MS NOW's We The People 2026 Special Primary Coverage, 10pmET hour

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Thank you for joining us for our live coverage as results roll in from primary elections around the country. Six states are holding primaries today. Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, South Dakota, and of course, California. Here at the MSNOW Mothership, it is me minus my voice. Sorry. Oh, it's there. It's there. It's just a little scratchy. My friend Chris Hayes, Simone Sanders Townsend, Alicia Menendez, and Michael Steele. Great to have you all here. Lawrence O'Donnell took one for the team. He is beaming his coverage to us tonight from the great city of Los Angeles, which is no hardship at all. Our friend Jen Psaki will be back with us later on this evening along with Stephanie Ruhl. And, of course, we've got Ali Velshi at the Big Board to talk us through the results as they come in all through the night. We're going to be talking about those results themselves and what they will mean for the country when it comes to control in Washington after November, when it comes to the balance of power across the country. I think it's worth keeping in mind that in times as radical as these, yes, Congress matters. Yes, the Senate matters. But yes, control of the states matters, too. It matters as a check and a counterbalance and occasionally an opponent to what we have coming out of Washington and the Trump administration. Tonight, we are following a number of developing stories very much about how radical this moment is in our country right now. Just in the last hour, we, for example, have had important breaking news out of the United States Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority has granted an emergency request from the state of Alabama to discriminate against black voters, to allow the state of Alabama to use a Republican-backed map that deliberately eliminates one of the state's two majority black districts. This will, in terms of electoral politics, this will almost certainly gain Republicans another House seat. It will further reduce black representation in Congress. This, of course, comes in the wake of the high court gutting the Voting Rights Act. Sonia Sotomayor penned a pretty intense dissent to this decision tonight. I'll just read a little bit of it to you. She says, before the court are two paths. Down one lies an orderly election held under a tried-and-tested congressional map that protects black Alabamians' right to vote and with which all voters, elections officials, and candidates alike are familiar. Down the other lies a chaotic election held under a never-before-used congressional map that intentionally discriminates against Black Alabamians, that Alabama adopted in unashamed defiance of a prior court order directly affirmed by this court, and that will require officials to change the voter registrations of hundreds of thousands of voters in just days at best, A task that Alabama previously represented would take months. The majority chooses the second path and disregards both democratic values and the rule of law. I respectfully dissent. Again, that news out of the Supreme Court just within the last hour. And that is not only that is not the only breaking news that we are following tonight just in the past hour. The storied, venerable journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley has tonight been fired by the newly revamped CBS News. Yesterday, Mr. Pelley reportedly lambasted the new leadership at 60 Minutes and at CBS for effectively killing the long-running news magazine after firing scores of staff members and its leadership and after accusations of meddling in the show's editorial process. For that, directly as a result of that confrontation at a staff meeting, Mr. Pelley appears to have been fired by the network. For cause, Emma Snow has obtained the letter sent to Mr. Pelley this evening from the newly appointed executive producer at 60 Minutes. He's just been installed there as part of the sort of bald-faced Hungarian-style oligarchic takeover of that news organization. This newly appointed executive wrote to Scott Pelley, and the imbalance in terms of journalistic experience there is remarkable, given what the contents of the letter are. The letter says, in part, to Scott Pelley, quote, Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt. The letter from the newly appointed executive producer goes on to say that Mr. Pelley was terminated for cause effective immediately. This is an election special. And we have so much election news to cover tonight. Right. That's why we're. But I'm just going to call an audible here. Can we just talk about this for a second? Just I just love to get your guys reaction to some of this news tonight, Chris. I'm going to swing at one of these two pitches, which is the Supreme Court decision, which I've really had a few moments today of being kind of brought up short and speechless. And I'm trying to describe I mean, one of the things with all these cases is the procedural ins and outs can get very complicated. It's like this map and then it got stopped in the lower court. But I think the best way to understand it is this is so cynical and depraved and insane. It's the court's equivalent of nominating Bill Pulte to run the intelligence apparatus. in that when you do that, you're not pretending anymore. When you say Bill Pulte is going to run the intelligence agencies, yes, you're like you've lost. You're no longer trying to be like, well, no, this is a bald faced attempt to manipulate the levels of power for corrupt ends. And what the court has done tonight, and again, I could spend a long