Transcripts For MSNBCW MSNBC Live With Stephanie Ruhle 20180827

Barnicle and peggy noonan. Thank you very much. Chris jansing picks up the coverage. Hi there, i am Chris Jansing in for stephanie rule. This morning, remembering an icon. Coming out with stories and tributes. Warrior, war hero, maverick, senator john mccain. He served his country hopefully with the word honorably on it. Thats all. Chaos in jacksonville. Three dead including the shooter. The chilling sounds of gunfire captured in a live stream when that shooting erupted at a video game tournament. We heard the first round and then we saw two, three we heard two, three, four more rounds. People were being trampled. Everybody was screaming in fear. Weathering the storm. After a rocky week which saw two Trump Associates plead guilty in a court of law, a poll which shows trumps Approval Rating remains unchanged. Voters giving republicans a strong edge when it comes to handling the economy. But we begin this morning remembering senator john mccain and looking at how his death could have major ramifications for the Republican Party and the country going forward. A true maverick, mccain at various times winning both the admiration and the ire of people on both sides of the aisle. And in his own words, reminding us all of whats best about america. I fell in love with my country when i was a prisoner in someone elses. I loved it. Not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency, for its faith, and the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. His Lifelong Service to his country. His heroism in war. Acknowledged by his sharpist critics. With of course a notable exception. No tributes from the president. This morning, the white house flag is no longer at halfstaff. Ive got an Incredible Group with the latest developments and reaction. But first, tributes are pouring in from all across the country and the world for senator mccain who died saturday, just a year after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Its tough. Im going to miss him. I have admired him, like i said, my entire life. He pointed to a line from one of his books where he said nothing in life is more liberating than fighting for a cause greater than yourself. And thats what defined his life. He did believe in the institution and he knows he knew that the summit couldnt work. If we didnt Work Together. Now, heres what we know about senator mccains funeral arrangements. His body will lie in state at the arizona capital on wednesday. It would have been his 82nd birthday. A Funeral Service will be held at the north phoenix baptist church. His body will be transported to the u. S. Capitol in washington, d. C. Where he will lie in state on friday. On saturday, mccains body will be taken from the capital to Washingtons National cathedral for a second Funeral Service. On sunday, his body will be taken to the u. S. Naval academy in annapolis, maryland, to be buried at the cemetery there, following a private memorial service. Former president s obama and george w. Bush are expected to deliver eulogies at mccains funeral in washington at his request. But also at his request, President Trump will not be there. Sources close to senator mccain told nbc news back in may that the white house was informed by his camp that mccain did not want the president to attend his funeral. Instead, asking for Vice President pence to be present. The request underscores mccains and trumps bitter relationship over the past several years. Whats more, the Washington Post reports President Trump nixed a state prepared by his staff that praised senator mccain. Sources tell the paper that press secretary Sarah Huckabee sanders, chief of staff john kelly and other white house aides advocated for an official statement honoring the decorated vietnam war p. O. W. For his military and senate service. Calling him, quote, a hero. Instead, trump opted to send a tweet that read, my deepest sympathies and respect to the family of senator john mccain. Our hearts and prayers are with you. Trumps Instagram Account included those comments alongside a large picture of himself. Mccains longtime aide reacting to President Trumps actions just a short time ago. I think you know, im going to try very hard not to think or talk about donald trump for this week and just do what i can to help make sure that john is buried with the honors and decorum hes earned from years of faithful service to his country. Lets go live to phoenix and Nbcs Kelly Odonnell who has covered senator mccain for so many years both on the campaign trail and in the halls of congress. Kelly, it is very john mccain it seems to me that he chose two men to give his eulogy who beat him for the presidency. And bipartisan, right, youve got one republican, one democrat. Tell us about that. And was he in the end trying to send a message in the details of what well see this coming week . Very much sending a message. But he would also be the first to say he wishes he beat both of those guys and would have loved to have been president. That was the kind of john mccain spirit. He acknowledged defeat. He acknowledged mistakes. And at the same time tried to move past them. The real symbolism of inviting president s bush and obama to give eulogies is to show that there is in some ways