Meet the Press NOW – October 5

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Yeah. I'm Craig Malthus. Cheers. Cheers.

I've always been a glass half-hole kind of guy. And now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way too. Some really fascinating folks who shared their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges, their stories are funny and I can't. So I hope you'll join each week.

And who knows? You might just come away with your own glass half-hole. Search glass half-hole with Craig Malthus from today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast. If it's Thursday, the Biden administration announces it's waving more than two dozen federal laws in south Texas to speed up the construction of nearly 20 miles of border wall as the White House faces mounting pressure to address a worsening, migrant crisis.

Plus the race for House Speaker heats up as two Republican lawmakers officially make their move for the gavel and the third eyes a bit and what could soon be a crowded and chaotic fight to try to rule an unruly conference. And airstrikes and aid concerns. The death toll surpasses 50 in Ukraine after Russia launches one of the wars deadly and strikes yet amid uncertainty in Congress over the future of Ukraine. Welcome to me the press now.

I'm Kristen Welker reporting in New York and we begin today with a striking move from the Biden administration. The Homeland Security Secretary announced this morning the administration is waving 26 federal laws to allow new construction of nearly 20 miles of border wall in Texas saying, quote, there is presently an acute and immediate need to construct a physical barrier to prevent unlawful entries into the United States. It marks a significant reversal for the White House and for the president after vowing as a candidate, he would not expand the border wall. Some campaigned on build that wall.

Are you willing to tear that wall down? There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration. The president responded to shouted questions from the White House press for today about those past comments, defending the decision telling reporters his hands were tied. The border wall when money was appropriated for the border wall, I tried to get them to reappropriate to redirect that money.

They didn't. They wouldn't. In the meantime, there's nothing under the law that may have to use money for what is appropriate. I can't stop that.

Do you believe the world wall works? No. So those comments do not address today's decision to waive 26 federal laws to allow the new construction to go forward. This afternoon, White House press secretary Karina on Pierre tried to pin the blame on Congress.

We believe that there are better effective ways of moving forward to secure our border security. We have continuously asked for Congress to act, to provide our CBP, the law enforcement, law enforcement at the border to give them the resources they need to do their jobs. Still to move today, suggest the situation at the border has hit a new level of urgency for the White House and with no help in sight from lawmakers as Congress reels from House Speaker McCarthy's ouster, encounters with the southern border have risen significantly in recent weeks, nearing record levels and escalating the humanitarian crisis. This morning, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin called for a shutdown at the border telling members of his party they have to come to grips with the severity of the issue.

I would implore the president and his administration to call a national emergency on the border. We have a crisis and this asylum basically should be put on hiatus for six months or so so we can get an immigration policy that works for our country. Manchin is not the only Democratic's resting frustration. Earlier this week, Illinois governor sent a letter to the White House asking for aid, writing that the lack of federal response has rendered the migrant situation in Chicago, quote, untenable.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has warned the influx of migrants could destroy New York City. Meanwhile, the president and his party are struggling immensely with voters on the issue. According to our recent NBC News poll, voters trust Republicans by waiving 30-point margin over Democrats on issues tied to the border and it's in your 20-point gap for Democrats on the broader issue of immigration. Joining me now is Ali Rafa from the White House covering all angles of this story.

And Ali, what can you tell us about the administration's announcement today and you're getting some new reporting at this hour, right? That's right, Kristen. Just moments ago, we heard from senior Biden administration officials who announced that deportation flights back to Venezuela are going to be resumed in the next few days for migrants who have come to the U.S. after July 31st and that news comes just two weeks after we learned that the Biden administration expanded temporary protective status for over half a million Venezuelans who have come to this country illegally and cross the border illegally.

But as it relates to that news about this new piece of border wall, the White House is pushing back on the idea that they are doing this as a result of mounting pressure as you played there, those mounting pressure from not just Republicans, but also members of the president's own party. Biden allies who have called for more to be done by the Biden administration to address the crisis at the border. They're saying that this was announced back in June that garnered virtually no media attention. And they're saying that this funding, as you heard the president defend there, is part of funds that were allocated by Congress in 2019 for this specific purpose to build more border wall.

And the president says that even after trying, he wasn't able to get that reallocated to be used in another way. But the DHS Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, who is actually in Mexico right now, is speaking much more deliberately and urgently about the border crisis. You played some of that sound bite there where we heard him talk about how urgent the crisis is. He talks about how many people have illegally crossed the border during this fiscal year.

So it really can't be underscored enough how different the messaging, the tone in the responses between the White House and DHS are right now. With the White House saying that essentially their hands are tied, they have to do something with these funds that can't be changed as far as their purpose to be able to use on the border. While the DHS is saying that these have to be used and that there is an urgent crisis that still needs to be addressed their person. And, Ali, just taking a step back, this comes as of course we know that the Biden administration announced a temporary protective status for nearly half a million Venezuelan migrants.

