Transcripts For CNN At This Hour With Kate Bolduan 20240710

Hour with the cast of In The Heights. This is American Voices. Hello, everyone. Im alicia menendez. Donald trump has been out of office for over 140 days now, yet the damage hes inflicted on democracy continues to be revealed. New reactions tonight to news from the New York Times that his department of justice subpoenaed the Communications Records of lawmakers and their families, including a minor. Illinois congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi called for Attorney General Merrick Garland to clean house. I was a little disappointed quite frankly that we learned about this secret subpoenas of Intelligence Community members from apple and not from Merrick Garlands Justice Department. They need to also show that they are Cleaning House and that they come clean with any other secret subpoenas or investigations or inappropriate targets. The Justice Departments internal watchdog is launching an investigation into federal prosecutors use of secret subpoenas to obtain records from apple concerning two california lawmakers on the house intelligence committee. Those lawmakers were then Ranking Member now current House Intel Chair adam schiff as well as congressman Eric Swalwell, both democrats. The New York Times reports the doj, while under the leadership of jeff sessions, was hunting for the sources behind news media reports about contacts between Trump Associates and russia. As they report, ultimately the data and other evidence did not tie the committee to the leaks. That report is prompting Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer and other democrats to demand sessions and former Attorney General bill barr testify before the Senate Judiciary committee. Both sessions and barr claim they know nothing about the subpoenas. Were only finding out about this because the gag order placed on apple by trumps doj expired, allowing apple to disclose what was happening. Its important to note that the New York Times reports this was happening in 2017, not trumps final days in office. It was not a frantic, lastditch effort to stay in office after losing the election. This reporting reveals that trump was willing to do what he felt he would be in office forever and what he would be willing to do if the American People allow him back into the oval office, which brings us to the republican party, working since the day trump the lost roll back Voting Rights. According to the brennen center, 14 states have enacted 22 new laws that restrict voting access. 61 bills with restrictive provisions are moving through 18 state legislatures. Attorney general Merrick Garland says the doj will work to secure and expand the right to vote for all americans. With me now, msnbc legal contributor, katie phang. Herrera litman, Legal Affairs columnist for the l. A. Times and former u. S. Attorney, and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General during the clinton administration, Betsy Woodruff swan, National Correspondent and msnbc contributor. Good to see you all. The dojs internal watchdog is going to investigate the seizure of Communications Records of congress memories during the trump era. What are they going to be looking for and how could it help shed light on what trump was using the doj to do . Itll help, but its not enough. The oig will only look at current employees, no power to force nonemployees to talk to him. And also it could take a year, 18 months, but hell sit down with the remaining people there and say what exactly happened here, how did it come to be that these guys were on the list . Its important to note, alicia, there are potential nonsinister explanations here, which makes it all the more important that there be a full investigation. But Leak Investigations are needle in a haystack propositions, and they may be saying it was just piece of hay in the stack that we didnt know about. But thats what hell be looking forward. It will be a limited and long inquiry. And not a substitution for a full congressional inquiry. Katie, you dont need to remind you, trump has been falsely publicly calling adam schiff a leaker, constantly calling for an investigation. How could that be used as evidence now . Well, it would just be evidence that there was the complete and total politicization of the department of justice during the Trump Administration. I mean, you know, theres Actual Supreme Court precedent, alicia, concerning federal grand jury subpoenas because thats exactly what was used in this case as the vehicle by which the records were obtained for 73 Phone Numbers and at least 16 email addresses from apple. This prior Supreme Court precedent says that these grand jury subpoenas, although they can be readily issued as long as theyre generally relevant to an investigation, they can never be used as a fishing expedition, and they certainly cannot be used if the targets of those subpoenas are done out of malice or for some type of malevolent intent or some type of specific political intent. Thats exactly what we all need to know. If barr denies knowledge, if sessions denies knowledge, and now we know that rosenstein from reporting is denying knowledge, then what does that mean . Is there some Rogue Division at the department of justice during the Trump Administration that was running around issuing these subpoenas or getting these subpoenas issued to be able to get these records . Its concerning, and the American Public needs to know. So the Senate Judiciary committee should have hearings and people like barr, sessions, rosenstein, they should testify and explain why they were doing what they were doing. Well, betsy, your latest reporting talks about how the former a. G. Is distancing