Transcripts For MSNBCW MSNBC Live With Stephanie Ruhle 20190918

A new poll from nbc news and the wall street journal shows joe biden and Elizabeth Warren both up since july, while Bernie Sanders Holding Steady in third. But maybe even more important, the poll paints the picture of an electorate thats actually pretty undecided and hungry for change less than five months before the first votes are cast, just 9 of voters say they have made up their minds, andprer a candidat propose largescale policies that might be more expensive and harder to pass, but they will lead to greater change Nbc News National Political correspondent and one of my alltime favorites, Steve Kornacki is here to dig deeper into the numbers what sticks out to you, steve . A couple things, stephanie. You mentioned it, it is the fact that Elizabeth Warren weve been talking for a long time about is it warren or sanders in second place biden clearly in first well, here in our poll, you see Elizabeth Warren clearly in second place and notably do the math here Elizabeth Warren closer to first place in this poll, closer to biden than she is to sanders so we have warren attaining some separation from sanders. Lets see if that keeps up in other polls that come out. Also, why is warren surging right now . Two things there is, if you did sort of a invento ven diagram of warren and sanders support, theres been some overlap to the extent that overlap exists, warren now seems to be getting the better of it from sanders also this, Kamala Harris, remember earlier this summer polls had her moving up closer to 20 after that first debate, all the way down to just 5 in our new poll and warren seems to be the main beneficiary of Kamala Harris slide. So thats why shes at 25 there. This, i think, an important divide to keep an eye on we talk about this a lot white voters, look at this Elizabeth Warren now leading, 28 27 over biden among white voters black voters, different story. Again, biden continues to be far ahead here warren now actually moving into double digits. We havent seen her before getting double digits among black voters but why this divide is so crucial, think about this. The first two states that vote, iowa and New Hampshire, overwhelmingly white states. If warren were to win those two states, it does raise the question of bidens black support, which would start to come into play when you get down to South Carolina. Would that support hold if joe biden cant hold off Elizabeth Warren in iowa and new hampsh e hampshire . Thats a formula weve seen before thats how john kerry got the nomination in 2004 you win iowa, you win New Hampshire, and then you build support among africanamericans and other constituencies after that thats happened before, raises the question, stephanie, if Elizabeth Warren might be setting herself up for Something Like that. And then the age divide. Weve been talking about this one all campaign it can be enormous Bernie Sanders leading among voters under 35. Joe biden trailing andrew yang among voters under 35. You flip it down to over 65, biden far out in front you dont even see Bernie Sanders name here hes at 3 there all right, steve. Thank you so much. Joining the conversation, victoria defrancesco soto, professor at the university of texas, noah rockman, associate editor at commentary magazine and joel house of payne, democratic strategist who worked on Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign victoria, ladies first biden and warren both on the rise, but one thing that sticks out from this poll is the enthusiasm and the momentum that Elizabeth Warren has whats your take shes in a very good position right now, stephanie so, even though biden is on top in the polls, we see that South Carolina, as steve mentioned, might be an achilles heel hes doing really well now, but if iowa and New Hampshire goes, he might lose that i went back to 2007, pulled out my polls, and i saw that at about this time in 2007, Hillary Clinton led barack obama in South Carolina and with black voters in general by about 20 percentage points. By january, that evaporated. So, that is an achilles heel for biden. And we also see the fact that biden and warren are neck and neck with delegates, and delegates are what actually matters here in the contest. And finally, im going to give you my Bumper Sticker count. Dispatch from austin, texas, i have been seeing more and more Bumper Stickers for warren than i have for any other candidate so i think she is in a very good position here. All right, joel, Elizabeth Warren spoke to our colleague, rachel maddow, last night. And one of the things they talked about was the selfie photos the night before when she held a rally in Washington Square park, she stayed for four hours to take selfies with supporters lets take a listen. And you know, yeah, i was there four hours, but ill tell you what, so was the last guy in line and hes in. Hes all the way in this fight what does that tell you about how shes running that campaign . Because those four hours of selfies, she didnt need to be at fundraisers. Thats the greatest free advertising you could think of, because every person there taking a picture you know is posting it on social it also kind of belies the central organizing principle of the warren bid, which is enthusiasm, right . And its expanding the base. And thats what shes doing. Shes got people who are waiting happily in line for four hours and by the way, its a contrast to some of the others in the field. Do you think that joe biden could do four hours of selfies after we dont know we dont know. No, but i mean, thats sort of an assumption, the old guy cant do it for four hours. We dont know. But i guess the point is, its unsaid that shes got the endurance, that shes got the ability to do that also, i would say this the central question im asking myself now is, can you sell a progressive to moderates or can you sell a moderate to progressives and i think Elizabeth Warren is demonstrating herself as somebody who is saying im the progressive you can sell to moderates. I think shes starting to show that she can grow but hold on her ability to be the type of candidate