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back with us, nancy cook, jon meacham, eugene robinson, general barry mccaffrey. general, i'll begin with you. you are certainly very familiar with mattis. what do you make of this? >> look, mattis is a very unusual figure in the armed forces. with the exception of maybe colin powell, he's the most respected military officer since world war ii. he's a defense intellectual. he's a ferociously aggressive combat marine commander. he has tremendous integrity and balance. so he's a remarkable public figure. his highest point of his life, i hope, was the cabinet meeting, which you will remember. i think it was one of the first ones where the cabinet was taking turns with this incredible on seek weous groveling, embarrassing behavior to the president. when it got to mattis he said, "mr. president, i'm just proud to represent the men and women of the armed forces." this guy is a very tough man, very balanced guy. i don't think he has any political ambitions. i hope this book is helpful in understanding the incredible chaotic dysfunctional system now in place to deal with

jon meacham, i want to go back to you. and, you know, steve kornacki brought up the point that the best thing for the affordable care act was donald trump, just like the best thing for expanded background checks and the best thing for our free trade was a donald trump presidency. the pew poll showed earlier this summer that actually what people view as racism and a majority of americans view their president as a racist, is actually made more americans sensitive on the issue of race. and made more americans more open minded when it comes to the issue of race. it's what we talked about for some time, which is the reaction against donald trump's most extreme traits. could it also be that -- and talk about perot that the only thing that -- in the end that could cure this itch for populism would be the enactment of populist policies themselves which end up hurting american farmers, american consumers, people that shop at walmart. people that shop at best buy. people that go into the grocery store. populism may end up being the

i want to bring in jon meacham, pulitzer prize winning presidential historian. his latest book is "songs of america," co-wrote that book with tim mcgraw. also with me, brian costello, republican from pennsylvania. mr. meacham, we've talked this hour and in the past as well about the role of the president as consoler-in-chief. the president is going to be trying to play that role in two cities today. if the past is any indication, jon meacham, what do you suspect we'll hear from the president? >> i suspect we'll hear at least out of his mouth fairly wrote, fairly routine words of attempted comfort and reassurance. i think you saw the real donald trump in what he tweeted this morning, attacking congressman o'rourke. where we are right now is we have a president who has abdicated the genuine efficacy of the role of what franklin roosevelt called the presidency as a place preeminently of moral leadership. i think what you're seeing today which is fascinating, senator booker and vice president biden filling that vacuum. there is -- people can argue it's, quote, just

jon meacham, thank you for joining me. david french, lovely to see you. coming up, a potentially make or break moment for 2020 presidential candidate. iowa state fair kicking off today. we're going to take you there. what voters care most about. ta. what voters care most about. look limu. a civilian buying a new car. let's go. limu's right. liberty mutual can save you money by customizing your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. oh... yeah, i've been a customer for years. huh... only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ we're going all in thion strawberries.ra, at their reddest, ripest, they make everything better. like our strawberry poppyseed salad and new strawberry summer caprese salad. order online for delivery. panera. food as it should be so, every day, we put our latest technology and unrivaled network to work. the united states postal service makes more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. fill up for the chance to win free fuel for a year. that's one of thousands of prizes in

historian, author of the "soul of america" jon meacham. former fbi special agent, clint watts. washington bureau chief for "usa today," susan page. so it's come to the point as one person observed on twitter that when you ask about the recent mass shooting in this country the answer is which one? well, we'll get to the dayton, ohio, shooting in just a moment. we'll speak with the city's mayor coming up this hour. a motive in that shooting remains unclear. there are some theories emerging online and we'll report on them if something gets confirmed but we'll start with the el paso massacre, because the motive in that shooting is apparent and it's political. yes, we have a major gun problem in this country. yes, we have a mental health crisis in this country. absolutely. kevin mccarthy, we'll even say that video games can cause some issues, but we clearly have a white supremacy problem in this country and the president is acting again as an accelerant. it was written, days before the el paso massacre -- >> this was before the massacre. >> that instinct and experience tell me we ar

