to register for assistance. earlier this week, i visited fema headquarters in washington. to thank the emergency responding personnel for working 24/7 here in florida and throughout the southeast, and in maui, and hawaii. i want to reiterate that appreciation today. i also convened my entire cabinet as part of a whole of government response. and that response is to increase the number and intensity of the extreme weather events, and be aware we are going to use all the resources available in the government to do it. nobody can deny the impact of climate crisis. at least nobody intelligent can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore. just look around. around the nation and the world, for that matter. historic floods, intense droughts, extreme heat, deadly wildfires. ones that have caused serious damage like we've never seen before. just since being president, in two and a half years, i've flown over more land burned to the ground as a consequence of wildfires then occupied the entire land of the state of maryland. from down in new mexico up to montana it's been devastated. folks, when i took office, i directed my team to raise our game and how to lead and coordinate our response to natural disasters. and the people here today that are and when they need our help the most is the reason why we've done it. just look around this community i. folks, to not only meet people where they are when they need help the most, but to build back stronger and more resilient. just like i directed my entire cabinet to do in maui, to help the devastated communities recover and rebuild there as it was before. you know, these crises are affecting more and more americans. and every american rightly expects fema to show up when they are needed, and to help in a disaster. so i'm calling on the united states congress, democrats and republicans, to ensure the funding is there to deal with the immediate crises, as well as our long term commitments to the safety and security of the american people. i'm here today to deliver a clear message to the people of florida and throughout the southeast, as i told your governor. if there's anything your state needs, i'm ready to mobilize that support. anything they need in these storms. the nation has your back, and will be with you until the job is done. before i conclude, as i'm about to head back north, i want to say a word to the people of jacksonville, florida. on a different subject. we're still reeling on the shooting rampage near edward waters university and as pc you last weekend. a terrorist attack, driven by racial hatred. our hearts are with you. those of you who were affected, and all of your families. a terrorist attack, as i said, driven by hatred. ladies and gentlemen, let me say this clearly. hate will not prevail in america. hate will not prevail in america. racism will not prevail in america. domestic terrorism will not prevail in america. and i'll make it real clear, silence on this issue, both public and private, from the private sector, silence is complicity. we must not, we will not remain silent. i have much more to say about that later, but i did want to mention it while i was here. ladies and gentlemen, you saw firsthand, and the rest of the nation's got to see it. these good people have been devastated. they need help. imagine yourself in this position. imagine you being in this position. imagine you being the family that had a tree that is about more than 100 feet, a gigantic tree, coming that close to taking out your daughter's bedroom and taking out your daughter in the process. you know, this is tough stuff. again, if people know we're with them, they will get through this. just knowing we're not going to forget, and we will not forget. thank you also very much. i'll take a few questions. yes ma'am. [inaudible] >> well, i'm not disappointed. he may have had other reasons, but he did help us plan this. he sat with fema and decided where we should go. where there would be the least disruption. and i'm very pleased. a guy who we don't agree very much at all, distinguished former governor and senior senator. he came, talked to me and to you all about what an incredible job the federal government is doing, and i found that reassuring. and so i think we can pull all of this together. i really do. >> -- go to east palestine, ohio. you came here. how come you haven't gone to east palestine yet? >> i haven't had the occasion to go to east palestine. there's a lot going on here, and i just haven't been able to. i'm thinking that i would go to east palestine this week, but i was reminded i've got to go literally around the world. i'm going from washington to india, to vietnam, and so it's going to be wild. but, we are making sure that east palestine has what they need materially in order to deal with their problems. yes? >> mister president, are you confident that there will be enough money to deal with this disaster and the other disasters that have happened and will continue to happen around the country? >> the answer is i'm confident, because i can't imagine congress saying we're not going to help. they're going to be -- about things that don't relate to this, trying to connect this to other money or not. but i think we'll get through it. i just can't imagine people saying no, they're not going to help. ladies and gentlemen -- oh, i'm sorry. i was supposed to take the questions now. mister mayor, i apologize. i apologize. the podium is yours, mister mayor. >> thank you, mister president. and again, thank you so much for coming to live oak. >> greetings everyone. you're watching symone, i'm simone sanders tencent. you've been listening to president biden. he was speaking live in okay, florida. this is after touring a community damaged by hurricane adalja. in those remarks and in that press conference, the president said a number of things. he called on congress to give