Transcripts For MSNBCW Deadline White House 20200804

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The countrys Health Minister said just minutes ago that the blast killed at least 50 people and hurt at least 3,000. The video of these explosions hat astounded people around the world. Were told the damage extends for miles around the blast. Nbc chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel is in london with developments. You know beirut and you know this area very, very well. First of all, tell us what you know about this explosion, but also the location and why the casualty number is so high. Reporter well, the casualty number could go up if you look at the video and theres multiple angles of this video, it was right at the port which is in center of beirut, as you mentioned, i lived there not very far from here for several years and what happened today, around 6 00 local time was apparently a chemical explosion, thats what lebanese officials are now saying, they still want to investigate, but several officials believe that there was a storage, several tons of nitrates that exploded simultaneously. First, there was a fire at the port and that fire could be seen all across the city. Thats why people were filming some of them from their balconies looking at this unusual occurrence with a plume of smoke going up and sparks coming out of the center of the fire, initial reports that this may have been a fireworks storage facility, lebanese firms say this was no firework accident. As the initial fire was burning, september off these tons and tons of nitrates that sent a shock wave, rolling across the city, causing significance damage and caused thousands of people to be injurtd. 3,000 injured but those numbers could go up as the rescue efforts are still ongoing, in fact, the red cross has called for all ambulances all around the country to come to beirut to try to rescue the wounded. Theyve called on people to donate all types of blood the Prime Minister just came out and said that friendly nations should come guaforward with aid that lebanon needs aid right now, the country is going through an economic crisis, a power crisis, and now this explosion that rolled through the city. People just didnt hear it and feel it in beirut, people were knocked off their feet in the mountains that surround beirut, people could see and hear the explosion in cyprus, 150 miles away, and i just spoke to a friend and colleague in beirut a few minutes ago he has no windows, he said basically nobody in beirut has windows right now, and not only are they frightened now sitting in the dark because of the frequent power cuts but theyre trying to put plastic over their windows, boards over their windows because theres chemical smell in the air and theyre concerned that the chemicals be harmful to them if they breathe them in, these chemical materials, these explosive terls had been at the port for several years, they had been there for six years at least, and there should be investigations launched as to why this Hazardous Material was kept at the port right in the center of the capital city. Given the economic problems in that country and that city, given the governmental instability, understanding why theyre asking for help under any circumstances but given those negative circumstances, whats the infrastructure like, richard, to respond what really is not just an explosion its as you described multiple problems resulting from it . Reporter beirut was on its knees for the last several months, the country has been in a state of near collapse, the currency has collapsed, there have been runs on the banks, peoples salaries have been reduced to almost nothing, peoples savings have been wiped out, power shortages always an issue in beirut have become systemic with the power out eight, ten hours a day, the generator cost when you live in beirut, you had to pay extra so when the power did go out you could supplement it with a generator usually a communal generator for the building or everybody for the neighborhood. Now theyre using those generators so much that people are spending their entire salaries just xr auxillary generator problem. On top of that you have a situation this mysterious explosion that wipes out a part of central beirut and is felt all across the surrounding area. If youre beirut tonight and your savings are gone and now youre trying to tape up your window because youre afraid of the chemical smell coming in and harming you or your family, its a very, very trying time to be lebanon right now. To say the least. Richard, youll keep us posted as more information comes in from beirut and youve got lots of sources there. So thank you very much for bringing us the very latest. When we return a very good sign for democrats looking to win back in a key battleground state that donald trump picked up four years ago. Trump picked up four years ago a glimmer of hope for democrats today, voters across battleground michigan are off to the polls for todays Senate Primary contest. Back in 2016, a 12point drop in turnout among black voters played a key role in President Trumps michigan victory, but now early data suggests that theres a high level among this key base of the democratic party, our colleague writes, quote, in detroit where 80 of the population is black, the city clerk said shes already received more than 90,000 requests for absentee ballots for the Senate Primary on tuesday, the most ever, eclipsing even past general elections. Joining our conversation eddie glaude jr. , hes also an msnbc contributor and the former National Deputy of africanamerican outreach for president obamas 2008 campaign. So great to have both of you. Heidis article was so interesting and one of the people that she talked to was a 31yearold africanamerican single mother she didnt vote in the 2016 election, but heres what she had to say now, trump is really one of the best things to happen in a generationslong movement for racial casuequalit that has activated americans across all demographic groups, eddie, is she right . Well, i mean, we could put the point differently that donald trump has revealed the ugly underbelly of american politics. So, i think theres general consensus among at least the democratic kons tunesy that donald trump and his republican enablers are an existential threat to the country. And so i think what were seeing in michigan and in detroit, particularly in wayne county, more broadly, is an allout understanding that donald trump has to be has to be sent home. We have to see the back of his head because he represents a fundamental threat to the country. And i think weve seen that in previous elections, midterm elections, weve seen enthusiasm among black voters