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00:00Evening and welcome to Politics Nation, tonight's lead, Mixed Messages.
00:16Right now, the president is talking out of both sides of his head on an escalating war with Iran
00:24that as recently as yesterday, he claimed the U.S. was winding down.
00:30But multiple sources are reporting tonight that behind closed doors,
00:35Trump is reportedly considering options for sending thousands of U.S. troops into Iran.
00:41And the Pentagon is asking for hundreds of billions of dollars from Congress to potentially set the stage.
00:49Meanwhile, in Washington this weekend, Senate Republicans are desperately trying to get a vote
00:57on the president's voter repression bill, the so-called SAVE Act,
01:02which he's demanded Republicans make into a pre-midterm priority.
01:08So for at least one amendment to the bill that would have banned transgender athletes
01:14from participating in women and girls sports has been voted down.
01:18But the rest of the bill is likely to be DOA, too, unless Senate Republicans blow up the filibuster,
01:27something they don't seem to want to touch.
01:30But the SAVE Act isn't the only piece of legislation Congress is trying to move on.
01:36This weekend, we're now 36 days into a partial government shutdown that is causing chaos in U.S. airports.
01:44And now the president is floating an unusual plan to fix it, deploying ICE agents to airports.
01:53And we're remembering the life and legacy of former FBI director Robert Mueller, who died today at the age of
02:0281.
02:03Mueller was the longest-serving FBI director since J. Edgar Hoover, but he's probably the best recognized as the special
02:12counsel who led an investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.
02:18Joining me now is Congressman Wesley Bell, Democrat of Missouri.
02:24Now, starting tonight with the president's war in Iran, now entering week four and possibly on the verge of a
02:35major escalation,
02:36as Trump is reportedly considering options for sending thousands of ground troops into Iran.
02:42And the Pentagon is asking Congress for more than $200 billion in supplemental funding for the Iran war effort.
02:51You're on the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman.
02:55Do you feel like there's been enough deliberation here to justify putting more U.S. troops in harm's way?
03:07Congressman?
03:14I think you're muted.
03:20I think you're muted.
03:21I think he's muted.
03:21They're trying to get it straight.
03:23I know the feeling they've been trying to mute me for 40 years.
03:26I know the feeling they've been trying to mute me for 40 years.
03:30All right.
03:31I think...
03:36All right.
03:36Let's move on, and we'll come back to the congressman, because they're trying to straighten out his being heard.
03:46All right.
03:47So, let me bring in my political panel to discuss a few major potential stories from the past week.
03:55Joining me now is Juanita Tolliver, MSNOW political analyst and host of the history podcast Archival,
04:04and MSNOW political analyst Susan Del Percio.
04:08We got some new polling this week from results from Reuters, giving results on public support for the one I
04:18ran,
04:18with 59 percent disapproving, according to new Reuters Ipsos survey.
04:26But when you dig a little deeper, you see that 77 percent of Republicans largely support the war,
04:34as it has played out so far.
04:36It's Democrats and independents who largely oppose it.
04:40Susan, have you ever seen such a stark partisan divide at such an early stage of an armed conflict?
04:49And what impact could it have as the administration considers sending in ground troops?
04:55Well, those are shocking numbers, Rev.
04:57Like you said, this is the onset of a war that the United States is engaged in.
05:02The numbers I really look there, though, is, yes, 77 percent of Republicans approve,
05:08but I think that's really that they just approve of the president, and they almost approve of anything the president
05:13does.
05:14But when you look at the disapproved number of independents at 63 percent, that's really high.
05:21Almost two-thirds.
05:21Almost two-thirds, and that number just, it's got to stick in the craw of the president,
05:26because it does bring down his overall numbers of support on the war, and he's got to be careful.
05:31But you know what?
05:32Here's the thing.
05:34I believe this falls squarely at the president's feet for not feeling that he owed it to the American public
05:41to explain why we are doing what we are doing when it comes to Iran.
05:45He believes that he should just be able to do whatever he wants and people should line up behind him.
05:50That is not the case.
05:51The American public wants to know, and I can't help but thinking that we're going to hear more of that
05:56phrase,
05:58oil, blood for oil, and that's going to haunt the president a lot in the days and weeks to come.
06:04Well, he's not giving any counter-rational.
06:06Well, Juanita, earlier this week, Secretary of Defense confirmed that the Pentagon is looking for
06:14$200 billion, with a B, billion dollars, in additional funding for the war in Iraq.