that can pull together a winning coalition. Noah, do you believe that shes the progressive that you could sell to moderates or that more progressives are popping up, especially the youth vote that wasnt voting before . Because im not sure if youre seeing centrists say, yeah, i can get on this train. Democrats have to be a little concerned about Elizabeth Warrens central organizing principle, which i think was stated amiably here, admirably, which is essentially that joe biden wants to rebuild the barack obama coalition, which is tested Elizabeth Warren can create a new coalition from lowpropensity voters. Young people are lowpropensity voters. What does that mean they dont always show up they say theyre going to show up, and not always do they they did in 2018 they might in 2020 donald trump is the organizing principal there. That might work. I feel in the press a sense that there is inevitable momentum for Elizabeth Warren, that the trajectory for her is preordained why, because everyones focusing on her . I feel theres a lot of focus on her when we have a poll out of iowa today that shows joe biden up, every poll in New Hampshire in september shows joe biden up he is prohibitive in South Carolina he is doing very well in nevada. And after that is super tuesday, which is california, texas, massachusetts, all these places with really big media markets, so you can do a lot of selfies, but you have to play in houston, you have to play in los angeles, San Francisco, big media markets. And you need a lot of money for it so, if youre not doing big fundraisers, you might not be competitive. Stephanie, quickly. My argument is, the problem democrats had in 2016 is they could not get the basic enough to show up, places like milwaukee, detroit and philadelphia if you have a candidate that is expanding that progressive base, you can change the map to the point where you actually arent going to be reliant upon anxious trump voters to come over. So, i think she is approaching this from a different standpoint, and i think its showing that it can be successful for her victoria, noah makes me think money and Kamala Harris. Shes down eight points, now behind pete buttigieg. And our reporters who are covering her have said she hasnt held a public event since september 7th, but what she has done is has been raising money, quietly out there raising, raising, raising is that the right strategy, given that when you want to make it on the big stage, you need a whole lot of money to do it . You do need a whole lot of money, but you also need the personal touch, you need the pressing of the flesh, the getting out there, the doing th both, you want a ton of money and you want that personal contact, something which, by the way, beto did very well when he ran for senate here in texas so, i think what kamala, if i had a crystal ball here is doing is setting herself up for the long game, to survive past iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, so she can continue on through super tuesday, and hopefully, get on the short list for vp, short list for some major cabinet position if the ds win but one thing i want to point out quickly in terms of the warren discussion weve been having is, is she going to be able to knock bernie off because if bernie holds on like he did in 2016 he would not let go, he would not leave the race if bernie stays in the race, he is going to keep that solid block of supporters that hes consistently had, and thats going to keep warren from ultimately getting the nomination and it going to biden. So for me, one of the big question marks is whats going to happen to bernie . Does he stay or cede the way to warren . Okay, well, put logic aside knowing bernie, knowing who he is, knowing his campaign and what he has had in the past and knowing the numbers, if they were to consolidate the progressive base under one of the two, and ibiden . Do you see, noah, Bernie Sanders looking at these numbers and saying, you know what, maybe its time for me to step out i think he would look at those numbers and probably say its time for me to be a little bit more aggressive towards elizabeth wa to understand again, theres another concrete here that these progressives are competing for certain distinct pools of voters theres some overlap, but not a lot. That doesnt make any sense to me of course theyre fighting for the same voters. There can be one progressive to joe biden, Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders is a fighter and thinks he can stay in for the long haul. And when the candidates, when one concedes of the fact that this can be only one, this is highlander, they will have to go after each other and frankly, neither have shown interest in doing so, but if Bernie Sanders is the first to have that epiphany, i can see him going after Elizabeth Warrens record on her corporate attorney work, her past as a registered republican. All that stuff is really still uncharted territory for the democrats. Then is it still anyones game and clearly for Bernie Sanders, its not a time to stand still, its time to stand up or step out. And i want to look at history for a minute, because it amazes me from this poll, only 9 say theyre decided, because lets look back. I think victoria mentioned it earlier, but in 2008, Hillary Clinton was leading by 18 points, Rudy Giuliani led by 4 points, rick perry in 2012 led by almost 8 points knowing all those numbers, where we were historically, does that mean all this that were saying right now is nonsense because this thing, who knows where it goes i dont think its nonsense, but i think it does suggest that this is still very much up in the air. By the way, that is going to lend itself to less candidates deciding im going to jump out now. That means that, whether Bernie Sanders continues to crater, whether or not buttigieg or harris continue to stall out a bit, theyre going to be less likely to say ive got to drop out because theres not a chance for me to win the nomination there is still very much a path for id say at least a half a dozen of these democrats to still win the nomination i think its very wide open, but i do think the