Transcripts For MSNBCW Andrea Mitchell Reports 20190327

Donald trump, even blaming him for her heart trouble over his attacks over her son jeb. Poor, poor jeb who brings out his mother because he needed help. Mommy, please come, walk in the snow, mom. I like his mother. But i dont like that stuff. And rising star. Democratic leaders are pressing Stacey Abrams to run for the senate in georgia. But is she also being wooed as a running mate for potential joe biden president ial run . I do not know. Im thinking about everything. I have a number of options i didnt know about before. The senate race, its possibly running for president. Coming up, our interview with Stacey Abrams right here on Andrea Mitchell reports. And good day. Im Andrea Mitchell here in washington for betsy devos is under fire for eliminating all money from the federal budget for the Special Olympics, 18 milli million, a really infinitesimal part of the federal budget. A congressman from wisconsin went head to head with devos at tuesdays hearing. Do you know how many kids are going to be affected by that cut, madam secretary . Umm, mr. Pocan, let me say again, we had to make some difficult decisions with this budget. Again, this is a question of how many kids, not about the budget. I dont know the number of kids. Its 272,000 kids. Ill answer it for you, thats okay, no problem. Its 272,000 kids that are affected. Special olympics is an awesome organization, one wellsupported by the philanthropic sector as well. I have two nephews with autism. What is the problem we have with children in special education, where are we cutting these programs over and over in this budget . The Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy shriver, the Worlds Largest organization for people with disabilities. Her son tim is the chair of the organization and joins me now. Welcome, tim shriver, good to see you. Whats your reaction to this administration cutting all federal money from Special Olympics . The big picture here is theyre missing a big story, theres a much bigger story going on in the country, in our schools. Young people who are fighting intolerance, who want to have programs in their schools who want to meet their peers, who want to overcome the fear of difference and replace it with inclusion. Thats what the Special Olympics movement is doing in schools. While the philanthropic traditions we have of volunteerism and private support are important, were now in a new ball game of trying to educate young people about the importance of an inclusive mindset to the future of the country. Thats a big story. Were in over 6,500 schools. The congressman mentioned 270 thousand, its closer actually to 2 million young people involved in our work in schools to try to make schools end this ageold fear of children who are different and replace it with a much more inclusive world view. In fact, tim, speak to the Educational Value for people without socalled disabilities to learn about the other, about being with other kinds of people. I mean, schools all over the country now are looking at the issue of what they call social and emotional learning. How do we teach kids ageold values like character, grit, perseverance, openness, trust, listening. All these kinds of qualities that we need to put into our schools. The irony here is that what weve discovered in the Special Olympics movement is that the teacher has become the athlete, the Special Olympics athlete who everybody thinks were there to help, has actually become almost the new professor in the school. And so what were seeing in our unified champion schools model is young people with autism, with down syndrome, williams syndrome, theyre actually acting as the leaders of a more inclusive culture. Theyre showing other kids how to overcome fear of difference. And for us, you know, its an extraordinary moment. We live in a divided time. Everybody knows it. We live in a time when theres enormous tension, Everybody Knows it. But our schools are hungry for a different message. Our young people believe that everybody counts. They have not lost that hope and dream. The Special Olympics Movement Today is giving them a chance to live it out. The department of education did issue a Statement Today about the importance of philanthropy, the private money. They say the Special Olympics raises more than 100 million fill an tlopically every year and while the secretary is very personally supportive of their mission and work, the activities of Special Olympics are better supported with local, state, and frooi private funds. We disagree completely. This is not my moms Special Olympics. This is a new Special Olympics. The educational purposes in the ada, title ix, the recently passed act for major federal support. What are we working for . Fighting bullying, fighting social exclusion, fighting all of the ways in which for decades, lets be honest, decades, children with special needs have been marginalized and brutally excluded from schools, from communities, from family life, and still unemployed, three times more likely to be bullied, more likely to be poor. We have shifted into an Educational Mission that has state and local implications. But the federal government, if it believes in full