for the weekend, the sunday morning, "velshi" starts right now take it away, allie. a lot of folks out there are celebrating, but families are in baltimore hurting. >> i think tom perez put it well. this is a uniquely day that the members of the families of the people who perished would have been celebrating, and they're not. it is interesting, talking to you, michael, the fact that you are both from maryland, he is a democrat, you are a republican. one of those things that is not supposed to be partisan. dan muser from pennsylvania, republican, said, i don't know why the biden administration jumped on the idea that the federal government will pick up the tab for this. i think that's a standup or the fact that most people believe this is a tragedy, it's an infrastructure issue we need to deal with.

we should and will deal with it together. i think you covered well today. thank you for that. happy easter to all three of you. >> happy easter. >> thank you, friends. "velshi" starts now . good morning, sunday, march 31st. happy easter to you. i'm ali velshi . the behavior of the republican party's presidential nominee has grown increasingly disturbing. erratic and dangerous. that should surprise no one. one year ago this weekend, manhattan district attorney alvin bragg indicted trump on counts including a cover up on a payout scheme to protect a potential's sex scandal to go public days before the 2016 election. this was the first, former american president had been criminally charged in the history of the country. trump, as you can imagine, was furious. in the days leading up to the formal announcement of those charges, trump not only attacked

bragg, he speared the entire justice system. trump post lunch with social his indictment we need to, quote, death and destruction, end quote. a letter addressed to bragg contended a threat and a small amount of white powder. then, days after trump was arraigned in court, bragg received another letter, again, containing white powder and a death threat. one year later, not much has changed. trump continues his assault on the justice system on a near daily basis. he has publicly attacked the prosecutors and the judges involved in his legal cases. as a result, they've all received threats or been victims of harassment. trump, previously referred to alan bragg as an animal, using anything that sounds a lot like the ritual but that he referred to new york state attorney general leticia games. the past year, mote with

received numerous threats and harassment her last christmas, the justice department's special prosecutor, jackson, the victim of a swatting incidents, when somebody falsely's reports an emergency to trigger a massive and potentially dangerous police response at the residence. last fall, fulton county district attorney paul lee wallace said she received at least once 50 personal threats. a few weeks later, authorities austin a man for threatening to physically harm her,, the trump appointee overseeing a classified documents case whom the ex-president has largely refrained from attacking received voicemail from a woman in texas who threatened to kill her in front of her children. meanwhile, the judges, arthur angora, tony "the reidout and scott mcafee, also involved in trump-related cases, have all been targets of swatting incidents as well, which brings us to the judge overseeing trump's upcoming criminal trial

in new york, which we now know will start april 15th. last week, he issued a gag order to prevent the ex- president from attacking prosecutors, witnesses, jurors and court staff. nearly everyone who's peripherally involved in the case is not included on that list, however, merchan himself. soon after gag order to , merchan's daughter was a private citizen not involved in any of trump's cases, accused of being a, quote, rabbit trump hitter, end quote. it is clear what trump is doing here, desperately trying to picked drudge merchan and the legal system as a whole is biased against him to force for the delays in criminal cases against him. this is trump's overall rhetoric growing more violent in recent weeks as his legal situation grows more perilous. the presidential race ramps up. two weeks ago, we warned of a

bloodbath if he loses the presidency again in november. this weekend, he shared a video that depicted joe biden tied up in the back of the pickup truck. trump has now spent years attacking public officials, civil servants and legal professionals, and he it is having a real effect across the country. during an interview late last year, deputy attorney general lisa monaco said that the doj was seeing a, quote, unprecedented rise in threats to public officials. in one-week alone, she said, they saw, quote, cases involving threats to kill fbi agents, a supreme court justice, and three presidential candidates, end quote. meanwhile, a few days ago, "rolling stone" said threats against the colorado state griswold's bike bicycle percent in the months since the lawsuit was first filed challenging trump's eligibility to be on the ballot in colorado. trump's threats and accusations are no doubt self-serving.

it is a cynical effort to try his cases in the court of public opinion and rally supporters to his side, but he is undoubtedly undermining the rule of law which could have lasting effect on the integrity of the justice system for years to come. join me now, senior advisor to than most president mike pence, also executive director of 97% of bipartisan government reform organization and joyce vance, forming an estate attorney for the northern district from alabama. she is also an msnbc contributor and columnist and cohost of "the sisters-in-law" podcast. good morning, both of you, thank you for joining us. joyce, let's start with your truth social post last night. donald trump note, judge merchan should immediately be sanctioned and recused. this is his quote. this is clearly a reaction to the judge imposing a gag order on donald trump last week and confirming that trump's criminal trial in new york was going to proceed on april 15th. just a couple of weeks away, tell me about any concerns you have about things donald trump is doing.

