Iran makes a fool of Trump as another peace deal falls apart; U.S. launches new attacks

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Episode: "Iran makes a fool of Trump as another peace deal falls apart; U.S. launches new attacks"
Date: May 28, 2026
Host: Jen Psaki (MS NOW)
Featured Guests: Beto O'Rourke, James Talarico, Rob Malley, Norm Eisen

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the political upheaval of the week, focusing on the U.S. Senate race in Texas and escalating tensions with Iran. Jen Psaki examines how Donald Trump’s actions—from controversial foreign policy moves to domestic political meddling—are shaping the 2026 midterms. The show includes on-the-ground clips from candidate events, a one-on-one with Beto O’Rourke about Texas’ Senate race, a deep-dive into Trump’s latest corruption scandals, and an expert analysis of failed peace efforts and renewed U.S. strikes in Iran.

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Key Topics and Highlights

1. The Texas Senate Race: A Rare Democratic Opportunity

Setting the Stage

• Jen discusses Democratic momentum in Texas with co-host Chris and tees up interviews with Beto O’Rourke and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.
  • "Texas is still a state that Democrats haven't won since 1994. It does feel different." — Jen Psaki [00:50]

Republican Turmoil and Paxton’s Nomination

• Trump’s endorsement of Ken Paxton (a scandal-plagued Republican) as the GOP Senate nominee creates panic within Republican ranks.
• Republican strategists and lawmakers are worried about Paxton’s vulnerability and the historical baggage he brings: impeachment by his own party, corruption, and fraud charges.
• "Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America, and he belongs nowhere close to the United States Senate." — James Talarico [11:37]
• The Talarico campaign released blistering ads and quickly capitalized on fundraising, outpacing Paxton by a wide margin.

Democratic Strategy & Beto O’Rourke's Perspective

• Beto O’Rourke underscores favorable trends for Democrats: recent special election swings, energized grassroots, and a full slate of down-ballot candidates.
• "This is as good as I've seen it in my lifetime…with an opponent like Ken Paxton, with a once-in-a-generation candidate like James Talarico, these conditions are excellent." — Beto O’Rourke [13:56]
• O’Rourke highlights the importance of down-ballot strength:
  • "We have a Democrat running for every single of the 150 state House seats…We have not had that since 1974." [16:15]
• On messaging: O’Rourke credits Talarico with balancing attacks on Paxton and positive policy, citing Talarico’s legislative achievements in lowering drug and childcare costs.

Culture War Insults and Talarico’s Response

• Republicans, including Paxton and Stephen Miller, try to paint Talarico as insufficiently masculine, calling him “Talafrico” and, bizarrely, “transgender.”
  • Talarico embraces the mockery, even selling “Talafrico” T-shirts:
    • "I am proud to announce that we have ‘I'm a Talafrico’ T-shirts on our website." — James Talarico [20:44]
• O’Rourke:
  • "I think this stuff is going to backfire on them. They look desperate. They sound desperate." [23:31]

Notable Segment Timestamps:

• Texas Race Setup & GOP Woes: [01:58] – [09:31]
• Talarico’s Speech: [11:37]
• Beto O’Rourke Interview Begins: [13:05]
• Culture War Insults & O’Rourke Response: [22:35] – [25:38]

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2. Trump’s Dysfunction: Foreign Policy, War, and Domestic Corruption

Iran: Failed Peace, New Strikes

• Trump claims a near-peace with Iran, but two days later the U.S. launches major strikes.
  • Trump's cabinet comments:
    • "If he cared at all about the midterms, he wouldn’t be building an Octagon arena on the White House lawn right next to the demolished East Wing so he can host a UFC fight on his birthday." — Jen Psaki [03:09]
• Rob Malley (Obama’s lead Iran negotiator) discusses how the negotiations are unraveling.
  • "We're in the process where talks are taking place in parallel to warlike actions…this is Groundhog Day, but the groundhog is unwell." — Rob Malley [29:43]
• Trump’s demands for Gulf countries to normalize with Israel as a precondition for Iran diplomacy are deemed “delusional.”
  • "Somebody has to tell him that's completely crazy talk…hopefully he's just saying it and he doesn't mean it. If he does mean it, we're in for a very bumpy ride." — Rob Malley [33:32]
• Notable Iran Segment: [27:47] – [34:47]

Domestic Scandals: Reflecting Pool, UFC Fight, and Pardons

• Trump’s administration issues no-bid contracts for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, inflating costs for cronies and justifying it with the 250th anniversary.
  • "It's illegal to create an emergency by stalling and then to evade normal bidding processes…that’s what you get when you dodge legally mandated bidding processes: shoddy work." — Norm Eisen [39:58]
• The UFC cage fight on the White House lawn, backed by a cryptocurrency casino, is labeled “grift” under the guise of national celebration.
• Trump floats the idea of 250 pardons for the nation’s anniversary—likely self-serving, based on past pardon beneficiaries.
• The Justice Department’s probe into E. Jean Carroll is characterized as politically motivated retribution by Trump.
  • "Nobody prosecutes a single answer in a deposition. It's unheard of…he uses the investigation as a form of punishment. It is shocking to every American." — Norm Eisen [43:09]

Notable Corruption Segment Timestamps:

• Reflecting Pool and corruption deep dive: [35:00] – [41:40]
• DOJ Investigating E. Jean Carroll: [42:35] – [44:34]

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3. Key Takeaways and Memorable Quotes

• On the Texas Senate Race:

  • "Ken Paxton is everything that's wrong with politics. He doesn't serve us. He serves himself." — James Talarico [11:37]
  • "It's been half a century since you've had a Democrat fighting on every single front." — Beto O’Rourke [16:15]
  • “We haven’t seen the last of Trump and Governor Greg Abbott and the tricks that they’ll pull as we head into November.” — Beto O’Rourke [16:15]

• On Republican Panic:

  • “You remove the Democratic representatives who were elected by their constituents from office, that shows you are in panic mode about Texas.” — Beto O’Rourke [23:31]

• On Trump’s Foreign Policy Failures:

  • “We’re in the process where talks are taking place in parallel to warlike actions. But…the confusion…is so great…this is Groundhog Day, but the groundhog is unwell.” — Rob Malley [29:43]
  • “All of it is purely delusional. And hopefully, he’s just saying it and he doesn’t mean it.” — Rob Malley [33:32]

• On Corruption and Ethics:

  • “It’s illegal to create an emergency by stalling, and then to evade normal bidding processes.” — Norm Eisen [39:58]
  • “He uses the investigation as a form of punishment…It’s not American. It’s like something out of Soviet Russia, and we should all be outraged.” — Norm Eisen [43:09]

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Structure of the Episode (Timestamps):

• Texas Senate Race Analysis and Paxton’s Nomination: [01:58] – [13:05]
• Interview with Beto O'Rourke (Texas & Democratic Strategies): [13:05] – [25:38]
• Trump’s Foreign Policy: Iran, Failed Peace Efforts & Military Action: [27:47] – [34:47]
• Trump Corruption Deep Dive (Reflecting Pool, UFC, Pardons): [35:00] – [41:40]
• Discussion of DOJ Targeting Trump Critics (E. Jean Carroll case): [42:35] – [44:34]

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Tone & Style Observations

• Language throughout is sharp, direct, and at times bitingly sarcastic—especially from Jen Psaki and her guests as they critique Republican strategies, Trump’s actions, and the regularity of political scandal.
• The episode employs a mix of straight news, pointed analysis, and moments of humor or levity (as with Talarico’s embracing of “Talafrico”), matching Psaki’s signature wonky-yet-accessible tone.
• Memorable moments include candidates pouncing on attacks, O’Rourke’s optimism laced with realism, and experts bluntly calling out “delusional” policy choices and government corruption.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode provides an indispensable guide to the state of the Texas Senate race and the Trump-era political climate, with sharp, well-informed commentary and clear explanations of developments on both the domestic and international stage. Listeners get frontline perspectives from candidates, deep analysis from former officials, and a candid airing of the stakes facing the country—especially as the election and global crises heat up.

Skip:

• Ads and promotional spots at the beginning, middle, and end.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

America is an idea. For 250 years, that idea has helped expand our rights and our freedoms. But progress isn't guaranteed. Today. Those founding principles are being challenged by efforts to mix religion and government. The Freedom From Religion foundation is working to protect the Constitution and keep power where it belongs, with we the people. Visit FFRF US MSNOW or text MSNOW to 511-511-Text MSNOW to 511-51-511 and keep state and church separate. Text fees may apply.

[Jen Psaki]

Make your mornings the new Nespresso Vertuo up machine. From bold espressos to rich lattes, Brew flavorful coffee hot or over ice in just three seconds. All it takes is a simple press to enjoy your perfect cup.

[Chris (Co-host or Correspondent)]

Shop [e-mail] the briefing of Jen Psaki starts right now. Good evening, Jen.

[Jen Psaki]

I've been thinking about Texas a lot over the last 24 hours, 48 hours. I know you have, too. You talked about it. And the person I really wanted to talk to was Beto O', Rourke, who came, I mean, pretty close close in 2018. And he thinks this year is different. I want to hear why. Because it's still a state that Democrats haven't won since 1994. It does feel different. But I'm, I'm going to talk to him first, so we'll see what he has to say.

[Chris (Co-host or Correspondent)]

You know, I was in 2018, I was in El Paso at the, at the minor league baseball stadium to cover his race. And I remember, I know a lot of Texas politicos and reporters. And when the early returns started coming back, Cruz's numbers were so bad and Betos were so good in the suburbs that they thought Cruz was toast. And then they didn't realize just how much the Trumpified party juiced the margins in some of the other counties. It'll be really interesting to get his perspective on, on how Talarico could possibly pull this off if he can.

[Jen Psaki]

He thinks it's different, which is exciting and there's reason to be excited. But we'll see what he has to say. And you got to run like you're behind, even if you're ahead. That's the old political lesson. All right, I'll see you tomorrow, Chris. Have a great night.

[Chris (Co-host or Correspondent)]

See you tomorrow.

[Jen Psaki]

Bye. Okay, we have a ton we're going to get to tonight. Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico just tells his first public event since learning last night that he will face Ken Paxton in November. So we're going to show you a bunch of what he had to say in just a moment because he didn't hold back about his newly minted Republican opponent, nor, nor should we have expected him to. And tonight I'm also going to talk, as I just mentioned, to Chris, to the last Democratic candidate who came within spitting distance of winning a statewide Senate race in Texas, and that's Beto o'. Rourke. He's going to be here to talk about what the path forward is going to look like for James Talarico. And I'm also going to ask him how he thinks this year is different from 2018. But as Democrats across the country gear up for the midterm elections, I did want to start tonight with the leader of the Republican Party and how that guy is preparing to sell his accomplishments to voters this November. Here's what Donald Trump said at a Cabinet meeting today while talking about his never ending war with Iran.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Their whole economic system is broken down. They thought they were going to outweigh me. You know, we'll outweigh him. He's got the midterms. I don't care about the midterms.

