cornyn, your opening statement. senator cornyn: thank you for having us here tonight. thank you for everyone listening remotely. i love texas. i love texas. it has been my honor to represent her, all 29 million of us in the united states senate. i don't believe we need to make texas like chum schumer's new york or nancy pelosi's california. we need to make the rest of the country more like texas. respect is on the ballot. respect for medicare recipients whose benefits are threatened or the energy policies are embraced by my opponent and respect for law enforcement. sam houston said what is good for texas is good for the country and i believe that is still true today. >> thank you. thank you bote. that was -- both. that was your opening statement. we have lots of questions. all of these questions that we're getting through tonight so you both know and you at home know as well have been based on emails we have got frontline viewers over the last several weeks. we have a lot to tackle tonight. >> thank you, sally. it is good to see you both. we're going to start with you,

john cornyn, no action. no leadership. but when his party bosses call he jumps to rush through a supreme court nominee. i'm m.j.hager. i did three tours in afghanistan. earned a purple heart. and am raising two kids in the middle of a pandemic and john thinks i'm going to get pushed around in washington like he has? >> all right. m.j.hager joins me now. hello and thank you so much. i really appreciate it. >> of course, don, my pleasure. we are so excited to tell the whole country what is happening here in texas. >> after that interview with cornyn came out you tweetd, quote, coward. >> yes. >> what do you think about republicans like your opponent trying to distance themselves from trump now? >> you know, i just think it's too little too late. i think texans have a very sensitive bs meter. i think we see right through it. we are very clearly seeing john cornyn doesn't serve texas but his party and special interest corporate donors and frankly either he is wildly ineffective or lying. he's lied to us quite a bit, spread mis

that's a bright red flashing sign that says john cornyn is in deep trouble, and if john cornyn is in deep trouble, texas is in play. >> and that's why john cornyn's democratic opponent mj hager is joining us later in this hour. john heilemann, renee graham, wish me luck to get through the rest of the hour without the boston accent, cracking and thank you very much for starting us off tonight. we appreciate it. >> wicked hard, lawrence. wicked hard. >> thank you, john. >>> and when we come back, guess which presidential candidate in thursday night's debate has a bank account in china. that's next. more to me than hiv. i'm a peer educator,... a fitness buff,... and a champion for my own health. i talked with my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with... dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with...just 2 medicines... in 1 pill, dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed... and get to and stay un

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and john cornyn, no action. no leadership. but when his party bosses call he jumps to rush through a supreme court nominee. i'm m.j. hagar. i did three tours in afghanistan. earned a purple heart. and am raising two kids in the middle of a pandemic. and john thinks i'm going to get pushed around in washington like he has? >> all right. m.j. hagar joins me now. hello. thank you so much for joining me. i really appreciate it. >> of course, don, it's my pleasure. we are so excited to tell the whole country what is happening here in texas. >> so listen, after that interview with cornyn came out you tweeted "coward." >> yes. >> what do you think about republicans like your opponent trying to distance themselves from trump now? >> you know, i just think it's too little too late. i think texans have a very sensitive b.s. meter. i think we see right through it. we are very clearly seeing john cornyn doesn't serve texans, he serves his party and his special interest corporate donors. and frankly either he's wildly ineffective or lying.

john cornyn ties a star to big don. >> big don. big john. ♪ ♪ >> john cornyn, john, thank you. thank you, john. >> my god, that's creepy. throughout the trump era john cornyn's whole posture has been glib. that's a core thrown beer. fast forward, cornyn is an incumbent with m.j. hegar. when asked to basically defend the indefensible, that would be the president's horrible mismanagement of the coronavirus case he tried to distance himself from trump. very small handful of people who can tell you about the pressure senator cornyn is facing, heidi heitkamp. great to have you on the program, senator. as someone who had to run a very tough race in unforgiving terrain, the state that had moved quite to the right, as you watched john cornyn who has viewed trump as an ally trying to wriggle away from him, what's your reaction to hearing that quote? >> my reaction is so many of these senators are not idea ideaologues, in the past it was not cool to criticize trump. now he wants everyone to believe he was a dissent ter in private. who cares? the time to stand up for texas and our country

