good evening, and welcome to ayman. tonight, accountability and donald trump. him and his team are due in court this week, decision decided on his january 6th case by arguing he's immune from being prosecuted for the very mess that he made. also tonight, we found

something rare on capitol hill, bipartisanship. both parties have agreed on numbers to fund the government. but can they pass it before a shutdown ensues later this month? and, florida republicans think they can own the libs by naming a new law after the vice president that mandates which truths teachers can tell in the classrooms. i'm charles coleman junior, in for my friend ayman mohyeldi, and we've got a lot to talk about. let's get started. ♪ ♪ ♪ keep your eyes on donald trump this week, for at least try to. this guy is about to redefine what it is to be on the move. tuesday, his legal team will attempt to dock accountability for trump's role in trying to overturn the election that he clearly lost, as well as for his rhetoric and his inaction surrounding the capitol attack.

in federal court, trump's lawyers will try to convince a three judge panel that trump is immune from prosecution. now, this trial was supposed to kick off on march 4th, but is temporarily on hold. there is a ton to follow regarding trump's legal peril, and you know there's a lot coming up. but before we go there, let's remind ourselves how we got there. in august, special counsel jack smith brought a four count indictment against trump, including charges he conspired to defraud the united states and prevented the peaceful transfer of power to present biden. and it wasn't long after he pled not guilty thathis lawyers began citing presidential immunity, presidential immunity, in hopes ofetng the entire case dismissed. they first filed claims back in october, arguing that trump has absolute immunity for criminal prosecution for actions that were performed within the, quote, outer perimeter of his official duties as president. and then in december, judge tanya chutkan rejected trump's claims, ruling, quote, former

presidents do not possess absolute federal criminal immunity for any acts committed while in office. trump appealed that ruling and judge chutkan paused the proceedings. concerned about a major delay, jack smith and then asked the united states court to intervene. but the supreme court denied fast-tracking it and instead sent the issue back to the u.s. court of appeals. and that's where we are now. it's important to note that in the the high court refused to quickly rule on the issue, the justices themselves might as well be taking up the case sooner than later anyway. and that's because if the appeals court turns down trump's immunity claims this, week he's likely going to appeal to the supreme court again. now, if it seems like we've seen some version of this movie before, while, it's because we kind of have. everything about where we are right now is a revisiting of trump's hallmark legal strategy, delay, delay, delay some more. the man is nothing if he isn't

consistent. but with this year's presidential election looming, this is, to put it mildly, deeply problematic. and the stakes could not be higher. in the 82 page filing to the d.c. court of appeals, the special counsel highlighted the severity of the dangers of what could happen if trump's immunity claims were to succeed. taking bribes for government contracts, telling the fbi to plant evidence on political enemies, using the national guard as personal muscle against political enemies, nuclear secrets on sale to foreign adversaries, smith says all of that is possible if any president is just allowed to skirt consequences for actual criminal behavior. and that is how we got here. but let's not forget at the foundation of it all is one thing, donald trump's actions. he's been moderately successful in convincing his base that these are the forces of evil, everybody on the right is out to get him from the deep state.

them and him, fine, i will give him that. when it comes to messaging and marketing, this guy is a wharton case study. he is a master of breaking things just so that he can look like a hero by trying to fix them. all of this chaos, this entire mess, it exists, and exists for one reason only, his own decisions. not his beliefs, not his policies, his own actions. that leads us to be the big question we have asked about him for years. and one that we must keep asking as he heads to court, and as we barrel towards the next election. what will it take for donald trump to realize that his own actions are truly the biggest enemies of them all? joining me now to unpack this is anthony coley, msnbc justice

and legal affairs analyst. he's also a former director at the office a public affairs of the department of justice. and also with us is my friend and colleague, jamie salas, super warrior msnbc legal analyst and criminal defense attorney. anthony, danny, good evening, so good to see you guys. good week coming up for the donald. he's going to be all over the place, courtrooms to campaigning, campaigning in a courtroom. what are you watching for, anthony, as this week kicks off? >> well, i think a couple of things. number one, trump is trying to delay this case for as long as he can with hope that you can get into the white house and the order dismissed, that's number one. the second thing he's trying to do, he's fighting in the court of public opinion. that's why he's going to attend this hearing in person on tuesday and presumably talk to the press and to the public afterwards. now, there's one thing that i do want to note, and i've heard this from some in the political commentary space, that he's jumping off the campaign trail to attend this hearing. that's not how i view it. i think he views this campaign

