people, more than half them were arrested. buildings were damaged and riders to items at police. three officers were injured including one who received a hand injury and taken to the hospital. nypd officials say they were aware of this event. it quickly ballooned beyond their comprehension. they were able to remove from the crowd, but they say they encountered a lot of resistance. today spoke with people who were in attendance here, kind of caught in the middle of all that and say they really wish they have gotten gotten out sooner. >> it is so crazy yesterday here. about 2:00, 3:00. it was really dangerous for us so, i had to pack all my stuff and runaway. i saw people fighting around me, i thought you guys pushing, they went down. so i was really scared. i was scared, i do wake up for a way to get the train because every thing was closed.

>> aaron, and fears this is still under investigation to some degree. the premier holding a press conference that there may be some outside influencers aggravated the situation. we reached out to her team, and so far we have not heard back. aaron? >> unbelievable scenes there. george soliz, in man, there's a lot more to come. first, don trump's new social media posts that is taking us back to the future. believe me, you will understand we see. it also, new details about who sat in the back row for his arraignment thursday. if trump goes to prison, what would that look like? and what were the rule of the secret service be? good day from msnbc world headquarters in new york, welcome to alex witt reports. i'm erin o'hare and in for alex. and we begin with breaking news, the judge now ordering the former president trump's legal team to respond to the government's motion for a protective order in the election case, stating their position on the matter by five

pm monday. the request for a protective order came after the former president posted on truth social quote, if you go after me, i'm coming after you. earlier today, former trump lawyer michael cohen stressing to msnbc the dangers of trump's words. >> there is no if answer buts about it. it is unacceptable. the people that they are not protecting, for the people that they are not including at least in the conversation or the witnesses. this is a very dangerous scenario. it is a dangerous game that they're playing. >> meanwhile, trump's legal issues colliding with his 2024 campaign for president. as he heads south, heads to south carolina tonight. last night at a campaign event, the former president taking shots at his indictments, claiming they're helping his reelection efforts. >> every time they file an indictment, we go way up in the polls. we need one more indictment to

close out this election. one more indictment and this election is closed out. no one even has a chance. >> democrats are pushing for transparency as trump prepares you faced multiple criminal charges files. more than three dozen house democrats are calling for cameras in the federal courtroom during the doj's cases against trump. one of those lawmakers, congressman gerry connolly, will join me later this hour. and vice president kamala harris visits a plan shop in washington, d.c. as she announces the administration is investing 100 and $25 million in small business. vice president in the speech highlighting the impact of bidenomics on the heels of a new jobs report. >> bidenomics is working. last month, we created 187,000 new jobs. america's economic future looks bright. and president biden and i will keep fighting to move our

nation forward. >> we begin with nbc's julie tsirkin in columbia, south carolina where don trump will be speaking later today. and julie, how is trump's later indictment impacting his campaign? >> erin, it is good to be with you. well the short answer is, it is not impacting his campaign. 24 hours after he appeared for his arraignment in that third federal indictment that, you are just talking about, the top of the show, he went to montgomery, alabama last night. that is where we were to. he spoke in front of a friendly crowd, a fund-raiser for the alabama republican party. he touted endorsements with an entire slate of house -- republicans from the state of alabama that serve in congress where we spent a lot of our time. now, today i'm in south carolina, in columbia to be specific. and he is going to talk before another friendly crowd, being introduced by sandra lindsey graham, one of his biggest allies and staunchest supporters in congress on that stage. we already heard that the house speaker here in the state plans to endorse the president.

he said he's the only choice. that is notable considering the other two candidates from the state, who are also running. nikki haley, the former governor and senate tim scott. take a listen though to some voters that i spoke to yesterday. all of them supporting the former president, watch what they had to say. >> he is not guilty of anything. all he has ever wanted is the best for america. >> when i start seeing the videos coming in from twitter that day, it was shocking. again, i was disappointed that it happened. but i didn't late at the feet of trump. i can delay it at the feet of everyone in this country. we are way too polarized and divided. >> you think that trump being president again would help -- >> probably not. >> would you still vote for him? >> probably. it depends on who is the alternative. >> it is bogus. i think thereafter trump because they don't want him to run. but he's gonna give them a run for their money. >> now aaron, i have to tell you evan i spoke to, i really can find anyone who is actually

