Transcripts For KNTV Meet The Press 20240714

Checks. Mitch mcconnell is getting just a little bit worried. My view, he ought b a lot worried. And after the largest targeted attack on latinos in modern american history, hundreds are arrested in workplace immigration raids. My dad is not a criminal. My guest this morning, acting Homeland Security secretary kevin mcaleenan. Also, after Jeffrey Epstein accused of sex trafficking dies in federal custody, there are new questions for trumps justice department. Plus, my on the trail interview with senator Kamala Harris on the president people are afraid in our country. And on her campaign. There is confusion about where you are on health care. Finally, all eyes on hayes. Hello, iowa iowan democrats 22 president ial candidates blitz the first in the nation caucus state. Joining me for insight and analysis, nbc News White House correspondent kristen welker, hugh hewitt, maria teresa kumar, and robert costa, National Political reporter for the Washington Post. Welcome to sunday. Its meet the press. Announcer from nbc news in washington, the longest running show in television history, this is meet the press with chuck todd. Good sunday morning. As the country struggles to process the events of the last weekend, as we grapple once again with our gun culture, this wound feels deeper and a bit rawer. It was a week that the country needed a president to do what president s have done in the past, to provide solace and healing, and to remind us all that the american story travels on that arc of history that bends toward justice. Instead, President Trump delivered a teleprompter message of unity on monday and spent most of the rest of the week attacking his perceived political foes, calling the dayton mayors News Conference a fraud, saying Joaquin Castro makes a fool of himself every time he opens his mouth, and telling beto orourke of el paso, texas, to shut his mouth. Democrats in turn ramped up their rhetoric, blaming the president and many calling him a white supremacist. 6 1 2 years after newtown and 2 years after charlottesville, what does happen now . Will a built strengthening background checks gain momentum, or will we see the predictable wash, rinse, repeat action of gridlock on guns play out again . Will the Trump Administration surprise its critics and fully engage in addressing domestic terrorism, particularly its links to white supremacist ideology . Or will that problem continue to fester . Just this week from las vegas to toledo, ohio, to florida, arrests were made after domestic terror threats. As the threat rises, only a president can lead the conversation. The problem, this president who has wielded the patrol ticks of race as a political cudgel is stoking it. We need meaningful background checks so that sick people dont get guns. President trump under political pressure after Mass Shootings in el paso and dayton is promising new gun regulations. Well see where the nra will be, but we have to have meaningful background checks. Its a message that may sound familiar. After las vegas well be talking about gun laws as time goes by. After parkland. Well be doing the background checks. In the end, the president and Senate Republicans failed to support background check legislation. Why is now different . Time goes by. I dont think im different, but i think the senate is different. I think other people in the house are different. But a spokesman for Senate Republican leader Mitch Mcconnell said he is not yet endorsed any legislation. Thats after pushback for these comments thursday. But what we cant do is is fail to pass something, you know. By just locking up and failing to pass, thats unacceptable. The only thing a new law would do would drive a wedge between trump and his voters and the nra. Red flag laws, which identify extreme risk individuals and empower family and Law Enforcement to intervene to temporarily remove their guns have broad public support. 89 of americans, including 84 of republicans, support background checks at gun shows or other private sales. President trump wants to have everything both ways. He wants to say, oh, yes, i could support changes on gun safety and then say, but lets all be sure to bow to the nra. Democrats are also raising their rhetoric on the president , blaming him for stoking hatred. This is white nationalism. This is white supremacy. He is a big hit with white supremacists. Is the president a white supremacist . He is. I think its a disgrace, and i think it shows how desperate the democrats are. All righdemocrats point to m trumps rhetoric in the months before the el paso shooter targeted latinos, killing 22 people. It is an invasion, you know that. I call it invasion. Its an invasion. An invasion. Invasion. Its invasion. An invasion. On wednesday, the same day President Trump visited el paso, i. C. E. Raided seven Food Processing plants in mississippi, arresting about 680 undocumented workers. I need my dad. My dad didnt do nothing. Hes not a criminal. But federal authorities have yet to announce charges against the companies themselves. This serves as a very good deterrent. If people come into our country illegally, theyre going out. And joining me now is the acting secretary of Homeland Security, kevin mcaleenan. Welcome to meet the press. Good to see you, chuck. Let me start with those raids in mississippi. They were followed closely by the violence in el paso. Theres some headlines around the country this week about many hispanic Communities Just not feeling safe, including there in jason, mississippi. Tremendous fear. Boston globe, hispanics, congregants saying theyre scared. I understand that the raids were planned for some time. Was there any thought at postponing it just simply the timing . Let me start with the community in el paso. Thats our community. Thats the department of Homeland Security community. Theres 4,000 families there protecting that border. Theyre largely hispanic. So this is an attack, in el paso, on us, on our community. Its something we responded to operationally and that we need to respond to, to be clear about what happened here. It was hate. It was domestic terrorism. Its our responsibility to do more to address it. In terms of the i. C. E. Operations, these are enforcement operations that are