this sunday, trump tariffs. president trump issues tariffs on america's largest trading partner, threatening to drive up prices for american consumers. mexico and canada swiftly vowing

to retaliate. >> tariffs against canada will put your jobs at risk. it will raise costs for you. >> is this the start of a global trade war? plus, searching for answers. >> we are going to conduct a thorough investigation of this entire tragedy, looking at the facts. facts. >> as federal investigators hunt for answers in the deadly plane crash over the potomac river, president trump shifts to blaming diversity policies, air traffic erscontrollers, and hi political rivals. >> i put safety first. obama, biden, and the democrats put politics first. >> we can only accept the best and the brightest. >> the era of dei is gone at the defense department. and cabinet battle. >> senator, i support vaccines. >> this is a job where it is life and death. >> was edward snowden a traitor? >> my heart is with my commitment to our constitution.

>> i would never do anything unconstitutional or unlawful. >> president trump's most controversial nominees face off on capitol hill, but will they all be confirmed? my guest this morning, homeland security secretary, kristi noem, republican senator eric schmidt of missouri, and democratic senator mark kelly of arizona. joining me for insight and analysis are nbc news senior white house correspondent, kelly o'donnell, nbc news chief capitol hill correspondent, ryan nobel, marc short, former director of legislative affairs to president trump, and former democratic congresswoman, stephanie murphy of florida. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press." >> reporter: from nbc news in washington, the longest-running show in television history, this is "meet the press" with kristen welker. good sunday morning. after just two weeks in office, president trump is waging battles across the globe and

inside his own government. overnight, he imposed tariffs on america's three largest trading partners. they're already hitting back, raising fears of a trade war. the president is also facing the first crisis of his second term in office, the worst aviation disaster in a generation, after an army blackhawk helicopter and american airlines plane crashed above washington. there were no survivors and 67 people died in the crash. on thursday after a moment of silence, president trump pivoted to politics, suggesting without evidence that diversity and inclusion policies contributed to the crash. >> the faa is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website. can you imagine? >> you have today blamed the

diversity elements, but then told us that you weren't sure that the controllers made any mistakes, you then said perhaps the helicopter pilots were the ones who made the mistakes. >> yep, it's all under investigation. >> i understand that. that's why i'm trying figure out how you can come to the conclusion right now that diversity had something to do with this crash? >> because i have common sense, okay? and unfortunately, a lot of people don't. >> according to the faa and other aviation groups, all candidates seeking to become air traffic controllers and pilots have to go through years of rigorous training and testing and meet the same exceedingly high standards. as washington was responding to the tragedy, president trump's three most vulnerable cabinet picks were testifying on capitol hill. now multiple sources tell nbc news there is growing concern in the white house and among republicans that tulsi gabbard

nomination for director of national intelligence could be in serious trouble after her confirmation hearing in which she didn't directly answer whether edward snowden, who leaked government secrets, is a traitor. >> was he a traitor at the time when he took america's secrets and released them in public and ran to china and became a russian citizen? >> senator, i'm focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again. >> was edward snowden a traitor to the united states of america. >> senator, i will also repeat my answer. he broke the law. >> yes or no, is edward snowden a traitor to the united states of america? >> as someone -- >> i'll go on with my question -- >> -- in combat, i understand how critical our national security is -- >> apparently you don't! >> white house officials insist president trump is standing by gabbard. meanwhile, there ha been a

dizzying number of actions this week, as president trump halted federal funding and reversed course amid a legal challenge, fired dozens of career prosecutors inside the justice department and forced out fbi senior executives. . and officially on saturday imposed tariffs on america's largest trading partners, mexico, canada, and china. >> is there anything china, canada, and mexico can do tonight to forestall your implementation of tariffs tomorrow? >> no. >> canadian prime minister justin trudeau firing back. >> i'm going to speak directly to americans, our closest friends and neighbors. this is a choice that, yes, will harm canadians, but beyond that, it will have real coconsequees for you. it will raise costs for you, including food at the grocery store, gas at the pump. it will impede your access to an affordable supply of vital goods

crucial for u.s. security. >> all of this comes as the president is ramping up his deportation effor, and joining me now from the border in del rio, texas, is homeland security secretary, kristi noem. secretary nome, welcome back to "meet the press". >> thank you. thank you for inviting me to be with you today, kristen. >> thank you so much for being here, madam secretary. we are going to talk about the border, the deportation plan in just a moment. i do have to start by talking about the breaking news overnight. the president officially announcing those new tariffs against canada, mexico, and china, saying he wants those countries to do more to crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking. the three countries are all slamming the move. they're vowing retaliatory strikes. is the united states now in a trade war? >> you know, these countries have an opportunity to get onboard with the president of