[Jen Psaki]

Donald Trump says he doesn't care about the midterms. He doesn't care that Americans will soon be voting in an election that everyone knows is a referendum on his first two years in office. But that's not a concern for him. The thing is, we know Donald Trump does care very much about holding onto power, especially holding onto power without accountability. And that requires holding onto Congress. We know he cares enough to bully Republican states into rigging their congressional maps to tilt the playing field in their favor. But when it comes to actually appealing to voters, to winning popular support for his party and his agenda, I think it's pretty obvious that Trump is actually telling the truth there. He just doesn't care. I mean, if he cared at all about the midterms, about appealing to voters, he wouldn't spend all his time talking about random construction projects that don't actually help people in this country who are suffering from rising costs and higher gas prices. If he cared about the midterms, he wouldn't be building an Octagon arena on the White House lawn right next to the demolished East Wing. Also, he can host a UFC fight on his birthday. If he cared about the midterms, he probably wouldn't have spent nine straight minutes at a Cabinet meeting today rambling about his renovations to the reflecting pool, renovations that are reportedly overpriced behind schedule and might not even fix the leaks, which is the whole entire point to begin with. And I'm going to Talk more about that in the next hour as well. If Trump cared about the midterms, he probably wouldn't be fleecing American taxpayers for an outrageous slush fund to reward the criminals who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. He wouldn't have saddled Americans with the high cost of his war in Iran and his disastrous tariffs, or spent months covering up the Epstein files or any of the other crazy things he spent the last 18 months doing. Donald Trump cared at all about these midterm elections. He wouldn't be putting members of Congress in his own party in a position to have to defend any of that. I mean, just listen to the questions that Republican Congressman Mike Flood got from constituents at his district, in his district, at a town hall last night. Who do you work for?

[Audience Member/Constituent]

Are you telling me that the People

[Jen Psaki]

of the 1st district of Nebraska support seizing Greenland, removing the United States from NATO? Mike, you vocally supported doge run by a non confirmed, ketamine addled billionaire to wage war on waste, fraud and abuse. You're making everything unaffordable. We can't afford gas, we can't afford health care, we can't afford things here in Norfolk. While you guys are lining your pockets within the presidency, within Congress, why do you continue to protect the pedophiles and Trump's DOJ as they continue to break the law, the Iran war, the White House ballroom, security for the White House ballroom, immigration enforcement, Trump Arch, returning the pool, the reflecting pool renovation, slush fund for crooks, and the farm bill. How do we pay for all this? Well, that, that wasn't a town hall in Manhattan or Los Angeles. That was a town hall in Norfolk, Nebraska. Donald Trump has put Republicans in a terrible position ahead of this midterm election. Voters want answers, of course they do, about Trump's objectively insane agenda. And Republicans, most of them, don't have good answers to give them because there aren't good answers to give them. I mean, here was Republican Congressman and candidate for governor in Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany yesterday trying to answer questions about Trump's Capitol. Rio Slushman.

[Audience Member/Constituent]

The idea that some of the January

[Jen Psaki]

6th rioters would re who were convicted, prosecuted and convicted and, and some jailed

[Audience Member/Constituent]

would actually receive money from this.

[Jen Psaki]

Do you agree with that concept?

[Beto O'Rourke]

If they were illegitimately harmed, then possibly they should.

[Jen Psaki]

I mean, that guy you just saw there is the leading candidate to be the Republican nominee for governor in Wisconsin. And thanks to Donald Trump, he's now on the record saying that the people who stormed The Capitol on January 6th may deserve your hard earned tax dollars. For their own reckless conduct. It's painfully clear that Trump doesn't care what he's doing to his party right now. He doesn't care about their fate in these midterm elections. And there's simply no better example of that than what just happened in the state of Texas or Donald Trump. Against the better judgment of most elected Republicans. As people who really care about holding onto the majority, I should say it matters to them. Has just helped make Ken Paxton the Republican nominee for Senate, giving Democrats their best shot at taking that seat this November. Now, let's be clear. Texas is still Texas, and Democrats have not won a statewide race in that state since 1994. But there was a reason why so many Republicans did not want Trump to endorse Ken Paxton. I mean, for starters, his, his long history of scandals allows his opponents, James Tallrico, that is to run ads like this. Remind us all, what is Attorney General Paxton accused of doing?

[Audience Member/Constituent]

The list is really long.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Bribery, dereliction of duty, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy. A majority of Texas House Republicans voted to impeach one of their own. 60 Republicans voting in favor allegations he abused his office to benefit himself and a major donor who allegedly paid for his home renovations and even helped him car cover up an affair.

[Jen Psaki]

They claim the AG used secret email accounts, burner phones and a fake Uber account to see his mistress.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

We obviously don't expect our elected officials, especially not the top lawyer in Texas,

[Beto O'Rourke]

to be charged with a crime.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

He's always been on the edge of sort of criminal activity.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Three felony fraud charges which have lingered for nine long years.

[Jen Psaki]

And in between it all, the state's top attorney had a mug shot. There are calls for Ken Paxton to step down.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Paxton is a Republican character. Ken Paxton is extremely flawed candidate. And I sense the worst is yet to come about his background.