06:22He told reporters, quote,
06:23It takes money to kill bad guys, end of quote.
06:27$200 billion is nearly a quarter of the country's entire annual defense budget.
06:32Is it smart for Republicans to support such a massive request in a midterm year,
06:39and is it politically wise for Democrats to oppose it?
06:45Not based on the poll numbers you and Susan just talked about, Rev.
06:49Absolutely not.
06:50This is not generally popular.
06:52And to Susan's point about those independent voters,
06:55think about who Republicans are courting at the polls in the midterms.
07:00Of course, Donald Trump cares less about that polling,
07:03but the reality is this is reflective of what Americans feel right now, only four weeks in.
07:08And now Trump and Hegseth are going to Congress for money after they did not go to Congress for authorization.
07:15And they still, to Susan's point, have not revealed, not only to the public,
07:20but even in their classified briefings to Congress, the intentions, motivations, tactics,
07:26or even exit strategy associated with this escalating conflict that Donald Trump started,
07:32even behind questions that have led to leaders of his own intelligence community departing just this week.
07:38Rev, this is not smart.
07:39If anything, this request coming from Trump and Hegseth is an opportunity for Congress to reassert itself as a separate,
07:46co-equal branch of the federal government.
07:49This is the time for Democrats to get those answers, to question everything loudly and publicly for the sake of
07:56our nation
07:56and the people who are likely to be deployed in this escalating conflict.
08:01I think the other side is, while Republicans do control the House and the Senate,
08:05I'm also looking to the Senate to see if the filibuster survives this moment, too,
08:10because Donald Trump is ready to deploy any option in order to get what he wants.
08:15But in the Senate, where they have that 60-vote threshold,
08:19that's going to be a big place where we're going to see some energy around this entire debate.
08:23Yeah, even Thune is caught in the cross our heads there.
08:27Susan, late this week, the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts,
08:31a panel made entirely of Trump employees, appointees, I should say,
08:37they approved a 24-carat commemorative gold coin featuring President Trump.
08:43There it is on your screen.
08:45The coin is a collectible and meant to mark the nation's 250th birthday this July 4th.
08:53It is not intended to circulate as currency.
08:57Trump has been putting his name and face on a number of buildings across Washington, D.C.
09:03In a tweet, Ari Fleischer, George W. Bush's old press secretary,
09:08told the Trump administration not to do it.
09:10He added,
09:11this would be a huge mistake that would hurt the president and his cause.
09:16That's in quotes.
09:17What are your thoughts, Susan?
09:18Well, first, he can't put it in circulation because it would be against the law for the
09:22president's face to be on a piece of currency while he is still in office.
09:26Putting that aside, I agree with Ari Fleischer.
09:29At a time where gas prices are going through the roof, affordability is still an issue,
09:34and we're at war, Donald Trump wants to talk about a 24-carat gold coin made with his image on
09:41it.
09:42This is something that will, again, have Republicans who want to win the midterm elections and do well
09:48scratching their heads, and actually, they're going to have to defend it.
09:51That's not where they want to be.
09:54Final question for both of you.
09:56Earlier today, we learned that Robin Mueller, the former FBI director and special counsel,
10:01investigated Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, passed away on Friday.
10:07He was 81 years old.
10:09Susan and then Juanita, you both spent months and years on this channel talking about
10:16Trump-Russia investigation that Mueller led.
10:19What are your thoughts about his legacy?
10:21Let's start with you, Juanita.
10:24I feel like I know Mueller as a steady work-in-quiet-and-effectiveness type of figure,
10:32and I think about the impact of the Mueller report, where he did identify Russian interference
10:39in the 2016 election, where he did identify Trump and the 2016 Trump campaign benefiting
10:46and having points of contact with Russians.
10:49I mean, let's remember, Donald Trump stood on a stage and said,
10:51hey, Russia, find the emails, right?
10:53Like, his ability to get to the heart of that reality and to flag it as a massive fracture in
11:00our democracy, which, let's be real, for the past 10 years, we've been all watch fracture even further
11:07under Donald Trump.
11:08It's something of a legacy that I think that he and his family and the team that worked with him
11:15on that project should forever stand proud of,
11:17because he raised a massive flag at a time when Donald Trump was trying to silence him,
11:23because remember, that report never made it to Congress or the public in an under-redacted form.
