Watch Alex Wagner Tonight Highlights: Sept. 22

This is the website for a private chartered flight company called vertol systems, or at least it used to be the website. Web design is a little dated, though it's got a lot of pictures of big fancy. Looking helicopters under a section titled unique qualifications, they list exactly one unique qualification quote: VSC is the only civil company currently operating Russian helicopters in the United States, good for VSC. I say that this is what the website used to look like, because if you go to that same website today, you get. This looks like this domain isn't connected to a website. Yet, thanks to the good folks over at the internet archive, we know that the website for that Aviation company vertol systems appears to have gone dark sometime last Friday, which is important because that was right around the time. It first became public that vertol systems was the company that got paid by the state of Florida to run Governor Ron, desantis's stunt of flying Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Massachusetts using human beings to stick it to the libs Governor DeSantis Administration is currently refusing to release The details of a 12 million dollar contract it is entered into with vertol systems. The Daily Beast reports that Florida paid vertol systems more than double the market price, to fly migrants from San Antonio to Martha's Vineyard last week. Why is this mysterious little flight company getting so much money from Florida taxpayers? It probably has something to do with the fact that vertol systems has numerous ties to Republican politicians in the state of Florida. According to NBC News Mark Caputo vertol system's former lawyer, a guy named Larry Keefe, is now in charge of immigration policy for the DeSantis Administration and Keith's former law partner, who also represented the company, is Florida Republican, Congressman, Matt Gates. The company again. Vertol systems also contributed to Richard Corcoran, another DeSantis Ally and former Florida Secretary of Education, who played a major role in overhauling Florida's Civics education standards to make them more palatable to the Christian right. Fertile systems also gave money to the campaign of Florida State Rep, Jay, Trumbull Jr, the Republican chair of the state Appropriations Committee, a committee that helped secure money for desantis's migrant stunt. Governor DeSantis wanted this political play to keep him in the National spotlight. But he might not have anticipated how much that Spotlight would also shine a light on his Republican friends and donors and cronies joining us now is Mark Caputo National reporter for NBC News digital who has been uncovering a lot of the story for us mark. It'S always good to see you thank you for this reporting. Let me first just start as our man in Florida. How is all of this playing for Ron DeSantis he's up for re-election as a governor? There is a large immigrant population in Florida, Venezuelans Cubans, many of whom are migrants who at one point might have sought Asylum for political reasons. Is this working for him? I don't know the answer to that question. Uh. You know we're in a polarized Society we're in a polarized State. I would like to see more polling about it. You know it might surprise you, but when you talk to Republicans, they think Ron. Desantis is doing a great job. When you talk to Democrats, they think he's doing a terrible job, and a lot of Independents are focusing on other things. I think a lot of this depends on how this is messaged and handled going forward and also what the facts are when they go out or when they come out. As you pointed out, we've asked for the contract everybody's asked for the contract. We have a very good, generous public records law in Florida. It hasn't been honored by the DeSantis Administration. Media companies eventually could probably have to sue. So there's been an odd level of stonewalling by DeSantis Administration, but if you also look at it from their perspective, the more this is talked about in DeSantis world, the more they think they're winning on it and maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong. He is sitting on a huge pile of money in his race for governor and, if you look at the polling, immigration generally favors Republicans when it comes to public opinion. So, as I said it's too early now to really tell we are in a polarized State and a polarized Society, so I would wait to see on prognosticating exact effects. Well, I will say you know: DeSantis is growing about this on Fox News, as you said, Republicans everywhere are saying this is a great move by him, but the fact is, you know, let's, let's start with the facts, virtual systems took its website down. Do we think? That'S indicative of anything have they been forthcoming with information, as reporters have been asking for it? Oh gosh, no, I mean and, as you pointed out as I wrote today, you know fertile systems got 1.6 million dollars for two flies, one of which didn't happen. We have no idea really what happened to that money outside of the fact that roughly 50 migrants were flown over from San Antonio Texas to Martha's Vineyard, the state program that this was