trend lines point to biden and warren being kind of the battle for the soul of the party right at this moment. And as victoria noted, this is about delegates the rules of the nominating contests in these states allow you to approve delegates there arent many winner take alls so you can take your delegates to the convention and be a force at the convention. Complicated stuff thank you all. Definitely made us smarter right there. Coming up, the president is raising a fortune where youd least expect it. But first, the president moments ago vowing to take new action against iran as he sends his top diplomat to the middle east can anyone punish iran without starting a war too many people in pain settle for a restless nights sleep. Theres a better choice. Aleve pm. The only one to combine a safe sleep aid and the 12hour painrelieving strength of aleve that dares to last into the morning. So you feel refreshed. Aleve pm. Theres a better choice. So, every day, we put our latest technology and unrivaled network to work. The United States Postal Service makes more ecommerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. Woman on phone discover. Hi. Do you have a travel card . Yep. Our miles card. Earn unlimited 1. 5 miles and well match it at the end of your first year. Nice im thinking about a scuba diving trip. Woman ooh gasp or not. You okay . Yeah, no, im good. Earn miles. Well match em at the end of your first year. But were also a company that controls hiv, fights cancer, repairs shattered bones, relieves depression, restores heart rhythms, helps you back from strokes, and keeps you healthy your whole life. From the day youre born we never stop taking care of you. Thats where i feel normal. From the day youre born having an annuity tells me my retirement is protected. Learn more at retire your risk dot org. Welcome back im Stephanie Ruhle. Breaking news. Just a few minutes ago, President Trump tweeted that he is going to substantially increase sanctions on iran. The response coming just days after the attack on saudi arabias oil industry, which originated in iranian territory. Nbcs Peter Alexander at the white house. Peter, what more do you know about this reporter yeah, stephanie, lets get right to that tweet again from the president he said, ive just instructed the secretary of treasury to substantially increase sanctions on the country of iran. These would be the first new sanctions on iran since last november obviously, it doesnt rule out further action by the administration its unclear whether this is the entirety of the response or if its just a portion of it. Youll remember the secretary of state, mike pompeo, arrives in saudi arabia just a few hours from now hes scheduled to meet with the crowned prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, where the two men are expected to discuss, at least according to the administration, the recent attack that took place in saudi arabia and to coordinate efforts to combat aggression by iran in the region as we have reported, the administration is weighing a range of options right now, including a cyber attack or a physical strike on iranian Oil Facilities or revolutionary guard assets as well thats according to u. S. Officials and others briefed on the deliberations. On monday, the president chaired a National Security meeting here in the situation room, and military leaders there presented him with a list of possible actions against iran, but people briefed on the meeting say that the president asked for more, that he was looking for a more narrow response that would not draw the u. S. Into a broader conflict with iran so, what would that look like . Our National Security team says it could entail a strike by saudi arabia that the u. S. Would effectively support but wouldnt require the u. S. To take any independent military action. Stephanie . All right, peter, thank you lets dig into what all of this means. My friend, brian class, professor at Global Politics at University College london as well as a Washington Post columnist and also hosts a podcast i highly recommend called power corrupts. All right, brian, sanctions. Are sanctions going to force iran to change their behavior . Because we need to remind the audience, weve already got some yeah, and i think thats the key point here, is that the sanctions on iran are already pretty tough and so, the idea that a new sort of slap on the wrist economically is going to fundamentally change the regimes behavior is just nonsense its not going to happen well, it doesnt mean its a slap on the wrist. Well, it depends, because theyre already very serious so well need to see what trump actually does here but if you ramp up sanctions when theyre already very severe, the odds of it actually changing behavior are limited. If you start with a very low base of sanctions and raise it, you have more chance to change behavior but i think the other thing is that as you do more and more sanctions, you also start to punish people who are not actually guilty here, right . I mean, the more that you do sanctions, the more risk there is that innocent people in iran end up getting hurt and you create humanitarian crises and shortages of medicine and food and things like that, as in past sanctions but do you think that will happen we already know we have put forth economically crippling sanctions, and im guessing that the president doesnt care if it causes a humanitarian crisis thats not his focus well, i think youre right about that, but i think some voters do care about humanitarian crises being sparked. They end up creating geopolitical risks down the road but i think the bigger question is, is that all trumps going to do what i suspect is happening right now with pompeo on his way to saudi arabia is discussing how saudi arabia might actually respond, potentially in conjunction with the United States and even though trump may not want to drag the u. S. Into an actual conflict with iran, if saudi arabia attacks iran in return, then the u. S. Might end up getting dragged into something it doesnt want to i mean, a regional crisis can very quickly become a Global Crisis as a result of