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♪ ♪ good morning. 11:00 a.m. eastern. 8:00 a.m. pacific. i am josé diaz-balart live from philadelphia and we are now ten hours away from the biggest night of the election cycle so far. here in battleground, pennsylvania, former president trump and vice president harris

will have their first debate ever. and this is how the stage is set. it marks the vice president's first debate as the presidential debate, following the debate in june that changed the entire course of the election. harris suddenly gained traction in key state polling. this is a razor-tight contest showing 70% of adults plan to watch all or most of tonight's debate. joining us now here in philadelphia, nbc news white house correspondent, monica alba, nbc news correspondent, garrett haake, and the communications director for kamala harris, and former spokesperson for doug burgum's campaign. this is going to be one interesting evening either way. how is the harris campaign

measuring the success, or what are the key points that the harris campaign feels have to be carried out tonight? >> for her, they don't have something to measure it against yet and that's the difference here, and they are trying to lower expectations and saying donald trump has done more presidential debates than anybody else in modern history so they are trying to make that clear expectation setting argument, and they are also saying she has a task of trying to really get voters to get a better sense of where she stands on certain issues, so they know that's a high bar for them. according to polling, they feel like they have a sense of what donald trump stands for and with her it's murkier, so they want to make sure she comes out and makes that case, like she's a prosecutor getting ready for trials, and she's had full mock debate sessions because it's

been four years since she has been on a debate stage and that was at the vice presidential level. they are hoping she could have moments where she's perhaps, fighting back to something donald trump said, and they are preparing for him to bring things up they have all been going through in the practice sessions that could get a little ugly, or at least that's what they are trying to put out in terms of an expectation. when it comes to her own record, she has to walk this really fine line between trying to tout the biden/harris administration, and that's something the former president will use as an attack strategy. >> you spoke with the former president president this morning, and what did he tell you? >> i asked him about the challenge and he said he didn't know which version of harris will show up and she has taken different policy positions and

he has to prepare for both. the way the trump campaign is hoping to look past that is to say whatever her positions are now or have been in the past they are going to find the most liberal positions she has taken and make her own those positions and both candidates have the same goal, define kamala harris, and the trump campaign wants to say whatever you think the most liberal version of kamala harris is, that's the case they are going to try and present tonight. >> monica, essentially in the harris campaign they have been running mute campaign setups. how is the former president handling that? >> this started several weeks ago in mar-a-lago where it was trump and his advisers sitting around and chatting and talking about some of his policy accomplishments and sharpen his attack lines. i have been told by those involved in the process that since it has gotten closer he has been more focused, perhaps

distracted or nervous, depending on who i talk to, but in the last few days these sessions have been several hours long at a clip, and he's trying to refine the lines. he understands the stakes tonight as well as anybody. >> ashley, it's the vice president's full first face-off with trump, but not her first time on a debate stage. here's what she was like in the first democratic presidential debate, which i co moderated. take a listen to this. >> senator harris -- senator harris -- we will let you all speak. senator harris. >> guys, you know what, america doesn't want to witness a food fight but want to know how we are going to put food on their table. >> not a food fight, food on a table. boy, that was just so precise.

what should we tell you about what we expect tonight from the vice president? >> don't forget she had that moment up against pence, and she said, i'm talking right now. i expect the vice president to really try and achieve three things. one, i think she's going to get out of donald trump's way. he's proven to be bombastic, pedi and small. i think she will allow him that space to do all those things. and the mics being turned off takes pressure off her to rebut every lie, and that will allow her to focus on her own message in conveying that. the second thing is really to the point about conveying her message. she has to lay out a vision. her most important audience is the 28% of the americans if you look at the "new york times" poll that says they don't know her well. that's the most important audience and not trying to prove

donald trump wrong or defending joe biden's record, and she will use this debate as a conduit to lay out what is forward for the nation. and the third thing is to hold him accountable to his record. that has not yet happened. that's the way she will needle him, to remind him he over saw the worst economy in modern history and a complete failure on covid response, and racial violence tension was at an all-time high when he was president. and that's what i think will get under his skin. i was pelosi's communications director, and i know more than anything else the one thing that gets him rattled and unhinged is a woman challenging him, so just her presenting herself in a presidential way will unravel

