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Chris Jansing Reports - Season Episode 105
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Short filmTranscript
00:01It is good to be back with you on this second hour of Chris Janssen reports at this hour
00:06hot seat. Just as the DOJ says it's standing down on what Democrats call the president's
00:12nearly $1.8 billion slush fund, the acting attorney general is set to testify before
00:18Congress later today. The last time Todd Blanche faced lawmakers, it was a contentious meeting
00:23behind closed doors over the DOJ's so-called anti-weaponization fund. So will this time be
00:30any different? Also, road to November. It is election day for one of California's most uncertain
00:37gubernatorial primaries in memory. With 61 candidates running and millions of mail-in ballots to tabulate,
00:44it could take days to find out who will advance to the general election. Plus, war or peace?
00:50Mounting tensions and increasing strikes are putting new strain on the chaotic ceasefire
00:55with Iran. Will Israel and Hezbollah push the current agreement to the point of collapse?
01:00And round two, Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to a House hearing after taking questions
01:07from senators, including one about the administration opting for military force before trying diplomacy.
01:14Our MSNOW reporters are following all of the latest developments. But first,
01:18to Todd Blanche's House hearing in just a few hours, I want to bring in MSNOW justice and
01:23intelligence reporter Ken Delanian. So, Ken, the acting AG is set to appear before lawmakers in less
01:29than two hours. What are we expecting there? Well, Chris, no doubt Democrats are going to try to pin
01:36Todd Blanche down on exactly what the DOJ's posture is at the moment towards this anti-weaponization
01:43fund or slush fund, as the Democrats call it, because there's been a court ruling essentially
01:48halting any disbursements. And the Trump administration has said they are complying
01:52with that court ruling. Well, of course, they're complying that that's their job. That's the law.
01:56The question is, are they going to appeal the court ruling they have not said? Or are they sort of
02:01surrendering at this point because Donald Trump has decided that the political price he's paying for
02:06this is just unacceptable? And if that's the case, it's going to be really interesting to see
02:10what Todd Blanche says, because Todd Blanche was sent out as essentially the face of this thing.
02:15He defended this in public, on television, and then he went behind closed doors before Senate
02:21Republicans and got absolutely hammered, according to the reporting, about the appearance of this and
02:26about the possibility that violent January 6th felons could get compensated from this fund. And so
02:32it's going to be really interesting to see how Todd Blanche climbs down from this. And of course,
02:36we can expect a very contentious hearing on a number of fronts. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney
02:41general, the face of Donald Trump's essentially weaponization campaign, using the Justice
02:46Department to punish his enemies. There are new reports today about a potential new investigation of
02:50intelligence officials who who signed on to a letter about Hunter Biden's laptop. And so all of
02:56that will be in play today, Chris.
02:59Candelanian, thank you. Now to California, where more than a dozen primaries are underway,
03:03including the big one for governor. And that's now as Jillian Frankel is in Huntington Beach. What
03:08are you hearing from voters there?
03:11Chris, the polls have been open for a few hours here in California. Recent polling is showing a
03:17tight three-way race between a few front runners like Javier Becerra, the former HHS secretary under
03:23President Biden and former California attorney general, along with Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge
03:28fund founder and Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and Republican who's gotten Trump's endorsement in
03:33this race. But it's not clear right now how that endorsement is going to play in a blue state like
03:39California. Now, we've seen this race change dramatically in a matter of weeks since now former
03:43Congressman Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race back in April. We've been talking with a number of
03:49voters across the state here who say that they're not many of them say they're not
03:52particularly enthused about any of these candidates, but they laid out a number of
03:57issues at stake in this race. Things like housing affordability and accessibility, cost of living
04:02concerns, homelessness. I want you to hear from a few voters we spoke with outside this voting center
04:07in Huntington Beach this morning about their desire to see change in this election. Take a listen.
04:13I would say this is a really important year. I mean, people obviously want to change when they
04:18voted for Trump. They didn't get exactly what they thought they would get on some issues. So I
04:22think Republicans and Democrats are both split. The parties are splitting. I think it'll be
04:27interesting to see what comes out of this midterm election. Ridiculous. About 70 candidates or
04:32something almost. 61. Yeah. Jeez, that was insane. I can't believe that. Why do you think it? Why do you
04:38think there were so many people? Good question. I guess everybody wants change.
04:44Now, notably, Chris, Governor Gavin Newsom has endorsed Karen Bass's re-election bid in the Los
04:50Angeles mayoral race, but so far he hasn't endorsed a successor in the governor's race. Chris?
