← The Briefing with Jen Psaki
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Rep. Crockett speaks out on CBS Colbert controversy with her opponent
00:41:39
Rep. Jasmine Crockett talks with Jen Psaki about the Texas Senate race and the phone call she received from Paramount in connection to the confrontation between Stephen Colbert and CBS over Colbert's interview with Crockett's Senate race rival James Talarico.
Loading summary
Transcript77 lines
- [00:00]
Stephen Colbert
Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes so you don't have to don't know the difference between matte paint, finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download Today. Imagine relying on a dozen different software programs to run your business, none of which are connected and each one more expensive and more complicated than the last. It can be pretty stressful. Now imagine Odoo. Odoo has all the programs you'll ever need and they're all connected on one platform. Doesn't Odoo sound amazing? Let Odoo harmonize your business with simple, efficient software that can handle everything for a fraction of the price. Sign up today@odoo.com that's o-o o.com okay.
- [00:52]
Jen Psaki
Sometimes we have a guest on the show who is relevant to the news in a thousand different ways in the news that's happening this very day. And tonight is definitely one of those nights because Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is going to join me live in just a moment. She is, of course, running in a hotly contested primary in Texas to be the Democratic nominee for Senate. And today is the first day of early voting in Texas for that race. If you were in Texas, today's the first day. Now both she and her Democratic primary rival, James Talarinco are nipping at the heels of their would be Republican opponents in the polls so uncomfortably that a lot of people are paying attention to this race from the Republican side. And now James Tallarico is also at the center of a new censorship controversy after CBS pulled his interview on Stephen Colbert's show just before it was supposed to air the network. And this part is just something laughable is one way to describe it is somehow trying to shift the blame for that decision to Congresswoman Crockett herself. And let's just say I'm very much looking forward to getting her reaction to that, as I'm sure you are. Congressman Crockett will also be joining me from Ohio where she and other members of the House Oversight Committee are going to be deposing disgraced billionaire Les Wexner, who is a central figure in the Epstein files. And that's set to take place tomorrow. So yes, there is a ton a load of stuff to talk to the congresswoman about. But before we get there I just want to start tonight with the Trump administration's attempts to silence and intimidate their critics. Because every day, and today was certainly one of those days, we get more and more evidence that those efforts are backfiring spectacularly. They're trying really hard. It's not really working. I mean, take for example, the fact that today was the arraignment in the criminal trial of independent journalist Georgia Ford, who the Trump administration charged for covering a protest that took place in a Minneapolis church. And you probably saw her last night, right in this hour talking about that. It's clear that the arrest was intended, of course, to intimidate journalists like Georgia Ford in an effort to prevent her from doing her job, in an effort to silence her reporting and her voice, to scare her. But instead, all this trial has done is draw more attention to Georgia Ford and to her excellent reporting. And she is using this moment and all of that increased attention to call out attacks on the free press.
- [03:19]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
The attack on the press did not.
- [03:22]
Jen Psaki
Start or end with my arrest. Mario Guevara, an independent journalist covering ICE.
- [03:28]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Arrests in Atlanta, was held in jail for more than 100 days, then deported despite the fact that his attorneys say he has a legal work visa to.
- [03:39]
Jen Psaki
Be here in America.
- [03:41]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Just a few weeks ago, all of.
- [03:43]
Jen Psaki
Our colleagues, Janice Shortle and anchor with.
- [03:46]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
An NBC affiliate here in Minneapolis, was sprayed with chemical agents while covering the protest following the fatal shooting of Alex Preddy. The attack on the press did not.
- [03:57]
Jen Psaki
Start with my arrest.
- [03:59]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
So if you stand for truth, I need you to stand up today.
- [04:10]
Jen Psaki
That does not appear to be a woman who is being silenced by the Trump administration. Remember, she was arrested in. In her home at night with her kids there. And that was her after that. Okay? She was also arrested, as you know, alongside CNN anchor Don Lemon, who you can see there, you all know, who is facing similar charges after covering that same protest. And it was clear, of course, that the Trump administration wanted to turn Lemon into some kind of evil national media villain and silence his criticism of this administration. But that hasn't happened either. I mean, according to the Washington Post, since Lemon's arrest, he has gained nearly a half a million followers across Instagram and YouTube and seen a 73% increase in substack viewers. It's not exactly what they intended. I don't think we're seeing the same thing with Democratic lawmakers Trump has tried to target. Trump's Justice Department and Department of Defense have both targeted Senator Mark Kelly over his appearance in a social media video reminding service members that they should not follow illegal orders. And it was clear that retribution campaign, which they have been tireless about, was meant to silence Senator Kelly's criticism and limit his influence. But it has done the opposite. The Arizona Republic reports that amid the controversy, Mark Kelly's campaign has set new fundraising records as donations pour in supporting his message. And all of a sudden he is being talked about as a 2028 candidate. He even said yesterday that he is seriously considering it. So there's that. See, every time Trump tries to silence his opponents, he just ends up elevating their voices, drawing more attention to the critical messages that inspired Trump's outrage. All of which leads me to the Trump administration's latest censorship face plan. Yesterday, Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Hellerico was supposed to appear on the Late show with Stephen Colbert. Instead, this happened.
