Trump and rnc chair woman, ronna mcdaniel, try to pressure to republican canvassers and michigan into not certifying the 2020 president ial election results. The paper reviewed recordings of trump and mcdaniel on phone calls with to local officials just days after the election. Nbc has not heard or verify the Audio Recordings. But its statements nbc spokespeople for trump and the rnc did not dispute them. This afternoon, michigan secretary of state, jocelyn benson, so the chief suspect at the Election Officials were under pressure back in 2020. Theyre recording in the detroit i tyler the recording. It didnt surprise me, the content of which we were well aware that he was trying to pressure these local pointed officials to subvert their own duty, the legal duty under the law. We knew as it was happening, its really, when youre up against the president of the United States, the purported leader the free world, that we had the truth, the law, the will of the people on our side, its really harrowing and scary. You dont know ultimately, democracy is fragile, and that the more proof and evidence we have as the state shows, the stronger we feel going into 2024. The detroit news report also raises questions about what rnc term undermine bidens 2020 when. Remember, we heard her taped deposition to the january Six Committee during last summers hearings, to remind you, here is some of what she told them. When the president say when he collier . Essentially, he turned the call over to mr. Eastman, who proceeded to talk about the importance of the rnc helping the campaign gather these contingent electors in case any of the legal challenges that were ongoing change the result of any states. I think more helping them reach out and settle them. My understanding is the campaign to take the lead, we just were helping them in that draw. Oh baby, able to get this. Lets get smart with help of our lead panel on this friday night. Mark joseph joins us, Senior Writer covering courts, the law at slate. Susan page is here, washington burrow usa today. And catherine christian, former assistant District Attorney at the manhattan District Attorneys office, she is now an msnbc legal analyst and the first person i turn to, catherine, lets start by can you explain to us exactly what the Supreme Court decided today . The average person out there is taking this as a huge blow to jack smith . They shouldnt. In one sentence they just said, were not hearing the case now to be as simple as i can make a. Jack smith wanted them to leapfrog, job over the d. C. Circuit court of appeal and hear the case i. Because theyre gonna hear it anyway so his view was, Public Interest is very important, its a case that demands a Media Tension an immediate resolution. What he did not do, which he didnt talk about the peak element in the room, he wants this case tried before november 2024, because if donald trump becomes the nominee and he gets reelected, theyll be no case. His argument to expedite the Supreme Court expedited, i wont say it was weak, but he left out than money shot which is you need to do this because the election is happening. All the Supreme Court did was look at the Circuit Court of appeals which is expediting the appeal, and hear oral arguments on january 9th, and say, let them do it first. Its procedurally correct, it wouldve been unusual for them to leapfrog over the dc Circuit Court of appeals. Traditionally, its the District Court of appeals and then you seek the Supreme Court. Theyre just saying were gonna do the normal procedure and was one sentence, it was probably majority, you didnt see the scents. The dc Circuit Court of appeals has really a rocket docket, meaning very clear that theyre gonna expedite this case. The oral argument, emotions, it will be done quickly. Catherine, even if this was a big blow to jack smith, right now donald trump strongest offenses to delay. Does this all but guarantee that the march 4th date wont happen . Oh, its not happening. Its not happening on march 4th. Donald trump winds in that he gets to delay the trial. Now it doesnt mean that the trial isnt gonna happen before november 2024. If the d. C. Circuit court issues their opinion and the Supreme Court assuming donald trump loses, or even if the special counsels, is theyll seek Supreme Court is capable of deciding a case fast when they want to. Will it happen in march . I dont see that happening. But it might happen in may, it may happen in june, im talking about the trial. Market, the memory of what happened after bush v. Gore have influenced this decision . Absolutely. I think that the justices across the board want to stay away from this case for as long as possible. They do not want to be seen as getting involved in the 2024 election. In part because of course donald trump appointed three of them, angel blended appointed one, and all of them have memories of how bush be gore tarnished the court. Even though a lot of conservatives trying to defend the decision, i think its widely recognized as the Supreme Courts most aggressive intervention in a president ial election in the United States history. And even for the conservatives, even for those like Justice Alito are justice thomas, who probably want to see donald trump when, they dont want to see that victory come with a footnote like george w. Bush has in 2000. This is by the way the Supreme Court played a key role here. The justices are being cautious, i agree with catherine, the caution is warranted, i agree that it makes sense for them to wait since the d. C. Circuit is moving quickly. I will just add, there is a double standard here when donald