Transcripts For MSNBC The Last Word With Lawrence ODonnell 20240708

2022 now its time for the last word with lawrence odonnell. Good evening, lawrence. Okay, rachel, first of all it is not weird at all. You have done two hours now, two consecutive nights and that set up where we all were used to it at the end of minute one of last night. So, i mean, you can keep talking about it, but its just you, everyone else is just taking in the show as usual. You are very kind to say that. Last night, i had the audio so screwed up, it was totally me trying to do it myself. I sounded like i had a kazoo wedged in my with pipe or the first 15 minutes of the show. Until somebody was finally like you need to spin the dial about 180 degrees. And i was finally able to talk through sound like it wasnt beamed in from mars. But you are being very nice to me in any way. To me in any way. Rachel, it is now 3 01 am in ireland where Patrick Murphy lives, the leader of the Irish Fishermen who got my guy. But ive got Vladimir Putin to say your guy. The story that you delivered to this network. And with your permission which we prewired, of course, Patrick Murphy is going to join us at the end of the hour tonight. But because of the ridiculous time in ireland, we pretaped it a little while ago. Yeah, which was also helpful because, you know, the irish, they can go on and on. Its not but it doesnt there is no easy conclusion of the conversation. You can only say this because urinal donald. Do not wrote me into this. Im a mad. Oh i cannot be part of this conversation. So were just were just going to share you a wee bit of it. A we six minutes or so of what it couldve been. Im going to get off the air with you right now and i am going to hack into your staff system to watch that tape because i cannot wait until the end of the hour. Watching right now. Okay. By. But im gonna go back to system. Bye. But today we learned that new Mexico Democratic senator freshman senator, ben ray lujan, is recovering from a stroke that he suffered last week. Senator lujan is 49 years old and expected to fully recover. I think we might all know people who were in similar situations and fully recovered. He might be back at work in the senate by the time President Biden actually announces his choice for the next Supreme Court justice which the president has said will be by the end of this month. Senator lujan is not a member of the Judiciary Committee so his vote for the nominee of the Supreme Court will only be needed on the senate floor. And that Confirmation Vote will happen at least a month after the president announces his nominee. So that vote is at least two months away. Thats plenty of time. For senator lujan to return to the senate Floor To Cast will be his very first Senate Confirmation vote for a Supreme Court justice. But in the meantime, the democrats have only 49 senators on the floor. Chuck schumer has been the Majority Leader of a 50 50 senate. Longer than anyone in history. President biden has accomplished more with a 50 50 senate than any president in history has accomplished with an evenly divided senate. But while senator lujan is recovering, those senators 49 democrats cannot pass any legislation without republican support. Democrats have been elected to the senate in ten states with republican governors. If one of those Democratic Senators had to be replaced, the replacement would not be a democrat. And Mitch Mcconnell would instantly become the Majority Leader of the senate. Such is the extreme fragility of that the democrats hold on a 50 50 senate. And such is the extreme fragility of the very sanity of American Government. It hangs now on a 50 50 senate. This government becomes something else. Instantaneously. If we lose one democrats senator, that is where the fragility of the government stands tonight. And on the breaking news of the night, the New York Times is reporting that the january six committee, quote, is scrutinizing former president donald j trumps involvement in proposals to seize Voting Machines after the 2020 election, including efforts to create a legal basis for directing National Security agencies to take extreme action, according to three people with knowledge of the committees activities. Congressman adam schiff was a member of the committee he said, we want to fully flesh out the facts. How close did this come to being operationalized . What kind of pushback did they receive . Who was a part of this particular scheme . We want to answer all those questions. Last night, at this hour, the New York Times was reporting that donald trump was more involved in the plan to seize Voting Machines that he previously revealed. And tonights reporting adds significantly to that. According to that donald trump told giuliani to quote, ask the department of Homeland Security if it could legally take control of Voting Machines and key swing states. Kenneth t cuccinelli the second the acting deputy secretary, said no. Giuliani was also told to approach the Attorney General quote, raising with Attorney General william barr the question of whether the Justice Department would seize machines, a quiery that mr. Barr rejected. It reveals how porous the trump west wing was. How in secure it was, including on a normally highly controlled, highly secure issue of who is allowed to enter the west wing. On december 18th, 2020 a junior staffer let michael flynn, and attorney sydney powell, enter the west