1 00:00:01,568 --> 00:00:04,371 - Domestic fights and foreign challenges. 2 00:00:05,238 --> 00:00:07,140 - President Trump is wrong. 3 00:00:07,140 --> 00:00:09,109 - [Yamiche] Former Vice President Mike Pence 4 00:00:09,109 --> 00:00:13,213 delivers a biting rebuke of the President he once served. 5 00:00:13,213 --> 00:00:15,849 - If I run and if I win, 6 00:00:15,849 --> 00:00:20,553 we will treat those people from January 6th fairly, 7 00:00:20,553 --> 00:00:24,624 and if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons, 8 00:00:24,624 --> 00:00:29,129 because they are being treated so unfairly. 9 00:00:29,129 --> 00:00:32,232 - [Yamiche] As former President Trump flexes his grip 10 00:00:32,232 --> 00:00:36,403 on the GOP and continues to lie about the election. 11 00:00:36,403 --> 00:00:37,637 Plus... 12 00:00:37,637 --> 00:00:39,105 - This force is trained and equipped 13 00:00:39,105 --> 00:00:40,907 for a variety of missions to deter aggression 14 00:00:40,907 --> 00:00:43,977 and to reassure and to defend our allies. 15 00:00:43,977 --> 00:00:47,180 - [Yamiche] President Biden deploys troops to Eastern Europe 16 00:00:47,180 --> 00:00:51,351 to discourage a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. 17 00:00:51,351 --> 00:00:54,687 - This horrible terrorist leader is no more. 18 00:00:54,687 --> 00:00:58,091 - [Yamiche] And strikes at the heart of ISIS. 19 00:00:58,091 --> 00:00:59,592 - To make a promise at the outset 20 00:00:59,592 --> 00:01:01,094 that it must be a black woman, 21 00:01:01,094 --> 00:01:02,595 I gotta say, that's offensive. 22 00:01:02,595 --> 00:01:06,166 - Well, as a black woman lawyer, I am not offended, 23 00:01:06,166 --> 00:01:09,436 and why Ted Cruz would be is a mystery to me. 24 00:01:09,436 --> 00:01:11,071 This is called progress. 25 00:01:11,071 --> 00:01:13,306 - [Yamiche] The debate over Present Biden's pick 26 00:01:13,306 --> 00:01:17,377 for the Supreme Court heats up, next. 27 00:01:17,377 --> 00:01:20,847 (dramatic music) 28 00:01:20,847 --> 00:01:22,849 - [Announcer] This is "Washington Week." 29 00:01:24,484 --> 00:01:27,387 Corporate funding is provided by... 30 00:01:27,387 --> 00:01:28,555 - [Announcer] For 25 years, 31 00:01:28,555 --> 00:01:29,989 Consumer Cellular's goal has been 32 00:01:29,989 --> 00:01:31,224 to provide wireless service 33 00:01:31,224 --> 00:01:33,426 that helps people communicate and connect. 34 00:01:33,426 --> 00:01:35,361 We offer a variety of no-contract plans, 35 00:01:35,361 --> 00:01:37,197 and our US-based customer service team 36 00:01:37,197 --> 00:01:38,965 can help find one that fits you. 37 00:01:38,965 --> 00:01:41,801 To learn more, visit consumercellular.tv. 38 00:01:43,002 --> 00:01:45,939 - [Announcer] Additional funding is provided by 39 00:01:45,939 --> 00:01:48,241 the Estate of Arnold Adams, 40 00:01:48,241 --> 00:01:51,478 Koo and Patricia Yuen through the Yuen Foundation, 41 00:01:51,478 --> 00:01:53,746 committed to bridging cultural differences 42 00:01:53,746 --> 00:01:55,148 in our communities, 43 00:01:55,148 --> 00:01:58,184 Sandra and Carl DeLay-Magnuson, 44 00:01:58,184 --> 00:02:00,820 Rose Hirschel and Andy Shreeves, 45 00:02:00,820 --> 00:02:03,289 Robert and Susan Rosenbaum, 46 00:02:03,289 --> 00:02:05,959 the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 47 00:02:05,959 --> 00:02:09,129 and by contributions to your PBS station 48 00:02:09,129 --> 00:02:10,930 from viewers like you. 49 00:02:10,930 --> 00:02:11,764 Thank you. 50 00:02:13,466 --> 00:02:15,535 - [Announcer] Once again, from Washington, 51 00:02:15,535 --> 00:02:16,903 moderator Yamiche Alcindor. - Good evening, 52 00:02:16,903 --> 00:02:19,405 and welcome to "Washington Week." 53 00:02:19,405 --> 00:02:20,673 Tonight, we begin with the rift 54 00:02:20,673 --> 00:02:22,675 between former President Donald Trump 55 00:02:22,675 --> 00:02:25,612 and his Vice President, Mike Pence. 56 00:02:25,612 --> 00:02:27,614 This week, Trump said in a statement, 57 00:02:27,614 --> 00:02:30,617 and he falsely claimed that Vice President Mike Pence, 58 00:02:30,617 --> 00:02:32,018 former Vice President Mike Pence, 59 00:02:32,018 --> 00:02:35,522 had the right to overturn the 2020 election. 60 00:02:35,522 --> 00:02:37,223 Just hours ago, Pence, 61 00:02:37,223 --> 00:02:41,427 who has sought to remain loyal to Trump, pushed back hard. 62 00:02:41,427 --> 00:02:43,429 - President Trump is wrong. 63 00:02:43,429 --> 00:02:46,566 And frankly, there is no idea more un-American 64 00:02:46,566 --> 00:02:48,434 than the notion that any one person 65 00:02:48,434 --> 00:02:50,436 could choose the American president. 66 00:02:51,671 --> 00:02:53,173 Under the Constitution, 67 00:02:53,173 --> 00:02:55,875 I had no right to change the outcome of our election, 68 00:02:55,875 --> 00:02:58,278 and Kamala Harris will have no right 69 00:02:58,278 --> 00:03:02,949 to overturn the election when we beat them in 2024. 70 00:03:04,484 --> 00:03:09,489 - This is Pence's most explicit rebuke of Trump ever, 71 00:03:09,489 --> 00:03:12,158 and there's more on the battle within the GOP. 72 00:03:12,158 --> 00:03:14,527 Trump recently held a rally in Texas 73 00:03:14,527 --> 00:03:16,796 where he suggested pardoning those 74 00:03:16,796 --> 00:03:20,166 who carried out the January 6th Capitol attack. 75 00:03:20,166 --> 00:03:23,570 A few Republicans pushed back on President Trump's comments. 76 00:03:23,570 --> 00:03:25,905 One of them is a key Trump loyalist, 77 00:03:25,905 --> 00:03:28,208 South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham. 78 00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:30,543 Trump, though, quickly criticized him. 79 00:03:31,678 --> 00:03:33,913 - I wanna deter people who did what they, 80 00:03:33,913 --> 00:03:36,082 on January the 6th, and those who did it, 81 00:03:36,082 --> 00:03:39,219 I hope they go to jail and get the book thrown at them 82 00:03:39,219 --> 00:03:40,954 'cause they deserve it. 83 00:03:40,954 --> 00:03:42,855 - Well, Lindsey Graham's wrong. 