Election was stolen from trump, and Senator Ron Johnson of wisconsin whom trump praised for getting to the bottom of things. The notes pointing to trumps perceived Coup Accomplices are now in the hands of those members peers in the House Oversight and reform committee, which is investigating trumps efforts to overturn his defeat. The extraordinary new window into conversations with top Justice Department officials and the expresident represent fresh Smoking Gun Evidence of Trumps Abuse of power and frantic efforts to cling to power at all costs. The notes illuminate a well worn theme of the trump presidency, the expresident s imperviousness to facts. The times writes this, the officials also told Trump The Justice Department had no evidence to support a lawsuit regarding the Election Results. We are not in a position based on the evidence, they said. We can only act on the actual evidence developed. Trump then cass at this gat cas. He said people are angry blaming the doj for inaction. You guys may not be following the internet The Way i do, trump said, according to the document. That guy following the internet controlled our nuclear arsenal. The notes reveal the Power Struggle atop doj had been put into motion as well as trumps attempts to order up an investigation into Hundredor Biden, unprecedented access into contemporaneous notes that Detail Donald trumps campaign to corrupt his own doj and overthrow the Election Result is where we start this hour. Katie benner is here, New York Times Justice Department Reporter And Msnbc contributor. That was her reporting we read at the top. Harry lipton joins us, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General And Katie benner, i will read more from the piece. First, your reaction to seeing these contemporaneous notes from these officials you covered and wrote about at the time to now see in their own words what they were writing down as trump gave them direction. Your thoughts . I had two immediate responses. One i was really struck by how similar this conversation was to the conversation that trump had with the president of ukraine when he was asking him to announce an investigation to Hundredor Biden to undermine bidens campaign. He didnt necessarily want the investigations conducted. He just wanted them announced. Very similarly he understood that an official statement from any entity with any sort of gravitas would carry with it a message so disruptive and, two, i was struck by how much insight we have into conversations between a president and his cabinet. The Justice Department never wants to release that information. There is the spector revealing sensitive conversations that hold people up to scrutiny that no Executive Branch wants. The Justice Department has told congress and others because of circumstances, the context of the investigation and they can look at whether or not the president was trying to subvert the democratic process. This is so unusual. The other thing that is so remarkable, you have kevin Mccarthys Caucus not just obstructing accountability for a president who put all their lives in danger and mike pences life in danger and his familys, but theyre smearing the witnesses of the select committee investigating January 6th and other than the political depravity i do sometimes wonder whats behind it. In Donald Trumps mind his Coup Accomplices as communicated to acting Attorney General rosen and richard donoghue, does this put new scrutiny on them . It certainly does give People Reason to scrutinize congress and whether or not lawmakers were working with the congress but i do need to point out that in thames of jordans and Johnsons Office they put out statements denying any knowledge of this. They say they were never involved in any attempts to subvert the results of the election. I will remine everybody that Congressman Perry was working closely with an official inside the Justice Department in order to get the department to announce Investigation Noose Voter fraud all other officials deemed completely invalid after investigating themselves. Congressman perry was involved with mr. Clark and his he was to make some sort of announcement that would have impacted the results of the election. Harry, i want to read more from katies reporting but i want your first reaction to just seeing the other echo to The Call was the meetings to let flynn go. There was never a moment where the president of the united states operated as though his Justice Department and fbi were there to protect the country. They were always there to protect him. And so thats an unvarying thru line. I like Katies Point of the analogy to ukraine here. It is trumps m. O. , first the people are talking and any port in a storm. The acting Attorney General here, but that is not a high level official. The one through a period that trump now turns to to make this happen and, by The Way, it couldnt have been more flagrantly improper. The exact thing the Department Of Justice never can do is simply announce something corrupt without taking action. They must file a lawsuit based on evidence. Nothing here, probably no lawsuit to bring. Again, just give me that talking point. And who are the folks . This is the first fruit of what will be a very large harvest from the department of Justice Opinion two days ago saying theres no Executive Privilege. They are going to call to testify richard donoghue. He put down congressional colleagues. He has no reason to not answer. The cloak has been taken away. This will be amplified and a lot more where this came from. Let me add to our conversation, my friend Nbc News and msnbc National Affairs analyst, also the Host And Executive producer of show times The Circus just nominated for an emmy as well as a podcast. Ive just lost sound. Can you hear me now . Yes, its okay. Okay. So, john, when you read through the reporting here and you hear Harrys Analysis and the parallels, your reaction . My reaction is this is the 1. 27 million shocking from our time together, nicolle, talking about Donald Trump. From any other president in any other circumstance we would be having coronaries and yet from Donald Trump of course this was the case. Related to Trump And Bill barr, i dont know how many weeks ago we had the news broken about the last exchanges, we know what trump was doing from November 7th on ward. Frustrated over the fact Bill Barr wouldnt do what he wanted to do. Now hes reaching out to what he thinks now are more pliable lackies asking them to confirm his version and the last thing, to harrys point, the last thing in the world he wants is for the Justice Department to actually i mean, of course he would love them to file a lawsuit. He does not want them to follow want them to follow norms or precedent. What he wants is that phrase which is just Leave It to me and my colleagues and my enablers and my allies in congress is the Way Trump looked at everything with respect to the rule of law. Dont worry about the rule of law, norms, what the Justice Department has ever done in the past. Just Leave It to me could be Donald Trumps the epitaph for Donald Trumps presidency. I am, of course, stunned that these things took place and yet utterly unsurprised. This is a perfect, be like so many things, a perfect encapsulation how Donald Trump thought of his whole presidency but in this moment of great desperation were learning more and more about this crucial period leading up to the insurrection. I take Katies Point that a couple of these Members Trump named and mr. Donoghue recorded his names in his notes from this call denied they were involved. Thats a narrow denial. 11 days after The Call there was a deadly insurrection of the united States Capitol and i wonder if Liz Cheneys Constant Agitation is cast in a new light that trump saw him in the coup. There are so many questions about Jim Jordan who went and got his private medal in a private ceremony at the white House Someone did all of the questions that Jim Jordan needs to answer. Someone may remember it might have been Sydney Blumenthal who wrote a column in The Guardian and went on with the factual questions that need to be asked. I pray he has made a witness because its clear that, yes, its a narrow denial. I would be happy to believe none of these members of congress were stupid enough to put a Phone Call to do what Donald Trump did. Im sure they knew enough to cover their own asses to not make that Phone Call because even the dumbest ones have 20 Iq Points on trump. The fact that they werent directly pressuring the Department Of Justice is almost meaningless in the context of what this reporting reflects which is that trump, again, didnt want anything from the Justice Department. All he wanted was to make a statement that would allow him to have running on his completely madeup claims of the fact the election was corrupt and, again, i think the sighting of Jim Jordan, if investigators were not interested in not knowing his role this should take their degree of interest up another couple of notches. And the Imperative Nature of getting that man under oath including a subpoena if necessary if he ignores or resists the subpoena i think is essential to figuring out. He was in the middle of something and we only know partially what he was in the middle of. I want to know more. And Harry Litman, john is asserting they were not dumb enough to Mettle Meddle in the Justice Department but whose job is to look at all the things congressional allies were doing to undermine the Election Result that days later resulted in the deadly insurrection . Right now its the select committee. It will be the Department Of Justice. Donoghue is not alone on this call. I agree with john but also jordan my try to resist. But by that time if they play it right and all indications are theyre thoughtful and strategic theyll have had not just donoghue but three or four other people who were on The Call and they will have laid a case that will be really damning of jordan. If he wants to refuse then, it will look all the worse for him. I think they have other ways to at least surface the investigation about jordan and colleagues, plural, how donoghue wrote it. And then if they try tomorrow exotic claim in court and even want to delay it the political cost