U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez on 2016 labor issues, Kasie Hunt and Mark Halperin in Iowa, and Alex Rodriguez join Morning Joe today!
New Clinton email count: 305 documents with potentially classified information. More than 300 of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emails — or 5.1 percent of those processed so far — have been flagged for potential secret information, the State Department reported to a federal court Monday as the political furor continued to grow for the Democratic presidential candidate and her aides.
A top senator has demanded that Mrs. Clinton’s attorney detail the steps he used to protect classified information in her emails, which he kept on a flash drive at his office. ABC News reported this weekend that the Colorado company that helped run her server said there may be a full backup server, which might have many of the messages she said she deleted.
In the new court filing, the State Department said it is getting back on schedule for publicly releasing the Clinton emails after falling more than 1,000 pages behind in July, when the need to screen messages for secret information overwhelmed the department. Now, the screening process is running smoothly, with five security agencies involved in the review. They have been through 20 percent of Mrs. Clinton’s messages, the department said. Officials told the court that they have found 305 messages — about 5.1 percent — that needed to be referred to the security agencies to determine whether they did, in fact, have secret information that needed to be redacted before public release.
“We’re taking this very seriously,” department spokesman John Kirby told reporters, though he refused to call the revelations of classified emails on Mrs. Clinton’s server “troubling” at this point.
The department’s next challenge will come later this week. A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, when officials will have to detail the steps they have taken to try to track down all of the messages, and any other electronics that might still hold messages, from Mrs. Clinton and two top personal aides, Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills, who served in the department with her. Judicial Watch, a conservative public interest law firm that has sued to get a look at those communications, said the department has refused to say how thorough its search has been despite Judge Emmet G. Sullivan’s demands for more information.
“It appears as though the declarant made no effort whatsoever to find out what electronic devices the former head of the agency and two of her closest advisors used to conduct official government business for four years and where these electronic devices may be located or if they are still in existence,” Judicial Watch said in a filing asking for the hearing.
Judge Sullivan is one of several federal judges who, responding to open-records requests, have forced the State Department to be more forthcoming with Mrs. Clinton’s communications.
A Fox News poll released over the weekend found a public decidedly skeptical of Mrs. Clinton, with 58 percent saying she “knowingly lied” when she claimed her emails didn’t contain classified information and 54 percent thinking she put national security at risk.
Mrs. Clinton rejected the use of a State.gov email account during her tenure and instead issued herself an account on a server that she kept at her home in New York. She has since acknowledged that was a bad idea.
Prodded by the investigation into the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, she returned to the State Department in December some 30,000 messages that she deemed government business. She said she deleted 32,000 other messages that she deemed private.
More than 60 of those messages have now had information classified, and more than 300, out of about 6,000 that have been screened so far, have been sent to intelligence agencies for review to determine whether they have information that needs to be redacted before release.
Mrs. Clinton has insisted that she never sent any classified information from her account at all and that none of the messages she received had information that was marked classified at the time — though some of it has since been designated.
“I was permitted to, and used, a personal email and, obviously in retrospect, given all the concerns that have been raised, it would have been probably smarter not to,” she told Iowa Public Radio last week. “But I never sent nor received any classified email, nothing marked ‘classified.’ And I think this will all sort itself out.”
Internal watchdogs have contradicted Mrs. Clinton’s account, saying messages clearly contained classified information, even if it wasn’t marked as such, and should have been kept more secure than on her own server.
More recently, Mrs. Clinton’s attorney, David E. Kendall, revealed that he kept the emails in electronic form on a flash drive stored at his office.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Monday that raised all sorts of questions about security — even after July, when the State Department gave Mr. Kendall a safe in which to keep the flash drive.
Mr. Grassley said it’s questionable whether the safe was an acceptable level of security for information that now has been deemed top secret, and demanded to know what level of security clearance Mr. Kendall has, who issued it to him, and what level of clearance his associates who also had access to the flash drive possessed.
“Many intelligence community personnel, uniformed personnel and the American people may be at risk when classified material is not properly secured,” the senator wrote in his letter to Mr. Kendall, dated Friday. “Accordingly, it is very important that the Judiciary Committee fully understand the events that have transpired.”
Mr. Kendall’s office said he is out of the country. A message left with another law firm employee to whom calls were referred was not returned Monday.
Meanwhile, the State Department continues to try to make headway in producing the Clinton emails, insisting that the process is running smoothly and they are back on track after falling behind Judge Sullivan’s schedule for making all of the emails public.