himself from those trumpera subpoenas of lawmakers, writing barr said that while he was Attorney General he was not aware of any congressmans records being so you go to in a leak case. He added that trump never encouraged him to zero in on the democratic lawmakers who reportedly became targets of the former president s push to unmask leakers of classified information. Betsy, what does it say that even bill barr doesnt want to touch this . It tells you this isnt great. Usually people like barr and sessions are the most enthusiastic defenders of the most controversial steps that the Justice Department took during the Trump Administration. The fact that the First Response from the former Attorney General was to say that he didnt know about this without putting forward any sort of defense or any sort of plausible argument that, hey, maybe this wasnt that bad, the fact that were not hearing that from him tells you everything you need to know about the potential significance or the actual significance of this news thats broken over the weekend. One thing thats important Taking A Step Back is to look at the context of this. And that is, in the very early days of the Trump Administration, the Justice Department, led by sessions and rod rosenstein, rolled out aggressive, torquedup focus On Finding People who were leaking or sharing information with journalists, including classified information, finding them, prosecuting them and trying to put them behind bars. This became a top priority for the dojs National Security division, even though that division has finite resources and im sure you and i can think of one or two or several other National Security problems that might be of slightly hire concern to this country that people talking to reporters. But at the Justice Department in response to the president s broader constant tweets and comments and harangues about these classified leaks, the department moved forward with this effort to hunt down as many people as possible who talked about classified material with journalists. Ask thats the context in which the department ended up, even if its most benign explanation possible, thats where the Justice Department ended up hoovering up information from two lawmakers, part of the job that they had, of course, is to oversee the department of justice. One of those Lawmakers Schiff calling on Merrick Garland to clean house inside of doj. What would that look like . Yeah, he is. Thats really important point because the pressure grows on garland. Hes tried very much to take the approach of ill now stay in my lane and do it right and leave the past behind. But the pressure grows on him, including with these recent decisions. What would it look like . It would look like more investigations like this. It would look like more Policy Initiatives of the sort hes undertaking already with, say, Voting Rights that hes announced. It would mean that he actually is putting his hands around certain problems from the past. A really quick point on the investigation. Everything betsy and katie says is right, and the big question is, was it politically motivated . But we dont think right now schiff and swalwell were the actual targets, rather, they were a number called by one of the targets. Its a problem, but we dont have yet a smoking gun that they were targeted in a political way. Somebodys dog is very upset about this. Katie, to zoom out, what happens if this passes without consequence . [ no audio ] yeah, ive lost her audio. Im sorry. Betsy, im going to kick that over to you. What happens is one more piece of damage that trump did to the reputation of the Justice Department will remain intact. Whatever the explanation is for how this happened, the fact that it happened and it was possible for these members of congress to have their information sucked up in this way and not get notification in time is something that is going to further erode Public Confidence in the wall of separation between doj and the white house. So to harrys point, this is something thats become a priority for Merrick Garland. The challenge it presents, of course, is that there are many cases where perhaps the white house wishes they could somehow signal to the Justice Department maybe recalibrate some things. For instance, the Justice Department is defending trump in litigation involving Rape Accusations against him. That litigation has continued under Merrick Garland. White house officials can say, look, if they had their say, if there was political sway over doj, that litigation probably would not be going on. What this means is that the cost or the challenge to the Biden Administration is, are they willing to actually take some of the potential hits, deal with some of the complicated or nuanced headlines that will be required in order for the public to really have confidence that dojs acting independently of the white house, independently of political officials and the Biden Administration . Thats something to keeping an eye on going forward, is when do they see the doj taking steps that perhaps wouldnt be politically beneficial to the white house . That, interestingly, is one of the signs that the institution itself is regaining the independence that traditionally its joint custody and has been absolutely bedrock to the American Public having confidence in our federal Law Enforcement system. Katie, harry, betsy, thank you for getting us started. Next, republicans carry on with their attacks on Voting Rights. Its a statelevel onslaught with nationwide consequences. What can congress do . And the City Of Orlando Gathering to mark five years since the attack on the Pulse Nightclub and to honor the 49 lives stolen that night. Well speak to the first reporter to arrive on the scene that day. Plus, the latest from the u. K. And bidens first appearance as president on The World Stage where hes doing a bit of diplomatic Damage Control and working to spread this message. The united states, ive said before, were back. The u. S. Is back. First to richard lui with a look at the other big stories were tracking this hour. Richard . Alicia, very good afternoon to you. Some Breaking News in austin, texas. First a manhunt continues for one suspect involved in a shooting overnight. 