← The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell
The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell
Schumer on Trump’s tariffs: ‘This man is a menace’
00:40:39
Tonight on The Last Word: Trump tariffs drive the stock market down 2,200 points. Also, Senate GOP and Democrats introduce a bill to limit Trump tariffs. Plus, Donald Trump fires the head of the NSA after meeting with 9/11 conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. And former President Obama speaks about the Trump 2.0 era. Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Mark Warner join Lawrence O’Donnell.
Loading summary
Transcript101 lines
- [00:01]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Last year, Americans ate 32 billion chicken wings. Who knows just how many helpless sides of celery were heartlessly thrown away? But this year, celery neglect can stop with you and irresistible Jif peanut butter, because you can make a snack to make a difference. You can buy a jar of Jif.
- [00:21]
Rachel Maddow
To save the celery.
- [00:23]
Lawrence O'Donnell
So please don't let celery be decoration for wings.
- [00:28]
Rachel Maddow
Tap the banner to save the celery.
- [00:31]
Lawrence O'Donnell
The last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most.
- [00:34]
Chuck Schumer
Is a robot with countless irrelevant menu options.
- [00:37]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Which is why with USA Auto insurance.
- [00:39]
Chuck Schumer
You'Ll get great service that is easy.
- [00:40]
Lawrence O'Donnell
And reliable, all at the touch of a button. Get a quote. Today, restrictions apply.
- [00:46]
Rachel Maddow
Now it's time for the Last word with Lawrence O'Donnell, even though it's Friday. Good evening, Friday.
- [00:51]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Lawrence, Great to see you, Rachel. And I've been blue skying. And you know, Rachel, the other night when you said you told the audience that you weren't going to be here Thursday night because you were celebr your anniversary with Susan, so America knew. And I was just wondering if you think that the New Yorkers who saw you out last night celebrating your anniversary with Susan found it. You think they found it at all weird that I was with you? I hope not. I hope they get it right.
- [01:23]
Rachel Maddow
It's Rachel and Susan's anniversary and there's Lawrence and Stephanie Ruhl.
- [01:31]
Lawrence O'Donnell
It got complicated together.
- [01:32]
Rachel Maddow
It got people think things are creepy.
- [01:34]
Lawrence O'Donnell
At msnbc, but I don't think they.
- [01:36]
Rachel Maddow
Think they're creepy that way.
- [01:38]
Lawrence O'Donnell
It was a public event. And Rachel, we have Senator Elizabeth Warren is going to run off the Senate floor and join us because she's got what I think is the absolute best idea about the Trump tariffs, which is to pass a congressional resolution. This can do this quickly. It's a one sentence thing in the Senate and the House saying that no, the Congress is overruling, which they have the power to do by resolution that Trump doesn't have to sign, doesn't get to sign the Trump tariffs. In other words, Congress is simply going to reclaim the authority the Constitution gave them complete authority over tariffs, and that's the one that fixes it instantaneously. And I would assume that all those people at JP Morgan who really live in fear of Elizabeth Warren normally are thanking her tonight for trying to save them and the world from the global recession.
- [02:35]
Rachel Maddow
Seriously, I mean, if you think about one thing that could do so much economic good in one fell swoop, in one sentence, you could solve like a $6 trillion problem that Donald Trump just created. You could do that. But it would also be this, like, profoundly counter revolutionary act for the Congress to, to sit up and say, oh, yes, we exist. It is a tripartite system of government. It's not just the courts and Donald Trump. We also exist. We have a role. We are going to use it for the good of our country. It would, in one sentence, you could put the earth back on its axis.
- [03:14]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Yeah, it really does work. And Chuck Schumer is going to join us. This is one of those Senate nights here at the Last Word, because they're in one of those voting cycles that's going to go on well into the night. And I know there's been a lot of criticism of Chuck Schumer as a leader recently, and I know why. I get it. But what he's doing tonight is what he does very well in these situations, which is to construct these strategic amendments that they know the Republicans are going to vote against, they know they're going to be defeated. But these are designed as campaign tools for running against these Republicans, where you will have a vote in the Senate recorded tonight saying, this senator voted to basically threaten your Social Security. This senator voted, you know, a whole string of things about Medicaid, Social Security, Medicaid care, and, and this is what they're up to tonight. Senator Schumer is going to brief us on how that's working. I mean, just getting him to vote to continue the tariffs. Yes, exactly.
