i want to start with the evolution of a lie. this pin tweet is sticking it to the top of the rnc accounts page meaning they are proud of this. they do not want this post to get lost in the shuffle. the post shows video of president biden at the g7 summit watching a parachuting ■ç demonstration with other world leaders. if you only saw the moments the rnc decided to post of this video, the video makes it look like biden is confused or wandering off. the rnc's caption what is biden doing adds to that impression. but if you watch a longer version of that same moment, or you watch it from other angles you can see that biden is clearly watching other parachuters out of frame and giving them a thumbs up. but rather than include that context, 90 minutes after the rnc posted their video, the new york post reposted it. but this time, with the video cropped so you never see any of the parachuters biden is looking at making him seem even more out of it. and of course, hours later, the rnc's video got the fox news treatment. >> during a parachute demonstration, ■çbiden got daze and confused, how shocking. and started to just, you know, wander off like that. as other g7 leaders looked on in agony. >> fox news says the other world leaders looked on in agony. never mind they are quoted on the record calling biden's acknowledgment of other parachuters quote very polite. the next morning the story was the front page in the new york post. headlining quote, meander in chief. trump's campaign quick to push out that front page on its own accounts. it is a conservative echo chamber. doesn't seem to care if what it is echoing back and forth is true or not. and the issue here is not just this one video. we have seen the same exact cycle again and again. two weeks ago it was the rnc i (r"en at a d-day ceremony in normandy france making it look like he was reaching for a chair that wasn't actually there. the issue was that being that there was a chair there. biden was just waiting to sit until defense secretary lloyd austin's name was announced. as were others if you look at, you know, the actual not cropped video. this week, the rnc is pushing a misleading clip after biden at a fundraiser claiming that biden freezes before obama grabs his arm and leads him off stage. as the ap points out in its own fact check, with the video actually showing biden pausing amid cheers and applause before exiting the stage with obama. but you know. facts didn't stop trump from posting the video himself. complete with the caption is this really who you want to be your president? misleading photos, videos, not ç a new phenomenon in american politics. what is new is having the republican party and a conservative media eco system and presumptive nominee for president pushing the misleading videos with no regard for the facts. last night, in wisconsin, trump continued to lob disingenuous personal attacks against the president as part of a 90- minute rant filled with lies. trump of course also repeated the false claim that he won the 2020 election. he also implored supporters to be on the lookout for more fraud this time around. >> you want to watch for the cheating. the radical left democrats rigged the presidential election in 2020 and we are not going to let them rig ■çthe presidential election in 2024. >> this week, liberal activist lauren windsor released secret video of roger stone talking about what he sees as trump's plan to challenge the election results this time around if trump loses. in this recording which again was recorded without stone's knowledge, she pretends to believe it was stolen to get stone to talk about how he thinks trump will respond if the election is stolen again. >> what stops them from just like voter fraud? >> in some states it will be easier to stop. but at least this time, when they do it, you have a lawyer and a judge, his home phone number standing by so you can stop it. we made no preparations last time. none. ■ç three days for pennsylvania voters to procure ballots not counted. the other 61 lawsuits failed miserablely. stone is not just trying to relitigate the failures and claim the 2020 election was rigged. no, he isn't even just saying he expects the election to be quote unquote rigged. he is also saying that the republican effort to take those false claims to court would be much bigger and better run this time around. particularly now that trump's daughter-in-law laura trump controls the rnc. ■ç >> all the provisions he mentioned he said are perfectly legal but that is not exactly a denial that the bad faith election challenges are indeed coming. and with the misinformation eco system that is primed for exactly this kind of stuff, how do we protect our democracy? during the 2020 election, former obama white house counsel bob bower helped to lead the response to ■çthe bad faith election lawsuits. bower is out with a brand new book that tackles these very issues. it is called the unraveling. reflections on politics without ethics and democracy in crisis. in it, he examines the line between hard nose political combat and a politics devoid of ethics. quote, political actors bear responsibility to demonstrate in the choices they make that politics can and should be an honorable ethical calling. good politic cans be played hard, passionately, but also with respect for the limits beyond which cannot go. cannot ethically go. not all the limits are clear. not everyone agrees on the limits. however, there has to be agreement that there are ■çlimi of some kind. joining me now, bob bauer, president biden's personal attorney. former white house that treats the law as something to be basically shunted to one side. or misused to hound or harass political opponents or as you pointed out in your opening, where there is absolutely no limit on the lies that are peddled to voters. no responsibility on the part of those who write the ads or cover the ads to really