14 were injured. One suspect was arrested this afternoon. A motive remains unclear. Now to some video that some might find disturbing. Today during a uefa euro match, christian eriksen, who plays for Denmarks National team, collapsed on field. Within seconds, both teams rushed to help him. The danish leagues director said the 29yearold received Chest Compressions on the field. He is stable and conscious at a nearby hospital. Another Midair Meltdown to report, this one on a delta flight from los angeles to atlanta. Video from inside the cabin shows passengers subduing a man now confirmed to be an offduty delta employee. Its unclear what led him to lose his cool, but we do know the plane landed safely in oklahoma city. More American Voices right after this short break. Not thinking about her work or her schedule. Hi baby. Hey ma, how are you doing . Im doing good, how are you . Good. We are just on our way back from the beach. Shes not thinking about her next appearance or even her book tour. No, shes thinking about something more important. 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Welcome back to that same old place that you laughed about well, the names have all changed since you hung around but those dreams have remained and theyve turned around whod have thought theyd lead you whod have thought theyd lead you back here where we need you back here where we need you yeah, we tease him a lot. Welcome back, america. It sure is good to see you. For democrats, the window is closing to block the gops assault on Voting Rights. While negotiations over two new bills continue on capitol hill, Attorney General Merrick Garland is stepping up the dojs role in protecting every americans right to vote. We are scrutinizing new laws that seek to curb voter access and where we see violations, we will not hesitate to act. There are many things that are open to debate in america, but the right of all eligible citizens to vote is not one of them. Joining me now to discuss, sarah mucha and a Political Correspondent for business insider. There are now more than 380 restrictive voting bills moving through nearly every state in this country. What is the Attorney General proposing . How much will it help the situations in those states . Yeah, so there are a couple of things that Attorney General Merrick Garland proposed yesterday. One of the overarching themes that he emphasized was the need to essentially reinstate the preclearance protections that were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013, a really essential part of the Voting Rights act that activists have said really makes the law moot unless those protections and those provisions are reinstated. That was one big thing that garland emphasized. The other thing that he said was that the department of justice is going to double the number of staffers who are tasked with overseeing the enforcement of Voting Rights and to protect the right to vote. This was really an acknowledgment by garland that once you start slashing the right to vote, thats really the beginning of the end of democracy. The Attorney Generals been very careful not to wade into deeply political issues, but his decision to speak out publicly on this signifies the importance with which the department views this issue. I think it is telling that the department of justice is where were leading our show on multiple fronts today. What does garlands new Enforcement Effort on Voting Rights say about how his department is approaching the issue compared to how barr and sessions handled enforcement during the trump years . Yeah, well, clearly theyre making it a priority. President biden specifically said when he assumed office that this is an issue thats close to his heart. Civil rights is an issue he grew up in. Its something that inspired him politically. And so by expanding the Civil Rights Division staff, as Merrick Garland promised to do, by expanding the amount of Trial Attorneys that will be focused on Voting Rights in specific states, this is clearly an issue that the Biden Administration and the Justice Department are taking seriously and signaling very clearly from the bully pulpit that this is an issue that theyre going to focus on, especially when congress may not be able to act as swiftly. To connect the dots on these stories, these new reports about trumps doj seizing Phone Records of democrats adam schiff and Eric Swalwell is putting new urgency on the push to get new Voting Rights bills passed in congress. But when you have Senator Manchin opposed to the for the people act as well as changing the filibuster, where do negotiations stand right now . Yeah. So because of the fact that democrats have such a slim majority in the senate, they really need manchins support in order to really get anything done. So the fact that he has withdrawn his support for this big senate bill sb1 that would address Voting Rights across the country, that pretty much means that it is bill is doa. Its very likely not going to go anywhere and it seems clear that congress is going to be taking a backseat on this, which is perhaps why manchin really isnt very popular among members of his own party because, you know, he recently told nbc news that a