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PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton - Season 2025 Episode 100
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00:00Peace on Earth.
00:12While most of us spent the holiday week celebrating our families, our fortune, and our respective
00:20faiths, our president spent this week celebrating himself from a Mar-a-Lago estate where he
00:28unveiled a vanity fleet of battleships, teased another makeover at the now Trump-Kennedy
00:35Center, and of course, played lots and lots of golf.
00:40All of this here at home, while no less than a million new Epstein trials or files were
00:48uncovered this week by President Trump's Justice Department, days after a congressional deadline.
00:55Meanwhile, abroad, our military continued to intervene in foreign affairs without congressional
01:03approval, seizing more Venezuelan oil tankers as Russia and China say they're siding with
01:11the country's president and striking ISIS targets in Nigeria on Christmas Day as Trump hosts Ukraine's
01:20president tomorrow to close his peace deal.
01:27We're hoping to talk to Congressman Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri in just a moment, but first joining
01:33me now is Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, who is now an MS Now political analyst.
01:41Susan, while most Americans spent this week enjoying the Christmas holiday with their families,
01:46President Trump spent most of Christmas Day firing off a slew of over 100, 150, I'm told,
01:54posts on Truth Social, primarily attacking Democrats.
01:59Also on Christmas Day, he, the U.S. launched a number of military strikes against the Islamic
02:05state in Nigeria.
02:08Susan, all of this shortly after the Department of Justice announced that it has over a million
02:14additional Epstein documents, what do you take on the activities or the distraction coming
02:20out of the White House over the holiday?
02:23Was it in the spirit of Christmas?
02:27Well, first, let me say happy holidays to you and our viewers.
02:33Donald Trump really needs to have more family around him and enjoy the holidays, it seems like,
02:38or at least, like, have some warm milk before he goes to sleep so he doesn't have to end up tweeting
02:43at, you know, weird hours of the morning.
02:46That being said, everything else is exactly that, Rev, a distraction.
02:52And it's a distraction I think he gets more, even more when he's in Mar-a-Lago, because he gets lots
02:57of people whispering in his ear about he should do this or he should do that.
03:02So I'm not sure why, you know, now was the time to do the strikes on Nigeria, but clearly
03:08there was, he thought it was good optics, which only someone like President Trump would
03:15think, you know, doing a strike, a military strike is a good optic.
03:20But that being, you know, when we look at the whole picture, Donald Trump is all over the
03:25place, and I do think that the Epstein files have him spinning.
03:29Susan, just before the holiday, the DOJ released another batch of Epstein files, this time with
03:39more references to Trump.
03:42The previously released files were majority, majorly redacted, although some social media
03:50users have figured out that the next text hidden by redactions in some of the documents could
03:57be revealed by copying the text and pasting it into another program.
04:01So looking ahead, Susan, do you expect the Epstein issue to follow Trump into the new year and
04:08potentially cost the GOP the midterms?
04:13Absolutely, Rev.
04:14This is not going away anytime soon.
04:16There are literally millions of records to go through, and they will continue to be released,
04:22according to DOJ, for weeks on end.
04:25So it will be there.
04:27But, you know, in addition to, you know, what we've seen so far in the Epstein files, we haven't,
04:32you know, Donald Trump hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing.
04:35But I do think we can accuse Donald Trump of running a really bad operation at DOJ and with
04:42Pam Bondi.
04:42This has been absolutely mishandled, and I think it goes to Donald Trump's leadership.
04:49Not only does it defend me, but it's also incompetence, and that's something that the
04:54Democrats can certainly use.
04:57Now, Susan, 2025 has been riddled with drama from the White House, terror for uncertainty,
05:04unsettling stories coming out of immigration raids, the mishandling of the Epstein files.
05:09How can Democrats take advantage of this heading into the 2026 midterm election year?
05:17Well, it's interesting, you know, Rev, the terrorists have not proven to be the issue we
05:22thought they would when they initially went into effect.
05:26Yes, they are having, they're hurting Americans, and yes, Americans are paying more.
05:31But when we look at what's happened, for example, with Mexico, they've done much better than what
05:36was ever expected.
