extremist. heart communism or costco? the gop insist on everything they don't like is a manifestation of karl marx. what karl marx would not actually approve of. that the twice impeached quadruple indicted ex president, another hour of velshi begins right now. good morning, it's saturday, september the 2nd. at any moment, president joe biden is set to head to florida to tour the damage caused by hurricane adalja, however, florida's governor and biden's would-be rival for the presidency, around, desantis has no plans to meet with him while he is there. biden's top rival, the former president, donald, trump has just entered his fourth not guilty plea. telling the court that he will not be appearing in person for his arraignment in fulton county, georgia, next week. as is his right. we will have much more of the twice impeached quadruple indicted ex presidents legal situation later in the hour.

i want to begin this morning with a big policy win for president biden. the law that's been told about it by some republicans. for 20, years the pharmaceutical industry has had near complete control of prescription drug pricing for some 65 million medicare patients in the united states. that is going to change. this, week the biden administration announced the first ten drugs that will be subject to price negotiations under any provision included in the inflation reduction act. president biden's signature bill that was passed last year. they target some of the most commonly used drugs that helped treat diabetes, heart, failure chronic kidney disease, blood, cancers arthritis, crohn's disease as well as blood thinners that prevent strokes and blood clots. according to the department of health and services -- health and human services, about 9 million medicare beneficiaries use one or more of these ten drugs in the past year and paid a total of 3.4 billion dollars out of pocket for those medications.

that is on top of the 50.5 billion dollars the government spends on these same drugs every year. the federal government is the largest buyer of prescription drugs in the united states. theoretically, in a market system, that would mean it should have some measure of influence over drug prices. a power that has been specifically nullified for 20 years by something called the non interference clause. back in 2000, three when congressman president, george w. bush, passed the prescription drug benefit medicare, republicans no doubt at the behest of the powerful pharmaceutical lobby, added something called the non interference clause, which prevented the government, as i said, the single largest buyer of prescription drugs in the country, from negotiating drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies. in some, cases it resulted in americans paying double or triple the amount for the same exact drug as people in other developed nations, precisely because many other governments did not give away their seat at the orbiting table like america

did. when lower drug prices means lower premiums, and out of pocket cost for those people on medicare as well as less money out of taxpayers pockets for those of us who don't use any of those drugs. this one change in federal policy is a big deal because it has the opportunity to fundamentally change prescription drug pricing in the united states to the benefit of millions of americans. but, it would not seem that way if you are only paying attention to republicans reactions to it. some members of congress, including senator marshall blackburn of tennessee, called the new policy, quote, a socialist price setting program. meanwhile, the former united states ambassador and presidential candidate, nikki kayleigh, went as far as to call the entire inflation reduction act, quote, a communist manifesto. we are talking about communism once again. let's get one thing clear. this policy is a whole lot less like communism that it is like costco. like costco, medicare now has the ability to purchase products from a manufacturer,

manufacture bargains down the price so that, in turn, it can offer the products to its members a lower prices. manufacturers can opt in, or opt out. likewise, nothing prevents consumers from shopping elsewhere to buy the same or similar products at a lower or higher cost. the free market does not mean that manufacturers can set whatever price they want, they can set the price that the buyers will pay. more choices means the consumers have more buying power, that's actually capitalism working as it should. under communism, there would be no negotiation with the government at all. there would not be anyone for the government to negotiate with because under communism, private businesses would cease to exist. communism is a political and economic ideology that promotes a society in which all property and wealth is communal. to live under communism is to learn kuch every aspect of your life to the government, goods and services are russians out from food, housing, toilet paper and electricity. citizens are expected to do about their lives in service of the government and its ideology to glorify the military and its

source. there is a few communist nations left today because it's a failed and despise ideology and rightly so. by calling politicians communist, it's become easier to dismiss them in this political climate because it's a normalized by the republican presidential front runner. the failed former president, donald, trump will use the term socialist marxist and communist freely and interchangeably multiple times a day. they're catchall words that republicans have become more comfortable using to signal that a certain political opponent, or policy, is that. without having to actually explain why or how they are that. nikki haley's presidential campaign has taken this to the next level. it is targeting democrats that it thinks are, quote, soft on china by posting a series of communist style images complete with a hammer and sickle, titled comrades of the week. the images are so far beyond the pale, throughout history, people have been punished and imprisoned and killed for the mere suggestion or suspicion that they were communists