trump was president he ran to the Supreme Court all the time and asked for Special Excel Rated decisions. Leapfrogging over the court of appeal, a conservative majority gave him that again and again. We saw clear pattern of the conservative justices saying, sure, you can skip ahead, skipped the line, will give you everything you want rather than have to wait. Today donald trump is a criminal defendant, jack smiths prosecuting im, jacques but says, hey, lets leap frog the court of appeals as well, the Supreme Court says, no, it seems like trump got a bit of a special favored from the conservative majority that jack smith isnt getting today. That does not mean that it will be impossible to hold a criminal trial sometime this spring in the january 6th case. Susan, every single day there is more legal news, hard for the American People to follow into the courts make a final decision on these cases in Donald Trumps fate, Public Opinion say the same on all of it and him . I dont think they necessarily as not much effect on his standing in the republican primary. In fact it solidified his support among republicans. It doesnt mean nothing ever changes, for one, thing if he does win the republican nomination as we expect, at one point hell face a general election electorate which is different than the republican primary. For those democratic and independent minded voters, these legal cases might well make a difference especially if you move from being indicted to being convicted. Its possible that that has a bigger impact on americans, americans who may have liked what they saw during the First Administration but are tired of the legal ramifications, the controversy, the chaos. Susan, what is all this mean for the 2024 Campaign Calendar . First of all, the 2020 election never seems to and, for working on the 2024 calendar and were dealing with these court cases from 2020. Its this parallel calendar and they collide, were gonna go to the iowa caucus and about three weeks, the New Hampshire primary, south carolina, were gonna be off to the races in choosing delegates. Meanwhile, were gonna have all these court cases, multiple Court Cases Involving the former president of the United States. Hes gonna have to show up for them. Its just mindblowing and if its hard for americans to get their head around. Imagine trying to beat Donald Trumps scheduler this year. Imagine trying to be anything this year. Mark, as catherine said, this loss is not a huge blow for jack smith because it was always a long shot. Bubble team trump and his allies use this to paint a weaker picture of jack smith and try to say that all hes Charging Trump with is . They absolutely well. Trumps team has painted smith as a kind of partisan fanatic. Im sure trump will seize upon this to say that even the Supreme Court with trump claims is rigged and biased against him, even the Supreme Court wouldnt let jack smith expedite this case. Clearly, hes way out ahead of where he has baseless claims everywhere. I think the Talking Point is likely to grow stale on the shelves pretty quickly. The d. C. Circuit panel that this case was assigned to has a strong liberal majority. I think that panels can issue a decision very quickly against trump, allowing the tribal to move forward. I think that eventually when the Supreme Court takes this case it will rule against trump. The idea that he has this absolute immunity from prosecution for anything that he did during his presidency, it has no basis in precedent, or the constitution. Its just this continued process where trump will seize upon anything that people might not fully understand. The Court Procedures complicate, spending minutes to explain it, he can seize on that and claimed falsely that todays order from the Supreme Court was proof that hes right and jack smith is wrong. And his most avid defenders will continue to novel that out. Catherine, new topic, we need to talk about this call with trump, ronna mcdaniel, and canvassers and michigan. Trumps reported calls, how do you think this helps prosecutors whether its jack smith or fani willis . This is huge news. Its a gift, its a gift of great evidence against donald trump. First of all, it shows his pattern of conduct, remember the phone call to the georgia secretary of state, the georgia governor, he put pressure on mike pence, it shows also his intent, a conscious objective to close the result. The Special Counsel Election Interference indictment actually dedicates three pages to michigan. It details how donald trump and coconspirator number one, rudy giuliani, went, rudy went to michigan and in the oval office the president was trying to convince the michigan speaker of house and the Majority Leader that there was Election Fraud into troy. Im sure when jack smith and his staff heard about these recordings, if their authentic, they were just salivating. Theyre saying, okay, this helps us approval we said about michigan, it will help us prove all of the other charges that we have, the conspiracy to defraud the United States, the conspiracy against rights. This is gonna be completely admissible if its authentic, its the defended speaking, and as i said it also proves his knowledge. Youre telling these canvassers, dont worry, well get you lawyers, why do you need lawyers, because they know what theyre asking them to do. This is very damaging evidence against donald trump. And its also good evidence for d. A. Willis to. She also has a recall election interference case. Stunning that someone in that room knew that it was wrong enough or criminal enough that they needed to record the president of the United States. Susan, i