For Joe Biden. The biden administration knows what could very well happen in afghanistan and is still making the decision to withdraw all u. S. Troops. What is it you think we will hear from Joe Biden today and how concerned do you see the biden administration about the situation in that country right now . It takes them a little bit backwards, john. Good morning to both of you. Look, the administration is concerned. They believe the taliban is moving more quickly than they anticipated to seize every space that the united states yields essentially within afghanistan. And they know there are going to be some ugly moments in the days and months and years ahead. What President Biden will say, though, is he believes even despite that, even despite the difficulties, that these are chronic difficulties. Difficulties President Bush could not fix, President Obama Couldnt fix, President Trump Couldnt fix. And President Biden said he will be the president who ends the longest american war. He has broad support for that and the challenge will be can you, if Al Qaeda gets a foothold again, if the taliban commits atrocities, can you do things from afar that you tried to do with u. S. Troops and diplomatic presence on the ground . That is the challenge going forward. In the big picture, Joe Biden wants to do what Barack Obama promised so do in the democratic primary, get the troops out. He believes the benefits outweigh the risks. Skeptics say somebody will be in this chair talking about the mess left behind. We spoke with general David Petraeus who commanded troops and he says this doesnt even as he was critical of the draw down, he doesnt think this is going to lead to a situation where u. S. National security is threatened. So in that situation, even if there are atrocities committed by the taliban, even if this is a failed state, is that a political problem for Joe Biden here domestically . He hopes not. And you make a Key Point. Look, is the taliban going to the taliban is neanderthal when it comes to education, when it comes to political rights, when it comes to womens rights. Are there going to be headlines that are embarrassing for the american administration . Without a doubt. Without a doubt, that is the history of the taliban. But is there an Al Qaedalike Group Or Resurgence of Al Qaeda that can project terrorism internationally from within afghanistan . If the answer to that question is no, then the biden administration will be, yes, afghanistan is messy, afghanistan has always been messy. We will do what we can, but it is not worth more american troops, more american billions, more american effort when we need to focus on putin, focus on xi. We have other transformational military and National Security challenges like the climate issue. The president s view is that if afghanistan is never going to be perfect, lets get the troops out. Its been 20 years. Weve done what we can. I remember covering the bush White House. Karzai in 2004. Give us time, give us money. Well get there. The new president comes in, began gani comes in after him. Were not going to get there. Whats fascinating to me is what every president in Theory Dreads is a fall of saigon picture, helicopters leaving with the last u. S. Troops and questions about who lost this country. Who lost afghanistan. But the thing is the biden administration and Joe Biden is going into this with eyes wide open. He knows what pictures might likely emerge from afghanistan. So, too, did Donald Trump, by the way, who made the same decision that Joe Biden. He didnt execute the full withdrawal, but wanted the same thing. It just seems, you know, yes, there is opposition, but by some people not just security hawks, per se, but there is some political consensus that despite the pictures that may emerge, its worth it. And that is the key part of the biden calculation. In the sense that the democratic base is antiwar. The Trump Base is antilets not have the united states policing the world. The president believes politically he is on safe footing. Again, there will be people way smarter than i about the global challenge three months, six months from now, how bad is it . Can you project force from afar . Can you use drones, Overhead Surveillance to prevent the resurgence of terrorism . Those are questions that will be answered in the messy months ahead. The president believes there is broad support as we get close to september, john, 20 years since 9 11. The president believes he should be the president that executes once again what several of his predecessors said they would, that is get the last u. S. Troops out and get the war over. Last month we watched and listened as President Biden said to vladimir putin at their summit in the wake of some attacks, cyber attacks, basically there is a line here. Dont cross this line. We dont want these disruptions in these kind of areas, and yet we are seeing more cyberattack disruptions originating from russia. At what point does the biden administration say, okay, now were actually going to back that up. Were going to back up our threat . This is another giant challenge for the president and the question is do you get into a public Macho Test with vladimir putin. You should assume