. >> shannon watts of course leads a group for moms for action. in the statehouses and some of those key congressional races that gun control advocates won republican seats. >> yeah, and look this is the -- this is a discussion that's happening in the deciding area of electoral politics right now, the suburbs. this is where democrats or republicans will really gain a majority. so if gun control is the dominating issue as it seems to have been in the last mid-terms, then that's going to be something that is going to swing the pendulum one way or another either to democrats or republicans. and if republicans can get onboard and figure out a way to pass some kind of gun bill, they'll probably gain some seats. >> i think some people expect some massive change, but if it's seat by seat, statehouse by statehouse maybe that makes a difference over time. >>> still to come this hour, growing pressure on congress to act, but will mitch mcconnell even allow anything to reach the floor in terms of meaningful gun reform? we are live in the senate majority lead

shannon watts joins me now from washington. shannon, this conference, sadly well timed.hat did you all talk about yesterday in the wake of the el paso attack, before the dayton attack? >> we get together once a year i was with 2,000 gun sensitivists, students and mothers who want to put an end to this gun violence crisis, not just mass and school shootings, but daily gun violence, homicides and suicides in rural communities. we have to stop all of it. here we are, crisis after crisis. i get asked all the time if i'm numb or if i think americans are numb. those videos show you we're not. there's not a parent in this country who isn't terrified that their child will be next. >> some of your volunteers from texas had to step away, right? what were they doing when they heard about el paso? >> they were devastated that this happened. some of them live there. they're calling their senators and demanding they come back from recess and vote on gun safety legislation like a background check on every gun sale, a word "checks" to 64443 and we'll connect you to your senator. >> what

the founder of that group, shannon watts just spoke at the forum. she's with us now. ou heard any ideas? have you heard any proposals since you've been there that give you hope that there's change on the way? >> i have. not only what we've heard a couple of the candidates who have already spoken say, but also conversations we've had backstage where they're feeling very emboldened and empowered to act on this issue, and it is really becoming a priority in their policy platforms, which is so important going into the 2020 elections. they know they have the majority of american's support, even gun ownser owners and that this has to happen. >> do their words mirror the things you want, you and others who want fast action on legislation? >> we are asking for two simple things. we're asking for a vote on background checks, which already passed the house. it would require a background check on every gun sale in the country, and we're also asking the senate to vote on a strong red flag law, and that allows family or police to petition a judge for a temporary restraining order t

shannon watts is with moms demand action for gun sense in america. hans nichols is following the story from kentucky for us. >>> next, families torn apart after an i.c.e. raid on a food processing plant in mississippi. 680 people arrested leaving their children abandoned at school. we'll speak with the superintendent dealing with the crisis. you're watching "velshi and ruhle" on msnbc. let's get down to business. the business of family time... ...and downtime. ...and you time. ...and forgetting what time it is...altogether. modernized comfort inns and suites have been refreshed because when your business is making time, our business is you. get the lowest price guaranteed on all choice hotels when you book direct at choicehotels.com. >>> welcome back. the biggest single day sweep in history, immigrations and custom enforcement arrested 680 workers yesterday across mississippi, most of them latino. the raids hit seven food processing plants across six cities on the same day that many of the workers' children headed back to school. i.c.e. released this

joining me now shannon watts founder of moms demand action for gun sense in america. n, you were one of the driving forces that put this gun reform forum into place this weekend. help us understand from all of those candidates who spoke, who stood out to you the most in terms of gun reform? >> you know, it was an amazing day. we had 16 presidential candidates and all of them are working to be the best on this issue. each of them have interesting and unique ideas. and, honestly, that's what the primary season is about. it's about testing these ideas, looking at them, analyzing them, and deciding who will be the best candidate. we have to recognize this is a sea change in american politics. guns was for so long the third rail. and now people realize it is not only not polarizing, it gets people out to the polls. >> let's think about the fact, bassal that it was the third rail. in the last two cycles we barely heard about gun laws. eric swalwell, that was the number one thing he was running on. is gun reform the biggest thing besides anti-trump that can unite democrats? >

joining our conversation now is shannon watts, founder of gun safety action, an organization foundedthe aftermath of the newtown shooting. thank you so much for being here. what goes through your mind with a conversation like this? >> obviously last weekend was another tragedy in north america. it's the daily gun violence that kills hundreds of americans in this country, and all of it must be addressed. gun homicides in city centers, gun suicides in rural communities. moms taking action is now the largest grassroots action in the country. we're going toe to toe with the gun lobby. we outspent them in the midterm elections and i'm quite certain we will beat them again in 2020. >> people talk about getting numb or immune. i don't hear about that. parkland was like a kaleidoscope, and it gets more serious. every tragedy brings more people. do you see that? >> there isn't a parent in the country that isn't afraid it will be their child. parents have to send their kids to school and they pretend to die in the bathroom of their first grade classroom. >> unbelievable. unbelievable reality.