11:27Susan, Mueller is mostly remembered for his special prosecutor role today, which Juanita referred to,
11:35but his career in public service was much bigger than that, wasn't it?
11:39It certainly was. I mean, he was in a Marine in Vietnam, but I remember him,
11:45and where he first came very much alive to me was in the days, weeks, and years following 9-11.
11:50He was the FBI director. He just came on the job, Brev. He was able to offer a steady hand.
11:59And, by the way, he was appointed by George Bush, and Barack Obama wanted him to stay on another two
12:07years, extend his term for the very reason that he offered such a steady hand. So he gave so much
12:15to
12:15this country way before the Mueller report. And, yes, that was important. But the years and decades
12:20of service he provided to this country, especially right after 9-11, is a legacy that we will be
12:28reading about for decades to come. All right. Thank you to Susan Del Presio and Juanita
12:34Tolliver. We have our microphone issues fixed. Let's bring back Congressman Wesley Bell,
12:39Democrat of Missouri. Thank you for sticking it out and sticking with us. So let's go back,
12:46Congressman, to the escalating war in Iran. You're on House Armed Services Committee.
12:51Do you feel like there's been enough deliberation here to justify putting more U.S. troops in harm's way?
13:04Good to be here. I thought the administration was trying to silence me, Rev. But I guess it
13:09was just a microphone issue. But whenever this country is taking the war, three questions need
13:16to be answered. The war objectives. And we had the exit strategy. Now, as serving on the Armed
13:26Services Committee, I've given the briefing process a chance. I wanted to hear the administration
13:35make its case. And I have not. I left those briefings with more questions than answers. And
13:42let the men and women of our armed services harm's way and take this country in the war. We need
13:48to
13:48know why. We're still losing him. Let me see if I can get it clear with one more question. Otherwise,
14:01we're going to have to move on. As oil prices skyrocket, the administration today just lifted
14:07sanctions on the Iranian crude stored aboard tankers already at sea. About 140 billion barrels, say
14:17Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who claims the move can help keep our global oil prices level.
14:25But in terms of military strategy, the move has been criticized for potentially giving Iran
14:31a cash infusion at the same time. As we just discussed, it seems the president is
14:37considering options for sending U.S. troops into the country. Is there any coherent plan here
14:44that you know of, Congressman?
14:50It shows that there's still no plan with respect to this administration. And it shows that they have
14:59not thought this through. And they're not answering those questions that need to be asked if you're going
15:05to take this administration in the war, or to take this country in the war.
15:13Thank you, Congressman. We still have sound problems. But thank you, Congressman Wesley Bell.
15:19We'll try to get this straight next time. But thank you for being with us. After the break,
15:25President Trump is back to bullying. And later, federal workers are going without pay. And now,
15:32new polling reveals how much of it is taking a toll on agencies across the U.S. government.
15:50This week, as war raged in the Middle East, President Trump took time out of his schedule to react to
15:57California Governor Gavin Newsom's revelation that he lives with dyslexia. Take a listen.
16:07With a low IQ person, you know, because Gavin Newsom has admitted that he is a that he is
16:12learning disabilities. Honestly, I'm all for people with learning disabilities, but not for
16:18my president. I don't want I think a president should not have learning disabilities. OK,
16:24and I know it's highly controversial to say such a horrible thing. The president of the United States,
16:30Gavin Newsom admitted that he has learning disabilities, dyslexia. Everything about him is dumb.
16:41Trump's claims aren't just controversial. They are utterly and completely false. Historians say
16:50our 28th president, Woodrow Wilson, had dyslexia. And researchers suggest President John F. Kennedy may have
16:57dealt with ADHD. Archival accounts suggest earlier presidents, including George Washington and Thomas
17:05Jefferson, also exhibited symptoms consistent with learning differences. Although these conditions were
17:13less understood at the time, about one in five Americans has have dyslexia, according to the Yale
17:22University research. And their disability has nothing to do with their intelligence or their ability to
17:29succeed. In fact, overcoming challenges is a common theme for many of our most successful U.S. presidents.
17:38President Abe Lincoln wrote openly about suffering from what doctors today would call depression,
17:44even as he held the nation together through the Civil War. President Roosevelt navigated the Great
17:52Depression and World War II from a wheelchair due to polio. And the so-called great communicator,
17:59Ronald Reagan, suffered from a hearing loss in one ear. These difficulties made these presidents
18:07stronger, more resourceful and more emphatic. By contrast, our current president chooses to mock
18:14and demean those he believes to be weak. And in this moment of great national crisis,
18:21his leadership has proven to be divisive rather than unifying the American public. His rejection of those
18:29who think differently than him has closed his administration off from differing points of view
18:37and new ideas at a time. When making the right decisions can be the difference between life and death.
