusing anymore. it's not entertaining anymore. it's the last throes of a bitter angry man who wants power back for himself, not for you. >> he's a petulant child when someone disagrees with him. >> completely self centered. completely self consumed and doesance give a damn about the american people. >> he hasn't won a damn thing since 20 sane. three-time loser. loser, loser, loser. >> the problem for donald trump in all of this is his own conduct. he's his own worst enemy.

>> so matt, i think you're right. i think politics has always been a show, since the roman times, and maybe something we undersmatded about trump in 2016, all those years in entertainment served him incredibly well. christy has some of that combative fight in him. this seems to be an election that's as much about confrontation as it is about conservatism. if you will show you can fight for people, perhaps that's what voters want. i don't think it gets christie up to 49%, which is where he needs to be to take on trump, but what is the ripple effect of what christie is doing on the other candidates? >> yes. well, that's the hope, right, that remember rocky iv, the great scene when the russian's been cut, finally been cut, and it's a bad cut. nobody thinks that donald trump -- donald trump has this image that he's magical and that he can't be beaten. and so if someone finally ever

does land one, i have been waiting for seven years, we don't know what would happen. that there could be a feeding frenzy. other people could be emboldened to come forward and start attacking him. that's what i was talking about with this strategy. chris christie understands the election is about donald trump. other candidates seem like they're running for president to be trump's vice president or to inherit trump's voters when he drops out. that's not going to happen. chris christie gets that donald trump is what the election is about. the primary is a referendum still on donald trump. and by the way, if you want to get on tv, you can talk about donald trump. that will get you on tv. i think chris christie's electoral chances are not great, but you know, we don't know what new hampshire might do. they do interesting counterintuitive things sometimes. if christie managed to get into a debate against donald trump, some people think that's never going to happen, but that would

be quite an amazing thing to see. at the end of the day, pat buchanan used to talk about people being what he called political athletes. chris christie is a political at athlete. part of it is charisma, part is toughness, but he's prosecuting the case against donald trump in a way no one else is doing or i would say frankly capable of doing. i don't think you can teach this. i think what chris christie has, the bluster, the humor, the toughness, you're born with that. so i think that christie is a unique figure in this race, more than anybody else. he is the one person who has the chance to actually maybe not beat donald trump but put donald trump into a position where other people decide, oh, we can actually run against him. >> so furthering matt's point, so many republicans for so many cycles now complain that trump

blocks out the sun, he gets all the media attention, all the oxygen. one thing chris christie has figured out is if you attack donald trump in a good way, you'll get media attention. if you get media attention, your poll numbers go up, at least a little bit. christie may have hit on something. but a couple republicans i talked to in recent days watching christie had a mini moment here. know he's also taken a lot of swipes at governor ron desantis. trump is number one, but he's attacks desantis too. especially if trump sits out those first couple debates, which he's threatened to do, and christie is up there as the attack dog who knows he can score points to stay in this thing and it becomes his primary focus, someone suggested to me, we know what christie did to marco rubio. he could do the same to desantis, another florida man. >> not only can he do to desantis what he did to rubio,

he will do it. that's just the way he does what he does. and i agree with matt's point. i think sometimes people totally underestimate for whatever reasons the entertainment part of people that are in public and political life. because it gives people -- it's like putting a sweetener into your coffee. it gives people a better taste of how it goes down. usually people that are very good with policy almost like nerds, they may have a 16-point program, but if they don't have a way of delivering it, it just doesn't go down people's consciousness right. it just doesn't matter. i think we have far too often underestimated that entertainment value donald trump has. and that "it" factor, and obama had it. i think matt is right, you're born with it. i had people in activism say i'm not into all of that charisma.

usually they don't have charisma. it's not an option. i think we should never forget that factor because that attracts people. >> safe to say, you know of what you speak right here. jen palmieri, let's get you in on this conversation. your assessment of what chris christie is doing, does it have any sort of staying power? do you anticipate it making any kind of dent at all ineter trump or even perhaps desantis? >> the thing that was in his critique that was probably most effective is he said, he's trying to win, not for himself, not for you. and i think that puncturing him as a three-time loser, as christie did, may soften him up. but unless somebody convinces voters that he's actually not for you, that is -- we talked about, this morning we talked about his appeal in the rallies.

it does feel like that pickens rally, it felt like something kind of changed or solidified in the rally in terms of his leadership in the primary. but his ability to connect with the crowds, and they do feel like he's fighting for them. and you know, christie may be able to soften him up some. matt is right that somebody else needs to pick up the mantle and go right at trump because that is what the question of the primary is, whether it's trump or not. what i think you really need to do to break the republican electorate from trump is convince them that he is out for himself, that he's not actually for you. and that he has shown that over the course of the last seven years. that's tougher to do. >> one trump operative texted me and made the comparison of the south carolina rally to that famous one he had in mobile, alabama, in 2015 that was a statement. hey, my party. senior columnist for the daily beast, matt lewis, thank you for

the thought provoking piece and for joining us this morning. turning now to the weather. and it's hot. millions of americans are under a heat alert across the south and west. many cities from tebs tex to california are on track to break records with scorching temperatures set to hit triple digits this week. in addition to increasing the risk of heat related illnesses and deaths, the hot and dry conditions in the west raised concerns about the outbreak of wildfires. the national weather service in phoenix is forecasting 116 degrees today. according to the associated press, that's just two degrees off the record high for that date set back in 1907. let's bring in meteorologist angie lassman here. this is not just hey, it's july, it's hot. this is extreme dangerous stuff. >> yeah, and a lot of places in the southwest and in the southeast have been dealing with this for days and days. so folks that work outdoors or do strenuous activities or are