sympathizers. haley, like everyone else has the right to disagree with her fellow politicians other policies, but not if she's going to use dangerous and fearmongering rhetoric. just be, honest debate the policies based on their merits. or don't say anything at all. joining me now is the senior fellow with the american enterprise institute, james besic yuccas, who is also the host of the 80 -- political economy pontius in a cnbc contributor. the author of -- an anti communist, i assume. the former president of estonia is with us as. well tomas hill, this he is the guy who comes from a country where they threw off communism because it really wasn't working for them. mr., president let me start with you, i don't know if it's humorous to you or if you don't, care or if you see it and you laugh at, it but the business about how american politicians, particularly republicans, keep calling everybody communist when they don't like their politics. what we have in america today and what we are proposing to have bears no resemblance to the communism that you once lived under.

>> absolutely, it is bizarre to hear these things and it's especially bizarre when you -- when your country has been a victim of genuine communism. so we tune out when we hear those kinds of things. >> what about you, jim? it's not a useful enterprise. there is lots of things that are going on under the biden administration that you would take issue, with you and i have argued intubated for years about policy. and that's fine. whether you like different minimum ages, or you don't want to minimum, wage these are all debates. it feels like an intellectually we gaining the argument to throw this communism label and everything. >> yeah, i think given the current political state of this country, everybody should be very careful about throwing out very heated rhetoric, whether it's communism, socialism, or

fascism. i certainly spent enough time on social media that i see people writing about tax cuts, deregulation, people say that's fascist. we should set aside these terms. one, and less for being very specific about what we mean, and focus, i think as you said earlier, on the pros and cons of any particular policy. like, listen, the presidents inflation reduction act is not communism. it's something called industrial policy. and guess what? president trump also engagement with operation warp speed. many some kinds are good, some are bad, but let's focus on the policy so it ends up an actual rational debate. >> president illness, you lived in the united states, canada, obviously in estonia. just give us some reminder, for people who throw these terms around, communism, what -- what are the things that estonians were in such a hurry to throw off when the walls

fell and they were free of communism? >> well, leaving aside the mass murders and deportations, which has less to do with economics, in 1938, estonia was having a slightly higher gdp per capita than its northern neighbor, finland. that was before the war. after 50 years of occupation by the soviet union in 1991, we became free and the first year of independents with a measurable economy the gdp per capita of finland was 24,000 u.s. dollars per capita. the gdp per capita of estonia was $2,800. it was -- finland, which was not a completely capitalist country but is basically a social

democratic company country -- had eight times the income of my country per person. so i mean, food shortages, low wages, bad housing, lack of choice on anything, no competition, that's what communism is. so today, people, even the finns accuse us of being too neoliberal. but we kind of like not having that kind of government control here. >> jim, -- it's a conservative think tank that you work for. your views have generally been conservative overtime. talk to me about the fact that under donald trump, one of the few very interesting and creative suggestions he had but he never followed through on, was to somehow reduce the cost of prescription drugs for americans. he did not follow through on. it tell me what that argument

would've gone like a normal times with republicans? because it sounded like a good idea put forward by donald trump. >> i think the more seen an economic argument is that counter negotiation -- it will short, and up lowering the price of the drugs, also lowering the return to pharmaceutical companies of producing the drugs. that means it's less money spent on research. so you will have these drugs, and they might be cheaper, we won't have the future drugs. it is easy to look at what is happening now and not think about what what we got in the future because of our policies. now, maybe this explanation i just gave you, maybe you think it's, wrong or maybe you think it's a boring he con explanation, but it is rooted in something. merely saying something is socialism or communism is intellectual laziness. doing that month after month, year after year, i think undermines the ability to make

a rational argument and the usefulness of political parties if they get put forward an actual reason for doing things, and just engage in loose language. yeah, that's right. that's very detailed. i never foreign economic conversation, bore you know that. jim >> not. you >> president ellis, tell me, we often say. other countries that are like yours, like estonia, whether they are moving from an illiberal to social democratic or even conservative, as many countries in europe are now. most of them of what seems like a more economically sound approach to coverage of health care and prescription drugs. what's the example in estonia? how do you think these think these things through in estonia? >> regardless of your income, everyone pays a certain amount

