has powerboost with wifi speeds up to a gig where you need it most. so, this whole meeting could have been remote? oh, that is my ex-husband who i don't speak to. hey! no, i'm good to talk! xfinity internet customers, cut your mobile bill in half for your first year with xfinity mobile. plus, ask how to get the new samsung galaxy s25+ on us. allegra, it's a no brainer. disney's snow white in theaters march 21st. >> good morning. >> it is saturday. >> february 22nd. >> i'm alicia menendez with symone sanders townsend and michael steele. breaking overnight, donald trump fires the chairman of the joint chiefs. >> of staff. as conflicts simmer all around the globe. >> plus, elon musk's campaign of the mass firings. well, it is set to hit. the pentagon. >> and beyond. we'll talk to the head of. >> america's largest federal employee union. >> and the new dnc chair, ken. >> martin. >> is going. >> to tell us how. >> democrats plan to turn

trump's. >> unpopular policies. >> into a winning message. so grab your coffee. settle in. welcome to the weekend. we begin with breaking. >> news overseas. hamas released five israeli hostages in exchange for 600 palestinian prisoners. this is our knowledge. our knowledge, now that we have, is that the six hostages hostage is set to be released later today. he was kidnaped while crossing the gaza border in 2014. today's release is the final exchange of the first phase of the israel-hamas ceasefire deal. negotiations over the second stage of the deal are expected to begin in the coming days. that is not the only global crisis that we are following this week and this morning. president trump is escalating, creating what some may call a spat with ukrainian

president volodymyr zelensky. in a new interview, donald trump complained that he is, quote, sick of how ukraine has handled russia's invasion. while these crises simmer, trump also fired joint chiefs of staff chairman cq brown jr. late last night. he was our nation's highest ranking military officer. joining us now is former cia director and msnbc senior national security and intelligence analyst john brennan. we also have msnbc political analyst richard stengel. he served as president obama's undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. i will just note on the israeli hostage release of the body of shiri bibas was handed over. and again, the release of six more hostages is under way. >> director brennan. >> you know, in light of this news. and the ongoing release of hostages, some of the hiccups that occurred last week, the

disruption that we see here domestically. >> at. >> home and now starting to play out overseas, it with our european allies, you have the firing of cq brown as the chairman of our joint chiefs, noting secretary of defense pete hegseth. >> called brown. >> on friday evening to. inform him he was being. >> fired. >> according to a defense official. >> during a november. >> interview, hicks said said that if confirmed, he would immediately fire. >> brown. >> arguing that the general. had pushed a woke agenda to replace brown. he's looking to nominate air force lieutenant general dan raisin cain, who, hegseth notes is someone who embodies the warfighter as ethos and exactly the leader we need to meet in the moment. what does this look like from your perspective? given the onslaught against agencies in our government now touching department of defense,

european. allies looking at this, what do they what do they see and what should we expect from someone like lieutenant general cain in in this. >> in this new role? >> i think a lot of. >> folks look at this. >> as a very. >> haphazard period of time for. >> the us. government in. >> terms of donald trump is. >> dismantling a. >> lot of the. >> institutions of. the executive. >> branch. >> dismantling the leadership. >> that has. >> existed. >> basically saying. >> that anybody. >> who. >> was working before. >> in the. >> government is. >> somebody who is not going to be on my team. unless they. >> demonstrate full fealty. >> and so i think. >> our allies and. >> partners. around the. >> globe are. >> just watching. >> quite frankly, in horror. >> at. >> what's happening here. >> in this country. >> and so cq brown is. >> a very. >> accomplished individual. >> who really. >> rose through the ranks. and really. >> has. >> a storied career. >> in many respects. >> and to. >> say. >> that he is. >> being removed. >> because of a woke. >> agenda within the department of defense, i. >> think is just absurd. >> so hopefully. >> it is going to be looking at. >> the new. >> nominee. general cain. he'll

go through. >> a. >> confirmation process. >> but clearly. >> the men and women of the military, the men and. >> women of the intelligence. >> and. >> law. enforcement communities, i think are really. >> worried that. >> the type. >> of work that they. >> have done. >> in. >> the past. their roles. >> and their. >> missions. >> is really being disrupted. there's a lot. >> of. >> dislocations going on that. >> cannot help but affect mission. >> yeah. >> it is. >> interesting. >> rick stengel, to. >> to listen. >> to the revisionist. history that. >> we are. now hearing. >> from donald trump. >> on what has. >> happened in ukraine vis. >> a vis russia. >> i ordinarily refrain from playing sound. >> of the. >> president, but i. >> think in this case it's. >> important to understand the narrative that he is selling this. >> as trump. >> on fox. >> radio. talking about how. >> he is, quote, tired of. >> listening. >> to zelensky. >> you take a look at the demolition of so many of those cities and all those those people are killed, never to come back again. >> but. >> mr. president. >> that's all this. >> that's vladimir putin's fault. >> i agree, i get tired of listening to it. i'll tell you what, i've seen it enough. he's been negotiating for three

