thank you so much for letting us into your homes during these truly extraordinary times. we're so grateful. "the beat" with ari melber starts right now. >> hi, nicole. thanks so much. i'm ari melber. this is "the beat." boy, do we have a good show. tonight we a preview of this criminal case that begins next week in new york. my special guest toornt veteran lawyer lanny davis who represented president clinton and knows his way around high

stakes legal clashes and now advising the man you see on your screen, the star witness against trump, michael cohen. i think we'll have plenty to talk about. our top story, though, right now is this fire storm over the draconian crack down over women's rights in arizona. conservatives enacting the agenda that the supreme court had claimed would not happen when they overturned roe, criminalizing abortion, okaying a law that jails people with a doctor or someone helping a woman. we're living now through this rolling national controversy. it's important, and it impacts everything from that electoral backlash that could make trump a lot more likely to lose to joe biden in november to human rights, health, and safety. >> breaking news out of arizona where the state supreme court just made a monumental abortion decision. >> arizonians across the state are reeling. >> this is absolutely horrendous

what's happening. >> the question is do we need to hit rock bottom to realize what's happening here. >> it's insane. it's egregious. it's an affront to our freedom. >> i just find it appalling. it just makes you cry. >> this is happening. this is real. this is america right now. the crack down on this particular freedom in this particular state as you may have heard if you've been following the news, it dates back to what was then former government oppression of women in the 1800s. so these judges are trying to use that documented anti-female oppressive system from that era. women were called property or chattel at the time to legislate in arizona today. now, what i just said may sound bad, but it's not a criticism, and it's not an opinion. it is a legal fact. it's not as if the arizona legislature stood up and said they have democratic approval or they were elected and here's

what they want to do. it was unelected judges going all the way back to that era who would be no different than trying to govern civil rights by going back to the slavery era and saying because of the slave era law this is how we're going to do civil rights or equal treatment. again, sounds bad but not a criticism. just a legal fact. to see how local elections matter, many arizona residents might not have realized a democrat is the state's attorney general, but she says she will use her discretionary authority to decide not to prosecute at least some of the harshest provisions of this very old criminal law, which would send people to prison who help women get an abortion, be that family, friends, or people who deem the care professionally necessary for a patient, which would obviously reference doctors. so on the one hand doctors are very vulnerable in this state of being sent to prison. on the other, for right now the

a.g. is trying to prevent at least that harsh part of this 19th century approach. and i want to be clear, we know the judges encourage that kind of jailing because in the new ruling they say they want doctors in jail. they go out of their way to say physicians are on not notice most abortions are illegal. illegal under this law, meaning they'd be sent to jail for doing them. these unelected judges wrote down their plan to put physicians in jail. they said so. they want to use their power to go even farther than that, even farther than the trumpified supreme court ruling to make abortion largely illegal and jail the people and change the law in america. it feels perhaps like a hands maid tale because they're using past discredited laws and oppression of women to enact this. now, it could be even worse but as i mention the one nuance is

the democratic a.g. standing in the way. now, it is a big deal that she says she will not use her discretion to enact what those judges demand. now, how did we get here? the details matter. only reason she's there right now as a temporary public official. most officials are temporary except for most judges, she's there because she actually very narrowly won in this purple state. let me show you the context right here. the electoral history was 2022, she won less than 0.12%. >> the attorney general's race between democrat kris mayes. >> we're running against a candidate who said he would enforce the 1864 ban on abortion. >> my opponent wants to lock up doctors and punish women.