of money, it's the same thing. for health care. so that means we have coverage of letting entitled to. there are certain medicines in for certain age groups, subsidies, hard medicine for retirees. and so on. those things are subsidized, other medicines or not. again, depending on the kind of medicine in the age of the people working, are they retired. it's fairly standard for what i have,, but minor variations him terms of cut offs into pays how much. it's more or less one in the same. >> jim, i totally agree with you. one of the reasons we love having you on the show, we do actually get into policy discussions. there may be merits to what

biden is trying to do with prescription drugs, there may be shortcomings to it. and flaws that we're not looking at as it occurs with every set of policies. you and i will talk about prescription drugs on other time, thanks to both you for being here, -- senior fellow at the american enterprise institute, of the conservative futures. how to create the sci-fi world with a promise. toomas hendrik former president of estonia. and a great friend of our show. thanks to both of you gentlemen. still ahead this hour, school is back in session, so a student loan interest for the first time in three years. how is the white house trying to ease that burden for some borrowers? and for school children in houston, texas, the years already looking very different. libraries have been eliminated, in 28 schools, with heartbreaking consequences. you're watching velshi. you're watching velshi ♪ (man) that looks really high. (woman) it is high. whenever you are ready. (man) are there any snakes? (woman) nope. (man) are you sure? here we go! (vo) it's time to push your limits.

(man) okay. (woman) you're doing great! (man) oh, is that a buffalo? (woman) babe, that's a cow. (vo) the all-new subaru crosstrek wilderness. adventure on the edge. looking for a smarter way to mop? introducing the new swiffer powermop. an all-in-one cleaning tool that gives you a mop and bucket clean in half the time. our new cleaning pad has hundreds of scrubbing strips- that absorb and lock dirt away, ( ♪♪ ) and it has a 360-degree swivel head- that goes places a regular mop just can't. so, you can clean your home faster than ever. don't mop harder, mop smarter, with the new swiffer powermop. (ella) fashion moves fast. setting trends is our business. don't mop harder, mop smarter, we need to scale with customer demand... ...in real time. (jen) so we partner with verizon to take our operations to the next level.

(marquis) with a custom private 5g network. (ella) with verizon business, we get more control of production, efficiencies, and greater agility. (marquis) so our customers get what they want, when they want it. (jen) it's not just a network. it's enterprise intelligence. (vo) learn more. it's your vision, it's your verizon. 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.

here's why you should switch fro abbvie could to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. with the start of the new

school year, come some unwelcome news for millions of americans, who are still paying off student loans. those loans started accruing interest again yesterday, for the first time in three years. the interest had been on hold, because of the pandemic. the white house is taking some pretty drastic measures that could help millions of people who are burdened by debt. nbc's shaquille brewster has more. >> yeah, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions for many of these borrowers. at least that's what they've been telling me. bottom line here, for tens of millions of americans who have student loan balances, they need to start making payments within the next 30 days. but because of an action administration took in april of last year, there are hundreds of thousands of people who have a new balance. zero dollars in zero cents. >> everything says paid in full. >> the relief and celebration came in a flurry. >> i've been paying down student loans for 38 years. >> zero balance. >> i am thankful for the biden

administration finally coming through. >> the biden administration, wiping away 39 billion in student debt. >> to see zero, just to see zero in my checking account, not my student loans, credit card, anything like that. it's shocking. >> after more than 20 years of payments, sarah walsh is 40,000 dollar balance gone overnight. how? the education department just did a one-time adjustment to fix errors with some programs that forgive loans after decades of monthly payments. borrowers got credit for late or partial payments, and for the time services put their loans in an extended pause or forbearance. >> these borrowers should have been in a payment plan. if the system had worked these borrowers would have had their loans canceled a long time ago. >> well this isn't the widespread cancellation that the supreme court blocked in june, the administration says this relief will impact more than 800,000 borrowers. >> what does this forgiveness

mean to you? >> i'm not so pressured to pay my bills that i have. i can start budgeting a way to get a car. since i've never owned a car in my entire life. >> with college debt now nearing 1.8 trillion dollars nationwide, the president is celebrating the change, and previewing additional action. >> i promise to fix the problems of the existing student loan program, that that hurt barr was for far too long. i'm property being that promise. >> we feel like it's unlawful, illegal, and ultimately, unconstitutional. >> two conservative groups are launching another legal fight. asking federal courts to block future forgiveness. >> this is not just some sort of administrative fix, what they're doing is trying to maximize cancellation of loans as much as possible. and using this so-called adjustment as a pretext for doing so. >> as it stands, cancellation that many thought was a dream is now a reality. >> i kept logging in to make sure that it said zero.

