Transcripts For MSNBCW The 20240703

Candidate gets tonights last word. The 11th hour with Stephanie Ruhle starts now. Tonight, defendant donald trump in court for his civil fraud case, with cameras capturing his first time at the defendant table. What he could lose in the 250 milliondollar trial. Then, Kevin Mccarthys house in chaos, with a process beginning on a vote to bounce him from the speakership. Then, with more challenges across the country, Banned Books Week comes at a critical time. The man at the end of the Reading Rainbow, levar burton, is here, as the 11th hour gets underway on this monday night. Good evening once again. I am Stephanie Ruhle, live from Msnbc Headquarters here at 30 rock center. While the twice impeached former president who is already facing 91 criminal charges, well, he appeared in a New York City courtroom at the Defense Table flanked by his lawyers for day one in his civil trial. It is the first of many court cases looming over trumps 2024 campaign. But this one puts his company and his image at stake. Nbcs Laura Jarrett has the latest. Reporter tonight, donald trump once again in a courtroom, with the fate of his Business Empire now on trial. Today in court, we will prove our case. Reporter new York Attorney general Letitia James accusing mr. Trump, his sons, eric and don jr. , and his namesake company, the Trump Organization, of exaggerating the value of his real estate properties, including trump tower, maralago, and 40 wall street, by over two billion dollars, to receive better loan terms from banks. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law. Reporter just outside the courtroom doors, the former president attacking james, a democrat, for bringing the civil suit. Every time they give me a fake indictment, i go up in the polls. Reporter and going after the judge, who is also a democrat. They have a rogue judge who is worth a tiny fraction, one in 100 a tiny fraction of what they actually are. Translator the republican frontrunner arguing the banks were not victims of fraud, and blasting the suit as Election Interference. Theyre wasting everybodys time for many months on this case, where banks got paid a fortune. Loan money got paid money back. Didnt even need that money. Reporter but the judge already rejected that argument pointing out the state only needed to prove his Financial Statements were false and misleading, and mr. Trumps, quote, clearly contained fraudulent evaluations. The key issues now left for trial, who is to blame for that fraud, and how much should be paid as a penalty . In a Deposition Video played today, mr. Trump suggested checking the accuracy of Financial Statements, the task of his longtime chief Financial Officer and codefendant. Allen weisselberg, was he the sponsor for that . I would say yes. Should blame allen. That was never before seen Deposition Video of trump discussing his companys former top money man, allen weisselberg, who has already been convicted and jailed for tax fraud. The prosecution also released Deposition Video from weisselberg and former trump lawyer and fixture, a man you know very well from this network, michael cohen. Mr. Trump would call allen, i in the interview office, and he said he was worth six billion dollars. Well, he wanted to be higher on the forbes list. And he then said, im actually not worth six billion. I am worth seven in fact, i think its actually now worth eight, with everything thats going on. Allen and i would take in the assets, increasing each of those assets, in order to accommodate that Eight Billion dollar number. Tell me everything you know about gap . What is gap . A county principles i dont know what is in gap. I never took the cpa exam. I never studied for it. So, i dont know all the various components of what cap is. Are there any components you know about what gap is . Not really, no. Yes, you heard that right. That was trumps longtime cfo, who was his fathers cfo, saying he never actually took the cpa exam. And even michael cohen, who said we were in charge of inflating the value of the asset classes, that is no such thing. You increase the value of an asset, not an asset class. It was a honkytonk rodeo of nonsense, and potentially, a crime. New York Attorney general Letitia James was also in court today and she will be there tomorrow, according to a person familiar with her plans. Meanwhile, doj special counsel jack smith is backing up his request for a narrow gag order on trump himself. He added a new court filing, setting trumps remarks about executing general mark milley, smith is also asking the court to reject trumps lawyers bid to push back deadlines in the Election Interference trial. We have a lot to cover, so, lets get smarter with the help of our leadoff panel. Guess what . It is ladies night at 30 rock. Susanne craig is here, pulitzer prizewinning Investigative Reporter for the New York Times who has reported on trumps finances for years. Catherine christian, former assistant District Attorney at the manhattan District Attorney s office. She is now an msnbc legal analyst. And kristy greenberg, a former federal prosecutor and former sdny Criminal Division deputy chief. Susanne, you were in the courthouse today, both trump and Letitia James where there. You have known donald trump for years. You have reported on him for years. What was it like . I need, just to see him come in and sit down in the defendants chair as a starting point. It was something that starts with his business. You know, that was, that covering it, just to see it all come into the