read the indictment, read the charges against him. they repeated sort of what you heard the president's, the former president say himself. this would somehow help him, even overnight as we learned yet another request made by the special counsel to trump's legal team. the one they have until five pm on monday to respond to. last night, i have to tell you, also he spoke for about 15 minutes. he spoke about the indictment, he railed against -- but he did receive his biggest applause when he talked about cultural issues, parents rights, abortion, and other issues as well. so, i'm interested to see what he says tonight in light of this new development from special counsel jack smith. >> okay julie, live for us in columbia, south carolina, thank you so much for that report. and joining us live is tim haiti, former u.s. attorney for the western district of virginia and former lead investigator with the house january six committee. and luke broadwater, new york times congressional reporter. adwater,tim, let start with you. this is what he shared and how his campaign has defended his choice words. the indictment spells out

trump's right to free speech, even his right to lie. so how do you interpret the judge ordering the trump team to respond by monday to prosecutors social media concerns? >> we have seen the negative effects of trump's incendiary rhetoric. we have spoken to so many people during our investigation who came to the washington, who came to the capitol because they believe that the president invited them. so, he has outside influence a, lot of people in this country. and rhetoric like that isn't hypothetical. it actually has practical consequences, the judge understandably is concerned about the rhetoric, like i'm coming after you. because it might have very practical manifestations. it'll be very interesting to see all the trump team response. >> and luke, we have reports from inside the courtroom telling us that trump was irritated when the judge used

the word arrest. and then another report says he was or -- when the judge called him mr. trump as opposed to former president trump. what more have you learned about the dynamics in the room, especially between trump and jack smith? >> right, well don trump is never going to be happy about being indicted. he may say that at his rallies, that he wants to be indicted for time because it is going to help his campaign, but that is just really something trying to take control of the situation when they don't actually have control. for the first time in his professional career, he is facing real criminal consequences for his behavior. it doesn't surprise me that those close to him or describing him as annoyed. i do think the judge was pretty clear about saying you cannot threaten or intimidate any witnesses. and this social media post is good racing tough questions for them to answer about exactly who that message was for.

they are saying it is for other political actors, but you could certainly read that as violating the judges order. >> there was pretty clear, him saying that. and tim, the washington post reports that trump wants to use the new charges to revisit the 2020 election to use subpoenas to argue that he actually won that election. is this an opportunity for trump and what can he establish with his subpoena power? does it mean that the trial may take even longer? >> it makes no difference because we have been at this for two and a half years. and we have found no evidence of systemic voter fraud. the trials come down to facts. there are no facts that would sustain a viable claim of election fraud. if that is the strategy of the defense, again, there has to actually be evidence. and despite the department of justice back soon, after election. the trump campaign, and armies of journalists, so many people

have looked into this and have not found it. so again, a lot of bluster about what will alone be said. interesting, but it does not matter if there isn't factual support. and here, bottom line, there just isn't factual support to re-litigate the outcome of the 2020 election. >> and luke, i want to ask you about something political force reported. the fact that there were federal judges that fill the back row of the courtroom, including chief just james boasberg and judge amy berman jackson who were both involved in the january six investigation and the trials in some manner. is this unusual and cannot support trump's efforts to move the trial out of d.c.? >> you know, it is probably a little unusual. i covered courts in different states overtime. but you can see judges sometimes stop in other courtrooms, especially when it's a very significant case. my guess is, i will talk to him if he's judges, but this is a

historic moment. former president of the united states being charged with attempting to overturn an american election. it is happened in the courthouse, they are allowed to sit in like any other citizen and i assume that they are just watching a historic moment. i can't see how that could possibly lend credence to move in a case to west virginia or some rules when the alleged crimes happened in washington, d.c.. >> so you don't have to use the term unprecedented when it comes to those judges sitting in the courtroom. here is one trump loyal said outside the courthouse on thursday i, want you to watch this. >> i think that everyone was miller that he lost election, but that doesn't mean that i was the only vice he was given. he may not agree with mike pence, he may not agree with one of his lawyers, but that doesn't mean that there weren't other people advising him. >> so tim, does it really matter whose advice trump took and does the indictment as written diminish the connection

