lebron james 'home state. let's talk about it with cnn national political reporter for real clear politics. and cnn political reporter "washington post" columnist kathryn rampell. what do you make of the first lady contradicting her husband, taking sides with lebron james in this spat, even making sure to note her be best campaign. >> and that she would in fact be open to visiting lebron james's felon throppic inhibitingive. it does fit into the be best campaign such as it is. it seems to be about encouraging good behavior amongst children and being a good role model. and who the better role model is it the person achieving great success and welt and chose to give it back to the community or the person who also achieved great wealth and decided to use other people's are the charitable donations to pay off his legal disputes and buy por traits of himself? one of these two figures seems to fit more squarely into the role model that melania trump has been advocating for children. >> we know the president likes to

she is supporting lebron james. we're calling out the rift in the first family and why the president is attacking lebron james in the first place. and remember, first lady melania trump was not doing a press conference. she volunteered that statement on a weekend. you're watching msnbc. to look at me now, you don't see psoriasis. you see clear skin. you see me. but if you saw me before cosentyx... ♪ i was covered. it was awful. but i didn't give up. i kept fighting. i got clear skin with cosentyx. 3 years and counting. clear skin can last. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you. cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell

ana, this started with an interview that lebron james did with don lemon that aired on cnn. the interview centered on james' philanthropy, the i promise school that opened in akron, helping underprivileged youth. there was a portion of the interview where don our colleague asked lebron james about president trump. lebron james essentially said he believed that trump uses sports to distract and divide people. the president clearly taking exception to that late last night, tweeting insulting the intelligence of the former finals mvp. today, a very surprising statement from the first lady through her pokes woman stephanie grish am here is the statement now. she writes quote it looks like lebron james is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation and just as she always has, the first lady encouraging everyone to have an open dialogue about issues facing children today. as you know, mrs. trump has traveled the country and world talking to children about their well being, healthy living and the importance of responsible online behavior with her be best initiative. h

. >> the president made no mention of lebron james in the nba player's home state. first lady milan that is offering action to bolster her support. her spokesperson issued this statement saying it looks like lebron james is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation. the first lady is open to visiting the i promise school in akron. democrats on capitol hill weighinging in calling the twitter attack against lebron james a pattern of divisive language. >> he gives everybody silly names, but when he starts talking about african-americans and brown people, bigotry is still a resilient enemy of this nation and the president ought to do better. >> i'm with lebron james. we are not going to let you come to ohio, president trump, and do your race bathing and make your racial statements against people in ohio or anywhere across the country, whether it's lebron james or maxine waters or anybody else. that ain't playing anymore, president trump. >> let's bring in kevin, the chief washington correspondent for bloomburg. great to have you here on this sunday morn

food as it should be. >>> i'm with lebron james. going to let you come to ohio, president trump, and do your race-baiting and make your racial statements against people in ohio or anywhere across the country. whether it's lebron james or maxine waters or anybody else, that ain't playing any more, president trump. >> that's congressman tim ryan of ohio last night with strong words for president trump after the president insulted lebron james on twitter. i want to bring back in caitlyn huey-burns and jim scott and joining me in new york, brandon robinson, the host of the scoop radio broadcast. let me get your reaction to that tweet. the president went to ohio to deliver a stump speech for a republican candidate last night. >> how convenient. >> didn't come up in the speech he gave. your reaction to what he had to say. >> how convenient that lebron james leaving ohio, going to l.a. that was the tempest storm the president was talking about on saturday morning, no less. listen, this is a guy who opened the school just this week. i promi

as we mentioned, the president attack the nba star lebron james on twitter but his wife, first lady melaniaames for his charity work. her communications director released a statement that reads in part, quote, it looks like lebron james is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation. just as she always has, the first lady encourages everyone to have an open dialogue about issues facing children today. mrs. trump would even consider visiting james' new school in ohio. it's not the first time the first lady has contributed her husband, forged her own path. with more, here is cnn's randi kaye. >> i'm standing very strong on the ground, on my two feet, and i'm an own person. >> reporter: that was melania trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. as first lady, her independent streak continues to draw attention. take, for example, what happened during a recent trip overseas. melania trump was watching cnn onboard air force one when "the new york times" first reported her husband got upset, insisting all tvs be tuned to fox news. in response to that report, the first lady's spok

