so please, call or, go online to myaclu.org today.

good morning. it's sunday, december 15th. i'm melissa murray, filling in for ali velshi. with just five weeks until inauguration day donald trump's administration is continuing to take shape, with new announcements just hours ago. last night trump picked long time loyalist devin nunes and richard grenell, among others for roles in the new administration. nunez a former republican congressman has been tapped to lead the president's intelligence advisory board, an independent group within the executive office that oversees the intelligence community. according to trump nunez will continue to serve as ceo of truth social while in this new

government role. nunez served as the chair of the house intelligence committee during trump's first term and used that perch to defend trump during the fbi's russia investigation, alleging in a 2018 memo a conspiracy against donald trump. and perhaps that's exactly why trump picked nunez for the gig. he says in a post on truth social that nunez will draw experience from, quote, his key role in exposing the russia, russia, russia hoax. richard grenell a long-time trump adviser who served in a whole host of roles in the first trump administration was tapped by trump for a newly created position, presidential envoy for special missions. trump said in a social media post that grenell will work in, quote, the hottest spots around the world, including venezuela and north korea. the president-elect announced a slue of other appointments after he attended the 125th army-navy college football game this time

flanked by a posse of political allies and cabinet hopefuls, including pete hegseth and tg. -- tulsi gabbard. also in attendance mike johnson who enjoyed football before a difficult week on capitol hill. the house is weighing a continuing resolution that would fund the government until march. if the resolution fails the government will shut down on december 20th. i'm joined now by democratic congresswoman jasmine crockett of texas, she represents the state's 30th district which includes parts of dallas and tarrant counties. welcome, representative crockett. so do you expect the house -- >> good to see. >> you great to see you. what do you think of this continuing resolution? is this something that you expect your colleagues to pass this week in a divided and polarized chamber? >> i do. you know, every time we've had a c.r. i absolutely felt like it was going to fail, and democrats have had to carry each continuing resolution that we

have had to make sure that the government stayed open. so, you know, ultimately i think we will come down to doing the same thing that we've done the entire 118th congress is democrats will most likely have to carry the day, but if speaker johnson is put into that situation again, that means that we will at least get some of our priorities across the finish line. >> let's talk about that. if there are republican holdouts that are preventing johnson from passing the c.r. and you need democrats to lend a hand in the effort, what exactly will the democrats be asking for in exchange? what are the priorities that you are going to push as leverage for this c.r. to get the government funded? >> yeah, so every time we get one of these c.r.'s there's always cuts and the cuts tend to be around lgbtqi a issues or around abortion access issues for our federal employees, whether we are talking about our military or otherwise. so making sure that we don't have what i would continue -- what i would consider to be more

so nothing burgers, you know, those deal breakers for us, making sure that we are actually funding the government, focusing on that and not doing kind of a bunch more of the kind of red meat issues. so we'll see what they decide to do, but typically we strip out those very wild things they've been going after and allow for just kind of a clean c.r. >> let's switch gears from capitol hill to a new york city courtroom. this week daniel penny was acquitted in the choke hold death of jordan neely on a new york subway. you called the decision a miscarriage of justice. yesterday penny joined j.d. vance and donald trump as a guest at the army-navy football game. why do you think the gop leadership has championed penny's cause and what do you make of this going forward for the administration's responsiveness to questions of violence and perhaps even these -- the violence against individuals like jordan neely

who are trans or out or african american in these public places? >> yeah, you know, when i was practicing civil rights law and i would end up at protests and things like that one of the things that i used to talk about is that justice should not be something that evades everyone or situations where it's just us, right? you know, we are living in a world in which we are seeing modern day lynching take place in front of our eyes and it's okay. that is considered justice, right? and, you know, if we are really going to say that we believe in justice and equality for all, then it doesn't look like this. it doesn't look like because i am black or because, let's say, i'm brown or because i'm something other than a white male then somehow it is okay to kill me. i have never seen that written into the current modern day statutes for any of our states. so why is it okay?