additional aid on thursday, before visiting fema. the president noted that he's asking for additional aid from congress. both of florida's senior senators have noted that they would like that aid to coupled from ukraine. the president also asked in a press conference if they will have the money, and the president reiterated he is confident because, quote, i just can't imagine the congress saying they're not going to help. and his message to the people of florida, he noted the nation has your back. we will be here with you until the job is done. lastly, in that press conference, the president took some time to deviate from talking about the hurricane and recovery efforts, to address the people of jacksonville, florida. who just went through a horrific racist attack, where three folks were killed and at $1 general. he noted there that silence is complicity, calling out the public and private sector and said we must not and will not remain silent. and reaffirmed to the people of jacksonville that he was with him, and he will have more to say on that this week. so with that quick recap, i want to bring in retired lieutenant general russel l. honore. he is the former commander of joint katrina, and you coordinated military efforts -- military relief efforts after working katrina hit new orleans in 2005. lieutenant general, thank you so much for being here. i just wonder your reaction to president biden's comments there, specifically when it comes to funding. >> funding is an issue. the president identified 60 billion for fema to finish out the year, and for the people of north carolina, georgia, and the people of maui. this should not be a contested event, but as you alluded to, as we've seen in the news, there are people in congress who want to tie off the funding. and that will complicate things. about 18 years ago, i stood with president bush and fill in the blank in new orleans. almost 18 years ago to the date. and both disagreed -- and the president was thanking all the federal workers this labor day weekend. and the silence of volunteers that are on the ground, simone. all over the country. who are actually doing most of the -- there. red cross, we have two squadrons of the louisiana navy on the ground in that town. so, we have a lot to be thankful for and i think the president highlighted that. that the federal government is there, and fema's got better and better at responding. my hats off to them from where we were 18 years ago. >> lieutenant general, what are the next steps here. a presidential visit, obviously very important. putting a spotlight on an issue that has gripped the nation. but for the people of live oak, florida, nearly 60,000 people at this point, as we talk right now we're still without power. what are some of the next steps as they start to -- before they can rebuild, they still have to dig through the debris. >> absolutely. debris removal, -- a large pot of that population don't have insurance because the cost of insurance is too high. whereas they say it's two dam high, and they can't afford it. and the money that comes from fema will not cover the full repair of their homes. recovery is a living hell, simone. i wish that congress will do things to make it more cooperative for people who have lost their homes, but they're operating under the -- act. it needs to be updated, because if we're going to tell people we're going to make them whole, we really need to do that. we know we've got thousands of people -- last year, and we've got -- two years ago we got 200 people in louisiana living in trailers from hurricane ida. they still have not resolved the issues with fema, recovery, and insurance. recovery as a living hell. the hardest people is yet to come, and unfortunately the poor people get poor and the rich people will get richer. because they'll buy up a lot of the land, because the poor people and the elderly will not be able to rebuild with the amount of money they get from the government. >> lieutenant honore, my last question to you, and i want to go back to this question about -- we were showing and right now, folks, you're looking on your screen. i think you saw one of the presidents vehicles just blocking the screen. president biden is right now -- he seems to be doing a rope line, speaking to folks out there in the community. some of the other photos we've been showing, lieutenant general honore, have been of these floodwaters. can you address how dangerous these floodwaters are, i've seen some videos, we have them up on the screen. these floodwaters are dangerous, the water is, for lack of a better term, just not clean. and frankly not safe. >> yeah, that's a good point. we would discourage anyone from operating in that, floodwater without going through a thorough cleaning afterward. but these high tides, they come in with these storms because the storms are coming in stronger. the president alluded to the impact of climate change, i think maybe for the first time we had a category two storm cross into state from the gulf. i don't think that's ever happened before. it then went through to other states as a category one. these storms are getting stronger, they're getting more frequent, and frankly, we don't have the manpower or the money in fema to deal with these repetitive disasters were having in the country. and the government is going to have to address that. because people need help. we move closer and closer to the ocean, and people are going to have to look how to rebuild, and the president alluded to that. building back stronger and better. and that is the standard in florida now. most of these will build before florida executed its hurricane preparedness -- when they have to lift them off the ground. but most of these poor elderly people will have a hard time getting back into their homes, sadly to say, symone. >> lieutenant general russel l. honore, thank you very much for