tv The Weekend MSNBC December 15, 2024 5:00am-6:00am PST
5:00 am
hamptons to a sea turtle hospital where they get to survive. and we show how a whole community comes together to save the resource. that is really the mission of the series, to show how the human opportunity for a better life often connects to how we take care of the environment. and every creature, whether you are a keystone endangered species or a humbled squirrel, you have a place in the conversation. >> that is it for us this weekend. thank you so much for joining us. we are back here tomorrow morning for a brand-new week of morning joe. until then, we hope you have a great sunday! good morning. it is sunday, december 15th. i am here with michael steele. alecia is off.
5:01 am
today, abc agrees to pay donald trump $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit and the anchor set for depositions. and the next controversial trump pick courting senators, rfk jr., goes to the hill this week. and ben wicklow joins the conversation talking about why he should lead the democratic party in the future. get your coffee folks and settle in. welcome to the weekend. >> we are learning more about the settlement in the donald trump defamation lawsuit against abc. according to the settlement terms, abc agreed to pay $15 million to a presidential foundation and museum to be established buy or for trump. trump alleged that anchor george stephanopoulos defamed him during an interview with a
5:02 am
congresswoman back in march. a lawsuit centered around the anchor's language described trump's treatment of women and the carroll case. the settlement comes days before donald trump and george stephanopoulos were scheduled to sit for depositions in this case. joining us now, msnbc legal analyst, a professor at the university of alabama school of law and a former u.s. attorney and cohost of the hashtag #sisters in law podcast. welcome. >> good to see you. >> okay, joyce. first of all, part of the crew. >> we don't qualify, michael. >> okay, joyce. first of all, you are familiar with defamation cases. this is what you had to say on blue sky.
5:03 am
i'm old enough to remember and work on cases where newspapers vigorously defend themselves against defamation cases before the defendant is even deposed. that by the way includes defamation cases brought by candidates for the presidency albeit a third party and then you link to washington post article from the robertson's libel suit that was dismissed in 1988. i was picking out the christmas decorations last night. i was doing my nails. and i said, what is going on? i was surprised by this. >> i think everybody was surprised by this. and precisely because the depositions had not taken place yet. it seemed like a really early point in this case for it to be settled. you know the standard and defamation cases, right? in order to prevail, trump would have to prove that abc was reckless when it came to the truth or fall city of the statements they made on air. that would be a tough bar for trump to reach in this case
5:04 am
because of the kinds of statements that were made and the outcome of the e. jean carroll defamation case against trump. >> the thing i find interesting, to the point of, some folks in the media -- for example, from the new york times reporting, several experts said that they believe abc news could continue to fight given the high threshold required by courts for a public figure like mr. trump which you alluded to. the the judge in the case said basically, yes, there was rape, but the narrow definition under new york law made that a question. that is the part i don't understand. because the judge himself said
5:05 am
that. >> this is like law school 101. >> let's go back. >> the evolution of rape law and america, there was a strict definition that this was and regina and nothing else. we have a more modern definition where the allegation that e. jean carroll says trump raped her by using his finger. there is rape and sexual assault. the jury found that e. jean carroll had been sexually assaulted by trump and not raped. the judge's comment, by the way which is made after the show airs on nbc come significantly after, i think it is still powerful evidence by abc which they could have used. the judge says, and the common parliament, this is rape but the jury found sexual assault.
5:06 am
>> in that vein, this goes back to what we have seen with the media class since probably several months before the election itself. this sense of, we just don't want to engage with trump in a sort of negative atmosphere. so we want to clear the deck. we will start all over. we are going to just go to mar- a-lago and talk to him and bring people here and do whatever it takes to kind of levels set the conversation. but for trump, that is all victory. for trump, this is -- they don't even have the account set up for this. a nope -- they have no place to put the $15 million. >> it is going in the escrow like to buy the house. >> what does that say to you? i have been on this program and
5:07 am
elsewhere complaining. it is a complaint about how the legal system itself has been so easily manipulated. the media is sort of falling into that, we want to play nice. what is your assessment of how this affects the way the country governs itself when both the judicial and the media space seems so willing to blow past the obvious problems with the incoming administration? >> we all know the basics. we have three branches of government. they are meant to operate as checks and balances. and the process always referred to as the fourth branch of government. because the press plays an incredibly important rule, sunshine on government activity and by objectivity, holding government elected officials to account. the question here is, the way trump operates in the government space.
