you, rachel. feel better. now, tonight, we start in gaza, where the israeli military is deep into what it is calling the second stage of its war with hamas. israeli soldiers and tanks are slowly advancing deeper into gaza. the new york times and the washington post are reporting this evening that the israeli military has now reached the outskirts of gaza city. it remains unclear if these movements are the much anticipated ground invasion or a preview of that invasion, or whether israel may yet decide against a full scale invasion. the biden administration for its part is urging israel not to invade and occupy gaza. but in a rare news conference earlier, prime minister netanyahu made clear that his country's operations and military operations will continue, casting the fight against hamas as a battle between good and evil. nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel is on the israeli gaza border, and he filed this report tonight. >> reporter: israeli prime minister netanyahu under fire for not taking responsibility for being unprepared for hamas surprise attack, says there will be no cease-fire, and israel must retaliate for the 1400 israelis killed. >> just as the united states would not agree to a cease fire after the bombing of pearl harbor, or after the terrorist attack of 9/11, israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with hamas after the horrific attacks of october 7th. this is a time for war. [sirens] >> in gaza, more than 2 million civilians are suffering because of a war they did not start, can't escape, and which is escalating by the day. according to the health ministry run by hamas, more than 1000 palestinians have been killed so far. hospitals have become refugee centers for the newly homeless. they destroyed our house on top of, this man screams. israel says there is a safe haven in the south, but it's bombing in southern gaza. >> from southern gaza, we on this show have heard from an american trapped there with his wife and one year old son. they were visiting his wife's parents and got when the war broke out. this are the two photos of aboud and his son, taken in gaza the days before october 7th attack on israel. aboud tells us his family is now sheltering with 40 other people, including ten americans in a small house, as israeli bombs drop nearby. the filtration plant where they have been lining up for water each day has run out of fuel because israel will not allow fuel into gaza. hamas reportedly has stockpiles, including fuel, food, and water. aboud and his family have had no water since yesterday. and at this point, he doesn't know when or if his family and other americans trapped in gaza will be able to get. so, that is the situation for the millions still trapped in gaza. as to the hostages who remain in the region, hamas today released a video of three female hostages who are still being held captive. one of the woman in the video, presumably under duress, criticized netanyahu's management of the crisis. and the prime minister later called the video, cruel propaganda. there was, however, one piece of good news on this front today. israel announced that any, it was good army private who was captured on october 7th, along with several others. 12 of the fellow soldiers at her post were killed. israel says that still lead leads nearly 240 hostages held in gaza. meanwhile hanging nearly all of this, a lot of uncomfortable questions about the israeli government itself and its leader, prime minister benjamin netanyahu. those questions are laid out in a deeply reported piece by new york times reporters ron and bergman, mark, and maria, titled how years of israeli failures on hamas led to a devastating attack. the most powerful military force in the middle east had not only completely underestimated the magnitude of the attack. it had totally failed in its intelligence gathering efforts, mostly due to hubris, and the mistaken assumption that hamas was a threat contained. overall, arrogance among israeli political and security officials convinced them that the country's military and technological superiority to hamas would keep the terrorist group in check. and even now, three weeks into this war, it is not clear that israel's leader has figured out how to talk to his country about how and why israel's vaunted sense of invisibility has been so suddenly shattered. many senior officials have accepted responsibility, but mr. netanyahu has not. at 1 am sunday in israel, after his office was asked for comment on this article, he posted a message on x, formerly twitter, that repeated the marks remarks he made to the new york times, and blamed the military and intelligence services for failing to provide him with any warning on hamas. the blow back to the prime minister's blame shifting was so swift and so overwhelming that he deleted that post and subsequently apologized, something basically unheard of for the hard charging prime minister. joining me now is mark missouri, it washington investigative correspondent for the new york times. mark, thank you for being here. i found this at account deeply distressing but also riveting. it sounds like there was a cascade of failures that led to october 7th. and i'm sure you have thoughts on which was the most sizable. but one of the ones that stuck out to me was the idea that the israeli defense forces stopped monitoring hamas radio traffic. and then at the outset of this attack, nobody thought it was serious enough to weaken the prime minister. can you talk a little bit about the decisions that led to the stoppage