i am alicia menendez. thank you for spending part of your saturday with us. be sure to follow video on twitter, on instagram and on tiktok at alicia on msnbc -- for more american voices -- but for now, i handed over to my colleague, michael steele. hey, michael. steele >> hey, alicia. miami? not bad, not bad. it's good, it's good. >> i'm getting to see what katy katie phang is -- >> -- check out that catch. >> you know me too, well michael. have a good show. >> thank you. good evening, and welcome, everyone, to ayman. tonight, trump's ticking time bomb. his associates are now meeting with the special counsel's office and the new investigation just opened into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. plus, absolute chaos. that is how one democrat

described the house judiciary committee this week, after republicans doubled down on unproven conspiracies. and the gop hijacking -- the annual defense budget bill is chock full of amendments to address right-wing cultural grievances. i'm ember of the house armed services committee will respond. and we will get her reaction to some of tommy tub reveals blockade on u.s. military promotions, a move that leads this country less safe. i am michael steele, in for my good friend ayman mohyeldin. be careful if you are claustrophobic. tonight, we begin with the walls closing in on donald trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, as investigators at both the federal and state levels move toward the final stages of their probes. now, let's start with the special counsel, jack smith's inquiry. according to the near reporting

from the new york times -- with both trump's son-in-law, jared commissioner, and his former longtime aide hope hicks. and nbc news confirms that prosecutor spoke -- former white house communications director alyssa farrow griffin -- ex presidents intent in the -- after the election. according to the times, commissioner was asked, quote, about whether mr. trump had privately acknowledged, in the days after the 2020 election, that he had lost, according to four people briefed on the matter. a line of questioning suggests prosecutors are trying to establish whether mr. trump was asked-ing acting with corrupt intent as he -- remain in power, essentially that his efforts were knowingly based on a lie, evidence that could substantially bolster any case they might decide to bring against mr. trump. also, in recent months, jack smith's team has interviewed the secretaries of state for pennsylvania, new mexico and

michigan. all three states were targeted by trump and his team in his efforts to overturn his election loss. that's, in part, according to cnn reporting. and that brings us to the efforts of individual states to hold these election deniers accountable. this week, arizona attorney general chris mays and as that her office is ramping up its investigation into the so-called fake electors scheme, in which republicans allegedly tried to reverse the states election results by signing in transmitting paperwork falsely declaring donald trump the winner. and in georgia, a judge seated to grandeur ease this week that are likely to be tasked with whether to bring election interference charges against trump and his allies in that state. fulton county district attorney fani willis has says she plans to announce charging decisions during the superior court term that just began. and, surprise, prize. that was not welcome news to trump, who just filed a petition into georgia courts seeking to, one, disqualify da

fani willis for investigating him for election interference, and two, squash the -- recommended diamonds in the matter. joining me now are cynthia alksne, an msnbc legal analyst, and former federal prosecutor, former congressman david jolly, msnbc political analyst, and former congresswoman donna edwards, and msnbc political analyst list and washington post columnist. cynthia, let's begin with you. this is like race for the mail for prosecutors looking at this. what are the implications of jack smith's team reaching out to all the secretaries of states around the country. does that say something about the idea of his investigation taking a wider scope than we have first thought? >> i think we thought for a long time that the january 6th investigation was going to be pretty broad, because we are trying to bring in the whole fake electors -- and it appears they are trying

to bring in the whole fake electors scandal. there's something really important, and i think our viewers need to understand. as jack smith does these interviews, and he asks people like jared kushner, what was the president thinking he does not have to prove that the president absolutely knew he had lost, and he has evidence that the president said that 15 people i know, i lost, and all this other things happened. that is not the corrupt intent that is required. the intent is that he knew what he was doing was illegal when he set up a fake electors scandal. he knew what he was doing was illegal when he sent armed people up to the capitol right to interrupt the official proceeding of the counting of the votes. he knew pence didn't have the power when he tried to pressure him into overturning the election. that is the intent that he has to prove. and to the extent he can prove that trump was telling people that he lost the election, okay, great. that's icing on the cake. but let's not require jack smith or leave our viewers with