part of their daily cycle. Something like this has been planned for over a year. This is a criminal investigation with 14 federal warrants issued by a judge. I. C. E. Had to follow through on that. It was already planned and in motion. Did you know this raid was going to happen this week in advance . Were you informed of this . Was the president informed of this . The president doesnt run Law Enforcement operations. I was, of course, informed of it, but this is done there was no thought at postponing it, even a week, two weeks, considering the sensitivity . You saw the headlines. I know you are you want to be sensitive to this. Was there any thought of postponing it . These employers are exploiting undocumented workers. This is a situation where you have 680 arrests just in this one operation. That means those employers are just ignoring the law entirely in what they do. Thats why a judge gave us a warrant to go after them. This is in the middle of an ongoing criminal investigation. We do expect to continue forward toward charges. So its interesting you just said you were talking about the employers. The only people arrested were the employees. Why . So as i said, were in the middle of an ongoing investigation. You get a warrant from a federal judge, probable cause. You then go gather evidence at the sites. Then you look at the appropriate charges in concert with the department of justice and u. S. Attorney. All right. Look, this is what i. C. E. s website says. This is work force enforcement. This is what it says. I. C. E. Will obtain indictments, criminal arrests, or search warrants or a commitment from a u. S. Attorneys office to prosecuted the targeted employer before arresting employees for civil immigration violations at a work site. This looks like the exact opposite. You arrested the employees, about half of whom have been released, perhaps because they were here legally. None of these employers in fact, we had Law Enforcement tell us they couldnt even tell us which companies were targeted. Who committed the crime . Didnt the employer commit the crime . Of course. And we have those employers and names who were targeting. Look, we just finished an investigation very similar in tennessee. Over 150 arrests 18 months ago. We now have an individual employer whos got a year and a half sentence in federal prison for this effort. Were in the middle of the criminal investigation. This case will be pursued. Were these i mean, 600 agents. Its our understanding they were drawn from all parts of the country. You have said the system is stressed. Targeting nonviolent undocumented people, is that the priority . Shouldnt the priority be of the criminals that supposedly isnt that the priority . What evidence that these people were harming society . So let me be clear. The priority right no is our Border Security crisis, the humanitarian and security crisis at the border. Mississippi is not on the border. Let me explain. So 75 of those people that i. C. E. Is taking into custody are coming from recent border entrants. The remaining 25 , 85 of those are criminals or people that are mandatory detention. This group is the smaller part of this group, but you have to have a balance enforcement strategy. We have to start with our partners in Central America and mexico. We also have to have interior enforcement to stop this incentive, this work opportunity that we have in the u. S. That employers are exploiting. Weve seen that in this case. I understand that, but your rhetoric doesnt match the action. The action targeted the employee, not the employer. The five companies in fact, they claim innocence in all of this. They claim they followed the law. So you targeted its clear theyre not. This is one of those things thats an open secret. Food processing plants in this country dont work without undocumented labor. So again, this is a criminal investigation of the employers who are exploiting an undocumented work force and skirting our laws. Now, when you do an operation at a work siette, you cant ignore people that are there without the proper permission to be in the United States. You dont know who they are. Over 200 of these individuals had a criminal record in the u. S. How many had green cards and were here legally . I can get you that information. They were presumed guilty first. Of the arrests i dont have any information they had green cards. They were all taken and processed. Its important. You had a lot of really sympathetic video there. I want to tell you that i. C. E. Took great pains to make sure that there were no child dependent care issues that were ignored. 32 of the arrestees were released on site at the plant. Another 270 within the first day of the operation. Thats 45 of the people arrested released for humanitarian reasons, including childcare. They took this very seriously. They had a process with 14 different caseworkers and phones available to call and find parents and kids and make arrangements. This was done with sensitivity. You say its done with sensitivity, and yet we have kids without parents. And there wasnt a warning. There wasnt any warning because the fear was, oh, then people would flee. What would have been why not try to keep family units . Why not get the schools involved so that theyre not caught by surprise . So we did have i. C. E. Agents at each of the schools as a liaison. But they didnt know in advance. The schools didnt know. You cant tell someone youre going to do a Law Enforcement operation. Again, the targets of that operation could destroy evidence. There could be lots of different reactions to that. Youve got to do it with the appropriate operational protections. All right. I want to move to the issue of domestic terrorism. There was a report this week that your department, and i dont know whether this is of the folks currently at the department or previous Homeland Security administration folks, but there was a headline here in cnn that basically the white house rebuffed attempts by dhs to make combatting domestic terrorism, including white supremacy, a higher priority. Can you confirm this story . I cant confirm that story. I was not involved in that back and forth. But the National Counterterrorism strategy, for the first time, prioritizes domestic terrorism in multiple places and