1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: today's best minds, and Donald Trump is now the least 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: popular newly elected president since World War Two. We have 5 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: such a great show for you today. The Washington Post 6 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: Dana Milbank stops by to talk about the republicans chaotic 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: confirmation hearings. Then we'll talk to MSNBC's Alex Wagner about 8 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: Trump's immigration shogunaw. 9 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 2: But first the news so Mali yesterday there was a lot, 10 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 2: a lot, a lot of shokunaw. But the thing that 11 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 2: we didn't get to yesterday was that the Trump administration 12 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:47,279 Speaker 2: offered roughly two million federal workers a buyout to resign 13 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 2: and that they would pay their salary forward for seven months. 14 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 2: This did not include a lot of people, for example, 15 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 2: congressional employees, people and like the CBO, things like that, 16 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 2: but it did include a lot of federal employees that 17 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 2: they think they could do without. What are you seeing here? 18 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: I'm going to read a tweet thread from an ABC 19 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: reporter who noticed that this email looks suspiciously like a 20 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two email that Elon Musk wrote to Twitter 21 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,119 Speaker 1: employees after he bought the company and fired almost all 22 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: of them. The memo sent to government employees this evening, 23 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,759 Speaker 1: offering them buyouts very closely mirrors and email Musk sent 24 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty two down to the same subject line 25 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: of fork in the Road. The twenty twenty two email 26 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:38,759 Speaker 1: tells Twitter employees only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade. 27 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: Compare that to the memo, the federal workforce should be 28 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: comprised of the best America has to offer. We insist 29 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: on excellence at every level, and another similarity. The same way, 30 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: the OPM memo requires employees to only respond resigned to 31 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: the email. To seal the deal, Musk as Twitter's employees 32 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: to click yes on this link below if they wanted 33 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: to stay on a Twitter. Look, this is clearly the 34 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: brainchild and I mean brain very loosely of the Office 35 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: of Government Efficiency. We don't know if this is legal 36 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: right to do this. We don't know if they have 37 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: the money for this. I mean, this is all like 38 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: cooked up in the middle of the night fever dream thing. 39 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: But again, you know, this is the Donald Trump, move 40 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: fast and break things presidency, so we'll see what happens. 41 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: We did see Tim Kaine come out and say, do 42 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: not agree to this. They don't have any standing. Just 43 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: ignore them, and we're going to probably see, as you're 44 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:45,679 Speaker 1: telling me from your friends, we're probably going to see 45 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: a lot more of government employees just ignoring the stuff 46 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: that's coming from on high. 47 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 2: Yeah. A lot of people I were speaking to is 48 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 2: like almost no one qualifies for this. As well. There's 49 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 2: a tweet from Amanda Littman front of the show from 50 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: Run for Some that shows a lot of people are like, hell, no, 51 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 2: I'm staying here to make sure things don't go to hell. 52 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: It's funny because it's like, it's not funny now, this 53 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: is funny. 54 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 3: It's fucked up. 55 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: But it's interesting to see that it's so easy to 56 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: squander any kind of respect to have so quickly. Trump 57 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 1: had an opportunity to go in there and you know, 58 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: have a connection to federal employees and inspire them to 59 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: do well right by him. 60 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 3: Of course he wasn't going to do that, and now 61 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 3: we have a. 62 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: Federal workforce that is furious and is likely going to 63 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: leak like a sieve and create a lot of secondary. 64 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 3: Problems that he probably wasn't expecting. 65 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 1: I would stay tuned on this, I think we'll see 66 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: a lot of stuff. By the way, Carolyn Levitt, who 67 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: is the new Trumpy Press secretary, she is also blonde 68 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,839 Speaker 1: and in her twenties, she said that American taxpayers pay 69 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: for the salaries of federal government employees, and therefore deserve 70 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: employees working on their behalf actually show up to work 71 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: in our federal office buildings, also paid by taxpayers. Again, 72 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of these people have been remote 73 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: working for a long time, and some of them have 74 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: been asked to remote work because their offices have been 75 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 1: closed or because it just works better that way. So, 76 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: you know, again a blunt object to try to do 77 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 1: too much. We'll see what happens. This probably will be 78 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: pretty bad. Speaking of bad, let's talk about Mark Milly. 79 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 2: Yes, so Pete hegg Saith has decided to remove his 80 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 2: security detail, which really seems just spiteful and like most 81 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 2: of these things, stupid. 82 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: It's not just that he wants to remove his security detail. 83 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: Pete hegg Seth wants to punish Mark Milly. Now, Mark 84 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 1: Milley has already gotten a pardon from Biden. He was 85 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for four years, 86 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: under Trump, and also he was a holdover under Biden, 87 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: so he took away the security detail of Milly, Foulton, 88 00:04:57,800 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: oh and Fauci. He's taken away a lot of people 89 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: security detail as a way of punishing them by making 90 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: them afraid for their safety. 91 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 2: That's very trumpy, making sure they can't see the the 92 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 2: level of fucker either about it engagement, right. 93 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 3: It's not good. 94 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:14,919 Speaker 1: But I want to point out that there's also another 95 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: thing happening here right, which is Haigseth is going after 96 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: Milly because Milly was the source for these books and 97 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: Trump is mad at him. So they're going to say 98 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: that this is this is against the chain of command, 99 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: and they're going to try to prosecute him, take away 100 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: one of his stars, mess with his pension. But I 101 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: think it's important to realize, like, these are anti democratic 102 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,479 Speaker 1: things that are happening in Trump world. These are the 103 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: sort of Project twenty twenty five, for lack of a 104 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: better shorthand, this is the autocratic stuff that democrats warned 105 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: you was coming. So going after retired military generals is insane, 106 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: not the norm, anti democratic, and it is part of 107 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:01,839 Speaker 1: this attacker se thing we see in Trump world. So 108 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: just keep your eye on it. It's bad and it's 109 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: probably just the beginning. 110 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,839 Speaker 2: As you and I are speaking right now, RFKA Junior 111 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 2: is going through his confirmation hearing. I'm sure the worm 112 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 2: is doing the talking anyway, brainworm. 113 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 3: Yes, yes, yes, you may have to put anyway go on. 114 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:23,919 Speaker 2: Yes, So we have here Maggie Hassan doing some question 115 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 2: from them in play agree upon. 116 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 4: I am really hardened to see that one area where 117 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 4: we agree on is on women's reproductive freedom. 118 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 3: In your own. 119 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 4: Words, it's not the government's place to tell people. 120 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 3: What to do with their bodies. 121 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 4: You said that, correct, yep. 122 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 5: Mister Kennedy. 