want you to weigh in on this, we talk about a lot here. How important this story is. Catherine says that gift jack smith, but its an imported Public Service and hugely Important Information to the American People. And here we have a local News Outlet Reporting at. Over the last 20 years weve seen local news get demolished in this country, it happens every day, every week, every month, how important is it for us to have news outlets like the detroit news getting us stories. Like this that the American People need to hear . Its so important, local news has been so embattled by the Business Model over the past decade or so that weve lost hundreds of local newspapers. We know that when there are, reporters around doing reporting, you dont find out that theres whistleblower things that you dont find out. Theres no place for someone whos been wrong to go, someone whos wrongfully imprisoned, its harder for them to find someone who will listen to them. And to cover state legislators, State Legislatures are often places that are very ripe for investigative reporting. And if you dont have correspondents they have no one to dig that out. Its an example, Kudos To The Detroit News and the reporter for finding this. Its very important piece of reporting not that easy to do. It looks totally waterproof in that nobody involved is disputing their account of what happened. Its a reminder to anyone out there if youre looking for a lastminute christmas gift, get a friend or Family Member a subscription to detroit news, any local news, wherever you live, around the country, perfect stocking stuffer. Mark, lets talk about trumps take here. His campaign is claiming that this was all about ensuring Election Integrity . How can the use this argument, come on . This is the basis of their argument in the january six cases wall. They are trying to claim that everything donald trump did after the 2020 election was part of his president ial duty to ensure that all the laws of the nation at war faithfully executed including apparently state level election laws, right down to the board of canvassers. This is the theory that he claims insulates him from all manner of criminal liability. Its a theory that his associates have adopted in other cases. For instance, mark meadows argued this exact point in the fani willis georgia r. I. C. O. Called reporter to say, i was helping President Trump combat fraud. It was part of my duty as his Chief Of Staff. But just this week the 11th Circuit Court of appeals of conservative panel of judges, a conservative judge, william pryor, shot down the theory quite harshly. He said, absolutely not, the president and his Chief Of Staff have no right to be interfering with this level of election administration. These actions were not related to anyones official duties in the executive branch, and these Claims Cannot insulate you from liability. I think that goes for mark meadows, itll go for donald trump as well. This is a desperate attempt to use his pr machine to build up support for his legal argument. I dont think either of them landed carrying water. Trump does have quite the pr machine. Susan, house ronna mcdaniel, how will your pr work around this, at best this is not a good look . No, thats right. No republican carl rogue said today that he thought she could be in trouble because the Tape Recording if the appearance that she is offering these canvassing officials Legal Services an exchange for their failure to certify the. That can get around to legal problems. The optics, obviously, are not great to, be Calling County officials, the wayne county commissioner, the rnc chairman and the president of the United States call you to urge you to do something that sounds fishy. This is really, this call todays shocking and also in some ways not that surprising. All right, thank you all for starting us off tonight. We were not ready for a big newsday but, we certainly got one. Marc, susan, kathryn, great to see you all. Before we go to break any to share Breaking News with you from a colorado jury. Two paramedics there have been found guilty of Criminally Negligent Homicide in the death of elijah mcclain. If you remember he was a 23yearold an armed a black man. In 2019, mcclain died after he was subdued by police and injected with ketamine. And autopsy report listed mcclains cause of death as complications of Ketamine Administration following forcible restraint. Three of the Police Officers involved already face trial. One was found guilty of Criminally Negligent Homicide and assault. The other two were acquitted. Coming up, a super pac back in ron desantis is canceling millions of Dollars Worth of into critical states. You wonder why, david jolly and cornell belgium, weigh in on that and much more. And later, president ial historian who warned us last year that american democracy is not a reality show, its reality. Jon meacham is back as we close up a chapter in 2023. The 11th hour special two hour edition started eight pm tonight, just getting underway. Hey, its regiment. Wishing all my friends at msnbc happy holidays seasons greetings im always asked to make predictions about 2024. Polls, im not sure whats gonna happen. Its not gonna be predictable. The layout, all the legal stuff. Subpoenas, everyones age, uncertainty. We dont know whats gonna happen between now and november. November getting sick and tired of cold and flu products that dont work . Biovanta is the only number one physicianrecommended product chosen over all others, including tylenol, mucinex, zicam, and nyquil dayquil. The Combat Symptoms and boosts immunity. Biovanta really works. Getting