From above. The higher power. Because nearly impossible to endure ten days of relentless work with little food and almost no rest. We are immensely grateful for what they accomplished for their bravery and for the lives they saved. Our Sons And Daughters deserve the highest recognition for their courage and sacrifice. We are honored to stand here today receiving this recognition on behalf of the 13 who gave their lives. As Gold Star parents, our grief never truly ends. It changes, it transformed but remains with us always. I big part of us died with our children. On august 26, 2021. We want everybody to know that ceremonies like this provide a small but minimal relief in our ongoing journey of grief, reminding us that we raised the best and brightest for this country. We deeply appreciate the efforts of congress and the speaker of the house for making this moment possible. On behalf of all 13 families, we are grateful to receive this congressional Gold Medal, an honor our Sons And Daughters truly deserve for their bravery, their sacrifice, and their love for humanity. To the american people, i really want you guys to always remember the 13. Say their names. Speak their names and tell their stories. Thank you from all 13 families. Good day, im Andrea Mitchell in philadelphia. You are have been watching the mother of u. S. Marine corporal humberto sanchez, one of the 13 american service members killed at Abbey Gate in kabul, afghanistan, in 2021. She and the families of the other fallen service members were presented with the congressional Gold Medal on capitol hill. Ali vitali has been watching the ceremony. We are here in philadelphia for the debate. We will get to that in a moment. Tell us about the ceremony in the capitol there and the emotions of this moment. Reporter held in the light of the rotunda that you see there. Among the most somber ceremonies we see here on capitol hill. The speaker of the house, alongside the top Democrat Hakeem Jeffries and both senate leaders, Mitch Mcconnell and chuck schumer, there to honor the families of the 13 fallen service members. You heard it there from coral doolittle, the mother of one of the service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing. She told the american people her message there on behalf of the families was, always remember the 13, say their names, remember what they gave their lives in service of. Of course, this is a moment where we are watching this commemoratiOn And we are watching this honor bestowed upon the families. It comes against the backdrop a debate, an ongoing Question And Criticism over the very withdrawal that is at the heart of why we are here today seeing these commemorations and the afghanistan withdrawal from the bidenHarris Administration. Thank you, ali vitali, in the rotunda. Back here in philadelphia, Vice President harris, former President Trump, who have never seen met, are going to face Each Other for first time tonight. The setting could not be more crucial. We saw the momentous impact of the last debate, creating a tectonic shift in the race for the white house. In the past 75 days, we have seen President Biden yield to Party Pressure after his Debate Performance and take the step of ceding to Vice President trump. Democraticublican running mates selected. Two dramatically different party conventions. All that creating an historic reshuffling in the polls and Campaign Strategies and Fundraising And Voter enthusiasm. The rules are in place. There will be no opening statements, no prewritten notes are allowed. Microphones will be muted when a candidate is not speaking. There will be no live audience. In a virtual coin toss, former President Trump won the right to give the final closing statement. That means he gets the last word. We begin in the Spin Room ahead of Tonights Debate with my colleagues. Im joined by yamiche alcindor, covering the Harris Campaign, white House Corespondent MonicaAlba And Garrett haake who has been covering the Trump Campaign. We talked about what he sees as the challenge, which is that he is not sure what positions Kamala Harris will defend or what positions on which she will pivot. Talking about the ways in which she changed her policies between 2019 or so and now. Donald trump has plenty of Policy Shifts of his own he could have to defend. In talking with trump and some of his advisors, i think they come in with a clear strategy. They want to define Kamala Harris before she can define herself. Not talk about the flipflops, changing positions so much as to take whatever the most liberal or whatever they can paint as the most out of touch with the Mainstream Position that shes taken over the years and make that her position, try to make her own it. Thats the focus as is always the case with trump, the plan and the execution could be two different things. Thats how they are looking at tonight. Let me just take our viewers and everyone else listening in on how this all came about. He did not have any public events today. Did you call him . I spoke to the former president by phone. Im not going to be too specific about how that came together. Sometimes he is interested in chatting with me. Sometimes he is not. Today he was. I think part of that is a little bit of