MSNBC Highlights — May 22

MSNBC Highlights — May 22

BUT IF YOU THINK ACCEPTING THAT
FLATLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL
MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PERSONAL GIFT FROM THE
QATARIS WAS AUDACIOUS, WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR ABOUT
TRUMP’S DINNER PLANS FOR
TONIGHT. RIGHT NOW, AS I’M SPEAKING TO YOU AT THIS
HOUR, WITH PROTESTERS OUTSIDE, THE MOST BRAZEN ACT OF CORRUPTION BY A
PRESIDENT IN OUR LIFETIMES, PROBABLY IN A CENTURY, POSSIBLY EVER, IS GOING DOWN IN NORTHERN
VIRGINIA RIGHT NOW. THEY’RE NOT REALLY HIDING IT SO
MUCH. YOU CAN CALL IT THE UH THE THE
MET GALA OF PRESIDENTIAL PAY FOR
PLAY. NOW OF COURSE WE ARE USED TO
HEARING ABOUT FANCY GALA DINNERS WHERE POLITICIANS
RUB ELBOWS WITH THEIR TOP
CAMPAIGN DONORS WHO ARE DONATING, OFTEN SPECIFICALLY SO THEY CAN BE NEAR
THOSE POLITICIANS. AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT’S BECOME
PART AND PARCEL OF OUR POLITICAL
SYSTEM, AND I THINK PEOPLE VIEW IT WITH A JAUNDICED EYE, UNDERSTANDABLY. THIS IS NOT THAT, REALLY CAN’T STRESS THAT ENOUGH. THIS IS JUST TOTALLY AT ANOTHER
LEVEL, ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STRATOSPHERE OF CORRUPTION. A QUOTE UNFORGETTABLE GALA DINNER WITH
THE PRESIDENT AT HIS 800 ACRE TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF RESORT
IN POTOMAC POTOMAC FALLS, VIRGINIA FOR A VERY EXCLUSIVE GROUP. 220 WINNERS OF A CONTEST TO MEET
PRESIDENT TRUMP, THE TOP HOLDERS OF HIS CRYPTO
COIN. I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT OTHER
THAN I LAUNCHED IT. I HEARD IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. NBC NEWS HAS LEARNED EACH DINNER
GUEST PAID BETWEEN $55,000 AND $37.7 MILLION FOR
THE TRUMP COIN. NOW REMEMBER, THE DAY BEFORE BECOMING
PRESIDENT, TRUMP, UH, THE DAY BEFORE INAUGURATION
LAUNCHED THIS MEME COIN, RIGHT? IT’S THE TRUMP COIN. AND THEN THIS WHOLE DINNER THING
WAS ANNOUNCED FIRST BACK IN APRIL. IT WAS AT WWW.GETTRUMPEMES.COM. THE PRESIDENT’S MEME COIN SOUGHT
INVESTORS WHO WOULD POUR UNTRACEABLE CASH INTO HIS CRYPTO
WALLET. AND THE TOP 220 GOT AN INVITE TO
TONIGHT’S DINNER. BLACK TIE OPTIONAL. FOR THE TOP 25 TRUMP MEME COIN
HOLDERS, THERE WAS AN EXCLUSIVE RECEPTION
WITH THE PRESIDENT BEFORE
DINNER. ALL TOLD, IN ORDER TO GET IN TONIGHT’S
GALA, THE WINNING GUESTS FORKED OUT A
TOTAL OF NEARLY $400 MILLION
ACCORDING TO NBC NEWS. THIS WAS ESSENTIALLY AN OPEN
ADVERTISED COMPETITION. TO SEE WHO WOULD PAY THE BIGGEST LITERAL TRIBUTE. TO DONALD TRUMP’S CRYPTO COIN. AND BECAUSE OF THE WAY THIS MEME
COIN WORKS, WHICH IS ISSUED BY TRUMP AND HIS
PURCHASE ALWAYS SENDS MONEY TO THE COMPANY THAT HE’S PART
OF. THIS IS REALLY NOT FUNCTIONALLY
DIFFERENT THAN IF THOSE GUESTS SHOWED UP
WITH SATCHELS OF CASH OR
BRIEFCASES WITH STACKS OF BILLS AND THEN JUST
DUMPED ALL THAT INTO A BIG
BUCKET PHYSICALLY HELD BY THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES. WELL, THE WEBSITE FOR THE CONTEST SAYS
THAT THE PRESIDENT IS APPEARING
AT THE DINNER AS A GUEST AND NOT
SOLICITING ANY FUNDS FOR IT, ANOTHER SITE SAYS THAT 80% OF
THE TRUMP COIN PROJECT IS OWNED BY TWO COMPANIES
AFFILIATED OR IN BUSINESS WITH
TRUMP. AGAIN, AS TRUMP SAID, I LAUNCHED THE COIN, RIGHT? THESE ARE TRUMP BUSINESSES. AGAIN, NOW, IF THESE WERE CAMPAIGN
DONATIONS. THE LEVEL OF THE DONATIONS AND
THE PEOPLE DONATING WOULD MAKE
THIS JUST AN ABSOLUTE FACIAL
VIOLATION OF EVERY CAMPAIGN
FINANCE LAW EVER, BUT AGAIN, IT’S EVEN WORSE THAN THAT. THIS IS NOT GOING TOWARDS DONALD
TRUMP’S POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS OR
YOU KNOW, HIS SUPER PAC. NO, NO, NO, THIS IS JUST. MONEY IN THE PRESIDENT’S
BUSINESS EMPIRE? AND WHEN ASKED, THE WHITE HOUSE KEEPS SAYING
THAT DONALD TRUMP, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES, IS NOT ATTENDING THIS DINNER WHERE HE, THAT HE’S ATTENDING THIS DINNER
WHERE HE WILL MAKE MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS, NOT AS PRESIDENT, BUT IN HIS PERSONAL CAPACITY. ON THE PRESIDENT’S DINNER
TONIGHT, WILL THE WHITE HOUSE COMMIT TO
MAKING A LIST OF THE ATTENDEES
PUBLIC SO PEOPLE CAN SEE WHO’S PAYING FOR
THAT KIND OF ACCESS TO THE
PRESIDENT? WELL, AS YOU KNOW, GARETH, THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN RAISED
WITH THE PRESIDENT. I HAVE ALSO ADDRESSED THE DINNER
TONIGHT. THE PRESIDENT IS ATTENDING IT IN HIS PERSONAL
TIME. IT IS NOT A WHITE HOUSE DINNER. IT’S NOT TAKING PLACE HERE AT
THE WHITE HOUSE. SO THAT’S A NO I THINK ON THE
LIST OF ATTENDEES. YOU DON’T REALLY HAVE TO
UNDERSTAND CRYPTO TO SEE HOW THIS WORKS. YOU JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE LIKE JUSTIN SON, OK? HERE’S JUST ONE EXAMPLE. JUSTIN SUN IS A CHINESE BORN
CRYPTO BILLIONAIRE WHOSE COMPANY HAS BEEN A POPULAR
WAY TO MOVE MONEY FOR CRYPTO’S
CRIMINAL UNDERBELLY. AND FOR YEARS, JUSTIN’S SON WOULDN’T EVEN SET
FOOT IN THE US FOR FEAR OF
ARREST, ACCORDING TO REPORTING FROM THE
WALL STREET JOURNAL. ALSO, HE WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE TREASURY, AS WELL AS A LAWSUIT THAT WAS FILED BY THE
SEC. BUT GUESS WHERE SUN IS TONIGHT. YEAH. REALLY NICE TO BE HERE TODAY
WITH LIKE EVERYBODY IN THE
CRYPTO TO WITNESS THIS UH GREAT MOMENT OF CRYPTO, AND THE PRESIDENT WILL BE UM ON THE STAGE LATER. SO SEE YOU. SEE YOU JUSTIN. HE’S THERE TONIGHT. IN FACT, IN ADDITION TO BEING THE TOP
TRUMP COIN INVESTOR, SUN ALSO WENT IN WITH THE TRUMP
FAMILY ON A SEPARATE INVESTMENT
LAST YEAR, AND ALL TOLD, HE HAS SUNK AT LEAST $93 MILLION INTO TRUMP CRYPTO
VENTURES, ACCORDING TO CNBC. AND WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS IS
REALLY GOING TO COME AS A SHOCK, IN FEBRUARY, RIGHT AFTER TRUMP TOOK OFFICE. WOULDN’T YOU KNOW THE SEC ASKED A COURT TO PAUSE ITS
LAWSUIT AGAINST SUN. SO IT HAD FILED A LAWSUIT IN THE
PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION AND THEN SUN WENT INTO BUSINESS IN CRYPTO
WITH TRUMP, AND THEN TRUMP GOT ELECTED AND
THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER, THE SEC IS LIKE, WE WANT TO PAUSE THIS LAWSUIT. NOW, INSTEAD OF QUIETLY COUNTING HIS
BLESSINGS FOR APPEARING TO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY WRIGGLED OUT WHAT
COULD HAVE BEEN SOME LEGAL
TROUBLE, SUN TWEETED THAT HE WAS TRUMP’S
