benefiting democrats in new jersey and maybe even nationally and that seems to be the choice that he's made here. >> well, tamron. when he was presented with this entire situation of appointing and having to appoint someone, he was going to end up pleasing no one particularly as it comes to this timeline and what he decided to do was a primary held in august and a general election to be held in october. for him that brings two pieces of criticism. the cost of holding a separate october special election for the senate that would actually take place just two weeks before the general election in new jersey when chris christie himself is going to be on the ballot. the second point of criticism is it looks like this is a way to avoid the situation where a popular democratic mayor of newark cory booker would be on the ballot at the same time that he would in the general election. i don't think chris christie is in trouble of losing his race for reelection, but there is a concern that having booker on the ballot, more democrats show up that christie's margin wouldn't be as big as it would be otherwise. >> you bring up the amount of money. you talk about $24 million in taxpayer dollars if you go on, for example, the website drudge. that is the headline there focusing in on the amount of money. i think that that might be a smoke and mirrors issue here because the other option christie had would have been to wait until 2014 which was described as an unexpected gift for the republican party. >> well, and that's why i said it was almost that no one would be happy with this selection and when you heard chris christie in his remarks as well as during the press conference. he said his biggest concern was having someone in that office who would be unelected for a term of 18 months and it's important to note that person would end up being a republican even though frank lautenberg who won that race and won a six-year term was a democrat. >> governor rendell, let me bring you in. if he had delayed this until next year as mark pointed out, the person holding the seat, the place filler, if you will, would have been a republican. "the new york times" points out that all of this comes at a time when chris christie is trying to woo the republican donors. he's attending with some of the biggest republican fund raisers, some of whom believe that he embraced president bush. they believed he was very hard on the republicans with the aid that was needed for new jersey and now he needs to explain this decision not to let the place hole holder be a republican for another year. >> there are place holders for this amount of time and even longer, and i think he could have pleased everyone by arc pointing christy todd whitman. she's a moderate, maybe even a progressive republican, et cetera. here he's opening himself up to a lot of criticism. cross is a factor in this day and age particularly because new jersey has its problems like most day states do. the august primary and the october general, and why have the october general when you have it, when it would cost a dime extra. >> you and i were discussing it before we went on the air because cory booker on the ballot would have brought american africans out in large numbers. look, chris christie will do better among african-americans than most republicans, but he's still going to lose 6 1/2, 7 out of every ten and chris christie is not in any danger of losing as mark said, but what he's rung for, tamron is to run up a margin that's impressive. that would be considered a disappointing showing. for an ordinary politician that's a landslide. if you look at decision that he made as mark pointed out and you did as well, there were risks on both sides. if you're hedging your bets and chris christie and you're looking at the lay of the land and that seems to be the logical choice for him? it's wasting taxpayer's money at a time when the state of new jersey doesn't have enough money for a lot of different programs. >> here is a guy who is popularity and seen as fighting for new jersey. yes, certainly the $24 million price tag is unnecessary, but when you look at the total being here. >> i think that if he'd set the special election for november at the regular election date people would have said boy, that guy is a courageous guy and he doesn't care about the implications for him. that would have been the best thing to do from the standpoint of good government. >> from what we're saying we have a clearer picture, but perhaps his further career aspirations which he's never really owned and at this day and age, everyone is worried about the irs wafrting $50 million on those boon doggels. is chris christie popular enough that that issue, and i don't want to say it skirts away because it is a lot of money, but did his popularity trump how much monoel be spent in the special election? >> right now he's still basking in the glow of his handling of hurricane sandy. his numbers are sky high. tamron, the next part of this story, we will eventually move away from the costs and the special election to whoever he ends up appointing to fill this in an interim position. nbc news has been able to report that christie is leaning to picking someone who would not only serve in an interim base be able to run in 2013. they're trying to find someone they might support in 2016 particularly if christie has eyes on twernt 16, we'll be looking heavily to who he ends up appointing. i wouldn't be surprised if christie's democratic opponent continues to bring up the $24 million price tag. >> at least theel pos reit now show that the race is a blowout at this point. >> it's not -- he's going to be the president and if his pitch to the republicans is i can win. i've