worse. so i think oklahoma is really just a drop in the bucket to be honest with you. and, again, we need to focus on the addicts. >> nikki sixx, i appreciate you sharing your story and your opinions with us. thank you very much. >> thank you. irvelg of course, you can read more about nikki in his book "the heroin diaries." that it's for me. "hardball" with chris matthews is next. trump the avenger. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. donald trump wants the entire russia and impeachment drive burnt by its own flames. he wants the world to know the entire probe, which began just months after his inauguration was a criminal plot, started and carried out by his enemies on an innocent man. well, the biggest target of the turning of the tables is former fbi director james comey. and today president trump and his allies found their

opportunity to attack comey following the release of a justice department inspector general's report on his handling of memos, detailing his interactions with trump in the first weeks of his presidency. the justice department says it will not prosecute comey, but inspector general michael horowitz criticized comey for violating fbi policy by releasing the memos to his personal attorneys and giving one to a friend who then leaked to it "the new york times." harwood states, quote, former director comey failed to live up to his responsibility by not safeguarding sensitive information obtained during the course of his fbi employment, and by using it to create public pressure for official action. comey set a dangerous example. one of those memos concerned a conversation between comey and trump when he said the president told him to end a probe into former national security adviser michael flynn. and since firing comey in 2017, a move that ultimately set in motion the special counsel investigation, president trump has repeatedly tried to argue that comey broke the law in

releasing that information. >> in the meantime, no collusion, no obstruction. he's a leaker. >> comey is a leaker and he is a liar. and not only on this stuff. he's been leaking for years. he gave it to a friend to leak classified information. it's all classified. it was totally classified. >> comey, who by the way lied and leaked and also leaked classified information. nothing happened there. >> you see comey lied to congress. nothing happens. you see him leaking. nothing happens. and this is leaking classified information. well, comey is a liar and a leak. >> and that's obvious. >> well, the ig report stated definitively that we found no evidence that comey or his attorneys released any of the classified information contained in any of the memos to members of the media. well, today comey responded to the report writing on twitter, i don't need a public apology from

those who defamed me, but a quick message with a sorry we lied about you would be nice. and to all those who have spent two years talking about the going to jail, me going to jail or being a liar and a leaker, ask yourselves why you still trust people who gave you bad info for so long, including the president. president trump ran a victory lap of his own writing today. perhaps never in the history of our country has someone been more thoroughly disgraced and excoriated than james comey in the just released inspector general's report. he should be ashame of himself. that's trump talking. for more i'm joined by joyce vance, former u.s. attorney, joy ainsley, glenn kirschner, former federal prosecutor and eugene robinson, of course columnist for "the washington post." julia, is there anything in this thing? because i get the sense. i was a speech writer to a president. we were told don't even take copies of the speech you wrote home with you. okay. we generally honored that. is this kind of thing? is it that level of seriousness that he took memos from his own

conversation home? >> that's part of it. the inspector general horowitz definitely slaps comey on the wrist for taking things home that he shouldn't have. but he also says he sets a bat precedent for fbi employees who now think they can leak information in order to set in progress some kind of official action. but for people who iowa been talking to, justice department employees and former justice department employees today, they say horowitz completely misses the context here. and it's like if he were to charge him and he referred it to the justice department who declined to charge him, but it's like punishing someone for speeding on their way to put out a fire. that's the way a lot of people see it here. and the idea that what the information that he gave was confidential, which is the lowest form of classification, no one's been charged for leaking confidential information in the modern era, the idea that if you were to punish someone for that, that would be like charging them for going 58 in a 55 on the way to put out that fire. >> i guess one question, glenn, what is the head of the fbi

supposed to do when he witnesses firsthand the president of the united states committing obstruction of justice by telling him to end the case against his buddy? >> chris, he is supposed to follow fbi procedure, rules and protocol. when i looked at the ig report, i already knew everyone was going to declare victory, even though everyone really lost, including the american people. the biggest loser, president trump. why? because he lied to the american people over and over again. you just played it in your opening. he is saying comey is a leaker of classified information. wrong, lie. he is a liar. no, he didn't lie to anybody. he is a criminal. no, he's not a criminal. how do we know he's not a criminal? bill barr ain't charging him with a crime. do you think bill barr would have charged whim a crime if he committed a crime? maybe even if he didn't? >> why do you think bill barr is standing there as the president's man on so many other occasions, his lawyer, basically, didn't move here? >> because even bill barr i guess has some kernel of decency

