yeah, underneath it, all of it, it may not seem political, but the very act of confronting one human being and understanding their situation. absolutely. >> that was the best answer to a trick question i've ever heard. because you're right. everything we do is inherently political. it's who we are, it's what we believe, and it's the furtherance of those beliefs. so thank you for that, i appreciate it. what you just said can kind of apply to so many things that we're dealing with right now in life. so thank you for your book and thank you for joining us. and thank you for being the newest member of the velshi banned book club. manuel munoz is the newest member of the banned book club. he is, of course, the author of today's feature, the consequences. that does it for me. thank you for watching. catch me back here tomorrow morning from 10 a.m. to noon eastern. it's almost lunchtime. i'm told there's rotisserie chicken o'clock, but as i go to figure that out, you all stay put because the katie phang show starts right now. >> this is the katie phang show

live from telemundo studios in miami, florida. the purge begins trump's late night firing of at least a dozen independent inspectors general, clearing the way to install maga loyalists across key federal oversight jobs. plus, you can keep it. why? one woman is saying no thanks to donald trump's pardon for her actions on january 6th, and what she says broke her from the spell of the maga cult. then the best and the brightest. busting trump's american meritocracy myth, and why his choice to dump dei initiatives across the federal government will attract less qualified candidates to serve the public and later tabled for change as trump fails on his promise to make groceries cheaper for struggling americans. i'm going to talk to one chef on how he's tackling food insecurity at the local level to keep our fellow americans from going hungry. all

of that and more is coming up. what a year this week has been. it's only been five days since convicted felon donald trump has returned to the west wing, and he's been working in overdrive to act on some of the radical promises that he made on the campaign trail overnight. the new york times reported that at least 17 inspectors general, the internal watchdogs who monitor federal agencies for abuse, waste and fraud, they were all summarily fired. this purge likely violates a federal law that requires the white house to give congress at least 30 days notice before their removal, but the trump administration believes it hasn't broken any laws, with a senior white house official telling nbc news, quote, we're cleaning house of what doesn't work for us. and

going forward. senator elizabeth warren blasting the move on social media, saying, quote, president trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption. right now, the united states senate is voting on the nomination of kristi noem to serve as secretary of the department of homeland security, and former fox news host pete hegseth was sworn in as our country's next secretary of defense after just barely being confirmed overnight in a senate vote. but it took vice president jd vance to have to cast the tie breaking vote after three gop senators said no. these moves, concluding a week of trump overhauling the federal government by way of a flurry of horrific executive orders, signing 26 on his first day in office as compared to 33 executive orders during the first 100 days in his last term,

according to time magazine. nearly two thirds of these executive orders mirror or partially mirror project 2025. you know that radically conservative blueprint trump tried to fool voters about when he repeatedly denied knowing anything about it, with trump proclaiming that some of its ideas were, quote, absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. so far, trump has rescinded discrimination protections, ordered the united states to withdraw from the paris climate agreement and the world health organization, and fully pardoned more than 1500 january 6th insurrectionists. other than that, how was the play, mrs. lincoln? joining me now, tara setmayer, co-founder and ceo of the seneca project and former comms director for the republican party. tara, i've got the stamina. i know you do, as well as the fine folks at the seneca project. let's start, though, with the overnight friday night massacre, as it's

being called by some of those inspectors general. i looked at that federal statute. it is very clear it is a requirement for the president to give at least 30 days notice before these terminations or removals occur of these ig. but putting aside whether or not trump violated the law, how important is it, though, that we're now going to see tara, people that are installed that have zero independence when it comes to oversight of critical federal agencies, like, for example, our defense department. >> i think that this is just indicative of what donald trump is trying to do by completely dismantling our democratic norms and institutions. this is something that we had warned about, that it was more than just about donald trump sticking it to every group that you might be mad at. this is really another indication that there will not be checks and balances for the people who are still out

there that believe that there are guardrails and that donald trump, this time, it's not going to be so bad. he's still going to have people that will stop it. no. okay, wake up, pay attention and see what he's doing. why? what would be the intention behind getting rid of the independent inspector general offices and all of these cabinet officials and all these cabinet departments? if you did not intend to conceal and hide from the american people what you're actually doing, the ig's are really important. they're like many attorney generals, kind of each department. they're the watchdogs. they're the ones that are supposed to oversee. if there's any problems, you can go to them to investigate it fairly. that's supposed to be what the ig does. getting rid of that. that statute talks about the whole point of having igs is for to go to, to try to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. those adjectives describe everything about donald trump his entire career. his business career has been nothing but

