>> good evening and welcome to politicsnation. tonight's laid, dereliction of duty.

♪ ♪ ♪ the house republican caucus fled washington this past friday, leaving congress without a plan to fund our government passed next friday. and the gulf between the caucuses hard line and moderate ins must pass spending legislation and bills must -- has put kevin mccarthy's big ship in jeopardy. brings and the possibility he might need help from house democrats to keep the gavel. meanwhile, on hearing washington tonight, president biden and vice president harris speak to the congressional black caucus as it wraps up its weeklong conference. it's been a busy week with the administration as well, with major moves on gun violence, covid-19, immigration, and u.s.

support for ukraine. but as black america prepares for 2024, polls show diminished enthusiasm for the presidents reelection frump democrats most reliable lotion block. how will they bring those voters back into the fold and help the parties retake off the house and retain the oval office? the last one of those abc members fresh from this week's conference in just a moment. plus the right-wing war on diversity is now raging on new fronts. there is a private venture capital fund dedicated to lifting black female entrepreneurs facing a civil rights lawsuit from the same right-wing activists behind the supreme court case that kills college affirmative action. two cofounders of the fearless funds join me again tonight. waiting for the first federal court date in just three days.

and it doesn't stop there, as a top military academy is also being targeted. the top lawyer for the naacp legal defense fund joins me to talk about how far the anti-diversity portion will go. all of that tonight on politicsnation. we start with congressman glenn ivey. democrat of maryland and a member of the congressional black caucus. congressman, thank you for joining us tonight. as the cbc closes another legislative conference, and i've been here a couple of days, it's been good. but tonight's key notes from president biden and vice president harris, black voters have been the core constituency of modern democratic party. 2020 being a testament to that fact. yet several polls show black voter enthusiasm for the biden administration has diminished considerably. and i wonder how the congressional black caucus is planning to help reverse the

trend over the next year. what would you say is the cbc > i would say president biden's on a really outstanding job on a number of fronts. the first is a lot of the bills that were passed in the last congress are now being rolled out. building bridges, building roads, a lot of the infrastructure, infrastructure for water that many jurisdictions need. a lot of what's happening now. the reduction of process with respect to insulin and other pharmaceuticals. i think it's a key step, as well. i also think the key piece, too, here is he's been the adult in the room and contrast to the house republicans, as we were just discussing. they want to shut down the government coming up, they're heading towards the debt ceiling. the democrats had to bail them

out on that, 15 votes to get the speaker selected. and now these fake impeachment votes that's come up. i think it's important for voters to have a chance to make the contrast between those kinds of republicans, and let's not forget president trump, who's facing 91 charges in criminal courts up and down the east coast, versus the steady leadership of president biden. >> 91 felonies, for cases, yet he's tied in one poll. is the problem with the infrastructure bill has benefited acts and inflation reduction benefited blacks, is the problem getting the message down to the ground where people understand how it impacts them and their black communities? >> that's exactly right. one of the things democrats make mistakes about, i think, is talking about macroeconomic things like inflations going up or down. but we need to make sure we're speaking directly to voters where they our. gas prices are too high, we need to mention we keep pushing those down, grocery costs and

the like. president biden's working very hard to try to address those factors. they impact people at the grand, where they are. >> one of the things that bothers me, congressman, house republicans have no votes scheduled for this week. a week away from a government shutdown. speaker kevin mccarthy has been unable to wrangle his own caucus into passing a short term spending bill. twice this week he couldn't get his gop caucus to proceed with even individual spending bills, including to fund our national defense. as a handful of republican hard-liners have demanded additional concessions. what would a shotgun of governments vital services right now main for people in your georgia counties, people on the ground in maryland, what would it mean? >> people are scared. they get social security checks, veterans benefits, they're worried about those being put at risk. people are worried about the