>> it still says zero? >> it still says zero. the sun smiles not left my face. >> for those borrowers who are not smiling, because they have their payments do, the biden administration is touting a new program that they just launched last month. called the save program, it cuts the minimum payment required from 10% to 5% of the discretionary income. they say that for many people, that will make their payments zero dollars a month. they also have some reforms to interest, making sure that interest does not accumulate as folks are making those payments. if you want to learn more or apply for that program, you can go to student aid.gov slash save. back to you. >> thanks 1 million. shaquille brewster for us in chicago. coming up, they say your lives will always catch up with you. that's likely true. even for the former president. we'll discuss that next. first, let's raise a margarita in remembrance of jimmy buffett, who died yesterday. best known for yacht rock classes like margaritaville in

cheeseburger in paradise. buffett brought his brand of island escapism to the masses, spending years on the road. playing to his devoted fans known as parrot heads. a statement posted on buffets website reads, in part, quote, he lived his life like a song, till the very last breath. jimmy buffett was 76 years old. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ 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.

♪ tourists tourists that turn into scientists. tourists photographing thousands of miles of remote coral reefs. that can be analyzed by ai in real time. ♪ so researchers can identify which areas are at risk. and help life underwater flourish. ♪ ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ what do we always say, son? liberty mutual customizes your car insurance... so you only pay for what you need. that's my boy. now you get out there, and you make us proud, huh? ♪ bye, uncle limu. ♪ stay off the freeways! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ when my doctor gave me breztri for my copd

things changed for me. breztri gave me better breathing, symptom improvement, and reduced 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, vision changes, or eye pain occur. ask your doctor about breztri. get help reaching your goals with j.p. morgan wealth plan, a digital money coach in the chase mobile® app. use it to set and track your goals, big and small... and see how changes you make today... could help put them within reach. from your first big move to retiring poolside - and the other goals along the way. wealth plan can help get you there. ♪ j.p. morgan wealth management.

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. my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. donald trump has long signaled that a key part of his defense against the many charges he now faces for trying to overturn the 2020 election is that he was not lying. he actually believed that he won the election. trump's criminal defense attorney, john lauro's, saturn and email to nbc news last month, quote, trump believed in his heart of hearts that he won

that election. and as any american citizen, he had a right to speak out under the first amendment, end quote. but the burden of proof in this case lies on the prosecution, falls on the prosecution, to persuade the jury that trump knew he was lying. and despite all the evidence, all the testimony from trump's and administration officials, who told him that there was no evidence of electoral flow fraud, it still may be a tall order to persuade the jury that trump knew he was lying. especially if trump swears on his good faith to the court that he believes he won the election. but according to one law professor, none of this might be necessary. burt new bern, fester emeritus at nyu law school writes in a new op-ed for the new york times, trump could potentially be prosecuted for what is known as willful blindness. the legal equivalent of proving guilty knowledge. willful blindness goes back to a supreme court decision from a decade ago, the opinion written by justice alito reads, quote, many criminal statutes require proof that a defendant acted

knowingly or willfully. courts applying the doctrine of willful blindness hold that the defendant cannot escape the reach of these statutes by deliberately shielding themselves from clear evidence of critical facts that are strongly suggested by the circumstances. defendants who behave in this manner are just as culpable as those who have actual knowledge. in other words, a person who knows enough to choose to ignore the evidence is just as responsible as the person who knows the facts. take this line from bill barr's testimony to the committee, quote, when i went into this and would, you know, tell them how crazy some of these allegations were, there was never an indication of interest in what the actual facts were. and quote. this is really important. over and over again, the truth was laid out in front of trump. by a people who are in a position to know about whether the election was stolen or not. it seems that, over an over, again he closed his eyes to. it trumps ignorance is not.

