Transcripts For MSNBCW PoliticsNation 20240703

Tonights lead on politics nation, democracy on trial. Tonight im in washington, d. C. , ahead of the annual white house Correspondents Dinner where there will be no doubt plenty of cocktail hour conversation about the whirlwind week of Legal Proceedings for former President Trump. The first witness in trumps Manhattan Hush Money Trial took the stand this week, and the former publisher of the National Enquirer detailed how farrakhan candidate trump went to like his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. Meanwhile, here in washington on thursday heard trumps argument that the presidency itself is Above The Law as his lawyers claim he has total immunity for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election. Some of the courts most conservative justices, many of which were nominated by trump himself, seemed open, if not sympathetic, to the idea. All of that on politics nation, plus well hear from the president of emilys list as the biden takes on another State Abortion Ban and voters prepare for the november election with reproductive rights on their minds, if not on their ballots. Joining me now is congressman benny thompson, democrat of mississippi. Congressman thompson, thank you for joining us this evening. We had a massive week, congressman, of trump legal news, and you had his hush money trial to begin in ernest. You heard the Supreme Court argue his immunity claims over january 6th. But i want to get to todays news out of arizona where the State Attorney General has named five more defendants in a fake elector scheme to overturn the 2020 Election Results on trumps behalf. 11 others were indicted in that scheme earlier this week. What do you hope to see come out of these arizona indictments . Well, first of all, thank you for having me. As you know, i chaired the january 6th select committee. We went to arizona as part of the work of the committee. We found a lot of the evidence thats being shared now and, obviously, was presented and presented and made indictments. But i think what it shows is that the election orchestrated by donald trump was clearly an intentional effort to subvert the will of the people. Look at michigan. Look at georgia. Look at arizona. I think the fact that we lected a democratic attorney general in arizona who came, looked at the evidence, presented it to a grand jury, and we gotten indictment. You cant be a sore loser and try to be a criminal at the same time. So what we have in arizona is some people who were manipulated by donald trump and his acolytes, and now they have to stand before a jury of their peers and tell what happened. But look, the thing i can say to you, i looked at it you know, our Founding Fathers at this point have to absolutely be turning over in their grave. If you see what donald trump is doing to this great country of ours, its not about him. Hes not Above The Law. In every instance hes trying to rewrite what the Founding Fathers and what we stand for as a country, and so arizona is just one of those indications that no one is Above The Law. Now, right on that point, some members of the Supreme Courts conservative majority appear to be taking Donald Trumps claim of total president ial immunity seriously. And at thursdays Hearing On Whether Trump is liable for his conduct on january 6th, they posed several hypotheticals suggesting that some degree of president ial immunity was in our nations best interest. Now, as you stated, you chaired the house probe of trumps conduct on january 6th, watching the courts conservative wing actually consider the merits of trumps immunity argument, what are your thoughts . Well, you know, i looked at the testimony that was being offered at the court. Im very troubled. You know, we select our leaders by popular vote in this country. Thats how we are strong as a country. Thats why we lead the world. To decide at some point that when you pick a president hes omnipotent that no one can challenge his authority, thats not who we are as a democracy. What happened on january 6th was a threat to our democracy, and we have to preserve it. Im disappointed at those conservative members of the Supreme Court who somehow give the illusion that a president is Above The Law. Thats not true. Again, i think our Founding Fathers would be very upset, but im im holding firm that in this great democracy of ours everyone, even the president , has to conform to the law. Its its difficult for me to see where were going, rev. Ive seen the courts, donald trump now is saying he cant campaign, and hes a guy whos been appealing his court cases all along. He could have been in court long time ago, but he kept appealing, appealing, and so when the appeals run out, you have to, you know, have your day in court. Hes having his day in court, and he created the process that got him to it at this point. So again, hes playing the victim, but im convinced with what i heard from mr. Peck er and other this is week, its clear that he was part and parcel to the scheme. So i hope those individuals in that jury box wont be intimidated by donald trump. Make their decision on what the facts are, not the fact that hes running for president again, thats not the standard. Now, before i let you go, i want your take on a Voting Rights issue out of your state of mississippi. Lawmakers