life intact. >> people need to know how evil angelina was. how many lives she ruined to try and get a little bit of money. and she wasn't going to stop at nothing until she got what she wanted. i want angelina to know, you did not ruin me, you didn't ruin me at all. >> in the bible, we are warned that satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and sometimes, he is pretty good at it. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i'm natalie morales, thank you for watching. >> hello everyone, i'm alicia menendez, ahead this hour. action in the face of destruction. the bluster and broadcast of donald trump.

new reporting shows jack smith is relying on the facts, and not the fury. also this hour, departed trump or not, a new litmus test in the republican class for the nomination. we've heard the president before, but doing so again presents a further danger to democracy. we're gonna ask the story of michael beschloss. and i sit down with actress, eva longoria, making her flaming diva debut. this is american voices. we begin this hour with donald trump and his allies, trying to deflect attention away from his decision to keep government secrets after his presidency. we have heard these excuses before, trump is relying on the same old script, distract with baseless claims of a witch hunt to stop the movement. it was today, again, on his knockoff version of twitter. following special counsel jack smith quote, the range, saying the indictment is fake. make no mistake trump's sex is

social media grants are a sideshow. on the other hand, this he is relying on the evidence. with a 37 count federal indictment, tell the story of how trump refused to hand over classified information and even went great lengths to hide the documents from the government. while trump is playing the victim. his first court appearance, tuesday, in miami, served as an early indicator of how the government might proceed. for now, it appears prosecutors might try to avoid unnecessary court battles. court watchers say the special counsel's team, and the magistrate judge, showed restraint during trump's arraignment. trump was not required to hand over his passport. the court did not restrict trump from traveling. legal analysts point out other defendants facing similar charges, not seeing that kind of deference from the government. the new york times reports, quote, they first courtroom skirmish, provided telling insights into the fist inside a kid glove approach that smith

and his team employed. and aggressive fast-track approach to prosecution, coupled with a conspicuously respectful posture toward the defended. smith is also seeking to dodge potentially distracting elements to a case focused on concrete evidence. joining me now, monique pressley, former senior -- assistant attorney general, from the d. c. office of the attorney general. she's now the host of the digital show, make it make sense. and former florida congressman, msnbc political analyst, david jolly. monique, what do you make of special counsel smiths approach during this week's arraignment? and what do you think it tells us about how the government might move forward with this case? >> it tells me he's a strategist. i have to disagree with those who are coming out and saying that this is to keep peace. that this is because it's a former president. that this is because he has to fight the fights that he can win. i don't think you get to be special prosecutor jack smith without considering every single thing. and one thing he knows for sure, is that people in this country have a right to remain silent. you know who doesn't like using it? former president, donald trump. if it were me, sure, go ahead.

talk to former employees. we have eyes and ears everywhere. we will know when you do it. brittani, sure. let him keep his passport. please do leave the country. wouldn't that aid all of us? so i just think that it's part of his strategy to allow donald trump to be donald trump. and that ultimately his team has decided it will help them, and help their case, not hurt them. >> if they hold their power. congressman jolly, a new calling out today in the washington post reads, quote, in the estimation of many legal experts, declining to charge trump, given the preponderance of evidence laid out in the indictment, would have sent a signal that former presidents, or at least this former president, or above the law. the indictment provided trump and opening to attack federal law enforcement and to further erode his political supporters trust in the institutions of government. trump's line of attack, it is not a surprise, damaging,

nonetheless. to zoom out here, what is at stake here for our democracy? >> the rule of law. i mean, look, jack smith believes he has both the facts and the law on his side. donald trump doesn't. so as the old saying goes, donald trump is banging the table. jack smith, i think the reason you are seeing kind of the silence, and we call it deference or call it strategy, towards donald trump, is because he truly believes he can get a convention based on the evidence they already have. i do think you might see jack smith get a little more aggressive, though, if donald trump's behavior begins to tamper with witness selection or undoing influence of witness. you haven't saw the judge last week say, i don't want donald trump had in contact with witnesses. i think the lens that is so important here, alicia, and this goes to what is informing jack smith's behavior. it's not the donald trump is a former president, in that case you could argue there is deference. and there shouldn't be. he should be treating like anybody else.

