go to bloombergpolitics.com right now for coverage of the u.n. general assembly. until tomorrow, say nonara. coming up, "hardball" with chris matthews. >> the candidates debate terrorism. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. tonight, once again, the epicenter of the war on terrorism is new york city, the country's point of entry, its historic melting pot. and once again, we have another name added frighteningly to the vocabulary of violence. another episode to stir fear, the anger that always accompanies one, and the instinctive search for greater security, now with two presidential candidates, donald trump and hillary clinton, claiming to know the way. well, ahmed rahami, the suspect in this weekend's bombings in new york city and new jersey, was captured this morning after a dramatic shoot-out with police. rahami, a 28-year-old immigrant from afghanistan and a naturalized u.s. citizen was seen in surveillance footage saturday night near the site of the bomb blast in the chelsea neighborhood in manhattan. his fingerprint was also reportedly found in another device that failed to detonate, according to a senior law enforcement official. all told, there were three bombs saturday, the first went off saturday morning in seaside park, new jersey, before the start of a charity race. there were no injuries. on saturday night, a pressure cooker bomb packed with shrapnel exploded in manhattan, injuring 29 people. a second bomb that failed to detonate was found several blocks away. well, on sundaye devices were f a garbage can, at a train station in new jersey. we learned more details about the suspect at a press conference this afternoon with the new york mayor and law enforcement officials. >> based on the information we have now, we have every reason to believe this was an act of terror. >> we have directly linked rahami to the events in mj. the investigation is ongoing. as we develop more information, we continue to go. but i have no indication that there is a cell operating here. there's nothing to indicate that currently he was on our radar. we had report of a domestic incident some time ago. that was the allegations were recanted. and i don't have any other information. we'll keep digging. >> well, president obama is in new york himself today for the united nations general assembly. he spoke earlier in the day. >> i want to take this opportunity to reassure the people in this city, in this region, and americans across our country that our counterterrorism and law enforcement professionals at every level, federal, state, and local, are working together, around the clock, to prevent attacks and to keep us safe. by showing those who want to do us arm that they will never beat us, by showing the entire world that as americans, we do not, and never will give into fear, that's going to be the most important ingredient in us defeating those who would carry out terrorist acts against us. >> well, both of the presidential candidates, trump and clinton, weighed in today. on fox news this morning, trump said this was due to the fact, this incident, this terrorism was due to the fact that the country has been weak. here he is. >> well, it's a mess and it's a shame and we're going to have to be very tough. i think, maub we're going to be seeing a big change over the last couple of days. i think this is something that maybe we'll get, you know, will happen. perhaps more and more, all over the country. >> what do you mean? more terror strikes? >> yeah, because we've been weak. our country has been weak. we're letting people in by the thousands and tens of thousands. i've been saying, you've got to stop it. >> that's that. this morning, hillary clinton also addressed the attack and answered a question about trump's approach to immigration. >> this threat is real, but so is our resolve. americans will not cower. we will prevail. we will defend our country and we will defeat the evil, twisted ideology of the terrorists. so, let's not get diverted and distracted by the kind of campaign rhetoric we hear coming from the other side. this is a serious challenge. we are well equipped to meet it. and we can do so in keeping with smart law enforcement, good intelligence, and in concert with our values. >> well, for the latest on the investigation, i'm joined by nbc justice correspondent, pete williams. pete, what do we know about this guy, this guy who did it? >> well, a fair amount. in terms of his past, he came here in 95 with his parents, when he was about 7 years old. he was born in 1988 in afghanistan. his parents sought asylum. they were eventually granted a asylum. he became a u.s. citizen, went to high school and college in new jersey. and then began to travel to afghanistan, not surprising, that's where he's from, but his friends have said that he became radicalized, or at least he was a change ed person after he cam back from afghanistan. that's going to be one of the big questions here is, what caused him to take this root? that's something that the government's going to have to try to figure out. but for now, they're still trying to build a criminal case against him. and that's a case that's going to be based on evidence, chris. and the evidence here, they've got a lot of it for the simple reason that two of the three bombs they say he planted didn't go off. now, one of them was a pressure cooker bomb on 27th street in new york that they found as they were canvassing the neighborhood for other explosives. and they found his fingerprint on it. that's really quite astonishing. they always look for it, but seldom find it in these bombing cases. but they found his fingerprint on it. secondly, cell phones were attached to it. they got the number of the cell phone, found out whose cell phone it was, where it was purchased, again, leading to him. and then you have this surveillance video of him -- not