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- [00:04]
Joy Reid
Oh, draw. You're live. Oh, I was waiting for the song. No song. All right, everybody can tell you what then. Hang on one second. Oh, that's not the song. That's not the song. I'll tell you what though. I'll tell you what I'll do. Right? Yeah, we'll do this. Okay. Okay. Yeah.
- [00:26]
Jason
Okay.
- [00:32]
Joy Reid
Yeah. There you go. It's a good thing I didn't start talking about. Suppose I didn't start talking because I saw it didn't come on. So I thought I was still in the pre show. Hey everybody, happy Monday. Welcome to the Joy Reed Show. Big up to everybody. I'm looking at you. YouTube chat is over here. I have got the sub stack chat right in front of me and also the twitchy chat also here on the laptop. Welcome to everybody. Hope you guys had a fabulous weekend. Well, you definitely had a better weekend than the Republican caucus in the United States Senate because hell opened its doors for at least one more. So we're going to talk a little bit about that. And you know, there is a thing that happens when people die who are not good people and who've done a lot of bad, but the media reacts to them in a very specific sort of suck upish kind of way, particularly when they're conservatives. So it's been interesting kind of watching the fallout from the surprise passing of Lindsey Graham, who was not the Republican that we thought we were going to hear reports had passed away. Because there's the other Republican we're going to talk about in the second hour, Mitch McConnell, who There's no evidence that he's not passed away. But the mainstream media, or the corporate media I think is better to call it, has decided that we know exactly what the facts are in these cases and they're going to give you the facts as they want you to believe them. But we're going to talk about what the bigger picture is about these two men. And I will make the case. I believe that. Much like when Henry Kissinger passed away at age 100, I think it was. We need to note when bad people pass, like when Charlie Kirk passed and we were all expected to behave as if this was a good man. I think that's bullshit. I think we ought to be honest about who these people were. And like Steve Schmidt and some other folks pointed out, this man chose to be a flunky for autocracy and fascism. That's what he chose to do. So he died doing what he wanted to do, which is caping for Trump, Trumpism, warmongering, And I would argue wickedness and actual evil, the killing of people around the world. He was caping for someone that we have plenty of reporting that suggests that he despised Donald Trump. We're going to talk about that in the next hour. Also, the humiliation of a CNN anchor at the hands of the president. We're going to get into that. So we've got a lot of stuff we're going to get to right now. Before I start, let's start because we want to be chill right at the top and let you all know that this show, the Joy Reid show is brought to you tonight by our friends at Willie's Remedy. Let me go ahead and bring it out. Lily's Remedy. Here it is. I love the bottle because it's really pretty. It's very calming. Even the bottle makes you feel calm. And Willy's Remedy is a great thing. If you're one of those people who wants to like have a moment but you don't want to wake up hungover and worried about what happened the night before, well, now you can actually have fun and relax without the regrets with Willy's THC infused social tonic. Now if you're trying to be more intentional, but you also want the uplift, you want the buzz, but you don't want to mess up with your goals because you're trying to make know hit that summer being slim, trim and on point. Willy's is a great example. So like you're, you know, after a long day, you want to socialize but you don't want alcohol or you want that creative moment but you don't want to go for alcoholic and alcoholic beverage. It's a great option. And so, you know, a lot of non alcohol alternatives, they say you're going to feel great, et cetera, but they don't, they don't really deliver on the buzz part of what you want. But with Willy's you get to feel relaxed and euphoric but you only get like in only about 15ish minutes but you actually get the whole sort of buzz without the negatives. It's a premium THC infused social tonic. It's crafted by the legendary Willie Nelson. For all the girls I love or love that song. It was inspired by Willie's way of chill living where peace flows freely and hangovers are a thing of the past. It's a low calorie, low sugar social alternative that actually works, delivers a fast acting, euphoric social buzz without the regrets that come with alcohol. So the Willy Social tonics, they come in different doses. There's a 5 milligram and a 10 milligram dose. And you can tell they'll tell you right on the bottle which one it is. And they have best in class flavor experience. It tastes great. So it's smooth, it's balanced. You barely realize you're drinking a THC product at all. You can enjoy the tonics as a shot. You can sip them over ice or you can even make them into your favorite mocktail. It's not like an edible or something that's going to make you feel weird when you wake up. It's just a cool, smooth, wonderful, delicious beverage that lets you chill, chill in a way that feels supernatural. So Willy's will ship directly to your doorstep in 40 plus states. They've sold out three times in the past six months with more than 300,000 happy customers. So if you'd like to try order now@drink willies.com use the code joy. They'll give you 20% off your first order plus free shipping on orders over 95 bucks. And you can live like a legend. Okay. So that is our wonderful sponsor. Thank you to Willys. We appreciate you. So they're breaking developments in the Nolan Wells case. So one of the teens who was with Nolan on Horn island on that July 4th weekend, one of them has spoken out. So I want you to listen to this clip from ABC News. For the first time since Wells body was found, we're hearing from a friend of the 18 year old who was with him on the day that he died. He was Trayston shepherd who says that he was with Wells on the 4th of July but declined to speak on camera because of the threats that he says he's been receiving.
- [05:40]
Congressman Ro Khanna
We did no wrong here and we don't understand how we're getting so much hate behind it. We all cared and loved Nolan and
- [05:47]
Jason
nobody wanted to see no one die.
- [05:49]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
Nobody wanted to see his life be taken so short.
- [05:53]
Joy Reid
So his name is Trayston, Trayston or Trayston Shepherd. So one of the things that he said in this interview, which again he didn't want to put his face on camera but even kind of have kind of figured out which of the friends he is, he says that the, the teens got off of the boat that they were on because there was some sort of an electrical problem. He maintains that Nolan decided to stay behind because he met a girl that he liked. We have no word on who this girl is. What is her alleged, what is her identity? And that also he said in this interview that it was him and not Nolan who was yelling in this very widely circulated video. Take a listen. So you can. You can stop that one, Jason. So. So he's saying it was him. Now, I will note that one of Nolan's two best friends, or these two brothers that are his best friends, one of them spoke to TMZ and also said that it was not Nolan yelling in that video, that it was another friend. So that kind of matches. But it is weird, as some folks in the YouTube chat are pointing out, that he would say his life was taken. That's a weird way to frame it when your friend dies. It's all very strange. And so because of all the questions that are happening, there have been protests over the whole weekend over the Nolan protests calling for more transparency. And the Nolan Wells investigation was held Saturday evening in Mississippi. The parents are seeking answers about what led to the death of their son. Bell's body was found after a fourth of July boat trip with friends to Horn island in Mississippi. The death has sparked speculation after his friends returned from the trip without him. Patrick Wright reports. The goal of today's protest, I feel like, would be just to. Just to say his name. For me, this means a whole lot because I have my kids in this community, too.
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Jason
Hey. Hey.
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Joy Reid
Nolan Wells. I'm a mom. I have two sons. So it hit home for me.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
Nolan Wells could have easily been my grandson.
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Joy Reid
I feel like today's testament is that we want answers. It's not about vengeance.
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Jason
It's not about accusations.
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Joy Reid
It's about the truth, and it's about transparency. We're going to stand behind the family, and that's why we out here. A lot of times, these stories go
- [08:27]
Congressman Ro Khanna
unnoticed because Nola Wells is not the only one.
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Jason
There has been a long, long stream,
- [08:33]
Congressman Ro Khanna
historic stream of young black men losing their life under very suspicious circumstances.
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Joy Reid
I am the family of Emmett Till, and my family is here in support him of what's going on, because this
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Virginia Case Salomon
young man should not be dead.
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Joy Reid
No justice, no peace. So I know him personally as a kid before he went off to college. It's hard in this generation to find kids that still say, yes or no, sir. No.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
Learn well.
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Joy Reid
And when he came to me and wanted to work, he said, you know, my mom and dad told me I got to get my own money. And I said, but when you go out to college, I want you to make good choices and decisions, set you up for a lifetime. And he said, yes, sir. That says a lot about his home life, he said. Says a lot about his parents, and he says a lot about him. The things that he did while he was here on earth. It left a statement in a place on a lot of people's heart, Life is precious no matter what color you are. That's a fact. We just didn't get to the facts of what really happened. That's really what it's about. The facts. It's not about the color of the skin. It's about sticking to the facts or whatever it is. And if it's something that happened as a mistake, then just let's speak about it. Let's talk about it. That's it. I just like to say to him and his soul, man, rest in peace. And we always love you, man. And you did everything you could while you were sir, and you did a great job. And so those protests are continuing because people just have a lot of questions. And again, folks in the chat are questioning what the friend said. Tracyn, who said, we did no wrong here. And we don't understand why we're getting so much hate behind us. We all cared and loved Nolan and nobody wanted to see Nolan die. Nobody wanted to see his life be taken so short. I mean, he just could be inarticulate. But it's just everything about it is weird and probably the weirdest thing. Before I get to the weirdest thing, I want to note that we are still awaiting the results of the independent autopsy, the private autopsy that's in addition to the official autopsy that's going to take place in Mississippi. The independent autopsy is in D.C. where Nolan's family flew his body to. Did you hear that Colin Kaepernick is the one who paid for that independent autopsy? Yeah. For his body to come. That was my next thing I was going to say is Colin Kaepernick. That's okay. Yeah. Colin Kaepernick is paying for that autopsy that's being done by a very high profile African American medical examiner who's I think either the former current D.C. medical examiner. So they're sending him to a very high profile place and that's being paid for by Colin Kaepernick, who also paid to fly his body to DC Also want to note that billionaire media executive Byron Allen donated $100,000 to the families go fund me. And the funeral for Nolan Wells is going to be covered financially by Tyler Perry. So what you're seeing is high profile black, very wealthy black folks coming forward to support the family. And I think it's because everyone kind of agrees that everything about this case feels wrong and probably. And this came forward in our interview too. But I Grabbed the ABC version of it. This is a good succinct version of what Nolan's parents told us as well. And this is the question about Nolan's phone. Jason, if you could play a four, you have Nolan's cell phone and messages were deleted. How could you tell messages were deleted?
- [11:49]
Jason
Well, his parents got the phone back in that something that's important, Michael, because
- [11:55]
Joy Reid
they tracked this phone on life 360.
- [11:58]
Virginia Case Salomon
So life 360. But whenever. So when I received the phone call from Warren, I immediately called my friend
- [12:09]
Joy Reid
Tashima and I said, hey, have you guys seen Nolan?
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Virginia Case Salomon
Because her two sons, Jaylen and Jayvon
- [12:16]
Joy Reid
Lee, they grew up together.
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Virginia Case Salomon
They played. Played City league sports together. When they got into school, they played sports together.
- [12:23]
Joy Reid
And so she was like, hey. Like, okay. The boys were pulling up the location from Snapchat. So the Snapchat location looks completely different
- [12:31]
Virginia Case Salomon
than the Life360 location. So when I pulled up Life360, it was different. It was showing everywhere the phone had been.
- [12:38]
Joy Reid
Like, it had. I was like, well, it's showing that
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Virginia Case Salomon
he's back on land.
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Joy Reid
Like, I'm not.
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Virginia Case Salomon
He was like, but no, he didn't.
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Joy Reid
Well, how were you able to get the phone?
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Virginia Case Salomon
So we tracked it and my friend
- [12:49]
Joy Reid
Tashima went and picked it up. And so the whereabouts of the phone and whether the phone was traveling off the island and back onto land. That question is getting even more prescient after Ben Crump, who is now representing the family, posted this on his social media and in his stories. And this is a picture that purports to show Nolan in a swimming pool at a pool party with a bunch of other kids, and they are not on the island. This appears to be at a swimming pool party at someone's home, meaning theoretically, somebody who has parents. There are adults. We don't know when this picture was taken. We don't know whether this was before they went to Horn island or after. We have no idea. But the fact that the phone was pinging on land as well as at Horn island is weird. And the idea that Nolan would. Would part from his phone when he'd met a girl, that he would theoretically want to get her phone number. So it's just odd that you would separate from your phone. If the reason you're staying behind is because you met someone, you would think you'd really want the phone then if you're a young man that wants to keep in touch with this girl you met. Also a question. Who's the girl? Who are all those kids in that pool. I think if law enforcement was doing its job and normally federal law enforcement at this point would have stepped in and someone would be saying, everyone in that picture needs to come forward because we're going to track you down and question everybody that was in that pool. We want to question everyone. There were approximately 300 people that were at Horn island that day. Internet sleuths are starting to identify who some of the people are. So I think it shouldn't be that hard for law enforcement to identify who all was there. You actually have to get a permit to be at Horn island, one of my sources in Mississippi has told me, because it is public property. And so in order to be there with the boat, you have to get, you know, a permit to have your boat out there. So everyone who had a boat there would have been registered. So everyone would have known who had boats that were legitimately on the island. Other question again, as somebody is saying in the chat, well, who took that photo? And so there's so many questions and it's so murky and so many people are being weird about talking about this. If some sort of accident happened or something bad happened that wasn't intentional, that should come forward. And the parents have a right to know what happened to their child. And I think that is the reason this has stayed in the news and why so many high profile people are weighing in and spending money to take care of this family and to help this family get through this horrible time. Tomorrow on. Read this, read that. Jackie and I are going to talk about some of the dark side of what's happening on the Internet and people going after the mom, Christine, going after her and critiquing the way she's grieving. It's insane the way people are attacking the parents, which is a crazy thing that's happening that should not be happening. So if you all want to catch that, Jackie and I are going to talk about that tomorrow. Let me do one more piece of breaking news. There's been another ICE shooting. ICE has been involved in yet another shooting, this time in Maine. Jason, if you could play this now. This video, which was posted on their TikTok today, fatally shot another person, this time in Maine. This is what we know right now. The incident reportedly happened on the streets of Biddeford, Maine. A witness told the Biddeford Gazette that he was driving when he saw an unmarked Ford Explorer with flashing lights and two officers wearing green ICE vests. The witness said he heard four shots after officers surrounded a white sedan with weapons drawn. A statement from Project Relief and immigration rights group said the victim was a young person. State police, the Department of Public Safety and the FBI are now on the scene. The FBI has reportedly taken over the investigation. This is the second reported ICE fatality in about a week following the shooting of Lorenzo Salgar Araujo in Houston, reigniting calls to abolish ICE and stop Trump's mass raids. It's the 11th reported fatal shooting involving an ICE officer since Trump took office last year. This is all we know at this time, but we will be back with more information and details as they emerge. And in addition to that, we are going to keep a note on what President Sheinbaum of Mexico, whether she follows through on her vow to go to the international courts to get justice for Mr. Salgado because he was a Mexican national that was in the United States and had an American family. So he's a person that was essentially living with dual nationality. Although he was undocumented here, he had American citizen children. So in theory, you'd think the American government would care. But American government doesn't always care what happens to Americans at home and abroad and to people who are in our in local parentis as a country. So those are some of the updates. That's some of the breaking news. We're going to get to the Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell stuff later in the show. But before we get to the rest of our show, I we have a new exciting sponsor. Jason, I'm happy about this one. And this is our new friends at Laundry Sauce. Okay, listen, let me tell you something. So use laundry Sauce for the first time this weekend. Can I just very quickly show you it? So Laundry Sauce is this incredible laundry company. And first of all, these are the dryer pads, right? So you get them, they come like this. They look like a regular dryer pad. When I tell you these smell so good, you literally want to take these dryer pads and things and put them all throughout your house to make your entire house smell like them. They have all of these incredible scents. This one here is Egyptian rose. I actually washed my clothes with this this weekend. Can I just show you guys? I just have to show you what they look like. They're so pretty. You almost don't want to put them. Look at that. They look like little jewels. They look like little jewels. And all of them are fabulous. I mean, the packaging is gorgeous. Here's the other one. This is Italian bergamot, which also smells incredible.