an eagerness now that he has focus on the debate. He was not focused on this until the last couple days. Now i think he is eager to get on stage. Yamiche, the Harris Campaign has a new ad out trolling Donald Trump. Lets give it a look. Here is a 78yearold Billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems. She had a big crowd. This weird obsession with crowd sizes. It just goes On AndOn And on. I was on the floor that night. That was one of the key moments of the obama speech, following the speech which was michelle obama. This strategy, the billboards, trying to get under his skin. They are trying to get under his skin. The strategy when you see these ads and her talking about former President Trump is to needle him. Part of the Mission Tonight is to needle him, to bait him into lashing out, debate him into talking about crowd sizes. They are out with billboards all over philadelphia talking About Wawa which is a big philadelphia staple. Putting up billboards talking about crowd size, the pretzels that we see here. The other thing they are trying to do apart from getting him to make a mistake some people i talked to say they believe that he had a bad debate, that President Biden just had a worse debate. He stumbles, who mumbles, who gets information confused. They want him to do that. Vice President Harris has work to do to introduce herself to undecided voters. They want to make sure voters come away with specifics on what a Harris Administration would look like. Talking about policy. That means talking about her middleclass background, her mother. How her vision of the world has been shaped. She wans to do that. Its about a keep calm attitude while playing out what she wants to do. Monica, she really has not defined herself, according to polling. People dont know what she represents. How does she do that and represent change, which James Carville will tell you, every campaign he has been in or studies, people want change. How does she do that without disavowing Joe Biden and upsetting his supporters, the older voters, and seeming disloyal . The conversation just a few months ago was about who is more of an incumbent, the sitting president or the former president in trying to make that distinction. Now we are talking about Donald Trump versus The Current sitting Vice President. Who many americans say they have questions about. They have a bit of a confusion about her policy areas. They know she does want to come out and define herself. At the same time, she does praise often the president s leadership and will likely do a version of that tonight saying that it was his own record and some of his own proposals in their administration that got them to where they are on the economy. Theres a lot of Talk Tonight about those issues, because thats also whats really important to voters. They know that what she needs do is walk this really Fine Line of saying, here is what the president and i have accomplished in our view. Here is what i would do that could go beyond that if i were elected to the white house. We have seen a Couple Areas where she teased maybe she will go beyond that. She tried to be very specific on affordable housing, lowering Prescription Drug costs, things that President Biden has been talking about for years as well. Shes going to try to frame it as, im the person, in her view, in her argument that can get this done when it couldnt before. That is how you will see a little separation. Her theme has tried to be about the future. Shes going to do a little less of the backward looking stuff, even though that she will argue is what qualifies her to be ready for this moment. She has to do both of those things, talking about why she feels she has the experience but why she could go beyond that and be in the oval office. Theres tension there. I have been talking to sources who say some people on her campaign, they want to throw President Biden under the bus and say, i will do something different. I will not do the third biden term. There are other people who say, especially the Vice President , she has been loyal to him. She doesnt want to be seen as at all insulting him or hurting him in any way. There is this sort of tension, because she wants to differentiate herself. Thats the tension. I can tell you here in pennsylvania, a state i have covered for a long time, the worse thing she could do is be disloyal to Joe Biden. We will look forward to all of their reporting throughout the day and into the evening and late night. In 90 seconds, a look at what voters want to hear tonight as we continue our coverage of Debate Day here in philadelphia. You are watching msnbc. Biden or trump . Biden. Harris or trump . Trump. Hopefully he handles his attitude more. He will be attacked on that. Harris, hopefully she gets tough questions and can answer some questions and maybe i can change my mind. Tresemme flawless curls defining mousse. 