heard you on with lawrence o'donnell last night, and i really thought it's always great to have neal katyal but at least on this topic this will be the end of it. sought next time we have neal it will have to be on a different topic. but no, in fact 24 hours later we are back talking about the exact same thing. neal katyal, thank you for joining me tonight. >> thank you. >>> coming up, kamala harris campaigns in iowa today and takes sharp aim at president trump. you're going to want to hear what she had to say when "the 11th hour" continues. >>> i know predators. and we have a predator living in the white house. donald trump has predatory nature and predatory instincts. and the thing about predators you should know is that they prey on the vulnerable. they prey on those who they do not believe are strong. and the thing about predators you must most importantly know, predators are cowards. predators are cowards. and so when we look at this campaign and we look at the task before us, it will be to successfully prosecute the case against four more years of donald trump, and i am prepared to do

neal katyal ais here on that. he started this week like last week, stoking racial tension. a top republican who might actually challenge trump in 2020 mark sanford is here tonight as well. that's not all. later on the show, presidential candidate andrew yang along with jermaine dupre together. i'll explain. we begin with the top story. bob mueller's testimony two days away and here's what we're learning right now. first mueller will discuss the criminal evidence against trump for five hours before two committees. second, he will deliver an opening statement. that's new. third, bill barr's d.o.j. is again stepping in. something we've been tracking from the start. barr stressing anything mueller knows which is not in the report should be treated as, quote, presumptively privileged from disclosure. let's stop right there. why does that sound a little odd? well, i think you know why. bob mueller is the one who ers on the side of not commenting and disclosing. it was mueller who stayed quiet while barr released letters and excerpts which mischaracterized the mueller report of ab

back tonight, neal katyal, a veteran of the justice department, a former acting solicitor general during administration who has argued 39 cases before the u.s. supreme court. neal, i don't even know what question to ask you to start with. let's start with this. the president sent out a tweet today calling something fake news that was actually confirmed by his department of commerce after a supreme court ruling that said unless you come back to us with a better reason for putting a citizenship question on the census, you can't do it. so let's just start with the premise that the president in his tweet this morning was lying. >> so i think, ali, it's not just the department of commerce. it's also the justice department lawyers who went into court yesterday and said we're not going to be seeking the citizenship question, we're printing the census forms without it. and ali, i never thought i'd see the day when the trump administration's top lawyers sound like drunk girl on "saturday night live." you know, "we're gonna have a citizenship question, we're not gonna have a citizenship question,

neal katyal, thank you for joining us tonight. that is tonight's "last word."with brian williams" starts now. >>> tonight, haunting images of the crisis unfolding inside u.s. detention center. a scene described as a ticking time bomb. we'll speak to a member of congress just back tonight from tours inside these facilities. >>> plus $2.5 million newly set aside by the park service as washington prepares for trump's fourth of july bash. >>> and democrats sue the irs and treasury for access to trump's taxes. and kamala harris catapults higher

neal, good to see you. >> thank you, sir. >> if you want to see this and other neal katyal break downsur dedicated page. there is a lot of stuff including stuff that is relevant, including mueller preview stuff. neal also gave us, you can check that out online. >>> now, up ahead, we have a lot to get to, including something that is roiling the trump administration because they are tied to hedge fund king pen jeffrey epstein who stands accused today on new charges of sex trafficking. sex trafficking. (vo) parents have a way of imagining the worst... ...especially when your easily distracted teenager has the car. at subaru, we're taking on distracted driving [ping] with sensors that alert you when your eyes are off the road. the all-new subaru forester. the safest forester ever. we run right into these crises, and we do not leave until normalcy is restored. we'd been working for days on a site in a storm devastated area. a family pulled up. it was a mom and her kids. everything they had had been washed away. the only thing that brought any kind of solace was the ability to hand her a dev

still with us is neal katyal. neal, i'd like to ask you a more personal question. as a south asian-american in the history of supreme court jurisprudence, your position is now cemented for all time. as an american in the history of supreme court jurisprudence, your position is cemented for all time. and yet, you have a near-daily familiarity with the phrase go back where you came from. >> yeah, i've heard it my whole life. it started when i was three years old and it continues on. it's easy to slug it off when it's a rando in a parking lot. or whatever. the thought that a president of the united states would be saying that and encouraging it and sitting by for 13 seconds when others are cheering it, i can't think of a bigger betrayal of our constitutional promise. our national motto goes back to the found og of our constitution, e pluribus unum, out of many one. that's why my parents came to this country. that's why we respect the flag and cheer the flag and cheer what this country is about. donald trump doesn't even begin to understand that basic foundational comm

