Transcripts For MSNBCW Andrea 20240704

Skiff at maralago so the former president can review secret Prosecution Evidence at his home without having to go to a government facility. Our legal experts will weigh in. And the very latest on the utah man fatally shot by fbi agents while trying to serve a Search Warrant on him after he allegedly threatened the president , the Vice President , and manhattan da alvin bragg on line. Good day, everyone. Im Andrea Mitchell in washington. We start in hawaii today where conditions are finally improving at least for the crews battling three powerful wildfires raging still on maui. At least 36 people are dead. Officials say that number could soon rise as sunrise begins to reveal the extent of the devastation. Survivors described the situation as apocalyptic. Everyone i know is now homeless. In 36 hours, our town has been burned to ashes, nothing left. Lahaina appears to have been burned incredibly bad. There are a lot of very terrible stories coming out of there. And i am bracing for the morning. Unbelievable. It looks like baghdad or something. Oh, my gosh. Look oh, my gosh. The fastmoving fire took the Island Of Maui by surprise. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and 911 services are down in many areas. Thousands of tourists and residents are still being evacuated today, including one group that got terrifying close to the flames. Fire go lets go nbcs dana griffin, thats terrifying. Dana, i know youre at one of the shelters on maui. What are people telling you about their escapes . Reporter andrea, i literally just spoke to a woman moments ago, she said her home was destroyed. And i asked her, you know, how are you feeling about it. She says, things happen, which is surprisingly such a positive outlook considering so many lives have been lost. Pets, historic landmarks, homes destroyed. I mean, right now we are waiting to get an update on just how bad the devastation has been. We know that crews are going out at sunrise which is right now to assess the damage, to continue search and rescue, because as you mentioned the number of fatalities is likely to rise. Its 6 00 a. M. Local time, so a lot of people at the shelter are waking up. Weve chatted with a few of them. One guy from san diego, he didnt even make it to his hotel because the roads were blocked off. He described the smoke as mountains of smoke just sitting on top of lahaina. And its really devastating for this Tourist Community that relies on tourism for the local economy. So it is just a devastating image to see. We are hoping to get an upclose look later when they open up those roads, as far as when people will be allowed back in remains unseen. Dana griffin, thank you. And our hearts go out to all of those people there. Thank you so much, dana. And we have new developments today on the classified documents case in florida and former President Trumps codefendants. They did show up to be arraigned on that superseding indictment stemming from their alleged attempt to destroy maralagos security video and obstruct government investigators. Mr. Trumps personal aide, walt nauta, and maralago property manager de oliveira appeared in court. He did not have a local counsel and had to have his arraignment postponed. The former president waived his right to appear and entered a not guilty plea, as expected, through his legal team. Joining me, katie phang outside the courthouse in florida. New york times chief White House Correspondent peter baker. And former u. S. Attorney barbara mccabe. Take us through what happened this morning with defendants, the lawyers, judge cannon. And this is another delay. Reporter yes, so Carlos De Oliveira today took a page out of the Walt Nauta Playbook of delay. Walt nauta had his arraignment on two separate occasions to obtain counsel. There was a judge from West Palm Beach who was alongside mr. De oliveira claiming there were details that had to be ironed out before a notice of appearance that would indicate he is permanent counsel of record on behalf of Carlos De Oliveira. The judge set the arraignment for tuesday, august 15th. If mr. De oliveira fires the paperwork and mr. Trump did, de oliveira will not have to appear in court. I will note that not only was the delay sought but the delay was sought to august 25th. Why that date . That is the next hearing under the classified information procedures act, cipa, on august 25th, for the motion for protective order. De oliveiras council asked for the reset date. The magistrate date says no way. The judge wants all of the counsel to be situated, all codefendants to be arraigned prior to august 25th. So back on schedule i guess. Barbara, previously nauta needed the extra week to find a local attorney. This does come at a critical moment because judge cannon has been criticized for questioning jack smith about using information from the d. C. Grand jury as part of his documents case in florida, questioning why there were two grand juries which i think, barbara, to most lawyers was not that surprising given where the evidence is. Not only is it not surprising, andrea, its really inappropriate for a judge to be questioning the prosecutors discretion in using grand juries. This is something that the separation of powers structure of our Constitution Delegates solely to the Executive Branch. So it could very well be, for example, that a grand jury in d. C. Is investigating someone who lied to the grand jury there. That would be completely appropriate. And i think that jack smith needs to very politely, its awkward, but politely tell the judge to bud out of these Executive Branch