infringe on lgbtq rights in this country. there is the hamas attacks on october 7th and israel's indiscriminate retaliation, which have, quote, put loyalty and humanity to a test. and we have seen a republican primary field that is providing moments of absurdity. and let's face it, a lot of levity. let's get started. ♪ ♪ ♪ we begin tonight with a rare warning about our democracy. it is in dire straits, and that is not according to just one or two, but rather, 13 presidential libraries dating back to herbert hoover, all of which on thursday released a joint statement calling for every commitment to the country 's bedrock principles, including the rule of law, and respecting a diversity of beliefs. i can't say this enough. this is an unprecedented move, never before had the presidential libraries engaged so directly in political affairs. while their joint message stopped short of calling out individuals by name, the subject of the warning was clear, the declaration read in part, americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and respect for human rights around the world because free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home. but that interest is undermined when others see our own house in disarray. our elected officials must lead by example and govern affectedly in ways that deliver for the american people. this, in turn, will help to restore trust in public service. maybe you are thinking this sounds a bit melodramatic because things may not look like they're falling apart. but students of history will recall that one authoritarian method is too slowly to begin to chip away at democratic norms. it doesn't happen overnight. it's not gonna overhaul the whole system is in one failed swoop. but if you keep chipping away at it, it will finally and ultimately erode. as tom nichols writes in the atlantic, the collapse of democracy in the united states will look more like an unspooling or an unwinding rather than some dramatic installation, you know, of gilead or oceania. my guess is that it will be a federal breakdown that returns to the late 1950s in all of the worst ways. nichols admits he's guessing but if informed, it might be and actually educated guess. last month, a group of right-wing organizations and former trump officials published something called, project 2025. it is essentially a roadmap for reshaping that federal government, should the disgraced ex president returned to that white house. they want to gut the so-called and missed weight of state from within by asking federal employees, that they believe are standing in the way of trump's agenda and replacing them with like-minded officials who are more eager to fulfill their approach to government. they believe that on day one, they will be able to commandeer, reshape, and do away with the, quote, deep state bureaucracy in part by firing as many 50,000 federal workers. and they have plans for the military as well. former acting secretary of defense, christopher miller, contributed to this plan. he wanted to immediately than, quote, marxists indoctrination and critical race theory programs, and reinstate personnel dismissed for disobeying vaccine orders. as nichols and his essay, much of this stuff is nonsense, of course, but it will be nonsense right until the point it isn't. there are -- these are all names that will reappear in a second trump administration. we know that. and this time, they are moving a lot faster and breaking down the federal guardrails in our democracy. and that should terrify all of us. joining me now is congressman and house oversight ranking member jamie raskin. congressman, it's great to have you back on the show. thank you so much for making time for us this evening. what was your reaction to this unprecedented joint warning from the 13th presidential libraries? >> well, i'm glad that the people were concerned about american history, and are willing to intervene in the moment to say that the trump movement is threatening to utterly derange and deform the american experiment. and that's where we are. we are still in the thick of this struggle. and so, it's good to have people speaking out about that. you know, they are having plans to renew what's been banned, talking about at the very beginning of the trump administration, which was to dismantle the deep state by which he means the federal government that implements the laws of the people adopted by congress. so, if they can't repeal the clean era act, if they can't repeal the social security act, if they can't repeal the clean water act or the free labor standards act, they will make it impossible for the federal government to enforce any of these critical framework stature's. >> congressman, let me get your thoughts on this plan, this so-called project 2025 put forth by trump allies. it sounds almost super villian -esque. why are they so desperate to gut the federal government, and how serious should we take this? >> very seriously. i mean, we see the way that they targeted women's right to choose in roe v. wade. they packed the courts with federalist society, right wingers. and they demolished roe v. wade. and they have thrown the country into an uproar over this assault on women's rights. they have rolled the clocks back on the civil rights progress that we have made since the 1960s and 70s in many different ways. i mean, you've got governor desantis who was trying to teach children that slavery was basically a skills training apprenticeship program, you know, in the beginning of american history. and so, what they are really talking about here is demolishing and destroying the new deal and repealing the administrative state that is used to enforce statutes like the clean air act, clean water act, the national labor relations act. they want to make it impossible for federal laws to be implemented. now, it's