18:45President Trump may think dismissing people with disabilities makes him seem strong and powerful,
18:52but to the eyes of history, it looks downright stupid. I got you.
19:03Welcome back to Politics Nation on MS Now. Air travelers across the country are dealing with security
19:10line waiting times, stretching hours this weekend, more than a month into the partial government shutdown over
19:21DHS funding. And airports are reeling from a shortage of TSA agents because thousands of them have
19:30either called out or resigned rather than work without pay. But as the crisis deepens,
19:37the president and his allies appear to be considering some creative solutions tonight,
19:43like having ICE agents take over for TSA workers as early as Monday, a threat he just repeated on social
19:51media
19:52for the second time today, as his buddy Elon Musk is offering to pay TSA salaries. Joining me now with
20:02his
20:02response to those suggestions is Everett Kelly, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
20:09We appreciate your time tonight, Mr. Kelly. You know, I want to start with your response
20:16to the president's threat, a threat he just repeated for the second time today, that if Democrats don't
20:23agree to funding to a funding deal for DHS, he will send ICE agents into U.S. airports to do
20:30their jobs,
20:31possibly as early as Monday. Now, it follows Elon Musk's offer on X today to pay unpaid TSA workers
20:39salaries. As your members, your members deal with the shutdown that's hurting so many of them.
20:47What's your reaction to the solutions the president and his ally are offering tonight?
20:53Well, Reverend, first of all, thank you for having me. And, you know, this is just typical of this
20:58administration, right? They just want to continue to intimidate. They want to continue to do things or
21:04try to imply that they're going to do things that's not in accordance with the law. You know,
21:09the TSA officers are being asked to protect the American public right now without being protected
21:13themselves. And, you know, these are men and women that are continuing to show up every single day to
21:18protect this nation without, you know, certainty, without respect, without anything that they really
21:24deserve. And the thought that they would defy any ethics laws and say that we're going to pay for
21:32these employees through another channel rather than funding the government is unhumane, it's inhumane,
21:39and it's un-American. But let me be clear. I don't even know how they get the list to even
21:43try something like that. But money doesn't seem to be an issue for the administration as it pursues a
21:50foreign war finds ways to pay ICE agents. And there's been an increasing, increasingly bipartisan
21:57push to give some form of tariff rebate to Americans. But while there's a heightened fear
22:03of foreign terror over the president's war in Iran, why haven't lawmakers found a way to pay federal
22:10workers tasked with keeping our air travel safe? You know, and that is a good question. And that's
22:17the question that is posed to the American people right now. And I think that the American people
22:20need to be on the phones calling every lawmaker saying, why are you not doing your job? You know,
22:25government shutdown is not just a political failure. It's a national security risk. And that's what
22:30people need to understand. You know, and, you know, to ask our officers to safeguard millions of travelers
22:36while they themselves are not being represented, you know, that's just unsustainable. You know, it's just
22:42the amount of time that this system will break if we don't do what's right in this country. Now,
22:48I hear a lot of people talk about what they believe and they, they believe in, you know,
22:52I don't care whether you read the Quran, I don't care if you read the Pentateuch,
22:55I don't care if you read the New Testament, the Old Testament, it all said the same thing. You pay
23:00workers for the work that they perform. You can look at the book of Leviticus, you can look in the
23:04New Testament. It's all the same. And this country has failed the American people and the TSO that's not
23:10getting paid, not just TSO, but the rest of the federal system that's not getting paid right now.
23:15And I might let our viewers know that aside from being president of the union,
23:20you are a ordained minister. But both sides, let's go to this, both sides of the aisle
23:26have played a role in the gridlock. Neither Democrats or Republicans appear prepared to give ground
23:32on the reforms to ICE that Democrats have demanded in exchange for DHS funding. Republicans say their
23:41deal on the table is a good one. Now the House is about to go on its April recess with
23:47the matter
23:49really unresolved, a move you've slammed while your members continue to go without pay.
23:55What do you want to say to lawmakers ahead of this break?