and these issues as inextricably linked. if anything, this is another stop on his campaign trail. in terms of this inextricable linkage, we are seeing this a lot in how he talks about these things on the campaign trail. he uses rhetoric where he says that i am being indicted because of you, or they are coming after you, i am just in the way. that is what he talks about, ad nauseam,. and i think that the bottom line here, charles, is that donald trump is trying to win no matter what, no matter how. for him, it is a no holds barred fight. i think that he is trying to, in your words, delay, delay, delay. he is also very adept at trying to use the court of public opinion to further sow disinformation, and to deceive the american people from -- and pull the wool over his eyes,

like he's done these last couple of years. >> i'm glad that you made that point, just to talk about the link between donald trump in court and donald trump on the campaign trail. for all intents and purposes, in many respects, he's using his activity in court as a campaign stop, because he has the bull horn, he has the microphone, the cameras are there. and danny, lawyer, lawyer, take the glasses off. talking street you, my friend. with that, in new york, for the civil trial, we saw a very vocal donald trump. he was talking about the proceedings, he was obviously talking about the court officials. do you expect to hear this same level of bravado from donald trump as we talk about the d.c. court of appeals? >> i really don't. i think even donald trump is likely to have a little bit more respect for a united states court of appeals. i did not even think about that possibility. certainly, he may come out on the courthouse steps and give a statement. i do not think that it is as likely that he will be quite as bold as he was with justice

engoron in the new york supreme court. remember, new york is kind of confusing. they call its lowest court supreme court. i know that you know, that but it can be very confusing. i have this theory that donald trump, because he is a longtime new yorker, i think that he had -- and somebody who left new york out of spite, i think that he had some kind of extra lack of respect for a state supreme court justice, and that is why he felt so emboldened to make the comments he did about justice engoron. maybe he felt like he was somehow safe in the city of new york. i just do not see even donald trump doing that, playing with fire when it comes to federal court houses and federal judges. whether they are circuit courts of appeals judges, or whether they be district court judges. these are also the same people that are going to decide his immunity claim. it is one thing for justice engoron in the united states supreme court to decide you're out of 1 million dollars, but it's another thing to anger the court of appeals judges who might be deciding his immunity from criminal prosecution. >> you've talked about courts

and levels, let's go high. in fact, let's go to the highest of the high. we do not believe, and i tend to agree with you, that donald trump is going to have as much rhetoric around his d.c. court of appeals case. but now we have the supreme court involved. we have the supreme court involved, potentially around the 14th amendment. we have heard whispers, and some rhetoric publicly, to his followers for the most part, about the fight that he went through to get kavanaugh on the bench. what is the strategy there? why are you talking about what you did to get supreme court justices seated before they are going to hear a case that will ultimately determine your future? what am i missing? >> is that a rhetorical question. you know the answer. he's probably talking about kavanaugh as if to say, hey, i helped you out, now help me out. at least that is what people are going to be saying about anything donald trump says about the supreme court justices that he had the responsibility for placing on the bench. >> is it smart?

>> it's not smart. look, it is not smart to talk about federal judges at all when you have a pending case. i'm trying to put on my trump rationale hat for a moment. in his mind, he thinks that whether or not they are public about it, they probably think that they owe him something for getting on to the bench. i don't know, in trump land, that may make sense. it does not make sense to a court that is so committed to being objective. and i include justice kavanaugh along with all of the other justices. chief justice roberts has made it a priority -- and i'm paraphrasing, but to bring back respect to the supreme court. i do not think that donald trump's goals are achieved by doing what he thinks it's helping him. >> this is the problem with donald trump, charles. he expects loyalty from anybody around him, and the fact of the matter is that judges swore an oath to the constitution, not to the man who appointed you. >> anthony, just a follow-up here, you have got the supreme court justices.

you are jack smith, you are seeing this. one thing that i want to ask you about, clarence thomas. is there any desire from the doj to see justice thomas recuse himself from these cases being heard? >> charles, clarence thomas has been causing problems since before he got on this court. the fact of the matter is that the ethics issues, the ethics rules before the court are -- they have no teeth. i do not expect you're going to see doj, with so many matters before the court, trying to encourage any justice to step back. should he? absolutely. will he? absolutely not. >> two of my absolute favorites right here to help us get started on this sunday evening, anthony coley, danny cevallos. thank you for joining me. still to come, the iowa caucuses are a week away, and it's what the republican candidates aren't doing on the campaign trail that we have to talk about.

