tv Alex Witt Reports MSNBC September 7, 2024 10:00am-11:00am PDT
10:00 am
welcome to all of you. welcome to alex witt reports. we begin with decision 2024. 59 days until election day . the first presidential debate now just three days away. the candidates are out on the trail. vice president kamala harris is in pennsylvania. governor tim walz will be there later on. former president donald trump will speak in wisconsin at a rally in the swing state. he is expected to arrive any time now. and, some new reaction today to a court order delay in absentee ballots in north carolina following a lawsuit by rfk jr. fighting to remove his name from the ballot. >> a republican court of appeals actually overturned a decision from a lower court that made it so that we are having to halt the ballots.
10:01 am
we are going to have to reprint ballots. we are seeing a mess up in our election system and someone who is trying to mess with it right now. north carolina ruling pushes back the early voting timeline and trump says he sees it as a win. in a certain place called north carolina. your appeals court ruled that robert f kennedy jr.'s name should be taken off the ballot and that sounds like a bad thing for him. it is not. it is actually a great thing. vote for me now. all of the bobby people will vote for me. i appreciate the decision. harris/walls campaign is launching a new advertising blitz on reproductive freedom ahead of next week's debate. one adit uses trump's own words to make the case against him.
10:02 am
>> he told us who he was. >> should abortion be punished? >> there has to be some sort of punishment. >> then he showed us. >> for 58 years, they were trying to get roe v. wade terminated. i get it. i am proud to have done it. >> we have a number of developments in place. we will go right here in studio across the desk from me to nbc's tosha burns. he was handed a win with this two month delay. right? and in the sentencing of hush money case, what did we hear from the judge? >> the judge, who the former president has been attacking us politically motivated, he really acknowledged that this is not a typical case or a typical defendant. he wrote in his ruling that this matter is one that stands alone in a unique place in this nation's history. he said he wants the public to have confidence and that mitigating factors are free from distraction or distortion. he acknowledged it is a win for the former president. it is now three weeks after
10:03 am
election day. that came just hours after the former president was in court voluntarily for a civil case, an appeal in the e. jean carroll case -- case. the former president held what he deemed a press conference after that. he did not take any questions but he gave some remarks. in that, he went after e. jean carroll and some of the women who testified in this case. take a listen. >> i am in a plane. people are coming into the plane. i am looking at a woman and i grab her and i start kissing her and making out with her. what are the chances of that happening? what are the chances? and, frankly, i know you will say it is a terrible thing to say but, it could not have happened. it did not happen.
10:04 am
she would not have been the chosen one. she would not have been the chosen one. >> the former president maintains his innocence in all of his cases. the lawyers are trying to say that the testimony should not have been admitted but this is not what the campaign wants us to be talking about today. it is not what they want the former president to be talking about. he sort of invited the coverage of these past allegations by holding that press conference. he talked for a moment about the economy but mainly focused on those grievances. these are the headlines. >> you are saying his advisors did not go out saying this woman would not be the chosen one. we all just kind of -- >> he is not sticking to the plan. >> stay with us. we will broaden our conversation as we go to aaron gilchrist with vice president
10:05 am
harrison pittsburgh. what is on the agenda today for the harris campaign? >> reporter: we were just on the other side of the hotel behind me watching the vice president's motorcade get into formation. we just heard some sirens. we understand that the motorcade is about to pull off. it has not done that already. we are told that the vice president did not have any official campaign stops planned before this weekend but there was a possibility she might do what we call an off the record stop, one where there is not a public announcement made ahead of time where there may be a large security group. we don't know where the vice president is going. we will be able to report that shortly once she arrives but really, the last three days here in pittsburgh for vice president harris has been about preparing for the debate on tuesday. we understand that she held several mock debate sessions with her team that is gathered here with her. she has really been pouring over recent books that have
10:06 am