to them is not zero as it was during the trump years. Katie, can you expand on your understanding of the decision to turnover over these notes, of Phone Calls between the president and top Doj Officials. I ask that in the spirit you and others have made. Donald trumps efforts to corrupt his Justice Department are a through line through his entire presidency. Is it the heinousness of the January 6 insurrection and the ongoing threat of extremism that makes this Flash Point the one that they say everything between the president and his cabinet is Fair Game or is it a broader look at attempts to corrupt doj . Merrick garlands Justice Department is extremely measured in all things. They do not measure the events that were so dramatic for so much of the country. They look at things on a Casebycase Basis, they look at things on a Casebycase Basis depending on what the investigatory request is and they say while privilege is usually almost always granted, it is granted in order to benefit the entire nation. It is supposed to be a benefit to the american people. In the case of the Senate Judiciary Investigation into the final days of the Trump Administration and the House Oversight into the final days of the administration. They say they want to know things that are not about a President Acting on behalf of the country but acting on behalf of himself in which case it is no longer appropriate to exert privilege. So, harry, i want to press you on this and read you more from katies Reporting On The Donoghue notes. During the Call Trump also told the Justice Department officials to, quote, figure out what to do with Hunter Biden. Bidens son. Violating longstanding guidelines against white House Intervention and criminal investigations or other Law Enforcement actions. Before he was telling Doj To investigate Hunter Biden he was telling them to investigate mccabe and before that struck and before that the whistleblower. There is a long history of Donald Trump seeking to politicize criminal investigations. I wonder if that justifies congressional oversight. I will go back to what john said about shocking but not surprising. Even a whisper like that when i was in the department could have given coronaries all up and down the fourth and fifth floor. He had made it very normal. I do think to the question you posed to katie that they are really, really at pains to not set a precedent here, to not have this come back to bite them. They are trying to keep it narrow and in that sense keeping it on the, we hope, singular events of January 6th rather than some other overall corruption over four years by trump. Their real effort is to make this a one off. And that, i think, is the thrust of what theyre saying even though, as katie says, they dont spell it out with footnotes about why here now but not in the future. They want to protect in the future but see a need to get it out there as indeed there is. John, i want your thoughts on that. I am really happy that there is some Sun Light in the final acts of this president. Im happy the notes are in the hands of the bipartisan committee, oversight committees. But i am distressed that the same transparency as a disinfectant is not being considered for seizing the Phone Records of everyone from Don Mcgahn to Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell that there isnt a desire to have a better understanding how Bill Barr politicized the 23month investigation into his campaigns ties with russia. The abuses are too many to tick off here and we still dont know everything about who was involved. And where the president s interventions may have impaced criminal investigations. Nicolle, its so rare ive been on a segment where ive heard you say were talking about Donald Trump and you say Im Happy about anytocng and su. Im happy followed by something related to trump. Its staggering. It must be friday and someone has been in the Liquor Cabinet before the show. Here is what i think. I think that, number one, i think its clear for history this administration, which has already been scrutinized and examined by journalists in a pretty profound way over the course of the last four years will generate more investigative journalism, more books, more things written. I think a lot of the stuff will out eventually. I dont know what is going on inside the doj. Merrick garland has this job and harry, i think, could speak to this from his own perspective. The restoration of morale, the restoration of xe tension, repairing the damage of the last four years is a gargantuan task. I know Merrick Garland takes it seriously. I dont have a window into all or most of the internal work thats being done to try to reckon with what happened along the lines that youre talking about. I do think it is going on to some degree. I think there is a large question and i understand Harrys Argument and the point about needing to preserve and the department is trying to keep this focused on January 6th because it is unprecedented, because it does allow certain kinds of breaks from tradition that are warranted. I do think there is this larger question, the one youre getting at and it would be its one of those things that for the good of not just the long term of the country but for the immediate term we are going to have another president ial election in 2024. It is not a thing that inspires to you say that youre happy. Donald trump may run for president again in 2024. I think its important for the country to have as much transparency as possible to understand what happened in the perversions of the Department Of Justice so that those things can be litigated, small l litigated, and understood as factors that we must all be able to calculate as we potentially face the choice. We, collectively, the country, face the choice of having to determine as an electorate. That may be whats on the ballot in 2024. I think this is something to consider if theyre faced with that choice again. No doubt. Katie, let me give you the last word with a question i have. Is the privilege not protecting conversations between trump and his top Justice Department officials expected to pertain to other cabinet officials should trumps calls for general milley or other Cabinet Members become of interest to congressional investigators . Insofar as the investigators are asking questions whether he was working to subvert democracy, to overturn the valid results of the election, you can imagine this opinion would stand for other officials because it was made in conjunction with the White House counsels office. It will be interesting to see who was actually call as a witness. I think going forward we want to be watching for a couple of things. One, whether or not Donald Trump himself moves to block any testimony. You can imagine that he could sue as a private citizen now he would be paying the legal bills himself. It would be interesting whether or not he actually does that. If he does not we could expect a lot of information to come out far more quickly than it has come out in the past for years because trump was so good at using the apparatus of government to slow investigations and stop them. Now that he is not in office and with the possibility that he may not sue to stop anything, we could be in an era where we are learning a lot of things all at once. We cant know yet what the Justice Department will ultimately do with that information. Katie, were grateful you are on the beat. Thank you for starting us off with your great reporting. John heilemann is not going anywhere. The other big shoe to drop late this afternoon. Major news in the long, long wait to get a look at trumps taxes. The new exposure he faces unable, as katie is describing, to hide behind the apparatus of government. Plus, the voting Rights Crisis at a Breaking Point. Leaders to Move On legislation that will try to stave off the assault on Democracy And President Biden Yesterday at this time said protecting everyone from covid is a matter of life and death. Were learning more about the science. The cdc urging new messaging acknowledging The War against covid has changed. All those stories and more after quick break. We did it again. Verizon has been named americas most reliable network by rootmetrics. And our customers rated us 1 for Network Quality in america according to j. D. Power. Number one in reliability, 16 times in a row. Most awarded for Network Quality, 27 times in a row. Proving once again that nobody builds networks like verizon. Thats why were building 5g right, thats why theres only one best network. He looked after his community. She built an empire. Fought for his people. Protected this nation. They are the heroes in my family. Who are the heroes in yours . This is the sound of change from pnc bank. Its the sound of low Cash Mode, giving you the options and extra time needed to help you avoid an overdraft fee. Low Cash Mode on virtual wallet from pnc bank. One way were making a difference. Im dads greatest Sandcastle Virand greatest memory bank. But even im not as memorable as eating Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream with real cocoa. Well, thats The Way the sandcastle crumbles. You Cant Beat Turkey hill memories. Show me the olympics. [ Buglers Dream playing ] guys, are you tired of frequent nighttime Bathroom Trips . Well, Force Factor Prostate contains key ingredients to help reduce urges to urinate, fully empty your bladder, and promote a normal prostate size. Dont settle. Rush to walmart for Force Factor Prostate, from the 1 fastestgrowing Mens Health Brand in america. The department of Justice Today out with another stunning decision now insisting that the irs must release Donald Trumps Income Tax returns to congress. That decision is a reversal from the position they took in 2019, and it brings the american people one step closer to the truth in a multiyear effort to clear up questions about Donald Trumps finances. House Speaker Pelosi on the importance of the Decision Today saying this. Access to former President Trumps Tax Returns is a matter of National Security. The american people deserve to know the facts of his troubling Conflicts Of Interest and undermining of our Security And Democracy as president. John heilemann and Harry Litman are back. Harry, first, this