waste, fraud and abuse. and now he's a convicted felon. so no one should be surprised about this. what we need to do is we need to continue to point out and ask the questions, why are you getting rid of the watchdog groups? and that statute, by the way, also says that there's supposed to be a rationale for why you're doing this because it's not supposed to be politicized. well, he's politicizing everything to put in his loyalists. anytime you're purging watchdog apparatuses, there's a reason for that because they're trying to conceal and people need that. the democrats need to raise holy hell about it and make the american people aware of it. there's no good come that comes from this. >> and that's why i say we have to have our stamina. we have to realize that we have to be standing at the ready to report on this and to analyze this and make sure that all americans understand that this is not just specific to democrats. this applies to all the americans that care enough about democracy to make sure it survives. let's talk about what i think is probably the most egregious thing he did this week. in a

long line of egregious things, the pardoning, the full pardons that were issued for the january 6th insurrectionists, i take no no comfort at all that 14 people were commuted, those that were convicted of seditious conspiracy. i'm talking about the more than 1500 people that were pardoned for their acts of violence. on january 6th. i want you to talk about tara. why the hypocrisy? you know what? i take that back. why the flat out lies from republicans about backing the blue and believing in the rule of law and believing in law and order? that was all exposed when donald trump pardoned those january 6th insurrectionists. >> katie, i have to tell you that this is one of the most egregious, despicable acts in american history. as far as i'm concerned. this goes back to the civil war. i almost think it's worse than the civil war. folks who were pardoned back then to try to unite the country know, okay, these people tried to

overthrow a free and fair election, the cornerstone of our democracy. and they were inspired and led by donald trump's lies and all of his enablers. and the fact that as someone who one of the things that attracted me to the republican party was the respect for the rule of law, was the backing of police. people know that i come from a law enforcement family. this is very important to me. i've advocated for law enforcement officers. i've become friends with some of the officers who were who spoke out about what happened to them on january 6th, and every american who sits there and tries to make the excuse that this election was about the price of eggs for them, and they try to completely ignore what donald trump promised he would do. and the fact that he called those traitorous sobs hostages and patriots. how dare he? it spits on the honorable service of every person who wears the uniform and swears an oath to protect this country as a law enforcement officer,

particularly the ones who literally put their bodies in harm's way to protect those people, despite the fact that they would betray everything that they claim to stand for, they. it is despicable. and everyone who voted for donald trump owns this. every republican who let donald trump get away with what happened on january 6th so that he could come back to power. mitch mcconnell, kevin mccarthy, all of those leaders who knew better. i'm talking to you guys. you did this. i don't want to hear any feigned outrage about, oh, well, you know that the violent ones. that's not okay. no, enough of that. okay. you guys knew exactly what you were doing when you enabled donald trump, and now you own it. now you own this. and i don't know how they explain to their children, to their sons and daughters who put on that badge or to wear the uniform after they just confirmed pete hegseth, who's another disgrace to the to the office. how do they explain to their kids that what they stand for? because it sure as hell isn't law and order, and it sure as hell sure as hell isn't patriotism, because there's nothing

patriotic about pardoning people who tried to violently overthrow our government and beat the hell out of cops and almost kill them. and some did lose their lives as a result. it's despicable. >> i think you have to have. i think you have to have shame in order to feel it. and i don't really think they have it. tara setmayer, thank you for getting us started today. i always appreciate it. thank you. >> it's up to us to make them. >> feel shame. >> exactly. we've got some breaking news out of the capitol. trump's pick for department of homeland secretary kristi noem was just confirmed by the united states senate by a vote of 59 to 34. the senate will now hold a procedural motion related to scott bisson's nomination to serve as treasury secretary. his final confirmation vote is slated to take place at 5:30 p.m. eastern on monday. and we also now continue to monitor the breaking news that's coming out of israel today. the idf has confirmed that four israeli hostages were

freed this morning, and they have returned to southern israel. emotional new images have been released of the four women who are all soldiers as they have been reunited with their families in exchange and consistent with the terms of the cease fire agreement, 200 palestinians held in israeli prisons have been released, with busses continuing to arrive in ramallah. it brings the number of freed israeli hostages to seven. since the cease fire deal went into effect last sunday. a total of 33 israeli hostages are expected to be released over the next several weeks. during the first phase of this cease fire deal. coming up next on the katie phang show, owning up after spending time in federal prison for the role that she played in the january 6th insurrection. my next guest explains why she's telling trump he can keep his presidential pardon. you don't want to miss this conversation.

