and while i'm not sure that if you've ever loved a dog you deserve trusts yourself, the bidens have announced their intention to get a cat. and when that happens, we will deal with it without fear or favor, without ever pointing out that the score will still be 2-1. that is our broadcast for this monday night as we start a new week with this thanks for being here with us. on behalf of all of my colleagues at the networks of nbc news, goodnight. thanks at home for joining us this hour. for my interview with the new majority leader of the united states senate. this will be senator schumer's first national tv interview since taking that all-important top job. the incitement to insurrection article of impeachment against president trump, of course, passed the house earlier this month with the largest bipartisan majority of any

impeachment article that has ever passed against any president ever. well, tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern, we all saw the nine house impeachment managers bring that article from the house to the senate. and that is the formal start of the senate putting president trump on trial. the president will now decide whether or not to convict president trump on that charge. and if they do, they'll decide whether mr. trump should then be banned for life from ever holding federal office again. in a democratic leader of the senate, as this all is happening is chuck schumer. the impeachment, urgent covid relief bill. conformation of president biden's new cabinet have all landed on his lab on day one. not to mention responsibility for passing all the legislation that the new congress and new administration are pursuing. but it's intertsing.

senator schumer is taking over with the republicans, newly ousted from power, with them trying to pretend like they're still in charge. like they're still the ones who get to say what happens in the senate and what doesn't happen in the senate. literally, republicans tonight are still chairing all the committees in the senate, even though they're in the minority now. they're refusing to allow the new democratic majority to take over, even though the republicans were voted out. from day one, they're already pushing it to crisis. i spoke with majority leader, chuck schumer, about it all today, at the lbj room, which is just off the senate floor. >> joining us now for the interview from the glorious lbj room at the capitol is the latest master of the senate, chuck schumer. >> great to see you. first time in washington. we only see each other in new york.

>> last time i was in this room, i believe i was interviewing the democratic leader at the time, harry reed. >> there you go. >> but you're in charge now. having known you for a long time and following your career. i have to ask, if this knew you were where you were headed? >> no. you know, i started out in the assembly. i was 23. i'd worked for a law firm for a summer. i was pushing a pencil for somebody i didn't know, somebody i didn't care about. and my dad had this small, junky exterminating business and he would pace the floor sunday nights at 2:00 a.m. he hated going to work. and i hated this. but my parents loved it because they were paying $400 a week more money than my family had seen but i said i'm not going to do this. i had cut my eye teeth in politics, protesting the vietnam

war, organizing against the vietnam war. i was clean for jean. remember jean mccarthy. and when mccarthy came so close that linden johnson didn't run again, the man over there, i said wow. a rag tag group of students and assorted nobodies toppled the most powerful man in the world. this is what i want to dedicate my life to, making the world a better place. took a lot of work but it worked. so, i love politics. my parents wanted me to go to this law firm, i hated it. and i ran for the assembly against the democratic machine. no one thought i'd win. no one thought i'd win. the first day i ran, i went to my local barber in brooklyn and said frankie, will you put a poster in the window and he said kid, i'm not only the local barbie, i'm the local bookie. you're the underdog.

how much you want to bet on yourself? but i won. i loved it. 1975 ford to new york drop dead. and the congressional seat in the district opened up. and it's -- i mean, it's -- i -- it's an awesome experience. and i don't mean awesome in the way my daughters, when they were teenagers said dad that's awesome. it's like biblical. the angels tremble in awe before the face of god. this is such a responsibility and the country has so many needs, so many needs to move forward, that it's really -- it really says to you whoa, you better do the best job you can.

god gave me a lot energy. i have a lot energy for the job. i fill it with some joy because we can actually get things done and not have things block aided all the time. but it's something that's very, very serious and you got to really put all of yourself into it. >> tell me about that joy. because i think a lot of people have lost faith. >> the joy is to restore the faith. just as when i worked against the vietnam war and the mccarthy campaign and we succeeded. we have to succeed. we need, rachel -- america needs bold change. we need immediate bold change. we have covid, the worst health care crisis since -- in a hundred years, since the spanish pandemic flu. the worst economic crisis since the new deal. so, we have to act quickly. right now, people can't get vaccines. they can't feed their kids. and there's a lot boulder action

we have to do that preceded covid and maybe covid showed us the need and climate. we have to do something about climate. we don't have anymore time. i think of my 2-year-old grandson, noah. and i ride my bike along the southern shore of brooklyn. about a month after he was born, i said will he see this? it's a beautiful wetlands. so, there's climate, economic inequality. about 75% of the nation feels they're not getting ahead. racial inequality. we saw with the horrible murders of brianna taylor and george floyd. those scars. and there's democracy. we just, in the senate, took a bill that was hr 1 in the house and named it s1, making our democracy better. there's so much to do.