sick and tired of cold and flu products that dont work . Biovanta is the only number one physicianrecommended product chosen over all others, including tylenol, mucinex, zicam, and nyquil dayquil. The Combat Symptoms and boosts immunity. Biovanta really works. Look at your calendar. The iowa caucus is just three weeks away, theres been yet another shake up in the Rhonda Santas campaign. Never back down, the Main Super Pac that has supporting im has canceled the Tv Advertising Spots in iowa and New Hampshire. Two important states in a statement it says that a different superpower backing Desantis Will Focus On Ad spending and wont back down focuses its effort on field operation. Tonight with discuss is congressman david jolly of florida and cornell belgium, democratics strategist and pollster. David, what does this reorient tell you, signed, out number one reason i invited you won was because you have the best Christmas Trees of anyone ive ever seen. And now youve hit me with the home office. Im gonna start with disappointed . We have no Data Intermountain house. At times zero data. The two Christmas Trees are there but we can share them with the world, thank you, stephanie, what are we witnessing . Ron desantiss campaign will tell you its another super pac coming in, baugh, what were witnessing is the complete and utter collapse of the candidate who starting measuring the oval office too early. Recall a year ago, he wanted the governorship by 19 points in florida. Something nobody could have anticipated. His opening ad was on the eightday god created, ron desantis, his arrogance, his politics were terrible, and what ended up happening is a complete collapse. Really a historic collapse of a campaign that thought it was going to the white house. Rhonda santa starters republican primary on third base, and he still second, thats why were talking about nikki haley and the opportunity she has to play second to donald trump. For now, one of the things that fueled joe bidens win last time was people voting against donald trump. Does that still apply for 2024 . I certainly think that theres opportunity for it. I want to apologize because im in the office, i dont have any Christmas Decorations whatsoever. Its okay, youre wearing a superb Red Turtleneck and trump is the christmas tree. Youve already won. Dave it is disappointed me dearly, not even a christmas tie, youve won by a mile. Continue . Part of the ability, the mobilizing, The Energize Forest last time around really was because of donald trump it was a threat that voters saw him, i love joe biden but a lot of the obama continue in, younger voters, those voters of color who were keen and instrumental to power democrats to a majority in a white and 2012. Think about behind joe biden they saw him as a candidate who is best able to defeat the guy who they thought was in fact a next until threat. And that was donald trump. At some point i think its a pivot, no doubt. Joe biden has a lot of accomplishments that he needs to talk about. In the end, stephanie, i think its gonna be a pivot where its a choice, the choice between joe biden or the candidate who again is the next essential threat talking about invoking the insurgent act, talk about rounding up his enemies and there is a lot of fought or 14 biden to use around what a threat to your community a second term, a trump term would be . David, heres a to think in this, some democratic voters especially young ones who did vote for joe biden last time around are frustrated. Theyve said he hasnt done enough on things they care about like climate, student debt, reproductive rights. But heres the thing, joe biden would do more but its republicans stopping it. Why would he loose support for what republicans are blocking . While, im not sure he will lose that support come election day. As joe biden likes to say, dont compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative. Its true in election politics, its a contrast between the candidates. I think while joe biden has to suggest an affirm he has protected democracy. The reason hes protecting democracy is to provide for an economy for all papal, education, access to health care, the protection of your own rights and your own voting rights. All of those things occur only when we have a healthy democracy. The opportunity for joe biden is really becoming clear here. Yes, he needs a draw contrasts with the authoritarian antidemocratic posture of donald trump. What voters really want to know about is what are you doing for me lately. Dont lie to be about inflation, delighted me about issues, tell me youre going to work for me because i know that donald trump won. At the end of the day, i think joe biden makes a very convincing case even for skeptical voters today come next november. Corn, outlet say january 1st, joe biden says, cornell, you win your Red Turtleneck come down to the oval office and give me some advice. Whats your advice for his Campaign Next year . My advice would be, we need to start engaging those younger voters. He won voters by plus 30 points. If you look inside, underneath the horse all these whole. Split you see is where hes most off in his 2020 Performance Art with younger voters, diverse eta voters. And to the point they are frustrated with this illusion about politics. And im not surprised by this because in 2011 going to 2012 i was working for obama, these voters were frustrated that change wasnt having cook enough. I think joe biden has a good story to tell them about what hes been fighting for around climate change, what hes been fighting for around reproductive health, what hes been fighting