put them on record, doj on record. i need to know your reasons for wanting to dismiss this case. the law says the judge has to sign off. now. doj has very broad discretion if they want to dismiss a case as to why, but we're going to hear something, i believe tomorrow that we've never heard in an american court before, which is the justice department saying the reason we want to get rid of this case, dismiss this indictment, your honor, is so that mayor adams can help support our policy and political agenda on immigration. that's what makes this scandal about so much more than just eric adams himself. the big question is, will the judge accept that? we don't know. >> yeah. and that's why, as the mayor laid out there, it was so notable that this was dismissed, as you lawyers say, without prejudice, meaning they could bring it back potentially. we'll see what happens tomorrow. thank you for welcoming to the me to the new york club. mr. mayor elie honig bill de blasio, great to have you both. thank you so much. and thank you all for joining us. cnn news night with abby phillip is up next.

>> tonight, who's in charge? civil servants abandoned their government gigs to send a message, as the trump administration refuses to say. >> does elon musk. >> know he's not in charge of doge? >> so what is his role at doge? >> who's leading the president's great purge of the federal bureaucracy? plus, side by side, the president and the billionaire get equal time to sell their vision and to complain. >> i used to be adored by the left. >> you know, about their critics. also. just a joke. >> oh, no. no, it's just it's just a handshake. yeah, it's just a handshake. yeah. all right. >> or a deplorables rerun? maga makes a mountain out of a moment on snl's 50th special. and his take. >> they need to get. >> their act together before somebody like me takes it real seriously. >> stephen a says democrats are in the worst shape ever. >> this is bad, bro. >> live at the table, ashley,

allison, lance. trover. arthur. aidala, cari champion and dante mills. americans with different perspectives aren't talking to each other, but here they do. good evening. i'm abby phillip in new york. let's get right to what america is talking about. if not him, then who? tonight the president is going full marie kondo on the federal government throwing out thousands of federal jobs that he and elon musk see as wasteful. so who is really in charge of the federal government is on the record in court saying it's not elon. this is from a court filing in one of the cases where doge is defending its legal defending itself from a legal challenge to its authority. it says this quote, like other senior white house advisers, elon musk has no actual or formal authority to

make government decisions himself. well, if that isn't clear enough, maybe this is. quote he musk is not an employee of the u.s. doge service. mr. musk is not the doge service administrator. really? well, think about that for a moment. the government wants you to believe that the person putting thousands of people out of work, making them rethink their entire lives, how they feed their families. technically, he has no power to do what he is doing. and the president says he doesn't really care. >> elon is to me, a patriot. so, you know, you could call him an employee. you could call him a consultant. you could call him whatever you want. but he's a patriot. >> but when the president elect, the president said that the president elect, he did have a very clear idea about who was actually in charge. this was his answer just a few weeks ago, he said it was elon musk. here's the truth. social post to prove it. quote the great elon musk working in conjunction with

american patriot vivek ramaswamy no more, will lead the department of government efficiency. ramaswami is gone, but elon musk is still here. and if you're going, well, that's one social media post. well, he also said it as well. listen. >> we will create the new department of government efficiency headed by elon musk. we will create the new department of government efficiency, headed by a gentleman named elon musk, who is here someplace. >> okay. so now even asking questions about doge and its mission is apparently out of bounds. >> you may assert there is no waste in the pentagon. you may assert there is no waste in treasury. you may assert there is no waste in hhs. stephen. >> stephen, i don't. >> think anyone. why are you not celebrating these cuts? if you agree there is waste, if you agree there is abuse. if you agree there is corruption, why are you not celebrating the cuts? higher salaries of american workers that are taxed disappear forever.

>> stephen, let's calm down. >> this is not. >> this isn't. we're not having a debate. >> no reason. >> about whether there. >> are. well, you are clearly trying to debate me and i. i will be as excited as i want to be. >> he joining us in our fifth seat is dante mills. he's a civil and criminal attorney and a law professor at temple university beasley school of law. and he will also be as excited as he wants to be. um, you know, why are they so finicky about wanting to call elon musk the head of doge? what is the what are the legalities here that they're trying to avoid? >> i feel like i have to start by. >> saying goldbergs. >> have to. >> now that that's out the way. um, i. >> can say. >> so there's an appointments clause that says that congress has to establish any new offices within the government. and once they establish that whoever fills that or leads, that has to be, um, has to go through a screening from congress. right. elon musk wants to avoid that. so what they're trying to do

with the trump administration is act as if this is a an advisory committee and not an official department. however, you see them operating as an official department, they want access to certain documents. they're making more than just recommendations, because whatever comes from that office happens. so they're doing more than making recommendations. they're having access to public records. they are an official department. but elon musk does not want the conflicts to come in place because he is determined to be a government employee. then he has to give up those governmental contracts that he has with this company. so there's a reason why they want to create that separation. i think they're doing a bad job of doing it. but there's a reason. >> well. it's too late as as. >> abby, just thank you for for all the soundbites. he's the head of the department. and what i think is really interesting is how when i read different articles, they call his team of friends or people who think like him officials. they are not officials because. >> some of them are. some of

