that doesn't for the weekend, the sunday morning. a couple of programming notes. at noon eastern, california governor gavin newsom joins jen psaki and this evening, tune in for reverend al sharpton's exclusive interview with vice president harris. that will air at 5:00 p.m. eastern, right here on msnbc. velshi continues our coverage, so we want to hand it over to you, velshi. it is all yours. >> thank you, sir. i mentioned the fact i was getting ready for the show yesterday and i miss the fact

is your birthday. >> thank you, sir. i appreciate that. >> tell us about the jacket, ali velshi. >> the jacket, this is -- we think it is my fourth time in arizona to cover elections and i like coming here. but one of the trips i wasn't in phoenix, went to the navajo nation. and they presented me with this badge. so i added that and everybody in arizona season and this is in case i get lost because you can see this from space. you can find out, i'm wearing a t-shirt but if i'm wandering alone, return me to msnbc. that is the jacket. you all have a great rest of your day. stick it in my mailbox. velshi starts now. good morning from phoenix, arizona. it is sunday, october 20th, 16 days until election day. crunch time on the pain trail

and candidates and surrogates are out in full force all over the country this weekend. coming up, vice president kamala harris is on the move in georgia. we will bring that to you live, plus i will be joined by some of arizona's top medical players from both parties, former senator jeff take -- jeff flake, -- is open senate seat against trump li, kari lake in a face-off that could decide control of the senate. just two weeks ago, early voting is ramping up in many states and kamala harris campaign is turning its focus toward boosting enthusiasm and importantly, voter turnout. yesterday afternoon harris appeared an event to kick off the first day of early in- person voting in the detroit metro area. in the evening she held a similar rally to get out the vote in atlanta, georgia where early voting began last tuesday and shattered records. 300,000 voters cast their ballots on the first day alone, that is double the old record for thursday early voting and according to the office of georgia secretary of state, as of last night, nearly 1.3

million people have already voted across the state. women represented more than half of those early votes so far and during her speech in atlanta last night, harris spoke about abortion bans and how they upended lives, not only in georgia but across the south. >> and now, in america, more than one in three women live in a state with a trump abortion ban. today, except for virginia, every state in the south, including georgia has a trump ban. so look, we all know, this is a health care crisis. this is not something theoretical. this is not just about political conversation. it is very real. and donald trump is the architect. >> this will be the first presidential election since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade and there's a lot of interest in how potent that issue remains across the nation. a new set of polling results

released this morning by nbc news, suggests it is still affecting many american votes. 52% of those surveyed said that they are more than likely to support a candidate that supports a lot restoring abortion-rights nationwide. the vice president will continue to get out the vote efforts in georgia today which happens to be her 60th earth day. after attending church this morning, she will participate in a soles to the polls event where people go from church to the polls. we will bring you coverage of that as it happens. georgians are not the only ones heading to early voting sites in large numbers. another important swing state, north carolina also reported recording early voter -- record turnout in the past week. more than 350,000 people cast ballots on the first day of early voting. on thursday. a big democratic name was also on the ground to kick off early

voting in nevada. former vice president -- i'm sorry, former president barack obama stumps for vice president harris last night. to urge people not to sit out this year's election. it seems many nevadans have received that message loud and clear. there are long lines and early voting site yesterday and as one voter told the nevada independent quote, the stakes are the highest they have ever been. there may be another reason why we are seeing record turnout already. any republicans have cast doubt about the validity of mail-in and early voting in the past couple of election cycles, particularly here in arizona but they changed their tune after some members of the gop raised concerns that the smack talk about alan voting was depressing republican voter turnout. this time around republicans are noticeably encouraging people to take advantage of whatever early voting option would be the most convenient. even donald trump has told supporters at his rallies to go out and vote early but one of the problems with the republican nominee is is often not disciplined enough to stick to that message. last night princeton he began his rally in the all important state of pennsylvania with a 12 minute long story about the golf legend arnold palmer and how he was quote, all man.

an apparent reference to palmer's genitals. in the past week as events have been largely defined by bizarre behavior like that and unhinged remarks like proclaiming himself the father of ivf and calling january 6th quote, a day of love. while pulling trends show the presidential race remains extremely close, trumps behavior could affect republicans in down ballot races, especially as he's actively attempting to rewrite the history of january 6th. nbc news' latest poll shows voters are a lot less likely to support candidates who say donald trump won the 2020 election and that could be a factor in a number of races across the country including right here in arizona where one of trump's not just supportive kari lake is running for the senate seat. she still not conceded her losses in the gubernatorial race in 2022. arizona has largely been a republican stronghold since the 1950s, so only voted for the democratic presidential nominee twice in the past 70 years and

most of it senators have been republicans, too. but that changed in the trump era, highlighting how much the former president has upended the politics of the state and how he continues to jeopardize the gop's electoral chances this year. joining me as a former republican senator from arizona, jeff flake, author of the book, conscience of a conservative, a rejection of destructive politics and returned to principal. thank you for joining us this morning. >> good to see you. >> this place, used to be a lot more of a republican stay on the federal and state level. certain things have to do with demographic changes in arizona but a lot of it does have to do with donald trump, who spent a liability for arizona republicans, especially for candidates who are allied with him. and this has been true, this is the third election cycle that may be true for.

