a very good day to all of you from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. and a happy new year's eve to everyone. welcome to alex witt reports. we begin this hour with some somber breaking news. the retired pope benedict the 16th died overnight at the age of 95. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> the basilica there of the national shrine of immaculate conception in washington d.c. telling its bylaw 95 times this morning to can sum commemorate the passing of the pope benedict. pope benedict's health declined usage. he passed away early this morning at the vatican nearly ten years after suddenly

resigning from the papacy because of the sailing how. nbc's molly hunter is joining us at the vatican. molly, welcome. we know every other pope since the 15th century have led the catholic church until their death. so what do we know about funeral plans, especially since there hasn't really been one for a retired pope in what, six centuries. >> six centuries. and certainly the vatican didn't release any plans over the last several weeks or days, alex. before i go to the actual, planning i do i don't know if you can hear the hints of the background. i do want to just bring our audience a little bit of this. this is the final prayer service of the year 2022. pope francis had already scheduled. does this was pre-scheduled. he started his plans even other news of course this. morning this is the first time that we saw him since the news of his predecessors that broke. i just want to share a little bit of what he said tonight to open up of service. he said, with emotion, we remember his character. so noble, so kind, and we've got so much kara gratitude in

our. hearts gratitude to god, for having given him to the church and to the world. gratitude to him for all the good he has done, and above all, for his testimony of faith and prayer. especially in these last years of his retired life. and, alex this is i message that we are hearing. of course, we heard officially that he had taken a former pope benedict had taken a turn from the worse from pope francis on wednesday. and i just want to take the opportunity, my colleague and thompson takes a look back at his life and his legacy. i will talk to you on the other side. we >> benedict the 16th. the tsai theology professor from germany, what we remembered as the pope who shocked the world. resigning the papacy in february 2013. i hope to voluntarily stepped down in 700 years. >> i think it may be his finest legacy to the church. the greatest gift to the church. because really, he brought the papacy into the modern age. >> 85 years old when he made his decision, benedict decided

cited his advanced age and his inability to give the world of 1.2 billion catholics elaborate or ships needed. benedict left a church growing in africa and asia, but tarnished by scandal in europe in the u.s.. the man many hoped would reform the korea, the bureaucracy the runs to, church wasn't stuck betrayed by. at his own butler, leaking confidential documents revealing corruption and inviting. and, speculation about the investigation into the scandal ordered by benedict, dominated the final weeks of his paper seem. the continuing revelations of sexually abusing children once dismissed as an american issue, savagely european church. in benedict germany, belgium, france, and ireland, stories of molestations and cover-ups shook even the most faithful. for benedict the 16th, the role of pope was not a natural fit. an academic, he wanted to retire to his native bavaria to write books. instead, at age 78, he was elected to succeed john paul the second. one of the most influential and

charismatic folks in history. we >> won was a philosopher, the other was a theologian. one was a large-scale public personality, the other was a shine scholar. >> the oldest man elected pope in nearly three centuries took on modern issues, defending the catholic faith against relativism. opposing women priests and homosexuality. speaking out against climate change, and putting solar panels on the vatican. with >> benedict led the churches to social media, using an ipod to send his first tweet. joining facebook, setting up a youtube channel. we >> and, benedict created a potential problem for the. church to living. popes benedict took the title pope emeritus, continue to wear white, and moved into a restored content in vatican city, a short walk from his successor francis. at the, and asked, promised that expect his final days out of sight from the church he'd once led. a man of principle and great intellectual power, deeply rooted in his fate. we.

