tv Ayman MSNBC March 31, 2024 7:00pm-8:00pm PDT
7:00 pm
here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. good evening, tonight on aymin, crossing the line victims of the baltimore bridge collapse are being used as political pawns by the right.
7:01 pm
we should be focusing on a fix, plus the white has responded to a joke with another joke. did james comeau really think he'd get the president to testify? and we will talk to the president of julian assange is the wikileaks founder appears closer than ever to being extradited, i'm aymin, let's do it. >> while republicans are busy spreading conspiracy theories about the baltimore bridge collapse, the biden administration has taken action approving $60 million in emergency federal aid. next it is expected to turn to congress to pass bipartisan legislation to approve additional funds for that bridge. transportation secretary jeff buttigieg made the rounds this morning on the sunday shows to make his pitch to the lawmakers about why we need that money and here he is speaking to my colleague.
7:02 pm
>> there many times over the years when there's been a dramatic event like this, and federal assistance has been key to getting things back to normal. i think about the minnesota bridge collapse in 2007. different in the sense that it wasn't caused by a collision, by a design flaw in the bridge at the point is getting the bridge back up and running took $260 million of federal funding and there was strong, swift bipartisan support to get that done. our hope is that will be the case this time, too. >> mr. secretary, you make a good point it is not 2007 anymore, frankly, back then we had a democratic majority in the house and senate, and it was nearly a decade before the maga movement would infuse the gop. it was a quaint time when republicans weren't spouting community theories about a bridge collapse, somehow connecting it to a cyber attack, open borders and dei initiatives. last week republican congressman dan mouser of pennsylvania called the biden administration's plan to approve funds this week
7:03 pm
outrageous. here's what republican congress and buddy carter of georgia told fox news this morning. >> what about funds that are already out there, particularly in the infra structure bill? can they be diverted and used for this, instead of using new money? as you mentioned, i'm on the budget committee and i'll tell you, it's situations like this why we should be fiscally responsible. >> it is ironic, to say the least, that he is bringing up president biden's infrastructure bill when he voted against it back in 2021. in fact, only 13 house republicans voted in favor of it. but while republicans are hyper focusing on baltimore, democratic maryland governor westmore is pointing out that this is an issue that will actually impact all of us. >> that said, i want people to understand who this is impacting. don't support this because you think you're doing maryland a favor. we don't need favors. understand what this means to all the other workers and all the other small businesses all
7:04 pm
around the country. this is not just impacting maryland. >> the governor is right. this is not just about maryland, it is about us as an entire country. according to the office, the port of baltimore is the top handler of the u.s. of imports and exports of callers and light trucks. a record 52.3 million tons of international cargo. if we don't act quickly, this will put a crunch in our supply chain, coast to coast, no doubt about it. we must act fast, but we may never get there if the republican party continues to focus less on solutions and more on scapegoating the victims of this accident, the six workers who died in the collapse were from honduras, guatemala, mexico, and el salvador. we know migrant workers make up a large portion of this country's labor force, they are the ones keeping america going. as my colleague points out, the baltimore bridge, the one that will be rebuilt, is going to be
7:05 pm
rebuilt by immigrants, when construction starts on it. starting as of tonight, maria founder of the media group, both are msnbc political analysts. it's great to have both of you with us, jennifer l start with you, the republican response to all of this conspiracy theories, chaos is normal, rather than rally behind cleaning up efforts, they are blaming everything and everyone under the sun for this collapse. what do you make of their reaction? >> why should this be different from anything else? this is what they do. they are not in the business of governing, they are not in the business of solving problems, they are in the business of performing, dividing, being divisive, treating racial tension, that is what they do. these are not serious people, but it's a serious threat to good government and this is what they do. when any totalitarian movement comes to power, they do so, in
7:06 pm