84 00:03:42,855 --> 00:03:45,091 I mean, Lindsey's a nice guy, but he's a RINO. 85 00:03:45,091 --> 00:03:48,027 I would absolutely give them a pardon. 86 00:03:49,629 --> 00:03:52,298 - Joining me to discuss all this and more, 87 00:03:52,298 --> 00:03:55,101 Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent 88 00:03:55,101 --> 00:03:57,170 for the New York Times, 89 00:03:57,170 --> 00:04:01,207 Manu Raju, Chief Congressional Correspondent for CNN, 90 00:04:01,207 --> 00:04:03,776 and Seung Min Kim, White House reporter 91 00:04:03,776 --> 00:04:05,211 for the Washington Post. 92 00:04:05,211 --> 00:04:06,446 Thank you all for being here. 93 00:04:06,446 --> 00:04:07,914 Seung Min, I wanna start with you. 94 00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:10,450 We covered, of course, former President Trump together. 95 00:04:10,450 --> 00:04:11,751 What do you make 96 00:04:11,751 --> 00:04:13,586 and what are you hearing about the decision 97 00:04:13,586 --> 00:04:16,689 for former Vice President Mike Pence to speak out now, 98 00:04:16,689 --> 00:04:19,659 and what could the impact of his statements be 99 00:04:19,659 --> 00:04:20,994 given the state of the GOP? 100 00:04:22,462 --> 00:04:25,632 - Well, the impact certainly will be something 101 00:04:25,632 --> 00:04:27,533 that we'll be very closely watching 102 00:04:27,533 --> 00:04:30,937 because as we've gotten further and further away 103 00:04:30,937 --> 00:04:34,741 from the January 6th, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, 104 00:04:34,741 --> 00:04:37,310 you've seen so many in the Republican Party 105 00:04:37,310 --> 00:04:40,713 kind of almost forget about the horrors of that day 106 00:04:40,713 --> 00:04:44,217 and kind of what precisely caused that insurrection 107 00:04:44,217 --> 00:04:46,552 at the Capitol, and also what led up to it: 108 00:04:46,552 --> 00:04:49,789 President Trump's clear lies about the election 109 00:04:50,923 --> 00:04:53,993 and his continued lying 110 00:04:53,993 --> 00:04:56,362 that he actually won the presidential election 111 00:04:56,362 --> 00:04:57,864 when he did not. 112 00:04:57,864 --> 00:05:01,334 Now, Pence's break comes at a really interesting time 113 00:05:01,334 --> 00:05:03,436 when you did have have the former President 114 00:05:03,436 --> 00:05:06,039 being much more vocal and much more blatant 115 00:05:06,039 --> 00:05:08,975 about the potential actions that he may take 116 00:05:08,975 --> 00:05:12,378 should he run again in 2024 and win, 117 00:05:14,881 --> 00:05:19,185 and for example, by saying that he would issue pardons 118 00:05:19,185 --> 00:05:24,190 for those charged and convicted alongside the January 6th, 119 00:05:25,591 --> 00:05:27,493 for their role in the January 6th insurrection. 120 00:05:27,493 --> 00:05:29,762 So how much what the consequences 121 00:05:29,762 --> 00:05:33,366 of Pence's actions are unclear at this point politically. 122 00:05:33,366 --> 00:05:35,168 Obviously, the former Vice President 123 00:05:35,168 --> 00:05:37,970 is still angling for a potential future 124 00:05:37,970 --> 00:05:39,339 in the Republican Party, 125 00:05:41,541 --> 00:05:44,444 but to see which Republicans kind of really align 126 00:05:44,444 --> 00:05:47,213 behind Pence and rebuke the former President 127 00:05:47,213 --> 00:05:49,282 for the continued lies that he is saying 128 00:05:49,282 --> 00:05:51,584 about the election will be something to watch. 129 00:05:52,719 --> 00:05:54,587 - Yeah, and Peter, Seung Min just talked 130 00:05:54,587 --> 00:05:56,923 about the fact that this comes at an interesting time. 131 00:05:56,923 --> 00:05:59,192 It also comes at a time where Marc Short, 132 00:05:59,192 --> 00:06:02,328 who was the former Vice President's Chief of Staff, 133 00:06:02,328 --> 00:06:03,963 that he was talking to the committee 134 00:06:03,963 --> 00:06:06,299 and has just testified before the committee. 135 00:06:06,299 --> 00:06:09,235 Also, there are said to be a number of aides 136 00:06:09,235 --> 00:06:10,703 from the Vice President's office, 137 00:06:10,703 --> 00:06:13,072 the former Vice President's office, going to the committee. 138 00:06:13,072 --> 00:06:16,242 I wonder what you make of this timing and how, if at all, 139 00:06:16,242 --> 00:06:18,644 what we heard from Vice President Mike Pence today saying 140 00:06:18,644 --> 00:06:22,415 that Donald Trump is wrong, words that he never said before, 141 00:06:22,415 --> 00:06:23,816 how do you think that connects to the fact 142 00:06:23,816 --> 00:06:25,885 that we're seeing these aides of his 143 00:06:25,885 --> 00:06:28,821 from his office coming in and talking to the committee? 144 00:06:30,790 --> 00:06:33,426 - Yeah, I do think obviously there's a connection here. 145 00:06:33,426 --> 00:06:35,294 Marc Short was the right-hand man 146 00:06:35,294 --> 00:06:38,164 for Vice President Pence at that very critical moment 147 00:06:38,164 --> 00:06:41,033 in American history, one telling him 148 00:06:41,033 --> 00:06:42,702 and reinforcing for him the decision that, 149 00:06:42,702 --> 00:06:45,571 no, he couldn't try to claim unconstitutional powers 150 00:06:45,571 --> 00:06:47,006 to overturn the election. 151 00:06:47,006 --> 00:06:49,809 So you heard the Vice President, the former Vice President, 152 00:06:49,809 --> 00:06:52,178 Yamiche, as you say, use words he had not before. 153 00:06:52,178 --> 00:06:53,546 Up until now, over the last year, 154 00:06:53,546 --> 00:06:55,248 he's tried to soften the distance 155 00:06:55,248 --> 00:06:56,416 between him and the President, 156 00:06:56,416 --> 00:06:57,884 the former President, President Trump. 157 00:06:57,884 --> 00:06:59,385 He would say things like, 158 00:06:59,385 --> 00:07:00,853 "Well, we're just gonna have to agree to disagree. 159 00:07:00,853 --> 00:07:02,355 "I don't think we'll ever agree on what happened that day," 160 00:07:02,355 --> 00:07:04,757 sort of a very mild way of saying 161 00:07:04,757 --> 00:07:06,592 that they're never gonna be on the same page, 162 00:07:06,592 --> 00:07:08,261 and today's language was different. 