And they also announced that they were sending more troops to the border. So they're laying out the timeline of this saying, hey, look, this was already in the pipeline. This is not a new announcement. And yet at the same time, they are taking significant actions to try to stem the flow of migrants at the border and deal with the influx that we're seeing in some of our major cities.

Right? That's right. And as you mentioned, this is a major policy reversal. You think of how the president as a candidate in 2020 tried to frame his whole run for the presidency as a contrast to former President Trump, his predecessor.

And now we're seeing a sort of a continuation by the Biden administration to some of the proposals that were initially begun by the Trump administration. Remember what he said as a 2020 candidate that not a foot more of border wall would be built. And then shortly after he took office, he said that any more money from taxpayers to be used for a border wall would be a quote waste of money. This, of course, as we mentioned, is coming after, like I said, Democratic allies, supporters of the president are calling for more to be done.

You mentioned J.B. Priscter, New York City Mayor Eric Adams calling the Biden administration's immigration policies wrong. And we know in our latest NBC News poll that Republicans currently enjoy an 18 percentage point lead over Democrats on this question of which political party is handling the border crisis better. A noticeable shift from where Democrats stood during the Trump Obama and Bush administration's person.

Those numbers, Ally, you point out, are just staggering. Thank you for bringing us the latest reporting. We really appreciate it. Thank you, thank you for having me.

Well, look, you told New York one just this week that a border wall is not the answer to the migrant problem. So let me just start off by getting your reaction to this announcement by DHS today. Well, obviously I'm disappointed. I think a wall is a Byzantine answer to a very modern and complex problem.

It's a hemispheric problem that stands from Cuba, Haiti, and the Caribbean to Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and other countries. Nicaragua, we have a hemispheric crisis that we must fix. And a wall is not going to detain a mom that has walked 2,000 miles with her three kids to not going to make her a set case for asylum. I think we need to do a comprehensive innovation reform.

I think the emergency should be called for all hands on deck to do comprehensive immigration reform. That may include some border protection measures, but certainly not a busy team wall. Congressman, the Biden administration, you heard the president there, was pressed on this. Why are you doing this?

It looks like an about face. He said, look, this has already been in the pipeline. It started under the previous administration. Do you buy that excuse by President Biden?

Look, we should work, Congress should work harder with the administration to find answers to this issue. But Congressman, let me just follow up and try to get an answer to that question. Do you believe the president, when he says this is not a reaction to the current crisis, this is funding that was already in the pipeline, and we are now following through with what that funding was intended for? Look, I believe the president is not as broke.

I believe in what he speaks. I think he speaks the truth. He gets gave extended TPS for 100,000 events. We try to chunk.

I guess chunk of the magazine is coming to New York City. As I said earlier, this is a very complex issue. I'm part of a piece of legislation that the dignity I, that is bipartisan scope. You know, I'm working with some Republicans across the aisle.

A guy like me that represents Harlem, East Harlem, Washington, high, it's probably one of the most progressive districts in the country. He's willing to go across the aisle to work with some of the Republicans in getting an answer to me. And in the dignity act, we have many measures. I'm comfortable with it.

I looked away. I read it. It has great things for everybody. It has more protection measures.

It's really perhaps a document, a starting point, that we can begin a discussion around and make the changes that need to be made. But all this never stopped anybody. Even empires fell. They had tremendous walls all around.

And they felt, look at history. That's what he says. And so these folks are coming to a border because they're facing violence. They're running from a gang, from a third area in Beijing.

They're facing perhaps a natural disaster, a seven year drought that may be a food insecurity. Those guys got people that are fleeing death. No one will stop them. Let's take a deeper dive in this and find real solutions.

And let's use taxpayers' dollars for something that will result in a solution to the problem. Congressman, I understand you. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been talking about immigration reform for decades now. And it seems to always evade you all.

Let me go back to this central issue because even candidate Biden said he was opposed to walls. Do you worry that this runs the risk of looking like an about face by President Biden, even though he says that's not what is happening here at a critical moment when he's running for reelection? I think there was some funding that I voted against in 2019. And we were about to use the funding and he's using that.

I think he's an artist broker. I don't think he's going to lose faith on this particular move. But I tell you, this is not going to resolve the problem. I'm also fighting for cities like York City and other cities to get the kind of funding they need when they're struggling this crisis.

I think that's fair. It's fairness. But I think it's just a trouble. Let's say symbol of the past, certainly not a symbol of the future, where the artificial intelligence age and technology available on our fingertips that will potentially help resolve the security problem.

By the way, the Cato is one of the most conservative institutes in the country. It says that fentanyl comes to the loop or cilantro. And that 0.02% of fentanyl is transported by immigrants arrested by U.S. citizen and others.