you're polling behind john cornyn, but john cornyn is not polling over 50 the way incumbents are supposed to if they're going to win their elections, and beto o'rourke made the point that the democrat always underpolls in texas. he closed much higher than his polls indicated that he would in texas. in 28 days what is your strategy for closing this gap? >> the more people learn about john cornyn and his actual record, not his pretty words but his actual approval record, the higher we go in the polls.al but frankly people in texas are not going to vote for me just because i'm not john cornyn, so it's really important i get out there. i was raised here in very rural texas. it's important i get out there and talk to texas about what my vision is for the state because i have built that vision through a lifetime of living in texas and campaigning in every corner of this state and talking to people who are facing the challenges of every working every day texans. so my vision for this state, my plan for this state, my values are more closely aligned with this state and the people here than john c

cornyn: so the american people are the final word? judge barrett: yes. sen. cornyn: mr. chairman, i will -- >> thank you. good to see you again. you are making history, i wish the senator from idaho could hear this, you are the first nominee for a vacancy on the supreme court to be considered after july 1 of the election year. in fact, were the first nominee -- you are the first nominee to be considered in the midst of the election, i do not know if that has happened before, certainly not in modern history. the question is why, what is the hurry, why couldn't we wait until the end of november or december after leaving a vacancy after anton scalia, because there is a political agenda here, and whether you are privy to it, or part of that, notwithstanding it has to do with the affordable care act. november 10 is the date that they have to fill the vacancy if the president and those that support him and those that support the republican platform are going to keep their promise to end the affordable care act. they need a ninth justice, and that is why it has to be hurried. u

senator cornyn. senator cornyn: speak for yourself. good morning, your honor. judge barrett: good morning, senator cornyn. senator cornyn: most of us have multiple notebooks, notes, can you hold wn and answering our questions? is there anything on it? judge barrett: the letterhead that says united states senate. senator cornyn: that is impressive. judge, the best i can understand injections to your nomination or not to your qualifications, your training, but it is that you have, or you will violate your oath of office. insulting. terribly they suggest that you cannot be case youin deciding a have not even participated in yet. i find that insulting as well. now, maybe almost as pernicious as attacking someone for their faith and suggesting that that disqualifies them from holding a onlic office is the attack independence, something chief justice rehnquist, among others, observed that the crown jewels of the american constitution and the american system, but i want to take a little walk down memory lane here. there are a lot of people that guest house judges woul

cornyn up for re-election in a texas that's changing politically demographically. take a look. 2016 when trump ran and won he won texas by nine points. it was a solid win for trump, although that was down a bit from what republicans had been doing. he won it by nine but then two years later in the 2018 midterm, remember this race, ted cruz running for re-election to the senate in texas, he won but two and a half points basically his margin. went from republicans with trump winning texas by nine to cruz hanging on by 2 1/2 points. you saw democrats making inroads around dallas, houston, metro areas, suburbs around the state, really strong democratic gains there in 2018. now you look at 2020, there hasn't been a ton of recent polling out of texas. the closest from morning council, close to two weeks ago. you had trump up only 2 in their poll statewide, cornyn up nine, although a lot more undecided in that senate race. i think what it might reflect on the part of cornyn is an awareness of what we took you through there. texas, formally a staunchly republican state, it

senator cornyn. senator cornyn: speak for yourself. good morning, your honor. judge barrett: good morning, senator cornyn. senator cornyn: most of us have multiple notebooks and notes and books in front of us. can you hold up what you were referring to in our questions? is there anything on it? judge barrett: the letterhead that says united states senate. senator cornyn: that is impressive. judge, the best i can understand objections to your nomination are not to your qualifications, your experience or training, but it is that you have, or you will violate your oath of office. i find that terribly insulting. they suggest that you cannot be unbiased in deciding a case you haven't even participated in yet. i find that insulting as well. now, maybe almost as pernicious as attacking somebody for their faith and suggesting that that disqualifies them from holding a public office is the attack on judicial independence, something chief justice rehnquist, among others, observed that the crown jewels of the american constitution and the american system, but i want to ta

cornyn: how do you consult a case? judge barrett: the reason we have life tenure is to be insulated from the pressure that such things like focus groups or public opinions might -- the pressure that it might apply for a court to decide a case, one way or the other, that is why we decide it according to the text. variousnyn: there are rules of the road, so to speak for how the judiciary approaches cases, right? the mostwords, perhaps fundamental difference is that rather than making broad policy pronouncements, you decide cases, correct. judge barrett: that is correct. cornyn:ren i am -- sen. i am struck by an article by justice ginsburg and i forget what year it is, where she talks about roe v. wade, and she talks about what she called the breathtaking decision. mores, the court's cautious dispositions. "she says suppose the court had stopped after rightly declaring unconstitutional a portion of the law and had not gone on as it did to fashion a regime blanketing the subject, i set of rules that displaced virtually eve

