Meet the Press NOW – April 25

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Visit Manulife CA Health to learn more ways Manulife can help. Welcome to me the Press. Now. I'm Kristen Welker in Washington, where President Biden is officially running again.

Today. The President announced his re election bid in a video that echoed his successful 2020 campaign, framing the race once again as a fight for freedom against Trumpism. When I ran for president four years ago, I said we're in a battle for the soul of America and we still are. The question we're facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer.

I know what I want, the srb and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I'm running for re election now. The video did not go into detail about what the president sees as his accomplishments, nor did it lay out concrete goals for a second term.

Instead, it framed his campaign as almost a rerun of the 2020 contest and in anticipation of a rematch against Donald Trump, a face off against what Mr. Biden calls MAGA Repub around the country. Now you're extremists are lying enough to take on those bedrock freedoms. Cutting Social Security that you pay for your entire life while cutting taxes for the very wealthy, dictating what healthcare decisions women can make, banning books and telling people who they can love, all while making more difficult for you to be able to vote.

Now the President's re election campaign launch consists he is facing some very significant political headwinds and challenges. As we reported, our new NBC News poll shows only a quarter of Americans say Mr. Biden should be running for another term. More than half of Democrats say Mr.

Biden should sit out 2024. Among those who don't want Biden to run, age is a major concern. President Biden would be 82 on Inauguration Day of 2025. It's a problem the Biden campaign clearly knows it has to address.

Here's Biden campaign national co chair of South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn this morning. I think the president is going to have to deal with the whole issue of age. He is 80 years old, I might add. I'm 82.

I do believe that he's up to the task. And that is something that we just cannot pretend is not on people's minds. So I think he has to show the energy that he's been showing over the past several months. And we're going to talk to Congressman Clyburn in just a moment as they're about their new strategy, their messaging and their candidate, of course.

But first, joining me from the White House with the very latest on the president's announcement is NBC's Monica Alba. And Shaquille Brewster is on the ground in battleground Wisconsin with voter reaction to the news. Monica, I have to start with you. You have been all over this announcement.

You've been working your sources. We saw the president's official announcement video. What do we know about the message his campaign is trying to send and the strategy moving Forward? Well, in 2019, Kristen, that same video launching that campaign was titled One Word Charlottesville, which the president, then candidate Biden said was the main motivator for getting into race.

Then this time around, it is simply freedom. That is the newer concept that is being introduced here, though of course, that has been echoed through many of the president's remarks since he has taken office. But they are trying to frame this within the context of two things we've heard over and over again. Finish the job, which the president debuted and mentioned more than a dozen times in the State of Union speech earlier this year, and the continued battle for the soul of the nation, which we know is a central idea behind his last successful campaign.

So taking all of that together, I think one of the main takeaways from the video that was about three minutes long is how many times and how often the president was leaning into this in terms of his former political opponent Donald Trump and Trumpism overall. The fact that you even saw an image there of some GOP lawmakers of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who hasn't jumped into the race yet, but is expected to mean that the president isn't going to be shying away from calling this out. And really, this was something we saw during the midterm strategy, this highlighting perceived threats to democracy. That's something you can expect to see time and time again.

And Something else that really stood out, I know to both of us as we watched that video, Kristen, is just how much Vice President Kamala Harris is also featured in the video about a dozen times. And if you look back to 2011 to then President Obama's reelect video, it didn't include Joe Biden, his then vice president, at all. That's not where the focus was. Ironically, here we are, he's the president and it is very clear that he wants to be showcasing his partner in this as many Democrats are wondering how this would set him up in terms of supporting her in the future.

Should that be the direction this goes? You're absolutely right, Monica. And I think you hit all of the key highlights there. And I know you're also tracking the fact the president held his first event as an official candidate, although it was not a campaign event.

He was talking to union workers here in D.C. today. But Michael, what does it tell us about what we can expect to see moving forward in terms of his campaign? And this was by Design in 2019.

This is another potential place where you can compare to what he did back then. His first stop then was Pittsburgh Union hall today. His first remarks as an official candidate to union workers. Oh again, that wasn't his official capacity.

He got some raucous applause and cheers as you would expect the crowd even breaking in at times to chance of four more years. But the president did not really talk about his re election but he said that's not what he was there to focus on. He said he wanted to talk about how he has been the most pro labor president ever to serve. And he really did touch on the fact that Americans are still really feeling the pinch from inflation and that that's not lost on him that he wants to continue with his economic vision to help Americans.

Of course, all of those things fit into what he's going to talk about as a candidate even though that's not what he was doing immediately and we shouldn't expect him to do that for some time. Kristen. I'm told he's going to continue more in his official capacity, traveling, governing and he'll really get into more traditional campaign style on the road way down the line. Yeah.

