Transcripts For MSNBCW Chris 20240704

Codefendants appearing in court as the former president makes a new and unusual request in the classified documents case. Plus, inflation ticks up after a yearlong streak of declines. What it could mean for your wallet as the fed plots its next move. And Playing Tourist at the edge of space. A mother daughter duo and a former olympian blasting off with Virgin Galactic, is this the future of commercial space travel . Our nbc News Reporters are covering it all. We begin with those raging fires in maui. President biden issuing a major disaster declaration for the area. Nbcs Dana Griffin Reports from an Evacuation Center. Reporter we are at the largest Evacuation Center in maui where 300 to 400 people here slept overnight. Many escaping the flames in lahaina. Several people have told me that their homes are destroyed. Many, however, are kind of coming here with a very positive attitude, expressing gratitude for still being alive. We know several people have been killed. At least 36, and that number could grow as Rescue Crews Scour the area, searching for survivors, and the missing. We know that the town of lahaina has been obliterated. This town is fueled by local tourism. You have thousands of tourists there and local residents. Many have left the area. There are some 11,000 people now looking to leave the island. They have set up transportation by bus and by plane to try to get those people to oahu or other areas. Right now, it is still unclear what started this fire. But crews hope to assess the damage and get a better sense of how this fire started. They hope to contain it so that it doesnt keep growing. The big question now is when will people be allowed back into their neighborhoods. A lot of those roads that lead to those fires have been closed and remain closed. When when those people get let back in, the question also remains do they still have homes to go to . Back to you. That is the key question. Dana, thank you for that. Lets go to nbcs katie phang in florida. The arraignment for a trump coconspirator did not go as planned. Tell us more about that, and the request from donald trump to have a skiff rebuilt. It was there before when he was president , they want to be able to have it there when he reviews classified documents with his lawyers. Reporter yeah, so lets start with that arraignment of carlos de oliveira, it has been reset for tuesday, august 15th at 10 00 a. M. , why, just like walt nauta, he has struggled to obtain local counsel. There was a gentleman who appeared today, a Criminal Defense Attorney out of west palm beach, florida, he indicated to the judge that he was in talks to be retained but indicated probably wasnt going to happen today, maybe tomorrow, and as a result, that is the reason why the judge sent over that arraignment of de oliveira. Trump had signed a waiver of his arraignment on the superceding indictment. That skiff that donald trump wants to have, that is relevant because theres a major hearing before judge cannon on august 25th. It is according to the classified information act, motions for protective order that have been filed by the department of justice, theres been back and forth, we know donald trump wants to make his florida estate at maralago a secure facility for him to be able to look at classified documents. The court is going to make a determination on august 25th as to whether or not thats going to be a possibility for the former president. Katie phang, thank you for that. Now to the report that the wall street had been bracing for. Cnbcs Contessa Brewer is tracking the latest Inflation Numbers for cnbc on msnbc. Break it all down for us. Its the first time in 13 months that we have seen inflation tick up by 2 10 of a percent, and thats notable because of the effort the Federal Reserve has put into fighting inflation, and the biggest contributor to that increase was housing costs. It went up by 4 10 of a percent from the previous month. Its higher by 7. 7 over the last year. Gas prices are also ticking up. Car insurance is notably higher. Its up 2 from june, and 17. 8 over last year, which really, if you think about it, makes sense because car repair is also more expensive. New car prices dropped a tenth of a percent from june. Used car prices down 1. 3 over the month, and listen to this, and great if youre planning your travel, Airline Tickets are down a full 8. 1 from june to july. The markets did gain some steam on this report because it showed slightly less inflation than expected. And investors are closely watching inflation, weekly wages are holding steady. That could be seen as a sign, we are seeing what they call, chris, a soft landing, rather than the rocky recession that some people have feared. Contessa brewer, that is good news. Thank you for that. Meantime, there was this incredible sight over new mexico today. Virgin galactics rocket powered plane blasted off with tourists bound if the edge of space. Nbcs Marissa Parra was following this from miami. So how did it go . Reporter well, for all intents and purposes, chris, it was a success. This was the third successful space flight for Virgin Galactic in just three months. We want to take you to some of the footage today. Youre seeing the mothership, the spaceship, the rocket deploying from the mothership right there. That happened not that long ago, just a couple of hours ago, and the flight in total is about an hour. They just released the statistics on this. Now, what happens is that rocket ship then reaches a certain altitude, and then they experience, everyone on board that youre seeing strapped in there, experiences three to four minutes of weightlessness. That is what it is all