mcconnell is a really nice guy and smiled. there are some different things that he spoke at, and he is such an unlikely politician. just very nice. i remember one time somebody approached him at a restaurant and started being absolutely horrible to him and all the people in the restaurant went to defend him because he was just sitting there and taking it. a lot of people in the restaurant went over to defend the guy. from this person who decided they were going to go off on mitch mcconnell. a nice guy. good seeing you. love the dress. host: is there a politician in kentucky that you think, if he should choose not to run for reelection in 2026, who do you think will win that seat? caller: that is a tough one, but i believe it will probably be a republican. mostly, we know about our democrat candidates. but so far, nobody can touch him. i'm sure it will be a republican. host: democratic caller. let's take a look at 2016 when then senate majority leader came onto c-span's program afterwards to talk about his book, the long game,

biden and mcconnell have a long relationship. biden was in the senator 36 years and in times of trouble whenever either of them has had any kind of personal issue, illness, or i think mcconnell, when he was ill last year or the year before, they share words of support for each other even though they don't ideology see eye-to-eye. it's unclear at this point whether the president got any head's up yesterday or had a chance to talk with the minority leader privately before this news came out this morning which as chad mentioned was a big surprise. what else is unclear with this announcement, obviously mcconnell is going to remain in his post until november when republicans can select a new leader and then they would take the helm in january. but does that change sort of who the white house needs to speak to when they have to pick up the phone and call someone in the senate republican conference to get this done, that person has long been mitch mcconnell. they don't often make them their first phone call but because they see eye-to-e

and while mcconnell tried to deny that the filibuster has a racist historical taint, before mitch mcconnell been used for nothing more often than to stop racial progress. in fact, both the longest-single speaker filibuster and the longest-multiple speaker filibuster in civil rights history were launched to stop the civil rights act according to the senate historical office. but it was mitch mcconnell, not some segregationist senator from the 1950s or '60s presided over the largest number of filibusters during the obama administration, of course. mitch mcconnell bragged that the purpose of the constant obstruction was to try to kneecap the first black president of the united states. >> our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny president obama a second term. >> ha ha ha. well, he failed at that because president obama is and was a much better politician than he is. but mitch did manage to stop president obama from fulfilling a number of campaign promises, which died as a result of the filibuster from bipartisan immigration reform, backed by the way by the late john

mitch mcconnell stepping down. a.p.records run in the job decision powerful ideological transition underway in the republican party from ronald reagan's brand traditional conservatism and strong international alliances in to the fiery and often isolationist populism of former president donald trump here is the senate minority leader today. >> when i got here i was just happy anybody remembered my name president reagan called me mitch o'donnell. close enough. i'm no longer the young man sitting in the back hoping colleagues would remember my name. it's time for the next generation of leadership there's his picture from the first time in the senate 1958 to today. senator mcconnell announcing the end of november end of the game. >> clear cut picture for donald trump. in terms the hard nosed politics going into this in election year for the senate, i think it gets harder for the republican senate committee to raise money without a strong leader like mitch mcconnell. he is very successful fundraiser. now he is going to be a

so just how much did mcconnell transform the face of the court system in the us to? well, let's look at it like this. mitch mcconnell is responsible for many, for, for i'm a majority of the lower court judges that actually served on the court right now. so if you take out the supreme court, it is mitch mcconnell was hand that is actually on many of those lower court decisions. because while we look at mitch mcconnell refusing to give merrick garland a hearing at brock obama, but has he, he also refused to actually bring forth a number of lower court justices. and when donald trump came into office, that's when we saw the flood gates open and a lot of those just come in at that time. so the court that we're seeing now, and the court has now reached an all time low by the american people because many people see the court as being highly partisan and purely political. a lot of that, a lot of that is because of the heavy work that was done by mitch mcconnell himself who helped walk a straight donald trump and getting many of these justices on the bench. and eric, let me

you're a newcomer compared to mitch mcconnell. anybody is compared to mitch mcconnell. nobody has been a leader that long. i got to start by saying something positive. i know there is a lot of people saying some negative things but without him as bad as our whole legal system seems to be now with lawfare and all of the other problems, it could be a lot worse were it not for his work getting some pretty good judicial appointments in, right? >> yeah. i look at some of those big wins on the supreme court. those are monumental and generational. certainly appreciate his service. you mentioned it. i'm one of the younger members, one of the newer members, i'm the senator sitting in the back row now as he referenced hoping people know my name i guess, recognize me for walking around. now that he made that announcement i'm sure there will be a lot of attention turning to who would follow him. for me somebody that was recently elected, come from a state like missouri want to see somebody who is reform-minded, conservative leader. larry: yes. >> somebody i think will lead us to gr