lebron james, you were talking about him over the weekend in new orleans. you talked about the president doing race baiting and making racial statements against relon. p. racial statements against relon. p.. lebron. >> do you think the president is being racist? >> he's got to always find a black person or a brown person that he got to make fun of and stimulate a certain portion of constituents that he has and a certain following that he has. to do it for lebron james after he announced a $41 million initiative to start a school in akron, ohio, to give kids shoes and glasses and bicycles and train their parents to pmake sue they get a g.e.d. or training and sending these kids on a scholarship, the president of the united states should not be calling anyone dumb. he's responsibility is to unite the country and not divide the country. when you do it to lebron james in ohio, i think he'll get the last laugh. >> before i let you go here congressman, there is a bunch of headlines. people talking about congressional candidate not supporting nancy pelosi. this is a

melania trump seems to be aiming to distance herself from her husband's criticism of nba player lebron jamesthe president attacked james on twitter, her spokeswoman put out a statement saying lebron james was working to do good things on behalf of our next generation and that the first lady would actually be open to visiting his new school. i promise, that is a school for at-risk children. here is the thing. the statement also mentioned the importance of responsible online behavior with her be best initiative. cnn senior media correspondent and host of reliable sources brian stelter is here. a couple of things stand out to me. how about you? >> this started on a quiet friday night and president trump was apparently watching cnn and don lemon's interview with lebron james. a lot of our viewers saw it back on monday but it was re-airing on friday. the president was up late at night, apparently, it angered the president. lebron james did have some criticism for trump in the interview. kind of mild criticism, to be honest, but lebron said he would not sit down with the president if invited. that

tom llamas. >>> and we begin tonight with the war of words between president trump and nba star lebron james. president trump attacking james' intelligence. this, after lebron said in an interview that the president is using sports to divide the american people. and the new detail just emerging, first lady melania trump issuing a statement, pratzing the basketball player. president trump is in ohio tonight, james' home state for a political rally. abc white house correspondent tara palmeri is there with him and starts us off. >> reporter: president trump hitting the campaign trail in columbus tonight. but before leaving, tweeting an insult at ohio's favorite native son. "lebron james was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, don lemon. he made lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do." the president added, "i like mike!" an apparent reference to michael jordan. earlier this week, lebron james spoke with cnn's don lemon about a school for at-risk kids he's opening in his hometown of akron. in the interview, james accused the president of using sports to drive people apart. >> he

it starts last night when don lemon replays his interview with lebron james. the interview was mostly about how lebron's opening a new school in akron, his hometown, all about what he's doing to help the community. but the two men also talked about lebron's disdain for president trump. so apparently trump was watching and he tweeted about it. we can put on screen the tweet. the president lashed out at both don lemon and lebron james, saying don's dumb and so so lebron. and then he says, i like mike. we'll get back to that. but what's happened today is really interesting. lelen fired back. lebron james tried to ignore it and just work with the students of the school. but some reporters asked malia tru -- melania trump for a reaction because cnn used #bebest and here is the first lady's statement. she's definitely siding with lebron james over her husband. melania trump say, it looks like lebron james is working to do good thipgngs on behalf of our next generation and the first lady encourages everyone to have an open dialogue about issues facing children today.

. >>> the massive twitter attack on lebron james and how the first lady is taking lebron's side, someing. hope you're having a good one. we're at msnbc headquarters in new york and here's what's happening now. we begin with breaking news. president trump's legal team speaking today on the chances of a sit-down with special counsel robert mueller and what they will do if mueller is forced to issue a subpoena. here's more on that. >> the president is clear he wants to interview. i will tell you his legal team is concerned. i make this joke that no matter what the legal team recommends, if we recommend the president were to give the interview, which i think the inclination is not at this point, but if the recommendation was give the interview, you'll get 12 lawyers on there saying i can't believe sekulow or giuliani or the other lawyers allowed the president to do it. if we say no, we're not going to do the interview, the same 12 lawyers are going to say, gee, what are they hiding? a subpoena for live testimony has never been attested in court for the president of the united states, and

he tweeted, and i quote, lebron james was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, don lemon made lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do. i like mike. that was a reference to michael jordan, who said through his spokesman afterwards that he supported lebron james and the amazing job he is doing for his community. joining me are professor cornel west of harvard and princeton and cnn political comment whatinator paris dennard, former black outreach for president george w. bush. professor, i'm wondering what you make of this which is just the latest example of the president criticizing a well-known african american person on intelligence. >> well, i think we need to keep the focus where it belongs because it's clear that president trump doesn't focus on what he ought to. the focus is on first gloria marie james, a mother, a magnificent black woman raise as magnificent son and becomes one of the greatest athletes in the history of modern times who then use his greatness to serve others. 230 very precious students of all colors who are being attended to. that's the focus. that'

