watch. >> democrats and republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country. it requires us to find common ground. the time for trivial fights is behind us. i am asking all members of congress to join me in dreaming big and bold and daring things for our country. >> martha: when the speech entered, most of the democrats in the room quickly headed for the exits. at moments, fair and balanced reaction from former house speaker newt gingrich, and former clinton advisor. but first, chief national correspondent ed henry gives us up to speed on how the presidential speech played across the country. >> even some liberal commentators said this was one of the most effective speeches. the wall street loved it so much that the dow closed over 21,000 for the first time ever on optimism the president trump code enact major reform on taxes and health care. even before the speech, there was a new "wall street journal" nbc news poll showing that the american people are bullish, too, saying that 40% think that the nation is on the right track, compared to 18% last summer. there seem to be nothing but passes though my pessimism coming from some democratic lawmakers who were rolling their eyes, raising questions about whether they are ready to work with the new president. many rushed up her the president finished, giving a series of many sour reactions. >> the speech and reality have never been more detached than a presidential speech. it really doesn't matter what he says. this is like the campaign. he says one thing, as he governs, is another. >> steve bannon on steroids with a smile. then, you close it up with a bunch of promises that you'll never keep. >> i was proud with her dignity with which our members listen to a speech which clearly was a bait and switch. we are legislators. show us your proposal and we will go from there. >> to be sure, this is a speech very light on specifics, there will be criticism about that. in contrast, banjos, and i say liberal commentator on cnn saying, would he honor the widow of navy seal ryan owens he became president in that moment. the end, a former volunteer for hillary clinton went on twitter to slam karen owens, who received that moving and sustained standing ovation. former clinton campaign volunteer tweeting "sorry, owen's wife, you are not helping yourself or your husband's memory by standing there and clapping like an idiot. the term just used you." he apologized but he has now deleted his twitter account and lost his job with the chicago-based company. martha. >> martha: thank you. here with her take on how democrats should respond, nero tandon, former advisor to hillary clinton and president of the center for american progress. good evening, good to have you with us. your thoughts on all that. >> i think that the most important issue for all of us to judge us what happens now. rhetoric is really important, important to hear the president has to say, the reality is, the test of this will be watch the proposals are. i think that is really the reality of our people. number one, the president talked about health care, reducing health care costs, making it affordable for people, and ensuring people are covered. then, today, we find out that paul ryan has a secret proposal only republicans can see it in the basement of the house. it is going to be unveiled tomorrow but only for republicans. according to reports, it will keep millions of people, it will raise taxes for millions of people and drop coverage for millions of people. i think the real question is, whether congress will meet that rhetoric with actual reality. >> martha: in terms of obamacare, which the president did lay out some specifics last night and talking about how he wants to approach that, there is this planet has been talked about in terms of tax subsidies and whether or not there will be an outlay of money or it will come in the form of a tax credit and to help people buy their own insurance, all of that. we heard that last night. in terms of the secretive nature of it, i mean, there is a lot of proposals that get put together in people's offices in congress, then, they share them as part of that process. >> usually, with republicans and democrats. >> martha: obviously, they have to show it to democrats if they want them to vote it. my question to you, do you think the democrats last night, which is a response be? are there things like infrastructure, like the child care bill, where it would help democrats for their own electoral future if they came forward and worked a bit? what are they? >> i think the question is, what the proposals are. we had just in the last 24 hours, the white house say that it wanted to do an immigration bill, then, it turns out that that is a bait and switch, which the white house itself is saying was "misdirection." it creates a situation where you can't really take what people say at face value. that is why you have to evaluate proposals. >> martha: i heard it from nancy pelosi came i heard it from you. the proposals are about to come out. when you look at them, then you can decide what you think about them. my question is this, are you willing to discuss immigration? i don't know what you are laughing about. are you willing to discuss immigration? on what topics are you willing to come forward and may be meet him somewhere along the road? >> look come out infrastructure, that