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>> on day one of convicted felon donald trump's second term as president, he fulfilled one of his most egregious campaign promises. trump pardoned virtually all of the 1500 people who were charged for crimes relating to the january 6th insurrection. that blanket pardon includes the 608 individuals who were charged with assaulting, resisting or

impeding law enforcement officers that day. trump has defended his decision, calling their sentences ridiculous and excessive, even though over 140 police officers were viciously assaulted that day. the announcement was catnip for his maga base, but the pardoning of those convicted of violent crimes has been met with valid and pointed criticism by republican members of congress, police unions, and even some of those that are receiving the pardons. that last group includes my next guest, who, despite being charged with entering the capitol with those rioters, now rejects the pardon that's been issued to her by trump. joining me now is pam hemphill, who pleaded guilty to the crime of entering the united states capitol on january 6th, 2021. pam, i welcome you to the katie phang show, and i appreciate you taking the time to talk about your experience. i want to remind our viewers, you didn't skate on this. you served

two months. you served 60 days in jail. you were also sentenced to three years of probation and a fine. now, trump has offered and has issued a full pardon for you. it would legally clean the slate for you. why are you saying no? >> oh, no, it would be a slap in the face to the capitol police officers. the rule of law, you know, to our nation. i pleaded guilty because i was guilty. it just it would help their narrative that it was a peaceful protest that day. no, it was not a peaceful protest. it was an insurrection. i don't want a part of anything that trump is offering. >> pam, you've described yourself as being under the spell of the maga trump cult for you. what did it take to break that spell? >> actually, it was two events. the first one was when, in my

mind, i wasn't a victim, yet i went there. i wasn't planning on breaking any laws or harming anybody. that's not me. so i kept that victim feelings going on. and when my therapist looked at me and said, miss hemphill, you're not a victim, you're a volunteer. and i got mad at him. i went home that night and i thought about it. he's right, you know, i've been sober now 45 years working at 12 step program. and one of the steps is when you're wrong, promptly admit it. well, i wasn't properly admitting it, so i did some writing, i did some introspection, and i said yes. i had no business being there. i broke the law. that's it. that's done with it. the second incident is when ryan samsel had put out an article that on the gateway pundit, that he had lost his whole i, i researched it, got some information, found out that wasn't true. he did not lose his whole eye. and i went

back to my space. it was aj6. space on x used to be called twitter, and told the mega group that i put together what happened and they. oh god, they got upset at me. no, it's not true. that's not true. he did lose his eye and i said, no, i got evidence. but so they ended up putting out a smear campaign against me. and then i started the j six gaslighting space and the sedition hunters, researchers and democrats came in and started sharing me facts. and i said, this is it. they're lying about everything. everything. and i'm going to push back on their narrative. >> pam, i'm so glad that you brought up the word, and you're using the word facts because the facts and the truth always need to be shared. although you've written that you speaking out with the facts has come at a great risk to your personal safety and well-being. why is it so important, then, that perhaps it's just symbolic for you not to accept this pardon from

donald trump? but why is it so important for you to just continue to speak out like you're doing today on the show, for that people to understand that the gaslighting of you and others that participated on january 6th is very real, but that the true facts about what happened reveal that there was no big lie. there was no fraud in that stolen election. >> i guess because i was lied to and paid the price. 60 days in prison for listening to all the propaganda that was going on out there, not doing any fact checking myself. hopefully, if there's another pam out there like myself that is not paying attention to what trump is putting out there and doing their own research. i know it's difficult because in a cult you get gaslighted so much, you got to decide for yourself, do you really want to continue listening to trump and all his lies, or find out if they are lies? just check it out. just do some fact checking. 1 or 2 things i don't know about you.