got 62% in new jersey. that's better than saying i've got 56%. >> further proof, this is more than about new jersey and the national implications of what went down. >> i think a bad decision. >> thank you very much, governor rendell and we'll talk to you more on this one and the "news nation" is also following the empassioned and emotional testimony from conservative groups targeted by the irs. on the second hearing on capitol hill, representatives from six groups detail what they call intimidation and tyranny by the irs in response to their requests for tax-exempt status. >> i'm a born free american woman, wife, mother and citizen, and i'm telling my government that you've forgotten your place. >> this isn't somebody that dropped a piece of our tax return on the sidewalk inadvertently. they deliberately provided our donor list to opponents of ours who had been seeking that information for a long time. >> what happened to you was unfair. it was unfair, and incredibly inconvenient, but it was a mistake. anything else, like the circus that's happening in the oversight committee or here is simply political theater. >> i'm going to deviate from my original question in response to what i just heard. >> mr. chairman. >> welcome to washington. >> and as all of this takes place, we're learning new details from the treasury inspector general's report on excessive irs spending on employee conferences. nbc, capitol hill correspondent, kelly o'donnell joins us. welcome to washington. that's a heck of a line to hear when with you -- again, to follow these hearings and wonder where this is going. >> and so notable because paul ryan, of course, was on the ballot in 2012 as the republicans' nominee for vice president and for those who thought there was a political motivation he might have been in a unique position to sort of assess the mood in the room today. what was striking is, you know, we get hearing people raise their voices and some tousling back and forth. i was sort of struck by the quiet emotion that came out from a couple of the people on the panel who have been involved in groups in their hometown community, small groups with little budgets that deal with tea party and conservative issues, things like abortion issue, traditional marriage, those kinds of conservative themes. i was struck by the emotion that came out today and certainly they have had a lot of pent-up feeling about this as representatives to talk about what they believe was wrongdoing by the irs in targeting them unfairly. we did hear from democrats and republicans as a unified voice that the irs went way over the line. part of it is a question of how far was it? was it purely politically motivated or was it a mistake? they don't know the answer. they still don't know the scope of this. they still don't know who ordered it and in part, smfr these witnesses who kept track of some of the names of the irs employees they talked to may be able to point investigators in a direction of trying to get to the bottom of that. some of the people we heard from today said that when they talked to the people handling their cases there were a couple of references to needing to check with supervisors about next steps and that might suggest that it would go beyond the cincinnati office where this was happening with the tax-exempt group. we just don't know the answers yet. tamron? >> joining me now sirius xm nationally talk show host michael smerkonish and political reporter lois romano. you heard kelly o'donnell that there were irs employees that needed to check with supervisors and the still unanswered question, where did this lead, at least, and how many people knew what was going on here? so there are still legitimate questions as we are hearing these testimonies from some of these groups who were targeted. >> well, there are a lot of questions. i mean, i find it sort of incredulous that we still have no idea after a month what the genesis of this program was, who was directing it, who was supervising it, and today -- i mean, today we're no further along with this. today's testimony was riveting and in technicolor and we got technicals that were not flattering to the irs, but we still have no idea where this came from. >> which is remarkable, lois, because you have both parties agreeing that it's egregious. what happened here was wrong, unacceptable. you have the new acting head of the irs saying that things will change and the behavior was deplorable. so all sides agree here. so it's in everyone's best interest, would seem, to follow the trail and get the closure here and connect these dots. >> even the acting irs director said that he hadn't asked yet who was running the program in cleveland or in ohio. so, you know, we have so much more to learn, and i'm not sure that these hearings as dramatic as they are, and as painful as they are to watch are getting us any closer to knowing if this was politicized. >> absolutely, lois. a lot of folks feel that same way. we're watching the hearings the second one may be, as emotional with the testimony is you are left with this feeling, okay, after a second hearing this week alone. >> tamron, this story may turn out to be a lot less sexy than some people had hoped. here's what we know so far that groups seek 501c4 status saying we are going to be not for profit. we are not going to be primarily political which had politically sounding names were subject to a lot of scrutiny. the problem is that scrutiny should have tran 16edded ideological and political lines and it didn't, but as i watch, what i continue to say to myself is if you had adopted that name and you have those sort of objectives, you should have been scrutinized and maybe not in the manner