- [18:29]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Ooh.
- [18:29]
Joy Reid
And they're so good. So we love laundry sauce. So when it comes to the scent of your laundry, it could not. You know, it actually shouldn't smell like the same stuff that you're using to disinfect your bathroom. Enter Laundry Sauce, the premium scented laundry pods that do not just clean your clothes very well, by the way, they elevate them. So say hello to fine fragrances made by the world's top perfumers. The last. That last. That actually last on your clothes until your next laundry day. So imagine stepping outside on the perfect summer morning with your clothes smelling like Australian sandalwood, Italian bergamot, or the new limited edition Brazilian vanilla. Okay, I have to get that one. Laundry Sauce isn't just about smelling incredible. It's engineered for performance. These highly concentrated pods are packed with the cleaning power of bioenzymes that obliterate stains from muddy hikes, background backyard barbecues, and the inevitable iced coffee spill.
- [19:19]
Virginia Case Salomon
Guilty.
- [19:20]
Joy Reid
Well, not iced.
- [19:20]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
I like hot coffee.
- [19:21]
Joy Reid
But, you know, summer is the perfect time to feel your best. And Laundry Sauce is here to make your favorite pieces look and feel brand new. For a limited time only, the Joy reacho listeners get 20% off your entire order when you use code joy@laundry sauce.com.com. that's 20% off your order@laundry sauce.com with the promo code JOY. Let me just tell you something. I absolutely love the scent of these things. It. I promise you, it makes your clothes smell like perfume. And it is fabulous. And the greatest thing about them is the thing that's awful is something that smells great and has, like, all the things, but it doesn't actually clean your clothes. No, it cleans beautifully. Clothes came out fabulous. Clothes smell amazing. Wash your sheets in them. Trust me. And then you can use the dryer sheet to, like, double the scent, baby. It's game changing. All right, so go ahead and give them a try. Laundry sauce.com joy. Use the code joy for 20%. You're gonna love it. All right, so Congressman Ro Khanna recently traveled to the west bank to see the conditions that Palestinians live under with his very own eyes.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
For three days, I've been talking to Palestinians in their homes and villages about the daily injustices they face under occupation
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Dr. Abdul El Sayed
and those of the.
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Joy Reid
The blood.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
You see the blood. See that? Oh, my gosh. As a congressman, I never expected to be the target of settler violence. But when we visited a school in Zenuda village that settlers had burned down, we were detained by settlers wielding M4 guns who blocked our van from leaving the site. They called additional settlers for support and held us captive for 75 minutes, recording videos Laughing at us and mocking me and my staff. I will never forget their faces. What angered me most is that the IDF soldiers who came to the scene supported the violent settlers over American citizens. Here's the question. If the settlers and IDF could do this to an American congressman, imagine what life is like for an ordinary Palestinian under Israel's occupation. I've never felt more powerless in my whole life. For decades, American politicians have made the trek to Tel Aviv while not taking the time to cross over and hear from Palestinians about the actual facts on the ground.
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Joy Reid
These sectors speak bad words for Palestinians.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
She was a sleeper.
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Joy Reid
You almost kill the Palestinian animals. You are like element.
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Jason
We never forget him. We keep thinking about him.
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Joy Reid
His room still. His room still like he left it.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
Many Palestinians are desperate to be seen, to be heard, and to live with dignity.
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Joy Reid
And sometime in the social media say the settler is violence because what happened on 7th of October? No. My uncle, Haj Turayman, father of Eid, killed.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
I have met many of European Parliament
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Joy Reid
members, but this is the first time
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Congressman Ro Khanna
that I do it for an American member.
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Joy Reid
It's really the first time, Congressman, that comes to Beit Sahur.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
I'll be posting their stories throughout the next few weeks because it is time that Palestinians have full, equal rights in their own city
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Joy Reid
without water. Seems like all the congressmen should come
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Congressman Ro Khanna
and see the basic free stuff that we want. We want our land, we want water,
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Joy Reid
and we want the freedom of movement.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
It's very simple. Land, water, freedom of movement. It's simple as that. Thank you, Mayor.
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Joy Reid
You're Welcome.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
Thank you, Mr.
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Jason
Thank you.
- [22:56]
Virginia Case Salomon
Thank you very much.
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Jason
Thank you, my honor.
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Joy Reid
I have to say that watching that video reminded me of when northern journalists would go down south during Jim Crow to try to see how African Americans were living under the Jim Crow system. And at times, northerners who would go south would also face violence. Let me show you a video of what happened. This was from the point of view of another car that was in the convoy with Congressman. This is a US Congressman going to a foreign country in which he should have diplomatic security. And here's what happened. Jason B. Could play B2 oh.
- [24:27]
Congressman Ro Khanna
In.
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Jason
Cooler.
- [25:00]
Joy Reid
And this was. That was a gentleman who was accompanying them who obviously spoke the language and was able to communicate with the settlers and wait for the police. But it's a terrifying. You're out in the middle of nowhere, and these illegal settlers who shouldn't even be there, who don't, you know, have any permits to even live there, have taken over Palestinian territory by force at the, at the End of firearms. They've been doing this way before October 7th. This is not Gaza. This is the occupied West Bank. So we interviewed earlier today, Congressman Ro Khanna and I want you all to take a look at this interview. It was fire. He said a lot. Congressman Ro Khanna, thank you so much for being here.
- [25:39]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Thank you for having me back on.
- [25:41]
Joy Reid
So I want to get to what happened with you in the west bank. And then if you don't mind, I have some other questions for you because we know that there are some upcoming hearing is going to take place in the Senate about somebody that you may know well, and that is Todd Blanche. But before I get to that, start with telling me about your trip to the West Bank. What was the purpose of the visit and what did you find there?
- [26:07]
Congressman Ro Khanna
I have been to Israel many times, three times. But I wanted to see what was happening in the west bank from the eyes of Palestinians and I wanted to take a trip Palestinian led to really see an uncurated look at the occupation. And that's what we did. And I've got to tell you, I've never been more acutely aware of my race, of being someone brown. The stories I heard of Palestinians and Palestinian Americans just were heart wrenching. A father of a 14 year old Palestinian American who was shot 21 times by the IDF, no accountability, grieving for his lost son, talking about how they haven't changed the bedroom and how he can't get any justice. A street in Hebron where settlers were on the upper level and threw rotten vegetables and sharp metal objects and urine and acid at Palestinian shop owners. Different license plates for Palestinians and settlers. The destruction of an entire village in elementary school in Zanuda. Joy, I can go on and on, but I gotta tell you, it is pure apartheid. You don't have to be as eloquent as Hahnezi Coates. If you're a person of color or anyone, frankly any American who goes there, you will just see the extraordinary inhumanity of the situation.
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Joy Reid
And people who are defenders of the state of Israel say that the conditions that they've imposed in the west bank and Gaza are because of Hamas and terrorism. But just to be clear, Hamas has no role in governing the West Bank. Correct.
- [27:50]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Hamas has no role in some of these areas. It's Palestinian civil control. But the people who are being terrorized are the Palestinians, including Palestinian Americans. I mean, it doesn't matter if you're a Palestinian American in some cases. I was in front of mansions. And these Palestinian Americans who were doctors here who have been Business leaders say that when they've gone to the checkpoint, they've been beaten. One of them said that he was beaten just three days ago because he didn't speak Hebrew. And he tried to explain that he's been living in America, but the guard didn't care at the checkpoint and just beat him and took $9,300. Another person who has a beautiful mansion, probably millions of dollars, talked about how he was beaten. The passenger in his car was beaten and his car was beaten. And there's no recourse for justice. The fact is that the IDF is on the side of the extremist settlers. And this is in Palestinian areas with affluent Palestinian Americans. Then if you start to talk about Hebron or Umal Khair or places where you don't have Palestinian Americans or people who are as economically successful, it's just horrifying. I met family, Salman, where the violent settlers a few nights ago knocked at his door, threw things at his window. And his daughter, who was 18 studying, was so frightened, she doesn't want to study anymore. And they put an Israeli flag on this Palestinian family's home. And he's helpless. And every night he fears that there's going to be settler violence. And then the IDF is siding with these extremist settlers. When we were detained, as with Americans, the extremist settlers were brandishing their M4s around. They then were supported by the IDF that came and further blockaded us. And if we didn't call the American Embassy and if David Brownstein had not intervened, I believe there would have been violence and some of us in our delegation would have been badly hurt. Just imagine what life is like for ordinary Palestinians.
- [29:50]
Joy Reid
Can you talk a little bit more about your detention? So you were there. Were you there with other members of Congress? Tell me about your delegation and the circumstances of your detainment.
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Congressman Ro Khanna
I was there on a Palestinian led tour. I was there myself. But we had informed the Israeli Embassy and the American Embassy. We had gone to see Zunada village, a village that the Yanan Levy and extremist settlers had destroyed to the ground. The reality is that other members of Congress have been to that village. As just about six months ago, Congressman cast in, Congresswoman Rose Rosa Delora. And while we were there, These settlers came, 21, 22 years old. They surrounded our van, they started kicking the tires, they were brandishing M4 guns. They were laughing at us, mocking at us, videotaping us. And we were detained for almost 20 minutes. And then the IDF came. I thought, okay, finally we're Going to get relief. But the IDF took the side of the settlers. They further blockaded us. And I was concerned. One wrong word, one wrong movement, and there could have been incredible violence. We were on with the American embassy this whole time. And finally the police came, at which point the IDF dispersed and these violent settlers dispersed. But it was the most frightening moments for me. But I put that in context. The Israeli paper, the Hara, it's one of the oldest Israeli paper, says Khanna got VIP detainment compared to the Palestinians, that we were privileged as Americans and as an American member of Congress, I don't think if we were Palestinian, we would have come out alive.
- [31:27]
Joy Reid
And that is the point, sir, because, you know, we've heard and know clearly about Shireen Abu Akla, who had a blue passport and was still killed by a sniper believed to be from the idf. We've seen, as you just mentioned, Palestinian Americans, people who are dual citizens, who are Americans killed. And there's no response from either our government or theirs. And these killings are brushed aside, even if they are of children. Did you at any point fear that the IDF or the settlers would feel free to fatally harm you? Did you fear that yourself?
- [32:02]
Congressman Ro Khanna
I felt I did fear it. And our security guard, we had a security guard, he feared it. He said he's been doing these delegations for years and never felt more fearful because they were young, they were laughing, they were mocking us. And I thought if they would shoot, there would be no repercussions. In fact, our security guard said that they had a silencer on their M4, so no one would have even heard the shots. So, yes, I was concerned, the American Embassy was concerned. But here's what I find so infuriating. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, asked about this, goes on and says, oh, we're a nation of laws. He could arrest these violent settlers. Their pictures are all over social media and he is denying that they were violent settlers, denying the IDF's involvement. The ambassador to Israel just lying all over network television on Face the Nation. No sense of remorse of what they did to American citizens, no sense of shame, no sense that we're going to have an investigation. I don't know where else in the world this would happen. If I went to China, if I went to Saudi Arabia, if I went to Jordan, if to I went, and if they were detaining American citizens, they would be begging for the forgiveness of the American people. They would say we were going to do investigations. And here they have the audacity to lie. And the audacity to laugh at America while we're funding their entire military. It is an arrogance that is really offending. Now many Americans who see it for what it is, they don't care. They have a project to basically take over the west bank, to take over Gaza.
- [33:35]
Joy Reid
They.
- [33:36]
Congressman Ro Khanna
They're dripping with impunity. And they don't care about Americans. They obviously don't care about American passport holders. They don't care about some American government official. And that's not going to sit well with the American public. And certainly, as they find out the apartheid conditions in the West Bank.
- [33:54]
Joy Reid
And could you determine or did your guides, were they able to determine where are these settlers coming from? Because it is clear if you just look at a map of the expansion of settlements, the breathtaking expansion over the last 20 years, including under Democratic presidents, if we're being fair, no one has seemed to be able to slow it down other than George Herbert Walker Bush briefly when he was president. They're just taking over at this point. What, 40% of the west bank is Israeli settlements. Can you determine where these settlers are coming from? Are these people who are coming from the United States, are they coming from Europe, are they coming from somewhere else in the Middle East?
- [34:32]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Some of them are coming from Israel proper because Israel's government subsidizes them. So if you go to buy in the west bank, you will get much cheaper rent, you will get subsidized childcare, you will get subsidized other services. And Israel's government is actually subsidizing people to go and settle in the West Bank. So some of them are Americans or purchasing land. But a lot of these places, they are not even settlements which are illegal under international law. There's something called outposts, means that they're not even legal under Israeli law. And many of the extremist settlers, like Yanan Levy, whose group was likely responsible for our detention. Yanan Levy is on video killing Ottawa. And I met Ottawa's brother, and he's just free like the jungle in the west bank, where he's just running around doing whatever he wants. And people know he could be arrested tomorrow. I mean, this is a government Israel that killed Sinwar, that killed with pager Hezbollah. They could arrest these people tomorrow. They could put them in prison. They're choosing not to. And they're allowing these lawless settlers to set up these outposts to terrorize the Palestinian people. It is just incredibly inhumane. And it's Orwellian for them to say that these Palestinian residents and the west bank are Inflicting terror when they are being the subjects of terror from these extremist settlers.
- [36:02]
Joy Reid
To your mind then, is the idea of a two state solution even still viable? If settlers are now rapidly taking over the west bank and have killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza and are now occupying northern Gaza, People in Gaza cannot even return to the rubble of their homes at this point. Is there a two state solution that's viable?
- [36:25]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Well, it's very difficult with the facts on the ground. But before we get to working towards an Arab peace plan and a Palestinian state, which I believe in, how about we just have an American president in the first hundred days, demand all the outposts be removed, demand the prosecution of people like Yanan Levy and the extremist settlers. How about we just stop the terrorists on a day to day basis with the Palestinians and Palestinian Americans? Because yes, we need Palestinian self determination in a Palestinian state. But what we have to understand is right now these people are being terrorized. They're subject to the whims of these settlers. And that doesn't require an elaborate peace process, that doesn't require dialogue between Israel and Palestine and other countries. That requires the American President to say, tomorrow you will stop it. Tomorrow you will destroy these outposts. Tomorrow you will arrest these people or we are going to continue to ratchet up. No aid, no military sales sanctions, whatever it takes. And this is not a dialogue. You will do this tomorrow. This is not some party talks. You're going to do this and we're going to tell you to do this. And I just think that we need toughness from an American leader where they're not going to treat Israel with the extraordinary deference that our leadership has given them for decades.