moving past division. There is moving past disappointment and competition for larger things. John mccain throughout his professional life and as a part of a code of being a navy family with a long record of service. His grandfather, father, now his sons. Serving the country. A sense of doing something for something beyond your own selfinterest. At the same time, it is a show of the respect that barack obama and george w. Bush had and have come to have for john mccain. They had very tough fights with him. When they were in the throes of those campaign, it wasnt always friendly, it wasnt always nice, but it shows the sweep of what can be accomplished in politics, that it can be a noble calling. Which is something we dont see a lot right now. The notion that you can have friendships that endure, Cross Party Lines and a willingness to put the countrys needs before ones self. Thats really the story of onjo mccain. He was an imperfect servant in many ways but the desire to have his service, through memorials and the way he would be honored this week, reflect the countrys values, not just his own life story. And so that i think is a big part of the division to invite barack obama and george w. Bush. And each of them i would imagine will have very personal stories about their view of what it was like to go up against john mccain and what it is like to survive john mccain in a world that so often could use that independent voice that willingness to stand up to power. You knew it well, too, chris, that sense of being a happy warrior, which is something i think he would want people to be talking about this week. And we will. Also joining us now, Weekly Standard editor at large bill krystal. Ron insana is a cnbc contributor. Bill, are we in some way, you think, witnessing something more . Is there something he represented as a Public Servant that is dying with him . I hope its not dying with him. Hed be the first to say it shouldnt die with him. He had great faith in america. It is unfortunate that President Trump doesnt have the grace and decency just to lower the flag to halfmast for this week. He died not only for senators like mccain, you know, who were major figures obviously in american history. I wonder if secretary mattis, the secretary of defense, will actually order flags at military bases around the world toll fly at halfstaff. If not, pompeo could be the same for foreign embassies. It would be a nice gesture by the two leading cabinet secretaries that theyre not on board sort of the pettiness of the president and the country as a whole acknowledges this man and what he stands for. Both we should acknowledge every sitting senator obviously but also an extraordinary career of service to country. Its not surprising to people who know him, that in his final months, he was obviously very concerned about the direction of country was going in. In his way through tweets, even in the final months, he let it be known with things he thought. So in that spirit, i want to read a headline from the Washington Post. Mccains death marks a new era for congressional checks on trump. The article points out that mccain, quote, used his chairmanship of the Senate Armed Services committee to question the president s stance on russia, torture and immigration. Mike, can you put into some perspective for the loss of senator mccain as it relates to foreign policy, as it relates to our National Security . Well, i think the entire purpose of congress is to act as a coequal branch. John mccain always asserted that coequalness. Weve seen the congress and the senate giving up that. So john mccain actually was trying to live out his life as a Public Servant. I think thats one of the reasons why so many people are so touched by john mccain. Because you always get the sense that maybe alone among that club of 100, he sensed that his service as a senator was the second most important act of Public Service he has committed. So you have these people who are Walking Around impressed with themselves. You never got the sense that john mccain was impressed with himself. Yet the substance of what he did as you alluded to was so important. The minority leader, chuck schumer, says he has introduced a legislation to rename the Senate Office building after his dear friend. Lets just listen to that. And id like, decades from now, little children to ask their parents, who was john mccain, and theyll explain his sacrifice, his patriotism and most of all his fidelity to do the right thing as he saw it and when he did the wrong thing, to canning. I do think, you know, we can look back and we could say for example that he admitted wrong. That he was very slow about the Confederate Flag issue back in 2000. He does seal to be part of a dwidling number of people who have to depend on votes to get keep their job, that he was willing to say i should have done Something Differently or i was wrong. And yet, you know, in this moment, we have literally thousands of Trump Supporters who are viciously attacking him after he died. The progressive in new york got literally hundreds of vitriolic responses after she tweeted a tribute to him. It seems mccain is proving one of the Major Concerns about before he died, about how divided we have come. You cant even when someone who is a war hero passes away