wing. And according to the New York Times, quote, eventually they got close enough to the oval office that mr. Trump saw them and called them in take control of Voting Machines and for miss power to be appointed a Special Counsel overseeing election integrity. The times quotes white House Counsel as shouting in that scene, he does not have the authority to do this. Leading off our discussion tonight is neal katyal msnbc legal analyst. Neil i want to go to one word, one word that appears in these New York Times reports. Both last night and tonight. And that is donald trump asking if they could legally seize the Voting Machines. According to this reporting, the question is, can we legally do this . How much how important is that one word that president according to these accounts in those scenes is indicating that he wants to do it if its legal . Yeah, i think the entire story is remarkable and it would be investing in our practice to ignore trumps role in office. I think the most important thing about talking about this legally, it bears is all of these events have happened at his behest. We wouldnt have these news reports from the New York Times, we wouldnt have the january six committee, we would have multiple criminal investigations, if trump just accepted the outcome like the nine other losing incumbents before him. So whats the New York Times story ties together is it pins three aspects. First, trump wanted to use the machinery of government to control the outcome of an election, and thats kind of kim jongil style. Thats dictatorial. Second, who gets to carry the south . Rudy giuliani who helped get him impeached in the first time around, and rudy is not exactly someone known for his diplomacy or his tact or his lawyering. He is no jean baker. So you have to feel bad for trump, thats all he could get. And then third, we now have this trump issued a command to try to do this. His defense for the last year has been, hey, i was just exploring my options, i havent decided anything. But this news those a hole in the defense that trump had. Oh i had made up my mind its all just speculation. You just have to ask, where does all this stop between the draft Executive Orders the john eastman memos every document that comes out is like of a voice over saying, and then someone had a worse idea. You know, on this point legally there are plenty of people in Prison Tonight who asked the question of there accountant can i do this legally . And on the kind of someone else said no, you cant, and they did it anyway. So the fact that donald trump is asking, can we do it legally doesnt tell you whether he was willing to do it illegally . Absolutely. You have to be frankly, deluded if you want to ask that question. Is illegal for president to seize Voting Machines and make a National Security finding or Something Like that . Of course the answer has to be no. Its a preposterous question. I want to go to something that developed over the weekend which is donald trump in this unprecedented stunning thing that he is so famous for doing, basically promising pardons, hundreds, possibly thousands of pardons for people who attacked the capitol on january six, one of the lawyers representing one of the leaders of the capital so had something to say about the pardons today. Lets listen to this. If you vote for me and support me, that can be a problem legally for him and there is some people from january 6th. Hes talking about a case by case basis as an individual review, i think i would support that. There are january six defendants who have publicly said that they think trump shouldve done more for them. He couldve pardoned some of them before he left office in january 6th of last year. There are some grumbling and feeling that they abandoned him. I think yes to be diplomatic here. But i dont. But the president did, dangling pardons, is potentially criminal. And the very fact that hes admitting the pardons have to be issued, you can only pardon if someone has committed a crime. So i think it implicitly suggest that crimes are being committed. If you dangle pardons out with the investigation before, we also know from reporting this weekend that trump literally tore up the memos that he was getting and she fought through them on the floor. The memo says that he would seize the Voting Booths and Voting Machines and things like that. I guess we finally learned what happened to Donald Trumps College Transcripts from this kind of behavior. Its potentially criminal. In fact, there is entire statute of president ial records which is all about the fact that you cant destroy these documents. Theyre important for law enforcement, for functioning of the government, and for trans missions of power which is done but donald trump tried to stop. And i just, and he was disappointed that he lost the election by millions of votes. But the american thing to do when you lose an election is every incumbent before him is to accept that loss. I was a Junior Lawyer at bush versus gore, i was heartbroken. But al gore did exactly the right thing. Donald trump has done exactly the wrong thing. Its dictatorial its putinesque neil katyal, thank you so much for starting out our discussion tonight. Joining us now is Steve Schmidt of is cofounder of the lincoln project. Steve, i began tonight with a new note about the fragility of American Government and that is this unfortunate situation where the democratic senator, 49 year