- [06:04]
Stephen Colbert
You know who is not one of my guests tonight? That's Texas State Representative James Talarico. He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network's lawyers who called us directly that we could not have him on the broadcast. Then, then I was told in some uncertain terms that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on. And because my network clearly doesn't want us to talk about this. Let's talk about this.
- [06:39]
Jen Psaki
Okay, we're going to talk about it too. Okay. A couple things here. First of all, eagle eyed viewers probably noticed that was not a picture of James Talarico over Stephen Colbert's shoulder. That was on purpose. Now the reason that CBS polled Colbert's interview with James Tallarico was because of a new kind of made up rule by Donald Trump's FCC chair, Brendan Carr. Last month, Carr ended the FCC's long standing policy of exempting talk shows and late night comedy shows from an equal time rule. An exemption that dates back to none other than this guy Arnold Schwarzenegger appearing on the Tonight show with Jay leno back in 2006 when he was running for governor of California. Since then, it's pretty much been in place both parties. Now, Carr's new policy might sound wonky or technical or kind of random, but it's actually pretty simple when you consider the source here. Brendan Carr is the same Trump official who attempted to get late night comedian and Trump critic Jimmy Kimmel who pulled from the air with mob like intimidation tactics. And Reuters is now reporting that Brendan Carr has launched an investigation into the View over its decision to host the same Texas Democratic candidate. So it's not a surprise that Brendan Carr's new rule would be designed to intimidate talk shows and late night comedy shows out of featuring political guests. Now, CBS released a statement today saying, quote, the Late show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico. The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled. As I mentioned, I'm going to ask Jasmine Crockett about how the network invoked her there in just a second. But the truth is that CBS could have chosen to challenge Brendan Carr's bogus interpretation of the equal time rule, and it sure seems like they chose not to. And again, that's not that surprising when you consider the source because CBS is part of Paramount Skydance, the company led by David Ellison, who along with his father Larry Ellison, has been cozying up to Trump in what appears to be an effort to curry favor with this administration. And just this week, CBS's parent company reopened talks to acquire Warner Brothers, which owns cnn, in a deal that would require approval from the Trump administration. And David Ellison has already made a number of decisions at CBS that seem tailored to appease Trump. That began last year with the abrupt cancellation of Stephen Colbert's late night show, which is set to broadcast its final episode in May. Larry Ellison reportedly also talked to the White House about which of Trump's least favorite anchors they would fire from CNN if Paramount were to acquire the network, according to people familiar with the matter. They also put opinion writer and right wing apologist Barry Weiss in charge of CBS News, which has led to a wave of high profile resignations from a number of respected longtime journalists. I mean, just this week, Anderson Cooper announced he is departing from his role as an anchor on the flagship program 60 Minutes. That's the same 60 Minutes which under this new leadership delayed the release of an expose on Trump's policy of sending immigrants to an El Salvador megaprison, a decision that sparked a ton of backlash. Meanwhile, the network has decided to retain a controversial health expert who was brought in by the new leadership, despite the fact that he is now under fire for his ties and gross emails with Jeffrey Epstein. He recently apologized for those ties and isn't accused of criminal wrongdoing, but others have faced consequences for just associating with Epstein. I mean, given all of that, it's no wonder that CBS made the decision to bow to Trump's FCC and basically blocked Stephen Colbert from airing his interview with a Texas Democratic candidate. But here's the thing. Like so many of Trump's censorship efforts, this one is also backfiring spectacularly. I mean, Stephen Colbert decided to post his entire interview with James Talarico online, where it has been viewed millions of times across different platforms. So instead of just letting a normal candidate interview take place on a late night show, millions of people are now tuning in to hear this message.
- [10:46]
Stephen Colbert
Now, here's the thing. I don't usually say this to a guest, but if people are watching this right now, it's because they found us online on YouTube. I did an act of the show that's on tonight explaining why it's not the first time you've caused some drama. FCC opening probe into the View after appearance by Talarico. Do you mean to cause trouble? I think that Donald Trump is worried that we're about to flip Texas. And Steven, this, this is the party that ran against cancel culture. And now they're trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read. And this is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture, the kind that comes from the top. They, they went after the View because I went on there. They went after Jimmy Kimmel for telling a joke they didn't like. They went after you for telling the truth about Paramount's bribe to Donald Trump.