the united states and to partner with us to deal with illegal immigration, to take back their individuals who have been in our country illegally and we want to repatriate them home and they can be partners. so, economically, yes, they will el pain. they will feel what this consequences are and we'll be able to continue to go forward with the president who is strong, who is putting america first. >> let me just stress that point that i made, which is the president cites stopping the flow of fentanyl and undocumented migrants for reasons for these tariffs. and yet, madame secretary, canada is not a large source of fentanyl coming into the united states. it's frankly minuscule compared to what is seized at the southern border. why is the united states punishing canada, one of its closest allies, more than china, where fentanyl originates? >> canada has some work to do as far as helping us secure our northern border. so we still know we're extremely

vulnerable across that northern border, that we have people coming into our country from china, from foreign countries, we have people on the terrorist watch list that come in over or northern border. and in fact, what we have sent a message this week on is that we're not just going to enforce our southern border, we're going to put extra resources at that northern border, as well. so canada needs to come to the table. they need to work with us to make sure that not only can we be good neighbors, but that we can help each other's economies by getting in line and making sure that our immigration policies are followed. and that those that are dangerous criminals face consequences. the president has been very clear from the beginning that there's a new sheriff in town. that he's going to make sure he's putting americans first and that canada can help us and they can get in the way and they will face the consequences of it. >> as you know, madame secretary, economists all across the board are warning that ultimately tariffs lead to

higher prices for consumers, and that these tariffs in particular could see prices increase on fo, electronics, and cars. the president himself acknowledging this morning that these tariffs could cause, quote, some pain. how is this move helping preside trump fulfill his campaign promise to lower prices? >> you know, you've seen the president take action already this week, with colombia. and you saw colombia react in a very positive way, that was good for everyone involved. canada, mexico, other countries have the opportunity to do exactly the same. so we have a strong leader. he has laid down exactly what he is going to do and what the consequences are. i encourage their leadership teams to get onboard and make sure they're not pushing up prices. if prices go up, it's because of other people's reactions to america's laws. and that's what president trump is doing. he is making sure that we're not picking and choosing winners and losers. that the law applies equally to

everybody, american citizens, it applies to those that are here illegally, and our world leaders across the country and across the world. they can help us or they're going to face some consequences. >> okay, so notable, you are acknowledging, it is possible that prices could, at least, initially go up. secretary noem, let me shift now to the southern border, where you are. let's talk about the administration's mass deportation plans. there are at of questions about the announcement this week that guantanamo bay will be used as a detention facility for migrants. will people held at guantanamo have the same rights and access to attorneys that they have here in the united states? >> yes, due process will be followed. and having facilities at guantanamo bay will be an asset to us and that we'll have the capacity to do there what we've always done. we've always had a presence of illegal immigrants there that

have been detained, we're just building out some capacity. we appreciate the partnership of the d.o.d. in getting that up to the level that it needs to get to in order tto facilate this repatriation of people back to their country. so, remember, that guantanamo bay clearly, by this president, has said that it will hold the worst of the worst. that we are going after those bad actors. just last week, i was in new york city. we were going after people that had warrants out for their arrests on murders and rapes, assaults, gun purchases, drug trafficking. in fact, we had a member of tda that was one of the ring leaders that we picked up, that that week had been trying to buy grenades. these are the types of individuals we're targeting, we're removing from communities, and that could end up having a stay at guantanamo bay before they are returned home to their countries to deal with. >> is it possible, madame secretary, that people could be held at guantanamo bay indefinitely? >> that is not the plan.

the plan is to have a process that we follow that's laid out in law and make sure that we're dealing with these individuals appropriately, according to what the state and the -- what the national lawsuit -- or law, directs. so we will work with congress to make sure we're addressing our illegal immigraion laws and using guantanamo bay appropriately, but it is an asset that we have that we fully intend to utilize. >> could women, children, and families be held there at guantanamo? >> you know, if you look at what we are doing today as targeting the worst of the worst, we've been very clear on that. the priority of this president is to go after criminal aliens that are making our streets more dangerous. after that, we have final removal orders on many individuals in this country. they are the next priority and we'll continue to work through people that are breaking the law that are in danger to these communities and use the detention centers that we have set up in order to facilitate this in an orderly way. >> i guess, madame secretary,

would you rule out that women, that children, that families could be held at guantanamo bay? do you rule that out? >> you know, kristi, we're going to use the falities that we have, and i think you're well aware, we have other detention facility ies other places in th country. so we will utilize what we have, according to what's appropriate for the individuals that we have gone out on these targeted operations with local law enforcement task forces to make sure that they're being brought in, they're not paroled anymore on to our streets, that we're keeping america safe and that we're following the process for what happens when they break the law and how they are returned to their countries. i've been extrememely grateful r secretary of state marco rubio's work with these countries, to negotiate and use diplomacy to ensure that they are going to be taking individuals back, not just from their country, but surrounding countries, so that we can immediately take action to return them, far from the united states, which