oneparty push to enact new Voting Legislation is, quote, a disaster waiting to happen. But based on what we see in republicancontrolled legislatures across the country, the way that theyre passing bills with little, if any, democratic support, seems like thats already unfolding. Sarah beat me to it. Imagine republicans are insisting any Voting Measure be passed with bipartisan support, yet you have statelevel republicanled legislatures moving full speed ahead to pass new voter restrictions laws. I wonder if that hypocrisy is getting lost in translation . Sure. Well, youre right. I can say that this idea of bipartisanship is a hard pill for democrats to swallow. You know, i would argue that whoever said one person cant make a difference, they never met joe manchin. It really does in that instance come down to the filibuster. Whether its sb1 or the john lewis Voting Rights act, Which Manchin said he supports, at the end of the day, even if it were the lewis act, it doesnt have likely it wont get enough republican votes. So it would all come down to the filibuster, and that is, again, a thing that joe manchin does not support. So at the end of the day, its hard to see how bipartisanship is going to have a play at all here, but democrats arent really all on the same page either. Right. Answering questions that are impossible to answer. Sarah and sonam, thank you both. The community of orlando remembering the lives lost in the Pulse Nightclub shooting five years ago. Well talk to the reporters and what has changed since that night. 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My next guest was one of the first journalists on the scene in orlando that night when he met a mother outside as she waited for word about her son. Im listening to you guys too because you guys can get information and youll let us know. Were so sorry that youre having to go through this. Were seeing more and more patients coming in. Which is good. Yeah, which some are voicing we can hear this one patient is being taken in right now. To know that there are several people who are alive, well pray your son is among them. Joining me now, stewart moore, an anchor for nbc affiliate , withesh in orlando. Stewart, thank you so much for being here. Take me back to that night. What do you remember most . What i remember most was getting out there and it was such a panic. Whenever you arrive on crime scenes, especially like this, there are Police Officers that have the area cordoned off, so i got there so soon, that had not yet even happened because police were completely focused on what was happening inside the club. I wound up moving back so i could get in position to meet my photographer. It was a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Police dogs were Walking Around because at one point we believed there was a bomb inside a vehicle and they werent sure where it was. And then we heard the explosion happen right at the top of our broadcast that morning. That sent a fury of different vehicles that were bringing victims who were inside the club and trapped all that time down towards the hospital, which was only a block and a half from the scene. That led me to the mother you saw in that clip just now when i was standing just outside the emergency room, again, a block away from pulse. She found out her son was dead inside the club. Talk to us about the impact this had on the Community Five years ago and what it is like now five years later. You know, the Immediate Impact that it had was a lot of people who werent necessarily looking and focused on lgbtq rights, for equality and marriage and all the sorts. They immediately started changing their tune because they realized what this group had just been through and the humanity behind it and seeing the images of people carrying each other through the streets, you know, gay, straight, lesbian, everyone helping each other in that moment. Orlando came together in that time as far as people rushing to donate blood, raising money, just trying to surround that community with love. Since then, i will say that the city has stayed very united. Thats the theme, orlando united. But you see drawbacks in areas as well and people still pushing for that complete equality. But days like today remind you of what the city we want we went through. Today President Biden says hell sign a bill to make pulse a memorial. Your sense of the impact that would have on the community . I think its going to be tremendous. I mean, you know, right now when you drive by pulse every single day, no matter the time of year, you always see a few visitors who may just be walking by on the outside to see the names and faces of the people who were outside of the nightclub. So by making it a permanent National Memorial and knowing that it will always be in place, a place where people can go and call home and remember those people who died and what they died for, i think theyll have a tremendous impact not only on the healing of the people who were in this community impacted by it, but people worldwide who Visit Orlando for a number of attractions made their way here to pay their respects and see the site for themselves. Stewart moore, thank you so much. Now its the g7, but its off to meet with putin for President Biden. New exclusive remarks about their meeting from putin, next. Later, cast and playwright of In The Heights like you wont see anywhere else, relishing their roles in the musical blockbuster of the summer. That pride you feel, you kind of start owning it. And i felt like, im going to own this, you know . Im proud of who i am and i have to own it. No Gaming Options isnt an option. Now verizon gives you apple arcade on us with over 180 games to choose from. The iphone 12 is going to change mobile gaming. Plus you can get iphone 12 pro on us when you buy one, and well help cover your costs to switch. Only from verizon. One, two one, two, three only pay for what you need with customized Car Insurance from Liberty Mutual nothing rhymes with Liberty Mutual. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. And tonights winning numbers are 18, 18 55, 39, 71, and 43 we won yes noooo. Noooo. Noooo. 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Call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. Its time to start a new day. Ask your doctor about oncedaily trelegy. And save at trelegy. Com. President joe biden just wrapped up day two of the g7 summit in england. He met today with french president Emmanuel Macron after helping securing World Leaders on a plan to help developing nations compete with china. More on that in a moment. But first, its off to geneva where biden will meet with russian president vladimir putin. The white house saying biden will hold a solo News Conference after meeting with putin wednesday. The decision avoids mirroring what we saw in helsinki in 2018 when trump was side by side with the russian dictator. The very moment the american president sided with putins word over his own security agencys assessment of russias interference in 2016. Putin says he can work with biden, putin laid praise for biden thick. The interview airs monday. Heres a preview. That i believe former u. S. President mr. Trump is an extraordinary individual, talented individual. Hes a colorful individual. President biden is radically different from trump because President Biden is a career man a different kind of person. For more on what biden was able to achieve today with allies at the g7, heres nbc White House Correspondent mike memoli. Reporter good evening, alicia. As President Biden just finished his very busy third full day of his first foreign trip, g7 leaders today holding multiple sessions, one sort of grabbag session on a range of International Hot spots, afghanistan, the decision of the u. S. To withdraw its remaining forces, that fragile peace in the middle east right now. Looking ahead as well to the president s meeting in geneva with russian president vladimir putin. There was also a session tonight on dealing with the pandemic. Yesterday we saw the g7 leaders announce a joint commitment to provide 1 billion doses of the Covid Vaccine to poor and developing nations. Tonight, another session as they invited some other guests, south africa, india, and south korean leaders to discuss not just the current crisis, but how best to build up our Health Infrastructure for future pandemics. But the real focus today was about how to approach the rise of china. We saw the g7 leaders announce what theyre calling b3w, Building Back better world, its the u. S. , the g7s answer to chinas builtin Road Initiative which has been successful in spreading chinese influence throughout the world. The chinese have been using their financial heft to help poor and developing nations with their infrastructure challenges, ports, roads, those kinds of things. The g7 saying that this is not meant to force poor and developing nations into choosing between china and the western world, but offering them an affirmative alternative to that. Officials briefing reporters today indicating a differentiation of opinion among the g7 leaders about just how aggressive they should be in taking on china and some of the other adversarial aspects of their relationship, especially the issue of human rights. Administration Officials Say President Biden was urging his colleagues to take a more forceful tone on some of those Human Rights Abuses in china, especially with the uighurs in western china. As it relates to a bilateral meeting today, we saw President Biden continuing that oneonone diplomacy, sitting down with the french president , Emmanuel Macron, Welcoming Biden as he put it back into the club and in some ways, welcoming the u. S. Back into the club after four years of president trump. President biden was asked if he was reassuring his allies that the u. S. Truly was back, he said that was a question for macron, macron answered, yes, the u. S. Is back. The g7 leaders ending with a bit of fun, the flyover of the red arrows and a barbecue on the beach. You can see a little bit of finally some sun here in the southwest of england. Alicia . Mike memoli, thank you. A quick programming note tomorrow. Nbcs Andrea Mitchell sits down for an exclusive interview with Secretary Of State antony blinken. Be on the lookout for that tomorrow right here on msnbc. Next, a summer blockbuster that is meeting the moment. My interview with the cast and playwright of In The Heights right after this break. Obsession has many names. This is ours. The lexus is. All in on the sport sedan. Lease the 2021 is 300 for 379 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. [sfx psst psst] 379 a month for 36 months. Allergies dont have to be scary. Spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. Psst psst all good sometimes you wanna go where Everybody Knows your name and theyre always glad you came you wanna be where you can see ahah our troubles are all the same ahah you wanna be where Everybody Knows your name you wanna go where people know welcome back, america. It sure is good to see you. Ive got the brains youve got the looks lets make lots of money youve got the brawn ive got the brains lets make lots of uh uh uh oohhh theres a lot of opportunities with allstate, drivers who switched saved over 700. Saving is easy when youre in good hands. Allstate click or call to switch today. Do you struggle with occasional nerve aches, Allstate Weakness or discomfort