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Meet the Press NOW — July 27
00:50:48
President Trump travels to Michigan ahead of the state’s primary to promote his administration’s economic agenda despite recent polls showing voter concerns about inflation. Former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison discusses the leadership and financial troubles facing the DNC and how it could affect the party’s prospects in November. The U.S. pauses military strikes on Iran as the administration pursues a diplomatic path forward.
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- [00:00]
Gabe Gutierrez
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Host/Moderator
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Jamie Harrison
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Jamie Harrison
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Jamie Harrison
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Host/Moderator
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Jamie Harrison
Download the Start Today Wellness app now
- [00:55]
Host/Moderator
on your Apple or Android device. Terms apply C app for details. Welcome to meet the press now. I'm Gabe Gutierrez and we are officially less than 100 days until the midterm elections. Right now, President Trump is in battleground Michigan focusing on the most important midterm issue, the economy. It all comes as energy prices are riding a rollercoaster of ups and downs from the war against Iran. Meanwhile, Democrats are grappling with headwinds of their own, including major divisions over the direction of their party in a cash crunch at the Democratic National Committee starting in Michigan, where President Trump lauded his administration's record on the economy, highlighting his tariff policy as a benefit for the auto industry and saying that the next president will see the results. And this all comes as the president is significantly underwater on the economy and inflation. In recent polling, the president has told reporters he is not concerned about the war's impact on the midterms, but he has repeatedly pledged that prices would fall once the war was over last week, asking voters to give him more time. An oil fell today on renewed hopes for diplomatic talks after the administration paused strikes. Prices at the pump remain elevated with no clear path to end the conflict as the war enters its fifth month. While the economic headwinds hit the president and his party, Democrats are facing something of a financial crisis of their own at party headquarters facing a major cash crunch, a New York Times reporting Democratic Party leaders are asking vendors not to send bills until after the midterm elections, while notice reports the Democratic National Committee put its Washington, D.C. headquarters up as collateral to obtain a loan last year. At the center of the storm, DNC Chair Ken Martin, who has struggled to rehabilitate his party's image after the 2024 election. Asked yesterday about Martin's leadership, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed his confidence in the chairman during a campaign event with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
- [03:14]
Frank Thorpe
Can you comment on the report that
- [03:16]
Host/Moderator
the DNC is broke and that I'm wondering if the chairman of the DNC still has your full support?
- [03:23]
Jamie Harrison
Yes, the chairman has my full support. What we've seen over the last 18 plus months is that Democrats have won every single meaningful election up and down the ballot across the country during that period of time, and we look forward to our continued partnership.
- [03:39]
Host/Moderator
This also comes as the party prepares for another bruising primary next week, highlighting the tensions between progressives and moderates as Congresswoman Haley Stevens takes on progressive Abdul Al Said in next week's Democratic Senate race in Michigan. Joining Me now is NBC's chief White House correspondent Garrett Hake. And with me here on set is national political reporter Ben Kamisar. Thank you both so much for being here. Garrett, I want to start with you. The president speaking right now in Michigan, how much is he staying focused on these economic issues?
- [04:10]
Garrett Haake
Well, Gabe, it's always a bit of a sliding scale with President Trump, but I think the White House would be pleased with what they've seen from the president and these remarks in Michigan today. He has made weaves onto issues like Iran. He's talked about the beautification of cities like Washington, D.C. but he has also focused substantially on the one big beautiful bill, as it was called, his no tax on tips policy. He's spoken about the auto industry, which is, of course, a big deal in Michigan. And he has just finished introducing, before I was walking out to the camera, the slate of Republicans who are running in some big contested races there for governor and for Senate in particular, giving that picture that I think all of those folks want as they try to recapture his 2024 magic. So with President Trump, it's always a little bit of everything, but the economic message is, at least to some degree, coming through.
- [05:00]
Host/Moderator
You know, earlier today on his way to Michigan on Air Force One, he also spoke again about the Save America Act. He's been pushing for that, as you know, and he's been pushing the Senate Majority Leader Thune, John Thune, and Senate Republicans to really pass that, of course, soon. Thune has repeatedly said that he doesn't have the votes. What's the president's frustration level right now with Thune?
- [05:23]
Garrett Haake
Well, his frustration level in general is high when it comes to the Save America Act. He's been talking about it, bringing it up at every opportunity for months now. But whether his frustration is specifically with John Thune or not, it's a little bit difficult to say publicly. The President has insisted this is not about replacing John Thune. And you hear from Republican senators all the time that they feel like thoroughly Thune has done a pretty good job of figuring out how to communicate directly with Trump without raising his ire on issues like this. But nevertheless, it is Thune who's sort of in the crosshairs as the decision maker in the Senate. But I think the President knows and is certainly being told by his staff that John Thune cannot make votes appear where they don't otherwise exist. Now, Thune could make this painful for Republican senators and insist that they do what the President has asked and stay here in Washington through August not passing the SAVE Act. But that's highly unlikely to change any Republicans minds on the act itself or on getting rid of the filibuster, which this is ultimately about.
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Host/Moderator
And Garrett, is there any concern among Republicans that he's focusing on this bill at the expense of other issues that could actually help the party overcome these political headwinds we've been talking about ahead of the midterms?
- [06:35]
Garrett Haake
Yeah, definitely. I will say you hear that more so from some of these Republicans who will not be coming back in the next Congress, folks like Bill Cassidy or John Cornyn who've already lost their primaries, they view these bills as somewhat backward looking. You know, while they have publicly all said that they think some of the priorities hidden here, like higher voter ID requirements and so forth, are legitimate and good things for Republicans to be focusing on, that this bill itself, without the votes to advance it, is just talking about something that can't be done.
- [07:07]
Host/Moderator
Garrett Hay cly for us at the White House. Garrett, thank you. I want to turn now to Ben and let's turn now to the Democrats turmoil. How big a deal are these money issues and what might they mean for cash strapped Democrats and candidates in key races like Maine?