is a great example. democrats have already put together an infrastructure bill. chuck schumer had a proposal a month ago. >> martha: infrastructure, that is one thing. >> i don't know because i am waiting to see -- >> martha: do you want to fix roads and bridges in the country? >> absolutely. do republicans? >> martha: that would be something that you think they could work together on, perhaps? >> i hope we can work together on a whole range of proposals. the challenge we have had so far is that there has been a great rhetoric out there and the reality has been different. i am sorry that's true. i think it is too bad, i think it is unfortunate that the trump administration will say things like we want to cover everyone and then, you see republican report proposal, not just any, s speaker ryan's proposal, which will mean millions of people will lose coverage. >> martha: it's a secret thing in the basement, but now you are commenting on the specifics of it. i don't know which is the truth. >> it has been reported. >> martha: so, it is not so secret. neera, thank you very much. we will look at it and look forward to hearing more about what you think about it. i think all americans want both sides to at least have some language that says that they would be able to get together on some of these topics. we are going to go from there. my next guest has a brand-new opinion piece going up on foxnews.com on what he calls president trump's best speech, joining me now, former speaker of the house, newt gingrich. good evening. good to see you tonight. >> yeah. he would tell me a little bit about your reaction. >> i can hear you. >> martha: i think we are having an audio problem. are you hearing me okay now, newt? that doesn't sound too good. so, newt gingrich will talk to us in just a moment about his reaction to the president speech, which he said was the best a speech that he had seen the president give to date. outlined some of what he thinks was very positive about it and the areas where they can work together. do we have him? no? let's try one more time. can you hear me? speaker gingrich? do you have me? we all hate it when this happens. all right, so, let's move forward here. should we go to a breaker wait to see if we can get newt? all right. so, president trump courted controversy when he talked about fighting isis. tucker carlson is here on the fallout, we will get back to newt gingrich if we can get that audio fix. also, the powerful moment that everyone was talking about today from last night speech. the widow of a navy seal honored by president trump and congress with a standing ovation, it went on for about 2 minutes. some people actually slammed that moment. go figure. what are of american sniper chris kyle is here. tucker carlson joins us as well, coming up next. >> ryan who laid down his life or his friends, for his country, and for our freedom. and we will never forget ryan. [applause] ways wins. especially in my business. with slow internet from the phone company, you can't keep up. you're stuck, watching spinning wheels and progress bars until someone else scoops your story. switch to comcast business. with high-speed internet up to 10 gigabits per second. you wouldn't pick a slow race car. then why settle for slow internet? comcast business. built for speed. built for business. >> martha: president trump's address to congress garnering praise from both sides of the ils's best speech yet. with my next guest, pending a new opinion piece. we are back here with newt gingrich. good to have you here. welcome. >> i am glad we can hear each other. >> martha: . >> martha: you wrote a great piece of him is on foxnews.com and you talk about the moment you and your wife are on the democratic side of the house and you sort of watched things changing as the speech went on. explain that. >> i think initially, the democrats were very stiff, they were very, they were there because they had to be. gradually, more and more of them applauded. at key moments, a number of them gave a standing ovation. of course, when he honored the fallen seal and his widow, virtually everybody come i think two or three democrats didn't stand. everybody else did. interestingly, as you pointed out earlier, infrastructure was a big winner. a lot of democrats from districts that need bridges, need highways, need other kind of infrastructure. i would not be at all surprised to see president trump get up to a third of the democratic caucus voting for an infrastructure bill. >> martha: we'll see. i also note that you talk about how you watched him learn and grow in office. i thought he went a long way with republicans, as well, who feel that things didn't get often the most solid of footing in the first month. they were a bit reassured last night, were they not? >> i think so. this is the best speech that president trump has given either as a candidate or as president. it was clear, it was powerful, it was disciplined. he stuck to the teleprompter. he looked and felt like a president, like a national leader. i think he has more prestige today, greater ability to negotiate with congress today, then he did yesterday morning. >> martha: what do you think has changed? when you say he is learned and grown in the office, what do you mean? >> i try to tell everybody who asks about this, he is one of the three or four smartest people ever to be president. people