23:59You know, Reverend, thank you for that question, because what I want to say is this. It's time to get
24:05past
24:06partisan politics and think about people. It's time to put the American principle back on the table and
24:12let's talk about those things, right? And if we do that, then we don't have to worry about which lawmaker
24:18is
24:18doing the right thing and who's not, because we'll all be doing the right thing. Because the American principles
24:23and the thing that I believe in and that I believe that every American believe in is on the table.
24:27And we
24:28should be thinking about those things. Think about, you know, how would how would anyone else feel if
24:33they was about to not have a paycheck to pay their bills or not be able to eat, not be
24:38able to feed
24:39their children? These are the principles that we need to start thinking about.
24:43Now, this week, the Nonpartisan Partnership for Public Studies published its annual survey of federal
24:50workers' job satisfaction. And 2025 showed a stock decline in morale and engagement across several
24:58departments, like Health and Human Services, the State Department and others, with federal employer
25:04engagement scoring 32 out of 100, nearly 60 percent saying the engagement at work has decreased since
25:142024. The Trump administration refused to participate in this year's survey, which is normally a
25:21partisanship between the group and the government. Are you surprised at all by these results?
25:29I'm surprised at all, Reverend A. I mean, it's typical. I mean, when you have agencies that are being
25:35complete, continue to be targeted, intimidated, and, you know, morale is going to go south, right? But be
25:43honest, you know, these are committed employees, but commitment doesn't pay the bills. Some of these
25:48employees are taking other jobs to make in meat, setting blood plasma to buy food or gas, even get
25:54to work. You know, this is unacceptable. It's just unacceptable, these employees, and it's wearing on
26:00them. That's the reason why you see these type of studies coming out. And I'm glad that MG participated
26:04in making sure that these studies came forth because the administration refused to even have these
26:10studies. You know, I travel a lot. I was in Houston, Texas, and Kansas City this week. I saw lines
26:17in
26:17Houston when I landed that were all the way out the airport. I mean, this is something that is unreal
26:24and unbelievable. Yet there were workers there doing the best they could to handle the massive crowds
26:31that need their assistance to make sure they're safe. And they were working knowing there was no
26:38pay guaranteed in sight. Well, how do you think this affects people that may have thought about
26:47applying for a federal job? Does this make people not trust becoming federal employees?
26:54I certainly think so. And that might be part of the whole plot here, Reverend Al, is to try to
26:59discourage people because, you know, in my opinion, you know, these are opportunities for, you know,
27:05the administration or whomever to say that this is a mission failure. But it's a mission failure on
27:11behalf of the administration, you know, so that they can privatize and contract out, you know,
27:17these jobs that fellow federal employees do and do so well. Because, like I said, you know,
27:23they are very committed. But commitment doesn't pay these bills. They are committed to showing up
27:28every single day. They are showing up. And I encourage them to continue to show up,
27:33continue to do their job. And AFGE is going to always be right here with them, standing with them,
27:38fighting with them, doing whatever it takes to make sure that they get what they justly deserve.
27:44You have appealed to them to keep going to work and you're fighting and the union you lead,
27:50which is the unions they all are members of, to fight for them. But to all of our viewers,
27:58right wing, left wing, Republican, Democrat, what do you want the public to do that could help you
28:04and the union members who are the federal employees impacted by them? What do you want people at home to
28:10do?
28:12Reverend F., thank you for that question. Because the American people has to be a part of the
28:17solution. You know, I encourage every American to pick up the telephone, call your congressman,
28:25call your senator, regardless to whether they're Democrat, Republican, independent, it does not matter.
28:30Because every employee that's working should be paid. And I encourage them to call their senators,
28:37call their congressman and tell them to pass this resolution, whatever it takes to get the job done.
28:43Because I hear rumors that, you know, in the next couple of weeks, the next week or so,
28:48they're going to leave town with this job undone. Now, to me, you know, now, I'm not calling anybody
28:55to say that they're deserting anything, but I know what desertion means. You know,
28:59and when if these employees are showing up, then Congress ought to show up and do their job.
29:07Make the phone call, tell Congress to stay in town so they get this resolution, and we need to do
29:13it
29:13quickly. So the employees are working, TSA workers are working with no pay, while some in Congress are
29:22talking about going for a break. Everett Kelly, thank you for being with us tonight. Coming up,
29:29Democrats walked out of a private meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Epstein files
29:35this week. We'll speak to one of them about what happened in that closed door meeting that's coming up.