neal katyal, you are part of the team that won this in the supreme court. what did you see happening in the rose garden today? >> what i saw happening in the rose garden was a time for celebration for the american people. we have to celebrate a supreme court that reigned in this president and calling his actions condrive and unlawful and opinion by chief justice john roberts and celebrate a rule of law and a justice department that said we can't be asking these questions. that's the positive thing. the negative thing is the president, donald trump, who after all ordered this question put on the census in the first place because of the voting rights act. he said he wanted to enforce it. you didn't hear a word about it. you heard the rhetoric about counting illegal aliens which his citizenship stuff has never done in the first place. it asks whether you are a citizen and not whether you are legal or illegal. more generally, he obeyed the supreme court after threatening to defy it after two weeks. that's a low bar. this is a president who for the last two week

neal katyal at this table.today washington has been absolutely consumed by donald trump's attacks on women of color in congress. but behind the scenes there are other things happening, including many in congress furiously prepping for bob mueller's capitol hill testimony. that was originally planned for next week after flurry that happened late friday. democrats negotiating an extra hour for the judiciary committee, which means that every lawmaker on both judiciary and intelligence committees should be able to question mueller. this was announced basically after the closing business fry knight. lawmakers are pushing to talk to mueller's deputies, too. they are going to meet over structure and questions we have not confirmed that detail. back with me for opening argument series is former acting solicitor general neal katyal who argued dozens of cases before the supreme court and knows his way around these types of hearings. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> first of all, it is a little inside baseball,

neal katyal will join us to decode what william barr said today about the census. t willia today ouabt the census patients that i see that complain about dry mouth, they feel like they have to drink a lot of water. medications seem to be the number one cause for dry mouth. dry mouth can cause increased cavities, bad breath, oral irritation. i like to recommend biotene. biotene has a full array of products that replenishes the moisture in your mouth. biotene definitely works. it makes patients so much happier. >>> today the attorney general of the united states said he found a secret way to get around a supreme court decision to forbids a question about citizenship on the census. >> we have been considering all the options that i have been in constant discussions with the president ever since the supreme court decision came down and i think over the next day or two, you will see the approach we are taking. it does provide a pathway for getting the question on the census. >>> here is donald trump's version of his conversations with william barr. >> we can do an execu

neal katyal will join us to decode what william barr said today about the census. we run right into these crises, and we do not leave until normalcy is restored. we'd been working for days on a site in a storm devastated area. a family pulled up. it was a mom and her kids. everything they had had been washed away. the only thing that brought any kind of solace was the ability to hand her a device so she could call her family and let them know that she was okay. (vo) there for you when it matters most. join us and get up to $650 when you switch. that's verizon. i swibecause they let metual, customize my insurance. and as a fitness junkie, i customize everything, like my bike, and my calves. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ >>> today the attorney general of the united states said he found a secret way to get around a supreme court decision to forbids a question about citizenship on the census. >> we have been considering all the options that i have been in constant discussions wit

and neal katyal, former acting solicitor general. ck and neal, we never put two people on together. i promise you're not here to do punching judy and fight each other. >> definitely not. >> let me ask you about this breaking news we got tonight. previously described in reporting about the special counsel's process about mueller's chief of staff and we know he was mueller's chief of staff when mueller was fbi director. now it seems that the intelligence committee has made the decision that they're going to swear mr. zebley in as a witness, to sit next to mueller and also answer questions from at least the intelligence committee members, even if judiciary committee seems like they may not be following that same path. chuck, i know you had the same job that aaron zebley did as chief of staff. what do you make of this? >> well, aaron is as smart and humble and diligent as you could hope for. he also will know the case backward and forward. he worked right next to bob for years, including on the entire special counsel project. so here's wh

take a listen to neal katyal who is an experts on this issue and litigated part of it on behalf of critics of the census when on the way towards today, there was a sort of a zigging, zagging, probably a lot of time wasted bumbling effort by the administration to surrender then say they weren't surrendering and then today truly surrendering while still claiming otherwise and neal katyal was pointing out he was hearing directly from people who still work at the trump doj horrified by that process. take a listen. >> i've gotten calls all dale from justice department lawyers who are saying, this is horrible. please, you know, help us. and that's a pretty sad state of affairs. >> you have heard from multiple career justice department lawyers currently serving in the trump administration calling this you said quote horrible? >> yes, i don't remember the exact words but the effect of it is horrible and you know, and unprecedented. and unlawless. >> mike, your view of this particularly on the politics side. >> you know, it was -- this was astonishing. this was government by kendrick lamar today. i