courtroom today. He was pretty angry when he came in, and he sat most of the day with his arms crossed, conferring with his lawyers. But it was not happy to be there. And his son was behind him. And the Attorney General sat there, just quietly looking ahead, watching it all play out. It was theater just to see it all kind of Come Together In The Room today. But he did not have to be there. He did not. He chose to be there. Why do you think it was there . It is a show. Number one, i do think this is personally, for all of the cases, even the ones that could send him to prison, this is the one that hurts him the most, because this is his identity. But i also think it was to show his fan club, his base, its for his politics, his campaign. But i also, i do also think that anger was real because, you know, Attorney General james was now showing hes not their wealthiest man alive. Hes not gonna be in the forbes list higher. It is all a fraud. So, and if he loses his business, thats his identity, and his two adult sons who are also part of the business. If the Attorney General winds, and a wind will also be in appeals because it will be appealed. He, donald trump, will have to pay his organization 250 million for the profits that they unjustly obtained. He, if the judge agrees to this, and his two adult sons will be barred for life in new york of ever being in office or director of a company. Trump and his Trump Organization for five years will no longer be allowed to make commercial real estate transactions. Thats what they do. So, this is very important to donald trump that he wins this case. Last week was a loss because his businesses lost their certificates. Thats a big deal. No certificates, really, no business. But if it goes farther, and the Attorney General proves the rest of the councils complaint, its basically the end of the trump business in New York State. Okay, in New York State. He basically does not exist in New York State anymore, though. He is now domicile in florida. So, can he just move everything there . I dont believe so. The certificates to operate his businesses, like trump tower, his properties that are based in new york, you need a certificate to be able to operate those in new york. I dont think its that simple. But it will be very interesting. I do think he is watching this. And, you know, it is not a great strategy, if you have a judge not a jury trial to bash the judge before the trial, and called him deranged, say he needs to be disembark, saying he should be criminally investigated. But thats what he did today. So that says to me, he may think his already lost this round. Maybe he is just looking for a hope and a prayer on appeal. But he is there more because he cares about the court of Public Opinion, and not necessarily what goes on in this courtroom. Can we talk about the court of Public Opinion . Because what he was saying on the Courthouse Steps has nothing to do with whats happening in the courthouse. Right . Hes out there ranting and raving about how wealthy he is and the value of his business. That was already established a week ago when the judge found him guilty of inflating his assets and committing fraud. I think you would still see him make that argument in court. But i think one of the things that did play out, and you are right about the appeals, one of the things that was playing out in court. There was a few audiences that were being addressed today. One of them was, Donald Trumps main lawyer, got up multiple times, and in his remarks was setting the record for things that will be heard at the Appeals Court. For example, you know, their argument is that 80 of this was actually, the case was already tossed out on appeal. And theres an argument about the timeframe and what should be let in and what the timeframe is, should the cut off be this year, for that year . And he was correcting the record on a lot of things. And then, the other audience i felt today, i think the judge is maybe the third audience, but the second one was, there is another attorney that got up in court today. And she went off on like, she was almost yelling in terms of her remarks. It was incredible to hear. And she was going about the value, for example, of maralago, she was saying it was worth more than 1 million dollars. Already the thing that the judge ruled on in this fraud, he says i did i want to hear more of that. He already had a ruling last week on that issue. And then she said to the judge, you and your remarks said that the resort is worth 18 million. And he actually went back and forth and corrected her, he said i never said that. Read the ruling. It doesnt say that. The improper valuations that were put on that amount. The judge did not say that was the amount. He hasnt done an appraisal. She was just getting things wrong, and the judge was quick he wasnt getting them wrong because they were honest but this is what donald trump does. He repeats a lie until its passed the industry that sit. She did not get them wrong because she did not know, she knew better. She knew what the judge ruled last week. And donald trump actually knows the value of his assets, right . All of this is rooted in the value of his brand that he has been bsing for 20 years, right . When he was and institutional for deutsche bank, he said to them, oh, my grand value is now worth ex. They told him to go take a hike. So, he found a private bank or on the other side of the building, whos gonna believe his bs. And it worked. So, what are the consequences for a lawyer who stands up in front of his