- [04:10]
Rachel Maddow
Going to tack most of them up to the billboard, honestly. Anyway, good luck, Lawrence.
- [04:14]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Thanks, Rachel. Thank you. See you. See you around town, Rachel.
- [04:18]
Rachel Maddow
No, never again. Never again.
- [04:20]
Lawrence O'Donnell
I know, I know, I know. Have a great weekend. Well, on a day when the stock market completed its biggest drop in history, specifically caused directly and instantaneously by the actions of a President of the United States, Donald Trump spent the day in his golf cart. It was the perfect let them eat cake imagery of the Trump stock market collapse, which has now delivered official forecasts of a recession from J.P. morgan and other economic forecasters. Donald Trump has at least finally achieved complete agreement that Trump tariffs are taxes on the American people, paid only by the American people. JP Morgan calls the Trump tariffs the biggest tax increases since 1968. Donald Trump's first vice president, Mike Pence, says the Trump tariffs are the biggest peacetime tax increase in history. On Tuesday, the first day of the latest round in the Trump stock market crash, Wall street economic forecasters said a recession was possible because of the Trump tariffs. That was strong enough, they thought, by the end of the week tonight, those forecasts are assuming a recession because of the Trump tariffs. That could mean millions of people losing their jobs because of Donald Trump, and it absolutely means price increases because of Donald Trump. Big price increases. And today, Donald Trump spent the day in his golf cart, I guess, celebrating price increases. The man who ran for president claiming that just electing him president would create a huge increase in the stock market and would decrease prices immediately on day one. Nao himself is the single biggest inflation threat in American history. And today he spent the day in his golf cart. The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Republican Jerome Powell, did not play golf today. In a speech today, Chairman Powell said Donald Trump's tariffs will, quote, include higher inflation and slower growth. While tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation, it's also possible that the effects could be more persistent. In other words, the Trump price increases that are coming could last a very long time. They will last at least as long as the Trump presidency, if you believe Donald Trump and Trump administration officials who insist that Donald Trump will not change his mind about tariffs until virtually every automobile sold in America is made in America, which would really mean that the Trump tariffs would have to last forever. Tonight on social media, Donald Trump said they are here to stay. J.P. morgan raised the chances of a recession from 40% to 60%. In other words, J.P. morgan is advising all investors to bet on a Trump recession, a Trump recession that J.P. morgan says could do permanent damage to the American economy. JP Morgan issued those warnings in a report titled There Will Be Blood. JP Morgan is not filled with dramatists who are in awe of the brilliant work of writer director Paul Thomas Anderson, who gave us the deranged Trumpian 19th century businessman played by the Oscar winning Daniel Day Lewis in the 2007 film There Will Be Blood. JP Morgan used that movie title today deliberately on their report to try to get the attention of a madman who spent the day on golf courses because he's just. While he's destroying not just the American economy, but the worldwide economy, JP Morgan is now predicting a global recession. That's their term, global recession. Global because of the relentless ignorance and stupidity of the man who spent the day in a golf cart. If you have any money in a retirement account, you have much less of it tonight thanks to that man on the golf cart. If you Somehow put together $100,000 in a retirement count, now you have $90,000 and it's going down. The man on the golf cart can be stopped. And Elizabeth Warren has a plan. Senator Warren will Join us later in the hour with her plan to stop the Trump tariffs immediately. A bipartisan group of senators led by the senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tariffs, Republican Chuck Grassley and Democratic Senate Finance Committee member Maria Cantwell, have introduced a bill that would require all of the Trump tariffs to expire after 60 days unless Congress writes those tariffs into law. Everyone in Congress knows that the Trump tariffs could never pass a vote in either the House or the Senate. Senator Warren has a plan for ending the Trump tariffs immediately, which I will leave to her to describe tonight. On the Senate floor, Republicans are trying to push through the latest version of a Trump budget bill, while Democrats led by Chuck Schumer offer a series of strategic amendments that will force Republicans to go on record casting votes on the Senate floor that can and will be used against them in the next election. And joining us now is the Democratic leader of the United States Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York. Senator, thank you very much for joining us tonight. I want to begin.
- [10:27]
Chuck Schumer
Hi, Lawrence.