it seems he just continues to escalate every day. >> in a normal trial, defendants might have before the judge. what they don't have is a social media platform that they own where they can blast it out , and media that instantly follows them so that, literally, everyone here is about their criticism and will hear about it. what you need to understand as a prosecutor, how this impacts witnesses and potential jurors in cases. when they see donald trump as the ability to put the judge on blast, or to put other people on blast, and no one steps in, those witnesses and jurors who have far less access to protection as a judge, who, after all, has court security personnel, the people are so essential to the integrity of the criminal justice process, can't help but be

understandably frightened. i have seen this happen in cases with far less significance, perhaps with a violent defendant or organization, or you do see witnesses who are intimidated, or jurors who don't want to participate. at this point, the judges in all the criminal cases against trump need to step up to impose rejections and to take in his behavior. not a normal defendant, no reason to bend over backwards and protect them as long as he engages in this behavior. >> olivia, donald trump's decent bloodbath comments, which had no relationship instacart tariffs, as some would like to make it out to be, and in this image that he shared a joe biden friday night, which is still up on his truth social page, image of the pickup truck confided in the bed of the pickup truck, hands and feet bound, he is feeling like escalations, even for donald trump -- what you make of them? >> i think, like, the more

coverage he gets, the more spirit he gets about every thing that's happening in terms of the rule of law, the legal proceedings against him, and the more anxious he gets about possibly losing the election, we're going to see him lash out even more. to joyce's four, she is absolutely right. there's intimidation and it is bullying. it is classic on his tactics. this is what he has done for years. i think he does it to double down on the narratives. i think that picture of joe biden's horrific i don't think that has any place in our politics. i think it drives political violence. donald trump may brush it off and think, you know, it's hyperbole, a metaphor for his supporters and some followers, they don't view it that way. that just fielder angst and anger. it leads to financial attacks. i tell you this because i was there when he told the media was fake news and targeted all of you. i had to do with the guy driving around in the van with trump paraphernalia, sending bond to the new station. i was in those briefings when

we told him that his actions have on sequences. that's exactly what it leads to and he knows exactly how alkylated language that he uses , and whether it's the law enforcement community, whether it's the fbi, whether it's media, whether it's doctors like dr. fauci, who still has -- or judges -- it's across the board, no boundaries for this man and his behavior, what he does. >> joyce, thursday night, a current senior u.s. district judge reggie walton, appeared on cnn and spoke about his concerns about donald trump's rhetoric against prosecutors and judges. listen to what he had to say. >> i'm concerned, like i say, because we have had judges who have lost their lives, family members have lost their lives as a result of individuals who have been in the courtroom against them. i think it's important, in order to preserve our democracy, that we maintain rule of law, and i think it's

important that, as judges, we speak out, you know, and say things in reference things that can have an impact on the process, because if we don't have a viable court system able to function efficiently, then we have tyranny. >> joyce, very unusual for sitting judge to actually make a comment like that, but you know of what he speaks. this has happened in the past, and the encouragement does provide lessons to people to use violence as a tool. >> you know, it obviously does, and olivia's point, i think, is so important for donald trump does not have any deniability here. he understands that his words are a call to action for some of his followers. if you are going to prosecute, you know, a threat case here -- which i'm not suggesting that

it is at that point -- but if you were, the proof of his state of mind would be that he has repeatedly been told that, when he uses this kind of language, it encourages people to act, and that we have seen them act in the past. so, i think what judge walton did here was entirely appropriate. he is a bush appointee, a federal district judge, now a senior judge in the district of columbia. he is known for being played spoken on behalf of the judiciary, and i think his words, which were very measured, in many ways, he simply made the point that we must have respect for the judiciary, that they cannot be targeted for violence or with threats. this is the call to action that the country needs right now, and the problem is it's not coming from republican party. there's no one there who will reign trump then. that means a fall to the judges to defend themselves. >> olivia, in addition to the criminal trial that we're exciting to start in manhattan and the other criminal trials, the possibility that donald trump could be convicted and maybe go to jail, certainly, facing massive financial penalties, how do you since this is affecting the campaign

