that does it for us tonight. we will see you again tomorrow. "way too early" with jonathan lemire is up next. if you're not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for? right? have you ever seen anything so corrupt in your life? have you ever seen a greater embarrassment to our country? >> well, that was one of the many times donald trump criticized taking the fifth amendment. yesterday, that basically is all he did during a deposition with the new york a. g.'s office. plus new reporting on the fbi search of mar-a-lago and how the d.o.j. learned about the possibility of more classified documents on the property. also ahead, the trump

appointed director of the fbi, responds to threats against asians in the aftermath of the search. d-against agents in the aftermath of the search. good morning to all of you, welcome to "way too early", that is the show on this thursday, august 11, it is not just the time on your clock. i'm alex witt for jonathan lemire. we begin with the latest legal fallout from donald trump's deposition from the ag's office and the former president pleaded the fitchth amendment, his right against self incrimination for 450 times in four hours. it is all part of the new york a. g.'s probe into the trump business practices with the former president's attorney saying the only question he answered wa about his name. the attorney said trump took the fifth on questions about

evaluations of items, and golf clubs, signing documents, mortgages, loans and the size of his apartment. the former president said in a statement that he did it because his family, company, and all the people in his orbit have become quote targets of an unfounded politically motivated witch hunt. the new york attorney general's office declined to comment on any specifics. but did acknowledge the deposition took place, and confirmed trump took the fifth amendment repeatedly. and here is a reminder of what donald trump has said in the past about pleading the fifth. >> taking the fifth, i think it's disgraceful. >> what happened? he pleaded the fifth. right? he pleaded the fifth. >> the fifth amendment. >> fifth amendment, fifth amendment, fifth amendment. horrible. horrible. >> if you're innocent, why are you taking the fifth amendment?

>> a case of amnesia there. trump's eldest children were also deposed in this investigation, eric trump pleaded the fifth more than 500 times when he testified in october, 2020. and don jr. and ivz did not plead the fifth at all. joining us now, that lady up early with us, former u.s. attorney and an msnbc contributor barbara mcquade. let's get into this. certainly everybody has a right to protect themselves from self incrimination and he has said himself, that he basically has done it just for spite. so how can that impact this investigation? and the justice department's probe? >> well, one thing that's interesting, alex about, the fifth amendment is of course, it protects our right against self-incrimination, if we're in a criminal case, we can decline to answer any questions, you can even make that declaration in a civil cation, because your statements could be used against you in a criminal case, so that's why it extends here. but unlike a criminal case where a jury can't know about your

implication of a fifth amendment, in a civil case, they can. in fact, not only can they know about it, they are instructed that they may draw an adverse inference from the fact that the person invoked the fifth amendment. you can assume the answer would have been bad for him if he answered the question because you can only invoke your right against self-incrimination if you believe the answer could reasonably be expected to expose to you criminal prosecution. >> okay, so if you haed add that, another way to look at this, does pleading the fifth make it easier for letitia james which will be a one-sided perspective to the grand jury which then decides whether civil charges should be brought against donald trump? >> so the civil case here, you may remember, needs to be proved only by a preponderance of the evidence. 51%. and so we a brief that she filed earlier this year, where she laid out the documentary case, and she showed about how the

trump organization would value assets, low for one purpose when it suited them, tax purposes, let's say and value the assets much higher when it suited other purposes like applying for a loan. on its face, the case looks good and trump gave his side of the story and if there is an innocent explanation for this, tell me what it is and he didn't and he invoked the fifth and a faction finder will see that documentary case and in addition to that they had the inference that if donald trump had answered the questions it may have been something unfavorable to him and it may be enough to reach that 51%. >> letitia james was there for the q&a. do you think she went into this think expecting we plead the fifth and is that how she would have prepared?