>> now,, alex our thanks to and chances for that beautiful look back at his life and legacy. but we will hear from pope francis again. he will hold mass tomorrow. and, just after he finishes this evening it's prayer service, he is expected to come out here to st. peters square and actually visit the nativity scene just behind me. so we will keep you posted when we see him in the next couple of days though. there is no playbook, and we just found out from the holy see press office today, exactly, or at least a few of the things that we can expect. so we expect the body of the pope emeritus to be lying in state, alex, starting on monday in the st. peters silica for the faithful to come about their final farewell. the funeral will happen on thursday morning, 9:30, here in rome. in st. peters square. alex, we expect that to be open to the public. and, as expected, pope francis will be presiding over that funeral. of course, this is a history making moment. the first time in over six centuries that a current pope has presided over the few no mass of his predecessor, alex. >> yeah, it is gonna be utterly extraordinary to watch on thursday. molly, thank you so much.

beautiful reporting from you. appreciate. that we have more breaking news. television legend and trailblazers barbara walters has died. walters broke barriers, starting at the today show, and continuing to abc. becoming the first female anchor on an even news program. she first appeared on camera on nbc in 1961. we >> are star staff writer barbara walters to go to paris to cover the fashion openings. >> and if you're very chic and very rich you have one for each finger. >> extraordinary, there. while walters also became a co-host of 2020, and then years later, she launched the view. in a career that spanned five decades, walters won a total of 12 emmy awards. barbara walters died friday at her home in new york city surrounded by loved ones. she was 93. we are going to have much more on her life coming up in our next hour. but now, we are getting to the day's other big breaking news. a new development in those mysterious murders in idaho.

right now, police are searching for 28 year old brian coburg years motive. after police say he killed the four college students. cover your was captured and charged friday in pennsylvania. nearly 2500 miles from the scene. police say, they conducted more than 300 interviews and duck through nearly 20,000 tips in their nationwide search. nbc's dana griffin is in moscow idaho with the very latest. dana? >> according to law enforcement so sources, dna played a key role in connecting colbert or to these murders. exactly how they got that evidence, has yet to be revealed. >> a sigh of relief for a community on edge. 48 days after the gruesome murders of four university of idaho students we >> have an individual custom would-be who committed these horrible crimes. >> 28 year old brian colbert was taken into custody friday morning in monroe county pennsylvania which >> charged with four counts of first degree more murder. john video shows police that

the suspect's home friday where the biggest public clue in the case so far, a white hyundai launcher, was also removed, police say. the arrest comes the same day crews started cleaning out the six bedroom rental hole where madison, bhagan ethan shaken, and seen occur noble were found murdered november 13th. autopsies showed all four were likely asleep when they were attacked. some had defensive wounds. two other roommates, home at the time of the slayings, were never hurt. police say, they were not involved. this case has drawn national attention from internet slough speculated about the potential sub specks and motives, leading police to over 19,000 chips, while dispelling unfounded rumors. cooley's vowing, this case would not go cold. >> these murders have shaken our community, and no arrests will ever bring back these young students. however, we do believe justice will be found through the criminal process. >> coburg areas listed as a ph.d. student in the department of criminal justice and

criminology at washington state university. investigators also revealed, they have not found the murder weapon. >> providing any details in this criminal vacillation, might change the criminal prosecution or alerted the suspect of our progress. >> one of the missing pieces to the puzzle, a motive. as investigators connect the dots. >> we coworker is expected to be back in court on tuesday, if he fights extradition. investigators tell me, it could take several weeks if not months to get him back to idaho. back to you. >> okay, dana, thank you for that report. a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. winston churchill said that about soviet russia. it is also an apt description of donald trump's taxes. until now, what we learned might be at once shocking but not at all surprising. and, can congress do anything to prevent this mess? because you know, it is going to happen again. to happen again. we

