nbc news presidential historian michael beschloss joins us now., how do you begin to put this moment into context? >> well, this is almost surreal, lester. we'll all remember where we were when we got this news today, and that's because as you've been saying, first time anyone who has been president has been convicted of criminal conduct, and also someone who six weeks from this day just about, donald trump is likely to be nominated by the republicans as their presidential candidate. it's going to be divisive. a lot of people will be angry. but 50 years ago this summer, the supreme court told president richard nixon he had to give up his secret tapes. they showed that he was probably guilty of a number of criminal offenses. gerald ford pardoned him, but gerald ford, the new president respected the rule of law. he didn't say the system was rigged. what gerald ford said in his inaugural address was this is the system that shows that this is a government of laws and not of human beings. the people rule. >> this obviously, michael, is not an isolation

. >>> up next, our favorite historian, michael beschloss, on this very unprecedented week.me a former president has been convicted of a felony. and before we go to break, more reaction to trump's guilty verdict. this time, from a voter in georgia. >> i think it just goes to show that our systems of law and government have proven that they apply to everyone and not just people that can't afford a lawyer. i mean, he had all the money in the world to defend himself. and he was still found guilty. he didn't put up a defense to any of it. anthony: this making you uncomfortable? good. when you've got type 2 diabetes like me, you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack or worse death. even when meeting your a1c goal. discomfort can help you act. i'm not trying to scare you. i'm empowering you... to get real with your health care provider. talk to them about lowering your risk of stroke, heart attack or death. ♪♪ missing out on the things you love because of asthma? get back to better breathing with fasenra, an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken

. >>> up next, michael beschloss -- if we needed context and perspective, it's from michael, the presidentialtorian on what this means for the united states, especially in this election year. stay with us. you are msnbc. (vo) if you have graves' disease, your eye symptoms could mean something more. that gritty feeling can't be brushed away. even a little blurry vision can distort things. and something serious may be behind those itchy eyes. up to 50% of people with graves' could develop a different condition called thyroid eye disease, which should be treated by a different doctor. see an expert. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com an alternative to pills, voltaren is a clinically proven arthritis pain relief gel, which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine directly at the source. voltaren, the joy of movement. deep down, i knew something was wrong. since my fatigue and light-headedness would come and go, i figured it wasn't a big deal. then i saw my doctor and found out i have afib, and that means there's about a 5 times greater risk

i'm going to fit in a break because we have michael beschloss standing by and a former insider on theefense as they get a big swing when they get their turn with cohen. and the tapes. stay with us. with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. it's time we all shine. talk to a healthcare provider about nurtec odt from pfizer. when enamel is gone, you cannot get it back. but you can repair it with pronamel repair. it penetrates deep into the tooth to actively repair acid weakened enamel. i recommend pronamel repair. with new pronamel repair mouthwash you can enhance that repair beyond brushing. they work great together. (luke) this will be a gold mine of local intel. (marci) so, tell us about this corn festival.ir beyond

joining me now is nbc news presidential historian michael beschloss and david jolly, an msnbc politicalanks to both of you for getting us started. michael, i want to start with you. you have been pretty vocal about how you feel about what has happened, but i think we just lost michael. so i'm going to go to you, david, first. david, this upside down flag has come to symbolize the stop the steal movement recast as kind of maga shorthand. here's a photo of one held by a conservative activist in january 2021 as joe biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the united states. david, technically, flying the flag upside down is not desecration of the flag, but according to the united states flag code, flying a flag upside down is a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. is that why it's being co-opted by maga and stop the steal, to send the message that our country is in distress? >> i think it symbolizes an insurrection movement that's very real and that is greater than january 6th. and look, i mean, to hear justice alito blame his wife is kind of rich

