Teamed up to screw our fellow americans. And the cdc says more schools can safely reopen, but for some teachers its not that simple. I need to worry about not just what my students are facing, but also what my family and myself are facing. Welcome to Inside Politics Sunday im abby phillip. To our viewers in the United States and around the world, thank you for spending part of your weekend with us. Overnight we learned that former president Donald Trumps entire impeachment legal team is gone, with just days before the start of the senate trial, this is the reason, President Trumps insistence that his lawyers focus on his false claims that the election was stolen from him. A person familiar with the departures tells cnn that trump wanted the attorneys to argue that there was mass Election Fraud rather than focus on the legality of convicting a former president after hes left office. More on that in a bit. But before senators can get to the Impeachment Trial they are grappling with the current president s top priority, quickly passing a 1. 9 trillion Economic Relief plan to help americans who are struggling with this deadly coronavirus pandemic and a worsening economy. President bidens plan includes direct Stimulus Checks for most americans, more aid for the unemployed and those facing eviction, money to speed up the Vaccine Rollout and to reopen schools and much more. Democrats say that their preference is a bipartisan deal, but increasingly leaders on capitol hill and biden himself are talking about going it alone. I support Passing Covid relief with support from republicans if we can get it, but the covid relief has to pass. Theres no ifs, and or buts. A Bipartisan Group of 16 senators is talk being how to craft a bill that could win wide support and moderate gop lawmakers are practically begging biden not to move quickly. It would be wise for the new administration to work to try to get a bipartisan proposal that can be moved through. Were giving an opportunity to come together on important and timely legislation. So why wouldnt you do that rather than try to just move it through with reconciliation and have it be a wholly partisan product. And just in the past few minutes, a group of ten republican senators including senator murkowski sent a letter to President Biden with what they say is a counterproposal. They are asking for a meeting with the president to discuss it further. And joining us now with their reporting and their insights, Laura Barone Lopez of employed co, Michael Shear of the New York Times and cnns own manu raju. Manu, i want to start with you on this brandnew letter that we are getting from ten republican senators, not a whole lot of specifics yet about their counterproposal, but what do you make this have development . Is it a serious proposal and is there a sign that there might be actual progress because republicans are putting something on the table . Well, its also a sign, abby that is correct theyre warning the white house not to move forward in the direction that theyre very clearly moving forward on which is a 1. 9 trillion package that the democratic leadership in the house and the senate are behind in which the Rank And File members in the house and senate are behind and what those moderate republicans as well as some of the swing voters on the republican side, they are not behind. They have been very clear in the last several days that they want the Biden Administration to back off, to start to discuss a much smaller package, a more targeted package, concerned about the price tag, concerned that that money in their view is not necessity moment because 900 billion in covid relief that was passed late last year. But the democratic the democrats in washington, the leadership, they are skeptical about listening to the Susan Collins of the world at this month. They remember very clearly what happened the last time there was all democratic control in washington, 2009 during the obamacare debate, they negotiated for months and months and months with republicans over that piece of legislation, ultimately it passed on a party line vote, republicans were all opposed, they are concerned they lost the messaging on that. This time theyre very clear, if the republicans dont move to where the democrats want them, 1. 9 trillion, theyre going to move on their own and theyre already taking steps to do that in february. This is going to be the key month for them to get this through, the question is what does biden do now that these republican senators are saying lets at least meet, lets slow things down, how does he message that because at the moment they are not listening to the republicans, abby. There is a sense that there arent months to spend negotiating with republicans if they arent going to come along. And even four years ago republicans moved forward with reconciliation for their tax cuts without trying to get democratic support, but, you know, michael, there is still a sense among the biden team that they say they want a bipartisan bill. What are you learning about whether they will actually be willing to make concessions in order to win over ten republicans that they need . Hi, abby. Thanks again for having me on and congratulations on the show. You know, look, i think there are two imperatives, two promises that biden made to the American People that are colliding in this situation, one is his promise for unity and bipartisanship and healing the country, and the other is his promise to get something done and get something done quickly to confront the pandemic and the economic struggles. I think the biden people at least in the conversations that i have had with folks around the president have clearly decided that the latter is the more important imperative at the moment. That they need to demonstrate to the American People that they can get something done and that not only for messaging reasons, but for the