but first, my friend richard louis is here with the day's headlines, and all of the big stories we are following. richard, how are you? >> charles, good to see you. some of the stories we're watching for. first, off secretary of state antony blinken in jordan today meeting with king abdullah and the minister of foreign affairs. blinken, reiterating the u. s. is opposed to enforcing the removal of palestinians, and is committed to a palestinian state. in the west bank today, seven people were killed in an attack carried out by the israeli military. this follows the heaviest day of fighting between hezbollah and the idf at the israel lebanon border to date. the idf claims that they dismantled hamas ' military infrastructure in northern gaza as well. they will now focus their military operations in the south. more than 22,700 people were killed in gaza since october 7th, exactly three months to this weekend. more ayman, right after this break. eak. so, we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it cleans better, and doesn't leave behind irritating residues.

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maybe consider choosing ron desantis as her running mate. the florida governor quickly shot that idea down. they've also begun to step up their attacks on trump, arguing that he should not be the party's nominee again while also whitewashing january 6th. haley, despite condemning trump's actions, has said that she would pardon him if he was convicted of a crime. while desantis has spent more energy chiding democrats and the media over january 6th and actually the man who started the right to begin with. and then there's long shot candidate vivek ramaswamy, remember him? while, he went even further, posting on x yesterday, quote, happy entrapment, day in reference to the three year anniversary of the capitol attack. joining me now is democratic strategist, our friend and brother, -- and tower set meyer, lincoln project senior advisor and former gop communications director. so good to have both of you here. tara, in my intro, i really

didn't list any actual issues that are being campaigned on. and that's probably because the only time they raised them is when they want to complain. are they missing an opportunity in terms of courting voters? what are the solutions to all of their grievances? >> while, there is no issues that the republican party really stands on, other than the sycophants of donald trump and trumpism. that's clear. because the way that everyone has run their race, it has been they talked around, that they've tried everything they can, other than to say donald trump is unfit for office, he wants to violate the constitution, he incited an insurrection, and he's a disgrace to our party. and is taking us away from what used to be republican orthodoxy. that's not the case anymore. no one cares about those issues. it's all about policing donald trump.

it's clear in the polling, it doesn't matter what nikki haley says, it doesn't matter what desantis says, it doesn't matter what chris christie -- it doesn't matter what any of them say. donald trump is going to be the nominee. he has been far and away the leader in all of the polls since before he announced. we predicted this at the lincoln project 1.5 years ago that donald trump would be the nominee. and they have not done what it takes to try to take him out, which would have been a unified message in the entire republican party say the guy is unqualified, this is why, because he's against our democracy, he doesn't represent american values, and he's a danger to the future of our democracy. but clearly, the republican party doesn't believe that anymore. they are falling in line who still support him. so all of this horror stories between nikki haley and desantis and christie all of them, it really is an exercise in futility. because they are going to lose badly to donald trump. it doesn't matter, he will be the nominee. >> in many respects, with what

tara just said, this is a race to second, if not a race altogether to the bottom. basil, it seems like the primary field on the right literally just realized that donald trump was in the race, because this entire time, they haven't been running against him, they've been running against each other, but they've not at all touched him. and this is the first time we're seeing these sort of love taps against donald trump as a potential candidate and the front runner. is this just a case of two little, too late? or does it even matter with respect to haley and desantis, because of donald trump's seemingly insurmountable lead? >> yeah, you know, i think to tara's point, there was a moment that sometime when the republican leadership, including these presidential candidates, could've come together and just collectively said we want somebody else on and then donald trump. it doesn't matter who, just somebody other than him. but that didn't really happen. chris christie was probably the

loudest and first and boldest to really speak on this, pretty much an island unto himself at this point as a result of that. but it is too little, too late. you could view, even just look at how donald trump's been talking on the campaign trail in the last few days. what he is doing is urging his supporters to go out and vote. what does that suggest? that there is an inevitability that is seeped in among the republican electorate that he will be the nominee, so much so that has to go out and remind people to go and caucus for him. so when you're at that point, it really is a breakdown in, to me, forget about just republican orthodoxy, but even campaign strategy, how do you differentiate from someone who you continuously support, up to and including saying that all of the things that we -- then he did that we don't, like will pardon them anyways. there's no accountability there. so it's just too little, too