considered nearly three dozen individual suffrage bills this week that would restore Voting Rights to former prisoners. Their cases are being debated one by one. Because the Senate Earlier this year refused to consider a bill that would have restored Voting Rights to all people convicted of nonviolent felonies that had completed the terms of their sentencing. What would the restoration of Voting Rights for former felons mean specifically for your state of mississippi . Well, we got it out of the house, rev, it was the senate that stopped it. But it would have added about 20 of the population to our voting rolls, a majority of that percentage would have been african americans. As you know, those laws are put in place especially in the south to disenfranchise black people. Only way you can get back on the rolls if you are a convicted individual in mississippi now, a legislator has to put forth your request before the legislature. Its amazing, the bible belt, everyone is supposed to be of some faith would now say, well, if you commit a crime, well never forgive you ever again in life. And so going to church asking for forgiveness is just a con thats being put out here on society. If we can do wrong and then go to church and be forgiven, then people who commit crimes, who pay their dues and debt to society, they should be made whole again. So mississippi, we almost there. We didnt make it. Well keep trying, but its one of those Jim Crow Laws that is out here in the south that keep a significant number of black people from being voters. Well, as a preacher, i can say amen to your references to people going to church asking for forgiveness, but youre saying 20 more would be added to the rolls if this passes, 20 more, most of them black. That is mind boggling. Absolutely. That is something to note. Thank you for being with us, mr. Chairman, congressman bene thompson. Joining me now for more on the trump cases is political analyst kimberly at kins stall. Thank you for joining us tonight. Very busy week of Legal Proceedings for donald trump. So lets start with his Manhattan Hush Money Trial, which was dominated by the testimony of david pecke r former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, who Working With Trump and his former fixer Michael Cohen would buy the right to stories that were unfavorable to trumps 2016 president ial ambitions and then bury them. What would you say was the impact of testimony saying this on the stand under oath. Yeah, i think that davids testimony was crucial, and its clear whew the prosecutors began with him to lay out this story of this unlawful, this alleged unlawful behavior. You have to keep in mind that the charges donald trump faces in new york are a little complicated because its a crime layered upon a crime. One is falsifying business records, but that becomes a felony when its done for some other criminal purpose in this case fraudulently keeping information from voters to suppress it in an election. And david was a great witness to really put those two things together. He was able to distinguish this catch and kill thing that the National Enquirer has done before donald trump for other people as well but in 2016 how it was clearly done because donald trump was a candidate for office and he didnt want negative stories out for him and continuing to want to kill negative stories about him while he was in the presidency. He talked about and pecker directly testified to that, saying that this was about the election. Right. He was asked, well, did donald trump perhaps want to keep this quiet because he didnt want his family to know . Keep in mind, he had a very young child with melania at the time that his relationship with these women were alleged to have happened. And he said, no, it was about the campaign. And that was buffered by the fact that he was talking to people within Donald Trumps Campaign Sphere and then later within the white house even about this ongoing catch and kill scheme. So i think that plus the evidence that is being presented by prosecutors, its really tough for Donald Trumps Defense Attorneys to pull coals in it. They tried with his the fact that david pecker himself entered into a non pros. Cushion agreement, but that doesnt mean that hes lying on the stand. It seems to be very credible. Now, pecker also detailed making a payout to former playmate Karen Mcdougal to silence her account of an alleged affair with trump. Yesterday trumps longtime assistant said that information for both mcdougal and Stormy Daniels were in trumps contact list, and pecker testified that he spoke with former white house staffer, hope hicks and sarah sanders, about an extension of mcdougals Hush Money Contract on a call with the white house. What do you think the jury took from all of that . Well, i think that the jury can very easily take the fact that this was an organized scheme. This wasnt just the National Enquirer, for example, acting on its own, buying stories that they just didnt want published in competitive in competitors news publications, they were doing this for the purpose, for donald trump, to give him a benefit, a president ial benefit, a Campaign Benefit that. Is what directly runs afoul of New York State and federal law. And that is what the prosecution has to prove in this case. So again, they were both very critical witnesses. I