on me depressed this morning, nebraska congressman don bacon also defended walker.help the situation, help the case here, if he does acknowledged all these allegations and stop denying them. take a listen to what he told kristen welker on meet the press this morning. >> i think people make mistakes, if they acknowledge, some ask her goodness. none of us are perfect. i'm not a flawless person, i have made mistakes in life. social has to. we all have. i think it is better to be honest. >> and that is really what we are hearing from us republicans here on the ground in georgia. they are saying that these controversies are just a distraction from the issues they cared must be moved. economy, inflation, gas prices. it shows they are we're going to want to hear about on the main stage when raphael warnock and herschel face off on friday. >> just to be honest, we store that. that trauma had an arizona town hall for candidates running for governor. keri lake, who ordinances said was supposed to be in a holding room, was in the audience trying to force a debate with a democr

don bacon has been in serious races before and he's usually won. he's had a stronger challenger than ever before. they're wrestling with economic concerns but also concern about would republicans go too far in restricting access to abortion if they got into power. that's the crux of the argument for these key districts. >> in the presidential election of 2020 president trump lost the suburbs then. what's different this time around? what's changing the minds of suburban voters in these toss-up elections? >> i think suburban voters are looking at the problems they're facing and looking at who's in charge. they're concerned about a whole lot in the economy and they see a democratic president, democrats in control of congress and some of these states and democratic governor and they're holding democrats responsible for the problems. the status quo is not working. they're ready for a change. the question is, are republicans a credible change or a credible alternative to the voters who want to shake things up. >> right. so far you've heard republicans sl

>> and don bacon a tough democrat was on "meet the press" and asked about it, listen. >> i wouldn't sayt there is a problem in our country with crime. major cities have seen a 40%, 50% increase in violent crime. and the primary reason in my view, we have these far left prosecutor, county attorneys and mayors who are releasing violent criminals back on the street. >> do you feel the comments cross the racial line, congressman? do they cross the racial line? >> i'm not going to say he's being racist. i wouldn't use that language, be more polite. >> okay. it's a punt in defense of congressman bacon, he didn't say this, but he's a republican booked on a television show and asked about it. he says, i wouldn't say it the same way, i wouldn't use that language. how about it's reprehensible. >> this should be an easy thing to claim, this was overtly racist. he didn't say, you know, we have a crime problem in this country, it's gone up however much percent the last two years. a lost of republicans are making that argument across the country pretty successfully. go ahead. >> i was going to say bl

. >>> i'll speak with don bacon and elizabeth slot kin. >>> plus presidential portrait.haberman has an in-depth look at his rise to power, including changing views on abortion, reversing the position he once made right here on this program. >> i'm very pro-choice. >> yamiche alcindor and brendan buck. welcome to sunday, it's "meet the press." >> announcer: this is "meet the press" with chuck todd. >>> good sunday morning. i'm kristin welker in for chuck to do. election day is just 30 days away. ronald reagan worried jimmy carter would engineer a last-minute release of u.s. hostages. carter, of course, did not, but the term stuck. there's at least three stories unfolding. first the nuclear threat from russia. then there are rising gas prices, now averaging just under $4 a gallon, which democrats worry there will be a sign to voters that there is a true. >>> but the october surprise of the week, it could determine control of senate. herschel walker, who 's running an antiabortion candidate, spend the week denying allegations by a woman that he paid for her abortion in 2009

but, on that same ballot they voted to reelect the republican congressman don bacon.al districts in the in qatar country where we saw this phenomenon. so, what does that mean for the democratic candidate hoping to flip the seat? well, let's ask him. joining me now is nebraska state senator and democratic congressional candidate tony vargas. welcome, tony. >> it's nice to meet you, michael. thank you for having me. >> your district was a split take the hits and 2020. the district has temps been redrawn with very little change to its makeup. how has that affected your campaign strategy going forward? >> nebraska's second district is incredibly unique. it is where i have served in office for about a ten. years i've been a state senator for six years. i think this district is looking for a different choice. i think the one thing that we've seen very clear, there is a lot of things on the ballot this november. our economy, women's reproductive rights and i want to make sure i'm reaching as many voters as possible to know how exactly is going to work across the aisle or wor