confuse the fact that he had a lot to learn because he hadn't been pole politics before with the speed with which he is learning. he has learned a great deal about how to communicate with the country. he has learned a lot about bringing us together. i was very pleased that he opens the entire speech talking about black history month, civil rights, condemning anti-semitism anti-semitism, condemning the hate crimes in kansas city. that was the opening of a national leader who cared about the country and who was sending some pretty strong signals about what was not acceptable in america. i think in that sense, with every passing week, he becomes more aware of the country, more aware of the responsibility he has as president. he gets a little bit better aty week. i think we will see a remarkable president. >> martha: talk to me about the democrats response. it has been all over the place. it is as if they are trying to deal with -- when president trump tweets things that are not really that on target or have a misspelling or whatever the issue is, that is easy for democrats. it has set him and a light that is easy to criticize. last night made it a little tougher on all of them. what is a dynamic? how do they reposition now? speak? >> speak it would made it a lot tougher. president trump gets up and says, i'm for american jobs. the democrats don't applauded. how can you not applaud american jobs? don't forget -- a series of the set ups, if you were watching it on television, you are seeing this whole block of people who are not responding to the most obvious -- >> martha: i thought it was particularly interesting when he said you can't lobby for five years and have the room didn't get up. they were disappointed that they couldn't start lobbying for five years. [laughter] >> he opens up by talking about helping women in science, helping women as entrepreneurs, you would've thought the democrats would have been thrilled at that kind of language. >> martha: i'm sorry we had an audio problem. good to see you as always. we also have new fallout tonight from the most powerful moment of the president speech, which newt and rich was discussing he honored the the life of willian owens, who died last month in a terrorism raid in yemen. he paid tribute to ryan and to his widowed wife, carryn. >> we are blessed to be joined tonight by carryn owens, the wife of senior chief william ryan owens. ryan died as he lived, a warrior and a hero, battling against terrorism, and securing our nation. [applause] >> the bible teaches us there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom, and we will never forget ryan. [applause] >> martha: a very big moment, very powerful for everyone in the room and everyone watching. most people a lot of the presidents tribute there. there were some critics, though, including michael moore, who blasted that moment. watch. >> she is there as a sort of f you to the people who are criticizing him for this. and this poor woman, this widow, who has lost her husband, she is in desperate grief right now. in love with her husband. and to use that, to put another notch on his belt, what is he thinking about? my ratings. record applause. i'm going to get an emmy for this. the most applause for a data soldier on my watch. i mean, this is the sickness of this man. >> martha: tara kyle joints we now, widow of navy seal chris kyle. good evening, good to have you here. >> martha, you know, man. just listening to those clips, i have a myriad of emotions going through me. i can tell you that when i hear the applause and i hear the words being spoken about ryan, i am not thinking about politics in the slightest. what i am thinking is that my heart is pounding and i have chills because it is truth. this is a silent professional, his intensely private family, who gave everything. they never wanted recognition. if somebody now that he is gone wants to get up and thank him for his sacrifice, for his service, to tell the world his name, to tell the world he is out there serving, god bless them. for his beautiful wife to get up there, she is so private, for her to get up there and say, i'm going to do this because i love my husband and because he is worthy of this praise, he deserves this recognition, for once, he doesn't have to be a silent person. for her to stand up and receive that for him is beautiful. you ask about my feelings on what michael moore said, it makes me sick to my stomach, it makes me angry. he is saying two things, she is a fool. and doesn't know she's that is ridiculous. it couldn't be farther from the truth. and it's also saying that this wasn't warranted. in summary, this has to always be political. i get the idea it would be nice to say everything is a political ploy. it totally negates, though, the meaning behind this. the meaning of it for all the people watching who cried with her is that some valiant people are out there fighting, not for republicans, not for democrats, they are fighting for this country and god bless them for doing it. >> martha: it struck me so strongly. you share so much with carryn, you understand how she feels, having lost her husband, as well. when he said "this poor woman," i thought, there is nothing poor about her. she's incredibly strong. and she is standing up there, you can see her breathing, just trying not to cry and taking in at a moment for him, for her