old man, healthy man, suffered a stroke. Its gonna take him out for a few weeks. But for those few weeks, the democrats will not actually in truth have the Majority Working in the senate. Theyll have 49 senators. And here we see tonights New York Times reporting about the fragility of this government with someone in the oval office who was talking about seizing Voting Machines around the country. It is an extraordinary story. And by the time we get to the end of it, more and more were going to know fully know who did what and when they did it. Well know exactly what happened here. And i think its important to understand, and i really dont know the answer to that. If Ken Cuccinelli says yes, we can do that. What happens next . Where was the next Circuit Breaker in the process before military actually seized these Voting Machines . The entire american experiment, as has been the case from day one, has always been vesting in the faith and belief of the people in the system. And when you have a country where 35 , 40 of the population wont accept the result of an election, where you have constant intimations of violence, when you have an Autocratic Movement steeped in Conspiracy Theories and non stop lying for the purposes of gaining power, you are on a knifes edge in a democracy. And thats where this country is. So, the lawyers representing these january six defendants are now very interested in what donald trump has had to say about pardons if he becomes president again. And by the way, steve, one of the things i was struck by was the way donald trump said that. He said, if i run, which was one if. And then there was a second if, which was, if i win. Which was not a standard trump style of saying that. Normally he would be saying Something Like, of course, i will win if its a fair election, if they dont steal it. But in his own mind and the way he phrased it, hes raising more doubts than i think a lot of observance in the media have. I think the bottom line, lawrence, as we analyze him, he is a very powerful political figure in this country. He is the leader of an Autocratic Movement in this country. He is the republican front runner. In fact, he is likely the de facto nominee. He has the power to kill with a whisper, with a word. We have his accolades all over the country involved in the incitement of violence and spreading of a conspiracy. And when we see these details, when the 6th Committee ultimately holds hearings, i hope in prime time, well see the full extent of this conspiracy. And thats exactly what it was, it was a conspiracy to take Power Illegitimately. It was an american coup, because some of the characters are buffoonish and clownish does not lessen the severity of what happened. And unless this is met with severe consequences, were doomed to see this repeated likely with people who are smarter, more capable, and more sinister. But a dam has broken and that dam held back this impulse, because in Americas National life, weve always had an agreement about how we portion power. And trump is trying to shatter that, to break it. And hes convinced an awful lot of people in this country to take a walk on whats foundational to the functioning of american democracy. We have to face that, we have to reconciles ourselves to it, we have to deal with both the malice and the cowardice of a political party, a Republican Party, thats allowed this to happen. It has put the country into this terrible quandary. Steve, as we go forward in the investigation, it seems unusual it has an unusual shape to me at this point, because whenever ive seen investigations of mafia king pins, it is always moving from the outside and getting closer. They get the informer and then they get wiretaps, they eventually get the big guy. This is one of those investigations where we seem to know exactly what the big guy did, what the big guy wanted, and what the investigation is going to give us is what every one else was doing. And as you put it, where the Circuit Breakers were, who were the people who said no . Who were the people who stopped what he was trying to do all the time . This was a story where we have not yet gotten to, i think, in the conversation what the worst Case Scenario was. What was it . Was it american soldiers seizing Voting Machines . Was it the person who lost declaring himself the winner . Was the plan to get to these boxes on january six to scatter the electors, to substitute the fake elector ballots . As absurd as it is, the motive here matters a great deal. How wellplanned was the ballots . You can go back to the debate where donald trump said to the proud boys and these groups, stand back, stand ready, lock and load. Thats exactly what they did. They waited for the command, trump gave the command on the sixth, and a mob attacked the capitol in one of the most disgraceful acts in american history. These people, these criminals, who are being sentenced by the droves, who are pleading guilty, the seditionists, the idea that a former president of the United States seeks to establish a martyrdom for actually a criminal who lost her wife and the desecration on assault on american democracy. That these people would be heralded by a former president as heroic, as patriots, when theyre the exact opposite is deeply alarming. But more so, is the concept that i think seems so alien to a lot of the democratic leadership in washington, is that this is an event that is continuing to