TOP MEME COIN DONOR. WHAT’S THE EMOJI FOR A VICTORY
LAUGH? NOW WE ONLY KNOW SO IS AT
TONIGHT’S GALA BECAUSE HE
BRAGGED ABOUT IT. IN FACT, THE IDENTITIES OF MOST OF THE
OTHER CONTEST WINNERS ARE
LARGELY PRIVATE. THEY USE PSEUDONYMS TO PURCHASE
THEIR TRUMP MEME COINS, BUT, AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, A MAJORITY OF THE ATTENDEES
APPEAR TO BE FOREIGN NATIONALS, ACCORDING TO MOLLY WHITE, AN INDEPENDENT CRYPTO RESEARCHER
WHO HAS WRITTEN ABOUT THE
CONTEST. AGAIN, FOREIGNERS CANNOT LEGALLY DONATE
TO AN ACTUAL US CAMPAIGN. IN NORMAL TIMES, THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE IS IN
CHARGE OF STOPPING AND SANCTIONING FOREIGNERS WHO
DONATE TO AMERICAN POLITICAL
CAMPAIGNS, BUT AS SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO
RUBIO MADE CLEAR THIS WEEK, WE’RE NOT IN NORMAL TIMES. DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF THOSE FOREIGN INDIVIDUALS WHO
WILL BE MEETING WITH THE
PRESIDENT? I DON’T. I DON’T KNOW I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW
THERE WAS A DINNER. IT IS LIKELY GOING TO INVOLVE SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT FOREIGN
INTERESTS. YOU HAVE TO BE PRETTY WEALTHY IN
ORDER TO BE ABLE TO GET INSIDE
THIS DINNER. ISN’T THAT A RELEVANT QUESTION FOR THE SECRETARY OF
STATE WHICH FOREIGN INTERESTS ARE GOING TO BE SPEAKING TO THE
PRESIDENT? I MEAN, IT’S KIND OF NAIVE TO BELIEVE
THAT THEY AREN’T GOING TO BE IN THAT ROOM TALKING ABOUT
NATIONAL SECURITY MATTERS. WELL, I DON’T THINK THAT THAT’S THE
CASE AT ALL BECAUSE I WOULD BE
AWARE IF IT WAS THE CASE. OH, WELL, THAT’S A PRETTY GOOD
TAUTOLOGICAL REASONING. THEY WON’T BE BECAUSE I WOULD BE
AWARE OF IT IF THAT WERE THE
CASE, AND I’M NOT AWARE OF IT, THEREFORE THEY WON’T BE. JUST THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES, BEING A GUEST AT A DINNER WHERE
A BIDDING WAR HELPED DECIDE WHO
GETS INVITED BASED ON HOW MUCH UNTRACEABLE
CASH THEY FORKED OVER TO DONALD
TRUMP’S MEME COIN, A CRYPTO SCHEME THAT ACCORDING
TO ESTIMATES, HAS ENABLED HIM TO MAKE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
OFF OF BEING PRESIDENT IN JUST A
FEW MONTHS. FOR DONALD TRUMP REGAINING THE
PRESIDENCY WAS ALWAYS
FUNDAMENTALLY, I THINK ABOUT TWO THINGS. ONE, MOST CRUCIALLY, AVOIDING JAIL FOR HIS, THE MANY CRIMES THAT HE WAS
INDICTED FOR. AND MAKING AS MUCH MONEY AS HE CAN. AND WE’VE KNOWN THAT FOR A LONG
TIME, BUT THE AUDACITY AND THE SCALE
OF HIS PROFITEERING, PROFITEERING CAN STILL BE
MANAGED TO BE SHOCKING. LIVE LOOK AT THE HOUSE FLOOR
WHERE LAWMAKERS JUST PASSED THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S
MASSIVE TAX AND SPENDING
PACKAGE. AT LEAST 2 REPUBLICANS THOUGH
DID VOTE AGAINST THE BILL, BUT IT MADE IT THROUGH. LET’S GO STRAIGHT TO ALI VITALE. ALI, WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US HERE? YES, WILLIE, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS
WHERE THE HOUSE FLOOR WORKED AS
WE PREDICTED IT TO. WE WERE WATCHING TO SEE IF ANY
MORE REPUBLICANS WOULD DEFECT
AND THUS TANK THE SPEAKER’S WORK HERE. IN THE END, THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED. WE SAW TWO REPUBLICANS SIDE WITH
DEMOCRATS, THE ONES THAT WE ANTICIPATED AT
THE TOP OF MORNING JOE. THAT WAS, OF COURSE, THOMAS MATT. OF KENTUCKY, WHO HAD BEEN CLEAR THAT HE WAS A
NO HERE AND THEN WARREN DAVIDSON OF OHIO
WHO IN JUST THE LAST FEW MINUTES BEFORE GOING TO THE
FLOOR SAID THAT HIS DEFICIT CONCERNS OUTWEIGHED HIS
ABILITY TO VOTE YES ON THIS. THOSE WERE THE TWO NO VOTES. THEN NOTABLY ANDY HARRIS VOTED
PRESENT. HE IS THE TOP REPUBLICAN OF THE
CONSERVATIVE HOUSE FREEDOM
CAUCUS, SO NOTABLE THERE, BUT ULTIMATELY NOT ENOUGH TO
STOP THE PASSAGE OF THIS BILL, WHICH MEANS NOW REPUBLICANS. HAVE CLEARED A KEY HURDLE. MIKE JOHNSON LIKELY TO TAKE A
VICTORY LAP AS WE WATCH THE
HOUSE FLOOR. HE’S RIGHT AT THE CENTER OF THAT
CLUSTER OF LAWMAKERS THAT YOU SEE IN THE CORNER OF THE SCREEN
ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. A LOT OF PEOPLE GIVING HIM KUDOS
AND CONGRATULATIONS BECAUSE THIS WAS A HARD FOUGHT AND LONG
NEGOTIATED BATTLE, ONE THAT HAD MANY LATE NIGHTS, A LOT OF LAWMAKERS KEEPING OUR
KIND OF MOURNING HOURS, MUCH TO THEIR CHAGRIN, BUT ULTIMATELY IT WAS JOHNSON
WITH THE HELP OF PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP, WHO WAS ABLE TO GET THIS OVER
THE FINISH LINE, GIVING REPUBLICANS A WIN AND ALLOWING THIS PACKAGE
TO MOVE FORWARD, BUT THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WILLIE, AND THIS BILL IS GOING TO SEE A
LOT OF IT ONCE IT GETS TO THE
SENATE. AFTER THE SENATE DOES ITS WORK
WITH IT, IT COMES BACK TO THE HOUSE. SO A KEY STEP, BUT BY NO MEANS IS THIS THE END
AND BY NO MEANS IS THIS A FULL ON WIN YET FOR
REPUBLICANS ON THIS PACKAGE, BUT A BADLY NEEDED BATTLE WON
HERE FOR THE SPEAKER. ALI, AS YOU KNOW, MANY CONSERVATIVES, REPUBLICANS WERE VOCAL IN THEIR
CRITICISM OF THIS MASSIVE
PACKAGE. THEY SAID IT WAS TOO BIG, IT HAD TOO MUCH IN IT, RAISED THE DEFICIT TOO HIGH. SOMEONE LIKE CONGRESSMAN CHIP
ROY OF TEXAS STANDING ON CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES SAYING
WE CANNOT VOTE FOR THIS. HOW DID SOMEONE LIKE CONGRESSMAN
ROY GET TO A YES VOTE? CONGRESSMAN ROY, CONGRESSMAN NORMAN, OTHER KEY MEMBERS WHO ARE PART
OF THAT MORE FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE CONFERENCE
SAYING THAT THEY HAD DEFICIT. BUT ULTIMATELY HERE THOSE WERE ASSUAGED AND WE CAN
ARGUE WITH WHETHER OR NOT IT’S ACTUALLY FIXING THE
PROBLEMS THAT THEY PURPORT TO CARE ABOUT BECAUSE ESTIMATES
STILL SHOW THAT THIS IS GOING TO ADD CLOSE TO $4 TRILLION TO
THE DEBT. BUT WHAT ASSUAGED THEM IN THE
END WAS BASICALLY PUTTING IN PLAY EARLIER OFFSETS AROUND
MEDICAID AND FOOD ASSISTANCE
PROGRAMS, FOR EXAMPLE, SAYING THAT THE WORK
REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER MONEY SAVING MECHANISMS THAT
REPUBLICANS SAY ROOT OUT WASTE. AND ABUSE IN THOSE PROGRAMS BY
PUTTING THOSE IN PLAY EARLIER THAT ALLOWED FOR GREATER SAVINGS
OR AT LEAST NOT ADDITIONS TO THE DEFICIT AND
THAT’S HOW THEY ULTIMATELY GOT FISCAL HARDLINERS ON BOARD
BUT ALSO POLITICS PLAYS A KEY
ROLE IN THIS, RIGHT? THEY HAVE BEEN LOATHE THE
REPUBLICANS TO GO AGAINST
PRESIDENT TRUMP. TRUMP HAS BEEN CLEAR THAT ANYONE