for, and we just talked about how this is now the space race for commercial space flight, chris, so what youre going to hear from is the mother daughter duo, this is really special, the first mother daughter duo to make it to the edge of space, and what this trip meant for them. Listen for yourself. Im hoping to give myself that confidence to try new things. What are you looking forward to the most . Just looking back and seeing our beautiful planet and then looking across to see my daughters face. Hopefully this will inspire other people as well to go beyond these fears thats holding them back from the dreams that they have tucked in their little side drawer. Open your side drawer, take your dreams out, conquer your fears and go get them. So a couple of really interesting things to point out here. We talk about how expensive these flights are typically, right, you imagine typically these types of experiences have been reserved for either billionaires or people who work for nasa, right, thats typically what comes to mind. Commercial space flight is a very new thing. That mother daughter duo you just heard from, they won a lottery to do this. Their ticket was paid for. And what was really special was to watch, chris, the looks on their faces, just a look of wonder. The youngest one there, that daughter, just 18 years old, and you could see what a special moment this was for her. And so how special this is for everyone whos going to get a chance to have to do this, because, chris, thats the goal here that this will become widely accessible to people like them and people like you and me, maybe one day, though. Maybe one day. Well see where the price tag lands, Marissa Parra, thank you for that. And still ahead, michigan republicans accused in a plot to flip the election for donald trump facing a judge. The secret Basement Meeting that led to serious Felony Charges and a firstofitskind case when we return in 60 seconds. Ecs. christina being all over, all at once. tina all the time. christina but my old network wasnt cutting it. And thats not good for baking. Or judging. Or writing. So, we switched to verizon, the Network Businesses rely on. With Verizon Business unlimited, i get 5g, truly unlimited data, and unlimited hotspot data. So, no matter what, im running this kitchen. vo make the switch. Its your business. Its your verizon. The virus that causes shingles is sleeping. In 99 of people over 50. Its lying dormant, waiting. And could reactivate. Shingles strikes as a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. And it could wake at any time. Think youre not at risk for shingles . Its time to wake up. Because shingles could wake up in you. If youre over 50, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about shingles prevention. We have some Breaking News out of washington, d. C. Federal prosecutors are now proposing that Donald Trumps conspiracy trial begin on january 2nd of next year. That would be just ahead of the start of the primary season. I want to bring in nbcs garrett haake. Garrett, obviously this is what they want. We dont know what they will get, but boy would that land them smack in the middle of the start of the heat of this campaign. Yeah, thats right, chris. Donald trumps defense team is going to have a lot of reasons not to like this proposal from the Justice Department, from the special prosecutors office, and thats just what this is. Its a proposal. So remember, at the end of the hearing last week, the Justice Department was tasked, Special Counsels office was tasked with coming up with their proposal for a time line within seven days. That was due by midnight tonight. Special counsel got homework done early. They suggest a four to six week trial that would start on january 2nd. A cursory look at the republican primary Calendar Shows what a problem that is. Iowa is the 15th. Donald trump is basically off the Campaign Trail for the sprint leading up to iowa, and four to six weeks takes you right through the early state window, no New Hampshire, nevada, south carolina, very difficult to campaign if youre expected to be in a courtroom every day. Now, we have seven days until Donald Trumps attorneys are expected to file their response, and chris, everything we know about their strategy on this legally and politically is delay, delay, delay, i expect theyll push something months beyond that, and the judge will make her decision on august 28th when the next hearing is scheduled to take place in that case. Garrett, thank you for that. I want to bring in catherine christian, former d. A. In manhattan, and msnbc legal analyst. This is interesting, right, we know for sure that Donald Trumps attorneys are going to file. Theyre going to make their arguments for why this should be pushed back even further. We know they wanted to wait until after the election. But what does a judge actually have to consider understanding that no judge has ever been faced with this question before . Oh, by the way, your honor, my client is running for president of the united states. Well, she has to only consider fairness. Is january 2nd, 2024, enough time for the defendant to effectively prepare for trial . One problem i see with the schedule, there was a filing that the Special Counsel just did, they are saying the Jury Selection could start on december 11th. Well, this is going to be a very long extensive Jury Selection because you want to make sure that mr. Trump has a fair trial, so youre probably going to have a Jury Question here. What happens in december . Christmas, so you basically have probably a week or two weeks at the end of december that there will not be justify selection, so i dont see practically how a trial could start