inclusion, and it does, our constitution, our declaration, and our laws tell us we do, and if the federal government has a role to support that, it ought to be investing in kids with special needs. And speaking about kids with special needs, derek tankshattle who we showed in the opening of the show, he said, were all humans, just like everybody else, we can do great things in this world whatever happens. We want to continue to bring love and joy to people around the world. He added, i pray we personally want to continue. This is one special olympian speaking, and he represents the movement. The voices are so beautiful, if i can just say. I mean, i get to go to these schools and look at what young people are doing and listen to their voices and watch them organize the pep rallies and have the letter ceremonies for the kids who maybe have down syndrome who are playing on their Special Olympics unified sports team at the school level just like we did with title ix, thats what were trying to do here, give these young people a chance to shine and tell their stories. The country is starving for this. Republicans, democrats, rich, poor, black, white, urban, suburban, gay, straight, everybody, when they see it, almost everybody when they see this goes, my god, what a breath of fresh air, what a news story this is. This is a whole new version of the United States, not the old version that we hear every day about division and pain and angry and frustration. This is a new generation. And theyre claiming their voice in programs like Special Olympics unified champion schools as people who want to lead the country in a different direction. That quote you just said, manual that coming from the mouth of a political leader or a Business Leader or a scholar. Thats what theyre asking are for us. What do you send your kids to school for . To read and write, of course. But to have them respect that everybody matters, big lesson. Our athletes are teaching it. Teaching empathy and understanding. Mark pocan of wisconsin was questioning the secretary and joins us now. Congressman, thank you very much. You highlighted this in the way you highlighted the questions at the hearing, tim is still with me, of course. Your take on this, can you turn it around . I know theres a lot of senate report. Were hearing roy blunt and others who have traditionally republicans who have backed Special Olympics time and time again against cuts. Well do everything we can, andrea, to change this. It is just unconscionable that not just this cut, but theres also almost a billion dollars of cuts to grants to states for children with special education. Theres cuts to programs for visually and hearing impaired students. I have two nephews who are autistic. There are millions of families that are touched by children with special needs. And to take money away from Special Olympics at the same time betsy devos has a 15 increase in executive salary pays in her budget makes no sense whatsoever. Im glad we were able to highlight this. Well do everything we can to change this. This shouldnt be a partisan issue, i agree with mr. Shriver completely. This is something that betsy devos is clearly out of touch on. And when you talk about the budget and about the cabinet coming to you with this budget, how do you persuade them that this is a really important federal responsibility, its not just for private philanthropy . As mr. Shriver said, there are millions of families who have children with special needs but its for all children who go to school. If youre a child with special needs, youre two to three times more likely to be harassed or bullied while youre in school. We need to have Inclusive Schools at every level. This is a program that expands that into the school environment. You have to remember the trump budget has cuts to social security, to medicaid, to the National Institutes of health where we find cures for diseases and then programs like Special Olympics. Its really an indication of a much bigger problem that we have with the president s budget. But this is one where i just find it impossible to believe that the secretary was so clueless in not being able to answer any question around a program that she has oversight over. Tim, if you dont turn this around, what is the loss of 18 million mean . Well, it means closing down what were doing in schools to end social isolation, s. Congre as the congressman says. It means ending programs for children who want to participate in sports. It means ending our Youth Leadership work to promote the ideas of tolerance and what we call inclusion revolution. It means choking off, most painfully. I see into the eyes of a 12 or a 14yearold who just wants, as all of our kids do, they want to fit in. They want to matter in their school. They want to achieve. Its hard for kids with special needs because theyre not as likely to be the best kid in the math class or the best kid in the english class. Theyre more likely to be on the margins. But their eyes are just as big as every other childs eyes and their hopes and dreams are just as big. And they just want to belong. What were saying to them is, we got you and were with you. And educators are with you. Your teachers are with you. Your principals are with