Monica, 10 seconds. Just bring up the speed on the headline the press secretary made and then she had to issue another statement about it. In the briefing she was asked does President Biden time to serve all eight years? And she said that something for him to decide.

I don't want to get ahead of it. And just moments after the briefing rap she had to issue a tweet walking that back, saying she was trying to be careful of the law and her position as White House press secretary, but confirming that if elected to another term, she says President Biden would serve all eight years. All right. Covering all the angle Shack Rooster, let me turn to you.

You are in a blue city in a purple state. You've been talking to voters throughout the day there in Wisconsin. What are folks saying to you about this announcement video? How did it hit?

Well, for one, it was not a shock or surprise to anyone in this coffee shop today. They said they saw this coming. They were expecting an announcement at some point from President Biden. But one thing that I really connected with in my conversations is both the idea that they reflected what we saw in that poll, our NBC News poll.

But they also added some perspective to that polling. That poll that showed about 70% of Americans said they did not want President Biden to run for re election, including a majority of Democrats. And then among those who said they didn't want him to run, many of them citing age as a factor. Age is something that came up among everyone I talked to, mostly unprompted.

It was something that they brought up as a main area of concern. But Chris, and the key distinction is that amongst Democrats, especially in this blue area of the purple state, they said that that is not something that would hold them back from supporting Biden and in the future, especially if they see a President Trump or Ron DeSantis on the ballot. So what that equates to in this area where enthusiasm matters so much is a lukewarm support for President Biden. And I want you to listen to some of the exchanges I had that really lays that out.

He seems like he could. He has demonstrated. He's done okay. There's not a lot of other strong Democratic ones that you hear just based on kind of how the past four years have gone.

And like a lot of promises haven't really been held up. I'm not that confident in him anymore. If those are my gonna be my two choices, 100% Biden. I can't do another four years from Trump.

I really wanted a progressive, younger Democrat to go for him. Now. One other area President Biden has an opportunity is that many people didn't mention his accomplishments that the White House talks about all the time. That is perhaps an opportunity for President Biden once he eventually does the campaign trail.

All right, Shack booster, a road warrior. Great interviews. Thank you for bringing all of that to us. Really appreciate it.

Joining now South Carolina Democratic Congressman And Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn. He is also, of course, a Biden campaign co chair and was instrumental in turning around President Biden's campaign during the 2020 primary. Congressman, thank you so much for being here. Oh, thank you very much for having me.

I want to get your reaction to what we saw in President Biden's announcement video. He seemed to put the focus on former President Trump going after ultra MAGA Republicans. A lot of people saw it as taking a page from his playbook in 2020. Are you comfortable with that strategy?

Is it a winning strategy? Well, I'm very comfortable with the President contrasting himself with the MAGA Republicans and that one in particular. But I'm also interested in him continuing his pursuit of a more perfect union. I think that all of the stuff that you hear my Republicans will give you all the headlines you want.

Joe Biden's gonna make headway. And that's what this is all about. Who will be out here making headlines? Who will be out here making headway?

And their styles are different, but there's no substitute for substance. And Joe Biden has substance and let them have the style. A lot of people saw this campaign video, though, and thought, we're in for a rerun of 2020. Is that fair?

Well, that is fair, but this time you've got a record to run on. Joe Biden was talking about what he will do now. He's gonna be able to show what he has done. We didn't hear a whole lot about that, though, in this video.

Was it a mistake? Was it a miss? Not to lay out what the President sees as his key accomplishments. Do you wish he'd done that?

No, I wish he would do that. When he goes down the trailer, when you're doing these videos, you're hitting the highlights. You can't get into the weeds, so to speak. But he didn't even hit the highlights, Congressman.

Well, I think he did. Once again, it's all about the difference in style. We need to be assured that this President has his focus in the right place. Not all over the place, but talking about what this country's all about, how he perceives himself fitting into the future of this country, what he's going to do to pass on to our children, our grandchildren, a better country.

That's what this is all about. Congressman, to that point, if he were to have mentioned one thing that you believe to be one of his accomplishments, what would that be? What should he have touted in this video? Rescuing this country, Getting our kids back in school, Getting People back to work, getting people out of hospitals, putting this democracy back on track, the water more perfect union.

Let me ask you this question. Can the president, can Democrats make the case for President Biden without using the words Trump and MAGA Republicans? Well, why should we? I think we need to talk about MAGA Republicans, you know, do a lot of stuff, history.