been prepared for her and she has been work shopping some answers that she might give to questions related to her policies, ones that she is proposing for the future and ones that she has endorsed in the past. that is what we understand about what she has been doing here, process wise, in the time she has been here since thursday. this is the first time that we know that she left the hotel since she got here thursday afternoon. at the same time, we know that campaign has been happy to hear about some endorsements that have come down for vice president harris, mainly those fromcheney. formers congresswoman liz cheney and her father endorsed vice president harris for president just yesterday. he putout a brief statement saying he saw donald trump as a threat to the republican that was his reason for supporting vice president harris for president. now we can hear from one of vice president surrogates who has been out on the campaign
10:07 am
trail for senator harris. this is amy klobuchar out for vice president harris. >> as we note with cheney and adam kinzinger and the number of republicans that have been coming out, we are going to vote for kamala harris. 37% of people said they voted democratic because of the freedom to vote because they did not want to have an assault on our democracy. that is what you are hearing from a number of republicans who, albeit, may not agree with the policy but they believe the patriotism is the most important thing, that we uphold our democracy. >> harris campaign said it welcomes the support it is getting from anybody else who would want to support this campaign effort. in the beginning, they said that this is a big tent campaign, even before vice president harris was at the top of the ticket. they have been trying to build this coalition. they hired a republican organizer, if you will, if you
10:08 am
months back to try to wrangle the support that could come with republicans, in particular, from those who have supported nikki haley before she dropped out of the republican primary race. that is something we can expect to continue over the next several months, the idea that the harris campaign will be reaching out to anybody that may be able to offer their support in contrast to supporting former president trump. >> okay. i will ask you to stay with us. i've got five bucks on thinking that vice president harris may be going out to a sandwich shop. i guess we will let you know. >> i guess i'm not betting against you. alexi mccammon is joining us, msnbc political analyst and host of the in sync with alexi podcast. pennsylvania governor josh shapiro sent an interesting warning about the upcoming debate. let's take a listen, everyone. >> people know donald trump. he is a skilled debater. he is
10:09 am
a guy who is willing to say anything at any time just to get through a question. he is a show man. he has been on tv before. don't underestimate donald trump. >> the strategies sounds a little bit akin to heightened expectations for the former president. >> i think that is certainly right but also, what i think governor schapiro is getting to is that donald trump knows how to command attention. he knows how to command a stage. whether it looks good or not like in 2016 when he was stocking behind hillary clinton, walking around the stage, he knows how to get attention back to himself and hear the conversation away from what the moderators want him to do. >> hang on with that thought. we are about to see where vice president harris has gone to. take a listen, everyone.
10:10 am
>> we are going to be good. we are going to be fine. we are all in this together. we are going to be fine. >> we are. yes, we are. >> it is all good. we are standing strong. we love our country. >> absolutely. >> that is right. who is this? a relative of yours? >> no. just a new friend. >> i just admire your work so much. i am a lawyer. >> what kind? >> consumer protection. >> that is the work i did. >> yeah. i am shaking. and someone take it for me? >> who are the yellow jackets,
10:11 am
come here. >> my school. >> who is -- what are you doing here? did you bring an idled with you? >> can i get a hug? >> how is school going? has it started? >> yeah. >> what is your teacher's name? will you deliver a message to your teacher? say the vice president asked me to deliver this message. here is the message. thank you for being a teacher. will you do that for me? okay. high five. >> here we go. >> can we get the picture? >> yes. >> thank you so much. >> you keep doing your work. >> thank you. >> can we get a picture? >> yes, thank you. >> get the mom and dad in their.
10:12 am
>> thank you so much. >> he is a teacher. >> what level? >> seventh grade geography. >> bless you. >> you know tim walz was a teacher. >> yes. >> thank you, everyone. right this way. >> thank you, guys. >> we are counting on your leadership. do we have an agreement? i am serious. i am counting on you. have a good weekend. today is saturday, right? >> yes. >> go yellowjackets! see you later. >> and i take that photo for you?