05:38I think it's always going to be the economy, the economy, the economy, and that the Democrats
05:44can really use the issue of health care, which they hammered home at the end of this year,
05:50and they have another fight coming up in January.
05:52Let's not forget, in just five weeks, the government can potentially shut down again.
05:57But using health care as a economic issue, it works for the Democrats.
06:06They have higher approval ratings on it than Donald Trump does, and it can really take a
06:11message home.
06:13And you believe that if they drive that message home, that they may be able to hold where they
06:20are now in the polls, and that is, it looks like right now the Democrats have the advantage.
06:25It does look like that, and it's not just the health care issue, but it's driving home that
06:31we are going to fix what Donald Trump has broken, or at least perceived as broken, or get the
06:38job done that he's not doing.
06:40But they can't just focus on Donald Trump.
06:43That is not where this 2026's election is heading.
06:47They already have that built in, if you will, because the power out of party always has
06:52the advantage going into the midterms.
06:54But they really, the Democrats really need to hammer something home as far as being capable
07:01and able to do something.
07:03And again, going to the health care issue, they looked like they were trying to be effective
07:08and left the Republicans holding the bag on it.
07:12All right, Susan Del Percio, thank you for being with us.
07:15Next, we'll talk with the mayor of Chicago about the latest Supreme Court ruling impacting
07:22his city and the state of civil rights there.
07:33Welcome back to Politics Nation on MSNOW.
07:37Earlier this week, the Supreme Court rebuffed President Trump's attempt to deploy the National
07:43Guard to Chicago.
07:44The administration had wanted to send troops there to protect federal agents involved in
07:50local immigration enforcement.
07:53The rare defeat for Trump at the high court may cause a national domino effect for other
07:59lawsuits challenging Trump's attempts to deploy troops in other Democratic-led cities.
08:05Joining me now is Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
08:08Mayor Johnson, what's your reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling on Tuesday?
08:13And are you surprised that justices sided with you?
08:18And do you think Trump will abide by their ruling?
08:22Well, first of all, the entire city of Chicago, we're certainly grateful that the Supreme Court
08:28has finally placed a check on the executive branch.
08:32I've said from the very beginning, the president of the United States of America has been working
08:36outside of the confines of the Constitution.
08:39And I made a vow to the people of Chicago that I would use every single tool available
08:44to me.
08:44You know, whether that was, you know, executive orders, which we have signed to protect all of
08:48Chicagoans' legislation as well as litigation.
08:52And, you know, this is certainly a welcomed opportunity for the people of this country to recognize that
09:01there are real laws that govern us.
09:05And it certainly places not just the city of Chicago in a stronger position, but it places
09:11the entire country in a stronger position that this president has to maintain his authority
09:19through the Constitution and not step outside of that.
09:23Now, the Windy City is known for its fierce winters.
09:27I've been there.
09:28And just like every year, you've petitioned Chicagoans for a new snowplow name.
09:35You yourself have backed a nominee, quote, abolish ICE.
09:40It's funny and it's clever.
09:42What are citizens saying both about naming the plow and about ICE's actions in the city?
09:49Well, you know, you know, Reverend Al, you know, from the very beginning of this administration,
09:56I made a commitment to ensure that we protect working people.
10:01But really, you know, this was really about protecting our democracy.
10:05And, you know, when the Trump administration moved on, you know, the big nasty bill, I don't
10:12know.
10:13I don't know if enough people actually realize this, but the amount of money that the ICE division
10:19of our government has received as a result of this administration is quite significant.
10:25In fact, there are only two other entities that have a larger budget than ICE.
10:29It's the United States military and it's China's military.
10:33And he has used it as a privatized force to enact terror and not just terror, but a great
10:42deal of harm against people.
10:44And so over the course of several years in this city, we have stood firm on our values and
10:50it just happened to coincide with the time in which we name all of our fleet utilities.
10:56And of course, you know, we have to take a stronger look at how this administration has
11:02used ICE and how it has caused tremendous harm.
11:05So that's why, you know, that particular name of this truck being named Abolish ICE has my
11:11full and complete endorsement.
11:13Now, I want to stay on this topic, though, for a moment.