mitch mcconnell is all about mitch mcconnell. i wonder how much money he had when he went into serve and how much money he has now. i want to know what good she has done at any point in time. there was a story on npr one day that talked all about mitch mcconnell. their assertion was that he is just for whatever works best for him to get more power. i remember a show that kiefer sutherland was in. we could use one of those. the whole government is useless. everybody is in it for themselves. they do not care about the american people, only what they can do for themselves. let's flush the toilet. mitch mcconnell and trump at the same time. let's put some people in. i want to know. host: state of the union is coming up next thursday. that is when it will take place. ruth in frankfort, kentucky. good morning. caller: the lady from, i believe ohio said frontline did an excellent documentary on mcconnell. i thought it was pretty balanced. i did not vote for him, but i do consider him a formidable legislator that i got -- that a lot of y

mcconnell just turned 82 last week. to announce his decision today in well of the senate, place he looked in awe, from back benches in 1985, and where he grew comfortable in front-row seat afforded by party leaders. mitch mcconnell is stepping down and will leave his job in november. he has taken a lot of heat lately, some over deals that republicans particularly in house have not agreed upon. this latest round on the border, which originally had aid for ukraine, 60 plus billion, it had money for other countries like israel and hamas war, so on and so forth. it only had a smaller amount, not even third of what was going to ukraine for u.s. border and it was a border bill. now what were the conversations like that got republicans and senate to point where that would be under discussion? republicans in the house sent hr 2. jason, you were leadership for republicans in the house, chairman of the oversight committee, been on the hill. what does his departure mean in november? >> jason: he will be widely applauded for leader

this is mitch mcconnell's legacy. mcconnell announced that he would be retiring from senate leadership this november. >> i'm immensely proud of the accomplishments i've played some role in obtaining. to thoroughly disappoint my critics and i intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they've become accustomed. >> so mitch mcconnell will no longer be running the upper chamber. after falling out with the former president mcconnell may be trying to wash his hands clean of the trump era republican party. the iron, of course, is it is mitch mcconnell more than anyone else abided donald trump and may have helped him evade justice. we're going to talk about all of that coming up next. stice. we're going to talk about all of that coming up next. whoa, how did you defeat them? with a little kung fu strength and by connecting my devices to the most powerful force of all. skadoosh. hah, huh? cool right? amazing. harness the power of xfinity internet and stay connected to the things you love. ah, they'll be like this for

mitch mcconnell never has. he's engaged in conversations or his aides have engaged in conversations about that possibility, but i think it's also entirely reasonable to assume that he who understands the politics of the moment so well in this country looked around and saw a future republican party perhaps in the majority again in washington, perhaps not as not necessarily something he wanted to dive into with both feet as an 82-year-old. >> the way he put it, i have many faults, misunderstanding politics is not one of them. no one would accuse him of that. so what do you make of this decision now in this moment, matthew? >> well, to me it's he understands now he no longer fits the republican party of america today. it's such a contrast, and he's such an evidence of where the republican party was when he first got elected in 1984 and who they were and what they stood for and where they are today and on many, many, as you know, many, many, many issues, they're completely the opposite of what the party was in 1984

chad: mcconnell does not have as much control is in the republicans as he once did, mcconnell failedto get a majority of the republicans to support aid for ukraine, weeks ago pretty gop texas senator ted cruz said that is time for mcconnell to go mcconnell said that he knows how to read the room. >> believe me, and of the politics within my party. at this particular moment in time. then i have many falls in understanding politics is not one of them. chad: mcconnell zone for refusing to hold a hearing for mary garland to sit on the supreme court and establish new procedural court justices bypassing filibusters, muscled through the confirmation of justice any parent coming days before the 2020 election. >> political move that is made, has later changing the spring court as a result in a related jobs and we see the chaos created. chad: stays aboard until later this year and aims to watch, to be with johnson, former with, uncoordinated john barrasso of wyoming gop arkansas senator tom caught it is also interested in the leadership bed see what another historical moment from washington dc

claire, you worked opposite and in some cases alongside mitch mcconnell, talk to me about mitch mcconnellhe way he pulled the levers of power in his sort of laconic, low key way. >> well, he's a consummate lbj type leader. in other words, he knows how to count votes. he knows how to leverage members. he knows how to gain power. in fact, he would consider it a compliment that i would say that his career has been about leveraging power, whether it is decimaing campaign finance laws or changing every norm about the nomination of a supreme court justice, but make no mistake about this, andrea. this is a very strategic announcement because he is trying to gain the majority and trying to navigate the trump problem, and to do that, he needs to husband the forces within his caucus to keep a pro-trump extremist from becoming the leader if the republicans take the senate in november. so he is trying to accomplish two or three things at once with announcing it the way he has and when he has. >> and barbara mcquade, one other legal ramification that we should talk about is impeachment because remembe

