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>> room with wolf blitzer weeknights at six on cnn. >> whirlwind week. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> trump takes the reins of. power and unleashes a torrent of. >> change. >> we won. but now the work begins. >> my panel will break. down the avalanche of news and law. >> and order as troops head to the border. federal agents ramp up enforcement. what to watch as trump's immigration. >> crackdown. s week two. plus, moment of truth after hegseth squeaks through. >> its mission. no vote. >> how about. >> mitch mcconnell? >> no. >> trump's next picks take the stand. in just days. do they have what it takes? and what one legendary musician has to do with biden's last. minute act of clemency. inside politics the

best reporting from inside the corridors of power starts now. good morning and welcome inside politics sunday. i'm manu raju. well, it's been a rather eventful first week in president donald trump's second term. the president has wasted no time fulfilling some key promises to his maga base. announcing sweeping executive orders, pushing the limits of government in his own power while pulling back on america's presence around the world. all of these already enacted some retribution on some of his perceived political enemies. if you can't keep up about what's been done, well, don't worry, we don't blame you. give me the next two minutes or so to bring you up to speed. so far, trump has moved to reinstate the remain in mexico program, reinstituted enforcement of the hyde amendment, unveiled a $500 billion i infrastructure investment, revoked transgender protections and agencies. he plays federal diversity employees on leave reassigned at least 20 senior

doj officials sent additional troops to the southern border. he moved to open up more offshore drilling. he suggested eliminating fema, establish a department of government efficiencies, ousted the commandant of the coast guard, and rescinded a 60 year old workplace discrimination protections. he withdrew from the paris climate agreement, delayed a ban on tiktok for 75 days, announced the withdrawal from the world health organization and commuted the sentences of proud boys and oath keepers. he made repeated false claims about trade. he used military aircrafts to deport migrants, made it easier to fire federal workers. he called for renaming the gulf of mexico as the gulf of america. he revoked security protections for former officials. he lifted a hold on heavy bomb deliveries to israel, halted an app used for migrant asylum claims, surveyed damage in north carolina, he halted doj police reform agreements, fired at least a dozen inspectors general, paused federal leasing for wind farms, declared a national emergency at the southern border, froze nearly all foreign aid for 90 days. he banned diversity programs in

federal agencies, allowed migrant arrests in schools and churches, held a phone call with the saudi crown prince, threatened tariffs on canada, mexico and china. enacted a government wide hiring freeze, repeated false claims about the 2020 election, declared a national emergency for energy, surveyed wildfire damage in california, and reversed a third gender option on passports. he moved to declassify rfk, jfk, and mlk jr. files. he took aim at support for electric vehicles. he pardoned 1200 plus. january 6th rioters. he renamed mount denali as mount mckinley. pardoned nearly two dozen anti-abortion activists, canceled scheduled flights for refugees, and he attempted to limit birthright citizenship whew. that's just a taste of it all. with 1455 days to go in his term. now, to be clear, some of these actions are certain to face challenges in the courts, and one generated enormous controversy just yesterday. that was his firing of at least a dozen government

watchdogs whose job is to investigate waste, fraud and corruption in the federal government. his move appears in violation of a law requiring congress to be notified 30 days in advance of such removals. trump, though, downplayed the move when speaking on air force one to reporters yesterday evening. >> can you. >> talk to us about the firing of the inspectors general? why did you do that? and is it that because it's a very common thing to do and not all of them? some people thought that some were unfair or some were not doing the job. and it's a very standard thing to do. >> do you. >> plan to bring your own people in those positions, mr. president? >> my role, my people, i don't know anybody that would do that. but we'll put people in there that won't be very good. >> all right. here to break me down. break this all down with me is a great panel this morning, usa today's susan page. astead herndon with the new york times. cnn's priscilla alvarez. and the washington post, isaac arnsdorf. good morning to you all. it is another busy morning. the first weekend of donald

trump's second term. so trump said that the firing of these inspectors general, whose job is to investigate corruption, fraud and abuse in the government, they do these intense reports. they're supposed to be independent, he said. that's all standard practice. well, it's actually not. ronald reagan did do that in 1981. he removed all 15 confirmed and acting inspector generals, but then he got a considerable blowback. and then he reappointed several of those to those positions. and then since then, between 2000 and 2020, there's been only one instance of a president removing an inspector general. none of them did that when they were coming into office. and on top of that, there's a requirement that he has to notify congress within 30 days of doing it. and he did not do that. what do you make of this and the significance of donald trump's move? >> well, i think. >> it shows us that looking. >> at the history of modern presidents is. >> not. >> a useful. >> exercise when. >> it comes to what president trump. >> is going to do. >> you know, he's only been president. for for 164 hours.