unfold. Its playing out. Its about the next election, not so much about the last election anymore. Biden won that election and was able to take power despite everything that trump did. Everything thats happened since then is aimed at taking Power Illegitimately in the next election. And the next time you wont see a Kevin Mccarthy hesitate like he did in the hours after the violence. You wont see the secretaries of state hesitate like they did in the seige. They will be ready, they will be primed to take command and to take control. Its not a lot of people, but the downrange effects for all of us we need to wake up to and have a serious discussion about it in this country. And i hope the 6th Committee will be the venue and the occasion to allow this, to have that conversation which we very badly need to have. Steve schmidt, thank you very much for joining us once again tonight. You bet, my pleasure. Thank you, lawrence. Thank you. And coming up, donald trump has endorsed a candidate in michigan who is telling people to be ready, be ready to shoot and kill voters and poll workers at the next michigan election. And the Michigan Republican party seems to fully support that position as does donald trump so far. Manage gushing and congressman, hayley stevens, who reported Marjorie Taylor greene to the police for her dangerous comments about guns will join us next. With a painless, onesecond scan i know my Glucose Numbers without fingersticks. Now im managing my diabetes better and ive lowered my a1c from 8. 2 to 6. 7. Take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. Now you know. Try it for free at freestylelibre. Us allergies with Nasal Congestion overwhelming you . Now you know. Breathe more freely with powerful claritind. Get fast relief of your worst allergy symptoms including Nasal Congestion, so you can breathe better. Claritind. Breathe better. Avoiding triggers, but cant keep Migraine Attacks away . Qulipta™ can help prevent Migraine Attacks. It cant prevent your next period. Qulipta™ can help prevent Migraine Attacks. It cant prevent stress. You cant prevent whats going on outside, thats why qulipta™ helps whats going on inside. Qulipta™ is a pill. Gets right to work to prevent Migraine Attacks and keeps them away over time. Qulipta™ blocks cgrp a protein believed to be a cause of Migraine Attacks. Qulipta is a preventive treatment for episodic migraine. Most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and tiredness. Qulipta™ can help prevent Migraine Attacks. It works within your bodys chemistry. It cant prevent lack of chemistry on the court. Learn how abbvie can help you save on qulipta. Kim is now demonstrating her congestion. Save it slimeball. Ive upgraded to mucinex. We still have 12 hours to australia. Mucinex lasts 12 hours, so im good. Now move kim, no mucinex lasts 3x longer for 12 hours. With voltaren arthritis pain gel. My husbands got his moves back. An alternative to pills, voltaren is a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory gel for powerful arthritis pain relief. Voltaren, the joy of movement. Hunting rights have long been cited as a reason why americans should be able to own every form of firearm in existence. But, Michigan Republicans have now dropped the Hunting Rights facade and are saying out loud that the reason to own guns is to shoot and kill people. Specifically, shoot and kill people who they politically disagree with. The leader of the Republican Party, donald trump has endorsed mike dimmer, a Michigan State candidate who says that republicans have to be prepared to shoot and kill voters and poll workers at the polls if they dont like the way that those people are behaving while an election is going on. Speaking to an audience of republicans who want to be poll workers in the next election. Donald trumps candidate said this. The Second Amendment isnt there for Hunting Rights. It is not there for selfdefense. The Second Amendment is there, the founders put it there, to protect all the others. The ideal thing is to do this peacefully. Thats ideal. But the American People, at some point in time, if we cant the tide we need to be prepared to lock and load. So you asked what can we do . Show of armed. Joining us now is democratic congressman Haley Stevens of michigan. Thank you very much for joining us tonight, your State Attorney General we put out a written Statement Saying that of course, intimidating people with firearms at Polling Places is against the law. But this guys talking about killing people, thats when i heard him talk about. Well look, our State Attorney General, danish role, has been working on this issue. And i remember talking to her about it leading up to the 2020 election, particularly in oakland county, in michigans elected district. Our gonna keep our Polling Locations safe. We were seeing the rising rhetoric, and now we have a gentleman whos running for a state office. He is not a first time candidate, and your spot on, lawrence. He is calling for people to take up arms. Not just for threats but to utilize violence. And by the way, we are having this conversation today when there is been multiple shootings around this country, in our schools. These things are related. We are at a crisis moment in america, this is a sickness with guns in the rhetoric it is in our political dialogue. It is antidemocratic. And i am calling it out. This man and his affiliations need to be investigated. So, at