being with us this hour and breaking it down. i want to bring in some political professionals now. this basil a. smikle is a democratic strategist and he's the former executive director of the new york democratic party. and brendan buck is here, he's an msnbc political analyst and former chief communications adviser for former speaker paul ryan, among others. so, i want to start with where i kind of left off in my conversation with lieutenant general honore, and president biden talked about this in his remarks. the fema funding. brendan, there's been lots of talk in congress about the disaster aid. on thursday president biden asked for additional disaster aid. he was asked in that press conference if he was confident that the united states government will have the money, and he said, quote, he can't imagine the congress saying that they don't want to help. so he is confident. brandon, what is congress going to do? >> yeah, it's sadly not uncommon to need to do a funding package like this for fema. we have that for disasters in congress regularly. he passes additional money to make sure that particular situations are handled. this one is going to be more complicated than usual. you have the issue of ukraine. the presidents also submitted a request for additional funding for ukraine, and there's been thought that you can tie those things together. but that can get very politically different. you're going to have people in florida saying i don't want to be a part of that conversation. i don't want ukraine -- i don't want aid for the state of florida to be tied up in something else. we also have the situation that the federal government, in its entirety, runs out of money in four weeks. and they're going to need to pass some sort of short term funding bill, and this is the type of place that you would attach an emergency aid bill like that. make it hard for people to vote no. here again you're going to have situations where conservatives are very angry that we're having to do that. so it's going to get messy really quick. i think this is going to work out. in my long time on the hill, i never saw a situation where fema funding bill didn't get done. we've also not had as many complicating factors. i think it's going to get pretty ugly and pretty partisan. but at the end of the day, i think florida and hawaii and other places can get the money. >> basil, brigitte brings up a very good point. pretty partisan today. it's notable that governor ron desantis, the chief executive of florida, was not there with president biden. i know that -- is there, he is running for reelection. do you think that governor desantis missed an opportunity here? is he putting his campaign over his responsibilities as the executive of the state? -- well, i think so. but i imagine that he doesn't think that way. and i talk about this because living in new york city, for those who don't know, this relationship that we have with new jersey and former governor chris christie, it has people going back and forth between new york and new jersey across the hudson every day. so the parties and the leaders have to work together. so in 2012, when barack obama gets off the helicopter and embraces chris christie after super storm sandy, chris christie never lived that down. in some ways, he's not able to live it down even as he's running for president right now. he wants to be a republican that can win a blue state, and frankly, i don't think that during a republican primary electorate, they want that or they care about that. so if you have someone like ron desantis, and president biden was gracious and saying, maybe he's got other things to do right now. but if there is politics involved in ron desantis not being there today, it really does suggest that were the party's, the political difficulty in him even reaching across the aisle to get help for people in his state, and to brandon's earlier point, all of this is happening while we are in the midst of a conversation around a government shutdown. and the president is creating an impeachment war room within the white house. so you can imagine what else is occupying the minds of members of congress, even as they may consider support for florida. >> you know, the president also took time in that press conference to speak about jacksonville, florida. and he talked about silence is complicity, must not, will not remain silent. he said he would have more comments on that in the coming days and weeks. brandon, i played right after the horrific racist attack in jacksonville happened, we went out to look for sound from a number of the republican presidential candidates. and, i could not find anyone talking about denouncing white supremacy. i saw a lot of people talking about scumbags and terrible people, and mental health, but no one talking about what the fbi, no one who's running for president on the republican side, what the fbi director has called the greatest domestic threat that we are facing, which is white supremacists in this country. your thoughts on this? >> disappointing, not surprising. we have had a party for a long time where the elected officials are frankly afraid of a lot of voters. and, donald trump has set up a dynamic within the party where we completely ignore the middle, anybody in the middle can be written off. and therefore we can't afford to lose anybody out on the far right. and that's why everybody -- one of the reasons why they're willing to really cleave off some really unfortunate parts of the party. it's an electoral thing, and it's depressing to say that out loud, but it's the way that a lot of people are thinking. but they're not going to risk alienating anybody who may potentially vote for them, even the ugliest type of voters. >> our hearts are with the people in florida. everyone who was affected by what happened in jacksonville, and especially hurricane idalia. basil a. smikle, brendan