time going through the procedural stances of this, but fundamentally what happened was this map, this court rejected in 2023. They said this is not permissible. And why was it not permissible? Because it intentionally discriminates against black voters. And then they overturned their previous jurisprudence in the Calais with Louisiana's map. But they said they made a point of saying the majority, we are not overturning our decision in Milligan, which is the Alabama case. That still stands. And then tonight, after a lower court said, whatever the Voting Rights Act says, this is unconstitutional. It is constitutionally impermissible to discriminate against black people in this country, these United States with our constitution. And the court said, no, actually, you can't. And it is a truly shocking. And the response from lawyers, again, you keep hitting new lows. See prior Bill Pulte comments. Yeah. Even people who are pretty hardened about this court find this particular decision tonight from this court. And just to be clear, I mean, I don't want to interview you about this, Chris, but just to be clear, I feel like when we have these voting rights discussions, a lot of it, we have to sort of nod to the fact that there are euphemisms, that there are pretexts, that there are explanations for these things that make these maps sort of not what they obviously are, according to the way these things are being discussed in court. In this case, the United States Supreme Court said this map intentionally disenfranchises black Americans on the basis of the fact that they are black. Correct. This is not like a partisan effort. This is not like an effort to make prettier districts. Like this is literally about making sure that black people can't exercise political power because they're black people. And that's their own finding. And on the basis of that finding, with that being their own understanding of this, they said, go ahead and do it. This court. Yeah, it's really it's it's it's very difficult. And the only the last thing I would just say is that, like, I do think it is election night and just highlights the stakes across the board because it will be the United States Senate that will or will not confirm judges for the rest of Donald Trump's term in office, including Supreme Court justices, should they choose to retire, having the Republicans secure a majority and finding a 28 year old version of Sam Alito that makes Sam Alito look like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. So, you know, all of that, Everything that we see right now is on the table tonight in these elections. Well, elections. Also, this matters. This ties to November to our election night story as well tonight, because state legislatures, not only are they the place in America where America's policy is made, but elections are administered by the states in this country, not the White House or the federal government, as the president would like to pretend, frankly. And so who is in the state legislature matters what the state legislatures are willing to do or not to do what they're willing to defend and not defend with the attorney general of those states and the governors are willing to do. It matters. I've been saying this a lot. I will repeat it again. I believe we are in another post reconstruction moment in America after reconstruction collapsed in 1877, 1878, because it didn't happen overnight. OK, OK, like it's not happening overnight right now. Right. The 14th, 15th amendments, they were never repealed. OK, they were still on the books. The Constitution was still on the books after reconstruction. But the promise of democracy for millions of Americans were not. It took 88 years from the collapse of Reconstruction to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for even a semblance of those rights to be restored in this country. And so what is happening right now happened after Reconstruction. The courts aided and abetted in dismantling the promises of Reconstruction. There are a slew of Supreme Court cases post 1878 that basically said, oh, poll taxes, it's OK, because they say it's not about race. Oh, this is political. It's not about race. So on and so forth. Just like now, the map that they said was racist, that was about race in 2023. All of a sudden, this is just partisan. So we're going to let it go. So we don't have another 88 years. And that is why tonight the people going to the polls all across the country. That is why this November matters. I will also just say on the on the free press part of this, I made a crack there talking about the Scott Pelley news as being sort of Hungarian oligarchic style takeover in the media. And I mean that sort of as a joke, but also sort of deadly serious. I mean, there is nobody who is more acutely attuned to the value of a free press than those who are trying to take it away. And when the president baldly says, I am going to use the power of the state in order to get the media that I want, and he lines up oligarchic friends in order to do that for him. It's just it's again, there's no pretense. There's no saying this is for any other reason. There's nothing else going on at CBS News other than what we can see is happening at CBS News. And I don't know where Scott Pelley will land. Frankly, I hope he lands right here. Yeah I hope he stays on I hope he on TV tomorrow And I hope that everybody in journalism and everybody who values a free press figures out ways to outmaneuver the people who are trying to take the free press from us But it is it is a fully joined fight at this point. And there's no I don't think there's any any I think any pretense that anything else was happening