and i think were going to see that in november, but chris, let me give you my prayers, i know you lost your aunt. Thank you so much. Lena, this was your job, we all know that donald trump won michigan by just over 10,000 votes, those kind of stories, michigan, wisconsin, that haunt democrats, that still keep them awake at night, so given what this 31yearold young black woman had to sigh and knowing that shes just one of so many, how does joe biden, how do the democrats take that feeling and turn it into wins . I think eddie is right the in that africanamerican voter enthusiasm is up already because we know that our vote matters as our livelihoods depend on securing our democracy and using our votes this november, so what youre seeing in terms of the turnout, or the requests for absentee ballots in michigan is reflective that africanamericans are 14 of michigans population, but 27 of the individuals who are contracting covid in this state and almost 40 of the deaths in this state. According to the university of michigan, 45 of detroits population is unemployed. So individuals are requesting absentee ballots and are taking back their voting power because their livelihoods and lives depend on it youre seeing a resounding answer to that question, what trump asked in 2016. What the hell can you lose . We can lose our homes, the Unemployment Insurance is expiring because of the cares act. Theres so much on table. What biden needs to do is ensure everyone has a voting plan and continue to demonstrate that hes the leader to provide an alternate choice to the reality were finding ourselves in right now that is dire. To continue to draw that contrast that i hear from a lot of democrats that i talk to, eddie, and then you have the president in this interview and theres so much of it we could deconstruct but i want to play in particular what President Trump had to say about president johnson and the Civil Rights Act. I did more for the black community than anybody with the possible exception of abra him lincoln, whether you like it. You believe you did more than Lyndon Johnson . Yeah. How . I got prison reform. Lyndon johnson . Well he passed the Civil Rights Act. How did it work out . You think the Civil Rights Act was a mistake. Frankly it took a long time. But for africanamericans you think that was a mistake . Jonathan, under my administration, africanamericans are doing better than theyve done in the history of this country. Eddie, i know that that hes said before that hes done more for africanamericans hes said it multiple times, he wouldnt answer jonathans very easy question, was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a mistake . I mean, you know, one of the things that i have a hard time doing, chris, is taking seriously donald trump. Around these sort of issues. In mean, we need to understand him for who he is, we cthe main thing we hear him talk like this, we need to understand it for the materialistic language that it is, ive done more for africanamericans, we dont need him to do something for us, we need him to be the president of the United States, to uphold the principles and the norms of democracy. He sounds like a plantation and we should be grateful to him, we should show gratitude to him. What does he mean . On the face that hes done more than Lyndon Johnson . Its false. Simply having to answer the question is insulting, as if were some ward of the state, that state actors must do something for as opposed to us being citizens of this republic. Claiming our just do as citizen another example of how debased his character is, in my view. Eddie glaude, always great to see you. You know, i freeze frame, and im not i freeze frame you and look at all the books youre reading, and his selection of books is amazing. Thank you eddie glaude and elena beverly. Appreciate you spending some time with us. Donald trumps endless assault on mailin voting runs in against the facts. Thats ahead. If youre 55 and up, t mobile has a plan built just for you. We want you to get the value and service you need to stay connected. Saving 50 vs. Other carriers with 2 unlimited lines for less than 30 each. We know that connection is more important than ever. And were here to help, when youre ready to switch. Call 1800tmobile or go to t mobile. Com 55. Its totally not the same without you. Were finally back and cant wait until you are too. Universal orlando resort. Buy now and get two days free at the parks. Restrictions apply. We have heard President Trump time and time again make the false claim that mailin voting leads to voter fraud. That has not been the case in the state of arizona, one of five States Holding primaries today. They have a long history of mailin balloting. Joining us now, nbcs Vaughn Hillyard in tempe, arizona, just outside of phoenix. Look, vaughn, look how beautiful it is there. Its like armageddon here. Its so nice in arizona. We know what a pivotal but it is 109 degrees so we dont have your rain and thunder but we have heat, okay . Its not nothing, all right . Okay. Just, you know, just the facts. Only the facts. Lets talk about arizona, the hot state of arizona. Its going to be a hot state this november. Are officials ready to process such a large number of mailin votes given that we are also in the middle of a pandemic . Just like the weather, elections run differently state to state. This is a state that has been doing mailin voting since 1996. When you look at every four years, the number of voters here that have turned to mailin voting, in 2018 midterm elections, 78 of arizona voters used mailin ballots. The states governor here, republican doug ducey himself has said just this summer that he is proud of the way that elections have been run here in the state and the opportunities afforded to folks to use that sort of system. When you look at where the state finds itself now in the middle of the pandemic, its primary day and there are folks who tell me theyre coming out to vote for Martha Mcsally in the republican primary for the senator race. Sheriff joe arpaio is back on the ballot here. Its still a very small number. I was speaking with katie hobbs, a democrat here. Her concern was misinformation. Ive got to tell you, i was having a conversation with one voter, karen bailey, here with a friend who came was on oxygen and she said they felt it important to come and cast their vote in person because they are concerned about the integrity of mailin voting. And that is still, she questions, depending on what the results look like come november and thats why they decided they want to do this in person. Very much reflecting the tone of this president. Without a doubt. Vaughn hillyard, always good to see you. Stay cool. Coming up Jonathan Swan with his amazing interview with donald trump. Plus, senator Kamala Harris will be with us. Deadline white house next. Thousands of women with metastatic Breast Cancer, which is Breast Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. 