calls out racially motivated violent extremism. Weve taken that direction and move forward on it. We had hundreds of reports last year, 150 increase. Those reports are getting greater fidelity and greater review by our state and local partners. Weve been after this problem for several years at dhs. I believe that, but has the white house been as supportive as they could be . Im getting all the support im asking for. Obviously theyre directing a plan right now through the National Security council to look at what Additional Resources and what additional procedures we can take as an ininti inner agency. Our cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is doing hundreds of training, reaching tens of thousands of people. Our u. S. Secret service, they just released their last report with all the indicators from recent attacks with a whole of community effort. We can identify these individuals up front. They always show signs of concern. Were out there training, working with state and local, first responders, and Mental Health providers to give them that information. Were going to increase that effort. Since 9 11, there have been more victims of domestic terrorism than International Terrorism. As dhs, you were told to worry about International Terrorism first. Is it fair to say you want to change the priority, that your priority needs to be domestic terrorism . Is that a greater threat . Absolutely. So dhs has to balance threats. We have to address multimissions. Remember, department of justice and the fbi are the lead for domestic terrorism investigations and preventions. Most of dhs operational capacity is focused on border and international issues. But our ability to support state and locals, to provide that prevention, awareness, and response capability, thats where were emphasizing our effort, not only with the u. S. Secret service, but fema, the whole elements of the department. I want to go back to the mississippi raid one more time. Given the emotions of the country right now, in hindsight, do you wish this raid didnt happen this week . The timing was unfortunate. Kevin mcaleenan. By the way, if youre offered the job permanently, would you accept it . Im focused on solving problems, chuck. Were working on an entire international strategy. I want top emphasize the overcrowding situation, the challenging conditions at the border have been largely addressed thanks to the emergency supplemental funding we finally secured from congress, and our work with mexico, guatemala, and other Central American partners. Were down 75 to people in custody. Do you want to go back to your old job . U. S. Customs and Border Protection is my home, my agency, my dream job. But im honored to serve in this role. Theres tremendous capability we can continue to improve. Would you take it permanently . Im honored to serve right now, and im trying to solve problems. You didnt answer it. Thats fair. Secretary mcaleenan, thank you for coming on and sharing the departments views. Thank you. On friday, i traveled to sioux city, iowa, where Kamala Harris was kicking off a fiveday bus tour of the state. I asked her if labeling the president a white supremacist matters. I think it overlooks the fact of the truth about the history of our country and where we are, which is you know, we have to speak truth. Racism is real in this country. It was before he was elected. It will be after. Antisemitism, homophobia, is m islamophobia, these issues are real in our country. We have to speak truth about it. Certainly, we must point out and never condone anyone who uses their power in a way that fans it. But the reality is that these are forms of hate that are not new to our country, which have in the history of our country taken lethal proportion and still today take on lethal proportion. So i believe the conversation has to be about how we are going to speak truth about the history and then address it. You know, when i look at whats happening now, chuck, just most recently, with the announcement of the raids from months ago, much less what happened in el paso, to the most recent raids where hundreds of people were picked up, many released because they probably shouldnt have been picked up in the first place, people are afraid in our country. Do you think hispanics feel targeted right now . I do. Between el paso and this i. C. E. Raid that took place in mississippi. And this president s rhetoric, which has been can he say anything at this point to reassure hispanicamericans . I dont think it would be authentic if he did. I think people are smart enough to know that. Theres an old saying, judge me by my actions, not my words. His actions have been to divide, to vilify, to do what is contrary to who we are as americans, which is to say, its us versus them as opposed to a president who uses the power of that microphone in a way that is about unifying and lifting up as opposed to beating down. Thats what this president does. He beats people down, and i will tell you, thats the sign of a coward. What do you how do you strike that balance of hitting him but still trying to win over some of his supporters . You know, ultimately, i know in a general election, you do want to win over some of his supporters. Why do you think they picked him the first time . I want to earn every americans vote. Why do you think they picked him the first time . You used a phrase before the 16 campaign. Were going to look at ourselves in the mirror. Well, we did, and what happened . And i said then and i say today, this is an inflection moment in the history of our country. This is a moment in time where each of us must look in a mirror and collective bly, we must loo in a mirror and say, who are we . We are better this. But what did we say in 16 . Heres the thing. There are people who voted for him for a variety of reasons. A lot of it had to do with the promises he made, which he has not delivered on because they were false promises. And he betrayed a lot of people. He came in saying he was going to help working families. Everyone from farmers to auto workers. You brought up the raids in mississippi. Believe it or not, Law Enforcement told us that they had to be intentionally vague about the companies that were, quote, raided. Explain to me you were a prosecutor. Why were