courthouse and just tells blatant lies . Well, there is no consequences for donald trump. But lawyers, because that was an opening statement, it basically was her giving a press she is also, i think, his Press Spokesperson for these cases. She is a real lawyer, but she also acts as his press the person. Her name is miss hubba. Forgot her first name. So, you cant, in court, there was a professional responsibility, make arguments that you knowingly know are not based in law and facts. You just cant make that. You can make arguments, you know, all of us who have tried cases could step on that line. But if you know for a fact that its not based on law and facts, youre not supposed to make that. So, she might be dealing with issues after this trial. So, hopefully, she is getting paid well. And his lawyers were fined last week as part of that notion for partial but they were fine for the grant there is a consequences, there will be a consequence at the end of this for donald trump. He is facing potentially, you know, a receiver has been put over the business. And theres gonna potentially be a fine. It could be 250, it could be 300, it could be 300 million. We dont know what the amount is yet. Right now, thats why i say its all over, this is the Discouragement Face right now, not fraud issues already been decided. And now they have to bring in and theyre going to have experts at the end to talk about what the damages should be on the discouragement. I mean, that is where we are at. And the strategy to come in and start yelling at the judge, and this is the judge that decided last week that the fraud thing is already settled. And now, theyre not only in court badgering him, but they are on the steps of the courthouse saying, you know, very, very she was doing that for her client, donald trump. For sure, he was sitting there, loving it. He was just putting on a show. Donald trump was nodding and smiling. He was very pleased with her performance. Performance. I want to share a little bit more of what he said earlier today. Watch this. As you know, we are not entitled to a jury, which is pretty unusual in the United States of america. So, i think it is very unfair that i dont have a jury. For fact sake, donald trump s lawyers made that decision not to have a jury. How does he get away with this . Well, they are at least, he is not under oath. So the interesting part, do i think we are going to really want to see this, whether he takes the stand. I cannot imagine any criminal Defense Attorney allowing him to take the stand and actually answer questions and not invoke the fifth amendment. I know it was a post twice, the first time he took the fifth, a number of times, most of the time. And then the second time he did answer questions, and it did not go too well for him. And this judge said, all of your defenses from that deposition have no baso, con ts perilous. You say, o value tax v get the wyou not with that . Its b camerabut until then, susanne wl be. Susa craig, catheri christia,as matt gaetz just the vo new were Gonna Break Down Wha expect. Underway on a very consequential monday night. How you come back from that . You y, well, i did not intend to e froni did not know eres ny examples. Certified these statements we accute okay, so,ets say h doesnhe stand and he just continueto putthis. Wit . Es the prosecutor i will say, i he judge chans mind a allowsameras into th troom im into that do i get vote . Thi a crimina people can see truthju , donald trump cantome ou d say thpened, but peay, i juaw it. You arg. So, you can out b n one, other Tr Grea Reportre there can come out and say s better if the peopl the courtroom. Pening i tohopefully. E courtroo cameras were and be grea besusanne craig, catnee wi stian, and kristy grg, k you, all whcome bac do yo member this tense mo we could be in for a tak the vote to Oustergger Mccarthy and later after making majo decisions on abortion, gun rights, and Affirmative Action the Supreme Court begins its new term were Gonna Break Down What to expect the 11th hour, just gettin underway on a very consequential monday night youre probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. But what if we told you its possible that comcast Business Mobile can save you up to 75 a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers . Its true. Plus, when you buy your first line of mobile, you get a second line free. There are no Term Contracts or line activation fees. And you can bring your own device. Oh, and all on the most reliable 5g Mobile Network nationwide. Wireless that works for you. Its not just possible. Its happening. Is it possible my network could take my business to the next level . It is with comcast business. Powering all your devices with gigspeed wifi. And you get fast downloads and uploads. Pick it up pick it up oh we got this because its powered by The Next Generation 10g network. More speed for your business . Its not just possible. Its happening. Get started for 59. 