- [07:22]
Ben Kamisar
Yeah, it's the $1 billion question.
- [07:23]
Ryan Reilly
Right.
- [07:24]
Ben Kamisar
And there's not an easy answer. On one hand, yes, the Democrats have been massively out, raised and outspent by their Republican counterparts. Particularly it's the spending piece. Right. You know, it's obvious that their party in power always raises more. But for them to be, for Republicans to be sitting on a 100 plus million dollar nest egg and for Democrats to be in debt, that's the kind of comparison that is just very bad. Not just for the, you know, for the story and for the rhetoric, but it's also just, it's that that is money that can be used to help win races. Right. There's this new Supreme Court case which I won't sort of bore you all with, but basically it makes that money more powerful. And so, yes, that's a problem. But also the flip side is Democrats are pointing to a lot of the operatics and a lot of the President's polling numbers. And they think, and they hope that that operatics and sort of mood of the midterms is going to help them.
- [08:13]
Host/Moderator
What does this all mean for the DNC chair, Ken Martin? We just heard right there, Hakeem Jeffrey sticking by him. But other. But are other rank and file Democrats really growing more frustrated here?
- [08:23]
Ben Kamisar
You're seeing some cracks, but not a flood. And ultimately I think there's kind of two things here, right. First off, this is a, the DNC is a membership driven organization. We like to think about these party organizations as being the head of the party. They're also just sort of the, the president of this small group of membership.
- [08:39]
Frank Thorpe
Right.
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Ben Kamisar
And so far there hasn't been a public exodus of the members. And hopefully for, you know, in Ken Martin's mind, hopefully he thinks that he can get through the midterms and then ultimately push on to 2020. The question will be what happens at that pivot point? Will the party be happy enough to let him continue?
- [08:55]
Host/Moderator
Well, looking ahead to 2028, this all comes after Friday. The Party Rules Committee recommended that the 2028 primary order start with South Carolina for Democrats. Now some progressives are saying that this is all meant to stop their momentum. What do you make of that argument?
- [09:10]
Ben Kamisar
I make that we've really not moved on past the 2016 election. Right. Like this is the progressives have not really fixed their relationship with the DNC ever since the 2016 primary where they felt like the party was putting their thumb on the scale against them. Everything that's happened in the Democratic Party since kind of points to that. I think that debate is still part of that argument. But I think being in the room, the debate was among the membership was not about progressive, it was not about establishment, it was strictly about which state, what the order here. And frankly the big lean on South Carolina Democrats really pointed to in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights act, in the wake of redistricting, that's going to carve up a lot of these black majority seats. And that was far more weighing on these members minds than any sort of progressive fight.
- [09:54]
Host/Moderator
South Carolina versus Nevada black Voters versus Latinos, really the party trying to figure out what its identity is for years to come. Ben Kamisar, thank you so much. I want to turn now to Jamie Harrison, former chair of the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Harrison, thank you so much for joining us here on Meet the Press Now.
- [10:11]
Jamie Harrison
Thank you for having me.
- [10:13]
Host/Moderator
And I want to start with the troubles facing the DNC at the moment. As we were just discussing with Ben as former chair of the party, Is this a leadership issue or an environment issue?
- [10:24]
Jamie Harrison
Well, listen, I think every chair inherits a different set of circumstances. So, you know, I was fortunate to begin with a Democratic president in the White House. Ken is leading during a very different, different political environment. Right. I was in the DNC in 2018 when Tom Perez, in a very similar fashion, inherited a DNC after coming after a presidential election loss. I mean, when you even take a look at the cash on hand, we didn't have a whole lot of money in 2018 at the DNC. I think if you compare where we were in 2018 on cash in hand, where the DNC is now, I think we had in 2018 $9 million. I think the DNC has 16 million. We were in 2018, $6 million in debt. I think this DNC is about 18 million. So all in all, it was around the same space. But I want people to remember, and this is why it's important to understand the history behind all of this stuff. We still won 41 seats in the House of Representatives in 2018. Right. So the House is not on fire. This is what happens coming off of a presidential election loss. So you got to continue to cultivate those grassroots donors. You got to go to those major donors, and they will come back as we get closer to the election. But you really, really have to focus on the energy right now, and that is the energy's with us in terms of winning these races in special elections.
- [11:50]
Host/Moderator
Well, I think some of the concern, though, among Democrats now is not just your cash on hand, but also the fact that Republicans have been very strong fundraising numbers at this point. And as we were just talking about with Ben, he just walked us through the cash issues that the DNC is facing. That cash crunch. Are you concerned about what this will eventually mean for the party's chances of retaking the House or Senate?
- [12:14]
Jamie Harrison
No, I'm not. When you take a look at our individual candidates, they're doing better than their Republican counterparts. The people who they're running against in terms of raising money, the DS and the DSCC and the DCCC are on par with their counterparts there. But, and in the end, yes, Donald Trump is sitting on $400 million. But do we actually think Donald Trump is going to spend that on anybody other than Donald Trump? The history, history tells us that he won't. And so it's really, really important for us to continue to support our candidates as much as we possibly can. Send your contributions into your, your candidates of choice, but also make sure that you understand that we are really focusing on sending resources to our parties in the state parties so that they can compete as well.
- [13:06]
Host/Moderator
Why do you think that is that? Why do you think candidates are doing so well fundraising on their own instead of the dnc?
- [13:12]
Jamie Harrison
Because, you know, again, I think the DNC is one of those, it's the carte blanche. You go online right now and you know, people will blame the DNC for everything. If the sky is great, they say, well, it's the DNC that caused the sky to be great. Right. And so therefore that sometimes that reflects on these national committees. And it's not unique to the dnc. When the RNC is out of power, out of the White House, it's the same type of thing. It's just that these major committees really absorb all of the negativity out there about being outside of power while the candidates provide a fresh face, a fresh choice, and that's where people want to send their dollars.