former acting solicitor general neal katyal who helped write the current special counsel regulations. what was the most important thing that you heard today? >> i think the most important thing that occurred in the first three minutes of each of the two hearings. in the first hearing we saw representative nadler say the president says this report exonerates you, clears you, no collusion, no obstruction, and mueller absolutely said hey, that ain't my report. it doesn't say anything like that. putting to the lie to what trump has been claiming, but also to what attorney general barr has been saying is hey, this report totally exonerates the president and the like. i think that's number one. then with respect to the second hearing, representative schiff, i thought it was devastating, the line of questioning in the first three minutes to mueller. in the first three minutes, schiff basically said and mueller agreed that russia massively interfered with the presidential election 2016, that russia did it to help trump, that that was their preferred candidate, that the trump campaign welcomed

take a look at neal katyal who previewed how you would really do it.>> so donald trump tweeted right after the report came out, he said no collusion, no obstruction, totally exonerates the president. so question number one, mr. mueller, trump says that you found no obstruction. is that true. question two, trump says that you found no collusion, is that true. question number three, did your report totally exonerate the president? yes or no. simple. >> those are good questions. and you have you know, 24 or so democrats in the judiciary committee all get five minutes. they're going to have to make sure they coordinate and don't go in different directions. in between their questions, the republicans will ask mueller tell us ways you're part of the obama deep state conspiracy designed to get rid of trump ten years ago before we knew he was going to run. there were two hearings on wednesday. the first is the judiciary committee. then they take a break. they'll wipe the chairs down and they bring in the intelligence committee which will go after the issue of

. >>> also tonight, neal katyal will join us with his memories of justice john paul stevens, retiredupreme court justice, who died tonight at the age of 99. of savings and service. whoa. travis in it made it. it's amazing. oh is that travis's app? it's pretty cool, isn't it? there's two of them. they're multiplying. no, guys, its me. see, i'm real. i'm real! he thinks he's real. geico. over 75 years of savings and service. going to the shawn mendes verizon up concert was like an out of body experience. we were right in front of him. dead center. front row. 'cause actually, zarmina, you touched shawn mendes. yeah, i touched him! she touched shawn mendes! he like held my hand for a while. and then we got to meet him after, which was like... another surprise. yeah. we love verizon even more now. i'll never forget that day. ever. (vo) the network more people rely on, gives you more. like thousands of tickets to concerts, festivals and private shows. and big savings on our best phones when you switch. that's verizon. mno kidding.rd. but moving your internet and tv? that's easy. easy?! eas

neal katyal, thank you for joining us tonight. that is tonight's "last word." "the 11th hour with brian williams" starts now. >>> tonight, haunting images of the crisis unfolding inside u.s. detention center. a scene described as a ticking time bomb. we'll speak to a member of congress just back tonight from tours inside these facilities. >>> plus $2.5 million newly set aside by the park service as washington prepares for trump's fourth of july bash. >>> and democrats sue the irs and treasury for access to trump's taxes. and kamala harris catapults higher in a new poll, within striking distance of joe biden. all of it as "the 11th hour" gets under way on a tuesday night. >>> good evening once again from our nbc news headquarters here in new york. i'm ali velshi in for brian williams. day 894 of the trump administration. and we now have shocking new images of the extent of the humanitarian crisis at the border, released today by the department of homeland security's own internal watchdog. the government provided these images from facilities for migrants in texas

. >>> also tonight, neal katyal will join us with his memories of justice john paul stevens, retiredme court justice, who died tonight at the age of 99. ok everyone! our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure. with nine grams of protein and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. ensure, for strength and energy. ♪ how do you like it, ♪ how do you like it ♪ ♪ more, more, more ♪ how do you like it, how do you like it ♪ all you can eat is back. how do you like that? applebee's. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood. >>> today, four republicans broke with the president and voted to condemn donald trump's most recent racist comments, but that's four more republicans than usually break with the president. donald trump has taken complete control of the republican party is obvious to everyone. how he did it is not. that story is told in the new book "american carnage: on the front lines of the republican civil war and the rise of president trump" by tim alberta. it tells the story of paul ryan's public subservience to the pre

michael beschloss and neal c katyal, thank you both. >>> president trump is lashing out about roberttestimony. former acting director of the fbi andrew mccabe. >> good evening. that's not andrew mccabe there. >> the president just tweeted about mcgabe. >> oh, good. >> and a member of the judiciary committee, among those interviewing the special counsel. >> this is all going to take place under an hour from now. we are awaiting that testimony and we'll be right back with much more "morning joe." and we'll be right back with much more "morning joe." most people think a button is just a button. ♪ 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. so, every day, we put our latest technology and unrivaled network to work. the united states postal service makes more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the countr

i agree with what neal katyal said there are clear questions about the distortion promoted by his president allies that the report exonerates him and it said no collusion and no obstruction, you should get at those things and you have bob mueller talking about it in a clear and concise way that people will be able to see. so those are among the things that i recommend. >> but you point out he's almost a reluctant witness. the justice department said he's limited by four corners of the report in the letter and mueller requested that guidance from doj and requested that he be subpoenaed to testify tomorrow. do you think that that is to give him cover? why do that? >> i think partially i think not only is he almost a reluctant witness, i would delete the word almost. he is a reluctant witness. he did the press conference a few weeks ago to have that substitute before any future appearance before congress. he doesn't want to testify or be involved in the circus. he's been in congress before some 80-odd times and nothing he's experienced is anything like what he's going to get now in terms of pu