WHO DOESN’T VOTE WITH HIM ON THESE AGENDAS SHOULD BE
PRIMARIED OR VOTED OUT OF
OFFICE. WE’VE SEEN, OF COURSE, A FEW, AND BY THAT I MEAN. UNCONSISTENTLY, THOMAS MASSIE OF KENTUCKY HOLDS STRONG AGAINST THOSE KINDS
OF BROADSIDES FROM THE
PRESIDENT, BUT LARGELY TRUMP HAS SHOWN THAT
HE’S NOT JUST THE KINGMAKER IN
THE PARTY, BUT HE IS SOMEONE WHO CAN
ULTIMATELY MOVE VOTES, EVEN THOSE FROM RELUCTANT
REPUBLICANS TO HIS CAUSE. WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, REPUBLICANS HAVE NOW VOTED FOR
THIS PACKAGE. IT’S GOING TO GO THROUGH
CHANGES, BUT REGARDLESS, THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEFEND
WHAT’S IN THIS EARLY ITERATION
OF THE BILL, WHETHER THEY’RE MODERATE OR
CONSERVATIVE. SO ALI, THIS IS A VICTORY IN THE MOMENT, AS YOU SAY, BUT THEN THERE’S THE SENATE TO
CONTEND WITH. REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE HAVE
SAID NO WAY. IF YOU WANT TO BREAK THIS UP
INTO THREE PIECES, COME BACK AND TALK TO US, BUT TOO BIG, TOO MUCH. WHAT HAPPENS FROM HERE NOW? WELL, RIGHT NOW THEY ARE PROCEEDING
WITH THIS ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL
TRACK. THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT THIS
THING DOESN’T GET BROKEN APART
AT THIS POINT. THAT WOULD BE A SURPRISING
CHANGE IN STRATEGY, BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME SENATE
REPUBLICANS WHO WHISPER ABOUT THE. THE PROSPECT OF THIS ONE BILL
BEING TOO BIG AND ULTIMATELY FULL OF TOO MANY
THORNY ISSUES TO ACTUALLY GET IT
PASSED. SOME OF THE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES
THOUGH THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR ON THE SENATE
SIDE OF THE EQUATION WILL LIKELY COME TO THE HEALTH
CARE CHANGES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER ON WHEN WE
STARTED THIS PROGRAM, THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE MORE
WORK ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS, CHANGES, FOR EXAMPLE, TO THE WAY THAT SNAP’S COST
SHARING IS GOING TO BE DONE BETWEEN FEDERAL AND
STATE FUNDING SPACES. THAT WOULD BE A MAJOR OVERHAUL
TO THE FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
AND JUST THE FOUNDATIONAL WAY THAT IT
FUNCTIONS AND THAT PEOPLE ARE
ABLE TO ACCESS IT. THAT COULD BE ANOTHER CHANGE
THAT WE SEE SENATE REPUBLICANS TAKE ISSUE WITH AND ULTIMATELY
MAKE THEIR OWN TWEAKS TO. THERE’S A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT
WAYS THAT THIS COULD GO. I THINK THE OTHER PIECE OF THIS, AND WE’LL TUNE IN MORE WHEN IT
GETS TO THE SENATE, IS THERE WERE EARLY
DISAGREEMENTS ON THE IMMIGRATION FUNDING
FRONT. WE TALKED ABOUT HOW THIS HOUSE
BILL PUTS ABOUT $90 MILLION IN. TO FURTHER IMMIGRATION
ENFORCEMENT AT DHS AND DOJ, BUT SENATE REPUBLICANS WANTED
MORE MONEY FOR THAT, AND IT COULD BE THAT IF THIS
BILL STARTS HITTING TOO MANY
STUMBLING BUCKS, WE START SEEING IT GET PIECED
APART. MAYBE THEY DO IMMIGRATION AND
CONTINUING THE TAX CUTS FROM
2017 INTO ITS OWN BILL. THERE’S A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT
ITERATIONS OF THIS, BUT THE REASON THAT HOUSE
REPUBLICANS AND THE PRESIDENT
ULTIMATELY PUSHED FOR THIS ONE BILL AT ONCE
IS THAT IT REQUIRES A LOT OF
POLITICAL CAPITAL. AND RIGHT NOW THE MOMENTUM IS ON
REPUBLICANS SIDE. WE’LL SEE WHAT KIND OF STUMBLING
BLOCKS THEY ULTIMATELY HIT
THOUGH. JONATHAN, LET ME, I’M GOING TO QUOTE A FORMER
CONGRESSMAN NAMED JOE
SCARBOROUGH, R PENSACOLA, WHO SAID ON THIS SHOW YESTERDAY, QUOTE, IF YOU CLAIM TO BE A FISCAL
CONSERVATIVE, YOU CANNOT VOTE FOR THIS BILL. WELL, A BUNCH OF THEM JUST DID. HOW MUCH OF THAT IS THE PRESSURE
TOP DOWN FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHO TOOK THE RARE STEP OF
ACTUALLY VISITING THE CAPITOL TO RALLY THE TROOPS THE OTHER
DAY? WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THAT GUY, LAWMAKER, FORMER LAWMAKER, NOW IN OBSCURITY, UM, YEAH, THIS IS, UH, YOU’RE RIGHT, THIS WAS A, AS ALI RIGHTLY SAID, IT’S A WIN FOR SPEAKER JOHNSON, UH, BUT IT’S ALSO A WIN FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP. HE HAD BEEN SORT OF CONTENT TO
STAY ON THE SIDELINES FOR MOST
OF THIS PROCESS, JUST THE OCCASIONAL TRU SOCIAL
SAYING THAT THIS ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL NEEDED TO
BE PASSED, BUT THAT CHANGED THIS WEEK, WENT TO THE CAPITOL, REALLY PUSHED LAWMAKERS TO GET THIS. DO EVEN CONFRONTED A FEW OF THE
MODERATES LIKE MIKE LAWLER OF
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, SAYING, LOOK, THIS YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED THIS, YOU KNOW, THERE’S THIS IMPLICIT THREAT, OF COURSE, THAT SOME OF THESE CONGRESS
MEMBERS MIGHT HAVE BEEN
PRIMARIED FROM THE RIGHT, FROM THE MAGA WING OF THE PARTY
IF THEY DIDN’T GO ALONG. SO THE BILL HAS AN UNCERTAIN
FUTURE AND THE POLITICAL
RAMIFICATIONS UNCERTAIN, THE ECONOMIC RAMIFICATIONS, A LOT OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING STEVE RATNER, REALLY WORRIED ABOUT. BUT IN TERMS OF POLITICS IN THIS
MOMENT. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BASICALLY
SAID THIS IS THE ONE THING I
WANT TO GET DONE HERE IN THESE 1ST 2 YEARS
PRE-MIDTERMS WHEN HE OFFICIALLY
BECOMES A LAME DUCK, AN IMPORTANT HURDLE CLEARED HE
USED SOME OF HIS POLITICAL
CAPITAL TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. NOW TO SOME BREAKING NEWS. THE SUPREME COURT SPLIT 4 TO 4
OVER THAT CHALLENGE TO LAUNCHING THE NATION’S FIRST
RELIGIOUS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
IN OKLAHOMA. NBC SENIOR SUPREME COURT
REPORTER LAWRENCE HURLEY IS
FOLLOWING IT FOR US. YOU’VE REPORTED ON THIS STORY
FROM OKLAHOMA. WHAT’S THE BIG TAKEAWAY HERE? SO FIRST, IT’S IMPORTANT TO SEPARATE OUT
WHAT WHAT THE SITUATION IS IN OKLAHOMA AS OPPOSED TO THE
REST OF THE COUNTRY. SO THIS DECISION MEANS THESE
PUBLIC RELIGIOUS CHARTER SCHOOLS CANNOT
MOVE FORWARD IN OKLAHOMA. IT LEAVES IN PLACE AN OKLAHOMA
SUPREME COURT RULING THAT SAID THAT VIOLATES BOTH
STATE LAW AND THE US
CONSTITUTION, THE FIRST AMENDMENT, THAT THAT PROTECTS AGAINST THE
SEPARATION, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION. AND SO THAT’S THE SITUATION IN
OKLAHOMA. THERE’S OTHER WAYS THAT
RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS CAN OBVIOUSLY OPERATE THERE THE WAY THEY