- [37:44]
Joy Reid
And that is I think, a question I think for a lot of folks because Shereen Abu Akla, I believe she was killed during President Biden's administration. And this is where people feel a bit challenged because the pro Israel lobby operates in both parties and they have a lot of control because they're providing a lot of money, to be blunt, for people to get reelected. And so when a Mexican national, Mr. Salgado Araujo, was killed in Texas, the President of Mexico immediately responded and threatened to take the United States to the International Criminal Court over it. And to say that we're going to bring international law to bear to protect this person, this father of five. I don't recall President Biden ever saying anything of the sort about Shrin Abu Akla. I don't recall even Democratic presidents saying what you just said. To Israel, whether they're Democrats or Republicans. Can you understand why that would be?
- [38:40]
Congressman Ro Khanna
They were basically fine with Israel having total impunity. I mean, it's not just Biden presided over a genocide in Gaza, giving aid. He never demanded the justice for the Palestinian American journalist. And just today, I mean, just today, a former colleague of mine, Kathy Manning, is out with a video saying, I'm glad Khanna and the other Americans are safe. But I have to say that this was a PR stunt because I didn't go to Israel and I just went to Palestine. So my own party, Democrats, are not willing to say the obvious, which is that you can't detain American citizens and threaten them for violence. And if people don't understand the west bank fully, and it's hard to. I didn't understand it until I was there. Think about ICE in this country operating with impunity against people who are brown and undocumented and think 100 times worse. And that's what you have basically in the west bank, the idf, just with total impunity, going after folks. And when they were with me and I was with two Jewish Americans and another Israeli and I was the brown person, they would interrogate me. One person had the temerity to ask me whether I was a son of Ishmael or a son of Isaac. And when I said I was a Hindu, he couldn't understand what that was. It just a total racial system of profiling and reminding me of the Jim Crow South. Of course, I didn't experience that. What I read about where the police would be on the side of the segregationists attacking black freedom fighters and the police was basically aligned with the segregationists. You have the IDF aligned with the extremists settlers, and it needs to be called out. This is what is infuriating about some of the conversation because it always says, well, let's have a dialogue and talks between Israel and Palestine towards peace. That first needs to be a stopping of the injustice that Israel is inflicting. That doesn't require dialogue. For Israel to stop enabling extremist settlers that are killing Palestinians, that requires American leadership in an American directive. And it would change tomorrow and these people know it.
- [41:02]
Joy Reid
Let me just shift to American politics for just one moment because I think this is relevant. What you're seeing are affiliates of aipac, which I think understands that it is deeply unpopular among both the MAGA right and among progressive left. They're shifting and using different PAC super PACs, including the United Democracy Project, which has a very benign name, but they're now very much hyper targeting African American Americans and black voters by attempting to align pro Israel candidates with President Obama. They've done that with Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida where she's attempting to win a seat that was traditionally an African American seat and now doing it in Michigan as well.
- [41:38]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Sorry, sorry to interrupt you, but it's outrageous what Debbie Wasserman Schultz is doing. Carpet bagging into a district that is a heavily black majority district oblivious to the history of voting rights. And really I've endorsed Elijah Manley there, but many of my colleagues are just outraged of what she's trying to pull off.
- [41:59]
Joy Reid
Yeah, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson recently wrote an op ed reiterating the fact that this was a African American opportunity district and she didn't specifically endorse one of the other candidates. But she very, without using her name, said what you just said about what Debbie Wasmanshultz is doing. But she made her announcement with a picture of President Obama behind her. You're now seeing in Michigan, in the Michigan Senate primary, the Congresswoman Allison, I believe her last name is. I'm gonna have to find her last name. Apologies for that. But she is now running an ad in which she is attempting to make it appear that she is being endorsed by President Obama, in which she's implying it despite the fact that President Obama has not actually endorsed in that race. What do you make of the things that the AIPAC affiliates are doing to try to make it appear that they are putting forward pro African American candidates?
- [42:55]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Well, they're being utterly disingenuous. They know that the APEC brand is toxic. They know that being pro Israel is toxic in providing a continued blank check. And so what they're trying to do is hide all of that, recruit candidates, make something else the issue, and hope they can fool the voters. But what they have failed to understand is these young voters are tired of it. They have seen things on their own, with their own eyes. That's why Kathy Manning's attack on me didn't work. Because the videos are out there of seeing the detention. It's all on social media. I mean, social media has a lot of harm. So one good thing is that it can actually document these abuses. And this younger generation, the more they obfuscate and lie, the more resolved the younger generation becomes to say, throw them all out. There's a group of people in politics who have basically cared about their self preservation and money and power and they have no moral standing. And that's why we see these new generation candidates winning across the country.
- [44:09]
Joy Reid
Yeah. And the name was Haley Stevens. That is my bad there. Let's very quickly talk about the Todd Blanche nomination. I know you have been one of the leading voices in attempting to get the Epstein files fully released and getting justice for the Epstein victims. He is now coming up potentially for a vote. And the Republicans in the Senate will be one to two votes short of their vote majority, in their majority because of the passing of Senator Lindsey Graham and the incapacitation of Senator Mitch McConnell. What do you think would be the impact of having the President's former criminal attorney as full on Attorney General, just based on what you've learned about his involvement in the Epstein file situation?
- [44:53]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Well, Joy, as you know, Thomas Massie and I passed the Epstein Transparency Act. We introduced it about a year ago. And every senator should ask Todd Blanche two basic questions. You've released 3 million files. It was a look at the ugliness of people with wealth and power who abused these young women. Are you going to release the other 3 million files? Especially when a federal judge now has ordered that. And secondly, all these people who are in these files who have been accused of sexual abuse, sexual assault, are you going to start investigations and prosecutions like there have been in so many other countries around the world? And he needs to answer for that because so far he has done the most to prevent justice from being served, to protect the wealthy and powerful when it comes to the sexual abuse of these young girls. And if you're willing to do that, if you're willing to turn a blind eye to the sexual abuse of young girls, they. And you're gonna be willing to turn a blind eye to almost any injustice.
- [45:56]
Joy Reid
Last question. Do you believe that if Todd Blanche becomes Attorney General, that he will recommend to Donald Trump that he pardon Ghislaine Maxwell?
- [46:06]
Congressman Ro Khanna
I do. I mean, I believe that Todd Blanche went to Ghislaine Maxwell in a very inappropriate meeting. That Ghislaine Maxwell now is basically living a life in a light security jail, almost like a country club, where she has privileges that most criminals don't. And that's a punch in the gut to these survivors. I mean, these survivors view Ghislaine Maxwell as having recruited them to be raped, abused, trafficked. And Todd Blanche has been part of that. Why? Because they fear what Ghislaine Maxwell may say. Ghislaine Maxwell knows who the other people of the Epstein class are. And so I do think that there's is allegedly or possibly some kind of an agreement. And I'm very concerned about that. But look what Took down Victor Orban was his cover up of a sexual abuse scandal. It just showed the arrogance of power. And if there's a through line to some of my work, Joy, whether it's standing up against Epstein, the Epstein class, whether it's standing up against Elon Musk's USA cuts where he's threatening to sue me, or going to the west bank and now standing up against Netanyahu and the Israeli ambassador, it is that people are tired of power that has no check and no morality. And this new generation wants us to have a moral standing and be willing to take on this elite impunity. And I'm hoping that that will bring a New Politics in 2026.
- [47:30]
Joy Reid
Will that bring a new politics, including you running for president? Is that a possibility?
- [47:35]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Well, look, I don't know. I certainly am seriously considering it. And I'm considering it more after this trip to the west bank. And I'm considering it more after my invol Epstein and Elon Musk, I believe that there is a group of people who are wielding power with no sense of human rights or morality. And I believe we need a moral politics in this country, a politics that's going to build a multiracial democracy and not be afraid to stand for our convictions and speak truth to power. I am not the most charismatic, flashiest person, but I have a principle I've inherited from my grandfather who spent four years in jail as part of Gandhi's independence movement. And I am inspired by all these candidates running across the country are standing for a more just and politics. And I want to see that our country move in that direction.
- [48:21]
Joy Reid
Congressman Ro Khanna, thank you. We appreciate you taking the time to be here and I'm glad that you're safe after that very harrowing experience in the West Bank. Thank you for taking that trip. We needed to see it through the eyes of somebody who actually cares. So thank you.
- [48:35]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Well, thank you, Joy, and thank you for being a voice on this issue before even I was and before many were. And you've shown incredible courage on that. And I appreciate what you have done in your public journalistic life on that issue.
- [48:50]
Joy Reid
Thank you so much, sir. Appreciate it. Have a great day.
- [48:53]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Thank you.
- [48:55]
Joy Reid
Thank you to Congressman Ro Khanna. We appreciate his presence here. And yeah, it is like the north traveling to the south during Jim Crow or US Citizens who traveled to South Africa to see what life was like there or to Jonestown, so called in guyana during the 1970s. So important to have that happen. All right, so let's move on. To our next topic, which is, of course, Todd Blanche, as we did discuss with Congressman Ro Khanna, he will be up for a confirmation vote. And the Republicans are now temporarily a little bit shorthanded. Mitch McConnell no longer in the voting picture, at least for now. And of course, Lindsey Graham is deceased. I will note that the governor of South Carolina has appointed Lindsey Graham senior sister to temporarily hold his office. But that will not last long. Under South Carolina law, McMaster can appoint a temporary replacement to fill Graham's vacant seat. But because Graham was up for reelection, decided to run for reelection at 73 years old, his death will kick off a sprint primary election to replace him on the November ballot. And that primary election will occur on August 11, according to a news release from Governor McMaster's office. But for now, Lindsey Graham's sister will hold onto his seat, and that could impact what happens with the Todd Blanche nomination. Joining me now is Virginia Case Salomon, and she is the president and CEO of Common Cause. And I first want to apologize for the lateness. That interview with Ro Khanna ran a bit long. We taped it earlier today. So thank you for your patience.
- [50:24]
Virginia Case Salomon
Good to see you, Joy. And no worries. It's always good to see you.
- [50:27]
Joy Reid
Thank you. Great to see you as well. So let's talk about this, because Todd Blanche, even if the Republicans are down to 51 or 52 votes, that is still technically enough to confirm him unless some people flip, walk us through common causes sort of opinions on Todd Blanche. And I'll say that I'll ask you that, noting that a Kentucky, that a federal judge just slammed Todd Blanche over that IRS lawsuit, referring him to the bar association because of that lawsuit, calling it completely improper or Donald Trump to have sued basically his own government to try to get a settlement from the IRS that resulted in that slush fund.
- [51:06]
Virginia Case Salomon
Yeah, Joyce. So we've been running something called the block blanch campaign since his nomination was announced. And really, when it comes down to it, he is just the wrong person for the job. Somebody who spent his time defending Donald Trump against 34 criminal charges. This was the president's personal attorney who carried his water, who defended him, who now wants to be able to continue to do that job for Donald Trump within the federal government. That's just the first piece. But the reality is, Joy, it is unprecedented. As you just mentioned today, that judge who basically said that it is it was not even a real case. Let's be real. You can't see sue yourself that Donald Trump had no right to sue the government. But beyond that, I think what we're seeing is this consolidation of power. This is the continued consolidation of power for Donald Trump to be able to get immunity for himself and his family, whether it's the IRS case, which we filed a brief on with the slush fund, the $1.8 billion slush fund, whether it is the Epstein cover up and what we've seen with Todd Blanche in that. And the reality is that it is nothing more than a get out of jail free card for Donald Trump and all of his cronies who have been working in this government. And so we wholeheartedly, vehemently oppose his nomination. It is not ethical, it is not moral, and it is not right for the American people.
- [52:40]
Joy Reid
Yeah. I mean, if you think about the way that Donald Trump has viewed the Justice Department, he thinks that it's his personal law firm. He started out with Matt Gaetz, who had some serious ethical issues regarding his relationships, allegedly, with underage girls. They moved on to Pamela Joe Bondi, who effectively used the Justice Department as Donald Trump's sort of personal law firm, going after his enemies. But when it came to the Epstein files, she said the person who was directing the activities in terms of suppressing what was in the Epstein files, which was embarrassing to Donald Trump, she said it was him, that it was Todd Blanche. And Todd Blanche is, as you mentioned, Donald Trump's former personal criminal attorney. He's representing him. He was. Who represented him in the case involving the porn actress who Donald Trump allegedly paid for her silence. So it does appear that what Todd lynch wants to do with the job, as you said, he wants to consolidate Donald Trump's impunity and power and to make him untouchable. So you're right. His confirmation is not about a confirmation. It is about consolidation.
- [53:41]
Virginia Case Salomon
It is. And even beyond that, I mean, Sheldon Whitehouse just put out a letter today just requesting information. They have had to. They have asked him to respond directly to a series of questions that they had put forward about that deal, about the immunity deal, about what happened with Ghislaine Maxwell, about the slush fund. And they have refused to respond. They have had to go as far as filing Freedom of Information act requests. They still have not responded. And let's not even get into the fact that you have Cash Patel, who is using government resources to fly around on jets and everything else. There will be no accountability. And on top of that, the Inspector General office within the government has been completely decimated, Joy. The inspector generals have been neutered. So any ability to hold the government accountable from within the government and from any ethical challenges that anybody in the Department of Justice might be facing are just completely gone if this is the person who is going to be overseeing anything within the Justice Department. So we've got just problem on top of problem, whether it is corruption, whether it's cover ups. And let's not forget he also received a significant amount of money when, when it came to cryptocurrency and he has been invested in crypto. So there are just so many things that are conflated that make him the wrong person to represent the American people. And I think people need to remember that the, the head, the Attorney General is the person who is the, the, the, the head lawyer for us, for the American people, not for the President of the United States. And how can you hold both interests at the same time? You just simply can't.
- [55:23]
Joy Reid
Yeah, I mean, Donald Trump has said, where's my Roy Cohn? And he keeps searching for an Attorney General who will behave as Roy Cohn did. Right. A fixer and a protector. And it is, you know, I think the American people, if you're like, well, what difference does it make who has this job effectively? It seems that what Todd Blanche wants to do with the job, because he sort of said it in an interview he did with Ash Patel sitting next to him. We want to make sure that no one can ever go after Donald Trump and his family, meaning protect him for life. To be able to commit crimes for life. His children to be able to enrich themselves for life and never be audited by the irs. They would face no audits ever. Ever. He and his family never be audited ever. The American people could, but not him. That he. Can you imagine, it's insane. Like they, they just want to make him untouchable forever.
- [56:09]
Virginia Case Salomon
And I think there's something, you know, Representative Khanna said something earlier that talked about, about the morality of government and reinstilling faith in our government for the American people. We want somebody in office who will be able to be, go after criminals, those people who are taking advantage of the public, the people who are taking advantage of our government. And that is not Todd Blanch. He will not be able to perform the duties of Attorney General. I think there's another thing, as I've been thinking about the judicial independence aspect of this, because we also know that the pressure that is being put on judges when it comes to the cases that are being put in front of them, it is terrifying firing, you know, attorneys within the Department of Justice asking for these resignations. The dismantling of just the norms that existed before the eradication of the Civil Rights Division. I mean, I just saw, you know, let's not talk about the attacks on black and brown communities. When they just put forward a bunch of new attorneys to be sworn in yesterday. I will say it was a very homogenous group and I'm not talking about the red ties.