of trump to the sole war room. was that mistake on jack smith's part? >> no, look. again, you have evidence and we looked very hard for connection between people at the white house, including former president and war room. and frankly, didn't allow cooperation for people in the war room and we were not able to establish that. it doesn't exist. it just means we can find those facts. the statement there about he relied on the advice of others is again, if that's the defense, that is not a viable defense. advice on one relies must be reasonable, must have a foundation in fact or law. it is not okay to say well, he told me i could do it so therefore i was justified in doing it. if what i've been told that you can do has no foundation, and what the indictment does, what are investigation did was show how many people said otherwise. said there is no evidence of

fraud, the vice president does not have the authority that the president is saying. so it is just not a viable defense to rely on patently unreasonable advice that has no basis in fact or law. >> before i let you go, i want to get your insight on this. here is what former trump talk of thanks, i'll get your reaction. >> the only person that can put trump's state of mind in the trial is trump. and trump testifying subjects himself to questions like, let me run through this 500 or 600 examples of tv clips where you lied to the country and, can you just explain each lie to us? he is not going to testify. i think the likelihood of the defense on much of the case is nil. >> so tim, what does the prosecution have to prove about trump's state of mind and do you agree with that gentleman

right there that it is unlikely that his lawyers will put him on the stand? >> so erin, the prosecution has to prove that he specifically intended to obstruct, interfere with, or impede the joint session. that he had the state of mind that he was not just putting forth legitimate facts in the joint session that would potentially adjudicate his election, but he would rather intend for it to be disrupted for the transfer of power. the prosecution has lots and lots of evidence that manifests the president state of mind. his defense, advice on the reliance of council that he did not have the state of mind. he may very well have to testify. impossible to tell whether he will, the select committee gave him an opportunity to come before the committee in america and tell his story. we subpoenaed him, he refused to avail himself that opportunity, he has not thus far engaged with any official

inquiry into this. so again, impossible to say, ty cobb certainly knows him better than i. because we work for him. but we've seen there's a lot of material for cross-examination on credibility if you were to testify. >> and we have so much more to get through, kim and -- we will be right back. kim and - we will be right back. we will be right back. introducing the new swiffer powermop. an all-in-one cleaning tool with hundreds of scrubbing strips- that absorb and lock dirt away, for a mop and bucket clean in half the time. mop smarter with the new swiffer powermop. (fan #1) there ya go! that's what i'm talkin' about! (josh allen) is this your plan to watch the game today? (hero fan) uh, yea. i have to watch my neighbors' nfl sunday ticket. (josh allen) it's not your best plan. but you know what is? myplan from verizon. switch now and they'll give you nfl sunday ticket from youtubetv, on them. (hero fan) this plan is amazing! (josh allen) another amazing plan, backing away from here very slowly. (fan #1) that was josh allen. (fan #2) mmhm. (vo) for a limited time get nfl sunday ticket from youtubetv on us. a $449 value. plus, get a free samsung galaxy s23. only on verizon.

oh stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh! [sniffs] what is — wow! baby: daddy. sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! >> you today, a report on the role of the secret service in the event that trump is convicted of a crime and a potential obstacle to imprisonment. a d.c. judge tanya shocking issues her first order in the case given both sides to reach to settle on a trial date. kim heavy and luke broadwater are back with us, kim, polarization for and against trump is undeniably at a crescendo. apart from the logistical obstacles to imprisoning a former president, would it help the country if heads could come together to give trump an off ramp?

what could that look like and how likely would be that he would take it if it was offered? >> very hard to imagine that happening because that would require an admission of fault which. would i don't know if the president is capable of. we heard a really interesting story from general milley during our investigation in which he recounted a conversation he had with president trump after he, milley, issued this letter to the joint force apologizing that he was present for that st. john's church bible incident. president asked him, why did you issued that letter, it's a sign of weakness when you apologize. milley said no sir, it's a sign of strength when you admit your mistakes. he said, the president looked at him incomprehensibly. i just don't know that the presidents capable of admitting guilt. that is what an off ramp would require, some sort of guilty plea or some sort of admission. i agree, it will certainly be in the interest of justice for there to be some sort of resolution but if that depends

upon and admission of guilt, i can't imagine it happening. >> luke, you have written about the six unindicted and unnamed coconspirators, listed in the indictment. why do we know the alleged identities of five and not number six? >> well, we have evidence, we wrote a story about this about who could be number six based on certain emails. but some of them are extremely easy to identify from the indictment. there will be a certain action and everyone knows really giuliani took that is clearly referenced in the indictment or an action that john eastman took. so some of it is mystery. we wrote who we think is likely or at least this strong evidence to suggest who number sixes in the paper. it is not a -- it is not 100% so we have shied away from naming anybody that

