for her as well. >> now staying with that, the role of gender and race in this election, the vice president has centered reproductive rights as a huge part of her campaign message. and howard's polling found abortion to be the number one issue of black women in terms of black women's minds in this election. democrats hope that the abortion issue will drive turnout in battleground states. is there an opportunity to do that with black women? with whom harris has an 81 point lead over donald trump, according to howard university's poll? >> absolutely. listen to the story and testimony of amber nicole thurman, who died a preventable death because in georgia, that state would not help her with her pregnancy complication. we are seeing that in states across the country with abortion bans, and if donald trump is elected, we will see a national abortion ban. we will also see restrictions on access to fertility

treatments and surrogacy treatments. we were at a reproductive roundtable in atlanta the other day, and an ob/gyn was talking about women coming to see her and the fetus was dead inside, all sorts of horrible stories. and she said ob/gyn's, we cannot help these black women because we are afraid of being criminalized. the maternal mortality of black women is twice as high as other women. and so we have obligation to get to the polls and vote for kamala harris, as we know that she sees us, our bodies, and the right that we have to be able to make choices about our bodies between ourselves and our doctors, and that is not something that donald trump cares about at all. >> congresswoman sidney dove. inc. you for being with us. after the break, we had back to the battleground pennsylvania -- state of pennsylvania to get a sense of what is on voters minds with

just 16 days to go until the election. election. parodontax active gum repair breath freshener clinically proven to help reverse the 4 signs of early gum disease a toothpaste from parodontax, the gum experts. 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!

what will you do when the power goes out? power outages can be unpredictable and inconvenient, but with a generac home standby generator, your life goes on uninterrupted. because when your generac detects a power outage, it automatically powers up, giving your family the security and peace of mind they deserve. we don't have to worry about whether we lose power or not. if the utility company does not come through, our generac does. after the hurricane happened, we just want to be prepared for anything. 8 out of 10 home generators are generac, with thousands of satisfied customers. number one thing to prepare for is extended power outages. don't make it so hard on yourself, have a generac home standby generator. and owning a generator is easier than ever.

special financing and low monthly payment options are available, and if you call now, you will also receive a free 5 year warranty valued at over $500. call or go online now to request your free quote.

advil liqui-gels are faster and stronger than tylenol rapid release gels. ♪♪ also from advil, advil targeted relief, the only topical with 4 powerful pain fighting ingredients that start working on contact and lasts up to 8 hours.

welcome back. let's pivot now to swing state pennsylvania. joining me now is pennsylvania state representative morgan cephas, a democrat and chairwoman of the philadelphia house delegation. state representative cephas, welcome to politics nation. the trump campaign appears to be zeroing in on pennsylvania, and is back in the state tonight. in lancaster after a disastrous week of campaigning that started with his awkward dance party at oaks, pennsylvania, townhall, and ended last night with a rambling rally in latrobe, where he made some very off-color jokes about the late golfer, arnold palmer.

for all of that, he invites president harris, deadlocked in pennsylvania and most recent polls. this guy the state of play for us in the state right now. >> absolutely, and i want to thank you for having me -- having the conversation about the battleground pennsylvania. people on the ground are extremely energized. they are excited to hear the kamala harris message about the economy, reproductive rights, and essentially the character of this country is on the line in this moment. while donald trump spends time doing photo ops at mcdonald's, kamala harris is really focusing on, come our economy. how working families will fare in this country. voters are not really hearing that message and are excited for november fifth so he can vote democrats up and down the ticket. because we know we are, in this

moment, we are in an environment where we no longer need to hear the divisive rhetoric coming from the other side of the aisle, but we really want to hear solutions for working families that are on the ground. we are excited about november 5th, and we are excited to see kamala harris and tim walz take the white house. >> now, trump is going after working-class and rural parts of the state, recently, he's been campaigning in heavily democratic and heavily black cities like philadelphia. where he is reportedly going to try to cut into vice president harris's support. as chairman of the philadelphia house delegation, do you think he has a chance of doing that? >> absolutely not. i mean, she originally had a minority office here in the city of philadelphia, which closed down relatively quickly because of the lack of traction that they are experiencing on the ground in the city of philadelphia.