24 hour. Hydrating curl definition. Style your life the way you want. Tresemme, style your way. The future is not just going to happen. You have to make it. And if you want a successful business, all it takes is an idea, and now becomes the future where you grew a dream into a reality. The all new godaddy airo. Put your business online in minutes with the power of ai. Your Record Label is taking off. But so is your sound engineer. You need to hire. I need indeed. Indeed you do. Our advanced matching helps find talented candidates, so you can connect with them fast. Visit indeed. Com hire ah, these bills are crazy. She has no idea shes sitting on a goldmine. Well she doesnt know that if she owns a Life Insurance Policy of 100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. Even a Term Policy. Even a Term Policy . Even a Term Policy find out if youre sitting on a goldmine. Call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect. Com. Tonight, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will be trying to appeal to a critical group of voters, undecided, Swing Voters in Battleground States like pennsylvania, who are going to determine the winner in this razorthin race. In michigan, which biden won in 2020 and trump won in 2016, 7 say they are undecided. Joining us from Kent County, largely grand rapids, michigan, is shaquille brewster. This was the home to gerald ford. Its one of the places where Hillary Clinton famously never went in 2016. Shaq, you have been talking to voters there. What are you hearing . Reporter andrea, you are getting the sense that people are watching, people are looking forward to this debate. You mentioned, were in a county that was historically conservative. Donald trump won it narrowly in 2016. Biden was able to flip it in 2020. A lot of the conversations that i have been having here mirror that sentiment where some people have turned away from Donald Trump in the suburban area where you have a high population of collegeeducated voters. Listen to a little bit of the conversations ive been having. I think it will be very important. Reporter why . I think people some people think shes not strong for president. I hope that her Performance Tonight will show that shes the right candidate. I would like to hear kamalas policies. She hasnt been very clear on anything. It seems like celebrity campaign. It would be helpful if she would not be as bombastic. Reporter you voted for trump in the past. It sounds like Vice President harris has the ability to win your vote tonight. Yeah. Reporter he explained to me later that he turned away from Donald Trump because of his temperament. But he heard mixed things about Vice President harris and wants to hear from her directly. That gives you a sense of the opportunity that he can have or that Vice President harris has in this debate. I had a conversation with one mom who said she likely wont be tuning in. I asked why. She said, i dont think what im hearing on the Television Screen or what i will hear on the Television Screen will be appropriate for my children to listen to. I think that gives you a sense of how people with cringing as we tune in because they dont know if you will have that temperament, that Balance And Something you can have your children listening to. That says so much about politics in 2024, doesnt it . Thanks so much for being there. Joining us now, former democratic senator from missouri, claire mccaskill, and former republican congressman from pennsylvania, charlie dent. Claire, you are a former prosecutor. Kamala harris, a former prosec prosecutor. Shes been effective in senate hearings. Lets watch how she goes after Donald Trump on the trail. In the case of the stealing of reproductive freedom from the women of america, Donald Trump is guilty. I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when i say, i know Donald Trumps type. Donald trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the united states capitol. As the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face. Claire, shes never debated this high a level. Its a different skill set. Yeah. But listen, theres a that showed her going after him but in a respectful and targeted way. I Gotta Push back on the idea that people arent watching the debate because they are worried about our politics or they are worried about how both candidatesbehave. Its Donald Trump that has done this. Its Donald Trump that has turned this into a race to the bottom. He has literally The New York Times found that literally three times a day since she got in the race, he has personally smeared her on his Social Media account. Shes not doing that. She wont do that tonight. I think the contrast is going to be one that those suburban voters in Kent County will appreciate. Charlie, trump is ahead with white voters in pennsylvania according to a cnn poll. Its 52 to 43. What does harris have to do to try to appeal to white voters and suburban women in particular . Certainly, here we are in philadelphia. Certainly think her ability to talk about reproductive issues. In the lehigh valley, in suburban pittsburgh. Be persuasive to women and collegeeducated men. I would advise her to explain her position on fracking. Its an easy answer. Blame vladimir putin. The dynamics of energy have changed because of him. We are providing Pennsylvania Gas not only for ourselves but for our allies. She needs to articulate on that. She can talk about Donald Trump trying to disenfranchise voters of this state in 2020 and talk about the constitutiOn And him wanting to suspend it. She has a lot of opportunities