jack smith knows he's dealing with the front runner for the republican nomination. if we thought that comey, hillary blowup was a huge deal, which it was. that's what jack smith is wrestling with. because you very well might have a conviction of the front runner for the republican nomination, or the republican nominee, the head of a general election. i think jack smith is doing absolutely everything he can. to sideline any questions about his propriety about whether or not he is treating donald trump fairly, he's giving donald trump the benefit of every single doubt. in case we get to a moment, which i believe likely will happen, that the republican nominee is convicted federally, just before the general election. >> monique, having read the indictment, having read the indictment multiple times, is there a world in which a prosecutor sees this much evidence, and we know that they were even selective about the evidence that they put into this indictment, and declined

to prosecute? what declining to prosecute in this case actually be the bigger scandal? >> it wouldn't be the bigger scandal, because perhaps no one would know. one of the things that we know about prosecutors, and about whether it's doj or local prosecutors, is that they have absolute discretion. and we maybe never see the evidence that they have, that they used to choose whether they bring in a case or not. whether we would know about what happened before jacks mitt made this decision, maybe we wouldn't. but here's what we do know. now that we can see it, we know it would have been agree just. because every single count is backed by testimonial -- it's backed by physical evidence. in some instances, it's backed, as i said before, by the defendants own statement. i have every confidence that the right decision was made, in charging him. the right decision was made not by the president of the united states, or by merrick garland, but by the grand jury. by citizens, to indict donald

trump. and we all will have to see what happens from here. >> david, it is just so striking to me when we talk about the threats to our democracy. you remember the fox banner that came up, want to be dictator? then the producer got fired by fox for the matter. but now you have a u.s. senator, ted cruz, just out there on right-wing media, using the same incendiary language to talk about this president of the united states. right? it's not just donald trump, the man himself, that is a threat to this democracy. >> yeah, alicia, i'm afraid we could be entering a very dangerous chapter in american history. we certainly hope not. but i'm not reaching for a hyperbole on that. donald trump is framing this, and republicans like ted cruz and others are framing this, around the weaponization of the government, against the former

president and against republicans. and look, i say for january 6th, the big lie was that the election was stolen. this is the bigger lie. now your government is out to get you, and out to get your political leader. this could be a critical moment for the country. so when people are casually on the right, using the word weaponization, that in itself is dangerous. but when they say it with conviction, that is suggesting we are going to enter into a general election possibly, where democracy is on the line. where the rule of law is on the line. and possibly, a domestic security of the united states. because where donald trump very well might lose in a court of law, he may actually be victorious in the court of public opinion. that, ultimately, ushers in a very dark chapter for our country. >> i would ask you more of the, but monique, i have less than a

minute left. we have learned that what trump says on the campaign trail often not what his lawyers actually argue in court. your sense of what the defense is going to look like? >> well, what we know is that the defense attorney that has been abruptly removed from the team, quit or fired, had already tried to plea out in this case, before the case was even charged. i have no idea what these lawyers will be able to do. you need a client who actually wants to participate, who actually cares about what's happening in a court of law. that is not what they have with the former president of the united states. >> i monique pressley, thank you so much for being with us. david, you are sticking around. next, the pardon primary, how candidates desperate to court trump voters are flirting with disaster. plus the security concerns of trump's potential court dates. why law enforcement officials have georgia on their mind. but first to richard lui, he standing by to look at the other big stories we're watching this hour on msnbc. richard? >> thank you alicia, about 37 million americans are at risk of severe weather this weekend from colorado springs to jacksonville.

