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Meet the Press
Meet the Press NOW — July 29
00:49:55
President Donald Trump threatens Iran after a foiled surprise attack on U.S. troops in the Middle East. Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss speculation that he might abandon his party affiliation over support for Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon discusses his country’s operations against Iran and Hamas.
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A
Hi, I'm Kate Snow, NBC News anchor and host of the NBC News podcast the Drink. This month I'm sitting down with the hilarious Leslie Jones. We chat about her remarkable journey from her childhood to family hardships to the unexpected, almost accidental road that led her to comedy. From her unforgettable years at Saturday Night Live to her new show, Roast My Rental about vacation rentals gone terribly wrong. It is a funny, candid conversation and I hope you'll give it a listen. Join us for the drink Listen and follow now wherever you get your podcasts.
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B
I'm Craig Melvin.
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C
Cheers.
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B
Cheers.
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D
Cheers.
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E
I've always been a glass half full kind of guy and now I'm talking to some people who look at the
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B
world that way, too. Some really fascinating folks who share their
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E
defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges. Their stories are funny and quite candid.
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B
So I hope you'll join me each week.
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E
And who knows, you might just come away with your own glass half Full. Search Glass Half Full with Craig Melbourne From Today on YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts.
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F
Welcome to MEET the press. Now. I'm Monica Alba. In Washington where President Trump is facing an onslaught of developments from renewed escalations in the Middle east and an expanding war with Iran to rising consumer prices while the Fed bucks his demand to cut interest rates. All against the backdrop of dismal polling on major issues heading into the midterms last night. The Pentagon confirming it carried out joint strikes alongside Saudi Arabia on Iranian aligned targets in Iraq, putting an end to the days long pause in US Attacks. The Pentagon also announcing yesterday that Iran's Revolutionary Guard launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack against U.S. forces in the region. President Trump furious with Iran's attempted strikes, issuing a profanity laced threat, telling Fox News, quote, we're going to beat the effing blank out of them, adding, quote, we'll be hitting them hard. They're going to get a beating. Moments ago in the Oval Office, President Trump doubling down on his threat to hit back.
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C
It's a little more of the same, but it's going to be straightening out. It's going to be straightening out. In the meantime, we're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them. They know it's coming. They're asking us not to do it. But you know, they tried shooting it last night. So we had five rocket shot going 8,500 miles an hour and all five rockets were knocked down to the ground, but they nevertheless took a shot. So it's our turn and we'll see if we get there with an agreement at some point. But we're going to hit them very hard.
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F
It's been a roller coaster ride for fuel prices this month with oil prices jumping back up amid fears of a renewed military escalation with Iran. Meanwhile, the average cost of gas remains above $4 a gallon. And as gas prices continue to drive up inflation today, the president's new Federal Reserve chair keeping the benchmark interest rate unchanged despite pressure from the president earlier this week to lower rates.
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C
Kevin is fantastic, but he's got a board and the board members are very political, I would say. So, you know, we fight our way through the race because we're doing so well. But no, he's got a he wants to do the right thing. I know what he wants to do. But you need the consent of some people that have perhaps bad intentions. Rates should be lowered.
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F
Markets today plunging into the close of the trading session with the Dow tumbling more than 1,000 points, falling more than 2%. All of this spelling bad news for the president as he heads into the midterms with new polling showing he's underwater on several key issues from the war in Iran, the economy and immigration, all issues he has touted as strengths of his administration. Joining me now is our team of reporters. NBC's Kelly O' Donnell is at the White House. And with me on set is NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby. In a moment, we'll be joined by NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung. Kelly, I'll start with you here. Do we have any clarity on the president's thinking about his Iran strategy following all the latest developments from his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, the attempted surPR attack on U.S. forces, and now this latest threat that Iran will get a, quote, beating?
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A
Well, the president's comments that you just played are really representative of the way we hear him talk about this conflict. And the president tends to move back and forth between some of the day's events and then the larger strategy where he will repeat that they will not get a nuclear weapon. Referring to Iran. He's been a little bit distant from Benjamin Netanyahu in comments leading up to his meeting with him earlier this week. Of course, Netanyahu in Washington for the Graham funeral talking about an expectation that Netanyahu would present him with some additional intelligence. And the president sort of was dismissive about that, that he already knew what he needed to know and that US Capabilities from the sky, from the space force, as he described it allow them to get a lot of intelligence. So the president is in a bit of a tit for tat mode as he is talking about Iran's conduct and then hitting them again hard, often saying that they Iran's leadership wants to make a deal and yet they're not ready for a deal. So it's this sort of leaving all options on the table, not in the conventional sense of that, but in a way more rhetorically of. The president can kind of pick from these different options when he's talking about Iran. In the Oval today his major focus was renovation at Dulles Airport in Virginia. And he opened a it up to questions and took questions on a number of topics, including Iran because certainly from the reporters in the room this is a critical issue, especially in light of IRAN Striking at U.S. capabilities and entities and having questions about all of the resources that the US Brings to bear on this.