authorized under said it was for unauthorized aliens. That'S a quote from this state, but they didn't get them from this state. They got them from Texas and that's not what the law says. That'S not what the budget says that authorized this. In addition, these migrants were not unauthorized aliens. When you talked to their lawyers, they said these were Asylum seeking migrants, mostly if not all Venezuelan, and therefore they were authorized to be in the United States. So a program for unauthorized aliens to be removed from Florida wound up enriching some company based out in the panhandle of air charter company to remove authorized aliens from Texas and take them to Martha's Vineyard. So we're trying to figure out the logic of that. A little more, but so far we're not getting a whole hell of a lot of answers in the way of you know, understanding what happened? Not only are they flying migrants in the wrong sort of immigration category out of the wrong state, they're also doing it at. I believe double the market rate right. That'S another Point: that's the daily basis, reporting that that this, the the flight to Massachusetts was at literally double the rate for charter flights and then, of course, there's a flight to Delaware, which gets scuttled for which vertol systems was paid a million dollars that was empty. We don't know the the problem. Is we don't exactly know what they're doing with the money understand to the best of our ability in having read other media accounts listened to what migrants have told other reporters and what their lawyers have told me, and what some agents of the state have kind of Begrudgingly discussed the State of Florida, didn't just pay a company to just pick up a crew of people and and fly them. It wasn't like they were just at the airport. These people were recruited by different vendors, different agents of the state, so to speak, they were given food. Now these were fast food vouchers from McDonald's in San Antonio. They were put up for at least a night, these 50 or so Folks, at the La Quinta Inn in San Antonio. Some of them were given haircuts. Who knows what other money was used? There was Transportation provided to the airport and then ultimately, there was air travel that was provided from San Antonio, ultimately to Martha's Vineyard, exactly what was paid on the airfare from the air charter company that this air charter company chartered. We don't know, but this is something we should know, and one way to find that out would be to look at the contract. Have someone answer some basic questions and that's just not happening yet and then, when you step back and you look like okay well, who are the different people, who've been affiliated with this program? Larry Keith who's was dubbed by the Tallahassee Democrat, as the public safeties are for governor DeSantis. His portfolio, as you mentioned, is over immigration and he wants the lawyer for this company, so we would certainly like to know well did he recommend this company and and what was his relationship with this company when it was under discussion again, no answers. There are certainly a number of Republican ties to this plot that make you think, maybe it's just slightly political Mark, Caputo National reporter for NBC News, digital thanks, as always for your time and Reporting mark. Thank you joining us now. Is David Rhode, executive, editor of the newyorker.com David great, to see you thanks for joining me. So what is the justice department doing right now? Um? They are now that they have these hundred documents that they can use. I think they, a law enforcement officials, told me they're going to investigate the hell out of this. They want to now finally go question. Tons of people um and a law enforcement official also said that they have some sort of leads that they want to pursue. One of them - and this is not confirmed, not confirmed, but they have a lead that possibly Trump was showing some of these classified documents to people at Mar-A-Lago, very Reckless, handling of questions and probably um. It probably dovetails with the criminal investigation of foot here too right. If that is not something a former president or any person can do, show classified documents to a random Mar-A-Lago staff or whoever it was so this is not confirmed, it's a lead. They want to pursue and judge Cannon's orders block them from doing that, because they were not able to use any material or any knowledge based on those hundred classified documents to question a witness. Well, you know you were shown a classified document. What did it say specifically? What country was it about because they want to corroborate, as this person actually telling the truth, so their goal right now is to just investigate, investigate investigate in my senses, there'll be no. There is no decision yet on indicting Trump in terms of classified information. It would definitely not be until after the midterm elections. Do you sense that I mean there's this Willy or won't he appeal question as far as the Supreme Court. Do you think that I don't know if it's legal limbo, I'm not a legal analyst, but do you think that that at all circumscribes the Justice Department's actions in this hour, I don't think