here is over. Yeah. I take Cecilia Vega, who recently departed 60 minutes at her word when she says that her experience in that newsroom was one of censorship. I take her at her word when she says that in her stories they were trying to inject political bias. So I am with you 100 percent on the fact that there is nothing to litigate here. It is very clear what they are doing. The mandate for Barry Weiss is not excellent journalism or editorial discretion or to turn this into a new product. No, it's to grease the wheels of her corporate overlords. And let's be honest, stars across the board when it comes to that objective. I do want to make sure to tie this in, though, to the Sotomayor dissent that you read, because I'm taken by her frame that this is a two roads diverged moment. And that the court could have chosen not to go in the direction of chaos, but they distinctly chose chaos because in this moment, chaos is the point. And where I think that ties into the elections that we're all watching tonight is you have Democratic voters going out there and saying, I can't deal with the chaos anymore. Donald Trump campaigned on this idea that he was going to make America safe and secure and he was going to go to the chaos. It has been nothing but chaos. And so they are trying to figure out who is the fighter who can actually win in any of these number of races, who can restore order that is being dismantled at every stage of our government. So I'm going to channel my colleague, Simone, for a moment. In 1896. Come on, Michael Steele. There was a little case called Plessy versus Ferguson in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was OK under our Constitution, under the 14th Amendment. Put a pen in that. Now you sort of draw the lines to all the periods in our history, the battles that took down ultimately Reconstruction, the battles that raised up the Civil Rights era. And now the battles that are taking that down. And how are they taking it down? They're taking it down systematically. They're taking it down through media. They're taking it down through government. and they're taking it down through culture. What's the end game? The end game was not Obergefell. It was not the abortion decision. It's the amendments of the Constitution. The First Amendment is a pain in this Supreme Court's butt and a whole lot of other folks out there. But you know which one really bites the hardest? The 14th Amendment. So that's the end game. And they're setting the trap that they're laying down this court, laying down to at some point with the case that is being germinated right now. Somewhere in the south of this great country that's going to make its way through in which they say to the American people, guess what? All the rights you thought you had on the 14th Amendment no longer carry. How does that tie into Scott Pelley? Because it ties back to the First Amendment. It ties back to the only industry, business interest in this country that is mentioned in the Constitution. And the moment you can deconstruct that and take that piece out by controlling the press and controlling the narratives. Guess what stories they're going to write when they take out the 14th Amendment. And the people wind up losing across the board. And that's why I like this to Simone's point is important to all of the points made, because the voters need to understand what's really happening here. And what November November is just not a midterm election. It is probably a terminal election. This is yeah, this is I mean, everybody always says, you know, every election is like, oh, the most right. Like, once you're in the throes of this sort of a revolution, we are in the throes of a revolution to change our form of government and to get rid of our Constitution. And when that is actively happening and progressing every day, the next Democratic shot you get might be the only one. Yeah, you got it, right? You get. Our friend Lawrence O'Donnell is watching us from the air-conditioned confines of a Los Angeles studio, about which we are not at all jealous. Lawrence, I want you to weigh in here. Yeah, Rachel, it's impossible, of course, to be smarter about what the Supreme Court has done than what Justice Sonia Sotomayor has said in her dissent. And I'm glad you read a piece of it. It's 17 pages long. It's a 6-3 decision. Obviously, all of the justices appointed by Republican presidents were in the majority. All of the justices appointed by Democratic presidents in this three-person majority. And here is how Justice Sotomayor ended her 17 page dissent. She said weeks ago, I warned that vacating the district court's injunction in these cases would, quote, unleash chaos and confuse voters, end quote. Nevertheless, the court forged ahead. Now the court is squarely faced with the record of the turmoil it has caused and the harm it has wrought. Yet just as Alabama doubled down on racial discrimination, the court today doubles down on chaos because I choose to defend the rule of law and the right of all Alabamians to participate equally in democracy. I respectfully dissent and to to just get a word in here about Scott Pelley's dissent about what's happening at CBS News and 60 Minutes. It comes in what is the year that it is marking the 50th anniversary of the film network for which Patty Shaevsky won the Oscar for best screenplay. And Patty Shaevsky's screenplay about network news at the time was considered realistic up to a point. And then it felt like it really went over a line into a zone that could never happen. And now we have seen it all happen. And what Scott Pelley did in that room live on the spot was write the real world movie script of network. His