think that youll see other witnesses like hope hicks, like Michael Cohen just put on additional layers in filling out this picture of exactly how the scheme played out. Now, pivoting right here to washington, as you heard me discuss with congressman thompson, the Supreme Courts conservative justices, many of whom were nominated by trump, appeared to at least considered his claim of total president ial immunity this week, some suggesting that such immunity was necessary for our democracy to function. The courts ruling is expected some time between now and july. What happens after that . Well, it depends on what the court rules. Rev, i was actually really surprised after this argument and during the argument. I thought that the Supreme Court would, perhaps, take its sweet time in issuing any ruling which would push off the possibility of a trial beyond the election, but i was really struck by the comments by some of the conservative justices who, as you said, really entertained this notion that a president would have immunity. Not only that he would have it but that it would be necessary to prevent unmeritorious prosecutions when we have seen just in how these cases are playing out before donald trump, how difficult, how time consuming it is to bring a criminal case against someone. You need a grand jury. You need prosecutors. You need evidence. You need to go through motions to dismiss. Its not a Political Tool that can be wielded on the willynilly. But still, that had some purchase with some of the justices. I think it will come down to the chief justice, john roberts, to determine whether there will be some immunity, maybe a limited immunity, maybe something more broadly, or maybe not a finding that there is immunity but question es for the lower court to have to go back and answer in an evidentiary hearing. In any case, i think it will be hard for this trial to get going before the election. And i must say that we are in a place i never could have imagined. I mean, never could have imagined a former president in four criminal trials and aside from that civil trials, but we are actually talking about in the Supreme Court entertaining whether to give total immunity to a president of the United States no matter what the crime. Were in a place i never thought wed be. Kimberly atkins stohr, thank you for being with us. After the break well talk about the white house Correspondents Dinner and the future of the American Free press. And later were keeping an eye on campus protests across the country. Our Political Panel weighs in on how lawmakers and administrators are responding to the demonstrations. Strators are responding to th demonstrations when i think about purpose, i dont know if st. Jude donors realize the magnitude of what they are doing. Their donations are funding the research. The research is allowing for the treatments to happen. And those treatments provide cures. And the cures are allowing patients to get to grow up and live amazing lives all around the world. Everybody wants super straight, super white teeth. They want that Hollywood White smile. New sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24 7 sensitivity protection. I think its a great product. Its going to help a lot of patients. Weeds. They have you surrounded. Take your lawn back with Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action it gets three jobs done at once kills weeds. Prevents crabgrass. And keeps it growing strong. Download the my lawn app today for Lawn Care Tips and customized plans. Feed your lawn. Feed it. Business. For Lawn Care Tips its not a ninetofive proposition. Its all day and into the night. Its all the things that keep this world turning. The gotos that keep us going. The places we cheer. And check in. They all choose the advanced Network Solutions and round the Clock Partnership from Comcast Business. See why Comcast Business powers more Small Businesses than anyone else. Get started for 49. 99 a month plus ask how to get up to an 800 prepaid card. Dont wait call today. Welcome back to politics nation. In just a few hours, ill be attending the white house Correspondents Dinner here in washington. Ive had the pleasure of participating for many years. At its best, the dinner is a chance for the countrys top generalists and lawmakers and influencers to set aside their differences for a few hours to enjoy a good meal and a few bad jokes. But our increasingly polarized politics has cast a shadow over the event and its future. Joining me now to talk about it is another veteran of the Correspondents Dinners, The One And Only april ryan, White House Correspondent for the grio and an msnbc political contributor. April, thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you for having me, reverend al. Thank you again. Now, april, this is the third Correspondents Dinner of the Biden Administration. The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, and of course, bidens predecessor donald trump did not attend any of the dinners during his term. How has this washington pastime changed over to years . Well, reverend al, over the years its changes because of the focus on the presidency. There was a great focus with then president barack obama. You had celebrities and so many different people just wanting to be at that intersection of politics and entertainment, because at that