163 00:07:08,261 --> 00:07:10,096 The language was very firm. 164 00:07:10,096 --> 00:07:13,332 It was an un-American act to suggest that a vice president 165 00:07:13,332 --> 00:07:15,268 could unilaterally overturn the election, 166 00:07:15,268 --> 00:07:16,836 and that was the phrase 167 00:07:16,836 --> 00:07:18,438 that the former President used in his statement 168 00:07:18,438 --> 00:07:19,939 in the last few days. 169 00:07:19,939 --> 00:07:22,408 The real goal, he admitted in a way for the first time, 170 00:07:22,408 --> 00:07:24,710 wasn't just the idea of pursuing whether there was fraud. 171 00:07:24,710 --> 00:07:27,013 It was to have, overturn the election, 172 00:07:27,013 --> 00:07:28,948 his words, overturn the election, 173 00:07:28,948 --> 00:07:31,784 in other words, to subvert the will of the public 174 00:07:31,784 --> 00:07:34,720 in order to keep power, and I think we kind of forget 175 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:36,189 just how serious a thing that is. 176 00:07:36,189 --> 00:07:37,957 We forget what those people were doing 177 00:07:37,957 --> 00:07:39,892 on January 6th when attacked the Capitol. 178 00:07:39,892 --> 00:07:41,794 It wasn't that they were just peaceful protestors. 179 00:07:41,794 --> 00:07:45,064 They were trying to stop the transfer of power 180 00:07:45,064 --> 00:07:46,699 from President Trump to President Biden 181 00:07:46,699 --> 00:07:48,601 because Congress that day 182 00:07:48,601 --> 00:07:50,036 was counting the electoral college votes 183 00:07:50,036 --> 00:07:52,138 and these rioters or insurrectionists, 184 00:07:52,138 --> 00:07:53,339 or whatever phrase you wanna use, 185 00:07:53,339 --> 00:07:54,774 were storming the Capitol 186 00:07:54,774 --> 00:07:57,210 with the explicit goal of preventing that from happening. 187 00:07:57,210 --> 00:07:59,045 So that's why all this matters. 188 00:08:00,613 --> 00:08:02,915 It's not a semantic issue here. 189 00:08:02,915 --> 00:08:05,451 This really goes to the heart of American democracy, 190 00:08:05,451 --> 00:08:06,953 and it was fascinating to hear the Vice President, 191 00:08:06,953 --> 00:08:08,187 the former Vice President, 192 00:08:08,187 --> 00:08:09,889 speak up in such a forceful way today. 193 00:08:11,557 --> 00:08:14,060 - Yeah, and Manu, Peter's talking about, 194 00:08:14,060 --> 00:08:17,263 this is a serious matter and that language matters. 195 00:08:17,263 --> 00:08:20,233 We also saw, of course, and when you talk about language, 196 00:08:20,233 --> 00:08:24,003 former President Trump talking about pardoning these people 197 00:08:24,003 --> 00:08:27,073 who attacked the Capitol, and also claiming now 198 00:08:27,073 --> 00:08:29,842 that Senator Graham, Senator Lindsey Graham, 199 00:08:29,842 --> 00:08:31,277 that he's not a true Republican, 200 00:08:31,277 --> 00:08:34,547 calling him a RINO, Republican in Name Only. 201 00:08:34,547 --> 00:08:36,482 What does that say that they're now clashing like this, 202 00:08:36,482 --> 00:08:40,152 and also, this is all coming as the RNC is deciding 203 00:08:40,152 --> 00:08:42,288 to censure Representative Cheney 204 00:08:42,288 --> 00:08:45,892 and Adam Kinzinger for their role in being on the committee 205 00:08:45,892 --> 00:08:46,993 that is trying to get to the bottom 206 00:08:46,993 --> 00:08:48,594 of what happened on January 6th. 207 00:08:49,795 --> 00:08:51,430 - Yeah, look, it all shows one thing, 208 00:08:51,430 --> 00:08:53,599 that loyalty is a one-way street 209 00:08:53,599 --> 00:08:55,101 when it comes to Donald Trump. 210 00:08:55,101 --> 00:08:58,104 I mean, Lindsey Graham was one of the staunchest defenders 211 00:08:58,104 --> 00:09:00,206 of Donald Trump through his presidency, 212 00:09:00,206 --> 00:09:01,707 went to bat with him 213 00:09:01,707 --> 00:09:04,710 on a number of very controversial issues, 214 00:09:04,710 --> 00:09:08,314 and essentially distanced himself from his longtime friend, 215 00:09:08,314 --> 00:09:09,815 John McCain, the late senator 216 00:09:09,815 --> 00:09:12,985 who sparred openly with Donald Trump at the time. 217 00:09:12,985 --> 00:09:14,587 But after McCain passed, 218 00:09:14,587 --> 00:09:17,156 Lindsey Graham became a very close ally of Donald Trump. 219 00:09:17,156 --> 00:09:19,425 Even when Trump was bashing McCain, 220 00:09:19,425 --> 00:09:22,161 you didn't hear Lindsey Graham really say much publicly 221 00:09:22,161 --> 00:09:24,997 about how he was upset about that, 222 00:09:24,997 --> 00:09:28,334 but once you go crosswise with the former President, 223 00:09:28,334 --> 00:09:30,970 he comes after you, which we saw with Lindsey Graham. 224 00:09:30,970 --> 00:09:32,939 We saw that also with Mitch McConnell, 225 00:09:32,939 --> 00:09:34,440 the Republican leader. 226 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,511 He was key to implementing much of the Trump agenda 227 00:09:38,511 --> 00:09:40,379 through four years of the Trump presidency. 228 00:09:40,379 --> 00:09:42,548 He voted to acquit Donald Trump twice 229 00:09:42,548 --> 00:09:44,016 in his impeachment trial, 230 00:09:44,016 --> 00:09:46,218 but then he blamed him for the January 6th insurrection, 231 00:09:46,218 --> 00:09:48,788 and since then, it's been nothing but attacks 232 00:09:48,788 --> 00:09:50,489 from Trump against McConnell. 233 00:09:50,489 --> 00:09:52,625 And McConnell himself, I asked him this week 234 00:09:52,625 --> 00:09:54,427 whether or not he agreed with the notion 235 00:09:54,427 --> 00:09:57,296 that these insurrectionists should be pardoned. 236 00:09:57,296 --> 00:09:59,031 He said those who pleaded guilty 237 00:09:59,031 --> 00:10:00,933 should absolutely not be pardoned. 