today. Claire, Donald TrumpWe Know has been advised and most recently by nikki haley, dont go after her as a woman. Dont insult her as a woman. Dont call her stupid. Women dont like that. J. D. Vance shouldnt do it either. Here is one example of what he did with Hillary Clinton, calling her nasty. My social Security Payroll Contribution will go up as will donalds assuming he Cant Figure out how to get out of it. What we want to do is to replenish such a nasty woman. Thats one reason why the mics are being muted. Yeah. I think its going to be hard for him to hide his contempt that he has for women. He showed it at almost every turn. I dont think shes going to get distracted by that. I think she knows, particularly right now the white voters you referred to, else older white voters, shes the party of national security now. I got news for nikki haley, theres one candidate in this race that sees her view of Foreign Policy and thats Kamala Harris. She sees our Fighting Force as the strongest in the world. She sees the importance of us defending ukraine against a thug called putin. Meanwhile, trump has been mr. Capitulation to the bad guys around the globe. She has a chance to make progress with the independent voters just on the strength of her argument around the strength of our military. Thank you both so much. Keep it here throughout the afternoOn And especially this evening when our Primetime Coverage will kick off at 7 00 p. M. Eastern, let by rachel and fresh analysis here on msnbc. A senior advisor from the Harris Campaign joining me on their expectations for this big night. You are watching special coverage of Debate Day live from philadelphia only on msnbc. But you define them and make them bounce. Tresemme flawless curls defining mousse. 24 hour. Hydrating curl definition. Style your life the way you want. Tresemme, style your way. Upset Stomach Iberogast IndigestionIberogast Bloating iberogast thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. Six digestive symptoms. The power of nature. Iberogast. bounce back fast from heartburn with Tums Gummy bites, and Love Food back. from this cant miss moment. To this hello new grandpa moment. To that whatever this is moment. Your moments are worth protecting against rsv. If youre 75 or older, or 60 or older with certain chronic conditions. Youre at higher risk of being hospitalized from rsv. And there are no Prescription Rsv treatments. You have options. Ask your doctor about pfizers rsv vaccine. Because moments like these matter. University of maryland global campus is a school for real life, one that values the successes youve already achieved. Earn up to 90 Undergraduate Credits for relevant experience and get the support you need from your first day to Graduation Day and beyond. What will your next success be . Lets say youre deep in a show to g or a game or the game. D. On a train, at home, at work. Okay, maybe not at work. Point is at xfinity. Were constantly engineering new ways to get the entertainment you love to you faster and easier than ever. Thats what i do. Is that Love Island . When Donald Trump takes the debate stage, he will be the only man to have faced a female nominee. He will have done it twice. Mr. Trump has a history of belittling the women who have been his political opponents. She doesnt have the look. She doesnt have the stamina. I said, she doesnt have the stamina. I dont believe she does have the stamina. If Hillary Clinton were a man, i dont think she would get 5 of the vote. The only thing shes got going is the womans card. Women all over this country heard very clearly what mr. Trump said. I think shes got a beautiful face. I think shes a beautiful woman. You called women you dont fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. Your twitter only rosie odonnell. She gets out and starts asking me ridiculous questions. You can see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever. Remember that . Joining me now, Senior National Spokesperson for the harriswalz campaign, adrian elrod. Thanks for being with us. What is the special challenge for Kamala Harris going up against Donald Trump . First of all, you played some of the clips from previous debated. He is a good debater. He knows what he is doing. For her tonight, shes going to have to make sure she makes the case to the american people what the contrast is in this election, what is at stake, but at the same time, he will get up up there and tell lies. He will say things that are wrong. Its hard to Fact Check when you are a moderator, much less being, of course, the person who is debating him. She wants americans to walk away from the debate understanding the stakes of the election, understanding the dangers of a Donald Trump 2. 