when somebody lied to me, it's not okay with me. and for your final, quickly, your final message to those that have now celebrated the fact that they've been pardoned. we look at stuart rhodes, for example, and we look at others who say, i'm going to go get guns. and i'm celebrating the idea that i've been pardoned. what's your final parting message to them? >> well, i really believe they have been given a green light to go out and be violent. we need to be careful. i'm afraid of any peaceful protest that's going to happen out there. you know that any protest that goes against trump's agenda, they will be out there, and they need to be careful and aware that they mean business. they're very dangerous. and i'm sorry that we're going to have to go through this. i just want to say one more quick thing. just remember what trump has done

trying to do right now. he's trying to turn the clock back on civil rights. and i think we need to start focusing on that and pushing back. >> well, pam, something that's important that you have done today and that you're continuing to do, for which i do laud you, is being honest about what you went through, accepting the accountability and the responsibility which you have done. frankly, you've done more jail time than some of the people that have been pardoned. and i appreciate your courage for speaking and for being so transparent. thank you, pam, for being with me today. >> thank you. >> and still to come, the forgotten plot. what we learned from trump's surprise declassification of the jfk assassination files, and the new book exploring the first assassination attempt against president kennedy that you've probably never even heard about. but first, the meritocracy myth. why trump's choice to ax diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government will not lead to

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deposit checks easily and send money quickly. [coins clinking] ♪♪ that's convenience from chase. make more of what's yours. to abolish all discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion nonsense. and these are policies that were absolute nonsense throughout the government and the private sector. with the recent yet somewhat unexpected great supreme court decision just made, america will once again become a merit based country. >> a merit based country, right? on his first day back in the oval office, donald trump signed an executive order ending what he called, quote, radical and wasteful diversity, equity and inclusion programs and federal

agencies. it's unclear how many workers ultimately will be affected, but what is evident is the impact this will have on the government and the country. trump's actions echo president woodrow wilson's then unprecedented segregation of federal offices. in 1913, there was no official law, no executive order, just guiding policy. but that policy led to blacks being segregated or just summarily dismissed from federal positions nationwide. for example, in 1914, wilson required a photo from all federal job applicants to make it easier for racial screening, and those black workers who managed to keep their jobs, they were often subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment. in an open letter to wilson, w.e.b. du bois wrote, quote, we are told that one colored clerk who could

not actually be segregated on account of the nature of his work, has consequently had a cage built around him to separate him from his white companions of many years. take a second to let that sink in a cage, wilson, later defending his racist policies to a group of black professionals, saying in part, quote, segregation is not humiliating, but a benefit and ought to be so regarded by you gentlemen. in 1948, president harry truman signed an executive order banning segregation in federal civil service, but the damage was already done, and it continues to this day. while more than 18% of federal workers are black, they only comprise 11.7% of management positions, with white employees being twice as likely to be promoted to management. in some agencies, the wealth gap between federal black and white

workers sits at 15.6%, and as late as february of 2023, about 4 in 10 federal black workers say that they've experienced discrimination or have been treated unfairly at work because of their race or ethnicity. joining me now is sean harper, a professor of public policy, business and education at the university of southern california and founder and chief research scientist of the usc race and equity center. professor, it's an honor to have you here. look, dei efforts, they date back to the civil rights movement to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces because of the racist history of this country. and just like in woodrow wilson's time, what happens in that federal government is often repeated in the private sector. we've seen recently, companies like target, mcdonald's, walmart, meta and others, they're rolling back their dei initiatives. how much do you think that these collective moves, either publicly or in our government

sector and privately in our business sector, they're going to set the nation back? >> yeah. well, katie, thank you for having me. it's such a pleasure to be with you. i also want to appreciate the historical journey that you just took us through. historical facts. matter is why it is so important to teach the full truths about america's racial past and present. you know, if people were taught the real truth, they would understand the consequential nature of the policy decisions that are being made right now that are going to lead to catastrophic outcomes and even more pronounced racial inequities and wealth gaps between groups. you know, this is bad for our economy. equity is good for our economy. when women receive equal pay for equal work, that is good for women, and it's good for all of us in the united states, it's good for us. when the diversity

of our federal leadership and leadership in our military is reflective of the diversity of our nation. so, you know, that's what's at stake here now, because of these new executive orders from president trump. >> and trump's efforts go beyond dei. on tuesday, he revoked the equal employment opportunity rule that was signed by president lyndon b johnson in 1965, which stipulates that employers can't discriminate against job applicants or workers on the basis of race, gender and other protected characteristics. this is a policy that was paid for in blood by the civil rights movement, and in 2023, white people still in the majority of federal workers at 59.5% and men are still outnumbering women 55% to 45%. 74% of senior executive level positions held by white workers. reversing these initiatives could lead to a huge backslide on progress. but isn't this just the most blatant