was an olc opinion. And garland is basically saying they got it wrong. Our friend Joyce Vance posts a provocative question. What else might they have gotten wrong . Its a good illustration on the Point John was making between Balancing Transparency and empowering the Rank And File but also making the policy changes. This is a Big One and, by The Way, they did get it wrong. This really seems like a dubious opinion. The law is crystal clear the chair of the House Ways And Means Committee says can i have this please and the law says you shall give it to them. The law doesnt even say you need a valid legislative purpose. Some people suggest that but if you did the doj found it and plainly there is and its interesting that pelosi. Many could have stated she was the very one they were citing before, it couldnt be more clear the old opinion was wrong. The reason you needed it before was to investigate these Conflicts Of Interest. A legitimate thing for congress to do for that reason. Theres no Wriggle Room at all and it was a wrong and i daresay political opinion by the predecessor doj. Were back where we started, the politicalization of the doj. Inspector horowicz is looking into it. The only major ig, i believe, the expresident didnt fire. But we wish him the best in his probe. I want to read you the context of the original congressional request because there were so many avenues and efforts Donald Trump sought to block scrutiny of his finances. One was calling it a Red Line for mueller. Another for people investigating tis company. This was pretty specific. Let me read you this from nbcs reporting. Congressman Richard Neal asked for the Tax Information in april of 2019. Citing a federal law that requires treasury and the irs to turn over individual Tax Returns when demanded by any of the three congressional tax committees. The Trump Administration refused to provide the documents arguing congress had no legitimate Law Making Purpose for seeking them and was hoping to find something that would embarrass the president. The office said that earlier analysis went astray failing to give a coordinate branch of government the Respect And Deference it was due. Question for you. It does show how out of whack the Relationship And Power dynamic came between the executive Branch And Congress whether it was looking for the expresident s taxes, looking for testimony in the mueller probe. Trump yanked all the power into that sort of center of his white House And Cabinet agencies. Obviously over time, and weve seen this across both parties, the irrigation of power, your boss was a champion of that, nicolle, barack obama, did it, too. And one of the things that for scholars of congress and longstanding members of the House And Senate its been a source of dismay, domestic and foreign for 20, 30 years. And trump took the in this case, that existing trend and put it on steroids and put it to a malicious and selfserving purpose. The law that Chairman Neal was citing in 2019 Youll Recall the timing around that, the reason why the house wanted to get a look at Donald Trumps taxes was because the Mueller Report had not been was just we just had mueller barrs interpretation. We saw the full xhuler report. The questions related to Donald Trumps money to his income, to whether there were things in the Tax Returns that would show some connections to russia and other foreign governments were pertinent then as matters of public policy, the reasons, the questions that arose arose in a way suggestive of why we expect, though theres no law to this effect and there should be that people who run for president have to turn over their Tax Returns. Thats been a tradition because we want to know if there are foreign entanglements, route out corruption. There was a legitimate purpose and had nothing to do with finding out things embarrassing for Donald Trump. There was a law that supported it, a clear law, as harry said. This was not a hard call and yet it was made wrongly,a political way, and it does, again, i think its all for the good well get to see his Tax Returns now. We dont know whats in them. It would have been a lot better for the american people if we had been able to get the information when it was pertinent to his presidency. If there werent any Conflicts Of Interest or Speaker Pelosi suggested National Security concerns it would have been better for the expresident to disclose his taxes. After this battle with congress there was only theres a vast reporting how leveraged his companies are, about how much debt he was in by the end, more and more questions about efforts to sort of pursue economic opportunity in russia. The picture grew worse for him not better. Totally. And what they tried to say about that at the time, that is just investigating. Hello, thats a big part of what congress does. You need to be adjunct to a law. Should congress pass a law saying all president ial candidates have to disclose their taxes, thats certainly part of the business here. There are six ways from sunday it was legitimate to have these records and incidentally as a prosecutor its where you would always start when you were looking into Conflicts Of Interest. They had no leg to stand on. Mnuchin was armed to just stonewall, and it was one of the many things as john said that just kind of happened. They had to go on to the next battle and now it falls either to the congress or historians to ferret it out. We should have known it then. Better late than never. This is going to be another real treasuretrove of information. Under the law its secret and not make it public. Well see whether congress somehow winds up leaking the information or not. But they have a right to it immediately, and the doj did the right thing here. Harry litman, john heilemann, Im Happy to get to talk to both of you about these two huge Breaking News stories. Always happy to see you both. When we come back the fight for access at the Ballot Box is moving along on Capitol Hill while those across the country are taking the fight for democracy on the road. The very latest on both fronts is next. Is next. Has plans built just for you. Switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. And now get netflix on us. Its all included with 2 lines for only 70 bucks only at tmobile. Usaa is made for the safe pilots. For mac. Who can come to a stop with barely a bobble. Lucia. Who announces her intentions even if No Ones there. And sgt moore. Who leaves room for her room. With usaa safepilot, when you drive safe. You can save up to 30 on your auto insurance. Get a quote and start saving. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. Millions of vulnerable americans struggle to get reliable transportation to their medical appointments. Thats why i started medhaul. Citi launched the Impact Fund to invest in both women and entrepreneurs of color like me, so i can realize my vision and give everything ive got to my company, and my community. I got you. For the love of people. For the love of community. For the love of progress. Citi. If youre 55 and up, tmobile has plans built just for you. Switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. And now get netflix on us. Its all included with 2 lines for only 70 bucks only at tmobile. Democrats are coming together to confront the voting Rights Crisis. Just as it nears a Breaking Point in washington, d. C. , and all across the Country Sheila Jacksonlee was arrested last night at a d. C. Voting rights protest. She becomes the third democratic lawmaker to be arrested in as many weeks. That was ahead of a meeting that concluded within the last hour between president Joe Biden and the top democrats in congress. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer And Nancy pelosi to discuss their parties efforts to finally put together and pass major federal Voting Rights legislation, legislation urgently needed given the intensifying state by State Assault on elections. One of the main battlegrounds, texas. Were alm aware of the democratic lawmakers who fled their state in order to block voting restrictions from being enacted there. They now face increasing Pressure But Today in a Press Conference they also expressed optimism that they are making progress in washington after their testimony yesterday on Capitol Hill. I know our federal lawmakers have heard us. The republican congressmen may not have liked it but they heard us. They heard us when we told them how their colleagues are making it harder than ever to vet. They will remember as new proposals give us the Voter Protection we need when our right to vote and we must go all out and all in to do whats necessary. Joining us now the reverend al sharpton, host of Politics Nation and president of the national Action Network and my friend former Rnc Chairman Michael Steele. I want to say this about the texas lawmakers. Ive interviewed a few of them on the program. They changed the conversation by saying we dont need anything thats been drafted. What we need is one inch. We need something more than nothing. Do you feel that way and are you optimistic something will get done . I do share that something may be done. On Wednesday Martin Luther King iii and i met with the delegation from texas. We also met with the Majority Leader Schumer and pelosi and we met with Manchin And Lindsey graham, a whole host of people. Im starting to see at least on the democratic side theres a determination to see something done. He met with eight democrats trying to frame something and i think all of that started with these texas legislators who made the sacrifice to come to washington and stay out of texas to make sure they could not have a Quorum And Ram rod these bills through. We have an opportunity for the democrats to unite around some common sense proposals like theyre talking about making sure we extend early voting and protect the fact that you cant nullify voting with the County Committees or the election authorities. Whenever they come up we have to deal with will we get around the 60 vote and that is going to be what is most critical which is why we must keep rallying all over the country and August 28 in washington with a mass march. Michael steele, this isnt a process problem, though. This is a problem of passion