side of things? >> i think it is certainly challenging. right? they're having to grapple with all of these things in these cases. i think, in some ways, the legal cases are part of his campaign. he does court appearances, spins the narratives, fundraisers, now he has the entire rnc operation behind him. i think this is challenging. i will say this, though, down- valid, you see the public is a pressing concern, seeing senators like john ahrens from iowa, you know, not trying to see the january 6th -- they committed a crime. senator mike brown, saying that. there are a number of republicans concerned about how this is playing out, and they're concerned about the legal proceedings, the language , the demeanor, and dynamics happening with donald trump and how it really impacts the republican party overall. they should be, because i think

there are a number of people out there watching this, saying, we don't want this. this is not what we want, and we don't want another cycle of this in our american politics. >> thank you to both of you. we appreciate olivia choi, former senior advisor to then vice president mike pence, executive director of 97%, joy stands, former net estates attorney in alabama and msnbc contributor and columnist. coming up, u.s. jesper jensen secretary pete buttigieg joins me to discuss the administration's plan to facilitate the rebuild of the francis coronavirus bridge in baltimore and how other bridges across the country to be susceptible to a similar disaster straight ahead, right here, on "velshi." [ cellphone whooshes ] [ sighs ] that's why progressive makes it easy to save with a commercial auto quote online so you can take on all your others to-dos. already did. see if you could save

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bridge. next, the u.s. predation secretary pete buttigieg joins me to discuss the investigation into what went wrong and who is responsible. also, the timeline, cost for the rebuild, and the effect on the nationwide and global economy, with the biden administration is doing to prevent similar disasters in the future. that's all coming up after a quick break. more "velshi" in just a moment. a new toothp aste from parodontax, the gum experts.

when the dolly cargo ship crashed into a vinyl support column on baltimore's francis scott key bridge early tuesday morning, a series of tragic events followed. the bridge collapsed in the river, when the busiest shipping lanes in the country, with massive fragments of steel and concrete landing in the water on the ship and across its 4700 containers. 8 construction workers repairing potholes on the bridge when the collapsed fell into the river. two men were rescued, two were found dead with the remaining four presumed dead. this tragedy did not end when the

bridge fell. it remains an ongoing crisis that will have ripple effects across the country. wreckage removal that began yesterday with the motion crews cutting parts of the collapsed bridge into smaller sections for safe removal by crane. those pieces will then be taken to disposal sites. maryland governor, wes moore said yesterday recovery efforts with missing workers have been caused due to water temperatures and other hazards, but divers will remain on standby until it's safe to return to the water. the port of baltimore and, normally one of the country's busiest shipping channels, currently choked off, threatening supply chain issues that will be felt far beyond maryland's state lines. channel has been the top domestic port for cars and a major hope for forest products, chronic women and a port closure also means lost work for many who work at the port, work either slowed down or stopped immediately. also, affecting waterfront businesses, not to mention the bridge itself, a crucial artery

for commuters in baltimore. the big question remains, who is footing the bill for this disaster. while an hour come in for an and insurance companies will likely cover a portion of the expense is, the biden administration approved $60 million in immediate emergency federal aid. president biden doesn't want to stop there. he helps the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing the bridge, but he would need support from a fractured congress to get the funds approved. earlier this month, i spoke with second her transportation pete buttigieg about the funding question and the efforts to repair and rebuild the bridge. >> secretary, what type of timeline are we realistically looking at for the bridge to be fixed, the channel to be cleared, and for business to return to where it was before this happened? >> we haven't yet received a timeline.i think the army corps of engineers and their partners are working under the unified command of the coast guard and don't want to speculate until

more is known about some of the conditions there, including the conditions of the portions of the bridge that did not collapse. a lot of work has to be done to assess those, even to know what's going on with some underwater infrastructure. what we do know is that we need to get this port back open as soon as possible, deal with the supply-chain applications in the meantime, and get the bridge back up as soon as possible to deal with the traffic implications in the meantime. those four lines of effort are getting support not just from the u.s. department of transportation, but really, the entire federal administration in partnership with the state authorities that are leaving the process of rebuilding under the leadership of governor wes moore. county, city, everyone coming together. the sba is involved in trying to get credit to impact to businesses. my colleague, secretary sue, there is today and i will be there later this week to engage with workers impacted. really, a remarkable collaboration and cooperation to support the people of baltimore and everybody affected by this. these effects