buck, think you both very much. coming up, folks, there are some other news justice in georgia. election workers ruby freeman and her daughter shaye moss, they just scored a major legal victory over rudy giuliani. but, is it too little, too late? their lawyer joins me after the break to talk about what accountability looks like. my husband and i have never been more active. shingles doesn't care. i go to spin classes with my coworkers. good for you, shingles doesn't care. because no matter how healthy you feel, your risk of shingles sharply increases after age 50. but shingrix protects. proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care but, shingrix protects. shingrix is now zero dollars for almost everyone. ask your doctor about shingrix today. i may be known for my legendary football career, but truth is, i love a bunch of sports. the only trouble is knowing where to find them. that's why i got xfinity. so, i can easily find and watch whatever sport i'm into all in one place without missing a thing. even if it's football, australian football, or football football. in a word—it's fitz-credible. i got to trademark that one. this season, eligible xfinity rewards members can get up to $100 off nfl sunday ticket from youtube. sign up for xfinity rewards now. >> i've lost my name, and i've lost my reputation. i've lost my sense of security, all because a group of people starting with number 45, and his ally rudy giuliani, decided to scapegoat me. and my daughter ship. to push their own lies about how the presidential election was stolen. >> that was georgia election workers ruby freeman during the january 6th hearings, talking about the life altering experience. being targeted by former president donald trump and rudy giuliani. now, miss freeman and her daughter shaye moss are one step closer to justice. a federal judge ruled that rudy giuliani defamed the two women, and is liable for damages after he failed to turn over documents for the discovery process. the civil case will now head to trial to determine the amount of damages. i will note this is separate from the criminal trial giuliani is facing for alleged election crimes in georgia. freeman and moss are a reminder of the human toll of the plot to overturn the 2020 election. these women were performing a public service, counting ballots and they soon became the subject of conspiracy theories and baseless lies. >> we had at least 18,000 that's on tape. we had them counted very painstakingly. 18,000 voters, having to do with ruby freeman, she's a vote scammer. a professional vote scammer and hustler. >> earlier in the day, ruby freeman and shaye freeman moss, and one other gentlemen, quite obviously surreptitiously passing around usb ports, as if they're vials of heroin or cocaine. >> these accusations of election fraud, they were even debunked by republican state officials. election officials. but the damage was already done. freeman and moss faced death threats, intimidation, and racist vitriol by trump supporters. giuliani spokesperson has condemned this new ruling about withholding materials for discovery, calling it a quote, weaponization of the justice system. i want to welcome now merrill -- she's one of the lawyers representing ruby freeman and shaye moss. meryl, thank you so much for being here. i think this is so important. how are your clients feeling in the wake of this ruling from the judge? >> thank you for having me. our clients feel like this is a significant step in their quest towards accountability. ruby and shaye made the bold and brave decision to file a lawsuit to seek accountability. and any day where we have a victory on that quest is a good one. but it's also a painful one, and a hard one, and a reminder of all of the events that led to this moment. and so we celebrate the victories, but we're cognizant always of the tremendous human toll, as you mentioned, that led us to this moment. >> i think talking about the human toll is very important here, because oftentimes folks get caught up in democrats versus republicans. but this is just about people. the president, the former president of the united states, targeted to women. two black women, who they said they felt powerless in the situation. >> right. i mean, i don't see how you can hear the testimony played before the january 6th committee, or the testimony of shea, live testimony, and not understand that this is a human toll. not understand that they are fearful to go to the grocery store. they are fearful to give their names to be called out in a store, for fear that someone is going to recognize them and threaten them. this has impacted their everyday lives, the privacy that we all take for granted every day was uprooted in a moment by actions of others for no fault of ruby and shaye. and so, i can't imagine a more significant human toll than that. >> so, this is a civil case, and i think that's important to note. because it is separate from the case, the r.i.c.o. case that d a fani willis has brought in georgia. she did cite the intimidation and the harassment of your clients in her rico indictment against donald trump, giuliani, and about 17 other codefendants. how closely are your clients watching that case? >> so, we are not involved at all in the criminal case. we are focused squarely on holding mr. giuliani accountable. and so for our purposes, we will present our case to a jury to show why mr. giuliani should pay tens of millions of dollars to our clients in compensatory damages and punitive, on top of it. so we are squarely focused on holding mr. giuliani simply accountable for what he did to our clients. >> rudy giuliani is being sanctioned for withholding documents during your case. the judge even said that that may be due to the criminal liability that giuliani is facing. can you just talk to us a little bit about the discovery process here? how did you navigate