miscalculation, and i think this is the big risk that trump is playing with, is that, you know, nobody wants war right now that doesnt mean there wont be war. Nobody wants war, but are they daring us one former ambassador from the region told our colleagues at cnbc that it appears that iran is testing the Trump Administration, almost daring President Trump to respond would you agree with that . Yeah, and i think this is the other you know, this is why youre in a catch22 if youre President Trump right here, because if you respond aggressively, then things can spiral out of control really quickly. If you end up doing sanctions, particularly sanctions that are just a slight increase in the already tough sanctions that exist, then you might end up telling iran or showing to iran that youre not serious and that they can get away with a major attack, potentially, on somebody that is a strategic u. S. Ally, or is perceived as being a strategic u. S. Ally to people in the administration and so, i think thats kind of the catch22 hes dealing with and if you dont show that youre credible when you threaten somebody like iran, then it incentivized them to continue testing you more and more and more and that itself is dangerous. So theres not really a good, easy option here for him to consider, and its a mess that is going to have serious risk involved all right i want to talk saudis because i want to play what the president said earlier this week in speaking about the saudis. Watch this we would certainly help them. Theyve been a great ally. They spend 400 billion in our country over the last number of years, 400 billion. Thats 1. 5 million jobs. So now theyre under attack and we will work something out with them but they also know that, you know, im not looking to get into new conflict. But sometimes you have to. Hes talking about saudi arabias financial ties to the United States, but President Trump also has personal financial ties to the saudis how does that play into all this well, i think this is the big question, right . Whatever trump does, there is going to be a looming question of is he doing this for the National Interests or for his own financial interests, you know is it for his wallet or for the country . And the reason that question is salient is because he had businesses registered in saudi arabia as recently as december 2016 mbs stayed at trump so hoge hoe soho when they were losing money and it helped the bottom line, filed 200,000 to his d. C. Hotel shortly after the inauguration and in the early 1990s, when trump was about 900 million in debt, the saudis bailed him out by buying his yacht, called the trump princess, and ivanka is married to Jared Kushner, whos got ties to Mohammed Bin Salman himself. So, this entanglement raises serious questions about the process by which Foreign Policy is made under the Trump Administration and whether hes doing it for America First as he claims or for Trump Organization first, and thats the risk here. Indeed it is. Remember when Jared Kushner sat down with axios and he was asked about mbs and the killing of khashoggi, he said, im waiting for the report. That report that he mentioned weve heard nothing about since then brian, thank you so much for joining us thank you. In about 40 minutes from now, 16yearold climate activist Greta Thunberg will be testifying in front of the House Foreign Affairs committee. Its two days before a worldwide climate march that she is leading, a 16yearold students in 150 countries across the world, including 800 marches in all 50 states, plan to walk out in strike, attempting to put pressure on politicians and policymakers to combat Climate Change before the u. N. Climate summit new york city has already announced that Public School students can skip classes without penalties. And several Major Technology companies, including google, amazon and microsoft, have announced that their employees will be walking out in support and last night, greta got the fist bump of approval from former president barack obama, who called her one of our planets greatest advocates. And all this week, nbc news and msnbc are confronting Climate Change in a special series climate in crisis, with members of the nbc news team reporting from around the globe. And tomorrow on friday, chris hayes and my partner, ali velshi, will moderate Climate Forum 2020, a twoday forum featuring 2020 president ial candidates and conversations with young voters on Climate Change the forum will stream live on nbc news now, msnbc. Com and telemundo with special covere ag across our network lets get down to business. The business of atlanta on monday. Cincinnati on tuesday. Philly on wednesday. And thursday back to cincinnati. Modernized comfort inns and suites have been refreshed because when your business keeps going, our business is you. Get the lowest price guaranteed on all Choice Hotels when you book direct at choicehotels. Com. Youve i like working. Areer. What if my Retirement Plan is i dont want to retire . Then lets not create a Retirement Plan. Lets create a plan for whats next. I like that. Get a plan thats right for you. Td ameritrade. Driven each day to pursue bioplifechanging cures. Ers. In a country built on fostering innovation. Here, they find breakthroughs. Like a way to fight cancer by arming a patients own tcells. And a new therapy that gives the blind a working gene so they can see again. Because its not just about the next breakthrough. Its all the ones after that. In the human brain, billions of nefor people with parkinsons, some neurons change their tune, causing uncontrollable tremors. Now, abbott technology can target those exact neurons. Restoring control and harmony, once thought to belost forever. The most personal technology is technology with the power to change your life. Because thats what happens every day, we have more breaking news out of the white house. President trump has Just Announced a new National Security adviser i want to bring back Peter Alexander at the white house peter, Robert Obrien is the pick who is this guy . Reporter yeah, lets get right to the president s tweet just moments ago, stephanie, 9 00 a. M