you. Republicans are with you. Democrats are with you. If i had one message it would be to the athletes, dont worry, whatever story youve heard. I cant tell you how many calls i got today from athletes asking, whats going to happen, whats going to happen . And what i keep saying to them is, we have you, we got your back, this is a good country still, and well persist, well make this work. Tim shriver, such an important message, thank you very much. And of course mark pocan, starting very much for starting the balance rolling on capitol hill. Coming up next, the matriarchs message. A new biography detailing Barbara Bushs disdain for donald trump, coming up next on Andrea Mitchell reports. Stay with us on msnbc. Great news, Liberty Mutual customizes. Uh uh, i deliver the news around here. Sources say Liberty Mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. Over to you, logo. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Webut some of us turn outhose dreams. Into action. The bookers. The doers. The hit that confirmation button and lets go ers because bookers know that the Perfect Place to stay. Is right there for the booking. Be a booker at booking. Com the worlds 1 choice for booking accommodations. When it comes to reducing the evsugar in your familys diet,m. Coke, dr pepper and pepsi hear you. Were working together to do just that. Bringing you more great tasting beverages with less sugar or no sugar at all. Smaller portion sizes, clear calorie labels and reminders to think balance. Because we know mom wants whats best. More beverage choices, smaller portions, less sugar. Balanceus. Org in the final months of her life, barbara bush, wife of one president , mother of another, revealed the depth of her decadeslong dislike for donald trump. In the first excerpts from an upcoming biography entitled the matriarch, usa todays susan page reveals mrs. Bush no longer considered herself a republican because of how mr. Trump had taken over the gop and his patrolling of her son job during the 2016 primaries. The former first lady revealing to her biographer her strong dislike for donald trump. So fierce, mrs. Bush, surgery from congestive Heart Disease, blamed trump for what she called a heart attack after comments like this. Bush is 1 in nevada. Why doesnt this guy just go home to mom . Thencandidate trump mocking jeb bush and belittling him during the primaries. This guy bush is low energy. Mrs. Bush said she was initially hesitant for jeb to win the 2016 race, feelings she shared on today in 2013. There are other people out there who are very qualified. There have been enough bushes. But she then agreed jeb should run and campaigned for him in new hampshire. Hes decent and honest. Hes everything we need in a president. According to the book, her dislike for trump went back decades. In her diaries from the 1990s which she made available for the book, bush describes trump as, quote, greedy, selfish, and ugly. By 2016, the book reveals, mrs. Bush was, quote, dismayed by the nations divisions and by the direction of the party that she had worked for and for so long, telling page in one interview, i dont understand why people are for him, and in another she expressed astonishment that women could support him. Joining me now, nbc White House Correspondent kristen welker, nbc National Political reporter mike memoli, ron klain, former chief of staff to Vice President s joe biden and al gore, and ruth marcus, deputy Editorial Page Editor at the washington post, and the former chief of staff to dan quayle in the bush white house. Barbara bush speaking out so clearly against donald trump, it was obvious in 2016 that they didnt get along, but this is the most specific revelation that weve had thanks to susan pages extraordinary interviews. Its remarkable, andrea, to hear her level of disdain for the nowcurrent president. We have reached out to the white house. So far theyre not commenting. But certainly this is just one more data point that i think underscores the divisions between President Trump and what was known then as the establishment Republican Party. I think that on the campaign trail was when we really started to understand the ways in which thencandidate trump was going to break with traditional establishment republicans. And i think we were reminded of that recently, andrea, when he took new aim at the late senator john mccain. And you did have some people speaking out defending their late colleague. But you didnt have a groundswell of republicans disagreeing with the president. So again, i think were sort of witnessing this remarkable shift not only in the Republican Party but the ways in which the president is altering the party. Did you have any idea that donald trump was offering himself up, this real estate guy from new york, to George Herbert walker bush, the sitting Vice President . I didnt, but why should we be surprised that donald trump thought he was qualified then and thought he was qualified in 2016 and to his credit, i suppose, won the nomination. Im not surprised mrs. Bush thought this. They didnt vote for donald trump, i dont think bush 43 did either. Jeb bush didnt. I think this is a time when people need to be serious, though, about their obligations. We have