Summary
NBC News projects Cheney defeated in WY GOP primary. Polls closed in Wyoming & Alaska. DOJ asks judge to keep search warrant affidavit sealed. President Joe Biden signs Inflation Reduction Act into law.
Transcript
LAWRENCE O`DONNELL, MSNBC HOST: Ali Zaidi, thank you very much for joining us tonight. I know you`ve been working around the clock and on this and deserve a little bit of a rest from it too. Thank you very much for joining us.
ALI ZAIDI, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL CLIMATE ADVISOR: Thank you, Lawrence.
O`DONNELL: Thank you. Ali Zaidi gets tonight`s "LAST WORD". THE 11TH HOUR with Stephanie Ruhle starts now.
STEPHANIE RUHLE, MSNBC HOST: It`s primary night, Liz Cheney and the future of democracy on the ballot. Cheney will not be Wyoming`s Republican Member of Congress for her political future is not over.
Steve Kornacki is back with the numbers as voters some who believe election lies are having their say. Then President Biden`s BFD moment he signed a major climate health care and tax bill into law, all without the support of a single Republican. Now Democrats say they have something big to campaign on. Will it be enough?
Plus, threats and dangerous rhetoric is at an all-time high? And that has poll workers at an all-time low? How can democracy function when no one`s there to ensure free and fair elections? Dangerous times indeed as THE 11TH HOUR gets underway on this Tuesday night.
Good evening, once again, I`m Stephanie Ruhle live from New York City. This primary election night is helping to define the future of Trump`s loudest Republican critic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY, (R) WYOMING: No House seats. No office in this land is more important than the principles that we are all sworn to protect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: As it was widely expected Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the January 6 Committee Vice Chair and vocal Trump critic has lost her House seat. Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Capitol riot. She was quickly pushed out of House Republican leadership. And tonight the voters chose Harriet Hageman, who was endorsed by the former guy to be the Republican nominee for the Wyoming House seat on the November ballot. Just a short time ago, Cheney said she called Hageman to concede and Cheney had this message for Donald Trump himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHENEY: I have said since January 6, that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office. And I mean it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: She is not done and neither are we will have much more on her defeat ahead. But we`re also tracking a couple of big primary races in the state of Alaska.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski is facing several opponents but she is expected to survive her challenge from a Trump endorsed opponent. Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who also has the former guys support, was hoping to make a political comeback today. She competed in a special election for her states one House seat left open after the death of Congressman Don Young back in March. Polls in Alaska close at the top of the hour. So you know who we are going to turn to the man in his khakis, Steve Kornacki at the big board. Steve, where do things stand? It is great to see you.
STEVE KORNACKI, MSNBC NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Great to see you too, Stephanie. And here you go, it`s Harriet Hageman, the margin is almost two to one over Liz Cheney here, which basically happened here, it`s what the polls suggested was going to happen is what we`ve seen in other races like this with Republicans who supported impeaching Donald Trump after January 6. What those races suggested might happen here.
There are two areas here, you see where Liz Cheney has done well. Tonight, one, this is Teton County, this is where Jackson Hole is. This is sort of the political outlier of Wyoming it may look big geographically, it`s only about 5% of the vote.
Cheney cleans up there, and she cleans up down here in Albany County. This is also the only other county in Wyoming along with Teton County that went for Joe Biden in 2020. This is where the University of Wyoming is these are going to be the two Cheney counties tonight, but everything else in the state is lighting up in Harriet Hageman`s colors here. And she`s winning by just some overwhelming margins, especially in smaller counties in rural counties. Give you an example, look at this, I mean, 90% of the vote right now, we still got a lot more to come there. But you`re seeing margins like this outside of more of these population centers. So it just adds up to an overwhelming margin here at night for Harriet Hageman.
What this means in the grand scheme of things is, we`re now complete in terms of here are the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after January 6. We now know all of their fates in 2022. Liz Cheney loses, she is one of four who saw it through to a primary and was defeated in a primary. You also have four who said, you know what, I`m not even going to go through that process and retire. They didn`t even go through primaries. Two republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump are actually going to advance to the general election. And I think two asterisks here, one`s Valadao in California. This is the one primary that Donald Trump stayed out of, no trump endorsement in that primary. Valadao advances in the Dan Newhouse in Washington State he advances.