because the same washington in which this president passed with only his own party transformational legislation under the banner of the covid relief and the infrastructure package, those were just as difficult. There was a will there and my question for you is do you seep see the same will preventing peoples votes from being nullified by whats happening in georgia, which is the Nightmare Scenario that states Voter Suppression Law rigged who counts the votes . Whose will are you talking about . Sure there is. Is the will among the republicans . I havent seen it yet. Even in the space of what the democrats the work because the reality of it is as the Rev Put on the table despite the optimism theres still the reality that requires the work. The reality is 60 votes and the work is how do you get that . I was laughing and listening to the rev, im going to come off as the radical one. But i think we should be there should be not just August 28th, i mean there should be a concerted national effort. People need to understand this is fundamental. There is no republic if theres no vote. If any State Legislature can make it harder for one citizen, let alone a community of citizens to access the Ballot Box. Behind the will that passion will provoke the work and i think for me at least and im in the voting space, i work with a number of other nonprofits and others in the space and thats the animating principle. When the citizens are looking their legislators in the eye, nicolle, and telling them dont you get this wrong, because your name will be on that ballot, that you think im not going to access come next november. And i change the nature of the will that gets you the 60 votes you need. Im over here with radical Michael Steele on this one. I think youre being too nice. If you dont do this this will be the last you ever see as a federal government. If you dont protect the right to vote there will never be anything. If you dont protect the right to vote we will never have democratic majorities in the House And Senate again ever and those are the stakes leaving the 389 Voter Suppression and Voter Nullification laws racing through 48 states on the books which is what happens if there isnt federal action. Is it time to get meaner . You wont think im too nice when we get finished with were in georgia and organizing. You always give people the opportunity to expose themselves so when you do come with the meanness, people can say they tried to negotiate, tried to talk to you and we always try to have conversations before confrontation. Confrontation is coming. You are talking about people talking about whether they will protect the right to vote. We want them to be real clear which is why before we go in to georgia and other places we went and sat with manchin. We went and sat with lindsey graham. You are not going to protect our right to vote then when we come back and say even to the democrats we did not elect you to come here and have no backbone in washington. We dont hear anything other than our right to vote because we cant get the George Floyd Bill or anything else. You cant say you didnt give us a chance. We came and heard you all. Either you will act or were going to act and the action comes now. Thats why Melanie Campbell and others in texas. The Voting Rights act in the first place. You had the carolinas, dr. King in alabama dealing with selma. It has always been different actions that led up to the ultimate move. So this is scientifically organized. You dont start with rage. You build that rage up to achieving something so youre not having a fit, youre having a movement. Up toward achieving something so youre not having a fit, you are having a movement. I could listen to you guys all day. The reverend al sharp ton, Michael Steele, thank you so much. Up next for us, alarming new data about the Delta Variant putting hard evidence behind the move this week on Mask Mandates and the need to rapidly boost vaccinations in america. Our expert weighs in next. Limu Emu Doug oh are you using liberty Mutuals Coverage Customizer tool . Sorry . Well, since you asked. It finds discounts and policy recommendations, so you only pay for what you need. Limu, youre an animal whos got the Bird Legs now . Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Ive got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Now, theres skyrizi. Things are getting clearer. I feel free to bare my skin yeah, thats all me. Nothing and me go Hand In Hand Nothing on my skin, thats my new plan. Nothing is everything. Achieve clearer skin with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months. Of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. And skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. 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Low Cash Mode on virtual wallet from pnc bank. The cdc now out with new findings about the highly contagious Delta Variant and the threat that it poses to both the vaccinated and unvaccinated. The cdc warns that Health Officials must acknowledge that, quote, The War has changed as the Delta Variant ravages its way through the country according to internal documents first reported by the washington post. The report shows the variant is much more contagious than Chicken Pox and is likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines. Joining our conversation, dr. Patel, former of obama white House Policy Director and msnbc medical contributor. Tell me, i think theres a really motional reaction to this. The vaccines were the Answer And Breakthrough infection sounds scary. What do they actually mean . Yeah, nicolle, it is the right question to ask. So, number one, the vaccines are our way out of this, we just didnt get enough people vaccinated and the existence of Breakthrough Infections are a reflection how serious the Delta Variant is. You can see the breakthrough in cases, 74 cases in Cape Cod were in breakthrough of all vaccine types. Here is the good news, only four people were hospitalized and zero deaths. The positive message is that the vaccine saves us from dying and going to the hospital, and i think what is Nerve Wracking is that you can give it to someone else if you get a breakthrough infection, particularly an unvaccinated individual who is at higher risk of being hospitalized and dying compared to me who is vaccinated. Can you tell us what other countries that may have seen the arrival of the Delta Variant before we did look like now . I mean what is the trajectory of the Delta Variant in this country . Will it forestall return to school . Will it make backtowork plans get shelved . Yeah. So israel, the uk, we have other untries that have given us experience. What weon measures work, preventing large indoor crowds, masks, limiting any of the kind of indoor activities that could lead to more exposure and high, high risk areas. That actually works. We have seen a decline. The united kingdom, india even is having a decline in cases. Were trying to parse that out, but what it means is we will return to school. We will not have a vaccine for our kids under the age of 12, and we have to accept, if we cant get more americans vaccinated we cant hit at looeg 70 to 80 of the country thats eligible to be vaccinated we will have to keep doing this whackamole. It will be surge after surge, smaller magnitudes but we will see increases in cases. The worst, nicolle, is if we dont get vaccinated, which is where we are now, half of our country, we are allowing for the delta and the zeta and all of the letters after this to come forward because we have something that could prevent it. Think of our Vaccine Rate amongst adults as our wall of immunity to protect our children, but we have to create that wall of immunity as fast as possible. Dr. Kavita patel, thank you so much for spending time with us today as the Story Stays with us. Were grateful that you do, too. The next hour of deadline White House starts after a quick break. Dont go anywhere. We are just getting started. Sta. Cancel. I havent left the house in a year. Nothing will stop me from vacation. No canceling. Flexible cancellation. Kayak. Search one and done. struggling Vehicle Sounds flexible cancellation. Think Premium Cant be capable . Think again. energetic music introducing the first ever at4 lineup. Premium and capable. Thats professional grade from gmc. Someone once told me, that i should get used to people staring. So i did. Its okay, you can stare. When youre a twotime gold medalist, it comes with the territory. If youre 55 and up, tmobile has plans built just for you. Switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. And now get netflix on us. Its all included with 2 lines for only 70 bucks only at tmobile. So what i ask from you all is to get to the bottom of what happened, and that includes, like i echoed the sentiments of all of the other officers sitting here. I use an analogy to describe what i want as a hitman. If a hitman is hired and he kills somebody, the hitman goes to jail. But not only does the Hitman Go To Jail but the person who hired them does. There was an attack carried out on January 6th and a hitman sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that. Hi again, everyone. It is 5 00 in the east. Those words from Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn during the first hearing of the January 6th select committee should serve as a Mission Statement for anyone in congress investigating what happened on January 6th and the monthslong Coup Attempt that led to the deadly insurrection. Questions are growing by the day about who knew what and when and what Role Gop members of congress played in the monthslong campaign by the expresident to overturn the Election Result. Just today there is fresh evidence showing how trump tried to get the doj involved in a conspiracy to toss out the 2020 election. It seemed to involve republican members of congress as well, at least in trumps telling. The House Oversight Committee Released Notes from a former Doj Official that describe the December 27th Phone Call in which trump urged Doj To, quote, just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the republican congressmen. One of the congressmen later mentioned by trump on that call as a, quote, fighter is Jim