Skip to main content

tv   The Mehdi Hasan Show  MSNBC  May 16, 2021 8:00pm-9:00pm PDT

8:00 pm
straglers in your life, folks waiting after the initial rush was over, that time is now. go get the shot. it might just make you feel like a million bucks. that is all the time i have for today. i'll see you back here next weekend. now i hand over to mehdi hasan. i've got to ask you which of the incentives would have pushed you over? fries, burgers, food, going out, eating out, all of that is going to win me over all the time, over the money. it's the food. >> i just want free stuff. you could have got me a free pen and i would have gotten the vaccine. >> i would have got it any way and pocketed the free stuff. alicia, great message to end with. get your vaccine, listen to alicia menendez and everyone else. get your vaccine. thanks so much. tonight on "the mehdi hasan show," do these people look like
8:01 pm
tourists to you? come on. we knew the gop would try to rewrite history. we just didn't know it would be this soon. i'll talk to former top trump white house official who accepts the election results. my conversation with her is ahead. plus many of us have seen this haunting video, congresswoman jayapal hiding. that was on january 6. what's her message to republicans who want to move on. i'll ask her. israeli/palestinian conflict shows no signs of letting up. what do jewish americans think of the power imbalance there? jeff bezos is rich enough to buy a yacht for his yacht. how much power does his cash give him? my interview with author brad stone. good evening, gaslighting is an i tempt to make one question one's own memory, perception and judgment.
8:02 pm
to make someone think they might be crazy for having ever thought otherwise. let me begin tonight by asking you this -- what do you remember about what happened in nation's capital on january 6? while a lot of us predicted republicans would try to rewrite the history to some extent of what happened that day, what we didn't expect or i didn't was it would be so soon and brazen. >> censored and covered up, as a result the doj is harassing peaceful patriots across the country. >> it was trump supporters who lost their lives that day, not trump supporters who were taking the lives of others. >> there was no insurrection, to call it an insurrection is a bold-faced lie. watching the footage of those who entered the capital and walked through the hall, showed people in an orderly fashion, staying behind the ropes taking videos and pictures. if you didn't know the tv footage was from january 6th, you would think it was a normal
8:03 pm
tourist visit. >> wait a minute, congressman, is that you in this picture with your colleagues trying to barricade the door of the house chamber against normal tourist visitors, is that what you always do when tour group comes through? really? if they were normal tourists, would i have to warn you this video may be too graphic for some viewers? it shows a capitol police officer being assaulted by rioters as he was crushed in a doorway. does that look normal? does it look normal when tourists smash the front windows of the capitol to get in? there was nothing normal about january 6. those people were not tourists. any response that's not shock or anger or outrage is not normal, it's likely gaslighting, propaganda or fealty to leader donald trump. nothing normal about stripping the republican leader
8:04 pm
from his position because she doesn't boost the former president. this morning, liz cheney warned that history could repeat itself. >> are you suggesting that january 6 could happen again or maybe something worse? >> i think there's no question. you know, we've now seen the consequences. we've seen how far the president, president trump was willing to go. >> the lawmaker who replaced her in the house republican leadership was making it clear that damn the consequences, gop is donald trump's party, full stop. >> we're unified and talking about conservative principles. president trump is an important voice in the republican party. we're working as one team. >> nearly four months after he left office, the republican party is now firmly back with donald trump. the ball is in his kous, as they say, next to the tennis pavilion
8:05 pm
melania constructed in the middle of a global pandemic. the former president has purged his party. got voter i.d. laws he wants in key states he lost and mcconnell and nikki haley, his critics, saying they will back him in he runs again. even though they criticized him in the past. this is now donald trump's party. every other republican is just living in it. tonight we kick off with a different kind of guest. we don't off have former top trump officials on the sho but we're making an exception tonight. it's important that alilsa farrah has spoken out that donald trump won the election. but did work for the white house as director of communications until resigned in december. alyssa joins me now. her final stint was white house strategic director for commune
8:06 pm
cases until she resigned in december. thank you for coming on the show, i appreciate it, really do. i want to talk about you and your time with donald trump in a moment, but let's start with the republican party. you admirably opposed the party's attempt to overturn the election, quit the white house and called out the bigley. yet today with the remoal of liz cheney, the top four leadership positions are held by people who voted to overturn the election. mccarthy, scalise, palmer and stefanich. what has happened to your party? your party has gotten more extreme, not less, since january 6. >> mehdi, thanks for having me. listen, the gop is careening down a strategically unwise path
8:07 pm
