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This Sunday, hostage release. Israel and Hamas agree to a pause in fighting as the first groups of hostages are handed over. It's only start. So far it's gone well.
Does this breakthrough deal signal a turning point in the conflict? I don't trust Hamas to do anything right. I only trust Hamas to respond to pressure. My guest this morning, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Republican Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio.
Plus, countdown to Iowa. The Iowa caucuses are now just 50 days away. We are now in second place in Iowa. Everybody's attacking me.
That should show you who they care about. Can any of Trump's rivals catch up and stop him? And actor and advocate Selma Blair, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis five years ago, is using her voice to fight for the rights of all those living with disabilities. I want equity.
I want justice. Joining me for insight and analysis, Leanne Caldwell of the Washington Post, Republican strategist Brendan Buck and Simone Sanders Townsend, former chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris. Welcome to Sunday. It's Meet the PRESS from NBC News in Washington, the longest running show in television history.
This is MEET the PRESS with Kristen Welker. Good Sunday morning. It took weeks of excruciating secret negotiations involving US Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials and personal pressure from President Biden to persuade a reluctant Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to accept a four day ceasefire that has so far freed 26 Israeli hostages from Hamas. This morning, two senior administration officials tell NBC News the Biden administration is disappointed Americans have not yet been released but say they are hopeful three Americans will still be among the 50 civilian women and children freed as a part of this deal.
We also remember all those who are still being held and renew our commitment to work for their release as well, two American women and one 4 year old child, Abigail, who remains among those missing. We also will not stop until we get these hostages brought home. After a short but serious DELAYEL On Saturday, 13 more Israelis, five women and eight children were freed. In return, Israel released 39 more Palestinians from its prisons.
And eight organizations have been able to scale up fuel and aid deliveries for Gaza. Pressure on Israel continues to mount. Tens of thousands gathered in Tel Aviv Saturday night, accusing Netanyahu of not doing enough to bring the 240 hostages home. The deal also comes as Democrats are increasingly divided over President Biden's embrace of Israel.
As the civilian death toll in Gaza rose, a Biden administration official says this deal was a binding deal, not an Netanyahu deal. I don't know how to feel right now because it's a weird situation, but I'm happy and excited. We saw the jeep passing by and we recognized Adina, my aunt, in the jeep and then we started shouting. I don't know that there will be words.
I think it will be a lot of tears, a lot of happy tears. I hope we want this chapter to be completed so we can, you know, lick our wounds and start to recuperate as a family. And joining me now is National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Welcome back to MEET THE press.
Thanks for having me, Kristin. Well, thank you for being here, Jake. We have seen these emotional and wonderful scenes of families being reunited as the hostages have been returned. I know the administration has said that it is hopeful that Americans will be returned soon.
Can you tell us, do you expect American hostages to be released today? Well, Kristen, the initial hostage deal involves the release of women, children. And there are three Americans in that category, two women and one young child. And we have reason to believe that one of those Americans will be released today.
But until we see her out safely from Gaza in the hands of the authorities and ultimately in the hands of her family, then we won't be certain. But we have reason to believe that there will be one at least today. Are you talking about a little girl, four year old Abigail Idan, who of course celebrated her birthday in captivity. Jake, is that the American you expect will be released today?
We are hopeful that Abigail will be released. We think it's long past time that this little girl who just as you said, celebrated her fourth birthday is back home with her family. Of course, she tragically lost her parents in this vicious, brutal terrorist attack on October 7th. But back with other family members.
I'm not in a position sitting here at this moment to confirm that, but I will tell you, Kristen, that this is unfolding as we speak and hopefully literally any hour now we will know which of the Americans is out. We have a sense of who it is. But I just am not in a position to confirm it because we want to make sure that the release goes off as indicated, as we expect. And at that point we'll be prepared to speak to it quite joyfully.
Speak to it. I understand this is an incredibly fluid and sensitive situation, but so that our viewers understand. Have you actually seen the list, Jake, and is there at least one American name on it? Are there more?
Well, I started by saying we have reason to believe, and I wouldn't be sitting here saying that if I wasn't confident. I'm not going to get into exactly what we've seen, but I will tell you that we are in extremely close touch down to every possible detail with both the Israelis and the Qataris, as well as with the Egyptians. So we feel very fully apprised of, of what is likely to unfold today. But we proceed with caution because we're dealing with the terrorist group here, so we can't be absolutely certain about what is going to happen until it happens.