police them for some measure of honesty and fairness to the voters. to the question that you asked i want to stress this. i reject the premise that and i think i and others and democratic campaigns have done ç this for quite some time, i reject the premise that you can't compete hard. that you can't be strong in your convictions. that you can't be vigorous in your campaigns. and at the same time run them ethically and win. you can win. i was, with the obama campaign in 2008. the president won. president obama won. i was with the reelection campaign of president obama in 2012. he won. president biden in 2020. he won. so victory is possible. but the overall effect, it is something we have to be ■çdeepl concerned about. >> so in 2020, you outlined a strategy with trump questioning the results. i wondered when you realized you were going to actually need to execute on this plan? >> well remember that former president trump made no bones about his belief that he couldn't possibly lose an honest election. any election he lost would be a rigged election. as a matter of fact, he even claimed he hadn't lost to ted cruz in the caucuses. so he flagged that as did others in his campaign circle and a lot of energy went into thinking through what steps they might take to challenge the election. what steps they might take to ■ç undermine the process beforehand. thousands of lawyer hours, thousands of pages of memos. not all of it came to pass. but having said that, there were threats we anticipated. trump and his campaign did not succeed at all. >> as you just laid out, 2020, trump is setting the ground work for the possibility he is doing the same thing again. this time around, saying that he will call into questions the results of the 2024 election. it is interesting you and i are talking tonight. there is a new fox news national poll that shows president biden leading trump 50% to ■ç48% nationally among registered voters. which is notable because that is the first time we have seen that in this poll this cycle. do you believe team biden is prepared for the novel ways, right, the new ways that team trump has imagined once again subverting democracy? >> well, i recount in the book how we prepared in 2020 and it was exhaustive. and i can say that the preparations are just as exhaustive if not more so this time around. and the effort here, i want to be clear. the effort here is not just to prepare to protect a win. it is to prepare to protect a process. and i will say at the same time i'm involved in this campaign and i'm very involved in the campaign, ■çi also work with republicans on initiatives meant to be bipartisan to support our election officials in the conduct of elections. that is where the partisan politics has to stop. it has to stop at the point at which we are attacking the process we depend upon for the fulfillment of the democratic process. for the fulfillment of democratic will. yes. >> forgive me. as much about the fact this is a bipartisan challenge. you are clear about the fact, when we talk about republicans, this is bigger than donald trump. right? an egregious offense against norms when they ignored president obama's nomination of merrick garland in the supreme court. when another election year vacancy developed upon the ■ç death of ruth bader ginsburg, they rushed amy coney barrett. thehow corrosive was that specific breach in ethics? >> in my view, this is the step taken just to win to push through a result because you can push through that result that added together with all the other actions of that kind that are taken really does have a long term undermining effect. not just on the way the process should operate, but on the public's confidence in the process. the public loses faith that politics is an honorable calling. and that at some point in seeking their favor, seeking their vote in the campaign, ■ç there is a limit. there is a limit to what responsible political actors will do. in the same way they have to hope that in trying to enact public policies there is a limit to what people in government will do to win a policy debate. there have to be those limits. i'm convinced by the way that victory is possible while adhering to those limits. but now the public's confidence if that is true has been shaken. >> you are right in the unraveling about a moment after january 6th where you thought democratic life will get back to normal. that seems very quaint now. i'm sure you will agree nothing feels normal. we're in the middle of what we keep calling the most consequential election of our lifetime. i just wonder five months out what it is that keeps you up at night. >> you have ■fo worry about everything. we are living through polarized politics. we have seen a lot of ethical compunctions fall away. norms challenged. not just norms challenged, but repudiated in principle. and i do believe, however, if i could strike an optimistic note, having traveled around the country and spoken to election officials and community leaders, both democratic and republican, that yes. there is a wing of the republican party that donald trump commands that is prepared to repudiate the norms. prepared to challenge elections and say that the system iser redeemably disrupt. but there are others, some of them quiet, who think even if they will vote for republicans, that we have to defend the democratic process. and that there is a form of democratic politics that is ethical and respectful of the voters and respectful ■çof democratic traditions and norms. i have heard that from republicans. and i believe that there is a large number whether they are republicans, independents, democrats, more than a mayorty that wants to stand up and defend the democratic process in the united states. so as much as i worry at night, i have confidence that ultimately as i had confidence in 2020, that we are going to see the country, the voters stand up for the process currently under such severe attack. >> bob, that optimism that you share is in high demand and in short supply. so thank you for ending us there. president biden's personal attorney, former white house counsel and the obama administration and the author of the brand new book the unraveling. reflections on politics without ethics and democracy in crisis. thank you so much, bob. all right, coming up for us, a big applause line in ■ç donald trump's rally these days? his threats to cut funding to public schools with vaccine mandates. we will talk about that. but first, the strengthening alliance between kim jong un and vladimir putin on display today. what it means for national security in the 2024 presidential election. that's up next. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ chewy, a citi client, uses citi's financial expertise to help drive its growth and keep its supply chain moving, so more pet parents can get everything they need... right when they need it. keeping more pets, and families, happy. ♪♪ for the love of moving our clients forward. voices of people with cidp: cidp disrupts. for the love of progress. cidp derails. let's be honest... all: cidp sucks! voices of people with cidp: but living with cidp doesn't have to. when you sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com, you'll find inspiration in real patient stories, helpful tips, reliable information, and more. cidp can be tough. but finding hope just got a little easier. sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com. all: be heard. be hopeful. be you. liberty mutual customized my car insurance and i saved hundreds. with all the money i saved i thought i'd buy stilts. being so tall definitely has its advantages. oh whoa. here you go, kiddo. thanks. hi honey ready to go? yup. there it is, there it is... ahhh...here we go. i guess it also has some disadvantages. yes it does. only pay for what you need. ♪liberty. liberty. liberty, liberty.♪ (♪♪) (♪♪) try dietary supplements from voltaren, for healthy joints. want to save on some of the biggest names in streaming on try dietary supplements from voltaren, the network made for streaming? x marks the spot. now you can add the new xfinity streamsaver™ that includes netflix, peacock, and apple tv+. that's xfinity streamsaver™ for just $15 a month. all your favorites. all in one place. only from xfinity. for more watching and less spending... x marks the spot. do it all on the network made for streaming, and bring on the good stuff. the red carpet was rolled out ahead of a carefully choreographed parade of two dictators. vladimir putin paid a rare visit to his counterpart kim jong un as part of a continued effort to strengthen russia's alliance with north korea. there was a welcome ceremony complete with goose stepping soldiers. thousands of north north koreans lined the ■çstreets to chant putin's name. the climax of this high profile trip was a defense agreement that vladimir putin and kim jong un signed today which calls for russia and north korea to defend one another in the event of quote aggression against'rer country. in other words, a nato style defense pact in return for the dozens of ballistic missiles that north korea provided to support putin's war. it could mark the strongest bond between the two countries since the end of the cold war. six senior u.s. officials told nbc news the biden administration is increasingly concerned about the intensifying military alliance. those ofijials say the u.s. is also bracing for north korea to potentially take its most provocative military actions in a decade close to the presidential election. possibly at putin's urging. the timing could be designed to create turmoil in order to hurt president biden's electoral chances and help donald trump. what do you make of this trip of this new agreement? does it subject that putin is in fact desperate? >> without question. putin is desperate. he would not have made this trip. first time he has been here in a quarter century. when i say here, i'm in seoul. so it is just up ■çthe street. that is by coincidence, i'm not trolling mr. putin. i just happened to be here. but it is very nerve racking for people here in south korea as well. because what you see is a real genuine just like you said nato style mutual agreement. they never have been this close it was just a few years ago before putin invaded ukraine when the united states and russia and china disagreed on many, many things. one thing that cooperated on was trying to prevent the expansion of kim jong un's nuclear weapons program. what this treaty, i shouldn't call it a treaty. what the security pact suggests is that now all of those bets are off and putin is not just trying to prevent it. he is trying to help them ■ç expand their nuclear arsenal. that is very, very dangerous new development. >> help me understand what this means practically for ukraine in its fight against russia? >> it means putin will have more munitions to kill ukrainians. it's that simple and the fact he doesn't have those weapons i think underscores how desperate he is. there has been a lot of chatter recently about how well the russian military is doing and the russian military industrial complex is back. i think we need to pump the brakes on that. yes, they are growing stronger. yes, they are gaining technology from countries like china but also countries from the west. that is disturbing. and it was important i think that president biden at the g7 summit focused on that. but ■çthe very fact he needs th pretty crude kind of technologies, these munitions, soviet era munitions from north korea suggest that putin is running out and this deal will help him advance his warrings in ukraine. it is bad news for the ukrainians. >> i want you to help me understand this in the context of the 2024 election. we know what former president trump thinks of putin. we know what he thinks of kim jong un. the