and morally reprehensible one. liz cheney did the right thing. here's the problem the gop is facing, this isn't going away. voters haven't forgotten about january 6, the republican party has a numbers problem. we need addition, not subtraction, to win back the principles that we care about. but right now there's this decision we care more about loyalty to the former president, care more about trying to gloss over what happened with the election and january 6. and you know, my unsolicited advice to my fellow republicans would be the truth tends to come to the top. it's better to address it now, come to grips with what went wrong. we're going to be dealing with this going into midterms and 2024. >> yes, indeed. and you have bluntly called the attackers on january 6 terrorists in an interview with politico. you have praised liz cheney as
8:08 pm
you said for speaking the truth about it. and yet you also say elise stefanik was the best candidate to replace a cheney. how can you support replacing liz cheney with someone who voted to overturn the election, even after january 6, who went on steve bannon's podcast to support the audit of the arizona gop, who still disputes joe biden's victory. you seem to want to have your cake and eat it. >> well, i would say this. she is somebody i know well. she is a very moderate republican member who votes her district. i don't know every detail of where she came down on different aspects of the election. though i know if you asked her today she would say joe biden is the president. that's a starting point. we have got to do better than that. we should have acknowledged it the day the race was called. but she is somebody i have confidence in to make good, sound policy for the american
8:09 pm
public. >> policy aside, and you're right, she does have a more moderate voting record than liz cheney. but she still stands by her claim that one in four votes cast in fulton county, georgia, 140,000 votes, were fraudulent or illegitimate. how can anyone who holds that view be allowed near the leadership of your party. i assume you don't agree that one in four votes there were fraudulent? >> oh, i certainly don't. i'm not familiar with the comments of her, so i wouldn't want to comment on them further. but no, that's ridiculous. we have had -- we litigated this in states around the country, pennsylvania, georgia, arizona. they've been thrown out. there's no there there, and the sooner my party accepts we just came up short. we didn't win over enough people. we lost women and older voters. we need to win them back on what we're for, what we believe in. >> yes. >> what i'm fearing is that people who actually have policy
8:10 pm
positions that they want to chair are getting pushed aside in party who it's just pure adherence to supporting one man, who is not a conservative belief. the idea of just complete loyalty to one person over virtues is just fundamentally unconservative. but here we are. >> well, let's talk about that one person. you have in past interviews admitted that donald trump lied to his supporters about the election. as i mentioned, you also bluntly and rightly called those trump support who attacked the capitol terrorists. would you accept the logic of your own argument that donald trump is an inciter of terrorism? >> i think that -- i have spoken about that before. he played a role in inciting the violence on the capitol. i went on cnn shortly after and said in terms of the second impeachment, he shouldn't reit will date that day because the contacts are not on his side. there was a constitutional question about impeaching someone no longer in office. but we know what he said and we
8:11 pm
know how the people who stormed the capitol interpreted it. many of them are on the record now and said this is what we thought the president wanted towels do. and it's tragic. part of why i'm on your program is i care about convey thing to people who maybe aren't republican voters to know there is going to be a moment in this party where it's not donald trump all the time. i hope my party comes around to the principles of what we stand for. there was a time where i was for donald trump. we created an economically inclusive economy, lowest unemployment for women, african-americans and hispanics. but all of that is overshadowed by this myth that we're continuing to perpetuate. i would note, kristen welker made a good point on your network earlier, trump is about to get out and start rallies again. so this isn't going away. this isn't something that you can just brush aside. >> so you say you are pride about having worked in the white
8:12 pm
house. a lot of people would say there's much to be ashamed of before january 6. they say it's great that you spoke out and resigned in december. but what do you say to your critics who say it was too little, too late, why didn't you resign earlier, why didn't you quit when he told four non-white women in congress to go back to where they came from. why didn't you quit when he lied about covid being like the flu or talked about putting disinfectant into people's arms, why didn't you quit when he was separating children from their parents at the border? >> well, my answer to that is governing is a lot different than campaigning. i never signed up to be on donald trump's campaign. i turned down the first time he ran. but once somebody is the president of the free world, i believe that people who are willing to and who are serious should step up and try to serve. and there were people in the white house who i knew reluctantly stayed when there
8:13 pm
were very hard things said, there were hard policies they saw enacted because they knew they could imagine naturally do better. i'm not asking for a pat on the back, i managed to alienate people on the right and left, but i believe in service. >> understood, but doesn't public service involve you also saying i can't work for a racist bully who tells black and brown women to go back to where they came from, how do you go back to work the next day and say i'm a senior official for a president who says racist things like that? >> as a brown woman, i'm lebanese and syrian, it is challenging. i remember counseling him, and while i keep my conversations i've had with the president private, counseling him publicly that the easiest thing you can do is condemn white supremacist. i repeatedly told him, let's just make this unequivocal,