on january 2nd. But this is the Special Counsel right out of a box saying were ready on january 2nd. Now when the defense comes back with, well be ready on january 2nd, 2025, you know, the judge is going to balance the scale, and then come up with a more reasonable time period. And as i said, i see a problem with january 2nd, only because you have christmas and the day before january 2nd, of course. And theres going to be a long Jury Selection process, so i see that sort of interfering. The government has said they are prepared to hand over all of the discovery in the case, including items that they dont have to hand over, as soon as the protective order is in place. So theyre basically saying, you know, that a lot of discovery, were going to make it crazy for you. Were going to give it all to you as soon as possible. All right, a four to six week trial, catherine, stay with me. Meantime, a first of its kind case in michigan moving ahead today charging nine republicans with posing as State Electors and conspireing to overturn the 2020 election. One after another, they made virtual appearances before the judge today, all of them pleading not guilty. Seven others had entered not guilty pleas in earlier arraignments. Each of them facing eight Felony Counts including Election Law Forgery and conspiracy charges. I want to bring in shaquille brewster, following a case from lansing. Fill us in on the arraignment and what kind of defense we can expect. Reporter the arraignments were relatively quick affairs. We saw the judge read through the eight counts against each of the defendants. We saw the judge reiterate the rights that the defendants have and set the terms of the bond, including travel restrictions for some of them. The Attorney General is essentially arguing these 16 republicans attempted to defraud the state of michigan, when they signed that document, that if accepted would have given the 16 electoral votes to donald trump instead of joe biden who won the state of michigan. The defense that youve been hearing through the attorneys of these defendants is that many of them didnt realize what they were signing or that this was supposed to be a place holder that was never supposed to go to d. C. I want y t to one of the conversations i had with one of the attorneys. Most of the electors, as i understand, were told this was a legal process. They were told certain things and they relied upon leadership and other people who explained it to them in a way that i think will negate any attempt to show they intended to defraud anybody. Reporter he went on to argue that his client actually never saw the electoral certificate, only signed a page with lines and put his name where he was told to so that he received the wrong guidance. You get a sense this is what were going to hear. These are the arguments well hear as the process plays out. Its a first of its kind process, and its going to be extensive. Many of these defendants appear before the judge later this month, chris. Thank you, shaq, for that. We heard two arguments, the do criteria for a forgery charge. The second, that he rely ond relied on what other people were telling them. Which would negate the conspiracy charge. What do you make of what you heard in the defense . I saw a number of those 16 are elderly, in their 70s. There was one person who was 81. Part of their defense will be they were duped. Even in the indictment, it talked about how some fake electors were duped. I think that would be a great defense. Im not saying because youre over 70 youre easily duped but from my experience, you know, that would be a good defense, that they did not know what they were signing or they were lied to, which would be obviously, and they would have never done this if they were not lied to. Now, obviously im hopeful that the Michigan Attorney general thoroughly investigated it, and maybe now, because often you charge, and then you get to speak to the defense attorneys, and then you get the opportunity to do justice and say, you know what, maybe this person shouldnt be a defendant. So, you know, hopefully there will be conversations with the defense attorneys, and then well find out who was duped and who knew exactly what they were doing. These elector schemes as you know, allegedly happened in a number of states, and i actually spoke to the Michigan Attorney general, dana nessel last week about how maybe she sees these charges laying the ground work for potential cases elsewhere, and heres what she told me. The law varies greatly from state to state in terms of what kinds of charges would be applicable. These are not really uniform across the states, and each state ag is going to have to make that decision for themselves as to whether or not they have the facts and the evidence that comport with the law in their particular case. She also told me, catherine, she has been having conversations with other state ags which is no surprise. Despite the differences in laws, do you think other ags will be watching this case, see how it shakes out, and it might inform what they decide, whether to follow suit . Exactly, and other d. A. S. I know were waiting for Fulton County d. A. , and she gave immunity to a number of people who were allegedly false electors. So, yes, you look to see what other people are doing, and look to see their mistakes and look to see, you know, what they did that were right. So this will be a test case. So hopefully, you know, they got it right. Catherine christian, always great to have you on the show. Thank you so much. Were also following that Breaking News out of iran. Five americans who were detained have been moved to house arrest. Its the first step in a planned Prisoner Swap