it, and how are you preparing for your upcoming trial? >> of course. this opinion was no accident. it was the work of 18 months of painstaking work, of our legal team in trying to get straight answers from mr. giuliani, and uprising the court of every step along the way, of answers that were incomplete and that illustrated a failure to preserve documents which you are obligated to do. and to produce documents which are obligated to do. and in a 57-page opinion, judge howell went through those 18 months of efforts in painstaking detail, and she called it a willful shirking of the rules of civil discovery. and there are consequences when you disobey the rules. and mr. giuliani is now facing those consequences. >> this is what accountability looks like, at least this time. meryl, thank you so much for being here. i appreciate your time. we'll be watching your case. >> thank you for having me. >> up next, folks. the push by donald trump to be prosecuted separately from his 18 other codefendants in the election interference case in georgia. what that could mean for fani willis's case, and could it even encourage some of the folks to flip on the former president? i'm asking my legal expert, next. stick around. l expert next stick around stick around could be a sign that your digestive system isn't at its best. but a little metamucil everyday can help. metamucil's psyllium fiber gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down and also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic. lighten everyday the metamucil way. feel less sluggish & weighed down after just 14 days. sign up for the 2 week challenge at metamucil.com (fan #1) there ya go! that's what i'm talkin' about! feel less sluggish & weighed down after just 14 days. (josh allen) is this your plan to watch the game today? (hero fan) uh, yea. i have to watch my neighbors' nfl sunday ticket. (josh allen) it's not your best plan. but you know what is? myplan from verizon. switch now and they'll give you nfl sunday ticket from youtubetv, on them. (hero fan) this plan is amazing! (josh allen) another amazing plan, backing away from here very slowly. (fan #1) that was josh allen. (fan #2) mmhm. (vo) football season is here. get nfl sunday ticket from youtubetv on us. a $449 value. plus, get a free samsung galaxy z flip5. only on verizon. (fisher investments) it's easy to think that all money managers are pretty much the same, but at fisher investments we're clearly different. (other money manager) different how? you sell high commission investment products, right? (fisher investments) nope. fisher avoids them. (other money manager) well, you must earn commissions on trades. (fisher investments) never at fisher. (other money manager) ok, then you probably sneak in some hidden and layered fees. (fisher investments) no. we structure our fees so we do better when our clients do better. that might be why most of our clients come from other money managers. at fisher investments, we're clearly different. after cooking a delicious chicken cheddar broccoli recipe, you will want to delete all your delivery apps. because nothing beats a perfect combo of sweet tomatoes and smooth, silky zucchini. knorr taste combos. it's not fast food, but it's soooo good. ♪ ♪ there's been a lot of action in fulton county, georgia, where trump and his allies are facing a 40, one count conspiracy case. 12 defendants, including former president donald trump, have waved arraignments and pleaded not guilty. this comes as some of the accused try to separate their cases from the broader group. attorneys kenneth chesebro, sydney powell, and ray smith, are all seeking what's called a severance. a judge is set to decide on the issue of severance after all the arraignments are complete. trump has also filed to separate his case from chesebro, who has been granted a speedy trial set to begin in october. his lawyer arguing that he won't have enough time to prepare a defense. and if that's not enough, a federal judge is set to decide on mark meadows petition to move his case from state court to federal court. meadows testified in a hearing this week, as his lawyers argued that his actions in 2020 fell under his sprawling duties as white house chief of staff. one notable moment, the prosecution appears to trip him up on the coronation of the fake electors scheme. in a back and forth, meadows repeatedly denied his involvement in the plan, until the prosecution asked him to read an email he sent to a trump campaign aides, reading in part, we just need to have someone coordinating the electors for the states. well, when asked who he was referring to when he said we, meadows said he was referring to the trump campaign. an entity he did not work for. all of this movement is a major part of the complexities of prosecuting a criminal case with 19 defendants. msnbc legal analyst catherine christians joins me now. she was a district attorney at the manhattan d.a.'s office. okay, catherine, let's start with mark meadows. i mean, i read that transcript, and it read like a thriller. and i just could not believe that mark meadows took the stand. did you think that his lawyer made a good case to move the georgia charges to federal court? >> well, it was a good case to move. because what mark meadows is really after is a dismissal. what i mean by that, moving to federal court. if it's removed, and i doubt that it will be, but let's say it is removed, the judge says you are a federal officer and what you did was under your color of office, then he's going to say that this state case should be dismissed. because he's been entitled to immunity because he was a federal officer, and what he did was legitimate government purpose. so he's looking to get the case dismissed. i mean, he had to go for it. the problem is is his testimony may have some -- because some of the testimony, according to the prosecutors, was not