in which the is went about it, and that's what the breakdown was. >> in the legitimate part of the conversation give own both sides with what some of the organizations are up to behind the scenes and seeking this tax-exempt status. the new acting head of the irs hasn't even asked who was behind it. >> you know, i can't explain that. wroen what level of of investigation is taking place outside that hearing room. i hope a lot because frankly none of that testimony today was geared toward giving us an understanding of the question we all want answered. it's at if the economy want to feel sympathy for people who were targeted and it's been accurately reported. bee got it. now where do we go? >> you're absolutely right, but you weren't going to get that from any of the stories that came forth today. again, i'm not defending any of that conduct. it all sound e greejious the way it was presented, but let's size up what we were offered today. nothing that will put us closer to why it happened. >> one thing we are closer to is learning more. lois, the spending report came out from the inspector general regarding some of the monoet that irs used on its conferences. this anaheim trip, $4 million. $11,000 on a happiness expert. $27,000 innovation expert. $17,000 leadership through art. some of the people who defended the irs said listen, you do have these conferences where employees build camaraderie and team building. i don't know if anyone can justify a happiness expert for $11,000. >> well, as we saw from the gao, the optics are very bad and nobody should be having these conferences in this day and age. i understand they need to get people off-site and do team building, but it has its limit, really. >> as it should. lois, on that note, thank you very much. michael, greatly appreciate it. we'll see what happens next and if some of these questions get answers. coming up, "news nation," it is the second highest court in the land and today president obama is calling on senate to confirm three lawyers he is nominating to the federal appeals court in washington. there's no reason, aside from politics, for republicans to block these individuals from getting an up or down vote. >> it is safe to say the fight is on. plus, more than 150 demonstrators arrested outside the north carolina general assembly continuing the naacp's moral monday fight against what they call the extreme agenda of the state's republican leadership. the world gets its first close-up view of the double amputee olympian of oscar pistorius. pistorius back in court today showing little emotion and we'll have more details of what happened. so many of you have already joining us with your thoughts on chris christie. let us know what you think. twitter me @tamronhall and atnewsnation and let us know on the irs today. what do you think? 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[ male announcer ] moving object detection. ♪ blind spot warning. ♪ lane departure warning. safety, down to an art. the nissan altima with safety shield technologies. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪ [ roars ] ♪ [ roars ] ♪ [ roars ] ♪ [ roars ] ♪ [ male announcer ] universal studios summer of survival. ♪ time and again, congressional republicans cynically used senate rules and procedures to delay and even block qualified nominees from coming to a full vote. there's no reason, aside from politics, for republicans to block these individuals from getting an up or down vote. >> the fight is on. president obama essentially daring republicans to block the three nominees he named today to the influential federal appeals court in washington. nbc news white house correspondent peter alexander johns us. we talked about this yesterday, the anticipation of what this all means and the pressure it puts on senate republicans if they choose to fill buster. >> tamron, in what we saw from the president in what was an unprecedented event, this rose garden, vent which he will hold when he nominates a supreme court justice, but not for a federal bench nomination until today. >> the president very clearly with with the senate confirmations, and he referred to this as being political obstruction. he said it was unprecedented and he pointed out the fact that in his language that his nominees have waited three times as long as those nominees provided by his republican predecessors in the past. this is for the washington, d.c. district circuit court of appeals, excuse me, the second highest court in the land behind the supreme court. that's why it's viewed as being so significant right now and viewed as a feeder court. four of nine with the supreme court justices right now, at one point, tamron served in the d.c. circuit court of appeal, but suffice to say there have been accusations on both sides and democrats have been upset by the slow pace that the president has tried to bring forward the nominees as well. >> back to the numbers here, peter. more than 83% of the judicial nominees were confirmed during his first term. more than 80% of bush's, and 80% of president obama's have been far lower if you look at the percentage, i should say and he's appointed fewer judges than either of his predecessors, you made that point. i want to read a little bit of what with chuck grassley said in anticipation today. it's hard to imagine the rationale for nominating three judges at once for this court given the vacant emergency seats across the country unless your goal is to pack the court to advance a certain policy agenda. the critics of the republicans are saying they're trying to pack an agenda by obstruction, and they respond to that by saying basically that the republicans are trying to shift these three employ tee seats