5:08 am
i think there are concerns that people have that are wide- ranging. might he interfere for instance with mergers or acquisitions or licensing? the press is in a difficult position, and everybody understands that. it doesn't change the obligation to be straightforward and objective when it comes to donald trump. >> i would say this feels like it has a really chilling effect. shout out to the standards department. they are always making sure we keep the bar high and accurate. what george stephanopoulos said in that interview, it seems to hold up to what the judge said after the fact. now this news organization and himself, paying a million dollars of his own money to the lawyers and abc15 million dollars. that is insane. and there is another lawsuit. it feels like donald trump is evading the law and then you have the one against jay-z.
5:09 am
the accuser has come forward to nbc news acknowledging the allegations, to say the least. she accused jay-z and p diddy of the rape. a limo ride to a white house. a drink that made her feel woozy. jay-z came back with his lawyer and picked apart everything she said in the interview. even her own father was like, i think i would remember picking her up and i don't. what say you about these lawsuits where people tried to file these lawsuits against people of note in hopes to get money? i don't think they thought jay-z would fight this and he is fighting. >> we don't know what the truth is. that is why we have lawsuits. parties have differences they can't reconcile without going to court. it is not unusual for a rape victim to have discrepancies in his or her story. it could be victims too. very often, especially when there are drugs involved,
5:10 am
inconsistent memory. e. jean carroll for instance, could not put a year on the incident she experienced with donald trump. in this case, there are a lot of inconsistencies. the lawyers said they will continue to vet claims. we will know more if this case proceeds or not. >> thank you so much. next hour, we will be continuing the conversation with our msnbc legal correspondent, lisa ruben. she has been on the story for us and we will get what is next for all of trump's other legal cases. >> first, rfk jr. he hopes to boost senators to secure his role at health and human services. you are watching the weekend. wee leading strategists like us. when you want to invest with more confidence... the answer is j.p. morgan wealth management sounds like you need to vaporize that cold.
5:11 am
dayquil vapocool? it's dayquil plus a rush of vicks vapors. ♪ vapocooooool ♪ woah. dayquil vapocool. the vaporizing daytime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, power through your day, medicine. with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis my skin was no longer mine. my active psoriatic arthritis joint symptoms held me back. don't let symptoms define you... emerge as you, with clearer skin. with tremfya®, most people saw 100% clear skin... ...that stayed clear, even at 5 years. tremfya® is proven to significantly reduce joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. emerge as you with clear skin. ask your doctor about tremfya®. ♪♪ we ready? mhm, hehe.
5:12 am
i need to get me a new phone. you need to trade-in that old busted up phone and get you a brand new iphone 16 pro at t-mobile. it's on them. at t-mobile, it's better over here! families save 20% every month. what a deal! to all you new and existing customers, trade in your busted old phone, and t-mobile will give you a brand-new iphone 16 pro with apple intelligence on us. plus, families can save 20% when they switch. t-mobile is one of none. go get that. what he said! ♪♪ wait. noom has glp-1 meds now? noom, the psychology based weight loss company? yes, noom combines medication and behavior change so you can lose the weight and keep it off. and it starts at just $149. noom. the smart way to lose weight. what's up, you seem kinda sluggish today. things aren't really movin'. you could use some metamucil. metamucil's psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you movin'. and try fizzing fiber plus vitamins.
5:15 am
tomorrow. vaccine skeptic robert kennedy jr. will meet with senators in his quest to head the department of health and human services. it is a big job that oversees the fda, the cdc and the national institute of health. more than 80,000 federal employees work for the agency. this comes as senator mitch mcconnell, a polio survivor, told nbc news come that it is dangerous to undermine confidence in proven vaccines. the defense of science a report from the new york times that revealed a long time advisor to kennedy at one time petitioned the u.s. government to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. joining us now is the msnbc contributor and congressional investigations reporter for the washington post, jaclyn alamein he. so good to see you at the table in person. >> thank you for having me. >> it is about to be broken down right now. >> what is going on?
