good evening, and welcome to politics nation. tonight's lead, reenergized. congress returns to session

tomorrow and democrats face persistent concerns within their own party i will president biden's candidacy. just four months before the election. what the much bigger threat posed by donald trump on the other side, and last night at the new orleans superdome i told 60,000 people just what is at stake as a part of this year's festival where democrats including vice president kamala harris took advantage to engage with the nation's largest annual gathering of black women. that outreach may ultimately make the difference for the biden campaign. the black voters proved to be less dejected by the presidents debate performance and their peers can the campaign re-

energize black support enough as to whether this debate storm. that question tonight on politics nation. >> joining me now, congressman al green. democrat of texas. just moments ago four of your colleagues brought the total to nine house democrats publicly calling for the president to step aside, and the other chamber's report of the drafting other senate democrats to compel the president to leave the race. you have also had the first democratic governor to publicly express doubts about biden's candidacy. the governor of massachusetts. even as some polls have biden

closing the gap with trump in swing states about this level of democratic disunity so close to election day. does it concern you? though it is a relatively small number to me. not even 5%, but other members of the house expressed concerns about campaigning with biden and having him at the top of the ticket when discussing her own reelection prospects. what are your thoughts? >> thank you for having me. of course i am concerned always about this time when we have elections, but i am not so concerned that i had concluded that i won't support president

biden. i am supporting him and i do believe he is the best person for the job at. i am not in that camp. here is why i support him. i had the opportunity to come to vote when i was ill after my surgery, and after i cast the vote it was a deciding vote as it related to him being impeached. the president called me. i won't go into the entire discussion, but we had a good conversation and talked about more than the impeachment. he was exceedingly lucid. he was able to grasp an issue that i consider quite important for this upcoming election. aside from that i have been to the white house. he has invited me on many occasions to events and i have always been there when he has spoken. i have been there to shake his hand, so i am pleased with what i have seen, but aside from that the selection is going to

be about the candidates and what they stand for. he stands for democracy. stands for liberty and justice for all. by the people and for the people. he stands for honesty and truth . on the other hand the other candidate stands for autocracy. he stands for the notion that you can have persons assault the capital, but really assault democracy that day because they were trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. he stands for that event and has indicated that he is going to give them consideration, so it is about the candidates and really about what they stand for. i would just add what they have done. president biden had the know- how to give us president harris on the ticket and win.

>> i also push on the fact that the opposition candidates in this case donald trump has also acted in many ways that you are describing in my opinion, and i have had many meetings with president biden both privately and he has always seemed lucid to me. i am concerned about the precedent that if the candidate has a bad debate we ought to replace the candidate. that is a precedent that i think can come back to haunt both parties. the house minority leader jeffries had video earlier this afternoon with ranking democrats to discuss the state of president biden's candidacy ahead of congress returning from recess. i wonder if you got briefed on what was said at that meeting or the general tone.

>> the briefing will take place for me shortly. i have not received the briefing, but i can say this. i believe that the percentage of people is small compared to the number of people that are in the house and the senate. when you are there you are talking about 535 people and now have maybe 20. that is not a large number. i believe that all of these people. there might be an exception, but if president biden stays in they are all going to say i am voting for biden. i do not believe any of them will indicate they will vote for someone other than biden. could be wrong, but i doubt that i am. i wanted to say this. he had the know-how to get the infrastructure bill passed. bipartisan infrastructure bill. he had the courage to take on those who would say that it wasn't time to have a contingent

brian jackson on the supreme court, and he got her there. i would say to people of color that you can look at his history and record and you can see there is a good rational supporting. also an indication of what he will do in the future. we know what president trump did in the past, and he is likely to do more of that in the future especially given that they have given him certain immunities. i absolutely support president biden. i do not want to see is going to in 1960s circumstance in a convention where you have the warn question going back to chicago. it truly is a case of dij@ vu going back to chicago. if you will recall he got the nomination, but nixon won the presidency. that is unacceptable with that kind of turmoil. we can stand firmly with the president and vice president. i support them both and believe we can tran14:i am not sure we

can if we go through that condition. if i have to prognosticate i would say we wouldn't win. >> don't you run the risk of those that are denying these centers of italy needing the hundreds of more congresspeople that are staying with the president like you, and millions of voters that voted for him and vice president harris in the primaries. the president today was engaging his democratic base in pennsylvania this morning. he spoke at a church in philadelphia. followed by an event at a union hall in harrisburg moments ago. the debate was nearly two weeks ago. we do not have an abundance of postdebate polling, but i wonder what your overall impression has been talking to black voters on whether their view of the president has been

impacted by the debate or the drama that has followed. >> thank you for that question. yesterday i was with a very dear friend, and we were before a large audience of people. we had doctors there as well, and i spoke to that audience, and that audience was to the persons supportive of president biden. on the way out and on the way in they told me they were supportive of president biden. i also tend to associate myself with the waitstaff. it means something to me to say something to them, and talking to them. i had one of them who said to me i am supporting biden. just without asking any questions. my point is i am not sure my colleagues are with the country.