will continue for some time. >> unit and a lot of groups and people involved, collectively, to get this fixed. generally speaking, when things like this happen, everybody bands together, but in order for the biden administration to pay for bridge repairs, entirely, you have to get congress on board. i don't know if it is a widely held view, but one always worries about these things. the republican congressman from pennsylvania, damage or said, quote, it was outrageous for biden to express in this tragedy the idea that he's going to use federal funds to pay for it in its entirety. congas men muser suggests that this, electrical vehicle infrastructure. we have a fractured congress. how do you foresee having to do with things like this? >> i think the congas men's views is relatively unusual. generally, there is bipartisan consensus around the idea of emergency relief funds from the federal government. we have a whole system and account designed for that purpose, and there are many

times over the years when there is a dramatic event like this, and federal assistance has been key to getting things back to normal. think about the minnesota bridge collapse in 2007. different in the sense that it wasn't caused by a collision, caused by a design flaw in the bridge, but the point is getting the bridge back up and running took about $26 million of federal funding, and there was a strong, swift, bipartisan support to get that done. our hope is that will be the case this time too for any funds needed. we already had the first $60 million in emergency relief funds going to things like clearing the wreckage and some things associated with the early steps towards getting the bridge back up. look, i know this is a divided congress, but this is also a congress that came together on a bipartisan basis to get out of the structure bill done in the first place. we can see the public's and democrats cooperate to get president biden's structure package through, surely they will cooperate to help america and baltimore deal with this

tragedy. >> secretary, one thing we are still grappling with in this economy of otherwise very strong economy -- trying to keep inflation under control. one of the key inputs for inflation the last several years, during covid, has been supply chains. what your response to folks who treat this as a local baltimore or even maryland issue, given the fact that, if this doesn't get fixed in relatively short order, we start seeing supply- chain problems? >> if we have learned, the last few years, it is how incredibly interconnected our systems of supply chains are. we saw that with the backups on the west coast ports of 2021, consequence of covid. we have seen it many other times with an individual port tickets impacted like the panama canal. we are seeing it here. having said that, i will say, we are much better equipped than we were just a few years ago to deal with this sort of thing. we have new mechanisms in our

department, including an office created as part of president biden's, such a plan that allowed us to kornet among different players for a couple of days ago, i convened a group of about 100 players from shippers to cargo owners involving the trucking and railroad sectors, as well as ports, to see everything we can do to get through these disruptions. what we're seeing is that there are east coast ports that can temporarily absorb the traffic that would have been headed to baltimore when we are talking about the containers, or vehicles, but it's not the same, of course. baltimore is specialized. it is large, an important part of the system, and certainly no substitute for the traffic and baltimore from the perspective of the workers, which is why it's so important to make sure we're supporting the workers who support our economy. everyone, 90% of everything in our homes, whether we realize it or not. >> secretary, some lawmakers will be more willing to spend funding on repairing the bridge and port if the insurance and shipping companies pay the costs for which they are

responsible. insurance companies often try, as they typically do, to establish a legal cap on money that they have put up. is your department going to have a role in establishing that or protecting those who might sue those companies for anything that comes out of this? >> so, there's going to be a lot of complicated legal and financial work ahead to make sure any party found liable proves to be accountable, but we know that that can be something we wait for it to get the port back open and the bridge back up. that's why the president is directing his entire administration, including my department, to get those funds together now, so the funding and bureaucracy can never be a barrier to getting this work done. but of course, work is already underway in the dimensions that you talk about to make sure that any party that's liable does what they need to do. >> you know, some people are saying that the owner of the ship, ocean grace, is going to

invoke something called the limit of liability act in order to protect itself from being held liable from full costs of the damage. that was originally written for wooden ships wanted 73 years ago. what is your thinking on this? >> i can't get into that yet while the investigation is still playing out. we're all looking to be independent national chest predation safety board for the findings that they will, ultimately, put forward, as well as other priorities on the law enforcement side involved in investigating this. i will say this, every time there's a major incident, america learns from it, and sometimes, that means updating engineering designs or technology. sometimes, that means updating our policies and laws. when you see something is germanic and shocking as the site of the key bridge collapsing into that harbor, i am sure that is the kind of major incident that, just like so many others in our history, america will learn from. >> yeah. you and i both think about