that same event, speaking to people who want to be republican poll workers in the next election, one of the republican candidates for governor said if you see something you dont like happening with the machines, you see something going on, unplug it from the wall. And that of course provoked michigans Attorney General to issue a wish of britains Statement Saying that is illegal. These people are advocating election crimes routinely now. Yeah, we need law in order. We need to backup or police, we need to black up our Election Workers. Thats been reported. Certainly whats happening with our Election Workers around this country, our clerks, who are Holding Elections accountable and responsible. And now theyre afraid to do their job, lawrence. And so of course, i absolutely support Attorney General dana nessel, and her commitment to law in order. Thats with the Democratic Party stating for here. What lessons have we learned coming out of january six. You know, Indentation Detroit and artist to f centers when folks were trying to coat the ballots. All those absentee ballots, it free and fair elections. We need safety, we need accountability. And somehow this is running rampant in a Major Political party. So we have a gubernatorial candidate, we have a state senate candidate, and we have a former president who refuses to admit he lost an election, and incited a riot on the Capitol Injuring police here and staff. Making members of congress run for their lives. Thats the state of that party in this country, lawrence. Its a big problem. And as if tonight, no repudiation of these guys advocating that poll workers commit crimes, bring their guns, kill people if they feel like it at the Polling Places. No repudiation from donald trump, nothing from the Michigan Republican party. Crickets, its been crickets. And its been a call to vigilante justice, which is unacceptable. And we know, i talk to my constituents through oakland county, lawrence. They want to be able to go to the poll safely. Were talking about giving legislation so that we can provide funding to Police Departments that was in the george floyd policing bill. Were gonna pass an omnibus, and ive gotten resources to the communities in oakland county, so that they can hire Mental Health resources in our peds because would of what we are dealing with. So not only do we want to talk about this, lawrence, we need to act, we need to take this seriously. And yes, its a memorandum of reckoning whats going on with the Republican Party in this country right now. Congresswoman Haley Stevens, thank you very much for joining us again. We always appreciate. It thank you. Thank you. And coming up, when people believe the lies of the fox host about vaccination and covid19 and then they die who pays for the funerals . Who supports the widows who supports the orphans . Not the fully vaccinated millionaire Rupert Murdoch, and not the fully vaccinated fox hosts. They just pretend that those people didnt die. Thats next. I dont just play someone brainy on tv im an actual neuroscientist. And i love the Science Behind neuriva plus. Unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of Brain Performance. More Brain Performance . Yes, please neuriva. Think bigger. burke with farmers auto multipolicy discount, the more policies you have with us, the more you could save on your auto insurance. man hey, hon wife hi, honey man like what . burke well, youd get a discount for insuring your jet skis. And boat. Rv. Life. Home and more. You could save up to fortyfive percent. man thats a whole lot of discounts. burke well, we offer coverage for a whole lot of things, and you could save a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. kid sup, dad burke seventeencar garage you got there . We are farmers bumpadum, bumbumbumbum oh. Oh. Whats going on . Oh, darn let me help. Lift and push and push there. Its up there. Hey joshie. Wrinkles send the wrong message. Help prevent them with downy wrinkleguard. Feel the difference with downy. If you havent tried Dawn Powerwash dish spray, what are you waiting for . Its dawns fastest and easiest way to clean everyday dishes. On simple messes. Just spray, wipe and rinse. On tough messes, its spray activated suds have five times faster Grease Cleaning Power to break down grease without water. Plus, its targeted spray cleans even hard to reach places better. So, replace your dish soap with Dawn Powerwash and spray your dishes clean. Hey lily, i need a new wireless plan for my business, but all my employees need something different. Oh, we can help with that. Okay, imagine this. Your mover, rob, hes on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. We cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, like asap so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee. Yeah i shouldve just led with that. With at t business. You can pick the best plan for each employee and get the best deals on every smart phone. Because he believed the lies of rich antivaccination fanatics who have no Science Education, like Robert Kennedy junior, and the constant Disinformation Campaign against vaccines run by the fully vaccinated billionaire, Rupert Murdoch, and the fully vaccinated hosts of the fox primetime shows all of whom also have no Science Education whatsoever, 50yearold that lemay died from covid19 on friday. Because Robert Love May was victimized by those lies, he was outraged at the governor of