Good morning. It is Sunday, July the 16th. I'm Ali Valshi. We begin this morning with a crucial

turning point in this election cycle and an inflection point for our democracy. Donald Trump

brought our system of governance and the rule of law to the brink when he tried to overturn the

2020 election.

And now, as he attempts to rise to power again, he is bringing us right back to that perilous edge. Last night on stage in West Palm Beach, Florida, the twice impeached, disgraced former president

and current Republican frontrunner outlined in alarmic detail his plans for dismantling democracy.

Now, as you know, we do not typically air Donald Trump's speeches live, and on this show we are

judicious about even playing clips from his rallies and always either with or for the proper

context for a discussion. That's because Donald Trump lies so frequently. And we all

learned on January 6 that those lies can fuel very real violence. We've also learned that the sting

from the poison of Trump's lies gets duller the more frequently you're exposed to it. But as

journalists, we also have a duty to bear witness when our nation is in peril to shine a light on the dark path that Donald Trump and his allies and enablers lead us down.

And that is the moment at which we find ourselves this morning. I'll admit to being a little surprised late last night that anything Donald Trump can say can surprise me anymore. But this is some nasty stuff.

Last night's speech was dangerous for the truths, said Donald Trump told, as it was for the

lies. And there were lies, to be sure. But the truth is that we are dangerously close to

Donald Trump rising to power again and finishing what he started when he tried to overturn

the results of the last

presidential election and take over the government in contravention of the will of the

American people. And if you listen closely to his 99-minute speech from last night, he was

basically openly plotting how he's going to weaponize the government by cleaning house and firing anyone that his administration

considers an enemy or insufficiently loyal to Trump's self-serving agenda.

But never forget our enemies want to stop us because we are the only ones, and that's all of you and me, all working together.

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