infrastructure a lot. i had not anticipated something like this happening. now, as we read about it, we learned that the francis scott key bridge was unique for its span and clearance height . it was the third longest continuous trust bridge in the world. only eight other bridges in the country that have the height, clearance that this one has. according to newton's the wall street journal," all eight of those bridges are vulnerable to collapse every single one of their support appears is compromised, as was the case here. how are you thinking about those abilities? i know this is often something we didn't typically think about before this week, but now we have to. >> this is something that i think engineers are assessing and debating right now. what i will say is that we are investing in the resiliency and infrastructure for the future. it is another part of president biden muscular structure package. we have been looking at that from the perspective of cyanide resilience, durability of bridges, and certainly, this incident is going to give america's rich builders and engineering community a lot to think about. there are countermeasures that have been built around more modern bridges, especially

since the 1980 bridge incident in florida, where dozens were killed and injured after a tanker struck and, effectively, similarly, took out a bridge there. of course, the francis scott key bridge was built before that. since then, more measures have been developed. it is too soon to say whether any such countermeasure would have made a difference in this particular case, where you had the force of about 248 million pounds directly impacting the key support peer for the entire bridge. >> secretary, good to talk to you. thank you for your time this morning. up next, republicans in congress introduced bills to ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in medicine. not only is this a terrible idea, the consequences are actually deadly. great product. it's going to help a lot of patients.

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jessica is a popular youtube personality. the last decade, she has grown an adoring audience that followed her tutorials catering to natural hair, makeup, and passion. in mid july of last year, jessica took the social media to share something different with her followers, something personal.wasn't about beauty, but health. she wrote, in part, july 1st, 2022, 4:00 a.m., my husband found me in the bathroom unresponsive and not breathing. i was rushed to the hospital, where they told me that the extreme blood loss was due to olympus my gynecologist made it seem like it was common. i didn't think much of it. however, i was passing clots the size of a placenta, which was really alarming. they kept me overnight and released me the next day. fast forward to july 22nd, i was hospitalized again for the same thing. again, medical professionals treated it like it was not that alarming since it was just a

thyroid. jessica goes on to explain that the bleeding eventually stopped, but later, paynes replaced it and she said her life became limited to the doctors continued to brush it off as migraines. after more hospital visits and temporary fixes, jessica saw a female doctor who took her seriously. after undergoing a biopsy, she woke up from and it's easier to the news that she had stage three cervical cancer. she had been misdiagnosed the entire time. on march 11th, 8 once after she first sought medical help, jessica pettway died at 36 years old. jessica's story is not an anomaly, statistically proven that women, especially black women, are often dismissed by medical professionals makes pressing signs of pain and discomfort. according to a study released in january by bmj, peer- reviewed medical journal owned by british medical association, american women of racial and ethnic minorities are 20% to

30% more likely than white men are -- two, stories like jessica's are proof of a diverse medical field end importance. doctors of different ethnic backgrounds and races, and doctors trained to consider diversity and racial disparities . that is literally of life-and- death importance. you with the lawmakers want to sure up the life-saving diversity factor in the medical field. you would be wrong. march 19th, eight days after jessica pettway's passing, the republican congressman murphy of north carolina introduced a bill to put an end to diversity equity and inclusion in medical schools. murphy's bill called the embracing and the dissemination unbiased curricula and advancing truth in education act aims to ban race-based mandates and medical schools and accrediting organizations. when introducing the bill early this month, congressman murphy,

who was a doctor himself, said that if he would have applied to medical school today, his odds of getting in would be greatly diminished because of his race, gender and religion. he went on to say, quote, ascription pads and scalpels are now being open ice. in some places, students across this nation are forced to sign a di field team pledge, reminiscent of the days in the 1930s germany, and as well as russia. what would martin luther king say today? in his great quote, i have a dream, wendy, my four little children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of that character. that content is what we call merit. what has happened to that dream? in his argument against diversity, he managed to invoke the holocaust, joseph stalin, and martin luther king. i have said this before on this show, but it bears repeating, the point of di initiatives is to encourage representation and dissipation people of different genders, races,, cities, ages,

such orientations, disabilities and classes. does not mean people who.-- do not ad hoc know how to fly planes should be pilots, or students who do not know the periodic tables should get admission to medical school. diversity training in medical improvement helps come to the well document and biases that could to beat to worse health outcomes for certain populations. the association of american medical colleges disagrees with congressman murphy's bill and his narrative. in an op-ed published in "the wall street journal," the association wrote that murphy is mischaracterizing how medical schools establish curricula, and that di, in no way, replaces a strong-focused latest science and evidence. the op-ed reads, quote, we must work to train the next generation of scientifically and culturally intelligent physicians, neglecting the critical role of di in medical education jeopardizes the quality of patient care and the

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shingles. some describe it as an intense burning sensation, or an unbearable itch. this painful, blistering rash can disrupt your life for weeks and could make it hard to be there for your loved ones. shingles could also lead to serious complications that can last for years. if you're over 50, the virus that causes shingles is likely already inside you. and as you age, your risk of developing shingles increases. don't wait. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles today. turning me not to talk about the life-saving importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the medical field, two very good friends of our show, dr. ebony helton,

critical care physician and anesthesiologist, medical director and cofounder of good stock consulting, which empowers leaders in healthcare to create systemic changes with equitable impact in their communities, and dr. richard blackstock, emergency thunder ceo advancing health equity, which also works with healthcare organizations to eradicate racial inequalities, author of the book "legacy: a physician's reckoning with racism in medicine." friends, thank you for joining us for this important conversation for dr. blackstock, let's say, is bill that greg murphy from north carolina is talking about gets passed on a federal level, feels like it is going the opposite direction for what we think needs to happen. what are the actual dangers of people calling out diversity efforts and targeting? >> thank you so much for having me on, ali. we are literally already in a crisis with respect to black health in this country. when you look at educators and wellness, black americans, our

life vacancy is decreasing. when you look at the black maternal mortality rate, that also is increasing. so, we need a healthcare workforce that can adequately care for the diverse patient publishing having this country. what this legislation would do is, exactly, we would head backwards, and health outcomes would worsen. the fact is that black americans are not receiving the care we deserve in this country, and the statistics themselves say that. we cannot live long, full lives in this country, and these policies are going to capture that. >> dr. eldon, i quoted the introduction of this article published last year with rehab, poses the question, quote, do black patients fare better with a black doctors, stating, research shows racial concordance can improve communication, trust, and adherence to medical advice.

can you talk to me a bit about this? >> right. it's not just the trust. will we know is that a rising tide lifts all boats. if my patients do better, then is my patients to better too, and with black and white patients, particularly black across the board, but it's cardiovascular disease or infant mortality, we literally know that if you have a black physician and you are a black patient, your child is half as likely to die before their first birth. that's what it shows. talk about diversity, let's bring it back to a urologist. if we are talking about health outcomes and what it means on a scale, if you have a physician that is a black person, or even a woman, what we know is that this has improved the outcomes across medicine and, in fact, if you have a female surgeon, we have shown that you have a decrease in your publication can have a decrease in your readmissions, have a decrease in death. in fact, there's a study of 1.5

million patients that shows if you have a female surgeon, your mortality is nearly divided in half. that is important to say, especially when we're talking about jessica pettaway. she mentions that once she had a female doctor, her symptoms, her complaints, were recognized, and this is what it comes down to. when we're talking about the presence and the influence of minority physicians -- whether that's gender, race, whether that's sexual orientation, because we have had to navigate this system and navigate the obstacles in place within the medical system, we understand those flaws, which means that we can better plug in the system and make it stronger. we recognize your symptoms, listen to you when you speak to us and engage ourselves in a way that we treat you like family, that ends up keeping you alive, and this would have happened to jessica pettaway at 36, would have the death of chadwick boseman at 43. we will have the death of

martha king jr.'s youngest son, past with apostate cancer. why are black men twice as likely to die from prostate cancer if they are white? we have to start, these facts and address in real change. >> dr. blackstock, john lennon originally spoke to elon musk about comments that elon musk had made about di. don't generally play a lot of elon musk stuff on this show, but this one is important to listen to. >> when i referred to there is, if we lower the standards for doctors, especially so that they, you know, if the test for a doctor is lower, then the probability of them making a statement killing someone will also be higher. >> said it again. i'm not sure i understood what you said. i want to make sure i understand what you are saying. >> if the standards for passing