11:16Earlier this week, New Jersey Congresswoman LaMonica McIver visited the immigration detention
11:23facility in Newark, where a few months ago she clashed with guards in a scuffle that resulted
11:31in criminal charges.
11:33Listen to her comments after her visit.
11:37It's traumatic to be back here.
11:40I know many of you want to know, how does it feel being back at this location, the same
11:44place I was at back in May where I was assaulted, where we were treated like crap, where we were
11:50disrespected to be back here?
11:52It is very traumatic to be here personally.
11:55This is not right.
11:57It is not right.
11:59When we left out of there, a detainee told us this is not the America that we dreamed of.
12:05Back in their countries, they thought they would be able to come here and have a better life.
12:11What are your thoughts on her comment?
12:13And I know members of the congressional delegation in Chicago had visited, and there were protests
12:21against what was going on there.
12:23What do you think when you hear Congresswoman McIver's statements?
12:28Well, she's absolutely right.
12:30You know, these conditions have been absolutely deplorable.
12:32What the Trump administration has done, you know, in not even a full year of his second
12:39term, and thank God his final term, has just been absolutely abhorrent.
12:44You know, what we saw here in the Chicagoland area, a small suburb just outside of the city
12:49of Chicago, there were federal agents shooting pepper balls at protesters, a man of faith,
12:57a leader in our community was shot in the face with a pepper ball.
13:04Journalists have been shot at.
13:06I mean, and then again, not to mention how many of the detainees have expressed just absolutely
13:12deplorable conditions, not enough food and nowhere to lay their heads and, you know, nowhere
13:16to be able to shower, no contact with the outside world, not to mention the number of detainees
13:24who are citizens of this country.
13:30And so what the president has done, he has certainly not only worked outside of the confines
13:35of the Constitution, but, you know, he has reminded people of how important it is for us
13:41to band together to ensure that the fundamental rights that this country possesses,
13:46that we have to ensure that those rights don't get eroded, particularly at a time in which
13:52so many people are struggling.
13:54Reverend Al, as you know, whether it's immigration or whether it's the fact that people don't
13:58have access to health care, no access to food, he has defunded our public education system.
14:04It's why my budget here in Chicago, I was very intentional about investing in our young
14:09people, investing in mental health care services, making sure that we're making the critical
14:14investments to drive violence down.
14:16And we've seen that since I've been mayor.
14:19And so, again, these conditions that the representative highlighted, it's indicative of what this
14:26administration has been about to cause terror, to bring division.
14:30But, of course, the people united, as you know, will always prevail.
14:34And we're grateful that the people of Chicago have stood firm to be an example for the rest
14:39of the country.
14:39I want to go on to something else, but tell us a little about what you're facing with
14:45this budget and how it can be instructive to mayors around the country under this Trump
14:51administration dealing with federal budgets certain ways that mayors now have to deal
14:57with balancing that with the priorities of the citizens of their city.
15:01Well, as you know, you know, all politics are local and, you know, it's mayors that that
15:09make continents.
15:10It's mayors that not just run cities, but, you know, we help build nations.
15:15And what the Trump administration has done, again, he's cut off food supply.
15:20He's cut off access to health care.
15:22It is cut off, you know, education.
15:24He is attempting to cut resources off to our transportation system.
15:28He has laid off thousands of workers across this country.
15:32His administration has been an absolute failure.
15:36And so what I put forth in my budget, which was designed to protect working people, is
15:40that we have to make the critical investments to stabilize our communities, but we have to
15:45challenge those with means to pay their fair share.
15:48And so this budget challenged corporations and the ultra rich to put more skin in the game.
15:53I didn't raise property taxes in my budget.
15:55We didn't collect grocery fees, taxes in my budget.
15:58We didn't raise the garbage fees, even though there were individuals on city council who
16:02wanted to do that.
16:03Instead, we challenged the ultra rich and these big corporations to put more skin in the game.
16:08And that's really what's necessary.
16:10We've seen the largest upward transfer of wealth into the hands of the ultra rich than
16:14any other time in the history of our country.
16:17And if we're going to stabilize our economy and if we're going to ensure that we have
16:22safe communities, we have to invest in those communities.
16:24And so what did we do?
