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Meet the Press
Meet the Press NOW — May 28
00:49:48
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) discusses the fallout from the 2024 DNC autopsy and her decision to run in a majority-minority district. The United States and Iran accuse one another of violating the ceasefire deal as they exchange military strikes. Former first lady Jill Biden reveals that she thought her husband was "having a stroke” during the 2024 presidential debate.
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- [00:01]
Kristen Welker
I'm Cyndi Lauper with fellow Cosentyx advocate Chef Michelle Bernstein.
- [00:06]
Michelle Bernstein
We'll share our experiences with plaque psoriasis with psoriatic arthritis and Dr. Panico will talk about the possible connection.
- [00:14]
Cosentyx Announcer
Cosentyx Secukinumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis 300 milligram dose and adults with active psoriatic arthritis 150 milligrams dose. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. Like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal or viral infections, some are fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough had a vaccine or planned to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-cosentyx or cosentyx.com Cindy
- [01:00]
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- [01:41]
Kristen Welker
Welcome to Meet the Press now. I'm Kristen Welker in Washington. We begin with the very latest in Iran and a whiplash of developments, including new signs of diplomatic progress towards a deal even as both sides exchange fire with with new strikes. Now it comes as a senior Arab official involved in mediating peace talks tells NBC News that U.S. and Iranian negotiators agreed to the terms of a deal three days ago, but both sides have delayed finalizing and announcing that deal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, speaking to reporters from the White House briefing room this afternoon, repeatedly dodged questions about the status of any deal with Iran on the table.
- [02:24]
Scott Bessant
The teams have been going back and forth and President Trump has made it very clear, he talked about it at the Cabinet meeting, that he has several red lines.
- [02:33]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
You said that the teams have been
- [02:35]
Kristen Welker
going back and forth, but can you
- [02:37]
Cosentyx Announcer
confirm whether or not a tentative agreement
- [02:40]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
has been reached in these negotiations with Iran?
- [02:43]
Scott Bessant
Again, everything depends on what the president wants to do, and President Trump is not going to make a bad deal for the American people.
- [02:51]
Mark Bednar
But I'm Wondering if you could just
- [02:53]
Kristen Welker
confirm on the record that there is
- [02:55]
Mark Bednar
a tentative deal that has been agreed for a 60 day extension of the
- [02:59]
Kristen Welker
ceasefire and then a continuation of nuclear talk.
- [03:02]
Scott Bessant
Again, it's always a mistake to get out ahead of the president. So it is all going to be the President's decision. I think that we can see that the president very clearly stated out, stated his three via open the Strait, highly enriched uranium, no nuclear program.
- [03:22]
Kristen Welker
A valiant effort there by the White House press corps. Now, the US And Iran have not detailed what is in the emerging agreement. According to two US Officials, President Trump is reviewing a potential agreement to kickstart a 60 day period of intensive discussions on Iran's nuclear program. It comes after the US And Iran traded overnight strikes accusing each other of violating the ceasefire deal. The Pentagon confirms it shot down four Iranian drones it said posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz. Calling the strikes, quote, purely defensive, Iran responded by launching a ballistic missile towards a US airbase in Kuwait. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez pressed the Treasury Secretary on what this latest escalation means for the ceasefire. Take a look.
- [04:11]
Ryan Reilly
How can the administration still argue that a ceasefire is in effect?
- [04:15]
Scott Bessant
We are being patient. We do not have unlimited patience. President Trump always prefers a peace deal. So everything we have done thus far has been defensive and at present that is what we will continue doing. But if President Trump doesn't think he can get a peace deal, then Connecticut is back.
- [04:35]
Kristen Welker
Beyond Iran, the Trump administration is also ratcheting up pressure On a key U.S. ally, Oman, after yesterday, President Trump threatened to blow up the country if it didn't, quote, behave in the Strait of Hormuz. Here's more from Secretary Bessant responding to that.
- [04:51]
Scott Bessant
I think the president wanted to punctuate freedom of navigation in the strait. I had a call with the Omani ambassador this morning and he assured me that there were no plans for tolling the strait. As he said, our countries have had 200 years of good relations. He wants to have another 200 more. And I told him that this was a non starter and he did not want to risk either the Omani individuals or Omani financial institutions getting sanctioned.
- [05:23]
Kristen Welker
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is also intensifying, with the Israeli military striking Beirut and overnight Lebanon's Health ministry saying at least 11 people were killed. All of this coming as we're getting new economic numbers showing inflation accelerating in the month of April largely due to the impact of of the war on energy prices. We're going to delve into all of it. Joining me now is our team of reporters, NBC News chief Foreign correspondent Richard Engel, NBC News White House correspondent Monica Alba, NBC News senior National Security Correspondent Courtney Kuby, and NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung. Thanks to all of you for starting us off. Richard, I have to start with you. In the region, you actually have new reporting about the U.S. and Iran potentially agreeing to the terms of a deal. What are your sources telling you, Richard?
- [06:17]
Richard Engel
So I was told by a senior Arab official directly involved in these negotiations that the negotiating teams from the US And Iran agreed to this peace deal three days ago in Doha, Qatar, but that it went back to their leadership and it is now with the top leaders in Iran and with President Trump to finalize, agree to and announce the deal, but that the two sides had exchanged documents and had agreed to move forward along the lines you just outlined, in which there would be a 60 day extension of the ceasefire, opening the door for intensive talks on the nuclear program of Iran and opening the Strait of Hormuz. So it would be a significant development, but it is not final until it's final. And just in the last three days, while this deal has been sitting on the desk of the of the top leaders in Iran and of President Trump, the deal is almost broken down twice with exchanges of fire between Iran and the U.S. and every time there's an exchange of fire, the U.S. describes it as self defense and Iran describes it also as self defense and saying it's a violation of the ceasefire. So until it's over, there is still a significant risk of collapse.