matters. Peter, theres another surprising twist from the trump lawyers. They request to reestablish a skiff or really rather to build one now because they have to be updated all the time, to review the classified documents at the same location, at his residence basically, where trump allegedly concealed them from investigators. But you know, i guess trump from his perspective not to have to go into a government facility, so that he could basically do it at home. Where does that stand . Yeah. Hes a former president. Hes asking for an accommodation that an ordinary defendant wouldnt get. I dont know that thats incredibly important issue, but it is one more way of delaying things. The more requests like this you make, the more issues you raise, the more, you know, controversies or requests you make, you push it further and further down the road. I think thats the strategy. Weve seen asked for a judge to be recused, ask for a change of venue, ask for a skiff in your own place. Whatever it is, you just throw out anything you have the legal ability to throw out and see if that cant come up the gum up the works. It is important that any Examination Documents be protected. As weve seen, the whole point of the case is he had them in maralago without having a skiff or secure facility. He had them in the ballroom, in the bathroom. If he had only asked for a skiff from the beginning and asked for permission to have these documents, he wouldnt be in the trouble hes in now. Or turn them over when they were first subpoenaed. Barbara, the special counsel issued a Search Warrant for Donald Trumps twitter account. Than unusual in this kind of case, but twitter fought against it. They wouldnt turn it over, they missed a deadline. They had to pay a 350,000 fine. So what do you think theyre looking for in his twitter account since his tweets would be public and accessible. Are they looking for direct messages . What do you thinks going on there . They could be looking for any of those things. What i think is they are looking for evidence that could be presented at trial. So you know, you cant just grab a screen shot off your own phone and say this was Donald Trumps tweet. You have to be able to authenticate it. The best way is to get the official records from twitter, get a custodian of records to say yes i reviewed the records and those are the accounts assigned to donald trump. It is routine, and the fact that twitter resisted producing this is really surprising to me. If these Search Warrants are done every day in all kinds of cases, it remains to be seen why donald trump received this special treatment. Let me ask you about the skiff, as well, because they are updated all the time. They have to be managed by the intelligence community. Does the federal judge have the right to make an order that he get a skiff, or does that have to come from the Executive Branch . Yeah, Skiffs Are Certified by the cia and the director of national intelligence. So i dont know that the judge can even order this. But strikes me as just another delay ploy. Knowing that this request will be denied, which i think is absolutely, 100 likely, it will then build in Donald Trumps argument, well, okay then, have it your way. Now i guess we have to go into the skiff at the fbi, at the courthouse every time i want to look at documents, i can only do it during the hours of the to 5 00 9 00 to 5 00. It will take months to go over the documents. This is part of strategic messaging to build in more delay. Thanks to all of you. And close call. An alleged assassination plot against President Biden ending in a shootout hours before the president s event nearby. Thats next. christina wanna know the secret ingredient to running my business . tina her. christina being all over, all at once. tina all the time. christina but my old network wasnt cutting it. 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The fbi has shot and killed a utah man while trying to serve a Search Warrant on him after he posted a string of frightening online threats against President Biden, Vice President harris, and Manhattan District Attorney alvin bragg. Joining me is former fbi Assistant Director for counterintelligence. Frank, lets start with the operation itself. You know, this is obviously something the fbi does not want. Obviously, you know, a tragedy for the man, his family. How does this happen . And how tense do you think this Early Morning Search Warrant procedure was . Yeah, its never a good day when theres a fatality in any of these operations. This was a s. W. A. T. Operation which in hindsight was the correct way to handle this. The man, mr. Robertson, had an arsenal of weapons in his home, multiple long guns, assault weapons, and pistols. Obviously weve all now read through the affidavit. Weve seen the postings on two Social Media Platforms that are extremely specific as to time, place, and method of how he would kill alvin bragg, the manhattan da, and then fbi agents investigating him and then ultimately the president of the United States who was hours away from landing in utah when this went down in the morning. So the s. W. A. T. Team approach this guy remember back in march investigating agents had met with him, tried to get some bearings as to whether this guy meant it or not. He actually told them, hey, were done here. Come back with a Search Warrant or arrest warrant. So that didnt go away. In fact, he escalated with attacking the agents on line and saying he wanted to kill them, too. With that specificity, u. S. Attorney went and got a warrant, a drone was sent in, a Barricade Situation started. And then im told by sources