practical reasons that if they dont act now they do believe that the situation will only get worse, both in terms of the Health Situation on the ground, but also in terms of the economic hole that has been dug that theyre trying to figure their way out of. Laura, you know, we were just discussing this, you know the moving toward reconciliation which would require no republican votes. Republicans did that four years ago and now theyre talking about unity. Is there some hypocrisy there that all of a sudden they think that its a requirement to move forward with bipartisan support when it was a top legislative priority for them four years ago they didnt do that. Right. Well, as you and manu laid out, abby, democrats are remembering exactly what happened in years past, so there that was four years ago or more than four years ago in 2009, they know what it was like when they either didnt message as strongly in 2009 or when republicans steam rolled them in 2017 and decided to go through reconciliation. So this time around, you know, you have a lot of obama alums in the Biden White House and they dont want to lose this battle in terms of communicating to the American People that they think that fast action is needed as opposed to going through negotiations, and a lot of democrats that i have spoken to feel as though if they were to engage in longer negotiations that they wouldnt be able to move as quickly as they would like to. And then, yes, it would become a potentially smaller bill and a lot of democrats as manu said, the Rank And File dont want a smaller bill. They like the 1. 9 trillion bill that biden has proposed and they want to move forward with that. One of the arguments also that the white house as well as ive heard from Senate Democrats that theyre making is that the American Public doesnt care what pathway or route you take to actually get this passed, that they arent going to really Pay Attention to whether or not a bunch of republicans voted or two republicans voted for the bill or just democrats voted to get it passed. And so thats also whats been pushing them to act fasting. The idea that the process doesnt break through to the American Public i think is an important one. Speaking of process, michael, President Biden has been busy these last few days signing Executive Orders, 42 of them at least, focused on covid, climate change, abortion, immigration, so much more, but theyve gotten some criticism about that from the New York Times Editorial Board and notably white house officials pushed back hard on t they were very unhappy about this. Why so defensive . Well, look, i mean, i think the history of the use of Executive Orders has been sort of plagued president s from both parties. Of course, president obama used Executive Orders to deal with immigration issues and was blocked in part in the courts and we all saw how often President Trump used Executive Orders, only to, you know, find them stymied as well. So i think, you know, what the biden people are trying to do is to have it both ways. Theyre trying to show the American People that theyre willing to act and act quickly and that theyre not going to be bogged down in the kind of legislative negotiations and difficulties that we just got finished talking about, and that theyre using the power of the office, but the problem is by doing so they really are pushing the boundaries of the ways in which, you know, policy is supposed to be made and especially permanent policy. One of the arguments that has been made against these Executive Orders is, look, these are just as temporary as the ones that the Trump Administration pursued. And if at the end of the day the President Biden, you know, pushes forward most of his agenda through Executive Orders, then that leaves open the possibility that the next president if its a republican, for example, could come and reverse much of it. So its not really a kind of effective way of governing. Yeah. You know, manu, back in Washington The Environment On Capitol Hill is pretty toxic right now. Republicans want outreach from the Biden Administration but lets keep in mind who some of these republicans are. You know, Marjorie Taylor greene who has been in the news this whole weekend is a Conspiracy Theorist. Here are some of the comments shes made in the past in a video she posted in 2018. Socalled plane that crashed into the pentagon, its odd theres never any evidence shown for a plane in the pentagon. Ms13 was basically like they were kind of the henchmen of the obama administration. They did a lot of the dirty work. Seth rich, seth rich was murdered by two ms13 gang members. Kennedy getting killed in the plane crash because isnt It Interesting that he had announced he was going to run for senate just before he died in a mysterious plane crash. Thats another one of those clinton murders, right . Thats just the tip of the iceberg. And the response from a vast majority of republicans has been crickets. She actually tweeted yesterday that she spoke to President Trump on the phone and he offered support. House minority leader Kevin Mccarthy is supposed to meet with greene this week. Are we going to see any kind of reprimand who are has mccarthy already signaled that this is not going to be much more than a slap on the wrist . Its hard to see what exactly hes going to do because remember how the republicans dealt with steve king, the former iowa republican, congressman, someone who had said racist things for years and ultimately was stripped after many years from his Committee Post in the last congress because of his comments suggesting saying white supremacy, whats the big idea about saying that. That ultimately led him to get stripped from those committee assignments. That occurred because he said that while he was a member of congress. I think what you might see some of these republicans say is that the things that you just played, those bonkers