trump's running mate. >> that's hi, on newsmax good evening. i'm abby phillip in new york tonight. family, friends, and maga country mineral playing the ponies, except the horses are men, three men. new cnn reporting shows the constant cajoling and lobbying and pleading from people in donald trump's orbit to pick their guy to run alongside trump atop the ticket the shortlist is seemingly shorter now, marco rubio, jd vance, and doug burgum they are all reportedly at the top of the list of trump's choices to tap. now, that doesn't mean that the others are ruled out, including tim scott elise, stefanik, byron donalds ben carson, who will join me later on this show. all of them, cnn is told have received some level of vetting paperwork and the vip stakes power rankings are in constant flux according to our sources why? well, it depends on trump's mood of course, and it depends on how trump thinks everyone in his vp casten call is performing on television. they're standing really depends on the day who he speaks with and who he sees on tv let's bring in cnn's senior data reporter, harry enten. harry so ragas through it. we've got three contenders. what are the pros and cons of each of them? >> yeah, we'll walk you through the three of them will start off with marco rubio from the state of florida. all right. what are the pros from marco rubio? well, we know that trump wants to outreach. he's doing better with hispanic voters marco rubio could help with that. how about foreign policy? gop marco rubio can help with that as well. donald trump, of course, the businessman, not necessarily known for his foreign policy chops. marco rubio can help there. what are the cons? so if marco rubio well, she lives in florida, trump's home state, so you know, you can't have a vp in a press being from the same state, so he'd have to quit the senate. maybe try and move somebody somebody somewhere else. so that's a whole issue. and of course there's his 2016 failed presidential bid. we're of course, he and trump went after each other quite often. so there are pros and cons with marco rubio. how about doug burgum, khuza'a course governor from north dakota. well, what are the pros? well, he is no drama. i mean there's not really a whole heck of a lot you could kinda throw onto doug burgum more than that donald trump not exactly known as being establishment friendly. well doug burgum, it's pretty well-liked by the establishment, specifically, the business has establishment. what are the cons for doug burgum? well, first off, who is doug burgum? most folks have no real no idea who he is. he wouldn't exactly be an exciting pick for the base. and of course, he failed in his own president, presidential bit earlier this year. so it doesn't exactly have that great of an electoral track record nationally speaking. finally, let's go to the state of ohio and jd vance. all right? pros well, he is a populist, just like donald trump. i think he could really excite the populist base of the republican party. also, if you're looking for someone who might play decently well in swing states like pennsylvania and michigan. well, ohio, if you know your map is pretty close to both of those how about the cons? well, he's untested nationally. who knows how to actually do when the lights are shined upon him. and finally, there's 2016 opposition to trump. he was very much against trump. be very interesting to see some of those types plate, if in fact he was chosen abbott yeah, actually pretty wide range there among those three that he's picking from harry. thank you. as always thanks for more on this. i want to bring in michael smerconish, the host of smerconish right here on cnn. >> michael good to see you. thanks for joining us. >> thank you abby. >> so looking at these top three contenders right now, which candidate do you think actually brings the most to a trump presidential ticket? >> i don't know that any of the three or particular standouts i think that trump's criteria have changed since 2016. i think then he needed to balance his lack of governance and mike pence became a natural type of selection. he also wanted someone who had a a more steady demeanor, actually, that would describe a lot of folks this time around because he served as president. i don't think that he needs someone with governmental experience. i just think that he needs someone who gives him an edge. somebody is going to bring something to the table because if all of these poles are accurate, it's a game of inches. and the question becomes, who can deliver some votes? >> so there's not bad by michael la rosa, his to work for the biden administration he said in the new york times that he believes that senator rubio actually poses the biggest threat to biden perhaps because of what you're alluding to. the draw of latino voters in swing states potentially if you were working in the biden campaign, would you agree with that dude, you see rubio as more of a concern, perhaps in some of the others, doug burgum or jd vance i'd be concerned about marco rubio for that reason because i think that the latino vote is a critical constituency. i would also be concerned about some of the african african-american potential selections. tim scott, for example, not so much ben carson because if the polls are accurate, abbe and if currently donald trump is getting somewhere between 18 and 22% of the vote, that would be a huge setback for the biden campaign. i think it explains why tomorrow president trump, former president trump is coming to philadelphia and do eat event at temple university. that's north philadelphia. that's the heart of the african american community because i think he really is trying to make this play. >> so do you think that rubio, though, he's kinda thought of as a bit of an institutionalist in the senate. he's the vice chair of the intelligence committee. what didn't go along with some of the more outlandish things that trump personally wants to pursue. and then also this project 2025 plan that's been put together by outside allies of trump's, that aims to upend the federal government. and effectively weaponize it he's very conservative. you know what he's and he's been in the senate for awhile and he has a track record that's going to please that base. is it necessarily going to swing independence? probably not democrats. what's interesting to me is that politically speaking with donald trump, you're not dead until you're really gone because each one of these three, and in particular, you'll remember, of course, marco rubio, all the things that were said between them it got vicious, right? when they were opponents on that stage back in 2016. and yet, donald trump, i guess, in the end, very transactional, very much forgive and forget if it suits him but what would mark a rubio go along with it. i think that's what i'm wondering is would rubio be the one to say shore donald trump like let's go after your political enemies. if he is finds himself in the white house as trump's vice president know why i don't think that he would to be specific and answer your question. >> i think that he would be more mike pence like, i mean, in the end, vice president pence didn't do what trump was asking on that critical day in january of 2021. and if marco rubio were in similar position in the facts were otherwise the same. i think he'd probably be the same way that pence had been which might be pretty big problem for donald trump considering that seems to be for donald trump, a litmus test yeah, sure. absolutely. michael smerconish. great to see you. thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you, abby. >> and you can catch michael show tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. eastern time right here on cnn also tonight, conservatives are resurrecting one of history's villains as a victim, just take a listen to former trump official and thought personality, monica crowley at the faith and freedom coalition conference she was defending joseph mccarthy senator joe mccarthy was right. >> and he was trying to ring the bell in the 19 about communists infiltration in our government. and the same deep state that is now going after donald trump. the same deepstate that removed richard nixon, the same deepstate that went after ronald reagan and anybody else who stood up to them that deep state became very insidious. and in the 19 smeared and attack jim the carthy for speaking the truth about godless communism in very halls of our government i'll let my next guess get into the history, the real history of mccarthyism, but it is worth noting mccarthy's chief counsel was a man by the name of roy cohn. >> roy cohn? it was also donald trump's mentor. let's bring in cnn contributor leah wright rigueur. she's also an associate professor of history at johns hopkins university. leah mccarthy, first of all, i thought we had settled this about mccarthyism. that wade, we actually have had decided that mccarthyism some was both unsuccessful and also a shameful chapter in american history she is monica crowley now saying that he was right you know, what's really fascinating about this is that there's a long list of people that monica crowley mentioned as she's defending and championing jerome mccarthy and all of the people that she mentioned for part of the insistence that joe mccarthy was in fact a very bad person and mccarthyism was deeply bad and hurtful and harmful for the country. >> and in fact, i think one of the things that's really interesting to point out is that mccarthyism isn't just attacked by the left. certainly of course, i think the left during the 1950s and well into the 1960s, saw mccarthyism is something that was let's deeply judgment, full, harb, ball destroyed people's lives. there was senators who committed suicide over this, but it was also the right ronald reagan says in the 1980s that mccarthy, joseph mccarthy he's cause actually undermines the anti-communist cause around the world that it's bad for democracy. so to see the revival of this and to see it casts and a light win for the past 60, some odd years, there has been pretty much consensus than mccarthyism was not a great not a great thing. and joseph mccarthy was really a rabid kind of idea log is deeply concerning, is very bizarre, but perhaps not out of the blue. i mean, she talks about godless communism in her speech today back in the 50s, mccarthy, he argued that a communistic eighth he is was in at war with christianity. now you've got a lot of people. she's speaking at the faith and freedom conference today, a lot of people who want to establish the united states as an explicitly christian country. is there? is just a part two. we're trying to rewrite that redo that chapter of american history. >> well, i think it's part of a larger attempt to really rewrite the ideas of what america is rooted in. what it would mean to be a christian nation. it is part of a larger movement and trend that we've seen over what's couple of years towards christian nationalism, that presidents actually hips historically been very successful at mobilizing and rallying around. there's a reason that it's not just joseph mccarthy who gets a shout out in monica crowley speed it's, it's also richard nixon who donald trump saw himself as being mentored by in a way, right? but what's really fascinating about richard nixon is even as he holds an enormous amount of disdain for the very religious kind of groups but he cultivates, he also works with people like billy graham, evangelical churches. >> and this kind of christian, this budding christian right? in order to, in order to really expand executive power and to get away with essentially undermining democracy proceed. so i don't think it's that strange that as we are seeing the re-emergence of christian nationalism as an effort that is tied explicitly to donald trump that we're also seeing a rewriting of history in an attempt to really harness people that have done this before. yeah, and newsflash to monica crowley. it was not the deep state that denounce joseph mccarthy or richard nixon. it was actually bipartisan lawmakers, both parties denounced are both of those, men and their actions, a lyric rigueur. thank you. as always for being here. and up next, i'll read you some of the vile threats against donald trump's prosecutors as they fight to extend the gag order against him, plus ben carson is one i've trump's vice presidential contenders and who joins me on why he supports states forcing schools to post the ten commandments in their classrooms. and y are some conservatives trying to cancel dolly parton this is newsnight thursday night my for midland. >> the most anticipated moment of this election, biden doctor, on america isn't future because that's where we are a nation of possibility trump. we had the best economy, we had the best border, we had the best of everything. and now we get to do it all over again. we're going to do it even better. two very different visions for america. one precedented night, moderated by jake tapper and dana bash, the cnn presidential debate thursday night at nine live on cnn and streaming and backs he was had trouble losing weight and keeping same discover the power of week-old. >> the denom what we go i lost 35 pounds. as some lost over 46 pounds. >> we go. >> and i'm keeping the weight off. >> we go via helps you lose weight and keep it off. >> i'm reducing my risk. >> we go v is the only fda approved weight management medicine that's proven to reduce risk of major cardio asked lorenz and adults with new work disease and with either obesity or overweight, we go v should be used for semaglutide or glp-1 medicines. don't take, we go via fewer your family had medullary thyroid cancer multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type two for allergic to it stopped. we go v and get medical help right away. if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction? 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activity and less pain, learn more. it's still go.com violent earth with me up. >> schreiber, sunday at nine on cnn alvin, i'm going to kill you. that is just one of the threats that manhattan da, alvin bragg has recently received since donald trump has been charged and convicted in the hush money trial case. and tonight, he is listing all of these threats in detail to convince a judge not to end the gag order on trump hundreds of emails and calls to bragg's office are now under security review. and in the last three months alone, the nypd found 56 actionable threats against bragg, his family, and his office staff i'm going to read a few from the past year and i'm going to warn you that they are pretty disturbing. so here's one back in march of 2023, leave trump alone or bragg will get assassinated a few days later. another note just wanted to say, i can't wait to watch you swinging from the rope in your military tribunal, you better get on your knees and pray to jesus christ. you're going to find your maker soon in april of 2023. when you're fat f-word da is more interested in a witch-hunt on president trump than prosecuting crime and your whole city. it's time to get rid of both of you you and word. the next day. alvin bragg is nothing but a racist and word. and it's not just verbal or written threats. in march of last year, the office was sent a letter with a white powder and a threatening note the next month, more white powder but this time with pictures of bragg and trump and the words, you will be sorry. it was around this time that a trump supporter in utah posted on truth social heading to new york to fulfill my dream of eradicating another of george soros two bit political hack da's i want to stand over bragg and put a nice hole in his forehead with my nine millimeter and watch him twitch as drops of blood ooze from the hole as his life ebbs away to hell a few months later, that man was killed by fbi agents while attempting to arrest him for threats against president biden just ahead of biden's trip to his state on the first day of the trial, just two months ago, there was a bomb threat to the homes of two people involved in this case joining me now are former counsel to president trump during the first impeachment, robert gray, also with us civil and criminal attorney dante mills robert attorneys for president trump, want or i'm sorry, their attorneys for president trump want this gag order to go away but the prosecutors are making the case threats are still active even though the case is over and pending sentencing, do they have a point? >> the case isn't over until the sentencing is heard and sentences imposed, and then presumably, president trump's lawyers will file a notice of appeal at which point the the trial court will be divested of jurisdiction. i have absolutely no problem frankly, with the prosecutors real concern about safety and look, there are wing nuts out there in the period of time between now and when the the trial court's role in this case ends. i don't think it's worth taking the chance that anybody could do harm to any of the court personnel. the judge's staff. >> most importantly, the judge and certainly the district attorney and his staff we've we've we've all been there. >> this is this is the probably going to be i mean, in addition to the trial, this is probably the second most pointed pitched battle that will occur here about what the sentence will be i think my view of that is better safe than sorry. and so any gag order that would help lend itself to calming the temperature here and getting us safely through this proceeding because people might think is the right course. they may think their actions will make a diffe