celebrating the holiday weekend outdoors have had to be careful throughout the weekend. now we're going to go into the next couple days where we have more of the same. on top of that, we have severe weather. it looks great in new york. this is the top of the rock. a little cloud cover, the air quality has improved a whole lot. notice when we take a peek at satellite and radar, some rain has worked through and continues to do so. we have lingering showers left over in parts of new england and a couple more rounds. by the time this is said and done, we could see upwards of 1 to even higher than 3 inches of rain in parts of the northeast. it's going to be soggy for folks out and about over the next two days celebrating fourth of july. here's the area i really want you to pay attention to. it does include major cities like washington, d.c., richmond, charlotte, where we could see strong storms developing. it does include the potential for some large hail, some strong winds, and that will be something we see over the next several days and the rain is something ayou'll have to dodge too. we have 33 million people

included in the heat alerts. in the southeast and southwest is where we're focussing. here's these temperatures. jonathan mentioned it, 118 in places like palm springs. it's going to be brutal. another day of this as we get into tomorrow for fourth of july and places like las vegas, 112. these aren't just summer-like. that goes for the southeast, although a little improvement for temperatures has been seen in parts of the southeast thanks to the cold front bringing rain on the east coast today. >> i'm opting to stay inside. >> coming up, a look at some of the morning papers including what might be a record-breaking number of migrants seeking asylum in georgia. we'll have that reporting from the atlanta journal constitution next on "morning joe." my active psoriatic arthritis can make me feel like i'm losing my rhythm. with skyrizi to treat my skin and joints, i'm getting into my groove.

♪(uplifting music)♪ along with significantly clearer skin... skyrizi helps me move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. skyrizi attaches to and reduces a source of excess inflammation that can lead to skin and joint symptoms. with skyrizi 90% clearer skin and less joint pain are possible. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to skyrizi, there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement... and that means everything. ♪nothing is everything♪ now's the time to ask your doctor about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. i need it cool at night. nowyou trying to icek yourme out of the bed?izi. baby, only on game nights. you know you are retired right? am i? ya!

the queen sleep number 360 c2 smart bed is now only $899. plus, free home delivery when you add an adjustable base. shop now only at sleep number. hi, i'm tony hawk, and like many of you, i take a statin to reduce cholesterol, but statins can also deplete coq10 levels. that's why my doctor recommended qunol coq10. qunol has the number one cardiologist recommended form of coq10. qunol. the brand i trust. for copd, ask your doctor about breztri. breztri gives you better breathing, symptom improvement, and helps prevent flare-ups. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain,

mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vison changes, or eye pain occur. if you have copd ask your doctor about breztri. ♪♪ open talenti and raise the jar to gelato made from scratch. raise the jar to flavors from the world's finest ingredients. and now, from jars to bars. new talenti gelato and sorbetto mini bars. ♪♪

season. that eighth inning solo shot was his 15th long ball in the last 22 games, and the rangeangels b the diamond backs 5-2. his talents will be on display next week at the all-star break. he was named to the american league roster yesterday as a pitcher, after of course, already earning a starting spot as a designated hitter. ohtani is the only two-way all-star in the history of major league baseball. >> meanwhile, yesterday's addition of pitchers and reserves sent a league-leading eight atlanta braves to the

midsummer classic which marks the most of any team since 2012 and the most of any national league team since 2008. that includes the braves' entire starting infield. that's probably the best organization in the sport right now. another notable selection, los angeles dodgers left hander clayton kershaw will make his tenth all-star game appearance which is second only among active players to mike trout who was named to his 11th all-star game and will also be playing in seattle next week. so sam stein, a constellation of stars if you will in the pacific northwest next week, but all eyes will be on ohtani. this is maybe the best baseball player we have ever seen. he's doing what babe ruth did, but he's doing both things at the same time. he probably deserves to be the biggest star in sports and maybe he's headed that way if he lands in a bigger team next year. just give us your take on how good he is. >> i never watch the guy because

he's on the west coast, and you know, who can stay up that late to watch him? this guy is ridiculous. obviously, you have obligations. this guy is ridiculous. if you look, if you extrapolate his stats for the first half of the season over a full season, objectively, i don't think there's any doubt it will be the greatest season ever by a baseball player. if you just add up the wins against replacement for offense and defense, he will have scored the best baseball season in history of the game. and it's, you know, an amazing thing to witness. i do agree with you, i think he would look a little better on the east coast, probably as a red sox. perhaps ownership could fork up a few bucks to make it happen. until then, we're truly witnessing something unique and great. >> let's look at the morning papers from around the country and we're going to begin in colorado where the guset reports the state is seeing a surge of out of state abortion patients. since june of last year when the

supreme court overturned roe v. wade, about 2 of 5 women seeking an abortion from planned parenthood of the rocky mountains have not been from colorado. colorado was the first state to legalize the medical procedure in 1967. in georgia, the atlanta journal constitution has a front page feature on the state taking in what might be a record number of migrants seeking asylum. according to immigration court data, there were nearly 5,000 migrants with deportation cases in the state in may. the biggest group were venezuelans followed by mexicans and then colombians. most of those people entered the u.s. at the southern border without authorization. >> in tennessee, a rise in online hate and harassment across the country. according to the anti-defamation league, more than half of americans reported experiencing some type of online abuse. that's up from 40% last year. 51% of teens also reported

experiencing online hate this year, and that is up from 36% last year. we have to watch out for our teenagers. and the new haven register has a front page feature on the growing number of retirees living in connecticut. the census bureau says there's more than 580,000 people over the age of 65 in the state. that's a more than 3.4% gain just in the last year. it's also slightly ahead of florida's 3.3% gain. so everyone moving to connecticut. coming up, the latest from ukraine and what's being described as a slower than expected counteroffensive against russian forces and an update on that brutal fight when "morning joe" comes right back. , we destroy the world. we're in a race against the nazis. i have no choice. is it big enough to ead the war? to end all war? 7... 6... 5...

4... 3... -it's happening, isn't it? 2... 1...