husband. and for him, for michael moore to judge her and basically suggest that she didn't understand that she is a pawn in this game, i just -- i find it so reprehensible. what would you say to carryn? what would you say to her? >> oh, i just feel like i know her already. we have a lot of friends in common. i understand that intensely private feeling, i understand taking the courage to get out and say, you know what, this is not about me, this is not about my need for privacy. this is about my husband, who she is always going to love. you can see her looking up to the sky. i can't tell you how much i can relate to that because she is looking for him, she sang, this is not about me, this is about you. i'm proud of you and you deserve recognition even though you never wanted. i on the mic get what she is saying, i could not agree with you more. a lot of people at home watching feel the same way. he is a hero and she is strong. she is anything but a poor woman or a poor widow. she is more -- she has more strength in her little finger than most people would have an their lifetime. this is another step in her journey of being stronger than she wants to be. >> martha: as usual, you nailed it in every way. taya kyle, thank you for being here and expressing your feelings about this better than anyone could. thank you, taya. good to see you. >> good to see you too, thanks. >> martha: tonight from republican lawmakers are cracking down on what they call a justice department slush fund reportedly used the finance politically left groups. governor mike huckabee has looked into this. he is going to tell us why he, having looked at this, believes that somebody deserves to be in jail for this. plus, president trump use one phrase last night that always prompt intense criticism from democrats. was it saying these three words a good idea? tucker carlson here with is always unique take, straight always unique take, straight ahead after the hey hon, we got. grandpa! grandpa! thanks, mom. ♪ >> martha: new reaction tonight to three words that were said just once in president trump's speech. radical islamic terror. the moment it stands in stark contrast to any speech from president obama, who consciously avoided that phrase. but president trump went there and the speech last night. here is that moment. >> our obligation is to serve, protect, and defend the citizens of the united states. we are also taking strong measures to protect our nation from radical islamic terrorism. [applause] >> martha: republicans were on their feet in that moment. former obama deputy national security advisor, ben rhodes, who wrote the benghazi talking points email was none too pleased with president trump's tough talk, taking to twitter, he argued, what was accomplished by declaring war on radical islamic terrorism, just alienating muslim allies who we need, and emboldening terrorists. joining me now, host of "tucker carlson tonight," mr. tucker carlson himself. >> hi, martha. >> martha: he used this phrase during the inaugural address, as well. it is something he is comfortable with. he talked about a lot of my campaign trail. there was quite a bit of backlash from ben rhodes and others last night. >> the ben rhodes response is just childish. these guys are repeating the same bumper sticker for the past ten years and expecting that it is somehow true. of course, it is not going to embolden terrorists. it is not going to alienate our allies, who act out of their own interest or the perceptive and of our interest, rather or not of the basis of they are offended. it is silly. i don't think that calling it radical islamic terrorism defeats radical islamic terrorism, which is much more complicated. on the other hand, lying about what it is, which is with the previous administration did and the one before it, and assiduously, clearly doesn't help for a bunch of reasons. for one, you can't think clearly unless you can articulate what you are thinking clearly. in other words, body language leads to muddy thinking. you wind up convincing yourself that richard spencer and the kkk are as much a threat to american national security as isis. that is not the case. there is value in being precise when you describe things. >> martha: it is worth mentioning that not saying the phrase led to its expansion in countries where it never existed before under the obama administration. >> that is a wise point. you can't look back at the last eight years and say the middle east is a calm or, safer, more moderate, secular place. that is not all the fault of the obama administration. it is not. there are other factors. but they didn't make it better in ways they can brag about. i guess you could say whatever they were doing, they don't need to throw it all out, but it doesn't mean you should reassess it. telling the truth once in a while is worth doing maybe for its own sake. >> martha: i want to play, i know you probably heard the conversation i had with taya kyle, we were watching this together last night during the speech and it was a very moving. today, of course, as always is the case, some back and forth over the meeting of that moment. we went back and looked at whether or not president obama has done a similar thing and whether or not he had received any criticism for using someone who had been through something horrendous as part of the state of the union. here is a moment