medical exams and becoming a doctor, especially something like a surgeon, if the standards are lowered, then the probability a physician will make a mistake is higher. making mistakes in their exam. they may make mistakes with people. that may result in people dying. >> what evidence do you have, though, that they are lowering the standards? there's no evidence of that. >> i believe there is. >> i believe there is. so, elon musk has a vibe, dr. blackstock, that we are lowering standards. i want to be very, very clear, neither of you two women suggest that standards should be lowered to do anything. as i said, from flying on a plane to being a doctor or being a surgeon. >> absolutely not. elon musk is significantly this informed -- or misinformed -- what he should know all of this and we have actually data from this -- when he has a holistic

review of applicants to medical -- when you're considering everything, not just the academic work, committee service, road traveled, you actually create a more sort of competitive group. you actually have higher statistics. eei practices do not lower -- we're not asking anyone to lower gpa's or lower acceptance scores -- but we know that when you holisticly evaluate an applicant for medical school and take into consideration all those parts of who they are, that actually makes a better doctor, and makes it so that we have doctors that can care for patients of all diverse backgrounds and an adequate and competent way. to be honest, that is not happening right now. that's why we're seeing some of the, you know, mortality rates, disease that we are seeing in our community, because we have positions and health professionals who cannot adequately care for people who look like us. that is, comfortable. no, we're not changing any standards. we are actually improving standards, and the data shows

that. >> dr. helton -- and the you are jumping out of the spot, to what elon musk said there, but i want to add to this. the ei is becoming a new bogeyman in more ways than one, even outside the rooms of medicine. we heard the baltimore mayor, brennon scott, labeled as a di mayor. talk to me about this whole concept, the argument for di's let's fix things and diversify properly.no one is asking for extra stuff. no one is asking for lowered standards. no one is wondering what would happen with a pilot would lowered standards. >> right. it is one of the things that is laughable, considering elon musk was doing everything by his father. we can stop there. the second four like to say, you're dealing with two uniforms now on the screen. the fact that white females only make up 2% of the population. >> not stealing the whole operation. >> right again, back to dr.

murphy, because i will not stop on this four -- 2018, 11,000 urologists, of which that is his discussion -- only 262 were black. so, this is a distraction on a scale that is unnecessary, because we're not taking anyone's spot, but if we're going to talk about the presence and influence of what black people can do, there was a study that i look to say, if you have a 10% increase in black physicians, your increased life expectancy goes up by at least a month. life expectancy. just from our presence. we have to understand, what is a happen. what the republican party needs to do in surpassing these bills, loving to try to interrogate black people yet again for another generation -- right -- they need to say, the ei stands for don't entertain insurrectionist. start there. what we see with the presence and diversity of groups across the spectrum as we improve outcomes in transportation, housing, you name it. all the social determinants of health, but it also improves

outcomes across the board for all races. it is not just our people getting better. everyone. >> right. >> i think another point we have to make in looking at the obstacles you have to overcome of his me, for instance, i completed 3 degrees in 4 years while working 2 jobs and graduating with honors. and despite that -- right? despite doing that, you are possibly having to prove yourself over and over, and as, you know, the mayor of the city said, he is a duly elected -- that's what di stands for -- for me, it is diagnosing everyone's illness, that's what it says for me. but what does that do? customer having to prove yourself as were the and you can go somewhere like elon musk and say, i earned everything i have, but you were given it. and despite that, i will still allow you to have a platform or do whatever you want to do, but when you try to impede progress, you harm the very foundation of our country, because we're trying to make

this -- if you look at the progress for what black people have done over the generations, we literally have defined what the country means in terms of citizenships, writing and restructuring of the constitution, in terms of public school systems, what we do for education. we can look at medicaid and medicare, the fact that mma did not want to support that, but the animated because that would allow black people to enter into hospitals and get treatment. that's what we have those platforms for. we can go on and on about how black people just trying to be accepted as humans in this country has helped to shape democracy in america and how we are better for that. >> thank you to both of you for the work you have done in your careers and for us and our viewers, and for this pleasant conversation today. dr. ebony helton, critical care physician and anesthesiologist. dr. blackstock, emergency physician and author of the book "legacy: a black physician reckons with racism in medicine." we'll be right back with more

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still to come on "velshi," 2024, not just donald trump vs. joe biden, donald trump perspective law. the presumptive gop nominee continues to publicly attack judges overseeing his trials and number of the family. not only is he putting those people in danger, he is smearing the entire justice system. plus, a look at the big money in the 2024 race. self-interested billionaires previously supported other candidates now backing trump because his policies are better for their bottom lines. another hour of "velshi" begins right now. good morning, it's sunday, march 31st, happy easter. at this time last year