- [11:57]
Jen Psaki
I don't think. I'm fairly certain Trump and Brendan Carr really didn't intend to help broadcast that message when widely across the Internet. Right. Millions of people have seen it. Because here's the thing. Talarico is right. Trump is worried about Democrats flipping Texas. Recent polling from the University of Houston shows both James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett within the margin of error against the two most likely Republican opponents in that race. And Trump is so freaked out by the situation in Texas that he is uncharacteristically pretty silent ish about it. Refusing to endorse a Republican candidate in the primary campaign. Choosing instead to. To keep his powder dry and leave his options open.
- [12:38]
Stephen Colbert
I just haven't made a decision on that race yet. He's got a ways to go and I haven't. He's a good man. John is a good. I like all three of them, actually. I like all three. Those are the toughest races.
- [12:50]
Jen Psaki
He likes them all. How hard to choose? Why would he endorse a candidate now when early voting in Texas has already begun? Trump is kind of scared, it seems. He is scared of the Democratic candidates in Texas. Scared enough that he doesn't want to insert himself in the race and back a single candidate who might go on to lose the general election. And Trump has every reason to be scared of either Democrat in that race. I mean, James Talarico has exhibited an ease in weaving faith and morality into his message that's really broken through, attempting to appeal to a coalition much broader than Democrats in a state of where you typically need Republicans and independents to win. And as I mentioned before, and at the top of the show, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett has been holding this administration's feet to the fire at every single chance she gets. She's held them accountable on their treatment of children who are imprisoned inside a Texas detention center. She's held them accountable on their botched release of the Epstein files, including in a hearing with Pam Bondi just last week.
- [13:50]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
You're spending more taxpayer resources arresting journalists than you are prosecuting pedophiles and creeps. I completely don't get how it is that you're sitting at the top of DOJ because you don't seem to be good at your job.
- [14:03]
Jen Psaki
There we go. Certainly not holding back. Jasmine Crockett has even introduced a bill to rein in Trump's FCC and stop it from censoring critics to push a political agenda. All of which makes it incredibly ironic that CBS is citing Congresswoman Crockett as part of their decision to bend to Trump's agenda and censor her opponent. And I'm very eager to hear what she has to say about all of it. Joining me now is Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas. She is, of course, a candidate for U.S. senate. There are so many things to talk to you about, and I'm so grateful you're here. Let me just start with some of the news from today, which I just outlined. I mean, in CBS's statement on what happened with Colbert's show last night, they name checked you. I mean, they said this. The show has provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. What do you make of that explanation?
- [15:00]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
We actually received a phone call, and that was a little bit earlier today. And in that call, they explained that they actually told CBS that they could go ahead and move forward with the interview of James Talarico. They just needed to offer me equal time. I did not get a request from the Colbert show to go on. As you know, I've been on Colbert multiple times. And frankly, and, you know, if we would have gotten an offer, that would have been great. But we're in the middle of early voting, so I'm kind of focused on being in Texas at this moment. And, you know, I don't know what to believe, that's for sure. But I got that phone call as I was out talking to voters.
- [15:44]
Jen Psaki
That's it. So there's so many things to talk to you about again. But they called you today, but they decided not to air the interview last night. You've been on Colbert a number of times, as you just said. Did you have any issue when they were going to air the interview last night, when they promoted it or when it was supposed to air? Or did anyone from your campaign?
- [16:04]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
No, we didn't have an issue. I mean, we've never run into an issue with Colbert. And even as you talked about the View, you know, supposedly this FCC complaint came about because I had more time than Mr. Talarico when I went on there after I declared my candidacy. So, you know, listen, I will tell you that I have no love for Bari Weiss. I have no love for Brendan Carr whatsoever. But I do think that, as you also mentioned Kimmel, it is important that we resist in this moment. And so there were a number of options that could be put on the table. And frankly, you know, the Late show decided that this was the option. And I think that it was a good strategy. I mean, look at what happened when they tried to censor ccot. We found out that you could get a lot more views. So I think it probably gave my opponent the abuse he was looking for. So I think it's probably better that he didn't get on and that they went straight to streaming, because we know that when we resist and when we know that it seems like they're trying to change the rules and bend to the knee of, or bend the knee to this president, that it backfires in.