16:25Not only did we challenge these big corporations to pay their fair share, we've increased our
16:31investment in youth employment.
16:33We're going to hire well over 30,000 young people for summer jobs.
16:36We've increased our investments in mental and behavioral health care services.
16:39We've increased our investments to build more affordable homes.
16:42We are building the safest, most affordable big city in America, and we're challenging
16:46big corporations and the ultra rich to put more skin in the game.
16:50That is the pathway to stabilizing our economy, but also making sure that our communities are
16:54safe.
16:55Mr. Mayor, I was in Chicago this week.
16:58In fact, on Christmas Eve evening, the night of Christmas, visiting my friend and mentor,
17:04the Honorable Reverend Jesse Jackson.
17:06As I've done for years, I try to go Christmas Day because his family has helped every year.
17:14My daughters and I are there and we've kind of grown up there as family.
17:18And in fact, I remember just a couple of months ago, Yousef Jackson had Reverend Jackson and
17:25I come visit you in your office.
17:28I think we have a picture of that.
17:29And as we wrap up 2025, we're reflecting on his legacy globally, what he's done for the
17:38world, what he's done for this nation and the impact that he's had both on politics and
17:44the lives of people of all colors.
17:47And as I said, there's the picture the three of us met at City Hall this summer that Yousef
17:52had set up.
17:53I just want to take a moment to ask you what Reverend Jackson means to you and to the city
18:00of Chicago.
18:02I understand, by the way, I understand the city's honoring Mrs. Jackson and it took a
18:08lot to convince her to take an award.
18:10She's a leader and a global figure in her own right.
18:13But tell us about what the city's feeling about the legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson.
18:19Yeah, you're absolutely right.
18:21Big shout out to Mrs. Jackson.
18:24She will be honored this year at our 40th anniversary for MLK Breakfast, and she certainly
18:30deserves her flowers.
18:32Without question, Reverend Jackson has been one of the most influential individuals, not
18:38just on me personally, but the entire globe.
18:41Reverend Al, I think back to times when I was an organizer and a public school teacher and
18:46how Reverend was so encouraging to me at a time in which our politics were quite harmful
18:52here.
18:53We had an administration that closed the largest number of schools down in the history of America,
18:59shutting down public housing.
19:01The fact that we had the brutal cover-up of Laquan McDonald.
19:06I mean, there was just so much tension in the city of Chicago during that time.
19:10But we've seen that type of tension before.
19:13And Reverend Jackson has been there every step of the way.
19:16And whether it was pushing back against school closures or fighting for civil rights and voting
19:21rights, and to this moment where we are on the precipice, quite frankly, of the transformation
19:29of our democracy as we know it, I do believe that we'll be better on the other side of this
19:34particular fight.
19:35And I believe that solely because of what Reverend Jackson has meant to me and to so many people.
19:41So, you know, we're grateful for his legacy.
19:44I had a chance to visit him.
19:46And, you know, you see how resilient and strong he is and how strong he's been.
19:52And I would not have been the organizer, the public school teacher, the Cook County Commissioner,
19:59and now the mayor of one of the largest economies in the world if it were not for Reverend Jackson.
20:04And in fact, you know, I'm always reminded in that very ceremonial office, and I shared this
20:09with you, Reverend Al, you know, several, several, several years ago, it was Reverend Dr. Martin
20:16Luther King Jr. who came into that office, and he looked Mayor Richard J. Daley in the face
20:21and challenged this city to do right by working people.
20:25And then he left here, and he said that if we can figure it out in Chicago, we can do it
20:29anywhere in the world.
20:30And then, of course, he put Reverend Jackson in charge.
20:32So I'm grateful for Reverend Jackson, and happy holidays, and happy new year.
20:37And Reverend Jackson was one to help figure it out.
20:39He brought the movement north.
20:41That's why kids like me up north got in the movement.
20:44Thank you, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
20:46Joining me now, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Democrat of Missouri.
20:51Congressman, thank you for joining us tonight.
20:54Let me start with this.
20:56Foreign interventions dominated the president's agenda this week.
20:59He's set to meet with Ukraine President Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow to possibly close on
21:06a peace plan for Ukraine and Russia.