at least three deaths blamed so far on the storms this week. 100 others injured. president biden got an aerial tour of the i-95 rebelled near philadelphia. biden outlining his long term support for a permanent fix for that vital roadway. the exception of i-95 clapped when a truck caught fire last week. pennsylvania's governor saying it will reopen in two weeks. at least 25 people are dead after a rebel group attacked a school in uganda. eight other victims are in critical condition. militants burned the schools dormitory building and looted a food store. ugandan police say the attackers were part of a militant group liked to the islamic state. more american voices for you right after this break. rd is made for people like sam who make...? ...everyday products... ...designed smarter. like a smart coffee grinder - that orders fresh beans for you. oh, genius! for more breakthroughs like that... ...i need a breakthrough card... like ours! with 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more...

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hands. and my question to you is simple, are you with me on this fight? [crowd chanting] [applause] >> today, president biden kicked off his reelection campaign in philadelphia. his main focus was touting his economic record during his first two years on the job. the republicans campaigning for the 2024 nomination, their focus was not on the issues facing the american people. instead, whether they are willing to pardon donald trump.

>> i'm happy to announce, this is my commitment, on january 20th 2025, if i'm elected the next u.s. president, to pardon donald j trump. >> i would be inclined in favor of a pardon. >> it's simply wrong to be discussing a pardon, when we have really not gotten the facts out. >> despite the 37 count indictment over mishandling our nation's top secrets, trump is still leading the crowd of gop field. but that hasn't stopped his opponents from giving the front runner the benefit of the doubt. >> i don't know why some of my competitors in the republican primary presumed the president will be found guilty. look, all we know is what the president has been accused of in the indictment. we don't know what his defenses. we don't know if this will even go to trial. it could be subject to a motion to dismiss. >> david jolly is back with me, david jolly, first let's just

talk about this split screen of the day. that you have the democratic front runner, the only true candidate in that race, president biden, talking about jobs he has created. talking about turning the economy around. talking about an actual substantive record. and when we switch the channel and look at the republican side, they are debating whether or not they would be willing, should they be lucky enough to win their party's nomination, to pardon their current front runner. >> that's right alicia, all elections are about contrast. that's it. on election day, people are looking at the contrast between two candidates. you laid it out perfectly. joe biden touting a rebounding icon of. a strong job numbers. infrastructure. you go down the list of what americans care about. republicans are wrestling about whether or not to pardon the former president. even in doing that, as you just played, several of them are

racing to crazy right? could they be crazier than the next one imparted promising a pardon for something they don't know. i would say, i think mike pence has continued to play this right. set aside all of his hypocrisy around so many of these issues, but he is the one who has said, let's let due process play out. the allegations are serious. let donald trump respond. as a republican, he gets to say maybe he won't be found guilty. why should you think he's guilty? i think it actually triangulate's the president. to say, let donald trump prove himself in court. let him defend himself in court. i would even suggest for mike pence and others, i hope donald trump asked for a speedy trial. let's ask this for right now. -- it starts to pinch donald trump in this primary. >> of course, miami mayor, francis juarez, entered the race this week. i'm sure you saw the interview where he bobbed and weaved and tried to do anything other than answer the question of what he thinks about the indictment against the former president. but i want you to take a listen to what he said about pardoning trump, specifically.

>> if i became president of the united states, i think the pardon power, one of the possible reasons for using the pardon powers to heal the country. so you know, who knows what will happen. he's innocent until proven guilty. he has not been proven guilty. but certainly if i became president, one thing i would look at as president, is using the pardon power to heal the country. >> that was in an interview with my colleague here at msnbc, josé díaz-balart, we are hearing that argument quite a bit down. that pardoning trump would somehow heal the country. i do not buy it, do you? >> no. i don't. i actually think, if this becomes the seminal question of this general election, will the republican nominee pardoning now convicted donald trump, i think the republican nominee loses the general election. i think a lot of these people, from francis flores, to nikki haley, to whomever, need to be very careful with this issue. i mean it, alicia, i think they might see value in a republican primary. i think the nation rejects it in november of 24. if a candidate is running, and