keep yourself away from saying something nasty on twitter and, again, to the point, he wasnt perfect, but really . No one is. Its amazing we as we should, hold our elected officials to a higher standard but perfection is not one that can be obtained by anybody. There may have been some people in history who tried to contain it. Onmccain who was vocal in saying he was not perfect. It is disappointing. Its disillusioning that from the white house on down, people cannot find the grace to just offer a kind word to someone who has passed who fought not only this difficult battle but an extraordinary battle earlier in his life when he was in the hanoi hilton in vietnam. And had a chance to be released six years. You know, he was an honorable man. Those of us who knew him and covered hill and spent time either on tv or on radio with him, you know, found him to be quite genial. You know, quite selfdeprecating on many occasions. And was always able to Cross Party Lines. He was, as some people said, Hillary Clintons Drinking Buddy for a period of time. They could, in fact, cross that line. I think that was, you know, something important, something that if is not dying has already died. Were not sure where we are in this divide but it is great, it is an enormous breach and it is going to take someone special to cross over and achieve the type of things he did when he was in the senate. You have the question of these very big shoes that have to be filled and you have someone who obtained a level that most people in the senate never attained in terms of their influence. We have Arizona Governor doug ducey who is going to be able to select now, who is going to replace john mccain. Will it be someone you think in mccains mold, should that happen, out of respect for him, or is it more likely to be someone who is more aligned with donald trump . I dont know. I hope personally its someone more aligned with general world view of john mccain. He really cared about the defense of america but also what america stood for. For liberty and liberty around the world. All the tributes are coming in from foreign leaders and thats nice but for me whats more moving is the tributes from foreign dissidents, people who mccain spoke up with before and met with around the world. I hope its someone who stands for those principles. Those shoes cant be filled entirely obviously but i think, again, mccain would say if you look at american history, we didnt know ahead of time who the great leaders would be. A lot of people came out of obscurity and out of different backgrounds and ended up really doing remarkable things. He had a faith in america. And i guess i have some of that faith too. Im not quite as convinced that whole tradition is dead or dying or couldnt be we cant have a comeback in a different way. Both bipartisanship and standing up for liberty, the civility, the decency, the courage. You know, thats an important part of it. Just being willing to take some risks in politics and obviously mccain having gone through what hed gone through. The risks seemed a little less daunting i think to a lot of these other characters who for whom you know having a tough election is the worst thing they can imagine happening to them in their life. Chris, whats interesting to me, as i wax nostalgic, you look at the class of senators and representatives. That some of us, you know, started our career with. The bob doles. The sam nunns. The Allen Simpsons and others who these days are lions of our political culture. And they were a different breed of character. I mean, they did cross the aisle. They did do the necessary things when called upon. And they did not necessarily only focus on party and ideology. I think the group we have in the halls of congress is radically different from the group that john mccain served with in his earlier days. What im hopeful, as bill is, i do worry that there is a stark and radical difference between elected representatives today and those that many of us knew in prior iterations. If i could add one word. I think what he said was some of the younger post9 11 veterans whom mccain mentored in the senate and house actually, democrats and republicans, they have a little more of that spirit of john mccain. I think some of the younger members would like to model themselves on mccain and not what they see among some of the people around them. Yes, who understand the philosophy of band of brothers. To what youre saying though, ron, i think the big difference is not the politicians. I think its us where we are. I think we are polarized. Thats something the politics are reflecting. It does not surprise me that donald trump super fans would come out against mccain. Theyd be hypocrites not to. It does not surprise me that orcencio cortez wait, you dont just tweet you dont just attack someone you shouldnt, but have you seen well, they wouldnt be hypocritical not to do it. We know where they stand. At the time of the death of somebody who served his country virtually his entire life, no, it is an indecent thing to do but a hallmark of this presidency is indecency. While trump might be the exception, i think we have become polarized for structural reasons. For the problem or what was once seen as the solution of ideological purity within the party. I want to say about