many cases, by creating havoc and bringing down functional democracy. this is what they do in order to justify bringing in a strongman like donald trump. >> your thoughts of the gop's response? some are going as far as blaming dei initiatives. utah state representative this is what happens when you prioritize diversity over the well-being and security of citizens. i still have no idea what he's talking about or how he's enacting those dots, but, it's ridiculous on the service but i want to give you a chance to respond to it. >> so what's happened in front of our entire country, is what we've been saying for the longest time. immigrant workers, immigrants, are no threat to you. so now, literally, everybody is seeing this, i'm sure there are republicans who have a heart, who are just like, this is pretty terrible, these six men died during this thankless work in the middle of the night fixing potholes on a bridge
7:07 pm
when it's freezing cold, my god, i have a little bit of feeling for them. it has pulled the rug out from underneath the republican argument, the maga argument that immigrants are a threat. because which one is it, right? are we lazy, or are we doing the jobs that nobody else wants to do? are we criminals, or are we invigorating communities in baltimore? it's a total contradiction, and i think the fact that this story has just literally pulled the rug out from underneath them means that they're scrambling, and they look ridiculous, and except for those diehards i think there will be people who are just going to be like, no, i'm not buying this, this sounds ridiculous, because it is. >> jennifer, if congress isn't able to come together and i suspect they will not be able to come together to approve additional funding to rebuild the baltimore bridge, are there
7:08 pm
steps that the biden administration can do, they released those $60 million in emergency funding, baked in year-to-year, in the transportation budget, but what could he the president and administration do? >> there's not some magic pool of money the republicans seem to think of the president can always tap into, whether it's this or whether it's in ukraine, because this is congress's job, they are supposed to be appropriating money. this is what congress does. the president can only do so much. perhaps he can shake the seat cushions a little bit and come up with a few more bucks, but that is not going to do this. you heard secretary buttigieg that this is going to cost well in excess of $100 million by most estimates. do we want to have a functional government or not? and these people clearly don't. by the way, to point out how ridiculous this is, this bridge was built a year before the current mayor of baltimore was born. >> it puts things in
7:09 pm
perspective about how old it is, and probably also the last time republicans and democrats agreed on doing anything, you had pete buttigieg bringing up how congress came together to approve $260 million in 2000, it's not a long time ago but a very different climate in america back then, based on what we've seen from republicans so far, do you see that as something feasible this time around that they could actually come together and how much? >> i like that you're so hopeful. no, i don't. we're seeing it, they are talking about these crazy conspiracy theories. you're not going to be surprised when i see my mantra for 2024, latinos and latinas are the second largest voting cohort in the united states. this is a perfect opportunity for the democratic campaign, to
7:10 pm
make a connection to latino and latino voters, frontal, straightforward communicating of immigrants and refugees storming the border is not true, that what is true is that these men gave their lives for this country. that these men gave their lives for that bridge. for the city of baltimore. that every single city and town in the united states should want these six men or men or women just like them to be like cities,, and this narrative that we are a threat, is not true. >> i wanted to ask you the same thing, might be misunderstanding about the times we're in now, is he
7:11 pm
underestimating for the bridge repairs, does he not see what the modern-day republican party has become, operationally, even if it's not aspirational he. >> of course he does but what choice does he have, he has to go out and at least ask. he has to make clear that these people are ridiculous, dangerous, and the people who pose a threat are not the people who were fixing the bridge, who will not repair the bridge. this is very subtle, sometimes these people get away, the morass of language and the opaqueness of what we talk about, they will cost people's lives, they will cost people's jobs by for example not funding a bridge, not giving aid to ukraine, not encouraging people to get inoculations, all the things they do are dangerous. it's not merely that they're crazy and it's chaotic, it's that they are dangerous.