effectively of monitoring important methods of communications for this attack in particular? >> sure. so, what we found is that this is not just a matter of if there was one warning, they could have heated, weeks or days before the attack, maybe it could've been headed off. in fact, it was a series of bad decisions over the years that basically came down to the conclusion that hamas was not capable of attacking israel, that hamas was not interested in attacking israel. and therefore, the israeli security resources should be devoted elsewhere. they should be devoted toward particularly iran, hezbollah, the powerful iranian proxy force. but hamas was not considered as a serious threat. so, when you bring up the fact that they were not listening to radio traffic, that is just one example of, this was radio communication of low level hamas fires. what's the purpose? what good would it do that they thought to monitor this traffic? again, this belief was that hamas was deterred, and it wasn't interested in attacking. it was all sort of this mosaic of bad decision-making that led to the attacks on october 7th. >> and it sounds like israel disregarded the good intelligence they did have. i mean, the warnings that were issued forth internally or even externally, from countries like jordan, effectively went ignored. is that right? >> that's right. the jordanians were warning, and even israeli generals, for months, we're going to political leaders and making a broader point. they were saying that the political agenda that benjamin netanyahu was pursuing, which was this judicial, what they called judicial reform, was in fact seizing power from that judiciary, which was creating massive protests in israel. the assessment of the intelligence community, this was weakening in the country, and emboldening israel's enemies. so, they were warning that there might be an attack coming. and mr. netanyahu ignored, in fact in our story, we pointed out that he refused to even meet a general in july who wanted to deliver that warning. but the generals themselves did not quite get it right. they thought something was coming, but they did not think it was gonna be from hamas, from gaza. so, it really was a case where there was a blame all around for not really understanding the big picture. >> and then, there is this sort of role that hamas was playing and netanyahu's broader struggles with the palestinian authority. can you talk a little bit about that dynamic and how it factored into this attack? >> sure, well, so, netanyahu has four years popped off about hamas, about how they're going to destroy hamas. remember, hamas has been effectively governing the gaza strip for more than a decade. and in that vein, actually, netanyahu's government over the years, in fact pursued a policy of propping up hamas, sort of counterbalancing the palestinian authority in the west bank with money to hamas. the strategy was an effective divide and conquer. if you prop up hamas, it weakens the palestinian authority. and that gave netanyahu this sort of case to say, listen, i have no credible partners here. and so therefore, he sort of slow roll the peace process. so that is now well pretty documented that despite the rhetoric, netanyahu over the years and ministers in israel, in effect empowered hamas, by giving them a lot of money. and so, that is part of the picture as well. >> i think you are right to call it a sort of mosaic of failures because the errors were omnidirectional, it sounds like, mark. how has netanyahu managed the moment, and effectively, communicating with the israeli public about this cascade of failures. we mentioned that he deleted that tweet that absolved himself of any failures. how is he dealing with it now? what is the domestic political landscape looking like for him in the context of these attacks? >> it was straight over the weekend, when we were finishing up the story, we put questions to his office, the prime minister's office, about what we were going to report. he responded with that response that he then tweeted out. and then, the next day, it created this controversy, this firestorm of people saying he was passing the buck. he deleted the tweet. but we still had his statement. and that was sort of showing that he was not ready to accept blame. several senior israeli intelligence officials, military officials, and others have said effectively, you know, we were to blame. we will resign when this is over. but we're going to fight this war first. netanyahu hadn't done that. so, what we saw today with the press conference was a little bit of evidence in essence of damage control. but clearly, netanyahu is fighting for his political life as a result of this. >> mark mazzetti, it's a really, really, really important story, especially right now. thank you for joining me tonight, really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> now, let's turn to democratic senator richard blumenthal of connecticut, a member of the armed services committee a recently returned from a trip to the middle east. senator blumenthal, thanks for joining me this evening. i know that you are part of a bipartisan delegation of 10:10 senators who went to israel, saudi arabia, and egypt. can you give us a sense of what regional partners are saying about this conflict as we sit now on day 24? >> alex, this trip was really deeply emotional and moving. i have family, close friends in israel, a cousin who is in the idf at the front. and many of us in america have friends and family who are affected. and the message that we brought