let's say you're deep in a show or a game or the game. on a train, at home, at work. okay, maybe not at work. point is at xfinity. we're constantly engineering new ways to get the entertainment you love to you faster and easier than ever. that's what i do. is that love island? good day. i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. will donald trump ever stand trial for allegations he tried to overturn the 2020 election? the special counsel in fight mode with a 165-page argument filled with new details about

donald trump's efforts to target what he calls trump's desperate attempt to stay in office. where do things go from here? plus, kamala harris appealing to republican sense of history and tradition as she tries to convince them to cast their vote for her. how the location today and the woman who will be campaigning alongside her could help her make her case. just hours ago, israel expanding evacuation warnings to nearly two dozen more towns across southern lebanon. how the people on both sides are now bracing for this wider war. a lot to get to. we start with jack smith. the trial won't be until after election day. to do that, jack smith has to convince the judge that trump was acting as a candidate, not the president, and orchestrated a criminal scheme to hold on to power meaning the supreme court's recent ruling on presidential immunity should not

apply. the following is full of examples. smith argues trump's conversations with vice president pence were in their private capacity as running mates. that the gathering on january 6th was considered a campaign rally by trump's own staff. not an official presidential event. at its core, trump's scheme was a private one with members of his own campaign playing a critical role. i want to bring in andrew wiceman, former general counsel, former senior member of the mueller probe and an msnbc legal analyst. also with me, john kasich who is an msnbc political analyst and vaughn hillyard with me onset. do you think the charges are enough to keep the charges intact? >> what is remarkable, even with the supreme court ruling that knocked out all evidence that was plainly official conduct

where it couldn't be rebutted to show that it was being taken on behalf of a candidate, there is still just unbelievably strong evidence. my takeaway from this brief is that if donald trump is not elected president, and so, obviously, if he wins the election he will have his department of justice dismiss this case. if he is not elected, this case is going to go forward. the level and quantity of proof from all sorts of sources, mostly from within his own campaign and his own lawyers up to and including his own vice presidential candidate is replete. so there's very, very strong evidence that is recounted in this compendium by jack smith.

>> the filing has details about what trump himself supposedly said. for example, he told family members, quote, it doesn't matter if you would have been or lost the election. you still have to fight like hell. what's the value of including statements like that? >> so what is different in this brief that we didn't have as much in the january 6th committee hearings is direct statements, direct evidence with people who were speaking to the president and also, heard what the president had to say. so you have direct admissions. and will there are two pieces of that. one, it's plain that he is speaking as a candidate. and frankly, for all the viewers out there, of course he is. he was interested in being re-elected. that was his primary motivation. and that was the reason he did a whole slew of things. one really interesting vignette to that is an important meeting

with rudy giuliani who was acting as his counsel. donald trump kicked his official counsel out of the meeting. so if there is anything to show that it is not an official discussion, that is a wonderful vignette that judge smith latches on to. so here you have both really strong evidence that the president was acting as a candidate to try to win the election in spite of the fact that the votes were against him. that's the criminal conspiracy. and you have really strong evidence if and when this goes to trial of his mens rea, his mental state that he didn't care whether he won or lost. he was going to stay. it didn't matter what the facts were. that's the donald trump that we all know very well. facts do not matter in earth two. >> so a couple other examples.

the filing describes trump being told on january 6th that mike pence had to be evacuated and trump's response was, so what? pence himself told trump at least five times there's no evidence of voter fraud. the details are new but this is frankly the donald trump most americans already know. so politically speaking, i'm really interested in those middle of the road voters who may still go either way. does this move the needle? >> you know, perhaps a little bit, chris. look. people are dug in. and there are going to be republicans who say, hey, this was an october surprise that dropped on him in order to change the election. it could fire up some of the base. on the other side, the democrats will be saying, see, we told you so. where does it come out? it may come out marginally against trump but i'm not sure. when we talk about october