5:16 am
let's be clear. can't donald trump said he would do this. is making good on his promise. the biggest difference i think between what i'm seeing donald trump 2016, and donald trump now, on the campaign and 2020, we said a lot about promises made in romans is kept. he made a lot of promises on the campaign trail and it turns out the president now is keeping them thus far. he said he would put rfk jr. in charge of this. is he likely to get confirmed? >> he is appearing to keep promises that rfk was making on the campaign trail and what agreement, informal agreement they had come as a result of rfk backing him and endorsing him and getting the make america healthy again movement behind trump. >> we are not doing that again, are we? >> i'm sorry. >> his advisors credit to helping propel him toward a win bringing in soccer moms and
5:17 am
white college-educated women who have taken up the mantle of the movement on behalf of their children. but this week, special problematic news emerged with the advisor of rfk on some of the pixie is making and bedding for health and human services especially the person who finally petition on behalf of rfk's organization to try to pause and revoke things like the polio vaccine along with 13 other vaccines that will lower in coverage. hepatitis b and tetanus. and all these vaccines we are well acquainted with and are part of the established health in america today. >> you get a tetanus shot before you start school. >> right. this is the part i don't understand. the 'maha' people seem to not get -- mitch mcconnell, who
5:18 am
was a survivor of polio, still has the effects from polio at this point in his life. this is a real disease. it is a debilitating disease. in fact, he noted on vaccines, the polio vaccine has saved millions of lives and held out the promise of eradicating a terrible disease. efforts to undermine public confidence improving cures are not just uninformed but dangerous. if rfk jr. is successful at taking the vaccine off the market for millions and millions of people, are they prepared for the impact this has on the healthcare system when all the sudden young kids start coming down with polio and the iron long and the braces and all the things that we have not seen as part of our life and culture, for 70 years suddenly are back and play
5:19 am
play? are people making any connection at all? i know the country as a whole is not antivaxer. they are just not. this 'maha' bs, that this is how we will make america healthy again, by taking vaccines off the market, i mean what are you finding when you talk to these senators and even members of the house about this? they cannot believe that this is the best health approach for the citizens that they represent. >> medical experts have been sounding the alarm on this and that is getting louder and louder. and we were talking about shockingly, rfk is someone on the hill who would likely encounter the most issues for these controversial issues. there are steps we have to go through before we get there. he was losing the support of four republican senators. mitch mcconnell likely to be one of them, especially when he is in that hearing and asked for his use and will be put on the spot to definitively say
5:20 am
whether or not he is going to revoke this. as part of his job, he oversees the food and drug administration which has the power to potentially revoke or pause some of these vaccines. trump, in his interview with time magazine this week, said the polio vaccine was the one vaccine that was a great asset and a great achievement in american history. >> the one? >> and he did at an the interview that there are other vaccines he wanted to review. >> how stupid are these people at this point to believe this? i'm sorry but this is crazy. >> this is why i think the confirmation hearings matter a lot. it seems far-fetched, what we are saying. voxel play the clip and say, michael steele is raging against the machine. but the reality is, all the things we are talking about are true. rfk jr. has said what he wants to do. about these vaccines. he has said is very
5:21 am
controversial things. he said concerning things about women and other drugs that the fda has purview over. this is not hyperbole. this is actually, we are given a straightforward sanitized version of the crises. >> it is hard to disagree with you. it is going to take a profile on courage from someone other than lisa murkowski, susan collins and mitch mcconnell going forward and rfk is turning out to be one of the most influential advisors at mar-a- lago. we are told he gives a hand not just in hhs picks but in the trump transition at large and has been placing a lot of people and different agencies. we will see how he handles these hearings but this is someone who has dedicated his career to what he calls the medical freedom movement. and someone who has worked with for
5:22 am
a long time on behalf of the organization to petition and pause and withdraw a lot of these vaccines. >> is tulsi gabbard in big trouble on the hill was senators? i heard her meetings are not going well. >> we have some different reporting that has mention of that. there are some low-level concerns, ideological and political concerns, discrepancies in the way they view foreign-policy. people like tom cotton who have a dramatically different view on how to handle conflict in the middle east. that being said, there is no indication that they are not going to support her. and we have been told behind closed doors, people like tom cotton have been willing to offer support and help guide her through the process that they will work through some of these issues. of course there is still the fbi background check. >> and working through issues for nominee that has an affinity with assad and putin. how do you work with those republicans? it is such a
5:23 am
farce. these people are so full of it that they will sit down and pontificate and they will bend over and kiss the behind on this process. that is how this will play out. all of this drama right now, i have concerns, is just crap because they don't have the will to do the right thing on tulsi gabbard or rfk jr. or on anyone else who is ill-equipped and unfit to serve in these important. and the american people will be sitting back here in 18 months going, what the hell happened? and you have to report on it. >> we are going to let you go. >> i didn't know michael was telling you how to report. >> so good to have you at the table. i hope she comes back. >> next we have gretchen carlson here.