And I've been saying that whoever put this effort together that led up to January 6th, they studied 1876. They saw what happened in 1876 and tried to replicate that on January 6th. That is because back then they talk about these radical Republicans. Today, Trump is talking about MAGA Republicans.

Let's remind the people of what kind of Republican that really is. I guess part of what I'm getting on our latest, you've seen our latest NBC News poll and it shows that only 41% approve of the job that President Biden is doing. Can he win this race? If this is a referendum on him, on the job he's doing as president, there's going to be a referendum on him and he can win on that because he's got the record to run off even with numbers like that.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Because right now he is out there against the quote, generic Republican. Let's wait until you measure him against his opponent.

As he always say, don't compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative. But these voters are just talking about his performance in this poll. This is, this poll, this is solely focused on him. So what gives you that confidence?

Because when you dig down within the 41%, they all say they offer Joe Biden, they like the programs, they like the rescue plan, the infrastructure plan. They love the Chips and Science act, they love the infrastructure Reduction act, the PAC act that took veterans into a new place, the so called first time that we've had a real good attempt at controlling safety in our communities. These are six bills that this person is very, very proud of. And then look at what he did for student debt and he's continued to do it.

Let me take my next point, which is the RNC statement, which I'm sure you saw former President Trump also responding. They said today, quote, if voters let Biden finish the job, inflation will continue to skyrocket, crime rates, rates will continue to rise, among other things. What should the president's strategy be for countering that narrative? Don't pay attention to them.

Look at the records. Crime is going down everywhere in New York as well. Look at the record. Inflation on the decrease.

Look at the record. Not what they say, but look at the record. And this president is gonna put the record out there and this record is very clear. I do wanna talk to you about the president's age, but one analyst said today the real wild card is not his age.

It's actually the economy. Do you think that's true? As we talk about inflation, the economy is always a wild card, no matter when you have an election, no matter who the candidate might be. It's the economy, stupid.

It's the economy. So do his prospects rise and fall based on what we see with inflation, with a potential recession, which some economists say someone down the road, whether we laugh or not, yes. And I think that he's doing all the right things. You know, it's one thing to talk about inflation in general.

It's something we have to talk about. People, when you say, hey, I just capped your insulin cost at $35 a month, that is controlling the inflationary spiral within your medicine. Let's dig a little deeper into the numbers. Half of all Democrats.

Congressman, Democrats don't want to see President Biden run again in nearly 3 in voters overall. How concerning are those numbers to you? None at all. Once again, when you talk about this is your candidate Biden, this is your candidate, whoever the MAGA Republican might be, that's when the comparisons come.

And I have to ask you about black voters because currently, based on our latest poll, they are split over President Biden. Why do you think that is? And how does the president bring them back? Well, I think that they're there.

What we've got to do is remind these black voters who kept all these HBCUs afloat when COVID 19 shut them down. It was Joe Biden who did it, who kept the insulin cost, who rescued this economy. You've got to show people exactly what you did for them, what you did for their families and what you did for their communities. And when you show them those three things, you don't have to worry about the result.

And I don't have to tell this because we've been talking about this throughout the day, but age is a top factor, a top concern for a number of voters who don't think that the president should seek a second term for reelection. How should the president counter those who feel like he's just not going to be up for the job for another four more years, that he might be today, but that four years is unknown? Well, he shows that age may do something about style, but with age comes substance. And that's what this president is going to be able to show.

Like I told my golfing brothers, I mean, I hit it as long as I used to. I'm two years older than the President, but I'm much more accurate because I've got the experience. I know exactly how to play this course. I know where to put the ball.

And so that's what you got to learn. These people got to know exactly how to play the game. And that doesn't mean hitting the long ball every time. So we should expect him to try to use age to his advantage.

He's going to have that. Okay. We asked about the vice president. She appeared 11 times in this video.

And as you know, Republicans have signaled they are going to train a number of their attacks on Vice President Harris. Do you think she is ready and braced for the level of onslaught that's coming her way? Absolutely. Absolutely.

And I'm glad to see her break out of this. You saw it down there in Tennessee when she went down that evening. She was in her element. They have finally decided to leave her alone.

Let Kamala be Kamala, and we are going to be fine. She showed it on reproductive, reproductive rights. She is. She is going to be a tremendous compliment to this campaign.

And if she needed to serve at some point, are you confident she'd be ready on day one? Yes, I am. I'm very confident. Let me ask you about the debt limit fight.

As you know, that is something that is looming large over Washington. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is trying to get a vote through the House to raise the debt limit to cut spending. President says he's not going to negotiate. Do you think that that is the right strategy given that we are inching so close to this deadline of potentially going over the cliff?