lebronjames lebron james is lebronjames is without lebron james is without any lebronjames is withoutd for the la la kers, sports. when he recently signed for the la lakers, it made the headlines, but he has found himself in the news again because of his criticism of donald trump. on cnn, he accused the president of using sport to split the us apart and it is not the first time he has spoken out against mr trump.|j is not the first time he has spoken out against mr trump. i am not going to let him, while i have this platform, it any individual, no matter the power, no matter the impact that he should have, or should have, ever use sport as a platform to divide us. in an angry tweeds, donald trump fired back at both the basketball star and the news network, saying... it is farfrom it is far from the first time that athletes, or cnn, have angered the american president. earlier this year, mrtrump american president. earlier this year, mr trump cancelled a traditional visit to the white house by the super bowl winners after most of the philadelphia eagles's players said they did not want

nobody can argue that lebron james is more off the court than any athletes at the hype of his career,be ali or james brown. >> you have the president going to lebron james, i am from cleveland and my family still lives in cleveland. we were not happy when he left town but i can tell you going to l.a., most people at ohio wish him well and they admired him for what he's doing and he's a positive force in the community. he opens the school for at-risk kids which by the way where we can contrast it with trump's university where the president is making a big settlement. give us a sense of who lebron is who and who he stand for. >> you are out of the limb there. you will hear from the michael jordan people. >> even michael jordan, he would even tweeted for lebron james. it takes a lot for michael jordan to get into politics. he came from a different era. the guys who were evacuaactivis the 1960s. we are going into a era like that. we are getting involved and speaking up. lebron has always been i think -- i trace it back to the time of travon martin killing in 2012 when he began to be activ

something that brings someone together. >> last night's re-air of cnn's one on one interview with lebron jamesust have struck a chord with president trump. he just tweeted, james was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, don lemon. the unveiling of a new elementary school he founded in his hometown of akron ohio. now, firing back in a tweet, saying, who's the real dummy? a man who puts kids in classrooms or one who puts kids in cages. and nba legend michael jordan, reticent to weigh in on politics, tells nbc news he supports l.j. he's doing an amazing job for his community. but here's the pivot. james is an icon and sports hero from ohio where the president will rally his base later today in a last-minute effort to help republicans save a must win house seat in the 12th district. was the president's tweet just an insult or red meat for his base ahead of that visit? joining me is tyler tines along with democratic strategist joel payne. tyler, let me start with you. i want to focus on what we heard from lebron james in the clip at the top. sports historically, traditionally, being t

not a fan of the president's message. >> reporter the first lady talking about the school that lebron james is fully funding in akron, ohio, saying she would like to visit that school, visit james and the students. >> tom, thanks very much. >>> political views could lead to confrontations in the east bay tomorrow. this right here is video of barricades filled with water by crews at berkeley civic center park this afternoon. the city is preparing for a potential clash between protesters because a right-wing rally is planned, an anti-fascist group is organizing a counter protest. signs are posted there at maloney park announcing a temporary ban on sticks, pipes, poles, and anything can use asreplay of what happened last year. berkeley was the scene of a nu violent protests where groups on the left and on the right clashed. >>> in portland, dueling protests briefly protesters threw rocks and bottles at police who showed up in full riot gear. that video of those officers right there. they even brought in bomb-sniffing dogs and set up checkpoints to screen for weapons. the controversial patriot

a couple days ago the first lady sided with lebron james after her husband tweeted this, lebron jamesrviewed by the dumbest man on feflgs, don lemon. he made lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do. i like mike. right. so that was the president's response. and melania let's just say did not sing that tune. jeremy diamond, our white house reporter is on this. this is not the first time that his own wife has disagreed. >> that's right. she has done so in the past often via her own spokeswoman. it's interesting when we talk about the trump administration and people close to the president we are often talking about them defending everything the president says regardless whether it is true or not, regardless of whether it's right or wrong. now we are seeing several people close to the president seeming to distance themselves to some of what he said. let's start with melania trump, the first lady who of course broke with the president on the issue of lebron james after the president criticized him in that tweet you just showed the first lady released this statement saying it looks like le

to seeing from melania trump. >> reporter: it could appear that melania trump's timing praising lebron jameshool in ohio was a swipe at her husband who questioned the star's intelligence less than 24 hours earlier. the cnn interview with james, quote, made lebron look smart which isn't easy to do. i like mike the president tweeted. but according to melania's spokeswoman, the first lady disagrees. it looks like lebron is doing good things on behaft of the next generation and edncourages to have an open dialogue. the stark contrast is just the latest example of east wing versus west wing at the white house and melania defines her own agenda. in recent weeks, the faiirst la is quick to correct the record. amid the firestorm surrounding the president's alleged tryst with porn star stormy daniels, rudy giuliani said this. >> she knowings it's not true. >> i don't believe mrs. trump has ever discussed her thoughts on anything with mr. yuliany. when "the new york times" reported president trump didn't like his wife tuning in to cnn aboard officer one, melania's office said she watches any channel s