well, she and mitch mcconnell are very much in step, and i think this is mcconnell not just acknowledginghe's served but, you know, this is not his party. and if donald trump's the next president, he's not going to want to have mitch mcconnell run in the senate republicans. >> yeah, multiple times, carlos, he brought up the shining city on the hill, and ronald reagan, the respect both he and his wife, who served, by the way, in the trump cabinet, have for the late president. so what now, and what will the jockeying for power for the void that mitch mcconnell will leave tell us about this republican party? >> so, chris, i agree with chuck. this isn't shocking news, but it's really big news. i mean, the space that mitch mcconnell has filled in the united states congress for all of these years is just very difficult to overstate. i can tell you from my time serving in the house, when house republicans back then would get in a jam, not as frequently as they do today, but we got into plenty of jams ourselves, people would always look at each other and say, don't worry, mitch mcconnell will sav

this is mitch mcconnell's legacy.would reap that might be retiring from senate leadership this november. >> i am immensely proud of the compliment i have played some role in obtaining. have enough gas in my tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and i intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they have become accustomed. >> mitch mcconnell will no longer be running the upper chamber of a falling out with the former president, mcconnell may be trying to wash his hands clean of the trump era republican party. the irony is that it is mitch mcconnell who more than almost anyone else abided donald trump and may have just helped him evade justice. we are going to talk about all of that coming up next. aritin r is like... ♪♪ is she? playing with the confidence of a pro and getting all up in that grass as if she doesn't have allergies? yeah. nice. are you still struggling with your bra? it's time for you to try knix. makers of the world's comfiest wireless bras. for revolutionary support without underwires, and siz

amanda carpenter congressman matt gaetz is out there celebrating this news about mcconnell. he posted on twitter, now known as x. we've now at six mccarthy mcdaniel, mcconnell, better days are ahead for the republican party is of course, talking about former speaker mccarthy, former rnc chair ronna mcdaniel and and mcconnell are a lot of people in the party celebrating the news. you think? >> well, i think certainly the trump wing of it as, but listen mitch mcconnell is leaving the party in a much worse place than he found it originally in the blame i think there is a special category for mitch mcconnell book cuts. perhaps me hen more than anyone in the republican party after january 6 was in a position to put trump behind the party in leading the senate to convict him. >> mitch >> mcconnell tried to walk this line where he said that trump is morally and practically responsible for january 6, but he wasn't going to do anything to hold him politically countable. and so i look at mitch mcconnell retiring without actually having sacrifice anything personally, politically for pr

senator cruz said it was time for mcconnell to go.ea mcconnell said knows how to read the room. >> believe me, i know the politics within my party at this particular momenartyt in time. i have many faults. politics is not one of them. >> mcconnell is known for res fusing to hold a hearing for d to hit on the supremlde court. he seabe established a new procl precedent for appointing supreme court justices. he .>> it's a political move he made as leader, changing the supreme court and as a result reversed roe versus wade and nor we live in the dobbs era and we see what that's created. mcp mcconnell stays on board until later this year, names to watch, john ac theume and john barrasso. >> another historical moment. we've hac d a lot of them, chad. thank you very much.d let's brina g in edward lawrencc on presidente biden's remarkse today, edward. >> reporter: the president going for his physical today. the president saying that everything is squared y away. he spent several hours at walter reed medical center. he did not get a cognitive test. the press secretary said hed didn't need one. >> t

he did get the help of mitch mcconnell and mitch mcconnell's allies to get elected. but people like him are very much in line with and eager to please donald trump and his, and his base and that wasn't the case, not that long ago in the senate, that was house. the senate was different, not anymore. >> you don't i found that leadership elections, if you're trying to figure out who's winning, who's losing, you don't listen to the people who are talking all the time. what you do is find the rest of them that are not because the truth is, there's about nine in the senate currently that have had a lot to say about direction of leadership, direction of the senate, where the senate is. and then there's 40 others that are sitting around thinking about this meeting with the john cornyn and barasa is and dunes and trying to figure out what's best for this conference going forward. so look, i think he's going to play out over a period of time is no question that the president has influence within the party mean he's going to be the nominee of the party. but i think in terms of