he reached for a weapon, pointed it at an agent, and that ended the day for this man. And lets talk about the fact that there were all these messages on line. Theyd been observing him for a while. Was the idea that as long as they knew he was at home they didnt consider him a threat to the manhattan da or the president of the United States who doesnt go every day to provo, utah . Right. Theres always a balancing here of, hey, how do we handle this. We tried talking to him, hes continuing and escalating. Hes not looking like hes traveling. Then the Secret Service will tell you they cant surveille somebody 24 7 whos thinking about and planning to kill the president. To the point when the president is traveling to the same state and this guy is specific saying i know hes coming, im dusting off my sniper rifle, my gilly suit, its time to move here. Youve got the makings of three counts that hes been charged with. Look, the Bigger Picture here is this is something called socastic terrorism. Weve seen it before. People incited to violence by someone elses idealogy. We saw it in droves on january 6th. We saw it at fbi cincinnati when a man tried to breach the Reception Room there and died. So it keeps happening, and im sorry to say we may continue to see this happening. Frank, its very alarming and so true. Thank you. And thanks but no thanks, donald trump saying he will not sign the rnc pledge to support the partys eventual nominee. The implications on the Nomination Process and next weeks debate coming up. Youre watching Andrea Mitchell reports. Ports. Have fun, sis cant stop adding stuff to your cart . Get the Bank Of America customized cash rewards card, choose the Online Shopping category and earn 3 cash back. Age is just a number, and mines unlisted. Try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for Muscle Health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. Boost® high protein. Now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. Learn more at boost. Com tv i gotta good feeling about this, yeah now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. 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Um, its called commitment. Could you turn down the volume . Here, you can try. Get way more into what your into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. Nnouncer enough with the calorie counting, carb cutting, diet fatigue, and stress. Just taking one golo release capsule with three balanced meals a day has been clinically proven to repair metabolism, optimize insulin levels, and balance the hormones that make weight loss easy. Release works with your body, not against it, so you can put dieting behind you and go live your life. Head to golo. Com now to join the over 2 Million People who have found the right way to lose weight and get healthier with golo. The republican partys Debate Pledge Requirement that they promise to back the eventual Party Nominee most likely former President Trump is putting all of them on the spot. Ron desantis and nikki haley have both signed the pledge just a week before that debate. I incorrectly said two weeks, its a week in two weeks. Chris christie, the former president s most vocal critic, says he would sign it because its meaningless. In other words hell sign it just because donald trump doesnt keep his pledges either, his words. Last night the former president explained why he might skip the debate altogether. Why would i sign a pledge if there are people i wouldnt have . I can name three or four people that i wouldnt support for president. Asa hutchinson whos polling at zero will ask nasty questions. Somebody like Chris Christie, polling at 1 and will ask me nasty questions. Ive gotten good marks on debating talents. Joining me, brandon buck, former Top Communications adviser to speakers ryan and boehner, and the romney president ial campaign in 2012, and former Obama White House press secretary robert gibbs. So brendan, the republican chair is not budging on the pledge. Do you think Donald Trumps going skip it . If so, wont ron desantis then as the runnerup automatically become the target of everybody elmss attacks . Yeah, i think if youre donald trump it makes a ton of sense not to show up to this debate for a number of reasons. One is hes obviously far, far ahead. But as you said, this ultimately then becomes a debate about whos the most credible alternative. And i think the stakes then become really high for ron desantis. You know, he basically has one shot to prove that hes the guy. If he doesnt, you could see him fall pretty quickly following that debate. Look, the other reality is donald trump has a lot of margin if this ends up being a bad call, if he ends up paying the price somehow, he could join later. For now i think it makes sense for him to sit back and let the others duke it out. And robert gibbs, Chris Christie is continuing his role as the loudest trump critic in the field. A 15yearold in New Hampshire yesterday asked him about that. Could you consider taking a page from a book that you might be not not be naturally inclined to do so when they go low, you go high . No. [ applause ] we tried that with him in 2016. All of us ignored his insults. You have to fight him on the truth. When he lies, we need to fight him because to ignore him is to ascend to his lies. So robert gibbs, a 15yearold quoting Michelle Obama to Chris Christie. One recent New Hampshire poll had him tied with ron desantis. But christie did come in sixth in 2016. He does have to win New Hampshire to keep that campaign going, right . He probably does. Look, somebodys got to win New Hampshire other than donald