you look at what he has said about lebron james in the past. st land owners, i'm pulling for the heat. lebron's time is now. he is a great player and great guy. lebron is a tough competitor who delivers under pressure. let's take that as a jumping off point here just to talk about the way i think you could say cynical way in which the president is using something like this. >> well, racism and race wait bawait -- race-baiting is clearly the best tool he thinks he has. this is a changing country. nonwhite children outpace the birth of white children. the country is changing. now, you can be someone more like barack obama in this way and you can actually appeal to people's better angels and say listen, there is nothing to be afraid of, we'll all do this together, or you can be like donald trump and you can bring out the worst in people and you can use their fear to get elected. but i just have to say that my favorite part about the tweet last night was just the thought thinking about donald trump sitting there stewing, you know, upset watching a b

together, we're building a better california. >>> in our interview, you heard lebron james open up about everything from politics to living while black in america. and there is more. lebron also gave me an exclusive tour of his brand-new i promise school. it's a joint venture between the lebron james family and the akron public school system. not only is tuition free, so are uniforms and transportation for every student who lives more than two miles away. every student gets breakfast, lunch, and snacks. college tuition is guaranteed for everyone who graduates. there is a food pantry for families. parents can get their geds and job placement services. and because of how important a bicycle was for young lebron in escaping dangerous parts of his neighborhood, every student will receive a free bike at home. it's an ambitious project with an even more ambitious future. take a look. >> this is the coolest thing. tell me about these shoes. you guys are going to auction these off? >> it's a 114 game worn shoes that i've worn in an nba game. and each shoe is being auctioned off, and all proceeds

lebron james is another one. >> no doubt they are successful people.od points about the character of don, of lebron james, who i admire, i don't know him personally, but trump supporters i've seen on twitter arguing that this isn't about race, he's an equal opportunity attacker, he doesn't just attack people of color. he called steve bannon sloppy steve, he attacks his attorney general. do you think this is different? >> yeah, i do. it seems to me that when it comes to african-americans, when it comes to black people, he seems to go to the low iq dumbest person in the world attack quite often. it is his go-to when it comes to african-americans, that they are dumb. that is certainly not the case. don lemon and lebron james have got far better vocabulary and grammar skills than donald trump does. look, forget whether they are -- what they are, and everything they've done. donald trump is the president of the united states. and he's going on twitter, this platform with 50-some million people that follow him, to attack a man like lebron james and don lemon

. >> i want to start with don lemon's interview with lebron james about lebron james new school for at risk youth in akron, ohio. take a listen to what lebron james had to say about president trump in that interview. >> i believe our president is kind of trying to divide us. but i think -- >> kind of? >> he is. he is not i don't want to say kind of. he's dividing us. >> what would you say to the president if he was sitting right here? >> i would never sit across from him. >> you would never. don't want to talk to him? >> no, sit across from barack though. >> in response president trump then attacked the intelligence of both don lemon and lebron james in a tweet. you're a former assistant attorney general for civil rights, a lot of observers out there saw the president's tweet as yet another example of the president's racism. do you agree? >> well, you know, it's hard to argue with that but it's nothing new and the tweets are all the same. they are all about -- they are all about division and they are often -- or usually about the president. i think obsessing about the president's tweet

first lady melania trump is defending nba star lebron james after her husband insulted the nba player for giving an exclusive interview to cnn's don lemon. a spokeswoman for mrs. trump praised james for his charity work with children and said the first lady was open to visiting the new public school james has opened in ohio. in a statement to cnn, the spokeswoman said, as you know, mrs. trump has traveled to the country and world talking to children about their well-being, healthy living and the importance of responsible online behavior with her be best initiative. her platform centers around visiting organizations, hospitals and schools and she would be open to visiting the i promise school in akron. well, that is certainly in sharp contrast to this dig from her husband friday night. he tweeted this. lebron james was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, don lemon. he made lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do. in that cnn interview, james was asked if he thinks the president uses african-american athletes to distract people. >> whenever there is something, he's in t