The President's job is to maintain security for this country. And nothing is more a part of security than maintaining the good faith and credit of the United States of America. He is not going to do anything to jeopardize that. And I don't see why McCarthy won't join him in that.

If you want to talk about spending, there's a time to talk about that. We've got to do a budget. And let's talk about what you cut and what you may want to see increased. But do not run the risk of undermining the good faith and credit of the United States of America, because these are debts that have already been incurred.

And we got the obvious. I hear what you're saying, but, Congressman, given that, should President Biden invite Speaker McCarthy to the White House to hash out a deal and to get this done? Well, I'm sure he will when he thinks it's the proper time to do it. You don't think that's right now?

I think my members already once and hasn't invited him back. Well, who knows when the maybe tomorrow, who knows? But you don't have any indication that he's coming tomorrow? I have no idea.

Okay. Congressman, thank you so much for your insights. Thank you very much for having me. It's always good to see you.

Coming up, new developments in the legal peril facing former President Trump as Georgia's district attorney warns local authorities to prepare for new charging decisions this summer. We're live in Atlanta with the latest next. Plus, President Biden says he'll veto the House GOP's debt ceiling proposal as Speaker McCarthy tries to get Republicans in line and diffuse an economic time bomb where negotiations go. You're watching.

Get the press now. Did you know that everyday activities like ASMR can actually be healthy for you? Right now you're improving your heart health, boosting your brain activity and lowering your stress. Manulife wants you to see healthy living differently so you can live a longer, healthier life.

Visit Manulife Ca Health to learn more ways Manulife can help. Welcome back. As former President Trump now faces an official Democratic presidential opponent. He's also facing multiple civil and criminal investigations, including his recent indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, special counsel DRAXMUS investigation into January 6, and the misandela classified documents.

And another case got underway today. New York City, a nine person jury is now seated in columnist E. Jean Carroll's sexual assault and defamation case against Donald Trump. Carroll alleges Mr.

Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 90s. Mr. Trump has called the allegation a hoax. It is unclear if the former president will testify in person or rely on his deposition.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says she will be announcing charging decisions from her election interference investigation as soon as July. Joining me now is Blaine Alexander in Atlanta. Blaine, thanks so much for joining me. So let's talk about this timeline because in January, finally, Willis said announcement was imminent.

We now know that timetable has shifted to this summer. What more do we know about the timing of the letter that was released? Well, Kristen, a couple of big headlines from this one, the fact that we now actually have a time frame. This is certainly the clearest indication that she's given us of when we can expect to see charging decisions come down.

So the bracket that she's given is July 11 through September 1. That's the fourth quarter for the superior court here in Fulton county. And she says that she plans to release her charging decision sometime in that time frame. But I think what's really notable here is the way that she made this news, the way she made this announcement.

This was in letters to some of the leading law enforcement officials here in the city of Atlanta in Fulton County. So we're talking about the sheriff of Fulton county, we're talking about the police chief for Atlanta, basically putting them on notice, giving them a two plus month Runway to say, hey, I want to make sure you guys have sufficient time to do what you need to do and make sure people are secure. Now, for those of us who have been watching this very closely, of course, but after having covered this for the better part of a year, Kristen, I do think that it's notable because really this is the clearest indication, the fact that security is already top of mind, the fact that she's asking officials to think of security, really, it's the clearest indication that she's given that she is preparing charges, that she's possibly preparing charges against high level officials, including potentially the former president. All right, Lane Alexander, thank you so much for your reporting as always.

We appreciate it. Great to see you. Up next, primary politics, abortion and the Republican Party. How one Republican presidential candidate is trying to take a stance on the issue by not actually taking a stance on the issue.

We'll delve into that's next. You're watching THE PRESS now. Welcome back. As we mentioned at the top of the hour today, with Republicans rallying around Trump and President Biden's re election campaign launch today, the strategy has been officially set for a likely stage, I should say has been officially set for a likely Biden, Trump rematch in 2024.

Same candidates, very different circumstances for the campaigns and the country. Journey down is my panel. Washington Post early 202 co author Leon Caldwell, Naveen Nyak, president and executive director of the center for American Progress Action Fund and Brendan Buck, former advisor to House Speaker Paul Ryan and John Boehner and an NBC News political analyst. Great to see all of you.

Thanks for being here. So, Leanne, let me start with you and what we saw and heard today in this announcement video by President Biden. It felt a lot like 2020 focus on Trump, focus on the fight for the heart and soul of the nation. What did you make of it?

Do you think it's an effective strategy? Congressman Clyburn was here defending the strategy, but a lot was left out of the video. A lot was Left out. But it's interesting how it opened on January 6 and it opened on abortion.