Conspiracy Theories that shes been saying, the things that she posted on social media suggesting that the Parkland Massacre of 2018 was somehow a staged event, those occurred before she was a member of congress and i think youre going to hear some republicans make that claim that that is, you know since she did it before they have no jurisdiction in dealing with this going forward. We have not heard that from mccarthy yet. We are expecting him to meet with her sometime early this week, but i would be surprised if they take any punitive actions. In the meantime the democrats are pushing to get her expelled from congress all together and nancy pelosi may have to make a decision about how shes going to deal with it because the democrats are trying to push this in a way that could force a vote on the floor by making this a socalled privilege resolution. She would have to make a decision essentially whether to kill that or not. That needs two thirds majority to expel her from congress so thats unlikely to happen as well but the pressure is going to build because she says many inflammatory things and she is not going to stop even though she is a member of congress now. In fact, i mean, she said those things in the past, but she said just this weekend she is not going to apologize. So that seems to be pretty clear where she stands on many of these issues today. Manu, laura, michael, you will be back with us shortly. Up next, former President Trump loses his legal team only days before his Impeachment Trial in the senate. Announcer Inside Politics Sunday brought to you by adt. Real protection. University of phoenix is awarding up to one Million Dollars in new scholarships through this month, because hope fuels opportunity. See what scholarship you qualify for at phoenix. Edu at carvana, no matter what car you buy from us, you get the freedom of the sevenday return policy. This isnt some dealership test drive around the block. Its better. This is seven days to put your carvana car to the test and see if it fits your life. Load it up with a weeks worth of groceries. Take the kiddos out for ice cream. Check that is has enough wiggle room in your garage. You get the time to make sure you love it. And on the sixth day, well reach out and make sure everythings amazing. If so, excellent. If not, swap it out for another, or return it for a refund. Its that simple. Because at carvana, your car happiness is what makes us happy. A capsule a day visibly fades the dark spots away. New neutrogena® rapid tone repair 20 percent pure vitamin c. A serum so powerful dark spots dont stand a chance. See what i mean . Neutrogena® with just days to go until his Impeachment Trial in the u. S. Senate former President Donald Trump has no legal defense. A person familiar with the departures tells cnn trump wanted his attorneys to argue that there was mass fraud and that the election was stolen from him, rather than focus on the legality of convicting an expresident after he leaves office. We are back with our correspondents and reporters. So, michael, who is left to represent the president . Your colleague Maggie Haberman reported this morning that he kind of mulled representing himself so he doesnt have to pay these lawyers, but i dont think thats a particularly good idea, right . No, and i think what maggie said in the story is it doesnt look like hes seriously contemplating that. I mean, look, the problem for the president is that he doesnt really want a lawyer. He wants a Lawyer Ssh Somebody to play a lawyer on tv. He wants somebody to go on tv and make these bogus claims for him and thats not frankly what he needs for his defense. Look, these republican senators its almost certain that the democrats wont get the needed vote, republican votes to actually convict him, but at least some of these republican senators are at least looking for an argument to be made, a legal argument to be made so that they can so that they can vote to acquit him, and the kind of i mean, you saw that, i think, 45 senators, almost all of the republican senators voted the other day to say that they thought that it was unconstitutional to hold a trial after the president has left office, and so theyre looking for somebody to make that case. The president has to file, i think, a legal brief on tuesday, the first legal briefs. He doesnt have a lawyer to write that up for him as far as we know. Its, i think, going to be a pretty rocky couple of weeks for the former president , unless he can find one of the million or so lawyers in the United States to represent him. Old habits die hard, right . Right. Laura, there have been some democrats like virginias tim kaine pushing for a Censure Resolution instead of an impeachment. Noting that there doesnt seem to be support for a conviction, but if trump is not going to get to let go of the election lie, does this make it harder for them to go that route since he seems to basically be unrepentant about the whole thing that led to the january 6 riot . Yeah, although senator kaine has tried to flip censure which i think was more of a tactic to try to get more republicans to vote for some kind of reprimand against the president , a lot of democrats want to see this trial all the way through and they want to see trump convicted, if possible, although, again, as michael noted, they arent really holding their Breath Thinking that they are going to reach the necessary republican votes to get there for the trial. But democrats have made clear that they want to make this emotionally salient case in the senate trial. They are going to use added video that theyve discovered and that theyve gathered since the january 6th insurrection, theres a possibility that they may bring witnesses such as Capitol Police officers or others who were defending the capitol that day, although it still is unclear whether or not or how many witnesses democrats will be able to bring forward