123 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 4: In twenty twenty three, you came to New Hampshire and said, quote, 124 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 4: I'm pro choice. I don't think the government has any 125 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 4: business telling people what they can or cannot. 126 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 3: Do with their body. 127 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,799 Speaker 4: So you said that right, yes, yep. But you also 128 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 4: said we need to trust the women to make that choice, 129 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 4: because I don't trust government to. 130 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 3: Make any choices. 131 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 5: She said that too, right. 132 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 3: Yes. 133 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,040 Speaker 4: It is remarkable that you have such a long record 134 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 4: of fighting for women's reproductive freedom, and really great that 135 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 4: my Republican colleagues are so open to voting for a 136 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 4: pro choice HHS secretary. 137 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: So this was smart. This was really fucking smart. And 138 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: we talk about how Democrats can be smart. 139 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 3: This is it. 140 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: Right. She's not using it to yell at him, she's 141 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 1: not using it to talk about something weird. 142 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 3: She's not using it to moralize or. 143 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 1: Grand you know, like we have seen hearings where Democratic 144 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: senators have lectured the nominee. That's not what's happening here. 145 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: What's happening here is she is highlighting the fact that 146 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: RFK Junior doesn't believe in anything, and she does. 147 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 3: It really well. 148 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,679 Speaker 1: It's really smart, and it's really focused. And I think 149 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: that in my mind, the more these questionners can be 150 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: focused and they don't have to cover every subject, and 151 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: the more they can work together and be like I'm 152 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: going to talk about abortion, you should talk about data DA, 153 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: the better these things are going to be. And so 154 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 1: again this is my plea to elected democrats. Work together, 155 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:26,679 Speaker 1: divide and conquer, stay focused, don't let these leaders avoid accountability. 156 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 3: That was really great. Bravo, Maggie Hassen. 157 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 2: All right, Molly, here, I have an unlikely a tech 158 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 2: dog here for you. But I'm kind of shocked because 159 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 2: Senator Michael Bennett here in the RFK confirmation. Hearing this 160 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 2: at tech dog Barkin and I don't usually see him bark. 161 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:48,679 Speaker 6: Did you say that COVID nineteen was a genetically engineered 162 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:53,319 Speaker 6: bioweapon the targets black and white people but spared Ashkenazi, 163 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:54,960 Speaker 6: Jews and Chinese people. 164 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 2: I didn't say it was deliberately targeted. 165 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:05,319 Speaker 7: I just I just quoted an NIH funded, an NIH 166 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 7: published study. 167 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 6: Did you say that it targets black and white people 168 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 6: but spared I. 169 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:15,199 Speaker 3: Quote, I quoted an study that show I. 170 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 6: Take that as I have to move on. I have 171 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:23,439 Speaker 6: to move on. Did you say that lime disease is 172 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 6: is highly likely a materially engineered bioweapon. I made sure 173 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 6: I put in the highly likely. Did you say lime 174 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 6: disease is a highly likely militarily engineered bioweapon? 175 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 5: I probably did say that. 176 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 6: Did you say that that's developer. I want all of 177 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,680 Speaker 6: our colleagues to hear mister Kennedy, I want them to 178 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 6: hear it. 179 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 2: You said yes. 180 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 6: Did you say that exposure to pesticize causes children to 181 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 6: become transgender? 182 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 4: No? 183 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:53,680 Speaker 2: I never said that. 184 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 6: Okay, I have the record that I'll give to the 185 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,839 Speaker 6: chairman and he can make his judgment about what you said. 186 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 2: Did you in your book? 187 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:06,599 Speaker 6: And it's undeniable that African African AIDS is an entirely 188 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:11,199 Speaker 6: different disease from Western AIDS. Yes or no, mister Kennedy. 189 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 6: I'm not sure if I'll give it to the chairman, 190 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:17,720 Speaker 6: mister Kennedy. And my final question, did you say on 191 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 6: a podcast and I quote, I wouldn't leave it abortion 192 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:25,559 Speaker 6: to the States. My belief is we should leave it 193 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,439 Speaker 6: to the woman. We shouldn't have the government involved, even 194 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 6: if it's full term. Did you say that, mister Senator? 195 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 5: I believe that every abortion is a tragedy. 196 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 6: Did you say it? Mister Kennedy just matters. It doesn't 197 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 6: matter what you come here and say. That isn't true, 198 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 6: that's not reflective of what you really believe that you 199 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 6: haven't said over decade after decade after decade, Because unlike 200 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 6: other jobs we're confirming around this place, this is a 201 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,079 Speaker 6: job where it is life and death for the kids 202 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 6: that I used to work for in the Denver public 203 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 6: schools and for families all over this country that are 204 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 6: suffering from living in the richest country of the world 205 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 6: that can't deliver basic healthcare and basic mental health care 206 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 6: to them. It's too important for the games that you're playing, 207 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 6: mister Kennedy. And I hope my colleagues will say to 208 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 6: the President, I have no influence over him. I hope 209 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 6: my colleagues will say to the President, out of three 210 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 6: hundred and thirty million Americans, we can do better than this. 211 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 3: Incredible. 212 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 2: That was a dog barking in a fight, and I 213 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:35,840 Speaker 2: like to see it. 214 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: That's what we need, man. And way to go, Michael Bennett. 215 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: Incredible stuff. Good for him. 216 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,439 Speaker 2: So some good news. We have our first special election 217 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 2: of the year. Democrat Mike Zimmer has won the special 218 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:55,120 Speaker 2: election for ias thirty fifth Senate district seat. 219 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 1: No one helps Democrats more in elections than Donald Trump. 220 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 3: He is not on the ballot. 221 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:05,600 Speaker 1: Donald Trump is really helpful to Democrats. And that's because 222 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 1: Donald Trump is not a Republican. He is his own thing, 223 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: and the people who turn out for him do not 224 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:15,319 Speaker 1: necessarily turn out for regular Republicans. Zimmer will replace a Republican. 225 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:19,079 Speaker 1: It's small, but it's meaningful. A lot of the craziest 226 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,960 Speaker 1: shit comes out of the state House, especially in places 227 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: like Iowa, so you can dismiss this, but let's not 228 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:30,439 Speaker 1: let's just enjoy that Iowa's thirty fifth Senate district seat 229 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:38,320 Speaker 1: is now held by a Democrat. Data Milbank is a 230 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: columnist at The Washington Post and the author of Fools 231 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: on the Hell, the Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theorists, and Dances 232 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: who Burned Down the House. Welcome Back, Too Fast, Politics, 233 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 1: Data Melbank. 234 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,920 Speaker 5: Thank you, Molly. It is always a pleasure to be 235 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 5: with you. 236 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,679 Speaker 1: I'm so happy to have you here. Before I came here, 237 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: I was watching my favorite channel. And I don't just 238 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: say this because they actually have gifted me a fleece recently, 239 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: but Caesman is my favorite channel as well it should be, 240 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: and I was watching it because I'm incredibly old on 241 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: my cable television. 242 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:18,480 Speaker 5: Wow, how does that work? 243 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: If you're over fifty, you know exactly how cable television works. 