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release of donald trump's tax returns. republicans are slamming the decision, saying, it's such a bad precedent. but other lawmakers, say it reveals important information. nbc's garrett haake has more on what the return show. >> former president trump is vowing retribution against democrats in congress after a house committee made public six years of his federal tax returns on friday. ending a three-year legal battle that went all the way to the supreme court. >> the radical democrat's behavior is a shame upon the u.s. congress. this president must now be applied to the aircraft democrats themselves. >> the you thousands of pages of mr. trump's tax returns show the former president paid relatively little in federal taxes from 2015 through the end of his term. including a zero dollar federal

tax bill in 2020, as his businesses struggled. the returns showing that, despite a pledge to donated his 400,000 pro presidential salary, he reported no charitable contributions in 2020. and, also showing the billionaire losing money in four of his six years covered. appearing to undercut a critical element of his political biography. his success, as a businessman. >> what donald trump does is collect money from businesses he house, and that the businesses lose money. he uses those losses to offset the income that flows into his pocket. overall, he is a terrible businessman. the >> filing show, he maintained foreign bank accounts in china, the united kingdom, and ireland. and, in 2020, reported a total of $70 million in income. but even greater losses, across 15 countries. including china, qatar, and turkey. the returns posted friday after the supreme court ruled in favor of the house ways and means committee in november. a party line committee vote

last week, authorized the returns release, with redactions. we committee democrats arguing, mr. trump's break with decades of precedent, and refusing to release his returns as candidate, made today's release necessary. >> all right, garrett hague, thank you so much for that reporting. joining me, now michigan congressman dan kildee, a democratic member of the house ways and means committee. good to see you, sir. particularly on a holiday. thank you for joining. us now that trump's tax information is in the hands of americans, what is the key takeaway for them to understand about them? >> i think a couple of things. number, one probably the most significant, is that during president trump's term of office, somehow it was arranged that the aires would not bother his taxes. even though, that is when the policy of the irs since 1977. after the nixon era. so, the big first takeaway is, a big question. why didn't the irs do what they

had been doing before and after president trump? and that is audit the taxes of the president of the united states. the other takeaway of course is, the obvious use of every potential tool. and it remains to be seen whether these are legitimate. every potential tool that former president trump used to avoid paying taxes. so, for most americans, the simple question is this. do you think it is fair that a person who purports to be one of the wealthiest individuals in the country, one of the most successful business people by his own assertions, is it fair that he pays more taxes, then the school teacher, or firefighter, or somebody who just goes to work every day to try to make ends meet? i don't think that american people will accept that. >> can i ask you also about one element of garrett reporting. the president held foreign bank accounts. foreign interests, investments, that kind of thing. how unusual is that and should

that be frowned upon for a president of united states? does does it all offer some level of potential compromise? >> this is one of the issues. it's not unusual for a person with you know tentacles of business interests spread out over the industry. but, for a president of the united states, it is quite unusual that he would continue to have these entanglements, number one. but secondly, as you recall. there were calls when he was elected for him to place all of his interest in the blind trust. >> which he said he did. >> he said he did. he placed them under the control of his kids, and then you see even during the administration he continued to have financial transactions with his own children. i think donald trump says a lot of things. i mean, for example, he said if he had his way he would have released his tax returns. himself. >> didn't he say that

repeatedly? because he was being audited? >> part of the problem here is, he said it was because he was being audited. of course, what our research indicates is that, he was not being outed to. >> but even then, there is nothing that prevents a person who has a portion of their returns being audited from making them public to anybody they choose to. there is no legal prohibition on releasing an audit. and here's the thing, he was the president of the united states. he is not some random person with that congress picked. we engaged in this inquiry because of the serious questions as to whether the irs was properly enforcing the tax code on the president of the united states. and by my analysis, i spent a couple of hours with these returns myself a few weeks ago, it appears that they were not. and that is really troubling. >> so, trump has responded to this release saying in part, the democrats should never have

done it. the supreme court should never proves it, and it is going to lead to horrible things are so many people. let me hear spots to that. and, does all of the set some kind of a new precedent, and will republicans use it against democrats and or president biden? >> well, donald trump makes a lot of threats. he will continue to do. that but, to the extent that a president has been set, i am willing to accept, either in other words. if in the future democratic president of the united states somehow manages to keep the irs from doing what they were committed to doing, and that is to audit his or her taxes, and then it is revealed as a part of the inquiry that there are really substantial questions about the use of the tax code, i am fine with that. the president has unique and extraordinary powers. and i do think that a higher standard is certainly acceptable. that is why our legislation to require the audits would make