>> and look at how many. >> things have changed. the inspector general. >> firing is. >> something of great consequence, but at least it's something that's within his power to do. the violation is not giving congress 30 days notice. we'll see if congress objects to that. you know, senator grassley, the chairman of the senate judiciary committee, has taken the inspector general process pretty seriously. when biden was president, let's see how much he protests. now that trump violated this. >> this is what grassley, in fact, said yesterday. he said there may be a good reason the ig's were fired. we need to know that. if so, i'd like further explanation from president trump. regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to congress. and these are the agencies that we know of. we have about a dozen. there's some reports that it's up to 15 or so, but republicans, they have leverage they want to make. they want to go after trump on this. they can. but do you think they will? >> well, i think part of. >> this, too, is. >> a reminder of what these inspector generals do. they are the oversight for many of these massive federal agencies. i have

poured over these documents myself, be it because of, for example, in the first term, the trump administration's zero tolerance policy, which led to the separation of family. the justice department had also done a report on that, where you start to see the inner workings of government, where there were shortcomings, where things weren't communicated the way they were expected. the same can be said for some of the state department's policies. the defense department's policy. so there are real consequences to susan's point in terms of firing these. but as we have seen over the course of the week, as you have seen on capitol hill, republicans have so far been bending to what the trump administration wants. so i think grassley's statement is quite telling. he's leaving the door open to maybe be okay with some of this, but it is of great consequence, especially for those on the hill who often call for these reports by the inspector general. >> and these investigators typically span between administrations. they don't have a term limit. they're supposed to be apolitical. we'll see how that plays out. but just take a step back about how the first week has played out. i we read from all those actions that

donald trump took that was just actually a taste of it. there was far more that he actually did. you wrote in the washington post about his flood the zone strategy. trump's first week. flood the zone. repeat. you know, look, this time compared to 2017. yeah, there was a lot happening in 2017 when he first came in. but it is much more strategic this time in terms of putting out so much at once. >> yeah, it's definitely more organized. i mean, at this time eight years ago, you remember the travel ban had just been enjoined and there were, you know, people having sit ins in the airports and people not being let off their flights. so, you know, it's not that kind of chaos in the implementation. and, and many more actions all at once. but i think we need to caution, you know, a lot of these presidential directives that he signed are not things that take immediate effect. the best example of that is the order on inflation. he didn't, you know, wave a magic wand and make prices come down. he directed his agencies to bring him plans to try to do something

about inflation in the future. similarly, he's not eliminating fema with the stroke of a pen. it's not something he can do. he's going to sign an executive order to form a working group to review fema and make recommendations. >> what do you how do you see the trump's first week, this onslaught of policies that he has put out in actions? and some may be affected take effect and some may never will? >> well. >> i think you all hit on it. i think to susan's point, looking at past precedent is not helpful for donald trump. he's really seeing this as a reshaped role that he thinks he has a mandate to reshape government. that's what the electorate sent them. there to do. and so i think that, you know, whether it be project 2025 or the things he said on the rallies, that's the part of his message we should look at, because that's what he's planning to implement. and i think it puts democrats or i think opponents or even some media in a difficult position, because i do think there was a sense from the electorate that some of the government wasn't working right. and so i you know, i don't know if democrats want to be in a position of defending the the agencies, as is defender of deep state, right. so i think why and what