the presidents job to take here that the laws are faithfully faithfully executed. that is the harder constitutional duty. but they, of course, you know, they don't want to take care, that all the laws be totally frustrated and defeated. and that's their vision. they want to return power to corrupt right-wing state governments, and make that federal government just for military and national security state purposes, and for, you know, passing the corporate largesse to their best friends in business. >> congressman, let me pivot for a moment and get your thoughts, if i can, on the development out of georgia with mark meadows failing to move his georgia election case to federal court. i mean, as somebody who has investigated january 6th so closely as a result of this second impeachment trial, what do you make of that development and the argument that meadows was trying to make that was simply doing his job as white house chief of staff? >> well, the critical issue in that ruling, ayman, was whether or not he was fulfilling his federal duties. and if he had been fulfilling his federal work assignment, then he really could have gotten his case removed to federal court. those are statutes that are there to protect, you know, federal workers who are trying to implement the civil rights laws. for example, against racist governments in the south. but the court, i think, rendered an excellent ruling, saying, if you are getting involved in politics generally as a federal worker, you are violating the hatch act. you've crossed the line to engage in political work. and if you go all the way through just getting involved in a campaign to try and overthrow an election, you're not just being involved unlawfully in campaigning. you are involved in a criminal assault against the constitutional order. none of those things can be protected by federal law, and none of them give you the refuge of the federal courts from a prosecution in state court for your crimes. >> and, of course, sir, our viewers know you very well as a congressman, but you are a constitutional law professor for many years. let me get your thoughts on this effort to use the 14th amendment to bar trump from the 2024 ballot. do you think it is a worthy legal strategy to pursue, or is it doomed to fail? >> the january 6th select committee invoked it and we talked about it also during the impeachment. it's gotten and you release on life as an argument because to very conservative federalist society professors wrote this article for the university of pennsylvania law review. but section three of the 14th amendment says that anyone who has sworn an oath to uphold the constitution and violate that oath by, quote, engaging in insurrection or rebellion, shall never be allowed to hold federal or state office again. those professors made the point that this is a self executing provision, like the one saying you've got to be 35 years old to run for president. if you show up to get on the ballot in colorado and you are trying, you are 22 years old, the board of elections or the secretary of state will just say, you are not qualified. and then, they can appoint that these administrative actors can also say that you're not qualified to someone who's engaged in insurrection against the union. so, i think this is an issue that's gonna break out all over the country. and inevitably, it will make its way up to the supreme court of the united states. the section three of the 14th amendment does not say you can't have been -- you can't run for office if you've been convicted of insurrection or rebellion. it just says you can't have engaged in insurrection or rebellion, which implies that it can be determined as a civil matter, and you don't need to go to criminal court. of course, congress already determined in the impeachment that president trump had incited the insurrection against the union, and there was a 57 to 43 vote to convict him of that on the senate side, not enough to get to the two thirds of holding him culpable, but still, robust bipartisan majorities in both houses are saying that he had in fact engaged in insurrection by inciting it. >> congressman, we spent a lot of time on this show talking about your oversight colleague, james comer, and his conspiracy related quest to connect biden to his son's foreign business dealings. now you have house republicans pushing for an impeachment inquiry into the president without any factual basis to do so. do republicans at this point even care about policies or getting things done for americans? if this is what the base of their party wants, how do democrats work to counter program all of this nonsense? >> well, when the trump movement took it over, the republican party, they did not pass a platform. and that was a fairly explicit statement that their platform is just whatever donald trump tells them it is. it's not a party that is unified by any programmatic or policy purposes. it's unified simply by subservience to trump and then doing whatever he tells them to do. i think that what is definitive of the gop today, alas lincoln's party, it's become a cult of authoritarian personality. they are going to impeachment simply because donald trump feels like he doesn't want to run against someone who's not been impeached, when he's the first twice impeached president in u.s. history. i keep reminding my republican colleagues that the constitutional standard for impeachment is treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. and they haven't laid any wrongdoing at the footsteps of joe biden. they've got nothing on him. they have got 91 criminal charges against donald trump in court all over the land. and there is nothing against joe biden. and trump can't live with that, so that's why they are saying, they're not gonna vote for the budget. they will shut the government