we are not 100% sure of is definitely a coconspirator, number six. >> is there a legal strategy to not indicting them? right now. >> sure, everything about this is strategic. i mean, jack smith is not going to go in here with half a strategy. there are a couple things that could be a play, i don't know what is going on jack smith's mind. but one is, there is a deadline coming up. 2024, if don trump is elected president again, he can make this case go away. if it hasn't reached a conviction. one way to make it go faster is to limit the number of defendants and have a very clean narrative focus on one defendant and not have a kind of codefendants which could take a longer time. the other thing is, it actually could be a way to put some pressure on those unnamed coconspirators to essentially give more evidence to the

prosecution to avoid being charged themselves. because you could definitely see if someone isn't an in coconspirator and starts off that way, there could be a superseding indictment that comes later that would end up charging them. >> okay, jon sale, the former federal prosecutor who played an essential role in the watergate scandal investigation in the 70s says coconspirators offer trump yet another line of defense. let's wash. >> another defense chump can say is some of these people on my essential witnesses. i have the advice of counsel, some of these little boys you told me, and i believe in good faith and you mr. smith special counsel are making them on available to me because you have called the coconspirators. >> so tim, that is kind of interesting follow-up. you agree with jack to -- not agree with jack smith rather, by not indicting in a, does that violate trump's due process? >> no, absolutely not.

it happens all the time in criminal cases. you have codefendants, one says hey, he would help me if he were to testify, but he can't because he has a privilege. that is a very common occurrence. it may affect timing, it may affect sequence. as lou said, maybe some of these people actually become cooperating witnesses. they certainly have exposure and there's leverage for jack smith to negotiate them. but it is not uncommon for a defendant to say hi and prejudice by the unavailability of a person with material information because he has a fifth amendment privilege. >> and tim, before we let you go, michael cohen is raising questions about why mark meadows and jared kushner are not named in the election indictment, suggesting that they may be cooperating. how likely is that based on your committee's interactions with them? >> well mark meadows sort of cooperated and sort of didn't. you gave us important text messages and refused to appear for deposition after agreeing to. so he has been inconsistent, he

was inconsistent frankly in the days surrounding the election in january six and what he would say about the elections. i have no idea what mark meadows is doing. jarred kushner is cooperative to a degree, there were a lot of things that he claimed to have not been involved in or not recall. i wouldn't read anything into who is not included in the indictment. there are certainly more than six coconspirators. this conspiracy stretch broader than that, and just because someone isn't named or unnamed but their actions are describes, it does not mean that they do not have the potential exposure or involvement. >> kim and luke, thank you so much for all of you inside. it seemingly has nothing to do with the economy, but there is one big news headline that is being cited as a partial reason for an unexpected movement this week. what it all means for you next. week what it all means for you next what it all means for you next not the other way. zevo traps use light to attract and trap flying insects with no odor and no mess. they work continuously,

so you don't have to. zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. people-friendly. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. join the millions already taking ozempic®.

ask your health care provider about the ozempic® tri-zone. mlb chooses t-mobile for business for 5g solutions... ...to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. now's the time to see what america's largest 5g network can do for your business.

febreze! hate it when a car freshener hits you with an overwhelming blast of perfume? >> you details now about the febreze car vent clips work differently. febreze gives you consistent freshness that starts just right and stays just right... ...for 40 days. upgrade to febreze car.

second ukrainian drone sinking a russian warship in the last 24 hours. a ukraine intelligence source tells nbc news that they were transporting fuel, creating a massive explosion. nbc's aly rousey is following the latest developments from london. ali, how significant are these attacks from ukraine, has russia responded yet? >> hey aaron. well these are very significant attacks, especially given that the ukrainian counteroffensive hasn't made leaps and bounds that they had hoped for so far. but there are unconventional methods of fighting the russians, it is proving effective, whether the target is a high rise in moscow or a battleship in the black sea. this latest attack on a russian tanker -- 11 crew members got hit overnight. you can see footage of the video which appears to show the moment the drone strikes the whole. ukrainian security forces tell msnbc news that is a joint operation with the navy on the vessel that was transporting fuel for russian troops.