10:13 am
>> this is going well, certainly. i dare anyone who has been watching this the last few minutes do not have a smile on their face as we watch kamala harris in action, just going on the rounds, meeting people who clearly are shocked and delightedly so to see her here. that first woman who cried, she was so excited to see her. it was very cute. she clearly maybe known as the mom in chief but she was someone encouraging teachers and talking about a young schoolgirl and her father who is a geography teacher. there are a lot of smiles and the establishment. we will keep these pictures up to keep an eye on what she is doing, what may have been intended to be a couple of minutes someplace will turn into a little longer than she may have intended. she is greeting everybody, something that campaign is
10:14 am
certainly known for. let's talk about the new report from the new york times that looks inside the trump/harris debate prep. here is something that caught my eye mac, both sides view the debate the same way. harrison trump team see it as a crucial moment to define harris for millions of swing voters who know what they think about mr. trump but are still curious about her. how will this play into the way both campaigns approach this debate? >> donald trump and republicans are trying to remind voters of positions that harris has taken in the past or things that she might have supported that were uber progressive as a way to try to say she is a radical leftist but for harris, it will be about painting a vision for the future. it is introducing herself to the voters in a moment but it
10:15 am
is not about looking back or defending herself or answering to right-wing questions or talking points about whether she supports something she said in a debate one time. it will be about how she will bring the country forward and what the country will fundamentally feel like and look like for americans under a potential harris presidency rather than looking backwards. we have seen that from her rallies alone. >> we have donald trump who says he is not doing any formal campaign preps. trump is being peppered informally by aids, a method they are calling policy time. what is that? what does it look like? >> it is a mix of his aides and some allies. she is an asset to walk trump what that is like because they
10:16 am
have not interacted before. this is the first time we will see them come face-to-face. we must also note that you can't control former president trump. that press conference that we just talked about is a prime example. you can't tell him do it this way, do it that way. you don't know which trump will show up. the way they do approach these things is here are the pros and cons. let's remind you, what are the successful policy positions, the success that you had in your administration that voters are excited about, that these would be good things to do to talk about that here is how we want to paint harris. we want to tie her to the biden administration, make them one and the same. the frustrations about the economy, they will blame on harris but if he is an unpredictable entity in the campaign -- the aids always say it is a double-edged sword. it could be his achilles' heel or his greatest athlete. >> i remember, in 2016, whoever got in his ear last before he went out on a debate stage or
10:17 am
to a rally, they were the ones that would have the most influence because it is the first thing he would remember. i guess maybe they will try to stay very close to him. >> aaron, nbc news reports that harris is preparing for potential volatile moments during the first debate. what kind of antics is the vice president expecting from trump and how will she tackle them? >> if i can, i do want to offer you some context on the video you were just showing folks here in pittsburgh. vice president is at a place called pansies spaces. this is what the campaign wanted to be doing. they are here in western pennsylvania in a swing state, a battleground state that is critically important to this campaign effort right now. we are in allegheny county that is a swinging area in a swing state.
10:18 am
beaver county is right next door. i was here a couple of weeks ago when they did that bus tour through allegheny county and beaver county. working-class areas but areas where former president trump had a ton of support in the last couple of election cycles. to have the vice president here doing her debate prep, able to leave her hotel -- she really just went a couple of minutes away to this spice shop and had these real person moments, these face-to-face -- you saw her hugging people. that is what the campaign believes is important for the vice president in a state like this where she is not doing a ton of tv or other platform interviews but she is going out, meeting people, talking to them about the things that are important to them and the things that are important to her and having these one-on-one moments. this is exactly what they were hoping to see here in the
10:19 am
pittsburgh area. we will likely see more of that before election day. now to your question for how she is preparing about the possibility of a confrontation, really, with president trump. we know that donald trump has launched a number of different insults at vice president harris, about her intelligence. >> i hate to interrupt you. i am sorry, but the vice president is speaking. let's hear what she is saying. >> people are exhausted about the division and the attempt to divide americans. them stepping up to make this public statement, i think, is courageous but also people like the folks i was just talking with, it really reinforces for them that we love our country and we want to be in common. >> are you excited to meet donald trump? >> yes, i am. >> the best part of the debate prep so far as getting out here to look at these spices.
10:20 am
>> there you see the vice president, answering a couple of questions. maybe she is talking about the debate. >> it is time to bring our country together, start a new way forward. >> there she is. sorry, aaron, for having interrupted you but there she is focusing on small businesses, obviously going to this small spice shop and perhaps not picking up a sandwich like you both thought she might be doing. last part of the prep for potentially volatile, on the attack donald trump for debate. >> you heard her talking about divisiveness. that is something that the campaign and sources have told us she is preparing for in her debate preparation, the possibility that there might be derogatory comments made to her face by donald trump.