where he referred to cory rensburg, a wounded warrior. >> over the years, he is into word dozens of surgeries and procedures, hours of grueling rehab every day. cory is here tonight, and like the army he loves, like the america he serves, sergeant first class cory remsburg never gives up and he does not quit. [applause] >> martha: tucker, why was that in no criticism for that moment? >> i was there. i didn't criticize him. part of the president's job is to remind america what it is great about our country. the men and women that serve are at the top of that list. it doesn't change the reality that these are real people who have given up a lot for the rest of us and i think people like to be reminded of that. it is inherently political because it is a politician saying it. let's all lighten up a little bit and acknowledge the sacrifice of good people. >> martha: tucker, thank you so much. good to see you again. we will see you soon. breaking tonight, president trump's speech being credited for setting a new milestone, pollster lee carter is here on some of the night's biggest moments with a look at what people responded to. she is here in a moment. plus, a top obama confidants is the former president may be coming out of retirement a little bit early. chris stirewalt joins us coming ♪ when you have digestive sensitivities, life can feel like a never ending search for food that won't cause bloating, gas, or inner turmoil. try pronourish. a delicious nutritional drink that makes a great mini meal or snack that has protein and fiber. and pronourish has no gluten or high fructose corn syrup. and is low in fodmap ingredients that can trigger digestive sensitivities. the search is over. pronourish. nutrition you can feel good about. you won't see these folks they have businesses to run. they have passions to pursue. how do they avoid trips to the post office? stamps.com mail letters, ship packages, all the services of the post office right on your computer. get a 4 week trial, plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. >> martha: the policies outlined by the president last night maybe departed across party lines for sometimes but investors like what they heard. the dow jones industrial crossed 21,000 for the first time. been breaking record after record after record, since november 8th, 21115. poster lee carter watch the speech with hundreds of voters and electronically recorded their feedback. here now to react to some economic remarks with republicans and bread, democrats and blue, independents are on the yellow line. watch this. >> the stock market has gained almost $3 trillion in value since the election. on november 8th. a record. we have saved the taxpayers of millions of dollars by bringing down the past dominic price a fantastic, and it is a fantasti5 jet fighter. >> martha: going up with a market there. joining us to discuss how the president's speech rated across partisan lines, lee carter, good to see you. >> great to be here. >> martha: the brackets have been taking off like a rocket. the blue line folks, i guess, they don't have a 401(k). i don't know what is going on. >> the democrats come every time donald trump opens his mouth, it goes to the floor. last night, only one moment where to run anywhere but in the middle. a huge victory. we saw the republicans in a row with the independence and yellow. when donald trump went through his achievements of what has happened, it was a reminder of all that has happened. yet, we are only in day 41. he had a list of achievements, he also outlined what he will do. people loved this beach. there was one respondent, he said, when he went out and said, he could picture them being president of the united states when he finished it, he said, that is president trump. >> martha: that is a huge accomplishment. that is something that needed to be gotten over with some people out there. let's take a look at another one. president trump talking about obamacare. watch. >> action is not a choice, it is a necessity. so, i am calling on all democrats and republicans in congress to work with us to save americans from this imploding obamacare disaster. >> martha: interesting how locked up the independents are with the republicans on both of those. >> all the way through outcome of the whole election cycle, from almost four weeks since donald trump announced, the independents were buying into his message. something is different when they are reac we in they are talking on the telephone to pollsters. it was something we saw throughout his message, reaching the people. even last night, talking about people coming together, making it work again, across-the-board, even democrats were on board until he said this disaster called obamacare. that was partisan language. the only time in the entire speech where we saw a drop. >> martha: thank you very much, lee. coming up next, president obama may be scrapping a long-standing tradition of former presidents who stayed on the sidelines. he took a vacation but he seems to be back. plus, part two of my interview with mitch mcconnell and the g.o.p. plan to bridge the divide in congress and across the coun ♪ energy is amazing. how we use it is only limited by our imagination. and at southern company we're building the future of energy, for you. ♪ >> martha: developing tonight, forget a backseat driver, just 41 days in a president trump's