then the latest on the israel hamas war. the idf launches a military operation inside of gaza hospital, we get an inside look at the war zone, as the 11th hour gets underway on this wednesday night. ♪ ♪ ♪ good evening, once again, i am stephanie ruhle. coming to you from that iraq rockefeller center. we begin tonight with an incredible event for president biden. just hours ago, the president wrapped up a four-hour summit with china's president xi jinping in california. it was their first face to face meeting in over a year. the goal, dialing back rapidly escalating tensions between the two superpowers. tonight, at a news conference, president biden was asked if he trusted president xi? >> i trust and verify, as the old saying goes. that is where i am. you know, we're in a competitive relationship, china and the united states, but my responsibility is to make it -- make this rational and manageable, so it does not result in conflict. that is what i am all about. >> biden also said they agreed to take steps to combat fentanyl production and restore military communication. now, let's look at the split screen. the current president of the united states was representing the country on the world stage, the former president, the 2024 gop front runner, was dealing with his multiple legal cases. the judge in the georgia election interference case plans to issue a protective order to lock down some of the sensitive evidence. this week, of course, video of witness testimonies were leaked to the public. those codefendants went on to plead guilty. but today, a lawyer for a separate codefendant in the case admitted that they were the ones we can do videos. >> in being transparent with the court and to make sure that nobody else gets blamed for what happened, and, so that i can go to sleep well tonight, judge, i did release those videos to one outlet. >> in new york, excuse me, trump's lawyers have asked the judge in his civil fraud case to declare, excuse me, i am marble mouth tonight, to declare in the style. they say the same judge and his law clerk are politically biased against trump. the judge is expecting to reject the request. let's with that, let's get smarter with the help of our leadoff panel, and hopefully their speed better than i am tonight. nbc national political correspondent, we have not seen on the show in over a month, welcome back, -- he is covered biden,'s family and his inner circle of advisers for more than a decade. sam stein is here, a veteran journalist and white house editor for politico, and former u.s. attorney, joyce vance. she spent 25 years as a federal prosecutor. michael, since this is her grand-return to the 11th hour, we missed you, how important was this meeting between xi jinping and president biden? what did they gain by meeting here in the u.s.? >> steph, it's a real measure of how fraught the u.s. china relationship, what a perilous state is at at the moment. the biggest deliverable that they use the diplomatic term through the white house was simply returning to some stability in the relationship. as a top asian adviser to the president told me this week, the president really wanted to get the relationship, but if or beckoned or to make sure that there were at least eric minds of communication. today, president biden is touting the fact that there are resuming military to military cooperation, that they are going to crack down on fentanyl, which is a major issue, that the president has put on top of his bipartisan agenda. i think it's also worth noting, steph, that this is a relationship between president biden and president xi that goes back 11 years to vice president biden and vice president she meeting for the first time in 2011. as on that trip, and i think it involved the presidents impression of xi, have evolved over time. the president today bluntly called him a dictator. there was a great hope 11 is god that xi would be some what they can do business with. is this is doing at the top of xi agenda. we know that the chinese economy is struggling. that's one piece of leverage they have in the relationship, that's why it was arranged by the u.s. to have these conversations. that is why that xi is spending so much time with u.s. business leaders are now. they need u.s. investment back into the chinese economy. >> they sure do. sam, joe biden has a foreign policy is a key area of expertise, but when it comes to voters in general, they often face out, when it comes to foreign policy, yet things like the fentanyl crisis, hugely important. so how much does today's meeting matter to voters? >> you're right about joe biden's foreign policy, the senate foreign relations committee chair surprised himself as being a foreign policy thinker. he took immense pride in some of the difficult decisions that have backfired. you talked a white house aides, for instance, a withdrawal is something that he is an apology apologetic for to these days, even though -- the poll drop that has plagued much of the presidency. the question you asked is, how does he combine what he has done on the form stage to a domestic alliance? i think there's an ability, talking about things like fentanyl, going to a concrete agreement with the chinese, saying, look, we are trying to reduce the fentanyl crisis on our communities. we are one of the main source of it. this will impact communities here in the americas. at the people will get that. i think it gets trickier when you talk about the abstract. funding to ukraine, what you're doing with latin america that might lead to down the road on the issue of the border. why climate change is not an environmental issue but a national security issue? those we see time and again are difficult, that's for biden but democrats at large to translate to a domestic political issue. it could very well be that these things trip biden up going forward. the crisis in israel and gaza has hurt him in his face. >> joyce, agreed to curb fentanyl production, if it were to happen, is a huge positive for our country, as well as with voters. how much would it help u.s. law enforcement? >> it would be a big deal, steph, because right now, law enforcement, the ea and the justice department work on interdicting the supply of drugs and fentanyl that are flowing into the country. so, they are concerned with taking at the supply chain at different levels. this move to interdict the supply at its source has the potential to be huge. at the same time, well enforcement works on the supply side at the in question. our partners in public health work on demand, trying to reduce addiction, trying to lead people away