so. I think once they got this, you know this big win. That was a very surprising win from the 11th circuit. I think they've already started investigating the case and again a positive note here. Um, this was opinion by you know three judges two of them were appointed by President Trump they're young jurists, they're very conservative judge, Grant and judge Brasher, and they they joined with an Obama appointed judge to basically just you know, demolish to just dismiss this claim from Trump that he can, you know wave his hand or think that and declassify things these are, and these are clearly classified documents. They'Re marked classified. They belong to the US government, end of discussion, so you know he could go. I don't know it's a strange thing. Judge Cannon did sort of removing that you know she was supposed to wait right and see if they were going to take it to the Supreme Court and she just immediately amended her order to say you can use the hundred, possibly because it was such a Judicial. Thrashing from the 11th circuit, the other thing the 11th circuit did was say in no uncertain terms - that the FBI's investigation was inextricably intertwined with the intelligence communities assessment, that is the office of the Director of National Intelligence. That'S com, that's doing a sort of separate in tandem review, to see how much this compromises our national security. What do you expect is going on on that front? As the doj now has access to these 100 classified documents? They'Re, you know know, I think, doing a review of the intelligence community and again that part was stopped as well judge Cannon's, you know order was sort of vague, but there was a decision, the intelligence Community, to stop the review. Were there human sources compromised during this period that these documents were in Donald Trump's basement? Were there sort of special hacking? You know that have been used to get information or, or you know, listening devices that had they want to see if there was damage. As a result of the way he handled these documents - and this is all very important - was he showing them to random people? Was there actual damage? You know? A human Source may have been killed. There'S again, none of this is confirmed, but all of that strengthens a prosecution. You want to tell a jury, a story, and you want to say it wasn't just that these documents were sitting in a basement. It was that they caused real harm right, and so these are critical things, and I just I Want To Praise these two Trump judges. You know a term that some legal experts have used is that the Judiciary, the judges, are the last wall. Yeah many Trump judges stood up and rejected. His false claims, in 2020 of voter fraud and judge Cannon did the wrong thing and I think, issued a series of sort of partisan pro-trump rulings and I think we were worried that the week the Trump we have a a pleasing rebuttal to that Concept in in The ruling from the 11th circuit - I got you in that vein: Raymond Deary special Master. He is a judge appointed by Ronald Reagan, a republican from long ago, but a conservative uh has been checking Trump and his claims in real time right. He began this whole special Master process by asking questions about declassification, which Trump lawyers basically punted on, but now he's asking he's pressing Trump's lawyers to say: is there anything in this tranche of documents that might have been planted by the FBI? Is there anything in this 11 000 document Hall that wasn't actually at Mar-A-Lago that could have been from someone else? What is how meaningful is it that someone like Deary is able to effectively check the veracity of these claims? That Trump is spouting all over right-wing media and on the Internet. It'S terrific because you know a trial and it's a really serious thing. Are you and I going to be prosecuted and maybe go to jail? A trial is a fact-finding exercise. Can you prove that you know this occurred Beyond A Reasonable Doubt and so judge Deary is simply saying to Trump's lawyers. You know you're, making these wild claims publicly that these were planted. Prove it send me a list of which documents were planted. You know you know present that in a motion and then we will go through this piece by piece and see if you're actually telling the truth or not. So it's great and yes he's a Reagan appointed judge. But it's I just want to be hopeful. You know there are good conservative judges and you know two on the 11 circuits did the right thing: judge Jerry's, doing the right thing and it's just very important for people to believe that there can be sort of public servants in these positions that not everyone has To be so partisan and polarized yeah, it's not even a question of glass, half full or glass half empty. The only judge, who's really done. Trump'S fitting is Eileen Cannon. The district court judge and she did a strange thing today that definitely wasn't in service to Trump. So perhaps the Judiciary is as strong as we have hoped it would be we'll see. We shall see David Rhode, executive, editor of the newyorker.com. Thanks for your time tonight elected I won't bow to establishment pawns or power hungry radicals. I will hold my own and demand