7:12 pm
when we talk about danger to public safety we should look to the congress, and i agree entirely, president biden should get out there and bang this drug is loudly as he can, if you people do not have it in their minds and hearts to fix a bridge in a major u.s. city, that they do not deserve to hold any position of power from dog catcher all the way up to president. >> not only are they dangerous and chaotic, they're also, i would argue, hypocritical. members of the republican party voted against the infrastructure bill that have no problem showing up to the photo ops when the checks are being cut for projects in their districts, and i think it speaks volumes about the modern- day republican party has become. but, i did want to, maria turned the conversation to immigrants, specifically, who built this bridge. my colleague pointed out that they will likely be the ones who will have to rebuild it as well, should federal, state, and local governments be putting more effort into
7:13 pm
ensuring that they also have safe working conditions in these types of projects. >> in fact, aymin, the investigative unit is about to drop our first, our first investigation of 2024 that is looking into precisely the fact that immigrants and latinos are the ones who are doing the repair work, whether it's environmental disasters, any kind of disasters, but that no one, not osha, not any federal institution or labor institution has actually tracked to see what the impact is in terms of their health. that's what investigators donald along with cpi and columbia university. because it's like, our lives don't matter. our bodies are a threat, but we're so dehumanized, whether we're dying on the border or
7:14 pm
whether we're dying on a bridge, it's somehow, we don't matter. we're simply perceived as a threat and we need to get beyond that. that's why this is such a striking moment, it's in front of our very eyes, what we're witnessing. as jennifer says, if you can't rebuild a bridge, even using immigrant workers, by the way, many of them will be undocumented. we know this. but if you can't even rebuild a bridge, what are we talking about in terms >> what hope do we have if we can't build the bridge in one of america's most important port cities. maria, thank you so much for joining us, jennifer, stick around we'll talk to you after the break. coming up next, corpsman robert garcia on the invitation president biden got this week from the chair of the house oversight committee. oversight committee. i couldn't slow down. we were starting a business from the ground up. people were showing up left and right. and so did our business needs
7:15 pm
the chase ink card made it easy. when you go for something big like this, your kids see that. and they believe they can do the same. earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase with the chase ink business unlimited card. make more of what's yours. (man) excuse me, would you mind taking a picture of us? with the chase ink business unlimited card. (tony) oh, no problem. (man) thanks. (tony) yes, problem. you need verizon. get the new iphone 15 pro with tons of storage. so you can take all the pics! (vo) trade-in any iphone in any condition and get a new iphone 15 pro and an ipad and apple watch se all on us. only on verizon. if you spit blood when you brush, it could be the start of a domino effect. new parodontax active gum repair breath freshener. clinically proven to help reverse the four signs of early gum disease. a new toothpaste from parodontax, the gum experts.
7:16 pm
7:17 pm
business. i l it's not a nine-to-five proposition. it's all day and into the night. it's all the things that keep this world turning. the go-tos that keep us going. the places we cheer. and check in. they all choose the advanced network solutions and round the clock partnership from comcast business. see why comcast business powers more small businesses than anyone else. get started for $49.99 a month plus ask how to get up to an $800 prepaid card. don't wait- call today.
7:19 pm
free impeachment probe and president joe biden had he has invited the president himself to come down to the hill and testify before the committee on april 16th. the white house responded with a meme from the movie love actually, like always, chairman comber is 10 steps ahead. >> garlands working with the deep state, who is working with the liberal mainstream media to try to indoctrinate into people's minds that there is no evidence. >> yeah. >> yeah. training is now is democratic corpsman robert garcia who sits on the oversight committee, what a bizarre, bizarre moment for james, oh, he's pushing to get joe biden to come down to testify, what does he think he's going to get from the president that he has not gotten from the witnesses who have testified before? >> look, the president is not going to come down and testify
7:20 pm
in front of jim comber and marjorie taylor greene and lauren boberg. what a total joke. this impeachment complete scam, has gone off the rails, we all laugh at it, it's not serious. we know there's no evidence linking the president to any business dealings of hunter biden, and let's review who jim comber has actually invited. he's had testimony from a prisoner in federal prison, he's invited spies to testify, he has invited tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists, business people that have lost all credibility, the list goes on and on. republicans themselves are not coming out strongly that there is no evidence, so jim comber, he's basically now focused on himself, he's hawking some book out there, which will obviously be a fiction work, and he needs to go away at this point, it's shameful what he's doing, he's wasting all of our time and the white house is treating this
7:21 pm
just as it should be, which is a bad joke. >> we played that sound of comber blaming the deep state and media for his failure to provide evidence of wrongdoing from joe biden, last i checked, the onus was on him to provide the evidence, not the other way around. is this comber just being desperate, and a sore loser? >> i think james conner is just upset that he's about to lose all his fox news and news nation appearances. james comber, all he does is go on tv and pretend like he has evidence of an president biden, and we know that he's been able to produce absolutely nothing, and at this point, he doesn't have to listen to us democrats, he can listen to his own republicans who have been very clear that there's nothing there, so the whole clown show of the house gop and oversight committee is in full effect, and james comer is driving the car. he needs to give it up, he's literally wasting our time week after week after week, we could
7:22 pm
be talking about real issues, we could be talking about real corruption like jared kushner and his $2 billion gift from the saudi government when leaving the white house. but he has no interest in actually following corruption or following any type of legislation that could actually help people. that's remember, this is all about hurting president biden and all about helping donald trump. >> let me play for you the sound of republican congressman dan bacon telling my colleague kristen welker he thinks this impeachment case is nearing its conclusion, watch. >> when i talk to the lawyers on the committee staff, they say at this point, there's not a specific crime that's been committed. i do think we're probably nearing the conclusion of this investigation. >> i do think we are probably nearing the conclusion of this investigation, as somebody who sits on the oversight committee you think we have gone well beyond the conclusion of this investigation, or will republicans continue to throw anything they can at the wall to see if anything sticks?