here and empty seats the president will emphasize it. the president insists i'm trying to fill the seats that are empty. i want to get to the 11 that are needed and the president insists that this is a diverse group he's putting forward. this includes two women that he brought forward today including as well as one african-american man. all of whom are harvard law graduates, he says, in his language. these are not slouches. there are no hacks here. >> to say the least with that resume, but also just quickly, peter. this brings us back to this ongoing conversation of what has become this new rule to quote bill mauro a vote of 60. it's time to have senate floor rules to make that change. >> reporter: yeah. this is not the first time this has been the case. we were looking back at articles when george bush was president in the last administration and if you flip republican for democrat, almost the exact same circumstances. i asked jay carney a few minutes ago and i asked him what is the president hoping to accomplish by calling out republicans. he said obviously the way we had been going about this wasn't working and that's very much the basis of what we saw today. >> peter alexander live for us at the white house. thanks, peter. next up, military leaders tell congress that sexual assault in the ranks is, quote, like a cancer, but we are also asking to keep the authority to discipline the troops. it's tradition versus the change some are calling for. and some 2,000 firefighters still on the scene of the so-called powerhouse fire out in california. the fire, 60% contained, but many people are still in danger. we'll get you an update on that and in today's money minute, here is a look at how the markets are faring right now. ♪ 'cause you make me feel so right ♪ ♪ even if it's so wrong ♪ i wanna scream out loud ♪ boy, but i just bite my tongue ♪ ♪ this one's for the girls messin' with boys ♪ ♪ like he's the melody and she's background noise ♪ [ volume decreases ] thanks, mom! 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[ male announcer ] at visa signature, every upgraded experience comes from listening to our cardholders. visa signature. your idea of what a card should be. >> the nation's top military brass admitting there say major problem with sexual assaults in the military, but they are unwilling to give up the power that might help solve the crisis. during a critical senate hearing still going on, in fact, these are live images in washington, members of the joint chiefs of staff testify about the skyrocketing reports of assaults and the different pieces of legislation aimed at cutting those numbers down. one plan would take sex assault investigations out of the commander's hands and the joint chiefs say that is not the answer. >> our goal should be to hold commanders more accountable, not render them less able to help us correct the crisis. >> if i believe that removing commanders from their central role of responsiblility in addressing sexual assault would solve these crimes within our ranks i would be your strongest proponent, but removing commanders, making commanders less responsible and less accountable will not work. >> joining me now brigitte mccoy, a former army specialist and a survivor of sexual assault, thank you so much for your time. i want to play, before i get your reaction to this hearing today senator christine jill brand, her plan is seen as the most ambitious would take away the power from most commanders in regard to these crimes. let's take a look at what she said. >> you need an objective legal system, an objective prosecutor and an objective jury and that's what our legal system is based on and just to complete this argument, many others of our allies have done this. israel has done it. the uk has done it and many other allies. >> bridget, what is your reaction to the commanders at least right now rejecting the idea of taking it out of the hands of the leadership there and having an objective player here? >> well, i think it's already out of the hands of the chain of command. they're not handling it already because we have so many people being turned away from, you know, properly, you know, taking care of the crime. so it's -- at this point they're just continuing the same old business. they're continuing to handle things the way it's been handled the last 20, 30 years. we are just right back to tailhook at this point. it's the same conversation. senator jill brand is saying you need an objective prosecutor and an objective jury. the commander who has been accused of assault overseeing the allegations and the investigation. that is the change she is seeking. would that be something that would make you happy? >> absolutely. that would make me happy because it has to come out of the chain of command because at this point they're not handling it already. >> i want to play what senator john mccain said at the hearing. very emotional words from mr. mccain that's resonated a lot with people. let me play it. >> just last night a woman came to me and said her daughter wanted to join the military and could i give my unqualified support for her doing so? i could not. i cannot overstate my disgust and disappointment over the continued reports of sexual misconduct. >> bridgeit, you were former army specialist. when you hear him say the woman had these concerns and he could not support the idea of her sending her daughter to the military, you've served this country. how does that make you feel? >> it makes me sad because this is -- it's the army. that's our military and that's what we do. we protect our country and to say that our own citizens are afraid to send their children to the military, and not because of some threat