talk to me about the gop in arizona because i keep running into republicans were not supporting donald trump and are offended by the way certain republican candidates are behaving. >> i maintain there is still a red state but it has to be a republican, that is traditional republican. limited government, economic freedom, individual responsibility. if you are running for example for the office of mine inspector and you have a r behind your name as a statewide office in arizona, then you probably are going to win. just being a republican is enough. but if you say, will i don't think donald trump really lost the last election, then you probably will lose. and i think that is a credit to the people of arizona, who reject people who reject free and fair elections. so i think it is still a red state, but you can't go off on a tangent like the president has. >> and a number of republican voters i have spoken to in the state, in fact i'm going to air

the interviews i have had with them in the last few days, who have said the same thing. they in fact, many cases in the last statewide election, they supported democratic candidates, and believe they are republicans but they don't want to vote for this kind of republican. they would like to reclaim their party. i want to ask you about that because a number of them brought you up as well. what does success look like for a republican in arizona in the selection and going forward process it reclaiming the party or is the republican party losing and something else comes back in its place? >> as you are playing the long grain as a republican you want to return to traditional republican values which i think is a winning concept in arizona. is a winning platform. but we can't go down this demographic cul-de-sac, that we are headed toward now. as republicans by following what the former president is doing. i am voting for kamala harris, not in spite of being a republican or a conservative, but because i am a conservative. conservatives, first and foremost believe in the rule of

law and to have a president, a former president who lost a free and fair election and attempted to overturn that election, how can a conservative support such a person. so that is the biggest reason. but there are a number, also as well who believe in free trade like republicans traditionally have done. tariffs can be used, should be used in certain circumstances but to believe we are going to bring money into the treasury by using the tariffs, is so antithetical to what republicans believe. >> talk to me about what you say to other republicans, to create a permission structure for them to do what you are doing and many others in the state are doing. to say that it is not a move against your party, for a republican to vote for the democratic candidate in this particular instance because the democrat dates the republican candidate is not suitably worthy of your vote. what does that look like to you because i'm sure you have lots

of lots of times. >> you bet, i have that a lot. just recent history, barry goldwater, mr. conservative in arizona in the 1990s, there was a particular republican candidate for congress, who barry goldwater and people did not think represented the republican party well. and then bought overtime, that would be worse for the party, having this person at the head of it. so he endorsed a democrat. that democrat won. she was probably defeated two years later by another republican. that it wasn't -- it was good for the party over all. is a grand tradition that people crossing the aisle, putting country over party and i think that is what is going to happen in arizona. i think it happened last time and it will happen again. >> one of the things donald trump has been escalating in the last couple of weeks his rhetoric including his promise of retribution against those he considers his enemies. bob woodward reported that

general mark milley, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff has installed bullet proof glass and blast roof curtains at his home out of fear of what might happen. donald trump called for him to be executed. republican critics of trump similarly have said they feel for their safety. feels like we have really crossed a line and i want to ask about that because i think in arizona you are not a unicorn as a republican, who is supporting kamala harris and against donald trump. what you get threats? >> i certainly have and in the past, that is an unfortunate part of politics today. but saying you are going to unleash the federal government or the military in this case, on those you disagree with, on domestic politics, that is just so antithetical, again to the rule of law. and the difficulty i think a lot of republicans have in arizona, and should have, is the more we try to excuse that

or say, he's really talking about immigrants, when he wasn't, the more we normalize that behavior and the more it is bad for the country, obviously but it is bad for the party as well. so it is far better, republicans come a lot of republicans like me believe, to vote for a democrat and move on. and then try to get republican party politics back to where it should be, back where we are winning again. but more importantly, where we stand for values that we have always stood for, limited government, individual responsibility, and those are winning issues. and those are things that are good for the country and for the republican party as well. >> senator, yesterday i spoke with joe walsh, former presidential candidate and congressman, mayor john giles of mesa, colorado, part of republicans for harris, about how donald trump is deliberately appealing to

people's darkest and ugliest fears, specifically around the issue of immigration. this is a real and sophisticated issue for people in arizona. you are an actual border state, you can hold two thoughts at the same time, that the board needs to be something we decide how to control and open and close and at the same time we can do so without dehumanizing and insulting and threatening immigrants. how is that playing for you, because that is probably the top of mind issue in this state for voters. >> most definitely, we got to do more on the border, we need to do a number of things. we obviously need better barriers, we need more agents in certain places. we need to adjudicate these cases, asylum cases faster. we also need better programs for people to come in on a legal basis. a lot of that has been proposed, as part of the effort the gang of eight back in 2013 that we passed a measure out of the senate, but couldn't get it out of the house. more recently, it was proposed by jim length hurt, -- james