down, unless there impeachment proceedings initiated against joe biden. >> and speaking of oversight, i gotta ask you about jared kushner. i mean, you have asked comer to subpoena jared kushner's investment over its ties to the saudi government, qatari government, united arab emirates as well. can you explain why you are concerned? what have you seen that makes you worried about this that you want to have subpoenaed? >> jared kushner created a company the day after the trump administration ended, and he proceeded to collect billions of dollars, more than two billion dollars, from the saudi government for investment they are, despite the fact that the sovereign investment funds, investment advisers recommended against it. they were overruled by the homicidal crown prince himself, mohammed bin salman, who said he wanted to give that money to charity kushner, in addition to a 25 million dollar per year in management fees. company the day after the trump administration ended, and he proceeded to collect billions of dollars, more than two billion dollars, from the saudi government for investment they are, despite the fact that the sovereign investment funds, investment advisers recommended against it. they were overruled by the homicidal crown prince himself, mohammed bin salman, who said he wanted to give that money to charity kushner, in addition to a 25 million dollar per year in management fees. there have been very little of that money invested. the whole thing smells like a huge payback, pay off essentially for everything that kushner did for mohammad bin salman and the saudis when he was running a middle east foreign policy over there. remember, he covered up for bin salman's brutal dismemberment and assassination of jamal khashoggi. he's drawn of court during. he tilted toward saudi arabia in the yemeni war when there was terrible atrocities taking place against the yemen population. and in fact, kushner had pushed for saudi arabia to be the first destination of donald trump in his foreign travels. so, he got this huge payback. we have been trying to get documents showing what exactly they were doing for each other. but jared kushner refuses to comply. he's not answering any of the democrats requests. and chairman comer, he said he agrees with us that kushner crossed the line, crossed a line of ethics. and if that's true, then he should go ahead and render a subpoena so that kushner will comply with our request, so we can get to the bottom of this massive conflict of interest likely for that classify latium, and crime against the public interest. and our foreign policy has been, you know, irreparably damaged by what jared kushner did with saudi arabia and the other gulf monarchies and you want to get to the bottom of it. coming up, just a few weeks into the israel-hamas war, a state department official lost faith in what he described as blind support for a long time american ally. i spoke with him about the arms deals that prompted his resignation. that is next. ♪ ♪ ♪ liberty. liberty.♪ for moderate to severe crohn's disease skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. control of crohn's means everything to me. ask your gastroenterologist about skyrizi. ♪ control is everything to me ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. loving this pay bump in our allowance. ♪ control is wonder where mom and dad got the extra money? maybe they won the lottery? maybe they inherited a fortune? maybe buried treasure? maybe it fell off a truck? maybe they heard that xfinity customers can save hundreds when they buy one unlimted line and get one free. now i can buy that electric scooter! i'm starting a private-equity fund that specializes in midcap. you do you. visit xfinitymobile.com today. - [speaker] at first, just leaving the house was hard. - [speaker] but wounded warrior project helps you realize it's possible to get out there - [speaker] to feel sense of camaraderie again. - [speaker] to find the tools to live life better. - [narrator] through generous community support, we've connected warriors and their families with no cost physical and mental health services, legislative advocacy, career assistance, and life skill training for 20 years, and we are just getting started. we are witnessing a small but growing internal pushback against both the biden administration and congress for america's current policy, stances, and positions on israel. like this week, more than 400 capitol hill staffers anonymously signed an open letter, calling for a cease-fire in gaza, saying, quote, we have appreciated seeing nearly every member of congress express quick and unequivocal solidarity with the israeli people. but we are profoundly disturbed that such shows of humanity have rarely been extended to the palestinian people. that letter follows the resignation of a state department employee, with more than a decade of experience overseeing u.s. arms sales in the region. that official, josh ball, cited americas expanding provision of lethal weapons to israel in its response to hamas attack for his decision to leave now. in a letter posted on link ill linked in, paul said i believe to the core of my soul that the response israel is taking, and with it, the american support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the israeli and the palestinian people. john paul joins me now. josh, it's great to have you with us. i just read a passage from your resignation letter. a lot of questions come to mind. but expand on why you decided to leave the administration this week in particular? >> yes, thank you for having me. so, the idea that we should not provide weapons into a situation where it's likely to lead to massive numbers of casualties should not be a controversial one. in fact, has not been a controversial one to the biden administration. one of the