him. >> what do you think the former president has to accomplish tonight and how can he accomplish that? >> i think garrett's reporting says it all. we saw reporting come out overnight that kamala harris reported taxpayer funded transgender surgery for migrants and wanted to decriminalize things like harris and defund i.c.e. these are all the things that keep coming out about her record. he has to hold her accountable. if you look at the "new york times" poll from over the weekend, not only do people know about her but 50% of them think she's too liberal. the former president has to hold her accountable for her record and she was a prosecutor, and she wants to gloss over her time where she was a senator, and she ran for president and crazy left-ideas came out, and

inflation soared 20%. it's up to the president not to just say that she's not a flip-flopper, but that she's disingenuous. it sounds like that's where they are. >> do you think that's going to be particularly difficult for the former president or not when he, himself, has taken positions that sometimes are diametrically opposed to positions that he earlier expressed? let me give you an example. the second time i interviewed him for a telemundo network when he was president and running for re-election, and the first out of the gate he told me he would reinstitute daca. this is the same president that eliminated daca during his presidency. is that kind of disparity going to be a hindrance for the former president tonight?

>> it would be on the vice president to try and highlight those discrepancies. the new york time polling is the freshest off the top of my mind, and everybody knows who donald trump is and what comes with him and that's why it's more about kamala harris tonight and the positions she has taken, because a lot of people don't know who she is. it's about defining kamala harris tonight. i agree with that. his role tonight is to remind people the far-left positions she has taken and she's disingenuous. >> monica, do you think the vice president will have to break or separate herself from president

biden? >> independent voters might be attracted to something like that, and i think the other thing that is important in all of this, she's taking a page from donald trump's own book in terms of trolling and that's what she's trying to do here today, with her campaign putting up billboards all over the philadelphia area, and bringing outspoken critics of donald trump to be in the spin room and they are trying to not differentiate as much with biden as with donald trump. >> the harris campaign put out a series of ads but a new one needling trump over his positions, right, one or the other. this is part of the ad where, you know, they focused on trump's fixation on crowd sizes at his rallies. what do you make of her getting personal with her attacks

against trump right before the debate, as monica was saying? >> i think the ads are brilliant. that's a good one. the one i think is the most powerful is the words of his close advisers, his national security adviser and his chief of staff saying he's unfit to be the president and not worry of sitting behind the resolute desk. that's a powerful message because who knows a leader more than the people that served them and he has 30 plus people that served in his administration across the board that said he's not fit for office. they will continue to advance that message. then you couple that with the fact that here's a gentleman that tried to cheat the last election, called the secretary of state and asked for 11,000 votes and when he didn't get the 11,000 votes he actually had a tan drum and incited a deadly violent insurrection against the government. that's a message she will continue to convey. that's why you are saying people like dick cheney saying i will

vote for a democrat for the first time in my life because he's unfit and unworthy to be the commander-in-chief. to me that's a smart strategy. that's the message we have to keep reminding the american people of, despite the lies and polls, you have a person that is a direct threat to everything we represent. that's donald trump. >> garrett, garrett just thinking about what she was saying about that, and the fact is a lot of people don't know the vice president that well and there's a lot of preconceived concepts and ideas already about who donald trump is, and what his administration looked like. is there anything that you think trump is unwilling to approach tonight? >> this is always the operative question with the trump. there's the campaign's plan and what trump decides to do in the moment and that's why the harris campaign has focused on needling him.

there's what donald trump feels when the pressure is on if he gets frustrated with the vice president, as i think ashley pointed out, donald trump, when he is confronted by strong women, whether it's the women he's running against, like kamala harris or hillary clinton, or whether it's somebody like megyn kelly, he can get frustrated and that's the worst version of donald trump. the campaign is trying to put as much structure around him to protect him from that, and the harris campaign is trying to remind people of that. >> stay with me and my colleagues all day long here live in philadelphia. tonight you can watch the debate right here on msnbc. rachel maddow will have the special coverage at 7:00 p.m.

eastern and 4:00 p.m. pacific. on capitol hill, 13 u.s. troops killed in afghanistan are being honored three years later. just a couple of minutes, house speaker, mike johnson, will present the families with the congressional medal. i apologize for speaking to you over this extraordinarily important moment. we will take you there shortly. ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave ♪♪ in minutes! -how? -a.i. (impressed) ay i like it! who wants to come see the future?! get your business online in minutes with godaddy airo