Jordan, who has already been named by Liz Cheney as a potential Material Witness for the January 6th select committee bought of his ties to the disgraced expresident. Now watch him stumble when he is asked if he talked to trump on January 6th. Did you speak with President Trump on January 6th . Yeah, i mean i speak i spoke with the president last week, i speak with the president all the time. I spoke with him on January 6th. On January 6th did you speak with him before, during or after the capitol was attacked . I would have to go i i i spoke with him that day after, i think after. I dont know if i spoke with him in the morning or not. I just dont know. I would have to go back. I mean i dont i dont know that when those conversations happened. I dont know, i just dont know. Alabama Republican Mo brooks, remember him . Hes the guy that told the crowd at the rally before the attack on the capitol, quote, start taking down names and kicking ass. He told a reporter that he wore Body Armor to the rally because of is a tip he received about potential violence. All of this before the republican Disinformation Machine kicked into gear to distract from a dose of reality provided by this weeks hearing. Republicans tried to blame Nancy Pelosi for security failures, even though she is not responsible for securing the u. S. Capitol. A few tried to pull a stunt in defense of the actual insurrectionists on thursday, getting turned away from a prison holding the January 6th suspects. The gops antics in the face of a serious and bipartisan investigation into the insurrection has republican Peggy Newnan of the Wall Street Journal Warning Fellow republicans that, quote, they have put their party on the wrong side of reality. When House Republican Leader Kevin Mccarthy called the two republicans on the panel, ms. Cheney and representative adam kinzinger, pelosi republicans he looked unserious and stupid. He breathed more oxygen into crazytown theories of a stolen election and, again, propped up mr. Trump whose support in the party is broad, true, but also shallow. Her advice, nail this story down. Nail everyone involved. Then, and only then, Move On. Republican complicity in trumps attempts to overthrow a democracy is where we begin this hour. Joining us is Congressman Gerry connolly of virginia. Also joining us neil kotiel, and lucky for us an Msnbc Contribu national chairman of the serve america movement. Congressman, i want to play something i played this week because in light of these sort of the freeing up of some of these notes between top Doj Officials and the expresident , it feels like the answer to this question you asked may become known. Let me play that again. I cant imagine a more critical question. Did you have conversations prior to January 6th with the president of the united states urging you to question or overturn or challenge the Election Results of 2020 . Thats a simple question. By The Way, no executive no Executive Privilege has been invoked prior to this hearing and your testimony, and you have known you were coming here for over a month. Congressman, respectfully, i understand your interest in the issue and i have tried to be as forthcoming as i can with regard to the facts of the Department Of Justice. When you ask me about communications with the president , i as a lawyer dont get to make the decision on whether i can reveal private conversations. Other people make that decision. Congressman, Attorney General Merrick Garland has made that decision for mr. Rosen. What do you think about what you have seen so far in the form of mr. Donohoghues notes . I think it confirms what we have experienced with mr. Rosen, which is that he weaved and dodged to avoid a direct answer to a very simple and direct question. Remember, we are talking about a tragedy. We are talking about the worst assault on the u. S. Capitol since the british burned it in 1814. Were talking about seven lives being lost, and he hides behind the confidentiality of a conversation, and we now know why he hid behind that confidentiality because the notes of his deputy, mr. Donohue, which were contemporaneous notes, clearly document the fact thats precisely what President Trump was asking him to do, overturn an election by calling it corrupt. Congressman, i wonder, you know, behind every Trump Official who ducks and weaves under direct questions from folks like yourself is someone even worse, and what the notes reveal and the reporting reveals is there was an even worse scenario. There was an individual in Doj Trump was pushing to take over should mr. Rosen who replaced mr. Barr had not heeded his request to declare the result corrupt. I wonder what the scope of your questions are department wide for the Departments Role in that period between the election and the insurrection . Yeah, trumps Modus Operandi was to see the agencies like the Department Of Justice with towedies and sycophants who would do his bidding. Mr. Rosen was apparently trying to resist that, but subsequently, of course, protect the president from the revelation that, in fact, thats what he was about. He was also clearly being threatened with the implied idea that he could be replaced at any time by somebody who would cooperate with Donald Trumps attempt to challenge the legality of a free and fair election. Congressman, mr. Don ohogues Notes Name one senator and known allies of the expresident. Theres a narrow denial from one of the individuals. Mr. Jordans office says mr. Jordan was never involved in a Pressure Campaign at doj, but no denial of the broader effort to overturn the election. I wonder if you share Liz Cheneys assessment that he is a crucial witness in the select Committees Investigation or other congressional probes into January 6th . Yeah. Jim jordan was one of a very elite group in the congress who had virtually daily communication with Donald Trump when he was in the White House and probably has it now. Jim jordan has been one of the Chief Conspirator Purveyors that the election was corrupt and not valid. It stretches credulity to believe he was not privy to Donald Trumps direct attempts to overturn the election and to use the Department Of Justice to do so. So, yes, i believe he is a Material Witness. Whether he will be a reliable witness, will he weave and duck, you know, remains to be seen. But no question his testimony should be demanded and compelled if necessary. Congressman, stay with us. I want to bring into our conversation neil khatiel. What legal recourse does someone like Jim Jordan have if he doesnt want to provide truthful and forthcoming testimony to a congressional hearing investigating the deadly insurrection . He could try to refutures and i suppose it could go to a congressional subpoena and the like. We could see what happens. He could try to file some sort of court case, but the courts have generally said those are political questions they stay out of. Look, i think if he tried to do that, i think everyone would understand what thats about, which is this guy is afraid of telling the truth just as Donald Trump was afraid of telling the truth and why he sent his Justice Department to try to invoke Executive Privilege. I just want to underscore here, nicolle, where you started todays hour. You know, the Reports Today show that the president , President Trump, talked to highranking Justice Department officials and said, quote, just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me. I mean thats peak trump. It is vaguely mafioso, wildly camp and inappropriate outside of a 1980s crime drama. It is ridiculous and underscores the gravity of what this January 6th investigation is all about. Is it illegal, neil . If i could add to that . Go ahead. He didnt just say Leave It to me. He said Leave It to me and the republican congressmen. We have to ask, who do you think he is talking about. Clearly Jim Jordan is one of those people. Jim jordan and Senator Ron Johnson and another member of congress from pennsylvania. Neil, i want to ask you though, is it illegal . I mean we know from Carol Leonnig and phil Ruckers Book that the White House counsel, pat cipollone, was prepared for Donald Trump to be charged with crimes on January 6th. That did not come to pass, but are these new notes about asking the department to they presented evidence that it was a false claim. He then proceeded to demand he declare the Election Result was corrupt and then, quote, Leave It to me, and as the congressman is saying my republican congressmen. Did he break a law . He very well may have. So, nicolle, a crime recalls two things, an illegal act like conspiring to do something and then also the mental state, and the Revelations Today make it look you know, it is not a certain slamdunk and will require more investigation as the January 6th committee and the Justice Department will independently do, but do suggest that what was going on here was an attempt to steal an election. Not because he, like, validly thought he had won the votes. Indeed, it is very hard, you know, by January 5th to come up with anything, even in Donald Trumps, you know, kind of Coocoo Mind that would suggest he genuinely believed this. So the facts here so far reveal it was an attempted coup, an attempt to steal an election and weaponizing the Justice Department in the process. Thats both illegal and pretty much the most unamerican thing you can come up with in your wild imagination. You know, david jolly, i want to bring you into this conversation. Peggy newnan becomes the second woman this week to call Kevin Mccarthy something along the lines of stupid and or a moron. I wonder if thats harsh enough. I mean he is obstructing an investigation into the most serious, the most serious as the congressman said, the most serious and deadly attack against the building it isnt just work in, doesnt just go to work there, and he did less to protect it than people who do, you know, simply go to work there as staffers and other employees. He repeated the lies that incited the violence and now he refuses to join democrats in trying to get to the bottom of it. Yeah, nicolle. I think it would be foolish to expect Kevin Mccarthy to act rationally in this moment. Kevin mccarthy is scared. Jim jordan is scared. Leading republicans are