Amid Trump's FEMA phase-out, disasters make stark the need for federal help

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Episode Title: Amid Trump's FEMA Phase-Out, Disasters Make Stark the Need for Federal Help
Release Date: July 9, 2025
Host: Jen Psaki, MSNBC

---

1. Introduction to the Crisis and Trump’s Distraction Tactics ([01:03] - [03:09])

Jen Psaki opens the episode by highlighting the severe flooding in Texas, which has resulted in 109 deaths and 161 missing persons. Concurrently, communities in North Carolina and South Carolina are grappling with storm aftermaths, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the crisis. Psaki criticizes former President Donald Trump’s recent Cabinet meeting, where instead of addressing the disaster, Trump focused on redecorating the White House Cabinet Room.

Notable Quote:

"The only question is, will I gold leaf the corners? You could maybe tell me my cabinet could take a photo."
— Donald Trump [02:18]

Psaki’s Commentary:

“Painting the ceilings gold isn't exactly a pressing issue for Trump's cabinet right now. It does tell you a little bit about where Trump's head is at.”

---

2. Trump’s Stance on FEMA and Disaster Response ([03:09] - [04:30])

Psaki delves into Trump’s long-standing goal to dismantle FEMA, arguing that disaster response should be managed by states rather than the federal government. She points out the inconsistency in Trump’s approach, especially considering Texas is a Republican stronghold, yet FEMA’s capacity to assist effectively remains in question.

Notable Quotes:

"From the very first week of his new term, Trump has proposed getting rid of FEMA altogether, just eliminating it, because in Trump's view, the federal government shouldn't have to deal with emergencies."
— Jen Psaki [03:09]

"The man's incompetent hatred is never a good thing in politics. When you don't like somebody, don't respect somebody, it's harder for that person to get money."
— Donald Trump [04:20]

Psaki’s Analysis:

“The idea of a president weaponizing FEMA to punish political enemies is unbelievably alarming. It should alarm everybody, even those who voted for it.”

---

3. FEMA’s Diminishing Capacity and Budget Cuts ([04:30] - [07:00])

The discussion shifts to FEMA’s declining effectiveness. Reports suggest FEMA is understaffed, with employees leaving in large numbers, which hampers disaster preparedness and response. In Texas, sources indicate minimal FEMA deployment despite the ongoing crisis.

Notable Quotes:

"Sources within FEMA told independent journalist Marisa Kabus that, 'barely any staff members deployed.'"
— Jen Psaki [04:54]

"We are doing a lot less than normal."
— A FEMA Staffer [04:56]

Psaki’s Insights:

“FEMA is effectively on the chopping block while disaster-stricken communities are left to fend for themselves.”

---

4. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Priorities ([07:00] - [09:26])

Psaki criticizes DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for prioritizing personal projects over disaster response. She highlights Noem’s focus on selecting portraits for the South Dakota State Capitol amidst the crisis, illustrating a lack of attention to federal disaster management.

Notable Quotes:

"Yesterday, in the midst of this crisis, Kristi Noem was asking her followers on social media to vote for their favorite portrait of her to hang in the South Dakota State Capitol."
— Jen Psaki [08:10]

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."
— Jen Psaki [09:24]

Psaki’s Critique:

“Kristi Noem’s actions demonstrate a misplaced priority, focusing on vanity projects instead of addressing immediate disaster needs.”

---

5. Budget Allocations: FEMA vs. ICE ([09:26] - [12:56])

Psaki outlines the Trump administration’s budgetary choices, emphasizing the significant increase in funding for ICE compared to the diminishing support for FEMA. She underscores how funds intended for disaster relief are being diverted to immigration enforcement.

Notable Quotes:

"Trump is trying to gut FEMA, and has been from the beginning, he is at the same time supercharging another part of DHS. ICE alone is set to receive more funding than almost every military in the world."
— Jen Psaki [10:50]

"This show of militarized force was supposedly for an immigration raid, more than 24 hours later, it's still unclear if anyone was arrested at all."
— Jen Psaki [11:10]

Psaki’s Analysis:

“While FEMA is being dismantled, ICE is receiving unprecedented funding, illustrating a clear misalignment of federal priorities.”

---

6. Militarization of Immigration Enforcement ([12:56] - [19:26])

The episode covers the heavily militarized ICE raid in MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, which involved Humvees, tactical vehicles, and armed agents. Psaki critiques the spectacle nature of the raid, questioning its effectiveness and transparency.

Notable Quotes:

"What you're doing is kidnapping. That was video out of Los Angeles from two weeks ago showing masked federal agents forcibly pulling a street vendor into an unmarked car while refusing to identify themselves."
— Jen Psaki [09:29]

"We are waiting for the slick video and I hate to predict that, but that's what we're all waiting for."
— Jen Psaki [20:38]

Psaki’s Concerns:

“The raid was a show of force with no tangible results, raising questions about the administration’s genuine immigration enforcement objectives.”

---

7. Federal Agents’ Lack of Identification and Impersonation Issues ([19:26] - [23:09])

Psaki addresses the troubling trend of federal agents not identifying themselves during operations, leading to incidents of impersonation and increased fear among the public. She highlights the legislative response by Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Alex Padilla, who introduced a bill to mandate clear identification for immigration officers.

Notable Quotes:

"This has been happening for months now. Two days after this incident in Los Angeles, senators asked Attorney General Pam Bondi... and Bondi claimed it was the first she had heard of it."
— Jen Psaki [09:29]

"How are you going to ensure that the safety of the public and the officers if they continue to not follow required protocol to identify themselves as law enforcement."
— Senator Cory Booker [10:23]

Legislative Response:

Alex Padilla: "No face coverings, no masks, with certain exemptions to that, a requirement for some something identifiable on the body. Right."
— Alex Padilla [15:17]

Psaki’s Commentary:

“The inability of federal agents to identify themselves undermines public trust and safety, necessitating immediate legislative action.”