between teheran and washington. The deal would include the release of roughly 6 billion in iranian government assets which had been frozen by u. S. Sanctions. Thats according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter. That money, which would be overseen by Qatar Central Bank could only be used for food, medicine or other humanitarian purposes. Joining me now, david rohde, nbc news Senior Executive editor for national security. So, david, what happens now . This is going to be a slow drawn out process, theres huge distrust between the american and iranian governments. The first step is the 6 billion in assets in south korea will move to qatar. When that happens, you will possibly have a prisoner exchange. Its not clear yet, but these five would be flown out of iran, and there are iranian nationals that are in prison in the u. S. For violating these sanctions weve had against iran for years. They would be freed in exchange. What does happen between then and now what probably makes you who understand this process and frankly Family Members nervous . That something could go wrong. Theres been huge tensions between the u. S. And iran. The big issue hanging over this is irans attempts to build a nuclear weapon. They deny it. The u. S. , europe and israel are convinced thats what theyre doing, so theres no agreement in terms of iran and enriching uranium. Theres a sense if this deal goes forward, could it build confidence between the two sides to reach a deal in terms of enrichment and what iran is doing with the uranium it has but its a stepbystep process. We did get a statement from one family member, the sister of an american wrongfully detained in iran since 2018. Im aware of reports that imrad have been transferred to house arrest in iran. My family has faith in the work that President Biden and government officials have undertaken to bring our families home and hope to receive that news soon. Until that point, i hope you can understand that we will not think it will be helpful to comment further. And there is this dance, right, that families have to do, not just now, which obviously feels like its so heightened, but all throughout these long years, what these families have had to do, how careful they have had to be. Talk a little bit about the impact. Because you know families like this. I do. And your own, by the way. I now 13, 14 years ago was held by the taliban for several months. Its tremendous pressure on the family. If they can just get to joe biden, just have an oval office meeting, they can bring their loved ones home, they can save the life of their loved ones, to me, kidnapping is a cruel and cowardly crime, particularly to the families, and what this is part of, whats happening in iran is part of a broader global pattern of state hostage taking. The government of russia, evan gershkovich, the wall street journal reporter is held, Brittney Griner was released but you grab a wnba star. There were many americans, a half dozen held by the venezuela government. There might be republican criticism of the deal with iran, but the broader problem is how to get governments to stop doing this, to stop imprisoning innocent americans. Namazi, one of the prisoners who will hopefully be released has been held for more than six years. Oh, my god. So its brutal on these prisoner asks its brutal on these families. David rohde, thank you, its always good to have your perspective, thank you. 38 destination vacations, 26 private jet flights and a yacht voyage around the bahamas. Pro publica releasing the most comprehensive look at whos paying the bill for Supreme Court justice chance thomass travels. Thats next. E chance thomass travels. Thats next. wheezing asthma isnt pretty. Its the moment when you realize that a good day. Is about to become a bad one. But then, i remembered that the world is so much bigger than that, with trelegy. Because one dose a day helps keep my Asthma Symptoms under control. And with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy helps improve Lung Function so i can breathe easier for a full 24 hours. Trelegy wont replace a Rescue Inhaler for sudden breathing problems. Trelegy contains a medicine that increases risk of hospitalizations and death from asthma problems when used alone. 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Get the Bank Of America customized cash rewards card, choose the Online Shopping category and earn 3 cash back. Open talenti and raise the jar to gelato made from scratch. Raise the jar to flavors from the worlds finest ingredients. And now, from jars to bars. New Talenti Gelato and sorbetto mini bars. The controversies continue to mount around Supreme Court Justice Clarence thomas. Propublica has a report out today, giving the look at how thomas benefitted from wealthy friends, using information from more than 100 eyewitnesss, flight data and other records, the newly compiled list included 38 vacations, 26 private jet flights, an additional eight Helicopter Flights a dozen vip tickets to Sports Events and stays at luxury resorts, all of which, according to this report, were provided by wealthy patrons who work in industries impacted by the courts decisions. Although none had specific cases in front of the court. Pro publica notes that while some of the hospitality may not have required disclosure, Ethics Experts told them thomas appears to have violated the law by failing to disclose yachts, Flight Tickets and sports tickets. Msnbc did reach out for comment but hasnt heard back. In the past he says he was advised such gifts did not need to be disclosed. I want to bring in eugene daniels, politicos White House Correspondent and msnbc political contributor. As you