impact of the government closing down through contracting and basic services that may need. and the overall impact on the economy, i think, as printed which into. so it's deeply irresponsible, it's a lot like the debt ceiling. the cliff or they took us on a few months ago. might be up to the democrats to avert that again. but i'm hoping the voters remember how irresponsible and dysfunctional house republicans -- >> we are talking about real people, real families, that will be impacted. let's stick with prince georges county, your district has seen a surge in gun crime in the last few years. with august 22 marking the deadliest month and the county history, according to county police this weekend. the white house announced the creation of its first ever office of gun violence prevention. to be led by vice president kamala harris. to coordinate the federal response to a national played

that has disproportionately impacted black communities. many cbc members represent those communities. what can you tell us about the caucus response to the announcement? >> we are very happy about the next step. a white house office is the big step in the right direction. trying to spearhead national efforts. we know for many years, when we got the gun villain the last congress, we need more assistance at the federal level, like for example the assault weapons ban is something that will be really helpful. the admissions also been for providing grants and funding for us to try and roll out comprehensive and work to violence reduction programs. there are new to the united states. we had a lot of time with the war on drugs, trying to jail are way out of it. i think it's time for us to continue to move in the direction of working with intervention and prevention programs and trying to reach kids before they get too deep into the trouble. when they pull the trigger and hurt somebody, we have to be tough with that. we also have to make sure we are doing everything we can to the back in the right

direction. whether it's with education opportunities, technical training, mentoring programs and the like. so i think it needs to be across the board in effort and it needs to know just happen at individual places, it has to be a national effort. >> and republicans have been against this. we can't even get background checks. i did the eulogy at a funeral for one of the three victims of hate crime and jacksonville, florida. this young man, had that check the background, they would have known there was mental health issues before he was able to get an ar-15. we can't even get that. >> it's incredible. i think we should raise the age from 18 to 20 want to get an assault weapon, which is the same thing for handguns. can't get one republican in the house to cosponsor the bill. you are not going to get any help from them right now, i guess, there are two locked up and trump and the house republican circus that's going on. we need to take the house picks who can move forward more legislation like this to get a done. >> we're about to hear from two

of the black women from those of the fearless fund venture capital group is they prepare for their civil rights lawsuit brought by the same conservative activists behind the supreme court case that overturned college affirmative action. you have been sounding the alarm are but the ripple effects of the decision for small black business owners, trying to secure count tracks with the federal government. leading a panel at this week's cbc's conference, specifically througho this small business administration program designed to help minority pieces get federal contracts. but now under threat after a recent court ruling, applicants of color must prove their race to be a social disadvantage. many of us are going to be rallying in atlanta with this. what's happening here, congressman? >> it's a great point. we've got programs in place for

decades now, and i can't say they have been super successful. we have had african american businesses get some benefits from those, but are even talking about rolling those back with the cases you just mentioned. so i think we have to make sure the department of justice continues to fight. we had a negative ruling in tennessee, but that's not over yet. we have to keep pushing on that front. appeal it and move for a state. we're reaching out to the white house to meet with putting this effort forward. at the department level. so the government keeps having strong efforts to make these contracts come together from minority purposes. and the people you have got coming on, billions of dollars in the private sector, we need to fight for as well and mixed with those companies to lose their courage, don't lose their weight and stay on track with these programs. >> and they only had to do these programs to make up for being excluded in the past. you have been fighting that. thank you for coming on. i see you have your tuxedo on already. i've got to change for the dinner tonight. >> i need more time to get

pretty, i guess. >> thank you, congressman glenn ivey. on tuesday i'll be in atlanta and my capacity as president of the national action network to rally in support of the people that are fighting these lawsuits, and in support of the fearless fund and its cofounders alongside their legal team and other supporters. the firm will have its first hearing after it was hit with a lawsuit by conservative group accusing them of discrimination for its grant program towards woman of color, woman of color owned businesses with $20,000.04 times a year. the lawsuit claims it violates the 18th of the six civil rights act, banning racial discrimination and contracts. meg mistake, the case against the fearless fund has become a litmus test for right-wing activists in their attempts to undo diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. following the supreme courts

