Summary
Trump and his advisers continue to devise new excuses for why Trump allegedly kept classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Election deniers and extremists rise to the top in Arizona. Michigan sees an important victory for reproductive rights, as across the country, more young girls are being forced to give birth. Fresh off her defeat in the Wyoming primary, Liz Cheney blasts Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
Transcript
TIFFANY CROSS, MSNBC HOST: All right, tonight on THE REIDOUT:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC TRUMP, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: My father always kept clippings, press clippings. He would have newspaper articles, pictures, notes from us.
ALINA HABBA, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: Quite honestly, I`m concerned that they may have planted something.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: In 2017, former President Obama -- you might have forgotten this. "The New York Post" remembered. They shipped 30 million pages of sensitive and possibly classified materials to Chicago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROSS: All right, and now Trump and his advisers have yet a new excuse for why Trump kept classified documents.
Plus, Arizona used to give us Republicans like John McCain. Well, now the fringe is firmly in control of the party there, with election deniers and extremists rising to the top.
Also tonight, an important victory in Michigan for reproductive rights, but, across the country, more young girls are being forced to give birth.
And fresh off her defeat in the Wyoming primary, Liz Cheney is blasting Kevin McCarthy and has some thoughts on the possibility that he could potentially be the next speaker.
Good evening, everyone. I`m Tiffany Cross, in tonight for Joy Reid.
And we begin with the ever-evolving excuses from Donald Trump and his team over why classified documents, including some classified at the highest levels, were even at his Mar-a-Lago residence in the first place.
Now, as hard as it may be to believe, there`s actually a pattern to these excuses. Steve Vladeck -- he`s a law professor at the University of Texas - - he laid out the stages of Trump`s denial brilliantly.
One, it didn`t happen. Whatever happened wasn`t a big deal. Someone else did it. Whatever happened isn`t illegal. The president can`t be liable for whatever happened. Well, Obama did it too. Who cares if the president did it and it`s illegal?
If that sounds familiar, it`s because that tweet is actually from 2018 when Trump was trying to defend himself from the Mueller investigation. And, yes, that was true in 2018, and is still true today. Deny and deflect in any way you can.
And just last night, we got the latest explanation for the twice-impeached former president`s actions from his former and current personal attorneys. He just wanted to keep the documents safe.
Mm-hmm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And now they want to make them responsible for having taken classified documents and preserved them.
Really, if you look at the Espionage Act, it`s not really about taking the documents. It`s about destroying or hiding them or giving them to the enemy.
QUESTION: Right.
GIULIANI: It`s not about taking them and putting them in a place that`s roughly as safe as they were in the first place.
CHRISTINA BOBB, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: Mar-a-Lago is secure, in and of itself. Just getting on to the compound is hard. And then it was a locked door. And getting back down into the basement, there`s security. You can`t just walk down there. Only certain members of staff can get there. And then there`s only one key.
So, yes, it`s a very limited number of people that have access down there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROSS: And we will talk about that in a bit.
But, of course, if Trump`s true concern was actually to keep the classified documents safe, documents, by the way, which he initially claimed were probably planted there by FBI agents, wouldn`t the best place to be to keep them safe at the National Archives?
I mean, honestly, at this point, they will say just about anything to further muddy the waters, regardless of how absurd it may be, because so many people out there will believe him. And that includes this ridiculous claim that everything was already declassified because Trump had a standing order -- mm-hmm -- that materials taken from the Oval Office to the residence should be considered declassified.
OK, if that were true, few people in the Trump White House were even aware of it. So, CNN is reporting that 18 former top Trump administration officials say they never heard any such order issued, and they believe the claim to be patently false.
Yes, we did too. That includes two of Trump`s former chiefs of staff, by the way, John Kelly telling CNN -- quote -- "Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given."
And Mick Mulvaney saying he was -- quote -- "not aware of a general standing order like that."
And, second, even if you accept that -- the standing order thing to be true, it is legally irrelevant, based on the three federal criminal statutes listed on the search warrant that was unsealed last week. That is because none of the statutes depend on whether documents contain classified information.
Now, it`s likely Trump`s legal team know all of this, but how else can you mount a defense for this ridiculousness?
[19:05:04]
It may also explain why -- yesterday, why a judge was hearing arguments over why parts of the search warrant affidavit should be unsealed, allowing us to see at least some of the evidence backing the FBI`s actions.
Now, Trump`s legal team did not make any motion to unseal it. They only watched from the public seating area.
We`re going to talk about that too.
Let`s bring in Clint Watts. He`s a former consultant for the FBI Counterterrorism Division, a distinguished research fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and an MSNBC national security analyst. And we have with us this evening Bradley Moss. He`s a national security attorney.