this is mitch mcconnell's legacy.senator mcconnell announced that he would be retiring from senate leadership this november. >> i'm immensely proud of all the things i've played some role in obtaining. thoroughly disappointing night critics. i intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they have become accustomed. >> mitch mcconnell will no longer be running the upper chamber. after falling out with the former president, mcconnell may be trying to wash his hands clean of the trump era republican party. the irony, of course, is that it is mitch mcconnell who more than almost anyone else abided donald trump and may have just helped him evade justice. we'll talk about all of that, coming up next. up next. plan from unitedhealthcare. with this type of plan, you'll know upfront about how much your care costs. which makes planning your financial future easier. so call unitedhealthcare today to learn more about the only plans of their kind with the aarp name. and set yourself and your future self up with an aarp medi

from mcconnell who will be stepping down in november.i: how does this change the power dynamics and how do you think about this about what's happening in washington in real time with the shutdown conversation you been having? kailey: it's unclear whether mcconnell holds the power that he did earlier in his tenure because thinks he is advocating for, he is struggling to garner support for us he would've in the past. he is serving as the minority leader, it's chuck schumer who holds the power in that chamber. house speaker mike johnson has said he supports aid for ukraine but is not willing to put that on the floor and mike johnson is close to the president trump. there is a real difference between the two leaders with the influence they hold over the republican party. it may change the dynamics but i'm not sure if everyone will be surprised about this move that he is making to step down in november. sonali: we thank you so much for your analysis and we will bring you breaking news us a comes through. including the ramifications of this ma

welcome to our program, this announcement from mitch mcconnell, the step down. does it come as a surprise to you? honestly, it doesn't. i think that people have been expecting for the better part of 2 years that center mcconnell, glenn, is their leader mccall was really on the tail end of his term as leader that there was not an expectation he would continue after this. congress was over. this is really the confirmation of what the many in washington have suspected or expecting for quite some time. for me, i know this has been a particularly the and mcconnell has often found himself butting heads with the republicans loyal to donald trump. so how much did that play into his decision to step down? i don't think it did. honestly. i think this was really the time and place the extended one call chose to sort of relinquish controls in the next generation. this is more about generational change than it is about the specifics of political disagreements with mike, john said hurt his trump more trump a line members of the house. this is natal, very clearly trying to con

i've seen senator mcconnell get sort of emotional understandably. so when longtime colleagues pass away, but he his voice was cracking throughout this entire speech. it was obviously not easy for him to give. and one of the many lines that struck me, scott was him when he talked about his age and the fact that it's time for him to move on. no longer. he said he's no longer the young man standing in the back hoping people remember my name it's time for the next generation of leadership. >> scott >> yes. listening to his speech today, i was struck by that as well. that he is sort of acknowledging what a lot of americans are feeling about their government right now. and you also heard him say that he has many flaws, but failure to understand politics is not one of them. and i think that's part of our politics and it's part of our political conversation. the emotion you heard in his voice is fully related to just how much he reveres the institution. and i think if there's one hallmark of his time in office, it's been defensive and protection of the inst

this is the mcconnell court and the mcconnell courts. only did mitch mcconnell obstruct the process after louing merrick garland a hearing he stonewalled on the obama lower court nominees and that meant when donald trump became president there 2016, there was a slew of lower court vacancies waiting to be filled and donald trump manages to recap the entire federal judiciary in his image. he has more appointed in one single term that barack obama did in two terms. so that is an enormous legacy and we're living with it to this daym and a lot has been said about amy coney barrett and her rush process. it is not unconstitutional, to me the bigger issue was that we never saw that hearing for merrick garland and what would have been a liberal 6-3 supermajority became a 5-4 conservative majority and then eventually with the addition of kavanaugh and amy coney barrett with the supermajority we are today. and they may be independent but they're there because of donald trump and mitch mcconnell. >> when you, melissa, see mcconnell try to put some d

here's a bit of what mcconnell had say. so as i've been thinking about what i would deliver some news to the center, always imagine a moment when i had total clarity and page about the sunset of my work in a moment what i'm certain of help preserve the ideals of so strongly believe that there's a rod, good. earlier i spoke with clayton now and he focuses on washington politics and policy for the razor group political risk consultancy. i asked him if mich mcconnell's resume resignation comes as a surprise. honestly, it doesn't. uh, i think that people have been expecting for the better part of 2 years. they've center mcconnell, glenn, is their leader mccaul was really on the tail end of his term as leader that there was not an expectation he would continue after this. congress was over. this is really the confirmation of what many in washington have suspected or expectant for quite some time. for me, i know this has been a particularly the. and mcconnell has often found himself butting heads with the republicans loyal to don