238 00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:02,702 He also said that the election was determined 239 00:10:02,702 --> 00:10:04,770 on December 14th of 2020 240 00:10:04,770 --> 00:10:06,839 when the states had certified the electoral votes, 241 00:10:06,839 --> 00:10:08,541 and then you're looking at the RNC, 242 00:10:08,541 --> 00:10:11,911 which has made very clear that they are the Trump party, 243 00:10:11,911 --> 00:10:15,247 that they will align themselves with Donald Trump, 244 00:10:15,247 --> 00:10:17,583 going after two people who are investigating 245 00:10:17,583 --> 00:10:18,784 exactly what happened here 246 00:10:18,784 --> 00:10:20,553 who are on the outs of their party, 247 00:10:20,553 --> 00:10:21,988 Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, 248 00:10:21,988 --> 00:10:25,057 simply because they wanted to get to the bottom 249 00:10:25,057 --> 00:10:27,560 of Donald Trump's role in everything that happened with it, 250 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:30,763 but they are so decidedly in the minority right now 251 00:10:30,763 --> 00:10:34,266 that there is a significant push to defeat Cheney 252 00:10:34,266 --> 00:10:36,802 in her primary, push to expel them 253 00:10:36,802 --> 00:10:38,337 from the Republican Conference, 254 00:10:38,337 --> 00:10:40,406 and also that is putting them, 255 00:10:40,406 --> 00:10:42,675 putting the Republican leadership in the House 256 00:10:42,675 --> 00:10:44,210 in a difficult position. 257 00:10:44,210 --> 00:10:46,779 Kevin McCarthy, who has tried to align himself with Trump, 258 00:10:46,779 --> 00:10:48,781 is gonna essentially be forced to choose sides 259 00:10:48,781 --> 00:10:52,985 between this effort to try to boot Cheney from the party, 260 00:10:52,985 --> 00:10:54,553 boot Adam Kinzinger from the party, 261 00:10:54,553 --> 00:10:57,289 or try to keep the focus where he wants to keep it, 262 00:10:57,289 --> 00:10:59,091 on Democrats heading into the midterms, 263 00:10:59,091 --> 00:11:01,293 and that's the real concern from Republican leaders 264 00:11:01,293 --> 00:11:03,396 who see what Trump is doing 265 00:11:03,396 --> 00:11:05,998 and see these things about talking about the election 266 00:11:05,998 --> 00:11:08,501 as essentially dividing their party, 267 00:11:08,501 --> 00:11:10,670 as a distraction from the real focus, 268 00:11:10,670 --> 00:11:12,171 which they wanna keep the message 269 00:11:12,171 --> 00:11:13,739 on the Biden administration. 270 00:11:13,739 --> 00:11:17,076 And Yamiche, when I asked McCarthy multiple times today 271 00:11:17,076 --> 00:11:19,412 whether or not he supports this RNC effort 272 00:11:19,412 --> 00:11:21,914 to censure Kinzinger and Cheney, 273 00:11:21,914 --> 00:11:23,582 he would not answer the question. 274 00:11:25,051 --> 00:11:26,652 - Well, I have to tell you, I always appreciate when you 275 00:11:26,652 --> 00:11:28,220 and Seung Min are running around the Capitol, 276 00:11:28,220 --> 00:11:29,755 giving us the latest. 277 00:11:29,755 --> 00:11:33,926 You talked about the idea of loyalty being a one-way street 278 00:11:33,926 --> 00:11:35,327 for former President Trump. 279 00:11:35,327 --> 00:11:36,729 That leads me in some ways 280 00:11:36,729 --> 00:11:38,230 to the January 6th Committee and their work. 281 00:11:38,230 --> 00:11:39,632 There were so many developments, 282 00:11:39,632 --> 00:11:41,133 with new memos coming out 283 00:11:41,133 --> 00:11:43,803 that some in Trump's orbit were wanting to use the powers 284 00:11:43,803 --> 00:11:45,871 of the NSA to go after people. 285 00:11:45,871 --> 00:11:47,540 There were also this information 286 00:11:47,540 --> 00:11:51,544 that came out about a draft executive order 287 00:11:51,544 --> 00:11:52,845 that might have been used 288 00:11:52,845 --> 00:11:55,614 to seize the control of voting machines. 289 00:11:55,614 --> 00:11:57,116 It didn't happen, but that was something 290 00:11:57,116 --> 00:11:59,218 that Trump and people close to him were looking at. 291 00:11:59,218 --> 00:12:01,287 What do you hear from lawmakers 292 00:12:01,287 --> 00:12:03,322 when they talk about sort of the work that's ahead, 293 00:12:03,322 --> 00:12:05,758 given that the time that they have to work on this 294 00:12:05,758 --> 00:12:08,461 might be short if Democrats lose control of the House? 295 00:12:08,461 --> 00:12:11,897 And also I wonder, what do they expect to hear from people 296 00:12:11,897 --> 00:12:13,899 that they've asked to come in voluntarily, including, 297 00:12:13,899 --> 00:12:16,402 of course, the President's daughter, Ivanka Trump? 298 00:12:17,903 --> 00:12:19,338 - Yeah, it still remains to be seen 299 00:12:19,338 --> 00:12:22,575 whether or not Ivanka Trump will in fact cooperate 300 00:12:22,575 --> 00:12:24,577 with this committee and how far they go 301 00:12:24,577 --> 00:12:26,712 in trying to compel her testimony. 302 00:12:26,712 --> 00:12:27,947 It also remains to be seen 303 00:12:27,947 --> 00:12:29,582 whether or not they get the testimony 304 00:12:29,582 --> 00:12:31,917 from a number of the people, very, very close 305 00:12:31,917 --> 00:12:34,286 to the former President, people who were pushing back. 306 00:12:34,286 --> 00:12:37,423 But what we know is that they have interviewed hundreds, 307 00:12:37,423 --> 00:12:40,226 more than a hundred witnesses, more than 200 witnesses, 308 00:12:40,226 --> 00:12:42,528 and have gotten scores and scores of documents, 309 00:12:42,528 --> 00:12:45,064 both from the National Archives and from these witnesses, 310 00:12:45,064 --> 00:12:47,433 and even people who fought the committee, like Mark Meadows, 311 00:12:47,433 --> 00:12:49,602 have provided a number of text messages 312 00:12:49,602 --> 00:12:51,337 and other issues to help piece together 313 00:12:51,337 --> 00:12:52,705 exactly what happened here, 314 00:12:52,705 --> 00:12:54,974 but the real challenge for this committee is 315 00:12:54,974 --> 00:12:56,876 being able to put this all together 316 00:12:56,876 --> 00:12:58,811 and have a very definitive narrative 317 00:12:58,811 --> 00:13:02,248 about exactly what was going through Donald Trump's mind, 318 00:13:02,248 --> 00:13:03,516 what he was doing, 319 00:13:03,516 --> 00:13:06,051 all the efforts leading up to the insurrection, 320 00:13:06,051 --> 00:13:07,686 the efforts by the Justice Department 321 00:13:07,686 --> 00:13:11,390 to overturn the election at the same time, 322 00:13:11,390 --> 00:13:13,092 and get that all done before November, 323 00:13:13,092 --> 00:13:14,627 because when we know November comes, 324 00:13:14,627 --> 00:13:16,729 House Republicans are probably gonna take back the House. 