Coverage of national and international news, including breaking stories. Coverage of national and international news, including breaking stories. Language, demeanor, facial exexpressie expre expresses, anything like that . Paul manafort was staring bullets at rick gates, his former protegee. Who worked for him for ten years. Started for him as an intern. And gates was not looking at manafort. Gates does not look in manaforts direction, even though theyre about ten feet apart. Hes talking to the jury. Manafort is glaring at him. Manafort has been an active participant in his defense. Hes taking notes. Hes talking to his lawyers. Holding a pen. But gates is not engaging with his former mentor, ilanian outs courthouse. Well check in with you throughout the afternoon. Lets bring in jill winebanks. Mimi roker is with us, former assistant u. S. Attorney in the Southern District of new york. And michael steele, former rnc chairman. All of them msnbc contributors and analysts. Mimi, gates admitting he
point that, you know, you lie down with fleas, you wake up with fleas. My grandma used to say if you run with dogs, you get fleas. Its very true here. Look, its like who did trump pick to be his Campaign Manager . Who did his Campaign Manager pick to be his deputy . This is the kind of person were dealing with. Its not a surprise he would then also defraud manafort. Jill, it would not seem as if things are going especially well for the former Campaign ChairmanPaul Manafort. How would you characterize the trial so far for him . I would say that the evidence has gone in very well and that there is a very compelling and complete case based open the documents. And thats important because in criminal cases, you do have criminals testifying against each other. I can only think of one case that i ever had where i had a completely untainted,
Coverage of national and international news, including breaking stories. You can argue that hes trying to prevent reversible error. But really i think hes hurting the prosecution case because theyre not being able to put in all the evidence that would be relevant to the jurors decision in this case. Evidence like what . For example, hes not allowing all the evidence of what Paul Manafort spent his money on. And where he got the money from. And how he was directly involved. So i think there have been some things and also the judge has been very vocal in yelling at the prosecution in the way that demeans it. Even comments that hes made, like i wouldnt know except if it came from mens warehouse. Or you didnt fool my wife. That really i think undermines the prosecution and makes them look weaker and less effective in front of the jury. Now its not clear all of those things were said in front of the jury. But if they were, they would have a definite impact on how the jury views the case. That about how these characters behaved. How they dealt and did business. And i think that that is the most important part to laying down the argument of why the president s actions on that airplane in dictating that memo was consistent with what weve seen up to that point. And afterwards. I think theres a lot for the president to be concerned about here. Even though russias not a part of this particular trial. We have now heard some russian names associated with russias efforts against the west. One witness saying manafort never repaid a 10 million loan from an oligarch named oleg deripaska. The u. S. Imposed sanctions on him and 23 others. Charges include attempting to subvert western democracies and malicious cyber activities. Sanctions were later eased on deripaska. Also reports that manafort gave a colleague with ties to a
russian intelligence Signatory Authority over some cyprus accounts. Does this give us an indication what mueller might want from Paul Manafort . I think it gives us a small window, you know, were getting just a little bit of what mueller probably would want to get from manafort. But yes, absolutely, manaforts connections to deripska, whose names keep coming up in terms of being involved in the attacks on our election and, you know, with deripaska, is someone who greatly wanted the sanctions eased. A great motive to interfere in our election. I think that give us a real hint. It also is important, as we keep coming back to, you know, manafort being in debt to deripaska at the time he took the no pay job from donald trump
i think is going to be an important part of this story as well. Michael, hope hicks, potential witness in the case. Apparently was on Air Force One this weekend with the president. Is that what a smart Defense Attorney would advice . No, i dont even get, you know, sometimes these folks operated in orbit where theyre just totally in space by themselves. And disconnected from Everything Else thats going on around them. I dont know what animated or motivated hope hicks to reinsert herself into this particular narrative at this point in time as this trial is kicking off with manafort and as mueller is laying down, at least giving signs out there that there are folks in trumps space that are now much more in his cross hairs. I dont understand it. I would think, given that shes spoken before to special, you
know, prosecutor that, you know, you would create some distance, not reinvolve her. But thats the sense that i think a lot of trumps people feel and maybe hope herself feels, that theres a newness to some degree from all of this other stuff that has nothing to do with what they did on behalf and for the president. They do believe that this is the witch hunt. They do believe that theres nothing to this. And i think thats a very dangerous position to take. There are reports, unconfirmed by this network, that hope hicks is in line to replace john kelly as Chief Of Staff. You buy that . No. No. Why . I mean, kelly kelly just got the sign off to say, hey, im with the president through the 2020 reelect. So, you know, the idea now that, you know, hopes going to come back and be Chief Of Staff with even less qualifications than