---

8. Defensive Actions by Democrats and Senator Alex Padilla’s Legislation ([23:09] - [35:11])

Democratic Senator Alex Padilla discusses the necessity of the proposed legislation to ensure federal agents identify themselves clearly. He emphasizes the bill’s role in enhancing accountability and protecting both the public and the agents.

Notable Quotes:

"They cover their faces, really? I mean, are you living under a rock? Again? This has been happening for months, and Pam Bondi claimed she had no idea."
— Jen Psaki [09:26]

"What does that mean they won't have when the next natural disasters hit?"
— Jen Psaki [41:55]

Senator Padilla’s Insights:

“The bill is straightforward and addresses genuine safety concerns arising from the current practices of federal agents.”

Psaki’s Analysis:

“Democrats are actively seeking to curb the overreach and ensure that immigration enforcement does not infringe on civil liberties or community trust.”

---

9. Discussion on Third-Party Political Efforts ([23:00] - [29:25])

Psaki critiques attempts by wealthy individuals like Elon Musk to establish new political parties, highlighting the challenges and systemic barriers within the American two-party system. She underscores Musk’s lack of concrete plans and expertise in effectively launching a viable third party.

Notable Quotes:

"Neither do you is it, I mean, here's how the New York Times described it. 'As with many of his Tweet length proclamations, Mr. Musk's plans for the new party are opaque.'"
— Jen Psaki [24:00]

"Elon Musk has no idea what he's doing at all."
— Jen Psaki [24:20]

Psaki’s Commentary:

“The structural challenges of the American political system make it exceedingly difficult for third parties to gain traction without substantial groundwork and support.”

---

10. Interview with Independent Nebraska Candidate Dan Osborne ([29:25] - [35:11])

Jen Psaki interviews Dan Osborne, an Independent candidate running against Republican Senator Pete Ricketts in Nebraska. Osborne discusses the impact of Trump’s big budget bill on rural Nebraska, particularly focusing on the threat to rural hospitals and the agricultural sector.

Notable Quotes:

"There's a lot of rich guys in Washington like Pete Ricketts, but not a lot with hands like these. We fix their cars, grow their food, fight their wars."
— Dan Osborne [29:48]

"People are scared... if you have to drive an extra 90 miles to go get healthcare, that's dangerous."
— Dan Osborne [30:38]

Osborne’s Perspectives:

“Trump’s budget bill is detrimental to small farmers and rural healthcare, exacerbating economic and health disparities in Nebraska.”

Psaki’s Analysis:

“Independent candidates like Osborne highlight the localized impacts of federal policies, offering alternative voices in predominantly two-party regions.”

---

11. FEMA’s Response to Texas Floods – Interview with Deanne Criswell ([35:11] - [42:37])

Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell discusses the federal response to the Texas floods, emphasizing the need for increased FEMA support and resources. She criticizes the current administration for insufficiently aiding disaster-stricken areas, which could have long-term repercussions.

Notable Quotes:

"The community is going to have a long time to recover, not just from the physical damage, but from the emotional damage as well."
— Deanne Criswell [37:11]

"If FEMA goes away, what happens to that funding? What happens to that capability?"
— Deanne Criswell [41:55]

Criswell’s Insights:

“FEMA’s reduction in capacity and funding will severely hinder disaster response and recovery efforts, especially for less-resourced states.”

Psaki’s Commentary:

“Criswell underscores the critical role of FEMA in disaster management and the dire consequences of its potential dismantling.”

---

12. Personal News and Closing Remarks ([44:10] - [44:33])

The episode concludes on a personal note, celebrating the birth of the show’s executive producer Alex Lupica’s first child. Psaki emphasizes the importance of community and support, providing a heartwarming end to an otherwise critical and informative episode.

Notable Quote:

"We are all just making it up as we go along. I swear that's part of the adventure that does it for me today."
— Jen Psaki [43:00]

---

Concluding Thoughts

In this episode, Jen Psaki provides a comprehensive critique of the Trump administration’s handling of federal disaster response through FEMA, highlighting budgetary misallocations and prioritization of immigration enforcement over emergency management. Through interviews and detailed analysis, Psaki underscores the urgent need for robust federal support in disaster-stricken areas and the dangers posed by political interference in federal agencies. The inclusion of legislative responses and independent political efforts adds depth to the discussion, framing the broader implications of the administration’s policies on both local and national levels.

---

Note: This summary excludes advertisements, non-content segments, and outro sections to focus solely on the substantive discussions and analyses presented in the episode.

Transcript

[Jen Psaki]

Surprise beach day. No excuses. I'm in. Gimme five. With Bix Soleil Glide Razor, you'll have hydrated, smooth skin that's ready to go on the fly. No shave cream needed. You can prep, shave and hydrate all in one step thanks to moisture bars that hydrate your skin during and after shaving. 5 flexible blades hug your skin for a close shave. Glide into smooth. It's your time to shine with bixsolil. Buy now at Amazon and Walmart. Ready? Your skin looks amazing. So smooth and beach ready. Let's go.

[Alex Padilla]

We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature. Whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to or the succulents that adorn our homes. Nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With Alltrails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on trail navigation. Download the free app today.