Bradley, I want to start with you. We have a lot to get to, but I`m just going to start off with the lies themselves.
Could these false statements, these lies that Trump routinely makes, could they be introduced in any of the multiple legal proceedings against him as having demonstrated a pattern of lying?
BRADLEY MOSS, NATIONAL SECURITY LAWYER: Sure.
The entirety of information would be available to the government, although what will be most critical is what was directly conveyed not on TRUTH Social or in any press release, but between his lawyers and the FBI and National Archives officials that have been coordinating with his staff for the last 18 months.
We know that they -- it was months ago that NARA initially found that there was records missing. We know 15 boxes were retrieved in February. We know ongoing negotiations continue, that a subpoena was issued in June, more classified documents were taken out, that, apparently, one of the lawyers for Donald Trump actually signed an affidavit saying there were no more records.
And yet the government had sufficient evidence to get this search warrant. And, lo and behold, they found more classified records. All that would come into play.
CROSS: Clint, I want to bring you in, because you just heard what Bradley said.
This whole idea that Mar-a-Lago was a safe space, let`s take a listen to what Bobb Small -- had to say about that, and we will talk about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBB: Our team believed that it was secure enough. They asked for one more lock and another lock, which we did.
And then, for whatever reason, they decided that they still needed to raid the place.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS: And is it only one or two people had access to that room, to your knowledge?
BOBB: That`s my understanding. I mean, I would have to check with the maintenance of that area, but my understanding, it is a very small number of people that could get in there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROSS: And apologies. That`s, of course, Christina Bobb.
Clint, what she`s saying, one, does that make sense? And, two, does it make a difference? Because the FBI went in there with good reason, I would imagine. Does it make a difference that they`re saying that only one or two people had access to it, despite that apparently being false as well?
CLINT WATTS, MSNBC NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: You know, Tiffany, just a small number of random people had access to classified documents in the basement of what is essentially a hotel and wedding facility.
CROSS: Right.
WATTS: I mean, what could possibly go wrong in that scenario?
CROSS: Yes, seriously.
WATTS: No, on both accounts, it does not matter.
It`s absolutely ridiculous. She even admitted in her own statement she does not know who has access to it or when it was accessed or any of these things, which is the opposite of the National Archives, or any SCIF, where they would keep classified information inside the government.
Ridiculous on all accounts. I think the biggest thing is, they didn`t even know what they had or didn`t seem to know what they had. So how would they know, even if that room was entered into, what was there and what was access?
It`s ridiculous on every single part of this chain of custody,. And that`s what we would have inside a government space, by the way, is a chain of custody for every piece of classified information, which would track to every system that`s there. Everyone would be logged in and out. This item would be controlled or that item would be controlled.
And it`s just completely ludicrous. And even in the response, she both said there was nothing to worry about, but she also didn`t know. It`s just crazy on the surface all the way through their explanation.
CROSS: Yes.
Well, you have worse experience in government than Donald Trump did. His first job in government was as president. Good job, America.
I want to stick with you here, Clint, because I`m curious. We on the media, obviously, we have a vested interest in knowing what`s in this affidavit. We try our best to relay information to the people of this country. But I do understand why there are reasons why the affidavit should stay sealed.
I`m just curious, because you`re on the law enforcement side, the counterterrorism side, what your thoughts are about unsealing this affidavit. And if the judge happened to ask your opinion, what might you advise the judge when it comes down to sealing the affidavit?
WATTS: So, in general, I would say absolutely not, because you want to trust whoever the confidential informants and sources are and what methods you use to gather information.
You want to also make sure that it`s correct, because, in these affidavits, when they`re going to do the search warrants, they are trying to gain more evidence to confirm what they believe is a criminal conspiracy.
So, in any of these affidavits, there`s the potential that something could be not quite right that they would learn and correct based on what they find in the search warrant. That`s the whole point of this. It`s an investigative process, just like a scientific hypothesis, where you`re trying to gain evidence to confirm what you think you know, and then bring a charge.
[19:10:08]
I think there is one exception to this. I think we have learned over the last decade, particularly in the social media era, but definitely during the Trump administration, which is, if many falsehoods, a fire hose of falsehoods are going to be levied against the Department of Justice and those agents and investigators and attorneys that have been working on these cases, the best way to quickly thwart those conspiracies is to get the truth out.
And I think what they`re trying to balance here is how they keep really investigative secrecy around the investigation intact, try and protect sources and methods, while also trying to really protect the conscious of the American public about what really happened and what`s really going on.
It`s a tough balance to keep that privacy and security going and make sure the American public is really informed on what`s going on.
CROSS: Yes, that is a tough balance.
Bradley, I`m curious from you, what -- what does accountability or what should accountability look like for Donald Trump here?