both sides, alexandria orcansio cortez, her supporters look at the guy and say this is a guy who was in favor of the last three wars. He was always in favor of going to war. Why would they like him . So my point is when you talk about the senators that were and mccain is in that class, i think it more is a reflection of an america that was and isnt anymore. Kelly, i mentioned you have a unique insight into senator mccain. You covered the president ial run against then senator obama. I want to play a few key moments from your reporting when senator mccain had to pay referee with some of his supporters during that time. Lets listen. Im mad. Im really mad. And voiced suspicions and fears. Were scared. Were scared of an obama presidency. Mccain was stuck and ended up defending the rival he wants to defeat. I have to tell you, he is a decent person and a person you do not have to be scared as president of the United States. Now, i just i cant trust obama. I have read about him and hes not hes not hes a hes an arab. He is not no, maam, no, maam. No, maam, no, maam. Hes a decent family man citizen that i just happened to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. Kelly, we often talk about john mccain, how he defended his rival when we saw what that woman had to say about barack obama. But as you mentioned, less often, he also did it very kindly, very respectfully. He was not out to embarrass that woman. He was out to set the record straight. It struck me this morning that mark salter, who of course was his sort of cowriter, his longtime speechwriter who knew him so well over the decades, said that decency is what really drove the guy the way mark stater put it. Is that what you would say as someone who has covered him all these years . Well, and let me step back from those moments where i was in the room when those supporters and voters would challenge mccain. One of the things that was part of his brand was taking endless questions from voters. Which by its very nature is unpredictable. And being willing to do what is hard to imagine most politicians of this moment being willing to do. And that is to tell someone youre seeking their vote or support. That they are somewhere wrong or incorrect or misinformed. Thats a difficult thing to do. I was struck by how that was something for all his bombast and all of his fire, he did it quietly and politely. He also at times would do that when, you know, in politics, at rallies were all these speakers who come before the candidate. Occasionally, there would be those who would speak to a crowd, waiting to see mccain in 08 who would say things that was critical of barack obama in this lane. Much more personal attacks on him. And mccain would rebuke that as well. And were talking about weeks before the election. I remember that day with the woman in minnesota so vividly. Thats not a position a politician wants to be in. They want to have the momentum in their favor. Yet that moment where he had to make a decision in the split second endured ten years later and will endure many years beyond today because he was willing to do without checking with a consultant or contemplating his poll numbers. He just spoke what he felt was right. Not telling them they were wrong but the country would be okay in the hands of barack obama. Lets be clear, when he conceded, that was heartbreaking for john mccain. He wanted to be president. He want twice and believed he would have been a good president. But he also believed the coun y countrys future was more important than his own. Thats the thing that was so rare. Well said. Imagine that, you could choose to do the right thing without focus grouping it. Kelly odonnell, thank you. Coming up, 11 people injured two more killed when a gamer opens fire at a madden tournament. Urnament how can we say when you book direct at choicehotels. Com you always get the lowest price on our rooms, guaranteed . 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No, no, my number is one, you must want two two, i say like my father before. [telephone ring] like my father before. Ahoyhoy as long as people talk too loudly on the phone, you can count on geico saving folks money. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Investigators this morning still looking for answers to the question why. Why a gunman opened fire at a video game tournament in jacksonville, florida, yesterday, killing two people, injuring 11, before turning the gun on himself. Nbcs Kerry Sanders is on the scene in jacksonville with the very latest for us. Reporter detectives in jacksonville say theyre still to determine why one of the players at the video game gathering here pulled a gun and began shooting. And this morning, it remains unclear where he even got the gun. A horrific mass shooting unfolding in realtime at a video game tournament in jacksonville, florida. [ gunshots ] reporter the chilling sounds of gunfire captured during the live stream of the popular Football Game called madden nfl 19. The game abruptly stopping following a barrage of shots. Overnight, authorities identifying the gunman as 24yearold david cat from baltimore maryland. Katz opened fire killing two people, injuring 11 others before turning the gun on himself, taking his own life at the scene. Police confirming the two victims killed was Taylor Robertson and 22yearold elijah clayton, a former High School Football player from woodland hills, california. The shooting at a restaurant hosting the online tournament known as the madden championship series streamed live on the Gaming Platform twitch. In this video and confirmed by law enforcement, players and announcers can be heard chatting. When the first shots rang out. Its going to be a good game. [ gunshots ] reporter in all, 12 shots are recorded before the video ends. Officers responding within two minutes of the 911 call. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office tweeting, stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. Stay away. I see somebody on the ground. I see a body on the ground. I seen a kid with blood all over him. People running this way, that way. Reporter katz was an avid gamer who won the championship in 2017. Ka katz, seen here during another gaming tournament. David katz keeps to himself. Hes a man of business. Hes not here to make friends. Reporter authorities searched katzs home looking for clues. To commit this act. Reporter the Florida Governor visiting the hospital late sunday. Something has to change. What is causing these young men not to value life . Whether its their own life or somebody elses life. Something theres something wrong. Reporter nick was there to support his friend in the Gaming Community including one who was shot in sundays attack and survived. Tell me how you feel. I was hurt. Im hurt. I know they all are. I just want them to know theyre all my brothers. And we all feel the same pain. And its going to be all right. Reporter amid the tragedy, theres also stories of heroes. About a block away, where some firefighters who were doing a routine practice on what happens when people get stuck in an elevator. They didnt get any calls on their radio. They didnt get any 911 calls. They simply heard the commotion, ran over, no bulletproof vests, no protection. They went in as people were streaming out and immediately started working on the wounded. One of the witnesses said he saw some paramedics with their backs turned to the gunman, on their knees, working on one of the gamers who was down. Truly heroes here in this horrible tragedy. Thank you, Kerry Sanders for us. Thrn is morning, pope franc back at the vatican after staying silent over claims he covered up abuse allegations while in dublin. Accusing him of knowing him about the allegations against excardinal Theodore Mccarrick but choosing to cover it up. Bill, tell us a little bit about the popes accuser and his reaction. Reporter yes, good morning, chris. Pretty startling allegations here from a man who is a pretty wellknown arch conservative critic of pope francis and a man who, quite frankly, likes to make it difficult for people francis but these allegations, especially startling. Hes comparing francis and the hierarchy to the mafia. It dates back to the early months of the papacy. This man, this cardinal, saying in june 2013 he told francis about a u. S. Cardinal, Theodore Mccarrick, who he said was a wellknown serial predator. He then says pope francis did nothing about it. In fact, he more or less elevated the cardinal, protected him, did nothing for five years, until last month, that cardinal resigned. Now, vingono is saying this proves the probe s the pope is should resign. When asked directly about this, he said he had read the statement and it was a pretty lengthy statement. 11 pages. 7,000 words. But he said, i will not say a single word about this just for yourselves. But, you know, its true, chris, and that is a big if, because the archbishop offered no evidence, no proof. But if true, these are certainly serious allegations. They are certainly the most power challenge, if you like, to frances papacy since he came here to the vatican. And they are proof yet again more evidence of this deep split there is between pope francis and a very conservative group within the vatican who do not like his liberal reforms, chris. Thank you so much, bill neely. Joining me now from dublin is a church abuse survivor and Founding Member of ending clergy abuse. Thanks so much for being with us. As bill just pointed out. This has been an ongoing sort of fight, in fighting, within the vatican. Let me ask you about these allegations that the pope was complaint splicit in this. This made headlines all across the United States. Heres whats important about this. Conservative bishops cover up child sex crimes. Thats been proven. Liberal bishops cover up child sex crimes. Thats been proven. Thats whats important. This infighting, this political, these two factions within the church or within the vatican is irrelevant. I mean, its being used and, you know, victims of child sexual abuse by clergy like myself, our issue and what happened to us is being deployed by various sides in order to promote themselves in their own power struggle to try to run the church. And thats not acceptable. The pope also said something really important on that plane thats got lost. Three years ago, he announced that theres going to be a tribunal for bishops to be held responsible if theres covered up child sex crimes. What he said to marie collins, who was on his papal commission, who is a survivor what he said to her when he met