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Meet the Press
Meet the Press NOW — February 27
00:50:31
President Trump is in Texas speaking about the economy ahead of the state’s high-stakes primary. Retired Lt. Gen. John “Jack” Shanahan, former director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center at the Pentagon, reacts to the president’s directive for federal agencies to cease using Anthropic technology. NBC News Legal Affairs Correspondent Gary Grumbach reports on Kate Barr's long shot campaign in North Carolina to highlight concerns over gerrymandering.
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Kristen Welker
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
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Kristen Welker
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
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Kristen Welker
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Welcome to MEET THE press.
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Kristen Welker
Now.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
I'm Kristen Welker. All eyes are on Texas, where we expect to hear from the president and Corpus Christi this hour. He has just landed. It's his first trip since Tuesday's State of the Union and his first chance to sell voters on his affordability message from that night. His visit also comes with the first major primary of the midterm elections, just days away and still no endorsement in the closely watched Republican Senate primary in Texas as Democrats see an opportunity to flip that seat blue for the first time in more than three decades. Today, all three Republican candidates are expected to be at the event with the president hoping to boost their maga bona fides just days before voters head to the polls. Senator John Cornyn is defending his seat from a two pronged challenge from State Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt. The latest polling shows Paxton ahead, but not with an outright majority, which could mean a runoff for the top two vote getters in May. But as he departed the White House, the president dodging a question on whether he would endorse in the race, instead focusing on energy costs, a key part of his affordability pitch and expected to be the top issue in November's election.
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Kristen Welker
We're having a tremendous luck with oil. We've got more oil than anybody and the prices of gasoline are coming way down and prices generally are coming way down. The pricing is it's been amazing what
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
we've been able to do when your
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Kristen Welker
prices are way down, led by energy, led by oil. So where sort of it's Texas. It's a little bit of an oil meeting now.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
We should note prices overall are still going up faster than policymakers want. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, all eyes are on front runners, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Representative James Talarico as polls present a much murkier picture of who could emerge victorious on Tuesday. In two polls from last month, one shows Crockett with an eight point lead while another found Talarico ahead by nearly the same margin. Joining me now from Corpus Christi, Texas is NBC's Priscilla Thompson. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez has the latest from the White House. And NBC's business and data correspondent Brian Chung has a look at those new inflation numbers. Priscilla, let me start with you. You are in Texas with just days until the all important primary there. How are the campaigns making their closing arguments or freedom? And we, yeah, Kristen, last day of early voting here and all three of
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Kristen Welker
these candidates are billing themselves as Trump allies. You have incumbent Senator John Cornyn saying that he is the safe choice, that
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
he is a workforce, he has demonstrated what exactly he can do.
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Kristen Welker
And they do not want to run
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
the chances of Democrats picking up this.
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Kristen Welker
But you also have Texas agst, who
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
has more of that populist MAGA movement
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Kristen Welker
around him, saying that he is the
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
more MAGA candidate, he is the fighter.
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Kristen Welker
That is what voters have told me about about him.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
But of course, he is not without baggage.
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Kristen Welker
We know that he faced his own
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
impeachment challenges here on the grounds of corruption.
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Kristen Welker
That is something that came up among voters that I spoke with, with some of them saying that Gornyn has the
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
better character, but others saying what politician
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Kristen Welker
isn't corrupt in their opinion? And so they are going to support Paxton. And then of course, you have that
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
third candidate in, Representative Wesley Hunt saying that he is the next generation MAGA candidate. And of course, as you noted, Donald
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Kristen Welker
Trump has not endorsed in this race. And I did ask voters would that
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
endorsement make a difference.
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Kristen Welker
One man actually told me he has not voted yet. He will wait until election Day because he is hoping that Trump might endorse that other woman who voted for Cornyn, saying that she has already voted for him, but that both of them say
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
that they want the person who Donald
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Kristen Welker
Trump wants and who he believes he's
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
going to work best with.
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Kristen Welker
So a lot going on here ahead of primary day on Tuesday, Kristen.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Well, you can feel the energy in the crowd, that's for sure. Priscilla, talk a little bit about the Democratic side of this race equally heated, right.
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Kristen Welker
Equally needed. Turnout on the Democratic side has outpaced Republicans. It is the most turnout we have seen in early voting in any recent midterms or even general election. So there's a lot of energy on the Democratic side. You have Rep. State Rep. James Talarico, who is sort of pitching himself as the unifying candidate, the big tent, everyone
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
is welcome, disillusioned Republicans, independents. And then you have Representative Jasmine Crockett,
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Kristen Welker
who is saying that she's going to be a fighter and that she's going
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
to fight Senate Republicans, she's going to
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Kristen Welker
fight President Donald Trump and that she
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
is going to stand for Democratic values and she's looking to really juice that Democratic voter turnout. And so far we have seen those numbers. So a lot of folks turning out.
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Kristen Welker
It remains to be seen whether the polling what's going to bear out in terms of who exactly will win on the Democratic side, though, Kristen. All right.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Well, we're going to watch it very closely. Gabe, let me turn to you. Of course, we are going to wait and watch to see what President Trump has to say. Any minute now. How central is this to the president's affordability message and what do you expect we'll hear today?