and here's the other thing about lebron james. he has led an impeccable public life, and now he's helping at-risk third and fourth graders. think about the tired story line here, kasie, okay? he's not just wrong. he's not just disagreeing with lebron. he has to call him dumb, too. and in the aftermath and in the shadow of it, how is that working out for him so far? >> you just got -- weigh in on that, that no black athlete who want to sit across from the and here's the other thing about lebron james. he has led an impeccable public life, and now he's helping at-risk third and fourth graders. think about the tired story line here, kasie, okay? he's not just wrong. he's not just disagreeing with lebron. he has to call him dumb, too. and in the aftermath and in the shadow of it, how is that working out for him so far? >> you just got -- weigh in on that, that no black athlete who want to sit across from the president. >> we haven't seen that at all. and one of trump's advisors, darrell scott, one of his black advisors has been workin

donald trump said, i like mike" in his tweet to kind of fan the flames a little bit about the lebron james versus michael jordan debate. and then michael jordan came out and said that he stands with lebron, essentially. on the melania front, i think we're giving her a little bit too much credit, if you ask me, for going against the grain in the white house. and she also said, you know, i would be very willing to visit the school that lebron james is starting. on lebron james' front, i don't know if he would be willing to have melania over, especially after some of the things she's said on the other side, being for the birther movement and everything like that. the support from the athlete community i think is very telling. because, yes, while trump has questioned the intelligence of people of all walks of life, i think in this very specific case, he is speaking to his base who maybe has a little bit of resentment against athletes that they see as playing a game for millions of dollars, where now you have lebron james taking the millions of dollars that he's making and putting it to good us

al debate hasta la primera dama melania trump. >> esta maÑana el presidente trump en guerra con lebron jameso por quÉ el ataque. >> esta semana en cnn james criticÓ al presidente. >>> esta es la batalla mÁs reciente entre el presidente y atletas profesional ha sido un crÍtico constante de los jugadores de fÚtbol americano que se hincan cuando suena el himno nacional. >> en septiembre incluso pidiÓ que los despidiera. >> esta vez michael jordan dijo que apoya a lebron james porque estÁ haciendo un gran trabajo a la comunidad. >> en efecto, la entrevista fue para hablar de la apertura de una escuela que lebron james ha abierto en ohio para apoyar a niÑos necesitados por eso lanzÓ una pregunta al aire. (twitter en pantalla). >>> usÓ el hashtag un guiÑo a la campaÑa de la primera dama. >> en esta avalancha de reacciones, la propia oficina de la primera dama felicitÓ esta tarde a lebron james por su labor social. >> bueno, hasta ahora ni una palabra. >> en otras cosas, la policÍa de portland, oregon. grupos opuestos habÍan amenazado. >> dos marchas anteriores acabaron en violencia miento tanto en

as much as he wants people to focus on lebron james. has his own weaknesses he's showing through these late-night tweets and raucous rallies. >> he always is on the attack as you pointed out earlier. he could argue lebron swraeupls hit him first through this interview and the remarks that he made. would that be a justifiable argument for the tweet? >> no, saying the president divisive i think is squarely inbounds. saying the president's policies are good or bad, is in bounds when you disagree. but when you start to insult someone's intelligence, body type, or someone's family history or structure, those are the kinds of things that on the on the tuz and those things are squarely out of the bounds oeuf civil discourse and lawnestly they're beyond the pale by what we understand a sitting president tootoo. i don't thing it's fair to say you hit me first. it certainly shouldn't work with our president. >> as always, thank you so much. up next a disturbing story. allegations of sexual abuse at a migrant shelter. separated by administration. f

parece que lebron james estÁ trabajando para hacer buenas cosas para nuestra generaciÓn como ho dichaprominente republicano dijo hoy que los demÓcratas son los que dividen al paÍs. los demÓcratas las ponen que la realidad habla por sÍ misma y que trump calificÓ de gente muy buena a los supremacistas blancos han repetido muchas veces que trump es un racista. >> dijo que los mexicanos eran violadores y se pasaban diciendo que hay que votar los del paÍs y que si estÁn durante lina nacional. se refiriÓ a ciertos inmigrantes como animales y que estÁn tratando de infectar estados unidos como si fueran insectos. >> la posible existencia de soc del departamento del alguacil en el condado de california que tendrÍan tendencias racistas ha generado una enorme preocupaciÓn. la situación hace que se levante de investigaciÓn interna. explicar cuÁl es el detonante de esta situaciÓn que estÁ generando la creciente inquietud en la comunidad. >> hay consternaciÓn por el creciente nÚmero de agentes del departamento del alguacil en el condado de los Ángeles que comparten este tatuaje. se sospecha que pue