- [10:28]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Thank you. I want to begin with something in the Senate you would call a point of personal privilege. And it's something that the Republican senator, Bernie Moreno said about you. I'm going to read it to you. He said that Republicans are independently minded. This is a quote. Democrats are monolithic sheep that follow the Fuhrer, Schumer's orders. What is your reaction to that, Senator?
- [10:56]
Chuck Schumer
It is despicable. It is outright anti Semitism. I lost family in the Holocaust, relatives who were little babies and adults. And to use the word Fuhrer in the same breath is just despicable, disgusting. He ought to apologize. It is outright anti Semitism. No question about it.
- [11:21]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Needless to say, Donald Trump has had no objection to Bernie Moreno using that word about you. That's the same Donald Trump who says that you are no longer Jewish.
- [11:34]
Chuck Schumer
Yeah. Look, Donald Trump is, you know, he may not be an anti Semite, but he certainly tolerates antisemitism in so many ways. Calling me a Palestinian, you know, don't tell my mother. But also talking about in Charlottesville, both sides had good people. When he brings an anti Semite like Fuentes to sit at his table at Mar a Lago when the great replacement theory, which we all know is a conspiracy theory among the hard right, that Jews are trying to replace the white race with immigrants. Every other president, Lawrence, every other president, Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, whether it's Reagan or Bush or Clinton or Obama, when there was big bigotry, their job was to push it down. Donald Trump he either revels in it or just lets it stay right there. That shows you one of the many, many reasons he doesn't deserve to be president.
- [12:32]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator, you represent the state and the city where the stock market is located, most important stock market in the world. That stock market now has spent a week suffering from the greatest drop in stock market history caused by the single action of a president. What do you say to Wall street tonight?
- [12:55]
Chuck Schumer
What I say to Wall street is this man is a menace. You know, Donald Trump. This is about the worst decision or one of the worst decisions Donald Trump has made and given his presidency. That's saying a whole lot. Why are they doing this? Why are they imposing such tariffs on people? I'll tell you, there's one reason, Lawrence. They want to use this money for tax breaks for billionaires. And they're making the average American family pay. It's now about estimated about $5,000 a year. These are across the board tariffs. Prices of everything, whether it's food or medicine or gasoline or a car or clothing or furniture or buying a home are going to go way up. And middle class people are going to suffer for this, suffer dramatically. So will the economy. You know, when you're as uncertain and as erratic as Donald Trump is on issues like this, businesses don't spend money. Consumers, their confidence is lower than it's been in close to a decade. They don't spend money. It's just ridiculous. And the way they implement it, here's either laugh or cry. They've actually put tariffs on penguins, but not on Putin. Because in their tariffs are two islands, the Heard island and McDonald island, which only have penguins on them. This is just government that is reckless. It is the bottom line. Lawrence, there's a group of hard right angry billionaires. They always wanted to run the government. Donald Trump has let them run the government and they are just hurting the country. Betraying Donald Trump is betraying the middle class. And people are seeing it. The stock market went down even before this happened. Look what happened in Wisconsin and even in Florida. The American people are see, seeing that Donald Trump lied to them in the campaign, is doing just the opposite of what he said. Remember, he said prices will go down on day one. Now with these tariffs, they're skyrocketing. They are seeing that he doesn't keep his promises, that he betrays them and that his whole way of being is he's in this billionaire bubble with his friends Musk and Lutnick and people like that and they just care about themselves.
- [15:03]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator Donald Trump has taken the full blame publicly, every stock market analyst that you see on cnbc, many of whom are Republicans, every one of them blames the president's announcement about tariffs for what's happening in the stock market. But the Constitution of the United States gives total power over tariffs to the Congress. The Republicans who run the House of Representatives have the constitutional authority to originate the tariff legislation there. Every Republican member of the House, every Republican member of the Senate has the power legislatively to block what Donald Trump is doing on these tariffs. When, when does the blame extend to them? How many days of grace do you think they should get before these tariffs? Are their tariffs zero?