i think we need to move forward with biden. >> i have been getting that here in new orleans at the festival. it has been almost everyone i talked with saying that biden should stay in and cheered the vice president when she said we must unite around him. we have some breaking news from moments ago. the congressional black caucus is largely behind biden. this according to two sources who told nbc that at least two members of the cbc were on a call this afternoon . both numbers defended biden forcefully. as they publicly have done this since the debate. what is your reaction?

we are out of time, but i wanted your brief reaction. >> i have spoken to her and she is the ranking member on the committee on which i serve. she put me on the committee, and she is supportive of president biden. a lot of people have taken a lead from her, and she will have great influence. i think in the final analysis we have got to look at what they will do to this country. democracy versus autocracy. this is the question. >> i think she quite a chair when she said i am older than joe biden and i am functioning very well. before i let you go, and i really out of time, but i must ask you. your estate is bracing for the storm that is currently nearing the texas gulf coast and expected to regain hurricane level strength before making landfall overnight. less 100 miles south of your

district. how are your constituents responding tonight? >> they have been through these events. we had katrina. my constituents are preparing. we have the county meeting. i have three counties, so i have to make my way to all of them. i have had my airplane trip to d.c. pushed back. i was supposed to leave at 7:00 tomorrow morning and now i will be leaving at about 7:00 because of a cancellation of flight. there will be high winds and a category 1 hurricane. i encourage people to please make sure you type things down and make sure you have your water and batteries. there is likely to be power outages, so please prepare an hour typical fashion.

if you have no place to go find somewhere you can shelter in place because this may take longer than we anticipated, but it is an event that i believe we can manage and no one will lose their lives. please avoid the water. we have a lot of flooding in houston. we have to be prepared for the flooding. if you see the water turn around and do not drive through it. thank you. >> thank you for being with us, and i hope everyone is safe. joining me now is the political director of the democratic national committee. here in the world and you and i have both been talking to the voters. what are you hearing should president biden be concerned or encouraged? especially in regards to the black vote. >> absolutely. it has been good to see you around. you have been really pivotal in spreading the message of how

important the selection is. i echo what you mentioned. what we have been hearing, and we have been showing up for the past three years with voter activations and supporting the vice president as she has also been here every year since it has come back in person. people are really excited. they were fired up and ready to go. the energy inside the room when she said she is sticking with president biden and she is his partner was electric. as you mentioned earlier as well, several members were there. they went to the voter activation booth, and people were ready to go. black voters are even more fired up because they know what is at stake, and they are very clear on the choice between the president and the vice president, and what the republicans are trying to pull

off. >> that graphic that we were showing is the ceo of essence. just moments ago we reported about four more democratic congressman publicly calling for president biden to step aside. i must mention that is nine out of 213 members of congress that are democrats. what is your reaction? >> my reaction is that we as democrats are going to keep doing the work that we are fighting for. my family is from louisiana. i grew up in texas. i am concerned about my cousins and my family as we watch governors in the state of louisiana and texas literally take our rights away. i

stand on the shoulders of giants. my mom and grandma, and i am very clear on who is trying to take us backwards and i know black women are very clear on who is trying to take us backwards be we will do the work to communicate all that the biden/ harris administration has done for black voters and that we are showing up to ask for their vote and that we are fighting for them as opposed to republicans who are fighting to take us backwards. >> should the white house change the channel and try to refocus on issues? what are the main concerns people are telling you about? >> people are obviously focused. i was before the black community in particular as we were talking to people. they are concerned about their right to reproductive health care and freedom be we know that black maternal help is disproportionately impacting

black women and their children, and when we see the studies of what is happening it is life or death for a lot of women that were in the space today. not only that, but very clear that the vice president has made so much progress on her work, and that is the beauty of having a vice president that can show up. she is the epitome of excellence and the culture, and know that she has fought for us and made progress when it comes to healthcare and capping insulin for seniors at $35. that is their track record, and we know that will be how this administration conducts business and fights for the black community with another four years.>> she spoke out about donald trump. listen to this. >> you have the former president