lines could not have been more perfect. They couldn't have landed any better. It's a scene, as you read it, as you hear some of the dialogue from that room, that is just stunning. And he stood there and he stood against the billionaire takeover, not just of CBS News, but of more than half of show business now, which David Ellison is trying to do and is on his way to doing with Donald Trump's approval. And because the Ellison family is seeking Donald Trump's approval, that is why Scott Pelley had to be fired. Donald Trump fired Scott Pelley through the Ellison family because the Ellison family wants to run as much of show business as Donald Trump will allow them to run while violating antitrust laws in the process. And guys like Trump the world over do this every single chance they can because it is in their interest to not only consolidate media in the hands of people who are going to be loyal to them, but also to massively enrich those people and create power centers in those people that control both a ton of money, a ton of resources, a ton of, you know, corner cornering the market of significant portions of American culture and media. So then those people will use their power that he has given them to keep him in power, potentially indefinitely. I mean, that is this that is the cycle that these guys tried to build. And it is a cycle that works like a conveyor belt for their own power and their own wealth until the American people step in and cut that conveyor belt off. And that is what election nights are for. And that is what we are here for tonight. So we have a ton of news already coming in from the primary elections tonight in six different states. In Iowa tonight, Democrat Josh Turek has just won the nomination for the United States Senate. Ali Velshi is going to join us from the big board with the numbers on that, plus so much more. Jacob Soberoff is going to join us from downtown Los Angeles where voters are lined up at the polls. California's crucial and unpredictable governor's race driving turnout there. We got election news ahead from California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico. It's a big news night. It's going to be a big night for democracy, too. We'll be here with you for all. Stay with us. Tired of home remodelers who over-promise and under-deliver? You and your home deserve better. Like an app that lets you track your project's progress whenever, from wherever. And a lifetime labor warranty backed by expert craftsmen who treat your home like their own. At Power Home Remodeling, this all comes standard because we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Schedule a free quote on windows, roofing, siding, or doors at PowerHomeRemodeling.com. Power. Our work. Shows. It's time to turn up the heat with BetMGM Casino. This summer, bring the excitement wherever you are. With exclusive games and rewards, there's never been a better time to play. Download the BetMGM Casino app today. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for T's and C's. 21 and over to wager. Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Promotions may vary by market. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. I'm Cindy Lauper with fellow Cosentix advocate, Chef Michelle Bernstein. We'll share our experiences with plaque psoriasis, with psoriatic arthritis, and Dr. Panico will talk about the possible connection. Cosentix Secukinumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis 300 mg dose and adults with active psoriatic arthritis 150 mg dose. 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We're going to get to that shortly, including potential national implications for that. In all of these states, there's drama and there's stakes in all of these elections. Obviously, the spotlight has been shining hottest on California. Polls close in under an hour in California. Nearly one in eight Americans call California home. So California elections are always a big deal in their own right But the stakes of tonight California elections are high really for the whole country Voters in California will decide tonight who the two candidates will be in November for California governor California's current governor, Gavin Newsom, has been an electoral juggernaut in that state, but he is term-limited out. The question of who will replace him has been nutty. It has been like a soap opera crossed with a true crime thriller, crossed with a particularly poorly planned reality show. There are literally 61 names on the ballot for California governor. Seriously. Tonight, we're going to find out which two of those 61 people will face off in November to become California's next governor, to lead the nation's most populous state, the fourth largest economy in the world, through the second half of Donald Trump's presidential term. We've already had in this race a Democratic frontrunner who dropped out in the midst of a lurid and shocking scandal. We have had a billionaire flooding the airwaves with a record-breaking deluge of ads. He has spent over $200 million on himself in this race. There's a Republican candidate who inexplicably seized hundreds of thousands of ballots from last year's elections in the county where he is sheriff. And there is the stranger than fiction, weird and much discussed possibility, the sort of nightmare scenario for Democrats, that it could theoretically end up being two Republicans advancing to the runoff in deep blue California. Now, realistically, that seems almost impossible. But frankly, the phrase almost impossible is the caption under the photo of this time in American political history right now. So don't knock it. California will also play a