surprises, there is a couple things going on now that could be labeled as an october surprise. one of them is the strike that's going on. the port strike. and you can see prices dramatically ramp up. i heard this morning that there are people now that are going to these stores, these big box stores with palettes. they're not going down. they're going to go up. is that an october surprise? how about what is happening in the middle east? there is so much changing over there and not just the invasion of lebanon. gaza, the west bank, what will happen vis-a-vis iran. there is another thing that could come as an october surprise. and thirdly, how about the storm? what is happening in north carolina? are people getting the help that they need? what will happen with insurance prices? so there are many things in this craziest crazy election year

floating around that could be an october surprise and this is just one of them. what will have the biggest impact? hold. on we'll have to see. >> yeah. buckle up. he's right. we were talking about this triple threat. now you have this added in. what is the former president saying about this? >> his social media would say it is at the forefront of his mind. for donald trump, this is an issue that has followed him the last three and a half years. let's be clear. donald trump continues to say he won the 2020 election. in 2022 he was calling for a redo of the 2020 election. let's take a look at this briefing. >> this was a weaponization of government. that's why it was released 30 days before the election. and it's nothing new in there, by the way. they rigged the election. i didn't rig the election. they rigged the election. >> to be clear, the d.c. federal judge is the one who decided to release this redacted filing. his attorneys as the judicial

system will play out, have the opportunity to file their own response over the next two weeks. they've requested five weeks to do that. two, the jack smith immunity briefing that was filed publicly yefrltd so they will have the opportunity to do that. for the american public, this will come down to election day. whether this case will ever see the light of day even if the judge rules that some of the conversations with vice president pence are immune, this for the american public will be a decision on november 5th of whether this federal election case will go forward. donald trump is making the very case that the fact that this case is proceeding in real-time amounts to election interference in its own self. of course, the charges are for federal election interference. >> any chance the trump team gets the extension? >> i think probably pretty good. this is a very lengthy brief.

and i think that judge chutkan, remember, she come from a defense background as a defender and she has been very fair. before she makes any ruling, she hears from both sides. i think that maybe she won't give them all that time. i wouldn't be surprised if she does. she is not trying to get things done before the election. she is just got a mandate from the supreme court as to what she's going to, what she has to do and she is sticking to that. i wouldn't be surprised if they're given more time just given the length of the submission. it's interesting. you would think donald trump, if she really thought that he had either factual evidence or legal arguments to be made, that he would want to get that in before the election just as a political matter. it said his version would get out. he fought tooth and nail to not

have this that was filed yesterday never see the light of day. now that we've seen it, we understand why. final thought, the evidence is coming from his own people. it's really important to remember that to sort of lay this on jack smith is really not fair. he is recounting what people said who are up to and including donald trump's own vice president. the source of this information are republican loyalists to donald trump. that's where the information is coming from. >> yeah. speak to that part of it, governor. i go back to his base is his base. kamala harris's supporters are kamala harris's supporters. we're looking at depending on who you talk to, 2 to maybe 9% of the population that may still be willing to go one way or the

other. this fact that all of these examples come from people who are within his circle all the way up to vice president mike pence, does it have an impact there? >> well, look, again, as to the undecided people, they'll look at this. as i mention these other issues, what the heck is happening with the strike. all of a sudden, they get impacted when they go to the store. the prices have gone through the roof. i told you earlier, i think people care most about the pocket book and also about the economy. here's the issue, i think. here's the issue that i think makes sense. there is great intensity of support. maybe 15%. when it comes to harris, people may not be as dedicated to her as she would like but at the same time, democrats are going to vote. so you're going to have more democrats getting to the polls

and supporting their nominee than donald trump is. so that has an impact in and of itself. the people who are undecided. put it all together, flip a coin. the momentum is with harris but it is still early. it's early october. we have a whole month to go. >> yeah. suddenly 33 days. i can't believe how quickly it is coming. and man, a lot can happen in that period of time. thank you so much. up next, a surprising pilgrimage. why kamala harris is visiting the birth place of the republican party. who she is taking with her. we're back in 90 seconds. we're back in 90 seconds ♪♪ ♪♪ citi's industry leading global payments solutions help their clients move money around the world seamlessly in over 180 countries...