from some villain across, you know, the water, but right in their own backyard, the person that they're serving with, that is troubling to me, and i feel -- it saddens me that he's not -- this is not the first time that i've heard that. i've had other people who have served and served well say that they would not allow their children, their daughter specifically to go into the military at this point. it's too hostile. >> bridget, we appreciate your time. thank you for your service. the hearing is continuing right now and it's ongoing as we speak and we'll bring our audience the latest developments out of that hearing. thank you. >> in north carolina, about 140, 150 depending on the estimates that are out, demonstrators are now free after being arrested during a massive rally. about 1,000 people gathered at the general assembly in raleigh yesterday as part of a weekly demonstration. it's being called moral monday. it's led by the north carolina naacp chapter. protesters chanted, and they're bringing attention to republican lawmakers and their plans to cut social programs and new voting laws. yesterday was the largest crowd since these rallies started in april. joining me now by phone is john frank, the political reporter for the raleigh news and observer. thank youior time. >> thanks for having me. >> so the naacp is behind it, but as i understand from the reporting there are environmentalists and women's rights organizations across the board who joined forces here in these rallies and that's why they've grown week to week. >> it's true. the growing momentum is reflective of not only the diverse crowd, but the new organizing muscle behind it. you are seeing the local democratic party and other outside political groups and organizations as well as labor unions openly promoting the protests that the point which wasn't taking place earlier this year. at the heart of what many of these protesters are saying is that the republican-led, legislature there, the ideas that they are implementing are hurting the working poor in the state from rejecting medicaid, medicare to the expansion of medicaid, i should say, to cutting unemployment benefits, as well. >> yeah. the list of grievances is diverse as the crowd. yesterday a big focus was economic and education issues, but you're right. a major point of contention among these folks is the voter i.d. measure requiring photo i.d. to vote at the polls and as well as women's rights and the elimination of estate taxes for our private school vouchers and the list goes on. >> we talked a lot about new voting restrictions leading up to the general election and we talked greatly about the ongoing battle over federal dollars to expand medicaid and different states rejecting that which is needed by the poor, but you've got republicans in the state saying they captured both chambers of the legislature and they are simply carrying out the wishes, if you will of the voters in that state and all of the promises they made when running for office, they are enacting now. >> republican lawmakers are down playing these protests saying even though they reached 1,000 people at the rally yesterday it still does not compare to the thousands back home in the district who want them to push for these issues. >> that said the pulse from the public policy poll based here in raleigh show that the lawmakers here have very low approval ratings and a number of these measures they're pushing such as the medicaid are getting results from the folks out there who put them in office. >> already people are comparing this from what we saw in wisconsin when union workers and labor folks squared off against the governor there. these are going to continue. what is the endgame? will it ultimately end with votes here? are they expecting every week until, i don't know the conclusion to bring attention to what's happening there. >> let's say it's expected and at the end of june or maybe early july so we only have a few more of these left. it would be very interesting to see if they can get an even larger crowd in future weeks. >> we'll see what happens and we'll continue to follow these ongoing protests out there. thank you very much, john. >> up next, more unrest in turkey. a second person has been killed and thousands more injured as clashes continue for a fifth day, but first, there is a lot going on today and here are things we thought you should know. democrat woman carolyn maloney has been diagnosed with lung cancer. she plans to begin treatment soon and expects to seek reelection next year. we wish her the best, of course. former miss america erica harold is expected to announce later today that she wants to run for congress, challenging rodney davidson, a gop primary next year. harold won the miss america contest in 2003. she's an attorney. those are the things we just thought you should know. ♪ [ grunts ] yowza! that's why i eat belvita at breakfast. it's made with delicious ingredients and carefully baked to release steady energy that lasts... we are golfing now, buddy! 