- [15:55]
Chuck Schumer
And we're seeing, you know, all of these Republicans, even those who know Donald Trump is wrong, have just gone along with him in every way in obeisance. But for the first time today on tariffs, we're seeing a little bit of a crack. Senator Klobuchar has a bill with, actually Sen. Grassley, as you know, a Republican from Iowa that says no tariffs unless Congress approves them. And they've gotten four or five Republican co sponsors. Tonight, as we do the voting on reconciliation, I am introducing legislation that says no tariffs will go into effect if it raises prices in any way. We're going to ask our Republicans. We'll see how many of them vote with us. But if they don't vote with us and the prices go up, which they're inevitably going up, they will feel the heat. They're beginning to feel the heat, as shown by Klobuchar HRs bill. But we got to, I think there'll be a lot more heat on them in, day in, day out, because this is, this is the greatest sort of, this is the Trump tariff tax. It's hurting the middle class by more than anything, $5,000 a year. Prices go up across the board. When inflation's been the number one issue, I believe the Republicans will politically pay a very large price if they stick with Trump on these tariffs.
- [17:08]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator, you have a long night ahead of you. It's one of those nights in the Senate once again where the Republicans are trying to push through a budget framework, budget resolution that will require a minimum of a $5 trillion increase in the national debt over time because of the Trump tax cuts and other provisions. In this, in this bill, you have a series of amendments where you, which is traditional in these situations for the opposition to have amendments where you're going to try to pick away at what they're doing. Can you give us a preview possibly of some of those votes that we'll be seeing overnight because this going to go well into the wee hours of the morning.
- [17:48]
Chuck Schumer
Yeah. We're going to have amendments against these terrible tax breaks. We're going to have amendments on Social Security. They're trying to destroy Social Security. We're going to have amendments on the corruption and self dealing of Musk and Trump. We're going to have amendments preventing these Medicaid cuts. We're going to have amendments stopping cuts to veterans. We're going to have amendments dealing with education cuts. It's going to be across the board and we are going to show in every way how Donald Trump is doing things that hurt the middle class across the board. Help the billionaires and Republicans will vote against us at their political peril. The American people are totally against this and we're beginning to see the signs of that. You saw what happened in Wisconsin, even in Florida. And you're going to see many more signs like this because again, Trump betrayed the American people. He promised one thing in the campaign, he's doing the exact opposite. And on amendment after amendment after amendment, we are going to expose the Republicans and Trump for their hypocrisy.
- [18:48]
Lawrence O'Donnell
And the way these things work, as you and I know, is it's extremely unlikely that you will win these amendments or any of these amendments. But what it is and the leader's job tonight, your job tonight is to give all of the Senate campaigns coming up the ammunition of the votes that you will force Republicans to cast tonight. Votes.
- [19:09]
Chuck Schumer
Exactly.
- [19:10]
Lawrence O'Donnell
About Social Security, about Medicare, about Medicaid, that you can create campaign commercials about and about what are indefensible.
- [19:18]
Chuck Schumer
These things are going to be so indefensible that Americans come election time and even throughout the next year will no longer want to support Republicans who embrace Trump. That is a goal of ours. Obviously it will help us come election time. But we're fighting them every day. And my message to Democrats is as bad as Trump is and as bad as the American people are seeing he is, we have to fight every single day to show them what he's doing and what we will stand for in complete opposite opposite of what Trump wants.
- [19:51]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator, I want to distinguish for the audience what's being voted on tonight. This is different from that bill that came up a couple of weeks ago that was simply to continue the funding of the government so the government would not have a shutdown. Tonight is the future budget of the United States. That is correct and for years to come. And I want to go back, I want to go back to that difficult vote you cast on keeping the government open. And let me just stipulate, I don't want to get into a long discussion of it, but I completely, in my view of the way things work in the Senate and the government completely agreed with your reading of the situation. And I firmly believe that keeping the government open was the better of the two terrible options that you had in front of you. So I'm one who actually thinks you did the. What the leader has to do in a, in a moment like, in a moment like that.
- [20:41]
Chuck Schumer
Let me just say a shutdown, Lawrence, would have been even worse than the cr. I knew that there would be opposition. But as you said, sometimes a leader has to do this. You know, I tell people when you on the political mountain, the higher you climb, the more fiercely the winds blow. The only thing that keeps you from being blown off is your internal gyroscope. And I believe then and I believe now, I did the right thing. If we had a shutdown right now, things would have been 10 times worse. As bad as that CR was, I.
- [21:10]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Agreed with your view. The shutdown would have been a gift, particularly to Elon Musk and the kinds of crimes against government he could get away with. But let me go to that point, Senator, because this is the first time you've really faced some really stiff criticism inside the party. Some people just thinking your time should be up as a leader. What do you have to say to them tonight about your future as a leader of the Senate?