again, we are being dragged back to the 1950s where we're seeing these lynchings and, guess what, somebody doesn't go to jail when it comes down to killing one of us. we know that this guy was not concerned about whether or not his life was at risk at all. we know that those that were watching were saying, hey, stop. he is under control. you're going to kill him. and he continued to go forward. we have some serious problems in this country and i'm going to tell you that a lot of them surround race and if we don't talk about it then they are going to continue to fester. >> let me ask you about a different question. you have been very outspoken about the need for president biden to use his clemency power to address and perhaps even pardon those individuals who have been convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, many of whom are black and brown. we talked about the pardon power with rachel barko from nyu in the last hour. one of the things she was weighing was whether or not the president might use the pardon power to preemptively pardon physicians who might be targeted

by the incoming administration for violations of the come stock act, the long dorm ant 1873 act that the new administration says they will begin to enforce again as a means of affecting essentially a nationwide ban on abortion provision. is this something that you will push with this administration as it exits? >> yeah, i mean, i hadn't decided that was one of the things that i was going to drill in on at this moment. the last time you and i talked i talked about the fact that we are trying to push the president right now as it relates to the crack cocaine disparities and making sure we bring about some equity on that because it's still 18 to 1 disparity. would i be supportive of this? absolutely. especially since a.g. paxton the terrible attorney general in my state has already decided that he was going to sue a doctor in new york for sending abortion pills through the mail to a woman down in the state of texas. so i do think that this protection is needed, but i do think that it is important,

again, to point out that we have an administration that doesn't want to move this country forward but instead wants to take us back. the fact that they want to bring out another zombie law, we saw what happened in arizona when that supreme court thought that that was a good idea. it did not work out at the polls for them. so i am hoping that by the time we get to the midterms people are reminded of why we kicked trump out the first time and they say, well, we may not be able to kick him out in these two years, but hopefully we can slow down this terrible agenda that is not one that is about pushing america to be america the great that we know. >> all right. that's democratic representative jasmine crockett of texas. thanks so much for joining us. coming up, a group of democrats is urging biden to pardon at least one more person, an environmental lawyer who they say was unfairly targeted by a prominent oil company. i will talk to jongsman jim mcgovern of massachusetts about those efforts. plus imara jones will join

me to discuss what the trans community is doing to protect itself ahead of the new trump administration. that's up next. ration that's up next i'm barbara and i'm from st. joseph, michigan. i'm a retired school librarian. i'm also a library board trustee, a mother of two, and a grandmother of two. about five years ago, i was working full time, i had an awful lot of things to take care of. i needed all the help i could get. i saw the commercials for prevagen. i started taking it. and it helped! i was better able to take care of all those little details. people say to me, "barbara, you don't miss a beat." prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. a mystery! jessie loves playing detective. but the real mystery was her irritated skin. so, we switched to tide free & gentle. it cleans better, and doesn't leave behind irritating residues. and it's gentle on her skin. tide free and gentle liquid is epa safer choice certified. it's gotta be tide.

where can nfl fans get a great deal that turns christmas day tide free and gentle liquid is epa s into game day?tified. x marks the spot. the nfl is streaming christmas day games exclusively on netflix, and you don't want to miss a moment. gather round the game because nothing says holidays like family and football. now xfinity customers can add streamsaver including netflix, peacock, and apple tv+ for just $15 a month. stuff your stockings with tons of entertainment and tons of savings. bring on the good stuff. xfinity.

syrian schools reopened today for the first time since the assad regime was overthrown. this is a promising sign of a return to normalcy in that embattled country and it comes as secretary of state antony blinken says that the united states has been in direct contact with the forces that are now in charge in damascus, despite that new group being designated a terrorist organization. joining me now to discuss all of these developments live in damascus, syria, is matt bradley. matt, you've been there reporting on this regime change and in doing so you have new reporting on the startling connections in syria between the international drug trade that helped fund and fuel the assad

regime. what have you learned? >> reporter: that's right, melissa. you were talking about a return to normalcy, we're seeing signs that have all over the place, people going back to school, businesses being open, but there's still, as we come upon exactly one week and just a couple of hours since the regime fell we're also seeing more signals of those institutions, the pillars of the regime, the things that held it up, however flimsy they were, falling as well. here is our report. a week after bashar al assad fled syria, satellite images showed russians forces the backbone of assad's brutal dictatorship for ten years packing up heavy weapons. throughout syria celebrations for the fall of assad and the pillars that once propped up his regime. it wasn't so long ago that this place was making potato chips and then the old regime took it over and turned it into a