cornyn: how do you consult a case? judge barrett: the reason we have life tenure is to be insulated from the pressure that such things like focus groups or public opinions might -- the pressure that it might apply for a court to decide a case, one way or the other, that is why we decide it according to the text. variousnyn: there are rules of the road, so to speak for how the judiciary approaches cases, right? the mostwords, perhaps fundamental difference is that rather than making broad policy pronouncements, you decide cases, correct. judge barrett: that is correct. cornyn:ren i am -- sen. i am struck by an article by justice ginsburg and i forget what year it is, where she talks about roe v. wade, and she talks about what she called the breathtaking decision. mores, the court's cautious dispositions. "she says suppose the court had stopped after rightly declaring unconstitutional a portion of the law and had not gone on as it did to fashion a regime blanketing the subject, i set of rules that displaced virtually eve

john cornyn is cutting an ad that he's going to protect someone with pre-existing conditions. what is your reaction to watching republicans attempt to appropriate a law they have spent ten years and are trying now to kill? >> well, i think what they recognize and they learned this when the trump administration tried to pass a law that would repeal it. all those members went home to their districts and they were eviscerated by their constituents who said, wait a minute, i like having health insurance that's affordable, i like knowing that i'm going to be covered and don't have to worry about being discriminated against if i have a pre-existing condition. in a sense, what they're doing now is they're saying when president trump signs an executive order saying he's going to protect pre-existing conditions, no, he's not. his executive order doesn't mean anything. if the supreme court rules the way he wants them to, it's going to wipe out the entire act. and then what's going to happen? they're going to have to go back to congress. that's where i think the disingenuousness of every

and john cornyn is acting like a guy who is really in a race right now. his comments, his ads. he knows he's got a fight ahead of him. beto o'rourke, thank you so much for coming on the show. >> thanks, chris. >> all right. that is "all in" on this thursday night. the rachel maddow show starts right now. good evening, rachel. >> good evening, chris. thank you, my friend. much appreciated. thanks to you at home for joining us this hour. happy to have you here. i would not have guessed this going into it, but last night's debate between vice president mike pence and senator kamala harris was the second most watched vice presidential debate in history. i would not have expected that. i clearly am a dummy. look, you'll see the pattern immediately. you'll see why i should have seen this coming. these are the top five most watched vice presidential debates in history. number five was 1992. that was alor

>> i think it says john cornyn is worried about his race. when you're worried in texas, that's a problem. i don't know about women in marriages trying to change their spouses thinking you can change them, otherwise john avlon would be a die-hard republican at this point. but i do -- you know, there is a lot of buyer's remorse. it's a littlittle too little to. john cornyn is trying to peel off the women, because they're in texas as well and they agree with him, trump has been an irresponsible leader to this point. >> i'm sure he'll change, he'll learn his lesson. nope and nope. >> he's still the same donald trump. you know, that comment you made about john avlon being republican if you had your way, it goes to show republicans and democrats, people with different political feelings and leanings can still get along, can still love each other. >> absolutely. >> can we get back to those days? you're a beautiful day. we can all aspire to be like you. >> take care. >> have a good one, guys. >>> tonight hear from former trump administration officia

well she's currently being interviewed by john cornyn who is a senator from texas also served on the state bench for a while while he was down in texas so has some judicial experience but perhaps the most interesting exchange has come just in the last 20 minutes or so with patrick leahy who is a democratic senator from vermont now he asked whether or not anyone was above the law in the eyes of the judge she said no obviously that was the case and then he asked can a president self pardon no this is all about donald trump and what he might do should he lose the election given that there are a number of cases that could be pending against him some of them criminal that could mean the former president if he loses the election appearing in court. refused to answer that by saying simply that this needs a lot of legal analysis is not something she could answer it's not something to be

tor cornyn, who's been i the senate for 18 years, is a publican incumbent. his ponent is democrat m.j. hegar. she's raising a lot of money in the last couple of months in terms of the output that they're spending. it's relatively neck and neck, and she's really giving him a run for his money. the analysts some say that cornyn his race, they think, will kind of track a couple of points, difference maybe from the presidential race, b it'll track pretty closely to it. >> sreenivasan: what about on the state legislature level? >> that is actually the biggest political story in texas this year, is the race for the state house for control of the state house. so back in 2018 democrats gained 12 seats. now in order to re-take the state house they need to win another nine seats and retain all the ones that they have. so the democrats get back control of that chamber in the next round of redistricting they'll actuly have some influence or some ability to block the gerrymandering of the republicans, which w so influential in 2010. >> sreenivasan: you know, theof past c

