that is all the time i have for today. i'm alicia menendez. i'll see you back here next weekend 6:00 p.m. eastern for more "american voices." for now i hand it over to mehdi hasan. hello, mehdi. >> thank you for having me on your show today. it was fun. have a great rest of your sunday. >> thank you. >> tonight on "the mehdi hasan show," senator chuck schumer is here to talk about joe biden's first 100 days, senate filibuster and what comes next. >> plus the senate majority leader shows us his secret weapon that brings unity to the democratic party. and india is the horrifying epicenter of the pandemic. joining us to lay out how bad it is. good evening. i'm mehdi hasan. you'll hear many ways by which to measure the first 100 days of

the biden administration as the president gets ready to mark that arbitrary, though symbolic period this coming wednesday with a joint address to congress. one measure stands out to me. when joe biden took office one out of every 11 americans was hungry. today, that number is down to 1 out of 7. we talked about in the abstract what the biden administration has achieved so far. remember, we live in an age in which so many people have written off politics and politicians, in which 80 million americans didn't vote in the last election, possibly the most consequential election in living memory. truth is that, politics can bring about meaningful change in people's lives. today four more people out of every 11 struggling with food insecurity in this country are no longer hungry because of actions taken by this new government. that's a real accomplishment, a progressive achievement. luckily most americans do recognize this. a new national poll from nbc news shows that approval for what biden is doing remains

strong. he gets highest marks for his handling of the pandemic and lowest for his situation at the southern border. for joe biden the challenge isn't these first 100 days. it's his entire four-year agenda, assuming he has four years for it. mid-term congressional elections are four months away. democrats may only have until next november to control both the white house and congress. already in the senate it's split 50/50 with vice president harris the tie-breaking vote. and the democratic caucus there is old. how old? six democratic senators are over the age of 70 who live in states with republican governors who could replace them. think about that. that means control of the senate is one heartbeat away from having vermont governor scott or massachusetts governor charlie baker swing power back over to mitch mcconnell. no one likes thinking about these things. i certainly don't like bringing them up.

but it's the reality. time is not on the democrats' side. as the vice president herself pointed out this morning, there's only so much joe biden can accomplish through executive action. listen to what she had to say about gun reform. >> there is only so much, however, that a president can do through executive action. both he, when he was in the senate, when i was in the senate, same thing, we were pushing for legislation of the congress has to act. >> exactly. >> because we have to codify -- that's a fancy word for make permanent, make the law that we agree, we should have background checks. that's just reasonable gun safety laws. we should have assault weapons ban, assault weapons have been designed to kill a lot of people quickly. they are weapons of war. so many people, the families of sandy hook. i honestly thought -- i honestly thought that when those babies, 20 6 and 7-year-old children

were slaughtered, i thought congress would act. i thought that would be a thing, and it didn't happen. >> gun reform, climate change, policing. health care. immigration. the future of democracy, all of that has to be achieved through legislation if it's to be lasting change, which means biden has to get his aenda through the senate, which means coming up against republicans blocking his agenda through the filibuster just because they can. it also means coming up against two democratic senators, hell bent on keeping the filibuster, apparently just because they can. something we've discussed and puzzled over on this show many times before. is the filibuster the single greatest obstacle right now standing in the way of making joe biden the next fdr or the next lbj even? the story of the biden presidency will be the story of joe biden and of chuck schumer. what joe biden achieves will only be possible because of what chuck schumer is able to get through the senate. make no mistake, these two

veteran centrist democrats, who were once such targets of the left, have so far delivered on the covid rescue plan, easily the most ambitious and progressive piece of legislation in half a century. just this week on the bipartisan covid-19 hate crimes act. only one republican senator voted against it. only one. more later this hour on who exactly that was. schumer faces the same challenge that biden does. is he willing to go all the way? is he willing to confront manchin, sinema and get rid of the filibuster? is he willing to take on mitch mcconnell? is the senate majority leader willing to do what needs to be done to advance the democratic agenda? i spoke to him earlier. senator schumer, thank you so much for joining me on the show tonight. >> good to be with you, mehdi. >> look, senator, i want full disclosure from the very beginning. i used to be very critical of you. over these first 100 days, you

and joe biden have managed to get the most progressive bill of my lifetime, the american rescue plan, through the senate. you got a bipartisan anti-asian hate bill through. was that always the plan, to surprise people like me from the get-go, or was this just you and the president reacting to the pandemic, this moment of crisis we're in? >> no, it goes way beyond the pandemic, mehdi. we're at a crucial turning point in this country. we have so many big problems, all of which preceded the covid pandemic, whether it be climate change, racial inequality, whether it be income wealth inequality, whether it be the withering of our democracy. these are huge, important issues. i think the election and then four years of donald trump may have highlighted how bad they are, may have action as exacerb.