The reviewers have screened about 20 percent of the 30,000 emails that Mrs. Clinton returned to the department, which means if the rate of potentially secret information remains steady, more than 1,500 messages will have to be sent to intelligence community agencies, known in government as “IC,” to screen out classified information.
“Out of a sample of approximately 20 [percent] of the Clinton emails, the IC reviewers have only recommended 305 documents — approximately 5.1 [percent] — for referral to their agencies for consultation,” the Obama administration said in court papers.
Chris Christie on Clinton servers: What if I'd deleted Bridgegate emails? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday he would have been blasted in the wake of the Bridgegate scandal if he had done the same as Hillary Clinton, and wiped a private email server clean. "Can you imagine, if after the bridge investigation began, I came out and said 'Oh, I've done all my business as governor on a private email server. And, I've deleted now 30,000 of those emails. But trust me none of it had to do with the bridge.' Give me a break," Christie said on CNN's "New Day."
Clinton has repeatedly sparked criticism over the use of her private email server -- and the decision to delete tens of thousands of emails from it while under investigation by a Congressional panel -- most recently when she joked this past weekend about Snapchat's ability to make messages instantly disappear.
Christie, who was weighing in on Clinton's dipping poll numbers, said a key part of the problem is voters dislike her lack of transparency. He also said the attacks on Clinton, which have largely come from Republican candidates but also a few Democratic opponents, are not about politics.
"Why not just answer that question instead of talking all the time like she does on television now about 'Oh, the politics and the Republicans?' It's not about the politics," he said.
Christie also hit Clinton earlier Monday morning in an interview with Fox News, saying the former secretary of state is "capable of anything."
"Her arrogance is breathtaking. Breathtaking," Christie said.
Democratic groups quickly responded by pointing out that Christie deleted 12 text messages in 2013 during the height of the Bridgegate scandal.
"Has Chris Christie checked his own inbox recently or does he let his staff do that for him? In the federal criminal investigation into Bridgegate, Christie's staff was caught red-handed for using personal emails and text messages to conduct state business," said Adrienne Watson, communications director for Correct the Record, a pro-Clinton group that fires back against Republicans.
On Monday, Christie also evaluated Donald Trump's immigration proposal Monday, saying he found constructing a wall along the entire southern border unworkable and also did not think Mexico would pay for it.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was not indicted as part of the Bridgegate scandal. But one of his appointees pled guilty and 2 former staffers face criminal charges.
"This makes no sense," Christie said. "I've met (Mexican) President (Enrique) Pena Nieto a number of times. I don't think if we present him with a bill he's gong to pay for it and this is not a negotiation of a real estate deal, ok?"
Instead, Christie said, he would build walls in selective spots along the border -- like dense urban areas -- and pay for it. He also wants to use drones to conduct border surveillance, have the FBI, DEA and ATF work with border patrol agents and use the e-verify system to check worker status.
"The fact is these people are coming over here to work, they're not coming here to vote," Christie told CNN. "And if, in fact, they know they can't get jobs then they're not going to come, and so that's the most important element of a ll four."
Kasie Hunt reported that Scott Walker Weighs In on Birthright Citizenship Debate. Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker said Monday that he believes the children of undocumented immigrants shouldn't automatically have a right to American citizenship if they're born in the United States.
Asked by msnbc if birthright citizenship should be ended, the Wisconsin governor replied: "Yeah, to me it's about enforcing the laws in this country. And I've been very clear, I think you enforce the laws, and I think it's important to send a message that we're going to enforce the laws, no matter how people come here we're going to enforce the laws."
Ending birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants is part of GOP front-runner Donald Trump's immigration plan, first outlined Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
On Monday morning, Walker told "Fox and Friends" that his own immigration plan is "similar" to the plan Trump outlined.
A Walker spokeswoman followed up to clarify Walker's position on immigration, saying his position is as follows:
"We have to enforce the laws, keep people from coming here, enforce E-Verify to stop the jobs magnet, and by addressing the root problems we will end the birthright citizenship problem."
A transcript of the full exchange is on msnbc.com here.
Trump shows for jury duty but isn't nominated. The law finally caught up with Donald Trump, and he served his time.
Trump reported for jury duty Monday at the State Supreme Court building in lower Manhattan. The Republican presidential front-runner, who was hosting helicopter rides at the Iowa State Fair over the weekend, said he was happy to take a campaign break to perform his civic duty.
Trump arrived in a limousine to face a crowd dominated by scores of cameramen and reporters. He signed a few autographs and shook some hands.