MOSS: Yes.
No, look, if this were anybody else, they wouldn`t have taken 18 months to do this. They would have seized those records a month ago, and an indictment probably already would have occurred. But this is a former president. There are issues of potential declassification in play, even if, under the Espionage Act, it`s not technically required for the information to be classified.
So you would think it would be likely, depending on what they have collected and what the information we already have, that there will be an indictment here. That certainly would be viable from a legal perspective, in my view.
Part of what they`re running down right now, and we have got confirmation in the media reporting, was there actually a standing order? What did it look like? No one seems to know about it. But at least Donald Trump seems to think there was one. What did it look like? How was this all handled? And how were these boxes put together in the first place?
It sounds ridiculously chaotic.
CROSS: Extremely chaotic.
And, Clint, I want to ask you a question about this blue lives matter party, because I am old enough to remember when they were purporting themselves to be pro-law enforcement. Yet, today, Trump wrote on his Twitter wannabe social media platform: "When will people realize that the atrocities being perpetrated by the FBI and the DOJ having to do with the raid and break-in my home?"
He went on to say: "They are destroying our country."
This is further attacking and vilifying the FBI and the DOJ. We have seen what that type of rhetoric does to his millions of followers, many of whom are armed and likely unstable, the fact that they`re declaring war with the FBI, with things like a nail gun and an AR-15.
How much does this concern you?
WATTS: Quite so.
And I think it`s really the endpoint of a long sort of breakage between the federal, state and local government in many places. You could do it in everything from false electors, to breakdown of the CDC communications on public health to many of the different states during the pandemic.
And then, when you look at federal law enforcement, their most essential partners are state and local law enforcement. And there`s been a wedge driven between those and driven inside those organizations over the last four to five years.
You have seen similar dynamics with the military, although it`s stayed relatively more intact, I think, than federal and state and local law enforcement.
The big question then is, how do we enforce laws across the country evenly? Who is going to carry those out? You have things such as the constitutional sheriffs movement, where they think they don`t need to abide by federal law or even work with federal law enforcement.
And then the bigger picture is, something terrible happens in a jurisdiction where the FBI has been so degraded by Trump`s rhetoric, a strong Trump district, let`s say, and the FBI can`t develop sources. They can`t work with state and locals. They can`t move an investigation board. That doesn`t help anybody but Donald Trump, but it definitely hurts those constituents in the United States that depend on the FBI ever more in a cyber environment...
CROSS: Yes.
WATTS: ... by the way, where crimes cross over borders, to do their job and protect the citizens of the United States.
CROSS: Yes. I can`t imagine, if a Black Lives Matter activist had said something similar, how the right might be reacting to that, but a subject for another time.
Thank you, Clint Watts and Bradley Moss, for being here.
And coming up next on THE REIDOUT: Arizona is still a swing state, so why have Arizona Republicans swung so far to the fringe right?
THE REIDOUT is going to get into that right after this break. Don`t go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:18:57]
CROSS: All right, in 2020, Joe Biden did something that no other Democratic presidential nominee had done since 1996. And that is win the state of Arizona.
That`s right. Biden won the state that was proudly home to Republican firebrands like Barry Goldwater, Jan Brewer and Joe Arpaio. Now, you would think that their Arizona Republican Party would take a second and maybe reevaluate their strategy after a loss like that, right?
Oh, no, no, no, no. They put all their chips in on the MAGA train. And, yesterday on Twitter, that same Arizona Republican Party accused a mother and teacher who`s running for reelection for state superintendent of public schools, they accused her of being a -- quote -- "groomer."
Now, I`d understand if you thought that kind of low-class rhetoric is a fluke from some low-level staffer, but no, no, not so fast. Let me introduce you to the standard-bearers of Arizona`s modern Republican Party.
Let`s start with former TV news anchor Kari Lake, a woman who voted for Barack Obama, but now parrots the big lie.
[19:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARI LAKE (R), ARIZONA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you this. There are no good guys in corporate media.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
LAKE: They don`t exist.
If there were good guys, they would be telling us about hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.
QUESTION: You have called Joe Biden an illegitimate president. Was does that mean?
LAKE: He lost the election and he shouldn`t be in the White House. We had a corrupt election.
Don`t tell me Joe Biden won 81 million votes. Don`t insult my intelligence. I refuse to have it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROSS: OK.
Then there`s Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem. He`s currently a state legislator and actually tried to decertify the Arizona election, but he failed. Oh, and let me not forget, he`s also a member of the Oath Keepers, the right-wing paramilitary group, you guys know. And, yes, there`s this little fun fact. He actually attended the Capitol insurrection.
