where america is or even close to. well, tonight i'm here to report that we are at the book banning stage of american authoritarianism. are you still not worried? republican lawmakers in texas led by this guy matt krauss have launched an investigation into school libraries to see if they are carrying books on certain subjects. a list that includes more than 850 books and critics say targets books about women, people of color, and lgbtq people specifically. it is shameful. it's shocking. and what else is shocking is representative krauss is refusing to provide any specifics about his probe claiming it would compromise the integrity of the potential investigation. what might he investigate? thoroughly educating the children of texas? i'd call this a witch hunt but donald trump has rendered that term completely void. before anyone dares tell me this isn't really america it's just texas, there is also the sunshine state under the less than sunny rule of florida gop governor ron desantis. three professors at the university of florida in gainsville, a state school, have been barred from testifying as expert witnesses in a voting rights case against the state. the university said it was adverse to uf's interests and may pose a conflict of interest. a spokeswoman for the university defended the move adding the school has a long track record of supporting free speech and did not deny the first amendment rights or academic freedom of the professors. no. you just denied their right to practice that freedom since the administration running the state disagreed with those three professors. it's the same thing. see voting rights groups filed a lawsuit challenging a new state law that severely limits the ability of florida voters to cast ballots through a drop box or by mail. just minutes after governor desantis signed it into law back in may. now, do we have a video for you of desantis signing the bill? photos perhaps? no. we do not. because desantis shut out all media from that event except for fox news. this photo is from him outside after he gave the exclusive rights to watching him restrict voting rights to the republican party's preferred media outlet. so restrict voting, restrict media access, and restrict the ability of academics employed by the state to speak out against you in a court of law. none of this sounds like a foreign tin pot dictatorship? but hey you might say it's just florida. it's just texas. nope. it's virginia, too. where on tuesday voters will decide the state's next governor in a race that is now turning on whether certain books should be allowed in schools. >> as a parent, it's tough to catch everything. so when my son showed me his reading assignment my heart sunk. it was some of the most explicit material you can imagine. i met with lawmakers. they couldn't believe what i was showing them. they passed bills requiring schools to notify parents when explicit content was assigned. but then governor terry mcauliffe vetoed it twice. he doesn't think parents should have a say. he said that. >> what is this abominable, shocking book this conservative activist the mother of a republican operative wanted banned? she tried to suppress "beloved" the acclaimed novel from nobel laureate tony morrison in which she portrays the graphic horrors of slavery. this happened back in 2013, nearly a decade ago. the democrat in the race today terry mcauliffe, the former governor said this morning there is a reason that morris is the targeted author. >> he wants to ban toni morrison's book "beloved" so he is going after one of the most preeminent african-american female writers in american history, won the nobel prize, presidential medal of freedom, and he wants her books banned. of all the hundreds of books you could look at, why did you take the one black female author? why did you do it? he is ending his campaign on a racist dog whistle just like he started the campaign when he talks about election integrity. >> none of this is principled from the republicans. to be clear in virginia the republican candidate for governor wants to give parent the power to decide which books are on the curriculum but in texas the gop state government is trying to find out what books are on the curriculum and restrict them. it seems they want to decide. which is it? it is almost as if the republican body is running two contradictory campaigns at once. that is weird. it's almost as if the gop doesn't care about books or speech or consistency. they care about dividing people and acquiring power. there is a reason mcauliffe's gop opponent glenn youngkin has made parental anxiety and manufactured outrage a focal point of his campaign. because it seems to be working. the race is not only a toss up but education now tops the economy at 24% as the top concern of virginia voters. last month it was just 15%. last month education voters favored mcauliffe by 33 points. now they tilt to youngkin by 9 a whopping 42-point swing. so, yes, we can talk about what is happening in virginia and florida and texas in the context of racism and our ability or inability to talk about racism. yes, we can talk about it in terms of elections and the future of the biden build back better agenda. what good is it to safe our infrastructure if we can't save our democracy? the bigger picture we cannot lose sight of, the dark bode titled together, this is how fascism works. this is putin's playbook in russia. the same one erdogan turns to in turkey and tucker carlson's buddy operates out of in hungary. republicans are doing everything in their power to turn the united states into the next