>> i think that is probably right. we know he invoked it more than 400 times and they did have questions and it wasn't just let's walk in and go through this exercise. and i think they had to be prepared for that possibility that that would happen. but nonetheless, it is still important to go through it because a person must assert it on a question by question basis. there may be some things he was willing to answer, he had to answer those questions, what's your name, what's your job, those things are not protected by the fifth amendment so there could be some important things he could reveal and probably not surprising and this is sort of his opportunity to tell his side of the story and it was important that she do that to give him that opportunity, but if that's the way he wants to play it, that's fine, she has checked that box and she can run. >> unfortunately, we have to move on but good to see you as always, former u.s. attorney barbara mcquade, thank you very much. and the search of mar-a-lago, people familiar with the matter tell "the wall street journal" it came after weeks of

deliberation at the senior justice department and fbi officials and according to the journal, fbi officials showed up with instructions to keep the search as unobtrusive as possible, with agents dressed in plain clothes, and told not to take any weapons. the paper also reports that someone familiar with where boxes of government documents were stored told investigators their there may be more classified documents on the property, even after 15 boxes were sent to the national archives earlier in the year. news week continued reporting, telling the magazine, the search was largely based on information from the informant who told the fbi what documents trump was hiding and where they were located, so trump world is now reportedly trying to figure out who flipped. and the new "politico" ad from, the political ad from the lincoln project is focusing on reports that there was someone inside trump's inner circle to tipped federal officials off. take a look. >> who told them what you kept

in the safe at mar-a-lago? no, not that stuff. classified documents. 15 boxes of top secret files. and illegal. you broke the law. no wonder the department of justice and the fbi came out. but who leaked? who sold you out? was it jared? ivanka? don jr.? eric? mark meadows? all your old washington friends? talking to the 1/6 committee and the grand jury. maybe it was someone closer. someone you trusted. now his home was raided by the fbi. it's bad, donald. and there's no one you can trust. no one at all. >> there never was. >> the plot thickens there. what happens if former president trump is found to have violated federal laws, it would be

retaining classified documents without authorization, the paup "washington post" reports he could be convicted of a felony punishable by five years in prison for removing classified documents, or considered a felony before 2018, when trump himself signed a law making it one. and the bill was passed following trump's relentless attacks on hillary clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign for allegedly mishandling classified information. still ahead, texas gubernatorial candidate beto o'rourke gets interrupted during a campaign event. his response to the hecklers getting a lot of attention this morning. we will show you that moment. plus, an iranian national has been charged in a plot to assassinate john bolten. what the former national security adviser is saying about that. those stories and a check of weather when we come back.

woman tc: my a1c stayed here, it needed to be here. doctor tc: ruby's a1c is down with rybelsus®. man tc: my a1c wasn't at goal, now i'm down with rybelsus®.

son tc: mom's a1c is down with rybelsus®. song: a1c down with rybelsus® anncr vo: in a clinical study, once-daily rybelsus® significantly lowered a1c better than the leading branded pill. anncr vo: rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. anncr vo: don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. anncr vo: stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. anncr vo: serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. anncr vo: taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. anncr vo: side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. mom tc: need to get your a1c down? song: a1c down with rybelsus® anncr vo: ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today.

video from a beto o'rourke

campaign rally is spreading quickly across social media. the democratic nominee for texas governor gave a speech yesterday in a small town in a small town west of fort worth and he was about helping teachers and the uvalde school shooting when this happened. >> now 11 weeks since we lost 19 kids, and there are two teachers, shot to death, with a weapon originally designed for use in combat, legally purchased by an 18-year-old who did not try to obtain one when he was 16 or 17, but followed the law that's on the books, ladies and gentlemen, that says if you buy one, two or more if you want to, ar-15s, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and take up weapons that was originally designed for use of vietnam to penetrate a soldier's enemy helmet at 500 feet.