way in which he has praised both of these leaders. if he were to be elected, what does it mean for this country? as they are both anti-west? >> well you said that we ■çknow about those relationships. how crazy is that in the first term with trump where he reached out and putin was one of his closest allies and friends. he said it repeatedly for years and years about kim jong un, i'm paraphrasing here, but mr. trump said we fell in love. now think about that. these two leaders are meeting today, putin and kim jong un, to one, threaten in a more direct way ukraine where we are trying to help ukrainians and i'm sitting here in south korea. and our south korean allies here are extremely nervous about what they are seeing in north korea and they are nervous that trump has embraced both of these gentlemen. so our allies are nervous about the return of (çmr. trump and i think we need to think about that hard before voting him back into office. i think it will create tremendous disruption with respect to our alliances. even if not immediately, everyone will begin to hedge their bets. that will lead to very unstable world that i think is not in america's national interest. >> your level of concern that north korea that russia that another u.s. adversary could in fact be planning an october surprise? >> there is no doubt in my mind, i know mr. putin better than kim jong un. there is no doubt in my mind that putin wants trump to win. he wanted to win in 2016 and remember, he helped him. he stole gm%1m them. doxed secretary clinton to try to help him. this time around, it is clear as day he wants to help them so if there is anything he can do before november, i suspect he will try to do it. whether it works or not, i don't know. but there is no doubt that putin both has the intention and the capability to try to help disrupt our elections. >> former u.s. ambassador to russia michael joining us from south korea. ambassador, stay safe and thank you so much for your time. coming up, the republican state lawmaker's bizarre actions against a democratic colleague shedding the light on a loss of civility in our politics. donald trump's threat to defund schools with vaccine and mask requirements proving to be red meat to the maga faithful. we have more on that after a quick break. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. ava: i was just feeling sick. and it was the worst day. mom was crying. i was sad. colton: i was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. brett: once we got the first initial hit, it was just straight tears, sickness in your stomach, just don't want to get up out of bed. joe: there's always that saying, well, you've got to look on the bright side of things. tell me what the bright side of childhood cancer is. lakesha: it's a long road. it's hard. but saint jude has gotten us through it. narrator: saint jude children's research hospital works day after day to find cures and save the lives of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. thanks to generous donors like you, families never receive a bill from saint jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. ashley: without all of those donations, saint jude would not be able to do all of the exceptional work that they do. narrator: for just $19 a month, you'll help us continue the life-saving research and treatment these kids need. tiffany: no matter if it's a big business or just the grandmother that donates once a month, they are changing people's lives. and that's a big deal. narrator: join with your debit or credit card right now, and we'll send you this saint jude t-shirt that you can proudly wear to show your support. nicole: our family is forever grateful for donations big and small because it's completely changed our lives and it's given us a second chance. elizabeth stewart: saint jude's not going to stop until every single kid gets that chance to walk out of the doors of this hospital cancer-free. narrator: please, don't wait. call, go online, or scan the qr code below right now. 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( ♪♪ ) ( ♪♪ ) this one will never see the light of day. all right. i will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate. i will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate. i will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate. >> recently as last night, former president trump made the same terrifying promise. rallies and events across the country ■çhe is doing that. he has promised to cut funding to schools with vaccine or mask mandates but think about the practicality of what he is threatening here. all 350 states have some form of vaccine mandates on the books so trump is essentially saying he would be prepared to cut federal support from every single public school district in the country. even in trump's beloved florida where ron desantis is governor. the health department says all children who attend florida schools, public or private, require to be immunized. and why is this? well you know, because vaccines work. they have been accepted as a key component to keeping kids and families from getting sick. joining me now. two of my favorite people. thank you ■çboth so much for being here. >> these vaccines are recommended by the cdc. in the case of measles, it is required. to your point in school districts across the country. there is no question about it, mmr vaccine for short. meningitis for college students, college freshmen is recommended in most places. why does this matter? we noticed places like ohio, florida, just in 2024 have had significant outbreaks among unvaccinated children. which by the way has resulted in one in three ending up in the hospital. 