[Jen Psaki]

That last one was on Fox. I mean, that was. And that was the first new ad put out by the Talarico campaign following Ken Paxton's victory in the Republican runoff last night. And while Paxton denies any wrongdoing, that extremely long rap sheet is part of the reason that Republicans expect they will have to spend significantly more in text in this Texas Senate race now that Paxton is their nominee. According to the New York Times, Washington Republicans now fear they will have to divert as much as $100 million to save the seat. And Senator Lindsey Graham told NBC News he thinks that Republicans will have to spend at least three times as much money with Paxton as their nominee. And that is a huge freaking problem for them. Because according to the most recent Fundraising data, James Talarico has significantly outraised Ken Paxton. In fact, Talarico's campaign has about five times as much cash currently at their disposal. And that's before you add the $600,000 Talarico raised in just the. After Paxton was declared the winner last night, the strongest two hours of fundraising of his entire campaign so far. And as Democrats celebrated Paxton's victory last night, the national Republican Party went into a version of full panic mode. Overnight, the Republican Senate campaign scrubbed their website of all that the Ken Paxton opposition research they had been spending spreading to try and stop him from becoming the nominee. As though removing those references to Paxton's many scandals were would somehow make them all go away. Maybe that's what they think. Now, in reality, the bad press for Ken Paxton is expected to only get worse because Paxton is currently in the middle of a messy divorce from his wife after allegations of numerous affairs, which Paxton denies. But the proceedings for Paxton's divorce are scheduled to be held in open court in just four weeks in June. Now, all of this is why Republicans are now part of why they are now terrified that they could lose this Senate race. And Democrats have the ideal candidate to make their case against Ken Paxton. I mean, here was James Talarico at an event in Houston just moments ago.

[James Talarico]

I ran for office not to be served, but to serve. And then there's Ken Paxton. I, I have a legislative record. Ken Paxton has a criminal record. Ken Paxton. Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America, and he belongs nowhere close to the United States Senate. As Ann mentioned, three years ago today, Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party for using his public office, his position of public trust, to enrich himself and his donors at our expense. Ken Paxton is morally unfit for office. He. He has failed the character test. He'll lie to you with a straight face. He's the most corrupt Attorney general in our lifetimes. And he has put his own interests above the laws of Texas. Those are not my words. Those are the words of Ken Paxton's fellow Republicans. Ken Paxton is everything that's wrong with politics. He doesn't serve us. He serves himself.

[Jen Psaki]

With a candidate like James Talarico who you just heard making the case, and an opponent like Ken Paxton, how do Democrats seize this opportunity in Texas, Maybe win a seat statewide in a state they have not won a seat like that in for many decades, I have just the person to ask. Joining me now is Beto o'. Rourke. He's a former Democratic congressman and Democratic Senate nominee from Texas. He's also the founder of the Powered by the People by People pac. It's great to see you. I've been dying to talk to you about all of this and what you think of all of this. So let me just start by asking you. I mean, when you look at the numbers from last night, you're so familiar with parts of the state and I'm sure you dove into all the data is my bet. And when you look at what you heard from the candidates, both candidates, since this became a two man race, what's encouraging you as we look toward the general election?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I don't think that the conditions could get any better for Democrats. I mean, maybe they will over the next five months, but this is as good as I've seen it in my lifetime. Not only is James Talarico pulling in record amounts of money from small dollar donors all across the state of Texas, not only is he literally the face of the future, so many people across the state, across the 254 counties, so excited about him and Paxton, the face of corruption in the state of Texas. But, Jen, we have some early telltale signs about just where things are going in Texas. You probably know this, but earlier this year there was a special election in North Texas in Tarrant County. It's the largest urban red district in the country. Trump won it by 14 points in 2024. The Democrat, Taylor Ramette won it by 17 points, a 31 point swing. And then just a few weeks ago in Brazoria county, even redder than Tarrant county in Southeast Texas, Quentin Wilkes, a Democrat, won mayor of parallel, the first time that that has happened in decades in this state. So these are not anomalies. You string enough of these together and they are a trend. You look at the polling, James Talarico is ahead of Paxton. And as you pointed out earlier, you know, we can't promise anything and we can't count how many times Texas has broken our hearts. But with an up with an opponent like Ken Paxton, with a once in a generation candidate like James Talarico, with the numbers in those special elections and during the primary voting where more Democrats voted, Jen, than did Republicans in this supposedly ruby red state, these conditions are excellent.

[Jen Psaki]

You may have answered a big part of my next question, but I still want to ask you because I'm sure you get asked this all the time. I get asked this all the time. You said people's heart of hearts have been broken by Texas. Right. And you've ran a great campaign. We all remember In Texas in 2018, you came up just short against Ted Cruz. I mean he is looking, I guess more Normie compared to Ken Paxton in many ways. But when people ask you, which I'm sure they do all the time, why this time might be different, why Democrats should not, they're not gonna have their heart broken. There's a long way to go. What do you tell them?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I tell them this. I ran during Trump's first midterm in 2018 and we didn't have every position on the ballot filled below me. You know, there wasn't a Democrat running for every state House seat or every congressional seat. But there were a lot of courageous Democrats out there. And it wasn't coattails from above helping candidates from below. It was these new candidates who were generating new democr that went all the way to the top of the ticket and got me closer than any Democrat in decades to winning a Senate seat in Texas. Jen One of those insurgent, upstart Democratic candidates for the state House was James Talarico who ran against an entrenched incumbent Republican and beat him. Colin Allred did the same thing to Pete Sessions in that same year in 2018. Lizzie Panel Fletcher did it in Southeast Texas. So that was 2018. Pretty good year for Democrats. In 2026 we actually have a Democrat running for every single of the 150 state House seats. We have a Democrat running for every state Senate seat and we have a Democrat running for every congressional seat. We have not had that since 1974. It's been half a century since you've had a Democrat fighting on every single front. So you take this extraordinary candidate in, James Talarico and you put behind him literally hundreds of down ballot candidates. All those that I mentioned, the county commissioners, the justices of the peace, Gina Hinojosa running for governor, an amazing, amazing tickets. So again, we can't promise anything to anyone. This is going to be a tough uphill fight. No state is more voter suppressed than the state of Texas. And we haven't seen the last of Trump and Governor Greg Abbott and the tricks that they will pull as we head into November. But I feel really good about the work that has been put in the candidates who are out there and the conditions in which they're running.

