rod blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison. he served seven.ked that i study the possibility of commuting his sentence, in that it was a very severe one. white house staff is continuing the review of this matter. trump and blagojevich go way back to 2010 when the former governor on as the apprentice. he was in prison since 2012 and impeached and removed from office in 2009. he was the center of that federal investigation in which he was accuse of corruption and later convicted on more than a dozen counts including trying to sell the senate seat vacated by president barack obama. patty blagojevich, rod's wife is weighing in and she tweeted yesterday this is giving her family new hope. she says what she called their 11-year nightmare, might soon be over. back to you. david: grady thank you very much, so bruce, you're a chicagoan. should blagojevich get out early >> i don't think a lot of people really care. we have so many politicians here getting so much trouble all the time. i thought he was, he had been in for about 10 years. if they would agr

blagojevich has served seven years of his 14-year sentence.own attempts, one involving a children's hospital, one involving a racetrack, and one involving barack obama's senate seat, which was caught on tape trying to sell. trump told reporters that he has been in jail for seven years over a phone call where nothing happens. he shouldn't have said what he said, but it was blagojevich. anyway, i should they was braggadocio. i guess many politicians have done it. i'm not one of them, by the way, trump said, that have said a lot worse over telephone. the next day four illinois members said too a strong stand, where four of our last eight governors have gone to federal prison for public corruption. fox news reported on thursday blagojevich made it to processing for his discharge from prison. however, a commutation was put on hold after a trump administration official became concerned about opposition to the idea. and that night trump tweeted white house staff is continuing to review of this matter. i'm joined by jim warren who knows this stuff abo

the disgraced former governor of illinois, rob blagojevich, good get out of jail free.>> shepard: breaking news from planet blago. disgraced former governor of illinois may soon roam free. the reason? president trump told reporters on board air force one last night that he is strongly thinking about getting rod blagojevich out of prison. judge sentenced sentenced blagojevich to 14 years in bars on federal corruption charges after he tried to sell president obama's senate seat after the 2008 election. >> i've got this thing and it's [bleep] golden. just not giving it up. busted my [bleep], only 13% of you think i'm doing a good job. >> shepard: there you go. and then blago learned to fly from a little help from our technical department and a green screen. while he walked from prison or might he fly? matt finn reporting. he is in the chicago newsroom. planet blago is hopping. >> for more than a year the president has stated or tweeted that he is considering setting rod blagojevich free but now the president said he's very strongly considering commuting rod blagojevich's s

it didn't be that blagojevich has learned his lesson as of 2017.the president and blagojevich were truly good friends from their "apprentice" days. the president insists that they're not. it seems like this is all part of the president trying to make political scandal seem like no big thing. is just how it works in washington, everybody does it. and maybe if it's not fair to punish blagojevich for political corruption, then, hey, it's not fair to punish anyone else for it either, now, is it? especially a former president. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, hmm. exactly. so you only pay for what you need. nice. but, uh... what's up with your... partner? not again. limu that's your reflection. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ dprevagen is the number onemild memopharmacist-recommendedng? memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. he borrowed billions donald trump failed as a businessman. and le

the president told reporters aboard air force one last night that he thought blagojevich, a democrat,d "unbelievably unfairly." in hong kong, pro-democracy protesters plan to hold a demonstration in the international airport. there was a warning for protesters at a press conference earlier. stageany protester will protests at the airport, i hope they will be peaceful and law-abiding.

it's a waiting game right now for rod blagojevich, and that game is being played at beyond the fencesthe federal correctional institution in inglewood, as it is called in the denver suburbs. as you look across to the right you can see the field where some of the inmates generally exercise each day. this weekend, blago himself was filling those hours by exercising. cameras caught him on the grounds of the federal correctional institution. he did about 20 laps of the baseball field, we are told. then he was seen doing some shirtless push-ups, if you want to picture that in your mind's eye. his famous black mop of hair now almost entirely white. meantime, back at his home in chicago, "welcome back" balloons appeared. his wife said she didn't put them up, but quite conspicuously she didn't take them down, either. she of course has been a steadfast supporter of her husband and a campaigner for his release ever since he was charged and then convicted on the three corruption charges, which included attempting to sell barack obama's former u.s. senate seat for his own personal gain, as well a