NORMALLY DO. AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, A 4 TO 4 SPLIT ON THE SUPREME
COURT MEANS THERE’S NO REAL
DECISION. IT JUST LEAVES IN PLACE THAT
OKLAHOMA DECISION IN OKLAHOMA, SO THERE’S NO NATIONAL PRECEDENT
SET, WHICH MEANS THERE’S NO RULE APPLYING TO 49
OTHER STATES, SO THERE’S NO REASON WHY OTHER
STATES COULDN’T TRY TO DO THE
SAME THING. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THAT CASE, BECAUSE PRESUMABLY IT WILL BE
CHALLENGED, WOULD THEN COME BACK UP TO THE
SUPREME COURT AND THEN THE
QUESTION THEN IS, WOULD THEY APPROVE IT THIS TIME
AROUND? JUSTICE AMY CONEY BARRETT, WHO RECUSED IN THIS CASE, ONE OF THE CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY
MEMBERS, SHE WOULD PRESUMABLY BE ABLE TO
PARTICIPATE IN THAT CASE, AND THEN YOU’D HAVE THE 63
CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY THAT WE’VE
SEEN IN OTHER CASES. AND WE DON’T KNOW HOW THAT’S
GOING TO COME OUT. SHE OBVIOUSLY COMES FROM A
CONSERVATIVE BACKGROUND AND WAS
A PROFESSOR AT NOTRE DAME LAW SCHOOL AND IS
KNOWN FOR HER SUPPORTING
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, SO MOST OBSERVERS WOULD ASSUME
SHE MIGHT BE IN A MAJORITY THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR
SUCH SCHOOLS, BUT YOU KNOW WE CAN’T. FOR SURE UNTIL THAT CASE COMES
UP. SO AND THERE’S ALSO NO SIGN SO FAR
FROM THE PEOPLE I’VE TALKED TO THAT OTHER STATES ARE CLOSE TO
APPROVING A SCORE LIKE THIS. SO WE’RE STILL WAITING TO SEE WHETHER ANOTHER CASE WILL COME
UP AND HOW QUICKLY THAT COULD
HAPPEN. LAWRENCE HURLEY, THANK YOU. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION JUST
HALTED HARVARD UNIVERSITY’S ABILITY TO ENROLL
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. THIS IS BREAKING NEWS, MARKING A MAJOR ESCALATION IN
THE ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO
PRESSURE THE UNIVERSITY TO FALL IN LINE WITH THE
PRESIDENT’S AGENDA. JOINING US NOW, MSNBC’S ANTONIA HILTON, CO-HOST OF WEEKEND PRIME, AND MSNBC LEGAL CORRESPONDENT LISA RUBIN. ALL RIGHT, WHO I GO TO FIRST HERE. LISA, WHAT IS THE ANTONIO, WHAT IS, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THEY ASKING? IT’S JUST BREAKING. WHAT ARE THEY ASKING HARVARD TO
DO? IS IT THEY CAN’T ENROLL NEW
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OR THE ONES THAT ARE THERE HAVE TO GO
SOMEWHERE ELSE? SO SOME OF THIS, I MEAN, REMAINS TO BE SEEN. I’M TALKING TO PEOPLE AT HARVARD
RIGHT NOW AND THERE’S IMMENSE
CONFUSION AND FEAR OVER THIS BECAUSE THEY’RE
ACTUALLY STRUGGLING TO INTERPRET SOME PARTS OF THIS, AT LEAST THE STUDENTS ARE. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY HAVE BASICALLY LOST THEIR ABILITY TO
ENROLL INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND SO THAT’S GOING TO IMPACT
FUTURE STUDENTS, BUT WE’RE ALSO HEARING THAT NO, CHRISTINE NOME, THE SECRETARY OF DHS, ANNOUNCED THAT CURRENT
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS THERE MUST TRANSFER OR LOSE THEIR
STATUS, TRANSFER TO ANOTHER AMERICAN, ANOTHER UNIVERSITY THAT WOULD BE IN GOOD STANDING
WITH THIS PROGRAM. SO WHAT THAT MEANS A COUPLE
WEEKS OUT FROM GRADUATION DAY. IS THAT IF THOSE STUDENTS DON’T
TRANSFER, THEY MIGHT LOSE THEIR LEGAL
STATUS HERE IN THE US AND WE KNOW WHAT THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN DOING ON THEM HAVING TO DO THIS? WELL, IT SOUNDS, KATIE, FROM THE LETTER I’M LOOKING AT
SECRETARY NOAM’S LETTER TO
HARVARD. IT SAYS THE REVOCATION OF YOUR STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR
PROGRAM CERTIFICATION, AND THAT’S THE PROGRAM THROUGH VISA, RIGHT? IT’S THE PROGRAM THROUGH WHICH
UNIVERSITIES ARE CERTIFIED EVERY
2. YEARS TO HAVE FOREIGN STUDENTS
AND NON-CITIZENS ON THEIR
CAMPUSES, IT SAYS YOU ARE PROHIBITED FROM HAVING
ANY ALIENS ON CERTAIN
NON-IMMIGRANT STATUSES FOR THE 2025, 2026 ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR. BUT TO ANTONIO’S POINT, THE BEGINNING OF THE LETTER
STARTS, I’M WRITING TO INFORM YOU THAT
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY HARVARD UNIVERSITY STUDENT AND EXCHANGE
VISITOR PROGRAM CERTIFICATION IS
REVOKED. DID A LAWYER WRITE THIS? I CAN’T SAY WHETHER A LAWYER
WROTE THIS OR NOT. I WOULD TELL YOU THAT IN THE
NORMAL COURSE, I WOULD EXPECT THAT A LAWYER AT
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY WOULD HAVE AT LEAST PARTICIPATED
IN THE WRITING OF THIS LETTER, BUT THE LETTER, AS I READ IT HERE, NOT ONLY WOULD THIS BE CONFUSING
TO A STUDENT ON CAMPUS, THIS WOULD BE CONFUSING TO AN
ADMINISTRATOR, AND IT MAY BE THAT I JUST HAVE
TO SIT FOR A WHILE. YES, WELL, A FORMER LAWYER AT THAT, BUT YES, IT IS CONFUSING TO THIS FORMER
LITIGATOR AND CURRENT JOURNALIST READING IT
HERE WITH YOU. OK, SO THIS IS PART OF A BIGGER
ISSUE HERE THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS
HAVING WITH HARVARD. THEY WANTED HARVARD TO ADOPT SOME PRETTY STRICT
RULES ABOUT WHAT HARVARD CAN TEACH, HOW HARVARD. ADMITS PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE THEY ALLOW TO TEACH. THEY WANT PROGRAMS THEY
ADMINISTER, YEAH, EXACTLY. SO JUST GIVE US, GIVE ME THE BRIEF BACKGROUND ON
WHAT THEY WERE ASKING. YES, THIS IS AN ESCALATION OF A FIGHT
THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR QUITE
A WHILE NOW. HARVARD HAS LOST BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS IN FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR
ALL KINDS OF CRITICAL RESEARCH
FUNDING THAT’S ALREADY IMPACTING
THE UNIVERSITY. AND NOW, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I WANNA MAKE CLEAR TOO IN CASE
ANYONE’S WONDERING WELL WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ON
COLLEGE CAMPUSES? WELL, NOT ONLY DO THEY MAKE UP ABOUT
26, 27% OF THE STUDENT BODY LIFE
THERE AND AT MANY UNIVERSITIES
IN THE US, INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS PAY FULL
PRICE, SO THEY MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR
AMERICAN STUDENTS FROM
DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME
TO SCHOOLS LIKE HARVARD. SO WHAT’S ACTUALLY GOING TO
HAPPEN HERE IS A LOT OF THOSE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ARE
GONNA HAVE OPTIONS TO GO
ELSEWHERE. IT IS GOING TO BE
UNDERPRIVILEGED, MARGINALIZED AMERICA. OF ALL BACKGROUNDS WHO APPLY TO
