Meet the Press NOW — May 9

If it's Friday, delegation driven decisions. President Trump opens the door to decrease tariffs and increase taxes, upping the pressure on his cabinet and Congress to make some consequential calls. Plus, Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first masses pontiff and offers new signals on what kind of leader he will be for the church and Catholics around the globe. And a second major air scare rattles Newark Airport.

A veteran controller telling NBC News it's like, quote, driving your car knowing the brakes will go out anytime, putting passengers on edge as the Trump administration vows to overhaul the nation's air traffic control systems. Welcome to MEET THE press. Now I'm Kristen Welker in Washington at the end of a very busy week in the nation's capital. We do begin with President Trump, who's been shifting his tone on some key decision in his administration this week.

Let's start on the economy ahead of key trade talks with China this weekend. In Switzerland, President Trump made a social media post this morning flowing a potential change in his administration's 145% tariff on Chinese goods, though leaving the details up to his treasury secretary. The President posting, quote, 80% tariff on China seems right up to Scott B. That's of course, a reference to Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who will be part of those talks in Switzerland.

Now, while it's unclear what President Trump MEANT with that 80% number, it does come after President Trump said in the Oval Office Wednesday that he would not lower the 145% tariffs to help talks with China. Substitute negotiation. You have to bring down the 145% tariffs. Are you willing to pull it back to tariffs in order to get China to negotiate?

TABLE no. Then there's Capitol Hill, where House Republican leaders are working to navigate internal differences to build a consensus on the president's sweeping tax and spending cut package. And now they are considering Another suggestion for Mr. Trump that departs from longstanding Republican positions, raising taxes on higher income earners.

My Capitol Hill college report that President Trump privately urged Speaker Johnson on Wednesday to consider raising the top tax rate and closing the carried interest loophole as a way to help fund his wide ranging agenda. And while NBC News reporting shows the idea came from the White House, the president wrote on social media this morning, quote, republicans should probably not do it, but I'm okay if they do. This marks a notable shift for President Trump who as recently as April appeared to dismiss the idea of raising taxes on hireners. I think it would be very disruptive because a lot of the millionaires would leave the country.

You know, the old days they left states. They go from one state to the other. Now with transportation so quick and so easy, they leave countries. You lose a lot of money if you do that.

And other countries that have done it have lost a lot of people. They lose their wealthy people. That would be bad because the wealthy people pay the tax. We have been working against that idea.

I'm not in favor of raising the tax rates because that's our party is the group that stands against that. Traditionally, I don't think we're raising taxes on anybody. What we're trying to do is prevent the larger tax increase in U.S. history.

Now when I sit down last week President Trump told me he didn't know if he had to uphold the constitutional right to be processed for non citizens and referred to Justice Department lawyers. He also deferred to his cabinet earlier this week when asked about sending migrants to Libya. Take a look at I don't know. You have to ask Homeland Security, please.

Let's bring in a couple of my NBC News colleagues with more on all of this. Misha Alads outside the White House and Melanie Zenona, is that her post on Capitol Hill? Yamiche, let me start with you and this weekend's meeting in China, high stakes. President TRUMP Posting that 80% tariffs seems right.

What exactly did he mean by that? Yamiche, what does it say here with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessens meeting with his Chinese counterpart? Well, Kristen, it is a big question of what the president meant by that. He laid out a very firm number there at 80% but also saying up to quote Scott B.

Which of course is Scott Besson, the Treasury secretary. So I think the president in some ways is trying to lay out an outline and hinting and signaling that he's willing to lower this 145% tariff, which is really effort right now on China. That being said, it's still very unclear what the president actually wants to see happen here when it comes to China other than deescalating it seems this trade war. The White House secretary was asked about this.

They listen to what she said just a few hours ago. The president still remains with his position that he's not going to unilaterally bring down terrorists on China. We need to see concessions from them as well. That's where the 80% number that was numbered the president throw out there and we'll see what happens this weekend.

And always an effort of transparency. I'm sure you'll hear directly from the treasury secretary or the president after those negotiations. So it's just a number that he's throwing out there. That's where we are in negotiations.

It'll be very interesting to see what happens in Switzerland when U.S. officials and Chinese officials sit down for the first time ever to have real, actual trade negotiations since President Trump put in these new tariffs. Christian? Yeah, Yamiche.

The stakes could not be higher in Switzerland this weekend. I know you and the team will be tracking that incredibly closely. Let me ask you about another area that we've been following, of course, what President Trump has called his big, beautiful bill. And we have reporting that President Trump has raised the idea of increasing taxes on top earners, those making $2.5 million and more.