It's coming through our portal entry. It's not being driven by immigrants. I don't know any immigrant that wakes up in the point. It says, let me go out and get arrested.

What kind of wanna do this and what to watch? Yeah, Congressman, let me follow up with you on what is happening in states like Illinois and New York. I mean, do you think that the White House that the Biden administration has done enough to help with the surge of migrants in the states across the country? Well, the TPS extension is the first step.

I think that's a good step. Because once they begin to work, they're no longer a load in government. Should it apply to more nationalities? And TPS extension, just so our viewers understand, you're talking about the temporary protective status, which applies to about half a million Venezuelans.

Should that apply to more nationalities, Congressman, so that more people can work? Well, the advanced ones already had TPS. It was an extension. And there was a criteria to issue TPS to a particular country.

So the country has to meet that criteria. But I think there's a good first step in making sure they go out to work. And they're no longer a government. In fact, I think they will rebuild your city.

I think the city is a little bit sluggish after the pandemic. And that's exactly what we need. We need their aggressiveness to work. There are 100 to succeed.

The innovativeness that you see in their eyes, a woman that walked 2000 miles away, kids will never be late to work. So the President has done enough or does he need to do more, Congressman? I think we need to do more. I think we need all together.

White House and Congress. We need to do more to help the cities that are showing this issue. Yes. Okay.

Congressman Espio, thank you so much for your perspective. We really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you for inviting me.

And coming up, my one-on-one interview with a border state Republican as his party navigates a leadership crisis in Washington, while his district faces the migrant crisis head on. Plus, we'll go inside the fight to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, including highlights from an NBC News exclusive with one of McCarthy's potential successors. You're watching me the press now. Dslash health to learn more ways manually.

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Visit NBCNews.com slash XFINITY for full offer terms and details. Welcome back. The jockeying to become the next Speaker of the House is well underway in the House Republican Conference. Louisiana's Steve Scalise and Ohio's Jim Jordan are openly campaigning for the role amongst their Republican colleagues.

And we learned today that Oklahoma's Kevin Hearn is making calls about a run but has not yet filed the paperwork to make it official. My NBC News colleague, Ali Vitaly, spoke exclusively with Jim Jordan this morning and asked him if he'd support expelling Matt Gates from the Republican Conference for Outstick, Speaker McCarthy. Of course, the majority of the members of Congress, I disagree with what he did. I've said that many times.

But he's a great member of our committee as well. But I don't think we got to, I'm not for that. And we certainly can't do that. We only got four-seat.

A lot of people are frustrated with him though. Well, you know, I understand that it takes time. It mostly takes time when you have something like this happen. And again, I think we got to come together.

That's what we have to focus on. And NBC's Ali Vitaly has the very latest on Capitol Hill. Congratulations on getting that interview. Hey, Gary.

Great job there. Broadly speaking, where do you think things stand? I mean, you heard Congressman Jordan there say we have to come together. But we have not seen that, frankly.

And we know that there's a potential vote on Wednesday. Is there a sense that they're going to have a new Speaker by then? Not according to anyone that I've spoken to, Kristen, because while most members are gone and taking this time of post-Kaos recess to reset back at home, in many cases, the ones that I've spoken to say that they're getting outreach from skullies, they're getting outreach from Jordan, they're getting outreach in some cases from Kevin Hearn, but at the same time, they don't believe that anyone who's currently in the race can hit that magic 270 number. And that presents a problem for the conference because they would like to, on Tuesday, have all of their potential speakers make their pitches behind closed doors, and then on Wednesday be able to do their informal vote behind closed doors as well and come out unified behind someone.

The thing is, it doesn't seem clear who that person is going to be. And when you look at someone like Steve Scalise, he may have problems with trust dynamics, with people who have been mistrustful of leadership before. He, of course, is the number two House Republican. He's been serving in leadership for the entirety of this Congress.

That could present some trust issues there for him. And then, of course, there's the realities for Jordan, which is that he is someone who went from being a firebrand and perpetual thorn in the side of establishment and leadership Republicans, to now being someone who's been a steadfast ally of those establishment and leadership Republicans in the form of Kevin McCarthy. But there's also the question of what his role as Chief Antagonist of the Biden Administration could do for him or help or hurt him if he were elected Speaker, which is one of the things that I ask him to watch. How can they deal with you and you with them in good faith as Speaker?

Well, if I get the votes and get the privilege of being Speaker, then that's how it works in our system. I mean, well, they're with them. They're with us. That's how it works.

But with any trust in currency? Well, again, Jonathan Turley, the expert on the impeachment process said that in hearing last week. He also said he didn't think you had the evidence of that. He said he had the evidence more than necessary to move into an impeachment inquiry phase.

