>> senator kennedy, i don't have that readily at my disposal. >> reporter: matthew petersen grilled on capitol hill. nominated for a lifetime federal judgeship by -- >> have you ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal? >> no. >> bench? >> no. >> state or federal court? >> i have not. >> reporter: but the lawyer who serves on the federal elections commission struggled to answer basic legal questions. >> do you know what a motion in limine is? >> yes, i haven't -- i'm -- again, my background is not in litigation. >> reporter: video of the awkward moment now viral. sheldon whitehouse who sits on the judiciary committee tweeted the saad with the caption, hoo-boy. the questioner, john kennedy. >> you just can't walk into a federal courthouse for the very it doesn't work that way. >> reporter: this week president trump set a record, the most appellate court nominees many conservative confirmed in a president's first year. >> this is a president whose focus on making sure we have judges in place that understand what their role is and that's not to create law, that

this is louisiana republican john kennedy questioning matthew petersen at a senate judiciary committee confirmation hearing earlier this month. >> have you ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal? >> no. >> state or federal court? >> i have not. >> have you ever taken a deposition? >> i was involved in taking depositions. amy: matthew petersen's withdrawal came after the judiciary committee rejected two of president trump's other nominees this month -- texas lawyer jeff mateer, who has called transgender children evidence of "satan's plan, and blogger brett talley, who was rated "unanimously unqualified" for a judicial post by the american bar association. well, for more, we're joined by judge shira scheindlin. she served 22 years as united states district judge for the southern district of new york. she was appointed by bill clinton. she left the bench in april of last year. she's a member of the executive committee of the board of the lawyers committee for civil rights under law. her recent piece published in thguardian is helined "trump's new am of dges

. >> matthew petersen had been nominated for a lifelong seat but struggled to answer basic legal questions and now petersen has withdrawn his want to be a continued distraction. senator kennedy said he had no idea that petersen lacked experience for this post. >> but just because you've seen my cousin vinny doesn't qualify you to be a federal judge and he has no litigation experience. >> all right. he brought up "my cousin vinny." >> two utes. >> he said white house staffers chose petersen as a nominee. >> i wish he work the "my cousin vinny" suit for the appearance. >>> some democrats may be floating the idea of al franken remaining in the senate. franken announced he was stepping down because of sexual misconduct allegations, but he hasn't yet set a resignation date. now, fellow democrats including senator joe manchin said the pressure put on him to resign was wrong and democrat patrick leahy has reportedly said he regrets calling for his resignation. >>> the salvation army says donations to its annual red kettle drive are down will help. someone dropped a $200,000 check into a red kettl

matthew petersen has withdrawn his nomination after he went viral for failing to answer basic legal questions at his hearing. >>> and it wouldn't be christmastime without a christmas greeting from the royals. the duke and duchess of cambridge expecting their third child next year released their annual card with prince george and princess charlotte front and center. a lot of folks commenting that the little princess looks a lot like her great-grandmother, the queen. >>> up next here tonight, happy holidays and beary christmas. the air force sergeant on a mission for kids. rid of our traffic? next at 6: the $5b proposal to open up lanes bay area wide. plus everyone )s talking about the index card that sunk the raider )s season. and now the coach weighs in. that )s next right now at 6: could this really happen? >>> finally tonight, a story about creature comfort. teddy bears making the rough times a little better for some kids in tampa this holiday thanks to some airmen who deliver with military precision. part of our ongoing series "those who serve." >> thank you. >> reporter: air force sergean

at his confirmation hearing yesterday, matthew petersen struggled to answer basic questions about legal procedures. this is petersen being questioned about his experience by republican john kennedy of louisiana. >> have you ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal? >> no. >> bench? >> no. >> state or federal court? >> i have not. >> okay. have you ever taken a deposition? >> glor: the senate has not yet voted on petersen's nomination. the white house did withdraw support from two other nominees for lack of experience. fighting wars may soon change forever. david martin got to see a military helicopter that doesn't need a pilot in the cockpit or on the ground. >> reporter: the huey helicopter has been around since vietnam, but this one could be the start of a revolution. it's flying itself. that p i just a safety observer, keeping his hands close to but not on the controls. the person telling the helo what to do is marine sergeant dionte jones. >> the helo comes in, requests permission to land, i would give it permission to land. when it's ready to leave or un