factory for narcotics. as syria's economy collapsed during its nearly 14 years long civil war the assad relined on drugs as a source of currency. this would be just as much at home at a nightclub than a rebel field. this man said they destroyed a whole generation so assad could earn as much as possible. he said all of this is ready for export. it's hidden inside this fake box to basically transport what looks like wires but it's all drugs. fueling the assad regime's narco state. during our visit the original factory owner turned up. >> he says now that he's back he's planning on developing the

factory again and turning it what it was before which is making chips, chocolates and snacks. >> reporter: hope for renewal, like so much else in this new syria. melissa, you know that factory owner at the end of that package, his story is like so much other people here. he has lost everything, he has to rebuild everything in his life, but he's still so optimistic and happy and ecstatic because this regime has left and that is the reality here, despite the devastation across this country, you're seeing smiles in the streets. it's really remarkable. melissa? >> thank you so much for that reporting. that was matt bradley from nbc news in damascus, syria. i beg your pardon. president biden says he's not done exercising the clemency power. up next, i will talk to congressman jim mcgovern about who he thinks should be at the top of biden's list for executive clemency. that's all up next. 's list for executive clemency that's all up next —no peeking. —okay. okay. ♪♪ open. ♪♪

♪♪ over 600,000 usps employees working in sync to ensure everything sent on its holiday ride ends with a moment of joy. ♪♪ the united states postal service. y'all see this, patrick mahomes is saying goodbye! patrick! patrick! people was tripping. where are you going!? he was actually saying goodbye to his old phone. i'm switching to the amazing new iphone 16 pro at t-mobile! it's the first iphone built for apple intelligence. that's like peanut butter on jelly...on gold. get four iphone 16 pro on us, plus four lines for $25 bucks. and save on every plan versus the other big guys. what a deal. that's a lot if you ask me. ya'll giving away too fast t-mobile, slow down. the best moments deserve the best eggs. especially when they're eggland's best.

taste so deliciously fresh. with better nutrition, too. we love our eggs any style. as long as they're the best. eggland's best. so, you know, han is 22 years old, and we've been together most of my life. not often do you have a childhood dog that, that lives this long so i think it's really unique and special that we've experienced so many, so many things in life together. knowing that he's getting good nutrition and that he has energy is a huge relief for me and my dad. “such a good little bean.” we're so grateful to have had this time with him, so let's keep it going and make every day special.

patients who have sensitive teeth but also want whiter teeth, they have to make a choice- one versus the other. new sensodyne clinical white, it provides 2 shades whiter teeth as well as providing 24/7 sensitivity protection. patients are going to love to see sensodyne on the shelf.

chase really knows how to put the hart in your local community. see what i did there? hey, jackie! (♪♪) evan, my guy! you're helping them with savings, right? (♪♪) i wish i had someone like evan when i started. somebody just got their first debit card! ice cream on you? ooo, tacos! i got you. wait hold on, don't you owe me money? what?! your money is a part of your community, so your bank should be too. like, chase!

congressional lawmakers are urging president joe biden to pardon environmental lawyer steven donziger. the push comes after biden issued a historic clemency package on thursday granting pardons to 39 individuals and commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 others. it's the largest single-day act of clemency by any president this united states history. donziger is best known for securing a historic $9.5 billion settlement against oil giant chevron on behalf of ecuador's indigenous people. they said that the oil giant dumped toxic waste into their lands and the case helped expose a history of poison soil, toxic waste and villages ravaged by cancer. he became known as the amazon chernobyl. chevron never paid the judgment, instead it waged a legal campaign to discredit donziger, including filing a civil suit

accusing him of violating ak tearing laws. ultimately a judge ruled in chevron's favor and donziger was convicted in 2021 of a misdemeanor contempt of court charge. 68 nobel laureates and a group of human rights organizations have denounced donziger's contempt conviction. his allies including greenpeace warn that the conviction sets a dangerous precedent and could have a chilling effect on the broader environmental justice movement. this week's history clemency announcement comes after biden faced criticism for issuing a sweeping pardon to his son hunter biden who was convicted earlier this year of gun and tax crimes. biden has previously issued categorical pardons for some individuals convicted under federal marijuana laws as well as lgbtq+ service members who were discharged because of their sexual orientation, but advocates including my next guest are urging the president to do more. for his part, biden says he will continue reviewing clemency petitions during his final weeks