very first things they did when taking office, in fact, within about 20 minutes of being sworn in, on january 20th, 2021, it was to direct the state department to suspend arms sales of precision guided munitions to the saudis. this remains suspended. and yet, in the context of israel's war with hamas, what we have seen our already significant, massive civilian casualties. and yet, there is no calls whatsoever. the directive is to deliver israel whatever weapons it requires all requests. and in that context, it's really the context of the war in gaza. what we see in terms of the casualties that are happening, and the absence of any debate in washington, at least within the halls of the state department and to the same extent in congress as you showed. but there is no room for this sort of typical discussion that will happen. the thing about this, it's the right thing to be doing. and should we be provided weapons into a situation in which we know that civilian harm will happen, significant civilian harm will happen? and in the absence of that, we have to stand out. >> to put a finer point on that and to use your words, a lack of debate about this decision. some would say, why not stay in and fight inside the administration for a better policy that, then resigning now? are you saying that there isn't a process in signed the state department for a robust debate as to whether this is good policy? >> yes, that's right. i mean, i have taken part in my fair share, and there will be many debate debates over the last decade plus about the pros and cons of arms sales to countries with troublesome human rights records. and it's actually been able to play a role in those debates and to shape the outcomes. and always, you know, not being content with where they land, but knowing at least having done as best as i couldn't, many others in the department could, that we can hand him over to congress where there can be debates, and voting against the resolutions. but again, in this situation, there is no debates in the department. there is no space to debate in congress. the only space for debate it seems, and that's why i want to bring this conversation to the public square. >> and since you are somebody who was on the inside and it's not something that most of us will ever get a chance to see, what do you explain that to, that there is no debate around the singular issue when it comes to israel within the state department? you gave examples of saudi arabia. but why is there not a robust debate about u.s. foreign policy, or u.s. arms sales specifically to israel in a time of war like this? >> so, this goes to something that i mentioned in my statement on linked in, which speaks to the political convenience of the position the biden administration is taking. i think israel, one of the many reasons, some of them quite important, historically, it's a third rail in some ways when it comes to criticism. it is actually, people have told me, there is a curricula to stand out on this particular issue, unlike, you know, arms sales to other countries with that human rights records. i think as well that there is a concern, you know, there is a tendency to see who can stand up the most on behalf of israel, who can push on their behalf -- and i think the biden administration is also not keen after that debate to play out within the democratic party. so i think that's part of why there isn't a space to debate this. it's highly political. >> what would you say is the way the administration should be going about this right now? what would you like to see the biden administration do differently, if there were a robust debate inside the state department and elsewhere? >> yes, so, a few things. the first is that there are actually frameworks in place >> what would you say is the way the administration should be going about this right now? what would you like to see the biden administration do differently, if there were a robust debate inside the state department and elsewhere? >> yes, so, a few things. the first is that there are actually frameworks in place that are not being used right now, that provide guidelines for how we should be having this debate. for example, in february, the biden administration announced a new conventional arms transport proposal. and that policy establishes for the first time something called, more likely than not standard, that is more likely than not the arms that are being provided or proposed to be provided are going to be used to commit human rights violations. and then they will not be authorized. all i'm asking is for the biden administration to stick to its own policies, let alone its own, you know -- there are also laws. there is a vetting, and there are challenges in that sphere as well. there are a number of laws and processes and policies that could be followed and could be discussed and could be debated. but better not be. >> this week, you probably also saw on thursday night president biden announcing a white house request for more funding for both ukraine and israel, to the tune of 105 billion dollars. what do you make of the administration's decision to lump these two requests together? is that good or dangerous from a foreign policy perspective? >> so, honestly, i think it's inevitable in the current climate. i mean, there is only gonna be one shot of a supplemental, you know, and it makes sense for everything to be in that one shot, because if used stop that, there is no way it's gonna get past later. at the same time, i do have my concerns, first of all, i think that that situation in ukraine is vastly different to the situation in israel. in fact, the role i have played, similar to provide support in ukraine, it's one of the proudest things i've done while working at the state department. but i don't understand how fighting against a brutal russian occupation on the one hand, and supporting an occupation on the other. next, red states across the country experiment with authoritarianism. in one instance, they are silencing a transgender lawmaker for standing up for her martialized constituents. my conversation with montana state representative zoe zephyr, after the break. story. 