major role in determining who controls Congress come January. Last year, California voters responded to gerrymandering in red state Texas by approving a new congressional map in California that gives Democrats the edge in five more seats. That has thrown a major monkey wrench in the careers of the incumbent Republicans who held those seats. We're going to be watching those primaries and a bunch of other hotly contested ones across the state. California has 52 congressional seats. There's also the wild Los Angeles mayor's race, where the incumbent mayor of the nation's second largest city is facing a challenge from a man who is famous for being a villain on a defunct reality TV show that most people have never watched. Plus another challenge from a Democratic Socialist city councilor who has drawn comparisons to New York Mayor Zoran Mondani. So there's a lot happening just in California tonight, but California is only part of it. In Iowa, we already know the Democratic nominee for governor. He ran unopposed. He is Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand. Rob Sand cleared the Democratic field. He has been running a bang-up gubernatorial campaign. Democrats think that with him, they've got a real shot to win back the Iowa governor's race. Rob Sand will be the Democratic nominee for governor in Iowa. Iowa Democrats have been fired up about their chances in the state's open U.S. Senate race as well. With two very strong candidates fighting it right down to the wire, we can report tonight that Iowa State Representative and Paralympic gold medalist Josh Turek has won the Democratic nomination for that Iowa Senate race tonight. In the great state of New Jersey, there's lots of interesting primaries, but the one everybody's a little obsessed with is New Jersey 7th. This is the swingiest district in the whole state. There technically is a Republican incumbent congressman there, and he technically is running unopposed in his Republican primary tonight. But the man is also invisible. He has not been seen in months. Reporters are literally checking the hospitals in New Jersey, looking for him, staking out his house. Nobody can find him. Tonight, Tom Kaine, unopposed, will hold the Republican nomination for his own seat. And now we have learned which Democrat will try to unseat that invisible man this fall. Her name is Rebecca Bennett. She's a former Navy helicopter pilot. She has won the Democratic primary to face off against Tom Kaine this fall in New Jersey. We're also watching results from New Mexico. Former Democratic Congresswoman and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has clinched the Democratic nomination for governor in New Mexico. If she wins in November, I should tell you she will be the first female Native American governor in U.S. history. There's so much to get to. I could go on and on and on. Ali Velshi, let's get this going. We're watching for Turek's victory speech in Iowa any minute. We'll go to that as soon as it starts. But in the meantime, tell us what you got. He's a great talker. And I want to go to Iowa and tell you a little bit about what's going on here. Sixty percent of the vote in Josh Turek is going to be a nominee as we move forward. But as a result of that, the fact that Josh Turek is thought of as competitive as a potential winner of an open Senate seat, as an open gubernatorial seat and an open Senate seat there, first time since the 1960s that's happened. A more interesting thing has happened. And that is when you look at the Senate races to watch, the potential path for Democrats to take control of the Senate, If that were to happen in November, we have just moved Iowa from likely Republican to lean Republican. Oh, it's a matter of it's a matter of degrees. But the point is, there is now that much more of a path potentially for Democrats to take the Senate. Now, there's a discussion here about whether Maine, which is a toss up, has become a little more competitive than it was a week ago for Republicans. But the bottom line is Iowa is now in that race for the reasons that we were just describing to you. You also just talked about Rob Sand in the governor's race in Iowa. He is uncontested in the GOP race against him. Randy Feenstra, who was thought to be the person who would win this, with 61% of the vote, is running behind Zach Lon. This is interesting because this is one of those states that has an unusual rule that if more than two people are running, one of them has to get 35% of the vote. As you can see, two candidates are very close to 35% of the vote. If they don't get 35 percent of the vote, it's not like a southern state where it goes to a runoff. They have a meeting of the Republican conference on June 13th and they pick a winner. So that becomes an interesting thing that we're watching. I was very much in play. Let me jump in here. Let's go to Des Moines right now, where Josh Turek is just about to give his speech. Just speak. I first want to congratulate Zach Walls on running a strong campaign. He and I, yes, absolutely. He and I just spoke on the phone. Zach has been an exceptional representative for his district and a true public servant for the people of Iowa. I am grateful for this primary. It has made me a stronger candidate. To Zach's supporters, I know I was not your first choice. But I ask each and every one of you to join our campaign to push for change. Together, we are going to build an Iowa that people move to, not away from. and my travels through the state wherever I go, I hear the same things. Iowans are hurting. Families are struggling just to keep food on the table and a roof above their heads. Farmers are living in constant