credible and may have been untruthful. and if you're untruthful when you're under oath, that means that you might have committed perjury. and so you might have the judge who's looking at this, who will find him incredible in some part of the testimony, then say, i'm not going to believe anything. and so now his removal motion is denied because he took the stand and he was found incredible. >> okay, so i now want to ask you about kenneth chesebro. now he is the person that was granted a speedy trial, and then he filed to sever his case, and he is specifically trying to sever his case from sydney powell, who is also seeking a speedy trial. and this is what he said in a memo. essentially saying i don't know her. how much does this i don't know her defense, if you will, or explanation, matter in such a wide ranging case that is in fact a r.i.c.o.? >> it is not going to matter. so, he has been granted a speedy trial. because in georgia, when the defendant request a speedy trial, they are given it within two months. so that will effect of the sovereign him from the other defendants. but it's not going to sever him from his panel, because she is also asked for a speedy trial. and i can't see the judge saying, well, i'm going to do two separate trials. the reason why -- this is not 19 separate indictments. these are 19 defendants charged in one indictment, because they are accused of being part of the same criminal enterprise. so no one will really be severed from the case. the only severance will be really because of a speedy trial. because the prosecutor is entitled to show the jury all of the members of the criminal enterprise. so, if it ends up only being one defendants on trial, donald trump, it'll be because people had a speedy trial, and other people pled guilty. >> so, is it still a r.i.c.o. -- >> exactly. >> okay, so it still up, even if several of the -- defendants and up being tried separately. >> so all of that evidence that would be -- will come out of the trial. what you want to do as the defendant and the defense attorney, is you're going to sell out everyone else. my client was just this little -- all he did was right memos, he had nothing to do with x y and z. that's why chesebro he doesn't want to be with powell, who i believe donald trump called crazy. he doesn't want to be sitting at the table with her. but the problem is, they were part of the same conspiracy, allegedly, same principle enterprise. she did the voting machines, he did the false electors. allegedly. >> allegedly. catherine christian, thank you very much. i appreciate you. up next, the disturbing trend that we are seeing in republican led states like texas, to stifle lawfully elected democrats in blue cities. don't you go way. cities don't you go way don't you go way written by those who work it. like the upshaws. the nelsons. and the caggianos. run with us and start telling your story. rsv is in for a surprise. meet arexvy. ( ♪♪ ) the first fda-approved rsv vaccine. arexvy is used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. rsv can severely affect the lungs and lower airways. arexvy is proven to be over 82% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease from rsv and over 94% effective in those with these health conditions. ( ♪♪ ) arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. rsv can be serious. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about arexvy today. rsv? make it arexvy. my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. businesses need 5g solutions today. that's why they choose t-mobile for business. mlb partners with t-mobile to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. aaa relies on t-mobile's network to stay connected nationwide, so they can help get their members back on the road. and we're helping pano ai innovate, to stop the spread of wildfires. now's the time to see what america's largest 5g network can do for your business. ♪ chevy silverado has what it takes to do it all. with up to 13 camera views. and the z71 off-road package. ♪ you ok? yeah. any truck can help you make a living. this one helps you build a life. chevy silverado. how can you sleep on such a firm setting? gab, mine is almost the same as yours. this one helps you build a life. almost is just another word for not as good as mine. save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus, free home delivery when you add a base. shop now only at sleep number. it's easy to get lost in investment research. introducing j.p. morgan personal advisors. hey david. connect with an advisor to create your personalized plan. let's find the right investments for your goals okay, great. j.p. morgan wealth management. >> republicans love to say they are the party of small government. but we are seeing more and more examples of republican state governments flexing their authoritarian muscle and blocking democrat led cities from governing themselves. nowhere is this more clear than in texas. yesterday, a slew of new laws went into effect in the lone star state including texas house phil 21, 27. known as the death star bill. which lets the state legislation override local ordinances. that was facing a legal challenge, but in the meantime, it's still in effect. officially, a state overriding a local government is called preemption. but i prefer to just call it what it is. state takeover. the states are literally a matter of life or death. the texas tribune reports that protesters called hb 20 1:27 the law that kills. because, quote, the law will nullify ordinances enacted by austin in 2010, and dallas in 2015 that established ten minute breaks every four hours so that construction workers can drink water and protect themselves from the sun. now, that matters because the tribune reports, quote, texas is the state where most workers die from high temperatures. government data shows, and quote. it's not just workers being