russian officials said the vessels engine room was damaged, but nobody was hurt in the attack. but it is significant, this is the second attack is at in as many days. on friday, a brazen attack with an unmanned see drone under the cover of night struck and disable a russian landing ship in the black sea port of novorossiysk. video released by the security forces shows the c drone stealthily making its way towards the russian ship and cut off just before the moment of impact. the defense ministry claimed that they thought the attack, they made no mention of the ship. but footage is circulating online showing a just assembling the one which was attacked limping back to port. now, using sound point injury and marine ship tracking data, nbc news was able to confirm that that was the same ship. the russians have vowed to take revenge. the ukrainians are saying, they are going to step up their attacks in the black sea. so, expect more of this, erin. >> okay, ali rishi, thank you

so much for that report. back here in the u.s., new data from the biden administration raising concerns of a slowing job market. 187,000 new jobs were added in july. fewer than expected. but still a sign of study employment growth. it comes after the nation's long term credit was downgraded for the first time in more than a decade. joining me now from santa cruz, california, is nbc's stock coleman. stop, what's this latest jobs report indicate about the economy and what are the implications of the country's credit downgrade? >> yeah, erin, take these one by one. first of all, we know, according to the federal reserve, that the economy needs to slow down some in order to get inflation under control. so, in that respect, the slowing job growth is a good thing. the tricky part is keeping the economy from going all the way into recession. to gauge that a little further, we came here to santa cruz about two hour south of san francisco. this historic amusement park in this area in general, very much

dependent on the economy, dependent on tourism, and here, they're seeing few signs of an economy that is slowing down. >> there are new hotels being built in the beach area alone, there are four or five new hotels being built. our company, along with our partners in the -- are building a world-class first of its kind hotel in santa cruz that will open in, i think, 2025. so, it's full steam ahead in santa cruz. everyone's very optimistic about the future. >> so, the experts are saying there is a lot to like in the jobs report that came out yesterday, but there are some broader issues in the u.s. economy, the long term economy, and that is where that downgrade by the fish rating service -- one of the three credit bureaus comes in. citing a deterioration in governance standard over the last 20 years, fitch downgrading the u.s. credit rating from the perfect triple a rating it had down to aa+. one of the examples of the deterioration, the analyst in charge of this, told our colleagues at cnbc is the

january 6th attack on the capitol. >> you can highlight a few key elements. one would be the january 6th, but secondly, i think more importantly for us, is the constant -- surrounding the debt ceiling, the debt ceiling debate, the fact that the government besides republicans and democrats haven't been able to come up with any meaningful long term solutions to deal with, you know, growing fiscal issues. >> so, what might turn things around? well, he says there needs to be some meaningful progress in getting the debt under control in relation to the overall size of the u.s. economy. and maybe something about doing away with all of these debt ceiling standoff. aaron? >> all right, nbc's scott cohen in santa cruz, california, thank you so much. well, it might seem curious to anyone else, but what congresswoman, lauren boebert said about donald trump's arraignment may leave you shaking your head and it must

be heard to be believed. we will be right back. we will be right back. we will be right back. h. the manager. and the snack dad. all using chase to keep up with their finances. the coach helps save goals here, because she saved for soccer camp there. anddd check this out... the manager deposited a check. magic. and the snack dad? he's getting paid back. orange slicesss. because this team all has chase. smart bankers. convenient tools. one bank with the power of both. chase. make more of what's yours.

mr. clean magic eraser powers through tough messes. so it makes it look like i spent hours cleaning! and you know i didn't. it makes my running shoe look like new. it's amazing! wow, it makes it look like... i don't have kids at all. it's so good, it makes it look like i have magical powers! with 80% less scrubbing, mr. clean magic eraser makes cleaning easy. also available in sheets!

subway refreshed everything. and now, they're slicing their meats fresh. that's why the new titan turkey is proffered by pros like me. and by pros who can actually dunk, like me. and if we proffer it we know you'll proffer it too. i can dunk if i want to. >> i'm actually really excited

over this arraignment because it only ensures that president trump will be the 47th president of the united states, because the american people are sick of this. >> this is not justice, this is the greatest injustice. this is actual real communism in america. the biden administration is arresting and trying to put in jail their top political opponent, donald trump. why? because they are watching the polls and they know that he's going to win. >> and that was a republican congresswoman lauren boebert and marjorie taylor greene defending former president donald trump, saying the indictments will only help his reelection efforts. joining me now is virginia congressman, gerry connolly, a democratic member of the house oversight and foreign affairs committees. so, excitement is in not a feeling that usually associate with an indictment, but does it surprise you that trump is

still finding so much republican support even after his third indictment? >> well, it disappoints me, but it doesn't entirely surprise me. he has very successfully positioned himself as the victim. so, he is the victim even in a sole case involving rape and sexual assault that he lost. he is a victim in hiding, willfully, classified material. he's a victim in engineering a virtual attempted coup to prevent the free and fair, peaceful transfer of power in the united states. you know, unfortunately, it's almost like a cult among some of his followers and you just showed two of them who enable this behavior, who rationalize it, and i think it makes, you know, all of our jobs a lot more difficult in defending democracy and the rule of law. >> and congressman, a trump

ally told nbc news the more trials trump faces, the better saying, quote, it makes it way easier to make the case that it's a witch hunt when it's more than one case. first of all, what is your response to that and also, how do you think americans are receiving this? >> it may shore up trump in the republican base, but it alienates independent voters and moderate democratic voters, any republican nominee would need him to -- fall of 2024. so, while winning the republican base and maybe consolidating his position with respect to the republican nomination, i believe he significantly alienating the voters he would need to win in november of 2024. >> but he is still tied with biden in some polls. so, what do you think needs to happen for biden to break away? >> well, i do think the economy is going to be a huge asset.

biden has been maybe two reticent, too modest, to take credit. but i mean, where we have come since the depths of the pandemic is an astounding recovery story, astounding. you know, there is a projection that our next quarter growth could be well over 3%. historically, very high in the last 20 years. unusual, unemployment, of course, at record lows. so. i think biden has a lot to talk about, a lot to take credit for. we need to make sure he gets the campaign trail and does that. and i think democrats, up and down the line, need to be touting that narrative because it happens to be the truth. >> and you, congressman, are pushing to make the election interference of trump trial be public, for it to be televised saying, it's in everyone's best interest. what will it take to make that happen and may that be polarizing?

>> well i, i believe an act of congress could make that happen. i don't know that the republican side of the aisle will accept that and that means it would have a difficult feat in the house of representatives. but i think it's a right thing for the american people. this is arguably the most important trial in our lifetime. it's the former president of the united states, it involves fundamental issues about the course of our democracy and the attempt to disrupt it, to overturn it. i think the american people are entitled to witness the ups and downs, pros and cons that are arbitrated in that courtroom. and i think we are entitled to that as the american public, i think it would be good for a lot of americans, including the ones you are talking about, who so strictly adhere to trump cult is on, to actually hear other facts, that actually hear the narrative unfold about the

deeds he engaged in, to jeopardize the very democracy we all say we love. >> and congressman, i want to ask you about some headlines involving china. first, two american navy sailors are charged with giving sensitive military information, rather, to china, including wartime exercises. and a chinese company has been traced to a california lab that stored mice engineered to catch and carry covid. on a scale of 1 to 10, where do you view china's threat to the u.s. right now? >> you know, china is like russia and iran, and north korea, an adversary. it engages an x few nagy, it engages in intellectual theft, and has benefited from all of that. we need to be in our guard, we need to, ensure that we are taking countermeasures and that we are protecting both the intellectual and national security assets of our country.

we have to assume china is up to no good. we know that, for example, if you visit china, you don't want to bring your laptop or your iphone, because they are going to hack into it. and so, being careful, being vigilant, i think, is really important. >> all right congressman gerry connolly, thank you so much for joining us on this saturday. >> my pleasure. >> the six states that may matter the most in the 2024 election, president biden's campaign manager in an exclusive interview talks about the plan to win them again. o win them again o win them again tourists that turn into scientists. tourists taking photos that are analyzed by ai. so researchers can help life underwater flourish. ♪ ugh, this guy again... pops! ay son! ya got a little somethin' on yuh face. needed a quick shave. quick shave? respect the process! it ain't my dad's razor, dad, it's from gillettelabs. gillette...labs? gillette's ultimate shaving experience. this green bar releases trapped hairs from my face.

gamechanga! while the flexdisc contours to it. lookin' smooth. feelin' even smoother. how 'bout hookin' me up with some gillettelabs? check your texts. you're the best. nah, you're the best. the best a man can get keeps getting bettuh. the next generation of shaving is gillettelabs. >> in a new and exclusive msnbc

interview, president biden's campaign manager says, she has no doubts about the president winning in battleground states. that is despite republicans and some of those states attempting fake elector schemes in 2020 and new polling finding biden and donald trump deadlocked in the 2024 race. >> we know we can win those

states again. we are talking about states like michigan and wisconsin, and pennsylvania. but also nevada, arizona, georgia. we have made tremendous inroads in those states with our voting base and that is something we are going to continue to really focus on. we are going to continue to make sure voters know and see a clear contrast with what the extreme maga agenda is right now. we know voters reject it in 2020, and 2022, and they will reject it again in 2024. >> and joining me now is former white house press secretary and msnbc political analyst, robert gibbs. so robert, talk to me about the importance of winning the states that julie chavez rodriguez mentioned and are you convinced that as she promised, biden can take those states again and what would the obstacles be, as they attempt to take those states? >> yeah, great question. so, first and foremost, those six states that you mentioned are the entire ballgame of this

election. you know, 40 of the 50 states in the united states have voted for the same presidential, same result, potentially, in the last four elections. so, really, the field in this is really, really narrow. there are states that he won in 2020, democrats did well in in 2022, and even some elections past 2022. the challenges, obviously, are going to be continuing to show and demonstrate improvement on the economy and have people really feel that. i think that is a big thing. i think getting people to understand what the president has done. look, if you think about all the money that's being raised in these campaigns, it's going to be directed at the six states, right? so, imagine one billion dollar spread out over six places. you're going to have electors that are very well informed, they will understand exactly what the president has done, they will understand the case against whoever his opponent is, just like there will be on the flip side.

but i think it's going to be a concentrated spending and a very, very small area of the country that will ultimately decide this race. >> and robert, despite trump's indictments, the new york times siena college poll puts president biden neck and neck with donald trump. in it, 30% of democrats who planned to vote for biden in 2024 hope the party will nominate someone else. and just 20% said they would be enthusiastic if biden is the democratic nominee. are you worried about these numbers and is there an obvious way to shore them up? >> well, the good news is, those numbers are stronger than they were one year ago, right? so, it's important that those numbers are on a trajectory that is improving for the white house. there is no doubt that a lot of this is going to have to be, particularly in those six states, getting the democratic base excited. having them understand, as most of them do, what is at stake in this election. and while each side may have candidates that altogether are not perfect, and quite frankly,

they never are, these are the two choices and the choices are pretty clear. that is the case that they are going to make. you will see them on issues like abortion, on education, on health care, generally on the economy. but i think it's going to, look, incumbent is going to have to get their base fired up. make sure that what we've seen in the last couple of elections with black motors participating in smaller numbers has changed and having people understand really what is at stake, i think, is a big part of getting them excited about 2024. >> so, the fact that he has to reconcile those numbers, can you gauge what this 2024 election is going to look like? how much on the road campaigning do you expect the president to do? especially if donald trump, if he is the nominee, if he is bogged down by all his legal troubles? >> yeah, look, i expect the president will be very active when the campaign gets active. i would not expect him to be doing lots of rallies right now. there is no real need to.

i think the contrast you have right now, the president governing the country, and his would-be opponent spending most of his time in courtrooms is, quite frankly, a good side by side picture for this white house. but i have no doubt that -- when we have a nominee on the republican side, we get into this, you know, in maybe june or so of next year, i have no doubt that the president will be active. he will need to be active to get people fired up, to be in places, and quite frankly, to demonstrate to voters that he has the energy and the capability to do this job for four more years. >> okay, robert gibbs, a long road to 2024. thank you so much, sir. why there is suddenly a new chapter in the fight over teaching gender in florida. hing gender in florida (dad) we got our subaru forester wilderness to discover all of the places

that make us feel something more. (vo) subaru is the national park foundation's largest corporate donor, helping expand access for all.