- [17:15]
Jen Psaki
Historic fashion spectacularly over and over again. And you have been no stranger to them going after you as well. I know. Let me ask you about something, and I mentioned this a little bit in the opening. Trump was asked about the Republican candidates in the Texas race on Air Force One last night, and he kind of said, I like them all, and refused to really endorse any of them. What did you make of that? Why do you think that is?
- [17:41]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
I love it. There's a couple of things about this, right? A lot of people are like, there's no way Texas can do this. And I'm here to tell you that even on day one of early voting, we are exploding with participation right now. And we just had two special elections. One that swung 30 points, another one that swung 17 points. We are really ready to do this in Texas. And frankly, right now, I will tell you what the insiders tell me. They tell me that he really doesn't like John Cornyn, so he just doesn't want to endorse him. We know that the Republicans have already spent $50 million trying to boost Senator Cornyn in this primary, yet he is still trailing Ken Paxton, who only raised $1 million last quarter. We also know that supposedly his chief of staff does not like Ken Paxton. So there's that. And then Wesley Hunt doesn't really have a shot, so he doesn't really know what to do. There are people that are pulling at him in different ways, trying to tell him what's most strategic to do. But there was a poll that actually dropped today that had me ahead of all three of them. So whichever way they decide to go, we're ready to win this thing.
- [18:47]
Jen Psaki
I'm sure Donald Trump loves Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who may be the Democratic nominee, calling out his fearful strategy right now. You are most known, you are known to so many people watching right now and so many people out there for a range of viral moments. I played kind of one of them from last week, but you've had so many of them humorous jabs at Republicans on the Hill. But you're, of course, much more than that, as everybody is. But as everybody who's in elected office is, often people are caricatured. What else do you wish more Texans knew about you?
- [19:20]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Yeah. So first of all, I wish they knew that I actually started my political and legal career in rural East Texas and that I served on the Agriculture Committee last cycle. So I'm that girl that actually can go into rural Texas, even though I represent the Dallas area. And I've been talking to our Texas farmers and ranchers way before I was looking at running for the US Senate. I understand the challenges that are facing all Texans, whether you're talking about our farmers and ranchers that are currently filing record bankruptcies or whether you're talking about that mother who may be sitting at home wondering whether or not she's going to have enough money to pay for health care and food on our table. We are leading in uninsured in the country. We have been leading in uninsured for a very long time. But as someone who lived in rural East Texas, I know what it is to have to go to Shreveport or go to Dallas so that I can actually see a health care professional, because there's not one that's there. Listen, the challenges the Texans are Facing, especially as it relates to affordability with us being one of the top exporting states in the entire country. They are real. And so we've got to rein in this out of control administration. We've got to make sure that we're getting these tariffs under control. We've got to start to grow our economy instead of continuing to shrink it. We've got to make sure that housing is a real dream that can be realized by all Texans. And so we've got to make sure that these terrible policies around immigration that are impacting us everywhere. The final point that I'll say, because I know you're ready to move on, but today was a really emotional day for me as I walked into a building and there was another business that was there and a doctor came out at her facility and she said to me, I just want to tell you this story about someone that works in my office. She said, your security detail came in to do advance work and she went and hid under the desk in the office. She said now she is a citizen, but she is a Latina and she was so scared. She was in tears and under her desk because she thought that your advance officer was actually ice. This isn't the America that we deserve. We deserve so much better. And when they realized that he was actually an officer for me, instead of being tears of sadness, it was tears of joy because she knows that I stand up and I fight for all of us. I don't want to live this way. And I honestly don't think most Americans want to live this way. So we need somebody who knows how to fight this administration and won't back down. And I'm excited to get into the Senate and do just that.
- [21:45]
Jen Psaki
That's a story that's going to stick with people. You've been very generous with your time. You're going to stick with me through a break here. We're going to take a quick one. But the reason you're joining us from Ohio tonight, I should remind viewers, is because you're about to take part in what might just be the most important deposition of the entire Epstein investigation. And I'm going to ask you about that and what we should all expect, what you're looking ahead to when we come back.
- [22:14]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Early birds always rise to the occasion for summer vacation planning because early gets you closer to the action.
- [22:19]
Jen Psaki
So don't be late. Book your next vacation early on vrbo and save over $120.
- [22:24]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Rise and shine. Average savings $141 select homes only.
- [22:29]
Jen Psaki
Why have I asked my H vac guy I found on angie.com to change.
- [22:32]
Elora Mukherjee
My grandpa's trachea tube because I was so amazed by how quickly he replaced our air ducts.
- [22:37]
Jen Psaki
I knew I could trust him to change Pop Pop's tube while I was on vacation.