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F
Yeah, it's hard to make sense of the potential diplomatic path here, Kelly, when the president is talking with that escalated rhetoric. But the administration claims that that is still also continuing on a parallel track. But let me just ask you about that latest polling we just showed that really reveals the president is underwater on some key issues heading into the midterms. Does the administration have a plan to try to turn around that public sentiment?
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A
Well, many of the issues that are reflected in that polling are exactly the kinds of things that Republicans in Congress who face election themselves. The president of course not on the ballot, even though his his administration and his conduct in office and his standing right now is very much on the ballot. They are saying to focus more on the issues that deal with everyday concerns that Americans have within that of course is trying to get a de escalation of the conflict in Iran, bringing that to an end so that things like energy prices become more stable and become more affordable. So a strategy is simply trying to get the President to focus on some of these other demands, domestic issues at a time when the four to six week war has moved into its sixth month, giving a sense very real terms for the American people that this has gone on longer than they expected and the consequences and costs are real in everyday lives of American citizens as well as the political fate of the President.
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F
Yeah, great reminder on the timeline there. Kelly O from the North Lawn. Thank you, Kelly. Courtney, I do want to turn to you and what are doing you you watching for as the president threatens to lash out against Iran.
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A
So there's one big thing that's been lost in the last 24 hours or so. We know that The CENTCOM announced that Iran launched these ballistic missiles into the region. They called it the surprise attack. And then soon after they announced that they, the US And Saudi Arabia had carried out attacks inside of Iraq against Iranian backed militias. What's really notable, that was not a direct response to the Iranian ballistic missiles that were fired in this surprise attack. That in fact was something that CENTCOM had been talking about, had been planning for because for the previous 72 hours or so before that, these Iranian backed groups have been firing drones at US Allies and personnel. We reported about it earlier in the week. And notably they have taken more than 600 different strikes at the US and US allies in Iraq since the war in Iran began. It just hasn't gotten as much attention because the vast majority have been knocked down. So last night's US Saudi joint strikes were direct response to the Iranian militia groups. The US still has not retaliated for the ballistic missile attack last night. That's what I'm watching for is how. Well at this point it's not an if, it's a when, when the US responds and how they do so.
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F
And the President did talk about those strikes with some specificity today. Did that stand out to you? What does that tell you?
- [09:10]
A
It did. I was surprised when he talked about the exact, that there were five ballistic missiles. That's not something that came out from US centcom. And he talked about the exact same speed that they flew, which could indicate, give us a little bit more of a sense of the type of missile that was launched. Also he talked about how the US Shot them down. He said that the US Used Patriots. So kind of detail that we don't normally get. Not super surprising, but just not always the kind of detail that we would get in the military. We generally say they don't want to talk about those details for operational security reasons. I will say we've been checking just to be sure. Because even though those missiles were intercepted, there are cases where an intercept when it, when the intercepting missile fired by the US hits the incoming Iranian missile and they break up, it can cause debris to fall. That can actually cause damage and injuries down below. We have no indications of any injuries or damage to infrastructure.
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F
You touched on Saudi Arabia joining the US in those strikes. What should we make of that? And do you expect that that will continue now when there could be more strikes? Should we see more of that?
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A
So remember, the Houthis have threatened to go after Saudi ships in the Red Sea. So they are bringing Saudi Arabia into this. And we have seen more threats against Saudi Arabia. I don't know if that means that if, in fact, this resumption of major combat operations or any kind of escalation inside Iran would lead to the Saudis being a part of that. But I wouldn't be surprised if, in fact, the Houthis continue to threaten the Saudis, specifically shipping and commerce, if we see them lashing out inside Iran. But at this point, I don't know that this is going to be more of a joint effort, at least with the Saudis, the Israelis, that's another thing. We may see more coordination with the US And Israel.
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F
Courtney, as always, has us so well covered militarily. Brian, let's turn now to the other side of this coin, right, the economic picture and the implications. The Fed kept interest rates unchanged. You were there, you were covering it. What do you make of that decision and what it tells us about the state of the economy?
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G
Yeah, it got stuck in a little bit of traffic on the Constitution. Traffic is no joke. But look, this was a pretty instrumental decision from the chairman, who, by the way, is only in his second meeting since being appointed by Trump in this role. And this is a very uncertain economy that he faces. And in fact, this was the first meeting I can recall in recent memory where there was a real surprise opportunity there, because the Federal Reserve usually is these one of these news items where we know exactly what they're going to do before they then do it. But this was one where people were saying there's a real chance that they could surprise everybody by raising interest rates. And the reason why is because if inflation is high, then what does the Fed usually do? They usually raise interest rates. Now, there is some inflation here as a result of the war. You know, obviously the military aspect of this is one part of this, but the other part of this is the economic impact, because higher oil prices means that things could get more expensive. It costs more to transit everything. So the Fed chair did appear to acknowledge, despite holding interest rates steady, that this is something that's weighing on Americans. Take a listen to how he messaged it to the average American. For some households, businesses and market professionals,
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E
five years of high inflation have left a mistaken impression that's hard to shake, that the Fed's implicit inflation target was somehow above 2%.
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G
Let me reiterate, there is no soft inflation target.
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E
There is no soft implicit target, not on this committee's watch.