5:24 am
we will talk about the pete hegseth nomination and nondisclosure agreements and why they make this allegation particularly difficult. you are watching the weekend. e hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. customize and sa— (balloon doug pops & deflates) and then i wake up. and you have this dream every night? yeah, every night! hmm... i see. (limu squawks) only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ ♪♪ over 600,000 usps employees working in sync to ensure everything sent on its holiday ride ends with a moment of joy. ♪♪ why use 10 buckets of water when you can use 1 fire extinguisher.
5:25 am
and to fight heartburn, why take 10 antacids throughout the day when you can take 1 prilosec. for easier heartburn relief, one beats ten. prilosec otc. one pill. 24 hours. zero heartburn. bent finger appointment in 30 minutes. you got this. one — remember, i don't want surgery for my dupuytren's contracture. two — i don't want to wait for my contracture to get worse. three — i want a treatment with minimal downtime. four — i want a nonsurgical treatment. and five... and if nonsurgical treatment isn't offered? i'll get a second opinion. let's go! take charge of your treatment. if you can't lay your hand flat, visit findahandspecialist.com to get started. ♪♪
5:26 am
5:28 am
during the presidential campaign, donald trump vowed to protect women, whether the women like it a lot not. he really said this. if protecting women is the goal, one could start with ensuring him that everyone has a place to work. free of harassment or abuse. last night, donald trump's and battle choice for defense secretary pete hegseth joined the president-elect and vice president-elect at the army-navy football game. donald trump's pick to lead the pentagon faces allegations including excessive drinking, financial mismanagement and one of sexual assault.
5:29 am
hegseth denies any wrongdoing but paid the woman who accused him of sexual assault to keep quite under a nondisclosure agreement. hegseth was never charged and maintains that it was consensual. joining us to discuss is gretchen carlson and democratic strategist julie roginsky. they are both cofounders of "lift our voices," a nonprofit focused on combating sexual misconduct in the workplace. michael has the first question for you guys. the financial mismanagement and the very real sexual assault allegations and the drinking, pete hegseth is unqualified. his qualifications to be the defense secretary is that he is a veteran. he is a veteran. thank you for your service but that does not mean that she has never run a large organization. on top of all of that, we have these very concerning allegations and i'm just flabbergasted. i'm glad you are here. >> it is great to have you both
5:30 am
here. and gretchen, it has been a long time since my days at fox when we worked together. good to see you. welcome. i want to get into the meat of what both of you are doing. i think it is profoundly important in this space. the washington post noting on hegseth's disclosure saying sometimes after the incident, the the woman and her husband hire a lawyer to ensure hegseth did not get off without punishment according to the memo sent to the transition team. hegseth's lawyers propose they sign a nondisclosure agreement. the details of which have not been made public. the agreement was signed about two and a half years after the alleged loss or assault. lawyers for hegseth said that the point here is to get this nondisclosure agreement in place and then, he can talk about it he can say whatever. he can sit there and deny and
5:31 am
say, i don't know what you are talking about. and she on the other hand is not in a position. because she signed the thing, to say anything. talk about the impact of the nondisclosure agreements in the workplace and even post a working relationship was something that occurred years later. the woman finally has the courage and the state of mind to talk publicly and callout the behavior and then the settlement around the nondisclosure really cuts off any further discussion and exposure for the person who is allegedly involved in that bad behavior. >> michael and simone, great to see you. usually nondisclosure agreements go both ways. and in this circumstance, they did. what pete hegseth's lawyer is now alleging is that a survivor in this situation, alleged
5:32 am