sense. we also have other legislations that would require candidates for president and officeholders to disclose their tax returns. so, if the standard now is, if there is another circumstance where somebody has manipulated the system to waive former president trump has done, and commits the release of tax returns, does not. and, convinces a somehow that the irs to not to what they've been doing for all these years, and that is all that there are, jones then fine. i think that is a precedent that violence could -- -- you. >> let me ask you quickly as we take a listen to pete buttigieg go on the debacle that was southwest airlines operations this week. take a listen to what he had to say about. it we >> are going to be putting southwest airlines under a microscope in terms of they are delivering these kinds of reimbursements and refunds to passengers. the airline said to me that they were going to go above and beyond what is required of them.

i am looking to make sure that they actually do that. and if they don't, we are in a position to levy tens of thousands of dollars per violation per passenger in fines. >> what can congress do about this? not only relative to this horrible week, but in the future to keep it from happening again? >> i'm convinced that secretary buttigieg who used the tools that he has, but it may be that congress needs to provide a federal government greater tools. because i know representative khanna, for example, my friend from california, has adjusted much steeper penalties when airlines engage in this sort of behavior. there's other increasable take place. i believe the suns this airline industry generally is such an important part of our critical transportation infrastructure, that we need to be as firm as we can to make sure that while they can operate in a free market, they do so knowing that when they finally their commitment to customers, there is gonna be a steep price they pay. >> yeah, we don't ever want to

see the video that we kind of see on the other side the screen. they're people searching for the luggage. anyway, happy new year to you, my friend. michigan congressman dan kildee, it's good to see you. thank you >> you are all probably as exhausted as we are about hearing about mar-a-lago but there is one more mystifying events get over today. why? what? some answers, maybe, next. answers, maybe, next. ♪ ♪ you've done the hard part. you quit smoking. now do the easy part and get scanned for lung cancer. if you smoked, you may still be at risk, but early detection could save your life. talk to your doctor and learn more at savedbythescan.org

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and it helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. so pull it in close. secret works. transcript from the generous committee prying into the trove of witness testimony about the. attack 20 when you transcripts from some of the most high-profile figures surrounding the former president, including his lawyer rudy giuliani. his deputy chief of staff, tony ornato. and jared kushner. all were released to compliment the 845-page report before the panel dissolves tuesday. among the findings, emails from jared kushner showed donald trump wanted to trademark the phrase, rigged election days

after election day 2020. tony ronaldo, former secret service agent, testified he could not remember if he knew the proud boys were when its leader visited the white house in december of 2020. ginni thomas, the supreme court just wife of clarence thomas told the committee she regrets sending messages to former white house chief of staff mark meadows saying, i would take them all back if i could today. she also denied discussing her role in charge of the election results. the committee member zara lawford now says that is not enough. >> justice thomas would be well advised to recuse himself from participating in matters that relate to this, he should have done so for the other cases >> joining me, now our dear friend peter baker, msnbc political out in the analyst, chief correspondent in the new york times, and coauthor of the divide, or trump in the white house 2017, to 2021. peter, tell me that most

significant information you've gleaned from this latest batch of transcripts. all from trump's inner circle, and what kind of impact it can have on the former president? >> of course, it's fascinating. because you get the texture, the detail that you couldn't have gotten in all of those hearings, the big strokes obviously we do know already from the executive celebrating from the border of those hearings. but you hear all kinds of interesting voices inside. for instance, rudy giuliani saying that even he thought the idea of seizing voting machines, which was urged on the president by a number of his advisers, was so outrageous, so over the top that would be something he would think president trump would be impeached over, for instance. you see struggles within his own team over how far to go. people like eric herschmann, his attorney who are arguing against some of these more outlandish ideas, and telling him in rather colorful language what would happen if they pursue, them ece as you pointed out, jared kushner, that email is fascinating. there's so many rich details