244 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:24,120 Speaker 3: But if you're under you do not. 245 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:24,439 Speaker 8: No. 246 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 5: I cut the cord myself. 247 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 3: Oh Jesus Christ. 248 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,720 Speaker 1: Anyway, Watching the beginning of the hearing, the tanniest person 249 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,959 Speaker 1: ever to occupy Washington, DC, someone who really gives Donald 250 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: Trump a run for the money. RFK Junior is about 251 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 1: to begin his hearings discuss. 252 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 7: I'm a little sad because they actually have like ten 253 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 7: columnists writing on it today at the Washington Post. Why 254 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 7: didn't you just hold off for day two and cash 255 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 7: battel tomorrow? I mean, it is sort of an embarrassment 256 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 7: of riches. Truth is, I would rather do the cash 257 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 7: btel one that's going to be Zanier. But man, I 258 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 7: was not expecting Caroline Kennedy to come out the way 259 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 7: she did. 260 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 5: He's been great entertainment so far, right. 261 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: I mean, it's important not to be a nihilist about this, 262 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: but yes, we can enjoy the horror of it to laugh, 263 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:18,200 Speaker 1: to keep from crying, but yes. 264 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 7: Go on, yes, And then then does he become Secretary 265 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 7: of Health and Human Services and the Avian flu comes 266 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 7: to get us all, and they've imposed a blackout so 267 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 7: we won't actually know what the government is saying about anything. 268 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 7: We've we're pulling out of the WHO, and you know, 269 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 7: withdrawing funding even before we formally pull out of the WHO, 270 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 7: so the whole you know, we sort of paralyzed the 271 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 7: United States government. We're paralyzing the world's public health response, 272 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 7: and we're not getting basic even childhood vaccines here. Although 273 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 7: I guess I guess he's come out for the polio vaccine. 274 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: So yeah, well you got it. I can't imagine why 275 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: he's come out for the poli vaccine when going for 276 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: a vote in front of someone who has still suffers 277 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,320 Speaker 1: from the effects of polio. I guess that he can't 278 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 1: quite say that polio was a hoax yet No. 279 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 7: And then you know, then of course Trump came out 280 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 7: for these both the vaccine, and you. 281 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 5: Know with his line, it sounded like Frederick Douglas. 282 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,040 Speaker 7: He's like, yeah, Jonahsock did some great work and he's 283 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 7: being recognized more and more. 284 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, watching these Republicans and again, look Friday, we saw 285 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: this hegseth vote. It was you know, all we have 286 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 1: in Trump world is the sort of history of Trump 287 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: one point zero where Democrats were able to prevent Republicans 288 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: from doing a lot of the worst stuff, right Like 289 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 1: they wanted to appeal the ACA. They didn't want to 290 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: repeal ACA. They wanted to repeal Obamacare. Turns out that 291 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: was the same thing. But there were a lot of 292 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: tries at doing things, but a lot of stuff they 293 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: were they wanted to do, they couldn't do. So now 294 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 1: the whole sort of premise of Trump's second term at 295 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: least according to the people behind the scenes who are 296 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: writing what little policy there is is to really do 297 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 1: that stuff this time. 298 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 3: And so that's kind of what we're watching unfold. 299 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 5: Yes and no, I mean I think it. 300 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 7: You know, where Democrats blocked Trump the first time was 301 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,200 Speaker 7: in Congress. So let's you know, realize. I mean, Congress 302 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 7: hasn't done anything yet. I mean, I guess there's the 303 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,359 Speaker 7: Lake and Riley Act, right, which is symbolic, and he'llsale 304 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 7: sign that. 305 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 3: Right, which is crime's bad. 306 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,760 Speaker 7: Yeah, crime is, crime remains bad. It's just as bad 307 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 7: and maybe even more bad than it was yesterday. 308 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: Right, Murdering a very good looking white person especially bad. 309 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 5: Yes, well you got you got it right. 310 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 7: You get an extra extra time in the pokey for that, 311 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 7: you know. I mean, what Trump is trying to do 312 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 7: is say, you know, the hell with Congress. I'm going 313 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 7: to act by executive FIAT to do the things I 314 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 7: couldn't do last time. So you know, that's what we've 315 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 7: had so far with these three hundred executive or and actions. 316 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,119 Speaker 7: So I mean, none of them is the law of 317 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 7: the land, right, all easily undone eventually, you know, by 318 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 7: a future administration, because it's not legislation, and hopefully a 319 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 7: lot of them to be undone in court. You know, 320 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,879 Speaker 7: already his attempt to sign a piece of paper that 321 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 7: eliminates the fourteenth Amendment. And now you see the zany 322 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 7: freeze of everything. 323 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:31,200 Speaker 9: Three trillion dollars of the federal government. Now that's right, now, 324 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:35,119 Speaker 9: that's that's on hold. So once you know, it's shocking, 325 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 9: it's overwhelming what we've seen over the last ten days 326 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 9: or so, and I think we do need, you know, 327 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 9: not just outrage, but concerned action in terms of court action. 328 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 9: But you know, it has to be remembered at the 329 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 9: same time that there is only so much he can 330 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 9: do by executive order, and he's he's seizing powers that 331 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:58,439 Speaker 9: he doesn't have right now. So presumably that ultimately doesn't last, 332 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,359 Speaker 9: and even this frum friendly Supreme Court won't allow it 333 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 9: to happen. Of course, you know, if the Trump friendly 334 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 9: Supreme Court decides you don't actually need a legislative branch 335 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 9: and the president can do whatever he wants, well, then 336 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:11,399 Speaker 9: we're in a different Then we're in a different place. 337 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:13,360 Speaker 9: But you know we'll cross that bridge. Will we get 338 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:13,640 Speaker 9: to it? 339 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, the Trump friendly Supreme Court, We're going to do 340 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: two minutes on the impoundment stuff. 341 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 7: Because any any more than that and everybody would stop listening. 342 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 1: Yes, exactly, because not only will you unsubscribe, but you 343 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: will block me from your feet. But what I want, 344 00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 1: why I want to talk about empowerment is because so 345 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:35,160 Speaker 1: empoundment means there's money that Congress appropriates for things. 346 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 3: That's how it works. 347 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:41,560 Speaker 1: Congress is theoretically supposed to control the purse. But what 348 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: Nixon did, and you'll remember Nixon as the closest thing 349 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: to Trump, I do remember, mintion is yes, this was 350 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 1: way before Jesse and I were born, because we're very young. Basically, 351 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: he used the money that Congress appropriated as a kind 352 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: of carrotenstick for stuff he wanted and favors the kind 353 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: of oligarch autocrat shit that they do in Russia. And 354 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: now ross vat at omb did this in the first 355 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:12,280 Speaker 1: Trump administration. That's why he got impeached for Ukrain. Now 356 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,359 Speaker 1: we're in the second Trump administration. Rusvat is still not 357 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:19,440 Speaker 1: Senate approved yet, though he probably will be because nobody 358 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: has any bravery whatsoever. But the question here is will 359 00:19:25,359 --> 00:19:29,359 Speaker 1: Republicans be able to impound the money? 