a renomination, those of us who still want to save the Republican Party have a question of whether we renominate donald trump in 2020. This is the time for people not to keep quiet and not to be polite and not to sort of feel, as a former this or former cabinet secretary or former president ill keep my counsel to myself. People have an obligation i think to the country. If they think donald trump shouldnt be president , they need to say so. I say this with all due respect to george w. Bush and jeb bush and my friend jim mattis and for many other people who for good reasons, reasons of traditionally sort of modesty and propriety dont want to get in the middle of this. But this is a moment to speak up for the country. Wouldnt it also be incumbent on the senators, the republican senators . Where is mitch mcconnell, Lindsey Graham . What are they doing about the attempts to nullify obamacare . What are they saying in the senate even before we get to the nomination phase, bill . Well, thats a fair question too. Ive been critical of republicans on the hill for their behavior, its a little better now but certainly not really stepping up. But i think its time for everyone to step up, whether currently elected, formerly elected, currently in the cabinet, formally in the cabinet. You can justify a vote for trump in 2016, its not where i was, maybe he would do better than hillary clinton. You can approve of some of his policies or nominations. But this is a choice going forward, is he the right person to lead the party and the country in 2020. What weve seen from trump in the last couple of days and from the trumpists is the kind of behavior, the kind of victory laugh, the vengefulness. How will trump approach a 2020 victory . What would the second term be like . Let me turn to the democrats as well. Joe biden trying to fix something, preempt some questions, he would hope, about the way he treated anita hill back in 1991 when he was chairman the judiciary committee. Joe biden speaking and making a really fullthroated apology to anita hill. She paid a terrible price. She was abused through the hearing. She was taken advantage of. Her reputation was attacked. I wish i could have done something. And i opposed Clarence Thomas nomination, i voted against him. To this day i regret i couldnt come up with a way to get her the kind of hearing she deserved. Mike memoli, youve been covering joe biden nonstop as we await an announcement that hes running. Is he trying to clear the decks . Thats exactly the term that i would use, andrea. In the last few weeks and months, as were heading towards a potential announcement, the Vice President is trying to address some of these potential vulnerabilities in his record on his own terms. I was at that event last night, it was the biden courage awards. Its part of his foundation, an enterprise he launched to acknowledge and draw attention to the issue of Sexual Assault on college campuses. He used that moment to proactively try to address this issue, saying anita hill showed great courage and saying she was frankly abused by the committee. The question is, is that sort of apology we heard last night enough. He said he wished he could have done more. There are a lot of people who think he should have done more. One of the things he tried to make clear is he himself has learned from that experience. He said immediately after that whole episode, he worked hard to campaign for women candidates to try to elect women candidates on the condition that they serve on the judiciary committee. But he noted as well that its still a problem that obviously with the kavanaugh nomination process last fall, these issues are still very much of a problem today. And of course there were no women on the judiciary committee, Dianne Feinstein was the first when elected in 1994. Ron klain, you were on the hill then. I was on the hill then, i worked for senator biden then. Look, i think that it was a different time. I think that the committee obviously failed its duty with respect to professor hill and her charges. As Vice President biden said last night. He did vote against Clarence Thomas, he flled the floor figh against Clarence Thomas. Look, i think some voters will never forgive him for that. But i think most democrats, if he chooses to run for president , will look at the totality of his record, his leadership on the violence against women act, his leadership on all sorts of issues affecting women, his work in the Obama Administration on title ix. I think most democrats will support Vice President biden notwithstanding some who will never forgive him for what happened with anita hill. Ruth marcus, you and i were there. All three of us. It wasnt a fair hearing, especially that there was polygraph evidence and other witnesses who were not able to be introduced to validate her claims. In particular, the other witnesses. And i have to say, ron makes fair points about the work that senator and Vice President biden did after that. It was a different time. But it wasnt so much of a different time. So my question really would be, when the Vice President says i wish i could have found a way to give her a fair hearing, the question that arises is, well, you were the chairman of the