in office. joining me now to discuss the push for pardons is democratic congressman jim mcgovern, who is behind the congressional effort to get donziger pardoned. he is the top democrat on the house rules committee. last week you along with 30 other members of congress pushed president biden to pardon steven donziger. why did this particular individual make it to the top of your list? >> well, because i traveled to ecuador in 2008 and i saw firsthand the mess that chevron left behind. it's unconscionable and i was ashamed, quite frankly, that this was a u.s. corporation that committed this terrible human rights crime because it is a human rights crime, and they have done nothing to try to remedy it. so, you know, i followed donziger's, you know, attempt to win a judgment on behalf of the people of ecuador, he won, and then i was shocked at the retribution that followed from chevron. rather than respecting the

judgment, rather than investing in cleanup and helping these poor people in ecuador, chevron went after steven donziger in an unprecedented way and i think it was a terrible injustice. look, this is like the -- this is like a david and goliath story and chevron, you know, used its corporate wealth and its legal connections to target steven donziger and to ignore the contamination it left behind in ecuador. >> let's talk about how they actually targeted donziger. it's somewhat unusual. as you know the pardon power is only available to deal with criminal matters, federal criminal matters. here, though, chevron brought a private civil lawsuit against donziger but he was then subsequently convicted of misdemeanor contempt of court charges. how typical is that? that's the federal crime for which he's been convicted. >> i don't think it's typical at all. i'm not a legal expert but it's

high lie unusual and shows the extent that chevron was willing to go to to try to basically avoid paying the judgment that a court decided it owed the people of ecuador. again, i mean, he was -- almost three years under house arrest, spent some time in jail, was disbarred and his passport was confiscated. chevron bullied him and got away with it and had a corporate-friendly judge that most legal experts say behaved in a way that was probably unconstitutional. >> so if the president provides clemency for steven donziger it will be a historic act certainly and it will be in the context of this last week's broad grant of clemency to numerous individuals, the biggest grant of clemency in the history of the presidency. what do you make, though, of president biden's record overall of using the clemency power? >> so, look, i think the

clemency he granted, a whole category of people last week, i appreciate it. and i think it was an important thing to do, but in many respects it was kind of a safe thing to do. i think it is important for him to tackle cases and pardon people like steven donziger because it shows that we are on the side of the little guy, not just on the side of the big guys, the big corporations. so this may not be as safe, but, i mean, i think people are tired of corporations, you know, calling the shots in this country and globally and i think this is -- this would be a symbol and a signal that, you know, we are on the side of regular people, of people like the indigenous communities in ecuador who got screwed by chevron. >> so what other cases do you think the president should exercise his clemency power in addition to this little guy case, are there other little guys in need of clemency and grace?

>> leonard palatier i think he should grant a pardon to. i also represent the son of julius and ethel rosenberg. we've asks for a posthumous pardon of ethel rosenberg -- >> this is the couple in the 1950s who were convicted -- >> who were executed. >> yes. >> we have documents declassified that make it clear that our government knew that she had nothing to do with spying on this country yet she was executed nonetheless. i want president biden to use these last weeks to not just do what's safe, but to do -- take on some of these more -- these bigger cases and quite frankly really need -- in the case of donziger, this is a terrible, terrible injustice and i hope that he ultimately grants the pardon. >> i believe the kids call this leaving it all on the dance floor. so we will urge the president to do that. >> i'm with you. >> thank you, democratic representative jim mcgovern of massachusetts. up next, what you need to

know about donald trump's strategy for ending birth right citizenship and why it is such a radical far out idea. that's up next. such a radical far out idea that's up next ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ woah, limu! we're in a parade. everyone customize and save 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. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ subject 1: who's coming in the driveway? subject 2: dad! dad! dad, we missed you! daddy, hi! subject 3: goodness! my daughter is being treated for leukemia. i hope that she lives a long, great, happy life

and that she will never forget how mom and daddy love her. st. jude, i mean, this is what's keeping my baby girl alive. announcer: you can join the battle to save lives by supporting st. jude children's research hospital. for just $19 a month, you'll help us continue the lifesaving research and treatment these kids need-- now and in the future. subject 4: cancer makes me feel angry. not in the feel on the outside, just the inside i'm angry at it. subject 5: when your kid is hurting and there's nothing you can do about it, that's the worst feeling in the world. announcer: 1 in 5 children diagnosed with cancer in the us will not survive. subject 6: those that donate to st. jude, i hope that you will continue to give. they have done so much for me and my family.