right now the united States Government is responding, that there are cyber steps the united states is taking against russian interests, trying to send putin a message, trying to send the State Actors especially in the cyber State Actors in russia and criminal elements in russia that have a green light from the government. You should assume there are steps being taken, but putin doesnt care. Putin doesnt answer to his people. Putin isnt going to publicly complain about those things. Do you have to embarrass putin . Do you have to whack him up side the head in a public way and say you have to dial it back . Thats the challenge. The administration would prefer to do this under the radar. You should assume theyre doing things under the radar, but do you need to do something more public to get putin to back off . Thats the conversation in the biden security team. The benefit is you send a clear public signal. The risk is you get into a back and forth with putin thats unproductive . Whats the Tipping Point . Saved sanger was with us yesterday. President s have always been inclined to respond to putin in a strong public way, but then there are people, whether it be military advisers and whatnot, who pull them back and say, you know what, its not worth the risk. As you know, putin is willing to do more than the united states is willing to do here. If you start to engage in the public game im going to call it a game. This is incredibly important. But if you start engaging in the public sphere, you do one thing, putin ups the ante, you have to up the ante. People say you dont want to get into this. Putin doesnt answer to the political controls we have here in the united states. The public relation controls limits what we have in the united states. That is always the risk. But we just talked about afghanistan. This president has a number of giant global challenges on his plate. One is how to calibrate the relationship with vladimir putin. How much to do in public, how much to do in private. Biden came away hes candid with putin. Hes going to have to prove it in cyberspace one way or the other. Youve seen what Chip Roy, the republican congressman, it became clear some recorded comments of his were actually his. He wants to obstruct president Bidens Agenda here until the next election. He said in the Statement Yesterday for the next 18 months, Republicans Job is to do everything that we can to slow down and block the democrats radical agenda, and then win the majority and lead. So it sounds like, you know, everyone said you said the quiet part out loud. Now hes saying, whatever, this is what i meant. It is the quiet part out loud. Ive been covering politics 35 years now. If you rewind the tape and go back a few years, this is what they tell you in private or off the record. This is what were going to do. Republicans are quite transparent about this now. Chip roy using language that might make you go whoa. Listen to what Mitch Mcconnell says. This is the strategy they followed in 2009. Say no, say no to anything this president wants. Thats what they did to Barack Obama in 2009. Its what theyre doing to Joe Biden now. Why . They think it excites the republican base. They think it helps them with fundraising and they hope it demoralizes the democratic base. A year from now Joe Biden cant say i did sweeping things on climate. Voting rights. I redid obamacare to make it stronger. If they can demoralize it, they dont try to hide it any more. They say this is what were going to do and hope it works. You brought up voting rights, john. A judge ruled the constitutional Voting Law controversial, has new restrictions will stand ahead of a July 13th runoff election. The reasoning behind the decision is it cant be changed quickly enough before July 13th. So its standing here. But what it shows is that democrats hoping to overturn these Voting Laws, the courts arent going to be with them here largely. Certainly not the supreme court. You know, Congress Isnt going to be with them with the filibuster, so what avenues did democrats actually have at this point to fight back . I think the Key Point you made is the unlikely prospect of any federal legislation. The president is going to get talked about this for months now. The Vice President has this in her portfolio. The challenge for the democrats now in texas is about to reconsider. At least 14 states have already restricted voting rights, made it harder compared to 2020 to vote in the next election. Texas is about to join be that train. So if youre a democrat, if youre not going to get legislative action at the federal level, again, that gets back, does that demoralize the democratic base. The champe for thement and all democrats is to flip that. Make sure it doesnt demoralize the democratic base. Legislatively it looks like theyre going to lose. The challenge is can you educate voters in all these states restricting rights, i know youre mad, you dont like this, you wish the republicans hadnt done this, but you cannot complain, you cannot whine, you need to vote. Figure out the new rules. If you cant early vote then you have to show up in person or you have to find a new way to early vote. If that Drop Box is not going to be there, how