- [13:52]
Host/Moderator
Well, the DNC Rules Committee also on Friday, as we mentioned, recommended that the order for the 2020 presidential prim, starting with South Carolina, then Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia, all before Super Tuesday. Now, of course, I know you're happy to see South Carolina first, but what message do you think the larger batch of states sends about the party's priorities here?
- [14:18]
Jamie Harrison
Well, I'm very, very pleased by this calendar, and I think it reflects the diversity of this party and it looks like the modern day Democratic Party. And I think putting South Carolina first means that candidates begin by talking to communities that too often are asked to wait until later on, particularly black voters. Black voters don't simply deserve to ratify a nominee after the field has narrowed. And that's the role that South Carolina has played historically. But they now deserve to help shape the field from day one to make sure that the issues that are really important for them and their communities are ones that are being discussed at the very beginning of this presidential process. And Nevada is also going to play that role as the number two as well. When you see in the past, Iowa and New Hampshire have had an outsized influence and now, you have two states that are very diverse that will play that role, at least in this 2028 election cycle.
- [15:15]
Host/Moderator
And you've said that South Carolina first works because its Democratic base is not conservative or progressive, but that they're pragmatic. What do you say to progressives who say that the state's moderate sensibilities are exactly why it should not be first and that it's meant to blunt progressive momentum within the party?
- [15:35]
Jamie Harrison
Well, you know, the example that the progressives then give you is Bernie Sanders. And Bernie Sanders didn't lose in South Carolina because he was progressive. Bernie Sanders lost in South Carolina because he didn't put the. He didn't put the grassroots operation on the ground to build a type of operation to convince people to support him. Remember, you know, this is the state of Jesse Jackson, 1988 Jesse Jackson and that progressive platform that he had. And guess what? He won South Carolina.
- [16:05]
Frank Thorpe
Right.
- [16:05]
Jamie Harrison
So if you want to win South Carolina, you can't use this state as a flyover state. You only come in for a few days and then you think that's all you need to do. You got to build the operation just like you would go to Iowa and New Hampshire and rub elbows and go to the. The state fairs and go to. Well, now you got to go to the HBCUs, historically black colleges and universities. You got to go to the churches. You got to go to the barbershops. You got to go to the VFWs. You have to make sure that you build a grassroots operation. So I say to progressives, moderates and conservatives, come and build an operation in South Carolina and make your case to these, to these voters because they are pragmatic. If they see that and they can Smith, sniff out bs. If you are not going to, if they don't believe that you are going to fight for them and their families and their communities, then they're not going to support you.
- [16:57]
Host/Moderator
Mr. Harrison, last month you posted on X. I say this with no ill will or animosity. If you hate the Democratic Party, then please don't run for our nomination. Were you referencing specific candidates with that post?
- [17:14]
Jamie Harrison
Oh, well, I was. You know, I know a lot of people like to make it out. I've been saying that now for months. I said it back in August or September of last year. That I see more and more that people are getting a lot of political cred or credibility out on the Twitter streets by. By dogging out the Democratic Party, throwing mud on the Democratic Party. And I don't care if you're progressive. I don't care if you're moderate or conservative. I think it's important. If you want this party to be strong, to fight back against fascism, then you can't try to demonize and destroy the party in the process in order to just get a little cachet.
- [17:52]
Host/Moderator
Well, you also posted that on the night that several Mamdani backed candidates did well in New York. Are you saying that nothing to do with that?
- [18:01]
Jamie Harrison
I actually posted that prior to we even knowing who won those elections that night there. You know, there's a lot of things that I'm paying close attention to. I know, like a lot of folks in New York think that New York is the center of the world, but it ain't the center of my world. So a nice place to visit, nothing to do.
- [18:22]
Host/Moderator
Nothing to do with Mamdani, you're saying?
- [18:25]
Jamie Harrison
No, I mean, and I praise Mayor Mamdani and I think he's doing a really good job. And listen, I don't think he's one of those people who is trying to destroy the party or trying to throw mud on the party.
- [18:38]
Frank Thorpe
Right.
- [18:39]
Jamie Harrison
I think reading comprehension is really, really important here. If you are not hating on the Democratic Party, if you're not trying to destroy the Democratic Party, then, then what I said does not apply to you.
- [18:51]
Host/Moderator
Jaime Harrison, former DNC Chair, thank you so much for your time here and MEET THE PRESS now. We appreciate it.
- [18:56]
Frank Thorpe
Thank you.
- [18:57]
Host/Moderator
And coming up, President Trump pauses strikes against Iran after 13 straight days of attacks. Is diplomacy driving his decision or something else? We've got the view from Washington and the region, plus manhunt in Seattle. A toddler is still in the hospital after a deadly shootout at a food festival. What do we know about the suspect in custody and the person police are still searching for? You're watching MEET THE Press now. Stay with us.
- [19:28]
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- [20:10]
Host/Moderator
And welcome back. After 13 consecutive days of U.S. strikes on Iran, the Trump administration appears to be pausing further military escalation against Tehran, at least for now. On Friday, the president said the military was, quote, locked and loaded. But since then, there have been no known US Strikes. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz telling Kristen Welker on Meet the Press yesterday that the president is making room for diplomacy.
- [20:35]
Jamie Harrison
What the president is doing right now, as we've seen all along, is giving some talks, some space. Talks are ongoing. They're happening at every level, from the more technical aspect of it all the way to the highest levels, of course, within both the Iranian government and the US Government. The president has all options on the table, and he is exercising both diplomatic, economic and military to achieve a very clear strategic aim.
- [21:04]
Host/Moderator
The president today appearing optimistic about the status of those talks with Iran.