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Kristen Welker
Well, Kristen, the president doesn't like calling it affordability. You know, over the last several weeks, he keeps trying to say that, you know, Democrats made up that word. But in reality, you saw it in his state of State of the Union address, first half of his speech dedicated towards the economy. And this is significant. Look, the president has been talking about energy for quite some time during campaign. He kept, he kept saying over and over again, drill, baby, drill. He is trying to make the case to Americans that energy prices have been coming down. And sure, gas prices have been coming down. They were on the downward trajectory even under President Biden. But other prices are still going up, including beef prices, for example. And there are real questions about drilling in general, that really offshore drilling really has not gone up during President Trump, that it's actually down slightly. And there are other reasons that gas prices have come down that may not have nothing to do with with the president's policies. However, the energy secretary today, in an interview just a short time ago, he did acknowledge that some of the unrest, the uncertainty rather in the Middle east has actually had oil prices go up slightly. But overall for the economy, it's a complicated picture, Christine. As you know, oil prices might be down, but that's not always necessarily good for energy companies and for the economy as a whole. Still, though, the President hoping that that message, that prices are coming down and that's the message he's trying to sell this afternoon and that his administration, his, the White House wants to get across the American people over the coming months.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Well, let's talk about the coming months, Gabe. What exactly are you hearing about the strategy that we're going to see from President Trump? I know that he says he's going to be out there on the trail. What exactly are you expecting?
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Kristen Welker
Well, look, I know during this first year, there have been much of the MAGA base and many Trump supporters who feel the president paid too much attention to foreign policy, that he didn't get out into the country enough, instead focused on many other issues. And so, you know, some White House officials have acknowledged that they argue that the president's policies have been benefiting Americans and that he is the best messenger. And he's been talking about, you know, affordability, perhaps not using that word, but they do expect them, they say, to travel the country in the coming, in the coming months and to try to, you know, meet Americans where they are and that they feel that, you know, we haven't seen much on the official schedule. We do know the president is heading for another foreign trip in just a couple of weeks to China. But we are hearing from White House officials that the plan is for the President again, who they feel is the most effective messenger, to try and sell his policies, something the president himself has acknowledged that, you know, he's blamed his aides and a little bit for not getting his message across. But he wants to get it out there and he wants Americans to listen to that message and that he, and not Democrats is better for affordability.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Well, Gabe, as I was just talking about with Priscilla, what makes today so extraordinary, here he's going to be in Corpus Christi, Texas, with the three Republican candidates, Senator John Cornyn, Ken Past and Wesley Hunt. He hasn't endorsed anyone. Yeah, it's talk about why. What's the strategy and what did he say about that today?
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Kristen Welker
Look, it is, it is very fascinating for the future of the Republican Party. Here you have Ken Paxton, John Cornyn, really, you know, two different factions of the Republican Party. And look, that may be a reason why the president has chosen not to endorse her. He dodged the question today. It doesn't look like he will. We don't expect him to endorse anyone before that primary. And part of that is because, look, President Trump does not like picking a loser in any political race. That is some of the things that he dislikes the Most and he may be waiting to see how the dust settles here. And depending on who wins, you know, if this goes to a runoff, if, if Democrats were to win this seat in Texas, in deep red Texas, that could be very embarrassing for the president of the United States. So he and the White House watching this race very carefully and waiting to see how the dust settles at least past Tuesday before he makes, you know, any endorsement in this race, before he weighs, he weighs in on this race, I should say.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
It's going to be fascinating to watch it all unfold Tuesday night, that's for sure. Brian, let me turn to you. So here we heard the president say prices are going down. He's talked about this golden age for the economy. We do have this new inflation report though, that has a little bit of a contradictory note there. Tell us what your key takeaways are from that report.
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Kristen Welker
Yeah, we got numbers this morning. It's called the Producer Price index or ppi. It's part of this Alphabet soup of all these different types of readings we get on what prices look like in America. I should point out these are wholesale prices. So basically what the producer of a particular item charges a retailer before it then gets passed on to the consumer. So again, we're talking about what your retailers paying, not necessarily you and me, but it showed that prices in January increased at a top line level by half a percent again in the month of January. That was above what economists were expecting. They were expecting something a little bit closer to 3, 10 of a percent. So either way, you cut it or slice, you don't want prices to rise at a faster pace than you expect. And that's what this report shows, at least at a wholesale level. And again, the fear is that, that those price increases could get passed on for the consumer and leads a higher overall inflation as well. As you point out, that is going to be issue for the Trump administration which has at times said prices are going down. Well, that's a plus number that you see on that graphic ahead of you. That means that prices are going up. Yes, it is indeed the case that energy prices are down, food prices are also down in this particular report. But the overall pick figure that we're looking at here, prices in America at a high level are still going up instead of down. That is an issue for messaging for the administration.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
So Brian, how does all of this compare to other economic indicators that you're watching for right now?