victimized by authoritarian state. it's also students. the star, the state of texas literally took over the independent school district. which is made up of over 200,000 students. they replaced 28 school libraries with so called centers for work and discipline. they also replaced a superintendent with the former leader of dallas schools, who is a charter school owner. nbc's antonia hylton pressed him on some of these controversial changes. >> in a district where there are so many kids who are struggling to read, why disrupt the library, of all places? >> so reading is key. we may not have librarians, but even in this room, books are on the shelves. >> do you believe librarians are important? >> every single position has value. we can't the all things and all people, and we can't have everything we want. >> no, a library cannot possibly be a library. the problem is bigger than texas. take north carolina for example. the supreme court justice there, anita earls, the new york times reports she has filed a federal lawsuit alleging an ongoing campaign by the state to suppress her first amendment rights through what she calls intrusive investigations initiated by anonymous informers. all of this, because she was asked about a state report showing that most lawyers appearing before the court were white men. she said the court should examine the reasons for that disparity. so, again, it is bigger than texas, it's bigger than north carolina. it's bigger than tennessee. it's bigger than anyone city or anyone state. this is a national crisis of authoritarian republicans infringing on the rights of democrat led cities, or leaders they just don't like, and disproportionate nate, those leaders -- those mayors are often black. this is literally a takeover. it's not my word, it's the houston mayor, sylvester turner's word, whose city has been in conflict with his state government for years. he has something to say about that. lucky for you will, mayor turner joins me now. welcome, welcome to you mayor. i am so glad we are able to have this conversation. so, your city has contested this law in courts. it was actually recently found unconstitutional. but it was allowed to go into effect while on appeal. what is next in this fight? >> well, essentially, we will move forward. the city of houston, along with san antonio, el paso, and other cities in the state of texas, we will continue to pass ordinances that we think are in the best interest of consumers, and labor. and our constituents. but what that ruling by the judge in austin does do, it gives us the presumption that this law, house bill 20 1:27, is unconstitutional. we will stand on that. so we will move forward, we will continue to challenge 20 1:27. >> some folks might have heard what i just said, and the lead into our conversation. and say, oh, this is dramatic. this is hyperbole. it's not really going to affect anyone's ability to govern. what do you say to those assertions? >> it's already taken effect. you talked about the houston independent school district. that's a city that has been operated, the state has already moved and taken over. and i mean literally has taken over. they replaced the superintendent, they replaced the elected board of trustees. and now, they are calling the shots. when it comes to water breaks, and this we've been living in extreme heat in the state of texas, like other places. it's already saying that those laws passed by the cities should be invalidated. when it comes to sick leave, they've already said that those laws should be invalidated. we are already living it. and as the author of this bill said, it is still a living, breathing document. because of that, in large part, the judge, who heard this argument of this past week, struck this bill down. it literally will stop us from legislating in about eight different areas. from real estate, to finance, labor laws, parental leaves, noise control, boarding rooms, you name it. unless we get express commission -- permission, from the texas legislature, that meets every other year, 140 days, every other year. it is absolutely ridiculous. >> mayor, why do you think that the state legislature has passed a number of these bills that target cities such as yours, or austin, or even dallas? >> well, i think it's very clear. you look at these cities, many of these cities are run by a, quote, unquote, democratic major. i can tell you, you cannot get these cities, without getting and touching every other study in the state of texas. even those where republicans are in control. that is why in this particular lawsuit, in this particular lawsuit, you had a number of cities who had republican leaders, who have also filed a brief in support of the lawsuit filed by the city of houston. because as they have written me and said, this is an attack on local control. it impacts everyone. but i think what they have decided is that if we can't let when at the local level, we will regulate things from austin texas. it simply doesn't work. as it relates to the schools, there's been an attack on public education. in the state of texas, for decades. this is just another way of taking over the district, and quite frankly, let me just say this, not to make things better for our kids. but to destroy it in such a way that it enforces parents to go elsewhere, to get what they need for their children. when you take a 28 schools that primarily serve black and brown students in the city of houston, and shut down their libraries, and turned them into detention centers, and say to reporters and others, the books are still there. well, you can have a church, and if you don't have a pastor, what do you have? for you simply have a church. >> a building. >> but. >> mayor, if i may then, i could just imagine that there are folks across the country watching this, some of your constituents in houston, the people living in your city, what do you