businesses need 5g solutions today. that's why they choose t-mobile for business. mlb partners with t-mobile to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. aaa relies on t-mobile's network to stay connected nationwide, so they can help get their members back on the road. and we're helping pano ai innovate, to stop the spread of wildfires. now's the time to see what america's largest 5g network can do for your business. >> new today in florida, the

latest clash between the desantis administration and

educators may be over. the department of education and the college board both saying friday night that high school students will be able to take the ap psychology course after the board pulled its support for the class this week, saying it would not comply with the states demand to remove teaching on gender and sexual orientation. desantis this week saying, the courts wlered without any mention of why the board wouldn't endorse it. >> i think that's wrong. you know, we work really hard to give kids college credit. we do have ap, we have cambridge, we have international baccalaureate, and we have really expanded dual enrollment with our community colleges. so, that is part of our courts catalog that's being offered. i think they have taken it back. i think that's a mistake and i bet you it'll end up being offered. >> joining me now is florida democratic party chair and former florida commissioner of agriculture, nikki freed. and nikki, thanks for joining us. the back and forth in this latest skirmish is a little bit confusing. this all started with the

college board said that teaching the ap psych class would violate the law because of florida's ban on teaching gender and sexual orientation through grade 12. that's the so-called don't say gay law. now, both sides are saying the courts course will be offered this fall after all. so, do you think desantis initiatives are causing confusion and fear in schools because the teachers don't want trouble over what exactly they teach? >> yeah, that's exactly what's happening here. ron desantis has felt that his attack on opportunities for so many of our students to learn between our banning of books, he's -- a war zone in our schools and this these culture wars are creating confusion not only from our teachers, but obviously, our students as well. and so, you saw an outrage from students and parents and teachers in the last 48 hours because of this assault on freedom of education. and luckily, i think that there is going to be a -- run has actually backed down on this fight because this all,

he's doing is hurting our kids, who just want an opportunity to get a great education in the state of florida and be able to use the skills in order to make sure that they can get into higher education, and then be prosperous in their fields. but this is creating tremendous confusion. that is what he wants. these are his attacks, all the while we are banning books, have one of the highest teacher shortages in the country, our inflation is the highest in the nation, economic downturns in our state while we are having this woke fight in our state that is hurting the kids every single day. >> and nikki, as you know, former president trump has been indicted for a third time. the first federal indictment came in florida and the trials initially slated for may of 2024 there. how much attention do you think it's getting from people in florida and might these challenges for trump and the missteps by governor desantis help democrats in florida? >> you know, look, obviously these prosecutions are very important, but they are

distractions. they are distractions of what the maga extremism and governor desantis have done to this state that we are right now at an economic downturn, again, like i just mentioned, we are the highest inflation in the entire nation. property insurance is the highest in the country, if you can even find property insurance. we have a teacher shortage, we have real problems here in the state of florida. our state is on fire, but the good thing for democrats is that we are fighting back. we launched this week the take back florida tour -- all across our state, lifting up the issues that are actually important to the people of our state. these prosecutions are distractions, but what it is doing is showing the florida democrats are fighting back here in the state of florida. people are tired of the divisiveness, they are tired of these culture wars. they want government to get back to work, but unfortunately, ron continues to be run on the campaign trail and it's hurting the people of our state every single day. >> that vice president kamala harris made a couple of visits your suit over the past few

weeks. on wednesday, she fired back governor desantis after he invited her to debate florida's new school standards. which do teach that some enslaved people acquire benefits, that they use later in life. let's listen to some of what the vice president said. >> i am here in florida. and i will tell you, there is no round table, no lecture, no invitation. we will accept to debate an undeniable fact. there were no redeeming qualities of slavery. [applause] >> okay, i've got 30 seconds for a response. >> it was pitch perfect because there is no debate, but this goes back to what we were just talking about, the assault on education. the same commissioner of education was promoting that there is a benefit to slavery, it's the same commissioner of education that was trying to

ban ap psychology and ap african american history, and in fact, the fact, is ron desantis, of course, all of this. this is an assault on our educational freedoms and the vice president, he knows it. >> nikki freed, thank you so much. that will do it for me on this edition of alex witt reports. and my friend yasmin vossoughian continues our coverage now. ghian continues ou coverage now >> hey, everybody, good afternoon to you. i'm yasmin of a sudden. we got some breaking news in. the judge in the election interference case, giving the trump legal team a new deadline. they have until monday, five pm, to respond to a special council motion connected to an ominous threat from the former president. >> there is no if, ands, or buts about, it is unacceptable. the people that they are not protecting where the people that they are not including, at least in the conversation, are the