lankford, a suit -- conservative senator but rejected by the president. that is unfortunate, one thing -- she went to the border and said she would sign the legislation that did the things we talked about before and if you are going to have a lasting solution on the border, it has to be a partisan. and that is what kamala harris is proposing. >> senator, good to have you. thank you for taking time with us. senator jeff flake of arizona, we appreciate your time. governor tim walz is in saginaw, michigan making campaign stops this morning. he will attend a church -- a church service in saginaw before this afternoon, flying to the east coast for events in massachusetts and connecticut. of course, vice president harris is in georgia this morning. will be dropping in to see what she's doing there. this edition of velshi across america and the initial state

of arizona continues next. i will be joined by senator mark kelly, he's been stumping for kamala harris i will also speak to the democratic candidate for the other sanity, congressman ruben gallego is facing off against trump ally kari lake in a race that could control the senate. plus phoenix endured its hottest summer on record. on top of that, arizona is dealing with a major water shortage problem. for most voters right here it is important the next president knows what they are doing and what they are talking about when it comes to climate change. but don't worry, donald trump once said the change is a hoax and now says he's got it covered. we will have more of my conversation with arizona voters from across the spectrum but a word from one of the registered republicans danny massive who has a message about the importance of this election for those considering staying home. >> this election isn't about policy over personality, it is really about preserving our democratic institutions, our

constitution, and we can go back to fighting about policy later. but right now, we have a choice between two candidates, one of whom when he was president, tried to do everything he can to overthrow an election. that was free and fair, it's never happened before in this country and we cannot let that be normalized. be normalized.

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a florida voter asked donald trump during a town hall this past week, given all the proof that climate change is here and it is real, and it is affecting communities around the country, does he still believe that climate change is a hoax? this, in part, was his answer. >> in my administration, i had the cleanest air on record.

and yet i didn't destroy jobs. i had the most jobs of any administration ever. i also have the cleanest water, crystal clean. we have the cleanest water, the cleanest air. i always feel that with the climate, and i have been a great environmentalist. i have built many things. i owned a real next-door and we did that in a very -- i get awards, environmental awards are the way i build, for the water, the way i use the water, the sand, the mixing of the sand and of the water. the real global warming we have to worry about is nuclear. the water is coming up and nathan event -- eighth of an inch over 300 years, the ocean is going to rise and nobody knows if that's true or not but they are worried about the ocean rising in eighth of an inch or quarter of an inch and 300 years. i'm worried about nuclear weapons. >> okay, if that answer didn't instill a lot of confidence in

donald trump's preparedness and willingness to tackle climate change, like the crisis it is, that is not surprising because donald trump has never taken climate change seriously. his administration was responsible for rolling back tons of initiatives. the phoenix area where i am right now, endured its hottest summer on record as temperatures soared above 100 degrees for 113 consecutive days. over the summer, phoenix hospitals filled up with heat related injuries like second and third degree burns from touching a hot pavement or sun heated metal on cars. is a confirmed nearly 300 heat related deaths with hundreds more under investigation, with so many people moving to a desert city, one of the most pressing issues this area faces today is increasingly problematic water shortage. more than a third of arizona's water comes from the colorado river watershed, which is endured an ongoing drought and is drained to a historic lows in recent years. so between drought and water and energy consumption and heat waves, arizona is facing an onslaught of issues is estimated by climate change.

arizona's climate resilience and the nations climate resilience is on the line, this november. we have seen major successes over the last four years. instant the biden/harris administrations inflation reduction act and clean energy plan have created 300,000 clean energy jobs nationwide including 15,000 clean jobs here in arizona. and just to be crystal clear, as crystal-clear as the water trump says he had, the trump administration rolled back as many environmental protection initiatives as they possibly could. trumps lead supreme court appointees overturned the most important environment of election laws we have including weakening the clean air act and water act rolling back protections for half the nations groundwater. severely weakening the epa, all while opening or lands for drilling, mining and investing or even further into heavy pollutants and fossil fuels. as much as he claims to know about the water and the sand and mixing of the water and the

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i want to keep you posted on what vice president kamala harris is doing. she arrived at the new birth missionary baptist church in stonecrest, georgia. is part of a souls to the pole plush. it is where people who are registered to vote attend a church service and then go together to vote. sort of while they are motivated, it is as much of a get out the vote movement you can succeed them. that is what is going on right now. is probably moments from introducing the vice president. i can't make out whether she is on the screen or not, right now. but she has arrived at the church. we are going to be talking about that militarily, when she gets up to speak, she will be

speaking to the crowd and then she is participating in the effort, as will follow after that. we will come back to that in just a moment.