And those are two images that Republicans or Democrats have really been homing in on, especially in the last election as well. MAGA extremism and this abortion issue as well, all tied together in Donald. I think that it was a much more aspirational video that when you compare to what a potential challenger like Donald Trump is talking about, it was a little motivating, it was a little bit more optimistic. But saying, trying to point to some accomplishments.

Of course, he didn't talk about the challenges that have come. But. But, you know, I think it was a good start. Democrats I talked to, especially on Capitol Hill, actually, they think that they want Biden to run.

There's no one who is stepping up to replace him who would be a good challenger at this point. And so I think people are relatively comfortable, even though the polling shows that most Americans don't want to run again. What did you make of it? And the points that Leigh Ann is making, which is that Democrats don't see anyone else having a better chance against former President Trump if he does, in fact, win the nomination.

Right. I mean, I think there's two things. One is on the video itself, I think, really setting up the choice between more freedoms, more rights, your freedoms, and fewer rights. And I think the thing that's different from 2020 is the two biggest events that happened since then, the insurrection of the violence in the capital and taking away a fundamental right around abortion.

So I think that although there's an element that's a repeat, obviously with the candidates, the country's changed quite dramatically in the last couple of years. And I think it makes it even harder for Republicans. And I do think there is a disconnect. I think a lot of elites, people who pay attention to politics, think that it's not just that there's not enough challengers, that Joe Biden has earned this choice.

And he's had one of the most successful two years in terms of legislative accomplishments dealing with international conflict. So it's not just that. There's not something else I think people actually feel like, and there's a disconnect with voters. But he's got a lot of work to do.

He's been underwater in polling for months and months and months. When the majority of your own party doesn't want you to run again, that's a problem. And I think we should acknowledge that's a problem. It was a pretty underwhelming launch.

I thought a video there's no rally. It's pretty understated. Maybe this is just kicking things off so we can raise some money and put infrastructure in place. I get that.

But I think President misunderstanding, he needs to convince general election voters, swing voters, and he needs to provide some enthusiasm for his own party. Naveen, what about that? Were you surprised that the president didn't tick through what he sees as his accomplishments or what he wants to do with another four years? I mean, I think that'll be a really big part of the campaign over time.

But a launch video has got to be about big things. And I think he really did anchor what this election is going to be about, which is a choice between more freedom and greater rights for all Americans and what Republicans and mag Republicans are offering on the other side, which is freedom. And the bay was also very emotional. It was trying to be very emotive, not necessarily factual.

But also getting back to what you said when the majority of the party doesn't want you to run again. Well, my colleagues at the post, they compound polling and a majority of Republicans wanted Donald Trump to run again in 2020. And that doesn't necessarily equate to win in a general election. So, you know, the numbers are the numbers, but it's not necessarily an outcome.

There's so much that's fascinating about the numbers. And one of the things is that both of these candidates are so deeply unpopular, only 5% want to see this rematch. And it seems like former President Trump is going to play the age card against President Biden, which is obviously he's in his late 70s. So I mean, is that an effective line of attack when you're talking about two men who are roughly the same age?

Well, I don't think Donald Trump's ever had problem with hypocrisy or shame. Shamelessness. I don't think that's going to limit him and it doesn't impact with his base. I mean, let's be clear, for all of Donald Trump's talents and abilities, he's very good at honing in on weaknesses and he spots a weakness and hammers it.

Hammers it until it becomes a problem. And he had a nickname for every Republican in 2016. And I actually think that that hurt a lot of them. His age is a problem and it is one of the things that even Democrats cite as a reason they don't want him to run again.

And if he can show that he, if he has energy and enthusiasm and that's and that the current president doesn't, then that's open for him, he's going to attack it and probably won't drop it for a long time. I think it was interesting because Congressman Clyburn was very bullish on this point. He said, look, he should lean into the fact that it has given him more experience. Do you think that's the right strategy to address and to counter the age issue, which there's nothing he can do about?

Obviously, I think the White House is widely aware that this is something American people know about. And I think they're trying to be both humorous about it when it makes sense. And at the end of the day, I think they know that his record, his accomplishments as president, doing the job is the best way to convince people you're able to keep doing it. And so I think they're lean on that strategy.

I want to go out to Ali Talley, who's covering Nikki Haley's speech, and Ali, talk a little bit, if you will, about what. And actually, I think we have some sound from Nikki Haley that we want to play on this issue of abortion. Obviously, Allie, this is going to be a big issue throughout the campaign. We have this out.

Let's go to. I'll get your reaction on the other side. I said I want to save as many babies and help as many moms as possible. That is my goal.