dramatically increases the likelihood that they're not going to come back. >> let me ask you, i've been talking to people who are here legally, and they have expressed concerns. they say, they are carrying, in some cases, their documents around with them. some of them are afraid to go to churches, because i.c.e. agents are now going into churches and schools to carry out these deportation operations. do people who are here legally need to be carrying around paperwork? and can you guarantee that people who are here legally won't be wrongfully detained? >> kristin, i would say that if i've heard that expressed by people that are legal citizens of the united states, it's because the media has perpetuated that fear. the media has said that that's a possibility. there's nothing from this administration, from president trump, or from any of the law enforcement individuals in these communities that have said that they need to walk around and be concerned about that at all. the citizens of the united states are confident that

finally after four long years of having a president in the white house that ignored federal law and endangered their communities that there's a different man in charge now. there's a man in charge who loves this country, is going to help make that you are communities safer and these citizens that live here are thrilled. in fact, when i was in new york city earlier this week and in several cities since then, the people walking by us on the streets were thanking our officers. they were thanking these investigators and those that were taking these dangerous criminals out for being there, for making sure that they could walk their kids to school with a new confidence that they could get their safely and that they could do business and have their community back. >> secretary noem, let me ask you about the news you made overnight, dhs officially ending the decision to end temporary protective status for audience, that applies to about half a million venezuelans, they no longer have protection from deportation. these are people who were

welcomed here, they did everything by the books. why should they be subject to deportation? just very quickly? >> well, the tpp program has been abused. and it doesn't have integrity right now. and folks are venezuela that have come into this country are members of tda. and remember, venezuela purposely emptied out their prisons, their mental health facilities, and sent them to the united states of america. so we are ending that extension of that program, adding some integrity back into it. and this administration's evaluating all of our programs, to make sure they truly are something that's to the benefit of the united states. so that they're not to the benefit of criminals. >> homeland security secretary, kristi noem, thank you so much. i know it's been a busy week and you've been very engaged in the investigation into the horrific crash here. we appreciate your joining us. thank you so much. >> thank you so much. we're praying for their families. absolutely. >> thank you, madame secretary.

when we come back, when we come back, psoriatic arthritis symptoms can be unpredictable. one day, your joints hurt. next, it's on your skin. i got cosentyx. feels good to move. feel less joint pain, swelling and tenderness, back pain, and clearer skin, and help stop further joint damage with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections, and lowered ability to fight them may occur, like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal, or viral infections. some were fatal. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or plan to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions and severe eczema-like skin reactions may occur. ♪♪ ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. alright, we got your home and auto bundled ♪♪ and you saved hundreds. oh, that's nice, with the economy and all. what's the economy? [chuckling] where do we start? what isn't the economy?

yes. [ laughter ] uh, it's -- it's so many thing. right. look, all you really need to know is that progressive can save you money without sacrificing quality coverage. you follow? i'll just look it up. hmm. that went well. nice to meet ya. my name is david. i've been a pharmacist for 44 years and i'm from flowery branch, georgia. when i have customers come in, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's effective. does not require a prescription. and i've been taking it quite a while myself and i know it works. and i love it when the customers come back in and tell me, "david, that really works so good for me." makes my day. prevagen. for your brain. for more than a decade farxiga has been trusted again and again, and again. ♪far-xi-ga♪ ♪far-xi-ga♪

ask your doctor about farxiga. welcome back. and joining me now is republican senator eric schmitt of missouri. senator schmitt, welcome back to "meet the press." >> it's great to be with you, kristen. >> well, it is great to have you back. i want to start on a somber note. i want to start by talking about this horrific plane crash in the nation's capital. it claimed 67 lives. i know that you have been paying close attention to this investigation. president trump, for his part, came out, he held a news conference, started with a moment of silence, quickly shifted to politics, including blaming diversity programs for the crash. do you believe that president trump runs the risk of getting

ahead of the facts by drawing conclusions that he, himself, says that he has evidence that diversity programs played a role. >> well, the first thing i want to say is that our thoughts and prayers are with the families. this is going to be a long road for them. as everyone knowsthis is a nightmare. you take a loved one to the airport, you never expect this to happen. you know, the last time you ever see that person. i don't -- we'll talk about all of that, but the human tragedy here, you know, something that's gut-wrenching for those families. my prayers, my family's prayers are with them, and i know the country wants to wrap their arms around them, too. they deserve a full investigation, and i think we've learned a few things already. but as it relates specifically to the president's comments, this is nothing new, kristen. this idea of emphasizing dei across the federal government has real ramifications. the president said, and as you just mentioned, not related