that one there, but the surveillance video of him walking around the two places where the bombs were set. so just lots of evidence led to him, and that's going to be the basis of these charges. the fbi said today that they can link him to all three of the bombs. the one set at seaside park new jersey, at the 5k race on saturday and the one in chelsea sunday night. the question of his radicalization, what caused him to do this, that's one they'll eventually have to answer nor the trial. but in terms of filing the criminal charges, their goal now is to try to show that he did it. and of course, we haven't obviously heard from him. i'm told that he had surgery today. he was sedated for that. he hasn't -- they really haven't had a chance to erequest him yet. they've tried a little, and he wasn't in a very responsive mood, i'm told. >> thanks, pete. you answered all my questions without me asking them. nbc's ayman mohyeldin is in lyndon, new jersey, where the suspect was taken into custody today. ayman, thank you. what can we get out of this guy? what do you think the questions will be? he goes to over afghanistan or pakistan or both over the years. you know what disturbs me as an american, and you too, when somebody goes through the effort to become a u.s. citizen, it's not ease, understand our culture, at least verbally understand it, you want to become an american. and after go all of the effort to become an american, saluting the flag and pledge of allegiance and everything you've sweared to, you decide to go the other way. that's what disturbs people like us. >> reporter: yeah, no doubt there's a lot of very troubling questions about this. because, you know, chris, on one happened, you were talking about something that was very american. on the surface, this was a father who had a small chicken restaurant, so in some ways, it is the american dream. he immigrated to this country, lived in a bad luck community, his children worked with him, trying to make a better living for himself. there are no doubt there are some characteristics on the surface that would say that he was living that kind of american immigrant dream that so many people aspire to. but at the same time, you're also raising these questions about, well, what led this individual to carry this out? and all of these will become questions that authorities and investigators will try to piece together. there's no doubt that we're using the word "radicalism" right now given the identity of the individual, but that may be premature as we learn more about the motivations behind that individual. you know, one of the points that were brought up earlier today, when i was talking to one of the law enforcement officials here is i was asking him, why do you think this guy would be sleeping out on the street here, and, you know, on the run away from cops? and one of the things he said to me was, well, maybe he didn't have a network, maybe he didn't have this cell that we've kind of been talking about in the media. a suggestion that perhaps he carried this out by himself. he didn't have a network of support. he didn't have a network of accomplices who were willing to take him in and to try to provide him with that shelter. so this notion that he was part of a larger cell may be somewhat premature. and as pete williams was reporting, he has not been hearing that as well from his sources. but you brought up the point about the american dream and how he fits into it. and those are certainly questions that are going to be asked by investigators. what, if anything, led to this guy carrying these type of attacks out. was it some mental disturbance? purely criminal or radicalization? >> or was it just he didn't fit in and he was angry at the people who were hassling his family at that restaurant. you've heard those stories, too. ayman mohyeldin, thank you so much for this report on site. joining me, tara mahler, a military analyst at the cia. let me ask you about this. how do you put the motives together just on what you heard. apparently regular people in the neighborhood were hassling -- although it's always struck me, if you're going to run a restaurant, you've got to be somewhat social. but they say this family didn't talk to anybody. i don't even know how you do that. i guess it's a takeout kind of place. the other thing is, how do you put together these misfit operations. somebody in the army, somebody out in san bernardino, in a government office out there. these people seem to be fitting into the category of people up in connecticut. it's a combination of, i don't like the people around him. i'm going to blow out against them or i'm going to send a message internationally. and this guy didn't even have an escape plan. >> you're exactly right. and in a lot of cases, we look to cling to one maufgs. he could have been problems at home. having problems psychologically. he could have been exposed to radical jihadist content online. all of these things created a perfect storm and motivated him to carry out the attack. we don't know yet, but the speed of this investigation, how quickly they apprehended him, the evidence they have, the computers and the cell phones they've been able to get into, we'll have a lot more about his motivations, who he was in touch, what he may have believed, if there were jihadist motives behind it, we'll see that. a lot of these people aren't having contact with isis directly. they're not having meetings or going and becoming part of a high-tier network, they're becoming exposed to the content, the propaganda online. >> because they want it. >> they want it. they're seeking it out. and it's out there. the tech companies need to start cracking down on a lot -- >> the largest countries in the world, china and india, have a lots of poor people. they're not coming at us. why are there certain groups of people coming at us? it's