- [21:09]
Jamie Harrison
They want to meet and we're meeting. We'll see what happens. There's a chance we can make a deal. They would not have requested the meeting if we were doing poorly. The only reason they want to meet is because we've been hitting them very hard.
- [21:21]
Mark Bednar
Yeah.
- [21:21]
Jamie Harrison
How much patience do you have left? I have a lot of patience. I have plenty of time. Plenty of time. You know, we're having good talks, so we'll see what happens. I think there's a good chance that something could happen, and if it does, good. If it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.
- [21:39]
Host/Moderator
As we mentioned, oil prices are falling at the prospect of diplomacy between the US and Iran. Gas prices, meanwhile, are holding steady at $4.11 a gallon. Joining me now is NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby, here in the studio. And from the region, NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engle. Thank you so much for joining me. Courtney, I want to start with you. You have new reporting about Iran firing drones in the Strait of Hormuz. What can you tell us about that? And how quickly could the US Resume military operations if the president decides that the state of diplomacy path is not working out?
- [22:15]
Gabe Gutierrez
Yeah. So the we learned from a US Official that, in fact, Iran has continued to fire drones at ships that are moving through the Strait of Hormuz despite the fact that there has been this pause in operations. So the pause being the US Military hasn't taken strikes inside Iran, Iran hasn't lashed back out at US Allies. And installations were housing Americans in the region since last week. So. But there is still activity there and the US Military continues to shoot those drones down. And that to your next question is why they could restart immediately if in fact, President Trump were to decide he wants to either continue this day after day campaign of several hours of strikes or if he wants to expand it out. One reality that the military is facing right now is those 13 consecutive nights did really degrade Iran's capabilities along that coastal area. So if they were to continue and they wanted to continue taking strikes every single day or even step up the campaign, they're gonna have to expand out both geographically and even in their char.
- [23:14]
Host/Moderator
They're running out of targets.
- [23:16]
Gabe Gutierrez
They absolutely are. I mean, but the drone firing proves that there still are things there that they can target, but they've degraded a lot of it.
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Host/Moderator
You have also reported that the US Military has let some of the Iranian attacks go through their defenses essentially on purpose. Is that because of the depleted stockpiles or how much of a. How big of a consideration is that
- [23:36]
Gabe Gutierrez
right now it's factoring into this because it's these longer range defensive munitions that are really one of the concerns right now. So in air and missile defense, in the military, you are generally trained that if there's a projectile, a missile that's going towards an empty body of water, it's not going to threaten anything, they will make the calculation to let it go rather than expend these very expensive munitions. What's different now that we're learning, though, is that in some cases, they're allowing some of these projectiles, like missiles, to go through even if they are going to cause damage to a base. Now, the officials we spoke with insisted that this has not led to that they are aware of any American injuries or deaths. And the reality is even an intercept can be dangerous to the people down below. Debris, Debris can fall once the intercepting missile hits the projectile. But this is in part due to the fact that the stockpiles are low. And because this really has no end in sight right now, they can't just be expending them if it's something that's gonna hit maybe an empty building, even if it's gonna do damage to it.
- [24:36]
Host/Moderator
And Courtney, you've also been tracking how the US Military is categorizing the deaths of some of the soldiers in the Middle East. Walk us through that.
- [24:44]
Gabe Gutierrez
It's confusing, Gabe. So last week on Wednesday, when the. Of those four soldiers who were killed the previous days by Iran, three in Jordan and one in Iraq, when they returned back to the U.S. the database that the Pentagon keeps for combat casualties listed 18 total deaths. Suddenly, the next day, it only listed 14 without any explanation. The Pentagon chalked this up to a data problem in their computer system, but never really explained exactly why it had happened. Well, then over the weekend, very quietly, the Pentagon added this new category overseas operations. And all four of those soldiers ended up in that list. All that we know about that is that it's any kind of overseas operation that occurred since July 7th to now. But what's really notable in it that we noticed right away is that it also included 207 injured Americans, primarily Army, that have occurred since July 7th. And why that's so notable is the fact that the Pentagon's only acknowledged about 100% injuries in that same timeline.
- [25:47]
Ryan Reilly
All right.
- [25:47]
Host/Moderator
So Courtney Kuby, tracking numbers here. And by the way, we should point out the president, he's referred to 18 deaths in Iran, so some confusion about the numbers there, right?
- [25:55]
Gabe Gutierrez
Absolutely. The president has said that they were, they died fighting to ensure that Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon.
- [26:00]
Host/Moderator
Courtney Kuby, our senior national security correspondent. Courtney, thank you. I want to turn now to Richard in Israel. What is the mood like in the, in the region now? Richard, now that the military appears to have paused these strikes, at least for now, but the war could still be widening in other respects, Right?
- [26:19]
Sahil Kapoor
Absolutely. Just to continue the, the excellent conversation you were just having with Courtney, who as usual, has, has great detail. Just because these major strikes between the US Military and Iran, strikes on Iranian territory, Iran retaliating against major US Military installations in the Middle east, just because those have paused, it doesn't mean that the conflict has paused because by now the conflict has so many different fronts. There is the ongoing, their ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. Just today, Iran, while it acknowledges that it is engaging in diplomacy and that it's describing some progress, Iran is continuing to insist that it has sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and should continue to have sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. So that, that, that's a major sticking point. And it attacks ships when they use shipping lanes that Iran does not approve of or authorize. So that's ongoing. The Red Sea further to the west, with 12% of the world's trade passing through the Red Sea, that is still an active disputed area, sometimes a combat zone. Just today, Saudi Arabia said that it was hit by numerous militia groups with both the Houthis in Yemen and an Iraqi militia group believed to have been responsible. The Ukrainians are also involved in the Caspian Sea, according to Iran, firing on an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea. So there are many fronts to this war that are still in no, in no means, by no means settled.