To do that at the federal level, the next president must find national consensus. No Republican president will have the ability to ban abortion nationwide, just as no Democrat president can override the laws of all 50 states. It's just not going to happen. But that does not mean we can't save as many lives as possible.

I do believe there is a federal role on abortion. Whether we can save more lives nationally depends entirely on doing what no one else has done today, and that is to find consensus. Ali, talk to me about this word consensus. What was Nikki Haley trying to do against the backup of Republicans really struggling with how to talk about abortion?

Yeah, word of the day today. Clearly consensus. She used it more than a dozen times in roughly 20 minutes of a speech here in the building behind me this morning. I think that Nikki Haley, as the only woman in the field, provides a different messenger for the policies on reproductive rights that have long been part of the central discussion for conservatives and Republicans.

But she's not averse to the trends that every other Republican is subjected to right now on this, which is that by and large, they are the dogs that caught the car on abortion. It used to be that the blitz test of a Republican primary was, you know, repealing Roe last summer. They got exactly what they've been asking for. And now we're watching every single candidate struggle when asked to articulate the specifics of their position on this issue.

Look, on the one hand, Haley is doing something that her competitors are not, which is trying to be taking this issue head on, being aggressive, talking about it directly. But she's not exactly talking about it directly because in this speech, as much as she talked about trying to find consensus and her past history on really tough emotional issues. She, for example, talked about the way that she dealt with the issue of removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House. That was a huge moment of bipartisan action in her state on an emotional issue.

But at the same time, she downplayed today the conversation that's happening around what the right weak mark is for abortions to be legal. Up until she also downplayed the idea of talking about exceptions for a lot of Americans. Those are very central to this conversation around abortion access. And Haley did not detail any of them.

I could also say that when a candidate leaves a vacuum on specifics like that, other places are more than happy to fill them in. And the Susan B. Anthony list where she gave the speech today is filling in the blank for her. Haley didn't detail whether it was 15 or 20 weeks.

The SBA are coming out today so saying we're clear that her position is 15 weeks. The campaign is not saying that's her position, but these advocacy groups are. Well, that's such an interesting point, Alan. I actually talked to a representative with Susan yesterday who said, look, ultimately they are going to support the candidate who is most aligned with their anti abortion perspective.

And I wonder, given her word and her use of consensus over and over again, do they feel like that is Nikki Haley? And as you say, they're trying to fill in the blanks themselves. Look, to the extent that they like her message and what she stood for in the past, they can point to past bans that she signed when she was governor of South Carolina at 20 weeks, at 15 weeks. All of that is clearly baked into her policy cake, if you will, from even before she became a presidential candidate.

But again, this is going to become very central on the debate stage. Plus the fact that as these Republican candidates get out there and try to talk about the fact that they are happy with what Dobbs did, which was send these decisions back to the states, but also believe that there's a federal role, those two sentences are innately intention because there are states that would like to see more restrictions than Republicans have praised but there are also states that would like to expand access to abortion who would not be able to if there were federal ban or federal thresholds put in place. And so Republicans have yet to be able to explain how those two things can work in concert. And then you also have someone, former President Donald Trump, theoretically saying that this is the state's only issue, which puts him to the more moderate side of the Republican field, despite the fact that he's the one who got rid of Roe in the first place through the course of putting these Supreme Court justice in place.

So this is still a really thorny issue for them, even if they're trying to take head on like Kelly was today. You're absolutely right. And of course his former vice president took him on over those comments. That should be a states issue.

Ali Vitale, thanks so much for being there and giving us that great report from Arlington, Virginia. Really appreciate that the panel is still here. Brendan Buck, this has been such a tough issue so far for Republicans and one of the challenges is something that you and I have discussed before, which is now Roe has been overturned. How much discussion is there about maternal health, about the children who are born who may be adopted, for example?

Do you think Nikki Haley got closer to getting it right today? Fascinating conversation. You and ally is there kind of breaking that down by it was a dodge today. She dodged the issue.

I mean she talked about a process, consensus on what is a really personal relationship to people. I understand why dodging is the right thing to do right now, perhaps because there's not a good answer. And the problem for Republicans, I think is there's a lot of issues you have to debate in a primary. Who's the right, who's to the left of things.

And you just kind of got to get to the primary. This issue, this issue is going to show up in the general big time. And we need to be thinking not just about how we're talking about it in a primary, but how that's going to translate to winning general elections. I think Nikayli is trying to run as somebody who's electable, who can win moderate swing voters.

And I think she's a great candidate for that. And so I think she's speaking a little beyond here and not alienating those people by endorsing a six week ban or a national. I think she's being overly cautious. I think maybe she survived it and did what she needed to do today.