trump if theyre going to stop donald trump. I mean, i think the biggest thing you give credit for for Chris Christie is hes trying to outline the reason why donald trump shouldnt be the nominee and he should. Thats what this debate stage has to be filled with. If youre one of these other republicans, youve got to lay out a credible case for why not to support donald trump and why youre that alternative. Thats really not happened thus far. Weve got a lot of candidates that agree, lot of candidates that have defended donald trump. And theyre not going to separate themselves on the issues here. Got to create a compelling case for an alternative and why that alternative is wanted now. And do you think, brendan, that this debate the second one has been planned, its going to be fox business i think moderating that one, so fox and fox. Do you think the debate is going to have an impact with donald trump not there . You actually point out something i think is important to focus on. The fact that this first debate is on fox news and the second one is on fox business, i am skeptical, maybe curious to see how many of these folks will be willing to take swings at donald trump. Absolutely agree with robert, at some point you have to make the case for why donald trump should not be the nominee. And that means that, you know, even if donald trump is not there, youre going to have a lot of conservatives, a lot of trump voters tuned into this. A lot of people who potentially want to have futures in the party. I think this has been a reason why so many of them have refused to go after him thus far. If youre tim scott, you probably think you may not win. You got to get reelected in the state of south carolina. If youre doug burgum you want to be the governor of north dakota again. Ron desantis wants to have a future. I wonder how many of these people will be willing to go at donald trump in the way that you need to in that venue on, fox news that night. We havent seen them willing to do it thus far. Im skeptical theyre going to change their tune. Brendan buck and robert gibbs, thank you both very much. And were going to legal it there. We have Breaking News from iran where four Detained Americans have been moved from the notorious prison in tehran. Nbc news has learned the detainees have been transported to a location in the capital where they will join a Fifth American detainee under house arrest. While a number of other steps are going to be taken to free up 6 billion in irans oil revenue being held in a south korean account that could only be used for humanitarian purposes like food or medicine. The u. S. Government has identified three of The Americans held in iran to us that are part of the deal. Samak nazami, seen with his father, arrested in 2015 and charged with espionage. Ahmad sharg i, arrested in 2008 and had been convicted of espionage without a trial and sentenced to years in jail. And maran tobaz, renowned conservationist trying to protect an Endangered Species of cheetah from extinction and been detained since january of 2018. I spoke to his daughter about what the family has been enduring. A nightmare that you couldnt imagine. I think, you know, every opportunity we get to hear their voices, you know, you savor it because you dont know what can come. And its were taking it day by day to try to get them home and do everything that we can on this side to bring them back to us. Joining me is dan deluce. You broke the story in january that these negotiations were beginning to gel. Its been torturous for the u. S. Side. Its not that easy to deal with the iranians, apparently this according to the lawyers involved has come about. Weve all been waiting on it and withholding information because we want to see that it actually happened. Taras mother has been in tehran and not given an exit visa. So shes basically been under, you know, house arrest for all this time, as well. So im told that she will also get out with her husband. And that there are a number of other americans who are not american citizens, green cardholders, and theyre not getting out. As far as we know, thats right. Theyre not part of this arrangement. This is early stages. Theyre not free. Theyre being taken from the prison, from the lawyer for namazi whos been there for eight years, longer than the other prisoners. He and several other prisoners have been taken out of evan prison, and theyre being taken to a location where theyll be under house arrest for a period of weeks possibly while the u. S. And south korea and qatar work out the transfer of this money thats been held in these accounts in south korea and iran has not had access to it. Iran is asking for this condition for this Prisoner Sbap Prisoner Swap to happen. Once the 6 million is transferred to Qatar The Hope is The Americans will be released and allowed to leave the country. And at that point were told and both been briefed on all of this by u. S. Officials familiar with officials familiar with the negotiations, but at this point when they finally leave iranian airspace with the help of swiss diplomats who have been deeply involved in this and have been representing us and will be able to see them now and check their health and welfare while theyre under house arrest in a Central Location with each other, by the way, once they leave theres going to be a Prisoner Swap, as well. Thats right. Thats the understanding. Thats the plan. U. S. Officials obviously, as you say, dont want to broadcast this, but in the past what weve seen is that once The Americans move, then iranian nationals who are held here in u. S. Custody in Different Cases