99 a month for 12 months. Plus, ask how to get an 800 prepaid card with a qualifying internet bundle. Comcast business, powering possibilities. We got breaking news on capitol hill tonight. Florida republican congressman matt gaetz has officially filed a motion to force a vote to oust Kevin Mccarthy from the speakership. I have enough republicans where at this point next week, one of two things will happen. Kevin mccarthy wont be the speaker of the house where he will be the speaker of the house working at the pleasure of the democrats. And i am at peace with either results because the American People deserve to know who governs them. Gaetz making this move after months of high tension, but says the last straw was mccarthy working with House Democrats to avert a Government Shutdown over the weekend. They vote to oust mccarthy could happen within the next two days. Gaetz admits he might not have the votes the first time around, but he is willing to force many votes to get what he wants. Mccarthy responded with three very important words, bring it on. Well, somehow, i do not think he is talking about the 2000 cinematic masterpieces, even though matt gaetz responded with just that. Back with us tonight, david plouffe, former Obama Campaign manager and Senior Adviser to the president , and msnbc senior political analyst matthew dowd, he is also a former george w. Bushs strategist and founder of country over party. David, to you first, Where Do We Go From Here . Well, stephanie, who really knows . What i think at the end of the day, mccarthy probably survives this. If he doesnt, if you are an american or democratic member of the house, the question is, what comes after could be a lot worse. And is it really a job worth having. The lease will get shorter and shorter. The promises to the world will get crazier and crazier. So, it is an absolute mess. And i think mccarthy, you know, generally, has been a spineless fighter in washington. You know, for one show of spine. And we will see what turns out. But at the end of the day, i think as cumbersome as Mccarthy S Reign has been, we should be concerned about it. If you think about moving him out of place, thats even worse. Republicans, i think they are overly optimistic. But i think, their senses, maybe theyre in good political hands. Its this type of circus, trumps trials, you know, gaetz, that gives swing voters a pause, you want to give these people more power than they currently have . But isnt whats happening right now giving matt gaetz exactly what he wants, mr. Dowd . He loves a show, and now, hes got one. Well, i mean, i think he represents actually what most of the republicans are all about which its performance art. That is really what fundamentally their stake in washingtons. None of them, or hardly any of, them really want to govern. Marjorie Taylor Greene doesnt want to govern. Lauren boebert, nancy mace do not seem to want to govern. At least stefanik doesnt seem to want to govern. Theyre all in this. Tweeting something out on fox news and say some crazy stuff. I think we have come to a point in time, and i think this is speaker, you know, mccarthys fault. He created this frosty environment that he has when he basically let the animals of the zoo out of their cages. And now, hes wondering why there is bears coming to the zookeeper trying to tear his arms and legs off of him. Its his fault. He allowed this thing, this circus to sort of go contended to, and now, he is suffering the bulk of the repercussions of it, as well as support, our country is suffering repercussions for his inability to lead. So, matt gaetz, or marjorie Taylor Greene, who believe as long as they have the mic, as long as they have the headlines, they are winning. Is that really the case, because, david, former speaker Newt Gingrich, who is not a george bush republican, and he is still a republican daddy who has a lot of say and power. Its actually asking if gaetz is secretly a democratic agent, and he said no one is doing no more damage to the house gop more than gaetz. What do you think of that . Its fastening fascinating, stephanie, new to gingrich, a modern way and sort of take no prisons and demonized the other party, demonize your opponents. So, for him to say that, i think, gets to the sense that, listen, i think theres very few republicans, but even donald trump, as crazy as he was today, you know, seems to be making some nods to the fact that he understands for the first time that he has to try and grow as 46 , which is always got in both times basically up to 48. I think a new gingrich understands that the House Republican majority could not be more precarious. And in those Swing Districts in New York State, in california, and other swing states, this kind of behavior is inevitable for swing voters. So i think its fascinating, newt would not be the first person, you would think stan dup given his history. That tells you, i think, how people have been through this before and you understand how precarious that House Majority is and how close the senate is gonna be, how close the white house race is gonna be, that you dont have much margin for error. And again, if you are a swing voter in the suburbs of maricopa county, arizona, or in waukesha, wisconsin, or outside of atlanta, georgia, youve got a lot of problems. We have a lot of things that you want to deal with. This kind of behavior is certainly not one. Okay, well, besides all of that, david, you are saying donald trump would realize that he needs to expand his base. I want to share just a little bit of the rhetoric he has been pushing on the campaign trail, which honestly sounds like the crazy train because it is more unhinged than ever. Just watch this, just a tiny bit of what hes been saying. Together, we will take on the ultra left wing liars, losers, creeps, perverts, and freaks who are devouring in the future of this state like a swarm of hookers. And i will stand up to crazy nancy pelosi who ruined san francisco. How is her husband doing, by the way . [laughter] i will direct a completely overhauled doj to investigate every radical d. A. And a. G. In america for their racist enforcement