10:21 am
part of the strategy has been for her to remain calm and to expect the potential for negative comments to come from the former president and be ready to deflect some of those comments, to stand up to any bullying she might get from him and to call out any lies that may come during the debate. the demeanor you just saw from the vice president is what we might be able to expect from the bait, if necessary come tuesday night. >> i also want to address what we clued into as she was speaking. when she was talking about the divisiveness and overcoming that, she was referencing the first part of her answer to how she felt aboutcheney, liz cheney coming out and saying they are endorsing her and that was pretty significant. she is talking about that saying she is glad the divisiveness does not have to rule in all corners of the country. alexi, i have a question for you about the rules of the debate. they have been agreed to by both sides and they include the
10:22 am
muted microphones and no audience, opening statements or props. is a clear to you will benefit the most from these rules? >> i think it depends. it is trump's execution, whether he is able to restrain himself as before, or not. i do think, as we have discussed before, that harris is simply being a black woman standing on stage with him is something that will get underneath his skin. she knows how to speak to him in a way that will elicit a response from him that will certainly get picked up whether the microphones are on or not. what he has to be prepared for is debating someone who is competent and ready to do this job because apparently, according to reporting, he tells allies privately that while he considered hillary clinton to be a smart opponent in 2016, he simply does not feel the same way about kamala harris. i think he is going into this
10:23 am
on the defense because he is totally underestimating her in every way. >> that leads me to this last question to you. big picture. it is the only presidential debate for the election at this point. who has the most to lose on tuesday and will a loss for one candidate be fatal or severely hobble a campaign? no pressure tuesday night. >> donald trump certainly has the most to lose on tuesday night. folks know who he is and the most he could do is be a worse version of himself or remind voters of the worst traits of his personality. imagine if vice president harris brings up the sexual assault allegations that donald trump brought back into the news on his own. she could simply bring something up about that. he will say she was not my type, she would be the chosen one and everyone would remember that this guy is a misogynist and someone we should entrust.
10:24 am
vice president harris, this is her first proper introduction to the country as a presidential nominee. her feeling in pulling and otherwise is just getting higher versus donald trump has stuck around 47%. >> dasha burns, thank you so much. structure capturing the undecided. what does the vice president need to do to win over key voters? a member of congress gives us his take when we are back in 90 seconds. seconds. you're helping them with savings, right? (♪♪) i wish i had someone like evan when i started. somebody just got their first debit card! ice cream on you? ooo, tacos! i got you. wait hold on, don't you owe me money? what?! your money is a part of your community, so your bank should be too. like, chase!
10:26 am
just three days before the first presidential debate. harris/walls campaign is framing another trump candidacy as a threat to reproductive freedom. >> for 54 years, they were trying to get roe v. wade terminated and i did it and i am proud to have done it. >> now, donald trump wants to go further with plans to restrict birth control, ban abortion nationwide, even monitor women's pregnancies. we know who donald trump is. he will take control. we will pay the price. >> 20 now is our friend from california, robert garcia. good to see you. it is well-known that you support the harris/walz campaign but for those undecided voters who will be tuning into the debate on tuesday to inform their choices, what does harris need to do to help them see what you see? will highlighting threats to reproductive freedom be enough? >> i think it will be a few things. one, obviously, the vice
10:27 am
president's record is so important in contrast to donald trump who takes great pride in having the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. he is out there and has attacked ivf. he does not support any sort of access to women's health care. that will be a clear contrast. the vice president has led on that issue. she will ensure that we protect roe nationwide. that involves issues around abortion, supporting small businesses. you just saw that incredible moment in pittsburgh. you will continue to see those moments where the vice president reaches out to independent voters across swing states and talks to them about the issues they care about, reproductive choice, small businesses, homeownership. those are the things people care about. they certainly care about those things in pittsburgh and the country as well. >> let me throw in the word the economy. it is the most important issue for many voters on the
10:28 am