always filled with a lot of breaking news. The president , who is traveling in california, tweets, i am pleased to announce that i will name Robert Obrien, currently serving as the very Successful Special president ial envoy for Hostage Affairs at the state department, as our new National Security adviser i have worked long and hard with robert he will do a great job as he notes there, he has served as a special envoy for Hostage Affairs at the state department for more than a year now, which means he is close to the secretary of state, mike pompeo. There were clearly indications following the departure of National Security adviser john bolton who was much more of a hawk, that the president would be looking for someone who was a little bit more in line with pompeo in obrien, he finds that individual obrien also played a significant role as it related to securing the release of the wrapper a ap rocky, youll remember that, who faced Assault Charges in sweden in the recent past and this is significant in terms of its timing, of course at the beginning of next week, the president will head back to new york city for the United Nations general assembly, and he will have a National Security adviser by his side. Stephanie . All right, peter, thank you peter just mentioned it, the president may be waking up tweeting, but in a different location than normal today hes in california, a state he has described as a disgrace to the country. President trump has had a longrunning battle with the state on everything from immigration to homelessness to the environment. And coming this week, a new fight over auto emissions as the Trump Administration is preparing to revoke californias right to make its state standards tougher than the federal runs of course, none of that has stopped President Trump from raising money in california, a ton of it. 8 million yesterday and another 7 million expected to be raised at fundraising stops later today. Allen sal kin is a freelance journalist based in l. A. He coauthored the book the method to the madness and wrote the cover story in the latest issue of l. A. Magazine also with me, jacob soboroff, a california native whos done incredible work covering immigration and the homelessness problem in california. Allen, lets start with you. Hi, stephanie. What is it about california specifically that gets the president so fired up . Why is it such a target, because thats the world of hollywood . He always dreamed of making it in hollywood. As a kid, he had applied to go to film school at usc. So, this was a place that he dreamed and said the ultimate job for him would to be a hollywood mogul in the old era when these guys had superpower this is the preme too era and ultimately, even though he had success with the apprentice, he never really made it in the upper echelons, the alist of hollywood. So, its kind of a sand box he wasnt allowed to play in. And so, whenever you see him tweet or throw shade on california and on the movie industry, a lot of it is about kids who wouldnt let him into their world. Okay. Well, he didnt get to play with them, but he certainly is getting paid by them who are they and how is this happening . If this is a state that the president calls a disgrace, hes always had a fight with. He raised 8 million bucks yesterday and another 7 is headed his way how is that possible 15 million bucks is a lot of money in my book. Theres a lot of money hes never going to win californias electoral votes in the election, but there are a lot of rich people here, mostly not hollywood elites they are, for instance, where the fundraiser was last night is a prominent Real Estate Developer whos very conservative, sort of an l. A. Trump, although his buildings arent as high quality as trumps architecturally. And Silicon Valley conservatives. So, yes, hes going to raise 15 million in a swing through here, which is not bad for like a day and a half of work but other than some b and clist celebrities like pat boone, if you remember him, and others, he is not these are not hollywood stars showing up he never made it here. The owner of the sunset tower bar, a hollywood dining room, tells us in l. A. Magazine that trump acted like Lisa Vanderpump, who was the star of Reality Television he has got a table in front. Theres a lushness that prevented trump from ever playing here so, yes, politically, that money equals a lot of power and hes going to take that to the rest of the country and of course, hes hoping to gain back a few of those congressional seats that they lost in 2018 allen, i am turning to jacob because i am wildly insulted that you felt like you needed to tell me who Lisa Vanderpump was. I assure you, i know exactly who she is i didnt know who she was until i started reporting the damn story. Come on, now, Vanderpump Rules ive heard of it. We mentioned what the white house is doing in terms of emissions, but i want to talk homelessness, because the president actually talked about it on air force one. And what he said was quite surprising he said, we have People Living in our best thoroughfares, our best highways, our best streets, our best entrances to buildings. The people in those buildings went to those locations because of the prestige. The people of San Francisco are fed up the people of l. A. Are fed up. We are looking at what we will be doing about it. And he actually talked about these buildings and these streets, not so much about why these people are homeless and what to do about it, but the fact that the homelessness situation is hurting the prestige of these topnotch locations. What do you think about this i can assure you, steph, that the 60,000 people who are waking up on the streets of los angeles, just like the street that im standingon this morning, are not doing so because of the prestige of being out on the streets theres this myth that Homeless People and the truth of the matter is, there is a homelessness crisis in the state of california and in the United States half of the Homeless People who are living on the streets do live in the state of california. And as i said, 60,000 of them live in los angeles. 