the seminal question is that they will pardon a convicted donald trump, i believe that candidate does lose. >> i know you've seen all of this thought and critique around the role that president biden should play in pushing back against the attacks from trump on doj, right. right now the biden administration, their theory of the cases don't touch it, don't talk about it. you step into their frame, this is all a politicize a shun. there are some democrats who are saying, okay, but you have to at some point say that there are institutions here that are being attacked without merit. i don't think it is necessarily for president biden to do, but i wonder what you think about democrats more broadly, being the voice that steps in, and draws that contrast. with the fact that a party that once called itself the party of law enforcement and rule of law, is out here attacking those same institutions. >> that's right. first and foremost, alicia, i

think it's the role of the free press. i think this is a moment in history where the role of the free pass become so critically important. joe biden cannot touch this. he has to be no comment from now until next november. because, this is the prosecution, as we discussed in a previous segment, of his likely opponent. not just a past president. so the politics of it forbid biden from touching it. i think for democrats, go into this, lean into it. but not on the republican field. don't argue about the weaponization issue. don't argue about donald trump 's craziness. lean into the support of the rule of law. lean into due process for the president himself, as a defendant. lean into your support for the presidential records act, and for the espionage act, and the importance of those. the contrast will naturally happen. the other thing to realize politically, there is no way for democrats to overcome the messaging of donald trump on trial. the nation will be fixed. their attention will be fixed on that. it will make its own case of contrast, as we were discussing, between democrats and republicans.

that will happen as a result of the trial of donald trump. >> this idea of chaos versus -- its david jolly, as always, thank you so much for spending part of your saturday with us. next, law enforcement officials from georgia taking note on how things are going in south florida. they want to be ready for a possible trump indictment in atlanta. frank figliuzzi talks about the unique security challenge, and the lessons learned. plus, historian, michael beschloss, on a -- and what we can learn from past attempts at unity that backfired. turns out it's mostly water. so, we switched back to tide. one wash, stains are gone. [daughter] slurping don't pay for water. pay for clean. it's got to be tide. hey guys, detect this: living with hiv, i learned that i can stay undetectable with fewer medicines. that's why i switched to dovato. dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. detect this:

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courthouse. the atlanta journal-constitution reports, quote, the seed provided a window into what could be in store for downtown atlanta later this summer, should fulton county district attorney, fani willis, pursue charges against trump for his efforts to overturn georgia's 2020 election results. joining me now, greg bluestein, he's a political reporter for the atlanta journal constitution. and an msnbc political tribute. are also with us, msnbc national security analyst, frank figliuzzi, he's a former fbi assistant director for counter intelligence. greg, atlanta police, fulton county sheriff's office, they both sent employees to miami this week. talk me how these line forsman agencies are preparing for a possible indictment. >> law enforcement agencies see this as a dry run. see what happened in miami is a dry run. but what could happen if atlanta prosecutors pursue charges against the former president and his top deputies. remember, here in atlanta, this indictment can be much broader than what we've seen in miami and manhattan.

it can involve members of donald trump's inner circle. it can involve local officials here in georgia. we could be looking at a very broad indictment, and they are down in miami, they were down in miami this week, picking up tips on how to respond. how to prepare for protesters, to demonstrators, the media is a big part of it as well. there will be a crush of reporters here on top of all the demonstrators. and just the passersby, who just want a glimpse at history. >> frank, the agency reports, quote, there are many reasons why georgia may want to look at to its summer -- southern neighbor when it comes to handling trump. florida is closer to georgia, politically, then new york. as more similar gun laws. miami and atlanta's line force meant resources also pale in comparison with new york city. what is the type of resource sharing, not just between cities, but with the fbi as well. what is the benefit of atlanta officers getting a realtime preview of what could play out in georgia? >> that passage about the gun control -- >> because of georgia's premise