[23:05:14]
Remember Washington has a different kind of primary. If that top two primary Democrats, Republicans, they`re all in the same ballot, crowded field, Trump didn`t endorse a candidate, but there were a whole bunch of candidates on the ballot. Newhouse was able to advance the general election with 25% of the vote again, outside of those to Donald Trump, or all those Republicans voted to impeach him either defeated or declined to seek re- election. And so at best next Congress, two Republicans who voted to impeach Trump will be there and it could be lower.
RUHLE: All right Steve, do not go far. We`re going to check in with you shortly.
And I want to bring in our leadoff panel tonight Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times, Stuart Stevens, a veteran of the Mitt Romney and George W. Bush Presidential campaigns. He knows and has worked with Liz Cheney on debate prep. He is now with the Lincoln Project. And Nick Troiano joins us, Executive Director of Unite America, a national organization trying to bridge the growing partisan divide with political reforms and candidates who actually put people over party it`s very novel idea.
Stuart, I`m turning to you first. You know, Liz Cheney best I want to share more of what she said earlier tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHENEY: Years ago, I won this primary was 73% of the vote. I could easily have done the same again, the path was clear. But it would have required that I go along with President Trump`s lie about the 2020 election, it would have required that I enable his ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of our republic. That was a path I could not and would not take. This primary election is over. But now the real work begins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: Liz Cheney told the truth, and she lost her election. What does that tell you?
STUART STEVENS, THE LINCOLN PROJECT SENIOR ADVISER: Well, I think it tells us what we know about the Republican Party. It really is not a normal political party in any sense. It exists to defeat Democrats. It has no definable policies. There`s no center right coherent party in America now. Liz Cheney voted conservative across the line. She`s a Cheney for heaven`s sakes. And that`s not good enough, because she`s not pro-autocratic. She`s pro democracy.
So, I mean, I worked all these years to point out flaws in Democratic Party, but it is, I think, just can`t argue with the statement that the Democratic Party is the last best hope of -- to keep democracy in this country because the Republican Party has become an autocratic party.
RUHLE: Stuart, people hear Liz Cheney speak tonight, and I`m seeing all over Twitter. She`s running, she`s running. She`s running for what? She`s running for president. If so how? I can`t imagine she Lincoln up with Andrew Yang in the Forward Party?
STEVENS: No, she`s a serious person. She wouldn`t do that. I think I have no idea what she`s going to do, first of all. But, you know, politics is usually a game of small numbers. You look at Donald Trump`s support, it was 85% White and the last election, if Liz Cheney pool some two to 3%, even voters who would have voted for Trump, or voted for DeSantis, whoever will be the nominee. That person can`t win. I mean, it`s just math. So let`s see.
But I really think that this is a moment that is bigger than any future election, even years from now people are going to study Liz Cheney. She`s an American hero. She did not forget what it means to be an American. And the Republican Party has really forgotten what it means to be an American political party. No one`s going to remember Harriet Hageman. I mean, she`s just going to be an absolute nobody in politics and Liz Cheney is somebody who I think mothers are going to look to their daughters and say, you could be this person. She`s really somebody that we should be proud of as Americans.
RUHLE: For many reasons, we are. Peter, Stuart just said it. That`s why I took a pause. She`s a Cheney for goodness sakes. I want to share a bit of what her father said and a few of these ads that he showed up in, here`s a sample.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In our nation`s 246 year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He is a coward. A real man wouldn`t lie to his supporters. He lost his election and he lost big. I know it, he knows it. And deep down, I think most Republicans know that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[23:10:14]
RUHLE: The Cheney family, as Stuart pointed out, is a deep red conservative tribe far more conservative than Donald Trump has ever been. So what does her face say about the party, a party that once embraced and honored her family?
PETER BAKER, THE NEW YORK TIMES CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it says Donald Trump`s Party right now. And it`s not a party, as Stuart said, about a particular ideology or particular philosophy or a particular set of principles. It`s a party right now about a single individual. And that individual is Donald Trump and people are judged, based entirely on that metric. Are you for Trump or against Trump? Do you agree with him on the election of 2020 or not? And that`s the defining, you know, barometer at this point of that party, whether it will stay that way or not. We don`t know obviously, this is, you know, one election one day, one year, we`ll see what happens is going down the line. But at this point, despite all this trouble, despite all the investigations, despite the search of the FBI at his home, and the idea that he`s holding on to documents that don`t belong to him that belong in the government, despite the fact that his own chief lawyer is targeted for criminal investigation, Georgia and his own financial officers about to plead guilty. It looks like in New York, despite all those things. What the Republican Party is saying today is they believe in Donald Trump. And it`s a big victory for him. He set out to punish those who stood against him. He has now successfully done it, as Stevens just demonstrated an eight out of 10 cases. And the lesson that the rest of the Republicans who remain will take from that is, don`t dare speak out because there will be a cost.
