more broadly and shared by colleagues like fellow breast cancer surgeon doctor julie sprunt. >> we have a young patient who's in her early 30s. she was so upset that her insurance wouldn't cover the wigs that she wanted to wear while she was getting chemotherapy. and i thought of how hard she has worked as a nanny to pay into insurance. it starts to feel like the humanity that is so necessary in health care isn't there anymore. >> i didn't go to medical school to learn how to decipher insurance plans. i went to medical school to learn how to take care of human beings. and i would assume that insurance would help facilitate that and not create obstacles. i think there's a good place for insurance, but we've got to have a reckoning. maybe something really good can happen. we'll see. meena duerson cnn. austin, texas. >> thanks, mina, and thanks for joining us. the sauce starts

now. >> straight from the source. tonight, elon musk takes a wrecking ball to the federal government and a chainsaw to cpac. literally what he told the conservative gathering about slashing the federal government, including thousands of jobs. and president trump tonight, his top aides are ratcheting up the pressure on ukrainian president zelenskyy to strike a deal to end the war that trump claims, basically, that zelenskyy started. and about those doge stimulus checks trump and musk have been suggesting americans could be getting in the mailbox. the republican speaker of the house says, not so fast. i'm kaitlan collins, and this is the source. as if he weren't already center stage today, elon musk surprised the crowd at one of the biggest annual gatherings of conservatives. and the guy who says he's taking a woodchipper to the federal government waved around a chainsaw.

>> are. >> this is the chainsaw for bureaucracy. chainsaw. would. >> that chainsaw for bureaucracy was given to musk by the president of argentina, who you also saw standing there on stage. the crowd was eating up the entire scene that you were watching, as musk then donned those sunglasses the whole time he was interviewed on stage, where he stretched the truth and kept things light amid the very real life consequences happening right now for federal workers. from his government cuts. >> people ask, how can you find waste in like in dc? >> i'm like, look. >> it's like being in a room, you know? >> and there's. >> the wall, the. >> roofs and the floor are all targets. so it's like you. >> got to close your eyes and go shoot in any direction. >> so you can't. >> miss.

>> the jokes did not stop there. there was also this moment. >> listen like if i if i steal some social security, i can finally buy a nice. >> things. >> meanwhile, just a few moments later, on the very same stage where musk was sitting, his nemesis steve bannon. maybe not his, but certainly bannon came out to stir up that crowd himself. bannon, remember recently called musk a parasitic illegal immigrant. and i'm quoting steve bannon there. but he didn't use his time today to take any more swipes at elon musk. instead, he launched into an unconstitutional battle cry to keep president trump in office beyond his current term. >> the future. >> of america. >> is maga. >> and the future of maga is donald j. trump. we want trump in 28. that's where they can't stand a man like trump comes along only once or twice in the country's history, right? we want trump. we want trump.

>> my political sources are here tonight, and so are my white house insiders. and it's great to have all of you. ashley, your thoughts on me. first, i'm coming to you first because it was not just the chainsaw, it was the jokes about social security. i think at one point he said, this idea that that with the russians, putin could never afford to buy him off because he's the world's richest man. um, overall, though, what did you make of the appearance? >> i'm not surprised. i mean, this is they are performers. and that was another show. but what i have, i have something to tell the american people. that show is going on tour, and it's coming to a city near you, and they are going to cut your social security. they're going to cut your medicaid, they're going to cut your medicare, they're going to cut your section eight, and you're not going to get money. your prices are not going to go down. so perform all you want. i think we have to continue to remind the american people that this has real impact on their lives, and it's not going to just stop in washington, d.c. and they aren't just people that you want

to take a chainsaw. when we talk about violence and all the rhetoric and whatnot, like we're talking about human beings and the jobs and their children and their mortgages and their groceries, they have to pay for that. he's saying he's slashing. so, um, i'm not surprised by his performance, but this these have his actions have real life consequences. and he's making a joke of it. >> i mean, it was quite a moment to just watch all of this on stage. as you know, elon musk is often publicly responding on twitter and whatnot, but actually hearing from him as he was being interviewed there, listen to just a little bit more of what he had to say. >> it is living the dream, and. >> there's living the meme, and it's pretty much what's happening. >> you know, in europe they put people in prison for memes. they just want state control, state control of what you say. you know, they want to, you know, take away your your guns. at this point, i'm like, i'm not sure how much of the left is even real. you see, like these, these sort of fake rallies where. there's like hardly any people and the media will, like, frame it and like, you know, get all six people, you know, in the

