hirono: -- as the first black woman to serve on the u.s. supreme court. a group of law enforcement officers from across the country said judge jackson bridges a depth -- brings a depth of character, public service, and judicial service that leads to but one conclusion -- she is eminently qualified to serve on the supreme court of the united states. you are an accomplished jurist, having issued nearly 600 opinions that demonstrate a clear, evenhanded approach to the law. you have cited with workers, employers, for and against the government, for prosecutors, and for criminal defendants. judge thomas griffith, a george w. bush appointee, summed it up best when he said you, judge jackson, work based on the fact and the law and not as a partisan. having reviewed your record, i strongly agree with this statement, but you are not just extremely qualified to serve at the supreme court, your nomination is, of course, a historical and you're the supreme court has existed for over 233 years only five have been women, to have been black, and not single have been bla

hirono:

joining us now is senator of hawaii, senator hirono. couple weeks ago, democrats are hoping for a confirmation by then. what will happen? >> the way it is shaping up that we may not get a single republican to vote but i hope that won't be the case on the floor. she's so well qualified and i know the republicans had a hard time trying to figure out a way to attack her. their attacks fell flat as far as i am concerned. >> senator, how important is a bipartisan vote? >> these days that's not how a lot of the nominees are getting to their lifetime appointments. much as i would like to have bipartisan support for someone qualified with respected with a broad support from the political spectrum. it is the republicans for political reasons want to support her, we'll move forward, we'll put this person on the court because she will make a huge difference to millions of people to our country. a representation for black women for the first time in the court means a lot to a lot of people. >> senator, are you concerned of any conflict of interests

hirono: 40%. would you be surprised to learn that the department of justice, which prosecutes these cases, sent a letter to the u.s. sentencing commission in 2013, stating that the existing sentencing guidelines for child pornography offenses do not accurately reflect the current landscape of child pornography offense conduct? judge jackson: i don't remember that particular letter, but there was a lot of concern about this guideline from all sides. sen. hirono: now the sentencing commission issued another report just last year on this topic. do you know that as of that report, and even lower -- an even lower percentage were receiving sentences within the guidelines? judge jackson: i did not know, but i'm not surprised. sen. hirono: did you know that as of last year, it was just 30% of nonproduction offenders who were sentenced within the guidelines? judge jackson: i did not know, but i am not surprised. sen. hirono: my republican colleagues's made a big show of promising a fair process. and to me,

she writes -- >> with me now, senator mazie hirono, a member of the judiciary committee.or cory booker came on and gave us light and a sermon and gave us life again, you gave me life, because your questioning, which is not something that you don't do in every situation, was the first sort of sane moment that day, other than john osoff being the adult in the room. this is senator hirono owning it. >> sense you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nacher? >> i have not. >> have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement related to this kind of conduct? >> i have not. >> i want to ask you, i praised you for doing that. for me, the courts, i struggle with the supreme court, because it gets to the issues of how you and women can decide what to do with our bodies, when two of the six conservative members have been accused of sexual assault. so why do you ask that question, and is it related to brett kavanaugh or something else? >> i started asking that quest

. >> how did senator hirono get this information? do you have access to them? >> i don't know that i do. >> can we ask the senator how she got access? >> we're going to take a ten-minute break. we have a vote on the floor. it will take about ten minutes. 10 to 15 minutes, relax, and then we're going to come back. and we have two senators, cotton and booker, who will be recognized. then take a break for dinner, and we're going to try to still finish tonight with two remaining senator who will be first thing in the morning. so we stand in recess. >> we've been listening to confirmation hearings of judge ketanji brown jackson. you heard the chairman gavel in the recess. i'm ari melber, and this is "the beat." we've been covering the hearings, this has been the first day of the questioning. that's why "the beat" is reporting from washington, with some special guests right here to break down this hearing in a moment. here's what you need to know about the news that has emerged. first, at this point, judge jackson is on track for confirmation to the supreme court. sh

the big problem with what senator hirono just said was the president was explicit that his nominee would in fact, filling a quo at a? -- quota. >> senator hirono is upset, she only should be upset with president biden who clearly explicitly stated that race and gender would be his criteria in selecting a justice. that is president biden's statement. doesn't come from republicans. president biden doing a disservice to judge jackson by so declaring, making her rights and gender his stated criteria. shame on president biden for doing that to h her and to anyo else who was ruled out of consideration. >> you know, steven, one of the issues that the senators are interested in is the fact that it appears that judge ketanji brown has several cases, ten, undercut sentencing guidelines with child pornography and cases involving children as victims. do you think that's a fair area to inquire why she undercut federal sentencing guidelines and went below not only the guidelines but below what the prosecutors requested? >> i hope this will be of the primary areas the senators focus on in the hearings.