>> may be funny to you, [ bleep ], if it is not to you. >> nothing more serious to me than getting just ty for families in uvalde and stopping this from ever happening again. the islamic revolutionary guard corps member has been charged in a plot to murder former national security adviser john bolton. the 45-year-old iranian operative is accused of attempting to arrange his assassination likely for retaliation in the killing of an iranian command ner 2020, offering to pay $300,000 to individuals in the u.s. to carry out that attack. former secretary of state mike pompeo was also reportedly the target of the assassination plot. the operative remains at large. but in a statement, bolton thanked u.s. authorities for tracking the threat and bringing criminal charges. iran's foreign ministry declined

based on fictitious accusations. a deadly string of explosions in the crimea region yesterday. in a statement, ukrainian air force says the airfield which housed russian fighter jets and military planes was also rendered completely unusable following the attack. moscow however is denying any aircraft were damaged or any attack took place. but satellite images released yesterday by planet labs, an american company, appeared to show the aftermath of an explosion. those images show at least three blast craters and eight wrecked warplanes, contradicting by the way the kremlin's claims. at least one person was killed and 14 others injured after a series of explosions hit the air base. and ukraine lass not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack and ukraine officially told the "washington post" that the special forces which carry out covert operations deep behind enemy territory were

responsible for it. meanwhile as russia continues to surfer losses in its invasion of ukraine, there's new reporting that moscow is struggling to replenish troop numbers. according to the associated press, billboards and pupt transit advisements have been placed in different regions offering to join the army and using prisoners to make up for the man power shortage and this comes amid reports that hundreds of russian soldiers are refusing to fight and trying to in fact quit the military. still ahead, we will show you video of a dramatic rescue in texas, as a sinkhole swallows up a woman in her car. plus, one bright spot in a frustrating summer travel season. cheaper than usual air fares. we will look at how it could impact prices this fall. could impact prices this fall. a numbe. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients

for immune support. boost® high protein. want your clothes to smell freshly washed all day without heavy perfumes? try downy light in-wash freshness boosters. it has long-lasting light scent, no heavy perfumes, and no dyes. finally, a light scent that lasts all day. downy light!

and it's easier than ever to get your projects done right. with angi, you can connect with and see ratings and reviews. and when you book and pay throug you're covered by our happiness check out angi.com today. angi... and done.

kids don't always take the best care of school supplies. so save money shopping back to school on amazon. while they... 0oh... uh... figure their stuff out. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein.

thank you. i love you all. [ cheers and applause ] >> it is just so memorable, you know, like i said in my article, i'm terrible at goodbyes, but goodbye. thank you from the bottom of my heart. it has been a joy playing in front of you guys all these years. so thank you. >> and it has been a joy watching, certainly an emotional serena williams saying goodbye to fans in toronto at the canadian open, following her first match since telling the world she is ready to retire from professional tennis. williams lost in straight sets against reigning olympicgold medalist of switzerland in the second round match at the hard court after the u.s. open. the major championship starting august 22nd will presumably be the last grand slam and final event of her pro career. turning now major league

baseball, a memorable debut for a tough atlanta braves prospect in boston. >> now, grchld rissom facing a left handed pitcher up for the first time in the big league debut. >> grissom. over the monster. >> that's impressive. the first major league hit is a homerun. way out of fenway park in the seventh inning. the 21-year-old also stole a base in the game to become the youngest player in the modern era to homer and get a base in his debut. the braves beat the red sox 8-4. to seattle. yankees slugger aaron judge the major league leading 45th homerun of the season, a solo shot against the mariners the in the seventh inning. on pace for a record 65 homeruns this year. hall of famer roger maris has

the high mark in 1961, but seattle has an answer in the bottom of the frame. carlos santana, with a go-ahead two-run homer to cap a three-run seventh inning for the mariners. they hang on for a 4-3 win and take two out of three against the yankees. it is time now for weather. let's go to meteorologist bill karins for the forecast and can i say thank you when i say good morning, because it is a little nicer this morning than it was yesterday. i know it is all you. >> all me. we're going to have a lot of people saying the same thing. thank you. get rid of the humidity and the thunderstorms in the afternoon and yesterday, it was ugly again, especially around washington, d.c., the northwest side of the beltway, it has gotten hit with three times in the last three weeks, and we had some very heavy rainfall reports and video to show you, and you're the fish in the fish bowl with this one, look at the height of the water. this is rhode island avenue. in northwest dc. and this poor owner says this is the third time his business has been flooded. you can see some of the metro