i did notice you took lebron james side in this tiff between trump and james. an example of him needing to change his communication style? >> yeah. i don't agree with what the president is saying about lebron james. i tweeted about it two or three weeks ago before he said the stuff about don lemon and lebron james last night. i disagree. that doesn't mean i can't be on his team. if he dupoesn't want me on his team because i disagree. i think the first lady is in the same camp as me. lebron james is a great american success story. lebron james is a guy, frankly, that has been a role model to so many people. not just people in the african-american community but all of america. he's an inclusive guy. if he disagrees with the president and says a few things here and there, the president's very combative guy. he's hitting him back. i would tell the president knock it off. >> that's why a lock t of peopl think lebron james, don lemon and later in the day he attacks ma maxine waters again. a lot of people see racism. >> he calls everybody stupid. black, white, green,

trump attacking lebron james after the nba star's interview with cnn host don lemon. t writing, cnn host made lebron look smart which quote isn't easy to do. he ended the tweet sharing his love for michael jordan. the spat comes day after james said the president is using sports to divide the nation. >>> north korea is firing back after other countries violating sanctions. secretary of state mike pompeo directed a warning at china and other nations saying the nations should not do anything that reduces pressure on north korea to abandon nuclear weapons. united nations report claims north korea has not stopped the missile and nuclear program. >>> the thai soccer boys who gained international attention after trapped in the cave for weeks have achieved another milesto milestone. the players took part in the ceremony to complete time as novice buddhist monks. the ceremony was dedicated to the thai navy s.e.a.l. >>> the yellowstone national park says the man who taunted the bison has been arrested. the 55-year-old had been cited for drunk and disorderly conduct earlier in t

anyway, the fact that trump went after lebron james wasn't that surprising. came to lebron's defense. >> the first lady melania trump contradicts her husband once again, praising lebron james for his charitable work as her husband attacks him. >> her communications director issuing a statement praising james saying it looks like lebron james is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation and that the first lady would be open to visiting the i promise school in ak ron. >> trevor: guys, guys, i am starting to think that maybe melania is not happy in her marriage. because i mean sth insane. now melania thinks she wants to go visit lebron schools. and don't forget this is now the fourth time that the first lady has gone publicly against her husband. all right. she spoke out against kids in cages. she refused to stop watching cnn on air force one and remember she has been spotted hanging out with vegetables. so english may not be her first language but she clearly is fluent in throwing shade. and this is what happens, this is where we are. melania t

. >> president trump takes on lebron james. now, the first lady is stepping in. how she is coming to lebron's defense. >> and they can't quite hang ten. that doesn't stop them. the bay area competition on four legs that is always a fan favorite. >> not a bad saturday. the look ahead toward sunday, and changes coming midweek. we'll have it all as we come back. you know when you're at ross shopping for backpacks... ...and mom also gets a back-to-school bag? that's yes for less. and it feels even better when you find them for less. at ross. yes for less. you know when you're at ross and you'rhello.... ...and then the price is like, helllooo! that's yes for less. find the latest trends and styles at prices that are a perfect fit. it feels even better when you find it for less. at ross. yes for less. for his charity work... less than 24 hours after her husband unleashed a twitter war against the n-b-a star. tonight: weijia jiang explains what prompted the president's outb >> first lady melania trump reached out in defense of lebron james after her husband starts a twit

it looks lik lebron james is working to do good things on behalf of our nextti gene. and based on mrs. trump's child advocacy platform, she would be open to visiting the "i promise" school in willie, up and tweeting early this morning. part of what the president is that attack on the media, defending h use of what many consider to be an inappropriate term, referring to journalists oas the enemythe people. he goes on to say this. they purposely cause great division and distrust. this, i believe, is a n attack. they can also cause war, tweets the president. they are very dangerous and sick. the p usidentng his twitter feed to vent his hostility, hish anger, frustration. it's sort of like a version of the campaign but coming through your phone. willie. >> kelly o'donnell starting us off in new jerseyng this mor with the president. thank you. >>> chuck todd is moderator of" t the press." chuck, good morning. the president is up tweetin about the media, calling them dangerous and sick, saying they cannd cause war pushing the idea of tariffs, a day after he comes out of the