8:14 pm
condemn it and move on. but i would rather have people in the room willing to speak up and say those things. but i believed in about 90% of his agenda. i still didn't vote for joe biden. do i think it's probably better than he's in office? absolutely. but i believe in republican principles. we're better on the economy and national defense. >> listen, listen, i understand, i understand you believe in republican principles. i respect that. low taxation, small government, family values. that wasn't trump. trump was taking kids from the border. trump was authoritarianism. trump was telling black and brown people to go back where they came from. he was allowing about hush money payments to stormy daniels. what is the reasoning you justified that? >> let me give you -- just two quick answers there, which i was going to allude to. so i was with vice president pence during the family separation crisis, which was
8:15 pm
awful, it was terrible, it was inhumane. we did reverse it within our administration, but it was because people were willing to be in the room. i remember secretary azar who had a role in overseeing it and overturning that policy. if every person who disagreed with things the president did up and left and got their minute of putting out a right shouse statement, we would have had worse outcomes. but there's more i believed in. and the federal government, the presidency is bigger than any one man. as an arab-american, it was a great moment to be in the oval office during the signing of the abraham accords. there are things we have to be proud of. but we need to live based on facts. >> we do, we're out of time. but i have to ask, you said one question people would say is why
8:16 pm
did you help try to re-elect him, if donald trump runs again in 2024, will you as a republican oppose his candidacy or say yeah, he did bad things on january 6, but if he's the candidate, i will support him. will you oppose donald trump if he's the republican candidate in 2024? >> yes. i will not be supporting donald trump in 2024. >> alyssa, thank you for being on the show tonight. i appreciate you coming on. thank you. >> thank you, mehdi. coming up, congresswoman jayapal had to seek shelter on january 6. what does she make of the call by republicans to move on? plus, the israeli/palestinian conflict is nothing new, but there's something different about this round of fighting. why one lawmaker is saying palestinian lives matter. that's ahead. palestinian lives matter that's ahead "making a fire" by foo fighters ♪ ♪
8:17 pm
the best part of stepping into the spotlight isn't the awards ♪ ♪ or the acclaim. the best part of stepping into the spotlight is helping others step into theirs. ♪ it's time to ignite ♪ ♪ i'm making a fire ♪ ♪ na na, na-na-na-na ♪ ♪ you've got the looks ♪ ♪ let's make lots of money ♪ ♪ you've got the brawn ♪ ♪ i've got the brains... ♪ with allstate, drivers who switched saved over $700 click or call to switch are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? what if your clothes could stay fresh for weeks? now they can! downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load and enjoy fresher smelling laundry.
8:18 pm
with 6 times the freshness ingredients, downy unstopables gives you more of what you love. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. seeing blood when you brush or floss can be a sign of early gum damage. new parodontax active gum repair kills plaque bacteria at the gum line to help keep the gum seal tight. new parodontax active gum repair toothpaste.
8:19 pm
8:20 pm
this week, house democrats unveiled their plan for a response to the january 6 attack. the plan includes $1.9 billion to address security flaws at the capitol, as well as a bipartisan 9/11 style commission to delve into exactly what went wrong that day. the commission would produce a final report detailing findings, and give recommendations to prevent future attacks by the end of this year. nancy pelosi says the house could vote as early as next week. for more on this, i'm joined by democratic congresswoman, chair of the progressive congress, pramila jayapal. we saw those terrifying images of you on january 6 as the rioters tried to take over congress. how do you respond to gop
8:21 pm
congressman likening those attackers to tourists? >> mehdi, it is just insanity that they refuse to accept what happened on january 6, and worse than that, are trying to rewrite history. we have to remember that police officers were killed on that day. mike pence was caught -- he was chased down, people were trying to hang mike pence, calling for mike pence to be hanged, trying to kill nancy pelosi. and hundreds of rioters have been charged already with federal crimes for what happened january 6. and so my belief is that these republicans who refuse to accept what happened on january 6, or who continue to, you know, try to rewrite history, are actually a serious national security threat to our democracy. because if we don't get to the bottom of what happened on january 6, if we don't hold
8:22 pm
accountable those who are involved, then our democracy will suffer. and that is a very, very serious thing. liz cheney this morning, i heard you talk about this in your opening, this could happen again. and i think for those who were trapped in the capitol, and you showed that shot of me there, it isn't just the personal trauma that we deal with. it's the fact that we understand how deeply fragile this democracy is, and how close we came on january 6 to losing it. >> so congresswoman, given all that, when you see joe biden meeting this week with republicans, including kevin mccarthy, who voted to overturn the election, when joe biden meets with them to search for a quote unquote bipartisan solution on infrastructure, how do you work with a party that doesn't accept the legitimacy of the presidential election result? i hear the word bipartisan these days and i feel like i'm losing my mind.