with her and i think repeated on the plane is theres not going to be any tribunal. Theres not going to be any tribunal. So none of these bishops and cardinals are going to be held accountable for what theyve done for covering up child section crisex crimes. Like cardinal wuerl. Its been proven in the grand jury report in pittsburgh that hes covered up child sex crimes. Before the pennsylvania grand jury report came out, he was on National Television in the United States and he was saying he didnt transfer in the abusive price. Thats the problem. Is how credible is this group . Theyre not credible at all. This, the Management Team that you want to have after what theyve shown and what theyre doing and its around the world . This is a global problem. It emanates from the vatican. Guess what, pope francis is part of the vatican. These cardinals voted for him. They voted for him by majority vote. So thats the problem. How do you get at this system and there are things that they can do that pope francis i guess to that point, what im curious what you might not have heard yesterday. Obviously youre in dublin where the pope spoke. Again, as im looking at the headlines, many people looked at this as an extraordinary mea culpa, the way the New York Times put it, a wrenching apology. Obviously you heard Something Different there. Well, i mean, i know he feels bad about it. Theres no reason to think he doesnt feel bad about it. So we now how he feels but we dont know how he thinks. What we do know is he hasnt told us at all how hes going to end this. That he hasnt told us. Hes got no plan. And there are things he can do and could have done here in ireland. I mean, i like the person. I like the pope. How can you not like the guy. But he hasnt done it. Under church law, for most of the world, theres no zero tolerance for raping and sexually assaulting children. The only occupation i know where you can work with children and families, be known to have raped children in those families and remain working in that occupation. Theres no law in the Catholic Church that if you have been proven, proven, that you have covered up child sex crimes as a bishop, that youre not removed from office. And those are the two things that have to be done. He could have announced that here in ireland. It was the Perfect Place to do it. He needed to do it. He hasnt done it. So hows he going to end this . Why isnt he using the power that he has in order to put those two things im telling you about, and it would take two sentences. Two sentences in their church law. And as long as they wont change their own law about this, it becomes ever more important, as we see in pennsylvania and elsewhere, that there is intervention by justice systems and law enforcement. That should have happened anyways. I mean, we now know how many children have been sexually assaulted and abused. We know the Senior Management of this organization has covered it up. Peter, thank you so much. Up next, why is Michael Cohens lawyer walking back a widely reported claim about what his client knew about the trump tower meeting . Well explain. Tower meeting . Well explain. This is your wakeup call. If you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, month after month, the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. Ongoing pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion. Humira can help stop the clock. Prescribed for 15 years, humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. 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About an upcoming meeting where he expected to get dirt on hillary clinton. He did not, however, rule out the story, said it still could be true. Joining me now, caroline polici. Heres the thing, this was huge news when davis said this. Obviously it could have been something that was crucial or at least helped fill in some of the blanks for robert mueller. What now . Well, it tells me that theres a huge breakdown in communication between Michael Cohen and his attorney, lanny davis. I can tell you whos not happy about this, the lead criminal defense attorney general for Michael Cohen, a former prosecutor in the Southern District of new york. Of course, off of that, you know, Michael Cohen has pleaded guilty to eight criminal acts, two of which were the Campaign Financial law violations. Its shocking to me that davis would go on television and make such a bold statement without having verified that. You have to ask, chris, what was the strategy, who was the strategy behind that, you know, sort of hail mary . And i had thought lanny davis is not unfarmier with either the law or being in the public eye. Exactly, this guys been around the block. Hes a very wellrespected criminal defense attorney. So its really head scratching. You know, i suspected back when Michael Cohen pleaded guilty this past tuesday, it was shocking for me and everybody he had a straight guilty plea, right . No Cooperation Agreement with the Southern District. So that set off alarm bells in everybodys mind. Doesnt mean Michael Cohens cooperation. I really saw that on laney davis part as a real hail mary to get at least a sitdown interview with mueller or the ny prosecutors. It tells me theyre not interested in his cooperation. That brings me to dershowitz, somebody who has been on