presidency, we may already have a backseat president. president obama is raring to go to get back into the mix on things. he said he is "ready to roll." here now, fox news editor, chris stirewalt. what is eric holder talking about? >> democrats better hope he is talking nonsense. what holder is saying there is of the president is going to join him in a bid to push for redistricting on the state level to get democrats elected to state offices so they can effect redistricting maps, they can claw their way back to the majority in the house. if that is something that the former president really is going to take a public roll on and be a spokesman for it, this would be huge news for democrats. so far, republicans have been overstating the role that obama has played. obama looks like he has been chilling. he has been surfing with richard branson, signing $60 million book deals, going to broadway shows, he looks untroubled. >> martha: that is what he should be doing. a lot of stress for eight years. >> being president stinks. being not president and paying rich and famous is cool. he is a mad face. he hasn't been doing that stuff. republicans have been accusing him. of this is the truth, this is a disaster for democrats. they needed fire dominic forest fire, it clears out the underbrush, you get the new gren shoots. democrats haven't gotten there and they will not get there if their former leader keeps hanging around the party. >> martha: he came up pretty early with a statement through a spokesperson about the extreme vetting. that was ten days into the trump presidency. he lives in washington, d.c., right around the corner from ivanka and jared. >> we are to block >> martha: he wants to be around. it seems pretty evident that the vacations aren't quite enough. he is young, energetic, he loves this stuff. >> i will give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he is staying for this's sake of her daughter's education. that is fine, that is cool. the question is, if he really wants to start trading on his moral authority, trading on his experience, forced off. i mean, really nickel and dime business about state-level redistricting, he is trading it too cheaply. the democrats will be sorry he never left for you >> martha: chris, we are glad you didn't tell you for you >> never. >> martha: thank you. we'll see you soon. also, developing tonight, senate republicans huddled behind closed doors trying to come up with a plan that everybody can live with to replace obamacare, not an easy task. a topic i spoke about at length with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. i asked if he could get democrats to find middle ground. he is part two of our exclusive interview. >> in terms of those democrats who are up for reelection, senate democrats who are in states that voted for president trump, have you reached out to them, do you feel that there is room for them to move towards you on on obamacare repeal planned? >> we'll find out. at some point, they probably will be a part of the process. we certainly know they will be a part of the process on the supreme court, the president has made a stunningly outstanding appointment. i think it will be very, very difficult to stop and shouldn't be stopped, ought to be confirmed, hopefully. >> martha: in terms of the timetable, you say it hasn't taken that long. when do you think that were appeal plan will be ready? >> we hope within the next month to six weeks. on a plan that we are agreed upon. the president, the speaker and myself. >> martha: what he think for the town hall backlash that is out there? do you believe that it is grassroots? democrats, and independents, republicans, who have come to like the health care plan? or do you believe it is manufactured astroturf backlash? >> my assumption is these are dedicated liberal americans who are in support of obamacare and they are coming out to express their opposition. there's nothing wrong with that. if somebody is protesting in washington every day about something. about something. protests in america are as an american as apple pie. i am not agitated about it. i don't care whether they were organized were not organized, they have a right to do what they are doing. they don't like this new administration. what they all have in common is not a single one of them voted for people like donald trump or mitch mcconnell. that is okay. they can come out and demonstrate as long as they want to. but we won the election. with winning the election, comes a responsibility to produce results. we feel that obamacare is a disaster and need to be changed. >> martha: how do we bridge that divide? >> well, we are not mad at each other. we talk to each other every day. we are going to move through these early issues where we probably will be doing republicans only. when we get to the spending issue, like you were talking about, what will you do on defense, reducing domestic, the democrats over part of that debate. they will have an impact in the senate because it will take 60 votes, not just 51, i have 52 republicans, to deal with those issues. they will be at the table. we will be talking about it. >> martha: senator mcconnell, thank you very much. good to see you. coming up next, what republicans discovered about the doj funneling money to left-wing political groups. governor huckabee is fired up about that and he will be with