- [28:02]
Host/Moderator
And Richard, Prime Minister Netanyahu says that he expects to meet with President Trump here in Washington tomorrow. What will you be watching for in that meeting.
- [28:12]
Sahil Kapoor
Well, we'll see what kind of reaction he gets because President Trump has often been criticized for being led into the Iran war by Prime Minister Netanyahu. The impression that many people have. You can read this in editorials in Europe and in many places around the world, that Israel began this war, dragged President Trump into it, and that he is now sort of hostage to this conflict, as are the American people. So we'll see what kind of reception he receives, if he addresses that issue at all. I think it's also significant that Zelensky is in Ukraine because in the Ukrainian President Zelensky is also in Washington because in some ways these two world leaders are competing for the United States attention that Ukraine wants military aid and Israel wants continued US Military support.
- [29:11]
Host/Moderator
Busy day tomorrow here in Washington. Also at the memorial service for Senator Lindsey Graham, who of course, was very involved, very outspoken about both of those conflicts. Thank you. A lot to watch for Richard Engel live for us in Jerusalem. Richard, thank you. And up next, health experts. Experts say the cyclospora outbreak is still not fully under control as the number of cases rise and officials try to nail down the source. You're watching MEET THE Press now.
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- [30:10]
Jamie Harrison
Monday.com AI agents took over my work and I absolutely love it. Chasing deadlines, writing status reports, updating stakeholders. Agents handle the daily grind. Now I stay in the loop only when it matters. Create your own AI agent in minutes on Monday.com hey, guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I get together with the hilarious Ken Jeong to talk through a career of unforgettable roles, from the Hangover movies to the cult favorite show Community and his latest in the Netflix cultural sensation K Pop Demon Hunters. You can find our conversation for free wherever you download your podcasts.
- [30:56]
Frank Thorpe
Welcome back.
- [30:56]
Host/Moderator
We're following breaking news out of Seattle, where a manhunt is underway for a second alleged shooter in an attack that killed three people and injured four others, including a Toddler the shots rang out just after 6pm during a popular food festival in downtown Seattle near the Space Needle. Witnesses describing the chaos that followed.
- [31:15]
Garrett Haake
I heard about, I'd say close to 12, sounded a little bit like firecrackers at first.
- [31:20]
Host/Moderator
It kept took like I'd say a
- [31:22]
Garrett Haake
half a second pause and I hear a lot more. I realized it was semi automatic probably. It sounded like a switch.
- [31:27]
Frank Thorpe
I looked to my left, I saw
- [31:29]
Garrett Haake
at least one individual with a switch, semi automatic. I saw another one that was two. That's when I heard over that those shots fire. That's when I took off around the corner. Yeah, I heard there's, I saw at least one person go down.
- [31:42]
Host/Moderator
Well, we're, I'm one of the vendors inside and we suddenly heard some firecrackers, what I thought were firecrackers and people started yelling shooter, shooter. And there was like a stampede of people just running, knocking down a lot of products from the vendors, etc. Police say one suspect, who's just 15 years old, surrendered after officers confronted him. A second alleged shooter remains on the loose. But police say they do not believe there is an outstanding threat to the Community Embassy. Liz Kreutz joins me now from Seattle. And Liz, what do investigators know about the suspected good news gunman who's now in custody and what are police saying about the second suspect who's still on the run?
- [32:27]
Liz Kreutz
Yeah. Hey Gabe. Well, officials have not released the identity of that 15 year old, but they do say that that teenager was exchanging gunfire with that other person when the bullets went into the crowd, injuring several people, killing three people. We do know that that teenager is expected in court now any minute and faces really serious charges. Take a listen.
- [32:49]
Erica Edwards
The Seattle Police department detained a 15 year old juvenile in connection with the shooting. The teen was booked into the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family justice center for investigation for firearms violations and first degree assault. We believe this teenager opened fire in the crowd, but details are still under investigation. We have not formally arrested anyone for investigation of homicide.
- [33:18]
Liz Kreutz
Now as for that second gunman, it remains to be seen, according to the latest press conference we just had from the police chief, whether that person is actually still on the loose or potentially one of the victims, that is all still under investigation.
- [33:31]
Host/Moderator
Gabe and Liz, we, we know that four people, including a toddler, as we mentioned, were injured in the shooting. Any updates on their conditions?
- [33:41]
Liz Kreutz
Yeah, we know that actually we just got an update that five people were injured. Four of those people, the adults, have all been released from the hospital. But that toddler that Little boy remains hospitalized right now and is in satisfactory condition. And I'll just tell you, Gabe, we're back here where this all happened. In fact, the shooting happened just down the road here. And we've been seeing the vendors returning today. And you just get a picture. I mean, come look over here. All this food just left here. As people quickly, in the chaos, had to get out, we saw pancakes still on the grill. It was a really scary, chaotic scene for so many.
- [34:16]
Host/Moderator
Gabe, Liz Croyd's live for us on the scene there in Seattle. Liz, thank you. And turning now to the nationwide cyclospirasis outbreak. With concerns now spilling over into Capitol Hill, Congressman Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is now demanding answers from the CEO of Taylor For Farms about the company's role in that outbreak. The FDA says shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from Taylor Farms is the likely source of the spread, which has now expanded to nine states, although the agency says none of the products it has tested have come back positive. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb now says that he believes the agency he once led does not have the outbreak under control.
- [35:01]
Ryan Reilly
I don't think it's under control yet, per se. I think that they've done a good job. FDA has isolating this to central Mexico and some specific farms as well.
- [35:08]
Jamie Harrison
And so by isolating into that region,
- [35:10]
Ryan Reilly
a lot of restaurants, a lot of wholesalers, retailers have been able to cut off supplies from central Mexico. And I think that mitigates the risk.
- [35:19]
Host/Moderator
NBC News medical reporter Erica Edwards joins me now. Erica, thanks so much for joining us. Our officials any closer to finding the source of this outbreak?