And so we will await the actual transfer of the hostages today, at which point we can all speak with greater definition to exactly what happened. And so there are two other American hostages who you have said you would anticipate would be released as a part of this latest deal, and then seven other Americans still being held. Jake, what can you tell us about the other two who you have signaled will be a part of this deal and then the other seven who are still being held in captivity, held hostage? Well, Kristen, this is a great question.
What we know is that there are three Americans who fall in the category of the first deal, that is two women and a child. As I said before, we know that those three have been missing presumed hostages, but we have not gotten proof of life on any of them and we do not know for certain that all three of them are still alive. That being said, we do believe we are hopeful that there will be additional Americans released. And remember that there is another day to this deal.
So we will see another list tomorrow. And then we are working with all sides on the possibility that this deal gets extended to additional hostages beyond the initial 50. That ultimately is up to Hamas, if Hamas is prepared to release additional Hostages. Israel has indicated as part of this agreement that it is prepared for additional days and pause to the fighting.
And so the ball really is in Hamas's court in terms of its willingness to step forward and release additional hostages, including potentially releasing additional Americans. And I do want to talk about potential next steps, but obviously the Red Cross was a part of this deal, being able to let them in to see the hostages. Have they been able to do that, Jake, and what have they been able to glean about the remaining hostages? Do you know whether the additional seven Americans are alive and the rest of the hostages more than 100?
Now, we don't have that information yet as part of the agreement, as you just alluded to, by the end of the fourth day, that is, by the end of tomorrow, we expect to have that information. But as I sit here this morning, I cannot confirm anything about the condition of the additional Americans being held there. As others other countries and as Israel cannot confirm the condition of their citizen hostages. But it is part of the agreement that that be done by the Red Cross, and we expect that to be fulfilled.
Do you know the exact number of hostages that remain, Jake, and what other groups in addition to Hamas are holding them? We've been very straight from the start, Kristen, as has Israel and as have other countries that we do not know the exact number of hostages who are alive at this time being held in Gaza. And we won't know that until those hostages are physically in the hands of authorities and ultimately in the hands of their loved ones and their families. And so we have tried to be direct, straight, and candid about what we know and what we don't know.
We also are aware that it's not just Hamas holding hostages. A Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another terrorist group that participated in the brutal massacre on October 7 is holding some. And other groups who are not directly affiliated but have loose connections to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are also holding hostages. So part of the effort here is to ensure that all of those groups somehow get connected to a deal in which every last possible hostage in Gaza who is still alive gets turned back over and reunited with their families.
Jake, do you have any concern that the US So publicly negotiating a hostage really sends a message that Americans are willing to negotiate with terrorists, even if indirectly, and that could ultimately put the lives of other Americans at risk on the world stage? Look, we've been in the business since the beginning of the Biden administration, and President Biden has taken a leadership role in this, in taking steps to bring home Americans who are unjustly detained or being held hostage overseas. And we've been willing to make hard decisions to do that because, as the President said, he has no higher priority than to bring Americans home. When the United States had one policy or another, people were taking Americans hostage.
So from our perspective, this isn't about precedent. It isn't about policy. It's about a simple principle. There's an American citizen being held overseas.
We are going to do everything in our power using diplomacy, using influence, using leverage to be able to get those people home safely to their families. That is the commitment of President Biden. Israel has said that it would extend the pause in fighting for every day that 10 additional hostages are released. Is it your expectation at this time, Jake, based on your conversations, that this pause in fighting will be extended beyond four days?
I think it is certainly a possibility and we would like to see that happen. Is it likely? That's up to Hamas. Is it likely, though?
Well, it's hard for me to handicap. It's hard for me to handicap that, Kristen, because this is Hamas. Hamas is going to make the decision about whether they're prepared to release another 10 hostages. Israel's put its cards on the table.
They're prepared to extend the pause in fighting. So the ball is in Hamas's court. Will Hamas step up and release an additional 10 hostages? If they won't, then they are the ones one's choosing to bring it into the pause and fighting, not Israel.
And that's something that we will watch very carefully. But President Biden has been on the phone just in the last 24 hours with the Emir of Qatar. He will be speaking today with Prime Minister of Israel. So he's continuing to work this hour by hour to see if we can secure those additional days of pause and those additional hostages coming home to their families.
Let me ask you about a recent op ed by Senator Bernie Sanders who says, quote, the indiscriminate bombing because of that has led to an untenable amount of civilian deaths. He is becoming a growing part of progressive lawmakers who are asking that aid to Israel be conditioned on a plan to mitigate civilian deaths. President Biden called this idea a, quote, worthwhile thought. So would the administration support that?
Well, in that answer, President Biden acknowledged the idea, but he went on to say that his approach, President Biden's approach, which was high level private diplomacy, has actually generated results. It has generated the introduction of a substantial and growing amount of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, the exit of thousands of foreign nationals, including American citizens, from Gaza, and the first pause in the fighting since the conflict began and the release of the first of a set of hostages, 50 hostages. All of that has been the product of presidential engagement, private engagement, hard diplomacy. That's the course that President Biden set us on and that is the course that is.
But just to be very clear, should we take his words that it would be a worthwhile thought to mean that the president is open to signing legislation that would provide aid to Israel that comes with conditions? I thought the president really could have been clearer when he answered the question. He acknowledged the idea and then he said about the way that I have conducted our diplomacy. But is that a gas tape he's done so far?
And that's what he's going to do. Is he open to it again? He is going to continue to focus on what is going to generate results. And as he said in the press conference, quite clearly, as you can see from the fact that for the last two days we've seen hostages released.
The approach that he is taking, direct presidential diplomacy behind closed doors with the Israelis and with our air partners, that's what's generating the kinds of results that we're seeing right now. That's the course that he's on. All right. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Really appreciate it. When we come back, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Republican Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio joins me next. Last summer the coolest place in the House was in your freezer. This year it's time to level up.
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Welcome back. Just this morning, Egypt has received a list of 13 Israelis and 39 Palestinians scheduled for release today. The third group in the four day truce seal. As the national security advisor just told me, the White House has reason to believe that group could include at least one Israeli American dual citizen here at home.
Aid to Israel is still uncertain. House Republicans passed a 14.3 billion dollar aid deal earlier this month and new Speaker Mike Johnson has vowed to back separate legislation combining Ukraine assistance with tougher border security measures. Joining now is the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Congressman Mike Turner. Ohio.
Welcome back to the press conference. Thank you so much for being here in person on a very good day. We really appreciate it. So let's start with what we know about this release of hostages.
In addition to the three that the White House has said they anticipate will be released, there are still seven other Americans who are unaccounted for. Is it your expectation that those seven Americans, based on the intelligence that you have, are still being held hostage? Do you know if they're alive? Right.
Well, you know, I'm very curious if the administration is so quick to claim this is a Biden deal. And as you just heard from Jake Sullivan, he continues to say, we know every detail, but then he can't answer your questions as to those details. Expectations. There are 10Americans that are being held out of the 240 hostages that people are missing.
No one really knows the number. He doesn't even know the number, nor do we know the proof of life. And you would have thought this, if they're coming, this is a Biden deal, that those are details that we would have conditioned this process because the aid that's going into northern Gaza, that's a condition that Hamas required, includes American aid. So, obviously, I think everyone's very concerned.
But one thing that's also important here is that to understand that the word hostage barely describes what these people have been through. I mean, these are not detainees. These people were not in Gaza. They were in their homes in Israel.
They witnessed the brutal murdering of their families, neighbors and friends and then were taken, kidnapped from their homes into Gaza and held in brutal conditions. And as we know, some of the hostages have been kicked, killed. So I'm certain these hostages, these individuals are kidnapped and being released went through a very brutal time. I want to ask you more about the intelligence that you have, but to your point about whether this is a Biden deal, you heard Mr.
Sullivan just say to me that the details are very sensitive. Does the President deserve some credit given that he has been working phones on the phones with the leader of Qatar, Egypt, Israel, to try to get this temporary pause in the fighting? I think people excited, nothing less. And certainly it appears the administration has stepped up for that.
Did you give them some credit? Absolutely. I think what's curious, though, is that this is a period that's fraught with peril. For them to be so quick to claim credit for a deal that we don't know what's going to come out of this.
I just think it's very dangerous. Speaking of the perils here, do you have any concerns that Hamas is delaying the release of American citizens to use them effectively as bargaining chips? Congress. Exactly.
Which is why I'm concerned that the Biden administration didn't make it condition of this deal that Americans be in the first hostages they're released, especially since American aid is going into Gaza right now, into northern Gaza as part of the conditions that Hamas had. I think the minister, since they know every detail and they say that they don't even know if they're alive, that is certainly a concern. Also, the aspect as you raise in the interview is the Red Cross is supposed to be having access now to the remaining hostages. So we're supposed to be getting information as to what their condition is, who is being held, because the hostage lists today are based on people who are missing.
And Jay said that he expects that ultimately that will happen potentially by tomorrow. Why is that so critical and do you anticipate it will happen by tomorrow? Are you getting any information that points to that? Well, I think it's very, you know, this is a war zone and so very unknowns are rampant.
And the other aspect here is, is that we're not even sure that Hamas has all of the hostages. There are other radical groups within Gaza that might have possession of some of these hostages. Which ones are Al Their bodies may be in either Gaza or where Hamas has held them. How will tell us, you know, who's alive and who's not?
And that is part of certainly the terrible distress of these families goes for people who have been told that their relatives are deceased or now finding their alive. People who believe they're alive may find out tragic news. I want to ask you a picture about how Israel is conducting this war. As you know, the IDF has taken the head of Al Shifa Hospital in for questioning Israel.
The United States has said that their intelligence points to the fact that Hamas is effectively embedding itself inside Al Shifa, inside other hospitals. Do you think the United States should release its intelligence publicly, or at least more information publicly to help make the case to people globally who are saying too many civilian lives have been lost here. Right. I think we have to remember that right now this is a war zone.
And Israel has openly stated that its goal is to take out Hamas. Hamas has control of Gaza. Hamas still has control of Gaza. When this ceasefire period ends, has Netanyahu has said the conflict will continue, and that conflict will continue, as Israel has stated, until Hamas is removed.
Obviously, one of the issues that you have to look at in policing intelligence is that since this is a war zone and you're trying to enter into that dialogue about what has happened, you still have things that can impact the outcome. You need to be cautious given that, though one AP report described what has happened in Gaza as a, quote, uninhabitable moonscape. Just to push it a little bit. Should there be.
Does there need to be more transparency about the intelligence that Israel has about the intelligence, frankly, that the United States has about Hamas? Well, I think it's certainly beneficial to tell the story of what Hamas is. You support more transparency? Should more intelligence be released?
Certainly on the issue of Hamas, because the Palestinians are as much prisoners to Hamas in Gaza. Once Hamas won its election, however rigged it may have been, to take over Gaza has never been another one. They are absolutely being suppressed by Hamas itself. Let me ask you about the growing global pressure on Israel to commit to a full ceasefire because of concerns about the high civilian death toll.
This comes, as I was just talking about, amid growing calls for US Aid to Israel to be conditioned on a plan to limit civilian deaths. Is that something you would support? I think the White House has been clear, I think US Policy has been clear of lessening the Palestinian casualties of not Hamas. And I think certainly Israel has made clear the areas in which there's going to be conflict and trying to get people to leave those areas to lessen those casualt.
But would you vote for that if it came to you, if it was introduced as legislation, conditional aid to Israel? I wouldn't propose it, but I think it does accurately reflect your policy. Okay, let me ask you about Iran. Do you big picture.
See, we know that Iran obviously funds Hamas. Do you see this as a proxy war between the United States and Iran? Oh, absolutely. And then they see it as their proxy.
They state it is and they state that it is their proxy war against the West. Should the US Take action against Iran if it continues to escalate? I think we currently are taking action against their proxies. I do take military action, I do think against their proxies.
I do think the administration should step up its effort in protecting our own troops in Syria and Iraq who have been subject to attacks from Iranian proxies, which is. Right. These are absolutely Iranian franchises funded, trained and stood up as terrorist organizations to attack the West. President Biden, as you know, has asked for a robust aid package that will include aid to Ukraine, aid to Israel, Taiwan funding for the southern border.
Is this something that you anticipate could pass by the end of the year? It'd be very difficult to get done by the end of the year. The impediment currently is the White House policy on the southern border. The White House in this package making, including it as a national security package, recognizing that southern border is a threat, put in funding.
There's going to be policy changes. Congress is going to require that there'd be laws, changes to make certain that the border returns to its prior state and perhaps remain in Mexico. Other types of provisions that would secure southern border. Let me ask you quickly about the newly elected speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
He just made the decision to release and he started the process, 40,000 hours of footage from January 6th. The Capitol Police have expressed real concerns that that could jeopardize the security of the Capitol. Do you think it was responsible to release all the footage from January 6th? I think it's important for Americans know the truth.
This has been fraught with an unbelievable amount of misinformation and untruths. And I think this, when you see the footage yourself, it's going to give you an understanding of what was there and what occurred that day because we're currently only depending upon really partisan descriptions of what happens now the American people can see. Well, and speaking of which, some of your Republican colleagues have cherry picked some of the images to frankly further some conspiracy theories. Do you, are you comfortable with that?
I think it's been cherry picked by both sides. I mean, certainly generic. Let me ask about your colleagues. Let me ask you about your Republican colleagues.
In the wake of this footage being released, are you comfortable with, for example, Marjorie Taylor Greene posting suggesting that this was an inside job by the Capitol Police? She removed the tweet, of course, but does that make you talk Marjorie Taylor Greenery about that? But what I will say is I think it's important that the speaker has taken the step because now people can see the truth. Congressman Turner, thank you so much.
Really appreciate it. Great to have you here in person. And when we come back, the first nominating contest of 2024 is just 50 days away. Can any of Trump's rivals catch him?
The panel is next. Welcome back. The panel is here. Leanne Caldwell, co author of the Washington Post's early 202 and anchor of Washington Post Live, Brandon Buck, former advisor to House Speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner and Simone Sanders Townsend, host of Simone and former chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Thanks to all of you for being here. I appreciate it. Leanne, I want to start with you. This is a huge test for President Biden.
Obviously, now the pressure is on to release the Americans. How is this playing for him politically, do you think? Well, obviously it'll be great if Americans are released with his hostages. But my sources are saying that President Biden also doesn't give a lot of credit for his successes, not only on this, but on a whole host of things.
So that does concern Democrats on Capitol Hill. But meanwhile, you have a divide, especially among the Democratic Party and among Americans, about the President's stances on Israel. And now you're seeing a lot of pressure from members of Congress, not only for a ceasefire, also for conditioning aid, as you also talked about, and also putting more public pressure on Netanyahu in this realms of this war. So it's still a very difficult situation present by politically.
Let's talk about this pressure that Leanne is describing. Your former boss, Senator Bernie Sanders, of course, she worked for him during. He wrote an op ed that I referenced. Let me read a part of it.
He says, if Asking Nicely worked, we wouldn't be in this position. The only way these necessary changes will happen is if the United States uses the substantial leverage we have with Israel. The blank check approach must end. Again, he is saying that any aid to Israel, as Leon is saying, needs to be conditional.
You heard National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan not rule out that the president would support such a deal. Yeah, he didn't rule it out. I think. I think having work for President Biden is very important to understand where your contours are.
But I think what Jake did say is that he believes the President has been vindicated in his strategy, which is what the president himself said when asked about this conditioning aid, Israel, and said it's a worthwhile conversation. But I think that if we had done that, I don't think we've got as far as we've gotten today. I think that the White House is very well aware, though, the conversations about conditioning aid to Israel are not just relegated to the most progressive parts of the Democratic Party apparatus on Capitol Hill. There are moderate Democrats that are also engaging in these conversations.
Senator Sanders on November 15th held a meeting amongst the Senate Democratic Caucus to talk about Israel and Hamas. Brought in a number of different folks in that meeting, including Dennis Ross, who was a former peace negotiator for the Middle east region. And I think the question is, are these conversations going to turn to more legislative actions with more moderate members? And potentially they can, which is also why, again, thanks all the.
From this one. Yeah, it's a really great point. And Brendan, what's also so notable, that reference to a blank check is what we've heard from Republicans. Some Republicans have said we don't want to write a blank check to Ukraine.
So there are Divisions happening in both parties. And you just heard Congressman Turner say he's not confident that they can get this big robust aid package done by the end of the year. How is this playing, broadly speaking? Yeah, it's remarkable.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Israel, it felt like it was just gonna matter of days of weeks before aid was passed through Congress. And now here we are, and we're really no closer. And I do think it is that Ukraine aid that is the biggest hold of their clearer divisions on Israel. And what that looks like is an open question.
But the president Ada bet that he needed to use the leverage that he has on Israel to get funding for Ukraine, which has been stalling for a long time. And now that's become so complicated. And we hear a lot about a blank jacket and look differences between the two. The big difference is we already spent $113 billion in Ukraine and there's a lot of weirdness.
Continuous ending foreign aid. Foreign aid is never popular. But now Ukraine has gone on for so long, the longer something sits out, the harder it is to pass. And now they're tying it to border, an issue that Democrats and Republicans have not been able to agree on for decades.
And so this entire package is really in jeopardy. It's truly one of the most fraught issues, border policy. Leah, let's talk about 2024, a little bit of domestic politics, if we could. President Biden obviously being tested on his handling of this foreign policy crisis, but also the economy, a top issue.
He's been getting low marks. We have seen those. We head into the holidays, the rate of inflation is dropping, the rate of gas prices are dropping. And I'm hearing, based on my conversation, a lot Democrats are saying his messaging needs to shift away from Biden nomics to really understanding Americans who say we're not feeling this yet.
Yeah, Biden nomics has really been kind of a negative, become a negative word, especially among Democrats, because it's not working. I was texting with some members of Democratic members of Congress last night, just trying to get a read over the holiday weekend what they're hearing at home and what people are saying. And these members said that it is just not looking good for President Biden politically out there that probably lose some swing states if, if the election were held today. So they have a lot of work to do to once again, like I said, try to get get credit for the successes that he's had over the past two years, which he keeps on getting blamed for everything that's happened.
I mean, this point is making is I think that the Biden campaign also understands that. I spoke to Quint folks earlier this week and I asked them, look, you've spent a lot of money on ads and they are at a record number investing in African American and Latino ads. They've gone up earlier and deeper than any presidential campaign before. However, the door knocking and the organizing, the people, people organizing communities has not ramped up yet.
And ask when is that going to happen? Because the folks are not giving president credit for things that they can feel. And I think Quinn noticed me. He's able to understand that.
And we're hoping to get people on the ground as soon as possible in the early new year. So it is something that I also think the campaign is looking at. Quinn, of course, is with the campaign. Let's not just see about that.
We've seen the president's poll numbers really drop among those key including voters of color. Brendan, let's talk about Republicans. The Iowa caucus is 50 days away starting today. By the way, mark your calendars.
Can Nikki Haley catch up to Trump? He was in South Carolina last night. He was in her state. He's beating her in her state.
But she says she can take it. She's very confident, she says, but can she? Well, she's clearly on the best campaign anybody, not Donald Trump. She asserted herself in the debates.
She showed herself to be serious and understand the issues. Problem is she's still very far behind and you have a divided other half of the party. And I think as long as someone named Ron DeSantis is still in this race, it's very hard for her to get there. Now, Donald Trump is below 50% in Iowa.
Generally in the polls, if a company is below 50%, you typically think of them as Donald Trump really being incumbent here. The problem is no one is able to figure out an attack on Donald Trump. At 6. We've had millions and millions of dollars on and none of them have really worked.
She can figure that out. Perhaps. She's a long, long way to go. Yeah, she sure does money.
You've been in the trenches in campaigns that are underdog campaigns do. Nikki Haley can come back. She's had three strong debate performances. Her poll numbers are shooting up, but she's still double digits behind Trump.
Yeah, look, I think the fact that there are so many other candidates in the race and the race is not winnowed is something that is not playing to Nikki Haley's advantage. The question is, if Ron DeSantis ends up dropping out, do his voters go to Nikki Haley and I think the data suggests they do not those voters go down to Trump. And so it is probably advantageous for Nikki HALEY For Ron DeSantis to continue to stay in this race. I think what's so interesting about her campaign to me is that she's been very clear on a number of things how she feels.
Ukraine, foreign aid. Right. The deficit. Right.
But she's a little not as clear about what she thinks when it comes to abortion. And I think you're gonna have to get a more concrete answer as it goes on. But we need to create a dynamic where it is not just someone for second place. And they got people dismissing the Santa's Haley as who's running for second.
If you see this get out, it is just truly two candidates. I think that will change the perception of the risk. Still a long shot for her to win. I think that's a necessary thing.
I think all these big dollar donors are rushing to India. Also need to be working to get to Santa struggle. Zach would be a big game changer if he did. Lee, let me ask you this.
Over on the Democratic side, the big X factor, will there be a third party candidate? Senator Manchin told me he's not ruling it out, but he's just acknowledged it would be uphill. He's known that it would be uphill, but he's not ruling it out. He's supposed to do a listening tour of some states in the coming months, but it hasn't also been announced yet and he is running out of time.
But if Joe Manchin does get in with RK Jr Cornell west, it could be a little bit interesting. Great conversation, guys. Thank you. When we come back, as we mark 60 years after the assassination of John F.
Kennedy, a look back at the youngest president ever elected to office. Welcome back. 60 years ago this week, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
It was a defining moment for a generation. President Biden commemorated the anniversary on Wednesday, saying in a statement, quote, in life and in death, President Kennedy changed the way we saw ourselves. A country full of youthful hopes and ambition. When he was a candidate For President in 1960, Kennedy joined this broadcast he was only 43 years old.
Senator asked this respectively, how are you qualified to be president? I served in the Congress for 14 years. I think they're very difficult to change the years. I think that I'm a figure of the post war.
Entirely new problems are coming on the scene. We present entirely new challenges to American political leaders. Having come into politics during this period having I think some strong convictions as to what the United States must do to maintain its position as leader of the free world in its own survival, I think that I can meet the responsibilities. President when we come back, Selma Blair, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, is using her voice for the rights of all those living with disabilities.
Welcome back. For more than 75 years, meet the Press has had a history of shining a light on people who impact our politics from outside Washington. From Jackie Robinson to Robert Frost, Jane Fonda and John Glenn, actor Selma Blair is known for her deadpan humor with quirky, intelligent performances in iconic films like Cruel Intentions, Heathers and Legally Blonde. What are the boys like, Cecilia?
Is that all you can think of? Doesn't look like anyone's coming to your little party to me, Heather. Vivian Kensington, do you think it's acceptable that Ms. Woods is not prepared?
No, I don't. Five years ago, at age 46, Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after battling the autoimmune disease from the age of seven. In 2019, she walked onto the red carpet with a cane for the first time at an Oscars afterparty, making her disability visible in a powerful way. Now Blair has become an advocate for Americans living with disabilities, joining President Biden at the White House in October to recognize the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities act and to advocate for new legislation for disability rights and pay equity.
I'm here before you today as a proud disabled woman with my cane and my service dog, Scout, by my side. Our laws and policies must reflect that our disabled lives are not of lesser value. You Selma Blair, welcome to Meet the Press. Thank you for being here.
You were diagnosed five years ago with multiple sclerosis. You're in remission now. How are you doing, Selma? I am in remission, so that is a very safe place to be, you know, as far as diagnosis go.
But I do have, even though there's no evidence of current disease activity, I do still have the leftovers because it does. I did have it for many years and didn't know. And it does leave some, you know, burn areas, some scar tissue and all that, and minus in the basal ganglia movement stuff. So some of my stuff looks a little different than other people with Ms.
There's a gazillion types of ms, why we damage. But I'm doing really well. You have your beautiful dog Scout here with you. Are you in any pain?
Talk about the strength you find every day. I am. I'm in pain every day. Every day.
And sometimes I have to. I have dystonia also, that really doesn't always flare up for entire conversations, but it's almost like some of the stutter maybe type of Tourette's. So things going and out. People don't always understand that.
So there can be a lot of discrimination and confusion, I think with people thinking I'm putting something on and then I have a dog and I just want a dog with me. So there's a lot of tricky stuff. But the real fact is I really have a pain all the time. There is a stiffness that does not leave me.
I want to talk to you about your journey to diagnosis. You have written about it, you have done a documentary about it. You say that you had symptoms starting at 7 years old. I mean there is a pre dramal period.
So I'm not certain that it actually was like a full on. But there is. My neurologist explained there can be years of predominant, you know, occurring and great fatigue and problems. But I did, I had, I had the thing where you bend down, I get electricity.
I had very clear signs at that time. I had optical neuritis as a child, which really is only from brain trauma or Ms. And that they didn't recognize them even though I was seeking doctors my entire childhood. You have said your experience and this really was incredibly powerful.
You've said if you're a boy with those symptoms, you get an mri. If you're a girl, you're called crazy. And a number of studies support exactly what you are saying. Why do you think that this continues to be a problem in medicine?
They were all, you know, older male doctors who really probably did not know the intricacies of a girl. You know, everything does not need to be blamed on menstruation or something. Yes, that comes with its own bag of things to know about. But also medical school students, I mean they don't have Ms.
And Ms. Is different for everyone and they can be disguised as emotional things. I have prefrontal damage that would cause, you know, hysterical crying and laughing. And I just thought, wow, I'm just that wild one that wakes up in the middle of the night like waking myself up laughing hysterically or sobbing or in front of people, just very moody maybe.
And, and I believed all these things and I was put on really strong antidepressants from a really young age. And. And I drank. I drank because I felt so other.
I just went in the basement and I drank from a really young age. When you got that diagnosis, after all of those years of suffering you are describing real suffering and you were finally diagnosed at age 46. What was that moment like for you, Salma? I was relieved.
I finally had something that could be understood and then treated it. It took me until, like, another year to realize a lot of my childhood symptoms were a mess. I thought, oh, all this poor feeling I had in this lethargy and this attitude, all of this has led to now I've given myself a mess, you know, everything. But it was the gratitude of people helping me.
I was such a loner in my life. I was already sober by this point, though. I'd already really made an effort to get myself on track. I mean, more than an effort.
It was a major change. And I am so grateful that I have been sober for years so I could properly, you know, process and. And feel comfortable realizing what people were doing for me and realizing this is not the norm. When you think about those years that you went on, diagnosed doctors were frankly, not listening to you.
Do you feel anger? Sometimes. But I don't want to feel anger because. Because I don't want to feel blame.
I don't want to, you know, because maybe I wasn't ready to be diagnosed then, you know, maybe I wouldn't have been able to quit drinking. Maybe. I don't know. But I do.
The things that were such clear signs. I went in with the part that I get more sad because it made me lose, you know, my entire. My entire years until. Until diagnosis because.
Because I hated myself for not. For making up that I wasn't feeling well. I just believed that. Well, you were recently at the White House and lending your powerful voice to mark the 50th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
What was it like for you to be there at the White House? Why is that important for you to be there? There for me, it was such a mark of how far I'd come. And I meant that as something that could be aspirational, people.
Not that you have to be cured. Not that, like, oh, getting some great podium is the answer for something, but that there was such a. Like, a vibrance in me, and it was like I had the energy to get on this plane, to get to this incredible experience. And of course, you know, the.
Having that walk from the White House to the South Lawn was really healing for me in so many ways. Having, you know, the most powerful man in the world, like, you know, on your arm, you know, I'm on his arm. And I just thought, wow, things have changed. And a lot of this is the help in the disability community.
Judy Heumann, who was the greatest organizer and rallying Rallier, her friends with disabilities. She was a grandam. You know, she created the American Disabilities Act. They did the sit in when the government wants it.
Disabled people getting out of their wheelchairs and lying on the ground to say, pay attention. Because growing up we did not have exposure to people with disabilities. It was like they didn't exist. And I had that mindset, not on purpose, just.
I just had no, very little awareness. What is your message to lawmakers, to the president? What do you want to see next for the disabled community? Equity, accessibility.
I mean, yes, of course, I'm so grateful that anything was put in place. But again, sub minimum wage for people with disabilities. You can work all day and get paid 50 cents an hour. No, no.
Why is that? Okay, that is, that's a, that's, that's a really. They just use it kind of as like slave labor, you know, to get disabled people out of the house. They have something to do.
And it was, it's just, it's really out of touch and wrong. I want equity. I want justice. I want this community and all other marginalized ones too, of course, but the disability community is, is creative and strong and loyal and fun and I mean really, because the people that have had to figure out situations and I, I really don't do the service.
You really need to be with people with disabilities and, you know, nothing about us, without us is what I have heard, you know, said from the start when I joined up. And it's like, oh, right, right, of course, of course we need a fit model that is a wheelchair user. Of course you need a real wheelchair user to go down that ramp to check that angle. You know, there are things that you, you're trying to do the right thing, but you're not really at the crux of starting this conversation.
And our thanks to Selma Blair for her bravery and speaking out. You can watch my full interview with selma [email protected] that is all for today. Thank you so much for watching. We will be back next week because if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.
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