from cornyn judge to cornyn judge to this nominee, hop, hop, hop. when texans lose their aca protections, hop, hop, to see whose doorstep that sits on. lost in this hypocritical rush is the loss of ruth bader ginsburg. let me close by remembering her for a minute in this unscenely charade. she fought for equally equity and dignity. she forged a path for women in law. on to the supreme court, she defended women's reproductive rights. the rights of workers. voting rights. the rights of immigrants. and countless other freedoms. in her work, she bent the arc of the moral universe toward -- how fitting she's the first woman to lie in state in our united states capitol. as so to the this charade, big do dmors may love it, but nerns see what's going on. they say this power grab and they know what it means for their health care in the midst of a pandemic. for republicans, there is no washing your hands of responsibility for the results that your president has told us will ensue. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. senator cruz is with us virtually. is th

but that doesn't mean john cornyn can't express some disagreement stylistically with donald trump down the stretch. i think it's easy to overread this and what's happening in a couple of races. but especially in texas i think trump and cornyn are likely to win down there and have similar vote totals. >> okay. so van, let me play something the president said on that campaign call. i was playing some of the fauci part earlier. let me play something about the election. >> we're going to win. i wouldn't have said that three weeks ago. three weeks ago, two weeks ago i don't know, i wouldn't have said it. it was tougher for me. >> okay. so the reason i played that, van, is he's talking about two or three weeks. now, you know, he needs to say that. but nonetheless, in the last month of 2016 you had a lot of late decided voters and of those late decider voters more of them went for trump than clinton. you know, big-time. you saw that. now, this is not an election where people run decided. you're pointing out it could really be about new voters and new registration. but do you think trump is ri

worth star telegram, republican senator john cornyn of texas has been very loyal to president trump, but i'm guessing president trump is not polling particularly well in texas, and certainly senator cornyn, who is up for re-election, could be hurt by that. cornyn described his relationship with the president as, quote, maybe like a lot of women who get married thinking they're going to change their spouse and that doesn't usually work out very well. cornyn has also said he has privately disagreed on issues with president trump such as using money for the defense on the border wall, et cetera. if he loses to the senate next week, do you think it's president trump's fault? >> i remember speaking in 2018 about, how are we going to win an election where nobody goes to school, no suburbs and no women? i think the narrow republican base that we've seen is a very scary thing to me, because i do believe our free enterprise economics is the next better thing. we don't seem to have it right now. yeah, i think the narrowing of the base could really continue to undermine the republican party's a

yea senator cornyn. sen. cornyn: mr. chairman, i will take a couple of minutes. i find this to be a surreal environment we are in, where our democratic colleagues announced they are going to boycott one of the most important votes this committee will have, probably during our entire senatorial tenure. that is a vote to confirm, to provide advice and consent to a nominee of the supreme court of the united states. i just want to comment on the pictures that are in their chairs, like this is some sort of sporting event during covid-19 and rather than show up and do their job, they choose to continue the theater that was part of the hearing. of course, this is all pretextual. their argument, as i understand it, is somehow amy coney barrett will violate her oath of office, contrary to everything she has done and who she is, and somehow that the affordable care act is in jeopardy. she explained, i think with great skill, the issue before the supreme court. it is one of severability, which is a very technical doctrine. it doesn't have anything to do with the merits of t

senator cornyn. >> speak for yourself. >> good morning, your honor. >> good morning, senator cornyn. >> most of us have multiple notebooks and notes and books and things like that in front of us. can you hold up what you've been referring to in answering our questions. is there anything on it. >> the letterhead that says united states senate. >> that's impressive. >> judge, the best i can understand the objections to your nominations are not to your qualifications, your experience or training, but it's that you have or you will violate your oath of office. i find that terribly insulting. they suggest that you can't be unbiased in deciding a case you haven't even participated in yet. i find that insulting as well. maybe almost as pernicious as attacking somebody for their faith and suggesting that that disqualifies them from holding a public office is the attack that's being made on judicial independence, something that chief justice rehnquist, among others, observed the crowned jewels of the american constitution and the american system. but i want to just take a little walk down mem