will then be transferred to iran. So there have been Prisoner Exchanges in the past. This one is the significant one because it involves several people and involves millions of dollars, and so yes, its iranian money, but it will be controversial, and there will be no doubt members of congress and others who will heavily criticize this. Remember barack obama came under huge criticism in 2015, kind of a similar arrangement. Right. This is a difficult call i think for President Biden. Its in august, congress is in recess. Maybe that makes it a little easier. I think the white house has made a decision they really want to get these americans home. And this is perhaps the only way they were able to do it. Youve got a few more details. Well in back to this later because youve got some interesting insights into some of the other relationships with iran that have been frozen. Dan, thanks. Well talk in a bit and have more on this ahead and other stories, as well. Stay with us. As well, on cuban cooperation, surprisingly to some, a massive drug bust after a rare joint ops between washington and havana. Our unprecedented access next. I, and mines unlisted. Try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for Muscle Health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. Boost® high protein. Now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. Learn more at boost. Com tv tourists tourists that turn into scientists. Tourists taking photos that are analyzed by ai. So researchers can help life underwater flourish. Now an nbc news exclusive about a Rare Partnership between the United States and cuba working together to fight against drug trafficking. In may more than 750 pounds of marijuana was seized during a joint maritime antidrug operation between the u. S. Coast guard and cuban border patrol. The Drug Traffickers were captured, and their boat was sunk. Nbc news also got exclusive access to witness american and cuban officials overseeing the burning of the drugs in a huge melting pot inside a steel plant showcasing that despite a lot of differences between the two countries, cuba and the u. S. Are collaborating when it comes to stopping the flow of drugs. Essentially when it is a shared National Security interest and if its an area that is under the u. S. National security interests, then of course we want cooperation. We want communication and cooperation in areas that also fits within the u. S. National security interest. We have more than one Cooperative Agreement with cuba. Weve been working on what we Call Maritime environmental response. Weve been working on maritime law enforcement, and weve been working on search and rescue. I do believe that this Bilateral Agreement should be expanded into something that is more regional. And joining me is cubas deputy minister of foreign affairs. Its very good to see you. Thank you so much for joining us today. I want to talk to you about the fact that the cubans were able to seize the drugs thank you for having me. I know we have a satellite delay. Ill try to accommodate for that. Is this a breakthrough that could be mirrored in other ways, in other parts of the relationship . We believe so. This is a cooperation in a specific area which is of interest for both countries, and there are many others that could be of interest if two countries are close. So im sure if there will be political willingness from the u. S. We could cooperate on many other issues. And we just heard the u. S. Embassy coast guard liaison say that there could be other collaborations. What other ways do you think the two countries could collaborate perhaps as a first step toward better communication . We could cooperate in the area of health care. We could cooperate in search and rescue. We could cooperate in migration as were already doing. We could cooperate with the region. We could cooperate in providing Health Services to many countries in the region, putting together resources of the United States and the Human Resources and professional experience that cuba has. Those are areas in which both countries could cooperate if theres a willingness to do it. The state of u. S. Cuban relations is not good with the Biden Administration. And perhaps you had thought it might improve. What do they want you to do regarding prisoners, human rights, and other issues that remain unresolved, especially since the protests of some years ago . I dont believe that theres truly a willingness to improve the relationship. And thats a reason why they put excuses on the road and on the way so that we could not improve the relationship. And they speak of prisoners, they only speak of prisoners in cuba, they dont speak of prisoners in the United States. Would be an issue that we could have a reciprocal conversation if it were the willingness of the United States. We could speak of human rights between the two countries. We have serious concerns about the respect of human rights in the United States. Its an issue which we are ready to discuss. It has to be a comprehensive conversation. A a conversation that puts everything on the table to solve the problems in the two countries. It is very difficult to conduct that while the United States has a policy of strangling the cuban economy. Have you had any conversations about the sanctions and lifting the sanctions . There are no conversations on that. Its they are unilateral sanctions. There is no sanction from cuba to the United States. Theyre all unilateral sanctions, unilaterally imposed by the United States. So it depends on the willingness of the u. S. Government to lift them. And have you tried to take any other