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it's time for you to try knix. makers of the world's comfiest wireless bras. for revolutionary support without underwires, and sizes up to a g-cup, find your new favorite bra today at knix.com >> turning to a disturbing trend across america. four republican officials, taking extreme measures to take what they want. by extremely, don't mean controversial, we mean straight-up authoritarianism. as they put it in the atlantic, some white states have become laboratories of authoritarianism. experimenting with the autocratic playbook in ways that could fill up to the federal government. let's zoom in on the conservative cal said we are seeing a handful of states. take florida for example, you've got governor ron desantis, he fired a democratic prosecutor who vowed not to prosecute those who seek or provide abortions. in neighboring georgia, state republicans passed a bill that would create a commission to discipline and remove elected prosecutors who they don't believe are doing enough to fight crime. in tennessee, we all witnessed republicans as botched expulsion of two black democrats from the state legislator for protesting alongside their constituents in favor of stricter gun laws. these officials are representatives of the people who voted them into power. and republicans are doing everything that they can to try to silence them. both have since been reinstated in georgia. in north dakota the government just signed into law one of the nation's strictest abortion bans making abortion illegal in most instans less it was caused by rape or incest in the first six weeks of pregnancy. that's earlier than st women even realize that they are pregnant. and here is the authoritarian twist. republicans passed the abortion ban one month after north dakota supreme court blocked a different abortion ban in the state. in effect, north dakota republicans are trying to go around the judicial system to get what they want. and this creeping right-wing authoritarianism has now taken over montana. republicans in that state have silent state representative zoe's effort, the state's first transgender lawmaker after she told her colleagues that they, quote, have blood on their hands for supporting a bill that would ban gender affirming care. the gop majority voted to bar representative suffers from the house floor for the remainder of the legislative session and then pass the bill she was fighting to stop. the governor of montana has signed it into law. the right to hug represented a community -- marginalized by republican someone who has attempting to defend and give a voice to the voiceless. precisely what we want from our representatives. in states across the country republicans are silencing anyone even if they are duly elected official even by americans. some are trying to go around the courts and that is not supposed to happen in our democracy. republicans don't care if they abide by the rules in the democracy or not. so long as they get their way. joining me now is montana state representative so we suffered. representatives effort, it is great to have you with us. thank you so much for making time for us tonight. i want to start by asking you personally how you are doing. how you are taking all of this in. you are seeing that you are hard at work despite all of these measures that we've seen but just tell us what you are doing with it all? >> when you make a decision like i did, when you stand up for what is right, when you stand up for the first principles of our country, it is easy to keep your head held high. so i left the building after the center with my head held high. i came in the next day ready to work on with people who elected me. i am feeling good. i feel in this moment that despite the cruelty of the legislature, despite the undemocratic, or anti democratic decisions that were made, i feel a glimpse of what our state could be when people stand up and fight for our first values. >> when you said lawmakers would have blotheir hands for supporting gender affirming care bands, you are not exaggerating. studies have shown how delaying this care can lead to increase risk of suicidal thoughts. you talked about personal conversations with families of trans teens who are struggling. what do you think it will take republicans to understand the dire damage that they are inflicting on trans people? >> we know these statistics and we can tell these stories. there are two things that will shift the narrative. one is the growing frustration that people have these policies. those are in direct coordination with the number of people who know a trans person. who know when you know someone who's trans. when you see the joy that trans people have and you can come fully into ourselves. and makes that hate harder. it makes it harder to pass these kinds of laws. that is step one. step two, whatever you think tanks are trying to pass these anti-trans laws they will see the results in the elections because americans do not want to attack marginalized communities. that's not what we should be doing. >> and you see, correct me if i'm wrong, you see how the expulsions in tennessee, the ban in montana, other attempts to censure marginalized lawmakers, they are all one in the same effort. expand on the. >> yeah. we have seen tennessee, we've seen here, i know in montana what has happened to me, when the censured process was happening here, members of the native american caucus in montana stood up. this through line, trans people in the target right now in this moment in our state, that line has a long history through america and it's politics. to me what you are seeing is marginalized communities standing up and holding people accountable to the real harm that legislation does. it's not enough for the right to have the votes to pass. they want silence. they do not want to be held accountable. they want to use whatever tools are at their disposal to mandate that silence. >> after the break, the billionaire and the supreme court justice if you have lost track of all of these scandals that have emerged surrounding clarence thomas and his all-expenses-paid luxury vacations. we've got you covered. our definitive timeline, next. my most important kitchen tool? 