since a lot of the senators have been saying that they want to move this trial forward quickly. So if it only lasts a week then there isnt going to be much time for witnesses. But they really want to push republicans to remember what happened on january 6th, the danger that all of the lawmakers were in, the danger that was posed to officers themselves and the deaths that resulted from that insurrection. And, manu, quickly, here, do you think that this changes the dynamic . Will any more republicans consider voting to convict . Well, michael is exactly right because they had been looking for someone to make an argument on the floor and say that this is not constitutional and make the case why they want to hear that this should be dismissed and if nobody is going to make that case its going to be a bit harder. I talked to republican senators up and down the last couple of weeks. There is no appetite behind a handful, beyond those five really to convict because they believe it would create a, quote, dangerous precedent in the words of someone like a senator john cornyn. Thats widely shared within the republican conference. So i doubt we will get to 17 senators despite all the former president s problems fielding a team. Just more trump chaos, even in the afterpresidency life. Manu, michael, laura, thank you all for joining us this morning. And up next, one of the few Democratic Senators living in Red State America on the Coronavirus Relief bill, the Impeachment Trial and trumps legal team disappearing. The new myww gives you more of what you need to help you lose weight more simplicity with the whats in your fridge . Recipe feature. And more motivation with ondemand workout classes. The new myww . Best offer of the year, join today for 55 off. It is love, love, love that makes it all worthwhile and it is love, love, love that cant help but make you smile. It is love, love, love. Im norm. Send the love. Order now at edible. Com im szasz. It is love, love, love. [norm] and we live in columbia, missouri. We do consulting, but we also write. [szasz] we take care of ourselves constantly; its important. We walk three to five times a week, a couple miles at a time. Weve both been taking prevagen for a little more than 11 years now. After about 30 days of taking it, we noticed clarity that we didnt notice before. Its still helping me. I still notice a difference. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Loves me. Loves me not. New neutrogena® skin balancing 3 madeforyou formulas with 2 Pha Exfoliate and condition for soft, balanced skin. Find the one. Neutrogena® when you switch to xfinity mobile, youre choosing to get connected to the most Reliable Network nationwide, now with 5g included. Discover how to save up to 300 a year with shared data starting at 15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. Come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. You can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. Stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with Peace Of Mind at your local xfinity store. To forge their posttrump identity, especially as the former president looks to maintain his grip on the party. House minority leader Kevin Mccarthy is facing growing backlash against freshman conspiracy touter lawmaker Marjorie Taylor greene and calls from his own caucus to oust his number three representative, liz cheney after her vote to impeach trump. With all of this happening mccarthy still traveled to florida to visit former president Donald Trumps South Florida mansion last week to smooth over their relationship and to ask for trumps commitment to help the gop win back the house next year. Looking the other way as trump props up greene and leads the charge to punish cheney. Joining me now former republican congresswoman Barbara Comstock and Scott Jennings who has worked for several prominent republicans including Senate Majority leader mitch mcconnell. Scott, why is the former House Minority leader paying a call to a twice impeached one term former president. Does that make political sense to you . Generally speaking i think the Republican Party has empirically reached the limits of trumpism. I mean, he lost the National Popular vote twice, we didnt do well in the 2018 midterms, we dont control anything now and of course we lost the Georgia Runoffs as well because of his sabotage. So, you know, trump can take to you a certain level but its not quite enough to be a National Majority party. Now, on the flip side of that if youre Kevin Mccarthy a lot of his members do exist in districts where donald trump is quite popular. As a geographical or jurisdictional matter the president is going to retain some popularity and behind all of it of course it is flatly true that donald trump has been one of the biggest drivers of small Dollar Fundraising for the Republican Party and a lot of its members. There are a lot of complex things going on here, but at the end of the day i think most of Kevin Mccarthys members care more about donald trump thinks than what Kevin Mccarthy thinks and he confirmed that by going to meet with him. Tough but true. Barbara, Congressman Matt Gaetz traveled to wyoming. Take a listen to what he was saying. Theres basically two things that liz cheney has done in the United States congress, frustrate the agenda of President Trump and sell out to the forever war machine. You see washington, d. C. Methologizes the Establishment Power Brokers like liz cheney for climbing in a deeply corrupt game, but particular more of us than there are of them. She is getting support from establishment figures like george w. Bush this weekend, but in todays Republican Party, i mean, will that kind of Endorsement Help her keep her job and, you know, is matt gaetz right, are there more of them than there are of her . I dont think so. In fact, im on a board for republican women, were having a fundraising for liz