the workers targeted and not the companies . Why do the five Companies Get to is there why do they have a Privacy Protection here . Is there something in the law im missing . No, and i dont know why they did what they did. I dont know why they decided to do it right after el paso when a Community People of felt but if they hired people that werent citizens, theyre the ones in the wrong. Of course, yes. Right, of course. The employers have to be responsible. They have to do whatever is required by law. But theres another point here, chuck, which is that this administration has directed dhs to conduct these raids as part of what i believe is this administrations campaign of terror. Which is to make whole populations of people afraid to go to work. Children are afraid to go to school for fear that when they come home, their parents wont be there. You have spoken about race as a National Security issue. You spent time in the Intel Committee. Youve been involved in the russia investigation. And you have said that russia targeting us on race proves that our racial strife is a National Security issue. How do you get the public to see it that way . Okay, so russia interfered in the election of the president of the United States, regardless of what donald trump says. Listen to the intelligence community. They tell you that is true because it is true. So thats a fact. Should we label russia a state sponsor of terrorism . I think that is a debatable point. Ukraine, the uk, United States . Theres no question theyve committed human rights abuse. Theres no question they are an adversary. Theres no question theyve attacked americas democracy. Not just ours. Ukraines. We can look across the board, of course. But heres the thing. We also have to, on this election issue, understand that this longstanding adversary decided they wanted to attack us where we are strong. And one of the almost intangible strengths of america is we can hold ourselves out as a democracy, imperfect though we may be, flawed though we may be. Its an intangible strength. It gives us the authority to lock in rooms and actually talk about human right, talk about civil rights, talk about concepts of freedom, right . So they decide, lets get at them. Lets attack that. So they decide to attack what is the strongest pillar of a democracy, which is free and open elections. So lets get americans going at each other. Whats going to get heat . The easiest way to do it. They tried out a bunch of different things. You know what caught heat . The issue of race. So russia exposed americas achilles heel. And all of a sudden, then guess what. For those who want to marginalize the conversation about race and racial inequities and say, oh, well, thats identity politics or thats this or that, guess what, now it is also a National Security issue. And we need to deal with it. Later this hour, more of my interview with senator Kamala Harris on election security, National Security overall, health care, and her campaign. Health care, and her campaign. And when w comee were pretty different. Were all unique in our own ways. Somos muy diferentes. Muy diferentes. vo verizon knows everyone in your family is different. There are so many of us doing so many different things. vo thats why verizon lets everyone mix and match different unlimited plans. Sebastians the gamer. Sebastian. This is my office. vo and now with more plans, everyone gets what they need without paying for things they dont. New plans start at just 35. The plan is so reasonable, they could stay on for the rest of their lives. Aww, did you get that on camera . Thanks, dad vo the network more people rely on gives you more. Carl, i appreciate the invite here. As my broker, what am i paying you to manage my money . Its racquetball time. thumps ugh carl, does your firm offer a satisfaction guarantee . Like schwab does. Guarantee . splash carl, can you remind me what youve invested my money in . Its complicated. Are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is being managed . If not, talk to schwab. A modern approach to wealth management. Back now with the panel. Hugh hewitt, maria teresa kumar, white housrrespondent kristen welker, and robert costa, National Political reporter for the Washington Post and moderator of Washington Week on pbs. Before we get to the issue of guns, kristen welker, i think we heard interesting news there from secretary mcaleenan where he admitted that in hindsight, the mississippi raids, the timing was unfortunate. Contrast that to the president of the United States almost cheerleading them and saying, hey, this is what were doing, its a deterrent. How is that going to go over . Well, i thought it was a striking discrepancy in tone after you pressed him a number of times. He finally said the timing was unfortunate. Again when i asked President Trump about this the other day, he said, yes, its a deterrent. He really leaned into this strategy. The bottom line is there wasnt a plan for dealing with these kids. The Trump Administration had promised there werent going to be any more family separations. There clearly were, even though some of those families have been put back together. I think the focus does become on the companies. Thats where the heat has to be now because if youre accusing all of these migrants of breaking the law, you have to put the focus, as you so rightfully pointed out, on the companies that were hiring them. Maria, obviously i think his response on the timing issue had to do with the impact its had on hispanic america. Well, the el paso shooting is something that we have to underscore was something that was resounding accumulation of what the president has been saying the moment he went down the escalators. The shooter used these words of invasion, of individuals coming down, an infestation. The driver literally drove ten hours to go to the safest city in the country thats 85 latino to send a message. We now know he wanted to go to el paso to cause maximum harm. As the president is landing in el paso, up one of the largest i. C. E. Raids in our nations history. Its really hard to get this idea that the president was really there in el paso to console while at the same time running these operations that separated families. And when you heard the secretary talk a little