specifically, we don't know the investigation will find out, but broadly speaking, dei is poison. it's hurt recruiting, it's hurt hiring, it's hurt retention. the hours spent on these struggle sessions during training is hours you don't spend on safety. that's just a fact. and it's evidenced by the fact that a thousand people sued the air traffic controller for not being hired because of their race. it's evidenced by the fact that you have also people who were fired from air traffic controllers and pilots for not taking the covid shot. and then, you know, the government then of course makes their priority to hire 87,000 irs agents to roam across the country and harass americans. so this has become, kristen, an obsession, and in the commerce committee, if you paid any attention to conversations i have had, other members have had, to put these policies, is exactly what they've done. and they try to score political points by doing it. but it has real ramifications on

the workforce. >> justvery quickly. we have to point out that the faa, aviation groups says every pilot, every air traffic controller has toto pass the sa test. but bottom line, senator, what i'm asking you, do you have any evidence whatsoever that diversity programs played a role in this crash? because the president says he doesn't. >> well, no one has said that. but i do think, if you want to find a solution, you have to be honest about the problem. the truth is, merit has taken a backseat to quotas. >> senator, we don't know that's the problem in this case. we don't know that that's the problem. > i know, but i think we can -- kristen, we can distinguish what the investigation in this case versus writ large, it's also true in our military. pete hegseth is going to get rid of dei and the military. it's divisive and has hurt recruiting. the same is true across the government. people don't want to sit through these struggle sessions. by the way, the federal government is being sued for discriminating against certain employees because of their race. so this is a fact of the matter.

it's true, and the one thing people care about is they want to get from here to there safely. i don't care, and americans don't care the race of the pilot or somebody in the tower or their religion or their gender. they just want the best people. and that is what we have to get back to in this country. >> all right. let's, as you say, your thoughts and prayers are with the families right now. i think that certainly is something that everyone can agree with. i do want to move on to tariffs, this breaking news overnight. president trump, as you know won in part on a vow to bring down prices. he's now imposing tariffs on the country's three biggest trading partners, mexico, canada, and china. can you guarantee, senator, that these tariffs won't drive up prices? >> all we have to do is look at president trump's first four years, where he institutes tariffs. we didn't see inflation. in fact, we saw record wage growth. we saw $200 billion plus go into

the treasury from those tariffs. tariffs that helped even the playing field with countries that have been ripping us off, quite frankly, for generations. china, specifically. i think the american people are tired of being ripped off, tired of seeing their jobs go overseas. but i think these tariffs, specifically, kristen, are meant to bring canada and mexico to the table, for the fentanyl that is streaming into our communities. it's also worth noting in the last four years that the trade imbalance and our trade deficit has gone up 200 plus percent with canada up and 50% with mexico. these countries are taking advantage of us, all along the while, we've got fentanyl streaming into our countries. mexico has a choice. they can choose to trade with the united states or continue to cozy up with the cartels. it's pretty simple. >> but you talk about president trump's first term. it's worth noting that during his first term, a number of prices did go up on various goods from washing machines and tires. you mentioned canada. very little fentanyl is coming across the border from canada.

why do you -- why is the president punishing canada more than china, the country's adversary? do you think that's right? >> well, that number is growing, kristen. i think it's important. >> but it's minuscule right now. >> but it's growing. it's growing, and when they have a porous border and they don't seevery concerned at all. i heard the clip earlier justin trudeau lecturing americans. my advice to him, he probably should speak to the canadian people that are about to throw him out of office because he's been a total disaster. we have a president that wants to put america first and protect people. we have 100,000 people a year, kristen, dying from fentanyl. he ran on this. this is not a surprise. he talked about getting operational control of our border, he talked about tariffs and improving our standing in the world. he's doing all of those things. and look no further, the best evidence of this last week, colombia came to the table after that threat and agreed to take criminals back to their country and illegal immigrants. so the fact of the matter is, it works. it worked the first time when he

was in office. we didn't see inflation. we saw wage growth. and we saw more onshoring of jobs back here not united states. >> i have to ask you about the confirmation hearings, of course. last time you were here in november, you told me that you were a "yes" on president trump's cabinet nominations. some of your republican colleagues this week expressing concern in the wake of tulsi gabbard's confirmation hearing. she's been tapped to be the director of national intelligence. of course, she was pressed on whether edward snowden is a traitor. would not answer that directly. senator, are you still a "yes" on tulsi gabbard's confirmation? >> i am. 100%. i think she's very well qualified. no one's disputing that. she served our country honorably in the military. she's been a member of congress, and i think she strikes a really important balance for a key position of civil liberties, protecting civil liberties of the united states citizens and also our national security. but i still think she's going to get confirmed. that's what this confirmation process is all about, for people to ask tough questions, and i