announcer: join with your debit or credit card now, and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt that you can proudly wear. [speaking spanish] subject 7: are you ready to go have some fun? subject 8: yeah! subject 7: yay! subject 9: when we came here, we didn't know what tomorrow would hold. st. jude showed us that tomorrow there's hope for our little girl to survive. announcer: let's cure childhood cancer together. please donate now.

trans people make up roughly 1% of the american population, yet they became a flash point

for republicans' attacks during this election cycle. according to data from the ad tracking firm ad impact, republicans up and down the ballot spent at least $215 million on anti-trans ads. 26 states have passed some kind of ban on gender-affirming care for minors. according to the williams institute at ucla's law school, more than 113,000 trans and gender nonconforming minors live in states with those bans. the last two years states have passed more than 100 laws targeting lgbtq+ rights, many limiting or banning trans health care for minors, banning trans kids from playing sports and prohibiting lgbtq+ lessons in schools. and some states have taken steps to limit the rights of trans adults as well. donald trump himself has signaled that he will take measures against trans people regardless of age on his very first day in office. last year he said, quote, on day one i will sign an executive

order instructing every federal agency to cease the promotion of sex or gender transition at any age. they are not going to do it anymore. lawmakers in some conservative states like arkansas, florida, kansas and texas have filed bills aimed at trans adults, pushing bills that would restrict bathroom use, gender markers on official documents and funding for gender-affirming care. last month after sarah mcbride became the first openly trans person to be elected to congress republican congresswoman from south carolina nancy mace introduced a bill that would ban trans women from using the women's bathrooms on capitol hill. mace confirmed she introduced the bill to target her new colleague, congresswoman mcbride. well, there are a lot of unknowns, trans advocates anticipate that the incoming trump administration will significantly roll back protections that trans people have increasingly come to rely on for health care and other protections, and this summer

trump's campaign doubled down on a plan to prevent trans health care from being covered by medicare or medicaid. with just a few weeks left until inauguration day, five to be exact, trans folks across the country are taking protective measures, attempting to prepare themselves for what is likely to come. grassroots organizers and lgbtq and pride and legal groups and community organizers in bars and social media are working to help trans folks before january 20th. they're sorting out how to maintain access to hormone therapy and are ensuring that official documentation shows the correct gender marker of the bearer. all of these steps require time, money and know-how, but they are vital steps for the trans community to protect itself and live in dignity and safety. joining me now to discuss all of this is imara jones the award winning journalist and founder of trans lash media and the

trans lash podcast. there are about five weeks until donald trump is inaugurated for the second time. how are trans folks preparing themselves for trump's second run at office? >> well, thanks for having me. i think that your setup framed it extremely well in terms of the range of things that people are thinking about and the emphasis on communities and organizing themselves. one of the most interesting things here is the way in which trans elders are actually helping to inform the actions of younger people who may not have lived during a time when there were outright bans on a whole host of things and services that trans people need and expressions of identity. that's also an interesting thing. such as how to form care networks, for example. so people are very much focused on the next five weeks. i don't think that there are very many people who are delusional about what is about to happen and everyone is focused on doing what they can to prepare for the tsunami that's about to hit. >> one aspect of the tsunami is

going to roll over the united states supreme court. about two weeks ago the supreme court heard an oral argument in united states versus scermetti and that case basically asked whether or not trans individuals would be covered or protected by the equal protection clause. why should individuals outside of the lgbtq+ community care about this case and what are the larger implications of this case for all of us? >> well, i always thought that the implications were huge going in, but actually sitting in the chamber and hearing the justices sort of game out all of the ways in which they were trying to make the law fit and not damage anything else, i think it's more wide ranging than i even thought. first of all, the protection clause which has been in the sights of conservatives for at least four decades now, wanting to take away the right and limit the right for people to be treated equally and you the law. any diminution of that is a diminution for everyone. changing the way in which gender expansively has been included

