it is good to be back with you on this second hour of chris jansing reports. at this hour, the federal indictment against sean diddy combs including charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. what we're learning about how he allegedly coerced and controlled his victims as he faces his arraignment this hour. senate republicans are facing new pressure this hour on ivf protections, but it isn't coming from democrats. donald trump himself is pledging support. plus, why a judge rejected mark meadows' efforts to move his indictment to federal court over attempts to overturn donald trump's 2020 election loss in arizona. mortgage rates are down. gas prices the lowest since

2021. with the first fed rate cut expected this week, is this data signaling a true soft landing for the american economy? our nbc news reporters are following all of the latest developments and we begin with laura jarrett following the breaking news on sean diddy combs. we have the indictment. we've heard from federal prosecutors. what else are we learning about how this will all play out when combs appears in court later this hour? >> yeah, chris, we're getting more details from a detention memo filed by federal prosecutors that bolsters their case for why they want to keep him behind bars. he was arrested last night. it was a surprise for him at a hotel. now they're telling a judge they want to keep him behind bars pending an eventual trial. the reasons are as follows. number one, dangerousness. they're pointing to the ar style rifles found in his home that we saw pictures of today at that press conference.

they're also pointing to obstruction of justice. these are stat torre reasons and finally they're pointing to his vast wealth, chris. the fact that he has so much money and a plane and obviously limitless resources. so that makes him a risk of flight. those are the main reasons they're trying to keep him behind bars but it's going to be up to a judge. as for where this goes next, a lot of questions about who else is involved. obviously, there are plenty of employees who are unnamed in this but that have their hands all over this indictment. take a listen to what damian williams had to say today. >> we are not done. this investigation is ongoing around i encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly. >> do you foresee there could be other charges related? >> the investigation is ongoing. that's to him and anyone else we

believe committed the crime with him. >> so you heard him there. nothing off the table at this point. now as for the defense, chris, we've heard diddy's lawyer saying he maintains his innocence. he plans to plead not guilty when he appears a that arraignment of just a little over half an hour. and he's saying he wants to be let out on a $50 million bond. >> quincy, christian, justin, his three sons have just arrived at court. thank you. just over an hour from now, the senate is set to vote on a bill that would guarantee nationwide access to ivf. ali vitali joins us from capitol hill. where do things stand on is this? >> reporter: we saw it in june and it failed then and is likely to fail now. the political dynamics around this are even messier for republicans than they were in june. at this point, this was a flash point issue because an alabama supreme court ruling wherein the

court at one point said that fetuses and embryos should have the protections of children if they're created through ivf. this carries that debate on. you see senator schumer talking about why they're reviving this bill. in large part it's because president trump has changed the contours around the way republicans could talk about this issue. trump himself saying on the campaign trail that he wants to see insurance companies cover the cost of ivf for families. that's in part with this bill they're voting on today would do. it would also enshrine protections to ivf overall. here's how democrats are now talking about it as they say the ball is squarely in republicans' courts. watch. >> women who struggle to have kids don't deserve to be someone's political punching bag. they do not deserve to be yanked around by politicians who when push comes to shove won't

actually vote to help him. >> i'm sure some of my republican colleagues are going to run to the nearest camera to claim their actions have been misunderstood. to those colleagues, i say that today's vote is your chance to put your vote where your mouth is. >> reporter: the sponsor of the legislation on the democratic side, someone who has pushed on this issue during her time in the senate. again though, the political contours are not likely to change. when we saw the senate vote on this last time, two republicans crossed party lines. senator collins and murkowski. we're always counting to 60 in the senate and they're expected to fall short in about an hour and a half when they vote on this again. schumer continuing to make in a hot button issue here in the senate and out on the campaign trail. >> we're watching him talk right now. he does this weekly availability. he just said we've seen republicans tie themselves in knots over this.