tv a lot making the president s legal case. But he said, again, what i think we have heard on and off that there are no constitutional defenses to what the Southern District is investigating, so i think the Southern District is the greatest threat. Absolutely. Does that point to this yet again . It really does. If you look back at muellers sort of big grand scheme of things, this is a brilliant move to farm out this piece of the investigation, the Michael Cohen peace. Remember, he referred it to the Southern District of new york so thats being prosecuted there. They can pursue literally any federal crime. Remember back when President Trump said it would be a red line if mueller and his team looked into his personal finances. Guess what, theyre not, its the Southern District. They have complete rein regardless of what happened to the special counsels investigation. I think that was a key and smart move on the part of mueller. Thank you, appreciate it. Up next, a brandnew nbc news poll shows President Trump ace Approval Rating basically unchanged after a chaotic week. Should that and new poll numbers on the economy give that the bub a boost of confidence for november . November i could put that on an airplane banner. Hmm. Maybe. Nice work. Was that. . Yeah, king midas. Yeah. At midas, were always a touch better. Which is why our 19. 99 oil change also includes a tire rotation. Book your appointment now at midas. Com howdoing great dad r does this thing got . Looking good babe are you filming. At booking. Com, we cant guarantee youll be any good at that water jet thingy. But we can guarantee the best price on a hotel, like this one. Or any home, boat, treehouse, yurt, whatever. Get the best price on homes, hotels and so much more. Booking. Com, booking. Yeah weve got breaking news. New reports that the u. S. And mexico have reached at least a partial kedeal on nafta after weeks of those bilateral talks. The fate has been uncertain for more than a year now after trump threatened to withdraw if the u. S. Didnt get a more favorable position. Nbcs hans nichols is at the white house for us. We know the president is tweeting a big deal with mexico is looking good. Suggesting theyve all been completed that deal with the mexico side of the negotiations. Just a few blocks from here theres a delegation from mexico. Negotiating with the u. S. Side. Trying to hammer out these differences. Lets be clear about what this deal doesnt do if indeed there isnt one, which nbc has not confirmed it aside from that president ial tweet. It doesnt do anything with canada. Canada still would need to agree to this deal and there could be separate negotiations with the canadians. The Prime Minister there has been clear he wont sign on to anything. So you need to get the third party involved. And its also clear at least from what were hearing about this deal is that its nothing what trump had promised his base. That is that mexico would pay for the wall. There are no indications that is part of this deal. One of the reasons trump was driving such a hard bargain was hes insistent that this wall. Whether or not new factories are going to be taxed at 20 versus 2. 5 . What the actual tariff regimes will be. Trade is notoriously complicated and, frankly, chris, a little boring. The headline here is the president saying, at least on the mexico side, theyre getting close to a deal. See how much trump tries to trumpet this. Han, you and i know this is fascinating stuff. Section 242. Thank you for being with us once again. White house correspondent. Lets get back to you, ron. What do you make of this news, if it is news, a tweet . Partially news. From what ive read, there are agreements on how much an auto maker needs to earn, which is 16 an hour. Theyve resolved some issues about what percentage of an auto being made in north america will constitute made in north america. The president was pushing for 85 domestic content, if you will. There was talk it would be 65 . We havent seen numbers on that. Again, as hans just said, canada not only needs to be included, but Congress Needs to be included. You remember the famous debate in 1993 between al gore and ross about nafta. It existed because congress had to approve what is essentially a treaty. Some in Congress Oppose what the president has been proposing. There are hurdles to clear before anything can change with the north america free trade agreement. We get new numbers, and people thought after the horrible, terrible, very bad week the president had, with more guilty pleas well, and a conviction for a couple members of his former members of his inner scircle, he might take a hit, but he hasnt. The Approval Rating is 46 or 44 , depending where you look at it. Basically unchanged from where it was. Are you surprised by this . What do you make of it . Im not surprised by it. The day both of these guilty the news of the guiltiness, i should say, broke, i was at a rally that the president had in west virginia. I went around and talked to more than a dozen people. People simply did not care. There were two camps of people. The first set told me they didnt think it had anything to do with the president. These are people around the president. He himself wasnt charged. The second group of people said, even if the president did do something