late. i think the ship has sailed. and quite frankly, even in another time and another, you know earth two earth three where this would be a delicate race, we can't even have that conversation. because there is no race to be had. >> and that makes me wonder, you know, tara, i've got a little bit of a personal note here, i have a friend of mine who is a grumpy political hack, and i'm about to lose a bet to him because i, as many others, thought that ron desantis perhaps could be a formidable opponent for donald trump. and he was supposed to be the next gop superstar. we watched him wage war against nikki in florida, and he just seem like this is tough guy who was embodying everything about trump that people seem to like, with none of the baggage. how in the world did this dude flame out under the big lights? >> [laughter] charles, you have not been listening to us at the lincoln project. rick wilson and i have been

saying this since day one, that ron desantis had no chance. once people got to know him, they were not going to like him. he is very awkward, he's arrogant. and you know, he actually -- he doesn't like people. and that came across very quickly on the trail. you weren't the only one who fell with the okey dokey with ron desantis. there were lots of others in the republican party who said look what he did in florida, look at how much he won by, he's trump without the baggage, and that way he can keep this going, he can take a trump, he's younger. no, no, no. and desantis was -- i think his race, his campaign was over from the very beginning. and you saw all the problems. how many restarts did he have? you can't -- everyone knows that when you're in campaigns, when you start changing leadership only a few weeks into your campaign, and then the story start coming out, knives are out about who spent what, money and his wife is meddling in things, it was doomed from the beginning. and so, we kind of, reckon i

sit back and say we told you so, and we really told you so. this is gonna be an absolute embarrassment to ron desantis. he should've waited until 2028, perhaps. i don't know, you can't really buy a personality. so good luck, ron desantis. >> oh, i fell for the okey dokey. basil, really quickly, before we get out of here, the gop candidates, they were all in invited to participate in the -- iowa presidential forum. this is the country's oldest minority focused forum. and all the candidates, except ryan bailey, a long shot you never heard, of rejected the offer. what does this say about any their hosts in the general election to appeal to voters of color? >> so it's what you said, it has been quick, i will say quickly. if nikki haley can't even say the words slavery, it tells you everything you need to know about where these candidates are, how they feel about black and brown people in this country and whatever agenda they may have, it certainly does not include us. [laughter] and so, if even if they

attended and spoke wonderfully about whatever policies they may have for communities of color, i wouldn't buy it. >> basil and here are both sticking around, because we've got a lot more to talk. about coming up, next the house republican majority is shrinking even further. what does that mean for governing overall, but especially keeping the government funded past the january 19th deadline? there is more on ayman, after a short break. ter short break. that's why my go to is nurtec odt. it's the only migraine medication that can treat and prevent my attacks all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec. allergic reactions can occur even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion and stomach pain. now i'm in control. with nurtec odt i can treat a migraine attack and prevent one. talk to your doctor about nurtec today. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪

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state university. another one bites the dust. normally, a single lawmakers leaving capitol hill wouldn't even be that big of a deal. but recall that johnson's departure comes after the expulsion of everyone's favorite self made up man, former representative george santos, and former house speaker kevin mccarthy's retirement before the holidays. when you put all of these three departures together, it means that the gop and the house, their seat total is going to shrink to just a mere 2019. and that's just one seat more than the bare minimum necessary for a majority. of this has major implications for party leaders. not only will maga mike johnson and company have to walk a proverbial balance being to find the votes necessary in order to keep the government open an operational, but also secure funding for the border, israel, and ukraine. but this year, a magical shrinking will turn 2024 into a quote, barn burner, as put by

the wall street journal. gop leaders will have to be more pragmatic and more selective when choosing which sees to try to protect and to flip, especially when considering major redistricting plans in states like new york and wisconsin. our panel is back with me. i want to welcome basil smikle and tara setmayer. the thank you guys for sticking around. so basil, with this bill, johnson retirement, do you think that house republicans are having second thoughts about ousting george santos? >> [laughter] oh, i don't know if they're having second thoughts about ousting george santos, but i like the word you used in the lead up, which was selective. because in my view, they're going to have to engage in selective outrage. what are they going to be outraged by? what kind of protestation's are there going to be, particularly by the more extreme members of the house, if they try to essentially sabotage mike johnson's leadership? that -- he has a tremendous job ahead of a with, a very difficult job,