not on my watch. >> the recount for arizona attorney general's race came down to less than 300 votes. >> one of the closest races in state history. mayes beating hamaday for attorney general by only 280 votes. >> this was the nail-biter of a race. i don't know, maybe they'll end up calling me landslide mayes. >> not exactly a landslide. it was very close. that's why some of what we hear about elections is so off base. we get why people are tired of endless political hyperbole, and we get why people focus on the top of the ticket and say i'm not sure i like either of these guys, they're both seniors. i'm not sure i'm excited about the current president and i have certain feelings about the past president and the conversation ends there. in arizona right now these doctors and many women are looking at this situation, and it is night and day based on the outcome of that race. and as for hyperbole, which does

exist sometimes across many politicians, the democrat there was accurate when she said something that might have sounded quite stern there, that her opponent wanted to lock up doctors. if you don't follow this closely and hasn't hit you personally you might say, really, is that the case? but the voters in arizona who know this issue and many people involved in women's rights and legal advocacy who have been warning about this and the facts, well, they were trying to tell people in arizona in that very narrow recount race that, yes, the republican candidate had vowed to enforce this ancient law against the doctors if he got the chance. >> obviously abortion has been in the news a lot for the past several months. will you enforce arizona's territorial ban on abortion? >> i think we have to understand the role of attorney general. as attorney general i enforce the laws. >> that's a yes. the reference to the territorial

aspect, well, that actually matters. this law is so old it predates the state of arizona, which is why you don't have to be a legal expert to know the judges don't have to go this way. they might have said something else like laws that were passed before this entity, this sovereign became a state are not going to be automatically applied the same way, or they might have waited until november to let the people have more of a say, but they didn't do that. these unelected judges took that pre-state law and are enforcing it now against everyone and basically demanding that the attorney general put doctors in jail, which the republican candidate there said that's what he would do, just enforce the law. and that wawhen this was a hypothetical. today it is very real. so what of the people who brought us this reality who are on record spending years trying to overturn roe, which is what

led to this are now backtracking on what they wrought. in bluer and biden districts republicans trying to distance themselves from the arizona ban, as axios summarizes. and kari lake running for senate now is also running from her record on this. today donald trump is falsely claiming that this ban goes too far in his view. now, we will tell you what he says about policy, and you will decide whether to vote and who to vote for. but i have to tell you that that claim is false because he already put three justices on the supreme court who created this reality. this is the exact reality that he not only supported but used his power to create. so you should know that. the politics of this are intimately tied to the human rights, the reality, and the safety of this. politically republicans are this party that is like a dog that caught the car.

they don't know what to do with the result they got cracking down on women's rights and doctors being able to do their jobs and people being able to do ivf family planning. now, as for the politics that matters and i don't mean to reduce something this important to politics, but it was elections and politics that got you that a. g. it was elections and politics that got you those trump judges because some people in '16 looked up and said, what's the big difference or they had issues with hillary clinton. if you watch this program we covered -- not then. we weren't on the air yet, but we have covered legitimate decisions with hillary clinton just like we covered problems with joe biden. but on this issue i also have a journalistic duty to make sure you understand these are black and white issues on where the party stood on the issue of choice. and the republicans politically are running from this because they know that they are in the opposite position of most of the public including in purple and red states. and one way they're running is just trying to prevent their

base and other independents and conservative leaning people from finding out about it. is that a good strategy? i guess it depends on whether you think reality will seep out across the country by november. fox news is trying to convince people this didn't happen by basically covering anything but one of the biggest stories in the country on an issue that their team, republicans they say often support claim was a good thing they wanted. it's pretty odd for something that every republican president in the modern era has pushed for with a strict anti-roe v. wade litmus test for every judge on the high federal courts and especially the supreme court, and that predates trump. this is not a trump story. he's the most recent american president to do it. this dates back to decades. this is what they wanted, this is what they created, this is what they promised. so are they taking a victory lap as we see the results in all

these states? no, they're running. i'll give you one point of reference tonight before we bring in our experts. cnn covered this big ruling across eight different programs with about two hours of airtime just within this first day yesterday. msnbc as you look to us as a news source went about 2 hours and 20 minutes of coverage over about nine shows, similar. fox, which so often cheers for maga republicans and trump who created this reality and said it would be good, limited this to just 12 minutes, and their super maga evening hosts didn't mention it at all. this is striking. this is not only extreme on legal grounds, the first time the supreme court ever took back what was declared a human right, overturning precedent, violating the claims those judges made in their all-important senate confirmation hearings, but politically this is apparently something republicans think this alone -- maybe not donald trump's trials, maybe not joe

biden's age, but this alone could capsize everything they have going into november. could lead to what we're calling, quote, catastrophic losses for donald trump, who is more singularly responsible for this recent change than any person in america because he appointed those three judges and any other down ballot republicans who are worried they could get shellacked. and that's just the politics. we went through human rights, which are even more important. we turn to someone who knows the law and issues very well, dahlia lithwick when we're back in 90 seconds. lithwick when we're back in 90 seconds. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone.