- [57:20]
Joy Reid
So it was basically a civil rights division in the Justice Department with no black people working there, no brown people. I saw, I think one or two brown people, but it was very white
- [57:29]
Virginia Case Salomon
male, very much very white male dominated. But even beyond that, Joy, I think, you know, when we go back to the, this idea of having these get out of jail free cards for Donald Trump and his family and his friends and his closest allies, when we talk about the purging of truth. Now let's think about when we talk about the purging of truth, this $1.8 billion payout that they attempted to have, which they dropped. We are actually, we filed suit against this because we want to make sure at Common Cause that they're not going to be able to try and fund that through another means within the, the government. But it was really to pay off the January Sixers. And what does that say? You know, what did he say? The proud boys, like, stand up and stand by or whatever, you know, stand
- [58:20]
Joy Reid
by, stand back and stand by, stand
- [58:22]
Virginia Case Salomon
back and stand by. It's stand back, standby, and we're going to take care of you financially. That is the message, that as long as you carry my water, as long as you are committing violence and in my name, you can get a payday. And the fact that Todd Blanche was fully and wholly supportive of this until people started filing lawsuits, ourselves included, is a problem. It just shows that he has zero independence. And I will say, you know, a few years ago, we opposed, when I was at the League of Women Voters, Jeff Sessions being the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, you know, looks like the nicest guy in America compared to Todd Blanche. And I say that not in tongue in cheek, but there were a lot of issues that we had with Jeff Sessions at the time. This is just wholly unimaginable. And the fact that the American people, many of them, just aren't paying attention because they're flooding the zone with so much information. It's really important that the American people get involved and call their senators and make sure they put as much pressure as possible in this moment to say absolutely not. Because although they might have enough to get him out of committee, I do not believe that if we put the appropriate pressure on that, they will be able to get him through because it's just he's too dirty.
- [59:41]
Joy Reid
He's too dirty. And I think people should focus. If you live in Texas, John Cornyn, I don't think he loves Donald Trump all that much. After Donald Trump chose his opponent in the primary, the very madcap attorney general of Texas, instead of him, he might be someone you might want to call Roger Wicker. In Mississippi, the Civil Rights Division has done nothing on the Nolan Wells case. They would normally kick in. If you see something that seems to need federal investigation, they're absent without official leave. If you're in Ohio, you've got two United States senators there who might want to think about a state that is reddish but not like so deep red that they could not be vulnerable. Or even in Maine, Susan Collins, if you're in Maine, you might want to call her and ask her, does she want to pull a Kavanaugh again and put in another terrible person in office as she did with all these previous nominations. There are so many Thom Tillis who's retiring. Like there are people you could actually take action on. And I hope people will call their senators and start thinking about doing that. How can people get involved or get more information about what Common Cause is doing?
- [60:40]
Virginia Case Salomon
Virginia yes, you can go to commoncause.org or you can check us out on our social media Common Cause cause as well on all of the handles and be able to join one of our campaigns. We have the Black Blanch campaign. We're also doing a lot of work around what we're calling our Million Conversations campaign. And that is just bringing everyday people back into the decision making with our government. You know, lobbying in the public interest is something that we've done. We say we hold power accountable. We need this is the moment where we need to hold power, power accountable. And if it's okay, Joy, just one last thing about this that I am very concerned about with Blanche. We've seen what is happening in Georgia. We've seen how they're tampering with the election systems in Georgia. They are trying to rewrite and prepare to discredit this election more than ever. They are going to do things under Todd Blanche that we are terrified of in the good government and democracy space. Space. Because what they are doing is taking information and bastardizing the system and abusing it and contorting it to shape a narrative that says that Donald Trump won the 2020 election to go against Senator Warnoff, Warnock and Senators Ossoff they are trying to discredit everybody who was elected in that 2020 election, specifically in Georgia. And Todd Blanche is eagerly carrying the water for Donald Trump right now. And so if you care about the sanctity of our elections, it's something that you should absolutely be engaged in, because if it's not happening right now in your state, it's coming soon to your town.
- [62:22]
Joy Reid
Indeed. They want to control elections, they want to rewrite history, and they want to ensure that they never lose another election again. I'll add one more to put on your plate, Virginia, as if you guys don't have enough to deal with. I think we need to pay a lot more attention to what they're doing with to Lamonica McIver, because they are stress testing whether they could put a United States Congresswoman in jail for attempting to hold ICE accountable. They want to make ICE have the same kind of immunity and impunity Trump does. And if you attempt in any way to stand against them, they will either kill you, which is what happened in Maine and in Minneapolis, or they will throw you in prison if you try to even oversee what ICE is doing. So there's so many ways in which who is Attorney General actually matters. And I think people need to take this one hyper, hyper seriously.
- [63:06]
Virginia Case Salomon
This is probably the most critical Attorney General nomination that our country has ever seen in modern day history. And I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that, Joy. I have never been as concerned for our country or for our Department of Justice as I am right now in this moment.
- [63:23]
Joy Reid
Yeah, this gentleman is completely soulless. I think he will sleep very well at night. He will destroy the country and sleep like a baby. I don't think that he has that much of a conscience. I haven't seen it yet. Virginia Case Solomon, thank you very much. We appreciate you and what Common Cause is doing.
- [63:37]
Virginia Case Salomon
Thank you. Joy, good to see you.
- [63:39]
Joy Reid
Thank you. Always great to see you as well. So that's it, y'.
- [63:41]
Jason
All.
- [63:41]
Joy Reid
You have to think about this stuff. You know, scary is caring is what we say on the show because it's important that we pay very close attention to not just what the government is doing, but who is in charge. And people like Todd Blanche are here not to serve the public, but to get paid with your tax money while they destroy the country. And promise you, I've seen him operate in court. This is a cold, cold character. He has no emotion about it. He will very happily and joyfully let Ghislaine Maxwell walk. Let all the Epstein Pedos walk. Let Donald Trump have immunity for life with his friends and family and himself. And he will turn this country into mini Russia. And he won't even care one minute about it. He won't even think twice. Welcome to hour two of the Joy Re show. Now, if you have not hit that like and subscribe button yet, I mean, why not? Please do. We appreciate you hitting the like. Just hit the little thumbs up. If you had not hit the thumbs up. I'm looking over at the YouTube chat. I don't see enough of the little thumbs ups. So if you haven't done it, take a minute to hit that little thumbs up. That helps us with the algorithm. And also please do hit subscribe if you're not subscribed. And don't forget to hit that share button. And when you hit share, hit that little all so that you will make sure. I'm sorry, Jason, I can hear you talking, but I do not know what you're saying. Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I don't hear what you're saying, but I can hear you talking to me through the other door. No, I'm sorry.
- [64:56]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
I was saying.
- [64:56]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Go ahead.
- [64:57]
Joy Reid
I was just basically inquiring where all these folks. I see tons of comments. Where are all these comments coming from? Where are you guys located? Oh, yeah, let us know where you're located. Yes, please let us know where you're watching from, whether you are on YouTube or substack or Facebook. I forgot to say hi to Facebook friends. I'm so sorry, Facebookies. I was looking at the twitchy chat earlier and chatting with them a little bit and the substack folks. But hello, also if you're on Facebook and also our audio podcast friends appreciate you and we can't see you in the chat. You're not in the chat because you're probably watching it tomorrow. So it's tomorrow for you today. We get it. But we love all you guys. So, yeah, let us know where you're coming from. We got Los Angeles. We got North Carolina. We got ATL, we got Joy Z, we got YouTube. Florida. Florida. We got Maine. Let's see. Oh, somebody's in Maine. Yeah, Maine. You guys got a lot going on there. That is a little bit. Right? And we got New York City and Chicago and Arizona in the Twitch chat. People coming to us from all over the country. We appreciate each and every one of you. Let me go in the Canada Barbados over here. Yep. Now I'm in this. I'm in the substack chat. We got Oregon. We got The Bay Area. We got Medina, Ohio. We got Arizona. We got Columbia, Maryland. All over the country. All over the country. We got Indianapolis, we got Detroit in the substack chat. We got Aurora. Hey, that's near my former hometown. We got Aurora. We got Jersey City, we got the ATL, Denver in the YouTube chat. We're checking all the chats. We're just going from place to place. Somebody shout out where we were seeing on Facebook. I have to go and look in that Facebook chat as well. Yeah, we're basically covering the country. Covering the country. Indiana on Twitch or Twitchy from Indiana. We got a Chicago Twitchy. We got all sorts of people. So we got Joy International. Australia is in the house. Australia's in the house. I know, by the way, just from looking at our analytics, we have a. Yes, we have a small but mighty fan base in Australia. And we have a little Caribbean. Massive. They're always there. We got some Barbados people. This is from our analytics. We also have a small but mighty the Reach Joy, the Joy Reed show army in South Africa. And one of our first interviews was with the South African ambassador to the U.S. and so we, we, we've hung on with South Africa being one of our really great little hubs there. We got Barbados in the YouTube chat. So thank you, guys.
- [67:08]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Belgium.
- [67:08]
Virginia Case Salomon
Wow.
- [67:09]
Joy Reid
Belgium. Oh, we even got some belt. Listen, listen. We weren't rooting for your team, though. I'm sorry.
- [67:13]
Virginia Case Salomon
We weren't listening.
- [67:14]
Joy Reid
We weren't room for your team. Not on the World Cup. But listen, but we love you. I don't know who we're rooting for at this point in the World Cup. We're down to, like, very few of the teams. I, I kind of feel like France, England. I like their contents of their team. I like the people on their team. I thought Norway was adorable. We thought they were great, but they lost. So we're going to see how that goes. I wanted Egypt to win. They didn't, you know, so we're. We're not. And I hated Argentina. Sorry. I think Argentina should lose. They're the one I really want to lose the most out of everybody. I want them to lose. We got Dallas, Texas, Delaware. We got France. Oh, come on, France. All right. So the Joy, let me let you know, is brought to you by our friends@bookshop.org now, would you be surprised to learn that we are living in a resurgence of independent bookstores? We were actually at the independent bookstore just the last week. We were with DJ at Baldwin Books in New Orleans. There are a thousand New stores that have opened up in just the last five years. Independent bookstores do more than just sell books. They take care of and pour back into their communities. They create safe spaces. They foster culture, curiosity, and a love of reading. You know, we're readers. We love to read. When you purchase from bookshop.org you are supporting more than 3,000 local independent bookstores so that they can continue their essential work. So if you're, if you love to read, if you love to read a book, if you're a reader, you're going to want to go ahead and do that and get it from an independent bookstore. Don't do the Amazon thing. Do the thing where you're getting from an independent bookstore. They're pouring back into the community. And if you want to do that, go to bookshop.org and use the code joy to get 10% off your next order. So go to bookshop.org you go on, you put your zip code in, they tell you where a local bookstore is. You can order online from that bookstore to deliver it right to your door. It's a beautiful way to go ahead and get your books. I use the code joyokshop.org okay, so with Lindsey Graham and Twitchy Mitchie no longer in the voting picture, the math, as we just mentioned, may not quite be mathing for Todd Blanche as he hopes to become the next attorney General supervising the Trump Department of injustice. Now, I will note that they still have the votes. Let's just be clear. They still have the votes, but they may not have everyone there. And part of what's really happening. Oh, actually, you know what, let me come back to this. I'm going to come back to this. I'm going to pause on this for a minute. I want to stop on this for a second because we have another guest coming up. Before I get to the Twitchy Mitchie stuff, let's talk about AIPAC real quick. I'm sorry, I'm going to come back to that, but let me talk about AIPAC for a second. So as we mentioned a little bit earlier when we were talking with Ro Khanna, et cetera, these pro APEC groups are and pro APEC politicians individually, they're using a very interesting tactic when it comes to the way they're running. And they are kind of hyper targeting black voters and pro Obama voters. So I want you guys to remember back when Debbie Wasserman Schultz, remember when she launched her campaign with a photo of Barack Obama in the background. Take a look at that. I thought for the people of Broward County. My whole adult life, you've always been able to count on me to deliver results for our community. Debbie knows how to deliver results. If you know Debbie Washman Schultz, you know that Debbie does not back down from a fight. She is a person that is for all people. That's fine. That's enough. We just really wanted to show. And what really captured people's attention was that she was sitting there with this Barack Obama picture over her shoulder. But as we know, when President Obama was in office, he had a very tense relationship with Debbie Wasserman Schultz. They were not really 100% like allies. Right. But she's putting that sort of allyship kind of on point and making it appear that they are allies. It's a subtle way of making it look like he kind of endorses her, which he didn't. He's not endorsed her at all. So that move really caught Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. It caught her off guard and she didn't like it. So she is retiring. The Congresswoman is retiring from her seat in Florida's neighboring 24th congressional district. Debbie Wasman Schultz flipped from, I think, the 25th into the 20th, which was an African American district. So over the weekend, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson wrote an op ed in the black owned newspaper, the west side Gazette. Effectively without calling her a carpet bagger, kind of called her a carpetbagger. Let me read just a little bit of what was in this op ed. It said, District 20 is the legacy of those who refuse to be erased. It is a seat paid for by generations of black sacrifice. It exists because countless black people challenged barriers that once seemed impossible to overcome. Black people organized when organizing carried real risks. Black people marched when marching invited retaliation. Black people voted when others worked tirelessly to deny them that right. Black people understood that democracy is strongest when every community has an opportunity to be represented and every citizen has a voice. White nationalists marched through our nation's capital carrying Confederate flags on the 4th of July just to remind us that black people cannot be comfortable. Even after more than 400 years of slavery, we still have to continue that fight. The fight for our freedom did not end. It simply became our generation's responsibility. That is why the history of District 20 matters. This is what the Congressman wrote. If black lives matter, then the history of black representation matters too. Representation is not merely symbolic. It shapes conversations and brings lived experiences into the rooms where decisions are made. A representative cannot erase history, but a representative can ensure that history is remembered. The story of District 20 is also the story of America's promise and its failures. It reminds us of how difficult it has been to expand democracy and how much determination it has taken to make our institutions more representative of the people they serve. It teaches us that progress is not inevitable. It is built, protected and renewed by each generation. That is why history deserves our intention. Then she goes on to talk about the fact that as the highest elected black representative official in the state, I have a responsibility to tell you the truth. I know what our ancestors endured to earn a voice in these halls of power. And I know how quickly that voice can be taken away. I know what it costs to lose representation because our history has already lived through that pain. And then she says, this is why I'm imploring you to vote like your future depends on it, because it does. We deserve a seat at every table where decisions about our lives, our children, our communities and our future are made. That seat was not given to us. It was earned through generations of black sacrifice. So that is her piece. She never named Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the piece. But if you took that as a message to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, you did not miss what Congressman Frederica Wilson said. She's effectively saying, this is not my district. I'm in a different district, and I'm not necessarily endorsing in Florida 24, but you need to vote for somebody black. She's basically saying, I'm for everybody black in that district. And the implication is anybody but Debbie. And you just heard Congressmann Ro Khanna call Debbie Wasmutschultz a carpetbagger for jumping out of her district, jumping into this mainly black district and saying, I'm gonna run over here because it's easier because there's 50, 11 black people running and I can run through the middle, get 25, 30% of the vote and win. So people are feeling some kind of way about that. I can tell you just from talking to Floridians today, folks are feeling some kind of way about what Debbie Wasserman Schultz is doing. And not just black Floridians, there are non black Floridians who are Democrats who do not like what she's doing at all. Now let's go to Michigan. So a slightly different game is being played there now. The primary is coming down to two candidates. One who's very pro Israel, who's Congresswoman Haley Stevens, as we mentioned before. I'm sorry, I forgot her name earlier. I apologize, but her name is Haley Stevens. And then one sharp critic of the Israeli state and its military actions. And that is Dr. Abdul El Sayed now. And as you can imagine, Israel is an issue a little bit about your opponent, Abdul El Sayed, who has criticized you on Israel in particular. And of course, with the war in Iran. Back at the top of our show, back at the top of the headlines today, I want to play something that he has used to create a website attacking you. If you go to the website, it just plays this on a loop. I want to show it to our viewers.