years. and just so you know, when you say russia was the attacker. yes. russia was attacked and russia attacked, but there was no reason for them to attack. >> i hadn't. >> heard that before. >> you know, it's funny. i'm going to pick up on something john said. >> he said. >> this is. >> haphazard sort of foreign policy. >> i actually. >> think it's. >> much more. >> like the. >> richard nixon madman theory of. >> foreign policy. >> that if. >> you're incredibly erratic and unpredictable. >> you can. >> actually get. >> something on your adversaries. >> i mean, the problem is. >> that trump is. >> incredibly erratic and irrational, not as a strategy. >> but just. >> because that's who. >> he is. >> i mean. >> you know, if you've ever worked in administration. every word that a president says. >> you're prepared. >> for it. he's going on these shows and just talking randomly. but revisionist history? yes, russia invaded ukraine. russia invaded the largest country in europe. >> russia invaded a country. >> in a way that hasn't been

done since world war two. >> there's just. >> absolutely no other way of putting it. >> the what is going on. and i and i just i mean, i feel like that's what people across what is going on here just really what is going on between cq brown and i'm just going to say it what cq we need to ask the question was cq brown fired because he was black, because it's not that he's unqualified, right. it's not that he's. he is. he was confirmed by the senate. and then when it comes to ukraine, i just like, is ronald reagan rolling over in his grave right now? where are the real republicans in america? where are the people that care about democracy? i am just i'm very i'm very confused and concerned. >> it's especially. >> confusing. >> symone, when. >> you look at the way that. >> republicans in the house. >> voted on. >> ukraine aid when they. >> were given that opportunity, this is from the vote in. >> april 2024. >> can we pull it up? >> yes. >> a majority of house republicans voted no on that

aid. >> but director. >> brennan. >> 101 house republicans. voted yes. >> we keep asking. >> who's. >> going to hold. >> the line. >> it's going to fall to. >> them to make some. >> choices here, director. >> well. >> it is, but we've been waiting. >> for so long for. >> the. >> republicans in. >> congress to. >> stand up and to stand up for the principles. >> that have. >> undergirded. >> i think, our policies. >> toward ukraine, as well. >> as just across the board. >> and unfortunately. >> they're not. >> when you look at what's. >> going on with. >> ukraine. >> there's a. >> way that. >> the trump administration could have. >> engaged with. >> president zelensky about. >> ukraine's mineral. >> wealth in. >> a way that. >> strategic partners do it. >> in an accommodating fashion, but it's engaging. >> in. >> these extortion. >> like tactics and in. >> terms of. >> basically just. >> threatening ukraine and zelensky that we're. >> not going to continue. >> to support them unless they sign this deal. >> it just shows that, you know. avarice defines donald trump, whether. >> you're talking. >> about ukraine or. >> you're talking. >> about gaza. >> he has no. >> empathy for the. >> people. >> no concern. >> about. >> their suffering. >> he just looks. >> at.

>> it through a. very quantitative. >> prism. >> which is on the finance front, which is so, so. unfortunate because that is so un-american. >> i will just note we have some additional breaking news. the sixth hostage has just been released. hisham al-sayed has just been released. he's now in red cross custody on his way to being in custody of the idf. that is the sixth and final hostage who has been released today in these very delicate negotiations. richard. >> i want to pick up on simmons point about reagan and his his footing in. foreign policy and the sort of anchoring, if you will, in. in the. middle of in the late 20th century, u.s. foreign policy aligned with europe, sort of cementing what came out of world war two. he noted in one of his speeches that the idea that this this

generation would have to be the generation to stand in defense of liberty and so forth. and now you have republicans being the generation that will actually turn its back on that liberty for the people of ukraine, the self-determination that they would seek. what i mean, with these continued sort of attempts. >> to. >> sort of reshape the government less about what republicans do, because in. >> many respects. >> it doesn't matter anymore. they've played their hand. what other spaces can help move? do you think the sort of the narrative, sort of keep it aimed at this idea of the alliance being held together? are we watching the fracturing of that, you know, now 80 year old alliance between the united states and europe in a way that realigns the united states with

russia? >> you know, michael, my theory of the case, i'm going to go back to that almost the era you started with, which is that when the berlin wall. >> fell. >> vladimir putin. >> was a. >> kgb officer in dresden. and what did he observe? >> he observed. >> the berlin. wall fell. communism fell without a single bullet being fired. and it wasn't so much about the power of weapons. it was about soft power. it was about the. power of american ideas, the power of freedom. and the decision he made was not to take his country eventually down that road, but to use his own distorted version of soft power and russian propaganda. >> to. >> actually try to give a different narrative of events. for some reason. >> in the last 15. >> years, the republican party has fallen prey to so much of this russian propaganda. i don't even understand. where i mean, when tulsi gabbard says that that ukraine caused their invasion. i don't even know