- [22:41]
Stephen Colbert
Make it quick, young man.
- [22:44]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Aw.
- [22:45]
Stephen Colbert
See?
- [22:45]
Jen Psaki
Pop Pop trusts you.
- [22:47]
Stephen Colbert
I think we should call a doctor. Connecting homeowners with skilled pros for over 30 years. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home projects@angie.com Imagine relying on a dozen different software programs to run your business, none of which are connected. And each one more expensive and more compl Complicated than the last. It can be pretty stressful. Now imagine Odoo. Odoo has all the programs you'll ever need and are all connected on one platform. Doesn't Odoo sound amazing? Let Odoo harmonize your business with simple, efficient software that can handle everything for a fraction of the price. Sign up today@odoo.com that's o-o o.com.
- [23:39]
Jen Psaki
Tomorrow, members of the House Oversight Committee will gather at this enormous mansion in Ohio to hold a closed door deposition of this man, billionaire retail magnate Les Wexner, co founder of the company once behind big name brands like Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret. Now, last month, members of Congress subpoenaed Wexner for testimony related to his former financial advisor and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, Congressman Robert Garcia, has called Wexner the likely single largest benefactor and providing financial support to Jeffrey Epstein. The two were so close that Wexner reportedly hand drew a pair of breasts in Epstein's 50th birthday book with a note saying, I wanted to get you what you wanted, which is as gross as it sounds. Now, one of the most prominent survivors of Epstein's abuse, Virginia Duffrey, alleged that she was also trafficked to Wexner. Wexner has denied all criminal wrongdoing linked to Jeffrey Epstein, but obviously a lot to ask here. And Congressman Jasmine Crockett is, of course, a member of the House Oversight Committee, among many other things. She's back with us live from Ohio, where she and her colleagues will question Les Wexner tomorrow. So this is a closed door testimony, but you have obviously spent a lot of time thinking about Les Wexner. I'm just wondering, like, why do you think Wexner gave Epstein so much control over his fortune, even though his advisors told him not to? That seems to be kind of One of the big questions out there, what do you think?
- [25:07]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
I mean, he's been called a co conspirator in everything as it relates to Epstein before. We know that that's how he was referenced. And I know that there are people that are questioning, you know, the links to it and questioning whether or not he engaged in the actual abuse. But I know that I have directly been told different stories that have me believing that he has engaged in some activity as it relates to young girls. We will see how he answers some of this. And frankly, I'm still shocked. I asked my staffer after we landed, I said, they haven't told us that he's going to invoke the Fifth yet. I was like, maybe they're thinking this is only financial and maybe they can get around some statute of limitations. But I am very eager to get into that room and to see what's going on. We also have been informed that his wife has been managing the estate and that he's very elderly. So I don't know if that's the angle that they're going to take, but we're going to do whatever we can to hopefully continue to shed light on what is turning out to be one of the biggest, most criminal, most disgusting things to ever take place in not only US History, but literally in the world.
- [26:32]
Jen Psaki
We learn more every week. That is more and more horrifying. You referenced, you know, the possibility of him invoking the Fifth. Do you have a plan of action if he does do that, like Ghislaine Maxwell did during her deposition last week?
- [26:47]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Yeah, we'll just have to see. You know, this gets really hairy. And I think that this is where it is important that I'm a litigator, because I've done depositions and you're usually doing a deposition in preparation for actual litigation, and so you're trying to preserve the record. And if for some reason you're headed to court and you're going to seek a ruling from the judge as relates to, say, someone invoking a constitutional right, you want to really be tight on that and get that on the record. So, you know, we'll see A lot of people invoke the Fifth for different reasons. We do ask for specificity around the invocation of their constitutional rights. So we'll see. But we are supposed to be given a heads up if someone who is going to go through a deposition is going to invoke the Fifth. We were given a head up. Heads up. A few hours, I would say, before Ghislaine Maxwell it was that night before, but it was kind of late at night, so I imagined that they were going to try to play games. They did play games. Obviously she's still sitting in custody and hoping that Trump will just go ahead and release her. Wexner, on the other hand, it just seems like they may be trying to go with the feeble old man. I don't remember route. So we're going to see because you don't necessarily have to deal with facing charges for, say, lying under oath if you just don't remember. So it'll be interesting to see kind of what they do. But we're going to do everything that we can to get as much information as we can because one of the things that the survivors told us from the very first meeting we had was follow the money. And we do know that their money was intertwined greatly. So we're following the money.
- [28:27]
Jen Psaki
So many questions. If you hear in the next 30 minutes, let us know if he's going to take the Fifth. Thank you. Congresswoman Crockett, thank you for being here for covering such a range of topics. I really appreciate it. Good luck tomorrow.