bliss it's willful. and it may be his downfall. joining me now, professor emeritus and founding legal director of the brennan center for justice at nyu law school, bert newborn. professor, good to see. thank you for being with us. i want to read you something. it's paragraph three from the january 6th indictment. this is jack smith's indictment. paragraph three of the entire indictment. it's on page two. it reads, the defendant, meaning donald trump, had a right, like every american, to speak publicly about the election and even to claim falsely that there had been outcome determinative fraud during the election, and that he had one. he was also entitled to formally challenge the results of an election, through lawful and appropriate means, such as by seeking recounts or audits of the popular vote, or filing lawsuits challenging ballots and procedures. instead, in many cases, the defendant indeed, in many cases, the defendant did pursue these methods of contesting the election. his efforts to change the outcome in any state, through

recounts, audits or legal challenges, were uniformly unsuccessful. it's not just that he wasn't listening to bill barr. he wasn't listening to the recounts. he wasn't listening to the audits. he wasn't listening to the court cases. at some point, you can't claim willful ignorance. >> exactly. he wasn't listening to anyone except for what he wanted to hear. if the law was that people could get off, essentially, ignore their legal obligations, by simply closing their eyes to in any inconvenient facts that would cause them to have to do something that they didn't want to do, we have one -- situation, where everybody would take and choose what kind of laws they would abide by. for hundreds of years, in english legal tradition and now recognized by the supreme court, there's been a rule that says that, if you play ostrich, and stick your head in the sand, and just refused to acknowledge that there are facts on the

ground that force you to behave in a particular way, when you get held into court for that, you can't say, but i didn't know. you can't hold me responsible. i didn't know. the courts say you were willfully blind. now, the difficulty for somebody like jack smith, he's gonna be able to he's gonna have to prove to 12 randomly selected jurors that trump was acting in a willfully blind way. and i think, given the fact that you've laid out, ali, that he just never shows anything to impinge in his consciousness if it gets in the way of what he wants to do, this guy has made a lifetime of being willfully blind. that's his modus operandi. >> that's my question, bert, is that his defense? i never listen anything. i've got an idea in my head. that's what it is. >> well, ironically, if it weren't somebody like trump, if i were representing an ordinary

defendant, and i was trying to get him, off i was's defense lawyer. and he was psychologically incapable of processing information that made his life harder, i would enter a kind of diminished responsibility defense. i would say, this guy is psychologically so unable to deal with the potential for failure that it's not fair to hold him responsible in a criminal court. he would then be found guilty, with diminished responsibility, and be placed in some sort of mental institution. of course, trump is not gonna raise that defense. hill go to jail before he acknowledges that his mental capacity is such that he is incapable of hearing when a woman says no. he's incapable of hearing things that get in his way. he's not gonna raise that defense. so, even if it was the defense that might get an ordinary person some sort of leniency in

the law, he's gonna go down with the ship, claiming that he knew he was perfectly right and he won, and he still believes he won. and it will be smith's job, and it's not an easy job, not a slam dunk, it will be smith's job to persuade all 12 people that he was being willfully blind beyond a reasonable doubt. remember, if one juror harbors a doubt about this, then the case will hang, the jury will hang. they will be able to convict him. that doesn't get trump off. he can then be tried a second time, and even a third time. the only thing that gets him off forever would be a unanimous acquittal. and that's not gonna happen. the best you can hope for is a hung jury. in a second trial. >> this is good information for us as we watch this case in the case in georgia proceed. burt, thanks very much for perspective on this. burt neuborne is the founding legal director of the brennan center for justice at nyu law school.

still ahead, schools looking very different this year for students in 28 schools across houston. instead of a safe haven to read and learn, their libraries are now disciplinary spaces. you're watching velshi. watching velshi after the best nap of my life... and papa is hungry. and while you're hittin' the trail, i'm hitting your cooler. oh, cheddar! i've got hot dog buns! and your cut-rate car insurance might not pay for all this. so get allstate, and be better protected from mayhem, like me. roar. (sfx: family screams in background) coarse hair roar. thin skin when i'm shaving down there not just any razor will do venus for pubic hair and skin with a patented irritation defense bar for a smooth shave with blades that barely touch skin i have active psoriatic arthritis. but with skyrizi to treat my skin and joints, i'm feeling this moment.