21:09Our military continued to seize oil tankers linked to Venezuela, with Russia and China now
21:16backing the Maduro regime.
21:18And our Navy launched missiles against Islamic State targets in Nigeria on Christmas Day.
21:25Now, you sit on Homeland Security.
21:27Do you feel like all of this is a distraction from the Epstein files, or do you feel like
21:35the homeland is safe on his watch right now?
21:39Of course, we're not safe, because I think the American people who voted for Donald Trump
21:47did so for many, many other reasons.
21:49And he has, for a long period of time, talked about the United States becoming involved in
21:56these forever wars.
21:58And here he is spending most of his time either starting wars or lying about wars that he was
22:04able to end.
22:05And I think many of these things are just absolutely ridiculous.
22:12For example, in Nigeria, you know, that's a nation where the Christians are in a minority and
22:22Islam is the majority of religion in the country.
22:26However, we're not finding people from either Christendom or Islam saying that this is somehow
22:36a religious war.
22:38It is not.
22:38And I think when you look at the president, Abulutin Ubu, he says that, yes, there are Christians
22:47being killed, but also there are Muslims being killed.
22:52It's a war.
22:54And people are killing people.
22:55And I think the president, who doesn't have a strong Christian background, is trying to,
23:03as he's doing over in this country, create division and tearing up the whole country.
23:10He's going into South America, and he's talking about Venezuela, like it's Germany in the 1930s.
23:19And, you know, yes, they do have a great deal of illegality as it relates to drugs, but those
23:28drugs don't come to the United States.
23:30Right.
23:30You know, so he's going to, he wants to attack a nation, frankly, where the drugs are not
23:36being, from which the drugs are not being sent.
23:39And so the weird thing is, now he switched and said, well, it's because they have our land
23:46and our oil.
23:47I'm not sure how another country can have our oil, but, or they could have our land.
23:54So the man is confused and mixed up, and it's causing the country to go in a thousand different
24:01directions.
24:02Now, he may not have intentionally done this.
24:06I think this is like the major distraction in the history of planet Earth.
24:11And so we are, we are in trouble because the president's attention is going in a thousand
24:17different directions, and there are no accomplishments in any.
24:19At the same time, the economy is tanking.
24:23Yeah.
24:24And, you know, you said he doesn't have a strong Christian background.
24:27You forgot he said he reads extensively two Corinthians.
24:31But anyway, let's come back to distractions.
24:34Coming back to the Epstein files, the deadline set by Congress for their full release was
24:41more than a week ago.
24:42Since that deadline, we've seen thousands of documents released.
24:47And this week, the Justice Department said it discovered at least a million more that may
24:52take about a month to release.
24:55What do you make of the volume and the timing of DOJ's new discovery?
25:00Well, I think Republican Congressman Massey and Ro Khanna, who's a Democrat, they're the
25:06leaders on this issue.
25:07I think they're now pushing, as I think they should, to get the attorney general before the
25:14committees and demand that they follow the law that we passed two weeks ago.
25:20And I think that for the first time, we may have more Republicans who would join in and
25:27say that we can hold the attorney general in contempt.
25:32I mean, this is legislation.
25:35And the Congress hasn't assumed its responsibility much during this first year of Donald Trump.
25:40Now, it looks like the Congress is coming together.
25:44I wouldn't be surprised if there's some kind of a call for a hearing and a charge for some
25:55kind of violation of response to the United States Congress.
25:59You can't lie and you have to show up.
26:01You can actually put people in jail for not showing up if they've been subpoenaed.
26:05But this is the Trump administration who has a Supreme Court in his hip pocket so that maybe
26:10they can get out of it.
26:12Now, I must ask you finally about your Kansas City district has been in the crosshairs of
26:18a Republican redistricting plan backed by President Trump.
26:22And now a lawsuit filed on behalf of Missouri voters against the state argues its new GOP-drawn
26:29congressional map should have been blocked this month after a petition drew 300,000 signatures
26:37to put the map on November's ballot.
26:39But your state's Republican attorney general says the new map is in effect and will stay
26:45that way unless Missouri's secretary of state certifies the petition, which could be long
26:52after candidates filed to run.