stations, too, with some leaks. let's get to the forecast. really a couple of areas of concern this morning. if you're out there driving in central portions of new jersey, we have thunderstorms rolling from philadelphia to the coast. and a little bit of rain in staten island and long island during the morning. and a few storms in west virginia. here is the area of rain from philly to point pleasant. the majority of this is going to be miss downtown new york. as they head to long island, you will probably get into some of that rain. here is the forecast for today, we will be watching hit and miss showers and stofrms, but the big story is the cooler air coming down through the great lakes, you will feel it today in cleveland, detroit, chicago, cincinnati, tomorrow, you will get that cooler air in areas like dc, roanoke, nashville, raleigh and charlotte, and the lowest humidity you will feel in weeks. you'll appreciate it. the forecast for today, it won't rain all day in boston and new york. clear out this afternoon. kind of hot and humid in areas in the southeast. that's why you have a chance of storms there. and as we look ahead towards the

weekend forecast, get away day on friday, just showers and storms in the south, much of the country is very nice and unfortunately very hot in the dakotas and through texas and know problems on the west coast whatsoever and on saturday, it is still lingering thunderstorms, mostly in the afternoon, from new orleans, to tallahassee, over to jacksonville, and our friends, same for you in orlando and tampa and finally end our weekend with another gorgeous day in new england and in the northeast, alex, and this will be one of the nicest summer weekends you are ever going to see, from the great lakes, ohio valley, and into the northeast. sunny, warm, and low humidity. it doesn't get much better than that. >> we love hearing that. thank you, my friend. we will see you again. well, one more story before we go to break, a texas woman is safe this morning, after just barely being pulled from her car before it sank into rushing waters, and it was all caught on video. take a look. this happened in el paso, texas on tuesday a water main break caused that sinkhole to open up, nearly submerging the car with the woman still inside.

and in fact, at one point, a group of bystanders and firefighters were seen holding the back of that car, it was above the water, as others pulled her out through the rear windshield, just moments before water dragged that car down into that sinkhole. the firefighters were treated for minor injuries and the woman was given medical treatment but fortunately is in stable condition. still ahead, there has been a growing number of threats against law enforcement and the fbi following the search of donald trump's mar-a-lago home. we're going to take a look at what fbi director christopher wray, a trump appointee is saying about the increase in violent rhetoric. and president biden signs a bill expanding health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. another legislative win for the white house. how will the law play out in november? we're back in a moment. moment pool floaties are like whooping cough. amusement parks are like whooping cough. even ice cream is like whooping cough,

it's not just for kids. whooping cough is highly contagious for people of any age. and it can cause violent uncontrollable coughing fits. sometimes followed by vomiting and exhaustion. ask your doctor or pharmacist about whooping cough vaccination because whooping cough isn't just for kids. it's time for the biggest sale of the year, on the sleep number 360 smart bed. aswhy choose proven qualityst abousleep from sleep number?tion because proven quality sleep is vital to our health and wellness, only the sleep number 360 smart bed keeps you cool, then senses and effortlessly adjusts for your best sleep.

and tells you exactly how well you slept. your sleepiq score. our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night. so, you can be your best for yourself and those you care about most. and now, all smart beds are on sale. save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. only for a limited time. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein.

welcome back, everyone, to "way too early." we're coming up on 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. i'm alex witt in for jonathan lemire. the mar-a-lago search is already prompting a baseless conspiracy theory from trump and his allies that the fbi may have planted evidence to be used against him. the former president laid the ground work for the unfounded claim with a post on his social media site yesterday alleging that his lawyers were asked to leave his home while the search warrant was being executed. this suggestion that the fbi may have operated with malicious intent was quickly amplified by some of trump's top allies including admitted liar alex