[Jen Psaki]

Have you ever heard the expression rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? I'm sure you have. I mean, it's supposed to be an unbelievable exaggeration of someone engaging in a trivial task during a crisis. Today, Trump 1 upped it today. We all watched in horror as we saw the death toll climb in the flooding in Texas to 109 people. There are at least 161 people still missing and an active search and rescue mission. The situation in Texas is very much an ongoing crisis. It's not just there that is where it's most serious, of course, but the people of North Carolina and South Carolina are also recovering from storms and hurricane season is far from over. And the people who are in communities that are continuously hit every year very much know that. And that was all the backdrop of Donald Trump's Cabinet meeting today, where he he addressed the ongoing federal response near the beginning of the meeting and announced he will be visiting Texas and the area impacted on Friday. But he also had another pressing matter he felt the need to address. In that meeting. He spent almost 15 minutes talking about how he redecorated the Cabinet Room of the White House.

[Donald Trump]

I actually spent time in the vaults. The vaults are where we have a lot of great pictures and artwork. And I picked it all myself. That's Andrew Jackson. That's a gentleman named, and we call him President Polk. He was sort of a real estate guy. And then you have Dwight Eisenhower, who was a very underrated president. And then over there is Honest Abe Lincoln. And then over Here you have John Adams. We got the drapes, and we got the whole thing. We got new drapes here. We put on. You know, these lamps have been very important, actually. We also painted the room a nice color, beige. The only question is, will I gold leaf the corners? You could maybe tell me my cabinet could take a photo. Linda, do you have an opinion? Who would gold leaf it? Could I? How about, would you gold leaf it?

[Jen Psaki]

Who would gold leaf it? That's a typical question at a cabinet meeting. Look, I love that room, too. Anybody who's in it, been in it, love the room, or probably seen it on tv, probably loves the room. But painting the ceilings gold isn't exactly a pressing issue for Trump's cabinet right now. Of course it's not, but it does tell you a little bit about where Trump's head is at. The reality is that Trump doesn't think natural disasters should be his problem at all. I mean, from the very first week of his new term, Trump has proposed getting rid of FEMA altogether, just eliminating it, because in Trump's view, the federal government shouldn't have to deal with emergencies. That task should be left to the states. And as he sees it, the only role he should really play here is being the point person on whether states get anything from the federal government at all. He loves to have that power. Remember, this is what Trump said just last month, just last month when asked whether he would let his personal views of California's Democratic governor get in the way of delivering wildfire relief.

[Pam Bondi]

Will your recent dust ups with Governor.

[Jen Psaki]

Newsom impact additional wildfire relief out there? They've requested $40 billion.

[Donald Trump]

The man's incompetent hatred is never a good thing in politics. When you don't like somebody, don't respect somebody, it's harder for that person to get money.

[Jen Psaki]

The idea of a president, any president, weaponizing FEMA like that, which is essentially weaponizing disaster relief, that people in red states and blue states and purple states and people aren't political at all, depend on all to punish political enemies, is obviously unbelievably alarming. It should alarm everybody, even people who voted for it. Unlike California, Texas is, of course, a red state with a Republican governor and plenty of Trump supporters. So if Trump was going to help any state, you'd think it would be a state like Texas. And he did sign a major disaster declaration within days of the flood. What's unclear right now is how much help FEMA is capable of providing anymore, even when Trump wants to provide it. Because for months now, we have seen report after report of people inside FEMA warning that the agency hasn't been preparing for disasters the way it normally does. In fact, the agency has reportedly been losing employees at such an alarming rate rather than stepping up to prepare for disaster season, which is normally what they would be doing during this period of time. In Texas, where there are, again, at least 161 people unaccounted for, sources within FEMA told independent journalist Marisa Kabus that, quote, barely any staff members deployed. As one FEMA staffer put it, quote, we are doing a lot less than normal. And the acting FEMA administrator, David Richardson, is, quote, nowhere to be found. Now, this is important because recovery in a place like Texas is not one day or four days. It's weeks. It's months. It could be years in some places. That's why it's important. And given the relative silence from the head of fema, you might be wondering what his boss, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem oversees the department, is doing with her time right now. Is she stepping in? I think you know the answer. Well, yesterday, in the midst of this crisis, Kristi Noem was asking her followers on social media to vote for their favorite portrait of her to hang in the South Dakota State Capitol. Of course. And no, I am not in any way joking. I thought it was a joke when I first saw it, but it wasn't a joke. I mean, they could pick between what appears to be an oil painting of her in a cowboy hat on a horse or her in a cowboy hat on a horse, or for some variety, I suppose, her in a cowboy hat on a horse. So that's where her head is at. Beyond how presidents and cabinet officials spend their time, though, another way to gauge their priorities is by looking at how they spend their money. That's a key part of how government funding helps people. Governments help people. And while Trump is trying to gut fema, and has been from the beginning, he is at the same time supercharging another part of dhs. I mean, Trump's big, ugly budget bill that he signed into law with a lot of dramatic flair on Friday is set to skyrocket the funding given to the immigration enforcement arms of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE alone is set to receive more funding than almost every military in the world. And yesterday we saw an example of how some of that money could be used when 17 humvees, four tactical vehicles, two ambulances, 90 National Guard members, and a small army of armed, masked federal agents on foot and on horseback descended upon MacArthur park in Los Angeles. And that's some of the footage that we're showing you right now in the background. And while this show of militarized force was supposedly for an immigration raid, more than 24 hours later, it's still unclear if anyone was arrested at all. And the Department of Homeland Security is refusing to give a straight answer on that either. So what is pretty clear is that this show of force was, in fact, just a show. I mean, a cameraman embedded with the agents documented everything they did. I wouldn't be surprised at all. Neither should you be if DHS releases a slick video of the entire thing. So FEMA is effectively on the chopping block while people across the country prepare for more disasters, while ICE is getting a windfall from Trump's big, ugly budget. And then there's the immigration prison the Trump administration is calling Alligator Alcatraz down in Florida. It's a massive, purposefully terrifying facility which is estimated to cost around $450 million a year to operate, funded in large part. Wait for it. I think you know the answer here. By fema. That is where hundreds of millions of dollars of FEMA funding is slated to go this year, to Alligator Alcatraz. So, again, these are the Trump administration's priorities. In the midst of a real natural disaster, they're short changing emergency relief while empowering an already completely out of control police force. You have to show. You have to show. This is like the very basic. This is the very basic. If you have an idea, of course you can take her.