325 00:13:16,729 --> 00:13:18,297 They have a very good chance, 326 00:13:18,297 --> 00:13:20,232 and then they're gonna end this investigation 327 00:13:20,232 --> 00:13:21,400 in the next year. 328 00:13:22,668 --> 00:13:24,403 - Yeah, and meanwhile this week, 329 00:13:24,403 --> 00:13:26,939 President Biden held a bipartisan meeting 330 00:13:26,939 --> 00:13:29,909 with key senators about his Supreme Court nominee, 331 00:13:29,909 --> 00:13:32,912 but the process could get complicated. 332 00:13:32,912 --> 00:13:37,216 Days ago, New Mexico Democratic senator Ben Ray Lujan 333 00:13:37,216 --> 00:13:40,252 suffered a stroke, delaying his return 334 00:13:40,252 --> 00:13:41,987 to Washington for several weeks. 335 00:13:41,987 --> 00:13:44,557 With Democrats' razor-thin majority in the Senate, 336 00:13:44,557 --> 00:13:46,492 some in the party are nervous. 337 00:13:46,492 --> 00:13:48,627 Seung Min, talk to us a little bit about 338 00:13:48,627 --> 00:13:51,030 what Democrats are telling you about how concerned they are 339 00:13:51,030 --> 00:13:52,865 about Senator Lujan's condition 340 00:13:52,865 --> 00:13:54,533 and how it might impact things. 341 00:13:54,533 --> 00:13:56,769 Of course we're hoping the Senator has a full recovery here, 342 00:13:56,769 --> 00:13:59,538 but I also wonder, you had a good scoop 343 00:13:59,538 --> 00:14:02,141 on sort of how President Biden is building his team 344 00:14:02,141 --> 00:14:03,642 for the Supreme Court. 345 00:14:03,642 --> 00:14:05,878 Answer those two questions for us, the timing of all this, 346 00:14:05,878 --> 00:14:08,247 but also what's going on at the White House. 347 00:14:08,247 --> 00:14:10,282 - Right, well, I mean, nervous doesn't even begin 348 00:14:10,282 --> 00:14:13,953 to describe what Democratic senators are feeling right now. 349 00:14:13,953 --> 00:14:17,189 They're sending their best wishes to Senator Lujan, 350 00:14:17,189 --> 00:14:18,691 a valued member of the conference, 351 00:14:18,691 --> 00:14:21,894 and we are told that if his recovery is on the trajectory 352 00:14:21,894 --> 00:14:24,296 that it is right now, that he should return to Washington 353 00:14:24,296 --> 00:14:26,465 in four to six weeks, which is pretty remarkable, 354 00:14:26,465 --> 00:14:29,235 and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated 355 00:14:29,235 --> 00:14:34,139 that his absence is not really going to impact the timeline 356 00:14:34,139 --> 00:14:36,375 for the consideration of the Supreme Court nominee, 357 00:14:36,375 --> 00:14:38,577 particularly because Senator Lujan does not sit 358 00:14:38,577 --> 00:14:39,812 on the Senate judiciary committee 359 00:14:39,812 --> 00:14:41,614 that does a lot of the early work 360 00:14:41,614 --> 00:14:43,816 with the confirmation hearings and the committee votes, 361 00:14:43,816 --> 00:14:47,052 but, I mean, Manu and I have been told 362 00:14:47,052 --> 00:14:48,888 by Democratic senators for a year now 363 00:14:48,888 --> 00:14:52,524 that they are very well aware, in pretty blunt terms, 364 00:14:52,524 --> 00:14:55,461 that they are one heartbeat away from losing the majority, 365 00:14:55,461 --> 00:14:57,997 so whenever a health condition arises, 366 00:14:58,964 --> 00:15:01,634 even if it's a COVID diagnosis 367 00:15:01,634 --> 00:15:04,270 that takes a senator out of commission for a few days, 368 00:15:04,270 --> 00:15:07,539 they are very aware that their majority is fragile, 369 00:15:07,539 --> 00:15:10,276 and that's why they wanna move as expeditiously as possible, 370 00:15:10,276 --> 00:15:12,044 not just on a Supreme Court nomination, 371 00:15:12,044 --> 00:15:14,713 but on so many pieces of their agenda. 372 00:15:14,713 --> 00:15:19,051 But for now, with Senator Lujan's prognosis being 373 00:15:19,051 --> 00:15:20,853 what it is right now, 374 00:15:20,853 --> 00:15:22,688 the plans for a Supreme Court nomination 375 00:15:22,688 --> 00:15:25,557 seem to be on track, and obviously that's very welcome news 376 00:15:25,557 --> 00:15:28,627 to the White House for many reasons, 377 00:15:28,627 --> 00:15:31,030 and the White House, President Biden, his senior aides, 378 00:15:31,030 --> 00:15:33,799 are making a lot of the preparations right now to make sure 379 00:15:33,799 --> 00:15:36,902 that they have a seamless rollout of the nominee 380 00:15:36,902 --> 00:15:38,938 and to make sure that she can really navigate 381 00:15:38,938 --> 00:15:40,472 through what is likely to be 382 00:15:40,472 --> 00:15:43,909 a pretty contentious confirmation process. 383 00:15:43,909 --> 00:15:45,511 So to that end, 384 00:15:45,511 --> 00:15:48,447 they've enlisted a former Democratic senator, Doug Jones, 385 00:15:48,447 --> 00:15:52,251 a Democrat from Alabama who has this bipartisan appeal, 386 00:15:52,251 --> 00:15:53,919 even though he did not spend, 387 00:15:53,919 --> 00:15:56,221 he did not have a long tenure in the Senate, 388 00:15:56,221 --> 00:15:57,623 as a so called Sherpa, 389 00:15:57,623 --> 00:15:59,825 which is one of my favorite Supreme Court terms: 390 00:15:59,825 --> 00:16:02,861 effectively the guide for the nominee 391 00:16:02,861 --> 00:16:05,664 to guide her around the hallways of Capitol Hill 392 00:16:06,732 --> 00:16:10,002 to meet with senators one on one. 393 00:16:10,002 --> 00:16:12,571 And at the same time, the White House is bringing on 394 00:16:12,571 --> 00:16:16,208 two veteran political strategists, one in communications, 395 00:16:16,208 --> 00:16:18,610 a former Obama spokesman, Ben LaBolt, 396 00:16:18,610 --> 00:16:21,981 and Minyon Moore, a long-time veteran political hand 397 00:16:21,981 --> 00:16:23,215 very close to the Clintons, 398 00:16:23,215 --> 00:16:25,651 and she's gonna be tapped with engaging 399 00:16:25,651 --> 00:16:29,989 and mobilizing a network of outside groups 400 00:16:29,989 --> 00:16:33,492 to really build this grassroots support for this nominee, 401 00:16:33,492 --> 00:16:35,260 who, as we should always know, 402 00:16:35,260 --> 00:16:37,496 will be the first black woman to sit 403 00:16:37,496 --> 00:16:39,064 on the Supreme Court in history, 404 00:16:39,064 --> 00:16:41,700 and that really is a historic moment. 