of gun regulations and gun measures. they do mirror a lot of what florida has already adopted. look, i know local line forsman officials are coordinating not just with state law enforcement officials, but also federal law enforcement officials. it's going to be a joint operation. i know the state law enforcement authorities are already very closely watching. they will be looking maybe to do some joint exercises and other measures to prepare for august. because august is when fani willis has notified her local authorities she expects to make a decision. >> frank? >> count me amongst those who say that while it's really essential, and fortunate to have an example to look at in realtime for the atlanta line forsman, down visiting in miami, county among those people who say miami wasn't the best example of the strongest security. secret service interacted consistently, as they usually do, asked for the things they usually do down there. and it didn't get them in all cases. so if you saw, at the very end, as trump was exiting the building, there was an individual who ran up, for

example. could have easily been armed and taken shots at the motorcade or others. things like that, more barricades need to be thought about. any strong security plan is based on an assessment of risk and threat. you've got to do that across all the agencies that greg just rattled off. fbi, dhs, secret service, the marshals. georgia state patrol county and local police, of course. but you also have to understand something that gregg alluded to, this is very different in terms of what the indictment is going to be about. if it ever comes about. it is about trying to overturn a valid election. it's about the big lie. the same big lie that incited the violence on january 6th. so good news, over 1000 arrests for participants in the january 6th violence. has had a chilling effect, particularly on organized groups. that's the good news. the bad news is they've had a

lot of time to think about this. fani willis has projected this thing way ahead of time. and talked about when it may be happening. that gives bad people time to plant some bad things. >> right, there's a certain circularity to that specific case. i want to ask you frank, miami prepared for up to 50,000 protesters this week. or at least that's what's reported. you seem to be casting some doubt on their preparations. in reality, just about 5000 people showed up. a lot of the far-right extremist groups seem to stay home. we are talking to angela cortisone in the last hour. he's a -- monitoring the fever swamps a lt wait time becomes? >> there's no question that the chilling effect is evident in the private chat rooms. and chat groups amongst violent extremist groups. the proud boys, oath keepers, they don't want to get arrested. they saw their senior leaders convicted of seditious conspiracy. some of them will spend the rest of their lives in prison. that has a deterrent effect. no question about it. but, but let's remember this will all play off, and queue-off of trump and all of his cohorts. if they see the entire

hierarchy around trump indicted, because don't forget, rudy giuliani is exposed here. mark meadows is exposed here. many others. don't forget that 65 miles northwest of atlanta, you are in marjorie taylor greene's congressional district. she undoubtedly will try to travel down. perhaps with bubba's loads of people. everything is k specific. every city in the area is different. >> georgia also serves as a lesson in the gop's ability to break away from trump. biden flipped the state blue in 2020. i wonder how you see the trump factor playing out in gop politics in the state, given that so much national attention is going to be on georgia, as

we head into 2024. >> exactly. there's a clear chasm between the more mainstream republicans here in georgia, and the pro trump maga group. that has been playing out here for years now. it's as stark as it's ever been. that was a reminder of last weekend, when donald trump made his first visit here since the 2022 midterm campaign, among a group of loyalists. who were giving him standing ovations. but among the people who are not at that convention, was the governor of georgia. the most popular republican in the state. and many of his allies. again, it's a reminder of just how stark that divide is. he's leading the polls here, donald trump is. but at the same time, there is a significant undercurrent of republicans, we saw in the midterm of 2022. those swing voters, those independent to moderate centrist republicans, they were the difference between a herschel walker losing the senate race and raphael warnock winning it. >> frank, i have less than a minute left. i wanna go back to something you said. you said to count you among those that thought miami was perhaps not the best example to