360 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 3: Will they keep it will this law. 361 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:36,600 Speaker 1: The nineteen seventy four Impoundment Act put to prevent this 362 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,720 Speaker 1: put into law to prevent this, will that be upheld? 363 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,639 Speaker 1: Or is some of the purpose of this to create 364 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:45,679 Speaker 1: a constitutional crisis, to bring this law up to the 365 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: Supreme Court and to assume that Trump's justices will do 366 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: what he wants. 367 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:53,800 Speaker 7: I assume that is what they're up to here. I mean, 368 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 7: you know, to listen to russ vote and his confirmation hearings. 369 00:19:57,640 --> 00:19:59,920 Speaker 7: They say, well, you know, he's asked about the Empowerment Act. 370 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,880 Speaker 7: I say, well, you know, President Trump says it's unconstitutional 371 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,400 Speaker 7: and President Trump campaigned against it. Well, if you campaigned 372 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,680 Speaker 7: against it and you won, so I guess that means 373 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:13,160 Speaker 7: you don't have to follow that particular law. So clearly 374 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 7: it's it's they're planning a flagrant violation of the law, 375 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 7: which already has been upheld by the Supreme Court. And 376 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 7: the assumption has to be that this particular Supreme Court 377 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 7: is going to be friendlier. But that's quite a ways 378 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 7: to go. Then why bother giving Congress the purse strings? 379 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 7: If ultimately the president is going to decide which money 380 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,480 Speaker 7: will get spent and which money won't get spent. 381 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:37,400 Speaker 5: But you know, I mean there's a lot of that. 382 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:39,400 Speaker 7: You know, take saying you know, the law is what 383 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 7: I say it is, whether it's with the impoundment of 384 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:47,360 Speaker 7: the fourteenth Amendment or you know, firing a dozen Inspectors 385 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 7: General without the notice, you know, eliminating career civil servant protections. 386 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 7: I mean, all of this is in flagrant violation of 387 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 7: the law. So clearly they're trying to precipitate either a 388 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,919 Speaker 7: constitutionetional crisis or just wiping out laws by you know, 389 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,920 Speaker 7: the Supreme Court blessing the wiping out of laws by 390 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:08,680 Speaker 7: this a stroke of the penet of the president. 391 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:10,520 Speaker 3: Right, there is a real question. 392 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: And I mean I always think that cynicism is the 393 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: worst thing we can have here. As much as you 394 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: and I are very cynical, there have been times when 395 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:22,439 Speaker 1: this Supreme Court has not completely rubber stamped Donald Trump. 396 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:26,120 Speaker 1: And I'm thinking about the sentencing opinion, right, even though 397 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,639 Speaker 1: it was an insane thing to send up to the court, 398 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: because the truth is, there's no reason why this man 399 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 1: should not have had to sit for the sentencing. But whatever, 400 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 1: it was still Roberts and Barrett who went with the liberals. 401 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: So here's a question for you. If it gets kicked 402 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,439 Speaker 1: to the Supreme Court, what do you think that means? 403 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:45,399 Speaker 7: Well, I'm glad you asked me, because I am a 404 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 7: constitutional scholar. Known to me, I do still hold out 405 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:55,119 Speaker 7: some hope that Barrett and Roberts and even Kavanaugh, you know, 406 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:59,439 Speaker 7: still have some sense of some basic fealty to the 407 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 7: constantutione and are not interested in rewriting things for political purposes, 408 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:08,680 Speaker 7: as say, you know, Alito or Thomas or Gorsuch. Maybe 409 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:11,240 Speaker 7: I guess in the broader sense, yes, that would be 410 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 7: a constitutional crisis, and the impact, of course, would be 411 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,240 Speaker 7: devastating if the Supreme Court, you know, sent this country 412 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 7: in an entirely different direction after two centuries. 413 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,200 Speaker 5: I think until we get to. 414 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 7: That point, which is still pretty far off, what really 415 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:29,919 Speaker 7: matters is not the outrage over he's destroying institutions and 416 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 7: norms and he's precipitating a crisis. What's going to matter 417 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:35,480 Speaker 7: is people are going to say, wait a second, I 418 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 7: voted for this guy to reduce prices, and all he 419 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 7: is doing is picking fights and vengeance and taking away 420 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 7: people's security details. And now he's taking away my medicaid 421 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:49,200 Speaker 7: benefits and meals on. 422 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 5: Wheels for old folks. 423 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 7: So that's what's going to matter, is when people see 424 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 7: and head start, Yeah, things going badly for them and 425 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 7: people around them. President not delivering what he was supposed 426 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 7: to do and instead he's all about settling personal scores 427 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:08,119 Speaker 7: and trying to pick fights with the Congress in the 428 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:09,360 Speaker 7: Supreme Court, right, and. 429 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,800 Speaker 1: That I think is that that will be the big question. 430 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: So here we are, we have more confirmation hearings. I mean, 431 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,879 Speaker 1: Cash Bettel, Tulsea Gabbard, RFK Junior. You know, I saw 432 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:26,200 Speaker 1: rfk's former vice presidential whatever, Nicole Shanahan, doing a video 433 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: about how if anyone votes against him, she will fund 434 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 1: primary challengers. We've seen other billionaires do this. As a 435 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: favorite of Elon's too, or as we like to think 436 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,040 Speaker 1: of him, Leon, what's your take on this? I mean, 437 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 1: does this work? I mean I guess it does, right. 438 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 7: Yes, but it's sort of you know, redundant. I mean, 439 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:48,479 Speaker 7: you know, there's already automatic primary challenges to anybody who 440 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 7: defies Trump for anything, so they don't need any additional 441 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:55,120 Speaker 7: funding from Nicole Shanahan or Elon Musk or anybody else, 442 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 7: you know, So I think those threats are kind of ludicrous. 443 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,800 Speaker 7: I mean, there already is lockstep discipline, or at least 444 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 7: there has been so far. I mean, look, you could 445 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 7: have knocked me over with a feather when McConnell actually 446 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 7: voted against xact or maybe he knew that he was 447 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 7: going through anyway. 448 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 1: I'm going to stop you for a minute because you 449 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: are a real DC person. And again and everyone who's 450 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:18,080 Speaker 1: so cynicals like, oh McConnell, whatever he knew, I don't 451 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: think he knew. 452 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 3: First of all, I think that. 453 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,399 Speaker 1: Tillis was a no until they went and talked to 454 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 1: him for two hours. 455 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 3: God knows what they said to him. 456 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,960 Speaker 1: The fact that he's voting against nominees I think is 457 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,640 Speaker 1: really meaningful. Say more about why you think it's meaningful. 458 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,679 Speaker 7: Well, because for ten years now, I've been thinking, oh, 459 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 7: this is the moment when McConnell will actually stand up 460 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 7: to Trump when it matters. At each time it's been 461 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 7: you know, Charlie Brown in the football. So I mean, 462 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 7: maybe it didn't matter this time since it was going 463 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:47,960 Speaker 7: through anyway, But. 464 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:52,280 Speaker 1: It's meaningful because McConnell was the leader, and like mcconnald's 465 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: vote means more than a regular center vote. 466 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 7: Yeah, I suppose, or maybe it means more in public. 467 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,640 Speaker 7: I mean, he's been so discredited in Maga eyes as 468 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 7: you know, the old crow. I'm not actually sure it 469 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:07,120 Speaker 7: matters that much to the Trump faithful. 470 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 5: But look, it's a numbers game. 471 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 7: And if you got Murkowski and Collins are somewhat more 472 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:17,400 Speaker 7: reliable no on the most zany outrages and abuses, and 473 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:20,199 Speaker 7: if McConnell, then all right, you're down to your tiebreaker. 