405 00:16:42,901 --> 00:16:44,937 - Yeah, it's gonna make big history. 406 00:16:44,937 --> 00:16:46,839 And now I wanna turn though, of course, 407 00:16:46,839 --> 00:16:48,040 because that's big history 408 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,809 and also we're living history right now, 409 00:16:50,809 --> 00:16:53,145 because the week's other big story is 410 00:16:53,145 --> 00:16:55,547 the diplomatic standoff between Russia, 411 00:16:55,547 --> 00:16:57,683 Ukraine, and the United States. 412 00:16:57,683 --> 00:17:01,120 More than 100,000 Russian troops are currently gathered 413 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:02,454 at the Ukrainian border, 414 00:17:02,454 --> 00:17:04,656 and on Wednesday, the Pentagon announced 415 00:17:04,656 --> 00:17:07,126 that about 3,000 American troops 416 00:17:07,126 --> 00:17:09,395 are being deployed to Eastern Europe, 417 00:17:09,395 --> 00:17:12,931 but both sides insist there is still time for diplomacy, 418 00:17:12,931 --> 00:17:14,466 and on Capitol Hill, 419 00:17:14,466 --> 00:17:17,469 Democrats and Republicans sounded off about their concerns. 420 00:17:18,904 --> 00:17:21,974 - The White House has put us in a horrible situation, 421 00:17:21,974 --> 00:17:24,610 a horrible predicament, and now I'm concerned 422 00:17:24,610 --> 00:17:27,312 they're starting to throw gasoline on the fire. 423 00:17:27,312 --> 00:17:31,517 - We need to make clear to Ukraine and to Vladimir Putin 424 00:17:32,384 --> 00:17:34,486 that Ukraine is not alone, 425 00:17:35,687 --> 00:17:38,490 that the free nations of the West will stand 426 00:17:38,490 --> 00:17:41,727 with Ukraine against Russian aggression. 427 00:17:41,727 --> 00:17:45,130 - I think it's right to communicate our intent in advance 428 00:17:45,130 --> 00:17:48,133 because it's most likely to have a deterrent effect. 429 00:17:49,902 --> 00:17:53,105 - Joining our discussion on this is Nancy Youssef. 430 00:17:53,105 --> 00:17:54,506 She's a national security reporter 431 00:17:54,506 --> 00:17:55,707 for the Wall Street Journal. 432 00:17:55,707 --> 00:17:56,975 Thank you so much, Nancy, for being here. 433 00:17:56,975 --> 00:17:58,744 Before I go to Nancy, I'm gonna go to Peter 434 00:17:58,744 --> 00:18:00,245 because you were, of course, 435 00:18:00,245 --> 00:18:02,915 for years the Moscow Bureau Chief for the Washington Post. 436 00:18:02,915 --> 00:18:06,018 You also have written a book on Russia and Vladimir Putin. 437 00:18:06,018 --> 00:18:08,253 Where do things stand at this hour 438 00:18:08,253 --> 00:18:10,656 given what we're hearing from the US and Russia? 439 00:18:12,858 --> 00:18:14,993 - Well, we're still basically waiting 440 00:18:14,993 --> 00:18:17,563 for Vladimir Putin to explain what he's going to do 441 00:18:17,563 --> 00:18:18,864 or show us what he's going to do. 442 00:18:18,864 --> 00:18:20,966 He's the central figure in all of this. 443 00:18:20,966 --> 00:18:21,967 Everything else that's happened 444 00:18:21,967 --> 00:18:23,836 until now has been predictable. 445 00:18:23,836 --> 00:18:26,605 Vladimir Putin knows exactly what Joe Biden is going to do 446 00:18:26,605 --> 00:18:28,607 or could do in retaliation for an invasion. 447 00:18:28,607 --> 00:18:30,709 He knows what Europe can do and would do. 448 00:18:30,709 --> 00:18:32,845 He knows what NATO can do and would do. 449 00:18:32,845 --> 00:18:34,379 He knows what Ukraine is capable of, 450 00:18:34,379 --> 00:18:36,615 and all of that has already been factored into his equation. 451 00:18:36,615 --> 00:18:39,084 What we don't know is what he's going to do, 452 00:18:39,084 --> 00:18:41,120 and that's the real question, and it's a question not only 453 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:42,988 that Joe Biden is trying to figure out 454 00:18:42,988 --> 00:18:44,256 and the Europeans are trying to figure out 455 00:18:44,256 --> 00:18:45,791 and the Ukrainians are trying to figure out, 456 00:18:45,791 --> 00:18:47,025 but also the Russians, I think, 457 00:18:47,025 --> 00:18:48,293 are trying to figure this out as well, 458 00:18:48,293 --> 00:18:51,130 because Putin holds his cards close to the vest, 459 00:18:51,130 --> 00:18:53,632 and the question for him is, how far is he willing to go? 460 00:18:53,632 --> 00:18:55,234 Now, I don't think we're gonna have anything happen 461 00:18:55,234 --> 00:18:56,468 in the next few days. 462 00:18:56,468 --> 00:18:57,703 He's in Beijing, or he went to Beijing 463 00:18:57,703 --> 00:18:59,138 for the opening of the Summer Olympics. 464 00:18:59,138 --> 00:19:02,040 He doesn't wanna show up his friend Xi Jinping 465 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,544 by creating a military situation in the middle of that, 466 00:19:05,544 --> 00:19:06,979 so we've got a little bit of time. 467 00:19:06,979 --> 00:19:09,381 There's talk about more diplomacy, 468 00:19:09,381 --> 00:19:10,649 but we were talking today, 469 00:19:10,649 --> 00:19:13,218 I was talking today with some officials in Europe 470 00:19:13,218 --> 00:19:15,821 and in the United States, and they are very, very worried 471 00:19:15,821 --> 00:19:18,690 that this is heading toward a very bad conflict, 472 00:19:18,690 --> 00:19:22,194 and that this is a serious threat not just to Ukraine, 473 00:19:22,194 --> 00:19:24,096 but to all of European stability right now, 474 00:19:24,096 --> 00:19:26,565 and the question is, is there an off-ramp 475 00:19:26,565 --> 00:19:28,400 that President Putin is willing to take? 476 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:29,735 He hasn't shown it so far. 477 00:19:31,803 --> 00:19:33,772 - And Nancy, what's your reporting reveal 478 00:19:33,772 --> 00:19:37,075 about sort of President Biden's decision to deploy troops, 479 00:19:37,075 --> 00:19:38,777 and what role might they be playing 480 00:19:38,777 --> 00:19:40,212 in trying to deter Russia? 