Meet the Press NOW — September 16

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1:10Welcome to Meet the Press now. I'm Kristen Welker, and we begin with devastating news that's very close to home here. We wait an update any minute now from the NTSB on the investigation into last night's helicopter crash in Los Angeles that killed three people, including two of our NBC news colleagues. Our friends at NBC Los Angeles confirmed that photojournalist Ilyana Moreno and pilot George Marcinno were on board that chopper when it crashed while on assignment covering a deadly bus crash. KMBC anchor Lynette Romero joined the today show this morning to remember her beloved colleagues. Their lifelong Angelina knows George grew up in Burbank. He graduated from Burbank High School. He still lives there. So he has deep roots there. Ilyana always wanted to be a news reporter. She graduated from Chapman University with a degree in journalism, and they were both doing what they loved so much. And for me, that's comfort in knowing how happy they were.

2:12They loved breaking news and they loved being a news chopper for. Now one person on the ground was also killed in the crash, according to LA Fire Officials, and two other people were hospitalized. Joining me now from Los Angeles is NBC News National Correspondent Morgan Chesky. And former NTSB investigator Greg Feith will be with us in just a moment. Morgan, want to start with you. This is just so devastating that helicopter was shooting aerial footage of a fatal bus collision when it crashed. What more are you learning about the circumstances of what happened? Yeah, Kristen, so incredibly heartbreaking to be reporting on a tragedy of this nature. You mentioned that bus crash. That took place around 5 p.m. in the community of Chapsworth. And what we've learned on that front is authorities say that an SUV plowed into that bus, killing two individuals there and leaving several others injured, as is the nature of the job. NBC 4 launched their chopper that direction to give people real time information on what

3:17was taking place there and hopes of learning more about the potential impact of that story. And it was shortly around 7 o'clock that it was seen going to the ground there. I should note that we do anticipate learning much more from the NTSB in this upcoming press conference there. The circumstances surrounding what led the helicopter to be going down still very much unknown. There have been a smattering of witness reports that have come in, some of which though are unconfirmed and that's why we're leaving it to the federal investigators. It's really to share the latest on this horrific tragedy here that as you mentioned impacted our own colleagues, Eliana Moreno and of course George Marston and Kristen, I should know that just within the last hour or so, we've learned the identity of a third victim that was killed on the ground when that helicopter made impact. He's been identified as a 29 year old Eddie Gutiades-Mahaya who was near a vehicle when that

4:18chopper went down. Just devastating Morgan Chesky and we've been of course watching the reports of our colleagues at NBCLA. How are they remembering their friends, their colleagues there? I know that this is just an absolutely devastating time for them. Kristen, in a singular word, beloved. Both Eliana and George were beloved members of the news team. Eliana, 2010 Chapman University graduate joining the team with Angel, Eric, team just shortly thereafter. She had an incredible passion for the job and of course that's been evident in some of the accounts we've heard from other colleagues who worked directly with her. But one specific example just showed her love of being able to relay information from that helicopter and she said that aerial reporting turns smoke on the horizon into critical information that can save lives and property.

5:19And then we have George Marston, a 1974 graduate of Burbank High School, a local boy who got to follow his dreams right here. Kristen, here's a guy who is 30 years as a flight instructor, roughly 14,000 flight hours. He wasn't only the pilot of that helicopter. He was a mentor, a guide to countless other pilots who have flown over this Southern California area and elsewhere, lending his expertise to help others report critical information to help all of us. It's so well stated, Morgan. And it happens about 50 years after Francis Gary Powers was killed in a helicopter crash in Encino, working as what was known as a helicopter reporter for KMBC, killed with Cameron and George Spiers who died in the crash as well. We cannot overstate that for local news, I was in local news, you were in local news.

6:23These helicopters as you just said are so critical to our coverage and these crashes are rare. They are, Kristen. They are. And yet we know that whether you be in a helicopter or reporting in the field, there is an inherent risk. And I think that's why it's so heartbreaking to be reporting on a tragedy of this nature. But to your point, when you look at the countless, and I do mean countless hours that these journalists have spent flying over Southern California, bringing people the very latest information on tragedy, on traffic impacts, on car chases, on some very dark moments, we know there's no way to know, Kristen, how many people that they have helped through their reporting, through their unique vantage points. And I should add that they are having, Ellie on in particular, she is having to gather information at an incredibly high rate of speed looking down and then relaying it in real

7:25time. And that is a skill that not many people have. And we've heard that from one account after another from our colleagues at NBC4, who have just shared the impact of both Ellie and George had really on everyone there. And I should add, Kristen, that as important as it is to acknowledge their journalistic contributions, the fact that they were able to kind of dissect the scene so intelligently in real time. If nothing else, the fact that they were so well-liked, that they were such positive presence in the newsroom, to whomever they came into contact with. And you and I know that particularly in this line of work, where you have a high rate of stress in an environment that can be less than optimal, having someone that you can count on with a smile as well, is just incredibly special. It absolutely is Morgan Chesky. Thank you so much, please stand by for us, because we are going to come back to you once

8:27that news conference gets underway. And of course, we will bring that news conference to everyone live when it happens. We are also following breaking news on the most important issue for voters ahead of the midterms, the economy. This afternoon, the Federal Reserve announcing it is raising interest rates, bucking demands from President Trump to slash them, as the White House faces growing voter frustration over rising prices and higher energy costs fueled by the war against Iran. Vote to raise rates by a quarter percent was unanimous, 12 to zero. It's the first rate hike by the Fed in three years, and the first under President Trump's new Fed, Chair Kevin Worsh, who defended the move just moments ago. Last month in Wyoming, I expressed my commitment to a monetary policy discipline. Not to a decision. I define the standard for action. We must be confident that underlying inflation is moving to our objective, clearly and at sufficient speed.