know, since propublica broke the story about thomass relationship with a billionaire benefactor, harlan crow, senators held a hearing, justices acknowledge their discussing ethics rules but nothing really. Do these new revelations change anything in washington . Whats happening with this . I think its hard to say this early on, but i think the idea that it wasnt just, right, like a friendship of one billionaire who took him on some fishing trips, and its kind of an extensive relationships with a bunch of wealthy people and benefactors who funded these trips, i think that may have different weight. Right. One of the things that republicans kept saying when the original reporting, in addition to this one came out a couple of months ago, is that hes allowed to have friends, and if theyre rich and pay for a trip, so what. The question of this is different. Congress isnt in session, so theyre not here for us to badger them in the halls and ask them those questions, so they got lucky. I think when they come back, theyre going to have to continue with this, because the question isnt are they allowed to do the Supreme Court justice, the question is why arent these things being disclosed. Why isnt this information being shown to the american taxpayer who paid for, you know, their salaries and they have all of these millionaires and billionaires with access to some of the most powerful people in our country. And the question that propublica is still looking into, after hearing some of the comments from them today, what were the conversations like . What were they actually talking about . Theres a lot of questions we dont know. It does seem like washington, d. C. At this point is partly shrugging because its more of the same, and also disgusted and saying, just like the American People are, is this the way we we want Supreme Court justices to act. Yeah, i mean, we already know their Approval Ratings are low. Propublicas brett murphy was on earlier today, and he talked about Justice Thomass conduct compared to his colleagues. Take a listen. As far as we know now, Justice Thomas is an extreme outlier in what he has received and failed to disclose. We know in the piece that Justice Ginsberg and bryer have received trips and travel paid for by billionaires, however, the important distinction here is that those were disclosed. We know about them because they appear on those justices financial disclosures. Thats what the law requires and thats what didnt happen in Justice Thomass case. Is part of the debate here whether this is a scotus problem a Clarence Thomas problem . Right, because the others dont seem to have the exact same issues. The interesting thing about Clarence Thomas is over the last year or so, we have been talking about ginni thomas, his wife and the Text Messages she sent to mark meadows about whether or not to certify the election, or try to overturn the 2020 election, and so it put a different spotlight on him, right, and then finding out this person who republicans have held up as good as it gets as someone who follows the laws and should be making laws in this country, that this is the kind of behavior behind closed doors. I think thats why its been so fascinating, and what was just said, the other justice, people go on trips. We know that because they tell people, and they disclose it, and that is what the law requires. I will say, you know, if someone tells a Supreme Court justice they dont have to, and they dont, theres no ramifications and there hasnt been. Thats something that the Chief Justice has to, and is clearly trying to figure out. Its very uncomfortable for them to tell the other justices youre doing the wrong thing. Eugene daniels, good to see you my friend, thank you. Were staying on top of the Breaking News in hawaii where wildfires have killed dozens of people in what was once paradise. A look at the dangerous conditions driving them, and how Climate Change plays into all of it, next. And russian president Vladimir Putin, is he about to relaunch on the world stage . Facetoface with western leaders in person for the First Time Since his forces invaded ukraine. Thats ahead as well. Forces in ukraine. Thats ahead as well my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. For one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. One pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. [bones cracking] tense music one aleve works all day so i can keep working my magic. Just one aleve. 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief. Aleve. 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Usa today notes that quote, wildfires have quadrupled in hawaii in recent decades and many Scientists Say unmanaged grasslands planted by plantations unfamiliar with the islands native ecosystems. The dangerous mix of dry vegetation, high winds and low humidity is fueling the disaster were seeing play out right now. Heres what fema administrator dee told me in the last hour on the role of Climate Change in all of this. This is an example of how all of these different climate events from decades of drought to dryness and wind events that are driving and coming together to create hazards that we havent seen before at a level. Weve seen wildfires, but we havent seen the intensity that were starting to see. I want to bring in senior climate scientist and the director of Climate Science at the union of concerned scientists, brenda, good to see you again. Thank you for coming back to the program. What do you see when you watch the pictures coming out of hawaii. First of all, the combination of the incredible winds from the hurricane dora. Fueling intense wildfires, it makes it very very difficult for people to get out of