Meet the Press Full Episode — August 2

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: This Sunday, left field. Democrats face off progressives versus moderates in a high-stakes test of which vision can lead the party back to power. [00:00:11] Speaker 2: This is about whether or not you deserve a politics of the people, by the people, and for the people. [00:00:15] Speaker 1: I've been in Congress, fighting these fights. [00:00:19] Speaker 3: The American people want to decide who the Democratic candidates will be, not wealthy campaign donors. [00:00:26] Speaker 1: I'll talk to Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Plus, Senate showdown. Two Republican senators block Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general, demanding an end to President Trump's IRS settlement fund. [00:00:41] Speaker 3: If they don't become to terms with the resolution that Senator Tillis and I have requested, then I think he's not going to be confirmed. [00:00:50] Speaker 1: I'll talk to Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana. And Common Ground. Our bipartisan conversation with Democratic Governor Wes Moore of Maryland and Republican Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma on how to change the tone of our politics. [00:01:08] Speaker 4: People want us to fight for them and not necessarily always have to fight other people. [00:01:13] Speaker 5: What I can tell Americans is that we agree on more than we disagree. [00:01:18] Speaker 1: Joining me for insight and analysis are... NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Garrett Haight. Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Cook Political Report. Ashley Etienne, former Communications Director to Vice President Harris. And Stephen Hayes, Editor of The Dispatch. From NBC News in Washington, the longest running show in television history, this is Meet the Press with Kristen Welker. Good Sunday morning. With just three months until the midterms, the country is on edge. As the war with Iran reaches a pivotal moment and political battles rise here at home. Overnight, President Trump said he is canceling strikes on Iran, saying Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries asked the United States to hold off because the parameters of a deal had been agreed to. The President said the U.S. was locked and loaded and ready to go against Iran, but that he agreed to cancel attacks subject to being able to rapidly make a deal. Five months into the war, the conflict appears to be at a crossroads, with diplomacy offering a possible off-ramp, even as questions remain about whether it will hold. The President's decision to call off strikes comes after he issued this warning on Friday. [00:02:42] Speaker 6: We'll be hitting them. We'll be hitting them very hard. At some point, they're going to say, we just can't take it anymore. [00:02:49] Speaker 1: Meanwhile, President Trump is clashing with Republican Senators Tom Tillis and John Cornyn, who are threatening to block Todd Blanche's confirmation for Attorney General unless they get assurances the President will drop his so-called anti-weaponization fund. With the committee vote for Blanche scheduled for Tuesday, President Trump now says he will keep Blanche as acting AG and push hard to get the anti-weaponization bill. If the Senators refuse to confirm him, it's a reversal from what President Trump said just one day earlier. [00:03:21] Speaker 7: Just to be clear, do you agree with the acting Attorney General that the anti-weaponization fund is dead? And why not just put that in writing? [00:03:28] Speaker 6: Well, it is dead, but, you know, I wish it weren't, to be honest with you. I think people were horribly treated, horribly abused. [00:03:35] Speaker 1: And joining me now is Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana. Senator Kennedy, welcome back to Meet the Press. [00:03:45] Speaker 8: Thanks, Chris. [00:03:46] Speaker 1: Thank you so much for being here. I do want to start with the breaking news overnight on Iran. President Trump, Senator, has said that he anticipated the war would last a matter of weeks. We are now in the fifth month. President Trump posting overnight that he will halt planned attacks to allow for talks to move forward, suggesting a deal can be reached rapidly. Do you believe a deal can be reached rapidly, Senator? [00:04:17] Speaker 8: Well, I hope so. I'm always willing to give peace a chance. Respectfully, I would remind President Trump of three things. Number one, the only reason that Iran is coming to the table, if indeed they are, is because Israel and the United States of America have torn them a new ashtray. Number two, no deal is just fine. Not preferred, but not preferable. But it's fine. A bad deal isn't. Number three, he has to remember that the Iranian government learned to lie before they learned to talk. And they're more than mildly insane. Dealing with them is like dealing with Son of Sam or Charles Manchin. Whatever he does, do not release the sanctions, stopping their sale of oil, or remove the blockade until we see Ron take firm actions to open the strait. That's my opinion. [00:05:35] Speaker 1: Well, the final point you make in many ways leads me to my next question, Senator, which is that there was a deal effectively in place. A ceasefire, a memorandum of understanding. It all fell apart because of provocations by Iran. Why would this time be different? [00:05:55] Speaker 8: Well, it may not be. [00:05:57] Speaker ?: Well, it may not be. [00:05:57] Speaker 8: But I think we have lost perspective a little bit on Iran. Do you know why Hezbollah and Hamas are degraded? Do you know why Iran is the furthest away it's ever been from having a nuclear warhead? Do you know why Iran doesn't have an air force or a navy? Do you know why its weapons stockpile and launchers