could blagojevich be the next alice johnson?s in the criminal justice reform message, maybe blagojevich is not the best candidate.although from president trump's standpoint the hair probably helps. but when you're looking at a guy like blagojevich, the evidence is sort of overwhelming and it was pretty clear that he, his guilt was very clear and he is not a sympathetic person.at the end of the day, i'm okay with this bromance ultimately brings about somebody's centers being commuted. but at the end of it or not she's the best person. >> i don't know, man. i think the whole thing is fascinating and i've never thought that he would be a sympathetic character. but now looking at this, people are almost nostalgic for the early to mid -- >> those were the good old days. yeah. >> yeah, yeah. >> when you're playing the wiretaps earlier that there are the voicemails i left you earlier today. but those were a big part. >> friggin golden! all right michael, promote the book! mike chase, thank you so much. always good to talk to. topical s

speak of the state of illinois is now looking to disbar blagojevich.y call that piling on. harris? >> harris: mike tobin, thank you very much. great americans doing great things. it always catches my eye. like a school superintendent who says he has his eye on students who need his help. i will talk with him next. ♪ we trust usaa more than any other company out there. they give us excellent customer service, every time. our 18 year old was in an accident. usaa took care of her car rental, and getting her car towed. all i had to take care of was making sure that my daughter was ok. if i met another veteran, and they were with another insurance company, i would tell them, you need to join usaa because they have better rates, and better service. we're the gomez family... we're the rivera family... we're the kirby family, and we are usaa members for life. get your auto insurance quote today. today's senior living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros

that's the entrance that blagojevich went into seven years ago.from which he may walk in the next hours and days if president trump does indeed commute his sentence. he's not housed in that main building. he is behind us and a smaller building you can't see it was outside the building that he was seen on camera exercising over the weekend. we are told he ran about 20 laps around a baseball field and if you can picture this, if you really want to, he then came back out and did a bunch of shirtless push-ups. meantime, some welcome back balloons appeared outside his chicago home. his wife said she did not put them there but quite conspicuously she was seen on camera standing next to them and even more conspicuously, she did not remove those welcome back balloons. >> shepard: so now we get word from two sources that he was literally headed to processing to get out of there last thursday and all of this is really getting a lot of attention. >> it is and there's been an outcry on both sides of the political aisle. the concern being that commuting the se

( laughter ) how does donald trump know this corrupt politician rod blagojevich? he help him set up secret russian meetings or help him with a tax evasion scheme? no, they were on the same show. >> let me ask you a question. your harry potter facts were not accurate. who did the research? >> i feel like i knew a product. i wrote a lot of the text. slivering, huff and puff and raven cloth. >> so are you spoons snbl. >> i think -- i think we did not win. >> rod, you're fired. >> trevor: wow. ( laughter ) you know, i don't know why, but after everything, i think the thing that would actually freak me out the most about trump is if he was actually an expert on harry potter. that would, like, break my mind. i wouldn't be able to accept that if he came out one day and said i say send her back! expel the armis! i would be, like, no, i'm not willing to accept that. i just wouldn't. blaz( applause ) that's it for the headlines. before our main story, all of this week, everyone has been asking what can we do to try and end gun violence? and for a lot of politicians, the sol

. >>> former illinois governor rod blagojevich may soon get out of prison. president trump told reporters last night that he is seriously considering commuting the corruption sentence of the former "celebrity apprentice" contestant. blagojevich has served 7 of his 14-year sentence. >>> well time now for a look at your weather for this thursday morning. >>> this tornado touched down in springfield, new jersey. video shows how hard it was to drive in the area with debris there flying around. the storm also flooded roads across the philadelphia area and as far north as connecticut where several people had to be rescued. airport delays were up to five hours long. lightning was a concern around norfolk, virginia, where a church was hit but no major damage. today's temperatures, hot across the south, cooler in the midwest. look at great falls, montana, a high of 94. >>> coming up, the growing concern about a link between e-cigarettes and seizures. >>> but first the largest immigration raid of its kind in u.s. history. details on where hundreds of undocumented immi

the president apparently knows blagojevich from his days back on "the apprentice" show on nbc. so apparently we are told, yes, the president has decided to back off on that idea. however, a very interesting development. back to you. >> yes. and how it all happened. thank you very much. >> imagine if you're him today. >> that was not nice. >>> a violent turn to protests in hong kong escalating tensions with china. could this lead to another tiananmen square? that's next. that's what happens in golf nothiand in life.ily. i'm very fortunate i can lean on people, and that for me is what teamwork is all about. you can't do everything yourself. you need someone to guide you and help you make those tough decisions, that's morgan stanley. they're industry leaders, but the most important thing is they want to do it the right way. i'm really excited to be part of the morgan stanley team. i'm justin rose. we are morgan stanley. i was on the fence about changing from a manual to an electric toothbrush. but my hygienist said going electric could lead to way cleaner teeth. she said, get the