can you find another way to vote . Democrats are going to have to spend a ton of time and ton of money this Costs Money to educate their base voters, educate anyone who came theyre way, even if theyre not traditional, to say the rules have changed, the location has changed, Modus Operandi for you to vote is changed. Prove it to the republicans youre mad by voting, not being mad about what theyve done. Dnc chair was with us last week. The only thing we can do is win. The question is have we seen historically this can be animating for democratic voters . I think that is the challenge. I do think you see in the georgia runoffs, you could say how much of it was Stacey Abrams motivating the black votes, how much was Donald Trump messing things up on the republican side. You can slice the pie in many ways. There are smaller scale examples of democrats using voting rights, using the stakes of an election to motivate people to vote. Can you do it on essentially a national scale in midterms where history says dynamics are against your party . 2022 will not be a good year for the democrats. Joe biden needs to defy history. The margin in the senate is small, the margin in the house is even. History says they must use this to mobilize or else the biden presidency becomes a twoyear presidency, they get the House Or Senate and we slog into 2024. Well see if they can do that. John, love having you wake up early with us. You can have your Lunch Break with John King. Watch Inside Politics with John King every Week Day at noon. Good to see you. Good morning. Good morning. Right wing critics are attacking the biden Administrations Door to door vaccine push. The president s Health Secretary is standing by to respond live next. Naomi osaka speaking out in Mental Health in the media. The new comments just in to cnn. The united states confusing policies on marijuana, especially after an olympic sprinter gets banned from the olympics. Liberty mutual Customizes Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. How much money can liberty mutual save you . One two three four five 72,807 72,808. Dollars. Yep. Everything hurts. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Among my patients i often see them have Teeth Sensitivity as well as gum issues. Does it worry me . Absolutely. Sensodyne Sensitivity And Gum gives us a dual Action Effect that really takes care of both our Teeth Sensitivity as well as our gum issues. Theres no question its something that i would recommend. Theres a world where every One Of Us is connected. Everyone. Everywhere. Where everyone is included. Where everyone has access to information, education, opportunity. When Everyone And Everything is connected. Thats really beautiful. Anything is possible. Good morning. Cisco. The bridge to possible. Amid growing concerns over the fastspreading delta variant, the biden administrations new efforts to knock on doors to encourage more americans to get vaccinated is not without criticism from some on the right. Texas congressman Dan Crenshaw tweeting, how about dont knock on my door. Youre not my parents, youre the government. Make the vaccine available and let people be free to choose. Why is that concept so hard for the left . Arizona congressman Andy Biggs tweeting, its none of the Governments Business knowing who has or hasnt been vaccinated. Joining me now is health and human Services SecretaryXavier Becerra who is helping in this effort to get americans vaccinated. Sir, thank you so much for being with us. I wonder if you can answer that criticism. Its none of the Governments Business knowing who has or has president been vaccinated. What do you say . Brianna, perhaps we should point out that the federal government has spent trillions of dollars to keep americans alive during this pandemic. So it is absolutely the Governments Business. It is Taxpayers Business if we have to continue to spend money to try to keep people from Contracting Covid. And helping reopen the economy. And so it is our business to try to make sure americans can prosper, americans can freely associate, and knocking on a door has never been against the law. You dont have to answer, but we hope you do. Because if you havent been vaccinated, we can help dispel some of the rumors you heard and hopefully get you vaccinated. There are experts listen, we hear pleas from President Biden telling people to get vaccinated. What were seeing is a decline in vaccinations. There are folks who say more needs to be done. Like dr. Leana nguyen said thats not nearly enough. Biden needs to get behind proof of vaccination starting with his own White House events, a gathering touting the united States Progress towards independence from the virus should have been the ideal opportunity to make the case for vaccine requirements. It matters for everyone, including the vaccinated. Whats your response to that . Having people say yes, i am vaccinated, and proving it, or at least having them attest to it . Well, there are any number of ways to try to continue to make progress, and the president has demonstrated he is open to moving in any direction we can to help americans get safe, be safe, feel safe, and so well continue to provide americans access. Were