of the law. We will immediately stop all of the pillaging and theft, very simply, if you are rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store. [applause] shot. They say that theyre so much problems up north that i want to have the overflow area go into your forests and amp in your farce because if you dampen your fourth, youre not gonna have these forest fires. So, i have a choice of electrocution or shocked. You know what im gonna take . Electrocution. I will take electrocution every single time. If somebody is beating you by ten, 15, or 20 points like we are doing with crooked joe biden, lets indict the [bleep], lets indict him. [applause] we can laugh at the absurdity and the stupidity, matthew. But this is also darker and more violent than we have ever heard. And its like we have become numb to it. But dont we have to talk about what he is doing and what he is saying . I mean, even how is nancys husband doing. He was beaten by someone who was attempting a Home Invasion in the middle of a night. I have so many things to say about what we just saw because first of all, the idea that there is been dedicated to joe biden as whether his capacity to lead, and watching that is a testament to somebodys mental acuity in the course of this is, i mean, and i agree, i think we should talk about it more, i think we spend way too much time on the fitness of quote unquote, the fitness of joe biden. And we watched a guy that just stands up and says that. Thats first of all. Second of all, for him to talk about perverts, creeps, and liars, i mean, this guy is under indictment and has credible evidence of being a pervert, of being a liar, and of being a creep. That is whats so fascinating to me. Third, to take this to the natural conversation that he just had about Newt Gingrich, i would be less diplomatic than i think dave was in the course of this, this donald trump and matt gaetz is the natural culmination of What Fox News and Newt Gingrich did in the 90s. They are a national culmination. They are the ones that introduced zerosum politics. They are the ones that introduced division in our country. They are the ones that made the attacks on democratic norms and society. And for people like Newt Gingrich, who i havent seen criticize donald trump in his bizarre crazy behavior in the course of this, to criticize someone like matt gaetz, Newt Gingrich dumped toxins in the lake of america. And he is now complaining about a 38 fish like matt gaetz. It is ludicrous liars, perverts, he also said losers, which as i remind our audience, in the last president ial election, Donald J Trump lost matthew dowd and david plouffe, thank you, both, for being here tonight. I appreciate it. Before we go to break, though, i need you to see this video. It is from the annual Barbecue Bash held by maryland democrats. You need to please watch this. Okay, that right there that right there was some good old fashion line dancing, maybe electric slide. It was led by Maryland Governor wes moore, and cargo shirts and blue shirts, and joining him with some hot moves of his own, 84yearold congressman, not really confront, but im pretty sure Chris Van Hollen and ben cardin were both there too. This was like the maryland allstar dance crew. I called Michael Steele and he said, they need a republican or two if they really want to break it down. I mean, i watched that video 20 times. Dancing with the stars should watch this because they had some moves. Were gonna be right back with more. Ah, these bills are crazy. She has no idea shes sitting on a goldmine. 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But the Biggest Issue might be for the court itself and the conversation around Ethics Reform for the nine justices who make legal decisions for this entire country. Joining me now, awardwinning journalist chris geidner, who is at law dork every time i say that cracks me up. Law dork speaks for itself. It covers the Supreme Court, law, and politics. Chris, lets start where i ended there, ethics of the courts, the court, ethics, thats what this whole thing is about. Can you help us understand how Justice Clarence thomas is now saying, well, i might need to recuse myself . He never said that before. Yeah, i mean, the remarkable moment we had this morning where we found out that Justice Thomas had recused himself from a case brought by john eastman, one of the sort of legal architects of the january 6th legal machinations. The thing is Justice Thomas gave us no reasoning for his decision. We dont know what specifically were the actual logic behind why he teamed this Ethics Decision now. Now, we know that he was named specifically in some of the emails that john eastman had turned over. We know that Justice Thomass wife, ginni thomas, has had some communications with john eastman. So, the truth is there are many reasons why he might have chosen this. But we werent told that. We were just told that he took no part in the consideration of the case, which the justices rejected today and said theyre not gonna take it. But where are you surprised because hes never recused himself before . Just on january 6th cases. I mean, sure, i guess i was a little surprised, but it also was sort of what we have seen over this past year that the fact is that enough attention being given to these issues, whether it be from the media, from advocates, from the senate, from other members of the house, this attention matters, like accountability matters. And short of actually being able to pass laws which isnt gonna happen given the current