the belief that jack smith has approved more than he already has to prove. because, remember -- and then i will be quiet for a second -- we already know that the attorney general told him he lost the election. all the credible lawyers in the justice department told him he lost the election. all the credible lawyers in the -- lost the election. his cybersecurity person told him we lost the election. his campaign manager told him he lost the election. everybody told him he lost the election. so, just because jared kushner has gone to the grand jury and, after he collected his two billion dollars -- the saudis and said, no, i thought he really won. that doesn't a, make it credible, or b, make -- smart gradually process. >> and so -- i want to pick up on that point that cynthia raises, what do you think the secretaries of states are saying to jack smith, and we'll be telling jack smith in that vein. >> i think that they can share with jack smith what was

happening in their states, what was happening with elections officials and election workers. they can share the impact of this false narrative on their state and their ability to both count their votes and to have their electors seated. so i think there's a lot to be shared. it's interesting that jack smith was talking to a number of secretaries of state and also other election officials. and i really think they sort of crossing the tees and dotting the eyes to make sure that he has everything that he needs and, i think, as we cynthia said, it's not a question of proving that trump, in his mind, knew everything that would take place. it's more making sure that you can bolster the story. and i think, right now, jack smith is tying up the loose ends to bolster his case going forward. >> so, david, there is the law, right? and then there's the politics.

chris christie said this week there is no silver bullet to take out trump. but that the collective weight of all of this legal troubles that he is having, instead, will make the voters where we have trump, get tired and want to move on. i don't know about you. show me the evidence about that. because it seems to me, with each indictment, with each new allegation, his numbers go, up not down. >> that is exactly right. aspirational thinking from chris christie, and probably, quietly, from every other candidate, for mike pence to run, desantis, tim scott, nikki haley and others, that somehow donald trump's legal travails are ultimately going to sink his campaign. we simply haven't seen it. so, michael, i think where we sit today, that there is not a single legal fact to emerge in any of the donald trump matters, from alvin bragg to mar-a-lago to j 6th to fani willis, that will change the trajectory of the gop primary. i think the only political

question -- the only question that might have political impact -- is whether or not there is actually a trial, at some point, we're don't trump is facing a loss of liberty, and at this point, it's really hard to see -- cynthia with no best -- it's really hard to see how a trial would occur, and a verdict would be rendered before, say, mid march, when the gop primary is actually all summed up. so, worst-case in areas for donald trump is that he is able to push some of the trials into next summer a freeze already secure the gop nomination, in the political question before the american people but about donald trump's liberty, or best-case an area for donald trump, he pushes all the files off until after next november. >> cynthia, i would like you to comment a little bit on this process that david raised. but i also want to get your reaction to what is happening, what came out of arizona this week. a lot of focus has been, of course, on watching fulton county down in georgia, with baited breath, waiting for fani willis and her team to take action. but it did come as a bit of a

shock the decisions out of arizona. what do you make of the attorney general's actions there as well? >> two things. the first is that we have the scheduling conference that is coming up in the mar-a-lago case, which will determine -- should set some form of a trial date, which will affect the political scheduling, which will affect the timing of the trial in the primary schedule. and my guess would be that cnon is that the trial data sometime in february, and then when the trump people ask to have it postponed, she goes ahead and kicks the can down the road. she has put a jersey on, in this case, which i think is inappropriate for a federal judge. but the jersey is on. and until she takes it off, it appears to me she's going to, i -- kick that can down the road as long as he wants, i hate to say it. that's one thing on the scheduling on that. i do think it will be indictments this summer in other jurisdictions that will

not have such a judge who is biased, but that case won't go to trial. those cases will take at least a year to go to trial. and so they will not be in the primary calendar as well. so that's what -- i don't think we are going to see a trial, david, before the republican convention. that is one thing. when it comes to arizona, the attorney general really didn't have much of a choice. because the prior attorney general had a sort of -- fast and loose, had an investigation, then he had the investigation, then he gave a fake answer about -- the report about the investigation was. so really, she had a moral and political obligation to clean up the record in arizona. i don't think she had a choice. and she is going forward, albeit very slowly. my guess would be that the january 6th investigation encompasses, also, everything that she would end up finding, and will learn the information through the january 6th investigation. but i do think she is doing the right thing. i don't think she had a choice. >> all right. panel, stick around for me.