selection. tuesday, what specifically do voters need to hear from harris beyond generalities about an opportunity economy? how can she clearly contrast her vision from donald trump's? >> i think there is a choice that voters are going to see. let's start with donald trump. donald trump work on a policy is giving enormous tax breaks to billionaires and millionaires in the country. he has said so numerous times in public forums. he wants to give huge tax breaks to oil companies, to his billionaire friends. at the same time, kamala harris is rolling out a plan to support small businesses. she wants to increase the number of small businesses, tax breaks for folks opening up their first businesses and she wants to ensure that working- class and middle-class families have access to homeownership, supporting first-time homebuyers, making sure we are building and up homes across the country and she also supports ensuring we have tax breaks for middle-class
10:29 am
families. middle-class families and working-class families should get tax relief, not billionaires. that is the clear contrast that we have as it relates to the economy and the vice president will continue to support small business owners and working- class people and unions across the country while donald trump and his project 2025 will do nothing but shift all power and wealth in this country to the top 1%. >> but do you believe your constituents are going to be willing to foot the bill for some of kamala harris' proposals that may come with significant rise tax because she has yet to lay out a plan to cover many of the costs and she is also going to need congress' support. >> look at the plans in front of us. kamala harris does not believe we should be raising taxes on anyone who is a middle-class family. any sort of tax relief will ensure that the top billionaires and millionaires actually pay their fair share. just their fair share. she wants to make sure taxes are not raised on working-class
10:30 am
people. that is the opposite of donald trump. donald trump wants to continue to tax everyone. kamala harris had a plan to stop price gouging by corporations and that is the work that she will do in the weeks and months ahead and the work as president. as it relates to congress, it is another reason why we have to flip the congress to democratic control in the house. republicans want to continue these huge house breaks and giveaways. democrats want the opposite. we want to help working-class people across the country. >> congress returns to capitol hill next week with a potential government shutdown looming next month. republicans' proposal unveiled yesterday pushes a funding decision until next march and then links government funding with the save act. that requires proof of citizenship to vote. it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote so what is the point of the save act? are democrats ready for this
10:31 am
fight? >> this is so ridiculous. we already know that to vote in the united states, you have to be a u.s. citizen. that is the law. republicans want to play political games and tie the future of our economy and real people's jobs to these horrific plans that do nothing for the actual country or for actual voting security. let's be clear what they want to do. shutting down the government actually impacts real people. we are talking about millions of people across the country that depend on benefits, small business owners. people are depending on healthcare. a government shutdown impacts the entire country, not just the workers who, by the way, most of which don't work in d.c. but work across the country and states across the nation. this idea of flirting with the government shutdown is dangerous and they continue to show complete disregard for the american worker and the american public. all they want to do is play partisan politics.
10:32 am
that is where it is important. we heard vice president harris say a few minutes ago in pittsburgh that we need to end the division. she wants to bring the country together and republicans are doing everything they can to continue to divide the country. >> always good to chat with you. thank you so much. get ready to plush back to 2015 in one of donald trump's first presidential debates. fir the secret is the powerful ingredient, apoaequorin, originally discovered in jellyfish and found only in prevagen. in a clinical study, prevagen was shown to improve memory in subgroups of individuals who were cognitively normal or mildly impaired. stay sharp and improve your memory with prevagen. prevagen. in stores everywhere without a prescription. our right to reproductive health care is being stolen from us. i can't believe this is the world we live in, where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies.
10:33 am
we need your support now more than ever. go online, call, or scan this code, with your $19 monthly gift. and we'll send you this "care. no matter what" t-shirt. it is your right to have safe health care. that's it. go online, call, or scan right now. the moment i met him i knew he was my soulmate. that's it. "soulmates." soulmate! [giggles] why do you need me? [laughs sarcastically] but then we switched to t-mobile 5g home internet. and now his attention is spent elsewhere.
10:34 am
but i'm thinking of her the whole time. that's so much worse. why is that thing in bed with you? this is where it gets the best signal from the cell tower! i've tried everywhere else in the house! there's always a new excuse. well if we got xfinity you wouldn't have to mess around with the connection. therapy's tough, huh? -mmm. it's like a lot about me. [laughs] a home router should never be a home wrecker. oo this is a good book title. folks, we've got to wake up. we cannot elect somebody that does not know how to do the job. >> he was such a nice guy. he said, i am never going to attack but then his poll number tanked. >> flashback there to october 2015 and a tense exchange between donald trump and former ohio governor john kasich at the republican presidential primary debate in boulder, colorado. and, former governor john kasich is doing me right now. he is now a political analyst.