What do you know about that? Where do those discussions stand? Well, this is really interesting. The president urged House Speaker Mike Johnson in this private call to raise the tax rate on the highest earners on wealthy people.

But he's doing this because he's trying to find savings in this bill because he wants to do things like increase spending when it comes to immigration enforcement, defense spending. He also wants to extend those 2017 tax steps that he did the first time he was in office. So it's really interesting to see how it's happened that it seems like that's where the president is coming from when he says we need to get generate some money somewhere. So it'll be very interesting to see what happens.

But as you can tell, the president is not shy away from inserting himself into this bill as lawmakers are trying to figure out what to do. Of course, next week he's going to be in the middle. He's traveling in the first major foreign trip as they're trying to write this bill. But I suspect based on my sources that the president will be not shy of calling in and weighing in as lawmakers are trying to put that together.

One of the big sticky points is what to do about entitlements, Medicaid in particular. There are concerns that Republicans are going to in some way slash or hamper Medicaid coverage as a part of this big, beautiful bill. President Trump telling me in our one on one interview last week that that's off the table for him. Is that still the case based on everything that you're hearing, talking to your sources there, the White House, based on my sourcing that when he told you is still holding.

The problem with that, of course, is that Republicans, especially hardline Republicans, they're demanding some cuts. They're saying, look, these are entitlement programs that we found, waste, fraud. And they're saying, you know, the Department of government efficiency that is looking at these entire programs and say that they need to be changed, they need to be cut down. But the president is in some way trying to stick to that promise that he makes the American people, frankly, people that rely on Social Security, rely on Medicare, rely on Medicaid.

He doesn't want the president to take those things away from people. But it's gonna be, I think, a really, really hard negotiation to actually see. I think you're absolutely right about that. Thank you so much.

Starting us off from the White House now. Let me head over to you on Capitol Hill. Let's start off by talking about the possibility of increasing taxes on the highest earners. It's really fascinating because President Trump tweeted about how politically perilous it is.

And after you're reporting, quite frankly, the team's reporting that he had suggested that he came out with this post on social media today basically saying Republicans can do it, it's up to them, they probably shouldn't. And it was a little bit of trying to have it both ways. What's the very latest you're hearing? Well, perhaps the reason for that post this morning from Donald Trump is that he's been getting a lot of pushback since this reporting came out and since he pitches that he had to make Johnson in a phone call on Wednesday.

Now, I will say that leadership was entertaining this idea. They have been trying to figure out whether it's workable and whether the votes are there. And it makes sense in some ways for Republicans. It solves a lot of problems for them.

It solves the math problem that they're facing. It also gives them a better message against the anticipated Democratic attacks. But over the last 48 hours or so, my colleague Julie Serkin and I have learned that the books just aren't there at this moment for a tax hike on the wealthy, something that really defies decades of traditional orthodoxy within the Republican Party. It's not just Republicans on Capitol Hill who are pushing back.

It's also some influential outside groups as well. I spoke to Grover Norquist. He's the president of Americans for Tax Reform. He said Trump called him up on Wednesday as well to get his input.

And Grover Norquist laid out his case and his argument for why he thinks this is a bad idea. And Norquist at least walked away with the impression that Trump was receptive to that argument. Now, it's a little unclear where Trump stands. He has had mixed signals on this.

He said different things. That post you referenced this morning also was a bit ambiguous but what is clear that time is running out for Republic to make these really big decisions. And the chairman of the Ways Meetings Committee, which is that t tax committee, is meeting Trump at the White House this afternoon. So perhaps we'll get more clarity after that meeting.

Yeah, I know, Julian, to our sources after that meeting, let's talk talk about Medicaid and what I was talking about the issue because that's the other big part of this. And of course, there is that math problem that Republicans are contending with, the fact that they cannot reach the cuts that they want without touching entitlements or of course, thinking about tweaking the tax code. So that's really where the tensions are. What are you hearing in terms of Medicaid and other entitlements?

Yeah, this is the stickiest and most difficult issues that Republicans have to solve before they can pass this massive tax and immigration bill, which they're hoping to do by Memorial Day. Now, Republicans have really been all over on the map when it comes to Medicaid ruling things in, ruling things out. But it is pretty clear that moderate Republicans have rejected some of the steepest cuts to Medicaid, such as changing the federal match rate for states that expanded Medicaid in their states under the Affordable Care Act. What seems to be something that is still under consideration is whether they're going to institute something called per capita cats or putting a cap on the amount of federal spending that the government is willing to spend for these expansion states point everything is still a light ball.

They have not made any final decisions. And this is something that could really trip up the whole process. Donald Trump says he doesn't want to see Medicaid cuts. These vulnerable Republicans who will determine whether the House is in Republican or Democratic hands in the next Congress.