frame. it wasn't really like that. interested in being political. um, it just like there was at a certain point, no choice. >> i mean, that was like a his twitter feed come to, to life, essentially. but what did what did what do white house officials think of of what he had to say today in that surprise appearance? >> i mean. >> i think. >> it was the reception that people were paying attention to in the white house. and it's the fact that elon musk is incredibly popular in this crowd of conservatives. i mean, you could hear people yelling, we love you! and him saying, i love you back. and i mean the whole performance around it, there was something that felt to me of him walking out, sort of like a wrestlemania, where the crowd is cheering and so excited and he's feeling so triumphant. and i think one month in, while, yes, there are so many headlines around the real life consequences of what is happening right now, the people who are being laid off, the agencies that are fearful that they're next and that they might be cut or they might be facing really huge spending cuts, i think that is a reality that was not present at cpac

today, because he's basking in the popularity, he's basking in the power and influence that he has. and i think it's important to remember, i mean, elon musk is not someone who has been involved in u.s. politics for a long time. he's a newcomer to this. so really, you know, we're only a month into the trump administration, but he's clearly enjoying this power and influence and throwing it around. >> imagine that you. >> get. >> a time machine. >> and. >> you beam. this clip back. >> to yourself. like ten. >> years ago. >> elon musk. >> elon musk, it. >> would. >> be incomprehensible. >> you'd be like. >> what on earth is happening? and i think it's important for people. >> to remember. >> like cpac. >> is a pep rally. >> for the right. >> it is the. >> pep rally for the maga movement. >> and so i'm so glad you likened it to wrestlemania, because it's really what's going on here. but also remember that americans have been hearing politicians. for decades do. >> this kind of gesturing that i'm. >> going to go to washington. >> and i'm going to make them squeal, i'm. >> going to go to washington. >> and i'm going to blow things up. you see it in campaign, ad

after campaign, ad after campaign ad. it doesn't really happen. and so that's part of why donald trump and elon musk are getting this really long leash and really big enthusiasm from conservatives, because they've been told this by politicians and. >> leaders. >> on their side for so long, and no one's ever done it until now. >> i think that's a great point in terms of where they are going with this and what they're using to justify what they're doing, saying it's long overdue. it's not something we've seen, jeff. i mean, just in the in the polling that we've seen, there's a new poll today, though, that says a majority believes that that they've gone too far in terms of using presidential power and cutting federal programs overall for trump's job approval is 47% approve, 52% disapprove. if you look at the numbers here, but on going too far, they said 52% said using presidential power and cutting federal programs, over 50% on those numbers. >> which is. >> high. >> which is high, i. >> mean, and that's it goes to what ashley was saying at the very beginning is that this does have a real world impact, and that real world impact is going to start kind of bubbling up in the polling. and if that's if that's what we're seeing now, i mean, i think i don't know if

it's the same poll, but the similar poll that i saw today also had democrats approval rating way, way, way in the tank. so president trump's polling may be being hurt a little bit by some of the more controversial things that he's doing, but he's still riding high compared to the opposition. >> yeah. >> does that show that criticizing elon musk is not enough for democrats to run on and to to? >> elon musk is not running for president. he didn't run for president like the american people can't vote elon musk out. i want to get in your time machine and go to the future and get past this chapter. um, but in the polling, yes, i think, or even let's go in the future for five and five months. right. i think donald trump's approval ratings will be lower than they are now. the question for democrats is how do you get your approval ratings higher than his and get the american people to connect to you? that's why i'm like, don't take the bait. when he puts a meme on that. he's king. it's problematic. he's not a king. we live in a democracy and yet don't take the bait. when elon musk goes up on stage with a chainsaw because it's a show for them, focus and talking

to your constituents. i also think that republicans you're right. a lot of republicans have said, i'm going to come and do this and do that, and they haven't, because when you start doing this and doing that, it starts affecting your constituents in your red state. and so your constituents are like, wait a minute, i need that farm. subsidy, or i need a grant for my head start. and so when that rubber hits the road and they actually have to negotiate this, this bill that's coming out, i think that some of his approval ratings are going to go further in the tank as well, because he's going to want to cut programs that folks don't want to be touched. well. >> and speaking of that, steve bannon was also there. he has been the biggest critic, maybe in this circle of elon musk. he doesn't he doesn't think his support is genuine. he's been heavily critical of him. he was on stage today and had a very interesting i guess that's the word i'll use, uh, look into to his view of where this movement is right now. >> and the reason that jay sixers are here and they're patriots is because that was a.