harms way. So everyone whos experiencing this, my heart is just its really hard to watch these pictures. How are the fires that were seeing in hawaii right now different than what we see in other parts of the country . We know theyre different from what we have seen in hawaii in years past . Yes, its unprecedented in the way that was said. The combination of changes in land use, also the changes in the drying out, tropical forests around the world are not getting the same amount of precipitation and that also is happening on the island of maui. In fact, 16 of it is in a severe drought and around another 20 is in moderate drought. These drought conditions, not getting the same amount of rain by former la ninas that used to give rain, they dont give as much rain anymore. The rain systems are passing, a little off access. Theyre not getting the rain. So these drying conditions, warming atmosphere because of Climate Change, and then you add a hurricane. Hurricane winds that are far away, category 4 dora on tuesday, and 60 Miles Per Hour winds in the maui area. This is a lethal combination that really, we need better Computing Power at the National Weather service. We need more investment in that last mile of communication. So people who are making their own decisions, we have better systems for letting people understand where its safe to go, and much greater warning for people who dont have as much ability to get out of harms way than fully able bodied people. We have to get further in advance of this. You know, to your point of whats still needed, the National Director of the Green New Deal network who happens to be an indigenous leader in hawaii told usa today this, we need legislation that is bold and urgent as the scale of the wildfires choking hawaii and canada, the heat wave suffocating texas, and the extreme flooding, drowning europe. How much of this was preventable . You know, we call certain seasons danger season. They do not have to be as dangerous if we invest the infrastructure and high power Computing Power for more advanced convergences of extreme events, such as a hurricane cooccurring in a wildfire in a region such as hawaii. These type of convergences are we also need scientific advances in the research community. We also need social science. How do you better communicate these risks to people who are first and worst going to be feeling the brunt of these changes brought about largely from Fossil Fuel Burning and cement manufacturer and the changing word, Landscape Use changes we have been making, as you mentioned at the top about decades in the making. These are known. We have to get better at understanding how they combine to be a very unprecedented event. Brenda ekwurzel, good to have you on the program again. Thank you so much. A kremlin official tells nbc news that russian president Vladimir Putin is weighing whether to attend next months g20 summit in person. That would be the first time hes in a room with western leaders since russias invasion of ukraine. Setting up a potentially tense and high risk situation. Nbc news chief International Correspondent keir simmons broke this story for us. So what more can you tell us about putins considerations here, keir . Reporter well, chris, hes Still Deciding what to do, and just a month away from the weekend in september when the g20 leaders will meet, an absolutely crucial meeting, a litmus test, i suspect, for the countries around the world positioned on ukraine. I think what President Putin is likely doing is trying to figure out, and i suspect trying to get guarantees over whether he will be confronted by other western leaders, by Western Journalists or whether its possible for him to go in person and meet with some leaders. Say what he has to say, and then leave again. Those leaders that he might meet with, well, remember some of the countries that have stained over u. N. Resolution over ukraine just this year, including where the g20 is going to be held in new delhi, south africa, saudi arabia, china. There is a possibility for him. Hes nine months away from an election next year. I think hell like that idea, but again, the question will be whether there will be guarantees. Theres two now, chris, which is that he is facing an indictment by the International Criminal court. Now, interestingly, hes not going to south africa to a gathering there of developing countries because south africa is a signatory to the international court. India, like america, is not. So potentially, he might get some guarantees there too. I have to say, i suspect he will still decide not to go, may appear by video link, if you like. He has faced kind of humiliation before at recent g20s, but it does seem to still be in the balance as far as the kremlin is concerned. It would be fascinating. Keir simmons, breaking that news. Thank you so much for that. Corn dogs, cotton candy, and one really famous butter cow. Add to that 2024 candidates descending on the Iowa State Fair, why its such a critical test but also a big opportunity for those president ial hopefuls. Were live in des moines, next. For those president ial hopefuls. 