8:23 pm
how do you do deals who deny election results? >> well, we can't. i mean, i think it's been extremely hard for us, particularly in the house. it is impossible really to work with the vast majority of republicans on the other side, because they won't admit what is true. they have become the vast majority of them have become a one-man cult. and the only thing that's required to be a member of the republican party is to pledge feelty to donald trump. and liz cheney was kicked out of leadership because she didn't do that. so i have no faith whatsoever that republicans are going to suddenly see the light and come along and come up with a bipartisan deal. and remember that it's not just kevin mccarthy. mitch mcconnell said 100% of his focus was on stopping the biden agenda. so the idea that we're going the find a bipartisan deal and be able to meet the kind of once in
8:24 pm
a generation investment that joe biden has laid out, and that we are pushing that and more, is inconvooefable. so what i have said to the white house, if they want to come along, they have to do it now. and i just have very little faith that's going to happen. i think we should move forward with a big, bold package, get this done and move the country. >> i'm with you when it comes to lacking faith in any kind of bipartisan solution. staying on the topic of safety, congresswoman. your colleague, alexandria ocasio-cortez was harassed by margorie taylor greene. it's not the first time that greene has gone off to aoc. there's a video of her in 2019 when she was a private citizen. have a watch. >> stop locking your door and come out and face the american
8:25 pm
citizens that you serve. if you want to be a big girl, you need to get rid of your diaper and come out and talk to the american citizens instead of us having to use a little flap. >> nancy pelosi is saying she thinks this will require an ethics investigation. margie taylor green had a photo removed by facebook when she was holding a gun next to the squad and, oc. is this unprecedented to have members in fear of their lives from another member of congress? i feel she's done enough for expulsion. >> i've signed on to that resolution to expel her from congress. but i want to be clear about something. it isn't just alexandria ocasio-cortez, it's cori bush, it's eric swalwell. i mean, there are numerous members that are being harassed
8:26 pm
by margorie taylor greene, and kevin mccarthy, the leader of the republican party, and steve scalise and elise stefanik are responsible for letting that continue. they kicked justin amash you have of his committees for criticizing trump, and they have refused to take any action against margorie taylor greene. no action. so they are, you know, going along with this, and in fact, encouraging it, because she's raising a lot of money and they're hoping she's going to continue to raise money for them. >> congresswoman, 30 seconds left. i have to ask you, the situation in gaza. this week, progressive democrats, we see them be more critical of israel in my lifetime. are things changing in the democratic party on israel and palestine? only 30 seconds left. i want your take. >> israel's behavior has gotten to outrageous with the annexations. human rights abuses. it is starting to change, and i
8:27 pm
believe joe biden needs to be far stronger than he has been so far. this is a human rights crisis, and we need to address it. >> congresswoman pramila jayapal, thank you for being with us this evening. appreciate it. >> thank you. coming up, the problem with how some people talk about the growing israeli/palestinian conflict. it's now at jews versus muslims. so we're getting ready for the 60-second round. i'm getting my timer ready. that's next. but first, richard has the headlines. >> a very good sunday to you. some of the stories we're watching. two brothers sent tensed to death have been awarded $75 million in damages. they spent nearly 31 years behind bars for a murder they did not commit. their attorney said they were coerced into confessing. chick-fil-a is imposing a sauce limit to customers. they're giving one dipping sauce per item.
8:28 pm
chick-fil-a said that it's due to industry wide supply chain shortages. and officials are looking for a potential arsonist who may have set off a brush fire. the fire has grown to over 1300 acres. about 1,000 people had to evacuate their homes. more of "the mehdi hasan show" right after the break. he mehdi " right after the break. and ask your doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin.
8:29 pm
tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. hey limu! [ squawks ] how great is it that we get to tell everybody how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? i mean it... oh, sorry... [ laughter ] woops! [ laughter ] good evening! meow! nope. oh... what? i'm an emu! ah ha ha. no, buddy! buddy, it's a filter! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ nobody builds 5g like verizon builds 5g because we're the engineers who built the most reliable network in america. thousands of smarter towers, with the 5g coverage you need.