overturning of affirmative action. joining me now is and ayana parsons, the cofounders of fearless fund. ayana parsons, i've said that wrong. don't hold it against me. good to have you both back on the show. your organization has just issued over 900 pages in response to the lawsuit to make your case. forbes summarize some of the key points of your argument, including the organization that suit lacks the right to do so, nating money is a form of free speech protected by the first amendment, black women receive in grants does not do harm to other communities, and black women receive in grants, in fact, helps society at large. what can you tell us about where you stand today with the lawsuit, ahead of the hearing on tuesday? >> yes, thank you so much again,

reverend for having us on your show. i can't get into the details of the lawsuit. what i can say is public information we do have a hearing on tuesday and it's a very important for everybody to be aware of this issue in what is taking place. as you even saw on the forbes article, we do believe this is baseless and we plan to fight against this. >> miss parsons, your corporate partners have continued to back you, including the credit card company mastercard. associated press writes that you are firm has become symbolic of the corporate diversity policies since becoming a target of the lawsuit, adding that lasted 1% of venture capital funding goes to businesses owned by black and hispanic women, according to the nonprofit advocacy group digital undivided. why is your fight so symbolic? how would you describe the

importance of your work? >> thank you, reverend sharpton. this fight is so symbolic because this is about the dismantling of economic progress, economic freedom, and quite frankly the american dream. this lawsuit is so much bigger than the fearless fund. it's so much bigger than all of us. because if we are not able to pull ourselves up by our boot straps as entrepreneurs and create opportunities for our families, our loved ones, communities, and generations to come, then what do we have in this country? so i am urging everyone to be informed, visit fearless freedom now dot or work and that amethyst and less flat, because it affects every single american. >> simone, let's turn to the fearless funds and pet report, released this week. your firm has invested nearly $27 million in some for the purposes led by women of color

since launching in 2019, and awarded other three point $7 million in grants collectively. those businesses employ about 530 people, up from 250, at the ti of investment. you said this as a drop in the bucket compared to systemic changes needed to close the racial and gender gap in the venture capital funding area. what more needs to be done? >> a lot needs to be done. it's going to take trillions of dollars to move the needle on those to the sticks. right now, woman of color are the most -- entrepreneur diplomatic and the least funded. woman in color c 0.3 9% of venture capital funds, while making up over 20% of the population in the united states. trillions of dollars are needed. fearless fund is definitely creating great impact, as you saw. we are in the impact of job

creation, wealth creation, and closing the wealth gap. we are making a -- it's more important we make a dent and truly millions of dollars are going to be needed to move the needle on those stats. >> you received thousands of applications for new programs every week. as you look across your portfolio and see all the businesses your form has already invested in, what are some of the success stories that stand out to you? >> i want to make the distinction. we have the furless fund, which is the investment vehicle. and then we have the foundation, which is where we deploy grants. those are charitable contributions. on the fun side, we've invested in sloppy vacant. those of you know the tiki goal is a cultural icon and superstar democratizing veganism. we've invested in -- the best selling beauty brand and target. these are women who are on the

colors of essence, fortune, forbes, creating the next fortune 5000 companies. we couldn't be more proud. >> there is going to pay those rallies every time these people come up, and there will be an atlanta on tuesday. not connected directly to you, but certainly because of the hearing and the general proposition by the right. people will be there, and i'll certainly be there with them. ayana parsons and arian simone. thanks for being on again. later on politicsnation, the campaign to a government shutdown is on. and republicans in congress are nowhere to be found on capitol hill this weekend. next, former president trump tries to have it both ways on abortion, we but his record as president speaks for himself. i'll take you down memory lane and this week's gotcha.

but first my colleague with richard lui today's top news stories. ? richard >> good satellite to you. some story, tropical storm affiliate made landfall in north carolina today, brought heavy rains and strong winds to the north at the coast. 85,000 households without power in north carolina, along with another 16,000 in virginia. national weather service says the storm is headed north, moving through new york and new england this weekend. hollywood strike negotiations are now in their fourth day. a source is not the top telling nbc news the studios and unions representing rioters and partitions original hunter and agreement there. these trucks largely shot of the entertainment industry since early may. and former president jimmy carter as a part appearance at the plains pena festival in georgia, today, just a week before he turns 99. it is carter's first public appearance since entering hospice care six months ago. his wife rosalynn you can see, right there by his side. more politicsnation with