where that data comes from. but somehow they're reaching these people, and i'm with you. i don't understand how the us, the us alliance with europe and. >> the european. >> community has kept the peace for 75 years since world war two. >> people have forgotten. >> that people have forgotten that era. and somehow we have to, you know, try to get the republican party back in that reagan era of standing up for freedom against those who would get rid of it. >> i will just say, you know, people talk about ukraine and our european allies. the only time article five in nato has been invoked was by the united states, when we were attacked on nine over 11, and people came to our aid to support us. i'm just going to put it out there. michael. >> yeah, i. >> think that's an. >> important point. >> our allies were there for us and we now are turning our backs on them. rick stengel, thank you so much, my friend. john brennan, we'd like you to stick around. >> because, well, we. >> named the seat after you, so you need to stay in it. next, trump has a loyalist running the

fbi, and kash patel is already having an impact on the bureau. frank figliuzzi is here to talk about it all. and later, new dnc chair kenneth ken martin joins the conversation. we're looking forward to that. you're watching the weekend here on msnbc. the weekend here on msnbc. >> all right. (man) got one more antoine. (vo) with usps ground advantage, it's like you're with us every step of the way. ♪ (man) cooool. ♪ (man) right on time! (vo) stay in the know. from your dock... to their door. if you're frustrated with occasional bloating or gas, your body's giving you signs. it's time to try align. align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists to help relieve your occasional bloating and gas.

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order. >> when you sign up to be a new vip only at fabletics. com. >> there's a lot going on. there's a lot going on every day. you are the only person who has the power to effectively fire mayor eric adams and remove

him from this position. are you feeling differently about that responsibility? what are you expecting from the trump administration on ukraine? what do you make of this existential question about whether or not court rulings are going to be treated as optional? why do you think the u.s. government is sending immigrants to guantanamo? watch what's happening in the country and watch what effect it's happening on. politics is politics is how this will turn around. >> and. >> so maga. >> loyalist kash patel is now in charge of the fbi, and he's making his first moves to reshape that agency. patel is ordering a thousand fbi agents to be redeployed from dc to field offices around the country. another 500 fbi employees will move from washington to an fbi campus in huntsville, alabama. why? who knows? after a narrow confirmation vote in the senate, patel took his oath of office yesterday and had this little

ditty to share for the media. >> i know the media is in. >> here. >> and if you have a target that targets. >> right here. >> it's not the men and women at the fbi. >> you've written. >> everything you possibly can about me that's fake, malicious, slanderous and defamatory. keep it coming. >> bring it on. >> okay. >> joining the conversation. >> msnbc senior national security analyst and former assistant director for counterintelligence at the fbi, frank figliuzzi is here with us. he's the author of the fbi way inside the bureau's code of excellence. and back with us is our friend, former cia director john brennan. >> in defense of the media, i would just like to note that i think all people did was report on what kash patel has said and done a lot of and done. he had a lot of podcast interviews. he talked about an enemies list. and so, mr. director, i just would encourage you to check your own receipts because perhaps that will help you understand what's going on.

thankfully. lizzy. all right. what did the fbi agents what are they saying? how do they feel. because just yesterday we had that little presser after he was sworn in. there were many media reports. i heard it on television, not on our network, but on others. and i read in the papers that kash patel was moderating his tone. he was striking a different tone with the fbi agents now that he is the director. and it didn't sound moderated to me, but i was just a calm person. so i would like to know from the expert. >> you know, i think for way too long. >> we've hoped for the best that people will rise to their. >> position and everything. >> will be fine. i'm way beyond that. if somebody has told us who he is, has said he does have a blacklist. an enemies list, has said he thinks fbi agents are cops and should be emptied out. >> of headquarters. >> and. >> working murders. >> and rapes. >> which, by the way, in and of themselves are not federal violations. if he's going to tell a thousand agents, which happened. >> yesterday. >> you're getting out of this building. >> and they go home. >> and say to their families. >> i don't know where. >> i don't.