7:23 pm
like you said, they need something politically to be able to campaign on until november. >> i think we know what their strategy is, there's no legitimacy, there was never evidence, this is all been about a way of trying to damage the president, to help donald trump, it's about james comer trying to get on tv all the time. now, republicans are starting to speak the truth, that there is no investigation, that we're wasting everyone's time. in the weeks ahead, james comer will have to look in the mirror and realize that he continues to lie to the public and finally put this thing to bed. we know what he's trying to do, he's trying to somehow's send some type of investigative report to the doj and hope in his hopes that somehow a donald trump residency in the future, god forbid, would somehow revise these accusations. but it's time to move on. he needs to get the point that we have no interest in this wild goose chase anymore, and the american public are tired of it. the only person who thinks, at this point that there's any
7:24 pm
sort of evidence is james comer. he needs to give it up. >> it may be because he's working on a book, you hinted at it earlier, axios is reporting that comber is in discussions with at least one publisher on a book deal by his abode is findings titled all the presidents money. that is not a joke, that's what the purported title is. your reaction to the script from comber? >> like i said, this is going to be the best work of fiction ever seen, it's going to be some political thriller that james comer is going to remake in his own image, he's going to be the star, and is going to be a complete joke. i'll be shocked if he ends up with a book deal out of this because there is nothing there. i think that james comer's time in the spotlight trying to drive this sham impeachment is about to end, i think he's grasping at straws at this point, his entire committee thinks he's a joke, it's time to move on. >> congressman robert garcia, thanks for coming back on the show, and we look forward to talking to you again in the
7:25 pm
near future. next, the new direct flight for anyone who is looking to influence donald j trump. we'll tell you how. feeling claritin clear is like... ♪♪ [cat meow] —is she? letting her imagination run wild even though she has allergies. yeah. everybody wants super straight, super white teeth. they want that hollywood white smile. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients.
7:26 pm
meet the traveling trio. the thrill seeker. the soul searcher. and - ahoy! it's the explorer! each helping to protect their money with chase. woah, a lost card isn't keeping this thrill seeker down. lost her card, not the vibe. the soul searcher, is finding his identity, and helping to protect it. hey! oh yeah, the explorer! she's looking to dive deeper... all while chase looks out for her. because these friends have chase. alerts that help check. tools that help protect. one bank that puts you in control. chase. make more of what's yours.