you see it in the kamala harris and tim walz campaign going into bus stops, barbershops, and going into locations where voters frequent, and all that we are hearing is a resounding message about the economy and gas prices, about really resonating with the people that are on the ground. so then he does not have any traction here in the city of philadelphia, and we are looking forward, again, to november 5th to ensure we come out and vote for democrats. >> let's looked on the ballot at the pennsylvania senate race between democratic senator bob casey and his republican opponent, businessman dave mccormick. recent polls have shown casey ahead of mccormick, but within the margin of error. as a candidates faced off this weekend, a contentious second debate. how are democrats feeling about the race right now? >> again, we know that pennsylvania, being a battleground, we have always

had thin margins when it came to, you know, winning elections. is on 2016, the election in pennsylvania was decided by 44,000 votes and in 2020 decided by 80,000 votes. we are used to a thin margin race and it really being tight, itches like democrats are on the ground, not taking their foot off the grass, knocking on doors and talking to voters and really explaining how senator bob casey has really delivered for pennsylvania, whether that be the inflation act that was done recently that really addressed the cost of drug prices, or whether that be bipartisan infrastructure. remember i-95 collapsing, but because of his work in washington, d.c., we were able to rebuild it in less than a month. or whether you talk about the issue of maternal mortality where we know black women are three times more likely to die as a result of pregnancy. he himself has worked in washington, d.c. to ensure that medicaid coverage will --

medicaid coverage covers midwives and really takes that into a different direction. we know that senator bob casey has really delivered for pennsylvanians, and on november 5th, pennsylvanians will deliver for him. >> pennsylvania state representative morgan cephas. inc. you for being with us. after the break, michael steele and basil joints me once again to discuss the biggest political stories. stay tuned. ies. stay tuned. perfect for fall, r? yep! it feeds your lawn now to strengthen roots all winter for a better lawn next spring. how do you know all of this? says it right there on the bag. yes, it does. download the my lawn app today for lawn care tips and customized plans. feed your lawn. feed it.

(♪♪) (♪♪) voltaren... for long lasting arthritis pain relief. (♪♪) no matter what kind of teeth you gotta brush, oral-b electric cleans better with one simple touch. oral-b's dentist inspired round brush head hugs em, cleans em, and gets in between em, for 100% cleaner teeth. your perfect clean starts with oral-b.

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!

>> what does it do in your opinion, the standards we are sending for our young people all over the country when we are using this kind of locker room street talk about an opponent for resident of the united states? >> so the american people deserve so much better. that is how i come at it. and to your point, the president of the united states must set a standard. not only for our nation, but understanding the standard that we as a nation must set for the world. >> that was vice president kamala harris, who joined me earlier for an exclusive interview. and now i want to bring back my political panel, michael steele, former chairman of the republican national committee and cohost of msnbc's the weekend show and basil michael, political analyst and professor

of political studies at columbia university. let me go to you right now, michael. former president donald trump is participating in a townhall in lancaster, pennsylvania. earlier today, he visited a mcdonald's to work the fry machine. this is after trump made unfounded claims that the vice president didn't really work there as a student. and, of course, last night, you trump's bizarre rally in latrobe, pennsylvania, where he spoke for over 10 minutes about the late golfer, arnold palmer, and his anatomy. michael, is this the behavior of a serious candidate with just 2.5 weeks until an election? >> no, it's not. in fact, the vice president has made it very clear that she's running against an unserious

opponent. donald trump is about the show, the entertainment. this has been a reality tv campaign, a reality tv presidency for 4 years, and we are all bit players and it. what is sad for me, reverend, is that watching that event last night in which donald trump spends text minutes talking about arnold palmer's private parts, the people behind him cheered and laughed. they were entertained. donald trump shows up at mcdonald's to sort of in your face kamala harris work history , perpetuating the lie that she didn't work at a mcdonald's. i was looking on twitter for some of these narratives as, you know, he showed her that, you know, he has done something she has never done. this is all stunt. this is stunts, this is entertainment. the reality of it is, the work is got to be on the ground, and voters out there, you know, talking and picking up on the vice president/point that, you know, voters deserve something better. well, do they?

because if they do, then they are going to vote for that. and if they don't, they are going to vote for this, what we are seeing here. and i think that is ultimately where this is going to land in the next 16 days, is -- do you want a serious person sitting behind the oval office of the resolute desk in the oval office? are you just want to continue to be entertained? >> basil, what you make of trump's closing message with just two weeks ahead of the election? >> well, i absolutely agree. i can't really even explain -- there's no way to really explain how rambling and incoherent his language has been at his speeches have been, and that is actually, you know, been close to his actual campaign message, is closing messages. it doesn't matter what i think, because you're going to vote for me anyway. that's when you attach that to the closing of the offices and so on.