>> know when. i don't. >> know. >> why he's doing what he. >> said. >> he would do dramatic. >> moves that harm. >> national security. >> and the real concern i have here, we've seen horrible. >> abuses by the fbi under j. edgar hoover. >> right. illegal wiretaps. >> planting of evidence. >> microphones in martin luther king's rooms. >> you name it. we saw it unchecked. that could. happen again. and it could be even. >> worse with someone. >> whose allegiance is to. a president. so if, for. >> example, patel gets briefed next week, sir. >> we have. >> a. successful undercover operation. >> against a republican governor in this state. >> we're. >> coming to a conclusion with it. i just wanted you to know. do you think he's going to keep. >> that from pam bondi? >> he's going to keep. >> it more importantly. >> from donald trump. >> and do you. >> think donald trump is going to say, oh. >> excellent. >> go arrest my. >> friend. >> the corrupt. >> republican governor? >> that's what. >> i'm concerned about. >> director brennan. i want to sort. >> of pick up. >> on the. >> spirit of simmons question earlier, which was what is.

>> even happening? >> my question. >> here is. >> are we safer or less safe. >> than we. >> were before kash patel took over the fbi? >> well, i'm very concerned. >> about the dislocations. >> within the. >> bureau that. frank was mentioning. >> when i was director of cia. >> we partnered. >> very, very. closely with. >> the fbi. >> on so. >> many matters. >> including on the counterintelligence front. and what i'm. >> concerned is right now with all. >> of these. >> individuals that musk and. >> doge have sent into. our government institutions, and having. access to. >> those systems. >> and networks. >> and. >> databases. >> this is something. >> that is ripe. >> for exploitation. >> by the. >> russians and the chinese. >> in terms. >> of intelligence. >> these are individuals. >> who haven't been vetted. they don't have security clearances. >> or background. >> and so they're now. >> accessing all. >> this information that. >> involves us citizens, sensitive us databases and other things. >> and if the. bureau is going through this. these dislocations. >> it's this mission is being disrupted. >> and like frank, i am very

concerned about the politicization. >> of the leadership. >> of the bureau. >> kash patel i'm on kash. >> patel enemy list in his book. >> and so between kash. >> patel, pam bondi. and others. >> is the bureau? >> is the department. >> of justice going to. >> uphold its tradition of making sure that they carry out their. responsibilities with integrity and in an. >> apolitical fashion? >> and i think there are serious questions, including. >> among the. >> people within doj and. >> fbi right. >> now. >> about whether or not their leadership is going to bring them down. >> this very. >> dark place where. it's unprecedented in american history. >> frank, i. >> thought, i mean, it's certainly in light of your last answer and in terms of how this plays out in the bureau, it was an interesting rolling stone story headlined critics worry kash patel will purge the fbi. would he even need to? noting the uncomfortable truth here is that patel wouldn't have to purge that many people, says mike german, a former fbi agent and current senior fellow with the brennan center. i think an

unnervingly large percentage of the agency will be sympathetic to what patel wants to do, and i think they'd be pretty open about that. to your example about the investigative power shifting and being used in a negative way. this seems to indicate that there would be agents who, when instructed to go investigate simone, me or someone else, they'd be like, all right, with no legal basis to do it, with no underlying violation of criminal statute or law, just on the order of kash patel at the direction maybe of donald trump, maybe to curry favor with donald trump, to selectively go out and grab folks and start these harebrained investigations and

their agents within the building who will be like, yeah, let's do more of that. >> there's no. >> question the. fbi is not a monolith. generally, fbi gun and badge carrying agents tend to be conservative. it's what the job really is. but i have to tell you, i think we're. only talking. about a small handful that would be willing to violate their oath to protect, preserve and defend the constitution. they're highly trained now, over. >> time, with pressure. >> remember, trump is replacing every single u.s. attorney, right? >> right. >> so if you're going to have a trump loyalist as u.s. attorney and you're going to have a trump loyalist as ag and fbi director. it is. >> quite likely. >> that cases are going to. >> come down. >> to. >> a field. >> office, right? yep. and there's going. >> to be tremendous pressure to open a. >> case that. >> may or may not have proper predication. >> and in a weak moment, as the pressure. >> continues over time, are we going to see those cases open? i'm afraid so. i'm also concerned. >> that we're. >> going to see cases closed. we are already seeing cases. closed that should remain open. yes. so we've got both of these issues

going on. this is going. >> to. >> be a real test for the fbi staff. >> there's a wired article from wednesday in wired magazine. and the headline is doj's now has access to the top u.s. cybersecurity agency. it reads. it's not clear what level of access, edward stein or christine, a 19 year old engineer working for doj's, might have to data and networks at the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency. but the agency stores a lot of sensitive and critical security information on its networks. this includes information about software vulnerabilities, breaches and network risk assessments conducted for local and state election offices. why would doj's staff need access to the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency? >> they don't. >> that's why. >> this is a nightmare. >> this is. >> why. >> this is such. >> a concern in terms. >> of having individuals who have no background or. experience and again, have not. >> been vetted. >> how can a 19 year. >> old be vetted from a security standpoint? >> and this is why. >> i. >> think our. >> adversaries.