In a revealing new piece in Politico, a fellow Republican in the Arizona House was shocked that Finchem`s success given that -- quote -- "Mark is known as the guy that`s probably the dumbest -- well, there`s a long list, but one of the dumbest legislators in the state House."
Yes.
Then there`s Blake Masters. He`s a Peter Thiel devotee who wants to unseat Senator Mark Kelly. And Masters claims that Trump won in 2020 and that, if he was a senator in 2020, he would have objected to the results. Oh, but there`s more about Masters. He also supports a federal personhood law, blames gun violence on black people, and pedals the Great Replacement Theory that Democrats are trying to -- quote -- "change the demographics of our country."
Oh, and then there`s this. Masters recently praise the Unabomber as an underrated thinker.
We have a lot to talk about.
So, joining me now is Arizona state Senator Raquel Teran. She`s chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. And Tim Miller, he`s a writer at large for The Bulwark and author of "Why We Did It: A Travelogue From the Republican Road to Hell."
I have to start with you, Raquel.
I really don`t know where to begin, so I will just ask you simply, what the hell is happening with the GOP in Arizona? Because, whatever`s happening there, it has cast a dark shadow across the entire country.
STATE SEN. RAQUEL TERAN (D-AZ): That`s correct.
Arizona, sadly, has a long history of extremists. And you name former Sheriff Arpaio, state Senator Russell Pearce, who was the author of S.B.1070, the show me your paper law, by the way, both of whom were ousted by the voters here in Arizona.
But since the emergence of Donald Trump, these extremists have taken over the Arizona Republican Party. They are down with the MAGA extremists and that agenda. So, candidates like Kari Lake, Masters, Finchem are more concerned with the lies and Donald Trump than they are with helping Arizonans.
CROSS: Yes, it`s quite frightening to see, Tom.
And I will push back a little bit on what Raquel said, because I actually don`t think this began with Trump. Look, I remember Sarah Palin on the campaign trail. I remember a lot of the rhetoric that Ronald Reagan used. I remember George W. Bush and George Bush and his father.
And so it feels like this was bubbling up for a long time, and there was a lot of policy that was harmful, but Donald Trump simply said the quiet part out loud.
What do you think folks like these never-Trumpers now who have surfaced, how can they take responsibility and help set the country on a different course? Because some of this, it feels like this train has left the station and there might not be saving the Republican Party again.
TIM MILLER, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, in Arizona, at least, these never-Trumpers can start by voting for Mark Kelly and Katie Hobbs in the Senate and the governor race.
That is going to be as important of a state in the country as far as protecting our democracy going forward, Arizona and Pennsylvania. And I think that it`s important for Democrats to really talk to those voters, that, yes, it`s true there`s always been extremism in the Republican Party. There`s always been rhetoric that exacerbated racial tensions.
We could go down the list -- the worst hits list, but Arizona is also a state of people like Jeff Flake, who is a never-Trumper, of John McCain, who was a moderate Republican on a lot of issues, believed in climate change, saved Obamacare.
CROSS: Yes.
MILLER: The people -- the voters who liked Jeff Flake and John McCain, those voters, the Democrats absolutely need. And Joe Biden won them in 2020. It`s why Joe Biden won the state.
And we have to be abundantly clear about just how radical the Kari Lakes and Blake Masters are. They`re nothing like the -- John McCain. These are absolutely insane people that are going to be happy to overturn the election on behalf of Donald Trump in 2024.
CROSS: Yes.
MILLER: They are -- they`re pledging that they will do that. That is their -- that is the reason why they won their primaries.
And so I just think it`s critical to kind of cleave those voters off in suburban Phoenix, the types of people that had been Republicans in the past, and to see these extremists for what they are.
[19:25:02]
CROSS: Yes.
I mean, Raquel, Tim makes so many good points there. Donald Trump is clearly laying the groundwork to have any election results that the Republican Party doesn`t like simply overturned. They`re infiltrating the system through random acts of violence. They`re infiltrating the system by trying to be elected to disrupt democracy.
How will you navigate that in the state of Arizona, particularly given Mark Finchem? I mean, he is a scary character. If he`s elected, along with Kari Lake, along with Masters, Arizona has got some problems.
TERAN: Arizona and the country would have some problems.
But I`m confident in Arizona voters, because, yes, like you said, even though this extreme agenda, MAGA agenda did not just start with Donald Trump, Arizonans have shown that we reject -- we reject extremism, like we did with Sheriff Arpaio, like within with Russell Pearce.
And I am confident that we are not going to let them win, and we will have our Democrats winning. But it is so dangerous, because we all know that the road to preserving American democracy runs through Arizona this November. And that is precisely why we cannot allow Finchem or any of these election deniers win.