. >> the surgeon general is also there, as well as the founder of mons demand auction, shannon watts. >>> additional charges against a man arrested for allegedly attacking a woman outside of her embarcadero condominium. it was this video that first led to charges against austin vincent. it showed him violently wrestling her to the ground, trying to enter her condominium earlier this month. after the release of his mug shot, another woman came forward, claiming that he attacked her with a knife in february. but now, the district attorney's office is that it has received information that vincent was in southern california at that time. so those charges will have to be droughts. the d.a. is still asking to keep vincent in custody. >>> we have new information on asbestos levels on a san jose construction site. as we reported, the construction has been shut down since early august as a result of those elevated asbestos levels. kpix 5's reporter joins us live. >> reporter: the city of san jose is sharing some of and stated that shows the asbestos levels from the monitoring stations appear o

. >> reporter: shannon watts, the founder of moms demand action says it's time for people to get off the sidelines and demand gun legislation be passed. >> we passed stronger guns in 21 states. red flag laws in 17 states. >> reporter: there is some dissent about whether to call for reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. we asked speaker pelosi for her position. >> i think the focus has to stay on getting a senate vote on the background check legislation. keep the focus on mitch mc connell, give us a vote. >> reporter: after the town hall, speaker pelosi said she has not not spoke on the mc connell. he is willing to take up the issue of background checks and red flag laws when the senate reconvenes in september. >>> president trump is reportedly coming here to california next month for two fundraisers. according to politico, the president will go to season fran and los angeles. in april the president made a rare visit to california atteinfundraiser in beverly hills. prosecutors in san francisco will drop the added charges against a man seen on video attacking a woman outside of her

joining our conversation now is shannon watts, founder of gun safety action, an organization foundedtermath of the newtown shooting. thank you so much for being here. what goes through your mind with a conversation like this? >> obviously last weekend was another tragedy in north america. it's the daily gun violence that kills hundreds of americans in this country, and all of it must be addressed. gun homicides in city centers, gun suicides in rural communities. moms taking action is now the largest grassroots action in the country. we're going toe to toe with the gun lobby. we outspent them in the midterm elections and i'm quite certain we will beat them again in 2020. >> people talk about getting numb or immune. i don't hear about that. parkland was like a kaleidoscope, and it gets more serious. do you see that? >> there isn't a parent in the country that isn't afraid it will be their child. >> isn't a far parent in the country sending a child younger than 3 having active shooter drills. parents have to send their kids to school and they pretend to die in the bathroom of their firs

joining me to talk about this is shannon watts from moms demand action.forget the day of sandy hook, going out there and thinking this will change it. things will be different. while we continue to have mass shootings, in fact, some things have changed. >> so much has changed. i understand people are waiting for that cathartic moment in congress but what sandy hook required us to do was build a political movement that can go toe to toe with the gun lobby. that takes time. for us it's now taken 6 1/2 years. year now larger than the nra and we are beating them. i know when shootings happen like this, which is so tragic and my heart goes out to these communities because they are suffering but americans should not feel hopeless, they should not feel cynical. in fact, in honor of what happened this weekend, it is on them to act. >> what does acting like like to the average american? >> first of all text the word checks to 43333 and we will connect to you your legislation. >> the word checks like background checks? >> exactly. and you can can also join others w

shannon watts, the town hall covered topics like school safety and immigration. back to you. >>> rideshare drivers are demanding to be unionized. they got some surprising support today from a presidential candidate, mayor pete buttigieg. he was in san francisco for campaign event. he joined the protest from all over the state to protest outside of uber headquarters. >>> coming up, our kpix 5 original report. >>> this was a free-for-all. they did not call the cops or anything. >>> the serious allegations against a substance abuse treatment facility in the east bay. why want teenagers that is sent him deeper into his addiction. >>> a proposed fix for the sinking millennium tower. it comes at a hefty price tag. >>> a state of emergency tonight in puerto rico as a powerful storm inches closer >>> earlier today, we told you about a substance abuse treatment facility in oakland where a 16-year-old resident ended up in the er with acute alcohol poisoning. internet's original report, we spoke to another family that also had a life-threatening experience with their teenag

and the founding member of moms demand action movement, shannon watts. time you and i spoke, and unfortunately, because this happens far too often, i couldn't quite place it, but i want to get your reaction. we've heard so many of the democratic presidential candidates talk about that legislation, the kind of legislation you're talking about. the president on the other hand has tweeted repeatedly "thoughts and prayers." what do you think about that? >> thoughts and prayers, alone, without action, are not going to solve the crisis that kills over 100 americans every single day in this country. not just mass shootings and school shootings. city, rural, it's guns, homicide, all of it. we have to care about all of it and act on all of it. i've been listening to you all talk. i understand the sense of hopelessness and even cynicism, but it's so important to remember that we are winning in statehouses and in boardrooms, and this doesn't happen overnight. it's going to take several election cycles. but we are building the momentum that will point congress and t