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Swan, through meticulous preparation and reflexive pushback against Donald Trumps most misleading claims, offers an alarming portrait of the countrys president and his distorted view of his own response to the pandemic. Here is just one piece of that interview. When can you commit, by what date, that every american will have access to the sameday testing that you get here in the white house . Well, we have great testing. What were doing, and by what date . Let me explain. The testing, we have tested more people than any other country, than all of europe put together times two. And, you know, there are those that say, you can test too much. You do know that. Who says that . Oh, just read the manuals. Read the books. Manuals . What manuals . Read the books. What books . Point is because we are so much better at testing than any other country in the world, we show more cases. The figure i look at is death. And death is going up now. Thats 1,000 a day. If you look at death yeah, its going up again. Lets take a look. Look at some of these charts. Id love to. Were going to look. Lets look. If you look at death start to go up again. Well, right here, the United States is lowest in numerous categories. Were lower than the world. Lower than the world . Where is thatted . Lower than europe. In what . Take a look. Right here. Heres case death. Oh, youre doing death as a proportion of cases. Im doing death as a proportion of population. Thats where the u. S. Is really bad. Much worse than south korea, germany. You cant do that. Ive covered you for a long time. Ive talked to your people. They love you. They listen to you. They hang on your every word. They dont listen to me or the media or fauci. They think were fake news. They want to get their advice from you. When they hear you say everything is under control, dont worry about wearing masks, these are people, many of them are older people, mr. President. Yeah, under the youre giving them a false sense of security. Right now its under control. How . 1,000 americans are dying a day. They are dying, thats true. And it is what it is, but that doesnt mean we arent doing everything we can. Its under control, as much as you can control it. The president s words, it is what it is heard around a country dealing with near unprecedented suffering. The miami herald reported two teenagers have died from covid complications. Dr. Fauci is confirming dr. Birxs declaration sunday the pandemic is spreading out of control. U. S. Cases topping 4. 7 million. Deaths topping 156,000. And thousands of americans bracing for an unprecedented eviction wave as federal relief dries up. The grief and anxiety that the nation feels, but that trump does not, is amplified now by the stories of suffering coming from every part of this country. Family members of david nagi of texas who died needlessly of covid, according to his family, sending out a message of outrage. Thats struck a cord. Heres part of the obituary they penned for their local paper, later reported in the Washington Post. Im quoting here. Family members believe davids death was needless. They blame his death and the deaths of all the other innocent people on trump, Texas Governor greg abbott, and all the politicians who did not take this pandemic seriously and were more concerned with their popularity and votes than lives. Also to blame are the many ignorant, selfcentered and selfish people who refused to follow the advice of the medical professionals, believing their right not to wear a mask was more important than killing innocent people. Its a theme echoed by more and more grieving families, the post writes. Quote, obituaries with political messages have been on the rise during the pandemic. In july, the daughter of a man who died of covid19 penned a blistering obituary in the Arizona Republic writing that her fathers death was due to the carelessness of politicians who continue to jeopardize the health of brown bodies. An obituary in the citizentimes in asheville, North Carolina, for Sandra Shuler thomas in july encouraging mourners to use her death as motivation to vote in the coming president ial elect n election. In lieu of flowers, think of mrs. Thomas while casting your vote to remove President Trump from office, it said. These are the unfiltered voices of grief from families paying the price for Donald Trumps delusions and failures. But as far as trump is concerned, it is what it is. The american presidency detached from reality is where we start today. Axios National Political reporter Jonathan Swan, who we saw in that clip is here. Plus professor of journalism and politics and a contributor for the grio, Jason Johnson, and former democratic senator Claire Mccaskill. This is a tour de force, to say the least, jonathan. So kudos that have been repeated all across the journalistic spectrum, all across the spectrum of anyone who cares about whats happening in this country today. But of the many, many things that you were able to extract from the president in this interview, the one that i think so many people are talking about, and i want to know what went through your mind when you heard it is what i just said. It is what it is. Well, it was a moment where i was trying to actually get the president to grapple with the reality that america, when you compare it to other advanced countries on the measure of death from this virus as a proportionate population, america does very badly indeed. Its not the worst in the world. Its not far off. And theres a very basic question, which is why is it that the United States of america, with all of its wealth, with all of its resources, with all of its scientific and Technological Advancement finds itself in this terrible position. And instead of grappling with that question, the president had brought along his own charts to basically try to sell the story that it wasnt as bad as it seemed, that it was under control and that, in fact, it was a much rosier picture than the raw statistics paint. So its a very striking part of the interview. And people can judge for themselves whether they think the president , even though he was armed with those charts, had control over what the information was that they contained or understood it. But i thought there was another point, and you made it so clearly and so definitively and that i think is so important as we continue to watch the number of deaths and the number of cases rise. And that is, explaining to