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and see if a reverse mortgage could work for you. call finance of america and get your free, info kit. call this number. 17 past the hour. this morning we are hearing from voters who will be watching the debate closely tonight. and i met two extraordinary americans in miami who just became u.s. citizens. one of them just 19 days ago. they are registered to vote. they are part of the estimated 3.5 million people of voting age that became u.s. citizens since the last election four years ago. here's part of our conversation. >> recent citizens of the united states. what does that piece of paper mean to you? >> translator: for me this is not just a paper. it's a victory. >> translator: this paper means

everything. it means everything to me as well as to my family, my children and my dreams. >> what do you see as the importance of participating in the democratic process of voting? >> translator: voting for me is a great privilege this country has given to me. it's our voices. it's the voices of the people that are being manifested. >> translator: as a u.s. citizen, i will be able to demonstrate to this country with my vote i will be able to respect the laws of this country. >> what are some of the issues that you most want to see explained and debated? >> translator: i would like them to dedicate a good amount of time on the economy. >> translator: the economy is one of the most important aspects that both candidates need to present in a clear manner. inflation is eating us up more every time. immigration, because i see there are so many migrant families who have been here for so many years

and they have impeccable moral conduct and their petitions are delayed for years. sadly there's a minority who are duh delinquents in our country. let's call them that. >> with us now to talk more about this, former senator, claire mccaskill, and both are the msnbc analysts. these women had pride in being americans and 3.5 million adults who have become citizens since the last election, and they are

signed up to vote. >> that was a wonderful piece, josé. it's heartening to see the enthusiasm and how seriously they take the ability to vote here in the united states. they are going to be crucial, these newly naturalized citizens will be crucial because in a number of the swing states the margins are just so close and the number of dually naturalized voters four out sees the margin we saw when you are talking about arizona, 10,000 votes, georgia, somewhere in that neighborhood. michigan, 150,000 votes or so. so they are important. it's also important to note that these are democratic votes, and surveys have shown this is a more split vote than most people give it credit for. that means that both parties should have an incentive to get out and inform these voters about the candidates and to let

them know what they stand for and to try and mobilize and get people out to vote. that's what i hope is going on. i think democrats have done a much better job of this over the years, the outreach. but these voters, a lot of times, like you heard in that piece, they are a jury and they are waiting to make their decision. >> claire, just one of the many things i learned to having a opportunity to speak with them, one said with certain privileges come certain responsibilities. i think they feel the responsibility to participate. the issue, for example, immigration, which is not -- there's a lot of gray in it. for these particular voters, they were, like, you know, immigration is important. we need to have immigrants but we also need to have the border secure. this is an issue that is, no doubt, going to come occupy

tonight, right? >> no question. >> trump has been hammering vice president harris calling her the failed border czar and all of these issues. how do you think she handles this issue tonight? >> first of all, i wish more americans felt that way about voting. it made my heartbeat a little faster. >> mine, too. >> i especially wish the people who are hearing the trump campaign marginalize immigrants in a way they are, amplifying stories that are totally made up about immigrants eating pets and things like that, and we should not take for granted, as my colleague pointed out, these are all going to be democratic voters. what she has to do is point out that this administration has, in fact, done everything they can do by executive order and the border crossings are dramatically down to a level we have not seen in years -- >> after a record number came

in. >> after a record number came in. donald trump wanted to not solve the problem because it didn't help him politically. the republicans all know that. my friends in the senate that are republican have admitted as much to me -- >> the border bill, for example? >> the border bill, he single handedly shut down that bill. the border patrol endorsed it, and if a guy running for president says don't pass it, that's all you need to know about who he's looking after. >> you were so -- i mean, in so many ways a visionary. when in the last presidential debates you mentioned the issue that one thing is the word and the other thing is the acts that you carry out. i am just wondering, what is it

that the vice president could do to help define herself maybe differently -- certainly different from former president trump, but also maybe differently from the biden administration? >> yeah, and i think that she's been doing that well, josé. the polling shows she actually closed the gap with trump in terms of the issues and confidence voters have that each candidate will address this issue effectively. she needs to go out and do two things. first, how is she going to secure the border. there's order at the border and folks are interested in that. she has the opportunity to differentiate herself from trump, the way the white nationalism he has espoused.