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hirono: that's another way that you are connecting to the people who mean a lot to you. the creative outlet is really important to me, because in a changing world, it is our ability to be creative in our approaches and how we think about things that will enable us to deal with the rapid changes that happen every day. i view you as a consensus builder. i know that in your work with the sentencing commission, you work hard to come up with 95% of the time in this very diverse group, there was consensus in your recommendations. how important do you think consensus is on what i characterized yesterday as a very ideologically split supreme court? hon. judge jackson: i think consensus is very important. it was one of the things that i most admired about having the opportunity to work for justice breyer is a law clerk to observe his process for reaching out to colleagues and trying to collaborate in his thought process about the outcomes of cases. it is something that i tried to emulate when i was on the sentencing commission which is a very diverse body. i saw in that context t

hirono: really interesting discussion. i agree with senator king's description of what is causing gas prices to go up. the supply goes down in the prices go up. you referred to the oil embargo of 1970. more recently, in 2008, for example, the average national price of regular gas was $5.37 when adjusted for inflation. that is about the current national average of $4.22. in 2008, joe biden was not president. these efforts to blame president biden does not make sense. it is very, totally misplaced and if anybody is to blame for the current situation, it should be prudent -- putin. in the 2008 oil price shocks, solidified the commitment to move toward renewable power, because we were the most oil-importing state in the entire country. our effort to become energy self-sufficient is now at 30%, with the goal of 100% self-sufficiency to renewables and alternatives by 2045. hawaii got it. i'm wondering when the rest of the country is going to get it. we need to become energy self-sufficient. at the same time, we need to be clear

>> thank you, senator hirono. working with local and state law enforcement to make improvements in capturing and collecting data is an important priority for the department. and it's through grantmaking, outreach training, the issuance of guidance. the department is instituting a multiple faceted strategy to help improve data collection. >> so you are using the grantmaking process as one of the ways you're going to encourage these agencies to pay attention? >> that is one of the methods. >> good. i'm glad you noted that -- use the word hate incidents during parts of your responses. there's a personal reason why that the covid-19 hate crimes legislation included not just the crimes but the incidents. much less of the -- it's hard enough, i should say, that we are facing the total underreporting of hate crimes. but you can imagine that incidents are basically very, very underreported, and so we know these kinds of incidents, for example, harassing someone in a starbucks, telling her to go back where she came from, w

senator hirono completes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you both for beingis here. general wolters you mention something that definitely piqued my interest, and we know that china and russia, to have a relationship and china seeks to expand its influence in your. so you mentioned that you are working i think much more closely with the apple because of this recognition that things don't just in one command theater. can you talk a little bit more about your increase closer working with the admiral? >> we've shared thoughts about what russia has done with respect to its physical actions in the vicinity of ukraine and its activities outside of ukraine with its so-called allies and partners. and the impact that has on the actual execution. and the admiralcu is obviously very interested in that because he faces a scenario that's reasonably similar to this with respect to taiwan, and how we examine the u.s. response, the allies and partners response will help in the gym and working his way through some of the tough spots that we anticipate that he will have to work with in

you've got mazie hirono, the senate's dumbest member, don't you to ask for her test scores.know what they are. she's incurious to know that judge jackson was nominated because of race and after joe biden bragged repeatedly that judge jackson was for her race and sex. they are apoplectic if you dare to repeat what they say. once the message? you aren't allowed to talk to him no more insolence, serve! thankfully , in the hearings today, a few senators did ask relative questions be here is josh hawley. >> this is a child case for the defendant this routed multiple images of child porn, the federal guidelines recommend a sentence to 121 months in prison. prosecutors recommended 24 months in prison. judge jackson gave the defendant three months in prison. >> tucker: hm! that's pretty serious. why did she do that, judge jackson question mike here's the response. >> the guideline was based originally on a statutory scheme and on directives, specific directives by congress at a time in which more serious child pornography were defined on the volume, the number of photographs they re