SCHOOLS LIKE HARVARD AND THEN ARE UNABLE TO AFFORD
THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO THERE SO THAT’S THE IMPACT
HERE IT’S ACTUALLY US THAT WE’RE GOING TO
BE HURT IF THIS REALLY DOES END
UP FOLLOWING THROUGH, BUT THIS IS PART OF A BIGGER
EFFORT THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS
MADE TO TRY TO HAVE CONTROL OVER WHO
THIS UNIVERSITY HIRES AND FIRES
IN CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS TO TRY TO
TRACK ACTIVISTS AND PROTEST
MOVEMENTS ON CAMPUS. UH, THEY HAVE SAID THE PRESIDENT
HASN’T DONE ENOUGH TO TACKLE ANTI-SEMITISM ON
CAMPUS IF YOU’RE WONDERING. HARVARD’S PRESIDENT IS IS IS A
JEWISH MAN NAMED ALAN GARBER WHO
HAS BEEN A FEARFUL FIGHTER AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM ON
CAMPUS, HAS HELD ALL KINDS OF
CROSS-CULTURAL DIALOGUE, MADE CHANGES, POLICY CHANGES ON CAMPUS TO THE
POINT WHERE HE’S TAKEN FLACK FROM THE OTHER SIDE
AT MANY POINTS. SO FOR THE HARVARD COMMUNITY
THIS HAS ACTUALLY BEEN A REALLY UNITING THING FOR
PEOPLE OF ALL POLITICAL
BACKGROUNDS ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE
PROTESTS, CONVERSATIONS THAT HAVE HAPPENED
ON COLLEGE CAMPUS BECAUSE THEY
SEE THIS AS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT
NOT JUST TO THEIR SCHOOL. AND HARVARD SAID NO TO THIS. HARVARD SAID WE’RE NOT GOING TO
BACK DOWN. WE’RE NOT GONNA ACQUIESCE TO
YOUR DEMANDS. WE’RE NOT GONNA ALLOW YOU TO
COME IN AND TELL US WHAT WE CAN TEACH AND WHAT WE
CANNOT TEACH, WHO WE CAN ALLOW TEACH TO TEACH
AND WHO WE CANNOT ALLOW TO TEACH AND WHAT OUR WHAT OUR STUDENT
POPULATION LOOKS LIKE. SO THEY’VE TAKEN A STAND AND
SAID NO, THEY’RE SUING AND THIS IS JUST ANOTHER STEP, NOT, NOT THIS IS ACTUALLY MORE THAN
THAT BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO THE FUNDING FIGHT
THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THESE
CHANGES IN EXCHANGE FOR FEDERAL
FUNDING. THE ADMINISTRATION CAME TO
HARVARD AND SAID YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE US CERTAIN RECORDS ABOUT
YOUR NON-CITIZEN STUDENTS, INCLUDING ALL DISCIPLINARY
RECORDS PERTAINING TO NON-IMMIGRANT STUDENTS, MEANING PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE ON
STUDENT VISAS, AND HARVARD JUST IGNORED THAT
DEADLINE OR IT MAY HAVE SAID NO, WE’RE NOT GOING TO COMPLY WITH
THAT. BUT THAT’S COMPLYING WITH THEIR
DEPORTATION EFFORTS. BUT THAT IS WHAT GETS US TO THIS
PARTICULAR MOMENT AND IN FACT WHAT CHRISTINE NOE IS
SAYING IN THIS LETTER IS. YOU GIVE US VARIOUS CATEGORIES
OF THESE RECORDS WITHIN 72 HOURS OR WE’RE GOING TO
EXECUTE ON THIS. CAN I SUE ON THIS REVOCATION OF
THE ABILITY TO ENROLL
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS? IS THERE, IS THERE A WAY FOR THEM TO SUE? I WAS LOOKING INTO THAT RIGHT
BEFORE WE SAT WITH YOU. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE BASES ARE
FOR REVOKING THIS ENROLLMENT IN THIS
PARTICULAR CERTIFICATION
PROGRAM, AND CERTAINLY UNIVERSITIES GO
THROUGH IT EVERY 2 YEARS, BUT IS REVOCATION PERMISSIBLE JUST
BECAUSE YOU DON’T COMPLY WITH
PROVIDING THE KINDS OF RECORDS THAT MOST COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES WOULD CONSIDER
PRIVATE? PROBABLY NOT. DOES HARVARD HAVE A LEG TO STAND
ON HERE, AT LEAST IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC
OPINION? I WOULD THINK SO. YEAH, AGAIN, JUST BROKE, SO YOU GOT TO TAKE ANOTHER COUPLE OF MINUTES TO FIGURE OUT
EXACTLY HOW THE PROCESS IS GOING
TO WORK AND, AND, AND UH YEAH, ALL OF IT. LISA RUBIN, ANTONIA HILTON, LADIES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WHAT WE SAW LAST NIGHT THIS
MORNING, UH, DESPICABLE AND YOU KNOW I’M
REMINDED BY THE WAY OF A GREAT MINNESOTAN HUBERT
HUMPHREY, WHO ONCE SAID THAT THE MORAL
TEST OF GOVERNMENT, HOW IS HOW GOVERNMENT TREATS
THOSE IN THE DAWN OF LIFE, OUR CHILDREN, THOSE IN THE TWILIGHT OF LIFE
ARE SENIORS, AND THOSE IN THE SHADOWS OF
LIFE, THE SICK AND THE DISABLED. AND WHAT WE JUST SAW IS CLEARLY A REJECTION OF THAT
MORAL TEST OF GOVERNMENT BY THE
REPUBLICANS BECAUSE IS IT MORAL TO ACTUALLY TAKE FOOD AWAY FROM STARVING
CHILDREN? IS IT MORAL TO ACTUALLY KICK
SENIORS OUT OF NURSING HOMES? IS IT MORAL TO ACTUALLY TAKE HEALTH CARE AWAY FROM THE
DISABLED? I MEAN, THERE’S 14 MILLION. WHO ARE NOW GOING TO LOSE HEALTH
CARE IN THIS COUNTRY. THERE ARE 48 MILLION PEOPLE WHO NEED FOOD ASSISTANCE
WHO ARE GOING TO LOSE THEIR FOOD
ASSISTANCE, AND SIMONE KNOWS THIS ABOUT ME. I, MY MOM WAS 15 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE
HAD ME. SHE RAISED 4 KIDS ON HER OWN, BY THE TIME SHE WAS 20, SHE HAD 4 KIDS. SHE STRUGGLED MIGHTILY. AND WITHOUT MEDICAID IN MY LIFE
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY, I WENT TO HAD FOOD. I WOULDN’T HAD HEALTH CARE
WITHOUT SNAPP, I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD FOOD
BENEFITS. THE REALITY IS IS THESE PROGRAMS
ARE A LIFELINE FOR SO MANY AND IN A TIME WHEN
DONALD TRUMP LITERALLY HAS DESTROYED THE
ECONOMY AND MADE IT EVEN MORE HARD FOR PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY
LIVE THEIR LIVES, THIS. BILL WILL MAKE IT EVEN MORE
DIFFICULT FOR MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS. IT’S NOT ONLY IMMORAL, IT’S COMPLETELY GONNA DESTROY
COMMUNITIES, AND YOU KNOW WE’VE GOT TO STAND
UP AND FIGHT BACK HARD JUST LIKE
LEADER JEFFREY SAID, AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GONNA DO. $700 BILLION PROJECTED BY THE
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, CUTS TO MEDICAID, THOSE CUTS, UM, THAT WILL INCLUDE STRICTER WORK. REQUIREMENTS STRICTER IS
IMPORTANT BECAUSE WORK
REQUIREMENTS ARE ALREADY REQUIRED TO BE ON
MEDICAID, BUT THE DISCOURSE OF THE LAST
COUPLE OF DAYS WOULD HAVE YOU
BELIEVE IT DIDN’T FOR ABLE-BODIED ADULTS UNDER 65. THIS IS GOING TO BEGIN ON THE
LAST DAY OF 2026. OTHER CUTS, 290 BILLION FROM THE
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT’S SNAP, THAT’S THE FOOD AID PROGRAM YOU
WERE TALKING ABOUT. THE FACT THAT MANY OF THESE CUTS
WILL NOT YET TAKE PLACE UNTIL AFTER THE MIDTERMS, I DO THINK IS, IS, IS TELLING ON THEMSELVES, OK, THEY ARE TELLING ON THEMSELVES. THEY, THEY COULD HAVE INSTITUTED THESE
CUTS SOONER, BUT IT IS THE CUTS ARE NOT
COMING UNTIL THE END OF 2026, MOST OF THEM. THAT’S AFTER THE MIDTERM