[Jen Psaki]

Yeah, it's the origin of redistricting madness. And I think people need to remember that, that, that Trump picked Abbott as the place to start this. It give Ken Paxton, he obviously has a, is carting around a metric ton of baggage into this race. I mean we highlighted some of it, we did some of it last night. Some of it was in the ad that Talarico released today. We just heard Talarico. We just played part of the speech which, which was great. He made the case kind of against Paxton. How would you suggest that balance? I mean, you know Texas and the people of Texas so well, it's both, you know, making the case against your opponent, but also introducing who you are and what you're going to do for them in the Senate. How would you strike that balance? How do you think he should?

[Beto O'Rourke]

You know, he doesn't need my advice or really the advice of anyone. He's doing such a good job at this. I mean, you showed the ad that demonstrates the contrast with this twice indicted corrupt public official, Ken Paxton. And then James Talarico is the guy who led the fight in the Texas legislature to cap your co, pay for insulin if you have diabetes, 25 bucks. He's the guy that made childcare more affordable across this state. And he's the guy that led school finance reform to make sure that our teachers got paid and don't have to work second and third jobs just to make ends meet. This is a guy in the minority, a young legislator who got the job done. And that's exactly what he's going to do in D.C. he's going to fight this corruption. He's going to end this corruption represented by Ken Paxton and so many others. And he's going to make our lives better by bringing prices down, by making sure that you can afford to see a doctor or fill that prescription or enjoy some time with your family instead of stringing two or three or jobs together, which you have to do in a state where the minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour. Jen, he's, he's the best I've seen over the course of my life running and being involved in politics in Texas. And so we all just have to get behind him. And our group, which you talked about at the outset, powered by people, our volunteers are out there meeting, registering and personally staying in touch with to turn out the voters who we believe can be the margin of victory in his race and these important races and down ballot that will decide the control of the House of representatives and the U.S. senate. James Tallarica will be the 51st vote in the U.S. senate.

[Jen Psaki]

Better work. Please stay with me because there's so many more things I want to ask you and I know people are all watching Texas across this country. And in that speech I just mentioned just a few moments ago, James Taylor also responded to one of Ken Paxton's attempts to insult him.

[James Talarico]

I also saw that Ken Paxton started calling me Talafrico and I am. I am proud to announce that we have I'm a Talafrico T shirts on our website. So when you go home tonight, make sure you grab one.

[Jen Psaki]

I want to ask you about that and more on the other side of a quick break.

[Narrator/Announcer]

America is an idea. For 250 years, that idea has helped expand our rights and our freedoms, but progress isn't guaranteed. Today, those founding principles are being challenged by efforts to mix religion and government. The Freedom From Religion foundation is working to protect the Constitution and keep power where it belongs with we the people. Visit FFRF us Ms. Now or text Ms. Now to 511-511- text Ms. Now to 51151 and keep state and church separate. Text fees may apply.

[Beto O'Rourke]

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[Jen Psaki]

And back with me now is former Congressman and Senate candidate Beto o'. Rourke. Okay, before the break, I played part of how James Talarico responded, but just to give people the backstory in case they haven't seen this, I mean, Ken Paxton and a bunch of Republicans, including Stephen Miller, have been throwing out what I'm just going to call them childish insults. They called Talarico a vegan, even though he's not. Nothing wrong with a vegan, but maybe not in Texas. You tell me they call him Talafrico, which he just embraced. Right. Stephen Miller called him transgender, presumably because he's defended transgender children, which he hasn't backed away from. Some of these are meant to imply that he's not masculine. They're meant to use kind of culture war topics. We saw how he responded. What do you think? For him and for people out there who want to defend him. I mean, what's the right way to take on this attacks, I guess, on his masculinity?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I hadn't seen that clip until you played it right before the break. And I thought it was brilliant. It had me cracking up. I think that's the way to meet these childish attacks and accusations. And really, Jen, I think it's really a reflection of the panic that Republicans and Paxton and the Trump administration are feeling right now about Texas. I mean, if you ask Greg Abbott to redraw five congressional districts and remove the Democratic representatives who were elected by their constituents from office, that shows that you are in panic mode about Texas. And by the way, in 2018, when I ran for Senate, I won each of those five newly drawn districts. James Talarico is going to win them as well. And I think the Democratic challengers in those districts have a fair shot of winning as well. So I think this stuff is going to backfire on them. They look desperate. They sound desperate. The right thing to do is to laugh this off and to focus on the things that matter most to the people in Texas. Can I afford to put gas into my car or diesel into my truck at $5.50 a G gallon across the state of Texas? Can I afford to send my kid to a good school? Can I afford to put food on the table? Can I afford just to work one job right now? Trump, Paxton, Abbott, the Republicans in Texas have failed people here. And it's not just Democrats they failed, or independents. It's Republicans as well. And James Talarico who has shown that he can work across the aisle, as he did in the state legislature, to lower prescription drug costs, to lower the cost of childcare, to improve pay for teach in the state of Texas. This guy is going to deliver for the people of Texas and he should focus on that as he is doing. I think he gets this better than anyone. It's not enough to be against Donald Trump. It's not enough to be against Ken Paxton, although we are really against that guy. But you got to be for the people you want to serve. And you in that clip you played, James Talarico is all about service to others. He takes that role and that title, a public servant seriously. And people get that. And that's what they're looking for right now. And I bet that's what they're going to vote for in November.