i think people make mistakes, congressman don bacon standing by walker made my own mistakes in life, and herschel has to we all have. i think it's better just to be honest walker, a staunch antiabortion candidate , denies allegations published in the daily beast that he paid for a woman's abortion in 2009 and the new york times reports. walker it's the same woman to have a second abortion two years later, but she refused giving birth to his child. abc news has not independently confirmed, the reports said this this year. the abortion thing is false. it's a lie. the stakes are high in next month's midterm elections, with control of the house and senate hanging in the balance. some people are trying to have us go back to 1922, and that's that's not the correct way and emotions running high with abortion rights and inflation among the key issues, election offices across the country are now boosting security in flagstaff, arizona, one election office will be barricaded by bulletproof glass and the walls of an election office in tallahassee, florida are being fortified with kevlar. the we

all oxygen is being sucked out of room by herschel walker and rafael warnock, don bacon says, quote,come clean, just be honest. we all know we all make mistakes. it's better, if it did happen, to say i'm sorry and ask for forgiveness. ultimately this is about positions. >> as the gop, are you sending a message that republicans are willing to win at all costs? >> i think people make mistakes. if they acknowledge them and ask forgiveness, none of us are perfect. >> there are mistakes and then allegations like this. why are reps so quick to give walker a pass on this? >> again, he vehemently denies for paying for a woman to have an abortion, and there's the bigger picture here. yes, people make mistakes and people do things in their private lives that are extremely discouraging, frustrating, not necessarily something you said to go in a public official, but what he is promising to georgia he will do in his public life as a public servant for the people of georgia. he has laid that out very clear with his policies, in improving education. crime, the economy, inflation, as well as helping

eugene robinson on "meet the press" to pick up on something david just alluded to, which was don baconan. kristen welker was pressing him on tubberville's comments and this is what he had to say. >> do you feel as though those comments cross a racial line? >> i'm not going to say he's being racist, but i won't use that language. the fact is we can't ignore, we have a 40 to 50% violent crime increase. >> which ignores the reality of the crime statistics. both the top lines and who participates in them and who the crime is against. eugene, help me here. >> you see this before, andrea. so have i. this is back to george law's maddux and o'connor. this is not dog whistle politics. this is bull horn racist politics going back to the days of the civil rights movement. it is incredible. that we have essentially jim crow era rhetoric being used in the year 2022 in the united states of america. what has happened to this country and the republican party. republican party that played such a crucial role in passing that important civil rights legislation of the 1960s, can't even stir itself to mild

my favorite guy is don bacon, my wing commander, a congressman out of omaha.hen i was a young lieutenant, she -- he taught us how to fly jets. he has been a good mentor as a father, and a brother in arms. >> sen. nunn, what do you admire about your opponent? anybody --sen. nunn: anybody who puts their name on the ballot it takes a lot of courage. i salute everybody at all levels. i hope you look down the ballot and recognize it takes a lot to do that. >> rep. axne, what do you admire about your opponent? rep. axne: the same thing. stepping up is incredibly difficult, especially as a parent. there is a lot to juggle and i know how difficult it is to manage family and running for the seat. i give him kudos for that, because it's not easy . >> before we go, each candidate will have 60 seconds to talk. we drew names out of a hat to determine the speaking order. sen. nunn: thank you everybody in iowa joining us tonight. i have been honored to have the opportunity to serve this country both from the battlefield and state house and hopefully have you be my next boss

congressman don bacon of nebraska told me, the press, that senate top senator tuberville should have polite. now, let's compare that to the case of los angeles city council president, laurie martinez. when audio emerged of the california democrat making racist comments about black people and indigenous mexicans behind closed doors, her fellow colleagues in the party were rightly shocked and offended. she chose to apologize and eventually resign. the contrast between the two stories could not be more clear. when a democrat was caught behaving poorly, she was held accountable. when a republican did the same, colleagues rallied around him. this is not the first time. in 2017, former u.s. senator, al franken, was asked to step down following a wave of accusations of sexual misconduct. democrats were unwilling to tolerate allegedly inappropriate behavior, even for one of the parties most prominent politicians. at the same time, this was happening, republicans were falling in line behind donald trump and his presidential term got underway. choosing to look the other way as he embroiled him

in this instance, yes, don bacon, congress from nebraska, was put on the spot about this, and he wouldn'tracist. he said i'm not going to say he's being racist. i would say it in a different way, i would be polite, but crime is still an issue. the issue is not what you think about crime. the issue is about what he said about who is committing it and why. >> and how he said it. >> guys, thank you very, very much. >>> just ahead, new york city almost overwhelmed by an influx of migrants and tonight in a state of emergency. unlike some others, neuriva plusus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to h help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger. ♪ music: “everywhere” by fleetwood mac ♪ you ready? ♪ ♪ ♪ can you hear me calling ♪ ♪ out your name? ♪ ♪ you know that i've falling ♪ ♪ and i don't know what to say ♪ ♪ oh, i ♪ dude ♪ i want to be with you everywhere. ♪ from bolt to blazer, equinox to silverado, chevy evs are for everyone, everywhere. every moment in life is a bet. like betting on taking a hitch hiker tailgating. but life doesn't offer you up to $1000 back in fre

. >> i want to play republican don bacon being asked about walker yesterday. >> do you support herschel> well, i sure do. more for the policy positions he's going to take. her shell needs to come clean andup be honest. we also know we all make mistakes. it's just better if this actually did happen to say i'm sorry and ask for forgiveness. >> you know walker denied all these accusations so many times. given how strongly the gop has doubled down, would it even matter? >> well, i don't think herschel walker is going to backtrack at all. republicans are taking a page from the donald trump playbook and never nittany wrongdoing. they are pretty uncomfortable with the candidacy. when you hear mitch mcconnell about quality issues, herschel walker is the most dramatic example of that. however, what hangs in the balance is control of the senate. that's why republicans are circling around. they are going to support him all the way to the end. this could mean the difference between who controls the senate and republicans have very much looking forward to obstructing the biden administration's agend

but don bacon, congressman from nebraska, a competitive district, was on "meet the press" this weekendthe same way that tommy tuberville bid and said that tubberville should be more polite. the other use of reparations refers to restoration for african americans. so the idea that tubberville is saying that, is that people who want reparations are criminals are the same group of people and we have congressman bacon saying that tubberville should be, quote, more polite. >> you have new reporting that democrats are trying to preempt some of those attacks from the gop. but that it's not necessarily working. why is that? >> great question, lindsey. if you look at polling, the republicans have an advantage in terms of which party is more trusted to deal with crime. and that has been one of the wider advantages for republicans on issues. you can think of many issues democrats have an advantage on. whether it's abortion or climate change. but crime is one that the republicans have had an advantage on. many of them talking about issues that favor them. but some of them are fighting back and try

here's what congressman don bacon who's on the house armed services told kristen welker on "meet thei think he is unpredictable, unstable. he is getting beat in ukraine. piece by piece. he's being embarrassed. we got to stand firm towards him. if you can't let a bully push you around. i also think president biden's got to be more careful though throwing down the nuclear armageddon was a little too flippant. president of france, macron, chided him on it. >> is it too flippant? he said it in new york. here in new york, we've seen psas put out by the local government here that are telling people what to do in case of a nuclear attack. so when you use that word armageddon and you have that psa, it scares people. any regrets from the president? >> i want to stress we are monitoring mr. putin's nuclear capabilities as best we can as we have since the very beginning because since the very beginning, he's been using this irresponsible rhetoric about the use of nuclear weapons and we have seen nothing that would indicate mr. putin is prepared to move in that direction. nothing that indicates

and, then jennifer, before you respond to senator tuberville, have a listen to that congressman don bacon heard those comments as being racist. >> yeah, it's not the way a present. things we have to be honest, we have a crime problem in our. country we have prosecutors releasing -- >> do they cross racial, line congressman? did they cross the racial line? >> i'm gonna say they're being, racist but i would not use that language. the more polite. the fact, is we can't ignore. we have a 40 to 50% violent crime increase. >> jennifer, your reaction. >> you know, there is shame on the republican side for tolerating this. but this is a complete failure of mainstream media. you do not allow a u.s. congressman on to say such things, and then simply move on to another topic. you can, front you can, front you confront. mr., bacon what doesn't mean, reparations? isn't that a direct attack on african american americans? do you think that crime is simply a black problem? you stay on, if you expose, and you denounce. it and i think we have gotten all too accustomed to them saying these crazy things, and

. >> republican congressman don bacon of nebraska saying that the problem with those comments from republicanoining us now, award winning journalist charlayne hunter-gault, her new book is entitled my people, five decades of writing about black lives and it chronicles her storied career as a journalist, reporting on black people from around the world. it's great to have you on the show. congratulations on the book. i want to ask you about it, and i want to start right there, though, with the comments that we were just talking about. the racism coming from the republican party whether it be in subtle ways, propping up herschel walker or in more blatant ways as we heard from senator tommy tuberville, as the author of "my people," what are your concerns about your people in terms of the political atmosphere? >> well, it's very nice to be with you, i really appreciate it. i enjoy your show. you know, part of my job is to do sort of what you do which is to look at things and try to analyze them. so i'm not going to comment on what the various political people are saying about what's going on polit

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