474 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:24,679 Speaker 7: And then you know who's the next guy who's going 475 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,520 Speaker 7: to develop a spine? It may it looked like that 476 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:29,920 Speaker 7: on the hegseth. That might be Tom Tillsey even had 477 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 7: what was it his excess. Former sister in law urged 478 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 7: her to come out publicly because he said that could 479 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:39,920 Speaker 7: tilt the balance. She comes out publicly and he still votes. 480 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 7: Thanks a lot, dude. 481 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 5: So you know, will he grow a spine or a pair? 482 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 7: As they say, I'll be pleasantly surprised when I see it. 483 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, But I mean I do think it's meaningful. And 484 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 1: again I understand that I'm the boy whistling in the 485 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:57,919 Speaker 1: dark to keep myself from being afraid. 486 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,200 Speaker 5: But this is all we have that's right, Well, on 487 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:01,120 Speaker 5: to something. 488 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly. 489 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 1: So the frozen federal budget is now there's a court injunction. 490 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: We're going to see that play out. We've got more hearings. 491 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: I mean, what else are you watching here? 492 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:14,679 Speaker 5: It's a little bit of ADHD. I should try to 493 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:15,639 Speaker 5: focus on anything. 494 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 7: I mean, yeah, I mean last week I was focusing 495 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 7: on Trump not seeming to know what his own administration 496 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 7: is doing, and clearly his press secretary doesn't know either. 497 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 7: I'm focusing more on his vengeance this week. She seems great, 498 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:32,360 Speaker 7: by the way, Oh she's brilliant. Yeah, yeah, just yet 499 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 7: another really, I mean, just another star in the making. 500 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 7: I threw in a line about her wearing a purple 501 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:45,000 Speaker 7: jacket and across of the type most commonly seen repelling vampires, 502 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 7: and I thought I would get a lot more blowback 503 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:47,960 Speaker 7: than I did. 504 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:49,880 Speaker 5: But you know, people are anti vampire. 505 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 7: Yeah. 506 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:53,120 Speaker 5: I mean what I'm watching for. 507 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 7: Is I alluded to a moment ago is where he's 508 00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:00,399 Speaker 7: actually doing things that are going to hurt people, forcing 509 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 7: up prices, shuttering programs, precipitating international crises, you know, things 510 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 7: that people are going to notice and feel in their 511 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:09,919 Speaker 7: lives and say, hey, wait a second, this is not 512 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 7: what I voted for. That's what's it's going to matter, 513 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:16,240 Speaker 7: because you know, the election unfortunately, did prove that for 514 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:19,639 Speaker 7: a lot of people, you know, talking about he's destroying 515 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:22,120 Speaker 7: our constitutional system and our democracy. 516 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 5: It just didn't wash for them. 517 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that is that fundamental problem with Trump, 518 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: isn't which is when you try to explain that he's 519 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 1: planning on doing all this stuff, people would be like, well, 520 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: he didn't do it last time. 521 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 5: Yeah, right, because he tried and he couldn't. 522 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:38,280 Speaker 7: But it looks like he may well be able to 523 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 7: get a lot of this done this time, you know, 524 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,040 Speaker 7: and in a sense like yeah, you know, the federal 525 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:46,719 Speaker 7: judge saved him from himself with this you know, temporary 526 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:50,359 Speaker 7: to till February third, whatever, you know, suspension of the 527 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 7: of the pause, the pause and the pause. But you know, 528 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 7: I mean at some point, yeah, they're going to stop 529 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 7: the head start and meals on wheels and medicaid or 530 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:00,920 Speaker 7: some equivalent crisis, and people are going to actually say, 531 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:02,879 Speaker 7: wait a second, this is not what I thought I 532 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 7: was getting. 533 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 3: Right exactly, this is not what I thought I was getting. 534 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 3: Dana Melbank. 535 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:09,080 Speaker 5: I hope he'll come back anytime. 536 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:16,000 Speaker 1: Molly Alex Wagner is the host of MSNBC's Trump Land 537 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: with Alex Wagner. Welcome to Fast Politics, Alex Wagner, thank 538 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 1: you for having me. 539 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:22,040 Speaker 10: Molly John passed. 540 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:26,800 Speaker 3: I'm so excited. I'm thrilled you're doing this really interesting thing. 541 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 3: Explain to us what you're doing now. 542 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:30,439 Speaker 10: Well, listen. 543 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,439 Speaker 11: I think when Trump was reelected there was thinking that, like, 544 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,640 Speaker 11: we got to do something differently this time. We got 545 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 11: to be eggrective in our coverage. We got to look 546 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 11: under each stone, and there are many stones. But we 547 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 11: also need to be enterprising in terms of what we're 548 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,640 Speaker 11: covering because obviously Trump is the master of distraction and 549 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 11: there's really important stuff that happens that we often don't 550 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,480 Speaker 11: get it to really talk about our analyze because we're 551 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:56,040 Speaker 11: dealing with a daily onslaught of controversy. So we have 552 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 11: the inimitable Rachel Mattow sitting at the desk five days 553 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:01,080 Speaker 11: a week, and we have me out in a country 554 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:04,480 Speaker 11: reporting on the big stories of each week and talking 555 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:07,240 Speaker 11: to people that honestly, you don't usually see on television, 556 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 11: having conversations that you don't normally hear on television. And 557 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 11: the idea is we got to do something differently, like 558 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:15,640 Speaker 11: I said, and we're going to be as tenacious and 559 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 11: as aggressive and as you know, resourceful as the moment demand. 560 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 10: So that's what I've been doing. 561 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 11: And like I started last week outside of DC jail 562 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 11: talking to January sixth inmates, and this week I've been 563 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 11: speaking to migrants who are working to know their rights 564 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:31,720 Speaker 11: and figure out a strategy and a battle plan for 565 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 11: mass deportation, which seems to be very clearly at the 566 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 11: top of the President's list of things to do. 567 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 3: So I have a lot of questions. 568 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: First, I want you to talk about the January sixth 569 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 1: talking to those people, because that is a really interesting 570 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,959 Speaker 1: group that I mean, and I don't mean this to 571 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 1: elevate them, because I know there's a lot of really 572 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 1: problematic stuff for the larger like four democracy, But I'm 573 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 1: wondering if you could talk just a little bit about 574 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 1: what it was like with the group out there and 575 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: sort of what their expectations were and what their feelings 576 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:07,200 Speaker 1: were about Donald Trump. 577 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 11: Yeah, I mean, I wanted to have the conversations with 578 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 11: them because I think it's important to know the sort 579 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 11: of to understand the stories of the people who are 580 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 11: at the center of the news, and I was eager 581 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,640 Speaker 11: to hear first of all their thoughts about Trump and 582 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 11: also kind of like where their allegiance stands now that 583 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,240 Speaker 11: they're free, because I think a lot of people wonder 584 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:28,720 Speaker 11: how Trump is going to carry out some of his 585 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:32,840 Speaker 11: most draconian plans. You know, standard of lawlessness or lawfulness 586 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 11: is and they are a great bell weather for that. 587 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 11: So you know, the first thing that struck me. I mean, 588 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 11: perhaps it's not surprising that they are so intensely loyal 589 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 11: to Donald Trump in a way that I think eclipses 590 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 11: even their sense of allegiance on January six. Like, I 591 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 11: talked to one father who had two children in jail. 592 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 11: He himself was also there at January six, and he 593 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:54,360 Speaker 11: said to me, with tears in his eyes, I would 594 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 11: die for this now. 595 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,200 Speaker 3: So they don't feel like Trump put them in this position. 