and help a partner like the world food programme as they provide more than food to people in need. together, citi and the world food programme empower families across the globe. ♪♪ ♪ empower families across the globe. like a relentless weed, moderate to severe ulcerative colitis symptoms can keep coming back. start to break away from uc with tremfya... with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. ♪ 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 today in the birth place of the republican party, a member of one of the most storied families in gop history will make an appearance in support of the democratic nominee for president. liz cheney side by side with kamala harris for the first time, and the timing is notable. it follows prosecutor jack smith's new argument that's just being donald trump tried to overturn the 2020 election. the very issue that pushed cheney to make the break. >> i don't believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates' names, particularly in swing states. as a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about

the constitution, i have thought deeply about this. and because of the danger that donald trump poses, not only am i not voting for donald trump but i will be voting for kamala harris. >> today's joint appearance is happening in cheney's birth place, wisconsin, where a new poll shows independent voters are just starting to dial into the race. can she influence them to vote the way she will? covering the event in wisconsin, mark mckinnon is a former adviser to george w. bush and creator of the political documentary series, the circus. welcome to both of you. liz cheney isn't the only republican joining kamala harris today. there will be many others in a deep part of the state that went for trump by 26 points in 2020. tell us what's going on there. >> reporter: we have the

striking event where you will see a prominent republican liz cheney who was run out of office by former president trump when they broke with him at the capitol. she will be campaigning with vice president harris. she's not the only republican the harris campaign is ruling out a number of republican endorsements that is part of an effort to court republican voters and independent voters will be critical. the campaign statement says in part, today over 20 republicans from all corners of wisconsin are coming together to put country over party and endorse kamala harris for president. i've also been talking to people. it is known as the birth place of the grand old party, the republican party. take a look at what i heard from some of the voters. the first is an independent voter. he was a veteran of the marine corp. the second one has voted republican in the past but is voting democrat. >> what do you think of liz cheney and kamala harris coming

here together? >> i think that is a good sign. >> a sign of what? >> a sign that some republicans are going to vote democrat even though they disagree with the policy because they can't get on board with trump. >> is it striking to you to see a republican and a democrat campaigning together? >> it is definitely different. it's something new to see. seeing both parties together, where we need to be in the united states. >> reporter: why do you think that in. >> i think we need to get along. we need to get together and go forward. not be divided so much. >> reporter: that last voter who said we shouldn't be divided as a country, he is a veteran of the marine corps. he said part of the reason is because of january 6th and he he has seen him being very, very offensive to veterans and families of veterans. so he really sees donald trump

as sort of not good for the democracy overall. the harris campaign is hoping that they can court more and more of these republican voters. the nikki haley voters to win the state. it will be close. that's in large part what they're doing here. it is not just about liz cheney. it is about a concerted effort to aid in organizations as well as through new staffers that they'll try to court these voters. >> thank you so much. okay, you know the cheney family. you know a campaign event like this doesn't come together overnight. so jack smith filed, what? 3:45 yesterday afternoon. cheney's decision is tied to january 6th. in politics, is it sometimes to be lucky than good? >> yeah. there are no coincidences. can we put liz cheney on mount rushmore? she's the only republican left who can stand. these only one left with a back bone to stand up for the constitution. i work with liz cheney during

the campaign in 2004 and i'll tell you, she came in before anybody else to work. she left. she stayed later than anybody else. and she had five kids. she worked her ass off. she worked harder than anybody else. unlike me who is a squish republican, she's super conservative. wyoming conservative. dick cheney conservative. for her to come out like this shows she puts principle over party. and i'm so proud of her for doing this. i think it will make a big difference. she's saying, it's at least 20% of voters who voted for nikki haley and probably lots more to say, listen, the republican party under donald trump is not a party that any of us under bush or reagan or mccain recognize anymore. when you can't recognize it, make character count. this time, vote for kamala harris and the constitution. >> you know, that poll shows wisconsin independents are