that they have compiled for history that will be looking through these i think for days weeks and even years to come. >> yeah. even more than 150 transcripts have been collected. over 1000 remain under wraps before the committee and it dissolves on tuesday. so, peter, does this testimony fill in crucial gaps for doj investigators? yes, they have been conducting their own interviews, but do we know if the 16 committee has done a little bit of work for them if they care to accept it? >> it's a great question. we don't know of course how many people justice -- has interviewed. we don't know if they have covered the same gamut of people that the committee did. but the committee has done extensive work. such extraordinarily comprehensive research into this that you have to imagine there are things in there that just, that hasn't been seen before. they haven't had time to go after. and at the very, least could provide a roadmap where their investigation should go or even potentially evidence that they can use if they ever get to a court of law.

so, 1000 interviews, 1200 interviews. there has to be something in there that they haven't seen before. and i think that this is going to put the pressure on the justice department to begin to move a little bit faster. there's a lot of people asking that the committee here. and a partisan political committee, with all of the encumbrances that implied, could get this much done in two years. why, the justice department with the resources, in the power that, has the subpoenas in grandeur, it's still basically not yet gotten to the point where they have accountability? >> so this op-ed by to law professors. it was published in the washington post this week. suggest that special counsel jack smith, attorney general merrick garland, should defer serious consideration of criminal prosecution until the newly elected congress have a chance to consider the 14th amendment option mentioned in a single paragraph by the january six committee. so, they are referring, peter, to section three of the 14th amendment. barring insurrectionists to hold future office. just waiting on congress to

push through the 14th amendment to 14 criminal action. is that the likeliest scenario? the smartest one going forward? >> see, it is hard to see that being merrick garland's calculation. i don't think that is the kind of thing he would probably consider his view of his job is that he is there to enforce the law. not to act on a political calculation. and having congress vote the 14th amendment would be a political calculation to some extent. obviously, it's not going to have. and we have a republican house coming. up the idea that republican house would vote to disqualify donald trump from running for office seems pretty farfetched. so, that doesn't seem like a very likely scenario at this point. i understand the argument, the constitutional argument that that is what the 14th amendment gets out. it was passed after the civil war. it hasn't really been used very much in the century since then for any current modern kind of context. although i think that there was some elected official recently who is involved in january six he was disqualified from running as a result. never applied to president,

hard to know whether that would actually stick. if it, did it almost certainly don't go to the supreme court. it would be litigated, it would be a fast process. so, that really put things on a really slow track in the department justice if it went that way. >> so extraordinary. so much of this is unprecedented. 11 move on again, as you know donald trump is expected to have a medieval ability tonight. 9 pm, just hours before we bring in the new. year do you he know what this is about and is expected to be an announcement of some kind, and let me ask you about the timing. what do you think that? >> i do not know what it is about. i have not heard any details about it. they haven't slept out lately. at least that i know. of >> could be another nft thing. >> exactly. could be a fundraising gimmick. could be, maybe he is just. he's a showman >> that is the essence of his politics is to keep people on the hook. suspense. cliff-hangers. he kept that show of his the apprentice going for 14 years on air even though it's basically the same show week after week. it was hardly a new concept.

each week, and yet somehow managed to get viewers to come back for more. so that has been one of the superpowers in politics, obviously. getting attention, trying to get people to follow him. one of the things that this indicates i think is how desperate he is for attention at this point. i don't think he has got the attention that he thought he would afternoon saying that he is running again. i think the attention of course has mostly been negative in the four of the general six committee, his taxes being, released continued investigation by the justice department. so, he is looking for some way to change the subject, to get attention in a positive way, or at least a way that turns on his terms rather than everybody else's terms. >> well, speaking of negative, at least in his perception of this, although having read through it he was it was an extraordinary article. i'm talking but the one that he slammed from new york magazine reporter olivia nitze. it is an of our article. she won it last. week and she called this one a reelection his run for reelection,, sad lonely, thirsty, broken, and basically pretend.