and we have to get out of the covid crisis but there's a lot more we have to do that goes beyond covid. >> that is good to hear. what surprised me, senator, is that the plan started out at $1.9 trillion, and you didn't come down from that. >> no. >> it passed at $1.9 trillion. you talked about how you were scarred by the experience of 2009-10. >> yes. >> is that why you didn't compromise on the $1.9 trillion, because you didn't trust the gop? can you guarantee that the $2.25 million for infrastructure won't be cut down to appease bad-faith republicans? >> let me first -- no. we looked at the needs. the first plan was lower. i said to the president -- it was originally 1.3 -- we can't getting of we want done until we get it back to 1.9. he went back, examined things and willingly and happily

accepted that number. we didn't want to budge on that number because of needs. the 2.25 million plan is based on needs, needs to deal with climate in a very effective way. you heard what the president said at this recent summit. it's going to be very, very hard to reach that bold goal without strong legislation. the second issue is jobs and income inequality. and, again, we need very strong action. and, finally, on the issue of communities of color, brown and black communities given the short end of the stick over and over again, that needs changed, too. this plan meets those needs. do we want our republican friends to come and work with us on them? yes. if they won't stand for the big, bold action that we want, then we will have to pursue it on our own, like we did the last bill.

maybe they'll join us. maybe in some areas they'll join us. but big, bold action is the number one goal. >> well, i'm glad you said that about republicans and about big, bold action. one thing i've noticed, you like to say a lot during these 100 days, is that line. have a listen. >> american people know we need big, bold change. america is ready for big, bold, comprehensive change. we have to get big, bold change done. america needs bold change. we need immediate bold change. the caucus is united with the belief that i have. we must get big, strong, bold things done. that's the bottom line. >> it's a great ambition to have, senator. a great ambition. but i would argue that going forward, you can only do so much via budget reconciliation. therefore you simply cannot be bold, you cannot go big unless you get rid of the jim crow

filibuster. surely, you can't deny that. >> here is what i say. first, there is a lot we can do with reconciliation. as you said the arp bill was one of the most significant. we look to explore how we can get, again, as much done as we can first with republicans and then second, if that doesn't work, with reconciliation. there are certainly some issues that are not reconcilable. lots of s-1, very important. that's hr-1, but it was so important i named it s-1 as one of my first acts as senate majority leader. what i say there is failure is not an option. we cannot fail to pass s-1. and we will hopefully we can win over some republicans on that. if we can't, again, our caucus will have to assemble. we cannot fail. everything is on the table. plain and simple. the method is much -- >> everything including the filibuster? >> well, everything.

i've said everything is on the table, that's right. >> do you personally support getting rid of the filibuster, as the leader? >> i support getting big, bold change by whatever means we can get there. >> so, you mentioned a lot of bills are not covered by reconciliation. some of the biggest issues in america today, immigration reform, police reform, climate change, gun control. none of those can be done by budget reconciliation. it's been widely reported that your plan is to put multiple bills for a vote on the senate floor, have the gop vote them down, filibuster them and then reform the filibuster. i wonder, how long can you wait to do that, senator? what's your deadline? time isn't on our side. the for the people act needs to be passed right now. if even one elderly member of your caucus, god forbid, were to pass away or be incapacitated,

you could not be the majority leader any longer. >> we feed to move quickly. deadline for s-1 is a little longer than you say. probably august or so. we're consulting the experts, when can s-1 undo these racist ledgeilation that are trying to be made in the way people vote. the bottom line is simple here mehdi. we need unity. we need all 50. we've attained that unity on everything so far. on the major issues when we had the minority, the three biggest issues were aca, the tax, horrible tax cuts of trump. >> yes. >> and the impeachment. we were 100 per united. on the three biggest issues so far here, the president's cabinet, with one exception, which i regret, but everything else with impeachment trial and with arp, we were united.