And I have to make a point that the Republican primary -- in this Republican primary, some of these candidates who are the most extreme did not win with at least 50 percent. So we know that half of their party is rejecting them.
And that`s right, Tim. We, as Arizona Democrats, are not only engaging our base. We`re -- we`re engaging our independent voters here in Arizona, and we are welcoming, without compromising our values, of the Republicans.
CROSS: Yes.
Tim, I want to ask you about voter suppression, because in Arizona specifically, more than 80 percent of voters in Arizona vote early mail or in person, yet the GOP is moving forward with an Election Day in person- only voting law.
This is something that`s happening all across the country. Again, this predates Trump. Voter suppression has always been a tool of the Republican Party. I`m curious your thoughts of how people can navigate that. Is there something that never-Trumpers can do to help alleviate some of this voter suppression? Because a lot of it comes out of the state legislature.
And especially with partisan poll watchers and gun laws, we could see a lot of uncomfortable and potentially violent situations this midterm cycle.
MILLER: Yes.
Well, look, I will defer to my counterpart on how they can navigate that this cycle. I will say, right now, Democrat -- Doug Ducey is the governor. We have a Democratic secretary of state. So a lot of these law legislative rules are what would happen after 2022, looking to 2024.
CROSS: Yes.
MILLER: And I think it is true that, if the Republicans hold -- have the state legislature, if Kari Lake is the governor, if Mark Finchem is secretary of state, there will be radical voter suppression laws, unlike we haven`t seen anywhere else in the country in Arizona going ahead in 2024.
And they will also change the rules about counting the ballots to make -- to make it easier for the legislature to override ballots that they don`t deem credible, which is obviously going to be Democratic ballots, ballots from people in marginalized communities.
That`s a big threat in 2024. It`s why people got to turn out in 2022, while there is rather lenient early voting rules in the state.
CROSS: Yes. Yes, that`s such a good point.
And you know this very well, Tim, that a lot of people turn out during those presidential elections, and I use terms like it`s an off-year. There are no off-years in elections.
TERAN: There`s not.
(CROSSTALK)
CROSS: Elections happen every time at the state, federal and local level.
So, thank you both for being here, Arizona State Senator Raquel Teran and Tim Miller.
Happy to share the screen with you again, Tim. It was good to see you.
And still ahead: A judge blocks enforcement of Michigan`s abortion ban, as women and lawmakers try to make sense of America`s new post-Roe landscape.
We`re going to be right back right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:33:39]
CROSS: All right, well, abortion in Michigan will remain legal, for now, that is.
This was after a judge ruled that county prosecutors cannot enforce a near total abortion ban on the books since 1931. That`s some much-needed good news right now in the fight for abortion rights, a fight that has really scrambled America`s geography, based on where one can or cannot receive care.
And this new landscape is just as harrowing as we knew it would be, the consequences swift and brutal. Get this. A woman undergoing a miscarriage, she was sent home from the hospital, instructed to return when blood filled a diaper more than once an hour, rape survivors, including children, forced to give birth, while, in Florida, where apparently logic goes to die, court denied a teenager and abortion, ruling she was not mature enough to determine whether to terminate her pregnancy.
This is a nightmare.
Joining me now is Kelley Robinson. She`s the executive director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
And I`m very happy to have you here, Kelley.
These stories are absolutely horrific and gut-wrenching to hear. There`s another story out there. It is a woman in Louisiana who`s pregnant. Her pregnancy, she was diagnosed because, essentially, she has to go through a pregnancy. But her baby was diagnosed with something that`s not curable, is not survivable.
And so, essentially, she`s going to go through a pregnancy to give birth to a stillborn. I just don`t know how we protect abortion rights in this country right now. And it seems the only way is the judiciary. They seem to be the last line of defense.
[19:35:06]
KELLEY ROBINSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND: This is a horrific situation that we`re in right now.
We hear horrifying stories every single day of people being denied access to care, having to travel hundreds of miles or being forced to carry their pregnancies to term. And, at the end of the day, this is bigger than any single state, right?
Their goal has been to sow chaos and confusion and deny our access to abortion care. I do want to make it clear, in Michigan right now, for every Michigander that`s listening, abortion is still safe and legal in Michigan.
But, as you said, we have work to do to actually ensure that we do all that we can in every way that we can to secure access. The courts are one way, but, also, abortion is on the ballot in 2022. The will of the people is here. And there is something that we can do about it.
CROSS: Yes.
Speaking of 2022, Planned Parenthood has raised, I think, a whopping $50 million to defeat these types of anti-choice candidates and policies. We will see what impact that has.
I do wonder, do you think we will ever see Roe reinstated?
ROBINSON: Look, it`s on the ballot this year.