steps to meet any of their concerns . I didnt get your question. Could you repeat, please . Are there any other steps that you could take regarding elections or some of the concerns that they have raised or do you think they have any willingness to lift these sanctions . We are ready to take steps on the basis of a mutually beneficial relationship. What is difficult is to believe that cuba needs to take steps when the United States, contrary to what it has said, contrary to what was the official promise of this government when it came to power, got elected, has not taken steps to improve the relationship with cuba and is posing one excuse after the other so that it remains in place basically the position that was put and the policy that was put in place by the previous administration. Do you think that that is because of election politics . Im sorry, i dont understand the question. Could you theres a sound problem. No, im sorry. Do you think that is because of of politics here in the United States . Do you think that President Biden is not willing to take any steps at this time . It seems so. I think the question is has to be made to the white house, but it makes us believe so. That for some political reasons, the strateic approach of the United States in terms of latin america, in terms of cuba, is not the one governing the policy of the government. Well, thank you so much. We will follow up in both capitals. Thank you so much. And released not officially announced from the white house yet, but lawyers for The Americans say that these Detained Americans have been released from the Notorious Evan Prison in iran. The first part of a very complicated Exchange Deal which will take several weeks to complete. Well have more coming up. Ore c. My dad was a hard worker. He used to do side jobs installing windows, charging Something Like A Hundred Bucks a window when other guys were charging four to fivehundred bucks. He just didnt wanna do that. He was proud of the price he was charging. My dad instilled in me, always put the people before the money. Be proud of offering a good product at a fair price. I think hed be extremely proud of me, yeah. christina wanna know the secret ingredient to running my business . I think h tina extremely proud her. E, yeah. 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. As weve been reporting, Breaking News from iran. Four Detained Americans have been moved from the Notorious Evan Prison in tehran. Nbc news has learned that the detainees have been transported to a location in the capital. They will be joining or have joined a Fifth American who had been in the prison, whos been under house arrest. Back with us, dan deluce and ben rhodes, former deputy National Security adviser in the Obama Administration who worked on the iran account intensely. And Washington Posts global opinions writer jason rezian who has firsthand experience having been imprisoned in evan prison for 544 days. Dan, i want to ask you what else we know about what the iranians will be getting in return, but also about the nuclear account. Everyone wants to know about Irans Nuclear account. Secretary blinken and others have been saying theyre just weeks away from having another enough nuclear fuel at Enrichment Levels to make at least a a weapon, they say theyre not building a weapons program, of course. That has been their denial. Even though this is not, quote, linked, people familiar with these talks are saying that there could be some progress on the nuclear issue. Some kind of compromise through intermediaries that is being worked on. Its all very unclear. But as these Prisoner Exchange negotiations have gone on, on the sidelines also there has been a discussion, tentative, about how to avert a nuclear crisis, how to if not revive that old deal, that old nuclear deal that died to somehow at least freeze the status quo to some degree, to prevent iran from enriching uranium to Weapons Grade Level and perhaps to kind of freeze the status quo. There is no indication that theres a verbal and formal agreement, but those discussions have been going on. And theres a lot of speculation that if the Prisoner Exchange goes ahead, which its still early days now. All we know is that some of the prisoners are being taken from evan prison stage one. But that is a possibility. Jason, you have personal experience, terrible experience as a Washington Post correspondent were showing some of the other prisoners, not jasons experience. Apparently just been released. What from your expanse is going on, what is happening to these men and one woman who are now apparently going to be reunited with family. Im happy to know that these four and now Fifth American have been released from the walls of evan prison. Its one of the worst places in the world. But you know, their saga is far from over. And as ben will remember in the final hours of my detention in iran, there were a lot of shenanigans from the iranian side. It almost all fell apart. This might take several weeks, and i think in the intervening days we have to be very cautious ton get overly excite not to get overly excited about this. To me it seems like a really positive step forward. And i know in the case of some of these men, they havent been out of the prison at all since they were detained years ago. And just that kind of first taste of freedom is your shoulders start to loosen up just a little bit. They dont fully relax until youre out of iranian airspace. Indeed. Ben, you know what its like to make these deals and to hope that theyll live up to them. Were told that this is step one, that it could take until midseptember