for. 100 Billion Dollars of Student Loan Debt that hes trying to wipe away. And today, you know what he did today, he put forth an order around marijuana sentencing that is really impactful tool young voters of color. He has a good story to tell but hes gotta start telling it and cant wait for two or three months, he needs to tell the story right now, more resources, time, chasing young wonders in the spaces where young voters are. Any also needs to elect some of his they cant just be joe biden but theres a lot of young guns in the Democratic Party they dont get enough shine. He needs to move some of them to the forefront including the Vice President , she needs to be more out there in front and take this case to this Younger Generation of voters. Were gonna go to commercial because clearly the president himself is gonna call Cornell Belcher in the next few minutes and say, dude, come on over. Cornell belcher and david jolly, thank you for being here. When we come back, we have a lot of unprecedented moments this year. Normally i charge gas to box when they say unprecedented. But this year it was required. From ousting the House Speaker to indicting the former president four times. Well look at how 2023 will be remembered in the history books. On the 11th hour when we continue. Hi everybody. Juanita tolliver here. The one thing im predicting for 2024 is more women being elected to the u. S. Senate happy holidays all happy holidays all Attention Hearing Loss Sufferers do you struggle to hear loved ones . Do you have trouble keeping up with conversations . Do you listen to tv on max volume . Hearing loss affects your life. You miss out on important moments. You feel alone. Start hearing better today with rcas all new, advanced hearing aids. These arent cheap amplifiers that dont really work, and youll never have to pay thousands again. The fda now allows us to bring true, highquality hearing aids direct to you. 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You cleared up decades of frustration in a second. Order now and well ship your pair of fda registered hearing aids in your choice of style with incredible savings. Pay as low as only 29 a month you get a 45day money back guarantee, free 24 7 us based support, a portable charging case, and Free Shipping. With rca, you can be hearing better in just days order yours now call this number or go to rcahearingaids. Com now 2023 was another historic here in news and politics. From House Speaker and congressional gridlock, to the former president s multiple indictments. There is no one better on earth to discuss all of this with then our dear friend and historian, jon meacham. A long list of superb works he is the author of the book And There Was Light Abraham Lincoln and the american struggle, its out now. He was also occasionally advises President Biden. John, im so, so glad you are here. If you were to write a book about this year, what would you include . Oh my god. Youre right. Its against, maybe i just say oh my god, that might be a good title. Oh my god 2023. Its against my usual, there you go, its against my usual standard to Say Something is unprecedented. As you were saying, so much of this was. And to stand on that for ceremonies sake isnt wise at all. You have to follow the evidence and the evidence leads us to a former president of the United States under cereal criminal indictment, an unfolding crisis interest, democratic institutions, lower case day. And that former president using rhetoric that comes straight from the third reich as he mounts a campaign to be reelected. Most polls show him to be firmly in control of one of the two major parties in the United States. So, you sit back at that point and i think one of the things that we should be honest about is that our conventional vernacular, the way we talk about these things, whos up, whos down, whereas the approval rating, whats the agenda, the ordinary vocabulary of our politics doesnt appeal to me to be sufficient. To the gravity of the questions that we are facing. I think its a real problem for a lot of us, its a problem for citizens who are in many ways overwhelmed by the amount of, the scope of the news youre talking about. I know i am, i think were in a real stress test for citizenship. Im one of the things you and i have talked about before, i dont think President Biden is on trial here. I think we are. I think the question is, what do we as American People, what are the choices that we won, and if donald trump is renominated by the republican party, that tells us pretty much everything we need to know about those republican voters, seems to me. Do you believe democracy is at stake next year . Yes, sure. How could not be, given the, the constitution immediately disappears into a shredder, no, these things happen more slowly than that. I think we just watched the first half hour of your program talking about, a tape yet another Audio Recording of the president , thenpresident of the United States talking about how to overturn an election. To go to this point about how our vocabulary isnt what on earth would we have done with that even five years ago . It would have been the dominant subject of our public mind right now, and now its one of the six things we need to worry about because hes busy calling immigrants, vermin, and talking about their poisoning the blood of our country. And, oh yeah, by the way, theres also the question whether hell be prosecuted for crimes in the Supreme Court, it goes on and on. One of the things that is vital for democracy is that we have to be able to lose with some grace, thats part of what democratic