RUHLE: Did you just hear all the despite the fact that, that Peter Baker just said I did 30 jumping jacks and had two cups of coffee during that span of time, it is enormous.
Nick, we need you to educate us, a little election education because Alaska`s Lisa Murkowski. Also Trump critic, also being challenged by Trump endorsed candidate, she is likely to have an easier race than Liz Cheney. Not necessarily because she`s a better -- she`s a more loyal Republican, it is about how the primary system works in different states, walk us through this.
NICK TROIANO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNITE AMERICA: That`s right, Stephanie. There`s a tale of two primaries playing out tonight, both Senator Murkowski and Representative Cheney defended the rule of law and put country over party, but only one will emerge from their primary tonight, and that`s Senator Murkowski. Why is that? Well, that`s because in Wyoming`s election system, you only need to win support from a plurality of your party to win the election. But in Alaska`s election system, you have to earn majority support from all the people. And that`s because in 2020, Alaska voters passed a ballot initiative to replace their partisan primaries with a single top for nonpartisan primary. So what does that mean today, all candidates are competing on the same ballot, all voters have the freedom to choose whichever candidate they support, the top four finishers will now go on to the general election in November, where whomever earned the majority of support will win. And that means that those leaders, like Senator Murkowski can represent a true majority of their constituents, not just the base of their party. I think that`s key. If we want to stem the tide of anti-democratic extremism that we`re seeing play out, and more states should follow Alaska`s example. Nevada will be the next state to have this opportunity this November, when voters will decide this question in their state. And like I said, more should follow.
RUHLE: Why wouldn`t they, Nick, right? You can talk to voters in any state. And they all ask the question, how can we end up with candidates that are far right and far left and not representing the majority middle? And the answer is open primaries. So why don`t more states adopt this?
TROIANO: Well, listen, the people in power got there through the broken system that works well for them. It`s not working well for the people. The way to fix that is by Americans joining forces across the political spectrum, to demand a system that represents the voters and not just the parties. I mean, we ask our representatives to sign an oath to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution. But we have an electoral system in which if they do that, and back their party in the process, they`re likely to lose their jobs. Those are horrible incentives. And we need to fix the system.
If we want to have different outcomes. It`s not just who we elect, it`s how we elect. And I think a lot more focus has to be on the systems and processes of our elections. It is not a coincidence that of the seven members of Congress who either voted to impeach or convict Donald Trump, the three that may make it back are those from states with nonpartisan primaries. So whether you`re a Democrat, Republican or independent, this system gives you the freedom to put people over politics and that`s what the American people want.
[23:15:01]
RUHLE: Stuart, if people don`t like Liz Cheney`s politics don`t vote for her, have at it. But moments ago, Donald Trump put a post on his social media site that I will not read. He`s congratulating Hageman attacking Liz Cheney, but I`m not reading it, because it`s filled with lies, lie after lie. How is it that Liz Cheney, who is a pro-democracy candidate, doesn`t get more vocal support from other democracies? I mean, excuse me from other Republicans. I mentioned you worked with Mitt Romney, you worked with George Bush? Wouldn`t they stand up at a time like this when they know, George -- Donald Trump`s just pushing lies?
STEVENS: Well, I know Senator Romney did numerous fundraisers for Liz Cheney and did supporter her. You know, I think what we have to come to grips with here is the Republican Party has not been hijacked by Donald Trump, the Republican Party has been revealed by Donald Trump. And for some of us, that`s a really tough thing to admit, because we work to build a party. But I don`t know any other conclusion. The Republican Party is what the party wants to be. And it keeps saying this over and over and showing us over and over. And we have to accept that. The reason that they don`t like Liz Cheney, is because Liz Cheney was willing to lose, which is the essential building block of any democratic system. And, and the Republican Party they`ve decided to for democracy when they went in there not for democracy when they lose, which means that they`re not for democracy. And that`s the dividing line in American politics. It`s not about right or left anymore. It`s about do you support a democratic system? Or do you support an autocratic system? And I can`t tell you how this is going to turn out. I can`t tell you who`s going to win. But I know that there won`t be an American experiment still flourishing if the autocratic side wins.