reince priebus had and we know how that turned out, i just dont see that. The president wants to be his own Chief Of Staff. I think thats well established at this point. The one thing he can do to allow him to do that successfully, and i put that in quotation marks, is to have someone in there who at least can get the machine to work and operate on a daytoday basis, controlling it and coordinating the cabinet, doing those other things on the hill. I just dont see hope hicks filling that role. No disrespect to her. But no government experience. No real relationship with capitol hill. I dont see how she steps in and would be an effective Chief Of Staff even as donald trump is calling all the shots. Michael steele, thank you. Recordsetting wildfires. One fire burning in california right now. That is nearly the size of los angeles. Its the largest fire in the history of california. And believe it or not, right
now, its actually getting worse. Plus, voice of the people on this tuesday. A democrat with a congressional race thats been held by a republican for more than three decades. What that could portend for november. And next target. Exclusive reporting from nbc news shows the trump administrations next immigration target. Millions of people trying to move here legally. Yeah. But popping these things really helps me. Relax. Please dont, im saving those for later. At least you dont have to worry about renters insurance. Just go to geico. Com. Geico helps with renters insurance . Good to know. Been doing it for years. Thats really good to know. Ill check em out. Get to know geico. And see how easy homeowners and renters insurance can be. So lets promote our Summer Travel deal on choicehotels. Com like this. Surfs up. Earn a 50 gift card when you stay just twice this summer. Or, badda book. Badda boom. Book now at choicehotels. Com
ive been Making Blades here at gillette for 20 years. Theres a lot of innovation that goes into making americas 1 shave. Precision machinery and highquality materials from around the world. Nobody else even comes close. Now starting at 7. 99. Gillette. The best a man can get. What is now the largest wildfire in California History is showing no sign of letting up. Two major fires have now joined, creating whats being called the Mendocino Complex Fire and get this, its nearly the size of the sprawling city of los angeles. The second largest city in this country. The fires scorched through more than 290,000 acres. More than 450 square miles. Officials say at this point its just 20 contained as well. 11,000 structures are being threatened by these blazes. And the Associated Press says some 14,000 firefighters right now are battling those fires throughout the state. Nbcs joel fryer is keeping a very close eye on it from california. What can you tell us right now . Its just after 10 00 there on the west coast. Firefighters anywhere gaining an upper hand on this thing . You know, craig, its going to take some time. This fire, the Mendocino Complex Fire, has grown at an incredible rate. It has more than doubled in size in just the past four days. Fueled by the fact that were experiencing a lot of heat right now in california. Triple digit customers. Low humidity. And the winds have really picked up. And incredibly dry conditions. The Mendocino County complex fire remains a concern. Most of the growth has happened on the north side of the fire, where its basically heavy forested area with no homes. The major concern is the southern end of the fire, which is closer to residential areas. Crews are working hard to put out hot spots to make sure the fire doesnt spread into the residential areas. Already this morning we have seen a few neighborhoods have been allowed to return home after being evacuated. So that is a positive sign. With conditions ripe for fire throughout this week here in california, certainly concerns remain high, craig. We put up a map that showed some of the other areas throughout california, where wildfires are raging right now. Were focusing of course on this largest one. But theres a number of wildfires all over california. As you know, President Trump has weighed in via his favorite method, twitter, tweeting, California Wildfires being magnified and made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which arent allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized. The president s comments there on social media, joe, how are those comments being received there in california . Bottom line, craig, theyre not being received very well. There was one headline in the l. A. Times which called it, quote, a strikingly ignorant tweet, one expert also weighing in, saying it boggles the mind. Bottom line what appears to be happening here is there is a genuine debate going on in california over the issue of water allocate that pits largely republicans against democrats and the governor here, jerry