29:45Welcome back to Politics Nation on MSNOW. Earlier this week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee
29:53walked out of a closed door meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi following a refusal to provide
30:01sworn testimony. Committee Chair James Comer accusing them of wasting everyone's time
30:08and allegedly calling Congresswoman Summer Lee out of her name.
30:15He does not have the temperament or perhaps the competence to be able to lead this committee.
30:24It shouldn't be this hard for us to get answers. We should not have to drag people to hold
30:31pedophiles accountable. It was a simple exchange. That he blew up like that is one,
30:37because there's no accountability. And he doesn't expect any because there were no cameras and there
30:42were no witnesses outside of us. But two, he wouldn't talk that way to other people. He wouldn't
30:48talk that way. He wouldn't have blown up like that if he wasn't insecure about the questions that we were
30:52asking, if he wasn't insecure about people outside putting pressure on them to do the right thing.
30:57And he knows that Pam Bondi is in contempt of our previous subpoena. And he's going to let her be
31:03in contempt of this one.
31:06Joining me now is Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. Congresswoman, you're a member of the House
31:15Oversight Committee. What happened that day? Why did your Democratic colleagues walk out?
31:24Well, last week, the Republicans' rev called us in suddenly for an alleged briefing in our usual
31:30hearing room, assuming Pam Bondi—you know, we came, assuming that she would have something urgent
31:36and vital to share. Up until this point, she has not been compliant with the subpoena. And I see her
31:42as someone who has worked actively to obstruct the work of justice for the Epstein survivors.
31:48Now, not only do Republicans try to have a closed-door briefing filled with lives,
31:53but Pam Bondi continued to avoid our direct ask whether she would still appear for a public deposition
32:00as required per our subpoena. And so, Rev, what this was, pure and simple, was a fake hearing,
32:08a fake briefing, a fake deposition, and a fake and dishonest Pam Bondi,
32:16trying to avoid being held accountable to the American public and to survivors whose cries
32:20she has ignored. So we walked out. My colleagues and I refused to legitimize that charade
32:26and to give an audience to Bondi spewing lies and denying her legal obligation to speak publicly
32:31about the Epstein files. She must comply with the law, come before the House Oversight Committee
32:36and testify under oath, and on the record about the Epstein files.
32:40Now, Coleman disputes the accusation that he called the Congresswoman a name. The broader issue here is
32:47that Bondi seems to be ducking, providing more info on the Epstein files. What can be done to compel her
32:55to cooperate fully? And is that possible with Republicans in charge?
33:01Well, Rev, we'll continue to leverage every tool available to us. And it is not shocking,
33:06given the incompetence of this committee and how unserious they are about transparency and
33:14accountability for the wealthy and well-connected pedophiles that they continue to give cover to.
33:20Democrats are centering transparency, accountability and healing for the survivors. And Donald Trump and
33:28all of his co-conspirators continues to be accomplices in giving pedophiles cover.
33:36And as for his treatment of my dear colleague and sister friend, Summer Lee, who is the reason why
33:42the progress has been made that has been made, because that our original effort under the committee
33:47for a subpoena for full release of the Epstein files was led by her. So it's no surprise that in
33:54the
33:54face of the brilliance of that black woman, who was a very effective member of our committee,
33:59that he reacted so harshly. But we cannot normalize that behavior, lack of decorum, sexist and racist.
34:08We've been talking about the ongoing partial government shutdown impacting
34:13government or the Department of Homeland Security.
34:17You recently introduced a bill that would require DHS to hand over documents and body cam footage
34:25in instances where agents are suspected of using excessive force. Can you talk about your bill?
34:33Yes, it's the DHS Use of Force Transparency Act. It's actually, Rev, building upon
34:40a motion for a subpoena that I introduced in committee shortly after the murder of Renee Good,
34:47which they obstructed. And so this is now an attempt to codify this in law. It's the DHS Use of
34:54Force
34:54Transparency Act. You know, they're not collecting data, Rev, where we see injury, harm,
35:01where there has been loss of life due to use of force. We believe there have been
35:07well over 30 people who have died in the custody of ICE in these detention facilities.
35:13And then we have the names of some of those more high-profile incidents that have occurred in broad
35:18daylight, from Silvario Gonzalez to Keith Porter to Alex Preddy and Renee Good. But we need the data.