that once again, America stands independent and strong, like the country that I fought for. That was an ad for J.R Majewski, the far-right Republican candidate, trying to unseat democratic, congresswoman Marcy captor in Ohio's Ninth District. This fall, a pillar of majewski's campaign has been his self-promotion as a combat veteran, specifically Majewski sold himself to voters as having served a particularly tough, combat tour in Afghanistan. There'S just one problem: the Air Force has no record of it. Yesterday the AP got a hold of majewski's military records which indicate that Majewski quote never deployed to Afghanistan. His actual military service appears to just be a six-month stint, helping to load planes at an air base in Qatar, a longtime U.S Ally very far from what most people would call a tough combat tour. Now, both the cook political report and Politico rated this race. As a toss-up Republicans thought they could win it and were putting their full weight behind Majewski until today. Axios reports that the national Republican Congressional committee has canceled all of its advise for J.R Majewski. Now, I'm not sure if lying about your military service is a red line for the Republican party or they just decided. It was a hurdle me juice. He wouldn't be able to overcome, but this is very good news for Democrat Marcie, captor and Democrats in the house. Overall, these are scenes from inside Iran. Over the past few days, people out on the streets of the capital, city, clapping and shouting and Farsi from Kurdistan to Iran, oppression against women in the northern city of sari women, throwing head scarves into a bonfire outside of City Hall, hundreds of miles to the South. A woman in the city square of Carmon, her head uncovered and a crowd cheering her on as someone helps her cut off her ponytail, while demonstrations and demonstrators class with the clash with police in the street. Protests like these are spreading throughout Iran for a seventh day. Despite a Crackdown by security forces that have killed at least nine people and injured dozens more Iranians are experiencing near total internet blackout and apps like Instagram and WhatsApp ones, that demonstrators use to organize protests have widespread outages. The protests were sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman named Masa amini. She died last week while she was in the custody of Iran's morality, police who enforced Iran's ultra-conservative dress code that has been in place since the 1979 Revolution. Amini was detained allegedly for having some hair visible under her headscarf police, say amini was taken to a station for quote justification and education. A few hours later, her family was told she was hospitalized and in a coma after suffering, a heart attack or a stroke. Three days later, she died eyewitnesses claim that amini was beaten by police on her way to the station. The police deny any abuse, and Iran's revolutionary guard Corps wants the Judiciary to prosecute people for spreading fake news. Iranian State TV released this edited video that appears to show a mini in the police station talking to an officer who points toward her clothing before she collapses. Iran'S president Ibrahim raisi, who addressed the U.N General Assembly this week, has ordered an investigation into her death, as has the country's Judiciary, but there is significant distrust in the government's ability to figure out what happened to Masa amini. Meanwhile, the un's acting human rights Chief is calling for an impartial investigation, and today the U.S treasury sanctioned Iran's morality, police and Senior security officials, condemning them for abuse and violence against Iranian women and the violation of the rights of peaceful protesters. Joining me now to talk about the situation in Iran and much much more as Linda Thomas Greenfield U.S ambassador to the United Nations. Madam Ambassador, thanks for joining me on set, thank you for having me on this busy busy week, um. Let'S just start. First, with the sanctions uh that were announced today, there are so many sanctions on Iran at present. What is the goal here in terms of really moving the needle and supporting these protesters? First and foremost, it is to hold accountable those individuals in Iran responsible for committing human rights violations, and this is truly a horrific violation. The killing of amini, The Blocking of individuals from their ability to protest in the streets. Every Iranian should have the right to protest, and every woman in Iran should have the right to wear what she wants to wear without having to justify themselves to these morality, police for people who don't follow Iran closely right. I think it Bears mentioning that protests like this do not happen, often in this country. The last time we saw something like this widespread protest was in 2009 13 years ago. Right. Does the U.S see these protests as meaningful or indicative of Arrested population and maybe something more greater down the line? Absolutely people are frustrated. They are angry their ability to be be themselves that has been suppressed by this government and by the morality police. So this is significant that this is happening at this time.