federal correction totally set up by the fbi. they stole it. >> the system. >> is so big, so. >> corrupt, so powerful. fixed bayonets. we're charging again. that is why kash patel is the director of the fbi. that is why bobby kennedy is the head of a. that is why tulsi gabbard is a dni. that is why pete hegseth is across the river in the pentagon. fix bayonets. >> january 6th obviously was not an inside job, despite them continuing to push it, but it is fascinating to hear him talking about trump's cabinet as trump himself. and he's also talking about trump running for a third term as trump himself twice today has now mused about that and joked that it's going to be a controversy. but it is something he keeps saying a lot lately. >> i mean, we were both at that event, i think at the. >> black history. >> month, the black history month, and he just kind of throws it out there and gets laughs. he gets applause. he did it today. he's certainly done it multiple times recently. then

he kind of puts the attention on the media and says, oh, if i say this, then the fake news will do xyz. but he keeps saying it. and the fact that steve bannon brought it up in a place like cpac, where it's a it's an auditorium or a room filled with supporters, people take this seriously. and that is kind of the dilemma in covering this white house, too, is it's our job to take it seriously. he may pretend that he's kidding, but when he has somebody who is such an acolyte that steve bannon is, even if his sort of cachet is a little bit lower than elon musk's is right now, when he speaks, people listen and people take that seriously. and it's the same with the conspiracy theories that bannon is talking about here that has clearly influenced the choices that president trump made for his cabinet. >> can i also say, i think this is why people before the election kept harping on january 6th, and then on the first day of the trump administration, when he pardoned all the january 6th ers, including the people who were violent against law

enforcement, people were so alarmed because when you actually listen to some of the interviews of those folks, i think he was calling them the j. bayonets or whatever. um, that, um, they were saying that the reason why january 6th was okay is because the election was stolen. and so, you know, if you're doing an investigation, you're like, you're told to follow the evidence and the evidence, the breadcrumbs that are being laid down right now is for that. on january 28th. if we don't face a constitutional crisis before then, we could potentially face one now. and so we have to pay attention. we don't need to reflect on the past so much, but we can't forget what happened because it can be an indicator of what's going to happen in our future elections and the next four years. >> speaking of things that president trump keeps repeating, he keeps repeating that that election was stolen. that's right. despite also expressing joy for the fact that he's president now. and we'll get to go to the world cup and the olympics, he hasn't let that go. and so you have to assume that he's not going to let some of these other things go either. >> yeah. it's a great point there, jeff. thank you all for being here. political insiders,

white house insiders. great to have you both. some breaking news. up next, because my next source has new reporting on the deal that president trump is heavily focused on. it's at the heart of his feud right now with the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelenskyy, and why trump and the world's richest man are now setting their sights on fort knox, where gold is stored. >> we're going to inspect fort knox. we want to make sure that we actually have, you know, 400 tons of gold or whatever the hell it is. >> it's the news. welcome back. but it's also kind of not the news. >> all the information. >> on this show. so terrible. >> if i got news for you, news saturday on cnn. >> fun color, great mileage. hey, hon, i found our new car on carvana already. >> i want. >> to do some research. >> honey. >> torque or horsepower. >> for this, i vote torque. >> ooh. >> mhm. >> which color makes my. >> shoulders look whiter? >> the blue one. >> cerulean. >> okay. oh, great.

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the war in ukraine. this feud between president trump and president zelenskyy, and a full court press by the white house to end what putin started. trump wants something incredibly valuable that ukraine has. and zelenskyy so far is resisting making a deal until he gets commitments for what his country desperately needs to fend off putin. that, of course, u.s. security. after meeting with trump's envoy to ukraine and russia today, that's keith kellogg that you see here with zelenskyy. zelenskyy says he has hope about reaching an agreement eventually here. that's a notable change from the grim prospects we were hearing earlier this week, when the two were trading barbs after trump said that zelenskyy needed to hand over half of ukraine's rare earth minerals. that's about $500 billion worth of lithium, graphite, uranium, all critical to powering future technology. that's why the u.s. wants it so badly. and now axios is reporting tonight that there is a new, or at least a revised deal that is under consideration. and both sides believe a deal is looking more likely. my next source is the

reporter who broke that news, axios barak ravid. and it's great to have you tell us what is different, because the issue seems to be that the ukrainians felt like this deal was being forced on them, and they weren't really getting a lot in return. >> good evening caitlin. >> um, first. >> you're right. >> that's what the. >> ukrainians felt. >> over the last, uh, week or so since. >> secretary of treasury bessent came. >> to kyiv and. basically told, uh, zelenskyy. here's the piece of paper. sign it now. and zelenskyy said, i just saw this thing two hours ago. i'm not. >> going to sign it. >> and that was set. this, you know, crisis in relations that we saw over the last few days. i think what happened over the last few days, since munich, since the munich conference and since the meeting between vice president pence and zelenskyy last friday, is that there were some revisions in the u.s. text. for example, this whole idea that the agreement will be under