They don't want to see these Medicaid cuts, but they need to find these savings in order to keep these promises. To the conservative hardliners who want to see cuts, they might have to scale their tax package back. They might have to find savings elsewhere. All but still up for negotiation right now.

Yeah. And 2026 looming very large, as you say, Mel, over all that. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

Hope you have a great weekend. Joining me now on set to discuss all of this is Kevin Fry, Washington correspondent for Spectrum News's New York 1, Anthony Coley, Democratic strategist and an NBC News contributor and Republican strategist, Lance Trover. Thanks to all of you for being here. Kevin, let me start with you.

Let's just talk big picture. About what we're seeing from President Trump, his governing strategy right now. I want to turn back the clock a little bit, play you a question. I back in 2019 and compare that to what we're seeing right now.

Take a look. Does the buck stop with you over this shutdown? The buck stops with everybody. They can solve this problem in literally 15 minutes.

The buck stops with everybody. It's a notable exchange because what we're seeing right now is President Trump increasingly say, look, this is up to Scott B. It's up to my treasury secretary. He gets asked the question on Libya.

He says, you have to ask dhs. I asked him a question about the Constitution. He says, talk to my lawyers. We're seeing that type of a strategy, I think, play out to some extent.

Well. And another component of this ongoing debate on Capitol Hill is the same tax deduction salt. And there's another area where he's not playing the same game. They had these conversations before he even entered office.

All these House Republicans from these bluer states, New York, New Jersey, California and so forth, went down to speak with him. And they came out of that saying, basically, yes, he supports raising the capitalist state local tax deduction, which helps people making hundreds of of dollars, usually the operating envelope. And. But he didn't give us a definitive number.

It's up to all to figure it out. And this creates kind of this chaos on Capitol Hill, whereas we know they need someone to basically tell them this is what it's going to be. And thus the conversation and debate kind of continues to fester. Yeah.

Liz, what do you make of that? What do you make of how President Trump is approaching as Kevin is noting these negotiations and this moment where we are seeing him say, look, you have to ask my treasury secretary. You have to ask what he said. He's a business guy, he's a dealmaker.

And I don't think he. Look, he does set the tone, and he has set the tone. He just wants to get this done. He wants to get a bill done.

And my guess is they will get a bill done on this. That's what it's all about for him. He just wants to get it done. And I think whenever it comes down to he's gonna say, fine.

And if Mike Johnson comes in and says this is the best deal we got, he's gonna go all in and get the most put in. Once they have a deal, you think he will be all on board with it. Anthony, what, if any, role can play here, particularly when you have President Trump opening the door to increasing taxes on the highest income earners. That to some extent runs the risk for Democrats.

I would imagine taking a little bit of wind out of the sales of that argument, the taxes are going down for the highest income earners. So sometimes the best move is no move at all. Sometimes you just want to sit back and like, let the young, like let the young get the old Republicans. House Republicans have been down this road before.

I think back to 2018, that was. We faced that similar political dynamic where we are now Republicans control the House, the Senate, and they have the White House. And in that midterm election, Democrats gained, they netted 40 seats. And so whenever Donald Trump is on the ballot, to his credit, he does well and people on the ballot with him do well.

But when he is not on the ballot like he was in 2018, that makes House Republicans very nervous. And I think that's what we were saying. I feel like you have seen House Democrats start to try to needle them a little more explicitly with actions on Capitol Hill, from trying to force them to sign on to basically a resolution, for example, protecting Medicaid, which is what some of these moderate Republicans say they need to do in some capacity. If they were smart, if the Trump team were thinking strategically here, they would raise taxes on the ultra wealthy.

They would protect taxes on tips. Right. They would like that inoculates that. That takes away a talking point from Democrats.

Yeah. I mean, Lance, I'm just fascinated about where this is going to land because in that post from President Trump, he referen George H.W. bush who says, read my lips, I will not increase tax rates. He up.

And since that moment he says, I'm not gonna be that president. So it's up to Republicans. I mean, where do you. And here's the post right now.

Where do you think this lands? Because it is a way to potentially pay for his priorities. And yet on the other hand, he's making the point that for Republican orthodoxy, it's incredibly fraught. Yeah, I think this was, can I call it floaters from over here on Bill.

I think that's kind of what we saw. I think he's a Bill. We're gonna have a million of these stories over the course of the next several weeks. But here's why I say over again, I always say credit to Mike Johnson.

I think he's the most underestimated person in this town. He gets a lot of, a lot of, like, heat from the media. And I think it's unfair when it comes to crunch time, like he did with a budget A couple months ago. He always puts it over the line.