to israel was one of solidarity. israel has a right to defend itself against hamas, a terrorist organization that has as a single minded goal to destroy israel and annihilate the jewish people. and in the region, there is no love for hamas, just the opposite. the nations of the region know that hamas is a force for instability and conflict. they want stability and peace because they want their economies to prosper. and so, i think a glimmer of hope that the saudis see a future here in continuing the talks toward normalizing relations with israel, not right away, but once this conflict is concluded. and the egyptians, likewise, we visited there as well, we would like to see the conflict contained. and i think deterring iran from opening another front through its proxy, hezbollah, that has to be one of the administration's major goals. and to his credit, president biden is making it a priority. >> i'm curious about your statement that regional arab, arab regional partners have no love for hamas. what about the civilians in gaza? there are varying estimates, but we have been told up to 8000 people have been killed. i think a third of them, children. is that a concern for regional states near israel? >> absolutely, it is a concern for them. it is a concern for anyone with a sense of decency. israel has to defend itself, and we emphasize to his will that it has to provide more humanitarian relief, and food, fuel, water, and try to contain the conflict, minimize civilian casualties, provide safe corridors for americans to escape. and as a priority to enable hostages to be freed. and that's why the president, to his credit, is asking for humanitarian pause. so, our government, and their government, we have a concern about providing humanitarian relief. and frankly, the israelis can do it. and they are moving toward doing it. >> the washington post has some reporting this evening about the biden administration being very concerned about israel's movements, its deployment of soldiers, and the bombing campaign in gaza. and that behind the scenes, the administration has been urging israel to take more precautionary measures. is that been communicated to you? and if not, what do you think about the biden administration's a parent evolution on this conflict in particular? >> i have been in touch with the administration and the white house, diplomats who represent our government abroad, and they all believe that the israeli military has to be extremely careful about its tactics here and avoid repeating, quite honestly, the mistakes we made in afghanistan and iraq, where there were a lot of civilian casualties that in fact fueled the rise of other terrorist groups. when innocent civilians are killed, it is likely something to create more adolescents who tend to word terrorism and create difficulties in the future. and so, i think the administration is advising, as a friend, providing that kind of advice about the options that will minimize civilian casualties, provide more humanitarian relief, and deter iran, which is the reason why we have sent two aircraft carriers and other assets to the region, so that it will not give the green light to hezbollah on the northern front, as it did too hamas. on the south. on >> there is a lot of concern about this spilling into a regional conflict. senator blumenthal, we would love to have you back. we have to leave it there. thanks for your thoughts tonight. >> thank you. >> coming up, mike pence drops out of the presidential race. while ringleader of the effort to overturn the 2020 election now sits in the speaker's chair. what it takes to make it in today's gop? but first, after he was given a gag order in the january 6th case, trump today went after the judge and a possible witness, and joe biden. again, that is after the gag order. the latest on trump's legal jeopardy is next. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ shingles. some describe it as an intense burning sensation or an unbearable itch. this painful, blistering rash can disrupt your life for weeks. it could make your workday feel impossible. the virus that causes shingles is likely already inside of you. if you're 50 years or older, ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles. my mental health was much better. but i struggled with uncontrollable movements called td, tardive dyskinesia. td can be caused by some mental health meds. and it's unlikely to improve without treatment. i felt like my movements were in the spotlight. #1-prescribed ingrezza is the only td treatment for adults that's always one pill, once daily. ingrezza 80 mg is proven to reduce td movements in 7 out of 10 people. people taking ingrezza can stay on most mental health meds. ingrezza can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have thoughts of suicide. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including angioedema, potential heart rhythm problems, and abnormal movements. report fevers, stiff muscles, or problems thinking as these may be life threatening. sleepiness is the most common side effect. it's nice. people focus more on me. ask your doctor about #1 prescribed, once-daily ingrezza. ♪ ingrezza ♪ she runs and plays like a puppy again. his #2s are perfect! he's a brand new dog, all in less than a year. when people switch their dog's food from kibble to the farmer's dog, they often say that it feels like magic. but there's no magic involved. 