Autocracy. That has people around the world much more exercised than in washington, where it seems like this is just another political game. Its another government shutdown, or another fight over the debt ceiling. Know, if we dont deliver this money to ukraine, they will lose territory. They will lose people. They will lose momentum on the front line of the biggest War In Europe since world war ii. And our politics cant seem to process that. Its a real statement of priorities on behalf of the United States of america. Thank you so much for your time and thoughts tonight, really appreciate it. That is our show for the evening, now its time for last word with lauren, good evening, lawrence. At evening, alex. I was listening to discussion and i have some concerns about the way we use the word strongman, because i fear it can sound just too good to too many voters who think, well isnt the president of the United States supposed to be a strong man . Its a term weve been using for decades in a way that everyone using it collectively understood, im not sure, im not sure it communicates what we would like it to communicate. You are so right, we should call it fascist fan boys. Thats the essence of whats happening. I dont have a suggestion, im feeling awkward about that term, thats all. Thats where i am on it. Duly noted, thank you for the feedback, have a great show. Thank you. Between now and tuesday, november 5th, the two most important stories we will be covering at this hour are the multiple prosecutions of criminal defendant donald trump, and the president ial election. There are, of course, obviously hugely important stories going on at the same time around the world, in ukraine, in gaza and israel, and elsewhere around the world, in africa and asia, south america. But, the president ial election is the most important of all of those stories, because what happens in all of those other stories around the world after november 5th largely depends on who wins the election. If donald trump wins the election, the Israeli Government and the Israeli Military will be free to, as donald trump puts it, finish the job in gaza. Those are trumps words. Finish the job. He means kill as many people as you want to. Donald trump will not try to achieve a ceasefire the way President Biden has been working to achieve a cease fire. And in ukraine, if donald trump wins the election, Vladimir Putin will be free to continue to kill ukrainians in his Imperialistic March to take over ukraine without any resistance at all from the american president. And if donald trump is elected president , the story of criminal defendant trump in effect disappears. Donald trump would be able to end both federal prosecutions against him by special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who would be instantly fired by donald trump, and the two State Prosecutions against him in new york and georgia would be forced into at least a four year delay until donald trump is no longer president. If donald trump wins, then justice loses. If donald trump wins, human decency loses. If donald trump wins, then all is lost. And as of tonight, most American Voters know that. Joe biden is going to win millions more votes than donald trump, but this is the country where you can come in second with the voters and still become president. Still win. Thanks to the perversion of democracy the founders called the Electoral College. And as of tonight, not enough people in a handful of so called Battleground States who will decide this election understand the stakes of this election. Not enough people in those few states yet understand what they will lose if donald trump wins. And so, we begin tonight with what is now the most important of those stories that we will be covering this year, because it will determine the outcome of the rest of those stories. We begin with the president ial election. Last nights president ial primaries, joe biden was the first to win enough delegates to secure the democratic nomination for president. Hours later, trump won enough delegates to secure the republican nomination for president. And today, President Biden continued his campaigning in Battleground States, appearing at the opening of the biden harris Wisconsin Coordinated Campaign headquarters in milwaukee. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes, its the first Milwaukee Campaign base for a democratic president ial nominee in at least 20 years. The Biden Harris Campaign is opening 43 other Campaign Offices in wisconsin, all over the state. Hears President Biden speaking at the wisconsin Campaign Headquarters in milwaukee today. Our freedoms are at stake. They really are at stake, not a joke. The right to choose, the right to be able to determine whether youre going to get the vote, how we vote. Its all in your hands. And folks like you all across the country, because this is how i won the first time i ran, this is how were going to win again. A lot of you helped me in 2020 going and we make sure he was a loser. And he is a loser. And were going to make sure that happens again, right . At a Campaign Event in milwaukee, the president explained what his Infrastructure Bill means for daily life. Wider sidewalks for childrens walking