So I think and he allows his members to talk and say what they like and what they don't like. This is all part of his process. They'll Republicans are failing this. I mean, it is kind of remarkable.

He does get things over the line. He gets counted out. Everyone says it's impossible. He can't do it.

Of course, with a big assist over and over again from President Trump. They're saying they want to get this done through the House by Memorial Day and to the president's desk by July 4th. Is that realistic? What are your sources telling you?

Good luck with that. I would say this one, I will add the caveat that, yes, he's an understated individual, which I think it builds into this. Like he's not fully in control. He has had a course moment where he's put things on the floor and they have failed spectacularly because his numbers are basically votes against him.

That said, I mean, they've already punted some of these hearings that were flowed as being scheduled in recent weeks. Now they've been pushed to this week. There is still ongoing feuding, particularly when comes the Energy and Congress Committee about how they're going to land on some of the key components of this bill. And so until you see that coalescing this idea of getting something done by Memorial Day.

Yes, jet fumes always feed desires to. But it's going to be complicated. It is going to be complicated. As we watch this play out, we are hearing from former President Biden.

Anthony, for the first time since, of course, President Trump took the White House and he left office, he decided to talk to the BBC and the View and he basically still insists he thinks he could have beat President Trump. What do you make of what we are hearing from President Biden and is it helping Democrats who are quite frankly trying to revive the party in this moment? No, it is not helping at all. Democrats have a brand problem.

Every time Joe Biden rears his head, it forces Democrats to to fight an old fight. To your first question, I think Joe Biden right now is still coming to grips with his decision in the winter of 2022 to stand for reelection. This was right after the midterm elections when Democrats did better than many of us anticipated. It was after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and his poll ratings never recovered that.

But if you, if you fast forward to the winter of 2022, Kristen, he that was the moment when he should have made a vow, stuck with his vow to voters to be a transitional president. He did not do that. He gambled. He put his own ambition above what was best for his party and his country.

And now we are all suffering from that selfish decision. Kevin, it's so fascinating because he got pressed on that decision, and he says things were just happening so quickly and we were having progress. And he argues in an interview this week he wanted to see it through. How is that argument?

And we see how it's landing, but how's it landing, broadly speaking? I mean, I think there's just a general desire, as Andrew's just saying, to move on, to move past this chapter. I mean, there's already this ongoing infighting in Capitol Hill. So who is the leader and how, how are they holding the baton?

The last thing they want is to look back and see Joe Biden hanging around the back of the back of the P are kind of still part of this. And you have seen, Obviously, plenty of 20, 28 potential contenders starting to make their little maneuvers as they try to, you know, carry the party forward. I'm not sure that having the, you know, ghost of Christmas past watching is really what they're looking for. And let's begin trying to move on.

When I sat down with President Trump, boy, he spent a lot of time talking about former President Biden, his old rival, who still seems to be his greatest foil. Well, I mean, as a Republican tale, I want more Joe Biden. This is not coin. This is not useful for the Democrats.

Look, I don't know if it's advising. I think he has a lot of personal angst over things and feels he has to go out and do that. But if you're the Republicans, it's great because, because, look, 95, 96% of the people during these polls, polls say a bounce voter say they wouldn't change their votes. And you put your bind back out of it.

It just reinforces like, oh, yeah, I really didn't like the last four years. And that's good for this is a freeblood for these upcoming books that we will all look forward to reading. Thank you all. Fantastic conversation.

Thank you. Hope you have a great weekend. Appreciate it. Coming up, Pope Leo XIV's message to the masses, the takeaways from the new pontiff's first homily and what we know about his top priorities as Catholics.

Americans and world leaders react to his historic election. Plus, another outage at Newark Airport. We have new details on this morning's partial radar block as the federal government vows to get America's air traffic control system under control. Stay with us.

You're watching me, the press. Now. You have called me to carry the cross and to be blessed with that mission. And I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me.

Welcome back. Today, Pope Leo xiv, the first American pope, delivered his inaugural homily from the Sistine Chapel. The new leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics began his remarks in English before switching to Italian, vowing to serve as a voice for the voiceless and acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead. After yesterday's stunning election.

The Vatican shared this video of the moment the cardinals broke the silence of the conclave just after Pope Leo was chosen. Just extraordinary to see that video. There we are learning more about the new pope's positions, including his embrace of my and the poor, plus his background that will shape his priorities as the new leader of the Catholic Church. Joining now from Villa University, where Pope Leo attended as an undergrad, is NBC News correspondent Rahima Ellis and from the Vatican, NBC News international correspondent Claudio Lavagna.

Claudio, let me start with you. We heard a moment from his English portion of his homily. It was really remarkable to hear that. What more did you hear from Pope Leo this morning?

And what does it indicate about what type of pope he will be? Hey, Christian? Well, one part of that homily that was in Italian kind of struck me, and I'll just read a part of it to you now. It says that there are too many situations in which Jesus is seen.

He's reduced to a kind of charismatic leader of superman, and he's called for the church to show humility but making itself small. Basically, he's calling for a humble church very much in the footstep of Pope Francis and also very much fits the background of Leo xiv, because while he was a bish in the north of Peru, he was caring for the rights of workers, for the vulnerable and for the poor. So this is one of the reasons why was called he called himself Leo XIV because Leo XIII was a champion for social justice and rights for the workers. Christine and Claudio, we've heard from US cardinals earlier today, their reaction, those who knew him, what do they share about his character?

It was a very lighthearted press conference here earlier in the day by the U.S. cardinals. They were joking, or perhaps they were not joking about the fact that they were glad that the conclave was over in less than 24 hours because they said the food in the Vatican was so bad in the end. They also said, they also said that they never thought in their life that in their lifetime to see an American pope.

And certainly they were not alone. Neither did we. But they also, of course, jokes aside, talk about, you know, seriousness about the personality, the character of Leo xiv. And let's just take a listen to what the Cardinal Archbishop of Newark Sobin said about him.

Take a listen. I don't think he's one that likes to pick fights with people, but he is not one to. To back down if the cause is just. He really is a listener, and then he acts once he's heard, so he has a lot of courage.

So he's saying that Pope Francis, what they're looking for is not a photocopy of Pope Francis, but someone who will walk into the footsteps of Pope Francis Christ. Claudia Lavagna, thank you for bringing all of that to us from an historic week at the Vatican. We really appreciate it. Raheema, let me turn to you.

You are at the Pope's alma mater right outside of Villanova. I can only begin to imagine what people there are saying because there seems to be jubilation, quite frankly, all across this country, but particularly in the places that where they personally felt touched by this new pope. Talk about what you're hearing and seeing from people, Christian, if you will. It was kind of a holy moly moment for people here at Villanova, these 10, 000 students on this university campus.

This is finals week. So yesterday, Thursday, Friday, for many of them, they're wrapping it up and they're overjoyed about that. But they're over the moon about the fact that one of their own, someone who walked in the corridors and along the grass here at this university, is now the highest ranking member and leading the Church of Catholics of 1.4 billion around the world. As one student, a freshman, just ending his first year, said to me that it was just so great, he said, to hear the news and to know that he is in now the company of someone who wields such reverence, if you will.

And it said to this young student, he said, I feel that it means that I could be great as well. So that's what you're hearing here, as the other folks were saying that when the news came yesterday, literally the bells here at Villanova rang out with excitement. And they could not have been more jubilant about the fact that Pope Leo used to be a student here at Villanova. And Rahman, he's also the first pope from the Augustinian order.

What is the significance and what are the implications of that? Well, that means that he has devoted himself to a life of service people here are talking about the fact that he is a man who's committed himself to community, to helping the poor, as you pointed out a few moments ago, being the voice for the both voiceless. He's embraced the tenets, if you will, of this church and of his order. And again, the people here, the president of the University of Villanova is not surprised.

He said that Pope Leo is a humble man. He's a man who's not boastful, but he's a man who works to make certain that things get done for people who need them, for people who are in need because they don't have the wherewithal to do it for themselves. That's the kind of pope they expect he's going to be because that's the kind of cardinal in priesties, man Christian. Well, we know that they will be watching very closely along with the rest of the world.

Always so wonderful to have your reporting. Thank you for joining us. US we do want to shift focus now and tell you about more trouble at Newark Airport with federal authorities reporting another communications outage overnight. The FAA says radar screens went dark just before 4 this morning.

The outage lasted about 90 seconds. It's at least the second known outage in as many weeks at New York, and it's the latest in a series of issues that has hampered travel at one of the East Coast's busiest airports. It all comes just today after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy laid out a plan to spend billions of dollars upgrading the nation's air traffic control system. I spoke exclusively with Secretary Duffy earlier today for an interview that will air this Sunday on Meet the Press.

Here's a little bit of our conversation. I have to start with the latest out of New York Airport, where air traffic controllers had another brief radio and radar outage. This happened early Friday morning. This is, of course, on top of losing contact with pilots multiple times since August.

Mr. Secretary, what can you tell us about this latest incident and why does this keep happening? The system is old, right? This is a system that's 25 at best, sometimes 50 years old.

The Congress and the country haven't paid attention to it. Right. They expect it to work. And so now I think the lights are blinking, the sirens are turning in the same.

Listen, we have to fix this because what you see in Newark is gonna happen in other places across the country. It has to be fixed. And so what we're having is some telecom issues. We're also having some glitches in our software.

As the information comes in, it's overloading some of our lines and the system goes down. So I'll just tell you specifically in Newark, we believe we'll have it up and running in short order. We'll be able to fix that glitch and we feel a little more comfortable about our primary line that gets the data in on radar. And our redundant line is up and well cover a lot of ground with the secretary.

You can tune in to my full exclusive interview with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy this Sunday only on Meet the Press. ABC News correspondent joins me now from Newark. Maya, thank you so much for being here. So what are you learning about this latest communication outage which has raised new alarm bells?

Maya? Yeah, hi, Kristen. So the incident impacting North Day is once again directly connected to the TRACON in Philadelphia. That is an air traffic location site that is responsible for planes taking off and landing here at North.

In a statement, the FAA says there was a telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia area, which guys aircraft in and out of work Liberty International Airport airspace. The outage occurred around 3:55am on Friday night and lasted approximately 97 seconds. First, I also want to share that our NBC News senior correspondent Tom Costello spoke to a current air traffic controller who says it doesn't matter what time the radar goes out. This is a very dangerous and challenging situation for everyone.

So these technical issues, along with construction, along with bad weather and understaffing has made it a chaotic week of travel. Here in Newark today alone, a third of flights canceled. Kristen and my of course, this comes as Secretary Duffy has announced a proposal to overhaul the nation's air traffic control systems. He said it's gonna cost billions of dollars.

It's gonna take years. What can you tell us about it? Yeah, so in this proposal, he's basically asking Congress to give all of the funding up front. He wants to replace copper wires with fiber optics.

He says he's going to rebuild some of the towers that have been experiencing so much of these technical glitches. Some of these systems were created in 1970s, 1980s and he says it's time to update that. The challenge here is again going to be that funding and the permitting. He says if he doesn't have the full support of Congress, this could take potentially 10 to 15 years.

If he does get those permanent clearances, if he gets all that funding, he's estimating maybe it could be done in three or four years. So we'll be keeping an eye on all that. Absolutely. I know you will, Maya.

Eagle, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it. Coming up next, a six month legal showdown over the results of the North Carolina Supreme Court race has finally ended. I will talk to the Democrat who won that election about the unprecedented fight to overturn her victory and the fallout.

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It's more context and clarity from the reporters you trust. Download the NBC News app now and subscribe for more. Welcome back. The final race of the 2024 election has finally been decided six months after the last ballot was cast, Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin has conceded to Justice Allison Riggs in a long fought fight over a seat on North Carolina Supreme Court Court.

A full machinery count and partial hand recount show Riggs, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2023, winning by just 734 votes out of more than five and a half million ballots cast. But Griffin had argued that more than 65,000 of the ballots cash should be thrown out because of eligibility issues. But a federal judge who had been appointed by Donald Trump ordered the results. Join Rigs winning to be certified Justice Allison Riggs joins me now.

Thank you for joining me. I really appreciate it. Thank you for having me, Kristen, and congratulations on your win. Let me start off have you spoken to your opponent, Jefferson Griffin, has he officially conceded to you since this court fight ended?

I have not spoken to him, but obviously he has conceded the race publicly. And I'm really grateful that a well reasoned, thoughtful decision from the federal court finally ended this long fight. This was a fight that put the right to over 68,000 voters at issue, at risk. And it has been my position since the beginning of the federal Constitution does not allow the changing of the rules of an election afterwards to be applied retroactively.

So I'm very grateful right now that those voters have been vindicated for all the support that has come my way nonstop in the last six months in a very challenging fight. Do you have any concerns that because this was so drawn out that that could in some ways overshadow, particularly as you start to serve your term, the work that you want to do? Well, there are sort of two things I'd say on that. One is I'm worried about the threats that we keep seeing to the normal acceptance of election results after an election happens.

I feel like these attempts to undermine the will of the voters, the crescendo of this is troubling to me. And so that to me is about bigger than my seat and my role. It's about the health and well being of our democracy across this country. So that's one thing.

Second thing is I have been campaigning for the last two and a half years on this this vision of North Carolina voters share certain values. We want our judges to recognize that our state constitution protects rights and not use their role on the bench to roll back North Carolina's right. So over the next few few years through the 2028 election, we in North Carolina, where we elect judges, we have the opportunity to elect judges who will be good judges, who will put party, who will put the Constitution over party and personal and put North Carolina voters first. And so we're going to reelect justice anita earls in 2026, and then control of the North Carolina Supreme Court is on the line in the 2028 election.

And so I'm going to use every bit of opportunity to frame what has happened over the last six months for voters so they understand what's at issue going forward. Well, and you do lead me to my next question, which is that Republicans do still hold a 5, 2 majority on the north Carolina Supreme Court. How do you see your role evolving as a justice to the minority? Yeah, I mean, it's being a judge is about putting aside your personal feelings and working with your colleagues because it's a group decision making structure.

I come from a very politically diverse family. And so my Thanksgiving dinner table has been good training for the work that I have to do. My job is to serve the people of the North Carolina. The people of North Carolina, and to elevate the Constitution and the rule of law above all else.

And I will work with anyone who's willing to do that. And I have a healthy sense of humor, so it'll serve me well. You're one of many families all across this country that has very interesting Thanksgiving dinners. Let me ask you, we are witnessing really this extraordinary standoff between the Trump administration and the courts on a range of different issues.

What has your reaction been to that and what do you think the implications are, broadly speaking? Because, for example, the president says the courts cannot tell me how to conduct foreign policy. And so it does raise questions about what, if any, recourse the courts have to enforce decisions that are reached. We need an independent judiciary, whether it's a federal judiciary or a state judiciary.

It means different things in the federal courts than it does in the state courts. But I think Chief Justice Roberts comments this weekend and in recent times have been important that the our country works best, our rights get best protected when we have three independent branches of government who understand that their job is to provide checks and balances to, to restrict the excesses of any other branch of government. And so I think that what we have to keep doing is leading by example, focusing on people first and the Constitution and the rule of law. And understand that when you have three different branches of government, there will always be some tensions.

But we have to both understand our roles and be willing to do our work as jurist without fear or favor, even in intimidating circumstances. All right, Justice Allison Riggs, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate. And from the legal world, the legal world is mourning some sad news from the Supreme Court.

Retired Justice David Souter has died. Souter was appointed to the court by President George H.W. bush in 1990 and was confirmed by 90 to 9 Senate vote. Despite being appointed by Republican President Suiter carved the path as a moderate during his nearly 20 years on the bench, voting with liberals on issues like abortion, the death penalty and LGBTQ rights.

David Suter was 85 years old. We will be right back. Welcome back. Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a victory day celebration in Moscow today, commemorating 80 years since the defeat over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Russian troops and tanks marched through the Red Swear as the country's military looked to project strength amid its ongoing war in Ukraine, as the west looks to isolate Putin on the world stage. It was notable that several world leaders did attend the celebrations, including the leaders of China, Venezuela, Egypt, Brazil and the Palestinian Authority. It comes as the Trump administration is still trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. In a post on social media, President Trump called on the two sides to agree to an unconditional 30 day ceasefire and he threatened sanctions.

Joining me now is ABC News chief international correspondent here Simmons in Moscow. Here, thanks so much for joining me. So we talk about all the world leaders who were there. Hi there.

Despite Russia still being immersed in this war in Ukraine, how much did the war loom over this parade today? And was the war part of the discussions behind the scenes? Loomed over it for sure. And yes, it absolutely was.

Certainly amongst some of the leaders who were here, there are moments, aren't there? Because when optics and politics collide, and that's certainly the case here. I think there's been growing frustration in the Trump administration over the lack of compromise by the Russians. And what you saw here was a display of saber rattling, you could say determination, others might say.

And you point out that world leaders were here. We spoke to the Belarusian President Lukashenko, for example. As you might expect, he was very supportive of President Putin and said Putin owes no one anything. On the other hand, he spoke to Brazilian president, President Lula and he says that the reason he is here is because it's right to talk, to try to achieve a compromise, to try to achieve peace.

Take a lesson. The United States has to be the country that thinks how to put peace here in order. And so I think Trump will act correctly to try to convince Putin that peace is a way to follow, a road to follow. So you'll tell President Putin that he should, she should agree to a 30 day seizure.

I'll say even more. I intend to do to see more to President, but I think it's important for, to find a way out for peace, for a definite peace. So it's that classic question, isn't it? Do you achieve peace through diplomacy or through strength?

There will be critics who will say there are so many other leaders who tried to do this, going back to President Crom, for example, of France and haven't been able to do it and now will be saying the Trump administration is struggling to get Russia. Well, it's such an important interview that you did here. Thank you for bringing us part of it. Let me ask you about President Xi.

Obviously there will be a lot of focus on the fact that Xi was there and this alliance that makes the United States very uncomfortable between Moscow and Beijing. Yeah. President Xi sat right next to President Putin as they watched the military parade go by. Just keep in mind what they were watching.

They were watching Russian soldiers who've been on the front line. They were watching Chinese soldiers, DLA soldiers, too. There were drones for the first time rumbling by, as well as tanks. So the message was clear.

President Xi saying this is a friendship of steel. Just the day before the negotiations began over tariffs with President Trump's team in Europe. The message from China is Russia and China is united. You can't separate us.

It's a powerful and fraught backdrop against which those urgent talks over the president's trade war will get underway this weekend. Kirsman, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it. SILICON A barrage of drone strikes on Port Sudan rattles eight operations as Sudan's years long civil war drags on.

I'll talk to a humanitarian aid organizer about the complicated effort to bring relief to the civilians who desperately need it. You're watching the press now. Welcome back. It's been more than two years since the civil war erupted in Sudan, killing tens of thousands of civilians and forcing more than 12 million people to flee their homes, according to UN estimates.

And the violence has been escalating sharply this past month with Port Sudan, which had been a safe haven for fleeing the war, coming under attack earlier this week. Thick smoke could be seen billowing after the city came under drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The days long attack targeted the country's oil terminals and electricity station, causing significant damage to the country's main gateway for foreign aid. Joining me now is Steve Dorshi, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Thank you so much for joining me, Steve. So let's break this down. What impact is the strike on Port Sudan having on your operations in Sudan and ability to help people? Kristen, this is a really worrying situation on the ground with our team.

Therefore, we're concerned about their safety, but we're also concerned about the safety and lives of civilians. You mentioned this is a safe haven. Port Sudan has largely been spared from direct hostilities in the more than two years since this conflict has been going on. But it's also an essential entry point for humanitarian aid at the port and also at the airport where aid has been caught in suspended flights.

Most importantly, though, it's really what's left of a nearly collapsed healthcare system. 80% of the entire country's healthcare facilities are no longer operational and lots of folks have fled into Port Sudan's to get the kind of care they can. Well, and as we're saying, this has been a safe haven for people. So where can people go now for a safe haven to try to escape this violence?

Well, that's a concern for us. We've been communicating why we're so concerned about protecting civilians with all signs of this conflict. Certainly, they have been fleeing not only Sudan, but throughout the area. They've been entering into South Sudan, into Ethiopia, Chad, Central African Republic, Egypt.

This has real risks of intensifying and already exacerbating one of the world's enormous crises that is unfolding before our eyes right now. And we're talking about how the impact of these latest attacks might impact the people on the ground. Talk broadly, if you would, Steve, about the humanitarian situation in Sudan. How dire and desperate are the people there for help?

The UN estimates some 30 million people are in need of aid. That's more than the entire population of Australia. So this is enormous. They're facing issues with sanitation, healthcare, sexual violence, looting and threats at healthcare facilities, cholera, you name it.

They're enduring it, not only in the cities where street fighting has been waged, but also in these massive camps where sometimes up to half million people are struggling to survive and cling to whatever food aid groups can manage to provide. And I guess the question is there has been so much focus, of course, on trying to end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Has the United States, United States made an effort to try to end this civil war in Sudan, which is impacting so many people? We're always optimistic about the promise of diplomatic and political talks.

Our focus is on humanitarian action, and we hope that the international community will address this, send the aid to the people that need it, and find at least protection for corridors for civilians and humanitarian, humanitarian aid workers, but also perhaps a ceasefire to end the suffering. And of course, as has been widely reported, the Trump administration has made significant cuts to usaid, to aid organizations. How is that impacting the ability to help people on the ground there? Inside the United States, we've long enjoyed Christian bipartisan support from Democrats and Republicans.

This is something we continue to message, that our aid, which is frontline aid, we're in your country, it is an emergency, it's a crisis. We're in areas of the world, a few other aid operators can exist, our aids effective. And that's the message trying to pass on to legislators, lawmakers and policymakers here in the U.S. all right, Steve Dorsey, thank you so much for joining us with such critical information.

We really appreciate it. And we will be back Monday with more Meet the PRESS now. And if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press on your local NBC news station. I'll have exclusive interviews with Secretary Sean Duffy and Senators John Barrasso and Amy Klobuchar.

You don't want to miss it. The news continues with Tom Costello. And for Hallie Jackson right now, he was a young Marine. She didn't care about convention.

They made a life together. Then one night, the Marine died. And then the death investigation took a wild, unexpected and utterly bizarre turn. I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and this is Trace of Suspicion, an all new podcast from Dayline.

Listen to all episodes of Trace of Suspicion now. Wherever you get your podcast, podcasts.