7:27 pm
7:28 pm
here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. lowering bad cholesterol can be hard, even with a statin. diets and exercise add to the struggle. today, it's possible to go from struggle to cholesterol success with leqvio. with a statin, leqvio is proven to lower bad cholesterol by 50% and keep it low with 2 doses a year. common side effects were injection site reaction, joint pain, and chest cold. ask your doctor about twice-yearly leqvio. lower. longer. leqvio®
7:29 pm
we talked a lot this weekend about how trump continues to expand his never-ending drift from maga style bible alone to shoes and nfts. what about his knockoff twitter site where just today on easter he reposted an article claiming he is the chosen one sent by god. true social went public debuting in the stock market, in the first is a trading shares of parent company trump media technology group shot up more than 50%, and now trades under the ticker dj t and is being closely watched in large part for potential impact on finances, his media company going public also presents a new direct route for foreign leaders or special interests to actually influence him. former bush dod puts it, this
7:30 pm
will be a very easy vehicle for foreign governments that want to curry favor with the president to throw money at him in a way that benefits his financial bottom line. jennifer rubin is back with us, danny ceballos nbc legal analyst and criminal defense attorney. based on what we know, about donald trump, how he's operating in the past, how wide open are the floodgates for foreign leaders to influence him after this company went public. >> the doors are wide open, and remember, this is a guy who doesn't reveal his taxes. he doesn't reveal what he does business with, we will not know if somebody, even a foreign government gives him the money for the reduced bond in new york in a civil case. there will be foreign investors who buy shares, pump up the value, making trump very happy, making him rich, these are always foreigners and domestic influencers, oil company
7:31 pm
executives, all sorts of people can carry influence, this is why every person before him has put his holdings in a true blind trust, has not conducted business, has not made himself an open door for foreign and domestic, but donald trump, when they had both houses of congress, republican, democrats did not do anything to shore up the emoluments act, which is part of the constitution that prevents you from taking foreign monies, foreign tribute from another head of state. >> you have a number of presidents who have in the past wanted to steer away from the appearance of profiteering from the job. they want to focus on the job by putting their businesses or whatever assets they had into blind trust, that is not the case with donald trump, he is not wanted to remove himself, or create distance between him and his companies in a way that
7:32 pm
gives the american public for safety and the confidence that he's not subject to influence by foreign governments. >> we also may have never had a president like donald trump, it's hard to compare with the donald trump business empire, which is more like a licensing empire, we learned that donald trump isn't exactly the tycoon he made himself out to be, a lot of that is puffery, but you're right in that donald trump has now opened himself up to former influence as much with truth social as the golden sneakers or anything else, that both foreign and domestic companies could buy into, and curry favor with donald trump. donald trump i don't think would even be embarrassed to say publicly, how great a country is if they buy ad space on truth social. i don't think he'd be shy about it, and he isn't afraid of the emoluments clause because, in fairness, we don't really know after his presidency to what degree the emoluments clause bars these kinds of
7:33 pm
transactions. and its two clauses in the constitution, one domestic, one foreign, and they're quite different worded, we don't know what the contours are, because the supreme court essentially dismissed all those cases as moot after trump left office. >> jennifer, if i can get your thoughts on how trump responded to, he was asked would he be able to manage his roughly 60% stake in from media if elected, he had a campaign spokesman say he would follow ethics guidelines, but he did not offer any specifics. >> these are ethics guidelines like the supreme court has ethics guidelines that allow clarence thomas to sit on a case involving his wife. this is a joke. let me also, bring it down to a very specific aspect of this, mr. yes, who is a major investor in truth social, also holds a 15% stake in tiktok. why do you think donald trump
7:34 pm
turned on a dime and had gone from wanting to ban tiktok to saying, tiktok is great, leave tiktok alone, we don't want to ban it. that's how corruption works. people you are in business for, you change your position, you sacrifice the public good, in order to make them happy which in turn makes you rich. >> how quickly do you think trump could get a hold of his money in this, in this company, this truth social company? i know he's in a grimace to hold on for at least six months, but are there ways around that and what does it mean if he does want to get around that? >> the billions of dollars that he's made, until he can liquidate that, if the board gives him permission to do it sooner, those board members would open themselves up to shareholder derivative suits by shareholders, it would expose them to legal liability, board
7:35 pm
members of truth social would have an incentive, to not necessarily give trump whatever he wants. unless he's incredibly influential and is able to convince them to let him liquidate this money. but, it has to be cause for concern for that board that donald trump might do that, that's why you probably see the six month requirement written in. lots of opportunity for trump after being hit with these massive judgments, to now make that money back after the election, whether he's a citizen or the president of the united states. >> if you were a lawyer for the s.e.c., and you are watching this play out, would that be something that would make you say this looks, the timing of it, the structure of the deal, the way it's going down makes me want to ask a few questions. >> are you asking me the s.e.c. now or a trump administration s.e.c.? the answer would differ depending. >> how would it be in the