0 presidency. Again, you played clips. He knows what he is doing. He is a good debater. We will see. He can be disciplined. He was with Joe Biden. He let Joe Biden go On And on. That was a terrible performance by the president. Yeah. Unfortunately for him. He didnt interrupt or intervene. He just stood back and let it happen. Thats correct. He also, by the way every question he was asked, he answered with an immigration answer. He stuck to his issues. Yeah. He stuck to his issues. He lied. When you are a moderator, its hard to always Fact Check because you could spend five minutes trying to diffuse and debunk every lie. Donald trump is i wouldnt call him a master debater. But he is a difficult person to debate because he is the kind of person who tells lies. The Vice President has been preparing for this moment. Shes got a team of people in pittsburgh who have been working with her all week, going through different scenarios. What she wants to make sure happens is that the american people walk away understanding that shes a person who will move this country forward, lower costs for families, focusing on the middle class. Donald trump is only in this for himself. He wants to seek retribution on his political enemies. He is focused on dividing the country. He will have a negative reaction to many policies that she puts forward because he knows shes a person who has a plan to deliver for the person people. He doesnt. Which is why he uses this divisive language and lies. Is there a risk to her of getting too nasty . Shes been practicing. The Debate Team working with the Vice President is strong. They have been working with her on a number of scenarios. Which trump is going to show up . The trump We Know is going to show up is someone who will lie in front of the american people time and time again. The Vice President wants to make sure that people walk away understanding her vision, her policy for moving this country forward, what her own economic agenda is. Shes very proud of some of the policies that she and President Biden were able to accomplish and pass. She also wants to chart her own policies. You will hear her talk about those tonight. Do you think if this goes well for her, whichever way it goes, do you think they would consider a second debate . We made it clear, if Donald Trump shows up tonight, we will consider a second debate. We will see if he shows up. Thank you very much. Thanks, andrea. Next up, right here from the philadelphia convention center, my colleagues all joining us right here to break it all down. Their expectations for this evening. Keep it here all day for complete coverage of Debate Day live from philadelphia. You are watching msnbc. man these men of means with their silver spoons. What will become of them when they discover robinhood gold allows others to earn their very liberal rates on idle cash . They would descend into chaos. [suspenseful music] trains. [whoosh] trains that use the power of Dell Ai and intel. Clearing the way, [rumble] [whoosh] so you arrive exactly where you belong. Have you ever considered getting a walkin tub . Well, look no further so you arrive exactly Safe Steps best offer, just got better now, when you purchase your brand new Safe Step walkin tub, youll receive a free Shower Package. Yes, a free Shower Package and if you call today, youll also receive 15 off your entire order. Now you can enjoy the best of both worlds the therapeutic benefits of a warm, soothing bath that can help increase mobility, relieve pain, boost energy, and even improve sleep or, if you prefer, you can take a refreshing shower. Allinone Product Call now to receive a free Shower PackagePlus 15 off your brand new Safe Step walkin tub. Lumineux is the first fluoride free toothpaste ive ever found that actually works. My dentist was blown away with how clean and white my teeth are. My gums and teeth are so healthy. Its crazy. You can get Lumineux Toothpaste at walmart and target. We are here in philadelphia for the first in what could be possibly the only debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. After entering the race seven weeks ago, tonight is the first time many voters tuning in will get to see Kamala Harris talk, if they didnt watch the conventiOn And some of the other things that have happened. They need to get to know her, according to her and the pollsters in both campaigns, because they dont know what she stands for, and for Donald Trump it could be a chance for the former president to stay on message, to stay disciplined. Joining me now, my colleagues and hosts of their own shows on. We know the candidates are prepping. Probably Kamala Harris more than Donald Trump. We know Joe Biden probably prepped too much and maybe did the wrong kind of prep. A lot of focus on that. The moderators are prepping. Ive been a moderator. We talk, jose, about your experience. When i was moderating, we spent two weeks on msnbc going through questions, possible questions, Fact Checking, research, questioning Each Other, possible responses, all of that, honing it all down, figuring out the timing. Thats a big challenge. One of the toughest debates i was in was in 1988 when george h. W. Bush, the incumbent, did not agree to a debate with Michael Dukakis until the day before. They scheduled it for l. A. We were red eyeing out. That was the tactic. That was the last debate of the whole it changed the whole debate when dukakis messed up on the first question from bernard shaw. You have been a moderator. The tension is so heavy. It is. Its fascinating to hear. By the way, what a privilege to be with the three of you. Its a treat for me. This might be the first time the all of us have been together on set at the same time. I was thinking back to 2019 when it