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. if you had to travel to another state to get an abortion, it's not the worst thing in the world. hopefully this is very rare occurrence in your life. once in a life maybe you would do it. going a bus ticket to go somewhere to get it is not the worst thing in the world. >> one of the very few moments fox touched on this issue at all. slate's dahlia lithwick is here. your thoughts tonight. >> ari, i think you said it so well. there's this funny kind of front stage, backstage dynamic where you have, you know, a federalist society event, you have dan megan, you have leonard leo. you know, they can't stop praising themselves for effectively ending roe v. wade. they're very pleased with themselves, and yet when other people say, hey, they ended roe

v. wade and abortion is now in an "x" number of states, they say, no, no, that never happened, you're hysterical, you can just get a bus ticket. there's this dynamic they're proud when they're talking to their funders or evangelical voters. they're clear what the project was and they did it. they did the project. then when the project scales and replicates they keep saying these funny code words like, oh, we're sending it back to the states or, oh, you can just take a bus somewhere else. so i think part of the problem is, you know, there's this notion we live in these kind of rarefied bubbles, right, these completely sealed up echo chambers and i think they're a review of the people who live in their echo chamber also don't live in reality. >> right. and that is why this might look like more of an issue of the economy or a pandemic than one of these d.c. side of the federal government ephemeral tax

debates because so many americans now in so many states are living through it. dahlia, i do want to show i mentioned some of the things donald trump has done and the criminal evidence against him, it's all very newsworthy. it may be politically that the voters recoil against other things, not what's always in the news but just this rolling women's rights crisis. here he was trying to walk back arizona. >> did arizona go too far? >> yeah, they did. and that'll be straightened out. and as you know it's all about state's rights and it'll be straightened out. i'm sure the governor and everybody else will bring it back into reason. >> what do you think about florida? >> florida is probably making a change also. it's the will of the people. this is what i've been saying. it's a perfect system. >> dahlia, arizona went too far, says donald trump. and it will get, quote, straightened out. >> yeah, again, there's another

iteration of front stage, backstage that's at play here, ari, and it's really important for people to see it. because when they say things like, oh, it's going to go back to the states or, oh, we're going to go back to the status quo that was roe even though we're passing a 15-week ban or 16-week ban, what they're also saying is, hey, read this project 2025. this is the blueprint for what we do when we're in office. they're very clear about what the plan is if trump were to be re-installed as president, and that's when they start talking about pulling out the comstock act, and that literally -- i mean you know this better than anyone, ari. it's like a crazy anti-porn law from 1873 that has been defunct for so long that it was a punch line until just a few months ago. and and their openly saying we don't have to do this state by state, we don't have to do it by

state supreme court by supreme court. we can on the very first day he's in office, brush this thing off and use it to make abortion illegal nationwide. >> federal, yep. >> we can to create fetal personhood if we want to. so the idea this thing is kind of politics as usual they're proudly trumpeting politics is broken because of this executive fiat is part of the dog catches the car and then the dog lies about it. it's strange. >> yeah. and a federal ban will then have a fox guest saying, well, you could just go to canada, you could just fly to europe. you know, they're going to keep doing that. the other point i'd add to your very excellent breakdown is when donald trump says go back to the states, this is going back to the states. what's happening in arizona is the republican plan what's happening now, there's no future hypotheticals. and in arizona that means doctors are calling lawyers and

figure ogout whether they're going to be imprisoned for what was last year a health care operation. so we appreciate you being our lead off guest here, dahlia, and i look forward to having you back even in tough times. thank you. >> thanks for having me. >> appreciate it. today big news. donald trump's money man, alan wiseal, was sent back to rikers jail. we'll explain. and there's new never before excerpts i have. about two months. we didn't have that last night. we'll have that along with a rebuttal from lanny davis, president clinton's former counselor. he's here. i'm going to get into all of it and a trial preview next. into and a trial preview next what straps bold to a rocket and hurtles it into space? boring does. 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. for nearly 160 years, pnc bank has been brilliantly boring so you can be happily fulfilled... which is pretty un-boring