considerably more enthusiastic about voting than they were a month ago. it shows that kamala harris leads trump overall by 4 points, although that is within the margin of error. given the race, who go do you think they might target in an event like today? >> i don't think there are undecided voters anymore. >> you really don't? >> no. i think if you're undecided in this election, you're not voting. the story of this race won't be undecided voters. it will be previously unregistered voters who are newly registered. and it there's a lot going on under the radar in terms of people who haven't voted in a while that are voting this time. that's where i think the numbers will change. that's where i think the story will be. >> that's interesting. so that would argue that whoever has more offices, whoever has the better ground game is the one more likely to win. >> i think absolutely. from all i can hear in the data, democrats have a great ground

game going. and a paid ground game going. the trump campaign largely has volunteers. it doesn't take a scientist to figure out who will work harder? paid workers or volunteers? i think there is a real advantage there. just an enthusiasm gap which you showed in your numbers which i think is significant. this is all about who is enthusiastic? who is showing up to vote? and turnout. your base turning out and getting unregistered voters who hadn't voted before. i don't think it is about undecided voters at all. >> all right. mark, it's always good to have you on the show. thank you. up next, the situation in lebanon just got a lot more intense with a key question looming. you're watching "chris jansing reports" only on msnbc. ports" oc has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't know that if she owns a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for

cash. even a term policy. even a term policy? even a term policy! find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect.com. subject 1: who's coming in the driveway? subject 2: dad! dad! dad, we missed you! daddy, hi! subject 3: goodness! my daughter is being treated for leukemia. i hope that she lives a long, great, happy life and that she will never forget how mom and daddy love her. st. jude, i mean, this is what's keeping my baby girl alive. announcer: you can join the battle to save lives by supporting st. jude children's research hospital. for just $19 a month, you'll help us continue the lifesaving research and treatment these kids need-- now and in the future.

subject 4: cancer makes me feel angry. not in the feel on the outside, just the inside i'm angry at it. subject 5: when your kid is hurting and there's nothing you can do about it, that's the worst feeling in the world. announcer: 1 in 5 children diagnosed with cancer in the us will not survive. subject 6: those that donate to st. jude, i hope that you will continue to give. they have done so much for me and my family. announcer: join with your debit or credit card now, and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt that you can proudly wear. [speaking spanish] subject 7: are you ready to go have some fun? subject 8: yeah! subject 7: yay! subject 9: when we came here, we didn't know what tomorrow would hold.

st. jude showed us that tomorrow there's hope for our little girl to survive. announcer: let's cure childhood cancer together. please donate now.

a new wave of deadly israeli air strikes hit lebanon steps away from the center of power. the prime minister's headquarters. the damage of what israel calls precision strikes targeting hezbollah seen in the country's capital, by a route. the region is on high alert waiting for how and when attacks will come. raf sanchez is on the ground in israel. also with us, retired general, senior adviser, and the former commanding general of the u.s. army in europe.

thank you both for being here. raf, let me start with reaction to iran's missile attack. what more are we hearing about when we might see a response from israel? >> reporter: chris, we got some detail from president biden earlier. he was speaking to reporters on the south lawn of the white house. he might have been able to hear it. that is outgoing israeli artillery fire. we are just two miles from the border with lebanon all day. we have been hearing the israeli fire going out toward the hezbollah positions. the president was speaking to reporters on the south lawn of the white house earlier and he said nothing will happen today in terms of israeli retaliation for that iranian ballistic missile strike. now, it is kind of unusual for an american president to comment on the specifics of an allie's military operation. it showed they saw and received assurance there wouldn't be an