7:36 pm
climate of independence that we like to see the under the control of donald trump? >> i think the biggest problem for donald trump would come from somewhere like the s.e.c. i don't know that the emoluments clause even though it is a constitutional bedrock set of clauses, i don't know that there's a strong case to allege and emoluments clause violation whether domestic or foreign emoluments clause. if there is a threat to this business transaction, it probably would come from places like s.e.c., if donald trump was elected, it would not come from places like the s.e.c. >> let me ask you about something that happened a short time ago on trump's failed social media site, he reposted a youtube video involving eugene carol saying what kind of a justice system is this, so unfair. couldn't even present evidence, the judge was an out of control disaster, election interference, will win on
7:37 pm
appeal. why is he risking this? why is he talking about eugene carol after he had been found more or less liable for defaming her, twice, to the tune of combined tune of $85 million. >> when it comes to defamation every word matters and context matters. as i see those words, you could argue that it really isn't a repeat of supposedly calling a liar or falsify her, that something that would get him an immediate trouble, because the case, it's already been decided that calling e. jean carroll a liar get you back in court to pay more damages. instead of he's saying, this was an unfair process, the judge had it out for me, that's probably not going to be defamation. although when it comes to defamation it's in the eye of the beholder. reasonable minds can differ on what is or is not defamation. beyond the words, you look at the facts, so does trump get
7:38 pm
away with this statement? maybe, but he is playing with fire. every time he talks about the e. jean carroll case. >> your thoughts on this, why would this guy, we know he has no discipline, no message discipline, he has his vitriolic hate for people who go after him, women who try to hold them accountable, and here he is again saying something on truth social about e. jean carroll. >> i think two things are going on, one, he really does have no impulse control, pathological narcissist, among his other problems, he cannot help, that is on easter, that's the other is that donald trump is using his cases to get himself elected, he's making himself a martyr, the deep state is out to get me, see how i'm being persecuted, all of these judges are out to get me, alvin bragg
7:39 pm
is out to get me, it's all a plot. uses the courtroom and the courtroom steps, to gin up sympathy so he can get elected. and he wants to get elected so he can get a job get out of jail free card. >> great to have both of you on this evening, thank you so much for your time and your insights, as always. next, julian assange extradition is paused pending assurances from the u.s., his brother is our next guest. ♪ or dolling herself up to go ♪ ♪ handle all of her care. ♪ ♪ with doctors to nurses ♪ ♪ and all the people in between ♪ ♪ healthier happens in more ways ♪ ♪ than ray's ever seen. ♪ ♪ healthier happens together. ♪ okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete,
7:40 pm
balanced nutrition for strength and energy. yay - woo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, nutrients for immune health. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. (♪♪) you know what's brilliant? boring. think about it. boring is the unsung catalyst for bold. what straps bold to a rocket and hurtles it into space? boring does. great job astro-persons. over. boring is the jumping off point for all the un-boring things we do. boring makes vacations happen, early retirements possible, and startups start up. because it's smart, dependable, and steady. all words you want from your bank. taking chances is for skateboarding... and gas station sushi. not banking. that's why pnc bank strives to be boring with your money. the pragmatic, calculated kind of boring. moving to boca? boooring. that was a dolphin, right? it's simple really, for nearly 160 years,
7:41 pm
7:42 pm
it should be called wiffle tennis. pickle! yeah, aw! whoo! ♪♪ these guys are intense. we got nothing to worry about. with e*trade from morgan stanley, we're ready for whatever gets served up. dude, you gotta work on your trash talk. i'd rather work on saving for retirement. or college, since you like to get schooled. that's a pretty good burn, right? got him. good game. thanks for coming to our clinic, first one's free. and edited video taken in 2007 during the iraq war, showing the u.s. targeting and killing two reuters journalist, a number of iraqi civilians, was published in 2010 on the website wikileaks. the video was an unfiltered
7:43 pm
glimpse of what was happening in iraq under the american occupation at the time, and it would also become the focus of the debate as to whether it's publication violated the espionage act in the u.s. since 2010, since 2019, wikileaks founder julian assange has been fighting an extradition to the u.s. to face charges laid to his public like the one you just saw. last week a high court in the uk where he is being held ruled that won't happen unless american officials provide more assurances. to guarantee that you will not be denied his first amendment rights, or even face the death penalty. humanitarian groups activists and journalists alike are around the world have voiced concerns that he could face human rights violations if you are extradited. this would have a chilling effect on press, freedom, and the publication of sensitive material. some argue that a sonde is a publisher and it was well within his right to release those documents in the public interest. others say his actions were outside of journalistic balance and that he coerced and aided
7:44 pm