how damaging has reported for his campaign? >> well, you can see by his reaction gets. tim what gets under his skin is the idea that he is not a serious character, the idea that he is alone, the idea that people don't like him, the idea that he's but. that ick she portrays him as a pathetic figure. that's the one thing he can accept. you can exit being called a loser. he can't accept being portrayed as pathetic. everything else, he can more or less live with to some extent. he once said, we have this in their book to the divider, he wants that in the presence of dave, the only bad publicity is if they call you a pedophile. everything else is okay more less. so you can see, in his case just getting attention, even negative attention has been more or less okay with him. but loser, pathetic, those are things you don't like that's why he's reacting so strongly here. >> okay, it will words never be applied to you. my friend, thank you so much. peter of a great new years. >> happy new year. >> well there is every week to be glad he didn't get on the plane, this was. it was stranded passengers can expect next from southwest. plus, the preparations for the biggest party in the u.s. a. party in the u.s. a. party in the u.s. a.

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is ending on a calmer note. thousands of flight cancellations caused mass chaos all across this country. according to fight reports, 80 flights been canceled today, 70 tomorrow, only one for a

southwest airlines. nbc's chris pereira is in baltimore more at washington international airport. larissa, welcome. is it safe to say that airline issues have been resolved? is it all in the clear from earlier this week? >> what we can say is that it looks like things are headed in the right direction. even just looking behind me, it looks like we are not seeing the same cast that we were seeing before. our crews have been here all week documenting the chaos at the airports. but let's just talk about how things are looking right now. 60 domestic flights canceled today. less than ten tomorrow and this is really night and day from what we were seeing over the last. week 16,000 canceled flights for southwest alone. that is over the span of one week for one airline. and we know just how stunning those visuals were. we saw cfc cases from around the country. we saw people driving have across the country to reunite with their suitcases. people were missing out on holidays with loved ones.

this was a religion magic time for travelers who were not expecting this. and they were only seen it with one domestic airline. so, as we know, in the department of transportation is looking into this. so we want to travel expert to talk about what happens next. >> there's four points that they have communicated that they are looking at southwest to address as quickly as possible. and first and foremost, that is getting people to their destinations as safely as quickly as possible. as well as providing those reimbursements for expenses incurred due to the cancellations. refunding has passengers that have canceled their tickets and decided not to travel at all, versus getting rebooked. and then lastly, getting their bags. back so those are the four points of the d.o.t. is going to hold them. to >> so, obviously, there are no refunds for a must holiday with family. but when it comes to refunds, southwest says they will be issuing those out over the next couple of weeks. but, alex, something that i found interesting is nearly 1 million people were impacted.

so i think it will be interesting to see when the timeline actually ends up handing out. but regardless, this will be a very expensive and costly misstep for southwest. >> oh my goodness. can i just give a shout out to jeff. lu i did a cross-country flight this week. it went off without a hitch. and i'm, like thank you. i am a loyal customer. and i'm going to stay. so there you have it >> all right, marissa. thank you so much. >> i am sure. those of us who are able to get from point a to point b. thank. you we are just hours away from being in the new year. across the, world festivities and your 2023 are already underway. here's a look at celebrations right now in bangkok thailand. those fireworks are just were just underway moments ago. here in new york city, crowds are returning after two years of scaled back by festivities during the pandemic. let's go to nbc's kathy park who is joining us now from times square. lots of preparations to share about the big night with us tonight. also, the weather. what is the forecast? any concerns is gonna put a damper on things?

>> hey there, alex. happy new year to you. well, as you, know preparations and planning for new year's eve celebrations here in times square really kind of begin after that confetti has picked up from the last celebration. and, obviously with the crowds expected to basically cram the streets of times square later on this evening, roughly 1 million people are expected to be in this area. security is extremely tight. you see the barricades already up. road blocks in place and this really is just the beginning. rain is in the forecast. we got a little soaked earlier in the day. it is supposed to kind of pick up later on this evening, as well. but umbrellas are banned because it is one of the security measures they have in place. but, fortunately everyone that we have spoken to they are certainly in good spirits as they were in the new year. >> the crossroads of the world, counting down to 2023. >> three, two, one, happy new year. >> the iconic new years eve

celebration and crowds returning. after two years of scaled back festivities due to the pandemic. this year's theme, the gift of love. >> i don't know if it was going to be a would happen again after everything that happened. so, it is very surreal >> with no covid restrictions, officials estimate roughly 1 million in times square. heightening security throughout the city. >> at this time, there are no specific credible threats to new york city or any of our events or any new years eve. >> from boston to atlanta, other major cities are ringing in the new year like in years past. what >> does it mean to see times square come alive like this? >> it is like a whole sense of community >> everyone is grateful to be back in healthy. it's time to celebrate. >> and, alex, this is all a big change from new year's eve 2020, with just a handful of frontline workers were invited here to times square today. it is first come first serve,

and you can bet the line is growing. so, good luck, if you are headed this way, navigating through the crowds. also a good look at here has one of these. >> i was lucky enough to get this. yesterday >> a hot item. that is actually part. you just to reiterate. even with the weather, no umbrellas right? just the ponchos if you have to cover yourself. up >> exactly. eat out that. right there is a long list. no umbrellas, no large backpacks, large bags, cooler. so, yeah, you probably want to go online to just see that complete less because you probably have to turn around if you do have one of those items in possession. >> but the glasses. on i just want to see what they look like tanya. come on. it's kind of cool. >> all right, i'll do. when >> you are rocking, it kathy. part thank you so. much >> happy new year. >> so, how does the gop solve a problem like john george santos. ? the story gets more just bizarre by the day? >>e by the day >>e by the day >>rybelsus®.

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residential read a article on the truth social called the coming. split which argues in favor of splitting the gop and a half. the right wing website, american grace miss, says what should we do when majority rip publicans want trump, but the republican party says we can't have him? do we knuckle under and vote for on dos santos because he would be vastly better than any democrat? i say, no. we don't knuckle under. and i like to santas. i'd vote for him after trump's second term, but not before. >> joining me now to discuss this and, more michael singleton, political strategist and host of screen share an msnbc on peacock. >> four republican congressman from florida. also an msnbc political analyst. welcome gentlemen, good to see. about sure michael.

should trump be sharing this article, and have it be seen as an endorsement of him? i mean, what could be his motivation for sharing it, and do you think it is any kind of a warning to his potential challengers? >> well, first, happy holidays alex and happy new year. and i think it is quite clear what the former president is intending to and indicate. and that, is that he is not the nominee of the republican party will. he more than likely won't do much of anything to help whoever will become the presumptive nominee, and he will likely will motivate its voters to stay home and not vote for those individuals, which is essentially what that authors arguing for in that column. it has been one of the greatest concerns that i had, and many other republicans have, is that if trump is not the nominee, he will bring down the entire ship. and it is very clear by that article, alex, what his indications are. and i think it has been why so many republicans have raised concerns about trump's presidency, before he was the nominee, that if this guy

becomes president, and he doesn't win, he is going to feel that he is -- duran again, and nobody should run against. him and that is not the way primary process is working this. country at least a should work that way. >> so, does this give you proof, carlos, that he doesn't care about the gop, he only cares about donald trump. and to that, and what he then potentially run as a third party candidate and bring down the gop by doing so. >> alex, this is information to. things one, we have known for very long. time trump only cares about himself. the republican party was a vessel for him to get publicity and to grow his brand. to enrich his family. that has always been the case. and, here we go with another confirmation of that simple truth. the other one is that, he is obsessed with florida's governor ron desantis. he knows that ron desantis has been pulling ahead of him.