[Jen Psaki]

You can do both. It is possible. That's important for people to know and understand. Hard to do. But if you're a talented politician you can do it better. Thank you so much for joining me tonight.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Thank you, Jen.

[Jen Psaki]

Okay, Coming up, we are following breaking news out of Iran tonight where the US Just conducted new airstrikes along the Strait of Hormuz. And it happened after a day in which Donald Trump seemed more confused than ever about his war of choice. One of president and Obama's top negotiators on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Trump ripped up joins us next.

[Narrator/Announcer]

America is an idea. For 250 years, that idea has helped expand our rights and our freedoms, but progress isn't guaranteed. Today. Those founding principles are being challenged by efforts to mix religion and government. The Freedom From Religion foundation is working to protect the Constitution and keep power where it belongs with we the people. Visit FFRF US MSNOW or text MSNOW to 511-511-Text MSNOW to 511-51-511 and keep state and church separate. Text fees may apply.

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[Jen Psaki]

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[James Talarico]

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[Audience Member/Constituent]

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[Jen Psaki]

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[Jen Psaki]

Okay, here's how this week started on the Iran front. Donald Trump bragging that he had a very good call with a collection of Middle east leaders on Saturday. He posted pertaining to peace. An agreement has been largely negotiated. Final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly. Headline after headline then telegraphed how peace was imminent. And then it all fell apart just two days later On Memorial Day, US Forces launched airstrikes hitting multiple targets inside Iran. The US Called those strikes defensive. Tehran said it was a gross violation of the ceasefire. Either way, they did not help bring either side closer to a deal. And to add insult to injury, during a White House Cabinet meeting today, Trump was asked about a report that Iran was talking with Aman, a key strategic US Ally, about a toll system for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz. And here's how that went.

[Audience Member/Constituent]

We'll watch over it, but nobody's getting

[Jen Psaki]

control of international waters and Oman will

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

behave just like everybody else who have

[Audience Member/Constituent]

to blow them up.

[Jen Psaki]

Is nothing says peace like threatening to blow up an ally in the region. Now then, tonight, the US Carried out additional strikes in southern Iran off the coast of the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official told Ms. Now, quote, these actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire. I don't know how to make sense of that, but joining me now is someone who does, Rob Malley, one of the lead negotiators of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Rob, it's great to see you. Let me, let me start by. I want to start with these reports on the new US Strikes in Iran and how you think these strikes and the strikes that took place on Monday night could impact the negotiating process. Like, what is the discussion when military action is happening and there's efforts to move a negotiation forward.

[Audience Member/Constituent]

So, Jen, I think they're less likely to have an impact on the negotiations, but they are sign that neither side is confident that the negotiations going to succeed. I mean, in some ways, it's the US Sending the message that they prepare to go back to war, and it's Iran sending the message that they don't fear it. And so we're in the process where talks are taking place in parallel to warlike actions. But as you said, the confusion that we are currently witnessing is so great. I mean, I feel like saying, because I've been on the show before and we've had the same discussion. This is Groundhog Day, but the groundhog is unwell. I mean, given what the President has said. You mentioned some of what he said, but he also mused about saying he wouldn't reach a deal with Iran unless Saudi Arabia and Qatar and other countries agreed to normalize relations with Israel, which they will not do, certainly not now. He said they owed it to him, as if they owe him anything when he's the one who got them into the mess. And now they're begging him to get them out of the mess. That he created. So, you know, it's so hard to make sense of it. And all one could hope is that his initial instincts, at least a few days ago, which is, let's end this war, let's get out of this mess, that that will prevail against the other instinct, which is his desire to always appear to have completely annihilated his enemies.

[Jen Psaki]

That should be everybody's hope. And we've talked about this before too. I mean, it took, I don't have to tell you, it took roughly two years to negotiate the Obama nuclear deal. I mean, even longer if you count the JPOA that was right before it, that actually had a fair number of detail in it, that was agreed to in 2013. It was sort of a temporary, before the JCPOA. You understand more than anyone really how long something like that this takes. Now, the agreement Trump was touting included a 60 day ceasefire extension during which the strait would open and negotiations over Iran's nuclear program would take place. That's what they've been talking about. On a practical level. Let let's hope that there is instincts and, and desire to move this forward. What needs to happen next? Because there's a lot of details. I look back at the jpoa, there's a lot of details in that we're very far from that. So what would next from here?

[Audience Member/Constituent]

Well, there's what will need to happen and what at best will happen. I think the best one could expect at this point, maybe I'll be wrong, is a very, very bare bones deal in which the Strait of Hormuz is opened. In other words, the US ends its blockade, Iran ends its closure, they reach some kind of deal about how the strait is going to be governed. Obviously, Iran wants to play a bigger role than the US seems prepared to accept, but they're going to have to reach some kind of understanding, maybe some kind of economic relief for IR and maybe some broad general principles about how they're going to deal with the nuclear program, which would then have to be negotiated over the next 60 days. But really what we're talking about now, and I think that's at the heart of the President's frustration, what we're talking about now is undoing what the harm that the war caused. In other words, opening a strait that was not closed before the war began. That's what the main bone of this negotiation is about. All the rest at this point would be general principles which could then have to be negotiated over a period of 30 to 60 days. But so we're really not Aiming for, for something particularly grandiose. But it would still be very important for the rest of the world if the Strait of Hormuz were reopened.