fear of foreclosure. We are in a senseless Middle East war that is driving up cash prices here at home. Our rural communities are disappearing. Hospitals and schools are closing here. Our public schools are falling behind. Iowa is now nearly dead last for economic growth, personal income growth, OBGYNs, mental health providers. We have closed 250 more health care clinics than we've opened in the last 15 years. We have a cancer crisis, a water quality crisis. This is not the Iowa that I grew up in. This is not the state that we all love. But I am feeling hope here in Iowa for the first time in a very long time. and this is because Iowans know that we need change. The status quo is not working. We need a fighter for the people, not for the billionaires, large corporations, and political donors, and this is our chance to change this state. My story is truly the American dream, and no other country on earth could someone born into a working-class family from Council Bluffs, Iowa, who went to the Goodwill, shared clothes, had the wrong color lunch ticket, who was born with my disability of spina bifida due to my father's exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, who had 21 surges before the age of 12, be able to represent the United States in four Paralympic Games and bring home two gold medals and represent their community in the legislature. Only in America is that possible. And I am running for the United States Senate to protect that American dream for future generations. I got into politics just four years ago because while working in health care, I saw firsthand how the privatization of Medicaid was leaving to a 1000 percent increase in denials and delays for people with conditions like muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig disease. It was fundamentally wrong and I decided to do something about it. So I ran in red western Iowa to represent my hometown in the Iowa legislature. I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless, for the Iowans who cannot afford a lobbyist. I won that first race by dragging my wheelchair upstairs every single day to talk to voters, regardless of party next to their name. Neighbor by neighbor, Iowan by Iowan, I won them over. I won that first race by just six votes. So never doubt that your vote matters. It does, and it can be all of the difference. I won that race because there's more that unites us than divides us. They trusted I knew what they were going through because I had lived it myself. I've had to fight my whole life. And this is what is needed in D.C. People who have gone through real struggle, who know what it's like to not have enough, who know what a gallon of gas costs, who have had to put groceries on a credit card. We have enough millionaires in D.C. looking out for billionaires. We need real people in Washington who have felt the consequences of a broken system, because when you have gone through real struggle, you will have a different level of empathy and a different level of fight. And this is what we need in D.C., fighters for the people. And that is what I will be in the United States Senate. Not someone like Ashley Hansen, who has voted to take health care away from one hundred and ten thousand Iowans just to give tax breaks to billionaires. She voted to make health care more expensive, so 119,000 Iowans saw their health care premiums double and even triple. She backed cuts to veterans' health care. She voted four times in favor of the tariffs that have decimated our farmers. She supported raising the age for Social Security. She even sponsored a total abortion ban, even as 93% of Iowans say it goes too far. Ashley Hinton is a multimillionaire who has increased her wealth by up to 10 times since she got to Congress and refused to support a ban on members of Congress and their families from owning and trading stock. She has taken over three point six million dollars in corporate PAC money. She does not represent Iowa and does not represent our values. And tonight, Iowa, we have had enough. So my promise to you, I am going to the United States Senate to fight for a livable wage, to drive private equity out of housing and health care to fight for affordable and accessible health care and prescription drugs for all Americans because I believe that health care is a human right To make it so doctors decide care, not insurance companies. So people like my sister are never told again, sorry, you can't get a PET scan. You don't have enough cancer yet to fight for women's reproductive freedom, to fight for our public schools, because I believe public money belongs in public schools. to address the cancer crisis that we're having in this state, the water quality crisis that we have in this state, because every single Iowan deserves drinkable water. And to have billionaires pay their fair share, to fight for campaign finance reform and transparency, to fight to get dark money out of politics, because we can have oligarchy or we can have democracy, but we cannot have both, and enough is enough. That is Josh Kurok. He is the Democratic nominee for Senate in the great state of Iowa, giving his victory speech, having dispatched Zach Walls in what was a very hard-fought primary. Very much so. And look, this is a place and Michael Steele and I have had a spirited conversation about this throughout the week about Iowa. This is a place where Democrats think they can make inroads. Yes, in the Senate, but also in the governor's mansion when it comes to Rob Sand, who is currently the only Democrat that has been consistently elected statewide and reelected, frankly, so much so that in the state legislature, they tried to take his power