- [28:40]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
It's good to see you.
- [28:41]
Jen Psaki
Okay, up next, this latest controversy surrounding Stephen Colbert and the FCC is part of a much bigger story. And my next guest is uniquely qualified to talk about it. Terry Moran was pushed out of ABC News for standing up to Donald Trump. And he joins me next. Day or night. VRBO Care is here 247 to help make every part of your stay seamless. If anything comes up or you simply need a little guidance, support is ready whenever you reach out from the moment you book to the moment you head home. We're here to help things run smoothly.
- [29:22]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Because a great trip starts with the right support.
- [29:24]
Jen Psaki
And hey, a good playlist doesn't hurt either.
- [29:33]
Stephen Colbert
Hi, I'm Chef Franklin Becker.
- [29:35]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
You know the jingle now discover the.
- [29:37]
Stephen Colbert
Facts about Ozempic, a GLP one. There's only one FDA approved Ozempic made by Novo Nordisk. Learn about the real thing.
- [29:44]
Jen Psaki
Talk to your healthcare professional today. Call 1-833-OZEMPIC or visit Ozempic to view the medication guide and to learn more about ozempic semaglutide injection. 0.5 milligrams, 1 milligram and 2 milligrams.
- [30:02]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Why have we asked our contractor we found on Angie.com to be our kids legal guardian?
- [30:06]
Jen Psaki
Because he took such good care when.
- [30:08]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Redoing our basement that we knew we.
- [30:10]
Jen Psaki
Could trust him to care for our.
- [30:11]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
Kids, all eight of them should something happen to us.
- [30:14]
Jen Psaki
Are you my dad now?
- [30:18]
Stephen Colbert
No, sorry. I do basements. Connecting homeowners with skilled Pros for over 30 years, Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home projects@angie.com.
- [30:37]
Jen Psaki
We're all trying to make sense. We're trying on the show to make sense of what's happening over at CBS right now. None of it is in a vacuum. I mean, and some of this obviously is prompted by Stephen Colbert saying that the network barred him from airing an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. That was obviously a very explosive claim and one that CBS denied today. In a statement, CBS claimed that all they did was provide legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time roll for two other candidates, including Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Well, as you know, if you've been watching, I just spoke with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett who said she never complained about not getting equal time and also talked about how important it is now to resist authoritarian overreach from the Trump administration.
- [31:22]
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
We know that when we resist and when we know that it seems like they're trying to change the rules and bend to the knee of, or bend the knee to this president, that it backfires in historic fashion.
- [31:38]
Jen Psaki
She also said you didn't hear from them until today, which is after they made this decision. So joining me now is independent journalist and former senior national correspondent at ABC News, Terry Moran. You are uniquely qualified to talk about a lot of things happening right now. One of the many reasons I always enjoy talking to you. I mean, CBS name checked, Jasmine Crockett, you heard what she just said. This is not happening. What happened with Colbert and Talarico is not an isolated incident. Give us your sense or what is your reaction to overall that and kind of what it means in the scope of everything that's happening at cbs.
- [32:10]
Stephen Colbert
Well, this is the muscle. This is the way it works. It doesn't work with knock on the door censorship. It works with pressure and uncertainty. And for big corporations that own these networks, uncertainty means danger because Brendan Carr, the head of the fcc, holds their broadcast license. Now, the law here is the equal time law. People might remember the Fairness Doctrine where viewpoints had to be balanced. Well, that's been gone for decades, right? This is the equal time law, where candidates get equal time. But for decades, for decades, 20 years, there's been an exemption for late night talk shows because they said this really isn't a political program or a news program, it's an entertainment program. And so they saw you Know Bill Clinton playing sax on Arsenio hall or even Donald Trump getting his hair mushed up by Jimmy Fallon. But Brendan Carr just dropped the hit the head of the FCC last year. Maybe we'll enforce the equal time law again and pre compliance obeying before you have to. So this line from CBS saying well you know, if you get the other, if you get the other candidates, we'll be okay is really just them censoring Colbert. Cuz he said he's not gonna take programming notes from lawyers. So he stood up and he said here's what happened and telling the truth is the answer.
- [33:26]
Jen Psaki
And millions of people have seen it, probably more. And he has a well watched show. But more than would have seen it. No question there have been, I mentioned this at the top of the show, but a slew of resignations from staffers, including talent like Anderson Cooper from 60 Minutes and one producer wrote in their resignation email that stories may instead be evaluated not on their journalistic merit, but on whether they conform to a shifting of ideological expectations. That's a very, that's an interestingly worded but what did you make of that?