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proud left president ever is out here hoping to convince people that he's now a moderate on the topic of abortion. former president donald trump told nbc's christian welker last week that republicans are inarticulate on the abortion issue, and shouldn't be pushing for bans without exceptions. religious conservatives were outraged by trump's comments, but let's not get it twisted. there are no president in the modern era that has done more to rollback women's reproductive rights than donald trump. let's rewind a little bit and listen to what trump had to say on the topic while running the first time, in 2016. >> do you believe in abortion,

yes or no? >> the answer is there has to be some form of punishment. there has to be some form of punishment. >> ten years? >> that i don't know. >> trump may not have presumed the route of punishment for women receive an abortion, but he appointed three conservative supreme court justices who helped overturn roe v. wade after it was the law of the land for 50 years. since the dobbs decision, 21 states have banned or restricted abortion according to the new york times. trump also cut federal funding to planned parenthood and allow to state to do the same. he pushed an anti-abortion agenda worldwide, counting of u.s. aid for women's health programs in developing nations. and he was the first sitting president ever to address the annual march for life rally in washington. even in last week's made the press interview, trump's idea

of being a moderate sounded a whole lot lack dreaming up and abortion ban everyone could agree on. he spoke about the importance of exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. he bragged about his ability to negotiate over the number of weeks after which and abortion would be legal. but when pressed on whether he was talking about a federal ban, he wouldn't give a straight answer. in fact, he said he didn't care. magnum is steak, former president donald trump is no friend of reproductive rights. he never has been, and he never will be. the only reason he's trying to soften his stance is because of the backlash and public opinion to the extremist republican positions on abortion that he enabled, as president. he's hoping voters will listen to what he's saying now, and forget what he actually did in the past.

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politicsnation. let's bring in my political panel. to msnbc contributors. april ryan, a white house correspondent for the grio, and susan del percio, a republicans readjust. april, let's start with the news president biden will travel to michigan on tuesday to join autoworkers on the picket line and it will be a history and show of support for striking union workers from a sitting u.s. president. what do you make of news? >> he's not just talking about it, he's doing it. he's talked about being an average of four so long, now the average joe is joining the average american and michigan at a time when america is concerned about its parts for

its cars. it's prices for its cars. the president is not breaking a strike, he is joining in a strike. this is historic. at a time when donald trump, the next day, will come and the question is what will he say? because donald trump is not known as a uniter. he's known more as a divider. you have the current president, who wants to show people hey stands with them, he wants to make sure that the american worker gets a fair deal, a bargain, if you will. versus donald trump, who we just don't know where he will land. >> so isn't, the day after biden's visit, as april said, republican presidential front runner donald trump will be traveling to detroit to meet with striking union, uaw workers. instead of participating in this second gia pay debate schedule for that same evening. trump has sparred with union leaders, but how do you think he will be received by the rank

and file in this critical battleground state? >> it's a great question, arrive, and my guess is that he has some inkling that he will be well received. don't forget, donald trump did something to the republican party they've never seen before. and that was, start a populist movement with envy party. donald trump is very good at creating an us versus them, and even though you say, what does he have in common with an autoworker? he knows how to play on words and use it to his advantage. this is also another way of showing how he stands to power from the other candidates by basically thumbing his nose at the republican establishment saying, hey, i'm not going to be there, and look, i'm with the people. >> april, let's turn to what's not happening on capitol hill right now. congress is in recess this weekend, with no spending deal. even though ed midnight, we

will be just one week from a shot down. politico is reporting speaker kevin mccarthy continues to seek an agreement that a pace is far-right members of his caucus, rather than work with democrats on a compromise to keep the government running. what are you hearing from your sources about where things are headed? >> what i'm hearing is, it's about the people. what i'm hearing is, if we do get another government shutdown, there is a concern about the services, federal services, not going through. it's more so about the people for many in washington versus kevin mccarthy and the people he's trying to piece. the question is, how far will he go to appease the far-right, man have his best interests in this matter or even beyond. and, in seven days, it's about the american people. what checks will be stopped?