>> our. >> foreign adversaries. >> who really want. >> to gain access. >> to these. >> systems in order to. >> disable or. to understand. >> what they could do to make. >> them not. >> function the. >> way they're supposed to. >> but all. >> the data. >> of u.s. >> citizens is going to be in there. whether or not you're talking about. >> in irs or. >> other databases across. >> the board. so i don't believe. >> doge needs that. but, you know, it's. >> hard to see the. >> logic or. >> the common. >> sense behind. >> any of. >> the. >> things that elon musk and doge are doing. and also. >> they're misrepresenting. >> the facts. >> when they go. >> out there. >> and they say they talk. >> about fraud. >> and. >> abuse, there's. >> nothing that really. >> undergirds their claims. >> about this that. >> justifies their continued work. >> we've got about. 30s left. >> you've got. >> to purge. >> at dod. >> you got to. >> purge at. >> the fbi. >> who's the. >> young american. >> who decides. >> that they now want to. >> be a. >> part of america's defense force, america's intelligence. >> gathering operations? how much harder does this. >> make recruitment? >> it's really tough to get the right people right now. first,

there is a hiring freeze and. >> one we're hearing. >> that one new agents class at the academy in quantico has been turned. >> around. >> as best we can tell, the two that were there when trump took took over, were allowed to continue through the academy. but that's it. >> so the whole. >> recruitment thing is going to change. and the vetting process, i'm concerned, is going to change. let's not forget we've got an fbi director right. now who would not pass muster in a background investigation. he simply would not get a security clearance. if he applies his life and how he's conducted himself to a new. background investigation model, then we're going to have new agents eventually who look a lot like patel's mindset and not like constitutional loyalists. they're going to be asked straight. >> up. do they. >> have loyalty to donald trump. >> straight out of project 2020? >> that's straight out of project 2025, folks. we told you about that. >> but. you know. >> i digress. >> frank figliuzzi, john brennan. >> thank you both so. >> much for being. >> with us. >> next. >> feeling the heat republicans are hearing. from constituents.

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(vo 1) when you really philosophize about it, there's one thing you don't have enough of, and that's time. time is a truly scarce commodity. when you come to that realization, i think it's very important to spend time wisely. and what better way of spending time than traveling, continuing to educate ourselves and broaden our minds.

(vo 2) viking. exploring the world in comfort. is, quote, doing a. >> great job. >> but he'd like to. >> see the. billionaire get, quote, more aggressive. >> that is from a post. >> on the president's. social media site. >> just moments ago. >> meanwhile. >> voters went to republican. town halls this week. >> to protest trump. >> and musk's. cuts to the. >> federal government. >> just take a listen. >> but not the president, and you are doing us a disservice to set that down and not stand up for us. >> and you. >> got don't stand up for you stand. ways. >> i don't affected.

>> it may. >> be for. >> the best, as hard as it might be. as hard as. >> these are republicans, these are not these are not democratic actors, okay? these are. >> not democratic actors. >> these are not democrats that were bused in from from, you know, the blue parts of the state. honey, these are republican constituents. >> not antifa in that room. >> antifa was not the room, honey. this was bob, who was a lifelong conservative who was like, what the h-e-double hockey sticks was going on. why are you not working? member of congress. >> yeah, i. >> look and there's more of that to come. why? because all of this now is beginning to become real for folks. >> in these. >> communities in indiana and wisconsin. and elsewhere. and i think that is important. look, republicans have avoided doing town hall meetings up to this point. democrats have been out there doing those meetings, and they've been going when they hit the breaks, they, you know, doing the congressional session,

they go back into their districts. republicans have not. and there was a reason for that. but you can only do that for so long, because what ultimately happens is the last thing you want is your community to start holding town hall meetings and sending you an invitation. >> oh. >> it's the worst. >> that's the worst. so you you want to control it as much as you can and say, i'm going to have a town hall meeting at the library on tuesday night. and normally you'd have maybe 15, 20 people show up 300, 400, 500 waiting room space now. yeah. conversations beginning. can i should. >> can i just say there are a lot. >> of great questions that are posed. >> but one. >> of. >> my favorite questions came from one of the town. >> halls in. >> wisconsin for congressman. >> fitzgerald. >> and a. >> woman named. lorraine hendrickson. >> said, how. >> can we be represented by you. >> if you don't have a voice. >> in congress? >> there you go. >> she's asking the right question. >> i've been saying that for. >> about eight years now. >> come on now. i think adding to the pressure and i mean, this comes from our colleagues