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joining me now, joyce vance, former district attorney for the district of alabama. joyce, thank you for being here. please, help me understand whether we are barreling towards a stress test of bail conditions? the judge is gonna happen have to take up and earnest question whether they need to jail a former president ahead of a trial? >> so, i think of reluctant, the judges will be doing anything to deal with the interference in the election. ultimately, donald trump seems intent on pushing these buttons. he's had a lot of opportunity to walk it back. instead, he continues to advance his conduct. for instance, just leaving up some of these earlier posts, mark meadows, the last time i looked at truth social, was still not been taken down and that would be a violation of the gag order that was issued to him -- not easy for any of the judges here. >> today, the doj announced that they were indicting an alabama man for transmitting interstate threats. he had left threatening phone messages for district attorney fani willis. do you think the doj is trying to convey its seriousness in terms of threatening behavior in and around this case. and is that a message to donald trump? >> i don't think that there is anything subtle about it. doj has always taken and aggressive stance about protecting witness safety in every case. it is the sort of issue, and i can tell you on the handful of cases that i presided over, -- -- people in the u.s. attorney's office drop everything. they put their heads together. they figure out how to protect the witness, whether they need to go back into court. these matters are taken very seriously. and, so the u.s. attorney in atlanta took a look at this threat -- lanta took a look at thi threat - [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] -- information that would be useful to the a.g.? >> so, they will have an interesting decision point here because they are being called by laetitia james as part of her case in chief, the case the government is putting on to justify the award of damages in essence, that it is taking from trump and the trump organization. if they are not forthcoming in their testimony, you know, when you have a witness on direct, you have to ask them who, what, when, where, why kinds of questions. you can't lead them to the answer that you want. what if the witnesses aren't forthcoming, then letitia james can ask for permission to treat them as hostile witnesses. she will almost certainly have to do that here. and she can ask them more poignant questions, questions that really divulge the information that she's interested in. isn't it true that your present when this conversation occurred? that sort of a thing. and so, very quickly, these witnesses get to the point where they will have to decide whether they'll be forthcoming and tell the truth, whether they will try to dissemble and bleed a failure of memory, or whether they will go ahead and assert the fifth amendment which of course is dangerous in a civil case because it means in this case, just as engoron will be able to draw adverse inferences from asserting the fifth. and it could even be coming into consideration down the road if any additional action is necessary in the criminal justice system, a result of the civil case. >> and given judge and iran's position thus far vis-à-vis trump, he's likely to draw adverse inferences from the trump children to plead the fifth. i gotta ask, you joyce, this is a case that's making its way through the courts. it is the first hearing, today was the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by six colorado voters who withheld from outside groups, including citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington. and they are seeking to prevent trump from getting on the ballot using the 14th amendment, section three of the 14th amendment. minnesota, i think, it's gonna be hearing a similar case. we have sort of danced around this topic and touched on it a little bit in previous months. but i wonder what you make of it as a viable, a viable lawsuit that could work its way up to, potentially, the highest court in the land, or not? >> and it does seem it's headed that way. for one thing, if there are different decisions in colorado in minnesota, you can end up with a split that can make this attractive issue on appeal. it will be something that the court would consider seriously. and because of its importance. and this is an issue that i think people can be reasonably conflicted about, because the 14th amendment section three says what it says. he says that if someone who's taken an oath of loyalty to the united states, participates in an insurrection, then they are ineligible to hold future office, period, end of story. and for the strict constructionists among us, that would typically be conservatives in this country, the language is relatively clear. there are some legal issues about whether or not the president of the u.s. qualifies. there is some technical legal language about an officer of the united states. but setting that aside, even if there is a good faith belief that this statute applies, and should keep trump off the ballot, then there's the political consequences of that legal decision. and whether this isn't a decision that's better off left to voters, whether removing trump without permitting the voters to speak might do more damage than it would do constitutional good. >> well, we do know, on that note, that donald trump has been fundraising off of that colorado case today. joyce vance, thank you again for your time, thoughts, and expertise. i appreciate it. >> thank you -- >> coming up later this hour, what happens when the man described as the most important architect of 2020 electoral college objections, what happens when that man holds the speaker's gavel in 2024. first, former vice president mike pence is bowing out of the 2024 race. are we on the eve of the great republican consolidation? that is next. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> this is not my time. so, after much prayer and deliberation, i have decided to suspend my campaign for president, effective today. >> mike pence has officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. this is not a shock for republican primary voters, including pence supporters. consider this for the moment, the most recent republican vice president of the united states did not even make it to the first primary contests, which is a sign of the times. that development comes as a new and we see news registered poll shows donald trump still holding a lead of nearly 30 points or the rest of the primary field among likely republican caucus goers in iowa. now, this poll was taken before pence announcement, so it remains to be seen who will pick up pence's whopping 2% of the iowa primary electorate. right now, trump remains the front one with 43%, one point up from where he was in august. former governor nikki haley has risen ten points since august, putting her at 16%. but that only means that she is now tied for second place with governor ron desantis whose campaign continues to hemorrhage support. he is down three points from august. joining me now is mark leibovich, staff writer at the atlantic, and the author of thank you for your servitude, donald trump's washington and the price of submission. mark, what does it say that that ramaswamy outlasted the former vice president of the united states? >> you know, as you said, it's not a surprise at all this is not mike pence's time. i'm not convinced it is vivek ramaswamy's time either. i think this has been, i mean, it's been in the works for a lot of time i mean mike pence ironically, i think it says all you really need to know about the party today. he did one in a quite heroic and courageous the, which was his job, which was to certify the election for joe biden. and that almost, just on that day, disqualified him from being a president or nominee of the republican party. this has been moving to this. i think what was perverse is that he tried to begin with, i don't know if he ever thought, he could get traction. it was clear early on that this would ultimately be the campaign -- i think that the relative indifference people have responded to this news. they'll tell you all you know about where his candidacy was and what potential it had and did not have. >> you make notice of the one thing that pence did, which then he find himself so at odds with on the campaign trail, tying himself up into knots, trying to, you know, show -- trying to make an issue of the courage. he displayed that day. but also not implementing the history and the behavior of donald trump, impugning, which was a possible position for him to find himself in. similarly speaking in terms of confounding positions, as that front desantis, mark? ron desantis has had this point lost ground with both anti trump voters and the maga base. it did not take rocket scientists to see this coming. and yet, apparently, this was always the strategy all along from the desantis campaign. >> it is unclear. i mean, this campaign has been a disaster. i mean, it had, it was at its best when it was speculative, after he had won a reelection -- he hadn't gotten in yet. people were anointing him without him doing anything. he raised a ton of money. and he sort of got out there and he was on one day, trump liked, sporadically hit back at trump. he never really found a voice. he's still trying. it just seems like he's losing a lot of traction as he goes along. and i guess the person who seems to be benefiting most is nikki haley these days. >> do you think that haley is a viable alternative to trump in the long run? i mean, there is a sense that the republican electorate, some slice of it, wants an alternative, despite trump's apparent consolidation of the field. is that person nikki haley, if there is to be someone else, anyone else in the republican primary process >> i would say she has a very compelling profile. but i think, you know, her biggest adversary is not just trump, it is matt. if she got the field to herself, if there was no ron desantis, if there was no tim scott, and you know, who knows what's gonna become of the other campaigns, chris christie, vivek, go down the list. if she had a one-on-one chop against trump, she would be a very formidable candidate because she actually, unlike desantis, has actually found a voice in being critical with trump. but also, you know, being somewhat, having some credibility with the maga base and some degree. i mean, yes, i think until there is some consolidation, she really doesn't -- she is just sort of flavor of the month, lower case f -- and we really don't, i don't think we would ever see her full potential. again, if she were to have the field to herself, she would, i think, you know, she could really make some difference. >> you would think the republicans might have learned at least one lesson from the 2016 cycle, which is if you have 1 million people, americans, to trump's benefit, do you think that the consolidation may happen earlier than it did in previous cycles, especially with trump's looming criminal trials on the horizon? >> i mean, no. i don't think the republican party has