i think a majority of americans, no matter their background, they don't go along with that. she can achieve both of those things. policy wise, that means the investments we will make in terms of the order at the border. how are you going to get a pathway to citizenship for those who have been here, dreamers and others for years and years and are positively contributing to america's economy and our neighbors, our co-workers and friends out there, she can do both electively. so far in the campaign, they have. senator mccaskill said, she's got the goods on trump. he sabotaged the best opportunity in years to get the emigration bill done that would fix the problem. she needs to remind the voters about that at every opportunity, and that's, unfortunately, what president biden was not able to do on this issue and a number of issues in july, but that she

will be able to do tonight, i think. >> and claire, trump was talking about mass deportations over the weekend when he made this comment. take a listen to it. >> in colorado they are so brazen they are taking over sections of the state, and, you know, getting them out will be a bloody story. should have never been allowed to come into our country. nobody checked them. nobody checked them, were they criminals or were they from jails? >> this is a narrative, claire, as you mentioned. what he is trying to say here? >> he's appealing just to his base. unfortunately they don't want to hear the lack of jobs might be because of the microchip, they want to blame somebody and he

wants to blame immigrants, mexicans or muslims, whoever it is that might look differently than you do or worship differently than you do. that's un-american. i hope every citizen in america listens to how he has talked about immigrants generally. yes, we do not need people breaking the law to come to this country, and most who achieve legal status agree with that, but that doesn't mean you have the right to demonize the american fabric, and i hope that pushes the voters like the one you interviewed over to kamala harris' side of the equation. >> yeah, there is -- i mention it often with the senator from california, there's a difference between migration and

immigration, and there's a difference between those searching for a new life and many times escaping the most horrible circumstances imaginable and make that journey to the united states, and then many that have been here for decades and participating in the economy, and yet those two issues seem to be always coupled together. is there any possibility that one day the discussion could be split on these issues? >> well, probably that day is coming, josé. you are right. i mean, these two have always been coupled. they present distinct challenges and politically they operate differently in our country. the whole debate of the last couple of years has been focused on the issue of what is happening directly at the border with people who are migrating or seeking asylum, not addressing dreamers, their parents or people who have been here 10 or 20 years and firmly rooted in

the united states, and this is the only country they know. these issues ought to be recognized as separate issues, and if they have to be dealt with separately then deal with them separately but there needs to be progress made on both accounts, in terms of who we are and maintaining asylum and maintaining the border, and then get the dream act done and address parents of dreamers, because both of those things need to happen. >> claire mccaskill and mr. castro, both thank you so much. next, we will talk to the cochair of kamala harris. amala s

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our allies -- >> 34 past the hour. we are keeping an eye on this, and we will take you there live shortly. now more on the debate tonight here in philadelphia where vice president harris and former president trump will go head to head for the first time onstage. it's all happening in

pennsylvania where a recent poll shows a tie essentially with both sitting at 50%. it will mark the second time in 50 years pennsylvania has hosted a debate. cochair of republicans for harris is joining me. >> good to be here. >> what do you think are the main issues that pennsylvania voters look at? >> i don't think it's too different than the rest of the country. inflation is an issue. we all know that. the border is an issue. we all know that. pennsylvania has a special issue and it's the fracking issue. 72,000 pennsylvanians make their living out of the gas industry and trump is trying to take her back to her days in california when she was anti-trump -- fracking, and she evolved and she talked to people from pennsylvania and for the last four years she has been acceptable, and so she has to articulate that tonight.

>> what are the main issues you think she has to articulate tonight? >> the first thing i think she has to do is be herself, you know? a lot of people who are uncertain at this time are not going to vote based on intricate policies but they are going to vote on their gut. she gets teased by the maga types for the laughter and smile, and trump has no warmth or charisma. second, i think she has to show strength. she has a 13% advantage with them and down 5% of men. some of that is that idea that a woman would not be tough enough to stand up to putin and she can

stand up to the guy on the other end of the stage. and she has to talk about her commitment to put a republican in her cabinet. >> why are you supporting the vice president? >> well, since day one i observed him to be a man not mentally fit for the job, and it's harsh to say and others have said it, he's a narcissist and a pathological liar, and he's somebody that will lie to his family and world leaders and his cabinet, and he cannot be trusted to run the country. >> no democrats has won the white house without pennsylvania since 1948. can the vice president win this race without this state? >> mathematically it's possible