04:55Jillian Frankel, thank you for that. Turning now to the Iran war, where President Trump says Israel and
05:01Hezbollah have agreed to dial back the fighting. MS Now's Inzamam Rashid joins us now. What does all
05:08this mean for the broader war? Do we know, Inzamam? Well, Chris, we're effectively in a situation now
05:14where Iran is trying to bring the war in Lebanon to the very center of this whole conflict by saying
05:20that effectively we're not going to create a deal with the U.S. until the fighting inside Lebanon
05:25has ended. That was their stance yesterday. That was the message that was coming outside of Tehran.
05:31And then we had a pretty feisty phone call between the president and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
05:38where Axios reporting that that was a pretty heated phone call in which the president told Benjamin
05:43Netanyahu to dial down his major raid that he was planning inside of the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
05:50But today, once again, we've seen violations of that ceasefire, Chris, with Hezbollah launching rockets
05:56and missiles into northern Israel and the Israeli military bombarding many parts of southern Lebanon
06:03once again. And I think that's a huge cause for concern. There may be one bit of light,
06:08bit of positivity, which may have come late last night with the Iranian foreign ministry having a phone
06:14conversation with the Pakistanis. Remember, the mediators, the negotiators in all of this,
06:20which basically gives us a signal that maybe there is still a dialogue very much open between Iran and
06:26Pakistan to have communication with the U.S. I just want to tell you what the Iranian deputy foreign
06:32minister had said today in a tweet. He said that in this regard, the U.S. president's claim of having
06:37dissuaded Netanyahu from launching a major attack on Beirut is more than a sign of Washington peace
06:43seeking confirmation of America's direct role in managing the Zionist regime aggression. If the decision to
06:49attack the capital of an independent state can be changed with a single phone call, the main question
06:54is, why did months of ceasefire violations, aggressions against Lebanon, the displacement of
06:59its people and threats to its country's sovereignty continue unabated? I think that gives you a sense
07:04that, yes, they've accepted that President Trump has managed to dissuade Netanyahu in the attacks inside
07:11Lebanon, and they're grateful for that, clearly. But also, the big question is, why did this not happen
07:16sooner? And if it did, then maybe we could have got a deal over the line. Just after this message
07:21from
07:22the deputy foreign minister inside Iran, Iranian state media started reporting that Iran is now
07:28looking at the U.S. proposal for this MOU, for this framework, to get it over the line. That's even
07:35whilst all this distrust is very much in the air. Chris. Inzimam Rashid, thank you. Let's go to Capitol
07:41Hill now, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified for the first time since the Iran war
07:45began. And that's now as Ali Vitale is there for us. So what did you make of the testimony?
07:53I think no news, Chris, but frankly, it seemed like it might have been on purpose because the
07:57goal the Secretary of State likely came here with was not to get ahead of the president on the Iran
08:03negotiations, on the state of play between Lebanon and Israel, the state of play between Israel
08:07and the U.S. Instead, parrying lines of question that really fell along partisan lines. You had
08:13Republicans really flaunting and approving of what the administration has done in multiple places
08:17on the world stage, while Democrats, including Senator Tammy Duckworth, talked about the ways
08:23that this administration has been active in foreign affairs in ways that Democrats have not been
08:28supportive of. I'll play for you, for example, Senator Duckworth's exchange with Secretary Rubio.
08:33Watch. Frankly, this administration insists on using military force as a first resort instead of
08:39a last resort, no matter the deadly cause of self-defeating impacts. Your budget request here
08:45would sadly perpetuate that trend. I can give you list after list of places that where we have had an
08:49impact in either de-escalating crisis before it started or ending active wars. And I'm very proud
08:54of the work that we've done in that regard, some of which haven't even been publicly discussed in
08:58some cases because they weren't high profile. I also have to say it was striking. At one point,
09:04Rubio was sparring with Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, talking about the ways that Rubio said the
09:10war in Iran was over. Booker countered that it is not. Certainly, this is one of the things that
09:14the administration is dealing with. As they try to find an end to this conflict, a tenuous ceasefire
09:20remains in place. And we've seen skirmishes and missiles being fired back and forth between the U.S.
09:26and Iran as that ceasefire continues to hold. But negotiations seem at a stalemate. So we'll see
09:32what Rubio says, Chris, in his coming hearings, both today and tomorrow. I did want to take a
09:38point of personal privilege, though, basically every day for your show. And I've so loved getting to be
09:43a part of Chris Jensen reports. But I also love that our viewers now get a chance to see Chris
09:49Jensen
09:49do more reporting, being in the field. And I also hope, selfishly, that that means more time for you and
09:54I
09:54to be in person together, not just always meeting like this, my friend.