"It's my duty, and I'm happy to do it," he said of his service before entering the courthouse. "I'm ready. We'll see what happens."
Trump will have to wait until at least 2021 to add juror to his resume. He was released Monday afternoon without getting selected for a trial.
Trump had failed to appear several times in recent years, but he won't have to dig into his personal fortune to finance the $250 fine. Michael Cohen, special counsel to Trump, said the fine was waived when his boss checked in with the court. Cohen admitted Trump had failed to respond to previous summonses for court but said they were sent to addresses owned by the real estate titan, not his residence. They never made their way to Trump, Cohen said.
“Mr. Trump’s failure to appear for previous jury requests was the result of the unified court system’s error in the mailing address, and not Mr. Trump’s refusal to uphold his civic duty,” Cohen told The New York Times. “It is impossible to know if you are being asked to serve when the jury selection documents are sent to someone else’s home.”
Trump was one of hundreds of people scheduled to serve Monday. The rule is one day or, if selected for a jury, one trial. The group was assured by jury assembly supervisor Irene Laracuenta that no one would enjoy special treatment.
David Hamburger, 22, was also called for jury duty Monday.
“He (Trump) seemed in deep thought about his campaign,” Hamburger told New York's Daily News. “He's a nice guy, a funny guy. He seemed pretty bored like the rest of us."
Putting in his time Monday won Trump a free pass from jury duty for six years. Under The Donald's timeline, that would put him in his second presidential term. Trump, who could be nominating U.S. Supreme Court justices one day, has no interest in shirking his current judicial responsibility.
“I’m looking forward to it," Trump said while on the stump in New Hampshire last week. "I think it’s fun.”
Thai Police Report a 2nd Explosion in Bangkok, With No Injuries, a Day After Deadly Bombing. Police release footage of suspect in Bangkok bombing.
A Thai police spokesman said Tuesday that a man wearing a yellow T-shirt and carrying a backpack is a chief suspect in the blast that killed at least 20 people and injured 140 at a shrine in downtown Bangkok on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
Police Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri earlier released several photos of the man, with and without the backpack, that were apparently taken from closed-circuit video at the Erawan Shrine, before the bomb exploded near a busy intersection.
“The yellow shirt guy is not just the suspect. He is the bomber,” he told The Associated Press.
It came as a second explosion hit the city Tuesday, although this time there were no reports of casualties.
Police Senior Sgt. Maj. Worapong Boonthawee told the AP that an explosive device was thrown from a bridge on Tuesday afternoon and blew up at a ferry pier after falling into the river below. He said nobody was killed or injured. No person or group has claimed responsibility for either blast.
Monday's blast, from an improvised explosive device, took place around 7 p.m. local time near the shrine, a Hindu religious site popular with Thai Buddhists and Chinese tourists. It is located in a bustling area. Thailand's prime minister vowed to track down those responsible.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha described the incident as the worst attack in the country's history.
"(In the past) there have been minor bombs or just noise, but this time they aimed for innocent lives. They want to destroy our economy, our tourism," he said. according to the AP.
He said he believed Facebook messages apparently warning of an imminent danger to Bangkok before the blast came from an "anti-government group" based in the northeast of the country, Agence France-Presse reported. Deputy government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that five Thais, two Malaysians, two Chinese mainland nationals, two people from Hong Kong, one Singaporean and eight people of unknown nationality were killed, the AP said.
Thailand's Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said officials had no prior intelligence about the attack.
"It is much clearer who the bombers are, but I can't reveal more right now," Prawit said Tuesday morning, the AP reported. "We haven't ruled out terrorism."
"Suddenly there was a big boom, and the whole room just shook, like someone dropped a wrecking ball on top of our ceiling," Pim Niyomwan, an English instructor who was working in the building next to the shrine, told the Bangkok Post. "The whole building just shook. My four students were hysterical."
On Monday, terrorism experts said the bombing is likely the result of the country’s growing internal strife and is not the work of the Islamic State militants or other international extremists.
Mubin Shaikh, a terror analyst who closely follows Islamic extremists on social media, said there has been no Internet messages that suggest the bombing was the work of such jihadists. “It seems internal,” he said.
Thai rescue workers carry an injured person after aThai rescue workers carry an injured person after a bomb exploded outside a religious shrine in central Bangkok late on August 17, 2015 killing at least 10 people and wounding scores more. Body parts were scattered across the street after the explosion outside the Erawan Shrine in the downtown Chidlom district of the Thai capital. Political tensions in the country have increased in recent months. The ruling junta, which came into power last year in a military coup, has made clear that it may not hold elections until 2017 and wants a constitution that will allow some type of emergency rule to take the place of an elected government, the AP reported.