competition is about. You treat politics not as this occasion for total war every minute but that politics is an Arena Contention where we solve particular problems for a given period of time. And if that solution doesnt work we do it again, the try again. Is politics a total arena for war or is it an arena where we saw problems, i think that is questionably at stake next year. John, dont we need to get real, we need to talk about losing with grace, but juxtapose that with watching the january six videos. I mean, grace left two years ago, six years ago. Ray, what im saying is not the republican party, a party that is elected dwight eisenhower, richard nixon, president ford, president reagan, the bushes, nominated john mccain, in four years before donald trump, nominated mitt romney, that is a party that has lost its way. And they are the ones who need to learn how to lose with grace. Again, i dont think theres any, we dont do ourselves favors by tiptoeing around this. One of the two major parties in the United States as of this hour is not a functioning member of the constitutional compact. It just isnt. It could be, the republican primary voters have a chance starting in what, three weeks, to write that ship in many ways. And i suspect here with me on this, dont you yearn for a day where you can argue about marginal tax rights . I sure do. Right . Yeah, that would be fabulous. And at the risk of self parody, one way to think about American Politics from 1933 until 2017, at the moment youre talking about is that it was a figurative debate between fdr and reagan, right . We argued about the relative role of the state in the marketplace, the relative projection forced against commonly agreed upon foes and rivals. And every president from fdr, through president obama, governed within that conversation. I sure do. Right . Yeah, that would be fabulous. And at the risk of self parody, one way to think about American Politics from 1933 until 2017, at the moment youre talking about is that it was a figurative debate between fdr and reagan, right . We argued about the relative role of the state in the marketplace, the relative projection forced against commonly agreed upon foes and rivals. And every president from fdr, through president obama, governed within that conversation. It was not a conversation that solved all the problems, it was not a conversation that, it was always what we need to do. It was a coherent one. And thats what we need to restore. John, i will tell you this i have a 14yearold son on a High School Debate team, and i hear more thoughtful productive debate on Policy Issues from he and his teammates, than i do covering u. S. Politics five nights a week. That is sad. But next year, we do have an opportunity to change that. Great to see you, merry christmas, and good haircut, jon, you look great tonight. You too. Hes a twotime nba champion and wildly successful sports commentator, needless to say, he has accomplished a lot in his career. Kenny the jet smith shares all the lessons he learned, in hopes of inspiring others. One of new yorks best joins us when we come back, and the 11th hour continues. I got this 1,000 camera for only 41 on dealdash. Dealdash. Com, online auctions since 2009. This Playstation 5 sold for only 50 cents. This ipad pro sold for less than 34. And this nintendo switch, sold for less than 20. I got this Kitchenaid Stand Mixer for only 56. I got this bbq smoker for 26 bucks. And shipping is always free. Go to dealdash. Com right now and see how much you can save. One small smoothie is 14. 63, please. 14 girl, what is you doing . But making smoothies is such a hassle. Not with blendjet. Whats going on . Shhhh. Hold that thought. Just pour in some milk, throw in some frozen fruit, and in 20 seconds youve got yourself a nutritiou and delicious smoothie. Mmm tastes just like the ones they sell here. And for a whole lot less. Im ruined. Awww. Kick your expensive Smoothie Bar Habit to the curb. Order yours now at blendjet. Com. Hi, im tali and i lost 85 pounds on golo. Order yours now upbeat music i started golo because i was unhealthy due to my weight. The minute i started taking the golo release, i knew it was working. I was not hungry, and i did not have any cravings. Since losing weight with golo, im healthier now than ive ever been, and my doctor is thrilled. Golo is so much more than weight loss, its gonna give you your life back. As we look back on 2023, its important to keep space for the lessons we learned long away. Earlier this year, i sat down with nba superstar, kenny the jet smith, we talked about a lot. Including his new memoir, top of the champions, stories of the people who made me. Watch this. What inspired you to write this book . Well, its a permanent seat in that writing that is different from what we just talked about. I think what inspired me is that i read a lot of self help books. Whats your favorite one . Im all of the dummy books. Dummies for this. How do you do this . Self help. Purpose driven was a really good one that i read as well but its always from one person s point of view. And i just realized how much i was around greatness. And so instead of chapter one, two, three, four, its a chapter named after specific people that were great that inspired me. I realized i had access to that i almost took for granted. I wish i had all that information at 20 years old. And now, im gonna share to the world, to my kids, really, as well, so they cannot be inspired to do great things. Youve done a lot more than been a player, in a broadcaster. Social justice has really played a role in who we see you, even over the last