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okay, that's uncalled for. there is a lot going on. don't forget donald trump goes on trial in new york in five days, and he got more bad legal news today in new york. his former cfo alan weisselberg, sent back to jail. a new five month sentence over

perjury, basically lied about fraud in the new york a.g.'s case. he's paid the price repeatedly. now, this is also relevant to next week's big hush money criminal trial for trump because evidence links him and former trump lawyer michael cohen to trump's plot. cohen says weisselberg arranged those damning misleading reimbursements from trump to cohen, which are now part of the indictments stating cohen had spoken to weisselberg about setting up a company to conceal the transactions. now, cohen is clearly ready to incriminate trump in court. if trump had wanted to call wiseal -- why would a jury believe a trump convict who just admitted perjury? that's how the d.a. could neutralize any potential

testimony by this apparent trump ally. now, trump's lawyers might similarly try to attack cohen's credibility. he and his legal advisor, lanny davis, argue, however, that cohen came clean a long time against trump and that cohen has receipts to back up his story. well, cohen advisor lanny davis is our live guest tonight in just a few moments for a live perspective on this. davis will also be able to respond on news that broke right here last night on the beat. when michael avnaughty, stormy daniels former lawyer, of course, finally broke his silence, speak out for the first time from prison right here on msnbc. that interview driving these new headlines tonight. avenatti is a news worthy guest and a controversial one. today donald trump responded to avenatti, his long time bitter foe, by now claiming that he

thankfully reveals the truth. so lanny davis gets time to respond. first, we're just going to show about another minute or so from tape we didn't air from that same prison phone call. this is now airing for the first time. >> michael, i did want to ask you in sort of short form what you might want to say to different people given the centrality that you've had in so many aspects of this case and given the d.a., first, what would you say now to d.a. bragg? >> delay the case for the good of the country. let jack smith do what he needs to do in the january 6th case. that is the case that really matters. >> to donald trump? >> buckle up. from somebody who's been through this three times, this is going to be a very eye opening and humble experience. >> to the other clients that legally it was determined you wronged asked you spoke about them in some of your cases, but what do you say to them?

>> i standby the apologies that i've made to them, and i intend on making right. >> what do you think the final question the country should make of this trial, and again, walk us through how you think it will end. >> i think ultimately trump will be convicted in this trial. i don't believe he will receive jail time in connection with the case. i think that could be very problematic especially from a political standpoint and even more true were he to be elected in november. i think the risk that is run in connection with this case is, you know, it's a criminal defendant. he only needs one juror in order to hang the jury and get a mistrial. and i think if that happens, it's going to be like jet fuel on his political campaign. and it could be very problematic. >> those were avenatti's thoughts from his prison phone call. we have cohen legal advisor lanny davis, a veteran lawyer

and served as special council spokesperson for then president clinton. he's provided legal analysis i should say on many programs including "the beat." welcome, lanny. >> thank you, ari. >> i should mention we invited cohen back for an interview. you know that. you're here on his behalf, which is newsworthy. i do want to play a brief part of the avenatti statements last night and some of the are rebuttals we also aired in that same program and give you a chance to respond. >> to say that michael cohen is -- is a problem witness would be an understatement. he's a serial liar. he's shown himself to be incapable of telling the truth. if the prosecution relies predominantly on michael cohen, it has the potential to be a disaster. i think they're going to have an absolute field day with michael cohen on the stand. >> he knows nothing about this case. he was not involved in the mechanics of the case. he was not involved in the pay offs. he was not involved in how it was setup.