[Jen Psaki]

You mentioned this already about Trump's demand, basically, for a bunch of Gulf countries to join the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel, which they're not going to do. We also don't know what Israel's going to do here, although they have given indications they're not really eager to see this move forward. What is that about, do you think? Is he just trying to place a demand that's hard to get into his head? But what is your assessment?

[Audience Member/Constituent]

Right. Well, that's one place I definitely cannot and will not try to get into. I don't know. It's almost. No, it beggars belief because I think somebody, you know, Lindsey Graham, have spoken about it. Maybe the prime minister of Israel spoke about it. Somebody whispered in his ear. You know, if you want to make this a dramatic success, you need to expand the Abraham Accords. You need to get countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar to agree to normalize relations with Israel. And by the way, they need you today because they need you to open the Strait of Hormuz. And so, yeah, they do owe you. That's what I'm sure they're telling him. And I mean, we both, we could try to guess what's going through his head. I'm sure it's appealing to him. Somebody has to tell him that. That's completely crazy talk. Number one, there's no way these governments are going to normalize with this Israeli government, this Israeli government, after what they did in Gaza. They know what experts call a J, what they consider to be a genocide at a time when this government actually may be on its way out. So why would they give a gift to Netanyahu when his successor may be in office in a few months? And to do it again as a reward for President Trump when he's the one who created this mess in the first place? I mean, all of it is purely delusional. And hopefully he's just saying it and he doesn't mean it. If he does mean it, we're in for a very bumpy ride.

[Jen Psaki]

It's also not a requirement to move forward with an actual negotiation with the Iranians. For anyone who's confused about that out there, either. Rob Malley, thank you, as always, so much for joining us.

[Audience Member/Constituent]

Thank you.

[Jen Psaki]

Okay, coming up, some major Trump corruption in grift. That's a pretty evergreen statement. But this might just be hiding in plain sight, Norm. Eisen is the former White House ethics czar in the Obama administration. He ruled in that job with an iron fist, I can tell you. And he joins me next. Today, the New York Times got their hands on an analysis done by the National Park Service that showed that when the Trump administration gave a no bid contract to a construction company to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool last month, they hired that company and had them start working before actually agreeing on what that project would cost. I mean, Trump initially said, remember, that it would cost less than $2 million. It is now slated for more than $13 million. And by the time the Trump administration publicly acknowledged that $13 million price tag, Trump had already personally toured the site and publicly touted the project and even put out a strange video stylized like an Oval Office address about the project. So by the time it appears they actually were started talking numbers, the government was hardly in a position to haggle. I mean, they were all in on the whole thing. Thing. Just to put this all in perspective here, think about it this way. Imagine you had to fix your roof in your house, but rather than call multiple contractors and try to get them to outbid each other and offer you the lowest price for the work, you called one single contractor and had them start working before you even agreed how much you would pay them. And then once they'd already started, once you lost all your potential leverage, then you haggled over a price. That's what the Times is reporting the Trump administration did to Rush, Trump's pet project at the Reflecting Pool to justify the Rush's spokesperson at the Interior Department, which is overseeing the job, told the Times that the contract price reflects the effort necessary to expedite the timeline ahead of the country's 250th anniversary this July, which just so happens to be the same justification the Trump administration has given over and over again to give out out one no bid contract after another, some of which just so happened to go to the firm that planned Trump's rally on January 6th. Which another just so happened. Well, another just so happened to go to the firm building Trump's White House ballroom. Go figure. What a coincidence. Now, to state the Obvious, the country's 250th anniversary is not a surprise. None of this work needs to be rushed. None of these contracts needed to be no bid contracts. But the 250th anniversary of the country is proving to be be quite the justification for Trump to get away with all sorts of sketchy things. And I'm not just talking about no bid contracts. As I mentioned at the top of the show, less than a mile from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the ufc, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has started construction on an octagonal cage built for a cage fight on the White House South Lawn. The fight, which is being billed as UFC Freedom250, is being justified as a celebration of the country's 250th anniversary, even though the event will actually be held on President Trump's birthday, June 14, which is Flag Day, but is not the 250th anniversary of the country. Now, Trump has repeatedly taken to social media not just to promote the fight in general, but to promote the fight's connection to a company called Stake, which gambling regulators say is an illegal online casino. While the company says they are simply a video game, Trump just so happens to be repeatedly promoting this company and its role in the 250th anniversary celebratory white House lawn, cage fight, whatever you want call it. Now, just a month after the co owner and co founder of the company donated $1 million to the Super PAC that supports Trump Mag Inc. But all of this, the no bid contracts and the sketchiness around the cage fight, all of that may just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Trump is planning to use the country's 250th birthday to justify. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump is thinking about issuing 250 pardons to celebrate the nation's 250th, which. Which considering how Trump's other pardons have gone and how despite the White House line that the many were were targets of the Biden administration, many of them just so happened to go to people who enriched the president or donated to his political goals. It's all a giant new opportunity for grift. Happy Quarter millennium, everyone, I guess. Joining me now is Norm Eisen, co founder of Democracy Defenders Action and the publisher of the Contrarian in. Okay, Norm, there's a lot. There's always a lot to ask you about. Corruption is rife. We're in a historic corruption phase here. Yeah, but I just want to start with the reflection pool because the Times reports that the Trump administration used a mechanism called a letter contract to get the contractor to start the renovation work before they had actually agreed upon a price that, as I noted, they didn't negotiate over, it seems. Have you ever seen anything like that?