- [75:06]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
We'll talk about it on the other
- [75:07]
Joy Reid
side while watch in the United States Congress. I will continue to fight for the people of Israel. I will continue to fight for Israel's existence. Israel comes to me in my dreams. I see Israel's future. How would you characterize the remarks you were making then and when? What impact does this have now? Sure, look, I was standing with the Jewish community and a group of hostages who were in pain, people who had just gotten released from the Hamas tunnels. It was a very emotional moment. And I have been certainly very dedicated to standing by all Michigan ganders who have experienced pain as a result of a war that was started multiple years ago. And frankly, a war that Benjamin Netanyahu has mismanaged and he has failed to bring peace. He has made Jews less safe here in America and around the world. And Mr. Netanyahu was just on CNN the other day, day criticizing me. I'm not afraid of Bibi. I'm not afraid of Putin. I've had to stand up to him when he stole my constituent Paul Whelan and wrongly detained him for five and a half years.
- [76:39]
Virginia Case Salomon
I was writing resolutions condemning the Russian
- [76:42]
Joy Reid
Federation before the war in Ukraine broke out. These leaders, these bullies who abuse power,
- [76:49]
Virginia Case Salomon
who are corrupt, they will not get
- [76:53]
Joy Reid
a pass from me. I am a courageous and bold leader and you bet your pants I will be in the United States Senate. Congresswoman, I had Mr. El said on this program a few days ago and I asked him several times if Israel has a right to exist. He would not say that straight out. What is your answer to the question, does Israel have a right, right to exist? Well, absolutely. And this is a stark policy difference between my opponent Abdul and myself. My goal and the work that I stand by is long term peace and a two state solution where people in Palestine, in Gaza can live peacefully side by side with the people of Israel. It is deeply concerning that Abdul equivocates when talking about Israel's right to exist. That does not bring us closer to peace. That does not help this tenuous situation. I stand by a two State solution and my long work to bring us to that goal.
- [78:00]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
You told me back in April that
- [78:02]
Joy Reid
the Israeli government is evil as Hamas is evil. Now the United States government considers Hamas a foreign terrorist organization. So do you think the Israeli government should be considered by the US as a foreign terrorist organization?
- [78:16]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
It's certainly a rogue state. I mean, they did a genocide, Manu.
- [78:22]
Joy Reid
I mean, those are weird questions, but that is the mainstream media, right? There's this you must ask, does Israel have a right to exist? I don't know. Does Canada have a right to exist? Does Liberia have a right to exist? It was a state that was made of, you know, sort of colonized by former enslaved people. Does have a right to exist? Does South Africa have a right to exist? I mean, countries exist. You know, countries exist by din of force. Israel exists. It is a strange question that is only ever asked about that one country. I don't understand it. It's not the only country that has faced, you know, whose residents have faced horrific crimes against, against themselves, you know, at one point in their history, you know, hello, Democratic Republic of Congo. Does Democratic Republic of Congo. Right. Exist? Like, I've never understood that as a question. But anyway, that is what happened there. But a weird thing has now happened. On the way to the primary, the congresswoman, not herself, but a group called United Democracy Project, they kind of pulled the Debbie Wasserman Schultz, invoking former President Obama and implying support for her. Here is the adjacent D4 Stevens, chief
- [79:29]
Jason
of staff of President Obama's auto rescue, saving over 200 Michigan jobs.
- [79:34]
Joy Reid
And Haley Stevens, by the way, she was there. She was a critical part of my team that helped the American auto industry
- [79:41]
Jason
come roaring back in Congress. Haley successfully fought to cap the price of insulin at 35amonth.
- [79:48]
Joy Reid
Now she's fighting back against Trump's Medicare cuts. Haley Stevens, a proven fighter for Michigan UDP is responsible. So the weird thing about that is that President Obama did not endorse Haley Stevens. Like that isn't a thing, right? President Obama has not endorsed in this race at all, as numerous people, including numerous journalists have pointed out. We put a deep dive there, Jason. Numerous people who either know President Obama personally or are familiar with whether or not he is endorsed, including again, journalists and made it very clear he is not endorsed in the race. So it's sort of an implied endorsement. He hasn't really endorsed her. And then the additional piece of the power of that ad though, is that as Hasan Piker and others have pointed out, the ad is actually boosting Stevens. People are pointing out and telling journalists who ask them that seeing that endorsement. This is one couple who told a local news outlet that to them it appeared that President Obama had endorsed Ms. Stevens and that is swaying particularly African Americans and Obama supporters to be for her. And in this case, this couple said they're against the genocide, but they're for Stevens because Obama seems a bit deceptive. Join me now to discuss this situation is Dr. Abdul El Sayed. He is a doctor, epidemiologist and public servant who is running for the United States Senate. Before I let you talk, I'm going to play your ad. Dr. Syed, give me one second. Let me play it. Here it is. D7, Jason. Here it comes. Here it comes. Here it comes. Okay. All right. Well, let me just, let me just introduce you, sir. What do you make of what appears to be a United Democracy Project kind of wink, wink, attempt to make it hear that your opponent has an Obama endorsement.
- [81:47]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
It's so cynical. You know, you think about United Democracy Project, that is AIPAC and their sordid history opposing President Obama at every turn. These are folks who are dead set against the Iran deal. The Iran deal, which by the way, was a better deal than the one we got after a war that ended but didn't really end, which is like back to where it started, the war that just taught the Iranian regime that they've got a chokehold on the world's energy supply. The reality of it is that to use President Obama in an ad in support of a candidate who wants to send our money abroad to drop bombs on other people rather than to keep our money to invest in communities across Michigan, that to me is just so sordid and it speaks to a kind of cynical politics that I think is just anti democratic on its own terms.
- [82:35]
Joy Reid
Are your criticisms of Israel, are they focused on what Israel has done post October 7, 2023? Or do you have a broader criticism of that country? Because it does appear that anytime you do an interview, you get asked this right to exist question, which I think is an odd question personally to me because I think every country exists. It just exists or it doesn't. But is your criticism of Israel related to their post October 7th behavior or something else?
- [83:06]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
So I think post October 7th, we saw the gloves come off in a way which was tantamount to genocide. And when a government does a genocide, we should treat them as such. Except for our government has been sending our money to them to subsidize that very same genocide. Because at baseline, we were talking about apartheid, a system of governance that robs the vast majority of Palestinian people of the ability to peace, dignity and self determination. My belief is ultimately about what I'm for. I'm for international law. I'm for equal rights to peace, dignity and self determination for all people. But I'm also for kids in Detroit who don't have functional schools getting those. I'm for guaranteeing healthcare in America. I'm for making sure that our air and water is pure, for making sure our infrastructure works. And when you ask questions about what we should be spending our money on, I think we all agree that our money should stay here so long as people tell us that we just. We don't have the money to pay for Medicare for All. We don't have the money to rebuild our schools, we don't have the money to rebuild our water infrastructure. And in the end, we're sending money abroad to kill other people and their kids and to destroy their infrastructure and their schools and their healthcare. To me, that just doesn't make sense. And I'm. When I talk about international law, I want us to be honest about the fact that for too long our country has ran cover for a country that has acted like a rogue state on the international realm. You think about this war in Iran that was ultimately a cover for Bibi Netanyahu and the Israeli government to attempt to annex southern Lebanon. They had very clear war aims. And they then petitioned our government, by the way, in the American situation Room, a foreign prime minister petitioning our government to go to a war that we have no way out of now. So ultimately what I'm about is taking care of our people here. Joy. I'm a doctor by training. I rebuilt Detroit's health department. I led Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services. We did things like eliminate debt, put glasses on kids. And every single time you propose a program, it's always, doctor, how are you gonna pay for that? Well, I got an idea. Maybe instead of fighting dumbass wars, we shouldn't be fighting. Maybe instead of subsidizing genocide, we could keep that money here and invest here.
- [85:09]
Joy Reid
I wanna get into that because the thing is, as a United States Senator, one of the things that you would have the opportunity to do is to try to redirect money to your state. It's one of the things senators pride themselves on. What are some of the things that you feel are underfunded currently? That some of that $3 billion a year that we're directing toward Israel, and they have preschool, full health care, they've got all the Things. If that money was redirected here and you could get some of it from Michigan, what would you want to do with it?
- [85:40]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
So, number one, health care. The idea that in the richest, most powerful country in the world, we don't have guaranteed health care, to me is an anathema. I wrote the book on Medicare for all, and every single time you bring up the idea, people are like, we can't possibly pay for it. I'm like, well, we can't possibly pay for it if we're wasting our money. But second is schools. I remember in 2015, walking through an elementary school, seeing these little babies, first graders trying to learn how to read, bundled up in coats because the boiler didn't just break, it had been broken for weeks. So teachers trying to teach and children trying to learn in a school that hadn't been upgraded for years and years to the point where the boiler had broken in the middle of winter. You think about our roads and bridges, you think about our water infrastructure in the state that's blessed with more fresh water than anywhere else in the world. We're in a situation right now where we've got water backing up into people's basements. We've got PFAS plumes spreading everywhere. We've still got water shutoffs, which should not happen in a state with as much fresh water as us. The whole question is water infrastructure. But again, when you're talking about rebuilding water infrastructure or cleaning water, they tell you you don't have the money for that. Except for we have the money to go and fight wars, go and drop bombs, go and do genocide, go and backstop apartheid, for what? And so I'm just saying that, like, to my mind, you don't actually have to have an opinion about a foreign government to believe that that foreign government doesn't have a right to our tax dollars. And let's be clear, the second biggest recipient of foreign military aid in the world from the United States is Egypt, where my family immigrated from. Let's start there. I don't want my money sent over there either. I don't want to send to Pakistan. I don't want it sent to Saudi Arabia. I don't want it sent to Jordan. As long as we're buying war material for another country when our own babies are trying to study and learn how to read in classrooms that are unbefitting of their minds.
- [87:17]
Joy Reid
Yeah, and, you know, I think there's a lot of talk and they're sort of talking points about what we want to see in the Middle East. And as you said, the second biggest recipient of aid being Egypt. They're right there on the other side of the Gaza Strip. Nothing has changed in all the years we've been giving both of these two countries a lot of money. Except a lot of people are dead and a lot of land has been seized and a lot of people are displaced. And now we're finding out that an American congressman, Ro Khanna, a United States citizen, a member of the United States Congress, Congress, was detained for 75 minutes by a foreign government. Does it surprise you that our government has not had a reaction to that?
- [87:54]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
Unfortunately not. And you know, I was campaigning with Congressman Kanda in Michigan just a couple weeks back. And you know, one of the things that should be so harrowing about that is that this is a congressman from the United States of America, a country that has given billions and billions and billions of dollars to the Israeli government. But he wasn't actually detained originally by the government. He was detained by a group of settlers. A group of settlers brandishing American weapons. And so you think about where our tax dollars go. It's not even just that we are funding a military that's doing awful things, but we are funding a system of illegal occupation and settlement that is inconsistent with the stated aims of American foreign policy. People can say what they want about a two state solution, but let's be clear. We have been aiding, arming and abetting the very people who are trying to actively foreclose on the possibility of a two state solution now for the better part of decades. I mean, that is our implicit policy. And so we got a choice about what we want our money to do. Do you want it to do good things for people in our own country or do you want it to do bad things to people in another country? Like that's simply the choice here. And what's crazy to me is that in my race you've got a super PAC aligned with a foreign government that is the single biggest spender in this race by far. Like 4x the biggest spender in the race. $40 million already. Simply because I have the audacity to say that I want my tax dollars as the next US Senator for Michigan to stay in Michigan. Like it is an insane thing.
- [89:22]
Joy Reid
It is interesting. And also I think the implication that President Obama has weighed in when he hasn't, I think is actually deceptive. What is being done to particularly African American audiences. What are you hearing back at the doors when you go through Michigan and people are telling you, I mean, I think Flint is still not Fully made whole in terms of their water and all of the needs. Are people being swayed by this implication that President Obama wants your opponent to win? What you're hearing, you know, it's a
- [89:50]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
cynical kind of politics where you imply things that never happened or are not true. And that's exactly what AIPAC is doing. Unfortunately, that's exactly what my opponent is doing. And the reality of it, though, is that people are smart and they're thoughtful and they're engaged, and they see what's happening around them. And the vast majority of people are not falling prey to these lying ads, these deceptive ads. Unfortunately, if you're just getting involved in the race and look, you think about the circumstance in people's lives, you got to work two jobs just to afford a second bag of groceries. If you're just getting involved in the race and that's the first thing you see, and you see it everywhere, it's easy to sort of fall into that and say, well, I guess if President Obama is with her, I should be with her too. But I do think that people are smart. And then they're asking, why am I seeing this ad, like, two or three times in a given commercial break? Why does somebody really want me to know this? And I think people are starting to realize that it's the money versus the many. So it's interesting how this works, because if you're not spending as much time because you're too busy trying to just make ends meet in your life, these ads work for you. But the minute you start to realize that there's a concerted effort to get you to believe something that's not true, people are really smart. They start asking, okay, what is udp and why are they paying for this? And I think once they look past that, they start to realize, oh, my God, like, this is a group of people who really want me to know this, because, of course, it's paid for by the very same people who are making sure that my tax dollars don't work for me, that I can't afford my basic needs. I mean, it's not just udp. UDP is just one big spender. The others are dte, our local utility that buys off all of our local elected officials, makes tons of money, and then leaves us out in the dark every single time you have a. A storm near your home. It's also the big pharma. It's also big tech, the folks who want to put a huge data center in your backyard. So I think people are starting to realize that our system is so porous to money that is corrupting. And then they start to pay attention. And what happens is I think these ads start to backfire. But it's cynical and it's sad. And the idea that our democracy is being corrupted this way is something all of us should be up in arms about.
- [91:51]
Joy Reid
You've been endorsed by Bernie Sanders. He is in. He's in your ad. Okay, do we have that ad? Jason, let's play the ad real quick.
- [91:59]
Congressman Ro Khanna
The man from Michigan who knows how great we once were and how great
- [92:03]
Jason
we can be again.