[Kristi Noem]

Oh, oh.

[Donald Trump]

Oh, no.

[Jen Psaki]

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Alex Padilla]

Are you kidding me, old man?

[Jen Psaki]

What you're doing is kidnapping. That was video out of Los Angeles from two weeks ago showing masked federal agents forcibly pulling a street vendor into an unmarked car while refusing to identify themselves. Unfortunately, the practice of federal immigration agents wearing masks, using unmarked vehicles and refusing to identify themselves has become a norm. We talk about it a lot on this show. All across the country, we have seen again and again as people are dragged from the street by armed masked men while not being able to actually determine if those men are, in fact, law enforcement. This has been happening for months now. Two days after this incident in Los Angeles, which got plenty of coverage in the press, senators asked Attorney General Pam Bondi, the top law enforcement officer in the country, about the practice of agents refusing to identify themselves. And Bondi claimed it was the first she had heard of it.

[Pam Bondi]

How are you going to ensure that the safety of the public and the officers if they continue to not follow required protocol to identify themselves as. As law enforcement.

[Deanne Criswell]

And Senator Peters, that's the first time.

[Jen Psaki]

That issue has come to me about them.

[Deanne Criswell]

You're saying that law enforcement officers, when.

[Jen Psaki]

They cover their faces, really? I mean, are you living under a rock? Again? This has been happening for months, and Pam Bondi claimed she had no idea. Now, days before Attorney General Bondi made that claim, the mayor of Huntington Park, California, directed his city's police to force federal agents to identify themselves during arrests. Within days, the Huntington Park Police arrested a man they believe was attempting to impersonate federal agents. I should note that the man in question denies those allegations. But when he was arrested, he had fake DHS documents, a loaded gun, and unmarked car, and radios with a sheet containing U.S. customs and Border Control radio codes. The man had been arrested years earlier for human trafficking. Now, in a normal world, which we're obviously not in, federal agents operating in a way that makes it easy for bad actors to impersonate them would be a top priority for the Attorney General. But it's apparently not even on Pam Bondi's radar. Never heard of it. This isn't a new issue at all. In the first 10 days of Trump's new term, a man was arrested in North Carolina for allegedly impersonating an ICE officer to sexually assault someone. Back in April, a woman in Florida allegedly posed as an ICE agent to kidnap her ex boyfriend's wife. And in June, we saw multiple instances of people posing as ICE to rob people. Last week, the Mayor of Burbank, California told the press about the kinds of questions she's being asked by her constituents. Questions like, how can I know if the masked man detaining me is ICE or a kidnapper? Or who can protect me if a masked man with a gun refuses to identify himself? Again, these are the kinds of issues that, in a normal world, would be a five alarm fire for an Attorney General and frankly, for a president, too. Apparently not, though. While the Trump administration, though, is sitting on their hands, Democrats are not. Today, Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Alex Padilla introduced legislation to prohibit federal agents from performing mass unidentified arrests. California Senator Alex Padilla is standing by and he joins me in just 90 seconds.

[Alex Padilla]

Oh, I'm now switching my team to some fancy work platform that somehow knows.

[Jen Psaki]

Exactly how we work.

[Alex Padilla]

And its AI features are literally saving us hours every day. We're big fans. And just like that, teams all around the world are falling for Monday.com with intuitive design, seamless AI capabilities, and custom workflows, it's the work platform your team will instantly click with head to Monday.com, the first work platform you'll love to use. We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature. Whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to or the succulents that adorn our homes, nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With alltrails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on trail navigation. Download the free app today.

[Nicole Wallace]

This is an ad by BetterHelp. Workplace stress is now a leading cause of declining mental health. With 61% of the global workforce feeling it more than ever. You can't escape work, but you can take small steps to care for yourself. A walk, some sun, a favorite song. Therapy is one of those steps. Ongoing support to build resilience for whatever your day throws at you. Balance is tough. Getting help shouldn't be. Visit betterhelp.com for 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com.

[Jen Psaki]

Joining me now, as promised, is Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California. He's sponsoring legislation, which I just mentioned, that would require immigration officers to display clear identification. So let's start there. It's great to see you. Thank you for being here. We've talked about this a lot on the show. You hear it. I know so much from constituents, from family members, from everybody who's living in and around la. Your bill not only requires clearly legible identification, it prohibits face coverings and obscure. That obscures identity with exceptions for office or safety, like if they're undercover or things along those lines. I just heard some examples of this. But tell me from your end why you felt it was so important to put forward this legislation.

[Kristi Noem]

Right. First of all, the importance and the urgency because of not just fear, Jen, but actual terror that people are feeling not just in Los Angeles, but especially in Los Angeles, because that's clearly Donald Trump's target right now. And as you mentioned, the bill is actually pretty straightforward. You know, no face coverings, no masks, with certain exemptions to that, a requirement for some something identifiable on the body. Right. What agency do you work for? Is it ice? Is it somebody else? And in most instances, it would be a name. There's a genuine concern about safety of some federal agents. And so maybe just a badge number or something identifiable for purposes of accountability. And we were strategic in crafting it by working with former ICE agents and former leadership of ICE to try to balance these concerns. Because, I mean, if you're out on the streets in Los Angeles, whether you're a citizen, a legal resident or an undocumented immigrant, and somebody without these identifiers is approaching you, masked up, coming out of a marked car, you have no idea what's going on. And so I'm glad you shared some of the stories of ICE impersonators that are out there. I mean, it's dangerous for a community and dangerous for the agents themselves, because you never know how a person on the street is going to react when they think they're getting kidnapped.