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Notice anybody here you recognize eating Copious Amounts of fried food, flipping pork chops like a butcher. They hope they can set themselves apart and win over voters in the first in the in this case caucus state. Dasha burns has the difficult assignment of being live. Oh, my gosh, she has a ski ball, and shes flipping it around, watch out, david jolly, former republican congressman, who appears to be in a safer place. Jokes aside, give us a feeling of what its like there, and what are we expecting from the candidates over the weekend . Reporter well, you said it, chris, this is an absolutely mandatory Campaign Stop. This is where iowa voters are going to watch and see whos the real deal, who can pull off eating that stick of butter with charm, who can show off their Ski Ball Skills in style. Not me, but you know what, im not a president ial candidate. This is a place that is full of opportunity, folks can stand out here and make that connection with voters. It can be a big deal, but its also loaded with land mines. Did you under dress, did you over dress, did you eat the right fried food, did you eat the wrong fried food. This is where Bernie Sanders famously really drew a big audience to his soap box. This is where mitt romney had a flub, telling a voter asking about taxes that corporations are people, and sort of missing the tone there. So you can make it here, you can break it here, and its critical because voters are open minded. Just about everybody i talked to, chris, is looking to see who they might want. They are not decided yet. I want you to take a listen to one of the conversations i have. I asked voters about trump, hes still leading in the polls, by his support is softer than it is in other states, and heres why. In terms of trump, hes been indicted three times now, potentially a fourth indictment coming. Mmhmm. Reporter does that impact your vote at all . No. Nope, doesnt make a bit of difference because i think theyre all bogus charges. Reporter does it concern you, though, that hes going to be tied up in all of the yes, thats why im kind of leaning towards other candidates. Reporter so both trump and desantis are going to be here on saturday, same day, going to be some interesting split screens there. Nikki haley will be here on saturday as well. Pence and burgum are here today. Everybody is gog make a stop, and it will be interesting to watch. Weve got a debate in two weeks, the Iowa Caucuses in five months, a really critical moment to Gain Momentum here, chris. Ill let you get back to your fruitless endeavor of trying to win a stuffed animal. There she goes. David, were going to move on now. Why is this so important . I mean, you know, there are famous gaffes that have happened there, what is your favorite meat, a hot dog. That was one of the classics, but why does the Iowa State Fair mean so much to so many candidates . And more importantly, to voters . Historically, these early states of iowa and New Hampshire are places candidates get to retail their political skills. Some fall flat, and some excel at those. You see that in the results, right, the past gop nominees of rick santorum, mike huckabee, ted cruz, i believe, none of whom became the ultimate nominee because iowa and New Hampshire are different playgrounds if you will. All of these candidates right now have an Opportunity To Go County By county, precinct by precinct, go to the state fair, do the things to establish themselves as trusted candidates in the eyes of iowa voters on a very personal level. Whether it can translate nationally has never quite proven a direct line from iowa to the nomination, though. As candidates push for that every man image at the fair, there is a viral moment for mike pence for all the wrong reasons right now. It shows the former vp, Unlaunching A Gas Nozzle Forhis pickup truck, because he never picks a fuel grade, the pump keeps beeping and beeping and beeping with gas prices. Is this the rough equivalent of not knowing how much a gallon of milk costs and half a gallon of milk. And bush 1 not knowing what the infrared scanner. These are the opportunities for candidates to fall flat. Well see the critical moments, perhaps they impact voters in iowa. The sound that dasha played is overwhelming the field, the questions around donald trump. We knew this moment was coming, and every candidate has baked this in, perhaps Donald Trumps Legal Affairs would overwhelm the former president it would provide the opening. We havent seen that moment ham but this is it, with three indictments, possibly a fourth now, is this the moment that iowa voters say maybe i should look at another candidate. Former congressman, david jolly, youre a good sport. Thank you for my friend. Appreciate it. Thats going to do it this hour. Join us every day from 1 00 to 3 00 p. M. Eastern right here on msnbc. Our coverage continues with Katy Tur Reports after this very short break. Nues with Katy Tur Reports after this very short break you like that bone . I got a great price on it. Did you see my tail when that chewy box showed up . Oh, i saw it. My tail goes bonkers for treats at great prices. Sorry about the vase. [announcer] save more on what they love with everyday great prices at chewy. Tourists tourists that turn into scientists. Tourists taking photos that are analyzed by ai. So researchers can help life underwater flourish. You cant leave without cuddles. But, you also cant leave covered in hair. With bounce pet, you can cuddle and brush that hair off. Bounce. Its the sheet. jennifer the reason why golo customers have such long term success is because we focus on real foods in the right balance so you get the results you want. 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The white house has announced the beginnings of a Prisoner Swap with that country. The negotiation has been in the works since at least february. And now today iran has moved Five Americans out of its infamous evan prison and into house arrest. They are simiak, detained in 2015, and convicted of espionage, amad, detained in 2015, and again in 2020, and convicted of espionage without a trial. Morad tabaz, detained in january 2015, and also convicted of espionage in 2019, and two others whose identities he