10:35 am
good to see you, governor. what did you think as you look back at that clip? when you look back at your experience with trump on the debate stage, can you get a sense of the tone he will take on tuesday when he is debating bp kamala harris? >> first of all, i just talked to a guy today who lives up in massachusetts. he said, john, i always like you because when you did not agree with things that were being said, you made it clear. you winced but you never lashed out and got personal. trump was a phenomenon at the time. the media promoted him by putting him on all the time. it was just a moment in time. thank goodness i did not get personal because getting personal does not make any sense. what do i think he will do? if he was smart -- you asked a lot of good questions to the previous guest. he will ask her how she will pay for these programs. he will ask her about flip-
10:36 am
flops. whole number of them were published. what is he going to do? who knows what he is likely to do. as for her, she's got to keep her cool. this is her opportunity to define herself. everybody knows what trump is. trying to introduce new evidence is a waste of time in my opinion. she needs to focus on who she is, why she has the position she has, explain what she will do with the economy. when you said it is all about the economy, it is all about the economy but we will see how she is able to present her side and whether donald trump can stick to the script. at that point in time, things were economically rosier. >> a big if. >> to your point, you don't think that kamala harris should
10:37 am
get down in the gutter, right? if he starts going really low- end attacking, you did not either. you are right. you maintain a level of respect on the dignity and all that. >> i was the last person to drop out. >> you were. >> i dropped out when i realized i couldn't stop him at the convention. i just don't believe that personal insults --
10:38 am
>> you change your position on taxes, you change your position on fracking. what the heck is that all about? who is the real person? that is legitimate. her response has got to be like she tried to say, she has not changed her values, she just has more experience and she changed some of her experience. she is able to show people she is capable. she has the strength, the vision. >> you are 100% right. let's move to the new analysis from politico which suggests if republicans want to win, they need trump to lose the election big time. is not what you are hearing? to republicans -- i am not talking about trump, i am talking about legit republicans. do they want trump to lose so
10:39 am
that they can reclaim their party? what would be the calculation? how would that work? can the party be resurrected? >> i don't think that they will have a lot of people that will brute for somebody to lose. what they will root for is getting back to the roots of what it means to be republican. republican -- government is not a last resort. low taxes with low debt. i don't think trump believes in the low debt stuff. we also believe in fair trade and free trade. that does not mean anything goes but basically, you are for trade between countries on reasonable immigration, lawful immigration but not know immigration. at the same time, when you think about the democratic party and you think about the changes that harris is talking about, she is walking away from the hard left with what she is saying. neither party is a box of
10:40 am
chocolates with everything figured out. in terms of what happens with the republican party, it is inevitable. >> liz cheney endorsed bp harris earlier this week and yesterday, this happened. >> dick cheney, your father, a beloved figure among democrats for many, many years, do you -- if you know who he will be supporting or who will will be voting for, do you care to share with us? >> dick cheney will be voting for kamala harris. >> what is your reaction to that endorsement? >> alex, you have to agree with me. however that was said, dick cheney loved by many, many democrats, when did that ever
10:41 am
happen ? >> i think that was sarcasm. i'm just saying. >> go ahead. i did not get it that way. i try sarcasm and it usually fails like it might be now. we knew she was going to endorse harris. what i am surprised by, to be honest with you, is it is not a bigger splash than what i thought it would be. maybe it is because she is going for harris because she wants to reserve her role in the republican party. in regard to her father, he is supporting his daughter? that is the way dads can be. i support my kid. there is no surprise to any of this. do i think it moves anything? i don't think so. >> give me your last word on the debate, what you expect if you think americans will come away, particularly if this is
10:42 am
the only debate between the two. will they climb away with a clearer sense of who they may support? those who are still stuck trying to figure it out. >> i don't know if it will get excited in -- decided in this one. it is not so much what happens during the debate, it is the reporting afterwards. she needs to achieve this sense that she's got it, that she can do this job and people can get a better sense of who she is. what he has to do is he has got to show people that he will not go off the edge somewhere. what do i think about it? i know it will be a better debate than the last one, which was just shocking. i am going to pay a lot of attention to it and figure out where we are when it is all said and done. >> you and me both. governor, so good to see you. thank you. a newly released revealing interview with the father of the georgia shooting suspect. the topic? guns. guns.