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Kristen Welker
Yeah, well, naturally, given all the caveats I just laid out for you, we really pay more close attention to the Consumer Price Index, which is a measure of inflation that you and I face at the store. This is the kind of bottom line measure, if you will. That particular measure, as we got last month, showed that prices rose by 2.4% on a year over year basis. Again, a lot of people might be saying, well, that's a lot more than a half a percent, but we're talking about a yearly measure there. And that sounds all right when you consider that the yearly rate of inflation during the peak part of the Biden administration was somewhere closer 9%. That's a good improvement. But a lot of economists have said where we really want to be is closer to 2%. So 2.4% is obviously above 2%. So it's not yet, mission accomplished. We're not there yet. The president has pointed out that inflation is something closer to 1.7% basis off of some three month figure. He said that in the State of the Union. We at the business team have not been able to verify that. It shows there's a lot of conflicting information out there, especially with the messaging from the White House. Kristen.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
All right, Gabe and Brian, thank you both so much for starting us off. Really appreciate it. Speaking of the midterms, tune in Tuesday for NBC News. Now special coverage of the first major primaries of the 2026 midterm elections. I'll be joined by my colleagues Hallie Jackson and Steve Kornacki covering the results as they come in starting at 8pm Eastern. You do not want to miss it. Turning now to some breaking news with developments out of Chappaqua, New York, where former President Bill Clinton is being questioned by the House Oversight Committee behind closed doors as we spe for a deposition in its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. We want to show you some video now. What you're watching is video of Corpus Christi. There you go. That's Chappaqua. This is video of the former president arriving at the Chappaqua Performing Arts center this morning, becoming the first former president to be called to testify in a congressional investigation. According to his opening statement, he told the committee today, quote, I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing. His testimony comes a day after his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was also deposed. She spoke to reporters after the grueling six hours of testimony, saying she told the committee she never had any connection or communications with Epstein. Here's committee Chairman James Comer speaking to reporters on his way to former President Clinton's deposition about how Secretary Clinton's testimony set the stage for today.
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Kristen Welker
It took seven months, seven months to get the Clintons in here, but we've got them in here. And we look forward to answering, to asking lots of questions that I think any curious media outlet in America would have. Yesterday, Ms. Clinton deferred a lot of questions to her husband today. There were at least a dozen times when she said, you'll have to ask my husband that. I can't answer that. So we already had a big portfolio of questions for him, and that increased yesterday. So we look forward to that.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Democrats on the committee today renewing their demands that President Trump also testify and saying they want more transparency from the Republican majority.
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Kristen Welker
We are demanding again that the press and the public be allowed inside the depositions so that you can hear the answers and the questions directly. And if that's not going to happen, they need to release a full, unedited review of the questions and video within 24 hours of the end of these depositions. That means the Secretary Clinton deposition needs to be released immediately today.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
NBC News chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles joins me now from Chappaqua, New York. Ryan, thanks so much for being here. Really appreciate it. So what exactly do we know about what former President Clinton has said so far today during his deposition?
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Kristen Welker
Well, Kristen, we actually just have an update from inside the room about this back and forth between Bill Clinton and Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. You heard James Comer, the chair of the committee, say that they had some very pointed questions for Bill Clinton, particularly about the way that he in these Epstein documents. And I'm told from a source inside the room that Bill Clinton was given a lengthy bit of questioning, particularly about those photos that appear in the Epstein files, and this photo in particular, which shows the former president in a hot tub with an unidentified woman. According to the sources inside the room, Clinton was specifically asked if he knew who that woman was and whether or not he had sex with her. And Clinton told the committee members under oath that he did not know who the woman was, he didn't recall who she was, and that he does not believe he had sex with her. That's one key point that came out of the hearing today. And also it's important to keep in mind that's just one example of the type of questions that Clinton was getting was given throughout the course of this deposition, which is ongoing. We're told that there are multiple, multiple examples of him being shown something from the files and then being asked pointed questions about his role in whatever it was that came from the files, whether it be a diary or a picture or some sort of correspondence between he and Epstein or someone in Epstein's orbit. Now, to be clear, Clinton said before he went into this deposition that he did nothing wrong and that he was prepared to answer questions about the photos that appeared from some 20 years ago. And he also said in his opening statement this he said, I know what I saw and more importantly, what I didn't see. I know what I did and more importantly what I didn't do. And I did nothing wrong. And so one of the other things I'm told he was asked about over and over again was whether or not he'd ever been to Epstein Island. And Clinton told the committee that he has never been to Epstein island despite being asked that several times. In this room behind me here today,
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Kristen and Ryan, Democrats are calling for the release of the transcripts from both of these depositions from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton. You anticipate that's going to happen. What are you hearing there?
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Kristen Welker
It's 100% going to happen. Republicans have promised that that's going to happen. They have been they have a very good track record of releasing the entire video and the transcripts of the prior depositions that took place. They did that with Les Wexner less than 24 hours after that deposition took place. And this time around, Democrats are expecting the same thing. They want to see these video depositions turned around as quickly as possible. Listen to what they said earlier today.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
It was disappointing that they refused to hold a public hearing. So I wouldn't have to be out here characterizing it for you. You could have seen it for yourself. We had asked for that. We think it would have been better for the committee and its efforts to gather whatever information they are seeking.
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Kristen Welker
Obviously, that wasn't the Democrats. That was Secretary Clinton calling for the full release of it. I do think just to set expectations, Kristen, it's unlikely given the fact that they're in the middle of a deposition now that we see the video deposition of Hillary Clinton sometime today. But I do think sometime early next week, it's very possible that we see both of these depositions in their totality. Kristen.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
All right, Ryan Nobles, thank you so much for that. We really appreciate it. Coming up, mission denied. Anthropic digs in rejecting the Pentagon demands for broad access to its AI technology. And President Trump just responding moments ago, threatening the company, saying he will use the full power of the presidency to make them comply. Plus speaking out. NBC News sits down with the family of Renee Nicole Good nearly two months after Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis Marking their first on camera interview since that tragic incident roiled the nation. Stay with us, we'll bring it to you. You're watching Meet the Press.
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Kristen Welker
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
welcome back. We're less than an hour away from the Pentagon's deadline for American AI giant Anthropic to drop its demands for guardrails surrounding the military's use of its AI technology. But just moments ago, ahead of that deadline, President Trump posted on social media, quote, I am directing every federal agency in the United States government to immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology. We don't need it, we don't want it, and will not do business with them again. The President goes on to say he will use the full force of the presidency to ensure Anthropic complies. It comes as Anthropic as digging in, wanting to ensure its models will not be used for mass domestic surveillance or for fully autonomous lethal weapons. And yesterday, in a new statement, Anthropic's CEO saying, quote, these threats do not change our position. We cannot in good conscience accede to their Request. Meanwhile, the Pentagon maintains it only wants to use the anthropic's model for, quote, lawful purposes. Joining me now is NBC News national security reporter Gordon Lubold and retired Lt. Gen. John Jack Shanahan, who served as the inaugural director of the Pentagon Joint Artificial Intelligence center from 2018 to 2020. Thanks to both of you for being here. Gordon, let me start with you. What are the implications of this latest announcement by the President?
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Kristen Welker
Well, it's just so interesting because we were waiting for 5 or 1pm to come around today, but we got, I think, our answer from the President by tweet. I think that, you know, he's saying we're going to, they're going to pull the technology, which is very sought after. The government wants this, the military wants this technology. This kind of phase out, period, I think, to me is a bit of a negotiation. As the President, we like to see the President do. Potentially they can have a meeting of the minds. But I mean, I would just point out that, you know, if there were other AI technologies, other models like this that were waiting in the wings ready to just turn on a switch, they wouldn't be making such a big deal about this particular one. I think this is like, as I say, it's sought after. It's very useful. Its speed and its analysis and its ability to compile the data that the Pentagon needs is critical. And that's why we're seeing such drama about this.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Well, talk about the drama. How did we get here, Gordon, where there's this standoff between the Pentagon, the US Government and this AI startup.
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Kristen Welker
So, you know, the military and the government writ large. Others agencies have been using this for, as I say, like for a while to integrate weaponry in a smart and quick way. All this technology, all this weaponry that needs to be networked and the data that they can use to use it effectively. But what's kind of an issue here is the Pentagon says we want to use it for lawful operations. The company, which has a reputation for really trying to be a responsible steward of the technology has kind of drawn this line in the sand. I believe they can probably try to find a way forward. But the issue is that the administration's view of what's legal and what's not doesn't always comport with how others see it. So that's, I think, kind of where we are and we'll see where we go after this.
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Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
We'll see how it all resolves itself. Gordon, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Lieutenant General Shanahan, let me turn to you now. So the President says there will be a six month phase out period for agencies like the Pentagon to use anthropic products. Do you think that's enough time?
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Kristen Welker
Thanks Kristen, so much for having me on. I agree with everything that Gordon just said and the word that comes to mind when I just read what the President said is unfortunate. It's unfortunate that we reach this point. As somebody with 36 years in uniform form and who started two AI organizations in the Pentagon, you will find no stronger proponent for putting the world's best software and hardware in the hands of American men and women who are tasked to defend the country and if they have to, to fight and win the nation's war. Anthropic is one of those country companies. Why would we not want that technology being used for national security purposes? I hope what Gordon said is correct, that maybe this is the opening salvo of a little bit more of a negotiation tactic. Six months. They're directed, people are directed to pull out. They'll pull out, but they will have a less capable military than if they had this. Plus the other OpenAI Rock X. There are other tools that are out there, but this is so far the only frontier model, this large language model, this special AI capability that's been approved for use on classified systems. So will six months be enough to pull this out and substitute with other companies to get approved at that level? That remains to be seen, but I think it's big loss. I just within the last hour saw a letter that the chairman and ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Appropriations Committee sent to the Secretary Hegseth and to Dario Amadi asking them to resolve this. This is at core a policy dispute that should not be resolved through contract negotiations, which as Gordon said comes down to this phrase, any lawful use. I think Anthropic carved out two very narrow cases that are reasonable to me because the technology is so immature they're not ready to be used in lethal, fully autonomous weapons systems. So we'll see where it goes from there. But six months may be enough, but I hope it's the beginning of a more serious behind the scenes negotiation, not a public dispute.
- [26:52]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
And is it possible that another AI company could agree to allow the Pentagon to use its models without guardrails? And, and what are the potential implications of that?
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Kristen Welker
Well, essentially they've already done so. They've signed on the dotted line, so to speak, about any lawful use. But what I think would happen in reality is even though they said that it will be a legal determination during Some crisis during some conflict where everybody wants to make sure that whatever company's AI capabilities are being used get reviewed in the same way that we reviewed every single weapon system we've ever had in the military. There is a very rigorous legal process that should never disappear. In fact, the department has a directive on autonomous weapons systems that mandates two separate senior level reviews. I certainly hope those don't go away. The department has AI ethics principles. I don't want those to go away. But yes, there are other companies that probably somewhat eagerly at this point will be willing to jump in and fill the gap that's left by anthropic. But it will be a good gap. We should want all these capabilities available to the men and women in uniform, not just selectively pick a few.
- [28:05]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
And while we're having this conversation, President Trump is now in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is joined there by the governor, as you can see, Greg Abbott, Senator Ted Cruz, he Energy Secretary Chris Wright. He's about to address the crowds there. And of course, it comes amid Tuesday's all important primaries, the Republican primary, in which he has not endorsed a candidate, Senator John Cornyn, in the political fight of his life. But Lieutenant General General Shanahan, to go back to this conversation that we're having, what type of when we talk about guardrails, what are the guardrails that you think should be in place?
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Kristen Welker
We always looked at this is you would do very what we call rigorous and disciplined test and evaluation. The military has done test and evaluation on hardware spectacularly well over the past 70 years as a result of many accidents. In the 50s and early 60s, they decided to put an emphasis on how to make sure these systems will work as designed in the first place. And we put a lot of emphasis on test and evaluation. What you want to know is not only how these AI capabilities are supposed to work under normal conditions, but what are their failure modes? At what risks are you buying when you get these capabilities? And then you have to decide how do you mitigate those risks? Who accepts those risks? Do some of those risk decisions go potentially all the way to the President of the United States? If you're talking lethal autonomous weapons systems? So the guardrails are a way to ensure you don't get rogue AI or AI that's acting in ways that the human never intended. That's what's different about this technology. With hardware in the past, it was what I would call binary. It worked or it didn't work. In AI, you're going to see increasingly advanced capabilities potentially act in ways that humans never quite anticipated. We have to do the testing and the focus on making sure they work as advertised.
- [30:02]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
All right. Lieutenant General Shanahan, thank you so much. We really appreciate your perspective on such a critical and developing story. Thanks so much. Come back soon. Up next on alert, US And Western allies brace for a potential escalation with Iran after yesterday's high stakes nuclear talks made progress but failed to reach a deal. We'll have the very latest. Stay with us on MEET THE press. Now,
- [30:27]
Kristen Welker
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- [31:22]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Welcome back. On his way to Texas, President Trump had some tough words for both Cuba and Iran amid rising tensions with those countries. Countries going as far as saying he's mulling a quote, friendly takeover of Cuba. Listen, the Cuban government is talking with us.
- [31:38]
Kristen Welker
They're in a big deal of trouble, as you know. They have no money, they have no anything right now, but they're talking with us and maybe we'll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.
- [31:50]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
President Trump also saying he's not happy with the way talks are going with Iran after a third round of negotiations ended in Geneva without a with deal. Here's what he said about that.
- [31:59]
Kristen Welker
I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have. So I'm not thrilled with that.
- [32:05]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
We'll see what happens.
- [32:06]
Kristen Welker
We're talking later. We'll have some additional talks today.
- [32:12]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Meanwhile, embassies in the Middle east are on high alert today. The US Told non essential staff at its embassy in Israel who wish to leave the country amid rising tensions to do so immediately, according to an email from Ambassador Mike Huckabee, reviewed by NBC News News Australia, directed the departure of families of its embassy staff on Wednesday, while the UK Announced it's temporarily pulling personnel from its embassy in Iran amid a massive US Military buildup in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to Israel on Monday to update the Israelis on the status of talks with Iran. Joining me now is NBC News international correspondent Raf Sanchez. Raf, thanks so much for being here. So President Trump said today he hasn't made a final decision on striking Iran. I want to play what he said when he was asked if strikes on Iran could turn into a longer drawn out conflict in the Middle East.
- [32:59]
Kristen Welker
Listen, I guess you could say there's always a risk. You know, when there's war, there's a risk in anything, both good and bad.
- [33:08]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
This comes the day after Vice President J.D. vance said there is, quote, no chance the U.S. will be in a drawn out war in the Middle East. Where do things stand in the region right now?
- [33:17]
Kristen Welker
RAF so, Kristen, we have this enormous buildup of US Forces in the region right now, the largest military buildup in the Middle east by the United States since the Iraq war back in 2003. Just look at bases across the region, fighter jets, bombers, refueling tankers, and then all of these ships, including two aircraft carriers moving into place now. And all of these American service members are waiting for a decision from President Trump about whether or not he is going to strike. He has been discussing almost deliberating this process in public in front of the cameras. You heard him there say that he does not feel that these talks, talks are going well. What we learned back in June when first Israel and then the United States bombed Iran, is that the Iranians have very limited ability to repel these airstrikes by advanced Western aircraft. They couldn't stop Israeli warplanes. They couldn't stop those B2 stealth bombers sent by President Trump to bomb their nuclear facilities. What they can do, Kristen, is they have large numbers of ballistic missiles still. They can use those to threaten both Israel and American military facilities across the Middle East. We saw them attack the US Base in Qatar, the Al Udeid Air base, back in June in response to that B2 strike. So when Vice President Vance says we're not going to get bogged down in a years long conflict, he seems to be saying this isn't going to be like Iraq in 2003. We're not going to have hundreds of thousands of American boots on the ground. But the threat is very, very real to American service members across the world region.
- [34:54]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Oh, it absolutely is. Well, look, President Trump said talks with Iran are continuing, but what more do we know about what happened in the wake of yesterday's talks in Geneva? What are your expectations moving forward after that?
- [35:11]
Kristen Welker
Yeah. So we had Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the president's special envoy, in Geneva yesterday. They were in these indirect negotiations that were with the Iranians that were moderated by the government of Oman. Now, Oman came out of those talks sounding fairly optimistic, saying they had made progress, saying that both sides were going to head back to their capitals for consultations and that they believe that there is a path ahead. Today, the Omani foreign minister was in Washington. He met with Vice President Vance. And I'll read you just a bit of the tweet he put out. He said, I met Vice President Vance today, shared details of the ongoing negotiation between the United States States and Iran and the progress achieved so far. He says, I'm grateful for their engagement and look forward to further and decisive progress in the coming days. Peace is within our reach. Now, that is certainly a level of optimism that you are not hearing from President Trump, who has been clear he does not think these talks are going well. And the big, big sticking point seems to be, Kristen, this question of enrichment. The United States indicating it will not allow Iran to enrich uranium at all. The Iranians saying that they have a right to enrich uranium even if it isn't for a nuclear weapon. And it is not clear right now how you square that circle.
- [36:30]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
All right, Raf Sanchez, following these fast moving developments for us. Raf, thank you so much. Here in the US the family of Renee Good is speaking out after she was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis last month. Her killing fueling weeks of protests across the country against ICE tactics and demands from lawmakers for major reforms to how ICE and Border Patrol carry out their immigration enforcement operations. You'll remember Renee Nicole Goode was in her car when she got into a confrontation with ICE agents. The Trump administration, saying the agent feared for his life, shot at the vehicle, a claim disputed by local officials, NBC News correspondent Maggie Vespa sat down with Renee Goode's family and filed this report. Take a look. Hey there. Almost two months after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, week raced here to Denver where her brothers live because in short, the family is ready to open up. Telling us in their first on camera interview, Renee was a fiercely protective mother, daughter and sister that she had a contagious laugh and that none of them knew she was volunteering as a so called ICE observer in her neighborhood in
- [37:39]
Kristen Welker
Minneapolis when she was shot behind the
- [37:41]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
wheel of her SUV.
- [37:43]
Kristen Welker
Trump administration argued that videos of the
- [37:45]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
January 7 shooting proved the ICE officer fired in self defense as good drove toward him. Supporters of Goods were enraged, arguing, she looked scared. She was turning the wheel and she was trying to escape. We were on the ground for weeks in Minneapolis as those videos fueled protests there and around the world, which is why this moment from our interview was so striking. This was captured by multiple cameras. Have you watched the moment Renee was shot?
- [38:20]
Kristen Welker
I have not. I can't bring myself to do that.
- [38:22]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
None of you have watched video of the moment she was shot?
- [38:27]
Kristen Welker
I think we've all intentionally just let that go.
- [38:29]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
The only thing I saw of that day was her saying, I'm not mad at you.
- [38:36]
Kristen Welker
And that was so ornate, those words
- [38:41]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
to the officer, I'm not mad at you.
- [38:45]
Kristen Welker
And that was just her.
- [38:47]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
How then have you processed the noise? That is the debate around what happened and people kind of seeing what they want in the video. How have you been able to weather that, especially if you haven't seen it yourselves?
- [39:03]
Kristen Welker
I mean, I feel like we're the ones who, who know Renee. No one else knows Renee. And so I think, at least for me, the default thing when you hear any of the noise is it's just, I don't know, to a certain degree it's easy to tune out because it's just no one knew her.
- [39:25]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
We'll have much more, including the family's
- [39:27]
Kristen Welker
take on the Trump administration's response in
- [39:30]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Minneapolis and their message to the ICE officer who shot Renee.
- [39:34]
Kristen Welker
Good.
- [39:34]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Coming up tonight on NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. I'll send it back to you. We will be watching. Maggie Vespa, thank you for that extraordinary interview. We really appreciate it. And we'll be right back with more Meet the Press now. Welcome back. As we noted, President Trump has not thrown his support behind any of the three Republicans who are competing in Tuesday's primary in the race for Texas Senate. But that hasn't stopped the candidates, which include incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn, from making their support of the president known to Republican primary voters.
- [40:09]
Kristen Welker
Look, I voted with President Trump 99% of the time, securing funding to finish the wall and hiring 10,000 new ICE officers and thousands of Border Patrol agents. I was the first person in the country to endorse President Trump on this last election cycle because I knew that we needed a fighter. It's going to take a patriot like Ken Paxton to make America great. Again, he's very, very talented. He's a very talented guy.
- [40:35]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Joining me now is our panel, Sahil Kapoor, NBC News national senior national political reporter. Chris Maher, Democratic consultant, and Ashley Davis, former George W. Bush administration official. Thanks to all of you for being here. Sahil. The race in Texas could not be more fascinating. Talk about this moment where President Trump is there in Texas with the three kids candidates has not endorsed. It's expected this race could go to a runoff. It's the first time Democrats are actually eyeing the possibility of maybe being competitive in a Texas Senate race in more than three decades.
- [41:08]
Kristen Welker
Absolutely. Those ads really show the extent to which President Trump has cemented his grip on the Republican Party. It wasn't that long ago that they used to fight in primaries over things like taxes. I want to cut taxes more than you. I want to cut spending more than you. You voted for this bill with earmarks. I have the. An endorsement from this conservative group. Now all of that is demolished. It's all Trump. Who likes Trump the most, who supports Trump the most? Who Trump likes the most. What's interesting About Senator Cornyn, 99% of the time voting record with Trump, that is not enough. He's in real danger in this race. I've covered him in the Senate for quite a while now, and he reliably votes with Republicans, rarely breaks. But that's not enough to these voters. They want you to look the part and sound the part and just be more maga. And this could be a really defining race in, in this Senate landscape right now, a rare red state where Democrats see real hope.
- [41:54]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
It's just so fascinating. And Ashley, if this does go to a runoff, which is expected, it's basically going to be a fight for the heart of maga. Because you have Ken Paxton arguing that he's the more MAGA candidate. Well, absolutely. First of all, John Cornyn did get on the plane from Washington today to Texas. So he was probably like.
- [42:13]
Kristen Welker
Well, no, I just think he was
- [42:14]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
probably lobbying very hard for those couple hours. But listen, it shows right now that Paxton has, you know, not a significant lead, but, you know, four or five
- [42:24]
Kristen Welker
points in most polls.
- [42:26]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
But John Corden did that, that gun bill probably six years ago now, five years ago now.
- [42:32]
Kristen Welker
And so that's the 1%.
- [42:33]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
And, you know, Texas likes their guns. And so that's going to be a
- [42:36]
Kristen Welker
real issue for him.
- [42:38]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
But listen, I think I was actually talking to the Democrat side and they,
- [42:42]
Kristen Welker
they feel like they were already running against Paxton.
- [42:44]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Okay, so, Chris, that takes me. Yeah, you tell me what are you looking for in this race? You have one poll which shows James Talarico up, another poll which shows Jasmine Crockett has the lead. The dynamics of this race are so fascinating because they're not that different on the policies. This is more of a style race. What are you watching for and what do you make of it? Do you think Democrats could actually win this time?
- [43:08]
Kristen Welker
Yeah, I think we can. And I think it's incumbent upon us to nominate James Talarico because he's our only chance of winning in the general election. We're still talking about Texas. It's a very, very, very, very red state, and not just anybody can pick up and win there. James Talarico has the tone, he has the style to appeal to tens of thousands of people who have donated to his campaign, who have organized for his campaign, who can appeal to a general electorate. Jasmine Crockett, on the other hand, she's very dynamic. She's very vocal, but she's very controversial, and she's very divisive, which, as a Democrat running in a very red state, you. You just are not going to be able to win in a place like Texas with her sort of style.
- [43:51]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
And as we're having this conversation, President Trump has taken the stage in Corpus Christi, Texas, so we anticipate he'll start talking any moment. Sahil, to this point that Chris is making, Congresswoman Crockett is the more progressive candidate. She's outspoken, she's a firebrand. She's had these moments which are more controversial. What do you make of the state of play on the Democratic side? And is this. I know Chris is expressing optimism that Democrats can win, always talking about Texas, and yet when Election Day comes around, boy, it's really tough for them to pull off a victory there.
- [44:27]
Kristen Welker
Yeah, absolutely. Democrats haven't won statewide in Texas for several decades now. I think what Chris is reflecting is the consensus among most national Democratic strategists that I've talked to that they would have a fighting chance with James Talarico, that it's far from a guarantee, even if it's Talarico versus Ken Paxton, which is the matchup that the NRSC is eager to avoid. Republicans are very clear, they've been made abundantly clear that they believe Jasmine Crockett is the weaker candidate. They're actively and openly trying to boost her. They're doing some trolling memes on social media. They're doing ads out there to try to get. To try to trick Democrats to vote for her or however you want to see that but that's the view among Republicans, that they would rather face Jasmine Crockett. And even if it's Talarika versus Paxton, it's far from guaranteed the Democrats win.
- [45:10]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Ashley, let's talk about the messaging that we're going to hear from President Trump. Trump presumably will echo some of what we heard in the State of the Union address, where he did start off talking about the economy, but a lot of Republicans saying, boy, I wish he had just acknowledged that the economy is not working for a lot of Americans, that that may have been a missed opportunity. How do you see it and what do you hope to hear from the president on these campaign stock?
- [45:35]
Kristen Welker
I mean, I think, for one, I
- [45:36]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
think he's going to probably say all three candidates are really great, and then
- [45:39]
Kristen Welker
he's going to move on and they're all going to be like, darn, you
- [45:42]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
know, but then they're going to move on to energy independence. I mean, this is like his place, right? This is energy independence. Perfect place to be, Texas. And he's also going to talk about the border. And so I think if he sticks to those two messages, and now that's a big if he sticks on message, but if he does, I think that would be a win. Chris, let's talk. Go ahead.
- [46:01]
Kristen Welker
Well, and I would just say one of the reasons that we're talking about Texas in the first place, we're talking about places like Iowa or Ohio, is because the president hasn't focused on what people care most about, which is affordability and the cost of living. People are saying their costs go up, their grocery costs, their housing costs, their gas costs, like all of those are going up. And, and that's putting these states that otherwise would be off the table for Democrats in play. And that's why we're talking about Texas today.
- [46:30]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Yeah. And Sahil, I think the question for Democrats is what is their strategy going to be? You obviously had these big victories. Abigail Spamberger, Mikey Sherrill, you also had Zoran Mondani, who was back at the White House, by the way. He ran as a Democratic socialist. What do you anticipate Democrats are going to lean into in these closing weeks?
- [46:55]
Kristen Welker
Well, certainly not Democratic socialism in purple and red states. That works in New York City. It's not gonna work in Texas or Iowa or Maine even. But, yeah, I think in Texas right now, John Cornyn and his allies have made abundantly clear to President Trump and his team that Cornyn, in their view, is the only candidate who is safe and secure to win. What Republicans also worry about is that if Paxton is the nominee, they'll have to pour a lot of money into that race which they would rather be spending in places like Iowa and Ohio at this time. So bottom line, I think the answer to your question is it defers from place to place, from state to state. They want to run local, regional campaigns. The one through line will be affordability and cost of living because suddenly the economy is an asset to Democrats.