30,000 of them are just too poor to afford a house in los angeles. So, if the president wants to talk about fixing homelessness, he might want to start with fixing the economy that he says is doing so well its certainly not doing well for people on the lower end of the economic spectrum, and its so bad for people here in los angeles that you have people who are working poor that are living in rvs, 10,000 vehicles on the streets of los angeles that are doubling as homes for people here so, just think about that for a minute and think about the way that the president characterizes it, and it just doesnt match up. Has the president offered any sort of plan of what to do about it, besides that he doesnt want these people in the lobbies of premier buildings . Where does he want them to go . What does he want to do . Reporter no, not that ive heard. The Washington Post said his team was out here and reportedly was looking at a former faa building to potentially house some folks look, the truth of the matter is, they need more housing for Homeless People out here 619 million was passed by the voters of the county of los angeles in 2018. Numbers still went up in 2019. A lot of those Housing Units are about to come online if the president wants to help with housing out here, certainly, that would be welcome. If he wants to help with getting more section 8 vouchers for people to get into Public Housing or to build more Public Housing, that would certainly be welcome, but the way that hes talking about it is in terms of just getting people off of the streets, sort of in this ambiguous way anway that would benefit, ultimately, the people at the top end of the economic spectrum, not people at the bottom end of it were talking about economic inequality thats not what the president s talking about. Hes talking about cleaning people off the street. Allen, last point. Stephanie, this is classic trump. Whether he does anything about it or not is not the issue he is scoring political points this is what he does hes a fighter and we chronicle this in the book he looks for weak points in his opponents and what he sees is a real problem of homelessness that he can hit California Democrats on and make points that will play with his other base. So, its true, there is a real homelessness problem this is what he does and hes also fighting old fights that he fought in new york city where hes talked he pioneered selling luxury apartments to foreigners, particularly asians, and to see Homeless People sleeping out front of buildings, he understands as a Real Estate Developer, is something he doesnt like so its both personal and its classic trump as a fighter, and this is why he spent 20 years trying to become president thank you. Well, then hes got a clear opportunity to offer a solution. Allen, jacob, thank you both so much were going to leave it there. Coming up, an absolute circus on capitol hill the white house has directed that i not disclose the substance of any discussion with the president or his advisers reclaiming my time. Youre not going to stonewall me and my questioning. Former Trump Campaign manager co Corey Lewandowski performing for an audience of one, but the big question, what areem docrats going to do next at verizon, were building the most powerful 5g experience for america. Thats why the nfl chose verizon. Because they need the massive capacity of 5g with ultra wideband, so more screaming, streaming, posting fans. Can experience 5g all at once. This is happening in 13 stadiums all across the country. Now if verizon 5g can do this for the nfl. Imagine what it can do for you. Stop struggling to clean tough messes with sprays. Try clean freak it has three times the cleaning power to dissolve kitchen grease on contact. It works great on bathtubs. And even stainless steel. Try clean freak from mr. Clean. Todays Senior Living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. And theres never been an easier way to get great advice. A place for mom is a free service that pairs you with a local advisor to help you sort through your options and find a perfect place. A place for mom. You know your family we know Senior Living. Together well make the right choice. I didnt have to call 911. Help. And i didnt have to come get you. Because you didnt have another heart attack. Not today. You took our conversation about your chronic coronary Artery Disease to heart. Even with a stent procedure, your condition can get worse over time, and keep you at risk of blood clots. So you added xarelto®, to help keep you protected. Xarelto®, when taken with lowdose aspirin, is proven to further reduce the risk of blood clots that can cause heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death in people with chronic cad. Thats because while aspirin can help, it may not be enough to manage your risk of blood clots. In a clinical trial, almost 96 of people taking xarelto® did not have a cardiovascular event. Dont stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death. While taking, a spinal injection increases the risk of blood clots which may cause paralysis the inability to move. You may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. Xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. It may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. Get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. Do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. Before starting, tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures and any kidney or liver problems. Enjoy every momentand help protect yourself from an unexpected one, like a cardiovascular event. Are you doing enough . Ask your doctor if its time for xarelto®. To learn more about cost and how janssen can help, visit xarelto. Com. Did you meet alone with the president on that date congressman, id like you to refresh my memory by providing a copy of the report so i can follow along. You dont have a copy of anything i dont have a copy of the report, congressman. He dictated to you exactly what he wanted you to put into the mouth of attorney general Jeff Sessions, correct i believe he asked me to deliver a message for jeff to consider delivering