RUHLE: Wow, we`re going to leave it there. That`s a scary thought on a late Tuesday night. Nick Troiano, Peter Baker, Stuart Stevens, thank you all. Peter, Stuart stick around.
And on this programming note, Liz Cheney will be doing an exclusive interview with the Today`s show in the morning. You do not want to miss her remarks.
But coming up next, right here, they are the highest ranking people from the Trump administration that are reportedly being questioned in the classified document controversy. Prosecutor said to be talking to top White House lawyers.
And later, it is being called an ongoing threat to democracy posing a grave physical danger not just to law enforcement, but your neighbors those who are working at local polling places. THE 11TH HOUR just getting underway on a very important Tuesday night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:22:20]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK ROSENBERG, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: You can see why logically, the Trump folks wanted unsealed. The Department of Justice has said that making it public at this point would undermine their investigation. What would like - - what would the Trump folks like to do? Undermine the investigation? How do they do that? By getting the document unsealed at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: A court hearing to determine whether to release the affidavit behind the search of Mar-a-Lago will take place Thursday. But tonight, the New York Times is revealing new details about the lead up to the Justice Department search. The Times reporting this, Pat Cipollone and Patrick Philbin, the White House Counsel and his deputy under President Trump were interviewed by the FBI in connection with the boxes of sensitive documents.
So let`s discuss. And welcome back Professor Melissa Murray of the NYU Law School, she was a clerk for Sonia Sotomayor while she served on the federal bench and Peter Baker. So with us. Peter is the Times is right. What could the two top lawyers from the Trump White House have told the FBI?
BAKER: Well, I think they could have told about the last chaotic days of that White House. Remember, of course, President Trump wasn`t even admitting he was going to be leaving the White House until right up until the end, there wasn`t a systematized organized effort to pack up and handle the last remaining issues on his desk because he didn`t want to admit that he was going to be leaving and anybody who even suggested that preparations needed to be made were immediately, you know, chastised, punished and so forth.
So I think that what Pat Cipollone, the White House Counsel, the top lawyer in that White House and his Deputy Pat Philbin can tell us is, what precautions were taken. What do we -- what do they know about documents that were classified, were stored and taken away? And what do they know about this suppose and claim, the claim that the president -- former President Trump has made that he had somehow magically declassified everything that is he ever touched basically, that he wanted to take with him.
Remember, John Bolton and others have already said that when they were in the White House, they don`t have any such sort of blanket order, if there had been such an order, it would of course, be known presumably by Pat Cipollone and Pat Philbin.
RUHLE: Melissa, day in and day out, the Trump misinformation machine is at work. Does the Department of Justice need to address this? We hear every day how cruel, unlawful, unprecedented it was to raid Trump`s home. What Merrick Garland could do is lay out for the American people what led to this, month of request from the National Archives, a grand jury subpoena, all of which was apparently ignored before the DOJ was left with no other option but to lawfully follow an executed search warrant, should Merrick Garland be reminding the American people of that?
MELISSA MURRAY, NYU LAW PROFESSOR: Stephanie, I think the Attorney General did remind the American people of that when he made that rather unprecedented press conference announcement just the other day following the execution of the search warrant at Mar-a-Lago.
[23:25:11]
It`s typically not the case that the Department of Justice reveals the affidavit that might support a search warrant. Typically, the affidavit really contains the details of the prosecution`s case in chief if there is going to be an indictment and crimes charge. So if you have the affidavit, you basically have a blueprint for what that case might look like. And you have a head start in formulating a defense.
So it makes sense that this would be kept under wraps. And it makes sense that Merrick Garland would not reveal much of this not only because it would reveal the case in chief, it might also reveal the sources that provide the information that supported the government`s request for this search warrant, opening those individuals up to retaliation and reprisal. So I think he`s done what he can at this point. And it`s not typical for these kinds of information to be revealed at this point in an investigation.