- [21:37]
Chuck Schumer
Here's what I'm saying. We are united. My whole caucus, whether they voted for me or against me on that issue, or with the agreeing with me or disagreeing, we're totally united on how we fight Trump. And it's very, it's, it's something we have to do relentlessly. But it simply says he is cutting so many things that the middle class wants to give tax cuts to billionaires. You're going to hear that as a united caucus. I think we'll have every Democrat vote for every amendment. And if we keep united and keep our focus trained on Trump, we can certainly bring down his popularity and make those Republicans who vote with him pay that political price.
- [22:17]
Lawrence O'Donnell
What did Cory Booker's record setting holding of the Senate floor 25 hours, what did that mean for Democrats going forward? I have to tell you, Senator, from out here, it was great in the grandstand. It looked like a turning point, let me tell you.
- [22:33]
Chuck Schumer
It was, he was great. Not only the physical stamina, 25 hours. And I worked with him a little bit on this. He showed such preparation and Such perseverance. But as important as the length of time he spoke, which was incredible, was what he said. He gave such a severe, well thought out, comprehensive indictment of the Trump regime that had caught Americans attention and helped us advance the cause of letting the American people know how bad Trump is and how he has sold them out. So I salute him. Our caucus loves him. As I said that night when I told him he broke the record, not only do we love you, Cory, America loves you.
- [23:12]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator, just one last question. In my experience working in the Senate, both leaders always hated filibusters, and they never supported them, even if it was coming from their side. But when I saw you out there at 1:00 in the morning with Senator Booker, I believed I may be wrong, but I believed I was watching a Senate leader for the first time supporting a filibuster like this. What was it like for you to be out there in the middle of the night with Senator Booker?
- [23:38]
Chuck Schumer
It was beautiful.
- [23:39]
Lawrence O'Donnell
In the lonely hours, the lonely hours.
- [23:42]
Chuck Schumer
I was there late at night. It was a tour de force. It was like looking at something so beautiful, politically so beautiful, but even in a human way, so beautiful. The way Cory presented himself, the way he told stories about his life and his father, the way he talked about John Lewis and the way he ended, which was right on the money. We got to make good trouble. And we will.
- [24:06]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator Chuck Schumer, another late night in the Senate tonight. Thank you very much for taking the time to join us tonight.
- [24:11]
Chuck Schumer
It's great to be with you. Bye bye.
- [24:12]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Thank you. And coming up, Senator Elizabeth Warren is not exactly a favorite of finance bros. But tonight, Wall street should be very glad that Elizabeth Warren has a plan to stop the madness of the golfer in chief. Senator Elizabeth Warren joins us next.
- [24:35]
Rachel Maddow
DonorsChoose is helping classrooms across the country that are facing a funding crisis. Right now, schools don't even have classroom essentials like pencils, scissors, and books. Without supplies, students are unable to find their spark of imagination. But with DonorsChoose, people like you connect directly with teachers to make sure students.
- [24:53]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Have what they need to succeed. Choose students, shape the future.
- [24:57]
Rachel Maddow
Learn more@donorschoose.org today.
- [25:02]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Hey, everybody, it's Rob Lowe here. If you haven't heard, I have a podcast that's called Literally with Rob Lowe. And basically, it's conversations I've had that really make you feel like you're pulling up a chair at an intimate dinner between myself and people that I admire, like Aaron Sorkin or Tiffany Haddish, Demi Moore, Chris Pratt, Michael J. Fox, there are new episodes out every Thursday. So subscribe, please and listen wherever you get your podcasts.
- [25:38]
Rachel Maddow
Did you know 39% of teen drivers admit to texting while driving? Even scarier, those who text are more likely to speed and run red lights. Shockingly, 94% know it's dangerous, but do it anyway. As a parent, you can't always be.
- [25:49]
Lawrence O'Donnell
In the car, but you can stay.
- [25:50]
Rachel Maddow
Connected to their safety with green lights. Infiniti's driving reports monitor their driving habits, see if they're using their phone, speeding, and more. These reports provide real data for meaningful conversations about safety. Plus, with weekly updates, you can track their progress over time, help keep your teens safe. Sign up for Greenlight Infinity@Greenlight.com podcast.