donald trump's strategy isn't about persuasion. it isn't about growing his space. it's about keeping people from coming out to vote for kamala harris, and that's what you see a lot of the campaign ads and the twitter feed and all of the stuff on social media, all of these conversations, the putting up of african- americans. you know, he doesn't actually respect african-americans. he just puts up black influencers, because you know, his point is, we will just follow them anyway. it's a very demeaning and condescending view of the electorate. and you have the question about whether or not, you know, americans should want more in their president. just remember that that locker room talk, a lot of people voted for that in 2016 because i just wanted somebody to shake things up. they also have to realize that kamala harris has been doing a good job of this that that locker room talk follows policies that are going to keep you there. they are not would

elevate you as a people and as a country. and that, i think, is the contrast that she is really, really bringing to this election. >> michael, there is new reporting showing that elon musk funded pack is responsible for creating a fake website called progress 2028. it claims to be a left-wing policy platform supported by vice president harris. there are also reports of musk backed efforts to target jewish and muslim voters in michigan with conflicting messages meant to undermine harrises support in those communities. if trump's messages so powerful, what is with all the dirty and dishonest tricks of his supporters? >> because his message is not powerful in terms of people actually staying and sticking with it, particularly voters who aren't necessarily aligned at the moment.

the voters, you got to go get. this has never been a campaign about expanding the base voter of the republican party, or the campaign. this is about exactly what basil just said. you are going to vote for me anyway no matter what i say or what i do. this element, this new component which is really not so new -- many of us have been warning about this coming for quite some time now -- is to further misdirect and confuse the voters, and that is what elon musk and his ilk are up to right now. >> msnbc host michael steele and basil michael, political analyst and professor of professional studies at columbia university. take you both. of next, my final thoughts. stay with us. .

whoa! how'd you get your teeth so white? you gotta use the right toothpaste! dr. c?! ♪♪ not all toothpastes whiten the same. crest 3d white removes 100% more stains for a noticeably whiter smile. new personal best. crest.

>> this election is as serious as any election in american history because it will decide the direction this country will go. with the economy, we are facing times where, under donald trump, inflation went high and has now come down. it affects all of us in our pocketbook, which is why i had vice president kamala harris outline what it will mean to us on the ground, and she talked

about tax credits. she talked about investments and she talked about what would be done that would deal with the problems of people underground, black and white. donald trump has talked in sound bites, attacks, cursing, talking about arnold palmer's anatomy and calling the vice president names. to black voters, she has put out a position for policies on black men, and what she would do for black men specifically and in terms of entrepreneurship. donald trump has said, you relate to me because of my mug shot. when i was arrested and indicted. one today went to two churches and sat down for an interview with me. the other went to mcdonald's to do a stunt during a rally tonight. you choose which one you want for president. as for me, i choose in serious times to look for serious leadership. that does it for me. as for watching. i will see you back here for

next weekend at 5:00 p.m. eastern time. the show starts after a short break. break. and disruptive to your life, posing a real threat to your family's comfort and safety. when the power goes out, you have no lights, no refrigeration, no heating or air conditioning. the winds are not letting up at all here. we're going to see some power outages. number one thing to prepare for is extended power outages. are you prepared? you can be with a generac home standby generator. when a power outage occurs, your generac home standby generator automatically powers up, using your home's existing natural gas or propane, so your life goes on without disruption. you and your family are comfortable, safe, and secure. stay tuned, to get over a $500 value free on the most popular home standby generator in the world. with the generac, we don't have to worry about whether we lose power or not. if the utility company does not come through, our generac does.

having a generac takes a lot of the anxiety out of, there's going to be a storm. after the hurricane happened, we just want to be prepared for anything. generac generators are designed, engineered and built in the usa. 8 out of 10 home generators are generac, and have thousands of satisfied customers. how many times have you heard people say, i never want to go through that again? well, the next time you go through it, don't make it so hard on yourself. have a generac home standby generator. call or go online now to request your free quote with one of generac's nationwide dealers. special financing and low monthly payment options are available, and if you call now, you will also receive a free 5 year warranty valued at over $500. the call is free, the quote is free, and there's no obligation to buy. call or go online now, so the next time there's a power outage, your home powers up. power your life with generac. call or go online to request your free quote today. what's up, you seem kinda sluggish today.

things aren't really movin'. you could use some metamucil. metamucil's psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you movin'. and try fizzing fiber plus vitamins. i still love to surf, snowboard, metamucil keeps you movin'. and, of course, skate. so, i take qunol magnesium to support my muscle and bone health. qunol's extra strength, high absorption magnesium helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. qunol, the brand i trust. your business needs a network it can count on... even during the unexpected. power's out! -power's out! comcast business has you covered, with wifi backup to help keep you up and running. wifi's up. let's power on! let's power on! -let's power on! it's from the company with 99.9% network reliability. let's power on! power on with the leader in connectivity. stay connected with comcast business internet and wifi back-up or get started for $49.99 a month.

plus ask how to get up to a $500 prepaid card. call today! a big day for the vp. kamala harris marks her 60th birthday and sitting down with the reverend al sharpton for an exclusive wide-ranging interview that includes her response to the offensive language donald trump has used to de