people like the whistleblower, chelsea manning in obtaining classified government material. gabriel shipton, julian assange's brother joined me now. we have spoken a few times over the past several years about this case, what you make of these assurances that the uk high court is asking from the u.s., and you may recall when i spoke with his wife, two years ago, here's what he had she had to say to me. >> bear not assurances at all. you have to read the letter from the u.s. government. the u.s. government reserves the right to inflict a very torturous treatment that the uk courts say will kill julian. >> has anything changed from the time she made that statement to where we are today? >> julian has another year or so in prison on the 11th of april, it will be his fifth year in a maximum security prison, not serving as sentence, not charged with
7:45 pm
anything in the uk. and really what the uk court has done, is batted this back to the united states, and given the u.s. doj another opportunity to make these diplomatic assurances. assurances that amnesty has said are not worth the paper they're printed on. when julian arrives, all bets are off if he's extradited to the eastern district of virginia. >> speaking of that, your brother's legal team tried to appeal his extradition, as i understand it, on nine separate grounds. ultimately, the uk high court granted him appeal rights on only three of those, meaning they largely dismissed his arguments that he had the right to freedom of expression. am i getting that correctly? what are the broader implications of that, when you think about the kind of material that he published via wikileaks? >> i was in the court when they were hearing this appeal hearing and the judges said,
7:46 pm
does this mean that any journalist who publishes this sort of information could easily be extradited, and the prosecutors in the uk had to say yes. that this would establish a precedent that meant any journalist in the united kingdom could be extradited to the united states. so, i think what is really important, in this case is, it's establishing this global race to the bottom when it comes to press freedoms. we've seen similar activity, just last week, evan gershkovich, he is year anniversary in russian jail. we've seen similar activities from the chinese government. we're seeing, really, this kind of using espionage act and the secrecy laws to pursue journalists all over the world, and what's happening to julian
7:47 pm
is the template for that peer >> let me get your thoughts on how this might play out in the american election. diligently speaking, how does the possibility of, if you think it may have an impact, how do you think the likelihood of a trump presidency were there continuation of a biden presidency have an impact on how america goes after julian assange mark do you think there would be a difference between different administrations and their pursuit of trying to bring him here to the united states? >> well, this prosecution emanated from the trump administration back in 2017. in his first speech as cia director, mike pompeo essentially went off the deep end, and made it his priority as cia director to go after wikileaks and julian assange, and we can watch this ignition and 2017 to when julian was taken out of the embassy in 2019 and these unprecedented
7:48 pm
espionage act charges. the attorney general at the time. we expected a change of policy when the biden administration came into power in 2021, we didn't really see a change, and it continued on with this unprecedented attack, something that the new york times has written to the biden administration calling on them to drop this because of the threat it poses to their publishing rights. so, we haven't really seen a change between neither administration, and i don't really believe into the future, but, it's becoming more and more of a political hot potato for the biden administration, using congressional support growing for the charges to be dropped, i think there's around 20 congress people who have called on the biden administration to bring these charges to an end.
7:49 pm
there's a house resolution before congress, so there is a growing constituency, for those charges to be dropped into congress, and i don't think the biden administration really wants a journalist, arriving in chains, eastern district during an election season. >> for a whole host of reasons with the other issues you're dealing with right now, it's always a pleasure, thank you so much for making time for us, i look forward to continuing this conversation with you in the weeks and months ahead. >> thanks. >> next up, if the court thinks you require some remedial classes on legal ethics, should you be an attorney general? ey it was all too hard to deal with in the beginning, but making a plan with my doctor to add precision was easy. preservision areds2 contains the exact nei recommended, clinically proven nutrient formula to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression.
7:50 pm
thanks to preservision, i feel better that i'm doing something about it like millions of others. preservision. if you're living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis or active psoriatic arthritis, symptoms can sometimes take you out of the moment. now there's skyrizi, so you can show up with clearer skin... ...and show it off. ♪ nothing is everything ♪ with skyrizi, you could take each step with 90% clearer skin. and if you have psoriatic arthritis, skyrizi can help you get moving with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to skyrizi, there's nothing like clearer skin and less joint pain, and that means everything. ♪ nothing is everything ♪
7:51 pm
ask your doctor about how skyrizi could help with your skin or joint symptoms. learn how abbvie could help you save. okay y'all we got ten orders coming in... big orders! starting a business is never easy, but starting it eight months pregnant... that's a different story. i couldn't slow down. we were starting a business from the ground up. people were showing up left and right. and so did our business needs the chase ink card made it easy. when you go for something big like this, your kids see that. and they believe they can do the same. earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase with the chase ink business unlimited card. make more of what's yours.