jones, former white house chief strategist steve bannon, and even kentucky senator rand paul. >> do i know that the boxes of material they took from mar-a-lago, that they won't put things in those boxes, to entrap him. how do we know? their lawyers weren't allowed to see the boxes. they weren't categorized. thousands of documents were taken. how do we know that they will be honest with us about what was in the boxes and how do we know it was in the box before it left the residence. >> well, in the days since the search of mar-a-lago, the fbi and other law enforcement agencies say there's been an increase in people making threats against them. speaking to reporters yesterday, fbi director christopher wray addressed whether he believes the search emboldened those making threats. >> as to the issue of threats, i will say that i'm always concerned about violence and threats of violence against law enforcement. any threats made against law enforcement, including the men and women of the fbi, as with any law enforcement agency, are

deplorable and dangerous. >> how concerned are you that after the raid, that it emboldens and incentivizes some of the same actors of january 6th doing something similar? >> again, violence against law enforcement is not the answer no matter what anybody is upset about or who they're upset with. >> director wray did not get into any specifics surrounding the search. the search of a former president's home also puts the department of justice under intense scrutiny. despite calls to break protocol and release information with the investigation, the department has so far remained silent. but based on a handful of interviews with nbc news there is a divide even in the law enforcement community about how to proceed. two senior d.o.j. officials, one former, say that multiple people within the department think attorney general merrick garland should make a public statement about the warrant. another trump a--appointed former u.s. attorney describes

being torn over the matter but adds, this definitely is a situation where the policies don't apply. on the other hand, former u.s. attorney and u.s. legal analyst joyce vance argues that publicly discussing a case where no charges have been filed will only give credence to those who say the search was politically motivated. senior politics reporter, insider, grace panetta, thanks for joining us. the former president as you know, has called this search on his property politically motivated and possibly resulting in threats and could this help people vote in the midterms, do you think? >> that is a million dollar question, alex and the truth is it is too early to say and it depends how the investigation will progress. all we know so far is that there was a search and we don't know if it will lead to charges and it could be just document retrieval or it could be primarily related to national security, and criminal charges, it could be a secondary

consideration. and what is absolutely clear is that trump will try to seize on this in any way he can to boost his own standing ahead of 2024, and this could give republicans something they need to latch on to in terms of grievances against quote-unquote the deep state and the fbi. >> it is a really good point, the august, the election is not until november on that front, so let's get to another point, with the debate, which continues certainly over whether or not the d.o.j. releases the statement, why what would be the political implications be if they decide to do that? >> the plim implications are huge. they have already crossed a major rubicon by executing the search and surely not done lightly, after much consideration and after they found that they couldn't get what they wanted through a subpoena. and on the grounds that they have to keep in mind that they know that setting themselves up to have really intense political battles, when the republicans take back control of the house of representatives as they're

expected to do, just the level of hearings, and oversight, it is just going to be immense. so whether or not they make a statement, they have already crossed that line. >> to your point, earlier, about donald trump using this to his advantage, talk about fundraising. how much is he monetizing the situation? he and other republicans? >> massively. you know, almost immediately after this search was executed, both parties seized on it to raise money, and you know, for trump, he is going to try to use it to, in case he wants to run in 2024, clear the field of any opposition and paint himself as a martyr of the quote-unquote deep state and the federal government. but i mean regardless of how long this goes on, definitely going to be fodder for fundraising. >> no price there, grace, thank you for weighing, in from the insider. still ahead we are live with cnbc with the latest on business news and a look at wall street before the bell. the markets are looking pretty good after yesterday's big gains. that is next here on "way too

early." age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein.

. as promised, time for business, and for that, we bring in cnbc's julianna tatelbaum joining us live from london. good morning to you, my friend. a look at the nasdaq composite, that is officially in a new bull market. wall street is turning the focus on the producers price index, and that is due out this morning. so what are the expectations on it? >> good morning. well, it is a big week for inflation. we got the ppi coming into focus today. and there is a big question as to whether it will match what we saw yesterday in the consumer price index. that was a big report that garnered attention from investors around the world. ultimately showing that inflation pressures cooled in july versus june. and the ppi report will be important, because it will help flush out the inflation picture for the federal reserve. the overall take yesterday on the back of the cpi was that the fed may not have to move as