authoritarian regime with the gop in power, a minority of votes indefinitely. on this halloween sunday be afraid. be very afraid about what is coming down the track. who better to discuss this with than jason stanley professor of philosophy at yale university and author of "how facism works" the politics of us and them, along with ruth, history in italian studies at new york university and author of of "strongmen mussolini to the present." thank you both for joining me on the show. ruth, you and i have been discussing growing authoritarianism for years now and on this show all of this year. we have now reached the book banning stage. and yet, still, there is so much complacency among politicians and journalists in this country. >> yeah. in "strongmen" i write "strongmen" not only disappear but they disappear books and texts and ideas and whole fields of knowledge that conflict with their goals. sometimes the latter is a prelude to the former and in victor orban, you mentioned in 2018, he banned gender studies. two years later, transgender and intersection people have no legal status. it starts in the universities and the schools and it moves on. lo and behold youngkin makes anti-trans campaigns together with anti-crt, part of this interlocking playbook. the other thing i am interested in is you mentioned representative krauss and trying to ban books that make people feel uncomfortable. this, too, is part of the playbook. the more you ask people to lie and the more you ask them to accept violence the more you have to give them away to assauge their consciences. the books he wants to ban are books that make people feel, quote, guilty or, quote, discomfort. so that is part of kind of preparing to accept authoritarianism. it is very ominous. >> jason, as "slate" magazine points out the novel "beloved" has been challenged in u.s. schools in '96, '97, '98, 2007, 2006, 2012, 2015, 2016 and "slate" says it is never really about the book itself. is it the about the book now in virginia in 2021? >> no. all of this is about banning the kinds of material that would help us understand what is going on. ironically, in 1995, toni morrison gave a commencement address at howard university called "racism and fascism," where she explained the interlocking history of american racism and european fascism and the strategies by which it works. she talks about constructing an internal enemy. criminalizing the minority boys. these are the long standing structures of american facism that also interlock with things that affected european facism like jim crow, and what they are trying to do is wipe out the history of that so that young children don't learn that history. so that when they come around as they are doing right now to suppressing voting rights, to changing elections so that only one party wins so it is a one party state, no one remembers the history of that. >> that is deeply distressing but toni morrison was ahead of her time in some of her predictions and warnings. ruth, we have seen what happened in hungary. now an ill liberal democracy was built in plain sight. you mentioned it a moment ago. what is so fascinating and depressing here is it is happening in plain sight again, happening in slow motion. it is happening out in the open. the republicans aren't hiding any of this. >> no, they're not hiding any of this but they're counting on people not understanding what is going on and they've made a superb use of disinformation to make sure people are not understanding what is going on. the whole thing about wresting control of schools for parents is not only about privatizing schools so that you disinvest from the public's fear, because some of these mothers groups are asking people to have an exodus from public schools. it is also of course to wrest control of the curriculum. the other thing that's interesting here is that when you read the documents and the accusations against critical race theory, the propaganda works through association and they keep using the word indoctrination. this is part of this right wing playbook to present biden's administration and the democrats as socialist tyrants. this is a huge talking point. and so indoctrination goes with communism and this is all kind of a very well funded and well marshalled, organized campaign. >> oh, yes. what is so fascinating with the gop there's always projection. whatever they accuse other people of is what they are doing. jason, if the critical race theory panic works on tuesday in virginia, it's going to be rolled out across the country by the gop ahead of the midterms next year, isn't it? crt will be the new caravan from mexico if it isn't already. >> absolutely. it is culture war all the time now. ruth is absolutely right to draw attention to the growing focus on transgender, attack on transgender individuals, and gay rights. i mean, we have to remember that one of the central ministries of nazi germany was the ministry against homo sexuality and abortion. what you are trying to do here is trying to get ordinary social conservatives who are regular members of our democratic community panicked. you're trying to tell them they're going after your young boys. they're trying to transform them into girls. there is nothing you can do about it. because they're indoctrinating them. these conspiracy theories work by challenging people's manhood. so the idea is you can't protect your children. you need a strong leader to protect your children. so they are extending it as we saw in hungary and russia to gay rights, to transgender rights, and thereby they're going to draw in minority voters as well