. >> jon meacham, you've got kids. i've got some, too, and it's become a matter of routine for them, as ann just pointed out, with those 3 and 4-year-olds. and they don't bat an eye. it's what they do. it's like fire drills that we used to have. that they go in, they turn off the lights and close the blinds and lock themselves in the closet and hide from a shooter. they practice doing that. and that's just a part of their life. it's the way they're growing up. >> it's remarkable. and it is a climate of fear. fear creates unreason. if you feel you're constantly under threat, it leads to irrational thought, irrational actions. and i think that ultimately, what has to happen is the ubiquity of the anxiety is something that has to be dispelled, both by word and by deed. it can't simply be a matter of people saying reassuring things. it has to be some sort of policy move that begins to make people feel safer. the first function of government, the most conservative person on the planet will agree with this. the first functio

zerlina maxwell, jon meacham and robert costa. >>> coming up, warning that russia is still interfering in our elections. let's listen to his warning. >> over the course of my career, i have seen a number of challenges to our democracy. the russian government's effort to interfere in our election is among the most serious. >> but president trump still hasn't gotten that message. once again, he is coming to the defense of the russians. wait until you hear what he said this time, i mean by today. >>> plus, what the candidates told me last night in the spin room there was a lot of talk about the front-runner, joe biden. much more ahead. stick with us. stick with us. you try hard, you eat right... mostly. you make time... when you can. but sometimes life gets in the way, and that stubborn fat just won't go away. coolsculpting takes you further. a non-surgical treatment that targets, freezes, and eliminates treated fat cells, for good. discuss coolsculpting with your doctor. some common side-effects include temporary numbness, discomfort, and swelling. don't imagine results, see them. coolsc

david mccullough jon meacham ron chernow robert caro, among other well-known authors. >> i have an advance copy of the american story and i did want to ask you when you look at the historians 99 percent are white male. does that affect how we are telling our american story. >> david rubenstein: no doubt it does. we've tried and we do have some women who are authors in there as well. we also have another one who african-american authors as we well, i interviewed regarding the african-american cultural museum. we've also had some white others who have related to black issues. he is written a definitive book on back history. we try always to get more women and minority authors and we are striving to do a better job. but there is no doubt that many of the best historians to date, have been white males. we talked about several of her books and she has appeared at the national book festival as well. david rubenstein there is a literary award that's being named after you. >> david rubenstein: is a literacy award. here's what it is. i as a young boy went to a library, near my home in baltimore, yo

according to jon meacham, the book gives a vivid account of the year that shaped not only the conflicts of the hour but the course of our lives even now and the best-selling author observes it must have been the bravest and stupidest year in modern times. with the gripping narrative and revelation, he shows us why a character is destiny. please join me in welcoming andrew. [applause] thanks to all of you for being here. everybody must want a little bit of a break from the intensive political news and want to talk about the good old days. i appreciate the hospitality inviting me to this event and giving me the tour which is fabulous i'm sure most of you have done it but it was my first. what particularly struck me is writers as you may realize tenth to be a little obsessive about things. the obsessions about the house, how to design it and then you just see things in her underlining it in various places make it feel very familiar. the other thing that feels familiar is that the works were often a product of her upbringing while she was back and forth between europe and the united states,

by fellow authors and historians including jon meacham and douglas brinkley he says it showcases theodore roosevelt and all of the glory. it brings it back to life in the vibrant pages and the patriotism and political genius are captured in this site you are in for something special tonight. he will be reading from the buck and then amanda will join in the conversation and you will have a chance to ask your questions after that. please join me in welcoming to the stage clay risen. [applause] i didn't come prepared. [laughter] i want to think gree thank greer hosting me. it is a pleasure to have a bookstore like this right down the street and know that from the very beginning of moving into this neighborhood this wasn't just a bookstore but a place to talk about networks so to have so many friends, neighbors, coworkers. hopefully we will have a little fun tonight. i will read a little bit from the book. it should be evident it is about theodore roosevelt and, sorry about that, this is where i'm really not prepared. i didn't even have my microphone on. so, this is the 32nd version america d

that's an american. >> all right, jon meacham, thank you so much for being on this morning. we're going to talk to the founder of business insider for insight into what ceos think about the chances of a recession coming up. plus the washington post robert kosta joins us for his new reporting on the republicans thinking about challenging trump for the party's nomination. "morning joe" is back in a moment. k in a moment right now, congress is working to end surprise medical billing. that's when patients are hit with medical bills they thought would be covered by insurance. but what congress is considering would cut money that vulnerabe patients rely on the most. that means seniors, children, and americans relying on medicaid would be hurt. it's already too hard for people to get basic medical care with hospitals closing and a shortage of er doctors. tell congress we can end surprise billing without shredding the safety net. paid for by physicians for fair coverage. spending time together, sometimes means doing nothing at all. holiday inn. we're there. so you can be too. hi, it

and roger's professor of the vanderbilt university jon meacham. he's also an maple contributor and a roadietor tim mcgraw. we'll get into that