That's what I said. We're in that phase. But given all of this history, how do you work with President Biden? You work with him.

That's what it comes down to. And that's how you deal with it. So his answer to their Christian pretty striking, which is basically, hey, if I get the job, everyone's going to have to deal with it. We're all going to have to work together.

But we know it's not just as simple as saying, hey, can we all get in the same room? It's a question of, is there good faith on negotiations on tough political issues? We know one of those is coming right now in the next few weeks of possible government shutdown. It's really difficult to see how Jordan can mend offense enough with the Biden administration to go from being the person who impeached multiple members of it to now being the person who's meant to negotiate with them.

Really good point and fantastic reporting. Ali Vitale, thank you so much as Congress remains in a state of paralysis. Joining me now is Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez. He is backing Steve Scalise for House Speaker.

Thank you so much for joining me, Congressman. Really appreciate it. Yeah, thank you, brother. Me on.

So you heard Ali's reporting there. There's a lot of skepticism that this is actually going to be finished on Wednesday. What say you? Do you think you will have a new Speaker of the House next Wednesday?

You know, it's still a little early to tell, but there's no doubt that Washington has turned upside down. You know, Senator Feinstein just passed away. So the Senate is without a senator. Senator Menendez is under indictment.

A lot of folks are calling for him to resign. It doesn't get any better on the House side. We're without a speaker. I think the American public are demanding that we need to get our act together.

We need to bring this country together. And Steve Scalise is exactly the unifier that we need in the Republican party. He's proven it as majority whip. He's time and time again delivered 218 votes to get us back on track.

It's the reason why I supported him and why I think our conference is looking for that Uniter Uniter to not let's not look in the past. We have to look forward because like you mentioned, there's so many important things that we have to tackle. And of course, LaFonza Butler has been sworn in as Senator Feinstein's seat. Of course, there is an election coming up.

But let me drill down on you a little bit with what you're saying. Because I hear a lot of you talking about coming together. Former President Trump is signaling that he may visit Capitol Hill next week to try to bring people together. Do you think that would be unifying for the Republican conference?

You know, President Trump is no doubt an influential person in the Republican party. And there's no doubt that a lot of people track him and see what's going on and want to hear what he has to say. And, you know, I welcome his comments like many of us. But President Trump is no different than anyone else in the Republican party.

We're all concerned with the direction of where things are headed. And we want to get things under control. And there's too much at stake. The country has all these real issues like inflation, like the border crisis that I see firsthand in my district, not to mention the national security issues that we deal with around the country.

So I think, yes, Republicans are concerned, but it's the country in general. So I think you're going to see a lot of different folks be more engaged than they normally would. Congressman, would you welcome a visit by former President Trump as you all work through this crisis? Why not?

Yeah, why not? I mean, look, next week is going to be a circus. I'll give you a little bit of a look ahead. Of course it's going to be, it's going to be the house.

I always say this. It's a rough and rowdy place. And next week, it's going to be rough and rowdy. But after that, after we get to our speaker, after House Republicans determined that hopefully Steve Scalise, as our guy, is going to lead us in that direction.

We all unite, you unite behind Steve Scalise and we get this country back on track. Let me follow up with you on that, because Semaphore has some reporting that McCarthy staff members are actually making calls on behalf of Jim Jordan. We don't know yet if McCarthy has sanctioned that. But as you have said, you are backing Steve Scalise.

Does that sit okay with you if they're making those calls? You know, in politics, everybody's angling for this other. I look at it through the lens of this. My district is two thirds of the Texas Mexico border and we are completely overwhelmed.

We're done with the finger pointing and we just want solutions. And it's the reason why I'm backing Steve Scalise is because I think he can get meaningful border security measures over the finish line, not just passed in the house, but ultimately get signed in a law. I think that helps everybody, not just Republicans. I think you're going to see a lot of political jockeying here the next week.

But all the members I've spoken with, we love Steve Scalise. And he's proven time and time again that he can deliver. He's a right man, right man for the job at the right time. And I'm excited to help him become the next speaker of the house.

I want to play something that your colleague Dusty Johnson said today and get your reaction on the other side. We don't change the foundational problems within our conference. It's just going to be the same stupid clown car with a different driver. Do you agree with that?

Are there foundational problems with your conference? There are some things that need to change. And I'll remind your viewers. What are those things converse men?

What are they? What needs to change? I just want to follow up with you. What needs to change?

Yeah, the rules need to change. And I'll remind your viewers that I was the only Republican to vote against the rules package on day one of the 118 Congress. And the reason I voted against the rules package was exactly because of this. I did not want the country to be put into turmoil because you've got one person or a handful of people that did not, you know, that had an issue with the speaker.

So I do think that's something that needs to be discussed as a conference. Is that a red line for you, Congressman? Is that a red line for you, Congressman? I just want to be clear.