. >> as is perfectly appropriate for this program, neal katyal gets the word on justice stevens. >>> that is tonight's "last word." "the 11th hour with brian williams" starts now. >>> the democrats vote to condemn racist remarks by the president, and yet the president who claimed today that he didn't have a racist bone in his body, continues to go after four women of color, all duly noted members of congress. >>> and mark sanford was considering challenging the president in his own party on the economy. the reporter who broke this story is standing by for us. >>> and a towering figure of american law is gone nine months from his 100th birthday. tonight how the story of justice john paul stevens would be simply impossible in the america of 2019. all of it as "the 11th hour" gets underway on a tuesday night. >>> well, good evening once again from our nbc news headquarters in new york. this was day 908 of the trump administration, and while there is no joy in it, one way of summing up today is this. our government's broken, our politics are broken, washington is no longer functional, an

neal katyal ais here on that. he started this week like last week, stoking racial tension.is here tonight as well. that's not all. later on the show, presidential candidate andrew yang along with jermaine dupre together. i'll explain. we begin with the top story. bob mueller's testimony two days away and here's what we're learning right now. first mueller will discuss the

neal katyal told you this. we had this reporting from when they were desegregating the schools. several troops had to use their clubs to push this crowd to prevent anyone from molesting this young woman, this young woman of color. "don't let her in. don't get back where you came from," they yelled. that was 1957. >> my story is from you know, 1981, like these things happen. and again, to me the point is not so much is trump a racist. of course, he is. are his supporters racist? of course. what has to happen is we have to understand how to defeat these people. right? we know that a majority of white people will vote for trump again. they did the last time. a majority of white people have voted for the republican nominee every presidential election since the passage of the civil rights act. that's just a fact. that is not change willing. but we also know that a majority of white people are still a minority of americans. and we know that when you pull together, nonwhite people and jewish people and the white people who reject this kind of racism, that we have enough to beat donald

. >> neal katyal we usually have on as a legal expert opening up about what we're hearing from so many americans which is the history you can read or the lived experience which you have to listen to learn how thesetropes are thrown around. take a look. >> i don't talk personally on your show much but anyone who has brown skin hears these comments all the time. for it started when i was 3 years old when my mom was pulling out of the car and pulling out of the driveway and someone knocked on her door and said go back to your country. my mom laughed. that was her response, utter sheer laughter. but i think this is different because this is of course, not some rando on the street, but the president of the united states. >> you heard it again, as well this afternoon from another member of the administration when kellyanne conway asked a reporter what's your ethnicity? >> what was that? wow. >> i don't quite know what is going on in the white house at the moment but it seems ethnicity, race, religion, the group you come from unless you come from one particular group anglo saxon, christian gr

. >> and neal katyal, we're sitting four places down, but i was following your tweets during this. and you seized on that exchange between congressman ted lou and robert mueller. i want to play that and get your thoughts on it. here it is. >> so to recap what we've heard, and we have heard tay that the president ordered former white house counsel don mcgahn to fire you. the president ordered don mcgahn to then cover that up and create a false paperan trail. now we hear that the president ordered corey lewandowski to tell jeff sessions to limit your investigation so that he, you, would stop investigating the president. able reasonabl person looking at these facts could conclude that all three elements of the crime ofbs ouction of justice have been met and i would like to ask you again that the reason you did not indict donald trump is because of the olc opinion that states you cannot indict a sitting president, correct? >> that is correct. >> and he said it again few minutes ago, and just to be clear, what you're hearing therr is he wasdy to charge, except for that. >> the central d

and neal katyal, former acting solicitor general for our government. and also claire mccaskill. and of course nicolle wallace, someone i won't say who called that the red bull version of robert mueller after the break. >> such a bad leaker. i had a theory that -- listen, this is the last thing i said before this started. this committee is so different. adam schiff has been investigating the russian attack since it happened. so adam schiff is steeped in the substance as robert mueller and this was much more a conversation between two professionals who share the same concerns about the gravity of the russian attack on the 2016 elections in this country. so this felt different because it was different. you also had in devin nunes, the other thing that we talked about, the things that are said on fox news are indiscernible now from republican house members. that is not more accurate for any two sort of beings on both sides of that divide than devin nunes and sean hannity. >> the world nunes laid out with mueller looking up at him is contrary to the world mueller knows. >> because it