away from being able to actually do his job, which is investigating waste, fraud and abuse. What is so interesting to me about Turk is, first of all, Iowa was a place previously that was actually very competitive for Democrats. Harkin, the last Democratic senator, represented the state for about 30 years. The Harkin fish, the Harkin steak fry, if anybody's ever been named after him. And so Turk does have some inroads. What he was talking about specifically, the cancer rates, the billionaires. Right. That's language we've heard. other places linking the corruption to people's economic livelihoods or non-livelihoods, frankly, given what's going on. But in Iowa, cancer is truly on the rise. It's one of the only states where it is increasing. And there have been a number of reports that have come out recently that have talked about it's linked to agricultural factors. So the farm and pesticides. So the farmers are also a piece of this as well. So Iowa is a place to watch. I think that this is a place or Democrats actually can make some inroads this November. Outgoing Governor Kim Reynolds, lowest approval rating of any governor in the nation. And that's because I was 49th rank in economic growth over the last few years. Like they're having a very rough go of it there. The change for status quo is a very strong argument for someone who's running to take on the party that has been running things. Iowa farmers have a great case to make against Republicans at every level of government with Donald Trump at the head of that party right now. It's going to be fascinating to watch how the Democratic Party sort of tries this on in Iowa. This is the best shot they've had at those two big races in a long time. All right. As more results come in from these half a dozen states that have been voting today and tonight, we're going to keep the updates coming. Our countdown continues to the final poll closing of this very election night and very busy election night in California coming up at the top of the hour. We're going to get a live report from California right after this quick break. Stay with us. Tired of home remodelers who over promise and under deliver? You and your home deserve better. Like an app that lets you track your project's progress whenever, from wherever. And a lifetime labor warranty backed by expert craftsmen who treat your home like their own. At Power Home Remodeling, this all comes standard because we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Schedule a free quote on windows, roofing, siding, or doors at powerhomeremodeling.com. Power. Our work. Shows. It's time to turn up the heat with BetMGM Casino. This summer, bring the excitement wherever you are. With exclusive games and rewards, there's never been a better time to play. Download the BetMGM Casino app today. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for T's and C's. 21 and over to wager. Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Promotions may vary by market. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. I'm Cindy Lauper with fellow Cosentix advocate, Chef Michelle Bernstein. We'll share our experiences with plaque psoriasis, with psoriatic arthritis, and Dr. Panico will talk about the possible connection. Cosentix Secukinumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis 300-milligram dose. and adults with active psoriatic arthritis 150 milligram dose. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentix. Before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur, like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal, or viral infections. Some are fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or cough, had a vaccine or planned to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen. Serious allergic reactions and severe eczema-like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-Cosentix or cosentix.com slash Cindy. All right, you've been waiting for it. Now it's going to happen. Here it comes. Let's bring in Jacob Silberoff, the host of the forthcoming show Connect on MS Now, which premieres June 13th. Jacob naturally is in a black t-shirt at a polling location in Los Angeles. Jacob, It's great to see you. Where are you at? How's it going? Tell us what you're seeing. I'm blushing in a polling place, Rachel. Thank you very much. State law here in Kaiman. I have to do my golf announcer voice for just a second because state law in California is very nice to allow us into the polling places, as is the county of Los Angeles, the largest election jurisdiction in the country. It is very busy here, I have to tell you. And even though people can vote by mail and you put up that ballot earlier, I want to show you what it looks like to people like me who got one in the mail. 61 gubernatorial candidates. This is page number one, starting with Barack D. Obama Shaw, not the Barack Obama that you know, all the way to the other side, all the way down to Mohammed Arif, the final candidate on the ballot. Every one of us here who is registered to vote, the 20 or so million people in the state got one of those ballots. But many people are waiting until the very last second. As you can see through the windows here in downtown Los Angeles, Grand Street and Fifth Avenue, the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. It is an extraordinary thing to see, but why don't we go outside and we can talk a little bit about why this is such a consequential election. I do want to check just how long you've been waiting. You've been waiting for about an hour so far? 30, 40 minutes. Not that bad. Okay, good. What's your name? Alessio. Alessio Jacob. Nice to meet you. You're almost there. Yeah. Okay, good