he's not a witness in this case. >> this man never met a greenroom he turned down. like getting between him is very dangerous. >> that's some of what happened last night. you'll hear from him again. thank you. your response. >> first of all, it's a little bit rich that somebody who pled guilty to stealing from clients including a paraplegic comes on and speaks about michael cohen's credibility who with stood donald trump's lawyers for two days of cross-examination. and the judge, direct quote, michael cohen told the truth. so anything that mr. avenatti says about michael cohen is from the absence of knowledge. whatever motives he had, he admitted to having personal conflict with michael. i would say that the credibility of mr. avenatti compared to michael cohen who testified before seven congressional committees and withstood that cross-examination and also testified plane other times --

and this case which i know something about because i was with him through the collaboration is backed up by documents and witnesses that verify and confirm michael cohen told the truth. and i believe this jury will find the same credibility as judge engoron did. >> yeah, and mr. cohen will be a star witness, i think that's fair, yes? >> yes. but not the only witness. i can't tell you too much -- >> i didn't say only, lanny. >> but i am saying to eryone and you're aware of this that there are multiple witnesses that document that donald trump directed michael cohen to pay for this money to deprive the american people of the information that might have changed the election. >> and that's important, and you're newsworthy because you represent him and he could be up on the stand in a matter of weeks. i want to read from that sentencing memorandum from new york vs. cohen. quote, cohen deceived the

american public that's on him by hiding alleged facts he believed would have had substantial effect on the election. >> can i comment, interpret you please? >> go ahead. >> that's the southern new york prosecutors that found donald trump, quote, directed cohen to make the payments not for his benefit. and secondly, they found that the characterization of those payments as legal expenses were false. >> yes. >> and that's the federal -- >> and that's powerful. that's bad for trump. does this mean in your view that the second crime here is a federal election crime allegedly by donald trump? >> well, there's no question there was a federal election crime. they charged michael cohen in the same crime they said that donald trump direct him to do. they didn't charge donald trump. but that federal crime is also a new york state crime, which we will see when the district attorney presents it. >> so that's the key second crime. >> the second there are two crimes. one is the false booking, which they knew is not legal expense.

there was never a legal agreement. it was cover up for the money they spent to deprive the american people for the information that donald trump had an affair with an adult film star. and by the way, mr. avenatti attacking ms. daniels last night on your show is also a little rich. this is guy that stole $300,000 and then he attacks her on television. i don't think that's right. >> you get time as you know michael time to come on when he wants to. >> michael is about ready to prepare for testify in this historic crime. and let me remind you that donald trump cannot -- remind your views, cannot pardon himself if these jurors -- >> it's new york. >> it's new york. and he loves state law. >> so you respond to avenatti, but you know as you prepare mr. cohen that like it or not this is trial, and there will be other questions and potentially attacks on his credibility in front of his jury. and this is a new york jury. and i don't know what you think, but i would expect the defense council to try any which way to

get in the fact he use today be a big trump supporter to some of these people. courtesy of your rebuttal take a look at the history here on this sound. >> i know mr. trump. i've stood by him shoulder to shoulder for the past decade. >> did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company? >> yes. >> do you think we need to review his financial statements and his tax returns in order to compare them? >> yes. i'm obviously very loyal and very dedicated to mr. trump. i think he's going to be a great president. >> to your knowledge did the president or his company ever inflate assets or revenue? >> yes. >> and was that done with the president's knowledge or direction? >> everything was done with the knowledge and at the direction of mr. trump. >> the later testimony there damning against trump. but i mention in the

introduction what a seasoned lawyer you are. there are people who only want to cover or look at or listen to one side of the case. you never understand a trial without both sides. i think you might agree -- tell me if you do -- that the other side of the defense will try to impeach mr. cohen's credibility. and if you agree that's possible, i ask you tonight what are the responses. >> well, most importantly we've seen michael cross examined by the same kind of questions, and the judge, the only one that has had adjudication is a judge found michael to be truthful. the same kind of questions and attacks will be made in this trial. >> you think that will come up? >> i have no doubt not only was michael truthful, but he owned the lie and the stealing and all the other things that he did for donald trump for ten years. this was not money that he took. he paid this money on behalf of as the federal prosecutors wrote in a public document, directed by donald trump. so whatever cross-examination he