going to go where you are so you can get vaccinated and well do everything we can. And what weve done is allowed the states through our mayors, County Supervisors for best how to approach people in their neighborhoods. Weve seen people die where folks are not vaccinated. Thats absolutely the case. And perhaps the best story there, the best data point to really put out there for folks is that today about 99 of those who are Contracting Covid and dying are unvaccinated. And so if you want to stay alive, if youre going to contract covid and you want to stay alive, best chance will be if youre vaccinated. So why not model why not model that . I hear you saying Leave It to local leaders, Leave It to governors. Why not at least model how you let people into an event . Well, brianna, you heard you read off some of the comments of some representatives in congress, and that particular type of thinking is not its out there and we want to give people the sense that they have the freedom to choose. But we hope they choose to live and were going to make it possible for them to have a good life. And, by the way, protect their family and Loved Ones at the same time. We hope people make the right choices. We want them to have the right information. But we are america. We try to give people as much Freedom And Choice as possible. But clearly when over 600,000 americans have died, the best choice is to get vaccinated. I mean, and actually i do mean to keep pressing on this. I will ask you as a parent of small children who dont have the choice, i dont have the choice to vaccinate them, right . So were living our lives in a certain way. I worry about the health of my children. There are tons of people in this situation, and so i know you want to give people the freedom, but its not just about their freedom. Its also about the freedom of other people. And, look, i know that young people have much better reactions if they get covid. There are a lot, including some with Cardiac Problems who certainly dont. So how do you i mean, isnt It Worth modelling the correct behavior to protect those people . Certainly modelling that behavior, the correct behavior, is important. But verification . Well, so, brianna, youre touching on an issue thats as old as the republic. Our personal freedoms are personal responsibility. When you take to a vehicle and you drive with your children in that vehicle, you assume that everyone will be as responsible as you will behind the wheel. Unfortunately, not everyone is. And so do we prevent or prohibit people from driving because they wont be as responsible as you . We, again, give people choices and we try to have people be responsible. Covid is no different. The vaccine is no different. We want people to be personally and community responsible, and we hope that theyll understand its not just their lives, their Loved Ones lives, but perhaps your childrens lives as well. I want to talk to you about the Infrastructure Plan that you are, of course, supporting. Where does democratic Support Stand . Well, i think democratic support is high, and i believe its an ambitious type of high where people really want to achieve. What we havent seen in a long time, historic investments in our people whether it is in day care, Child Care for parents who are trying to work at the same time take care of their kids, and Maternal Health where were making a major investment in trying to deal with maternal mortality. Hard to believe that in parts of america, women are dying at birth, at the time of giving birth at three times the rate of other people within the country. Principally affecting africanamerican women. Were going to make investments that keep us not only healthy, but give us a chance to prosper. The americans Family Plan does that. Family leave, try to make sure we provide the Work Force we need in our health care sector, our Child Care and human care sector. Its the kind of investment we havent seen, well, probably not in our generation, and it would be the kind of Transformative Change that lets america really launch, especially since internationally its a very competitive world. Evgenia can you respond to these questions that were taped but are backed up by congressman Chip Roy saying its Republicans Job to obstruct everything, the biden agenda, until after next years midterms . You know, its unfortunate if the members of the republican party who are in leadership decide to take the position that they have to obstruct progress, they have to keep america from making the type of Transformational Change that keeps us, as i just said, Number One in the world when it comes to competition and jobs and innovation. But its hard to predict where a party will go. Certainly we saw what happened over the last previous administration. I hope what we find is that people want to work together because at the end of the day, what happens to me happens to you and what happens to us happens to everyone else. We are a nation. Were not a republic of 200 or 330 Million people. We are all together as a family. I would hope we would want to succeed as a family. But, again, there are voices out there that talk about doing it on their own. And unfortunately frorget that weve all helped that person move ahead. Secretary, thank you so much for being with us this morning. Thank you. Up next, Naomi Osaka not holding back on the media and her Mental Health. Well have her new comments that were released ahead of the olympics. The Marijuana Controversy that cost an american sprinter a shot at olympic gold. The right call . A Reality Check next. Usaa is made for the safe pilots. For mac. Who can come to a stop with barely a bobble. Lucia. Who announces her intentions even if no ones there. And sgt moore. Who leaves room for her room. With usaa safepilot, when you drive safe. You can save up to 30 on your auto insurance. Get a quote and start saving. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. People everywhere living with Type 2 Diabetes are waking up to whats possible with rybelsus®. You are my sunshine my only sunshine. 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And you can get unlimited data for just 30 Dollars per line per month when you get four lines or Mix And Match data options. Available now for Comcast Business Internet customers with no lineactivation fees or Term Contract required. See if you can save by switching today. Comcast business. Powering possibilities. Just in at cnn, Tennis PhenomNaomi Osaka speaking out on Mental Health in a new Essay Released Moments ago. Osaka elaborates on her reason for withdrawing from this years French Open and wimbledon tournament citing Mental Health reasons. She quotes, this was never about The Press but the traditional format of the Press Conference. Ill say it again for those in the back. I love The Press. I do not love all Press Conferences. Lets get right to carolyn mano. I know osaka will be at the olympics. Talk about this letter overall. Her voice comes through in this essay which is not surprising. Even though shes admittedly introverted, shes always straightforward with how shes thinking. She said she learned two lessons. One, you can never please everyone. Second, virtually everybody is connected to Mental Health in some way. You touched on one of the important quotes in there about The Press. Thats really important. One of the take aways for me is that this was never about vilifying The Press for her. She believes that some parts of The Press and the way that it runs in tennis is antiquated and shes right. Especially with hyper elevated social platforms they need to be progressive. The 30,000 Foot View when she feels like she doesnt want to be in a position publicly where her medical history is upnder scrutiny, they are independent contractors. They need protections they deserve to set rules and regulations for how these are going to be handled. If thats the outcome, that is largely positive. Thats been talked about internally within the sport for a long time. It could be important because these players are largely isolated. Tennis is a physical game, but its also a mental game. She unfortunately found herself in an unavoidable situation where she was taking on a federation and a Grand Slam alone. She says that Michael Phelps told her that by speaking out she probably saved her life. Phelps came on our show. He was talking to us about how important it was she do this for her own good. Michael phelps basically told her, you might have saved somebody by doing this publicly, which i know is outside of your comfort zone. And thats what she says in this time essay. She never set out to be an ambassador for Mental Health. This could very much end up being her vocation and she can create lasting change and be a change agent similar to how billie Jean KingMade Strides in tennis. This is where she finds herself. Its not where she wanted to be, its where she is. She punctuates that essay, if thats in fact the case she did save someone through what has been a very difficult process for her, then its worth it. And she will be at the olympics in japan, her home country. Im sure she will be a favorite there. Shes a favorite. Carolyn, thanks so much for being with us. Track and Field Star ShacarriRichardson Wont be bringing home the gold, but her case is bringing home the fact that Americas Marijuana laws make no sense. John avalon is here with a Reality Check. Lets talk about pot. Specifically how our laws make no sense a mealy any more. Sorry. Thats not the opinion of Dead HeadsJohn Berman or folks with a Martin I. Thats the opinion of supreme Court Justice Clarence thomas who recently wrote a prohibition on Use Or Cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper. The federal governments current approach is half in, half out regime is simultaneously to rates and forbids local use of marijuana. Hes talking about the fact that recreational Marijuana Use is now legal in 18 states and d. C. While the federal government still classifies marijuana as a schedule 1 narcotic with no medical benefit and high potential for abuse. That is the same category as heroin and lsd. Even cocaine is a schedule 2 narcotic. That didnt make a ton of sense when it it was passed in 1971 and it sure does as hell doesnt make any sense now. When Cannabis Sales hit a record 17. 