in your hands or feet . Introducing Nervive Nerve Relief from the worlds number 1 selling nerve care company. As we age, natural changes to our nerves occur which can lead to occasional discomfort. Nervive contains B Complex Vitamins that nourish nerves, build Nerve Insulation and enhance nerve communication. And, alphalipoic acid, which relieves occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. Live your life with less Nerve Discomfort with Nervive Nerve Relief. Needles. Essential for sewing, but maybe not for people with certain inflammatory conditions. Because there are options. Like an unjection. xeljanz. The first and only pill of its kind that treats moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis when other medicines have not helped enough. Xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. Before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections, like tb and do blood tests. Tell your doctor if youve had hepatitis b or c, have flulike symptoms, or are prone to infections. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. Taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. Tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. Needles. Fine for some. But for you, theres a pill that may provide symptom relief. Ask your doctor about the pill first prescribed for ra more than seven years ago. Xeljanz. An unjection. In The Heights is now in theaters, the highly anticipated Movie Adaptation of the musical by hamilton creator Linmanuel Miranda who takes us to new yorks washington heights, a neighborhood brought to life in the film by Crazy Rich Asians director jon chu. There is singing, there is dancing, there are dreams big and small. I sat down with the playwright along with cast members and got a window into the energy that fueled this blockbuster film. I think so much about that expression that joy is an act of resistance. To me, as i was watching the film and getting to celebrate our joy, i recognized how unusual it is to have that experience as a latina in this country. In all fairness, i did see latinos here and there on the screen growing up, but it was the nightly news, and it was a really dismal portrayal of a community. So i feel like representation, its not just about statistics. Its about the type of ways we get to show up and so to represent with joy to counter that narrative, and to tell a story thats not about, like, one hero, one protagonist, but about how we rise together, how we all struggle together, which makes the joy even more meaningful, you know, and makes it burst even more because weve survived a lot too. Dascha, my husband who was i was watching it turned to me and said shes having so much fun. The most. Yeah, beginning to end. What was it like to perform and live in that joy . Or youre really good actress and having a horrible time . Horrible time, horrible. Its freeing. Its liberating. Its empowering. For you to be able to be around people that understand that respect, that embrace, that makes the space safe for you to feel free to create in and just be you, its something we cannot explain. So being there, it just felt this had been missing for so long. And that pride that you feel, you kind of start owning it. I felt like, im going to own this, you know . Im proud of who i am and i have to own it. And i deserve being here as everybody else. Lesley, i would say most of my friends are ninas. They are smart. They are ambitious. To borrow the language of shonda rhimes, they are firstonly different. When we see people who are firstonly different succeed, we love that and the flowers, but we dont tap into the loneliness of being first, of being lonely, of being different. What in your own life did you want to bring to this, nina . A lot. I think were all nina. I feel like weve all experienced the fragmenting of ourselves because youre trying to represent who you are and all the people and places and the culture that makes you up with pride and with joy and orgullo. But at the same time, in a world that almost calls you to conform and to quiet all of that in order to assimilate. The fragmentedness of feeling like i wasnt latina enough at some times, at some points, like i wasnt american enough in certain spaces, you know, finding all of these words, you know, for things, for scenarios that you never thought youd be in just so you can feel like you belong and people can understand who you are when youre just trying to be a person. Melissa, in as much as i think that is what we hook into about nina, with vanessa, we see dreams and inspirations that only we are feeling. What did you want to bring . I was given the gift of kiara extending a little bit of a story and giving a little bit more insight into who she is and what her actual dreams and ambitions are. When i read that, i was like, oh, my gosh, ive always loved vanessa because very clearly i saw myself in her and this woman that feels stuck in this neighborhood where i felt stuck in my hometown in mexico. And i wanted to go to where the opportunities were to be able to live my full life and become the human that i knew i could be. And because of that, because of everything new that i had to more her pain and her loneliness and the the constant rejection and having to fight for every single thing in life. I think a lot of people go through that in life feeling feeling minimized, feeling looked down upon, feeling like you might not be good enough for the grandeur of your dreams. And thats i feel like thats what i i cant and i feel like thats thats what i wanted to bring to vanessa, like the pain, you know . I wanted it to be very clear like, yes, shes a fighter and shes fierce and shes going places because thats her way to survive but behind