israeli strike today. that's perhaps not surprising. we are still in rosh hashana, the jewish new year. as a general rule, the israeli government tries to avoid severely escalating tensions during the holidays to try to allow families to gather around their tables without fear there could be some kind of iranian counter strike. israel has made very clear. this is a question of when and not if. an israeli official told me yesterday, israel is planning to retaliate swiftly. what kind of target they choose will be a big, big question. prime minister netanyahu met yesterday with intelligence and military chiefs. it is very possible they have already made up their minds what it is they're going to target. there has been a lot of concern worldwide that israel could take aim at iran's nuclear program. president biden has been explicit. he does not want to see that happen. while he accepts that israel

will need to respond to these 100 or so navy missiles, he does not want to see an attack of the scale that tips it toward full-scale war. >> so what do you think the chances are that the nuclear program is the target? >> certainly, the israelis have been thinking about this, watching it, studying the possibilities, what would be required to take out a very difficult target, practically as well as the aftereffect as he just alluded to. i would say it's definitely on the table. the israelis know that at some point, they cannot just keep jabbing the iranians. that until they do something that changes the calculus for the regime in iran, they're going to be dealing with this for a long time. all of their problems are tied back to tehran. >> kamala harris was asked how

far the u.s. would go in its support for israel? i want to play with you what she said. >> i will be unwavering in my commitment for israel to defend itself and to take seriously the need to deal with iran in terms of the threat that it poses to u.s. interests, to our allies, and to stability in the region. >> you don't foresee the need for american forces to get into combat. >> no. absolutely not. >> so what should support from the u.s. look like right now? >> well, i think it would be probably three different aspects. number one, of course, continuing as we always have to guarantee the security of israel, to protect them from counter strikes as we did just the other night. i think that will be part of it. or that's an example of it. the second thing is making sure that they have the munitions that they need which we

traditionally provide for what they're doing with hezbollah, for example. that thing we have to continue as a strong ally to push israel toward a long-term security, but also, long-term peaceful settlement. all of these are connected. iran, the houthis, and this war is connected to russia's war against ukraine. it can't be just about the use of kinetic force. i do think the united states should not try to dictate how israel does this. >> the idf today, general, said they killed top hamas official, who is the right hand to hamas's leader. so here we are, almost a year since october 7th. i wonder what you make of israel's ability to weaken theover all strength of hamas and critically what it means to the hostages that may still be alive? >> that's an interesting

question. we almost never hear about the hostages anymore. it seems almost that what's happening in gaza has been sort of compartmentalized or overshadowed about what the idf has established against hezbollah and i think most people, i certainly do support what they've done against hezbollah. but what they're doing in gaza is different. certainly, hamas, he should burn in hell forever. but the palestinians who are caught up in this and the extensive use of force by the idf, that cannot go on. and israel will have to address, to work toward a two-state solution. unfortunately, they don't seem interested in that. >> always good to see you. thank you for coming on the show. the mud is drying up and so is fema's money. adding up the damage from hurricane helene.

you're watching "chris jansing reports" only on msnbc. rts" onlc lawmakers are trying to shut down planned parenthood. the health care of more than 2 million people is at stake. our right to basic reproductive health care is being stolen from us. planned parenthood believes everyone deserves health care. it's a human right. future generations are beginning to lose the rights we fought for. the rights for ourselves, our kids, and our grandkids. gone. just like that. i can't believe this is the world we live in, where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. last year, politicians in 47 states introduced bills that would block people from getting the sexual and reproductive care they need.

where does it end? planned parenthood fights for you every day. but we need your support now more than ever. visit this website, call, or scan the code on your screen, with your $19 monthly gift. help us win the fight for the constitutional right to control our own bodies. truly if planned parenthood had not stepped in, i would not be here today. they saved my life. your support is urgent. our rights and the rights of future generations are at risk. and lives are at risk. and that's why we have to keep fighting. in every state, everywhere. donate $19 a month, or whatever you can afford. and you'll help us fight against laws that block care, and take away our rights. we fight to make sure everyone and anyone can get the care they need. but we need your help. and there's never been a more urgent time to join. so go online, call, or scan this code now. sign up with your monthly gift today,

and we'll send you this “care. no matter what” t-shirt. it is your right to have safe health care. that's it. we won't give up, and we won't back down. we need you now more than ever. go online, call, or scan right now. oh... stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh! what is — wow! sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh!

we're going to take you live to florida. you can see joe biden is looking at a map right now. this is about two hours west of gainesville. according to the pool reporters who were with him driving in, they saw too many to count, downed power lines, downed trees, houses boarded up, some

corrugated metal roofs ripped off buildings. when they got to keaton beach, homes were destroyed, laying in shambles, foundations left but nothing else remaining. the president is getting a briefing there. and then he will be heading to georgia. specifically, valdosta, georgia. in georgia, the death toll has climbed to 33. he had a conversation with governor brian kemp this morning. he's continuing to be on the road to see the devastation firsthand from hurricane helene. we are now learning that only about 2% of home in the county's hardest hit by helene have flood insurance. so the hopes of many families are now riding on fema. but fema doesn't have enough money to get through hurricane season. the stakes couldn't be higher for people like this person. she head to our local station the damage to her house in

canton. i'm thats sticking out of the walls and everything, including the bathroom sink strewn across her yard. >> we have got to rebuild everything. my kids lost everything. we're waiting on fema to approve our application to hopefully get a hotel voucher. >> msnbc's reporter is live at the bristol speedway in tennessee which has become a disaster relief center. in she's any indication, i can only imagine the need across tennessee. what do we know about the extent of the damage there? >> reporter: i can tell you, i hear stories like what i just heard right now over and over and over again. but for all of those stories, we're hearing just as many stories of people trying to help. if you're a nascar fan, you probably know bristol speedway but not quite like this. this is their 80,000 square foot warehouse that they're using to collect supplies. these boxes are waiting to be filled. you can see from the names on them, with basic necessities on

the other side. i'm seeing batteries, flashlights, first-aid. this one says canned goods. there is a massive wefrt both federal agencies as well as local volunteers trying to get those supplies where it needs to go. of course, water and we have here, of course, gatorade, it's hot out here in different parts of the south. a massive effort to not only get supplies where it needs to be. we talked about the difficulty getting to those remote areas using horses. using mules to get supplies up shattered roads that lead to isolated mountain towns. we've heard of people donating their time and their own private helicopter or their own private air may not to do exactly that. what i thought was so interesting, it is information that people are trying to get to the people who need it. they've gotten creative doing exactly that. we know that around here, there is a local amateur, ham radio.

the situation is still dire for so many who need the basic necessities. we talked about asheville, north carolina, a community that does not have access to water. we are almost one week since helene. there are still people who are looking to find their missing family members. running out of hopeful and of course, people who survived but still need the basic necessities to keep on moving forward, chris. >> give me some perspective there. that is a huge space and there isn't a lot of stuff there. is it that a lot has gone out? they're waiting for most of it still to come in? i'm trying to get a sense of what the operation is where you are. >> reporter: so chris, this just opened hours ago. it's a combination of we've seen supplies on their way out going where they need to be but also word has just gotten out. they only announced it last night. so there are a lot of ways it is being used. it is being used as a call center for fema.

we have a staging area for fema, search, rescue, and of course, grimly, recovery. we have camp sites and lodging being given for free to evacuees and the first responders on the ground. so bristol speedway is very keen to get the word out to anyone trying to give those donations. this is the place they're asking you to bring them. >> thank you form. we're getting a clearer picture of how hurricane helene could impact voting in a crucial battle ground state that also bore the brunt of destruction, north carolina. here's what the chair of the democratic party told my colleague alex wagner last night. >> we know that there are still huge parts of our state that don't have internet access. we don't know what the extent of the damages will be for polling locations. we're still in assessment stage. >> jane, early voting starts in two weeks there. how are election officials handling this? have they even been able to get to that point given the life and