us right after that. ... ... ... ♪ >> martha: today to give a new reaction to push back some congressional republicans to a holdover from the obama presidency and justice department. the g.o.p. is calling you day and "slush fund," that funnels money away from those that deserve it and gives it to the former president's political allies. what is happening? trace gallagher joins us. >> hey, martha. when the department of departm, their part of the more -- they are eager to settle, some of that money goes to victims, some for the treasury. some goes to nonprofit organizations. now, congressional investigators say more than $3 billion fund into that nonprofit fund or slush fund, some republicans call it. but the doj settled, and doesn't specify who gets the extra money. the house judiciary committee said the obama administration gave it to progressive groups like the national council of la raza, the national community reinvestment, organizations that promote liberal college, it causes. the doj says that because the money is donated voluntarily, does all of the up and up. the government accountability office says the fund does not circumvent congressional authority to control the nation's purse strings. the conservative watchdog group judicial watch calls it a shake down, pure and simple, saying the bunny should all go back to taxpayers. here is what the democratic told fox last month for you >> to turn it into political activism is absurd. it is something that requires a congressional investigation. people at doj need to be held to account. >> as we said, congress is investigating and republicans in both the house and senate have introduced legislation to stop the "settlement slush fund." >> martha: thank you. joining us to shed some light on what this really means is governor mike huckabee. governor, welcome, good to see you tonight. >> thank you, martha. >> martha: all the people who were mistreated by the banks, we heard so much about her, didn't you assume that the money was going to the people who got hurt and those transactions? it is unbelievable. >> it is unbelievable. somebody else go to prison for this. this is worse than a mafia shakedown. at least if the mafia shakes you down, your star doesn't burn down. but this is a case where the liberals have played robin hood. they have stolen from the government, the taxpayers, and have given it to their pals. it is really outrageous. and i think part of it that is so frustrating, imagine, for example, if under a republican department of justice, the department of justice allocated money to the national right to life, or if they allocated to the nra. can you imagine how that would have gone over with the democrats? i don't think very well. >> martha: senator langford of oklahoma and house judiciary chairmen are behind this stop settlement slush fund act of 2017. this is what we talk about when you talk about draining the swamp, right? this is pretty murky. >> it is real murky swamp. this ad thickens, it is taxpayer money. money that should have gone into either to the customers of the organizations, keep in mind how simple this is. if you are a bank, you could find. instead of paying the full find to a government or giving it back to your customers, you instead make a donation to some liberal group. martha, i don't care if the donation is to a liberal or conservative group. this violates the constitution congress can appropriate money. this is outrageous. >> martha: when you look at the protection of the system in d.c., they looked into it, but the government accountability office and the congressional research service concluded that the settlement agreements do not violate congress' power of the purse. they circled the wagons on this, right? >> sure. they are projecting each other. i think any simple reading of the constitution says that you don't have bureaucrats who can just create money out of thin air that doesn't have an appropriation from congress. congress has the power of the purse. if it is not an appropriation, i don't care if it is is from state or federal level. it doesn't matter whether congress has approved it, we will approve it because we want to. it doesn't work like that. >> martha: how about paying the debt down with the money? it has to be disbursed. unbelievable. governor huckabee, always a pleasure to see you. thank you very much. it is march 1st today, it begins women's history month. tonight, we will show you a quote from margaret thatcher, one of the most influential politicians of the 20th century. born the daughter of a grocer, she ascended the ranks of british politics, became the first female prime minister of united kingdom. so, here is a gem of a quote. pretty short, from lady thatcher, who said this." "being powerful is like being a lady. if you have to tell people you are, you are into." good words for margaret thatcher tonight. thanks for watching tonight. great to have you here. i'm martha maccallum, we will see here tomorrow night, ♪ >> tom: welcome to "red eye" ," i am tom shillue. let's check in with tvs andy levy at the "red eye" tease deck. >> andy: thanks, tom. coming up on the big show, president trump's first address to congress gets good reviews. definitely better than "la la land" ." plans to send it to tourists around the moon. finally, emma watson won't take cell fees with fans because the data allows her location to