09:59Exactly what I was going to say. I'll see you out on the trail, my friend, not just at 5
10:03a.m.,
10:04which is when I often see you. Love you, Ali. Thank you. Coming up in 90 seconds,
10:09the presidential priorities that just aren't happening. Is Donald Trump's political power
10:15crumbling? Donald Trump's political world appears to be falling apart. A fund for his
10:26political supporters seems to be failing. His self-proclaimed legendary negotiating skills
10:32are failing him, too, unable to produce anything but confusion in Iran. His planned party to celebrate
10:38the nation's 250th birthday with famous musical acts, failed to hold on to the talent. And there's
10:45his biggest political failure, not delivering in any way on the key promise that got him elected.
10:53Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again.
10:59I will end the devastating inflation crisis immediately, bring down interest rates and lower
11:04the cost of energy. A vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper. We're going to bring
11:10those prices way down. And the headlines now have been brutal, chronicling the unraveling of Trump's
11:18plans. Plus, his efforts to remake D.C. from the ballroom to the Arch to the Kennedy Center are all
11:24being fought. So with Congress back in town, what's Trump's next move? And does he have any political
11:30capital to save what's left of his agenda? MSNOW's Michael Schnell is on Capitol Hill for us.
11:36Susan Glasser is staff writer for The New Yorker. Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for
11:40The New York Times and an MSNOW contributor. Peter, to me, the simple question is what happened?
11:47Trump came into this presidency with momentum. He won every battleground state. I mean, is this just a
11:52bad week or a couple of weeks for Trump? Or are we seeing, you think, a culmination of events and
11:58a
11:58real sign that his grip is weakening? Well, that's the real question, right? We've had multiple times
12:05in the last 10 years that he's been on the stage where people thought, aha, this is the moment he
12:09begins to fall from grace. This is the moment when he begins to lose his grip on power. The Republicans
12:14are starting to turn on him and he's gone too far this time. Whether this is the actual time that
12:21happens
12:21is still up in the air. I mean, look how powerfully he won those primaries in recent weeks
12:26against John Cornyn, against Bill Cassidy and the Indiana state legislative races, he still has a grip
12:32on his party's base. And that's important for him. He does not have a grip on the general public. Polls
12:38make very clear the general public is not very happy with him. He is one of the most unpopular
12:43presidents at this point that we've seen. And he has lost every general election. His party has lost every
12:49general election or at least seen dramatic movement to the Democratic side in terms of votes since then,
12:54all of which seems a presage, a pretty tough midterm ahead for Republicans. So Republicans
12:58are looking ahead. They're looking ahead because he's not going to be on the ballot. They're going
13:01to be on the ballot. And with these primaries largely over, they're thinking, what do we need
13:05to do to survive? One thing they need to do to survive, in some cases they believe, is take distance
13:10from some of the more controversial decisions like the ballroom and like this $1.8 billion fund for his
13:15allies. Which leads to the obvious question, Susan, how much of what Trump has, political power,
13:22however you rate it, comes from the fact that he has been willing to use the power of the presidency
13:29in ways we've never seen before? Yeah, that's right. I mean, part of what Donald Trump has
13:35pursued, I would say, in his second term is a sort of like, stop me if you can, catch me
13:41if you can
13:42approach to expanding the powers of the presidency, doing things that seemed unthinkable before.
13:48You know, right here we are living in Washington. One day we woke up and the East Wing of the
13:54White
13:55House was demolished. You know, one day a truck showed up and put Donald Trump's name on the
14:01John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. And, you know, over time, judges get their say,
14:08but facts on the ground matter too. And that's what I think Trump learned in his career before he
14:15entered politics. Now, interestingly, in the Senate right now, you have the short term consequence of
14:21Donald Trump going for party loyalty in these primaries at the expense of possibly his party's
14:28prospects in November, because you have a bunch of pissed off senators who are no longer going to be
14:33around except for the next few months. And fascinating that even with the public climb down
14:39on this $1.8 billion fund that his critics, including many Republicans, are calling a slush
14:46fund. What I'm hearing today, listening to Republican senators asked by reporters, they're
14:51still dubious. It shows you how they could have resisted before had they chosen to. And that's
14:58what's so remarkable. You know, they chose to suck up to Trump. And in the end, it was never enough
15:03for him. And here they are after the fact saying, well, gee, you know, that looks like a slush fund.
15:08That looks corrupt. They could have been saying that all along, but they weren't because they
15:12feared Trump's power. Which brings me to the person who spends all day every day on the Hill,
15:18Michael, where does the appetite seem to stand on Capitol Hill right now to continue to defend
15:23Trump's priorities that clearly are unpopular with a wide swath of the American people?