aggressively in raising interest rates as previously expected. >> futures are pointing higher. >> that will be good. if they don't have to raise it that high, that will be good, for credit cards and the like. what happened in disney? it has a total of 221 million subscribers now across the streams platforms and edged past netflix. tell us a bit more about that. >> this was a blowout quarter for disney. subscriber numbers surpassed expectations. the theme parks boomed with people. in terms of subscribers, this is the key focus for investors, you mentioned that 221 million number, that is combined across disney plus, hulu and espn plus. for disney plus specifically, those subscription numbers came in at 152.1 million. putting it all together, 221 is ahead of netflix, which has about 220 million subscribers. we're also looking at more insight into pricing for disney. they announced a new set of

price tiers, disney plus, with no asd up $3, to 10.99 per month and disney plus with ads will be 7.99. so that's the old price. and disney plus hulu, that bundle will be 9.99 so disney trying out how demand for an ad-supported service will stack up. maybe people will like it even better than the no ad service that they currently offer. >> they just might even though it is a bit of an increased price. let me ask you about airline ticket prices. rather than increasing, they fell sharply in the last month. certainly for summer travel. do we, should we rather expect prices to continue to drop into the fall? do we buy our holiday travel now? should we hold our breath and wait a bit? >> well, of course, we never can say for sure, but the data suggests that we may have seen a peak in prices, we have seen airline prices fall 8% from june to july and rental car prices

have falling 9.5%, and lodging prices have fallen about 3% over that period. this was all detailed in that inflation report yesterday. and we have spoken to some travel experts at cnbc, for some tips how to security best price even if we do see prices rise from here. a couple to share you with. number one, be flexible on dates. if you're looking to travel internationally, wait until the autumn. better prices than during the summer months. also, is it going to a big city, it is best to wait to book your hotel right up until you travel, often hotels will try to get rid of inventory, and they're cutting it close and drop prices to do so, and finally, if you're looking to rent a car, experts say you should rent a major airport hub, prices can be lower there. >> all right, taking that advice on the last two points, and i agree, that works. julianna tatelbaum, from across the pond, good to see you. thank you so much. one more business-related story for you this morning. the average cost of gasoline here in the united states is now under $4 a gallon. according to aaa, the national

average cost of a gallon of regular gas is $3.99. that's the lowest it's been since march. and energy costs have played a major role in this year's record inflation. the decline in gas prices helps the consumer price index which rose 8.5% last month as compared to a year ago. still ahead, a response from a state lawmaker, having a strong message from donald trump after surviving a tough primary challenge. and a look at how trump-backed candidates have faired so far this year. "way too early" is coming right back. coming right back hi, i'm eileen. i live in vancouver, washington and i write mystery novels. dogs have been such an important part of my life. i have flinn and a new puppy. as i was writing, i found that i just wasn't as sharp and i new i needed to do something so i started taking prevagen. i realized that i was much more clear

and i was remembering the details that i was supposed to. prevagen keeps my brain working right. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

more primary results from tuesday are coming in with a top republican lawmaker surviving a primary challenge after he became a president of former president trump. robin vos the longest serving

assembly speaker in wisconsin history and says his win proves that lawmakers don't have to be a lap dog to whatever donald trump says. former president trump repeatedly lashed out at vos in the contest for refusing to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. president biden won there by more than 20,000 votes. vos's challenger came within three points, and was endorsed by trump. just one week before the primary day. several republican primaries this year have capped president trump's influence on the future of gop. and national correspondent for nbc news and msnbc steve kornacki has more from the big board. hey, steve. >> for the latest round of primaries just adding to the role that donald trump is playing, the dominant role donald trump is playing in a lot of these republican primaries, still showing he's a major force within the republican party, wisconsin, this tuesday, tim michels won the republican