You're referring to that one vote, essentially that deal that Speaker McCarthy cut, that one vote could essentially call a vote on his entire speakership, which is what we saw happen. You know, the vacate the chair should be in case of emergency break glass. It should not be, you know, I'm not happy with you this week. So we're going to call this because he puts the whole country in jeopardy.

I think it's a discussion that you're going to see the House Republican conference have next week. I think you see a lot of members that are that are concerned with that. And to be frank, who the hell would take the job if they have one vote over their head the entire time? I think now is an opportunity for us to reset, but we can't look backwards.

We have to look forwards because so much is hanging on that like securing the border and getting America back on track, working with the administration to deliver real tangible solutions. I think there's an opportunity here, but first of it first starts with us electing Steve Scalise, the speaker. Congressman, given that you are supporting Steve Scalise and given everything that you are saying, would you go so far as to say that Steve Scalise would not cut a deal? That would include a one vote motion to vacate.

You know, I won't speak for Steve. Steve is a very trusted member. And what he tells you, you can take it to the bank. A lot of that's why so many of us are supporting him and I would not be surprised if he wins in the first ballot or second or whatever it may be.

But there's so many people that are supportive of Steve Scalise, not because of what he's accomplished as the web, getting time and time again to 2018, but just because the man that he is, he's a family man, you know what you're dealing with, he's genuine. I've been on the road with him several times and he's always calling in with checking in with his family, zooming, you know, face-tining with his son. I think that's the level of new kind of energy that we need in the house. Congressman, if a vote came up to essentially oust Congressman Matt Gates from the house, something that is getting some discussion, would you vote yes?

I don't support Alcyn. I disagree with Matt Gates on a lot of different things, but Alcyn, in the amount of Congress, that's not fair to the people of Florida's first district there, so I would be against that. All right, and just finally, of course, we've been talking about throughout the show that the Biden administration is going to effectively construct a new portion of the Southern border wall along the Texas border. Your reaction to that, are you happy to see that?

The president says that he's following through with preexisting funding that existed. You know, many of us have called for that. I think that's a good step in the right direction, but like everything else, the proof is in the pudding. You know, is this just a lip service or is this real?

So I want to know the details. How much of a wall? Where are at? Give me specifics.

Don't just give me headlines. They've done this previously with the administration. It's done this previously when they said, hey, we're going to restart Romania, Mexico, but all they did was send a handful of people over. So right now, you know, there's over 10,000 people coming over illegally.

We need to have very sensible measures. Part of that is these repatriation flights. I'd like to see the administration do more of that. And I think there's an opportunity there that'll help all Americans from all over the country, not just Texas.

Congressman, very quickly before I let you go, all of this is taking place against the backdrop of the government potentially shutting down in another 40 some days. At this point in time, how concerned are you that we could be facing a shutdown? I'm extremely concerned. It's a reason why this week I've had meetings with five different senators to have to talk about discussions on what that looks like.

I think this is the level of where people want. They want to be. They don't want to see a government shutdown, but they also don't want to see more of the same. We have to have meaningful border security measures that can help keep Americans safe.

And we have to have adults in the room that are willing to have those conversations. Steve Scalise is that adult that has his conservative values that will make sure that we defend those, but will also make sure that we deliver for the American public. Congressman Tony Gonzalez, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it.

Thank you. Coming up next, the state of the war in Ukraine, President Zelensky, dozens are dead after one of the deadliest strikes of the war so far. As much needed aid from the US is held up indefinitely due to chaos on Capitol Hill. You're watching me the press now.

Welcome back to the death toll following a catastrophic airstrike on a cafe in eastern Ukraine now, since it's 51, including a six year old child, officials in Kyiv are calling it one of the worst deadliest attacks. And President Zelensky called it a deliberate act of terrorism. The attack comes as the US Congress remains stalled on passing much needed aid for Ukraine's counter-offensive. Speaking to reporters during a summit in Europe, President Zelensky insisted he's not worried about future support from the US, despite the recent chaos on Capitol Hill.

Joining me now is NBC News National Security Analyst Clint Watts to talk about all of this. Clint, it's good to see you. Thank you for being here. Let's start off with just setting the stage in terms of what is happening right now in Ukraine.

We know that they are months into their counter-offensive. What's the current state of that? Yeah, what's interesting is both the southern front and the eastern front, things haven't changed that much. Really all throughout this year, Ukrainians have done counter-fences and they have gained some ground.

But the situation is widely different now compared to the start of the war. You've got Russian defenses tripled deep, essentially. Those are very difficult to break through. It takes massive coordination and offensive capability.

Remember the Ukrainian military really a defensive organization, only now taking on the offensive. That's a very different situation. You need much more combat power to do it. They're also not a combined army the way we think of the US.