596 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,440 Speaker 11: No, And I told you a woman who was involved 597 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 11: in the riot and was pardoned by President Trump. She said, 598 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:06,720 Speaker 11: I don't understand why I was ever in jail. And 599 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 11: Anthony Fauci and Liz Cheney warrant, Oh wow. The sort 600 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 11: of conspiracy theory narratives that have been spun around prominent 601 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 11: resistance figures and resistance is like does people who are 602 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 11: still tethered to reality and care about the future of 603 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:24,600 Speaker 11: a you know, our American democracy. That sort of poison 604 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 11: is like deep in the veins, especially for January six ers, 605 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 11: even though they may have been in you know, federal 606 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 11: kind of tenuries during the like most of the last 607 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:37,040 Speaker 11: couple of years. They are angry, but they are also 608 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:41,959 Speaker 11: intensely hopeful about what President Trump can establish and accomplish, 609 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 11: and they're ready to go for him. I mean, I 610 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 11: asked a number of them, if he asks you to 611 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,560 Speaker 11: go do something, will you go do it? And almost 612 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 11: to a person, they said, hell, yeah, Like he hasn't 613 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:51,920 Speaker 11: given up on us. We would never give up on him. 614 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 11: The other thing is so speaking Molly, is so many 615 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:57,280 Speaker 11: of them have talked directly with Trump. Either they were 616 00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:59,320 Speaker 11: at mar A Lago, you know, if they were family 617 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:01,440 Speaker 11: members of Jason, or they've spoken on the phone to 618 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 11: him numerous times. I mean, as a matter of like 619 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:09,040 Speaker 11: constituent outreach. Donald Trump is a machine. Like the fact 620 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:12,320 Speaker 11: that this guy has focused so much of his attentions 621 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 11: on this group of people should tell you a lot 622 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:19,480 Speaker 11: about how important they are to him. In his second presidency, and. 623 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:24,040 Speaker 1: If we look historically at autocrats who craft their own 624 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:27,160 Speaker 1: militias or their own it never. 625 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 3: Ends well, you never want an autocrat. 626 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 10: To have a bunch an army, right. 627 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:33,880 Speaker 3: De facto army. 628 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:37,920 Speaker 1: That is never a good sign for democratic norms. 629 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 11: Well, and it's not just the fifteen hundred people he 630 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 11: pardoned or community the sentences of it's the signal that's 631 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 11: sent to any other militia member. I mean, I talked 632 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:48,800 Speaker 11: to militia memories before the twenty twenty election who may 633 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:50,880 Speaker 11: not have actually been there on January sixth, but were 634 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 11: inclined to think about extra judicial solutions to a broken 635 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 11: government or a broken. 636 00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:58,840 Speaker 10: You know, election. They you know, there are a lot 637 00:32:58,840 --> 00:32:59,440 Speaker 10: of people. 638 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:03,160 Speaker 11: Who weren't active around January sixth, but have been entranced 639 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 11: by Maggot in the intervening years. And like the pardoning 640 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:10,080 Speaker 11: is a huge signal to all of them that if 641 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:12,080 Speaker 11: you do Trump spitting, he's got your back. 642 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:14,160 Speaker 3: Yeah. No, I think that's right. 643 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:17,080 Speaker 1: And that is, if you think about it, quite worrying 644 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:19,520 Speaker 1: for any number of reasons. And the fact that they 645 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:23,280 Speaker 1: consider themselves to be sort of the bizarro doctor Fauci 646 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,080 Speaker 1: is just can you talk me through that? 647 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,480 Speaker 11: Thinking, they believe that there are actors who are trying 648 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:31,880 Speaker 11: to destroy the country. I mean, this is where the 649 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:35,120 Speaker 11: q Andon like the snake, the q Andon snake begins 650 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 11: eating the Maga tail right right, the like there was 651 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:39,760 Speaker 11: no mention of pizza. 652 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,160 Speaker 3: Game, right. Oh, well, that's something, you know. 653 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 11: The vast conspiracy that exists in the deep state is 654 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:48,320 Speaker 11: something they absolutely believe in. They believe, to a person 655 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:50,480 Speaker 11: that the twenty twenty election was stolen. I asked a 656 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 11: number of them, well, if twenty twenty was stolen, why 657 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:54,080 Speaker 11: we let him win in twenty twenty four, and they said, 658 00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:56,640 Speaker 11: because it was too big to rig. His margin was 659 00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:58,960 Speaker 11: just too big to rig, and that's the only reason 660 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 11: the system wasn't set up against him. But they believe that, 661 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 11: you know, Lias Cheney is a trader. I mean, they 662 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:05,840 Speaker 11: believe that Mark Milly is a trader. They believe that 663 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:08,680 Speaker 11: Anthony Fauci is the architect of our national despair. And 664 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 11: the question is the degree to which Trump sort of 665 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:14,480 Speaker 11: tries to point them in that direction and actually calls 666 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,920 Speaker 11: for them to do something to those people. I mean, 667 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,880 Speaker 11: of course I hope that never happens, but it seemed 668 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 11: to me that a number of them were ready to 669 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:24,520 Speaker 11: do what you know, they needed to do because this 670 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:27,160 Speaker 11: was bigger than just them, This was bigger than jail time. 671 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:29,279 Speaker 11: This was a central part of what they understood to 672 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,320 Speaker 11: be their American identity, which is wild. 673 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:34,560 Speaker 3: You know it's wild, right, I think that's really important. 674 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:38,080 Speaker 1: We interviewed this academic who I'm kind of obsessed with 675 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:40,600 Speaker 1: at Harvard called Thetis Scotch Paul, and she was talking 676 00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 1: about how often post a pandemic people will have a 677 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:49,200 Speaker 1: certain amount of memory holding, like they just won't be 678 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:52,000 Speaker 1: able to keep the memory of the experience in their 679 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:55,800 Speaker 1: head because it's so traumatic. How does that make sense 680 00:34:55,880 --> 00:35:00,279 Speaker 1: with this just like amateur psychiatrists for me, for a second. 681 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:02,440 Speaker 10: Gary, amateur, Like didn't go to med. 682 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:04,280 Speaker 3: School, I didn't even go to college. 683 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:08,400 Speaker 10: So well, but you're you're what is it, You're naturally brilliant. 684 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:12,960 Speaker 11: I'm not sure, but anyway, yeah, listen, I totally agree. 