cheney this week and we are getting lots of good support and i would invite anybody to join us this week. We have a broad tent party, but theres no room for people like Marjory Greene a Conspiracy Theorist who should be taken off of her committees and really i think taken out of the party, voted out of the party, not allowed to be part of the caucus. Republicans in the state of virginia did that with a Virginia State senator who had similar type of outrageous comments and dangerous things. So i think that it would be absurd for republicans to be attacking liz cheney who is on a vote of conscience stood up courageously as opposed to ignoring what is really vile behavior by both the president as well as people like Marjory Greene, and matt gaetz has long been a divider, just like the president. If republicans want to get back in the majority, youre not going to do it with a divider in chief who first divided the country, never had a majority one day while he was in office, and is now trying to divide our party. You need to look to the leaders who outran trump, people like women like korean american women in california, young kim and Michelle Steel who ran far ahead of trump, David Valadej in a california. Chris saununusununu, same thing ben sasse far exceeding President Donald Trump. Thats the future of our party, not matt gaetz or jim jordan who promoted Marjory Greene along with mark meadows. We can thank mark meadows and jim jordan because they are such poor defenders of the president they got him impeached twice and they have also shown that they have no path on how to get to a majority, all they can do is win very red seats and put in cooks like Marjory Greene who are going to harm the party. If i were in office i would be running to the microphones to denounce her and certainly i think its morally abhorrent that somebody like that is sitting in there with a republican label. To your point, barbara, scott, you know, take a listen to this voter in Marjorie Taylor greenes district. It seems to explain why this is going to be tough for republicans not just to deal with her, but to deal with constituents like this. My 23 years in georgia and the years prior to that shes the most serious candidate and i would follow her more than any other congressman or senator i have ever seen in office. The left is after her because she stands for conservative values. Whats the solution to that, scott . Well, i mean, i actually dont think she should be expelled because i think voters should decide who represents them, but i think voters need all the information and i think the Republican Party, however, can decide who is allowed to carry its banner. They did this with king of course as you mentioned. I think the party and Kevin Mccarthy ought to strip her of her committees, i think they ought to say we are not associated with this person. She can be a Congress Person but it would become immediately apparent to the people in georgia that theyve got the weakest and most useless Congress Person up there because she is not allowed to be associated with one of the two major parties. I mean, i hear i think the reaction of that voter, though, is a lot of republicans look at who is attacking who and then they calibrate their views, you know, based on that. So hes not calibrating his views based on her crazy talk or her Sandwich Board, you know, worthy Conspiracy Theories, hes calibrating it based on the fact that the people i hate are attacking her, therefore, i must defend her. So shes not being judged on the merits, shes being judged on, you know, us versus them equation. At the end of the day if the Republican Party wants to be the Sandwich Board caucus we will be a minority party. We havent won the National Popular vote in a president ial election unless your last name was bush since 1984. I dont personally want to be a minority part, i want to be a National Majority governing party and to cast away all these suburban center right voters to die on the Marjorie Taylor greene Sandwich Board caucus hill is not a good idea. I think it might start with Republican Leaders telling their voters to truth to begin with and not allowing them to live in a world of lies. Yes. Barbara comstock, Scott Jennings, always a pleasure to have you here. Thank you. Up next, we will talk to democratic senator jon tester about President Bidens covid relief bill. S in many forms. Good boy so we made flexpath the kind of smart that keeps up with you. With flexpath, you can earn your masters degree in 14 months for 14,000. Thats the kind of smart i like. Capella university dont just learn. Learn smarter. University of phoenix is awarding thats the kind of smart i like. Up to one Million Dollars in new scholarships through this month, because hope fuels opportunity. See what scholarship you qualify for at phoenix. Edu lets get checked for ourselves. Lets get checked for those around us. Lets get checked for a full range of conditions. Introducing letsgetchecked a Health Testing you do at home. Lets get round the Clock Support from a team of nurses. Lets get fast, accurate results. Know your health. Know yourself. Order now at Letsgetchecked Dot Com when you drive this smooth, you save with allstate the future of Auto Insurance is here youve never been in better hands allstate click or call for a quote today my plaque psoriasis. The itching. The burning. The stinging. My skin was no longer mine. My psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen. Painful. Emerge tremfyant™ with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. Tremfya® is also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. Serious allergic reactions may occur. Tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. Tremfya®. Emerge tremfyant™ janssen can help you explore cost support options. Congress m democrats are preparing to move forward with the procedure this week that will allow them to