Who wins the midterm elections could quite possibly determine what states protect access to abortion and whether or not national politicians have the votes to realize their ultimate goal of a nationwide abortion ban, or if, actually, we get enough power this November to fortify more rights for abortion access, more gender equality than Roe ever provided.
Roe was the floor, not the ceiling, for care. Even with Roe in place, hundreds and hundreds of anti-abortion restrictions moved through the states every single year. So there is so much at stake this November. And the reality is that, if we vote as the majority that we are, the 80 percent majority that we are, we can gain enough power in Congress and in states to change the nature of health care access in this country.
CROSS: You know, there was a report out from "USA Today" talking about a rural maternal health care crisis.
And this is women who are intentionally trying to have babies. And they have a challenge getting quality health care. Interesting, because you would think, if someone was so -- quote, unquote -- "pro-life," as they like to call themselves, that they would focus on that and focus on caring for the women who don`t have access to affordable care, and not this.
For the women who are in these situations, like the woman who has to essentially carry a child to term who she knows will be a stillborn, the young girl in Florida, the rape survivors, what recourse, if any, do these women have? What advice is Planned Parenthood giving these women who are facing these dire situations?
ROBINSON: Well, I want to say this.
The opposition is clear. This isn`t not about people. This is about power. There are 16 states that have already banned abortion access. And I have to say, those states are at the bottom of the list when it comes to supporting mothers, families and birthing people. They`re at the bottom of the list when it comes to maternal health care, when it comes to infant mortality, child poverty.
It`s clearly not about people. So the things that we can do are, one, get all the information that we can to make sure that folks in our communities know how to access care. You can go visit Web sites like abortionfinder.org to get the health care that you need and find out how to get access.
I`m also encouraging folks, if you`re listening now, to think about giving to abortion funds. There`s so much that we can do to make sure people get access to care and we also get care to people in all the ways that we can, even in this devastating moment.
CROSS: Well, that`s very helpful information.
And Planned Parenthood`s Kelley Robinson, thank you so much for being here and offering some sort of light and information to people who may be facing those incredibly dire circumstances. Thanks so much.
"Who Won the Week?" is still ahead.
But, first, hear what Liz Cheney had to say about Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy. And it`s not really what you would call flattering, but it is, sadly, fitting.
We`re back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:43:37]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): My views about Kevin McCarthy are very clear.
The speaker of the House is the second in line for the presidency. It requires somebody who understands and recognizes their duty, their oath, their obligation. And he`s been completely unfaithful to the Constitution and demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the significance and the importance of the role of speaker.
So I don`t believe he should be speaker of the House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROSS: All right, Liz Cheney speaking truth about wannabe Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying he`s unfit to lead Republicans if they gain control of the House of Representatives.
Now, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, on the other hand, just said the quiet part out loud this week, acknowledging that his party could fail to win control of the Senate due to candidate quality. Hmm. Wonder why?
He has a good reason to be concerned. Even though it`s still early, a slew of polls this week show Democrats leading in key states. New FOX News polls show that, in Arizona, incumbent Democrat Mark Kelley is actually up eight points over Trump-backed Republican Blake Masters.
And, in Wisconsin, Democratic nominee Mandela Barnes has a four-point lead over incumbent Ron Johnson, who`s essentially a Trump acolyte at this point. And, meanwhile, in Florida, a University of north Florida poll shows this week that Democrat Val Demings is leading incumbent Marco Rubio by four. He`s another Trump acolyte. And there are currently no black women in the Senate. These will be interesting races.
[19:45:00]
The hits just keep on coming for Republicans in a year they thought would benefit them.
The Cook Political Report has now declared control of the Senate a toss-up and move the Pennsylvania Senate race between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz to lean Democratic.
Keeping with Pennsylvania, the outlook is so bad, according to "Rolling Stone," even the former president thinks his guy Dr. Oz will -- quote -- "effing lose."
Well, we might effing lose it if that doesn`t happen.
Joining me now to get into all of this, Terrance Woodbury -- he`s a Democratic pollster and strategist -- and Dean Obeidallah. He`s host of "The Dean Obeidallah Show" on SiriusXM and my longtime pal.
Happy to have both you guys here. Great to see you.
Let`s start out. There are some really interesting races I`m watching, Terrance. I do want to start out with Wisconsin and Mandela Barnes and Ron Johnson. I mean, Ron Johnson has a slew of ridiculous statements, ridiculous policies. He`s a Trump acolyte.
And Mandela Barnes, he`s a young candidate. He`s very thoughtful, very bright, very smart. He was a lieutenant governor. He has government experience. This will be a very interesting race to watch. What are you hearing?
TERRANCE WOODBURY, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER AND STRATEGIST: So, thank you so much for having me Tiffany.