- [35:27]
Erica Edwards
Now, FDA officials are pretty confident that the source is linked to a Taylor Farms facility in Mexico. That's based largely on interviews with people who got sick. And we should mention that no samples of Taylor Farms lettuce have tested positive. So that leaves us with still a lot of questions. Dr. Gottlieb, who you mentioned there, who used to run the fda, said the investigation should have been quicker, blaming the CDC on being slow and initially missing this outbreak. He also said that the FDA really has not been communicating to the public enough about staying safe and reducing risks.
- [36:01]
Host/Moderator
Gabe and Erica, once they do feel confident that they've found the source, again, we don't have that confidence yet. But how long will it take then to contain the outbreak or at least slow it down?
- [36:13]
Erica Edwards
So right now investigators are watching to see what kind of effect the Taylor Farms recall has on case counts. If they go down, maybe the recall worked enough to end the outbreak. As of today, however, Michigan's case count has jumped by more than a thousand since late last week. Now up by now more, up to more than 9,000 in that state alone. Gabe, this is not over yet.
- [36:35]
Host/Moderator
And Erica, let's turn now to another health concern, the rising number of measles cases in the U.S. the number of cases has already reached a 35 year high and we're not even seven months through 2026. Health officials say that more than 90% of the cases are in people who are not vaccinated. Now how concerned are they about this trend and what do they fear could be the long term effects here?
- [37:00]
Erica Edwards
You know, we've been reporting on measles heavily for more than a year and doctors remain very concerned about the increase in cases. There's no sign that the administration is actively doing anything about it, at least publicly doing the bare minimum to encourage vaccination. There is a November meeting scheduled with the World Health Organization to determine whether the US has officially lost its status of having eliminated measles. Health officials, however, point to ongoing outbreaks and say it's clear we have lost control and they predict many more kids will get sick in the coming months.
- [37:31]
Host/Moderator
Gabe, our medical reporter, Erica Edwards. Erica, thank you. And after the break, the fight for Maine Senate begins again after Democrats nominate Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner to take on Republican Senator Susan Collins. Your panel's next. You're watching MEET THE PRESS now. Welcome back. As we mentioned, we are 99 days ahead of the November midterm elections with a key Senate race now officially set in Maine where former state Senate president and progressive Troy Jackson clinching the Democratic nomination to replace Graham Platner. And he will now face incumbent five term Senator Susan Collins. Both candidates are reacting to that matchup.
- [38:20]
Sahil Kapoor
Thirty years later, Susan Collins is still in Washington.
- [38:29]
Jamie Harrison
So I do have one question.
- [38:31]
Sahil Kapoor
Who has she served? She has served Donald Trump.
- [38:35]
Host/Moderator
I've always been struck by the fact that once he became in Senate leadership in Augusta, he adopted a hyper partisan approach to issues and a very far left approach, a very far left ideology that really overlaps with the far left agenda of Graham Platner and of the Democratic Socialists of America. And joining me now is our panel, NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapoor Taryn Rosenkratz, Democratic strategist and president and CEO of New Blue Interactive and Mark Bednar, Republican strategist and former advisor to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Thank you all so much for joining me here on the panel. Sahil, I want to Start with you. I also want to play a little bit more of what Susan Collins told you. You were in Maine this weekend. Let's listen to more of what she said. I've worked with five presidents and there's not a single one of them with whom I've agreed on every issue. There have been times when the president has tweeted that he very much disagrees with my faults. There are times when he has said in interviews that I'm a good person
- [40:06]
Taryn Rosenkratz
and
- [40:08]
Host/Moderator
so I've been on the receiving end of both of his views. That is quite the tightrope, is it not? How much does she need to distance herself while at the same time not upsetting the president?
- [40:23]
Frank Thorpe
Senator Collins has the toughest high wire act of any politician in the country. In the 2026 election. She has to turn out strongly pro Trump MAGA voters, even in Maine. Without them, there is no path to victory. She knows that. But she also has to maintain a strong appeal to moderates, to independents, to women, who she won by three points in her last reelection in 2020, even though Joe Biden won them on the same ballot by 20 points. So that's the balance that she needs to strike. It's a uniquely difficult environment. The Republicans I've talked to say she's navigated Trump, broken with him. Certain times one of them used the term been able to disagree with him without being disagreeable. She doesn't run to a camera and attack him when that happens. So there are two theories that I have in terms of how this could go for Susan Collins. The case for her winning is she's defied gravity before, she could do it again. The case for her losing is that she could essentially be the John Tester of this cycle. Tester also defied gravity again and again and again as a Democrat in a red state. Eventually his luck ran out. In a difficult environment. At some point throughout between now and November, Troy Jackson's assignment is going to be to connect Susan Collins to Trump as much as possible. Talk about all the times she's voted with him more than 90% of the time. Susan Collins assignment is going to be to distinguish herself, as she was doing in that interview with me.
- [41:34]
Host/Moderator
You know, and Mark, Troy Jackson holds progressive views, but he comes from a more or less traditional background, at least more traditional background. He's a lumberjack turned labor leader. Is this the candidate that Susan Collins wanted to run against?
- [41:48]
Mark Bednar
I think she's comfortable either way. And to say that he has more of a traditional background than Graham Platner, that's not that big of a revelation. What is important though is he does hold harbor a lot of very far left views. So for instance, he supports socialized medicine or what he calls Medicare for all. Does that include encompassing illegal immigrants as Bernie's plan does? If so or if not, that's something that Republicans are going to have to prosecute against him. And thus far we've seen for Republicans they're making this comparison to Platner. You see it on the airwaves a little bit. I don't know if that's necessarily the right approach. He has his own track record. He has some behavioral issues. I think Susan Collins being who she is, making the case to Mainers of who she is against him. That's the recipe for success here.