until theyre out of iranian airspace. Yeah. Thats right. I mean, theres clearly a careful sequencing happening here. This has been months of painstaking diplomacy i think just to get to this point. I think you want to test whether the iranians follow through on the things they say theyre going to do. So do they actually move everybody out of the prison, what kind of conditions are they under, what kind of access do they have to counsel and to family members. And frankly, you want to make sure that whatever the other side of this deal is and presumably its the restoration of these iranian assets that have been frozen as a part of that kind of broad financial Sanctions Regime we have in place, you want to make sure that we know that these people are out of iranian airspace before any deal is completed. I think as dan was alluding to, this is separate from the nuclear diplomacy, its usually a Different Group of people that are negotiating things like prisoners. But theres probably there are other tracks taking place, as well, and that can usually those two tracks even if separate can influence one another. And so the two sides may be circling other pieces of agreement, as well. But for the time being, youre laser focused on trying to get those people out of prison and out of iran. And irans interest is that their economy is collapsing, and they want to avoid what could be an Israeli Military attack because theyre getting dangerously close to having real success with that Nuclear Program which they deny. Ben . Yeah. I mean, first of all, you know, unfortunately through the jcpo is in place, wouldnt be here, then refer to it i would add it was killed by donald trump. But the reality, youre right, is that they are right on the doorstep of having enough nuclear fuel to have the capacities to weaponize if they had that skill. Thats been seen as something of a nogo zone for the israelis. I think were also in a much more fluid geopolitical space. The iranians are kind of a proxy to the conflict in ukraine. Theres been a lot more aggressive Military Action being taken in the proxy war between israel and iran. And so yes, i think theyre squeezed economically, and also i think theres a very real risk of military escalation. Weve seen some escalatory actions in the straits of hormuz, in the persian gulf, where the iranians have ships and the u. S. Has sent assets and indicated we might be stationing marines. The temperatures are up. My hope is that part of the temperature going up and these other areas is prefacing a deescalation through some kind of Nuclear Arrangement that might freeze that iranian program. But here importantly that we get these americans out of iran, into the arms of their families as soon as possible. And i spoke with one of the prisoners daughters in september. Listen to what his daughter hannah told me. Its been terrible being without our father, not knowing when hes going to be home. I was a sophomore in college when he was taken, and we never imagined that this would be our lives. So every day is really just a new struggle of just how do we bring him home. Jason, talk about what the families are going through today. What could they be feeling . Well, you know, i havent had a chance to speak to the three families today, but ive spoken to them regularly over the last several years. And i think that theres been so many false starts and so many moments where it looked possible, this has to be a day of of some joy, but also, you know, continued trepidation and anxiety. I think theyll be on pins and needles until until they hold their dad in their arms. And it might take a while, but these people are strong and good people, theyve been through more than any family should have to bear. And so im just im excited for them but also, you know, want to maintain that sense of vigilance until these gentlemen come home. Jason, jason, do you still suffer from ptsd or other reactions to being in prison . I certainly still have some aspects of trauma left over from that. Its nearly eight years since i was released, you know, crowded, confined spaces are very difficult for me. I dont feel comfortable traveling in the world as a foreign correspondent, that makes my job harder. And ill tell you some of those security concerns, as ben knows all too well, are very real. We have to acknowledge that the real damage and abuse of power that this kind of Hostage Taking is on individuals and so you know, anything that the Biden Administration can do to bring these people and other americans wrongfully detained home, i support it. Thank you, and ben rhodes and dan de luce my colleague here whos been leading the way on all this coverage, thanks to all of you. Coming next, an historic expansion, how help is finally getting to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, an issue close to the president s heart. Youre watching Andrea Mitchell reports on msnbc. Rts on msnbc. D out of the game. And if we profer it, we know youll prefer it too. Nothing better than a sub, sub. Have fun, sis cant stop adding stuff to your cart . Get the Bank Of America customized cash rewards card, choose the Online Shopping category and earn 3 cash back. There it is. That feeling you get. When you can du more with less asthma. It starts with dupixent. Dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. Its an addon treatment for specific types of moderatetosevere asthma. And can help improve Lung Function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. Dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks. And can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. 