permission to be able to discriminate? >> it sure is. i appreciate that you just laid out those facts, right? like what you just presented is evidence, and there's a corpus of evidence that's been produced by really credible researchers that show durable and persistent patterns of inequity and discrimination. we're going to see more of that, and it's going to cost the federal government, and it's going to cost the private sector. what i mean by that is as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are rolled back, we're going to see, unfortunately, higher rates of discrimination, harassment and abuse in the workplace. and people are going to sue their employers as they should for those experiences. that's going to cost us a ton of money that, you know, ultimately could have been saved had we, in fact, continued to invest in the really good protective dei

initiatives. >> professor sean harper, thank you so much for joining us today. i appreciate your insight and your analysis. >> my pleasure. thank you. >> coming up next, the other jfk conspiracy, the secret plot to kill john f kennedy jr. you've probably never heard of, and the major role that former first lady jackie kennedy played in keeping her husband alive. keep it right here. >> my hair was thinning all around my hairline. >> my dermatologist recommended nutrafol. it's 100% drug free and clinically tested. >> my hair is longer, thicker. >> nutrafol is life changing for me. >> get growing at nutrafol. >> com to. avoid digital threats. >> just turn on nordvpn. >> improve your protection against trackers, malicious websites and malware ridden

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back at trump, writing on social media, trump is using jfk as a political prop, adding there is nothing heroic about it. meanwhile, a new book is highlighting another lesser known plot to kill jfk before he even entered the oval office in december of 1960. in palm beach, a retired postal worker by the name of richard pavlick lay in wait in his car. the car was filled with enough sticks of dynamite to blow up a mountain, and he waited for kennedy to leave his home, hoping to kill the president. joining me now is brad meltzer, the author of the jfk conspiracy the secret plot to kill kennedy and why it failed. brad, my friend, another blockbuster ride of a book. you just keep on getting those push out like it's nothing. and i got to say, before we get into the book, which i want to do, i do want to quickly get your reaction, the timing being everything that president trump has ordered, the

declassification of any of the documents that remain pertaining to the jfk assassination. >> listen, i'm a national. >> archives foundation board member. i really care about this case. and listen, 1% is left. that's what it is. the files of all the files that are out there, 1%. it's tantalizing. right? that you can read the last 1% of what it says about jfk. but my and i spoke to someone who recently read almost everything that's out there. there aren't many that have and said, what do you think? and he said, listen, i think it's going to be more about intelligence and military gathering techniques, less about the nuts and bolts or the mechanics of the crime. i hope that i'm wrong. there are questions that need to be answered, right? what's lee harvey oswald doing in russia all that time? we're about to find out if there's anything that's on paper. >> so, brad, let's let's pivot now to the book. love this. richard pavlik didn't know about him until your book, his assassination attempt of jfk is a little known part of american history. this is the first full book written on the story. why has this story kind of fallen

into the cracks? >> right? i mean, this is three years before lee harvey oswald. as you said, richard pavlik has seven sticks of dynamite in his car. and why does no one know the story? that he tried to kill jfk? here's why. because on the day it happened, it's big news in florida. but it's on the front page. the next day as it's about to go nationwide. two planes crash over new york city. everyone on board dies except for one young boy, the sole survivor. and america becomes obsessed with that story. it takes the jfk assassination story, takes it off the front page, throws it to the inside until my friend and i, josh, men say, you know what? this this footnote. this would make a good book. >> you've spoken about how this book reveals a new side of jackie kennedy. we're not. no spoilers here. without giving away her role in thwarting the assassination attempt, what does this little known story reveal about one of america's most iconic first ladies? >> you know, what we do with jackie is we call her. we say

she's got class and she's got grace, and we do her a huge disservice because she's so much more than that and we don't pull our punches. right. we show you all of jfk's affairs that are in the book. when jackie is pregnant and she's giving birth, she's hemorrhaging. jfk is nowhere to be found. he's on his way to the hospital. and as i'm reading through this and we were writing the book, i kept saying, well, why do we keep calling it camelot? why is it so great? is this camelot starting 6162? where's camelot first used? and katie. here's what i found is that camelot isn't first called. used in the kennedy administration until after jfk dies. it's after the assassination that jackie grants one interview to life magazine. and what she says. she tells this exclusive story to the reporter is that when jfk was alive and he was in the white house when his back was hurting him, and she wanted to calm him down, but jackie used to do is go put on a record, one of his favorite songs from one of his favorite plays, about a place called camelot. that's who put