685 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 11: I feel like so much of our national unpacking needs 686 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 11: to happen around COVID because I do think it's like 687 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:25,040 Speaker 11: a lacuna and people were filled with so much rage 688 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,600 Speaker 11: and loneliness and despair and it compounded. And I really 689 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:31,120 Speaker 11: believe this you know what Vivick Murphy, the Surgeon General, 690 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:33,560 Speaker 11: once called like at the epidemic of loneliness and what 691 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:35,680 Speaker 11: you know, Michael, there's so many people that sees on 692 00:35:35,719 --> 00:35:38,799 Speaker 11: this this is all connected, right. People feel alone, they 693 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:42,840 Speaker 11: feel disconnected from community. They're angry about their their particular situation, 694 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:47,319 Speaker 11: whether economically, culturally, financially, socially whatever, and they look for 695 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:50,000 Speaker 11: an outlet for that, and for these kind of jan 696 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:52,799 Speaker 11: sixers and so the Maga diehards. I think COVID was 697 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 11: this incredible inflection point where they had no outlet for 698 00:35:56,960 --> 00:35:58,920 Speaker 11: the loneliness, They had no one to turn to, and 699 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:02,040 Speaker 11: here comes a strong man suggesting that all of this 700 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:04,719 Speaker 11: is a fabrication. That all of the pain that they 701 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,440 Speaker 11: felt and that they've gone through and that lies ahead 702 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:10,200 Speaker 11: for them, can you know, be either erased or vanished 703 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,520 Speaker 11: from the horizon if they just believe in him. I mean, 704 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,400 Speaker 11: I think it also speaks to the decline of like 705 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:17,120 Speaker 11: religion in this country, like are you know, the public 706 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:20,520 Speaker 11: spare has gone away and people just want to believe 707 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:23,600 Speaker 11: in someone and something and Trump, you know, sort of 708 00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:26,399 Speaker 11: I think the dawn of perhaps the most the more 709 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:32,320 Speaker 11: poisonous stage of Trump ism that coincided with the COVID pandemic, 710 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 11: and I just think that there's a lot that that 711 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,640 Speaker 11: stirred up, that there's a direct line you can draw 712 00:36:37,719 --> 00:36:41,359 Speaker 11: between the sort of venomous force of MAGA and what 713 00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:44,000 Speaker 11: everybody went through during the COVID pandemic. 714 00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:45,960 Speaker 10: I mean, you know, like I think all of. 715 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:50,080 Speaker 11: Us liberals, centrists and you know, conservatives, we've all had 716 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:52,320 Speaker 11: to kind of move past it in a way because 717 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:53,640 Speaker 11: life goes on, right. 718 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:55,840 Speaker 10: But it was intensely scarring. 719 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 11: I mean, and you know people who lost their loved 720 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:00,440 Speaker 11: ones in the hospitals and had to say goodbye on zoom. 721 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 11: I mean, these are dehumanizing moments that the just being 722 00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 11: apart from each other, which is against the natural order 723 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:10,000 Speaker 11: of humanity. I mean, we haven't come to terms, I think, 724 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 11: with just absolutely how disruptive and devastating those those several 725 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:15,279 Speaker 11: years were. 726 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: You know, it's as you're talking about this, what I'm 727 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,640 Speaker 1: struck by is I was on Morning Joe, not that 728 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 1: we're doing MSPR here, but we can, but we can. 729 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 3: There's nothing wrong with that. 730 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:31,440 Speaker 1: I was talking to Read Hoffman and he was saying, like, 731 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:34,200 Speaker 1: AI is going to be so great, and I was like, 732 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:38,879 Speaker 1: you know, it seems like there's going to be unintended consequences. 733 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:41,279 Speaker 1: Can you talk about the unintended consequences? Because that's something 734 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,080 Speaker 1: that is really right at the top of my mind 735 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:46,279 Speaker 1: when we talk about Trump is because they're always you know, 736 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:49,200 Speaker 1: move fast and break things, means you actually break things. 737 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 3: And I said him, what are the unintended consequences? 738 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:54,080 Speaker 1: And he was like, well, after the printing press there 739 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,920 Speaker 1: was you know, one hundred years of war, and I 740 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:02,520 Speaker 1: just was thinking about how advances, how these terrifying unintended consequences. 741 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:05,480 Speaker 1: Though I think with the Rioters this is actually an 742 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:06,719 Speaker 1: intended consequence. 743 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:11,840 Speaker 11: Yeah, I mean I think we underestimate how cathartic ragees. 744 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:16,640 Speaker 11: You know, having an enemy to pin your disappointments on 745 00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:21,319 Speaker 11: can be just a hugely relieving thing, you know, and 746 00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:24,360 Speaker 11: if you're living with pain or you're living in a 747 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:26,399 Speaker 11: dark place, I mean there is something to be said 748 00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:28,040 Speaker 11: for like you go, I've been to a number of 749 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:30,680 Speaker 11: Trump rallies, right, yeah, and they take on the air 750 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:33,960 Speaker 11: of a religious revival, right they fill this hole. And 751 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:36,759 Speaker 11: I mean, like not to get super like therapy on you, 752 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:41,239 Speaker 11: but like there is something incredibly intoxicating about anger, right, 753 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 11: It's like a fueling feeling. And yeah, like I just 754 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:47,839 Speaker 11: I feel like after a period of hurt, whether it's 755 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:50,960 Speaker 11: just COVID or the preceding years, to just be able 756 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:53,279 Speaker 11: to live in a state of rage, can be electrified. 757 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:55,479 Speaker 10: And I think that's part of the appeal here. 758 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:57,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's right. 759 00:38:57,400 --> 00:39:00,400 Speaker 1: And I also think it's so interesting talk to me 760 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,640 Speaker 1: about the next week. You go to a radically different 761 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:05,680 Speaker 1: place with a radically different group of people. 762 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:06,239 Speaker 3: Yeah. 763 00:39:06,320 --> 00:39:08,759 Speaker 11: Well, I mean, I think the idea is to get 764 00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:13,080 Speaker 11: into the muscle of all of this because we taught 765 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:16,040 Speaker 11: so much of the consequences and the players. All that 766 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:18,759 Speaker 11: exists in the abstract. So we talk about immigration, We 767 00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:21,400 Speaker 11: hear about these immigration rates as like what's going on 768 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:22,279 Speaker 11: with the immigrants? 769 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:22,600 Speaker 9: You know? 770 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:26,279 Speaker 10: And what I found was just an extraordinary amount of fear. 771 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 4: You know. 772 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:28,920 Speaker 11: I talk to a number of people who are terrified 773 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:31,439 Speaker 11: and maybe keeping their children home from school. They don't 774 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:33,920 Speaker 11: know what their future next week is. But I also 775 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 11: found a community of people who are trying to understand 776 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:39,600 Speaker 11: what their constitutional rights are. There's a series of seminars 777 00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 11: called no Your Rights the Borders Are. Tom Holman calls 778 00:39:42,239 --> 00:39:45,680 Speaker 11: them how to escape arrest seminars, but they're run by 779 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:48,759 Speaker 11: various community groups, and they're these kind of workshops where 780 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:51,399 Speaker 11: immigrants go, they can ask questions, they get kind of 781 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:54,239 Speaker 11: a strategy for how to deal with ICE agents if 782 00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:57,160 Speaker 11: they come in and try and arrest them. And you know, 783 00:39:57,239 --> 00:39:59,799 Speaker 11: they do what is called a role playing exercise where 784 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,040 Speaker 11: one migrant will be the migrant and one will be 785 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 11: the ICE agent, and they kind of do this acting 786 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:07,919 Speaker 11: exercise effectively to run through, did you a dry run 787 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 11: a test run of what it would be like to 788 00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:11,160 Speaker 11: be on the verge of deportation? 789 00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:12,000 Speaker 10: And it was so. 790 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:15,520 Speaker 11: Fascinating, Molly, because on some level, these people are confronting 791 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:18,560 Speaker 11: their greatest fear right, it's very scenario that their life 792 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:21,000 Speaker 11: in America is on the precipice of ending right and 793 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:23,680 Speaker 11: shattering everything that they've built. And the other level, they're 794 00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:27,200 Speaker 11: confronting it right most directly and in that way that 795 00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:29,200 Speaker 11: this is like one long therapy session. 796 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:32,960 Speaker 1: No, it's good, I feel very very helpful to me anyway, 797 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:33,200 Speaker 1: go on. 798 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:37,400 Speaker 11: Yet, confronting your fears is a way of gaining. 799 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:38,920 Speaker 10: Strength and feeling empowered. 800 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:40,640 Speaker 11: And what you would see in the course of these 801 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:43,120 Speaker 11: workshops is that people would start to laugh and people 802 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:46,120 Speaker 11: started engaging, and they felt like they were united as one, 803 00:40:46,440 --> 00:40:48,239 Speaker 11: and they felt like you know when you look fear 804 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:49,960 Speaker 11: right in the eye and say, Okay, I got this, 805 00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:50,799 Speaker 11: I can do this. 806 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:52,640 Speaker 10: I know what I'm going to do. I have a plan. 807 00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:56,279 Speaker 11: It's the only way to manage what is right now, 808 00:40:56,400 --> 00:41:01,440 Speaker 11: especially an unmanageable, chaotic and totally unprettict situation. Right like 809 00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:03,120 Speaker 11: people don't know whether they can go to the grocery store, 810 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:04,600 Speaker 11: and ge don't know whether the kids can go to school. 