not poverty. people who hit us on 9/11 were educated technicians. these guys who put that together had careers ahead of us. they were not impoverished or in trouble. they just didn't fit in somehow. >> you have strongholds in syria and iraq who are trying to propagate an anti-western message. and some of these people franchise in different places, they will grasp on to this. not just in terms of going to fight there as a foreign fighter, but ideologically, messages resonate. in this case, it didn't seem like there was such great planning. he dropped it in that dumpster. >> why'd they find it at the doorstep? i thought he may have done it, being positive, because he didn't want to incriminate his family or anybody else. so i'm going to go let him pick me up. >> you're ascribing very genuine and anine motivations. it seems like there were lots of problems with this actual attack itself. he could have probably put that in a lot of other places and hit more people. fortunately, he did not. >> why attack dumpsters? >> dumpster is meant to confine an explosive in a sense. it's barricading it. >> it's a safe attack, but not a safe escape, because he left all the evidence. >> coming up right now, the politics of terror. we'll get reaction from former mayor rudy giuliani, and chris murphy of connecticut, who's backing hillary clinton. this is "hardball," the place for politics. bp drilling teams train in virtual reality simulators in here, so we're better prepared for any situation out there. because safety is never being satisfied. and always working to be better. with 50 days before the election, florida's too close to call. let's check the "hardball" scoreboard. according to a new siena college poll for "the new york times," donald trump and clinton are tied 43-all down in florida. a head-to-head matchup and they're even. next to georgia whereby a new monomoth poll has trump leading, 45-42, in a state democrats haven't won by 92, still, trump's still leading. wii be right back. sorry, captain obvious. don't be. i've got the hotels.com app, which makes it simple to book a room for $500. or $25, but it won't be here. you can stay with me. thanks. i've already lost enou today. hei don't want one that'hadused a big wreck just say, sh me cars with no accidents rerted find the cars you want, avoid the ones you don't plus you get a free carfax® report with every listing i like i start your used car search at carfax.com male teacher: andthe the largest planet? someone we haven't heard from. female teacher: anyone else? through internet essentials, comcast has connected more than 3 million people in need to low-cost, high speed internet at home, helping to make sure that every hand in the classroom goes up. male teacher: okay, veronica. amphibian. male teacher: excellent. welcome to a brighter future. comcast. welcome back to "hardball." this weekend's bombing in new york and new jersey have pushed national security back to the forefront of the presidential debate and the campaign itself. with each side lobbying attacks at the other. donald trump accused hillary clinton of being harder on his supporters than she is on islamic terrorists. here she goes. >> hillary clinton talks tougher about my supporters than she does about islamic terrorists, right? she calls the patriotic americans, who support our campaign, many of them cops and soldiers, deplorable and irredeemable. and she means it. to hear the words hillary clinton uses, one could be forgiven for getting the impression that she cans thee s impression that she cans thehe s hard-working americans are somehow a greater threat to our country than islamic extremists. >> hillary clinton pushed back, as you might expect, accusing donald trump of demagoguery. here she deposgoes. >> well, it's like so much else he says. it's not grounded in fact. it's meant to make some kind of demagoguic point. and the facts are pretty clear. we still have chablgs. that's what i've been talking about throughout this campaign. i am prepared to, ready to actually take on those challenges, not engage in a lot of, you know, irresponsible reckless rhetoric. >> anyway, for more, we're joined right now by the former mayor of new york city, rudy giuliani, a big trump senior adviser. mr. mayor, always great to have you on the show. by the way, congratulations on having gotten your candidate to say president obama was a legitimate president. that was a heavy lift and i give you credit for that, even though it was a bit delayed. also, hillary clinton's health, i hope you just saw her there. she looked very healthy. do you think she's back on her feet again? or do you think it's a more serious illness than pneumonia? >> i will -- i will keep silent about it, but shortly after i said, i thought she looked ill, she collapsed, so, i don't know. >> what was the causality there? were you the cause or just the measurer? >> maybe i was the cause. it was only four days after and all you people in the media went crazy on me when i said she looked pale. i really meant it. she looked pale. >> don't start saying i'm sick, because -- power beyond your imagination here, mr. mayor. thank you. >> it could be. >> let's talk about something that you're positively known for, that's how to deal with terrible situations. here again it's new york. the epicenter of our fight against terrorism, viking new york and new jersey, right across from new york, across the hudson. and here we are, and yet it's a person that really disturbs me. i don't know if you just heard a minute ago, like you and everybody else in this country, we would like to think that these people that come to america to make it a better life, become naturalized. with all the effort and purpose that that entails, becoming americans. and then becoming our enemy, potentially. he's a suspect, at least. what do we make of those cases? >> i'll tell you