The country has seen recent protests and occasional acts of violence, reflecting the political tensions. Bombings are rare in Bangkok, and terror attacks are more common in southern Thailand, where a Muslim separatist insurgency has been active, the AP said.
Thai shares fell sharply Tuesday following the explosion and the country's currency, the baht, fell to its lowest level in six years. Contributing: Jim Michaels
Tracy Morgan, Miley Cyrus, Amy Schumer to Host 'SNL'. It’s been a long road back to health for Tracy Morgan since the 2014 automobile accident that almost cost him his life. This October, he’ll complete another important step in his recovery: hosting Saturday Night Live. The late night institution revealed via Twitter today that Morgan will be hosting the Oct. 17 episode of the show’s 41st season.
It’s only the second time that Morgan has emceed SNL since his eight-season tenure from 1996 to 2003, when he created such memorable characters as unlicensed “animal expert” Brian Fellows and Uncle Jemima.
This also represents his most high-profile TV appearance since he went on the Today show in June and broke down while discussing the aftermath of the accident, when a Walmart truck struck a car carrying Morgan and several other comics. (James McNair died in the crash; Morgan and Walmart have since reached a settlement.)
Tracy Morgan Cries In First Interview Since Accident
On Monday's episode of Today, Tracy Morgan sat down with his attorney Benedict Morelli and host Matt Lauer to discuss, for the first time, the June 2014 accident that resulted in Morgan getting brain trauma and broken leg, nose, and ribs. Morgan says he has no memory of what happened, "I don't remember the accident. I just remember when I came through. Megan, my fiancée, was right there. My son was right there, Mark was right there, Ben was right there. That's basically what I remember." While others might have looked to distance themselves from such a traumatic experience, Morgan did the opposite, "When I got home, it really hit me. Every day I would watch the accident on YouTube. One day I came across his funeral on YouTube...I had to know what happened to my friend." The friend he is referring to is James "Jimmy Mack" McNair, who did not survive the accident. Morgan cried when discussing a man he's referred to as his mentor, telling Lauer, "He's a close friend of mine, a comrade in comedy. He was a loving man and he was a warm man. He was a good man. It just hurts me to see that he's gone." When Lauer asked how Morgan is doing now, the actor and comedian replied, "You can see the scars on my head. There are times where I have my good days and my bad days where I forget things, you know. There are times when I got headaches and the nosebleeds. And I won't even let my lady know because I don't want her to be worried about it. But I have my good days and my bad days." Morgan reassured his fans who have been missing his presence over the past year that he's going to return to making people laugh, "I love comedy. I'll never stop loving her. I love comedy and I can't wait to get back to her. But right now my goal is just to heal and get better 'cause I’m not 100 percent yet. I'm not. And when I’m there, you'll know it. I'll get back to making you laugh, I promise you."
While Morgan’s return to Studio 8H is the biggest news contained in that tweet, it’s also heartening to see that SNL is kicking off Season 41 with plenty of star power. Miley Cyrus is set to host the Oct. 3 season premiere, and box office superstar Amy Schumer will be front and center for the Oct. 10 episode. You can bet that Morgan will be on his game knowing that he’s following that sister act.
Saturday Night Live premieres Oct. 3 at 11:35 p.m. on NBC.
Russia and Iran foreign ministers to meet on nuclear deal, Syria. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will host his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday to discuss the deal on Tehran's nuclear programme and the conflict in Syria.
"The visit is taking place in the context of an increasingly active Russian-Iranian dialogue of late that reflects the high level of mutual understanding between Moscow and Tehran," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday.
The two countries are on increasingly good terms and Russia helped steer through the landmark July agreement with world powers over Iran's nuclear programme.
Moscow is hoping that its firms can benefit from the nuclear deal, which should see economic sanctions lifted on Tehran.
Russia -- which along with Iran is one of the few remaining backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- has also launched a fresh diplomatic push to find a way out of Syria's four-year civil war that has cost some 240,000 lives.
A flurry of diplomacy saw the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia hold talks with Lavrov in Moscow this week, along with representatives of the Syrian opposition.
Russia wants a broader grouping to cooperate in the fight against the Islamic State jihadists that have seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, expanding from a US-led coalition to include the Syrian government and its allies.
Regardless of it all happening today, please stay in touch.