the word camelot in the lexicon. it was jackie. and, you know, jackie was a reporter at the start of her career, so she was a member of the press. she was hounded by the press. but make no mistake, she was a master of the press. she's the one who was writing jfk's legacy long before anyone else could. and my wife said her favorite parts of this book are the jackie parts, because she's all over it. >> well, your wife is a very smart lady, and i know that firsthand. and you can let her know i said that. brad. so, brad, i read here, pavlik, after his arrest, told reporters, quote, kennedy money bought the white house. i need the glasses. kennedy money bought the white house and the presidency. brad, i bring that up right now because, you know, during this time of so much friction and we see trump back in office for a second term, and we see the money, we see the american oligarchy, we see the billionaire cabinet members. i mean, we see these past is prolog moments that we also cover here at the katie phang

show. your thoughts about how important having a president who actually unifies the american people versus highlights a divide is. it's just so critical for americans right now. >> you're so smart about that, right? i mean, that's the question we should be asking, right? kennedy. just like abraham lincoln sits at a moment where america is divided. if you look at the 1960 election, it's a moment where the country is bitterly divided. it's the closest election of the 20th century. whether you vote for nixon or kennedy, whatever side you pick, you think the other side is complete and utter morons. does that sound familiar to you? but here's what kennedy does in that moment is he gets up and his inaugural address and says that magic word we we're together, right. and challenges the country. he may, you know, be a reckless husband and he may be a great world war ii vet. he's a complicated guy. but in the one thing he does right is in that moment. he brings the country together and gives us hope. and my god, do we need that right now? and it's no surprise to me that, listen,

lincoln is they go from a couple times during the civil war. kennedy again at a time of great division this time. and of course, in 1963, they kill him. and you've seen two attempts on trump's life. it is no shock to me, regardless of whether it was trump that won or kamala won. but there, i sadly think are going to be more because when you have times of great division and all you do is stoke venom and hatred, you can't be surprised when someone takes a shot. you can't hold yourself out as the greatest fighter and not expect someone to take a shot. and that's sadly where we are. we need someone who says we again and gives us that hope again. >> well, brad meltzer, i'm going to tell you everybody has to go out and read the jfk conspiracy because not only is it just grounded in historical facts, but it's just an absolute wild ride. brad meltzer with josh mensch, the jfk conspiracy, the secret plot to kill kennedy, and why it failed. it is available for everybody where you get your books. thanks, brad, for being here, i appreciate you. >> thank you. >> coming up after the break

table for change as trump punts on his campaign promise to lower grocery costs for struggling americans. i'll talk to culinary icon andrew zimmern on his new initiative, and what it's going to take to keep our fellow americans from going hungry. you're watching the katie phang you're watching the katie phang show only on 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. ♪♪

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katrina level type of response that is rebuilding to make sure it won't happen again? you've obviously made a decision to resign. are there any lessons that can be learned as you're talking to members of your congregation, what do you tell them about how to stand up for their own moral beliefs, but still find grace in this moment? >> have you seen the cost of eggs lately? they're up about 36% from this time last year. it's not just eggs. families across america are struggling with rising food prices. according to the department of agriculture, in 2023, hunger levels in the united states reached its highest point in nearly a decade, with 18 million households, more than 13% of the country struggling to get enough food. in my hometown of miami, two food giants joined forces at a gala this week with a table

for change raising over $1 million in funding more than 200,000 meals to help small, local restaurants provide nutritious meals to families in need. joining me now is andrew zimmern, celebrity chef. i think culinary icon is the more appropriate phrase ambassador for rethink food, one of the organizations that's behind this event. andrew, it's always so good to see you. you and chef michael schwartz collaborated to make this event a reality. how did it come together and what kind of tangible impact is it having? >> well, it has massive impact. >> i mean, a little context. is necessary. you know, at michael's genuine hospitality group, michael and ceo. >> sunil bhatt. >> partnered with rethink food. >> to put a. >> 2% charge onto checks. >> that anyone. >> can opt out of. >> if they want. and it's made very clear to diners that they can, with that money, going directly to local restaurants that want to help by cooking meals for those in need in their