5 billion. National laws are in complete contradiction with many state laws. With a possible prison time hanging in the balance. Or as it turns out, participating in the olympics. In the case of Shacarri Richardson who looked like she was going to bring home the gold for Team Usa and the 100 Meter Sprint before Testing Positive for pot. She kcopped to it, she use It Hd after her mothers death. Dont judge me. Im human. I just happen to run a lot faster. Thats true. Rules require a onemonth suspension which means she was disqualified from tokyo later this month. Looked like she could participate in the relay race, but the Track Team decided to leave her off the roster. Heres the extra crazy thing. The team called its own decision incredibly unfortunate and devastating for everyone involved. The rules are the rules as President Biden said. But its worth looking at why those rules are there. The World Antidoping Agency was established to police performanceenhancing drugs which is a problem leading to russia being banned from the next two olympics because of its doping program. But does anyone really think pot can enhance performance in Track And Field . Marijuana has never made anyone move faster. It turns out that the World Antidoping Agency determined whether pot should be Pro Hishted since the 1980. Roughly 40 countries have partially legalized it. One of the agency founders told the Washington Post one of these days we should probably take it off the Listen Tirely but its there and the minimum sanction be a warning so youre not losing any period of eligibility. Maybe one of those days should be now because peoples lives get caught up in these contradictions. Consider according to fbi data, u. S. Drug arrests were for Marijuana Offenses mostly possession. And Black Americans are more than three times more likely to be arrested for it than whites despite similar usage rates. And there are still people serving time in prison on minor marijuana charges. Doesnt make sense. Marijuana offenders should be released and have the records expunged if the law they were prosecuted under isnt affected as in new york. And the government should step up and finally change the absurd classification of marijuana as a schedule 1 narcotic. Because if we come to the place where there is common ground between Cheech And Chong and clarence thomas, its time to stop being so dazed and confused when it comes to pot and consequence. And thats your Reality Check. Thats an interesting vin diagram, Cheech And Chong and clarence thomas. Thank you so much. I wanted to give you that gift. And you did. Is Donald Trumps lawsuit against Social Media Companies a serious case or is it just a big stunt . We will roll the tape next. And Britney Spears struggle to get out of the conservatorship. What her Month Tther is telling judge. New projects means new project managers. You need to hire. I need indeed. Indeed you do. The moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a short list of quality candidates from our resume database. Claim your Seventy Five Dollar credit, when you post your first job at indeed. Com home. George conway, conservative Lawyer And Trump critic, says the former president s Law Sutd against Social Media Companies for removing him from their platforms is, quote, as stupid as youd think. Well delve into that in a moment. We should note this Lawsuit Strategy is same old same old for trump. The art of the frivolous lawsuit has been his m. O. For decades. He does it for publicity, he does it to delay legitimate legal challenges. He does it to bury workers on his building projects who just want to get paid for their manual labor in legal bills, and in this case hes doing it to raise money. One hour later, he sent fundraising emails. Back in 2016 Usa Today did a tally of lawsuits involving trump before he became president , and then more recently in the last year, Dana Mill Bank at the Washington Post compiled a rather complete list in some of these legal challenges here laid out. Trump was the defendant. In others he was the plaintiff. In all told, there are 4,095 over three decades, and these lawsuits span every category imaginable. Theres the trump brand. Trademarks. Golf clubs. Taxes. Defamation. Personal injury. Real estate. Employment. Contract disputes. And the most involving his casinos. And over time he, his campaign and his cronies either sued or threatened to sue or plain threatened the following the Washington Post, cnn multiple times and one time demanding an apology after he didnt like one of our polls. The daily beast, univision, nbc and an affiliate, the Los Angeles times, Usa Today, abc, the bbc, an Architecture Critic for the Chicago Tribune along with the newspaper who once called one of his proposed buildings, a, quote, ugly monstrosity, and the onion, which, of course, is satirical fiction. The list, of course, isnt limited to media. There is the culinary workers union, club for growth, the city of minneapolis, and he also likes threatening individuals who he perceives as enemies, or frankly they just arent nice to him, like Rosie Odonnell who he wanted to, quote, take some money out of her fat pockets. Bill maher after he wanted to see his Birth Certificate to prove he wasnt the spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan. A random twitter user, a woman critical