- [92:04]
Joy Reid
Abdul, Abdul, Abdul. Abdul El Sayed grew up as Michigan
- [92:09]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
as you get parents, worked the auto industry, football, U of M. Became a doctor to help people.
- [92:14]
Joy Reid
Michigan has the opportunity to set Abdul
- [92:17]
Jason
to the United States Senate.
- [92:19]
Joy Reid
He rebuilt the health department after the politicians tore it down. Got rid of millions of dollars of medical debt, got thousands of glasses for kids, including me.
- [92:27]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Abdul is a doctor.
- [92:28]
Joy Reid
Abdul ain't no politician.
- [92:29]
Jason
The only candidate who has the guts
- [92:31]
Congressman Ro Khanna
to take all of them on and
- [92:33]
Jason
represent the working class.
- [92:34]
Virginia Case Salomon
No corporate PAC money, Medicare for all, abolish ice.
- [92:38]
Joy Reid
He took on Trump's war and he'll fight to invest our money right here.
- [92:41]
Jason
That's the update.
- [92:43]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
This campaign will take on the powerful with three simple ideas. Money out of politics, money in your
- [92:48]
Jason
pocket and many care for all. Let's face Abdul, the next US Senator from Michigan.
- [92:53]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
I'm Abdul Al Said, son of Michigan and I approve this message.
- [92:56]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Don't worry about his name.
- [92:59]
Joy Reid
The co star of the ad is Bernie Sanders. As everyone can see there, he has. I feel like the Democratic establishment has warmed up to him in Washington D.C. they have not warmed up to you. They have not warmed up to a lot of the progressive candidates who are running under Bernie Sanders banner. Why do you suppose that there's something about you that makes corporate Democrats very uncomfortable, mainstream Democrats uncomfortable. What do you think that is?
- [93:30]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
Because I represent Michigan and they know it. And Michigan is one of those states you cannot ignore. You can marginalize things happening on either coast, but you can't marginalize Michigan because we're too important on the national political map. And if we can prove that we can beat $47 million, which is what projected AIPAC is going to spend. If we can prove that we can beat that with like 1/10 the amount of money that people actually want, the politics that gets money out of politics, puts money in your pocket and passes Medicare for all. If we can stand up to the establishment at some point, we can prove that you could do it anywhere. And I Think that's what makes them so scared. They know that this is what the people want, so they're gonna spend all the money they can to deny people that ability to lie to them, to be cynical. By putting President Obama in ads that suggest that he endorsed a candidate he didn't endorse. And this is how they play. But they also understand that they're losing. So you're seeing a lot of desperation in the antics that they are using here. But look, here's the thing about it. I don't spend that much time worried about defending myself or. Or where the horse race of this goes. Like, I was born and raised in Michigan. Michigan is a good people. They work really hard. It's like the best combination of earnestness and grit that you've ever met. And people just want to know that if they're going to put in a hard day's work, that they should be able to afford the basic dignities of their life. And they're asking, why is it getting so much harder for me to live? Why can't I afford a second bag of groceries? Why am I so worried about getting sick and having to pay this deductible? It's going to put me and my family into bankruptcy. And I'm trying to answer those questions. So I'm spending as much time as I can with Michiganders talking about what we need and deserve, the kind of politics that we want to put our hope in again, of the people, by the people and for the people, so they can do what they want, they can run their ads, they can spend their money, and in the end, I think people are going to see through it.
- [95:17]
Joy Reid
I think one of the issues that the national Democrats sort of have with progressives, with you, particularly you in particular, is they feel that in a state like Michigan, that's the Midwest, that's sort of the, you know, the heart of the, you know, middle America, that a progressive can't win. They are sort of theory of the case is that your opponent is more moderate, not just on Israel, but in general, and that that's what. That's how you win in a state like Michigan. What do you say to that?
- [95:43]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
I think the worry is not that I can't win. I think the worry is that I might. That's what they're worried about. Because if you look in poll after poll after poll after poll, I am the best candidate to take on Mike Rogers and beat him. It turns out that you, you know, believing in things and fighting for them, that actually works. And there's this old theory of politics we keep using even despite the fact that history has proven it wrong too many times. This idea that we're polarized from right to left and that the, the median voter sits somewhere in the middle and that like voters are walking around asking, I wonder where I stand on a left, right spectrum of politics. That's not how people are thinking. They're asking, damn, I can't afford my groceries, I can't pay my rent, like how am I sending my kid to this school? And they still can't read. Those are the questions that are animating people right now. And so the real issue in our politics isn't right versus left and who's in the middle. The real issue is folks who are locked out, which is the vast majority of people and then the folks doing the locking out. And if you want to win elections in the year of our Lord 2026, you better be on the side of the people who are locked out against the people doing the locking out. Look, Chuck Schumer and Donald Trump don't agree on much, but the one thing they agree on is that I shouldn't be on the inside of the U.S. senate. And generally, if Chuck Schumer and Donald Trump agree on one thing, the opposite is probably true. And so that tells you what I'm up against. I'm up against the system of politics bought off by the same people. I mean, just think about this joy. DTE paying into the campaigns of both of my opponents, the Democrat and the Republican. Blue Cross Blue Shield. Both opponents. Big Pharma. Both opponents, Big Tech. Both opponents. Apac. Both opponents. So who wins if either of them face off on each other? Apac, dte, Blue Cross, Big Pharma, Big Tech. They always win. Because they rigged the system, because they pay off both sides. I'm the only one who's never taken the dime of corporate PAC money. I'm the only one who AIPAC desperately wants to beat. $47 million that they're gonna spend to beat me. What does that tell you about who I represent? And so if you want politics that actually works for people, we've got that option. And that's what they're so afraid of.
- [97:35]
Joy Reid
Very quick, before I let you go, a couple rapid fire questions. You're in the Senate right now. Vote to confirm. Todd Blanche, yes or no?
- [97:42]
Jason
No.
- [97:44]
Joy Reid
You've been asked multiple times about defunding the police. But of course, as a senator you would have nothing to do with local police, but you would be dealing with federal police. So would you vote to fund ICE any further, or do you think they should be defunded?
- [97:57]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
ICE needs to be abolished. ICE is not about law enforcement. ICE is about normalizing paramilitary force on our streets. And the faster we understand that ICE sits in contraposition to the Constitution itself, the faster we actually get about to being smart about the way that we do immigration. ICE is not that ICE needs to be abolished.
- [98:13]
Joy Reid
And you made a comment about Chuck Schumer. Let's say we come around to January. Chuck Schumer is still standing for leader. Would you vote to make him leader in the United States Senate?
- [98:23]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
The day I get elected. My job is to make sure that we've got somebody like Chris Van Hollen who is running to be Senate Majority Leader. But I don't even want to be in a position where I have to make that choice. I've been very clear that so long as you've got a system of politics that is more focused on getting corporate donors and aipac rather than investing and getting money out of people out of politics, putting money back in people's pockets and passing Medicare for all, putting people back in the center of politics, the faster we get a Senate that actually functions. And I don't know that Senator Schumer has that in his capacity.
- [98:56]
Joy Reid
Dr. Abdul El Sayed, I will say you have the title that my family really, really, really wanted me to have. They wanted me to be a doctor real bad. So I'm just going to say I know one. Dr. Abdul Al Sayed, good luck with your campaign. Tell everybody. When does early voting start? When's the primary so people who are in Michigan can be prepared first.
- [99:14]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
Joy, it's an honor to be with you. Thank you for all the work that you do. Early voting has already started. You can request an absentee ballot. You can vote in person at your polling location or vote on August 4th for folks who want to support us. I hope that you'll chip in. Abdul4senate.com donate or you can filmmake with us. Abdul4senate.com volunteer and it's the money versus the many. AIPAC is spending huge amounts of money. The corporation is spending huge amounts of money. There is no ground game for my opposition. But if we come together and believe in the politics of people, by the people and for the people, I know we can win. I hope that you'll join us. Joy. It was such a privilege and thank you so much for the work that you do every day.
- [99:51]
Joy Reid
Cheers. Thank you so much. Best of luck. Thank you. All right, well, There he is. Dr. Abdul El Sayed, he is the progressive choice in Michigan, definitely not the corporate media choice. They don't like him at all. But you guys got a chance to hear what he believes and look for those who are asking why I didn't ask him about defunding the police. I think we need to sometimes think about what people actually do for a living. Your senator has nothing to do with the police, although they do do funding. And he's been very clear that he thinks that the federal funding that winds up going to buy military arms to give to local police, that that should be ended. So that is the sense in which he has made this. These comments about defunding the police. He does not believe that, you know, basically tanks and other military weapons should be given to local police. That is what he would have to do with policing. But on the federal level, it's the federal police that he has to decide whether he wants to fund or not. That's why I asked that specific question. All right, so thank you, Abdul. Al said we'll see how that goes. What are we missing there, Jason? Oh, I think, I think, I think, I think. I think. I think you got to go straight. Can I get to Twitchy Mitchy? Yeah, let's go to the E block. I can go to what you mentioned. Okay, good. So. So, yes. So here we go. So over the weekend, we. We were. We were all trying to figure out. Look, we all were trying to figure out if Mitch McConnell was on this side of the. Of the great. The great plane, okay? We didn't know if he was alive or not, and we still don't. But while we're all wondering if Mitch McConnell had already met his maker down below, Senator Lindsey Graham had to go steal the spotlight and die instead. He stole his thunder. Some people said, Lindsey Graham is that guy that gets married on your wedding day. He decided to jump the, you know, jump ahead of him and go ahead and pass away. And, you know, when someone passes away. I said this at the top of the show. You have to decide, like, how they will be remembered. Jason and I had a really great conversation about this over the weekend.
- [101:45]
Jason
But you.
- [101:46]
Joy Reid
You have to remember people as they were when, you know, when, When Charlie Kirk died. We were sort of ordered by the government, weirdly enough, by the federal. We were ordered to mourn. There was a period of enforced national mourning. They flew the flags at half staff at the White House. They made it in the Capitol. They made it seem as if some grand public figure had more. It was this enforced national mourning. We weren't given the choice of how to remember this person. And back in mainstream media, they wouldn't even play clips of what he said. Karen Attia basically got fired from her job at the Washington Post for simply quoting Charlie Kirk. We weren't to quote him, not to say what he said. You were supposed to remember him the way that we were told to remember, ordered by the government. They're putting up sort of memorials to him at universities and you're just being ordered to mourn him. But the way he really was is the way he really was. And I think Lindsey Graham is the same thing. And I think the thing to remember most about Lindsey Graham is that he did actually say one thing that was actually pretty true, and that is this tweet that he posted in 2016 when he was running against Donald Trump for president. If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed and we will deserve it. Now the destruction is belated. That was in May of 2016 when he was running against him. And maybe they haven't been destroyed as yet. Republicans are really commanding the country right now and they're winning in many ways, but the party has in fact been destroyed. There is no Republican Party. The Republican Party, that was the party of Lincoln. They still do these Lincoln Day things. That does not exist. The Republican Party is now a fascist enclave of anti immigrant, repugnant sentiments, of fascism. Maga ism is just basically white supremacy and fascism. That is what the Republican Party is. It has been destroyed by corruption. It is consumed with corruption. Have a lot of criticisms of the Democratic Party. But let's just be clear. The Democratic Party has its own issues with being too beholden to foreign interests like Israel, too beholden to foreign lobbies, too beholden to big money lobbies. They've got a lot of issues of not being strong, of not standing up for the poor, not standing up for their base, of being quizzling in some ways, of being too weak, not being more. Lots of issues I got lots of issues with. But let's be clear. The Republican Party is straight up fascist at this point. They are a fascist nub. They are a cancer on American politics. They are anything bad you could say about the Democrats, it's a thousand times worse when you're thinking of Republicans. They do not deserve to lead at all. But in addition to that, people like Lindsey Graham are the people who've allowed that to happen. Lindsey Graham is a normie Reagany Republican who sold his soul to a man. All of the reporting, including my own, will tell you he despised and at For a time, it seemed that he was being honest about how he felt about Donald Trump until he wasn't. If you could E2, please the Trump
- [104:51]
Jason
supporters for a minute. I don't know who you are and I don't know why you like this guy. He's a race bet xenophobic, religious bigot. He doesn't represent my party. He doesn't represent the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for. I think he's a kook. I think he's crazy. I think he's unfit for office. And I'm a Republican. And he's not. He's not a conservative Republican. He's an opportunist. He's not fit to be president, United States. He's disparaged women. He has an 80% disparity disapproval rating among Hispanics. At the end of the day, he would be the most flawed nominee in the history of the Republican Party. He accuses most illegal immigrants of being rapists and drug dealers. He plays into the idea that maybe Obama is a Muslim. 70% of us in South Carolina believe that Donald Trump is not a conservative Republican. We think that he's unfit for office, that he would be a terrible commander in chief. He doesn't have the temperament or judgment. I think Donald Trump is a political car wreck. And people slow down and look at the wreck, but they eventually move on. Concerns me about the American press is this endless, endless attempt to label the guy as some kind of kook not fit to be president. I think he's a kook. I think he's crazy. I think he's unfit for office.
- [106:13]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
Isn't it racist, though, to say send her back?
- [106:16]
Jason
No, I don't think it's racist to say. Was it racist to say love it or leave it? I don't think a Somali refugee embracing Trump would not have been asked to go back. If you're a young African American, an immigrant, you can go anywhere in this state. You just need to be conservative, not liberal.
- [106:35]
Joy Reid
Lindsey Graham was a coward. Lindsey Graham knew what Donald Trump was. He said it to camera and. And then he buckled, fell to his knees and began to worship Donald Trump because he figured out that Donald Trump was gonna let him warmonger the way he wanted a warmonger. He is a warmonger first, last and foremost. And when he realized that Donald Trump would let him war without ceasing, he fell to his knees, stopped criticizing Donald Trump, and became his lick, spittle doggy at the end of a leash. Because he is and was I should say was a warmonger. Jason, did you want to say something before we play?
- [107:14]
Virginia Case Salomon
Adrian?
- [107:16]
Joy Reid
No. Okay. I'm going to let it ride because John McCain was in my thoughts. And I said I was going to say to myself, you know What? Then, John McCain can talk to him now. But John McCain's probably in a different place right now, so I'm not going to put it on John McCain. Before you go there, Lindsey Graham was John. They were best friends. Tell me about three amigos. Lindsey Graham, Joe Lieberman, and John McCain. And when Donald Trump shat on John McCain shat on his legacy. Refused to allow the USS McCain to dock. When Donald Trump gave a speech in Japan, he said, I don't want the USS McCain to show its ship face in front of me. Refused to honor John McCain in death. Treated John McCain like some sort of scoundrel, Said he was not a hero because he was captured. Lindsey Graham did not defend his best friend. He would not defend him. All he talked about in those moments or how much he enjoyed golfing with Donald Trump, because again, Lindsey Graham was a coward, he was a liar. And he decided that his relationship with Trump and being relevant and having access to the president mattered more than his friendship and his relationships. Because again, he, like John McCain in many ways, was a warmonger. No, but in certain respects, you know, I mean, how is John McCain remembered now, you know what I mean, as a hero. But my point is, Lindsey Graham, I guess he didn't understand while he was living. Mitch McCardell should probably make amends now that people remember your last name. And if you're gonna live in eternity as being a boot licking Trump sycophant, why would you want to basically have that legacy? Every time you think of John Lindsey, Lindsey Graham, what are you gonna think about? John McCain has a of ton totally different now. I'm going to think about his bubble wand. Exactly. And the leash around his neck at the other end of that leash being the tiny hand of Donald Trump. And again, it is because Donald Trump gave Lindsey Graham the one thing that his dear friend Joe Biden could never give him, and that is endless. Major war. Okay, now if we can play E3, please.