10:43 am
easy to apply for the whole family. vicks vapostick. and try new vaposhower max for steamy vicks vapors. [upbeat synth music] speaker 1: when we the people rally for a common cause, we become beacons of hope for all. when we the people-- speaker 2: hey. speaker 1: --unite-- speaker 3: hey. speaker 1: --we heal. that's why st. jude is asking you to stand with us against childhood cancer-- because our cause unites all. join st. jude this september for childhood cancer awareness month. you might wonder, john legend, how do you keep your voice sounding so... legendary? honey! [bees buzzing] and how do i keep my protection against covid-19 up to date? with a covid shot this season, designed for recent variants. you can get your covid-19 shot when getting your flu shot, if you're due for both, as recommended by the cdc. ♪ the fresher ♪ ♪ the better ♪
10:44 am
10:45 am
the 14-year-old suspect charged with murder in this week's georgia high school shooting and his father remain behind bars today. they both have back-to-back appearances on friday and today, a huge crowd gathered outside apalachee high school, holding hands, remembering the two students and two teachers killed. we are in winder, georgia. we are hearing there may be more charges to come today. what you know about that? >> that is right. while neither
10:46 am
the father nor the son entered a plea in their first court appearance but we are learning from the district attorney that there could be even more charges to come for the suspected shooter. >> 14-year-old colt gray charged in the deadly shooting at apalachee high school, appearing in court for the first time, shackled with hair covering his face. >> you are charged with four counts of felony murder. >> family members of victims sitting in the first row. soon after, his father colin gray appeared in the same courtroom. >> are you mr. colin gray? >> he is facing involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder charges in connection with the shooting. >> these charges stem from mr. gray knowingly allowing his son to possess a weapon. >> two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation tell nbc news that colin gray gave him son an ar 15 style
10:47 am
rifle as a gift after they were interviewed by authorities last year following several anonymous tips that colt made threats online. >> i don't know anything about him saying [ bleep ] like that. i'm going to be mad if he did. then, all the guns will go away and they won't be accessible to him. >> he said he was shocked by the suggestion his son was making threats. >> it is no joke. >> we wouldn't be here if he was. >> i know. i'm telling you right now we talk about it quite a bit. we are getting picked on at school. >> is everything okay? >> court records suggest the suspect had a turbulent home life. last year, his mother pleaded guilty to a family violence charge and according to an arrest warrant, fentanyl was found in her car. now, the community is focused on remembering the four lives lost. christian angulo, mason schermerhorn and teachers
10:48 am
christina irimie and richard aspinwall known to many as coach a. >> he saw something in me. he never let it go. his former player said he became a coach because of him. >> i want to have that impact on somebody. >> some good news today, of the nine other gunshot victims, eight were students and one was a teacher and they are all expected to make a full recovery. many of them have already been released from the hospital. the community here is planning a candlelight vigil for tomorrow at apalachee high school's football field to honor and remember the lives lost. >> we are thankful for small favors that way. >> thank you. what you did not know about the mar-a-lago documents case against donald trump and the turmoil that came before that search in august 2022. gust 202.
10:49 am
oh! right in the temporal lobe! beat it, punks! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ why use 10 buckets of water when you can use 1 fire extinguisher. and to fight heartburn, why take 10 antacids throughout the day when you can take 1 prilosec. for easier heartburn relief, one beats ten. prilosec otc. one pill. 24 hours. zero heartburn.
10:50 am
chase really knows how to put the hart in your local community. see what i did there? hey, jackie! (♪♪) evan, my guy! you're helping them with savings, right? (♪♪) i wish i had someone like evan when i started. somebody just got their first debit card! ice cream on you? ooo, tacos! i got you. wait hold on, don't you owe me money? what?! your money is a part of your community, so your bank should be too. like, chase!