the president how much, a large portion of this country, even though its not a majority, but a large portion of this country still believe him. A large portion of this country that dont believe his lies are lies. Who are listening to him for guidance. Who are listening to him because they believe he is telling them the truth, and then to watch, it wasnt even so much what he said but his physical reaction when you confronted him with the truth, jonathan. Yeah, well, so that was a section of the interview where i was trying to get him to grapple with the concept of communication from a leader in a Public Health crisis. When you talk to Public Health experts, theyll tell you that probably the most important thing a president or a leader can do in a Public Health crisis is provide the public with accurate, reliable, credible and consistent information because, obviously, behavior is so important. Social distancing, wearing masks, all that all those behaviors are so important in stemming the flow of the virus. And i put it to the president that he hadnt done that, and that, for month after month, not just in the early days when, you know, a lot of people were wrong about this, but, you know, march, april, may and even in june, convening what is still the largest indoor gathering in the United States since the pandemic hit, which was his rally in tulsa. And my question to him was, why did you do that. But he heard it as me challenging him on his crowd size, which was not what i was doing at all and was quite beside the point. In fact, he went on to say his crowd was much larger than ive reported. Its a really one of the many great moments in the interview, but we have that. So lets play that exchange with the president. Look, tulsa was a very good oklahoma was doing very well as a state. It was almost free. It spiked a month later, month and a half, two months later, but it was a good area. We had a tremendous crowd. We had tremendous response. You couldnt even it was like an armed camp. You couldnt even get through. You couldnt get anybody in. We had 12,000 people. It was incorrectly reported. Im not criticizing your ability to draw a crowd. Are you kidding me . I covered you for years. You draw huge crowds. At the time, and i canceled another one. I have a great crowd in new hampshire, and i canceled it for the same reason. I mean, that, obviously, wasnt what he said at the time which was that the cancellation was weather related and it would be rescheduled, which it wasnt, but i think what that points to, its that same failure to accept responsibility, jonathan. Well, again, its not again, its reflective of where his mind is at on these matters. And there it was primarily about defending the size of his crowd and the ratings when my question was a question about Public Health, and the wisdom of convening the largest indoor gathering on american soil since the pandemic. And ive been in the oval office with him the day before that tulsa rally and on the record asked him whether hed recommend masks. He recommended people do whatever they want. So its really a question about president ial leadership and president ial communication, but i think it was somewhat revealing that he heard it as me challenging him on his crowd sizes which i wasnt doing. Let me just ask you quickly because as you just pointed out in that exchange, youve been covering him for years. As he is three months out, how do you find him . Is he very different than somebody you interviewed just months ago . What was your sense of the president . Donald trump, you know, i dont buy into a lot of the stories that hes changed in some substantial way since june of 2015. I dont believe he has. I believe hes got the same character traits, the same donald trump that weve seen consistently in public life. Going back much further than that. And its the same again now. But what i do see is somebody who believes that he has a more energetic base than joe biden and that he can win by appealing to that base and revving them up more and more and more heading into november. This is not someone who is trying to do a cross over the aisle type of campaign or reaching out to, you know, democrats or even, you know, soft republicans who have abandoned him. This is going to be a turnout election, and you can see that in his public posture. And jason, i want to bring claire and jason in. I was thinking as i learned that you were going to be on the show, i thought, wow, if i was in his position, i would be teaching this interview and not to make this all about you, jonathan, swan, although, again, i cant even say enough about what you did here. But the preparation and, again, for me, the reaction of this president when he is confronted with the facts. Well, you know, thank you for asking that. One of the things that hit me about the effectiveness of jonathans interview was not just the reactions he got out of the president. Donald trump lies so much and so consistently that its very easy to sort of argue with him as we saw on fox and then you have to go and do a pretape edit and go in and say this is why we know we were lying. Whats smart about jonathan, you had the information right there. You could throw the information right at him. And i teach at a historically black college and university. I doubt donald trump would have been able to have that conversation if the interviewer was a woman or person of color because his hostility level towards being asked questions, as weve seen with yamiche al syndor and others. So part of this was also just demographic in addition to being a very, very effective and well organized interview. I dont know how many people are out there who can now be unsure about whether they think this president is a credible purveyor of facts, but if there are minds to be changed, i think, look, we have been in this for months and months and months, and one of the things that jonathan pressed him about is when rapid tests were going to be available. He couldnt answer that question. He couldnt give a date beyond soon. Now they send out overnight this Campaign Email telling supporters to wear masks. And this is the quote. I dont love wearing them either. Masks may be good. They may be just okay, or they may be great. They can possibly help us get back to our american way of life. We are in august, and hes writing that masks, claire, may be good . Yeah, you know, i think you need a full two hours for this interview, seriously. I am getting worn out a little bit with telling jonathan how great it was, but it really was revealing and there was so much in this interview we havent even touched on. Heres a law and order president that tries to say a child sex predator who has just been arrested might be