. >> reporter: shannon watts says it's time for people to get off of the sidelines and demand gun legislation be passed. >> we have passed stronger background check laws in 21 states and passed red flag laws in 17 states. >> reporter: within the democratic party there is some dissent about whether to call for reinstatementment of the assault weapons ban. we asked speaker pelosi for her position. >> i think the focus has to stay on getting a senate vote on the background check legislation. keep the focus on mitch mc connell, give us vote, to pay if you don't. >> reporter: after the town hall, speaker pelosi said she has not not spoken to mitch mc connell. >>> president trump is reportedly coming to california next month for two fundraisers according to politico , the president will photo san francisco and to las angeles. in april the president made a rare trip to california attending a $15,000 a plate fundraiser in beverly hills. >>> prosecutors in san francisco say they will drop the added charges against a man seen on video attacking a woman outside of her condo building. 25 year old austin

thank you, shannon watts and jane kleeb. we're going to interview more about gun reform.ery. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. >>> we're continuing with our breaking news. accused sex trafficker jeffrey epstein has died in his manhattan jail cell. the justice department just released a statement confirming that epstein was found unresponsive in his manhattan cell at approximately 6:30 this morning. he was transported to a hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries and subsequently pronounced dead by hospital officials. multiple people familiar with the investigation said that epstein was not currently on suicide watch at the time of his death, even though just last month the millionaire financier was found injured in his cell after what was called a possible suicide attempt. also new this hour, a cnn law enforcement official told nbc news that the fbi is investigating the incident as an abundance of caution. however, the official added that there is nothing at this point to suggest foul play. joining me now, msnbc contribute tore danny c eva llos and civil

others speaking at the event include california's surgeon general and shannon watts, the founder of mom'son. congressman spear said mom's demand now has a larger membership than the nra and she called once again for universal background checks, saying they are a no-brainer. >> >>> ktvu fox 2 news at 6:30 is next with accusation of stolen trade secrets that the case involving two of the bay area's big tech companies and the self driving technology. >>> the warriors officially moved to just go. who will catch up with team owner joe lake of about the warriors do home and he says changes good. >>> also a, tropical storm dorian plowing through the caribbean and gaining strength as it gets closer to puerto rico. will show you preparations going on there right now. geico makes it easy to get help when i need it. with licensed agents available 24-7, it's not just easy. it's having-jerome-bettis- on-your-flag-football-team easy. go get 'em, bus! ohhhh! [laughing] c'mon bus, c'mon! hey, wait, wait, wait! hey man, i g your flag! i got your flag, man! i got your flag! it's geico easy. with licensed a

shannon watts started after newtown. this has been an intersectional movement. after parkland, those kids were like we refuse to accept the status quo. you're telling me, well, nothing can change. i think that's what needs to happen as opposed to what trump can do. i don't believe anything he says. there is enough evidence at this point to tell me as a thinking logical person with neurons firing that he is not telling the truth off. >> right. >> and we already have precedent in this specific example when it comes to the nra. they do not want background checks. they do not want anything that is going to curb their profitability of the gun manufacturing industry. and so as citizens who feel very unsafe in this moment, not just because of the white nationalist rhetoric but also because of the easy access to high capacity magazines and other assault-style rifles, i think that, you know, we should take a note from the parkland kids and moms demand and join up if we feel we want changes on these issues. >> let me cross over to jake for his take on this as well as the

melanie, and shannon watts, founder of moms demand action for gun sense in america. a big thanks to all of you. case vir let casey, let me start with you. we talked about gun laws on the today show in the is part of that conversation. from a law enforcement perspective, would changing gun laws in this country, in a measurable way, would changing those laws, would it make us safer? >> we had an assault weapons ban. we passed it in nine 94. congress threat expire on purpose, not by accident. i think -- think we need to get serious about this discussion where we can't have a garlic festival or a kindergarten classroom in connecticut where we're not thinking of who's going to walk in with extended magazines with over 30 rounds and a rifle meant for combat that are going into the wrong hands without having a serious discussion. >> casey, what are the chances that we'll see any serious conversation or debate about that on the hill? >> craig think there you're going to see conversations and debates. but i think a lot of americans are really frustrated with that being the on