ELECTIONS. WHAT ARE DEMOCRATS DOING NOW? ARE THERE ADS PREPARING TO BE
CUT? HOW ARE YOU ALL GOING TO MAKE YOUR CASE TO VOTERS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY THAT REPUBLICANS DID THESE
THINGS TO YOU EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE
WON’T FEEL IT JUST YET? WELL, THERE ARE CUTS NONETHELESS, RIGHT? AND THE REALITY IS WE NEED TO
REMIND PEOPLE WHAT’S HAPPENING. WE’VE ALREADY HELD OVER 120 TOWN
HALLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN
ALL 50 STATES. WHY? BECAUSE WHY DID SPEAKER JOHNSON
SHUT DOWN THOSE TOWN HALLS? HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
STORIES OF AVERAGE EVERYDAY WORKING
PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY WEREN’T BEING TOLD AND THAT YOU ALL WEREN’T PAYING
ATTENTION TO THEM. SO GUESS WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO? WE DECIDED TO DO THE JOBS OF THE
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS
FOR THEM, TAKING, MAKING SURE WE HAVE TOWN HALLS, MAKING SURE WE ACTUALLY LIFT UP
THE VOICES OF PEOPLE, DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, INDEPENDENTS, ANYONE IN THIS COUNTRY WHO’S
BEEN IMPACTED BY THIS DEVASTATING POLICIES FROM
THIS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, AND WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
DO THAT. THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, THROUGHOUT THE FALL, THROUGHOUT NEXT YEAR, THERE HAS TO BE ACCOUNTABILITY
TO THIS. AND WHILE PEOPLE AREN’T GOING TO
BE IMPACTED IMMEDIATELY, THEY ARE GOING TO BE IMPACTED, AND WE’RE GOING TO REMIND FOLKS
OF THAT BECAUSE THERE NEEDS TO
BE ACCOUNTABILITY. AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE DID THEY PUSH THIS BILL THROUGH
ALL TO GIVE THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAVE THE MOST IN OUR
SOCIETY EVEN MORE. THINK ABOUT THAT, SIMONE. THEY’RE THROWING CHILDREN OFF OF
ASSISTANCE. THEY’RE THROWING FAMILIES TO THE
CURB SO THAT THEY CAN GIVE
PEOPLE WHO ALREADY. HAVE SO MUCH EVEN MORE. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO BE TALKING
ABOUT. THIS IS MORE. THIS IS ABOUT MORALS. IT’S NOT ABOUT PARTY. IT’S NOT ABOUT DEMOCRATS OR
REPUBLICANS. IT’S ABOUT RIGHT OR WRONG. AND AT THIS POINT WE NEED TO
KEEP REMINDING THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, DEMOCRATS, YOU’VE HEARD ME SAY THIS BEFORE, AND IT’S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW. IN 2016 I HEARD SOMEONE SAY THAT
THE REPUBLICANS ARE SHAMELESS, BUT THE DEMOCRATS ARE SPINELESS. AND IF WE’RE NOT WILLING TO
FIGHT LIKE HELL RIGHT NOW, SIMONE. FOR THE THINGS THAT WE SAY WE
BELIEVE IN. THEN DO WE REALLY BELIEVE IN
THEM AT ALL? DO WE BELIEVE, DO WE BELIEVE IN THE THINGS WE
SAY AS DEMOCRATS, BECAUSE IF WE DO, AS LEADER JEFFREY SAID, WE HAVE TO STAND UP RIGHT NOW
AND FIGHT BACK WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE
AGAINST THIS IMMORAL
ADMINISTRATION. YOU HAVE, UM, ON, ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE IT’S NOT, IT’S NOT ALL ROSES, UH, YOU DO HAVE SOME REPUBLICANS WHO, WHETHER THEY’RE IN THE FREEDOM
CAUCUS OR IN THE SO-CALLED MODERATE WING OF THE PARTY SUCH
AS IT EXISTS, UM, SAYING NO TO THIS BILL, YOU HAD, UM, OHIO REPRESENTATIVE WARREN
DAVIDSON VOTING NO, UH, SAYING ON X, I CANNOT SUPPORT THIS BIG
DEFICIT PLAN. YOU HAD, UM. UM, HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS CHAIR FROM
MARYLAND, MY BACKYARD, AND ANDY HARRIS WHO’S BEEN VERY, VERY VOCAL ON THIS VOTE AT
PRESENT. UM, BUT THEN MY, MY FAVORITE WERE THE TWO, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO FELL
ASLEEP. UH, MISSED THE VOTE, WHO MISSED THE VOTE BECAUSE THEY
WERE ASLEEP. I WAS A PAGE IN THE CLOAKROOM
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY I SAW A
LOT OF NAPS, A LOT OF NAPS, AND, AND, AND ANDREW GARBORINO, UM, BUT THERE WAS THOMAS MASSEY, WHO HAD THIS TO SAY, WHICH I THINK IF YOU’RE TALKING
ABOUT ADS, CHAIRMAN, YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER. WE’RE GOING TO RACK UP, THE AUTHORS SAY $20 TRILLION OF
NEW DEBT OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS. I’M TELLING YOU IT’S CLOSER TO
$30 TRILLION OF NEW DEBT IN THE
NEXT 10 YEARS. MR. SPEAKER, WE’RE NOT REARRANGING DECK
CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC TONIGHT. WE’RE PUTTING COAL IN THE BOILER
AND SETTING A COURSE FOR THE
ICEBERG. WHY THAT’S IMPORTANT? BECAUSE YOU GENERALLY DON’T KNOW YOU’VE
HIT THE ICEBERG UNTIL YOU’VE HIT
THE ICEBERG, AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM THAT
DEMOCRATS FIND THEMSELVES IN IN THIS CYCLE BECAUSE OF THE WAY
THEY’RE STRUCTURING THIS. NOW WHETHER OR NOT TO SAY, I SUSPECT THE SENATE REPUBLICANS
WILL KEEP IT THAT WAY. THIS WON’T TAKE EFFECT UNTIL
AFTER 2026, THE END OF 2026. SO THE CHALLENGE YOU HAVE AS
CHAIRMAN AND THE CHALLENGE YOUR STATE
PARTY CHAIRMAN HAVE IS HOW DO YOU, AND I LOVE THE PASSION AND THE
ARGUMENT YOU’RE MAKING, BUT HOW DO YOU MAKE PEOPLE FEEL
EXACTLY WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW IS
ABOUT TO HIT THEM? BECAUSE ABSENT THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THE 401K LEVELS OUT, IF YOU KNOW PRICES KIND OF LEVEL
OUT, WHATEVER HAPPENS OVER THE COURSE
OF THE SUMMER SORT OF FEEDS INTO THE FALL, YOU BEGIN TO GET INTO THIS
RHYTHM AND SO HOW DO YOU DISRUPT
THAT RHYTHM BEYOND, BEYOND JUST THE, YOU KNOW, THE TYPICAL POLITICAL RHETORIC, YOU REALLY HAVE TO MAKE PEOPLE FEAR IN SOME SENSE THAT THESE
BAD THINGS ARE GOING, THEY’RE REAL AND THAT THEY WILL
HAVE THE SNAP PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, GOING ON. YEAH, I, I, I THINK YOU’RE RIGHT, BUT LET ME JUST SAY THIS THAT. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ALREADY HAD
BUYER’S REMORSE WITH THE TARIFFS THAT ARE PUT IN
PLACE, OF COURSE, THE COST OF GOODS INCREASING
THEIR LIVES BEING, UH, UH, HARDER TO ACTUALLY LIVE AND GET
AHEAD. THE REALITY IS, IS, UM, THE CUTS TO SO MANY FEDERAL
PROGRAMS ALREADY WHICH ARE IMPACTING COMMUNITIES AND
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, THEY’RE ALREADY FEELING THE
PINCH. AND THEY’RE GONNA CONTINUE TO
FEEL THE PINCH AND WE NEED TO
REMIND THEM THAT IT’S GONNA GET EVEN MORE
DIFFICULT IN THE YEARS TO COME