9:28Today, the FOMC decided that this standard has not been satisfied. Worsh also defending the Fed's independence amid President Trump's intensifying pressure campaign to have him cut rates. A couple of weeks ago, the President sent out a message essentially threatening to cut off trade to certain countries, unless rates were lowered. Obviously, an unanimous decision to do the opposite. What would you say to investors who sort of believed this is another test of the Fed's independence? And then, kind of, when was the last time you spoke with the President? Do you anticipate a post-decision meeting or... You gave me a long menu from which to choose. They're all very tempting. I don't have anything for you on discussions with the President. And I'm not a Wall Street newsletter. Part of the independence of the Federal Reserve is we stay in our lane. Independence is a two-way street. We'll let people that do trade policy and fiscal policy stay in their lane, too. That's how we can stand up here and call them the way we seem.

10:30On Wall Street, stocks tumbled the Dow falling more than 600 points. The S&P and NASDAQ also closing lower. Today's rate hikes come as gas prices nationwide remain above a 4.35 per gallon due in large part to disruptions in the Middle East caused by the war against Iran. Diesel prices continue to set record highs, and oil remains above $100 a barrel. Moody's reporting this week that the Iran War has caused American households worth $1,700 on average. It's all driving backlash among voters with just 31% less than a third approving of President Trump's handling of the economy. That's according to a new Reuters Ipsis poll. Joining me now is our team of reporters, NBC News White House correspondent Yumi Shalsendor, NBC News Business and data correspondent Brian Chung. And NBC News correspondent Ryan Chandler is at the G20 Energy Conference in Houston and has been speaking to the US Energy Secretary. Thanks to all of you for being here, Yumi. Let me go to you first at the White House. How is the White House responding to this decision?

11:32Any word yet from President Trump? We are waiting word from President Trump and haven't gotten it yet, but we should all be checking our phones because I'm told that he will likely be putting this on truth social as he does in so many other cases. That being said, we have heard from a top press aid here. He's calling this an unfortunate decision and saying there wasn't a compelling economic case for raising the rates here. He's also saying that essentially this will make life more expensive for Americans at a time where people are struggling with affordability and this could hurt the growth of the United States all across the board. We should also remind folks that you played the sound. The president did say that he would have no choice but to cut off aid with some countries that run a trade deficit with the United States if the feds were to hike the rates. So in some ways know that the president was already saying that he was going to do that. It's clear that the president is not going to be happy with this. How that goes forward, how he expresses himself, how that impacts his relationship with the fed chair. All of those are big questions that were waiting to answer for.

12:32Kristen. Any word on whether he's actually going to follow through on that threat as you say, I'll stop trading with countries he writes with which we have a deficit if rates are not lowered. The president has said it. We expect that the president will likely stick to that in some ways. We know that this is the president who has really gone on a multi front trade war against our allies like Canada against adversaries and other countries. So the president here I think is really trying to make the case that he wants the fed to follow his lead. He of course as you know, it was so critical of the last fed chair. It's going to be interesting to see how he takes his case. But he's that in that post that he would have no choice but to stop trading with some nations saying that their rates make it essentially, if they put the United States in a disadvantage when it comes to trade. So that's the president's argument and we're going to stick to see if he actually follows through with that Kristen. And you mean, let me ask you about something I mentioned at the top Moody's reporting

13:32this week that the war with Iran has cost American households more than $1,700 on average. Based on your conversations with your sources at the White House, is there concern about that less than 50 days from the midterms? It's very interesting. My sense in talking to sources are that they are really at the White House trying to figure out how to walk this line here. I want to read to you part of what JD Vance told House Republicans on Tuesday, we got our hands on some audio from this meeting. And the vice president said, you can talk about these things without pretending that everything is perfect because the American people know that you guys inherited. We inherited a massive pile of dog crap. We have a country where people are frustrated. We have got to level with them. We've got to be honest with those frustrations. So in other words, the vice president here is saying you have to acknowledge what people are feeling. You have to acknowledge that gas prices are up, that people are paying more for everything from food to their leases, to rent, to mortgage rates. So in some ways that he's saying you can't ignore this problem and in some ways trying to

14:34give Republicans a blueprint for how to talk about this. Though the president himself has been very clear that he believes he wants to talk about the positive things in the economy and really give himself as much credit with helping people and make things more affordable. So I think it's going to be very interesting to see as the midterms get closer, how the president walks this line as well, Kristen. Absolutely. Yamiche, keep checking your phone. We will come back to you if and when you get any reaction there from President Trump, really appreciate it. Yamiche, Brian, you were there at the Fed today. How significant is this rate hike? Because again, we can't overstate this. President Trump was very clear. He wanted rates to be lowered. Kevin Worsh was very clear. The Fed has to be independent. Yeah, and look, the Federal Reserve under Kevin Worsh, he's only been at this post for a few months now. But in his first reunions, he was able to stave off any change to the interest rate. But now by hiking interest rates, he does draw himself for all the reasons you were talking with Yamiche into the direct sightline of the president that directly wants those rates to be lower.

15:35So let's take a step back and just kind of remind everyone why the Fed decided to raise interest rates today. That was what we expected them to do. The reason being inflation readings have been just too high. The last reading that we got specifically last week was 3.4%. That's how much prices rose in August of this year compared to August of last year. The basic arithmetic that is above 2. 2 is the target that the Federal Reserve has here. We've been floating at around those levels the last few months, which means that the residuals of this war, those higher energy prices from the war with Iran, are bleeding into overall inflation. The Fed wants to raise interest rates, take a little bit of steam out of the economy, and hopefully lower that inflation. Can the Fed successfully do that while they also try to navigate the political cross-currents? That's the question for Kevin Worsh. Yeah, I think the press conference out of California is going to be starting momentarily, but very quickly, Brian, what might this mean for Americans? Yeah, well, look, I think the overall big picture here is that you're already experiencing high gas prices. You're also experiencing higher mortgage rates now off of the expectation that the Fed might not only have to hike interest rates now, but potentially in the future as well.

16:36All right. Thank you so much for being here, Brian Chung. Really appreciate it. And we do want to go out to that press conference, that deadly helicopter crash that claimed the lives of two of our colleagues at NBC LA and one person on the ground. Let's listen. Of our investigation. I hope you don't mind me referring to my notes. On September 15th, 2026, about 7 p.m. In Airbus helicopters, AS350B2 with the registration November 358 Tangle Victor was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Chatsworth, California. At this time, I'd like to extend my condolences for those who were affected by this tragedy. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 code of federal regulations, Part 91 electronic

17:40news gathering flight. It's understand that the helicopter pilot was transporting a local news reporter to cover a traffic accident when the accident occurred. The NTSB and the FAA and our party members will be on scene pretty much all day today, gathering factual data from the wreckage will also be conducting witness interviews. So if anybody out there believes that they have information regarding either the traffic accident or the helicopter accident, please email us at witness at ntsb.gov. That's witness at ntsb.gov. The public can expect a preliminary report on this helicopter accident in about 30 days followed by a final report with a probable cause which depending on the circumstances of

18:44the accident can go out to about 18 months. It's important to share with everybody that the NTSB will not be looking for a probable cause while we're out here today or tomorrow. With that being said, I'd like to thank the local law enforcement and the local fire department and those around from the community that have assisted us and helped us with this investigation thus far. And as a conclusion of my brief, I'll be happy to take a few questions prior to me choosing you, would you mind identifying yourself and your affiliate? Sir. Harder evidence with CDS views. There was video from the helicopter accident that's going down as well as audio. How is that going to factor into your investigation? Well, sir, I'm glad you brought that up. That video that you're asking about, you're asking about the video that was actually taken

19:44while the reporter was doing a live coverage. That video is probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far. And what we're going to do is get a pristine copy of that recording and send it to our recorders lab for a sound spectrum analysis. Because in that recording, we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed. We're also hearing tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilot. So it's important that we get those, that recording to our lab so that they can be downloaded and we can get to that factual evidence that way. Any data reporter on that helicopter? Not that I'm aware of, however, we're still coordinating with the owner and looking. Sir. Are we working on an assumption that the aircraft may have been an out of cover, out of ground

20:47effects hover at the time of the accident cell number two, or record itself? Is everything there more or less an efficient unit proper analysis for the north's fire and the impact is toward the end of the problem? Okay, you're asking about the helicopter possibly being in an out of ground effect hover. The helicopter in an out of ground effect hover is hovering a little bit more than, at least a little bit more than is rotor diameter. So we need to gather video footage, witness footage to find out how high that helicopter would be to even determine if it was an OGE hover. Your second question would you mind? Oh, so your second question involved the wreckage, okay? I will tell you this, we are calming the wreckage to the best of our ability to gather as much factual data as we can, even though the wreckage did suffer through a post accident fire. How soon will the owner have mechanical records that make this for this condition?

21:47Has the owner provided those two? You're asking about the maintenance records for the helicopter. The owner is in possession of the records and is turning over those records to the investigation and yes. Yes, sir. With the helicopter, we can see Los Angeles. What step will you be taking over the next couple of days to see what's happening? I'm glad you asked. You're asking the steps that we're going to be taking. So today, as I mentioned earlier, we are doing the field portion of the investigation that is we're on the accident, seeing, gathering as much factual data as we can. From there, we'll have the aircraft, the helicopter removed to a secure facility where we will continue to examine and pull factual data from that wreckage. That together with looking at the maintenance logbooks and looking at weather, looking at the pilot's training will help us continue with the factual gathering. Ma'am. Yes. It's why we'll tell you this.

23:05You are asking about more specifics onto the actual accident itself. We know the buildings close to the accident scene had security cameras. So we're working with the owners to secure those security cameras. We're working towards interviews with witnesses and in gathering that factual data, we'll be able to paint a better picture of the actual accident sequence. Yes, sir. I'm going to see it with Lavinini's paper. Could you please explain to us what is the problem for that? I love all of the things that it's looking at and looking at and seeing and it has to be safe. An action in the second. He said lies first of people of the community. He's thinking about saving his life or saving the helicopter. Okay. You're asking about the different types of accidents, our correction. The different types of emergency procedures a pilot would respond to.

24:06I would say they fall into two general categories. That is emergencies that require immediate and instinctive action by the pilot or an emergency that allows the pilot the luxury of some time so that he can gather information, assess that information and choose the best outcome. Pilots are trained so that either whenever either one of those type of emergencies pop up, they're prepared to react to it. Yes, sir. They incident detectives a few years ago. They and his head. He has me asked for new protocols, new engines for helicopters for TV stations. Do you think that something is going to change now? Well, you're asking me about potential changes. Yes, you're asking me about potential changes based off of this action. I will tell you this. The NTSB investigates accidents to find out what happens, why it happened and what recommendations

25:09we can make to the appropriate entities so that it doesn't happen again. Yes sir. Based on that, with the NTSB being able to make recommendations to change flight operation protocols for how news helicopters operate Haiti staggered altitude, expand to the area from the point where the photograph can you make those recommendations. Well, the FAA that has the making decision will go to implement. You're asking me about, that's a tough question for me to answer. Let me fully understand it. Would you mind repeating it? A lot of line up, as if you guys make the determination of what happened. Are you really able to make some recommendations to the FAA itself on how news operates? Helicopters should operate Haiti staggered altitude, distance away from the point where they're doing literally, you know, guys, you're going to be at 800, you're going to be at 1000, you're going to be at 13. I think you're giving me good examples of what our intention is and let me explain that. We're going to go through this action investigation in particular.

26:10Hypothetically, if we come across an issue that needs to be addressed through regulation, we have the FAA right here on our, as part of the investigation team. So if we discover a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, they're right there discovering it with us in real time. Now, if the NTSB chooses to make a safety suggestion for small change or a safety recommendation for big change, we will take that recommendation to the most appropriate authority. Mr. Salazar. Yes, ma'am. With your years being a helicopter pilot with a 10 years experience plus, can you talk about hypothetically if an engine was to stall and the helicopter, what you would do as a pilot? What are the precautions or the steps in place to then get a safety to the gravity? Just walk us through what is... Okay, you're asking me what a helicopter pilot would do if an agent quit.

27:12Let me get to the specifics of this accident. We're still in the factual gathering stage, so we would need to gather all the factual evidence and be confident that we've got all the factual evidence before we then step into the analysis and then step into the possibility of making suggestions. Now, for hypothetically just out there, if a helicopter pilot is flying and experiences an engine failure, the pilot would react to it most likely by entering an auto rotation and then landing the helicopter hopefully safely to the ground. Do you think there was... Do you know the altitude that they were flying at with this incident occurred? You're asking me about the altitude that this aircraft was flying when the accident occurred. I can't give you a specific value at this time. I've got to gather the video footage, gather the witness statements, and then start looking at those types of answers.

28:15I asked because I'm wondering if we find out later they were around a thousand feet or so technically, is that enough elevation to safely auto rotation? You're asking me about a thousand feet being a sufficient altitude for auto rotation. Generally speaking pilots are trained to conduct auto rotations from a hover, which may be just three to four feet off the ground to any altitude above that, including and above a thousand feet. Any other questions? Yes, sir? I think I'll ask you a question. Yes, sir. Tell us about the timeline for NTSB investigators to get to a craft seat like the flight of the U.S. They're asking me about the response time for NTSB investigators to get to an accident scene. That's going to vary. I will tell you that the NTSB is comprised of four regions, Eastern Region Central Region, West Pacific Region, California Falls, within the West Pacific Region of the NTSB, there's also Alaska.

29:17On any given week there are at least four safety investigators on call and they're prioritized one through four on who's going to launch out first. As soon as an accident occurs where there's a fatality involved, the NTSB will send an air safety investigator to that fatal accident scene. We try to get there as soon as we possibly can and sometimes it may take just a little bit of time. Yes, ma'am? You have been listening to NTSB investigators, the investigator in charge Fabian Salazar talk about that deadly helicopter crash that occurred yesterday claiming the lives of the NTSB. The NTSB is claiming the lives of two NBC LA teammates, Eliana Moreno and George Marcino, as well as someone who was on the ground to pass or buy.

30:20You just heard investigator Salazar say that they anticipate and hope to have a preliminary report within the next 30 days. The final report, which would include probable cause, could take as long as 18 months, he said right now they are starting to put the pieces together of what happened. He said that that video captured by the helicopter itself will be in his words the most important evidence we have so far. He was also asked if perhaps the helicopter was in an out of ground effect hover. We need to gather more footage before we can determine that he said the top steps today will include pulling through the wreckage, going through everything on the ground, security cameras as well as interviewing and speaking to witnesses. With that, I want to bring back NBC's Morgan Chesky as well as former NTSB investigator Greg Feith Morgan, let me go to you first. What did I leave out what other facts stood out to you from what we just heard from the NTSB investigator in charge?

31:27Chris, and I think one of the biggest facts shared here is that it will take some time before we really know what happened inside that helicopter when it fell and crashed inside that chat's worth parking lot yesterday evening around 7pm with two of our beloved colleagues inside. The NTSB investigator did acknowledge the fact that there were multiple witness accounts on the ground there from different angles and he encouraged people to come forward to hopefully shed more light on the final few seconds that that helicopter was in the air. You mentioned a variety of issues that may have contributed to its loss of altitude that in ground effect being compared to the out of ground effect that in ground effect Christian is essentially when the helicopter is hovering just a short distance above the ground. You have a cushion of air and as the helicopter rises, it needs even more power to really begin ascending skyward as it goes into the out of ground effect. That's going to be something they're going to be taking a very close look at particularly when they compare those witness accounts to that video you mentioned which the NTSB investigator said you could hear the audio of warning tones of some kind appearing to go off before the transmission.

32:41Cut out there again with Ellie on a marano and George Marciano inside that helicopter when it went down around 7 o'clock yesterday 30 days from now Christian that preliminary report but again it could be a year it could be even longer before that final report comes out. So now all eyes go to about a month away to see what if anything we could learn at that point here Christian yeah undoubtedly a lot of anticipation as everyone awaits that initial report Greg fight let me turn to you what were your key takeaways from what we just heard again as Morgan rightfully says you heard from the investigator there they are going to be very cautious before releasing any information. Absolutely Christian because they work on facts condition and circumstances and they want to verify the facts before they release those facts there's a lot of very subjective information out there even the audio and video coming from the helicopter because you can build storylines around sounds and comments on the young lady or the reporter that was in there made a comment about can't you pull up or you know pull up which again will lead investigators to be looking at the year.

33:56So what was there a mechanical malfunction or failure or anomaly with the engine or its component parts or was this purely a performance issue where Morgan was talking about in ground effect and out of ground effect that is aircraft performance when you're sitting static or in a in a hover like most electronic news gathering helicopters do where they're stationary over a particular scene and now you get into your own rotor. Watch the aircraft can descend uncontrollably and the pilot really has no ability to stop that descent so these are the factors that the NTSB will start to fair it out and you heard the NTSB investigator there asked about what should happen if there's an engine failure for example Greg fight what did you make of his response and and is it possible to save a helicopter if there's an engine failure.

34:56It is possible because that's what pilots are trained to do they go into auto rotation however the fact is is that they're already at low altitude so enter entering auto rotation and you got to remember that the lift unlike the wings on a fixed wing aircraft that create lift caused the airplane to fly on a helicopter it's the rotor system the main rotor system that's what creates lift and you have to keep it turning at a certain speed if it slows down and it's uncapable or incapable of the air. So if you're able to get a full of generating sufficient lift to support the way to the helicopter the helicopter is literally going to fall straight down gravity's going to take over so entering auto rotation you literally have to drop the collective and keep that rotor system turning the hard part is if you don't have a lot of altitude you don't have a lot of distance to be able to create the lift necessary to support the helicopter and control it. So many people morning the law loss of these lives today thank you so much Morgan and Greg we really appreciate it we will of course continue to follow this devastating story bring you any updates as we get them and as we await that preliminary report in the next 30 days coming up next will turn to midterm politics in the intensifying fight for Senate battlegrounds Michigan's Democratic candidate Abdul al-Sahed Huttles with party leaders in Washington as President Trump hits the trail for North Carolina stay with us you're watching Meet the Press now.

36:22Hey stand comments if you're into the weird the wild in the down right bizarre check out my podcast time suck each week I dive into shocking stories like the rise of the next him cult the origins of conspiracies like QAnon and the San Francisco which killer murders with deep dives and dark humor time suck brings you the stories that'll fascinate you make you laugh and fill your head with lots of strange facts new episodes drop every Monday join the cult of the curious follow time. So wherever you get your podcasts. If you like YouTube you'll love YouTube premium high I'm Sean Evans from hot ones and I want to tell you about YouTube premium it has offline downloads so you can watch without Wi-Fi background play so you can lock your phone and it still plays baby oh and it is completely ad free yes I said it ad free try YouTube premium for two months free at youtube.com slash premium trial eligibility varies terms apply cancel anytime.

37:24Summer is not over yet and I'm making the most of every last minute a crisp white wine is my go to for these late summer days so I always stop by total wine and more to stock up for the weekend. Whether I'm grabbing a refreshing logger ready to drink Margarita or trying something new I know I'm getting the lowest prices make the most of the end of summer with great finds it total wine and more spares are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina drink responsibly be 21. Welcome back less than two months the midterms and right now both parties are looking to bolster candidates in must win Senate races today Abdul Al-Sahead Democrats candidate in Michigan met with Democrats at the party Senate campaign headquarters right here in Washington afterward sharing his message to the skeptics in the party. We have an opportunity to take back those gavils we have an opportunity to win the Senate majority and when we do we can hold Donald Trump accountable for all of the things he's perpetrated upon the American public and

38:26Michiganers and we have the opportunity to start legislating on the things that you know all of us whether we're still running like me or folks who ran in one are here to do and you know we are united in so much more than people like to point to that seems to divide Democrats. Senators and attendance echoing that message telling reporters the party is unified around al-Saheads candidacy despite its prior divisions. Well we're going to win Michigan Abdul is a really good candidate I'm really excited for him I'm all in and I think my colleagues are all in. Mike Rogers would just be a rubber stamp that Donald Trump and Abdul will get strong support in the state from Democrats and independent voters as well. Great meeting. Now here's a man who talks every day about the high cost of the American families of facing and the corruption that is Washington and Donald Trump. It's why he's it's why he's.

39:26Now it comes as our friends at the Cook Political Report moved another must win state for Democrats New Hampshire in Republicans direction. That means two of the three seats Democrats must defend are now basically coin flips. Meanwhile Republicans also playing defense President Trump is set to campaign in battleground North Carolina tonight looking to boost Republican candidate Michael Wattley who faces popular former Democratic government. Governor Roy Cooper the Washington Sun reports the president will also hit the campaign trail in Ohio in the coming weeks. As some Republicans tell NBC News they're concerned about Senator Houston's chances against former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. All of it as voters say they broadly lean toward voting for Democratic candidates heading into November. That's according to brand new polling that will break down joining me now from Capitol Hill is Julie Circus and so Julie. Let's start with that meeting between Senate Democrats and Abdul Al-Sayed. What were your key takeaways? Well certainly it was a different vibe than I felt on the ground when I covered his primary against Hayley Stevens that whom by a moment certainly didn't exist then but it's something Democrats are trying to portray now.

40:34That's why he was invited according to a source that I spoke to Senator Slotkin, Senator Peters brought him here told Senate Democrats behind closed doors yesterday that it's time to get around Abdul Al-Sayed so they can actually win. In November Michigan is such a critical seat but one key meeting that I'm still waiting to hear if it happened is the meeting that he will have with Senator Chuck Schumer. This is somebody who didn't endorse him in the primary. We know that he and his allies spent money against him and now I'm told he expects that meeting to be friendly but when Al-Sayed was asked if he would endorse Schumer for leader he didn't answer. So a lot still to watch in that space but certainly this is a moment Democrats are trying to coalesce around trying to put aside their differences so they can win in November. Yeah, fascinating moment there Julie meanwhile we talked about the fact the president said to campaign for Michael Watley tonight in North Carolina. We're seeing a little bit of shift on messaging when it comes to the economy from Republicans. What are you watching there? We are I mean just look at this right hike today right it was driven by a rum inflation that has caused to gas and oil prices going up and Republicans are definitely worried about it even a month ago I was told that they wanted Trump to stay on message to focus more and to speak to the concerns that Americans are having at their kitchen table when they're talking to folks.

41:48Speaker Johnson spoke about this today just a little bit before he sent members home early take a listen to what he said. We're going to acknowledge obviously gas prices are too high right now diesel prices are too high gas prices will immediately come down again. The cost of groceries will as well because that's tied in many ways to the cost of transport of getting the goods to the market and so that Iranian situation the straighter removes as soon as that's resolved it comes down. That situation that war that has now been going on for seven months that where there's no end in sight speaker Johnson though Kristen like I mentioned sending members home early saying they need to make the case to voters back home but he sent them home early right after congressman Thomas Massey forced a resolution to try and impeach secretary Pete Hexeth Johnson called that a stunt but now they're going to have to take it up after the midterms Kristen. All right delaying that vote there Julie Serkin thank you so much from Capitol Hill for the big picture joining me now our panel NBC news national politics reporter john Allen Kendra barco former press secretary to then vice president Biden and former Florida Republican congressman Carlos Craballo he's also an NBC news contributor thanks to all of you for being here John.

42:58Let's start with these new numbers that we are getting on the generic ballot you're seeing Democrats really pull ahead seven eight point advantage depending on which poll you're looking at but bottom line here outside the margin of error what do you make of these numbers as we're less than 50 days till the election. The Democrats would rather have these numbers in early November then that's a good point but I just traveled across the country through a bunch of swing district as you know as we talked about what I was doing it what I've seen is tremendous enthusiasm on the Democratic side and even hardcore Trump voters being critical about the Iraq war the Iran war and inflation and it's unmatched enthusiasm is an issue for for Republicans as is the willingness for some Republicans to do that. Republicans to switch over and vote for Democrats in house races right now you know you call the election today the Democrats are in a pretty good spot. Check back in a couple months. Yeah well and I think you you hit the key point which is the timing of all of this you of course were on the ground your interviews were fantastic Kendra it is still relatively speaking early I mean we're we're inching closer to the home stretch here but what do you make of these numbers and what do you make of John's point like is it a little too early to peak it is early to peak.

44:15I don't know if I would call it peaking per se but what I want to say is diesel prices are extremely high and there is no amount that those can come down enough before the election we just heard speaker Johnson out there talking about how the goods and prices will go down as we get you know the war and Iran wraps up and gas prices goes down I still think that diesel prices are not going to be able to go down and that's going to be a big problem when truckers can't get the things they need to get across this country to fuel the economy in the way that they're going to be going down. I don't know if you're going to be able to fuel the economy in the way that we know that it needs to be fueled. Congressman Crabbello I want you to respond to that and also respond to this polling. This shows you a match up of how voters feel about each party. Issue by issue and if you go that and you can see it right there it's a lot of blue the only issue where Republicans have a very narrow edges AI and data centers Carlos Crabbello what do you make of those numbers in the high gas prices that Kendra is talking about. Yeah well Chris and the most shocking number to me here is the immigration issue now and I mean if you look back two years ago the Biden administration was to disarray there was absolute chaos in the Southwest border.

45:25The president won a race on the economy and on immigration and now Republicans have handed back that immigration issue to Democrats because the interior enforcement is just so aggressive that it not only has lost support among Hispanic voters which were a couple of years ago. Hispanic voters which were a key part of the president's 2024 coalition but also to a lot of other voters who just don't like the nature of some of these policies so look I've been on the hill the last couple days and there's certainly some 2018 vibes there which of course was the first Trump midterm where Republicans lost over 40 house seats. The difference is this time is there fewer competitive districts so you could see Republicans outperform but on the other hand the economic pressures are much sharper this time around the world in 2018 the economy was actually in pretty decent shape in 2018 interest rates were low inflation was done an issue different story right now. I would just go back to you because I'm not point about immigration what do Democrats need to do to harness that momentum to make sure that they hold on to the lead with immigration which as Congressman Crabella is saying it is pretty extraordinary given that Trump's really had the lead on that issue for years now.

46:38I mean I think if Democrats continue to talk about the issues like affordability like gas prices like grocery prices I think those are the things that have really resonated with the American voters and if they stick on that message as a collective group I think that all of these things are probably going to stay in the blue line where they are no matter what the issue is down down the line. It's interesting John we of course had a dual al-said meeting with Democratic senators today and again Julie kind of described it as a cum baya moment I want to play a little bit of what senator Dictorban had to say after the meeting. Are you at all concerned about these Republican attempts to tie al-said to Democrats across the country that you might be a liability for. There was a time when the Republicans tried to tie Democrats to a man who's saying it was brought who's saying Obama it didn't work American voters were not to ask the hard questions about make their own decisions about who they're going to support.

47:41John this Michigan race is so fascinating for a range of different reasons but Democrats are trying to come together to rally around Abdul al-said progressive candidate when he was on meet the press he said I'm a capitalist when I asked him if he was in fact a social law. In fact a socialist or economy is just president trump has said he is but what do you make of the state of play right now because republicans initially were quite happy to have up to al-said is the nominee and now it's getting pretty competitive. Democratic politicians want one thing and that is for the senate to be a democratic hands so if you talk to a consumer meeting with Abdul al-said you're not going to talk that much or worry too much about whether you agree on Israel having a right to exist or whether you agree on Medicare for all I mean these are huge issues that they disagree on but what they really want to do is have that vote for majority leader and if Abdul al-said wants to vote against Chuck Schumer in that closed ballot and go tell everyone that he voted against Chuck Schumer. We're perfectly happy with that.

48:41He has the majority. That's a great point. Kendra let me ask you because this is going to be the test of these midterms can these progressive candidates like an Abdul al-said win in a purple state like Michigan and it remains to be seen it's still arguably uphill because he's got to win over independence. He's got to win over moderates even though the polls show he's he's closing pretty strong so far. I mean there's two democratic senators there now obviously it's it is a purple state but there are two senators that are democratic now and if he continues to talk about the issues that really matter to the voters I think that he has a very good chance of doing that I think you saw Mark Kelly go out there today and talk about he's going to come to Michigan and campaign for him. The democratic party is very much galvanizing around this candidate and if you have people like you know former presidential candidates or senators who are not as you know capitalistic as he calls himself go out there and campaign with him in Michigan I think he's going to do just fine.

49:43Congressman Crabella what did you make of the fact that the Cook political report moved New Hampshire from lean them to toss up. Yes the new news got a lot of name recognition and it shows that even in a tough political environment candidate quality matters and the new is a known name he's you got universal name idea new Hampshire and this is where sometimes parties that are facing very difficult circumstances cannot perform can surprise and by the way that could be the difference Christian and who controls the center not the state like New Hampshire like Michigan I think Michigan is a nightmare for Democrats but Republicans have their own nightmare in Texas so to the both parties defending seats where they were hoping they could just coast. John I was thinking the nightmare midterms. I was just going to be branding it. I do want to say one other thing though about the people who are going to campaign for outside and the reason that they're doing that is for themselves because they want to have been seen as on the right side of this as they start to pick about 2028.

50:43All right well so much to watch thank you so much for a great conversation John Kendra and Carlos really appreciate it and still the president Trump just responded to the fed's decision we're going to bring you that response along with my interview with the top economist keep it right here on me to press now. Do you love hair raising allegedly true stories about the paranormal then you should summon the podcast scared to death it's the popular horror series with more than 60 million downloads to its name and is co hosted by me Dan Cummins and me Lindsay co host and also dance wife. Each week on scared to death we share bone chilling tales from old books and creepy corners of the web and even some submitted by our listeners all designed to make you want to sleep with the lights on. Think you can handle the horror tune in to scared to death every Tuesday at the stroke of midnight to find out. Hey what's up guys it's Hayley Bailey okay I need to tell you about something I just got you to premium it's got tons of awesome features like offline downloads so I can download my favorite videos before I travel and watch.

51:50I don't have a lot of time to do that and whenever I don't have wifi because we all know airplane wifi is the worst I get out free I get back from play and there's like a ton more in there you should try it if you like YouTube you'll love YouTube premium try it now for two months free at youtube.com slash premium try eligibility varies terms apply can't for any time that's a mouthful. I'm not over yet and I'm making the most of every last minute a crisp white wine is my go to for these late summer days so I always stop by total wine and more to stock up for the weekend. Whether I'm grabbing a refreshing logger ready to drink more garrita or trying something new I know I'm getting the lowest prices make the most of the end of summer with great finds that total wine and more. Spheres are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina drink responsibly be 21. Welcome back president Trump has just issued his first reaction to today's interest rate hike posting online just moments ago quote interest rates in the United States should be 1% or less because we are the best credit in the world by far our country is booming with new investment.

52:56The fed raised the interest rate to fight inflation fueled by rising energy prices amid the war with Iran even as the administration is telling NBC news relief is coming on those high prices NBC's Ryan Chandler sat down with energy secretary Chris right earlier today take a look. When can Americans expect relief we're doing everything we can to expand American refining capacity this is a problem of refineries even more than it is a problem of oil prices. We have also the Russia Ukraine war Ukraine has been knocking out so much Russian refining capacity that a nation that used to be a large exporter of diesel is now a small importer of diesel so it is a problem would appear you know the rest of Ukraine was been going on for four and a half years now but gas prices only got this high after the start of the Iran war and the restrictions that that is having on supply. Can you give Americans any any reassurance that prices may fall in any given timeline. Yeah well one correction to that gasoline prices were higher four years ago in the summer during the Biden administration at the start of the Russian Ukraine war no interruptions and refinery then just an energy subtraction mindset and all of government attack against oil and gas but we want to see them reverse as soon as they can.

54:14We should I hesitate to say we have a lot of good things going on that shouldn't put down we're pressure on in the coming weeks and months but we have a challenging geopolitical situation right now and it is absolutely essential that we do not have a nuclear arm you're on. Joining me now is former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Biden Jared Bernstein he was also chief economist and economic adviser to President Biden when he was vice president thank you so much for being here it's great to be with you really appreciate it I want to get your overall reaction to the rate hike and to President Trump's statement he made it very clear he thinks rates should be lower but he didn't directly attack Kevin Warsh. Well first of all I believe Kevin Warsh and the Fed did the right thing today going into this meeting market probabilities were that the Fed would hike north of 90% and there might be a time when the Fed wants to surprise the markets today was not a time like that and in fact what we saw were that bond yields the interest rate on bond on bonds actually stayed pretty steady after the rate hike meaning that they already priced it in as far as the president concern I think chair wars are coming up.

55:25Trying to signal him in two ways to cut it back off a little bit one was it was unanimous vote the whole committee voted for this rate hike so it's not like the president could say why don't you join with those other folks who who didn't want to go that way and secondly Warsh really leaned into strong economic growth as a rationale that this strong economy he didn't say this strong Trump economy but that's what he wanted the president to hear this strong economy can handle a rate hike. Well it's fascinating to hear your perspective on that because I think a lot of people saw the unanimous vote and thought wow that's pretty striking what do you make of what we saw in the market today initially the doubt didn't really react but then it did drop I believe it was about 600 points correct so initially steady because again this was predicted so everybody thought would happen what the heck sent the market down after that I think it was that in the presser when Warsh come to chair wars comes out and talks to the Fed and the media he was more hawkish than they expected that is he kind of leaned into this argument he kept saying the plane fact is that inflation is too high which by the way is a true and plain fact so good for him for saying that but stock markets don't like to think that they're more interest rates coming down the road and when they hear him leaning that hard into his inflation fighting role they get worried that maybe this is going to put more downward pressure on future growth and equity pressure.

56:53So what do you think about the economy prices over all how do you assess the strength of the economy right now people are paying more for gas they're paying more for diesel which as you know drives up prices on food products and just about everything how do you explain this in a way that I hope will resonate with listeners the U.S. economy is doing pretty well except for most of the people in it and by that I mean the top line indicators which is exactly what chair wars today GDP growth might be 3% this quarter that's good productivity's been strong of course AI is booming in terms of investment markets been up but people are facing the kind of price pressures affordability pressures precisely as you described and these are very much a result of own goal kicks by the Trump administration whether it's the tariffs or the war on a run especially at the gas pump but also at the grocery where many of these kinds of problems filter into those prices too. So let's ask you about the impact of the war with Iran if we could put that graphic back up it shows the average American family spending $1,700 more that's according to Moody's which is just really striking if you were in this administration how would you address this costs.

58:12That's a great question and that's a really important number I would say the following I've worked for numerous presidents and they've all said why do I get blame for high gas prices damn it it's a global price it's not my fault this time it's your fault right so he could actually make that number change which most presidents could never do because they really can't affect the global oil price unless they decide to start and prosecute a war that's in the choke point for energy delivery for the global market so this is a rare case where the increase in energy prices really do you know fall at the president's feet let me get your reaction to what we're hearing from the administration vice president JD Vance according to NBC news talking to House Republicans yesterday and reportedly said this we inherited a massive pile of dog crop and we have cleaned it out and we have made things a lot better but Rome wasn't built in a day your response I think the statute of limitations on them blaming others for the situation they're in has has expired and I don't suspect anyone hears those words and feels very

59:17assuaged by them okay Jared Bernstein thank you so much for joining us on a big day when the fed raised rates president Trump responding really appreciate your perspective very much we are back tomorrow is more meet the press now there's much more ahead on NBC news now more people more devices more AI the way we live today takes a lot of energy wind and solar are powerful but not always available that's where natural gas comes in with reliable energy whenever it's needed companies like energy transfer work behind the scenes safely transporting these resources to facilities across the country through a network of underground pipelines learn more at it takes energy dot com