all of that, there is a lot of pain. In as much as these two are going to fly away is here to ground everyone, to be the constant variable, to be the caretaker. I didnt have a very close relationship with my own mother. And, so, in developing this character i was always trying to have a closeness with my own mother. And in developing abuella claudia, i was able to go through all the feelings and the angst and everything. I almost taught my own mother how to love me, if you can understood that. And i did take the strength of my mother and women in my family, aunts, other peoples mothers, grandmothers, and i tried to make her the mother i always wanted to be or always wanted to have. There is so much that anyone who goes to see this film can take away from it. What is the one thing you want them to take away . Just humanity. I think that, you know, its been a tough few months, you know . Its been over a year of we all know what we have been going through, right . So this is just a wonderful opportunity to experience like new Serotonin Levels in your brain and body. I mean, it really does activate the Nervous System in a way that is so healing. I really that was my experience of watching the film. And, you know, i do have skin in the game, but, you know, that makes it just so much for gratifying because i really how much i was you know, i dont know you know dont what you are missing. You see film cinema, the history, you identify with the characters. It is centered around a thing that you are not. But you nobody talks about it. It is the elephant in the room. So just by having a presence is to new, healing. I love that were doing this with the women because the secret Da Vinci Code behind the script is there is a male story teller. He says once upon the time in the beginning to a girl at the beach. There is so many different ways to be a strong woman. You can be a strong woman through celebrating. You can be a strong woman through leadership. You want a seat at their table, nina, but you got to make your own table, too. You can be a strong woman through humility, which, dear god, is a lesson this nation needs to learn, strength through humility and listening. You bought the script of downtown is where there is legitimacy, downtown is where the artists go, but then you realize where true beauty was, in the rags on the street that she found. For me, thats what i want people to take away, that there is so many different ways to be strong and be a strong woman, but its even better when were strong together. Together, together. Together. In the heights is now in theaters nationwide. It is also available to stream on hbo max through july 11th. Next, a high honor awarded to the teen who reported what happened to george floyd. Later in the week an olympic gymnast tells her return to competition. Why she decided to come out of retirement after having two kids. That is ahead only on msnbc. That is ahead only on msnbc. vo ideas exist inside you, electrify you. They grow from our imagination, but they cant be held back. They want to be set free. To make the world more responsible, and even more incredible. Ideas start the future, just like that. Super emma just about sleeps in her cape. But when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to Tide Hygienic clean free. Its gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. Tide hygienic clean free. Hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. Shingles . Camera man yeah, 1 out of 3 people get shingles in their lifetime. Well that leaves 2 out of 3 people who dont. I dont know anybody whos had it. Your uncle had shingles. You mean that nasty red rash . And donna next door had it for weeks. Yeah, but theres nothing you can do about it. 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So break free from the big three. Xfinity internet customers, take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile. Com mysavings or visit an xfinity store to learn how our switch squad makes it easy to switch and save hundreds. Before we leave you, an update on a woman we profiled as one of our loudest voices since we first profiled her story and her bravery, she has been awarded a pulitzer for her actions. The decision to record what happened. The World May Never have known what happened to george floyd and without her justice may have never been brought to the man convicted of killing him, a former Minneapolis Police officer. In fact, it was fraziers Courtroom Testimony that led to that accountability. When i look at george floyd, i look at i look at my dad. I look at my brothers. I look at my cousins, my uncles because they are all black. I look at how that could have been one of them. Its the nights i stayed up apologizing to george floyd for not doing more. Frazier was just 17 years old when she spotted officers on top of floyd. As of Tonight Frazier has not issued an official response for receiving the pulitzer award under the most tragic of circumstances. Thank you for being with us. I will be back tomorrow, but for now i hand it over to my friend, Zerlina Maxwell in for Joshua Johnson tonight. I hear there will be photos of you from your gymnast days tonight. Oh, yeah. I think people should stay tuned because there is definitely a throwback in there. And im wearing a white leotard. Its a throwback. Im all in. Thanks. Thank you so much, alicia. Good to be with you. Im Zerlina Maxwell in for Joshua Johnson. Its 1 00 a. M. In england where President Joe Biden and the first lady are preparing to meet with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle on sunday. Details ahead. Plus, an internal investigation into whether the trump Justice Department improperly seized democratic lawmakers phone data