learn from. i wonder then if you are georgia line force meant, where it is you should be looking to, what it is you should be looking to for something that, as you said, is unprecedented? >> well, they should be consulting with the nypd. right? and learn from the best. do they have all the resources in place? well, perhaps not. of course not. but they can go statewide. they did it for the olympic games, back in 1996. they can do similar things here. get everybody they need on, not just on standby, but actually present and there. and start sending the message ahead of time, we are here. to press releases. do some exercises. but the media coverage, just send the message. again, those bad actors thinking about doing something, they've had lots of lead time here. they've seen miami, they've

seen how porous that perimeter was. and they're thinking, maybe we could do it there. >> greg bluestein, frank figliuzzi, as always, thank you both. next, historian michael beschloss, is with us this juneteenth weekend. we talk about the significance of america's newest federal holiday. plus my conversation with actress and director, eva longoria, about her new film that was screened at the white house. you are watching american voices. postmenopausal women with hr+ her2-

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you a growing list of republican presidential analysts. and the idea of pardoning president trump. as a gesture of unity. of course, we've seen this story before. gerald ford pardoning richard nixon in 1974. in part, to move the country past watergate. and bring a divided nation together. but, did it? let's bring in nbc presidential historian, michael beschloss. michael, i want you to take a listen. to republicans coming at this from different angles. >> okay. >> if you are president biden, would you pardon him right now? >> i just think this whole matter is incredibly divisive for the country. i just think at the end of the day, it is, it is saddening to me that we are now in this moment. >> i'm angry. the country is going to go through turmoil to, as a result

of one thing. president trump didn't turn over military documents when he was asked to do so. all the had to do is hand them in. >> i mean, the difference is in part in their motivation here. but what do you make of that, of that contrast? >> well, i think the real question here, alicia, is our presidents going to be living as a criminal class, allowed to do whatever they feel like, and the rest of us americans have to abide by laws that are extremely different from that. that is the question here. is there equal justice in this country? and when the constitutional convention, the original idea was that there might be a pardon power given to a president if there was a miscarriage of justice. or if someone really needed mercy, and was really very penitent about what he or she had done. alexander hamilton was the one who said this has to be a unilateral big power of a president.

president has to be able to do this alone. not confirmed by the senate. some said, if a president pardon's, the senate has to confirm that. so the result is, presidents have made this almost into a free crime zone. richard nixon committed serious felonies, for which he almost certainly would have gone to prison. he was pardoned by gerald ford. nixon showed very little contrition. he soon said, if a president does something, that means it's not illegal. and even after that, he said that he had been railroaded, and should never have been driven out of office in the first place. >> i've to tell you, so much of what you've said between state constitutional convention, and alexander hamilton, reminded me that half of what i know about history is informed by musicals. when you said constitutional convention all i could hear was lin manuel miranda saying i was chosen for the constitutional convention. when you talk about ford pardoning nixon, what do you think the lesson is today? >> the lesson to presidents like donald trump, and others since then, has been that

presidents live in a stratosphere that other americans don't. that if you commit a crime, and if after you leave office, as nixon was in danger of doing, you were indicted. and you are in danger of going to prison. the nixon president shows that you will probably be given a pardon by someone, or you will be left off because the country can't stand it. what i would say, is what the country cannot stand, is presidents committing terrible crimes. and getting off scot-free, and encouraging later presidents to do the same thing. >> let's talk about joe biden for a second. it strikes me, that as we are sitting here talking about a republican field that is being dominated by trump-ism, by conversations about pardons for donald trump. you have president joe biden out on the stump today, with union members, touting his economic accomplishments. i've gotta tell you, the split screen, i know we've got a lot of split screens. but this one really reminded me

of what a unique moment in history we find ourselves in. when the democratic front runner is focusing on the substantive accomplishments of his first term, and the republican front runner is under indictment. and somehow has enough power to get all the other candidates talking about whether or not they're going to pardon him. >> right, it's like the kind of thing you use to see in a corrupt local government. and sometimes people would run for mayor on things like that. whoever thought that we would have that in the presidency? we americans only get great presidential leadership if presidents are afraid, if they cross certain lines, if they will one day go to jail. if you take away that fear, we are going to see other presidents, and maybe trump if he comes back to office, do you think that make the period of 2017 to 2021, and all of the offenses against democracy that donald trump committed, they will make that look like a picnic. >> michael beschloss, i've about 30 seconds left.