- [33:56]
Stephen Colbert
Well, it's painful. It's painful because similar things are happening at other networks. And although I'm not privy to, you know, corporate information, I have friends at ABC News and I hear that the White House coverage is now overseen by a vice president from Disney. From Disney. And that there is this sense of a very heavy hand on their coverage that they really can't cover it straight because there's one job that a journalist has, right? You have to open your eyes and see what is in front of you and call it by the right name. And they can't do that at CBS anymore. And even at the other networks it's a real shift.
- [34:36]
Jen Psaki
I mean, having been on the other side of questioning for many, many years, I can tell you this is not how it has worked. It's notable that while all of this is happening, you know, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who once criticized Orban and strong men like him, was praising Orban and strongman leaders like him in Munich. I mean, he obviously, Orban, who I think people watching know this, have this long history of controlling media, controlling speech and praising him feels like a real shift and a real flag to me. But what do you make of that shift in Rubio but also just sort of that message coming from this administration on an international stage?
- [35:15]
Stephen Colbert
Well, the message is un American. Right. If you look at what Viktor Orban has done with the media and about Marco Rubio, it tells a tale about his character. A lot of Republicans have that same character. They manage not just to change with the prevailing winds, but to change their fundamental principles, the reasons they got into Congress in the first place. I do not understand how a man does that or a woman does that. I don't understand. Rubio does elegantly. He gives a good speech. Orban, however, the way he did control the media was very, very subtle. He stripped some of these assets from their owners and sold them to his buddies. Does that sound like cbs? Larry Ellison and his son now owning cbs and slowly brought every wrinkle and crease of the law to bear until there really is no very little independent media. And I remember hearing an interview with a Hungarian journalist who gave after Trump was elected last year, inaugurated last year, he said two pieces of advice for American journalists. One, stick together, that we didn't stand up for each other when one of us was banned from the parliament. Or stick together. And the other thing is, be fair to Trump. Don't get your own people in a bubble. Demonstrate that if Trump does something well, you are honest enough to report that, or if Trump does something effectively, you're honest enough to report that. I thought that was great advice. But they are now down in the darkness, the shadows of Orban. And Trump takes deep lessons from Orban he has over the years.
- [36:50]
Jen Psaki
Terry Moran, thank you so much. I always love talking to you. Thanks for being here.
- [36:53]
Stephen Colbert
Thanks, Jen.
- [36:54]
Jen Psaki
Okay, up next. Part of why the Trump administration is trying to silence the free press is because they do not want the American people to know all of the things they are doing. So we're going to talk about exactly what they're doing when we come back. Do you remember when Ice detained 5 year old Liam Ramos last month in Minnesota and shipped him to the Dilley Immigration Processing center in Texas? At the time, Liam's mother alleged that at Dilley, Liam had a fever, a stomach ache and diarrhea. And her husband told her that Dilley wasn't giving Liam any medicine. Unfortunately, Liam is far from alone in claiming a lack of appropriate medical care at Dilley. Two days ago, Univision reported that Dilly's youngest detainee, a two month old boy named Juan Nicholas, was choking on his own vomit and having respiratory issues. Last night, Juan Nicholas was rushed to the hospital with bronchitis. Congressman Joaquin Castro, who is in contact with Juan's family, says that despite at some point being deemed unresponsive, Juan was ultimately discharged and returned to Dilley. And tonight, Univision reported that Juan and his mother have been deported. Here they are speaking with Univision from the other side of the border in Mexico. This is amalia. She is 18 months old and prior to being brought to Dilley, her family says that she was a healthy little girl. Once inside Dilley, they say she developed a high fever that wouldn't break. She began vomiting, had diarrhea, and also struggled to breathe. Her family alleges that they visited the facility's medical clinic eight or nine times, but only received basic fever medication. The family also alleges that only when Amalia's blood oxygen plunged to the level of a life threatening emergency was she taken to the hospital. After 10 days of intensive treatment, Amalia was brought back to Dilley. Her family alleges that federal officials then denied her access to the medication doctors had prescribed her at the hospital where she was being treated, forcing her family to wait in long lines every day to request the medicine, only to be turned away. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin denies that entire story, saying that Amalia immediately received proper medical care when she got to Dilley and that she received proper treatment and prescribed medicines after her hospitalization. Corecivic, the private company that runs Dilly, also denies allegations of inadequate medical care and says that the health and safety of those entrusted to their care is the company's top priority. It really doesn't sound like that, does it? Joining me now is Elora Mukherjee, the director of the Immigrants Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School and The attorney for 18 month old Amalia's family. Elora, thank you so much for being here with us and hopefully we were able to do justice to telling people the story. You managed to get a federal court to release Amalia and her family earlier this month. Can you tell us more about how she's doing and how her family's doing?