recent polls show senator cornyn holding an edge in that race. democrats need a net gain of four seats to get control of the senate. watch both debates starting at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >> watch live coverage of the senate confirmation hearings for judge amy coney barrett starting monday with opening statements by judiciary committee members and judge barrett. live coverage on c-span and c-span.org. listen live on the c-span radio app and be sure to visit c-span.org to view a playlist of any county barrett's -- amy coney barrett's legal views. >> this is an update from the washington post on the coronavirus aid talks. senate republicans and house speaker nancy pelosi raised objections saturday to a new $1.8 trillion economic relief proposal from the trump administration, greatly dimming the prospects for a coronavirus relief deal before the election. on a conference call saturday morning with treasury secretary steven mnuchin and white house chief of staff mark meadows, the republicans were weary of the overall price tag of the bill. the articl

cornyn gave an interview where he assured voters that at times he has disagreed with president trump on issues such as budget deficits and border security but kept his opposition private. sure, just like how there are times i don't say that john cornyn is a lying coward, but i keep it private. and cornyn kept his opposition to trump really private, because he has voted with the president 95.1% of the time. you can read about it in his new book, "profiles in 4.9% courage." it's not just republicans who might be secretly relieved if trump goes down, it's also his own intelligence community. today, we heard a story dating back to 2017, when he was at his new jersey golf club receiving a highly classified briefing on afghanistan, and suddenly craved a malted milkshake. "does anyone want a malt?" he asked the senior defense and intelligence officials, as he beckoned a waiter into the room where code-word classified intelligence was being discussed. (as trump) "don't worry, this guy will have no idea what we're talking about. i'll have the tali-banana shake, and mix in some seal team snick

senator cornyn addressed the severability of that. what's the nut of that case to be decided by the justices which we assume judge barrett will be a part of that as a justice. >> that will be the first sitting. this case comes up on november 10th. the issue is the mandate is zeroed out by congress. no teeth to it. the question before the court is if the mandate, that individual mandate that requires you to pay a penalty if you did not get health insurance coverage, if it's gone can the rest of the law stand? now conservatives on the bench will say they favor severability. they don't want to be in the law making business. they want to try a way to keep a bill or a law together even if part of it comes out. you heard judge barrett talk about this and did a great illustration talking about the game of jenga. can you pull something out and the rest of the structure stand? i think in this case her vote, we don't know how she will vote. a good chance the court decides to hold the law together. there has been a lot of the sky is falling abou

senator cornyn saying he disagreed with president trump using defense money to build the border wall. joining me now, to discuss this and the future of the republican party is long time republican strategist stewart stevens. you're no supporter of president trump and you've joined the lincoln project, republicans working to prevent president trump's re-election. to see a republican incumbent in texas try to distance himself from a sitting republican president, i've never seen anything like that. >> that is because it's never happened. this is kind of personal for me, jake. i worked in senator cornyn's first race for attorney general, his only race for attorney general and then his first race for the senate which was really his only tough race. the person i knew then was very smart, self-reflective, kind. i kind of don't recognize this guy. i don't understand. like a lot of these people under trump i don't recognize them. he is in texas and trying to walk away from trump. the other thing he is saying he gave advice to trump that trump didn't take which is sort of an odd argument for u.

and threw off ted cruz who then felt as if he had to somehow come to john cornyn's defense there. what was interesting, it's a reminder, sheldon whitehouse is to me one of the most interesting people to watch in the judiciary committee because he rarely has somebody get the best of him. let's put it that way. >> he's always so meticulous and so grounded in the substance rather than the politics. interesting also because john cornyn has been one of the republicans lately calling out the president on not being careful enough about covid and stepping back from some of the president's more, let's say, nonpolitically smart approaches to both covid and health care. mitch mcconnell and others, of course. they haven't voted against the president but they have certainly sent signals they are not happy. john cornyn very concerned clearly about what's happening in texas, where texas with this harris county fight whether the dropboxes are going to be eliminated, according to latest appeals over the weekend are being picked up again. harris county, of course, under governor abbott's ruling can

