i mean, senator doug jones and she doesn't talk like that. that was the reaction. know that is not her normal voice. if you watch her press conferences or you've heard her interviews, and she's very smart and she's very savvy and there's a reason that she was on trump's vp shortlist. what i heard from she's still on the list. what i heard from sources right after that, they were texting me as this was happening, people in trump's world. and obviously all he cares about is optics and how things come across. and so he didn't defend her publicly after that, but there is no mention really of harping on that shortlist anymore. maybe that's good for her in the end, maybe she doesn't want to be on that shortlist and wouldn't want to have to be in that position. but it's a thankless task. it never really goes over well democrats or republicans. but i think a lot of people didn't think that she did herself any favors. >> pick it back on girls point you have to interview democrats and republicans how frustrated that they always take this stick to talking points and we're goi

i mean senator doug jones, and she doesn't talk like that. that was the reaction. know that is not her normal voice. if you watch her press conferences or you've heard her interviews and she's very smart and she's very savvy and there's a reason that she was on trump's vp shortlist. what i heard from she's still on the list. what i heard from sources right after that, they were texting me as this was happening, people in trump's world. and obviously all he cares about is optics and how things come across. and so he didn't defend her publicly after that, but there is no and to really i'm hoping on that shortlist anymore, maybe that's good for her in the end, maybe she doesn't want to be on that shortlist and wouldn't want to have to be in that position but it's a thankless task. it never really goes over well democrats or republicans. but i think a lot of people didn't think that she did herself any favors >> pick it back on girls point you have to interview democrats and republicans >> how >> frustrated that they always tick, tick stick to talking points. and we're

joining me now is former alabama senator doug jones, distinguished member of the center for progress.gist and analyst and cohost of the podcast. i will start with you. comment on this race were a democrat. a republican by 25 points on abortion. >> it was a big win for alabama and demo rats. a big win for women ross the board. marilyn lands, who won that we -- race, went straight at the women's reproductive rights issue. it was also part of the bigger picture. treating this whole issue of the culture wars. there is a fight against -- they're looking at banning books, women, you name it. absentee ballot issues that are there. this is a big issue. women's reproductive rights was huge. and unabashed in the way we approach this. really proud of the campaign and win and a big, big way. it sends a message across the country. >> i wonder what the messages to the democratic party which is notoriously given up on the south. do you have in the most southern of states, you have this woman brought her opposition on abortion and let me just put up a couple things and here's where abortion is banned

let's ask former alabama senator doug jones about this and much more.g time for. us you worked with leader mcconnell. give me your initial reactions to his announcement to retire this week and what do you make of joe biden's comments and which he politely praises mitch mcconnell? do you worry that kind of language normalize some of the damage and destruction mitch mcconnell did to the senate? >> no, i don't think so at all. president biden has said this about mitch mcconnell from the day he was elected. in fact, he ran on the fact he and mcconnell had been friends for a long time. and he felt like he could work with it. the fact is, to a large extent, they did. if you look at the bipartisan legislation that was successful over the first couple of years of the biden administration, the pack act, the infrastructure bill, those kinds of things. i think it's a genuine thing. president biden has worked with a lot of people over the years. he knew he had to work with senator mcconnell. the fact is, they had a mutual respect. they may disagree with each other

doug jones, former democratic senator of alabama and the u.s. senate.let me go to you first dug. i want to start with you, because you are a native son of alabama. you and i have been together over this bridge in the last several years. what does this day, the 59th anniversary of bloody sunday, mean to you? >> you know rev, i just want to echo everything that i've heard on this program, up to this minute. this is not just for alabama anymore, this is across this country, as we are seeing voting rights continue to be under siege, in state houses and secretary of state's offices. and it is so important that people understand what is happening there. it's important that people look back on the history. and that's, that's something that i don't think we do enough of. we don't understand the sacrifices that people made, just to get the right to vote. we think we've been a democracy since the constitution was adopted, but we haven't. we really weren't a full democracy until the civil rights act was enacted, until the voting rights act was enacted. so we've go

today, former alabama senator democrat doug jones joins us now, forgive me for getting slipped over my tongue their center i wanted to ask you about no labels because i think you have strong feelings about this group and their efforts to launch a third party present it's an agile candidate. absolutely. you know, john, you >> got to start from the premise that a third party cannot win an election in the united states of america, we are a two-party country and ab debt, then that way for two centuries now. and there's no way on god's green earth at the third party independent candidate can win. and i believe that a third-party bid by no labels which purports to be a centrist type organization would only take away votes from joe biden. and i think that that's a vote for donald trump. it will put him back in the white house. so yeah, i've got real concerns about they say that's not their intention. they say that they wouldn't put some more forward if they thought it would only get donald trump elected. you don't believe that? no, i don't believe it at all that there is nothing to suggest je

democratic alabama senator doug jones, who is supporting president biden. i should note and senator, let me just ask you that because people look at this. we've been talking about whether or not he's a spoiler. know you believe that he would hurt joe biden's campaign? but the fact that he's putting someone on his ticket who's already contributed over 4 million to a group that helped him run that super bowl ad. are you worried that she'll be able to really help when it comes to funding this third-party bid. >> oh what >> katelyn, that's the only reason she's on the ticket. no one could seriously believe that she brings any qualifications to this job. i'm sure she's a very nice person and a good lawyer but the only thing she brings to this table is a money. this is a marriage of convenience because he needs the money to fund us and that is the only reason she is on this ticket. and the fact of the matter is that she or he will be a spoiler for donald trump, but not for both of them, but he will be a spoiler in favor of donald trump everyone knows that it's wh

. >> and joining me now is the former democratic senator from alabama, doug jones. senator thanks for joining us tonight. you watched the speech last night. we all did. the president delivered a pretty forceful and sometimes it was even combative speech in that chamber. he was challenging republicans on democracy, on the economy and all these other issues. but i wondered, i mean, does this signal a pivot for joe biden from when he ran in 2020 as the candidate, you know, who would take the temperature down on partizan fighting? he believed then that republicans would come to their senses after trump today, he seems to have come to a different conclusion. >> well, i think you have to you have to campaign and with the battle that's in front of you, not the one that's behind you. and he is recognizing what's happened since since he took office. and that is he has been demonized. democrats have been demonized all with basically abby, nothing but falsehood and lies. and so when you do that, you become combative. and anybody who knows joe biden knows that when you go after

as well as former alabama senator doug jones. great to have you both here.hn, the focus from the biden campaign. yes, they're in georgia, campaigning elsewhere, but they know where this will be won and lost. >> it is no coincidence, you know, aaron rodgers out of wisconsin. as soon as he left wisconsin, the state started looking better for joe biden. that's the whole thing. >> okay. sure. >> i wanted to get on the aaron rodgers thing a little bit there. >> you could. >> that is actually -- i mean, let me try to guide you somewhere else here. let's talk about money. joe biden breaking all records as far as fundraising goes. i talked to a prominent democratic fundraiser a week ago who told me for the first time in decades, instead of calling saying, "hey, we're going to have a fundraiser. i know this is a tough time but" -- every single person she called, picked up the phone, and the response was uniform. >> how can i help? >> thank god you called. i've been waiting for you to call. so much is on the line. how can i help? that feeds into, on the democratic sid

cases have voted republican or think of themselves as conservatives in the past to say there is, doug jonesy and he said it feels like a line has been crossed and they won't put up with it. >> many people have said we have just gone too farment and from my personal story, the fact that we stepped two decades backwards, this is not progress. and we want progress. we want to move forward. this is where we are at. >> on march 6th, it was reported march 6th that representative anthony daniels from huntsville introduced the right to contraception act. i remember when i was down in alabama, people telling me they are coming for contraception, too. it is actually hard for women who are not covered or don't have insurance to get a doctor's appointment if they don't already have one. so even getting contraception is something that has become more difficult in alabama than it was before the fall of roe. >> exactly. and i'm very fearful: when the dobbs decision was handed down and alabama pulled the trigger act. all other states followed. and my biggest fear is that whatever we do next is going to spr

that's true, but the we we want an alabama and as somebody who ran or was his chief strategist for doug jones race in 2017 when he became the first democrat to win statewide and the senate race there this. is an, amazing thing to see, something like this happen in alabama and it's just confirms what we've seen in special election after special election. and since dobbs women have come out and a lot of republican women are breaking with the party beyond this issue. and it's particularly with trump in some of the candidates that are out there, particularly in north carolina and ohio. the senate candidates and gubernatorial candidates that the republicans have nominated are on the wrong side of this thing. and i think it's making even the senate more competitive. in 2024 in november >> all right, we'll leave it there for now. a joe trippy, alice stewart, good to see you both. thank you >> all right. another hour of cnn, news central starts right now.

the other thing that came out of the heritage report that's a sign of them going too far as doug jones mentioned is they literally want to delete the language from the books. i'm talking about deleting abortion from federal regulation. deleting the phrase reproductive rights. di, all of it. when people frame it as this is not isolated to abortion. they're coming for ivf, contraception, anything privacy related with a roadmap given by supreme court justices alito and thomas, then that's got to resonate. >> watched the handmaid's tale. that's what they want to do. you know how it's not about babies? they are trying to kill headstart which is for the babies. thank you. thank you. all and starts now. >>> tonight on all and -- >> what are your strengths and weaknesses? do you believe the 2020 election was stolen? >> a new litmus test for the rnc as an election losing election denier finally gives up the name. >> will the legitimate governor is and you're looking at her. >> why carrie lake admitted to defamation lead republican state official who brought the lawsuit read >> i will be your wo

. >> it certainly is doug jones couldn't time this interview better. thank you so much for joining us tonight and thank you all so much for joining us tonight. laura coates live starts right now a ship wreck, a lifesaving >> silane, a shirt search suspended, and now a and reality for six families, that's tonight on a special to our addition of laura coates, live good evening, everyone. >> i'm laura coats. and the words presumed dead are now breaking hearts all across this nation tonight, authority say the six individuals unaccounted for who were on the bridge that collapsed outside of baltimore? are likely no longer alive. this is a tragic development from the already stomach turning scenes from an american disaster. now, that's the moment of impact that you're seeing right now. when a powerless ships slammed bow first into the francis scott key bridge and brought it plummeting down into the potassium go river. now they say that looks like an accident according to official set in motion. a furious day long scramble to try to piece together how things w

i pulled out here tonight from saturday night live, kenan thompson, former alabama with senator doug jones. cnn's own, kaitlan collins, and the producer and songwriter of i'm just ken

doug jones came in and won that alabama race, i think it was in 2016.ce around these mega extremist and losing the generals. this will only help joe biden. again, if you are looking at these independent swing voters, once will ultimately decide who wins in november and they are looking at some of these extreme candidates, especially this guy in north carolina who will be the republican nominee, it really does start to cause a lot of people to think i don't know, maybe like you said, jen, earlier, like people-- not everyone is super excited about both biden and trump, but when you start looking at the extremist agenda of the republicans and who they are putting up, it only helps president biden, especially, again, among those key voters who don't necessarily make up the republican party base right now. but the key voters will it ultimately decide the general election. they are turned off by the extremism, and the crazy comments this guy is making and that is the problem when you put out extremist. it is hard, you may do really well in a primary, but you

i've never heard doug jones complain once. >> you understand alabama, you understand republican voters so well because of the state where you live and of for so long. we were looking yesterday and discussing donald trump's win in georgia two nights ago. there were 90,000 republican votes cast not for donald trump. 75,000 or so for nikki haley, ron desantis got a bunch of the votes, chris cristi got a couple thousand. i guess the question to you is in the republicans in birmingham, republicans in the bill, suburbs like that, are they thinking twice about donald trump? if they are, where are they going to go ? >> that's the issue. they certainly are, in those areas. in the rural areas of alabama and to the south, not so much. you see the trump flags, you see the bumper stickers and everything else trump. in the suburbs and the business community, they are concerned. they see a lot of republican policies that they like. at the same time, they see someone who is just unhinged and they see a lot of things that give them a lot of pause. i think you've got a new generation of republican busin