where does this put republicans right now? >> reporter: it puts them in a difficult position. again, because you've got the nominee of their party out there on the campaign trail with talking points that are out of step, a, with how republicans have voted on this even just in the last few weeks, but then b, out of step with where the party is writ large on this. especially because as someone who's covered reproductive care access over the last ten year, this question of what to consider embryos over ivf is one that should vex the pro-life and republican movements because they are in direct conflict. so republicans are out there saying they support access to ivf but that may not support mandating insurance companies to actually cover it. that's not in line with conservative positions. and then of course there's the actual question of if this pro-life issue of when does life begin, many pro-life republicans say it begins at conception.

it begs question in the ivf process, how republicans can be supportive of that. there are many tension points within this agreement but the sheer politics boils down to the fact that ivf is popular. especially in battleground states, but also across the country for people trying to grow their families. it's another sign that republicans know they're out of step on the issue and schumer is now trying to force it on the legislative front. >> ali, thank you for that. now to former trump chief of staff mark meadows and his bid to move the arizona fake electors case. lisa rubin is here. he wants to move it to federal court. why? why would that be such a big deal and tell us the details behind it. >> chris, this is one of those circumstances where while mark meadows would have liked to win, he is also winning by losing. and that's because there's a provision in the federal removal statute that applies to people who are federal officers, including potentially former

federal officers like mr. meadows. that says if you attempt to remove a case to federal court and you're still litigating that, that the state court doesn't have to put your case on hold but they can't enter a judgment of conviction, which is equivalent to a sentence. so, while this doesn't prevent the state case against mark meadows from going forward, it may also prevent that state court from entering a sentence or judgment of conviction against him and that in and of itself is a major victory for meadows and any other defendant who can use that vehicle. >> lisa rubin, thank you. we have a slew of positive economic data ahead of the fed's plan to cut interest rates tomorrow. the fed's goal now, keep the good times rolling. i want to bring in nbc news senior business correspondent, christine romans. what do we know about tomorrow's big decision and what has yet to be decided? >> it's amazing. we're entering a new phase for the fed after keeping rates so

high now. 23-year high for interest rates. we just don't know if it's ging to be a little one or a bigger rate cut. there's some discussion and debate about what will happen, but a rate cut is coming and that will affect anybody who borrows money. it comes against the backdrop of gas prices that are declining. they're down about 67 cents a gallon. mortgage rates are already falling in anticipation of that rate cut. 6.11% for mortgage rate here. inflation at 2.5%. the white house, the counsel of economic advisers in a blog post today saying all of those expectations of a wreck for the economy were defied and in fact, you've got inflation coming down without a recession that goes with it. then retail sales this morning. we saw retail sales unexpectedly tick up so the consumer is still hanging in here as well despite complaining about inflation and higher prices, the consumer is hanging in there and stock market is touching record highs.

so it's a really interesting moment with lower rates on the way. we don't know how much tomorrow, but we think the fed will do. >> quarter, half? >> that's the big debate. if you do a quarter, the economy is still pretty sturdy here. usually you cut rates 50 basis points or half when there's something really dangerous brewing there. so a lot of people think it would be just 25 and keep going. i think a basis point cut could signal they're worried about what's happening in the labor market. that's the big debate. we'll know tomorrow for sure. >> drum roll, please. thank you so much. in 90 seconds, the real world impact. political rhetoric sewing distrust in the election and potential violence against the people working to keep our elections safe. against the people working to keep our elections safe while watching the game. who's winning? we are, my friend. we are.

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new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job on indeed, it's easier for talented candidates to find it. which makes it easier for you to hire them. visit indeed.com/hire take away all the political rhetoric surrounding 2024. the threat to democracy is quantified by three studies. first, the worst decline in almost half a century in 2023. that's the eight year in a row it's declined. plus, recognizing the threat. former governors are banding together to convince their successors to commit to certifying november's election and in a stark reminder of the real world consequences of

election disinformation, election offices across the country opened mail containing a white powder this week. brendan buck with a former aide to paul ryan and john boehner. kimberly atkins store, a columnist for the boston globe. both msnbc political analysts. we hear all the time, brendan, about the dangers of election denial. not only are officers getting white powder, directors say they're installing bulletproof glass and panic buttons for their workers. how did we get here? >> over a long time. democracy only works because we decide we're all going to play by these rules. it's self-government by definition. if we start losing faith and trust in it, it falls apart here. as we're seeing across the world. and the symbol that the united states and example the united states sends matters. it was one of the first things

that i thought about on january 6th when i saw the images of the capitol that day. how does the rest of the world going to react seeing this? we're giving them permission to challenge and question the outcomes of elections. it's really all on us if we're going to be able to restore any confidence in this and that's why these campaigns that a lot of republicans have been running are so damaging and not just for this election, but the long-term confidence we have in our system of government. >> kimberly, the study says between 2020 and 2024, 20% of global elections, their results were contested by a losing candidate or party and it stresses that if elections fail, successive democracy is, this is a quote, utterly impossible. so what is the real scope of the threat here? >> well, we have seen in the united states it become, we've seen right before our eyes, it

become a backsliding democracy. now think about that. the united states was the leader in the world in encouraging democracies and in pointing out the dangers where people are not able to govern themselves through representatives and here we are now on the list of countries that are moving in the wrong direction and we are seeing that as brendan pointed out. when you have active efforts to discard or overturn the will of voters. it also happens when you have leaders that encourage that and when you have leaders, presidents, and former presidents who praise people like maduro, like putin, like kim jong-un, who either embrace autocracy entirely or put up sort of sham democracies and claim to be the victors when they are not. that really tells you why we're seeing a lot of what we're seeing in terms of the

backsliding of democracy right here. >> hillary clinton spoke to my colleague, rachel maddow last night about this and i want to play some of it. >> part of what trump is counting on is for people to get desensitized. i mean, oh, my gosh. did you hear what he said yesterday? did you hear who he attacked? the viciousness? with a shrug, we're moving on. americans need to understand they have to take trump both seriously and literally. >> so whether it's rhetoric, if it's a white powder, threatening phone calls, panic buttons, if this becomes just a normalized part of american politics, what does that mean? are you worried that there's been so much of it it just becomes in the ether? >> i've been worried about january 6th of 2025 when they have to certify the next election.

since january 6th, 2021. this is i think, we all remember the famous quote, the infamous quote where somebody said what harm is it to let him sort of get this out of his system for a little while? we saw what the harm was. it was january 6th. and you would think that after what happened there, there would be a recognition that we went too far. instead, every elected republican will say out loud that donald trump actually lost. so i have no confidence whatsoever that donald trump is going to concede or that his allies are going to go easily to certify the outcome if he loses. this happens at multiple levels of government. whether it's as you saw governors needing to certify at the state level. once it gets to congress, the pressure that republicans there are going to feel to try to hold this up and block it somehow, i don't think they're going to be successful but you know, even getting close again is extremely

problematic. so i'm worried about what happens in january if donald trump actually loses. >> so here we are, kimberly, at a point where former governors feel that they have to suggest pressure to their successors to actually certify a free and fair election. and look, it's important that people speak up. it's important that we point these things out and we say this isn't normal. i grew up in an immigrant community. my parents were election poll workers. they were proud and excited to do that. and now people are afraid. so what else can and should be done? what did democrats do to handle this going forward? >> and thank you for your parents for doing that because we see lately what people like shaye moss and ruby freeman have gone through when they did that. >> they weren't in any -- it was

the furthest thing from anybody's mind then that something bad could come of why so many people came to this country, which was for democracy. >> that's absolutely right. and what needs to be done is more accountability. i think that the prosecutions that have happened in states for those involved in the fake electors scheme is important. it would be great if the federal case against donald trump for his role in january 6th were allowed to move forward and not to be indefinitely delayed in the way that it has. and also passing laws like the electoral count reform act was important, but that was just a tiny bit. that requires, for example, a single slate of electors be certified by states as opposed to putting upputting up alterna. they're calling on them to do their jobs which you wouldn't think they needed to be told

that. but we need those types of guardrails in place. we have shown we can't just go by the principles of the constitution. we need guardrails in place with enforceable consequences when people break those rules. that's the only way we can try to ensure this doesn't happen again. >> i wonder what the guardrails really are. brendan. maybe one of them is, and you talk about january 6th, 2025. is that the result of january 6th, 2021 beyond what we all saw on that day? is that a lot of people have gone to jail. a lot of people who were responsible for violence paid a price ford a price for that. guardrails that can be in place? >> one is democratic and what we've seen is a lot of election denial leaders have lost. people who were running to be

secretary of state lost. it is a bridge too far for most people and that's the most heartening thing is that a majority of this country has no tolerance for it. there are still a lot of republicans who are appealing to a small sliver of the party who does care about that but time and time again, i think the worst moment for donald trump in the entire debate, bad debate, was him recounting how he thinks he won the election. that just turns people off. people think he's crazy. we can handle it through the legal system and democratic system. >> thank you. kimberly, you're going to stick around for us. coming up, water rescues in north carolina as widespread flooding sweeps through the state cutting off a major highway and stranding drivers. g highway and stranding drivers. >> the weather just kept getting worse and worse and the rain just kept coming. i've never seen it come up this fast, this quickly. e up this fast, this quickly shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions

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the moment i met him i knew he was my soulmate. "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. 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. it wasn't supposed to be this bad. as north carolina cleans up as the paper puts it. the tropical weather system didn't look strong enough to earn a name, but kids went to school as usual yesterday and came home to find a 1,000-year flood water. washing away roads. some cars were at a standstill and look at this one taking a nose dive. there have been at least, that's

the one. 30 rescues. roads are now in pieces and a coastal flood watch is still in effect. look at those roads. marisa para is in charlotte, north carolina for us. what's the situation there? >> reporter: i can tell you what a difference 24 hours makes. we are in charlotte. it's pretty dry right now. this is little sugar creek over to the side of me here. this was raging. it was rage just yesterday but now things are a lot calmer. the worst of it was along the coast of carolina. this is a place that declared a state of emergency. a lot of the images you saw came from carolina beach. we saw cars submerged. people sitting on top of their cars waiting for a ride, waiting for rescue. that's from south port from brunswick county. we talked about people that had cars that were impacted in different ways and one of those ways were they were unable to pass on some of those roads because some of those roads were

washed away. so if you could pull up the image of the partially collapsed road just a moment. but we also saw of course flooded waters several feet high. what you're going to hear are two people that were directly impacted. and chris, to your point, this caught a lot of people by surprise. they knew it was going to rain, but didn't expect it to be this bad. >> it didn't look that high. you can see the car just completely almost went underwater. >> my wife's pregnant. due in the next couple of weeks. i got three kids. i'm about to do some off-roading if i need to. >> reporter: so carolina beach got about 15 inches or more within 12 hours. we saw some places like olivia, north carolina, got about a foot. so we're talking about some near historic or historic rainfall totals, chris. depending on where you're looking at in the state. so a really stark reminder here.

as you mentioned, it was a storm that never formed. definitely didn't form into a hurricane and never formed into a tropical cyclone but still caused a lot of damage. >> thank you. we're going to the national association of black journalists. vp harris sitting for an interview. >> voters are better off now than four years ago. are they? >> so when we came, first of all, let me just say, it is good to be with the national association of black journalists and i thank you for the work you and your members do every day. it is very important we ensure this organization and your members always have the resources and platforms to deliver the voices that must be heard. so i thank you for hosting me today. four years ago when we came in, we came in during the worst unemployment since the great depression.

we came in during the worst public health epidemic in centuries. we came in after the worst attack on our democracy since the civil war. and a lot of it due in large part by mismanagement by the former president as it relates to covid and january 6th. we have done a lot of work to clean up a mess. as of today, we have created over 16 million new jobs. over 800,000 new manufacturing jobs. we have the lowest black unemployment rate in generations. we have invested in small businesses and to benefit of many people, but including black small businesses. some of the highest rate of creation of new black small businesses in years. we have done the work of capping the cost of prescription medication for our seniors for

issues like insulin and again, i'm speaking to the black journalists who care about all people, but in particular, i'll talk about the impact on black people. we know black folks are 60 times more likely, 60% more likely, sorry, to be diagnosed with die beets and we've capped the cost at 50 per month. $2000 per year because we, unlike the former president who promised to do it, we finally have allowed medicare to negotiation drug prices against the big pharmaceutical companies. these are just some of the accomplishments. is the price of groceries still too high? yes. do we have more work to do? yes. i do believe that i offer a new generation of leadership for our country. that is about in particular, turning the page on an era that sadly has shown us attempts by

some to incite fear, to create division in our country and to do the work that is about bringing some level of optimism and dare i say ambitious about what i know is possible in our country. and so my plan for the economy includes what i imagine and believe and call. an opportunitied economy. what we can do to grow an opportunity economy where all people have access to the resources to compete to apply their incredible work ethic, aspirations and dreams and actually not just get by, but get ahead. i can talk in more detail about it, but specifically, i'll mention a few they thinks. one of the big issues that affects people right now in terms of the economy and their economic well-being is we have a shortage of housing supply. it's too expensive.

people can't afford to buy a home. you know, we grew up, our parents, where they had the ability to somehow believe the american dream was attainable. not so much for younger working people and i recognize that. so my approach is a new approach which is to say let's just take this and deal with it head on. and part of my approach is to say i'm going to employ and engage the private sector. in particular home builders with tax credits to give them the incentive to create new housing. 3 million by the end of my first term and understanding that not everybody is handed a silver spoon, but works hard and is trying to save up for a down payment. part of my plan under my opportunity economy is to give first time home buyers a $25,000 down payment assistance so they can just get their foot in the door. to be able to then engage in

what will prove to be their opportunity to build intergenerational wealth. here's my personal experience coming at that. i grew up a middle class kid. my mother was hard working. she raised me and my sister. she saved up and it was only by the time i was a teenager that she could afford to actually buy her first home. and i know and i identify with that. i know where i come from. >> madame vice president. >> i'm going to finish. i know that so many people work so hard and should have the opportunity to just get their foot in the door. again, this is not just about getting by, but getting ahead. >> i'd like to ask you more about the opportunity economy. housing is a part of it. as well as expanding the earned income tax credit, financial support for first time buyers. and a $50,000 tax deduction for the start ups and small businesses, but i want to talk to you about the squeeze that millions of americans are also

dealing with. it impacts their ability to work and make money. that is childcare and elder care. and it's a squeeze. for millions of people. in some parts of the country, it costs more for childcare than rents. i think bloomberg recently reported an average of $33,000 a year. i'm just wondering, you mentioned that in your opportunity economy, a child tax credit but that's just one part of the ecosystem. what plans will you propose to guarantee that families can actually afford childcare and elder care? >> so, to your point, it is sadly the state of affairs in our country that working people often have to decide to either be able to work or be able to afford childcare. they can't afford childcare and actually do the work that they want to do because it's too

expensive and it doesn't actually level out in terms of the expense versus the income. my plan is that no family, no working family should pay more than 7% of their income in childcare. because i know that when you talk about the return on that investment, allowing people to work, allowing people to pursue their dreams in terms of how they want to work, where they want to work, benefits us all. it strengthens the entire economy. we saw for example during the pandemic what happened. and it sadly has dissipated as a conversation we need to resuscitate. which is the number of women that had to leave the workforce because of a lack of childcare and home healthcare and so many of our families and particularly women end up carrying the responsibility. men do, too, of course. what we call people in a sandwich generation.

>> exactly. >> who have young children and are also taking care of their parents. it is just absolutely too expensive for them to be able to work and do that. so my plan is not only about 7% of income for working people, for childcare, but also we need to do better for our childcare providers and our home healthcare providers in terms of ensuring they receive the wages that they deserve based on the dignity of their work. i have spent time with home healthcare providers and their work is some of the most taxing work you can imagine. i actually when my mother was sick with cancer, did a lot in terms of taking care of her. and the work that is about taking care of a loved one in particular an elder, is extraordinarily heavy in terms of the emotional toll, the time it takes, and we do it because

that is what we do, but not everyone has the ability to take time from work to do it. and they need help. and we need to make sure we have home healthcare workers that can help them. but i want to get back to the point you made about extending the child tax credit. part of my new approach is we need to expand the child tax credit. it is under an opportunity economy is to extend and expand the child tax credit to $6,000 so that young families in particular for the first year of their child's life, which is an extraordinarily important time of their development, have the resources to buy a crib, car seat, children's clothing, and not have to worry about whether they're going the meet their other needs. i don't need to remind anybody here, especially these esteemed journalists, but when we expanded the child tax credit a couple of years ago, we reduced black child poverty by half and

so again, if you talk about the benefit and if you think about the benefit to the economy overall, it strengthens our economy to pay attention to affordable childcare, home healthcare. >> you hosted black men at your residence. you have economic opportunity toward. but polling shows that some black men, particularly young black men, are considering voting for donald trump and they see him as better for the the economy. what is your message to young black male voters who feel left out of this economy and how can your economic policies materially change your lives? >> so, i appreciate the spirit of the question but i'll tell you, i've often been asked this question in a way that i've had to respond by first saying that i think it's very important to

not operate from the assumption that black men are in anybody's pocket. they're like any other voting group. you got to earn their vote. so i'm working to earn the vote. not assuming i'm going to have it because i am black. but because the policies and the perspective that i have understands what we must do to recognize the needs of all communities and i intend to be a president for all people. specifically as it relates to what we need to do to your point around economic opportunity. yes, i started way before i was the top of the ticket in what i called an economic opportunity tour, focused on black men. understanding that for example, we have so many entrepreneurs in the community who do not have access to capital but they've got great ideas, incredible work

ethic. the ambition, the aspiration, the dream, but don't have the relationships necessarily. so my work has included as vice president getting billions more dollars into community banks including working with the big banks to do that. so that we can increase access to capital for our small businesses, start ups. part of my plan under my economic opportunity plan going forward is that right now, start up entrepreneurs small businesses only get a tax deduction of $5,000. nobody can start a small business with $5,000. so i'm expanding that to $50,000. understanding again that when people have the opportunity to have the resources to get started, they're going to put the good ideas, the hard work into it. and part of what i know is that our young black men, just like any group of people, anybody, our small businesses are really

the backbone of our economy overall and when they do better economically, we all do better. part of my work is about understanding what we need to do in dealing with for example the historic inequities that have faced the black community around home ownership. i don't have to go through the history with anybody here about what that has meant in terms of red lining, what that has meant in terms of buying season home appraisals and the impact it has had on stemming the opportunity to build intergenerational wealth. because of those obstacles. so part of the work that i have done and will continue to do is identify, speak truth about those obstacles and address them. another example is medical debt. one in four black families or individuals is more likely to carry medical debt than others. so part of my perspective and as vice president, part of the work

that we have done is to say that we're going to eliminate medical debt from being on your credit score because until now, medical debt worked against your credit score. people know it like you know your weight. you know that number. and the difference between what that number is and what it needs to be is the difference between you being able to get a car loan, small business loan or lease on an apartment. so part of my approach is understanding the obstacles that traditionally and currently exist to allow anyone including black men be able to achieve economic wealth. and i'm going to tell you, i don't think it is sufficient to just only talk about economic policy around reducing unemployment. it is an important marker. and i'm proud of the work that we've done thus far. but it should be a baseline there everybody's working. the point is do people have an

opportunity to build wealth? if that's what they choose to do. if that's what they want to do. and a lot of my perspective as we go forward is just that. i believe that there are a lot of opportunities that are available to the american people if we just see, if we see people. and understand what they want for themselves and their families and then meet them where they are. >> madame vice president, i want to switch gears a bit and talk about the war in gaza. you've called for a cease fire hostage deal and a two-state solution as an end to the war for many months now. while you've expressed support for israel to defend itself, the two state solution and cease fire are at odds with that netanyahu has said their right to defense. if it matters, as you say, how israel defends itself, where do

you see the line between aggression and defense? our power as israel's ally to do something? >> a lot to unpack in what you just said so let's start with this. i absolutely believe that that war has to end and it has to end as soon as possible. and the way that will be achieved is by getting a hostage deal and a cease fire deal done. and we are working around the clock to achieve that end. stepping back, october 7, 1200 israelis were slaughtered, and some american, by the way, in that number. slaughtered. young people who were attending a concert. women were horribly raped. yes, so i have said israel has a right to defend itself. we would.

>> i think my ask -- >> let me finish. it's important to put it in context, which is what i'm doing and i'll get to that. and so how it does so matters. and far too many innocent palestinians have been killed. women and children. we have seen with horror the images coming out of gaza and we have to take that seriously. and we have to agree that not only must we end this war but we have to have a goal of a two-state solution because there must be stability and peace in that reason in as much as what we do in our goal is to ensure that israelis have security and palestinians in equal measure have security, have self-determination, and dignity. >> a question for you on that though, what levers does the u.s. have to support palestinians in their right to

self-determination? and is it even possible as israel's ally? >> well, absolutely. i will tell you i have been actively involved meeting not only with israeli officials but with arab officials. to talk about how we can construct a day after scenario where we participate ensuring those goals i outlined including as part of the principles, that there be no reoccupation of gaza. no changing of the territorial lines in gaza. that there be an ability to have security in the region for all concerned in a way that we create stability and let us

recognize in a way that ensures that iran is not empowered in this whole scenario in terms of the peace and staeblty of the region. the united states of america absolutely has a role which is why we've been active with the qataris and egyptians to get a deal. >> is there a specific policy change that you as president of the united states would say you would do that would help this along? you've gotten a lot of credit for emphasizing the humanity of palestinians but what i often hear from folks is that there's no policy change that would, that either you or the president, president biden, have gone and said they would do. is there a specific policy change as president that you would do in our helping of israel? >> we need to get this deal done and we need to get it done immediately and that is why position. and that is my policy. we need to get this deal done.

>> but in the way we see weapons and interact as their ally. are there specific policy changes? >> for example, one of the things that we have done that i'm entirely supportive of is the pause we've put on the 2,000 pound bombs. and so there is some leverage that we have had and used. ultimately, the thing that is going to unlock everything else in that region is getting this deal done. i'm not going to disclose private conversations but i've had direct conversations with the prime minister. with the president of israel. with egyptian leaders. and with our allies and i think we've made ourselves very clear this deal needs to get done in the best interest of everyone in the region including getting those hostages out. we saw the latest example of

what happened with the six most recent, one of whom was an american citizen. >> what do you say to those that say that's not enough? that stopping the 2,000 pound bombs, the one time, wasn't enough. this administration has to do more. >> well, we are doing the work of putting the pressure on all parties involved to get the deal done. but let me be very clear, also. i support israel's ability to defend itself. and the need for palestinians to have dignity, self-determination, and security as we move forward and get a two-state deal done, but right now, the thing we need to get done is this hostage deal and the cease fire deal. we need a cease fire. we need the hostage deal. >> i'm going to switch gears to racial justice. last month, you eulogized

congresswoman sheila jackson lee. her signature bill, one of a few, was hr 40 which would create a commission to study the history of u.s. slavery and issue of reparations. she introduced it every session of congress, taking up the mantle from congressman conyers. this is a bill you have cosponsored as a u.s. senator. yet this, despite the fact similar commissions have been created on a state level and on the local level is yet to pass in congress. let alone come out of economy. congresswoman jackson lee, congresswoman barbara lee and other advocates have called for president biden to take executive action to take, to create this commission. would you as president take executive action to create this commission or do you believe it should happen in congress? >> well, first of all, i just, as you mentioned sheila jackson lee, she was an extraordinary

leader who we just recently lost. and she was a friend. a real champion for so many issues. so, feel compelled to say that about her. on the issue of what we need to do going forward, first of all, we just need to speak truth about history in spite of the fact some people are trying to erase history and trying to teach our children otherwise. we need to speak truth about the generational impact of our history in terms of the generational impact of slavery. the generational impact of red lining, of jim crow laws. i could go on and on and on. these are facts. that have had impact. and we need to speak truth about it and we need to speak truth about it in a way that is about driving solutions and frankly, i think we, and part of that is

studying it to figure out exactly what we need to do. but part of what we can do right now is for example what i'm talking about in terms of building an opportunity economy. which is addressing explicitly the obstacles that historically and currently exist. and dealing with them. student loan debt. medical debt. bias in home appraisals. what we need to do in terms of dealing with an issue that i have championed for years. black maternal mortality. which is the fact that black women are three to four times more likely to die in connection to childbirth than other women. we know that the reasons for that include disparities that preexist her pregnancy including disparities that exist in the system during her pregnancy. so all of those things must be addressed. >> do you have a position on whether that should happen, this

commission should happen through executive order or congress? >> i think congress ultimately will have the ability to do this work. i'm not discounting the importance of any executive action, but ultimately congress because if you're going to talk about it in any substantial way, there will with hearings. there will be a level of publication and dialogue that, and i think that was part of the spirit behind the congressional action thus far. to ensure that everyone can participate in this conversation in a way that elevates knowledge about history and the reference points that have, that are the impetus of this conversation. especially again when people are trying to deny history. when people are, you know, so-called leaders are saying that enslaved people benefitted from slavery. let's talk about the delta here in terms of the work that needs

to be done. it's profound. >> i want to move to springfield, ohio, and what's happening there. we've seen school closures. parents worried about their kids leaving the home because of racist conspiracy theories that i won't repeat here, but they have been repeated by leaders on the republican side. president trump. vice president, excuse me, former president trump and vice presidential nominee, jd vance. from your perspective, is this just a case of ir redeemable racism that can't be mitigated by any rational action or is this a situation which a federal response could help this community heal? a question of resources. >> i'll let you finish. it's a crying shame. i mean, my heart breaks for this

community. there were elementary school children who it was, it was school photo day. you remember what that's like? going to school on picture day? dressed up in their best. got all ready. knew what they were going to wear the night before and had to be evacuated. children. children. a whole community put in fear. and i'll say a couple of things about it. one, you know, i learned a long time ago in my career having a background as a prosecutor. when you have these positions, when you have that kind of microphone in front of you, you really ought to understand at a very deep level how much your words have meaning. i learned at a very young stage of my career the meaning of my

words could impact whether somebody was free or in prison. as attorney general of california, fifth largest economy in the world, i was acutely aware that my words could move markets. when you are bestowed with a microphone that is that big, there is a profound responsibility that comes with that. that is an extension of what should not be lost in this moment, this concept of public trust. to then understand what the public trust means. it means that you have been invested in trust to be reasonable in ways you use your words, much less how you conduct

yourself. and especially when you have been and then seek to be again president of the united states of america. it's a crying shame, literally. what's happening to those families, those children. not to mention what is happening in terms of look, you say you care about law enforcement. law enforcement resources. being put into this because of these serious threats that are being issued against a community that is living a productive, good life before this happened. and spewing lies that are grounded in tropes. i said it not far from here the other day at the debate.

this is not new. this is not new in terms of these tropes. this is not new in terms of where it's coming from. whether it is refusing to rent to people, rent to black families, whether it is taking out a full page ad in "the new york times" against five innocent black and latino teenagers, central park five calling for their execution, whether it is referring to the first black president of the united states with a lie. birther lies? and look, the american people deserve and i believe better than this. i do believe that. i know, i know the vast majority of us have more in common than what