these agencies do is really important, telling americans a story about the need for expertise. but they have to know that they're going up against a lack of trust in government. that's what donald trump is seizing on. and i think that that's what he's made. the overarching message of that first week is i'm going to follow through. and i think one big difference between last time and this time is he has the support of a grassroots activated base, but there's not a resistance on the other side. to isaac's point. like there's not the folks in the airports or storming down places upset at what he's going to do. and so he kind of has leeway to, i think, really expand or at least implement some of the more expansive reshaping that he wants to. and it's not like congressional republicans, you know, per grassley's statement, have shown much to say, that they're willing to stop. >> you know, what. >> strikes me is not only that trump is different. he's more skilled. he understands. >> more how. >> to exercise levers of power. but as you were saying, how the reception is different. >> yeah. >> i saw a phrase that an academic used in a quote this

morning, preemptive obedience. and that's, i think, what we're seeing from from executives, from tech titans, from some democrats, some from some in the news media that trump has not had to wage the battle that he had to wage in his first term to get people to take him seriously and in some cases, do what he wants them to. >> do because a lot of them are coming to him. right. they decided they want to be nice to him. and california has been one example of that. you saw them going to california in the midst of the wildfires. a lot of the democrats there playing a bit nice, trump said. he also played nice to gavin newsom, who they've had a verbal back and forth. but here's one thing that will actually become a very significant issue what to do about how to rebuild this is going to cause enormous amounts of money, tens of billions of dollars. typically, congress and the white house, they come together when it comes to natural disasters. they provide that kind of money. this time, trump is demanding something else in return. >> i want. voter i.d. for the people of california. >> and they all.

>> want it right now. you have no, you don't have voter i.d. people want to have voter identification. you want to have proof of citizenship. ideally, you have one day voting, but i just want voter i.d. as a start. >> so voter i.d. look, i mean, typically if you and these situations situations as i said this go in there without any strings attached, not only is he talking about strings, he's talking about a complex policy issue that has fundamentally divided the two parties for years, as in exchange for billions of dollars in aid for california. >> right. and also using it as a condition for something that is usually bipartisan. i think this is the envelope that president trump is always pushing, which is the issues that have had republican and democratic support. we're now finding finding that even those can create fissures. and that is true now with the aid. because even if he is conditioning this on voter i.d. and all the rest, well, who exactly is going to provide that aid? well, that

would be fema, who just before he had given those comments on the tarmac, the president had said he was going to eliminate fema. so there is a lot of contradicting messaging, even if those around him are more skilled, even if the president is more skilled, there are still a lot of questions as to where this would even come from if he were to condition on that. and even if democrats were to get behind. >> it, and he sang it in north carolina, as he's not talking about conditioning aid in those kind of storm ravaged communities where he explicitly asked, well, how many votes did i get here in tennessee rather than in california? it's a very like, overtly partisan message, very kind of anti presidential message of kind of the idea of being president for all americans. but we know that's donald trump, right. like and i think like from the trail like retribution is so much more central this time. and it is the plan and it is the it is what they are seeking to execute. and so i just think that, like the pretense is gone and, you know, they feel comfortable being able to say, california has to have conditions. while north carolina and tennessee doesn't. and i think it's going to be a test, the limits of what some of these

folks will accept to the preemptive obedience. >> yeah. and the question ultimately is, is this bluster from donald trump or is it for real? and do they start to dig in? is this the direction they take? that's going to be a big question, because california is going to be asking for a lot. how will washington respond? all right. next, the president's immigration crackdown is beginning to take shape. cnn's priscilla alvarez, an expert on all of this, will give us the latest in a matter of moments. >> february 20th to the 23rd. join us at the food network south beach wine and food festival. >> this is a world class food and wine festival. >> i don't think there's anything. >> like this. proceeds benefit fiu. >> eat, drink and educate. >> get your tickets now at sobe. dot org. >> kiyoshi masui it's. such time. for. painted up powder up and you ought to be

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executive orders that effectively close off the u.s. southern border to asylum seekers, and lay the groundwork to swiftly deport migrants already in the country. with u.s. troops headed to the border and military aircraft being used for deportations, many communities are on edge, including in newark, new jersey, where the democratic mayor there talked about the impact in the state's largest city. >> this just. >> stokes fear. it creates. >> panic in our community. you have business owners that are very, very afraid. besides the looming idea of these guys going into schools and churches have not helped as well. >> all right. my panel is back. priscilla, you are an expert. you cover these issues very closely. trump has called for the largest deportation operation ever in history. one. is that possible? are they laying the groundwork for that? and what is the latest on the ground as they're trying to move ahead with this? >> so the biggest takeaway of this week was how quickly they

moved to set the groundwork for a deportation operation. so what do i mean by that? what they did over the course of the week is launch a lot of memos and guidelines that essentially expanded the pool of people who could be eligible for deportation, people who, for example, could not prove that they were here for more than two years. they, for example, could be put into a fast track deportation procedure, as well as pooling legal service providers from detention from these detention centers and talking to sources. that is so key for so many people because it is such a labyrinth immigration system to have to navigate. so over the course of the week, they were slowly doing this while also pooling guidelines like immigration and customs enforcement being able to do arrests and enforcement actions near or in what they call sensitive areas schools, churches, hospitals, et cetera. so ultimately, this is all working toward what they want to see and execute on, which is this deportation operation. i'll add one more thing to that. pulling in more federal

agencies. there was a memo this week to pull in dea, atf, all the three letter agencies to bolster i.c.e., which is very limited in its resources to go arrest and detain. now, as far as what is happening on the ground, it was targeted operations. that is what we have seen so far. that means going after public safety and national security threats. the question that's looming is what the border czar has said, which is if they run into someone else who is undocumented, what happens to them? will they bring them in? he says yes. now, that is similar to what we saw under obama. but we could see this all over again, and we're still waiting to see how that part plays out. the border, though, show of force. that was really the message from the white house. so clear, by the way, that the white house was circulating the images of the migrants loading on the military aircraft of troops on the ground. these were images that they were putting out. now the situation on the border is relatively quiet compared to what it has been. but certainly what they are trying to show is that we are clamping down on the southern border. we are

restricting entry on the border. we're also drastically limiting who comes to the u.s. at all. >> and here are the i.c.e. numbers of the ice arrests. since this thursday 538 on thursday, 593 on friday, 286 on saturday. that's the source of the u.s. immigration and customs enforcement. how do you see this playing out? i mean, obviously, this is going to be very difficult to do. what donald trump promised, but they're trying to show that they are moving in that direction. >> yeah, the white house is thrilled with that coverage. and those images. that's exactly the message that they're trying to project. but we a lot of this is stuff that the agency was doing already and is continuing to do being publicized more. it's now that they have a secretary of homeland security confirmed. you could see. >> kristi noem just yesterday. >> you're right. exactly. you could see more new initiatives going forward with that leadership in place. and these operations take time to plan. that was not something that you could pull off in the first

week. >> and just how does the american public view all this? that's always a question that we like to ask here on inside politics sunday, the new york times poll out just last week, deporting all immigrants in the u.s. illegally who are here illegally. this is the question that was posed to voters, 55% to support it. 42%. that sounds like a clear majority there. when you drill down, though, and you ask about who, though, who is the people should be deported. the issue about dark immigrants, of course, those are the people, the children. people came at a young age to the united states, undocumented individuals, daca immigrants. should they be protected from deportation? just six, just 34% oppose that. so that means 62% believe that they should stay here in the country. that's what makes this complicated for the trump administration to carry out. tom homan, the border czar says everybody is on the table here. they can get rid of everyone who's illegal here, could get on the table, could be out of the country. but when you drill down, it gets much more complicated. >> you know. >> that's true. it's interesting that the numbers are clearly in support of even the phrase mass deportation. we.

that is one of the issues that most animates trump's base. but it also drew other voters to him. this issue of immigration. but i wonder if there's a point where if you see children being taken out of schools because they're here illegally, or you see people being taken out of churches because they're here illegally, families divided are daca recipients. these these kids who were brought here illegally by their parents when they were children being deported. does that switch the public opinion in a way, or does it moderate public support for this? >> well go ahead. >> go ahead. i was just going to say this is happening within the context of the last four years, which i think makes it very unique. we were talking in the last block about what about the democrats and their response to this. well, this is after migrant surges along the u.s. southern border, two democratic led cities. so constituents in those cities really had to grapple with what border towns have had to grapple with for a long time. and that, i think, really shifted the public sentiment to accept this

deportation operation because they were seeing these influxes in their own city and were being talked about by their democratic mayors and governors. >> i think that's absolutely true. we should say that the republican kind of trolling attempt on this issue worked. i mean, when we were on the trail talking to folks in chicago and big blue cities that didn't really see this issue as tangibly before, it is a palpable difference that they now talk about seeing folks on their corners and how that changed their perception of the issue. i would also say that there should be an acknowledgment that the country is much closer to where donald trump has been on immigration now than they were when he first arrived in 2017 or in 2016. and so that's really helped him on this kind of signature issue. but you're right that the gradations of what we see here are going to matter. and to bring together a point we were talking about with the kind of public reaction specific to immigration, what happens if we see the images of family separation, what happens? i remember back in trump's first term that the searing image of the person with using the whip and that kind of stirred up kind of public opinion. will those type of images, if they come again, have the same type of

effect? i think that's going to be like an important question. is that how far they go is one thing. and then the second part is how far will folks willing to accept? because i'm not sure there's the same level of pushback that really did constrain trump on these issues previously. >> it's a good point. that could certainly change perception, but i'm sure they will also be very controlling about what information ultimately gets out to the to the public and what images come out like that. military aircraft image. this is just unfolding much more to cover in the months ahead. all right. when we come back, though, the vote from friday night that had capitol hill buzzing and what it means for trump. >> and the whole story with. >> anderson cooper is a five time emmy winner for long form journalism. this week, a whole story, exclusive operation panda, the whole story with anderson cooper tonight at eight on cnn when caroline has a cough, she takes robitussin so. >> she can have those one on ones again. >> hey.

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>> one of the most intriguing developments from new defense secretary pete hegseth confirmation came late friday night when former gop leader mitch mcconnell gave a thumbs down on the floor, leaving vp jd vance to break a tie. now, in a scathing statement, mcconnell said hegseth, a former fox news host and military veteran, lacked the qualifications for the job and that his claim of having, quote, dust on the boots is, quote, not a precondition for success. now mcconnell, who's been icy towards trump since the january 6th attack, might be a rank and file senator now, but in this tight majority, how else could he impact trump's agenda? as for trump, he said friday night that he's taking the win. >> are you disappointed that mcconnell voted no? >> i didn't even know that. no, i don't know that. >> i just heard that. >> we won. >> winning is what matters. >> right now. this is a fascinating situation because mcconnell had held his cards very close to his vest. no one really knew what he was going to do. and he has made clear that

he is his shackles are off, that he's no longer in leadership. he's told that privately to his colleagues. this is in many ways a message that mcconnell was sending to the trump white house. >> yeah, no. >> he didn't lobby others to join him. right. he only needed one more vote to keep pete hegseth from being the secretary of defense. but he did vote against him, something he never would have done in the leadership. right? he would have. he would have toed the line for the for the republican president. so does he become a voice like the two women senators, susan collins and lisa murkowski, that the republicans really can't count on, which means they are always just one vote away on these controversial confirmations from being unable to get it over the finish line. >> and that's an interesting point, because the question is, what are the issues that he is going to dig in on national security? he's the chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee. that is a very important committee that oversees federal spending on military issues and defense policy on pete hegseth department. so that's going to be something to watch as well as he's the chairman of the senate

rules committee, which is he said he's going to protect the prerogatives of the senate if trump tries to impose an institute recess appointments. watch for mcconnell to push back on that. this is something that when mcconnell, a former senate leadership aide, told me yesterday about mcconnell, he said that there isn't a single ideological similarity between mcconnell and the murkowski collins wing of the party, which tells me this. he's deadly serious about being totally uncompromising in his defense and foreign policy views. and two, somebody in the trump world is going to need to come up with a mcconnell strategy because he could be a real problem for their entire agenda if they don't come up with something. >> i'm a little skeptical. i mean, i think. >> you think he'll fall in line. >> i don't think he'll fall in line, but i think he'll definitely it feels to me like he's prioritizing his legacy. right? like, post us january 6th, we know that there's been a rift between them. and now that he's out of leadership, it feels like on the issues he cares the most about, he can make a point about the ways the party has changed and the ways that we know he has been uncomfortable with. and it

reminds me of more like john mccain in the first term or or moments of mitt romney, someone who has kind of an individual cloud during their years in office that can then use that on certain issues. but i don't think we've seen mitch mcconnell be willing to put republicans in a losing position because of it. right. there has not been a time that i can remember where he is, like moved to sink legislation because of it. so until that, i would think i would be a little skeptical of him being someone that will doom the second trump administration. but i do think he wants to make a point about republicans where they have been, where he wants them to go, and that's done with legacy in mind. >> that's what you should watch out for, is the nominations that are coming up, including tulsi gabbard. she has her confirmation hearing this coming thursday before the senate intelligence committee. her views on national security issues have not been very in line with mitch mcconnell or several other republicans. she's probably of the list that you see on your screen there. robert f kennedy jr.. also, someone to watch out for. his hearing is this wednesday, kash patel. on thursday, rfk jr. his views on vaccine. mcconnell came

out very strong early on when it turned out that an rfk jr.. attorney had petitioned to revoke the polio vaccine authorization. mcconnell pushed back rfk jr. to say, i don't i want the polio vaccine to be on the market. but those nominees, particularly when it comes to tulsi gabbard, it's uncertain if she's going to get the job well. >> but that's the interesting nominee, right? because of how we've seen democrats had at some point overlap with tulsi, and so can they get votes there? we don't know. i think what's interesting about mcconnell is that if he is doing what you're saying, which is trying to save his legacy, it just so happens the things that he cares the most about are integral to, for example, the president's signature issue, because they are looking to the defense department to shore up things for immigration, for example, the show of force, as we talked about, but also money, a lot of defense money going toward this issue. so i think that what perhaps happens behind the scenes there, not only on these confirmation votes, but how he reconciles

what he cares about and where he thinks these monies and these departments should be focused on are being sort of thwarted to do other things. >> and this is the other thing to watch out for is about how trump tries to impose discipline on these members. he was successful in doing that. for those members who are up for reelection. joni ernst for one. she fell in line after wavering a bit on pete hegseth thom tillis. he's up for reelection. he was a last minute, uncertain where he was going to go. he he's up for reelection. he voted for him. mitch mcconnell, we don't know if he's going to run for reelection. he probably is not. that's the expectation. he may not be susceptible to those pressures. others as well. how will they deal with the backlash? i talked to senator lisa murkowski. she is one who has broken ranks, repeatedly voted against pete hegseth. i asked her specifically, are you concerned about the backlash from donald trump it should not be a situation where you. >> feel that you can't. exercise your. >> your conscience. >> your. >> judgment, because of fear of retribution or retaliation?

>> um, this is still america. >> as best i know. >> trump said he was surprised by your vote. >> i didn't talk to him. he didn't talk to me about it. whether it's. >> the. >> president or the majority leader or the minority leader. i think they've. >> they've all come. >> to recognize that. lisa murkowski does her homework and does what she thinks is right for her constituents and for the right reasons. >> i mean, there are some senators who are going to be difficult for trump to get get them to fall in line. >> well, that's so interesting that she said that he didn't even call. yeah. >> at least some people should have like, thought, you know, maybe she's in play. we should. or maybe they wrote her off right away. >> well, i mean, trump does this thing. you know, he came very close to abandoning hegseth. and he does this thing where he he doesn't throw in completely behind people because he wants to see how it works out. and then that gives him an opportunity. if things don't work out, it's like, well, this isn't me. you know, if i had pushed as hard as i could have, i could have gotten them over the line. it's sort of what susan was talking about obeying in advance. you know, he likes to hold back. he kind of gives

him an out. if things don't work out. and it just kind of keeps that in reserve that he still hasn't actually made the calls and put all the pressure on that he could. >> but how many republican elected republican officials are there who would endorse what lisa murkowski just said, or who would do exactly what lisa murkowski did? >> two, three. two more, three? yeah. >> that's right. >> that's not very many. >> yeah, that's not very many. which is why trump is confident he can get a lot done. all right. coming up he was almost kamala harris's running mate. so what does senator mark kelly think about how his party should react to trump. and later, what's the connection between a last minute biden action and little stephen? well, you want to hear what the rock legend told. >> me. >> super man, the christopher reeve story. >> next sunday at eight. >> on cnn. >> experience luxury in every drive with the buick envision. via tuning technology creates a serene interior, while ambient lighting enhances the perfect

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97% had lines filled instantly and deep wrinkles reduced in four weeks. it's clinically proven it's only been a week, but democrats are struggling with their strategy in the minority in the new trump era. >> this week, i spoke with senator mark kelly, who almost was kamala harris's running mate and is seen as one of the emerging democratic voices. so what is his prescription for the way forward? i asked him, starting with his take on trump's blanket. january 6th pardons. >> what happened the other day with. >> these pardons. >> i think was outrageous. >> my parents were both police officers. >> and to see him pardon criminals who assaulted cops is. >> um. i think it's unprecedented. >> in our. country's history. and i don't think it's going to age well. so let's talk a capitol police officer. not five minutes ago in this building. and how he felt about this. and he said, it's. >> been really tough. >> these have all been coming fast and furious. he's been all these executive actions. there's so many things. how do you focus on what push back

against and what not to? i mean, there's birthright citizenship. there's withdrawing from the paris climate accords. there's all these pardons, and there are many more. >> there's there's so much you. can't focus on. everything but the birthright citizenship issue. um, you know, i encourage the current president to read the constitution. >> what do you take away from 2024 and how voters view the democratic party on the issue of immigration? >> you know, it's sometimes hard to find common ground. we've demonstrated we can do that. i mean, what do i take away from this? it's a contentious issue. >> but do you think voters think the democrats are not taking this issue seriously enough? >> i think we. have you know, i've always taken this seriously. i think there's a. >> number of. >> us, maybe not you, but i'm talking about the party in general, how the party's perceived. >> i think that's i think when you. >> look at. >> leading up to the election, you know, what the current president said about this issue. i think his policies, big

picture resonated better, you know, with the american people. that's why he got elected. it's one of the reasons. >> how do you view yourself in this moment as the party is searching for a leader in 2017? you guys. are battling everything, and you weren't here at that point, but everything. >> i don't think we want that scenario all over again. this president was elected. i don't agree with everything he does, but it doesn't help our country. it doesn't help our future if we oppose everything. >> do you think voters would resent the fact that you guys opposed everything? >> i think, and i think they should, you know, because that's not in the best interest of all of us. >> you think about 2028 running. >> i'm i'm. focused on all these issues that we've been talking about. >> people. >> border security. >> people listen to that and say that he's thinking about it because he's not. >> no i'm not. i'm i'm not thinking. about it. no, no, i'm focused on this. >> job. >> so, i mean, look, there's some that have come out, like

the folks on the left and said, we need to fight everything. ilhan omar said, why are they even going to the inauguration? and here you have senators like mark kelly saying that is not the right approach. >> yeah, i think that that's going to be the challenge for democrats is to pick and choose. but the biggest thing, i think when i look back at the lessons of 24 is i think back to when, you know, at the beginning, in the summer of 2022, i called back a lot of people who i met on the trail right before biden won, as we were restarting our podcast. and i think at that moment there was a legitimate immigration crisis, a legitimate inflation crisis, and the biden administration was not speaking to that problem at all. they weren't even acknowledging it. and so i think more than any individual lesson about resistance or left or right or middle, the democratic party needs to get back in conversation with its base and start to have a start to reflect the tones of the folks that were in the room for the last four years. and so i think that can look like omar, that can actually look like mark kelly. but what they need is a more diverse set of strategies that speak to the widening part of their base that did not feel heard over the last four years. >> well, and mark kelly, to your

point, singled out birthright citizenship and the attempt by the trump administration to end it. well, there is a legal challenge, multiple legal challenges. they want the legal fight. and if anything, they are getting what they have wanted, which is for this debate about whether birthright citizenship should be allowed for the children of undocumented immigrants. that has been a debate happening on the right for some time now. now they get to have it in the open. >> and one of the things that's different than other the tone of other members, democrats, one senator chris murphy, who said that this is the unraveling of democracy now! it's not about to happen. it's happening right now. you don't hear that from someone like senator mark kelly. they're not using the democracy is at risk message anymore. >> but if they're picking and choosing, what have they picked? i mean, what what was the democratic message or the democratic position on any of these nominees, any of these policy actions over the week? we just didn't hear it at all. >> do you think that kelly is at 2028 contender? yes you do. well. >> yeah. >> i'm focused on my job now. i

think of arizona. i really care about these issues. what does that say to you? >> yeah. >> it says to me that that's very, very possible. and also i just mentioned chris murphy. he seems like someone who could be possible as well. so there'll be a lot of people who could potentially be up there. but there is a long way to go. all right. coming up, joe biden, stevie van zandt and the e street band. we'll be right back. >> many remedies you take for chest congestion only mask the symptoms. >> hey. >> how are you doing? >> this mucus. >> won't move out. >> you're gonna love. >> this property. the guys. congestion remedy. >> harmless. >> try this. mucinex 12 hour treats. the mucus that causes chest congestion for all day relief. don't leave. fine. i was worried. >> about this side of town. >> mucinex. in mucus. out. don't mask the symptoms. treat the cause. >> ryan reynolds here for, i guess, my 100th mint commercial. no no no no no no no no no no. i mean, it's unlimited premium wireless for $15 a month. how

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great head of hair can give you. don't delay. pounce now and scan the code welcome back. have i got news for you returns february 15th on cnn. >> closed captioning brought to you by book.com. >> if you or a loved one have mesothelioma, we'll send you a free book to answer questions you may have. call now and we'll come to you. >> 808 two one 4000. >> just minutes before leaving office, president biden issued a flurry of pardons, including preemptively to his own family members. that means some news flew under the radar, including one commutation for indigenous activist leonard peltier. in 1977, peltier was convicted of the murders of two fbi agents in

south dakota. peltier, now 80, has spent more than half of his life in federal prison, spawning a years long campaign by an array of groups and artists who have advocated for his release and contended he was wrongfully convicted. now, one of his biggest supporters may come as a surprise, as hall of fame rocker stevie van zandt, here with the e street band and, of course, bruce springsteen's right hand man, also known as little steven. he had that infamous role in the sopranos as silvio dante. and van zandt has been lobbying for peltier's release for more than three decades, regularly visiting washington to make his case, even writing a song dedicated to his cause. >> leonard peltier and where is the justice for leonard peltier now? >> back in 2023, i caught up with van zandt on one of his trips to capitol hill. someone of your stature, someone who's, you know, you're on the tour, you're touring with the band,

you're acting. you've made this a central cause of your life. i mean, you mean, how come this has become such a passion for you to see this happen? >> i mean, injustice. >> just bugs. >> the hell out of. >> me, man. >> you know, i. >> don't like seeing it, and i just feel terrible about it. >> you know, every. >> single day. >> i've been working on this every single day for 35 years. he's completely innocent. and. and it's just it's just one of those tragedies that needs to. that needs to end. man. >> now, peltier will soon be a free man, but it has sparked a backlash in some quarters, including from the then fbi director, christopher wray, who warned biden in a letter that releasing peltier would be, quote, shattering to the victims loved ones and undermine the principles of justice and accountability that our government should represent. and gop senator mike rounds, who represents south dakota, told me this. >> anytime you. >> murder fbi agents, that sends the wrong message to the rest of the country. when you commute a sentence. >> people say he was wrongfully convicted.

>> well, i believe in the rule. >> of law. and he was convicted. >> the biden white house cited the broad coalition of support for peltier's release. and, quote, the substantial length of time he has already spent in prison. peltier will be released to home confinement on february 18th. that's it for inside politics sunday. you can follow me on x at mk. you follow the show at inside politics and follow me on instagram at manu raju. up next, state of the union with jake tapper and dana bash. dana is joined by republican senator lindsey graham. illinois governor jb pritzker. thanks again for sharing your sunday morning with us. we'll see you next time. >> at. >> are you ready for this. >> new alka-seltzer plus cold or flu fizzy chews? shou chew fizz. feel better. fast. no water needed. new alka-seltzer plus fizzy juice. >> safelite repair safelite replace. >> nobody likes a cracked windshield.

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