u. S. House. And absent impeachment which also is not going to happen given this house. The public pressure is the best thing that we can do. And i think that we are getting some small signs that that public pressure, that they care about it, that they do notice it. What about the cases in front of the court . What are you watching closely . Yeah, i mean, you already highlighted a bunch of key ones. Weve also got this question of medication abortion, mifepristone, and that that has already sort of is making its way up to the Supreme Court. And the fact is that we got just last week another Appeals Court ruling on one of these laws that will, in that case it was two, Banning Gender Affirming Care for minors. That was a Sixth Circuit Ruling last week. Those could very well be making their way to the court. We also got this issue thats already before the court of Domestic Violence and guns and whether or not a Domestic Violence order out against a person, that bans such people from Holding Fire Arms is going to be able to be upheld. And that obviously sort of the big stream edge of the other guns cases that the court has previously heard. Hugely, hugely important issues all before the justices and the coming weeks and months. Chris, always good to see you. Thank you for making us smarter. When we want to get dorky on the law, we know who to call. When we come back, Banned Books Week is sticking up. But at a very tense time for schools and Public Libraries across the country. The one and only levar burton is here, when the 11th hour continues. Hugely, hugely important issues all before the justices and the coming weeks and months. Chris, always good to see you. Thank you for making us smarter. When we want to get dorky on the law, we know who to call. When we come back, banned books we isticking up. But at a very tense time for schools and Public Libraries across the country. The one a only levar burton is here, when the 11th hour continues. T. Shes my sister and, we depend on each other a lot. Shes the rock of the family. Shes the person who holds everything together. Its a battle, you know im going to be there. Keytruda and chemotherapy meant treating my cancer with two different types of medicine. In a clinical trial, keytruda and chemotherapy was proven to help people live longer than chemotherapy alone. Keytruda is used to treat more patients with advanced lung cancer than any other immunotherapy. Keytruda may be used with certain chemotherapies as your first treatment if you have advanced nonsquamous, nonsmall cell lung cancer and you do not have an abnormal egfr or alk gene. Keytruda can cause your Immune System to attack healthy parts of your body during or after treatment. This may be severe and lead to death. See your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, severe nausea or vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, eye problems, irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in appetite, thirst, or urine, confusion, memory problems, muscle pain or weakness, fever, rash, itching, or flushing. There may be other side effects. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including Immune System problems, if youve had or plan to have an organ or stem cell transplant, received chest radiation, or have a nervous system problem. It feels good to be here for them. Living longer is possible. Its tru. Keytruda from merck. Ask your doctor about keytruda. The Desantis Administration is now scouring social studies books for prohibited topics. Members of the public reportedly applauded after one woman said if they insist on having the books, and if we dont win again, then just close it down. This isnt for eight yearold kids. This is for kids who are 12, 13, or 14, who might actually be struggling with this stuff. And reading this material, hearing about yourself in a book can actually save lives. It is officially Banned Books Week and it could not come at a more crucial time for our nation. All across the country, calls to ban books with topics addressing sex, gender, and race are growing even louder. According to the American Library association, so far this year, there have been nearly 700 attempts to ban or restrict Library Materials and services. And nearly 4000 titles targeted in that same time for censorship. Well, i am most honored to have The One And Only levar burton here with me tonight. He has had an extraordinary career in the arts. But many of us know him best as the host of the iconic and beloved dps program, Reading Rainbow. And he is this years honorary chair of Banned Books Week. Levar, i am holding myself back from sinking the Reading Rainbow theme song, only because this is such a serious topic. How worried are you by these numbers . Well, the one specific thing that you did not mention was that these numbers are up over 20 than last year. It is alarming. It is concerning. But we are having a conversation in this country about a lot of things, around who we want to be as a nation. And this is as important as it gets. So, do you see this as a silver lining, right . Because we are talking, because we are fighting back, waking up to these banned books. Do you see theres a net positive that the hatred isnt sort of under the surface, its out there, and its out there for people to fight back against. Absolutely. And i think thats a positive thing. Look, every book is not for everybody, steph. But i believe that there is a book for everyone, right . And as a parent, i believe that you should have the right to monitor and have a say in what your child