And, in complete transparency, Mandela is a client of Hit Strategies.
And so we are -- we are seeing exactly what we`re seeing across the country. That`s there has been a Democratic boost, a Democratic bounce in the past couple of weeks, and Democratic candidates have taken -- are benefiting from that.
And candidates like Mandela Barnes represent the diversity and the enthusiasm in the party and, frankly, is overperforming Joe Biden and generic Democrats in Wisconsin, a candidate with executive experience as lieutenant governor and with legislative experience, really demonstrating that millennials need diverse voices in the Senate. Millennials are now the biggest voting bloc in America, representing only 3 percent of the U.S. Senate.
And so I think candidates like Mandela are really demonstrating what can happen when we put forth a diverse and robust -- a robust and diverse slate of candidates.
CROSS: Yes, well, we`re watching.
And, Dean, Terrance made really good points there about Wisconsin. And even though politics are local, there`s still a national narrative to this race, as control for the Senate is up for grabs, a toss-up, according to Cook Political Report.
The administration had a pretty good week. They had some accomplishments this week.
I want you to take a listen to Ron Klain, and then we will talk about messaging on the other side.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
RON KLAIN, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: We now have a presidency where the president has delivered the largest economic recovery plan since Roosevelt, the largest infrastructure plan since Eisenhower, the most judges confirmed since Kennedy, the second largest health care bill since Johnson, and the largest climate change bill in history.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
CROSS: Dean, how do you feel about the messaging coming out of the White House? Again, it`s good that they`re touting some of their successes.
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, MSNBC DAILY COLUMNIST: Right.
CROSS: Who are they touting these messages to, do you think?
OBEIDALLAH: Democrats and messaging don`t usually go well together. Like, it sort of happens organically that they find it.
Here`s the truth. I think talking about the accomplishments are great. This week, they signed the law the Inflation Reduction Act, which will help my mother, who`s a senior on Medicare. They`re going to cap prescription drug price at $2,000. This will help my mom and over 60 million Americans. That`s important.
Talking about where we are on unemployment, 3.5 percent, tying the lowest in 50 years. That`s because of the Biden plan that we passed last year with COVID relief. But there`s another part of this, Tiffany. That`s GOP extremism.
You have just been talking about that. That`s got to be part of the Democratic message. Look what we`re seeing. They are literally academically embracing fascism as a party. And I mean that in the terms of what that means academically. It`s the term using acquisition or retention of political party of power by threats of violence or violence.
There was a CBS poll, Tiffany, recently. Nearly 60 percent of Republicans, nearly 60 percent, don`t view January 6 as terrorism. They view it as an act defending freedom.
You have got Donald Trump the leader of their party. You have Republicans imposing their religious beliefs as law to oppress women. The Taliban should sue them for trademark infringement at this point.
CROSS: Yes.
OBEIDALLAH: And you have got them banning books, banning Black History Month. The list goes on and on.
This is an extremist party. So, Democrats, talk about your accomplishments. They`re real. But don`t forget amplify the GOP extremism, because that is very real. And it`s right in our face. And it`s frightening.
CROSS: Yes, I mean, he makes a good point there, Terrance.
And when you think about the idea of, the concept of Kevin McCarthy, who has completely lost his spine, completely given in to Trump, despite their little exchange around January 6, where he actually said to him, allegedly, reportedly, who the eff do you think you`re talking to, when Trump told him, well, maybe the people care more about the election than you do, all that went out the window.
They`re all bowing down to this MAGA king. So, I wonder what messaging that people need to put out, Terrance, to warn voters have this is what a dystopian America will look like if, one, you don`t participate, if you abstain, or, two, you vote for the -- you vote down a Republican ticket.
[19:50:13]
WOODBURY: Absolutely, Tiffany.
I think Dean is absolutely right. We have to do both. We have to take credit for the progress that has been made, but we also have to demonstrate the threat, the Republic -- the existential threat that Republicans face.
This is why we have been promoting this message of unfinished business, that Democratic voters have unfinished business in 2022, because while we may have made progress on a Democratic agenda, while we have made progress on -- on progressive priorities, we have unfinished business fulfilling many of those promises.
And, similarly, while we may have defeated Trump in 2020, we obviously have unfinished business defeating Trumpism. And we have to do both. But what we have to be careful with, as I was listening to Ron Klain, as we take credit for the progress that has been made, that we don`t seem to be waving a victory, a mission accomplished flag here, that we acknowledge that people are still in pain, and that, while we are making progress, there`s still -- there`s still a lot of work to do.
And so we do have to acknowledge the fact that Donald Trump appears to be leading a crime syndicate, and that we -- that chaos...
CROSS: Yes.
WOODBURY: ... that the disorienting chaos of the Trump administration is not what we want to bring back.
But I think that he`s doing us a favor here. And the best thing that we could do is put Donald Trump back on the ballot in 2022, because it`s the only way to defeat him before 2024.
CROSS: Yes, and I think it`s such a good point about the younger voters that you were talking about, the space that millennials take up. But we can`t forget Gen Z voters. A lot of them are eligible to vote this year. So, definitely, reach out to them.
Dean, you know this very well, that races are often one on the margins. Yet we see time and again that so many communities are not being contacted by political parties. The AAPI community just recently released a study there that most have not been contacted by a political party. We have seen the Latino community shift back and forth. Again, many haven`t been contacted by a political party.
What do you think it will take for both these parties to recognize that the rising majority will soon become the people to determine how this government is shaped?
OBEIDALLAH: Well, I hope the Republicans never notice that and just keep playing to the base that they`re playing to, which is shrinking.
Well, our side, we have to get out there. I have representatives of various communities all the time on my radio show, and we talk about that. Sometimes, they are reaching out, the message is getting heard. Other times, it`s not. And they have to go into people off. They have to go to their community, and not just during election time, because that`s the biggest slam I hear from all different minority communities: We see elected officials around election time.
Be a part of the community. Be there. Be there for them. Help them, not just when it`s time to cast a ballot, but, when you need other things for your community, help.
CROSS: Yes. Yes.
OBEIDALLAH: So, look, I think it`s time. Democrats need to do more.
CROSS: Yes.
I know a little something about that radio show you hosted. I used to be on it a lot with you.
OBEIDALLAH: Yes.
CROSS: But we will talk more about that on the other side.
So, don`t go anywhere at home, because Terrance and Dean are sticking around to play "Who Won the Week?"
That`s coming up next, so don`t go anywhere. I got a good one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:56]
CROSS: Whew. All right, trying to cover all the Trump foolishness is like trying to catch confetti this week, so we`re at the end finally which means it`s time to play "Who Won the Week?"
Back with me are Terrance Woodbury and Dean Obeidallah.
We`re way over time, guys.
So, Terrance, very quickly, give me your "Who Won the Week?"
WOODBURY: I`m going to say Democratic candidates win the week this week, Tiffany.
I know there`s an impulse to say Joe Biden won the week. Unfortunately, his approval rating hasn`t reflected that. But, as long as Republican candidates are being forced to defend Donald Trump, Democratic candidates have -- now have proof points in IRA that they are making a material difference in people`s lives.
They definitely won the week this week.
CROSS: All right. I think that`s a fair one.
Dean, what do you got?
OBEIDALLAH: If it wasn`t political, I would pick you, Tiffany, for doing a great job hosting this week.
(LAUGHTER)
CROSS: Oh, thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
OBEIDALLAH: From the political world, it`s John Fetterman, another Democratic candidate, Senate candidate, Pennsylvania, his first week out on the campaign trail after having a stroke.
And he raised over a half-million dollars off of Dr. Oz`s horrific ad, where Dr. Oz complained that him and his wife couldn`t make a crudites, which crudites, I guess, if you`re running for president of the country club or the Hamptons, is what you do. The rest of us call it a veggie platter.
And I`m glad Dr. Oz was crushed for that showing. He`s not in touch with the people of Pennsylvania, just not working.
(CROSSTALK)
CROSS: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
OBEIDALLAH: ... losing.
CROSS: Yes, agree.
All right, well, I`m going to be really quick.
The NBA won the week, because they announced they would not home games on November 8 to encourage people to vote. And they do such a better job than the NFL when it comes to civic engagement.
You guys remember, in 2020, they were converting a number of their arenas to voting locations. So, congrats to the NBA and the good folks over there, especially LeBron James.
All right, we got through it. That is tonight`s REIDOUT.
Joy Reid, don`t you worry, she is back on Monday. I have been seeing all your tweets. She will be back in this chair on Monday.
And do please be sure to join me tomorrow morning on "THE CROSS CONNECTION," on my show. We will have more on Donald Trump`s many legal woes, plus the other Republican candidates following in his footsteps. Trumpism is on the ballot this November, even if Trump isn`t. We`re going to talk about that.
Plus, if you`re a parent, you absolutely know we`re heading into the new school year with a teacher shortage. We will take a look at some of the reasons why. And we will talk to the director of an Emmy-nominated documentary. Kanye West -- it`s called "Jeen-yuhs." It`s a really amazing film. We will have the filmmakers on with me. It`s truly, like, Ye like you have never seen him before. It`s really good.
So, I will see you guys tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on "THE CROSS CONNECTION." Thanks so much for bearing with me this week while I fill in for Joy.
And "ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES" starts right now.