melanie zanona and ben komisar. you know, republicans are turning to returning to washington next week. and there are all of these what people would call anti-poverty programs. and their fate is on the line talking about medicaid. i can't tell you all of the all of the, the, the seasoned people i've seen over the last week that are like, i hope, i hope nothing happens to my social security. like this is very real for people, veterans. and i would just note that the republicans, to michael's point just now, getting out there doing their town halls, hakeem jeffries, you know, we've been very hard on the democrats, rightfully so. but leader hakeem jeffries has directed the democrats. he said it on, on, i think, the 12th of february and then again this week that they need to be in their districts doing doing town halls. the february district work period must be nine days of visibility. it is essential that members engage to an in-person town hall or telephone town hall, and at least one community event that shares the devastating impacts of what they call the republican rip off on affordable health

care, medicaid or food assistance. so this is democrats really trying to play offense here. and, you know, kudos to leader jeffries. he doesn't he done heard the cries of please do a little more democrats. and he is directing his team and democrats to get out there. >> but i. >> think. >> it's. >> important to also note to alicia's read on the news this morning, the post from trump that he wants elon musk to become more aggressive. and that is in light of what's beginning to happen on the ground, the weakening of that sort of leverage and control over republican voters, because now they're beginning to feel exactly what his election is all about. and he wants to make sure more fast, more furious, more misdirection, more noise to distract from from that. so just be mindful of what what the what that call is all about. >> maybe the republicans will finally decide to assert their constitutional authority as a co-equal branch of government, because right now they are lump

on a log. >> no they won't. no they won't. >> well, but a girl can dream. >> girl can dream. it's you and a guy can drink coffee. >> it's you. >> i'll just read it. >> new dnc chair can read and has been hearing directly from voters this week. he is here to talk to us next. you are watching the weekend on msnbc. watching the weekend on msnbc. >> and let me have my dramatic. i'm thinking of updating my kitchen... ...thinking of redoing our kitchen. ...we are finally updating our kitchen. for all those people who never seem to get around to it... —...a breakfast nook. —chase has financial guidance. let's see how you can start saving... —really? —really? at home or in-person. that's guidance from chase. ♪♪ 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.

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set the party on the right track ahead of the 2026 midterms. and the chairman of the democratic national committee, mr. kim martin, joins us now. >> mr. chairman welcome, welcome. good to see you man. >> thank you michael. >> thank you simone. >> thank you. >> alicia, for having me. it's great to be here. >> so we're going to take you a little bit into the chairman's corner over here. we just have a little. just you and me. just have a little convo about the politics of turning the corner. i thought it was very interesting from pete buttigieg in a little bit of sound from the university of chicago institute of politics. let's take a listen to his assessment of the current state of things. >> something folks have been saying that i think. >> tries to get at this problem, but also. >> completely demonstrates an inability to see what's in front of us. and that's. >> this. idea that. >> well. >> if only we had a rogan of the left. >> that's what.

>> we need. >> we need a joe rogan. but for the left. >> and if. >> we had that, that's. >> the kind of. >> thing that we'd be reaching. some of the people we're not reaching. >> the problem. >> is. >> rogan. >> people aren't. >> listening to rogan because they view. >> it as being of the right. >> they don't think of it as. >> political at all. >> they're not looking for politics. >> they're looking. >> for what. protein powder. >> use and an interesting podcast. and the politics finds them. >> and the. >> politics finds them. and i thought that was very insightful. so, chairman, how do you position the politics in front of the american people so they find it? >> well. >> exactly what. >> pete. >> said is right. >> and that's. >> why i'm on this. >> tour. >> right now. >> the organizing. >> everywhere tour. >> we visited. >> six states over. >> the last week. >> here, you know. >> and i'm in wisconsin. >> right now getting ready to go out and. door knock. >> for. >> our supreme. >> court candidate, susan crawford. you know. >> i've been in red. and purple. >> and blue states. i've met with. >> farmers and union members. >> i've met with activists and

federal employees. >> i've knocked on doors in. >> western pennsylvania for our candidate. >> who is. >> going to win and help. >> us win. >> back the majority. you know, the reality. >> is, is. >> we've got to. >> get. >> the dnc. >> out of dc. to pete's. >> point. >> if we want to talk to voters. >> and connect with them, we need. >> to. >> meet them where they're at. and guess what? >> they're not. >> in traditional news. >> spaces or. >> information spaces. >> they're throughout. >> the digital world. they're in all these online spaces that. >> we have to start competing in. and pete is. absolutely right. >> you know, a lot of these online. >> communities don't. >> talk all the. >> time. about politics. >> they're talking. >> about a whole host. >> of other things. and as a result, our party has ignored. them over the past. we've got. >> to change. >> our way of thinking. >> you know what? i'm a hunter. >> people ask. >> me all the time. >> where do you go to hunt? >> they think i'm. >> going to give them my favorite. >> deer stand. or, you know, my favorite hunting spot. no, you go where. the deer are. >> and frankly. >> that's. >> what we have to do is go. >> where the. >> voters are. >> concept. >> you have to go. i mean, here's the thing. you you are you are waging this fight on so

many different. fronts because, yes, there is. >> the voters and connecting with the voters and. >> going on this. tour and figuring out where it. >> is. >> that. >> you can communicate. with them. >> at the same time that you have elon musk. >> and his. >> millions of dollars. >> playing in the wisconsin. >> supreme court race, let's pull that up. >> america pac. >> spent $1. >> million. >> on canvasing operations in the. >> state, according to a new campaign. >> finance filing that. >> came become public on thursday. pamphlets distributed to some. >> wisconsin homes read president trump needs you. >> to get out. >> and vote. >> and included a link. >> to. >> a website where voters. >> could register to vote and learn about. >> how to cast ballots early. so how. >> do you counter those, then? >> moneyed efforts? >> well. >> with people. and that's what we're doing. we're building the volunteer army throughout this country right now so we can win elections up and down the ballot. >> and you can see. >> the energy. >> just in the last couple. >> of weeks alone. >> right, with. >> people flooding town halls. >> of course, the activism. >> is surging right now. >> with the backlash that's happening. >> around this country. as donald trump's.

>> approval ratings continue to slide, as. >> americans are starting to wake up and realize that this guy is a fraud. >> and he's backed by elon musk. >> a billionaire. who's already bought the federal government. >> and. >> he's going to go to whatever he. >> needs to. >> buy this supreme court. race here in wisconsin. >> that's why. i'm here today. >> door knocking for susan crawford. it's cold and chilly here in wisconsin. and that's coming from a minnesotan. but guess what? we're going to be out on the doors knocking today. because that's the way. >> you beat. >> back money. that's the way you. >> beat back. these billionaires. >> but is by showing up, knocking on doors, having conversations with voters throughout this country about what we're seeing in this country right now, which is completely un-american. >> so, mr. chairman, you're on the listening tour. i think we'd love to know what you have heard from folks as you're talking, going out there, meeting with the american people, some who may, who are democrats, maybe some who aren't actually democrats, but are interested in what you have to say. but then also, what are you doing on the infrastructure within the dnc? have you hired up your staff? do

you have a ceo yet? take us into the rebuilding of the party apparatus, if you will? >> well, look. >> you know. >> it's a third week on the job. >> we're drinking. >> from. the fire hose. >> a little bit, as you can. >> imagine, but we're making a lot of. >> progress on actually putting. >> our senior team. >> together and standing. >> up the. >> post-election review. >> and of course. standing up our war room, which is really critical at this. >> point right now. so we can do. >> the job. >> we. need to. >> to push back in real time against donald. >> trump. >> elon musk. >> and jd vance. >> while also making sure we're building that infrastructure again, not only. >> at the. >> dnc but within our state parties, local party committees as well, because we have critical elections staring. >> down at. >> us right now. >> just in a little over a month here in wisconsin and in florida. >> as i mentioned. >> so we have. >> to be. >> prepared. and we're already engaged. >> in that work. >> and look, in terms of what i'm hearing on the ground from folks throughout this country so far is a deep frustration with what they're seeing out of donald trump. he promised them

on day one, he was going to bring down their grocery. prices and help them afford their lives. he hasn't delivered on that. he promised farmers throughout the midwest and throughout this country that he was going to help them when he was running for president. he's now reneging on critical contracts that farmers throughout this. >> nation have with. >> our federal government. he said he was going to keep us safe around the world. and what we saw this. week is despicable. i never thought my lifetime. >> would see. >> an american president bow the. >> knee to. >> vladimir putin. >> and divide up. >> europe without. >> our european allies. >> and of course, ukraine at the table. so, you know, donald trump and elon musk are failing the. american people. and we're seeing that out there manifested with the energy, the. the enthusiasm to get in this fight from democrats right now. look, our party is not dead. i'm sick and tired of hearing people saying, well, what the hell are democrats doing? democrats are fighting. and i see it all over this country. democrats are fighting right now. >> chairman, you are sitting in

a very unique spot, being chairman. >> of. >> the party at a time where you do not have the white house. let me tell you how much you're going to enjoy that. and at the same. and at the same. >> time we heard it. >> i know, and at the same time regret it. you are when people ask who's the head of the democratic party, it is you. it is. you don't have a titular head in a president. you have your leadership on the legislative side with schumer and hakeem jeffries in the senate, in the house. but you're the one ultimately going to be the taskmaster, coordinating and bringing together narratives that push forward the legislative agenda of the democratic leadership in the house and senate, but at the same time informing them of the politics that's going to win or lose elections. i take note, or took note rather of something you did this week, and that was to go to texas. sir, i cannot tell you how smart that is. the

report was the drubbing that texas democrats took in the 2024 election was bad enough to leave any party stalwart feeling deflated. yet the newly elected chair of the democratic national committee, ken martin, made texas one of the first stops this week on his first swing through the country, and the message he carried was the opposite. texas, the second largest state could be could still be a linchpin for the national party's revival. you will get a lot of people shaking their head and scratching what little bit of hair they have left off their head, thinking, what are you doing? but sir, i think that is smart. i can share my views on texas with you a little bit later, but that's the kind of sort of landscaping i think is going to be important in the face of some, both on the legislative side and within the political community, who will look at you and scratch their head and go, what are you doing? >> well. >> look, again, the reason we're visiting texas is because that.

>> truly is the. >> future of the democratic party. and when you look at the trend lines there, it certainly suggests that we're going to win there. maybe not this election cycle, but certainly in the future. and, you know, forgive me if i use a hockey analogy, but i'm from minnesota and i have to. wayne gretzky once said, you have to skate to where the puck will. >> be. >> not where the puck is. and that means as a political party, we can't just play for this upcoming election year or the next election year. we have to play for the future. and 40% of the u.s. population is going to be in the south after the next census. the five fastest growing states are tennessee, north carolina, south carolina, georgia and texas in the whole country. and if we don't start laying down a foundation right now to compete in texas, as the whole congressional map starts to change and shift to the south, we're already behind once again as a democratic party. so we need to build to win. of course, this upcoming election cycle. and priority number one is making leader jeffries, speaker jeffries, of course, to stop trump's unimpeded power.

priority number two is to build the infrastructure. so it's long lasting and durable, so we can win in places like texas and throughout the south once again. >> all right. chairman ken martin on the road. we love it. nice to meet you chairman. thank you very much. thank you. >> take care. >> ahead, the president of the. the congress of the united states, the largest federal workers union. how about that in the country? everett kelly joins the table to talk about donald trump's cuts. and be sure to follow our show on social media. our handle everywhere is at the our handle everywhere is at the weekend msnbc. with fatigue and light-headedness, i knew something was wrong. then i saw my doctor and found out i have afib, and that means there's about a 5 times greater risk of stroke. symptoms like irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or light-headedness, can come and go. but if you have afib, the risk of stroke is always there.

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and it's safe for use around people and pets. spruce: the new, hard-working, worry-free weed and grass killer. ♪ it's spruce! ♪ weak. everybody is saying, what are the democrats doing? they are fighting. that's the chairman standing up for the dems, honey. what y'all think? >> no. look, three weeks on the job. he's on the road. that's that's good. he's got to get his staff in place there. i took a slightly different approach. of course, i fired everybody the first week. and all hell broke. broke out in washington. and next thing you know, they were calling for me to be fired. so it works, you know? the point is, you. you shake the system in, in ways that they don't expect because you're trying to assert the footing of the party. and i think his being on the

road is a good way to begin to do that. because of such a range of interests within the democratic party that he's got to touch, because you have your progressives, you have women, you have african-american, you have hispanics, you've got all these coalitions that need to know exactly what his vision is. and so i think this is a good way to at least start to get a feel for that, or give them a feel for that. >> he's not bigfooting the national leaders. he's like, i'm going out on the road. he's not trying to tell hakeem jeffries and chuck schumer what to do, which i think is a good role to play because there's a lot of there's a lot of people and personalities and like big folks in the room. and kim martin is in his lane and we're going to see what it looks like. >> did you enjoy. >> that, listening. >> to a. >> former chairman talk to an incoming chairman is like. >> listening to a divorcee. talk to a newlywed. >> about marriage. >> he's like, let me tell. let me tell you about it all. can i just, i know we got to go. michael, let me just. i gotta go. but y'all know michael

steele has pulled the biggest coup in america. because he has effectively rebranded himself to the point where democrats are like, we need. michael steele to run the party. they done forgot that michael steele was so damn effective part of my leg, which he's part of. the reason he's part of the reason, part of the white people. democrats got the problem they got now because michael steele executed his strategy when he was the chairman of the republican national committee. so i just want to put that out there for folks. >> it was a different time. it was. >> a different time. >> different politics. >> this woman says she's got to go, and she means that literally. she is leaving us for today. >> i'll be. >> back tomorrow. i'll be back tomorrow. i gotta go do some stuff. yes, yes. >> very important. >> you know what i'm going to do now? i'm down by myself. oh. >> what am i going to do? all right. you at home? do not go anywhere. >> next hour. >> eddie glaude. >> everett kelly, michelle goodwin, jason johnson and the second largest egg farmer in america, john ross. >> they will all be joining. us and. >> michael to duet. that is. >> michael to duet. that is. >> next. (♪♪)

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