few years. When you think back to when you are a player versus now. Could you have ever seen, in your playing days, athletes having the ability to stand up and speak out on issues that matter, like they do today . Yes, and its funny, because in the book, i credit charles as giving me the voice. Hes always had a voice. Hes always had a voice. Hes the most interesting person because even when he was a player, i noticed that in the locker room, they would ask him about pop culture, politics, religion, instead of just the game. And so he brought that to our show. I credit him, honestly, with giving me that platform, to not just be a sports figure, but be a citizen and talk about different things. And so, yes, it has always been there, but it had only been for certain people and certain players. Hes a big reason why that is happening today, because of what he had done. But youve done more than just weighed in on different topics. Youve given a piece of yourself. When you walked off the set after a police shooting, it was like you didnt have the words, you are emotional, how hard was that for you to break through that barrier . Thats where the book started. Because when i walked off the set, after the george floyd, i said, you know what, i dont think i should talk about it. I should join the march. Thats what it was an echo that was telling me today that. I didnt know why. I thought about all the different people that had influenced my life to get me to that moment. Were you afraid to make a move like that . No, i wasnt. I think when youre doing something that you feel is correct, you dont ask for anyones approval. You dont feel fearful. You never have that fear, no matter how powerful you are, of, i could get fired after that, i could lose everything . No, because in the moment, youre doing what you think is right. George floyds death, you said, kind of started this whole thing for you. But the book is also lessons for your children, this is for your children. You wrote something in the book that i think impacted lots of us. The time you had with your family, your five children, during the pandemic. How important was that, as somebody who has spent so much of his career, so much of his life on the road . Yeah, covid obviously, with all the detrimental things that it was doing, it was also slowing us down. And so my older kids who are in college, or living in the area, everyone just said we will stay in one home. And they all came back. And so with covid, what i looked at it as, from a positive standpoint, it allows you to look around the house, and see what needed to be fixed. You know what thats like. I didnt realize that the paint was chipped, but also parallel it to your life. You also started to say, man, that relationship that i didnt have, i need to nurture, i need to express. It was a fixing process, it was a doityourself home project for those months. And i think thats where i also started to see stories about myself, their grandparents, their cousins, that they had no idea. That i just experienced it, and i took for granted that they knew. And thats when it spurred the thought process. I always felt like i could write a good article about my life, but i didnt know i could write a book. Well, you did. Thank you. Thank you. There it is. How special is your relationship with these other three men . Part of the magic of the show is we feel like we know you. We watch you and we see the love, the respect, the admiration you have for one another. We have a lot of fun, firstly. As much as you see me pushing shaq into a christmas tree, as much as you see me one of the greatest tv moments ever. Ever. But you learn. Thats why i wrote in the book about them. You learn so much from them. We talked about the voice of charles. How many advertisements can one man could be on in one day . And i asked shaq, this is what i asked him, how can you be on this do you feel like its oversaturation . He goes, kenny, we have a short window. I said, yeah, but you do a lot of endorsements. He said, no, no, i do partnerships. He explained, i do partnerships, so now they give back. Its just a great businessman as well. People take for granted. Who is the fastest at racing to the board . Im the fastest. Would everybody say that . Its only news if i lose. Me winning is never news. Its always kenny lost, its never they want. Think about that. Interesting. Its only kenny lost. Your last message, for every kid, for every team watching this who whether they want to be a professional basketball player, they want to be a broadcaster, they idolized you, what do you want them to know . Be a good listener. I hear the echo of my mom saying that. Kenny, listen, just listen. Because listening, Everyone Wants to be heard. I want to be heard, i want to tell you what i have to say. But being a good listener allows you to have empathy, even when you are not sympathetic. And you can say, oh, i understand why that person is like that. Thats the biggest lesson i learned from my mom and my dad, being a listener is more important than getting your point across sometimes. Special thanks again to kenny smith, and for you at and on that note i wish you very good night. From all colleagues across the networks at nbc news, thank you for staying up late. Happy holidays to you and your family. Family that video snowballed into this big mystery, and your family is right in the middle of it. That for you snowballed kelsey would never, ever have abandoned her baby into this big mystery, and your family is like right in the middle of it. Kelsey could never, ever have abandoned her baby. Never. Im trying to find a missing