They don't have air superiority. Much more challenging. They are making progress. It's not the big breakthrough people are hoping for.

I think separately what we see today with this area of the world, what we see today with this air strike and what you've also seen from the Ukrainians, which is a highly successful air strike or missile strike for them hitting the naval headquarters in Crimea. So you are seeing the Ukrainians starting to do some intimidation in Crimea. You are seeing them hit some targets inside Russia. It is bringing the fight home.

Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that. I mean, we have been tracking these drone strikes inside Russia. How effective has that been? What's the impact been overall in the state of the war?

The military impact is very limited, but the psychological impact is wildly different. Remember, part of Russia's strategy is the disinformation campaign at home. Keep everybody convinced that the Russians are winning in Ukraine. You can't do that when you start seeing attacks inside Moscow.

And Crimea, if they were to lose Crimea or threaten Crimea, that is a massive psychological impact in terms of the Russian population. I want to ask you about President Zelensky's posture right now as he watches what is happening in Washington. Obviously, Congress is stalled. But Congress also has not approved new Ukraine funding as a part of its latest government spending bill.

And of course, we're waiting to see what happens in about 40 days from now. But you have a growing number of Republicans who are expressing opposition to this, including candidates on the campaign trail. So how concerned is Ukraine about this? And I guess for a practical level, what would the impact be if the United States stopped providing aid to Ukraine at the same level?

It's remarkable. Eight years ago, I was coming on air here to talk about active measures, winning through the force of politics rather than the politics of force. That's Vladimir Putin's strategy at this point. The center of gravity for the fight in Ukraine is outside of Ukraine.

It's the Europeans, the NATO alliance, the U.S. government and continuing to provide support. If you look at the war from Russia's perspective, everything shifts now to near medium. What's in the near?

Can they hold ground against Ukraine in the next couple months until weather turns bad? Throughout the winter, is there a strong winter, wasn't really around last winter, to where the energy needs of Europe can be broken. That can really partition a lot of it. And then the far for them, which they're more and more focused on, is elections across Europe.

Huge elections in the United States. They see it if the election outcome goes in their favor. They get more of what they want inside Ukraine. And Zelensky plays first so and not.

So really the boundaries of this war, the supplies, keeping forces mobilized, really happening outside of Ukraine at this point. So every time additional aid is not approved for Ukraine, does President Putin see that as a win? Absolutely. That's a win for President Putin each step of it because it's really a battle of attrition.

We see this with these airstrikes today. Ukraine takes a massive hit. How long can they endure? They need to get economic activity back up.

They need to get transportation, electricity. Doing all of that requires that you have a firm military front and that you can continue to push back to where you end the war. Clint Watts, thank you so much. Always appreciate your insights.

Good to see you in person. Coming up after the break, the DeSantis descent. The Republican presidential hopeful is running low on cash and sliding in the polls where the campaign goes from here. And what it means for 2024, the panel's next.

You're watching the press now. Stay with us. Welcome back. Less than a year after he was considered a Republican front runner for 2024, Ron DeSantis's descent is worsening financially and politically.

The Florida Governor's presidential campaign began this month with just $5 million in cash on hand, raising concerns about his ability to gain ground on Donald Trump. And DeSantis is now chasing more than just two just Trump in two key early voting states. He's now in third place behind Trump and Nikki Haley in New Hampshire. That's according to a new USA Today, Suffolk University poll.

Haley is also now second in South Carolina in a new Winthrop University poll, although she does enjoy a home field advantage as South Carolina's former governor. Joining me now is Basil Smichael, director of the public policy program at the Roosevelt House Institute of Hunter College, Democratic strategist and former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party. And also with me is no Rothman, senior writer for National Review. Thank you both so much for joining me.

Now, let's start with this DeSantis descent. And if you look at the numbers between his campaign, his leadership pack, his fundraising, they brought in $15 million in the third quarter. When you see these numbers, what does it tell you about the state of DeSantis's campaign? I wouldn't go so far as to say it's catastrophic, but it's not great.

And it's particularly not great given where they started. This was a money making machine that is Santa's campaign and the packing together. And they were presenting a very formidable force against Donald Trump's candidacy on paper almost entirely as a result of their capacity to fundraise. They've had a spectacular burn rate and apparently now the faucet is beginning to close.

You got the sense in the last debate that between the questions from the moderators and between the engagements between the candidates, the audience for that wasn't voters. It wasn't you and me. It was the donor class. There's very little appetite for a big sprawling field among the donor class and apparently at this upcoming meeting on the 13th, a lot of high dollar donors from the GOP side are going to get together and say, listen, you guys got to win, you got to win tomorrow.

We're going to do it for you. As well, to that point, I mean, no, I guess that I think what we all started reporting on after that second GOP primary debate, which is that you had a lot of donors starting to panic and to say, who are we going to back if they didn't want to back former President Trump? I mean, how significant is this moment for DeSantis? Who was the guy to beat Trump?