i want to ask you about juneteenth, 2021. it became our first new federal holiday since the 1980s. the significance of that, especially in light of the conservative efforts in this country to limit what kids can learn about our nation's history. >> african american history is american history. it took this country two centuries plus to learn that. june 10th -- juneteenth started in texas, in 1865. when black people were liberated under the victory of the union army. but it wasn't, it was not until joe biden signed something in 2021 that that became a national holiday. many people celebrated that, before then, but they were largely black people. now all of us can celebrate juneteenth, and learn it's important lessons. >> nbc news presidential historian, michael beschloss, as always, thank you. >> thank you so much, alicia. >> next, eva longoria's movie about spicing up the -- screened at the white house this week. i had a chance to talk to her

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since the obama administration introduced the deferred action for childhood arrivals program. protecting immigrant youth from deportation. the question, 11 years later, is for how long? with daca and legal peril and under constant attack by conservatives. in 2021, a federal judge in texas decided to leave daca open for current recipients. but block new act pickens from accessing the program. as of today, with that case still in limbo, set to be decided by a circuit court any day, as many as 400,000 dreamers have been sidelined. the biden administration is defending daca as much as it can, especially after the trump administration, -- but the power to fix this broken system is not in the hands of the president. it's in the hands of congress. so what is congress waiting for? take the issue off the table before we get to 2024.

pass real meaningful immigration reform. at a minimum, in shrine daca into law. it works, since its inception in 2012, the program has helped hundreds of thousands of young immigrants build successful lives. nearly nine out of ten are in the labor force. they are medium yearly income has grown by nearly 700%. nearly every single one of the original daca recipients were still enrolled, finished high school, and roughly half have gone to college. should you hear republican talking points about how daca is bad for the economy, no this. the original group of decorous opinions have contributed 108 billion dollars to this economy. they've paid a combined 33 billion dollars in taxes. so look at what would happen if we dare to allow immigrants to work broadly and live without fear in this country. daca allows a path forward. it's a path forward for one. what about the families of these recipients? what about their contributions? what about their dreams? here's the president, earlier this week.

>> most of this came because we weren't welcome where we were. and when we got here, we had to fight like hell to be recognized. to fight like hell to be recognized. that's why it's fitting we host this screening, during immigrant heritage month. -- the time when we celebrate the country's immigrant heritage, i want to see, i want you to know, jill and i, we see you. we value you. we are indirectly a part of you, because of our heritage as well. >> president biden making those comments, on a white house screening of the movie, flamin'hot. the film is the directorial debut of actress, eva longoria. you have probably seen the story. it is based on, a janitor at frito-lay, who claims he invented flamin'hot cheetos. the film is more than a story about snacks. longoria calls it a love letter to mexican americans, and the courage of migrants in america. i was at the white house thursday. and spoke with longoria and the stars of flamin'hot.

>> i thought an idea, it's a spicy chip. it's going to save everything. -- >> you're a janitor. >> the hispanic market will not be ignored. >> his bank mark it will not be ignored. good, but in your voice. >> flamin'hot tells the story of richard montanez, who with heart, hustle, and a lot of hard work went from janitor at frito-lay, to top executive. when a script for the project crossed eva longoria's desk, she knew she had to direct it. what was it about this story that resonated with you? >> that he was told now a lot in his life. no, that job is not for people like you. no that idea shouldn't come from somebody like you or looks like you. i've been told no, no i shouldn't do that job. -- don't do that. and i thought wow, he's so inspirational. he kept daring to ask but why not me why not me? why can't i be successful? why can't i be great? >> i realized i am richard montanez. >> while there are conflicted accounts of who invented the