- [42:31]
Host/Moderator
And Taryn Collins holds a massive financial advantage over Jackson. $11 million cash on hand, another 60 million in reserved airtime from outside groups. Jackson, though, he has pulled in over $2 million since securing a nomination. But how much of an uphill battle is this for him?
- [42:51]
Taryn Rosenkratz
It's going to be an uphill battle just because this race has always been. Collins is a five term incumbent. This time though it may be the incumbent name attached to her that may be the problem. I think right now people are really frustrated with incumbents. It's a very anti incumbent on election. And I think if she's not talking about how she's going to make things better with the economy and at the pump and then the grocery store and all that good stuff, I think you're going to have a really hard time. No matter how much you paint her as him as a socialist and an extremist, it may not work.
- [43:19]
Host/Moderator
Okay, well, do you think Democrats have a realistic shot at flipping the state?
- [43:22]
Taryn Rosenkratz
I think that Democrats have a shot everywhere this particular cycle just because of what's happening in the world. And if they continue, if Republicans continue to not talk about the things that matter to Americans, they're going to pay for it at the polls.
- [43:33]
Host/Moderator
Well, Saha, I want to turn now to Capitol Hill where there's this growing feud, if you want to call it this growing rift between the Senate majority Leader John Thune and President Trump. The president posting online this morning that the Senate should not leave town until it passes the Save America act or terminates a filibuster. Is any of that likely to happen?
- [43:52]
Frank Thorpe
Short answer, no, there's no indication that that's going to happen. This whole cancel recess call, this is one of the oldest chestnuts in the congressional political playbook. It's a good way to get attention online. It's a good way to get tweets, retweets, likes. You see Senator Mike Lee jumping on this as well, saying he's not going to consent to going on recess if Thune tries, which is a little bit like Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy. You actually have to go to the floor and mount a live objection to that, which he's not been willing to do so far.
- [44:19]
Host/Moderator
He can't declare bankruptcy.
- [44:21]
Frank Thorpe
He can't just declare. You can't just yell, I declare bankruptcy. So let's see if they're willing to do that. I remain skeptical of this, but one thing I think canceling recess doesn't do, it doesn't move votes. You know, if you have business to do and you're backed up, you can use an extra week, you can use an extra two weeks to get those things done, but they don't have the votes for this. And what Senator Thune told our colleague Frank Thorpe on the Hill just moments ago is show me how to get an outcome. Show me the path to getting the. Yes, to getting the votes to pass the Save America act, which they don't have.
- [44:46]
Host/Moderator
I want to ask the controller, do we have that new interview with John Thune responding? I want to toss to that right now. And Mark, I want to ask. Get your response on the other side,
- [44:55]
Jamie Harrison
because if the end game is we
- [44:58]
Host/Moderator
actually get an outcome or a result, we could stay here till Christmas. Democrats aren't voting for this.
- [45:05]
Jamie Harrison
I mean, I'm just telling you. And, and the Republicans are not getting
- [45:09]
Host/Moderator
ready to legislative filibuster. Mark, what do you think Donald Trump's reaction to that's going to be?
- [45:15]
Mark Bednar
Well, clearly we're at an impasse here. And first and foremost, as a longtime congressional staffer, whoever came up with the term recession for Congress, they should be tarred and feathered. It's district work, period. It's state work, period. It sounds, it's a pretty pejorative term
- [45:28]
Host/Moderator
to call he's not going home to play.
- [45:30]
Mark Bednar
Exactly. Yeah.
- [45:31]
Frank Thorpe
At least it's not vacation, right?
- [45:32]
Mark Bednar
Totally. But clearly here, this is not about a calendar, as Leader Thune alluded to. This is about a coalition of getting votes together. So ultimately where this needs to end up, if Republicans want to get anything done with this going forward before the election, Speaker Johnson, Leader Thune and President Trump need to lock themselves in a room and figure out what can get 218 votes in the House, 51 in the Senate presidential signature and a partridge in a pear tree should it take to Christmas. But this is more about how do we find a path forward rather than some sort of calendar timeline.
- [46:01]
Host/Moderator
Well, Taryn, one of the president's arguments that if Democrats take back the House, take back the Senate, excuse me, they'll just nuke the filibuster in a heartbeat. However, today Senator John Fetterman said that he would not support terminating the filibuster. So are these just empty threats, threats by the president?
- [46:18]
Taryn Rosenkratz
I think they are a little bit, because I am going to say that with the threat of democracy overhead and what's been happening with Donald Trump, I think there is more support than ever for something like the filibuster as a protection for some of what's been happening and what we're seeing happen. So I do think there'll be more of a movement of there. And I think it is a little bit of an empty threat on his some hyperbole, which he may be known for.
- [46:39]
Mark Bednar
However, it is important and I leave it to Tahil and every intrepid Capitol Hill reporter and campaign reporter. Go ask Senate Democrats and candidates, are they going to get rid of the filibuster when they have the first opportunity, or do they pledge to keep it? This is a question, you know, that's not just a Republican dynamic. Democrats should have to answer for this directly as well.
- [46:57]
Host/Moderator
That's an interesting question. Sahil, how do you think Democrats would respond to that right now?
- [47:00]
Frank Thorpe
Well, in 2024, the vast majority of Democrats on the ballot said they would abolish the filibuster. They tried this in January of 2022. Everyone except Joe mentioned Kieran, voted to abolish the filibuster to pass their voting rights bill. What they're not going to do is do it while Donald Trump is president. They're going to need a trifecta. They're going to need a majority of senators willing to nuke the filibuster and a huge agenda which they can go to voters and say, this is what we will pass if we end up abolishing the filibuster. This is what's standing in the way. But Fetterman flipping is also notable. It's not going to have one zero vote.