15% with meningitis within unvaccinated die. what are the thresholds of acceptable for ■çdeath and significant disability if we don't abide by the common sense long held vaccine mandates for routine childhood vaccination? we are talking serious disability and risk of death. >> what we heard from the former president, i'm not accustomed to that level of message discipline from the former president so that tells me what he is saying is generalling up some portion of his base and actually working. this was not always a partisan hot button issue. how did we get here? and why is it continuing to benefit donald trump? >> there is a portion of the republican base at this moment that is very much anti-science. and anti-vaccine. and donald trump has proven time and again he will say anything regardless o#hthe harm to people and the american public to get an applause. you played a number of clips there and right after he said that, there was a loud applause. and so he will say anything to pander to the extreme wing of the base. that is anti-vaccine. and this is really a dangerous precedent. not just because of the reasons that the doctor laid out. but also because people need to trust their leaders to base their decisions on fact and science. we really need to vote like our lives depend on it. issues like climate change, the future pandemic. those are things that are going to put the american ■çpeople's lives in danger. and we need serious leadership to address those issues. >> so it helps us set the stakes there. this is about life and death. what would it mean if the mandates were lifted? >> you know, we are seeing it play out in realtime in ohio in 2022. children ended up unvaccinated, ended up getting exposed to the measles. one in three ended up in the hospital. this is serious business here. to the stakes, the cdc to the fda under the wrong leadership. if they appointed individuals that were enabling this, they could do some serious damage here. the cdc has the capability. we have great leadership now. the cdc has the capability so we ■çwill move everything to optional. there are ways they can manipulate the way people receive vaccination guidelines. it goes to say, 35 states across the country have requirements on the meningitis vaccine. arizona recommends something for which it prevents a disease that has a 15% mortality rate. why are these things even recommended in the first place? >> you answered your own question. you had glen youngkin winning the governorship of virginia with a parents right platform. this seems like an outgrowth of that same energy which is not really about parental rights. what has parental rights become a proxy for? >> well i think parental rights are effectively this libertarian wing of the right that doesn't want government involved in any decisions but in a moment where we have just gone through a b■[cñglobal pand where millions of americans listen to anti-science rhetoric. and lost loved ones or lost their own lives because they did not pay attention to the directives of the cdc, of experts and get vaccinated, wear masks when we were told to do that and i think we need to be very serious in this moment. donald trump's rhetoric is not only dangerous because of the impact on our democracy. but also on our safety. and he will say. he has said himself, i don't even care about you. i just want your votes. and so we have to remember at the end of the day, ■ças much a the political debate is entertainment, donald trump is not an entertainer. he once was, but he cannot play act as president. he has to take it seriously and i'm certain this will come up at the debate where we will have the contrast between somebody who is leading the country and somebody who has been involved in a performance of the role as president. >> i often talk about the trump hangover. the fact that even when he is not in power, there are still reminders everywhere of the effect that he had on public opinion. and these attitudes about vaccines are just one example. >> oh absolutely. we saw prepandemic to now, there has been a 50% increase in the number of parents who think prepandemic to ■çnow that routine childhood vaccinations like measles, mumps, and rubella should be voluntary. the spillover effect is real. and we are seeing this death of expertise. dr. fauci talked about it a few days ago. the unwillingness to bind to expertise. what does that mean? we have created an unsafe environment for people as they navigate their own health care journey. they will rely on supplements. things not fda approved because they don't believe in the fda. now we have a bunch of individuals willing to take their own health care decisions, leveraging the internet. or leveraging their favorite podcast shows. and that is not where expertise is found. that challenge of expertise here is posing multiple challenges. again, we have seen this just over the last five years. >> what a treat to have an actual medical doctor with me. my friends, ■çso good to see yo on my tv. thank you so much for taking the time to be with us. he is running for congress on a message of saving democracy. we will talk to him. but first, a truly weird story of partisan politics in 2024. some folks are calling it watergate. we will explain. that's next. 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. ohhh crap. biktarvy can go with you. now we gotta get france something. wait! we could use etsy's gift mode! alright. done. 