think she's going to do just fine next week. >> senator, very quickly, to you, how would you answer that same question? is edward snowden a traitor? >> look, i think it's -- it's so interesting that this lexicon that gets manipulated now, there were certain words you needed to say during covid. there were certain words you needed to say now. the fact of the matter is, the people that were most correspond, the ones most pushing this narrative are the same ones that had no issues whatsoever with the intelligence community spying on a presidential candidate that happened to be president trump, suppressing the hunter biden laptop story, when he was running again, and of course, the law fare that included. i think people are tired of these games, this kind of gotcha stuff. look, he's been indicted. if he ever comes back to the united states, he's have a trial. but this idea of trying to disqualify people by using these terms is ridiculous. >> well, what i'm doing really, these are questions that were asked by your republican colleagues, including senator langford, who asked very simply, is he a traitor? a government contractor who

leaked government secrets. it's a very simple question, yes or no. we're almost out of time, though. is he a traitor? >> i think she was pretty clear, i think she's pretty clear -- >> what do you think. >> that she's served this country honorably. and i think it's totally ridiculous to try to smear people who are trying to serve this country because it's sort of gotcha. i will also point out, a lot of people who are asking this don't like her because she's going to bring reform and curb the excesses and the worst instincts of the intelligence community at times that has gone after presidential candidates. >> all right. senator eric schmitt, thank you so much for being here. really appreciate it. >> great to be with you. when we come back, democratic senator mark kelly of arizona joins me next. (husband) we just want to have enough money for retirement. (wife) and travel to visit our grandchildren. (fisher investments) i understand. that's why at fisher investments we start by getting to know each other. so i can learn about your family, lifestyle, goals and needs, allowing us to tailor your portfolio. (wife) what about commission- based products? (fisher investments) we don't sell those.

we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in your best interest. (husband) so how do your management fees work? (fisher investments) we have a transparent fee, structured so we do better when you do better. at fisher investments, we're clearly different. it time to feed the dogs real food in the right amount. a healthy weight can help dogs live a longer and happier life. the farmer's dog makes weight management easy with fresh food pre-portioned for your dog's needs. it's an idea whose time has come. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. with fresh food pre-portioned for your dog's needs. i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. and adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for type 1 diabetes or children. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles.

don't take if you or your family had mtc, men 2, or if allergic to it. stop taking and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or any of these allergic reactions. tell your provider if you plan to have surgery or a procedure, are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to be. serious side effects may include inflammation of pancreas, gallbladder problems, or changes in vision. call your prescriber if you have any of these symptoms. taking with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. coon side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, constipation. some side effects lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®. [ car engine revving ]

welcome back and joining me now is democratic senator, mark kelly of arizona. senator kelly, welcome back to "meet the press". >> good morning, kristen. >> it's great to have you back. i do have to start again on this tragic news about this plane crash here in the nation's capitol. you, of course, have flown combat missions as a navy pilot.

you just heard my conversation with senator schmitt, responding to what we heard from president trump this week, that diversity programs, according to the president, may have played a role. the president acknowledging that he does not have proof of that. what is your take on what we know and what you've heard? >> well, kristen, first, it's a tragic and sad accident and i really feel for the families. the plane, on the helicopter, it's -- you know, you know, these accidents are often very complicated set of things that happen sequentially. it's often not one thing that causes a major aviation accident like this. i've been involved in accident investigations, particularly like with space shuttle colombia, you know, as an example, that we lost in 2003. and, to say that it has to do with the person's color of their

skin or their gender, i think that's just poor leadership. and especially at a time where any president is supposed to be the consoler in chief, and not the person that's going to try to divide us as a country, especially when you don't have the appropriate information. and he clearly does not have the information in this case. this is too early in the investigation. the nbc is really good at this. they'll do a thorough investigation and we'll eventually see what the cause of this accident was. >> and they are still investigating. that is for sure. let's shift to the other big news of this morning. the president's announcement on tariffs, on the country's three biggest trading partners. you heard senator schmitt defending the plan. you heard secretary noem defending the plan as well, saying, ultimately, this will be good for the economy. rejecting the idea that it could drive up prices. do you think, as prmp has

argued, that tariffs ultimately will be good at stemming the flow of illegal immigration and fentanyl? >> kristen, we're talking about two different things here. border security is important. i represent arizona. we're a border state. there are things that we can do to strengthen the border. we've demonstrated that democrats and republicans can work together to come up with real policy solutions. what the president has proposed here, raising tariffs on canada and mexico, it's going to just do one thing. you say it may raise prices, it will raise prices for american consumers. we saw this in his first administration, here in arizona. we wound up in a trade war over certain things with china, for cotton producers and pecan farmers, they wound up, it really, really hurt their businesses. but beyond this, it's going to hurt american families. they're going to see prices go up for food, for energy, for