- [39:51]
Elora Mukherjee
Sure. Thank you so much for having me on, Jen. So we needed to file a federal habeas petition to secure the release of baby Amalia and her parents. That should never have been necessary. There was no reason at all why baby Amalia and her parents were detained. There's no justification for it. They entered the United States lawfully. They did everything right. They showed up for all of their immigration check ins, they complied with every aspect of the law and they were taken into custody when they did exactly what they were supposed to do, which is show up for an immigration check in. And after baby Amalia received hospitalized, was hospitalized for 10 days receiving specialized treatments, ICE officials should never have returned her to the Dilley facility where she was exposed to many viruses in the Congregate facility where hundreds of children and families are being detained and where there has been a measles outbreak and where she was denied the medication that she was prescribed by the hospital, both the nebulizer and albuterol medication. And only after we filed a federal habeas petition did ICE officials release her and her parents. Luckily, she is now safe. She is recovering and her and her family are doing better. But the trauma of this experience will be with them for a lifetime, especially for her parents. They were terrified that Amalia would die at the Dilley Detention center and she nearly died there.
- [41:27]
Jen Psaki
It is a really harrowing story. I think any parent or even non parent or grandparent or neighbor, it sticks with you and it really should. I mean, this is not an isolated story and I think that's what we tried to capture. But you have represented 50 children and parents detained at Dilley since Trump reopened the facility. Can you tell us more about what they're experiencing in there, what life is like inside Dilley?
- [41:53]
Elora Mukherjee
Life inside Dilley is extremely difficult. It is a prison for children, for toddlers, for babies. Lights are on 24 7, which means children and families have a very difficult time sleeping. There is inadequate access to sufficient water and parents are foregoing water and using their limited funds to buy bottles of water for children so that their children have enough to drink. There is insufficient access to nutritious food. Children and parents alike have told me how they found worms, bugs and mold in their food. And as you've already highlighted, there is inadequate access to appropriate medical care. I have represented children ranging from age 1 through age 15 who've been detained at Dilley. Many of these children and families have been detained for prolonged periods of time under an interpretation of the Flores settlement agreement, which provides for basic minimum protections for kids in federal immigration custody. Children should not be detained any longer than 20 days. But the Trump administration is regularly holding children in detention for far longer periods. I'm currently representing three children who've been in detention for nearly 140 days, about seven times the lawful limit. They are ages 4, 12 and 13. The 12 year old Camilla just celebrated her 12 year old birthday in prison last Thursday. She has done nothing wrong and she and her siblings do not belong in prison at Dilley.
- [43:35]
Jen Psaki
Laura Mukherjee, you do incredible work. I'm so grateful you could be here with us and share with people. It's important to hear what's happening and what we all need to keep our eyes wide open to. Thank you again.
- [43:46]
Elora Mukherjee
Thank you.
- [43:47]
Jen Psaki
We have to sneak in a very quick break, But Lawrence has U.S. senate candidate James Calarico standing by. And we'll be right back. On the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, America lost a titan of black history today. Civil rights leader the Reverend Jesse Jackson died at the age of 84, and Reverend Jackson started his remarkable career as a protege of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And while there is so much to remember from his life of service and leadership, I just wanted to focus on one small piece because the message feels so relevant to today and including my last conversation. During his two groundbreaking runs for the Democratic presidential nomination, in both 1984 and 1988, Jackson was a passionate defender of undocumented immigrants at a time when many other Democrats shied away from the issue almost entirely. At an event in 1984, Jackson said, Unfortunately, too many for too long have seen the immigration issue as purely a Latino problem. As a consequence, Latinos have had to fight largely on their own. There's a virtual hysteria against the undocumented that allows such inhumane treatment to continue. This hysteria is fueled by a combination of myth, stereotype, meanness and political expediency, words that continue to ring incredibly true, sadly, in 2026. That does it for me tonight. You can catch the show Tuesday through Friday at 9pm Eastern on Ms. Now. And don't forget to follow the show on Blue sky, Instagram and TikTok.
- [45:17]
Stephen Colbert
It's tax season, and at LifeLock. We know you're tired of numbers, but here's a big one you need to hear. Billions. That's the amount of money and refunds the IRS has flagged for possible identity fraud. Now here's another big number. 100 million. That's how many data points LifeLock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, we'll fix it, guaranteed. One last big number. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com specialoffer for the threats you can't control. Terms apply.