26:54Give us the latest on where do things stand, because I know it directly affects your district
27:00and many of us are concerned around the country.
27:02Well, it looks as if the state is going to also challenge whether or not the people of
27:12Missouri are stupid.
27:13But what they're saying is that the people of Missouri don't know what they're doing.
27:19And so we've got to protect the people from themselves by gerrymandering, which is a system
27:25of doing either right or wrong.
27:28And they've done this before.
27:30The Missouri General Assembly has done this before, and they're trying it again to get
27:36to try to prevent the people from speaking.
27:39300,000 people spoke.
27:41And if if that were one city in one spot, that would be the second or large or the third
27:48largest city in the in the in the state of Missouri.
27:52And right now, I think people are getting angry.
27:56I've had Republicans and Democrats saying that they don't like what was going on.
28:02In fact, there is polling to show that the overwhelming majority of the people of Missouri,
28:08black, white, Democrat, Republican, they're all saying this is not what we want.
28:13This is wrong.
28:14I had a guy call and say, I didn't vote for you.
28:16But he said, this feels like cheating.
28:19So the Missouri General Assembly is going to continue until they're stopped.
28:23And I'm hoping that the state Supreme Court will stop them.
28:27All right.
28:28Thank you for being with us this evening, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.
28:32Thank you again.
28:34Up next, the president's latest attempt at making himself immortal has led to yet another lawsuit.
28:40We'll speak with the plaintiff of this latest legal challenge right after a short break.
28:49Welcome back to Politics Nation.
28:51Since returning to the White House, President Trump has remade the Kennedy Center in his image,
28:59firing much of his board of trustees, installing himself as board chair and his political allies
29:05as new leadership at the nation's cultural center.
29:10Things went a step further this month when the board renamed the center with Trump's name now
29:17ahead of the president.
29:19It had memorialized for more than 60 years after what the White House claims was a unanimous vote.
29:27But one Democratic lawmaker on the Kennedy Center board says her voice was literally silenced
29:34during that vote, and she's suing the president and the board over it, and the name change,
29:41which she says is solely up to Congress.
29:44Joining me now, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Democrat of Ohio.
29:50Congresswoman, thank you for your time tonight.
29:53Let's begin with your federal lawsuit.
29:55The White House and spokespersons for the Trump Kennedy Center are claiming that this name change
30:02was the result of a unanimous board vote stemming from Trump's work to revitalize the center.
30:09But you and other congressional Democrats who serve as ex-officio board members
30:14are saying that you were literally muted during that vote,
30:18and that name change wasn't on the agenda.
30:22Tell us what happened here.
30:23Well, first of all, let me say thank you, Reverend Al, for having me on.
30:29The board meeting took a very strange turn when it was announced at the end of the meeting
30:35that there would be a name change that the John Kennedy Center would now be known as the Trump Center,
30:42as they said in the board meeting.
30:44And at that time, I wanted to obviously voice my concern, ask questions about it,
30:49because traditionally you would have a naming committee and a whole host of things if you were doing it on the up and up.
30:57But the biggest issue about this, they continue to mute me, is not the biggest issue.
31:02The issue is it is illegal.
31:05In 1963, after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, in 1964, it was changed to John Kennedy's name.
31:15The Congress explicitly states that only the Congress can do a name change.
31:22This is the only living memorial dedicated to this president.
31:28And so they know that they are wrong.
31:31And to say that it was a unanimous vote,
31:34I wanted to make it perfectly clear that I had something to say about it,
31:39and I was denied that right.
31:41And even if they want to change the bylaws or the rules to say that we can't vote,
31:47we still are board members, we still have a right,
31:50but the biggest thing is what they're doing is illegal.
31:54And it's so important, Reverend Al, for us to deal with this,
31:59and thus, that is why I am bringing the lawsuit against them,
32:03because the American people have a right to know that they have a voice in things.
32:09And this president is known for changing the rules of engagement,
32:14having no respect for our democracy, the Congress, or the Constitution.
32:21So that is another reason he's dismantled our public education system,
32:25he's destroying housing, and the list goes on and on.
32:30So enough is enough.
32:32And the American people are responding, Reverend Al.