himself. Oh, baby. That was a small taste of yesterdays hearing between the House Judiciary Committee and former Trump Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. It was the first time members of congress were able to question a witness from the mueller investigation. But oftentimes, most times, it turned into a complete circus joining me, Washington Post National Political reporter and moderator of Washington Week on pbs, robert costa robert, what were your initial takeaways from Corey Lewandowskis testimony . And did anyone come away looking good the democrats were trying to paint a picture of President Trump and his conduct to illustrate the Mueller Report and the new incidences in the Mueller Report that mr mr. Lewandowski was part of, like that interaction about then attorney general Jeff Sessions but the political context here, mr. Lewandowski may run for senate in monday ha New Hampshire and hes trying to position himself ahead of that. Was he successful he certainly cast himself as a trumpist in his confrontational politics and is someone who would run for the senate, not just as a conservative, but as an ally of President Trump. Were democrats able to get anything out of this hearing besides Corey Lewandowski admitting that he hasnt told the truth on cable tv, which we already knew the democrats were able to say, heres a little bit more information about what happened in the Mueller Report, but there are tensions in the Democratic Party to move forward with impeachment articles or not, to make a broader case against President Trump or not, but the House Judiciary Committee wanted to check this box and bring him up to capitol hill President Trump praised lewandowski over his testimony, which was ultimately Corey Lewandowskis goal did Corey Lewandowski win, secure, the president s support if he does go for this big run the president has leaned into the idea that he would endorse lewandowski, should he run for u. S. Senate. But at this point, Corey Lewandowski would face a tough road ahead in New Hampshire. He would have the president s likely blessing, but many Establishment Republicans up in New Hampshire, the granite state, say is he really the best candidate to win in a swing state . He could face a crowded primary fight. And why was he able to claim privilege . He never worked in the white house. Its a claim the White House Counsels Office is trying to assert by saying any conversation with a sitting president of the United States is privileged, is legally something that could be challenged by house democrats, and they have been frustrated by this white house and its lack of cooperation on many fronts, not just in terms of witnesses, but in document production. Well, thats for sure robert, thank you so much. Coming up, parents, parents who lost their children in one of the worst gun attacks in American History are taking matters into their own hands yet again. Classical Music playing throughout woman 1 i had no symptoms of hepatitis c. Man 1 mine. Man 1 . Caused liver damage. Vo epclusa treats all main types of chronic hep c. Vo whatever your type, ask your doctor if epclusa is your kind of cure. Woman 2 i had the common type. Man 2 mine was rare. Vo epclusa has a 98 overall cure rate. Man 3 i just found out about my hepatitis c. Woman 3 i knew for years. Vo epclusa is only one pill, once a day, taken with or without food for 12 weeks. Vo before starting epclusa, your doctor will test if you have had hepatitis b, which may flare up, and could cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. Vo tell your doctor if you have had hepatitis b, other liver or kidney problems, hiv, or other medical conditions. Vo . And all medicines you take, including herbal supplements. Vo taking amiodarone with epclusa may cause a serious slowing of your heart rate. Vo common side effects include headache and tiredness. Vo ask your doctor today, if epclusa is your kind of cure. It has been 42 days since President Trump on his way to visit victims of the el paso and dayton Mass Shootings announced on the white house lawn that, im looking to do background checks. 42 days of no action last night, 21 Democratic Senators took to the senate floor to call on congress to expand background checks on firearm purchases. But it all be for nothing. After four democrats took to the floor, Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell said the senate is in a Holding Pattern on gun legislation, waiting to hear what the president is willing to sign but as they wait, students across the country have returned to school with a new normal, preparing for potential attacks. In 2018 alone, 30 people were killed and 50 injured in eight School Shootings, averaging one every 45 days. This morning, members from the gun Safety Advocacy Group Sandy Hook Promise have released a new backtoschool, School Shootings prevention psa we warn you, this video is very hard to watch. This year, my mom got me the perfect bag for backtoschool these colorful binders help me stay organized. These headphones are just what i need for studying these new sneakers are just what i needed for the new year [ gunfire this jacket is a real musthave. My parents got me the skateboard i wanted. Its pretty cool. Pretty cool. These scissors really come in handy in art class. Colored pencils, too. These new socks, they can be a real life saver. I texted my mom joining me now, cofounder of the Sandy Hook Promise, nicoles 6yearold son dillon was killed in the sandy hook shooting back in 2012. Nicole, my friend, thank you when i saw that ad or the psa, the first thing i thought at the end that young woman was texting i love you, mom, i thought your son was 6. He didnt even get to do that. So where did this psa come from . Why do this . Because i dont think enough parents understand what their kids are experiencing every day in school now. Jake is in 10th grade now. Your other son . My son that survived. And last week every single day they practiced a different form of an active Shooter Drill or an evacuation this is how were traumatizing our kids now were teaching them what to do when violence occurs, rather than teach them how