pass the Coronavirus Relief legislation without any republican votes, but with their very slim majority in the senate they need to make sure that every single democrat is on board and the new Vice President is part of a fullcourt press to the senators in those red and purple states who might be on the fence. The president and i feel very strongly that these are the moments when we are facing a crisis of unbelievable proportion that the American People deserve their leaders to step up and stand up for them. And joining us now the democratic senator from montana, jon tester, who is with us on the phone. Senator tester, thank you for being with us. I know we had a little technical issues this morning, but were glad you to be here. Its great to be with you, abby. Thank you. Sorry about the lack of video. Not a problem at all. Look, youve been i would say noncommittal except for saying that it needs to be a more targeted relief bill, but what would get you to a yes on covid relief . What does more targeted actually mean for you . Well, i intend to vote for the motion to proceed on tuesday and then i think hopefully we can do this in a bipartisan way. We can look for ways to make the bill that the president put forward a better bill. You know, where im at there are a lot of businesses that have been pounded, most of them in the hospitality area, so lets focus on that. Lets focus on the gyms of the world, gymnasiums of the world and those kind of places. I think it can produce some really good things. And lets focus on the people that have actually been laid off to make sure that they have the kind of predictability in their lives to be able to pay their bills and stay in their homes. Look, its not that im opposed to anything in the bill, i just think that theres some things we can do that will make it even better one of the things that are likely to be a Sticking Point is the 15 minimum wage proposal. You have supported a modern increase in the minimum wage in the past. Do you think 15 an hour is too much, does it belong in this bill . Look, i think the minimum wage right now will certainly not keep somebody out of poverty. So moving forward i think we need to increase it, whether its 15 or not, i think this is an opportunity to have this debate in the senate, the greatest deliberative body supposedly, and figure out, you know, what the right thing to do is here to make it work for our businesses, particularly our Small Businesses in a state like montana. So once again, abby, i think that theres no doubt it needs to be raised. So what level i cant be certain, but the bottom line is lets have the discussion, lets talk about how its going to impact Working Families, how its going to impact Small Businesses and then get something that we can do in a bipartisan way. Senator tester, just quickly, i mean, the overall size of the bill, is that a big concern for you . 1. 9 trillion, is that too large and will reducing the overall size help get you to a yes on a final proposal . Well, look, i think 1. 9 trillion is a lot of money, but i think the economy is in trouble, every economist that ive talked to certainly points out that things arent Getting Better right now and i think until we get this virus behind us this is the way its going to be. So i dont think 1. 9 trillion even though it is a boat load of money is too much money. I think now is not the time to starve the economy. After we get the economy going then lets look at ways we can pay the debt down, but for right now businesses need help, Working Families need help, we need to get folks back to school, we need to get the vaccinations in peoples arms. Lets focus on those things and move it forward. I think thats what this bill does. Just a few minutes ago a group of ten republican senators sent a letter to President Biden saying that they want to offer a counterproposal. They asked for a white house meeting to discuss it. Have you spoken to your colleagues about this and do you really think republicans are serious about actually wanting a deal on covid relief right now . Well, i hoip they are because we are all in this economy together. I have not seen the proposal. I will treat it as a positive sign that folks want to Work Together to move the ball forward. So, i mean, i will treat it as a positive and hopefully hopefully its got things in it that really does move the economy forward in a meaningful way. I do want to get to some other news that broke just over the weekend regarding the Impeachment Trial. Former President Trump has now lost his entire impeachment legal team with just days to go until the trial and sources are telling cnn that its because he wants to focus on the baseless claims that that he won the election, that there was widespread voter fraud. Hes obviously unrepentant about the situation and pushing the same lie that led to the insurrection in the first place. What impact do you think this will have on the vote and what impact should it have on the vote . Well, i mean, this is a trial and the senate is the jury. To be able to put forth a case on either side is really important for the jurors to take a look at and either acquit him or convict him. I think it could have very serious impacts. I will tell you the president doesnt want to walk in and talk about what happened on january 6th, in fact, wants to perpetuate the lie that led to that insurrection, says a lot to me, but i will reserve my final judgment until after the trial. You know, to that end, you know, senator josh hawley said this week that it was a lie that he was trying to overturn the election. Youve said that he needs to be held accountable. Do you have any sense that that might happen . Have you had any discussions about how that might that might actually be the case, that people like hawley and ted cruz and others could be held accountable for their role . I think they need to be. If were going to have unity