[Jen Psaki]

It is frightening. And we've watched a lot of the video and we've tried to play a lot of it on the show as well. I wanted to ask you, I mean, Trump's big ugly bill, as I like to call it, was signed into law with dramatic flare on Friday. It included $170 billion for immigration enforcement. And we've heard over and over again Republicans and Trump support, or Trump administration officials defend this as saying, they're going after the criminals. They're going after the criminals. And we are anti gaslighting here. So we want to unpack. But I want to play you something Stephen Miller said about this, which kind of, I think, is quite telling what they're after. Let's play it.

[Pam Bondi]

What has it done to our schools? What has it done to our hospitals?

[Jen Psaki]

What has it done to just traffic in our cities?

[Pam Bondi]

Every issue that affects our quality of life, Jesse, public safety, drugs, crime, education, health care waiting in the emergency room are all exacerbated, worsened and undermined by mass illegal immigration.

[Jen Psaki]

He's sort of saying a version of the evil quiet part out loud there. In terms of what he wants to do, what concerns do you have about what they could do with this money?

[Kristi Noem]

Yeah, first of all, talk about grievance. Right. And as part of the cruelty of the bill, for all the focus there was, rightfully so, on the cuts to health care, cuts to the social safety net. All the cuts, cuts, cuts in the federal budget, nutrition assistance programs to fund tax breaks for billionaires. Right. Overlooked in all of that was the one area of the federal budget that saw significant increases, ice, not just immigration detentions, enforcement, deportations, but the scaling up of ICE to be the largest federal law enforcement agency in the land in short order without a change in policy. So all this cruelty that you're seeing is not just going to be scaled up. When people ask me, what does the budget mean for immigration enforcement, it's more of the same, if not actually worse, is sadly, the track that we're going on. So we need these measures, like the identifiable markers and the no masks for ice and hopefully the information that we can get through our oversight to truly target the enforcement actions at the dangerous, violent criminals. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if that was truly the target, we wouldn't be having this debate. There would be no disagreement. But because the vast majority of the folks being detained, deported, many without due process, being the same essential workers that the first Trump administration recognized at the outset of the COVID 19 pandemic. That's a cruel irony. And it's only a matter of time before we all start literally paying the price in so many sectors of the economy.

[Jen Psaki]

Let me just ask you, I mean, yesterday, armed federal officials, we've talked about this. My colleague Chris Haysh just talked about this. Descended on a mostly empty MacArthur Park. And in Los Angeles, there have been no information from DHS about whether they arrested anyone. They had a video camera and a video person with them. Have you learned any more about what that was about?

[Kristi Noem]

What do you think it was about? Yeah, of course, the reports and the data that we received was after that whole spectacle. Right. Cuz this is what Donald Trump wants. He wants the theatrics. He wants to send the message and escalate the terror that people are feeling. Zero detentions, zero arrests. After all that, I mean, MacArthur park is an iconic park near downtown Los Angeles. And folks locally who were paying attention knew that there was a summer camp for kids at the park. Literally just minutes before the staging of not just ICE agents masked up once again, but mounted on horses. You know, the whole, the cavalry was there, military assault weapons striking fear in the neighborhood for quite a bit of time. At what expense of taxpayer dollars? Again, zero detention, zero arrest. Just Donald Trump trying to send a message and add more content for their social media. That's all that they got out of this. Taxpayers are footing the bill.

[Jen Psaki]

We're waiting for the slick video and I hate to predict that, but that's what we're all waiting for. Senator Padilla, thank you for being here.

[Kristi Noem]

Thank you for continuing to shine a light on the overreach, the extreme tactics and the cruelty of what's happening.

[Jen Psaki]

We will continue to and I hope you'll come back. Thank you so much again. So moving on to another topic. Not to have a sharp turn here, but Elon Musk must thinks launching a third party is not hard. That's what he thinks. When we come back, I'm going to explain why that is not even close to true. And later, we're going to talk to the Independent candidate who says he has a plan to make Republican senators pay for the big ugly bill, and he's going to join me for his first interview since announcing his plan to run for Senate.

[Alex Padilla]

Oh, I'm not switching my team to.

[Jen Psaki]

Some fancy work platform that somehow knows exactly how we work, and its AI.

[Alex Padilla]

Features are literally saving us hours every day. We're big fans, and just like that, teams all around the world are falling for Monday.com with intuitive design, seamless AI capabilities, and custom workflows, it's the work platform your team will instantly click with. Head to Monday.com, the first work platform.

[Jen Psaki]

You'Ll love to use.

[Alex Padilla]

We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature. Whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to or the succulents that adorn our homes, nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it, but the outdoors is closer than we realize. With alltrails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on trail navigation. Download the free app today.

[Nicole Wallace]

This is an ad by BetterHelp. Workplace stress is now a leading cause of declining mental health. With 61% of the global workforce feeling it more than ever. You can't escape work, but you can take small steps to care for yourself. A walk, some sun, a favorite song. Therapy is one of those steps. Ongoing support to build resilience for whatever your day throws at you. Balance is tough. Getting help shouldn't be. Visit betterhelp.com for 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com.

[Jen Psaki]

Every so often in American politics, some rich guy with a big ego briefly entertains the idea of leading a new political party. Case in point.