- [07:35]
Kristen Welker
So Monica, Richard lays out the terms, the new reporting that he has. How does that square with what your sources at the White House are saying about where things stand?
- [07:45]
Monica Alba
Yeah, and I think Secretary Besant put it pretty well there in terms of not wanting to get ahead of the President because the President at any time could change his mind if he decides that he doesn't want to agree to whatever he is currently reviewing, then this whole thing goes back to where we were a couple of days, a couple of weeks ago, where we have sort of seen this pattern of the administration coming out and saying we could be very close to his deal, that the war's over, this is where things are heading diplomatically, only to kind of restart the clock and say that actually that's not the case and they need to go back to the table to see what can be agreed to. So we sort of have an agreement potentially to get to a future or more comprehensive agreement. That's what we're talking about. And I think it's important to stress that again, we've been in this place before, but Secretary Rubio said yesterday that we would know, quote, within hours or days whether this tentative framework would become a reality. So if President Trump does sign off on it and Iranian leadership does as well, then it's possible that we could see this announcement. But I think what's really important to underscore here, Kristen, is that even if they do have this initial preliminary agreement, it's really just to start a 60 day period where they have to actually address the thorniest issues. And if there is an agreement on that, there's no real agreement here to speak of at all.
- [09:01]
Kristen Welker
Monica, you highlight, I think, this significant issue, including for a number of the president's allies on Capitol Hill in the Senate who are saying if any agreement doesn't deal with the nuclear program, it ultimately could give Iran more leverage in this moment. So what are you hearing from all sides about a potential short term deal that, as you say, doesn't deal with the thorniest issue?
- [09:29]
Monica Alba
Yeah, basically punts that question in order for their negotiators from the US and the Iranian side to continue. And Iran has been very clear about what they want to do here and the US has been very clear and those two things are not in alignment. So what would potentially move that or what would make this instance different or materially more meaningful? That is the real question. And remember that the president has also been asked several times about how the US Views dealing with with the enriched uranium that is in Iran. He was asked yesterday whether he would be comfortable with China or Russia potentially taking some of that stockpile and material. He said no. Iran, for its part, has said that it doesn't want to give any of that up. So again, some really intractable issues here that have not been dealt with and we haven't even seen an agreement to start real discussions about them.
- [10:20]
Kristen Welker
Kristen well, Richard, let me go back to you because this week the president has been linking the US Deal with Iran to Gulf country, signing on to the Abraham Accord, sort of opening up a new front, one quite frankly, that some of his Republican allies are quite supportive of, like Senator Lindsey Graham, for example. We've seen him publicly push for that as well. What has the reaction been amongst the United States, Arab allies?
- [10:49]
Peter Nicholas
The.
- [10:50]
Richard Engel
Well, none of them have changed their position. None of them have decided to take up this command offer that President Trump has put out. He has presented it as a request and also an obligation. He says that he believes the negotiators owe it to the United States for dealing with Iran for bombing Iran, for trying to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, prompting Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz. The reaction from a senior Arab official that I spoke to today was that they have no intention, his country has no intention of signing on to the Abraham Accord and that President Trump has it flipped around that the negotiators should be thanked for their role to try and end this conflict, to try and lower gas prices, to try and bring some peace to the Middle east, and that they shouldn't be punished by having an agreement that they don't want to sign on to force down their throats.
- [11:52]
Kristen Welker
And Richard, before I let you go there, Israel launching new strikes on Lebanon. What is the status of that ceasefire? Is that part of the ceasefire effectively over?
- [12:06]
Richard Engel
Well, it seems to be effectively over. And Iran, Pakistan, which has also played a key role in mediating an end to this conflict, have believed that Lebanon should be part of the deal, that if there's going to be a deal with Iran, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, engaged in detailed negotiations on the nuclear program and it wouldn't exactly be punting it down the road. Right now it's been Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio who've been doing these negotiations, but none of them are nuclear experts. None of them know that what would technically need to be done to move potentially damaged containers of highly enriched uranium out of the country. But the deal that was supposed to also include Lebanon apparently does not include Lebanon at this stage. And, in fact, Israel is intensifying its military campaign in Lebanon. Israel currently has ordered about 17% of the country to be evacuated, declaring it a military zone. And there were new Israeli strikes, massive strikes just today against Hezbollah in Beirut and in the city of Tyre. Lebanese officials say that dozens of people have been killed just this week.
- [13:22]
Kristen Welker
All right, Richard Engel in Jerusalem for us. Monica Alba at the White House. Richard, please continue to stay safe. Thank you both for starting us off. We appreciate it. Courtney Kuby, let me turn to you here in studio. Thanks so much for being here. I think a lot of people are confused. They're watching all of this unfold. We're talking about a potential deal coming to fruition. And yet you have the United States and Iran trading strikes, strikes overnight. Is this an escalation? Is the ceasefire breaking down between the US And Iran? How would you characterize what's happening right now?