and weapons production plants have been substantially degraded? It's because Israel and America hit them so hard they coughed up bones. And I think that it has made the world measurably safer as a result. Now, the strait is a problem. That's a big understatement. You don't have to be a senior at Caltech to know we only have three choices. Escalate, retreat, and come home, or maintain the status quo. I would maintain the status quo as long as I could. Sanctions, blockade. I would bomb Pickaxe Mountain and try to reach any fissile material and centrifuges underneath. I don't know whether the president should start a new bombing campaign again because I don't have the military intelligence. Now, that's a problem, too, because it will cause a lot of pain. It will cause energy prices to go up and a lot of inflation for the American people. They're all hellish choices. But for the moment, I'd maintain the status quo. [00:07:40] Speaker 1: Well, let me ask you, because the U.S. is on alert right now after cyber attacks on water systems in at least seven states. Senator, the FBI, the EPA are warning that hackers are trying to disrupt critical water infrastructure. And intelligence officials say they are looking into the possibility that Iran might be behind all of this. What should the U.S. response be if Iran is, in fact, attacking America's drinking water supply? [00:08:09] Speaker 8: Well, we've got cyber experts, hit them back. Iran's done this before. I'm not saying it's not Iran, but it could be North Korea. We do it to each other all the time. And I'm sorry it happened. I'm glad we caught it. But if Iran's going to start this foolishness, I would hit them back. I'd, you know, just like we've done with the military strikes, I'd eat them up and spit the bones on the floor. [00:08:40] Speaker 1: All right. Let me ask you about what's happening on Capitol Hill, Senator. Republican Senators Tom Tillis and John Cornyn, as I just discussed, are holding up the confirmation of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over their demand that the Justice Department end President Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund to remind people. That effectively would mean that it would give people the ability to get compensation if they believe they were wronged by the federal government. President Trump now says he wants Congress to pass a bill making the fund the law of the land. Would you support such a bill, Senator? [00:09:20] Speaker 8: Well, I'd have to read it first. You'd be open to that, though, Senator? In a perfect world. You'd be open to that? In a perfect world, senators Tillis and Cornyn and President Trump and Mr. Blanche would sit down and work this out. I do believe that Senator Cornyn and Tillis are talking with the Department of Justice. I don't know if they'll reach a deal. Frankly, I think the odds are against it. I wouldn't bet my house on it. And if I were betting your house, it would just be a maybe. In terms of the weaponization fund, the president himself has conceded that it will take legislation. I'm glad he conceded that. We'll get to shape the bill. We already have an anti-weaponization fund, a pool of money that you can access if you're abused by government through the Federal Torx Claim Act. But if he wants to improve it, I'm willing to look at it. But I'm not going to give him a blank check. All right. Well, let me ask you. In terms of a settlement with that. [00:10:23] Speaker 1: Let me ask you, I mean, do you think anyone who attacked police officers stormed the Capitol on January 6th should get taxpayer money as a part of that fund? [00:10:33] Speaker 8: No, I'd take them off the table. Okay. [00:10:36] Speaker 1: And you would put that in the legislation, Senator? [00:10:41] Speaker 8: Yeah. I just, I'm not saying that everybody, well, strike that. Look, it's too emotional of an issue. And it's too important of an issue. And if somebody thinks they were abused by the federal government when they were punished by attacking the Capitol in a riot that got totally out of control, right now they have the right to file a Federal Torx Claim Act against the federal government and a federal judge will decide. And I would take that issue completely off the table. Okay. [00:11:16] Speaker 1: Let me ask you about another big topic this week, Senator. The Justice Department just this week dropped its charges against the Olympic canoeist that it accused of vandalizing the reflecting pool on the National Mall The DOJ admitted that the damage was caused by, quote, botched installation and not vandalism. This was a case that the DOJ had said was open and shut. They said they could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Does this reversal undercut the public's faith in the Justice Department, Senator? [00:11:49] Speaker 8: Well, the whole thing is a multiple vehicle pileup. Let me start with the president. The president says it was caused by vandals. I don't know whether he really believes that or it's part of his political messaging or he's just thinking about it out loud. You and I both know the president well. He exists loudly and he grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought. I'm not saying he doesn't really believe it. I just don't know. Now, the stakes are a lot higher for U.S. Attorney Pirro. You can't lie to a federal judge. If she can't prove her case, she was right to pull back. Because if you fool around with a federal judge, you will find out. When I was in private practice one time, I put my briefcase on a brand new conference table bought by a federal judge. And he got so mad, I'll never forget. I thought I was going to get to spend overnight with Bubba in central lockup. Federal judges will not tolerate it. And so, I don't know why she filed a suit without doing a full investigation. She says she relied on the Department of Interior, but she was smart to pull it back. [00:13:10] Speaker 1: Very quickly, Senator, given that, because I have one more question on the shutdown, should the grand jury records be released so the public can see the evidence for themselves, Senator? [00:13:21] Speaker 8: Fine with me. Okay. Let the whole world... [00:13:25] Speaker 1: Final question for you. Congress is facing another government shutdown, as you well know, just weeks before the midterms. Senator, if Democrats and Republicans cannot reach an agreement, there are reports Leader Thune and Leader Schumer may be about to strike a deal or working on some type of agreement. Will you support a deal, a bipartisan deal, if it is reached to avoid another government shutdown? [00:13:49] Speaker 8: Well, I don't know what the deal is yet. I'm only on the Appropriations Committee, but I've heard nothing. Now, it's been reported that Senator Schumer, in return for keeping government open, wants Senator Thune to kill the budget resolution and to take away President Trump's authority to review government grants. I think to agree to that would be top of the heap, king of the hill, A number one, stupid. Will I vote for it? The short answer is no. The long answer is hell no. And if that's what we, Senator Thune, puts on the floor, we will get... I'm not going to vote for it, and I don't think most Republicans will, and I don't think the House will, and we will have shot off yet one more of our toes. I would put a clean... Because we'll be blamed for the shutdown. Yeah. I would put a clean CR on the floor with none of this foolishness in it, and if Senator Schumer wants to shut down government at the behest of the Graham Plattner wing of this party, he should knock himself out. All right. I don't think he'll do it, but he might. All right. [00:15:05] Speaker 1: Senator John Kennedy, we covered a lot of ground this morning. Thank you so very much for being here. We really appreciate it. Yeah, we did. Thank you. And when we come back, Senator Bernie Sanders joins me next. Welcome back, and joining me now is independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Senator Sanders, welcome back to Meet the Press. [00:15:32] Speaker 3: Good to be with you. [00:15:34] Speaker 1: It's wonderful to have you back, particularly ahead of these big elections coming up on Tuesday. I do want to start, though, with the state of play for the Democratic Party. You really were one of the top people who brought democratic socialism into the mainstream, Senator. And a new poll finds that one-third of democratic-leaning voters now identify as democratic socialists. And we've seen, quite frankly, democratic socialists win in primaries throughout this election cycle so far. But are you confident that democratic socialists can win in general elections in purple states? [00:16:11] Speaker 3: Well, I am. But I'm mostly confident that the American people know that our country today is moving in a very, very bad direction. At a time when we have more income and wealth inequality than we've ever had in the history of America. What's going on now makes the gilded age of Rockefeller look like an egalitarian utopia? What's going on now is that millions of our people right now in the richest country on Earth, they're struggling to put food on the table, pay for health care, pay for their rent, pay for their mortgage. You've got half of older workers who have nothing in savings as they face retirement. You're facing seeing kids unable to afford to go to college in the richest country in the history of the world. So people all over America are looking around and saying, hey, wait a minute. The very richest people are becoming richer. Elon Musk himself, one man, owns more wealth by far than the bottom half of American households. What in God's name is going on? And people look at the Republican leadership and Donald Trump and they say, you know, this guy's worried about a reflecting pool. I can't afford my retirement. He's starting a war in Iran, costing us huge amounts of money, killing innocent people. 18 American servicemen are dead. What are they doing? And then you look at the Democratic Party leadership, which also gets their money, like the Republicans, from very wealthy people. And people are saying, is the Democratic leadership representing ordinary Americans? And I think it's people who look at the Republicans, they say, no, they're out of touch. Look at the Democratic leadership, say, no, they're out of touch. We need a government, a radical idea that works for all people and not just for wealthy campaign contributors. That's why from New York City with Mondani and in Colorado and in California and in Montana, I think you're going to see it in Michigan, people are saying, enough is enough. You know, let's get a government that represents all of us. And I've got to tell you something, Kristen, that part of the exasperation that the American people are feeling, it's not just that an economy which is rigged, they're looking at a corrupt, underlined corrupt, campaign finance system. And what you're seeing in Michigan right now is AIPAC, other billionaire-funded super PACs putting tens and tens of millions of dollars against Abdul El-Sayed in Minnesota, against Peggy Flanagan, same thing. So you've got billionaires buying elections, government working for the billionaires and ordinary people saying, we want change. And that is why progressives, democratic socialists are doing so well all over this country. They've got an agenda that speaks to the needs of working families. They're prepared to stand up to the oligarchs. [00:18:54] Speaker 1: Let's talk about Michigan. You raised it. Your endorsed candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, is running against Congresswoman Haley Stevens. She is backed by much of the Democratic establishment that you're talking about, Senator. How confident are you that he's going to win on Tuesday? Can he pull out a victory? [00:19:13] Speaker 3: Look, he has taken on... I've never... You know, I'm not a political scientist. I cannot recall where a major candidate was outspent so much by super PACs. I mean, they've spent tens and tens of millions of dollars against him. The polling recently looks good, but polls don't win elections, people do. So I would hope that in Michigan and later next week in Minnesota, people understand the importance of this election. What's it about? It's not just whether Abdul can win or not beat Haley Stevens. The question is whether or not we live in a democratic society where a candidate fighting for working people can take on tens and tens of millions of dollars of AIPAC money, special interest money. And I hope very much that Abdul... And I'll tell you why in a kind of selfish reason. Everybody in America understands that our current health care system is totally broken. We're spending unbelievable amounts of money, twice as much per capita as the people of any other country. Eighty-five million uninsured, underinsured, prices way high. Dr. El-Sayed is somebody I need in the Senate as he fights for Medicare fall. He's a doctor. He has seen the broken health care system. We need him to make sure that every man, woman, and child in this country has health care as a human right, as is the case in every other major country on Earth. [00:20:34] Speaker 1: Well, and as you know, Senator, it is going to be very hard for Democrats to win back the Senate if they do not win the state of Michigan. This is Senator Gary Peter's seat that we're talking about. He's backing Haley Stevens. He argued that she's the more electable candidate. Here's what he said, Senator. You have to have a candidate who understands that winning a general election doesn't mean just turning out Democrats. You also have to appeal to a broader cross-section of your state. And Michigan is a true purple state. What do you think, Dr. El-Sayed, will have to do in order to turn out moderates and independents to win a general election if he does win on Tuesday? [00:21:15] Speaker 3: Well, Gary makes a good point. And the reason I think that Dr. El-Sayed will win in Michigan is that if you're a working-class Republican, you know what? You can't afford health care. You know the system is broken. You are struggling to figure out how you're going to retire with dignity. You understand that the current campaign finance system is broken. You understand that workers need decent wages, and El-Sayed is fighting for a livable minimum wage. And by the way, if you're a Republican, you know maybe we should be investing our money into Michigan, into Vermont, into America, rather than giving the extremist government of Netanyahu in Israel tens of billions of dollars to continue their atrocities against the Palestinians. You take it to my next question. I think if you're a working-class Republican in Michigan, I think you're going to listen to what El-Sayed says, and I think many of them will end up voting for him. Independence as well, of course. [00:22:19] Speaker 1: Okay, and I want to follow up on what you just said. Dr. El-Sayed has made Israel a central issue in his primary. He said he, quote, often struggles with the question of whether Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. In the past, Senator, you have been quite clear that you do support Israel as a Jewish state. Should Dr. El-Sayed speak with the same clarity? [00:22:43] Speaker 3: Look, I think right now the immediate issue of the moment is whether or not we continue to put tens of billions of dollars into the extremist Netanyahu government which has killed 75,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, wounded 150,000, destroyed their infrastructure. And what the American people are saying, overwhelmingly Democrats, many independents, the majority of them, and many Republicans, especially younger Republicans, we got better things to do without money than to continue to fund the military of Israel. [00:23:21] Speaker 1: All right. A number of more questions to get through with you. I do want to talk about Maine. Democrats have now replaced Graham Plattner as the Senate Democratic nominee with former state Senator Troy Jackson. Graham Plattner's candidacy, of course, as you know, was derailed by a series of controversies, and when he dropped out, the party only had a matter of days to settle on a replacement. Are you confident that Troy Jackson has been fully vetted, Senator? [00:23:49] Speaker 3: Well, I was not involved in that process at all. I mean, as you indicated, they had to move very, very quickly, and I think the main Democratic Party did the best they could under difficult circumstances. All I can say is I have known Troy for a number of years. He is a fifth-generation logger. You want a working-class voice in Washington, D.C., Troy is certainly that voice. I have seen his platform. It is a strong platform, standing up for working families, taking on the oligarchs, fighting for Medicare for all. Maine, like Vermont, is an older state. He understands that we have to make sure that we do not cut Social Security benefits, in fact, expand Social Security benefits by demanding the wealthy starting to pay their fair share of taxes. So I have known Troy, and I look forward to working with him in the U.S. Senate. [00:24:42] Speaker 1: Are you going to endorse him? [00:24:46] Speaker 3: If you ask me to, I certainly will. [00:24:48] Speaker 1: Okay. Let me ask you, because you were one of the earliest and, frankly, most influential supporters of Graham Plattner's campaign. This week, Democratic Senator, your colleague, Senator John Fetterman, had this message for you. Take a listen, Senator. [00:25:03] Speaker 9: I would be frustrated with someone like Bernie Sanders. You know, why aren't people angry? Why they promoted, you know, someone like Plattner, an accused rapist. So, really? Bernie, you have no regret 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? [00:25:25] Speaker 1: What's your response to Senator Fetterman? [00:25:28] Speaker 3: Well, my response to Fetterman is, last time I saw it, he was reflecting, he was about 19% of the Democrats in the state of Pennsylvania, I think probably lower than any other member of the Democratic Senate. Fetterman does his thing, I think, on Israel and many other issues, is way out of touch with the people of America. [00:25:49] Speaker 1: Well, let me ask you, because in the face of these growing scandals against Plattner, emotional abuse, aggressive behavior, which he did deny, you did continue to support Graham Plattner. [00:25:59] Speaker 3: There were very serious allegations against Plattner, against Plattner. As a result of those accusations, I and virtually all of his supporters requested that he withdraw from the race, and he did. Very serious allegations. And he withdrew from the race. [00:26:15] Speaker 1: You, in fact, said there are no saints in the United States Senate before those most serious allegations came out. Do you regret endorsing Graham Plattner in the first place, Senator? [00:26:28] Speaker 3: Well, you know, it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback. Plattner ran a very strong campaign, and in fact, many of the issues that he's raised are resonating all over this country. A woman made very serious allegations against him. He withdrew from the race, period. [00:26:45] Speaker 1: And just to button this up, any regrets? Do you wish if you could go back? [00:26:49] Speaker 3: You know, I think right now we're looking at a campaign in Michigan. We're looking at a campaign in Minnesota. The people of this country right now are sick and tired of establishment politics and establishment policies. They want change, and I and other progressives are going to do everything that we can to bring about those changes. [00:27:07] Speaker 1: Let's look forward. You have indicated, Senator, you've been asked that you do not plan to run for president again. That means, and I don't know if you've looked at this, 2028 is going to be the first open Democratic primary without you running in it in nearly two decades, Senator. So let me ask you, is it good to the future? [00:27:29] Speaker 3: No, I did not. I did. Yeah, yeah. [00:27:32] Speaker 1: Going back to 2016, who do you hope will carry forward the progressive movement that you've championed? [00:27:43] Speaker 3: Kristen, there are one of the untold secrets in Washington is in the U.S. House of Representatives, for example, you have many, many really strong progressives. Many of them are young, many of them are women, many of them are people of color. And we have elected many of them, and I think as a result of this election cycle, you're going to see a lot more coming to Washington. I think as a nation, and by the way, with all due respect, the media spends too much time worrying about who's going to be a president in two and a half years. Right now, we have enormous problems facing this country. We're looking at heat waves all over the world. You've got climate change. We're looking at the big tech oligarchs pushing AI and robotics down our throat. Congress is doing very little to protect working people in that. We're looking at massive levels of income and wealth inequality, a corrupt campaign finance system. My suggestion is as a country, as a Congress, as media, let's focus on the important issues facing working people two and a half years from now is a long time to a presidential election. I'm sure it will unfold itself. [00:28:49] Speaker 1: All right. Senator Bernie Sanders, we will leave it on that note. Thank you so very much for being here, and we'll watch what happens closely on Tuesday and beyond. [00:28:59] Speaker 3: Thank you very much. [00:29:00] Speaker 1: When we come back, Democrats face off over the party's future with the big question, who can win the primary without losing the general election? The panel is next. Welcome back. The panel is here. NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Garrett Haake, Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, Ashley Etienne, Former Communications Director for Vice President Harris and Speaker Pelosi, and Editor and CEO of The Dispatch, Stephen Hayes. Welcome to all of you. We are gearing up for a big week. Garrett, let me start with you because Iran is looming over everything. 28% of Americans say they approve of the president's handling of the war. It is dragging down all of his approval ratings. Take us inside your conversations. How are they viewing this with less than 100 days until the midterms? [00:29:52] Speaker 10: The White House understands that the sooner this conflict is over, the better for them politically. They would like to move on from this, and they really can't figure out how to get there. You heard Senator Kennedy say he's fine with there not being a deal. I think that's the president's view also, actually, based on my conversations just from observing the president. They were ready at this time yesterday to escalate significantly, essentially go big to go home. Up the ante, asymmetric attacks, hit Iran very hard, and then deploy one of the president's political superpowers, which is to declare victory and change the subject. But the president was talked out of that yesterday, which kind of leaves us in this same position that we've been in for a very long time, trying to find somebody on the Iranian side to negotiate with to reach something that they can then walk away from. [00:30:37] Speaker 1: Yeah, fascinating reporting there, Garrett. Amy, Ron, looms over everything on Tuesday and beyond. What are you going to be watching for on Tuesday, particularly as it relates to Michigan? You just heard Senator Sanders' very full-throated defense that, yes, al-Sayed can, in fact, win in a general election. [00:30:54] Speaker 11: Yeah, this is what's really fascinating about that race. The question, I think, looming over it all is whether Democratic primary voters are saying goodbye to the era of play-it-safe politics. And that has been, if you look at this race, what you have in Haley Stevens is a candidate who is electing. Her entire message is, elect me because I'm the most electable candidate in a purple state, as you heard from Senator Sanders. His message and the message of al-Sayed is, it's not just about Donald Trump anymore. It is a bigger picture fight that we are taking on. It is about the system itself. What's really fascinating, I think, is that in 2018, somebody like Haley Stevens and one of her biggest supporters, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, they were the stars of 2018. They were the examples of, this is how you fight Trumpism. These are the ways you elect Democrats in purple states. Now, here we are eight years later with Trump once again in office and the Democratic base saying, that's not enough anymore, at least in these states. Ashley, pick up on [00:31:58] Speaker 1: those points and if al-Sayed does in fact win on Tuesday, how should Democrats respond? It does seem as though the ground is shifting in many ways. [00:32:07] Speaker 7: Well, I think al-Sayed and the DSA movement is really serving as an existential threat to the party establishment. You know, CNN recently did a poll that found that the large majority of Democrats want a radical change within the party. You know, if you take a step back, the Republican Party has gone through three transformations in 20 years, from the Tea Party to the Freedom Caucus to now the MAGA movement. With each one of those changes, they've tactically, strategically gotten stronger. They've won more races, expand their base. The party right now continues to refuse to do what Amy's talking about, which is confronting what's in front of it, which is your party, you know, a brand is in the tank, you're eroding support among your base and you've got this insurgency that you cannot control. The party has to get real with itself and really make some changes. [00:32:50] Speaker 1: See, to that point, Republicans are saying, great, if Dr. Al-Sayed wins, they say they're going to win in the general, but the point that is being made is could this be a Tea Party movement that Republicans run the risk of underappreciating? [00:33:04] Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it could be. I mean, I think if you listen to Bernie Sanders, he's absolutely right to claim the momentum that he's claiming. And this didn't just happen overnight. I mean, this isn't something that happened in the last couple weeks. Bernie Sanders won Michigan in 2016. You've seen the DSA and DSA kind of candidates making progress throughout the last decade. And right now, I think Ashley's right. this is sort of a Tea Party moment. But there's also a cautionary tale, too, right? I mean, Republicans have built success. They've won offices. They have Congress. They have the White House right now. And look at what's happening to the MAGA movement. Look at what's happening with the popularity of the Republican Party right now. One of the reasons Al-Sayed is even in a position to potentially win, I think, is because of there's such disgust with Donald Trump. His approval ratings are at 33%, depending on your poll. And the MAGA movement is losing steam. [00:33:55] Speaker 1: And the Republican Party is, we're starting to see divides form, including over this anti-weaponization fund. You heard me talk about that with Senator Kennedy. Senator Till is saying it could, in fact, become a yoke around the neck of Republicans in the midterms. [00:34:08] Speaker 10: Yeah. And by the way, I think these things are related in the sense that I don't think either party has a clear picture of what they're for right now. I mean, Democrats are united purely by being against Donald Trump. The Republican Party, such as it is, is holding on to Trumpism. But Trump's not going to be on the ballot again here, which gives him the freedom to push for something like this weaponization fund. But other elected Republicans who do have to run for election despise it. You heard Senator Kennedy say it was not the kind of thing he would vote for, at least as relates to January 6th defendants. Cornyn and Tillis, who also don't have to run again, can be a heat shield here for other Republicans to try to bury this thing before it does any more damage to the party. [00:34:44] Speaker 1: Very quickly, let's go around. What do you hope to learn Tuesday night, Amy? [00:34:49] Speaker 11: Yes, whether, indeed, we will see this shift now from Democratic voters on the age of being for a safe candidate versus one who's going to shake things up. [00:34:59] Speaker 1: Yeah. What are you going to be watching for? What do you hope to learn? [00:35:02] Speaker 7: I think one thing that people are missing is that we've seen seven Democratic incumbents that have lost this election cycle, which is a historic number. So for me, I'm going to be watching to see if this continues to be a trend in anti-incumbency, anti-Democratic establishment votes on Tuesday. All right. Big night, Steve, Tuesday. [00:35:20] Speaker 1: What do you think you can learn about the Republican turnout? [00:35:23] Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it would be interesting to see what Republicans do. You know, I'm skeptical that there are going to be a lot of Republicans who cross over and vote for Al-Sayed, as Senator Sanders suggested. But there were a lot of Obama-Trump voters as well, so you can't rule it out. [00:35:37] Speaker 1: And Amy, just very quickly, Republicans are dealing with headwinds as well. Oh, I mean, [00:35:42] Speaker 11: the reality is we've spent a lot of time talking about Democrats, but Democrats have the wind at their back. And I also think it's going to be a lot harder for Republicans to attach random Democratic candidates to the DSA movement as easily as it's going to be for Democrats to attach incumbent Republicans to an unpopular president who they've supported 100%. [00:36:02] Speaker 1: All right, guys, great conversation. We'll be watching closely. Thank you so much. A quick programming note, be sure to tune in to NBC News Now this Tuesday at 9 p.m. for full coverage of the primaries happening in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington. I'll be joined by Hallie Jackson and Steve Kornacki. And when we come back, finding common ground on the challenges of protecting kids from social media. Welcome back. This week, Meet the Press traveled to Oklahoma City for a series of bipartisan conversations as part of our Common Ground series at the National Governors Association summer meeting. Among the topics we discussed, the American dream, federalism, education, and social media. In one conversation, I asked Republican Governor Spencer Cox of Utah and Democratic Governor Jared Polis of Colorado whether they favor age-based bans on social media platforms. [00:37:04] Speaker 12: Yes, so I do favor them. And in lieu of those things happening, you know, we passed some other laws as well that there should be age-based gating and kids' accounts. They should be very different. We've become way too overprotective in the real world and way too underprotective in the virtual world and it's causing serious harm. These companies who are destroying our kids, they knew about it from leaks we've seen, Meta, others especially, knew what they were doing. They knew the harm they were causing and they hid it from us just like the tobacco companies did in the 50s and 60s, just like the opioid companies did in the 90s and the early 2000s. It's the same playbook with these guys and they're going to sue and continue to harm our kids. All we're saying is turn off the most addictive features. If we're going to allow that, you don't need the endless scrolling, you don't need the constant notifications that are keeping our kids up all night and the algorithms to me are the worst part of all of this. Parents should have much more control over what their kids do and see on these platforms. We've got to get back to just a rational common sense approach. [00:38:13] Speaker 13: So this is an area, Spencer and I have some disagreements. I agree with the last piece he said parents should have more. I favor more parent-centric approach, family-centric approach than the government-centric approach because there's different parenting styles. So focus on that rather than the government saying how you should parent your kid. [00:38:29] Speaker 1: Governor Cox, how big of a role, I mean, obviously parents play a huge role, but how do you see that balance? [00:38:34] Speaker 12: Yeah, no, no. Look, parenting is critical to all of this and we have a collective action problem. And again, there are lots of things that we don't let kids do. We don't let them smoke. We don't let them drink until a certain age. And what we know is that social media is having the same impacts, maybe worse, as some of those addictive drugs. So yeah, turn off all the addictive features and then let parents be able to parent. We're talking about something that is much more insidious than this and if parents want to enable all those features and make that happen, but that's not... [00:39:08] Speaker 13: There's one big difference. There's no benefit to cigarettes and alcohol. There absolutely are benefits, no matter how you weigh them, for social media participation. It's not that it's without its risk, but it also has its benefits to be able to reach out to communities across the country and across the world. [00:39:24] Speaker 1: When we come back, more from our Common Ground conversations. Is there still room for dignity in politics? Welcome back. As part of our Common Ground conversations at this week's National Governors Association summer meeting, I had the opportunity to sit down with NGA Chair Kevin Stitt, the Republican Governor of Oklahoma, and incoming NGA Chair Wes Moore, the Democratic Governor of Maryland. They were joined by Tim Shriver, CEO of Unite. Shriver has pioneered what he calls the Dignity Index in eight-point scale to measure politicians' messages from contempt to dignity. All three engaged in a meaningful conversation about the role of dignity in politics today and whether it can be a winning message for presidential candidates in 2028. How do you, as a governor, balance that, fighting for the issues that you care about while also making sure that you are instilling dignity, working towards that, and not pulling punches? How do you walk that line in this moment? [00:40:43] Speaker 4: You know, I think it's important to remember that people want fighters, and I know just like, you know, I'm a soldier by background, but I think people want us to fight for them and not necessarily always have to fight other people. Like, people want to know that the people who we represent, that we will always be able to support and advocate for them and make sure they're getting everything they need, but that doesn't always mean that you have to be in an argumentative posture with everyone else because I think at the end of the day, people just want you to be able to get things done. And, you know, I think about it where, you know, this is so unique because as governors, this idea of dignity and politics in Washington, D.C. almost feels like a choice. Do you want dignity or do you want politics? [00:41:32] Speaker 1: Governor Stitt, how do you see dignity in our politics in this moment? How do you walk that line? [00:41:40] Speaker 5: Well, if I've learned anything as governor, and when I came here, got involved with the National Governor Association, what I can tell Americans is that we agree on more than we disagree. Some people in this room hate me because I have an R by my name. Some people hate him because he has a D by his name. And I know Westmore. I know his wife, Dawn, and his family, and he loves Maryland, and he's an American trying to do what's best for Maryland. And back to this federalism idea, I think that's why we all agree that this is an important conversation to have as Americans, that Maryland is different than Oklahoma, and we're all trying to move our country forward. And I think that's something that people are craving to see. [00:42:20] Speaker 1: Dr. Shriver, we do have to talk about your family. Sergeant Shriver, your father, helped to create the Peace Corps, which is still thriving to this day. How do you see service fitting into this broader call that you have for restoring dignity in our politics? Is there still the same hunger and space for it? [00:42:41] Speaker 14: Well, I think there is hunger, but our political leaders need to step up. And that's what I think Governor Moore is saying. It can't just be words. Those 18-year-olds, a lot of them are deeply discouraged about the country. They're deeply saddened about their own futures. They're deeply anxious about the institutions that surround them, the schools, the law enforcement, the political institutions. We are raising a generation of children who we have made discouraged, which is shocking. We have created the America that makes our young people discouraged about America. And that's correctable. That's, we can change that culture. And the men and women in this room have the power to change that culture. And these men are taking it seriously, in my view. And whether we agree or not is not the issue. Whether we commit to each other with the trust and confidence that we can build a better country when we treat each other with dignity, that's at stake. [00:43:43] Speaker 1: But Governor Stitt, let me put this to you and get you to weigh in. Is it politically viable? Is it a strategy that can win? Is dignity a strategy that can win? Do you think, for example, a Republican candidate running for president in 2028 could win using the dignity index? [00:44:05] Speaker 5: I would think so. The problem with our political system today is you're supposed [00:44:08] Speaker 4: to say yes. [00:44:10] Speaker 5: Sorry. I think the pendulum is swinging. Of course, you get to the general election, it wins. But the problem is you've got to get through the primaries. And so sometimes, you know, the left, the danger to Moore is he's going to get outflanked on his left. The danger to Stitt is he gets outflanked on his right. But I do think it wins in the end. And I think that the pendulum is swinging back to a statesman, a Ronald Reagan, someone who believes in limited government, lower taxes. I'll continue. I don't think we sacrifice our principles of federalism and the things that we've talked about today. But as you can see, Governor Moore and I like each other and we're buddies and we can banter back and forth between what we think is the right thing to do. And what's amazing to me is we agree on 90% of the stuff because what are we really trying to do? We're trying to improve education, infrastructure, access to health care. We're trying to grow our economies. We're trying to create the right workforce. These are all things that we can solve. When you're in your corners, most people think that all Republicans hate immigrants, right? Most people think all Democrats want open borders. And that's simply not true. When you get behind, when you get with us, we literally, there's just maybe some small differences. But as a general rule, we are really trying to move our states forward. At least that's what I've experienced. Now, I've never been in Congress. So we can poo-poo on them all we want. But governors, [00:45:36] Speaker 4: yeah, where it's at. I think that the vast majority of these people in this country, they do not define themselves as a Democrat or Republican first. The vast majority of people don't live like that. They're just trying to make sure their family's okay. They just try to make sure that they have a chance to pass something off to their children besides debt. They just want to make sure that if they happen to get sick, that doesn't have to be a catastrophic incident for three generations to come. You know, the vast majority of people do not look at the world that way. They just want to make sure that we're providing fair opportunities and real pathways to work and wages and wealth. And so I just think that the people who want to center their time dividing us and center their time with the hyperbolic, hyperpolitical mantras of the day, they will very quickly find themselves on an island by themselves because the people who just want to focus on getting things done for the people of our individual jurisdictions, I think you might lose the political scientists and the political hacks, but you know who you'll never lose? The people. And that's how you win elections. [00:46:50] Speaker 1: And we want to say a huge thank you to all of the governors we spoke with for these Common Ground panels. And you can watch all four Common Ground conversations at meetthepress.com. That is all for today. Thank you so much for watching. We'll be back next week because if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press. It's Meet the Press. [00:47:09] Speaker 12: We'll be back next week. THE END OF THE YEAR.