bit about how many he knew exactly the precise number of criminals. But he couldnt tell you how many people were documented caught up in the raid, how many people were american citizens. In fact, there are stories that a lot of the folks in the plant were el paso natives. So its not just the optics but also its not just the optics, its the policies that this president keeps perpetrating that feels like hes targeting the community. Hugh, when the raids happened, i thawing, bought, bo is the typical dysfunctional white house. A functional white house chief of staff would have known about this saying, this is not the week for this. But now the more we learn, this was, no, intentional. This is what you do. But clearly, secretary mcaleenan is uncomfortable with how it lookings. He did do a good job explaining the complexity that faces dhs, the fbi, and doj. I was at doj for a while. I used to be in Law Enforcement a long time ago. No one knows all of the various threads that are operating at one point. I think he even indicated he didnt know this was going down. The president certainly didnt know this was going to happen. And the optics are, in fact, not just unfortunate but terrible. That said, i thought he did a very good job in pointing out that dhs has 4,000 People Living in el paso. An attack on el paso by a racist is an attack on every american, and dhs in el paso is overwhelmingly latino. I credit him with explaining as best he could in a short period of time that dhs, like the fbi and doj, is staffed by wonderful professionals, all of whom are trying to do their job, and its a complicated balancing job. The only difference, i would say, is hes the one thats the head of that department of i. C. E. He is the boss. The fact the boss did not know they were going to undertake the largest raid in american history, that is really hard to fathom. Robert, we know the president takes a special interest in i. C. E. We know he has a relationship with the current acting director too. It does feel as if sometimes you wonder, is he micromanaging these operations . Maybe not the specifics, but the larger tactics. Stephen miller inside of the white house has always had a heavy hand in immigration policy. The white house is also paying attention to the political cost of these activities. Suburban voters, even in red states, are paying attention. Some of them are taking it back. I was on the ground in the atlanta suburb this week talking voters. Theyre taken aback by whats happening with i. C. E. , with the Mass Shootings. As you look ahead to 2020, both paerl paer parties are looking to those kinds of voters. Does this stormy confluence of all of these issues, whether its the i. C. E. Raids or violence in america, does that prompt some voters to rethink President Trump . Well, lets talk about the gun issue specifically. What i found fascinating this week is that what used to be a divide on the democrats on geography is now, i think hugh hewitt, let me show you this. This is on the red flag laws. Its pretty stark here. John barrasso, steve danes of wyoming and montana, no, kneejerk reactions, gun laws are not the solution. Contrast that with rick scott and pat toomey. Rick scott, we must not allow people who threatening to harm thems th themselves or others to have guns. Its the republicans divided, mostly on geography. And by senators versus governors. Governor doocy introduced the s. T. O. P. Order. Hes pushing for it again. Governor mike dewine this week of ohio stepped forward with a s. T. O. P. Order. There are lots of governors largestate governors. Swing state governors. Thats right. And they understand that i think robert just referenced suburban mothers. Its suburban dads and grandparents and everybody in the country wants people who are obviously not right in the head not to have guns. Okay. Bob costa just said the trump Reelection Team is well aware of their suburban problem. What does the president think . Does he think combatting the nra is going to hurt his base, or does sitting with the nra hurt suburban voters . What does he care about more . I think he thinks he can convince his base. I think he cares about the nra membership, not so much why do we believe hell do this again . He didnt do it the last time. He made the argument its time. Look, democrats control the house. Hes aware of that. He sees that as a potential opportunity. I can tell you that inside republican circles, they feel as though the nra leadership has been weakened because of some of the controversies that theyve been dealing with. And everyone brings up the issue of the suburbs, chuck. So that is a real concern. And i think President Trump remember, he doesnt fit into a neat box when it comes to a political party. I think he wants to see this get done. The skepticism, time. A whole month is going to go by before Congress Comes back. And that loses momentum. Mcconnell made a pledge to vote on something. He doesnt make pledges to vote on anything very often. Hes reading the tea leaves. He is. This is one of the few moment where is the president can actually bring in and neutralize a lot of his critics, if he were able to do something meaningful on guns. Weve said this before. But this is fundamentally different because yaw see the movement of white suburban women. This is an issue at the top of their minds. Briefly, the legislative reality based on my conversations with top snarenat in both parties is red flag laws probably not going to move forward. Background checks, thats the only game in town. The question now is will President Trump lend any Political Capital to toomey manchin. They say thats the only thing that could move forward. Im going to get killed here. Very quickly, is anybody at the white house appalled that the president retweeted conspiracy theories involving Jeffrey Epstein . I reached out to everyone at the white house. No response, bottom line. Everyone agrees the investigation has to move forward. The first big test for the barr justice department. When we come back, more with my sitdown with senator Kamala Harris and health care. In your plan, employers are for your heart. Your joints. Or your digestion. So why wouldnt you take something for the most important part of you. Your brain. 