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G
There's only a target and it's 2%. And I have to say really quickly, Monica, I mean, you know, the Fed is not something that Most people will be able to translate, but I didn't really know exactly what was being said in a lot of this press conference too. Because despite all of that, why would you not then use your tool to lower inflation by raising interest rates today? And I think part of it is the uncertainty from the war. In Kevin Horsch's defense, he doesn't know when that conflict is going to end, but it's going to very quickly be an unsatisfactory answer for the American people if inflation continues to be high. But the Fed doesn't do anything about it.
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F
Yeah. None of us know. Right. So stocks tumbled today. Right. With the Dow tumbling in particular. What spooked markets help us understand that.
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G
I think what spooked markets is they don't know what the Fed's going to do next. And that is a deliberate strategy from this new Fed chair that wants to do away with what they call forward guidance. It's kind of that inside baseball economic speak for telling people what you think what the Fed's next moves might be. He basically wants to keep the markets in the dark and as he describes it, let the markets chase the ball, not the referee, which he describes as the Fed. But the problem with that is if you don't tell the markets what you're going to do next, well, then you leave it up to imagination for what might happen next. And so for that reason, we've actually seen bond yields just in the last few minutes since this press conference end shoot. Higher. What might that mean? That can mean higher borrowing costs for things like 30 year fixed mortgages, which are already at 6.76%. For anyone on the sidelines trying to buy a house, they know that that's a lot more painful than it was at the beginning of this year when it was closer to 6%. So you have higher costs as well as potentially higher mortgage rates.
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F
And just quickly, before we go oil prices ticking up as well. What could that mean for inflation?
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G
Yeah, well, look, I mean, you know, obviously we feel that at the pump where Triple A says that the national average is $4.09 a gallon, that is well above the pre war average of $2.98. But you also have the volatility around all the news items around this war. If there are more missiles being launched at each other, well, that's going to likely lead to oil prices going higher because it's all about the Strait of Hormuz. A fifth of the world's oil travels through there. Tankers don't go through, oil prices go up. That can mean that shipping costs get higher. That means everything else can get more expensive. That is something that the Federal Reserve as well as everyday Americans are watching.
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F
Brian and Courtney, thank you so much. Great to have this conversation in person. All angles covered. Appreciate that. And coming up, Fauci invokes the fifth. The former White House health official is the threatened with contempt of Congress during an explosive hearing on Capitol Hill as he accuses Republicans of trying to set a trap for his prosecution despite the pardon he was granted by former President Biden. We'll dive into the hearing and the fallout. Plus one of the senators in the hearing, Pennsylvania's John Fetterman, joins me for his reaction and his latest fight with the progressive wing of his own party. You're watching Meet THE Press now.
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E
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H
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E
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F
Welcome back. It has been a contentious day on Capitol Hill where a defiant Anthony Fauci refused to answer questions during a Senate hearing on The Origins of COVID 19. Fauci Stonewalling Members of the Sen. Security and Government Affairs Committee, pleading the fifth and suggesting during his opening statement that Republicans and Chairman Rand Paul in particular were seeking to use his testimony to prosecute him.
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E
The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up in his words, quote, behind bars.
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F
Republicans on the committee grew frustrated with Fauci's refusal to answer questions.
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B
Well, nothing says honesty like taking the Fifth, huh, Doc?
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E
Let's try something. What day of the week is it today? On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
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B
What color tie are you wearing?
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E
On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
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F
Senator Paul, a longtime critic of Fauci, says the committee will vote next week on holding the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in contempt. President Biden issued a preemptive pardon to Fauci during his final days in office, although it did not shield the doctor from prosecution for actions after it was issued. Today's clash comes days after the Kentucky senator released thousands of pages of journal entries kept by Fauci during his tenure at the niaid, including in the midst of the pandemic. Those entries include everything from COVID case numbers to details about his conversations with President Trump and calls with members of the media. Senator Paul's office says that he obtained the journal entries through the subpoena process. Joining me now is NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapoor from Capitol Hill. And also with me is NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos. Thank you both for being here to talk about this. Sahil Aram Paul and fellow Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee were not happy with Dr. Fauci at all today. That was obvious. But Senator Paul says the committee will vote on holding him in contempt. So what's Next in the GOP's investigation?
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I
That's right, Monica. We start with the fact that there's absolutely no love lost here between Tony Fauci and Rand Paul. These two have been sniping at each other in various different realms for several years now over the COVID origins, over the government's response to the virus, over gain of function research. Nevertheless, after what we witnessed today, Senator Rand Paul said the committee will vote next week on holding Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions. It'll be voted by his committee, and if it's approved, it'll go to the Justice Department, which will have the decision about whether to take the next step and prosecute Fauci. Now, as Dr. Fauci sees it, Rand Paul in his telling, has an unhinged obsession with him and scheduled this hearing in bad faith with vindictive motives to create a perjury trap and achieve his long standing goal of putting Foushee behind bars. That's how he explained it. Now, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also kept the door open open to holding Fauci in contempt of Congress, simply said it should be an option and called his conduct inexcusable today.
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F
And, Sahil, there was a dramatic moment when Senator Paul had Fauci's attorney removed from the hearing room. Walk us through what happened there.