after the, break we will discuss the new defamation lawsuit against fox. this one from a trump supporter who claims the network ruined his life. satisfaction, and road-test evaluations... and the results are in. subaru is the twenty twenty-three best mainstream automotive brand, according to consumer reports. and subaru has seven consumer reports recommended models. solterra, forester, outback, crosstrek, ascent, impreza, and legacy. it's easy to love a brand you can trust. it's easy to love a subaru. with chase freedom unlimited, you can cashback 3% on dining including take-out. cashback on flapjacks, baby backs, or the tacos at the taco shack. nah, i'm working on my six pack. well, good luck with that. earn big with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. how do you cashback? shingles. some describe it as pulsing electric shocks

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spreading lies about the capitol insurrection has finally come back to haunt the network. and ironically, it's coming from a trump supporter who once considered himself a loyal viewer. ray epps, a trump supporter who became the focus of right-wing conspiracy theories after you process it in d.c. on january 6th, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the network and foremost tucker carlson for claiming he was an undercover fbi agent who helped provoke the riot that day. the lawsuit argues carlson launched a years-long campaign -- destroyed the life of epps and his wife. here is just some of the coverage.

>> the mysterious figure called ray epps -- >> so, who is ray epps, by the way? ray epps it's one of the only people caught on camera, that day, encouraging others to break the. law did ray epps -- contact with any government agency? -- whether ray epps has had any -- appeared before january 6th. >> the lawsuit also says that fox refused to attract its claims well after fox knew definitively that they were false, and that this evidence of what is legally known as actual malice means epps deserves punitive damages. of course, this comes on the heels of fox's settlement with dominion voting systems, which cost the network -- $787 million for spreading lies about the company's role in the 2020 election. epps just hired one of the lawyers in the dominion case to represent him in his case against fox. oh, it gets juicy.

let's bring back my panel. cynthia, let's start with you on this one. dominion was able to prove, through emails and text messages and a whole bunch of other things, that fox knowingly lied to their viewers on their coverage of the election. what do you see here? do you think that that plays out for epps the same way as it did for dominion? >> it is kind of interesting the way it's -- he actually piggybacks on the dominion suit. because he says, i went to the january 6th because i had been lied to by fox news about the election. so, he pulls in the dominion, basically, settlement, and piggybacks his case on that. and then he has a lower standard. it's much easier for him to prove the defamation. because he is not a public figure. so, he has a lower standard of negligence and not actual malice. and he still has an opportunity to get punitive damages. so, it's a pretty interesting

lawsuit. because there is so much video evidence of tucker carlson going on and on and on about he somehow was involved with the fbi and orchestrated january 6th, and there is absolutely zero evidence that that is true. and this poor soft of a guy has basically lost his business, lost his home, headed to another state, been threatened repeatedly, so he's got a story to tell. fox -- added to their troubles. they are already looking at the 2.7 billion dollar lawsuit from smartmatic, and now they have this little additional trouble. >> so, david, the thing that is interesting to me is that it was not just fox and tucker carlson making these claims. you had individuals like ted cruz, marjorie taylor greene also making epps a target. >> yeah. >> this guy is a die hard trump supporter, whose life has been destroyed by the very right-wing conspiracy theories

that he was out promoting. shouldn't this be like a cautionary tale for republicans and loyal fox watchers that, guess what? yeah, they could come for you to? >> you are exactly, right michael. a cautionary tale for different reasons -- politically, republicans are showing that they are not focused on the economy and health care and transportation and letters of opportunity, like joe biden are, and so they are out of step with the american people. but for fox news, politically, for their financial stability, i think what dominion ushered in, in this question of actual malice, and we saw the 800 million dollar settlement, has really ripped open, if you will, the opportunity for others to go at fox news -- so, rays epps is following a similar trajectory to sitting as -- look, as cynthia, he doesn't have to be actual malice in the case of rays epps -- but i will -- hear on saturday night, michael steele -- this -- i think, hunter biden -- fox news financially. i think what dominion showed us,

the discovery involved in dominion, is that actual malice has occurred within the editorial decisions of fox news. dominion got an 800 million dollar settlement. smartmatic months once. there's rays epps once there's. who have a talk with more than anybody else? i guarantee you discovery of fox news editorial notes and conversations -- against hunter biden, the most judicious irony of all this would-be of hunter biden, joe biden's son, is the one that cripples fox news financially. >> put a pin in that one, folks, where the hunted becomes the hunter. [laughter] -- i love saturday night. donna edwards, you would think fox would be, i think, a little bit more careful after -- sue them for defamation. but the next day -- the next day the network had on republican congressman troy nehls who had just insisted that the fbi should arrest epps

during a -- fox has to know what his it is doing here, right? >> -- they better get out a really big checkbook. because they're going to pay heavily. rays epps was a private citizen we. heard fbi director christopher wray on capitol hill this week talking about this conspiracy, and dismissing it as though the fbi has planted people out in the crowd to try to rile them up. he -- completely ridiculous. it was embarrassing that as the chief law enforcement, christopher wray was being asked these questions in the first place. but with respect to rays epps, this was a guy who was a true believer. he was a die hard believer. and he has been dragged through the mud. and fox is going to have to pay. >> donna edwards, i want to stick with you for a moment, because i want to circle back to the conversation we had in the last segment, and reporting that jared kushner and alyssa farah --

gotcha moment, this law for trump. is there any reason that you would think these people, given their connection and relations, would turn on donald trump, would offer up incriminating, detrimental evidence to the prosecutors against trump. i don't know where people think that somehow they are going to get the smoking gun for many of these individuals. >> no, i don't think so. and i will tell you, i think that between the january 6th transcript, and now the testimony before jammed grand juries, that jack smith has a lot to work with. he's got them on the record in a couple of instances. if it turns out that this goes to trial, he might have them on the record again. and there is every likelihood that if there is some slip up, that they could be in real trouble. so, i think that right now there is no smoking gun. it is about putting the pieces together to develop the case.

and i think that is what -- he's doing, is doing it very methodically, covering all of his bases, and making sure that there won't be any surprise down the line. >> so, cynthia, fox head settle lawsuits related to lies about dnc staffer seth rich and dominion. the network has also been forced to pay five producer abby grossberg -- being coerced into providing false testimony related to dominion. do you expect this latest lawsuit to end the same way for fox? >> i would expect that it's a settlement, and i'm sure that donna edwards is right, that -- does seem to be the way it is going and it's not just fox. tucker carlson is being sued individually. so, we will see if that does not inspire him to be a little bit more on. as i would doubt. it my mother always that people don't change after they are four and i would guess tucker carlson -- >> just a little bit older than

four, i think. , david -- >> or not -- >> tucker carlson hosted a presidential forum in iowa with a roster that included six prominent presidential candidates. during the forum, former vice president mike pence said, quote, i have never used the word insurrection. over the last three years i have never used that. it was a riot that took place that day. that is the same mike pence whose life was in grave danger on january 6th. how alarming is it that carlson is still able to get these folks to come out and say the craziest things when it comes to january 6th? and of all the people who should know better, it is mike pence. what is going on with his going along with carlson on all of that? >> yeah, look, i think it demonstrates that tucker carlson's ideology and his command of the party is very real, more real than mike pence. i think the two takeaways from iowa's faith and family

conference is this growing narrative, number one about ron desantis. is he the governor that hates gay people? that is just a question that -- space, that is his identity. secondly, this experience of mike pence was interesting on two fronts. by suggesting first that, as the senate president he didn't have a choice, and he needed to certify, and secondly by suggesting that it is right to defend ukraine and fight back against the encroachment of vladimir putin, mike pence on those two issues was run out of iowa. he was run out of town. and i think, for you and i, michael in particular, that is a time stamp of today's republican party. tucker carlson is the vessel and the message for. but what we saw in substance was a republican party that looks nothing like it does -- >> cynthia alksne, former congressman david jolly, and former congresswoman donna edwards, thank you all so much for joining us tonight. up next, i will be joined by congressman hank johnson of the house judiciary committee to

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♪ wayfair, you've got just what i need ♪ >> this week, fbi director christopher wray, who is appointed by donald trump, i will remind you, testified before the house judiciary committee, and explaining the insanity that unfolded -- well, it just doesn't do it justice. so, i guess i will just show it to you. >> when the court says the fbi misled, that is a nice way of saying they lied. >> how many individuals were either fbi employees, or people that the fbi had made contact with, or in the january 6th entry of the capitol? the -- make the assumption that there was more than, one more than five, more than ten. >> i will say, this notion that

somehow the violence at the capitol on january 6th was part of some operation orchestrated by fbi sources and agents whose ludicrous. >> your job is to review what they do! your job is to protect the american people from the tyrannical fbi, storming the home of an american family! >> i could not disagree more with your description of the fbi as tyrannical. >> you preside over the fbi that has the lowest level of trust in the fbi's history! people trust the fbi more when j edgar hoover was running the place that when you are. >> respectfully, congressman, in your home state of florida, the number of people applying to come work for us and about their lives working for us is up over 100%. >> the american people fully understand that there is a two tiered justice system that has been weaponized to persecute people based on their political beliefs, and that you have personally worked to weaponize the fbi against conservatives. >> i would disagree with your characterization of the fbi, and certainly your description

of my own approach. the idea that i am biased against conservatives seems somewhat insane to me, given my own personal background. >> that was just a small taste of the cuckoo for cocoa puffs crazy that dominated that hearing. i think congressman eric swalwell summed it up best. >> this hearing has turned into absolute chaos. i yield back. >> joining me now is democratic congressman hank johnson of georgia. he is a member of the house judiciary committee. congressman how did you and your democratic colleagues approach this hearing with christopher wray, knowing you would have to contend with so much crazy, the accusations, the unsubstantiated allegations? and i wonder if john durham's time before your committee last month provided you with some kind of a blueprint of how to approach this.

>> thanks for having me, michael steele. and we have known all along with the playbook is going to be for republicans during the 118th session of congress. it is not to work on behalf of making life better for the american citizens. but instead, it is to tear down our governments, tear down our agencies. it's to mock up the fbi and the department of justice in the eyes of the american people, trying to taint the jury pool because they knew that donald trump would have to face justice -- and so, they want to take that jury pool. they want to stoke fear and intimidation in the hearts and minds of fbi employees, witnesses against donald trump, and anybody else, like rays epps. they don't want -- people don't want to have that kind of treatment. and so, they are trying to intimidate people, so that they

can save donald trump, get him reelected, and then go about the further destruction of our democracy, which makes no sense to me. but that is what they are doing. >> congressman, over and over in this hearing, we heard republicans musing about defunding different law enforcement agencies across the government. they talk about this all the time now on the campaign trail now as well. how seriously are democrats taking this rhetoric as we are looking at appropriations and other things that are coming before the congress? >> oh, it is dead serious, michael. they want to do everything they can to disembowel the department of justice and particularly the fbi. they want to neuter it. they want to de-fang it. they want to remove its ability to hold people accountable to the civil criminal justice

system. and it is mind-boggling what they are trying to do to our democracy. this is our democracy. this is our government -- government employees are our neighbors. they are our friends. they are people of goodwill. but they are demonizing those people. and they are trying to, actually destroy our democracy with -- we've got so many things that we need to be looking at right now. there is rising antisemitism, gun violence out of control. there's artificial intelligence on the horizon, really at our front door at this point. there's so many things we need to be doing to make life better for the american people and create a more secure environment for them and our children to come up in. but instead, these republicans are trying to protect donald trump and reelect a mad man. >> and so, at that point of elections -- and congressman, you know this

well, i know it has a former party official -- when americans go to the polls to vote, they expect the party that they put in power to serve their interests, to provide for them, to help them and deal with the big issues that they are concerned about. what did this hearing do for republican voters? and all voters, for that matter, in terms of providing for them? how much of this circus helped the american people at the end of the day? >> i will tell you, michael, i don't think that it persuaded a lot of americans one way or the other. i think most americans understand what the republicans who are in charge of the house are trying to do. they understand that nothing is being done to make life better for them. and the people who they are feeding this red meat to our further empowered to believe in this cause. but unfortunately for them i don't think it accounts for a

majority of the american people. and i don't think they've convinced many people to come their way on their efforts to destroy the government and to destroy democracy in the process. and i don't think they persuaded a lot of people to get on the donald trump bandwagon which clearly, they are on and driving, with reckless abandon. >> indeed, indeed. congressman hank johnson thank you very much for joining me tonight. still to come -- republican senator tommy tuberville is single-handedly harming the american military. and the gop? they won't stand up to him. ds, they fell in love with the irresistible scent. ♪ ♪ huh, huh, so did their dog roger. ♪ ♪ gain scent beads keep even the stinkiest stuff smelling fresh. years ago, we used to just fall asleep with a full face of makeup. don't regret, just reverse. no7's new future renew

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♪ tourists tourists that turn into scientists. tourists photographing thousands of miles of remote coral reefs. that can be analyzed by ai in real time. ♪ so researchers can identify which areas are at risk. >> this week, the house and help life underwater flourish. ♪ narrowly passed its defense budget bill. the legislation usually has broad bipartisan support. but house speaker kevin mccarthy kowtowed to montgomery's of his caucus, which added unnecessary

amendments on gender diversity and abortion. the amendment on abortion was inspired by the actions of republican senator tommy tuberville. since february, tommy tuberville has been using a hold to block the promotion of generals and admirals, over his opposition to the defense department policy of paying for service members travel cost for abortions. he promises to keep the hold going until the pentagon reverses its policy. and while a hold can prevent the senate from confirming nominees, it certainly can significantly slow down the process. and it has been effective. to date, tuberville has delayed more than 200 promotions. in a hearing this week, president biden's nominee for chairman of the joint chiefs of staff told the senate armed services committee that these holds will affect military readiness because less experienced military personnel are now being forced to temporarily take up leadership positions. and, as of this week, the marine corps is currently

without senate confirmed chief for the first time in more than 150 years. if tuberville's blockade continues, as many as 650 military positions maybe vacant by the end of this year. so, now, the white house is turning up the heat on all republicans over tuberville's antics. in a memo first obtained by nbc news white house communications adviser andrew bates wrote the blockade is, quote, exploiting service members as pawns, and risking brain drain from the depends defense department and that all republicans should be held accountable for not stopping tuberville's stunt. this week biden went after that the gop for in his words, making america less safe. >> i expect the republican party to stand up stand up and do something about it. it's in their power to do that. the idea that we don't have a chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the idea that we have

all these promotions that are in abeyance right now, we don't know what's going to happen. the idea that we are injecting into fundamental foreign policy decisions, would in fact, as a domestic social debate on social issues is bizarre. i don't ever recall that happening. >> joining me now to discuss this, marilyn strickland of washington state. a member of the house armed services committee and sits on the military personnel subcommittee. welcome, good to see you. let's start with the defense bill. the house narrowly passed a bill that would ban the secretary of defense from paying full or reimbursing service members for abortion related expenses and gender affirming care. what is your reaction to seeing these two attempts to strike down reproductive health care and health care writ large from within the military itself? >> it is another example of how

responsible the republican have become because they are afraid to step of the most extreme elements of the party. in our committee, we passed a bill 58 to 1. it had broad bipartisan support. with the national defense authorization act, that is typically a bipartisan effort. after the amendments were added on to it, these were things democrats could not vote for. taking away a woman's right to choose, trying to destroy diversity, equity and inclusion. saying that the military academy should not consider those things when promoting people at letting people get in. so i think people became so contaminated that democrats could not vote for it. >> the ndaa has historically been bipartisan, and i must pass bill. no one really second-guessed. that this time around, however, it is overloaded with controversial amendments, it's

literal. does it even have a chance in the senate at this point? >> the good news is that the senate will take a look at their version and decide what they think they want to pass and something will come back to the house. so the good views as the senate now has it in its hands and they are working on their version of the ndaa. we had a clean version coming out of our committee with bipartisan support. something we were able to come to agreement on and compromise. and then all these contaminants get added to this bill. it is irresponsible. it basically says two service members, we don't respect you. we don't respect your diverse background. by the way, if you are a woman, we don't think you have the right to make the personal decisions about your reproductive health care. >> i want to pivot to senator tuberville. andrew rollins said on monday, tomatoes blockade is irresponsible and dangerous.

he points to kareem montague who should now be being paid as a general, but is not because of the delight of the promotion. that is one of many examples. talk to us, and told a story about the impact this is having on service members directly. >> to your point earlier, over 250 promotions are on hold right now. it could be up to 640 by the end of the year. it is completely irresponsible. that comprises national security. it compromises global security and and create chaos. but if you come back to what is happening within the republican party today, it started when kevin mccarthy was trying to get confirmed to get the gavel. they allowed the extreme elements to take control of their party and they are not beholden to them. they do not have the courage to stand up to them. this is one example -- >> no, finish your point. >> moderate republicans, people who have common sense, people who by the way got elected in swing districts, it is time for

them to stand up and say this is about protecting the american people. it is about national security. it is about making sure that our military's the strongest. doing this to light because he once wore about a woman's right to travel across state lines to get access to abortion is just irresponsible. by the way, that right to travel across state lines is protected by the u.s. constitution. >> that pesky little constitutional thing. similar tomorrow has also said these blocks our, shall have minimal effect on service members ability to lead. but what does the similar fundamentally misunderstand? >> i don't think he is missing anything. this is very tactical. it is part of the extreme vision of members of the gop who want to have a national ban on abortion and want to insert their personal values on the greater good. again, this is going to fix

military readiness and recruiting and retention. so many different things. creating all this uncertainty in the military ranks is the opposite of national security. the opposite of keeping us safe. the opposite of saying you respect the people who fought for us every single day. >> congresswoman maryland strickland, thank you so much for your time. after the break, it is only the beginning of tommy tuberville terrible antics this week. you'll never guess what he said about white nationalists. well, yeah, you probably could. but that is next. but that is next by providing blankets for comfort and warmth and encouraging messages of hope to help support nearly three hundred thousand patients facing cancer nationwide. we call it “the subaru love promise.” and we're proud to be the largest automotive donor to the leukemia and lymphoma society. subaru. more than a car company.

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now open really late. >> can we talk for a moment. what's wrong with tommy tuberville. that is the kindest question i can ask after the republican senator down this week refusing to define what nationalists as racists. back it may, tuberville was asked about efforts to remove what nationalists from the u.s. military. at the time, he said they

should not be barred from serving. in fact, he said the group, quote, i called him americans. this weight hit was asked to clarify those insane comments. >> just to be clear. you agree that what nationalists should not be serving in the military, is that what you're saying? >> if people think that i what nationalist is a racist, i agree with that. >> a white nationalist is someone who believes that the white race is superior to other races. >> that is some people's opinion. i don't think -- >> that's not opinion. >> pardon? >> what's your opinion? >> my opinion, what nationalist is an american. it is an american. >> i'm so glad he clarified himself. after instant outright, tumbled look that ball back, finally conceding that white nationalists are, but definition, racist. he couldn't just leave it there. he had to defend himself, claiming that his time as a

football coach somehow, somehow made him not racist. >> i'm totally against any racism. i'm told that what nationalism they consider racism. i'm totally against that. if it racism, i'm totally against the. i'm against racism. 110%. i'm a football coach, come on, i've dealt with more minorities in football teams, i've dealt with that all my life. i think i did a pretty good job. >> you've dealt with minorities. him. that's one state away from saying i'm not racist, i have black friends. here is chuck schumer cooling untouchable to apologize. >> for these another from alabama to obscure the racist nature of what nationalism is very dangerous. his words have power and can be

-- the fringe of his constituency. i urge my republican colleagues to impress upon the senator from alabama the destructive impact of the words and urge him to apologize. >> sadly travails senate colleagues won't step in and stop him. mitch mcconnell refused to mention tuberville when asked about his comments, simply giving a generic response condemning white supremacy. and republican whip johnson said he is not sure exactly what topical was trying to say. let me be clear, senator. i know what tuberville was trying to say. we all do. and you do yourself a lot of favors if you admit you did to and put an end to his insane nonsense. stick around, the second hour of ayman begins right after this. t afte this hen we metamorphosize into our new

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