brown. Experts say thats a separate issue from whether water is actually available to fight these wildfires, cal fire will tell you just be reassured. We have plenty of water. There are no issues with Water Supplies or resources here. In fact, keep in mind, take the Mendocino Complex Fire. That is actually burning pretty close to a decent sized lake. So that is one resource for firefighters. The other thing to keep in mind is water is obviously incredibly important when fighting a fire. Its not the only tool thats used. Oftentimes these aerial attacks we see on the fire, theyre using retardants. And one of the most important factors in trying to contain the fire is the fact that all those crews are on the ground. Theyre digging containment lines through the vegetation to keep the fire from spreading. All those things come together to try to control a massive fire like this one were seeing burning now. Joe fryer for us there, in california. This is one of, if not the most, important story that were following today. So in just a few minutes, we are going to be talking to an official there in california on the ground, working to get these fires under control. Well ask how helpful it was to blame state environmental laws for making the fires worse. The first person to survive Alzheimers Disease is out there. And the Alzheimers Association is going to make it happen by funding scientific breakthroughs, advancing public policy, and providing local support to those living with the disease and their caregivers. But we wont get there without you. Join the fight with the Alzheimers Association. Be up for life. Is part of a Bigger Picture. That Bigger Picture is statewide mutual aid. California years ago realized the need to Work Together. Teamwork is important to protect the community, but we have to do it the right way. We have a Working Knowledge and we can reduce the impacts of a small disaster, but we need the help of experts. Pg e is an integral part of our Emergency Response team. They are the Industry Expert with utilities. Whether it is a gas leak or a wire down, just having someone there that deals with this every day is pretty comforting. We each bring something to the table that is unique and that is a specialty. With all of us working together we can keep all these emergencies small. And the fact that we can bring it together and effectively Work Together is pretty special. They bring their knowledge, their tools and equipment and the proficiency to get the job done. And the whole time i have been in the fire service, pg es been there, too. Whatever we need whenever we need it. I do count on pg e to keep our firefighters safe. Thats why we ask for their help. A Special Election for the vacated congressional seat in ohios 12th congressional district. Its drawing natural attention. President Trump Stumping for balderson on saturday. Less than one point separating the two candidates according to the latest polls. Msnbcs Garrett Haake on the ground for us in columbus, ohio. Wins the district by 11 points in 2016. Why is that not carried over to the election . What are you hearing there . Yes, craig, thats been one of the questions weve had for voters here. Its been a steady stream at this precinct. Voters here are not used to seeing us here. Theyre not used to their races being a story. Thats how dominant republicans have been here. Really for a generation. You talk about President Trump winning by 11 points here. Pat teabury, the former congressman here, used to regularly win by 25 or 30 points. Something has changed here. Donald trump has been a big part of it and tonights race will be much closer than that. Troy balderson. He is the guy. He is the guy thats going to do things. Reporter President Trump on saturday delivering a buckeye boost for republican troy balderson, now locked in a bruising battle with Democrat Danny Oconnor in this last election before the midterms. Danny oconnor, thats a beauty, hes another beauty. This is what were fighting. Reporter Balderson Unabashedly Riding the coattails of a president who won this district by 11 points. Im not tired of winning. Reporter for a candidate who even some republicans say has failed to fully connect with voters timeout. I lost my screen that was popping up. Reporter the gop cavalry has been key. Surrogate visits, tv ads and millions of dollars spent by supportive super pacs. Republicans hope saturdays president ial visit brought a lastminute boost of unthesism. Major excitement. They were excited to see him up there. Reporter but excitement democrats here have in spades. About 31yearold candidate dannyoconnor. This district has been republican since before you were born. Why would it change now . I think because were having conversations. Reporter he focused on core democratic issues Like Health Care and social security. And tried to keep his distance from washington, vowing not to Support Pelosi for speaker. How much is donald trump on the ballot in this race . Well, hes not when im looking someone in the eye on their doorstep or here in a restaurant, im asking them what theyre worried about. To them, its policy issues,
its bread and butter stuff they talk about around the kitchen table. Reporter supporters believe that temperance may be key to peeling away votes from the districts well educated typically republican suburbs where some lifelong gop voters are ready to turn their backs on party. Do you recognize your Republican Party when you look at washington right now . Not at all. Reporter not at all . Not at all. I do not. I just feel that both the house and the senate have been neutered. I dont know what theyre thinking. Craig, these two candidates are going to face off again in november no matter what happens here tonight. So part of the reason we care so much about this race, this district looks so much like other Battleground Districts all around the country, right . Its got these wealthy, well educated suburban voters in one corner of it. Its got voters who went more towards President Trump in the other corner of it. Well