scared of what will ultimately come to light through the January 6th commission, and what i mean by that is what was the political network that supported the events of January 6th that ultimately led to the violent insurrection . Start with the notes that we saw today. It is easy to look at those notes and immediately go to the nixonian Corruption Behavior of Donald Trump to try to use his Department Of Justice to fix and election, but it is far greater than that. What it does is it further establishes the sequence of the plans leading up to January 6th. All right. So Donald Trump the three sequential elements of Donald Trumps culpability for the insurrection was first laying the predicate, the big lie. Second, issuing the invitation, telling people, come to washington on January 6th. Right. A date No One otherwise would have known to come, and then giving the charge when he gave his speech on that day. What we learned from the notes was just preceding the events of January 6th he wanted his Department Of Justice to announce that the election, indeed, was corrupt. Now, the question is, was Donald Trump acting alone in organizing the events that ultimately were going to lead to January 6th . We know it cannot be the case. Ultimately, there was a political network. I think what the commission what the select committee could be doing, and i would defer to the congressman on this, i think it is important to begin to issue subpoenas early because they will be litigated. Republicans are not going to cooperate in this. As we saw in the mcgahn litigation, this can take a long time. I think what you do is you identify a republican member, issue the subpoena, if they dont voluntarily testify, begin the litigation so you can have a precedent so you can begin to subpoena other republican members as well. Congressman, you have been invoked. I wonder if you can speak for your colleagues about when, and if, subpoenas are on their way to some of your colleague . Well, im not on the committee so i dont dare speak for it, but i do believe that a number of members of the committee including republican Liz Cheney have said subpoenas should be issued forcefully, swiftly and enforced. I certainly would echo what both of the other panelists have said. I think it is just essential we get to the bottom of this. I also would echo what was said that i frankly that this is a criminal conspiracy. I believe the contemporaneous notes that were released today by the deputy Attorney General at the time clearly reveal out of Donald Trumps own mouth, the illegal attempt to subvert the Election Results of a free and fair election. It is the most important election we have ever had, president ial election, and his own admission that he has republican allies in congress who will help him assert that the election was corrupt and overturn it. Congressman, should they continue to serve in that body if they were, indeed, part of a criminal conspiracy . I think well have to look at that as we go further down the road. But every one of these complicit members who aided and abetted what i consider to be illegal attempted subversion of an Election Result need to be put under oath and are at pain of perjury if they dont Tell The Truth about their communication and their involvement, their communication with the president and their involvement in this illegal attempt to overturn an election. Wow. It does certainly feel like a reckoning is heading to washington, long overdue for some of us. Congressman, i want to get you on the record on one more topic. The Justice Department has also reversed a decision that will allow The Ways and means Committee Access to the expresident s taxes. What to you is the significance of that . The speaker couched it in terms of National Security. I might have a Minority Point of view about this, but i dont see this as a great victory. I see it as a Signal Failure of the system. The law is very clear that the chairman of The Ways and means committee and the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee are entitled to look at any american citizens tax return, period. Thats the law. It took two years to adjudicate this and to get the Department Of Justice to finally agree that, yeah, youre entitled to see those Tax Returns. Meanwhile, of course, the subject of that inquiry is now out of office. The american people were entitled to know while he was in office, and it might have materially affected, by The Way, the two impeachments, you know, what is in those Tax Returns and were laws broken. Of course, were now going to know it, you know, after the fact, which is better than not knowing it. But the timing is everything here, and that timing was lost because the law was not adhered to. David jolly, i will give you the last word. Yeah, i think were about to learn a lot about the former president , and i think we can expect democrats to continue to seek the truth, republicans continue to obstruct, because at the independent of the day republicans are worried what culpability will be pointed to given their involvement in the events of January 6th and should there be an issue to the president s taxes, how they insulated him and elevated him and protected the american people from that information as well. Congressman Gerry Connolly and david jolly, thank you so much for starting us off this hour. Neil is sticking around for a little longer. When we return, it has always been the Nightmare Scenario, right . These new gop Voter Suppression Laws that also open the door to nullifying votes. In georgia it is about to come true. Republicans are moving closer to taking control of elections in the states most populous county. We will dig deeper into that story next. Plus, would we rather end the pandemic or stay loyal to our political tribes regardless of the number of lives that will be lost . For republicans the answer increasingly seems to be Curtain Number two. Infrastructure week was the butt of jokes for four long years under the expresident. Maybe thats why he has tried and fail to sabotage this president s successful bipartisan infrastructure deal. Deadline White House continues after a quick break. Dont go anywhere. E. Ike im just wasting time. Thats why Td Ameritrade designed a firstofitskind, personalized education center. Oh. Their Awardwinning Content is tailored to fit your investing goals and interests. And it learns with you, so as you become smarter, so do its recommendations. So its like my streaming service. Well except now youre binge learning. See how you can become a smarter investor with a personalized education from Td Ameritrade. Visit tdameritrade. Com learn this is the sound of change from pnc bank. Its the sound of A Thousand sighs of relief and of a company watching out for you. This is the sound of low Cash Mode from pnc bank, giving you multiple options and at least 24 hours to help you avoid an overdraft fee. Because we believe how you handle overdrafts should be in your control, not just your banks. Low Cash Mode on virtual wallet from pnc bank. One way were making a difference. [john legends i can see clearly now] make your reunion happen with vrbo. Your together awaits. If youre 55 and up, tmobile has plans built just for you. Switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. Your together awaits. And now get netflix on us. Its all included with 2 lines for only 70 bucks only at tmobile. Show me the olympics. [ Buglers Dream playing ] republicans in georgia are moving toward an historic Power Grab in Fulton County. Two Dozen Gop State senators on tuesday requested a Performance Review of the Fulton County election director. That is actually the first step in a potential takeover of the countys electoral process, which could give the gopled legislature more control over the largest population of democratic voters in that state. The unprecedented move is allowed under that brandnew sweeping Voting Law that the Georgia Legislature passed in april. The New York Times writes this. Quote, under the new law, the state Elections Board is permitted to replace County Election Board members after a Performance Review or investigation, but the new law also restructures the state board, stripping the Secretary Of State of his authority and giving the legislature the ability to appoint members, including the chair. Joining our conversation is the aforementioned New York Times nick corsini, and neal katyal. This law which resulted in the boycott of the major League Baseball Baseball game, it seems like eight life times ago, but it was the Nightmare Scenario. Not just restricting access to the poll, but i think you wrote some of the first stories, describing how they could change who certifies and administers the vote. That is now happening. Yeah. What we saw Yesterday And Today with these letters from republican State Legislators in georgia is the first in what probably will be a very lengthy process and is by no means guaranteed, but it is the Ground Work for the possible takeover of the county Elections Board in Fulton County, home to 10 of georgia voters, a large lot of democratic voters. President biden carried it by 72 with about 380,000 votes there. So it is clearly critical for any democrat in Georgia Running statewide to win Fulton County. What the letters did was they started a request for a Performance Review, and to get that you needed two members from the Fulton County delegation in both the senate and the house, and those requests came in. They followed a lot of what we have seen in kind of rightwing media on some of the disinformation claims about the election. The chain of Custody Accusation thats been disproven numerous times including at length by Gpb And Steven fowler, and then also this issue that came up in Fulton County where 200 ballots were accidentally counted twice but it was count in the recount, it was fixed and the system worked as it should. Still, these legislators are citing these issues that keep getting repeated on rightwing media and have started this review. Now, what happens is it goes to the state Election Board, which is three republicans and one democrat at the moment, and they appoint an independent review which features one member of secretary raffensperger, also a republican, one member of