of trump university, a critic of his golf courses, the organizer of a dump trump campaign, author michael wolff, former Senate Majority leader harry reed, 92yearold widow, social conduct accusers, former aide, Gop Senator ted cruz, John Kasich who trump wanted to sue for, quote, fun. A person who made antitrump tshirts, mary trump, and an artist who painted a nude of him. The artist said she was threatened by someone claiming to be part of Trumps Team if the piece was sold. But why . Why does he do this over and over . Perhaps he gave us a hint at the Press Conference for this new lawsuit. If you say it long enough, hard enough, often enough, people will start to believe it. That may have worked with the Big Lie that he won the 2020 election when he actually lost it. But when it comes to lawsuits, trump has just become the litigant who cried wolf. I didnt know about the naked painting. I didnt either. You know, we do our research and we uncover all these interesting things, and that might be the most interesting. I hope you didnt do too much research on that one there. But no. I mean, clearly the lawsuit is his Default Position there. Great interesting reporting there. Up next, the republican facing a revolt from his own party because he refused to go along with the Big Lie about the stolen election. And how britney Spears Mom is now backing her in her battle to regain control of her life. Limu Emu Doug oh are you using liberty Mutuals Coverage Customizer tool . Sorry . Well, since you asked. 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Oklahoma Senator James Lankford is one of the most conservative members of the senate. Thats not good enough for the oklahoma republican party. According to tulsa world, the States Party Chair is supporting Langfords Party Opponent who has fully embraced Donald Trumps false claims about the election. The main issue seems to be that lankford did not go far enough in backing the Big Lie from Donald Trump. Joining me now is milckey edwards. He was the chair of the Policy Committee in the house. He left the republican party after the Capitol Insurrection saying it has become a Cult Idolizing a ruler. Congressman, you dont get much more conservative than james lankford, yet the state Party Chair from your Home State is saying its not good enough any more. Lankford, in the end, did not back all of Trumps Election lies, and that seems to be the sticking point. What does it tell you . Well, look, first of all, to put it in perspective, there are probably not 200 people in oklahoma who have any idea who the republican State Chairman is. When i was in congress, i didnt know who my state Party Chairman was. So it doesnt mean that. But it does mean, as it often happens, you know, that the small number of extremists who are really fired up can easily take over a party organization. I dont Think Lankford is in any problem, but it is true that there is a hard Core Group that are not really interested in public policy. Theyre not interested in constitutional issues. Theyre trump loyalists. They believe the lie. And its happening here in massachusetts where the state Party Chairman is opposing the republican governor, charlie baker. You know, its a group of people who just want to keep trump up front, and they also want to disrupt Joe Biden and the democrats in congress because they want to take control again. I agree that many normal people dont necessarily know who the state Party Chairs are. It does say something to the official Party Apparatus now. And its not just in oklahoma. That their primary Driving Issue in some cases is the Big Lie, and loyalty to the former president. Yeah, i think Thats Part of it, is loyalty. I think the thing thats disturbing is a lot of the people who are doing this are not watching this program. They watch other programs. They have other News Sources. A lot of them, you know, may be nuts, but a lot of them actually believe what theyre saying. They believe what trump is saying because thats the News Sources that they depend upon. I Think Lankford, back to oklahoma, lankford is not going to be in any problem. I think hes going to easily win his primary, and then probably easily win reelection. But it does say something that this is happening all across the country. Where the people who are the most zealous and really the ones who know the least about whats true and whats not true are able to take over an organization, and then she shut other people up. People become afraid to stand up to them. Its the Intimidation Factor because what will bring trump in and what will denounce you, well sue you and whatever else. I think its a problem all across the country. The Trump Poison has been spread throughout the party. And, again, and i agree. I dont Think Lankford necessarily is vulnerable in oklahoma, but it is striking that for some candidates around the country, it seems to be a growing number, that adherence to the Big Lie or things that just arent true, its not a bug, its the feature of their candidacy. Well, it is. Remember, they have a secret weapon, and that is that we have the kind of a Party System in the united states where, in order to be on the ballot in november or you might be able to win with