811 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,480 Speaker 11: They're just like they're terrified. But if you can say 812 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,839 Speaker 11: I know what I'm going to do, you know, it's 813 00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:11,440 Speaker 11: like stop, drop and roll. It's like this is the 814 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:16,040 Speaker 11: order of things. It offers some sense of empowerment, it 815 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:19,200 Speaker 11: offers sense of agency, and it was like, actually a 816 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:22,560 Speaker 11: totally remarkable thing to see how this group of very 817 00:41:22,560 --> 00:41:25,399 Speaker 11: marginalized people who are largely under assault from the Trump 818 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 11: administration is managing this moment of profound fear. And in 819 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:31,560 Speaker 11: a lot of ways it was weirdly hopeful, right Like 820 00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:34,080 Speaker 11: nobody's suggesting they're not going to get deported, but just 821 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:37,239 Speaker 11: in terms of the human struggle, looking at the resilience 822 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:40,400 Speaker 11: of these people, right, the people who worked their butts 823 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:42,640 Speaker 11: off to come to America and continue to work their 824 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:44,880 Speaker 11: butts off as the economic backbone, and who want to 825 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:47,480 Speaker 11: stay in America to continue to contribute to society and 826 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:50,120 Speaker 11: say almost to a person, we still love this place, 827 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:52,400 Speaker 11: we still believe in this place, we believe we are equal, 828 00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:54,759 Speaker 11: and we know we have rights. It was really like 829 00:41:54,800 --> 00:41:58,240 Speaker 11: an extraordinary experience to see how they're coping with this moment. 830 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:00,479 Speaker 1: I mean, there is hope in this And I also 831 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:04,680 Speaker 1: think that the stories of people and their real experience 832 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:08,320 Speaker 1: are the only way we can get into what's actually happening, 833 00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:11,280 Speaker 1: because you know, the statistics don't really tell the story 834 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:11,960 Speaker 1: that people know. 835 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:15,640 Speaker 10: No, they did. Yeah, And also I think it's really important. 836 00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:19,280 Speaker 11: The right has a very well oiled like social media 837 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:22,560 Speaker 11: machine and messaging machine around getting the garbage out, which 838 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:26,239 Speaker 11: is what the arkham Mansecurity Secretary called undocumented migrants in 839 00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:28,560 Speaker 11: this country, and like the left has largely I think 840 00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:31,560 Speaker 11: because they were cowed by the twenty twenty four election results. 841 00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:34,200 Speaker 11: They feel like they don't have their immigration platform worked out. 842 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:37,080 Speaker 11: But the vitriol that's coming from the right, the mischaracterization 843 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:39,160 Speaker 11: of who these people are is being met with utter 844 00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:41,840 Speaker 11: silence on the left, and so honestly it's left to 845 00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:44,120 Speaker 11: the media to go and say, oh, but this is 846 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:45,399 Speaker 11: actually who these people are. 847 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:46,479 Speaker 10: They are not there. 848 00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:50,880 Speaker 11: I mean, it's a vanishing percentage that are actually violent criminals. 849 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:54,400 Speaker 11: This majority of these people are people that are making 850 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:57,879 Speaker 11: the country hup. And it's important to remind everybody of 851 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 11: the real actual narrative here and not what Trump and 852 00:43:01,239 --> 00:43:02,560 Speaker 11: his allies would have you believe. 853 00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:06,080 Speaker 1: Let's have two seconds on Tom Holman, because this guy 854 00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:09,120 Speaker 1: is such an interesting character and what he's doing right 855 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:13,839 Speaker 1: now is absolutely atrocious. But he comes from Obama world, right, 856 00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:17,880 Speaker 1: I mean, he has had this strange transition he was retired. 857 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:21,920 Speaker 11: Yeah, I think there's something that happens when you're in 858 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:24,880 Speaker 11: a kind of incarceratory position. 859 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:27,959 Speaker 10: Where in order to do the work. 860 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:31,880 Speaker 11: You kind of need to dehumanize the people that you 861 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:35,880 Speaker 11: are arresting and incarcerating. You have to begin to look 862 00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:37,319 Speaker 11: at them as the enemy that needs to be caught. 863 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:38,760 Speaker 11: I mean, I think that's just kind of a natural 864 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:41,520 Speaker 11: progression of things, right, I mean, I think cops sometimes 865 00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:43,120 Speaker 11: have to de humanize people. They have to think in 866 00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:45,320 Speaker 11: blanket terms, like I'm sure prison guards kind of do 867 00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:46,759 Speaker 11: the same thing, and I think if. 868 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:49,120 Speaker 10: Your borders are you often do that. 869 00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:51,560 Speaker 11: The issue with Holman is he seems to have drunk 870 00:43:51,560 --> 00:43:55,080 Speaker 11: from the fountain of Maga, and the dehumanization has taken 871 00:43:55,200 --> 00:43:59,240 Speaker 11: on a level of cruelty and sort of like shamelessness. 872 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:03,239 Speaker 11: It is a stunning portrait of like our darker selves. Right, 873 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:08,400 Speaker 11: there's a zeal for capture and enthusiasm for punishment and 874 00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:13,000 Speaker 11: a wartlessness that seems really like a byproduct of someone 875 00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:15,719 Speaker 11: who's I don't know. It's gotten very dark in tom 876 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:18,000 Speaker 11: Home and Land in the intervening years between Obama and 877 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:21,480 Speaker 11: it's I think unfortunate that we have someone so seemingly 878 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:24,680 Speaker 11: incapable of seeing the humanity in these people, who's running 879 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:25,640 Speaker 11: the entire program. 880 00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:27,480 Speaker 10: I mean, I think the same of Stephen Miller too. 881 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:30,960 Speaker 1: Yes, Steven Miller. Find someone who loves you, like Steven 882 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:36,520 Speaker 1: Miller hates immigrants. Thank you so much, Alex, really appreciate you, 883 00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:38,600 Speaker 1: and may till you want to come back and talk 884 00:44:38,640 --> 00:44:39,680 Speaker 1: about your report. 885 00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:40,800 Speaker 3: It would be really great. 886 00:44:40,880 --> 00:44:42,719 Speaker 10: I will come back whenever you'll have me. 887 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:53,560 Speaker 8: Molly, no moment, Andon Jesse Cannon, So Molly, yesterday we 888 00:44:53,640 --> 00:44:58,640 Speaker 8: got a first taste of a press briefing by Caroline Lovett, and. 889 00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:02,360 Speaker 2: The taste was Korean from the northern region of the 890 00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:03,840 Speaker 2: region in my Tastes. 891 00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:08,480 Speaker 1: Carolyn Levitt, Trump's new press secretary for as long as 892 00:45:08,520 --> 00:45:11,680 Speaker 1: she lasts, did a lot of the kind of stuff 893 00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:15,719 Speaker 1: we saw previous Trump press secretaries do whenever they would 894 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:19,319 Speaker 1: have press briefings, which was not that often. You know, 895 00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:21,400 Speaker 1: it's funny because it's like, I think of all the 896 00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:23,880 Speaker 1: people in Trump World, like, will she end up going 897 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:26,920 Speaker 1: against Trump and will I end up interviewing her on 898 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:32,359 Speaker 1: this podcast or will she go along with and end 899 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:34,759 Speaker 1: up on Fox News. It's a real choose your own 900 00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:38,520 Speaker 1: adventure for Carolyn Levitt. She is at this job to 901 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:45,400 Speaker 1: humiliate the press, to elevate right wing figures, to spread lies, 902 00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:48,960 Speaker 1: to be hostile. You know, she has this job for 903 00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:53,480 Speaker 1: one reason, right, So we shouldn't be surprised, you know, 904 00:45:53,600 --> 00:45:57,440 Speaker 1: this is what happens and so but she is our 905 00:45:57,520 --> 00:45:58,399 Speaker 1: moment of fun Gray. 906 00:45:58,760 --> 00:46:02,400 Speaker 2: Can I make a third wager on where she ends up? Yeah? 907 00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:04,520 Speaker 2: This is my wild card televangelist. 908 00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:06,879 Speaker 3: Very nice, not impossible. 909 00:46:07,480 --> 00:46:11,839 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 910 00:46:12,160 --> 00:46:17,600 Speaker 1: every Monday Wednesday Thursday and Saturday to hear the best 911 00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:22,000 Speaker 1: minds and politics make sense of all this chaos. If 912 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:25,080 Speaker 1: you enjoy this podcast, please send it to a friend 913 00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:27,120 Speaker 1: and keep the conversation going. 914 00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:28,720 Speaker 3: Thanks for listening.