what you make of it in the big picture. we're fighting a two-front war, but don't seem to realize it. we're fighting isis and various other islamic terrorist groups overseas. in some way. very minor engagement there. and then, the second front is the homeland. isis, unlike al qaeda, has figured out how to activate terrorist attacks in the homeland. al qaeda did one, september 11, and after that we didn't have another one until ft. hood under obama. >> yeah, but ft. hood wasn't international, was it? they may have been listening to someone on the internet, but -- >> chris, chris, if you read bin laden, if you read adnani, who is basically the -- was the theory tigs for isis, this is what they've been talking about for 12, 15 years, talking about how they can self-radicalize people in france, in brussels. this is not accidental in the sense that it's just happening because we're having a bad year. this is happening because it's part of their plan. they have always planned a two-front war against us, and they are doing very well right now with the second front of that war. >> what would you do? >> and they are also located in 28 -- they're located in 28 countries. it was kind of odd to hear the vice presidential candidate of the democratic party saying that we're winning the war against isis. if this is what it means to win the war against isis, go told that to the people of new york, go tell that to the people of minnesota. >> we have an imam who gets on the internet and he apparently influences the guy down in ft. hood. and now the military guy down there, that committed the terrorism down there, and then this case, this guy is apparently inspired by something he picked up on the internet. you say, self-radicalized, that's the right word, but how do you stop this process if you're president of the united states? >> number one, you don't put your head in the sand and not say "radical islamic terrorism" and talk about how bad it is, and talk about how terrible it is. maybe you initiate a voice of america, like we did during the cold war. where we talked about how much greater our values were than the values of communism. president obama is not fighting the war of words. he's not fighting the war of ideology. nor is hillary clinton. they are running away from it. they don't want to say "radical islam." they think it's going to insult good islamic people. >> why does that help? >> if i followed that, the mafia would still exist. why does it help? because it helps to give good people a place to rally around. you know, when the people of iran revolted, obama didn't do what reagan did with solidarity, which is support them. he turned his back on them, because he wanted to deal with iran. he does not know how to fight the battle of values for the united states. and -- >> do you think this guy, rahami, the new suspect, who's in custody now at the hospital of new york, do you think he would not have been radicalized if we had said, radical terrorism? do you think the phrase would have stopped him from radicalizing -- hearing that on television from you? >> i'm not -- >> that sounds like abracadabra to me. like you say, abracadabra and sympathetic doesn't happen. >> it wasn't abracadabra in poland, czechoslovakia and the baltic states. >> but he knows what it is. he knows what's motivating him. >> if only one side is motivating him and there's no counter to that side, we're going to lose a lot of people. the only people who are motivating right now online are the isis people and the radical islamic terrorists. nobody is motivating people online about what a wonderful country this is. what a great country this is. what an exceptional country this is. would it have stopped him? how do i know? did it ultimately defeat communism, yes, it did. >> i'm with you -- mr. mayor, i'm with you on the voice of america. lev i love that stuff. i used to listen to it for two years in africa. >> hillary clinton is particularly defensive on this issue, because she and barack obama own isis. this is -- this never had to happen. iraq was fairly stabilized when they took over, because of the surge. their withdrawal of troops from iraq -- >> that's not fair. al qaeda happened on your watch, you're not responsible for al qaeda. i don't blame you for 9/11. >> well, they shouldn't, i wasn't -- >> why are you blaming obama for isis? >> i had nothing to do with foreign policy, ever. >> well, w. was head of it. nobody's ever blamed -- who's blamed w. for what happened on 9/11? >> well, clinton! >> you guys attack other people when it happens on their watch, but don't accept it when it happens on your watch. >> clinton was there -- look, she made isis possible. and today she's saying that trump's words incited the guy. come on. stop the phoneyness. >> well, just remember, just remember, the president of the united states -- >> -- a critical mistake -- >> okay, okay. just -- >> and your side blasted -- >> you can call them my side all you want. but that's not going to work. my side's america. let me just tell you, mr. mayor -- >> your side blasted bush and so did my side. >> in august of 2007, the president of the united states got a note from condi rice, who was head of national security, saying, al qaeda to attack within the united states. i would say that a pretty good warning of what was coming on 9/11, but nobody spent the last 12 years of blaming w. for that. >> because there was that one attack and we had no more, because he immediately went on offensive. he immediately had them back on their cage. you can't plan attacks on america when you're in caves. obama has withdrawn. obama has been basically a pacifist. hillary clinton announced the other night on the presidential forum that she's not going to use ground troops. how does a commander in chief take that option off the table. >> okay -- >> our weakness -- our weakness is provoking