because he may have to start cutting deals with democrats just to be able to get things done. and that, obviously [laughter] didn't bode well for the last guy. [laughter] and so, it's interesting because, as you mentioned, new york, you know, there's a lot of attention here, obviously because the number of seats that democrats lost. but now, the number of seats that democrats have gained, including that santos seat, you know, so much attention is going to be here. this week, the democratic leaders here, he could be speaker if all things go according to plan their. but so is elise stefanik, also in new york. and it will be interesting to see what kind of leadership she takes in trying to build back some of that majority in new york and elsewhere. so interestingly, new york will be a bit of a battleground state where it normally is not. >> tara, we learned this week that represents steve scalise is having stem cell transplants as part of his blood cancer

treatment. so it's likely he will be out of washington for a time. and that could mean there is a period after bill johnson steps down that republicans will literally only have 218 lawmakers in the house. they won't be able to lose not one vote on legislation. do you think that leads to a log jam in congress in terms of just zero productivity coming off one of the least productive congresses we've had in history? or is it possible somehow, you know, use a new year, new york, is it possible that the republicans might use this as an opportunity to try to figure out how to get things done in a bipartisan way? >> when have the republicans ever done this in the last five years since they were -- six years? >> i just have to ask. >> i know. you know the answer to this. this is going to be an absolute disaster do nothing congress this year. first of all, a major election

year, presidential election year like this, congress doesn't get much done anyway, because everyone's fighting for the political life. this dysfunction in congress is at an all-time low. i mean, it's really remarkable. but what i caution my democratic friends right now, what i want to caution them about, do not get too comfortable in believing that, oh, this is going to be easy, republicans have been screwing this up, we are going to win the majority next year with the small numbers now with republicans. please do not take that for granted. a lot of things can happen. what democrats should be doing is focusing on the fact that republicans are completely incapable of governing, incapable of governing. they couldn't see elect a speaker. and then they did select a speaker. he didn't last year. and the new speaker they elected after a couple of rounds of people dropping in and out turns out to be a want to be commander in the hamas made tail, that has his positions that are detrimental to women, to rule of law.

they are insurrectionist sympathizers. they don't respect our constitution. and they want to turn this country into some christian nationalist extremist place, theocracy, that we do not as americans really want. they need to focus on the extremism of the republicans. you look at someone like stefanik, who basil just brought up, what a disgusting display on the sunday shows this morning where she talked about january 6th prisoners, january 6th felons as hostages. she made excuses for donald trump using the terms poisoning the blood of america concerning immigrants. she is baghdad bob in heels in her propaganda level of sycophant see when it comes to donald trump and his ilk. and here's someone in republican leadership and in new york, take advantage of. this i don't know the american people actually know how despicable these people are, the things they're saying, and when they plan to do. use that as they go into this election year with a full

aggression. pedal to the metal. there is no letting up on this, because i'm telling you right now, if the tables were turned, republicans would saddle every single democrat with the one or two extremist things that a couple of members say for the entire party. how do i know this? because we did in 2010 and was nancy pelosi, and used her as the villain. everything was about nancy pelosi, whether it mattered or, not it was extremism, progressive isn't. then it was the squad. do this now, and democrats can do that against republicans, because now it happens to be true. and american democracy and policies in this country are at stake, that i don't know if the american people are fully aware of what it would mean if the republicans remain in power. >> tara, i appreciate you taking the credit for that, because you absolutely did do it. >> we did. >> and it goes to something which i say a lot, which is democrats fumbled the bag because of a messaging problem. and you and basil smikle have done a wonderful job of laying out what they can do to overcome that come 2024.

thank you both. next up, congressman steve cohen on the new stunt that's been pulled by his colleague jim jordan. and what he makes of today's deal that could avert a government shutdown. i'm charles coleman junior and we have more on ayman right after a quick break. ter a quick break. ...a pop star,... ...and a tight end all have in common? they all got this season's updated covid-19 shot to help better protect them against recent variants. got it? ( ♪♪ ) got yours? hi, i'm jason. i've lost 228 pounds on golo. ♪ ( ♪♪ ) changing your habits is the only way that gets you to lose the weight. and golo is the plan that's going to help you do that. just take the first step, go to golo.com.