into this who are socially conservative into this moral panic. >> ruth just on critical race theory, this buzz word, it is very clear they don't care about critical race theory. they do care about not talking about racism, denying racism. have a listen to this clip from "showtime" with a conservative education activist, as they call themselves. it is really quite revealing. have a watch. based on their skin color. >> i don't look a the person based on their skin color. >>. i look at them based on their character. >> can i just interrupt for one thing? >> sure. >> i think there are probably plenty of people that would agree with exactly that. but just to be fair on the other side there are people especially young black men for example who would say i would love to not be judged on the color of my skin. >> do you think it is more on the color of their skin or their actions? how they're dressed? >> ruth, i watched that exchange and once i stopped gaping no matter how eager virginia republicans and many others might be to deny the existence of racism if it says that about a young black man, if it talks like a racist, might it be racist? the language being used on the right? >> absolutely. as was pointed out before they are much more emboldened about this and the, you know, they know that nobody really knows what critical race theory is but it has the effect, it has race in it. that's why i've been looking at the language very carefully. not just indoctrination but they talk about invading our schools, it's invading our homes through homework brought home. and this language of invasion is -- it goes back to fascism, this panic that white lets be submerged. that whites will be invaded. they'll lose their sovereignty. they'll lose, you know, have violence against them. so all of this is coded in three letters, crt. it is really a case study of how propaganda works through slogans and snappy jargon things and they've done very well with that. >> you could argue that the reaction to critical race theory is a reminder of why we need it. jason stanley and ruth, as aelz, thank you for your time. still to come house democrats are planning to vote on the slimmed down social spending and climate change bill on tuesday maybe. but what is actually left in the text? plus, my conversation with actress and author alyssa milano and, yes, apart from her political activism we will also talk about a potential "who's the boss" skrel. resembles someone else, i appreciate that liberty mutual knows everyone's unique. that's why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. oh, yeah. that's the spot. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ ♪ ♪ there are beautiful ideas that remain in the dark. but with our new multi-cloud experience, you have the flexibility you need to unveil them to the world. ♪♪ (vo) subaru presents... the underdogs. they may have lost an eye, or their hearing, or their youthful good looks. but there's a lot of things the remarkable dogs haven't lost... like their ability to lick, wag, and love with the best of them. join subaru in helping underdogs find a loving home and celebrate all dogs during our third annual national make a dog's day. we have to be able to repair the enamel on a daily basis. with pronamel repair toothpaste, we can help actively repair enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep my go to toothpaste to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. bogeys on your six, limu. they need customized car insurance from liberty mutual so they only pay for what they need. woooooooooooooo... we are not getting you a helicopter. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ it's another day. and anything could happen. it could be the day you welcome 1,200 guests and all their devices. or it could be the day there's a cyberthreat. only comcast business' secure network solutions give you the power of sd-wan and advanced security integrated on our activecore platform so you can control your network from anywhere, anytime. it's network management redefined. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. comcast business powering possibilities. the supreme court will hear opening arguments related to texas's antiabortion law on monday. the highly controversial law remains in effect while the nine justices consider whether to let the justice department and abortion providers sue in federal court over the law. pro choice advocates have been protesting the texas law ever since it was first passed including actor alyssa milano she has become one of the most high profile liberal activists in america today, lending her voice to the fight over voting rights, reproductive rights, gun safety, and many more such issues. she was even arrested protesting outside the white house. i spoke to her earlier this week about her politics, this moment in american history and her new book "sorry, not sorry." alyssa milano, so good to have you on the show. welcome. >> thank you so much for having me. >> listen, the other week you were outside the white house, protesting for voting rights. you even got arrested. what happened there and were you there because you don't believe joe biden has done enough to protect voting rights? >> exactly. you know, states have introduced 425 bills making it harder for people to vote. 13 republican led states have passed 33 laws aimed specifically at making it more difficult for people to vote. of course that burden lies on the communities of color, people of color. so i went with people for the american way and we marched right up to the white house with the purpose of