them. >> let me ask you one question, a political question. if 9/11 -- where you did serve very well. we've always given you credit for that here, i believe it. but if that had happened on a democratic president's watch, would you have been so generous to not blame it on the democratic president? >> of course. >> you would not have blamed a democratic president for 9/11 if it happened on his watch or her watch? >> i would not have blamed -- i wouldn't have blamed anybody for it. >> well, you're blaming president obama for isis. you're blaming president obama for isis and hillary clinton. >> well, i am blaming president obama for being asleep at the switch for eight years in dealing with radical islamic terrorism. >> okay. >> i find it mind boggling that he can't even say the words. >> he doesn't believe in your n abracadabra theory, mr. mayor. he doesn't believe saying magic words is going to end terrorism. he doesn't believe it or he would be doing it. >> chris, it's working for them. they're using social media and they're winning. >> okay, okay. >> we don't use social media and we're losing. so, i don't know, you can stick with the losers, if you want. >> okay, mr. mayor, don't get personal. i try to avoid that. >> not getting personal. you can stick with the losers if you want. they're losers. >> okay, thank you very much. now we return -- thank you so much, mr. mayor. now let's turn to democratic senator chris murphy of connecticut. he's a hillary clinton backer. do you think that's true, that the republicans wouldn't have bashed the democrats if 9/11 had occurred under a democratic president? there's no doubt in my mind. >> you had a memo sitting on his table -- >> w.. >> right. telling w. that there were attacks coming. you don't think there would have been hearings left and right, north and south -- >> i think it's bigger than benghazi, just guessing. >> and this idea, the one thing about that interview that giuliani has right is that you do need to tell a positive story about america. but if that's what he thinks is important here, then he wasn't at the republican national convention. it's the republican party that's out there bashing this country right now. it's actually the democratic party that's selling a story about the greatness of this country. >> it's always harder to play defense when something bad happens. this is not the worst thing that's happened to us, but it's bad, it scares people, it's unexpected and terrifying to some extent. because it happens right -- the nearest trash can could be blowing up. who knows what the sense of this whole thing was. how do you play defense if you're hillary clinton. you're the party of power? >> you don't go on defense, you play offense. you talk about what's happening. you talk about individuals like this guy who was a nationalized u.s. citizen who became radicalized sometime later in his life and present the argument to the american people that whatert matters now is preventing people who are already in this country from becoming radicalized and organized against it. and donald trump's rhetoric who is essentially trying to tell muslims that they're not part of the whole, it's exactly what isis recruiters want to hear. so you go on the offense and essentially tell donald trump an isis recruiter, which is what his rhetoric is doing. it's providing them the fodder they need -- >> you really believe that trump -- i think it's possible. do you think that trump is heard in the islamic world, and among the islamic community here, to the point where somebody would say, dammit, i've had it with this country, this guy trump is against us, i'm enjoying to go and blow up something. do you think that that's something that would actually happen? >> i don't know if the conversation happens that quick, from something trump says to the decision to blow something up. but in europe, muslims are essentially told -- >> the bathing suit thing? >> yeah, so here in the united states, bewe've been successfult incorporating -- >> i like to think so that. >> i don't think it's a long stretch from somebody being told by the president of the united states, which is what trump is applying to be, that muslims are not american, from deciding to do harm against this country. >> he just says that you should say radical islamic terrorism. why don't you use the phrase? just explain. >> listen, the idea that one term is going to change this debate is ridiculous. and the fact of the matter is, you don't want to send the message that every member of the islamic religion is an existing or -- >> you think that says it? >> absolutely, i think it risks communicating that message. >> thank you so much, chris murphy of connecticut. up next, plenty of politics to get to. including a demand that elected republican officials get in line or kiss off their political futures. and president obama is getting personal about the fight to secede him. and another story, the prosecutor says that governor christie knew all about the closure of george washington bridge was happening at the time. also tonight, "the new york times" great maureen dowd will be here with us. this is "hardball," the place for politics. ♪ mapping the oceans. where we explore. protecting biodiversity. everywhere we work. defeating malaria. improving energy efficiency. developing more clean burning namy job?as. myob at exxonmobil? 