8:30 pm
broader spectrum for faster 5g speeds. next-generation servers with superior network reliability. because the more you do with 5g, the more your network matters. it's us...pushing us. it's verizon...vs verizon. and who wins? you. incomparable design makes it beautiful. state of the art technology, makes it brilliant. the visionary lexus nx. lease the 2021 nx 300 for $349 a month for 36 months. experience amazing, at your lexus dealer. we're here for the heavy flow-ers and the wedgie-pickers lease the 2021 nx 300 for $349 a month for 36 months. with a pad made like no other up to zero leaks because it locks blood in up to zero bunching because it flexes no worries just always flexfoam california phones offers free specialized phones... like cordless phones. - ( phone ringing ) - big button, and volume-enhanced phones. get details on this state program. visit right now or call
8:31 pm
during business hours. after my car accident, during i wondered what my businesscase was worth. hours. so i called the barnes firm. when that car hit my motorcycle, insurance wasn't fair. so i called the barnes firm. it was the best call i could've made. atat t bararnefirmrm, our r inry a attneysys wk hahard i could've made. atat t bararnefirmrm, to get you the best result possible. call us now and find out what your case could be worth. you u mit bebe sprisised ♪ the barnes firm injury attorneys ♪ ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ now california phones offers free devices and accessories for your mobile phone. like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program visit right now or call during business hours.
8:32 pm
welcome back. it's time now for what i'm calling the 60-second rant. start the clock. earlier this week news max suspended one of their anchors. jewish americans are americans, not israelis. this is their home country. it got me thinking about how racial and religious bigotry raises its head every time israel or gaza is in the headlines. this is not a holy war.
8:33 pm
this is not about jes muslims. let's please discuss this conflict through the law of international law, human rights, self-determination. not through lazy, racist troeps about powerful jews or violent muslim terrorists. jews are not answerable for the actions of the israeli government or military. the violence is bad enough about the rest of us adding a layer of bigotry to it. coming up, we'll talk more about the escalating fight in the middle east and the parallels with black lives matter. >> palestinians are being told the same thing as black folks in america -- there is no acceptable form of resistance. o. ! (sister) you're late! (brother) fashionably late. (sister) we can not be late. (brother) there's a road right there. (brother) that's a cat. wait, just hold madi's headpiece.
8:34 pm
(sister) no. seriously? (brother) his name is whiskers. (bride) what happened to you? whose cat is that? (brother) it's a long story. (sister) oh my gosh. (farmer) whiskers! there you are! (avo) the subaru crosstrek. the adventurous s-u-v for adventurous people. love. it's what makes subaru, subaru. start your day with secret. secret stops sweat 3x more than ordinary antiperspirants. the new provitamin b5 formula is gentle on skin. with secret, outlast anything! no sweat. secret (burke) phone it in to 1-800-farmers and you could get all sorts of home policy perks like the claim-free discount. go three years without a claim and get a discount. (neighbor) just by phoning it in? (burke) just phone it in. (painter 1) yeah, just phone it in and save money for being claim-free. (neighbor) even if i switch to farmers today?! (painter 2) yep, three years claim-free with any home insurance. (painter 3) i'm phoning it in and saving money for literally doing nothing. (burke) get your policy perks by calling 1-800-farmers.
8:35 pm
go ahead, phone it in. (grandpa) phone it in, why don't ya?! ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ nobody builds 5g like verizon builds 5g because we're the engineers who built the most reliable network in america. thousands of smarter towers, with the 5g coverage you need. broader spectrum for faster 5g speeds. next-generation servers with superior network reliability. because the more you do with 5g, the more your network matters. it's us...pushing us. it's verizon...vs verizon. and who wins? you. ♪ we're not as far from our goals as it may appear. ♪ because things are coming back.
8:36 pm
♪ making now, the time to move forward. ♪ at u.s. bank, our goal is getting you to where you really want to be. ♪ because side by side, there's no telling how far you'll go. ♪ u.s. bank. we'll get there together. ♪ tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? we'll get there together. what if your clothes could stay fresh for weeks? now they can! this towel has already been used and it still smells fresh. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load and enjoy fresher smelling laundry for up to 12-weeks. israel is conducting a series of heavy air strikes agaz
8:37 pm
gaza city this evening as the death toll in the conflict there continues to rise. this week, senator bernie sanders wrote a op-ed for "the new york times" on this situation in gaza, calling on the united states to no longer be apologists for the right wing netanyahu government. one line stood out to me, the end line. palestinian lives matter. it's not a line you hear very often, if at all from members of congress in this country. you might think why is that even controversial? of course palestinian lives matters, just as israeli lives matter. all lives matter. israelis have been suffer thing past week, living under the terror of rocket attacks and air raids. ten israelis have been killed by rocket fire in this count round of violence, and we should condemn hamas for that. all lives matter. but the point of the phrase black lives matter isn't to suggest, as you know, that white lives don't matter. it's that black people are
8:38 pm
disproportionately the victims of suffering right now. and that's the case in occupied territories right now, with the phrase palestinian lives matter, because the disproportional si of violence is against the palestinians. in the 2008-2009 gaza war, three israeli civilians were killed. at least 926 palestinians were killed. in 2012, four israeli civilians were killed, 101 palestinian civilians were killed during that conflict in 2014. u.n. figures show six israeli civilians died in that conflict. 1,462 palestinian civilians were killed in the same conflict. the past week, the numbers for civilians are less year, but at least 188 palestinians in total, inclouding 55 children, have been gilled in gaza compared to 10 israelis. all of these deaths are tragic.
8:39 pm
but the disparity in numbers really shouldn't surprise us. one side the occupier and the other side is occupied. one side has some of the most powerful high tech weaponry on plan et earth. and the other side just doesn't. more and more members of congress, members of the public in this country are recognizing this power imbalance, including jewish americans. joining me now is president of j-street, a group for pro israel, pro peace americans. jeremy, thank you for joining me on the show. we heard yesterday from senator robert menendez, who has been pro israeli for many years, saying he's deeply troubled by the military actions there. there appears to be a sea change in how democrats are talking about this. listen to these house democrats wednesday. listen. >> how many palestinians have to die for their lives to matter? life under apartheid strips
8:40 pm
palestinians of their human dignity. >> palestinians are being told the same thing as black folks in america, there is no acceptable form of resistance. >> the united states must acknowledge its role in the injustice and human rights violations of palestinians. this is not able both sides. this is about an imbalance of power. >> that was on thursday. when you founded j-street, did you efficient think you would hear so many democrats speaking out so forcefully against the israeli occupation, against israeli military actions? >> well, i actually did, because what we knew is that these are the sentiments people held behind closed doors. what we knew was that we gave some political space to people to actually talk about what american policies should be and what was both morally right and strategically right, that you would begin to hear these kinds
8:41 pm
of statements in a much more balanced american policy would emerge. so it's in the a surprise to me that these are finally coming out. i'm just glad to see it. it's take an long time to get to this point. >> jeremy, we had an open letter from jewish members of congress, urging joe biden to engage further on the issue. and at the same time, over the -- i think it was last weekend, the former israeli ambassador to the u.s. gave an interview which he suggested israel should prioritize the passionate and unequivocal support from evangelical christians over that of jewish americans who he said are disproportionately among our critics. what do you make of that? >> well, i'm proud to be part of the disproportionate part of the american-jewish community that is very critical of the underlying policies oh of the government of israel when it comes to its treatment of the palestinians who live in the territory that israel is occupying.
8:42 pm
this occupation is now 54 years old. it is strategically terrible for the state of israel. but it's also morally reprehensible and runs counter to not only democratic principles, but i would say to jewish values to treat other people the way you wouldn't want to be treated yourselves. glad to see this large number of jewish congress members speaking out. you may have seen a majority of the democrats in the senate called for an immediate cease sire. so we're seeing a sea change in the overwhelming bulk of the democratic party. >> so we're seeing that in the overwhelming bulk of the democratic party, but we're not seeing it in the white house. you told "the new york times" this week the benign neglect is not a policy option. and yet that's what joe biden is being accused of. that's what you suggest he's
8:43 pm
been doing. what should joe biden be doing? and why do you think he's found himself in this one-sided, some might argue out of touch, dare i say leading from behind position on the conflict. >> the first thing we need to do is make this a senior level high priority. it's way past time for this administration to appoint somebody to be in charge on this issue. not saying that you need to launch peace talks or peace conference tomorrow and resolve the whole conflict. but to have nobody in charge, and to have delayed in making appointments and not follow through on specific policies that needed to be implemented, if not on day one, at least in the first 100 days, the administration has not moved with the speed and decisiveness that it needed to. we need a senior level envoy or diplomat in charge of policy on
8:44 pm
this issue asap. they need to lead the way, not follow from behind towards an immediate cease-fire. and then we need to get to work to address the specific underlying root causes that cause us to be in these cycles of violence. it's horrific, mehdi, to see the years after years, 10, 12, 14, now 21 where you have hundreds times thousands of people dying over and over and over again. we're not addressing the reason why this happens, which is we have to find a way for palestinian people to have freedom and self-determination in the land where they and their families have lived for generations. >> indeed we do. jeremy, we'll have to leave it there. thank you for joining us this evidence aing. appreciate it. >> thank you, mehdi. coming up, imagine being so rich that even your yacht has a yacht. that's the reality for jeff bezos. so what political weight does he
8:45 pm
pull with all that cash of his? that's next. and in the next hour, david hogg joins joshua johnson on "the week" to discuss how to prevent gun violence in america. and exploration of the shooting of the parkland shooting. parkland shooting i order my groceries online now. shingles doesn't care. i keep my social distance. shingles doesn't care. i stay within my family bubble. shingles doesn't care. because if you've had chicken pox, you're already carrying the virus that causes shingles. in fact, about 1 in 3 people will develop shingles, and the risk only increases as you age. so what can protect you against shingles? shingrix protects. now you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose.
8:46 pm
an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after vaccination with shingrix. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. talk to your pharmacist or doctor about protecting yourself with shingrix. shingles doesn't care. but we do. shingles doesn't care. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ hey google, turn up the heat. ♪ ♪ ♪ with relapsing forms of ms... there's a lot to deal with. not just unpredictable relapses. all these other things too. it can all add up. kesimpta is a once-monthly at-home injection...
8:47 pm
that may help you put these rms challenges in their place. kesimpta was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapses, active lesions, and slowing disability progression vs aubagio. don't take kesimpta if you have hepatitis b, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. kesimpta can cause serious side effects, including infections. while no cases of pml were reported in rms clinical trials, it could happen. tell your doctor if you had or plan to have vaccines, or if you are or plan to become pregnant. kesimpta may cause a decrease in some types of antibodies. the most common side effects are upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and injection reactions. ready for an at-home treatment with dramatic results? it's time to ask your doctor about kesimpta.
8:48 pm
you can't plan for your period's... ready for an at-home treatment with dramatic results? what the gush moments. but the right pad can. only always ultra thins have rapiddry technology and, they absorb 40% faster. the gush happens fast. that's why always absorbs faster. ♪ ♪i've got the brains you've got the looks♪ ♪let's make lots of money♪ ♪you've got the brawn♪ ♪i've got the brains♪
8:49 pm
♪let's make lots of♪ ♪uh uh uh♪ ♪oohhh there's a lot of opportunities♪ with allstate, drivers who switched saved over $700. saving is easy when you're in good hands. allstate click or call to switch today. so how have you been getting by throughout the pandemic? if your name is jeff bezos, the founder and ceo of amazon, the pandemic has been very, very good for you. so good, forbes estimates bezos' net worth at $187 billion. he's made nearly $75 since the pandemic began. all that shopping from home has made the world's richest man much, much richer. in fact, bezos could afford to give every one of amazon's full and part-time leaders $85,000 in cash and still be as rich as he
8:50 pm
was before the world locked down. he's got so much money, he spent nearly $500 million on a super yacht like this one, only bigger. then he realized there was no room for a hel ipad. so he commissioned a support yacht to fit alongside the main yacht to land the chopper. what is to stop a person with that much money to control the political system? coming up, we'll speak to the author of a new book on bezos. o author of a new book on bezos. a! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ advil dual action fights pain 2 ways. it's the first and only fda approved combination of advil plus acetaminophen. advil targets pain.
8:51 pm
acetaminophen blocks it. advil dual action. fast pain relief that lasts 8 hours. age-related macular degeneration may lead to severe vision loss. so the national eye institute did 20 years of clinical studies on a formula only found in preservision. if it were my vision, i'd ask my doctor about preservision. it's the most studied eye vitamin brand. if it were my vision, i'd look into preservision. only preservision areds2 contains the exact nutrient formula recommended by the nei to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. i have amd. it is my vision so my plan includes preservision. new dove men plant-based body wash is different. with plant-based cleansers... ...and moisturizers. for healthy and hydrated men's skin. relax your body and mind. shower with new dove men.
8:52 pm
certified turbocharger, suspension and fuel injection. relax your body and mind. translation: certified goosebumps. certified from headlamp to tailpipe. that's certified head turns. and it's all backed by our unlimited mileage warranty. that means unlimited peace of mind. mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. translation: the mercedes of your dreams is closer than you think. not everybody wants the same thing. that's why i go with liberty mutual — they customize my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. 'cause i do things a bit differently. wet teddy bears! wet teddy bears here!