RUHLE: But it might also reveal a whole lot of bad information about Donald Trump. So could this be a bit careful what you wish for? Does he really want the affidavit unsealed? Or is he just going to move the goalposts again?
BAKER: Well, I think --
MURRAY: It is --
RUHLE: Peter?
BAKER: Sorry, sorry. I think he knows that the Justice Department doesn`t want to unseal and therefore, by definition, it`s sort of a free, you know, option for him to say, hey, let`s go ahead and unseal it because he knows they`re going to oppose it, right? And therefore, he looks like he`s trying to be transparent, when in fact, of course, as you say, there could be a lot of damaging information in there.
But my newspaper, The New York Times, among the media organizations that has sued to try to get this information out there, we believe it`s important for the public to know the basis on which Justice Department is trying to take this action, we believe it`s important to the public conversation, understand what his foreign president did or didn`t do or was alleged to have done. And I think that, you know, we`ll see what the court decides, but you can understand why Merrick Garland is put in a pretty awkward position here, right? Because we`ve seen before that the more you talk about a case before there are any charges, the more trouble you get into. That was certainly the criticism of Jim Comey, James Comey, the FBI Director during the Hillary Clinton investigation, when he talked about a case in which he did not actually bring charges, he was accused and ultimately fired, at least ostensibly on the basis of the fact that he had gone beyond the, you know, this normal protocol of what an investigator is supposed to do.
So Merrick Garland is trying to play a cautious here and say, it`s not for me to talk about it until we`re ready to take action. And if we don`t take action, they`re not going to explain why they didn`t take action. That`s what the Justice Department traditionally has done.
RUHLE: Melissa, there`s also Rudy Giuliani`s testimony tomorrow in the Georgia election investigation. He tried to call out sick, the judge said no way. I have looked at your social calendar. You are fine and dandy. So what are you watching for?
MURRAY: Well, between Cipollone and Philbin and Giuliani, it`s not been a great day for Trump`s lawyers. And I think tomorrow, in that hearing with Rudy Giuliani, I think the main thing we`re going to be looking for is whether Giuliani who has already been identified as a target of the Georgia prosecutors will plead the Fifth Amendment over and over again, as he stands before that grand jury. So I think I`m really looking to see if we find out anything from Rudy Giuliani.
RUHLE: Peter, probably my number one question. It has been a week since this search, Trump has yet to explain why he had any of these documents that are not his. They belong to the U.S. government or what he planned to do with them? What`s up with that?
BAKER: Yeah, I think that`s exactly right. His response has been to attack the FBI, to attack Merrick Garland, to attack Joe Biden, to say it`s all about, you know, his enemies, it`s a witch hunt to say that he is entitled to declassify information. He hasn`t told us exactly what you just said, Steph. Why did he need it or want in the first place? And we don`t know. Was it to keep it as a souvenir? Was it to us to trade for something else? We don`t know and that we could guess. And we could speculate. And that`s I think the big mystery here at this point.
What did he need or want these documents for? What was the purpose of ignoring a subpoena that asked for them back? What was the purpose of allowing his own lawyers to sign a document saying that all classified information had been returned? And that`s a big, big question that he has not answered, because he`s not even really been asked. And I think the he, of course, is trying to change the subject to make the issue about the behavior and conduct of the investigators, which is something has worked for him politically in the past. Remember, during the whole Russia investigation, it was always about the conduct of Robert Mueller and his team rather than his own conduct. And that`s what he`s trying to do here because it`s worked politically.
RUHLE: In the past, Melissa Murray, Peter Baker, thank you. I want to know about his future, his legal feature. Washington Post reporting that he is struggling to find seasoned lawyers to work for him going forward. Some saying they`re worried you work for Trump, you might never get paid. That`s an issue. We`re going to see who he`s working with going forward. Thank you both for joining tonight.
[23:30:00]
When we come back, from lower drug costs to clean energy credits to new rules on corporate taxes higher ones making the big guys pay, one of President Biden`s biggest achievements signed into law. So now what? We`ll get into that next in THE 11TH HOUR continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RUHLE: After more than a year of negotiations, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law this afternoon. And while it has gone through a lot of changes, the law includes many of his biggest priorities including tax credits for clean energy and electric vehicles to combat climate change. And expansion of the Affordable Care Act credits to lower health care costs, and here`s a bit of what the president had to say about this bill this afternoon.