- [47:36]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Okay, guys, great conversation. Thank you so much. Hope you have a fantastic weekend. Sahil, Chris and Ashley, we do want to turn now to a quick update on the situation involving Iran. We were talking about this moments ago. President Trump speaking to reporters telling them he doesn't want Iran to have any enrichment capabilities. Take a listen to some of the what he had to say.
- [47:56]
Kristen Welker
I say no enrichment. Not 20%, 30%. They always want 20%, 30%. They want it for civilian, you know, for civil. Civil. I think it's uncivil. So I'm not happy with it. How close are you to making a decision on strikes? I'd rather not tell you. You would have had the greatest scoop in history.
- [48:19]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Meanwhile, Oman's foreign minister, the country mediating the talks, tells CBS News that Iran has agreed to not have enough nuclear missile material for a bomb, something that wasn't in the original Iran nuclear deal under former President Obama. We will continue to track all of that. Still to come, meet the North Carolina House candidate and self described fake Republican who's stirring up a primary race to make a point about gerrymandering. That's next on MEET THE press. Now. Welcome back. In 2023, we profiled North Carolina Democratic state Senate candidate Katie Barr, who knowingly ran an unwinnable race to make a point. Her campaign was a form of protest after earlier that year the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that gerrymandering did not violate the state constitution, allowing the Republican state legislature to redraw the maps in their favor. Well, Barr is back in Tuesday's primary. North Carolinians will see her name on the ballot, this time challenging Republican Representative Tim Moore for his seat in the Charlotte suburbs. NBC's Gary Grumbach has more on the long shot campaign.
- [49:32]
Kristen Welker
Last time she was running for office, Kate Barr described herself as a loser. I certainly wish that I could represent this district. It won't happen. She was running for a North Carolina state Senate seat in a race she knew she wasn't going to win as a Democrat because of gerrymandering. Well, Barr is back.
- [49:49]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
How to Save Our Mother Democracy.
- [49:51]
Kristen Welker
And this time she's running for Congress as a Republican. I am a fraudulent Republican for sure.
- [49:57]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
I am progressive.
- [49:59]
Kristen Welker
I wish that I could run in the general as a Democrat and have a fair chance. She's doing it to continue to make a point about partisan redistricting. The maps are drawn to ensure that our incumbent Republican Congressman Tim Moore will win. Every time I think that's wrong. I think voters deserve.
- [50:16]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
And so I changed my voter registration, but not my values in order to challenge him.
- [50:21]
Kristen Welker
With hundreds of thousands of registered Republican voters living in North Carolina's 14th congressional district and a closed primary system, Barr knows it's going to be an uphill battle. But it's a battle she's willing to fight. My vision is that we put power back in the hands of voters and give voters actual choices so they can hold their leaders accountable. The primary election is coming up on Monday, March 3. But Barr thinks she's already made a difference. Honestly, we have already won because we have seen Tim Moore actually working for his job. He is putting out yard signs, he's knocking doors, he's buying digital ads, he's sending mailers. He's actually having to defend the choices he has made as our congressman. And that is the whole point. And now voters get to choose. Do they like what he's done or would they rather give me a shot? Congressman Moore isn't at all a fan of what should. The only thing that she's been honest about is that she's a fraud. So I'll give her that. But she's a left wing liberal who supports all of the far left causes that Republicans are not going to vote for her. But for Barr, being called a fraud is just the tip of the iceberg. You've been getting some pretty nasty messages online. Yep, yep. Death threats, all sorts of hate. Are you concerned for your safety? Sure, of course. When you make enough payments, people mad, then you worry that somebody's actually going to take action. With two kids at home, she's had to take additional security precautions, but she's hopeful her electoral gambit is teaching them a life lesson.
- [51:46]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
I hope that they take away when
- [51:48]
Kristen Welker
something is wrong, you speak out against it and you do everything you can to fight for the way things should be.
- [51:56]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
And joining me now on set is NBC News legal affairs reporter Gary Grumbach. Gary, what a great, great piece. Thank you for bringing that to us. Talk about why she's running as a Republican. Why is it so uphill as a Democrat in the 14th district?
- [52:11]
Kristen Welker
So this is such an interesting district because this actually used to be represented by Jeff Jackson, who's a Democrat. And he won 60% of the vote when he won that race. And now she's trying to win in this race. Her math says there's about 400,000 people that are Republicans or unaffiliated in the 14th, about 15% vote in a primary. And all she says is she needs needs about 30,000 votes to be able to win this primary against Congressman.
- [52:33]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
It's just fascinating given that there are so many unaffiliated voters. Gary, what's her message to those unaffiliated?
- [52:41]
Kristen Welker
Her message is whether you're a Democrat or Republican leaning, even if you are unaffiliated, if you want to live in a world where there's just because you live in an area where there's a lot of people of the other political persuasion near you doesn't mean that's where things have to go politically. It can go either way, whether you're Democratic, Democrat or Republican.
- [52:57]
Various NBC News Correspondents and Guests
Kristen okay. Well, it's just a great piece, a great window into part of what we are going to be watching for on Tuesday night. Gary Grumbach, thanks. So great to see you as always. Thank you for joining us for Meet the Press. Now, of course, make sure you tune in to MEET the Press on Sunday. We will have exclusive interviews with Senators Lindsey Graham and Congressman Ro Khanna. There's more ahead on NBC News. Now,
- [53:34]
Kristen Welker
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