his office and two other County Election officials to investigate it. Thats going to start a long process that could take as much as a year, but if we play this out and we look right now, you know, it is july and august of 2021. If this takes a year and all of a sudden we see the Takeover In August of 2022, that could be a problem in the midterms and in a state with a pretty critical governors election. You know, neal katyal, i know that the Justice Department has sued over this law, but it is happening already. I mean absent federal Voting Rights legislation, how do you prevent the republicans who pushed this law, some of them even admitted it was predicated on a lie, that states republican Lieutenant Governor said so on cnn, that now is opening the door to what is clearly targeting the largest democratic swath of votes in the state . Yeah, i mean it is an embarrassment and it is also, nicolle, blatantly illegal, even though the Supreme Court has gutted major aspects of the Voting Rights act. Even still, i think this law will run afoul of it. Both the predicate and the ultimate result of this Georgia Law is a problem. The predicate is, well, you know, theres cheating going on in Fulton County and, you know, we could be charitable to the Georgia Republicans for a second. Sure, you know, on the one hand the elections were overseen by state monitors, they operated under a Consent Agreement and they produced no evidence really of wrongdoing outside of this nick said those few votes that were reversed. But on the other hand, you know, the democrats won. So i think thats their cause to investigate and pass this law, that the democrats won, and they won by 380,000 votes here. They are using that to try and supplant the entire election system. I mean i think the Race Element here cannot be disregarded. I think even with conservative courts this is a law that, you know, is deeply problematic. Of course, we shouldnt be there, you know, before the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights act, it would have required preclearance and these Changes Couldnt have gone into effect without a Court First Signing Off on them. Thats what the legislation before congress right now is about, and i think, you know, it deeply needs to be passed for the reasons Michael Steele was talking about before. But it is illegal start to finish. Nick, What Happens Next . So where we are right now is we are looking at an investigative panel thats about to be created by the state Elections Board that will pull those members, one from the secretary of States Office and two from other County Elections offices around the state. They have a kind of indeterminate amount of time to do an investigation, to try to interview people, look at documents, look at past vote counts, look into these claims that have already been debunked and disproven and shown that the system worked, and that could also be interrupted by upcoming elections. Theres a general election in november. Theres a mayoral election in atlanta in Fulton County and theres a primary next year. That could lead to some delays. Once they finish that investigation, they send their report back to the state Election Board, and the state Election Board can then make the determination whether they need to suspend members or suspend the board or not and install their own superintendent. The superintendent has vast power of hiring other people in the county, firing other people in the county with regard to election administration. They could change locations. They could kind of Do Everything that we saw back, you know, about a month ago when i was reporting on rural County Election Boards that were starting to be restructured. Yeah. So it carries with it just a great level of concern with regards to the actual administration of elections and where precincts might be. One of the biggest issues in the primary in 2020 in Fulton County were these really long lines in some parts of town where there had been pretty significant consolidation of polling locations. So you had people who used to have four different Polling Centers that they could choose from not that they could choose from but were sent to, but now going to one location, ones that continue handle the machines, staff that were poorly trained and It Led to a host of issues back then. With all of that power in something appointed by a state Elections Board that is three republicans, one democrat, is more Behold Ento the republicancontrolled State Legislature than ever before and a republicancontrolled State Legislature that wrote this law with members that have been espousing some of the Conspiracy Theories about the 2020 election throughout all of this, it is kindly slowly marching for the potential takeover. It is certainly not guaranteed and were in unprecedented time. Im trying to find an expert who could explain in history and say like, this is what normally happens and everyone was like, we just havent been here before. Theres an immense amount of unknown right now, but the process is certainly actually starting right now. I mean the parallels are, you know, americans, democratic and republican political operatives, used to go to young democracies and oversee their early elections to make sure exactly what has been put in motion doesnt happen. It is amazing that the foundation has been laid for that to happen here in georgia. Nick corasaniti, grateful for you staying on the story and reporting. Kneel katyal, thank you for your time, my friend. When we come back, the fight against covid. A critical point. President biden is trying to appeal to an america that may not exist anymore, an america capable of seeing past their partisan divisions. That story is next. Im evies best camper badge. But even im not as memorable as eating Turkey Hill Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough creamy premium Ice Cream and chasing fireflies. Dont worry about me. Im fine. You Cant Beat Turkey hill memories. You need an ecolab scientific clean here. And you need it here. And here. And here. Which is why the scientific expertise that helps Operating Rooms stay clean is now helping the places you go every day too. Seek a commitment to clean. Look for the Ecolab Science certified seal. We did it again. 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Theres nothing political about them. Look at all of the people who took a shot at it. Look, this is not about red states and blue states. It is literally about life and death. That was President Biden Yesterday pleading with those Unvaccinated Americans all across the country to get their shots amid a rising number of cases due to the highly contagious Delta Variant. In his speech the president applauded a handful of people on the right, people like mitch mcconnell, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and even some unnamed Fox News Host for their recent appeals to unvaccinated people in the country, attempting to down play the politics that now surround the vaccine now that it is needed more than ever. With new preliminary data from an internal Cdc Document showing that the Delta Variant is as contagious as the Chicken Pox. But is the president appealing to a demographic that might not exist anymore . Has the vaccine already been politicized so much it is too late to change minds, to make a difference . As David Graham writes in the atlantic, quote, the u. S. Will eventually come out of this wave of the coronavirus, but we dont know what the cost in lives, money, Mental Health and more will be. The bitter irony is that many conservative Vaccine Opponents and skeptics have framed it in the cost of americas freedom. Joining us now, Marketing And Branding expert donnie you know that we paid tribute to lives during the pandemic, there were almost 300 dying a day and their lives were welllived as well. They with moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas and none had to die. I wonder how you feel about that, basil, having lost so many yourself . It is something i have obviously talked with you quite extensively about. It is concerning. It is concerning about because, you know, i was reading the tribute to Senator Carl Levin who just passed away, and in the tribute it said he was someone who could be respected by both democrats and republicans. I wonder how much longer we will hear tributes like that about folks in congress or individuals who consider themselves leaders in our country, who are politicizing a vaccine, who are creating a Culture War around science. You know, as i think about the students that im going to see when i go back to the classroom this fall and we have all of these questions and concerns about just sort of how to interact with each other, are elevators safe, are classrooms safe. As i think about that, i also think about the fact that weve many of us already have vaccines, the measles, mumps and rubella. I dont even have a clear idea what rubella is, which is a good thing, right . It is something that we have taken out of our community because of the science. Yeah. And what is so troubling is that as we move forward, as we start looking at our leaders and hopefully continue to look at our leaders for guidance, for support, for a direction and a path forward, we can find a way to come together. But in The Way that you were mentioning at the start of the segment, it does seem as if there are more and more people who are so devilishly opposed to not just the vaccine but just listening to what comes out of certain peoples mouths. It is going to put us all in danger, and we feel it and i feel it and i know friends and family feel it every single day. You know, the fact that there are icu units filling up in parts of the south mostly, donnie, these are fellow americans. It is a tragedy. At this point it doesnt have to be this way. I wonder if you think about the fact that even Death And Sickness and suffering doesnt break the addiction to disinformation, you know, to the bigger question on the table, will anything . Yeah, i actually do think there is something. I have been talking about this a couple of weeks, and biden laid a foundation of it. When he got up there and he talked about pay homage, he said, look, this was developed by the republicans, he is walking