32:36Audiences are turning away.
32:39Artists are not showing up.
32:42So the American people are seeing this.
32:45Now, the Kennedy Center was conceived as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy
32:51and his dedication to the American arts and culture.
32:54Some of his family members are calling his name change an insult to the president's legacy.
33:01I wonder if you and other Democrats have heard directly from them,
33:08some of the family members, the Kennedy family members, as you pursue this lawsuit.
33:12Absolutely.
33:13Absolutely, Reverend Al.
33:15Joe Kennedy, who has been very vocal and is oftentimes considered the spokesperson for the family,
33:22we are very close friends.
33:24I called him immediately.
33:27He's called me back.
33:29We've talked about it.
33:30He issued a public statement that this is a disgrace and that it is illegal.
33:36They are very disturbed by this.
33:39Now, last question on this topic.
33:42Earlier this week, Trump announced that the U.S. Navy is planning to roll out a new class of battleships
33:48named after him as part of a so-called Golden Fleet.
33:54He's been obsessed with his White House ballroom project, which he's reportedly called a monument to himself,
34:02that if he gets his way, will be bigger than the actual White House is attached to.
34:09Congresswoman, why aren't we seeing more of the kind of fight that you're putting up over the Kennedy Center,
34:16coming from lawmakers as the president literally rebrands America, many of it naming institutions after him?
34:25I think this is another reason that it has given me the fortitude to challenge it,
34:31because we need everybody to stand with us, because oftentimes it's just one person, one thing that can change history.
34:40And you said it right, a battleship.
34:42We saw what he did to the East Wing.
34:45We saw that he put concrete down on the Rose Garden.
34:49And I went to the White House as he was doing that and voiced my opposition to that as well, to that historical building.
34:58What's next?
34:58The Lincoln Memorial, is he going to change everything with his obsession with himself and his name?
35:06We cannot be silent.
35:08And that's another reason, because it's illegal that I am fouling this lawsuit.
35:16And we have people from all over the country, Democrats, Republican, from all races and ethnicities,
35:23reaching out saying, we stand with you.
35:26Now, finally, you chair the House Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion under an administration that's declared war on both.
35:35And this week, one of my producers flagged two stories illustrating just how far that effort has gone.
35:41First, a public analysis that found Trump's education department has not entered into a single new agreement requiring school districts to resolve racial harassment cases.
35:59And second, a report in the nation detailing how the administration has effectively blocked enforcement of the Fair Housing Act under the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
36:12What are your thoughts on what increasingly feels like a war, not on policy, but on certain people, Congresswoman?
36:21Oh, I think definitely that he has demonstrated things that are discriminatory.
36:28He's a racist.
36:29When you think of in Ohio and two students who now are feeling that they have to be forced, that they are no longer shocked when people call them the N-word.
36:43They're used to being called other inflammatory words, but everybody's turning their back on them.
36:50And that's why I am so proud of the Congress that led the diversity and equity and inclusion through Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
36:58And I want the American people to know that elections have consequences.
37:03And the most important thing we can do as we go into 2026 in just a few days is to vote.
37:11We saw what happened in the November elections.
37:14We had great victories.
37:16And if we take back the House, Hakeem Jeffries will be the speaker.
37:20And it will give us an opportunity to right the wrong and to be able to deal with what's happening in housing,
37:27that they are ignoring everything that for decades and decades has been set in place with HUD.
37:35And now they have a blind eye to it.
37:39And it is affecting not just Black people alone, but people with disabilities, our veterans.
37:45And it is very shocking at what they're doing.
37:49And I can tell you that Democrats are not going to stand for this.
37:53We are united, and we are fighting back, and we are winning.
37:57And the American people can help us because we know Donald Trump does not like when people come after him and the public joins in.
38:08So we want to thank you for allowing us to have this opportunity to share it with the public.
38:14All right.
38:15And thank you for being on tonight, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.
38:19Thank you again.
38:19Now, Trout, next issue, in just days, families and individual Americans may feel the immediate impacts once the Affordable Care Act subsidies expire on December 31st,
38:33just a few days away from now.
38:35Those subsidies have helped lower insurance prices for roughly 22 million Americans.