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(♪♪) >> no thanks. that was basically gop megadonor harlan crow's response to a request this week from the senate finance committee to turn over a list of gift that he has given the supreme court justice clarence thomas. he released a statement through his attorney is saying that is citing concern that the senate panel lacked, quote, the scope and authority to ask for his escalation in the months-long saga regarding clarence thomas is wearing ethical lapses. really, i should say that it is actually decades-long because ethics issues have plagued clarence thomas and his wife, jenny thomas, since he first entered the national spotlight. let's go down memory lane and review some of them. to be clear, this is what we know and this time. you never know what else has yet to be uncovered in the weeks and months ahead. 1991 thomas's conform to the supreme court after senate hearings featuring graphic allegations of sexual harassment from anita hill. 1996, harlan crow meets thomas for the first time in washington and invites him to fly on a private jet to dallas. thomas fails to disclose after harlan crow reportedly bonded. 2008, thomas began sending his grand nephew to a private boarding school in georgia. records show that he paid his $6, 200 a month tuition and he paid the tuition for the grandnephews entire year long stay at that school. thomas never reports this. 2009, harlan crow reportedly gives $500, 000 to a political nonprofit started by ginni thomas. the money is initially given anonymously by a political links up to crow in 2011. 2012, conservative activists, leonard leo and kylian conaway to build a nonprofit group that he advises and give ginni thomas another $25, 000. he says the paperwork should include no mention of ginni, of course. 2014, tonsils three pieces of property. he co-owns to crow, including his mother's house. despite the law outlining that real estate steals must be disclosed thomas doesn't do so. coming up, we laugh so we don't cry. donald trump impressions are the stuff of legends that the guy has rain. they help unpack the first gop primary debate after the break. 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[ chuckling ] what is that? duck à l'orange. what's duck à l'orange? it's you... with l'orange on top. >> all right, forgive us for picking the obvious choice here, but our worst of the week has to go to the entire 2024 republican field. and the one person that we just had to speak with about this debate, disasters canadian and friend of the show, matt friend. good to see you. welcome back. >> let's just tell our viewers that i think we reached out to a month ago and we noticed that the debate is going, if there is one person that we need to speak to about this, it's gotta be you. >> you knew crazy stuff was about to go down. >> i've got to ask you, donald trump didn't appear in the debate. what do you think that he was thinking? >> you are such a nasty guy. you take that up -- >> after the mugshot, which is so bad what you are doing, this is msnbc. they lie like, dogs you can ask them, daylight like dogs. and i will tell you, by 60 points, you don't debate these people, these clowns, these horrible people, you would know that if you watched mike tucker, he was a great guy, and there's no point in demanding against rob descent to ammonia's, so you are related probably but they gave him a show, right? but nikki haley who is a witch, and mike pence, mike pence is just failing. so you don't do, that you don't do that. what a bad guy. you are a terrible person. >> you talk about -- >> it's a character. get me out of it. >> honestly, you talk about ron desantis, ron desantis, some people said that he was the real loser in this debate. do you think he was thinking throughout all of this? >> first of all, here is what matters most. when i think that i am the president, come high noon, i take the oath of office. you know connell, someone like fauci, you sent him down, and you say anthony, you are fired. i will not let you down. okay, that was ron's response, i just want to know, what was going on with the, when he was smiling, was it like a botox thing? it was the most forced smile. >> he is a politician that never has grown into a natural role. he doesn't do retail politics well, he doesn't have the comfortable level of just moving his hands. >> it's uncomfortable. >> he puts his hands on his waist. >> you know, when he does it, he kind of moves his arms like in the same accordion style martian, and his voices more back here. he's like trump without personality, is what he is. >> we will talk about the breakout star according to, sunrise you just called him, the vivek ramaswamy, and also stealing airline from barack obama, not very original. >> i'm working on that, but i can't wait for him to know's new campaign slogan like first of all, you are wondering why i'm here tonight, and that is because i am just eager to share my new campaign slogan. yes we can, i invented that. i think that obama would be upset, actually, at vivek. vivek