senator hirono. >> thank you, mr. chairman. judge jackson, as you may know, i asked the following two preliminaries questions of every nominee who appears before any of the committees on which i sit, so i will ask you these two questions first. since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature? >> i have not. >> have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement related to this kind of contact? >> i have not. >> judge jackson, my colleague from missouri seems to think that it's appropriate for federal judges to sentence individuals below -- inappropriate to sentence individuals below the sentencing guidelines in these kinds of cases, horrific cases, and so i think it's important to offer a couple of clarifications for the record. judge jackson, when the u.s. sentencing commission first addressed the issue of sentencing in the -- in this area in 2012, do you remember that only 40% of convicted offenders in t

senator hirono? sen. hirono: thank you, mr. chairman. judge jackson, aloha. i know there are people here to support you. aloha to all of you. congratulations, judge jackson, to all that you have accomplished throughout your life and career. i know a lot of your backgrounds and experiences have been cited, but some things are worth repeating, so i am going to repeat them. you are the national champion of speech and debate as a highschooler. you have undergraduate and law degrees from harvard, each with honors, three clerkships of federal court, including one for justice breyer, who you have been nominated to replace. in washington dc to to public school teachers. you moved to miami, florida at a young age. that way your deck to go to law school. you are inspired to watching yous law classes at the kitchen table. he first considered attending hardin, a spot that had not entered your mind after attending a speech and debate competition on the harvard campus. during high school. you thought, this is possible. you have been confirmed three times by the senate on y

. >> let me just add that some democratic senators, particularly mazie hirono pointed out that hawleyng this case about her being soft on crime and soft on these offenders voted for trump judges who had also sentenced below the guidelines. so what is this? this, as laura was saying, this is just a way to appeal to the political base and say the democrats are soft on crime. and by the way, look at her. she is just a representative of all of that. >> what stands out, jeffrey, to you from these exchanges? pretty dramatic exchanges so far today? >> well, first of all that, the judge knows a great deal more about the law than anyone who is asking questions today. but specifically, this struck me as the beginning of the 2024 presidential campaign. and you had josh hawley really pitching the qanon vote, talking about pedophilia over and over again, trying to appeal to the part of the republican party that thinks democrats have pedophilia dens in pizza places' basements in washington. really going through graphic details that, you know, had no relevance to a supreme court nomination fight. sa

. >> senator mazie hirono, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> a critical food warehouse destroyedit's like to live in ukraine as it's under siege right now. we'll go to nbc's gabe gutierrez. in lviv, talking to people who left their homes behind. >> reporter: among their baby's first words. >> boom, boom. >> reporter: she's ten months old. ten months old. [limu emu squawks] woo! new personal record, limu! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...the itching... the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®... ...most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. tremfya® is the first medication of its kind also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. and, it's six doses a year, after two starter doses. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or

and for a lot of people out there watching, the way mazie hirono put it, frankly for young girls anden of color, tomorrow and the next day are going to be incredible days for them and incredible days for history. >> we're looking live at senator dick durbin it looks like taking a few questions from reporters. let's listen in for a little bit. >> has been honored by this committee on three separate occasions to win its approval with bipartisan leadership and i hope we see it again. there was some questions that were asked of her which she did not have a chance to respond to. tomorrow she will. and i hope we're looking forward to her being given a fair opportunity to respond to some of the charges and some of the questions that were raised. we believe that she has a compelling story to tell to the american people. her close, i thought, was especially touching. she spoke not just as a person aspiing to the supreme court but as a proud mother and wife and member of a family that has been so supportive of her every step of the way. so at this point my republican colleagues have raised som

so you've got mazie hirono,ie the senate's dumbest member. we don't need ask for her test scores. we know what they are. she's infuriated. if anyone would suggest that judge jackson was nominated because ofe'sus her rs and after joe biden bragged repeatedly that judge jacksonep was nominated forea her race an is toora funny, they demand that you listen very carefully but they become apoplectic if you dare to repeat what they say, what's the message or shut up. you don't want to talk no more , insulin's sirf sorry not playing along thankfully in the hearings today a few senators did manage to ask relevant questions. here's shefaliativiv united stas versus hawkins. this was a child case where the defendant distributed multiple images of child, possessed dozens more including videos the federal sentencing guidelines recommended a sentence of ninety seven to 21 months in prison. 1 prosecutors recommended twenty four months in prison. judge jackson gave the defendant threeee monthsn in prison. well, that's pretty serious. why did you do that ? judge jackson? well, here was the response

hirono: mr. president? the president pro tempore: the senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the president pro tempore: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: joining us for this conversation, reporter, congress -- one of the discussion points a package for ukraine, can you explain the dollar figure and what is expected as far as getting it passed? >> ukraine in the funding legislation .2 dreyfus need. as far as ukraine goes, a lot of that money is going to go towards the ten billing dollars toward paying for the movements for u.s. forces eastern european nato allies. another 5 billion ♪ ♪ to the state department and usaid for humanitarian aid for hundreds of thousands of refugees pouring over the border areas like that, that is the book. it is likely to ride on the upcoming funding education and that driving the funding and grease the wheels in congress to get that bill through ukraine eight has a lot of support and we can see a push to include that and get done early this week. >> when it comes to members of congress and the ad

we just had senator hirono expressing that earlier today on msnbc. is that the answer?be a clear code. and i think included in that clear code is that you should not have the appearances of something that is less than appropriate. if the judge, in this case justice clarence thomas, respected the court and the faith and trust of the public in the court, he would recuse himself because of the appearances of a conflict here. particularly since he made that vote and he was the sole vote. i also think that the january 6th committee could entertain whether or not they want to interview ms. thomas, what she knew about january 6th since she was present, since she left before the insurrection started. and interrogating her, ask her, who is her best friend? so, i mean, i think there's all kinds of possibilities here. it is not out of bounds for someone who said they were there january 6th to be interviewed on what they heard before they left. did they overhear any plans? and by the way, we have your text messages here. who is your best friend, and ask her a legitimate line of que

senator hirono.g to make improvements in capturing and collecting data is an important priority for the department and its through grantmaking and outreach training, the issuance of guidance. the department is instituting a multifaceted strategy to help improve data collection. >> so you are using the process as one of the ways you are going to encourage these agencies to pay attention. >> that is one of the methods. >> i'm glad you know they use the word hate incidences during parts of your response as there is a reason why i personally insist it included not just the crimes but the incidents so much less it's hard enough i should say that we are facing the total underreporting of hate crimes, but you can imagine the incidents are basically very, very underreported and so we know these kind of incidences, harassing someone that is at a starbucks, telling her to go back where she came from where the manager and other people do absolutely nothing, we know these incidents are occurring by the hundreds

hirono: mr. president, i note the absence of a quorum. the president pro tempore: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent it be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: and i ask consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. please proceed. mr. durbin: madam president, last thursday i decided to join with senator shaheen and set up a meeting with about 13 european ambassadors to the united states. it was for the democratic senators, and afterwards we thought this should have been bipartisan. the next one will be. but the ambassadors' meeting was nothing short of historic because these 14 ambassadors representing the obvious leaders in europe all spoke to the issue of ukraine and what it has meant to them and what it's done to their nations. some of their statements were profound. the ambassador from ge

hirono, thank you for the -- solano --serrano, thank you for the work you do. significant concern has been raised by myself and others about judge jackson's pattern in sentencing criminal defendant guilty of possession or distribution of child pornography. she wrote in a note advocating a new way for examining restrictions on sexual offenders and arguing for a standard that if applied, would likely result in striving -- striking down sexually predator laws -- and arguably strike down the sex offender registry laws across the country. what would be the effect if the puc articulated was adopted by the supreme court and those laws were struck down? >> i am not familiar with judge jackson's writing in the harmon -- harvard law review what i can tell you that sex offender registry plays a big part in allowing the committee to identify where people have demonstrated a conviction of sexual interest in children or rate or that sort of thing. there are certainly state laws, i am not familiar with all of them but there is a process where due process is done, whether some

hirono: i was listening very closely to my friend, my colleague from texas and his comments regarding the process by which we give our advice and consent to all of our judicial nominees, but particularly our responsibility with regard to supreme court nominees, and there seemed to be some concern we were rushing the nomination process for judge jackson. nothing could be further from the truth, because everybody remembers the speed with which nominee amy coney barrett was put on the court, from the time of her nomination to the hearing to her being sworn in. so, there will be enough time for all of our members of this body to consider judge jackson's nomination. not to mention, we had already confirmed her twice, once to the district and another time to the circuit court. it's not as though she is unfamiliar to us. also, any connotation that somehow president trump's nominees were ill treated, again, nothing could be further from the truth, because the whole process, especially with regard to justice kavanaugh, was with the utmost desire on the part particularly of the democrats on the