481 00:19:40,212 --> 00:19:42,481 As Peter was just saying, there's a lot there, 482 00:19:42,481 --> 00:19:43,582 a lot fluid there. 483 00:19:43,582 --> 00:19:45,150 What's your reporting show? 484 00:19:46,051 --> 00:19:47,519 - So a couple things: 485 00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:49,288 The US troops will be going to three countries, 486 00:19:49,288 --> 00:19:51,690 Germany, Poland, and Romania. 487 00:19:51,690 --> 00:19:53,292 You'll note that they're not going to Ukraine 488 00:19:53,292 --> 00:19:54,826 because the United States has said 489 00:19:54,826 --> 00:19:57,529 that it would not deploy troops to Ukraine. 490 00:19:57,529 --> 00:19:59,164 Their purpose is really twofold. 491 00:19:59,164 --> 00:20:02,601 One of them is deterrence to Russia, to say to Russia, 492 00:20:02,601 --> 00:20:04,770 "While you have not gone into Ukraine 493 00:20:04,770 --> 00:20:08,173 "and you've said you're not going into NATO-allied partners, 494 00:20:08,173 --> 00:20:10,776 "this, for the Alliance, is our line. 495 00:20:10,776 --> 00:20:14,613 "There cannot be any threats to NATO members," 496 00:20:14,613 --> 00:20:18,584 and this comes after Russia deployed troops 497 00:20:18,584 --> 00:20:20,852 to Belarus near the Polish border 498 00:20:20,852 --> 00:20:22,788 and really heightened concerns in the region 499 00:20:22,788 --> 00:20:25,357 about what Russian intentions were. 500 00:20:25,357 --> 00:20:27,893 The other is to reassure allies and partners, 501 00:20:27,893 --> 00:20:30,429 because as I said, as they've seen Russian movements, 502 00:20:30,429 --> 00:20:33,432 there's been a real fear amongst NATO members 503 00:20:33,432 --> 00:20:35,934 that this could be the start of further Russian aggression, 504 00:20:35,934 --> 00:20:38,570 and so all of these military maneuvers are designed 505 00:20:38,570 --> 00:20:42,641 to signal something to both the Alliance and to Russia 506 00:20:42,641 --> 00:20:47,346 about the US interest in backing its partners in the region. 507 00:20:48,914 --> 00:20:50,482 - And Nancy, a quick follow up: 508 00:20:50,482 --> 00:20:52,417 There was this letter, there was reporting on this letter 509 00:20:52,417 --> 00:20:55,320 that President Biden wrote, and of course, 510 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:56,755 President Putin then responded. 511 00:20:56,755 --> 00:20:58,624 I wonder, sort of what does that reveal 512 00:20:58,624 --> 00:21:00,125 about their strategies, 513 00:21:00,125 --> 00:21:01,994 but also talk a little bit about the energy issues here, 514 00:21:01,994 --> 00:21:03,395 the natural gas issues here 515 00:21:03,395 --> 00:21:05,030 when you think about Europe's stance 516 00:21:05,030 --> 00:21:08,433 and sort of where they stand in all of this. 517 00:21:09,568 --> 00:21:10,836 - So one of the things that happened 518 00:21:10,836 --> 00:21:12,804 in the effort to reach a diplomatic solution 519 00:21:12,804 --> 00:21:14,706 was an exchange of letters. 520 00:21:14,706 --> 00:21:16,942 The US spelled out what it needed from Russia, 521 00:21:16,942 --> 00:21:18,443 and Russia did the same. 522 00:21:18,443 --> 00:21:20,646 One of the things that you discover in those letters is 523 00:21:20,646 --> 00:21:24,016 that while Russia is talking about border issues, 524 00:21:24,016 --> 00:21:26,485 how it doesn't want Ukraine to be a member of NATO, 525 00:21:26,485 --> 00:21:29,221 how it doesn't want the Alliance to expand any further, 526 00:21:29,221 --> 00:21:32,124 how it wants to really, frankly, weaken the Alliance, 527 00:21:32,124 --> 00:21:34,326 the United States was offering in exchange 528 00:21:34,326 --> 00:21:36,995 things more related to missile defense. 529 00:21:36,995 --> 00:21:39,931 The US response was things like, 530 00:21:39,931 --> 00:21:43,769 we will let you inspect our missiles in Poland, 531 00:21:43,769 --> 00:21:45,437 we'll maybe reduce the number 532 00:21:45,437 --> 00:21:47,072 of patrols we do through the Black Sea, 533 00:21:47,072 --> 00:21:49,241 and I think that's why we're having such a challenge 534 00:21:49,241 --> 00:21:50,976 in finding a diplomatic solution. 535 00:21:50,976 --> 00:21:54,079 These two foes are looking at this 536 00:21:54,079 --> 00:21:55,614 from a completely different perspective. 537 00:21:55,614 --> 00:21:57,215 One's talking about border control, 538 00:21:57,215 --> 00:21:59,518 one's talking about missile defense, 539 00:21:59,518 --> 00:22:02,888 and so I think that's why there's a real nervousness 540 00:22:02,888 --> 00:22:06,692 about what's ahead, because all this is happening 541 00:22:06,692 --> 00:22:08,193 as Russia is mounting troops 542 00:22:08,193 --> 00:22:10,262 on all sides of the Ukrainian border, 543 00:22:10,262 --> 00:22:13,432 as it's moving ships into the Black Sea, 544 00:22:13,432 --> 00:22:17,803 and by every measure, moving more troops than it ever has 545 00:22:17,803 --> 00:22:21,039 in the past seven decades around the Ukrainian borders. 546 00:22:22,708 --> 00:22:24,976 - And Manu, Nancy's sort of laying out 547 00:22:24,976 --> 00:22:28,613 sort of all of the foreign policy issues here. 548 00:22:28,613 --> 00:22:31,116 If you could quickly, we only have a couple minutes left, 549 00:22:31,116 --> 00:22:32,417 but I wanna give you a couple seconds 550 00:22:32,417 --> 00:22:34,419 to describe what's going on on Capitol Hill, 551 00:22:34,419 --> 00:22:36,621 the split in the GOP, where Democrats stand 552 00:22:36,621 --> 00:22:38,023 as it relates to sanctions. 553 00:22:38,023 --> 00:22:38,924 What could happen? 554 00:22:40,058 --> 00:22:41,727 - Yeah, there's a significant discussion, 555 00:22:41,727 --> 00:22:43,695 bipartisan discussion to cut a deal 556 00:22:43,695 --> 00:22:45,797 to impose sanctions on Russia. 