to prevent it from happening. And thats the point of this psa, to kind of shock parents and say this is not what school should be about. We need to take action to prevent these. Shock them into what . What kind of action are you looking for . Because 21 members of Congress Last night got up and spoke about this, and before they even made it into the room Mitch Mcconnell said were in a Holding Pattern. Thats unacceptable and i think more parents need to speak up about how unacceptable that is theres legislation in congress right now waiting for a vote more pressure on congress is needed to get to that vote more pressure on Mitch Mcconnell as well. These arent controversial policies that are being debated, universal background checks, protection orders, this is not about taking anything away from anyone its about keeping people safe and what i want people to do is be outraged by this new normal of schools, shootings and School Violence and ta talk to their kids about the signs because kids can help prevent it today while we continue to put pressure on congress for legislation. Who are the people and what is the argument against this there is no argument against this no one is for gun violence, no one is for School Shootings. Everyone wants their kids to be safe these are noncontroversial noncost programs. Theyve already prevented School Shootings and suicides these are actions we can take today, but the policies are not controversial either when you really look at them and understand what the bills are doing. This is about responsible access, this is about safety this isnt about taking anything away from anyone this is about when someone is in crisis, what can we do to help them from hurting themselves. When Sandy Hook Promise was founded not long after you lost dillon, did you think we would be here today with all of these shootings continuing, that in 2019 you would be putting out a psa with a teenage girl and a bloody leg being tied off by a gym sock i had hoped that we would never get to this stage. I had hoped that we would be in a position of solving this so much sooner, but thats not the case and instead were seeing the violence increasing. Last year was the worst year on record for School Shootings. How much further can we go how much further are as parents willing to accept the danger that were putting our kids in what does it tell you about gun culture, because there are millions of parents sending their kids to school and want them to be safe. What does that tell you about the power of gun culture it items me that people are afraid as soon as you mention the word gun it becomes a fight and no one is listening to each other and theres a different conversation that needs to be had. Keeping kids safe is not about guns, its about prevention and protection if we just stop talking about the gun all the time, then i think well be more open to listening to each other and sharing Good Solutions and ideas. What has been the response to this psa from lawmakers, from individuals . So far very positive. We only launched this morning and theres already thousands of views. Every year we launch another psa that teaches people that School Violence is preventable and we ask people to go to the website and download the brochures, bring the programs to your schools. Its really about changing conversations that people know that theres more to this than just policy action, that there are communitybased solutions as well that can compliment the policy actions were seeki thank you for your lifes work were going to be right back mpa, fights cancer, repairs shattered bones, relieves depression, restores heart rhythms, helps you back from strokes, and keeps you healthy your whole life. From the day youre born we never stop taking care of you. Doprevagen is the number oneild mempharmacistrecommendeding . From the day youre born memory support brand. You can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. What do you look for i want free access to research. Yep, td ameritrades got that. Free access to every platform. Yeah, that too. I dont want any trade minimums. Yeah, i totally agree, they dont have any of those. I want to know what im paying upfront. Yes, absolutely. Do you just say yes to everything . Hm. Well i say no to kale. Mm. Yeah, they say if you blanch it its better, but that seems like a lot of work. No hidden fees. No platform fees. No trade minimums. And yes, its all at one low price. Td ameritrade. That wraps up a very busy hour i am Stephanie Ruhle i will see you again at 1 00 p. M. And you can find my good news roouls on twitter and instagram and check out this weeks modern ruhles podcast coming up now more news with hallie jackson. On what is a wildly busy morning. We start with breaking news. After hiring and firing three National Security advisers in less than three years, the president is picking a fourth. In a tweet today naming robert obrian. He will replace john bolton not just in title but maybe in the way he works the west wing relationships too. He comes from over at the state department where hes led the diplomatic push to free hostages around the world he worked under secretary of state mike pompeo who know tarrously rarely saw eye to eye with the last guy who held the National Security position it is a Critical Role at a critical time, especially in an administration with at least six acting or open jobs in the defense or National Security space. And especially as tensions with iran skyrocket so were going to get right to our team to break down what this means. Nbcs Kristen Welker is at the white house, and courtney is in our washington bureau. Kristen, let me start with you. President trump just within the last 24 hours or show named o brian as one of the few people on his short list to take the position. Here we are today and the president had praised him when he put him on his short list yesterday while he was traveling with reporters to the west coast. So to break this down a little bit further, who is obrien, as you pointed out, he was a special envoy at the state department charged with Hostage Affairs. He worked closely with secretary of state mik