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still gonna floor you. it may be called endless... ...but that doesn't mean it'll last. welcome back to "hardball." republican party chairman, reince priebus, said over the weekend that donald trump's 2016 primary opponents, who have not endorsed him so far in the general election, could face consequences, if they're planning to run again in 2020, should trump lose this november. let's watch reince. >> look, people who agree to support the nominee that took part in our process, they used tools from the rnc. they agreed to support the nominee. they took part in our process. we're a private party. we're not a public entity. those people need to get onboard. and if they're thinking they're going to run again some day, you know, i think that we're going to evaluate the process of the nomination process, and i don't think it's going to be that easy for them. >> well, the chairman's remarks rubbed the top strategist ohio governor john kasich the wrong way. john weaver issued a statement saying, quote, the idea of a greater purpose beyond one's self may be alien to political party sz bos like reince priebus, but is at the center of everything governor kasich does. he will not be bullied by a committee knows a political alternative, that is unable to stand up for core prels or beliefs. texas senator ted cruz and jeb bush still have yet to endorse donald trump. let's bring in the "hardball" roundtable, howard fineman with "the washington post," and jonathan capehart is an opinion writer for "the washington post." howard, is this because republicans are now finally falling in line, and he can get away this kind of push? >> no, this is because the trump campaign told reince priebus to do it. >> so they moved the previous question? >> they promoved the previous question. i'll use the pun -- >> i had to sell -- >> because i contacted the trump people and i said, what do you think about this? they said, well, we'll just let the chairman speak on this. and my sense of it is, look, texas doesn't matter. whether ted cruz endorses, doesn't matter that much in texas, where he's strong. but ohio and florida are two states that trump has to win. now, the polls are showing that he's close, if not ahead in those states, but they would like to have at least one smidgen of niceness from either jeb bush or jaohn kasich, to gie them a better chance, and that's why priebus is out there. i think all of those people, cruz, kasich, and bush are going to ignore reince priebus. they don't care what reince priebus says, but they had to do it. >> if you have a future in the republican party and presidential politics, if you are a cruise, or you're a jeb, or you're a kasich, more importantly, is it the smart move to be out of the party this time through? even if they win a close one, lose a close one, lose a landslide? is it better to be outside or inside? >> even though his heart or their hearts are saying they don't want to do it, it may be a bad move. because i've been told by too many people, today, in that camp, that if, indeed, kasich wants to run, he is not going to get the support. they're saying even if trump wins, they are going to blackball those people who have not supported them. and they are making the rnc and the trump campaign, they are making definite strides, trying to talk to kasich's folks, bush's folks and cruz's folks to get them onboard and they're not budging. >> i think that's true, if it's close. if it's a wipeout, it doesn't matter who is with them or against them. >> right, but i think jeb bush and governor kasich are on different planets from donald trump. i mean, i remember when we met with governor kasich, his whole tone, demeanor, the way he went about politics, is completely foreign to the way donald trump has run his campaign. so to me, the idea that governor kasich or governor bush would endorse donald trump would even -- what was it, a smidgen of niceness coming from them. if that happens, i don't know, maybe i'll do something on air. >> a lot of democrats are on different planets than bernie sanders, too. the roundtable is staying with us. up next, president obama said he would personally be insulted if african-american voters don't turn out for hillary. that's going to be an interesting test of his greatness. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. sure! it's free for everyone. oh! well that's nice! and checking your score won't hurt your credit. oh! 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is it a caregiver determined to take care of her own? or is it a lifetime of work that blazes the path to your passions? your personal success takes a financial partner who values it as much as you do. learn re at tiaa.org there's no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter. it all matters. and after we have achieved historic turnout in 2008 and 2012, especially in the african-american community, i will consider it a personal insult, wbr id "wbr24863" an insult to my legacy if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election. you want to give me a good sendoff? go vote! welcome back to "hardball." that was president obama on fire wbr id "wbr25163" over the weekend, at the annual /b dinner for the congressional black caucus foundation. we're back with the roundtable. that script he had, it was a teleprompter, wasn't that fiery. he got fiery. what's going on? >> well, what he's looking at is his legacy is on the line. it's all in the words that he said, and we're like 50 days away from -- >> is he hearing bad news? is he hearing low turnout? >> i'll leave that to april, but that fire that you saw, that's not put on. that's not theatric -- that is real. but the point i was about to make is that, let's say donald trump is, becomes president-elect. the last eight years, in this country's presidency, would basically be like the second season of dallas, as if it never happened. >> dallas. >> because trump would just undo everything that he worked on. >> the bottom line -- >> why'd he do it this weekend? he wasn't talking like that two weeks ago or a week ago? >> i don't think that's true. the president has been fiery, but this was his -- this was the base. and i'm going to say, i was there saturday night. and really, the key piece to me is after the dinner saturday night. i was walking -- i was watching