they need to be held accountable. I think the actions of people, especially if you are a United States senator, matter. So in the end there needs to be accountability or it will happen again and it will probably happen again by cruz, hawley and the other 11 that did it. Maybe not this specific thing, but something that will allow people who want to do bad things to our government to empower them. So i just think they need to be held accountable. The fact is as i saw the pictures of josh hawley out on the mall, i heard what he said on the senate floor. He was perpetuating a lie and quite frankly he needs to be held accountable for that. You were there on january 6th, obviously we watched what happened. Speaker pelosi says she blames some members of congress for what happened. She said the enemy is within the house. Do you agree with that assessment and are fellow members of Congress Actually putting other colleagues in danger . Well, i mean, look, what happened on january 6 was a very sobering experience and something that hasnt happened for hundreds of years and i do think that people need to be held accountable. Whether they did this with this in mind, i doubt, but once again i think the Ethics Committee needs to do their job . This particular case and find out what transpired and act appropriately and hopefully the senate will act appropriately, too. I just dont think you can let the kind of actions that the 13 senators did leading up to the 6th Of January go unanswered. Are you concerned, though, about your own personal safety in congress right now . I mean, look, i mean, youre always concerned about that and youre always you always have your eyes wide open. You know, so, i mean, hopefully the Capitol Police are taking the measures necessary to stop another insurrection that may occur, and i hope it doesnt, but may occur in the future. Senator tester, thank you again for being with us this morning and i wish you luck with this important work that you all have ahead of you next week and in the following week. Well, thank you, abby. And congratulations on the new gig. Thank you. And up next, the question that every parent wants to know, is it safe for children to be back in the classroom . The chief of Chicago Public School System is here with us next. It is love, love, love that makes it all worthwhile and it is love, love, love that cant help but make you smile. It is love, love, love. Send the love. Order now at edible. Com its the things that matter family. Health. Thats it. We found help at covered california. Now we have a plan we can afford. Enrollment ends january 31st. The only thing harder than Understanding Health insurance. Is Understanding Health insurance in another language. Pero ahora es mucho mas facil. Covered california offers free, Expert Assistance in multiple languages and financial help for people who need it. Enrollment ends january 31st. Reopening americas Public Schools is one of President Bidens key goals for his first 100 days in office and the cdc says that inperson learning is safe as long as schools take precautions. Like requiring masks, social distancing, keeping students in the same classroom all day and teaching Hygiene Techniques and a whole lot more, but what a lot of schoolteachers say they dont Trust Administrators to put every precaution in place and they still have concerns about their own safety. This fight is playing out vividly in chicago where officials want to reopen schools for inperson learning for students in kindergarten through eighth grade tomorrow. The teachers union, though, is threatening to strike. I need to worry about not just what my students are facing, but also what my family and myself are facing. I think its okay that in a time like this that i take a step back and consider me at this point. I have some Health Concerns that i worry about. And joining me now from chicago is the ceo of the Chicago Public School System dr. Janice jackson. Dr. Jackson, thank you so much for joining us this morning on im sure a very busy morning after a very busy weekend of negotiations. I do want to get to the details of some of the parts of the plan that you all have put into place and show everyone the changes that the district has made, including hepa filters in classrooms, smaller more custodians in schools and other changes to the tune of a hundred Million Dollars but the unions in chicago are demanding some big things namely vaccinations for teachers, and metrics for Closing Schools if the Positivity Rate gets too high. From your perspective why should schools reopen without those big changes particularly those two about vaccinations and the Positivity Rate . First, thank you for having me and outlining many of the tenets of our plan. We believe our reopening plan goes Above And Beyond state and federal mandates for safely Reopening Schools. To your point, there are still some Sticking Points were trying to negotiate with our partners here in the chicago teachers union. Mainly around vaccinations and accommodations. Specifically around vaccinations. I would just point back to the study that you referenced in your opening remarks. The cdc just released a study show casing the fact that schools can safely reopen if the proper mitigation strategies are implemented. We have had the opportunity to open schools here in chicago for the past three weeks and we were able to do so successfully and safely. We think now is the time to see a return to inperson instruction for those families that wish to have that option but also are keeping the district open for remote for families who would like to remain in a remote environment. I think we can all agree Reopening Schools is important but do you think teachers should move up higher on the Priority List for vaccines . Yes, we have been advocating strongly here in Chicago Public schools for teachers to be as high up as possible to get vaccinated. What