demanding that president biden use his power and influence in the senate with the senate to pass the freedom to vote act. i also think we need d.c. statehood as soon as possible and we need to do it and i'm completely aware there is a lot going on. that biden has been very busy focused on his agenda but we have sent him to the white house to do very specific things and with midterms coming up my fear is if we don't achieve all things maybe the most important thing being voting rights since it is the bed rock of her our democracy, we're going to be in trouble. >> indeed. joe biden talked such a good game on voting rights, talks about the new jim crow but the action has not been there. i worry like you that the prioritization of this most important right hasn't been done. it is not just voting rights in america under assault. the supreme court is set to hear oral arguments monday on texas's near total ban on abortions. you have been very active over the years. at a women's march, rally earlier this month, you said, and i quote, this is the most dangerous time in america to be a woman. in one chapter your imagine a hypothetical conversation with a woman protesting outside a planned parenthood clinic. is that an argument you think you could win with a conservative in real life on the merits? and how optimistic are you about the whole abortion debate about roe, given the makeup of the supreme court right now? >> the supreme court is definitely something to be concerned with, why so many organizers and grass roots organizations went to the kavanaugh fight when that was happening because we could see this. as far as the conversation in my book with someone protesting outside of planned parenthood, here is how i would like to think about this. the way you phrased your question is, is that a conversation you can win in real life? i would like to just reframe the thought we are all a very diverse group of people in this country. we don't need to win fights. we need to respect each other's needs, privacy, health care needs, and those are i'm hopeful and i want to believe that we can have the tough conversations, the uncomfortable conversation, and from that grow as a nation. . >> it's a very good point about trying to, well, you could rephrase it as win people over but you're right. it is not a zero sum game. a lot of this is based on different people's experienced views. it is a very polarized nation. you have been active on a lot of fronts in a lot of polarized issues, whether it's voting rights, whether it's gun violence. i know you have been involved there. abortion rights. we talked about you testified before the house oversight and reform committee about the need to pass the equal rights amendment. >> uh-huh. >> let me ask you this. in your book you talk about -- you have a phrase, a quote in your book jumped out at me. you talk about, and i'm going to read it out here. you talk about activism and you say i'm an actor. i am no stranger to performing. but i work hard to never perform in my activism. fascinating line and many questions come out of that. the first is who is that line aimed at? who do you think is engaged in performative activism? i'm sure you're away, a lot of your critics would say simply by you being a celebrity activist that your activism is performance. how do you navigate that? >> yeah. i think for me the way i know that my activism isn't performative is i not only feel things on a super deep level, but also, i show up. i am boots on the ground. i support grass roots organizers doing the heavy lifting in all of these fights. you know, the thing that is fascinating to me is as an actor i think the reason why i was a child actor and enjoyed it was because of the applause and it is clinically proven that any such approval like applause will light up certain parts of the brain, the rewards center. and so i don't think that this era of social media activism is any different. i think that certain parts of the brain is lit up when people tweet something out and i think that they -- i think that is why call-out culture is such a big deal is because people are being rewarded with dopamine when they call someone out, when they are performative on social media. it was an interesting revelation to have that in my own heart and then to be able to witness how people are doing things. >> and your activism of course could be, could turn into a political career. you've recently hinted that you may be interested in challenging republican tom mcclintock for california's fourth district. mcclintock has been in office since 2009 and beat his last democratic challenge by almost 12 points. what makes you think you'd be able to flip that district? and is a seat in congress where all your activism has always been headed towards? >> i don't know. see, i vacillate between feeling like it is -- it does seem to be the natural progression for me, and also like would i get anything done at all? i feel like i am so impactful in my activism right now that it feels -- i don't know. i have to see how the new district is drawn and see if there is any shot. but as far as that area, i think part of the issue is that democrats have not -- we do this a lot. we don't go into these areas, these districts where we don't think we have a shot. >> yes. >> so even if running meant i go into my home area because i have a home in that district, and have i these conversations, much like what stacey abrams was able to do in georgia, and really have these conversations with people who might feel ignored, that it would be beneficial even if i lost that i would be paving