survivor, that she broke the nondisclosure agreement by sending information to the trump transition team. however, it was not heard that some the information. it was a friend of hers. in my mind, she has not broken this nondisclosure agreement. she has been in hiding in california ever since this became public. to my knowledge, she has said absolutely nothing about this. to your point, what happened then was that hegseth and his lawyer, because he believed or said she broke the nondisclosure, she said, we can go talk. so they went out and said she was trying to extort them and then what she said was all a lie. but in fact, she was now led out of her nondisclosure agreement. they said that 10 days ago but that was news i think to everyone on her side. but, if she did then go and say anything because she was out of
5:33 am
the nda, they would be sure to sue her for defamation along with her lawyer and her friend, to which senator blumenthal, who was on the program right afterwards, said that it is the intimidation of the witness. so this is sort of the standard way of what happens to survivors. you sign the nondisclosures. you are scared to death to say a word. and then you apparently are led out of them which almost never happens. then the lawyer in the same breath says, but if you talk, we will sue you into oblivion. and so that i would also take as a threat. but it is very commonplace and i have seen this often sends the stories eight and a half years ago. that is why we fight as an organization to get rid of these nondisclosures because they never get to the truth. >> let's talk about your organization. can we put the picture back up on the screen of pete hegseth,
5:34 am
donald trump and jd vance, the president-elect and the vice president-elect at the army- navy game. this photo, when i first saw it, i thought about was the woman at the center of the story, his name we do not know at this point and it is not publicly known. this is a show of support from the president-elect. pete hegseth is embattled. donald trump is throwing all of his weight behind him. and the speaker of the house, mike johnson, as well in that box and i think we saw elon musk behind them as well. this -- i don't think this makes people want to say, okay. come forward. this is a show of, you can say what you want but the president- elect is standing with this person. your organization, talk about your corporate scorecard. jim vandehei wrote about this. the new corporate scorecard to
5:35 am
shed a light on the secret practices companies use to silence workers about sexual harassment and discrimination. so the idea behind the lift our voices scorecard system is to track employers using india's and enforce arbitration. and others like health insurance are paid leave. i think what you are doing is really important. and we need to talk more about it. because i'm looking at pete hegseth and it is giving me flashbacks of brett kavanaugh . >> thank you for mentioning the corporate scorecard. it is important for employees to know whether the prospective companies are intending to silence them from the first day of work. and more than a third of all american workers are bound by the nda's. over 80% of all american workers are bound by forced arbitration. and they can effectively prevent people from coming forward in the daylight and sharing their stories with anybody. and by anybody, i mean their spouses or parents or children or priests or rabbis or
5:36 am
psychiatrist or anybody. which goes to show how extensive the silencing is in the american workplace and something i think more people should know about and be aware of before they take a job so that they know whether the employees are silencing them. as for pete hegseth, we work very hard to pass the speak out act which is a lot to ban or predispute the nda's for sexual misconduct or assault. and it was a groundbreaking while the first time the federal government really put a marker down saying that the nda's are not appropriate. and it is frustrating for us to see a lot of the same senators who worked on both sides of the aisle. the senate and the house with a lot of republican support. to see the very people that stood up at a press conference with who spoke very clearly about the need to end the silencing of women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed. now to say, except for pete hegseth, that is okay.