a lot of independence, a lot of democrats. But to get on the ballot in november, you first have to navigate a party primary. And that helps a lot. It helped ocasiocortez in new york. It helps people all across the country who are able to be either more left or more right than the general voter, but they have to please the people in the primary to get onto the ballot. And if its a heavily democratic area or heavily republican area, thats all you need to do. Congressman, its good to speak to you. Thank you for joining us. Thanks for having me on. Brianna . Parkinsons is not just a disease for the elderly. So of patients get it before theyre even 50. Meet one man who took his diagnosis and fought back in todays human factor. When i was first diagnosed with parkinsons, i was only 27 years old. I was in shock. I figured if i just ignored it, it would just go away. My name is Jimmy Choi and i am a fivetime competitor on american ninja warrior. I just got married. We had all kinds of dreams over the next eight years. I got worse, i was constantly losing my balance. One day when i was walking down the stairs with my son, The Two Of Us fell. I knew that i had to make a change. And i finally got myself into a clinical trial involving exercise and i noticed that i felt better. So i started adding more activity in my life. I would try to just get outside and just walk, and just keep adding every day trying to do a little more. That walk became a jog. The jogging became running. So by April 2012 i ran the chicago marathon. Even though i was getting stronger, parkinsons never goes away. Im simply preparing my body so that its better at handling these symptoms when my body is cramping. I have a better chance of pulling myself out of that cramp. With american ninja warrior, my daughter, i got into it. My goal is to help encourage others to be more active, to make themselves stronger. You dont have to be an american ninja warrior. You dont have to run marathons. Find something you enjoy doing. We made Usaa Insurance for members like martin. An Air Force Veteran made of doing whats right, not whats easy. So when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. Thats how you do it right. Usaa insurance is made just the way martins family needs it with hasslefree claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. Because doing right by our members, thats whats right. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. Usaa new developments this morning in Britney Spears conservatorship case. The pop Stars Mother Lynn spears told the court her daughter is in a much different place now than in 2008, and should be allowed to choose her own attorney. Cnns khloe joins us now. What is going on . Lynn spears filed a petition saying my daughter should have the right to choose her own attorney. We heard britney said that at the bombshell hearing. Its 13 years, ive had a Court Appointed Attorney. I want to choose my own counsel. Britneys Court Appointed Attorney resigned earlier this week. Whats complicated about this is britney said during that hearing not only is the conservatorship abusive, john, but my parents have never intervened for my good will and my parents, i want to sue them. They should be in jail. So Lynn Spears coming out here with this Petition Acting as though she is acting on the behalf, best interest of her daughter here, but really is this a public Peace Offering from lynn to her daughter saying, you know, i do care about you stop suing me. Stop suing me and i want to make things right. Yeah, you have to question Everyones Interest in perspective at this point. Another major development overnight in terms of filings . So, many people filing different petitions, all acting as they know what britney needs and what britney wants. The latest is jodie montgomery, the conservator of britneys person. She has been overseeing britneys medical decisions, medical affairs the last two years since her father stepped aside. She has come under scrutiny. Britney said, i cant take my i. U. D. Out. I change in front of people. I have no privacy. Im forced into therapy. These are things jodie oversees. She said she needs a guardian ad litem, a Court Appointed person that acts on britneys best interest, something you see that happens with incapacitated people or children. She wants them terminated. No one, her mom, jodie, her attorney has filed a petition to terminate the conservatorship. Thats what she wants, all these filings. None of it is what britney asked for which is Pay Petition to terminate. It will be interesting to see if between now and next weeks hearing, who is going to step up to the plate to do that. Thank you for your reporting on this. I know youll keep us posted. There will be something new tomorrow. Cnns coverage continues right now. Very good Thursday Morning to you. Im jim sciutto. Poppy has the week off. A political tight rope. Cnn reporting this morning on how democrats on the select committee to investigate January 6 planned to get to the bottom of what happened that day without letting republican politics dictate the investigation. Cnn is learning the democratled panel will try to keep some of their work Behind Closed Doors in an effort to avoi