under the equal protection clause to maybe limit it more along biological sex, which would be very damaging for a whole host of things, including job discrimination for sis women and a whole host of other things. it touches parental rights, interracial marriage, the use of science and pseudo science. >> abortion laws. >> abortion laws. whether or not the court will assert itself in any case that involved so-called science or medicine. that was also debated. i think it's pretty wide ranging. >> one issue not on the table for the court is parental rights. the court did not take up that question, but just last week the court denied or refused to review a case coming out of wisconsin where parents challenged a school policy to support trans youth. interestingly the court said it wouldn't take it, it said that these particular plaintiffs did

not have standing to bring this suit but three justices noted their objections to that denial. brett kavanaugh said that he would have granted the case but justices alito and thomas both signed on to a writing that essentially said that they thought parents had the fundamental right to direct the raising of their children in the manner of that i remember choosing and that included objecting to support for trans care. what do you make of that given just a week earlier these two individuals seemed incredibly skeptical of parents' rights to bring their children forward for gender-affirming care? >> i think it just underscores a smorgasbord approach to the law of this court. it's not about following precedent, it's not about establishing predictability, it's very much however they seem to want to rule in a case they decide to cherry pick and put together whatever specific arguments allow them to do that. so as you say, i mean, amy coney barrett had to say that

scermetti if they affirmed the sixth circuit was not going to impact parental rights because everyone knew it should on the face of the law. they are saying that it doesn't. it's because this court, again, it's a smorgasbord approach to the law which i think it one of the things that are undermining and diminishing the credibility of the court. >> and the protections for all people. >> and the protections. and also you don't -- whenever you approach the law -- i don't even know how lawyers do this now -- it's very hard to figure out which case law, which precedents, which rulings are going to apply because the district court in scermetti said -- a trump appointed lawyer -- just on the law alone that that -- that the tennessee ruling -- the tennessee law shouldn't stand. >> right. >> the district court totally ignored that and made up a different standard and said we are doing something new here so this is fine. i think that the problem here is that there's no consistency in the law now.

>> yeah. >> and they're literally making it up as they go along. >> all right. imara jones, that is sobering news. thank you for joining us. coming up, inside donald trump's mass deportation plans and what those plans could cost all of us. and what those plans all of us. (♪♪) “the darkness of bipolar depression made me feel like life was moving on without me. then i found a chance to let in the lyte.” discover caplyta. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta is proven to deliver significant symptom relief from both bipolar i & ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. caplyta can cause serious side effects. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts right away. anti-depressants may increase these risks in young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. caplyta is not approved for dementia-related psychosis. report fever, confusion, or stiff muscles,

which may be life threatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements which may be permanent. common side effects include sleepiness, dizziness, nausea, and dry mouth. these aren't all the side effects. in the darkness of bipolar i & ii depression, caplyta can help you let in the lyte. ask your doctor about caplyta. find savings and support at caplyta.com. when you're a small-business owner, ask your doctor about caplyta. your to-do list can be...a lot. ♪♪ super helpful. ♪♪ [ cheering ] what are invoices? progressive makes it easy to see if you can save money with a commercial auto quote online so you can get back to all your other to-dos. absolutely not. get a quote at progressivecommercial.com.

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. downy does more to make clothes softer, fresher, and better. because your jacket does more than keep you warm. like when it smells like home... ...even far away from home. downy is more than just a fabric softener. it breathes life into your laundry.

in his third presidential bid donald trump made immigration a central component of his campaign. beyond his promise of carrying out the largest mass deportation operation in history, trump also vowed to tighten the border and made big changes to america's immigration system, including the possibility of ending birth right citizenship. now as he's poised to take office again, he is doubling down on that promise.

>> do you promise to end birth right citizenship on day one? is that still your plan? >> yeah, absolutely. >> can you get around the 14th amendment with executive action. >> we will make a change. we will maybe have to go back to the people but we have to end it. we are the only country to end it. >> through executive action? >> we are the only country that has it. if somebody sets one foot, you don't need two, on our land, congratulations, you are now a citizen of the united states of america. yes, we're going to end that because it's ridiculous. >> that interview was just last week and it was trump's first interview since winning the election. and before we move on, let's do some cleanup on aisle 14 because donald trump got a couple of facts wrong in that telling. the united states is not the only country that grants birth right citizenship, more than 30 other countries around the world have the same policy, including both of our closest neighbors, canada and mexico. it's also not true that the united states grants citizenship to just anyone by setting foot on american soil. birth right citizenship as

kristen welker noted in that interview, is enshrined in the 14th amendment. indeed, section 1 of the 14th amendment states very plainly, quote, all people born or naturalized in the united states are citizens of the united states, and the state where they reside. where donald trump seemed only to have concepts of a plan for getting around the 14th amendment in his mission to end birth right citizenship, it does seem that some in trump world are coming up with a strategy for taking this on. the trump campaign laid out a plan in agenda 47, trump's official moll is i manifesto, to use executive orders to affect agencies to direct passports and social security numbers to the children of undocumented immigrants. that would of course be plainly unconstitutional and lawsuits would immediately be filed. but according to "politico's" reporting this weekend, that might be the point.