innocent. And he said john lewis will be remembered for not coming to his swearing in. I mean, you know, he never asked putin about bounties on american soldiers. I mean, there is topic after topic after topic. Say to the people in this country that are paying attention to him, around 30 of our population, that youve got to wear a mask. And i after watching this interview and everyone should, ive got one thing to say. I know who should be afraid of debates, and its not joe biden. Well, that will lead me into my final question for you, jason, which is, will there be a debate, do you think . And what would we see if we had joe biden who, like Jonathan Swan, came prepared and came loaded for bear with facts . Again, just the facts. Honestly, i would put i would roll the die on whether well get a debate. It would not shock me for donald trump to back out of it, especially if the numbers look bad. He wouldnt want to have the interaction. I wouldnt be surprised if he walked off stage. Almost looked like he was going to do that against Hillary Clinton. The only danger going into a debate for this 2020 year is that the expectations for donald trump will be so low that if he does not pull like a chevy chase gerald ford thing and spit or say the nword on the air, people will think he did a good job because theres no way he can intellectually or linguistically compete with joe biden or any of the other democrats that ran this year because i dont think the president has that level of discipline or concentration. Everyone stays, thanks to all of you. When we come back, well have more from jonathans incredible interview. What he had to say when asked to reflect on the late congressman john lewis. Well also talk to Kamala Harris about it and the days other headlines. Joe biden is looking for a sharp, ambitious woman to stand alongside him. Well ask the senator about that as well. And were tracking the huge storm ripping up the east coast. A live update from our friend bill karins. All those stories coming up. Tech when youve got auto glass damage. Safelite can come to you. Tech and youll get a text when were on our way. Tech just leave your keys on the dash and well replace your windshield with safe, nocontact service. Tech schedule at safelite. Com. Singers safelite repair, safelite replace. Californias economic challenges are deepening. Frontline workers stretched too thin. Our nurses and medical professionals in a battle to save lives. Our schools, in a struggle to safely reopen, needing money for masks and ppe, and to ensure social distancing. And the costs to our economy, to our state budget . Mounting every day. We need to provide revenues now, to solve the problems we know are coming. Happy birthday. Cheers nice technique with that, nice come be a part of it online. Godaddy is making it possible for everyone to create a website for free. Learn more at godaddy. Com how do you think history will remember john lewis . I dont know. I really dont know. I dont know john lewis. He chose not to come to my inauguration. He chose i dont i never met john lewis actually, i dont believe. Do you find him impressive . I cant say one way or the other. I find a lot of people impressive. I find many people not impressive. Do you find his story impress sniff. He didnt come to my inauguration or state of the union speeches. And thats all right. Nobody has done more for black americans than i have. I understand. He should have come. I think he made a big mistake. Taking your relationship with him out of it, do you find his story impressive, what hes done for this country . He was a person that devoted a lot of energy and a lot of heart to civil rights, but there were many others also. He cant say one way or another. He cant say if civil rights icon and longserving congressman john lewis, who was bloodied and arrested numerous times in his fight for equality, was impressive. Trumps reflection of the congressmans legacy is even more striking when compared with the scene in atlanta at his funeral just last week. Where all three of trumps predecessors paid tribute to lewis and his lifes work. Joining us now, California Democratic senator Kamala Harris. So good to see you, senator. Thank you. I feel like its a bit of a broken record question. But what do you think when you hear that clip, somebody who wont even say, do you find his story impressive . And if you find him impressive, the response is he didnt go to my impeachment im sorry, thats a freudian slip. He didnt go to my inauguration. He didnt go to the state of the union. So a couple of things, chris, and great to be with you. First of all, we have a president who is petty. Hes petty. But also, there is something about donald trump that is just the antithesis of what we want as an american leader and as our president , which is we want a president who has a generosity of spirit. Theres nothing about donald trump that is generous. Hes generous to himself, but he has no generosity toward an icon, a hero, who has been described as a saint, john lewis, or the American People, quite frankly when you look at his policies. And thats why i do believe hes going to be defeated in november, and i believe that he is just becoming a more and more petty as we get closer to an election. The outcome of which will be that joe biden will be the next president of the United States. And so this is what we have. And at this moment, when we have had over 150,000 people in our country who have died in the past few months, millions of people who are out of work as the estimate, as many as 30 Million People drawing unemployment because they are either unemployed or underemployed. And instead we have someone who is so selfinvolved, instead of someone lifting up the spirit of the American People. I think, you know, great job, jonathan, on the interview. And it is a further, yet another example of the nature of the current president of the United States. And it is a nature that does not reflect what we, i think as a country, know is actually an example of strength. It actually shows that hes quite weak. And does not reflect, certainly, john lewis legacy. You mentioned the unemployment. Tens of millions of people who have filed for unemployment claims. Some of them now worried about eviction notices. Many of them worrying how theyre going to put food on the table because of the expiration of these additional unemployment checks which incorrectly, according to a series of studies, many republicans have said that people just are taking them and theyre making more money so they dont want to work. Again, a series of studies that show that is simply not true. You have a president who is calling on nancy pelosi, crazy nancy, who is blaming democratic governors. We