. >> here with me now is shannon watts, the founder of moms demand action, a grass roots organizationhe days and the aftermath of the sandy hook massacre. shann shannon, thank you for being here. you were just with me here in may. we were talking about moms can get it done and demanding action and talking about the roots of your organization and what progress you think is being made. now we have 30 people killed, two shootings across two cities in the span of 13 hours and so many people injured. the president speaking out about it this morning, tweeting about it this morning. when the question continues to be every time is this time different, how do you answer that question this time? what do you think? >> look, every horrific shooting tragedy in this country makes americans realize that this is a public health crisis and they have to act. makes them get off the sidelines. our organization tripled in size after the horrific tragedy in parkland, florida. after sandy hook we started our organization. so every time something like this happens, america does act. i don't believe we're num

shannon watts is founder of moms demand action, a grassroots organization she established in the daysfter the 2012 shooting at sdyhook elementary school to strengthen u.s. gun laws. larry ward is chief marketing officer with gun dynamics, a group that promotes gun-rights and the gun industry. welcome to you both. thank you for making the 'lme. shannon,start with you. i want to take a moment, and if you can, on a day like today, when many americans are reeling rrom the events over the weekend, what is yessage to them? what specifically are the changes you would like to see put into place? >> well, we are specifically calling on congress to come back from recess and to do their jobs. we're asking them to pass legislation that we've seen work in the states,ck a ound e eck on every gun sale, 21 states now requiat, as well as red flago legislan. 17 states have red flag laws and have shown ta be essenin interrupting gun suicide and gui de, and it is time for congress to do their job and protect americans instead of protecting gun manufacturers' profits. >> larry ward, what was your rd about

i just saw shannon watts, the woman who started calls to mom action here at nbc, and she is the woman i always thought would take -- i started a gun control group in 1999 after columbine. it did not succeed. but i thought -- >> yet. >> yet. but i thought it's going to take children being killed for something to change. and then it happened in new town. i worked for president obama then and nothing changed but moms demand action started there. now you see it becoming a voting issue. it's a voting issue in the presidential presidential primary, it will be this time. people will turn out and vote. if congress don't act this time, they will get voted out in 2020. >> jadavid jolly, i'm losing yo and i want to give you the last word. i will give you all of the last words on another day. but i want to get you on the record to something jen just said. i think there's something even more enduring about asking questions you know the answer to. the other thing we do in the press is we answer the questions that we have no idea the answer. we have no idea nothing will change. we banned the talk of

department of counter-terrorism coordinator under both president bush and president obama, and shannon wattsant to start with you. we see the news reports. we've become almost numb to these mass shootings, but what do the numbers show? how dramatic is the increase in these mass shootings? >> jonathan, something pretty horrific has been happening. the fbi began studying active shooter incidents beginning in 2000. the country used to average about six active shooter incidents per year. 2017, the last year that we have data, the number was up to 30, five times more than when they began studying the incidents. if americans have a sense that something different is going on even as the overall crime rate has gone down, it is. more people showing up in active shooter situations. >> and yet we've seen promises by political leader after political leader to deal with this problem. john cohen, you have dealt with this issue as a federal official. you're still following it. why are we going in the wrong direction? >> the short answer is, jon, it's not a priority. there's a lot we should be doing and a l

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. >> joining me now is shannon watts, founder of moms demand actions, one of the organizers of this weekend'shave you with us. i wanted to pick up on something we just heard there from mayor pete buttigieg because i think it underscores the national debate we're having in this country which is about there has to be a political penalty for those that continue to stand in the way of those reforms, and we'll get to those reforms in a minute but do you feel from the work you're doing on the front lines of this issue, there is a political penalty for people opposing sensible gun reform? >> that's absolutely what's happening. after the sandy hook tragedy in 2012, there was not a political movement in place that could go toe to toe with the gun lobby. the fact we've grown so much and we now have that political power was shown in the mid-term elections in 2018. we outspent and outmaneuvered the nra. we elected over 1,000 gun sense candidates across the country and we're the candidates went up against nra candidates, 77% of them won. that shows when you do the right thing, we'll have your back, but if

. >> shannon: something that both sides are worried about, we will continue to track. that i know you won't have much timeings wattget to a couple of important things. you said tonight, not like you didn't get to finish your answer, but you made an accurate that president trump is in some way supporting al qaeda. is that in connection with the partnership with saudi arabia, what were you getting at? >> both, his support and alliance with saudi arabia that is providing direct and indirect support directly to al qaeda, to speak of the fact that saudi arabia continues to be the prop gator of this -- propagator of this ideology that provides the fertile recruiting grounds for al qaeda. this droois them and connected to what is happening in syria. >> shannon: you think the va liddivity of a u.s. partnership with saudi arabia, managing problems in the region, across party lines there have been a lot of discussions and a lot of talk about the fact that saudi arabia is a very important partner in the region when it comes to fighting terrorists. >> you look at where the partnership has gotten us, once again, how can you sa