the jurisdiction of a court in new york, i think, uh, the u.s. side understood that it's not going to fly. and i think there is an idea of trying to broaden the scope of this agreement so that it will not only be, what are we going to do with this minerals, but whether this is part of a somewhat bigger picture. in the u.s. ukrainian relations. >> what was the talk about it being in the jurisdiction of a new york court? >> in the original, uh, agreement, you know, as in every legal, uh, document, uh, there is, uh, at the end of the document, there was a line that said that any disagreement between the parties will be discussed in a court in the state of new york, which, you know, obviously, this is not how you deal with international, uh, agreements. usually this is, uh, those agreements are being dealt with through international courts of arbitration or other similar institutions. so i think it took time, a few days until

people understood that you cannot really discuss a bilateral agreement between two countries. in a court in new york. but i think what is interesting is the main change happened after the meeting between u.s. envoy keith kellogg and zelenskyy. uh, and i think that from what i hear, uh, kellogg is still there. he's going to be in kyiv until tomorrow, and they're going to try and seal this deal by then. i'm not sure they're going to be able to do it, but that's definitely the goal to try and seal this deal until tomorrow. >> all right then, we'll probably see you here tomorrow night. thank you for that. great reporting. and as brock noted there looming over this deal that the u.s. is pushing, is this undeniable tension between trump and zelenskyy. and today i question trump's national security advisor, mike waltz, about trump's assertion that ukraine started this war, which is not true given waltz has written extensively about who is

responsible for this. as a former member of congress. you wrote in an op ed in the fall of 2023 that, quote, putin is to blame, certainly like al qaeda was to blame for nine over 11. do you still feel that way now, or do you share the president's assessment, as he says, ukraine is to blame for the start of this war? >> well, it shouldn't surprise you that i share the president's assessment on all kinds of issues. what i wrote as a member of congress was, was as a former member of congress, look what i share. the president's assessment on is that the war has to end. uh, and what comes with that? what comes with that should be, at some point, elections. what comes with that should be peace. what comes with that is prosperity that we've just offered. uh, in this natural resources and economic partnership arrangement, an end to the killing, uh, and european security and security for the world. this is a president of peace. and who here would argue against peace? >> of course, no one was arguing

against peace. my source tonight, democratic senator of michigan elissa slotkin, a former cia analyst. and it's great to have you here, senator, because before this, you served in the house with mike waltz. you actually are both on house armed services together. there's a picture of the two of you in ukraine standing side by side with zelenskyy, as we can see here. what did you make of that answer? >> well, look, i mean, again, i served on the armed services committee the entire time i was in the house with mike waltz, and we used to agree on, frankly, a lot of things related to national security. and i think, you know, the diplomatic way of saying it would be that he's evolved. i think, you know, what i've heard from republicans in the senate all week long is how they don't agree with the president. this isn't how they view vladimir putin. they understand who started the war and that it was putin. um, but and some of them are starting, starting baby steps to say something. but, you know, i see what mike was saying today is just he's representing the president and he's going to, you know, bend his views in

order to be supportive to the guy, you know, who gave him the big job. >> on the minerals deal that barak ravid was just reporting on. what do you believe the ukrainians must get if they do agree to to sign over half of the rare earth minerals to, to the u.s.? >> yeah, well, i was with the zelenskyy this weekend in munich, you know, a group of us on a bipartisan basis, senators flew over there and had a meeting with him. he talked about how he was put, you know, shoved this piece of paper and said, sign it. and he said, this is very strange. i've never read it, but i think, you know, if you're the ukrainians, everyone knows this thing has to end in a negotiation. everyone knows the ukrainians are not going to win. the russians aren't able to move forward. so we're going to have a negotiation. i think if you're zelenskyy, you have to expect and ask for a security commitment of some kind, right? if you're going to sign over half your minerals, i mean, think of us as americans. i mean, we would never do this. but if you're going to even contemplate that as a ukrainian, you've got to really get in

return some sort of assurances that putin can't just invade you again. right. this isn't going to restart in two years or four years. so you're looking for what that means from the europeans, from the americans. and that to me is going to be a sticking point for zelenskyy no matter what. >> yeah. and also questions about what this deal looks like, especially in terms of sanctions that are on russia and what happens there in 2017, when trump was last in office, he signed legislation that said if a president wants to lift sanctions on russia or return embassy properties, he must seek congressional approval first. what happens, i guess, does he have to do that? or what happens if he does not seek that 30 day congressional approval before lifting sanctions on russia? >> yeah, i mean, i think, you know, we right now what we have in the senate, you know, the republicans have the senate and the house, and they're just not exerting their power as an equal branch of government vis a vis trump. and maybe they will one day, but they're just not right now. and so my expectation is

that they would have no problems if trump said, well, i think, you know, putin is the good guy here, and i want to relieve him of all these sanctions. um, i think it should come back, but i just don't feel my colleagues are sticking up for the principles that they believe in. so even. >> though it's the law, even though it's the law, you think there will be no pushback if he doesn't follow that? >> or maybe it will. it will be an easy stamp. i hope not, right? i like i said, i've seen more senators come forward in the past week and like, dip their toe in the water of criticizing trump than, than, than any time since he was sworn in. um, so i'm hoping that that they understand. again, i always think of ronald reagan. right? ronald reagan is sort of the hero of the republican party who won the cold war, who was so clear about the importance of american leadership and not succumbing to soviet or russian leadership. um, i know that a lot of my republican colleagues are unhappy now. i need them to have some backbone and stand up

for what they believe. >> on this war. overall. uh, you know, we just are looking at this in terms of what is the answer here. and given that it's gone on for three years, it could end today. of course, if putin pulled out his troops, which he clearly does not plan to do right now. but when people look at this and say there is a point that the trump administration has that this has gone on, there has been no solution yet. what is the realistic option here in your view? >> yeah, like i said, i think most people like i again, i was at the munich security conference, which is a, you know, kind of like lollapalooza for national security. people all over the world. it's everybody. and there wasn't many people who were saying, let's keep the war going. everyone understands there has got to be a negotiation. and i think the ukrainians in their heart of hearts understand that. but it has to be a just and durable peace agreement. it can't be something that crumbles in five minutes, and it can't be something that sets the example for places like china that the united states just sides with an aggressor. and you are okay to

go invade your neighboring country. so i think it's it is some sort of discussion of what happens with, you know, eastern ukraine and then what kind of security assurances the ukrainians can have so that they don't have to fear they're going to be invaded every four years. and that, to me, is the heart of some sort of deal. >> yeah. we'll see what it looks like. senator, it's great to have you. i know you're on hill. there is a vote-a-rama happening where democrats are pushing back on republicans. we'll see. how long. how long do you think it's going to go for tonight? >> how long are you. >> estimating being there? >> i mean, people are burrowing in. i think it's going to be all night. >> okay. we'll be watching it closely. senator, thanks so much. great to have you. >> thank you. >> up next, as we are watching this vote-a-rama as it is billed on capitol hill, we'll tell you what a vote-a-rama is. also, there was a major announcement about one of those senators today will fill you in right after a quick break. >> this is cnn, the world's news network.

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>> 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. >> march 9th on cnn. >> this is a live look at the senate floor tonight where republicans are taking the first step to try to advance president trump's priorities. senators are about two hours into a marathon vote session that is known on capitol hill as a vote-a-rama. it is likely, though, to set up a clash with the white house because president trump threw his support behind the house plan to move his agenda, which is one big bill. but if you needed a reminder, as you look at what's happening on capitol hill tonight, that this is donald trump's republican party. today we saw senator mitch mcconnell, perhaps the biggest symbol of the republican party before trump came to washington, announced he will not seek a historic eighth term. >> representing our commonwealth. >> has been the honor of a

lifetime. i will not seek this honor. an eighth time. my current term in the senate will. >> be my. >> last. >> that announcement was met with a 32nd standing ovation from his colleagues on both sides of the political aisle. mcconnell also turned 83. today. it's his birthday. he is the longest serving senate leader in u.s. history. his retirement will mark the end of a 40 consequential years in office. like him or not, recently, mcconnell has sparred with president trump as his time in the senate comes to an end. and while he did vote to confirm kash patel is the fbi director, we have seen him vote against three of trump's cabinet nominees, more than any other republican senator. on capitol hill now, the president told me when i asked him about him voting against rfk jr.. last week in the oval office that mcconnell wasn't voting against his nominees. he thought mcconnell was just voting against him. but actually, if you look at their history, it shows mcconnell has been a major

instrument in trump's legacy together. in his first term, they reshaped the supreme court, as we see as leader, mcconnell helped get three conservative supreme court justices confirmed. they also remade the lower courts, though, as well, confirming more than 200 judges across the appeals and district courts. and you can't forget when mcconnell voted to acquit trump in his second impeachment trial after january 6th had happened. despite saying that trump was practically and morally responsible for what happened. it was that vote that helped trump return to power. today. my next source is a longtime adviser to senator mitch mcconnell. scott jennings is here. and, scott, you know, just hearing this, it's not a total surprise to to people around him. i'm assuming maybe not to you either, but but what does the senate look like for republicans if there's no mitch mcconnell in it? >> well. >> look, it's going to look. like i mean, you see the kind of people who are getting elected right now and they're all really good people, like jim banks, for instance, from indiana. you know, there's a

number, schmidt from missouri. you know, there's a number of. young up and coming senators, and they all represent the modern, current version of the republican party that has undoubtedly been remade and shaped and shifted a little bit under the leadership of donald trump. and so, because of because of his leadership, because of the direction of the party, i think it's natural for new senators to follow along and want to make him successful and want to run on his issues, but in my opinion, in no way does that diminish the leadership of mitch mcconnell. what he accomplished over 40 plus years, 42 when he's finished. and not only was he the longest serving senate republican leader, he is the longest serving senator from the commonwealth of kentucky in our state's history. if there was a mount rushmore in kentucky, it would be lincoln, clay, barkley and mcconnell. i mean, he is one of the most consequential figures in american political history, certainly for the last half or full century. so i think it's natural for the party to evolve, especially when you have such a dominant figure like trump. uh, and, uh, and, you know, uh, i don't i don't really see any, any real friction or story here

between them other than the this was this was expected. and mcconnell's had an amazing run. >> yeah. evolved is one way to put it. i mean, the party is just so firmly in trump's grasp and has been reshaped in his image. and what does it say, though, that for what you just talked about there of how how much mcconnell has played a role in this? what does it say about the state of the republican party that when when one of the most consequential leaders leaves and the response from from the maga wing from really a lot of the republican party has been good riddance to mcconnell. >> yeah. look, i a couple things. number one, i think it's natural for politicians to want to follow their president. so today donald trump is the leader of our party. it's natural for the new senators to want to follow donald trump. when mitch mcconnell got elected in 1984, ronald reagan was the president, and it was natural that he wanted to follow ronald reagan. and the people who came up in that era consider themselves to be reagan republicans. so i don't find that to be that unusual. i would just point out to my friends who support donald trump today that

if it weren't for mitch mcconnell holding open that senate seat in 2016, i'm not sure donald trump would have been elected the first time. i mean, that that was a consequential move, saying no to merrick garland and then also getting amy coney barrett there at the end of the term as well. what they did together politically and as a policy matter has changed this country and is going to shape our politics for decades to come. and so i understand the back and forth. i understand the personal friction. i understand, you know, the attitude towards it today, but i actually think they're both linked, and i think because they're linked and because they did such consequential things together, we're going to look back on this era, on this period kind of as a trump mcconnell era. uh, if only, if not only, but in a major way because of the supreme court. >> yeah. that supreme court seat was obviously so critical. i want you to listen to what, in his closing speech that mcconnell said about as he was ending about his appeal on foreign policy. >> master ronald reagan's determination, the work of strengthening america's hard power was well underway. when i arrived in the senate. but since

then, we've allowed that power to atrophy. and today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it. so lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term, i have some unfinished business to attend to. >> is there any question in your mind as to what he is or who he is talking about there? >> well, he strongly believes that we need to have the biggest, strongest military in the world and that we have money to spend here. and all the reason in the world to do. he has a very clear view of american foreign policy and american national security that is rooted in his coming up in the senate under ronald reagan. he believes strongly in hard power, soft power, too. but his full focus, i can tell you, after talking to him about it for a long time, his full focus, and he's the chairman of the subcommittee on appropriations

for defense spending, his full focus is going to be making america's military as strong and as large as possible, he once told me. by the time he was done with the defense budget, he was going to make john mccain look like a dove. and i fully believe that's where he's going to put his full attention. and guess what? i think a lot of republicans are going to cheer that, because in order to to win wars and to keep wars from happening, you need to be the biggest kid on the block. and we're the world's preeminent superpower. and he's going to arm us like we are. >> yeah, just notable to see that as the defense secretary is calling for for cuts. we'll see which ideology there wins out. scott jennings in a hat. great to have you here. thank you. >> yeah. >> well, i'm west of the mississippi. when i get out west of the mississippi, the hat comes out. that's the that's the truth. >> okay, indiana jennings, thank you so much. meanwhile, on the other side of congress today, we heard from the house speaker, mike johnson. he gave a reality check to trump. and this idea that we keep hearing, are taxpayers going to get a cut of the government cuts? we'll tell

you what he had to say next. >> 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, march 9th on cnn. >> after last month's massive solar flare added a 25th hour to the day. businesses are wondering what should we do within. >> company wide power. >> now? >> anything can. change the world of work from hr to payroll. adp designs for the next anything. >> with fast signs. create factory grade visual solutions to perfect your process. fast signs make your statement. >> nexium 24 hour prevents heartburn acid for twice. >> as. >> long as pepcid. >> get all. >> day and all.

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>> she gets 0% apr for. >> 60 months. >> on 2024. >> gmc ev models. that's up to 17,200. an average finance savings. >> president trump and his top aides are now openly floating this idea of giving americans a cut of the savings they say will be generated by elon musk and doge. but before you look in the mailbox for a check, there are some major hurdles to this happening, and that includes getting a top republican on board. >> it's money that's taken away from from things that are destructive to the country. that and from organizations that hate you to you. that's awesome. i talked to the president and he's supportive of that. and so it sounds like, you know, that's something we're going to do. >> politically that would be great. for us, you know, because everybody would check. >> but you.

>> really we have to think of it, i think in. >> a that. >> just got everybody's attention. >> by. >> the. >> way, i know. >> everybody look. >> up all i know. >> yeah. >> but but if you think about. >> our core. >> principles right. fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives. >> my economic sauce tonight is justin wolfers, the professor of economics and public policy at the university of michigan, and what house speaker mike johnson was arguing there is that instead of, you know, sending part of this or a portion of this to to americans that we've got to use it to pay down the debt when it comes to to this aligning with trump's economic priorities. what do you make of this? >> look, at one level. >> i love this. >> um. >> let me tell you why. um, doge is getting a whole lot of headlines because people, our brains are wired to make sense of huge numbers. governments deal with millions of dollars. sounds like a lot. crikey. billions of dollars sounds like a lot. but our deficit is trillions of dollars. and so saving, say, $1 billion sounds like a lot to you and i. and if we get to get that as a national

dividend, we then understand how little it is and how little it musk is done. each billion dollars he saves buys each american $3. so one cup of coffee add up everything on the doge website. right now you're at $6.5 billion, which means he's got enough to buy you a cup of coffee in january. in february, in march. and then his savings have run out. >> uh, so why do you like this idea? tell me more about this. >> so on the one hand, i like it because it's transparent. um, there's a lot of people right now feeling that our fiscal house might be in order, because finally, we put a businessman to look after government. and what's happened is that businessman hasn't understood how government operates, and he's gone looking in all the wrong places in order to find money. things like cutting federal payroll just won't cut it, because the simple fact is, the federal government doesn't pay that much in payroll. it's the big ticket items like social security and medicare or or tax cuts for the rich. so one, it's transparent. we understand how

little that he's getting done. and two, there are three things we could do with any savings we get. one is pay down the deficit. and i think mike johnson is on to something there. what trump has said he wants to do is instead is the trump tax cuts. that's tax cuts for the rich. so this is cutting services that all americans enjoy in order to pay for tax cuts for a small number of people. and the thing i like about the doge efficiency dividend, at least as advertised, is we all get it, and at least some of us will all get to share in whatever savings there are. >> okay, but if that happens, sending a check to americans is economic stimulus. i mean, everyone's familiar with that, especially with the covid checks that people got. the question is, trump came into office because in part of high inflation. and so i asked his economic advisor, kevin hassett today, is this an inflationary policy? and this is what he told me. on these potential checks that you might send out from doge. is there a concern, as you're thinking through this, that they could be inflationary? >> oh, absolutely not. >> because imagine if we don't.

>> spend government money and we give it back to people. >> then the, you know, if they spend it. >> all, then you're. >> even. >> but they're probably going to save a lot of it, in which case you're reducing inflation. and also with the government spends a lot. that's what creates inflation. we learned that from joe biden. and so if we reduce government spending then that's, you know, reduces inflation. and if you give people money then they're going to save much of it. and when they save it, then that also reduces demand and reduces inflation. >> what are your thoughts on that? >> well, i think, uh, you know, kevin's a fast talker there. um, look, there's one part in which i think he's right, but he hasn't told the whole story. uh, you're right to say that if we give people more money, they spend it. that will cause inflation. but what will happen is the fed will see that's coming. and so the fed will jack up interest rates on all of us. raising your house payment, raising your car payment. and that's what will choke off inflation instead. but there is still something nice here. if the choices are give whatever money we save to the very wealthy, or give some of it to all of us. there is actually

something quite egalitarian about, and it's the first time i've heard anything egalitarian coming out of trump tax policies. >> yeah, though we do know trump wants lower interest rates. so it's interesting if this would cause higher ones. justin wolfers, great to have you tonight. thank you for your analysis of all of this. we'll see if it happens. >> a pleasure. >> and when we come back going for gold elon musk and president trump have been brainstorming their next project. it involves fort knox. why? harry enten is here to tell us. >> we hope everything is fine with fort knox, but we're going to go to fort knox, the fabled fort knox, to make sure the gold is there. >> with fast signs. see the visual possibility in your business with signs and graphics, you can save anything transforming your space begins at our place. fast signs make your statement. >> the itch and rash of moderate to severe eczema disrupts my skin. despite treatment, it's still not under control. but now

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( 800) 217-1487 now or visit us at cnn.com. >> ben thinks he's about to compete in a new reality show, but it's all completely fake. >> all right. see how. >> ben handles this? >> he is trying. >> so hard and everything. >> is going wrong. >> it is hard. >> to stay in character. >> she's got the giggles. >> this show. >> is wild, and i feel. >> like i'm going. >> insane. >> this is so good. >> boy, do i hope we're all friends after this. >> the joe schmo. show all. >> new tuesdays at nine on tbs. set your dvr now. >> closed 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. >> tonight president trump is going for gold. not at the olympics, but at fort knox. the president says he wants his administration to check whether those vaults at the kentucky installation actually hold all of the gold that the u.s. claims is being stored there, which is being openly questioned by elon musk. >> this is your gold. >> by the way. it's the it's. >> the public's gold. >> do you think. >> it's not there? >> i don't know. >> but you just want to see it. yeah. >> we want to go see it and just make sure, like somebody didn't spray paint some lead or something, you know? >> yeah. >> cnn's senior data reporter, harry enten is here. harry, i do want to put a caveat here that that trump's treasury secretary, scott bessent, did say all the gold is present and accounted for. where where did this come from? how much gold is there?

>> what what. >> what is going on? >> kaitlan collins. >> this is the most bizarre thing. >> i've ever heard. as you mentioned, his own treasury secretary says the gold is in fort knox. >> i guess it's coming from the angle that. >> there. >> is a lot of gold. >> in fort knox. i mean, we're talking north of $400 billion worth of gold in fort knox. look at that. $434 billion. the market value. >> it's literally. >> 2% of the. >> world's gold is there in. >> fort knox. but i honestly feel. >> like this. theory of the case is something that i might. >> have cooked up when i was writing a sixth grade, i don't know, screenplay. >> and then the teacher would have faulted me for something that would be so outrageous and sent me back to the drawing board. >> but, you know, there is secrecy around the gold vaults. but but such a question of where this came from and why they are interested in seeing what's happening there. i mean, they this is the government. they are the government. so they could theoretically check.

>> yeah. >> they could, they could theoretically check. >> this is not something that hasn't happened before. >> you know, back in. 2017 during the. >> first trump administration, in fact, the then treasury secretary, steve mnuchin, went and checked to see whether or not there was gold. there is the picture right there. he is standing with the gold. he is. literally there with the gold. i'm not. sure you could get any clearer than that. >> indeed, there have been a number of times that folks have gone in and actually have checked whether or not their gold. >> from outside. >> of the government. >> this is the third such instance. i think it happened last time. >> back in the. >> 1970s. >> and more than that, they audit the fort knox every single. >> freaking year. >> okay. they ordered it every year. audit it. yeah, they audit it. they literally look they say, is the gold there? it turns out the gold was there as recently as late last year. so this idea that the gold isn't there is a complete fantasy. it just feeds conspiracy theories.

it's there. >> the treasury. >> secretary says it's there and anything else is complete. bizarro land. i'm really not sure where the heck they dreamed this stuff up, but this one is definitely on the higher level of the conspiracy theory land. >> so we don't know where this this notion that it's not there or it's worth questioning came from. >> i have no idea. i'm sure someone got in ellen's ear and was like, where is this gold? but the bottom line is we know where the gold is. this is what the whole situation is. this is what is so bizarre. the government can check. they literally can check. and they have checked. we literally had the treasury secretary go on bloomberg television and say the gold is there. he said, i'm going to look at the camera just as i'm looking at you right now. kaitlan collins, and talking to the audience and say, the gold is there. the gold is there, my friend. >> that can we put up that picture of steve mnuchin. he actually looks really cool in this picture. it's quite it looks like something that was not taken just a few years ago.

it like something that was taken 30 years ago. >> yeah. yeah maybe like in goldfinger he looks like he might almost be in goldfinger. right. and that to me is one of my favorite facts about fort knox. right? is the fact that the whole idea was goldfinger. the villain in that film was essentially going to make the gold radioactive and thereby devalue the entire thing. so his gold would be worth a lot. that's one of my favorite gold facts. the other favorite of my gold facts is you can actually get gold in rabbits. >> i knew there was going to. >> be a problem there. you knew there was going to be a prop, and they taste pretty gosh darn good. and the other thing is, you can get gold plated medals for finishing the new york city marathon. i didn't finish it, but i did run about a quarter mile. two years ago, my girlfriend actually finished it. she's in far better shape than i am because i ate chocolate on national television. >> a quarter of a mile. my dad does love your segments, harry. we'll see what he has to say. >> we'll see. let me know after the show. >> i'll send you his review. harry enten. thank you for eating chocolate on live tv. thank you for joining us. cnn news night with abby phillip