7:53 pm
7:54 pm
also serve 100 hours of community service and pay nearly $200,000 in restitution to the people he's accused of defrauding. those of the conditions of a pretrial agreement reached by prosecutors last week in a securities fraud case that has been hanging over paxton for nearly a decade. in 2015, paxton was indicted on three felony charges just months into his first term as attorney general. he was accused of soliciting investors for a tech startup without disclosing that he was being paid to promote it. if paxton completes the terms of his deal, prosecutors will dismiss the charges in 18 months. it does not require him to enter a plea deal. this week, paxton said in a statement, there will never be a conviction in this case, nor am i guilty. this decision cements another win for the embattled attorney general. last fall he was acquitted of 16 impeachment charges relating to allegations that he accepted
7:55 pm
bribes and abused the authority of his office to help a wealthy friend and campaign donor. perhaps because he always seems to get away with it, paxton's legal troubles are not over, thanks to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in four battleground states. back then he was chair of the lawyers were trump group, he targeted the election results in georgia, michigan, pennsylvania, and wisconsin. he went as far as asking the supreme court to block those states from voting in the electoral college. the texas bar association is still investigating him for this. that case could result in his disbarment. paxton is also facing a lawsuit brought by four of his former topped activities who claim they were improperly fired for reporting him to the fbi. their accusations led to his impeachment trial last year and caught the eye of the fbi, which is still investigating paxton. now, i know what you're thinking. how in the world is this person still texas attorney general?
7:56 pm
isn't he wildly unpopular with the people in his state despite these headlines and developments that we just read? the short answer is no. polling last month shows a 61% approval rating among republican voters, that's up 15 points from august, when he was in the throes of his impeachment fight. just like everything these days, paxton's power was made possible in part by donald trump, who loves a loyal soldier. and he actually helped propel paxton through a crowded primary field in his run for a third term in 2022. he also vowed retribution for any republicans who turned against the attorney general during paxton's impeachment. and that is how we got to where we are today. ken paxton has no fear of the law, and is clearly feeling empowered. so much so that he is reportedly thinking about federal office, challenging senator john cordon for his seat in 2026. much like the standard bearer of the publican party, paxton
7:57 pm
doesn't believe the rules actually apply to him. if the law fails to catch up to either trump or paxton, it is up to the voters to prove them wrong yet again. a new hour of aymin, after this. this. ( ♪♪ ) the best moments deserve the best eggs. especially when they're eggland's best. taste so deliciously fresh. with better nutrition, too. for us, it's eggs any style. ( ♪♪ ) as long as they're the best. eggland's best. ( ♪♪ ) detect this: living with hiv, robert learned
7:58 pm
he can stay undetectable with fewer medicines. that's why he switched to dovato. dovato is a complete hiv treatment for some adults. no other complete hiv pill uses fewer medicines to help keep you undetectable than dovato. detect this: marnina learned that most hiv pills contain 3 or 4 medicines. dovato is as effective with just 2. if you have hepatitis b, don't stop dovato without talking to your doctor. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking dofetilide. this can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. if you have a rash or allergic reaction symptoms, stop dovato and get medical help right away. serious or life-threatening lactic acid buildup and liver problems can occur. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, or if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. dovato may harm an unborn baby. most common side effects are headache, nausea, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, tiredness, and anxiety. detect this: you could stay undetectable with fewer medicines. ask your doctor about dovato. she runs and plays like a puppy again.
7:59 pm
his #2s are perfect! he's a brand new dog, all in less than a year. when people switch their dog's food from kibble to the farmer's dog, they often say that it feels like magic. but there's no magic involved. (dog bark) it's simply fresh meat and vegetables, with all the nutrients dogs need— instead of dried pellets. just food made for the health of dogs. delivered in packs portioned for your dog. it's amazing what real food can do. not all caitlin clarks are the same. caitlin clark. city planner. just like not all internet providers are the same. don't settle. you want fast. get fast. you want reliable. get reliable. you want powerful. get powerful.
8:00 pm
68 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC WestUploaded by TV Archive on
![](http://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=7356832)