committee, mr. Vice president , why didnt you . Why didnt you stick up for her when she was being ridiculed and pilloried and called a perjurer by republicans on the other side . Why didnt you make sure the other witnesses were called rather than simply submitting their affidavits for the record . Apologies are good but we need a little more explanation before we move on from this. The president today, kristen welker, speaking about health care but not really explaining or justifying the fact that against the advice, we now learn, of his labor secretary or hhs secretary, i should say, and his attorney general, they joined that court case against what the attorney general said during his confirmation hearings he would do, trying to nullify obamacare. And andrea, the president saying that the Republican Party is going to be known as the party of health care, that they are going to find a replacement. But so far, we havent heard any details about what thats going to look like. We havent heard any details on capitol hill. And republicans, frankly, are jittery about this strategy. Here you had a big win for the president in the beginning of the week in the wake of the summary of the Mueller Report by the attorney general. And it seemed as though this really stepped on that victory lap that the white house, the president s allies, were taking. This is a critical issue for voters. I was on the campaign trail in 2018. Its part of the reason the democrats won back the house. Democrats will make this their signature issue in 2020. Youre seeing them pivot firmly to that, overnight that happening, leader pelosi making this a key issue. The question is if this were in fact to go through, what would republicans replace this with . Its not clear that they have a plan, andrea. That could be very politically problematic heading into an election season for this president. Ron and ruth, ron, youre both lawyers, how do you, with this texas court case, invalidate something that congress has approved, that has been challenged so many times, how many times did they knock down the efforts to kill obama in the Republicanled Senate and house . Yeah, its a very extreme legal position. Thats why two very, very conservative lawyers, bill barr and alex azar, these arent like left wing lawyers, said, hey, you cant possibly justify this position in court. And yet in the end, an even more extreme white house led by a tea party chief of staff said, i dont care what the legal advice is, were going to take this position in court. I dont think it will ultimately prevail. But in the meantime americans are worried about losing their health care coverage. And President Trump, who promised in 2016 and 2018 that he would protect coverage for preel existing conditions has sent his lawyers into court to take it away. In 30 seconds, ruth, were crossing a line, where the attorney general of the United States is being overruled by the white house chief of staff. I really want the details of what went on behind the scenes there. This is a remarkable thing. Hes not just saying were going to take away coverage for preexisting conditions, because thats what the administration had already done. Were going to take away all the protections that you like in obamacare. The only thing that exceeds the bizarreness and stupidity of this as a legal matter is the political idiocy of it. Especially after the 2018 results. Indeed. Ruth marcus, ron klain, mike memoli, kristen welker, thank you so much, bill kristol as well. Coming up, the waiting game. When will the attorney general release his version of the Mueller Report . Will it only be the cliff notes . Youre watching Andrea Mitchell reports on msnbc. On msnbc. Plants capture co2. What if other kinds of plants captured it too . If these industrial plants had technology that captured carbon like trees we could help lower emissions. Carbon capture is Important Technology and experts agree. Thats why were working on ways to improve it. So plants. Can be a little more. Like plants. Takes more mathan just investment advice. From insurance to savings to retirement, it takes someone with experience and knowledge who can help me build a complete plan. Brian, my certified financial planner™ professional, is committed to working in my best interest. I call it my comfortable future plan, and its all possible with a cfp® professional. Find your certified financial planner™ professional at letsmakeaplan. Org. [zara larsson wow] make youre jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop make u say oh my god my drop drop make youre jaw drop make u say oh my god ed gets copays as lowlily go to as zero dollars on Medicare Part d prescriptions. Ed gets labels clear as day. And, lily. Lily gets anything she wants. Ed knows he could just have us deliver his prescriptions. But whats the fun in that . Switch to cvs pharmacy. So how long is Congress Going to have to wait for the Mueller Report or some version of it . Today a Justice Department official says its version of the special counsels findings will be available in weeks, not months, as House Democrats are pushing for congress to get an unredacted copy by next tuesday. Doesnt seem likely thats going to happen. Senate judiciary chairman Lindsey Graham, who