[Donald Trump]

Really? Really. The big thing they're going to look at is can you win? Can a Reform Party candidate win? Because I believe I could get the Reform Party nomination. I really want to see if you get that nomination, what happens from there. If I couldn't win, if I felt I couldn't win, I wouldn't run. I absolutely would not run. I'm not looking to get more votes than any other independent candidate in history. I'd want to win.

[Jen Psaki]

So that was Donald Trump in 1999 talking about running for president as a third party candidate. Now, ultimately, he didn't run for president as a third party candidate, as we all know. And when he finally did become president 18 years later, he did it the way every Other American president has by winning the nomination of one of America's two major political parties. But the cycle of rich guys trying to form third parties, often because they think there is some sort of demand for their leadership from the American people, I guess has been a constant in this country. From billionaire Ross Perot to Starbucks founder Howard Schultz to tech bro Andrew Yang, all of them have tried and failed to topple America's two party systems. Now, thanks to a bitter friendship breakup, I guess you could call it, with Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Elon Musk has become the latest rich egomaniac to fall into this trap. Over the weekend, must announced he would be forming a new political party called the America Party. He says the America Party would caucus independently from either Republicans or Democrats, making them deciding vote, in his words, on all matters that divide the two parties. And in characteristic Musk fashion, he's already bragging about just how easy this will all be, tweeting that breaking the two party system is not hard. Tbh. But no reporting about this nascent effort confirms what you have probably already guessed. Elon Musk has no idea what he's doing at all. I mean, here's how the New York Times described it. Quote, as with many of his Tweet length proclamations, Mr. Musk's plans for the new party are opaque. His private conversations about it so far have been conceptual and not focused on the details of what it would take to bring it to fruition. According to two people briefed on those talks, Mr. Musk's team has not yet taken many operational steps to stand up the party. And he has ingested feedback about the effort, including what the party's logo should look like from Grok, his company's artificial intelligence chatbot. Elon Musk had to ask his AI chatbot how to start his third party. Can't make it up. Now, as a side note, that's the same AI chatbot that went rogue today and started spewing anti Semitic hate while calling itself Mecca Hitler. Yes, that also really happened today. The truth is that there are a lot of barriers to building a new political party in this country. A lot. I mean, for starters, every state has its own unique laws for how to get on the ballot. As election law expert Rick Hassan points out. The state of New York, for example, expressly prohibits a political party from having American or part of that name in a party title. Which seems like a huge problem right out of the gate for Elon Musk's America Party, as he calls it. But the biggest Impediment to Musk's idea is the American political system itself. I mean, America has what's called a first post, past the post elections. Sorry, that's a tongue twister system, meaning whichever party gets the most votes wins. And whenever a third party enters the picture, they inevitably become a spoiler for the major party that most closely aligns with their views like say Ralph Nader in 2000 or Jill Stein in 2016. Elon Musk just spent the last six months taking a hatchet to the federal government and making an enemy of Democratic voters basically everywhere. So it's really hard to see how a new political party born of that legacy would attract any left leaning voters to his cause. Musk has cited his own unscientific X poll that found 80% of respondents want to see a new party. But actual Polling finds that 80% of voters in both parties think rich donors like Elon Musk have too much influence in politics. They don't need more. Which may be part of why Musk himself is viewed negatively by a majority of a majority of Americans. And Musk for raise into politics in places like Wisconsin. There he is in a cheesehead. Suggests he's not exactly an expert when it comes to winning voters over to his side. He lost there by a lot despite sending a lot. Now, none of this is to say that America's two party political system is perfect. It's not and should never be questioned. It should be. And that is exactly why there are places where they have done things a little bit differently. In fact, states like Alaska and Maine have adopted novel reforms like ranked choice voting, which experts say help empower minority parties and give voters more say in who they elect. And independent candidates like Bernie Sanders and Angus King have found ways to get elected by working with the major parties. Is Elon Musk actually interested in any of that? Does he want to empower voters or work with existing parties? Does he want a new party because his efforts to buy one of the two major parties hasn't worked out the way he thought it would? Maybe. Or maybe it's just a vanity project to get the world's most insecure billionaire some attention? Who knows? Coming up, I'm going to talk to a candidate who is actually doing the work to run outside the two party system and trying to unseat a Republican senator in the process. Independent Nebraska candidate Dan Osborne joins me here right after a very quick break. One of the biggest avenues to stopping Donald Trump is to take Congress out of Republican hands. In the Senate, Democrats have more of an uphill battle than the House because in the Senate, they'd need to flip four seats. But Trump's big, ugly bill may have given them a bit of a path and one spot where that could happen, as unlikely as it may seem, given Trump won there by 20 points, is Nebraska. Dan Osborne, who ran against Republican Senator Deb Fischer as an independent last November, lost by just 7 points and won over 60, 60,000 more votes statewide than Kamala Harris did. And just today, he announced he'll be running again against Republican Senator Pete Ricketts.

[Pam Bondi]

There's a lot of rich guys in Washington like Pete Ricketts, but not a lot with hands like these. We fix their cars, grow their food, fight their wars. But in Nebraska, the little guys need a fair shake, too. I think this fight's a big one worth taking on. If you want to fix Washington, send in a mechanic.

[Jen Psaki]

And joining me now for his first national TV interview since announcing his run as Dan Osborne. It's great to see you. I mean, first, let me ask Trump, you've been critical of the big, ugly bill, as I like to call it. Trump signed it into law on Friday. You announced you're running today. Is that a coincidence?