who is running to become president again who has openly talked about his admiration of dictators in his intention to be a dictator on day one. who has openly talked about his intention to happen is the department of justice against his political enemies who has talked about being proud of taking from the women of america and most fundamental right to make decisions about your own body.>> we know that arkansas abortion-rights groups have collected enough signatures to move the issue one step closer to the november ballot. with major obstacles is still remaining. how important will reproductive rights be this fall? >> it is going to be pivotal to we saw that during the midterm elections and in 2023 with ohio abortion-rights in the constitution, and with that it

was overwhelmingly popular when it came to black voters. not just black women, but the men as well. it is an issue that people care about. an issue that people do not want the rights and freedoms taken away, and i am positive that is a part of the work we have been doing. you have seen the vice president all over the country talking about reproductive rights and freedom, and her fight for it. >> president biden was in philadelphia earlier today delivering remarks at a church service. reaching out to black voters and has been doing radio interviews trying to reach black americans. is the strategy working in your judgment? what else does he need to do in your opinion? >> we have to just keep talking to black voters and showing up where they are.

exactly what he is doing. he has been campaigning, and we started these efforts earlier than ever for a presidential campaign. investing in black media and showing up in spaces. we have staff on the ground organizing every single day and talking from their communities to voters directly, and he is just carrying it for the and is out there on the trail, and we see that people are energized. we saw the rallies that happened over the past few days, and he is not slowing down at all. >> thank you very much for being with us. the dnc political director. thank you again for being with us. coming up. well calls are going for president biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race some are arguing these demands are really just a distraction. my political panel is next.

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welcome back.

in the last hour the number of house democrats calling for president biden to drop out of the presidential race had grown to at least nine. four more members growing the list during a virtual meeting with top democratic committee leaders this afternoon be joining me now are two political analyst's. jennifer, president biden arrived in philadelphia this morning to attend this service at a predominantly black church marking his sixth visit to the philly area this year. meanwhile the editorial board of the philadelphia inquirer

which called for donald trump to drop out of the race in response to the new york times asking biden to do the same. a new piece out saying the focus on biden stumbled during the first presidential debate takes away from the coverage of trump's false claims and incoherent >> there were several calling for biden to step aside and not so much for trump appeared why isn't trump being scrutinized at the same level for his rambling and his lies? how we've grown so accustomed to him that we just ignore his behavior? >> yes. unfortunately they have not heeded my call as loud and as long as i have been doing it that the one who is mentally unsound is donald trump. between his rambling and cul-de- sacs of rhetoric and incessant

lying. he is an unstable and unfit person. a part of the reason i would suggest the media lacks a little bit of credibility as they have never done this with donald trump. that doesn't answer the question whether biden should stay in or out. it is simply observing they have not allowed the public to really appreciate how mentally and emotionally unbalanced donald trump really is. they have normalized him. when they take a little bit of a clip or a little bit of a phrase that he puts out there he seems more normal than he really is, so they haven't done a good job on the audience. the electorate. to decide neither one of these

guys seem to be completely on the ball. which one is worse? the guy who believes in democracy or the guy who wants to be a dictator? these are not ideal choices, but they may have to make them unless kamala harris steps in.>> in your latest piece you wrote as long as there is time to replace biden they should not allow themselves to be bullied into feudalism and complacency. many are united in wanting to defeat trump, but some are unsure they stand a chance without biden since he vowed to stay in the race. how should democrats respond going forward in your judgment? >> i think that everybody engaged in this debate on the democratic side recognizes the existential danger of another donald trump presidency. that is why it is so heated because the stakes are so high. people are scared. the debate is about is the best standardbearer to beat donald

trump and can joe biden beat him if he doesn't seem to be vigorous and able to make coherent argument against him? especially when he is not speaking with a teleprompter. the question about calling on him to drop out. i am a columnist. of course i think you should drop out and stop fighting his many criminal trials. i think you should serve his time in prison and spend the rest of his life in the monumental damage that he has done to the country, but when you talk about for the good of the country if they should dropout that presumes that they care about for the good of the country, and it would be silly and naove to pretend he cares even remotely about what is best for the country whereas i think we all believe that joe

biden truly does, which is why you can appeal to his decency and patriotism and concern about a legacy that transcends his own political career. i think that immigrants need to wash these poles very carefully. you cannot make your decisions all on them, but you also cannot deny them the way that joe biden did in his interview and say that it is a coin toss. it isn't. he is far behind and you do not see that much sign of him making up the lost ground. >> jennifer, your article published today details how there is growing consensus among elected democrats and activist groups that vice president harris is the only plausible replacement if he were to step aside. you go on to say that a harris presidential nomination would come with real risks and that gender and racial the country might deter some swing state voters.

if biden were to step aside and harris isn't the nominee doesn't this set a stage for divisive nomination process at the convention, which could hurt democrats in november? some would perceive that if that was the case and she was not given the nomination if that were to happen it is because of bias of women and race. >> i absolutely agree. i think it is crazy to say that after kamala harris has served very loyally and is very capable on the very issues that we are talking about. reproductive freedom. the supreme court. the unfitness of donald trump. as you show, somehow the party would hop over her and choose some random white governor because they think that person would be more electable. i think that is insane. if there is anything that has happened this week i think there has been some progress in understanding the choice is not

really between the president and an open convention in which everyone throws a hat in their favorite governor. it is between the president and kamala harris. i have to say a part of the reason that i wrote the article is that i think she is an underappreciated asset whichever route he takes. people have some questions about whether he is really going to make it through another term. she is there and capable. if they really think he can't show that he is capable she has shown she is a very effective campaigner. do i know which is the best way this is going to turn out? do i know definitively whether it is better to stay with biden or go with harris? i wish i did and i was shouted

from the rooftops, but we all operate with imperfect knowledge, so my advice is that democrats should show he is capable. if he is go with him. this is about standing on democracy. if he is not they have the perfect substitute, which is kamala harris. this has to come to some kind of conclusion. the president has not done enough. he has done some, but not nearly enough to show that he is vigorous. you should be doing press conferences and talking without the teleprompter. he should be going to have a press conference, which i'm told he will be doing this week. let him do those things. after that if he doesn't satisfy the vast majority of democrats in the poll numbers that she referred to keeps sliding democrats i think will come to the conclusion they have to make a chance. or a change. >> i might add that the one

that has said clearly that he thinks if for some unforeseen reason the president could not continue or that she is more than capable of doing the job well is joe biden. you chose her for vice president. you assume that was calculated when he chose her. let's switch gears to project 2025. trump is not trying to distance himself from a conservative roadmap for a trump second term. claiming i know nothing about project 2025. i have no idea who is behind it. a new washington post editorial published today says the gop delegates are meeting in milwaukee this week to draft the parties platform behind closed doors. trump advisors say they do not want to provide more fodder for their opponents misrepresentation to the voters. how long can trump lie about his connection to project 2025?

what is most concerned about the plan of project 2025 in your judgment?>> first of all, how can you know nothing about what it is in it and think it's proposals are abysmal, see even his denials are incoherent. i am sure he will keep issuing more and more. you mentioned they are drafting their platform for one of the major figures on the committee is the guy who is behind project 2025 who wrote one of the chapters and who has been heavily involved in convening it and who has also talked about as a favorite for potential donald trump chief of staff in a second trump term. another person is heavily involved with project 2025 was the head of personnel and donald trump's first

presidency. there is a saying in politics that personnel is policy. that is especially true with donald trump because outside of a couple of issues like immigration and tariffs he is not in the weeds on most of the stuff. he really doesn't care very much. i believe that donald trump has not read this 900 page document that i would be surprised if he even skimmed through it. it's put together by the people closest to him that will staff a future donald trump administration. also running this training academy to teach people how to be for the soldiers in a future donald trump administration. one of the spokespeople is not just promoting that academy but i believe teaching one of the modules. donald trump. i doubt that he has signed off on this, but he

has not signed off on a lot of this is what the people around them are going to do if they get back into power.>> yeah. thank you both for being with us. up next. civil rights attorney benjamin crump joins me. his thoughts on the 60th anniversary of the signing of the civil rights act. where we stand today, and where we still have to go in the fight for our future. plus we will speak to the mother of a 43-year-old black men whose death was ruled a homicide after four security guards were filmed holding him down on the ground. what his family says needs to happen for justice to be served. we will be right back.

[ speaking minionese ] junior. [ laughter ] good job junior. way to go. [ speaking minionese ] that was president lyndon b. johnson just over 60 years

ago. ahead of the long-awaited signing of the 1964 civil rights act. today that hope for happiness he mentioned is at high risk of being held up at the hands of donald trump. joining me know is civil rights attorney benjamin crump. it has been 60 years since the civil rights leader reverend dr. martin luther king was presented with one of the pens used to sign the civil rights act of 1964 into law. yet we still find ourselves contending with conservative forces seeking to curtail a quality for every american. your thoughts on this having spent the last few days in new orleans at the essence festival and with former president donald trump at the center of it all. how can we move forward?

>> it is vitally important that we talk about this historic moment 60 years later because in 2024 we heard right here that black women who started this our to help black women have access and quality. the very thing that president johnson signed into law was the civil rights act of 1964 under attack from all of these enemies of equality like edward bloom, so thank you for continuing to urge the president of the united states and all people of goodwill will president johnson said. it is about equality and access for all americans. now more than ever. we must defend the principles of the civil rights act of 64 and hopefully president biden

will issue an affirmative executive order again in 2024 that is needed now more than ever. >> and that would be around the fight that is used as a case to deal with the whole question of dei, which is diversity, equity, and inclusion. while we are talking about that many black americans believe we have the right to reparations in the state and has gotten further along in this consideration for them than california for the democratic governor there gavin newsom just signed a budget that would allow $12 million in reparations legislation. how should other governors across the country be looking at this milestone? >> if i am being honest i say it is a good start for california.

there is so much more ode to black americans from what our ancestors had to endure. you probably know better than anybody has a head of one of the most civil rights organizations today that we never got acres. we were forced to work for free. never had the right to land. this reparation is something that is a long time coming, and hopefully other states will have the courage to do the right thing. the head of the california reparations task force is a mentee of mine, and they have worked so hard to make the arguments in the framework. many others would be very wise to follow the state of california.

>> now i want to bring in this case that came to my attention that is very disturbing. i want to bring in brenda. her son devante mitchell. a 43- year-old african american. died a week ago today at a hotel in milwaukee wisconsin. according to our nbc affiliate security guards allegedly wrestled him to the ground. milwaukee police describe the case as a disturbance and subsequent fight as he was escorted out. the milwaukee journal sentinel is reporting that the medical examiner's office determined the preliminary cause of his death to be a homicide, but milwaukee police and the police department said that the cause of death is still under investigation and they issued a

statement saying they are fully cooperating with the police but let me go to you, brenda. my deepest condolences to you as we spoke by phone or zoom. first of all, tell us about your son. we can see that he was a family man. what else should the world know about d'vontaye mitchell? >> he was 11 uncle and nephew. he loved family. he loved music. he loved to cook. he loved to be by the water. the word walk everywhere. >> so he was a normal, loving father. he represent the family.

you are about a week into the case. you talked to witnesses. some of them gave you videos of the incident. it is her belief that he was having a mental health crisis and needed help. not being killed. what have you learned so far?>> exactly. many of the witnesses who were there in videotaping told the family and i investigated that they had him subdued. there was no reason to have a knee on his neck like george floyd. there was no reason for these private security officers to continue to hit him with an object on his head while he was down on the ground asking for help. one of the security guards was yelling out to the public this is what happens when you enter the women's restroom, and it is asked nine to think that you

killed a man for having a mental health crisis, and you must not say to black people that because you are black and you have a mental health crisis that you are sentenced to death. the video shows at all. >> what are the next steps going forward this week? >> i know brenda and the family are very grateful to the network for helping them get started on this journey for justice. they are planning the funeral services for thursday. just ahead of the republican convention in milwaukee. this hotel is one of the host hotels, so hopefully your schedule work permit you to

accept the family's invitation to deliver the eulogy for d'vontaye mitchell so that they cannot just sweep his death under the rug and hopefully everybody will see this video. the district attorney has opened his investigation, so now just like george floyd we began the weight even though there is a video that shows us everything that was done to this unarmed black man. >> in the video shows him being held down with the knee on his neck and other parts of his body. we lost the connection with brenda, but we thank you, and i will certainly be with the family on thursday for the funeral services. i will confirm that now. i have not done that before. thank you for joining us. up next. my final thoughts. stay with us. us.

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i have spent the last three days in new orleans at the essence music festival as i have done since the beginning of these festivals for the last 30 years i have been here. as i talk to people and converse even with vice president harris. the concern of the delegates and participants and attendees has all been the future of the country, and the future of those of us that have had a disproportionate amount of injustice and unfairness like what was mentioned by attorney benjamin crump your we talked about voting rights and on the insistence of the owner of the global mobile, and the ceo.

they had us go to the stage with the civil rights attorney david to address 60,000 people last night. this is not about whose side we are on. biden or trump. this is about who is on our side. let's remember that as we look at this race. that does it for me. thank you for watching. i will see you back here next weekend at 5:00 eastern. an all-in-one cleaning tool, with a 360-degree swivel head that goes places a regular mop just can't. ♪♪ mop smarter with the swiffer powermop. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid for twice as long as pepcid. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. (coughing) next! stuck at the dmv, and i think i'm late on my car insurance.

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