[Norm Eisen]

No, Jen, it's illegal to create an emergency by stalling and then to evade normal bidding processes. The preliminary work on the pool has created outrage. It's like 50 shades of different blue. And that's what you get when you dodge legally mandated bidding processes. Shoddy work. So the reflecting pool or the renaming of the Kennedy center, which we are litigating, the toxic dumping of dirt out of the destruction of the East Wing, also litigating that they're all corruption scandals in and of themselves, but also living metaphors per the incompetence of this administration. So it is shocking. And the American people are paying attention. They don't like what's being done to our precious national treasures.

[Jen Psaki]

No, no, they don't. And they also don't like that he's making a boatload of money and so is his family. Now, the other thing they're trying to say here is that this inflated contract for the reflecting pool isn't being paid by taxpayers. There's so much gaslighting. So that's why I to talk to you about these sorts of things. But is instead being funded by the fees that people pay when they visit national parks? I mean, my question here is, isn't it ultimately all the same pool of. I mean, won't they then have to use taxpayer funds to fund national parks? It feels a little bit like this is definitely not taxpayer money.

[Norm Eisen]

Who are they fooling? Those are also sums that are paid by taxpayers and others, others into the treasury and they're being squandered. Just look at the terrible, ill planned work on the reflecting pool. It's going to be a fiasco for Donald Trump's birthday and It'll still be one by the time we get to the 250th birthday of our nation. So all of this illegality is the subject of litigation. It is outrageous. And then of course, you get into situations where Donald Trump is profiting himself or his cronies in a way that we've never seen before in American history.

[Jen Psaki]

No, we have certainly not. We, we are in a very unique point here. While I have you, Norma, I want to ask you about something else that broke tonight because multiple outlets are reporting that the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the woman who back in 2023, a jury found. A jury found President Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming. What do you make of the Justice Department targeting one of Trump's perceived enemies? And certainly with the history here, you know, this one specifically,

[Norm Eisen]

it would be outrageous on its own for Donald Trump, according to reports, because there's an issue about a single answer to a question in a deposition. There are countless thousands of depositions taken in our country every day. Did they pile them all up on a table at the Justice Department gen and just happen to fall on a page in the Eugene Carroll deposition? I've been doing criminal law for 35 years. Nobody prosecutes a single answer in a deposition. It's unheard of. But. But what makes the illegality and the impropriety and the shock so clear? Here is the pattern. He went after Tish James, his perceived adversary. He went after Jim Comey. So many of these cases, those cases were thrown out. If anything develops here, it'll be thrown out as well. But he uses the investigation as a form of punishment. It is shocking to every, it should be shocking to every American to have a president abuse his most awesome power of criminal investigation and prosecution in this way. It is not American. It's like something out of Soviet Russia, and we should all be outraged.

[Jen Psaki]

Norm Eisen, you're losing your voice. I'm going to send you some tea. We need you fighting the fights. Thank you for being here. Okay, we now know what Donald Trump is doing for America's 250th anniversary. When we come back. I'm going to tell you what me and some of my friends here at Ms. Now are doing to celebrate when we come back. Okay. An exciting announcement before we go, or I think it's exciting. On Thursday, June 25, you can join me, Rachel Maddow and Ali Veli at our live community event in Philadelphia. We're going to be talking about all the big issues facing our democracy as we mark America's 250th anniversary. We're also going to be joined by civil rights attorney Sherilyn Ifer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Scan the QR code on your screen or go to Ms. Now America250 to buy your tickets. That does it for me. It's time for the Last Word with Lawrence o'. Donnell.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Hey, Jen. It is, it's, it's Flip the Senate Week. Here on the Last Word, we we have North Carolina Senate candidate Roy Cooper joining us tonight. Very, very strong possibility for him to flip that Republican seat in North Carolina to the Democrats. This is after James Talarico in what was the real beginning of his general election campaign again against Ken Paxton. It happened right here on this network where he responded directly to what Paxton had just said about him. That campaign is obviously one of the big ones to watch. And it does seem like Talarico now is in the favored position there.

[Jen Psaki]

Look, I love that you're having this week of Flip the Senate because I think people are getting to know who these people are and about them, what they bring forward. There's a great interview last night. I watched it. He gave a great speech today. And I'll be looking forward to seeing what Roy Cooper has to say. He's likely going to be a senator in a year.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

This Senate battle gets more real every day. It becomes more clear, gets more real every day. And we're going to be covering it all the way.

[Jen Psaki]

Certainly we will be, too. I look forward to watching your convo tonight.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Thanks, Jen.

[Jen Psaki]

Bye, Lawrence. Thank you.

[Narrator/Announcer]

America is an idea. For 250 years, that idea has helped expand our rights and our freedom. But progress isn't guaranteed. Today, those founding principles are being challenged by efforts to mix religion and government. The Freedom From Religion foundation is working to protect the Constitution and keep power where it belongs, with we the people. Visit FFRF us msnow or text Ms. Now to 511-511- text msnow to 511-511 and keep state and church separate. Text fees may apply.