but mitch mcconnell can also set some of his own destiny. what you can do is buy moving out as leader he can serve. but as a defense appropriations chair and the next that's important. also, the republican party really has moved farther away from him. he was first elected in morning in america. that was 1984, in ronald reagan's re-election. >> and it's not ronald reagan's party anymore. and that certainly an element his health is a concern age. all of those things, elements of this decision, a highly personal one. but also, as you noted on the lead in their look, he's the longest-serving major party leader and u.s. senate history in american political history. so that that makes him a giant some ways regardless of his politics with huge shoes to fill for who comes next. yeah. so he's going to stay on until the fall. >> who do you think will replace him? yeah. let's see. first, if you can stay on until the fall. i mean, donald trump is probably going to call for him to leave. there are the 3 johnson are jockeying for this position. thune, num

you are of course a campaign adviser to mitch mcconnell. you have long been in the orbit of mitch mcconnell. what's your reaction to that? the news? >> well, i'm certainly sad for him because you can tell the emotion in his voice that this was a hard decision to make. but i'm also happy for him that he's making this decision on his own terms and that he's doing it for the reasons that he thinks all right for the country. and i was incredibly moved by his speech. i had a chance to talk to them on the phone a little earlier today and he's at peace with the decision looking forward, frankly to the next couple of years, when you're not in leadership, it often frees you up to do some things that are more issue-based and things you really care about is as opposed to having to run the whole conference. and i know he's looking forward to that. i think he's likely to have a senior role on the appropriations committee specifically dealing with defense appropriations. and one final note, i think he's very much looking forward to continuing to be the l

there is a lot of reaction to what some say will be mcconnell size hole in senate leadership. kron four's catherine heenan is live in the newsroom tonight with reaction from a couple of our political analysts, catherine. yeah, it is a big news grant but not considered surprising. >> mitch mcconnell did turn 82 last week. he has had some health problems equally significant, though, the traditional reagan style republican has found himself more and more out of step with the more isolationist and pro-trump wing of his own party. we asked a couple of our analysts to share their reactions to mcconnell's decision. >> pc 2, not the best and houses falling best for him, but republicans next year is going to be off to the races trump's the president. keep in mind that he's a lame duck president, probably only one year to really put through its agenda 2 in the house and the senate. so they need a very active young and ready said leader to help with that. process also, the republican party really has moved farther away from him. he was first elected in morning in america. that was 1984,

when you think mitch mcconnell is the end of an era? - when you think mitch mcconnell first came to this place in 1985, in the middle of ronald reagan's term. he outlasted the whole bush dynasties, preston clinton and tramp as well. you've got this whole gamut of political developments, and he has seen the republican party disappear from under his feet in so many ways. he came on when it was a free trade conservative internationalist, outward —looking party, and now it's definitely not that. in many ways, he is also falling out of favour with those controlling the party, including donald trump. that is pretty much sealed afterjanuary to six when he stood in one of the senates on the floor, and said he held donald trump morally and practically responsible for the right on capitol hill that day. he is 82, christian, he has had some health concerns. this is not entirely surprising, but the political realities are also against him and the factors, he faced the challenge last year, survived that, without however many nine or ten challenges o

or are we going to see mitch mcconnell with one foot in one foot out of america first policies?escing criticizing colleagues creative mitch mcconnell for working with democrats. >> i think would be cleaner cut if we had somebody in before that. if he does decide to stick through november, i think needs to come out strongly for trump even though might have to bite his tongue to do that. it is clear in 15 and '16 when he came on scene maria, half the country was fed up with this place. when you see it up close like i do, it is worse than you can imagine, don't fight it you got to go with it even if they don't get along as personalities if we do anything thin margin we might have polling kind of leaning in our favor it will be another political disaster he needs to come around fully behind. nikki haley needs to get out of the race. look at what was working by -- pre-biden everything was working well. we don't have that now. maria: we wide-open border, wering apprehensions 40-year low at in the trump now 20-year high pardon me border patrol chief revealed since october more often 68

mcconnell was first elected to the senate in 1984. and has crafted a long and at times contentious legacy. here's what he had to say about his big decision. >> i believe more strongly than ever that america's global leadership is essential. preserving the shining city on a hill. but ronald reagan distraught. as long as breath on this earth, i will defend american exceptionalism to serve kentucky and the fact they my life. leave my republican colleagues the privilege. >> mcconnell's health and ability to serve has been under the microscope lately after the 82 year-old was filmed, kind of freezing up during speeches and public events. while mcconnell is stepping down as minority leader, he is not leaving the senate. he indicated that he plans to finish out his current term, which wraps up in january of 2027. lots of reaction to what some say will be big shoes to fill in senate leadership. kron four's catherine heenan is in the newsroom now with what our political analysts are saying about mcconnell's decision. catherine? >> well, it is

mitch mcconnell represented that.rrick garland, buying time to make sure we've got someone there. america garland in the department of justice would have been an epic disaster in the supreme court. i'm grateful we've been able to give donald trump the ability to put someone in who needed to be but at the end of the day it is time to move on. we need to move on beyond octogenarians who have screwed up the country as long as i can remember. neil: we have chatted about this many time. it is donald trump's party and other republicans just live in it. what mitch mcconnell is realizing is that. very acrimonious relationship, they were able to patch over things when donald trump was president but it got more nasty after the former president left office. i wonder if this is a sign of things to come. others who don't want to buck the trend or face that potential reality. are just going to have to move aside. there are guys like you don't support the former president. and support, how do you see your party? >> we have radical p

they are mad at mitch mcconnell they feel like he led them to slaughter on the border deal.eted that the gop leadership screwed us in senator ron johnson on my podcast and he feels like what mitch mcconnell did was lead them into a trap where joe biden can blame republicans for not getting a border deal done and he said the majority of the conference was on board with funding for ukraine contingent on actual border enforcement mechanisms and that did not happen. because they don't trust joe biden he is a lawless president they don't trust him so they wanted actual enforcement mechanisms put in their so they feel like mitch mcconnell led them to slaughter he's been there since 1985, that as long as i've been alive, i'm still very young but that's a long time to be in the senate he's the longest-serving gop senate leader, think about how much the world has changed since 1985 and how much the world has changed since donald trump has come onto the scene. the republican party looks different in mitch mcconnell is not a reflection of that and also has health concerns. joey: that p

mitch mcconnell. therefore, much of the republican base no longer likes mitch mcconnell. you have covered him for a long time. you know him really better than most reporters. and i want you to listen to what several of the rank and file republican senators said about mitch mcconnell yesterday. >> the instructions of my conference who were insisting we tackle this in october. >> things have changed over the last four months. and it's been made perfectly clear by the speaker that he wouldn't take it up even if we sent it to him. so i think that's probably why most of our members think we ought to have opposition tomorrow. >> that was obviously mitch mcconnell himself. but he makes the second point that i was going to make, carl. which is to hear mitch mcconnell saying i followed the instructions of my conference is something that i'm not used to hearing him say. he is a firm leader historically. now let's listen to what some of his rank and file members have said. >> everyone here supported a leadership

what do you make of mcconnell's move?eaving does make more chaos in the senate because of the next generation of leaders. it's exactly what charlie described. they are unhinged in many ways and they actually do not believe in the process of government. they do not believe in democracy and i mean like literally democracy. i do think that there is an opportunity here for the republican party, for those individuals that do espouse ronald reagan. that they actually are fashioned after what the republican used to be. and that is by saying let's actually declare ourself independents. let's actually go forth and say we are not democrats, we are not maga republicans, we are independent and the amount of groundswell i believe from individuals by saying look, we are standing up to republicans but we still believe in our governance, we still believe in our institutions. allows away for a third party i believe we haven't seen since the last century. if folks remember. and that actually allows for the republicans who are moderates, wh

we are still talk about mitch mcconnell. when mitch mcconnell first set let's make barack obama and one-term president, to think that was the turning point to where we in this mr. thune: mr. president, yesterday we learned that leader mcconnell, the longest-serving party leader in the senate history will step down from his leadership role next january. there will be time later for a full discussion of all his contributions to this party and this institution, today i want to express my gratitude for his service. had he done nothing else, his successful efforts to build up the judiciary with judges who are committed to the rule of law and to the constitution would secure his place in the history books. and i'm grateful to have had the opportunity to serve with him. mr. president, three years ago around this time the senate was consider democrats' so-called rescue plan with a $1.9 trillion price tag, it was packed with liberal priorities and progressive giveaways, before it was passed democrats were warned it was too big. they

. >> senate minority leader mitch mcconnell and others discuss the bipartisan border security supplementalsal with reporters. senator mcconnell praised senator james lankford's efforts on negotiating but said there is no real chance here to make a law. the minority leader urge the senate to take up israel and ukraine funding apart from border security. [background noises] [inaudible conversations] [background noises] [background noises] >> good afternoon everyone. you cannot imagine what we spent an hour talking about. we are obviously taking a look at a product senator lankford negotiated with the democratic presidents. and the democratic senate which has been endorsed by the council that supported president trump in 2020. that is the policy part of it i think senator lankford is done a remarkable job however we had a very robust discussion whether or not this product could become law. this been made it pretty clear to us by the speaker that it will not become law. so i want to congratulate senator lankford on a remarkable job of negotiating for the other side. getting the support of the

we'll take a look at mitch mcconnell legacy and who could replace him. and that comes as congressional leaders now have a deal to fund part of the government for a few more weeks, giving lawmakers a little more time to get a lot done. o get a lot done >>> good morning, and welcome to "way too early" on this thursday, february 29th, a weekday, just what we needed this year to be a little longer. i'm jonathan lemire, thanks for starting your day with us. and we begin with some massive news that broke late yesterday. the supreme court has agreed to consider former president trump's claim of presidential immunity in his federal election interference case. the conservative court's decision to hear the case will further delay a potential trial. the high court has scheduled arguments for april 22nd, and a final ruling might not come until months later. if the court rules in favor of trump, the special counsel's charges would be dismissed. if some supreme court rules as the u.s. court of appeals already unanimously did, that trump does not have absolute immunity

and you mentioned mitch mcconnell earlier in your setup, and you know, mitch mcconnell had an opportunity to vanquish trump as did many republicans after january 6th. i mean, the guy led a violent insurrection against the united states and, you know, for the first time ever in history, a peaceful transition of power was interrupted. and incited by donald trump. that wasn't enough. and mitch mcconnell at the time gave a speech of his career about donald trump and about what he did, but yet, used some constitutional argument to say, well, it should be in the courts. we shouldn't do it here. where they could have convicted him in the senate and we wouldn't be here now because donald trump would no longer be eligible to run for president. so you have mitch mcconnell now, which i'm not surprised, at the lincoln project, we have been saying this, all of these guys would fall in line because of political power and cowardice. and then the rnc, which has been pretty much a campaign arm of the trump campaign for several years. but their final step now is that they're doing to bring him his daughter

in 2023 mcconnell fell and suffered a concussion. and since then he's had two separate instances where he froze in the middle of speaking. mcconnell's aides say his health did not play a role in his decision, and he'll serve out his senate term which ends january of 2027. skyler henry, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> president biden's doctor says he continues to be fit for duty after he underwent his annual physical. the results were quickly released yesterday. it called the 81-year-old healthy, active, and robust. dr. kevin o'connor said biden uses a cpap machine for sleep apnea and works out five days a week. he added his stiffened gait was the result of arthritis, a previously broken feet, and neuropathy in his feet. his memo added that biden feels well and this year's physical identifies no new concerns. >>> the president's son, hunter biden, appeared for a deposition before house republicans' impeachment inquiry into his father. the younger biden was defiant in the nearly seven-hour closed door session yesterday. he called the inqui

i bet mcconnell leaving, frankly, maybe is kind of some weirdness that mcconnell announced he is leavinged through in ways that totally busted norms of the united states senate for confirmation decided to give trump a win and not hold him accountable before the voters have a chance to weigh in. >> sort of an appropriate capstone in some ways to mcconnell's legacy. andrew weissmann, if this were to happen in the fall, donald trump will be in the courtroom da after day, and in the stretch run, we can already hear his complaints about that. if you're right and this trial doesn't happen, that'll mean more than likely, and let's get your assessment, that the only trial that happen this year before the election will be the new york city fraud trial. most analysts believe it is the weakest, probably the least politically damaging as well as weakest on the merits. give us your take. do you think that'll be the only one that does happen? and play it out for us. what does that trial look like? even if he is convicted, what punishment would he face? >> so i do agree. i think, as i said, i think the

this is not one of mcconnell and trump have not spoken for more than three years. >> mcconnell refusedwith trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and he blamed trump for january sixth. and now mcconnell finds himself in what could be his final battle against trump and his acolytes in congress, fighting to secure funding to help ukraine defend itself in its war with russia. but the mcconnell legacy is already secure. above all, in the conservative supermajority that he helped install at the supreme court, president biden said that he was sorry to hear that mcconnell was stepping down , adding, quote, we fight like hell, but i've trusted him. we've had a great relationship. jonathan karl, abc news, capitol hill john, thank you. >> the house is set to vote today on a short terme funding bill to avert a government shutdown. the measure would extend tomorrow night's deadline by a week, and a second deadline to keep most federal agencies running will be pushed back to march 22nd, giving lawmakers more time to hammer out a package to cover the rest of the fiscal year. the american wom

mitch mcconnell is 82. he's obviously had his health challenges this year, as he indicated on the floor, his wife's sister recently passed away. and then there's the obvious big conflict, right. if trump is going to be the nominee, it is not sustainable for mitch mcconnell to be the senate republican leader period, hard stop. whether he did this now or in november or in december, it was just a matter of time. now, the question about how this is going to change is a very important question. a lot of that will depend on whether donald trump is elected president. if donald trump is elected president, john barrasso or another very conservative member of the senate republican conference will likely become the leader. if not, someone like john thune or john cornyn, they have a chance. people mentioned steve daines, people have mentioned tom cotton, anybody who has eyes on becoming the senate republican leader is going to throw their hat in the ring right now. >> the senate has been seen as kind of the last, as i

