Republicans cut into early voting to sweeten conditions for Trump

>>> IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION TO SEND OUT 2024 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOTS BUT INSTEAD, EARLY VOTING IN NORTH CAROLINA IS OFFICIALLY ON HOLD. THAT'S BECAUSE THE STATE'S REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED SUPREME COURT HAS GRANTED THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. HIS REQUEST TO REMOVE HIS NAME FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA BALLOT. NOW THE REPUBLICAN JUSTICES ON THE BOARD GRANTED THIS REQUEST EVEN AFTER IT CAME FIVE DAYS AFTER THE STATE'S OFFICIAL DEADLINE. AS A RESULT NEARLY 3 MILLION BALLOTS THAT WERE ALREADY PRINTED MUST NOW BE DESTROYED. THAT IS FORCING ELECTION OFFICIALS TO MISS A KEY DEADLINE MANDATED BY THE STATE AND TO SCRAMBLE TO MEET ANOTHER DEADLINE MANDATED BY FEDERAL LAW. THE COURT DECISION WILL SHORTEN THE EARLY VOTING PERIOD IN NORTH CAROLINA WHICH IS GOING TO AFFECT THOUSANDS POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF VOTERS INCLUDING THOSE WHO ATTENDED KAMALA HARRIS' MASSIVE RALLIES IN THE STATE YESTERDAY. BUT THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WILL LIKELY BENEFIT FROM THIS. DONALD TRUMP, WHO NOW KNOW LONGER HAS A THIRD PARTY CHALLENGER ON THE BALLOT AND WHO IS CURRENTLY TIED WITH KAMALA HARRIS. FOR HARRIS, THAT ALONE IS AN ACHIEVEMENT GIVEN THAT BARACK OBAMA HAS BEEN THE ONLY DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE TO WIN NORTH CAROLINA IN NEARLY 50 YEARS. THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN BELIEVES THAT IT TOO HAS A CHANCE TO WIN THE STATE BUT ONLY IF PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY VOTE. JOINING ME NOW IS MARK JOSEPH STERN, SENIOR WRITER COVERING COURTS FOR THE LAW. HIS LATEST PIECE IS CALLED ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., A CRITICAL SWING STATE. THIS PIECE IS ESSENTIAL READING. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN NORTH CAROLINA AND INDEED THERE ARE SOME DEVELOPMENTS TONIGHT. BUT LET'S JUST FIRST REWIND TO THE OUTSET OF ALL OF THIS. RFK JR. WANTS TO GET OFF THE BALLOT IN THE STATE. YOU KNOW TRANSPARENTLY PARTISAN MANEUVER TO HELP THE GUY HE'S ENDORSED. DONALD TRUMPS AND THE COURTS DECIDE HEY WHY NOT. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROCESS THIS HAPPENED? >> RFK JR. WAITED DAYS AFTER THE DEADLINE IN NORTH CAROLINA TO REMOVE HIS NAME FROM THE BALLOTS THEN HE FILED THIS OVERDUE REQUEST. THE ELECTION BOARD SAID HEY, WE ACTUALLY CAN'T ACCOMMODATE THIS. WE'VE ALREADY PRINTED MILLIONS OF BALLOTS. WE'VE DESIGNED MORE THAN 2,300 BALLOTS FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL COUNTY AND LOCALITY. WE HAVE TO SEND THEM OUT UNDER STATE LAW BY SEPTEMBER 6th. IT WILL TAKE US LIKE 23 DAYS AT LEAST TO DO THIS. SO WE JUST CAN'T ACCOMMODATE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING OF US. HE WENT TO COURT AND SECURED A 3-2 DECISION BY THE NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT. THAT IS A COURT BY ELECTED REPUBLICANS WHO ISSUED I THINK A LAWLESS AND RATHER SHAMELESS DECISION ACCUSING THE ELECTION BOARD AND THE STATE'S VERY HARD WORKING AND UNDER PAID ELECTION OFFICIALS OF ENGAGING IN MISCONDUCT. OF ATTEMPTING TO UNDERMINE RFKs REQUEST BECAUSE THEY SOMEHOW DIDN'T READ HIS MIND AND ANTICIPATE EARLIER THAT HE WOULD SEEK TO WITHDRAW HIS NAME FROM THE BALLOT. STATE SUPREME COURT ORDERED THE STATE ELECTIONS AND EVERY COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO VIOLATE THE LAW. TO VIOLATE STATE LAW WHICH REQUIRES THESE BALLOTS START GOING OUT BY SEPTEMBER 6th TO DESTROY 3 MILLION BALLOTS. TO REDESIGN MORE THAN 3,400 BALLOTS AND TO TRY TO DO ALL OF THIS BEFORE THE FEDERAL DEADLINE OF SEPTEMBER 21st WHICH CONGRESS HAS SAID, AT WHICH POINT THESE BALLOTS HAVE TO GO OUT TO OVERSEAS AND MILITARY VOTERS. TONIGHT THE STATE BOARD ELECTIONS IS SAYING THEY HAVE RACED TO ACCOMMODATE THIS ORDER. THAT