But fascinating to keep an eye on the I think she is acknowledging real problems and I give her credit for being so forthright that this is a political problem for Republicans, but clearly hasn't figured out how to solve this. And the irony, I thought in her comments is to the extent that there's any consensus on this issue in agreement, I'm not sure there is. It was Roe. Roe was the consensus in this country where you add as many Americans saying they supported that measure of viability as a place where not everyone agreed.

But, but as Alice said, it's in conflict with what we all have said. We've always said this is a state's issue and that's why Roe and now even here, like she's not 16 weeks, but she is asserting the idea that this is something that Congress should be dealing with. And that's a big change. Liam, very quickly, some Democrats think that this is going to be a realignment of American voters overturning Roe.

Based on your reporting. Do you think it's gonna be that significant in 2024 based on what we saw in the midterms? Absolutely. Especially if Republicans like Nikki Haley can't come up with a definitive policy plan on what abort.

Democrats are going to make this an issue. They are going to remind voters over and over again. And so it will absolutely be an issue. I think that women, this is not a subtle issue yet, even though the Supreme Court tried to make it so.

All right, great conversation. Thank you so much, Leanne and Brendan, a lot to cover today. After the break, we'll have the very latest on the volatile situation in Sudan where warring factions are accusing each other of breaking a 72 hour ceasefire as Americans try to escape the violence. You're watching the press now.

Welcome back. The temporary ceasefire reached yesterday in Sudan has proven to be short lived as military groups on both sides of the conflict accuse the other of breaking the agreement and attacking the capital city of Khartoum. Today, both sides, Sudan's official military and a prominent paramilitary group maintain that each have not broken the ceasefire. The fighting continues amid a new and worrying warning from the WHO today on the risk of biological hazards in the conflict.

After a laboratory was seized in the fighting, the organization said fighters took over the government lab that houses pathogens used to create measles and cholera vaccines and kicked out the technicians. Today, the State Department reiterated its commitment to helping get as many Americans out as possible given conditions on the ground. It is not standard practice for the US to send US Military into war zones to extract US Citizens. But continuing to be engaged with private American citizens and ensuring that they can take appropriate steps to get to safety to depart the countries that they choose to do so.

But by and large, Duma can't keep them safe as well. Meanwhile, the military has released its first pictures from the mission that evacuated embassy staff over the weekend. Thousands of Americans, many of them dual citizens, still remain trapped in the middle of the fighting. Turning now to some sad news on the passing of a major figure from the world of entertainment and politics.

Harry Belafonte died today of congestive heart failure at his home in New York City. Belafonte, known as the Calypso King, won awards for his music and acting, but his impact as a human rights and civil rights activist matched his impact as a performer. He spoke to NBC's Al Roker in 2017 about his life's work. He was when did you become an activist?

The day I was born. The purpose of art is to show life not as it is, but to show life as it should be. And artists are compelled by the very nature of the gift to do a lot of things that inspire. Elefante was a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr.

And an active member of the civil rights movement. He later became a vocal critic of the South African apartheid government and was arrested during a protest outside the South African Embassy in Washington. Belafonte was also one of the artists behind the song We Are the World World, which raised millions of dollars in a for Africa. In a statement released just minutes ago, President Biden commended Belfonte for using his fame and fortune for the public good throughout his extraordinary career.

Harry Belafonte was 96 years old. Welcome back to House to vote as early as tomorrow on Speaker Kevin McCarthy's plan to raise the debt limit. The House Rules Committee began marking up the bill moments ago and that process could drag on well into the night with Democrats expected to oppose the plan. McCarthy can afford just four GOP defectors.

He wants to pass it and McCarthy has acknowledged that this offer, which has no chance of passing the Democratic led Senate, is about getting his caucus on the same page as he tries to spur negotiations with the White House. But the White House reiterated today that President Biden is opposed to the proposal, saying he would veto it in a very unlikely event it got to his desk. For more, I'm joined by Congressman Steve Womack, Republican from Arkansas, and the Appropriations Committee. Thank you for being here.

Yeah, good to be with you, Christian. So let me just start off on your thoughts about the prospects for this bill getting passed. How confident are you that Speaker McCarthy will get the votes to pass his debt limit plan? Why don't we talk about that here in a few hours after the Rules Committee.

You know, they're meeting right now and they're discussing it. We went into the day, into the week knowing that there were some issues regarding the ethanol subsidies that some of our Corn Belt people were concerned about some resistance on, on the work requirements for federal benefits. So there are still some fractions of the caucus that are having trouble coalescing around this entire bill. But what I've said repeatedly, I'll say again today, this is, and you just said it, this is about getting us to the table on negotiations.