snack, that's not the point of the story. >> the movie is not about the flamin'hot story. -- the richard montanez story. his testimony, his memoirs, his experiences really beautiful and complex. this movie is a love letter to the mexican american community. but also a movie that i think is so universal in its theme. it's the underdog story. it's the american dream story. and i think people go wow, if that guy went through all of that and still succeeded, imagine what i can do. that's what we wanted to do. >> richard and his first wife, judy montanez, were not just characters to longoria. they were must-have roles for jesse garcia and annie gonzalez, who bring them to life on screen. >> i felt like it was written for me. i just felt like everything, it flowed easily for me. i just felt like the stuff that i had done for the past 20 years culminated into what i can do in this movie. >> i knew i was the only person that could play duty. in this way. i feel like when i read it i

intrinsically knew who she is. who she was, and why she turned out to be this beautiful, face filled, loving, christian, kind woman with an edge about her. i grew up in east l. a.. born and raised. that's my tia, that's my mom, that's all the women that have raised me up on that screen, that i got to showcase and give life to. >> it's important to show the country all of our stories. all our stories. that is why we are honored to host you. >> this thursday, that culture on display at the white house. with president biden and first lady, dr. jill biden, hosting a screening of flamin'hot on the south lawn. >> it's important, i think, to all families. and certainly to our children, to see themselves represented. and quite frankly, maybe the most important power for building the world. >> what does it mean to you to have this film being screened at the white house? >> oh my god, this isn't even a dream i dreamed of. i didn't even know i had the stream. here we are on the white house

lawn. i'm getting so many amazing comments, obviously, now that the movie's out. it's just been -- i've been flooded with this amazing positivity. and one struck me, who really hard in the sense, because you know, in the 60s when we were doing the chicano movement, and the civil rights movement, it wasn't just our rights that were taken away. it was our dignity and pride. this movie finally give it back to us. >> our thanks to eva longoria, jesse garcia, annie gonzalez -- and with the white house of public engagement. you can watch flamin'hot, streaming now on hulu or on disney+. more american voices, after a short break. at the top of the hour, do not miss ayman, representatives ted lieu, and judy chu, join ayman to talk about the success and struggles of immigrant communities. -- that, and more, a pm eastern right here on msnbc. they're also going to talk trump's indictment, a pm eastern, msnbc. eastern, msnbc it's the moment when you realize that a good day...

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alicia menendez. thank you for spending part of your saturday with us. be sure to follow the show on twitter, instagram, and tiktok at alicia on msnbc. i'll see you back here tomorrow for more american voices. but for now, i handed over to my colleague ayman mohyeldin, hello ayman. >> hi alicia, how are you? >> i am well. i am fresh off my visit to the white house. >> i saw that, it's been a very busy week for you. there is a moment there, i was thinking of the split screen. i was thinking, how do we get michael beschloss to speak to mayor suarez, who obviously had no idea that healing the nation

by pardoning president trump was a lesson that gerald ford, i think, learned not to do after the fact that he did. >> if you can produce that segment of television, i will be watching with rapt attention. >> maybe not the television, but if we could just convey to him the message that healing the nation by pardoning a president, who was accused of doing something wrong, is not a good idea. as we learned from gerald ford. >> do you think any of them believe that? or do you think it's just a talking point? >> that's a good question. luckily, i've run out of time. i have to start my show. you can't put me on the spot like that. anyway, great to see you my friend. take care. good evening to you, and welcome to ayman tonight. debunking donald trump, his lies, and false equivalency's about the documents case. they have reached some insane levels. we're gonna help set the record straight. then, ethics outrage, new reporting on clarence thomas's problematic patterns of behavior. and a possible breakthrough in a senate committee's attempts to get answers.