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And stay on top she has no clue that im here. She has no clue whos in the helmet. Are you ready . Im ready alright. Xfinity rewards creates experiences big and small, and onceinalifetime. Wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. Its to die for. And its all right here. Streaming was never this easy, you know. This is the way. You really went all out didnt you . Um, its called commitment. Could you turn down the volume . Here, you can try. Get way more into what your into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. President biden is in utah this afternoon marking the anniversary of the pact act. This is the largest expansion of Veterans Benefits in decades for Service Members exposed to toxic burn pits in iraq and afghanistan as well as agent orange and other toxic substances used years earlier in vietnam. The president often says that his son beau, he believes died of brain cancer after being exposed to burn pits. John, its good to see you again. This very important anniversary. You fought so hard, you were in the halls of congress day after day, night after night really giving them no way out. They had to pass it. They couldnt resist both you and jon stewart who were such vocal advocates in getting the pact pact through Congress Last year. 348,000 veterans now have had their claims approved according to the ap. How does that feel . Thats a lot of people youve helped. Well, one, thank you for having me again, andrea. Yeah, listen, the whole goal was to get Legislation Pass Spd help as many people as we can, help as many heroes as we can. I saw jon yesterday. We filmed for a documentary, and you know, jon and i had a chance to reflect on the journey of not just 9 11 but also the burn pits. And you know, the ability to help people without asking for anything in return, theres no greater reward, and im humbled to be able to work with jon on so many dear issues and to all of the bsos, burn pit 360, bi, ba, the Wounded Warriors and all of those amazing organizations that truly formed an amazing coalition to get this done, im just glad i got to play a small part. So thank you. How has the process been . We know about bureaucracies and i know the v. A. Is trying to do what they can. How is the processing going in terms of submitting claims and getting help . I mean, you know, it depends who youre listening to. The process works. It might not work for some. Some others feel like its adequate and fair, but listen, we got a bill passed for these Men And Women In Uniform who protect us 24 7 who got sick from the burn pits to get into these programs and get enrolled, and were going to watch it. Were going to monitor it, and like any governmentrun agency, things can always run better. The federal government just does not move as fast as we do in real life, so we ask for understanding, but we also ask for each individual to be their own advocate, and if they cant do that, then come to us. And you know, these organizations are there, set up, you know, getting the bill passed relatively easy, while it looked hard on tv, it was relatively easy. The hard work is when the bill got passed, that these organizations, they have to stand guard 24 7 to make sure that this piece of legislation matures and evolves so it can help as many people as possible, and you know, if it tells that, then jon stewart and i will get involved again. And you know, of course as you know better than anyone, better than us, were a month away from september 11th, the attack anniversary, can you update us on the help for responders sickened from ground zero. I know youve lost too many. Youve been to too many funerals. Andrea, last tuesday we got part of our bill attached to the nda. We didnt get everything we were asking for, but this part of the bill that was attached to the ndaa, 8, 900 pentagon employees will now be able to enroll in the World Trade Center Health Program and file claims if theyre ill, and theyll be compensated for it. So you know, to be able to help 8,900 people right off the bat, its a great feeling. Well go back. Were 22, 23 years removed now from 9 11, and were still fighting. Were still overcoming obstacles, and we cant go around them. We just go through them. Were talking about veterans. Were talking about 9 11 heroes, cops, firefighters, construction workers, volunteers. This is what makes this country great, the blue Collar Worker and i look forward to continuing to help people and i look forward to msnbc continuing to tell the story of these veterans and 9 11 heroes. The the next month is going to be difficult for us. Its always a somber week leading up to that, especially when we lose people. I keep track in a calendar year how many 9 11 heroes we lost, im up to 347 names that will be read at my park on september 16th, and its gut wrenching, you know. The legislation that we passed doesnt save lives, but it gives them a fighting chance, and it provides for their families when theyre gone. Were going to have to have you back because you know that legislation is now held up with the defense bill by senator tuberville. Thats for another day we got to go. Its the end of our program, but john feal, youre always with us. Thank you. That does it for this edition of Andrea Mitchell reports. Follow us online and twitter. Much more when fema administrator dee ann criswell joins Chris Jansing reports right now. Good day, im Chris Jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. With hawaii being devastated by wildfires, just moments ago, President Biden issued a major disaster declaration. What is happening there is almost