primary for governor and beat rebecca kleefisch, and the trump-backed candidate wins in wisconsin. it will run against tony evers in november. it could be a close race. there is a primary in connecticut this week for the united states senate this. may not be the most competitive race in the general election but again what makes this interesting is we're taking the temperature of the republican party. donald trump coming in with an endorsement days before this primary at the last minute this an upset, his candidate wins the connecticut republican primary. so another win for trump there. and more significantly for trump though this week, we've got some final results from out in washington, and a primary in washington state, they were actually held a week ago, but they take a long time to count their votes out there, and lear we got the third strict here, remember, it is called a top two primary in washington state, and democrats, republicans, and they run on the same ballot, and the

top two finishers advance to the general election in november. and the democrat finishes first. but then how about this? here is a republican incumbent, jamie herrera butler, a republican who voted to impeach donald trump after the january 6th, and she conceded defeat to joe kent, joe kent endorsed by donald trump, finishing in second place here. and echo donald trump's claims about the 2020 election. that is a notch in donald trump's belt there. and another one of those republican members of congress that there were ten tote whole voted to impeach trump, trump takes down another one there. in fact we can take the full list out. here are the ten. the ten pro-impeachment republicans, this is what is happening in 2022, one, two, three, four close to retire, maybe they figured it wasn't worth fighting it out in the republican primary and then you've got jamie herrera butler, lost primary, peter m.i.a. ner michigan lost. tom rice in south carolina lost. there was david valadao in

california, he got through the primary, very notefully that is a primary where donald trump did not make an endorsement. he stay the oud of it. and danny newhouse, in washington state with a little more than 25% of the vote, he managed to get through the top two primary, trump did endorse a candidate there but there were a ton of candidates on the ballot claiming allegiance to trump and maybe the field was split enough for him to get through. and the only one left to face the voters is next tuesday, liz cheney in wyoming, she's facing trump-backed harriet hagman, and one poll on this race from a few weeks ago, had cheney more than 20 points behind, and if you look at that track record, we just showed you a minute ago, clearly an uphill battle for liz cheney in that primary next week in aye. your thoughts, alex? >> i till well you whether or not liz cheney wins her primary on tuesday remains to be seen but either way she has earned the respect of millions of americans for her relentless

pursuit of truth and justice. i know we'll be seeing a lot more of her. up next, president biden signs a bill to expand health care benefits for veterans with house democrats poised to send a sweeping reconciliation package to his desk. and coming up on "morning joe," we're going to hear from desk. coming up, we're going to hear from anita dunn about the successes and what's next on the president's agenda. plus, president trump's decision to plead the fifth hundreds of times during his deposition with the new york attorney general's office yesterday. front, dan reynolds, imagine dragons frontman, is talking about what the rock band is doing to help ukraine. "morning joe," it's just moments away. ts away versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein.

it's time for the biggest sale of the year, on the sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. boost® high protein also has key nutrients our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night. all smart beds are on sale. save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. only for a limited time.

the house is scheduled to vote on the inflation reduction act. the lower chamber would delay a vote on the pack page of public safety bills to focus on

reconciliation. the senate passed the sweeping package last weekend. it includes the largest investment in climate measures in the nation's history and a new 15% minimum tax on corporations. president biden has signed legislation that expand health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during military service. the pact act is the largest expansion bill for veterans exposed to toxins in more than 30 years. it is expected to extend eligibility for medical care to roughly 3.5 million veterans. it also addressed an issue personal to the president, who says he believes there could be a connection between the brain cancer that killed his son beau and the burn pits that he was exposed to during his military service. >> as a nation, we have many obligations. i've been saying this for a long, long time. many obligations. one truly sacred obligation, to equip those we send into harm's way and to care for them and their families when they come

home. that's a -- we have a lot of obligations, but that's a truly sacred obligation we have. >> well, joining us now, white house reporter for "the washington post," yasmin, good morning. we're going to get going under way here with the additional significant wins for president joe biden. there are some, but can the democrats, in fact, capitalize on these victories in the upcoming midterms in november? what do you think? >> that's their challenge. the goal is not to lose momentum when they come back in the fall. majority leader schumer mentioned there are pieces of legislation they want to take up when they come back in the fall, including codifying same sex marriage. unclear if they'll have enough senators to pass it. democrats are on a roll, passing big pieces of legislation in congress, including their economic agenda which the house seems poised to pass tomorrow. democrats are hopeful that now