[Pam Bondi]

No, it's not a coincidence. That bill's got some things in it that aren't horrible, right? Tax on tips. I've been preaching that forever. No tax on overtime. I've lived my whole life working overtime. And you know, those, those things, although they fall short in their language, they're not bad things. But you know what's, what these things are going to hurt is, you know, small farmers and ranchers are going to struggle with the commodity prices. They're going to be filing for bankruptcy, and we're going to get more consolidation, corporate farming. And I don't have to tell you that's bad for the land, it's bad for the environment, it's bad for farmers, and it's bad for the people who work the land.

[Jen Psaki]

The other issue that you know well is going to impact people of Nebraska is the impact on rural hospitals. And the president of the Nebraska Hospital association told the New York Times that because of the new law, six rural Nebraska hospitals could close and six more are endangered. I know you've thought a lot about the impact of this bill on people there. Do you think that is enough to stick with people in a state that is a pretty red state?

[Pam Bondi]

People are scared. You know, I've talked to people on the phone. I'm hoping to get out to Curtis, Nebraska. We've had our first hospital close or announced closure already, I'm gonna get out there and get a sense of where people's heads are at. And they're definitely nervous. You know, if you have to drive an extra 90 miles to go get healthcare, that's it's dangerous. Right? It doesn't matter if you're sick. There's no Republicans or Democrats at the emergency room. People need a doctor. They need a doctor. And this to me is frustrating. And you know, I think the only thing Pete Ricketts has really done for rural Nebraska is dress up like dime store Dutton and in his cowboy gear and go on parades. You know, I'm fed up with people like Pete Ricketts. I'm fed up with the, the line that they feed people in rural Nebraska and they keep falling short. And who gains? Well, his billionaires buddies do. So I got a problem with that. That's why we're taking them on.

[Jen Psaki]

You know, as you know well because you came close in your last race here. It's all about contrast. And you've had some things you've been critical of Trump on. Some other things you have been less critical. One of them is on border security. And today you said that you still align with Trump on border security. I think people who are just getting to know you, they want to kind know what that means because there have been a lot of his actions related to immigration since he took office have been enforcement related actions and including additional funding for ICE and the big ugly bill. There has been. Recently there was AICE conducted a raid targeting meat plant workers in Omaha. How do you feel about that raid and this increase in funding in the bill?

[Pam Bondi]

Well, I'll tell you what, I serve this country in the Navy and Nebraska Army National Guard. I love this country. I would do it all over again if I had the choice. And I want to be clear. Without a border, we don't have a country. I think Biden failed on the border. I'll say it. I don't got a problem saying it. But when it comes to immigration, we haven't had any kind of meaningful immigration reform in this country since I've been alive. We have to have some humane immigration reform. This is a Congress issue. You know, we need more judges, we need more lawyers. People want to come here and work. They should be able to come here and work on visas. And you know, it's starting to hurt our industries. We need these people. We need these people in the hotels and look, they just want to come up here and work just like I do. We all get up and we want to live in some semblance of peace, go to work and go home and watch Netflix. That's what we want to do and be able to eat. And you know, I don't talk to anybody on a regular basis that's anti immigration. Nobody. People just want to know it's being done right. They want to know it's being done safely. They want to know we're vetting people. And while we're stuck in this two party doom loop, the corporations run away with getting more money and exploiting labor and continue to enrich themselves and then bankroll campaigns. They're not bankroll in mine.

[Jen Psaki]

Immigrants are definitely a driver of industries around the country. I asked the question. I mean, first of all, there was a bipartisan border deal that was quite conservative that Trump killed during the Biden administration. But I ask this because a lot of what Trump has done and the Trump administration has not been trying to work to get an immigration bill passed. They have focused their efforts on immigration enforcement and putting sending ICE agents out to go after and deport and even kidnap people in communities who are not criminals and don't have criminal records. So what do you think about that approach and that priority?

[Pam Bondi]

Due process, as American as apple pie and baseball. People deserve due process. That's all I need to say about that.

[Jen Psaki]

Dan Osborne, thank you so much. I know you just announced you got a lot to do. I appreciate you taking the time to join me this evening.

[Pam Bondi]

Thank you.

[Jen Psaki]

Up next, the long road to recovery in Texas from that devastating flooding is ongoing. We've been talking about it already and we're going to talk to former FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell about the response, what other states should expect and what should happen. Now, my resident that was the One that called 91 1, he was trying to get to the family and all.

[Deanne Criswell]

The way to water, all the way.

[Jen Psaki]

To his waist and debris hitting him. And he was yelling, please throw me your baby. And, and they couldn't and they got swept away. That was just one story from the devastating flood in Texas over the weekend where severe floods have killed at least 110 people, including 30 children. And at least 161 people remain missing. There have been incredible stories of heroism from camp counselors and community members to the Coast Guard. But the road to recovery for these communities is just beginning. According to reporting today from independent journalist Marisa Cavas, the federal recovery response from FEMA has been both delayed and deficient under the leadership of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The current Deployment of staff and resources is reportedly far less than normal, and this is before we even reach the peak of hurricane season. However, today, Noem continued to defend the Trump administration's efforts, despite Trump's stated plans to eventually gut the agency altogether. Joining me now is someone who has led federal emergency response efforts, former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. It's so great to see you. I've been wanting to talk to you all weekend to understand what is going on and what can happen here at this point in the recovery effort. And I mentioned, and I mentioned at the top of the show, this is really just the beginning. I learned that from you, from working with you. These recovery efforts can be weeks, months, even years. What can and should FEMA be doing right now?