5:37 am
i was very taken aback by senator rick scott who again supported the law saying that she should continue to be bound by her nda and when asked about why she wasn't able to come forward, they said, we haven't heard from her and this is all in new window. and would you support her going forward? know. she has an nda. none of this makes sense. the senators, members of the house and certainly the senators that will vote for pete hegseth, they know better. because we spoke to them. we know where they stand on these issues with their own boats. and when it comes to the president-elect selections of not just pete hegseth but other people who engage in sexual misconduct coming to the administration, they just will not stand up and it is very disappointing and i hope that they actually listen and change their minds in the course of the coming months. >> gretchen, that raises, as
5:38 am
we try to figure out how to move forward, it does raise a very important question. not just on the corporate side of your scorecard but also on the political side. the men and women who, in elected office, yes, say one thing but do another. and does the organization look to hold folks accountable in the political space as well? because in my estimation, that is a lot of where the energy for this really gets ratcheted up. because you have political leaders saying, pete is good. but wait a minute. he has all of these sexual allegations and offenses and an nda. all of this stuff says maybe there is something else here and yet they seemingly want to look past that. it seems a little bit of
5:39 am
something that should be corrected. what do you think? >> how about disingenuous. this is why america is apathetic about politicians. it has been going on for centuries, that they don't do what they say. i think one of the things, a lot of events happening here. president trump coming in and having more power over elected officials and maybe any other president in the history of our nation, as far as them falling in line. and one thing i noticed over the last week is a big talking point on the republican side was that suddenly we are not going to believe anonymous sources. that was news to me as a journalist. and to both of you and julie as well. the bedrock of journalism is anonymous sources. suddenly we are not going to believe them? now they are saying that all of these anonymous sources we are talking about, at fox news or the anonymous sources that said they have been sexually
5:40 am
harassed by him. this woman said she was sexually assaulted by him. unless they put a name and a face to it, we don't believe them anymore. that is not the way the system works. in journalism or with sexual assault. why do we call people jane doe? we do that on purpose because there is an intense fear of coming forward and do you want to have the maga right coming after you if you come forward? why is this woman and hiding? look what happened to christine blasi ford. it ain't fun to come forward. i think what is so disappointing in this discussion is that the maga talking point in the last week has been, we no longer believe anonymous sources. and it was very interesting to me because during this whole shooter situation at unitedhealthcare over the last couple weeks, there have been tons of anonymous sources, from his fraternity or people who knew him. and why didn't they want
5:41 am
to put their name and face on it? because they didn't want to get involved and because they were scared. it doesn't mean that what they said was not true. so i think it is a confluence of a lot of things happening here. but the number one thing is that our elected officials are scared of what will happen to them with blowback from donald trump and his supporters. and that is shameful. >> that is shameful. unfortunately, we have a hard break. i'm so sorry. but gretchen carlson and julie roginsky, thank you so much. it is good to see you both and talking about "lift our voices." >> next, donald trump's cabinet could be the most wealthy and history. there are a lot of rich folks coming to town. we have more on this coming up. you are watching "the weekend."
5:42 am
still have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis... ...or crohn's disease symptoms after taking... ...a medication like humira or remicade? put them in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief with rinvoq. check. when flares tried to slow me down,... ...i got lasting remission with rinvoq. check. and many were in remission... ...even at nearly 2 years. and rinvoq... ...helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check. rapid symptom relief. lasting remission. and visibly reduced damage. check. rinvoq can lower ability to fight infections. before treatment, test for tb and do bloodwork. serious infections, blood clots, some fatal;... ...cancers, including lymphoma and skin;... ...serious allergic reactions;
5:43 am
gi tears; death;... ...heart attack; and stroke occurred. cv event risk increases in age 50 plus... ...with a heart disease risk factor. tell your doctor if you've had these events, infection,... ...hep b or c, smoked,... ...are pregnant or planning. don't take if allergic or have an infection. put uc and crohn's in check... ...and keep them there. with rinvoq. ask your gastroenterologist... ...about rinvoq. alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice, and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain.
5:44 am
i've been worn by celebrities, athletes, and world leaders. but i've always felt most comfortable up here, with the folks that made me who i am. i'm right at home, out here on the land. and i'm in my lane on the shoulder of the interstate. because this is where i come from. i've been showing up here for nearly 200 years. and i can't wait to see what's next. hats off to the future. nothing runs like a deere™
5:45 am
welcome back to the weekend. from photo ops at mcdonald's to touring factories and riding and garbage trucks, donald trump spent the 2024 campaign cycle insisting that he was the candidate for the little guy. the little people. the working man and woman. now, with the election won, trump is assembling the richest cabinet in american history. several billionaires and other superrich players are hoping to take top government positions. it looks like they are well- positioned to do so. if all confirmed, trump's cabinet secretaries would easily surpass $14 billion of net worth. dwarfing the forbes estimate of biden's 118 million-dollar cabinet. trump has even been set to surpass the $6 billion cabinet that he assembled in his first term. that has watchdogs the worried. under trump, the white house will serve the highest bidder
5:46 am
and not the hardest worker. joining us now is the president of citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington. >> that was a read mr. chairman . >> people out there will say, what is wrong with rich people in the cabinet? everybody has had alien errors or couple millionaires before in the cabinet. what is wrong with billionaires ? >> first of all, there is no reason why you can't sometimes have somebody who has been successful in business and it is the right choice for a cabinet official. you don't want to rule out anybody categorically. when you have a cabinet or leadership team that is dominating by millionaires or billionaires, you start to worry that this is going to be a government that will work for millionaires or billionaires and do what is beneficial to them and not what helps regular americans were the country. it is really two problems. it is that.