and law-abidingness in him such that he is not going to charge an innocent person, somebody who didn't commit a crime. comey didn't commit a crime. but here's what he did do. he went with his gut. and he violated fbi rules, procedures and protocol. and we can all say yeah, but the ends justify the means. it was a really righteous thing he was trying to do. but if that's how we governed ourselves as government officials, we all get to violate procedures and protocols if we think the cause is really righteous, that's a recipe for governmental chaos. so i think everybody loses here. >> joyce, with this president is going to do, of course, he already doing today. arguing moral equality. used to see that with the soviet union like we're all people on the hard left would say oh, we're just as bad as they are, blah, blah, blah. he is trying to say now what this guy is did is worse than i did therefore what this guy did is criminal. the whole enterprise, the whole russian impeachment effort, everything that comey set in the works here is criminal itself. in fact, that proves that i'm an

innocent man all the way, from the beginning to now. joyce? >> you know, this is a real mess, chris. it's a real mess. and what the american people deserve here is clarity. they're not going to get that as long as trump is committed to playing some sort of a game of presidential one-upmanship. >> who's right? >> glenn just nails it. >> but joyce, who is right? is it equally bad or what? >> well, it's clear that trump does a lot worse here. trump, after all, is in the oval office sharing classified information with the russian ambassador. he's at mar-a-lago talking about military action in front of guests, and the list of horribles trump takes the prize. but comey does violate doj policy. that is highly problematic. at the same time, i'm sympathetic to the context. this was the president of the united states. the one person that no one can say is at fault, the one person that no one can fire. and comey cease him trying to

curry favor with law enforcement, trying to end an investigation into someone who's engaged in wrongdoing. he is in a tough position. history can judge him. i'm not going to. >> the presidesenator lindsey g toadie called a stunning rebuke of the former director of the fbi. this is the first of what i expect. this is senator lindsey graham talking. this is the first of what i expect will be several more ugly and damning rebukes of senior doj and fbi officials regarding their actions and biases toward the trump campaign of 2016. and house oversight committee ranking member, ohio republican congressman jim jordan, a tea partier wrote "now we know why comey didn't want to prosecute clinton. he didn't see a problem handling sensitive information after clearing her. he did it too. comey, like clinton thinks he's above the law." >> the lindsey graham quote,

it's like something out of orwell. it's like precrime. with know what the crimes are going to be, right? >> oh really? >> you're going to see this and you're going to see that. comey is a difficult figure because a lot of people have problems with the way he handled the hillary clinton investigation, the july 2016 long statement. you know, the laundry list of awful things she did, but we're not going to prosecute the october surprise, and you know, so he's been going with his gut for a while. and he got a slap on the wrist for it. it was probably an appropriate slap on the wrist. i mean, i would have slapped him on the wrist for other things before this. and i do understand it is like he was speeding to put out a fire. you have the president of the united states committing obstruction of justice, basically. and so what are you going to do? you're going to do something. >> i just have to say too, as a

journalist, i rely on people to give me information that is not top secret or secret, but is confidential, law enforcement sensitive. so what does this do for people going forward? does it create a chilling effect for them? >> exactly. and we're all shocked that somebody in the fbi leaked information? like once in history? >> you know how we knew hitler was coming in because people in the british government leaked stuff to churchill so he could put out about the military buildup by the germans. sometimes there is a justifiable cause here. meanwhile, the justice department is reportedly still weighing potential charges against a former fbi deputy director andrew mccabe, the man who authorized the investigation into trump's ties with russia. "the new york times" reported monday, this monday that federal prosecutors are in the final stages of deciding whether to seek an indictment against mccabe on charges of lying to federal agents. according to the doj, mccabe violated department policy for authorizing a leak to the journal about the clinton administration and lacked candor in discussion it afterwards.

hmm, lacking can do inin ining crime these days? that looked like the work of trump. he is currently suing the justice department and the fbi. he accuses president trump of hatching an unconstitutional plan to purge employees he saw as disloyal to his administration. glenn, i mean, let's keep it simple here. there are two sides here. there is trump and those who have watched him and caught him in the act. and sometimes those who caught him in the act broke the rules. >> sometimes maybe the ends do justify the means. it's just if we are a government where we allow that to be our governing principles, we're in deep trouble. but on the mccabe front real quickly, levee that you were laughing when people are accusing him of lacking can door. wouldn't bit the ultimate prosecutorial irony if bill barr was prosecuting somebody for lacking candor? mr. no obstruction, no collusion? i do think it looks like mccabe may have committed some offenses of lying during the course of an official investigation, and that's going to be a difficult

call. i've always said as prosecutors, we're never more vital than when we are declining to bring charge. >> let's put it all together tonight and bring together this question of how this latest evidence and one looks to be a purge of these. there is going to be a number of these attacks on people who brought about the decline of the president here, sort of like the carter expedition. bringing up king tut. they're all going to pay for this. let me go to joyce on this, because it's a political question. but it seems to be the question of our time. right now you've got about 135 democrats, a clear majority in the house of representatives who are talking impeachment. they want a formal resolution. they want something done. my question is this effort by trump, this counterattack on comey, apparently one coming on mccabe, is this going to put out that fire for the president? is he going to look like he gets through this? mainly for his own luck. i think luck is getting through this and the clock. but this, is this going to make it harder for the demonstrates to put together a resolution of 218 votes to begin a resolution of impeachment?

>> as a political matter, it should only fuel the fire towards impeachment because this is the point the country's at. the president is just completely disobeying the law. he has taken an oath to uphold the law. he has taken an oath to use due care in executing the law. and now here he is saying i'm going to engage in political retaliation against people who investigated not just me but investigated russian interference into our elections. if the president can be that lawless, if he can exact a political price from people in law enforcement who are trying to do their jobs, congress needs to be taking a hard look at that conduct. it should rush them towards the impeachment conclusion instead of backing them off from it. >> as long tie walks past, the tie gets longer with his crimes. how do you see it all coming together? if you're writing the history book of 2019 going into 2020, how do they come together? democrats potential investigation, potential impeachment action and the president counterattack?

>> in terms of ground for impeachment, i think we're way past the point of guilding the lilly, right? if there is not enough on the record now, it's not a question of having enough on the record to start at the very least an impeachment inquiry, a formal impeachment inquiry, if not hearings and the whole nine yards. it's that have become a political question whether or not the house does it. so as morehouse members come forward and you know, then maybe something will happen. but the person we ought to have sitting at this table to answer the questions, nancy pelosi. i mean, you have to get there. >> the country hasn't moved yet. >> read the mueller report and there are plenty. >> the monmouth poll, the last thought, it may be discouraging to progressives and me, is it a good idea to begin impeachment inquiry? just to begin one? is it a good idea? 41% of the country. is it a bad idea? and i guess that word good and

bad implies politics, morality, everything mixed in. 51% haven't made the case yet. >> you know politicians. they're going to look at the numbers. >> because a third of the country doesn't like trump, and the rest of the country is watching "dancing with the stars." and i'm not knocking them. but not everybody is interested. they're not. their attention has not been brought into this. >> think about how long this has gone on too. people are burned out. >> i'm not knocking anybody. everybody has to be a political obsessive person like us. but it would be nice if they were. thank you, joyce vance, thank you julia ainsley, as always, glenn kirschner. you guys a s ars are great. you've been following this and pushing this to the edge of truth. gene robinson, cleanup hitter, big ball, four bagger. coming up, james mattis reportedly found president trump to have -- this is amazing stuff -- limited cognitive ability. this is what you talk about in a dementia case. limited cognitive ability.

and dubious character. that's in a new report that describes mattis' reasons for resigning of secretary of defense and his grave concern about some of this president, well, this president. and we finally have the debate by the way. most of us have wanted. on one stage, ladies and gentlemen, biden in the middle, bernie and warren on either side. senator amy klobuchar is coming on tonight. she is going to be on that stage too. she joins us live about the importance of this third big debate when it's only ten of them, only one night. but get this. a three-hour debate. get your pizza ready. but first, the latest update from the national hurricane center. right now there is the map, hurricane dorian is north of the virgin islands in puerto rico. it's a category 1 right now. but is it expected to reach category 4, which is really dangerous when it reaches landfall? and there it is, right around winter park, florida. right in the middle there, which is now expected happen on monday.

earlier president trump announced he is rescheduling a trip so he can stay in the united states. he is sending vp pence over to do the work. that's what vice presidents do. don't they? they go to funerals and go where the president doesn't want to go. back after this. 'm off to collee and i'm not gonna be around... i'm worried about my parents' retirement. oh, don't worry. voya helps them to and through retirement... ...dealing with today's expenses... ...like college... ...while helping plan, invest and protect for the future. so they'll be okay... without me? um... and when we knock out this wall imagine the closet space? yes! oh hey, son. yeah, i think they'll be fine. voya. helping you to and through retirement. thand find inspiration who win new places.ct... leading them to discover: we're woven together by the moments we share. everything you need, all in one place. expedia.

so why not bundle them with esurance and save up to 10%? which you can spend on things you really want to buy, like... well, i don't know what you'd wanna buy because i'm just a guy on your tv. esurance. it's surprisingly painless.

hey! i live on my own now! i've got xfinity, because i like to live life in the fast lane. unlike my parents. you rambling about xfinity again? you're so cute when you get excited... anyways... i've got their app right here, i can troubleshoot. i can schedule a time for them to call me back, it's great! you have our number programmed in? ya i don't even know your phone anymore... excuse me?! what? i don't know your phone number. aw well. he doesn't know our phone number! you have our fax number, obviously... today's xfinity service. simple. easy. awesome. i'll pass.

welcome back to "hardball." retired four star general and former secretary of defense james mattis is breaking his silence and sharing some of his thoughts on the trump administration. in an interview with the atlantic, he says he had no choice but to leave the administration because he just couldn't connect the dots anymore. privately, according to friends and aides who spoke to the atlantic, it went much deeper than that. they say mattis found the president to be of limited cognitive ability and of generally dubious character. we're going to put those two thoughts together. lacking in cognitive ability and a character problem.

wow. mattis' public criticism comes on the heels of a particularly frenetic two-week period with president trump, who referred to himself as the chosen one and canceled a trip to denmark because they refused, that country refused to sell him greenland, an island that was not for sale. the former defense secretary joins a number of former administration officials calling the adults in the room who as private citizens have been critical of the president's governing skills. take a look. >> i think part of it was obviously we are starkly different in our styles. we did not have a common value system. when the president would say well, here's what i want to do and here's how i want to do it, and i'd have to say to him, well, mr. president, i understand what you want to do, but you can't do it that way. it violates the law. it violates treaty, you know. he got really frustrated. >> when the process breaks down,

then you're sort of in my mind living in chaos. i don't want to live in a chaotic organization. >> well, general manager resigned in protest after president trump announced the complete withdrawal of u.s. troops in syria, a move he would later rescind. according to an interview, mattis objected saying you're going to have to get the next secretary of defense to lose to isis. i'm not going do it. joined by charlie sykes, distinguished fellow at demos, and heidi przybyla, nbc news correspondent. i want to start with heidi on this. and my question is it does seem the adults leave, and they leave behind circumspect but recognizable problems. they do say things like, well, cognitive ability is what you talk about in a person being studied for dementia. it's a serious problem.

do you recognize reality? what day is it, sir. that kind of things. >> okay. but those things are the kind of things being said off the record. they are not coming out to the american people and hitting them over the head. we have not seen that the question now, even with mattis, and even with in his book, the furthest he goes is really not that far. he just suggests that he could no longer take it. he doesn't speak in detail about it. so the question is whether all of these officials who were supposed to be adults who are now gone like mcmaster, like tillerson, john kelly, are going to hold hands together and come out and give us more specifics of what they witnessed specifically about his cognitive abilities or specifically about really scary situations that they may have witnessed the president in his judgment. >> heather, it seems like what's helping trump here, perhaps unfairly is the old boy system. you to show some respect for the previous action. your transactional relationship, your relationship, once you've

served in high office, you can't go out the door and act like you're some sort of saboteur. >> that's exactly right. if you think about the obama administration, eight years, hundreds of people who came in and out, and there has not been some salacious tell-all. >> maybe there wasn't a salacious reality. >> exactly. but that's important. you need that kind of loyalty. the problem is donald trump has broken all of the norms. we don't need to recite them all here, and yet you still got this code of gentlemen. general mathis, his book is not actually about his time in the white house. his book is about leadership. >> some of the other people, women, it's not all boys here. >> that's right. >> even though she was pushed out. >> right. >> but the problem is this is a country over code question. all of these norms are supposed to protect the public. the question is are they going to sit by and not raise their hands before the critical vote next november. >> thank you. >> and that's really the question. >> same question for both you have. former secretary mattis, who was pushed by the reporter from the

atlantic for his personal thoughts, which by the way is what we do is push people, as heather was suggesting we ought to do refused to answer. listen to this. he told reporter jeffrey goldberg, you don't endanger the country by attacking the elected commander in chief. i may not like the commander in chief one fricking bit, but our system puts the commander in chief there. and to further weaken him when we're up against real threats, we could be at war in the korean peninsula, every time they start launching something. however, there is a period i owe my silence. it is not eternal. it is not going to be forever. >> get in on this. genteel behavior, honest -- i worked for presidents and politicians. i represented they did something a little bit embarrassing, i wouldn't tell anybody. they committed a crime, i might have to. there is a hoylt question about somebody who makes you secretary of defense. >> and james mattis is not anthony scaramucci or omarosa. he has this code of honor, duty,

country. the previous guests were absolutely right, though. at some point he has to make the choice whether or not his loyalty to the commander in chief and that military code overrides his loyalty and obligation to the country to say these things. if in fact he believes that the president of the united states lacks the judgment, lacks the intelligence, lacks the integrity to make sound decisions and to perform his duties, then at some point he has an obligation to share that with the country. >> yeah. >> and jeffrey goldberg is pressing him on that and makes it very clear that he was frustrated that he couldn't get an answer. he is pressing him, if you do not believe that donald trump is not fit to be president, you need to share that before november 20 twe20. >> brutus was the great man. he was the one who brought down caesar who had become a tyrant. yet who looked good? he didn't look so good.

if there is a duty to warn us of cognitive problems, character problems which maybe we as citizens can't see it, hasn't that been raised, the curtain on that in the last two weeks by the baffling cartoon behavior of this president? >> it does seem to be escalating. >> with nobody around him to be adult care providers. >> it does seem to be escalating. and yet that job is being put on people like you and i, who are making the same oceans that any american who is watching this play out can make. we're not in the inner circle. you know when this is happening publicly, there is so much more to the story that's also happening behind the scenes. and i think at some point, instead of a single brutus, what has to happen here, there has to be a daisy chain. there has to be a decision to hold hands and do this together. because -- >> well, they're there. >> this administration and trump has also shown that he is capable of destroying any one person. you've people who have come out. and now comey is viewed as a

sacrificial lamb by a lot of republicans. >> heather, he will now say something that will probably bother people but i think it's true. we have a president -- and i'm not a trump hater. personally, i'm not a trump hater. it doesn't work with me, that hating thing. but i see a president running the country, the greatest country in history maybe with crayons. i want greenland, in crayons. it's like a kid with -- 8-year-old with crayons. i want to make more money down in doral. i like this guy boris boris who just suspended the parliament, the mother of all pmts. it's magna carter is at stake here and he says i like this guy's style. this is an 8-year-old. >> it's an 8-year-old. >> if mussolini was around today, he would say i love that guy's chin, the way it sticks out. >> that's right. and he is casting his cabinet and staff from television. that is the best way to think of it. the worst way to think of it, which is what i do, is i think about the actual 8-year-olds that he is putting through hell

with his policies at the border, with his domestic policies around health care and immigration. they're real kids. and then there is an 8-year-old sort of in the white house absolutely saying i want everything when i want it. when there are actual families and children that are being hurt by his policies. >> this guy is a idi amin. when they found him, he had toys in his room. he was spending his time playing with toys. anyway, i love my history. even when it's weird like that. charlie sykes, you're always great, heather mcghee, you're great. rl i like telling people they're great. they are. it's a debate we're waiting for two weeks from tonight. all on one stage, those three, center ring. ewill they fight? we'll see. they're going head to head. and i think the moderator is george stephanopoulos will try to get them to fight with one another. this really could be a game changer. we're back right after this. you wouldn't accept an incomplete job

from any one else. why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase relieves your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. most pills only block one. flonase. now, there's skyrizi. i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. 3 out of 4 people achieved... ...90% clearer skin at 4 months... ...after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections... ...and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection... ...or symptoms such as fevers,... ...sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs...

...or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. i feel free to bare my skin. visit skyrizi.com. our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure. with nine grams of protein and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. ensure, for strength and energy.

and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. thinyou can earn more whenwab: you invest your cash. you can get a satisfaction guarantee. ♪ you can also wonder why our competitors don't offer that. schwab, a modern approach to wealth management.

welcome back to "hardball." two weeks from tonight, democratic presidential hopefuls will be back on the debate stage. only this night, they're all together. just one night, ten of them. and now an official for the first time, former vice president joe biden will be facing both of his main challenger, both contenders. senator elizabeth warren looking to our right at him and bernie sanders is on the other side. there is a look at how the candidates will appear on stage. the other participants are

senator kamala harris, mayor pete buttigieg, andrew yang, cory booker, he made it, beto o'rourke, senator amy klobuchar who is coming on here live and julian castro. the former vice president can expect some punches in the debate, but today had good things to say about his opponents. >> here is the deal. all of -- i've got some really good candidates i'm running with. we're running against each other. but look, any one of them is more qualified to be president of the united states than the guy we have there. >> well, biden continues to be the front-runner, of course. in the two polls released yesterday show him significantly ahe ahead. almost 2-1 his nearest rival. senator warren has been speaking to the growing crowds. nobody gets those crowds like she does. biden certainly doesn't. last weekend she saw her largest crowd yet, 15,000 people out in seattle. warren's crowds have also caught the attention of trump.

and that's next. what he's bothered by is big crowds, and he can't deny them, because we can see them. you're watching "hardball." they customized my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. then i won the lottery, got hair plugs, and started working out. and so can you! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ it's been a long time since andrew dusted off his dancing shoes. luckily denture breath will be the least of his worries. because he uses polident 4 in 1 cleaning system to kill 99.99% of odor causing bacteria. polident. clean. fresh. and confident.

roxana: our students don't have part-time needs. so they absolutely cannot have part-time solutions. angelia: one of changes that we need is smaller class sizes. rosanne: we need a lot more school nurses, a lot more school counselors. rodney: counselors provide that social, emotional core that's needed. marisa: schools need to be safe places for our children to learn. ever: every student has the right to quality education. no matter what neighborhood you live in. angelia: we are cta. rosanne: we are cta. marisa: we are cta. narrator: because we know quality public schools make a better california for all of us.

welcome back to "hardball." president trump enjoys talking about his crowd sizes, hand size and all that stuff going back to his inauguration when he claimed those crowds were larger than president obama's were. today president trump was asked about senator warren's growing crowds. department like this question. here he goes. >> are you getting worried about elizabeth warren's crowds? >> so that's another thing. i have crowds that are many times where her crowds are. nobody ever talks about them. nobody wants to talk about them. with her the other day, they say she had 15. if you really count them up, it looks about 8 or 9. the biggest story was her crowds. that's like a small crowd for me and nobody even talks might be crowds. >> well, the president is also complaining about polls which show him losing to all the

leading democratic candidates. >> i see these phony polls. we have very strong polls. but i see the phony polls. that's another form of fake news. it's called suppression. they suppress the feelings. >> that's what i want to talk about. we're joined by joel payne, rick tower, republican strategist. rick, they suppress feelings. i am fascinated by that. polls suppress the feelings. >> well, my feelings were suppressed. were yours? >> i want to know what he means. >> i don't know what he means. >> you got to tell me. you're here. >> i have no idea what he means. it's incoherent. things come out of his mouth like so much -- >> okay. i have a theory. but i'm not going to venture into it until you do it, joel. what does he mean by suppresses feelings? >> 0 for 2. i don't know. >> the bradley effect out in california. white people said they're going to vote for the black candidate and lie. they get in the booth that. >> don't. i think it's another kind of

thing. the opposite. people who like trump really don't like the establishment and will put up with any of his crap and will vote for him. we're not going to tell some squeaky perfect voice pollster how are you going to vote? they won't tell him. they don't tell people. >> i think that's a good theory. but he is preis up posupposing they're going out and doing that on purpose. >> no. i think proper english and the people who are a little less establishment in their language figure this is the enemy talking to me. >> there is a zagby poll that showed him 51% that he touted on his twitter feed three days ago. >> john zogby? >> that's what he is. he is an 8-year-old. if he doesn't like the way other people think he is playing, he has a temper tantrum. >> let's talk about the crowds. he thinks barnum & bailey crowds ra the key to politics. why?

i think so if he goes into exile, he loses this next election, whether he loses it 60-40 or by a point, see going into exile. he is still going to have rallies. he'll probably have a tv network. he is staying out there. he'll be a government in exile and he will rally on all the racial crap he does and the border stuff he does. he ain't going away. >> his rally are an affirmation that he is popular. >> with his crowd. >> it's visceral. >> he doesn't seem to want a majority. he wants to have his people like him. that's enough for him. >> right. because it satisfies what he needs when they see someone else have crowds. they say well, that can't possibly be true. that would mean that person is popular. and after all, i'm the most popular. why would they be popular? >> but we can see the crowds, senator warren is drawing big crowds. >> she is. and the crowds are important, but i think what is important, that tells me about organization. she's got people on the ground that can turn those folks out. that's what i pay attention to as a veteran of two presidential

campaigns is the fact that they can get 15,000 people in the dead of summer in august. it reminds me of howard dean's sleepless summer about a decade ago. you've got the enthusiasm of the warren crowd versus the pragmatism of the biden crowd. that's a core debate we're having within the democratic electorate right now. >> let's talk about the democrats. i love talking about democrats. i get the feeling that waesh is very strategic. she is not just a policy maefn. she is a strategic politician. as long as she says nice things about bernie, the bernie people are acceptable to going over to her as a likely winner. bernie has a little bit of problems. where she seems like she could be the future of the country. so she just has to say nice things. i agree with medicare for all. everything he says i like. so those people feel very comfortable come february 3rd in iowa and say i think i'll shift to the younger candidate. >> it's also bigger than that. i think that's exactly right. but if you look at the debate so far and the feedback, they don't

like the fighting. they didn't seem to like what harris -- >> she is smart on two reasons? don't attack? >> don't attack. why should she attack? she is supposed to win them over. >> this coming up in two weeks. >> it's going to be boring. >> cory booker is on the outside and other people at the edges of the stage who will take the shots, if anybody does. >> or bernie. >> you think bernie might do it? >> bernie has been engaging on policy. and i think senator sanders absolutely would be the type of person in this type of a situation that would do the dirty work that elizabeth warren probably doesn't want to do. >> go look at the vice president and stake him out on some of the health care. >> i think he is going to look at everybody. i think this is his way of getting at warren without actually frontally attacking warren. i think he wants to attack that part of the field without having the go at warren by name only. i think you're going to see bernie be pretty aggressive. i think you mentioned booker. some of those other folks on the bottom have beto, castro. >> give me a piece of advice for

biden. what should he do? >> go to school on donald trump four years ago what he did which is tread water, not really engage and just exist. that's what joe biden needs to do. he doesn't need to win these debates. he just needs to not lose. >> thank you. we have a person in the debate coming up. thank you, joel, thank you, rick. you know your democrats. still up, our next guest will take part in that september debate. amy klobuchar. we're going talk about her plans to use this debate to break into the top group. is trump the target or does she need to take on the top polling democrats? a little strategic inquiry coming up. we're going ask their that stuff. here she is laughing. it's not going to be that much fun, senator. coming up next on "hardball."

that's why with dell small business technology advisors. you'll get tailored product solutions, expert tech advice and one-on-one partnership. call an advisor today at 877-buy-dell. ♪

ohone day you'll tell yourse grandkids about it. and they'll say, "grandpa just tell us about humpty dumpty". and you'll say, "he broke his pelvis or whatever, now back to my creamy heinz mayonnaise". heinz mayonnaise, unforgettably creamy. you get more than yourfree shipping.ir, you get everything you need for your home at a great price, the way it works best for you, i'll take that. wait honey, no. when you want it. you get a delivery experience you can always count on. you get your perfect find at a price to match, on your own schedule. you get fast and free shipping on the things that make your home feel like you. that's what you get when you've got wayfair. so shop now!

you should be mad at tech that makes things worse. but you're not, because you have e*trade whose tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. don't get mad, get e*trade.

i have won in the reddest of congressional districts, and i think it is pretty important, iowa, to have a candidate from the midwest, from the heartland right now. i do. and someone that just doesn't have a bunch of policies written down on a piece of paper, but has a track record of looking out for rural america. part of what you guys got to do, and no one does this better than iowa is vet the candidates. you have decided and helped the country decide who are the best candidates to move forward. and i'm asking you to do that again. >> welcome back to "hardball" that was of course democratic presidential candidate amy klobuchar, pitching her american background to voters at the iowa

state fair. well, yesterday the des moines register newspaper editorial board wrote klobuchar has the smarts and quick wit needed to challenge trump. as the minnesota star tribune pointed out, klobuchar's path is dotted with iowa road maps. she is polling in sixth place in iowa with an average of 3.5% of the vote, according to real clear politics, which gives you the average. but she is polling lower nationally, averaging about 1% and behind 10 other candidates. klobuchar hit an important milestone, however, by qualifying for the presidential debate in two weeks be. the associated press reports some of her biggest fans at home in minnesota wish that there was something more she could do to grab the spotlight, increase her name recognition, and convince voters she can win. i'm joined by herself, mrn senator presidential candidate amy klobuchar. i'm a student of politics, senator, and i've seen your strengths. i saw you in the texas tribune. a big event down there last year. a huge crowd around you. hundreds of people trying to get

close enough to hear you. you have that attraction. why is your number low? it's a huge field. i think you know that, chris. it is still august. and being on the debate stage, the fact that i made it and got ahead of i think it's 18 candidates of merit, and i'm on there. and i never thought i was going to suddenly jump up to the front of this field, especially given the fact that my message is different than a lot of the other candidates, and it's going to give me a chance here now as people are more focused on this to make it clear. i announced in the middle of the blizzard with 4 inches of snow on my head to make the point that river, that it's time to cross the river of our divides to get to a higher place in our politics. and with each week that goes by and donald trump tries to divide us more and instead of focusing on the issues right in front of us with the trade war and the things we need to be doing to help americans afford their

prescription drugs, he's off going after the entire country of denmark. he's off dividing people again and using immigrants as pawns on the border. this is what he does. i think that my message out there is going to be how to move forward. not just how i campaign. that's important. but it's how i'm going to govern. the american people want a president that is not running for chair of the democratic national committee, a president running for them. and that is what i'm going to keep focusing on. >> thank you. >> and it's why i'm ahead here. >> look, you're singing a song i believe in. i like to hear it. i want to ask you this. it seems like people i know who are progressives, democrats regularly hate trump. they hate him. and they seem to be driven towards candidates that show their lived hatred of trump. they seem to be the ones doing best. the progressives who really can't stand the guy, who really have a gut dislike of the guy.

i wonder if the trouble the democrats may face between now and next november is matching hate to hate doesn't work. i don't know. your thoughts about that, the gut part of this election, the gut part. >> okay, number one, i have been taking it to donald trump more than my fellow candidate. during that first debate i think i mentioned him more than anyone and conjured up that image of him in his bathrobe conducting foreign policy by tweet. and what i think you need to do is an an optimistic economic agenda for this country. as mad as everyone is, we have to bring in independent people who had voted for barack obama that then turned and voted for donald trump, and they want to hear something different. they want to hear two things, and they're watching these debates. >> yeah. >> number one, what are you going to do to help them get out of where they are. and number two, what is the issue with donald trump. and you've got to make that case that i am going to be a different kind of president that you don't have to turn the sound down so your kids don't hear you at a rally. i'm going to be someone they

want to listen to and respect. >> let's ask you about that. it's going to be a three-hour debate. my god, there is going to be a lot of time. people are going to have a lot of pizza. >> wear comfortable shoes, comfortable shoes. >> 8:00 to 11:00, eastern time. so here is the question. they're all judged, a lot of these debates by this highlight reel at a football game. the highlight reel. how do you into a highlight reel? what do you do to have a fireworks display? do you have a person eaven do something like that? >> do you think i'm going reveal that strategy right now? >> no, but i'm going to try. >> okay. because you have such limited time, as much as i suggest people watch the tape from that iowa editorial board, the des moines register where i was on for an hour, and i got that opportunity to go into depth on issues, which i think is really important in a president. but given the one minute you have or the 30 seconds, you've got to communicate in a way that's going to grab people on

the issues that matter to you. and you've got to make that contrast with donald trump and make clear that you know what? he has been promising he is going to do something about gun safety. he has done nothing. he literally promised me to my face sitting across from me at a table, show that kind of experience that i've had in passing bills, but they've actually made a different for people. they're not just notches on your belt. they're actually things you have gotten done. make the case that i've got bold policies that are going to move us ahead, and that will bring people with me. i think the thing that bother mesa lot of people got some great plans, and we'll debate them. but it can't just be about this. it also has to be about how you can bring people along with you to not just win, but win big. so that the moment i'm in there, i can hit the ground running and get these things done. >> yes or no question. are you a better legislator than senator warren? >> if you look at the numbers, i have passed more bills and i have been able to get things

done. i think it's over 100 bills where i have been the lead democrat that i passed bills and i was ranked by vanderbilt that way, yes, as the most effective democrat last year. >> good answer without being antagonistic. a good answer without being antagonistic. >> there you go. thank you. >> senator amy klobuchar candidate for president. she'll be in the next debate. up next, why an action in britain has me worried about our own democracy here in the united states. i'm worried about what boris johnson is teaching trump. you're watching "hardball." 3 out of 4 people achieved... ...90% clearer skin at 4 months... ...after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections... ...and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection... ...or symptoms such as fevers,... ...sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs... ...or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. i feel free to bare my skin. visit skyrizi.com.

i'm a faster laptopd could help. plus, tech support to stay worry free. worry free. boom! ha.ha. boom! now get 10 reams of paper only $34.99. $34.99 at office depot officemax or officedepot.com.

doprevagen is the number oneild mempharmacist-recommendeding? memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. should always be working harder. that's why, your cash automatically goes into a money market fund when you open a new account. and fidelity's rate is higher than e-trade's, td ameritrade's, even 10 times more than schwab's. plus only fidelity has zero account fees and zero minimums for retail brokerage and retirement accounts. just another reminder of the value you'll only find at fidelity. open an account today. you'll only find at fidelity. how you watch it does too. tv just keeps getting better.

this is xfinity x1. featuring the emmy award-winning voice remote. streaming services without changing passwords and input. live sports - with real-time stats and scores. access to the most 4k content. and your movies and shows to go. the best tv experience is the best tv value. xfinity x1. simple. easy. awesome. xfinity. the future of awesome.

the news that boris johnson, britain's prime minister has suspended parliament hit home with me. it struck me as an american who has been worried about a state of our representative democracy. while our systems are different, both the uk and the usa operate under rules. some written down, others based on precedent. you know them when someone breaks them. for example, fdr, riding high after his first reelection tried to pack the supreme court, getting his way past the nine men on the supreme court by adding more justices on top of them. the president saw this as the president breaking the rules. prime minister johnson hasn't been able to get his brexit plan through the parliament so, he is getting his way by calling parliament out of session. in his case, his action strikes me as a more fundamental assault on the british constitution, which holds parliament supreme. it worries me that an american president, our president saluted this action. after all, it's a majority of the house of commons that in effect establishes british government. it's the parliament that sends

somebody to the monarchy to serve as prime minister. it's the parliament that writes the law. for the executive, to shut down parliament itself strikes at something very basic in britain, an assault on that first great charter for legitimate representative government, the magna carta. and that's "hardball" for now. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. tonight on "all in" -- >> the storm looks like it could be a very, very big one indeed. >> with a hurricane heading towards florida and forest fires raging, and icecaps melting, tonight donald trump's new environmental rollback that even the big oil companies say is insane. >> i've actually been called an environmentalist, if you can believe that. then, why james comey is calling out the president after being cleared of criminal wrongdoing. new reporting that prosecutors are building a case against jeffrey epstein's inner circle. and as brexit protests keep growing, just what is going on