[23:35:21]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: No president should be judged not only by our words, but by our deeds, not by our rhetoric, but by our actions, not by our promise, but by reality. And today, is part of an extraordinary story has been written by this administration and our brave allies in the Congress. This law, this law that I`m about to sign finally deliver on a promise that Washington has made for decades to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: And if you miss a lot of those words, former President Obama said it`s a VF Day. With us to discuss Symone Sanders-Townsend, former Chief Spokesperson for Vice President Harris and now the host of the Symone show on MSNBC and Peacock and Stuart Stevens has graciously stuck around to talk to us yet again.
Symone, Democrats have been saying for a while, they need something big to campaign on in November. Did they just get it?
SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND, FORMER BIDEN CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: I think they got it, Steph, the question is, what is the messaging? You know, it`s not enough to just go around and say this bill lowers healthcare costs, it is the largest climate investment in history. What does this mean for young people, right? Because I`m a millennial. And I know we`ve often talked about how young people will be saddled with the climate crisis, if nothing happens? Well, there are a specific set this bill does now law, particularly developing environmental justice Block Grant funds. And if you are personal local level, you know about Block Grant funds. That is money that goes directly to communities to help the people hit first and worse. So I think the messaging here is going to be important. That`s why you`re going to see not just the President and Vice President, but the entire cabinet going out there and selling this thing in the coming weeks.
RUHLE: Stuart, let`s throw out what Republicans are going to campaign on because in the last couple of months alone, they oppose gun safety measures, they opposed investing in our planet, protecting marriage equality, protecting abortion rights, lowering health care costs, and capping insulin prices. So put all of those things aside. And while that`s happening, and all they wanted to say is inflation, inflation, check your food prices and gas prices, they`re going down. So besides, we`re not woke, what are they running on?
STEVENS: Well, they`re really kind of running a bedrooms and bathrooms campaign. It`s a classic cultural war. I can`t tell you how this is going to turn out. What I hope the Democrats will do is run a very tough campaign against Republicans pointing out that Republicans, the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee has put out a document that would raise taxes on millions and millions of Americans, it would be the largest tax increase and tax increase for middle class Americans in history, versus what the President just signed, you`ve got to go to these contrast, you got to go out and talk about what they did in the infrastructure bill. I mean, if you had been a baby born the first week, the Republicans started talking about an infrastructure bill, you would have been in the first grade before Democrats got it done. So it`s got to be a choice. The problem with President Biden`s numbers is he`s been kind of running against God, you`ve got to make this not a referendum on President Biden, you`ve got to make it a referendum on a governing party and a party that wants to do bad things for you, which is really what the Republican Party is about now.
RUHLE: But even if it were a referendum on Biden, Symone, the Democrats need to figure out better messaging because they said we need a big thing to campaign on. Even if they didn`t have this inflation reduction now law, they had a lot of wins, Ketanji Brown Jackson, the infrastructure law, lowering health care costs, even before this expanding health care, the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS Act, the PACT Act, they`ve had a ton, yet they`ve struggled to convince the American people of that, why?
SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Look, I think every Democrat in America needs to just screenshot the graphic on their screen right now that you just put up and then just post it, send it to your friends, because those are receipts. Those are the facts.
Look, I talked to Jaime Harrison, the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee about this as of recently, this past weekend, and I asked him the same question and he gave a very effective lay down in defense of the Biden-Harris agenda. And I do think that to Stuart`s point, my Democratic friends just have to be dogged in this message. Don`t take the shiny objects. Do not go out there talking about Merrick Garland investigation. That ain`t got nothing to do with y`all. You have to go to the community to the -- you got to meet the people where they are, the barbershops and beauty shops and talk to them about what you have done and how you, Democrats did it alone that the Republicans in Congress every single one of them voted against this. Nobody voted for it. So if you want folks that are going to get something done, you got to vote for Democrats, and let`s -- don`t even get me started on the democracy point.
[23:40:16]
RUHLE: Nobody voted for it. No Republicans voted for it. Do you think the American people will know that, Stuart, because I`m old enough to remember when the American Rescue Plan passed all sorts of Republicans that did not support it, yet they went to their home districts, and they stood in front of restaurants. And they said, I`m so glad we were able to pass the Restaurant Act and get you up and running again, when they didn`t even vote for it. Do people realize that when Republicans show up back home and lie to them?