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And senator harris has struggle to define her position. In the second part of our conversation, i challenged her to explain it, but we did begin with National Security. Being on the Intel Committee, what is the hot spot you have learned about now that were not paying enough attention to . Whats something youre picking up on the Intel Committee you realize, boy, if im president , thats going to be on my front row . Its everything from cybersecurity, which includes listen, previously jeh johnson, the previous head of the department of Homeland Security, designated our elections infrastructure as Critical Infrastructure of the United States. As critical as our electrical grids, as critical as our financial, right. And it has been attacked. So thats one of the greatest threats to us. But cybersecurity broadly speaking. Ive been working on this since i was attorney general of california, where i led the second Largest Department of justice in the United States. We have got to do a better job of securing our infrastructure as it relates to our power grids, as it relates to our what is going on in terms of our medical systems, our financial systems. Were very vulnerable to cyber threats. Lets talk about health care. Okay. There is some confusion about where you are on health care, whether its a lot of it has to do the slogan. Medicare for all over here, enhanced obamacare over there. You want to do a new system over a tenyear period. Yes. Theres a lot of people who have said, were in the middle of trying to build the last system. The last system hasnt been full implemented. Medicaid is not in all 50 states. Why do a new system before you find out if this one wont work . So let me start by saying i was very proud as attorney general of california to be among the leaders who defended the Affordable Care act. What president obama accomplished was historic. Many president s before him attempted to reform Americas Health care system and failed. He accomplished it. With the Affordable Care act. He has also said hes used a term starter house. It was a good beginning. Okay. We need to build on it. Why . Because currently there are 30 million Americans Without Health Care. Well, theres building on and buying a new house. I say this if were going to use the house analogy. As your family grows, you probably need a bigger house. Well, and thats the question. But you see that youre doing a its been hard enough to implement obamacare. Why try to implement a new one . Some people are out on the porch in the rain and snow. We could beat this metaphor to death, no doubt. 30 million Americans Without Health Care right now. We got to get them covered. Expanding medicaid would take care of half of them, wouldnt it . But medicare for all means that everyone is covered. Half of 30 million is still 15 million. Thats still 15 million too many people without coverage. Go to this issue at the debate. In your plan, employers are no longer going to be the place you get insurance, correct . Thats right. Ever. But heres why. Why should you have to stay at a job you dont like because your employer is sponsoring health care . Isnt that the Obamacare Exchange . But the point is, chuck, there was a time where people would come out of high school or college, theyd go and work at one place until they retired. Thats no longer the case in america. With people in their 20s and 30s, theyre moving jobs every two years. And people should not have to feel that they cant leave a job because theyll lose their health care. Republicans may still control the senate if youre president of the United States. How do you get that Health Care Plan through . Do you have to say, okay, well keep obamacare and expand that . Do you retain that flexibility in your mind . Heres the thing, chuck. I arrived in the United States senate in january of 2017, and there was a fullon attack that had been building for years to get rid of the affordabilile ca act. There was an attempt, sometimes successful, to make it a partisan issue. Democrats want the Affordable Care act, republicans want to get rid of it. Then the republicans named it obamacare, thinking that would create some controversy. Then when i joined the United States senate and i watched these debates and fought against any attempt to get rid of it, why . Because preexisting conditions should not be the barrier to getting access to health care. Because our kids should be able to be on our plan until they turn 27, right . But heres what i witnessed, to your point. I witnessed town halls around the country in socalled red states and socalled red districts where people showed up at those town halls and said to their elected representative, do not take away my health care. And i will never forget, i was on the senate floor at that Early Morning hour when the late great john mccain, a republican, said, no, you dont. This cannot be a partisan issue. The health and well being of the American People should not be a partisan issue because those folks, by the way, when anyone is sitting in the emergency room with their child could care less about the party with which theyre registered to vote. I totally get that. Im just talking about the reality of what you can get through. Do you think you can get a new Health Care Plan through . You just described how difficult it was to keep obamacare. Listen, one of the big reasons youve been wanting to be a realist here. I am. Dont overpromise. In addition to the moral aspect of this, i do strongly believe health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it, okay . Theres also the issue of cost. It is right now costing us 3 trillion, and over the next ten years, its going to cost 6 trillion. We cannot afford to do nothing. My entire unedited conversation with senator harris, including her comments on taxes, the deficit, the direction of the Democratic Party, is available on our website, this is decision tech. Its Screening Technology that helps you find a stock based on whats trending or an investing goal. Its realtime insights and information, in your own customized view of the market. Its smarter trading technology, for smarter trading decisions. And its only from fidelity. Open an account with no minimums today. And its only from fidelity. On a scale of one to five . Wait. One to five . When it comes to feelings, its more like five million. Theres everything from happy to extremely happy. Theres also angry. Im really angry, clive actually, really angry. Thank you. And seat 36b angry. Youre clive owen. And youre barefoot. Yeah. Theres also apprehension. Regret. Relief. Oh and theres empathy. Ah, i got this in zurich actually, whats the opposite of empathy . But what if your business could understand what your customers are feeling. And then do something about it. You can turn disappointment into gratitude. Clive, you got to try this. I cant im working. Turn problems into opportunities. Thanks drone. Change the future of your business. Change the whole experience. Alright who wants to go again . I do i do i have a really good feeling about this. But allstate actually helps you drive safely. With drivewise. It lets you know when you go too fast. And brake too hard. With feedback to help you drive safer. Giving you the power to actually lower your cost. Unfortunately, it cant do anything about that. Now that you know the truth. Are you in good hands . Welcome back. Data download time. The iowa state fair is about much more than fried food on a stick or political stump speeches. Its also one of the countrys oldest and largest agricultural expos. And how that group is feeling about President Trumps tough trade talk and actions could backfire for him in 2020. President trump carried iowa in 2016, flipping the swing state after president obama won it in both 08 and 12. Trump also came close in farming stronghold minnesota. He only lost that traditionally blue state by less than two percentage points. While farmers had been a big part of his loyal base of support, they are already feeling the impact of this trade war. Farm bankruptcies are up 13 in the last year. The highest level since 2012. But so far, that is not spelling political trouble for the president. A fact we heard from the farmers we spoke to at the iowa state fair this week. I still support him because those chinese have been screwing us for years and years. Were not just going to roll over, you know, like theyd like us to. I think probably were in a hole right now, but i think things, if they go as they are, will get evened out. And a survey of 700 farmers in iowa, illinois, and minnesota conducted by Iowa State University backed that up as well. They found a majority somewhat or strongly supportive of the u. S. Tariffs on chinese goods. That said, only 14 of the farmers surveyed said their farm operation will actually be better off financially a year from now because of this trade dispute. 20 said the same about u. S. Agriculture overall, while more than threequarters said American Farmers will bear the brunt of the tariffs imposed by the chinese government. Heres the thing. Many agricultural communities have long believed that china is taking advantage of them. So democrats are left in a really tricky political spot. If they want to peel off these traditionally republican voters, they need to make a complicated argument of standing up to a trading partner in a different way. And nuanced policy debates like that, very hard to pitch in an election season. When we come back, food on a stick. 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The one thing you learn pretty as a small bquickly,owner, is that theres a lot to learn. Grow with google is here to help you with turning ideas into action. Putting your business on the map, connecting with customers, and getting the skills to use new tools. So, in case youre looking, weve put all the ways we can help in one place. Free training, tools, and Small Business resources are now available at google. Com grow kevin, meet yourkeviner. Kevin Kevin Kevin Kevin Kevin Kevin Kevin kevin kevin trusted advice for life. Kevin, hows your mom . Life well planned. See what a Raymond James Financial Advisor can do for you. And out of respect, we will let you make the first offer. Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes . Objection overruled. One hour. Sweeten the deal by doing the dishes and ill consider it. I wouldnt do it. I hate the dishes. One hour with the tablet, you walk the dog and do the dishes. If you insist. Congratulations. Only xfinity xfi lets you take control of your familys online time. Thats simple, easy, awesome. Xfinity xfi gives you the speed, coverage and control you need. Manage your wifi network from anywhere when you download the xfi app today. Back now with end game. Its not just political reporters that have family in iowa that like to pander to iowa. Yes, thats me. A lot of candidates are pandering, too. Heres some of the best of the panders. Hello, iowa you know, ive learned my time in iowa not just because my great, great grandparents who settled in henry county. They could know me for coming to iowa to visit my aunt and uncle since i was 2. This means i have to smile and pretend that the butter cow is better than the sculptures at the state fair. The soap box, theyre all over the state of iowa here. So its obviously pander time. But this is trip to iowa for me, ive been to a lot of augusts before the caucuses, which is always state fair time. There was a sense of urgency because some of these candidates realized there is no september. Forget the caucuses. And the urgency is why iowa continues to matter, even though politically, states like south carolina, which has a later primary and a more diverse demographic across its electorate, will likely matter more politically long term. If youre at 1 to a 5 in thi crowded field, if you dont come out of iowa in the top four or five, hard to see how you stay in until new hampshire. I want to talk specifically about Kamala Harris. The biggest impression i took away from interviewing her, watching her campaign, is shes trying to do something that i think is smart when youre trying to win a campaign. Shes seeing if theres room in between biden and the progressives there. I think the health care tells that story better than any other. The question is, is there room . I think that continues to be the question. Shes making a very strong play for iowa right now. Shes on that which was not clear six months ago. Correct. She was focused on south carolina. But now they realize, if you want to win south carolina, you got to do well in iowa. Have to do well in iowa. I think youre absolutely right, chuck. Nothing lays that bear better than the health care debate, the fact shes still in support of medicare for all with this plan that goes into effect over the course of ten years. A lot of questions about whether thats feasible, of course. But look, she was a candidate who came out very early on in this gun discussion. I think she shes someone to watch right now. I think shes going to be really hammering that point home. I also think its notable, President Trump doesnt have a nickname for her yet. I dont think hes quite figured out how to go after her, whereas with the other candidates, with biden, for example, he has his one liners ready. Hugh hewitt, i was just about to set you up. Youve been a big admirer of hers from the other side of the aisle. What do you make of it . I believe shes still going to be the nominee. I took two things away from your interview. Shes playing a prevent defense in the nfl. That means shes timid. Shes one of the big democrats who did not call donald trump a white supremacist. I think thats smart because the vast majority of america does not believe, and i do not believe, the president is a white supremacist. However, when you asked her about should russia be a state sponsor of terrorism, they have used poison agents, radioactive agents in great britain. Thats a very timid response. Of course russia is a state sponsor of terror. So i do not square her timidity on everything as working out. But i still think it works for her down the map. Shes still going to be the nominee. What do you make of where democratic activists are on her . I think theyre still trying to figure out exactly when it comes specifically to her position, when it came to criminal Justice Reform in california. Theres a litany of work. But shes very much playing down the middle because i think a lot of folks right now are saying biden is definitely not as strong as he was. Shes trying to make sure shes the candidate that picks up all of those votes. The only other person now in the wings that may pick up those votes is mayor pete if hes able to resurrect himself. I think the challenge and i have to say, she did not say the president was a white supremacist because she recognizes its still sensitive. But when the president does not denounce himself as a white supremacist, it keeps you paused. You cant forget senator warren and senator sanders. As much as senator harris may be positioning to get those biden voters, if Vice President biden ever stumbles in the polls, the energy when youre out there on the campaign trail as a reporter, its on the left. Senator Sanders Holding steady in the polls. Senator warren weve seen rise in the polls. Funny you bring up senator warren. Yesterday, Michael Bloomberg went to iowa to have a focus on guns. I think most of the candidates were there. Not every one of them. Most of them did. There was a unifying message pretty much on guns. But Michael Bloomberg decided to tell his audience about a comment he made to Elizabeth Warren. Here it is. And i just said to senator warren on the way out, senator, congratulations, it was a nice talk, but just to remind you, if my company hadnt been successful, we wouldnt be here today. So enough with this stuff. It is the only candidate that he decided to single out in a seminegative way on the democratic side of the aisle, which i think goes to what bob was trying to say. Warren is surging. She is surging, and i think the question, of course, and it underscores that as well, is she someone whos competitive in a general election, or is she too far left . Look, ive been talking to a lot of democrats who say theyve been very impressed not only by her performance on the debate stage but also by her ability to connect with people on the campaign trail. Theyre looking to see if she starts going after sanders. Well, maria, while you respond to that, let me put up the most recent monmouth poll. You see it here. Warren solidly in second place, but look at this. Shes picked up 12 points. Bernie sanders dropped seven. Theres your direct correlation, maria. Exactly right. When i go on the ground and talk to individuals that are the grassroots voters, theyre very excited by him. Since Elizabeth Warren started talking about one policy after the other, a lot of the donor class are quietly very excited by her. But is she going to be able to make it . Its that convergence of these constituencies saying im interested. Shes going to have figure out how the bloombergs of the world feel comfortable shes not going to tax them to the extreme. And that is where she actually i believe she has been able to demonstrate thats not the case. Theres a potency to senator warrens message. President trump ran in 2016 on populism and nationalism, going after immigration as part of the cause for peoples woes in the working class across this country. Shes saying, im just going of a different target, corporate america. Shes going to take back that issue of trade and others from President Trump. In 2004, karl rove wanted howard dean. Trump wants Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. Be careful what you wish for. Hillary clinton wanted donald trump. Thanks for watching. Well be back next week because if its sunday, its meet the press. One of the most important things you can do is to make sure you call 811 before you dig. Calling 811 can get your lines marked. Its free, its easy, we come out and mark your lines. We provide you the information so you will dig safely. Leave the structure, call 911, keep people away, and call pg e right after so we can both respond out and keep the public safe. If the chinese cut off access to socalled rare earth elements . A San Francisco coy wants to give you money to help you buy a house, and because internet, a look at how our online lives are changing the language. Our reporters, Erin Griffith of the New York Times and reuters joe menn, this week on press here. Scott good morning, everyone. Im scott mcgrew. I got one of those letters in the mail the other day. You know the kind, the ones that say open immediately and for addressee only, sure signs theres gonna be a fake check inside. And sure enough, theres the check 218,000 made out to me