- the company goes to the firstborn, audrey. the model train set is entrusted to todd. mr. marbles will receive recurring deliveries for all of his needs in perpetuity, thanks to autoship from chewy. - i always loved that old man. - what's it say about the summer house? - yeah, the beach house- - the summer residence goes to mr. marbles. (mr. marbles chuckles) - plot twist! - i'm sorry, what? - doesn't make logistical sense. - unbelievable. - pets aren't just pets. they're more. - you got a train set, todd. - [announcer] save more on what they love and never run out with autoship from chewy.

we turn to news from overseas. ukraine's counteroffensive against russia is moving at a slower pace than many expected. over the weekend, a ukrainian defense minister described the ongoing operation as, quote,

quite complicated. she added that ukrainian troops have reclaimed about 11 square miles of territory in the south. her claims have not been independently verified. this as russian forces have been advancing on the eastern front. attacking battle lines in the donnetic region. and meanwhile, president biden is set to visit europe next week to bolster support for ukraine. the main focus of his five-day trip which kicks off sunday will be the annual nato summit in lithuania. sweden is pushing to join the alliance over fears it may some day be targeted by russia as well. it's a move that the united states supports but turkey and hungary have yet to endorse it. the white house will host sweden's prime minister on wednesday in a show of solidarity. the president will head to london first to pay a visit to the newly crowned queen, then to

lithuania for the nato summit and then to finland to welcome that nation in the alliance. they hope sweden joins the ranks soon. joining us now, former senior operations officer with the cia, mark. we have a bunch of things to get to this morning. none of which will be the red sox sweep of the blue jays but you and i know it. we're going to start with the counteroffensive right now from ukraine. there had been real hope that they would have made more progress from now. there was caution from kyiv, this time around is going to be slower. everyone involved seemed to acknowledge that. but especially with that aborted wagner mutiny in russia a week ago, there was hope ukraine would start to show progress, and at least so far, that hasn't happened much. what's your read? >> my sense is it's too early. first, timelines in war are complicated. and of course, the enemy always gets a vote. but the wagner you call it a

mutiny, a coup attempt, whatever it is, is important. i think in the big picture in that russia lost the capability of some serious shock troops. we might not see the effect on the battlefield for a long time, i think vladimir putin will be worried about what's going on under his own roof. the counteroffense is moving slowly, and one of the things, my sense from talking to people on the ground is also that ukraine has not actually deployed some of its most highly trained and capable units yet. this is part of their strategy. so i think we have to go back to what secretary of defense austin has said in the past, this is a marathon and not a sprint. >> mark, it's sam stein here. i want to pick up on that. we were talking in the past hour with clint watts about the expectations with the wagner mutiny that perhaps russia would be more vulnerable to this counteroffensive. can you speak in general terms about sort of the differences between a counteroffensive and frankly for russia how much easier it is to hold defensive

positions versus going further into ukraine territorially, that they may not need the mercenary forces there to hold those positions. >> well, i think just in kind of classic military analysis, obviously, a well entrenched dug in force is going to be hard to root out. one thing the ukrainians are going to want to do is hit logistics bases in the rear. there have been a lot of talk about attacking missiles, that the administration may provide. there have been hints that's on the way. but again, there should be no expectation that this is going to go quickly, and one thing again, what i have been told is that ukraine has not put forth its most highly capable troops just yet. so again, it's a marathon, not a sprint. it's going to be bloody. and there's going to be ups and downs. i think ukrainian resolve and western support is going to be key. >> and certainly an expectation

that president biden and allies when they meet, there will be a rousing show of support for ukraine. no conversation about the russian/ukraine war could be complete without adding the element of china. treasury secretary janet yellen will travel to beijing this week to meet with senior chinese officials. she's also scheduled to meet with u.s. firms who are doing business in china. the trip comes as the biden administration continues to try to cool tensions with beijing. a senior administration official did tell nbc news however that the white house does not expect significant breakthroughs. in a speech back did tell nbc news, however, that the white house does not expect significant breakthroughs. in a speech in april, yellen outlined three economic priorities for the u.s./china relationship, securing national security interests, fostering mutually beneficial growth and cooperating on global challenges like climate change and debt distress. her trip is meant to underscore those objectives, but yellen

coupled that with a promise that the united states will still defend our vital interests. so, mark, we should note, the two countries' militaries aren't really speaking and that remains an area of concern. secretary blinken suggested that china could have a role to play in brokering peace talks between russia and ukraine, maybe not now, but down the road. it is a complicated relationship. what right now is your take on the u.s. element to try to get at least somewhat on the same page with beijing on all these fronts? >> i think it's really important. china is our long term threat. it is a key competitor. the idea of not having open lines of communication is not good. even during the darkest days of the cold war, the u.s. and the

soviet union still had open lines of communication. there was a military hotline. right now, there are no military-to-military channels, or at least not at a sufficiently high level. that's a concern. yellen is making a positive step. when it comes to ukraine, a lot of us have thought for a long time china could play a role. china is ukraine's largest trading partner. a final point, when it comes to these doomsday scenarios of what if putin decides to do something drastic, china can help. china can say, hey, nothing in terms of blowing up the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. china does have a role here, a significant one. i'm glad to see this trip is

going forward. >> yellen is one of the slightly less hawkish members when it comes to china. a report late last week says the state department planned to fail or respond fast enough during the evacuation of americans and allies from afghanistan two years ago. the biden administration review concludes the state department failed to do enough planning for the collapse of the u.s.-backed government in afghanistan and repeatedly blames both the trump and the biden administrations for their efforts before and during the departure of u.s. forces from kabul. the report is also critical of both administrations for failing to establish a broader task force as the situation in afghanistan deteriorated. president biden was defiant when asked on friday if he would admit that the u.s. made mistakes before and during its

withdrawal. [ inaudible question ] >> remember what i said about afghanistan? i said al qaeda would not be there. i said it wouldn't be there. i said we'd get help from the taliban. what's happening now? what's going on? read your press. i was right. >> yeah. joe biden defending his position there. but you look at the situation in afghanistan, mark, and it stretches plausibility to say that mistakes weren't made at some point during that evacuation process. >> a couple things on the report and on biden's comments. first of all, i think those comments, i would hope he would want to take that back, the idea that somehow al qaeda is gone from afghanistan and the taliban is a solid counter terrorism partner. that defies a lot of the facts on the ground. it's almost this reflexive