- [26:11]
Lawrence O'Donnell
The Constitution of the United States Article 1, Section 7 All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments, as on other bills. That sentence has meant that everyone elected to federal office in the history of the United States of America has understood that the power to set a tariff or a tax belongs exclusively to the Congress. In the 20th century, the Congress voted to give the President very limited authority to raise tariffs in certain narrowly defined situations, including national emergencies like, for example, world wars. Almost all of the Trump tariffs do not come close to fitting the exceptional conditions allowing the President to raise tariffs. Therefore, almost all of the Trump tariffs are completely illegal. And with those illegal tariffs driving the United States and the world now toward a global recession, according to JP Morgan's forecast, the bankers at JP Morgan should be very glad that Elizabeth Warren has a plan. Joining us now, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. She is a top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee. She's a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tariffs. Senator Warren, what can we do?
- [27:51]
Rachel Maddow
Right now? Authority is right here in Congress. We don't have to just stand by and watch everything melt down because Donald Trump has engaged in this crazy round of tariffs. Instead, we can pass a resolution, reel it back in, take away this authority from him right now, and get things back to normal. We can do that. We just need a handful of Republicans to join us and we can get this done. And frankly, we should do this. We should do it before the markets open on Monday.
- [28:28]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Yeah, it's the kind, it's a very simple resolution. It's the kind of thing that each body could pass very quickly.
- [28:34]
Rachel Maddow
Yep, yep, we could do this fast. And remember, we saw a little crack in the Republican Trump wall on Wednesday when we put forward a resolution to be able to stop the tariff war with Canada, just a narrow one to try to get the Republicans in. Four Republicans joined us. We're now looking at Donald Trump crashing not just the US Economy, but the economy all around the world. This, this is truly an emergency and we need Congress to act. All we have to do is pick up a few Republicans, get those Republicans to join the Democrats and roll back with a resolution what Donald Trump has done, and then we restore where the markets were before.
- [29:26]
Lawrence O'Donnell
We've heard from Senator Rand Paul, we've heard from other Republicans. There are not. Of four Republicans who are co sponsors on another bill Senator Cantwell is a co sponsor of, that would in effect, allow only, I believe, 60 days for the Trump tariff for Donald Trump to raise tariffs. And then, or some period like that. And then they would expire. They would just automatically expire if Congress doesn't approve of them. But, but that allows for weeks and weeks and weeks of economic destruction worldwide.
- [30:02]
Rachel Maddow
That's right. And chaos. And look, we don't need to do that. We don't need to pass a separate law or a new law or a different law. The legal authority is already there. All we have to do is pass a resolution in the House and the Senate declaring that the particular device he's using of the, this fake emergency that he was claiming triggers his ability to do these tariffs. Just saying that's not so. And that will take away his power to do that.
- [30:33]
Lawrence O'Donnell
And the audience should understand that previous presidents have not done what Donald Trump is doing for two reasons. None of them were stupid enough to think it was a good idea. And none of them believed that this kind of tariff raising by a president was legal.
- [30:52]
Rachel Maddow
But you know, Lawrence, this is really a moment when Republicans in the House and the Senate have to ask themselves, are they really just here to bend a knee to whatever Donald Trump wants, even if it crashes economies all around the world, or are they here actually to represent the interests of the American people? If it's the latter, let's pick up the tool that's already there in law and reel back these tariffs that Donald Trump has put in place all by himself.
- [31:26]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator, I know you've brought up an amendment tonight in, in what's moving forward on the Republican budget. What is at stake tonight in these votes.
- [31:36]
Rachel Maddow
So remember, this is the next step in the Republicans trying to do massive giveaways to billionaires and billionaire corporations and pay for it on the backs of cuts to Medicaid for little babies and for seniors in nursing homes, cuts to our public education system, cuts to the Veterans Affairs Department cuts in medical research. So tonight is going to be about forcing the Republicans to have to take a series of votes about exactly what they plan to do with this budget. And the vote I want them to take is I'm going to put forward a proposal that says whatever you all end up doing with the budget, at least promise in this commit that you will not do any tax giveaways to companies that make a billion dollars or more in profit.
- [32:34]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Profits.
- [32:35]
Rachel Maddow
Let's see if the Republicans could at least agree to that.