15:30Yeah, Chris, that appetite is certainly decreasing. Look, we saw the Republican concerns and the pushback
15:35for the security funding for President Trump's East Wing ballroom at the end of the day.
15:40That was stripped from the bill. And then we saw in the Senate a war powers resolution to curtail
15:45the president's authority in Iran. That advanced. And in the House, it's on track to be adopted later
15:51this week. And now we have this anti-weaponization fund. And for weeks, we had seen criticism from
15:57Republicans, both publicly and behind the scenes with Todd Blanche, pushing back on it and urging the
16:02administration to stand down. In the end, the administration said that this was dead and that
16:07they would follow the DOJ said it would follow the court opinion. But as was mentioned, that's not
16:12enough for some of these Republicans. They want more. They don't just trust that the White House
16:17has said this is over. Some of them want to see legislation, law, that prevents this project from
16:23ever being resurrected. In fact, Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican in the House, he's vowing to
16:28force legislation on this. And some Republicans are signaling that they could support legislation
16:33as well, particularly in the Senate. Where we are right now is that if Republicans or when
16:38Republicans move forward with reconciliation, remember, that's the package to approve ICE and
16:43Border Patrol funding. We're going to enter what's known as a voterama. And that means that senators can
16:48introduce as many amendments as they want, force votes on them on a number of different topics.
16:53We've heard from several Democrats, including minority leader Chuck Schumer, who say they are going to
16:58introduce amendment after amendment after amendment to try and block this slush fund,
17:03this anti-weaponization fund from ever being law and ever being held up. Even John Thune has
17:08recognized the reality that folks are going to be put on the record on this very soon. Take a listen
17:13to the Senate majority leader. I'm sure the Democrats are going to give us an opportunity to vote on lots
17:18of different amendment ideas. But I think if the administration effectively shuts it down,
17:26makes that very, very clear, then that to me should answer the question.
17:34Again, Chris, though, those words for the administration are not enough for a number of
17:38these Republicans up here. I was speaking to a number of Senate Republicans yesterday,
17:42asking them about that DOJ statement, saying they would follow the courts. They said, well,
17:46that's not enough. The court order was essentially a two week pause. They want more information.
17:51When I asked them if they'd support any of those amendments to block this from ever becoming law
17:55and ever being held up, some of them said they would consider it. So Susan, this settlement fund,
18:01boy, it seems to be in a different category than a lot of stuff that we've seen from Trump,
18:06where there has been widespread voter pushback. What are you watching for to see if this has to go into
18:12a full on retreat? Well, again, you know, it's a test of those Republican senators. And do they
18:19have the spine or not? I saw a couple of them quoted, I guess, coming out of meetings today on
18:24Capitol Hill, a couple of Republicans, John Curtis, I think it was maybe Tom Tillis saying, well,
18:30is it dead or is it only mostly dead? And, you know, they want it to be dead. The question
18:36is,
18:37are they willing to stand up and actually make it happen again and again and again? Trump has signaled
18:42that he's going to push them as far as he possibly can. I found it interesting, though. Donald Trump
18:48doesn't like to climb down. Very interesting that the hours after he made what looked like a public
18:55climb down on this almost $2 billion fund, here he was escalating on another front, which is a totally
19:03Trumpian move and suggesting that he's going to nominate the totally unqualified head of federal
19:10mortgages to be the new director of national intelligence. An escalation, perhaps, to mask a
19:17retreat on another front. Michael Schnell and Susan Glasser, thank you both. Peter, please stay with us.
19:24I do want to show folks what's going on right now. As you see in the White House briefing room,
19:29it's Dr. Oz, who's the administrator of Medicare and Medicaid. So we've got our producers listening
19:34in. If he makes any news, we will bring it to you. But up next, how today's Iowa primaries could
19:40send
19:41a signal to Democratic candidates about November's strategy. What works?
19:50Right now, voters are headed to the polls for primary elections in Iowa, a state that is controlled
19:55at every level by Republicans. Now Democrats are looking to change that, coalescing around
20:01gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand. And in the race for U.S. Senate, two state lawmakers are battling
20:07for the chance to flip the seat blue. MSNOW's Alex Tabbitt is in Des Moines, Iowa for us. Also with
20:13me,
20:13Basil Smichel, MSNOW political analyst and professor at Columbia University. Of Basil, both of the Democrats in
20:20the Senate primary are running as Washington outsiders. That's what they call themselves.
20:24Are they right about not just that state, but generally in this environment, what red state
20:32folks are looking for? Well, Democrats have been successful at if they've been outsiders and been
20:37anti-establishment. So have you seen candidates in this race run against Chuck Schumer, for example,
20:44and sort of use a lot of language saying that the Democrats in Washington have failed?