STEVENS: Some do, some don`t. Look, there`s only three times the last 125 years that the party in power has gained seats. The last time it happened was 2002. I was very much a part of that for the Republicans. And what we did, we nationalized since race, around domestic security and the war on terror. What -- if I ran the Democratic Party, I would try to nationalize this race between a party that is pro-democracy, that is getting things done, that is cutting taxes for the middle class and raising taxes on the very wealthy, versus a Republican Party, which has really become a big government intrusive party, that is about your bedroom and your bathroom more than it is about making your life better. You got to put that choice up there and drive it every day and try to get a unified message out there. I think that there is a very good story to tell here. You just got to get up there and tell it.
RUHLE: Symone, young people, is President Biden, at this point doing enough to inspire them to vote, there are climate provisions in this law, that was a top priority for younger voters. Obviously, what`s happening around abortion rights is a big concern. Where do young voters stand right now?
SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Look, I think that young voters are folks that need to -- first of all, let`s just be frank, we, and I`m going to say we because I`m a young voter, we`re infrequent voters when it comes to midterm elections. So but young people, we have to understand our power. And we have to know that participating in the system can in fact, change things.
I have talked to a lot of young people on my show, Stephanie, we`ve done these panels. And they -- the young people on my show, say, look, we`re voting, but I have lots of friends that say, what will my vote change? And so I do think it`s incumbent upon candidates to demonstrate and reach out to folks and I think that President Biden is trying to do that. But the reality is that there are lots of people that are very upset by what they perceive as a lack of action on student loans, even though if you look at what the Department of Education has done, they have continuously been canceling that, but not the promise that President Biden made on the campaign trail. So it`s -- that still remains to be seen.
But I do think that there`s an onus on Democrats and candidates and there`s an onus on young people. Our power and our participation -- our power is real. Our participation can and does change things. And the only way the system will look like what we want it to look like is if we get involved.
RUHLE: Well, what will their vote change? Unclear, but not voting will definitely do nothing. Symone Sanders, thank you for saying we, I speak for Stuart and I saying we appreciate you including us in young. Stuart Stevens, thank you for joining us.
When we come back, we`re going to talk to someone working hard to recruit poll workers as they face threats over Trump`s election lies. Why are these public servants so important to our democracy? When we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:48:09]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAYE MOSS, ELECTION WORKER: If I would have never decided to be an elections worker like I could have done anything else but that`s what I decided to do and now people are lying and spreading rumors and lies and attacking my mom. I just felt like it was my fault for putting my family in this situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: Election worker Shaye Moss speaking to the January 6 committee about threats she and her mother received over Trump`s election lies. And now a new report from the House Oversight Committee details how misinformation puts election workers and American democracy in danger.
With us now to discuss Jane Slusser, from power to the polls, a nonpartisan poll worker recruitment initiative. Jane, this is your day, it is Poll Worker Recruitment Day that is what you do. But it is coming at a time when we`re facing poll worker shortages across the country and real threats out there.
JANE SLUSSER, POWER THE POLLS PROGRAM MANAGER: Yes, indeed. So thank you so much for having us today. It`s Poll Worker Recruitment Day, and we are really sounding the alarm to make sure that people know that we have a poll worker shortage in this country as we head into the midterm elections.
Power the Polls was founded in 2020, because of another poll worker shortage that was caused because of COVID. And the fact that so many poll workers are over the age of 60. That`s the median age of a poll worker. And a lot of folks were concerned about their health in 2020. We saw polling location shut down all across the primaries leading to long lines and just lack of access for a lot of voters. And we saw hundreds of 1000s of people step up because we put out that call to have more poll workers and that`s what we`re doing again this year. The threats are different, but the challenges are not completely unique. In addition to just needing to raise public awareness around this, we`re also really focusing on getting the next generation of poll workers. You know, folks are sort of retiring out of these roles. And so we`re trying to find folks who will serve for the first time this year and serve for many decades to come.
[23:50:18]
RUHLE: But how can we ensure that people will be saved? To your point when I grew up, it was often little old ladies in my town working at polls, my mom did for a number of years, and I wouldn`t want her to today. So we know that the report is calling for increased security for election workers. But what does that look like? Shaye Moss, and her mother were terrorized for months.