them apparently are employed. >> some some are. but for the reality that 19 year old or then 25 year old or whomever we were referring to who was making these comments earlier last week or two weeks ago, we were talking about that a lot of his employees are people that not his employees, the people that are working for doge are people that are like minded with him, and he's in charge of them. so it's clear that he still is to your point in charge. but it's a bad separation. i also think the talking points are too late. here's my thing they have already decided that he was in charge. we, many of us already know little x told us we're going to do it little. i said we're going to do it quietly. they'll never know. little x said, shut your mouth. you're not the president. little x told us what the game was, and if we're pretending like it, little x didn't give us a window into what is actually happening. i think that's ridiculous. i know people may disagree, but i'm here to tell you little x gave us the information. >> i mean, can we really. >> be surprised though? i mean, a lot of the soundbites or at least 1 or 2 you showed was. i believe, during the campaign. so how can we be surprised? like

today he did the ivf right and promises made, promises kept. he's going to make it a lot easier for people to get funding for ivf. so this is no secret he was talking about. he just said it. that was him on the campaign trail. so we like surprised. >> he's saying that elon is in charge of doge, but they don't want to have him go. >> they're walking a fine line. >> yes. process and the lack of accountability i think extends beyond just whether who has the title. right. uh, there's a court filing today in the hearings, some of the things that have been going on saying the defendants are aware that a select set of agencies, in fact, terminated a number of employees at the end of last week. how many? they can't say. >> why do we really care that much? do voters care that much? do voters care that much? do do voters care that much? that's a serious question. >> i think. care about what? >> about whether he is in charge or is in charge. we have a president of the united. >> do they care about the jobs or elon is what i'm trying to clarify.

>> i'm saying, do they care whether he's in charge or not in charge, or do they care what's getting done every single day? because from what i'm seeing, what's that? yes. >> they have the right to know. >> know that we have a president of the united states who executes and makes these decisions every single day. he made that clear in their press conference with them. my point my point. >> is the same accountability that every other agency head has. i mean. >> well, there. >> are the public has a right to know about who's the head of the department of homeland security. why not the head of doge? >> well, he is, from what i understand, what's called an sge, a special governmental employee. that happens all the time throughout government, where people come into the government, they are unpaid. >> are they. >> as advisor and say advisors for roles? that's what i'm saying, that. >> they from south africa. >> let me finish. let me finish. this is what happened. yeah. this is what happens in government all the time. everybody's worked up because of what they're doing. that's my point. the president is the president. he has advisers all the time around him. are we worried about every single agency and who's doing what at all times? no, of course we're not, because it's elon musk and donald trump. that's why we're blowing it out of proportion. but i would argue. >> also because there are

reportedly tens of thousands of people, maybe many more than that, losing their jobs, entire functions of the government no longer functioning. i'm just saying it's not just because people are suddenly interested in the nitty gritty details, it's because all of a sudden, whole swaths of the government that were functioning before are not anymore. and don't you think? >> well, no, i don't think that's true. what do you mean? the government is not functioning? what the. entire consumer financial protection. >> bureau is not functioning. that's an entirely. >> but i'm tagging you in. >> a congressionally authorized agency. go ahead. >> ashley. is anybody? >> things are happening. i don't disagree with what you're saying. i think that donald trump and elon musk are placing a bet that the american people actually don't care, but i think democrats have a responsibility to explain why they should. yeah, my sister is a teacher. she talks about her students being terrified that her it's in washington, d.c., that their parents are losing their jobs. it's impacting the students and how they show up to learn every day at that school. there are people in kansas,

farmers in the midwest who are not getting access to grants. trump voters. that is what we need to be telling the american people. i think what donald trump and elon musk are doing is terrible. and as someone who loves our government and thinks that it's important, i do want to know all the ins and outs. but when americans we just learned this on november 5th, they actually might not care as much as who is in charge, but they do care what they are doing. this is where i disagree with you. and i think what elon musk and them are doing right now, deciding to cut. fire faa officials, when we seem like it seems like we have a plane crash in this country every other day, people don't feel safe to fly and their their the air right now in this country. and what donald trump is doing feels like it's tone deaf. what democrats have a responsibility to do is now is to translate that into the american people, not in washington, dc, but on main street, where their eggs are still too expensive. bacon is still too expensive. bread is still too expensive.

>> government waste exists. i applaud them. >> why do you guys keep. defending it? >> but here's. >> what you keep defending it. >> not defending, not defending. >> defending, cutting government waste. but you can't have your cake and eat it too. you can't have on x a numbers thing running with the amount of money you're saving. but then say, how dare you ask us how we're doing it? or who's in charge of it? you can't. >> or where it goes. this is the other thing it goes. i want the american people also to pay close attention to the tax fight that's about to happen. and i know we don't like to talk about the specifics of tax fight, but they're talking about all this money being saved. well, you might want to expect a check from the government to come back into your pockets, but most americans aren't going to get that check. but do you know who will get that check? the 1% of billionaires and millionaires who are going to get benefits. >> from these. it's not going to make up for it. i mean, i'm just telling you the facts are okay. doge says that they have cut about $16 billion, which is a rounding error in the federal government's budget. but but of that 16 billion, they claim they saved 8 billion. this is

according to the new york times, 8 billion is on a single contract. turns out it wasn't 8 billion. it was 8 million. yeah. so we're talking pennies here in the scale of the 6 trillion federal budget, it's pennies. and to ashley's point, there is going to be a tax bill. there's going to be a budget put forward. and it's going to add trillions in spending. so where is doge actually making a difference? or are they just cutting things that ideologically don't fit? >> well, i don't think there was ever a promise made that we're going to pay for a tax cut bill with what doge did or what they're doing. that was. >> never elon said he was going. to cut $2 trillion. >> well, that may be true, but i don't think the commitment was ever we're going to pay for a tax bill. >> we're one month in. yeah, we're one month in now. we're not even one month, right. it's not even it's not even february 21st. so, you know, like it's 28 days. it's four weeks. >> okay. wait. hold on. >> let's see what happens. >> but actually help me. can someone help me? why are we. and maybe you can. maybe you can help me. why are we talking about elon musk? as someone who can come in and slash the

government, government spending because he is in charge, and we're not like the guy who made my teslas in charge of the federal government. tell me, what are his qualifications? what are his qualifications? and. >> president trump. >> don't give me don't. >> president trump. >> do not because the president. >> president, trust him. that's the president's prerogative. that's fine. you're going to be the united states. >> supreme court. you're going. >> to be. >> the secretary of state. >> that's fine. >> no, no. everybody that you just mentioned, though, goes through a hearing, a separate hearing. >> that is my point. you can. >> tell us, but. >> you. >> can tell us more than anyone. >> no law. >> how many, how many positions? there are very close to the president that are not confirmed by the senate. you you lived it? >> yes. >> this man is. asking for important information and. >> he wants to go. through a six month security clearance. whether you are answering the phone or whether you're in the oval every. >> day. >> you literally if you are answering the phone or you are in the oval office every single day you go through, what is it, an fcs 68 or fcs? you know what some some form. it is about 100

pages long. you have to fill it out before you can even walk in. people get calls for six months from the fbi checking your background, asking questions, and then if you're on any boards, if you own any stocks, anything like that, you have to relinquish it. >> if you get. >> elected a dot. >> just explain this to me. if you get elected in january and you're taking office in two months, where where's the six months that the fbi invests. >> everywhere you go? because as soon as you win, right. >> that's november 5th. >> you have vetting attorneys that are already on your transition team. you get an interview from a veteran attorney and you start it's an expedited somebody at that level, quite honestly, at ellen's level, would get an expedited vetting process that could be done in six months. but the due diligence happens for six more months. >> how do we know that's not happening? so so i'm just asking, how do we know it's not happening? >> it didn't. it didn't happen. >> that's a very good question. the questions are being asked. the white house is just not answering them. >> correct. >> and when news organizations

like cnn say, okay, we're going to put a foia in place to just find out what documents were filled out, that office is gone. >> and why is. >> the pushback. >> so strong? >> hang tight. there's more. speaking of elon musk, maga champion steve bannon is apparently not a fan. why? he's calling musk a parasitic illegal immigrant who wants to do freak experiments on americans. he really said that. plus, conservatives, they like calling liberals snowflakes. but after their outrage over tom hanks on snl, are those on the right now? the pearl clutchers. >> this part changed my life. >> superman is now the winner of the bafta award for best documentary. >> she came flying. >> in and she just yelled, i love you. >> superman was in a wheelchair and was willing to go public with. it was huge. >> i told him i would. >> do whatever i could to make him proud. >> chris wanted to change the world.

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maga spotlight and donald trump's attention. steve bannon once steered the president's campaign and his oval office. and now he's on the outside looking in. but bannon has some not so nice things to say about the man who sat next to trump tonight for a prime time fox interview. and that's elon musk. bannon says, quote, musk is a parasitic illegal immigrant. he wants to impose his freak experiments and play act as god without any respect for the country's history, values or traditions. bannon also goes on to describe doj's efforts as performative, but for now, he is not ready to dispense with musk. it's pretty evident that the president is using him as an armor piercing shell that's delivering blunt force trauma against the administrative state. arthur, we should disclose, is steve bannon's lawyer on a case that was just in the headlines last week. you talked to him, uh, about. well. >> i told him i'm going out with abbie. i said, you got something to say? first, i just need to say, um. he's been an excellent client. he really has. he has

been. i mean, i deal with some very difficult people. >> nothing but good clients. >> no, no, no, that's not true. it isn't? no, that's. but that's not true. >> he pays the bill. >> he has been. no, no, no, it means he listens. it means he says, okay, you're the lawyer. i'm not. you tell me what to do. you tell me how to handle this. >> the beef with elon. why is all of that? >> this is what he. he allowed me, gave me permission to tell you. abbie. he said steve bannon is a hardcore populist, nationalist, america first and american citizens first. anti oligarch, anti big tech, anti concentration of power, anti network state and techno feudalism. defender of american workers thinks silicon valley, silicon valley oligarchs live off of bringing in foreign workers to take jobs from citizens. steve wants to totally shut down h-1b visas and a moratorium on all immigration until our visa issues are sorted. bannon supports deconstruction of the administrative state, deep state

and doge efforts, but thinks needs to show real cuts for this budget fight. now. >> that's actually kind of what we were talking about in the last. >> segment. >> the real cuts. and he also had a warning about some of the real cuts that actually would be required in order to get to some numbers that actually matter when it comes to the budget. here's what he said on bannon's war room. >> medicaid. >> you got to be careful, because a lot of magas on medicaid. i'm telling you, if you don't think so, you are dead wrong. medicaid is going to be a complicated one. just can't take a meat ax to it. although i would love to. >> tough, tough choices coming up. because if you really want to talk about money, elon is going to have to put him on the department of defense, medicaid, medicare, social security. that's where all the money is. >> well, we've seen him going into defense. i think recently this week that's been happening. i think there's been that's been happening. look, yeah, there's no question these and this is going to take some congressional action as well. and the question is will there be the will in congress to make some of the serious cuts that are needed as well? i think

there will be some congressional approval that will be needed on some of that stuff. >> one thing about steve bannon is he is consistent in his anti-immigrant rhetoric. >> i see a lot of appreciation on. >> the consistency is impeccable. >> were you offended by that because that was an i mean, believe it or not, i was like, okay, all right. >> i don't really. >> know where you're going. >> but i do like he's he's so consistent that even like someone that is now an ally to donald trump and is doing things like undermining the administration, what elon musk is trying to do is actually destroy the administrative state. um, there is not a deep state, but he is trying to destroy the administrative state by these cuts. so that's why he is not totally saying to, to to elon musk right now. but what he said in his war room is really important. and again, is what democrats have to figure out is that the, the the strategy or the policy programs are going to not just impact democrats, they

are going to impact trump voters who live below the poverty line, who are middle class, who said it was the eggs and the economy in this election. and and they're not going to be. and if they start to do social security, it's not just social security. it's not just medicaid. it's not just medicare. it's it's what was tapped into when they did that funding freezing. it's section eight. it's wick, it's head start. those go in rural areas and in urban areas. and there is an opportunity for democrats and people across the board to say, this is the working class fight right now. elon musk and donald trump are new management that come into your plant, your factory and your small town. they don't care about you. they don't care about your city. they care about their pockets. and they lay you off. the product doesn't get better and you lose your job. and that's what's happening in our government right now. if democrats can connect that dot, midterms are going to. >> but steve but steve is on to something. i just want to say. you say we ran on eggs in the economy. but what's also make america great again, what he was saying to me and what i, what i

was able to gather. and you can tell me if it's wrong from your client. was that who is this man that i've been saying from day one? and i'll scream that every time i sit here, because i think we overtalk that. who is this man making these decisions, deciding what should happen in our economy? we can simplify. and it makes no sense to your point here. he don't even go here. thank you. we can. >> simplify it by saying. this elon musk is a businessman. >> sure. >> america, the country is not a business. >> so it's not his business, not his. well, business, not his business. >> you have to factor in people's lives. >> but, professor. >> with all due. >> respect. >> it as a business, this is for the people. >> by the people. >> all do. trimming the fat is not. >> going to help. >> the american people. >> i know new. >> york city. >> the bottom. >> line i know new york city is not the united states of america, but those of us in new york will tell you, michael bloomberg may have been the greatest mayor of the 12 years in the city of new york, and he ran new york city. he ran his administration like a business. he took everyone out of their offices, put him in a bullpen, and he said, we're going to do

this. like i run bloomberg, where i started with nothing. and boy, was new york fantastic. for those 12 years. >> where was he born? >> boston, i think. >> thank you. >> well, listen, you're the anti-immigration. just because the guy was born in another country. i'm not holding that against. >> unfolding here. but, lance, let me give you the last word. >> i think this is the misunderstanding. i think we are a much different country. i hear what you're saying, ashley. we may get down the road, and maybe there's not that toleration for it. we are a much different country and a much different electorate than we were eight years, even four years ago. i think there's a lot more tolerance for a lot of the cuts that we see coming up. >> unless they don't improve their lives. >> well, at the end of the day, that's what it will all come down to. but we'll see where the line is for most americans. everyone stick around. it's day two of maga outrage over snl. is the response appropriate, or are people accusing democrats of being too soft, too sensitive? they are themselves doing the same thing. we'll debate. >> it's the news. >> welcome back. >> but it's also kind of not the news.

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>> to wow clients and inspire your team. check out for imprint comm for. >> certain. >> i'm valerie leon. >> in mexico. city. >> and this. >> is cnn. >> snowflakes. or appropriately appalled, the maga universe says that they are reviled by an snl skit in which maga, a maga hat wearing tom hanks, refuses to shake the hand of the black jeopardy host. their reaction makes it out as if it's another deplorables moment. >> when we return to black. >> this is the same tired humor we've heard since 2016. >> hollywood has become culturally. >> irrelevant, due in large part to. >> the election of donald trump, and it. >> makes them furious. it's really condescending and insulting to these hollywood. >> actors viewers. >> that made them famous. >> it's like ten years. >> of this. >> and they still. >> haven't learned a thing. it reveals they. hate and have contempt for the hard working men and women in this country that make it great.

>> they like to fly between los angeles and new york, and look down on the rest of the country. and that's what we saw with tom hanks. >> that is. >> so low. >> i mean, that is so low and uncouth and disgusting. a lot of his movies are average. anyways. his movies are average. hold on, hold on, hold on. his movies are average. come on. how many? i mean, he's won more oscars. one of the greatest of all time. >> but i also just wonder, is it really that deep? >> no. >> and that. was when the girl turns you down. you're like, i really like. >> her. yeah, right. >> she was ugly. yeah. >> she was ugly. >> but there is this fixation, it seems. look, i know trump is a little bit fixated with snl. he likes the way he is. he likes to control how he's portrayed in media, whether it's a time magazine cover or whatnot. but this is just a skit. it's just a skit. >> i thought a lot about this. i think this goes to snl and in my view, when it comes to comedy, pretty much anything goes. i think most people would agree

with that. i think the problem we have here is, is that it wasn't really that funny, and it's not been funny for 2016 and since 2016 for a lot of americans out there. and i think that's the problem with snl is that they have become so pointed and personal in their attacks on trump and his supporters. think about this just for one second, though. dana carvey. the best h.w. bush impersonator. the president loved it, invited him to the white house. it was bipartisan and hilarious. darrell hammond was a great bill clinton impersonator, did phenomenal skits, bipartisan. everybody loved him. that's not this. it has become so pointed. and i do agree. i think it reflects that these folks are really out of touch, particularly after november 5th, with where the rest of america is. >> with that, kamala harris impersonation there. i think they get it both. >> ways on snl. >> yeah, they get it both ways. >> and it's 2016. why that? why that year for you? >> this was also, by the way. >> you did the skit in 2016 and he did it in. >> so you're saying it's not funny anymore after? >> i'm saying i never really

found it funny and i do. i just think when you look at the history of snl and what they've done with politicians, whether it was dana carvey or darrell hammond and it was bipartisan, people liked it. this is much more pointed towards donald trump and his supporters. >> i mean, i agree, they can't they can't keep going after the democrats. i agree with that. they need to be i mean. >> after republicans. >> it needs to be more. i agree with you on. >> that into the white house and just said, hey, let's have a laugh at my own expense. i mean, it seems like the person who's not willing to take the laugh is the president. >> well, i mean, you have you have a guy in a maga hat wanting to shake a person's hand because they're african-american. i mean, that's just not true. and that's not how that's not that's not funny and it's not true and it's not accurate. >> that's it's not accurate. >> no. of course, you know, this is what i'm talking about. >> you're saying. >> 77, 77 million people voted for this guy. >> i'm just saying is it is it. >> not carry lance is raising an interesting question. the stereotype of the maga voter is maybe what was portrayed in that skit. but the truth is, the maga voter is your next door neighbor. the person living in your high rise luxury apartment

building. he's the person down the street. he's your cousin. >> the stereotype. >> the stereotype is not quite what the reality is. >> but the stereotype is also that the democratic voter is some crazy left radical. and they also are your neighbor. >> yeah. >> and i think this is the point. like things you said in the last segment, things are different since 2016. we all have to take responsibility of what role we have played in making things so different. and the person that was being pointed fun at, which is donald trump, has a crucial role in why we are in a different place in our politics. >> i think it works both ways to her point. it works both ways. you can't just say it's so pointed. people are tired. but to your point. >> if i don't think there's anyone who is rooting for donald trump to win the presidency more than stephen colbert and seth meyers, their whole monologue every night is about donald trump. if he was gone right now and kamala was there, i don't know what they would have nothing to say. and they do get personal, but i don't. i wasn't offended by the tom hanks thing. i think that was the funniest segment of the whole night.

everyone's got to have some thick skin and let's make some jokes and laugh at ourselves. >> remember that not too long ago, republicans were also saying this about a joke. >> i think that we. >> have to. >> stop getting so offended at every little thing in the united states of america. i'm just i'm so over it. >> i don't think. >> people should be offended. >> i think we should all spend less time trying, literally trying to be offended. it imbues the offended with power. with victimhood comes power. >> the whole thing is is like a shell game. we're all. pretending to be upset. >> that we're being insulted. >> america's motto should be. >> oh, how could. >> you. >> by the way, just let me just be clear. this was when they were talking about a comedian joking that puerto rico was a floating pile of garbage. so i joke. >> so that offended me. that actually offended me. that was that actually offended. >> don't be a snowflake. >> i'm sorry. i know that's who i. >> am, but you.

>> but to your point. to your point, i do believe comedians and even roy wood jr., who was on here the other night, he said the same thing that the way in which comedians start to attack the president, they have to give it back both ways. we can't just continue to go after republicans. >> sometimes. another comedian said that. but but does that affect you are the. >> ones that. >> that are. true. that are true. but but but the whole the guy with the but the guy with the maga hat not wanting to shake the hand of a black person. that's an extreme. that's an extreme. that's an extreme. but most people won't. >> relate to that. >> so but also but there are also other extremes in which they portray people who were too woke or die or whatever you whatever you'd like to call those people. and that's unfair too, as well. they're both you can't. that's what i. >> was saying. >> about. >> when you look at the 90s, if you look, they were making fun of the presidents. they're making fun of the supporters. they're mocking the supporters and saying things. that is who tom hanks he was. he was not donald trump. he was. >> he was. >> saying, you maga supporter. >> so he was an extremist. >> 77 million people went and voted for this guy in november. >> be able to mock an extremist. without everybody else. >> saying. >> you must. and outrage. >> by saying, i think everything's i think everything's.

>> fair game. i think that you're you're making a fair point to a degree. but i think you would also have to be, if you're going to be fair minded about this, you would also have to say that all the people who are, you know, woke, die. they're screaming all that language at the other side should stop that too. >> i think comedy should be fair game for everybody. but i think i think comedy should be fun for everybody. >> but but. >> like but okay, so fair game. meaning this was fine. >> no no no i don't love it. i'm saying look, i wasn't personally completely offended by it. i am bothered by the fact that i feel like they are mocking at least 77 million people in this country, that. >> mean 77. >> million. >> people wouldn't. they can't sit. >> there. and comedy is comedy. >> no, the whole skit was they were mocking black people. i mean, black jeopardy. it was all i mean, it was like they were offending. >> everybody. >> that i. >> think that. >> the point like, i don't actually think it's snl's job to stay above the fray. >> yeah. >> their their job is a comedy skit. i actually think that people sitting at this table, we

have a job and a responsibility. when something like that happens, it's our job to dissect why people are offended and why people aren't offended and really understand why is our country so divided right now? if a black person feels like they see somebody with a maga hat and they are, they are, they are intimidated or whatnot, that's a conversation we need to have in our country to move past this point we are right now, but instead, i think we veil it behind like skits and it's like, oh, you know, you're going to lose forever. i don't i don't want to live like that. this is were. >> you outraged when you saw that? i don't think there was. >> but i just. >> i but my point is this, like, there was no outrage. like, i think we're overdoing. >> it, just about. just overdoing it right now. i mean, right now they want to cancel the ap over not calling it the gulf of mexico, which is. >> ridiculous. >> undocumented anymore. >> you have to. >> say illegal aliens. you can't say there's a whole host of things that you can't say anymore. i mean, the atlantic put it this way. how? the woke right replaced the woke left. i mean, is that where we are? >> well, they. >> are good at controlling the. >> narrative. >> and they're going to pick up on these morsels and try and

blow it out of proportion and say, oh, the left are being they're being mean. and and that's why you should never go back to them. they're going to blow it out of proportion. i think they're doing this a little bit, too. i don't think they're as offended as they're making it out to be, but of course they're going to exaggerate it and make it seem as if it's the worst thing in the world. >> also, these are not elected officials. let's just be also really clear, really. there are comedians. and so to compare it to somebody running for the president of the united states, to the comedian, i think those are two different. those are not apples to oranges. those are like apples to. >> apples to. cow. oh my goodness. hold on. coming up next is the democratic party in such dire straits that it needs to nominate a sports host as a presidential candidate. well, that host thinks that he should be nominated. we'll debate. >> what do you. >> mean? >> cookbooks? corporate fat cats, swindling socialites, doped up cyclists, then? yes, more crooked politicians. i have a feeling we won't be running out of those anytime soon. >> a new season of united states of scandal with jake tapper,

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cost at other restaurants? >> not really. i'm only six. >> a lot, honey. a lot, kiddo. >> okay. >> yeah. >> super. man. the christopher reeve. story saturday at ten on cnn. >> he is the loudest voice in sports. and tonight, stephen a says if democrats don't get it together, he just might be their best shot in 2028. >> you came to me and said, listen, there is nobody else. and america is clamoring for you. which i sincerely doubt would ever happen. but if that were to happen, would i give it strong consideration? i won't lie, yes i would. i believe it is an utter embarrassment to the democratic party that i am a candidate in people's eyes for the presidency of the united states is an indictment against them, and they need to get their act together before somebody like me or somebody else takes it real seriously and says, the hell with y'all. because the roster that i'm seeing right now. >> not stephen, a threatening. >> as well. >> but he's been on we had him on the show talking about this very issue around this time,

actually probably a year ago. so this has been floating around for a while. >> but can't you make a little bit of an analogy of that? that's what happened with trump. in other words, like he was like, look, jeb bush, what are we going to go? bush, clinton? bush? clinton? like, you know, and i don't see anyone else out there who's so great. so i'm going to go in there and. and he won. now, i don't know if stephen smith is going to win the. presidency. >> and these are her people. who was calling stephen a smith. >> well, he said they like he would take it if. >> you need somebody. >> did call. if they need him, he'd be like, i'm more than willing this stephen a if you're watching classic you. he's such a he's a wonderful human. he's going to do it for america. >> i. >> will tell you. but i'm. >> not do that. >> i believe. no, no, no. i believe he would be great. i'm not even being funny. i believe that he would be great. i need someone to match the. bombast. the the the the the outrage, the the the performance of what we have going on right now. stephen

a could do that. i disagree. >> with that. i do think that someone needs to come in at the democratic party is now all about anti-trump, and that's not going to work. when you think of bill clinton, you think of home ownership, you think of obama, you think of health care, you think of trump, you think of immigration. we need somebody to step up and have an issue spotting agenda where they can say, here's how i'm going to directly help america. >> and you think he had you think he has. >> i think stephen smith can do it. but clearly somebody has to. >> if democrats drafted a stephen a this a personality as somebody who has sort of pop culture resonance, would that concern you as a republican? >> yeah. i want to say to stephen, a stay where you are, because as a republican, i want the democrats to keep doing what they're doing because. >> you think he'd be good? >> yes. i don't want yes. >> i say you are. i would. >> because i. >> think that. >> i. >> i don't actually think that like the person who is the president has to be a career politician. i agree. i think they should have some strong understanding of the government, because if you don't, then you

get a doge. um, but, you know, for a long time people were trying. she was the former first lady, but she wasn't a. >> they. >> wanted michelle obama, they wanted oprah. they talked about the rock. i think there's nothing wrong with wanting to serve your country in any way, shape or form in government or running for public office. i just think whoever it is has to have the qualifications to be able to understand how bills are made. wait a second. wait. hold on. >> i don't know if that's true, ashley. i just don't think. >> that's that's what i want. >> yeah i think, yeah, but i don't think that's necessary. >> look, some, a lot of times at this table, the answer to the question of why is donald trump doing x, y and z is, oh, i don't think he knows how this works. so i don't know that knowing how it works is a prerequisite. >> i think stephen a, i. >> think stephen. >> a would. be great to deliver. that's all you have to deliver. that's that's the point. he can deliver a really good message. he is very effective. he is the kind of person that you listen to him. whether you agree or disagree, you're paying

attention. he controls the room. and i'm not saying it's all about showmanship, and i'm not saying he should be president, but what i'm saying is it's not crazy. look where we are. it is a little. >> bit about showmanship. let's play sa2, because this is what stephen had to say about this. >> get trump like what i mean by that time is be your real, true, authentic self. for better or worse. can you genuinely tell me, as a person who covers this stuff for a living, that trump surprises you? what? think about how he acts. think about the things that he says. and then he goes and he tries to do it for better or worse. he's letting you know i don't care. >> speaking truth, and he's speaking truth. >> he shows up at the super bowl. he shows up at a nascar game. >> yeah, he does whatever. >> he wants. he is putting himself. we were actually just talking about this in the last segment. he inserts himself into the culture. you cannot ignore him. >> yeah, but look, he you may disagree here. he's authentic. and that's what people. donald

trump that's what people like about him is that he is authentic. >> but he's an anomaly because i'm a criminal defense attorney. he has been so good to criminal defendants with the first step act and helping people get out of jail. people who were sentenced under the draconian crack laws, who got ten, 20 years for 2 or 3 vials of crack. he's the guy who turned that around. but today he does ivf. he's the president who's making it easier for women who are struggling to get pregnant, to get the funding to to pay for it. >> okay. i just want to say about the ivf executive order, it says he's directed his government to study the issue. so we will see what comes out of that. but i to your point, the laws of political gravity don't apply to trump in the same way. you know, he did the first step act got pilloried by conservatives. >> and i just think. >> you realize. >> the original question. i think stephen a would not be a ridiculous candidate. i think he's sitting there and talking about it and thinking about it. and i know that sounds crazy for a lot of people. >> but i think there's someone else, that.

>> there is someone else. i'm not saying i'm not. i'm not saying. >> i'm going. >> george clooney. >> i'm going george clooney. >> but i'm like, look what we have now. is it too far off? no. could he be trump like? >> that's what i'm saying. >> could he talk like trump? you just said you would be afraid if stephen a was actually the front man for the democratic party, because that would worry you. >> well, i'm saying i want the democrats to keep doing what they're doing right now. everything's going. >> very well. >> so i'm okay. >> our friend stephen a is welcome to join us and finish off this conversation, everyone stay with us. coming up next, the panel will give us their nightcaps. what alternative punishment would you give someone who was convicted of a petty crime? we'll explain. >> it's the news. >> welcome back. >> but it's also kind of not the news. >> jenin dana bash do that. >> you know, there's. >> three lesbians. >> on this panel. >> am i one of them? >> if you drink tap water. >> and. >> your balls still work, please clap.

>> no, michael. >> we don't fact check it. we don't care, man. >> why sell the. >> information on this show. >> so terrible? >> have i got news for you? saturday at nine on cnn and stream next day on max. >> to remind you that 60%. >> of sales. >> on amazon come from independent sellers. tracy from lilies of charleston will watch 60 contestants eat 60 hot wings, all covered in lily's hot sauce. >> ooh, honey. don't touch. >> your face. >> to remind. >> you that 60% of sales on amazon come from. >> independent sellers. >> farmer bob and. >> his. >> princeton popcorn will be in this ad 60% of the time. great job bob. >> i always wanted to know why i am the way i am. my curiosity led me to ancestry. it was amazing to see all the traits that i've gotten from my mother in my dna. it's a family thing. it's a family thing. >> beef bourguignon, bold choice. but they're here in ten

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>> live next on cnn. >> close captioning is brought to you by purple. greatest sleep ever invented. >> we've been out of a job. >> that's because. >> purple mattresses are. >> made. >> with patented. >> gel flex grid technology. >> do not. >> go. >> to purple.com. >> do not. >> visit a. >> purple store. >> we are back and it's time for the news. nightcap. car wash edition. so listen to this. a michigan judge is sentencing shoplifters to wash cars for free in a walmart parking lot. he says lawbreakers are sometimes down on their luck, but they should face punishment of some kind for breaking the law. so you each have 30s to tell us what punishment you would give for a petty crime. arthur. >> well, this may be a very new york centric thing, but i would have them clean graffiti. and you think it sounds like it's no big deal? well, someone tagged my white garage door and i went to the. i went to the hardware store, and i got the graffiti remover, and, boy, you got to really, like, put some elbow grease in there. i'm not, i'm

not i'm not saying this for tv. it's the truth. it was like i was like this at sobey's. i can't believe i'm spending saturday afternoon. not with my kids, ripping off some tag. i don't even know what it was. so again, you want to commit a petty crime? clean some graffiti. >> all right. you better start with arthur's house. and actually. >> i think that when someone who doesn't have, like, paid leave or an essential worker needs to take time off to take care of their sick kid, that the person who commits the petty crime has to sub in for them for work without pay. >> that's a good idea. hopefully, if they're good workers, maybe not. >> if a teacher wants to be substituted by a petty crime. but here's mine. so i thought this through, arthur, if you get caught for a petty crime like pay theft, you can't use or have access to what you tried to steal. for example, if you steal reese's peanut butter cups, you can't eat reese's peanut butter cups for three months, right? if you steal socks, you can't wear socks with your shoes for three months. you better hope it's not the winter time where you have timbs on or something, because

you can't wear socks. >> and dante is going to check on everybody every day and make. sure no reese's. >> he has on socks, he's in trouble. that makes sense. >> actually makes sense. >> if he tried to steal a car, you can't use a car, you can't drive. you got to. >> you got to. >> walk everywhere. you got to walk everywhere. eye for eye. two for two. i get it, i like it. mine would be. you all are. and this is actually probably. it sounds like it's not a real crime, but it is a crime. and forgive me for everyone who loves mariah carey, but i'm sentencing you to a mariah carey concert where in which she is carried around and lip syncs. now everyone doesn't think it's awful, but if you had to endure that day in and day out, it is something painful. i want to give a lot of love to my friend jamal hill, who went to see the concert and she said she loved it. you're lying friend. >> i have to give a disclaimer. i have to give a disclaimer. >> you love. you love. >> reviews of carey champion. act not endorsed. >> by champion. >> find me. >> find me. >> go ahead. lance. >> this one struck a nerve with me. i am a dog owner. um, agnes,

two year old english lab that i have at home. there she is on the screen. she is a cutie. like any good, you know, dog walker. you know, everybody knows you have to go and clean up and pick up the poop after them. for some reason, where i live in washington, d.c., not everybody likes to do that. i don't know if this is a crime. not picking up dog poop. >> it is a crime in new york. >> it absolutely. >> should be. i would argue, punishment like, you know, hard labor camp out in the desert somewhere i think would be nice. but since we're going petty crime, i think if you do not clean up your dog's poop, you should have to go around the neighborhood, your community and pick up whether it's backyards, pick up dog poop, wearing a sign that says, i didn't pick up my dog's poop. now i have to pick up all the dog's poop. >> i agree while listening to mariah. >> 100% all. >> in the. >> dog defenders are the absolute worst worst your dogs. >> that