communities. so they're cooking the food that those people like of that culture. and it's a really, really important and powerful statement about how we should be feeding all of those people. you know, the prices that you indicated are going up are going to go up even further. many of the current president's executive orders directly affect the farming community, the immigrant community, the restaurant community withdrawing from the w.h.o. at a time when avian influenza is surging, causing a problem with those eggs. it's these private partnerships between nonprofits and restaurants that are in existence right now. platforms for feeding people like this. table for change. gala marc vetri was there as well to help us raise money to empower local restaurants. now, food insecurity is such a big, insidious issue in the united states. we have all kinds of statistics and data that are actually really shallow. katie.

there's so much shame and trauma associated with the hunger issue. we know that there's a massive portion of people who have fallen below 72%, fallen below the threshold for snap or other federal nutrition programs. that's out of whack with the hunger issue. and we know that's because of that shame. people aren't raising their hand and saying, i'm hungry, but guess what? they're getting online at food shelves. we need to work with organizations. everyone in every community, with organizations like rethink food.org to actually create systems, community by community, to feed people. i don't know how to feed the world, but i know how to feed communities one by one. and if we really start small, we have a fantastic opportunity here to make a real dent in it. i will tell you, not only do we have a hunger problem, obviously, you know, we have a waste problem. 42% of our food

goes wasted. that represents 10% of greenhouse gases. so if we're smart about how we feed people, if we repurpose food, we can not only make a dent in our climate crisis, but we can also help to feed people. and i think matt joswiak, the rethink food founder and ceo, and what sunil and michael have done with their hospitality group and partnering with them is a crucial model that we can use community by community around the country to help solve this problem. >> you know, andrew, i'm really glad you talk about the excess because i saw a statistic for rethink food that i wanted to share with our viewers while i had you here. rethink food has repurposed over 2.6 million pounds, 2.6 million pounds of excess food across its program since its founding in 2017. these public private partnerships you speak about, they have incredible impacts, as you note, not only locally but also globally and nationally. but i do want to lean into

something that you mentioned, which is what more can our politicians be doing to assist? what more can they do to help americans especially? >> that's a massive issue, and i could spend the next couple of hours talking to you about it. we need to change the laws in this country to make feeding americans an actual, an actual right that has the power of laws behind you, behind them. i'll give you a really fascinating statistic. i don't think anyone out there would raise their hand and say that they are for keeping children hungry, yet we have a massive percentage of children in america that go hungry every day, around 1,617%. i believe the number is higher. the actual cost of statistically eliminating hunger amongst children is $17 billion for the first year, and then it goes down to 14 billion every year thereafter. we have the distribution points. they're called schools and community centers. we can do this in about 4 or 5 weeks. according to the

experts. we have the skill, we have the money. we don't have the will. for those that don't understand the math, $17 billion is 0.0027% of the federal annual federal budget. this is a rounding error. it's a rounding error. we need to have some people who are willing to stand up on capitol hill and say, enough is enough already. feeding people hunger is a basic human right, just like a roof over our heads. and i am sickened at the fact that we have. we're still talking about this 30 years later. i, you know, i'm i'm not a spring chicken. we've been talking about these issues in our food community for decades. and it is it is time for real change with the power of laws behind them. >> and andrew zimmern. that's the best way to end not only this conversation with you, but i invite everybody to go to rethink food.org and check out what you guys are doing. andrew, thanks for being here. it's

always so good to see you. >> likewise. >> my friend. >> thanks and thanks to all of you for joining us today. you can catch me back here next saturday at noon eastern. remember to follow us on social media using the handle at katie phang show, including at blue sky. you can catch clips of the show on youtube, and you can listen to an entire episode of the katie phang show as a podcast for free. scan that qr code on your screen to follow now. but please don't go anywhere. msnbc reports with anywhere. msnbc reports with alex witt. it's next. after cooking a delicious knorr farm stand chicken cheddar broccoli recipe. you will want to close all your delivery apps and open your camera, so you can take photos of your home made masterpiece. unfortunately, no photo can capture the savory goodness of this perfect combo of juicy, sweet tomatoes, and smooth silky zucchini. tasty! - you nailed it! -i know! make your own knorr taste combo. it's not fast food, but it's so good.

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