- [13:54]
Courtney Kuby
People are being confused because we're watching one thing happen and hearing rhetoric that completely competes with the narrative of what's actually happening in reality. So for the first time today we actually got a statement out of U S Central Command. Of course that's a military region, the command that controls that region saying, calling the Iranian retaliation last night which included a ballistic missile launched from Iran at US forces in Kuwait, CENTCOM called that an egregious violation of the ceasefire. That's the first time that we've heard something so specific and so direct about the ceasefire being violated. Of course it came after the US military responded to what they said were a number of different provocations from Iranian revolution or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces, drones being launched, some surface to air missiles, some fast boats. The US military has taken strikes now in several different occasions, several different locations in response to those and what they are calling self defense strikes. So they argue they have not violated the ceasefire but they say now with that missile strike overnight, they say Iran has now of course the U.S. excuse me, the Kuwaitis shot it down. So it wasn't successful. But now the question is, will the US do anything about that violation?
- [15:02]
Kristen Welker
Well, and I know you'll continue to track what the answer is court, what if there is this short term 60 day agreement? What would the military posture be in that instance?
- [15:13]
Courtney Kuby
So unless there is some part of the agreement that includes a US the US agreeing to start to scale back their presence, which could include the blockade, if they're pulling back on the blockade, we could see some of those ships move out of the area. I don't see a large scale withdrawal of US troops unless there is a final signed agreement. I'm not talking about whatever this preliminary thing that leads into the 60 days, but some sort of a final agreement. And then I think the real question is going to be how much does the US draw out of withdrawal from the region? Because there's more than 55,000 that are there now, we could see a real change in US presence in the Middle east going forward as a result of this conflict.
- [15:52]
Kristen Welker
All right, Courtney Kuby as always, thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate it. Brian, let me turn to you. We have gotten a new inflation report. Break it down for us. What does it mean for consumers? What are your key takeaways?
- [16:05]
Brian Chung
Yeah, Kristen, this is called the personal consumption expenditures. It's one other measure of inflation, the other one being the consumer price index. But this is a really critical one because this is the one that the Federal Reserve most closely looks at. And on a year over year basis between April of this year and April of last year, it showed prices in this country rising by 3.8%. And of course, a lot of that was driven largely by, of course, higher energy costs where we've seen oil and gas prices, of course, rising since the war with Iran began at the end of February. But this is going to be a major conundrum for the newly minted Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh, who is going to be tasked with just in a few weeks having to decide on what to do with interest rates. That the challenge, Kristen, is that 3.8% is well above what the Federal Reserve would like to target on inflation, which is 2%. And normally in times like that, that is not where you lower interest rates, although Kevin Warsh has suggested he might like to do so. And of course the president, who has largely advocated for more aggressively lower interest rates, will like that as well.
- [17:01]
Kristen Welker
Yes, he certainly has made that clear. I do. Brian, want to play something that Secretary Bessant said today in the briefing room when asked about higher prices. Take a look.
- [17:12]
Scott Bessant
There are almost 2,000 ships waiting to come out of the Gulf and I think the oil market is going to be very well supplied on the other side of this and that we could see prices come down very quickly. I believe we've already seen oil prices come down substantially. We are pumping more oil than we've ever seen before. And yeah, as I said, these are short term challenges that we will get over and I think we'll move forward.
- [17:41]
Kristen Welker
Brian, are you seeing any signs that gas prices are starting to come down or could start to come down soon?
- [17:47]
Brian Chung
Well, Kristen, it is true that gas prices at the pump are going down on a national average. When you take a look at the AAA numbers currently on the screen, as you can see ahead of you, $4.43, it was above $4.50 as recently as a week ago. But of course, the challenge here is that still astronomically higher than it was prior to this war beginning. Even though we're going on three months now of this conflict, Americans still remember when average gas prices were below $3 at $2.98 on a national average at the end of February. And for that reason, as we get closer and closer to the midterms, you now not only have the concern about whether or not the supply will ever open up, because of course that's contingent on the huge possibility that the Strait of Hormuz is ever reopened. But then you also have all the damage to the infrastructure in the Middle east, all of those oil and gas producing facilities that could take years to get rebu that's going to be a factor that could keep gas prices high for a while, Kristen.
- [18:38]
Kristen Welker
Yeah, no doubt bringing those back online, all experts have said does not happen overnight. Brian Chung, thank you so much as always for your great reporting and analysis. We really appreciate it. Coming up, former first lady Jill Biden reveals she was scared her husband was having a stroke when she watched his catastrophic presidential debate performance in 2024. Her latest confidence comments in the fallout for Democrats straight ahead. Plus, speaking of presidential politics, the pool of potential 2028 candidates on the Democratic side might have gotten just a tiny bit smaller. For now, we'll explain. Stay with us. You're watching Meet THE press. Now.
- [19:20]
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Kristen Welker
Hey, did I hear there's a pill version of Ozempic?
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Scott Bessant
There's a pill version of Ozempic.
- [19:50]
Kristen Welker
I'm Cyndi Lauper with fellow Kosentix advocate
- [19:54]
Michelle Bernstein
chef Michelle Bernstein and will share our experiences with plaque psoriasis with psoriatic arthritis and Dr. Panico will talk about the possible connection.
- [20:04]
Cosentyx Announcer
Cosentic Secukinumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis 300 milligram dose and adults with active psoriatic arthritis 150 milligrams dose. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx. Before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal or viral infections, some are fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or planned to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-cosentyx or cosentyx.com Cindy
- [20:50]
Stamps.com Advertiser
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- [21:21]
Kristen Welker
Welcome back. For the first time, former first lady Jill Biden is opening up about her husband's disastrous debate performance that ultimately forced him to drop out of the presidential race in 2024, telling CBS News in a new interview she was frightened by what she saw that evening. Here she is. Were you horrified as you saw it unfold? I wasn't horrified. I was frightened because I had never ever seen Jo like that. Before or since? Never or since? Yes. Or since. I've never seen him. Never? No. What happened? I don't know what happened. I mean, when I, as I watched it, I thought, oh my God, he's having a stroke and it scared me to death. The interview comes as the former first lady promotes her new memoir, View from the East Wing, according to a copy obtained by the Atlantic. She writes about the episode, quote, is he short circuiting? Is this a stroke? I felt like we were watching an AI hologram of the man we knew and the hologram was glitching. Has he been drugged?
- [22:31]
Monica Alba
She asks.
- [22:32]
Kristen Welker
The Atlantic also writes, quote, as the president walked off the stage, he whispered to his wife, I really effed that up, didn't I? Yes, you did, the first lady whispered back. That assessment is a sharp departure from Dr. Biden's public comments at the time, when she praised the president's performance to a crowd of supporters less than an hour after the debate was over. Take a look, Joe. You did such a great job. You answered every question. You knew all the. And let me ask the crowd, what did Trump do? Joining me now is our panel, Peter Nicholas, NBC News senior White House reporter Idris Calhoun, staff writer at the Atlantic, Megan Hayes, former special assistant to President Biden and Republican strategist Mark Bednar. Thank you to all of you for being here. We have a jam packed potpourri of topics to discuss. Peter, let me start with you, though, because talk about the disparity in what we just saw. And is that creating a new political challenge for Democrats right now?
- [23:38]
Peter Nicholas
Well, I think that's true. And I think you touched on the important point here, which is the message that she, Jill Biden, delivered during the campaign was that Joe was fit, Joe was able. And then she admits in this book that's now going on sale that she had great concerns about his health, to the point where she was worried he was having a stroke or. Well, I think, and we'll get into this a little later in the show when I talk about my trip to Iowa. But there's a lot of concerns about the authenticity of politicians. And I think this is what voters don't want, that this is what voters don't like. And this is kind of what they like about Trump, whatever other issues they may have with him. They like the fact that he sounds like he is being real, that he's being genuine. And I think that what, what's happening with these revelations in Jill Biden's book, it's reminding a lot of voters what they don't like about prototypical politicians.
- [24:27]
Kristen Welker
We are going to delve into you learned in Iowa. Idris, let me turn to you, though. What are you hearing in terms of reaction to these new revelations by the former first lady? And again, that stark disparity between what she said in the moments after the debate and what she was clearly thinking in her mind at the time?
- [24:45]
Idris Calhoun
Well, I think for a lot of them, it's revisiting a chapter that they didn't want to open again, right. Again, that's what's gonna sell the books. But the Democratic, the DNC autopsy doesn't really touch on this issue. Democrats really want to move past the Biden years. They don't talk about it. They don't bring, you know, say that that was a golden age. And so I think for them it's just, it's just bringing back a lot of bad memories. And I think it was obvious to people with eyes and ears that something was wrong. And so the Democratic campaign and their efforts to say that, no, everything is fine, it just reminds people again that the party was, was not credible at the time. And, and people who are associated with, with Biden, like Pete Buttigieg, et cetera, like, I think they've seen their stars fallen a bit because of this.
- [25:29]
Kristen Welker
Megan, weigh in on that. What are the implications of the former first lady speaking out right now?
- [25:35]
Megan Hayes
Well, first, I just want to address she's a spouse in this. Right. So she's not a politician. She's not an elected. She is trying to sell books. And I do appreciate that. I think the stark difference here that people are talking about what she said immediately after that is to rally the troops. I don't think anybody at the moment realized how bad this was going to land in the, the direct aftermath. Right. She went, they went from the stage to this event. So I kind of, I, I respect that she did Pump up the troops in that moment there. But I also think that you're 100% right here. Nobody wants to be reminded of this. This was not a good moment for us. Joe Biden should have never decided to run for president. I think that is very clear to everyone. But Democrats do need to move past this. And I think that we need to start questioning politicians health and their age. And this is a real question that we need to have. We saw it with Joe Biden. We're seeing it now with Donald Trump. We've seen people pass away in Congress. We saw someone missing for six months because they're in a memory care facility. This is an actual problem we have in our country and we have politicians that are too old to be in office and we need to take it seriously.
- [26:30]
Kristen Welker
Mark, does it shine a light on President Trump's age and health? He's nearly 80 years old. He was just at Walter Reed. I think folks are still anticipating asking for reporters like Peter, trying to get the results of this latest visit to the doctor.
- [26:45]
Mark Bednar
Well, first of all, the more salient book other than Jill Biden's book is your NBC colleague Jonathan Allen. In his book Fight, it's pretty clear that the largest driving factor for Joe Biden to either run for reelection then also to stay in after the debate was Joe Biden. So for all these revelations to come out now is, you know, pretty interesting. I think it says more about her and kind of the climate around the Biden White House at the time, that being said, that has kind of laid a, a soil that the American public is skeptical of politicians and their ages. And so for the fact that for President Trump to be out there, you know, sparring with the press almost daily, to be giving the longest State of the union in American history, to be actively engaged, you know, I personally think he needs to do more rallies, get out there before the midterms. But in terms of transparency for healthcare, you know, that only serves the American public.
- [27:36]
Kristen Welker
Yeah, Peter, pick up on that point. I mean, based on your conversations with your sources inside the administration, are they planning to release more information about this latest visit to the hospital?
- [27:46]
Peter Nicholas
Well, I think it remains to be seen, but I do think that there is an expectation that president should release this material. And Trump has done so in the past. Barack Obama did. You've covered these White Houses. Joe Biden has done it. And the fact that Trump is about is pushing 80 and there's been some attention to bruises on his hands and whether there's been some concern that he might be dozing off in meetings. I think that, you know, it becomes incumbent on him to be more transparent, to reveal to Americans, you know, exactly how, what his health is like and especially since he made an issue of Joe Biden's health.
- [28:25]
Kristen Welker
Yeah. And there's a lot of scrutiny on the younger generation of politics. And today a revelation from one of the politicians who's getting a lot of focus about a potential run in 2028. Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, though, saying she's not going to run. Take a look at what she had to say. There's time until 2028.
- [28:44]
Courtney Kuby
Yes, of course there's time.
- [28:48]
Monica Alba
I think there will be a robust
- [28:49]
Kristen Welker
group of people running for president.
- [28:51]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
I will not be one of them
- [28:52]
Kristen Welker
in 2028, I can tell you that. That's a pretty firm statement, Idris. I mean, we're always looking for a little bit of nuance there. But in this case, she says she's out.
- [29:03]
Idris Calhoun
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, it's interesting to see what's happened there. I mean, since Trump was reelected, her position as a kind of resistance governor has, has kind of gone down. She's made more attempts at, at conciliation with the administration. And, and you know, some people think that the attempt to kidnap her, that failed of the FBI disrupted that, that really shook her. And, and, and I think that, that that might be playing into her calculation as well.
- [29:29]
Kristen Welker
Megan, what do you make of her saying that she's not planning to run? I mean, she was one of the people who was getting a lot of attention as a 10 year.
- [29:39]
Megan Hayes
Yeah, I mean she was one of Joe Biden's final. Kamal Harry was like down to the two of them. She would have been a great vice president as well. So it's really upsetting that she doesn't want to run or at least put her hat in the ring but, or put herself in the ring. But I think maybe this is for the future. She might choose to run again or maybe she would be a great VP pick or a cabinet pick. So I hope she's not completely out of politics, but I do think you're right. I don't think her family wanted to be doing this anymore. It's, it's really taxing on people's family and the amount of scrutiny. It's, she's a great moderate governor and she would have been a really formidable candidate. So it's, it's disappointing to see, but I assure you there will be 20 plus people that I have no true. Megan.
- [30:16]
Kristen Welker
On that note, I do Want to turn to your trip to Iowa, Peter. What were your big takeaways? You were there. You were talking to voters. There's a potentially competitive Senate race there. What did you hear? What did you learn?
- [30:27]
Peter Nicholas
So we spoke to more than a dozen farmers in Iowa, and their policies, their livelihoods, are in jeopardy in many ways. The family farm is under threat. Cost of diesel fuel and fertilizer has been going up because of the Iran war. These were people who largely voted for Donald Trump, and by and large, they still like him. And that was what was interesting to me. I asked them why. I mean, they described eloquently how their farms are struggling, and they're not certain they'll be able to pass them on to future generations. But they said they like his candor. They like the fact that he talks bluntly, and they're not necessarily holding it against him. They're not taking offense personally that some of these, some of his policies may be making their lives, may be creating headwinds for them. For example, tariffs on China have resulted in a downturn in agricultural sales to that country. The farmers are largely still sticking with him and hoping that in the end he'll have some solutions. It gets back to what I was saying earlier, though. There's an emotional bond that he has with his voters, with his base, that is actually beyond policy. It's almost beyond reason. They just like him, and they are pretty wary of all politicians, but they like this one.
- [31:49]
Kristen Welker
It's just fascinating, your conversations, Peter. Mark, respond to what Peter is saying, and how does it play in the midterms? Because Peter's point is, look, if you are a hardcore Trump supporter, you're gonna stand with him even if your own prices are going up, even if your farming business is struggling. And yet, in order to win in some of these battleground states, you gotta win over independents. You have to win over some moderate Republicans and these general elections.
- [32:19]
Mark Bednar
Absolutely. And that couples with both kind of on the policy side that Peter is getting to, but then also kind of the political coalition. So, first and foremost, in Peter's piece, it was really illuminating that a lot of these farmers said that their problems were multi generational, multi decade. And so for President Trump to finally try to engage China, try to crack that code, you know, we're not there yet, but he's made a lot of progress, so that's really important. And furthermore, that underscores why a peaceful resolution, that President Trump can get a W with the Iranian situation, that's really important. You know, we've seen that not Only with gas, but also with fertilizer. Of course. We know that he's working towards that right now, you know, as your reporting indicated earlier, but we're gonna have to see where that goes. But lastly, in terms of winning over those independents and also part of some of the Democrats that have been in the Trump coalition, he is not on the ballot. And so we cannot take those voters for granted. And that requires congressional candidates on the Republican side and the Senate side. Ashley Hinson's gonna be a great senator. But for them to go out and actually engage these voters, because you can't take them for granted that they're gonna show up again.
- [33:23]
Kristen Welker
Megan, your reaction to that and to this core finding that Peter has, which is what it's about for voters, is authenticity. That's the one of the big takeaways from the Trump era.
- [33:35]
Megan Hayes
Yeah, absolutely. Authenticity is always gonna turn out your base, but that's not gonna turn out independence, and it's not gonna turn out moderate Republicans. And so that's where these midterms. And Trump's not on the ballot for the midterm. So not only is there a Senate race, there's a governor's race in Iowa that the DGA feels, the Democratic Governor's association feels pretty confident that they can win, which would be huge. So now you have a lot of governors in play and a lot of senators in play that were not in play before, which is really. It's really going to shake the base, and it's really going to change people's visions going into 28. But I stand firm. Democrats need to talk about the economy and only talk about solutions, and they should not be talking about anything else, because that is how you're going to turn out these independents and moderate Republicans to actually switch to be Democrats and leave the coalition, the Trump coalition, is
- [34:13]
Kristen Welker
just final point to you. And you can even weigh in on Texas as a way to talk about the framing of this, the challenge of winning over those independent voters, the Senator Cornyn voters, who it's all going to come down to. In Texas, for example.
- [34:27]
Idris Calhoun
Yeah, it's. It's. People think that, you know, prices here or a new program there will change people's minds, but people's preferences are really baked in, and it's. It's very, very hard to change them.
- [34:38]
Scott Bessant
Even.
- [34:39]
Idris Calhoun
Even when, you know, livelihoods are threatened. Like, people's political views are just very, very hard to change.
- [34:44]
Kristen Welker
All right, guys, great conversation. Peter, thanks for bringing us your reporting from Iowa. We really appreciate it. Peter, Idris and Megan, Mark great conversation and a programming note that Today show will have a live interview with the former first lady Dr. Jill Biden this Monday on NBC News. Up next, I go one on one with longtime Democratic congresswoman from Florida and former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz as she battles Republican redistricting and Democratic divisions That interviews next on Meet the Press. Now stay with us.
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Ozempic. You redid your jingle?
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There's only one Ozempic.
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Kristen Welker
I'm Cyndi Lauper with fellow Cosentyx advocate Chef Michelle Bernstein.
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Michelle Bernstein
We'll share our experiences with plaque psoriasis with psoriatic arthritis and Dr. Panico will talk about the possible connection.
- [36:04]
Cosentyx Announcer
Cosentic Secukinumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis 300 milligram dose and adults with active psoriatic arthritis 150 milligrams dose. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial flavors, fungal or viral infections. Some are fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or planned to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-cosentyx or cosentyx.com Cindy
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- [37:21]
Kristen Welker
Welcome back. Democrats were already grappling with the fallout from the release of the party's 2024 election autopsy report. And now they're dealing with the new candid admissions from what we were just talking about from former first Lady Jill Biden on her husband's debate performance during that campaign, casting a cloud over Democrats as they try to take control of Congress in November. Joining me now is Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, who is running for reelection. Congresswoman, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.
- [37:53]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
My pleasure, Kristin. Thanks for having me.
- [37:55]
Kristen Welker
I would like to start with these new comments by the former first lady Jill Biden. This week she said she was frightened when former President Joe Biden had that 2024 debate performance. And of course, right after the debate, she came out, she said she thought that he had done a great job. I wonder what you say to voters who hear these new revelations and feel like they were misled.
- [38:25]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Well, what I think voters have been saying for the past year, Kristin, in nearly every special election that's, that's taking place across the country, is that they reject the direction that Donald Trump and his MAGA extremists have taken this country. And they've repeatedly elected Democratic candidates, in many cases in overwhelmingly or previously held Republican seats. So they're sending a strong message that they want to make sure that we move forward, that they have candidates who are talking about the issues that matter the most to them, which frankly, from my perspective, representing my constituency, it's very clear they want us focus singularly on making their life more affordable, whether it's groceries, rent, gas, electricity, health care. And Republicans are totally out of touch. Congressman, we are going to Donald Trump saying that he doesn't care about that.
- [39:17]
Kristen Welker
We are going to talk about the midterms in just a moment. But I want to stay on this topic and these new revelations by the former first lady. She said she was so concerned about her husband's performance during that debate that she worried he was actually having a stroke. She then went out and publicly said to people that he had done a great job and continued to defend him in the weeks following that. Just to that core message, what do you say to voters who see that disconnect and feel like they weren't being given the full story by the first family and other Democrats.
- [39:52]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Well, I'll say to you, like I say to my voters, that we're focused on moving forward. I think hundreds of millions of Americans appreciate and thank Joe Biden for his lifetime of service to this country, for the fact that when he was president, we made sure that we actually passed legislation to make their lives more affordable, to reduce the costs of prescription drugs, that he ensured that we passed the Inflation Reduction act. And we did so much in terms of investing in infrastructure and boosting our economy. And their feelings towards him are warm, and we need to be. I know voters want to be focused on the future.
- [40:33]
Kristen Welker
And as you look to the future, though, I think a lot of voters are wondering, what are the lessons from the past? You were one of the Democrats who, yes, acknowledged that then President Biden had a poor performance. You did advocate for him to stay in the race, though. Are there any lessons that you take away from that moment as Democrats look to the future?
- [40:56]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Of course. I mean, we always have to go back and look at how we ran an election and the decisions that could have been made differently. I definitely think that we got the message that voters were very, very concerned about the cost of living, about life being unaffordable. Donald Trump talked about the whole campaign and has not done a single thing to actually focus on that. And now Democrats have said, look, we got the message. We heard you loud and clear. They don't want it. They don't want either party focused on culture wars, and they don't want their candidates to be focused on the opposition as much as they want to be hearing from us on what we propose to do to make their lives better. And those are definitely some lessons that we could have taken. And it was a short campaign. So, you know, it was, it was not a traditional campaign that was run, one that I think probably can't be fully extrapolated to future elections.
- [41:50]
Kristen Welker
Well, there was this DNC autopsy report that was released about a week ago into the 2024 election. It was published under pressure, as you know. It had errors, missing sections, didn't have sourcing. You were chair of the DNC and you published an autopsy report into the 2014 election. How would you assess how Ken Martin handled this matter?
- [42:21]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Well, I think what happens in the aftermath of any review, any serious review like we did in 2014, and the review that was done this time, is that no one is going to be happy. I mean, we, we lost the election. And so there were obvious things that when you really take a deep dive and look at them, at what things you could have handled better and how you can improve for the future, you're going to have regret, you're going to have frustration. And that frustration is obviously trained on the entity that has produced the report. And the important thing to do is not engage in finger pointing. We have to Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, which we have done. We're already in the process of implementing and have implemented a number of the recommendations that came out of this report, including, I mean, for example, we needed to be talking to folks that were outside our comfort zone. I know I go on more conservative outlets more often than I used to. And we got to reach out in the digital platforms that we probably didn't spend enough time on. And we've just got a lot of nuts and bolts work to do. And the proof in the results in special elections shows that that work is ongoing and that it's paying dividends.
- [43:38]
Kristen Welker
Very quickly, before we move to another topic, a number of your colleagues are calling for Ken Martin to resign. Do you think he should resign?
- [43:47]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
We do not need to be focused on internal party politics or a circular firing squad right now. Honestly, the DNC is really not the entity that's the focus in a midterm. These are individual campaigns run by candidates for Congress and the party organizations run by the two legislative chambers.
- [44:04]
Kristen Welker
All right, I want to turn to your race, your decision to run for reelection in a majority black district under Florida's newly redistricted map, which is drawing some criticism. I want to read part of a Statement signed by 10 of the 15 elected members of the Florida DNC, let you respond to it. It says, quote, at a time when the Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights act, this decision refer to your decision to run reinforces the same message. Republicans have pushed for years that black representation does not matter. How do you respond to that allegation, Congresswoman?
- [44:39]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Well, Kristen, first, this is a majority minority district just like the one that I represent. Now this district, I represent a district now that is 42% Hispanic and 18% black and the rest non Hispanic white. Another, this district is 42% black and 20% Hispanic. So I have represented a majority minority district for years. I know how to stand up for, fight for and represent diverse communities. And you know, the feedback that I am getting all across Congressional District 20 has been enthusiastic and supportive because they know this is a, this is a community. This is a district that knows me. I've represented nine of the 14 cities in this district. They know me and I know them and they know that they want someone who has the seasoning, the experience. I've been in Congress for 22 years. I hold leadership roles on appropriations as well as in the Democratic leadership. And they know they want to have someone who's going to be ready to go in there and fight for them. Because this district's been through a lot with Ron DeSantis leaving it open for 10 months after Alcee Hastings, my mentor and dear friend, passed away. Now it'll likely be left open for a year by Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis and Republicans have no respect for the people of Broward County. And those voters want to make sure they have a fighter like me who has a lot of experience going to bat for them.
- [46:02]
Kristen Welker
All right. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it.
- [46:08]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
My pleasure. Thank you so much.
- [46:11]
Kristen Welker
Still to come, politics and protests converge in New Jersey where anti ICE demonstrators and how House Democrats are trying to draw attention to allegations of dire conditions in a federal immigration detention center. Plus, more than 300 gold bars, millions of dollars in cash and dozens of luxury watches, all found and seized from the home of a former top CIA official. We'll explain. Keep it right here on MEET THE PRESS now. Welcome back. Some Democrats are demanding an ICE detention facility in New Jersey be closed over concerns about the conditions inside. So this was the scene last night at the Delaney hall detention facility in Newark, where protesters clashed with law enforcement for a third consecutive day on Monday. New Jersey Senator Andy Kim said he was pepper sprayed as he and New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill led a congressional delegation that tried to act access the facility, but they were denied. New Jersey's senior senator, Cory Booker was among a group of lawmakers who did manage to visit yesterday, Booker calling conditions inside, quote, unbearable and unacceptable. But Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen is pushing back. Here's what he's saying.
- [47:28]
Mark Wayne Mullen
This isn't a Holiday Inn, Brian. We're not providing luxury housing. What we're doing is we're providing a sanitary place for them to be detained. As I told Cory Booker and I told the other representatives that called me, I said, listen, they have commissary. If you want to put money on their books, put money on their books, that's fine. But we not only provide them a safe place to stay and the food and a place to sleep, but we're also giving them a convenience store to be able to buy products out of. So we're going above and beyond.
- [47:56]
Kristen Welker
NBC News senior Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainsley joins me now. Julia, great to see you. Thanks for being here. So let's start off with the facility. You're learning about what the conditions are actually like inside. What are you learning?
- [48:09]
Julia Ainsley
Yeah. Well, this is not the first time that we've seen protests about the conditions inside this facility. And it's one that would typically house people who have been arrested in the tri state area before. Usually they're taken to another detention facility, say South Texas, Louisiana, before detention. So in this case, it's a lot of people who've been taken out of their homes, out of their communities. What DHS has said in a statement is that for many people, this is the best health care they've had in their lives. That maybe used to be true when people were coming across the border and being detained by ice, but it's really different when you have a detained population of people who in many cases have lived in the United States for decades and they have limited access to lawyers, to communications with their loved ones. And what we're hearing from people who have been inside, including Senator Andy Kim, I've been able to speak to his office, is that when he went in, he spoke to women who said that they had had really unsanitary conditions. Curdled milk. They showed him curdled milk. These are all things DHS is pushing back on and saying that they are providing three hot meals a day. But there are even allegations of worms and food. The problem is we can't get in with cameras. That's always been a problem in ICE detention. And even some of these politicians say they're having trouble getting access as frequently as they'd like.
- [49:16]
Kristen Welker
And there are reports that there are even some hunger strikes by some of the detainees. Is that the case? What are you learning about that?
- [49:23]
Julia Ainsley
Yeah, that's right. That's what we're hearing. There was a man who they said was leading these hunger strikes and he was actually sent to another detention facility in an effort to try to break up what was happening, you know, in solidarity, to basically take some control over it. Now, the way DHS defines hunger strikes means that you have to refuse meals for three days in a row, all three meals. So in some cases it could be more of a protest for a shorter period of time. But we have heard about some pretty extreme hunger striking, refusing to eat inside. And then there's the question of whether or not they could be forced to have IVs. We've seen this not just at Delaney hall, but across the country over the past year of immigrants have tried to assert some kind of control over the situation they find themselves in.
- [50:05]
Kristen Welker
It's just extraordinary. I do want to turn to another big story that you're tracking. Apparently a former high ranking CIA officer, David Rush, who had top secret level clearance, accused of stealing and stashing millions of dollars worth of gold bars, who is David Rush. And what exactly is he accused of doing?
- [50:27]
Julia Ainsley
Well, Kristin, I think this is someone we're going to be hearing more about over the summer because it is just so odd what investigators found inside his house. He was, as you said, a CIA official. He'd secret clearance since 2018. And he was getting gold as some kind of reimbursement for what he was doing. Sometimes CIA needs to be able to get people money in different parts of the world that they can use very quickly. And in his home, they found $40 million worth of gold bar, $2 million in US currency, 35 luxury watches, most of which were Rolex. But that's not even what he's charged with. Now, he's accused of this in the FBI affidavit because that's what they found in his home the day before they arrested him. But the charges all stem from the fact that he lied on his in order to get this and previous jobs. They called the registrar at Clemson University at the graduate school he went to. He also said he had a license to fly a plane that he did not have. None of this shook true. So what really the question we should all be talking about is what are these vetting procedures to get into these very high levels in the United States government and the intelligence community?
- [51:30]
Kristen Welker
What a remarkable story. We know you'll continue to track it. Julia Ainsley, thank you. Great to see you as always. Coming up after the break, the very latest move from the Trump administration to target the president's perceived enemies. The Justice Department opens a criminal investigation surrounding E. Jean Carroll, the journalist who accused President Trump of sexual assault back in the 90s. That reporting is next. This is MEET THE PRESS now. Welcome back. The Justice Department is now investigating another political opponent of President Trump, two sources familiar with the matter telling NBC News the DOJ has opened a criminal investigation involving E. Jean Carroll's lawsuits over sexual abuse allegations against the president, specifically focusing on a trust run by a prominent Democratic donor, Reid Hoffman, that helped pay her legal costs. Carroll accused Mr. Trump of raping her in a New York City department store in the 1990s. She was awarded $5 million in damages by a jury in 2023, which found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. She also won an $83 million judgment against him in a defamation case a year later. The president has denied any wrongdoing and says he didn't even know Carol. He's also asked the Supreme Court to review the $5 million judgment after an appeals court upheld it. The DOJ's investigation is the latest move by the Trump administration to investigate the president's critics. And while he has not explicitly called for Carroll's prosecution, the president has publicly demanded the Justice Department open investigations into many of his perceived enemies, which it has. NBC News senior justice reporter Ryan Reilly joins me now. Thank you so much, Ryan, for being here. So what do we know about the focus of this investigation?
- [53:18]
Ryan Reilly
Yeah, so, I mean, it's in Chicago. And so the investigation seems to be looking into the dynamics and how this exactly was funded. You know, the president and his allies have said have accused Gene Carroll of lying about her knowledge of where this was being funded by. But an appeals court had looked into that issue and said, no, she didn't remember it. That was a plausible explanation. So essentially cleared her of that allegation. It would be tough for them to bring that case in Chicago involving this allegation of perjury just because that's not where the actual perjury would have taken place. There wouldn't actually be a jurisdictional hook for it. But it seems more broadly that they're sort of looking at the funding network. And obviously this is something that the president has expressed his displeasure in. And that seems to be the trend seen from DOJ in recent weeks as you sort of laid out there going after a lot of the president's enemies in any way that they can.
- [54:07]
Kristen Welker
Yeah. Has Carol's legal team, has Carol herself responded? What are you hearing about that?
- [54:12]
Richard Engel
Yeah, they haven't.
- [54:12]
Ryan Reilly
They've declined to comment thus far, and we'll see how this all plays out. But, you know, even just getting those headlines is a big win for the Trump administration. Just sort of saying that this is all under investigation. You obviously got to hire lawyers. So that sort of, you know, causes some pain right there at the beginning.
- [54:25]
Kristen Welker
And why Illinois?
- [54:28]
Ryan Reilly
Because the allegation will be that's where the center that Reid Hoffman's fund was set up. And so that gives them some sort of jurisdictional hook there. But they've been very creative, shall we say, about how they're finding ways to go after a lot of these cases because especially on a charge, you know, if they were actually going after her for perjury, that's not the right jurisdiction for it. They can't really bring a charge there. But that's certainly a part of this broader investigation looking into the funding here.
- [54:53]
Kristen Welker
All right, Ryan Reilly, thanks so much for being here to bring us up to speed. Appreciate it. Great to see you as always. We are back tomorrow with more meetings. The press now there's much more ahead on NBC News now. I'm Cyndi Lauper with fellow Cosentix advocate Chef Michelle Bernstein.
- [55:22]
Michelle Bernstein
We'll share our experiences with plaque psoriasis with psoriatic arthritis, and Dr. Panico will talk about the possible connection.
- [55:30]
Cosentyx Announcer
Cosentic secukinumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, 300 milligram dose and adults with active psoriatic arthritis, 150 milligrams dose. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. Like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal or viral infections, some are fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or plan to or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-COSENTIX or cosentyx.com cindy.