electronics. i think you mentioned that for autos. this is not the way to handle this. >> i do want to turn to the nomination process. tulsi gabbard in the spotlight this week. you were among those asking her a range of different questions during her confirmation hearing. she is a former democratic lawmaker. we should remind folks of that. she ran for president in the democratic party. notably, you have supported all but two of mr. trump's nominees so far. but you've expressed some real concerns about tulsi gabbard. based on your conversations, do you think tulsi gabbard has the votes to get confirmed? >> well, i think anybody who went into that confirmation hearing this week with questions about, you know, her background, her ability to manage 18

intelligence agencies, and also, her commitment to guard our secrets, as the director of negligence, she's responsible for a lot. she's got to sort through a massive amount of information every single day, decide what to present to the president. i think if you had questions about her decision making and her judgment when you went into that hearing, i think anybody that sat there, like i did, or my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, probably left with more questions. i know i did. you played senator langford's exchange with her over whether or not edward snowden was a traitor. it's a pretty simple question to ask. he actually thought he was throwing her a softball, something she could easily, you know, admit to. i mean, the definition of a traitor is pretty simple. i mean, whether or not somebody betrayed our country. and in the case of edward snowden, we know he did. he released a lot of classified

information, top-secret information, over a million documents, and gave a lot of those to russia. he may have given some to china. he meets the definition. i don't see why she couldn't, you know, say that. i'm kind of puzzled by it. and you know, i don't know why she wouldn't admit that. it's interesting, my friend and colleague, eric schmitt wouldn't either. i don't question his judgment on this. i think this is a very political conversation. but i think a lot of my colleagues will have questions on her nomination. >> we'll have to see how it all plays out. it will be obviously a dynamic several days as we wait to see what happens with her vote, whether she gets out of committee sources who are close to her say they do feel confident that she will. i do want to talk about the president's mass deportation plans. you heard from homeland security secretary kristi noem earlier in the broadcast. i.c.e. operations are already being carried out across the

country. you have pushed for tougher standards, tougher border policies. do you support what you are seeing so far? the deportation plan, as it's been carried out by the president? >> yeah, i don't, for a number of reasons. it seems to be more about intimidation of a big population of people. it's going down the road of mass deportation, which he said he would do, which would rip communities apart. these are really bad ideas. trying to send folks back to colombia, which we do routinely, but sending them on military airplanes, which, by the way, costs a lot more money than putting them on a chartered airline flight, which we've, you know, done for decades. it's all about scaring and intimidating people. it's the same thing for guantanamo bay. building a facility there, is because it just sounds very frightening to a lot of folks.

when you're a criminal, we need to find where you are. we need to take you into custody. and iyou're not documented, you should be returned. that makes sense. i'm all about public safety and border security. but we've got to do it in a way in accordance with our values. >> one more question to you, senator. esident trump obviously signed the laken riley act into law this week. just so folks understand that, it will allow law enforcement to detain and deport undocumented immigrants who have been charged with theft-related crimes. you voted in support of this bill i had an opportunity to interview your colleague senator adam schiff, who opposed it. he told me last week that this bill is so broad the u.s., quote, would be able to deport dreamers for taking a tube of tooth paste. can you guarantee this law won't be applied in a way that's overly broad? >> well, this law is about public safety, representing a border state, that affects

arizona, i think, more than other states, just because of numbers. and it's where folks cross. kristen, if you come across the border and you don't have documentation, you've already committed a crime. this is for somebody who then decides to commit a second crime. and they're taken into custody, there'll be due process involved, so they can eventually, if they can prove that these are not valid charges, where they go through the court system, they could then be released. i'm not concerned about, you know, what adam is talking about. i think, you know, very highly of dreamers. dreamers are as american as my own two kids. i think we should be working towards a pathway to citizenship for dreamers. i know some of my publican colleagues feel the same way. and we're going to solve these border issues by working together, democrats and republicans, to come up with policy changes on border security and immigration reform.

>> all right. senator kelly, thank you so much for joining us. we really appreciate it. >> thank you, kristen. and when we come back, a warning about the need for checks and balances in the federal government, from a former attorney general. our "meet the press" minute is next. a chewy order is on the way for (interrupted by dog)... (dog howls) roo. who can speak for himself. but can't shop for himself. so when he gave his roo of approval of the food dad bought on chewy, dad put it on autoship. so it always gets delivered, right on roo's schedule. the flavor roo loves. the savings they love. (dog howls) for automatic delivery and 5% savings. for life with pets, there's chewy.

it all started with a small business idea. it's a pillow with a speaker in it! that's right craig. pulling in the perfect team to get the job done. i'm just here for the internets. at&t, it's super-fast! you locked us out?! and when thrown a curveball... arrggghh! ahhhh! [crashing sounds] we had everything we needed. is the internet out? don't worry, we have at&t internet back-up. the next level network for small business. ♪♪ i sold a pillow!

i don't ever see anyone coming out to maintenance anything, so it's very scary for me because i have everything i love in this home. so, we've now implemented drone technology. how is that safe for me? it enhances the inspection, so it allows us to see things faster. your safety is the most important, and if you're feeling unsafe, that's not okay. it doesn't feel like that in our hearts. i mean, it's worrisome. [dog barks] [dog barks]

welcome back. one of the senate's key checks on the executive branch was back on display this week, as senators grilled some of president trump's more vulnerable cabinet nominees, like robert kennedy jr. back in 1961, robert f. kennedy sr. joined "meet the press" with this defense of congress' role in reining in the administration. >> i think it's terribly important to ensure that the executive branch of the government is not corrupt and that they are efficient, that the legislative branch of the government has this ability to check on what we're doing in the executive branch of the government. so in every instance that has been brought to our attention at the department of justice so far, by various departments of the executive branch where this question has been raised, we

have suggested and recommended that they make the information available to congress. we will continue to do so that. i don't say that there might not be an instance where executive privilege might not have to be used, but i think it's terribly important ththat wi ththe executive branch of the government as powerful and strong as it is, that there be some check and balance on it. and when we come back, will president trump's controversial cabinet nominees make it through the confirmation process? the panel is next. (vo) explore the world the viking way from the quiet comfort of elegant small ships with no children and no casinos. we actually have reinvented ocean voyages, designing all-inclusive experiences for the thinking person. viking - voted world's best by both travel + leisure and condé nast traveler. learn more at viking.com. ♪ who knows what tomorrow will bring ♪ (dog whines) ♪♪ but as r me ♪

(knock at door) ♪ i'll wait and see ♪ ♪ and maybe it'll bring my love to me ♪ ♪ who knows ♪ ♪ who knows ♪ to my son, i've never been the cool dad. i always wanted to know what he's up to online. but with tiktok's privacy settings being on by default for teens under 16, accounts are set to private. he cannot send or receive dm's, and only his friends can comment. so he can post away, and i've got one less thing, to worry about. so, dad, how old do you have to be to get a tattoo? uh, um. teen safety settings on by default. ♪♪ if you have heart failure or chronic kidney disease, farxiga can help you keep living life, because there are places you'd like to be. (♪♪) serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine and bacterial infection between the anus and genitals, both which may be fatal, severe allergic reactions,

dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. stop taking and tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, rash, swelling, trouble breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about lightheadedness, weakness, fever, pain, tenderness, redness or swelling between the anus and genitals. ask your doctor about farxiga today. ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ (♪♪)

welcome back. the panel is here. nbc news senior white house correspondent kelly o'donnell. nbc news chief capitol hill correspondent, ryan nobles. former democratic congresswoman, stephanie murphy of florida, and marc short, former trump director of legislative affairs. thanks to all of you forbeing here. boy, there are a lot of headlines to get to! kelly, let's start with the one that broke overnight. tariffs. the president officially moving to impose tariffs against america's three biggest trading partners. you had a very robust exchange with him on friday in the oval office about a range of issues, including this one. you pressed him repeatedly. will prices go up? >> we had a lot of back and forth on this. in part, i was acting as a pool reporter, so i was in the oval. and what was striking is, this is the president's first foreign policy move. and it is one that goes after

our nearest neighbors and one of our biggest global adversaries and competitors in china. and i pressed him, looking for what does he want back? is it a negotiating ploy? is there a concession you're looking for? and he kept saying "no." and if you read the text of it, he talks about the national emergency we have with canada. using that power, that authority, he has, to declare something that many americans may not see. i then asked him about, you ran wanting to reduce prices, and we know that prices are paid -- the importers pay the tariff, and then it's passed on. he said, there could be a disruption, but people will understand. i said, mr. president, you've said that you would reduce everyday costs. so i think there is a lot more to be understand about the real-world impact. it's coming on the fly. it appeared on the fly. he sort of negotiated down from 25% to 10%, on ener, because we know energy matters to his overall policy.