defensiveness that occurs from the administration. this report was much more critical of senior levels of the state department and the biden white house as well. back in april the national security council put out a memo blaming everything on the trump administration that was roundly criticized. these individuals saved me and my team but saved american lives. the notion of getting our afghan allies back is something that's really important. i think the report, which i have heard from some of the veterans groups who helped with the evacuation, they call it a mixed bag. so some levels of accountability, more to go. i will say putting it out on a friday afternoon for a fourth of july holiday didn't send the right signal. it's better if there is some

accountability. there's going to be congressional testimony and investigations, which are all kind of performative theater in congress these days, these are justified. we need to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> there are senior members of the administration who acknowledge mistakes were made in afghanistan in a pull-out a couple summers ago. the president himself reflexively defensive to it. afghanistan is a legitimate area of questioning. we'll talk more about these foreign policy stories and more when the top democrat on the armed services committee joins us. congressman adam smith is our guest straight ahead on "morning joe." is our guest straight ahead on "morning joe.

when moderate to severe ulcerative colitis keeps flaring, put it in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when uc got unpredictable, i got rapid symptom relief with rinvoq. and left bathroom urgency behind. check. when uc got in my way, i got lasting, steroid-free remission with rinvoq. check. and when my gastro saw damage, rinvoq helped visibly repair the colon lining. check. rapid symptom relief. lasting, steroid-free remission. and a chance to visibly repair the colon lining. check. check. and check. 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 1 heart disease risk factor have higher risks. don't take if allergic to rinvoq as serious reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. put uc in check and keep it there, with rinvoq.

ask your gastro about rinvoq. and learn how abbvie could help you save.

i'm jayson. i'm living with hiv and i'm on cabenuva. it helps keep me undetectable. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. cabenuva is two injections, given by my healthcare provider, every other month. it's really nice not to have to rush home and take a daily hiv pill. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or if you taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems, and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns,

and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection-site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. ready to treat your hiv in a different way? ask your doctor about every-other-month cabenuva. every other month, and i'm good to go.

i'm not comfortable with it and i'm not comfortable with the way both governor desantis and donald trump are moving our debate in this country. they're trying to divide us further. it's wrong. it is a teenage, you know, food fight between ron desantis and donald trump. it certainly doesn't make me feel inspired as an american on the fourth of july weekend to have this type of back and forth going on. >> it is 9:00 a.m. on the east coast. the fourth hour of "morning joe" and that escalating feud between the two main rivals for the republican presidential nomination being dubbed a food fight by another 2024 gop hopeful. we're going to have all of the latest for you in this hour. also ahead, another republican hopeful says china has been preparing for war with the united states. we're going to play those comments for you and the latest tweet to twitter outrages the

internet. we're going to show you why elon musk's latest moves are causing another uproar. i'm katty kay alongside jonathan lemire. we're in for joe, mika and willie. reverend al sharpton is still with us. it's fourth of july coming up. lemire, i'm in london. you're in america. we're in mourning. you're celebrating. >> it is a tough time for you, i recognize that. you're a trooper to be here on the eve of what is the great mistake perhaps from great britain. yeah. this will be a celebration of all things 1776, red, white and blue, bald eagles and the boston red sox. >> i have wimbledon to cheer me up. we begin with the criticism being levelled against florida governor ron desantis after his

campaign released a video that has been widely condemned as homophobic. the desantis war room account posted the video to twitter on friday to mark the end of pride month. nbc news senior white house correspondent kelly o'donnell has the details on that and the new reaction from the white house and 2024 presidential candidates after the supreme court's rulings on affirmative action. >> reporter: this morning, high court repercussions. as 2024 candidates and the white house respond to the recent major supreme court decisions. >> we are moving forward with another pathway to debt relief. >> reporter: president biden racing to find new ways to erase some federal student loan debt after the conservative justices blocked the president's first proposal, a decision that candidate donald trump praised in south carolina saturday. >> they ruled against it, 100% against it. amazing. >> reporter: another controversial decision is stoking divisions over gay rights .

the high court found that a colorado christian web designer has a free speech right to refuse to create gay wedding websites. it comes as trump's main rival, florida governor desantis is under fire for his campaign's new video posted on the last day of pride month attacking trump for his support of the lgbtq community. the video then features the sequence showing desantis hard line on drag shows, transgender policies, interspersed with images of shirtless men and photos of brad pitt. pete buttigieg, the first openly gay cabinet member was asked to respond. >> i'm going to leave aside the strangeness of trying to prove your manhood of putting up a video that splices images of you in between oiled-up shirtless body builders.

who are you trying to help? who are you trying to make better off? >> reporter: some of desantis' republican rivals also pushing back. >> i don't think that's what leaders should be doing. >> we should be talking about how do we embrace our differences. >> reporter: log cabin republicans, a group that represents lgbtq conservatives, calling it divisive and saying desantis' rhetoric has ventured into homophobic territory. a desantis campaign official tweeting in response to criticism, identity politics is poison. >> both offensive and downright strange. joining us now, campaign reporter for the "new york times," his latest reporting is titled "desantis seeking attention uses lgbtq issues to attack trump." great to see you this morning. let's start with your reporting on this line of attack from the governor's campaign. what was the thought process

behind the ad, and did they expect such widespread blowback? >> i mean, i have to say this was, we're told, one of the strangest campaign videos anyone has seen in a presidential election. it was actually produced by another twitter user and very quickly reposted by a desantis campaign account. no. i mean, i think in part they were expecting and hoping for this pushback. this is a standard technique of the desantis campaign, is put something very provocative out there and then use the pushback to say that, you know, the governor is being unfairly attacked. in this case, though, the campaign has been very, very quiet about the pushback they're getting, this is unusual. >> obviously the governor has made it such a part of his political persona both in office and as candidate to attack wokeness, to attack what he