historian and author of "the soul of america" and rogers presidency at vanderbilt university jon meacham is with us. he's an nbc news and msnbc contributor. great to have you all on board with us this morning. >> well, mika, i spent -- i had a couple of days off last week and i spent those days pushing myself. seeing how many big mac's and how many orders of popeyes fried chicken -- >> you worked really hard. >> i could have. i drove to west texas to get a whataburger. oh, that was good. but you did something a little different. tell us how you spent -- >> it was the longest we have been apart, i think. i went up mt. kilimanjaro with my daughter. it was hairy. we did the six day instead of the two week, and

and roger's professor of the vanderbilt university jon meacham. he's also an maple contributor and a roadietor tim mcgraw. we'll get into that later. there's a lot to cover including the bruising day on wall street. now there's growing concerns over a potential recession. plus china with two big stories. they are still consuming hong kong and the trade war with washington. and congressman steve king managing to offend just about everything with his comments on abortion, rape, and incest. we'll get the latest reaction from capitol hill with some republicans calling for him to resign. but, we begin with a developing story out of philadelphia. an armed suspect accused of opening fire and wounding six officers during an eight-hour standoff has surrendered early this morning. shortly after midnight a police spokesman tweeted that a suspect was in custody and that s.w.a.t. officers were clearing the house where the standoff took place. police on the scene said the suspect surrendered without incident and was taken to a hospital for treatment because tea

jon meacham, thank you, congressman costello, thank you. >>> andrea mitchell starts right now with my colleague amen mohyeld mohyeldin. >> when you played that clip of obama, it gave me goose bumps. reminds me of a time of a president be a consoler-in-chief. >>> donald trump denies his rhetoric is partially to blame for a rise in hate-filled violence as he visits the two communities most recently def stated by mass shootings. >> i think we have toned it down. we've been getting hit left and right. >> the other thing i heard, chris, totally unsolicited from victims still in the hospital as they grab my arm and tell me, tell him not to come here. >> he made his bed. he's got to lie in it. >> coming together, can congress agree on tougher gun laws that president says no to an assault weapons ban but leaves the door open on other measures. >> there's a great appetite and i mean a very strong appetite for background checks, and i think we can bring up background checks like we've never had before. >>> words matter. democratic presidential contenders tie the president to a rise in white sup

and jon meacham would agree, truly unprecedented to attack americans in the path of a dangerous storm. >> that's right, and the president and his government has been criticized for their handling of the previous hurricane and storm that basically devastated puerto rico. and there's criticism they didn't pay as much attention. you can take that and look at storms or you can even look at a bit more broadly that there's a criticism of the president that he is sort of views himself as the leader just for the people who support him. by that view he's much more likely to be sympathetic to victims in, frankly, a red state or red city. in his public statements, you will see that. in some of these other districts that are not republican districts, he's much more likely -- take the city of baltimore where he went after rat and rodent infested where he treats them as if they're a third world country that may need help but not part of the united states over which he presides and you also see that in storm coverage with him. >> it is truly one of the more remarkable aspects of a remarkable preside

the book has been praised by fellow authors and historians including jon meacham and douglas brinkley. scrupulously researched and dramatically narrated, "the crowded hour" showcases theodore roosevelt in all of his rough rider glory. clay risen brings the spanish-american war and the gilded age back to life. all of roosevelt's undaunted hubris, derring-do and political genius are captured in the epic. so you're in for something special tonight. clay will be reading from the book, then amanda will join him in conversation, and you'll have a chance to ask your questions after. that please join me in welcoming to stage clay risen. [applause] >> i did not come prepared. [laughter] all right. so, first of all, i just want to thank greenlight so much for hosting me for this event. it is just a single pleasure of my life to have a bookstore like in this right down the street and know that, you know, from the very beginning, my children right here from the very beginning of moving into this neighborhood with little kids, this was not just a bookstore, but truly a part of our community, part

joining us now, julia ioffe and historian and author of "the soul of america," jon meacham. he is an nbc news and msnbc contributor. >> so, jon, jewish groups, predictably, and rightfully, attacked the president for using an anti-semitic trope, talking about jewish disloyalty. there is a long and sordid history of anti-semitism across america, across europe, where y jews have been attacked for being insufficiently disloyal. the president of the united states used that anti-semitic trope yesterday, accusing about 75, 80% of jews in america of being, quote, disloyal. and what we have, yet again, is an example where the president's acting in contradiction to the best parts of the american tradition. not always observed in its -- and are following that tradition, but when we're at our best, we have found a way for religious liberty to really be at the center of our republican, lower case "r," conversation. before james madison did anything, he wrote into the virginia state constitution the idea that we would not simply be religiously tolerant, which pre-supposed there was a powe