was 20 candidates. I dont know how you did that. Two nights. First night, ten candidates, next night, ten candidates. Those two weeks were immersed in research and in Finding Out ho best Ask Questions that are important to the american people. Jose, thats when Kamala Harris really alienated a lot of people in the biden camp, particularly the family, by going after him on the civil Rights Issue and saying, that Little Girl was me. That was in miami. The bussing issue. That was certainly something that Kamala Harris prepared. Chris, one of the preparations are, of course, the state chairs. How are they handling it . I feel sorry for the woman next to me on amtrak yesterday. I was on the phone the whole time talking to you werent in the quiet car . Four separate chairs, three from Battleground States, fascinating the things that they agreed on. Nobody thinks the stakes are being overstated here. Nobody thinks this is hyperbolic. They understand from on the ground how important this is. From the door knocking, people they are talking to who are out there doing that grassroots work, they are all being told that person after person after person is saying, i know Donald Trump. I really want to know more about Kamala Harris. Which means opportunity but also risk for her. Every moment is going to count. She has to figure out how to use her time there. The other thing is, they are struggling with how to find the truth. They are saying, i dont trust the ads. I only got here last night. It was unbelievable how many ads are on local tv. Nonstop. Can i trust what they say . The stakes when we say they are high, the people behind those door knocks are saying, they are incredibly high. Ana, some of the people talking about voting and who they are targeting are College Students. I love hearing from the voters. We look at the polls so often and try to get a pulse of the people when we do that. When you talk to the voters and hear from them, you learn more about what they are thinking, how they are seeing the race, if they are excited, whats motivating them, whats influencing their vote in this election. I spoke with these College Students from temple university, latina voters. The younger demographic. They are women. The latino vote, all constituenies they are targeting. It was interesting to hear the issues on their minds. They talked about their priorities being immigration, reproductive rights, israelgaza and, of course, Climate Change is another big one we havent heard a lot about. Surprisingly, the Economy Wasnt Top of mind for this group of students i spoke to. They are plugged into this election. The issues specifically, they will be listening for substance, watching that part of the debate. Not the style so much. That wasnt as important as the policy over personality. I will say, one of the reasons they are so engaged in this debate and perhaps some of the signs of the time is because of Social Media. They mentioned the tweet that came out after Kamala Harris was put forward as the democratic nominee. They said that they feel the energy behind her in a positive way. They believe thats engaging more of their generation in this election cycle. Some of the people i have been seeing who really read the polls and try to figure out what is misleading and what is hype are saying that the initial burst of attention that Kamala Harris got was not so much pro Kamala Harris, it was among the democratic base, relief that Joe Biden had stepped aside and did so gracefully and helped unify the party, because there was so much concern about the age. I was thinking about that when you were talking about college kids. There was really very little hope of Joe Biden getting a lot of support on college campuses. Anger from both sides about whats going on in gaza. Democrats are divided. Plus, they are really looking at him and they Cant Unwatch what they saw on that debate. There was such a burst of relief among core democrats, but now they have to get those the Swing Voters, suburban women, the communities around philadelphia. I just spoke this week with two ladies who just became u. S. Citizens. One has been here for over 20 years. One has been here 11 years. They are telling me, with the privilege of being u. S. Citizens, the first thing they did was register to vote. What they want from Tonights Debate im thinking, how do you handle that from a Moderator Point of view . What they want is clarify. Not only of positions but also respect of Each Others ideas. How is that possible when you have on the one side someone, Donald Trump, who is specifically the opposite of respectful Conversation And Dialogue in a debate . Immigration is interesting. Its one of the places where we heard on a call that some of the folks on the Trump Campaign did, they will continue to hit hard on Kamala Harris. They believe she has really not done the job at the border. They blame her and Joe Biden for what they say is a rampant crime wave. Its interesting. People, again, who the door knockers are talking to, they want to know what are you going to do to fix it . I wonder, andrea, Joe Biden has gotten a lot more popular since he stepped down. Does It Help to attack him the way some of the surrogates in particular for Donald Trump have . I wonder if he will tonight. Theres a Sympathy Vote out there tonight. Theres respect. A lot of Theres Relief and respect by democrats, certainly. Maybe not so much from republicans. Maybe some of the Swing Voters. You appreciate the fact he didnt have to give up power. He had the nomination, with all of the primaries. The pressure was intense. But he could have it was a terrible three weeks. Congressional members were saying it was horrible for all of them. They were torn apart. The other thing i was thinking about when you talked about immigration, im checking the data on this, because im going to call homeland and get the facts. I have known now many longterm Green Card holders there are many in washington. People who have been here 20, 30, 40 years without bothering to get citizenship, who are making appointments, going for the appointments and getting citizenship. They want to vote. Maybe this is not a slice, this is just anecdotal while im on the amtrak corridor. People stop you and they dont start by saying, whats going to happen . Whats going to happen . Who is going to win . They are watching and they are much more highintensity voters. Can i give you a number . 3. 5 million people of Voting Age have become u. S. Citizens since the last president ial election. I want to know how many in the last 75 days since she took over. You have been talking to the newly the naturalized citizens. How are they seeing the issue of immigration specifically . Its not black and white. Im glad you mentioned that. A lot of them one of the two ladies i interviewed said, i feel for the people who have been here for decades and who have yet to get their citizenship or their legality. But also concerned about the border. There are two different things. We will leave it there for now. We will be here all day going back and forth. Jose, chris, i will stay with you, and ana, you are back later. This is a full day of politics. Thank you so much. Meanwhile, pennsylvania, with 19 electoral votes is considered a Mustwin State by both campaigns. Donald trump won here in 2016. Joe biden carries the Keystone State by more than 80,000 votes in 2020. This year, its a virtual tie, according to the latest polls. With 56 days to go until election day, here is what some pittsburgh voters are telling us. I think this year is really important. With everything going on in the World And Everything going on in the united states, i think this is a very important we need a very, very strong leader. I think its important to look as objectively as possible at the policy behind the candidate. I think her proposals are more in line with my personal beliefs than the opposition candidate. Joining us now, two veteran pennsylvania lawmakers, Madeleine Dean and brendan boyle. Your district is in montgomery county. Its a key battleground. How is the switch from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris changed the dynamic in the race among your voters . You are right. My district is montgomery and berks county. You can feel on the ground palpably the enthusiasm, the excitement, registering of voters. People are excited for the promise of Kamala Harris as president and Tim Walz as Vice President. Because of her accomplishment, frankly, legislative, her accomplishment at Vice President. Theres real excitement on the ground. I have been to campaign launches. We are seeing all new people coming to this fight. My voters, my constituents know the stakes are so high. That person from pittsburgh said, the stakes could not be higher. We have seen Donald Trump in office. We dont my district doesnt want to return to that. Although, the race is still tied. According to a new poll, among likely voters in pennsylvania, Vice President harris and Donald Trump are tied at 50 each. How does the President Break that tie . We knew that pennsylvania was going to how does harris break the tie . In 2016 when it was Hillary Clinton and the Donald Trump, it was decided by one half of 1 . Unfortunately, Donald Trumps favor. In 2020, Joe Biden was able to reverse that. Pennsylvania is almost predestined to be a close deelection coming down to basically one vote out of every 100. In the end, people are going to choose to turn the page and give their vote to Kamala Harris rather than the same old tired Song And Dance of Donald Trump. Its the same story as it was a decade ago when he descended down that golden escalator. Its the same shtick. People are tired of it. Congresswoman dean, harris has been in pennsylvania for four days for debate prep. That gives her more opportunities to appeal to voters here. She went out a couple times. She was photographed with women each time like in the spice of photographed, with women, each time that was a tactic. What are you hearing from suburban women in your district about Kamala Harris . Just had a terrific event for women, for kamala, african american women for kamala, lots of women for kamala. Im a mother and a grandfather. I have four grandchildren, three of whom are girls, and this is entirely about them. It is about our freedoms, their reproductive freedoms. It is about voting rights. It is about expansion of freedoms. And so women are very excited. And i will say men too. We had a lot of men in that