And is Iowa really his last stand or can he go to New Hampshire? So we're frankly, Nikki Haley has a lead right now. Let me pick up on something to know is that that donor class becomes really important because they ask very specific questions. What do the polls say?

What's your path forward? What's your burn rate? Because they look at all of those things. They want to know how you manage the money.

They want to know if your message is getting through. And what I find to be really interesting because he did start off really strong and he wanted to prove to voters that he could take what he was doing in Florida through that bureaucracy, through all of those anti-book legislation and make it national. But the reality is that his message has been hard to sort of capture the hearts and minds of Republican voters nationally because Donald Trump is the elephant in the room. So should he make an Iowa sort of last stand?

I don't think so. If I were him, I would sort of chalk that up to Donald Trump and then try New Hampshire. And I think that's what Chris Christie's doing, by the way. So I think you rewrite the narrative if he actually does have a good show in New Hampshire.

Yeah, Chris Christie is all in New Hampshire. There's no doubt about that. Let me put some of Nikki Haley's numbers up just to underscore this point and the fact that she has really been gaining so much ground, particularly in a state like New Hampshire, obviously her home say, look at her there. No, in second place, double digits.

I mean, you know, a couple weeks ago, we were talking about candidates not reaching double digits. There she is. And Nikki Haley was not in that position in New Hampshire two, three, four weeks ago. She was down at the bottom of the pack.

She's had a surge since the first primary debate and it has not dissipated. She's beginning to vote a little bit more attention to Iowa now. She hasn't previously. But she's got a significant operation in New Hampshire.

She's been on the ground for a very long time. She's got a lot of name recognition in South Carolina and a built-in base there. And the pressure will be on Tim Scott to show some life on these polls or get out and get out sooner rather than later in order to facilitate this kind of win-owing. And a more to her advantage is her message.

She is appealing to a very conventional Reagan-ite wing of the party. Tax cuts, fiscal prudence, extroverted foreign policy, America on the world stage. It is not the message. Ron DeSantis is retailing.

And frankly, it's not the message that Donald Trump is retailing. Those new candidates have locked in this lane, which is more of a populist sort of self-conscious about American power on the world stage and definitely proffligate when it comes to Senate policy. Now, this is what's so fascinating about the strategies of these different campaigns because you have Nikki Haley running as a Reagan Republican and basically running for those moderate voters. Where is this?

Is this trying to run to the right of former President Trump? And clearly he's sitting roadblocks. What about it, Tim Scott? I mean, do you think he has enough time to come back?

We obviously saw him with that robust performance in the second GOP primary debate. Is he gaining enough ground, though? I think it was a good performance. But when I think about a voter making a choice in that instance, they would rather go with the executive.

They would rather go with Nikki Haley, who, going to the point of the Reagan candidacy, I just remember the fact that after the shooting in Charlotte at the church, she presided over the taking down of the Confederate flag from the Capitol. We can have a larger conversation about the significant symbolism of the flag in South Carolina. But that is a moment where she could say, you know what, I'm not the sort of ultra conservative that people might be out to be. I am a bit more moderate.

And that kind of appeal, I think, has been working. So I don't know that Tim Scott is in a position to kind of elevate to that space where she has been able to do as an executive. Let's talk about what's happening on the Democratic side. Of course, when you look at the polling, you see President Biden GOP front runner, former President Trump in a dead heat that has a lot of Democrats worried Senator Manchin, who's, of course, getting some buzz as a potential third party candidate weighed in on President Biden today.

Let's take a look at that. Do you think Joe Biden is the best candidate on the Democratic side to beat Donald Trump? You know, I think what you have is proven what Joe Joe was able to beat Donald Trump is they're going to be portrayed as the same as he was when he ran the first time. Okay.

I don't know. That's that's to be seen yet. So Senator, was that a yes? Do you think Joe Biden is the best candidate to beat Donald Trump?

If you're heads up right now, I'm looking at some polls. I'm looking at him right now and I'm flipping back and forth all the time. So it's very, but right now he is going to be the choice of the Democratic Party. And I believe that's what they're rallying behind.

Do you think he's the best choice? I don't know who else is out there who's willing to get into the race until you have an open primary type thing or you have a challenge. Would you like? That's all.

That's not what the White House wants to hear. Not at all. But you know what? In 2020, Joe Biden ran on bringing the country back to normalcy ending the chaos.

Guess what? 2024, especially today? That's actually still quite relevant. And he's the guy and I think he's the one to march.

No, it's a sign. It's going to be a very close race. And Democrats are desperately hoping that Donald Trump becomes a nominee. One poll we hadn't talked about Marquis, Joe Biden favorably rating on the economy inflation, the border in the 20s still beats Donald Trump by two points, and unlikely voters.