what checks will go? what services will be stopped? and it's not the time, especially when he's going through so much controversy of his own. republicans may or may not like him, and democrats want to work with him. if you're in power, it's about service. british service in this moment as they're not working on a potential sell vote for this government shutdown. >> susan. before we go, i want your thoughts on new jersey senator robert menendez indicted this week on federal bribery charges. many prominent democrats were calling on him to resign, including new jersey governor phil murphy and over half of the democrats and the states congressional delegation. others have remained silent for now, as the legal process plays out. but it seems to may, democrats are once again taking allegations of wrongdoing by one of their colleagues, far more seriously, than republicans do. would you agree? >> absolutely, i would agree. but here is the thing to keep

in mind about senator menendez. he did get off last time. it was a mistrial. he wasn't found not guilty. it was a mistrial. and i think there's only so much he can ask his colleagues to take on, especially in this environment. we have heard countless times and people have been right. trump should not run well under federal indictment of 91 felonies, as you pointed out earlier, rev. and while the charges are not the same against senator menendez, it's a lack of public trust and that is reason for him not to run again and for him to step down. >> april ryan and susan del percio, thanks for being with us tonight. coming up, the attacks on affirmative action that started on college campuses are now targeting the military. the latest on a new lawsuit is just ahead. uit is just ahead s vapocool drops. with two times more menthol per drop,

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politicsnation. earlier in the show we talk to the founders of the federalist fund about conservative efforts to attack diversity efforts in corporate america. the anti-diversity activists behind that case, as well as the supreme court case that overturned affirmative action in universities -- is also going after a top military academies rolled exempt under the high schools june decision. students for fair admissions grou announced a lawsuit this week against west point, along with the department of defense, the secretary of the army, and others over the academy's alleged use of race and ethnicity in admissions considerations. joining me now is michelle turnage young, senior counsel to the naacp legal defense

fund. turnage young thank you for joining us tonight. i know i wasn't alone and my prediction that the conservative campaign on affirmative action would not end without civilian colleges, and we see it in any way. military academies for specifically exempted from that cision. this case accuses west point of violating the fifth amendment but using race and ethnicity to determine the student population. how is this different than what is already been decided in the harvard case over the summer? >> as you noted, the supreme court noted in a footnote that the question of the consideration of race and admission in service academies was not before. at the court noted that service academies may have distinct interests that make it different from what they consider and the harvard case

and envy you and say. case now, justice sonia sotomayor in dissent noted that for the service academies, one of the concerns was that for a long time the officer corps did not reflect the racial diversity of the offices that were leading. that caused many problems because the more racially diverse officers were viewed as almost being cannon fodder for the what it is shipped, which was not right for military cohesiveness. it threatened to undermine around forces. >> from a legal perspective, does students for fair admissions have i viable case that can stand up to the rigor of a supreme court review, and can the federal government not make the case that, for national security purposes, with military recruitment at a historic low, it is in the

nation's interest to have a diverse pool of applicants at our top military academies? >> i imagine that west point may very well advance that argument. that's the argument that the united states advanced in their amicus brief in the cases involving harvard and u.n.c., but that rationale is being advanced by senior members of the military in that same case. we have seen it in the other cases as well. so essentially, west point has said that the pursuit of educational and mandatory benefits in diversity is a national security imperative. in order to have an effective military, we need to make sure we have a military that is culturally competent and able to have that capability when it comes to intervening in international conflicts and humanitarian crisis. >> the lawsuit is, of course, just one of the attacks on the force the efforts that have escalated since the supreme court's opinion on affirmative

