rules" wherever you get yor pod ca ca cast. right now katie tur. >> stephanie, thank you so much. good afternoon. i'm katie tur. 11:00 a.m. out west and 2:00 p.m. in washington. the evidence into impeachment is mounting and damaging. the watchdog for america's spies is behind closed doors with the intel committee. the intelligence communities inspector general michael atkinson raised the alarm to congress about the whistle blower's complaint earlier this month. late last night. house democrats released a trove of evidence showing how top u.s. diplomats and the president's personal attorney saw to leverage military aid and the promise of a white house meeting to get ukraine to investigate donald trump's political rivals. more specifically, to investigate meddling in 2016 and

the biden family. politico calls them the "smoking text." in a text dates july 25th, the same day can with the president's call with ukraine. special envoy kurt volcker writes heard in white house. assuming president zeke convinces trump hi will investigate get --. we will nail down date to visit washington. president trump's reply to purchase javelin p missiles, i would like you to do us a favor though. >> gordon sondlund,. i think p.o.t.u.s. really wants the deliverable. september 1st. top u.s. diplomat to ukraine.

are we now saying that security assistance and white house meeting are conditioned on investigations? sondlund responds, call me. on september 9th. taylor again raises concerns. he writes to sondlund, as i said on the phone i think it is crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign. more than four hours later and remarkably different tone than previous text, sondlund replies bill i believe you were incorrect about president trump's intentions. the president has been clear not. quid pro quos of any time. that on the same day congress launched an investigation into the whistle blower's complaint. two days later. the white house released ukraine aide. and those revealing sets of text messages were released after

volker testified for nine and a half hours yesterday. saying they are on a substituet the full body of materials they hope to make public. of all of that mounting evidence of all of those texts the president seized on just one. >> when this came out. it was quid pro quo. well there was none. also yesterday, the ambassador who i heard was tremendous and a tremendous person, he was a 100% for what we're saying. a 100%. . and if you look, he also said there was no quid pro quo. that's the whole ball game. but now the democrats don't bring that up anymore because they lost. >> remember president trump asked china and ukraine to investigate the bidens yesterday while standing on the white house lawn. also remember today is the deadline for the white house to turn over documents related to ukraine or face subpoenas. so our big question today is how will republican lawmakers respond to these smoking texts?

joining me now --. ashley and jake are both msnbc political contributors. andrea mitchell we were on e-mails last night going through all the texts and the last one says there is no quid pro quo. but when you read everything else and you look at the talk of a deliverable t talk of white house meeting, the talk of aid being withheld for political reasons. what was your takeaway from it? >> my takeaway was that e-mail was a real cia, if you will, e-mail after a lapse of time from a political appointee of campaign contributor who was the ambassador to the european union and ukraine is not even a member of the european union. so why he was involved in it at all remains to be seen. it is a big question. and the real ambassador, bill taylor who is filling in for the

ukraine ambassador of the u.s. ambassador to ukraine who wulia back by the president of the united states and will be testifying next week, marie jovanovic. this is bill taylor. the only career professional in the mix currently and he was poking back and saying it is crazy to talk about exchanging this kind of political, you know, favors for pressure against a leader. i don't have the exact text in front of me. >> withholds aid for political reasons. >> exactly. >> andrea these are very clear text messages. it seems to me. >> absolutely clear. >> when you read them i think the intention is abundantly clear in them. where is mike pompeo in all this? >> right now just arriving in athens. he was before that in montenegro, in macedonia today. and before that several days in italy doing state business

presumably meeting at the vatican with his holiness the pope. and also touring his ancestral home seeing the coliseum, the borzsy museum and not answering questions today. a question was asked to him in mont negative owe about kurt volker's testimony. he being the envoy to ukraine. and he ignored the question. he also had famously misled the press for 10 days about whether or not he was on the call himself deflecting questions and finally acknowledging it during a news conference two days ago in rome. so pompeo is under subpoena to deliver documents by today. so far, as far as we know and this could have just transpired on the hill we don't know anything's within turned over or whether le he will turn anything over but his ambassadors who are very much involved in this and