the people clean up. and many of the congressional leaders came to me, april, you've got a good sense, what do you think? i have one congressional leader that says, i don't know, he was very upset. he was scared. the president knows intrinsically, he knows what is going on. he knows that a lot of african-americans are not necessarily as galvanized. his base, the people -- >> so did he do the right thing or not? >> yeah, it was the right thing. but it's beyond saturday night, what he needs to do. and hillary clinton -- hillary clinton is not her husband who was charismatic and get out there and could make you just sit in awe. he was one of the greatest speakers of our time. barack obama is one of the greatest speakers of our time. and michelle obama. what needs to happen is, is that hillary clinton needs to have standing with her, and the president may have to leave the white house a little more, standing with her to make him know, make the americans know that he is on the ballot. by standing -- >> how do you transfer charisma? >> you can't. >> you stand there. >> like, very quickly, he was speaking to the congressional black caucus, which is the base, and it's very important. but the problem for hillary clinton is not the people that the congressional black caucus talk to. because they're the establishment. they're members of congress. they're the establish. >> 46. >> it's the young kids. >> the millennials. >> the plenties, white, black, brown. that's where hillary's crisis is. >> and she needs bernie sanders. >> and elizabeth warren, too. thank you, april ryan, thank you, jonathan. up next, prosecutors in the bridgegate trial say new jersey governor chris christie knew about, key phrase, knew about the plot to shut down traffic lanes to the george washington bridge, even though he denied it for years. and that's coming up. this is hot stuff. and this is a "hardball" story, by the way. this network has been big on this. and this is the place for politics. ♪ ♪ take on any road with intuitive all-wheel drive. the nissan rogue, murano and pathfinder. now get 0% apr for 72 months, plus $500 bonus cash. yoyeah, i do.e? you guys are working on some pretty big stuff over there, right? like a new language for crazy-big, world-changing machines. well, not me specifically. i work on the industrial side. so i build theworld-ch. i get it. you can't talk because it's super high-level. no, i actually do build the machines. blink if what you're doing involves encrypted data transfer. wait, what? wowwww... wow? what wow? there is no wo well, opening statements began today in the bridgegate trial of two former top aides to new jersey governor chris christie. and today for the first time, a federal prosecutor told jurors that governor christie was told about a plan to close those traffic lanes, leading to the george washington bridge, as it was happening. and he knew about it. something the governor has denied for years. msnbc's steve kornacki is with us with more. steve, did this surprise you? you're an expert on this case. that the governor has been named by the prosecutor. >> well, here's the thing. the interesting thing is this david wildstein, who was one of the christie appointees, who has now pleaded guilty and is going to be the government's star witness. he had said through his lawyer, two years ago, that evidence exists that christie knew about the closures, as they were happening. his lawyers said that. federal prosecutors had never said whether they believed it, whether they accepted it, whether it would be part of their case. but now, in bringing wildstein out as their star witness and making this explicit statement today in the opening statements, they said that, look, wildstein was basically telling the governor, look, hey, there's this mayor who wouldn't endorse your re-election campaign. the traffic is piled up in his town. he's calling us, trying to solve it. we're not answering his calls, he's not getting his calls returned. they're basically saying in the opening states that wildstein was laying this out, bragging about it to chris christie, at ground zero, on 9/11 in 2013, which is just as the lane closures were happening. it confirms what a lot of people expected. this was introduced by wildstein's lawyer a while ago. now we know the feds believe it and they're going with it. >> this is a holy cow moment, for someone not like you, but almost like you, i've been fascinated by this trial. and as a person who's worked in politics, i never believed that the staffers were pushing something as grand as this effort to what cck all those mas without leadership from the top. it doesn't sound like anything i know. the fish rots from the head. thank you very much, steve kornacki, and we'll be right back with the great maureen dowd. my business was built with passion... but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. with it, e all of my purchasing. and that unlimited 2% cash back from spark means thousands of dollars each year going back into my business... which adds fuel to my bottom line. at's in your wallet? in election season, you'll often hear crazy stuff. but this year we have been hearing a little more crazy than usual. >> that was president obama in philadelphia. he's witnessed a slew of crazy stuff in the frenzy for most of the show. the columnist for the "new york times" has publish ed her third book "the year of voting dangerously." it became part of the show when donald trump tweeted whacky maurine who hardly knows me makes things up that i never said for her boring interviews and column. a neurotic dope. he couldn't be more wrong. he's just jealous. jo joining me is the author mau rein dowd. you are the best writer nor the "new york times." everybody knows that. you delight me. i go looking for the life, the exciting part, the color. i'm always wondering about you and who you have focused on that day. now trump, when you write a column, this is not giving anything away. when you write a column, you have a little shot against him. do you imagine him reading that and going, ugh. >> i was very disturbed that he didn't give more thought to my nickname because he's e recycling it. he gave megyn kelly whacky and crazy and neurotic. so i would have hoped at least when w. gave me a nickname it was cobra, which had glamour to it. >> everybody in america is trying to figure out. there's some things people hate about him and then there's people who sometimes low 40s that he offers. have you figured him out. >> i think that's why i wanted to write the book. i have covered them since the '90s, hillary and trump. one of the weird things about it is they are two of the most famous people on the planet, and yet nobody seems to really know them. hillary, it's reintroducing herself after the pneumonia as someone who likes women and children and we're supposed to see the real hillary now. there's a memo in the book where her aids we are telling her to do that 25 years ago. so every week they are reintroducing the real hillary. is and with trump, we don't know if he's the bling king, white rapper, crazy, new york. >> why is he catnip for the media? >> because as howard fineman said rs the mask is down. we're seeing behind the scenes. it's like "the wizard of oz." >> he says pay attention to the man behind the curtain. >> you're a hell of a writer. you really are. you're the best. this is going to be fun. you get to read one or two a night and go to sleep. >> there's a two essay about my 30 years with the bush family. >> who is your favorite bush. >> poppy bush. >> most people agree with that. i do like him. i'm not a big w fan. thank you, maurine. when we return, my election diary. 50 days before election. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. hey, ready for the big meeting? yeah. >>uh, hello!? a meeting? it's a big one. too bad. we are double booked: diarrhea and abdominal pain. why don't you start without me? oh. yeah. if you're living with frequent, unpredictable diarrhea and abdominal pain, you may have irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or ibs-d. a condition that can be really frustrating. talk to your doctor about viberzi, a different way to treat ibs-d. viberzi is a prescription medication you take every day that helps proactively manage both diarrhea and abdominal pain at the same time. so you stay ahead of your symptoms. viberzi can cause new or worsening abdominal pain. do not take viberzi if you have or may have had: pancreas or severe liver problems, problems with alcohol abuse, long-lasting or severe constipation, or a blockage of your bowel or gallbladder. if you are taking viberzi, you should not take medicines that cause constipation. the most common side effects of viberzi include constipation, usea, and abdominal pain. stay ahead of ibs-d... with viberzi. runstaying in a differentns hotel every night. so i u the hotels.com rewards program to earn free nights. which i can use for my new friends here. thanks, captain obvious. you're welcome. roger that, sir. my name isn't roger. supported by hotels.com. it's a very specific moment, the launch window. we have to be very precise. if we're not ready when the planets are perfectly aligned, that's it. we need really tight temperature controls. engineering, aerodynamics- a split second too long could mean scrapping it all and starting over. propulsion, structural analysis- maple bourbon caramel. that's what we're working on right now. from design through production, siemens technology helps manufacturers meet critical deadlines. i thinthis'll be our biggesflavor yet wh you only have one shot, you need a whole lot of ingenuity. election diary, september 19th, 2016. the week before the first presidential debate, we suddenly get hit with a new fact. terrorism has once again struck new york. the chief city, its media capital or the consciousness of the center of the universe, to paraphrase if you want to make noise, you make it there. the big apple, here we are with a debate away from the biggest media event with the media capital stirred by terrorism. so i expect what happened over the weekend will be the can't ignore topic on which we'll begin next week. if the moderator don't raise the issue, donald trump sure will. the reason, the man knows the moment, senses the scythe geist hillary clinton will be prepared on the issues. she will be the a student. donald trump will be more unpredictable. he will be ready with unpredi unpredictability for his way to the surprising assault, the counterattack, whatever line of attack opens up to him. i u expect e he will position himself on the site of change putting hillary on the site of dechding how things are. he will lead her and lock her into a trap that lies at the end of it. why will he be the predator? one central reason. he will be behind in the polls. his current surge will have exhausted itself. he will know the trend of election is a lack of a trend. the president or candidate ahead will be the one ahead unless something changes things. he will be the one to watch. the guy still behind in all l e likelihood stay behind unless he pulls something that captures the moment that exploits the country's current mood of uneasiness that captures the spirit of the times to his advantage to allow him to declare, you're fired, hillary. i expect hillary clinton to be prepared for this moment, the one in which donald trump will set his heart. her eyes on him to face down the man she must defeat head to head, face to face, together in this same moment with 100 million people watching. that's "hardball" for now. thank you for being with us. "all in" with chris hayes starts right now. tonight on "all in" -- >> let us be vigilant. >> two candidates, two different