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it is not entirely clear why that republican state representative was dumping water on her colleague's bag over and over and over again. the two lawmakers grew up in the same town and have known each other for years. representative carroll claims his republican colleague had been acting nasty toward him for months and ■çwould say demeaning things in front of other legislators. despite that, representative carroll had planned to keep his secret sting video private. that was until a local independent news service called seven days vermont filed a public records act request. after which carroll relented. and released the security footage to that local news outlet. in response to the public backlash, representative morissey has now publicly apologized. >> it was conduct most unbecoming of my position as a representative and as a human being. and is not reflective of my 28 years of service and civility. >> representative carroll was asked by the guardian newspaper if he accepts his colleague's apology. he said, i guess i would have to say yes in ■çthe spirit of forgiveness reluctantly. but if i had to be a smart ass i would say her apology holds about as much water as my canvas bag. there is a lesson in all of this somewhere. a lesson about the fraying civility in our politics. a lesson about the importance of local journalism and holding lawmakers accountable for even the dumbest of misdeeds. a lesson in the durability of a proper tote bag. i don't know what the lesson is. but it is a reminder that we deserve better than cruelty and immaturity from our leaders. in just a second i will talk to someone who lost a white house job thanks to the cruel vindictive nature of donald trump. and is now trying to return to washington as an elected member of congress. that's next. citi's industry leading global payments solutions help their clients move money around the world seamlessly in over 180 countries... and help a partner like the world food programme as they provide more than food to people in need. together, citi and the world food programme empower families across the globe. lawmakers are trying to shut down planned parenthood. the health care of more than 2 million people is at stake. our right to basic reproductive health care is being stolen from us. planned parenthood believes everyone deserves health care. it's a human right. future generations are beginning to lose the rights we fought for. the rights for ourselves, our kids, and our grandkids. gone. just like that. i can't believe this is the world we live in, where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. last year, politicians in 47 states introduced bills that would block people from getting the sexual and reproductive care they need. where does it end? 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>> thank you for having me on tonight. last night was quite a whirlwind. i'm still enjoying what ■çwas a resounding win for my campaign against a field of really capable local leaders and an impressive field and i thank each of them for running. to run is to serve. my message has been that democracy's at stake this election. we're at a crossroads and there's going to be a stark contrast in world views. on the one side there is hope. i came to this country as an immigrant, less than $800 between the five of us in our pocket and we built that american dream. on the other side is a party of extremists led by donald trump, a felon, that are interested in having politicians take away people's rigids. politicians decide abortions, whether abortion's appropriate, and ban books and burn books. that's a problem in this district. so my message will continue to be that democracy's at stake and so are all of our fundamental priorities. >> let's talk about the contours of your race, the district you're running in. it's been targeted as a flip possibility by house republicans. your opponent, also a veteran who deployed multiple tours overseas. is derek anderson the opponent you wanted to go up against? >> he's exactly the kind of opponent that anticipated would be coming out of a republican primary, an extremist, somebody that is interested in taking fundamental rights and freedoms away from people. look, the voters i've interacted with -- and there have been thousands over the course of the last seven months that i and my team have talked to -- they ■çcare about preserving the right to an abortion, reproductive freedom, having safe high quality public schools. these are things that maga extremists which mr. anderson represents are interested in taking away. i spent 25 years in the army defending rights and freedoms swearing an oath to the constitution and anybody who comes out of a republican primary these days swears an oath and fealty to just one man and that's donald trump. >> i'm old enough to remember when it was republicans who ran on the idea of freedom, how wild to see the way in which they have absolutely absconded on that principle. i have to ask you given where we started the show tonight, when you see putin and kim jong un codifying their relationship, how do you take ■ç what is happening on the world sage and communicate to voters the stakes of this november's election from the president down the line? >> the stakes couldn't be higher. i think there's a growth in authoritarian regimes around the world. democratic leaders are under fire. there seems to be this access forming between putin and china and north korea and iran and you have a leader in donald trump, somebody that said that putin could do whatever he wants to nato countries. so he is propelling these regimes, these authoritarian regimes. in fact, he's attempting to emulate them with things like his plan 203% and his attacks on fundamental rights and freedoms and that's exactly what mr. anderson represents. that is not in line with the values and interests of the voters in the 7th congressional district. they're interested in integrity, moderation and in a government that will work for them, which is why they're drawn to my campaign. >> retired army lieutenant colonel eugene vindman, thank you so much for being with us. that is the show tonight. now it's time for the last word with lawrence o'donnell. good evening, lawrence. >> good evening. i just managed to turn off my cell phone, just as you were turning to me, just in time. >> i love it. have a great night. >> thank you very much. reed smoot was elected ■çto the united states senate in 1902. no voter ever saw his name on a ballot. reed smoot was elected to the senate the old-fashioned