ramaswamy, melania trump thoughtful, and just taking its moves. it was amazing. -- is it hard for you to study these guys? or do they have distinct characteristics that for you it is easy to pick up on that? >> a lot of them are just in my mind so much. >> are you traumatized? when you have to sit there -- >> when i see desantis tried to smile, that traumatize me. mcconnell phrasing, but really -- >> what do you do? do you take a cold shower like i've gotta wash this off of me because you're walking around -- >> honestly, these are guys who are like actors, basically. it's like i'm watching a movie, which is a frightening thing to say because this is politics and they're impacting our lives. but it is entertainment, honestly. horrible as it is to say. but i feel disgusting after. >> one person that we haven't heard from this week, mitch mcconnell, i would love to know what mitch mcconnell thought of the -- >> yeah, what was your question? >> mitch, what did you think of the republican field? you've talked about character integrity -- >> well, well, well, my party is presented as a slew of interesting candidates who i look forward to seeing potentially challenge joe -- >> this is the part where we have to not do along. >> i think so. a real called back to the mcconnell phrase, yeah. >> joking aside for a moment, and i know that's kind of hard, but genuinely when you look at the field of the republican party, is there anyone out there that you think you cannot do? >> vocally? or just as an impression -- we haley would be really tough to do. chris christie is a little like, there's not much there to pick apart. but desantis just has that nasal thing. i mean, i wish george santos was running because -- who wouldn't love a little >> he was watching the debate like i can talk my way out of this. but there's just so many of these crazy figures. it's just wild. it's overwhelming, honestly. i don't know what to do with myself. it's like the academy awards of politics. >> i saw your mugshot impression of donald trump. do you want to give us a little bit of it -- how do you think that went inside of the jailhouse, do you think that they were like -- >> well, first of all, what you are doing is another classic msnbc setup. you are tricking me, and i will tell you that they are locking up their political opponents. and you know, some might say that i am pieper goshen of the united states. and that biden is the putin, because next thing you know they're going to come from me like that, and it is very -- because nobody is talking about looking up hunter biden. so eamon, and frankly, it's just horrible saying they are going to put me behind bars. and it is very unfair, china, everything. >> you think that they would do that in china? >> i think potentially, he would do this. he has tremendous respect for me, tremendous respect. >> how do you think it will play out with trump in the campaign and the indictments? do you think he's becoming more and more unhinged when you are looking at the social media post? he is going to salt mugs and -- >> i think he is becoming more unhinged which is hard to a manchin. he's marketing his mugshot, which obviously we knew he would do. then the whole tucker interview, or they range from everything to biden skinny legs to the issues that matter in this country. it appears that he's progressively losing his mind. i would be very interested to see how he performs if he's behind bars, which seems like he will be as the days go on. it would be funny, basement, and behind bars. >> you think tucker carlson -- do you think tucker carlson regrets not being on fox during these pro sudden shull -- >> i resent the setup of the question. first of all, i think what we should really get down to, the important questions such as -- whereas joe biden was he there with his skinny legs like he's on the beach? and if he was, why aren't we holding him accountable and throwing him into jail? i'm sorry, well i have america's attention, what is going on with tucker's laugh? i'm 25 years old i never had a prostate exam very much and that is how i might react. >> i have no idea. i can't explain it. i'm glad we don't have to hear as much of it anymore. matt, always great to see you, does it for us tonight, thank you for joining us as we look back on the year that was. we wish you the best for this holiday season, 2024 and beyond, i'm ayman in new york. have a good night. with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. - bye, bye cough. - later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ [bell ringing] and doug says, “you can customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual.” he hits his mark —center stage— and is crushed by a baby grand piano. are you replacing me? 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[limu emu squawks.] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ i'm a little anxious, i'm a little excited. only pay for what you need. i'm gonna be emotional, she's gonna be emotional, but it's gonna be so worth it. i love that i can give back to one of our customers. i hope you enjoy these amazing gifts. oh my goodness. oh, you guys. i know you like wrestling, so we got you some vip tickets. you have made an impact. so have you. for you guys to be out here doing something like this, it restores a lot of faith in humanity. hello, i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline." [music playing] hello, i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline."e do. he took everything away from me, everything that i sacrificed for, everything that i worked for. he even took my daughter away from me. andrea canning (voiceover): once, they were so good together-- >> hello, i'm andrea canning, how did love turn into hate like this? and this is dateline. >> he has turned my life upside down, he took everything a