but it's unlikely. she has to win pennsylvania. the fact of the matter is 157,000 republicans, in the primary election, even after nikki haley had withdrawn, voted for her, and in a primary election, there's only a 30% turnout. there are many more other people that didn't come out in the primary that feel the same way about trump. there are plenty of pennsylvania republicans who are open to persuasion. >> what do you say to those republicans that simply say i cannot vote for trump because i just can't, but i don't feel comfortable in supporting the vice president because of x or y positions? >> right. so what i say to them is, look, you can't vote for trump. just remember that after this election, there will still be plenty of republicans in the house and senate and it's not as if a harris administration can push any old left wing legislation through congress

because republicans won't let her. she has and will reach across the aisle and convince them she wants to get things done in a bipartisan fashion. >> pretty important, the debate tonight? >> it's huge. many say they don't have enough information about harris, and trump can't rise above because everybody knows who he is and so he has to drag her down in all the ads and certainly will try and drag her down tonight. the fact that so many people are waiting to see who she is means this debate and the next seven weeks will determine how people view her. i think at this point she can only go upwards by being herself, being moderate and strong. >> thank you very much for being with us. appreciate it. up next, we will talk to the journalists that moderated vice president harris' last debate, and why she thinks tonight may

be the most important night of the election. you are watching live coverage from philadelphia on msnbc.

45 past the hour. in about nine hours from now, vice president harris will go head to head with former president trump on the debate stage. it's her first debate since she faced off against mike pence. joining us is the moderator of that debate, the washington

bureau chief for usa today. susan, that was the famous debate with the fly on the air for the entire time the vice president was speaking. what are some of your thoughts about that debate? >> that's a good debate to look at when you think about how will kamala harris performed tonight. she was methodical and well organized and prepared and disciplined. you know, she spent less time countering mike pence than she did introducing herself and making a case for biden. i wonder if she might see that again tonight. just one last thing. pence kept interrupting, and the i am speaking made him sound disrespectful if he was going to keep talking and her technique there was more effective than mine in getting him to obey the

rules in that debate. >> susan, thank you so much. i am cutting you a little short and i apologize for that but i want to go to capitol hill and listen to mike johnson giving a speech honoring the families of the 13 troops killed in afghanistan. >> surely they didn't serve so we would honor them, although we do. they didn't remain loyal so they would be remembered, though they certainly are. they did it because they had a higher caller, and just a few more brief reflections before we present the medals. we could talk about each of these 13 brave souls all day long. a couple of notes, when taylor hoover was 11 years old,

terrorists flew the planes into that the trade center, and by the time he was in high school he knew he wanted to be a marine and stand where others had fallen to show our spirits were not broken. if you pick up a yearbook, you would find a picture he drew himself in uniform next to the words, i want to be a marine. it's clear courage and commitment flowed through his veins. mccollum, as a little boy, he would carry around a rifle in his diapers, his mother said, in his cowboy boots. the heart of a warrior was always in him. her rotc officer said she stood out. so much more could be said about

all 13 of these heroes that stood together that day in kabul. they came from every walk of life, from every part of the country, from sacramento to rio bravo to berlin heights. they were descendants of veterans, they were hockey fans, boy scouts and future electricians. it's been said today that they were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors. they were united in service and bound by love, a love for their country, for the ideals that it stands for and for those who cannot protect themselves. today their love lives on and their families in the neighborhoods where they were raised and through their heroic legacy. it lives on in the hearts those they saved and in the gratitude of a nation that will never forget their sacrifice. today, as their nation, we join

their families and their friends to honor their heroism with the congressional gold medal. at this point i would like to ask leader schumer, leader mcconnell, leader jeffies, senator danes to come up onstage to present the medals. >> david espinoso.

nicole gi. taylor hoover. ryan c. knauss. hunter lopez.

riley mccullum. dylan mirolo. kareem nakui.

johanni pacharno. humberto sanchez.

jared schmitz. maxton saviak.

daegan w. page.

ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the playing of "taps"

by master sergeant kevin gibo. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

ladies and gentlemen, you may be seated. ladies and gentlemen, ms. coral doolittle, mother of corporal sanchez.

>> good afternoon. my name is coral doolittle. proud mother of humberto sanchez. everybody knows him by bert. august 26, 2021, 13 american soldiers paid the ultimate price. the blank check they signed whether they enlisted was cashed in full. their love for this country was greater than the threats they faced from the enemy. they worked tirelessly to save as many lives as possible.

while their time was cut short, they gave everything they had. their bodies were weary and restless, they continued. not swayed by exhaustion or fear, they saw the desperate faces of women and children who were trying to escape from the horrific place, and they found the strength to keep going. as parents, we believe our sons and daughters drew that s