to school, Safer Bike Lanes for residents and visitors. Dedicated bus lanes to get to work faster. New trees to provide shade, modern infrastructure to prevent sewage from flowing into the Milwaukee River and lake michigan. These are lifechanging improvements. Were going to make it easier to restore black communities in the north and latino communities in the south to access the job, school, entertainment. Opportunities in the city, a central hub from watching the Milwaukee Bucks to play to attending milwaukee area technical college. My present his or talked about infrastructure week for four years and didnt get a single thing done, not one. Ron johnson, every republican in congress voted against the Inflation Reduction Act which is helping fund these problems projects, and he wants to repeal it. President biden explained some of what is at stake on the president ial ballot. Just this week, donald trump said cuts to Social Security and medicare are on the table. Instead of cutting Social Security and medicare to give tax breaks to the super wealthy im going to protect and strengthen to make the wealthy begin to pay their fair share. Keep this number in mind. Joe biden won georgia by just 11,779 votes. In 2020. And on election day, yesterday in georgia, nikki haley won almost 20,000 votes, all of those voters knew that nikki haley had already dropped out of the president ial campaign, but still, yesterday on election day, 20,000 voters went to the polls in georgia to vote in the president ial primary for nikki haley against donald trump. That is a sign of Potential Weakness for donald trump in november. Nikki haleys total vote in georgia was 77,000, which includes early votes cast before nikki haley dropped out of the president ial campaign. Today, the Biden Harris Campaign released this statement. Haleys voters continue to make it Crystal Clear that donald trump is not building a coalition that can win in november. Suburban, moderate, and independent voters are rejecting trumps divisive rhetoric and extreme policies, and its no surprise. Donald trump is running on the same extreme agenda that has cost republicans election after election, threatening democracy, overturning roe, passing a National Abortion ban, repealing the Affordable Care act, and cutting medicare and Social Security. Meeting of our discussion tonight is quentin forks, Principal DeputyCampaign Manager for the biden harris re election campaign. He was the winning Campaign Manager for democratic senator Raphael Warnock in georgia. Thank you very much for joining us tonight from biden harris Campaign Headquarters. In wilmington. I want to start with what we just identified in georgia, since you are the highest level expert we can possibly engage on winning the state of georgia. That 20,000 votes cast on election day, on the actual election day for a candidate, nikki haley, who the voters know is no longer running for president , where the winning margin in that state was just over 11,000 votes, how do you interpret that haley vote . First of all, thank you for having me again, its always great to be with you. Look him about last night in Georgia Bears Out Exec and without campaign has been saying this entire republican primary, is that donald trump is failing to consolidate his base and win over swing and independent moderate voters. These voters are protesting donald trump and saying to the Republican Party that they wont vote for him because of the extremism, and he continues to double down on it, and our campaign is making sure that we communicate with these voters and letting them know that anybody that cares about Donald Trumps extreme agenda on womens reproductive freedoms, on the Affordable Care act, on gutting Social Security and medicare, that they have a home and that they can be involved in this campaign. Its, again, a continuation of the story that we have been pointing out for a very long time, that donald trump simply does not have the consolidated base to win in a general election. I want to listen to what representative elana omar said yesterday to those voters who are casting the uncommitted votes in the democratic president ial primary. Lets listen to this. Democracy is on the line. We are facing down fascism, and i personally know what my life felt like, having trump as the president of this country, and i know what it felt like for my constituents, and for people around this country and around the world. We have to do everything that we can to make sure that does not happen to our country again. The uncommitted have been very clear. They want a change in policy, and weve seen that within three days, you had the Vice President using the word cease fire. We now have the president saying there is a redline. As you know, congresswoman omar is talking about a kind of progress that can feel too small and too gradual especially to relatively new voters. Whove never really had this issue, in mind at president ial, on president ial ballots, when shes talking about, now weve gotten the Biden Administration talking ceasefire, weve got them talking redlines. How do you want to present the case to those voters for voting to joe biden over donald trump . There really is no comparison, here. One thing i want to thank for her comments, because we know how deeply this issue is and personal this issue is to a lot of voters. The president has tried to put his administration in a position to talk to these voters and listen, our campaign has tried to talk to these voters and engage these voters, but there is no comparison that the threat that donald trump poses to democracy. The president wants the same thing as a lot of these individuals who are casting uncommitted votes. He wants long and lasting peace in the middle east for both israel and gaza, and our campaign is going to continue to communicate that. A lot of the diplomatic work to get there is done behind the scenes, and that starkly a difference between President Biden and donald trump as well is that of rear leader knows that it takes tact and skill to lead america through a time like this, and thats what President Biden is doing. But there is a litany of things that we can talk about when it comes to why donald trump is not prepared to be president of the United States. Look at nato saying we should pull out of nato and let do what he wants to do, hes calling to dictators and hanging out with them because he wants to be one. Hes pledging to gut Social Security, medicare, aca, womens reproductive freedoms, bragging about his. Theres no comparison but our campaign is not taking any voters for granted and we will put in the work to make sure Everybody Knows that donald trump is a threat to democracy and that they have a place to call home in this campaign. On Social Security and medicare, donald trump very easily and comfortably said when asked about cutting them, in order to help the deficit issue, donald trump said, absolutely, theres a lot you can do. That campaign is running away from that now, saying he doesnt want to do that. Hes certainly supported by a party that has historically always wanted to and attempted to cut Social Security and medicare. Theres never been a Republican Congress or a republican president who wasnt aimed at that. Hes saying the quiet part out loud, and he absolutely meant it regardless of what his campaign is trying to do to walk it back, and it is time that we strengthen Social Security and medicare and make sure the wealthy are paying their fair share as President Biden is pledging to do. Donald trump is only in this race for himself. Is in this race to get out of trouble, hes in his race to enact revenge on his political enemies and retribution. He said so himself, he says he wants to be a dictator on day one. We have to continue to pointing these things out but it is reckless, donald trump is not concerned about americans. Donald trump is concerned about himself and thats starkly the contrast that our campaign is going to continue to work diligently to make over the next several months. Biden harris Deputy Campaign manager, thank you very much for joining us tonight. We really appreciate it. Thank you. Joining us now is ben winkler, chairman of the Democratic Party in wisconsin. He was with President Biden today, and when ben talks wisconsin, i just listen. Tell me what we need to know about this historic and important Democratic Campaign investment in wisconsin. President biden was in wisconsin, i think it was his sixth visit today. And Kamala Harris has been here five times, we are a constant focus because wisconsin is the Tipping Point state. Its the state that tipped for trump, the president ial election in 2016, for biden in 2020. Four of the last six president ial campaigns emerged as a victory here came down to less than one percentage point. The Biden Harris Administration knows this, and they are investing with their presence, with Campaign Resources and ensuring that this presidency and administration delivers for wisconsin voters. As they are doing nationwide. Today, President Biden was here announcing a 35 Million Investment in the six Street Corridor in milwaukee to ensure that where an Interest Rate cut through and divided communities decades ago, theyre now going to rebuild in a way that brings communities together. Then he came over to the Campaign Headquarters, and opened up and connected with dozens of Cheering Volunteers and supporters, had conversations, took selfies with them, the office that will be the heart of the statewide operation to make sure we both turn out and persuade every possible biden harris voter, every voter who doesnt want a trump dictatorship starting in 2025. The center for this campaign is in milwaukee, because republicans have targeted milwaukee for voter suppression. Theyve bragged about it, and were going to fight back. As you know, there is a tension around this campaign. I remember in press president ial campaigns in the pretrump era, people would say to me whats going to happen . As if i knew that i would tell them i dont know. And now, what i hear from people is, tell me its going to be okay, tell me its going to be okay. Its very different from the feelings that you had on democrat versus republican president ial campaigns in the past. Its about, are we going to be okay, is the country going to be okay . Which means, is donald trump going to lose . And, what do you say when people ask you that in a state where its a 1 one way or the