undergoes, i have total confidence based on documents and other witnesses to back him up that mr. trump has a very tough case to get even one juror to agree that he's not guilty. >> it's really interesting. do you think, and i'd ask him if he were here, but you're here in his place. do you think he's prepared personally, financially, emotionally for how much the trump lawyers if he takes the stand will try to bait him, to upset him, to make him lose his composure in. >> yes. for one reason. five years ago when he called me and we talked about helping him putting him into the public arena in front of a congressional committee under oath he said i need to tell the truth for my family, for myself. and since that day he has told the truth in front of congressional committees. mr. mueller praised him telling the truth. and i just said that the judge found after two days of cross-examination i have total confidence the reason that he'll

stand up is he's only going to tell the truth. and when you tell the truth, that's pretty powerful. and the jury will look at him and decide is he credible. 12 people decide whether he's credible. >> i have something else i want to talk to you about. not the why are we here. there's a convicted campaign crime. there is a mountain of evidence against donald trump proving that donald trump might have been less than accurate on his finances is easier now than it was years ago with this mountain of evidence. i think people are familiar. so not why are we here, but why are we here now? which is more a question for the d.a. than for you. the d.a. has been on the show, but he's busy right now. i want to know how you think the d.a. will deal with this because here's the time line. 2016 is when this thing occurred. your client, the person you're

advising, mr. cohen, indicted -- pleads guilty by 2018, right? we don't get the revival of the case until 2022 and the indictment until 2023. and now here we are, 2024. april jury selection could be may starting the trial. i ask you what is the best rebuttal for the d.a. when the lawyers say not why are we here, but why are we here now when they try to through questions and arguments to this new york jury say it's a little late to be dealing with something from seven years ago. >> first of all, i wish it had been brought up earlier. >> you do? >> i do. the earlier d.a. mr. vance was ready to bring indictment based on commercial fraud. instead the attorney general brought a civil case for commercial fraud. this d.a. decided a more powerful case with implications for the country was this case. let me quote the federal prosecutors who worked for donald trump when they wrote these words on december 7, 2018,

in a public document. they said this case is about preventing the american people from knowing the truth right before an election. he waited until three days before the election. >> yeah, very important. >> reporter: to tell michael pay off ms. daniels. >> you're a smart lawyer yo so i know you can handle being pushed with all your experience. what do you say in that courtroom when those trump lawyers say to the jury if this was such a strong case and a clear case, and mr. cohen has been ready as i think he has to tell the truth as you said tonight for all this time, why did it take this long? if it's such a great case, why didn't they bring it earlier? here we are barrelling towards an election, here we are seven years later. is there a good answer for that. >> there's a very good answer. he was an incumbent president and prosecutors called him individual one, not donald trump, directing michael cohen to pay the money for his benefit and cover up an affair. >> we're 3 1/2 years.

>> when he reluctantly allowed himself to be succeeded by joe biden after a violent insurrection. now it took some time to decide do we go with the financial fraud case or bring this case, which is preventing the american people from casting their votes. it's not a hush money case about sex. it's about preventing the american people from knowing donald trump had an affair according to ms. daniels, and that he didn't want the american people to know about it after the "access hollywood" tape came out earlier in october. those are the facts. and it took about a year for them to decide we're not going to bring the financial fraud case. we're going to bring this case because it's about fair elections and it's not just about money. >> final questions you mentioned the witnesses. mr. cohen will be a key witness if he's called. what other witnesses do you think will most clearly corroborate his testimony? >> well, i'm going to answer your question according to public reports because i was in the room with michael for almost two years while the prosecutors were preparing.