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I
Yeah. So the sequence was Fauci obviously came into this with every intention of invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. Every time he was asked a question, he gave that standard response upon advice of counsel. I, respectful of executive, declined to answer. Some Republicans, as you play, tried to get him to engage with inanities like, what's the color of the carpeting? What's the color of the tie? Then Rand Paul took the mic, told Fauci there will be repercussions for him refusing to respond, and accused him of obstructing an investigation. From there, Fauci's lawyer tried to say something to senators and was ordered removed by Rand Paul via security. In terms of what the lawyer said, take a listen to what he said right after that.
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E
Dr. Fauci has a valid Fifth Amendment privilege and he has the right to assert it.
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H
That's what you were trying to say in the room?
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E
That's what I was trying to tell the committee. And that's all I was trying to tell the committee.
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I
And he further called Senator Paul's actions outrageous, that it was a personal event, vendetta against Dr. Fauci.
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F
Sahil, thank you. And, Danny, Senator Rand Paul claimed that Fauci may have broken the law by pleading the Fifth. Let's listen to that.
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C
The chairman has denied your assertion of privilege and directed you to answer, but you nonetheless refuse and stand on privilege despite the existence of the pardon. The committee will have to consider after this hearing what appropriate action should be taken against you for the failure to testify after being directed to do so. It's against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress. There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today.
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F
Okay, so, Danny, break it down for us. Is it possible that Fauci did break the law?
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J
It's possible, but it's not Rand Paul's position to say so. What he was doing instead was simply creating a record. Ultimately, if they vote to hold him in contempt, then that gets referred to the DOJ, specifically to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and that is someone who might be inclined to prosecute, but ultimately it is a judge that decides whether the law is broken. And the theory would essentially be that there is no Privilege, if a pardon, if there was some immunity that prevented him from having any criminal exposure. So that's the gray area. Was there truly any criminal exposure in that indication of the 5th? If there's no chance of any criminal exposure, then arguably the Fifth is not appropriate.
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F
So, Danny, what do you expect the Justice Department might do now if.
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J
Well, the next step has to be that the vote from the committee leads to a referral to the District, excuse me, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. That would be the next step. And then the U.S. attorney must make an independent charging decision. And that is the way DOJ and separation of powers works. You simply cannot force the U.S. attorney to prosecute. You can only refer it to.
- [23:03]
F
And, Danny, if you were Anthony Fauci's attorney, would you have advised him to plead the Fifth today?
- [23:09]
J
Absolutely. And here's the thing, though. As a defense attorney, my concern is not his reputation, it's minimizing his criminal exposure. I can't prevent a prosecution, but I can minimize the harm done to the client. Now, that's often not good news for the client because the client is also concerned about their reputation. And the problem with the Fifth Amendment is if you go to trial in a criminal case, the prosecution cannot reference it. But in Congress, on the floor of Congress, no such prohibition applies. And as you saw, as everybody saw, they could reference that and skewer him about it nonstop.
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F
Danny, do you see any scenario in which the Supreme Court ultimately weighs in on the scope of the Fifth Amendment, given this unique case where a pardon is also at play?
- [23:58]
J
It's possible, but this is actually not that unsettled an area of the law. This is not some new area of the. As is often the case with the Trump administrations, we are in new places in the Constitution. This has actually been litigated. Really, the only issue is a factual issue, whether or not Fauci was in fact at risk of criminal exposure.
- [24:20]
F
Sahil and Danny, more to come on this story for sure. Thank you both. And up next, my conversation with Senator John Fetterman and whether he believes there's still a place for him in today's Democratic Party. You're watching Meet the Press. Now,
- [24:40]
K
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- [25:40]
F
welcome back. As we mentioned, Senator Rand Paul says his committee will vote next week on holding Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer every question from senators on both sides of the aisle at a hearing in front of the Homeland Security Committee, instead choosing to plead the fifth. And joining me now is Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee. Senator, thank you for joining us. I do want to start with Dr. Fauci's hearing today. Senator Rand Paul says that he will vote to hold him in contempt. So will you vote to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress?
- [26:18]
B
No, I don't believe he's in contempt of Congress. Now, you know, people are entitled to think that he was incompetent or he was behaving in an inappropriate ways, but it's not, it's not that level. You know, I've, I've said the same thing, whether it was about even mayorkas. Now, now, I never support impeachment. Now, I do think he did a terrible job as a border security, but overall, there's a difference between that, too. And overall, I would think that, I think, I think Senator Paul was a little excessive, too, with some of the theatrics. I think you can make a point without making it seem a little too over the top.
- [27:00]
F
And Dr. Fauci did say that he chose to plead the fifth because he believes that Senator Paul has a, quote, unhinged obsession with trying to prosecute him. So are those valid concerns, or does it look like maybe Dr. Fauci was trying to hide something by not testifying and answering questions?
- [27:19]
B
Well, I would just remind people that, you know, my record, President Biden gave him a pardon before he left office.
- [27:27]
J
Right.
- [27:28]
B
So I don't think he has to worry about anything. And now if, if someone thinks that you could be held accountable based on something that you would say in, in that hearing. Now, of course, he got the legal advice to just plead the fifth and that's why he decided to do that.
- [27:46]
F
So you're saying he should have testified and provided the public with some answers.