10:51 am
the manhattan da witchhunt against me has been postponed because everyone realizes that there was no case because i did nothing wrong. it is a witchhunt, an attack i my political opponents in washington, d.c. >> donald trump yesterday celebrating the sentencing delay. the 34th money count hush money
10:52 am
conviction while deliberately and falsely suggesting a link between the new york state case and federal criminal charges he also faces. joining me now here on the set, we have two time pulitzer prize winner and nbc news senior executive editor for national security. he was also held hostage for seven months by the taliban, lest you forget. his new book is titled where tyranny begins. the justice department, the fbi and the war on democracy. you were right in the room with all of these things you write about. let's talk about what donald trump has successfully done. he has delayed accountability on several fronts. he has done it by employing these political and legal maneuvers that he seems to have honed in and a skilled. delay, delay, delay. the question begs to be asked, have the doj and fbi courts failed to rise to the challenge? is it a casualty these days, being so sensitive to politics
10:53 am
and the law in these very partisan times? >> i think it is both. that causes the doj to be very cautious. they are trying to be as fair as possible and then you have donald trump who exaggerates things. he was convicted of dozens of counts of violating laws in new york but i think the broad lesson here is there were some liberals who thought prosecuting trump would be a political silver bullet. put him on trial, he will be convicted. it turns out it is incredibly difficult to put the former president on trial. the system lets defendants slow the process down. he had some judges helping him with rulings. a lot of people feel like this should be left to the election and we should not be using court rooms to take on our political enemy. >> do you feel that is a legit way to approach it? >> i do but i think the delays
10:54 am
in the trials have been frustrating to people. maybe the january 6 case, jack smith is overplaying his hand but it will not happen now. jamie raskin, the firebrand democrat in maryland, he was on the january 6 committee and he said it is very important to investigate these things and if there are crimes, prosecute them. he said overall, democrats have to win this politically. i think that is the body of the book. a lot of doj and fbi officials feel they are being put in the middle and that america solves its political problems through elections. >> is that to the point, you believe that attorney general merrick garland has been too cautious when it comes to trump? how does that fit into this? >> there is a chapter of the book called the lost year. i want to say, he is a very well-intentioned person. he believes that this is the ideal after watergate. they rethought the justice
10:55 am
department. richard nixon had his enemies prosecuted. to change that, they stopped the system. democratically elected president comes in and says these are my law enforcement policies, the attorney general should carry them out. the president should never be involved in individual criminal prosecutions. garland is trying to uphold that and be overly fair to trump but his slowness and trump's use of delaying tactics ended up delaying these trials and the last thing, the very recent supreme court ruling on immunity, which gave the president enormous protection, said that for any conversation between the president and the attorney general would be absolutely immune from prosecution. that was an extraordinary decision that gave the president even more power to possibly prosecute their enemy. >> you wrote about the internal debate in the book before the fbi searches mar-a-lago. i want to get the facts straight. were investigators intimidated by trump's browbeating?
10:56 am
did they worry about public shaming? was there a partisan bench over him being held accountable? >> i did not find -- i want to be positat our society needs nonpartisan election clerks to count the votes. it needs nonpartisan prosecutors, nonpartisan journalists to protect back's. i did not find secret pro trump, anti-trump plot but the attacks from trump, the firing of andy mccabe, the relocation of his pension really scares people in the federal workforce. they have spent their lives and they don't make a lot of money working as a fbi agent and your reputation is destroyed. people could not get jobs after they were attacked by the president. people in the private sector were hesitant to hire them. what you saw is there is a meeting for weeks and officials can't agree on when to search
10:57 am
mar-a-lago. one of the officials really resisted and said we are playing into trump's hand. eventually the fbi had to be ordered by the number two official in the fbi to do that search. >> they actually got more than they were looking for. >> there were 100 classified documents that trump had not turned over but people love and hate him. he is an incredibly effective communicator and messenger. he immediately declared that mar-a-lago had been occupied by fbi agents and they had found 100 classified documents. the people pushing for the search said if this was any other american citizen, we would search his or her house. it is this ideal of equal justice under law, even for a president or not. my fear is that hyper partisanship is getting into our institutions, intimidating people. they don't want these hot
10:58 am
potato political cases. they think it will ruin their career. i think we just begin nonpartisan judges, nonpartisan journalists. that includes the political prowess. >> i am right there with you. speaking of effective communicators, so are you. my goodness. outstanding. the justice department, the fbi and the war on democracy. we are so glad you are part of our team too. >> you have been kind to me for years. thank you. >> it is deserved. once a success and a failure. we report on something that happened while most of us slept. slept. -e-d, which may need a different doctor. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com. mom genes. she passed them down to you. but who passed them to her? ancestrydna can show you the people and places they came from. your genes are one of a kind, find out why with ancestrydna. i still love to surf, snowboard, and, of course, skate. so, i take qunol magnesium
10:59 am
to support my muscle and bone health. qunol's extra strength, high absorption magnesium helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. qunol, the brand i trust. our biggest challenge? uncertainty. hidden fees, surcharges... who knows what to expect! turn shipping to your advantage. keep it simple...with clear, upfront pricing. with usps ground advantage®. ♪♪ narrator: what drives us? is it something bigger than ourselves, an ideal that connects us? st. jude and fedex are driven by the pursuit of curing childhood cancer. but the drive is not ours alone. it's in every family, hoping for a cure, every act of kindness, every donation. join fedex in helping st. jude save more lives. st. jude, the drive is in you.
73 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on