557 00:22:45,797 --> 00:22:48,300 The debate has been between the Democrats who have, 558 00:22:48,300 --> 00:22:50,268 and the administration, who have been concerned 559 00:22:50,268 --> 00:22:53,505 about pre-invasion sanctions to impose on Russia 560 00:22:53,505 --> 00:22:55,440 before any invasion of Ukraine. 561 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:56,608 Republicans have wanted 562 00:22:56,608 --> 00:22:59,778 to impose stiff sanctions preemptively, 563 00:22:59,778 --> 00:23:02,781 and also to go after the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as well, 564 00:23:02,781 --> 00:23:05,851 but there's significant discussion to try to cut a deal 565 00:23:05,851 --> 00:23:08,920 so some sanctions would go in pre-invasion 566 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,590 and some would be kicked in after any invasion, 567 00:23:11,590 --> 00:23:13,392 but what both sides are saying is 568 00:23:13,392 --> 00:23:15,093 that they're getting closer to a deal, 569 00:23:15,093 --> 00:23:16,695 and that what they're saying is 570 00:23:16,695 --> 00:23:18,397 these would be crippling sanctions. 571 00:23:18,397 --> 00:23:20,031 One of the leaders of this effort, 572 00:23:20,031 --> 00:23:21,900 Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, 573 00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:24,703 said this would be the, quote, "mother of all sanctions." 574 00:23:24,703 --> 00:23:26,204 In a lot of ways, 575 00:23:26,204 --> 00:23:27,906 they're trying to deter Russia from going forward, 576 00:23:27,906 --> 00:23:30,776 but expect that to be proposed in the coming days. 577 00:23:30,776 --> 00:23:32,811 It will be interesting to see 578 00:23:32,811 --> 00:23:35,213 where the Republicans who are concerned 579 00:23:35,213 --> 00:23:36,915 that they're going too far are concerned 580 00:23:36,915 --> 00:23:39,151 about sending troops to Europe, where they come down, 581 00:23:39,151 --> 00:23:41,820 as well as some liberals who are concerned also 582 00:23:41,820 --> 00:23:44,256 about this could lead to further conflict 583 00:23:44,256 --> 00:23:46,425 by a beefed-up military presence 584 00:23:46,425 --> 00:23:48,393 as well as beefed-up sanctions as well. 585 00:23:49,795 --> 00:23:52,097 - Yeah, and Nancy, we only have about 30 seconds left here, 586 00:23:52,097 --> 00:23:53,832 but I wanna just come to you because on Thursday, 587 00:23:53,832 --> 00:23:55,133 President Biden did announce 588 00:23:55,133 --> 00:23:56,835 that a top leader of ISIS was killed 589 00:23:56,835 --> 00:23:59,137 during a raid carried out by special forces. 590 00:23:59,137 --> 00:24:01,473 US officials say the leader detonated an explosive, 591 00:24:01,473 --> 00:24:04,443 killing himself and members of his family. 592 00:24:04,443 --> 00:24:05,644 President Biden spoke about this, 593 00:24:05,644 --> 00:24:07,145 but Nancy, just weigh in here. 594 00:24:07,145 --> 00:24:09,014 What's the significance of this raid? 595 00:24:09,014 --> 00:24:11,583 Sort of what does it mean overall? 596 00:24:11,583 --> 00:24:15,153 - So Qurayshi, who was the former head of ISIS, 597 00:24:15,153 --> 00:24:18,223 had ruled for about two years over the group, 598 00:24:18,223 --> 00:24:20,926 and in that time, he came in 599 00:24:20,926 --> 00:24:24,329 after the self-proclaimed caliphate had been destroyed. 600 00:24:24,329 --> 00:24:26,998 Now on one hand, ISIS was able to stay intact. 601 00:24:26,998 --> 00:24:28,700 It was able to actually expand its presence 602 00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:30,769 in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahale, 603 00:24:30,769 --> 00:24:33,972 but this was not the kind of public charismatic leader 604 00:24:33,972 --> 00:24:35,907 that we saw in Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 605 00:24:35,907 --> 00:24:37,476 And remember, this is an organization 606 00:24:37,476 --> 00:24:39,644 where people don't get to retire. 607 00:24:39,644 --> 00:24:41,880 They leave either because they die off 608 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:43,148 or they die in strikes, 609 00:24:43,148 --> 00:24:45,784 and so the organization is designed to come back 610 00:24:45,784 --> 00:24:48,587 from the loss of its leader and to continue, 611 00:24:48,587 --> 00:24:50,589 and I think we'll see that again. 612 00:24:50,589 --> 00:24:52,057 - Yeah. 613 00:24:52,057 --> 00:24:54,693 Yeah, well, thank you so much to Peter, to Seung Min, 614 00:24:54,693 --> 00:24:56,461 to Manu, and to Nancy for joining us 615 00:24:56,461 --> 00:24:57,629 and sharing your reporting. 616 00:24:57,629 --> 00:24:59,130 We will continue our conversation 617 00:24:59,130 --> 00:25:01,900 on President Biden's agenda on the Washington Week Extra. 618 00:25:01,900 --> 00:25:04,436 Find it on our website, Facebook, and YouTube, 619 00:25:04,436 --> 00:25:06,538 and tune in on Monday to the "PBS NewsHour" 620 00:25:06,538 --> 00:25:09,608 for the latest on the efforts to find a diplomatic solution 621 00:25:09,608 --> 00:25:12,677 to the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. 622 00:25:12,677 --> 00:25:14,346 And finally, I'd like to mark the beginning 623 00:25:14,346 --> 00:25:15,847 of Black History Month 624 00:25:15,847 --> 00:25:17,749 and say my heart is full thinking about the heroes 625 00:25:17,749 --> 00:25:20,085 of our community, past and present. 626 00:25:20,085 --> 00:25:21,987 I look forward to celebrating them this month 627 00:25:21,987 --> 00:25:23,622 and all year long. 628 00:25:23,622 --> 00:25:25,156 I also wanna call attention 629 00:25:25,156 --> 00:25:26,958 to the recent terrible bomb threats 630 00:25:26,958 --> 00:25:29,995 against historically black colleges and universities. 631 00:25:29,995 --> 00:25:31,463 It's heartbreaking to see 632 00:25:31,463 --> 00:25:34,099 these incredibly important institutions targeted. 633 00:25:34,099 --> 00:25:36,234 I pray they remain safe. 634 00:25:36,234 --> 00:25:37,502 Thank you for joining us. 635 00:25:37,502 --> 00:25:38,837 I'm Yamiche Alcindor. 636 00:25:38,837 --> 00:25:40,138 Goodnight from Washington. 637 00:25:41,439 --> 00:25:44,009 (upbeat music) 638 00:26:00,392 --> 00:26:02,761 (bright music)