right into the fact that it is political. Lets politicize it more. I have been saying, and i dont say this glibly, lets call it the trump vaccine. Sarah huck by sanders came out with an oped that said that. In the Oped Piece she didnt refer to science, she referred to trump ten times. We know who is not getting it. We know 90 of democrats have been vaccinated, only 54 of republicans. Lets walk into the political aspect and say, hey, this is trumps vaccine. You know, if you are a trumper and you are part of this cult, this is give him credit. Go overboard and say, you know what . Were administering it but he project warp speed, this is the trump vaccine. Brand it that way, give him the credit, anything that will save lives. I actually think that would be effective because, once again, it is not a Leftbrain Thing at this point. You are not going to sway them with any facts. Play right into the fearless leader, the cult leader, say it is his vaccine. That would work. Lets really politicize it. Well, i mean, basil, if theyre willing to take a flag and beat a Police Officer with it, you would think they would be willing to take a life saving vaccine. I noted in the last segment that two women this week have called Kevin Mccarthy some variation of an idiot. Nancy pelosi called him a Moron And Peggy noonan called him stupid. Let me show you tim Ryan Sort of expanding on the stupidity of republicans around being asked to put masks back on in light of the new data, new information about the contagious nature of the Delta Variant. Here is congressman tim ryan. I may not be from a Hot Spot. The speaker may not be from a Hot Spot. Speaker pelosi may not be from a Hot Spot. Somebody in this chamber is coming from a Hot Spot. Somebody represents the Hot Spots, and they get on a plane and they fly here and they interact with all of us. I just find it absolutely immature and appalling to somehow diminish it, to try to score cheap political points. Thats exactly what we saw a few minutes ago. That is beneath a Minority Leader of one of the major political parties in the united states of america, saying we should take no caution that someone from a Hot Spot is working in this chamber and could potentially get someone infected that could go home to a sick parent or immune promised kid. That is beneath us. That is beneath us. Hes so spot on there, basil. And, again, i just i keep coming back to this question. Are we too broken to beat the Coronavirus Pandemic . It seems like we are stuck in a soda war, right . Thats the only way that i could sort of visualize it and think about it, that people have taken a side, so diametrically owe opposed to the other side. I saw on Social Media doctors and nurses with patients very sick and close to death with covid and perhaps the new variant saying, can i take the vaccine now . Theyre like, no, it is too late. I do fear and it does concern me that we are too broken and too divided to really to get this right. The longer we do this, the longer our economy is going to take to get back up and running. In New York we are talking about opening, reopening broadway again with some Vaccine And Mask stipulations there. So, you know, we all have a role that we have to play, and it is clear that some have abdicated that responsibility. There is no longer a we, it is a me. Thats devastating. Thats devastating for both the country and our sort of global economy for us to all just sort of get back to business and get back to work. It is an unbelievable dynamic. Donnie and basil are sticking around with us because when we come back, as hard as trump tried to avoid it he just couldnt. Infrastructure week happened and it was a roaring success. That story is next. If youre 55 and up, tmobile has plans built just for you. Switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. And now get netflix on us. Its all included with 2 lines for only 70 bucks only at tmobile. Im norm. Im szasz. [norm] and we live in columbia, missouri. We do consulting, but we also write. [szasz] we take care of ourselves constantly; its important. We walk three to five times a week, a couple miles at a time. Weve both been taking prevagen for a little more than 11 years now. After about 30 days of taking it, we noticed clarity that we didnt notice before. Its still helping me. I still notice a difference. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Welcome to allstate. Phone Notification where weve just lowered our Auto Rates. And savings like that will have you jumping for joy. Now, get new lower Auto Rates with allstate. Because better protection costs a whole lot less. Youre in good hands with allstate. Click or call for a lower Auto Rate today. upbeat Pop Music in background throughout if youre 55 and up, tmobile has plans built just for you. Switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. And now get netflix on us. Its all included with 2 lines for only 70 bucks only at tmobile. It is funny. Not so long ago the phrase Infrastructure Week was just a Running Joke about the trump White House. Every week was Infrastructure Week. Trump Era Policy directives destined for failure. Today in a procedural vote the senate advanced a bipartisan 550 Billion package for stuff like roads, rail, transit. And if everything holds, Chuck Schumer says the bill could be completed this weekend, meaning President Biden could be signing an Infrastructure Bill into law within days. It would be a major, major victory for the biden agenda. Or, as he joked, irony, it is Infrastructure Week. Bidens imminent achievement might have touched a nerve nor the expresident who was unable to pull off anything substantial on infrastructure. In the same way an embarrassed toddler might lash out trump is seeking to torpedo the deal. Even today he released the latest in a series of statements condemning the bipartisan achievement, calling the proposal a carrot for socialist expansion. We are back with donny and basil. Donny, this is like shots in arms, check is in the mail. We now have bridges, roads, whatever public transit you rely on in your neighborhood, and it will all be better because of this White House. It is ironic trump calling It Socialism because his Infrastructure Plan had even more spending on it. Look, you just said it, nicolle. This is an administration about administration of getting it done. It is relief from covid and shots in the arms and economy thats moving and legislation thats working. It is stuff that people you cant get anymore Kitchen Table than building roads and bridges and making sure their water is clean and stuff like that and the fact that it is bipartisan is so huge. I go back to the previous segment when biden started out and trying to get people vaccinated and getting credit on the other side. Americans 80 of us live in that middle zone where we want and every piece of research shows it. We want both sides to work together. I think is political victory had the administration gotten more stuff through, is okay it is a little bit left. Whats the news of the day for trump . Him telling doj is a corrupt election and taking dubs overall this. It is a tale of two parties. Big win for the White House and the country. Absolutely right. If you are talking about infrastructure and spending. You had disinvestments in our cities between the lbj years and lets say the carter and early Clinton Years when you really started to see more spending in cities, it is never really going to be enough. There is going to be a gap. The key is this is a first step and you are right. It is bridges and tunnels and it is high Speed Rail which we desperately could use in this country which so many countries have, broad band. All of these things and to johnnys point, biden did amazingly well by making sure he brought in on both sides. Two of my favorite people to talk to. Thank you so much for spending some time with us on a friday. Well be back after a short break. Dont go anywhere. Back after a break. Dont go anywhere. energetic music introducing the first ever at4 lineup. Premium and capable. Thats professional grade from gmc. Verizon launched the first 5g Network and now we want to be the first to give everyone the joy of 5g, by giving every customer a new 5g phone. Old customers. 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Now among those elected officials, there are two governors, two united state senators, nine members of congress, 56 mayors and nearly 200 State Legislatures. Every state except mississippi has at least one lbgtq elected officials. Most of them are democrats. Here is the why. The president suggested the sharp rise was antitrump verber. Whatever the reason, it is a welcome trend, worth keeping an eye on which well do here. Well be right back. Which wele well be right back. Because we were created for officers. But as weve evolved with the military, weve grown to serve all whove honorably served. No matter their rank, or when they were in. A marine just out of basic, or a petty officer from 73. And even his kids. And their kids. Usaa is made for all whove honorably served and their families. Are we still exclusive . Absolutely. And thats exactly why you should join. Piano Playing here we go. [john legends i can see clearly now] make your reunion happen with vrbo. Your together awaits. Vrbo we did it again. Verizon has been named americas most reliable network by rootmetrics. And our customers rated us 1 for Network Quality in america according to j. D. Power. Number one in reliability, 16 times in a row. Most awarded for Network Quality, 27 times in a row. Proving once again that nobody builds networks like verizon. Thats why were building 5g right, thats why theres only one best network. Someone once told me, that i should get used to people staring. So i did. Its okay, you can stare. When youre a twotime gold medalist, it comes with the territory. Thank you so much for letting us into your homes during these extraordinary times. The beat with Ari Melber starts right now. Hi nicole. I am Ari Melber. We have this Breaking News, Donald Trump overthrows the election and the government. All of this enabled by republican lawmakers. Some of this may sound familiar. I am going to show you why it is new. The New York Times has the goods. They have