BECAUSE OF THIS, THIS, THIS PACKAGE. THERE’S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT AND
BUT THERE ARE ADVOCACY GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS, THE DNC AND OTHERS WHO ARE NOT
GONNA LET THE REPUBLICANS OFF THE HOOK ON THIS AND LET ME
JUST REMIND YOU, EVERY SINGLE DEMOCRAT VOTED AGAINST THIS BILL. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE REPUBLICANS OWN THIS. THE REPUBLICANS OWN THIS, AND THEY WILL BE HELD TO ACCOUNT BECAUSE WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN IS
DEVASTATING TO COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THIS
COUNTRY. AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE. AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO RISE
ABOVE PARTISANSHIP IN THIS
COUNTRY. MICHAEL, I, I, I WILL SAY THIS TO YOU, MR. CHAIR. THERE WERE VALUES THAT UNITED THIS COUNTRY REGARDLESS OF IDEOLOGY THINGS
LIKE RESPECT FOR OUR
CONSTITUTION, THE RULE OF LAW, SEPARATION OF POWER, THE IDEA OF UH INDEPENDENT AND
FREE PRESS, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, RESPECTING OUR ALLIES AROUND. WORLD AND PROTECTING STANDING UP
FOR AND PROTECTING EMERGING DEMOCRACIES AND SO MANY
OTHER PIECES THAT UNITED THIS COUNTRY INCLUDING A BELIEF THAT WE WERE ONE COMMUNITY AND WE FOUGHT FOR OUR NEIGHBORS
AND WE MADE SURE THAT NO ONE WAS LEFT BEHIND AND FELL
THROUGH THE CRACKS. THIS SOCIAL SAFETY NET THAT WAS
CREATED BY DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS FOR
SO MANY YEARS IS SO POPULAR BECAUSE WE STILL
HOLD TRUE TO THIS ETHOS THAT. WE KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE
GONNA FALL ON TOUGH TIMES AND THERE HAS TO BE A SAFETY NET
THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN
GET BACK UP, GET BACK ON THEIR FEET AND
ACTUALLY GET AHEAD IN LIFE. THAT’S WHAT’S BEING ERODED RIGHT
NOW. THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT DEMOCRATS
AND WHAT WE BELIEVE IN. THIS IS WHAT REPUBLICANS USED TO
BELIEVE IN AS WELL. AND CERTAINLY AT THE END OF THE
DAY WE HAVE TO REMIND THE AMERICAN VOTERS THAT
WHAT WE’RE SEEING IS A COMPLETE ABDICATION OF WHO WE ARE AS
AMERICANS. WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS, AND WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
REMIND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT
IN THE MONTHS TO COME. THIS WAS A REALLY TIGHT VOTE AND
AMANDA LIPPMAN, WHO RUNS THE PROGRESSIVE GROUP
RUN FOR SOMETHING, TWEETED THIS ABOUT IT. THE MARGINS OF THIS VOTE
AFFECTED BY THE THREE DEMS WHO
SADLY DIED IN OFFICE IS WHY WE CAN’T SHY AWAY FROM THE
UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE AGE OF
OUR ELECTED LEADERS. THE STAKES ARE TOO HIGH. DO YOU THINK THIS IS THE MOMENT? TO HAVE A CONVERSATION IN THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY ABOUT THE
GERRITOCRACY. WELL, LOOK, I THINK IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO
HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE
CREATE PATHWAYS OF LEADERSHIP FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE AND NEW VOICES IN THIS
PARTY. AND BUT I DO THINK I WANT TO
REMIND FOLKS THAT THIS BILL DID NOT PASS
BECAUSE OF DEMOCRATS. EVEN IF WE HAD ALL OF THOSE
SEATS FILLED, WE STILL WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO SLOW THIS DOWN BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS HAD THE
VOTES TO PASS THIS. YOU WOULD HAVE HAD TO FORCE MORE
WOULD HAVE FORCED MORE
REPUBLICANS TO AN AWKWARD, BUT REGARDLESS, THE IDEA THAT SOMEHOW THIS IS ON DEMOCRATS ARE TO BLAME FOR WHAT
HAPPENED IS JUST HOGWASH. I AGREE WITH AMANDA. I AGREE WITH DAVID. I AGREE WITH OTHERS THAT WE NEED
AGAIN FIND WAYS TO CREATE PATHWAYS FOR NEW
LEADERS IN THIS PARTY, YOUNG VOICES TO SERVE BOTH IN
POSITIONS OF ELECTED OFFICE AND IN PARTY LEADERSHIP
AND IN OTHER SPACES. IT’S ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL AT THIS
TIME, BUT TO CONFLATE THE TWO AS IF SOMEHOW IF WE HAD ALL OF OUR VOTING
STRENGTH HERE, RIGHT, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP
THIS IS JUST FLAT OUT. WRONG. THE TWO ARE NOT RELATED. I DO THINK I AGREE WITH AMANDA
AND DAVID. WE DO NEED TO GET MORE YOUNG
PEOPLE INTO OUR PARTY PROCESS. HAS THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL
COMMITTEE SCHEDULED THE MEETING YET FOR DEMOCRATS TO
VOTE ON THE NEW CREDENTIALS THAT CAME
OUT OF THE CREDENTIALS
COMMITTEE, PARDON ME, NOT CREDENTIALS, THE RULES COMMITTEE ABOUT HAVING
NEW ELECTIONS FOR THOSE VICE
CHAIRS, INCLUDING DAVID HOGG AND MALCOLM KENYATTA. IT HASN’T BEEN SCHEDULED YET. YOU’VE BEEN ON THE DNC AND. YOU KNOW HOW THESE THINGS WORK
TONIGHT ACTUALLY. IT’S ONE OF THE REASONS I HAVE
TO LEAVE HERE IN A LITTLE BIT IS THE RULES AND
BYLAWS COMMITTEE, WHICH WILL DECIDE WHEN ALL OF
THIS STUFF HAPPENS, BOTH THE TIMELINE, THE RULES OF PROCEDURE, AND ALL OF THAT STUFF, AND THAT WILL GET WORKED OUT, OF COURSE, AND, AND WE’LL SEE HOW THAT WORKS
OUT, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, AS PEOPLE ARE FOCUSED ON THE
INSIDE MACHINERY OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PARTY AND OF COURSE IT’S
AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION. LET ME SAY WHERE MY FOCUS IS, RIGHT? SQUARELY ON WINNING ELECTIONS. IT’S THE REASON I RAN ON THIS. IT’S THE SUCCESS I HAD IN MINNESOTA. I NEVER TOOK MY EYE OFF OF THE
PRIZE, WHICH IS TO ACTUALLY BUILD POWER
AROUND OUR SHARED VALUES AND KEEP THE MAIN THING
THE MAIN THING. THE MAIN THING IS WINNING
ELECTIONS. THE MAIN THING RIGHT NOW IS
STOPPING THIS AUTHORITARIAN REGIME FROM DESTROYING OUR
COUNTRY AND SHATTERING PEOPLE’S
LIVES. THE MAIN THING IS WINNING IN 25, 26, AND IN 28, AND THAT’S WHAT I’M FOCUSED ON. KIM MARTIN SAID KEEP THE MAIN
THING THE MAIN THING. Y’ALL WORRY ABOUT THE WRONG
THING. POLITICS IN LIFE. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU VOTE FOR, OK. SO TODAY THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION RELEASED ITS REPORT ON MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY
AGAIN. IT’S LENGTHY AND IT TRIES TO DIAGNOSE THE
MAIN CAUSES OF CHRONIC DISEASE
IN AMERICA. IT PAINTS A PRETTY BLEAK PICTURE
OF CHILDREN’S HEALTH, FOCUSING LARGELY ON
ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS, CHEMICAL EXPOSURES, LACK OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, STRESS, AND EXCESSIVE USE OF