in the past few days matthew petersen has been seen by millions struggling to answer basic legal questionsn viewed many times online — not least among lawyers. the white house says mr trump has accepted mr petersen's withdrawal. the american nazi party and the leaders of the far—right party britain first have been suspended from twitter. britain first‘s leader paul golding and his deputyjayda fransen, whose posts were retweeted by president trump, have had their accounts taken down. twitter claims the move will "reduce abusive behaviour and hateful conduct" on its platform. 400 more flights have been cancelled on monday and another 86 delayed at the world's busiest airport, as the fallout from sunday's crippling power—outage continues. the power was cut for 11 hours at atlanta's international airport, leaving passengers stranded, in darkened terminals, or in planes out on the runway. even though electricity was finally restored, the delays have continued to affect travel plans, for thousands of people. the failure seems to have been caused by a fire in an underground plant. atlanta's mayor

it comes just days after matthew petersen was seen struggling to answer basic legal questions from ang went viral. the white house says mr trump has accepted mr petersen's withdrawal. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: in an ever—ageing world, we visit california to see how they are embracing the challenge of active life in old age. after eight months on the run, saddam hussein has been tracked down and captured by american forces. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict that has claimed over 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of serbia, bosnia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life. the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history

matthew petersen has withdrawn his nomination after he went viral for failing to answer basic legal questionst his hearing. >>> and it wouldn't be christmastime without a christmas greeting from the royals. the duke and duchess of cambridge expecting their third child next year released their annual card with prince george and princess charlotte front and center. a lot of folks commenting that the little princess looks a lot like her great-grandmother, the queen. >>> up next here tonight, happy holidays and beary christmas. the air force sergeant on a mission for kids. now resee and carmax will hold it for you up to seven days, for free. because i'm from seven days in the future. now don't be frightened, seven days in the future is a glorious place. after all you had two good hair days in a row... perfect. right out of bed. and this car you reserved on carmax.com is still being held for you, for free. pretty sweet. or as we like to say from seven days in the future... ah...we still say pretty sweet. it's basically the same. the market.redict but through good times and bad... ...at t. rowe pri

it comes just days after matthew petersen was seen struggling to answer basic legal questions from a accepted mr petersen's withdrawal. we live in an ageing society, and the latest figures from the office for national statistics underline the scale of the challenge ahead. one in eight people in the uk is projected to live to at least 100. that is around 8.5 million people. so how should we prepare for a new generation of super—agers? 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh has been to see how california is tackling this. on your marks... to me, i don't think about age as being a handicap. set... it's just a process. go! you live, you die — so why not live? irene 0'bera is 8a. she makes old age look like an irrelevance. irene has been breaking world records for four decades. it takes effort. when she is not training at this track near san francisco, she is in the gym. her philosophy is simple. live the life you love, and love the life you lead. and a quitter never wins, and a winner never quits. and i want to be a winner. we're living in an ageing world. by 2050, the number of people a

. >> reporter: matthew petersen grilled on capitol hill, nominated for a lifetime federal judgeship by have you ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal? >> no. >> bench? >> no. >> state or federal court? >> i have not. >> reporter: but the lawyer who serves on the federal election commission struggled to answer basic legal questions. >> do you know what a motion in limine is? >> uh, yes, i haven't -- again, my background is not in litigation. >> reporter: video of the awkward moment now viral. democratic senator sheldon whitehouse, who sits on the judiciary committee, tweeted the video with the caption, "hoo boy." >> you can't just walk into a federal courthouse for the very first time and say here i am, i think i want to be a judge. it just doesn't work that way. >> reporter: this week president trump set a record. the most appellant court nominees, many conservative, confirmed in a president's first year. >> this is a president who is focused on making sure we have judges in place that understand what their role is. and that's not to create law. that's no