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golo isn't complicated. and a new fiber blend with a prebiotic. i don't have to follow a restrictive diet, and i don't have to spend a lot of time making meals. using golo was truly transformative. it was easy, and inexpensive. welcome back. your watching ayman on msnbc. i'm charles coleman junior, in for ayman mohyeldi tonight. now, in october, far-right republican and judiciary committee chairman jim jordan made a move that he seems to be pretty fond of. he decided to investigate the investigators. jordan launched an inquiry into investigation of conservative activists and federal suicide is -- federalist society founder leon art julio, and argued the original investigation into leo was politically motivated. it stemmed from an earlier report by political exposed how

leo moved tens of millions of dollars from a group affiliated with his nonprofit network to a for profit firm, after a watchdog filed a claim the d.c. attorney general brian schwab, the attorney general open an official probe. and then last, week jim jordan ran into a familiar problem. his request for information about the investigation was once again rejected. in a letter addressed to both him and congressman james comer, schwab wrote, quote, as you know, see, that's the park right there, when you hear that, that's when someone's letting you know that you know -- that you know better. as you know, congress as traditionally and responsibly refrain from requesting information from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies while potential pending investigations may be ongoing. you would think that jordan, by now, we basically know this. i mean, i guess there is

something to be said for persistence. the guy is on a hot streak of trying to weonize his position in government, only to have his efforts shot down time and time again. rememb, he went after manhattan attorney general albert bragged by demanding information about his ongoing case against donald trump. andhat did not work out so well for jordan either. bragg ultimately sued him in an effort to prent against further interference. the ohio republicans took the same approach after trump was indicted in georgia. again, launching an investigation into fulton county district attorney fani willis over what he claimed was collusion with the january 6th committee. willis dismissed his claims. i'm joined by democratic congressman steve cohen from tennessee, and house judiciary committee member. congressman, thank you, good evening. what do you make of jim jordan's approach here? i mean, what's his game plan? like, he's zero and, i don't

know, when it comes to the investigation of the investigation. but he keeps doing it. >> he's more of a politician that he is a lawyer. he did go to law, school but he never took the bar. so he hasn't practiced law or use what he might've learned law school. but it's obviously a separation of powers issue with the legislative -- rite aid if you are the judiciary. and especially in a situation where you have a legislative congress individual who is so close to trump, so close that trump gave him the presidential medal of freedom, which really demeaned the presidential medal of freedom, that should go to people like julian bond or harry belafonte, someone that -- does something courageous in police work or something like that. but regardless, he's not -- he does politically what trump wants him to do. and the judiciary committee is basically offering to try and help elect donald trump president, despite of the fact that he's not only being

defeated and lied about the election and participated in and insurrection and been impeached twice, been indicted, 91 times, i think. the republicans, they're all just genuflect-ing to him, and acting as charlie mccarthy's to their edward burgum's. >> congressman, i want to play something for you. he appeared on fox with maria bartiromo. let's take a listen, and then i want your reaction. >> if we pass it out, the committee nine passes to the full house, which i think we can do. then it goes to the justice department. that will be the attorney general's decision whether he's going to press charges. but if he does, it could be up to a year of jail time for failing to come and comply with a deposition for a subpoena, subpoena deposition, to -- buy congress. so this is serious stuff. >> this is serious stuff. now, i just want to make plain for all of our viewers, that was a quote, not about the

president joe biden, but about hunter biden and hunter biden's relationship with the subpoenas that have been issued to him from the judiciary committee in the house. but this is also the guy, jim jordan, who actually defy the subpoena from the january 6th committee. so congressman, what's your reaction to the level of hypocrisy that's now being displayed by jim jordan suddenly recognizing that congressional subpoenas are serious stuff? >> well, it's hypocrisy. it's also what is referred to in yiddish's hot spot to be able to claim such a thing when you did not comply with the subpoena that is issued to you by the january 6th committee and just thumb your nose at them. this is ridiculous. and they don't respect what other people in congress, republicans who were subpoenaed who didn't appear either. so they didn't honor the subpoena of congress. they demeaned it. and it's all become -- its my 18th year in congress.

it's become less and less serious, less and less productive for the american people, and more and more showbusiness, twitter bites or feeds or number or whatever. and politicking through your guy or girl, it's all about trump, trying to make him president, so you can have more power. but if you don't like government, these people don't like government, they don't want to do anything to help the people, they don't want to pass a budget. i don't know if we'll have a shutdown or, not but they wouldn't mind, because they don't believe in government. and they've got a total war perspective on january 6th, which had its third anniversary on saturday. i saw more really just outlandish thoughts expressed by trump folks on twitter post that a made, they think that antifa and the fbi were involved in reading the capitol and it wasn't their people. and of course, trump thinks the same thing.