5:47 am
it is a question of, will they work for regular americans? and the second piece is an actual conflict of interest where you may have these people who have business interest directly implicated by the work they do and we want to know the our government officials are working for us and not to benefit their own bottom line. >> the idea of benefiting the bottom line goes to your point about how this could have an impact on public policy and legislation. and the tax-cut victory the president had in the last cycle or last term, households with income in the top 10% received an average tax cut of about $60,000 compared to an average tax cut of less than $500 for workers and working families out there. my question is, all this talk about being for the little guy, the republican party has shifted and we are about the common everyday man. why hasn't someone put a construction
5:48 am
worker as head of hud, housing and urban development. or get a real emergency room doctor, a real physician and put them in charge of the fda or put them in charge of health and human services altogether. how about we go out and get a teacher has a who has been teaching high school or elementary school for 45 years and make then the secretary of education? the point is that there are real people doing the real job who are not asked to the table when it is time to govern the country. now we are seeing this doubling, tripling down on putting the oligarchs, the upper upper classes in charge of the system to control and regulate the very people who are actually out there every day doing the job. and i think that that is something that, i know you and others have been interested in. at large, we have never moved
5:49 am
in that direction as a nation. using real people to do the job and governing real people. >> it sounded like you described some of joe biden's cabinet. he had a teacher and a farmer. >> i think part of the issue is, donald trump is a billionaire who, in his first term in office, used the presidency both to directly benefit his business or businesses and to pass policies that were really good for millionaires and billionaires. so we are the people he knows and who are the people that agree with the things he wants to do? they tend to be other millionaires and billionaires. despite the rhetoric we have heard on the campaign trail, this is what he has always done. this is who he has governed for. every indication we have right now is that this will continue. >> privatizing the postal service. citing financial losses. according to the washington post, donald trump is eyeing this. president trump has expressed
5:50 am
key interest and the privatization of the u.s. postal service. three people with knowledge of the matter said this move could ship hundreds of thousands of federal workers out of the government. he has discussed his desire to overhaul the postal service at his mar-a-lago home with his pick for commerce secretary and the cochair of his presidential transition. the postal service is older than the country. it really is. >> and it has never been intended to make a profit. are you concerned about the potential of a cessation of the postal service? my mail don't always come on time as it is. but who are we going to give it to? >> that is a real concern. the postal service is one of a lot of things the government does that is not meant to be motivated by bringing in money. it is meant to be providing a service to americans. it gets medication to people who needed. it gets benefit checks. the kinds of things regular people rely on. and if you make it all about turning a profit, the question is, are those people going to
5:51 am
get the things they need? and that does not seem to be what is motivating. >> i guarantee you the cost of a stamp will be over a dollar if you privatize. >> all right now. i'm going to get some stamps. >> you better get those forever stamps now before they privatize. $2 to send a letter to your grandma. anyway, go on. >> noah bookbinder, i don't know people are still sending letters to grandmas. we appreciate your time. we hope you come back. next folks, the washington new drone obsession. lawmakers up and down the eastern seaboard are calling on the pentagon to do something. be sure to follow our show on social media. our handle everywhere is at the weekend because on msnbc. he's like a puppy again. ♪ (banjo playing) ♪ c,mon bo! this is a before picture of bogart. such a big boy.