it was he who's been dealing with the shadow diplomacy of rudy giuliani. and it was mike pompeo as a member of the benghazi inquiry years ago against.. he was demanding the state department had to turn everything over and he was one of the toughest inquiz or >> the president of ukraine wanted that legitimacy of meeting at the white house with the president of the united states. and the texts show they knew that. and they were trying to ge

and. when you look at that and what zelensky said. the first thing he said to the president the other day at the u.n. it is very telling. just watch. >> i want to thank you for invitation to washington. you invited me. but i think, i'm sorry, but i think you forgot to tell me the date. but i think in the nearest future. >> they will tell you the date. >> they know are before us. >> it sounds like he's joking but at the same time when you read the texts actually it seems like he was say, hey, listen. i told you'd give you what you wanted. when am i going to be at the white house? >> exactly. the ukrainians are desperate for this meeting. they are desperate for the legitimacy. they were desperate when he was elected and inaugurated. they wanted the preponderate to come every. trump didn't go. then they wanted the vice president to go over. he ultimately didn't end up

going over and that is part of the whistle blower's complaint but there is a number of specific tangible things the ukraine wanted from the u.s. it is very clear. president zelensky, there is a real truth between what you just played and the president and aids and his team especially trump himself were deeply aware of what the ukrainians wanted. and it looks like they felt the president asked them they could use that to ask for a quote unquote favor in return. >> again the text messages. we'll nail town the date for a visit to washington once they get to the bottom of what happened in 2016. i think p.o.t.u.s. really wants the deliverable. i think it is crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign. all of those messages are there in black and white. and yet we heard republicans leave that committee hearing yesterday with volker saying that there was nothing to see here. here is jim jordan -- mark

meadows and lees eldin. >> i think some of these things are indeed damning. however i want to make sure we get through this entire investigation before coming to some kind of conclusion. >> what we do know is there was definitely no quid pro quo. it came out over and over. it was asked probably 20 different times. >> ambassador volker blew a hole in that argument that president trump, that the argument that president trump was trying to get president zelensky to manufacture dirt on the bidens. ambassador volker blew a massive hole in that argument. after many questions asked as it relates to the allegations of quid pro quo. it is crystal clear, talking about hours upon hours of answering question from every single angle on this possible that there was no quid pro quo as relates to that call from july 25th.

>> will hurd there at the top. jake sherman, their answers seem to fly in the face of what we saw in those text messages. >> republicans are focusing var narrowly on this fact, was there an explicit ask -- was there a specific quid pro quo. did the president or any of his aids say do this and i will or won't do this other action. everything the president or any politician does is a quid pro quo in some circumstance. congressmen, members of the administration always have something to give and they want something else. that is not really what's at issue here even though meadows and zelden want to talk about that. what's at issue here and this is what democrats say. democrats say the president has turned the machinery of the government, you read about this in play book this morning into an operation to topple joe biden and his son and dig up dirt on them.

in a new kind of probe for corruption we hadn't seen for the first two years of the administration that is suddenly starting right now. and the president in a very revealing comment and almost an aside was asked on the white house lawn this morning, did you ever ask any nation for corruption information for, to investigate anyone that is not a political rival of yours? and he said we'll have to look into that. he couldn't immediately name if he had discussions with other countries about people who he wasn't potentially running against for president. now republicans are focusing again, very specifically on this intelligence community inspector general report and trying to blow holes in that and talk about how it was third hand information. the whistle blower didn't hear anything and things of that nature. >> but it was all confirmed in the call released by the white house and there are now these text messages. >> yes. >> so they are trying to completely ignore everything else and just -- >> they are -- >> -- this point? >> they are trying to defend the president by blowing holes in

the ig report. and it is very telling to me at least in the last 24-36 hours, republicans who had been defending the president publicly, and frankly more importantly privately off the record have gone silent for the most part. and i think the honest one wills tell you whether it is impeachable is a matter of opinion. democrats and republicans aren't going to agree. but there are some republicans, you saw mitt romney today say this isn't gad. and whether it is impeachable enough is for the majority of the house and -- >> we can put those up. >> and mitt romney said this is not appropriate and he shouldn't be bringing joe biden into the mix here. the majority of house republicans are going to not line up with the tweets mitt romney issues today and they are going to defend the president. and the kevin mccarthy the house minority leader focus on process. why hasn't nancy pelosi scheduled a vote to start an inningry? that is not necessary but as the

way to try to undermine the process a little bit. >> joining me now. dick durbin. he sits on the judiciary and appropriations committees in the is it senate. always great to have you. today especially. we've now seen a number of text messages from members of the state department working with the rudy giuliani and ukrainian officials to try and get them to investigate 2016 and joe biden. when you read those and considering that you were trying to get this aid released in the first place. what do you take away from it? >> well i think we need to get down to basics, to remind ourselves why we're having this conversation. you don't need to be a justice of the supreme court to understand these words in the law. it is illegal for any person to solicit, accept or to receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a

u.s. election. pretty simple. pretty straightforward. >> and you think that is what the president was doing. >> the president declassified this document. and he said to america take a look. i've taken a look and i've read through it. >> i want you to do us a favor though. is that you inferring that the president is saying -- >> i want you to do me a favor. crowd strike. i want you to do me a favor, biden. it is clear as can be. and those texts that were released after the hearing yesterday confirm that there were back channel efforts being made at some level in ukraine. and i -- they speak for themselves and the republicans are trying to explain them away. this is a critical moment in the history of the american republican party. there will be those who will be able to say i was on mitt romney's side. i saw what this clearly was and i spoke out. and there will be others who will spend all of their time trying to conceal and obfuscate the situation, which to me is getting clearer and clearer. >> do you expect mitt romney to

do more than just send out tweets about how concerned he is? >> no i think frankly that's pretty courageous political act on his part when you consider that there are very few who are joining him in this effort. and i've told him so. saw him in the capitol last week and i said i respect what you are doing here. can't be easy. >> it earlier today marco rubio was at an event in florida and asked about the president asking china and ukraine to look into the bidens yesterday on the white house lawn. and marco rubio said this was just the president trolling the media and the media falls for it every time. >> i would say to marco, words count and the words of the president of the united states count for more than most. this president has third strike yesterday when he said during his campaign russia are you listening? go after hillary's i mails. people said well it is the campaign -- >> -- joking in that moment and he said he was not. he was very serious. >> even if we dismiss that. now we have this. on july 25th of the ukrainian president. and yesterday this brazen appeal

to the chinese why don't you go after the bidens? someone should sit down and read these words to the president. this is a violation of american law. >> -- by saying the president just doesn't think it is a big deal and doesn't know what he's doing and china is not really listening and he's just blather okay the white house lawn. >> goes back to path moynihan, says hur rhetoric and conduct diminish some of the basic standards and values that we live by. and if this president can get away with it and say no i'm the president, i can say these things, i can do these things. we've lost a lot in america. >> is this enough to impeach and remove from office? >> it is interesting. the standard is high treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors. and those would be defined by the house of representatives at this end our their inquiry. and if they decide to move forward they come to the senate where we sit as jury, i suppose. maybe judge and jury in that circumstance. so it isn't just the strict legal standards we find in criminal court, for example, or

in civil proceedings. it really is kind of a hybrid created by our founding fathers. but i will tell you this is the starting point. >> would you vote to remove if it comes to that. >> it is too toerl say that. i wouldn't want any juror to say anything this early before hearing the evidence. >> do you expect mitch mcconnell will bring to it a trial in the senate? >> we'll see. back of my mind is the name merrick garland and the fact that mitch mcconnell given that moment in history decided to defy the traditions of the senate and not allow president obama to fill a vacancy on the supreme court. >> the term deliverable. is that normally a term used in foreign policy? >> no. i'm not dploemt but i'll tell you that is rare.iplomat but i' you that is rare. i had the amendment to release the funds in the appropriations committee. because we were desperate. we waited till two months before the end of the year and the president and fiscal administration still hadn't

released some 300 million to defend ukraine against vladimir putin. i was ready to offer this the night before they released it. they were using this as a barri bargaining chip for sure. there is no other reasonable explanation. >> senator durbin. always good to see you. >> good to be here. >> stilled the right now it is biden who's next? coming up the president and his conspiracy theories. plus the deadline was today. if the white house does not comply, are subpoenas on the way? but first remember when people said elizabeth warren wouldn't be able to hang around because she couldn't raise enough money? we'll tell you how she stacks up with some of the other front runners up next. free shipping. 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 delive experience you can always count on. you get your p 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! at humana, we believe your healthcare should evolve with you. and part of that evolution means choosing the right medicare plan for you. humana can help. with original medicare, you're covered for hospital stays and doctor office visits, but you'll have to pay a deductible for each. a medicare supplement plan can cover your deductibles and co-insurance, but you may pay higher premiums and still not get prescription drug coverage. but with an all-in-one humana medicare advantage plan, you could get all that coverage plus part d prescription drug benefits. you get all this coverage for as low as a $0 monthly plan premium in many areas. and humana has a large network of doctors and hospitals, so call or go online today. find out if your doctor is part of the humana network and get your free decision

guide. discover how an all-in-one humana medicare advantage plan could save you money. there is no obligation, so call or go online right now. announcer: time magazine reports: "the new american addiction. how juul hooked kids and ignited a public health crisis." other news outlets report- juul took $12.8 billion from big tobacco. markets e-cigarettes with kid friendly flavors and uses nicotine to addict them. 5 million kids use e-cigarettes. juul is "following big tobacco's playbook." and now, juul is pushing prop c to

overturn e-cigarette protections. vote no on juul. no on big tobacco. no on prop c.

elizabeth warren is making it rain. her campaign revealed it netted 24.6 million dollars in third quarter fundraising, just behind bernie sanders but ahead of pete buttegieg and joe biden. biden raised 15.2 million in comparison in the same time period. joining me, ali netalli. a few months ago things were not supposed to be good for warren. >> and now she's basically quadrupled her numbers from quarter one. and now she's raised over 24 million collars and has over $25

million dollars cash on hand. the biggest thing is polling is a piece of it but it is not everything when it comes to dollars raised. so clearly elizabeth warren rising in the polls helped her raise the money but if polling were the only piece of the equation joe biden would be right up there with her and bernie sanders. we know those are the three people who have been regularly at the top of the national and statewide polls. obviously that is not what the fundraising bore out. but also how differently warren and sanders are raising money than someone like joe biden. warren has --. her campaign says that is part of why she's doing so well. they have average donation size of 26 bucks. they see the grassroots fundraising approach has worked. i'm not here to say one way or another whethers the good or bad strategy. each campaign makes their own choice but this quarter it paid off for warren. >> the rnc is dwarfing those

numbers. 125 million dollars in the third quarter alone. and they are going to put that money to good use. especially on social media. how are the democrats responding? >> i know they said the dollars are the polls right now but as we were just talking about that. if that were true, joe biden would be atop the fundraising field right now. and if that were threw we also wouldn't see polls out of ohio that show trump losing to various democrats. i think it was always the thinking republicans would have a ton of money to play with. but now they are also coming in with ab impeachment inquiry. we know they are using some of that money to get on the air waives and put their messaging out there. the thing for democrats i think is going to be figuring how they contend with all the money from the rnc. the ads from the rnc and talking about impeachment often the campaign trail but also

countering that substantive policies of their own. when i'm out talking to voters they a do want to hear about impeachment and how democrats will hold president trump accountable but statement they want more than that. they want the substance of okay f i do vote for a democrat what aim going to get from each of these people who want that job. >> you are in los angeles. bay cities -- go there for lunch as well. send me a picture. pretty jealous. thank you very much. and today it is biden. who will the president target with his conspiracy theories next. ? next great friends. you just saved a bunch of money by switching your boat insurance to geico. it was easy. folks, can it get any better than this? is that what i think it is? that is an armada of tiny sushi boats. awesome! i forgot to pack lunch. you had one job... chopsticks wasabi and soy!

comin' in a little hot. it only gets better when you switch and save with geico. iin so many ways.er which cage free eggs taste fresher and more delicious? only eggland's best. which organic eggs have more vitamins and less saturated fat? only eggland's best. better taste, better nutrition, better eggs. that's where i feel normal. having an annuity tells me my retirement is protected.

learn more at retire your risk dot org. if you have moderate or psoriatic arthritis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop.

some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you.

a lot of people are saying donald trump has an affinity for the fabulous. conspiracy theories conveniently helpful to him. he's been pedaling the distortion since 1992 when he told new york magazine the danger of asbestos was one of the great cons. in his book the art of the comeback he brought it up again. i believe that the movement against asbestos was led by the mob because it was often mob related companies doing the removal. great pressure was put on

politicians and as usual the politicians relented in. 2005 he brought asbestos up again in front of congress. >> in new york city we have a lot of sbisis build. and there is a whole debate. lot of people have said if the world trade center had asbestos it wouldn't have burnt down and melted. >> a lie that would discredit the 44th president and help make him the 45th. >> i have people that have been studying and it they cannot believe what they are finding. >> you have people searching. >> absolutely. >> in hawaii. >> absolutely and they cannot believe what they are finding. >> at the end of the campaign when it looked like he would lose he claimed the election was rigged in a global conspiracy perpetrated by the women who accused him of inappropriate sexual advance, the media.

big banks, immigration officials and elections officers across the country. >> it is a global power structure. that is responsible for the economic decisions that have robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth and put that money into the pocketes of a handful of large corporations and political entities. >> since he's been in office he's found solace in the fallacy that he only lost the popular vote because of voter fraud, that the obama administration wiretapped trump tower that. a deep state kabul was trying to destroy his administration from within. he's found comfort retweeting to counseling a q anon. working with president trump to arrest a cult of pedophiles which has infiltrated america's elite institutions. think hillary clinton and pizza gate. unbelievable. what do all these theories have

in common? they all help him. and if we look at 2016 as precedent we ask who and potentially what is next. joining me. will sommer and tim o'brien. -- surrounds two things that are a claw on his side. one of them is joe biden. 2020 campaign and the other one is this idea that the 2016 campaign, there was a conspiracy to take him down that the dnc server is actually in ukraine not in washington. >> i think, you know, this is also the one conspiracy that snapped back at him. i think it is really important to differentiate the kind of looney conspiracies he fomited when he was a real estate developer. i think often were just self serving, short-term goals that he was trying to achieve.

it is invoking this idea that you can't trust authorities. you can't trust institutions. he's the only one who is the final arbiter of the truth and you should be worried about everything educationlse you see him. and he engaged in that 2016 campaign. and calling robert mueller's investigation a witch hunt and did now with ukraine. invoking this notion that the bidens were engaged in a conspiracy to defraud the ukrainian government. and that the servers actually hacked the 2016 election weren't in russia. they were in ukraine. all of this gets down to the fact that he's trying to undermine and kneecap a political opponent. and he's trying to cleanse this notion that he colluded with russia to win the 2016 election. but he's in this really classic tradition from father cog lin in the 1930s, joe mccarthy in the

50s. coglin used radio. tru mccarthy tv. trumpesed social media to play with paranoia in order to get allegiance. >> we covered the mueller investigation every day. the report came out detailing exactly what russia did to meddle in the election and now the trump campaign and supporters are all talk about how ukraine meddled. got a point i called somebody in the ukraine administration and said am i missing something here and the person said no this is exactly what the president and his team wants you to do. they are gas lighting you. that is the entire point. >> that is exactly right. so much of this, especially when it is coming from the white house from the trump administration or fox news is about muddidying the waters so least trump voters, the hard

core, as well as independent voters will just find it too confusing and they will say on one hand all the intelligence agencies might say russia hakd the dnc but on the other i believe in this conspiracy theory alleging that it was ukraine in league with hillary clinton. the narrative grow and get embraced by the president and promote bldty administration so it speaks to a specific segment of the electorate. >> we ask who and what is next? it is informed by what happened in 2016. at the end talking about gloek corruption and rigged election he believed would happen once he lost. suddenly that was gone once he one. and also ted cruz and somehow his father was involved in the murder of jfk. is it crazy to believe once joe biden is not in the race any longer. not saying he won't be but if he's no longer a threat or

warren or sanders or buttegieg. would ke see conspiracy theories about that. >> i think at the trop of a hat. i think you will also see him do it against any of the figures in the impeachment inquiry. the trick this time is how does he deal with people like inspector generals from various agencies who are going to come forth and say they believe in the rule of law and are part of his administration. >> the deep state. >> some are people he appointed. he can say that but these are people that he advocated for. it is going to be a much harder, harder line for him to walk when it is people who are trying to enforce the law and are from his own party. that is not to say it won't still succeed muddying the waters. it won't still appeal to his supporters but -- >> should we be watching the darker corners of the internet for what we might see coming out of to president's mouth next? >> absolutely. so often we've seen these ideas that sort of boil up on forchan

or reddit. eventually make it to fox news or the president's desk. he's come up with policy ideas. obviously this entire ukraine thing appears to be based on these crazy internet ideas that got to him. and in terms of coming up with more ways to smear his political opponents really the deep state is reliable for trump's allies in the media. they go after them and say well this guy worked at the justice department and that probably means he's been infected by comey or something like. that robert mueller is a republican and didn't stop them from smearing him. idn't stop th from smearing him. maria ramirez? hi. maria ramirez! mom! maria!

maria ramirez... mcdonald's is committing 150 million dollars 123 12 in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs... prof: maria ramirez mom and dad: maria ramirez!!! to help more employees achieve their dreams.

. today is the deadline to turn over any and all dpoumts realty odd the ukrainian investigation. if not three house members said they will send subpoenas. nbc news has learned lawyers plan to argue that until there is a formal vote by the house to

begin impeachment proceedings, congress does not have a right to the information. joining me now nbc news --. kelly you got a hand to the face today when trying to get the president to answer what other foreign leaders he's asked to investigate. 2016 or the bidens. i'm sorry about that. that's never nice when somebody puts a hand in your face. especially not the president of the united states. but focusing on the subpoenas approximate what does the white house plan on doing. >> and i of course was peppering him with questions so the gesture is -- >> that doesn't make it okay. >> yes. but it comes with the territory. part of what we're accustomed to here and we certainly want the president to take our questions and we'd like him to answer them as fully as possible. so i was sort of peppering him trying to get more focused on some of the new issues and not some of the things we've heard him say before just as background for that.

certainly the white house thinks that by compelling democrats to put the impeachment matter to a full house vote to move it to that next level where they would have additional powers, it also serves the purpose of committing nancy pelosi as speaker and her team to taking this path to the next level and in particular would commit those democrats who are from what are known as trump districts where he prevailed in 2016 but they won their seats either for the first time or reelection in 2018. where they might be more vulnerable on the question of impeachment to get them on the record. and so for the white house, impeachment in any shape and form is problematic. it is not a pleasant thing nor any president even if they might find some potentially upside politically to argue. it is still one of those asterisk in history moments no president wants. trying to compel the house to

take this full action is about controlling the process and about trying to force democrats to sort of not go in the order of things that they want to go. this is the kind of thing we've seen consistently from the trump administration to try to put as many dilatory hurdles in front of these oversight investigations or requests as possible. whether it is rejecting subpoenas or being slow to respond or not responding at all. so this is tactical at this point and it is one of the things in looking at what options they may have, one they seem to be wanting to pursue, the president saying it will be up to the lawyers. but we know that ultimately he tends to make these decisions. but he did not seem to land on a final decision for this yet, katy. >> how long can the white house or republicans or mike pompeo delay? >> i they fairly protracted period of time. the question is what they get out of a delay. this is a lose/lose situation

for the white house. every time there is a release of information whether it is the whistle blower complaint or the call memo or the state department tax traffic from last night, the factual landscape gets worse for the president. and the reason is that the underlying facts are awful. so the more visibility you have into them, the worse the situation gets. and all of that creates a significant incentive to withhold information. the trouble is that if you withhold information t house has now made clear that it will consider that itself obstructive and will -- reserves the right to, you know, impeach on the basis of the obstruction of the investigation. so the white house really has a problem here which is, you know, by delaying, they may delay the release of damaging information. but they also may heighten the

confrontation that is itself a problem for the white house. >> thank you very much. and a story about the group of people you don't know in a place you've probably never been before but it is important for you to see. china's secret internment camps. some are calling them concentration camps. right after the break. m concentration camps. righaft ter the break. if you li, why fingerstick when you can scan? with the freestyle libre 14 day system just scan the sensor with your reader, iphone or android and manage your diabetes. with the freestyle libre 14 day system, a continuous iphone or android and maglucose monitor,es. you can check your glucose levels any time, without fingersticks. ask your doctor to write a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. 123 12 ngersticks. learn more at freestylelibre.us

hi, i'm joan lunden. when my mother began forgetting things, we didn't know where to turn for more information. that's why i recommend a free service called a place for mom. we have local senior living advisors who can answer your questions about dementia or memory care and, if necessary, help you find the right place for your mom or dad. we all want what's best for our parents, so call today.

wwithout it, i cannot write myl tremors wouldname.xtreme. i was diagnosed with parkinson's. i had to retire from law enforcement. it was devastating. one of my medications is three thousand dollars per month. prescription drugs do not work if you cannot afford them. for sixty years, aarp has been fighting for people like larry. and we won't stop. join us in fighting for what's right.

welcome back. we're taking a break from american politics to share something extraordinary happening in china. the government is accused of brainwashing and separating families part of a muslim ethnic minority. the uygurs. we traveled thousand os miles to a region rarely seen by cameras where a million uygurs are being held in what's described as modern day concentration camps. >> 3-year-old new his mother only 10 days. his parents fearing oppression fled their home in china to give birth to him in turkey. he calls out mom when his dad shows pictures. holding bacterias his father says he's all his son has left. >> just told me his mom went back to get her other four boys and was arrested. >> they say nerp never given a reason why. like their mom the brothers also missing. they are uygurs.

subjected to religious persecution and sent to what it deems, political indoctrination camps. >> i call them concentration camps. tay want to wipe out everything belong to uygur culture. >> reporter: the chinese say allegations like these are all lies. in certainly of the truth we've flown to a remote region of the world. xinjiang, more than twice the size of texas where horrific stories have been emerging from a vast network of secret facilities. the chinese call them education invocation centers. here dozens of adults sit studying. many sleeping in dormitories. the chinese say these centers have helped stabilize the region. they insist we visit this exhibit documenting decades of violent terrorist attacks, allegedly planned and carried out by members of the muslim

minority. our measures are effective he says. increasing investments in the region. but at what cost? prayers are only allowed at state sanctioned mosques and routine for minor infringements. why are you here? for attending an illegal preaching, he tells me. at another center, it sounds like mind control. the director in a rare on-camera description say they prevent terrorist thoughts from developing. we focus on changing their minds, he says. this woman in a class teaching her to care for infants is already a mother. she was accused of religious extremism just when her husband had died. her daughter, only 4. tell me that it isn't brutal to take a mother away from her 4-year-old daughter when her father has just died?

tell me that is not a brutal thing to do. >> translator: she can go home once every week. >> reporter: her father died. and her mother was taken away and could only see her once a week. and you say that's fine? as a parent, every one of us misses our parent, he says. >> reporter: but you have a choice to be away from your children. >> reporter: later she could pass her thoughts onto her children. this disturbing video, which the state department believes to be authentic has recently emerged. detainees shackled, blindfolded. we visited a center in kashgar where we will get a sanitized picture. the strategic policy institute told nbc news these show another part of the camp from where we were standing, one that is far more punishing with fenced exercise pens and barbed wire.

>> we could go across the road to where there are bars on the windows? >> that is a normal school. that has nothing to do with us. >> senior international correspondent keir simmons. it was extremely difficult to watch, especially in the beginning when you talk to that father and son. and at the end, when you're confronting the chinese official and asking him why they think it's okay to separate a mother from her daughter. >> yeah. >> what is our administration's policy? i know we're in a trade war with china. >> right. >> but is this being addressed, being considered? >> it's a good question. actually, this really is central to american politics. what's happening in china because of the crucial commercial relationship between china and america. there were two bills. one the senate marco rubio leading that one and one in the house. so the president could see a bill on this uygher issue in the

next weeks and months. >> what do the bills look like? >> the bills are to bring sanctions against china for its policy, to put pressure on china over its uygher policy. in the end, judge a country by the way it treats its own citizens. it is now the second most powerful economic country in the world, a growing military, growing influence. so the right questions need to be asked. now, look, china says that many uyghers are separatists, they want to split china and they have to do something about that. but this is a punishing way to address. >> and you didn't see the worst of it? >> right. you can't necessarily see the worst of it. one of the issues is if you, as a uygher, communicate with people outside the country, friends and family, you can be put in one of those camps. so there is a limit to how much people know. there are all of these stories. they don't really know what the truth is. the chinese communist party say

they are trying to help educate people and keep the country together. but as you have seen, another side to the story. . >> also telling. don't look over that. there is a school. we can't bring you across the street. >> right. >> keir simmons, thank you for that. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> one more thing about the president's press conferences with foreign leaders, next. ence with foreign leaders, next excuse me, where is gate 87? you should be mad at non-seasoned travelers. and they took my toothpaste away. and you should be mad at people who take unnecessary risks. how dare you, he's my emotional support snake. but you're not mad, because you have e*trade, whose tech helps you understand the risk and reward potential on an options trade it's a paste. it's not liquid or a gel. and even explore what-if scenarios. where's gate 87? don't get mad. get e*trade and start trading today. are you paying too much and getting too little with your current medicare plan? as a person with medicare, you have an important choice to make. you can purchase a separate drug plan for an additional cost, or

you can choose a humana medicare advantage prescription drug plan. an affordable, all-in-one plan, that includes your health benefits and drug coverage in one. in fact, last year, humana medicare advantage prescription drug plan members saved an estimated $7400, on average, on their prescription costs. with these humana plans, you get prescription drug coverage. you're covered when you go to the doctor, a specialist or the hospital. you get coverage for emergencies, even when you're travelling. and you're covered for many preventive services like mammograms, pap tests and prostate exams. most plans even include dental and vision coverage. you get all this coverage for as low as a zero dollar monthly plan premium in many areas. licensed humana sales agents are standing by, so please call now. to find out if you may be able to save on prescription drugs, to see if a zero dollar premium plan is available in your area, and to find out if your doctor is in our large network - call a

licensed humana sales agent. get the medicare coverage that helps support your evolving lifestyle. get the humana medicare advantage plan that's right for you. pick up the phone and call a licensed humana sales agent today. or, visit our website to see if you may be able to save. as a struggling actor, i need all the breaks that i can get. at liberty butchemel... cut. liberty mu... line? cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. cut. liberty m... am i allowed to riff? what if i come out of the water? liberty biberty... cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

hey. ♪hey. you must be steven's phone. now you can take control of your home wifi and get a notification the instant someone new joins your network... only with xfinity xfi. download the xfi app today. one more thing before we go as the president went off wednesday about the

whistle-blower complaint and impeachment inquiry. did you notice a trend? did you notice who was feet away as he launched attack after attack, not just the oval office but the east president. the finnish president became a spectator as to what our president turned into a sport. railing against his political opponents and press with a world leader right by his side. >> it's the worst witch-hunt in political history. because you're a faker. you in particular. you're a fake news group of people. you don't want to report that. >> what they said was something that is -- it's hard to believe they could make statements like that. . >> i have to get that piece off. >> the strongest i've ever been is exactly today. >> some say there is concern. is that inaccurate. >> there are not advisers. it's fake news. >> fake news. >> no collusion, which i knew anyway. >> there was no collusion with russia. if you can believe this one.

she probably can't believe it. i'm here so i'm not out there watching because i can't be. maybe we'll go watch together. we'll watch together. >> oh, gee, let's not make him a supreme court judge because of that. this is a con game being played by the democrats. >> do you have this in romania too? i don't know. >> should i take one of the killer networks who treat me so badly as fake news. >> you can do that other than probably prime minister abe because he's so pure. >> thank you very much. >> stupid question. anybody else? >> you have here a great democracy. keep it going on. >> are we wrong to detect a little warning there, quote, a great democracy there. keep it going. that will wrap things up for me this hour.

>> you know it says something when the finland president is saying you have a great democracy, keep it up, so americans don't blow it. >> i found it to be a very telling moment at the end of that press conference. a warning to us all. thank you to curb your enthusiasm sound track for helping pick that whole thing up. >> katy tur, always a pleasure thank you very much. >> we appreciate it. >> it is friday, october 4th. i'm only interested in corruption. i only care about politics. as he faces more questions about the house impeachment inquiry centered around his july phone call with the ukraine president. the president told reporters that it is his obligation to investigate corruption even if that means requesting the help of a foreign country. >> what i ask for and what i will always ask for is anything having to do with respect to corruption in our country. if you're a foreign country, help us with respect to