- [47:29]
Host/Moderator
You've been covering John Fetterman a long time, since the early days of his Senate campaign. What do you make of his unraveling relationship? But with, you know, with the party, there's been a lot of talk about Republicans trying to get him to come over to their side. What do you make of his position on the filibuster coming out now?
- [47:47]
Frank Thorpe
Well, it's the latest issue that he's broken with the Democratic Party on. You know, he was critical of them on immigration on the border. He's been very, very critical of Democrats and the turn on Israel. He's a hardline pro Israel, pro Netanyahu person. There are fewer and fewer of them within the Democratic Party. And now today he's got an op ed out where he admits he was wrong. He says he was wrong about the filibuster. He campaigned in favor of abolishing in 2022 when he ran. The thing is, Fetterman's term is up in 2028. He's at about 19% approval with Democrats. I can't see him winning a primary. Is he gonna switch parties? Is he gonna try something that Manchin and Cinema considered before they realized there was no path to getting reelected? Is he gonna be around in Washington much longer is my question.
- [48:26]
Host/Moderator
Big question. Sahil Taryn, Mark, thank you so much for joining us here on the panel. And a programming note, tune in to NBC and NBC News now on Wednesday for exclusive coverage of Pope Leo's Concert for Peace. Andrea Bocelli is scheduled to perform along with children from all over the world. Coverage starts at 1pm Eastern. Still to come, new questions facing ice in the wake of that fatal office involved shooting, officer involved shooting, excuse me, in Maine amid allegations that the officer had a history of serious mental health issues and violent behavior and perhaps was not properly vetted. You're watching MEET THE PRESS now. Stay with us. Welcome back. Turning now to the next potential target of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. An administration official tells NBC News that ICE is planning to ramp up arrests and deportations of Haitian migrants, although the timing and location of those operations are still in the works. It all comes after the Supreme Court last month ruled in favor of the White House's decision to end temporary protected status, or TPS, for more than 300,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians living in the U.S. it also comes as President Trump's border czar says the administration is reviewing the vetting of an ICE officer involved in this month's deadly shooting of a Colombian native in Maine after the Associated Press reported that the officer has a history of violent behavior and has struggled with mental health issues since he was a child. Of those are facts. I don't think he should ever cleared vetting. I know this specific, specific case as far as the vetting is under review by internal affairs section. So we'll see where it lies. But you know, certainly if,
- [50:17]
Mark Bednar
if this
- [50:17]
Host/Moderator
person had that type of history, it would have been a vetting issue, and it should have been brought to the attention of those who make those decisions. And joining me now is NBC News senior Justice reporter Ryan Reilly. Ryan, what do we know at this point about that ICE officer involved in that main shooting?
- [50:33]
Ryan Reilly
Yeah, this really troubled history, including those mental health issues dating back for years, according to members of his own family there. There had also been some reporting over the weekend about him being found not credible before another court where he made some representations in the course of litigation that were not found to be true. So I think that that's really going to be such a critical issue for this investigation as it unfolds, because, you know, obviously, in these sort of circumstances, when there's not really an independent outside investigation happening, you know, those comments and the credibility of the officers is extremely important. I think that's why you've seen some criticism of how this unfolded. And I think from a lot of critics of ICE would say that this was very foreseeable, just given when you're having a huge surge of individuals being hired on a very expedited basis like this, that there's going to be some things that slip through the cracks or the processes are just rushed and that people ultimately end up being part of law enforcement who never would have made it through in a normal process.
- [51:34]
Host/Moderator
You spoke about the ICE officer. What is the status of the investigation into the shooting itself?
- [51:40]
Ryan Reilly
Yeah, that's an internal investigation, as the director said, is ongoing. But because there's not really this separate investigation, because normally, you know, when there's an incident like this, there can be sort of two tracks. There can be that administrative track. There can also be a potentially criminal track. There's always a high bar for those criminal cases to go through, but usually there's at least some sort of investigation. And typically in the past, you've seen the Justice Department do those sort of looks at whether or not this was a use of excessive force. What are the circumstances here? That's a high bar for those cases to clear. So it's not always guaranteed that someone would be charged. In fact, it's, you know, rare for them to bring cases because you have to show that it was, you know, a use of excessive force beyond a certain means. But that track has really been sort of shut down at the Justice Department. That's not something that we're seeing them pursuing.
- [52:28]
Host/Moderator
We just played that interview of Tom Holm, and the Borders are saying if that reporting was true, that would have raised, raised some red flags in terms of vetting with this particular officer. Are there now concerns within the Department of Homeland Security about the vetting process for ICE officers overall?
- [52:44]
Ryan Reilly
Yeah, I think that's within the broader law enforcement community. I think certainly something that they're concerned about because you did have a lot of individuals who were hired on a very expedited basis. Were there sort of, you know, those deeper investigations that were done to individuals? Because the credibility of officers is really important. I mean, not onlyjust for effectively carrying out the mission. Right. Because you're not going to be able to effectively carry out the mission if you're not deemed credible by a judge. That's something I think in particular, some of that reporting could certainly raise questions about how that came about as well as the violent history. You know, typically you have more of a some more vetting behind the scenes to make sure that officers have a history than appears to have been done in this instance.
- [53:24]
Host/Moderator
Ryan Reilly, our justice reporter, thank you so much. And thank you for watching. We are back tomorrow with more MEET THE press. Now. There's also more ahead right now on NBC News. Now stay with us.
- [53:42]
Taryn Rosenkratz
Ready for the first day of school at Etsy? We are here to help kiddos feel like it's going to be the best year yet. Find back to school basics like personalized backpacks and custom outfits made to stand
- [53:54]
Host/Moderator
out, but not in an awkward picture
- [53:56]
Taryn Rosenkratz
day kind of way.
- [53:58]
Gabe Gutierrez
Celebrate new beginnings with original back to
- [54:00]
Taryn Rosenkratz
school finds on Etsy.
- [54:02]
Host/Moderator
Celebrate being human.