action. several of the republican attorney general's state attorney generals, have threatened legal action against our nation's top companies and low forms over their corporate inclusion programs. some of those forums have preemptively changed the terms of diversity fellowships to prevent that from happening. and you heard earlier in the show from the founders of the thrill as funds, miss parsons and miss simone, and they prepared to defend what they themselves are facing in a civil rights lawsuit brought but the same right-wing activists behind the supreme court case that led to college of hermit of action being banned. he's also behind the group suing west point. health or to you say this going, council? >> we'll have to wait and see. as you know, students intermission sued harvard back in 2014. it is 2023. we're just at a point where the

supreme court is giving it decision. it's going to take time for these issues to make their way through the courts, if they even get that far. the supreme court only accepts 2% of the cases that people asked them to take. what is really important here are questions of the pursuit of equal opportunity and remedies for racial inequity in the workplace. those questions were not before the court in the case involving harvard and u.n.c.. that case is simply not about employment. it was not about contracting and as i noted earlier, the supreme court explicitly said that the question of the use of race in admissions in the service academies was not before it, so we are absolutely going to have to wait for these cases to find their way to the courts to see exactly what happens. but for now, it's incredibly important that people realize that it continues to be perfectly legal for employers to have inclusive workforces and ensure that they are taking

advantage of the talents of all qualified workers regardless of their backgrounds -- . they chair at the equal opportunity chairman made very clear that it is legal for lawyers to continue to pursue diversity, inclusion and accessibility efforts. >> before we run out of time, to think civil rights groups, including my natial action network, at the end aa c p and others have established a legal defense fund that can counter this tax on diversity program. we know that such funding is essential since there are many conservative groups with considerable backing on the other side. can you talk a little bit about the challenges of pushing back against these right-wing legal efforts? >> i think the challenge is really, it's a multi faceted challenge, but one of the challenges is public education. i think that there are many

people who simply do not understand the need to have programs to further equal opportunity, so many people did not understand, for example, that while black officers are actually 18% of armed forces, they are only 8% of the officer ranks people don't necessarily understand, for example, black entrepreneurs get up to 2% of the venture capital funds out there. there is a real need for initiatives to further equal opportunity, and this is not about something that is in equitable. it is really about making sure that this country takes advantage of the talents of all of its people. >> michelle turner young, thank you for being with us. up next, my final thoughts, stay with us. stay with us when you shop wayfair, you get big deals for your home - every day. so big, we'll have you saying... am i a big deal?

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there are forces in this country trying to illuminate and eradicate all of the advances that the civil rights and human movement made over the last 60 years since the 1963 march on washington. we underscored that just four weeks ago for tens of thousands who marched with us here in washington around that issue of voting rights. and looking at the absolute

eradication of affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and economic arm of the movement to try to bring forth people that had been legally banned and barred from the economic opportunities of others. affirmative action was a reaction to laws and rules that banned blacks from colleges and have been around economic acadie was to make up the people who cannot get bank loans. who could not get business investments because of the color of their skin. the last part of dr. king's message had to deal with the economic rights of the poor and the open contracts and corporate responsibility and accountability. operation bread basket led by reverend jackson, appointed by dr. king. they meant they like me.

i was 13 years old, to fight these fights. all of this is now extinct. that's why i will be in atlanta on tuesday when this brings these great women to court. that's why most of us will be standing that is why i was with my congressional black caucus this week. i'll come back again, i will be touch to hear what the president and vice president estes say, because everything that the generations ahead of us gave us has now been taken off the table, but how would they be put on the table in the first place? but they were put on the table because people marched, people went to jail, people voted, and that is what we had to do to keep them. we are the children of those that made the wave. now we've got to keep that wave open, and we have to fight those that would take it from us. that does it for me. thank you for watching, i'll see you back here tomorrow at five pm eastern for another live hour of politicsnation.

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alicia menendez. welcome for a special addition of those she. american forces will be back tomorrow. this weekend, the white house is preparing for what now seems inevitable, a government shutdown, one week away. predicting the inability of house republicans to simply do their jobs, the biden administration is now threatening government agencies to review their shut down plants. make no mistake, the government shutdown is going to result in real consequences for mill