- [27:53]
B
What I'm saying that, you know, when, when I think Dr. Fauci knew that he was, he was heading into like a loaded room overall. And now that he made that decision, that's entitled to do that thing now. So overall, I do think it's entirely reasonable if you're angry with some of the way he's did or how he decisions during the pandemic. I didn't agree with all the things he did either. But overall, he's entitled to do that thing. And overall, you can make a point with not making it a little excessive as it was today.
- [28:29]
F
And Senator, you have been outspoken, especially recently about the direction of the Democratic Party. You said you would leave the party if it adopted an anti Israel stance. Are you saying that right now you still view the Democratic Party as pro Israel?
- [28:47]
B
No, I don't. I see, I see the Democratic Party as some people are trying to have it both ways where they'll, they won't really be willing to, to go the full side the way with, with, with the lift. But, but I think overall, without a doubt, there's very few that I'm aware of that are proud to stand with Israel through everything. And if you have to criticize anyone in that circumstances, many of them will pick Israel as the someone to criticize. You know, for me, I think Iran is, is the one issue, Hamas, Hezbollah and these kinds of nations that are helping them through it is too. You know, Israel is our special ally. And now I don't know why the Democratic Party continues to criticize him. And they use terms like genocide or, you know, people aren't calling out. The mayor in New York, you know, had zero, had zero authority to do that and say things that only does was just inflamed thing. And it was a day or two before then someone was stabbed, you know, walking out of a synagogue.
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F
And Senator, nearly half of House Democrats voted this month to cut off aid to Israel. Isn't that your red line?
- [30:13]
B
No, that's not my red line, but it's not something I'm surprised for it overall. You know, the one thing that I've read that was, was more now Leader Jeffries put out a letter, you know, saying that he's going to vote against that. And what I read in Axios, they said that that brought maybe 30 to 40 people along with him on that. So if you start reaching now, maybe approaching 150 Democrats now, then yeah, then you know, that's outrageous. We're the Democratic Party. You know, where is the only country in that region that has our kinds of values and protects women and minorities and allows people to live their lives, you know, free speech. And for all those things, that's just Israel. And now why are you standing up for these regimes or these kinds of organizations that are trying to destroy Israel, like whether it's Hamas or whether Hezbollah or Iran? As Iran continues to execute just protesters that just want democracy, more and more Democrats decide to just criticize Israel. Look at, look at that mess in Michigan, too. You know, El Sayed, you know, essentially a pro Hamas person in Michigan. And now there's another poll, a Pew. Pew had a poll. 44% of American Muslims show Hamas in positive light. Now, that's distressing to me, too.
- [31:42]
F
And Senator, a majority leader, John Thune, says that Republicans would welcome you into their party. Do you still draw a red line at ever joining the gop?
- [31:54]
B
I'm not going to be a Republican. And I would just remind anybody that I've been very clear on that. Whether it's the president or the Republicans are putting down perfectly loyal conservative senators, whether it's Corinne or Cassidy or these people. So I don't think that Republican Party wants a pro choice, pro gay trans communities, pro union. And, you know, if you look at my voting records, you know, I disagree with my party on some issues, like Israel, for example. But, you know, I am a Democrat. And if someone is frustrated in the Democratic Party, I would be, I would be frustrated with someone like Bernie Sanders. You know, why, why aren't people angry? Why they promoted, you know, someone like Platner, an accused rapist? You know, I never, I never blew up, you know, the main Senate race, You know, I, you know, he had no regrets. So really, Bernie, you have no regrets endorsing and proud to stand with an accused rapist, a guy that roughs up his ex girlfriends, a guy that had a Nazi tattoo on his chest? You know, some of the things that are outrageous as a Democrat are coming from people in this party, and it's not me.
- [33:12]
F
Overall, Senator, before we go, I do want to ask you about Senator Mitch McConnell, who's been hospitalized for more than six weeks now. You faced health issues in the past and had to make, make tough choices when it comes to privacy and transparency. Do you think Senator McConnell needs to be more forthcoming about his health?
- [33:33]
B
I think it's, I think it's really strange that people are attacking him at this point. He's not claiming he's going on Dancing with the Stars, you know, yes, he's in rough shape you know, he's an elderly man. He's not running for reelection and he's not behaving in a way or claiming otherwise. He's recovering from that. It's we have other things we could focus on. You know, I'm not going to pick on anyone, whether it was Senator Feinstein when she was struggling way back Then or Senator McConnell. He's not running for reelection. We're going to be on recess soon, regardless. I'm not going to pick on anyone, you know, for political advantage at this point. And I hope he gets better. Honestly, I think that's the most thing we're going to find out where he really is, you know, after the August is recess.
- [34:20]
F
You know, overall, we'll have to leave it there. Senator John Fetterman, thanks for your time. And after the break, a second written statement By Senator Mitch McConnell fuels more questions about his health as Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear demands answers. Our panel is next. You're watching MEET THE press. Welcome back. Senator Mitch McConnell, who's been hospitalized since early June, says he's still not ready to return to in person work on Capitol Hill. That statement accompanied by a picture with his wife and a statement from the office of the attending physician saying the senator is not yet medically cleared to return. The update has not been enough to curb speculation about his health, including from Kentucky's Democratic Governor Andy Beshear. Beshear telling reporters yesterday that if McConnell doesn't provide more evidence of his ability to serve, the Senate must demand it.
- [35:25]
E
I hope everything's okay that he's competent to serve, but asking someone to prove that to their constituents isn't a big or a heavy lift. It's not being invasive. All I'm trying to do is ask the bare minimum. And it raises the concern that he might not be able to meet the bare minimum. And if that's true, then yes, Kentucky would need a resignation and would ultimately need a replacement.
- [35:49]
F
On Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune brushing off Bashir's call as Senator Rand Paul accused the governor of playing politics.
- [35:57]
L
I think that's an issue really.
- [35:59]
E
That's between, you know, Senator McConnell and the people of Kentucky.
- [36:05]
C
I think it's a campaign ploy by Bashir to look relevant. And I think, for goodness sakes, you know, we've had elderly senators from both parties.
- [36:14]
E
You haven't heard me ranting and raving
- [36:16]
C
saying they need to prove they're alive
- [36:18]
E
and they need to do this.
- [36:21]
F
Joining me now is our panel, Jeff Mason, White House correspondent for Bloomberg Arshi Siddiqui, Democratic strategist and founder and CEO of Bellwether Government affairs, and Jesse Arm, vice president of External affairs and pollster at the Manhattan Institute. Thanks to you all for joining me today. Jeff, let's start on that. You saw the public concerns from Governor Bashir. Are you hearing any private concerns about the status of Senator McConnell's health, given that all the statements and information we have seen so far has been written and it's just those photos that have been released?
- [36:55]
D
I haven't heard any specific private concerns, but I think the public back and forth is fascinating for a political reporter to see the governor weighing in on this as dramatically and as, as sort of aggressively as he is with decent points. I mean, his points are fair and the public isn't absolutely entitled to some information about their sitting senator. But the governor is also on the list of candidates, likely candidates for running for the presidential, the Democratic presidential nomination. And it's certainly not wrong to wonder if he's trying to draw a little bit of attention to himself.
- [37:28]
F
Yeah. Arshi, let's talk a little bit about that. What do you make of Governor Bashir's goal here? Because he actually, per Kentucky law, is not allowed to appoint a replacement for this Senate vacancy. So what does he get out of this?
- [37:42]
H
Well, there's a timing issue right when he decides to appoint, and then the law is untested, so it has never been challenged in court. So there may be something there as well. I mean, I think while I don't agree with Senator McConnell's politics, he does deserve the room and the grace to make the decision to navigate this illness. But at the same time, Senator McConnell is a very skilled partisan as well. So, so if he did think he had to leave, I am sure he would want to time it in an appropriate way as well. So I think there may be politics going on on both sides, but at the end of the day, the fact pattern matters. And we've seen some other examples in the House where the fact pattern, I think, is a little bit more egregious. But here it's McConnell deserves some space.
- [38:22]
F
So, Jesse, Senator McConnell, you know, acknowledging that point about giving him space, the reality is he has also missed nearly 40 votes since his hospitalization. So ultimately, is he just hurting fellow Senate Republicans right now, given that they are short of vote? How do you see that?
- [38:39]
M
Yeah, well, he is one foot out the door. As you mentioned, the governor, Andy Beshear, cannot directly appoint a replacement in Kentucky. If he could, the howls would be a lot louder and Democrats would be screeching much more about this. But there would have to be a special election and McConnell's seat is already up for grabs. He's leaving at the end of this year. Look, look, should McConnell have served out this last term? Maybe not. Maybe he should have resigned earlier. I wish we didn't live in a gerontocracy. I wish we didn't have to go through this same thing with Dianne Feinstein just a couple of years ago. Rand Paul is correct when he points out to reporters on Capitol Hill that Bashir is playing politics. And Jeff is also correct when he says Bashir makes some good points here. I don't love the like prove you're alive thing. Obviously he's alive. He's just old and sick and can't really do the job the way he used to and that's why he's not running again.
- [39:29]
F
Gerontocracy is your word of the day, kids take note of that. Let's turn now to some of that polling that we were talking about and specifically Jesse, I mean, you have this Quinnipiac and CNN approval rating for the president that puts him in the low 30s. A Fox poll earlier this week has it at 39%. We're just under 100 days to the midterms. How worried are Republicans that those numbers are going to cast a long shadow on their case?
- [39:56]
M
Well, those are very low numbers and they're even outliers. I mean, morning consult him higher in the mid-40s. Rasmussen, which is a conservative pollster, has it. My outfit, the Manhattan Institute has him at 44%. So look, I'm not sitting here saying that like the president in fact has a sky high approval rating. Obviously he does not. But the question is compared to what? Okay, there are also a lot of data points in that poll that suggest people are not thrilled with the way the war in Iran is going. Although at the same time, according to a CNBC poll as well as a CBS poll that came out in just the last couple weeks, Republicans are trusted more on handling Iran. So all of these things are relative to what the Democrats have on offer. And on the Democratic side of the aisle, you see an ascendant force that is quite far left.
- [40:42]
F
Arshi, but it is nearly August. So when you do look at numbers like that, are they kind of already baked in voters minds? I mean, is there time for that tide to shift?
- [40:53]
H
I think under a, I guess a status quo regime? Absolutely. These things are locking in. Trump has a unique ability to move things around in an interesting fashion. But I think there are three self reinforcing realities. One is voters are more and more don't think that the president is focused on their priorities. Second, there is this whole notion that his economic policies are making things worse, not better. And third, there's this whole piece of self enrichment, unjust enrichment for friends and family and Trump. So all of these things are a continuous loop.
- [41:26]
F
Jeff, what is the White House thinking on how they try to turn that around or where we might see the president travel to? He sometimes dismisses that in the midterms overall as maybe not something he has to pay as close of attention to. But we know that his top aides
- [41:41]
D
are his top aides are absolutely paying attention to it. However, I did speak with a former White House official a little, a little while ago who said he thought that the president had basically dismissed the midterms, that it wasn't that important to him. I don't know if that's true or not. But I think to your question, in terms of travel, we saw a little bit of him going, you know, a little bit of what we may see this fall by his trip to Michigan earlier this week, making an economic case, talking about promises that he's made, talking about more that he wants to do, even on healthcare, which you haven't heard come out of his mouth in a long time. So that I think is probably a foreshadowing of the campaign travel we're going
- [42:20]
F
to see this fall. Okay, let's talk about something that is the buzz here in Washington, but there are bigger implications to it, which is this news from the president on renovating Dulles Airport, potentially getting rid of those controversial people movers, which maybe actually is something a lot of people can get behind. But Jeff, what do you make about that and what does it tell you about how the president is spending his time when it does seem like there's kind of a new renovation update or project popping up weekly?
- [42:48]
D
I don't think he's any happier than when he has blueprints in front of him on the Resolute desk. And he looked in his elements this afternoon. He loves weighing in. Apparently he's been weighing in very specifically on these plans at the same time that he's presiding over a war and presiding over an economy that polls that we're talking about show a lot of voters are unhappy with. It is just it's who he is now, particularly in the second term. It's a big contrast from the first term. He just embraces Donald Trump the builder, Donald Trump the real Estate developer. The question that I would have liked to have asked in the Oval that he was asked about, but that I think we should be pressing on is will the federal government really not be spending any money on this? Will taxpayer dollars not be involved?
- [43:33]
F
That's a real question that has not been answered. So on that point, Arshi and Jesse, both of you weigh in on this because to bring up polling again, we do have a snapshot. Americans have been asked and a majority of them do feel that the President has gone way too far with all of his projects and renovations in and around Washington. So in the face of what Jeff was just talking about with Iran and the economy, does he look a little tone deaf announcing these kinds of things or could Dulles in particular be pretty popular?
- [44:00]
M
Dulles is gonna be really popular, man. Hang on, let me find my MAGA cap. It's gotta be around here somewhere. We should explain to your viewers you were showing them on screen earlier. These people mover things. You guys must fly out of Dulles all the time. Dulles is a God awful airport. If he can somehow swing a situation where he gets these renovations done without dipping too deep into taxpayers pockets, oh my gosh, maybe we will need a third Trump term after all this is over.
- [44:22]
F
We're gonna need a make Dulles, Dulles great again. Hat is what you're saying. Maybe Jesse.
- [44:26]
H
Arjun, what do you think about that? I mean if he's hanging his hat on the midterms and Dulles and I think there may be some real issues.
- [44:32]
M
It goes to Jeff's point earlier, maybe he's focused on other things. If he's trying to improve airports. I agree with you. Obviously voters in swing states are not voting on the state of Dulles airport.
- [44:40]
H
But I might be fair and I would also say that there goes to the taxpayer funding and then also the unjust enrichment. We don't know the friends and family kind of ecosystem. So there are more questions than answer
- [44:52]
F
legitimate questions about all of that. Arshi, Jesse and Jeff, thank you so much for joining me today. For that we will be following the people movers closely and we will bring you all the updates on that. And still to come, unpacking Benjamin Netanyahu's White House visit. The state of U S Israel relations as the war against Iran shows no sign of slowing down. Israel's ambassador to the UN joins me after the break. You're watching Meet the Press now. Welcome back. Today South Carolina said goodbye to the late Senator Lindsey Graham as he returned to his home state's capital, Columbia South Carolina for the final time. The funeral procession at the State House began with the senator's remains carried by the South Carolina State Guard Detachment, which then proceeded to the First Baptist Church of Columbia. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in attendance, including South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, Governor Henry McMaster and Senator Tim Scott. Following the funeral service, a private family burial in Pickens county was held where Senator Graham was born and raised. It comes after yesterday, when Washington said its farewell to the late senator. World leaders and Capitol Hill colleagues gathered at the National Cathedral to pay their respects. President Trump calling him a force of nature, adding that he will miss him greatly. Senator Graham was a frequent guest on Meet the press, appearing 63 times during his decades of service on the hill. He was 71. And back here in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who attended Senator Graham's funeral services yesterday, met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegsep today. The meeting at Blair House near the White House comes after the Israeli leader's meeting yesterday with President Trump. Netanyahu's office posting these pictures from the Oval Office, the leader's first in person meeting since the war with Iran began. A spokesman for the prime minister says Israel still prefers a diplomatic end to
- [46:59]
E
the war preferred by the prime minister. If the president is able to negotiate this, and we all know what it is to negotiate with the Iranians, they say one thing tomorrow, they lie, and then they do the opposite the following day. If the president, if the United States manages he's trying to negotiate with these people and end their nuclear program, it is preferred by the prime minister of Israel and the Israeli people. If not, and we resert the force, we'll send our people for us to in order to make sure they do not get a weapon that threatens Israel and threatens Russia.
- [47:30]
F
And joining me now is Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Dannen. Danny, thank you so much for being here. Ambassador. And yesterday, before their meeting, President Trump claimed that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to keep him involved in the war with Iran and downplayed activity at Pickaxe Mountain. Specifically, do you believe that Iran can be denuclearized without going after Pickaxe Mountain?
- [47:56]
N
We wanted to see the end result, and I think we share the same strategy of the president. The bottom line, not allowing Iran to become a nuclear threat. You can achieve it either through negotiations, which is a preferred venue, or you can do it through economic sanctions or through military power. At the end of the day, the result counts. And I think that's why President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed yesterday that they will not allow Iran to become a nuclear threat. There is still chances for negotiations. We are more skeptical. We know that the Iranians are lying from the beginning. I want to bring you back to 2018, when we actually retrieved the archive of the Iranians from Tehran and we actually showed that they were lying to President Obama back in 2014, 2015. Today, we can actually say it immediately. They are lying. They have no intentions to comply with the mou. That's why the US and all other countries must be very careful about their intentions.
- [48:58]
F
Ambassador, I want to play something that Vice President Vance said earlier this month. Let's run that.
- [49:04]
J
But I know beyond a shadow of
- [49:05]
M
a doubt that there have been people
- [49:07]
J
within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign.
- [49:18]
F
What is your response to that? Is the vice president wrong?
- [49:23]
N
We respect democracy. That would bring the US And Israel together for decades because we cherish democracy. And we count on the democracy of the US and we count on the elected officials of the US to take the right decisions for the American people, the same way we count on our elected officials to take the right decisions for Israel. We don't tell the US what to do. President Trump chose to start this war against Iran because he thought, and I think he was right, that it was important to prevent Iran from becoming a threat to the US not to Israel. Look, Monica, what happened in the last few weeks? Iran sent ballistic missiles to 12 countries. So it's not a threat to Israel. It's a global threat. That why the US Decided to eliminate that threat.
- [50:08]
F
And I do want to ask you about these new images that we're seeing out of Gaza. The IDF confirming it struck a mosque there, claiming it was being used as a weapons storage facility. How is that strike not a violation of the Trump brokered cease fire? And how far is Israel willing to go to disarm Hamas?
- [50:29]
N
Well, first of all, there is a ceasefire in Gaza. And you see that aid coming into Gaza. Yesterday, we are debating Security Council and I shared with my colleague the data about the aid coming into Gaza. But at the same time, we have to be realistic. Hamas was supposed to disarm by now. If you read the president's plan, the 20 points plan, by now, Hamas should have actually disarmed and we should have allowed other forces to emerge. It didn't happen. So if that will not happen voluntarily, we will have no choice. And we will apply more power and make sure that Hamas is not in the game. There will be no future for the people in Gaza if Hamas will stay in control. That's why it's not enough to speak about the future of Gaza. We must take action, and the real action is to disarm Hamas.
- [51:17]
F
And we mentioned Senator Graham's death and he was an outspoken ally of Prime Minister Netanyahu, of course, head of Israel. Has Israel lost a key champion within the president's inner circle?
- [51:30]
N
We lost a great ally, a great friend. You know, I met him many times. He was committed to the security of the US and the bond with Israel. And he really believes that if Israel is strong, the US Is safer. That's why it contributed so much for the alliance. It definitely will be missed. But, you know, the alliance is based on values. It's stronger than leaders. So I believe as we will continue to work with the US to build our capabilities together and to stand together protecting our shared values. That's the legacy of Lindsey Graham, of blessed memory.
- [52:06]
F
And quickly, Ambassador, before I let you go, are you concerned someone less hawkish could fill that void in advising the president on foreign policy?
- [52:16]
N
You know, we work with many people around the president and we are grateful for their involvement. I don't want to get into names, but Secretary Rubio was very helpful in providing the setting for the negotiations with Lebanon and we are grateful for that. We work with many other advisors. It's a lot. It's a loss. But we will continue to work with the president and his team.
- [52:38]
F
Ambassador Danny Dannon, thank you very much for your time.
- [52:42]
N
Thank you.
- [52:45]
F
And a reminder, Tom Yamas anchors a special edition of NBC Nightly News tonight, live from Pope Leo's summer palace. And Tom spoke with the Pope. Tune in to Nightly News to see that conversation. We will be back tomorrow with more Meet the PRESS now. And there's much more ahead on NBC News now.
- [53:08]
E
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- [53:24]
L
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- [54:31]
B
Talk to your doctor, call 1-800-545-5979 or visit zepbound.lilly.com.