20:48So there's a question as to whether or not there's still persuasion left in the electorate,
20:52right? That people aren't so polarized. And I think that's what both those candidates,
20:56in particular, is banking on. But there's still an opportunity to persuade, even if you're not
21:02creating the stark contrast that a lot of voters do want. So if there is an attempt to reconstitute
21:09the Obama coalition, this is a very important place to try to make that happen because it's a
21:15somewhat conservative state. But you have a lot of working class voters and a lot of people that,
21:20you know, again, because of the Obama experiment and success there in 08 or in 08, says that, you
21:28know, maybe we could we could start to reframe this from this vantage point.
21:31And a lot of farmers who have been hit hard by Trump's tariffs in the Iran war.
21:35According to audio that was obtained by Politico, the GOP frontrunner in the Senate race who has
21:40Trump's endorsement, admitted last week, the war will become a political liability if it drags on.
21:46But here's what she told my colleague just yesterday.
21:51Given fertilizer prices, gas prices in this state, do you believe that President Trump's influence
21:56has waned here at all? And why should voters, why should Iowans trust the Republican Party right now?
22:02Well, let me say this. American farmers sent President Trump back to the White House because
22:05they knew he was the only one who could work toward leveling the playing field for them.
22:11But that was then.
22:12That was then.
22:13Stuff has happened since then. Claire McCaskill and I were talking about the fact that in places
22:18like there, like in Ohio, in Ohio, in Missouri, in places where there are large rural areas,
22:25Democrats may have an opportunity. How do they take advantage of it?
22:29Well, I think they can talk about the cost of chaos, right? That Trump's chaos has cost
22:34them. It's cost farmers resources. It's cost them valuable time. And the reality is,
22:43you know, and you talked about this in your last segment, Donald Trump's done well in terms of
22:47controlling his party, but he doesn't have a lot of appeal outside of that. And what Democrats have
22:52to be able to do is say, look, there's a cost to his chaos. Things are becoming more and more
22:57expensive, whether it's gas prices or childcare. All of the things that structurally make you a family,
23:04that make you whole, that make you the farmer that you've wanted to be, and that perhaps you
23:08inherited from your father and grandfather or family. You know, all of those things that make
23:13you who you are, the kind of identity politics that we don't talk about as much. You can't engage
23:21any of that because of Donald Trump's policies. So I do think there's that opening. The question for
23:26any of the candidates is, well, if you're going to have these conversations, you know, to what extent
23:33do you do you sort of privilege electability over the ideology? There you go. So Alex,
23:39Cook political report labeled the governor's race a toss up. What can you tell us about what you
23:44observed as this race is shaping up? Well, Chris, this gubernatorial race is the talk of the town here.
23:51We are at an assisted living facility in Des Moines, Iowa. There are about 300 elderly Iowans
23:57who live here, who are taking breaks in between bingo and in between aerobics classes, water aerobics
24:04classes to come vote. And that is because Iowans take democracy seriously here. They come to their
24:12polling location. And back in 2024, 74% of Iowans participated in that presidential election.
24:19And we're seeing huge turnout here once again. As for the gubernatorial race right now,
24:24on the Democratic side, we're seeing unity in this primary. There's only one candidate.
24:28It's Rob Sand. He's the state auditor here in Iowa. But on the Republican side,
24:33we've seen some fracturing. There are about five different major candidates. It was a toss up who
24:38it was going to be that is going to clinch this nomination today until President Trump endorsed at
24:44the 11th hour. Randy Feenstar, a representative from Northwest Iowa. Now, we talked to Rob Sand,
24:52the presumptive Democratic nominee, about his race and who he's looking to match up against. I want
24:57you to hear what he had to say.
25:01I feel pretty comfortable saying that we can beat anybody that they put against us.
25:06I think most Iowans recognize that the state's going in the wrong direction and that they're
25:11ready for change. Tariffs have been terrible for the state of Iowa. And yet everybody on the other
25:16side, all the politicians that are only supposed to be representing the state of Iowa are trying
25:21to convince people that there's a new golden age right around the corner. Democrats are going to
25:27have an uphill battle here in Iowa. There are 200,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats
25:32here in this state. But Rob Sand is convinced that the national headwinds facing the Republican Party
25:39in a state like Iowa, given the diesel prices, given the fertilizer prices, they might give Iowa its
25:46first Democratic governor since 2011. Chris. Thank you so much for that. It's really interesting
25:51to me as well. And by the way, who wouldn't want to vote when it's like, you know, 20 feet
25:56from where
25:56you're having lunch. That's that's great for them. But you've got two candidates, one backed by MAGA,
26:02the president, one backed by Maha, make America healthy again. What do you make of that split?