is important to note is there is study after study and various proof points that Show Vaccinations are an incredibly important tool to fight covid but not the only tool. If we wear masks, socially distance and implement the proper Hygiene Techniques outlined, we can safely reopen schools. The vaccine will definitely take us further which is why were working with the City Health Department to vaccinate our teachers as quickly as possible. I think it is important to note it is an important tool but not a necessary tool in order to reopen schools. One of the other concerns the union has raised is about compliance with these recommendations. How can you be sure the schools will actually implement the plans youve put forward universely throughout the distric district. First i would point to the three weeks weve had successfully bringing students back to the Cluster Programs and prek program. Teachers are taking the steps extremely seriously even when covid cases arise people are quickly reporting, were able to quarantine folks, and so i believe that our teachers and principals and School Based Staff will do what is needed. We also came to an agreement with ctu around health and safety committees both at the school level and the district level. We think that this committee is a cross functional group that will be able to, i guess, litigate some of those issues around people not implementing these protocols with fidelity. There are multiple layers to ensure compliance. These are important points we take seriously. But we think with the right structures in place we can safely reopen schools and address issues as they arise. I do want to get to an important part of this dynamic which is the impact of a Remote Learning on black and latino families in particular in the district. Youve given them a choice whether to come back but there has been this notable distinction between whether they want to come back. Twothirds of white students say they want to return to school but only onethird of black and latino students. That number has been falling even though evidence suggests they are being hard hit by this Remote Learning. What is behind this hesitancy in these families and what are you doing to convince them that coming back to school is actually safe . Well, i think the first step is to reopen schools. We know that in many communities like the communities we serve here in chicago, schools are not only a safe haven and a place for kids to get a quality education, but it also is a place where many of their needs are met. So i think the first step is to safely reopen schools so that the resource and hub is there for many of our communities. I think the other thing that is important to note here in chicago, a majority of our students are africanamerican and latinx and so by virtue of us Reopening Schools we are going to be serving more black and latinx students here in chicago and contributing to that number across the country. I think that, you know, a lot has been made around this Equity Question but if were really serious about equity, we have to address the fact that many of our africanamerican students in particular are struggling in this environment. Those students where this works for them, they will have a choice to continue with Remote Learning through the remainder of the school year. But we cannot negate the fact that there are thousands of students here in cps that arent logging on every day and are falling behind every day and we have to recover from that. Dr. Janice jackson, thank you so much for being with us this morning. I know you have many hours of important negotiations left today. And hopefully there is a resolution by tomorrow. Thanks again. Thank you. Have a good one. That. s it for Inside Politics Sunday. Up next State Of The Union with jake tapper and dana bash. Guests include elizabeth warren, the senator from massachusetts, senator portman, and governor of arizona doug doocy. Thanks again for sharing your Sunday Morning with us. Were carvana, the company who invented Car Vending Machines and buying a car 100 online. Now weve created a brandnew way for you to sell your car. Whether its a year old or a few years old. We wanna buy your car. So go to carvana and enter your License Plate answer a few questions. And our Techno Wizardry calculates your cars value and gives you a real offer in seconds. When youre ready, well come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, thats it. So ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana. The new myww gives you more of what you need to help you lose weight more simplicity with whats in your fridge . Which suggests meals based on what you have. More motivation with ondemand workout classes. More freedom with over 300 zero point foods. And new tools to boost your mood and help keep you hydrated get more of what you need to help you lose weight. The new myww . More holistic. More personalized. More weight loss. Ww, Weight Watchers reimagined. Best offer of the year, 55 off plus our free kickstart kit. Meet jeff. In his life, hes been to the bottom of the ocean. The tops of mountains. The er. Twice. And all the places this guy runs off to. Like jeffs, a life well lived should continue at home. Home instead offers Customized Services from personal care to memory care, so older adults can stay home, stay safe, and stay happy. Home instead. To us, its personal. These days you need more than an education. So thats what we give you. Introducing Career Services for life. Learn more at phoenix. Edu no time for delay. New Coronavirus Variants emerge in the u. S. , threatening to worsen the spread and increase the death toll by thousands. The covid relief has to pass no ifs, ands, or buts. Will they get the bipartisan support the president promised . Ill speak to top Biden Economic adviser and republican senator rob portman next. Gamestop. Wall street turns into a frenzy after al