along with 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. 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. there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement-and that means everything! ask your doctor about skyrizi today. learn how abbvie could help you save.

my husband and i have never been more active. shingles doesn't care. i go to spin classes with my coworkers. good for you, shingles doesn't care. because no matter how healthy you feel, your risk of shingles sharply increases after age 50. but shingrix protects. proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care but, shingrix protects.

shingrix is now zero dollars for almost everyone. ask your doctor about shingrix today. this week, more than 194,000 students went back to school in houston, the largest blue city in red texas. and have been forced into a new way of life in the classroom.

it all started in march, when the texas education agency took over the school district from its elected board. let me say that again, from its elected board. the following month, the superintendent was replaced by a former charter school founder, who probably introduced a plan called the new education system. an initiative mainly aiming to improve low reading levels and raise standardized test scores. and interesting idea. but as a result of this plan, 28 campuses in the houston independent school district or repurposing their conventional school libraries and turning them into so-called, team centers and eliminating librarians. >> ♪ ♪ ♪ lately, houston mom lauren symonds struggles to recognize her own city. she came up to the very same school system that her third and 11th grader, now attend. but this year, her daughter's school won't have a full

library. >> it's been a real struggle for me, because i should be able to wake up, drive my kids five minutes down the street, and they'd be at schools that are filled with great educators, that have all of the fancy programs and after school programs. that's just not a reality. >> what did the library mean to you when you were a kid coming up in the same system? >> the library was everything. i'm a kid that's checking out ten bucks, and check it out more ten books. i'm at home under the cover reading books. >> over the summer, dozens of houston schools replaced their libraries with teen centers, where students will do work or go and they misbehave. many librarians were laid off or reassigned to new jobs. the change is overwhelmingly impacted black and latino neighborhoods. lauren and other moms spent their summer going to meetings and protests, demanding to be heard. >> i want you look at my face and remember me. because i'm your new best

friend. >> that sign is right. >> republicans are made parental rights a centerpiece of the gop platform. arguing that parents have the right to demand that books rib be removed from schools. that lessons on race and gender be restricted. but this spring, when the state of texas took over the houston independent school district, of almost 200,000 kids, in a blue city in a red state, there was little outcry from those same parental rights activists. the state replace their elected school board members, they pushed out the superintendent -- >> taking these principles -- >> brought in former dallas superintendent, in charge cofounder, mike miles. houston mayor, sylvester turner, thinks the move is anti-democratic. >> i'm not gonna try to sugarcoat it. it's a hostile takeover, with the people are not accountable to the parents. for the teachers of the local community of the students. they're appointed by the people at the state. >> it's houston in conflict with its own state government? >> houston has been a conflict

with its own state government for years. what's happening here with each isd, cannot be viewed as separate and apart from the greater picture. let's not be fooled. >> for years, a number of houston schools were failing. parents pleaded for more resources. as large numbers of students fell far behind on reading and math. former district leaders tried to implement new programs. in the state gave them a b rating in 2022. the texas education agency took over h isd anyway. superintendent mike miles new education system model emphasize instruction time in the classroom. and use team centers like these for the kids who are excelling, in the kidney to timeout. he understands families are anxious about change. he believes it was necessary. what message do you think is sent to kids who see classmates in other parts of the city, who still have functioning staffed libraries? >> so, i think kids like to learn. i think kids focus on their

schools, and so, i think the kids are gonna be fine. they're flexible, adaptable, you've seen them already. >> i've spoken to some of the kids in your district. one third grader told me it made her feel angry. one fifth grader told me that it made her feel like she's a bad kid, who doesn't deserve a library. >> so, you know, when they come to school, what i've heard, and what my staff has heard, it's nothing but, oh, this is okay. i think people need to get here. i think the kids will adapt, and they will love school, like you see kids learning here. >> do you believe librarians are important? >> so, every single position has value. it has a role to play in different places. we can't be all things, to all people. we can't have everything we want. so, there's a prioritization that has to happen. the science of reading? versus this position.