26:08Yeah, it well, it does, as has been a reporting, talk about this sort of break within within the
26:14Republican Party. But as I said before, Donald Trump's got a really strong hold on his party
26:17right now. And there are a lot of voters that and I've been saying this, Republicans are going to vote
26:22for Republicans. That's they've said that the real issue here is the independence. Is there any
26:29movement? Is there any persuasion among the independents? So I imagine that Donald Trump,
26:33because of the hold he has on the party, that the sort of MAGA wing of that party is still
26:38going to
26:38win. However, it also does present an opportunity for Democrats. I know the state like Iowa was very
26:43difficult, but it presents an opportunity for Democrats because you can run then against
26:48Donald Trump and use every candidate that he's brought to office against him. There is no sort
26:54of party autonomy at the state level that some Republicans and Democrats used to be able to
27:00enjoy. For Republicans, it is it is one party that is led by Donald Trump.
27:05Basil Smeichel, always great to see you, my friend.
27:07Pleasure is mine.
27:07Thank you. And up next, is President Trump putting loyalty over experience for one of the most
27:13important national security posts in his cabinet.
27:20President Trump's head of the Housing Finance Agency is now taking on a second role
27:25as acting director of national intelligence. Bill Pulte will replace Tulsi Gabbard.
27:31As housing finance director, Pulte made criminal referrals for mortgage fraud against Letitia James,
27:36Senator Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, some of the president's perceived political enemies.
27:41Critics say his sudden elevation is the sign of Trump prioritizing loyalty over a traditional
27:47resume. Pulte has no known relevant national security experience. This is what vice chair
27:53of the Senate Intelligence Committee had to say about that.
27:58I believe it puts the country at risk. I think it puts Americans at risk.
28:02And the audacity, he doesn't even have no intelligence background. He's got no national
28:08security background. If you politicize intelligence, you end up in wars, you end up being less secure.
28:17Peter, Trump posted on, I should say Peter Baker's back with me.
28:21Peter, Trump posted on Truth Social that Pulte has, quote, deep experience managing the most
28:27sensitive matters in America. And the law, I think, right, requires the DNI director to have extensive
28:36national security experience. But does he?
28:40No. The third answer is no. Look, there have been so many head spinners in President Trump's
28:45choices for various high level positions. But this is certainly up there among the most head
28:51spinning. This this guy, Bill Pulte, he has spent a career building cookie cutter townhouses
28:56that usually isn't the pathway to the nation's top secrets to managing, you know, the 18 different
29:03spy agencies that the federal government still has. That's that's such an unusual to say the least
29:10unconventional and orthodox. You pick the word choice that you have to wonder, OK, what's this
29:15really about? Because obviously you're not picking him for his deep experience in national security,
29:20not picking him because he understands how espionage works or how any of this stuff work.
29:25You're picking him because what has he done in this administration? This term, he has been the
29:29president's attack dog. He has been the person who has been combing through housing files looking for
29:34ways to go after the president's enemies like Letitia James, like Adam Schiff, like Lisa Cook,
29:39the Federal Reserve governor, all three of whom got caught up in allegations of whether or not they
29:45had properly filled out some mortgage documents or not. Letitia James, they brought her to try bringing
29:52her to court on this. And even a grand jury was normally, you know, signs off on anything. A prosecutor
29:57does says, no, this is ridiculous. It's too thin. We're not going to do it. So that's who Bill Poulter
30:01is. He's been the person the president's relied on to be his, you know, right hand and going after
30:07his enemies, not somebody who has any deep understanding of national security or any
30:12understanding of national security at all, as far as we can tell. And he's keeping his current job.
30:16I mean, look, he's not the first person in this administration to hold more than one
30:20what would normally be full time job. But is this a sign that at this stage of its presidency,
30:26Donald Trump's circle of his most loyal people that he wants to have around him is getting smaller?
