three term republican senator johnny isaacson announced he will retire at the end of the year becauseth challenges. in terms of 2020 this means his seat will be up in a special election next november meaning georgia will have two senate seats up for re-election. it's looking like maybe democrats have a shot at flipping the senate in 2020. having both of those senate races up in the state of georgia which gives democrats two bites of that apple or a peach is a better analogy is a pretty big deal. democrats only need to net four seats to flip the senate. georgia already trending blue could be a game changer. joining us now is jamal simmons. he worked for president bill clinton and was an advisor to president barack obama's 2008 campaign. jamal, thanks for being here tonight. you know a few things about georgia having worked with a certain senator there. how likely is it that democrats can pick up one or even two seats when both are up? >> i mean, everybody needs to sober up just a little bit. this is still georgia. but georgia is now at a tipping point. i mean you saw the stacey abrams

republican senator johnny isaacson of georgia will resign his u.s. at the end of this year. lauren fox is joining me now. lauren, he is citing health reasons. >> that's right. he was diagnosed, jim, with parkinson's in 2013. he is announcing that he no longer feels like he will be able to do his job to the full extent that's necessary for his constituents. in a statement, he said it goes against every fiber of my being to leave in the middle of my internship, but i know it's the right thing to do. i will tell you on capitol hill, johnny isakson is a giant. he's someone respected by republicans in his conference. he has spoken out against the president at times when necessary. i will say, he's a senior member of the republican conference. he's someone who may not be the most outspoken. we don't think of him in the same way we might think of senator john mccain, but he was very much a person who privately speaks up in these meetings and is seen as someone that a lot of republicans go to for sort of advice and guidance. so a very big announcement here t

want to ask about some breaking news today out of the senate, and that is republican senator johnny isaacsoncongress because of failing health. i know, senator, you and he worked well together across party lines which people don't see much these days. >> johnny is one of the kindest, most decent, most capable people i've ever served with, he and his wife diana are great friends of my wife and mine and i'm frankly heart sick of johnny retiring at the end of this year. i cannot imagine the senate without him. he is part of the glue that holds us together. he is exactly the sort of person that you would hope serves in the senate, tireless in advocating for his constituents, and someone who has legislated across the aisle, repeatedly, and successfully, and someone who is humble and hard working, capable and faithful. i will deeply miss him. and i look forward to years of friendship in the future. and to serving out the rest of this year with him. i'm the vice chairman of the ethics committee. he's the chairman. and he has led the ethics committee very capably with a balance of common sense and g

. >> sandra: republicans reacting to the surprise resignation of johnny isaacson. democrats are reacting and what it could mean for the balance of power in the senate. >> jon: also hurricane dorian now threatening to deliver a direct hit to florida's coast. we'll hear from former fema administrator brock long on the importance of the next 46 hours. >> at this point it's all about preparation. everyone should have already had an idea what they'll do when the storm is threatening. ♪ ♪ introducing a razor that works differently. the gillette skinguard. designed with a guard between the blades that helps protect skin. it guards against razor burn on the neck and irritation on the face. get the shave you've been waiting for. gillette skinguard. great riches will find you when liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wow. thanks, zoltar. how can i ever repay you? maybe you could free zoltar? thanks, lady. taxi! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ billions of problems. morning breath? garlic breath? s

georgia republican senator johnny isaacson is saying that he is resigning at the end of the year for health reasons. so, what happens in that state now? >> yeah. this is a big move. democrats are kind of hopeful about their prospects in georgia. they've increasingly done much better in the polls as of late. what this means is that isaacson, who will step down at the end of the year, there will be a temporary appointment that the republican governor put in place. but then the next time there's a general election, a special election will take place to replace isaacson. and that means that there will be two senate elections because david perdue, the other senator there, is up for re-election in 2020. this is a name we are hearing be floated, kaitlyn collins reporting that nick ayers is being considered. he was actually considered to the white house chief of staff but turned that job down because he wanted to hold it for a short period of time. that is in part because he knew that one or more senate seats would become open in georgia and he wanted to be considered for that. he is very cl

. >>> georgia republican johnny isaacson says he will resign his seat at the end of the year.e 74-year-old cites health challenges, revealing he fell at his apartment in july while acknowledging that his parkinson's is progressing. his replacement will be appointed and a special election in 2020. the loser in georgia's gubernat rochlt ial race, stacey abrams, has already ruled out running for isaacson's seat. >>> president trump is going after fox news. that's right, claiming that the network isn't doing enough to defend him. here is what he tweeted. just watched fox news heavily promoting democrats during their dnc communications director, with zero pushback from anchor sandra smith fox. saying the new fox news is letting a great number of people down. we have to start looking for a new news outlet. fox isn't working anymore. referencing an interview with the dnc communications director. listen. >> i think there's a lot of enthusiasm right now. you're seeing large crowd sizes for a lot of our democratic candidates. i think that any one of these candidates will be a better pre

. >>> the last thing before we go, johnny isaacson announced he'll resign due to health concerns. he'll appoint his successor and you remember the last time this happened was back in 2000 when roy barns appointed former governor miller who then famously broke with his party in 2004 and endorsed george w bush delivering a stem liner against john kerry at the republican national convention and challenging chris matthews to a dual. >> this is the man who wants to be the commander in chief of the u.s. armed forces? u.s. forces armed with what? spitballs? >> which state -- >> say to you -- >> switch parties if you're getting legislated -- >> if you ask a question. >> it's a tough question. it takes a few words. >> get out of my face. if you're going to ask me a question, step back and let me answer it. >> season tore, please. >> i wish we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a dual. now that would be pretty good. [ laughter ] >> that is our broadcast for tonight. thank you for being with us and good night from nbc news headquarters in new york. good night from nbc new

plus, republican senator johnny isaacson of georgia says he will not run for re-election.ould this be a key opportunity that brings democrats a step closer to taking control of the senate? you should be mad at tech that makes things worse. but you're not, because you have e*trade whose tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. don't get mad, get e*trade. the business of road trips... ...adventure... ...and reconnecting. modernized comfort inn's and suites have been refreshed because our business is you. get the lowest price guaranteed on all choice hotels when you book direct at choicehotels.com. a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just won't. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair's derm-proven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. making wrinkles look so last week. rapid wrinkle repair® pair with new retinol oil for 2x the wrinkle fighting power. neutrogena® >>> this morning the september debate stage is officially set and the sharply smaller field of debat

johnny isakson of georgia will be resigning at the end of 2019. n announcement yesterday. he is facing health challenges and the governor will appoint someone to replace senator isaacson. planning to resign at the end of 2019. linda is next from festus, missouri. go ahead. caller: yes, i am on medicare. i agree with the lady several calls ago. medicare is not free. i think everybody needs to understand that. andb, theye part a $135 out of my social security for me to have medicare. plus i bought a supplemental plan because you have a 20% cap. if you don't have some kind of medicare supplemental plan, you are going to be responsible for hospitalu go into the to have something done. if you don't have a supplement to plan. if medicare refuses to cover something, you're supplement the plan will not cover it either. i just wanted to make that clear. it is not free. that i neverng is understood if we are talking about the well-being. while your eye care in your dental care, especially when you get older is not included in medicare. when i was an individual that headed to my company. i had great eye care coverage and great dental coverage. i see that you wear glasses and bern