did hear from the speaker of the house who said she doesnt think theyll be able to vote on anything until next week. Tell me your thoughts on where we are right now and how were going to get help to the people who need it. Well, you have outlined it well. We have, as of friday of last week, millions of people who will not have an extension of the supplemental Unemployment Insurance. People who have to pay their rent, have to feed their children on a daily basis. We have the end of moratoriums on eviction. We are looking at a state in our country right now where 1 in 5 mothers is describing her children under the age of 12 as being hungry. Were in the midst of a hunger crisis. Were on the cliff of a homelessness crisis and eviction crisis. And we need to act. The American People have a right to believe that their government will support them. And so i believe strongly that we should stay here. There should be no august break until the American People have received a break. Because the government understands their needs and their need to survive through this pandemic. And just get to the other side with dignity. So weve got to work on that, and as we know, the house passed the heroes act, which we support. I support. Which will do a number of things that, sadly, the republican bill does not do. It would extend unemployment. It would look at the need for snap benefits, which is what we used to call food stamps. People have hungry children, and they need to feed them. These are the things we need to get done, and i believe we should stay here until we get it done. The Census Bureau has said that theyre going to stop counting people a month earlier than they thought because they need that time to get the report in by the end of the year. As you well know, the consequences of this census are huge. Most obviously representation in congress and the amount of money that these various states get. Its believed that there may be as many as 4 in 10 who have not been counted yet. And you and i both know, who are the people who are traditionally undercounted. People of color, immigrants, renters, people who live in rural areas. How concerned are you about this decision . Im very concerned. And ill tell you why. We, as a nation, as part of really as part as who we are as a democracy, we say the people count. And so by law, every ten years, our nation conducts a census. To count how many people are in our country and where are they. And its on the basis of that number that we make decisions about federal dollars going to states, going to local governments to give them the support they need for public schools, for headstart programs, for medicaid. So you understand when we undercount the people, that means that the people who are often most in need will not have the resources that they deserve and that are necessary to maintain a productive and a healthy society. And donald trump is clearly doing this because there is a political agenda at foot. And it has everything to do, i believe, with the drawing electoral maps. It has everything to do with his antiimmigration agenda, and the American People will suffer for generations, chris, if he gets away with this. For generations. Because, remember, its every ten years. And ten years in the life of a child is a very long time. So lets talk about joe biden because a lot of people are very afr anxiously awaiting his decision on Vice President. We know youve been names on the short list. Can you tell us anything about where you are in the vetting process or what you have gone through in terms of the vetting process, or at least from having been through this part of the vetting process, what you are learning about what the former Vice President is looking for in his running mate. Well, i will tell you this. Im very honored to be a part of this discussion, and whatever decision joe biden makes, i will support that decision and do everything in my power to help him get elected because, again, chris, theres so much if i can channel Jonathan Swan, thats not really answering the question. Oh, but it is, in my mind. It is, and ill tell you why. Ill tell you why. Ill tell you why. Because we can talk about a process, but we really a process is only important in the context of, does the outcome have integrity. And i believe whatever his decision is, it will have integrity, and it will be focused on what is necessary to fulfill his mission, which is about saving the soul of america, restoring the middle class and uplifting our country. And so whatever happens, whatever this process has been or may involve, i support the outcome. I have to ask you quickly, even though were out of time, about this headline in the Washington Post, the analysis of this search. Accusations of being too ambitious, some black women see a double standard. There have been claims that you are too ambitious. Have we learned nothing in the last four years since those kinds of accusations were leveled against Hillary Clinton . You know, we dont i dont think you and i for this moment have enough time to have a conversation about the nuances at play. But i will say this. I also do think of this in the context of the ambition of america. The ambition of the american dream. The ambition of somebody like a joe biden to believe and know that we can restore the soul of america and uplift the middle class. The ambition of the framers to dare to write the constitution of the United States. And the ambition of joe biden and the ambition of the constitution of the United States. I support wholeheartedly. So i think that we have to put these things in context always. Senator Kamala Harris, thank you for spending time with us. We appreciate it. Of course. Up next, despite decades of successful mailin voting, trump tries to sell the alleged danger that he says could happen without a clearcut winner on Election Night. More from Jonathan Swans newsmaking interview with the president , next. T. Than Rheumatoid Arthritis. When considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz a pill for adults with moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis when methotrexate has not helped enough. Xeljanz can reduce pain, swelling, and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. Xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. Before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections like tb and do blood tests. Tell your doctor if youve had hepatitis b or c, have flulike symptoms, or are prone to infections. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. Taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. 