not just in state polls, not just in florida, but also in some national polls of the republican primary voters. and, this really is affecting donald trump. so, anything that he finds out on social media, that he can share that is negative or somewhat critical of what ron desantis, that is like cat never. him so, yes. donald trump is a big problem for the republican party. always. was now people are starting to realize a. when >> can i ask you, though, karlus if you were to do, that in the short term obeah disaster. would allow the republican party to return to a sense of normalcy pre-trump? i mean, long term picture, with maybe any benefit to that? >> that's a great question, alex. and that is what a lot of republicans have been waiting for. that moment where republicans wake up, rip off that band-aid, and say, we can't keep

following this guy down this road because we know where it ends. it ends in a very bad place for the party. and frankly, not just for the party but for the country. so, as donald trump continues reducing himself as his next bankruptcy, this one political, becomes more and more obvious. republicans are finally starting to distance themselves from him. not in the careful way, or the quiet way that they have been doing for years. every day, more loudly, more obviously. and, i predict that that will only continue as trump continues to diminish himself. we >> here's another republican to see we're gonna discuss, guys. congressman elect george santos will be sworn in on tuesday. federal prosecutors in new york are investigating santos. he said this week that he embellished claims about his background. others used a different word to describe. but, sure michael, what do you make of how republican voters have reacted to the shocking revelations?

we >> honestly, the guy has lived his entire. life it's all fabrication. so, for all we, know is his name really george santos? i have no clue. you look at his background, he went for making $50,000 a year to nearly 1 million dollars a year later. i, mean that is a significant gap. that's for someone who spent a lot time of the visceral, that doesn't have a very often, alex. let me tell. you and, so they need to look at this. and i think he's going to be sworn in. republicans have an obligation in congress to make sure that he does not sit on any committees and doesn't have any committee assignments. former congressman can speak to this world cup than i can. but i think republicans have to make it very clear that the party won't tolerate individuals who tell blatant lies. but, then one must say, well look at the former president. and, greta, the lives might be different in some way, but we tolerated that for four years. we are still sort of tolerating it with the election quote unquote we. you have a congressman elect, who is following suit in the standard that has been. laid by the former president,

by gubernatorial candidates like kari lake, et cetera. that has become the norm and it cannot become the norm. so, alex, to the previous conversation,. i think the party has to make it clear, we need to return back to normalcy. and that is making sure the people like trump, and also george santos, don't become the norm for the republican party. we >> question on a logistical level, carlos, given your history in the house. would he get that kind of security clearances he needs? will that be a safe thing to give george santos, to set him on committees? or cut that alone be something that republicans used to keep him from really doing anything productive for the next two years? >> so, alex, this is a tricky situation for house republican leader kevin mccarthy. kevin mccarthy has no votes to spare on the 3rd of january. he needs to get to 218. there are some republican holdouts. he is trying to convince them to get behind him.

so he is going to need to george santos's vote. but, i think once that process is over, whether mccarthy makes it or not, you can expect house republican leadership to cut george santos loose. this is a major distraction. i think the point earlier about this being evidence of the culture of dishonesty that donald trump has created within the republican party, that's true. but it is just not sustainable for someone who is under investigation, who has lied to blatantly and so on us obviously, to remain member of the house, to remain a member of the republican column dress. so no, i don't think they will see to mom. committees i've spoken to many congressional republicans who would like to see him go away as soon as possible. so, i think you can expect santos to get sworn in. to serve for a short time. and then she resign or be expelled from the house. >> you have to wonder too, about the poor voters. if they are wondering, what happened here? what have we got representing

us for the next two years. anyway, i believe that is rhetorical question. good to see. both happy new year to you, as. well we will see more to a 23. let's go now to that breaking news from idaho in the killing and for college students. so much mystery remains surrounding the southern arrest. today, new details are painting a picture if you could have imagined. the latest, at the top of the hour. ined the latest, at the top of th hour (classical piano music) - [reporter] one of the deadliest mass shootings in us history at pulse nightclub in orlando. - [barbara] walking into the building for the first time after the shooting, it was crippling, but it had to be preserved. if you are an ally of this community, speak out. there are more of us together than apart. it is the power of love in its rawest form. (classical piano music)

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