>> does that mean you're robbing peter to pay paul? >> no. i wouldn't phrase it that way. what i would say is, we're putting in a bold, different model, that works. >> -- parents like lauren say their wishes are being ignored by the school system. >> do parents here feel heard? >> i'm having to literally fight and yell from the rooftops, at that my children deserve a library, even prisons have libraries. >> this woman worked for hisd for 39 years. she was lauren's second grade teacher before she became a librarian. she was laid off as part of the takeover. >> if we just focus on the classroom, that's part of the. kate just part of your community. i'm building a lifelong learner. i'm building beyond the teacher. i'm giving them a choice. they're going to the classroom, they're told they have to pass this test. they have to read this passage.

they have to do the strategies. when they come to me, they're given a book that they choose. they get a book that they want to read. >> was it hard to leave your school? >> extremely hard. i still go by. i don't want to be done. these kids were important to me. i felt like i loved every single one of them. >> lawrence is the library there's a lifeline for her as a kid is worth fighting for. >> what are my rights as a parent? are my children not entitled to a quality education? in their neighborhood? like, where does that fit into my american dream? the pursuit of happiness, and life, and liberty? i don't feel very happy right now. i don't feel very liberated. i don't feel very free. i feel very frustrated. i feel very unheard. and i feel like my children, children in this district, are

being treated like political football. >> lauren's son james can only read well. but her daughter sydney struggles with dyslexia. >> i think sometimes people forget that there are real people that are impacted by this. seriously. what am i supposed to do for my baby girl, who was doing her best? >> they lived in the house in the woods. i know what people want to take a library away for no reason. it doesn't make sense. because it's really hard to see a thing that you love, to just be poof, gone. the library is one of sydney's favorite spaces at school. >> you're going into third grade. that's an important year for reading. >> yes. >> what are you hoping to still learn? what kind of help do you need?

>> i need, like, help with words. and i need to read a lot. >> what message do you think it sends to you to go to a school that doesn't have a library? >> that kids shouldn't read. or kids like us shouldn't read. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> wow. all, right on the other side the break, the democratic texas congresswoman, jasmine crockett, is gonna join me to talk about who is helping who's hurt by this new system. this new system. ss. we need to scale with customer demand... ...in real time. (jen) so we partner with verizon to take our operations to the next level. (marquis) with a custom private 5g network. (ella) with verizon business, we get more control of production, efficiencies, and greater agility. (marquis) so our customers get what they want, when they want it. (jen) it's not just a network. it's enterprise intelligence. (vo) learn more. it's your vision, it's your verizon.

cut! another health insurance commercial, another aqua-aerobics scene. yup. most health insurance companies see us all the same: smiley seniors golfing, hiking... don't forget antiquing. that's why i chose humana. they see me, not a stereotypical senior. i'm pre-diabetic, so i talked one-on-one with a humana health educator who really helped me.

now i'm taking free cooking and meditation classes. not aqua-aerobics? better care begins with listening. humana. a more human way to healthcare. try killing bugs the worry-free way. 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.

it's not just designed to look good... it's built to command attention. it's not just a comfortable interior... it's a quiet refuge. they're not just headlights... they light the way forward. the new fully electric audi q8 e-tron models... joining me now is the

democratic congresswoman, jasmine crockett from texas. congresswoman, good to see you. i want to be clear to our audience, we northerners don't think texas is all one big thing. it is a size of the moon. you're from the dallas area, not the houston area. but you know of this topic very well. you are a texas state legislature litter. this is a big deal in texas. houston is a little different from some of the other parts of texas. it's a majority minority place. a lot of black and brown students. the houston independent school district does have some issues with its test scores and it's reading comprehension there's not a lot of people who don't think that it needed some sort of improvement in reform. this is close to home on the show. the reassigning of librarians in the using of a library as a discipline center. >> yeah, so, it's great to see you. i remember, when i saw a video of lauren, the parent that was

featured in their, she went viral. i think everyone felt her when she talks. i remember sharing that, i would say, probably around abound right as we left on our recess. i went to houston. i was in houston with our green as well as sheila jackson lee. they are the two african american members of from that area, we did a roundtable, or a town hall type of setup. this was actually the big topic. so, we had this conversation. i talked about it from what i experienced in the texas house. because they had been trying to do a takeover of hisd when i was in the texas house. but let's talk about the bigger implications, and what's going on. you talked about the fact that there is a problem. the question is, what is the solution? i can tell you with a solution ain't. the solution ain't this.