5:52 am
pre-portioned packs makes it really easy to keep him lean and healthy. and look at him now. he's like a show dog. [silence] bogue, can you give daddy a break here? he's having a hard enough time. ♪♪ vicks vapostick provides soothing non-medicated vicks vapors. easy to apply for the whole family. vicks vapostick. and try new vaposhower max for steamy vicks vapors. harry and david is small batch, gourmet, and
5:53 am
delicious. so, of course they run out fast. whether you want to say, "thank you", "i love you", or just "happy holidays" - send something special, beautiful, and delicious. order your harry and david favorites now before they're gone. hi, i'm susan lucci. you may know me from my many years on television. i never thought about heart disease until i had my own heart event. i felt this slight pressure on my chest, just slight. i thought, oh, it's nothing. it'll go away. i didn't get it. i did not get it. but, a few days later, while shopping at a boutique, that pressure returned much stronger. it felt like an elephant pressing on my chest. i had a 90% blockage in my main artery and a 75% blockage in the adjacent artery. i was rushed into surgery where i received two stents in my arteries, stents developed through research funded by the american heart association. those stents saved my life.
5:54 am
that's why i'm in front of you today, asking you to join me in supporting the american heart association by becoming a monthly donor. call now or go to helpheart.org. for only $19 a month, just $0.63 a day, you can help fund the next medical breakthrough, get the next person trained in cpr, the next hospital certified in high quality cardiovascular care. i'm so grateful to the american heart association. their research helped save my life. i can enjoy life with my children, my grandchildren and my friends. heart disease is america's number one killer, and your support now can help save your life or the life of someone you love. give $19 a month with your credit card and we'll send you this special t-shirt that you can wear to show that you are helping save lives. please listen to your heart. the only reason i'm here today is because i did.
5:55 am
so please call the number on your screen or go to helpheart.org now. join me as a monthly donor today and help save even more lives. thank you. there is no iranian ship off the coast of the united states and no so-called mothership launching drones toward the united states. >> the press secretary at the pentagon. this week, they directly addressed one of the theories about the drone settings happening across the northeast. >> regardless of where they are coming from and according to the united states, it is not iran. republicans and democrats want the federal government to do something about the situation. mr. chairman, the pentagon says it is not iran. because there are no ships off
5:56 am
the coast. what is going on with the drones? >> it is our friends. they are here. they have been here. they are in the water and in the air. >> folks out on the street know what is up. they just want everybody to tell us what it is. >> so you think it's the aliens? >> here's the deal. when you are looking at the behavior of the object in the sky, its ability and its speeds and its directional changing like that -- >> but they know it is a drone. and here is my thing. i'm not about to utter these words. donald trump posted on his social media a site, how does the government not know where the drones are coming from? and how could this be happening
5:57 am
without government's knowledge. let the public no or otherwise shoot them down. i don't agree with shooting them down because i don't know what is in them. we don't know if they are packed with anything. >> i think the bottom line is, as we go to that part where we get to refill the bug, because he may need a little extra and it for the next hour, the reality is very simply this. to a certain extent, trump is right. the government needs to step up its game to identify with this is. i'm not for shooting stuff out of the sky because we don't know exactly but they do need to figure out what it is and get an orientation of where they are going. >> and why don't we know what it is? >> they are up there. they go someplace after they are cited. >> so you will go and refill the mug. because i have two as you can probably tell this morning. we have some great guests coming up in the next hour including our legal correspondent lisa ruben and
5:58 am
chairman ben wikler who i'm looking forward to talking to. and congresswoman presley. you have to go fill the cups now. we will be right back! right b . easy to take cough relief, anywhere. chew on relief, chew on a ♪ robitussin ♪ ♪ chew♪on a ♪ ♪ ♪ (vo) whether your phone's broken or old, we've got you. with verizon, trade in any phone, any condition. it's your last chance to get iphone 16 pro with apple intelligence. get four, on us. on any unlimited plan. only on verizon. i love that my daughter still needs me. but sometimes i can't help due to burning and stabbing pain in my hands, so i use nervive.
5:59 am
nervive's clinical dose of ala reduces nerve discomfort in as little as seven days. now i can help again feel the difference with nervive. ok y'all we got ten orders coming in.. big orders! starting a business is never easy, but starting it eight months pregnant.. that's a different story. i couldn't slow down. we were starting a business from the ground up. people were showing up left and right. and so did our business needs. the chase ink card made it easy. when you go for something big like this, your kids see that. and they believe they can do the same. earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase with the chase ink business unlimited card from chase for business. make more of what's yours. how are folks 60 and older having fun these days? family cookouts! ♪♪ playing games!
6:00 am
0 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on