blagojevich has been in prison in colorado since 2012.and removed from office in 2009 after that federal investigation in which he was accused of corruption, then convicted on more than a dozen counts including the one where he offered to sell president barack obama's now vacant senate seat. this is a statement from patty blagojevich, rod's wife. she says our president's comments on air force one last night which was wednesday night, make us very hopeful that our almost 11-year nightmare might soon be over. we are very grateful. the president is getting some unlikely support from reverend jesse jackson as well as his son, who is a former congressman here in illinois. they both sent letters to the president last week asking him to go forward with this commute. there's no timeline, though, on when or if anything official will happen. neil? neil: thank you, my friend, very, very much. again, we should know this fairly soon. >>> in the meantime, the markets are doing something they have done twice before this week, overcoming huge losses from

i'm thinking of this rod blagojevich statement he made yesterday.cted of 14 of 17 charges. >> trying to sell president obama's senate seat. >> this is what the president said about rod blagojevich yesterday. i thought he was treated unfairly. he was given 18 years in prison. a lot of people thought it was unfair like a lot of other things. it was the same gang. the comey gang and all these sleaze bags that did it. i'm thinking about commuting his sentence. i think it's enough, seven years. the republican delegation of illinois -- the republican delegation of illinois did not want him to do that. >> reporter: no. but -- well, no. this kind of goes towards a different category of president trump's feelings. you saw the reference that was made right there to former fbi director james comey. the president is right now in a bit of a punching match with the federal law enforcement system particularly fbi. this goes to the heart of his anger about the russia probe and feeling like that was focused on him unfairly and supporting this probe that's being done

president trump among those who believes blagojevich was harshly treated in sentencing the presidentweeting thursday, many people have asked that i study the possibility of commuting his sentence in that it was a very severe one. white house staff is continuing the review of this matter. now, even the republican party in his home state of illinois has said that blagojevich should not be released early and base that on what the original prosecutor said in this case, dana, and that was that the crimes committed by blagojevich would, quote, make lincoln roll in his grave. dana? >> dana: all right, jonathan hunt in denver. thank you. former white house communications director anthony scaramucci making it clear that not only does he support president trump's re-election bid, but he even thinking it's time for the gop to find another candidate. >> last week arguably one of the worst weeks in his presidency. i'm not talking about things that happened to him politically from a legislation point of view. you have to consider a change at the top of the ticket when someone is acting like this.

we're waiting here and will see if blagojevich gets out today. >> sandra: jonathan hunt in denver for important to the victims who had the courage to come forward and deserve the opportunity to confront the accused in the courtroom. we're now learning of serious igg igg igger are -- irregularities and deserve a thorough investigation. >> bill: the a.g., bill barr, saying he was appalled to learn about epstein's death in prison over the weekend. the a.g. vowing the case will continue. and fox news analyst let's work through this. first of all, this is an embarrassment for the criminal justice system. >> an enormous system. the bureau of prisons works for the justice department. ultimately the people who reason the metropolitan correctional center a facility in manhattan people are waiting for trial or people not entitled to bail, the people who run that ultimately report to the attorney general which is why you saw him so angry. there really doesn't seem to be a rational explanation for how he slips through the cracks. >> bill: there was a piece on the north america post written by an

cnn has learned that the white house has been working for months on possible clemency for blagojevichhe said he's thinking about commutation. he says, quote, i think it's enough, seven years. last year illinois republican leaders urged trump not to pardon blago calling the idea, quote, stupid. >>> a fallen vietnam fighter pilot is finally home and the son who waived good-bye to him 52 years ago had the honor of bringing him back. air force colonel's jet was shoot down in laos. his body was never found. knight's son, brian, southwest airlines pilot, was just five years old when he last saw his father at dallas love field airport. fast forward to june when he got a phone call that changed his life. >> they had been searching in my dad's crash site area and they said, we did find human remains. you can't imagine what an honor that is for a son to be able to do that for his father. >> brian knight personally flew his dad's remains back to dallas love field for a hero's welcome that included a water cannon is a lawsuit and full military honors. the entire airport came to a halt. colonel kn