8:53 pm
only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ see every delivery... every yikes... and even every awwwwwwww... wait, where was i? introducing self protection from xfinity. designed to put you in control. with real-time notifications and a week of uninterrupted recording. all powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. gotta respect his determination. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month.
8:54 pm
to find out how good the pandemic has been for amazon's business, the tech giant took in nearly $3 million during our last commercial break alone. and more than $108 billion in the first quarter of this year. let's discuss all this with brad, from bloomberg news, author of "amazon unbound, jeff bezos and the invention of a global empire." brad, thank you for coming on the show. congratulations on the new book. you say that amazon is getting perilously goes to invisible. what is to stop a person with as much money as jeff bezos from controlling our democracy, from being invincible when it comes to our political system holding him to account? >> well, the reason i said that,
8:55 pm
the reason i wrote that is because i looked at the scales that amazon and jeff bezos had been through, the blundering of the hq2 search, the anti-trust investigations, and they hadn't missed a step, particularly during the pandemic. and that kind of wealth and power does confer on jeff bezos and his colleagues some influence. maria cantwell, the senator from washington, proposed legislation to redo nasa's contract on mars exploration. the federal government is looking at amazon right now, the wealth and target makes it a target. amazon is being investigated by several entities. so he's got influence, amazon is a huge lobbyist. $18 million in 2020. but it also makes it more of a target.
8:56 pm
>> brad, we live in a country where billionaires largely are celebrated where we're told by a lot of our political leaders to celebrate american corporate success stories. do you believe the world is better off with amazon as it currently exists in it? and i wonder what independent book sellers might stay in answer to that question, what amazon employees who are pushing to unionize. >> mehdi, it's the animated question of my book, is the world better off with bezos and amazon in it? look, there are arguments on both sides. on the one side, this company created $1.6 trillion in market value, mostly for investor and for jeff bezos himself in some small part. it's enabled a lot of convenience, it's ushered in products like alexa into the world. at the same time, it's changed the nature of work, you know,
8:57 pm
added a fair amount of chaos to our global economies, increased the number of accents on highways and our roads as amazon delivers more of its packages. so where i come out on the ledger for amazon, and probably has been beneficial, but there are certainly things it can do and should be doing to clean up its act as it gets ever more powerful. >> i think a lot of people who lived through the pandemic with amazon regardless of politics will say amazon helped them. jeff bezos has announced he will be stepping down as ceo before the end of the year, though he will play some role as the company's executive chairman. what will a post bezos amazon look like? will it be a post bezos amazon? that's the right question, mehdi. i don't see him fully untangling right away. he says he's going to work on new projecs as executive
8:58 pm
chairman. i go back to that anti-trust subcommittee last summer where jeff bezos was sit thing on zoom alongside mark zuckerberg and tim cook. he doesn't want to be there, he doesn't want to be the face of amazon when it comes to washington anti-trust scrutiny. but i do think jeff bezos will be the loudest voice in the conference room. so in the near term, things aren't going to change, at least until that yacht is ready and bezos is spending more of his time sailing the high saes. >> yachts plural. one of the things about your book is you managed to track down the person who provided the voice for alexa through canvassing the voice active community. she had recorded radio ads. did you get to speak to alexa herself? >> i had to do a fair amount of
8:59 pm
sleuthing. her name is nina rollie. she lives in bolder. i did all my due diligence in figuring out it was her. i did give her a call. she couldn't talk to me. but it was unmistakable. that voice is distinctive. but no, i did not talk to her at length. >> i wonder if she asked alexa to hang up on you. brad stone author of "amazon unbound, jeff bezos and the invention of a global empire." thank you for your time. congratulations on the book. >> thanks, mehdi. >> thank you all for watching the show tonight. we'll be right back here next sunday 8:00 p.m. eastern. catch me monday through thursday at 7:00 p.m. eastern on "the choice" on peacock. but now it's time to turn it over to joshua johnson. >> thank you very much. and hello to you. we are seeing the latest round
9:00 pm
of heavy israeli air strikes on gaza city. after the u.n. secretary-general called for an immediate cease-fire. what, if anything, can joe biden do to ease the tensions? the republican party can split into two one probably mucn the other. how would that go? we'll consider if the gop might go in the way of the wig party. plus, march for our lives core founder david hogg is here. it will talk about his activism against gun violence and a new documentary about the students in portland. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, i'm joshua johnson welcome to the week. ♪ ♪ ♪ will the violence continue today between israel and hamas. they launched a series of early warning airstrikes on gaza city. today the israeli defense forces reportedly hit more than 90 targets

89 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on