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More from Jonathan Swans interview with the president stoking fear over mailin voting ahead of novembers election. Jonathan swan, Jason Johnson, Claire Mccaskill are back. Do you have any idea what he was talking about when he said all these things that could happen . Well, i think what is shaping up is, we know that theres going to be a significantly larger mailin vote in november because of the pandemic. Some states will change their processes and weve seen that in nevada where they will mail ballots, but a lot of states youll just see a much higher demand for mailin voting. And what that means, according to experts, is you could see a situation where, on Election Night, President Trump is looking in pretty good shape because, you know, hes been telling his voters again and again, this is a fraud lent system. You may see a larger inperson vote from republicans. But then what could happen in the days following is that as the ballots, the mailin ballots start to come in and be counted you could see in key states the votes starting to trend democratic. And that is the point at which i expect President Trump will start, you know, potentially litigating, calling for a halt in voting the way he did in 2018 when that was happening in the florida race with gillum and desantis. I think thats where this is heading based on the president s public statements so far. Yeah, and there was an oped today, jason, in the Washington Post by george conway. And i want to read just a little bit of it that applies to what the interview was just about. He says, President Trumps unfounded attacks on mail balloting are discouraging his own supporters from embracing the practice, according to polls and Republican Leaders across the country prompting growing alarm that one of the central strategies of his campaign is threatening gop prospects in november. Im sorry. The conway oped adds mailed votes leaves a paper trail that renders them less, not more susseptsible to fraud. Hes lying to buy more time. What are you expecting, jason, on the 4th of november . I have been saying this for a while, chris. I dont think well know who the president is. We probably wont know who the president is for weeks. This is a scenario being very likely. On Election Night, we dont know who will be in the lead. It may be joe biden. He may be 20 electoral votes short. You look at michigan and wisconsin and North Carolina where you have democratic governors. They are very likely going to say everybody stay in line. Everybody continue to count votes. As the votes continue to be counted, joe biden will probably catch up and possibly take the lead. There is a state, probably multiple states, that will go from red to blue as more votes are counted. And at that point, it wouldnt be surprising if the president sent in federal troops saying he was protecting the vote. If you had republican legislators suing democratic governors, we are in for a fight. I dont think anyone should believe for one second, above and beyond the Voter Suppression and ridiculous rhetoric and lying of the president and his sycophants in congress, no one should expect to know who the president of the United States is on Election Night and not for many weeks afterwards. The reason you have to go out and vote, the reason that democrats have to take all of this energy, the reason they have to continue to speak to independents and to republicans who are tired of donald trump is because they need those margins. Because the larger the margin, the less likelihood there is for a fight. But do you think, claire, that no matter what, no matter how big the margins, there will be a fight or at least an attempt to have one . You know, im going to see this glass as half full rather than half empty. The margins will matter. How big the margin is on Election Night will make a big difference. If states are call on Election Night, because of the margins, we could very easily have joe biden elected president on that night. And heres the, thi other thing thats interesting about this. You know who has been good about harvesting mailin ballots historically . Im old. I did elected politics for 40 years. You know who always won the fight over mailin ballots in my state . It was the republicans. The republicans are really good at identifying elderly people and trying to help them get a mailin ballot. So the really the interesting thing is, like all things trump, he ends up hitting himself upside the head because he is discouraging what has been a strength for the republican party. And you are seeing that now, some of the republicans are going wait, wait, wait, stop with the mailin ballot stuff because youre going to discourage a lot of our folks from voting, which may, in fact, help us with those margins on Election Night. And have the victor decided, called by the ap, before midnight. Thats what im hoping for. Claire, do you think these attacks could backfire on him . Do you think that . Yes. Yes, i do. I think the people who are listening to him are not likely to vote by mail. I think other voters who understand, i just voted by mail in the missouri primary because im not in missouri right now. It is so you know, they track the number on the ballot in missouri, unless youre over 60 or 65, you have to have it notari notarized. Theres all kinds of checks on mailin ballots. They are very, very sol id and safe. The only people hes discouraging are the people that believe in him. And those are his voters. I have to leave the last question to you, jonathan, swan, because the president has tried to put forth this whole idea that he feels very confident. He doesnt believe any of the polls. He says his internal polls show a very different story. How did you find his level of confidence to be about november . Its very hard to assess because he doesnt project insecurity, frankly, to anyone. Hes not doing it privately. Hes certainly not doing it to me. And its very hard to know, you know, whether theres a gap between what he is saying and how hes actually feeling. So i actually dont know. I do know from aides that he is saying privately as well that he thinks the polls are way off and this silent majority out there is going to come back and reelect him. So he is saying that privately for what its worth, but what he truly believes, i dont pretend to know. Jonathan swan with a truly extraordinary interview with the president and the lesson for all those students that Jason Johnson teaches, thanks to all of you. Claire mccaskill, always great to see you. We appreciate all of you for spending some time with us. Up next tracking the deadly storm as it batters the east coast with heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes and rough winds. A live update from bill karins just ahead. Hey, can i. Safe drivers save 40 guys guys safe drivers save 40 safe drivers save 40 safe drivers save 40 thats safe drivers save 40 . It is, thats safe drivers save 40 . Hes right there. Its him safe drivers do save 40 . Click or call for a quote today. For spending a perfectly reasonable amount of time on the couch with tacos from grubhub . Grubhubs gonna reward you for that with a 5 off perk. doorbell rings [crowd] grubhub fireworks exploding Little Things can become your big moment. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not a cream. Its a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines, and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. Show more of you. Weve got breaking news this hour on Tropical Storm isaias as it continues to barrel up the east coast. Heavy rainfall, damaging winds and the threat of tornadoes across the midatlantic coast this afternoon. It made landfall overnight in North Carolina as a category 1 hurricane. And it left a trail of destruction, flooding, hundreds of thousands of people without power. Two confirmed fatalities. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for more than 50 million americans as the coastline braces for flash flooding. Lets bring in nbc news meteorologist bill karins with the very latest. Bill, how is it looking right now . This storm has left its mark. Its not done yet, chris. Still racing up through northern new england. Its just so rare that we have a strong Tropical Storm but with a top of albany, new york, of all places. That just doesnt happen. And this storm is very unique in that matter. We have so many Power Outages that have moved through the northern portion. We have more Power Outages in the tristate area in new york and connecticut and new jersey than we did down in virginia and North Carolina where the storm was its strongest earlier today. Were just not built for this. So many big trees in the northeast. Thats where a lot of the problems have occurred. Right now 65mileperhour winds. The storm is racing to the northnortheast at 40 miles per hour. This storm will be up around burlington vrmts by 8 00 p. M. Tonight and gone by the time we get through 10 00 p. M. Or so. The wind gusts are still pretty sporty. Gusting 45 to 50 miles per hour. Look at providence where that little squall just went through. We hit 59mileperhour winds. Thats enough to do some significant tree damage and im sure a lot of Power Outages spreading through northern rhode island right now. Thats whats heading for you boston in the next hour. Its going to be a brief period of strong winds when those heavy rain squalls go through. And that will be the worst of it. Notice the strong winds havent arrived in albany yes. Looks like the back side will be your strongest winds. Still in new haven around 54 miles per hour. When we look back at this storm, one of the worst things that happened was last night, landfall was at 11 15 p. M. At about 1 15 in the morning, we had a tornado go through areas, rural section there, just off the albamar sound in windsor, south carolina. Mobile homes even if they are trailers, they were still levelled. Theyre still splinrin splinter. Theres nothing left to show you. Le when you see vehicles and cars like that,ic usually talking li an ef2, ef3 tornado which is extremelyad rare for a tropical system. One fatality. Still trying to find a couple other that were missing. If we get any additional tornados it would be with that line aboutos to head toward boston. Tornado watch until 9 00 p. M. This l evening. Were starting to clear that st out. Havent had aea tornado reporte in the lastha four to five hour. Still some gloflooding concerns through theod mountains and poconos. We have to watch some of those small rural streams and rivers inru those areas. Additional rainfall really albany dinorthwards. Just about done. And its why that storm is the reason why Nicolle Wallace is not in this chair right now, why aht lot of our writers are nowhere to be seen and other b people. Interesting working from home these days. In glad toom seee you, glad you and your family are safe and sound but all i can say about isaias is good riddance. Thank you for spending time with us, bill. Appreciate it. Up next honoring lives well lived. And take. It. On. With rinvoq. Rinvoq a oncedaily pill. Can dramatically improve symptoms. Rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. And for some. Rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. Thats rinvoq relief. With ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. Rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. Rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred. As have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. 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It was the coronavirus. She was evidently a prolific writer with a kind and gentle spirit. Along with the unique ali loved animals, too. Her obituary insists we can only imagine all the arms, paws hoovo welcome her home. Today, were thinking especially of her fiance, adam, and mourning the future they deserved to share together. Then theres frank, a 39yearold coronavirus victim from new jersey. His obituary calls him the ultimate protector, to his friends, to his family, and especially on the job. See, he worked at Newark Airport with the canine unit, detecting explosives alongside one of a number of fourlegged partners. Frank was very proud of his role in boy scouts, as well. He achieved eagle scouts after hosting a Special Olympics Bowling Tournament for more than 70 athletes. He had a passion for photography and a deep, enduring love for his wife, julie. Please keep her in mind this afternoon. Thank you all for watching. Nicolle wallace should be back here tomorrow. Our coverage continues with chuck todd after this quick break. Continues with chuck todd after this quick break. I like to recommend pronamel to my patients. Pronamel will help push the minerals back into the enamel, to keep the enamel strong. I know it works. And i hear nothing but great things from my patients that have switched to it. They get that no two people are alike and customize your car i know it works. And i hear nothing but great things insurance so you only pay for what you need. What do you think . I dont see it. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. For spending a perfectly reasonable amount of time on the couch with tacos from grubhub . Grubhubs gonna reward you for that with a 5 off perk. doorbell rings [crowd] grubhub fireworks exploding there are people searching headed in your direction. So, since people are still looking for what you do, godaddy is making it possible for you to create a website for free. Start now at godaddy. 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