he seemed to empathy with blagojevich a little bit.id hear a lot from republicans about this. in part because it goes against -- whether you believe trump has fulfilled his promises to drain the swamp or not, it goes against a big part of his message in 2016, these politicians are using their jobs to make money, to bolster their own influence. you can argue whether trump has backed that promise or not. but it went against the whole premise of his 2016 campaign. >> yeah. >> we'll leave it at that. >> sort of crying out for -- >> the white house is trying to make is sound like there was with nothing to back it up. >> the free blago caucus is not a crucial element in the 2020 landscape as far as i can tell. >> >> there are a few alternates in chicago. >> perhaps. and this today from house speaker nancy pelosi, talking about her passion for the democratic agenda. >> sent legislation to the senate. moscow mitch says that he is the grim reaper. imagine describing yourself as the grim reaper, that he's going to bury all this legislation. well

people feel strongly about rod -- rodwhich -- rock lugo event -- blagojevich. what he did was terrible, but it has been a long time. >> have you been pushing mitch mcconnell on background checks? >> i have been dealing with mitch mcconnell, a man we have had tremendous success with in judicial appointments. we will be up to 179 federal judges in the next two months. nobody would have believed that was possible, and that's because president obama was unable to get them completed, so i inherited about 138 empty seats. nobody can believe it. we will have them almost all filled with tremendous judges, tremendously talented, smart people, filled within two months. 179 judges, two supreme court justices, something nobody would have ever thought possible. i want to thank very much president obama for that. >> asking about background checks for gun owners? >> i have been speaking to mitch about that. i have been speaking to everybody about that. we don't want to see crazy people owning guns, but we also want to remember that mental illness is something nobody wants to

president trump says he's considering commuting the sentence of former illinois governor rob blagojevich he was arrested for trying to sell barack obama's senate seat to the highest bidder before his conviction, he once appeared on "celebrity apprentice" where he excelled." then, yesterday, on air force one, the presidentsi said to the governor was "treated unfairly during his trial." now reports his son-in-law jared kushner is pushing for the influenced by this program, last year, patty blagojevich came on to plead her husband's case. >> it's a 14 year sentence and, he never took a bribe, never took a kick back, never any promises to contribute for any official acts. he never took gifts, trips, cars, watches, other things that some of these other governors have been convicted of and yet he serves the sentence that's twice as long as anyone else's. >> brian: it's president trump doesn't commute his sentence, he will remain behind bars until 2024. he will be 67 years old. they look for that to get done maybe as early as this week. america's main biologicalha warfare laboratory has halted

on the way home he's talking about rod blagojevich, maybe commuting his sentence.at sound like someone to you who is exclusively focused on the welfare of these victims? >> we're talking about the president of the united states and his job is not exclusive to this. this was important. he came over here and he's addressing it, taking the information he gained and he's going to use it for whatever decisions he does in the future. but he's got 100 issues a day that he has to address, so when he's addressing these other issues, that's appropriate. i'm a businessman. i worked with a large firm for a long term and i never was exclusively focused on one thing and i don't think he can ever be exclusively focused on one item except when he was here, he was focused on the victims and our police force and that's the way it should be. >> when he was here he was talking about dayton mayor nan whaley as well as ohio senator sherrod brown. thank you for being with us. >> thank you very much. >> this community is going to need you in the days and weeks ahead. >> thank you, appreci

the president is considering commuting the sentence of former illinois governor rod blagojevich, andrrently serving a 14-year sentence for soliciting bribes to fill barack obama's senate seat because he became president. now his replacement, donald trump says there is potentially the idea of commuting this, and this brings back all the memories from "celebrity apprentice." >> let me ask you this one question. your harry potter facts were not accurate. who did the research? >> there was not a specific direction to do the research on harry potter. whether it's slithering and hoeffelpuff and ravenclaw. >> and governor, i have great respect for you, but rod, you're fired. >> thank you. >> harry potter research. something to keep in mind. and now the man he fired might get out of jail because of him. we'll stay on the story. thanks for watching "the beat" tonight. "hardball" is up next. >> bad trip. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. unable to play national unifier in the wake of last weekend's shootings, president trump reverted to the role of victim.