event for women for kamala. Were very excited about making sure we turn the page as Congressman Boyle said on the darkness that is Donald Trump, on the plan 2025, We Know what they want, they want a nationwide abortion ban, even as Donald Trump tries to distance himself from that manifesto of 900 pages of just dystopian darkness. So, women are going to be central to this election. Im pleased that the Vice President is in pennsylvania. Were going to be the Keystone State again. And im pleased that this debate is in philadelphia, in your district, at the constitution center. The absolute perfect setting for a future that looks bright, a future worthy of our founders, a future worthy of our children. Congressman boyle, though, most voters say large number of voters say they still dont know who she is, what she represents, what her policies are. Is her Game Plan tonight, should her Game Plan be to get specific about policies, try to ignore the taunts, and let people know where she stands on big issues . I think thats right. You know, lets not forget shes only been the democratic president ial nominee for a little over a month. So it is not surprising that having not gone through the normal primary process that there would still be some people who are just unfamiliar with either her biography or where she is on the issues. Thats also emblematic of any Vice President. George Herbert Walker bush faced this in 1988, remember, he had to combat, quote, the wimp factor, even though he was a Bona FideWorld War ii hero, but people didnt know it and he was Vice President for eight years. This is natural. She will, tonight, have an opportunity in front of more than 60 Million americans to talk about who she is, where she comes from, and what shes fighting for. I have No DoubtKamala Harris will take advantage of this golden opportunity tonight. And, congresswoman dean, one of the big tough issues for her, because she inherits all of the policies of Joe Biden, is the war in gaza. Israel just carried out a deadly Air Strike overnight at a tent camp, designated as a safe area for gazans, no real shelters there. How is the Vice President going to thread the needle On Gaza . Well, there is an awful lot she brings to the table, whether it is about our economy and the success of our economy under biden harris. But youre absolutely right, the critical war in gaza, the desperate need to get a ceasefire and the hostages home, living and dead, and to end the suffering in palestine, in the Gazan Strip as well as in the west bank. I think if you take a look at how she spoke about this critical global issue, the Safety And Security of israel, making sure everybody knows that what took place on October 7th is the responsibility of hamas, hamas terrorists, raped and murdered and burned people alive. She sadly will, i think, be a really important part of what took place in terms of getting us toward a diplomatic solution. But it is hamas responsibility. Lets not forget that. And Congressman Boyle, i know you got votes today, youre both in congress doing your jobs, but right here in your district, so, come on down, philadelphia is great, were not that far from montgomery county, congresswoman dean, we hope both of you down here in the Spin Room afterwards so we can see tonight. Enjoy philadelphia. Look forward to seeing you. We love philadelphia. One of my colleagues has already had a cheesesteak. I didnt dare before going on the air, but you can still look forward to that. Thanks to the congress members for being with us. That does it for this hour for msnbc reports Debate Day. Join Rachel Maddow and the team of analysis of Vice President harris and former President Trumps first president ial debate on abc news. It starts at 7 00 tonight here on msnbc. Coming up, ill join my colleague Chris Jansing after a short break for more of Msnbcs Debate take, our coverage of Todays President ial debate, live from philadelphia, between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Live from philadelphia, between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump ok, dave lets be more than our allergies. Zeize the day with zyrtec. Life has twists and curls. But you define them and make them bounce. Tresemme flawless curls defining mousse. 24 hour. Hydrating curl definition. Style your life the way you want. Tresemme, style your way. The moment i met him i knew he was my soulmate. Soulmates. Soulmate [giggles] why do you need me . [laughs sarcastically] but then we switched to tmobile 5g home internet. And now his attention is spent elsewhere. But im thinking of her the whole time. Thats so much worse. Why is that thing in bed with you . This is where it gets the best signal from the Cell Tower ive tried everywhere else in the house theres always a new excuse. Well if we got xfinity you wouldnt have to mess around with the connection. Therapys tough, huh . Mmm. Its like a lot about me. [laughs] a Home Router should never be a home wrecker. Oo this is a good book title. Good day. Right now we are live in philadelphia, a city synonymous with american democracy and selfgovernance. Tonight, playing host to one of the most visible symbols of that legacy, a president ial debate. And if this Years Race was written into a