"life, liberty & levin" is up next. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ hello america i am mark levin this is "life, liberty & levin" saturday. what took place in the potomac was horrendous. all of our minds go to my god, what if that was us or member of our family? what must it have been like when the plane went down in that chopper hit it? and those propellers went through the fuselage? and then you want to close your eyes and say i don't think about it. i'm sure it was horrendous and with the families are going through is really unimaginable. you're happy, you are excited, family members are coming home or coming to visit. you are at the airport and then you hear this. i personally am so proud of our first responders. all of the states, all levels of

government jumped right into action. not the usual stuff we see outside of the first responders. all that nitpicking, attacking and competition. it was united that one mission in mind to save as many lives as a code and unfortunately there were not i any lives to save. we will get to the bottom of this. i feel certain of it. especially with president trump or he is he is not going to tolerate it. i think there are certain professionals would want to get to the bottom of it as well no matter what. so this will be done. but, you know what ladies and gentlemen? i have got a real problem here. we have a massive government. we have a massive society. and we have a right to expect that our government is going to conduct itself in a way that is

responsible. in a way that is professional. in a way that can save as many american lives as possible what my talking about? every one of these areas of our society has been assigned a cabinet, to do what? to manage them? it's not supposed to provide advice to a president so a president can make decisions and execute decisions are passed certain laws for the bureaucr bureaucracy. execute those laws and so forth. to do what is necessary on behalf of the american people. the legislative branch, the executive branch of his fourth branch of government, this bureaucracy. iyou're going to create this fourth branch of government is leviathan you're going to pop it with two half-million civil servants. then, shouldn't these departments have cabinet secretaries of the choosing of the president of the united

states who just won a landslide election? i want to show you a headlight from politico. sean duffy confirmed his transportation sector despite democrat protest votes. sean duffy was confirmed the day before that horrific accident in the potomac river. if he had not been confirmed it would not of had a transportation secretary would have hwould've had an acting transportation secretary. the vote was 77 -- 22. there was a culture effort what's a cloture effort? it is an effort to stop a filibuster or a potential filibuster against the nominee. the democrats, there had to be a cloture vote to prevent them from preventing sean duffy from getting a vote. got a buddy sworn in and day before this accident. republicans do that to have a bigger problem that.

republicans don't do it like this. they don't do it like this and of the democrats are doing because the media have told us that at least some of the media. here's one from cbs news the other day. senate democrats work to delay speedy confirmation of trunk nominees senate republicans are trudging through the process to confirm president trump's picks for his cabot and top administration delays by democrats were pushing back on the speedy approval. a senate majority leader john thune filed cloture on john ratcliffe or john ratcliffe was just confirmed not controversy of the cia director. the democrats have said we support a peaceful transition of power we just oppose the transition altogether. so, what are they doing? they're using guerrilla tactics. this is systemic to block almost every one of trumps nominees. except some of the more liberal ones are some they are friendly with like rubio to put them

through and say see, we are bipartisan but the majority of them, that's not what is happening. they're not disallowing it up and down votes for the committee have your hearings, you make your decisions because the they are using the powers, the rules of the senate to try in the scuttle from day one the trump presidency. to try to sabotage it. to try to kneecap his ability to manage the government right out-of-the-box. it's crucial first 100 days he be able to do so. soon found cloture on john ratcliffe's nominee nomination for cia director. for homeland security secretary, of course for pete hegseth can you imagine pete hegseth as secretary of defense today because of the tight vote broken by the vice president of the united states jd vance. otherwise we would be without a secretary of defense of the communist chinese on the move. iran trying to get nukes. this is not a game and pretty want to build this massive bureaucracy, one republican is

elected they try to run them the way they want to try to run them people have a right to voice their positions too. you do not only bureaucracy. you do not own the appointments clause of the constitution. and yet you are obstructing and sabotaging article two section two clause two it says in part he shall nominate the president and with the advice inc. confirmed on the senate they talk about certain officials become senior officials in the executive branch. but there is another provision president shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the senate by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session. i know that history. discuss the history. for the democrats of gnocchi appointments clause with advice and consent they're not using it to advise and consent they are using it to try to scuttle the first 100 days of the trump presidency. and they did it before.

it is systemic. it is systematic. they are not really interested in a nominate p nominee per se o after the nominee of pete hegseth in kash patel and tulsi gabbard to try to damage the president. that's just not enough for them. they are trying to take the advice and consent clause as we call it and use it to prevent a president from having his senior cabinet officials sit around the table so he can run the executive branch as he promised the american people when he was elected. it is one thing to the systemic strategy. the democrats do not accept the election. they do not accept the will of the people they do not accept with donald trump ran on. picking a nominee here and the there. now, how do we know this? not only from that cvs article the democrats it's into that the need to know what to read you something from political fact which is a left-wing

organization that pretends to check the facts. here they have the facts on ignoring their commentary on it that left-wing bias in getting to the numbers because they rely on another group to get the numbers. listen, this is important. the democrats are doing it again compared with recent presidents trump has had the fewest nominees confirmed according to the white house this is in 2018 trump has also had the smallest% of nominees confirmed by the senate at this point in his presidency, relative to recent predecessors. only 57% of trumps nominees have been confirmed. below that of barack obama 67%, george w. bush is 78%. george clinton george h.w. bush 81% for the partnership for public service and non nonpartin to track political appointees found trump had seen newark confirmations at this point again this is 2018 an average rate of 81 days for

confirmation. why do you need 81 days? you don't trumps nominees have experienced significantly more lag time than those appointed by recent presidents. of the roughly 1200 positions that require senate confirmation the partnership for public servipublicservices identified y positions excluding judicial and military appointments. 640 its latest data shows 144 key trump nominees currently awaiting senate confirmation. the democrats are shredding the constitution. the intent of the founders the democrats are shredding this last election the intent of the voters, the will of the people because they want to stop trump from implementing effectively the policies that he ran on. they don't want them to exercise the power of a president by they do not want him to have his cabinet. my position has been this. a couple of these nominees i'm not that excited with the labor

secretary, you have got the deputy secretary that was just nominated for education apartment but she is but i have a different view. i was not elected president of the united states is or something about them that is so horrendous that i should use my platform to convince as many people as a possible to stop them? no, let them because of the process. they beat donald trump that's not what's going on here. trump set a historic pace in the initial nomination of his cabinet. modern all modern time present to the slate of candidates. in the cabinet positions he named all 15 before obama or bush 43 named one. he is ready to go priest given this a lot of thought.

so, we've taken a look at this and let's he was going on awaiting a committee markup that's about who is waiting? brooke rollins for agriculture secretary, howard lutnick for commerce secretconnor secretaryr hhs secretary. kelly loeffler for sba administrator who else? daniel driscoll for army secretary. kash patel for fbi director and tulsi gabbard director of national intelligence. all being held up because the democrats do not want them to get to the floor. if they get to the floor they're going to require cloture vote in order to get past the filibuster. so soon, to his credit they're working at night, the work over the weekend they're going through this process in order to hopefully to get most of these people through print and want to talk about three republicans in a moment. but i am not done. voted out of committee but they went for a floor vote rest for omb director, why? because he's a fiscal conservative they do not want

him. i guess they want some leftist under donald trump. who else question released a phonic for un ambassador. what is the wait for? awaiting procedural floor vote on nomination. scott turner, hud secretary holding up the hud secretary? pam bondi for attorney general for attorney general of the united states. federal law and order, criminal investigations and prosecutions. massive responsibility to say this is a former chief of staff there and they are holding her up. they are holding her up. what else? they got into the floor, democrats won't agree to an up or down vote now they have to gather hours and hours of this cloture process. we don't need to get into the weeds and what it is but to get around a potential filibuster in the chris wright, the energy secretary. doug collins the va secretary to

be. so, they have to deal with that and get a procedural vote and overcome with that? now if final confirmation votes and finally occurred for rubio, ratcliffe, ratcliff had to get to the process the filibuster process. hegseth they tried to knock out, kristi noem, scott bissett had to go to the same process. sean duffy, he had to go to the same process. lee zeldin didn't he had to go to this same process. and doug burgum had to go through all this in order to get confirmed. this is what the democrat party is doing. so, all these departments of government they say don't cut them, don't change the rules, every person there is essential. no, no, no. but, when it comes to choosing a cabinet secretary they are apparently don't want any. they set will pick them if they are rational and reasonable in other words rational and

reasonable people to judge i can go to the whole list the whole conga line of reprobates these democrats have appointed one cabinet position or a net that republicans do this. they actually don't they don't. republicans vote for democrats all the time. like three of them you may have heard the names mitch mcconnell, susan collins and lisa murkowski them over democrats all the time it's the republicans those have problems with and they are not the only ones pretty got the senator from indiana's last name is young. we have another senator a romney want to be from utah for they are threatening to block kash patel, rfk, or others. tulsi gabbard regular daily kos interpublic undecided on 1010. tulsi gabbard. got that? that would be mcconnell

murkowski. these democrats deserve the nominee. when it comes to trump, when it comes to trump they have a screw loose. they have a screw loose. mcconnell, it's all personal with him. collins? she wants to be able to run for senate again and say i'm independent. i vote against republicans all the time. murkowski, she's just a whack job. she likes to say that. she is, she is a favorite senator. democrat or republican the national education association of the american federation of teachers. the teachers unions because man, when it comes to election time they load up for precincts they manned the precinct second or the votes. now you know why i'm never invited to the public and national convention. i don't want to be. i want to be there would be better right here with you. in making a point. what happened in the potomac was horrendous. sean duffy stepped up.

he grabbed the reins. he is going to work with all the other jurisdictions. he's going to follow the orders of the president priest going to get to the bottom of it. and improve the situation. most of our departments do not have a cabinet secretary right now. it is not because they are not qualified for it is because the democrat party does not want them to have a cabinet secretary. to let me make this point as i proven the case. the democrat party's unpatriotic. they are not interested in efficient while running government. they are interested in undermining the republican opposition. even if it means the health and safety of the american people. i will be right back.

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with xfinity mobile. mark: welcome back america but we have our friend ben domenech with this editor at large at the spectator and a very brilliant man. so ben domenech it's my contention the democrats are laying a very dangerous game with the strategy which they

tried the first trump administration. thethey're doing it again. which is obstructing his nominees to various cabinet positions. sean duffy the new secretary of transportation became secretary of transportation at 13 minutes for the accident and the potomac. i'm stretching a little, not by much, 24 hours per they tried to block pete hegseth edge of jd vance to break the tie could imagine not having a secretary of defense in a timely manner anunder these conditions? they tried to block ratcliffe at the cia. they had a systematic game. they're interested in sabotage and subterfuge. that massive leviathan with millions of employees they do not want donald trump to have somebody in charge of. >> but they've hit on their is the ultimate hypocrisy in this context.

the joe biden appointees to his cabinet. many were under qualified political partisan hacks. only one of them javier had to be confirmed in a vote so narrowed as comparable to pete hegseth. he was someone in charge of hhs who had no background whatsoever. he was aggressive and by the way very anti- catholic attorney general when he was in charge in california. he was someone who was basically picked to conduct all kinds of partisan attacks on catholic charities and on other religious groups across the country in a way that was going to be very aggressive. that's why it was as narrow as it was. everyone else got a rubber stamp including from republicans on capitol hill. you've mentioned several of them and your monologue the worst actors on this point from my

perspective that would occasionally collins can be swayed just because she is a unique figure. it's one of thes the situationse the republicans, when they are raising questions about nominees from their own party are held up by the media as being a brave, courageous and oh so committed to the importance of advising consent. it's absolute balderdash it's completely ridiculous for the flipside so many republicans are willing to go along when democrats say they want to have their cabinet nominees even if they are not people who are qualified. you do not even have dni in this moment he was actually qualified from my perspective in any way, shape, form she never served. she is not some wi somewhat topt close beforehand and yet she was settlement approved by the by the administration for that role. and the now you have questions t tulsi gabbard who served 20 plus years in uniform. she has had approvals top-secret

clearance et cetera during all of thallthat time. served on the house armed services committee and in key roles where that was something that mattered deeply and has never been someone from my perspective question in terms of her patriotism and love for this country and yet they are smearing her this week as being something that she is not paid by the way there's a lot of people doing it to sound ridiculous along the way like michael bennetts who is again someone held up by the media's being a centrist moderate democrat is nothing of the kind he's a partisan hack. so look, i think what's going on here as they are committed to that partisan hackery more than they are to what the country is asked of them. which is to work with this president. to work across partisan lines i think that it's on peop people n fetterman and some of the other newer democrats are more in touch with what is going on here. it's why had the support for the lake and by that bill that you saw it twice on gary peters in jon ossoff and others move in that direction because they

understand what's really going on in their states. i just wish more democrats were committed to that as opposed to this partisan hackery and complete obstructionism that puts the american people at risk and does not serve them well. quickset is well cit will settle american people to understand those who watch us in these hearings we watch these democrats and they take words out of context and then rearrange them and paste them together that used to attack joe mccarthy for doing that and accusing people being communist of beingcommunist and so forth. at least joe mccarthy was trying to take out communist these people are trying to take out individuals who are pro- american who happened to be on the other party, the other team they will use anything even an affidavit from an ex- sister-in-law who the ex wife says is not correct and they will waive wave it around and e media will usage. when we come back let me ask you this, ben domenech are these

tactics going to work are the american people not just you and me in the audience but of the american people sick and tired of this?

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tariff that move comes amid curbs on illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking. ♪. mark: welcome back america previous democratic party tactics but even before bourque with clarence thomas, kavanaugh, and on and on and on they take

these honorable people and they try to turn them into monsters or sex fiends it's really sick. they intermediate love it. they worked together one leaks to the other than they quote each other and so forth and so on. what about the vast majority of the american people when they see the country has problems. they seat things are not going right. they see what happened in the potomac river don't you think they are getting sick and tired of what these democrats are doing? quick to think the american people when they see what is going on here on capitol hill if they spent any time watching these hearings i think it's really easy to see right through what is going on. the elizabeth warren a line of questioning is rfk the other date was just laughable. her going after him and suggesting something horrible if he was going be suing big pharma over various issues. of course saying that to someone who is the biggest recipient of big pharma and dollars over the course of her career.

the democratic party even cares about the working class or the little people of america anymore. they are entirely beholden to the big money donors. one of the things infuriating to so many of these nominees. and you really got onto a point here, they will cease anything to use again to the going against pete hegseth over the tattoos he has. i'd brother sister and brother-in-law's who served in multiple different branches they've all got tattoos. and guess what, and something that comes with these people in the server while others have had before get there trying to use that pete hegseth was a white nationalist or something of that nature. it's absolute offensive to anyone with a brain. and they are totally willing to do it because they are willing to lie and smear to the nth

degree to try to prevent an agenda that's on favor of putting america on first. >> how do we know elizabeth warren doesn't have a tattoo but she's just hiding it? [laughter] maybe she got i from her family history. >> it could be a couple of feathers. [laughter] works you never know. >> you brought up this horrible disaster was all happened in the potomac. where my house is in alexander where i've lived for almost two decades i see the planes that go on that track every single day all day long. who take that route to land there at washington reagan hit something deeply close to me at the airport i have flown out of most of my life more than any other. for them to jump to and their immediate allies to jump to politicizing this while bodies are still being pulled out of the river is just astonishing to

me. come on, show a little restraint. and also shouldn't we be questioning the policies that happen? you were going to bring up political questioning of the buy demonstration that led us to that point of not having enough air traffic controllers being behind the eight ball when it comes to that issue over lawsuits related to de di progrs and the like. this is not a moment i think the democratic party can be trusted in any way, shape, form to come at these stories with anything but a perspective of how do we make this about donald trump? >> i will give you my 2 cents worth to someone who also goes in and out of the airport a lot. i could be dead wrong about this. i watched it over and over again. i heard one expert say, i've heard a lot of experts but one essay asaying it made a lot of o me, we will know one day. think the helicopter tracked the wrong plane the one that was taking off pretty soon as you saw the video my wife and i said wait a minute there's another plane there. he was taking off.

the other went was landing. they were using eye sight apparently and that was it. >> year that low to the ground and the system they have on those helicopters cuts off at 1000 feet. you do not have the benefit of that. you're using your eyes it probably is going to end up being human error at the very sad and tragic event but we do need to get to the bottom of it. i think we can have confidence in someone like sean duffy who the immediate will describe his being, you know him from mtv. i know it being the guy who served in multiple rolls in wisconsin and then in the u.s. congress for more than a decade. that is something i think we should have confidence in. these new nominees who are going to bring a respect for transparency to the role as opposed to the kind of attitude so many biting appointees had. they were hiding things from the american public even when they did not need to be doing it. mark: would be nice and more the culture, the people and the culture the microphones who have

powerful positions would act like the first responders and put the american people first. thank you event, god bless you for everything you do my brother. take care of yourself. >> you to market. mark: we will be right back.

mark: welcome back america. we are here with a mentor of mine. a man i've known, good god how long is it been? over 40 years. he is just a terrific thinker, writer, and scholar. it hasn't been a long time since donald trump has it's n sought o ask for my calculation. but he has done an awful lot you are a man who looks of the scope of history. especially american history. so, i wanted your input right up

front. how do you think is doing? >> people love it or hate it. people think it's a really big thing. i think it's a bigger thing than that. i think if you put it in context you will see that our age, our century, our decades it's a question of what kind of country are we going to live in? we'd like to make the decision countries were governments own people and countries where people own governments. and that is the issue before the american people. there has been a revolution according to new ideas that started more than 100 years ago. that revolution has moved. in 193812% of the gross domestic product was in the government now it's little over 50%. in 1930, 20 through 24 the government was at the federal level now that's over 63%. that means we have moved money and resources and authority and sovereignty away from the

people. this last week is the most direct and coherent assault on that movement that i have ever seen as consequential because when that kind of government began the beginnings of it are in the late 19th century. everywhere it has been planted, it has grown without interruption. and so can it be stopped? it is the fundamental question. it turns out donald trump was saying a mouthful and he might've been saying more even than he knew in 2016. drain the swamp. what is that take? the swamp is very powerful. this claim, it's claim is we need professional standards, tenured officials and expertise in every decision people make.

what is that end up? that ems up with people being told how to raise their children. their children being treated in ways that will affect the rest of their lives. that's hidden from their parents. if their parents protest the justice department comes after them. i think of tha the dangers amera faces are fundamental like the dangers and th in the american revolution over the civil war. in the decision pending is as fundamental as the decisions that were made in those two episodes. the most signal episodes in the whole history of america. it's a very remarkable time. i think donald trump likes to use superlatives he uses the more than i do. but i will say if he achieves all of this just setting out to do it so coherently is itself a great achievement. if he actually does this solely

were remember the american built on good for their country in this generation is much as a founding generation. and it is much as a civil war generation for think that's absolute. mark: on the underscore your point when you were saying what donald trump is trying to do is as significant as the two biggest events in american history. >> i would say for a decade. it's like tlike the 1850s the if politics the fierceness of it, the fundamental questions that are debated is not so different from 1860. i think an attempt now, if he does not do anything else the clarity with which donald trump is approaching this, is defining. i do not even mean this to be a partisan statement. in other words, the first thing to establish is this is a different kind of thing than the american constitution. if you can make the distinction

between the two and there are enormous efforts academic and political to obscure the difference. you can make the distinction than the people can choose what kind of thing do they want. that is what the politics of donald trump have revealed. i think it's very beneficial and i do not claim that i know how it's going to come out. i think it's going to be very difficult a fierce fight the civil war generation and the american revolution generation did not have a light and easy time. mark: this is very profound you're saying what donald trump is doing is bigger than what most people realize. let's explore that we come back. because i think the american people voted this time they understood it's a book i once read we are at the precipice between liberty and tyranny and the point at which we would not

be able to return but for the election of this man which what you seem to be saying that is right this man is off to a great start i want to pursue that with you. we will be right

mark: welcome back america we are here with dr. larry arnn. it's not just the moment you are explaining, which is a life and death moment for the republicans as was the civil war as was the revolutionary war. it is the man who's taken up the position of leadership in the american people who voted for him to do exactly that. what do you think it makes donald trump so unique in this regard? that he is able to be the leader at the time when we need a leader like him. >> donald trump is very irresolute and courageous man. he is stubborn. and you know, he set out to drain the swamp. of course the people in the swamp would not like that. they are very powerful i want to

interject, i'm not saying these people are evil. his system has been built up under the influence of about a principal over generations and america. cap professional tenured scientific managerial class and put them in charge of most things that society will improve. the profoundest of all reflections on human nature. they were angels if they need to govern men we wouldn't need that either. it's a bad system. it has led to dysfunction of the society. and it punishes people who oppose it. you and me for example.

but all i am saying i'm not insane vote for donald trump he wilyouwill never run for electin again. he could run for something else i guess. don't put anything by him. what i am saying is this is a moment of clarity required to cr thinking and resolution. because the attempt was made to simply drive him out of politi politics. and to put him in jail and take his assets. his reaction to that was to double down. so kudos for that well done. there may be another college president that supported three times. and it's a controversial thing to do. but i did it. i met donald trump in 2015 the first time.

he mentioned the two. would not be important enough to remember. he dominated the thing. upstage like everything else i don't mind i'm not in competition with donald trump. i thoughts got to take this guy seriously. i looked him up is currently since 1990. he has serious he is about it. you and i are students of politics. i have thought he spent a little naïve sometimes for thought maybe in the beginning it's much

harder than that. never mind that. like the work that's gone into being it rea ready for the firsn days. that by itself is a major political achievement. i know some of the people are key to that and they are great. they are serious. mark: all right dr. arnn we appreciate you my friend here in the finest college in america been there i really love it pretty want to thank you for everything that you do. god bless you my friend. >> u2 it's always a good mark you are a good friend and an admire

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welcome back, america many years ago as i was listening to talk radio as a kid, a gentleman in new york, i think on w abc eugene sheppard, very cerebral, wonderful stories and 16 in my mind. one of his stories he said

something to the effect that a hundred years from now didn't exist. why? because nobody will remember y you, not even your family but basically a couple hundred, maybe 1000 human beings will be remembered for eternity. what the summit democrats to know in 20 years, nobody is going to know you ever existed. that's how pathetic you are but in 1000 years whether middle east or far east for the united states, donald trump will be remembered. don't forget to set your dvr, don't forget to watch ou wonderful show tomorrow night sunday, life, liberty and levin. i'll see you then. ♪ >> thanks fo