- [32:39]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator, before you go, have you gotten thanks from those investment bankers at JP Morgan for your idea to save them and save the global economy?
- [32:50]
Rachel Maddow
No. But you know, this isn't about thanks. This really is serious, Lawrence. And I'm really worried, not just about what's happening in the stock market, but what this will mean for employment across the country. What this will mean for people who are counting on modest savings. I am really worried about what it means for everybody in our country and worried about the implications all around the world. Congress has a chance right now to put a stop to this, but the Republicans in Congress have to be willing to stand up to Donald Trump and say, no, you don't get to break the American economy.
- [33:31]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator Elizabeth Warren, I know you have to get back to the Senate floor. Thank you very much for joining us tonight.
- [33:35]
Rachel Maddow
Thank you, thank you.
- [33:37]
Lawrence O'Donnell
And coming up, a truly crazy 31 year old person who thinks 911 was an inside job walked into the Oval Office yesterday and got a four star general fired because the fake tough guy Donald Trump will apparently do whatever this 31 year old woman orders him to do. That's next with Senator Mark Warner, the Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
- [34:07]
Chuck Schumer
Netcredit is here to say yes to.
- [34:09]
Lawrence O'Donnell
A personal loan or line of credit.
- [34:11]
Chuck Schumer
When other lenders say no, apply in minutes and get a decision as soon as the same day. If approved applications are typically funded the.
- [34:19]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Next business day or sooner.
- [34:21]
Chuck Schumer
Loans offered by Netcredit or lending partner.
- [34:23]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Banks and serviced by Netcredit Application subject to review and approval.
- [34:26]
Chuck Schumer
Learn more@netcredit.com partner netcredit credit to the People.
- [34:36]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Hey everybody, it's Rob Lowe here. If you haven't heard, I have a podcast that's called Literally with Rob Lowe and basically it's conversations I've had that really make you feel like you're pulling up a chair at an intimate dinner between myself and people that I admire like Aaron Sorkin or Tiffany Haddish, Demi Moore, Chris Pratt, Michael J. Fox. There are new episodes out every Thursday So subscribe, please and listen wherever you get your podcasts. The last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most.
- [35:15]
Chuck Schumer
Is a robot with countless relevant menu options.
- [35:18]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Which is why with USAA auto insurance.
- [35:20]
Chuck Schumer
You'Ll get great service that is easy and reliable, all at the touch of a button.
- [35:23]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Get a quote Today, restrictions apply. A crazy person walks into a bar. That could be the beginning of a joke, but it wasn't a bar. A crazy person walked into the Oval Office yesterday. A crazy person who has said, quote, 911 was an inside job, end quote, walked into the Oval Office and Donald Trump, Trump paid full attention to her as he always does. For some strange Trumpian reason, Donald Trump has always enjoyed paying close attention to 31 year old Laura Loomer who was at Donald Trump's side most days of the presidential campaign. Reportedly much to the concern of some other Trump campaign staffers. But because nobody can keep Donald Trump away from Laura Loomer, she told Donald Trump yesterday to fire the head of the National Security agency and the U.S. cyber Command. And so Donald Trump immediately fired four star General Timothy Howe, who unlike Laura Loomer, has never once said that 911 was an inside job. It should have taken diligent investigative reporting to find out how and why that mysterious firing took place. But the 31 year old ignoramus who Donald Trump is so fond of publicly took credit for it, saying thank you President Trump. And Donald Trump wasn't the least bit embarrassed about being publicly exposed as living heavily under the undue influence of such a dangerously delusional person. Joining us now is Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the Vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He's also a member of the Senate Finance Committee. Senator Warner, thank you very much for joining us tonight. I know you, you this four star general. What did we lose in that firing?
- [37:21]
Mark Warner
We lost 30 years of experience, 30 years of commitment, 30 years of nonpartisan service to Republican and Democratic administrations alike. And in a moment in time when we are under attack on almost a regular basis from China and Russia on cyber, we have this. And Lawrence, you are actually relatively calm about this person. She not only disclaimed 9 11, she said, you know, school shootings were fake. She even attacked Governor DeSantis wife for almost faking her breast cancer. I mean this is somebody any rational administration would never let 100 yards near the White House. So General Hawk, who's been, you know, was in Japan, no warning, fired by the instigation of this individual. But that would be bad enough. But then they also fired another 10 national security folks who worked on the NSC, many of them who had been staff members to Republican senators and congressmen. And you know what, none of the Republican senators or congressmen have said a word. And I just did an amendment tonight on the voterama. I know you had Elizabeth on earlier where I said guys, shouldn't we at least say don't put classified information over non secure commercial channels. And not a single Republican voted for it. I thought that would be a no brainer voice vote. But these guys are unfortunately so a nerd to Trump that whether it is when it comes to national security they are not stepping up in any way. And Unfortunately General Hawk, 30 years of experience down the drain.