michael beschloss, put it this way, a brilliant book, is a masteie of reporting, revelations and analysisngratulati you. and also congratulations that yo times best seller list. new well done. well done. well, thank you,auere with you. it's been we've had a lot of years over the years w your government official and of course,■$ the it's great great to be having this conversation with you was a fun book to write. inside story on so many issues. and we're going to d that. let me start with maybe the main broad que did this new coldhere? and by the way, maybe i should also, before you answer that, actually justy describes it well in. the in the cover your boo on thr the end of the cold war, the united states finds itself in a volatile rivalry with. the other two great nuclear powers, xi jinping's china and vladimir putin's more complex ad dangeroushait was ago. so the question is how did these colda's start? well, paula, that wasn't the the plan was pretty simple. the plan was that afterhe union, the fall of the berlinal of you remember the the famous . but fukuyama was not the case, t liber

joining us now, author and nbc news presidential historian michael beschloss.nd former msnbc host and contributor to "washington monthly," chris matthews. michael, these republicans just in history, is there any prediction of how history will look at the reaction to this moment? >> what i just heard makes me sick because the essence of america is to believe in our system of government and our rule of law. when george h.w. bush was president, he'd go over and take to gorbachev about how to reform his country. he'd say, no one is going to invest in russia unless you have a rule of law because people will wonder whether their money will be there the next day or whether it will be stolen. so to hear donald trump and all these people saying that the system is rigged, look at it this way, let's have a little reality check. so he wants to be president again. let's say he gets elected and that he has to take an oath of office, preserve, protect, defend the constitution. that's the rule of law. how do you do that if you've said that, in your own case, it was a rigged sy

michael beschloss, put it this way, that is truly a brilliant book, is a masterpiece of reporting, revelations and analysis. congratulations to you. and also congratulations that the fact that it is on the new york times best seller list. well done. well done. well, thank you, paula. and great to be back here with you. it's been we've had a lot of years over the years when your government official and of course, much of the work we've done together since the it's great great to be having this conversation with you was a fun book to write. well clearly clearly because the inside story on so many issues. and we're going to delve into that. let me start with maybe the main broad question, and that's the question of how did this new cold war has actually come about here? and by the way, maybe i should also, before you answer that, actually just say here it really describes it well in. the in the cover your book focuses on three decades after the end of the cold war, the united states finds itself in a volatile rivalry with. the other two great nuclear powers, xi jinping's china and vladimir putin'

. >> christina bellantoni, michael beschloss, thank you. >>> drama in the courtroom in the hush moneyntellection election case. >>> trump 2.0. his vision if he is elected again includes plans to use the military for mass deportations, the chair of the congressional hispanic caucus, congresswoman annette paragon joins me later with reaction. with reaction. hi. i use febreze fade defy plug. and i use this. febreze has a microchip to control scent release so it smells first-day fresh for 50 days. 50 days!? and its refill reminder light means i'll never miss a day of freshness. ♪ ( ♪♪ ) look, things may seem fine down there, but you need to watch out for diseases. i'll be okay. does this look ok?! ugh. how do i protect myself? with the new scotts healthy plus lawn food. it's the only product that prevents 27 diseases while feeding your grass to help keep your lawn healthy this season. want me to show you how to put it on? no, i think i know how to use a spreader. pick up a bag of the new scotts turf builder healthy plus lawn food today. feed your lawn. feed it. if you spit blood when you

. >> really fair points all around, michael beschloss, thanks for joining us. >> thank you always. >> you have been watching msnbc coverage of what all agree has been one of the most significant days of testimony, the former lawyer and self- described fixer for donald trump, michael cohen, laying it out. the testimony will continue tomorrow and then we will get across. we are looking for the history together. thanks for spending time with us as mentioned, rachel maddow and our whole team began special coverage, starting right now. >> the people of new york call michael cohen, the star witness at the center of the case takes the stand. tonight, the michael cohen testimony begins. >> the guy we saw this morning was credible and calm, if not a little freaked out. >> donald trump's former fixer testifies that the candidate himself led the conspiracy. >> the most repeated line of michael cohen's testimony was "just take care of it." >> this is a total disaster. women will hate me. >> the most important thing the jury heard today, he wasn't thinking about his wife. this was all about the ca