we need strong, bold action and we've got to get it done. one way or another we have to get it done. >> well, how is it going to get done? we're in an unusual situation where you're the majority leader. on paper the democrats are in control of the senate, but republican controlman from the last congress are sitting there. frors you and mr. mcconnell seem to be at an impasse. >> yes. >> how is that going to end? >> traditionally the organizing resolution should be a pretty routine thing. democratic leader, the republican leader, no matter who's in the majority, minority sit down and just hammer it out. it's a little different now because it's 50/50. but we've had a precedent. it was 50/50 in 2001 and democratic leader dashal and republican leader, locke worked out an agreement most people think was pretty down the middle and fair.

the first day i said let's do that resolution. let's just do the way they did it in 2001. and he went the floor and said i won't do it unless you democrats do this. he is not the majority leader. he's the minority leader and he is not going to get his way. we are not going to do what he wants and that's universal in my caucus, from the most liberal to the most conservative. we hope, in the next day or two, he'll come to his senses and take our offer but we're not giving into him. it was outrageous and angered my entire caucus. that was not the way to start off. >> what he's demanding is that you take the reform of the filibuster off the table, which is both a process thing, that most people are alienated by the word "filibuster." and the key to whether any major legislation is going to pass. if he does not change his mind on that over the next couple of

days, can he, in effect, use the filibuster, to keep you from claiming power as the majority leader? >> i've been thinking about this. stay tuned. >> you have tricks up your sleeve? >> stay tuned. >> okay. well, let me ask you about the filibuster. there is definitely a diversity of opinion within your caucus on that. senator cinema, mansion have, for example, expressed reservations about getting rid of that. but lots of senator people who are strong stakeholders from the democratic party say there's too much to get done to let that get in the way and there's no reason to expect that any republicans in any significant numbers, let alone ten of them, will cross the line on anything. where do you stand? >> the caucus is united with the belief that i have. we must get big, strong, bold things done. that's a bottom line.

if we don't, i worry about the future of this democracy. if people continue to be dissolutioned that this government do a thing to make their lives better at a time when so many are angry, soir and don't thing they have a chance to get ahead, i worry about the future. so, we have to get things done. that's .1. .2, we will not let mitch mcconnell dictate what we will and won't do, period. and these first five days have shown that. and as i said, my caucus is totally united, from one end to the other, that we're not letting him go forward. now, we have tools we can use, reconciliation. we can get a lot of the covid bill done with reconciliation and that's something we will use if they try and block this immediate covid bill. we can use reconciliation for a much broader proposal.

biden's bill would be modified and changed. so, we have some tools that we can use right now and won't hesitate if republicans continue to just block. as for other issues, what we're going to do is we're united in the view we need bring change. we're united in the view that mcconnell isn't going to dictate what this senate does and we'll come together as a caucus and figure it out. but i can assure you we'll bring real, dramatic change. we have no choice. >> when president obama was first elected and there was a number -- there were a number of big legislative lifts on the table, i feel i learned a lesson. i watched with obamacare, with the affordable care act, the republicans insisted there not be a public option, had to be based around the private insurance companies and insisted on changes that were made for them and didn't vote for it anyway.

and on immigration, insisted deportations, all that be done up front. president obama did all that up front and then they still didn't go for it. we saw it in the recovery act. they insisted it be made smaller and significantly less effective and didn't vote for it anyway. >> ten years because it wasn't deep enough and strong enough. we're not going to make that mistake with covid. >> but isn't the lesson that it's not worth trying to get bipartisan legislation because it will weaken it and make it worse and they're never going to vote for it anyway? >> our north star has to be the legislation itself. its to the be big and bold and strong. if republicans work with us, to get good, strong, legislation, yes, but i agree with you. i've made these arguments in numerous places. look at 2008, where we spent a year and a half trying to get something good done, asa, obamacare and we didn't do all the other things that had to be

done. we will not repeat that mistake. we will not repeat that mistake. i think of what you think of all along. and it's a different time. i mean, we've had the most authoritarian president around. look how close he came on that awful day, january 6th and the antidote is constructive, strong action by us, the government. that's the answer. so, that when the appeals to bigotry and nastiness and divisiveness are thrown at the american people did, which trump did and many of his minions want to do t they say no, we're going to stick -- make progress but if we don't, we can have really bad outcomes. >> the other remedy to what happened on january 6th, is, of course, impeachment. and tonight, we'll see the

article of impeachment conveyed from the house to the senate. now, senator lehigh is going to be the presiding officer instead of the chief justice. >> well, here is -- first, can i tell you about january 6th? for me, this was an amazing experience by charles dickens and a "tale of two cities." it was the best of times, the worst of times. here's why. tuesday night was election in georgia. as it bled into wednesday morning, i was glued to the tv. i worked very hard. i spent four months trying to recruit warnock to run when stacey abrams wouldn't run. she said there's somebody better than me and she was right, as usual. at 4:00 a.m., it's clear they both won. a majority leader. it's beginning to sink in but i have to go to sleep because i have to drive to washington, get in my car at 8:00, get on the

floor of the senate at 1:00. within 45 minutes, a police officer, big, flack jacket and a big automatic machine gun nicely, says, senator we got to get out of here. we're in danger. i was 30 feet away from these sons of guns, these nasty, racist, bigoted insurrectionests. they said even during the civil war no confederate flag ever flew in the capitol. >> could you hear them? >> yes. yes. we have to go after them completely. by the way, little to your readers. the fbi has this website with 700 pictures and they're asking people to look on it in case they recognize somebody and say how am i going to know someone? could be oh, that's harry, he moved to montana. >> encouraging people to look at

the tip. >> at the website, yes. so, now we have the trial. and make no mistake about it, president trump will stand trial and there will be a vote on his guilt. i hope he's voted guilty. the trial will be done in a way that is fair but with relatively quickly. the evidence is all out there. who was the witness? the entire american people. we all saw what trump did, we all saw what these horrible insursectionists did. there will be a two-week place where the -- in the next two weeks the -- both sides will prepare their papers. that's actually good for us. boss in that first week, this week, we're going to spend time filling the president's cabinet. very important to do. you cannot have homeland security or secretary of state, or i would even say hhs, vacant,

given the need for vaccines. and in the second week, we will begin on the covid-relief bill. president biden's $1.9 trillion bill, called the american -- what is it called? american rescue proposal -- american rescue plan. arp. people said how are you going to get this done? we said cabinet, impeachment, covid. and we're making good progress on those, despite mcconnell trying to blockade everything, fl are other things we can do to get around him. we talked to the president and he feels an urgent need, he feels there has to be the trial like we do. and he feels an -- but he feels an urgent need to fill cabinet positions because there's so much to do and our national security, domestic security, health is all at stake.

he needs people in those positions. >> in terms of the way the trial is going to be conducted, you say fast. relatively fast. >> i don't think there's a need for a whole lot of witnesses. it's different than the previous trial and we will not let the republicans be dillatory just to delay it for its own sake so we don't do covid or anything. but it will be fair. we will see what they've request said. fair but not dillatory. it says the chief justice presides for a sitting president. so, it was up to john roberts whether he wanted to preside with the president, who is no longer sitting, trump, and he doesn't want to do it. so, traditionally what has happened is then the next in line is the senate protem, the

most senior senator on the majority side and that's senior lehigh and he's a very experienced and fair man. he'll be able to vote. >> there's a single article of impeachment. the president's efforts to directly incite the mob to go attack the capitol. but also the president's efforts to pressure elections officials into altering the election results. his call to those officials in georgia. since then, through public reporting, we learned he tried to get the justice department to alter the election results, void the results in georgia. you called for that to be investigated by the inspector general. and called it sedition. >> the articles came in before that happened and i don't think -- i think there's more than sufficient evidence to

convict the president based on the articles in the house senate. but if it's up to the managers, house managers who come over, if they want to bring that u7, i'm sure it will be relevant and people will weigh it in their minds. another issue that, to me, goes again the president's guilt, although their articles are more than enough. once they were there, the insurrectionists, here, he didn't call for them to leave. i called the acting secretary of defense and said get him to call right now and say you leave right now and two hours later, he gave this statement that was just like charlottesville. on the one hand, on the other hand, other bull. i can't say the last word. >> i can anticipate what it might be. >> i thought you might. >> is it decided there will not

be witnesses? >> no, we have only negotiated the preliminary motions in the trial. how long it -- when the articles are brought in, when we're sworn in and how long they have to prepare their motions. we've set the date when the trial starts, which is the 8th of february, that week. but we've not negotiated the detail oz of the trial. we don't want to give the republicans an excuse it wasn't fair. and we don't want to delay it either. >> the negotiations are happening along side the negotiations of the organizing resolution of the senate. >> we told mcconnell no on the organizing resolution. we've given him what he should do, which is come to agree to what was done in 2001, which is fair. not -- as i said, stay tuned. >> you have a plan in mind you're not willing to share?

>> i'm not willing to share. >> how about if i ask again? >> there are ways to deal with him. >> there are ways to deal with him. senate majority leader, chuck schumer, threatening something, promising something, to end the standoff, in which republicans have effectively stopped the new democratic majority from taking over in the senate. literally, while that was running, i spoke with senator schumer this afternoon. we just aired that right now and while we were airing that, you were watching it. republican minority leader, mitch mcconnell put out a statement that he is folding on this. he's apparently now going to agree to go forward with what senator schumer told him he must do with letting the democratic majority take over and install committee chairman and all the rest, using the rules we had in place the last time the senate was in a 50/50 split, which was in 2001 and he'll agree to that, as of tonight, without any extraneus demands about the filibuster or anything else.

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last question for you on the issue of january 6th. we've seen interesting developments on house side, where members have described their fellow members as having led, essentially, what looked like recognizance tours for people who may have come back the following days and attacked the capitol. i think four house committees doing a joint investigation and as to whether or not house members, essentially, assisted in the attack. do you have any of those concerns about members of the senate? >> at this point, none have been brought to my attention. i have great deal concerns about how some of the members of the senate behaved. i think the seven people who

voted the other way did a despicable thing for our democracy. but i have no evidence of what they're alleging happened in the house. >> do you support the call for an ethics investigation into senator cruz and holly for their promotion of the idea -- >> there must be consequences to what they do. i think we should first go forward the impeachment trial and finish and go on to decide what the appropriate consequences are. >> you mentioned climate. with democrats in control of white house and both houses of congress, even with a narrow majority, in terms of climate -- >> humanity, our globe. >> this is the first real opportunity to make progress on climate in years and years and years. >> yes. >> it is hard to imagine enough republicans supporting major legislation on climate that you could do it, that you could pass it and put something on the president's desk while the filibuster existed.

is that fair to look at it that way? >> i have a provision i'm pretty proud of called clean cars for america. it says you turn in your internal combustion engine and get a point of sale rebait. so, poor people will do it and get an electric car. at the same time the federal government installs a charger by your house or on the street, if you live in an apartment building. and all of our highways have it, so you can drievl from washington to seattle and not worry about running out of juice. and we give help to gm and ford so they can become the electric car centers of the world, not china. two fold, one, no new internal combustion engines will be produced after 2030 and by 2040 none on the road. and this is what's exciting.

obviously, the environment groups from the most moderate to the most progressive. it has support of the unions because it's american labor. the aflcia -- all in strong support and the support of gm and ford. so, it has a broad coalition. and we think just about all of it -- we're working on this -- can go through reconciliation. >> meaning 50 plus one, rather than need republicans? >> yes. and by the way, president biden, very graciously, made it part of his build it back better plan, which does a lot on climate. and we're looking on how to make build it back better fit as much into reconciliation as we can. we get one for covid and one probably for build it back better. >> describe to me new senate majority leader chuck schumer's

major priorities? the impeachment of the president, the president's -- new president's cabinet. >> can i say one other thing on climate? >> please. >> i think it might be a good idea for president biden to call a climate emergency. >> why? >> because it relates to what you're saying. then he can do many, many things under the emergency powers of the president that wouldn't have to go with -- that he could go with legislation. now, trump used this emergency for a stupid wall but if there ever was an emergency, climate is one. i would suggest they explore looking at climate as an emergency, which could give them more flexibility, afterall, it's a crisis. >> you're talking about passing major climate through the reconciliation process. >> let them look at it. i is a lot of faith they'll make

a right decision. >> that sounds -- i know you're thinking about a lot of things at once but it sounds like climate is central? >> it is central. i'm one of the sponsors of the thrive agenda. and the thrive agenda has combined three things. one, is climate, bold, climate legislation. two, make sure it involves workers, training workers to build all the new, clean stuff we need. one of the things that's always pains me is so many working people think climate will leave them out when it will increase the number of good-paying jobs, as long as we make sure it's american jobs and good-paying jobs. and communities of color, that have particularly been left out with climate, should get special consideration. it's a broad coalition and the kind of thing that, yes, i care about. so, in this case, climate is

central but jobs and dealing with racial inequities is part of it. it's very good. i like it very much. >> give me your legislateival priorities in your own words. climed is obviously one of them. >> climate and racial inequality. a infrastructure bill, if we employ people with a infrastructure bill and these are good-paying jobs. that's very helpful. in the bills we propose, we want a high percentage, 30/40% to be people who don't have good jobs, maybe who got to out of prison. people who, this would be a ladder up for them. job training is important. education. what i consider part of inequality, some might not. i think immigration reform is economic equality because not

own the humane and right thing to do -- ellis island and my daughter's middle name, we named her for emma lazarus, the poet. anyway. when we did the original immigration bill with mccain, the cbo said the gdp would grow 3.5% if we do this because you're letting immigrants not worry. they can work and then they can work to become citizens. so, i'm excited that way. and same with racial justice. a young man is arrested with a small amount of marijuana in his pocket. a criminal record the rest of his life, can't become a productival citizen. chiechg that. there's lots to do. and we have to succeed. so, i would say -- there were three prongs.

one racial and economic inequality and the third is demuceracy. the bill, hrn 1. and democrats put it in as s1 and it deals with getting rid of the horrible decisions, like shelby, which mide it easier to block people's right to vote. automatic voter registration. getting rid of citizens united is part of it. but those are the three stools. democracy, climate, economic, racial inequality. >> if i were to ask senator mcconnell's legacy, it would be shorter. er for it's judges. >> and tax cuts for the rich. don't forget that. >> judges, yes, also that. when we come back, the new majority leader will talk about that and he has a surprising answer.

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if i were to ask senator mcconnell -- or if i were to assess senator mcconnell's legacy. his legacy is judges. >> also tax cuts for the rich. don't forget that. >> legislatively, tax cuts for the rich. but if you were to sum up his early days and he talks about it being his proudest accomplishment. >> he brags about it. >> proudly hypocritical. pull all the stops to break everything rule too, do everything to put young,

conservatives on the bench. it is a very imbalanced judiciary now. for decades essentially, it will be stacked with conservatives. how do you makeup some of that ground? >> first, the good news is there we don't need anything. we are 51 votes allows us to put judges on a bench and there will be lots of vacancies that come up and i think there are a lot of judges, damic appointees who didn't take senior status while trump was president and now they will. so, first we can fill oplot. second, traditionally, we have increased the number in the lower-end circuit courts. i have, in the city of buffalo -- they don't have enough judges. it's this long line before you can get to court. because they don't have enough. so, we can expand those. >> district and circuit courts? >> correct. >> the supreme court is the big

one. president biden has put together this commission to come up with a report. in 180 days we're going to see what that commission says and go from there. >> a to whether there should be additional seats on the supreme court? >> yes. >> do you have a sense your caucus has an opinion? >> i think people are torn. let's see hot the report says. >> on the issue of -- >> some are very much for it, some are against it. i don't mean each person is torn individually. the present of looking forward and not backward is unusually pressing because of the way the trump -- the way president trump conducted himmism is and the way it ended pup. i have found myself reflecting

on how in 2001, both the house and the senate and, actually the justice department spent months and months investigating bill clinton's final pardons in office, including one particularly controversial one. the pardons of president trump have not been a front-page news item for very long but some are a hundred times more scandalous than anything bill clinton did. will there be investigations of president trump's final pardons? >> we cannot just look the other way. in impeachment, some of the republicans say let's move on. it's divisive. bull. number one, it's required by law. and two, we can prevent him from running for office. the third point i want to make. you want to unify america. you need truth and accountability. er for that's how to unify america.

i don't think you can say never mind with some of the egregious things trump has done. should that be our number one concern? no. moving forward on the issues we talked about is our number one concern because there's so much need and demand among average people. democrats have to show that government can make their lives better. and if we can do that, we can change the whole political, as well as economic and social dynamic and that's, as i said, my passion, my mission. the thing i say is awesome in that biblical sense. we can still look back and you have to. you can't just sweep these things under the rug. plain and simple. you know, his act on the sixth was the most despicable thing any president has ever done and he is the worst president ever. and you cannot just let mover on. you got to look back. >> on the surface, it appears that republican caucus is

divided as to whether or not president trump should be convicted. his actions, as specifically as relate to january 6th, are worthy of conviction. i say on the surface because i can't read any deeper than that. do you believe that leader mcconnell actually is undecided as to whether he'll vote to convict? >> the one thing we want to do is not give anyone the excuse that we didn't have a fair trial. so, we could have just with 51 votes -- in impeachment, you can use 51 votes as well. we could have just laid down the law. but i sat down and negotiate with him and he said it was a fair process. will he approach this with an open mind? you hope and pray. i can't guess. his previous actions, he went along with trump on every single thing. which, on the one hand makes you think he'll do it again. and on the other hand, why did

he say this? he went right up to the line with him but didn't go over. >> if, as you have said, some of what the president tried to do in his last days was attempted sudition, do you think, ultimately, that criminal charges for people who worked with him, potentially for him r the right way for this to end? >> i leave it up to the lawyers. what he did was despicable and bad for our republic. whether it crossed a criminal red line, maybe. and i'd like to hear what lawyers have to opine on that. but i wouldn't rule it out. >> senate majority leader, chuck schumer, congrjilations. it's an honor to have this time with you. >> thank you, thank you, thank you. it's awesome. >> my exclusive interview with the new leader of the united states senate, chuck schumer.

taking the top job for the first time ever, as democrats control the white house and the united states senate and the united states house. on the night the article of impeachment was conveyed from the house to the senate, the majority leader, not only encouraging a conviction of the president, but saying he's potentially open to criminal charges as well. and discussing his plans to open up more seats on the federal courts, potentially to include the united states supreme court, as democrats confront a judicial branch quite thoroughly stacked with conservative appointees. that is mcconnell's legacy. he has now been ousted from his post. will they investigate corruption of trump 's last wave of last-minute pardons and commutations? senator schumer addressing that possibility for the first time tonight as well. for the first te tonight as well.

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it has been a whirlwinds day. janet yellen has just been confirmed by the u.s. senatetop she's not yet sworn in but she's confirmed. and they confirmed defense treasury and the national intelligence. surely there, will be more officials confirmed in the coming days. today president biden reversed the trump ban against transgender americans serving in the military and he signed an executive ord for manufacturing and starting this week career scientists will lead public briefings at least three times a week to discuss covid and white house press briefings will now have an asl interpreter from here on how. i can't believe we never did that before but from here on out

we'll have that? and he'll investigate if they tried to use the power of the justice department to alter the election results. and over the weekend president trump really did try to fire the ag and replace him lower level guy. the new guy said he would tell the state of georgia to void joe biden as the winner of the election. and the senate impeachment trial of president donald trump is underway officially tonight. as we discussed tonight with majority leader, chuck schumer, it will be the president protem, lehigh, who will reside n stead of chief justice john roberts.

they'll start their arguments in two weeks. in the meantime, that means cabinet nominee can be approved and as we heard tonight from chuck schumer, the covid relief bill, they hope can pass before the impeachment arguments start. senator schumer with his assertion that he's ready to go with passing almost all the covid relief bill, using the prosacy that will take only 51 votes. republicans can't stop that. big picture. i don't know how things are going to resolve now that republicans are in the minority in the house and the senate. but i think what we're learning from the democratic leadership is what the republicans want and think they might want to try just might not matter all that much. again, breaking news tonight that the republican leader in the senate, mitch mcconnell, has caved during our interview broadcast tonight, abandoning his previous plan to try to keep

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so, again, during our

broadcast interview tonight, with the new senate majority leader, chuck schumer, while i was asking him about his strategy for dealing with the fact that he was in a big stand off with republican leader, mitch mcconnell. essentially they're technically now in control, senator mcconnell issued a statement backing down basically caving in that fight. we've now got a statement from senator schumer in response. his spokesman says this, "we're glad senator mcconnell threw in the towel and gave up on his ridiculous demand. we look forward to organizing the senate under democratic control and start getting big, bold, things done for the american people." whew. that does it for us tonight. now it's time for "the last word with lawrence o'donnell." good evening, lawrence. >> good evening, rachel. great interview. this is a complete surrender by mitch mcconnell and i was struck by the strength of what leader schumer had to say about this point before we knew that he had won.