i know this because he has tweeted a nasty hateful swipe at me and lebron james we've been discussing here. you've probably read about it or saw it somewhere. i sat down with an nba great after lebron just opened a school for 240 at risk third and forty graders. and during our conversation lebron said this. >> we are in a position right now in america more importantly where this whole race thing has taken over, and one because i believe our president is kind of trying to divide us. but for him to like i said use sports to kind of divide us is something that i can't -- i can't sit back and not say nothing. >> what would you say to the president if he were sitting right here? >> i would never sit across from him. >> you would never? you wouldn't want to talk to him? >> no. i would sit across from barack, though. >> he made lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do, i like mike. unlike this president who lashes out loudly at anyone who criticizes him, i have pretty thick skin and lebron james in addition to being a brilliant black man, a superstar in his sport and a hero to his community

good morning. >> any relation with lebron james? >> no, we are not related. >> okay. t up some of the things that lebron's school does and provides for these kids, it's really generous. free tuition, free uniforms. free break fast and lunch and snacks and free transportation within two miles and free bicycle and helmet. access to a food pantry for families and every student that graduates high school, guaranteed tuition to the university of akron. what impact will this have for at risk kids? >>. >> i mean i think it will have a very big impact. you know, lebron has always said and in his experiences growing up, he had to go through in of the same things that many of our most challenged students have to go through. and so our partnership with the foundation, which goes back nearly ten years since i've been superintendent, he's always been there for the kids. he's always looked at the leaders in the community and will always say and always said it's about the kids. when you look at some of the social emotional i aal issues tr children have, the i promise school kiwill at

lebron james' home state. this rally comes as the gop scrambles to hold on to what had been a reliable congressional seat, all ahead of a must-win special election. kristen. >> and the midterm fever is on, all right, geoff bennett, thank you for that report. >>> extreme heat returning to the western portion of the country tonight. temperatures are expected to reach the high 90s in northern california tomorrow and the region will heates in the triple las vegas could get to 112 degrees. northern california isn't alone in its suffering f therom hot weather. a heat wave is also sweeping through europe creating extreme conditions. our matt bradley has that story from portugal. >> reporter: in a tiny portuguese village, the fire alarm is low tech. emergency professionals are more like volunteers. but the fear of forest fires is as high as the soaring temperatures. last year, this region was ravaged by fires that killed more than 60. "last year's fires were terrifying. they were all around us," said adalina. meteorol

trump tweeted lebron james was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, don lemon. he made lebron look smart which an easto do. a spokesperson for the first lady said it looks like lebron james is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation. he donated millions of dollars for free tuition, uniforms and meals for students. president trump left for a rally in ohio this afternoon. there's a special election there on tuesday. the democrat is making a run for a longtime republican seat. >>> still ahead, reigniting the passion for space travel. native is set to lead the u-s into the next era of space flight.. (sot nm) * it's finally game time, the whistle's about to blow its that kind of excitement* this is nicole mann from petaluma. she's among 9 >>> a bay area native is set to lead the spaceflight. this is nicole man from petaluma. she's among nine men and women for the first time who will use a commercial rocket to reach the international space station. david begnaud reports from houston. >> reporter: for the first time since 2011 we are on the brink of

lebron james is beloved, probably the most beloved athlete today. donald trump has the lowest approval ratings of any president today and, finally, the interesting thing is lebron james announced his foundation this week that he would help -- he wanted to help vulnerable family, hundreds of vulnerable families with education, transportation, food and everything they need while simultaneously donald trump's administration is separating families at the border leaving many vulnerable families uncared for. its an amazing thing that he would challenge somebody, and now he's going to a state where lebron james brought them their only nba championship in their history in cleveland. >> yes, but i take your point, but every time the president has juiced or goosed these cultural controversies, it seems to have redounded to his benefit with his base. >> well, i don't think his base is moved by this. i think only what it does much more importantly is solidifies the opposition to donald trump and it raises questions, dan, about whether or not there are racist-ti

look, i thinkw we kno why he lashed out at lebron james. he was watching an interview with don lemon and lebron james. he said i would never sit down across -- a time the president feels attacked, he lashes out. so i think that's what it is. dly, it seems that every time he attempts an amerin hlete, whether it's a politician or a member of the news media. i onlooks, i want to say dog think it'scause i much louder than a dog whistle and it's a very uncomfortable t' pattern, but clearly a pattern. >> real quickly, you answered a tweet from the president this morning. >> he sort ofook his -- i know when he attacks us in the press, it's about trying to get us to -- to bait us. he's trying to dehumanize allme ers of the media, he's trying to otherize us, and when u talk about rationality for war, that's enough to get someone to physically harm somebody. why would you encourage attacks on fellow americans. i know he sees it as a political actic, he sees it as wrestlemania. he thinks it's all funny and just what we do, hes thinks i just fun and ga

president trump slams nba star lebron james in a late night tweet. the attack coming days after james slams the president in a tv terview. >> what i noticed is he used sports to divid us. >> this as president trump wecalates his war of words with china. are live with the latest. >>> holding strong. an around the clock watch on the viinia dam which could burst and flood the town below with 17 feet of water. evacuations in place, but hope this morning that the dam wil hold as more than 30 million people from maryland to maine deal with another day of relentless rain and possibility of flash flood. >>> on defense. embattled ohio state football ssistant urban meyer and coach breaking silence aboutiche domest violence allegations of zach smith by his-w e. >> i never hit her. >> and meyer admits he did know d reported them in 2015. is this enough for the coach to keep his job? >>> those stories and harvey weinstein fights back. could flattering e-mails from accuser after an alleged attack help him get his criminal case tossed out? >>> a huge honor for the

he tweet the his support for lebron james.he president and his tone in this criticism and the attacks against black athletes made imimpossible for people like michael jordan who remained quiet on issues of politics to not simply just stand by on the sidelines and weigh into that? >> i think too, severing about politics now. and the president is certainly responsible for making it that way. he has seized on especially the protests in the nfl. but all kinds of issues that are political issues raised by athletes. he seized that as an opportunity. so i think he absolutely sees a value in politicizing the sort of cultural things like professional sports. >> randy moss' induction into the pro football hall of fame drew quite a bit of attention for a statement he made. he was supporting a tie with the names of black and brown victims of police violence. in fact, here's what he told their families. listen to this. >> so, you know, what i want to be able to express with my tie is to let the families know that they're not alone. you kno

first lady melania trump coming out and support lebron james saying in a statement "it looks like lebron james is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation." let's get the insights in all of this and our msnbc contributor and sabrina sediki. welcome both. >> it has not gone unnoticed that lebron was speaking to don lemon and the president went to both of them in the same tweet and he in another rally went after maxine waters talking about her being low iq. it can't be a coincidence that every time he goes to after an african-american critic, he attacks them. >> when you talk about the president going after two african-american men talking about something that's not controversial. the americans are familiar going after african-americans and going at them in a way that gets in the core of the problem. african-americans are not as smart as white people and not as talented as the white people. there is the idea that the president is poking at american stoe society and he's doing this through race. here because lebron james is not just a celebrated african-american male. he's

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he did not mention yesterday in the state of ohio, again, chuck, lebron james.erhaps wisely not mentioning a guy beloved in that state. talk about the tweet friday night insulting the intelligence of both lebron james and don lemon, an african-american television host. lebron james is a public figure a lot of people in this country, including me, suggest our kids look up to. this more than an attack he saw somebody insulting him on television and why does he keep going back on the insult on intelligence when it comes to african-american leaders in this country? >> okay. look. i'm going to get to the second part in a minute. but remember what that interview -- in that interview, don lemon did ask lebron james about talking with the president and lebron james made it clear he would never sit across the table from president trump. so as we know, when president trump feels insulted he lashes out an insult. there is a troubling pattern here. every time he disparaging an african-american political opponent of some sort, whether they are an athlete or an actual elected

i was interviewing lebron james. you didn't that night, but, don, you have called him a racist -- you've called him a racist. it is a punch to the throat of the president and he punches back and that's totally fair. >> how much more evidence do you need? how much more evidence do you need? being a racist does not mean walking down the street calling people the n-word. it is what you do, your practice. it is what you say, how you treat people, who you hang out with, it is what comes out of your mouth. it's not active like, oh, my gosh, you catch someone in the act being racist. you judge people on their lies and their action. and that's what i've judged from his action. and know this administration is fact challenged but all you have to do is look at the facts. >> no, i'm not -- >> yes, you are. this is again a whole bunch of things that are not related to each other and tries to get around the actual facts we put on the table. that's what you do. i've seen you on television a million times and it's kind of clever but

then lebron james comes up and he actually spends his own money to help kids. is putting kids in prison, putting babies in cells. lebron james is putting young people in classrooms and you still attack him and attack don lemon. at a certain point, i think it's very hard for ordinary people to look at this and say, this is anything other than some sort of vendetta against african-american public figures. and it's always attacking the i.q. this person's dumb, this person's stupid, this person is low i.q. i got to say there's a reason these young athletes are even more bold and part of it had to do with how you were treated and how lebron james was treated. i talked with some of these people. they said they're tired of it and going to continue moving forward because they respect you, they respect lebron and respect the tradition of people speaking up in this country. >> i was going to stay -- >> i just want to say -- >> hold on, i'll let you talk. i am proud of them as well because people used to be worried about their endorseme endorsements. >> that's right. >> o