i work hard to bring about that unity. i have a leadership team. i think i mentioned this to you. we meet every monday night at about quarter to 5:00. elizabeth warren, bernie sanders are on the team, and joe manchin and mark warner are on the team. we discuss it and try to respect each other's positions. so far, it has produced the kind of change that i think america needs. one more point on that. i'm sorry, but, you know, this idea that this big, bold change, america doesn't want it or republican -- republican public, 60% of them were for the american rescue plan. >> yes. >> if you look at the big chunks of the american jobs and family plan they have overwhelming support in republican voters. problem is that the republican senators and house members are so in the thrall of donald trump, who controls their party in the primaries, is a real di kr. hotomy. it's a dichotomy we can exploit.

>> so anti-democratic and anti-parliamentarian. you mentioned joe manchin. how much of a problem for you and your agenda are swing senators like joe manchin, like kirsten sinema? he endorsed lisa murkowski and sinema posted a picture of herself wearing a ring that said "f off." i don't know who that was aimed toward, whether it was you or the media. does that bring about the kind of behavior you support or condemn? >> what brings about unity, i try to show every one of my members respect when i agree or disagree with them. but i'm not shy at telling them why i disagree with them when i do and trying to make the arguments about why it's important to come together on the kind of agenda you and i have been talking about. and that method has worked thus far. and hopefully, it will continue

to work. we need every member. if any one, as you pointed out, our majority is 50. it's fragile. it's fragile if, god forbid, someone would become incapacitated or worse. it's also fragile if anybody defects and says they won't go along. we have to work it. i work it in a very serious, constant way. i mentioned my secret weapon. it's right here. i don't know if you can see it. there it is. my cell phone. >> the flip phone. >> the flip phone, yeah. i call every member all the time. >> but, senator, i've got to jump in. >> wait, wait. >> i'm going to jump in. i'm going to jump in and say, did you call joe manchin and kirsten sinema for n adoresing murkowski or tell poom to f off? >> i'm not going to get into my individual conversations but when i think they're wrong i tell them respectively and strongly. so far we've had unity. >> stick around for more from my

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earlier trying to pin down senate majority leader chuck schumer on his two most problematic senators, joe manchin and kyrsten sinema. i asked senator schumer about the minimum wage in the next part of our conversation. we also discussed police reform and whether he's concerned about a primary challenge from congresswoman alexandria ocasio-co are. it ez. >> a major thing you failed to get done was a hugely popular $15 minimum wage. are you willing to include it in the next budget recognize sill

krags proposal? and are you willing to overrule the senate parliamentarian if she blocks you again or fire her as trent lott did in 2001? you're elected by the people. she's not. >> no shall but the bottom line is that there are these said rules by the parliamentarian. if you want to overrule her, do anything like that, it takes 51 votes. so you can't just snap -- i can't snap my fingers and do it. i have to pursue the same strategy in strength, unity and understanding the need for change to do any of those things. so far, as i said, it's producedr results. so, the bottom line is very simple. and that is that we must produce change. so far, we have, using the methods that we have. we haven't had 100% success, but we've done very well. >> okay. >> even in your eyes, which

you're no slouch, mehdi. and we'll continue to pursue it, the with an we have. >> what i'm hopping the $15 mum wage going tos done, one other bug issue. >> look, i'm all for it. i just wanted to say this, mehdi. i'm all for the $15 minimum wage. some of our mms aren't. we are working towards -- we are trying to work that through. >> okay. >> we've had several meetings and we'll have several more. we've not abandoned it. >> can you promise the american people and the george floyd family tonight that you will get the george floud justice and policing act passed by the senate but may 25th, the one-year anniversary of the death of george floyd? and also the date that congresswoman karen bass, leading on the bill, said she would like to see it passed? >> look, i am totally for the bill, as you know. i encouraged both cory booker and then senator kamala harris to put it together. mr. crump, the famous lawyer who has advised the floud family,

advise us on that bill as well. it's a very strong bill. as we speak, karen bass and cory booker are trying to work with tim scott to see if we can get some republican votes for that bill. that is one, as you point out, that isn't reconcilable. and they believe they're making good progress. the first step is to see what results they're able to come up with. >> senator, you, yourself, have been on quite a journey. you campaigned for the senate in 1998 as a, quote, angry centrist, who was tough on crime. "new york times" called you a champion of wall street. today you're pitching yourself as a champion of progressive causes like climate justice, legal marijuana, student debt cancellation. is that simply times changing and you moving with your party to the left or is it, as others complain, you trying to fend off a challenge from congresswoman alexandria ocasuo-cort. z in awe primary? >> ewe always cowhered about --

knew far i always cared about -- my father was an exterminator. what's happened in the last 10, 15 years, things have changed dramatically. climate, for example. 10, 15 years ago, the climate issue was not upon us like it is now. wealth inequality, income inequality has gotten worse in the last ten years. with trump in office and these republican legislations doing what they've done, that's eroded. the need for bold change comes from my desire to help average people. and i don't think, you know, milk toast change is going to get that done. >> majority leader, senator chuck schumer, thank you so much for your time tonight. appreciate it. >> thank you, mehdi. good to be with you. >> still to come, police reform legislation is moving through congress after derek chauvin was

convicted of murdering george floyd, but is that enough? we'll get into it. first richard lui is here with the headlines. hello, richard. >> hello, mehdi. european union will allow fully vaccinated americans to visit this summer. that's what the head of the european commission told "the new york times." it's been more than one year since the eu banned nonessential travel from most countries. l.a. dodgers designated a section in his baseball stadium for fully vaccinated fans as well. they don't have to maintain social distancing but do have to wear masks. padres and giants began offering special seating earlier this month. finally, na nasa's mars helicopter took the fastest, farthest trip yet. it traveled over 300 feet at 4 1/2 miles an hour. this is its third trip over the red planet. slow but steady. d planet

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we've got to put an end to these moments where the public questions whether there's going to be accountability, questions whether there's going to be the kind of fairness that we should all expect and deserve. >> that was vice president harris this morning, expressing the importance of police accountability in the wake of the guilty verdict against derek chauvin. former minneapolis police officer now faces up to 30 years in prison for the murder of george floyd. but the case is not over. his three co-defendants face trial this summer. they've already indicated they'll blame it all on chauvin, the other three officer. where do we go from here? police reform is moving through congress as we just heard from the senate majority leader. george floyd policing act has passed the house but faces an uncertain future in the senate.

lindsey graham was asked whether the country faces systemic racism in policing. >> no, not in my opinion. we just elected a two-term african-american president, the vice president is african-american, indian descent. our systems are not racist. >> that's not what systemic refers to, lindsey. next, you'll be telling us you have a black friend. african-american studies and author of the book "long time coming: reckoning with race in america," michael thank you for being on the show. what do you think of lindsey graham saying there can't be systemic racism because of barack obama and kamala harris? >> justin volpe, the man who plunged a plunger up the anus of

abner lawema was dating a black woman. dos that keep you from being a racist? it's not by proximity or intimacy in who you know. it's how you behave. it's what you do. and the fact is that black people have been routinely and continually subjected to inequity and injustice and systemic racism in the policing system of this country. and it has to be addressed reformatively. we don't have hope if a man like lindsey graham, with the power he has as a senator, refuses to see that. >> refuses to see that, indeed. democrat jim clyburn suggested that the chauvin verdict could perhaps be thought of as a, quote, sechlt lma moment. what's your reaction to the verdict? do you think it could have a lasting impact in the way the selma march did?

>> i was deeply gratified and surprised that he was found guilty on all three charges, even though they will have to be served simultaneously. and i was surprised because america has not yet shown that it is willing to come to grips with, again, the systematic character of these problems. they think it's a one-off issue. it's a bad cop over here. it's a horrible sheriff over there, as opposed to the system itself being rotten to the core. i hesitate to, at any time, in any way, disagree with jim clyburn. so i think this does have the potential to make a difference if we make it make a difference. it can't by itself. the reason selma occurred is not because the bridge changed by itself. you know, john lewis and amelia boynton had to cross that bridge. martin luther king jr. had to cross that bridge. the bridge was a means to an end. the end was justice, the voting rights act. we have to make sure we see the end in sight and we bring it closer by our activity.

>> well said. senator tim scott, the only black republican senator, and another south carolinaian will be delivering the response to joe biden wednesday. tim scott said he's trying to find a compromise. do you think it's responsible with the modern republican party given you have lindsey graham denying systemic racism and kevin mccarthy obsessing over antifa and blm all the time? can joe biden, chuck schumer, do a deal on police reform with this republican party? >> it's going to be awfully difficult. the reality is that this republican party is still in the hind pocket of donald trump. they are miserable mendacity, tenacious resistance to truth and inability to embrace black people, black lives matter full on suggest that we are in tough

times. having said that, i'm glad tim scott is there to try to do something to protector some kind of deal with the rest of his republican compatricompatriots s be real, it will not be helped by these senators on the right and senatorial members of the republican party will continue to be a roadblock, an obstacle, and an impediment, an erasure to reform. >> i talked to senator schumer about the filibuster. barack obama referred to as a relic of jim crow. more and more democrats are recognizing filibuster as racism in the past.

police reform, voting rights and there is the filibuster blocking progress again and again. isn't it? >> it really is. that buster is a horrible guy. we've got to get rid of him, figure out a way to address this issue in plain good, old-fashioned sense. and the point is that the filibuster, loved by mr. manchin and another senator on the democratic side faces a nearly impossible road to be got rid of unless they agree. so, what is it about the investment in the filibuster that keeps us from realizing it has been deployed by racists and by people who harbor anti-black sentiment to prevent the flourishing of black life, to block policies and legislation that would enable us to move forward? until we're able to do that, it will be a difficult road to hoe. >> last question, michael -- we're almost out of time. i want to ask about a quote of

yours. america faces a race quake, with tectonic plates being shiftedment could they be shifted in a positive direction not just a negative drek? direction? >> absolutely. the same sun that melts wax hardens clay. what moves us off a fault line into a sea can also move us and shift us toward greater parity, greater equity and greater realization of systemic justice. there's no question about that. it's what we do with it, it's what we construct in the aftermath of that race quake and how we make progress. >> well put, as ever. michael eric dyson, thank you for your time and your analysis. appreciate it. >> thank you. next, only one senator voted against the covid-19 hate crimes act. that's why republican senator josh hawley of missouri deserves all of my attention for

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a bill to combat anti-asian hate crimes is about to become law. covid-19 hate crimes act cleared in a 94-1.

you heard that correctly. josh hawley of missouri, saying it could turn the federal government into the speech police, already what counts as offensive speech and raises big free speech questions. no it doesn't. tea hate crimes related to covid-19 and gives government more resources to track hate crime. anti-asian hate crimes jumped by 150% in 60 of the largest city. ted cruz vote for this bill. rand paul didn't vote against it, like hawley did. if i was the guy photographed doing this to a bunch of racist, insurrectionists, i would be worried about hate crimes getting passed as well. [ buzzer ] covid-19 is devastating india. now the pressure is mounting for the biden administration to step in and help. that's next. o step in and help. that's next.

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a catastrophic second wave of coronavirus cases is sweeping across india, as the country broke global records for the fourth consecutive day. india saw almost 350,000 new cases of covid-19 in the last 24 how are. 2,700 people at least lost their lives yesterday. at least? that's right. number of deaths by an indian government that totally botched its handling of the pandemic is believed to be a fraction of the real number. i have two cousins in hospital in india right now with covid. it's scary how fast this thing is spreading. but this affects all of us. if india can't get its covid outbreak under control, the world will get more and deadlier covid variants. it's on all of us to try to stop this. u.s. announced it will be

sending vital supplies but no mention of vaccines or lifting moratoriums on exports. images have emerged at melted metal at cremations. the horrific reality of the pandemic in her own backyard. >> this cremation site while there's a thunderstorm, dust storm raging as if to suggest that even the skies are grieving, there are so many piles being burnt we can barely keep count. it's easy to get lost in the numbers. behind every fire is the story of an individual tragedy. >> i spoke with barka earlier

today. thank you so much for coming on the show tonight. i want to start by asking you about your dad. this covid story is not just something you're reporting on. you're living it. your father is currently hospitalized, and i believe on a ventilator. tell me how he's doing, please. >> i wish i could give you good news, but the news isn't very good. it was the toughest decision of my life to get that 3:00 a.m. call from the hospital and basically be told by the doctors that i had ten minutes to decide whether to put him on a ventilator or not. and i decided to give him a fighting chance at living, and still hoping for a miracle. but, mehdi, what happened with my father is what i would call the news coming home. as you know, i've spent the last 2020 and 2021 reporting the pandemic from the ground. and when it came to my dad, i spent the last bunch of weeks reporting on indians who are stranded outside hospitals, can't get a bed, can't get an

ambulance, are desolate, are desperate and despite all my privileges as a journalist, the fact that i know doctors, i can call people, i have the resources to pay for a private hospital, when it came to taking my father to the hospital i actually couldn't get an ambulance in time, so i organized a private ambulance turned out to be a car that was repurposed for an ambulance, and it was a crew of one and i asked the guy will the cylinder work, and he assured me it would and it turns out my dad's oxygen levels plummeted in a way and he was taken into icu instead of a general ward. for me, watching the ambulance go through traffic, and --

>> as you say, you have been reporting on this. we hope and pray your dad recovers, we are praying for that miracle. you say you are reporting on this, on wars, terrorists attacks and natural disasters. i know your career. can you paint me a picture of how bad it is in india on the ground. >> it's a calamity and a crisis of the kind i have not seen in my adult life. it is -- it is, in fact, the only story in my life that has left me wanting and struggling for words. i can see the pictures that you are playing and i have been at that very cream atory, and i have seen cremation grounds to see people dying, not from covid

itself, and this is important, but from a lack of oxygen and being able to get a bed. a doctor said to me, when somebody dies because you can't administer oxygen, that's not a natural death, that's murder, and i am quoting a doctor. the most disturbing experience, a boy had to sign a consent form that had to acknowledge that if his father died because there was no oxygen or ventilators in the hospital then nobody would be liable for his father's death. his father did die and that got me to doing digging and i discovered all hospitals are now asking for these so-called consent forms, and i call them modern day death warrants, you are asking people to say, hey, your loved one can die, and you have to sign a paper and say

it's nobody's fault that happens, and there are many tough questions that need to be asked -- >> so on that note, on that note, the prime minister was bragging just a month ago about how well india was doing, calling your country the world's pharmacy in terms of productions, and just last week he was doing it trump style, and how is government incompetent and over confident to blame for the current crisis? >> i think there's going to be a large part of the government to step up and take accountability and responsibility for why we are here. the fact of the matter is, india was exporting and giving away vaccines without putting in a contingency plan for the people

of india, and when i saw in there they were giving away vaccines at that moment unaware the second wave would hit us like a inferno, and even i was caught up in that's good that they are doing this, not realizing we had zero plan bs or cs or even a plan e, and then there were medical facilities set up last year, and many were dismantled and were no longer prepared to take in patients. now we are allowing foreign-made vaccines. all of this could have happened earlier. >> we're almost out of time, but i have to ask. you mentioned the foreign vaccines and the white house announced it is sending raw materials, and medical equipment

and ppe. does india need the extra vaccines? what else should the u.s. government be doing for india, do you think? >> i cannot tell you how large and enormous of inhumanity we are looking at, and i met the mother of a 1-year-old child today that could not get in a hospital. we need the vaccines and we need oxygen, and we are a country that is literally gasping to breathe, and we are a national emergency and a nation where our pain is turning to fury, and a lot of people said i was anti-national for saying this, and i have to say, we're a brokenhearted country right now and need all the help we can get. >> yes, do you. we hope you can get it. we open india can get that help. thank you for explaining what is

going on there. we appreciate it. stay safe. >> thank you for having me. stick around. we're just moments away from "the week," and we will take a look at his first 100 days in office. more after this short break. ort.

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thanks for watching tonight. we'll be right back here next sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern and you can catch me monday through thursday at 7:00 p.m. eastern on

"the choice," and now it's time to turn it over to to michael steele who is in for joshua johnson tonight. >> good evening, my friend. good to be with you, folks. i am michael steele and joshua johnson has the weekend off. right now president biden is preparing to mark his first 100 days in congress. what does the american public think of his time in office? a brand-new poll is giving us fresh insight into what is going on and what is working and what isn't? plus, i have been trying to get d.c. representation in congress, and now a statehood bill is headed for the senate. how does it -- why does it matter and what will it take? a new defense is emerging for the three ex-officers involved in george floyd's arrest. blame it all on derek chauvin.

will it wor