38:41But Congress has left for the year without reaching a health care deal that will address the surge in costs that is expected to follow.
38:52Joining me now is Kathleen Sebelius, a former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2014.
39:05Secretary Sebelius, you were a key figure implementing the Affordable Care Act.
39:12Are you disappointed that Congress didn't act on this more aggressively?
39:16And is there anything that you would like to see done?
39:21Well, Rev, thank you for having me.
39:24And you remember the days when this Affordable Care Act was being put together.
39:29You were a key advocate and figure in that battle.
39:33What I find shocking is that Congress left town.
39:38They enjoy taxpayer-funded health insurance, but the Republicans really didn't care that 24 million people are facing just enormous, probably double premium costs.
39:52And for older Americans who have not reached Medicare age, they may be facing three or four times what they're paying right now.
40:00That is horrifying because health care and food and housing are things that people are desperate to make sure are okay for themselves and their families.
40:10The good news is, before they left, the House voted, put together 218 signatures.
40:19So when they come back, they will have to have a vote on extending the subsidies.
40:23In spite of the Speaker refusing to put the bill on the floor, the majority of House members want to extend the taxpayer subsidies that are in the bill.
40:33And mind you, every single health plan sold in this country, if you work for a big company, your employer gets a tax break.
40:41If you are on Medicare, the government pays for a large share of your health costs.
40:47Medicaid, the same way.
40:48So this is a taxpayer issue where people are buying insurance on their own and they're getting some help from the federal government to do that.
40:58We want people to be insured or everybody's costs are going to skyrocket.
41:03Now, you were previously governor of Kansas and the Kansas insurance commissioner in places like your home state,
41:12who pays the heavier price for lack of social services like these premiums.
41:18Well, we're a state, unfortunately, where the Republicans are playing the worst kind of politics.
41:25So we have a Democratic governor who has tried over and over to get Medicaid expanded in this state.
41:33We're still horrifyingly one of the 10 states where people have been entitled to health benefits since 2014,
41:40and they haven't received them based on the refusal of the Republican legislature to even allow a vote on the floor of the House or the Senate.
41:50So we know what this is like to have a speaker that won't let a bill come to the floor.
41:56In Kansas, more people, because there isn't Medicaid expansion, are in the marketplaces,
42:01and they are going to be hurt farm families and military vets who don't qualify for TRICARE,
42:10people who are running small businesses, people who run the diners in the local town.
42:15They're buying their own health insurance, and now they're being told that their premiums will skyrocket.
42:21And again, the Republicans have never had a plan to have affordable health care.
42:28They still don't have a plan.
42:31They have no alternative to this, and they're going to let people really suffer.
42:36But hopefully, I just saw the great Congresswoman Joyce Beatty on your show.
42:43She's one of the House members who made sure that when they come back to town, the House will vote,
42:48and it will put real pressure on the Senate to restore these tax credits so people can sign up.
42:55They won't have them by January 1st.
42:58But, Rev, when these two are passed the first time, they weren't passed until March.
43:03So there's a way that Congress can actually make the credits retrospective to January
43:08and encourage people who just were forced to drop out to sign up again for health coverage for themselves and their families.
43:15I've got so much I want to talk to you about, but we're out of time.
43:19We certainly want to have you back.
43:20Kathleen Sebelius, thank you for being with us.
43:23Up next, my final thoughts.
43:25Stay with us.
43:26National Action Network, throughout its 34-year history, every Christmas and Thanksgiving, but particularly Christmas,
43:38feeds homeless and elderly.
43:41They come to our headquarters and have Christmas dinner with us,
43:44and we had hundreds come out this past Thursday on Christmas Day
43:50because Christmas should not be about what you get.
43:54It's about what you give.
43:55And I hope you gave in the spirit of the holiday.
44:00And before we end, don't forget, tomorrow is Politics Nation's 15th Annual Revy Awards.
44:07We continue our tradition as we celebrate the best and the worst of politics in 2025
44:14and give awards to those who deserve it.
44:18That is Sunday, 5 p.m. Eastern, right here on MS Now.
44:23That does it for me.
44:25Thanks for watching.
44:26The weekend primetime starts after a short break.
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