death needs that are still existing? >> in north carolina, not everyone has been able to get to the election offices. there are still five that are closed. some of the staff are working. this is really crunch time for elections and there's so much infrastructure. physical and human infrastructure, people, poll workers that may have been damaged or displaced by this storm. right now election offices are trying to get open. they need to process voter registration by next friday when the voter registration deadline is. and then they need evaluate their polling sites, if their poll workers are in the state or if they have fled elsewhere or even if they have homes. most poll workers have only been trained, if you think about it, they're weekend trainings for people volunteering their time for either limited pay or no pay, depending on the state. across the southeast, this is something every election worker is having to do. this is an enormous logistical challenge for something that has been planned for months and months in the work. >> you're talking about mail-in

voting. we are not even talking about how many post offices don't exist anymore. >> mail service has been suspended in many areas across north carolina and 200,000 ballots got mailed out last week. where are the ballots? did they get washed away in a flood? are they in a mailbox somewhere? soaked go? you have to then request another ballot. get your former ballot canceled because they are tied to a voter, to then get your ballot out. most people in north carolina vote in person or early voting. so this is less of a problem than it would be in other states that have a huge voting population. it will be a logistical problem for people who have many other things to worry about. >> in a state that could be decided by not a lot of votes. thank you. the state of three former memphis police officers charged with beating tyree nichols last year is in the hands of the jury. jurors watched almost daily body

cam and surveillance video of nichols' beating. it shows officers, strike know him with a police baton. what prosecutors say was fleeing a traffic stop. coming up, from midwest nights, j.d. vance is back on the campaign trail.

[uplifting music] arearn: saint jude-- they gave it 110% every time. and for kenadie to get treatment here without having to pay anything was amazing.

j.d. vance appears to have left the midwest nice on the debate stage. trump's running mate was very much back in maga attack mode at a pair of michigan events, a real 180 from his debate personality. >> tim walz said that he was friends with school shooters twice. and that's something i didn't notice that tim walz had said that on the debate stage, i said, did he really say that. that was probably only the third or fourth dumbest comment tim walz made that night. i never worked in sales myself, but it's always good to work in sales to have a good product to sell. unfortunately for tim walz he has the crappiest product to sell in the entire united states of america. >> joining us now, nbc politics reporter, john allen and zerlina

maxwell, host of "mornings with zerlina" on siriusxm. great to have both of you here. what is this strategy, you seem to have two persona, one for the debate stage, the other for the rallies. >> the simplest answer is on the debate stage you've got a very broad audience of americans, tens of millions of people watching. some of them still trying to make up their mind, and if you're j.d. vance, you're trying to appeal to them not only for this election but 2028. there's going to be an open republican primary no matter what happens in this election, and this was vance's introduction to tens of millions of americans. he didn't want to come off as a jerk or particularly partisan. we saw a similar debate yesterday on the campaign trail, at rally, and he is talking to the base, and he's trying to fire them up, and trying to show them he is more of an attack dog. so i think that's the basic explanation for these two different j.d. vances. i mean, look, you'll notice a similar thing with tim walz,

that he was more civil on the debate stage. we didn't hear him talk about anyone assaulting a couch on the debate stage, but we've heard him say that on the campaign trail. >> 43 million people we know tuned into the vp debate, not as high as past vp debates, but a lot more than we're seeing at a j.d. vance rally. is there a way that democrats should be focusing more on the j.d. vance that most folks would see if they did watch a rally or is the vp irrelevant in this case? >> i would say the vp is largely irrelevant. i agree that with a large audience, jonathan was right, he was trying to introduce himself to the american public, and he is very aware that his favorability ratings to date are under water, and so he was trying to repair some of that because many of the clips of him