. >> matthew petersen is up for a lifetime appointment. i can't stress that enough. prosecutor is with us. good to have you here. >> thank you. >> i think non-lawyers watch that and the reaction, it looks like a literal nightmare that you might have about, like, a stress dream about -- >> it is. >> about being unprepared for something. but as a trial lawyer, what is your reaction to watching that? >> watching that, these are such basic concepts, such basic skills in a he's asked about, and daubert, every trial lawyer knows that relates to expert witnesses and the standard for admitting expert testimony. a motion in limine is something that comes up during the course of a trial to get an advance ruling from a district court judge on a ruling of evidence. >> how common is a motion limine? like, how -- ten being basically every trial has one. one quite about secure? >> probably a 12. i mean, these are not obscure concepts. the idea that this person is being appointed for a lifetime position as a federal direct court judge and doesn't know anything about the rules of evi

here's federal election member matthew petersen, named to the u.s.strict of columbia grilled by senator john kennedy of louisiana who happens to be a republican. >> has any of you not tried a case to verdict? in a courtroom? mr. petersen. you have ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal? >> no. >> bench? >> no. >> state or federal court? >> i have not. >> have you ever argued a motion in state court? >> i have not. >> have you ever argued a motion in federal court? >> no. >> just for the record, do you know what a motion in limine is. >> i would probably not be able to give awe good definition right here at the table. >> do you know what the younger abstention doctrine is? i am -- heard of it, but again -- >> how about the pullman abstention? >> i heard -- >> you'll see that a lot in federal court. >> perhaps don mcgahn at the white house ought to have hired john kennedy to vet these candidates. news flash, petersen's nomination withdrawn. we'll be right back. it's red lobster's new ultimate surf & turf event. and that me

take, for example, matthew petersen who withdrew today, after being nominated by trump for the u.s.trict court, for the district of columbia. peterson's withdrawal comes after he was grilled last week on his knowledge of basic legal concepts, by republican senator john kennedy in a painfully awkward exchange. >> have you ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal? >> no. >> bench? >> no. >> state or federal court? >> i have not. >> have you ever tried a -- taken a deposition by yourself? >> i believe -- no. >> okay, have you ever argued a motion in state court? >> i have not. have you ever argued a motion in federal court? >> no. do you know what a motion in limine is? >> i would probably not be able to give you a good definition right here at the table. >> okay. do you know what the younger abstention doctrine is? >> i've heard of it, but i -- again -- >> how about the pullman abstention doctrine? >> i -- i heard -- >> you gonna see -- y'all will see that a lot in federal court. okay. >> seth: okay. [ light laughter ] "let's try some easier questions, can

it comes just days after matthew petersen was seen struggling to answer basic legal questions from aaccepted mr petersen's withdrawal. what is wrong with the word vulnerable? 0r foetus? 0r transsexual? they are three of the seven words which the white house is reportedly urging a top public health agency not to use. the centre for disease control and prevention says it received guidance that in future budget documents, it should find alternatives. the question of how to address sexual orientation, gender identity and abortion rights — all of which received significant visibility under the 0bama administration — have re—surfaced recently. in march, the department for health and human services dropped questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in two surveys of elderly people. since the weekend, the hhs has issued a statement saying the story has been overblown. what word would you use instead of foetus? let me show you the statement. "the assertion that hhs has ‘banned words' is a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process." "hhs w

amy: matthew petersen's withdrawal came after the judiciary committee rejected two of president trump's other nominees this month -- texas lawyer jeff mateer, who has called transgender children evidence of satan's plan, and blogger brett talley, who was rated unanimously unqualified for a judicial post by the american bar association. in california, federal appeals court judge alex kozinski said monday said he will retire after at least 15 women accused him of sexual harassment, unwanted hugging, kissing, or groping in incidents spanning decades. judge kozinski was appointed to the ninth circuit court of appeals by president ronald reagan in 1985. current and former women contributors at the fox news channel are speaking out against sexual abuse in the workplace after media mogul and fox news owner rupert murdoch dismissed widespread charges of rape, sexual assault, and harassment at the network as nonsense. murdoch made the comments in an interview on the sky news channel, which he founded. >> how harmful has the whole allegations about central harassment at fox news been for the busi

. >> matthew petersen, a member of the federal election commission, is the third trump judicial pickw in the past week alone amid criticism of democrats and others about their qualifications or lack thereof. petersen served on the ftc with don mcgann, the current white house counsel, who has the final say over picks. joining me now is nick akerman, former u.s. attorney. nick, thanks for being with us. >> thank you. >> it's embarrassing in the extreme. it looks like something out of a comedy routine and ready made for "snl." how did he get past this in the senate? >> he's never tried a case before, he's never been in a courtroom. a federal judicial court judge who is appointed for life is a very important position, and it's not a job for a rookie. somebody who gets appointed that position has to be an expert in trial practice and has to know both civil and criminal law, because a federal judge hears a whole variety of cases over a spectrum of different issues that are extremely important. >> and, you know, in this case, he was so unprepared, he came from the fec. the fec has been desc

many people have seen the video of senator kennedy asking matthew petersen, a nominee to be a district court judge basic legal questions. peterson was unable to answer any of them. yesterday, mr. peterson withdrew his nomination. last week the administration also withdrew the nominations of jeff mat tear and bret cali at chairman grassley's urging. they are three of 18 nominees this year. those nominees were withdrawn after the committee process. these nominees and others demonstrate the importance of careful consideration of nominees for executive branch positions and lifetime appointments to the bench. i also note the american bar association rated four of the 56 judicial nominees put forward by the trump administration as not qualified, including two who received that rating unanimously. that is fairly unprecedented, given the fact that before this year the aba had only issued that rating twice since 1989. we have seen two more of these ratings this year already. the american people deserved qualified judges who will interpret the law fairly and the best way to get judges who are fa

senate judiciary committee when senator john kennedy, republican, questioned a trump nominee matthew petersen about his qualifications to be a district court judge. >> have any of you not tried a case to verdict in a courtroom? mr. petersen? have you ever tried a jury trial. >> i have not. >> civil. >> no. >> criminal. >> no. >> bench. >> no. >> state or federal court? >> i have not. >> have you ever argued a motion in state court? >> i have not. >> have you ever argued a motion in federal court? >> no. >> just for the record, do you know what a motion in writ is. >> probably not a good definition here at the table. >> do you know what an extension doctrine is. >> i've heard of it -- >> how about the pullman extensive doctrine. >> i -- >> you see that a lot in federal court. >> we should note senator kennedy is well versed on the law. two law degrees, taught law and knows what he's talking about. bring in executive vice president of the leadership conference, spent 14 years working on the senate judiciary committee as then chairman patrick leahy's top legal and policy adviser. christine, this

matthew petersen is trump's nominee to be a lifetime district court judge.e struggled to answer basic questions about the law during his confirmation hearing thursday. let's take a look at one of the exchanges with republican senator john kennedy. >> have any of you not tried a case to verdict in a courtroom? >> i have not. >> have you tried a jury trial? >> no. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal? >> no. >> bench? >> no. >> state or federal court? >> i have not. >> have you ever argued a motion in state court? >> i have not. >> have you ever argued a motion in federal court? >> no. >> just for the record, do you know what a motion in liminee is. >> i wouldn't be able to give you a good definition. >> do you know what the younger abstention doctrine is. >> i've heard of it but i -- >> how about the pullman abstention doctrine? >> i'll -- >> you'll see that a lot in federal court. >> yeah, getting to be clear, that's a -- that's a republican senator there. danny is here, an msnbc legal analyst. to be clear, those questions, were those all questions that a wannabe di