deems the fringes. a lot of these are these lgbtq-plus issues, transgender issues and the like. identity politics have become so central to what the republicans have been trying to do, but yet this seems to be really a step far even for the likes of donald trump, whose campaign suggested they had a problem with this ad. are we going to see more of this? do they think they need to be this provocative to reverse momentum? at this point, the governor's campaign really hasn't taken off. >> yeah. i think that's exactly right. the national polls are not great. it's early for the governor. but this brought a lot of attention to his campaign. i think what you're seeing here, if you watch the video, it's a minute and 13 seconds. for your average american, the references in it are really

obscure. they're drawn from this kind of fringe right-wing online conservative culture. i think that's the audience that the video attempted to reach. it's why you saw the governor actually launch his campaign on twitter with elon musk and a host of right-wing talking heads who really are popular online. it's such a niche audience. i think a lot of political commentators and republican donors are questioning, is this the audience you really want to connect with over, say, moderate and suburban voters, especially when the governor's political argument is he is the only republican who can beat president biden in a general election. it certainly has a lot of people scratching their heads about the political acumen involved here. >> on that last point, it's clear that the desantis campaign

has decided to play this culture war anti-gay anti-black history, really a polarizing kind of campaign and the strategy is to go to the right of trump, i assume, to try to win the nomination. if that be the case, have you any idea of if desantis were successful in getting the nomination, how does he then come back to the center in a general election to appeal to independent voters and moderate voters that may not feel that extreme on the things that he's doing with these culture war positions during his nominating process? >> i mean, that's a really great question. look, we always see politicians run to the right or to the left in a primary.

in 2018, governor desantis absolutely ran as the trump candidate to the right and won, and then came back to the center in the general election very much so. but this is a different ball game. i mean, he's really running far to the right here, as this video shows. i think you're right that it could be very tricky to kind of walk this kind of campaign back to the center in a general election, absolutely. >> yeah. he's got some tricky campaign calculations ahead. thank you so much for your reporting this morning. meanwhile, a group of swing district republicans is calling out house leadership's focus on the needs of the noisy far-right faction of the party. the moderate group is reportedly afraid the maga issues will lead to republicans losing the house and has begun using procedural

tricks to keep the most conservative bills off the house floor. the "washington post" reports, quote, in recent weeks these lawmakers have kept some abortion related measures from being put to a vote and sunk an amendment that would have derailed a government oversight bill. several lawmakers who represent districts president biden won have also asked leadership to go a step further and allow them in the negotiating room with their far-right colleagues during high-profile debates to explain why the group's demands could jeopardize their slim majority. some other issues the far right is pushing, an impeachment of president biden and a potential government shutdown over spending costs. this has been something that the biden white house, frankly, has been encouraging. they want to talk about those

moderate republicans who won district that is the president himself won in 2020 thinking they could be rife to flip back if these extreme gop positions carry the day. >> it's interesting how what's going on in the republican party kind of mirrors what went on in the democratic party in the last congress with those moderate democrats having to remind their more liberal colleagues, hold on a second, you are promoting issues that may get you reelected but they're not going to get us reelected in these more conservative districts. on both sides, they're right. they are the people that win their parties the majority, but there aren't very many of them and they have to keep their voices up. republican presidential candidate nikki haley says china is preparing for war with the united states. the former u.n. ambassador made the comments during a fox news interview yesterday while

calling on the white house to take a tougher approach to relations with beijing. >> we do need to strengthen our military. china has been preparing for war with us for decades. the way we have to deal with china is not look at it tomorrow, because if we keep waiting to deal with them tomorrow, they will deal with us today. >> joining us now, democratic congressman adam smith of washington state, who's just returned from a trip to the indo-pacific region where the challenges being posed by russia and china were key topics of conversation. when you hear nikki haley saying that china is preparing for war with the united states, there's a lot of bipartisanship and hawkishness when it comes to china at the moment. do you worry things have gone too far when you hear a presidential candidate saying china is actually preparing for war with america? >> i think that is a very

dangerous and irresponsible way to put it. i mean, it's technically true in the china is worried about us and we're worried about them. if a conflict came, how would we deal with it? and also up front to have sufficient weapons and defense to deter that conflict. the way that nikki haley put it, it implies china is getting ready to launch a war with us. that's not what's going on. china is trying to bully their way into much of the world. taiwan is the most recent example. china is also threatening the integrity of at least a half dozen nations around them from india to the philippines, indonesia. they're trying to push their way in. globally they're even fishing as

far away as latin america and they're trying to use their power to do that. the threat of their military is one aspect of that. we need to build a coalition to push back on that. we don't need to be talking about war as if it is inevitable. that is a very dangerous way to put it. >> congressman, you've just been on this bipartisan trip to the philippines, taiwan, guam and hawaii. wherever you went, the chinese army seemed to follow you afterwards with a visit. president biden had to cancel a visit to australia and pap pa knew guinea just a few months ago. what was your read on america's influence with other countries in the region and how strong that coalition is against china? >> two big things. one, we need to be present. there's a lot of different ways

to be present, economically, members visit ingvisiting. we really need to be there to strengthen those relationships. second, the region really wants us there. there's been a sea change in the last five years in terms of how many countries view china. australia is the best example. five years ago, australia's general attitude was, we do business with china, we do business with the u.s. they're kind of sick of the u.s. telling them to push china away because they're a threat. but then australia criticized china over covid. they basically said you need to be more transparent on this. china reacted with a full scale trade war just because australia dared criticize them. this is what people need to understand about what china is doing. they are trying to use their economic power to bully the rest of the world into submission. in this case, it backfired. when australia saw that, they

were like, we cannot simply do business with china. we're going to need allies. the same has happened in over a half dozen countries in the region. china has tried to pressure the philippines, indonesia, pressuring them for daring to criticize china. that is how china is trying to push out into the world. these countries are looking for a balance. they're looking for the u.s. and other nations to work with them so they are not subject to the bullying of china. that's a real opportunity for us if we do it right. we don't want war with china. what we want is a peaceful, rules-based international order. that is what china and russia and iran and north korea are aggressively threatening. they're trying to bully their way through the world. so we need to be present and build alliances to offer an alternative. >> on the subject of russia and its aggression, give us an