from dangerous drugs like fentanyl. they too will be delighted by this to. this is big news for public health and safety, if it comes off. >> all right, michael, let's talk about something crazy that went down outside the dnc headquarters, police arrested protesters. you saw hordes of people, who are there calling for a cease-fire in gaza. it is the white house prepared for this level of divisiveness sparked by the war? >> white house officials are tracking this very closely. i was actually traveling with vice president harris on friday. and we talked about the fact that we are seeing incredible public demonstration of opposition of activism on both sides. we had a much more peaceful demonstration in washington yesterday against antisemitism. so, vice president harris talked about the fact that this is a very difficult time for so many americans, watching the pictures that are coming out of gaza, of israel on a daily basis. the fact that there are these hostages who need to be rescued. she said it's understandable that we do see this passion coming for the american people, but she said we also have to recognize, of course, israel's right to self-determination, right to its homeland and also the importance of pursuing this in a way that protects the humanitarian interests involved as well. it's a very difficult needle for the biden administration to thread, one that they think they have been canceled so far in doing. >> sam, new topic, you know that we are getting to it, i am surprised it took me nine minutes. joe manchin, let's hear a little bit of what we heard from him today. >> are you considering running for president? >> i believe i came to help my country. >> is that a? yes >> my considering, absolutely. >> all right, ready, sam? >> ready. >> who is joe manchin's 2024 voter, go. >> i think it's a bit hard to pinpoint. i don't think that there is many people in the middle that he's targeting. obviously, you can make the case that moderate republican voters who don't like trump, maybe think biden has lost a step for. they say, this guy might be the one to unify the country. but by and large, if you look at any sort of parallel data about voting preferences, this is not a country that has successful third party written all over it, especially one appealing to centrism. i think you're more likely going to see down the road, that it was robert f. kennedy junior, frankly, who's not dissenters, does not have central supper -- appeal. drawing way more voters, as a party, whether it's joe manchin or somebody else, we'll have much more of a kumbaya, let's bring everybody together mission or message for the american public. >> conspiracy there is anti-vaxxer is an interesting way -- >> i am trying to be diplomatic. >> never mind diplomatic. let's talk about this because the sams point, for those that got joe biden lost a step or for, i guess you would say donald trump has lost a step or four or five, based on -- this idea that joe manchin will take on some middle lane, despite the fact that joe biden has gotten a lot done on a bipartisan basis, how serious is the white house taking this idea that he could run, and there could be this third party without him? >> yeah, steph, i was talking to a top five advisor is today about their level of concern over joe manchin's specifically but also his possibility of a third party candidacy, a strong one summer, whether it's him or another figure emerging out there. at least as far as manchin is concerned, they are confident, better to say hopeful at this point, stuff, that just like he has been a cranky difficult we'll, when they're trying to pass legislation, he's been there at the end of the day, and he'll certainly use this moment to try to put the spotlight on him and enjoy talking to the importance of what he thinks is the importance of working on a bipartisan basis, centrism in our government, but ultimately, support the president because they feel that ultimately the goal here is to prevent damage or return to the white house, and joe manchin's vote to get into anything that will complicate that. there are white house officials who are keeping close tabs, one of the top political advisers, has had regular dinners with him, so they are trying to keep some insight into what he's up to, but really, the best thing that the president can do to shore up his own political footing is to try to quell the dots, among especially democrats are now, that he is up to the task of the feeding donald trump next year. on monday, it's a big day. it's the presidents 81st birthday. the presidents age is at the root of a lot of the concerns that democrats have. he'll have a big opportunity and just a few months with a state of the union address to show that he still can defeat donald trump, that he stole a for the job. it's something that the white house is focused on right now. >> i suspect one of the things that he'll talk about is the policies. joyce, let's talk about a new topic, the georgia election case. this lawyer that leaked the videos, it was not the lawyer of sydney powell or jenna ellis, so why would they have even had the videos, a, and be, why would help their client, the other codefendant to victims to begin with? >> right, so this lawyer like lawyers for all the remaining defendants in fulton county, were given access to the videotapes from these -- as part of the district attorney's disclosure of discovery to them. typically, under georgia roll, she could have required them to come in and feud them in her office and take notes. but in the interest of moving the case forward, she divided them. this is not the outcome, and we have already heard the judge indicate that he will protect at least some of the discovery in the case moving forward. we heard the lawyer, jonathan miller, the lawyer for mr. hampton, one of the defendants involved in the coffee county voting machine intrusion, and we heard them say it was important today that he thought the public had a right to know that they needed to know that the evidence helped his client. and the judge was quick to respond with what is absolutely the right answer. this is not about trying your case in public, the judge told mr. mueller. he said this is about getting this case to a jury and trying this case. i think we can count on this judge to take strong protective measures moving forward. >> well, they're putting in place protective order, but why not consequences for the lawyer? what allowed to do it? >> you know, i think technically the judge could impose some consequences. he looked extremely unhappy on the bench, as mr. miller made