republican senator john cornyn told "the houston chronicle" that the president's rhetoric has created, quote, confusion, as the country has struggled to get the pandemic under control. cornyn went on to tell the "chronicle" editorial board, "i think in his desire to try to demonstrate we are somehow coming out of this and that the danger is not still with us, i think he got out over his skis, and frankly, i think it's a lesson to all of us that we need to exercise self-discipline." those comments a sign that john cornyn's looking around and seeing the reality and how much harder it is making it for him down in texas, of all places. meanwhile, republican senator ron johnson, who has tested positive for coronavirus, says he will find a way to vote in person to confirm supreme court nominee amy coney barrett, even if he is still infected. and he also reflected on which quarantine model would have been best in the united states. >> if we have to go in and vote, i've already told leadership i'll go in, in a moon suit. we think this is pretty important. what we really ought to do -- and i'l

i think there is going to be a total red trump-cornyn take. i really do. i think people are fed up with the hatred, they are fed up with the lies. they blamed the man from everything from global warming to california wildfires to pandemics. if your kid does not have a pair of shoes. he did a great job with what he had to walk into. we all have a responsibility for things. i don't think americans have done their part. for me too, maybe i haven't done my part, but to blame a man -- like this pandemic, i have lived through polio, smallpox, chickenpox, the asian flu, ebola, sars, so many things. pandemics happen. viruses happen. i think president trump has responded wonderfully. i live in a small town of about 14,000 people and we have fema nurses here. my husband was just in the hospital for four days. we got excellent care in our small hospital. host: was he in for covid? mr. biden: no,h -- caller: no, he was nont. these nurses are here to take up the slack because our community was affected. host: thank you for calling in. we will ask the same question on o

i found senator cornyn's analogy offensive. i find that offensive. what i mean is the republican party, rnc, the 168 members, and every elected republican in the house and senate have completely abandoned any sort of principles of republicanism or conservatism or any founding principle of our party in the lessons of abraham lincoln in deference for a demagogue, and they have put this country in danger. i was a member of the rnls c itself. it was never to protect the likes of president trump, who dismisses the loss of over 200,000 lives. >> whether it's cornyn or ben sa sass, just two weeks away, whether bits default or intensal about separating themselves from the principles of donald trump, and now says, we don't want to associate with him. is it likely to, a, backfire? and is it considered meaningful at all, when for the last four years you're working alongside of, and now suddenly just two weeks away from election day, suddenly you want to divorce yourself from that relationship? >> right. exactly. first of all, i would suggest that had they divor

that's why we give john cornyn the edge. even if biden wins texas by a handful of votes, we think he could eke it out. but if joe biden puts up a larger victory, there is a real chance that mj hagar could win and take back the sea. host: one of our social media followers wants to ask about split ticket and locations in key senate races and the possibility of the georgia runoff which could control -- determine the control of the senate. and peter might lose in michigan is it common for a president to win and the other party keeps control of their senate seat or is it one party wins the president the and that party also takes the senate seat? guest: for most of the 20th century there was a fair amount of ticket splitting and it was tofectly common for voters vote for one party for president support in those states. it is more interesting in the second tier of states. the president's level of support and a lot of these places has dropped so low that even a marginal amount of tickets could mean the difference between a democrati

texas, senator cornyn is on edge there, too. he's skiddishbout his re-election. how realistic is it to have this blue wave become a blue tsunami that goes across places like georgia, maybe even is mippi, alabama, democrats were talking about that today as well? asma: sure. bob, i think to me that's perhaps one of the most interestingions this cycle. but it's also the question that i think when you pe it to democratic strategists, quite candidly they're very anxious about even discuing that question given the results of what happened in 2016. there was a point during the 2016 cycle where hilly clinton's campaign was ambitiously talking about arizona. that was the same day that the comey letter came out andhe race dramatically shifted shortly after that. so i do think that there this anxiety. you could argue maybe it's rooted in reality or not among some democrats about being overly optimistiabout the map. that being said, you know, you look at ad spending and i beeve the biden campaign according to ad analytics is -- advertising loca about 19 states. i mean, that'

texas, senator cornyn is on edge there, too.sh he's skid about his re-election. how realistic is it to have become a blue tsunami that goes across plkees georgia, maybe even mississippi, alabama, democrats were talking about that today as well? asma: sure. bob, i think to me that's perhaps one of the mo interesting questions this cycle. but it's also the question that i think when you pe it to democratic strategists, quite candidly they're very anxious about even discussin that question given the results of what happened in 2016. there was a point during the 2016 cycle where hillary clinton's campaign was ambitiously talking about arizona. that was the same day that the mey letter came out and the race dramatically shifted shortly after that. so i do think that there is this anxiety. you could argue maybe it's rooted in reality or a notng some democrats about being overly optimistic about the g map. that beiid, you know, you look at ad spending and i believe the biden campaign according to ad analytics is -- advertising locally in about 19 states. i mean, that's