had dinner with the attorney general last night, said he expects mr. Barr to appear before his committee next month and that the president does not need a preview. Do you think the white house will have a chance to look at it before its public . He decided that the white house is okay with releasing it without looking at it. The president . Yeah, i talked to him just a few minutes ago, the president. And he said, let it out. Let it all out. Msnbc legal analyst maya wily joins me now, maya, thanks very much. On what basis can the attorney general not turn it over . Is it now a political issue, where to sit on it would become unsustainable . Yeah, i dont think theres any scenario under which the attorney general could withhold parts of the report. I think the distinction here is how much of the report will congress and the American Public see. That really is the issue. Remember when barr was in his confirmation hearing, he made very clear he was going to try to be transparent, but that the issue was, according to the law and the rules, in this case grand jury material or other forms of information that for intelligence purposes may need to be withheld, would he redact if there was a report to be turned over. So thats really the question. And on the case the grand jury material itself, i think one thing thats really important for the public to know is, he has the power to ask the judge to unseal the grand jury material. Obviously any grand jury material that relates to an existing investigation, it would be completely legitimate to say we dont want to interfere with that investigation by giving information publicly too early. But otherwise that shouldnt be a barrier to seeing big chunks the report. Maya, there was just an exchange in federal court involving the Reporters Committee for freedom of the press wanting access to unmask the name of that Foreign Corporation that lost its Supreme Court final appeal, and has to respond to the grand jury request. People had thought that once the Mueller Probe was wrapped up, that thats dead. And instead the prosecutor in court said to the judge, its very robust, its continuing. So do we assume that this has been handed off to another grand jury, that one of the grand juries that mueller was working with is still working . This is still a live subject. Well, this was one of the reasons why some of us, myself included, couldnt quite believe that mueller was going to submit a report at this time, because remember, mueller actually extended the time period of his grand jury. Exactly. And what the company a issue, this mystery company, was one of the outstanding issues. I think what this tells us, the fact that he filed a report and that he kept a grand jury open and that theres still ongoing efforts to get whatever information theyre trying to get from company a is, it may relate to some other form of crime, not related, in Robert Muellers view, to the question about coordination or conspiracy with russia around the election. But definitely something related to one of the offshoots of that investigation. We just dont know what. Stay tuned. Maya wiley, thank you very much, great to see you today. Make sure to tune in to nbc nightly news tonight. Lester holt is sitting down today with former fbi director james comey. This will be comeys first interview since the conclusion of the Mueller Report. So make sure you watch that. And coming up, class presentation. Senator mike lee making a unique argument against the Green New Deal. Youve got to see this to believe it. Stay with us. And former georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams coming up, joining me just ahead. Youre watching Andrea Mitchell reports. Stay with us on msnbc. Ports. Stay with us on msnbc. With my annuity, i know there is a guarantee. Its for my family, its for my self, its for my future. Annuities can provide protected income for life. Learn more at retire your risk dot org. [laughter] im okay. With a 500,000 Life Insurance policy. How much do you think it cost him . 100 a month . 75 . 50 . Actually, duncan got his 500,000 for under 28 a month. Less than a dollar a day. His secret . Selectquote. In just minutes, a selectquote agent will comparison shop nearly a dozen highlyrated Life Insurance companies, and give you a choice of your five best rates. Duncans wife cassie got a 750,000 policy for under 23 a month. Give your family the security it needs at a price you can afford. Youre smart,eat you already knew that. But its also great for finding the perfect used car. 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This is of course a picture of former president ronald reagan, naturally firing a machine gun while riding on the back of a dinosaur. This image has as much to do with overcoming communism in the 20th century as it went on from there. The Green New Deal procedural motion failed in the senate 057 with 43 democrats just voting present in protest. Coming up, her moment . Former georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was praised for her powerful rebuke to President Trumps state of the union. Could her name be on a democratic ticket . Perhaps, some have suggested, as joe bidens running mate for 2020. I think you dont run for second place. Stacey abrams joins me next, speaking for herself, right here on Andrea Mitchell reports. Do your asthma symptoms ever hold you back . About 50 of people with severe asthma have too many cells called eosinophils in their lungs. Eosinophils are a key cause of severe asthma. Fasenra is designed to target and remove these cells. 