update about your level of concern about further funding that could go to ukraine to support their war effort. some of your republican colleagues have expressed real reticence to send that much more to kyiv. it seems like we're in a delicate moment of that conflict with ukraine's counteroffensive off to a sluggish start. the nato summit next week. the attempted coup in russia. >> i'm very concerned about it because i think it is vital. i think everything that i just laid out about what china is doing, that's what russia is trying to do now. stopping russia in ukraine, maintaining a sovereign democratic ukraine is the number one most important thing to do in this battle against russia

but also what china is trying to accomplish. they're trying to break the rules-based international order. if russia succeeds in ukraine, that's going to make a lot of the world look at it and say they're likely to be successful. if you can't beat them, join them. it is crucial that russia is stopped in ukraine. the counteroffensive is really difficult to retake territory. it's a lot harder to attack than it is to defend. we are reaching a critical moment. you correctly identify some of the republican criticism of this that is undermining our ability to do it. more than anything, the story you were talking earlier about how the extremists in the republican house are threatening to push forward an agenda. their ability to block our appropriations process and potentially shut down the u.s. government undermines our ability to offer that support as well. yes, i'm worried about it. we have strong bipartisan support, but it's this little group that seems to be controlling the agenda that we

need to make sure we reverse that. >> an important conversation that we will be revisiting in the weeks ahead. congressman adam smith, thank you for joining us this morning. some other stories we're following today. the cdc has issued a public health warning after it confirmed five cases of malaria in texas and florida. these are the first instances of local infection in the united states in 20 years. officials added that the cases of the infections were documented over the past two months. according to the cdc, all five patients have received treatment and are improving. good news there. the cdc also warned people about the risk of contracting malaria in other countries as the summer travel season really gets going.

police in washington, d.c. are looking for the people who threw explosive devices at three closed businesses early yesterday morning. police say the suspects targeted a bank atm, a nike store and a safe way grocery store. it's not clear what device was detonated outside the first two locations, but do say a molotov cocktail was thrown at the safe way. hollywood actors meanwhile have agreed to a short contract extension as talks continue in an effort to avoid a strike. after a month of negotiations between the actors union and the major studios, the two sides announce in a joint statement late on friday that they would continue to talk for another 12 days. the contract which was set to expire at midnight friday will now expire on july 12th. u.s. officials are once

again dealing with a backlog of passport applications. the agency is dealing with 500,000 applications a week. officials are blaming the long wait times on pandemic-related staffing shortages and a pause on online processing this year. the flood of applications is on track to beat last year's record of 22 million issued passports. if you want to travel, get that passport up to date as early as possible. as you well know, major tennis plays under way this morning at the all england club. it's wimbledon time. novak djokovic is seeking his fifth consecutive wimbledon title. he also continues his pursuit of a calendar year of grand slams. on the women's side, four-time major champion and world number one will be trying for her first

title in london. she's never made it past the fourth round. venus williams and coco gauff will also be in action today. nick kyrgios has withdrawn due to a wrist injury. rafael nadal also out with injury. wimbledon is two of the best weeks of the year. >> i love the idea that you think it's righting in my back yard as if i had a fancy enough house to look over my fence and watch the wimbledon matches. i've never been to a single wimbledon match in my life. now here i am in london with you, which is much better than watching wimbledon of course. >> here in the united states we call it a fortnight when it's a two-week tournament like this.

we didn't shed all of our british heritage in 1776. wimbledon is on the bucket list. >> you know what you did shed was your ability to make a good cup of tea. my one gripe about living in the united states you cannot get a good cup of tea. you did chuck it in the sea. perhaps that was a very bad oman. coming up here on "morning joe," twitter has limited the number of posts its users can view each day. cnbc's dom chu will join us with what's behind the new restrictions as well as the other business stories driving the trading day. stories driving the trading day.

♪♪ a shot of dallas, texas,

8:28 in the morning. it has been sweltering there for weeks. temperatures expected up near the triple digits again today. elon musk, ready for this? he is now limiting the number of tweets that users can view each day. musk says it's a necessary move to crack down on ai systems that scour reams of information to create content. after facing a significant backlash, musk expanded the number of posts users could see. but as the a.p. reports, the crackdown began to have ripple effects causing a number of outages. let's bring in cnbc's dom chu on this. twitter on saturday basically didn't work. it's gotten a little better in the last couple days. here's my question. is elon musk actively trying to get users of his social media site to spend less time on his

social media site? that, of course, seems to make zero sense whatsoever. tell us, is there maybe something else going on here? all kinds of theories floating around about unpaid bills or contracts failing. >> the speculation, to your point, is rampant here. the move by musk was, to your point, surprising to a lot of folks. as a social media network, you would definitely want as many eyeballs as you can get scanning through your content as much as possible, especially if you're looking to make advertising revenue. musk did issue that explanation because he was trying to prevent scraping, this practice of computer programs going through websites, gathering all this information in large quantities, using those automated processes, trying to get things like product and pricing information, economic data, maybe even personal data in certain cases here. now, musk did claim that several hundred organizations were using

this kind of data scraping technique to gather info from twitter's user feeds. it really hit the tweet deck platform, that place users can go and see multiple columns of feeds. if you use that system, you can run out of real estate pretty quickly. the idea is maybe to incentivize people to get into twitter's verified blue checkmark status with the $8 a month. speaking of elon musk, his main business is the one that's making a lot of headlines this morning from a market value standpoint. it's tesla. the stock is on the rise this morning after it reported second quarter delivery and production numbers that both beat analysts' expectations. tesla did report 466,140 deliveries for the period and they produced 479,700.