30:32Yeah, he doesn't seem to trust very many people, right? So he trusted Tulsi Gabbard
30:36to be the DNI. And he obviously came to the conclusion that that wasn't the right choice for
30:40him. He's made other choices that he has clearly regretted. And you're right. So he picks the people
30:46that he feels most dependent on, most reliant on to fill jobs, whether they're qualified for them or
30:52not. At one point, Marco Rubio had four different jobs, I think, Secretary of State, now Security
30:57Advisor, a couple others. I think he's now finally began to move on, still has those two rather big
31:02ones. And it is a sign, I think, that there aren't that many people who fit the Venn diagram of
31:07Trump
31:08loyalists, super loyalists, have any kind of competence in the area in which they are being
31:13asked to oversee and somebody who will serve the president's interests in the way he feels
31:20most comfortable. So I think you're right to say this is a sign of where we are at this stage
31:25of
31:25his second term. We have about 30 seconds left, but we heard what Senator Warner said. Would you
31:30expect pushback from Republicans? You're starting to hear it from Republicans. People like John Cornyn
31:35just said, I don't know what is qualified. I don't know that there is any qualifications for him,
31:38he said. Senator James Langford, a couple other Republicans have also expressed concern. But
31:42since he's only going to be the acting and not submitted for confirmations, at least not that
31:47we know of at this point, they only have so much power over this. They're not going to have an
31:51opportunity to vote on a confirmation, it looks like, at this point. Peter Baker, always great to
31:56have you on the program. Thank you. After the break. Oh, I love you. I always love working with
32:03you. I love you too. I'm also going to say, I'm reading Theo's book. It's so good. His son has
32:10a
32:10bestselling book. Okay. Moving on. Thank you. Thank you. Maybe I'll see you out there. Who knows?
32:17Maybe they'll let you leave the White House for a little bit. Thank you. It means the world.
32:22After the break, incumbent Democrats are being put to the test in today's primaries.
32:27Who will win in the race between moderates and progressives?
32:36Today, the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party is on full display. In six states,
32:42Democratic voters are not only choosing who should represent them, but what kind of party they want
32:47moving forward? Nowhere is that fight more visible than California, where several long-time
32:52incumbents are facing younger challengers who argue that it's time for a new generation of leadership.
32:58Joining us now, Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and an MSNOW political analyst,
33:03and Alicia Menendez, co-host of MSNOW's The Weeknight, soon to be host of On the Line with Alicia Menendez.
33:11Such an exciting day to have you both here in person. Eugene, some of these races are being framed,
33:16simply progressive versus moderate. But is it really about a new generation of Democrats who
33:23say it's time to get rid of the old guard? Yeah, I mean, there's some progressive versus
33:28moderate, but I think it's, for the most part, it's new generation versus old generation. I just
33:34think people, you know, this political class, this ruling political class is not seen by the country
33:41to have done a very good job. And this ruling class of the Democratic Party is seen to have allowed
33:51Donald Trump to be elected twice. I mean, you know, just to put it harshly. And so, yeah, I think
33:58people
33:58are ready to turn a page. And I think being an experienced incumbent is probably a liability right
34:05now. And that's exactly the message we've heard from David Hogg. Many people know him. He was a gun
34:09control activist. He's been basically going around the country in different districts and saying,
34:15listen, it's time to get rid of the old guard. It's time to have fresh voices, fresh ideas.
34:22I don't know. Do you think that what happens in California, particularly with the three races,
34:27where you see people in their 70s and 80s versus people at their age, that's going to give us some
34:32clues? Yeah, I mean, I think I think we're going to learn a lot tonight about where this generational
34:37fight is headed, whether that argument in and of itself is enough to move primary voters.
34:43I don't know about you, Eugene, but most of the Democrats I've spoken to say, yes, there are these
34:48dividing lines, but they are largely unified tonight in the effort to turn the page on Donald Trump.
34:56And if there is a tension, it's this question of how best to do that. But you look at a
35:01state like
35:02Texas, and they're really running what I would call a patchwork of candidates in the Rio Grande
35:07Valley. There are some more moderate, some might even say conservative candidates, the Democrats think
35:12are what's going to be necessary in order to win there. And then throughout the state, there are some
35:17much more progressive candidates who can win in some of those very blue districts. And so it is,
35:23I think tonight, we have to be careful to not extrapolate too much out to what this means.
35:29For Democrats, what a concept, running an appropriate candidate in the appropriate district.
35:35All politics is local. It depends on where you are, knowing you're on it.
35:38No, and it has to. It has to, because, you know, there are districts in California that
35:44are not the same as those in Iowa, you know, and in one part of California, they're different from
35:50another part of California. So the candidates ought to be different, too.
35:53My big question, too, is why Republicans are not having this same battle for the soul of their party,
35:59right? Like as much energy as there is on the Democratic side.
36:03Because they sold it.
36:04Correct.
36:04They sold it.
36:05Correct. And I think if we're talking about turning the page, the limitation of what we're going to see
36:09tonight is that the reckoning is not happening where it really needs to happen.
36:14Where does it need to happen specifically?
36:17It would need to be in those Republican primaries.