say to those folks. you were elected by the voters, how are you going to keep running your city despite dealing with the state legislature that is determined to exercise power over it? how do you calm -- what do you say to people who are concerned about everything that is happening, and what we are discussing right now? >> i say to them, one, we're simply not going to take it as a state of complete. and simply go along with the program. go along with an unjust and unconstitutional bill. like i said to my city attorney and two others, we will stand up and fight. that's exactly what we are doing. other cities in the state of texas are joining the fight as well. when i'd say two constituents, you still are empowered to make a difference. find your voice, and stand up. we simply do not have to accept it. what i say to teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and parents, you still can raise your voices and do everything you can to fight this takeover. then what i say to all of the people in the state of texas, these are our kids. this is happening on our watch. when you see something unjust and unconstitutional taking place, if you stand silent, if you stand silent, then we all lose. if you don't think you are a part of this battle, like was said earlier during world war ii, if they come after you, and because you are not a communist, a socialist, or a jew, one morning, they will come after you. because you have said and done nothing. you might find yourself all alone. just because the legislature is doing these deals, it does not mean that we should simply go along. find your voice. find your legs. stand up. and let's fight. let's do it together. >> houston mayor, sylvester turner, i thank you very much for your time. i am definitely going to stay on this story. appreciate you. >> thank you. >> up next, cocoa, well she claps back. why the tennis star is or earning praise after calling out the official for unfair treatment at the u.s. open. don't you go away. don't you go away. just swipe and it lasts all day. secret helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. and hours later, i still smell fresh. secret works! ohhh yesss. ♪♪ ♪ (man) that looks really high. (woman) it is high. whenever you are ready. (man) are there any snakes? (woman) nope. (man) are you sure? here we go! (vo) it's time to push your limits. (man) okay. (woman) you're doing great! (man) oh, is that a buffalo? (woman) babe, that's a cow. (vo) the all-new subaru crosstrek wilderness. adventure on the edge. (fan #1) there ya go! that's what i'm talkin' about! (josh allen) is this your plan to watch the game today? (hero fan) uh, yea. i have to watch my neighbors' nfl sunday ticket. (josh allen) it's not your best plan. but you know what is? myplan from verizon. switch now and they'll give you nfl sunday ticket from youtubetv, on them. (hero fan) this plan is amazing! (josh allen) another amazing plan, backing away from here very slowly. (fan #1) that was josh allen. (fan #2) mmhm. (vo) football season is here. get nfl sunday ticket from youtubetv on us. a $449 value. plus, get a free samsung galaxy z flip5. only on verizon. let innovation refunds help with your erc tax refund so you can improve your business however you see fit. rosie used part of her refund to build an outdoor patio. clink! dr. marshall used part of his refund to give his practice a facelift. emily used part of her refund to buy... i run a wax museum. let innovation refunds help you get started on your erc tax refund. stop waiting. go to innovationrefunds.com you really got the brows. hi, i'm todd. i'm a veteran of 23 years. i served three overseas tours. i love to give back to the community. i offer what i can when i can. i started noticing my memory was slipping. i saw a prevagen commercial and i did some research on it. i started taking prevagen about three years ago. i feel clearer in my thoughts, my memory has improved and generally just more on point. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. >> before we go, can we just looking for a bladder leak pad that keeps you dry? all of the things that you're looking for in a pad, that is always discreet. look at how it absorbs all of the liquid. and locking it right on in! you feel no wetness. - oh my gosh! - totally absorbed! i got to get some always discreet! take a moment to acknowledge the strength and the fortitude of tennis star, coco gauff, the 19-year-old shared her frustration with the chair umpire on day one of the u.s. open after she fought her opponent, laura siegemund, was slow to serve several times. take a listen. >> i didn't say nothing. but now the thing. i don't care what she said. >> look, cousin counter with the umpire, it demonstrates a very familiar situation for many folks across the country. a micro aggression we could all see. and coco, she didn't take it sitting down. she believed the umpire was not holding her appointed to the same standard of her. this young tennis star took the moment to advocate for herself. when i say hear hear, coco. we appreciate you. you are to be celebrated. you know what, cheers to that. thanks so much for watching folks, symone, on this saturday, so much news. i'm symone sanders-townsend. you can catch me right here on msnbc weekends at four pm eastern anytime over on the peacock. where i have new episodes on the msnbc hub every monday. politics nation with the great reverend al sharpton starts now. rev, okay, big show, you have republican presidential candidate, vivek ramaswamy, on the show. are you going to play that clip for him of when he was 18 trying to get you asking a question at a harvard forum? >> yeah. i was running for president in 2003 for the 2004 nomination. i did hardball with chris matthews at harvard as a presidential candidate. this 18-year-old young man came up and asked me a question. now he's running for president. i've got so