washington for issuing a Vaccine Mandate for State Troopers like him. He went viral in october with this video. This is my final sign off after 22 years of serving the citizens in the state of washington. Ive been asked to leave because i am dirty. Its a last time you will hear me in a state patrol car. And james he can kiss my ass. His income supported his wife and four children. His paycheck was the only source of support in that family. And the fox hosts who make Tens Of Millions of dollars for supporting lies made what they called a celebrity out of one of their victims. What is next for you other than being a celebrity for you . Whats next for you . Im a spokesperson for thousands and thousands i would say even millions of people. I think theres 2 Million People who have actually viewed it. Its been 99 positive from everybody. I think this is my path right now. Theres a lot of job offers that im getting right now. Im getting phenomenal job offers. A sleeping giant. Maybe we hope that this is whats happened here. Weve awakened it slowly but surely. Matthew guards who covers fox for media matters, wrote, they were happy to tell a story when it was a useful foil against met Vaccine Mandates. Fox viewers heard the hosts they trusted suggest that it was her out to resign rather than take lifesaving drugs. Now that hes dead, they are nowhere to be found. Fox never got around to updating its audience on robert lemays death yesterday, but they did find time to prop up some new antiwar anti vax culture war heroes. We dont know how much set up for robert lemays family. How about the hundred Million Dollars or so that he pays the fox hosts to do everything they possibly can to steer people away from taking the vaccine that all of them have taken . The vaccine that report murdoch flew across the Atlantic Ocean to get in england before he could get here. So far, the lemays Family Gofundme Page has raised 7,610. Since he quit his job in october. Please consider helping robert lemays family now. I will make a contribution to the gofundme page, and i hope you do too, because robert lemays family needs our help now. And we can be sure that Rupert Murdoch will do nothing. We will be right back. Ht back. Staying up half the Night Searching for savings on your prescriptions . Just ask your cvs pharmacist. We search for savings for you. From coupons to lower costs options. Plus, earn up to 50 extra bucks rewards each year just for filling at cvs pharmacy. We gotta tell people that Liberty Mutual customizes Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need, and we gotta do it fast. [limu emu squawks] woo new personal record, limu only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. Anything else . Do you also take orders online . Yeah, we do that. Yeah, we do. Chef, can we hire another hostess . Umm. Psst. Yeah. I was gonna add an exclamation point. Secure payments, the tools you need, people who can help, we do that. Talk to a clover Business Consultant today your Shipping Manager left to find themself. leaving you lost. You need to hire. I need indeed. Indeed you do. Indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. Visit indeed. Com hire three times the electorlytes and half the sugar. Pedialyte powder packs. Feel better fast. New orleans is the First Public School district in the country to mandate the Covid Vaccine for students aged five and older. This of course is in addition to all of the other Vaccine Mandates that new orleans and virtually every Public School district in america has already had for many, many years. Parents can opt out of the Vaccine Requirement by signing an Exemption Form for their children. A District Spokesperson says that the unvaccinated students will not be turned away. Joining us now is doctor Henderson Lewis, superintendent of new orleans Public Schools. Superintendent lewis, thank you very much for joining us. It is fascinating that we now have exactly one district that has added exactly one vaccine to a preexisting list of Vaccine Mandates that every other School District in the country already has. Yes, we certainly are very proud of the work that we continue to do in our School System as we respond to covid19. It is nearly two years now. But we do know that when it comes down to the vaccine and fighting covid19, this is the one thing that we know that we can do to preserve inperson learning, keep our schools open. Because our schools are essential and must remain open. Because this is where our students belong. So you have 49,000 students. The Infection Rate has dropped dramatically over the last couple of weeks. You are now down to a few hundred from a few thousand a couple of weeks ago with omicron. What are you hearing from parents so far about the mandate . So when i made my announcement, On December 16th in the city of new orleans, when it comes to students ages 5 to 17 years old, about 33 of Community Members that are children were vaccinated and had one shot. After my announcement that number increased by 75 . So we know that the students may not be fully vaccinated today but we are working towards getting our students vaccinated and that is so important during this time. And so for the parents to opt out of this vaccination, what information are you getting from them . What is the reasoning that you are hearing on that . So first of all, just like any other vaccine, families have the opportunity to opt out. Whether