- [38:55]
Lawrence O'Donnell
So Senator, let me just double underline the vote you got on the Senate floor because you're reporting this to me now. I didn't know this. You have every Republican member of the Senate now on the record saying no, you don't have to communicate over secure channels when you're discussing war plans.
- [39:14]
Mark Warner
Absolutely. And the thing that's so mind boggling, as I said, we all know we want to support our security, but can't you guys do this? And I can tell you any military officer or CIA officer who had treated the information, and I'm referring back to the so called signal gate where Secretary Hegstaff, you know, sent out information about military plans while our flyers were en route to target. If they had done that, they would be fired, no question asked. And we couldn't even say on a going forward basis, let's make sure that doesn't happen again. This is the same, you know, National Security Advisor Waltz and Hegsev who've been on these communications we now understand more than 20 times, no accountability. What message does that send to the military? What does it send to our intel community? And more equally important, what message does that send to our allies? Well, I know Israel is now thinking, rethinking, will they share classified information because they shared part of the targeting information about the Houthis in Yemen. And they're saying you are treating it this cavalierly, this sloppily, that's gonna cost us as well.
- [40:26]
Lawrence O'Donnell
And on top of that sloppiness, after that sloppiness, Donald Trump takes national security advice from this 31 year old woman who just walks into his office with no qualifications whatsoever.
- [40:39]
Mark Warner
Well, I would even say worse than that, somebody who is a conspiracy theorist that even the MAGA Republican, at least from reporting, thought was too crazy to be close, but she's in there giving staffing advice and what's remarkable is the president, United States took that and now we've lost a 30 year general fired without cause. Members of Trump's own National Security Council fired without cause. And America is less safe because these actions.
- [41:11]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator Mark Warner, thank you very much for joining us tonight. I know you have to get back on the Senate floor. How late do you think it's going to go tonight, Lawrence?
- [41:18]
Mark Warner
I hope you know, it's, I hope we'll be done by two or three. But only the night owls should stay awake for watching us.
- [41:27]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Senator Warner, thank you very much for joining us tonight.
- [41:30]
Mark Warner
Thank you.
- [41:31]
Lawrence O'Donnell
And coming up, last night President Obama made his first public comments since Donald Trump's inauguration. That's next. Last night at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, President Obama said this. It has been easy during most of our lifetimes to say you are a progressive or say you are for social justice or say you're for free speech and not have to pay a price for it. And now we're at one of those moments where, you know what, it's not, not enough just to say you're for something. You may actually have to do something and possibly sacrifice a little bit. So, yeah, if you're a law firm being threatened, you might have to say, okay, we will lose some business because we're going to stand for a principle. If you are a university, if you are a university, you may have to say, figure out, are we in fact doing things right? Have we in fact violated our own values, our own code, violated the law in some fashion? If not, and you're just being intimidated, well, you should be able to say, well, that's why we got this big endowment. We'll stand up for what we believe in and then we'll pay our researchers for a while out of that endowment and we'll give up the extra wing or the fancy gymnasium that we can delay that for a couple years because, you know, academic freedom might be a little more important. It President Obama gets tonight's last word. What is the secret to making great toast?
- [44:25]
Rachel Maddow
Oh, you're just going to go in with the hard hitting questions.
- [44:29]
Lawrence O'Donnell
I'm Dan Pashman from the Sporkful. We like to say it's not for.
- [44:32]
Chuck Schumer
Foodies, it's for eaters.
- [44:34]
Lawrence O'Donnell
We use food to learn about culture, history and science. There was the time we looked into allegations of discrimination at Bond Appetite or when I spent three years inventing a new pasta shape. It's a complex noodle that you've put together every episode of the Sporkful you're going to learn something, feel something, and laugh. The Sporkville from Stitcher. Get it wherever you get your podcasts.