blagojevich was impeached and removed from office in 2009.new hope to the family. his wife tweeted this yesterday. our president's comments on air force one make us very hopeful that our almost 11-year nightmare might soon be over. we are very grateful. and in a rare moment of agreement, the president seems to have the same view as the referenced jesse jackson as well as his son former illinois congressman. they sent a letter to the president last week saying they support the move. right now though there is no timeline as to when the pardon might actually happen. guys? brian: all right. we will see what happens. pete, ainsley, take it away. pete: thanks, brian. democratic congressman joaquin castro facing more backlash for a tweet exposing trump donors from his district. ainsley: he says it was his father who actually donated to president trump and even supported hulaian castro's run for mayor in 2009. pete: harper joins us now. let me get this clear. your father was the one that donated to president trump but your name is on the list. your b

blagojevich has served seven of his 14-year sentence on federal corruption charges.ry music icon willie nelson cancelled the rest of his tour over health concerns. nelson calling off 30 concerts. singer tweeting overnight quote: to my fans i'm sorry to cancer my tour but i have a breathing problem that i need to have my doctor check out. i will be back. love willie. not the first time he has had to cancel shows. several issues over the years involving his health. keep you updated on that. brian: is he a legend. look what i found. it's my pocket square hero. pete: i knew you had one. brian: i had one. steve: it's not the nor rejanuary flag. brian: it was my inside pocket. i didn't have my butler unsew it before the show. jillian: butler must have had other things to do. ainsley: how did you unsew it? brian: i don't want to give it away. dozens of trump donors. >> it was meant to draw attention to the fact that we have got a lot of people in our community who are contributing to this guy that's using their money to fuel hate. ainsley: but, has he forgotten the trump su

illinois -- rob blagojevich.pple is not only tech giant under fire for recording users without their consent. it is also happening with skype. attacks in orange county, california. the suspect, a 33-year-old man now in custody. to puerto rico. the. protesters upset because they consider juan vazquez a loyalist to ricardo rossello on august 2. cruise ships are band from docking in venice, italy. the italian government will reroute cruise ships away from venice. look at this terrifying video. a rope-like tornado touched down in springfield, new jersey. it happened during taken outbreak of severe weather. no injuries reported there. protests in hong kong escalating in the u.s. the state department gave a level two warning out of four due to the civil unrest. the spokesperson for the state's council office in hong kong. to the intolerant bullying left. celebrities are calling for a boy out of soul cycle and equinox for holding a trump fundraiser. we fact check with the former vice president said in support of the san

the mayor of chicago slamming donald trump are considering commuting rod blagojevich's sentence.he former illinois governor has been treated unbelievably unfairly tweeting this overnight. many people have asked i study the possibility of commuting his sentence and it was a very severe one. white house staff is continuing to review this matter. democrat lori lightfoot told the chicago tribune, quote, the president is a person who doesn't respect the rule of law. we have no idea what the process is for making these important decisions. rod blow boy of rich has served half of his sentence for federal corruption charges. democrats cried foul on a bill to increase penalties for harassing police officers. new york state republicans pushing a bill to make throwing water on police a felony punishable by four years in prison. after some viral video showed new york's finest getting soaked. since pouring water on crops, the bill cannot be taken up after the status of leaving the session. in the preseason moment. he lied his way into a tryout, going viral. >> outside the 15 and he is gone ta

president trump seemingly putting on hold his could the cn of rod blagojevich.just five years old when his father roy knight left to fight in the vietnam war. he was killed in a mission in laos when his aircraft was shot down. 120 victoria secrets models signed an open letter to the ceo calling for action to protect models from sexual abuse, rape and sex trafficking. they say the allegations may not have been aimed at victoria's secret but direct at photographers. a delta airlines ban reversed that would have stopped airline customers from bringing on board pit bulls. last year pit bulls were banned after multiple attacks on passengers. but the dmt says airlines must let any breed of service dogs on board. adam gates was seen using smelling salts just before the opener with the new york giants. the patriots fans, new england patriots fans may need smelling salts. tom brady's contract has been readjusted. he could be a free agent after this upcoming season. his boston area mansion is up for sale at a whopping $39.5 million. more information on the extensive contr

blagojevich has done seven years in prison and that is enough, he believes.s not forget blagojevich was convicted on 17 counts of corruption, was sentenced to 14 years soliciting bribes, pay-to-play schemes and so on and so on. but the president believes enough is enough. by the way, among those urging the president to do this is the reverend jesse jackson. stuart: so he's pressuring him. trump's responding. ashley: seven years is enough. stuart: he could get out. interesting. all right. let's get to mississippi, where i.c.e. raids on food processing plants overnight resulted in 680 arrests. joining us is the governor of mississippi, phil bryant. governor, welcome to the program. good to have you with us this morning, sir. >> thank you, stuart. glad to be with you. stuart: now, they were illegals. got that. but they were doing jobs that a lot of americans will not take. what do you make of that argument? >> well, let me say i.c.e. is doing their job. i'm a former law enforcement officer so they are here as law enforcement, enforcing the federal law. if we are

says that he is very strongly considering commuting the sentence of former illinois governor rod blagojevich who is now serving a 14-year prison term on multiple federal corruption convictions he told reporters he thought the democrat had been treated unbelievably unfairly. >>> a small plane crashed in a pennsylvania neighborhood north of philadelphia killing all three people on board. it crashed shortly after takeoff. no one on the ground was injured. >>> israeli troops raided a palestinian village hours after the body of a 19-year-old soldier was with stab wounds was found near a jewish settlement benjamin netanyahu vowed the killers would be brought to justice. >>> and thousands gathered at abbey road to mark the 50th anniversary of the day the beatles were photographed on it. they sang songs as they celebrated the historic moment it's hard to believe it's been 50 years that's the news update this hour back to you. >> arguably one of the most famous if not the most famous album covers of all time >> absolutely. >> and as somebody on twitter said, if you know what an album is, you're alrea

, we're also learning on a totally separate topic, you know, the president had talked about rob blagojevich, who's currently serving a term in jail, that it was indicating he may commute the rest of his sentence. now have the tables turned? >> yeah, they seem to have turned greatly here. just last week, the president was saying he was seriously looking at commuting that sentence, potentially pardoning him, either one of those in response to -- of course, he's found guilty of essentially trying to sell president barack obama's vacated senate seat while he was the governor of illinois. of course, he was impeached, went to jail. now the president was saying he was considering pardoning him or commuting his sentence because he believed he was doing something that essentially a lot of people did. after the president made those comments and people realized just how seriously the president was looking at it, something he's been looking at for well over a year now, he was flooded with calls from not only lawmakers in washington but also republicans back in illinois who were telling the president, d

. >> melissa: president trump is now considering commuting the sentence of rod blagojevich, telling reporters thought the former illinois governor was treated unfairly. he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2011, following a conviction of corruption charges. he was heard on wiretaps seeking to sell an appointment to barack obama's former senate seat after his election as president. it's time for some good old-fashioned deep fried foods and speeches. 22 democrats and one republican heading to the iowa state fair, and events that can make or break their presidential campaign. joe biden steps up to the soapbox at the top of the hour. we have more from des moines. i >> we just talked to montana governor steve bullock, who will be the very first presidential candidate to stump on the soapbox to iowa caucus-goers, and really try to butter them up by making his pitch for president. but he's not the only candidate in iowa today. senator elizabeth warren was at a family farm in iowa earlier. bullock has criticized both warren and senator bernie sanders forgetting to progressive and being out of to

. >> harris: sources are telling fox news former governor rod blagojevich was very close to getting outf prison last week. in fact, he made it all the way to processing before an administration official raised questions about potential opposition to freeing blago. he's serving a 14 year sentence on corruption charges, which the president has called "unbelievably unfair." we will keep you posted on what happens. this is breaking. new details on the mysterious death of jeffrey epstein. as federal agents raided his caribbean compound, the associated press is reporting that he hanged himself with a bedsheet this weekend inside his manhattan jail cell. one of the guards was assigned to check on him was not even a corrections officer. my next guest says the death raises questions. matt whitaker joins me now. he was acting attorney general and the trump administration. matt, how concerned should americans be that a man who had already been found guilty of being a sexual predator had received some sort of special treatment in terms of the legal system that allowed him to come and go from his ja

sources telling fox news, former illinois governor rod blagojevich who was imprisoned in 2018 on federalption charges, who can forget that, made it all the way processing from discharge from colorado prison, on thursday before a member of the trump administration became concerned about public pushback, when the president appeared interested in commuting his sentence. the commutation was put on hold. according to sources, can you imagine that, make it all the way to processing. this is a report. so i don't think we have independently verified this. that would be something, wouldn't it? connell: we're just hear about this right now. the idea is, old blago is on his way out of jail, getting all his belongings back, getting out after cell. sounds like he is getting out eventually or maybe not. there is speculation the president would go through. melissa: there were reports that balloons, welcome home balloons out there today. his wife didn't put them out there. she didn't take them down either. that wouldn't make sense if it was today. i don't know. we'll see. the mystery continues with that

. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ >>> leading today's lightning round, deja vu for rod blagojevichmute his sentence on corruption charges including attempting to sell the senate seat vacated by barack obama. the president told reporters yesterday on air force one he's been in jail for seven years over a phone call where nothing happens. he shouldn't have said what he said. i would think there have been many politician, i'm not one of them, by the way, that have said a lot worse. president trump first mentioned a possible commutation over a year ago. you may remember that the two aren't exactly strangers. >> your harry potter facts were not accurate. who did the research? >> i have the one who said houses and classes interchangeable because i was trying to be more explicit so people can get a feel for it. >> rod, you're fired. >> harry potter facts not accurate there. tolu, why bring this up now? >> it's a little bit bizarre but it's the everybody does it defense that we've heard from the president so many times. >> but not him, of course. >> not him, but everybody else. he defended

see where the democrats stood, where the republicans stood, people feel very strongly about rod blagojevich. what he did was terrible, but it's a long time. it's a long time. >> reporter: are you pushing mitch mcconnell on background checks? >> i've been dealing with mitch mcconnell. we've had tremendous success with judges and judicial appointments. we're going to be up to 179 federal judges within the next two months. nobody would have believed that's possible. that was because president obama was unable to get them completed. so i inherited about 138 empty seats. nobody can believe it. we will have them almost all filled with tremendous judges and tremendously talented smart people. they'll be filled within two months. so i have 179 judges, and two supreme court justices. that's something that no one would everopathy possible. i want to thank president obama about that. >> reporter: i was talking about background checks on guns. >> we all have been speaking about it. i also want to remember that mental illness is somebody that nobody wants to talk about. these people are mentally ill. we

complain about sherrod brown and nan whaley and julian castro and commuting the sentence of rod blagojevich, how does this help the people of el paso heal and get through this process? this was a strange day even in the standards that we've come to expect from the president. >> yeah, no doubt, john, not terribly surprising that he would still use the politics of grievance even if there was nothing to be aggrieved about at certain points. what was interesting to me was when i heard the president in el paso talk about the great respect for the office of the presidency that was shown. he was able to separate himself out of the office which on a day like this it's all about the office of the presidency. and yet he separated himself in ways that rebound against him because he thinks, oh, you can show respect to the office of the presidency, victims, family members, what have you, but i, donald trump, the president, can still go off and tweet grievance politics and be petty and inject small politics into a day that is obviously supposed to be one of mourning, of consolation. >> he is the occupanc

and one of the chinese said we believe in blagojevich theijing heading toward a decoupling of the u.schina relationship. >> i mean, corporate america. i look at the top 20 -- >> you wouldn't have thought so in a globalized economy. but since donald trump has taken office, in part, he's been making war on globalization. and if we see to china's best company, huawei, we will not do business with you at all. that's about decoupling, and the chinese understand that. so i think the financial markets are waking up today to the reality that this is a lot longer and tougher than people thought. there are a lot of people just to conclude this who think that it's appropriate now to alter the terms of trade with china, that a rising china needs to be confronted now with our insistence about protecting our markets, jobs, intellectual property. so a lot of people say something like this was necessary. it's just a lot bumpier than people realize. >> alfonso, one of the different way when's we thought how is donald trump going to fit in the republican party? trade was always the one issue we would t

. >> and most importantly rob blagojevich doesn't have anything to do with what happened here. president trump criticized the mayor of dayton on twitter, and also criticized the ohio senator. what is mayor man whaly's response to the confusion? >> i'm really confused. he said he was treated very well. >> we're going to speak to the mayor after the break. ♪ that a speaker is just a speaker. ♪ or - that the journey can't be the destination. most people haven't driven a lincoln. discover the lincoln approach to craftsmanship at the lincoln summer invitation. right now, get 0% apr on all 2019 lincoln vehicles plus no payments for up to 90 days. only at your lincoln dealer. plus no payments for up to 90 days. managingaudrey's on it.s? eating right? on it! staying active? on it. audrey thinks she's doing all she can to manage her type 2 diabetes and heart disease but is her treatment doing enough to lower her heart risk? [sfx: crash of football players colliding off-camera.] maybe not. jardiance is the number 1 prescribed pill in its class. jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovasc

>> and why is president trump so interested in possibly freeing disgraced illinois governor rod blagojevichheory. >>> welcome to thursday. it's "mtp daily." i am chuck todd here in washington. divisive may be the best way to sum up pre

president is appearing to back off plans to commute the sentence of former illinois governor rod blagojevichrom house republicans? >> i'm not sure exactly where and another president never said he was, he was actually analyzing it. i don't think the president should release the former governor. i think it's 4 out of 5 of the last governors of illinois have been in jail and have been in jail because they stood before and had a jury of their peers make a decision. i think they should serve their time and i think that's correct that the president makes that decision to make them continue to surface time. >> bret: the southern border issue, democrats expressing concern about eminent domain saying we are troubled by the lack of transparency, particularly concerned given landowners whose property was seized during proverb though my prior border barrier construction efforts told congress they did not receive just compensation for their land, they would like to know what's happening this time with efforts to build a wall. >> the democrats aren't concerned about that. they are more concerned about ha

people feel very strongly about rob blagojevich and his sentence he has been in there 7 1/2 years, that's long time. what he did was terrible, but it is a long time it is a long time. >> reporter: are you pushing mitch mcconnell on background ek charges? >> i have been dealing with mitch mcconnell. he is a man who we have had tremendous success with judges and judicial appointments. we are going to be up to 179 federal judges within the next two months nobody would have believed that's possible, and that was because president obama was unable to get 'em completed. so i inherited about 138 empty seats. nobody can believe it. and we will have them almost all filled with tremendous judges and tremendously talented, smart people they will be filled within two months so i'll have 179 judges and two supreme court justices that's somebody that nobody would ever have thought possible. >> background checks on -- >> i want to thank very much president obama for that. >> reporter: i was asking about background check for gun owners for gun purchases? >> yes, we do. i have been speaking to mitch about

punishas an effort to one of our great offenders, the governor of illinois, rod blagojevich.ow the president of the united states says we ought to let him out. we sent him to prison too long. 14 years. the president thinks seven years is enough. what is the solution? i don't know. brown, columnist at the chicago sun-times. he often writes about the issue of homelessness in the city of chicago. we have had a couple of callers this morning talk about the issue of homelessness in their own cities. what have you learned covering homelessness for so long? guest: i've learned a lot about that. i've learned that homeless people are mostly people just like you and me and they are not to be feared. they are people who may be they are a little weaker in some respects. caught a bad break. having mental illness problems. havea job and just didn't the family support system to pull themselves up. a lot of mental illness as i said it also a lot of substance abuse. where does it begin and end? we have a lot of people in this country that unfortunately for frank and millsboro they need to be

punishas an effort to one of our great offenders, the governor of illinois, rod blagojevich. now the president of the united states says we ought to let him out. we sent him to prison too long. 14 years. the president thinks seven years is enough. what is the solution? i don't know. brown, columnist at the chicago sun-times. he often writes about the issue of homelessness in the city of chicago. we have had a couple of callers this morning talk about the issue of homelessness in their own cities. what have you learned covering homelessness for so long? guest: i've learned a lot about that. i've learned that homeless people are mostly people just like you and me and they are not to be feared. they are people who may be they are a little weaker in some respects. caught a bad break. having mental illness problems. havea job and just didn't the family support system to pull themselves up. a lot of mental illness as i said it also a lot of substance abuse. where does it begin and end? we have a lot of people in this country that unfortunately for frank and millsboro they need to b

now president trump says he is strongly considering commuting the 14-year prison sentence of rod blagojevichn his election as president. he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2011 following a conviction on corruption charges. trump told reporters last night he thinks the former celebrity apprentice contestant was, quote, treated unbelievably unfairly. i think it's enough, seven years, said the president. the billionaire owner of the miami dolphins and luxury fitness brands steven ross has drawn criticism for an upcoming fundraiser he plans to host this weekend for president trump at his hamptons home. it is the latest example in a growing debate over what role business leaders should play in supporting president trump's rhetoric and if they don't speak up about it. joining us now two business leaders who have done just that, the president and ceo of columbia sports wear company, tim boyle, and the founder and executive chairman of kindbars. thanks, both, gentlemen, for being here. in full disclosure i crushed a kind bar about ten minutes ago. i should tell the audience i am on the side o