you are talking about the Chicken Pox Vaccination or any other vaccination, families can opt out. And its as simple as a form. But our students right now, we see that our families are working towards being vaccinated. We do know that some families will opt out and that is okay, because they have that option. And as you go forward, do you expect to be able to collect data that will inform and will be useful for other School Districts . Currently what we are doing is that february 1st was our deadline of the mandate so our schools are working with our families to understand the students that are fully vaccinated. And to, students how have received the first shot at least. And then three, those who have completed the Exemption Form. And we have a fourth category of students who have not designated whether they will take the covid shot or whether they will actually turn in the Exemption Form. So what our schools are doing at this time is working to understand and meet our students where they are to make sure that we can get our students fully vaccinated or help them to opt out. Superintendent Henderson Lewis of new orleans Public Schools, thank you very much for joining us tonight, we really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thank you. Coming up next, a very special guest will get tonights last word. Patrick murphy, irelands new folk hero, the leader of the Irish Fishermen who forced Vladimir Putin to surrender. No word yet on who is playing Patrick Murphy in the movie but Patrick Murphy himself will join us and get tonights last word. Logies. Redefine who we are and how we want to lead our lives. Basically, choose what we want our future to look like. So whats yours going to be . Its our ultimate sleep number event on the sleep number 360 smart bed. It senses your movements and automatically adjusts to relieve pressure points. And its Temperature Balancing so you both sleep just right. And now, save 50 on the sleep number 360 limited Edition Smart bed. Plus, 0 interest for 24 months. Only for a limited time. When i break a long run, im talking long, long. Thats why i use old spice triple protection sweat defense. [announcer] there he goes. Old spice works harder for longer. Hey derrick man, you gonna be much longer . Its gonna be a minute, minute. Hey derrick, quit playin. Derrick okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete balanced nutrition for strength and energy. Woo hoo ensure, complete balanced nutrition with 27 vitamins and minerals. And ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. Ive got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Now, theres skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months, after just 2 doses. Skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. Nothing is everything talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. Learn how abbvie could help you save. Feeling sluggish or weighed down . Talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. It could be a sign that your digestive system isnt working at its best taking metamucil everyday can help. Metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. It also helps lower cholesterol and slows Sugar Absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. So you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. Support your daily digestive health. And try metamucil fiber thins. A great tasting and easy way to start your day. Thanks to realtor. Coms home alerts we were able to see the newest homes on the market, super fast. So we could finally buy our first big boi house. Big boi house. Big boi kitchen big boi Waterfall Shower big boi crawl space. Big boi sold sign, big boi logo. Realtor. Com to each their home. The last word tonight goes to the man who has become irelands new folk hero by forcing Vladimir Putin to surrender. Patrick murphy is the leader of a group of Irish Fishermen who told the russian navy they would not be welcome in irish Fishing Grounds for their war games this week. First, the russian government said, we dont care what near irish fisherman have to say, the russian navy will have their wargames as planned. Patrick murphy then said, the now famous words, were not moving. And the rest is history. This weekend, Vladimir Putin backed down and the russian navy said they would play their games much farther out to sea, far away from the irish Fishing Grounds. Its close to 4 00am in ireland right now. So, we lured Patrick Murphy into an interview earlier tonight at a reasonable hour in ireland. And here is some of what he had to say in the discussion that i wish couldve gone on for hours. And joining us now from the other side of the atlantic, from his Battle Station Of Sorts In Southwest Ireland on the tip of the island, is Patrick Murphy. Patrick murphy, you have to be feeling triumphant tonight. Oh fairly triumphant, absolutely. It isnt often that you get the accolades of other countries navy from your waters, keeping them from it. That seems to be the language use now. But we are delighted from what we heard from our politicians, that they are not only keeping away from us and what they explain to us, lawrence, but they are actually leaving our waters and we will be able to keep the waters you know. The name murphy in old irish means sea warrior. So murphys around the world, i think, believe that you really lived up to the name in the last couple of weeks. Yeah, we come from a Little Island off