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witnesses. along with the ruling on his gag order violations. plus what elon musk wants that he can't get in the u.s.. what that could mean for national security. then inside the plan for a second trump presidency. the morning about the strategy as the 11th hour gets underway on this monday night. good evening. great to be back with you. we are 190 days away. the testimony begins tomorrow morning. when the trial resumes, we expect to hear more from michael cohen and his former banker. when trump gets the day off he

is headed to michigan and wisconsin for campaign events before returning to new york city. president biden is also hitting the campaign trail after he rose to trump at the correspondence dinner. he is set to hold an event in delaware. according to 3 people familiar, president biden is starting to feel more confident that he will be trialed. at this point, we know exactly what to expect. he is going to rant about how everyone is out to get him. he is going to say the world will and if he is not reelected and say that he alone is the only one who can pick all of the problems. he will use the playbook to flood the zone with wild accusations and talk as much as possible and most likely say almost nothing about policy.

as the new york times points out, this trial might be the first time donald trump is forced to face consequences for the words he uses. he has spent five decades spewing thousands of words. sometimes contradicting himself. sometimes in the same breath with little concern for the consequences of what he said. speaking of consequences, there is another hearing on violations of the gag order which is set for thursday. we are still waiting for the ruling on the first gag order hearing. there is a lot to cover. the political investigations reporter for the guardian and legal analyst, kristi greenberg. she is a former prosecutor and criminal division deputy chief. since you have been the man

waiting in line every morning and inside the trial, what are you looking for? >> that second gag order hearing. we were discussing why the judge might have been holding off issuing the order of finding trumping contempt. i have to wonder, this is the same thought, is the judge waiting for the weight of all of the infractions or the clear violations to stack up before he hands-down the heavy penalty to show them there was no other choice other than to find trumping contempt. >> we expect to hear more tomorrow from michael cohen's x banker. how was the prosecution time to tell the story. >> i think it will be important for the banker to walk through

that yes, as the defense said, just making a hush money payment is not illegal. look at the ways that show you they knew something was wrong. they used a shell company and opened a separate bank account. michael cohen opened up a line of credit or got a mortgage essentially because he didn't have the money. he was stiffing -- for the other payments. the banker is gonna walk through that when he was opening the account, the bank didn't deal with payments to adult film stars for example. those would be a red flag. this transaction, setting up the account and using a shell company to make a payment to stormy daniels, this is something that set off a red flag. the bank flagged it. >> your colleagues at the post point out that more than

anything else, the trial has taken away his control over daily life and his comforts. this is a guy who is never even work for anyone else or been on anyone's schedule. how much does that affect them? >> he hates it. this is a person who when he was the president, in his first days he was able to blow to the norms of how a president normally operates. they usually have an early schedule and start a daily brief reading. donald trump said i don't feel like doing that. i feel like staying in a robe for a few hours and calling my friends and finding out how i am doing politically what to think about what i said he basically put off big responsibilities to work on the

political -- of vamping a popularity the idea of him being in a room where he cannot speak or he is not supposed to. he has spoken a few times and got scolded. the idea of these not only constrained but not able to speak up and getting flattered when he does. it is sucking the energy out of him. he is in a horrible mood it's hard for him to do events afterward for talk strategy because he is so livid. spent entering the trump administration when anyone would say unprecedented i would charge them two dollars.

i know what you're doing. the gag order ruling. we have another hearing coming up but we are waiting for the first ruling. >> it is very clear from the first hearing that he is in contempt. we know that. he is not only posting untrue social, he is posting on his campaign site. he is flouting the order outside the courtroom and targeting witnesses and jurors. it is latent. we are up to 13 violations. it was clear that the judge said you're not giving me anything to work with that there's any ambiguity, he knows what he is doing. once you have the fact that it's willful, it is clear he should be held in contempt. what to do about it? $1000 per violation, that is a

slap on the rest. >> he will blow his nose with it. >> the reason it's taking so long, judge knows if he does that it is a copout. even the other option, coming up with a third option that is not jail is a copout. he needs to go to jail. plain and simple. it is to flagrant. targeting too many people in too many ways. jurors multiple times before they were seated and after. the judge has a hard job but this is a very simple question. it is clear that he violated in clear that it was willful. you have to treat him the same as anyone of them else -- any other defendant. anyone else would've been hauled into jail the next day. enough is enough. he has to be sentenced.

>> can we talk about the heart of the case? the paper trail. on one hand it might be the most complex part for the jury to make sense of, unlike a witness on the stand. unlike a witness, trump can't go after them. he can't tease them or torment them. how key is this is part of the prosecution strategy paper? >> the remarkable part is how much is on paper. if you think about how the d.a. office got to the 34 counts in the first place, it was based on each ledger entry each check. some of the papers that was in evidence, trump's own handwriting or his aides handwriting. that is very difficult in terms of credibility. it is there before you. even if it's complicated of a concept, 34 separate receipts,

it was difficult. these are random payments for other things not to do with the hush money. >> i want to go back to the last thing. he is in such a foul mood, he is in no position to pick up the phone and dial for dollars or go to campaign events. this wednesday, when he has a day off, he is going back on the trail. he is going to michigan and wisconsin. is it because he was taking so much heat or because his advisors were reminding him, you are running for president. >> forgive me. i promise not to say unprecedented. it is a 24. he is going to reconnect with the people that are going to bow down to him and say you are kind of the messiah, we love

you and can't believe it is happening. that is the feedback loop that he feeds off of. it is important to him. just as every night at mar-a- lago as he goes out onto the dining room patio, people clap as he enters the dining room patio. it is important to him to get that affirmation. his advisors reminding him that biden is doing really well. not saying he is doing better in the polls but he is doing well with a bunch of strafing of the media environment. that is something he has to counteract. he also has a financial deficit in terms of ability to get on the airwaves. getting in front of human beings and getting free media meaning us covering him is also important.

>> just weeks before the election, lindsey graham went on fox to show his support. he looked in the camera and said law and order is on the ballot. and want to share what he said. >> if he is convicted he will still support him and vote for him? >> absolutely. what is going on with donald trump is weaponization of the law. he is being prosecuted in manhattan, one of the deepest loose cities in the country. >> let me be clear, he is being prosecuted in manhattan because it is where the alleged crimes he committed took place. it wasn't selected randomly by any operatives. the gop can't possibly be running online order as their message. >> what you say is very true.

he is being tried in a manhattan court. for all these republicans that say is vindictive prosecution, all you have to do is look where the documents are getting charged. it was a conscious decision to move back there. it was that specific district. they thought the fairest thing. there is selective randomly of choosing or even vindictive way. the other thing we saw was he has been let off the hook. so many times and all of his cases.

>> it was the case back to the trial court. that is just another example of being treated completely differently. >> that is ever in the history of the country ever. >> nbc obtained a letter showing hunter biden's lawyers plan to sue fox eminently. it accuses the network of conspiracy and defamation and at the same time, iwan was forced to retract a fake story that they were pushing about michael cohen. how much did that settlement, how much is that a game changer in terms of what people are allowed and what they will go after them for saying? it >> it is a huge game changer. that was a huge settlement.

we have other lawsuits pending. that is 2.8 billion may be. it is a large number. they are clearly adjusting. it is interesting. what organization holds a six part mock trial of a private citizen. they claim it is for entertainment value if there are parts that are true imparts they are distorting. that is ludicrous. then you have that based on an fbi confidential source. they have now been charged for making false statements.

allegedly is not. hold this trial and inform viewers that the person has been charged with a crime. they seem like reasonable remedies to deal with what is clearly harm to the reputation. >> quit lying or pay up. before we go to break, on update on our tracker. following how the media company is doing. his stock closed at $46. the reason might be the recent statements and filing targeting people that are short selling the stock. for anyone that thinks he's in his financial trouble, he can't sell it yet but he has millions and millions of shares and they are now worth in the billions.

we will keep watching the stock and make sure you know what is going on. >> things were better under trump than they were today under biden economically. why the new deal with the chinese government is a huge deal that everyone should follow. the 11th hour is just getting underway. getting underway.

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boaters are saying things were better under donald trump than they currently are and it's not close. at the same time a group is trying to get latino voters to go republican because of biden policy. they launched a campaign that said the policies are leading to the demise of the american dream for immigrants. kamala harris kick off a multistate economic tour to promote investments in local communities. here with me to discuss, host of the podcast and former communications director. these numbers are not a surprise.

they are saying how do you feel? people don't feel great because life is expensive and food is expensive and gas is expensive. that impacts people. donald trump is offering a grand total of zero economic policy solutions. president biden is doing is an awful lot to help deal with the impact of inflation. why are things where they are? >> a big part of this is half the country gets their news from a right-wing media machine that kind of exist to tear democrats down and lift republicans up. they do it in an alternate reality where crime is up in the economy is down and democrats don't engage on the border where women are getting post birth abortions were donald trump did nothing wrong. these people don't know the reality of the economy that biden is presiding over. we do have 15 million jobs that

were added in a record high stock market. the longest stretch of unemployment in half a century. the fastest recovery in the g7. it is no surprise that half of the country is sour when they are fed this alternate reality. >> even if you weren't at that news, like physics pensive. inflation is what it is. it is better here than other parts of the world. it is interesting that this political arm is targeting latinos. are they that vulnerable when it comes to being economic voters? are they up for grabs? >> some of them are up for grabs. i do want to take a victory lap. they were actually campaigning against trump although they did -- here they are.

you can kind of tell when they are putting their money where the mouth is. as for the actual fact, some people are living in a dis-info environment. there is another group of people that are annoyed. i said a while back. >> there are people that still live that way. maybe they have gotten a small raise. all of their expenses are cost more. that drives people crazy. that is why incumbents and approval ratings are bad. and coming leaders all over the world. there is a group of people. if you look at economically vulnerable latinos in black letters, republicans will try to peel those folks often democrats will have to make the case. the good information is a lot

of these people when you ask how the state economy is going, maybe there is just a lag and to get around to joe biden and the impressions of the economy are worse. that is the most hopeful side. >> this weekend, donald trump and ron desantis talking about a possible joint fundraising push. what is your reaction to this? >> meatball and mango. they need each other. ron desantis still thinks he's going to run for president in 2028. i find it absurd. he thinks he can win trump back over. they may be bygones will be bygones. i don't know why he is making that calculation. i think he thinks it is his

only help. trump needs money. to your point, personal wealth might be okay. the campaign is not. they are spending a ton of money on lawyers and all of these outside groups. ron desantis didn't do well with small dollar donors were republican voters but he did well with rich republicans. donald trump needs him. >> he did really well early on and then he stumbled over and over. then they gave up. >> let's talk about a different tension. he is reportedly growing tired of kari lake saying he is spending too much time with him and not enough in arizona. can you explain why this is a problem. normally he doesn't care if people are focused on

their day jobs of their lives, as long as they are fanning him. that is not the case here. >> she reflects poorly on him. i wouldn't want her talking about me. she presents herself as poorly as it gets when it comes to these races. she is far too extreme. somehow the whole apparatus of the arizona party has contorted itself into this machine. she is not doing anything to help herself. she has shown with previous comments that she was perfectly willing to go as extreme as possible. this is an electorate where they are not that extreme. he has the whole weight of this abortion been around her neck. previously she had taken ownership of it. she is not reflecting well on donald trump. he sees that. he can see when someone is a loser. she is just trying to type to him.

>> i have to ask you about the dog. the south dakota governor has a book coming out. it is not like this secret leaked out. she is bragging about it. she chose to write a whole piece about how her dog, just over one-year-old, couldn't seem to behave. she couldn't train the dog so she took him to a gravel pit and shot him dead. has she just shot her political career dad? >> i never thought she would get the vp pick. she had baggage and problems. my reaction, they try to feel like they need to be tough and that's what they want. they do this stuff. a lot of times they missed the boat because they are faking it. i think she thought that people might think it shows her as a

strong woman. i think that is what she was thinking. it doesn't take a professional to know that talking about killing dogs is not -- >> what publisher said yes, let's put it in here. before break, we have an update on the demonstrations against the war. protest have continued across college campuses. police detaining pro- palestinian protesters. law enforcement tying this demonstrated by their hands. the university said protesters ignore directives from administration and the majority of protesters are believed to be not affiliated with the school. more than 1000 people have been arrested since the

demonstrations began. at ucla, hundreds of students and faculty walking out of class and support. >> they are now attempting to storm one of the buildings on campus. >> school officials telling demonstrators the administration will agree to divest and they must leave the encampment by today or face suspension. >> we demand divestment. we will not be moved unless by force. >> that deadline has arrived. over that way is the encampment. those are the faculty members. they say they are here to protect students. >> many universities making similar pleas as they continue to grapple over the debate between free-speech.

the president morning if protesters don't leave voluntarily, the university will take action. some students protested outside the president's home. officials allowing students to -- as protesters call for the university to cut ties with israel. >> he is a professor of studies and supports the right to protest but not demand. >> it is not likely to happen or be effective. >> when we return, a story everyone needs to pay attention to. inside that deal, elon musk just -- with the government of china. nt of china. provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients.

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a surprise visit to beijing ended in a major vick tree for elon musk. he reached a major deal to bring its lucrative feature two cars in china. on the heels, tesla sales shorts -- sword. you need to understand because we all want to know, what is in it for china. also the ceo of -- . how big of a deal is it?

>> we have an investigation into the full-service driving or a thomas vehicle component. get it appears china approved the rollout of that software. it is a intriguing in a lot of ways. elon musk is a government contractor here. more specifically a defense contractor and also doing business in china. the said to make concessions to secure the data that he obtains. just as we worry about tiktok getting data here and not transferring back bear. this is all very complex. >> because of spacex, he likely has higher security clearance than most ceos.

we also know what he gets out of the deal. it is huge. what does china get? >> it is hard to tell. i was thinking about this. the late armand hammer was referred to as women's capitalist and have free reign despite the troubles. elon musk seems like a similar character where he has carte blanche to deal with adversaries without much interference. china might get access to data or technology that would be better kept here. it is uncertain as to what they gain. it is up 35% in five days. it seems to be a big benefit. it is uncertain what china gets, and left the table to call data. it wouldn't be about u.s. citizens. or obtain technology.

>> he mentioned tiktok. president biden signed a bill that forces tiktok eventually to sell the company or it will be banned in the u.s. where does the process go? >> there will be legal challenges. there is a whole cohort of younger people that use it. they are opposed to this idea. there is also a question of who could buy it from china. it would be in the tens of billions of dollars. you wouldn't see facebook buying a google buying it. is there a natural buyer? will china go along with it?

it is an open question. >> always good to see you and thank you for joining me. there is no need to imagine what a second term would look like. familiarize yourself. it lays out a blueprint. our next guest, gives an inside look.

turnup the volume. we are talking project 2025. they have written a playbook for a second term term. we will read passages from that playbook c can begin to understand just how dangerous it could be. here's tonight's excerpt. revelations regarding the fbi role in the russia hoax made tech collusion in the suppression of hunter biden's laptop strongly suggest that the fbi is completely out of control. the next administration should conduct an immediate comprehensive review of all major active investigations and activities and terminate any that are unlawful or contrary to the national interest.

this is straight from the playbook for donald trump's second term. by next guest has even more reporting on what trump could do. he is a national reporter for the post. and author of the book finish what we started. it is out now. you covered the story for months and months. i want to start with helping us understand trumps plan and project 2025 plan as it relates to the department of justice. >> he is not reading those chapters. that is the detailed wraparound for what trump is saying which is i am your retribution. and what he is saying privately which is naming individual critics whom he wants the second term justice department

to investigate. >> many of the people spearheading project 2025 are christian nationalists. how much power could they have? >> the largest shift is away from what we think about is reagan orthodox. now a way of thinking, called common good conservative. how can conservatives or republicans use the government to achieve policy. it is a muscular use of executive power in particular and federal power more generally than we are used to seeing from conservatives that have traditionally been about small government. >> steve bannon was the original architect of the movement. we rarely hear his name anymore. maybe because of the legal problems. stealing the money from the people that gave.

where is he now? is the behind-the-scenes is a puppetmaster, even if he is not standing next to trump? >> it is more like 2015 and 2016 where he has the role of evangelize or. he is still extremely influential. there is a lot he can do not being on the campaign. >> a far right knee depressed? who outside the far right anticipates in the program? >> his podcast is the number one post prestigious interview for any republican politician. mcdaniel was doing interviews on that show. >> you said the maga movement has never been more disciplined with strategic . explained that. the average person sees trump

stumbling into court, falling asleep in his chair and they don't think there is discipline at all. >> what the movement has done, he was key in popularizing this. he was in hiding for a while. it was the grassroots that drove this. and bannon channeled it into taking over the party organization. talking about the ladder from the rnc down to the tiniest precincts. and by channeling that into the infrastructure, eight gave the structure and organization it makes it more durable than a cult of personality. the matter what is happening with legal issues or the campaign, the pyramid itself is there and it is bottom to top transformed and unified around elections in ireland allegiance to trump.

>> what do people misunderstand. we watched the likes of bill barr who openly talk about the risk or threat to democracy and then they turn around and go i am going to vote for him. >> bill barr is one of those people reporting trump is singled out as wanting to prosecute that he will still vote for him. one of the key things i learned is how, you talk about the -- over the voting machines are all these things we ink about as being the allegations that spring up or get not down. they are not really what it is about. it is about a feeling or belief of who america is supposed to be for and what was supposed to happen. the key about purifying the party, there are totally right

that the reason he failed was because of the few republicans that wouldn't go along with it and by the purpose of taking over was to root them out and make sure they wouldn't be there. >> that is the goal. so many of these candidates are losing in the elections. he is powerful within the party. he is a loser since 2016. >> it comes down to republicans. it is a game of inches. it can absolutely be decisive. these are the ones that don't identify as maga and don't identify as democrats. they are stranded and struggling on where they are left. and the way republicans and democrats have learned to speak to that and build a new community out of those voters,

it's a huge story to the midterms. it will be a huge part of what happens in november as well. >> congratulations on your book. thank you for joining me. you can return just about anything to amazon but it is safe to say they were not expecting what they received last week. one cats journey, 500 miles from home.

let me see it.

>> she wrapped up her cat. >> the last thing is insane. this box, that was a joke and christmas vacation. earlier this month, it was a reality for a devastated couple. >> reporter: if every cat has nine lives, she relied on everyone. >> she loves to play in boxes. >> reporter: she found herself in the harry situation when she decided to take refuge here. the box her parents were using to return a few items to amazon. they taped it shut and took it back, all before realizing she was nowhere to be found. >> she just disappeared. we put tons of flyers up and contacted friends and family.

>> reporter: it turns out her adventure took her much further from home. in the box she made the more than 600 mile journey from salt lake city to riverside, california where she then spent six days in an amazon packaging facility, unbeknownst to anyone. no food and no water. all the makings of a catastrophic shipping blunder, if not for brandy hunter, a self-proclaimed cat lady. she tracked down the clarks, thanks to the microchip and then treated her feline friend to some tlc and the trip to the vet where she was realigned to with a relieved pair of cat parents. call it the perfect ending for a curious cat. >> i told you it was bananas. i wish you a very good night.

coming up this weekend, you don't want to miss it. they are hosting a special conversation. at the apollo theater, all to talk about the new book. you can catch it on saturday night at 9:00 eastern. set your dvr if you have plans. for now, i wish you from all of our colleagues across the networks, a very good night. thank you for staying up. ing u okay. this may come as a shock to you but donald trump didn't spend the day in court today, but not to worry, he'll be back in court tomorrow. plenty to watch. when it comes to the case in manhattan, he's in a sit