time politics had trumped, if you will, entertainment. Politics was entertainment, and so many people wanted to see what The First Black President was doing. And because then donald trump the president of the United States hated the press so much, the free press, a press that was independent of what he had to say, was so free he decided not to come. And now we have this president who is i mean, president s have been coming since before john f. Kennedy, okay . But this is a salute to the independence of the press without fear of worrying about the federal government shutting our newspaper down, without fear of the federal government telling us, this is what we have to write, and we as a nation are part of the first amendment, not the second, not the third, freedom of the press, and this is what we i remember those obama years, i had started going before that, but even during the obama years, i remember one night where one of his best jokes was on donald trump, who wasnt even a candidate for politics at the time. Yes. Propalestinian activists have organized demonstrations just blocks from the Washington Hilton where the dinners being held to voice their criticisms of this administrations support for israel and the Media Coverage of the war between israel and hamas. How do you think those messages will be received by the Dinners Attendees . Well, i can tell you right now where im sitting in the room here at the host hotel, just a few feet i can see signs saying ceasefire, and you can hear people on bull horns. Security is tighter than i have ever seen, and reverend al, i was a member of the Correspondents Dinner board one time who was dealing with some of these kinds of things. How do we get the dignitaries in and out. Secret service has taken over this whole place. The way we come in and out, the time, et cetera, has significantly changed, not just because the president and Vice President are here, but because of the protests and concerns that they could erupt into something that theyre not anticipating. Now, as we mentioned, former President Trump did not attend the dinner while in office. As you well know, trump could be elected to a send term in just over six months, how could that affect the future of not only white house Correspondents Dinner but also the relationship between the presidency and journalists who cover it . Well, first of all, the president , the former president , is not here that i know of, but his presence is here. People like kellyanne conway. You know, i had a conversation with her at an earlier brunch, but if indeed Donald John Trump comes back to the white house as president of the United States, theres a big concern. Many journalists say they cannot cover it. Theyre saying it quietly, but there will be retaliation for sure. Hes got a list already, and hes checking it twice to find out which journalist in his mind is naughty and nice. This former president does not believe in the press unless its the press that just glorifies him, that makes him larger than life. But if we are the free and independent press as we say we are, we tell the truth and give the facts with the receipts. And this is a president who doesnt like it. So if he does come back, i dont know what its going to look like. His presidency did change the relationship between the press and the presidency where he came and were trying to gain ground back. If he comes back, were going to lose much more ground. April ryan, thank you for being with us this evening. Later tonight, my colleague has special coverage of the white house Correspondents Dinner starting at 8 00 p. M. Eastern. You can batch the special right here on msnbc and peacock. But first, President Biden says hes willing to debate trump, but when and where. My Political Panel joins me after the break to talk about it. Stay tuned. E break to talk abou it stay tuned were here with Chris Counahan of our local leaffilter. So chris, tell us how leaffilter is different from every other gutter protection on the market. 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Ahh zevo is made with Essential Oils which attack bugs biological systems. It wipes cleanly, plus is safe for use around people and pets. Gotcha zevo. Peoplefriendly. Bugdeadly. 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. Welcome back to politicsnation. Protests over the israel hamas war are continuing this weekend on College Campuses across the country. Its now been more than a week since those protests began with demonstrators demanding colleges cut ties with israel and divest from companies they say are allowing the war to continue. About 600 people on at least 15 campuses have been arrested according to axios. And while many of the demonstrations have been peaceful, mostly peaceful, there have been an allegation of antisemitic actions and rhetoric by some of the protesters. In fact, Columbia University says it has banned one of the Student Protest Leaders there on campus who said, quote, zionists dont deserve to live. Joining me now are robert gibbs, former Obama White House press secretary and now an msnbc political analyst, and matthew dowd, Chief Strategist for the 2004 Bush Cheney Campaign and now an msnbc senior contributor and analyst. Robert, how do democrats walk the fine line by condemning antisemitism while also respecting demonstrators rights to express themselves peacefully and maybe even sympathize with their quest about stopping whats going on in gaza . Yeah, reverend, its a great question. And look, i think you see this, as you said, playing out on College Campuses throughout the country right now. Look, i think democrats have to be protective of and will be protective of peoples right to speak out and to speak up. That should be an american value, not one partys value, but i think we as a party also have to protect those in and around those campuses. If they hear the rhetoric that you just talked about thats shouted at them or shouted at a rally and makes others feel unsafe, takes away from what the university is trying to do in terms of providing education and learning, then that cant be allowed to happen. And so i think theyre going to have to walk the line here of making sure theres a space to speak out but also safety for those in and around the campus that may have different views. Its about being able to disagree without being disagreeable in doing it. Now, some republican politicians have been criticized for their heavy handed treatment of demonstrator, like Texas Governor greg abbott, have previously claimed to be advocates for free speech on College Campuses, is there a disconnect here . Theres this total disconnect here. And im here in texas right outside of austin, and what the police did and what happened near austin, which was a by and large 99 peaceful protest, they escalated the situation, and they end up every Single Person arrested has been sent back and theyre not going to be doesnt look like theyre going to be prosecuted in the course of this. We also had today the Lieutenant Governor of texas, dan patrick, whos way to the right on all of this stuff, he announced today that he thought anybody that sided with, his mind, quote,unquote, with americas enemies should be permanently sent away from school, not allowed to go to school. Not if youre violent, if you do anything that is that feels antiamerican, you shouldnt be allowed to go to school here. Yeah, theres a disconnect, and what also is upsetting to me is theyre more worried about these protests than they are about guns in schools that weve seen whats happened around the country but especially here in texas. Now, robert, President Biden went on Howard Sterns radio show yesterday to talk about the election and had this to say about debates. Take a listen. Can i tell you a fantasy i had . If you i dont know if youre going to debate your opponent . I am, somewhere. I dont know when. Im happy to debate him. President trump responded by inviting biden to debate him at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse where his hush money trial is taking place. But trump didnt participate in any primary debates and continues to spar with the commission on president ial debates on the timeline and format for them. What are your thoughts about debates in 2024 . Well, look, i think politically it was smart for President Biden to say that he would debate trump and that he wanted to debate trump. I think the reality of it was always going to be that there would be president ial debates in the fall. Obviously, theres a lot to be determined. Whos going to participate in those debates . Are you going to have Third Party Candidates . Whos going to host them . My hunch is that when this is all said and done, the two campaigns are going to have to get together and come up with a format that they can agree on, moderators that they can agree on, and a place to do it. I would expect that you would have three to four, probably three president ial, one Vice President ial, debate this fall, and i think theyre important for both sides and for particularly for President Biden to make his case directly. We know that the audience for these debates is enormous, theyre important, and they go a long way towards reaching the very few number of people that theyre important to do and hes smart to say hell do it. Now matthew, i want to ask you about Crystal Mason A Black Woman from texas who was sentenced to five years in prison for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election with a poll workers help as she was voting. She was on a supervised release at the time and has said she did not realize she could not vote. An Appeals Court overturned that conviction, but the County District attorney is trying to get the conviction and the sentence reinstated. You have close ties to texas. You even ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2021. Whats your take on this case . Well, this is whats happened in the state of texas where we now have one Party Dominant state, though its a state thats moving towards, in my view, towards a more purple state, and i think ted cruz understands in the senate race that he has this year hes in trouble. And so its moving in that direction. But when you have a small segment of the population, around 5 , is 0 , that basely picks whos the leaders because the general election still hasnt returned to a place where democrats can reasonably win in this, we lect these people that are the lauren bob effort, Marjorie Taylor green, and Christie Noem after recent events. Its insame and unconscionable to me that this woman was prosecuted and then sentenced to five years in jail while we have whats going on and the people that participated and facilitated what happened on january 6th, not the people that showed up and have been prosecuted but members of congress and the president of the United States who still have not been held accountable in the course of this. Its such a hypocritical thing to prosecute this one woman who innocently cast a ballot wrongly, i think, in the course of this innocently did it, and we dont the people who have consciously tried to undermine our democracy. Robert gibbs and matthew dowd, thank you both for being with us. Coming up, the state of Reproductive Healthcare in america and what the Supreme Courts next ruling could mean for millions of women across these United States. Of women across these United States. [coughing] copd hasnt been pretty. Its tough to breathe and tough to keep wondering if this is as good as it gets. 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Risks of surgery include pain, infection, heart attack, stroke, death, and other serious risks. Ask your doctor for important safety information. [camera shutter] to find a doctor who uses mako visit makocan. Com welcome back to politicsnation. Its been a momentous week in the fight for reproductive rights. On wednesday the Supreme Court hears arguments in the Biden Administrations challenge to idahos strict abortion ban. The courts ruling in the case could have implications beyond the state. Meantime in arizona, lawmakers are working to overturn an Abortion Ban Dating back to the civil war. Joining me now is jessica, president of emilys list. Thank you for joining me today. Let me go right at it, jessica. Lets start with the Supreme Court. The Biden Administration is arguing that idahos abortion ban violates federal laws guaranteeing patients access to emergency services. What are your takeaways from what you have heard in the questioning this week . Well, first of all, reverend, thank you so much for having me. It really has been an important week when it comes to the state of reproductive freedom in america. Whats really struck me this past week is what were hearing in the court in terms of what patients are going through across the country. Its really a reflection of what is happening in this country as a result of republican politicians who were behind the overturning of roe versus wade, but we know theyre not going to stop there. And so when we hear about patients being left in Emergency Rooms, having to bleed out, to get to the brink of death before they are offered care and sometimes getting that care too late, this is the situation in america today. This is what we are dealing with. And it is because we have republicans across this country, whether it is in iowa or arizona, or if we let them at the National Level who have shown that they will not stop at just overturning roe versus wade, theyre not going to stop until all of these Healthcare Decisions are decisions that politicians get to weigh in on. And you know, the other thing i would say is that i think this week really underscores the consequences of this election thats in front of us. We keep saying that its the most consequential election of our lives, well, whats happening in the Supreme Court right now really serves to underscore that and demonstrate is a thats it is. And the only way that we are going to really restore these rights and take them back is by electing democratic politicians, and at emilys list, we support democratic, prochoice women whose voices are needed right now to ensure we put these decisions back in the hands of patients. Now, the courts ruling on this could affect healthcare in Emergency Rooms in the 22 states that have imposed restrictions on abortions. Particularly in the six states that, like idaho, Lack Exemptions to the general ban to protect the health of the mother. Can you talk about what is at stake in this case . Well, its no hyperbole to say that this is life and death. Its not hypothetical. And what weve seen is that when the court opens the door to these types of restrictions and really draconian policies that we see republicans across the country in states, you know, pile on. And so the consequences couldnt be greater. This is truly life and death, and it is because republicans believe that politicians and courts and bureaucracies should have a say in these private Healthcare Decisions. Now, arizona lawmaker this is week took a major step toward scrapping an 1864 Law Banning Abortion as three republican lawmakers in the state House Of Representatives broke ranks with their party and voted with democrats to repeal the ban. However, the ban could still go into effect june 8th unless the state senate acts. And they could take up they could take up a vote next week. Are you confident the ban will be repealed . Well, i dont think that we can have any confidence that the ban will be repealed. I mean, lets be clear, the only reason that the Arizona House was able to pass this repeal is because of the democratic lawmakers and democratic prochoice women, by the way, led this fight to repeal it. And so, you know, what we have seen from republican politicians in arizona is that they it took three times to get to this point, and thats because they truly believe that these bans should be in place. And so i hope that they pass a repeal of the ban, but we also have to remember that even if they do, arizonans will still live around 15week ban. And so really, truly, the only way that we are going to restore the rights of arizonans is if we elect democratic lawmakers up and down the ballot. Emilys list has two congressional candidates in arizona, a number of State Legislators that we have endorsed. We can flip the State Legislature in arizona, and if we do that and if we send these lawmakers to congress then we can be sure that we restore these rights. I do hope they pass a repeal of this ban, but we cant stop there. Looking to the president ial election, as former President Donald Trump moves closer to his selecting his running mate, your organization has been tracking the extreme antiabortion views of many candidates on his Vice President ial short list. What have you learned about them . What we have learned is that it really doesnt mat who are he pick, whoever he picks, this ticket is going to be one of the most extreme antiabortion president ial tickets that we have seen. And weve seen that from all of the potential Vice President ial picks, and you know, frankly, even if its someone else we know that these republican politicians want to ban abortion, that if we hangd them power, they will ban abortion, and so the choice is really clear when it comes to this president ial race. The only way that we are going to protect Abortion Rights is by electing the biden harris ticket, and at emilys list, weve been proud supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris through her entire career. And one other thing i will say in doing this research is it is so clear the contrast between the Vice President , who has dedicated her entire career to championing reproductive freedom and is out there every day talking about what is at stake in this election and talking about what we need to do to restore these freedoms, and any of these potential Vice President ial picks from trump. Jessica mackler, thank you for being with us. Up next, my final thoughts. Stay was. Us. Up next, my final thoughts stay was try killing bugs the worryfree way. Not the other way. Zevo traps use light to attract and trap flying insects with no odor and no mess. They work continuously, so you dont have to. Zevo. Peoplefriendly. Bugdeadly. Lakesha Childhood Cancer is its a long road. Its hard. But st. Jude has gotten us through it. St. Jude is hope that you have a chance at life. And it goes such a long way for every child diagnosed with cancer because the research is being shared all over the world. Its awesome. [music playing] this week this country lost a giant in the passing of congressman donald payne jr. In newark, new jersey. He was a real fighter. He stood in the tradition of his father who preceded him, standing up for Voting Rights, standing up for criminal justice reform, standing up for equal services for those that had been neglected by the system. As hes funeralized this week, we hope that his family knows that his love and respect from the citizens of this country go way beyond his district. I know from his working with Reverend Bartley and our National Action Network Chapter there and reverend David Jefferson and others he was a handson politician and public servant. And i hope that Governor Phil Murphy will have a special election so that seat is not vacant as we go through the summer as those services need to continue with a sitting congressperson. And as we see a razor thin majority of the republicans, we dont need that empty seat. I was talking with Reverend Ronald Slaughter of saint James Ame Church up north, one of my good friends, about how the needs in that district must be continued. We will always remember donald payne. Lets keep his work going forward. Well be right back. Work goin forward. Well be right back. Thats why my goto is nurtec odt. For the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of Episodic Migraine in adults. Its the only migraine medication that helps treat prevent, all in one. Dont take if allergic to nurtec odt. Allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. Most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. People depend on me. Without a migraine, i can be there for them. Talk to your doctor about nurtec odt today. Norman, bad news. Talk to your doctor i never graduated from med school. What . But the good news is. Xfinity mobile just got even better now, you can automatically connect to wifi speeds up to a gig on the go. Plus, buy one unlimited line and get one free for a year. I gotta get this deal. Thats like 20 a month per unlimited line. I dont want to miss that. Thats amazing doc. Mobile savings are calling. Visit xfinitymobile. Com to learn more. Doc . When others divide. We unite. With Real Solutions to help our kids. Like community schools. Neighborhood hubs that provide everything from Mental Health services to food pantries. Academic tutoring to prom dresses. Healthcare to after care. Community schools can wrap so much around public schools. And through meaningful partnerships with families, they become centers of their communities. Real solutions for kids and communities at aft. Org that does it for me. Thanks for watching. Ill see you back here, tomorrow at 5 00 p. M. Eastern for another live hour of politics nation. The Saturday Show with Jonathan Capehart starts right now. What a week Tabloid Testimony in Donald Trumps hush money election interference trial, and, stunning