So this is Kevin McCarthy, the speaker of the House's way of pulling from each of the corners of our particular conference the best ideas that we have of what it would take for us to be able to agree to raising the debt ceiling. You know, we're $32 trillion in debt. We're going to add about a trillion 4ish to the national debt this particular year. Interest payments on the national debt are at record levels.

So I think this is a reflection of where we believe the country should be going, the direction it should take to start solving for that fiscal issue. So, Congressman, just to be very clear, and again, as I laid out at the top, he can only afford four GOP defectors. You are saying right now, now it's just not clear that the votes are there at this present point. Well, I would say as you and I are talking, the votes may not be there.

I am not privy to what those discussions are. I know the speaker was meeting with the Iowa Republicans today. I know that there have been other communiques with people that have some different thoughts about different pieces of it. And whenever you propose, you know the number and type of issues that we think should be addressed, whether it's capping spending or whether we should claw back unspent Covid funds, as I said, green, green, New Deal subsidies that are involved in this, you know, student loan repayment.

Those are the areas that we are dealing with right now that have come from the four corners. And that's what Kevin is trying to do. He's trying to put together a package that we can rally behind and get us to the negotiating table, knowing, as you said, knowing that what we're going to get in return is going to look different than what we send over. But the first thing we have to do is find 218 for this.

Let me ask you this question. You tweeted that, quote, maintaining the full faith and credit of our nation is paramount. If that means supporting a clean debt Limit extension. Would you vote for that if it came down to the wire?

Well, we're not there yet, so I can't answer that question. What I will tell you is that, and I stand by what I say about not defaulting the full faith and credit of our country, but I do think in any serious negotiation, you have to have two parties willing to sit down at the table and discuss. We have put forward a list of things that we would like to see in it. The other side is saying we want to clean that ceiling.

Somewhere in between is reality. I would hope that my friends on the other side of the aisle and the White House would be willing to come back with some compromises, because I think the general public, the American people, realize you can't keep digging this hole deeper and deeper, and a clean debt ceiling commission's more of the same. But I hear you say you're not ruling out necessarily supporting a clean debt limit if that's what's necessary to keep the country never say what you'll never do. And I'm not willing to sign up for that because I don't want that to be the marker that we're using to judge whether or not we have a deal.

I will not be engaged in those discussions. That will be the speaker and his leadership team. But somewhere out of this, we've got to come to agreement as, As a body, as a Congress, that we can't continue digging this hole deeper than it already is. I wonder if you can put this into context for us in terms of what you think it means for Speaker McCarthy.

Do you think his speakership could be on the line with not just this vote, but with this moment to try to get the government raised? Well, I think not. Look, I give Kevin props for being able to put a fractious conference together the way he has, having gone through 15 rounds in the Speaker's vote back in January and to be where we are today, where he's got literally four or five different caucuses within the conference that are working together for a compromise deal that we think makes sense that Democrats ought to come to the table and be willing to discuss with us. So I gave him high marks for that.

I don't think his speakership is necessarily imperiled by that. I think the answer to that question will be when it's all said and done. Done. Did we get to 18?

Were we able to coalesce around the bill? Were we able to get across the finish line and enter those negotiations? That is the ultimate test of leadership. Congressman, would you personally be willing to sacrifice to get a deal done on this.

Is there something you can identify that you'd be willing to drop? Well, I'm a senior appropriator. So, you know, the appropriations business is something that I do. I'm a budget chair.

Look, I'd like to have some spending restraint. I would really like for us to be able to agree that we're spending too much money. Now we're going to do it. Are we going to fix the balance sheet of the federal government on the discretionary budget alone, no.

But I think it would be a step in the right direction and send a signal to the American people that the Congress recognizes you cannot continue to outstand your revenues. We spent $6.2 trillion last year. We made 4.9 trillion. We have a trillion four hole that we're going to add to the current debt.

And I think in anybody's book that is an unacceptable condition for the country and it's not sustainable and we should be doing something about it. All right. Congressman Steve Wilmack, thank you so much for joining us, for bringing us your perspective as we continue to watch these very important talks about the delament. Hope to see you guys soon and thank you for being with us this hour.

Check us back tomorrow with more media press now. NBC News now coverage continues with Hallie Jackson right now. I'm Craig. Mel.

Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. I've always been a glass half full kind of guy and now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way, too.

Some really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges. Their stories are funny and mechanical. So I hope you'll join me each week. Who knows, you might just come away with your own glass half full.

Search Glass Half Full with Craig Melford From Today on YouTube and wherever you get the podcast.