previously talking about childless cat ladies and other comments about women have gone pretty viral. and so he wanted to repair that damage and introduce himself to a large audience. i do not think democrats should focus on j.d. vance. there's only so much sheen you can put on trumpism. he did his best at the debate to put on a facade, in my view, and we see who he really is on the campaign trail. we also see who he really is because he's running with donald trump. and in a lot of ways, i think the facade and the masses came down at the end of the debate when he refused to say that donald trump lost the 2020 election, and joe biden won the 2020 election, chris. >> vance dodged that question on trump's 2020 election defeat, and that back and forth has now kept going after the debate. let me play some more recent stuff. >> why didn't you answer the question last night during the debate about who won the 2020

presidential election? >> well, look, here's the simple reason. the media is obsessed with talking about the election of four years ago, i'm focused on the election of 33 days from now because i want to throw kamala harris out of office and get back to common sense economic policies. >> understand in that 88th minute last night, with that damming nonanswer, senator vance made it clear he will always make a different choice than mike pence made. and as i said then and i will say now, that should be absolutely disqualifying if you're asking to be the vice president of the united states. >> you have a couple of other things going on, right, zerlina, you have liz cheney appearing today with kamala harris. liz cheney is with kamala harris because of what happened on january 6th. you have jack smith's filing yesterday. that's in headlines all across the country, and then of course you have this ongoing fight

about why won't j.d. vance say that donald trump lost, but john kasich was on earlier, former ohio governor, you know what, i think that with everything else that's going on in the world, that is very low bar for people who are maybe still deciding who to vote for. where do you think it fits in? >> i think it's the most important issue right now, chris. i think what we saw on -- >> more than the economy, more than abortion? >> yes, our democracy, the broader question about having a functioning democracy is more important than specific policy issues because you can't address any of those issues, the economy, climate change, abortion rights, any of that, storm relief. you can't address that without a functioning democracy, and in our system, the way it works is if you lose the election you should concede power and allow for the peaceful transfer of power. that was another part of the debate that stood out to me,

chris, where j.d. vance pretended that donald trump peacefully transferred power over to joe biden. and we know that is not true. i think that the larger question about having a functioning democracy and the country that we have lived in for hundreds of years now, that is the most important issue. frankly, it trumps all of the other issues. it allows and facilitates us to address issues like the economy, chris. >> zerlina maxwell, john allen, thank you both. ballistic doors reinforced with steel, it may sound like a bank vault or a military base, but that's what's being stalled in local election offices. a massive security concern ahead of november. we've got that coming up. hey little bear bear. ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm gonna love you forever ♪ ♪ ♪ c'mon, bear. ♪ ♪ ♪ you don't...you don't have to worry... ♪

♪ be by your side... i'll be there... ♪ ♪ with my arms wrapped around... ♪ [uplifting music] arearn: saint jude-- they gave it 110% every time. and for kenadie to get treatment here without having to pay anything was amazing. it's mesmerizing. cleaning that greasy mess with dawn platinum... and not even scrubbing. —well, fluff my feathers. — [giggle] it cuts through the slimy stuff better than their old dish soap, removing 99% of grease. that's why only dawn is trusted to save wildlife. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! dry... tired... itchy, burning... my dry eye symptoms got worse over time.

my eye doctor explained the root was inflammation. xiidra was made for that, so relief is lasting. xiidra treats the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. don't use if allergic to xiidra and seek medical help if needed. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort, blurred vision, and unusual taste sensation. don't touch container tip to your eye or any surface. before using xiidra, remove contact lenses and wait fifteen minutes before re-inserting. dry eye over and over? it's time for xiidra. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. call coventry direct to learn more. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. our friend sold their policy to help pay their medical bills, and that got me thinking. maybe selling our policy could help with our retirement. i'm skeptical, so i did some research and called coventry direct. they explained life insurance is a valuable asset that can be sold. we learned we could sell all of our policy, or keep part of it with no future

payments. who knew? we sold our policy. now we can relax and enjoy our retirement as we had planned. if you have $100,000 or more of life insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventrydirect.com to find out if your policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance.