Monday Morning Politics: Previewing the DNC

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Brian Lehrer: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good Monday morning, everyone. First of all, I hope anyone driving in those horrific downpours and flood conditions yesterday is safe and dry this morning. I've heard multiple stories from family and friends about how bad it was in Connecticut and on Long Island and elsewhere so I hope everyone is okay. I had my own neighborhood weather-related disappointment here in Manhattan yesterday. The long-scheduled Inwood Jazz Festival in Inwood Hill Park was rained out. Aw. I'm glad I wasn't in a car.

Again, I hope everyone who was is okay. Here we are on day one of the Democratic convention, and three days after Vice President Harris staked her claim to being the better anti-inflation and affordability candidate than Donald Trump. Off we go into the Democrats' four-night primetime TV commercial, which is what conventions are these days. Can the Harris campaign build on the incredible momentum she has had that has surprised almost everyone since Joe Biden withdrew on July 21st? Here's Harris from her affordability policy speech on Friday, taking aim at price gouging by grocery store chains that haven't brought the price of basic food items down as inflation in their supply chains has eased.

Kamala Harris: We all know that prices went up during the pandemic when the supply chains shut down and failed but our supply chains have now improved and prices are still too high. A loaf of bread costs 50% more today than it did before the pandemic. Ground beef is up almost 50%. Many of the big food companies are seeing their highest profits in two decades, and while many grocery chains pass along these savings, others still aren't.

Brian Lehrer: Vice President Harris from Friday will hear more from that speech as we go. Joining us now as they gear up for convention coverage are Katy Tur and Luke Russert from MSNBC. Katy Tur is anchor of MSNBC's Katy Tur Reports weekday afternoons and author of the memoir Rough Draft, which came out last year. Luke Russert is host and creative director of their live event series, MSNBC Live, and author of his memoir Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself, which also came out last year. Luke will be hosting an MSNBC event here in New York on Saturday, September 7th. We'll invite him to tell you about that as we go. Katy, welcome back. Luke, welcome to WNYC.

Katy Tur: Thanks for having us.

Luke Russert: Thank you so much.

Brian Lehrer: Katy, I was tuned into your coverage of Harris' economy and affordability speech on Friday. One thing I noticed was this idea that compared to Biden, when he was still running, Harris was acknowledging ongoing pain for American households more than Biden, who was mostly trying to take credit for how much recovery from the pandemic economy there's been. Do you think that's a meaningful shift in strategy?

Katy Tur: I do. One of the criticisms that the Biden team was facing consistently from strategists but also from voters, especially from voters, was you might say the economy is great. I don't feel it's great. I don't go into the grocery store and feel good about spending $8 on blueberries or $6 on eggs. I don't feel good that my grocery bill costs double what it costs two years ago. By not acknowledging that there was frustration among voters. That's why we got the bad vibes. Economy.

There's a little piece of political wisdom which is ignoring a problem doesn't make the problem go away. Voters will just look for somebody who's actually articulating what they're feeling. That's what the Harris team seems to be doing right now, which is saying, "Yes, there are issues left to be resolved. There's been progress made But the grocery store stuff is real. The housing crisis is real."

She's talking about trying to fast-track building more housing units and also go after big business and private equity for buying up buildings and making it unaffordable for individuals. Then she's talking about childcare, which is something that the Democrats have been talking about a lot, haven't been able to get done because of lack of support from Republicans. One of the big things is the child tax credit. She wants to reinstate it and expand it. We've also heard from JD Vance that he wants to do that as well, although JD Vance skipped the vote to extend the child tax credit recently

Brian Lehrer: We're going to talk about both of those things, housing and the child tax credit as battlegrounds in the campaign. In fact, let's do one of those now. Here's another clip from Friday's speech. This is a short part of what Harris had to say about housing inflation in this case for people who rent.

Kamala Harris: Some corporate landlords collude with each other to set artificially high rental prices, often using algorithms in price fixing software to do it. It's anti-competitive and it drives up costs. I will fight for a law that cracks down on these practices.

Brian Lehrer: Luke will bring you in in a minute. Katy, again from your coverage on Friday, it got noted that the media stereotype of what inflation is in the United States is usually about gasoline and food prices but the actual number one driver of inflation for years now statistically, is the cost of housing. Either buying or renting a home. I haven't seen where Trump has a housing-specific anti-inflation program. Do you think this is a wide-open field for Harris if she can hit the right notes?

Katy Tur: If she can. Listen, there are people who are working in cities who can afford to live in the city. Firefighters defending or fighting fires in the city can't afford to live in the city. That is a real issue for commuting and for quality of life. You don't want to have to have to drive an hour and a half for your daily commute. By going after that issue and saying, "Not only am I going to go after these corporate entities private equity for driving up the cost. Your rent is expensive because they want to make money." That's a direct thing that she said.

Also by saying, "I'm going to try to build more housing stock." One of the sticky points of that, and I discussed this on my show on Friday with a bunch of very smart people, much smarter than me, is that it's often very difficult to build houses in this country, especially in blue states and blue cities because of zoning laws, because of environmental regulations, because of NIMBY protests, Not In My Backyard, folks. She's saying in this speech that she is going to clear the way, try to cut through some of the red tape you're seeing in these blue cities and blue states to make it easier to build.

That has been a criticism not just from Republicans, but from Democrats as well, that they want to do more but there are restrictions out there that limit their ability to do so. If you're talking about a housing crisis, Brian, it is most acute in big cities and suburbs, where there's a lot of people vying for a little space, and there just isn't enough to go around at the moment.

Brian Lehrer: Luke, personally, I would love to see a single-issue debate between Harris and Trump on this issue as central as it is to American life today but I know they'll never do single-issue debates on anything so I'm going to drop that idea right here. I don't know if you know anything about this idea that she raised of algorithms that corporate landlords use to help them set prices and in a way, collude to control prices, keep them high. We may have to go to a specific housing expert when we do a dedicated segment on the issue. But anything on that or housing as a fertile issue for the Harris campaign from you?

Luke Russert: Brian, I think that housing is something that has not gotten nearly enough attention because it is, as you mentioned, one of the single greatest drivers of inflation. I think a lot of people, especially younger folks in the millennial generation, Gen Z, they face the harsh reality that they have it worse off than their parents because their parents' starter home is essentially their ceiling, their dream home now given how much costs have gone upwards in major cities around America, but also a lot of suburbs.

I think when it comes to the algorithms and the price control, there's a real sense of people out there that the system is rigged against them. What do I mean by that? You have private equity firms that have bought up substantial amount of housing stock in American cities. You've had private equity firms that have actually bought up homes themselves and hold them together in a group perhaps to rent to high-end individuals or whatnot. They see that there's safe value in accumulating housing so that someone is working perhaps two jobs in America and the opportunity to own in a place where they grew up or the place where they work is out of reach.

I think speaking to that is important. Now, as Katy mentioned, there's a whole plethora of reasons as to why people do not have access to adequate housing stock. There is a lot of fault to be placed in blue states on liberal policymakers regarding sex, bureaucracy, and red tape. I lived in San Francisco for two and a half years. Housing is the number one issue there. That is the most democratic-run city in America, and they have not been able to make a dent in it positively in generations.

There is a lot of blame to go around. I think Harris honing in on that message, especially as it appeals to young people, saying, "Hey, look, I want to try to make sure that you can get a roof over your head but also I'm going to acknowledge that there is a force against you right now that is much more than just a greedy landlord. There are algorithms. There are things put in place by private equity to try to milk every last cent out of housing. That's very hard for people to get that first home. It makes it nearly impossible in a lot of cities.

You make a good point about San Francisco being a democratic-run city where the housing crisis is eluding solutions. Same thing, obviously, in New York. Luke, to take a step back on this whole topic for a second. Americans care about many things, and they vary somewhat by party in this election year. Abortion rights, democracy, immigration, other things. Inflation has topped many polls for people's number one issue across party lines all year, and usually Trump polls better than the Democrats on the issue. How central do you think this pivot to the economy is going to be to the convention speeches this week or to Harris's game plan going forward?

Luke Russert: I think Harris is acutely aware, and her campaign staff certainly is that when it comes to the economy, Donald Trump has long polled better than Joe Biden and in many polls does better than her, although she has certainly closed the gap here and there. I think alluding to what Katy said it's very important for her, is that Biden's message was essentially, "Hey, give me a break. I inherited this intense inflation. The guy before me had a terrible response to Covid. I'm the one who got us out of this mess. It's going to take some time, but hey, give me credit for what I've already done."

I can tell you this Brian, I had an experience. This is unique. I put on a windbreaker the other day that I hadn't worn in a few years and totally by happenstance, there was a grocery receipt in it. I pulled it out. This is a very male in their 30s thing to do. I'd wear a jacket for a few years. Pull it out. I looked at the receipt, and you felt in the moment the sticker shock because I go, "Oh, my God. These prices are half of what they are now." I had that literal experience. You think about here in America, there's a lot of people who are not as in tune to politics as we are.

Where do they feel their politics? They feel it at the kitchen table. They feel it in grocery store receipts. In that moment when I pulled out the old receipt from the windbreaker, it's very much a wake-up call of this is the reality of what people are facing. I think anything that the Harris campaign can do to speak to that is beneficial, but also try to nail down the Trump campaign on some specifics. What I think is very unique is that Vice President Harris was almost penalized this week for specificity. That is something which should not happen, in my opinion.

I think that every candidate running for president should be required to put out a plan in an agenda. The 2000 RNC had no campaign platform, and that is something which is deeply troubling. The make-it-up-as-you-go-along approach, while probably the most politically expedient, is not always the best. People deserve to see what are your concrete actions for the issues ahead. Harris put something out there. It's certainly going to take some criticism, but there is something to be said about actually putting something concrete out there.

Brian Lehrer: Now I will say that I guess you and I have the same slovenly, maybe male habits. I can always tell by what's in the pocket the last time I wore the particular piece of clothing. Listeners, what are you looking to see or hear at the Democratic convention? We can be that general in our first call in of the week. Listeners, what are you looking to see or hear at the Democratic convention? Either to reinforce what you already think or to try to convince you to vote for Harris or any Democratic congressional candidates or what you're looking to see if you're already in the democratic camp that she and her colleagues are doing well or not so well.

What are you looking to see or hear in any way at the Democratic convention or any reactions to or questions about the Harris affordability speech? 212-433-WNYC 212-433-9692. Before we take a break Katy, and we're going to bring in a member of the New Jersey congressional delegation who's going to be at the convention this week along with you two. There were news reports a few weeks ago staying on housing for just a second that Biden was going to propose some kind of national rent control. I didn't hear that, at least not put that way in Harris's speech. Do you know if that's a live idea?

Katy Tur: I have not heard that that's a live idea. I think the meat of the housing agenda that she has was put forward in that speech on Friday. Then again, if there is a demand for more and more details to go further, you could hear something. No, I haven't heard anything regarding a national rent limit.

Brian Lehrer: All right. We'll continue in a minute with Katy Tur and Luke Russert from MSNBC. You hear the caller questions folks. Anything you're looking to see or hear from the democratic convention this week and any reactions to or questions about the Harris affordability plan. We're going to play one more clip from that Friday speech as we go, and we're going to be joined by New Jersey congresswoman Mikie Sherrill. 212-433-9692 call, text, stay with us.

Brian Lehrer on WNYC as we preview the Democratic convention with Katy Tur and Luke Russert from MSNBC. Katy Tur is anchor of MSNBC's Katy Tur Reports weekday afternoons and author of the memoir Rough Draft, which came out last year. Luke Russert is host and creative director of their live event series, MSNBC Live and author of his memoir, Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself which also came out last year.

Luke will be hosting an MSNBC event here in New York on Saturday, September 7th. We will get to that. Also with us now for a few minutes, New Jersey Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, who will be attending the convention. Congresswoman, always good to have you on. Welcome back to WNYC.

Mikie Sherrill: Thanks for having me.

Brian Lehrer: Are you there yet in Chicago?

Mikie Sherrill: No, I'm still in Jersey. I will be headed out tomorrow morning.

Brian Lehrer: What do you think your party needs to do this week to improve Harris's and congressional candidates standing in swing states and swing congressional districts?

Mikie Sherrill: I think as much as a lot of us have seen her or she's a household name, I still think there are a lot of people across the nation that want to know more about Vice President Harris, people who want to know more about Governor Walz. This is a great place to introduce them. I think we will also show off if you will, the great democratic bench that we have and remind people of what we're fighting for.

I think that's really important in the swing states, reminding people of how we're going to address affordability, how we're going to drive costs down, how we're going to continue to invest in our nation's infrastructure and to continue the competition with the Chinese Communist Party so American manufacturing and supply chains are strong. These are I think the things we really have to showcase in this upcoming week.

Brian Lehrer: We've been sampling from the Harris economic speech on Friday. What kind of inflation do you think is worse for your constituents in your district?

Mikie Sherrill: I think that the things that I hear the most from constituents in my district are twofold, housing costs and grocery costs. Those are the two things that I think we really have to address. Working hard on legislation like I'm supporting for the shrinkflation bill, Senator Casey supporting that in the Senate, making sure that we are looking at consolidation and price gouging as Vice President Harris she's taking that on as well and then addressing the affordability crisis in housing. That is something that is not just a problem here in New Jersey, but I'm hearing it across the nation.

It's striking how the cost of housing has risen. There certainly are the interest rates on mortgages, which is really hard for many people, and that is an issue but there are also so many other issues related to supply, related to venture capitalists purchasing up middle-class homes, related to rent prices. Everybody's money is going out the door every month. There's no way to save for a nest egg to purchase a home. These are all the things I think certainly, that I'm hearing about in my district.

I just had a town hall and spoke a little bit about it. Afterwards, one of the police officers who was there pulled me aside and told me his own story about how they were still renting with two kids. They couldn't afford a home in their town. This is something that's on the minds of people across the nation.

Brian Lehrer: Do you think that food stores are price gouging in your district? This I think is the most controversial part of the proposals that Harris made on Friday. We're going to get to that with our other guests. Even some pretty, usually liberal or progressive writers like Catherine Rampell from The Washington Post are saying, "Hey, price controls don't work. This is a bad idea." Do you think there is food price gouging in your district and if so, what would you support for going after it?

Mikie Sherrill: From what I've seen, it's sometimes the producers, whether it's the top egg producer whose profits went up 700% or whether it is some of the major brand names of grocery store food that we've seen their profits go up over 400%. These are the kind of things that I think we have to take a hard look at and understand. Price controls is not something I'm advocating for, but I think really understanding do we have problems with monopolies? Where is this increase in food prices coming from? I think we all realize there was a severe supply chain problem. We just want to know why prices have now not gone down as we've started to address that across the nation.

Brian Lehrer; You don't really have an answer for that it sounds like yet. An answer for why or who's responsible.

Mikie Sherrill: I think as we've looked at some of it, including some of the meat producers, we have singled out certain areas that we have an answer to but I think more broadly, there's more work to be done.

Brian Lehrer: On another topic, I see you have a bill that would prevent something Donald Trump has wanted to do, use the us military for domestic law enforcement. That would be at the border, that would be deeper into the country during riots. What is your position on that?

Mikie Sherrill: I think it's incredibly dangerous. I fought to really modernize The Insurrection Act for years now, since January 6th, because it's really dangerous. There is a reason that our military is really for foreign use and not for domestic policing except in very particular instances. We saw the military and General Milley really pushing back against Donald Trump as he tried to co-opt the military. I'll tell you, it was scary as we saw a bunch of people in camouflage across the mall guarding different areas with masks on, with glasses on.

It was during COVID with no insignia. It was not clear where these people were coming from. We know President Trump has in the past tried to co-op different militias, tried to build his own militia. Certainly, I think it's very important that we ensure that the United States military is not for use as a personal militia of a president of the United States.

Brian Lehrer: If Trump argues that the border is different from other domestic law enforcement because it's about people coming from other countries and defending the border, which falls in the national security category in a lot of people's minds, how would you respond?

Mikie Sherrill: We have used different military troops in certain particular ways. There are ways of doing that but you have to go through the process. For Trump to simply call up the military for his own use without going through any sort of process on that, going to Congress, or there are delineated ways in The Insurrection Act on how you can use the United States military, how use the National Guard, etcetera.

Trump does not have a history of respecting that kind of process. I think that's the danger. There is no room in this nation for a president of the United States to single-handedly call up the military and utilize them in any way he or she sees fit.

Brian Lehrer: 15 seconds. Any speech you're especially looking forward to from the convention podium this week?

Mikie Sherrill: I think like everyone, it's hard not to be looking forward to this speech by Vice President Harris. I think we're all really excited to hear from her as she accepts the nomination and then to go forward for the rest of the election. I will tell you the excitement on the ground is palpable, and that night is going to be a really special night.

Brian Lehrer: Mikie Sherrill, congressmember from the 11th congressional district in New Jersey. By the way, we did just get a text that said, "I live in NJ eleven. Yes, there is price gouging at the grocery stores in the district." Mikey asks, "Why haven't the prices gone down? Hopefully this will start to happen soon," writes this listener. Thank you to our Rep. Thank you from me to the rep of that listener. Thanks for joining us, and good luck in Chicago this week.

Mikie Sherrill: Thank you so much thanks to that listener. Yes, I agree. It's something we've got to work on. Thanks so much.

Brian Lehrer: Katy Tur and Luke Russert from MSNBC still with us. Katy, any reaction to anything in that exchange?

Katy Tur: In talking about trying to use the US military or the National Guard at the border, Donald Trump has been putting this out there now for many years. He talked about it in the 2016 campaign. He wanted to do it obviously while he was president. He's talking about it again now. It's treating the symptoms and not the causes. One of the things that sticks out to me as we talk about immigration, as we cover immigration and how the campaigns are handling it is that there was a bipartisan immigration bill in the Senate that leaned conservative. Democrats weren't getting all they wanted in that bill. Republicans got a lot more.

It was hard fought to get that deal. The reason that it never went anywhere, only went to a floor vote as a show vote was that Donald Trump started calling Republicans and saying, "I don't like this bill. I don't want there to be a solve or an attempt at a solve at the border. I'd like to campaign on it. Let me do it when I'm president." Which presupposes that there will be Republicans in the House and the Senate and him in the White House again.

Mind you, when that was the case eight years ago or a little less than eight years ago when there were Republicans in the House and the Senate and him in the White House, there was no immigration done deal. Nothing got solved at the border. We can talk about sending the National Guard and taking troops down there to get a handle on things. You've got to get more bureaucrats down there. You've got to get more judges. You've got to get more people going through these asylum claims. You got to expedite the process. That requires more civil servants rather than people down there with guns.

Brian Lehrer: Andrew in Ossining, you're on WNYC. Hi, Andrew.

Andrew: Good morning, Brian. I'd just like your guests' thoughts about the impact of climate change as one of the major drivers of rising insurance costs and higher food prices with damaging storms and wildfires, and even in higher beef prices caused by things like wildfires a few months ago across Texas and if the Democrats can link the two of those.

Brian Lehrer: Luke, you want to take that?

Luke Russert: I think it's a great question, and I think it speaks to another issue that has not gotten enough attention I think from the media but also from politicians. That's the insurance crisis that is happening in the United States as it pertains to homes. You look at some places like California, in Florida, now in Texas as well and Arizona, this is a red state and a blue state and a purple state problem. People are finding it nearly impossible in some areas to ensure their homes, and that's directly attributable to climate change.

This is something which we are still beginning to feel the very real effects of. I don't think it's landed in a way that people have really woken up yet, but I do think that if you go back over the course of the last few decades in the United States, having homeowners insurance was almost a must-do. This is something that the economy is based on. This is something that ensures the survival of your home in the face of disaster.

The fact that it is now nearly impossible in a lot of the most highest growing metropolises to get this type of insurance in some places in Florida. Here's the irony here. The super conservative state, the one that's all about the free markets, the free market has essentially closed up, and now the state is responsible for a lot of homeowners insurance. I'll let people think about what they will. This is something that I think is directly attributed to climate change. In a better America, we'd have a more honest conversation about it and another party would acknowledge that it's very much happening in the reddest of red states.

Brian Lehrer: Maybe a more critical call as far as the Democrats are concerned from Ken in Pompton Plains. Hi, Ken, you're on WNYC.

Ken: Hi, Brian. Thanks for taking the call. And I agree with everything that's been said so far. I just want to hear the causes of inflation. Get the facts out on the stage. What is she going to do about it? As far as the price controls are concerned, I think it's important to get the facts there, too. I'm just nervous about it. It's [unintelligible 00:29:12] of socialism. I'm just nervous about that. That's all I wanted to say.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you. Running on affordability won't be clear sailing for Harris even though she's trying to be somewhat bold, and that might be attractive to a lot of folks. Luke, I heard what you said before about her getting dinged I think including from this caller for being specific on Friday rather than General Trump just says, "I'm going to cut prices in half." Then he doesn't say how except for drill, baby, drill. I saw, for example, the very critical column by the mostly progressive Washington Post economics columnist Catherine Rampell this weekend that said like the caller just said, price controls don't work.

I'm sure as an MSNBC correspondent you don't give a lot of truck to Donald Trump but she wasn't too far. Catherine Rampell, from his critique in content if not in tone. Here's Trump reacting to Harris's speech.

Donald Trump: Comrade Kamala announced that she wants to institute socialist price controls. You saw that. Never worked before. Never ever worked. This is the Venezuela Maduro plan of the old Soviet Union. They tried it. How did the Soviet Union Union work out? It became Russia, a smaller version.

Brian Lehrer: It's not Maduro and it's not Soviet but even Catherine Rampell wrote that globally, price controls tend to lead to shortages and other bad outcomes. It seems likely that this is the start of a debate, not a mandate from day one. Has Harris begun to answer the critics yet to your ear, Luke?

Luke Russert: I think so. I think that again, putting out a specific plan, the campaign knew that they were going to take some incoming on that. I think that speaks to where we are as a society. You almost get penalized for being more specific because heaven forbid you say what you're actually for, then people can start attacking you with it. It's a lot easier just to go around and speak in platitudes and hyperbole.

I think on this issue of price controls and price gouging, there's been a tendency from the republican party over the last 20 to 30 years to throw the communist critique at the nominee of the democratic party. It's a tried and true method. I think they were expecting this. I do think though [unintelligible 00:31:42] she has to be careful is not letting that be the defining story out of her economic plan.

Theres a lot of stuff in there that is very popular like the $6,000 child tax credit, up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for new homebuyers. I think there is components of it that are very popular, especially amongst independents. What they need to do from a communication strategy is say, "We're talking about price controls. We're not talking about socialist communist-style price controls. We're simply trying to get an idea of, as the congresswoman said earlier on the program, that egg producers' profits are going up 700%.

What's going on here? If framed in the right way, I think a lot of people will see that as populist but if you do not own the story, it can very much become one of socialism, which has always been this eternal stain, especially for democratic candidates over the last few election cycles.

Brian Lehrer: You both mentioned the expanded child tax credit proposal from Harris. Let me play this one last clip from her affordability speech on Friday. This one is on her proposal for an expanded child tax credit. She praises the pandemic emergency one that the Republican Congress discontinued, the historically large pandemic-era child tax credit.

Kamala Harris: Through which millions of Americans with children got to keep more of their hard-earned income. We know this works and has a direct impact on so many issues, including childhood poverty. We know it works. As president, I'll not only restore that tax cut but expand it. We will provide $6,000 in tax relief to families during the first year of a child's life.

Brian Lehrer: Harrison and expanded tax credit. Katy, just one question on this for now. JD Vance and you mentioned it is known to be for a child tax credit, too. Do you know if they support different versions? I do see that he wants people of all incomes, even billionaires, to get that tax break. Do you know if Harris does too or of any specific differences?

Katy Tur: I would be misleading you if I said I didn't know the specifics down to that detail, Harris's plan. I do want to touch on JD Vance. I think it's great that he's coming out and saying that he wants to expand the child tax credit. I think it'd be great if Republicans got on board with that. It would help a whole lot of people in this country. I've got two kids. I've got four, actually. They're really expensive, especially in that first year of life when you're trying to feed them, when you're trying to put diapers on them, you got to buy a whole host of new gear to keep them alive, beds, etcetera.

$6,000 would be more than meaningful for American families, and it could help us in the crisis we're facing among people starting families. Our population is in decline because people don't want to start families, partially because it's inhospitable this country to start a family. It's really expensive. It's really difficult. JD Vance, though, I'd like to see him vote along the same lines as what he's saying. He was not there for the last child tax credit expansion vote to re-up it. He didn't show up for it. He can say that he's for it but if he's not voting for it. I find it hard to believe his words. [crosstalk]

Brian Lehrer: Democrats were voting for it. Republicans killed it. He decided not to put his name on either side of that particular ledger that particular day. One more call, Rod in Patterson with something he wants to see at the convention this week. Hi, Rod.

Rod: Hey, how you doing, Brian? Greetings to you and your guests. I would like to see someone like Maxwell Frost, the congressman out of Florida, to have some type of significant role to bridge that gap with the Gen Z. Someone who went from street politics to literally congressional politics, and to be able to bridge that gap, something opposite of the Kid Rock and the Hulk Hogan offered. Can I make one more point as well? Quick one?

Brian Lehrer: Sure.

Rod: Second point, when we talk about the high cost of groceries, what I'm not hearing is when Mr. Trump initiated tariffs against China and Mr. Xi Jinping counted that by pulling the agricultural soybeans and other things, moving them to Argentina and Brazil, forcing the Trump administration to initiate a $28 billion aid for farmers. Now the bill is due today. How are we wondering why the prices are where they are? I need somebody to explain that to me.

Brian Lehrer: We will take that as a good pointed rhetorical question as we enter the last two minutes of this segment. Luke, I'm going to let you use these last two minutes to promote your upcoming New York City event, an MSNBC live event on Saturday, September 7th. What you got cooking?

Luke Russert: Oh, thank you so much, Brian. We have a wonderful ticketed program on September 7th at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It's called Democracy 2024. It's two parts. There's an afternoon session and there's an evening session, and it will showcase the best team in the business. Those are the folks we have on MSNBC. Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Jen Psaki, Joy Reid, Stephanie Ruhle, Lawrence O'Donnell, Andrea Mitchell, Alex Wagner, Steve Kornacki, Ari Melber, of course, the great Katy Tur, Symone Sanders, Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi, and Andrew Weissman. who's going

Brian Lehrer: Who's going to be on TV that day? That's everybody you have.

Luke Russert: That's why it's on a Saturday. There will be two sessions. There will be one in the afternoons, there's tickets available for that and one in the evening. That one's almost sold out. We're also going to have a documentary, Rachel Maddow's first that she's ever done, called From Russia with Lev. There's also a one-of-a-kind dinner and reception to cap off the evening.

We're really trying to do this to take the MSNBC brand to our most loyal and trusted viewers. We're trying to get out and meet people where they are. This is something which I think, post Covid, we've really seen the value add and having live events, having that person-to-person connection. We are the first of our kind to really try and do this. We're going to see how it works. I think it'll be positive. If you want to have an opportunity to have your voice be heard, to engage with some of the best personalities in all of cable news and on MSNBC, come on down to the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 7 and you can find out all the information@msnbcevents.com. That's msnbcevents.com.

I will be there as the host for every single session. I promise if you get a ticket, you can come say hi to me because I'll be working the room.

Brian Lehrer: Long day for Luke Russert coming up at BAM on Saturday, September 7th. Katy, he left you 15 seconds. Do you want to tell us with your journalist's eye what you'll be watching for at the Democratic convention this week?

Katy Tur: It's Kamala Harris's chance to introduce herself to the American public. It is a momentous situation. They're going back to Chicago for big change, as the Democrats are want to do. I'm going to be watching to see how that transition goes. We're going to hear Biden tonight. We'll hear Kamala Harris in a few days. Does the democratic party continue to coalesce? Then also, Brian, what's going to happen outside? How are those protests going to go?

Brian Lehrer: Katy Tur and Luke Russert from MSNBC on a very busy day for both of you with a convention starting today. Thank you for giving us so much time.

Katy Tur: Thank you, Brian.

Luke Russert: Thank you, Brian. Take care.

Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC, we turn the page. Much more to come.

 

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