all of this seems to be part of a long-term strategy to get the issue of birth right citizenship and presidential authority over the conferral of citizenship to the supreme court which is cold by a 6 to 3 super majority that includes three trump appointees. the incoming administration wants to take birth right citizenship to the united states supreme court because they think they can win there. so it's worth taking stock of just how radical this idea is, and to do that we need to understand what birth right citizenship is, why it exists in the first place and why efforts to undermine it are inherently rooted in the history of white supremacy. the 14th amendment is one of the tree reconstruction era amendments that congress added to the united states constitution after the united states civil war. it was passed with the purpose of unequivocally granting

citizenship to the formerly enslaved and their descendents. moreover, the 14th amendment was meant to be a corrective to the supreme court's 1858 decision in dred scott versus stanford, the decision that many legal scholars consider to be, quote, the worst ever rendered by the supreme court. and there were a lot to choose from. in that case dred scott an enslaved man who traveled with his enslaver to freed territories sued for his freedom after his enslaver died, but the majority of the justices on the supreme court concluded that slaves were not citizens of the united states. in fact, the court questioned whether the descendents of african slaves could ever be citizens of the united states. the supreme court dismissed dred scott's case on procedural grounds, holding that as a noncitizen scott had no standing to bring his claim in federal court in the first instance. the 14th amendment sought to

remedy the stain of dred scott by making it clear that regardless of their descent all persons born in the united states are citizens of the united states, and subsequent supreme court cases have affirmed this principle over the years. of note is the case of wong kim arc who was born in california in 187 #. his parents were legal immigrants but at the time anti-asian sentiment was pervasive across the country. this was the era of the chinese exclusion acts which included a provision that rendered chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization as american citizens. the supreme court, however, wound that because wong kim arc himself was born here in the united states, he was a citizen of the united states under the 14th amendment. that's birth right citizenship. wong kim arc's case confirmed this important principle going forward and the case is a precedent that holds to this

day. the text and history of birth right citizenship is absolutely clear. if you are born in this country, you are a citizen of this country. establishing that principle and enshrining it in the constitution was an integral part of repudiating the terrorist i can constitution of slavery in this country. to undermine the constitution's birth right citizenship in any way would be a return to some of our nation's darkest days, a surrender to some of the worst impulses in our history. surrender to some of the worst impulses in our history. just ge what the markets gives me? no. i can do some research. ya know, that's backed by j.p. morgan's leading strategists like us. when you want to invest with more confidence... the answer is j.p. morgan wealth management ♪♪ 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. molly leaving was one thing.

but then i thought mom's osteoporosis might keep us stuck on the couch. no way. ♪♪ if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis, and are at high risk for fracture, you can do more than just slow bone loss. you can build new bone in 12 months with evenity®. evenity® is proven to significantly reduce spine fracture risk. she said the evenity® she's taking builds new bone. builds new bone! evenity® can increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from a heart problem. tell your doctor if you have had a heart attack or stroke. do not take evenity® if you have low blood calcium or are allergic to it, as serious events have occurred with evenity®. signs include rash, hives, swelling of the face or throat, which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing, muscle spasms or cramps, numbness, or tingling. tell your doctor about severe jaw bone problems, as they have been reported with evenity®. report hip, groin, or thigh pain. unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred with evenity®. building bone? we dig it. want stronger bones? ask your doctor about evenity ® . ♪♪

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. say christmas. christmas! for holiday traditions old and new. when you want gifts to express a lifetime of love, we've spent a lifetime crafting them. harry & david, 90 years and still sharing.

what if your mobile network wasn't just built to work out here... ...but was designed differently to also give you blazing fast wifi where you are most of the time? reliable 5g, plus wifi speeds up to a gig where you need it most. xfinity mobile. xfinity internet customers, ask how to get a free 5g phone and a second unlimited line free for a year.