shown itself terribly adept at learning lessons and sort of pivoting in any direction. i mean, this is the same kind of avoiding strategy, and just sort of bowing down to donald trump, that has been the overriding dynamic of this party for the last almost eight years now. so, i don't see that changing. in fairness to these, this is not a monolithic and didi. these are individual candidates, with individual egos, some very, very big. and ron desantis doesn't strike me as someone who is going to selflessly take himself out of the race, and then sort of give all of his support, or endorsed nikki haley. i mean, i think just as likely he would enormous donald trump, and you know, hang around for years from now. look, this is not a party that has shown any kind of proclivity for course direction. and, you know, barring, some dramatic developments, it looks like, they're heading to that same trump-centric direction for the next election. >> where selfless and ron desantis don't often collide and they sentenced together. i think you've been trying, mark leibovich, i was good to see you my friend. >> thanks, alex. >> thanks for talking to me -- coming up, trump's efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election ultimately fail. but what happens in 2024 with speaker of the house mike johnson? how much of a threat is the man house democrats are now calling maga mike? that is next. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ when i was diagnosed with h-i-v, i didn't know who i would be. but here i am... being me. keep being you... and ask your healthcare provider about the number one prescribed h-i-v treatment, biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in many people whether you're 18 or 80. with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to undetectable—and stay there whether you're just starting or replacing your current treatment. research shows that taking h-i-v treatment as prescribed and getting to and staying undetectable prevents transmitting h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your healthcare provider. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. no matter where life takes you, biktarvy can go with you. talk to your healthcare provider today. >> from 1999 to 2013, the president of venezuela was this man, hugo chavez. there was a controversial leader, and his legacy had a big impact on the american relationship with venezuela. but for our purposes this evening, none of that actually matters. to understand what i'm gonna about to tell you, you really only need to know one thing. and that is hugo chavez is that. he has been dead for over a decade after succumbing to cancer in 2013, which is why one of the most bunkers moments in the period right after the 2020 election was when right wing conspiracy theorists claimed that long did you go jobs was somehow part of a conspiracy to rig the election from joe biden. >> in every election in american history, there is some small element of fraud and irregularities. but when you have it on a oa scale, when you have, you know, a software system that is used all around the country, that is suspect because it came from hugo chavez in venezuela, it begs to be litigated and investigated. >> that was mike johnson, the man that republicans have now elected to the speaker of the house. during a radio interview in november of 2020, actively promoting one of the most absurd election conspiracies out there. an election conspiracy that relied on that south american leaders, somehow tinkering with voter-ing equipment for years before the election took place. but mike johnson wasn't just spreading wackadoo conspiracy. he was a key architect in the republican-led efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. shortly after the 2020 election with multiple trump campaign legal challenges underway, mike johnson joined in on one of those lawsuits and he wrongfully claim that the election results in four swing states were not valid. and then, mike johnson whipped up more than 100 of his republican colleagues in congress who submitted, signed their names to it. if told his fellow candidates that trump was anxiously awaiting to see who in congress was willing to step up and publicly defend him. now, ultimately, this effort failed. the courts did not agree with mike johnson and his 100th block colleagues. the secretary of state who filed the lawsuit to begin with. but that early effort to overturn the election results, the effort organized by mike johnson, it gave trump and his supporters a real jumping off point from which to launch their stop the steal campaign, including a handy list of 100 plus allies that the trump campaign could lean on to support overturning the election results in congress. for his troubles, mike johnson has been described as, quote, the most important architect of the 2020 scheme among republicans in congress to reject the results of the election. now, today, we are only about a year away from the 24 presidential election. and this time, mike johnson won't be on the sidelines with votes against legitimate elections. this time, mr. johnson will have the full weight of the speakership behind him, which gives him enormous control over the certification of election results. and what happens if a guy with a gavel does not respect the results of the election? the lawyer who led the response to donald trump's election challenges in 2020, marc elias, joins me next. stay with us. stay with us [alarm] >> instructor: veer right. 