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Even as i am very disappointed by the president s approach to our problems, i still dont want him to fail. But we need him to tell the truth and to respect his duties and respect the extraordinary diversity that defines america, because america wins by fighting for our shared values against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is who we are. And when we do so, never wavering, the state of our union will always be strong. When Stacey Abrams, the former democratic nominee for georgia governor, delivered a powerful response to President Trumps state of the union address, it sparked widespread praise from democrats who hoped she would play a more prominent role in the party after her Historic Campaign catapulting her into the national spotlight. Rumors, a lot of talk about her political future, have been swirling ever since. This week abrams announced a new initiative that ensures every vote will count, designed specifically to organize residents in her state ahead of the 2020 census, a response triggered by the georgia governors race, tainted by allegations of voter suppression. She is the author of a new book, lead from outside. Stacey abrams, great to see you, thanks so much for being with us. Thanks for having me. Given your long record in georgia, your national fame, theres a lot of talk about whats happening next. There are meetings, we know of at least one with chuck schumer, a lot of interest from the partys perspective in having you run against david perdue in the Georgia Senate race. Are you considering that or is that something youve already ruled out . No, im absolutely considering it. I had an opportunity to meet with leader schumer last week. And im continuing to have conversations but also to think through the best role that i can play in moving our country forward. With Governor Kemp now the governor, having been the georgia secretary of state and all the suppression issues, how could you be sure there would be a fair vote in your state . There are two things im working on. The first is fair fight action, which has filed federal litigation against the state of georgia to ensure that we have a Fair Elections process in 2022 and beyond. We are also fighting legislation that would weaken our electoral voting system. And were pushing for advocacy. The second part is to think beyond the elections, to think through what happens in 2020 in terms of the census. Georgia had a massive undercount, up to 30 more not counted, according to some reports, in the last census. And so we started fair count, which is going to work to make certain that hardtocount populations, immigrants, low income communities, communities of color, children, renters, that those communities that are least likely to speak up in the census, that their voices are heard and that theyre counted in the process. Now, you also have talked to joe biden and there is a lot of talk to joe biden was thinking about announcing you as his running mate when he announces his campaign for the presidency as we expect. Youve been asked about that. Whats your response at this point as to whether you would even consider that kind of a ticket, running with someone like biden . As ive said, i dont think up run in a primary for second place. If i joined the president ial primary, it will be because i intend to become the nominee for president of the United States and i havent decided if thats what i intend to do. But im certainly open to the conversations because it signals people are interested in the role that i can play, and its not flattery, but it is deeply moving to me that people are excited about what i can offer. My responsibility is to make sure that whatever i run for, its the right job, im the right person, and im doing it because thats the role i should play at this moment in our history. How do you feel about some of the white men who are running being asked about a running mate and saying that they would guarantee putting a woman on the ticket . Theres been a lot of confusion as to what former governor hickenlooper meant when he asked the women why arent you putting a man on the ticket. He meant as a running mate. What about the roles of gender and race and diversity as democrats struggle over who to nominate . I think democrats are having the kind of process we should have, which is that were asking everyone to say what you would do to lead this country forward. And that means, do you see the diversity of our country . Do you understand the challenges that different communities face . And do you respect that sometimes the best voice to speak up on issues is the voice that has the closest experience to those issues. And so i think it is a credible question, a valid question to say, are you thinking about adding a person to the ticket who brings a different Vantage Point and different perspective. And i think thats a good