the west coast. Thats the Murphy Family from he actually came up and lived in the island for a while when some of his enemies came for him. So he had a safe haven. Maybe now youre describing that we are the warriors that Nobody Messes with. [laughs] so maybe could be it as well. So ireland is not known in history for its naval victories. And here you are with Fishing Boats that are what, maybe 70 feet long that you are prepared to go out there in the ocean and in fact take on Russian Naval vessels . You are now occupying a fairly unique place in irish history. Its an honor. Just as you mentioned, in the same sentence as some people that have been mentioned, and there was even mention of joe biden with his irish roots reaching out to us and to discuss tactics in the future. But you never know where this is going to end up. But were delighted. And were really delighted from the attention. Because its one thing for us to do what we did, lawrence, without your support and without the American People taking this on and having an interest in the story. I dont think we wouldve managed to do what we were hoping to do. It took the media and it took peoplesinterest all over the world to do this. And all jokes aside, i think thats why we have to learn from this. There was a huge message in what we were doing. We were dog in our approach, we were not going to move from our Fishing Grounds. We were going to stay there. But definitely the people around the world make this happen. And i guess this particular juncture hopefully will change things around and maybe give a lesson to the world that from small acorns big trees grow. What did it feel like when you started this on day one . Did you feel like you were going to be able to get this done . And did you feel like you were going be able to get the attention that you needed . Whatever we thought we wanted to get done, i do not felt like we had any choice, genuinely. This was going to happen. We were going to go fishing and we were really just telling everybody, this is us, we are going to be here and, under maritime law, because were gonna be just doing our business, you have to keep away from us. You can imagine, right . You can see me and the way i talk, nothing special. [laughs] so when we came out and we spoke to the cameras, they were going, oh, come on lets, do you really think you are going to tell the russian nation to back off . As if they will listen to you . They were giving platitudes, anything you wanted to hear. So it was really nice when we were talking to Donie Osullivan on the pier and he said did you see this . Look at this. And there was an announcement by our minister for Foreign Affairs, so we knew it had to be real, that they said we were going to guarantee what we agreed they would do, they were going to move off into international waters. So it was a shocker and its been snowballing since. Patrick murphy, has the Irish Government reached out to you for offers like maybe be the new Foreign Minister or the new ambassador to russia . I dont know i caused a lot of trouble, i tell it as it is. They get praise when you do something good, but if they are not good, dont worry, they will get as well. But they do know me and the minister of Foreign Affairs simon coveney, he knows me personally, and hes worked with me in the past, and weve accomplished certain things. But id like to accomplish an awful lot more. Ambassadors role . I would say i would be in serious trouble if i tried to be that, it would be terrible to leave them for anything. I wouldnt do that to my fellow fishermen and the lads in my organization. But you never know. Patrick murphy, hes gonna stick around, he says. Patrick, thank you for joining us tonight. I really appreciate it. And thanks very much, lawrence, its a great honor and privilege to come on shows like this. We wouldnt have you in the states here but in fairness, im impressed, so its good for the likes of yourself to give us the honor to talk to you. So we really do appreciate it because im representative of the organization here, just pointing at it. And so i really couldnt do it without the likes of your help. And thats the truth so thanks very much. Patrick murphy gets tonight s Last Word And A Special last word to you, viewers of this program. Since i mentioned robert lemay s gofundme page, his familys gofundme page, just minutes ago on this program, youve already donated almost 10,000. It went from 7,600 to over 16, 000, right now. Robert lemay of course died by covid after being victimized of the lies told on fox about vaccines and other vaccine sentiments expressed by others. Robert lemay is a victim of that story. And your kindness is greatly appreciated im sure and i cannot thank you enough for the response you have delivered. That is tonights last word, The 11th Hour starts now. S last word, the good evening, im chris jansing, day 378 of the biden administration. The House January 6th Investigation is sharpening its focus on efforts to pressure former Vice President mike pence to try to overturn the 2020 election. Today, the select committee spent nine hours speaking with pences former counsel, greg jacob. This comes less than a week after marc short, the former Vice President chief of staff, testified. The New York Times says, quote, mr. Short and mr. Jacob were both closely involved in mr. Pences consideration of whether to go along with mr. Trumps insistence that he try tolo