luck, everybody. So, Rachel, these people have been waiting for quite some time. They have decided to show up and vote in person on this Tuesday at the beginning of the summer here. Oh, locked door. I have to go ahead, please. I'm going to have to go through this summer in June. And this is such a consequential day here in Los Angeles and in California, Rachel, not just because we have the gubernatorial election here to replace Gavin Newsom, of course, and not just to watch this highly contested mayoral election with Karen Bass, who is facing, as you said, it is crazy to say, but Spencer Pratt, the former reality star, Nithya Raman, the progressive city council person here in Los Angeles. But remember, we were all on the air for Proposition 50 as I walked the line here to show you how far this goes. When Gavin Newsom, in his own words, was fighting fire with fire in order to try to push back against some of the redistricting efforts that were tipping the scales in favor of Republicans all across the country. Now, tonight, with this consequential news from the Supreme Court out of Alabama, with the First Amendment on the line, with the firing of Scott Pelley from 60 Minutes. I mean, this is a great night to vote no matter what you care about in Los Angeles or in California. And I do think that some of the big issues here, not just that we have a nonpartisan top two vote getter primary system and we could see perhaps two Democrats emerge, Javier Becerra, of course, the former HHS secretary, congressman from this area, state legislator from this area, very well known, and also Tom Steyer. But this Steve Hilton guy who was endorsed, a Fox News contributor by the president of the United States, the scenario in which we may see two Republicans emerge doesn't seem very likely at this hour. and talking to people in Los Angeles certainly doesn't seem like that at all. Maybe I can, as I walked in line, I'm getting the no eye contact from certain people, which I know very well means they do not want to say hello. Can I just say hi to you? We're live on MSNOW. What's your name? Ebony. Ebony Jacob. It's nice to meet you. They said 30 or 40 minutes to wait in line. What brings you out on the last possible day, the last possible minute, with 12 minutes until polls close to cast your ballot today? I just want my voice heard. I actually waited till the last minute. I usually am well-researched, and now I'm like reading last minute on each candidate. But actually, the city sent me like a statistic that told me that I was like in the top percentage of voters. So you vote regularly? I vote regularly, and I didn't want to mess that percentage up. So I was like, okay. You're back. Stephanie's back. The gubernatorial election here in California is to replace Gavin Newsom. He has been a top foil to the president of the United States on these very streets on issues like the ICE raids that happened a year ago. this summer. What are you hoping for in the next governor of California? I don't know. I'm barely reading into it. I'm sorry. All right. So Ebony's just getting ready, which is actually you've got 30 minutes to do it. You've got a mayoral race as well. Don't forget to reach. She's on the phone. She's probably phoning a friend. I'll let you do that. I mean, it's nice to meet you. Thank you very, very much. Every one of these people, Rachel, has a little bit of time until Post-Lovitz in order to get inside. The thing that strikes me is that I talked to you. I talked to Chris Hayes, who I know is sitting there with you a year ago right now as Donald Trump's troops rolled into the city of Los Angeles, these very streets, to conduct the largest mass deportation campaign in American history. But subsequent to that, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people, you covered it better than anyone else, have come out to these same streets to protest this administration. And in large part, the leaders of this city and this state have done so as well. And so that's why this is going to be a definitive night for people here in California. We will see who the candidates that emerge to become potentially those five additional Democratic pickups in the House are, in addition to the mayor and the governor here. It's going to be a very exciting night, and we're going to be out here until the polls close at the very end. Jacob, very, very well done. You walk backwards while speaking better than anybody in the business. And you are very good at persuading people to talk to you while you do it. We'll be back with you on the other side of this, Jacob. Thank you so much. No eye contact. is live in downtown LA. One thing to know, we're going to take a quick break here. When we come back, one of the things you should know about this very, very important election day in California is that California counts in a way that isn't all that intuitive. And it has important implications in terms of when we're going to know the important outlook, the important outcomes that we're waiting for tonight. Ali Thel, she's going to walk us through some of that as we get close to polls closing in less than 10 minutes now California. We'll take a quick break. We'll be right back. Stay with us. Have you ever considered surrounding your house with a moat to keep it safe? Would you hire a professional wrestler as a bodyguard for your car? Okay, maybe you wouldn't go that far. But if you'd go to great lengths to avoid dealing with your insurance company, you might have insuranoia. And if you have insuranoia, you should have NJM Insurance. They go to great lengths to do what's best for their policyholders. Start relieving your insuranoia today at njm.com.