36:19I mean, there would have to be people who were willing to run, even if they're not going
36:24to win. And almost more to the point behind the scenes, there now has to be money that
36:29is spilling in in the effort to present an alternative to what Trumpism has wrought.
36:36You could argue that a lot of, I think, what we're seeing today stems from the party's loss,
36:40meaning the Democratic Party's loss is in 2024. And now former First Lady Jill Biden is out.
36:46She's got a book, right? And she's on TV. She's promoting it, including on this network.
36:51And she talks about the tough decision, which was, does her husband continue to run?
36:56Here's what she said.
36:59Do you continue on or does the president now regret dropping out of the race?
37:04You know, I, I would never want anyone I loved to go through that again.
37:12But does he believe to this day that he would have defeated Donald Trump in that election?
37:16I believe he would have beat Donald Trump in that election.
37:20We have heard you, Gene, more than a few Democrats quietly saying,
37:24why do we have to, you know, bring this back? But, but does it hurt? I mean,
37:29it doesn't make it more difficult for them to pivot to a future looking message.
37:34I think not really. I mean, I look, I think everyone understands why
37:38the former First Lady would think that way. She loves her husband and she has always supported him.
37:46And I understand that why they would think that they would have prevailed in the election.
37:51I don't think anybody else thinks that. I don't think, you know, most political
37:55servers think that. Certainly most Democrats don't think that. But, you know, give them,
38:02you know, give them their grace. Give them the, and, and because I, you know, I guess if I were
38:09in
38:09the same situation, I might believe the same thing.
38:11Yes. No, I was going to say for all the voters that we talked to,
38:14I haven't heard anybody bring up that that's the number one thing on their mind for sure.
38:18When we wake up tomorrow morning and understanding we may not have the results that we would like
38:23to have in California, just because it takes them a while with all the mail-in votes.
38:27What's the one thing you're really going to be watching tonight in California specifically or
38:31anywhere? What's the one race or one in California specifically, I think it was interesting,
38:37especially talking to people who are based in Los Angeles. They are living a particularly cute
38:42version of the reality that we share as Americans, which is they lived through those
38:46awful fires. People's homes are still being rebuilt. They are living, have lived through
38:51the immigration raids. We're about at about a year anniversary of those immigration raids. As
38:56someone said to me, you have a huge part of the community and populace of LA that has just
39:01been goodbyed and gone missing. And so I am eager to see, does that show up as malaise or
39:06does that show up as energy at the polls? So speaking of turning the page, I'm heading
39:16to the campaign trail. Well, first I'm going to do a little vacation, which was long planned
39:21and I basically can't get out at this point, but you are going to be picking up the reins.
39:28We're excited. Tell us about the show. All right. Well, you have not cried. So no,
39:31I will endeavor to do the same. This is such a, this is such a full circle moment. Jansing
39:38and company was one of the first television shows on MS, one of your many shows that I
39:43ever got to be a guest on. And I remember one day we're sitting on set like this and
39:48there was breaking news and they whisked you away from the main set to a side set. And one
39:53of your producers who knew that I very much aspired to host a new show, got in my ear and
39:58said, watch everything she does, study everything she does. There is no one better than Chris
40:05Jansing. And to have a front seat to the rigor of your preparation, to the standard of excellence
40:12that you hold yourself to, and then your ability to turn on a dime. The minute the news requires
40:18that in the service of your audience is something that I am so grateful that in your new role as
40:23chief political reporter, I am going to get to continue to do. Um, but mostly I love that you
40:28come to this with a heart of service and that that follows in the faith tradition. We share
40:32that you see this as a public good and a public service. And in this moment, we have never needed
40:37that type of journalism more. So thank you. Thank you for being such a bright light.
40:41I was just going to quote Carly Simon. Nobody does it better. Nobody, nobody, hosting, hosting a live
40:49television news show is hard and no one has ever done it with more skill, with more precision,
40:55with more accuracy, with more grace than you have. So I just want to thank you for being my host
41:03all
41:03these many times. And I had a lovely time. I had a lovely, lovely time. It's not, you two are
41:09going
41:09to see each other all across the campaign trail. We will, we will. Well, that's true. Maybe we'll get
41:15out there with us. I hope so. Wouldn't that be fun? Thank you both. I'm so thrilled that you agreed
41:19to be on my final show. Appreciate it. Thank you. Make sure to watch. It's called On the Line,
41:25Alicia Menendez. It will debut Monday, June 15th, noon to 2 p.m. Eastern, right here on MSNOW.
41:30You're taking a big chunk of my staff. You lucky. The best. I know. They're so good. Thanks to them.
41:37Thanks to you. Katie Ter Reports is next.
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