SLUSSER: Yeah, so what we`ve seen is election administrators really stepping up thinking about what the security looks like at different polling locations, thinking about training that they have for those poll workers to handle different situations.
Unfortunately, voter intimidation is not something that`s new to American society. So a lot of these administrators have dealt with this before. And they`re looking at how they`re going to deal with it again, trying to have a balance between providing more security, while also making sure that the polls are as accessible as possible to everybody.
One of the things that we power, the polls have found to be incredibly inspiring. And all of this is that when people hear about threats to poll workers, that actually inspires them to sign up, when people think about and hear about the polarization around elections, they think I want to stand up and do this in my community, because I know how critical it is for everybody in my community to be able to vote. And so rather than sort of putting people off, people really feel this motivation to step up. And that`s why it`s so important for us to raise awareness around this, to acknowledge the challenges that we`re facing this year. But also to acknowledge that a lot of folks who are, you know, people`s moms, they are people that show up for most of the neighborhood needs that their neighborhood has, those are the folks who are showing up to be poll workers this year, just because they want to make sure everybody in their community can vote.
RUHLE: And what happens if the very people who ran those good poll workers out of their jobs, what if those people then fill them?
SLUSSER: Well, we do see that there had been some recruitment efforts on in different areas, to get folks in who have come in at with that perspective, a lot of election administrators, it`s not very easy to become a poll worker, it`s a really difficult job, it requires making it through lots of trainings, making it through different types of vetting. So I feel pretty confident that election administrators are really focused on getting folks who are showing up for the right reasons. We have lots of people who say I don`t care. If you vote for this person or that person, I don`t care if people are showing up to vote for whoever my candidate is. I just want to make sure that everybody can. Administrators are good at, weeding out folks who have different motivations and making sure that they have poll workers there, who are really motivated for the right reasons.
RUHLE: Poll workers, also known as patriots. Jane, thank you so much for joining, I appreciate it.
When we come back, the history making NFL player who headed back to Tampa Bay for the upcoming season, when THE 11TH HOUR continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:57:54]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARL NASSIB, NFL DEFENSIVE END: I just want to take a quick moment to say that I`m gay. I`ve been meaning to do this for a while now. But I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: The last thing before we go tonight, a first down for acceptance. Last summer NFL Defensive End Carl Nassib made history. When he posted that video. He became the first and only active NFL player to be openly gay. And that was a very big deal. Back in 2014, NFL hopeful Michael Sam came out before he entered the draft. But he never played a regular season NFL game. Not long ago, Nassib, explained his decision to publicly come out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASSIB: And I like stared at the phone for like an hour just looking at it and like trying to hype myself up. And the last thing I saw was like, you know what, for the kids and I like press post, I just wanted to show that you really doesn`t matter your sexual orientation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: Damn rights, but after the Raiders released him in March, he became a free agent with an uncertain future. That was until today, when Nassib signed a one year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it`s a homecoming of sorts for the 60s and veteran. NBC News points out he is back where he delivered two of his most productive seasons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has a lot of versatility. He brings a lot of energy, brings a lot of toughness. And, you know, he understands the system. He was comfortable in it. So, you know, we look forward to him coming here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: He`s also bringing a lot of positivity off the field. A few months ago, he announced a partnership with the Trevor Project, which offers support to LGBTQ young people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASSIB: Out there right now there`s a kid saying that I`d rather be dead than be gay. And that`s why I`m partnering again with the Trevor Project and matching all donations up to $100,000. I really hope you guys join me in supporting this awesome organization and supporting these young kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: The newest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take us off the air tonight.
And on that note, I wish you all a very good night. And from all of our colleagues across the networks of NBC News, thanks for staying up late with us. But tonight do not go anywhere a special live edition of Alex Wagner tonight starts right now. And Alex in true NBC form, on your very first night, your big night, they asked you to work a double. Welcome back, Alex Wagner. This is how we roll.
ALEX WAGNER, MSNBC ANCHOR: Show put into the deep end, Stephanie.
RUHLE: There you go, a double. And by the way, what are you doing from three to 6 a.m., we`re also available.
WAGNER: I will hopefully be sleeping.
RUHLE: I hope so too.
WAGNER: My friend, I`m happy to see you.
RUHLE: Welcome back.
WAGNER: I`m so happy to be just a few feet away. Thank you.
RUHLE: Thank you.