- [109:20]
Jason
I just want to say I feel good about the Republican Party. I feel good about where we're going as a nation. We're killing all the right people and we're cutting your taxes. Trump is my favorite president. We've run out of bombs. We didn't run out of bombs in World War II. You know, I've been Going all over South Carolina like most people hadn't slept much. But look what's going on in Israel. Our friends in Israel, surrounded by people that want to kill them, destroy them. A second holocaust in the making. And by Biden says be proportional. What is the proportional response to people who want to kill you and your family? They're running out of ammunition in Israel. We have to help our friends to keep the war over there from coming here. If you are going to help the ICC as a nation enforce their arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant, the former defense minister, I will put sanctions on you as a nation. You're going to have to pick the rogue ICC versus America. So to any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the icc, we're going to sanction you.
- [110:28]
Joy Reid
Free or done.
- [110:29]
Jason
Free or done.
- [110:30]
Joy Reid
Now you are free. Yes, and we will be.
- [110:33]
Jason
And the Russians are dying. It's the best money we've ever spent.
- [110:37]
Joy Reid
Thank you so much.
- [110:38]
Jason
All the anti Semites to all the isolationists. I don't forget it. I'm not with you. I'm with Israel. I will be with Israel to our dying day.
- [110:48]
Joy Reid
So you're calling for strikes on the energy infrastructure, Sandra?
- [110:51]
Jason
Yeah, I'm calling to hurt this regime. If you do the same old thing, you're going to get the same results. We decided to end the war by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear weapons. That was the right decision. Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war they can't afford to lose. And work with them to minimize casualties. Can I say this? Why is it okay for America to not to. To drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war? Why was it okay for us to do that? I thought it was okay to Israel do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state.
- [111:29]
Joy Reid
This is a man who is a U.S. air Force reservist, served in the reserves for 33 years. He retired as a colonel in the Judge Advocate General Corps in 2015. This is a man who, unlike Donald Trump at least, did have military service in his background. But his bloodthirsty lust for constant war was breathtaking. It was his main feature, the main thing to remember about Lindsey Graham. The two things are his quizzling, kneeling to Donald Trump, a man he despised, despised. And his thirst and lust for the blood of anyone in the Middle East. He couldn't get enough of war. He couldn't get enough of murder. He was excited about the Venezuela war. He was excited for the war to spread to Cuba. He was Excited for Donald Trump to commit war everywhere and anywhere, and he didn't care what the purpose of it was. And he cared. He said he literally goes on a. A television program on Fox to talk about a devastating storm in his home state and said all he cares about is Israel, didn't give a damn about the people of South Carolina. They did fireworks for him when he died. A friend of mine was actually in South Carolina when he died. They did fireworks, which is a tradition they do for great men, for important people who die in South Carolina. Lindsey Graham made it clear all he cared about was war. He didn't care about South Carolina. He didn't care about bringing home. South Carolina is a poor, poor state with this powerful senator, just like Kentucky, poor state with this powerful senator. These states, these states with these powerful leaders who bring nothing home for them, do nothing for their poor, and all they do is vote for more and more bombs to kill more brown people that they don't give a damn about because they don't think those are even real humans. And it's different with Lindsay because if Lindsay was an idiot, like what's his name in Alabama? Tuberville. Tommy Tuberville is a moron. Lindsey Graham was not a moron. Lindsey Graham was actually a pretty intelligent guy. He knew better. He knew what he was doing, and he did it for clout, and he did it for access to the president. And he knew that the President was wrong. He knew that the president was a bad man. You know how I know that he knew it? Because he said it. I want you all to listen. I'm gonna give you an extended version of a clip you've probably heard a lot in corporate media, but I'm gonna play more of it because you need to really hear what Lindsey Graham said on January 16, 20, 2021. Because in this speech, he not only speaks to the evil of what Donald Trump fomented in the Capitol, he reminds you, Lindsey Graham knew history. Take a listen.
- [114:01]
Jason
Many times my state has been the problem. I love it. It's where I want to die, but no time soon. Tim and I have a good relationship. I love Tim Scott. 1876, South Carolina, Louisiana and Florida sent two slate of electors. They had two governments, by the way, and we didn't know what to do. Why did South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana do it? To hold the country hostage to end reconstruction. It worked. The commission was 8 to 7. It didn't work. Nobody accepted it. The way it ended is when Hayes did a deal with these three states. You give me the Electors, I'll kick the Union army out. The rest is history. It led to Jim Crow. If you're looking for historical guidance, this is not the one to pick. If you're looking for a way to convince people there was no fraud, having a commission chosen by Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell and John Roberts is not going to get you to where you want to go. It ain't going to work. So it's not going to do any good. It's going to delay, and it gives credibility to a dark chapter of our history. That's why I'm not with you. But I will fight to my death for you. You're able to object. You're not doing anything wrong. Other people have objected. I just think it's a uniquely bad idea to delay this election. Trump and I, we've had a hell of a journey. I hate it being this way. Oh, my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he's been a consequential president. But today, first thing you'll see, all I can say is, count me out. Enough is enough. I've tried to be helpful, but when this Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4 to 3 that they didn't violate the Supreme. The Constitution of Wisconsin, I agree with the three, but I accept the four. If Al Gore could accept five, four, he's not president, I can accept Wisconsin, four to three. Pennsylvania, it went to the Second Circuit. So much for all the judges being in Trump's pocket. They said, no, you're wrong. I accept the Pennsylvania Second Circuit. That Trump's lawsuit wasn't right. Georgia, they said the Secretary of State took the law in his own hands. He changed the election laws unlawfully. A federal judge said, no, I accept the federal judge, even though I don't agree with it. Fraud. They say there's 66,000 people in Georgia under 18 voted. How many people believe that? I asked, give me 10, hadn't had one. They said 8,000 felons in prison in Arizona voted, give me 10, hadn't gotten one. Does that say there's. There's problems in every election? I don't buy this. Enough's enough. We got to end it.
- [117:19]
Joy Reid
And I will say something you'll probably never hear me say again. I concur with every single word that Lindsey Graham said on January 6, 2021. Even Donald Trump, being a consequential president, consequently, in the worst way, in that he stole one and got three Supreme Court seats, which Mitch McConnell helped him engineer. So he permanently changed our history through the Supreme Court. His theft of Human children, locking them up, stealing them from their parents. Unprecedented, absolutely consequential in the worst way. But Lindsey Graham knew the history. Lindsey Graham was right about the history of what ended Reconstruction and that his own state was a part of the problem, along with Florida and Louisiana. He was absolutely right. This was not a fool. This is not an idiot. He knew that January 6th was an absolute apostasy on democracy. And yet Michael Fanon, I believe, wrote the proper obituary for a man who, with full knowledge, betrayed his country, betrayed his own conscience, when the victims of the January 6th insurrection presented themselves to him, knowing what he knew. This is what Michael Fanone wrote. Lindsey Graham is dead. I will always remember my first and only encounter him with when he looked the grieving mother of a dead police officer in the face and barked that he wasn't going to listen to her. Blame Trump for January 6th. When I showed him my body cam footage from that day, he turned away and looked at his phone. Rest in piss, you effing worthless scumbag. If there is a hell, I hope you're in it. And he was talking about the family of Mr. Sicknick, of Officer Sicknick, who died as a result of the injuries, or at least related to the injuries that he received on January 6th. That is Fanon keeping it real. And I cannot disagree with anything that he said because Lindsey Graham was a knowing, willful, deliberate, heinous criminal. I personally will never forget his racist, sneering, barking dog, racist interrogation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. I think if I was a Republican, I would never forgive his ruthless betrayal of John McCain. He said zero, zip, nothing. When Trent, when Donald Trump crapped on his best friend, nothing. And he even betrayed his other dear friend, Joe Biden, whom he allowed an investigation to continue despite knowing that there was nothing to investigate. Let me really quickly play that.
- [120:00]
Jason
If you can't admire Joe Biden as a person, there's probably, you got a problem, you need to do some self evaluation, because what's not to like? Here's what I can tell you, that life can change just like that. Don't take it for granted. Don't take relationship. Relationships were granted. I called him after Beau died and he basically said, well, Bo was my soul. We've talked for a long time. He came to my ceremony and said some of the most incredibly heartfelt things that anybody could ever say to me. And he's the nicest person I think I've ever met in politics.
- [120:44]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Is that right?
- [120:45]
Jason
He is as good a man as God ever created. They're asking Lindsey Graham. They have him under their thumb right now.
- [120:54]
Congressman Ro Khanna
They know.
- [120:54]
Joy Reid
He knows if he comes out against
- [120:56]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Trump, he's got a real tough road for reelection.
- [121:00]
Joy Reid
Number one, I am disappointed, and quite frankly, I'm angered by the fact he knows me, he knows my son. He knows there's nothing to this.
- [121:10]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Trump is now essentially holding power over him that even the Ukrainians wouldn't yield to. The Ukrainians would not yield to, quote, investigate Biden.
- [121:21]
Joy Reid
There's nothing to investigate about Biden or his son.
- [121:24]
Congressman Ro Khanna
And.
- [121:25]
Joy Reid
And Lindsey is about to go down in a way that I think he's going to regret his whole life.
- [121:31]
Jason
What do you say to him?
- [121:32]
Congressman Ro Khanna
I say, lindsay, I just.
- [121:37]
Joy Reid
I'm just embarrassed by what you're doing for you. And, of course, you'll recognize Don Lemon interviewing him for Time magazine. And Joe Biden had a right to be embarrassed for him and angry. Yes, sir. Again, it's like that's what you're gonna now be remembered as, as opposed to somebody who said those, you know, meaningful words about him and somebody who has some cogent sense on the Senate floor. Now you're gonna be remembered for what you are. Yeah. You're going to be remembered as someone who betrayed your friends, who betrayed your country, and who claimed that you cared about relationships, but in the end, the only relationship you actually cared about was the relationship with Donald Trump. You sold your soul. You betrayed your friends, your legacy, your own soul. You sold your soul to the devil, and now you get to meet him in person. So I will not be bullied by the corporate media into doing fake encomiums. I cannot tell you how many anchors are on television saying the world is mourning the death of Lindsey Graham. The unexpected. Nope. I think that the January 6th cops are not mourning. I think that Joe Biden's family is probably mourning the Lindsey they knew before Donald Trump bought him. This is somebody who. I don't know if I was. Ketanji Brown Jackson is a far better person than me. If I'd be particularly mourning. He was one of the most snide, mean, horrific interrogators of black nominees in front of his Judiciary Committee. A horrible man in so many ways, but at the same time, having been in the room with them, witty, intelligent, smart enough to do better and to know better. And we know he knew better because he said it. He posted. If we nominate Trump, we will be destroyed, and we will deserve it. And eventually your party will be destroyed. Lindsey, your whole legacy has already destroyed you destroyed it. You destroyed your party. You and People like Marco Rubio who know that Donald Trump is a snake. Remember Donald Trump did the story. You knew I was a snake when you let me in. You knew that Donald Trump was a snake. Y' all let him in. You are the people in the sinner's juke joint who opened up the door and let the devils and the vampires in. And speaking of that, Mitch McConnell, someone who also knows better if or knew better, depending on what you believe, Mitch McConnell, or I'm going to say more accurately, the way the media ought to really Frame this. Mitch McConnell's official Facebook page. Someone believed to be Mitch McConnell posted a photo of Mitch McConnell with his wife laying in a what looks like some sort of a convalescent bed. And they posted this on Sunday as a kind of proof of life. In this proof of life, he claims this is a proof of life to show that he's not dead. And he says, when you elected me to a seventh term and made me the commonwealth's longest serving senator, you trusting that I'd keep showing up to fight for you every day. And over the past several weeks, Elaine, that's Elaine Chao, his wife and I have appreciated both of your well wished, both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate. So he says, you know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even the public, in the public eye, I feel that same instinct. I can't help it. Okay, you've been freezing in public like multiple times. But he claims that he took a fall which landed me in the hospital. My doctors have confirmed that I didn't break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke. I don't have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital while receiving excellent care. Over the past several weeks, I've also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia. I can tell you that the comments under that post were actually quite hilarious. People saying, you know, an eight paragraph written post, maybe post a video that might be more convincing to convince people that you're still of this world. People were saying, oh, now I believe in ghosts. People saying, how about if you do an interview, maybe do a phone interview, which I actually wouldn't believe either because, AI, you can, you can fake people's voice. You need to do an interview, sir, if you are capable of sitting up in your convalescent bed and typing out and would you put it back up, Jason, this is like an eight paragraph opus. You couldn't have just taken that same, that same cell phone and talked into the video, Talked in talk and done video. Use your voice and spoken. I will tell you that somebody who would know said to me that if you look at the picture it's clear that he has makeup on that somebody powdered or made up his face. You can see that Elaine Chao is made up. People posted, we started to look younger in that video. And so people aren't buying it. People are not buying it. Now I will note that we've done a deep dive. I went into a deep wormhole with a good colleague of mine here at the Joy Reid show and we were able to pull up what appears to be the Washington Post front page of the sports section on Sunday. That appears to be the same as the newspaper that proof of life Mitch is holding in his hand. Weirdly enough, some people in the comments were saying why don't you hold that paper up so we can see it like a real proof of life. Which he didn't do. But we were able to discern. You can see that paper right in the corner. He's got his hand on it to try to prove that this is taken that day. It's Sunday. And the Sunday cover of the sports section of the Washington Post. He lives in Washington, not Kentucky. That is the picture it seems to match. The headline to the right seems to match. So you know, could be nothing. Right. There's also the Washington Post digital version of the story which is dated the 12th and it is posted at 8pm so maybe it's an update to the story. So that's. People are looking at that and saying oh, that's weird because the post on Facebook is at about 6pm and and then this post is at about 8pm it's not that one. It is a. It is E12. Yeah, there it is. So that is the exact same story about Chris Hakopian in the MLB draft. And it's the same picture but the timing of it is 8pm rather than the morning when that did when that physical paper would have come out. So it could be nothing, right? It could be nothing.
- [128:12]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Could be nothing.
- [128:12]
Joy Reid
Could be nothing. I will note that Donald Trump called in his new thing he gets to do and to meet the President Press where Lindsey Graham was supposed to be making his thousand and twentieth appearance. He was supposed to be on on Sunday and he also called into CNN where he told Jake Tapper that he loved Lindsay because. But. But he feels like Lindsay wanted to stay at War Forever. And then he did this weird thing that is so humiliating that it's, I, I feel uncomfortable almost playing it because I just feel humiliated on Jake Tapper's behalf. This was how the end the interview with Jake Tapper ended.
- [128:43]
Jason
Take a look.