That is not the case with Ron DeSantis. If it's anybody else, Joe Biden is in deep trouble. All right. Well, a lot to watch as the primary unfolds.

Thank you both for being here, Basil, and no a great conversation. Welcome back. Right now, family, friends and colleagues are paying their final respects to the late Senator Dianne Feinstein. Here's a live look at her funeral taking place right now in San Francisco.

Senator Jordi Leader Chuck Schumer is speaking as you see there. The service has also included pre-recorded remarks by President Biden, who served along the lines down in the Senate. Vice President Kamala Harris, who just finished her remarks moments ago, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is set to speak shortly. Dianne Feinstein died early last Friday morning.

She was 90 years old. With me now is Carol Mosley Braun, who not only served with Dianne Feinstein in the Senate, she joined the Senator alongside her in 1993, also known as the Year of the Woman. She's also a former U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

Thank you so much for joining me, Ambassador. Really appreciate it. Thank you for having me. I'm delighted to be here.

Under such circumstances. I know. I wonder if we can start right there. What are your thoughts, what are your emotions this day as we are saying?

Goodbye, as folks are paying their final respects to Senator Feinstein. Well, she was obviously a hero of a lot of women, particularly, but she was also a very competent legislator and Senator. She did a fattings job and we were personally very close. We lived in neighbors to begin with.

Dianne and I got along very, very well with a positive relationship. And so I wish I were there at the service commemorating her service after life. She was a larger life individual and the country is going to miss her because she was. Yeah, what do you think her legacy will be?

She was obviously a barrier breaker. She was at the forefront of critical legislation throughout our nation's history, particularly when it came to issues like women's rights and gun control. What do you think her greatest legacy will be? Well, I think that the, that the, what she did to elevate the status of women will be first, second her fight against assault weapons will be second.

She was very active in regards to trying to get these assault weapons off the streets. And they don't belong in civil society, civil society anyway. But she was particularly consistent with pushing and trying to straighten that issue up, deal with that issue of assault weapons in schools. I think those two things and then the environment, she was very active on environmental issues.

I was not a premier personally with the situation of the fires in California, but I know Dianne was audit 100%. And I followed her lead on those things. Well, it's remarkable to think about, but Senator Patty Murray is now the only one of the five Democratic women who served in the Senate starting in 1993 to remain in office. And when you think about that, how does that impact you and how important is her continued service on the Hill?

Well, it's very important. But I'll tell you, a lot of this is timing. This was my second year of the woman, 92, was my second. Because when I got elected to the state legislature, that was a year of the woman also, because there were no women.

The society is changing and we're opening up so the women have a chance to contribute to the whole as well. And that's what Dianne and I will both, part of that vanguard that hit it at the timing was right for us to be able to open up the Senate and to do, to bring the voice of women to the committees. We were on the Judiciary Committee together. What did she mean to you personally, Ambassador?

She was a good, she gave me an engagement party. She was a good friend. And not only did you do that, but I almost had a stroke personally when she did the assault weapons ban and we knew it was going to be a close vote. And my car got stuck in the garage.

I couldn't get the thing to move. And I know I was going to die that night, but I did not. I made it time to make the vote. And it was a close vote.

But I could not let Dianne down with that. Wow. What a powerful story. That is Senator Carol Mosley, Braun ambassador.

Thank you for sharing your memories and our condolences to you for the loss of your colleague and your friend. We appreciate it. And I wish I could be there in San Francisco. I can't, obviously today, but my heart goes out to her family.

Thank you Ambassador. We appreciate it. Well, before we go, we have a very special announcement about the newest member of our Meet the Press family. Evelyn Lopez-Kamisar was born on October 1st.

Her very happy parents are Deputy Political Editor Ben Kannazar and his wife Shelby. New dad, Ben, reports from the field that Eve and Shelby are happy and healthy and back at home. Mom and Dad want to send a special thanks to everyone over at GW Hospital for all their care and attention. And all of us here at Meet the Press are sending our biggest, biggest congratulations to Ben and Shelby and their families.

And we are just overjoyed to welcome Eve to the world. And that does it for us this hour. We're back tomorrow with more Meet the Press now. The news continues with Halle Jackson right now.

Hi, it's Kate Snow and BC News anchor, host of the podcast The Drink. This month I'm grabbing a matcha latte with comedian Taylor Tonlinson. The drink is always about someone's journey to the top and Taylor's remarkable. She tells us all about her unlikely path, from performing in churches, all the way to headlining her own Netflix specials, like her latest prodigal daughter.

And she opens up about her religious upbringing, what drew her to stand up, and how she feels when she gets on that stage. Hope you'll listen and follow the drink wherever you get your podcasts.