thing for our country. You and an ddrew gillum came closer to winning your races than beto orourke did. How do you feel about all the publicity, the campaign that beto orourke has gained by the listening tour, cooking at home, going to the dentist, his online presence, his fundraising . Why beto orourke and not Andrew Gillum and not Stacey Abrams as the darling of the media . I dont think that success is zero sum, so i dont want to disparage or take away from the reaction and the legitimate response people had to his campaign. But i do want to call the question. There is no difference there is no distinction with a difference between what he accomplished and what andrew and i accomplished. I would challenge people to consider why we were not lifted up in the same way. I think race plays a part. I think region plays a part. I also think phenotype plays a part. My responsibility is to investigate running for president because i want people to understand i may not look like the typical candidate but that does not diminish my responsibility to run for the job. That would be true for andrew if he was interested. What kind of time do you have . Are you behind on the money front given what beto and Bernie Sanders and some of the others have been able to do, Kamala Harris . A lot of people have gotten a head start already. I think that we have accelerated the time line, but i dont believe that there is anything dispositive about announcing now versus in june or even in september. I think when a good candidate puts their name into the pot, you will get the support you need to be successful and so my responsibility is to not be forced by an artificial time line, but to really take the time to determine what makes the most sense for me. Does it seem to you that health care, as it was in 2018 but now more than ever with the attorney general perhaps reluctantly but now going along with his boss, the president , trying to nullify obamacare in the last 24 hours . I think they completely misread what happened in 2018. 2018 was about the conversation of how do we live as americans and take care of each other. And what this decision does is it says that we lied, that the republicans who said they would fight for health care and would defend preexisting conditions, that they were not telling the truth. And they will be reminded of that in 2020 if this proceeds. I want to ask you also about the georgia heartbeat bill, this abortion fight which is passed by the Georgia Senate last week. It is banning almost all abortions after a fetal heartbeat and it would be one of the toughest if not the toughest in the country. Its a terrible bill. Its a forced pregnancy bill. One of the issues is that it criminalizes women. It will cost us doctors who will not practice in the state that could send them to prison for doing their jobs. Georgia has one of the highest Maternal Mortality rates among women, the highest among african women. Which means it is putting womens lives in danger. And it is bad for business. Weve already had the Film Industry step forward and say this is a terrible idea, in part because they understand women arent going to move to a state to do work if they believe that their bodily autonomy is at risk. This is bad on every front. Its cynical. It is wrong headed and its bad science. And there is also a new policy from the state department which is going to basically eradicate what other countries and other nongovernment organizations do to help Womens Health if theyre in any way connected with Reproductive Health with abortions, it will affect malaria, tuberculosis, zika virus. How do you deal with that as a candidate or potential candidate . As a citizen, as a human, i will call it out as cruel. It is cruel. It is mean spirited. It solves no problems. And it harms the very people we should be standing up and supporting, those who are already made vulnerable by their circumstances who need aid to take care of themselves and their families. Stacey abrams, great to have you. I hope this is the first of many conversations. The book is called lead from the outside, how to build your future and make real change. Its in paper back and thank you very much. Thank you. And well be right back. Along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. 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[zara larsson wow] make youre jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop make u say oh my god my drop drop make youre jaw drop make u say oh my god thats it for today. Thanks for being with us. Follow us at mitchell reports. Heres ali velshi for velshi ruhle. Great conversation with Stacey Abrams. Have a great afternoon. Hello, everyone. Im ali velshi. Lets get smarter. Obamacare is a disaster. Its too expensive by far. People cant afford it. And the deductible is horrible. And if the Supreme Court rules that obamacare is out, we will have a plan thats far better than obamacare. The only difference between now and the other administration is that were administering obamacare very well. So weve made it better, but its still horrible, no good. Its something that we cant live with in this country. Im very disappointed and vehemently opposed to the administration seeking to invalidate the entire