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. AND LOOK, HEALTH AND CHRONIC DISEASE ARE
SERIOUS ISSUES, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD ALL BE PRETTY SKEPTICAL THAT THIS
COMMISSION HEADED BY A CRANK
CONSPIRACY THEORIST WILL COME UP WITH THE PROPER
PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THESE
PROBLEMS, AND THAT’S THE IMPORTANT PART
HERE, RIGHT? BECAUSE IF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION REALLY CARED ABOUT MAKING AMERICA
HEALTHY AGAIN. THEY WOULDN’T BE DOING WHAT
THEY’RE DOING. THEY WOULDN’T HAVE CLOSED THE
CDC’S OFFICE ON SMOKING AND HEALTH OR HALTED FUNDING FOR
THE DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM OR MADE PLANS TO ROLL BACK
REGULATIONS ON FOREVER CHEMICALS
AND DRINKING WATER OR CENSORED LEADING NUTRITION
SCIENTISTS OR CUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN RESEARCH FUNDING
AT THE NIH, THE LARGEST FUNDER OF CANCER
RESEARCH. AND THEY DEFINITELY WOULDN’T
HAVE SUPPORTED A BILL THAT WILL STRIP HEALTH CARE AND FOOD
ACCESS FROM MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS. JOINING ME NOW IS DR. SHIHA. HE IS DEAN OF THE BROWN
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE FORMER WHITE
HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE
COORDINATOR. I, I WANTED TO CHRONIC HEALTH IS
OBVIOUSLY A BIG ISSUE, A SERIOUS ISSUE. WE ALL CARE ABOUT OUR KIDS’
HEALTH, BUT WHAT HAVE YOU, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’VE HAD A
CHANCE TO LOOK AT THIS REPORT, UM, WHAT IT OUTLINES, AND WHAT SOME OF THE CONCLUSIONS
ARE. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT? YEAH, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, DAN, THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK. UM, LOOK, UH, STARTS OFF BY SAYING OUR KIDS
ARE THE SICKEST THEY’VE EVER
BEEN. I THINK IT’S WORTH REMEMBERING
CHILDHOOD MORTALITY IS THE LOWEST IT’S EVER BEEN IN THE US
HISTORY, AND THAT’S BECAUSE OF VACCINES. WE’VE GOTTEN MUCH BETTER AT
PREVENTING A LOT OF INFECTIOUS
ILLNESSES. NOW, THE REPORT, WHEN IT GETS RIGHT, LET’S START THERE. IT, IT IDENTIFIES CHRONIC ILLNESS AS
A PROBLEM. IT IS. UH, IT’S GREAT TO SEE THE SECRETARY, UM, JOIN THE PUBLIC HEALTH MOVEMENT. WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
OBESITY, WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ACCESS TO BETTER FOOD, WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
EXERCISE. THOSE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS, NO QUESTION. THE PROBLEM IS THEN, WHEN HE GETS INTO PRESCRIPTIONS
OF WHAT TO DO, UM, THERE’S REALLY JUST NOT MUCH
THERE AND MOST OF HIS IDEAS ARE
NOT BASED IN SCIENCE. AND SO HE IDENTIFIES THE PROBLEM
THAT ALL OF US HAVE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT, BUT WITHOUT ANYTHING THAT EVEN
REMOTELY RESEMBLES A SOLUTION. THEN THE SOLUTIONS ARE KIND OF
PIVOTAL HERE I WOULD SAY. HE SAID IN HIS IN HIS RECENT
HEARINGS, HE SAID ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS
THAT HE DID NOT KNOW IF THE
PROGRAM HAD BEEN CUT OR NOT, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY PIVOTAL THING FOR
THE HHS SECRETARY TO KNOW. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT, THAT HE SEEMS TO BE UNAWARE OF
THE DECISIONS THAT ARE GOING ON
IN HIS OWN AGENCY? YEAH. WELL, THAT’S THE OTHER PART OF THIS, RIGHT? AND YOU ALLUDE TO THIS BOTH IN
YOUR OPENING STATEMENT AND NOW
THAT LOOK, HE IDENTIFIES CHRONIC DISEASE AS
A SERIOUS PROBLEM. WE ALL AGREE WITH THAT, TOTALLY RIGHT. BUT IF HE ACTUALLY BELIEVED
THAT, HE WOULD NOT BE ELIMINATING THE
OFFICE OF CHRONIC DISEASE
PREVENTION AT THE CDC. AS YOU SAID, HE WOULD NOT BE ELIMINATING
MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF RESEARCH ON HOW TO PREVENT OBESITY AND
CHRONIC DISEASE IN CHILDREN. LIKE THERE IS A HUGE MISMATCH
BETWEEN THE, THE SLOGAN, THE TAGLINE THAT SAYS CHRONIC
DISEASE IS A PROBLEM. AND THEN GUTTING ALL THE
PROGRAMS THAT ARE ACTUALLY GOING
TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO IT’S REALLY NOT CLEAR WHAT THE
SECRETARY INTENDS BECAUSE HIS WORDS DON’T SEEM TO MATCH
HIS ACTIONS. WELL, YOU’RE HERE, I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT
VACCINES. I MEAN, YOU MENTIONED THEM AS WELL, AND YOU WERE THE COVID-19
COORDINATOR FOR THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION. THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS LIMITED
APPROVAL FOR SEASONAL COVID-19
SHOTS TO SENIORS AND HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS, AND THE FDA ADVISORY PANEL SPLIT
ON WHETHER THE AGENCY SHOULD
REQUIRE UPDATES OF COVID VACCINES, WHICH OPENS THE DOOR, OF COURSE, TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE WON’T HAVE UPDATED SHOTS FOR
THE FALL. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I HOPE I SUMMARIZED IT
CORRECTLY, BUT HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
IMPACT OF THAT COULD BE ON PEOPLE’S ACCESS FOR THE
VACCINE AND HEALTH. YEAH, WELL, FIRST AND FOREMOST, JEN, WHEN WE MADE DECISIONS ABOUT
THIS WHEN I WAS AT THE WHITE
HOUSE, FIRST OF ALL, PEOPLE AT THE WHITE HOUSE DIDN’T
MAKE THE DECISIONS, THE SCIENTISTS AT THE FDA MADE
THOSE DECISIONS AND THEY BASED
IT ON DATA. THERE IS NO DATA ON WHICH THEY
ARE MAKING THESE DECISIONS. UM, SECOND, THE, THE SECRETARY SAID HE WAS NEVER
GOING TO LIMIT PEOPLE’S ACCESS
TO VACCINES. HE HAS JUST LIMITED PEOPLE’S
ACCESS TO VACCINES. IF YOU’RE UNDER 65, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ELIGIBLE. UM, MY VIEW IS PEOPLE OVER 65
ABSOLUTELY NEED TO GET COVID
VACCINES. PEOPLE UNDER 65 SHOULD HAVE THE
OPTION, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE CHRONIC
DISEASES. HE IS REALLY TAKING AWAY
PEOPLE’S CHOICES. AND I REALLY DO WORRY ABOUT
WHERE THIS IS GOING. ANNUAL UPDATES OF COVID VACCINES
LIKE ANNUAL UPDATES OF FLU
VACCINES IS ESSENTIAL, ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH-RISK PEOPLE AND WHETHER HE’S GOING TO
CONTINUE DOING THAT OR NOT REALLY IS UNCLEAR AT THIS
MOMENT. THANK YOU, DOCTOR AISHA. I ALWAYS ENJOY TALKING TO YOU. HELPS PROVIDE A LOT OF CLARITY
TO PEOPLE OUT THERE. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

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