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(♪♪) on the morning of january 6th, he tweeted, we must fight for election integrity. the constitution and the preservation of our republic it would be my honor to help lead that fight in congress today. that was congressman mike johnson, now the speaker of the house, announcing that he would help lead the crusade to overturn the 2020 election. when the state of texas asked the supreme court to throw out election results in four states, mike johnson who had house republicans in signing a debrief and support of that challenge. as voting rights lawyer marc elias puts it, the newly elected speaker of the house is no ordinary republican election denier. he was a ring leader, ringleader in one of the most dangerous efforts to overturn the 2020 election. he used his position as a lawyer and member of congress to legitimize the fringe legal theory underpinning the big lie. other than donald trump, here is arguably the most culpable federal elected officials and what transpired on trainers january 6th, 2020. joining me now is marc elias, he is of course the powerhouse lawyer who won more than 16 different lawsuits against republicans and the trump campaign when they tried to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election. marc it's also the founder of democracy docket. thanks for being here, marc. i foundthanks for being here, mr c. i found your writing on this to be stirring and distressing. and given the position of importance that you assign to congressman johnson why has he avoided deep investigation and possible prosecution -- [inaudible] [inaudible [inaudible] -- >> what do you make of the fact that we are barreling towards another presidential election, and the speaker of the house is now mike johnson, in terms of election integrity efforts, and the movement behind that, do you feel like it is stronger, and that it is sort of insurance policy is a better one this time around? >> look, i think you can see this both ways. on the one hand, you know, there was reforms made to the electoral count act, and it's positive it's the law that governs how the counting of electoral college votes are supposed to happen in the house and the joint session. but on the other hand, we know that the group of republicans, including mike johnson, they are lawless. so they won't care much about what the law says. and we have seen democracy under attack now for years by the likes of people like donald trump and mike johnson. and that system of democracy that relies so much on good faith has withered. had so, what republicans have done, essentially given john eastman the gavel. the difference between mike johnson and john eastman are different fringe legal theories, one got indicted and one got promoted. >> do you think there are other ways that people who are interested in having a free and fair election should be preparing, or other systems that need to be strengthened ahead of 2024? >> look, there is a role for all of us. i think if you are in a state, there are things you can do in your states to strengthen and harden democracy. you can make it harder for people to act as election which will aunties, which we saw right wing organizations do. you can hire more poll workers and make sure that election officials are doing their job. so, if you are an ordinary citizen, you can frankly just stand up in your council, whether it is your online presence, your social media, or your group of friends who have a cup of coffee on the weekends, and just educate them on what we publicans like mike johnson are planning. because if we are all more educated than you all know what's happening, and it will be easier to combat. >> marc elias, it is, it is an important time to be understanding the depth of the work that mike johnson was engaged in to turn the results of the 2020 election over to donald trump. and it's even more important given his role today as speaker of the house. it's really tough on the probe ran. and for taking some time tonight, mark. >> thank you. >> that is our show for this evening. now, it is time for the last word with jonathan capehart who is in for lawrence. good evening, jonathan. >> good evening, alex. thank you very, very much. >> have a good show! >> thank you. >> one hour and 15 minutes, that's how long it took donald trump to commit what might be a violation of a newly-reinstated gag order that was placed on him by a federal judge. last night, at 76 pm, judge tanya chutkan reinstated her gag order on trump in the 2020 election case, brought by special counsel jack smith. the gag order had been put on pause for nine days, well judge chutkan reconsidered her decision and her new arguments from the special counsel and donald trump's criminal defense team. trump's attorneys wanted it removed on first amendment grounds, but judge chutkan reiterated in her ruling last night that, quote, as the court has explained, the first amendment rights of participants and criminal proceedings must yield when necessary to the administration of justice. contrary to defend this argument, the right to a fair trial is not his alone, but belongs austin to the government and the public. defendants repeated appeals to broad first amendment values, therefore ignore that the court pursuant to its obligations to protect the integrity of these proceedings recognize those values, but and balancing them against potential prejudiced from certain types of statements, found them outweighed. the gag order limits what trump says about potential witnesses in the case, as well as special counsel. it does not stop him from