- [128:45]
Joy Reid
Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. Is that true, Mr. President?
- [128:50]
Congressman Ro Khanna
It's open as far as we're concerned. Don't talk about it. Talk about the reason that you asked me to speak.
- [128:56]
Jason
Okay.
- [128:56]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
We appreciate your time, sir.
- [128:58]
Joy Reid
Well, I know you don't want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would
- [129:03]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
love to have you back sometime because
- [129:04]
Joy Reid
I do have a lot of other questions for you, sir.
- [129:06]
Virginia Case Salomon
Sure.
- [129:07]
Congressman Ro Khanna
We'll do that. We'll do that.
- [129:08]
Joy Reid
Thank you for calling to have CNN
- [129:11]
Congressman Ro Khanna
go in a normal path and we'll do that.
- [129:14]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
Well, I'm on a normal path right
- [129:15]
Joy Reid
here, sir, and I appreciate your time and thank you for calling in.
- [129:18]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Okay, thanks a lot, so much.
- [129:20]
Joy Reid
We'll be right back after this quick break. This gross, weird deference. Oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir. Oh, so sorry, sir. I'm so sorry, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, I'm on a normal path, sir. Yes, sir. I'm so sorry. I asked you a question that you didn't like, sir. Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I'm so sorry, sir. He also was on Meet the Press and when he called in and was told, don't ask me that question, and he's also told by Kristen Welker, yes, sir, we will please come back so we can ask you that question. The mainstream media has got to stop kissing this man's ass. Please, for the love of God. But I want to play one more clip. I know we're going a tiny bit over, but the other reason that people are quite dubious about this Facebook post is that the Facebook post came not long after the governor of Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear, gave an interview to Reverend Al Sharpton on the on miss Now. And let me play you a piece of that interview.
- [130:07]
Jason
Make some news right here. Reverend, our Republican supermajority has been so worried about me being able to potentially support someone before a special election that they pass not one, but two laws. They tried at first to say they could submit a list of three people to me from the Republican Party and I'd have to pick now. They say I can't fill a vacancy, but I have to call a special election. But here's the thing. There is a Kentucky constitutional provision that says that I appoint all state officers when there's a vacancy. The question is, does that apply to federal offices? Well, before there was ever a law in Kentucky on how this would work, multiple appointments were made by governors assumably assuming under that provision. So if we end up there, and I hope we don't, I hope Senator McConnell will provide proof of life tomorrow
- [131:01]
Congressman Ro Khanna
and that we could all move on.
- [131:03]
Jason
There's at least going to be probably a little disagreement.
- [131:08]
Joy Reid
So you, you would, if that became
- [131:13]
Jason
necessary, you would appoint someone if it
- [131:16]
Joy Reid
became necessary to do so. So on the basis of the Kentucky Constitution as you read it?
- [131:24]
Jason
Well, certainly my hope is that Senator McConnell will provide us the assurances that we need. But if he is incapacitated, if there is a vacancy, I will look at my authority as governor to make sure that we are represented as Kentuckians. And certainly I'll take a strong look
- [131:42]
Congressman Ro Khanna
at that section of our Kentucky Constitution.
- [131:46]
Joy Reid
So that happened. And then shortly after that interview, I believe Reverend Sharpton show is on. At 5 o', clock, about 6 o', clock, that Facebook post went up. So they're trying to do proof of life. Because what this is about, and this is the reason that we're saying that hell hath no fury like democracy scorned, is that this is the Republican Party at the national level and at the state level attempting to undermine democracy. Republicans currently have 53 seats. If you take out the Lindsey Graham seat, which his sister will now hold onto for now, that temporarily holds that seat. But they have to have a special election. He was running for reelection, meaning they must have a special election. So in November, we will now have a Lindsey Graham less race in South Carolina in which Democrats feel they fielded in a pretty strong candidate. They're now going to have to find someone, maybe it's the sister to run against Lindsey Graham to try to hold to that 53rd seat. They do not want Mitch McConnell's seat to be vacant, not only because they fear losing their overall majority, but because they want to confirm Todd Blanche. But there's another outlet. It's called the Kentucky Lantern. I don't know if you can even pull it up, Jason, if you might have gotten it, but C2 I didn't use it. C2 the the Kentucky lantern also received that image of Mitch McConnell in the bed next to Elaine Chao sitting with Elaine Chao sitting next to him. In their story, they point out there it is. And this is what they say in the Kentucky Lantern around the same time as the Facebook post that went up on this local website called the Kentucky Lantern. And it says here Quote, at the advice of his doctors, McConnell will not return to voting in the Senate floor soon. The chamber is set to reconvene on Monday. So they. They point out that he is not going to return and vote. So that means John Thune, who's the Senate majority leader, has 52 votes. And it would have been 51 if Lindsey's seat had not been immediately filled by the Governor of South Carolina. Their numbers are dwindling. Now, I will note that you can probably say that they still have 52 because we can't count on John Fetterman. John Fetterman is a Democrat in name only. But it's highly likely that if the Todd Blanche nomination comes before him, that fool is so corrupted, he gonna vote for him. But it's not clear that every Republican is going to vote for Todd Blanche. It's not clear that John Cornyn feels like he owes Donald Trump a damn thing, because Donald Trump went for PAX and not him, and he's now out of a job. John Cornyn is free. John Corn is free to do whatever he wants. And we know that there is a lot of distaste for Donald Trump Undercover inside the Republican Party. They ain't really friends. Even Lindsey Graham, Ms. Lindsey wasn't even his real friend. He just was using him to get war. If I'm John Cornyn, I'm saying, f you, Trump, you screwed me. Let me go ahead and screw you and not give you the absolute impunity that a Todd Blanche, Attorney General, that Attorney General Todd Blanche would give you. Because remember, this is not about a confirmation. This is about consolidation of power. And if John Cornyn decides that he doesn't want the last thing people remember about his ass, that he affirmed the nomination of the man who finally put the nail in the coffin of the Department of Justice, the man who finally let all the Epstein rapists, child rapists, go free, the man who will let Ghislaine Maxwell out of prison and. And hand out $1.8 billion to the January 6th cop beaters that you, as John Cornyn, he might say, you know what? I don't want that to be my grand closing, because I'm looking at Lindsey Graham's grand closing, and it's cowardice and betrayal and bootlicking. It's all he's gonna be known for. What do you wanna be known for, John Cornyn? Maybe you wanna be known for something else. Maybe you should stay. No to Donald Trump. He said no to you. If I'm Tom Pillis in North Carolina, I'm the state that's trying to be the good Carolina, the state that's not racist, the state that's trying to have a corridor that's all about tech, maybe, and he's retiring and he stood against Trump before, maybe he says, you know what? I don't want my grand closing to be about letting the single most corrupt attorney general ever to take office since the Nixon era get in and get that taxpayer funded job from which he could do more corruption, arrest more innocent Americans, fail to investigate some civil rights violations and allow Donald Trump to have complete impunity never to be investigated along with his family and friends for the rest of their lives. No audits, no investigations, steal as much money as you want from idiot magas who buy your stupid crypto corn, commit as many crimes as you want free of ever having to ever be investigated. Thanks to Todd Blanch. Maybe if I'm, you know, maybe I'm in, Tom, till I say I don't want no part today. Maybe if I'm Bernie Moreno and I already got this asshole that was married to my daughter throwing hot boiling water on her and then literally suing her for defamation. Maybe I'm like Republican Party. Maybe you're not looking out for me in my family. Maybe I don't want to vote with you and there is a, you know, there is an election coming up in the great state of Ohio. Maybe you say to yourself, you know what? Our statewide voters might be wanting to turn these Republicans out. Maybe I don't want to be one of them. Maybe if I'm Lisa Murkowski and every so often I do the right thing, I say, maybe this is one of those other times I voted for all the bad guys that Donald Trump put up. All the idiots, the incompetence, the fools who are poisoning us, who are destroying the Department of Health. We have no Department of Health. Whatever disease wants to run, run wild in America because we got Dr. Oz and RFK Jr. In charge. These people voted for Pete Hegseth, the most incompetent fool, a war criminal, somebody who's bound for the Hague. It is inevitable he will wind up at the Hague killing people on the Caribbean Sea, committing war crimes in Iran, dropping bomb on schools, all the bad things, and just being an embarrassing idiot embarrassing himself every day. A lot of these people voted for that guy. Maybe you're like, maybe I don't want to vote for one more of those idiots. Maybe I want to say no. Maybe Lisa Murkowski's like, I want to be moral. Or maybe I'M Susan Collins and I see the damned if I do, damned if I don't situation I'm facing in Maine where even with Graham Platner gone, the person who takes his place is likely going to pull at least even to me or ahead of me, because I am rotten. I'm a rotten, rotten, rotten soul. I'm a person who does not deserve the job I have, does not deserve to be reelected. According to Harry Anton, even a generic Democrat after Plant has been gone is like eight points ahead of she is. And if the Democrats are smart and they pick somebody, as I said before, and we'll say again, and people get mad, but if they put somebody in who matches the energy that Graham Platner brought to the table in fighting for working people and does not come in and say APEC today, APEC tomorrow, APEC forever, if they put someone in who cares about the people of Maine that can't afford their groceries, that can't afford their rent, that can't afford their mortgages, who have bad education for their kids and like, I need change. If they put a change Democrat, a liberated Democrat in office, she's cooked. Because Susan Collins is terrible. She doesn't deserve to be a senator, didn't deserve to be in office. And if the Democrats are smart and they replace it with somebody good and somebody that people can rally behind and get excited about, be passionate about, she's cooked. So maybe she says, the one way I can save my job is maybe I won't vote for Blanche. This is a Republican civil war in the making because they are now panicking because their elderly geriatrics are passing away and they now have to figure out how do they survive and stay in power and keep their six year Senate jobs just in case Democrats get smart and nominate people who actually have a backbone. Nominate the El Sayeds of the world, the Abdul El Sayed of the world who will actually fight for working people. Nominate people who actually care about the working class, care about people who are minorities, people who are racial minorities and gender minorities, and care about regular folks who just can't afford shit, maybe, you know, Democrats get smart and they take over. So now that vote for Todd, Blanche becomes a little more expensive if we play it right. Well, I mean, it's not even just us a maga. Do y' all want all your money going to Israel? I mean, ask yourselves the question, maga. Are you tired yet? Are you winning enough yet with Donald Trump and his family becoming billionaires? Well, you're broke. You're becoming a Broken heir. While they're becoming a billionaire, Trump is marching on his way to be a trillionaire. Well, your ass can't even afford gas. He's scamming you out of crypto. He's making you buy his merch, and he's sending you, like, not even the phone. You bought the phone. The phone doesn't even come. You're getting suckered. Maybe you don't want that anymore. So maybe voting for Todd Blanche is not the smartest move. So Susan Collins, John Cornyn, many of you. And what is the lady in the new. The new Lady Graham. They call the old one Lady Graham. The new lady Graham, the sister. How are you going to vote? Do you even get to vote? Do you even know what's happening in the Senate? You're just taking the job because you're a sister. Little nepotism. So I'm just saying that it is, you know, they have the votes. Technically, they do have the votes. They have 53, 52 votes, plus Fetterman, who's a traitor. They don't necessarily have to have 50 votes. They don't necessarily have to. Because I think that the Todd Blanche nomination, since he has said, or at least he said he will not foreclose the idea of handing out tax money to January 6ers who beat up police. Well, the fund, the police people are gonna have a challenge because a lot of their own voters say, wait a minute, you can't use my tax dollars to pay these goons. Why are they getting money? Why are the proud boys and the oath Keepers getting money and I don't get any money? That's how we did Rumney, My slush fund. Why should. Why should cop beaters get money? People who shat in our Capitol and tried to lynch the vice president and tried to lynch Nancy Pelosi. Why did they get a check? And even a lot of maga are like, this is bullshit. Why are the Epstein files not fully released? And why are the pedophiles still running? Shit. Why are the pedophiles still running wild? Are they going to release the names of the pedophiles? Apparently not. Yes, it's a stop the steal moment, and stopping the steal starts in November. But it starts with electing the kind of Democrats who will actually stop the steal and not just say, the uniforms have changed. Calm down and go back and watch Tubi. Everything's fine now. We're in charge and we're not going to do shit. But at least we're Democrats. If you elect people who do something Other than that, who, Mom, Donnie, it. Who? Say no, no, no, no. We're not just going to come in with the blue uniform. We're going to come in and change shit. People are going to go to jail. These hearings are going to result in referrals for criminal, criminal, criminal prosecution. We're going to shut down the Trump money train. Trump and his idiot sons are not going to continue to get rich off our tax money. We're going to shut down the money train. The money train is going to get turned off. We're going to put the Capitol back the way it was. Donald Trump is going to stop his stupid renovations. He's going to. You know, they're draining the poor reflectible for the eighth time. Just stop, Trump. Stop fixing things. Leave it alone. Stop putting gold guilt all over the damn White House. Just stop. Stop spending our money. We're being robbed blind. Stop the steal. So here's the chance to stop the steal. All right, so that's it. Let's get our moment of joy in.
- [142:50]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Hi.
- [142:51]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
Hi.
- [142:53]
Joy Reid
And how are you? I'm good.
- [142:55]
Virginia Case Salomon
And how are you?
- [142:57]
Joy Reid
Some weather we're having. Oh, and it is nice. And the birds and animals. I love animals. Jason just played it without me being a chance to set it up, but that was the moment of joy. I'm gonna have to find out the name of the person that did it. My apologies. I don't have their name. Let me put it in the. You're playing it again. And how are you? I'm good.
- [143:17]
Virginia Case Salomon
And how are you?
- [143:20]
Joy Reid
Some weather we're having.
- [143:23]
Congressman Ro Khanna
Nice.
- [143:23]
Joy Reid
And the birds and animals. I love animals. I remember those times. Those are the meetings that you get in and do. What's the name of the person's name? There it is. There it is. Freeze it right there. Freeze it right there. I gotta see it. It is the. The Alf. The al filmmaker. The out filmmaker. The out film. The alt filmmaker. The alt filmmaker on Instagram. And it is that thing, when you get it. The AI film. The AI filmmaker. Sorry. It's the thing where you get in the meeting late and people are just yapping. Are you getting the meeting too early? People are just yapping. That's it. Please hit like and subscribe and share. Thank you all for watching. Sorry we went a little long. Thank you to Abdul El Sayed, you to Congressman Rona, and thank you. Common cause is doing all the things Lily, Vivian, Solomon. Thank you guys very much for watching. See you guys on Wednesday on the next fairy show. Be good and don't get in the meeting. Too early because you know how that goes. Bye. Getting back to the basics Grassroot level
- [144:12]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
Let me dig a little deeper with
- [144:14]
Joy Reid
the shovel Plenty can't tell the force from the trees that I'm hard to detect Like a black hole in the
- [144:19]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
dark and justice anywhere it's a threat
- [144:22]
Joy Reid
that injustice everywhere Let me make this clear I got a bone to pick
- [144:25]
Dr. Abdul El Sayed
and I'll never fear the threat of
- [144:27]
Joy Reid
poverty they don't want to talk about it they rap a party so I'm a real talk about it for sure.