35:24And so this would force them to release any body camera footage, any documents, anything within 30
35:31days, so that we can ensure that there is some level of accountability. And that begins with
35:37transparency, Rev. There can never be justice, because justice would mean under this lawless,
35:41rogue, unconstitutional, unconscionable agency that there would be no injury, no one maimed,
35:47and certainly no one losing their lives. But since there cannot be justice,
35:51there must be accountability. And this will get us closer to that.
35:54Now, sticking with Homeland Security as the partial government shutdown enters
35:59its fifth week. Earlier today, Trump took to TrueSocial to float the idea of moving ICE
36:06into airports to do the work of unpaid TSA workers. You just heard in our last block from the head
36:15of
36:15the Government Employees' Union about TSA workers staying at their jobs in the midst of this dispute.
36:22What are your thoughts on this situation, which seems to be getting worse by the day?
36:30So, more threats by Donald Trump. And, you know, the point is they continue to distract and deflect
36:40and to deny their role in this. I mean, which is it? The Republicans are in the majority. They have
36:46the
36:46House. They have the Senate. They have a White House. RTSA workers do not need to be experiencing this pain.
36:53Democrats have put forward numerous pieces of legislation and reforms that would ensure that
36:59those essential FEMA workers and TSA workers could continue to do their job and to do their job
37:06with pay. We are deeply sensitive to the ways in which livelihoods and lives are being disrupted.
37:11And we are outraged by the lives that are being disrupted and the harm that is coming
37:17in the form of these rogue ICE agents. This isn't controversial, Rev. Not one more dime to ICE.
37:25So, if the Republicans don't want to have blood on their hands and continue to sow chaos and terror in
37:31our streets, because we know that the actions of ICE, Rev, have nothing to do with law and order.
37:36They deny people's constitutional rights and due process, and it has nothing to do with public safety,
37:41because it's making everyone less safe—white folk, Black folk, Indigenous, disabled, LGBTQ,
37:47young and old, whether you are in their facilities or in broad daylight on our streets. So, not one more
37:53dime to ICE, and the Democrats continue to put forward reforms and opportunities to ensure we don't give
37:59them one more dime, but that other essential functions can occur.
38:03Now, before I let you go, we know that you're working on the Hair Act and other things. I know
38:12you're
38:12going to speak at National Action Network's convention next two or three weeks. The Healthy
38:19Air Act legislation would effectively ban formaldehyde from hair products. Talk quickly. I'm out of time,
38:27but talk to me about the bill briefly.
38:29DR. Yeah, really quickly, Rev. We're just—myself and Congresswoman Chantel Brown of Ohio,
38:34we have the Healthy Hair Act. There's formaldehyde in chemical hair straightening products,
38:40and that formaldehyde is a risk to the people who administer those products and the consumers of
38:45those products, which are overwhelmingly Black and brown women. And we can talk later about why that is.
38:50But the point is, your beauty regimen should not mean a threat to the public health of your life,
38:57and it has interrupted hormone and reproductive outcomes. It has led to higher rates of
39:04uterine cancer in Black women. And so we tried to get a rule passed in the White House previously.
39:09That did not happen, to ban formaldehyde and chemical hair straighteners. And so now we're
39:14looking to do that through legislation with the Healthy Hair Act.
39:18DR. All right, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, thank you for being with us.
39:22Up next, my final thoughts. Stay with us.
39:30This week in my capacity as head of the National Action Network, I called upon the City of New York
39:38Landmarks Preservation Committee to save a piece of Black history. Earlier this year,
39:45a hidden passage was discovered inside the Merchant's House Museum in Manhattan,
39:50that researchers say is evidence the nearly 200-year-old building may have been part of
39:57the Underground Railroad. The building is being threatened by a proposed eight-story development
40:03planned next door, at a time when our leaders in Washington seem intent on erasing contributions
40:11of African Americans. It's more important than ever that we preserve these artifacts and spaces
40:17so future generations can understand how much we have struggled and how far we have come.
40:24And also tonight, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the Reverend Dr. Bernard Lafayette,
40:31who died earlier this month at the age of 85. Dr. Lafayette was sent to Selma, Alabama,
40:38Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to play a leading role in organizing the voting rights movement there
40:44in the early 1960s. And he remained a quiet but powerful force in the civil rights movement throughout
40:52his entire life. He will be deeply missed. That does it for me. Thanks for watching. I'll see you back
40:59here tomorrow at 5 p.m. Eastern. The weekend primetime starts right here on MSNOW at the top of the
41:06hour.
41:08That's good.
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