that makes this quarter the fifth one in a row where tesla production outpaced deliveries. that could indicate that elon musk's strategy to cut prices on the vehicles may be working and that their production is ramping up. and one more place to mention, the intersection of k street and wall street. treasury secretary janet yellen is expected to meet with senior chinese officials. the expectation is she will seek dialogue on a number of important issues including on the economic and geopolitical fronts. there is not a widespread expectation that the secretary will achieve any kind of breakthrough on any of those fronts, but the move is seen as a way to continue that dialogue. of course it comes on the heels of secretary of state antony blinken's meeting with xi jinping just weeks ago. the markets are calm for the time being. we'll see whether those

headlines stick through the fourth of july holiday. >> one last note on twitter, the service change dramatically reduced on july 1st. the 1st of the month might be the time if you hadn't been paying your cloud server bills. >> coming up, what the mayor of baltimore tells us on a mass shooting. we'll have the latest on the investigation as police search for suspects. t on the investigation as police search for suspects

the first time you made a sale online with godaddy was also the first time you heard of a town named dinosaur, colorado. we just got an order from dinosaur, colorado. start an easy to build, powerful website for free with a partner that always puts you first. start for free at godaddy.com choosing a treatment for your chronic migraine - 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more - can be overwhelming. so, ask your doctor about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start. it's the #1 prescribed branded chronic migraine treatment. so far, more than 5 million botox® treatments have been given to over eight hundred and fifty thousand chronic migraine patients. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition.

side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you. learn how abbvie could help you save on botox®. my father didn't know his dad. she knew that i always want to know more about my family history. with ancestry i dug and dug until i found some information. i was able to find out more than just a name. and then you add it to the tree. i found ship manifests. birth certificate. wow. look at your dad. i love it so much to know where my father work, where he grew up. it's like you discover a new family member. discover even more at ancestry.com

mr. mayor, obviously more than two dozen people injured, a number of them critically. can you give us any updates as to how they're doing? is there hope they'll be able to recover? >> listen, we know that last night all but seven folks have been released from the hospital.

we still have four in critical condition. there have been no changes or updates from that as of yesterday. we will continue to update throughout the day and throughout the recovery of the incident. >> that was baltimore mayor brandon scott with us on "morning joe" just a short while ago giving us an update on the city's mass shooting over the weekend that left two dead and 28 injured. the police are still searching for those responsible and believe there could be more than one person involved. nbc news correspondent george solis has the latest. >> reporter: in baltimore this morning, heartbreak after violence ripped through a community block party. >> i got another gunshot wound victim unconscious, unresponsive. >> reporter: the celebration descending into chaos as gunfire erupted. two killed in the attack that authorities say left 28 others

wounded, half of the victims under the age of 18. >> we don't know if they were targeted or just shooting indiscriminately down the street. >> we will not stop until we find you, and we will find you. >> reporter: raquel nelson rushed two young shooting victims to the hospital. >> she was shot there, shot somewhere up here. she just kept screaming. i have children, you know. i would have wanted somebody to do that for my child if she was in dire need like that. >> reporter: just a short time later, another mass shooting in wichita kansas, seven people wounded at a nightclub. all are expected to survive. police have one suspect in custody. there have been a staggering number of mass shootings already this year, 338 according to the gun violence archives. >> this is a societal problem we're dealing with. this is insanity. this cannot be the society that we are expected to live in.

>> reporter: baltimore's weekend shooting now the second highest victim count so far this year. >> enough is enough with this. we're losing our children. these are babies. we're losing them to gun violence. >> reverend al sharpton, mass shootings are almost a daily occurrence here in the united states, this one in baltimore. we had the mayor on who spoke passionately about the issue and pointed to progress made that the homicide and shootings are both down a little bit from a year ago, but still far, far too high. it's reflective of a lot of major cities across this country. >> as i said to mayor scott earlier on the show today, i was at the music festival with five mayors, the mayor of new york, l.a., cleveland, atlanta and new orleans. we had a forum yesterday. all of them can report some

decrease in gun violence, but the frustration they have is what scott said. there's no federal, there's no national move even on background checks. so you're asking mayors to manage something that is beyond their scope to even get their arms around in terms of the flow of guns, who are getting the guns. >> and president biden has been pretty candid that he's exhausted his options in terms of executive actions. it's up to congress right now and there's no momentum whatsoever to get that done. coming up, a scary moment at an amusement park after a crack in a support beam of a roller coaster was discovered. we'll have the details just ahead. discovered we'll have the details just ahead. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b.

although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. fundamental freedoms are under attack in our country today and there is a national agenda at play by these extremist so-called leaders. it will be a national ban on abortion. it is the tradition of our country to fight for freedom, to fight for rights... to fight for the ability of all people to be who they are and make decisions about their own lives and their bodies. and we will fight for the ideals of our country. generalized myasthenia gravis made my life a lot harder. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive.

in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule is designed just for you. in a clinical study, the most common side effects included urinary and respiratory tract infections, and headache. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. vyvgart can cause allergic reactions. i have gmg and this is how vyvgart works for me. [camera shutter] picture your life in motion. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart. hi, i'm denise.

i've lost over 22 pounds with golo picture your life in motion. in six months and i've kept it off for over a year. i was skeptical about golo in the beginning because i've tried so many different types of diet products before. i've tried detox, i've tried teas, i've tried all different types of pills, so i was skeptical about anything working because it never did. but look what golo has done. look what it has done. i'm in a size 4 pair of pants. go golo. (soft music) humpty dumpty does it with a great fall. wonderful pistachios. get - you like that bone?

i got a great price on it. - did you see my tail when that chewy box showed up? - oh, i saw it. - my tail goes bonkers for treats at great prices. sorry about the vase. - [announcer] save more on what they love with everyday great prices at chewy. i'm your overly competitive brother. check. psych! and i'm about to steal this game from you just like i stole kelly carter in high school. you got no game dude, that's a foul! and now you're ready to settle the score. game over. and if you don't have the right home insurance coverage, well, you could end up paying for all this yourself. so get allstate, and be better protected from mayhem, yeah, like me. thanks, bro. take a lap, rookie. real mature. a new book shares the saga

of one afghan girl who dared to dream and escape the oppressive taliban control that was crushing her country. the book is "defiant dreams, the journey of an afghan girl who risked everything for an education." she was born in 1996 in afghanistan and came to realize an education would be her only way out. at the age of 16 without even the basic ability to add or subtract, she began to teach herself. in 2016 she managed to escape to the united states where she is now a quantum computing researcher at tufts university. thank you for joining us. let me start with you. your story is extraordinary. before we get to what you're doing at tufts and here in the united states, tell us a little bit about your upbringing in afghanistan and your lack of access to education there, what

life looked like for you in afghanistan. >> thanks for having us. i grew up at age 16 and didn't even know how to add and subtract. it all starts when i was 11 years old, i was forced to stop going to school. a group of men came to our door and threatened me if i continued. from that day on, the restriction on my life only continued to increase. i left home only a couple of times a year, and whenever i did, i had to wear this suffocating burka that covered me from head to toe. this book is about how through education i escaped that life. you know, i started teaching myself english and later math and science. i learned how to add and subtract. i studied calculus, physics,

philosophy all in the secrecy of my home. after many, many obstacles i was able to come to the u.s. and now i am a researcher at tufts university in quantum information. >> i can't imagine what the journey was like. it must have been terrifying. you had to smuggle yourself out of afghanistan into pakistan and somehow you managed to get yourself to the united states. were there ever times where you thought you might give up and just go back home again, that it was safer than trying to travel the world by yourself as a teenager? >> there were many, many times that i felt that, because every step that i took to move forward, there was a new set of problems that i had to face. whenever i thought i want to give up, i would say to myself if i don't stand up for this thing, what would my life mean, what would i be able to stand for. >> just to expand on that story

for a minute because it's really incredible. she had this challenge because she was studying in secret, so she was unable to prove her education to apply to u.s. colleges. so first she tried to get a certificate from the ministry of education, but they wouldn't even look her in the eye because she was a woman, let alone give her the proper paperwork. she tried to take the american ged, but it turns out that wasn't offered in afghanistan. that s.a.t. became her only way out of the country. she crossed one of the world's most dangerous borders. she made it to pakistan to take that test and that ended up being her ticket out. >> this story is one that ends well, ends here in the united states. but obviously there are millions of girls still sitting in afghanistan today who have even less access to education because

the taliban has now banned education for girls. i'm wondering if that's what appealed to you as a writer about this story was that it's not just about one person. this is about girls in so many countries and so many situations. >> exactly. you know, i think beyond her incredible persistence, it's that this book is about the story of one girl, but it's about the story of a generation of girls. now many mothers that experiencd freedoms in their life that probably their daughters will never see. sola's mother is an example of this. she was a student and then a professor at kabul university. then she was confined to her home and had to watch as her daughters couldn't even finish their education. stories like this are too important not to tell. >> the new book "defiant dreams:

the journey of an afghan girl risked everything for education ". all of those girls still stuck in afghanistan, i wish they could have access to the dreams that sola has had. coming up, a would-be disaster averted an an amusement park in north carolina. we'll have all those details in just a second.

we're traveling all across america, talking to people about their hearts. wh-who wants to talk about their heart! [honking] how's the heart? how's your heart? how's your heart? - it's good. - is it? aah, i don't know. it's okay. - it's okay! - yeah. - good. - you sure? i think so. how do you know? it doesn't come with a manual, and you like ooh, i got the 20,000-day checkup, right? let me show you something. put two fingers right on those pads. look at that! that's your heart! that is pretty awesome. with kardiamobile, you can take a medical-grade ekg in just 30 seconds, from anywhere. kardiamobile is proven to detect atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of stroke. and it's the only personal ekg that's fda-cleared to detect normal heart rhythm, bradycardia and tachycardia.

how much do you think this costs? probably in the hundreds. $79. oh wow! that could be cheaper than a tank of gas. checking your heart anytime, anywhere has never been easier. don't wait. get kardiamobile today for just $79 at kardia.com or amazon. living with diabetes? glucerna protein smart has your number with 30 grams of protein. scientifically designed with carbsteady to help you manage your blood sugar. and more protein to keep you moving with diabetes. glucerna live every moment welcome back. an amusement park ride in charlotte, north carolina is shut down after a large crack in a beam on a roller coaster was caught on camera. nbc news correspondent emilie

ikeda has the story. >> reporter: this alarming video of a giant crack in a roller coaster support beam causing it to shift outwards as a crowd full of thrill seekers round the curve. jeremy wagner who took the video at carowinds amusement park was shocked by what she saw. >> i'm like, i can see light through it. i'm not an engineer, but that's not good. >> reporter: wagner, whose family had just ridden that coaster quickly told park security and the fire marshal and the ride was shut down indefinitely. carowinds, owned by cedar fair entertainment writing safety is our top pry ort and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests. >> makes me second-guess getting on a roller coaster. >> reporter: fury 325 is one of carowinds biggest attractions. this photo, taken by a park visitor just a week earlier

appears to show the crack starting to form. the coaster has been operaing since 2016. karo wind says fury 325 and all its rides go through daily inspections. it's putting the spotlight on ride safety just as amusement parks are starting the summer visitor crush. last year missouri's tyrese sampson fell out of a drop tower seat and died at orlando's icon park. jim shea, president of premier rides says safety measures are rigorous. >> the same types of tools used in aerospace engineering are used in the theme park industry. >> reporter: for jeremy wagner, he says his family won't be worried to get back on fury 325 when it's fixed. >> i would like to think their safety protocols and fixing the issue would be secure enough. >> nbc's emilie ikeda with that

terrifying report. i'm no roller coaster fan. rev, what are your plans for independence day? >> i'll be at my office doing my radio show. i do it every year. we monitor to make sure that, if there's any violence around the country in any of our offices we're on top of it. unfortunately, there are many that use these cookouts and gatherings for violent situations, and we like to be there to be a support group to keep peace in those neighborhoods. >> extremely important work. katty kay, fair play after all. so what will you, our british friend, being doing on july 4th? i'm assuming mourning the one that got away. >> i'll be washing from across the atlantic and wishing my american friends a happy and peaceful fourth of july. >> that does it for us.

ana cabrera picks up the coverage in just 90 seconds. cov.