senator john cornyn is the latest republican to break from the president. cornyn who is up for re-election telling a texas newspaper that he disagrees with trump on a number of issues including the border wall. the republican national committee chairwoman with this warning. >> any republican that doesn't recognize that running with the president is going to help them is hurting themselves in the long run. >> reporter: at least 27 million americans have now voted early and today in-person voting begins in the key battleground state of florida. in boston over the weekend lines wrapped around fenway park. now being used as a polling place. >> i would have voted here if i had known that that was the case because i would much rather do that. >> reporter: meanwhile, after that chaotic first debate between president trump and joe biden, the debate commission says the final debate which is set for this thursday will be in the same format. no further rule changes have been announced. >> mona. >> faith, thank you. >>> today a california woman is spending her first fu

graham: senator cornyn. sen. cornyn: mr. chairman, i will take a couple of minutes. i find this to be a surreal environment we are in, where our democratic colleagues announced they are going to boycott one of the most important votes this committee will have, probably during our entire senatorial tenure. that is a vote to confirm, to provide advice and consent to a nominee for the supreme court of the united states. i just want to comment on the pictures that are in their chairs, like this is some sort of sporting event during covid-19 and rather than show up and do their job, they choose to continue the theater that was part of the hearing. and of course, this is all pretextual. their argument, as i understand it, is somehow amy coney barrett will violate her oath of office, contrary to everything she has done and who she is, and somehow that the affordable care act is in jeopardy. she explained, i think with great skill, the issue before the supreme court. it is one of severability, which is a very technical doctrine. it doesn't have anything to do with the merits

next, republican incumbent john cornyn faces democratic challenger and

. >> senator cornyn. >> mr. chairman, i will just take a couple of minutes. i just find this to be a surreal environment we are in where our democratic colleagues announced yesterday they are going to boycott one of the most important votes this committee will have probably during our enti entire senate for y'all tenure, providing advice and consent to a nominee for the supreme court of the united states. i just want to comment on the pictures that are in their chairs like this is some sort of sporting event during covid-19 and rather than show up and do their job they choose to continue the theater that was part of the hearing. of course, this is all pretext ul. their argument as i understand it is somehow amy coney barrett will violate her oath of office, contrary to everything she has done and who she is, and somehow that the affordable care act is in jeopardy. she explained, i think, with great skill the issue before the supreme court, it's really one of severability, which is a technical doctrine, it doesn't have anything to do with the merits of the aff

john cornyn, the republican from texas, using just 12 minutes of his allotted 30 minutes this morning. the judiciary committee, breaking for lunch right now. when we come back, we will hear from sheldon whitehouse next, the democrat from rhode island. until then, updating you on the latest, keeping tabs on what's happening both inside the hearing room and the hart senate office building and also outside the hearing room as well. a couple of tweaks this morning offering some different -- tweets this morning offering some different images. this tweet from trish turner of abc news, showing the desk where judge amy coney barrett is sitting, noting there are no notes there at the desk. there is that pad provided by the committee, but last time she was asked to hold up that pad, she hadn't written anything on that pad. also inside the hearing room, you may have noticed that senators thom tillis and mike lee are both in the senate judiciary committee, both having tested positive for covid earlier this month. neither hasng that said that they have tested negative, but both said they have been

and of course we've always asked senator cornyn to come as well. and that's it for today's show. "mtp daily," chuck todd coming up next. eteran made of doing what's right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa >>> if it is wednesday, going for broke. or going broke. the trump campaign is facing a major cash crunch with time running out as biden stays close to home in delaware to draw attention to the virus. >>> plus a nightmare scenario in wisconsin. new restrictions in illinois. field hospitals in texas. record levels of infections are raging across the country right now.

john cornyn: pour herself into her work each and every day. it was noted that under ordinary circumstances, no money like this would get overwhelming support. but unfortunately, these are not normal circumstances. our callings on theo other side may clear from the get-go for them this confirmation processes was not evenbo about the nomine. or her qualifications. they try to hijack the hearing and to use it for harsh word but it's true. fear mongering. last week's hearing was like split screen tv. on one half the republican senators asked the judge about her judicial loss of a prior rulings and the constitutional doctrines.ag on the other half, our democratic colleagues delivered monologues about obama care. the better future case that she may be called upon to participate in. they attempted to convince thewa market peoplesh that if she was confirmed, she would somehow take away their healthcare. that is an insult. an insult to the judge. somehow presumed that she isha essentially auditioning for the job based on a ruling in a future case. ecth