the disclosure that he was the lawyer responsible, but there was not a protective order in place. fani willis has asked for one. it sounds like a perhaps got lost a little bit in the shuffle, we don't know exactly why it was not under, but i think that means that the lawyer will get sort of a pass, at least for now, careful scrutiny going forward, as well all the other lawyers in the case. what this is about is giving the prosecution the ability to try a case when it gets in front of a jury. you don't want defendants are doing on appeal, if there is a conviction. the jury was tainted, because they heard evidence before the case of her went to trial that was not ultimately admitted in the courtroom. this is a serious problem that goes to the integrity of the proceedings. >> the court of public opinion, donald trump's favorite court in the land. michael memoli, sam stein, joyce vance, good to see you all. michael, welcome back. when we come back, a very serious conversation, echoes of not see germany, near fistfights on capitol hill, symone sanders townsend and matthew dowd here on the dangerous activity that we're seeing from trump and republicans, and why we can't just take it as, oh, just another day in washington? and, later, more on outgoing senator joe manchin floating the possible play for the white house. what he is saying about the biden harris ticket, 2024, when the 11th hour just getting underway on a busy wednesday night. ay night. meet the traveling trio. each helping to protect their money with chase. wooo! tools that help protect. alerts that help check. one bank that puts you in control. chase. make more of what's yours. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid before it begins. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. thursday night football on prime. it's on. thursday night football is on, as the cincinnati bengals take on the baltimore ravens. ok, someone just did laundry... no, i add downy light so the freshness really lasts. yeah, most scented stuff gives me a headache, but this is just right. and i don't like anything. but i like this. get a light scent that lasts with no heavy perfumes or dyes. ( ♪ ♪ ) can we get real clear about life with psoriasis? yeah, i'm ready. is your treatment leaving you with uncontrolled symptoms? like the cover-it-ups and brush-it-offs? enough with good enoughs. don't stay hiding or hurting. when your lotions and creams don't do enough to help treat the inflammation beneath the skin, causing plaques and pain, it's time to get real about psoriasis, so, your dermatologist can help you get clear. make the appointment and ask about real clear skin. meet the jennifers. each planning their future through the chase mobile app. hellooo new apartment. one bank for now. for later. for life. president biden is directly chase. make more of what's yours. calling out donald trump for his disturbing recent comments at rallies. at a campaign event, last night, biden singled out trump for calling opponents vermin. and saying the blood of america has been poisoned. the president said, quote, it echoes language you heard in not see germany in the 1930s. joining me now to discuss, simone sanders townsend, former chief person for vice president harris. and of course you know her as host of the show simone of peacock and nbc. and our dear friend, matthew dowd, msnbc senior political analyst and former george w. bush analyst. founder of country over party. simone, i turn to you first. what president biden said was serious and alarming because it's true. what is your reaction? >> i am glad to hear the president say that and bringing up days later. and i think it's something we should all continue to talk about when donald trump was president, he has a conversation about how words have power, words are important. even though he is not the president anymore, he is the front runner in the republican party nomination. and what he is doing is an attempt to dehumanize people. the parallel and comparisons that are drawn between what the rhetoric that donald trump uses and the rhetoric and tactics that were used by nazism germany and hitler, they are not hyperbole. the way in which we got to the holocaust is because people were allowed to be dehumanized. the reason in which slavery festered and flourished in this country for so many years is because black people were allowed to be dehumanized. treated us called animals. and donald trump knows exactly what he's doing. it is dangerous. and we must talk about. it because this man, there's a very well chance that he could be back in office. >> matthew dowd, what do you think? on one hand people say don't pay attention to everything donald trump says. a tension is his oxygen, that is what he wants. but, on the other hand, joe biden is a -- alerting the country of how ris things are, the threats that are coming from donald trump's mouth. do you think this is how he should handle trump in the coming years? >> well, the quick answer to the last question is yes. and i think the sooner he gets and explains the threat donald poses to our democracy and our constitution, the better for anybody that cares about democracy. and actually, politically, better for him. i think the arguments over whether or not he's done the right job or whether biden economics works in all of that i think is not a good place for him. this is the place for him. and i would say that donald trump, it's fascinating to me that he has given all kinds of signals over the last five or six years, as simone says. to basically say, i'm going to take us down the road to fascism. donald trump was given all those signals. and now, what he's done is, i think it was too subtle. because maybe you all didn't get it. but that's really what i mean. and donald trump, over the last two weeks, has gone past subtlety. and gone straight to how he would use government power, what he wants to do to the institutions of america, how he wants to roll over the constitution. he's left all subtlety aside and said this is exactly what i'm going to do. and this is how i'm going to do it. and this is who i'm patting myself after. so if we thought there were some signals about it, and some ways that he was leading into it, he is way down the road on this. and he's basically telling all americans, you vote for me, this is what i want. >> my gosh. all right, matthew, let's talk about republicans and congress. because this is coming as we are seeing almost fistfights involving republicans on the hill. one expert told politico, this is what happens when you have a divided party with no real leadersh