they listen to trump, and they listen to their broadcasts on the right wing a.m. dial, and wherever they get their right-wing information, if they seriously think antifa had something to do with it and the fbi had something to do with it, they had nothing, they were just good decent americans who came up there and broke windows and doors and used fly balls to hit policeman and then slug them with whatever they could get, and they brought bear mace and bear spray, dressed up as soldiers, that they came for no good. and trump sent them for no good. and trump said 40 times you've got to fight for our country. if you don't fight like hell, if you don't fight hard, you've got to go up there and fight. this is the most despicable act against the united states, and anti-american act on january 6th, we should hold our heads in shame. and if they call these people hostages, elise stefanik calls them hostages, this is just how they do. they commit the acts, and they

try to projected on somebody else. what jordan is doing is wrong. what comer is doing is wrong. to go back to washington is to go back to a sad show, where we've got an inexperienced child speaker. and hopefully, we will get something with a budget done, but who knows. >> congressman steve cohen, thank you so much for your time tonight. >> your welcome, charles. happy new year to you. >> happy new years to you as well. coming up, a new low in an era of lows by florida republicans. they are using the vice president's name to restrict educators from teaching the truth. we are talking about that more on the other side of the short break, on ayman, so stay right there. ht there. take a moment to pause and ask, why did you get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia? i help others. but i need to help protect myself. honestly? i couldn't afford to get sick.

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is likely already inside you. don't wait. ask your doctor about shingles. we know the history. and let us not let these politicians who are trying to divide our country when. because you see, what they are doing, what they are doing, as they are creating these unnecessary debates. this is unnecessary, to debate whether enslaved people benefited from slavery. are you kidding me? >> [applause] >> are we supposed to debate that? >> that was from last summer, when vice president kamala harris spoke in jacksonville,

florida, in response to curriculum updates made by the states board of education. harris mentioned it in that clip, but it bears repeating, a new required lesson about how some black people benefited from slavery because it taught them useful skills. florida republicans clearly did not take well to that speech, and it's safe to say they weren't just mad, they were big d. last week, they trolled harris by using her namesake as the title of a new bill, the so-called kamala harris truth and slavery teaching act would require teaching students that democrats were the so carl'd party of slavery. now, if you're a little rusty on american history, i understand. this is a reference to a democratic party platform from two centuries ago. let's be clear however about what the priority is here. these republicans are far more concerned about the blame game rather than any real discussion of the actual atrocities that occurred during slavery. it's the latest horrifying

example of the republican playbook. let's flood the narrative with racist, revisionist histories and hammer all talking points that lack any real context and have at best a fleeting relationship with real facts. all in the name of politics. we've seen this erasure play out time and time again, not just in florida, but across the entire country. last month in missouri, an all-white school board voted to drop courses on black history and literature, a move that was pushed by a conservative political action committee in the district. remember, over the course of 2021 and 2022, lawmakers introduced more than 500 measures against critical race theory, according to a ucla our report last year. and penn america reported 3000 stces of book banning over the last school year, most of which were written by people of color. and if all of that, everything that i've said, wasn't absurd

enough, some republican presidential candidates have gone so far to propose eliminating the department of education if they were elected. for a party that prioritizes individual choice, they sure have a lot to say about regulating what kids are supposed to learn. but here's the thing, as usual, republicans are completely out of touch with what americans actually want. according to a 2023 gallup poll, 81% of all americans support addressing historical racism in k through 12 curriculum. to the voters who think this does not have anything to do with them and it doesn't affect me, the question becomes are you invested in an american that isn't inclusive one? because for america to remain the shining city on the hill, we cannot afford to be dishonest about who we are and who we've been. we must confront the realities of our past, or we will continue to wrestle with greater uncertainty surrounding our future.

that is going to do it for me and this weekend. i want to thank you for being with us. i'm charles coleman junior, in tonight for ayman mohyeldi. i want to thank ayman for allowing me to sit in his seat, and his amazing team for making it super easy for me tonight. thank you, thank you, thank you to my guests, and have a wonderful evening. i'm charles coleman junior, goodnight. goodnight. nurtec odt may help. it's the only medication that can treat a migraine when it strikes and prevent migraine attacks. treat and prevent, all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. relief is possible. talk to a doctor about nurtec odt.

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