>> i know. >> i can tell you there is another major crime michael was force r forced to plead guilty to even though he really had nothing to do with it other than papering it. and that involved the national enquirer and someone named david pecker. this is the only information i'm describing. david pecker testified in front of the grand jury he met, and that's the word federal prosecutors used in their memorandum. trump met with david pecker to do a cash and kill scheme where the national enquirer would pay off anyone coming with bad information about donald trump before the election. >> so with or without cohen, you think the d.a. can put that conservative media magnate on the stand and he has first person damning testimony against trump? >> i only can use the word "can," thank you. i won't say will. but i will say data, e-mails, text messages, telephone calls, a calender, all the way through the moment in time three days before the election to show his

motive was political. when he told and directed cohen according to federal prosecutors who worked for donald trump, directed cohen to pay the $130,000 not for his benefit, in order to cover up, to prevent the american people from knowing three days before a close election that he had had this alleged affair. >> well, you paint a damaging picture of mr. avenatti and a damning one of defendant trump. we always try to go to the sort around here. i appreciate you coming on. >> do you mind one comment just before. >> go ahead. >> this man, donald trump, has the presumption of innocence. i believe in the rule of law and our constitution, unlike mr. trump who said he wanted to throw out the constitution. i think he deserves the presumption of innocence. and only when 12 new york jurors convict will i say he's guilty. >> appreciate you coming back. always good to see you. we'll be right back with a lot more. d to see you we'll be right back with a lot more . we're talking about cashbackin.

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the single most powerful job in the legislative branch in the united states is the speaker of the house. today, though, the relatively recently chosen republican speaker, mike johnson, is in the same humiliating dance as his predecessor. he's begging to keep this supposedly powerful job from not only a member of a relatively fringe part of the party but one who many republicans openly say doesn't even represent anything they want to be about.

and yet under the very rules that johnson and others agreed to, marjorie taylor greene has all of this leverage. she sent a letter to republicans that accuses johnson of a total surrender, serving the democrats, destroying our country. the hyperbole goes on and on. now, what would a speaker pelosi or even a speaker boehner say to one random person in an entire caucus of hundreds of people to that? what is this so-called power worth? and are you powerful if you cannot address this straight up? well, here's johnson today. >> i always considered her a friend. marjory and i don't disagree i don't think on any matter of philosophy. we're both conservatives, you know, but we do disagree sometimes on strategy. >> just a little strategic disagreement. the problem for johnson is people are really following this. if the republicans have another civil war and oust another speaker, it is not a great

closing argument for them while they deal with the story that led our broadcast tonight, that our roiling america, abortion, donald trump's trials, a lot of other problems and they can't even in the house stick to one leader. as for mtg, she's not playing along. take a listen. >> i got a lot of excuses. we didn't walk out with a deal. i said none of this is changing. it hasn't changed the way i view things, has not changed the tone and the words in my letter. >> johnson so desperate to mollify her any which way, many people say though he replaced mccarthy and was supposed to be something different, new, more maga, he's basically doing a mccarthy. mccarthy went all the way down to mar-a-lago to suck up to trump after criticizing jan 6. johnson planning another pilgrimage of the same vintage, appearing at a trump event designed to show, well, he's so powerful he needs to dance

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six seconds to go. perfection with a touch of sweet redemption. undefeated south carolina has won its third national championship. >> there you have it. the ncaa women's basketball final. that was that final moment, we should note, we're mentioning

this, but everybody is talking about it. the game broke viewership records, the most-watched basketball game in five years. for the first-time ever the women's final was actually more watched than the men's. surpasses the men's primetime matchup, wasn't even close, by over 4 million viewers. "wall street journal" reports, women's tournament playing earned not 50 or 60 but 99% less in tv revenue than the men's. goes well beyond the collegiate level. projected number one pick iowa superstar caitlin clark is expected to even about 76 k, far less than the millions for her nba counterparts. women in the united states earn about a fifth less than men across all fields. it's a pay gap that did fall at one point but has now stayed pretty steady for decades. these are just facts, if you find them upsetting, well, we might try to do something about them. if you find people denying them, don't argue with them.

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♪♪ tonight on "the reidout" -- >> so for 52 years people have wanted to end roe v. wade to get it back to the states. we did that. it was an incredible thing. an incredible achievement. we did that. and now the states have it. and the states are putting out what they want. it's the will of the people. >> trump continues to take credit for ending reproductive rights, lying it's the will of the people. it's the latest example of the toxic merger of