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[ female announcer ] you trust your doctor. doctors trust citracal. in turkey, two men have been killed and thousands injured as clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police enters a fifth day spreading to dozens of cities. today's turkey's prime minister apologized for the initial crackdown this amid mounting international criticism of the government's response to the demonstrations including now calls for a full investigation by secretary of state john kerry. financial times correspondent, daniel domby joins us by phone. there is still unrest behind your location. what is the situation again that you're seeing? >> today things are much calmer. things are much calmer in istanbul and ankara. the prime minister of turkey who called the protesters looters and extremists and possibly agents of foreign powers is out of the country and in his absence the politicians who are running the place while he's away have come up with much more conciliatory terms and you've seen the police retreat a little bit, not deal with the demonstrators in such an aggressive way. there hasn't been tear gas and today there are still people in the square and the center of the protests and there will be people marching there, but it will not be the same c confrontatio confrontations, and to give you an idea i can leave my office and walk about the city. in previous days i wasn't able. >> this may continue to spread throughout other cities and part of the apology saying the excessive violence that was used in the first instance again to those who are behaving with respect for the environment is wrong and unfair, and he says i don't think we owe an apology, though, to chose who caused damage in the streets and tried to prevent people's freedom. if that apology today was enough to at least, um, help the situation, what then, are you hearing is the next step from the government to attempt to put this under control? some 3,000 people have been injured and as i mentioned now two people have lost their lives. >> well, the problem is or the issue is that it was a deputy prime minister who said this, not the prime minister. turkey is a country which is dominated by this who has islamist origins who followed more moderate politics since being elected ten years ago. he's been the most powerful politician in two generations and many feel threatened by him, by his agenda. many whether they're secular or not, feel the police who have been using excessive force. mr. erdogan is a polarizing politician. he doesn't like to say sorry and he doesn't like to step back. until he says sorry, i think many of these protester, until he steps back, many of the protesters, even if the numbers of the demonstrations go down, they feel they have a grievance against the turkey state. >> thank you very much, daniel. i am sure we'll be speaking with you again tomorrow and get the latest for our audience on what is happening, on this ongoing situation out of turkey. thank you. up next, the trial for alleged boston gang boss turned fbi informant, james "whitey" bulger, family are looking for two things, answers and justs. we'll have a live report. [ male announcer ] this is betsy. her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ welcome back. almost 700 people are being called to probably sit on the jury for the trial of mobster james "whitey" bulger. 175 potential jurors spilling out today and tomorrow and they're trying to find 18 people for the jury and the judge says it could take until friday and with me now shelly murphy and she's co-author of whitey bulger and the man hunt that brought him to justis. thank you so much. i was actually up until 3:00 in the morning watching a special on discovery i.d. on whitey bulger. what a fascinating individual. hated, quite hon of thely, by many of the victims' families. it would be incredible to find someone who hasn't heard about whitey bulger in that area. >> no. that's absolutely right. and today it's quite a scene at the federal courthouse they had and they had 225 prospective jurors and they were introduced to whitey bulger. he was seated between his two lawyers and at one point, you know, his lawyer said this is the defendant. i want to introduce you to my client james bulger and he stood up and said good morning, and later he stood up and said good evening -- i mean, good afternoon and the jurors were craning their necks to get a look at him and it was the first time he showed up not in his orange prison jump suit, but in jeans, close-fitting jeans and a shirt, and i'll tell you, for an 83-year-old guy he looked pretty good. he didn't look feeble at all. >> part of this fascinating case also is his relationship with the fbi and what we might learn about that in addition to some unsolved murders. bodies that may never be found. >> right. yesterday the judge ruled that the government can actually introduce whitey bulger's entire fbi informant file into evidence. they say they will use that to show that they have a 15-year relationship of the fbi and he corrupted agents and paid them money and in exchange they leaked individual that caused them to kill people who were cooperating against him and they protected him from prosecution. the defense says he absolutely positively denies he was an fbi informant. he had hoped to put on an immunity defense saying they promised me immunity from prosecution although it's not clear why if he wasn't an informant and they would not be able to get that immunity defense and they will try to show that the fbi, you know, were basically plotting with him for years. >> shelly murphy, thank you very much. we'll continue to follow the developments in the whitey bulger trial and see where it goes. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. we'd like to make a correction before the end of the show. earlier we were reporting that new york democratic congresswoman carolyn mccarthy has lung cancer. the 16-year veteran of congress represents parts of long island and says it is a treatable form of cancer. we mistakenly identified congresswoman carolyn maloney. our deepest apologies to congresswoman maloney and our deepest -- and to the family as well and we deeply apologize for that mistake. that does it for "news nation." thank you for joining us. i'm tamron hall. 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