because we know that, like, republicans love to ignore data. they just decided to take advantage of a situation. you talk about it being a majority minority city, i do want to make sure that your viewers know, that actually, the state of texas, surprisingly, is a majority minority state. you wouldn't think it, based on the votes that we see coming out. that's a whole other issue. when we talk about voting, you have to recognize what was said, and there are so many amazing nuggets that i actually took down. but this looks more like an autocracy then it feels like a democracy. i tell people all the time, you may not like who it is that sitting in office, that's what democracy is about. you take a chance on somebody, they're not getting the job done. you go in, you vote them out. well, houston doesn't have control over austin. well you've got 150 state house members that are coming from all over the state. you've got a governor, i'm sure

houston in harris county didn't go for governor abbott, i'm sure they probably went for -- it's the lack of democratic process, and people don't understand that republicans are tearing out democracy down, one school board at a time. one city council at a time. one county commissioner, as are sure they're coming after them next. but it has wide reaching, far-reaching applications. as you know, over the six-week recess, we typically go on codel's. it's been really disturbing to hear from some of these heads of state in these ministers about how they're looking at the united states. so, i want people to know, people are looking at us and wondering, what is going on in this country? >> uniquely in texas, because texas is one of the states in america that existed not as an american state at one point. under its own flag. it was its own republic. it's got this whole home rule

thing in texas. the idea that you're taking away houston's home rule. we saw this with covid, by the way, in texas. back when you're in the state house. the state house, the state decided that certain places couldn't make her own rules on covid, and masking, and schools. it's a weird thing about republican conservative texas that thinks that people should be able to make their own rules and vote for the people who represent them, and yet, the state says, well, not really in houston. >> no. they don't believe in local control at the locals that are doing the controlling our democrats. that's just the bottom line. we have these crazy bills that were coming through the texas house, i remember, i came in the midst of george floyd. so, instead of deciding to do something to fix policing, they decided that they wanted to fix those city councils that decided that they wanted to reimagine what policing would look like. in prioritize the dollars in a different way. what is most disturbing about

this, and there are so many disturbing things, is, you know, we talked for years about the pipeline to prison. the school pipeline to prison. that's what this feels like. interestingly enough, you heard from lauren, she said, even in prisons have libraries. so, you're doing a couple of things. number one, you're hurting the kids, because emotionally, they are feeling like second rate, second class citizens. they're asking, why is it that my friends have access to things that i don't? honestly, all this stuff about a two tiered system, as it relates to justice in this country, the fraud of the ex president. but this is a two tiered education system. that we have been complaining about anyway. they're halves have always gotten everything that they needed as it relates to education. and it's been those that don't necessarily have the money to send their kids to private schools that have always struggled.

not to mention, we know the roots in slavery. as they also are trying to take out education and honest education on slavery, we know that the one thing they want to make sure, that black folks didn't get, access to literacy. -- that's right. >> when you start taking away the literacy. we know where you're going with this. you are trying to control a people, this is the very opposite of what freedom looks like in this country. >> thank you for this. we appreciate it. i knew talking to be the right thing to do it in that remarkable piece of journalism by antonio. jasmine crockett, democrat of texas, that doesn't really, thanks for watching. stay right where you are. alex witt reports begins right after this break. r this break 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. (dad) we got our subaru forester wilderness now's the time to see what america's largest 5g network 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. sleep more deeply and wake up rejuvenated. purple mattresses exclusive gel flex grid draws away heat relieves pressure and instantly adapts. sleep better. live purple. right now save up to $900 off mattress sets during purple's labor day sale. visit purple.com or a store near you.

♪ did you know 80% of women are struggling with hair damage? dryness and frizz that keeps coming back, could be damaged hair that can't retain moisture. you need pantene's miracle rescue deep conditioner. it's filled with pro-vitamins to help hair lock in moisture, visibly repairing six months of damage in just one use, with no weigh-down. guaranteed, or your money back. for hair that looks healthy and stays healthy. if you know, you know it's pantene.

here's why you should switch fro for hair that looks healthy to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. ♪ ♪ ♪ a very good day to all of you, from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. welcome, everyone, to alex witt reports. we begin with breaking news, president biden is