THEY HAVE PURCHASED SPECIAL PRINTERS AND STATIONED THEM AROUND THE STATE TO REPRINT MILLIONS OF BALLOTS. THAT THEY WILL SPEND PROBABLY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ORDER TO TRY TO GET THESE BALLOTS OUT BY SEPTEMBER 24th TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT MEANS THE BALLOTS WILL START GOING OUT MORE THAN TWO WEEKS AFTER THEY WERE REQUIRED TO. THEY'RE STILL ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO DO ALL THIS AS FAST AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW IF THEY'LL BE ABLE TO RUN THIS ELECTION AS SMOOTHLY AS THEY HAD HOPED. ALL OF THIS TO ACCOMMODATE R.F.K. JR.'S ATTACK. >> THAT'S THE KEY PART OF IT RIGHT. I BELIEVE WAKE COUNTY IT'S GOING TO COST $60,000. ELECTION WORKERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK THROUGH THE WEEKEND TO ACCOMMODATE RFK JR. A PROXY FOR TRUMP. HOW DISTURBED ARE YOU BY THE DECISION OF THE STATE SUPREME COURT AND LIKE HOW MUCH DO YOU READ INTO THAT IN TERMS OF ANY FUTURE ELECTION RELATED CONCERNS OR LAWSUITS? >> SO I'M REALLY DISTURBED AND I JUST WANT TO GET INTO THE WEEDS A LITTLE. BECAUSE THE NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT HAD YEARS AGO RULED THAT, THE STATE CONSTITUTION HAS THIS PROVISION THAT GUARANTEED FREE ELECTIONS. IT SAYS ALL ELECTIONS SHALL BE FREE. THE NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT SAYS THAT RESTRICTS GERRYMANDERING. THEY GOT THE FREE ELECTIONS CLAUSE AND SAID THIS IS A MEANINGLESS CLAUSE AND THERE'S NO REAL GUARANTEE FOR FREE ELECTIONS. BUT WHEN RFK WENT TO THE NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT AND SAID HE WANTED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE BALLOT. THOSE SAME REPUBLICAN JUSTICES SITED THE FREE ELECTIONS CLAUSE IN THE STATE CONSTITUTION AS THE REASON WHY HE COULD BE REMOVED FROM THE BALLOT AND WHY THE ENTIRE EARLY VOTING PROCESS HAD TO BE ABRIDGED AND THROWN INTO CHAOS. IT'S SHEER PARTISAN HACKERY FOR JUDGES THAT WERE ELECTED ON PARTISAN LINE. IT TELLS ME THESE GUYS ARE VERY MUCH PUTTING THEIR THUMB ON THE SCALE FOR TRUMP IN THIS ELECTION. WE KNOW MORE REPUBLICANS VOTE EARLY AND VOTE BY MAIL. IT SEEMS THESE JUSTICES ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO CAUSE CHAOS, WREAK HAVOC, MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR DEMOCRATS ESPECIALLY TO CAST THEIR VOTES IN 2024, TO TRY TO HELP TRUMP PREVENT KAMALA HARRIS FROM MAKING THIS THE TIPPING VOTE STATE. >> ALL STATES MATTER, RIGHT. THE FREEDOM AND THE FAIRNESS OF OUR ELECTIONS IS OF UTMOST CONCERN TO OUR REPRESENTATIVE OF DEMOCRACY. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, KAMALA HARRIS DID TWO EVENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA YESTERDAY. THE CAMPAIGN BELIEVES THIS AS YOU SAID COULD BE THE TIPPING POINT FOR A POTENTIAL VICTORY. AND IT'S NOT THE ONLY STATE WHERE THIS KIND OF CHICANORY WHICH IS PROBABLY BEING OPTIMISTIC IS UNDER WAY. DO YOU HAVE THOUGHTS ON THE EFFORTS GOING ON IN NEVADA OR PENNSYLVANIA? >> TWO OTHER CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT STATES. IN PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICANS ARE FIGHTING HARD TO REQUIRE THE NULLIFICATION OF MAIL BALLOTS. THAT ARE DATED INCORRECTLY. A MINOR ERROR THAT SHOULDN'T REALLY MATTER. THE STATE SUPREME COURT TODAY SAID WE'RE NOT GOING TO DECIDE THAT ISSUE YET. THAT LEAVES IT AS A BOMB UNDER THE TABLE IF THAT ELECTION IS CLOSE. IN NEVADA, ONE OF TRUMP'S OWN LAWYERS IS REPRESENTING JILL STINE, ASKING THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO PUT HER BACK ON THE NEVADA BALLOT AFTER SHE WAS KICKED OFF. NO BIG MYSTERY ALEX WHY A TRUMP ATTORNEY WOULD BE REPRESENTING JILL STEIN HERE. CHICANARY IS THE RIGHT WORD. THIS IS ALL TO ENSURE THAT IN A CLOSE ELECTION, THEY CAN EITHER FLIP IT TOWARD TRUMP OR IF IT STILL GOES TOWARD HARRIS TO CLAIM THERE WAS FRAUD OR WRONG DOING AND DENY THE LEGITIMATE OF THE RESULTS. >> ARE YOU TELLING ME TRUMP DOESN'T JUST WANT TO