the way to, you know, at least a more purple district. >> and the political journalist in me is all i'm hearing is she's not ruling it out. one last question. i've saved the most important for last. what is going on with a who's the boss reboot? i grew up in the uk not the u.s. and yet i knew you in the '80s. millions of people around the world knew you in the '80s from "who's the boss." defied a lot of norms in many ways. will we see tony and samantha back on screen together any time soon? >> we are developing right now, we're really excited about the direction of the show, but i will say it's not a reboot. we are looking at it as a sequel. so we get to re-establish and learn what samantha has been doing all of these years and how tony fits into it and also samantha was raised by two incredibly strong women in angela and mona. and i'm really excited to see how those women have shaped samantha's life as an adult. so yes we are developing and really excited about the potential of doing something really progressive and really special. >> my wife and i will be tuning in. alyssa milano, we'll have to leave it there. congratulations on the new book. thank you for your time. the book is "sorry not sorry" and is out now. up next, house democrats plan to vote on biden's build back better agenda this tuesday. now it might come later in the week as the final haggling continues. up next i'll catch you up on what's in and what's out of the major bill. i'll do it in less than 60 seconds promise. first richard lui is here with the headlines. hello, richard, hello, mehdi. some of the stories we're watching for you this house. white house secretary jen psaki tested positive for covid-19. she says in a statement she only experienced mild symptoms which enables her to work from home. psaki opted not to accompany president biden on his foreign trip after members of her own family tested positive. she says tuesday was the last time she saw president biden and that when they sat outside more than 6 feet apart and wore masks. high winds and staffing problems are to blame for the cancellation of more than 1500 american airlines flights since friday. the cuts came from its busiest hub in dallas/ft. worth. american said in a statement it canceled an additional 60 630 flights by early sunday. and for those about to rock, we salute you. last night's rock 'n roll hall of fame ceremony brought three legendary artists into the realm of rock immortality. the foo fighters, tina turner, and jay-z were among the names this was the second induction for tina turner and foo fighters' lead singer dave grohl. he was previously inducted as part of nirvana, and tina turner was inducted as one-half of the ike and tina. rock on to all the winners there. more of "the mehdi hasan show" right after this break. enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. o man, that's a whole lot of wrinkly at least my shoes look good! my go to toothpaste looking good start with bounce wrinkleguard, the megasheet designed to prevent wrinkles in the dryer. as a dj, i know all about customization. that's why i love liberty mutual. they customize my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. how about a throwback? ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ you have the best pizza in town and the worst wait times. 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 in 2016, i was working at the amazon warehouse when my brother passed away. and a couple of years later, my mother passed away. after taking care of them, i knew that i really wanted to become a nurse. amazon helped me with training and tuition. today, i'm a medical assistant and i'm studying to become a registered nurse. in filipino: you'll always be in my heart. meet stuart and byron, owners of sml, a tiny home architecture firm. they were getting ready to travel to portland, maine for a pitch when their 3d-printer broke. luckily, sml is with american express business platinum, and has access to over $1000 in value per year with the business services suite. so they got new software and created a full augmented reality experience. sml won the pitch, and with their membership rewards® points, extended their hotel stay for a few extra days. they had a whale of a time. get the card built for business. by american express. ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ earlier in month, i told you in 60 seconds what was in the build back better bill, which we in the media haven't covered so well. give me another 60 seconds to tell you what's in the crucial and slimmed down version. joe biden has unveiled a new build back better bill. subsidized child care for millions of families and extension to the child tax credit, reduce medicaid, hearing aids, expansion of free meals to nearly nine million kids and expanded earned income tax. imsz reform, a new sur tax on the income to millionaires and billionaireses plus a record hiv $50 billion against climate change. buff what's gone? what has been slashed? medicare negotiating lower prices out. higher tax rate on corporations out. a wealth tax on billionaires, out. and the clean electricity performance program. so crucial for reducing carbon emissions, also out. it is it is still historic, and a much needed investment in america, while also saying it's not enough and too much missing from it. both of those things can be true at the same time. [ buzzer ] >> when we come back, as joe biden heads into the critical climate talks at cop26, where his allies wonder if they'll deliver. plus, did you know the "the mehdi hasan show" is available as a podcast? now you can listen to the show on the go any time. listen for free wherever you get your podcast. odcast such tree-mendous views. i'm at a moss for words. when a cough tries to steal dad's punchlines, he takes robitussin naturals powered by 100% drug-free ingredients. are you gonna leaf me hanging? soothe your cough naturally. bogeys on your six, limu. they need customized car insurance from liberty mutual so they only pay for what they need. woooooooooooooo... we are not getting you a helicopter. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ it only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. tide pods child-guard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer. to close, twist until it clicks. tide pods child-guard packaging. tv: mount everest, the tallest mountain on the face of the earth. keep dreaming. [coins clinking in jar] ♪ you can get it if you really want it, by jimmy cliff ♪ ♪ [suitcase closing] [gusts of wind] [gusts of wind] [ding] (upbeat music) - [narrator] this is kate. she always wanted her smile to shine. now, she uses a capful of therabreath healthy smile oral rinse to give her the healthy, sparkly smile she always wanted. (crowd cheering) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. as someone who resembles someone else, i appreciate that liberty mutual therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. knows everyone's unique. that's why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. oh, yeah. that's the spot. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ president biden is on a whirlwind tour of europe. biden talks a good game, but arrives without any meaningful action on climate change after a last-minute race to get legislation passed has been punted to tuesday, maybe. at the g 20 summit in rome world leaders gathered to toss a coin in the trevi fountain and cast a wish, a fitting metaphor for what global action on climate change has amounted to so far. close your eyes and hope for the best. only 12 of the world's 20 largest economies have committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 the u.n. secretary general saying the gathering left his hopes unfulfilled. why is it meaningful action on climate change feels so impossible particularly in america? it is not that americans don't believe in climate change. a yale university poll found 69% of americans think global warming is happening but the same poll found they think only 54% of other americans believe in it, too. it feels impossible because we just think, we assume that half of americans are climate deniers, which is crazy. climate catastrophe may have been an abstract concept in years past. something distant that climate deniers could wish away but not anymore. the crisis is here right now on our door step. this year already we had a snowstorm in texas which cost more than 200 people minimum their lives. this summer nearly 1 in 3 americans experienced a weather disaster. there was the pacific heat wave in june and july that killed hundreds of people. hurricanes devastated the gulf coast and northeast. the remnants of hurricane henri dumped the most rainfall in a single hour in new york's history. hurricane ida delivered flash floods and winds that left 80 dead across mississippi and louisiana. the bootleg dixie and caldor wild fires destroyed an estimated 1.6 million acres in the pacific northwest and hundreds of homes. that's all just the tip of the literal iceberg. it is happening. in front of our eyes. to millions of us. are we likely to see any meaningful change during the next week at cop 26? i guess it is a matter of hope for the best but prepare for the very, very worst. when we come back i'll talk to acclaimed climatologist michael mann about the challenges ahead. stay tuned. ♪ ♪ there are beautiful ideas that remain in the dark. but with our new multi-cloud experience, you have the flexibility you need to unveil them to the world. ♪ hi susan! honey? yeah? to unveil them to the world. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad... try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love... plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? now get powerful relief with robitussin elderberry. ♪♪ we believe everyone deserves to live better. and just being sustainable isn't enough. our future depends on regeneration. that's why we're working to not only protect our planet, but restore, renew, and replenish it. so we can all live better tomorrow. ♪♪ certified turbocharger, suspension and fuel injection. translation: certified goosebumps. certified from headlamp to tailpipe. that's certified head turns. and it's all backed by our unlimited mileage warranty. that means unlimited peace of mind. mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. translation: the mercedes of your dreams is closer than you think. still fresh unstopables in-wash scent booster downy unstopables we have to be able to repair the enamel on a daily basis. with pronamel repair toothpaste, we can help actively repair enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. bogeys on your six, limu. they need customizedhpaste car insurance from liberty mutual so they only pay for what they need. woooooooooooooo... we are not getting you a helicopter. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ when in rome, shift the blame to someone else. that's what president biden did during a press conference on sunday, addressing disappointing reports that the g20 climate commitment had not gone far enough. he took on russia and china, saying they basically didn't show up. but of course biden's actions have yet to match his words as he arrives at cop26 without any bespoke climate legislation of his own. and that is a problem a lot bigger than china and russia. joining me to discuss is michael mann, professor of atmospheric science at penn state. welcome back. i'm sure you've watched countless international summits g7, g8, g 20, u.n. on climate change and the need for the world to tackle climate change. and then nothing really happens. is this week with the g20 in rome and the cop26 in glasgow going to be any different do you think? >> thanks, mehdi. good to be with you. i sure hope so. you know, there are a number of us who are optimistic that we'll see some real progress here. now with the biden administration joe biden has actually put forward a pretty bold climate plan. 48 of the democrats support that plan. and so the problem right now really for joe biden or most of the democratic party, the republican party and two democrats who thus far have been unwilling to sign on to the sort of bold climate vision put forward in that plan. so we may need to take what we can get from this particular senate. and there is some good stuff. that's currently on the table. if you look at the framework that supposedly has been agreed to, there's about $500 billion for clean energy and other climate provisions in that bill. that's the biggest amount of spending we've ever seen on climate on clean energy. so that's good. it doesn't go as far as we'd like to see it go but it does potentially allow biden to make good on his pledge to bring domestic u.s. emissions down by 50% within the decade. >> so of course that bill, the build back better bill, has not passed. we don't know if it is going to pass this week or not or if it is even going to have a vote in congress. we just don't know. he wanted it before he left for rome and glasgow. hasn't happened. thank you, joe manchin and kyrsten sinema. you mentioned there is more than $550 billion for climate action in that bill and there is in the new slimmed down bill but the clean electricity performance program which would have provided crucial financial incentives for electrical utilities to transition from fossil fuel is gone thank you joe manchin. in your expert view does this new, smaller bill have enough measures and money to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and get to net zero by 2050? is there enough in the current slimmed down version to get to those crucial goals? >> yeah, with the slimmed down version that you describe and the action at the state level, west coast states, new england, mid-atlantic states if you look at all of that in totality we could probably come close to meeting our obligations, our 50% reduction that's been promised. but there is no question that one of the most potent provisions was stripped out. that was this clean energy standard that would require utilities to provide an increasing share of electricity from renewable and clean sources. so what is sort of left, they got rid of the stick if you will. there is a carrot and a stick in that plan. they got rid of the stick. so the penalties that could be brought against utilities who don't measure up. who don't meet their obligations. there's still a lot of carrot. that can help. >> michael, we know that fossil fuel companies love carrots. carrots are always enough for fossil fuel companies. i feel like the messaging from the democrats on some of these climate change measures has been so inadequate, not urgent enough. manchin for example as i mentioned got rid of the clean electricity performance program and yet the "new york times" earlier this month cited a study showing it would have prevented 50,000 premature deaths from pollution by 2030, more than 300,000 by 2050. why have we not heard more about the innocent, american lives that are being lost to climate inaction? >> yeah. mehdi, many of those in the state of west virginia he represents of course coal burning is one of the major health consequences, negative health consequences our reliance on fossil fuels, air quality, pollution that takes a large toll. so it is unconscionable but, unfortunately, that is where we stand right now. and so what we're looking at is getting what climate legislation we can get, given this current makeup and hoping, you know, ultimately, for a larger number of politicians who are willing to get behind the sort of bold climate legislation that we need. we sort of take what we can get at this point but we've got to work for more because this just isn't enough both for the united states and what we're seeing from other countries at this point. >> last question. 30 serkds left. what should we be looking out for at cop26 this week? >> ultimately we need china on board. they're back at the table. we've been negotiationing with the biden administration. there is reason to believe they're moving in the right direction. we need china, because they're the largest emitter on the planet right now. we're the largest cumulative emitter over time, but they're the largest emitter right now. and both of us have to be on board if we're going get the sorts of agreement that we need. >> well put. we'll have to leave it there. professor michael mann, thanks for being with us tonight. i always appreciate it. coming up at the top of the hour on ayman, susie essman joins the show. she'll discuss what she thinks her character would say to the democrats as they argue over when to hold this crucial budget vote. stick around. more next. ick around more next. ow that there is no place like wayfair. i never thought i'd buy a pink velvet sofa, but when i saw it, i was like 'ah'. and then i sat on it, and i was like 'ooh'. ooh! stylish and napable. okay now. i can relate to this one. i'm a working mom with three boys. [ yelling ] wayfair is my therapy. amen, kim! yup! i'm hiding from my kids, as we speak. as someone who resembles someone else, i appreciate that liberty mutual knows everyone's unique. that's why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. oh, yeah. that's the spot. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice and long-lasting gain scent beads. try spring daydream, now part of our irresistible scent collection. we have to be able to repair the enamel on a daily basis. with pronamel repair toothpaste, we can help actively repair enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. such tree-mendous views. i'm at a moss for words. my go to toothpaste when a cough tries to steal dad's punchlines, he takes robitussin naturals powered by 100% drug-free ingredients. are you gonna leaf me hanging? soothe your cough naturally. as a dj, i know all about customization. that's why i love liberty mutual. they customize my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. how about a throwback? ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ ever wonder how san francisco became the greenest big city in america? just ask the employee owners of recology. we built the recycling system from the ground up, helping san francisco become the first city in the country to have a universal recycling and composting program for residents and businesses. but it all starts with you. let's keep making a differene together. thanks for watching. we'll be right back here next sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern. you can catch me monday through thursday 7:00 p.m. on the choice of peacock. now it's time to hand it over to ayman mohyeldin. ayman, i saw a tweet you did about this new insane tucker carlson documentary on the capital insurrection for fox nation. but before i share it with the viewers, this is a clip from that documentary's trailer. >> false flags have happened in this country. ♪ glory, glory hallelujah ♪ . >> one of which may have been january 6. >> false flags. ayman, you tweeted in response. imagine if a muslim anchor on cable promoted a documentary about 9/11, the worst terror attack in history witnessed around the world and then implied in the slightest that it could have been a false flag operation, the way tucker carlson is doing about the january 6 insurrection. we know what would have happened if we did something as insane on air and would have been rightly fired from the air and carlson doing that about a domestic terror attack by white conservatives on his documentary without any consequences. if that's not white privilege i really don't know what it. >> i got to be honest with you. i take issue with the word documentary, even if you're putting in air quotes. i'm not sure that justifies it. let's just put that aside here for a moment. but you are right. not only is it the hype of white privilege, but also in this context. it's part of the whitewashing around january 6 with the right wing media and tucker carlson at the apex of that but with the politicians that refuse to acknowledge the big lie and so that the election was not stolen and that donald trump is a loser and lost the election. you know this better than anyone else, mehdi. there are some things that are just completely offlimit, and it seems that tucker carlson, those rules do not apply to him when it comes to january 6, what people are calling the worst attack on our democracy since the civil war. he is allowed to say whatever he wants because he still brings in big bucks for the murder docks. >> yeah, exactly. you said the rules don't apply to him. the rules are made by the people at fox and news corp. that is the murdoch family. the executive chairman defending carlson and he is enabled by the murdoches and should call them out and we can laugh at the insanity and laugh about documentaries, but it's dangerous. this kind of anti-government paranoia and conspiracyism in the '90s, it led to waco. it led to ruby ridge. it led to oklahoma city, you know. that is what domestic terrorism does to this country, and it's no laughing matter. >> yeah, and one thing i've been saying really quickly, we also have a disinformation pandemic in this country, and that disinformation pandemic is costing people their lives as well. mehdi, thank you, as always. my friend, it's good to see you. great show, as always. >> thank you. good evening. welcome to "ayman." donald trump is in georgia with this time to attend a world series game, and of course he chose to do the tomahawk chop. i'll tell you why this makes this way more than a baseball game. plus activist and actress susie essman will join me. i'll ask her what she thinks her character on "curb your enthusiasm" would say to the democrats. president biden has a huge task on the world stage heading to cop26. it doesn't help that he arrives without major climate legislation here in the u.s. we're going discuss what to expect with the. i'm ayman mohyeldin. let's get started. all right. question. when is baseball or a baseball game more than just simply a baseball game? that are burning all over the country. when you combine all of that, that is when you get, a baseball -- the world series underway. in fact game five is on as we speak. last night was game four, between the houston astros and atlanta braves, the home team. it was a great game. but if you did not watch any of it, this is what it sounded like for much of the