presidentjoe biden has also weighed in on mitch mcconnell�*s announcement.cting on his time as the republican senate leader, he said: meanwhile, a judge in the us state of illinois has barred donald trump from appearing on the ballot there because of his role in the january 6 riots. but she delayed her ruling from taking effect, pending appeal. a statement from the former president's campaign called the ruling "unconstitutional" and says it would "quickly appeal" the decision. mr trump's time in office is at the centre of two major developments at the us supreme court on wednesday. the first is that the court has decided it will decide whether donald trump can claim presidential immunity from being prosecuted on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election. it will mark the first time the nation's highest court will weigh in on such a matter. the supreme court says it will hear arguments in the case in the week of april 22. in the meantime, former president trump's washington, dc case will be on hold while justices consider the matter. the other case invo

mcconnell is old. i recently heard a recording of richard nixon talking to someone on the phone, and nixon's view is if you're not in the congress by the time you're in your 30s, you're going to be useless, you're never going to achieve seniority. anyone 70 is essentially out to pasture. this was 50 years ago. but the point still holds. he is a leader who visibly lacks vigor, lacks health, and people notice it and they circle his chair the way sharks circle a raft. >> i'm talking about the actual issue of the border and the politics, because as soon as the border deal went down, joe biden, who gets terrible numbers for his handling of immigration, started pointing fingers. take a look. >> every day between now and november, the american people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is donald trump and his maga republican friends. >> look at these numbers. since biden has been president, there have been more than 7 million encounters at the southern border. at the same point in

is the, the news life from the top republican in the us senate is to step down a 2 year old mitch mcconnell says he'll hand over to a new party leader later this year, declaring that his time for a new generation to take also on the program, like said the valet, as the widow rebukes flooding their foods and you're not all nice tells that you are the and probably the russian president is 8, not the monster who was answer for what he's done to russia. ukraine on to her husband the i'm feel welcome to the program. one of the most popular lawmakers in the united states. mitch mcconnell has announced that he's to step down as republican leader of the us senate. in november. the 82 year old is the longest southern southern leader in history and added that he would send out the senate which ends in 2027 lawmakers from both process reacting to history for this kind of evasion. he's recently been facing health issues is a bit of a speech. so as i've been thinking about when i would deliver some news to the center, i always imagined a moment when i had total clarity and page about the sunset of my wo

and he said, rick scott did, who challenged mcconnell for leader in this congress and was told that mcconnell has not put any metrics to force a lawless administration to secure the border. there are requirements in this bill, migrant crossings to shut down the border between ports of entry. and more mcconnell, he has stakes his -- on the ukraine aspect. >> they're not mentioning ukraine and how mcconnell views this issue andee views this in his legacy and he's in the twilight of his career here. and the senate has not passed any new ukraine aid sense the end of 2022 so before the new republican house was sworn in and mcconnell is trying anything he can to get that ukraine aid package through. it is $60 billion, to carry ukraine through the presidential election and and what you're not hearing from them is the ukraine aspect, because some of those speaking out against the border security dealer which they haven't seen oppose new ukraine aid and criticizing mcconnell, saying he just cares about ukraine and doing whatever he takes to try to get it and the idea being that he's used james langfor

the powerful republican senate leader, mitch mcconnell, is to step down later this year.year—old emil caldwell —— emma caldwell. ghana's parliament passes a tough new bill that imposes prison sentences on anyone convicted of identifying as lgbtq+. and picture perfect — the incredible effort that goes into maintaining the splendour of the sistine chapel, in the vatican.

mitch mcconnell's critics are growing louder. my new reporting, next. >>> donald trump, effectively killed a bipartisan border deal in the senate last week. now, he is trying to do the same to a $95 million aid package ahead of the key peerl roceedal this afternoon. my report with lauren fox is detailing how he is facing the loudest pushback he has endured in his 17 years atop the conference. >> i think it's a huge mistake for him to be championing sending money to ukraine, at the expense of figuring out our border problem first. >> mcconnell's problem is that he doesn't talk to or listen to voters or his members. i don't think i've had a conversation with mcconnell in over a year. this is remarkable. the guy -- he's completely bubble wrapped. >> do you have concerns about him? >> everybody does. the direction we took on this. got to have leadership. i think he needs -- there will be a lot of talk about it when we come back, i promise you. >> this is in large part, has to deal with the handling of the ukraine package. this is a m