[Deanne Criswell]

Shann, as I continue to watch these numbers rise and the number of fatalities and people missing, this is just catastrophic. And that community is going to have a long time to recover, not just from the physical damage, but from the emotional damage as well. The things that FEMA should be supporting right now are one, the continued efforts to try to find all of those that are unaccounted for. FEMA has 28 urban search and rescue teams that are trained to go into this kind of debris and look for individuals that are missing. And they have equipment that helps them, but very few of them have been deployed under the federal system. Some have been sent through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is basically mutual aid, state to state. And that's great, but they should have more moving in there so they can do this as quickly as possible and give those families some closure. But they also need to start thinking about what this recovery is. That debris removal is going to be a complicated process. I would assume that the state of Texas probably has contracts in place to support that debris removal. They are a very capable state, but it's going to take time and they may need additional assistance to do that. And so these are the types of things that FEMA would be working with the state of Texas to support them as they have needs that they can't fill, then FEMA can either tap into other federal agencies or use their own contracts to come in and support. But with the current restrictions of like the $100,000 limit on contracts or assignments to other federal agencies or grants, it's really slowing down that process in the ability for FEMA to be proactive and get resources in place even before they're needed.

[Jen Psaki]

To go to just your last point you made, because this is sort of there's an impact of underfunding and cutting staff. And there's been a range of reports and we don't have them confirmed about how many staff are actually on the ground at this point in time. What do you make? And this is not blaming a particular person, but what do you make from what you can see of how understaffed they may be or what needs are not being met? And you've touched on some of them. I just wanted to dig into it more specifically.

[Deanne Criswell]

Yeah, Jen, I think the first thing that they would send is an incident management assistance team that sits side by side with that state director, embeds in that state emergency management office so they can work together. And I do believe one of those teams has been deployed.

[Jen Psaki]

Deployed.

[Deanne Criswell]

But they also are going to be talking, that team is going to be talking to them about other resources. We would typically send out what we call disaster survivor assistance teams. These individuals that can go out, walk the community door to door, go into places where people are shelters, churches, community centers and help people get registered for assistance or understand what their needs are and actually even help match them up with other nonprofits and other non governmental agencies that that program has been stopped as far as I know. I haven't heard anything differently. And that's such a critical resource to, to bring government to the people instead of making people come find the government. And then we would send additional staff out there into the community. That again, while we liaison with the state, we also want a liaison with that, that local emergency manager, that county emergency manager so we can solve problems at the time that they're needed instead of delays.

[Jen Psaki]

Before I let you go, I just wanted to ask you about, I mean we are far from the ends of hurricane and storm season here. As you know very well. I mentioned at the top of the show, North Carolina and South Carolina much less severe, but they're still recovering those communities. Kristi Noem, the DHS Secretary seemed to double down on the gutting of FEMA today. And I just would love for you to lay out in the minute we have left here what that could mean for all these communities that are preparing in this moment where work could be at the height of natural disasters.

[Deanne Criswell]

Well, I'll just start by saying that all disasters are locally executed, state managed and federally supported. FEMA doesn't come in unless it exceeds their capability and then they support that state and local jurisdiction. Texas is a very capable, well resourced state. They needed assistance and asked for assistance for this event. What happens to the states and the communities that have less resources? It's just going to make it harder for them to respond and recover.

[Jen Psaki]

What do you think I'm just cheating now? Because I now want to ask you another question. What do you think these communities wouldn't have because they're supported by federal resources, but what does that mean they won't have when the next natural disasters hit? Unfortunately, because they will in some of these communities on the coast and otherwise.

[Deanne Criswell]

Well, just think about the urban search and rescue teams, right? There are 28 federally managed urban search and rescue teams, but these are made up of state and local first responders and then they're funded and trained by fema. If FEMA goes away, what happens to that funding? What happens to that capability? And while we saw in Texas that many of these teams were requested again through a state mutual aid agreement, they get reimbursed for those costs through the presidential disaster declaration. And so I can see where there's going to be difficulty in adjudicating those resources or even finding a ways to reimburse them. Or is it a first come, first serve kind of a situation? All of these things, second and third order effects that I don't think have been thoroughly thought through.

[Jen Psaki]

Deanne Criswell, thank you for sharing your knowledge as we're all trying to understand what's happening here and what communities really need. I really appreciate it. Thanks, Jenna. Up next, what I think is the absolute best news of the day. We talk about a lot of serious, sometimes dark, sometimes absurd things on the show, but every now and then there is something incredibly joyful to share. And today is fortunately one of those days because the executive producer of this show, Alex Lupica, who has been the brains and the heart and the wisdom behind so much of what we do here since the very beginning, just had the biggest day of his life. He and his incredible wife Jen had welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Gigi Taylor Lubica. Those are her little feet. Aren't they cute? So we wanted to give a second special shout out to our new briefing team member and her amazing parents, of course. And if they are watching right now, and I seriously hope they aren't watching, I wanted to just remind them that it's totally normal to feel like your heart is living outside of your body when you have a child. I have two. It's okay for your world to slow down. It's okay for you to tune out the news and the lack of sleep and the never ending diaper changing. It feels that way will get better, I promise. And for what it's worth, no one knows how to be a parent. We are all just making it up as we go along. I swear that's part of the adventure that does it for me today. You can catch the show Tuesday through Friday at 9pm Eastern on MSNBC. And don't forget to follow the show on Blue sky, Instagram and TikTok for now. Goodbye from Washington and we'll see you next week.

[Donald Trump]

MSNBC presents the chart topping original podcast, the Best People with Nicole Wallace.

[Jen Psaki]

This week, Nicole speaks with actress and.

[Donald Trump]

Producer producer Sarah Jessica Parker.

[Jen Psaki]

This is a testament to the belief, even if we don't know how, we're gonna get there to a place where we are better to each other.

[Kristi Noem]

Again, the Best People with Nicole Wallace. Listen now.

[Donald Trump]

For early access ad, free listening and bonus content, subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts.