it s how they write their memoirs. those are some of the new excuses from republicans about why donald trump took classified documents home with him to mar-a-lago. there was, though, one of the old ones about hillary clinton. the former president now is previewing his legal plans as he pushes more dangerous rhetoric. also this morning, new polling from nbc news shows americans no longer believe the economy is the most pressing issue facing our country. steve kornacki joins us to break down the numbers and to tell us what is on the minds of americans. good morning. welcome to morning joe. it is monday, august 22nd. with us this morning, u.s. special correspondent for bbc news, the great katty kay. katty, taking broadside shots a moment ago at your home country and the technology there. i was deeply concerned by that. i know. i was just hoping no one was listening back home. i think you re okay. we ll redeem ourselves here. okay. let s start with the new nbc news
she won. i called her to concede the race. reporter: but she s still hoping to win the war. i will be doing whatever it takes to keep donald trump out of the oval office. reporter: tuesday s results crystallizing the hold trump has over his party. gop voters electing candidates who embraced lies and election victory all in fealty to the former president. it was stolen. reporter: and the contrast between the party today and the one liz s father, dirk, led 20 years ago. we re proud of liz for standing up for the truth. reporter: scores have been settled this year. usa! usa! usa! reporter: not just cheney, who despite a voting record of over 90% with trump was still a 2020 target, but of the ten that voted to impeach trump, four lost primaries, two decided not to re-run, and only two survived. the party is teeming with ultraconservative pro-trump republicans. my republican is, you know,