donald trump has vowed to begin the largest mass deportation operation in the history of the united states on day one. in order to do that he has tapped tom homan to serve as his so-called border czar. that's a position that will be housed been the white house which means it will not be subject to senate confirmation, which means that homan theoretically can get started right away and, boy, does he have plans. in order to help the if he had cal government identify and locate undocumented immigrants across the country, homan plans to set up hot lines that will allow ordinary americans to call in and report undocumented immigrants in their communities. nbc news reported this week that the trump administration plans to roll back a long-standing policy that prevented i.c.e. from making arrests in sensitive locations, like churches and schools and hospitals, except under special circumstances. trump transition officials are

also exploring the possibility of building a new detention center along the border on land that the state of texas has generously made available to the federal government. if even one of these plans is launched it would be monumental operation, so to help us understand whether any of this is actually possible and what the likely impact would be, i'm joined now by an msnbc contributor and author of "defectors: the rise of the latino far right and what it means for america." what do we know about tom homan's role as border czar and this is a position that didn't exist in the first trump administration, so what is it and what's the difference between this role and being the director of i.c.e.? >> i mean, look, what we know about tom homan is the following, right, according to the great kalan dickerson from "the atlantic" she said it is tom homan who is the intellectual father of family separation. in other words, it is tom homan

who really understood years ago that cruelty, as we know it, this sentiment of cruelty, could be weaponized and could be really used as a deterrent. it was seen as such a heartless policy, that is why the obama administration rejected family separation. that is what tom homan proposes in the united states not just to see cruelty along the u.s./mexico border but to see cruelty in the interior. that is why they're proposing things like entering churches, entering hospitals, entering schools because under homan, under homan who will be emboldened by people like steven miller who believe that we are being invaded, who believe in the great replacement theory, under folks like them we can expect an administration that is ruthless, that has no limits, that has no compassion and no empathy and that is what we are about to see in the interior. as jake soboroff says multiple times, we will see the separation of u.s. families in our face.

>> and democratic-led states and sanctuary cities have been planning for this, in fact, homan has responded by threatening to jail people like mike johnston, the mayor of denver, colorado, who has vowed to protect his city's migrant population. what is the dynamic between these local officials and the federal agencies that will be carrying out these operations, what's that going to look like and what can and can't sanctuary cities do? >> you and i are talking to each other from new york, i wish i was with you but i'm sick so let's think about new york city. new york city has always been a sanctuary city. i mean, here where we are new york has been a sanctuary city since 1989. in other words, mayors on both sides of the aisle have for decades understood that i.c.e. -- that there should be a limit of cooperation between local authorities and i.c.e. it's important to understand why. the reason why they understand that is because we have always implicitly understood in new york that immigrants are valuable. there's over 600,000 undocumented people in this

city, that means that there are undocumented immigrants that have been here for over ten years that is correct means that the majority of undocumented immigrants in new york pay billions of dollars' worth of state, federal and local taxes. i saw all that because that is precisely why this these moments these sanctuary cities should be tested. the strength, resiliency, moral clarity to protect, but unfortunately people like mayor adams in these moments are cracking and they're cracking for political reasons, because of the miss and disinformation and because they're not upholding that value that has always been understood in sanctuary cities and that is because the majority of immigrants are not criminal, that they are people that fundamentally support our societies. so you can really limit that cooperation but now we're really being tested. >> paulo, this is hope ring, lots going on and more to see. we will watch this space. thank you for joining us this morning. that does it for me. >> thank you. >> i'm melissa murray, thank you

for watching. ali will be back next weekend, you can catch "velshi" every saturday and sunday morning from 10:00 a.m. to noon eastern. up next, "inside with jen psaki" begins after the break. h psaki" begins after the break. well, chris wray is on the way out and kash patel is on the way in and the story how we got here should be a big warning sign about what's to come at the fbi and beyond. senator sheldon whitehouse is a member of the senate judiciary committee and he's coming up first. plus, tech billionaires line up to kiss is a member of the judiciary committee coming up first. plus, tech billionaires line up to kiss the ring as they play catch up to elon musk. congressman ro khanna represents silicon valley and has a unique insight into how these guys operate and joins me live in a few minutes. is making polio great again what we're doing now? brand new reporting