consumes in terms of literature and media. But what you dont have the right to do is impose your beliefs about your children on everybody elses kids. And censorship is just not okay. So, we have to have, you know, a no nonsense conversation that involves common good, common sense. And when people say that there are no books being banned, then theyre just being ill informed, or being willfully ignorant. I hear all the time on my social media that i am a pedophile because i want kids to have access to books. If you are Reading Literature about racism, bigotry, violence, sexual assault, murder, suicide, kids will have a vocabulary to deal with these situations. And on the other side of the rhetoric that they are engaging in, it fails to recognize the belief that age appropriateness is first and foremost the thing that we have to be mindful of. Like i said, every book is not for everybody. But every book, there is somebody that is destined to read it. You very famously played a very important role, a slave in roots. In this climate, today, especially in places like florida, would roots be even nationally televised . I think there would be resistance to it. But, again, it is a story that needs to stay alive in this culture. Theres a lot of retrenchment going on, and i dont need to tell, you steph, in this country, especially around the issue of history and how its being taught, and who it is being talked to, and those who are trying to further the efforts to not teach the real history of the United States. We have a real serious problem in this country owning up to who we are and how we got here. And we are doing our children a great disservice by censoring the very material they need to be learning so that they can make informed decisions about who they want to be in this society. Saturdays let freedom read day where people are asked to take one action to defend books from censorship. What could that look like . What do you want people to do . Support your teachers, your school librarian, publishers, writers, readers, we all have a stake in this fight, in this conversation. No one is immune. We all need to wake up, pay attention, and recognize that there are people who are trying to really take away our right to read. This is not okay, not in the america that i know and love. And so, we are celebrating banned books, reading the banned books, id like to say thats where the best is. Well, levar, it is up to us to read in america that we want to live in, and every day, we have a chance to do just that. Levar, it is an absolute honor and a privilege to meet you. Its a dream of mine thank you so much for joining us tonight. Im a big fan. Next time, in person oh my god hes a fan. Did you hear that . Levar burton, thank you so much. When we come back, a very important salute to the nation s landmark disability legislation. We look at how far we have come and what still needs to be done, when the 11th hour continues. President bush today over another kind of discrimination against the disabled. The largest crowd ever to attend such a white house turn money turned out for the president signing of the Disabled Americans act. It barrs job and other discrimination against the 43 million americans with disabilities. Amen to that. And the last thing before we leave tonight, we can never stop. Earlier today, President Biden celebrated the Americans With Disabilities Act in the very same spot president bush signed a bill until all, 33 years ago. All of it to kick off National Disability employment awareness month, he was joined by advocate an actress summer glen, who has multiple sclerosis. Here is some of what they said today about the landmark legislation and the work that is still to be done. Im here before you today as a proud disabled woman with my cane. And my service dog scout by my side to celebrate the anniversarys of Americans With Disabilities Act and the rehabilitation act, the legacy of the leaders who came before. Three decades after his passing, can still recall america where person with disability can be denied service in a restaurant or grocery store. Or an employer could refuse to higher because of the disability. And when we passed these law, we made a commitment to build in america for all americans, for all americans. Perhaps most importantly, we did it together. In my own disability advocacy, i have realized that these historic pieces of legislation where vital steps towards fairness. But the push towards equity continues. Our laws and policies must reflect that our disabled lives are not of lesser value, and in partnership with the disability community, the Biden Harris Administration is working to do just that. Breaking down barriers that exist today in transportation, health care, education, employment, voting, and more. Disabled americans are still three times less likely to have a job. Theyre often earn less for the exact work that someone else is doing whos not disabled. Too often, Disabled Americans are unable to vote to get to and from work, and, school to enjoy public spaces. But thanks to all of you, who continue to make progress. I think this is just the beginning. I think someones gonna be standing here 20 years from now talking about how fundamental its changed across the board, across the board. We can never stop. Lets all do our part to make sure that hopeful prediction comes true. On that note, i wish you all a very good and a very safe and healthy night. From all of our colleagues across the networks that nbc news, Stacey Thanks for staying up late. Ill see you again tomorrow