they have a number of things to point to, but they've also made clear, when we have spoken with strategists, with white house officials, with members of congress, that it is not just about pointing to their legislative wins, of which they think they can make a compelling case, especially with something like allowing medicaid to negotiate drug prices, but showing a contrast between the reasons. they feel they have a big case to make, even as their battling gas prices and inflation, which have fallen but are still high. >> the president's approval ratings are rather low at this point. how much do you think that's going to impact the democrats in the midterms, and to what extent does the white house, despite saying they don't, keep an eye on that number? >> it is clear the white house keeps an eye on it clearly, and i think they are frustrated that the president continues to have such low approval ratings. i think we still have to wait and see if the recent flurry of legislative activity bring up his ratings. when it comes to the midterms,

you'll see democrats who are hesitant to campaign with president biden, who because they're going to want to outperform his approval ratings or how he performed in their districts, especially in the tough swing districts. you know, the white house is still waiting to see what the president gets a bump from the recent activity in congress and the passage of a big economic agenda. but i think, you know, there is concern that democrats don't want to be dragged down by president biden's approval ratings. it seems unlikely that there will be some dramatic bump in the next couple weeks or couple of months. >> so there certainly are a few campaign issues for biden. he campaigned on them. they have not materialized yet. paid parental leave being one of them, universal p-k, immigration, among other things. do we expect to see movement on these before the midterms? what is the white house focused on? >> i think it is pretty unlikely you see movement on something like universal pre-k or paid family leave and medical leave, because these are all things

that were initially part of what was, at one point, build back better. $2 trillion agenda that got whittled down to a $700 billion bill that democrats have passed. i think it is pretty unlikely those come back up. it was clear that was not going to pass the senate. so i think over the next couple of months, the senate wants to take up the same sex marriage bill. that would be popular with the democratic base. i think the big focus for the white house over the next couple months and for democrats is going to be building momentum, making sure everything they've gotten done the last couple of weeks is not a blip and a good stretch in august that is then forgotten, but something they can use to propel forward in the midterms. it's kind of been a given at this point that democrats would lose the house. they are at risk of loing the senate, as well, in which they have a 50/50 majority with vice president harris breaking the tie. the hope is maybe they can hold on to the senate. the house seems unlikely, but who knows? >> to what extent is the white house taking a victory lap and really celebrating what they've passed for the climate and the

environment? how much do you think that'll help them in the midterms? >> i think the climate provisions will be a help with the democratic base. these are things that, a, are difficult for many voters to understand because it is things like electric vehicle credits. they're not easy campaign messages. obviously, they're very proud of making this massive investment and addressing climate change, but i don't know that that's going to be something that is a super strong midterm message for them. i think they feel much more confident about the prescription drug pricing messages which they passed, which democrats have been trying to do for decades. >> okay. yasmin, from "the washington post," thank you for getting up "way too early." thank you to all of you, as well. "morning joe" starts right now. i'll see you tomorrow. taking the fifth, i think it is disgraceful. what happened, he pleaded the fifth, right? he pleaded the fifth.

fifth amendment, ba. fifth amendment, fifth amendment, fifth amendment, horrible. horrible. the mob takes the fifth. if you're innocent, why are you taking the fifth amendment? >> you sit there, mika, and listen to him, "fifth amendment, fifth amendment." what is he doing? obviously, he was practicing. >> well, there is that. donald trump's thoughts on taking the fifth before invoking the fifth more than 400 times yesterday while testifying in new york state's investigation. >> 400 times. >> of the trump organization. >> he took the fifth 400 times. >> how long does that take? so does he still think it is disgraceful? >> 400 times over disgraceful. >> does he think it is something you only do if you are guilty. >> 400 times guilty. >> does he still think it is something the mob does? >> 400 times. >> well -- >> is he mobbed up? is that what he is telling us? is this confession? is this rejection? only time will tell. plus, new information on the fbi's search of mar-a-lago and how offici