and it matters to americans who have to fill their gas tanks. >> well, ryan, pick up there. because for so many constituents of lawmakers on capitol hill, this is a -- you know, issue that impacts them on a day-to-day basis. what is the reaction that you're starting to see trickle in to this news that the president is imposing tariffs. and by the way, potentially vowing to escalate them if these other countries retaliate, which they say they're going to do. >> is is going to be a real test to see if republicans in congress are willing to stand up to the president. they're going to be the first ones to hear directly from their constituents when their constituents' prices start to rise. and what we have seen at least in the first two weeks of this administration is that congressional republicans are largely out of the loop. they're finding out about these major policy proposals, often times when we tell them in the hallways of congress. so there's little opportunity for them to react, to respond, and encourage the president to

do to a different direction, because he's not consulting him on some of these big decisions. there's a large laundry list of things you don't even want to talk about, kristen. we'll have see if they're reactionary, do they plead with the white house to reign this in or define the policy proposal a little bit. there's no doubt that they'll hear from their constituents. their the ones that will feel the brunt of this decision first. >> marc, as someone in the first administration when tariffs were imposed against china, there's a difference between these round of tariffs and what we saw during the first trump administration. >> i think this is one of the greatest differences between trump 1.0 and trump 2.0. in the first administration, the tariffs were targeted largely towards china for national security purposes to get concessions. the first administration had economic advisers and national security advisers who believed in trade for both economic benefit and national security benefit. the team he has around him today has a very different viewpoint. it's a very mercantilist

viewpoint that says, you should be paying for access to american markets, regardless of the impact that americans are those paying that tax, the belief is this is a tax that should be assessed to other people. i think the bigger question is going to be, if there's a huge begins to impact the economy, it then i think it could undermine a lot of his other parts of his agenda. and i would also say, think just the beginning. the president and his current team really believe this is the right economic policy across the board and there'll be a lot more tariffs coming. >> stephanie, let's zoom out a little bit. this week, really, has brought a dizzying number of headlines. it started with the administration, basically announcing cuts to all federal aid. they pulled that back, so a big reversal, kind of waiting to see how that s out. the president, as we talked about, on the program, blaming diversity programs for the crash. and then on friday, the

announcement that a number of prosecutors, career prosecutors within the fbi and doj being fired. what do you make of this broad set of events that we have witnessed? >> well, i think that the democrats have a real opportunity here, if they focus on standing up for the people. and while some of the things that you mentioned are really outrageous, firing people at the department of justice and at the fbi, democrats can't be seen as fighting for power within washington. they have to be seen fighting for the people. and so highlighting the federal funding freeze, talking about the impact of tariffs on everyday americans and the cost of their groceries and all of their prices, that's going to be a winning message for democrats. it's unfortunate, though, because this president ran and won on lowering costs for americans. and his first sets of policies are going to actually raise costs for americans. and democrats are going to hang

that around not just donald trump, but also republicans in congress. >> yeah, we are starting to see them galvanize around this message that you talk about, stephanie. what's so notable about the fbi firings, kash patel said in his hearing, there will not be retribution against anyone at the fbi. and ryan, it comes as we have this new reporting that, of all the president's nominees, it's tulsi gabbard who may be in real trouble. that white house officials were rattled by her inability to say that, yes, edward snowden is a traitor, notably today, senator schmitt didn't want to go there or touch it. what are you hearing about her chances of getting confirmed? >> of the three most controversial picks, patel, rfk jr. and tulsi gabbard, gabbard is the one in the most danger. but you have to start from a place of them getting confirmed and work their bake. what this administration is not going to do is what they did with matt gaetz and pull the

nominee back before they get a vote. they'll force every single republican senator to be accountable for this vote and vote yes or no. and that includes tulsi gabbard. there is a difference, though, in their approach, in terms of how they're encouraging or putting pressure on these senators to vote yes or r no, which a part of your reporting says, kristen. with pete hegseth, it was a very clear message to republican senators, a message sometimes sent by the president himself. at this point, we're not seeing that same level of pressure with tulsi gabbard on whether or not that leads to enough senators -- it would require four to step out and vote "no," that's something we'll probably find out this week. >> it is also a test of how the president judges those on-camera performances. for robert kennedy jr. and tulsi gabbard, the performances during the hearings did not meet the same bar that pete hegseth did. >> and mark, what do you make of tulsi ard, but then this

morning, senator schmitt saying that, i'm not going to touch that, that's not a real question. yet it was a question that republicans were asking for her. >> a lot of people don't remember who edward snowden is or julian aassange, but a lot of trump supporters believe that he hurt him greatly with the fake russia investigation. but the position, where someone sold american secrets to put americans' in uniform ves in danger is not a traitor goes r beyond the pale when you can't say they were actually traitors. >> national security is dependent on the ability to collect intelligence and safeguard intelligence. and on both of those counts, tulsi's hearing showed that she didn't wholeheartedly believe in either the key ability to collect the intelligence or the need to safeguard it. and i think that should put some real questions in the senators'

minds. >> we'll have to see how it all plays out. great conversation, guys. thanks so much for being here. that is all for today. thank you so much for watching. we'll be back next week, because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press."