. >> john cornyn said this, quote -- i think he let his guard down. i think in his desire to demonstration, we are somehow coming out of this and the danger is not still with us. i think he got out over hi skis and frankly a lesson we all need to exercise self-discipline. cornyn joined by mitch mcconn l mcconnell, who is breaking with the president on a couple issues recently, including trump's handling of the pandemic. >> i haven't been to the white house since august 6th. my impression was their approach on how to handle the virus is different from what we're doing in the senate. >> they're not even on the same page to help american individual, and businesses. the president's position keeps shifting. as of this moment he wants to see a bigger deal than eyen he own party has been pushing. >> i would like to see a bigger stimulus package that either the democrats or republicans are offering. >> here is the republican he would need to make that happen. le. >>> others are all in tying their success to their support of the president. why are some republi

caller: i think john cornyn will do way better than donald trump. , idy davis against chip roy think chip roy pulls it out. read a recent article that austen democrats are donating to republican candidate, but with regards to the election, i am voting on election day. are you registered in austin? caller: i am registered in austin, and the place is across the street. host: thank you for your time. ta: joe biden spoke to reporters after the debate, after leaving nashville. he was asked how the debate went? "that is for the public to judge. i felt good about it and i thought the moderator made it run smoothly. it was a more rational debate than the first one. and according to the washington post the former vice president was asked about his answers on fossil fuels. quote, we will not get rid of fossil fuels. we will get rid of subsidies for fossil fuels. mostlysident has been re-tweeting other people's tweets. one includes this one, las vegas review journal tweeted a pole result that they took of who won the debate, and their result, 92% said the president won. kapur who reports for nb

. >> senator cornyn. >> mister chairman, i'll just take a couple of minutes. i find this to be a surreal environment we are in where our democratic colleagues announced yesterday they're going to boycott one of the most important votes this committee will have probably during our entire senatorial tenure and that is a vote to confirm provided advice and consent to anominee for the supreme court of the united states , but i want to comment on the pictures that are in their chairs, like this is some sort of sporting event during covid-19 and residents show up and dotheir job . they choose to continue the theater that was part of the hearing. and of course, this is all pretextual . their argument as i understand it is somehow amy coney barrett will violate her oath of office contrary to everything she's done and who she is, and somehow that the affordable care act is in jeopardy. she explained i think with great skill the issue before the supreme court. it's really one of severability which is a technical doctrine c. it doesn't have anything to do with the merits

i want to ask you about something that john cornyn, republican from texas, he is up for re-election, something he said. he seemed to knock president trump in an interview with local newspaper when asked about the white house coronavirus response. the senator suggested there's no use debating trump or trying to change his mind. he is who he is. >> let me read the quote from a newspaper in fort worth. maybe like women that get married, think they'll change their spouse, doesn't work out very well, then he said i think what we found is we are not changing president trump. he is who he is. you love him or hate him. and there's not much in between. take aside the awkward comment about women and spouses, which we can try to dissect maybe off line, i'll text you later, but let's talk about what matters here most which is that this is an unflew engineers republican on a ballot in a state that should be solidly, comfortably red for him, the senator. and more importantly, for the president, saying that you just have to navigate him. i spoke to somebody who knows the senator well before coming

senator john cornyn of texas comparing president trump to entering a relationship with a spouse, trying to change them, and failing. how big is the divide right now between republicans? yes, really. kevin: i think it is a massive divide. based upon my reporting, speaker pelosi is calling for their to be some type of deal within the next 24 hours in terms of a vote. the democrats in the house still pushing for $2.2 trillion. president trump has said he wants something bigger than that , and leader mcconnell still around $500 billion. tom: is speaker pelosi vice president biden's friend on the stimulus debate? or if they do a deal, isn't it a major win for the president? , and it will be no doubt spun as such. you can play it all different question.ides without tom: ok. lisa, you lost my change of thought there. changing the spouse, what was that about? [laughter] lisa: i knew that would get you. kevin: i'm not taking the bait. lisa: john cornyn of texas came out and said the relationship with trump are like women who get married and think they are going to change their spouse and don't.