wrong, im going to stick by his side. Unless he commits treason or shoots somebody, im going to be with him. These are fervent Trump Supporters, the people who show up to the rallies. Theyre not just the people that watch on tv. This is, of course, a sampling of people like that. At the end of the day, people didnt bat an eye. They said it was not his problem. The president , we should say, tweeted about this mistweeted about it. He said he had a 52 overall rating. It was either 44 or 46 , depending on which area you looked at. You do wonder sometimes whether or not these kinds of things happening to the president actually energize his base. I think in some ways, it did. This is a set of people who really feel as though the president is under attack, not only by democrats, but also by his own Justice Department. The president , of course, talks about the Justice Department with air quotes. He says that there might be a deep state push to try to undermine his presidency. You have a lot of supporters who feel as though theyre trying to get anything they possibly can on donald trump because they dont want him to be president. Id imagine even if he was charged with something, indicted, some of the same people would stick by his side and say, this is part of a conspiracy. One last number that was interesting, ron, is which president would do a better job at handling the economy . A 14point advantage for the republicans. We have never seen that big a lead in this question in the polls history. I wonder if that is giving them some hope for what might happen in november. Stock market is at alltime highs. S p 500 is there. We see a host of major averages doing well. The economy is firing on all cylinders. If you look at the nixon comparison people want to make, the economy was suffering greatly in 1972, 73, 74, adding to nixons problems, making it easier to remove him from office. Here, you have an economy that is quite strong, domestic highs, and the president and republicans will get credit, irrespective of the political concerns. Not that the president is bulletproof, but this helps his case, though it is an extension of the recovery and a bull market that has been in place since 2009. Ron, thank you so much. Always good to see you. Coming up, much more on the life and legacy of senator john mccain in his own words. Time now for your business of the week. 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Lowest price, guaranteed. Just stick with badda book. Badda boom. Book now at choicehotels. Com is part of a Bigger Picture. That Bigger Picture is statewide mutual aid. California years ago realized the need to Work Together. Teamwork is important to protect the community, but we have to do it the right way. We have a working knowledge and we can reduce the impacts of a small disaster, but we need the help of experts. Pg e is an integral part of our Emergency Response team. They are the Industry Expert with utilities. Whether it is a gas leak or a wire down, just having someone there that deals with this every day is pretty comforting. We each bring something to the table that is unique and that is a specialty. With all of us working together we can keep all these emergencies small. And the fact that we can bring it together and effectively Work Together is pretty special. They bring their knowledge, their tools and equipment and the proficiency to get the job done. And the whole time i have been in the fire service, pg es been there, too. Whatever we need whenever we need it. I do count on pg e to keep our firefighters safe. Thats why we ask for their help. We leave you with a story of senator john mccain, a man of service, great whit. Told by john mccain himself. The world is a place worth fighting for, and i hate to leave it, spoke my hero in for whom the bell tolls. I hate to leave it, too, but i dont have a complaint, not one. I made a small place for myself in the story of america, in the history of my times. I leave behind a loving wife who is devoted to protecting the worlds most vulnerable, and seven great kids, who grew up to be fine men and women. I wish i had spent more time in their company, but i know they will go on to make their time count. Their love for me and mine for them is the last strength i have. I hope those who mourn my passing, and even those who dont, will celebrate, as i celebrate a happy life, lived in imperfect service to a country made of ideals, whose continued success is the hope of the world. And i wish all of you great adventures, good company, and lives as lucky as mine. Words of john mccain in his book he wrote with mark salter. Im Chris Jansing in for stephanie ruhle. Right now, more news with Hallie Jackson. Chris, a lovely read from john mccain there. A lovely sentiment. Mark, well hear more from him coming up on this show. Im Hallie Jackson in washington. On the hill, the American Flag at halfstaff. One of the many ways senator mccain is being honored and remembered. At the white house, the flag back up, raised after midnight, with new reporting about how the president apparently m lly nixe white house statement on the senator. Plus, the weeklong goodbye to the man known as the maverick. Hear from the people who knew him best on this show coming up. It is not just about the void the senators d